One Jump! [Al/Jenson/Vasilissa]

[Albert Aldein]

Al was swooning. And he wasn't the type to swoon. But somehow he couldn't help himself. He had just seen the most beautiful girl he had ever seen! Well, technically, he had only seen part of her face. She was wearing a hoodie, and it pretty much covered her. But if part of her face looked gorgeous, one could only imagine how the thing would look like as a whole.

He walked mindlessly across the crowded streets, swaying to himself as he hummed a familiar tune. He squeezed through the random people walking around carrying their own things. Some were clutching their children tightly, afraid that they would get lost amidst the crowd. Others held on to their plastic bags filled with various produce, looking around shiftily for thieves that might steal from them. The woman glared at Albert for a few seconds before moving on, but he remained oblivious to it.

He went up to a random fruit stand and leaned on one of the poles keeping the roof lifted. He winked at one of the passerby before grabbing an apple. He bit on it, feeling the juice spread across his taste buds. An apple never tasted this good, he figured. He took another unconscious bite from the apple when a yelling voice sent him out of his daze. He stared at the half-eaten fruit he was holding, and only then began to process what had happened. He tossed the apple aside, and placed his hands in his pockets, shuffling to find some extra change. Empty.

"Shit. This is just great," he mumbled to himself, watching as the fruit vendor slowly approached him. He looked around from where he stood, trying to find a solid escape route. He knew that he would be in the clear if he managed to get out of the alley. He just needed to get out.

"Hey, listen. Don't you take I.O.U.'s?" he asked nervously, knowing what the answer would be. He cautiously watched the vendor, before making a run for it. He heard people shouting "Thief!" as he steered away from the stall, swimming across the sea of people when his whole body collided with another figure.

"OOMPH!" he cried out, falling to the ground, instantly. He got up at once, wiping his hands on his pants before turning to see who he had bumped into.

[Jenson Delampe]

Ah. The joys of shopping. It's not like Jenson NEEDS to go to the supermarket. He IS a world renowned magician, ya know. Well, that's what he led people to believe. He really is the greatest sorcerer there ever was! Why was the greatest sorcerer there ever was shopping then? Why doesn't he just conjure up with he needed? Well, the best things in life aren't free. Jenson lives by that code. And he is REALLY in the mood for some glorious, tasty Fruity Pebbles. The ones he summons are always pale colored and they become too soggy very quickly! This wasn't fair! Why couldn't his sorcery do it for him! Stupid sorcery and it's evil corrupting ways.... Sometimes, it had a mind of it's own...

As he searched for his favorite cereal, which by the way was on sale today, people stared at him. What?! A guy couldn't wear a red silk robe with snake shaped fluffy slippers in public? He was getting irritated, so he decided to have some fun while he looked for the pebbles of fruity goodness. "Hah!", said Jenson, holding his staff out at man cutting some meat. In an instant, the meat clerk was now a fat pink pig. Heh, this was fun. Fun indeed! "This will teach you ignorant hags some manners!" Three store stockers quickly transformed into three blind mice. "Oopsie.", said Jenson with a giggle. All of a sudden, someone ran into him, knocking him out of place, his staff almost falling out of his staff. He looked down to see who it was when he looked eyes with him.

"Street rat."

Of ALL people, this boy had to be the one he bumped into. No, that bumped into HIM! He smelled like oyster ass and rotten piss flavored curry. The sight of him made Jenson want to projectile vomit on his disgusting face. He glared at the fool, like a viper glares at it's prey. To be honest, he wasn't mad at the fact that he bumped into him, even though he now had to get his robe dry cleaned to get rid of Abooboo's funk. He was livid because he stop his search for his cereal. WAIT. There they were, in all of their splendor. The fruity delicious grains of cereal were within his grasp. Only one small problem held him back from obtaining them...

"You, child, are just one second away from being tortured. I DEMAND that you get out of my way. The fruity pebbles are calling me and I can't reach them while you are here. Your stench is blocking my view."

[Vasilissa Yaga]

Vasilissa Yaga gently set the mortar and pestle down in the parking lot and climbed out, swinging the bag of holding onto her shoulders. Today was her half-free day, the first one in months! She was going to do all of Baba Yaga’s shopping first, of course, but after that she could go anywhere she liked in the city, provided she got back after dark!

