Old habits die hard and new ones can hurt you

[Oracle]

Oracle didn’t have friends, well not in the sense of the word, she’d never let anyone get close enough behind that emotional wall. That would make her vulnerable and that, that she could never have. There had been a few that she could call “friend” but they were few and far between and never seemed to last long. “Short term friend.” she had always called herself. She shook herself out of her own head and said softly “Focus.”, tonight was New Year’s which meant there was a lot of people around for her to choose from so she hoped tonight would make for a good haul, she knew that it wasn’t the most honest work but times were tough, a lot of mom and pop stores had shut down including the book store she had been working at, the Dragonfire bookstore.

Reaching into her jackets inner pocket she pulled out a pack of cigarettes and shook one out. Oracle didn’t smoke much, but here recently it’d become a vice. She sparked one up and took a long drag off of it as she looked around once again for a mark; she let the smoke curl over her lips as she blew it out of her lungs she thought she saw the prefect one.

The guy didn’t look broke but he didn’t look like he was hurting neither Oracle flicked her cigarette a little knocking the ash off the end and stood up from where she was sitting. There were a lot of people around so she’d have to be quick. She walked towards the guy while he was looking at some fireworks as they went off in the sky seeing her chance she bumped into him “Sorry sir.” she gently grabbed onto his forearm to steady him while sneakily grabbing his wallet out of his back pocket “No, no..” he smiled at her “It was my fault.” oh don’t be nice to me she thought those six words of kindness caused her more pain then if she’d been shot so she nodded quickly and turned to go “Daddy!”, a small child ran by her and practically dived into the man’s arms.

Oracle watched for a second as the guy caught his son in his arms picking him up, the wallet she had picked off the man weighing heavily in her hand, why did he have to have a child ,why “Daddy can I get a sparkler?” “I don’t see why not, just let me get my…” the man reached for his wallet and Oracles hand twitched a little as she drummed her fingers across the leather and watched “I’m sorry my sweet, I seem to have mislaid my wallet.”

She tapped her teeth together a little as she looked to the side, Damn. she turned and walked back over to him “Mate, I believe you dropped this.” he nodded, she knew he’d known she’d picked it off him and she honestly didn’t care she shrugged a little not taking her eyes off the guy as she handed him back the wallet “Thank you.” Oracle nodded her head a little before turning and going to leave “See James, there still are good people in the world.” Oracle rolled her eyes a little as she walked off into the ground flicking her cigarette away “And don’t I hate them.”

[Deleted]

Nina hated being alone. It was necessary sometimes, of course. Sébastien was a busy little human, and sometimes she couldn’t follow him. The Jinn were afraid of singing – or, at least, Nina was. She hadn’t stuck around long enough to her training to find out if she was a special case or if it was an overarching phobia. She found this out the hard way when she’d been in Sebby’s head while he was performing, and some woman began singing. It had terrified her, and, in her panic, she tried to mobilize Sébastien. He naturally struggled against her, resulting in a seizure.

He hadn’t spoken to her for two weeks after. It was his first public seizure, and his doctors said it was brought on by too much stress and not enough sleep. His mother had quarantined him until she was satisfied that he was sleeping through most of the day and the night. Nina had apologized profusely and begged for his forgiveness, but he’d banned her from every performance that would have someone singing in it.

And, as some silly little human turning-of-the-year celebration, apparently they would be doing a lot of singing. It was his first performance she wouldn’t be attending, and Nina had no idea what to do with herself. The Djinn frowned and looked down at herself, feeling alien without Sebby’s body as a comforting shell. The human was always so warm, but her body was frigid. She could maintain the basic appearance of a human, but nobody had taught her how to make her disguise convincingly human. Her body temperature was only fifty-six degrees Fahrenheit.

So Nina was doing what she did best. She was following someone. It was a girl with pretty hair – she found that she was quite the fan of red and purple together. It was an idle following – Nina wasn’t even aware that she was doing it for the most part. She just knew that she was lost and scared without Sébastien, and the woman with the pretty hair didn’t seem lost or scared. That was a good combination. Sébastien was never lost or scared.

Nina paused as the woman with pretty hair stood up from where she’d been sitting – leaving Nina standing awkwardly off to the side, wondering if perhaps the woman would let Nina lick her hair to see what red-and-purple taste like. She had the smoking stick in her hand – Nina had seen many before, but Sébastien never went close to the smoking sticks. And when he did, he always started coughing so Nina wasn’t able to investigate them.

