genessia | 1st trick * i used to rule the world, seas would rise when i gave the word * [VIDEO;public]

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1st trick * i used to rule the world, seas would rise when i gave the word * [VIDEO;public]

[Hello, everyone! Have a new face on the network, a man with chiseled, Mediterranean good looks and an open, shy smile. He waves--then he releases the phone from his hand and it sails backwards, somehow hovering in midair so the newcomer can talk with his hands free.

Well...sort of free. Promptly, he reaches into the back pocket of his fashionably fatigued jeans, pulling out a deck of cards.]

Hey, everyone.

[Visibly standing in the middle of a park in Genessia City, the man opens the box of cards and idly starts to shuffle as he speaks, performing showy one-handed cuts and shuffles and card fans. The longer he toys with the cards, the more relaxed he becomes, visibly nervous as he starts out.]

I'm Tommy, and I'm new here. Tommy...Karras. I mean--that's me.

[Someone is not comfortable with public speaking. Tanned features darken a little as he blushes, then with a flick of his wrist he tosses a card into the air, letting it spin in midair before he catches it, displaying an ace of spades.]

And I'm real new. Rank knew, just woke up--crap, 'bout twenty minutes ago?

[The accent is East Coast, but softened by years far from home--a keen ear might hear Brooklyn in there. The ace goes back into the deck, lost in a series of one handed shuffles, Charlier cuts, overhanded shuffling.]

I got the whole rundown from that...what, hologram or somethin'? Not many questions, but I am curious about what kinda entertainment a person can find in this town. I mean...

[He trails off, fanning out the deck of cards in his hand--then with a flick of his wrists, the deck vanishes. Every single card...except for the ace of spades, which he's still holding.]

...anyone got work for a magician?

[He turns the ace over a couple times in the fingers of one hand. The shy smile is now a grin--the delighted of a happy little boy that just got away with swiping treats from the cookie jar.

...or, perhaps, adding something instead? Check your pockets, everyone--odds are, you may have a playing card in there in the world's largest, strangest game of "Fifty Two Pickup."]

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Heck of a wake-up, isn't it?

[ Wherever this kid is, she's outside. Books in view, journal out as she's writing. ]

...not the worst I've had.

[Evasive? Hell yes--because suddenly learning you're a reincarnated Titan god and the King of Cuffs isn't exactly a relatable experience.]

Least that weird pod thing's comfortable? No crick in my neck or nothin'--and I been sleepin' in a coffin for the last two weeks.

[Yes, this is truth. No, he doesn't think to explain. Because obviously planning an escape from a fresh grave is absolutely normal.]

I'm claustrophobic. I freaked out and may have lost my shit at the person trying to help me.

[ There was swearing. It was ugly. ]

Oh, ew. Why were you in a coffin? You're not a zombie, are you? Cuz if you are, I'm just gonna let you know? I have really good aim.

Am I a--what? No! No, I'm not a zombie.

[He's laughing and blushing at the same time.]

I mean--reincarnated, yeah, but I'm very much alive. Nah, it was practice for an escape I was planning back home. Truthfully, it's not that bad.

[He frowns, making a face.]

Least until Kel and Dashie decide to sleep on the lid--my cats, Kel and Theo. Named 'em for my best friend and my brother. Former, I mean.

Good.

[ She'd been joking about the zombie thing, but honestly at this rate? She wouldn't put it past this place to bring in one undead or two. ]

...How's that work? Reincarnation and all that jazz?

[ You are talking to an atheist, dude. She doesn't even believe in God. ]

[Tommy is clueless--the only thing he's not wearing is the 'I'm a demigod human avatar: ask me how!' button, so she just gets a smile and a shrug.]

I don't remember a hell of a lot about the bein' dead part, so I just know the mythology. When I die, I pass into the Underworld, but I don't go before the judges, I just head straight to see Hades--we got this deal, see, so he gives me a pass to come back. Drink from the waters of the river Lethe--the Fates spin me a new thread, and here I am.

[See? Easy.]

Hey, before someone else asks, did you listen to the lady near the bay?

[It was long, but yeah, he's figured out it's important by now.]

Sure did, yep. Long spiel, but I got the basic rundown. Just seen some unusual things so far, so I'm checkin' around for humans. Kinda partial to 'em, always have been.

[Care to explain, Tommy? No, he does not. He is a perfectly sensical being.]

Humans, uhm, look Genessia, Nova and...Attleton?

[That's the strange little town. He thinks. The one place he hasn't been.]

