The Woods Are Lovely, Dark And Deep - [[Reni||R]]

[Joshua D. MacArthur]

November 7th, 2009
Friday, 1600 hours





The sound of running water and muttered curses filled the cramped bathroom as Joshua furiously scrubbed his skin of the crimson colour, his eyes reddened from his tears. It had gotten easier over the years to forget about what the mission was and treat it as nothing more than a simple chore, this time was different though. The government had taken to using younger and younger power users that had no familial ties left, or had been forced to work for them under threat for their families. "Motherfuckers!" he yelled out and threw the soap across the small bathroom to hit the wall with a thud, the telekinetic slid to the floor and held his knees close to his chest. Joshua had killed a 15 year old today who had been sent out to kill him specifically, whomever was supplying the firepower was getting better at sending out someone who actually stood a chance. "He was almost as good as Levi with those illusions...almost. The guy slipped up with the continuity of the vision and with that i was able to punch a hole into his mind, from there it wasn't hard to destroy the threat. But damnit there should have been another way, there should have been." With a frustrated growl he stood up quickly and proceeded to clean up the bathroom of any blood splatter, any thought of the boy he killed was thrown into a locked trunk in the deepedt parts of his mind for another time.

Joshua had stored the ruined designer wear into a black trashbag which had then gone into a duffel he carried with him for his missions, he took a glance in the mirror and checked over his new outfit to make sure everything was immaculate. From the charcoal grey knit sweater, white dress shirt, thin black tie and a pair of dark blue denim jeans all from Dolce & Gabbana he found it all in order. "Dude at the counter said to leave the room key on the dresser and get on with myself, and since it certainly wasn't the Plaza but for how cheap it was i didnt expect much. Goodbye dump!" With his duffel slung over his shoulder he left the motel room and headed out into deeper parts of Atlanta, his pickup wouldn't arrive until 2100 hours tonight and so it looked like he would be forced to...mingle. He shuddered slightly.

* * * * * * *

“De L'espoir et du Chocolat.” he said looking at the sign above the shop through dark shades and entered, a little door bell signaled his entrance and with a small smirk Joshua proceeded further within. His first thoughts were of the small cafe's he had frequented in NYC and found himself lost in the happier memories of his past "Hello? Is anyone in or do i get to spend my money somewhere else more deserving?" Okay he was acting pretty bitchy for only the sake of it and yet he could feel his small patience waning with every second he waited for whomever was to be here to arrive. Levi had once said he held the record time for sweet to bitch out of anyone in the world and if it wasn't for the fact he was madly in love with the man, the guy would have met a ditch quickly.

Joshua sighed softly and worked his way over to a table by the window and stored his duffel beneath the table, he gracefully took his seat and thrummed his fingers on the tabletop. In the confines of this shop he let himself believe that today was just any other from his past and that the evils outside were something from the Twilight Zone, that the government didn't have a price tag on his head which he found flyers for around the city. But reality was not fantasy and the world was a bitch to live in, so he would hold onto his perfect vision and mold it to meet the life he lead now. And if it took a couple of more deaths by his hand to get him and Levi there then so be it, for all he would ever need was his lover...and chocolate. "Maybe this is a sign that i don't need chocolate and that all this time i've been living a lie, that the sweet decident goodness of chocolate is actually inherintly evil. Satanic chocolate, yeah that's it. God, this is why i'm never allowed to go without chocolate and why Levi keeps the stuff stocked religiously...that's so sweet."

[Roxanne Beauchamp]

Roxanne hummed to herself as she carefully drizzled the melted dark chocolate over the milk chocolate seashells she had just made that morning. The shells had to be allowed time to cool before the drizzle was added or else the dark chocolate wouldn't sit right. Usually Roxanne staying out int he display room, in case someone came in. Business had been slow that morning, however, so to occupy her time she was working in the back. Keeping up the Chocolatrie by herself was more work than a full time job was at times and Roxanne would take whatever time she could get to get things done. Not that she minded the work all that much. It was nice to have something to keep her mind off other things.

Her mitted hands slowly let up on the pan and the steady drizzle stopped. Wiping the edge of the hot pot with a rag she stepped back to look at her work with a smile. They had come out lovely. These were Mrs. Roberson's favorites and she was returning from vacation tomorrow and if she wanted some, they would be fresh for her. The french woman removed the mitts and placed them on the counter before moving the tray over to the cooling rack.