She watched with wide eyes as the woman bumped into a man and took his wallet. She giggled, wondering if this were some silly game that humans played. Nina watched as the small child hugged the man and called him ‘daddy’. She was unfamiliar with this term. She’d heard ‘mummy’ and ‘mum’, but never ‘daddy’. Her gaze turned to the pretty woman with the pretty hair as she handed the wallet back, talking about how he must have dropped the wallet.

Nina tilted her head, wondering if she needed to remind the pretty woman that she had taken it from him. But he smiled and thanked her, so Nina figured it was all part of the game. She bounced over, following the woman cheerfully.

To her horror, the poor woman dropped her smoking stick! Nina gasped and dove to the ground, picking it up and running after the woman. She bounced in front of the pretty woman and peered up at her inquisitively. Sébastien always complained that she didn’t know about ‘personal space’, and, as a result, she was very close to the pretty woman with the pretty hair. She liked being close to humans. She held up the smoking stick. “You dropped this! But don’t worry, I brought it back for you! I thought you might miss it. I’d miss my smoking stick, too. I think. I don’t know what it is, I just know you breathe smoke after putting it in your mouth! Fascinating huh? My name is Nina, or, at least, that’s what Sébastien says my name is, so I believe him. Do you have a name? Does everyone have a name? Sébastien thought I was odd because I don’t have a name. Hello hello hello!” she said, taking a pause for breath only once during the one-sided exchange.

[Oracle]

Oracle stopped with a slight jerk when the girl bounced in front of her, raising an eyebrow when the girl held up the cigarette that Oracle had flicked away “You dropped this! But don’t worry, I brought it back for you! I thought you might miss it. I’d miss my smoking stick, too. I think. I don’t know what it is, I just know you breathe smoke after putting it in your mouth! Fascinating huh?” Oracle couldn’t help but look around to see if this was some kind of joke and men in white coats would come out at any minute or if this girl was legit.

Returning her attention to the girl “My name is Nina, or, at least, that’s what Sébastien says my name is, so I believe him. Do you have a name? Does everyone have a name? Sébastien thought I was odd because I don’t have a name. Hello hello hello!” Oracle reached up and covered the girls mouth with her hand “Shut up.” She wasn’t trying to be mean but the girl was drawing attention to them with her constant prattling, sighing “You have got to be kidding me.” she removed her hand from the girls mouth and took the cigarette from the girls fingers, holding it up so she could see it “Ok, I don’t know if you’re just stupid or just escaped from a mental institution, don’t know and I don’t care.” she flicked the cigarette once again in another direction, hopefully the girl would go after it, she didn’t know but at least it’d give her a chance to separate herself from her.

[Deleted]

Nina stopped talking when the woman with the pretty hair covered her mouth. She raised an eyebrow, confused. No one had ever done this to Sébastien, and she had never seen this done. Ohh! Except once when Sébastien had been feeding a dog, he’d had the food in his hand and the dog licked it from his hands. Was the pretty woman with the pretty hair giving her food? Nina trilled happily and licked the woman’s palm gleefully. She didn’t taste any food; but maybe it’s a secret food that few people could taste.

“Shut up. You have got to be kidding me,” the pretty woman said, removing her hand from Nina’s mouth. Nina stared up at her, unsure what ‘shut up’ meant. She knew that Sebby screamed it at her when she was kissing people in his body and confessing his attraction to them, but he’d never explained what the term meant. And she didn’t know what ‘kidding’ meant. Nina grinned as the woman took the smoking stick from her hand.

“I don’t think I’m kidding you, but I might be. I don’t know. Aren’t kids those tiny humans?” Nina asked innocently, completely unaware she was annoying the woman. “Can I eat them? They look delicious. Good enough to eat! I like eating. Do you like eating?”

The woman held up the smoking stick, and Nina stared at it with wide and curious blue eyes. “Ok, I don’t know if you’re just stupid or just escaped from a mental institution, don’t know and I don’t care,” the woman told her, flicking the smoking stick away. Nina followed it with her eyes longingly, wanting for its mysteries to be explained.