But Everglade doesn't have a lot of them. I'm Ash Ketchum!

Welcome, Tommy Karrasaimeen. I am Mantis. That's me.

[She's watching his sleight of hand with wide-eyed fascination. ...I mean, biologically she's always wide-eyed, but particularly so in this instance.]

There are many methods of entertainment. I very much reckckkkkkKAAAK!

[A playing card falls out of her open mouth. She stares down at it.]

[And stares.]

[And stares.]

[Her head snaps back up and her voice is a rush of enthusiastic delight.]

I do not remember eating that!

[She's so impressed.]

[Tommy's eyes widen, genuinely upset when she gags and coughs up a card--but she's so thrilled with it he can feel the rush of power from across the distance, a spark of light igniting from within.

Shock to awe to wonderment to that moment. The split second when reality bends and every single impossible thing is real, the moment of believing.

His hand lifts to his mouth, wiping across it with a sheepish smile as the dark eyed...alien?...marvels at the card.]

I'm sorry, honest. Translocation's not my natural gift, so I'm still learnin' that one. You okay?

Yes I am. You are very kind to ask.

[She'll even make the 'okay' sign with her fingers! ...But it's the wrong sign. It's the middle finger. Starlord really shouldn't be allowed to teach her Earth things.]

Oh, but it is a very fine gift! It is the ability to transfer matter from one location to the other, yes? I have not met one with this talent. May I see more?

[Tommy just kind of blinks, but fortunately he can feel the intent behind it. He's also kind of fascinated that he can draw power from an alien--something else the gods failed to mention when they tried to punish his wife. Zeus was such a mother...

He pushes aside the old memories, and blushes at her questions.]

Translocation, yeah. It's how those kinda passes are done--ring in an envelope, card in the pocket. But that one I'm still workin' on, I wouldn't wanna end up makin' something appear in your nose or something.

[A beat.]

I got a couple others, though--natural gifts. Like the phone.

[Which is still hovering high up and far back enough to do a full body shot of him, from his shock of wavy black hair to the bare feet in the grass and the sandals sitting on the ground nearby. He's well build, not especially broad but very muscular.

And, as he lifts a foot to climb an imaginary stair to boost himself up, takes off from the ground until he's hovering about three feet in the air.]

[She's grateful nothing has appeared in her nose. Good work!]

You are able to use telekinesis as well! It is very impressive.

[She laughs as she says it, delighted that he's willing to display his powers so freely in front of her. She's known others who can do this sort of thing, but they weren't as friendly as this man seems to be, and she is starting to enjoy just how friendly and helpful the people of this city are.]

Are you a god as well?

Levitation, actually. Just...makin' things float 'n shit.

[He lets himself return to the ground--and when she recognizes him for what he is, he's visibly startled, but pleased at the same time as he laughs and rakes a hand back through his hair.]

Uh--yeah! Well, demigod, Greek. Titan, actually. [He blinks, then frowns a little when it kind of hits him from the first time.]

Descended from...myself. Christ, that's a mindfuck...anyway. How'd you know what I was? Have you met other avatars before?

[Float AND shit? Mantis brightens.]

Like seagulls!

[Not quite, but. Let her have this. She hesitates when he names himself as a Titan, blinks, then furrows her brow.]

I knew of a Titan. Your appearance is different. So are your mannerisms.

[She prefers the one who isn't trying to disintegrate half of the universe. At his question, her shoulders lift as she leans forward.]

I suppose, in a sense. I was raised by such a being, a sentient planet, who often manifested himself into an avatar that best suited his purpose. You are more pleasant.

[A living planet? Now that was just weird. A vaguely perplexed look crosses Tommy's face, but he manages to just shake it off with roll of his shoulders.]

Well, uh--I ain't no planet, promise. I'm--well, I'm you. Humans, aliens, anything alive and thinking. My people are avatars of the first spark of all life: Hope.

Avatars of hope.

[She repeats his words, her gaze downcast and thoughtful.]

I do not understand, but I believe you are speaking truths. And I am relieved.

[Gods, in her experience, don't use their powers to better the lives of those around them. Tommy seems different, and kind. She would like to see more of what he can do, and the things he can change for good.]

You have traveled far and no doubt have much to do to gather your bearings. I would not wish to tax you with too many questions. Is there anything I may assist you with, to ease your transition?

Nah, it's okay! If you have questions you wanna ask, go ahead. My people serve life, it don't serve us. Hell, if you wanna help me get settled, I'd love to meet you in person. Never met someone like you before.