Vasilissa walked through the streets, swinging the bag happily, until she arrived in the bean market. As requested, she bought 3c of mercury, a pinch of flour, three apples, a kangaroo paw (no idea what Baba Yaga wanted that one for, but it was on the list), the special crunchy cereal with dried raspberries, a newt’s eyeteeth (small and sharp and slippery, and they made strange whispery sounds as the vendor scooped them into a bag for her), and so on and so forth.

When at last she’d gotten everything on the list, the bag of holding had begun to get heavy, a sign that it was nearing its full capacity. Vasilissa hitched it higher on her shoulder and went off to have some fun.

She got a cup of coffee and a chocolate chip Danish at a small café, and finished them while in happy silence. She could swear those Danishes got better every time she bought one. Vasilissa looked at her watch; she’d have time to take a look round the museum before it was time to start the long drive back to Baba Yaga’s cottage if she went now.

She was just walking back through the Bean Market when…

“Mna mna mnanana mna,” said her doll unhappily. Vasilissa had resigned herself to the fact that it would do whatever it wanted; according to Baba Yaga it was the dark side of her personality and she wouldn’t be able to control it until she embraced the shadows inside her. Vasilissa had no desire to know what the shadows inside her were like, and so she had no control over the doll. At least it wasn’t talking in actual words or sentences yet; when it did it was quite rude.

“Alright, what is it now?” she asked.

“Mnanamnanananamna. Mna!” The ragdoll pointed one much-stitched arm over at a man wearing the most ridiculous getup; a red robe and fluffy, snake-shaped slippers, glaring at another man. How odd, thought Vasilissa.

“Yes, I see him, what about him?”

The doll rolled its glowing eyes and batted the side of her face. Suddenly Vasilissa’s hearing was much more accurate.

“…are just one second away from being tortured…” The doll batted Vasilissa’s face again and mna’d angrily.

Not that it needed to. Vasilissa was already heading over there. She swallowed and took a deep breath, hugging the doll tighter, then stepped between them.

“L-leave him alone.”

WORDS: 470
NOTES: this newb hopes she is not intruding xD

[Albert Aldein]

Al was about to apologize for bumping into someone, a rather common occurrence when he was running down the streets, but when he looked over to who it was, he just rolled his eyes. Of all the people he had to run into, it had to be this guy. Not only was the freaky-eyeliner guy annoying. If that's all he was, he could probably live with him. But no. The street magician had to go out of his way to piss Al off.

"Ugh. If it isn't Adam Lambert. Watch we're you're going!" he spat out at him. But he fell silent when he started babbling on about fruity pebbles. What was he, seven? Al rolled his eyes and stood firm, placing his hands on his waist. "And if I don't move?"

Al was generally a good guy. He'd steal, sure. But he was hardly ever mean to people. He wouldn't just shout at someone or throw cuss words at them. No, he wasn't like that. But somehow, this guy right here brought the worst in him. He figured the guy was going to be an ass to him anyways, might as well beat him to the punch and be the ass first. He gritted his teeth, listening as he threw a threat in his direction. Like seeing his face wasn't torture enough. He rolled his eyes once more, then took a casual whiff from his shirt. He didn't smell that bad. Granted, he wasn't a field of flowers, but still. He clenched his fists, ready in case the guy did anything to him, when he saw a girl step in between them. She spoke in a rather timid-sounding voice, and she seemed rather young. But then again, people hardly ever stood up for him, and he was extremely flattered.

"Um, miss, don't worry, I got him," he called out to her, taking steps towards her. He didn't want her to get in trouble or in danger because of him. Plus, he didn't want the magician to think he needed someone else defending him from his battles.

[/blockquote]

WORDS: 372
NOTES: lol, not at all It's alright!

[Vasilissa Yaga]

“He could turn you into something,” said Vasilissa, looking at the dark-haired man she’d stepped into protect. “I…don’t like uneven battles.”

She bit her lip, fighting down the urge to say she was sorry. Baba Yaga’s voice rang in her head: You are not a merchant’s daughter any longer, you silly girl, you are a witch! You are ALWAYS right! Never apologize, never regret!

And speaking of people being turned into things…Vasilissa raised a hand almost absentmindedly, keeping one green-gray eye fixed on the arrogant sorcerer, and crooked her fingers. She moved her hand to the left, then back to the right, drawing a fold in spacetime—

—find a place where this never happened, rip it, stitch it, patch, just another eddy in the fabric of spacetime, no one will notice and it’s a good place to hide—

The thin blue lines that had followed Vasilissa’s fingers slowly faded, and she let out a deep breath. Her stomach rumbled—magic like that always made one hungry—and she wanted to sit down, but Baba Yaga would disapprove of her showing weakness in front of anyone. Vasilissa stood her ground and squared her jaw.

