A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing (Open)

[Xalic Cross]

Pale hands fastened around his collar nervously as his feet carried him down the bustling street. It was morning, the warm golden streams of light spilling across Terra cotta cobbles that adorned the road. The sound of footsteps echoed off of the imposing buildings on either side as the few cars of blocky steel rumbled past.

Xalic shrugged his shoulders, the fabric riding up further to hide some of his face. There was no need for this, of course, because he was Altered. Light emerald irises had replaced his normal blue ones, and his dark hair had bled into a soft wheaten blond that caused his skin to look much lighter than usual. This didn't matter to him, he needed to stay safe.

Chauncey bounced along beside him, avoiding the hurried steps of the townsfolk and perking her ears in an excited manner. Her dark mocha eyes reflected the environment before her, and the white patches on her coat shone with health. In some cases, she was better off than he. His money clip held only a few dollars of crumbled money. Xalic knew he should save it, but he was in the mood for a simple black cup of coffee. A slight wind began to pick up as the cafe came into sight. Glancing down, he caught Chauncey's wagging tail. This time, he let a smile curl the right side of his thin mouth. He leaned forwards onto his knee, reaching out to scratch behind the small dog's ears.

"I'll be just a bit Chauncey." He assured, before fixing his collar in an afterthought and entering the quaint building.The warmth and quiet was soothing, he chest expanding as he took a large breath to take in the delicious smells wafting about. He took refuge by a window, sitting down and running a hand through his thick hair. He leaned back, closing his artificial eyes and dipping his head back. Many things were going through his mind at the moment, but they were of no immediate importance, and he would come back to them later. All he wanted, was the coffee, and to delve as deeply as he could into the illusion he was normal.

[.:Zodiac:.]

It was a rare occasion that she had a day off, and Magdalena was determined to make the best of it. She had her hair down- a welcome change from keeping it in a bun- the wavy ginger strands reaching her mid-back. She was wearing her new yellow dress, with sleeves that came down to her elbows and embroidered with white lace around the neck. The vibrant color reminded her of summer, her favorite time of year. She made her way down the cobbled street, and made sure to give a polite smile and wave to the people she knew as they passed on their daily routine. It was odd for her, not making her way to the hospital first thing in the morning. A new girl, only about seventeen, would be taking over her shift today- under careful supervision of the older nurses of course.

She stepped carefully, trying not to trip while walking in her new shoes- also yellow, and bought to compliment the dress. Her eyes scanned the shops as she passed them, looking for a place to eat breakfast. It wasn't often that she came downtown, but she was unconsciously avoiding the place she once called home. She stopped when she came to a small cafe that looked like it was serving coffee and tea, along with some small biscuits. Maybe later she would go shopping, or perhaps take a walk through the park. She pushed open the door gently, and scanned the interior for an open place to sit. There was an empty chair at a table near the center, but the other three were taken up by women who scowled at her as she walked in. Maybe they disliked her for being wealthy, since they seemed pretty commonplace. Or maybe they disagreed with her parent's political views, she had meet people like that before. So instead she took a seat at a table located near a window. There was already a man sitting there, so she acknowledged him with a quiet "Good morning sir." and a slight smile. She still didn't feel completely comfortable around men, but he shared no resemblance to him. His attentions seemed elsewhere as well, so her thoughts drifted away from her past and back to what she wanted to order. As a waiter approached the table she asked for some green tea, and a piece of coffee cake.

[Xalic Cross]

Colors always intrigued Xalic. How such tangible things could convey emotions, actions, even things that were to inherent to be said. He had not expected to have company, but that was the case as a woman sat down, swathed in a vivid lemon hue.

"Good morning sir."

The voice was pleasant enough. It held no animosity, or hidden hatred that he'd grown accustomed to over the time he had been out on his own. He cleared his throught quickly, leaning forwards once more as the pale strands of hair abandoned their posts and fell in front of his face. He attempted a smile, hoping his expression was somewhat friendly.

"Hello miss." He replied slowly, bringing his hands onto the table as he straightened his previously slouched spine. His emerald eyes left her for a moment as the waiter approached, crisp voice inquiring what he wanted.

"A coffee is all. No sugar." He answered dryly, fiddling with the abalone button that rested against his neck. The pearlescent surface picked up the strengthening light that filtered through the clean windows. He frowned, noticing her own absent behavior as her features emptied somewhat.
A moving bundle of light brown and white caught his eye as he caught Chauncey abusing the poor birds that landed near her, the the loud yips penetrating the walls. A small smile spread across his face as he turned back to the woman in the yellow clothes.

