royal_musings | [Open Post] Where the Streets Have No Name

Piper had rudely walked right through people before but none of them could see her. She did at least subconsciously appreciate the woman not doing it to her this time. Being aware of it would be weird.

While Les went to pay, Piper walked out of the store and the short distance back to the spot where her body would be. With a thought and a push of will, she returned to the present, waking to the roughness of the tree bark on her back. She scanned the park benches until she saw the one Les sat on.

There was a nervous flutter in Piper's chest as she approached. It was one thing to confront a person while she was immaterial, another to do it in flesh and blood. But for the sake of appearances, she put on a confident smirk.

"Okay," she planted her hands on her hips, and pointedly did not sit down to join the woman. "Tell me how the hell you were able to see me."

Les watched the young girl approach and tilted her head a bit, trying to get a read on her. Nothing seemed off so she settled in a bit then shrugged a shoulder at the question. She glanced around them to make sure no one was within hearing before answer. "I'm a witch," she said simply. "The type that can see spirits and those who astral project... and an unfortunate number of other things."

"I imagine you're not used to others being able to see you when you do that?" Which would be understandable. She didn't sense a good amount of others around who were of the supernatural vain.

"A witch? Like, for real? With real magic?" That should clue Les in on just how very uneducated Piper is. She's been extremely lucky to make it this far on her own.

"I call it Time Walking. Not astral projecting. My name for it is better," she pouts, crossing her arms over her small chest.

"No. I've never had anyone be able to see me. I assumed it wasn't possible. I don't like being wrong about that."

Les grinned then said. "Yeah, with real magic." Not that she was exactly wanting to prove it right then and there but thankfully they didn't have much company right then and there. Not at that moment anyway.

It was interesting though that someone who had an ability like hers didn't know about things like witches (or likely anything else). It also made her extremely lucky that she hadn't caught the attention of anyone who had bad intentions.

She thought about what the girl had told her back at Sephora and the direction she'd walked from before meeting her at the park bench. "So, you can go back through time then? What about forward? Because in that case, time walking is more apt of a name. That's really interesting ability." And damn, would that have been handy to have at some point in her life!

Her mouth quirked up. "Trust me, I get that." Though the other girl had no reason to trust Les at all and she was well aware of that too. "If I can see you, chances are other things can see you too."

"Yeah, I can go both ways." She shifted her arms across her chest, like she was trying to resist the urge to preen. She was very proud of this ability, and the name, thank you.

"It's interesting, and useful, and it was supposed to just be my thing."

Tempting as it was to keep pouting, Piper's self-preservation instincts were starting to kick in. Because if other things could see her, that would mean more trouble.

"Things like what?"

Les considered her for a moment with a little tilt of her head. "So, if no one else can see you as far as ordinary humans are concerned, what are you able to do with it? If I wasn't there at Sephora, what would you have done to that majestic old woman who took the lipstick?" She wasn't really judging. She was genuinely curious about what she was able to do within the time walking/astral projection.

She noticed something change in the other girl's demeanor. "Well, other witches would likely be able to see you - not all of them good. Depending on their age and strength, some vampires and certain demons would be able to see you as well."

"Majestic?" Piper scoffed. "I think you mean tacky. And I wasn't going to do anything to her. I was just going to pickpocket the lipstick, that's all."

Piper figured a witch wasn't going to be that fussed about petty crime. Or, she hoped so. Shit like that abruptly stopped mattering when Les started talking about Demons and vampires.

"Wait. Wait. Vampires? Like, for real? Are you shitting me?"

Les' mouth curled up into an amused smirk. "Same difference. There is a very thin line between tacky and glamourous," she acknowledged. But really, she only hoped she was that fabulous when and if she ever got that old. Course. She didn't do it now when she was relatively young so, perhaps she missed the boat there. She tilted her head and considered that. "So, whatever you pick up when you time walk, will come with you when you return to your body? Interesting," she mused. She did find it interesting - it was a power she hadn't come across in other witches.

To be frank, lipstick was the least of her worries. If the girl wanted to swipe a lipstick, that was on her.

"I'm being for real," she said, seriously. "There are beings out there who aren't the most upstanding of citizens. Though, in the short amount of time I've been here, I haven't really sensed much so you've been lucky there. Not all places are like this, I've found."

Les reached out a hand. "My name is Alessandra but you can call me Les. What's yours?" She figured if they were going to talk about magic, she might as well introduce herself. Alessandra or Les wasn't her true name but it was the one she was going by for the foreseeable future at least.

Piper shook her head. "Um. No..." she admitted. "I'm like, completely a ghost in the Time Walk. I can just barely get a sheet of paper to move if I blow on it or something. I could never actually pick anything up.