“My name is Vasilissa Yaga, apprentice Witch of the Wood, and I—” her voice faltered as she realized she was about to issue what might amount to a challenge, and she couldn’t go on, and then the doll cut in.

“We are the apprentice Witch of the Wood, you little dog-son, and we wish to know what business you have turning innocent shopkeepers into all manner of strange things,” it said, eyes glimmering like candles and fixed on the snake-shoed man, climbing up out of the crook of her arm and onto her shoulder. “And we wish to know now.”

WORDS: 320
NOTES: hope this gets the ball rolling!

[Albert Aldein]

Al raised his eyebrows as the young girl, clutching a doll in her hands, decided to step between him and the sorcerer. He could fight his own battles, that was certain. Especially since it was just the street magician, and he had nothing on Al. But from what it seemed, there was no stopping the girl from stepping in. And though Al wanted to pull her away and protect her, she seemed like she knew what she was doing.

He could try to turn me into something. It's not gonna work. It's lame magic he has," he called out to her, flashing an evil glare at the magician. Then, looked over at the girl, throwing her a quizzical look. What exactly did she mean by uneven battles? "Hey!" Al cried out defensively. "It's an even match!"

Albert began to take a step forward, as though ready to attack his enemy, when the girl whirled her hands around in the air in front of her. He raised his eyebrows in shock, figuring that this girl knew magic as well. And his thoughts were affirmed when the doll she held with her began speaking. It's eyes glowed eerily, like a candle's ember dancing in the night, and it spoke with a voice filled that scared the hell out of the boy.

"W-w-what the hell?!" he exclaimed in shock.

[/blockquote]

[Jenson Delampe]

Jenson was done listening to the street rat talking. He just wanted his fruity pebbles, that was it! He didn't feel like being a bitch and cursing the boy. As he stepped forward, a small girl/woman/thing got in front of him. He stared at her, wondering who she was and why she was in his way. He wanted to lash out on her for her insubordination, but as he looked at her more, he noticed a certain aura around her. As if she was a user of magic. As he quirked his brow, he looked down at the thing she was holding. It was a doll. And it was talking as if it had a life of it's own. He smirked as he straightened himself up

"First of all, Jenson does not answer to petty witches like yourself. You are small compared to me and your magic is inferior to mine. Therefore, you are nothing. Nice doll trick though. Now shut it up before I do some drastic."

With a flick of his wrist, he levitated the sugary rainbow colored grains over to him, latching on to it as if he went over and grabbed it himself. Smiling because the cereal was finally in his grasp, he looked at the boy with the attitude.

"I would gladly torture you right now, but alas I need to go eat my breakfast. The cereal is calling my name. Next time we meet, it won't be too pretty."

He glanced from Al to Vasilissa, glaring at her and the doll, before turning on his heel and leaving the aisle. Before he left though, he turned once more, winking at the group. As he winked, the items on the shelves exploded, making flour and cereal go everywhere. He hoped that it got on that duo as well....

WORDS: 314
NOTES: I apologize for the wait! But here you are. Continue if you like, Jenson has left the building.

[Vasilissa Yaga]

“Inferior?” Vasilissa said. “You’ve obviously never met Baba Yaga…” She frowned.

“Oh, puh-leeze,” the doll said. “I am not a trick. I am a psychic crutch. And I will rip out your—”

Vasilissa absentmindedly raised a hand and suddenly all sound within an inch of the doll’s head was cut off. Its mouth kept moving, but no one could hear a word it was saying. Finally it gave up and just folded its arms and glared.

The magician walked away, but turned back and winked at them.

And the merchandise all over the shelves exploded.

Vasilissa’s hair spread out in a nimbus around her head. The flour and cereal and things plastered themselves on a spherical shield around them. She let it drop almost immediately, ignoring the fine dust that settle on her.

She was a merchant’s daughter; she knew how much this was going to cost the owner of the store. But, of course, there was always the solution she’d used on the owner himself. There was someplace this had never happened.

Let’s see…ah, yes…there we go. The patch settled into place, the universe rippled, and when the air had cleared everything was back in its proper place. Vasilissa sat down and let out a deep sigh.


“Ought I to go after him?” the doll asked.

