Owner	Pose
Ysabelle	Rain in Gotham is like sun in the Sahara. At least today it was just a light drizzle, the sort of hazey spray that somehow soaked through clothes without ever seeming to actually fall on you. It's a miserable kind of weather, not heavy enough for those that /like/ rain, but enough for those that like the sun to be grumpy too. And into this lovely setting comes the brightly dressed Ysabelle. A deep hooded gown of emerald green silk, cut to fit her form around the torso before falling in soft folds to the floor. Two paper-white hands hold said skirts from the pavement as she makes her way from a dark alley and quickly into Imbroglia's antique shop. On the hunt for more books perhaps? It only takes a moment for her to pull the hood back, revealing gem-like turquoise eyes and lips painted burnt umber. Her eyeshadow is a green a few shades deeper than her dress, whilst dark black hair hangs down in a straight fall of tresses. For the moment her eyes scan the room, trying to see if the curious shop assistant is still in situ.
Wu	If this were Spain, Gotham would be mainly on the plain. It isn't Spain, though, but it's raining anyway. Everywhere people are holding up umbrellas or newspapers or just enduring it. In the latter camp is Alice, striding down the street as if she owned it, ignoring the rain as it ... more exists, than merely falls.     Making a beeline for the door of the shop, she steps in, bone-dry. "Lovely day out there," she mutters, squinting as her eyes adjust to the change in light, trying to find Ms. Derleth. Seeing Ysabelle, an eyebrow arches momentarily, then lowers again as a neutral mask is dropped, and then for good measure bolted, onto her face.     "Hello," she quietly intones, eyes dancing with amusement at the poseur she thinks she sees.
Imbroglio	Thankfully, being indoors means you just get that lovely ambience instead of getting wet. At least, that's usually the hope. Dana, unfortunately, isn't quite so lucky. Her bookshelf of antique books has been moved elsewhere in the shop, replaced by a few pots and pans to try to contain a leak that just so happened to decide to open up on the tomes.     As per the usual, she's wearing her hooded jacket over black and baggy clothes. At least the hood keeps the water away.     The new arrivals catch her attention as she pushes the last pot into place, and there's a bit of a shy smile to follow.     "Oh, hello. Hello, both of you. Nice to see you again. Can I help you with anything?" she wonders, a little wide-eyed. Perhaps assuming they came for her together. A little paranoid.
Ysabelle	The magus herself /is/ wet, but a quick flick of her skirts and the worst of it is on the floor near the door at least. Better that than randomly dripping over the antiques around the shop. Or worse, the books! The neutral woman gets a small smile; "And hello to you Miss." The snow-white skinned woman barely looks up however, until she hears Dana's voice as they're both greeted. "And good day to you too Miss Derleth." Her smile turns oddly maternal at that point, at odds with her youthful face.
Wu	Alice takes in the scene and frowns. "Do you mind, Ms. Derleth?" she asks, sinking her hand in her vest pocket and pulling out a sheaf of rice paper squares. "Let me take care of that leak for you. You have things in this shop that really shouldn't be damaged."     She flips through the sheaf, each square densely packed with characters in a variety of Chinese calligraphic scripts before pulling out two. One she crumples into a small ball, the other she holds flat in her palm and licks. The ball goes to where the leak is largest and the flat one, symbol side down, is stuck against the ceiling. Within a few seconds the leak stops.     "Ancient Chinese secret," Alice says with a deadpan face, apparently unaware that she's channelling a '70s commercial. "This should last you a couple of days; give you time to do a proper fix."
Imbroglio	There's an awkward smile in return to Ysabelle's greeting, waiting a moment to see if the woman would answer her query as to whether she can help with anything. But Alice distracts from this delay.     "Oh! Thank you. I can't really reach to do it myself. Thank you so much for offering," she answers, genuinely relieved by his offer. She gives a gentle nod of acceptance of the offer. She watches the treatment of the papers. The licking gets a particularly curious look. That's new.     "Very impressive. Thank you so much," she answers back with a faint smile. She doesn't make any move towards retrieving the pots just now, attention on her 'customers.'     "It's nice to see you both again, Miss Gulliver. Miss Orion. How can I help you two?" she wonders, asking again.
