Dreamtime (IC)

[Supercape]

"I...I think so...." stuttered Mary looking at Marcus with a curious eye. "Are you the bear man?" she asked politely.

Rene caught Marcus' eye, and then Mary's.

"Never mind that" he said, with a kind, but slightly gruff voice "just remember to be brave and never be scared of the monsters, eh?" he told her, with a gentle firmness. As he spoke he took from her compliant hands the ruby medallion she had been clutching.

"And when you are asleep, always leave what was in the dreams behind, where they belong, even if they are pretty?"

Mary nodded in agreement.

[GranspearZX]

At least Mary might've dismissed the huge bear as a figment of her imagination. Rene, on the other hand... well, he seemed too smart and too well versed in the arcane to really fall for that. Marcus figured that his best defense was probably to pretend it never happened; then again, Rene was a magic-user, too.

"You should... probably try to find her parents," Marcus commented, picking up his sketchbook. He wasn't even sure how much time had passed, but just thinking about the entire ordeal made him tired. One would almost think falling asleep would be a bad thing, given what they'd just been through.

[Supercape]

Mary's parents were not far away, and seemed to be waking from a half-slumber. They greeted Mary warmly as Rene showed the girl to them, explaining that she had got lost.

Walking back to Marcus, he held out his hand.

"Well done Monsieur" he smiled warmly "We never really got to introduce each other properly. Rene De Saens, artist and mage. And you are... a bear? a man? but of course, whatever you are... a hero!"

[GranspearZX]

"Hero? Nah, I was just... I just happened to be here. Name's Marcus." He shook his head, shaking the offered hand. "...don't meet many people who introduce themselves that way."

"Thanks for the help, by the way, Mr. De Saens." He smiled faintly. "Not sure what I really could've done if you hadn't shown up. I'm... not much of a mage. Heck, I don't even know where we just went. Pretty new to this whole 'magic' thing... ...and now I'm rambling." Marcus rubbed at the back of his neck, a little bit embarrassed. "Hopefully that thing won't be terrorizing any more kids."

[Supercape]

Rene gazed at the ruby medallion in his hand. "As long as children sleep, there will be nightmares. And as long as there are nightmares, there will be a boogieman... as I think you call it. "

He sighed, looking at Mary hugging her parents. "All we can do is make sure we are not ruled by fear, not one of us. An impossible task, but one we must aspire too. "

He winked at Marcus "I don't know about you, but I was scared witless!" he laughed.

[GranspearZX]

"Hm. I suppose you're right..." For his first time actively using his powers, it could have gone a lot worse... No one got hurt, justice prevailed, and all that good stuff. Still, Marcus was too modest to really consider himself a hero. As far as he was concerned, he was just a guy who happened to have a little bit of magic on his side.

Watching Mary with her parents reminded Marcus of his own, a thought that made the wide-shouldered teen's mood go south. He remembered when he was that age, when he didn't have to worry about controlling his powers or accidentally zapping someone with a lightning bolt. He sighed, stuffing his hands into his pockets and looking elsewhere. "I wasn't REALLY scared, but... y'know. Kids pick up on that sort of thing. I get the whole 'balance' thing, but I'd hate to have dream monsters running all over the city. Seems like a huge hassle..."

Marcus cleared his throat, looking down at his shredded clothes. "...I should probably get outta these."

[Supercape]

Rene took out his brush, and started painting mid-air. Nothing obvious happened, other than the subtle blurring of colours and lights from the brush. It took a little time, but before long, Marcus was garbed in a smart suit.

"Illusionary" said Rene. "But it will keep you descent till you find some proper garb".

He looked at the ruby pendant that Mary had been given by the nightmare creature. It was perfectly real in this world too. "As for this" he said, gazing at it "I don't think we should let this stray to far, hmmm? I'll take a look at it later. Best not to think about it, I imagine". He pocketed the device.

[GranspearZX]

Marcus was rather new to magic. That much was obvious when he just raised an eyebrow at Rene's strange gesturing. The illusion caught Marcus completely by surprised as he looked down at himself. Never mind that it was a suit, and he didn't even so much as own one, but the illusion was disturbingly real--as real as the dream world he'd entered by mistake.

"How did you... huh." Marcus paused, not sure what to say without sounding stupid. "Neat trick. As for that... yeah, it might be better off with you than me. I'm still getting used to this whole... magic thing."

[Supercape]

"Are you now?" inquired Rene. "Well, you handled yourself well enough tonight, I can assure you" he patted Marcus on the arm with a face full of encouragement.

"Do I detect, from the trepidation in your voice, a degree of... uncertainty about the... magic thing?" he asked, raising his hands to paranthesise the last phrase.

[GranspearZX]

"Well... I know it exists, if that's what you mean. I'm just... not very good at it." Marcus smiled faintly. "I still haven't got the transformation thing down... not yet. And you won't see me throwing around lightning or... painting suits on people. I really haven't been at this long. Still... I did okay, I guess, for trying to get the hang of it all through trial and error."

Marcus was hinting, rather hard, in fact. It wasn't as if Claremont had any mystics apart from Etain who could really show him anything, and he didn't feel right asking her to give up her free time to teach him anything. Then again, he didn't feel right asking Rene either; if nothing else, it was his own pride standing in the way.

"...I don't guess you could show me how you did all that, hm?"

[Supercape]

"Of course, Monsieur, of course. Nothing more dangerous than magic in the wrong hands, or hands that don't quite know what they are doing. Why, I remember when Broken Crow was teaching me the rudiments of thaumaturgy and..."

He paused. Best not let too much of the mystery around him evaporate.