Nina returned her gaze to the woman’s, taking a step closer to her and peering up at her. “What is a ‘mental institution’? Is it where they make metals?” Nina asked, tilting her head. “I didn’t just escape from one of them. I must be stupid. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I like myself, so it must be a good thing. Are you stupid, too? I like Sébastien, so maybe he’s stupid, too. I like stupid, I’ve decided.”

[Oracle]

Oracle took an instinctive step back when the girl moved closer to her and placed her hand on her chest to stop her from coming closer “What is a ‘mental institution’? Is it where they make metals?”[/color] she started to open her mouth to tell her no before the girl cut her off while she continued talking “I didn’t just escape from one of them. I must be stupid. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I like myself, so it must be a good thing. Are you stupid, too? I like Sébastien, so maybe he’s stupid, too. I like stupid, I’ve decided.”[/color] “Ok, wow and I thought I was weird.”

She couldn’t help but admit Nina intrigued her as she kept yapping away even after Oracle had told her to be quiet. No, don’t get involved Oracle leave them to stew in their own problems…she sighed and looked at Nina “Ok, if I answer some of your questions will you leave me alone.” she looked from side to side

She started to move in a blur around Nina, stopping barely with in eye shot to make sure she paid attention, the girl seemed a little distractible so she figured moving fast is the best idea “Yes I do have a name.” she didn’t tell it to her it though “ “Kidding” is joking not a tiny Human.” she had to force that term out without venom laced in it, “And no, you can’t eat it. Mental institution is where they put the crazy people.” she stopped next to Nina’s ear “On further review I don’t think you’re stupid, just curious,” she looked around a little at the humans as they passed by “They’ll try to take that away from you be cautious.” She turned on her heal and tried to put some distance between her and Nina.

[Deleted]

Nina looked down at the hand on her chest. Why! This pretty lady seemed to like to touch her. Nina smiled widely at the woman to let her know that it was fine to touch her. Sébastien didn’t like to touch her, except when she was inside of her Lamp. Nina opened her mouth, launching into a full-blown ramble about ‘metal institutions’ and being ‘stupid’. She noted that the girl tried to speak, so she cut her off, trying to finish her thoughts before she was stopped. Sébastien thought she was rude in that aspect, but Nina had many thoughts.

“Ok, wow and I thought I was weird,” the woman said. That was a word that Nina knew. Sébastien’s parental unit would call him weird all the time. Sébastien called her weird, and Nina wasn’t quite sure what it meant, but it described both Sebby and herself.

She gazed up at the woman, blue eyes bright and cheerful. “You’re weird, too? So is Master Sebby, and so am I! I like weird. That means I like you!” Nina cheered, clapping her hands excitedly.

The woman sighed and looked at her. Nina stared back unblinkingly. “Ok, if I answer some of your questions will you leave me alone?” the woman asked, looking around. Nina also looked around, trying to find out what intrigued the woman about looking away from her. Nina looked back at the woman, nodding quickly. The woman moved around her quickly. Nina bounced after her, skipping merrily after the pretty woman.

“Yes, I do have a name. ‘Kidding’ is joking, not a tiny Human,” the woman began, sounding just a trifle annoyed when she got to the word ‘human’. Nina tilted her head, wondering why she didn’t seem to like humans. “And no, you can’t eat it. Mental institution is where they put the crazy people,” she explained. Crazy? Crraayy-zee. Nina didn’t like the sound of that. Did she? The woman stopped next to her ear, and Nina listened to her carefully. “On further review I don’t think you’re stupid, just curious. They’ll try to take that away from you be cautious.”

Who would try to take it away from her? Nina put a hand to her ear. “My master told me that curiosity is a bad thing. He told me that it kills kittens,” Nina said, following the woman quickly. “Who tries to take it away from me? Is that what happened to you? Is that why you’re angry?” Nina asked. “Was it the humans?”

[Oracle]

“My master told me that curiosity is a bad thing. He told me that it kills kittens,” Oracle couldn’t help but laugh a little “It doesn’t if that’s any help.” she stopped when she noticed that Nina was following her, the girl…intrigued her sparked her natural curiosity, thinking “No, no, no.”

