Join me for a cup? {Open!}

[aylen]

Aylen sat down, a steaming cup of jasmine tea held tightly in her grasp. Charles had just dropped her off here, but he'd needed to run and errand so she told him to leave her be for the time being. She liked to be alone, and just watch the people walk by, the multi-colored auras shifting and leaving wisps behind before they vanished. Every once in awhile, she felt a whisper of a bad soul, just a small brush, and she had to force herself not to jolt. It wasn't like the torrent of evil she had felt in the park only the week before. That strong evil that had sent her heart thudding in panic, and had nearly sent her running.

She blinked slowly behind her dark glasses, the seeing-eye dog Charles sitting next to her on the warm concrete just outside the tea house, on their warm patio. While she liked to be alone, part of her was lonely just then. Sitting there, drinking tea with no one but a dog for company. She wished she knew someone, besides Samuel and Charles, and Everette. While she'd lived in this city all her life, Aylen had never really had any friends.

"Life is a lonely thing, Charles," she told the dog at her feet softly, and he whined softly as if in agreement. "What would it be like to have just one friend?" She wondered. While she did see Samuel and Charles as her friends, what she really wanted was a female friend. Another woman she could gossip with, who could help her pick out outfits and she could tell about her day without a typical 'Well what do you want me to say?' like she got from Charles, or a sympathetic pat on the head that she got from Samuel.

She sipped her tea, leaning back in the warm sunlight. She saw someone walk into the tea shop, and another a few minutes later. What would she do if one of those people came to talk to her? She sighed as she looked down into her tea, her own aura shifting with the colors of everyone elses. She didn't know the color of her own aura, as it always took on the color of whoever was closest to her at the time. She thought it was white, though, and it just let the other colors in to shift with hers in a myriad of colors. She watched the colors shift and fade and glow as she wondered if anyone would join her for a cup of tea.

[Marina Anne Sinclaire]

Mari moved slowly, her back still was weak and she used a walker along with her braces on her legs. Her walker was pink and was decorated with red and had pink hearts gracing it. She also had ribbons decorating it to give it a bit of flair and personality. She didn't just do this for looks, though it was eye catching. She did it as a focus of positive energy for herself. With how many ghosts had followed her from the hospital she'd been sure to have as many blessings on her asstive technology as she could manage. Her AFO's were practically glowing with positive vibes and the effect boosted her mood in a way that kept her from needing to be on medication for pain management.

She hummed quietly to herself as she made her way in the door. Her eyes going over the place as best she could. This place was crawling with Ghosts and the way they all had bite marks on their necks she suspected this was a numero uno spot for vampires. She paused and saw the blind girl with her dog. She seemed lonely and Mari paused her walker in its motion, "Hello, would you like some company? You seemed lonely and the sun feels good. Would you mind if I sat with you?" she asked as she looked at her with a hopeful tone in her voice. She stood still and let Charles sniff her if he chose to.

She hoped she wasn't intruding. She was glad to have a free moment before her father sent a limo to fetch her back to her gilded cage. She sighed inwardly and bit her lip in worry as she tried not to think of her father. Her back was still hurting from the surgery and she didn't want to stress herself out.

[aylen]

Aylen glanced up, and saw that someone had stopped by her table, asking if she could sit with her. She smiled, bright and quick and nodded as she motioned to the seat across from her. "Please, have a seat. It gets rather lonely here with only a dog for company." The other woman's aura was quite pretty, bright happy yellows and pinks that cheered Aylen's formerly gloomy mood.

There was something else, though, that Aylen couldn't quite put her finger on. Something that was familiar, yet foreign in the sense of the woman's being that she couldn't place. She wasn't sure what it might be, but maybe if she talked with her some, she would figure it out sooner or later. After a moment, she realized she recognized the aura around the woman.

