[Open - Irish Coffee]

[irishcoffee]

Maggie finished the chalk easel for the front of the cafe, embellishing the announcements of specials with sunny wildflowers and scrolled ivy leaves. As she walked it out to put on the sidewalk in front of the store, she stopped to let the sun warm her face.

It had rained in Faelan's Folly for a week - starting with storms full of thunder and ear-splitting lightning strikes until tapering off to yesterday's lighter clouds and soft soaking rain to last night's light drizzle.

She'd spent most of her off time during the week near the monument, the flat stone just off the park grounds that was, for all intents, the heart of the Folly. There were rumors about it, of course, some of them right on the mark. Not that she'd ever confirm it.

The monument was also where she rechared, reset her magic and reconnected with the elements that bowed to her. At midnight last night, she knew it was time to get back to business, back to herself, and move herself forward.

Maggie pulled water from a nearby puddle, rinsed the chalk from her fingers, and settled in to help her morning regulars get the caffeine they needed to start their day.

Comments

[wizard4hire]

"It's just too messy without the box," I said, realizing that it sounds kind of gruesome. Wizard humor can tend to be a bit dark. Okay, maybe that's just my humor but since I'm representative of the wizards as a whole from my world I get to make the sweeping generalizations.'

Her question though isn't as easy to answer as it once was. I've done some bad things, some really bad things, especially recently. Can I still call myself good after everything I just did? At the end of the day, I did what had to be done to save, well, a lot of people but my stake in it had been personal. I wouldn't sleep well for a long time but was I bad? Was I evil?

"I'm a wizard who is far, far too tired and hungry to cause any trouble. Besides, you're far too cute to not be really, really scary when you need to be."

[irishcoffee]

Maggie laughed a little at the comment about the box and nodded. "True, it is. And you make that kind of mess here, you'll attract too may of the wrong sorts of people. People being a relative term, of course," she added cryptically.

She watched his face as he chewed over her question, wondering what was behind the answer. No matter what it was, she knew that his debate was answer enough. Anyone that conflicted had a good center, no matter what path they'd walked before arriving in her cafe. One of her more recent arrivals had taken a full five minutes before he'd even been able to meet her eyes.

"Then you're a smarter man than many that try to push me," Maggie winked and walked back around the counter. "Thankfully, you're in the right place for hungry. I've got what you see in the cases and the sandwiches listed on the board behind me."

[wizard4hire]

"So I take it I can put my shirt back on?" I asked. It was still a little like a religious war, bloody and holy, but I'd feel a lot more comfortable with it on.

The offer of food is good too. I'm not necessarily starving but my brain is in survival mode ride now making sure I get the basics when they're available. You never know when an invisible demon might try and eat your face and you wished that you had a decent last meal.

[irishcoffee]

"Everyone's forever taking away my fun," Maggie said with a mock pout, "even you, and you haven't even been here an hour. This is not a sign of good things to come." She was grinning goodnaturedly as she said it, though. A little teasing always put the new arrivals at ease. "Want to tell me where you're from? Or are you the mysterious sort that's going to give me either half-answers or outright lies?"

[wizard4hire]

I would think she's flirting with me but I'm pretty sure she's just being nice because I'm stranded in a weird dimension. Which, actually, is appreciated and I'm grateful for her efforts. I still put my shirt on though, just because it's a little too weird to be eating shirtless. I don't even do that at home. Not that I have a home to go to anymore.

"I don't lie. I'm terribly at lies. Deceiving with the truth is way, way more reliable for me. But I am from the mysterious and mystical city of She Cah Go in the land of Ill Eee Noise."

[irishcoffee]

Maggie paused in the act of pulling out a tray of oatmeal raisin cookies she'd made that morning, playing over what he'd said until a smile tugged up one corner of her mouth. She let a brogue slip into her voice. "Aye an I've heard of such a mystical place. Just down the lane from Tir na nOg, is She Cah Go. Full of fancies and fae alike."

[wizard4hire]

"Way, way more faeries than you ever want to deal with," I said. I immediately push away all the things associated with that in my mind because I am ignoring that right now and I'm super great at coping. Denial is a tried and true tactic and who am I to mess with a classic?

"Or at least than I want to deal with. Never mind that I end up dealing with them anyway."

[irishcoffee]

Might have to get the prince of darkness to talk to this guy, Maggie thought as the cloud went back up over his head. It probably wasn't a bad idea, no matter the flippant thought. Both had the same air about them, anyway.

"You might here as well since we have a few of them. Not sure if they're the kind you're used to seeing or not, different worlds have different rules and so on. For the most part they're pretty benign, but if you really don't want to deal with any of them, I can give you a list of clubs to avoid. My best friend seems to attract them like spots on a white dress, so he'd know where to skip."

[wizard4hire]

I barked a laugh at that, unable to help myself. At least it started out that way, but once the laughter was out, I couldn't stop it. After everything that had happened it just came out and I couldn't have held it back if I wanted to, which I didn't. It was cathartic, in a way, so I just let it happen. Of course, the girl probably thought that I was crazy. Since I am pretty nuts, that wouldn't be an entirely unfair assumption for her to make.

"Sorry, I just... don't worry. I don't do clubs, unless you're talking about the kind you hit people with and then it's mostly getting clubbed."

[irishcoffee]

Since this wasn't exactly her first day doing this, Maggie just leaned back and let him go, waiting and sipping at coffee until he was finished with his emotional purge.

"If that's what you're into," Maggie smiled innocently back with a little wink, "I'm sure there are a few places that will suit."

[wizard4hire]

I didn't like that wink, not at all, because it made the bottom drop out of my stomach and I should be way, way too tired to feel like that right now. It's kind of nice though, to have a good feeling to go along with the self-loathing and numbness, so I'll take it.

