Spare Change

[exmovere]

On the surface, the wind howled and dust blew through the crumbled buildings and broken, twisted metal of the ruined surface cover of Metropolis. The world was quiet and still, save for the creaking sound of the stress put on whatever protested against the maelstrom above. It wasn't long before the acidic rain began pouring down.

Beneath the surface, the water pounding on the crust echoed through the cavernous Metropolis. For the most part what washed down through the drains was controlled through waterways to be recycled and treated, but some areas leaked nonetheless. The slow drips of water fell silently until reaching a surface, where they soft splash would echo like a needle being dropped in a library.

The citizens of Metropolis paid little mind to the rain above, and thus continued their lives as usual. It was a regular afternoon... at least, what passed for afternoon in the underground post-apocalyptic world. As the city had grown and stabilized it was a natural comfort to find a regulated system to count the passage of time. Time, the most precious of resources... ever-present, endless, and yet there never quite seemed to be enough.

Amongst one of the lower levels of the city, a young man stood on a street corner with an outstretched hand and a sorrowful look on his face. His sandy brown hair was slightly ruffled, but clean. He wore faded and torn blue jeans with a slightly less than fresh white t-shirt that seemed to be getting too small. His green eyes darted back and forth rapidly as each person walked past him without so much as a glance, as though he were looking for something rather than simply begging for money.

After a few minutes two teenage boys seemed to catch the young man's eyes. As they passed they hesitated, then did a double-take. Suddenly rather infatuated with what they saw, they were all too eager to approach him and nearly empty their pockets into his hand. They held themselves casually, almost flirtatiously, but as they got close to the man they screamed and back-pedaled before turning to run.

A satisfied smirk on his face, the young man pocketed the money he had been handed and began to walk away from the corner and on to his next destination. But as he strolled down the huddled path, blending into the crowd of people, something seemed to strike his attention and he froze, staring intensely at something before him.

[Zaras]

Floating in a stilled position in mid-air was a small handcrafted guitar. As much as possible it was made of wood, signifying its old heritage, but had been repaired in places with fastened thin metal pieces. The acoustic instrument was also missing one of its strings, a small piece of it still wrapped around the tuning peg on the head, and the sound hole had been cracked to break the nice round shape.

Several people had also paused to take a look at the thing, though most shrugged and continued with their business as most hadn't seen such instrument before. Plus, it was suspended in mid-air which meant someone around was watching it and thus it was either a trap or a joke.

Suddenly, a man broke from the crowd to stand in front of the psychic beggar and be beside the suspended guitar. Just as immediately he extended his arm and pointed his index finger, a smirk on his face. But that smirk quickly shifted to a frown, though the man continued to stare at the other. "You're not him," he spoke in a tone that sounded as if he was accusing Oliver of fraud. His finger remained pointed at Oliver though, Sven's stance not changing despite the awkward [and embarrassing] scene he had just put himself in.

[exmovere]

Oliver took something of an interest in the floating guitar. Little doubt there was a psychic nearby... perhaps another kindred spirit he might relate to. He allowed himself to become lost in his examination of the tiny instrument, his eyes wandering from the top to the bottom slowly. His head tilted to the side curiously.

So lost was the young man in his inspection that he did not seem to notice the older gentleman step next to the guitar and point at him. It wasn't until the other spoke that he looked up to be faced with the accusatory finger directed solely at him.

Recoiling slightly, the beggar did his best to slink back towards the crowd and meld into it once more. However, the accusation had caused more onlookers to join in and a crowd was forming in a slight circle about the guitar and the two central males. The unwanted attention had left Oliver with little recourse.

You're a jackass, you know that? Oliver thought to himself, though he seemed to direct his thought toward the man staring at him. It was the innate ability of all psychics to communicate telepathically with one another, after all.

"I imagine I would not be him," Oliver stated simply, deciding to play along. "As I do not know who he might be nor do I pretend to be he. In fact, I am not a he at all."