[He laughs a little, head ducking shyly--but not before a blush can be seen coloring his cheeks.]

And seein' as how I've lived three lives that I know of? That's sayin' something. But, uh...my people draw their power from you. It's kinda like a perpetual motion machine--we carry hope, and we create it in those it gives life to: you. When you experience it, it just feeds right back into us so we can make more. So...

[Her face brightens, and there's a laugh in her voice.]

I would like that very much!

[She stands to her feet and picks up her communicator, ready to go! He didn't specify a time, so clearly he means 'right now'.]

Three lives? Oh, that is many! This is my second life, I believe.

[Is it? Or does she need to be born anew? Death seems like it's pretty much the end, so anything after that would count as a 'second life' as far as she knows.]

So if I can feel more hope, it will benefit you, and you will be able to create many larvae.

[...and apparently, he's gonna get a visitor. Not that he minds a bit! Glancing around, Tommy finds a tree and wanders over to settle down at the base of the trunk, leaning back against it comfortably.

The crack about her own possible reincarnation doesn't faze him--that's what the Isle of the Blessed is for, right? It's the larvae thing that makes him blink in confusion.]

Larvae? Uh--nah, Hope's not like bugs, babe. It's--well, it's more like fire. The stuff my brother stole from the gods, y'know? Every living thing has a single torch burning in them, but my torch is the source of that fire. So if one starts to go out, I can either feed it kindling or reignite it. And if my flame starts to weaken, you can do the same thing. I stoke yours, you stoke mine. Together, we keep those fires burnin' forever.

[She wonders... Would he be able to feel the absence of a torch inside of her? It was Mantis's understanding that Genessia is simply the afterlife, the next stage to be navigated after death. It isn't what she expected, but it is a great deal better than ceasing to exist at all.]

I have heard there are many ways to create life. How do you do this?

[Naturally there's the most common method of attaching oneself to a mate, but perhaps he's the sort who divides off a piece of himself, or the sort who lays eggs. There are many interesting possibilities.]

[She's leaving her hotel room and moving toward the elevators. There's a sickly warbling 'diIIiiIing' before the half of the doors squeak open. Mantis gets on board without hesitation and pushes on a button so hard she bares her teeth and grunts. Finally it pops, and after three failed attempts, the door finally closes and the elevator descends jerkily with a fit of sputtering lights. ...She should really take the stairs, but she likes the scary elevator.]

When we have found each other, may I touch you? I wish to experience your feelings.

[There's just so much about him she doesn't understand. Sharing his emotions will allow her to draw closer.]

Uh...yeah, you can touch me, that's cool. But...uh...how--how do my kind create life? Uh...the...conventional way?

[Now he's blushing beet red, and not quite able to meet her gaze through the feed. She's kind of like a kid with her questions, so he's not uncomfortable, just...well...damn, man.]

When life first came into being, mortal life, it was made by the power that lives in us. It's what makes living things living things, if that makes sense. My kind are mortal avatars: human bodies, so we have kids and stuff like everyone else. We just don't have souls--that little spark of somethin' magic that lives in your soul? We have that all over. There's not enough divinity or humanity in us to have stuff like free will, y'know?

...well, except me. But, uh--that's cause I do have a soul. I wasn't born an avatar. Like I said, my brother brought fire to man. Prometheus, have you heard of him?

Edited 2018-10-04 18:26 (UTC)

No. Is he a mighty hero of Earth?

[Mantis, on the other hand, has no problem at all meeting his gaze. She knows Earthlings have hang-ups about mating with one another, thanks to Drax, and Ego certainly had none of those no matter what species he romanced.]

[The door jerks open with fitful inches and Mantis squeezes through before setting off at a brisk pace.]

Do you have any children of your own?

Kinda, yeah. He, uh--he gave Man fire when the gods said no. Did it anyway, stubborn bastard. They punished him directly, then they tried to punish him through the human race...and through me.

[The blush fades a little as he lets his head fall back against the trunk of the tree, a thoughtful frown creasing his brow.]

Her name was Pandora.

[The frown eases, and a smile falls back into its place.]

We got the better of 'em, though--had a long, happy life together. And to answer your question, yeah, I had a kid. Three, actually--a daughter named Pyrrha, and three sons that history forgot. They had families, and so on...now I got millions of descendants, and here's the fucked up part: I'm one of 'em. Reincarnation, am I right?

I see... So these children were born to you in a previous life.