“No. If he’s ever a problem—” Vasilissa broke off to yawn. “—if he’s ever a real problem, Baba Yaga will Do Something about him.”

But--just one more thing. She could still feel the magician, just on the edge of her "hearing", and grains were ridiculously easy to play with--

Ah, there. A nasty surprise for him when he got home and opened the box.

[Albert Aldein]

The boy silently watched the unnatural exchange between the girl and the man before him. It was a bit creepy, especially with the doll saying its own thing, but it was also pretty funny. Sure, the street magician acted tough but how tough could he be for someone eating rainbow fruit cereal? Heck, the doll that spoke actually seemed tougher than the guy.

"Hah! Bring it on, Criss Angel!" he responded to his threat, not really caring about what he said. He knew he could handle himself from the guy. After all, he was Albert Aldein. There was nothing he couldn't handle.

A loud bang erupted, and as a reflex, Al ducked and threw his hands over his head. At first, he was unsure, whether it was a cosmic explosion or something when he felt a random mix of flour and fruits all on him. The moment he braced himself, expecting to be hit by a wide array of fruits and other merchandise, nothing happened. Instead, they seemed to have stopped mid-air. Al put his arms down and raised an eyebrow. "What the hell was that?" he mumbled to himself, watching carefully as the shield disappeared.

Al stood still, suddenly seeing no sign of the entire mess that the magician had made. He then turned to the girl, eyebrows quirked, wondering what she had done. "Wow, that was something. You do the magic thing, too?"

[/blockquote]

[Vasilissa Yaga]

“Y-yeah,” said Vasilissa, covering a yawn with her hand. “Are you okay?” The boy didn’t look like he was hurt, but you never could tell. And Baba Yaga had once taught her a very nasty spell that could discreetly scoop out someone’s large intestine. There was no guarantee that magician didn’t know something like it.

She stood up shakily and brushed herself off. Vasilissa was really, really hungry now; she felt like she’d explode if she didn’t eat something soon—and yes, she was completely aware of the contradiction that was. “It really wasn’t that much,” she said, pushing her hair out of her face. “And—and he’s going to sorry when he opens that box. I made sure of that much.”

The doll said something—what, no one was sure, given that she’d left the silencing spell up. It waved its arms up and down, trying to get Vasilissa’s attention, and, when that failed, settled for smacking her upside the head. “Hey!” said Vasilissa. “What was tha—oh, right. Sorry.” She clicked her fingers and the silencing spell went off.

[Albert Aldein]

He watched the girl move around, as though entranced by her. He was fascinated, mostly because he had never really seen magic this close. Sure, he knew it existed, especially in a place like Faraway, but for it to be used to help him out. It was just sort of astonishing. He noticed the young girl eyeing him before she asked if he was okay. "O'course I am. Why wouldn't I be?" He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but it seemed that people really did think little of him, as though he couldn't take care of himself. Of course he could. Sure, he appreciated the concern of others, but did they have to sound so doubtful?

Al let out a laugh once she said something about the man being sorry. He knew that she could do magic, and only his imagination could tell him what it was she could have done. He half imagined the man opening up the box, only to find a hundred miniature lamps cramped up inside. He had no idea why he thought it was funny, but he did. Al carefully pulled out a leather thing from his pocket and swayed it to and fro in front of the female spellcaster. "You may have left him a surprise, but I got myself a little souvenir."

Earlier when he had bumped into the magician, Al quickly swiped out the guy's wallet before he could notice. It was a good thing too, seeing as he was running low on cash. But as he flipped through the leather, he realized the magician had hardly more than he did. Sighing at the lost cause, he pulled out a handful of one dollar bills and tossed the empty wallet aside. Now turning over to the girl and back at the...was that a doll? "So, that thing talks? Does it give you the magic or do you just keep it to freak other people out?"

The boy noticed that the girl seemed a bit paler than she had been earlier. Figuring that it must have been all the magic, he took an orange from one of the fruit stands behind him and tossed it at her. He nodded, urging her to eat it.

[/blockquote]

[Vasilissa Yaga]

“Well, there are spells that have no outward effects right up until they kick in,” said Vasilissa. “If you feel queasy or anything, you should say something.” She laced her fingers together and arched her arms over her head, twisting from side to side to crack her back. Her muscles were annoyingly tense; they’d hurt the next morning. Wasn’t there something she was supposed to do to guard against that…?