The young beggar's eyes met those of the man across from him. His eyes seemed to flash as his appearance, at least to Sven, changed completely. What now stood at the other end of the finger was a tall blonde woman with a peach blouse riding up around her curvy hips to reveal the tattoo of a panther on the front of her thigh, the buttons undone low enough to reveal her lustrous cleavage. Her tan slacks were tight around her waist and her round bottom, hanging loosely at her bare ankles.

Crimson red lips were pursed together as the woman kneeled slightly and blew a kiss to Sven, a joyful grin spreading across her face.

[Zaras]

Telepathic words were still new to Sven, having not spent very much time around any psychics for most of his life; from what he remembered. When the words lightly rang into his head from the other, Sven lowered his arm and moved it to cross with his other across his chest. In a small display of his discomfort the young adult bit the inside of his lip with a look of consideration.

The crowd bustling by gave either perturbed glances or looks of worry and picked up their speed to get out of the area. Those that decided this scene and whatever was to follow was more interesting than whatever task they had set for themselves often looked between the two. As the circle of people surrounding them became a more distinguishable shape Sven took a moment to contemplate this situation as well as what would have happened if indeed the owner of the guitar had shown up. But the thoughts were redirected when Oliver's appearance shifted.

A couple moments passed where an anticipated reaction to seeing an enticing woman were present in his visage; his eyes going up and down a couple times. Her raised his left hand to his chin, leaving his right arm latched to his side to give his left elbow a place to rest. "Well you're a stupid she to go around here looking like that," came his response after re-fixing his gaze on the apparent females eyes. A few bystanders raised their eyebrows, someone further back quietly snickering upon realizing what was going on.

Only after he had commented did he take into consideration that this possibly wasn't her true form, if indeed she was a she and not a he messing with him. Though that was too much to get into an internal debate about. Sven preferred easy over complicated, and tended to discard complex for a push through easy. Closing his eyes for a sec and taking a deep breath, the young adult stepped forward and outstretched his hand for the guitar. The last thing he wanted was, while he was unwilling to back down from this stand due to completely illogical reasons, the proper owner to sneak by and snatch his beloved instrument and flee during a distraction. The guitar fell a couple inches as gravity returned to it before Sven grabbed the neck carelessly.

[exmovere]

Oliver chuckled lightly at the male's obvious discomfort and confusion, 'her' voice echoing like silver bells to Sven's ears. By now most of the bystanders had decided the scene no more unusual than most and not worth the time to observe, continuing about their daily business. The flow of people returned to the busy walkway, leaving the two males the only ones standing still.

The beggar's eyes turned to the guitar as it fell into the male's hands. 'She' cooed softly and stepped closer, acting to sidle up next to him. "Oh, are you going to play me a song? That would be most wonderful!" Pouting 'her' lips, 'she' looked at him with puppy-dogged eyes and then quickly motioned to the wall and a small alley behind them where they would be less obvious and in the way.

"You're so nice to play for me, even if it was mean of you to call me stupid. Such a handsome man. What's your name?"

[Zaras]

The young adult looked between the begging eyes and the worn instrument he held in his right hand. Not only did he have no idea how to even begin playing the thing, nor if it would even sound any good considering the repair work done on it and the piece missing for the hole, she seemed very... weird. Though being that he hadn't been on Earth for very long this wasn't the first time he labeled someone as acting weird.

Once again he ignored any contemplation about where he was and what he was doing or going to do. Apparently it was a lesson he would have to learn the hard way; he wasn't the only psychic anymore. Instead, the male returned a small smile to her after taking a quick look at what she had indicated seconds before.
"Sven," he gave a short pause to readjust his grip on the neck of the guitar as well as to half turn. "And yours?"came the returnable question as he lightly touched her right wrist and spread his left arm to seemingly wrap around her shoulders before hinting for her to allow him to guide her out of the middle of the street.