"You're Mari Sinclaire, right?" Aylen asked. She had met the girl before, briefly at the hospital when she had gone in to get stitches after she had tripped and sliced her upper arm on one of Charles's many swords. "We met the other night at the hospital. I don't know if you remember me..." She smiled. She was amused, after her thoughts of wanting a female friend, a woman had asked to sit with her in the warmth of the sun. "My name is Aylen, in case you don't remember. I think the doctors had you on some pretty rocking drugs that night."

[Marina Anne Sinclaire]

Mari sat down carefully, her steps shuffling as she looked over at the other woman, "I love dogs. My dad won't let me have pets." she said as she reached her hand out to let Charles sniff it. "He keeps saying one day I can have a pet but so far it hasn't happened."

When Aylen mentioned her name she nodded and blinked, "Oh yeah! Now I remember you. I'm sorry, yeah the drugs they had me on made things really weird for me for about a day or so. Morphine always makes the room spin for me. How is your arm? Did you get a good doctor? I really like that hospital they're always nice to me there." She smiled at her. "I love the sun on my back like this it feels good. And can you smell the orange blossoms? I love how they smell in the summer it makes me feel happy." she beamed at the other woman and tried to put the emotion into her voice because she realized that the usual cues might not apply for Aylen.

"Do you have a favorite tea?" she asked quietly, her eyes sparkled as she looked at a menu that was nearby, "I'll be right back, just gonna order something." She moved carefully with her walker and peeked her head in the restaurant. Ordering green tea and some macaroons she came back shortly thereafter, "There, hate not having something to do when I talk to folks." she said as she moved back to her spot and settled herself.

[aylen]

Aylen smiled as Marina held her hand out for Charles to sniff, and he let out a doggy sigh and licked her hand, wagging his tail and hoping for attention. "Charles is a friendly dog," She said. "Sometimes I think he's too friendly..." She laughed a little. "I don't know what I'd do without Charles. Probably run into things." She grinned. She didn't mind making fun of her blindness, though sometimes it grated on her when other people poked at her about it. "I hope you get to have a pet though. They can really brighten a persons day."

"Don't apologize, I ended up getting something for the pain myself. Charles, my bodyguard not my dog, ended up having to carry me out. He wasn't very amused, although Samuel, his brother, was extremely amused when he got back home and found me doped out of my mind, and Charles panicking and not knowing what to do." Aylen smiled at the memory. It was just funny to think about, Charles panicking, and Samuel laughing. She didn't remember a whole lot about that night, but what she did remember made her laugh aloud.

"Yeah, I can smell them. They're very lovely," Aylen said with a wan smile. She still wished she could see them, and it ached a little more than it normally would have, ever since she found out that with Everette's help she could actually see.

"My favorite tea?" Aylen asked, frowning in thought. "I'd have to say Jasmine or Chamomile. Both are fantastic." She smiled and nodded when Mari said she was going to go get herself a cup, and Aylen leaned back in her chair with her tea and took another sip of the warm liquid. When Mari came back, Aylen smiled again. "I know how you feel," She said softly. "Did you get green tea? I never could stand the taste of it, though it smells good."

[Marina Anne Sinclaire]

Mari giggled as Charles came up to her, she loved dogs and any animals really, "My dad doesn't like pets. Heck he doesn't like having folks over period. Its usually just him and I though he's eased up about letting me see some folks. He might let me have a pet."

She thought about Trent and wondered if he and her father had had the "talk" her father seemed far more relaxed now that they had spoken and didn't seemed as worried. She figured it was because he and Trenton had come to an agreement on something. It kind of worried her. Was he trying to marry her off to a vampire? She couldn't even begin to imagine being married to anyone much less a vampire.

"That's really great that you can find the humor in stuff. I think its amazing how folks manage to turn things into a positive. I mean its just a way of looking at things really." she sat down and the waitress brought her tea. Inhaling it quietly she smiled and looked at Aylen, "I've ordered some macaroons. They're at 12 o clock." she says as she let the girl know where to reach for things.

