A Midsummer Night's Dream (Reaver)

[yehrmawm]

There it was, the main reason she found herself in love with New York. There it was standing right in front of her with it's beautatious glory. She had found herself there the night she'd finally arrived in New York city. She'd sat upon the steps after having looking inside and had dreamed that evening as she slept. Hidden until morning she'd found herself within the building. She'd read the entire morning, going through books that she'd already read and many that she hadn't. Flipping page through page, she didn't think she'd ever finish the entire section, but she did.

She'd left with the dreams of the writers in her head and a rather large headache. Reading that much in one serving wasn't always the best idea. Thus she came back every few days to read more. She's take books with her, at least the ones she enjoyed. But she always kept her untainted copy of a Midsummer night's dream with her, but it seemed as she sat there with another book in hand that somehow, just somehow she'd misplaced it while she had been reading. Her eyes went wide and she scurried towards the area she'd just been in. Looking all over, she found no sign of her book. Everyone she passed she asked the same question.

“Have you seen a worn copy of a Midsummer Night's Dream?”

No one seemed to know, and thus she found herself frantically looking in all nooks and crannies of the reading area next to the fiction “S” section.

[reaver]

''Is this the copy you're looking for?''

Lucas stood behind the girl who seemed to be frantically looking for something. He heard what she was looking for when she asked a lady passing, and upon glancing at the floor he found it. Seemed like an old copy of Shakespeare. Last time he had read it was in school for his English Literature class. It was a good read and he knew that it must mean alot of sentimental value to the girl. As usual, Luc was there to help when he could. Granted his job said otherwise, but when he was off the clock and able to help someone out,that's what happened.

He had stopped by the library on his way home. He had been away on a training mission and now he was back but since he had to pass the library to get there,he figured he may as well update his skill-set some more. He had been flipping through books for hours,memorizing every word of every textbook he could find. His photographic memory had helped him out a lot when he was at college. He had so much time available to train for his agency since he remembered every word and never had to study.He invoked jealousy among his peers but they didnt matter to him.

''Its a good read. Have you studied it before?''

[yehrmawm]

Gwen stopped mid-walk. Is this the copy you're looking for? Definitely something that caught her attention quite quickly in the panic she had found herself in. Emotion was something she seldomly showed unless it came down to a few certain things; her book and well, her entertainment. She didn't mind showing forced emotion for her own entertainment. When you confused people that tended to be a lot more fun, than say, a normal conversation. In which people talked about the shit she didn't really care about. But this man seemed to be friendly enough. She took the book from his hand and quickly ran her fingers over the worn cover. The pages themselves were in good shape if only for her ability.

She said nothing at first, looking at him. Studying him. She wondered if he was one of those from the school. She didn't know everyone there and honestly didn't care to get to know them all. He was older, that much was obvious. Maybe he was just a normal person looking for a good book to read for the evening.

She nodded her head.

“It's my favorite.”

She never really was one for conversation, but maybe she owed him.

“Thank you, by the way. Have you read it before?”

She took a seat next to him.

“Favorite character?”

[reaver]

Lucas watched her for a moment. There was something odd about her. She gave off the impression of someone who was quiet and reserved but who could be vicious when backed into a corner. He looked her up and down with a glance as she spoke what little she spoke and moved over a seat so she could sit down. He slipped a bookmark into the page he was reading and closed it over when he was sure they would converse. Normally, Luc wouldnt just start to talk to a stranger without more reason than giving her back her book. It normally took something in common but Luc wasnt aware he was face to face with a mutant. Not yet anyway. He glanced around the reading area for a split second,suddenly noticing that it was rather empty. That wasnt a bad thing, it really made no difference. At least now they would be free to discuss the book.

He looked down at the worn cover and wondered how many times it had been read. The outside was in pretty bad shape for a book that meant so much. It was as if she read it every day. He had spent all day reading and watching videos before. It could be fun but it often got old very quickly.

''I haven't read it since high school''

He shrugged. It wasnt his specialty but he would give it a go.

''Id have to say Lysander. Who is your favorite?''

[yehrmawm]

Gwen liked Lysander well enough. He was the love of Hermia and it had been a dream of hers as a child to find her Lysander. She was always Hermia in those stories but not she thought of herself as more of a Puck, whom actually wasn't her favorite though he was quite close. The deviant liked to play games just as much as she did with the thoughts of others. Confusion. He liked confusion. When he had been the reason for poor Bottom to get his rather ugly asses head she had grown a fondness for the pixie and his little joking ways. It wasn't to say she didn't have a sense of humor, after all.

“I suppose he's a decent character. I bet you're the type of person that believes in true love or you wouldn't have said that. Are you looking for your Hermia?”

A questionable look upon her face, nothing readable. She wasn't one to show anything upon her face unless in a moment of panic or of play. She turned the pages in her book rather rapidly, just as her ability had given her and stopped on a picture of Lysander himself, showing the man.