"I was just going to, you know, find out which way she went after she left the store so I could catch up with her and take it the old fashioned way." This wasn't the first time she'd had sticky fingers. Piper had expensive tastes but very little in the way of real wealth. So, she split the difference with a petty crime here or there. Nothing huge, though. Nothing that would get her in real trouble.

Her desire for lipstick dried up completely now as Les continued on. Powerful beings that could see her in her most vulnerable state? Real vampires? That sounded like real, actual trouble. The kind Piper wanted nothing to do with.

"Les. Okay." She hesitated a moment, then shook Les' hand. Piper had a surprisingly firm grip for how dainty her hands seemed. "I'm Piper. And, I should thank you for the warning, I guess. I really had no idea. But... I don't know what to do, now that I know. How do I protect myself?"

Les was the last person to judge on some petty crime. She'd committed some petty crimes over the course of her life.

As much as she would like to continue talking about lipsticks and said petty crime, discussing the very real trouble that this girl could get into was more important. She hated to be the one to bring that kind of awareness to anyone but she also thought it was better to be safe than ultimately sorry.

She smiled at the firm grip and when she introduced herself, Les blinked then cracked a grin. "Wow, what are the odds," she murmured. "It's not very often that I run into others with the name Piper." Les cleared her throat. "I would suggest learning how to protect yourself, physically. With your ability, did you also get some sort of enhanced strength? That is, beyond normal human limits." The answer to that would depend on what kind of person Les recommended.

"Others?" Piper asked, blinking with confusion. Piper wasn't that common of a name, to be sure, but this felt different.

"Physically? Uh... Look at me. I'm not really built like that." Piper's body type was more gazelle than lioness. She could kill it on a runway, but not in a fight.

"I don't really have anything else, besides this. Shit, that would be really cool. You mean some people are, like, super strong?"

Les considered her options silently for a moment. On the plus side, the young woman didn't seem to run into too many other supernatural creatures and those she would run into probably didn't care one iota about her. Which was why she leaned toward using an alias in the first place. "I told you that my name was Les and that's partially true. My birth name is Piper Allison. It's not every day that I get to meet fellow Piper's."

She tilted her head with a grin. "Maybe not but I can't judge based on looks alone. I probably don't look like I could take down a man my size or a vampire," she said. Les considered her recommendations for the young woman with a little hum. "I can give you some pointers, if you're interested, on places to target when it comes to the supernatural beings. But I definitely recommend learning self-defense in general. Even if you don't need it for the supernatural world, it doesn't hurt in general for a woman to defend herself from complete shitheads."

"Yeah, my cousin and I got it," along with a ton of other unfortunate things. "When we found out, we realized we couldn't exactly go to the trainer next door. They usually frown upon being beaten up by the people they're hired to train."

Les reached into her bag, tore off a piece of paper from a small notebook, and put down her phone number before handing it over. "Here's my number. If you need anything or need any tips, let me know." While she wasn't in the 'saving the world' thing anymore (for now), she still was willing to help out a fellow magic-user if need be.

"Oh. Well, Piper is a good name. Why did you dump it?" Honestly, Piper hadn't run into anyone else named this so it was both a surprise and a disappointment to hear Les say she didn't use it anymore. At least the woman was cool enough to wear it proudly.

Especially if she could actually take down a vampire in a fight. Holy shit. She was that strong? For real?

"I mean, yeah? I'd love some pointers. I don't want to get murdered by anything. But, I'm not sure I'd have the money to pay for lessons." There was a reason he was shoplifting instead of shopping.

She took the paper and carefully folded it into her wallet. Didn't want to lose that. "You'd really do that for me? Someone you just met?"

"Piper is a great name," she agreed then fell silent again, making sure they were still the only two within close proximity before she answered. "It's a long story and for what I'm trying to do, I needed to separate myself from the girl I was for now." Though, she did miss who she was at that time.

Les nodded and glanced down at her watch. "I have a meeting here in a few minutes but it won't take long." She hoped it didn't turn to shit at least. "But I'm in town for another day. If you have some time either later today or tomorrow, we can meet up? I can give you some pointers and some moves that should help in that case."

Although she no longer recognized herself as some sort of 'chosen one' or The Enchanted after Jordan died. She still felt the urge to help people, or at the very least, make sure fellow witches/people with powers didn't die if they came up against a vampire looking for an easy kill. Her mouth quirked up at the question. "Yeah, I would. It's sort of what I used to do. What you do with the knowledge after that is up to you."

Ooh, that sounded mysterious? Like... like a spy taking on an alias or like a superhero or something. Maybe that, since Les was super strong and also, apparently, willing to help out anyone for seemingly no personal gain. Definitely superhero material.