"...well lets just say the cat was never quite the same". He coughed.

He gestured towards nowhere in particular. The park was actually a pleasant walk. "Walk with me a moment and tell me your story, if you would be so good?"

[GranspearZX]

"There's... really not much to tell."

It seemed that both of them were holding a little bit back. It took him a minute to remember what thaumaturgy even was. He walked with Rene, hands clasped behind his back as they spoke.

"I didn't really learn about this until like six months or so ago. A bunch of guys in black uniforms busted in, attacked my dad, and then... well, you saw the big furry guy, I'm sure." Marcus smirked, unable to find a description that didn't sound so silly. "My dad says it's a magic I was born with because of something that was done to him 20 years ago... So, that's pretty much it for me. Ended up transferring to Claremont Academy not long after that but.... I dunno. Rough transition, I guess..."

"What about you?" He tilted his head a bit as he looked over at Rene. "I'm sure you've got a story or two to tell."

[Supercape]

"Many" replied Rene. "I was born in 1777, in France, and grew up to be a man in the revolution. Bloody business that.. not to be recommended. It was my fate to be trained by the Master Mage of that Era, Broken Crow. A fine man, and a master of the mystical arts. "

He continued ambling through the park with Marcus, nodding at an occasional passer by and tipping his beret at a few ladies.

"I have spent the last two centuries perfecting my art. Both the visual kind, and the sorceries that accompany it. Whilst I know a lot of magic, for me, it comes in a particular form, that of painting, or creating, with my mind. You saw some of the brush strokes of my power I think, hmmm?"

[GranspearZX]

"...did you say 1777?" Marcus blinked. Surely he meant 1977. Surely. That was... unusual. It was actually pretty fascinating, really. And a war veteran at that... possibly more than one war.

"That's... a long time to practice. And yeah, I saw a couple of things. The lightning bolts, the suit... Best I can manage right now is the transformation and I'm not even sure how I'm doing it yet. Not really anyway."

He paused in thought about that one, frowning a bit as he recalled what his father had told him about the entire thing. "Six months ago, the biggest worry I had was passing an algebra exam."

[Supercape]

"Oui, Oui" muttered Rene "A long time to practice. And yet, it is right here, right now, that I feel I will unlock the secrets of Magic more than ever. It is as if, well, I have run the marathon and now, the sprint!" he smacked his hands together emphatically.

"Now, tell me, your Ursine transformation... how does it happen? Magical, yes, yes... but from where?"

[GranspearZX]

"I always thought it was just a really cool looking birthmark, but..." Marcus turned slightly, thumbing at the back of his right shoulder. "There's a mark there... One of my mother's research books called it the 'Beast Rune'."

Marcus thought for a moment, then looked at Rene. "My dad... he had it before I did. There was an accident, and my mother nullified it somehow... or at least that's what she thought. They probably panicked a little bit when I was born and they figured out that she'd just repressed it. I don't know why I have so much more of a handle on it. Maybe it's 'cause I've never really considered it to be anything but a part of me already? Who knows..."

He kicked a rock out of his path and into the grass, shaking his head. "Most of the time I don't even think about it."

[Supercape]

Rene nodded sagely. "A powerful transformation, then. May I look?" he replied, and without waiting for an answer, peered at the offending article.

"And tell me, is the transformation physical only, or does it affect your... spirit, shall we say? I have seen magic before that unleashes the temperament of the beast as well as its claws and fangs... and sometimes the unleashed beast is difficult to control. We all have La bête dans, Monsieur. In some of us, it is strong and fierce indeed!"

His eyes seemed to scrutinise Marcus carefully, although not without kindness behind them.

[GranspearZX]

"Uh... sure, I guess so." He really didn't mind; it was like showing off a tattoo. In fact, when Marcus removed the illusory jacket and loosened his shirt to expose his shoulder, the Beast Rune really did look like a tattoo, only closer inspection would reveal that it clearly wasn't ink. Its magic wasn't entirely superficial; it had a subtle effect on his entire body--and that was just in his normal form.

"Well... yes and no. It's a little harder to think sometimes. I still feel like myself, just... different. I'll admit, though, that sometimes when I get mad I can feel it goading me into taking a swing at people. It's hard to tell where it ends and where I begin."

[Supercape]

"Hmmm" muttered Rene studying the rune for some time.

"Simple, but powerful" was his comment after squinting and prodding. "Which sums up your magic, too. To be honest, its very powerful. More powerful than me. And more powerful than you, perhaps, the container".

He walked a bit lost in thought "but perhaps we should study this further. I imagine both of us would rest more easy if we knew more about it, non?"

[GranspearZX]

"I know I would." Marcus smiled, pulling the shirt and jacket back up over his shoulder. "I don't want to end up like..."

He stopped himself, not entirely sure he should've even said that. Rene seemed like a nice guy and all, but did he really need to know what his father had done to land himself in Blackstone? Even if it was 20 years ago, it was still new to Marcus, and that made all the difference. The last thing he wanted was to be judged for his father's mistake, especially considering it wasn't his fault.

"So far I haven't had any major issues with it, but... better safe than sorry, I guess."

[Supercape]

"...so far. Not particularly reassuring, Monsieur. But honest. " His mind turned over the rune and half-remembered Runic lore, but he couldn't untangle the issue.

"And, I shall reciprocate the honesty. It is not something I can profess expertise in. But perhaps we should explore this further in the future, non? For now, we appear to have run out of park, and you would appear to need some new clothes rather than my humble illusions". He gestured at the edge of the park they here fast approaching.

"It has been a pleasure meeting you, Monsieur. I shall see you shortly!"