“The course of true love never did run smooth.”

She spoke softly, “My favorite line, but as for character... Nick Bottom, the weaver. With the asses head.” She reached over towards him, attempting to get a look at his book.

“Hmm, what are you reading?”

[reaver]

''What can I say? I'm a romantic''

He smirked as he spoke.

''I guess he's my favorite because I can relate to him. Ive been through what he has, only I had a different ending to my story...''

He looked down at the page which had Lysander on it. It was the same edition of the book he had read years ago, he remembered it distinctly. He smiled at the memory of it. It wasnt a big deal as such, it was just nice to see something from his past, long before any of the Hell he was put through during high school and college. That wasnt really fair, he had rocked at college. It was fun. When he wasnt at college or off on a training mission, he would be at this very library reading the books.

Whenever the girl beside him leaned over to check out his book, he just smirked. Not to be condescending but he highly doubted she would be interested in a research paper on String Theory. He just shrugged when she looked. What could he say? To someone who wasnt a physicist, it would be gobbledygook and mean nothing.

''Its a um...research paper a college friend of mine authored. I always read what old colleagues write so that I can keep up to date...''

He cleared his throat. He remembered the guy with the donkey head.

''Nick Bottom. Not a big fan of him,to be honest. He just didnt do much for me, too much of a victim to matter...''

[yehrmawm]

Ah, a romantic with a story to tell. That he obviously wasn't going to tell her. She was one that enjoyed stories, and for good reason. She liked to hear other peoples stories, but in all honesty she enjoyed the ones that ended in pain. She wondered if his ended in pain. She never heard anything about him actually getting his Hermia, and if he had he would have insinuated so. Demetrius must have been the one to get his Hermia. How sad. Though she enjoyed the idea of even the simple pain of love lost she said nothing of the matter, and her face kept to it's normal non-responsive glance. Even if she didn't suspect he'd tell her, she still prodded.

“Do I get to hear your story or are you going to keep me in the dark?”

She offered him a tiny smirk, but it quickly faded just as it had appeared. As she had looked over the book she hadn't recognized the author. She wondered what this College friend wrote about, but didn't care enough to ask. She enjoyed Non-fiction as well, but there was nothing as good as fiction. She doubted she'd read it if it was something that might easily bore her. She'd end up with knowledge she didn't really care to have.

“Interesting.”

She answered instead, keeping her eyes on him as he spoke of Bottom. Bottom had in fact been made into a victim, but that was only because he had no control over the situation and even then... it wasn't his fault. And thus the victimization. Maybe this man didn't like being the victim. Obviously. She turned her head as if that might help her understand what had just been said. Maybe there was a deeper meaning to the comment. But alas, she was no mindreader.

“He was a victim because they had the power of magic and he didn't. Even if he had the power, maybe he had a weak power...of magic and the pixies and the fairies would have still had the ability to victimize thing.”

It didn't even quite make sense to herself. She scrunched up her nose in annoyance. How did you ask someone if they were a mutant? She was curious with all the mutants in this area.

[reaver]

''You want to hear my story?''

That had caught him off guard. He hadnt expected to have to retell the story of how he ended up with a broken heart and a cold,calculating demeanor. It didnt really make for a good story since it didnt have a happy ending. Although,there was something about this girl. Something in the air around her, she seemed like the kind of girl who wouldnt feel any sympathy to a broken heart. It was years ago though,he was over it and all, so it didnt really make any difference to him.

''Let's just say...Demetrius got his Hermia. Lysander left town and got on with his life...''

He frowned. Apparently he had some unresolved issues with the betrayal of his Hermia and he felt his face was showing it. Maybe he would have to go back home and kill them both, that might help. He shrugged to himself. It couldnt hurt. Not measurably at least. He looked at her as she spoke of the donkey man. He listened to her and took in what she said, nodding every so often and making sure to pay attention.

''I know what you are saying...but it isnt the point. True, Bottom was at a great disadvantage, up against forces which he couldnt compete with...But it makes no difference, he was still victimized. He still let himself be walked over,rather than standing up and fighting back...''

That made sense,right? He wasnt sure,he had spoken too fast to think about it. Hopefully he wasnt wrong.

[yehrmawm]

Ooh! Was she liking this? Yes. Was she enjoying the look on his face as he explained his story? Yes. Very much so. She watched him with great interest now as she sat in her seat. She wondered who this Hermia had been and if Demetrius had been a good friend. That made things better. Lysander and Demitrus had been friends of a sort, she supposed. It was more so Helena and Hermia that were the friends. But in this story of his, there was no Helena, which was probably bad luck for him. Anything to distract Demetrius, right? There was a smirk on her face now as she looked at his face, trying to soak it all in.

She enjoyed moments like this. Even if it was just a small moment. She wanted to know more, but by the look on his face he wouldn't tell more. But, was there a point in not trying?

“I just get the highlights? Tell me more.”