"Oh. Okay. Sure. I get it." What Piper wouldn't give to go listen in on that meeting. She totally would, too, if Les wouldn't be able to see her doing it. Damn. The one time her powers actually couldn't help her...

"I should probably start getting home so I don't get caught out after dark." Especially knowing vampires were a thing now. Yikes. She was really going to have to sit and process that.

"Can I meet you back here early tomorrow?"

Les watched her for a moment with a little tilt of her head. She had half a mind to tell her to not sneak in on her meeting (if she could see the other girl, she was sure the man she was meeting would as well) but she didn't. Instead, she let it be and stood from the park bench and gave her a nod.

"Good plan. Get home and we'll meet back here early tomorrow. How does... ten, sound? I can meet earlier or later, though." She hadn't always been a morning person but she'd make concessions when needs must. She had also found a great coffee shop that morning and Les was always a sucker for good coffee.

"Ten is good."

Piper didn't want to admit this out loud, but her home was quite a walk away from here. The neighborhood she lived in wasn't exactly the type to contain friendly green parks and expensive makeup stores. She had to travel for those. It was good exercise, though. Piper needed to keep her legs looking slim in case a modeling scout finally noticed her.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

At first, Piper just thought she was paranoid because of today's conversation as she walked home. Because, she had this distinct feeling of there being, like, eyes on her back. It made her skin crawl. But the feeling persisted. For miles. She was more than halfway home and still she felt like something was out there. Okay, enough of this bullshit. She concentrated on her breathing a moment, came to a stop, then projected herself forward in time by only two minutes.

When she opened her eyes, she saw herself several paces ahead. But the really horrifying thing, was that she was in the clutches of something inhuman. It had its claw wrapped around her throat!

Holy shit! Holy shit. No! No. Breathe. Don't panic. This was two minutes from now?! Fuck, fuck, fuck! She's rooted to the spot in terror, watching her future self scream as the thing leans in closer. Fuck!! FUCK. She was about to watch herself die??

No. No! she was NOT.

Piper willed herself back to the present. The moment her eyes snapped back open, she turned directions and ran. Anywhere but forward. Anywhere but closer to that possible fate. She heard the snarl of something in the darkness. That thing -whatever it was??- was it chasing her? Piper ducked into the breezeway of a nearby apartment, taking the metal stairs two at a time. She made as much noise as humanly possible. She could have cheered when saw the blinds rattle in a couple of windows. Yes. Good. Someone was watching.

"Fuck it," Piper said to herself. She tucked into a corner of the stairwell and pulled out her phone. Tonight a taxi ride the rest of the way home would be money well-spent.

It wasn't until the car had safely dropped her off in front of her own apartment, until she'd gone inside and locked all three deadbolts, that she took a real and complete breath in. Fuck. That was really close. Too damn close. She wrapped herself in blankets despite the California heat and curled up in her bed.

The next morning saw Piper looking less than well-rested as she waited for Les in the park. She fidgeted in place on the bench. A latte would have been welcome, but she used too much money getting home last night. So, the stale remainder of last night's brew her mom left in the pot after going to work was the best she'd been able to manage. And it hadn't felt like nearly enough.

She'd debated calling Les last night. If they didn't already have this meeting planned, she would have. She looked genuinely relived when she saw the woman approaching. Those self-defense lessons don't sound bad AT ALL now.

Les' appointment had gone as well as she had expected it to. Thankfully, no fight broke out and she was able to purchase the grimoire without anything literally or metaphorically blowing up in her face. She'd purchased it from a witch who was much older than many Les came into contact with who was "over it".

Whatever that meant.

There was a ton that Les would be over at this point in her life but she still had a long way to go before she got to that point. Or felt like she could stay at that point. After leaving the witch, she returned to her hotel room and thought about going out for a patrol around the area. Instead, she settled in and started combing through the grimoire for anything that could be useful. That was after she made sure nothing was lingering to it such as tracking charms or hidden hexes.

The next morning, Les arrived at their meeting place wearing a more casual outfit than she had worn the day before. Something that would allow her to move easily.

"Morning," she said and studied the other girl for a moment. She looked decidedly not well-rested. "Everything okay? You don't look like you slept much."

Piper was in clothes that looked appropriate for a yoga session: leggings and fitted tank top. Most days, she’d be proud of how these purple stretch pants made her butt look. Today, she was preoccupied with more important matters.

“No, I really didn’t. I um- On the way home... I think something was going to attack me. Actually, I know it was.”

A shiver visibly rocked her; she wrapped her bare arms around herself even in this summer heat.

