>From: malcolmc@spider.co.uk (Malcolm Campbell)
Subject: Enter the Wanderer (part 2)
Date: 22 May 91 09:22:52 GMT


[This is a repost, since I think the first post vanished into a broken
router]

.....

Flame pulled up a stool beside him, tossing her red hair back from her
classically beautiful face. "So," she said matter-of-factly, "is there
any reason you're trying to look like Odhinn?"

[continued]

The stranger look at her, his left eye burning with blue fire. "To attract
the attention of people like you", he said.

He passed her the photo she had seen him show the barman across the bar.
"Ever see her in here?"

Flame studied the photo carefully. An attractive girls soft face smiled
out at her, not the sort who would last too long in this neighbourhood. The
picture was the old photo-chemical type, old and crinkled.

"Wait a nano", Flame started, a thought occurring to her, "exactly how old
is this photograph."

"Oh, I guess the original was taken around fifty years ago", the stranger
commented casually.

"But.. This is a joke, right?... She must be 70, 80 years old now. She
wont look anything like this!", exclaimed Flame.

"That's why Im looking for your type", he smiled. "You look beyond the
physical, or you wouldn't have noticed the image of Odhinn".

Flame was stunned. "You think I can recognize someone from a fifty-year old
photo!"

"Exactly", he replied with a casual air that convinced Flame he was all
too serious.

Behind the bar, John was still polishing glasses.  He heard Flame's
outburst, and shrugged to himself. The guy was obviously one wire short of a
bundle. He'd heard that magic did that sometimes.

It was the end of his shift soon. Losing interest he collected a few more
glasses, listening for something more interesting as he walked from table to
table.

"Well.." Flame started, dropped the tone of her voice just a little, and
edging slightly closer to the stranger, "do I at least get to know your
name?"

The stranger laughed. "You think I'll tell my name to a mage? I know the
power it gives you."

"I'm hardly a mage," Flame grinned, "but, if I cant have your name, what can
I call you?"

"Some people call me Cal, and you're Flame, right?"

"How...? Never mind, I dont think I want to know. Anyway, Cal, Im afraid I
haven't seen this one around", said Flame tapping the photo.

"Have you been looking Flame? There are secrets in most auras. That one",
he said pointing at a razorboy sitting with his feet on a table. "That one
is a small child sitting inside his image, harmless. While that one",
pointing at a quiet looking suit in the corner, "he's a killer to the core.
Look and see for yourself."

Flame gave Cal one of her best rehearsed seductive smiles and, leaning on
him, closed her eyes in order to extend her astral sight.

First she looked over at the razorboy. Where she had seen a leather-clad
samurai, tapping armorplast claws threateningly on the table, she now saw a
frightened teenager, nervously drumming his fingers. His life-glow was
dimmed and darkened where he had augmented his hands with the claws.

Then she looked over to where the quiet man was sitting. His aura was dark,
even blackened, scarred, none of the pale colours of life remaining. A
cold gleam shone in his eyes, a hunger for killing exuded from him.

She snapped her eyes open. "Yuk!"

"First stage cyberpsychosis", commented Cal. "It gets worse."

"You're giving me the impression that you can see astrally with your
eyes open, Cal?"

"My sight is limited in other ways", he replied.

"You said that a persons aura showed their secrets, but your aura looks like
a mythical Norse god. So, either you're Odhinn and Im in trouble for calling
you mythical, or somehow your aura isnt what it seems."

Cal laughed loudly, attracting more attention that Flame would have liked.
"I'm no god, not Odhinn. Human auras reflect how they truely believe
themselves to be, deep inner belief. With training you can alter how that
belief manifests to a degree, throw a disguising shell around it if you
like. But this is no place to discuss the inner secrets, and you've a way to
go anyway, a lot to see and do.

"So, you're sure you havent seen her", he added. "Think deeper than physical
appearance."

"Sorry", she replied, surprised to find she meant it. "How about I buy you
lunch, maybe I can think of someone who might have seen her around."

Cal smiled, "Another time maybe..".

"Hey, listen Cal, Im not hustling you - it's not my style. Ive never talked
to another mage like this, and who knows, I might be able to help you."

Cal sighed. "How do I get into these things...? Ok, Ill bite. When the Chat
closes tonight we'll find something to eat. As for now, I've got some more
looking to do."

He kissed her hand gently, causing her to start with surprise, and got up.
"See you round, kid", he said in a fake American accent as he left..

"Who was that?", Flame asked of no-one in particular..

----
Rules: If you want to use a character, ask me - Ill probably agree..

Copyright: (C) 1991 Malcolm Campbell - may be reproduced
	under terms of GNU copyleft only - copies available on request
Comments/Critisism: Welcomed.
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