Her head picked up as she heard the small bell chime. She had recently installed the small bell and glad she did so. It would be nice if her visions showed her such useful things like when someone would be arriving so she could get ready. But then again, what would life be like if there were no surprises.

"Hello? Is anyone in or do i get to spend my money somewhere else more deserving?"

Her smiled waned a little bit at the words of her customer. Still frowning slightly she moved past the counter she had been working on and picked up her sketch bad and a pencil; two things that were hardly ever far from her. Quickly sketching out a rough picture she sighed before placing the sketch book back on the counter resting the pencil on top. She readjusted her rings and smoothed out her black skirt with her hands trying to brush off some of the white powered; problem with flour, it gets everywhere. Settling for how she looked she ran a hand through her dark hair as she made her out of the back room to greet her customer. She heard his mutterings as she moved into the room and smiled, despite his sharp tone she was determined to serve all people equally.

"Satanic Chocolate?" she asked her voice tinted with her french heritage. "I would hope not, that would make me an agent of the devil, non?" she stopped behind the counter and leaned on it as she spoke. As she did her aimless fiddled with the rings on her fingers although her eyes stayed fixed on the man in front of her. "Regardless, if chocolate is a sin, I think I can live myself for being an enabler. So Monsieur, I bet I can pick which of these evil treats is your favorite!

[Joshua D. MacArthur]

Joshua's cheeks coloured lightly with a dusting of pink as he realized the french woman had oviously heard the crazy talk and now he'd have to save face somehow, that or mask his embarassment with bitchiness. "I guess it's customary to listen in on private conversations someone has with themself, though to be fair i should have kept my thoughts to my self and waited patiently. This is why i'm never allowed to deal with too many people, it starts out with well intentions and then quickly degrades into a huge bitchfest. I'll have the Satanic white chocolate anything please." Apparently he was going to do both at the same time and hope to God he didn't hurt the woman's feelings, it seemed to him that the shop owner was trying to make him feel welcomed and all he could do was throw it in her face. Yeah he was so not going on another long mission ever again, and now he was back to the crux of the matter. The fire in his eyes melted away and quickly he turned away from the french woman to look outside for something, "Forgive me if i come off how i know i'm acting, it's not something i enjoy yet i do it 'cause i'm still a bitch at heart. Like a defense mechanism you know? Furthermore i have no clue why i am even telling you this since i could care less, but we all need to talk to someone less what we're running from consumes us."

Joshua glanced at his watch and considered just waiting for his ride outside instead of in the shop where he was risking his control, already he could feel the soft vibration under his skin that was itching to be released. He knew though that it was inevitable and that he would ultimately stick it out and see what happened, he never ran from anything before and he would not start now "Okay...starting over now. Hi, i'm Joshua and i love chocolate. I hope you could reccomend something that you might think i'd like, since it all looks so good from over here." He could do this and allow himself to talk away what troubled him without giving away Levi or the cause, he would die before risking that man's life nor would he allow any to live that would jeopardize their plans.

[Roxanne Beauchamp]

She listened patiently as he rambled on still fiddling with her rings. The smile left her eyes although it stayed stubbornly fixed to her face. She adverted her eyes and slowly read the inscriptions on her braclets as he talked. When he went silent before continuing she looking over at him as he dug in his bag. Her smile changed from a forced on to one of almost amusement. He certainly was an interesting character.

"Okay...starting over now. Hi, i'm Joshua and i love chocolate. I hope you could recommend something that you might think i'd like, since it all looks so good from over here."

"Hello Joshua, My name is Roxanne. It seems we have something in common, I too love the chocolate." Pivoting on her heel she turned to face on of the machines behind her. "I think I can suggest something. It's a specialty of mine to guess what people would enjoy most." She said as she poured some coffee into a white coffee cup until it was with red heart on side until it was half way full. Placing in on the counter she reached back over toward the coffee machine for white container that sat on a heating pad. The container was white chocolate flavoring. It wasn't the nasty store bought kind but actually derived from actual white chocolate so it added a more rich flavor to the bitter drink. She filled the rest of the cup with the liquid and walked it over to him.

"Here try this. If you aren't satisfied than your treat is free." her rings clinked against the glass as she set it down and took a step back to give him some space.