[Mantis is going to assume he hasn't had any in a while, he seems a little shy about such things.]

And this Pandora, was she reborn as well? Were you able to reunite with your true love?

Yeah. My first one--my last wife, Bess, her 'n me couldn't have kids, and uh...none yet this time around.

[He hesitates, and his smile turns wistful.]

Nah, Pandora's...she wasn't reborn, but she's okay. Thanks to our situation, she got a good, long run. Nearly two hundred years before she passed on. She made it to the Elysian Fields--our version of Heaven. The deal I made to be reborn, to save her...it means we can't be together beyond what we had. Means I can't see her.

...I am sorry. I did not ask you questions to make you feel pain.

[She thought he might be a little homesick at worst, but expected that he would answer with tales of romance and true love. But this doesn't seem happy at all.]

[It also appears that he remembers everything about his past lives. He must feel very old indeed.]

I hope you are able to father many good, kind children in the days to come.

[Tommy frowns for a moment, head tipping in confusion--but then he realizes what she means, and laughs a little, his expression bright, if still a little sad.]

What? Aw, no--no, it's really okay. Pandora died thousands of years ago, and she is okay. I miss her, every day I miss her, but it doesn't hurt really. Not anymore...more like an ache. Ever had a muscle you worked too hard? Like that--I wouldn't trade what we had for a damn thing, and I wouldn't do anything different even if it meant I could be with her. Hell, if I had? Never would have met Bess. Or you, for that matter, so I call myself lucky.

[His smile softens when she wishes him many good, kind children--it both stings and soothes in its own way, because it just plain makes him think of home. It bring to mind the men and women of the Fraternity, the Kellar twins and Dog and Channing, both his friends and his great removed grandchildren.

It's an honest sentiment borne of pure intent, and it wraps around him like a blanket--or a suit of armor.]

Thanks--'preciate that. [He pauses, then brightens as he points at the camera.] See that? Hope. That's the stuff I live on. You're a cool lady, just full of the stuff.

I would not seek to place myself on the same level as those you held so dear. But I am grateful for the warm sentiments.

[She smiles as she says it, pausing a moment to get her bearings, then turning in the direction she thinks he's supposed to be.]

I am also happy to have met you this day. You are doing much to restore the good name of those who call themselves gods.

[A Jack of Diamonds is currently perched in Luna's ponytail as she speaks.]

Bars are a dime a dozen it seems.

It depends. Magician as in those people who say they can do magic but really it's just a trick that really smart people can figure out or actually can do magic type deal?

Well...both.

[Very honest. Very sincere. Very frank. Doesn't everyone do a little of both? Of course they do.]

I am sure you could be a travelling performer. At least that way people don't have to see you for too long before you move on.

Color Regina unimpressed when she pulled a card from her cleavage and handed it back to the guy.

"The knave of hearts. Really?"

She had been planning to pass on by, but the card stuck and she had no real choice, unless she wanted to flare up and burn it.

Tommy glanced over at the sound of the woman's voice, squinting a little as he looked her aura over--and chuckled a little, letting a little of that blinding energy soak into him through a deep breath.

"Uh, yeah--man with a sword." he replied, then shut his eyes and tried to see if anything came to him.

"...fourth. Fourth knave of your heart." He opened his eyes, and when his met hers his smile was one full of genuine joy, an aura of uplifting, optimistic sincerity rolling off of him in waves.

"Daniel, Graham, Robin--and you're still standin'. There's a reason for that."

So he had some real ability. Either that or there was someone else here with enough knowledge to give him an idea of what to say to her. But if that were the case, whoever it was had screwed up. Mentioning Robin right now was guaranteed to...

Make her feel guilty for the man with the sword, a knave of hearts, whether because she'd almost taken his or because she hadn't.

It didn't mean Neil was the reason. Only that he had a connection somehow to what she needed to be doing. That was how fortunetelling worked when it was real. Like prophecy, it was a few threads among millions and their meanings were shaped by those around them.

"All right. You have real talent. I'll grant you that. Now tell me how Robin is."

Tommy's brow furrowed, eyes shutting again. He tried to follow the images he'd seen--a thief in a tavern, a woman in a diner, a blonde standing in front of this lady and that big shadow that fell over her heart...

When he opened his eyes, he was visibly sad as he shook his head.

"I'm sorry--I can't see him." he apologized, shoving his hands into his pockets sheepishly as he shook his head. "But you don't need me tellin' you how he is. You already know...you still love him. And I know you may not buy it, but it's the fuckin' truth: that matters, even if it feels like it's all fallen apart. I know from personal experience."