“It was some terrible monster. It followed me home from the park. If I hadn’t used my gift to look ahead and see...” she couldn’t bring herself to say what it was she saw.

“I called a cab to take me the rest of the way. But, that thing is still out there. I need your lessons more than I ever realized.”

As soon as she asked it, Les got the feeling she knew the answer to her own question. It wouldn't surprise her if Piper had said something to the effect of just finding out about the supernatural kept her awake. But to find that she'd nearly gotten attacked, Les blinked and moved over to her. "Crap, Piper - are you okay?"

It was a shit question, she realized that because clearly Piper wasn't okay but it seemed the thing to ask.

"I know it's likely not something you want to think back on but can you describe what it looked like?" Even if it may not do Piper any good currently, it would help Les. She could go out looking for it tonight and deal with it. "Even if it doesn't mean much to you right now, in the future you will start to distinguish one being from another and what you can do to kill it."

Piper let out an anxious laugh at that question. No, obviously she was not okay. Really not fucking okay. Yesterday her biggest worry was running out of her favorite lipstick color. Now.

"It was dark... but it was like this really pale man except he had awful teeth and cold dead eyes. And he was so strong he could lift me off the ground with just one hand." Even recounting that much had her breath coming in panicked gasps.

"How the fuck am I supposed to be able to defend myself against something like that? The thing moved like it was made of shadows."

Les nodded and thought that could be just about any dark creature that roamed the night. "Sounds like some vampires I've come across and well, other... nasty creatures that unfortunately are part of our world," she said and reached out to rest her hand on Piper's shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze. "Hey, it's going to be okay, alright? I know it's a lot you're dealing with, especially within 24 hours but we will work on that. It will take time though."

"So, first, your gift will come in handy. You'll find that it's not only good for things like finding out who took your last lipstick," she started, sending the girl a teasing smile before she continued. "But, it's especially good for situations like this. If you are aware of who or what it is that's lurking in the shadows like that, then you can be one step ahead of them and you can be prepared for them. Or be prepared to run. There is nothing wrong with running."

Les paused and picked up her water bottle, taking a drink from it. "What are your strengths? When you were younger, did you take any classes like gymnastics, play sports... anything like that?"

When asked because when she was younger, she had taken a few gymnastics classes as a kid and it was those skills that she built on when her vampire friends started to train her and her friend. Everyone started somewhere.

Piper subconsciously leaned into that squeeze; the physical comfort was powerful for her in her current mental state.

"Okay. Yeah." She swallowed hard and steeled herself. Would it really be okay? Fuck if she knew right now but she wanted to believe.

That crack about the lipstick almost made her smile. Her lips twitched with a weak expression of mirth.

"I took ballet for a while at the community center. And I did track and field in school. I can run long distance and I can sprint. I still run every day." Because her power required her to cover long distances on foot, she'd kept up with that athleticism. Morning runs were a staple of her routine.

"I'm in pretty good shape, cardio-wise." Strength, not so much.

"I won't lie to you, this world we live in kind of sucks on multiple levels," Les admitted, looking at her. "But, I guess the powers sort of makeup for it? A little bit," she said with a little smile, holding two fingers up with a little space between them. Sure, there was a lot more to it and maybe one day, she'll wonder if it was all worth it but that day was not today.

When Piper described her routine, Les nodded. "That's excellent, the cardio will help in the long run. Do you run up steps often? I ask because I know money doesn't grow on trees and gym memberships are annoyingly expensive. Luckily, there are things you can do to build strength that doesn't require you to go into a gym. That's where we'll start this morning and as we go, I will explain some of the more common creatures that you will come up against and the best way to fight them. Sound good?"

She wasn't expected to be anywhere until early next week so she could afford to extend her stay for a little longer. If only to make sure Piper had enough knowledge under her belt to have a fighting chance.

"Powers kind of make this shit worth dealing with," Piper said, of her own life. Without her Time Walking, what would she be? Just some nobody with nothing going on.

"Hm," she tapped her chin thoughtfully, "I run uphill, but haven't really done steps. Now that you mention it, the library has some I could go up and down." To her credit, Piper was putting all her attention into this. Her life depended on it.

"Sometimes I use cans of soup as weights, too. They are pretty close to, like, a one-pound dumbbell." She uses gallons of milk like kettlebells sometimes too, to work her arms.

"Yeah, that sounds good. Damn, I should have brought a notebook to write this stuff down. I guess I can always come back to review it again later." Thanks, Time Walking.

[Open Post] Where the Streets Have No Name

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And if you want to roll us into the next day on here, you can! Or we can start a new thread. Whichev

Here is good. Sorry it took me this long <3

no problem at all! sorry for the delay on this end too. :)

<3

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