[exmovere]

Oliver smiled at Sven as they moved towards the alley. 'She' slid into his arm comfortably, sidling up next to him in a cuddling fashion, allowing him to guide 'her' where he pleased.

Pausing slightly, the young beggar quickly tried to think of a response. "Jennifer." In an attempt to create a diversion away from his mistake, Oliver slid 'her' arm around his waist. When they were deep enough in the alley to be away from prying eyes, he moved for them to slide to the ground and sit comfortably so the young man could play.

"Oh, this is so exciting! I've never had a personal concert before."

[Zaras]

Her gentle guidance toward a slump to the ground did not meet resistance. He kept his arm behind her so she wouldn't run her delicate attire against the gritty wall of the building, not caring as much for his jacket as it scratched along the surface until the two hit the ground. Sven resisted the urge to redirect her slide so that she would be partially on his lap. It was still a bit strange, this woman standing out so much from everyone else in the crowd, but the young adult just couldn't quite place what it could be; the thought of an illusionist never crossing his mind.

"Heh," came the quick sound as he brought the guitar in front of him. "Do you know how to play?" he questioned, turning his head to her with a pleased expression. Sven still hadn't removed his arm from her, though had moved it to be along her shoulders once again to avoid discomfort if she decided to lean back for support from the building while they sat. He himself had taken a position of spreading his left leg out with his right bent along the ground so the leg itself was underneath his left to make a sort of half cross-legged position.

[exmovere]

As though she could read his mind, Jennifer shifted her weight to alter her position once they were seated. Her new distribution put her towards Sven's lap, his arm still comfortably around her shoulder. She kept both legs together, laying slightly on the side of her leg with both of them bent beneath her in something of a traditional Japanese sitting fashion.

This new position left the young woman's cleavage exposed to a greater extent from her companion's standpoint. Whether she was aware of this or not, she seemed content to rest against his side and look up at him with emerald eyes through thin strands of her bangs. She reached over and plucked one string of the guitar, giggling in response to the sound it made.

"No, I don't play. I'm not much of a musician. So what are you going to play for me?"

[Zaras]

The smile still never vanished, even though now he was possibly in trouble with the woman. "Actually... nothing. Isn't mine," he responded honestly, keeping his gaze on her for only a few more seconds before removing his arm from around her. "Honestly I was just seeing if you were with the proper owner." The last bit was partially a lie, as initially he had absolutely no thoughts on the matter, having been more transfixed on her appearance. Sven still was, mostly, but just couldn't get passed the weird fact that she so willingly allowed herself to be led into a dirty back alley with a stranger. Was she not afraid of being mugged?

Then again with her whole boisterous appearance it didn't seem like a dark alley would be the only place she had to be worried about being assaulted. The only conclusion he could draw at this moment was she did have some sort of power that she felt confident in its protection of her. A couple thoughts popped in his head as to what that ability might be, other than the telepathy she had displayed before and the illusion. "Though I guess..." he let slip from his mind into distinguishable words.

While he thought he had started fiddling with the guitar between his fingers as it mildly twisted its body on his leg. When the surprise that he had accidentally spoken aloud set in he fumbled his fiddling with the neck and it fell on Oliver's side with a hollow clatter. One of the tuners closest to the nut snapped and shot off a few inches toward the disguised individual next to Sven.

[exmovere]

Oliver nodded, mild surprise turning to disappointment on her face when Sven revealed that not only could he not play the guitar... but it was not even his. Her eyes stayed mostly focused on his, but darted towards the guitar when it suddenly clattered at her side. She picked up the broken knob between her fingers and examined it.

"Well, the owner isn't going to be very pleased when they find that you broke their guitar."

The same melodious giggle escaped from her throat as she handed the knob back to her companion. Her chest bounced when she laughed, and she shifted her weight so she was closer to Sven.

"You know, there's a guy that can repair that. Maybe you could give me a little bit of money and I can take the guitar to him? The owner will never notice."