"How rude of me." He chided himself. " I am Xalic." He paused as the waiter returned with their breakfasts of choice. He nodded in thanks, pulling from his pocket a slip of money, The woman looked very well off, he would have been surpried if money had ever been an issue for her. The fine embroidering on her neck seemed grandiose and expensive. It was almost a bitter exchange as he watched his meager pay slip into the waiter's pocket. He sighed a bit, cradling the coffee with care.

"What brings you here, aside from a morning excursion?" He decided to ask, tamping down the urge to leave. But alas, he couldn't become better at speaking to people if he didn't at least try. Xalic looked down at the steam curling up from his cup silently as he waited.

[.:Zodiac:.]

Magdalena busied herself with trying to flatten the wrinkles from her dress that had formed on her lap as she sat down. When she approved of it's appearance she turned back to the man, and her hot cup of tea. She tilted her head a little at his words. "Xalic.." she said his name out loud, letting it's pronunciation seep into her mind. "Hmm. I've never heard that one before. It sounds.. nice." She had been about to say different, or interesting, but didn't want to be offensive. People often made fun of her name as well, but seeing as it wasn't something she could help, she found it hurtful. "My name is Magdalena, but most people just call me Maggie." She smiled a little, drawing in the man's appearance. His hair was a pale blonde, and he seemed somewhat nervous.

She turned away to pour some cream into her tea, and swirled it around with her spoon until it turned a light beige color. She had found that drinking anything hot first thing in the morning upset her stomach, so she preferred to let it cool before drinking it. She crossed her legs, and swung them slightly under the table, since she had never been able to stay completely still. She watched as he paid the waiter for his coffee, and she took out her money as well. She hadn't brought all that much with her today, as she wasn't planning on going shopping or anything of the sort.

"What brings you here, aside from a morning excursion?" Her gaze had been drifting out the window, her attentions trained slightly on the people moving past. Xalic's voice brought her back to the present. "Oh." pursing her lips, and leaned back in her chair. "Today is my day off. I work as a nurse in the local hospital." she clarified. "I'm just thinking of what I should do with my free time."

[Xalic Cross]

"Xalic.."

He watched her silently as she processed the name in her mind. Xalic blinked, almost sure of what would come next.

"Hmm. I've never heard that one before. It sounds.. nice."

Nice. That was a new way of describing his name. Xalic knew his name was odd, and almost instantly regretted revealing his true title. What good is his disguise if she knew him by his birth name? The whole scenario played through his mind in a matter of seconds. He raised his left eyebrow slightly, but not enough to be rude. Her name wasn't nearly as out of place as his. He was quite fond of the name Maggie. It brought images of spring turning to summer, and gave a personality to the creamy sunshine hue of her dress. It fit her perfectly, in his opinion.

"Yes, my mother and father, they were a tad creative." He nodded bringing the coffee cup to his mouth and taking a generous sip, the robust liquid nearly scalding his tongue. Setting the cup back down, he cleared his throat. "And Maggie is a delightful name. The pleasure is mine, Miss."

"Today is my day off. I work as a nurse in the local hospital. I'm just thinking of what I should do with my free time."

Xalic nodded, shifting his weight as he steepled his fingers, elbows setting against the table as if some small town ruffian. His mother always chided him for it, and it was a habit he had yet to break. A flinch crossed over his visage as the mention of hospital conjured up nasty images from his shadowing past. It shouldn't have bothered him. But he knew she would have seen this, he quickly scrabbled for a subject change.

"The beach is beautiful today." He commented briskly, glad to see the conversation was steering away from his... Odd name and visible discomfort. He himself held a love for the beach, the water there wasn't polluted, nor could one detest the fresh breeze wasn't invigorating. Xalic often went there with Chauncey to unwind.

"There is quite a pleasing group that plays music by the walk, I heard them yesterday. They will play whatever you can think of for pocket change. Quite brilliant." He finished dryly, using his coffee as an excuse to stop talking as his other hand fidgeted with the plain napkin to his right.

[.:Zodiac:.]

This conversation was turning out to be rather enjoyable. She took a sip of tea while he was talking, holding the dainty cup a few inches from her face for a moment as she waited for him to finish. A small amount of steam was rising from the liquid, only to disappear as it swirled up into the air. She grinned and tilted her head a bit when he said her name was delightful. She had always thought of it as ugly. Something to do with the combination of m, g, and d didn't appeal to her. Maggie was a small improvement from her real name, though not very fitting.

Something in the way he moved implied he was uncomfortable, and she wondered what was wrong. Then again, everyone has problems of their own, and he seemed to get over whatever it was quite quickly. The beach sounded wonderful though.

"I've haven't been since I was a child." she blurted out, before blushing slightly and leaning back in her chair. It was true, she had always loved the ocean, and often begged her parents to take her. She hadn't found the time to return there since she was twelve. She hadn't even thought about the ocean in years, preferring to stay within the city limits.

