Old Town Searching for what is Just Right

[Billy Broder]

Fit

Billy was finally getting used to Easthaven. It was something he hadn't really noticed until he had gone back to Vegas and found it near unbearably warm. That wasn't normal, since outside of the deepest of night and the peak of summer it had been his perfect happy place temperature. Well, he'd spent a lot of time inside but the point was it was way hotter than he remembered... and Easthaven wasn't as cold. He had all but stopped wearing his nicer clothes, casual suits by how his friends in vegas termed them, simply because they had been too thin for the chilled air. Now he suspected he might be able to manage it.

Even today he was working in just jeans, a cotton shirt, and a button overshirt worn like a jacket. A thick overshirt, but still. It wasn't terrible. Jeez how often had he wrapped up in a thick winter jacket and gotten that 'tourist' look from the locals?

This day, Billy was on personal business. He'd gotten in touch with some real estate types, thanks to a friend of his, and now had a list of potential buildings to look at. They had made offers to show him around but he wanted to see on his own. If he took a realtor with him they'd do all the flash and show they would for a normal customer, which was fine whatever, but wouldn't really know what he wanted to look for. This building was going to be a business sure, but it needed to be a home, a fortress, and a workshop too. Finding the perfect fit was going to be hard, and more than likely he'd need to make it perfect. Seeing what he could manage with and what he'd have to make on his own was key and he didn't need someone not in the know bugging him while he figured it out.

Above, Rowling flapped his wings silently as he circled the wizard. His familiar was cloaked in the veil from the bracelet Billy had made over a year back. That little trinket had worked out so well he'd been considering an upgrade, for him not the bird. Worst case for the familiar was someone looked up and saw a big owl- he was getting distracted.

Billy shuffled through the papers in his hands as he tried to hunt down the first of several addresses he was looking for today.

[Lin Nari]

Outfit

It wasn't often that Nari was able to get out on her own these days. The Lotus was always on the prowl, seemingly making constant advances at the Chain and its assets, so her people preferred to have her close, and, for her own benefit, within sight or a call. She made concessions for everyone's piece of mind, keeping within the city limits where she could, but she still kept her own company instead of letting her people shadow her steps.

Still, it went without saying that time on her own was at a premium. She didn't need much, just a moment to step out into the world and simply be, outside of this brewing conflict. So today found her at a mom and pop coffee shop on the corner of a street near Balmoral. She was alone, sitting slouched in one of the cheap plastic outdoor seats, her legs crossed one over the other. A pair of large sunglasses obscured her face, and reflected the street as she watched foot traffic. An untouched cup of coffee sat in front of her.

This was how she spotted the wizard, unmistakable from his height and the moony way he wandered past her seat. Nari's lips quirked up in a faint smile at the sight of him, allowing her curiosity to grip her. What was he up to today?

“Billy,” she called, simply. sitting up just enough to hook a long finger nail over an arm of her sun glasses, and pull them partially down her nose so she could look up at him.

[Billy Broder]

Rowling used the Message Cantrip

Billy walked with his eyes checking street names and then street signs. He had his phone to help too but this was a bit of a test for how well he knew the area and his feel for the street that he might one day call his home. If he liked a building but thought he might get mugged on the way in then that probably wouldn't do. Plus it was a nice day for a walk. As he made his way past a coffee shop, the rich smell of some dark roast java reaching his nose, he heard his name called out. The familiar voice sent a small shiver through him that he chose very much to ignore and pretend never happened. He glanced to his side and noted a familiar pretty face tilting down a pair of big sunglasses at him. He shot her a smirk of recognition and stopped his search to talk with the mistress of waves, a term of endearment he sometimes thought about her considering their first meeting.

“Lin.” He said back to her smiling.

He moved toward her, but didn't make to sit down with her at the table. She hadn't invited him to do that, she'd just called his name. If she was just looking to say hi to someone she recognized then he wanted to be able to have a friendly chat then be on his way. No need to impose on her. Actually, he realized, she was the very one that put him in touch with the realtor that gave him his list of potential properties. Coincidences never cease. While he greeted her, his familiar Rowling did one low circle, intently eyeing the dragon. It welled up a small tendril of magic and sent it toward her via the message cantrip its wizard had developed.

Hello, Miss Lin. It said simply, with a voice that seemed to echo in the mind... and in an almost unmistakable impersonation of Alan Rickman as Snape from the Harry Potter movies.

[Lin Nari]

Cinder Resist Message, exceptional success

Recognition was quick, which deepened the curve of the dragon's smile. Nari allowed Billy to come to her rather than getting up, and lifted her eyes skyward at the shadow that passed over them. A huge owl was circling overhead--a curious sight considering the time of day and the area, so Nari thought Billy might be responsible.

She was about to ask what he was up to when an unfamiliar voice wormed in her mind. Eyebrows drawing low, not knowing what was happening, she instinctively blocked it out and the voice died away. Smile morphing into a pursed-lipped frown, she looked around without responding to Billy, and turned a cautious eye on the owl overhead.