"Maybe some day you will. I mean I found I'm pretty good at letting folks get impressions of what I'm seeing. My family is...different. I take after my mom. I'm very...intuitive I guess is the best word. I bet if I worked on it you could get a really good impression of the flowers." She offered wanting to cheer the woman up. She wouldn't outright say she was a psychic after all people thought those were fake but hey you never knew right?

"Ohh, those are such good teas. I love green tea because my dad makes it for me when I'm sick and its one of the few times he's not stressed out and mad. Its nice. I just wish I could get out more. Dad only trusts me around Trenton and I don't know what to think about him." she exhales. "Sometimes it feels like my entire life is planned out and no one asked me." she admitted as she stirred in honey. "I mean Trenton is nice and can be sweet but its just odd for my dad to like anyone..." That and he was a vampire. She'd be insane if that didn't give her pause.

[aylen]

Aylen smiled, though it was a little sad for the girl who wasn't able to have friends or pets. Aylen found herself wanting to be the girls friend, though not just because she had so few. She truly liked Marina, and found her to be interesting. "Hopefully he will change his mind. Maybe if he meets Charles here, he'll open up to the idea?" Aylen suggested with a beaming smile.

Aylen shrugged slightly. "Well," She said thoughtfully. "If I didn't find the humor in things, like the fact that I'm blind, I think I would be miserable. I don't like it when others are miserable, so I don't think I could subject everyone else to it." She smiled at Marina. "You know what I mean?" She asked. "Ohh macaroons..." Aylen said with a wistful sigh as she reached out to where Mari said they were and grabbed one off the top of the pile. "I love macaroons..." She bit into it, and sighed happily.

As she ate the treat Mari had kindly let her have, she listened to her as she spoke of the way she could help people get impressions of what she was seeing. Then, in Aylen's mind, it seemed to click. That strange feeling she had been having with Mari's aura, that way it felt oddly familiar and yet different at the same time. But before she could say anything, Mari had moved onto the subject of her father, so Aylen listened instead.

Aylen reached out and grabbed Mari's hand, knowing right where it was. "I know how hard it can be when parents try to control you," She said softly. "The only way I was able to get out of the house and live on my own was if I had a couple of bodyguards. My mother hired them. I didn't have a say in the matter, but I really like Samuel and Charles so I won't argue."

Aylen smiled and leaned back. "So tell me, Mari, how long have you known you were a psychic?" Aylen asked in a soft voice. She had made sure no one was close enough to hear her when she asked. "I'd wondered... I could feel something different about you before, but I never could put my finger on it. I've never met another psychic before."

[Marina Anne Sinclaire]

"Maybe he will. He's very old though. He's 75 so pets just are something he doesn't want to get attached to but maybe he'll ease up." Mari knew her father had a soft spot for people with disabilities. He gave as freely to them as his daughter. If anyone would be able to visit it would be Aylen. Her father would just be absent to avoid scaring the girl or draining her.

"I totally get what you mean. You choose how to live and what joy to find in life. It makes it that much more special. "I'm glad you like Macaroons. I find them to be something that reminds me of my mother."

"The closest I have to a body guard is Trenton. My father asked him to look after me. I'm still getting used to it but he's really nice. He got me this cross." she held up the silver necklace she wore and smiled softly. "He's nice to me anyway. He's not nice to many people from what I hear." she admits as she sipped her tea and got a thoughtful look on her face.

She glanced at Aylen as she commented about her being psychic, "I've always been one. Both my parents were its something that runs in my family. My brothers used to be too." she said softly before the thought trailed off and she smiled at Aylen, "Its nice to know someone who understands. Only a few people know I am. Trenton does..." she said quietly as she blushed. She should change the subject before things got awkward, "So what are your gifts?" she asked with a curious look in her eyes.

[aylen]

Aylen smiled sadly. "I can understand not wanting to get attached," She said softly as she reached down to Charles. She rubbed at his head and her heart hurt faintly. "I've had a lot of seeing-eye dogs. I keep telling myself I won't get attached to them but..." She smiled wanly. "Well, it's just not easy to keep yourself apart from such a happy animal..." She shrugged, and blinked once, glad for the dark black sunglasses she wore to hide the tears that were making her dark eyes glisten.