"I would love to go again." She perked up a little, remembering the brisk sea wind and the cold, salty water. As a child she would play in the waves, and build castles from sand. Oh, it would be wonderful to reminisce in those memories forever, but she had a life of her own now. She took another sip of her tea, and gave a slight sigh at the thought of a nice day on the beach. Much more fun than a walk through the park. She put her cup down, examining Xalic through stormy grey eyes. "I haven't.. seen you before, have I sir?" She was sure she hadn't, at least not that she recalled, but she couldn't help feeling that she knew something of him. Maybe heard of him, or passed him in the street, or.. something. Then again, she saw lots of people while walking through the city, and while at her friend's parties. Either way, she was quite sure they had never met officially.

[Xalic Cross]

"I've haven't been since I was a child."

Interesting. The beach now would pose a different meaning to her, that was for sure. The eyes of children were different than the eyes of adults. Children wore the lenses of innocence, interpreting everything as golden and pure, with silver edges of hope burned around it.

Adults knew better. They removed the lenses, forced themselves to be exposed to the grime, the deceit the real world was bathed in.

But, maybe, the Beach was a place that time sometimes did not tarnish. Perhaps the water washed away time, flinging it out into open sea to sink to the bottom like an old ship.

You can't change too fast, my boy. I sense lights as I listen with eyelids closed, tracing the veins that spread across them. I tremble. I know the needles will come to pierce my skin, inject me with various substances to cause me to Alter. I can't change too fast, I know, is my reply to him. My father makes a noise to acknowledge me, his upper class accent masked by insane intentions. One needle is embedded in the skin of my back, near the spine. I cease the urge to wince. I must be strong. He does not pity me. He doesn't understand what I am, who I am. Does he know what he is about to do? The second needle is placed a bit above the first one. I feel the pressure as the transfusion begins. The lights go off, leaving me to swim in the umbral descent I am spiraling into.

The flashback jolted him out of his comfort zone. Did she know him? A sudden trace of discomfort laced through his brain, the caffeine from the coffee worsening his sudden jump in heart rate. Hospitals, the underground hell hole that had spelt the start of his fear, his need to hide. He expelled a deep breath, slowly, through his nose as he summoned the courage to answer without the shake he felt scratch a his throat. It was odd. He was usually much more.... Able bodied than this. He felt no need to manipulate Maggie, not in the least. Xalic couldn't even get enough grip to be distractingly charming. He felt like a complete fool.

"I don't think so, Miss Maggie." He muttered, trying as hard as he could to quell the shaking quality his hands now held. Xalic's scalp itched violently, signalling he was close to losing the alteration; his security.

He turned his head, searching almost desperately for any sight of the street dog he adored so much. Nowhere to be found, he tore his gaze away and back at Maggie, attempting a very weak, unconvincing smile.

"It must be.. Wonderful to work as a nurse." Xalic managed. "Helping people is.. Good... Honorable." His hands rested, intertwined as he crossed his arms.

Xalic's hold on his eye color faltered. He leaned forwards quite suddenly, almost toppling over both of their beverages, shielding the upper part of his face with a well placed hand as he attempted to reclaim the light green he had been using. It took seconds, really, nothing too long. He hoped to God it was the same green, and not darker.

He also hoped she hadn't seen, and would dismiss the sudden outburst as a stomach cramp or even a bout of nausea.

"So.. So sorry." Xalic exclaimed, avoiding eye contact completely. It was just her luck to be sitting with an apparent freak.

[.:Zodiac:.]

Maggie smiled, a little surprised when he didn't say anything more about the beach. Instead, a distant look crossed his face, and she went back to minding her own business. Picking at the lace on her sleeves, looking around the room to notice most of the people had gone, mindlessly stirring her tea, drifting into oblivion... Xalic jumped a little, and she came back to the present with a start. She glanced around at first, wondering what had startled him, but came up empty. He still seemed a little off, and pretty shaky. It must have just been bad memories. She was quite familiar with them herself, usually popping up whenever she visited her childhood home.

She had just begun to open her mouth, and ask if he was alright, when he distracted her with a comment about her job. "Oh yes, it feels good to help people. Others come first, if you know what I mean." she avoided saying anything about his state for the moment, not wanting to offend him. He also seemed to be trying quite hard to cover it up. However, he was obviously very uncomfortable.

He leaned forward, and Maggie quickly stabled her wobbling teacup. Her eyebrows furrowed in concern and she reached out lie a hand on his shoulder, only to stop midway, not completely sure that would help any. "Are you quite alright?" she asked softly, not wanting to draw anyone else's attention. He seemed to regain at least a little more control, so she withdrew her hand and offered a small smile. "And there's no need to apologize." she waved her hand dismissively, and took another sip of tea. "Some fresh air would probably help." she added, still a bit concerned.