2013-02-23 - Past and Future

Madame Xanadu has her shop set up here in the Village in lower manhatten. Not too big and without a big light advertizement, it is quite easy to overlook, but people sometimes visit there nevertheless.

The day is cold and cloudy with rain looming in the air. Amaya has jumped at the chance to get out of Mansion and to actually explore the city. She's gotten to go shopping and even checked out a few museums. Now with the rain looking like it is going to pour down any second, she ducks inside a small store. "Hmm, Well this looks pretty cool. Better then getting soaked I guess."

In the Shop the light is a bit dusky, the racks stuffed with things that seem to come from almost each and every mystic culture immagineable. Voodoo dolls lay next to crystall balls, Books in strange languages stand next to an astrolab and something that looks like a shrinkhead thrones on a silver plate that bears arabian inscriptions. As the young woman enter the shop, it does not take too long, until a voice can be heard from behind the curtain. "Greetings... I see you are Amaya?" the woman tells, even as she hadn't pulled back the curtain or left the backroom.

Amaya Looks around curiously as she walks into the store. She'd never seen anything like this. "Whoa. Umm This place is wild." She begins looking at some of the books. They only serve to confuse her really so she just moves on. Then the voice rings out. "Hello? Well that's not creepy at all. Have we met before?" She asks inquisitively. Her heart begins to race as fear begins to take hold of her.

The curtain ripples as a hand parts it, slowly opening it. "I doubt, my dear, unless you believe in other lives before this one." the woman that slowly gets into the field of vision tells, giving the young customer a smile.

Umm, I guess that's possible. I umm. I don't exactly know what I believe if that is what you mean." Amaya looks up to the woman and gives a smile to her. "I think you have me at a disadvantage. You know my name. I don't know yours."

Madame Xanadu smiles gently as she potions around the shop "This is Hokus Pokus and Kurioso, as you might have read at the door, and I am the very owner of it, Madame Xanadu." she introduces herself, pulling back the curtain a bit more "May I ask what brought you here?"

"Pleased to meet you, Madame Xanadu. Well it is going to rain and I didn't really plan for it. I just wanted to get dry. I've never seen a magic shop before. Umm... I never gave much thought to it. Magic is the stuff of fairy tales right? When I was a little girl my nanny would read me stories like that. But I was told that it wasn't real." Amaya looks around the shop at some of the shrunken heads and voodoo dolls. "That stuff is really creepy."

Madame Xanadu snickers a bit "Magic is so much more and so much less than fairy tales. Some things do work, some do not. But yes, some things are odd. Kurioso." she sais, pointing around "But I bet as you don't believe in magic, you don't believe in destiny either?"

Amaya gives a little shrug, "I umm. I don't know really. I mean. I guess I never gave it much thought. I mean. With the things that happened, I just pretty much let things happen as they come really. The way things changed recently. I'm still in shock. For once, I have something I didn't have for a long time."

Madame Xanadu smiles as she points to the back of the shop "please come to the back then. I can offer you a tea while you tell me about this. Sometimes the best therapy for shock is just talking about something."

Amaya smiles a little, "Alright. You seem really nice, a lot nicer then some of the ones who I met the last time I was in the city. If not for some of my new friends It could have gotten really bad." She makes her way back to the back being mindful not to touch anything. "These people wanted to attack me and a friend just because We're different."

Madame Xanadu smiles as she goes through another curtain to the stove, setting up the kettle of water "Difference can be broadly defined. Men and Women are different and there were times in which that was enough for one to try to kill the other. And some times there were people who declared all non germans inferior. But up to now, the compromiss ever won." she explains.

Amaya sighs softly. "Sadly, with people like that Senator guy on the news condemning people like me, it's hard to believe that things could ever be normal. I don't think they will ever be normal for me honestly." She looks around the room, ever curious. "I guess sometimes fate can be a jerk."

Madame Xanadu returns with two mugs of tea from the kitchen, smiling a bit "I guess the Senator believes he has good reasons, but humankind will come to reason eventually. They did after two world wars and they did after the cold war. One day, they will come to reason and accept that some people are unlike others." she elaborates "But why does the senator try to condem you?"

Amaya looks at the woman and gives a small sigh, "Because of what people like me are capable of. I'm a mutant. I don't know how strong of one I am or anything I just know that when I first discovered my powers, I ended up scarred in more ways then one." She goes quiet. Her eyes sink as once more, the dirty past makes its way from under the rug. "I umm... I nearly killed my best friend. Needless to say she hasn't spoken to me since."

Madame Xanadu eyes Amaya a long time as she takes a seat on the couch, picking one of the mugs and pointing at the other "take a seat, take a sip." she sais, eying her own cup closely "It is a strong green tea. A rare brewery from mongolia." she explains as she speaks up again after some time.