Aylen smiled, the tears drying up quickly enough before any could fall when Mari moved on, glad of it. Charles rested his head on her knee, and she reached down and absently rubbed it. "It can be hard when your parents appoint someone to watch over you," Aylen said with a sigh. "Me and Samuel hit it off pretty quick, but Charles... Charles was always so pushy. He tried to order me around, and I used sneaky ways of getting back at him. Like naming my dog here Charles." She smiled and it was wicked and mischievous at the same time. "He was so mad when I called for Charles here, and he came as well as the dog. It still bothers him since he never knows who I'm calling for." She laughed, bright and amused.

Aylen felt something in herself brighten. Maybe that part of her that was afraid she truly was alone. Sure, she was probably the only person that could see a person's soul thanks to the auras she saw, but now she knew she wasn't the only psychic either. After all the ones she outed as being fake, she was afraid that maybe there were no other real psychics. She shouldn't have worried.

"My gifts are... Strange," Aylen said with a faint smile. "For one, as you've noticed, I can, sometimes, sense what other people are." She didn't want to say she could always do it, even with this nice girl. Sometimes saying she couldn't always do something made her feel better about being so different. "I can also sort of see." She smiled faintly. "But not quite like everyone else." She shrugged. "I see people's souls in the forms of auras around a person. Yours is very pretty, which is why I spoke to you in the hospital. That, and the song you'd been singing was pretty too." She smiled brightly.

"I can tell you what color you are, if you'd like." She said it almost shyly. She rarely told anyone what colors she saw around them, because some people might be embarrassed. Like the big buff biker man she saw once with a vibrant pink and purple aura. After telling Charles, she heard one of his rare laughs from him, and it made her heart jump a little when she remembered that laugh, and wondered why. "If not I understand though," She said quickly.

[Marina Anne Sinclaire]

Mari made a sympathetic sound, "I suppose it would be nice to get a pet some day." She doubted it would happen but it never hurt, "Hey... your pets will be there waiting for you on the other side. I promise." she said reassuringly to her. She chuckled when Aylen mentioned Charles, "Oh that is a good one. I like that you have a sense of humor." she said as she thought about Trenton, "Trenton is...well..." she trailed off not having words for him.

"I don't know how to describe Trenton. He's the most protective man I've ever met next to my dad. And he just sort of decided it I guess. My dad realized I had met him at the library and set up a meeting to talk to him. It was all very old world I guess. Because the next thing I know is that my dad said Trenton was going to keep an eye on me so I didn't have problems." she massaged her temples. "He's protected me at times its not something I'm used to." she admits softly as she shifted and nibbled on a macaroon.

Mari listened to Aylen and nodded, "I can sense what folks are. I just know. I can't explain it really. I'm an empath and I can see the future a bit when I hold objects sometimes, I can speak and read any language and...I can see and talk to Ghosts." she admitted the last shyly afraid of what Aylen would say.

At the mention of having her aura read she smiled, "I'd like that if you don't mind. I'm always curious how other people see things. If you like I can try to offer you something with one of my gifts if you like." she said gently as she sipped her tea and actually felt relief washing over her, "I thought I was alone with just my dad for a long time. Its so nice to meet someone."

[aylen]

Aylen could understand what it was like, wanting a pet but never getting one. She wasn't allowed to have a seeing eye dog until she graduated high school, since the schools wouldn't allow even a seeing eye dog because it would have been too distracting for the other students. When she graduated, and her parents gave her her first seeing eye dog, she had loved her so much. The dog had gotten sick though, and they had given her Charles. She loved Charles as much as she loved her old dog Maggie, but it just wasn't the same.