Regina rolled her eyes in annoyance. Of course she still loved him. She would always love him. "Keep your ten cent hope speech. I just want to know if he's okay."

Voicing those words summoned the sharp prick of tears behind her eyelids and the salty ache in her jaw and throat. He hadn't called her since he went to New York. He'd done what she told him he had to, and now she couldn't stop missing him, except when...

No except. Robin was her soulmate. Neil was...just some guy she knew.

Sure, Regina. You keep telling yourself that.

The moment the thought entered her head, Tommy was suddenly laughing. Not because he heard it, but because he felt it--the uncomfortable sensation of an overstuffed box being taped shut, bursting at the seams and threatening to have the bottom drop out.

"No, you don't." he finally snickered, shaking his head with a patient smile as a fresh deck of cards somehow found their way into his hands again while he shuffled and fanned, tossed individual ones from the middle of the deck and into the air to catch in his opposite hand before he replaced the card and did it all over again.

"You already know he's fine." he continued, pausing to point at her with his deck, still smiling. "What you are is scared--and full of crap. 'Ten cent hope speech'--do you really believe that used car you're tryin' to sell me? 'Cause I sure as hell don't. I made the damn car, and you wrote the speech. You know just as well as I do that hope has nothin' to do with puppies 'n rainbows, and that's exactly why you're tryin' so damn hard to keep it the hell out."

"Who the hell are you, anyway?" came Regina's so on-point response, complete with a queenly sneer and a roll of her eyebrows to her invisible but ever-present audience. "Never mind. I don't care."

She cared that she hadn't heard from him, and that now she was here, she wouldn't. At least New Dodge had held out the hope of a Hopper trip to see him and Roland. Here, if she hoped to see him again, she was hoping either that Roland would be torn from his mother or Robin would be torn from his son. Hope like that was a steaming pile of shit and selfish on top of it.

And then there was the fourth knave...who was already inserting himself between her and Robin. Poisoning anything that might be bright and beautiful about her hope of being with Robin again because if she let him in, then her second chance at true love became even more complicated than a wife and a child and included a paramour on her side. What should she even make of the 'hope' that surrounded Neil other than that it, too, would hurt everyone involved.

"Hope is cruel and selfish. Like love, it can make a person do terrible things. If I'm going to do terrible things, I'm going to do them in full knowledge that I'm doing them because I choose them, not because they're some kind of mystical horseshit that stinks up an otherwise empty emotional box."

Tommy shut his eyes for a second, reaching up to rub the bridge of his nose as every word she spoke hit him in the middle of his head, a little pulse of the encroaching dark that settled between his temples with the beginnings of a headache. Losing hope was one thing, but she was genuinely trying to talk herself out of it--and Tommy wasn't sure if the Darkness could get a real stronghold here, or if it just had those noxious feelers out the way it always did, but its influence was enough to cause him pain.

"You wanna know who I am?" he asked, letting his hand drop as he looked her in the eye. "I'm just an artist from LA tryin' to break into magic--but I wasn't always. Used to be married, a long time ago, and when I say I love this woman, I mean it. I tore out my heart and soul, and I laid 'em at her feet to save her life. It worked, too, we had some time together, but not even we could last. Time came I had to make a choice: stay with her and be happy...or look after our people, look after you. Knowin' the whole time that I'd never see her again. Never hear her voice, never feel her presence soakin' into my bones like warm honey..."

He trailed off, sighing and spreading his hands with a sad smile. "Guess what choice I made?"

"You missed the part where I said I don't care," she snapped, her temper overstretched and emotions rubbed raw from unwanted intimacy with a complete stranger.

Maybe some people took comfort from this unasked-for sickening pap, but, "If I wanted therapy, I'd find Dr. Phil."

Giving him a single scathing glance--not for the sentiments, the hope, the love or any of it, but only for being forced to hear it, she turned on her heel and stalked away.

Tommy didn't to follow her, just watched her as she stormed away...but the budding headache was letting up a little. The seed was planted, all it needed was time.

All it ever needed was time.

Flicking another card out of his deck, he watched it spin in the air before he plucked it from its flight with his free hand--rolling the jack of hearts between his fingers again.

Tommy smiled...then with a flick of his wrist, made the card vanish.

"Guess the doctor's in."

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1st trick * i used to rule the world, seas would rise when i gave the word * [VIDEO;public]

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