[Zaras]

The offer was sweet, but not only was Sven broke due to lack of long term planning he also wasn't sure that she could be trusted. He needed this guitar to get to the owner, and if she was just playing him the entire time she could just run off with it and he'd have to find a new way to follow through with his plan. Though he was a bit bored of sitting here, despite his great company.
"There is? Well, how about you direct me to him?" He returned a grin to the lustrous woman, gazing into her eyes during his pause.

Sven then lifted the guitar off his legs and bent them, removing his back from its leaning position on the wall. The man moved into a crouch before straightening his knees to be standing. He turned to face her and extended his free hand. "What do you think of that?" he asked her, leaning in slightly with a smile.

[exmovere]

For the briefest of seconds, Oliver's face twisted into a mild scowl. Sven was proving to be far more difficult to scam than most, which was somewhere between frustrating and insulting to his abilities. He was beginning to wonder if his act was worth the time and effort. But soon he recomposed himself and smiled lightly.

"Well, I don't know... He might not like strangers like you. But we can always try! I would really like a nice walk."

She shifted her weight and bent over, her shirt riding higher on her delicate frame to reveal even more skin. She bounced when she shoved off the wall into a standing position, sliding her arm around Sven's. She then began to lead him out of the alley.

[Zaras]

Sven eagerly allowed the woman to slide in next to him, his free arm wrapping around her shoulders like a short shawl. Her comment about having a nice walk followed by the movement of her clothes provoked an instinctual raising of his eyebrows followed by a light shake of his head with his eyes closed. "Jenny," he started, opening his eyes and beginning to walk down the alley with Oliver, "What are you doing in a place like this?" His tone was rather rhetorical as he repeated the earlier statement that she looked like she didn't belong here at all.
"A nice walk? In a place like this? I'm surprised you aren't being mugged every hour by a psychic bastard," the young man added taking his eyes off of her for a few moments to see where she was 'leading' them. Sven kept the guitar tightly in his other hand, making sure he could feel it brush against his side with every step.

[exmovere]

Oliver concealed the slight snarl that curled his lips at Sven's 'psychic bastard'. It was obvious he had no powers of his own, he was just a fairly awkward individual. He was also either homosexual or poor, because it was Oliver's experience that any sensible male would be tripping over himself for a woman like Jennifer.

"You don't have to worry about me, I can take care of myself. But I... lied about the guitar. I don't know anyone who can fix it."

She shrugged away from Sven slightly, her cheeks illuminating with a light blush. She turned down the street once they were out of the alley, no actual direction or plans in mind. She looked up at him, smiling.

"Maybe you could show me where you live? I could really use a shower and some rest."

[Zaras]

A shower wasn't one of the requests he would have first thought of for a place like this. Though really it shouldn't have been surprising at all since this was a fully functioning city... it was just underground. The guy just kept forgetting that he wasn't in an actual slum, he just mentally associated it in comparison to where he used to live. In truth he was in much worse shape than the city as he was running out of money, didn't really know anyone, and had only the slightest idea of the layout of the city; pretty much just enough to get to a few places.

"Well, it would be rude not to I guess..." he started before catching what exactly had been said before and connecting it with a few moments earlier. A look of thought crossed his face as he guided them leftward. 'So she was going to let me give her money for the guitar... but she was lieing about the repairs...' he thought as he kept them at the side of the streets. Sven's thoughts then delved into the possibilities of whether she was intending something else for either on the way or when they got to the destination.

Realizing his sudden quietness he figured he should say something so as to not make her think he was planning something himself, even though that might be fun. "Aren't you afraid I'm going to assault you? Or something of the like? I mean we did have an interesting meeting." Fortunately his little apartment-esc building was still a ways off, as he was hoping to catch the guitar owner today.

[exmovere]

Oliver willingly followed Sven's directions, allowing him to completely guide their travel down the bustling streets of the city. The young beggar paid little mind to where they were traveling or how long it was taking them to get there.