"I need a sense of humor, otherwise I'd probably go insane," Aylen said with a quick smile. When Marina went on to talk about her protector, Trenton, she could understand what she meant. "Charles and Samuel are both extremely protective of me. Charles maybe more so, though I'm not sure why. Maybe he just takes his job more seriously than Samuel. My parents, my mom and step dad anyway, hired them. They moved here to take this job, and they live in one of the rental houses with me that my parents own. It was the only way they'd let me move out, is if I lived in one of their rental houses close to their property." She shrugged but smiled with amusement. "It's nice though, even if I'm still being watched over."

"We have some of the same gifts!" Aylen said, excited now as she reached out to grab Marina's hand. "I'm an empath as well, although with my ability to see auras, it sometimes overloads my senses and makes me black out." She grimaced and pulled away from her new friend. "It's not much fun. I can see a little bit into the future, enough to be the pet psychic for a little store named Charms 'N' Thangs. Usually that only comes when I hold someone's hand though." She smiled and wiggled her fingers.

"I can tell when people are lying to me, usually anyway since some people, like Charles and Samuel, are able to hide it from me. I think it's all about a strength of will, but I'm not really sure." Aylen blinked, then smiled wistfully. "I wish I could talk to ghosts," She said with a sigh. "That would be so interesting. But since I can't see them, they don't want to talk to me. They put off an energy source, but since they aren't technically alive, I can't sense them with my ability to see auras."

"I don't know if I was born psychic though... My mother used to tell me this story of how a witch placed a spell on me to let me see, but it backfired so I could only see a person's aura, instead of the person. I can see auras around plants too. They're so pretty." She smiled. "If its alive, I can see an aura around it, whether it be human, plant or animal. Whether or not I was born with this gift or it was given to me by a witch, I have no idea, but I like to think the latter. It gives me more of an air of mystery, don't you think?" She grinned.

Aylen fidgeted when Marina said she would like to know what her aura looked like, but she still smiled. She was pleased that Mari wanted to know more about her gifts. "It's so pretty, and very calming," She said as she reached out to take her hand. "It's a mixture of pink and yellow, and very vibrant. Most people don't have such vibrant auras, they're usually dull and tired looking because they're tired of learning, and living. But yours is vibrant and pretty, like this flower I saw once when I was younger."

Aylen smiled faintly. "I thought I was alone," She said. "I knew there had to be other psychics, but I never met a real one, just a bunch of fakes."

[Marina Anne Sinclaire]

"Trent just decided to start looking after me. I don't know why but he likes hanging out with me and he's very in tune with my moods. Its nice having someone that understands. He's the first one that said I was beautiful." she flushed and ducked her head.

"I can't read my own future but if I hold an object I can get a sense of who it belongs to and a bit of their future. It also helps me to get a sense for Ghosts. Trent's been helping me a bit he seems to know how to work with my abilities. But that's why my dad keeps me isolated. He doesn't want me to be overwhelmed. Well that and he's...different." she let Aylen take her hand and smiled. Opening her mind to the young woman. She knew she had nothing to fear from her. "I would love to work for other people. My dad keeps me working for his business and I don't want to." she admitted softly.

"Seeing ghosts is...different. It is just like seeing normal people except you just know that they aren't solid. Sometimes they look different but not always at least for me anyway. Everyone sees different things." she admitted, "I just want to help people. I want to help the ghosts to cross over too."


Mari chuckled. "It does give you an aire of mystery. I think its really neat. My story is...different. No one would believe it." she said softly, her eyes growing sad, "I mean some folks do but its not going to change right away or anything." she admitted softly as she sipped her tea a bit more to keep it from growing cold. "My dad wants me to be more like him but I don't want to be. I don't want to be the things he is and do what he does. I want to be me and help folks."

"Thank you for the compliment. I really appreciate it." she admitted softly as she relaxed with that comment. Aylen's telling her about her aura helped relax her a lot more, "Well, we're not alone so we should hang out more. Us psychics need to stick together you know. I don't know if your body guards would mind but maybe if they think its okay and you don't mind Trenton we could do it. And if Trenton scares you we can just hang out during the day since he's busy a lot." she admitted to her. "Trenton is...well he's different. And not a lot of folks like him but he's so nice to me and he really listens."