Location: 

	More Games Store -- Brooklyn East

	There is one word for this store: Strange. Even stranger than the 
usual odd shops around New York. The room is lit by a single small window 
and several old-fashioned lamps with stain-glass shades. There are shelves 
and tables and racks like any other store, but the objects on them are so 
exotic that it could seem as if you'd just stepped into another world. 
Could all these things be games? There's a strange looking chessboard. 
Triangular. Could anybody really play on a board like that? And there's 
another one, with strange, short chessmen carved from rock crystal. It 
looks more than antique - it looks positively ancient. So does the 
metalwork box covered with arabesques and inscriptions in gold and silver. 
Whatever is in that box, only a very rich man could afford. 

	Some of the games are easier to identify. There are dice of every 
size and description laying around: tweleve sided, some shaped like 
pyramids, and some ordinary cubical ones made of odd materials. There 
are dozens of card decks, fantastically colored like illuminated 
manuscripts. Strangest of all, the wierd antique things are intermized 
with weird ultramodern things. Computer-games of all types sit on the 
shelves as well. A cork bulletin board on the back wall sported signs 
reading: "Flame." "Rant." "Rave." "Surf the Edge." "Cheap Thrills." From 
a boom box on the counter comes 120-beat-a-minute acid house music.

Those involved:

	Lishka -

	Before you stands a tall young woman, about 5'7", with a long mane 
of white-blond hair, right now pulled back out of her face. Not just 
white-blond. True white. The color of frost, or tendrils of mist. Her 
skin is pale and touched with a glow of confidence, while her sensous, 
sulky mouth and high dignified cheekbones only seem to add presence. 
Though it is her eyes that hold the gaze of most, hooded, yet 
extordainary honey-colored eyes that at times can seem to glow with a 
strange golden light. Eyes that sometimes seem like polished amber held 
up to the sun, or pure gold, shimmering and catching the light. 
Sometimes like the sun at it's brightest. Or the eyes of a snake, or a 
wolf. And to say it in the shortest simplist way. She's beautiful. But 
in the most exotic, uncanny way. As if she'd just stepped in from 
another world.

	She is wearing white and gold and black, which looks really good 
on her. She can carry off the colors well. Tight white slackes cover her 
long legs, almost looking more like a second skin then a fabric. In fact, 
if one looks very closely it's not much of a fabric at all. Her boots, 
which her slacks are tucked into, are black, with laces and seem to suit 
her. She is wearing a white shirt, which is covered by a dark gold business
-like jacket. The tattoo of a snake peeks out from under the sleeve at her 
wrist.

	Everett -

	The young man that stands before you seems to be in all respects a 
typical teenager. He is about 5'9" and with a decent physique for someone 
his age, which appears to be his mid-teens. his dark skin marks him as 
having a strictly african american heritage, and his head is shaved 
completely bald. His expression normally conveys that he has a rather 
'laid back' attitude, which is usually true.

	Everett's current ensemble consists of a pair of black shorts that 
reach down to the point just below his knees, and a pair of Nike athletic 
shoes. He also wears a golf shirt with white and red horizontal stripes 
and a grey hat, worn backwards, with a Nike Swoosh on it.

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Everett steps into the store from the cold streets outside, one arm hugging
his jacket tight around him. Gotta love this New York weather. If there is 
one hanging above the door, a bell or electronic sensor would announce his 
arrival. Now bathed in the warmth of the store's interior he slowly uncurls
himself from the huddled ball he had squeezed himself into and rubs his 
numb hands together, peering around with fascination at the odd items 
lining the walls.

No electric sensors, but there is a bell on the door. Not that it can be 
heard over the 120-beat-a-minute acid house music from the boom box on the 
counter. But then again the owner doesn't need to hear anything to know 
someone has entered her territory. While he's looking at a shelf, Lishka 
appears behind him, appearing from mist. Her sudden appearance could easily
be mistaken for her just having stepped out from behind a shelf or 
something. Her voice is incredably strange, an odd accent to it, and it 
sounds almost... natural. Elemental. Like water rolling over rocks. "Can I 
help you?" Her voice can be heard over the music, since it really isn't 
-that- loud.

Natural or no, the sudden voice from behind his causes Ev to jump sharply 
with a quick 'eep' that's probably lost in the blaring music. The bald boy 
whirls around, half expecting to find Sinister or Echelon or some other 
baddie ready to pounce. You can imagine his relief when it's just a woman.
A rather.... Stunning woman, to boot. A look of relief comes over his face, 
along with a light flush to his cheeks that can barely be seen through his 
dark pigmentation. "Oh, uhm, hi... My name is Everett, and I'm just looking 
for a present..."