Chuckling quietly, her chest bounced joyously in response to Sven's concern. He was persistent and stubborn to let go of his worries, but to some such a trait could be endearing... chivalrous, even.

"No. I guess you can say I just have a feeling about you. Besides, even if you did, it would not be to your benefit..."

The last part of Jennifer's reply sounded more like a threat than a reassurance of her own safety. She studied her companion when he fell silent, pondering over his thoughts. She may have made a slight tactical error in revealing her lie, but it was too late to take it back.

"I'm not sure 'interesting' is... exactly what I might call it. You seem pretty attached to that guitar, even though it is not yours. May I ask why?"

[Zaras]

Sven smirked and gave a short chortle after the somewhat threat. This time while he thought he kept some focus on appearing as if he was busy doing other things. Other things such as paying attention to street signs and the woman partially wrapped in his arm. "This guitar..." he started, not actually having anything planned afterward until he finished his other train of thought. "Is my bargaining tool. You see the last time I met up with him he was less than willing to uphold a proper conve-"

At that moment a sudden hard force connected with Sven's middle back. His body now becoming a continuation of the force, the guy lost balance and fell forward. He attempted to release Jennifer as fast as he could realize what had happened, which ended up bringing her down at least a little ways. Sven hit the ground with an 'ompff' having no preparation to roll or break his fall. Ultimately he was just glad he hadn't landed on the guitar. Not that he cared if it was broken, more like it would have hurt an incredible amount.

Recovering, Sven rolled onto his back to see who it was that had pushed him. He left the guitar where it had fallen putting his full attention to the young adult. He was too far back to have physically touched Sven, making the only solution a sort of telekinetic push. A very amused look was on his face as he looked between Oliver and Sven for a few moments then looked to the guitar.

[exmovere]

Oliver let out a surprised yelp as he and Sven were pushed to the ground. He tucked halfway as he was pushed away and rolled slightly, landing in a crouching position to face their attackers. It was about as graceful a move as the flight of a wounded duck, but it served its purpose.

The beggar bit his lip in concentration. His ability to emulate illusions over multiple people required more concentration and thus weakened his grasp and the stretch of complexity he could weave. But for the moment the two men facing one another seemed be lost in their own world, as if he didn't even exist.

This very thought gave Oliver a great idea. The simplest illusion would work best in this situation... to make it appear as though he wasn't even there. As his haggard frame disappeared from view, he rose to his feet and shifted his position closer to the psychic assailant. For now he would withhold from moving, waiting to see how things would play out and perhaps what sort of hand the opponent held.

I'm sorry Oliver projected his thought toward Sven, shaking his head slightly from side to side.

[Zaras]

The words echoing into his head were recognized from the first time Oliver had projected. Sven took a moment to look out of the corner of his eye to see if Jennifer was there, not wanting to completely take too much attention off of his assailant. "Who're you?" he demanded, lifting himself with his elbows before reaching out with his left to grab the guitar. To his dismay he found that his fingers couldn't seem to find the instrument as he continued to glare at the person before him.

'Not for a stealing weakling like yourself to know,' came the response in a young voice. It took Sven a moment to realize that again it was telepathy, as the youth's mouth hadn't moved. In that stunned moment the guitar lifted itself from the ground and started a quick movement through the air to the dark haired youth. Immediately Sven retaliated, sending his own power to the space around flying guitar making it come to an immediate halt. Sven felt a strain on his body when he locked the energy of that instantaneous moment, though seeing the surprised reaction of the teen was pleasing enough to grant a smug smile. Hopefully the guy didn't think to try and tug on the guitar again, as then Sven would have to exert more energy to freeze another spot.

Sven quickly shifted to stand and properly oppose the other, now taking another quick look around to see where Jennifer had disappeared to. Still he couldn't see her, making him assume she had just fled.