Ysabelle	Ysabelle's eyes narrow as Alice crumbples her paper. Not with suspicion, but as someone might if they were to suddenly walk outside on a bright summers day from a darkened room. She squints really, is what she does. It passes as the papers are pressed against the ceiling, and then her attention is back to Dana as she talks. It's polite to look at people when they're talking to you after all. "Ah, yes, I do beg your pardon." Her generic 'Western European' accent softens the consonants in the scentence even as the smile returns to her face. "I thought I might come and see how you were doing, and check if you'd had any new books in?" There's a pause as she's unsure how much is safe to say in front of the other Spellcaster present, deciding to err on the side of caution in the end. "You seemed rather... Down last time, and I couldn't help thinking I was partly to blame. So I it seemed right to check in on you." There, that said everything, whilst revealing nothing of the other woman's nature. Almost as if it were an afterthought, the green clad woman adds; "And it is a pleasure to meet you too, Miss Gulliver." A smile is directed towards Alice then; "I am Ysabelle Orion, glad to make your aquaintence."
Wu	"Detective," Alice corrects. "Detective Alice Gulliver, Hong Kong Police. Attached and deputized into the Gotham City Police Department." She offers a coldly professional smile that barely reaches the edges of her eyes. "Pleasure on this end as well, Ms. Orion."     She swivels her neck to face Dana. "Ms. Derleth, you recall those ... erm ... pieces of ash I purchased last time? I'm pleased to report they worked almost as good as boxwood, although not as well as gold phoebe. You'd mentioned another possible wood, though, so I thought I'd put it to the test as well."     She hands over a small piece of wood hand-carved with a someone strange image on it. (http://i.imgur.com/ARCAdBN.gif) "I'd like you to have this. You might find it comforting."     Her hand casually slips around the jade pendant of Guanyin suspended from her neck by red silk as she surveys the shop.
Imbroglio	"I don't get new books often, but I think we've gotten two new items on the shelf," Dana answers to Ysabelle with a little smile, motioning to the shelf's new home, "And a few more in the back, too. No first editions, sorry."     "Oh, no. Thanks for worrying about me, but I think things are looking up lately. I've found some other people willing to help," she then adds to Ysabelle, "Like Detective Gulliver here. I'm sorry for forgetting the 'Detective' before."     Her attention turns to the Detective, "Oh, it wasn't good enough? I'm sorry. You mentioned it was for warding against evil spirits or something like that? Maybe try Elder wood next?"     The charm is accepted and looked over curiously, "Thank you. It's very nice."
Ysabelle	Nothing like a bunch of magic users carefully stepping around the others to raise the level of tension in a room. You can never really tell what's going to happen when mystics intertwine. But there's Dana, keeping everything ticking along nicely - directing and smoothing over any initial distrust. "Ah, how wondeful for you Miss Derleth!" Ysabelle smiles brightly, seeming genuinely happy that the troubled youth seems to be finding her feet. It might be an odd sensation, having a near total stranger seem to care about your well being. At least in this day and age. "Dectective Gulliver, I'm glad to see Gotham Police Department is finally getting some help with the Arcane. From what I've observed so far, they need every advantage they can find. Did I hear on the news that the Joker has escaped again?" Polite discussion, nothing more. Just a woman asking another about work.
Wu	"Oh, it was good enough for most purposes. I think with a bit of practice I'll be able to use it like I used boxwood in Hong Kong. It's not going to be able to replace sandalwood, though. I'll give this elder a try this time around, perhaps."     Alice gestures to the amulet. "To those who believe, the amulet represents knowing truth from falsehood, as well as recognition of life's fundamental dichotomies. Traditionally worn hanging from a necklace of bodhi beads. I'm not sure if those are even available here, to be honest."     Alice throws a calculated look of puzzlement over Ysabelle's way. "Arcane?" she asks. "I'm not sure what you're talking about. I'm part of a task force fighting a complicated international crime ring. Drugs mainly." A slow smile crawls over her face. Butter fails to melt in her mouth as she continues. "I'm not sure why you would think that they've hired from out of town for 'Arcane' crime."
Imbroglio	'Odd sensation' really describes this entire situation for Dana, one might imagine. If one looks close, she might appear as a cornered bunny or deer with the way she glances between the other two. Surely, she's trying to be polite and accommodating, but she's clearly a bit nervous.     "I heard his girlfriend was causing trouble, but nothing about him yet," she admits to Ysabelle at the talk of the Joker, trying to move the conversation to something more mundane. Mundane-ish.     Her attention shifts next to Alice, giving a little nod at the talk of the amulet. "I'm pretty sure we're all on the same magic hero side here, Detective..." she attempts to nudge things along a different path.