Her smirk had disappeared for a moment to a feigned “empathetic look.” She actually inched a bit closer to him and gave him a pat on the back. Small human contact was always a bit weird for her, but hey, maybe it would make him more comfortable to tell his story.

She listened, though, as she spoke of her book, and he seemed to make his own assumptions of Bottom. A few she didn't really agree on. It was interesting, really. As she thought about it. How indeed, conversations did start. And how they grew into actual interest.

“I think he let himself 'be walked upon' because he had something nice going on. I don't think he was ever doted upon as much as he was doted upon by the Queen. I think he enjoyed it whether or not it was forced. Like a captive that is treated like royalty, y'know?”

[reaver]

Luc frowned more. He knew how to read people, even people who looked devoid of emotion. He knew from the way she patted his back, there was no feeling in it. It was like she was doing it because she felt obligated to, but then he realized she had no obligation. There was something else motivating her actions and he gathered that since she had prodded him into opening up a bit, she was just nosy and wanted to hear more. He wasnt going to bite. His little story was all that she would get from him. It was more than he gave to anyone else, much less a stranger little girl from the library.

''No. Thats all you get right now. Maybe when I kill them I'll tell you that story...''

Luc smirked. The idea was swimming around in his head now. He could imagine it, putting on all the equipment he needed. His jumpsuit, his sword, a hand gun and a dagger. Sprinting through the fields near their home in the middle of the night. Sneaking in through the window and tearing them to pieces as they slept. He wondered if it would have repercussions with his 'employer' but he wasnt sure if he even really cared. It was a little unbalanced of him to consider murdering his first love and the 'man' she dumped him for. Oh well.

''Id rather not succumb to Stockholm Syndrome''

His remark was about how Bottom was being treated like royalty but was actually a prisoner. Something good is exactly that, until too much of a good thing took over and you became soft and gooey, needing to be looked after all the time.

[yehrmawm]

If one could understand the excitement Gwen felt when he said those words, then one might have been a sociopath bastard. Not much unlike Gwen, though she was more the sort to sit back and watch someone else do all the work. The macabre excited her. Death was her devotion. But she had never killed anyone. She'd never even hurt anyone. Well, not physically at least. She could be a right bitch if she really felt like digging deep into someone's insecurities. Maybe she wasn't the nicest person, but she didn't think she was crazed or mad. She just had a fascination where very few had. There was an actual smile on the woman's face now, and she leaned in, her elbow on the table. She leaned into her hand.

“Or you could take me with you and there would be no story to tell.”

There was a seriousness in her voice, though she made attempt to place it off as a joke. She could imagine it now. She could hear their screams and see their blood. She wondered if she'd be close enough to get any on her. Wouldn't that be a pretty sight?

In fact, she found herself with little interest in talking about her book anymore. And thus, she dropped the beginning topic for something much more interesting.

[reaver]

Luc raised an eyebrow. It seemed that there was something sinister beneath the surface of this girl. She wanted to come along and help him murder his ex and her new husband? That was just fucked up. He wasnt even sure if she was serious but then,she didnt know if he was serious or joking. For all she knew, he could be joking but she had taken it to be serious? To him,it seemed as though she had quite a few issues and it would take years of radical therapy to sort out. He cleared his throat, leaned forward and lowered his voice. It felt spooky.

''Or...not?''

Yeah,there was definitely something off with this girl. He was getting the impression that she might be the kind of girl who hung around in graveyards at night, waiting on open graves to be dug just so she could watch the funeral. Maybe trip someone carrying the coffin,just so she could see a casket fall open and a limb fall out. He shuddered at the thought of people actually being like that. It was too morbid to comprehend. It suddenly dawned on him that he hadnt even introduced himself. She really was a stranger.

''So,what do you do? I'm Luc,by the way''

[yehrmawm]

Gwen might have pouted if she had been in the mood to push this further, but in all honesty she didn't believe he had it in him to kill his ex-lover and her new love. She doubted that very much given his demeanor, but you could never know about a person. All hopes of being able to watch someone slaughter two innocent people had been lost with his reaction. She sighed lightly, leaning back in her chair, but kept her eyes on him. Had he been joking? Was she really that bad at telling as of late? Not that she'd been much of a people reader to begin with. In fact, she was far from that. She could flip through pages and understand quite easily, but people were not books.

This made her unhappy, but she didn't show it upon her face.

And thus came the pleasantries. She shrugged as he introduced himself.

“Gwen.”

She was getting bored with this now. She knew she should probably leave given that all interest in this conversation was coming to nothing. She knew in her mind what she wanted to know, but she didn't know how to go out a subtly. But given that she'd just lost the chance to watch a death of lovers she would instead have to find something more interesting to bring into the flow of this conversation. Or rather, she'd stop the flow and get down to the nitty gritty.

“Are you a mutant?”

Her voice was low, and somehow a smirk had found itself on her face.

“Hard to tell, isn't it?”