“Who tries to take it away from me? Is that what happened to you? Is that why you’re angry?” Nina asked. “Was it the humans?” Oracle sighed not completely sure how to answer the girl “Yes.” she stopped looking around the crowd nodding towards them “Use to, a long time ago, you couldn't tell me apart from them but times, times change people. Wait, Master, explain?” Oracle stopped and tried to soften herself, this Nina didn't deserve her venom “If you don’t mind.”

[Deleted]

The pretty woman laughed and Nina grinned happily. She loved when she made other people happy! “It doesn’t if that’s any help,” the woman responded. Nina let out a sigh of relief, grateful that the death of thousands of kittens weren’t on her hands. She loved kittens! Those cute furry balls of fluffy deliciousness! She squirmed and giggled, thinking of little kittens run around in her mind. The woman stopped walking, and Nina stopped obediently, gazing up adoringly at her as she asked more questions about curiosity and having it taken away from her. The woman seemed to become less annoyed with her, and Nina gave the woman her sweetest smile.

“Yes. Used to, a long time ago, you couldn’t tell me apart from them but times, times change people,” the woman said. Nina tilted her head innocently, looking around at the crowd of people. Nina couldn’t see anything different from her from in the humans. How could they have changed the woman?

“Times change people,” Nina repeated softly. She had been alive for over fifty years, but she could hardly remember the first thirty or so. Had she changed over time? She was still immature and childish, a result of her age and her lack of training. “Change is… bad?” she asked, staring up at the woman dreamily.

The woman then seemed to snap a bit harshly at her. “Wait, Master, explain?” she said, and Nina blinked, a bit wounded by the tone in her voice. She looked down at her feet like an admonished kitten. The woman’s features then softened as she said, “If you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind. Will you tell me what your name is?” Nina asked, slipping her hand inside the pretty woman’s as she continued down the street. “I’m a Djinn. Sébastien Reid, he’s a violinist. He’s famous, do you know him? Anyway, Sebby is my master. He has my Lamp. So, he’s my Master.”

[Oracle]

“Change is… bad?”[/color] Oracle shook her head no “No, not always.”

She saw the look on Ninas face after she had snapped her and mentally kicked herself “I don’t mind. Will you tell me what your name is?” she started to say no and end their conversation there but stopped when Nina slid her hand inside hers, looking down at it she gently closed her hand around Ninas “Oracle.” “I’m a Djinn. “A Djinn hmm, can’t say I’ve ever met any of your lot.” she stopped again, not sure if that came out harsher than it should have.

“Sébastien Reid, he’s a violinist. He’s famous, do you know him? Anyway, Sebby is my master. He has my Lamp. So, he’s my Master.” She did remember reading something about a violinist softly “I always wanted to learn how to play an instrument, just never got around to it I guess.” she thought out loud before shaking her head “No, I don’t know him.” she smiled a little “Maybe we should get you back to him least you be missed.”

[Deleted]

“Oracle,” the woman replied, seemingly a tad hesitantly. Nina smiled and squeezed her hand comfortingly. Sébastien had told her that sometimes people were shy and needed to be encouraged. Perhaps Oracle was one of those people. Nina smiled up innocently at Oracle, continuing her way down the street cheerfully, holding her arm cheerfully. “A Djinn hmm, can’t say I’ve ever met any of your lot.” She seemed to stop herself again, and Nina looked up at her curiously. She found that other creatures were odd in comparison to herself, but Nina wasn’t sure if they were all strange or if she was.

“I haven’t met anyone else, either,” Nina replied softly. “I don’t remember anyone. It doesn’t matter, anyway. That’s all in the past. All that matters is now. And you’re my now, so that means all that matters is you!” she chirped brightly, leaning up and kissing Oracle’s cheek. She hummed happily and began her ramble about explaining who her master was and why he was her master.

“I always wanted to learn how to play an instrument, just never got around to it I guess.”

Nina giggled. “My Sébastien has been trying to teach me how to play the violin, but I sound awful. It’s why I can’t possess him when he’s performing,” she said, skipping a little. “I’m sure you can still learn an instrument. It’s not you’re dead! See? There’s always more time for the things you want to do!”

Oracle shook her head. “No, I don’t know him. Maybe we should get you back to him least you be missed,” the pretty woman suggested.

Nina frowned. “But if I go back, that means I can’t spend more time with you! You’re the best thing that’s happened to me all night! And your hair is very pretty, have I mentioned?” she asked cheerfully.