Ysabelle	Ah, the secrecy. Ysabelle had almost forgotten what it was like to deal with secretive Orders - such was the lay of the land with all the new heroes and heroines showing their faces around the world. There's a moment when she was about to shrug and let it go, Alice secrets are her own after all. The Magician tended to only ferret out books and the like, inanimate objects. Not people. But then Dana's once again trying to smooth things over, and that reminds the young looking woman of something. With a soft "Ah yes!" Her hand dissapears into her a fold in her skirts, a hidden pocket it seems because from it comes an ID card. Which she shows to Alice, and of course that means that Dana can see it too. The Badge clearly shows a picture of the woman's face, all sparkling crystal eyes and white skin. S.H.I.E.L.D is emblazoned across it, along with the title 'Arcane Consultant' under her picture. With a smile Ysabelle makes sure Alice has noted it, before slipping it away again. "I'm not sure I would go so far as say I'm a /hero/. But I do try and help where needed." She adds gently.
Wu	That gets a reaction of surprise.     "SHIELD has an arcane division?" she muses aloud. "That's interesting to know." This gets visibly filed away in Alice's mental notes. "Honestly, though, I'm not in any way, shape, or form doing arcane crime for GCPD. I'm in the Triads task force." A sly grin crosses her face, and an honest one this time. "You could call my arcane work a hobby. My superiors ... aren't aware of those activities."     She half-bows formally.     "My full formal title, inherited from my mother, is The August Wu of the Coral Island." A sardonic smirk. "That's a bit of a mouthful and sounds, frankly, a bit poncy, so I've taken the liberty of shortening it to The Wu. I'm the magical guardian of Hong Kong, like my mother before me."     She looks across at Dana with a questioning look, subtle head movement between Ysabelle and the spook.     "I met Ms. Derleth," she continues, playing her cards very close to her chest, "a few weeks ago in here, looking for alternative components for some of my hexes and charms. Ash was my first experiment. It was rather a success, so I'm shooting for a replacement for gold phoebe and sandalwood now."
Imbroglio	Dana had seen the card at their first meeting. It, also, sets her a little on-edge, but she mostly observes this time around from a reasonable distance. The information about Alice seems to get filed away in Dana's mind in turn, apparently having previously assumed she was a 'magic cop' regardless of whatever the official introduction had been. The explanation of her title seems to clarify this a bit.     "You're both people who came here offering to help. In different ways," the shapeshifter explains at Alice's questioning look, "So I guess it's good you're meeting now, right? Now you can team up to beat me up if I turn evil." Her forced smile indicates a joke, but the anxiety on her face indicates a legitimate worry.
Ysabelle	Ysabelle's smile broadens. "Oh! So you must be her... descendent." The Magician smiles brightly at Alice as she explains her position. "Goodness, I haven't met an August Wu of the Coral Island in a /long/ time... I'm glad to see you're still here. But who is watching Hong Kong if you are here?" It's a legitimate question, if the protector is away, perhaps the demons will play? "And maybe you could try Hawthorne? It's basic I know, but it has properties to keep the darker spirits away at least." See? She's /trying/ to be helpful... "Ah, I suppose full introductions should be given too, appologies." The woman curtsies low to Alice, and only slightly less to Dana too. Skirts wide and knee bent, she holds it for a count of three before rising, talking as she does. "I am Archmagus Ysabelle Orion, formally of Greece, and now a traveller of the world and collector and protector of Lore." There, that sums up her self-imposed role rather nicely she thinks. Though there's still the comment from Dana to worry about... "Miss Derleth, I don't know you all that well it's true, but I think that I would be very surprised if you 'turn evil' as you put it." A pause, and a brief look towards Alice and back. "And if you really /are/ worried, then you have two people here willing to give advice. And others too it seems." She smiles gently, and there's that maternal look again, but she can't be more than five or so years Dana's senior surely? "So many people to help, perhaps you should take them up on it?" Still a suggestion, if a logical one.