"I'm not so much in to it as it tends to happen. I guess I just have one of those faces."

[irishcoffee]

"A face that causes people you don't really know to walk up to you on the street and say 'so you're the reason my life is for shit' and then punctuate the statement with a club? Fist? Well-aimed spit?"

Maggie's tone was teasing, but her expression said she probably had one of those faces, too.

[wizard4hire]

"I think it's mostly the mouth part of my face that has that affect," I said, chuckling a bit. Of course, it's not like it's nice people that want to club me. Well, sometimes it is. But the vast majority of them are bad, bad people which I feel like counts for something.

"And mostly it's 'you ruined my dastardly plan' or 'you mocked and insulted me!' that gets it."

[irishcoffee]

Maggie smirked. "I know someone like that. One of - well, my best friend. Sometimes the ruining of dastardly plans, but usually just because he's a sarcastic little shit." The last was said with very clear affection in both word and tone. "I won't guarantee that won't happen here, but there aren't many dastardly plans to speak of. Most of the ones likely to do things like that aren't given that much of a leash. The mocking and insulting is all on you, but we have good doctors and even a few healers if the club makes an appearance."

Her grin still evident, she continued. "I want to say something about 'meddling kids' but I'm not sure if the reference would mean anything to you."

[wizard4hire]

"I assure you, I would never be sarcastic to that point," I said. "I would go far, far beyond that point."

I have to admit, some of the things I've gotten involved in are entirely my fault. I tend to go the extra mile sometimes, which brings down a lot of trouble for me later. Maybe I should watch what I say more carefully.

Nah.

"And if there's a world without Scooby Doo, I don't wnat to know about it."

[irishcoffee]

Maggie giggled again. "Then we're of like minds as far as crime-solving dogs and their perennially hungry human companions go. I can't help you as far as speech filters go, though, I'm afraid, but I will wish you the best of luck. Now then, you mentioned being hungry. I can make you something here, or something to take home with you." She stopped, laughed, "which I should probably go over with you so you don't start thinking you'll be bunking in my dumpster over night. Unless that's a preference," she smirked again, holding up a hand. "I don't judge."

[wizard4hire]

"Well, I just lost my home back in my world so this is pretty much out of the pan, into another pan." I said and gave a bit of a shrug. "Half of one, six dozen of the other."

I'm sure that wherever she has me staying is better than the Water Beetle. It's all about location, location, location and I'm pretty sure whatever location she's going to give me it won't have someone pointing a high powered rifle at it. That's the kind of living situation I can get behind.

[irishcoffee]

"You can pretty much have whatever suits your fancy here. From a house, cabin in the woods, condo or apartment in the middle of downtown, ah....And now I've just realized that I've been a very poor welcoming committee." She extended a hand. "I'm Maggie Donnelly."

[wizard4hire]

"I don't suppose you have anything with a basement?" I asked. I don't know if this is flat-land or hill country so maybe basements are hard to come by. I really hope that I can find one that does though.

"And I have problems with technology. Computers, electricity, complicated machines... they all tend to get fried or jam up around me."

[irishcoffee]

Maggie considered the areas around the city. Housing the Drop Ins was never a problem; they had more than enough vacancies of all sorts but not so many that it felt like a ghost town. Magic was weird sometimes.

Not wanting to send him off alone after wild geese, she pulled out a file folder from under the counter and opened it. She didn't question why the house was on top of the pile. She pulled the sheet of paper out and slid it over to him - it looked like a real estate agent's flyer.

"Will this suit? It's just outside center of town, back opens into the forest." Then she paused and looked back at him or, more specifically, his teeth. "Any reason for the basement? Like a sun allergy, maybe?" she added, tongue in cheek.

[wizard4hire]

Okay, they were really, really well prepared here for this kind of thing and I'm not sure if that's reassuring or a little freaky. I look at the place though and it looks perfect, reminds me a bit of the Ozarks. But it's still near the center of town, like my old place. It's perfect, which means I'm a little suspect about it.

"I like to have my office there," I said. By office I meant my laboratory, necessary for my magical workings. Basements were good for that sort of thing, sub-basements even more so. I'd have to start stocking up on all my stuff again, remake all my tools and just... everything. But it would keep me distracted for a little while anyway.

"But that looks perfect."

[irishcoffee]

She'd been fishing with the sun comment but she was already pretty sure the guy wasn't a vampire. Magic, certainly, but she didn't feel anything malevolent coming off of him.

All she could do for now was put him on the list of ones to watch and hope for the best.

"Would you like to go there now? It isn't far."

[wizard4hire]

"Maybe a sandwich first?" I asked. Food was a priority for the moment and then I could look at shelter and clothing. I had no idea how long I'd be awake and busy so I'd better get something in me fast. Then I could start worrying about things like the fact that I just died right before a date with Murphy. How she'd probably be the first one to find the scene. Hell's bells, this was a mess.

"And another Coke?"

[irishcoffee]

"Of course," Maggie nodded and pulled the bottle out before going into the back. A few minutes later, she was back with a club sandwich on a plate and a small basket.

She slid the plate over and started rummaging through the pastry cases, pulling and wrapping a sampling of the day's fare. "I'm going to send you with a little more from here to tide you over until you can get to the store for your own." Maggie shot him a grin. "I assume that's all right?"

[wizard4hire]

"That's fine. Anything I can eat cold or heated up on a stove would be best," I told her. No fridge or microwave makes for tricky meals sometimes, but since it's all I've known I don't really mind. I just need to find a decent pub around here that's not too far from home. I'll add that to my mental checklist of things to do so I can procrastinate thinking about other things.