A single silvery-white eyebrow quirks upward and the young woman nods. It's 
definatly hard to put an age on this woman appearance-wise. At first she 
looks like she's his age, then a moment later she seems older. She walks 
over to the boom box and shuts off the music, allowing silence to roar into 
the room. Then she turns back to look at him again. Every movement she 
makes is completely graceful and effortless, like walking is nothing more 
then blinking to her. "I'm Lishka." The strangeness of her voice shows 
again. She speaks with politness, and a minor amount of indifference, "Be 
my guest. Is there anything in particular you were considering?"

Everett stays where he was for the moment, watching her head over to turn 
off the music with a curious, captivated gaze. And no, he's not staring 
anywhere naughty. The simply fluidity of her motions, her undistinguishable 
age... It's enough to pique Ev's curiousity. Of course, the first thing he 
does is let his invisible aura reach out to check if she's a mutant... 
Something he's becoming all to liberal with nowadays. Sensing others is 
becoming a reflexive action. However, the process combined with his 
thoughts takes a few moments, and makes him seem to not hear her question. 
Instead, he seems to be transfized in a thoughtful stare directly at the 
store employee. It only takes a moment for him to catch himself, and the 
crimson in his cheeks shows itself with a vengance this time. "Oh, uhm, I'm 
not sure... I was just looking around, I don't know what to get her..."

She gives another small nod, leaning absently against the counter. She's 
definatly not a mutant. Lishka makes a regal motion around the room, almost 
akin to a composer. "Yes, well, this is mainly a game store, but games can 
make wonderful presents. I have games of all shapes and sizes, all 
different kinds of them. If you do not find one to your liking then I am 
sure I could scrounge up something in the storeage room that would make a 
wonderful gift." She hasn't yet smiled yet, but her lips have quirked 
towards what could be considered a smirk at least, "Perhaps you could tell 
me a little something about the person this gift is for?"

A smile begins to play across Ev's lips as he looks down for a minute, 
thinking of ways to describe Jubilee. From his expression, its pretty 
obvious the person in question is someone he loves, or at least cares for 
strongly. "Well, she likes exotic things... That's one of the reasons I 
came here in the first place. But she's also a really impulsive person, so 
it needs to be something that keeps your attention."

Lishka's expression becomes intensely thoughtful as he describes her, 
but she could just be trying to come up with a proper game for such a 
person. In the end she glides over towards a booth and starts to finger 
through some computer games, "The computer games I have are enough to 
keep an impulsive person interested, but they are not very exotic." And 
most the computer games she has are very... well not main stream games. 
Then she wanders effortlessly over to another shelf, "Now these games, 
on the other hand, are extremely exotic. Perhaps Senet, the Egyptian 
game of the Dead?" She nods towards an enameled case with hieroglyphics 
on it. "Or the ancient Tibetan game of goats and tigers." She gestures 
towards a bronze board with tiny figures carved out of gemstones. "The 
fierce tigers stalk the innocent little goats and the innocent little 
goats try to run from the tigers. For two players."

Everett follows her slowly, eyes wandering over the games as she points 
them out, one hand drifting up to tap his cheek thoughtfully as he 
reviews all the choices. "I'm not sure... It might be a bit violent, at 
least for my tastes. I mean, I like goats." He smiles, completely 
oblivious to the possible double-meaning of that little comment. "I'm 
hoping to find a real antique type game... Something fun, but beautiful 
too." He's really put a lot of thought into this. It isn't just a buy-
her-the-cheapest-thing-you-see gift. "It's her sixteenth birthday." He 
adds on happily, as if to add that much more significance to the date.

Lishka tilts her head slightly, as if she doesn't understand the 
signifigance of a 16th birthday. She wasn't even allowed to play her own 
games until she was a hundred, so 16 seems like nothing to her. 
"Something not completely violent, antique and fun, but beautiful as 
well..." She looks thoughtful again, glancing around, "Well, I have many 
games that fit that description, but most of them would lose their... 
originality after a while. A chess board is always a chess board, -but- 
when taking a trip through the Tower of Illusions there is always 
something new and exciting to experience." She grins softly for the 
first time, her eyes shining like amber held up to the light. "And it is 
antique enough. And unique. I can promise that no other store in the 
world will carry the game. And it is beautiful. Each of the cards are 
hand painted." She moves over towards the counter, perhaps to get this 
game she's talking about.

Everett's eyes brighten as she begins to explain the game. It sounds 
so... So perfect. Beautiful, antigue, fun... did she say hand painted? 
Oh, this is too perfect... But then, another one of the traits she 
described pops into his head, and his expression drops a little. One of 
a kind. You won't find it anywhere else. It must cost a furtune. "It 
sounds perfect..." He says brightly, continuing on in a much more 
tentative voice. "But how much is it?"