Amaya does as she is asked to do and takes a seat. She takes the cup in her hand and takes a long sip of the tea. "Oooo. This is delicious. I've never really gotten to drink much in the way of tea aside from the ice tea at the stores. This is amazing. From Mongolia? I didn't think tea could taste like this."

Madame Xanadu smiles as she turns her own cup, eying the leafs that still swim at the bottom of it "it's an art I learned long years ago. But you wanted to talk. Tell me about this friend of yours. How did you nearly killed her?" she asks gently, swirling the tea in her cup around.

Amaya takes a deep breath. "I got struck by lightning. Instead of it going into the ground like it should it stayed inside me. She seen it happen and came closer to make sure I was alright. I shook my head and tried to stop her. I stuck up my hand all the electricity within me came out. She hit the ground. I ran to her and checked on her. She survived but if there would have been anymore energy in that it would have killed her." She takes a breath and another sip of the tea. There are tears in her eyes. "She was my best friend. She simply didn't want to associate with me after that. I was a mutant and a freak in her eyes."

Madame Xanadu nods after a long time, searching for a hankerchief and handing the silken piece of fabric to her "here. I see why she might be afraid. I know people were afraid of me at times because they do not understand everything. But it was an accident. A bad, really bad accident." she sooths, putting her own cup away as she picks up Amaya's "let me have that a moment." she explains, swirling it around once before she turns it upside down onto the small plate.

Amaya blinks and accepts the fabric. She quickly begins drying her eyes. She does see what happens to her cup with a tinge of shock. "Wow. That is a really neat trick. How did you do that?" She immediately begins investigating the table and looking for the remains of her tea.

Madame Xanadu shakes the head slightly, placing the cup without the under onto the table, this time upright. the leafs are all gathered on the porcellain of the plate "They are all here. all the leafs, all the tea. You believe in destiny?" she asks, studiying the forms and patterns on it.

Amaya looks at the leaves, "I umm... Well. Destiny is something I gave up on. I guess it exists but how could a person who has done what I've done have anything but trouble in their future?" She shrugs and looks up at the woman. "I mean, It's not like I am a princess somewhere in some alternate plain of existance right?"

Madame Xanadu nods slowly, giving her a smile as she places the plate onto the table "It is there, but you always have the choice to embrace it, or turn your back at it. But a choice can only be done once. I can take a look where it might lead, but Tealeafs are not very precise when it comes to the distant future."

Amaya raises an eyebrow, "What harm could it do? If I do have a destiny, there won't be any stopping what you see. If there isn't I will eventually know that I don't. I'm not trying to sound like I'm tempting fate but I guess I am a little bit of a science nerd." She looks at Madame Xanadu and then at the leaves. "What does it say?"

Madame Xanadu eyes the leaves once again "As I said, it is not very clear, but what I see is so much. a parting of ways, a decision that is to be made... and here it tells about conflicting sides or results... Maybe the decision is about what you do with your life, maybe it is about your friend, but I can't see what it is about clearly. just, that it will shape your future in a very significant way." she explains, her finger poining on seemingly random collections of leaves.

Amaya takes a deep breath. "So, Either myself or a friend is nearing an important choice that can change my life. Sounds fun. I guess i will find out what that choice is when I get there. How do I know which is the right choice? I mean what if I make the wrong one?"

Amaya nods slowly. "Thank you Madame. I will remember this stuff. I don't mean to bother you too much more. I know you must be busy." She gives a smile. "I'd like to visit again sometime. You seem like a really nice person. Like I said, last time I was in the city, I was attacked by a few fanactics." A soft look crosses her eyes. "If you ever need a friend, you can call me."

Madame Xanadu smiles gently "I know. and if you ever seek advice, feel free to drop by. Even if you don't believe in destiny more than the average, it might be good to have an ear that listens." she replies.

Amaya smiles and pulls out a pen and paper. Quickly she writes down her cell number. "Here you go. Just in case. I can be here rather quickly. Another perk of being a mutant in my case. Anyway this has been really cool. I dunno about magic but if it is as real as you have shown, I guess it can't be that bad can it?"

Madame Xanadu smiles faintly "that was no magic at all." she explains, standing up and picking up the paper "but there is Magic. it is a tool as much as any other, but people an use or misuse it like any other power."

Amaya nods, "Thats a shame. I guess it takes all kinds." She stands up and pulls herself together. "I should be going then. I know I need to go visit a friend and such. I am getting a little hungry. It might be a good idea to get a pizza!" SHe laughs and begins moving towards the exit.

Madame Xanadu waves at amaya as she leaves "take care"