[Oracle]

“I don’t remember anyone. It doesn’t matter, anyway. That’s all in the past. All that matters is now. And you’re my now, so that means all that matters is you!” Oracle stared at Nina for a moment, moving her hand up to her cheek where Nina had kissed her cheek, no one had been this nice to her for a long, long time so Oracle didn’t quite know how to react.

Not meaning to be rude but unable to stop herself Oracle looked at Nina oddly when she mentioned possessing someone “…possess him? What?” she tilted her head slightly not completely understanding.

[Deleted]

“Possess him? What?”

Nina looked at Oracle, confused about her confusion. She had many different reactions when it was revealed that she possessed her master. Other Jinn regarded it as disrespectful to their masters to invade their thoughts so intimately. Nina thought that it made the bond stronger. Or, at least, it would, if Sébastien would stop struggling against her for so long. She didn’t mean to give him seizures so often, but it was a hard knock life when you were barely over fifty and couldn’t control your powers to the best of your ability. A few seizures were the least of Sébastien’s potential problems.

“The Jinn don’t have a corporal body,” Nina explained, jumping on a stone ledge on the street, holding out her hands to balance. She blew air through her lips, trying to recreate an airplane noise. “But we can take one. Like I’m choosing to take this form to communicate with you. But I’m very young – I’m not even a thousand yet, you see. Not even close. It’s harder for me to stay like this, so I take my natural state and I take up shelter inside of my master’s body. Sometimes I’m the dominant manipulator of his body, but most of the time he doesn’t allow that.”

She casually decided not to mention her habitat of blatantly not caring what Sébastien thought on the matter but took up shop inside his head anyway. “Let’s be metal sky birds together, Oracle!” Nina said, running off with her hands out at her side and making the ‘vroom’ noise as she weaved between people in the crowd. “Wheeeee!”

[Oracle]

Oracle stood and watched Nina as she explained to her what she meant by possessing Sebastien “Sound…” she wanted to say painful but that wasn’t really the word she was looking for “Interesting.” she finally decided on.

Jumping up onto the wall that Nina was on with ease, always the curious one even when she was trying not to be around people Oracle crouched a little wondering if she was asking to many questions as another formed in her head “Let’s be metal sky birds together, Oracle!” as much as she had been trying to keep up the hard ass attitude Oracle looked around, letting her guard down once wouldn’t be too bad…would it?

Standing up Oracle did a summersault on the wall and came back up with her arms out to her sides imitating Nina and following behind her making the vroom noise as well.

[Deleted]

“Interesting!” Nina chirped brightly, nodding in agreement. “I think it’s interesting as well!” Of course, it didn’t really much matter whether or not Nina found it interesting. It was how she survived. She was, essentially, a parasite until she grew strong enough to maintain her own form. She smiled some more at Oracle as she jumped on the small wall edge.

To be honest, Nina had not expected for Oracle to follow her. Nina was very naïve and innocent, but she knew when people didn’t want her to be around. She was quite a bit shocked, therefore, when she glanced behind her and Oracle was following her. She beamed brightly. She had finally met a new friend! Without Sébastien! She giggled cheerfully and continued to run, vrooming through the streets.

As we all know, it is just when things seem the most cheerful and innocent that things go wrong. But, for the record, what happened next was entirely Nina’s fault. She slammed into a wall and Nina squeaked, stumbling backwards into Oracle. Her eyes flashed a dark brown and there was a bright green flare… and then nothing. The streets were gone, and the two were standing on an overgrown clover, and the sky was a bright lemony yellow. Instead of birds, there were flying fish of all shades from glimmering pink to a sparkling ebony.

“Whoops!” Nina said blithely. “I think I just took us inside one of my pocket universes!”

[Oracle]

Oracle followed behind Nina arms extended at her side and making her own vroom sounds, closing her eyes for a minute not expecting what happened next. She heard Nina squeak causing her to jerk open her eyes as Nina stumbled into her.

One minute there were sounds of a city all around them laughter then a blinding green flare and then no more sounds of a city, Oracle dropped into a defensive crouch and covered her hands in her electric charge, making sure to keep herself between Nina and anything else if anything was there “Whoops!” Nina said blithely. “I think I just took us inside one of my pocket universes!” Oracle killed the power to her hands plunging them back into the silence of the area “Pocket Universe?”