Wu	"Her?" Alice looks a little puzzled, then recalls something. "Ah. That explains things," she mutters to herself.     "I am probably her descendant, yes, if she had red hair. We ... inherit that. After the passing of our predecessor." Her face has clamped into a rigid mask as she talks about this. She's good at the inscrutable thing. Except for that part in her eyes where they're clearly shimmering.     "As for who's protecting Hong Kong ... well ... oddly ... me, still. I go back there frequently. About every third day, actually, just to check up on things. And if there's an emergency I can go there practically on demand."     She pulls out her sheaf of rice papers and sorts through them. "Five left," she says. "I'd better get to work on making a few more just in case."     She shakes her head from her distraction. "Actually going back and forth gives me room for signals intelligence that makes my bosses think I'm a miracle worker," she adds with a grin. "I can talk to my informants in HK after breakfast and have arrests by that evening half a world away."     Regarding Dana, "I probably left you with a terrifying impression last we met, Ms. Derleth, but as I explained then I'm tasked with protecting humanity from arcane threats. I had to find out if you were a threat or not. You are not. I doubt you will ever be. I have a secondary task after that: I protect the innocents in the arcane world from intrusions from my world. You fall under that now."
Imbroglio	For most of this, Dana just kind of listens to the exchanges between the two other women. A lot of this seems far beyond her. Her area of expertise is certainly less European or Asian in nature. More Lovecraftian.     "Thank you. Both of you," she answers back when she is addressed by the other two, "It's good to have people looking out for me." She looks between the two, fidgeting awkwardly before she suggests, "We should team up. Heroes have teams, right?"     She is, maybe, not the most experienced in these matters.
Ysabelle	"I'm sorry to have brought up memories." Ysabelle's hand rests on Alice's forearm for a moment, a small smile of understanding. "The woman I met though, she'd have been your..." She frowns, working it out. "Great, great, great Grandmother I think? Depending on accidents and the like." Accidents. What a lovely way to put fighting demons. The hand is removed as she returns her attention to Dana. "Team up? I'm afraid I don't tend to go on... Oh what was it he called it... Patrol? But I could perhaps make an exception or two, just until you find your footing." Because right now, the younger girl still looks a bit like she's going to bolt.
Wu	That whole stoic Buddhist thing takes over. "Life is what it is, Ms. Orion. And life is suffering. My mother knew what she was involved with, as do I. The job lives on until we've all reached Nibbana and there's no more need for people like us."
Imbroglio	So the team-up didn't go over so well. She didn't expect it would. So much for Dana leading a team of her own! But there was still one she was considering joining...     "Well, we can still work together if there's a demon or evil cult or something, maybe," she tries to suggest instead, losing a little steam there.
Ysabelle	"Now /that/ I can do." Ysabelle agrees with Dana readily. Though she'd /offered/ to go along on a trip or two. Maybe the younger woman will remember if she needs it. Either way, The Wu has shut down again, focusing instead on keeping herself emotionally safe. Which is fair enough she supposes. "I'm rather adept at getting about myself too, so don't worry about the time or place. So long as you're there, I'll be able to come and help." She adds as an afterthought; Dana's resonance being rather unique after all.
Wu	"I am always on call if you need assistance, Ms. Derleth," Alice says gently. "I can't really 'team up' because of my existing teams." She flips both lapels of her collars to show her membership in two police tribes. "It would be viewed -- correctly -- as a conflict of interest."     She chuckles. "And I'm really not the kind to wear spandex and masks. Too uncomfortable. And it looks ridiculous. Just ... consider me your personal detective on call if you need my help."
Imbroglio	"I'm glad we all met up... even if we can't team up, it's nice to have people to call if things get bad, right?" Dana attempts to smile, looking between the two, perhaps hoping this little trio will get along well enough.     She then looks around, particularly to the patched leak, "I have some chores to do around the shop, though. I really should get back to them..."
Ysabelle	"Oh yes, of course. Look at me holding you both up." Ysabelle's smile is genuinely appologetic. "If you'll both excuse me, I'll just take a look at those new books..." And so with another small curtsy for the Wu, and a warm smile for Dana, the young looking magician moves off, skirts rustling softly as they slide over the floor...
Wu	"And don't forget Ms. Derl... Dana. That patch I put there is temporary. When the rain stops you'll have to put something more permanent in." Alice eyes her patch with a bit of professional pride. "And I'm very serious about calling in need. Call us a confederacy of mystics instead of a team."     She bows toward Ysabelle. "It was an interesting pleasure to meet you, Ms. Orion," she says. "I look forward to future meetings. And perhaps to comparing notes."
Imbroglio	Dana motions again to the new location of the books, moving to find a footstool from behind the counter somewhere. It seems she intends on using the temporary patching done by Alice to fix it more permanently.     "The Confederacy of Mystics. I like it," Dana answers back to Alice with a polite smile, "Thank you for visiting."