Vasilissa’s train of thought was derailed as the boy waved a wallet in front of her face. She laughed a little when he told her he’d stolen the magician’s wallet. Good for him. “The doll?” she said. “Er…”

“Oh, I’m just her id pushing its way out,” said the doll, idly swinging its legs. “When she gets mean or high, this body conks out. It’s fun to see, or so I’ve been told.”

Vasilissa barely caught the orange, and began to peel it almost automatically. It was almost when a slice was halfway to her mouth that she realized—
“You did pay for this, didn’t you?” she said. “I mean, thank you, but…” It was her merchant’s daughter upbringing kicking again, she had no problem with haggling but thieves were the bane of any merchant’s existence and so, of course, she’d been brought up to, if not hate them, at least thoroughly dislike them.

NOTES: heheh, new wrinkle xD

[Albert Aldein]

"Her...id?" The girl wasn't making much sense to Al, that was for sure. Did he even expect that the doll that was talking and moving around would make more sense? He knew he wasn't the smartest person in the market, but all the girl was saying seemed like total gibberish to him, and he couldn't help but throw a confused look over at her. He switched glances, moving from the girl to the doll and back, half hoping that he would wake up from the weird dream it was that he was having, but it didn't happen.

"Well, er...goodluck with that?" he replied, unsure if her id was something she or the doll needed luck for, but he said it anyway. His thoughts now drifted off to what he would do with the spare change he had gotten from the magician. He figured maybe he'd use a bit of it for a good meal. And probably throw in the rest inside his rather pitiful bank account. His thoughts traveled back to the present when she spoke once more.

"Uh..." Al scratched his head, replying to her question. "Of course, I did. Come on, eat up. You need the strength." He wondered why it the girl seemed to be so keen on how he got the piece of fruit. Shouldn't she be at least glad that he showed her some sort of concern? Besides, it was one piece of fruit. It couldn't have been that big a deal, even for the merchant.

Al urged her to take the fruit, mostly because he didn't want the vendor to notice that the girl had one of his oranges. Changing the topic, he pushed on to ask about the girl's magic. "So, uh, your magic... Could you, maybe, do that magic thing for other people? Like make someone smarter or more handsome," he asked her, quickly adding a "hypothetically, of course."

He had been thoroughly considering the wonders that magic could possibly offer him. After all, what the hell was he doing now? Working a nine-to-five job, earning less than minimum-wage, and all for nothing? If magic could do the trick in one snap, then why not try that option? He got lost in thought once more, as he waited for the girl to answer.

[/blockquote]

Notes: oooh, niceeee. I like that

[Vasilissa Yaga]

“Id,” Vasilissa said, nodding. “You know, subconscious, underbrain, the shadow side? It’s the part of you that…has no control.” She shrugged. “I, uh, have a pretty good grip on mine. Baba Yaga says it’s too good and that’s why my doll walks around. Unless I get high on something.”

She peeled off a section of orange and bit in. It was sweet and citrus-y, and the taste of the juice made her appetite even worse. Before she knew it, Vasilissa had swallowed down the whole thing except for the peel. She blinked at the boy.

“Oh, I suppose so, but not without extensive and, er, costly alteration…there are some things that just shouldn’t be messed with. The universe tends to, um, object. Violently. And messily. In the person of the thing that’s been…changed.”

[Albert Aldein]

Al wasn't entirely understanding what she was saying. Underbrain? Baba Yaga? What on earth were those? Al had no idea, but he figured finding out wouldn't have done him any good anyways, so he just nodded politely, pretending to slowly understand what it was that she was trying to explain. He now watched as she took a bite out of the orange, not bothering to take her time as she peeled through and devoured the gruit.

The boy's ears shot up when talk of magic began again. From what he could understand from her, it was possible. But, things would be messy? Surely, nothing could ever be as messy as what he had in his life now, right? The girl practically said that magic could do anything, but of course, with some set backs. Al began to wonder why he even bothered looking for work, when it seemed that what he should have done was learn how to do magic.

"So, let me get this straight. You can cast a spell for me, let's say, um, make my biceps bigger, and it'll happen? But if you do that, then, it'll go out of control and the spell would reverse its effects? Something like that?" Al didn't know the principles of the whole thing, so he wanted to clear things out. If none of the consequences were to extreme, then he figured maybe the girl could throw him a bone or two. Make him a little bit richer, or maybe just give him a more apt place to stay in. But of course, all of this still wasn't set in stone. He wasn't even sure if the sorceress would do him any favors at all.

[/blockquote]