Lishka opens a drawer and pulls out a wooden box, like one would have 
jewelry in. The wood is extremly dark, probably stained to look that 
way, and carved into the top is... a tower in an oval. She lifts the lid 
and shows cards, that look similar to how tarot cards would look, except 
not. They look as if they have never been touched before. Perfect. No 
bends. And on the back of each card is another tower in an oval. A white 
tower. A tower in a land of ice and snow. And over the tower, is 
something semi transparent. A letter. An upsidedown U, with one line 
longer then the other. She glances up and smiles, "How much? Well... 
let's call it twenty even. And if that is too much you can always talk 
me into lowering the price." Twenty. She's still stuck a hundred years 
ago. When twenty was a -lot-. And what does she need with money anyway. 
She doesn't need to pay rent or anything. Any time officals come to 
question her, they see an illusion of a permit. Quite handy.

Everett immediately bends over the game with awe, studying every finely 
crafted curve, his fingers rubbing just above the surface as if it were 
too good to be touched by him. "Oh, wow..." He murmurs in a quiet, 
amazed voice. "This /is/ perfect..." And, in his mind, he makes an 
unspoken resolution : no matter what price, he'll take it. Jubilee is 
worth it, and she'll /love/ this game. He then, of course, braces 
himself to hear the price. Oh, God, twenty dollars, how will he ever 
aff.... Wait.... TWENTY DOLLARS!? "Twenty dollars?" He asks with obvious 
surprise, practically stepping back with surprise. "Twen.... no, that's 
perfect! I'll take it!" He quickly begins to dig into his pocket for his 
wallet.

Lishka nods, closing the lid to the box and pushing it forward, opening 
a second drawer, perhaps what she uses as a register, "The game is for 
multiple players, the rules are found on the reverse side of the top 
card. I hope you and your friends play the game soon. And please, tell 
me what you think of it sometime." She runs her hand over the box and 
murmurs something softly. Perhaps saying goodbye to her unique game. But 
if he could make out what she was saying he would hear the word "Uruz." 
"Oh, and do not look at the cards until you are ready to play. That 
would be cheating if you knew everything beforehand, yes?" Her eyes now 
take on... a strange appearance, like that of an eagle. Yellow, with 
extremely wide pupils.

Everett fishes out a twenty dollar bill from his wallet and hands it 
over to her quickly, eager to make the deal, get the present and bring 
it home for wrapping. Ev's just the kind of guy that loves wrapping 
presents. The softly spoken 'Uruz' goes unnoticed as Ev is again 
studying the game box closely, running his fingers over the fine 
texture. At her question/request he nods quickly. "Oh, of course not. I 
won't even open it again until she gets it. I want it to be hers before 
its anyone elses. Thanks again, this is perfect..." He takes his 
backpack off his shoulder and unzips it, moving to gently slide the box 
inside.

Lishka nods briefly, putting the money into the drawer and closing it. 
Then she brushes a loose lock of white-blonde hair out of her eyes and 
behind her ear, the snake tattoo on her wrist becoming visable. She 
looks... curiously at the young man before her, "You care a lot for this 
young lady, don't you?" Her voice is polite, but also there is a strange 
tone to it, almost like... no, not jealousy. How could she be jealous of 
someone she's never met before?

Everett glances up from his task of oh-so-carefully sliding the game 
into his packpack, then righting it and doing up the zipper. "Hmm? Oh, 
yeah, she's my girlfriend and she's great. I really like her, and I 
wanted to make sure her sixteenth is really special. I'm hoping this 
game will help." Oh, boy, he doesn't know the half of it, now does he?

Lishka smiles briefly and nods her head, "I can promise that it will be 
something extremely special." She moves to sit down, "Perhaps I will see 
you again soon, yes?" She doesn't really seem to be asking a question. 
Almost as if she -knows- he will see her again soon. Perhaps she just 
expects him to come back to shop somemore. -Or-, in actuallity she knows 
that once he starts to play the game, she will see him again. But he 
doesn't know that. Yes. He truely doesn't know the half of it. Poor, 
poor Everett.

Everett carefully slings the backpack pack over his shoulder and nods 
with a smile at the somewhat odd question. But, being polite, of course 
he's going to say sure. "Yeah, this is a great place.... I've got some 
friends who might love it, too." The whole time he's heading towars the 
door, tucking himself back into his jacket to prepare for the walk back 
to Central Park. "Thanks again for the game, Lishka..." He offers one 
more smile and a quick wave before stepping out the door and back into 
the cold, oblivious of the danger resting against his back that he's 
about to unleash on the friends that trust him and the woman he loves. 
Go figure.

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