[Joshua D. MacArthur]

Joshua smiled as he took the cup of coffee and brought it to his lips, the unmistakable flavor of white chocolate exploded across his tongue and warmed his body to the depths of his soul. It was pretty hard to come across something like this all the way in Alcatraz due to the retarded siege that their island was constantly under, they had to rely on scouts to bring in a lot of their supplies or they got them on their own. "This is quite good Mademoiselle Roxanne, it's very surprising to come across something so delectible outside of my favorite cafe in NYC. Have you been open for very long or is this a newer establishment?" The ease of small talk slipped into place and reassured Joshua that he would be able to hold his own until his ride got here, his control had settled once more after fighting against his powers and now held strong. Joshua knew that he was constantly under the threat of being hunted down and something of a huge power display would give his position away, especially in a large city like Atlanta with it's military presence "Atlanta is very different from New York, but i guess the military kind of makes it like home and the heavy layer of fear in the city too for that matter. Have you had any run ins here?"

No one ever said he had to stop gathering information just because he was enjoying a great cup of flavored coffee, anything could help them against the government and troop maneuvers within different cities could shed some light. If the various troops all operated the exact way then there was a chance to subvert them and punch a hole in their defenses, Joshua knew that in war both sides would do anything to get ahead of the other and all was fair. Once more he glanced down at his watch and thanked whomever it was that he only had one more hour to wait till he could get the hell out of Dodge, "So, you live in Atlanta with family or is it like all 'single gal in the city trying to make it on her own'...you know like Mary Tyler Moore. On second thought you remind me of Marlo Thomas in 'That Girl', yes you have that Marloesque vibe to you." Joshua smiled and took another sip at the wonderful coffee, hopefully the other bruntette gave him something to work with and he didnt have to resort to using his telepathy.

[Roxanne Beauchamp]

Roxanne smiled seeing that he was enjoying it. He seemed rather chatty, which was unusual but not unpleasant. So many people didn't want to talk to strangers these days and just wanted her to serve them what they wanted and the be allowed to go on their way. Living along wasn't easy on someone who like to be around people as much as Roxanne did so it was refreshing that this man wanted to talk.

"It hasn't been open for long. I've only been here about a month. I guess i'm something of a wanderer."she held up her hands displaying the simple round silver rings on her fingers. "I have a ring for every city i've lived in. When I move, I make another one."

She moved back over to her counter and started to clean up the coffee machine a little. "Run ins, you mean with Users?" her pulse elevated just a little thinking about the man witht he knives and Kuro. She hadn't experienced a major vision since that day, for which she was glad, and the memory of the events still stuck firmly in her mind. She hoped Kuro was ok where ever he was now. She hadn't asked him where he was going but she guessed he was long gone from here by now. Her amber eyes searched the man for a moment debating on whether she should tell him about the incident. After all, she had used her powers a bit during the events and she would hate to give away anything about Kuro or herself without meaning to. Not wanting to lie either she decided she would just repeat what she had read int he newspaper about it. That was safe.

"There was an incident a while back. Nothing to worry about though. The military stepped in and things went back to normal very quickly. Two users got in a fight, but like i said that was days ago and it's hardly a memory at all. The military does a fine job of cleaning things up. As far as the people go...I suppose people will always fear what they do not understand. I have faith though that things will settle down eventually for both parties involved once the shock is over with. Just have to have a little patience to get past the initial rough parts of the transition."

The small coffee machine was clean and she smiled at her work before moving around the counter back towards the table where the man sat. She didn't sit down but stood a little whiles away as she spoke. "Family, no I don't have much family left. The few i do have lives mostly in France. I haven't seen them in a while. But thats for the best I suppose, we didn't leave on good terms exactly." She thought back to her visit to France. Gerard was still out there somewhere, and her father..who knows. The last time she had seen him he had tried to kill her with a chair. She didn't think he would have changed his opinion of her very much since.

"So no, it's just me. I run this chocolatrie and sell some paintings on the side." she looked around a bit. as she spoke before sitting down in the chair opposite the man. "I don't really know what you are referencing to. I just enjoy chocolate and enjoy allowing others to indulge in the simple pleasures life can bring. It's an idea that seems to have faded away with all the fear in the country now-a-days. A shame really."

She folded her hands on the table and smiled pleasantly. "What about yourself. You live here in Atlanta or are you just passing through on Business? We don't get very many people in the city unless they have been sanctioned by the government to travel."

[Joshua D. MacArthur]

Joshua grinned into his coffee and let the woman's words sink into his mind, there was little room for error if he hoped to ease out of any suspiscion on his part or gain any more useful information. He set the cup down on the table's top and brushed away some invisible lint off of his jeans "Ignore the references to those old television shows since i seem to be the only one in the world who grew up watching them on Nick At Nite, and seeing as most of the things i do say are random i wouldn't expect you to get it." His jade coloured eyes shifted towards Roxanne and wondered what had caused the slight increase of unease in the girl's thoughts just awhile back, the mind was an open book to him and this particular one was asking to be read. Joshua took a considerable pause in talking to Roxanne to glance at his watch again noting that this conversation would be coming to a close in about 20 minutes. "Thank god for the mlitary, but i can't help but wonder just why there's a xero tolerance rule in effect when it comes to power users. It seems to me that this government deems itself above the law of history and that past endeavors to subjugate a group of people has always met with ruin. Sure, they do have a role to play in this war yet that role is not as wholesome as our leaders wish us to know about...Liam MacArthur fits that darkside to a T."

The reports that he had been given about his Grandfather's involvement with the government were not too detailed and only shined some light on his more 'surface' projects, those being the ones that he allowed the government to know about. Roxanne had mentioned family to him and had even alluded to some unease when it came to mentioning anything about them, his own dealings with family were more than likely worse than the woman's. She wasn't sent to die in order to further her Grandfather's agenda, no that distinction went to him and him alone. "We have much in common when it comes to the issues of family and the lengths we will go to in order to hold onto any sort of love from them. I don't mean to imply that our experiences are the same yet they do run along the same plain, my Grandfather was cold and ruthless in everything he did which included his own family. My mother and father on the other hand did try to make something out of it, but 'nothing gold can stay' and i ended up becoming some gem they loved to show off." Joshua trailed off towards the end of that line of thought and wished that he was far from this place and this woman, this whole city seemed to bring something he had hidden out of him and gave it a mouth to speak. His eyes glanced outside the window to a parked military jeep across the street from the shop and he quickly scanned their minds, it seemed they received a tip he was in town and all the men wanted to be the one to collect the bounty on his head.

"You would do well to hold onto any of life's little pleasures that you can, it only takes a moment to bring everything crashing down on top of you. I get the feeling from the look on your face that i'm probably bucking for the Lead Actor Oscar with the whole dark and deep thing i have going on here. I should have Lee come with me next time i'm headed this way, he would love your shop and more than likely die over the wide selection of sinfully awesome chocolate." Joshua's eyes went back to Roxanne and allowed his mind to hold the military away from the shop for now, with a little suggestion ith his telepathy it was easy to make them think they were waiting for orders. Now if only their superiors would hold off for another 15 minutes without asking them to check in, then he would be set. "But then again i'm not even sanctioned now to enter this city, even San Francisco where i live isn't a place i'm sanctioned to be in...but i live there kinda. It's quite extraordinary how handy talents come in when you need them, n'est-ce pas?"

[Roxanne Beauchamp]

Roxanne’s eyebrow narrowed slightly as he spoke of the military. His sarcastic praise of their actions certainly showed that he had no love for them. She had heard the name Liam Macarthur before although she couldn’t remember where from. The news maybe? It must have been a while ago though since she hardly paid attention to the news nowadays. Most of it was just propaganda against her “kind”, signs that the situation was only getting worse and not better. She preferred to just stay out of the loop in her shop.

She averted her eyes to her hands when he spoke of his family. Much like herself it sounded like he wasn’t really in contact with his family anymore. She wished she could find her brother even though her father wasn’t speaking to her. It would be nice to see Gerard again. Hearing him refer to himself as being “dark and deep” she gave a small laugh. While he was being a little too brooding for her general taste, it was still nice to have someone to talk to and she didn’t mind all that much.

Her smile faded a little bit at his comment about not being “sanctioned” to be in the city. “Not sanctioned?” she commented her confusion obvious in her voice. Although she decided not to press the matter further. Whatever his business, it was his own. “It depends on the Talent. Some are useful, although others can get you in trouble.” She spoke slowly and regarded him with a cautious look as she spoke. “If you’re not careful…”

She didn’t want to accuse him of her suspicions out right. But with his callous attitude towards the military’s actions to Users, not being allowed in the city limits of two major cities and the mention of “talents”; she was almost convinced that he was like herself. Although to accuse him wrongly of that would be a grievous mistake. Better to play on the safe side.