Just a bit of harmless fun ( open )

The main course had arrived, and it was delicious. Sometimes the surprise victims were the most fun. This one might not have been one Vladimir would have chosen first, but now that he had her he might as well finish his meal.

He watched as the waitress dug for her phone, counting the seconds. Right before she put it up to her ear she noticed the present outside the diner waiting for her. It was her ex-husband. Standing there with her son beside him. Her ex-husband was disheveled and had deep bags under his eyes.He was wearing a dirty jacket and, by the looks of it, was holding something inside the pocket that looked right about the size of a gun. It was touching the young boys side, as if a warning.

He knew this would set her off. Ever since their terrible divorce he had been threatening to find her someday. A simple fear, the mother's fear of losing their children, yet such a delicious spice, a insane ex out to ruin her life. What were the odds? Her biggest fear was him finding out they had a son! Vladimir chuckled aloud to himself.

Vladimir's eyes became red as the vision yanked the child by the scruff of his shirt out of sight. The waitress wailed a terror shriek and burst out of the restaurant and out of sight, running after her fear. Vladimir knew that once out of his vision the image would linger for maybe a split second, but it was enough for him. He had been impressed she ran towards it, usually they run away or don't move at all.

The restaurant buzzed with whispered conversation. The day manager went to peek outside down the street. Vladimir had no idea if the waitress was still there or not, who knows what a mother would do just now. He assumed perhaps she kept running despite the vision vanishing, she might run all the way home and barge in on her son perfectly fine, wondering why she saw what she saw. Vladimir wished he could be there.

With a sigh he returned to his coffee. Might as well finish it off before he left, not caring if the waitress would come back or not. He wouldn't mess with her again though, it wouldn't be as fun.


A surprise dinner loses it's charm after the surprise wears off.

The coffee was great, the food was great, and the entertainment proved to be astoundingly grand. Vladimir was already making plans for his next trip here, this restaurant was 5 stars. Drinking the last of his drink he decided the bill was on the house as he got up to leave, what else could make this day any better besides a free lunch after all?

But as he turned to leave he caught the eye of a woman who was looking at him with a strange expression. Her glare and demeanor wasn't friendly, making Vladimir pause. On rare occasions he had been caught before, some exceptional people have either somehow worked it out or they were mutants who could sense these things, either way he had a hunch she knew.

Either way Vladimir didn't mind, he doubted anyone would make a scene, few ever did. Just for laughs he winked at her and looked far to deep into her eyes.

She found his secret, might as well be mutual.

Finding the deeply hidden secrets of others was one thing, utilizing them was another. Vladimir had a large amount of experience doing both, not to mention it gave him great pleasure. Nothing compared to it, it was a fine wine only he could taste. Seeing the woman before him and knowing her fears, Vladimir wanted nothing more than to share his good day with her. However he didn't think it was prudent to make such a scene in one location. Two people in one setting, it could draw to much attention. It's happened before and it didn't end well.

Of course only she knew, or suspected, as far as Vladimir knew no one else had the faintest idea of what caused the server's reaction. He might be able to get away with it, so long as he was careful.
Luring somebody was difficult, there was to many variables to it, but Vladimir didn't want this one to slip by. He felt great today though, so he decided to be a little bold.

Sitting down at her table he gave her a friendly smile.

“ I hope I am not being overly intruding, but I couldn't help but notice you were sitting alone. Not to mention the look on your face seemed inviting, I mean, you couldn't keep your eyes off me.”

He readied himself, he was very curious to hear how she would reply but at the same time was ready to use his powers at a moments notice. Vladimir gave himself a mental pat on the back, using the word 'alone' there, and sitting down without a actual invitation, he was already off to a good start.

The general feelings of dread would sink in first, followed by feeling helpless due to her fears, which then would tie into physical illusions quite nicely. Vladimir sat there, trying to look as friendly and non-threatening as possible, all the while thinking up some fun things to spawn that were tied to being alone. He wouldn't use his power quite yet, but he still had time.

It might not be the best idea to cause to much of a scene but if she knew so much about him already he might as well teach her the rest given the chance.

Vladimir chuckled at the girl's response. He decided she must be quite brave to challenge a stranger that way, especially when they knew he was a mutant but didn't know the details of what he could do. She also handled his aggressiveness in a fun way, she could handle herself. Vladimir found himself respecting this woman more and more. It would make it all the more fun to see if he could tear down that brave wall and see what was behind it.

His eyes changed to their red hue. She had noticed from across the room, she would surely notice now, but Vladimir wanted her to after all. It's true humans fear what they don't know, but they have to be aware of it first. He willed her to feel worried, unseated, she would feel a illogical creeping feeling of emptiness, like she was the only one in the room. Maybe even the city. The noise from the other customers and the street outside would become muffled, but they would return if she focused on them. It all added to the feeling that they were leaving.

But this wouldn't be enough Vladimir decided. How could he incorporate loneliness and helplessness into one illusion? He could build on it more later sure, add things here and there maybe, but he never gave lazy gifts. He always liked giving something personal, something a person could hold close to their heart.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, but the display was only for me. If you want to be left alone though, I will leave."

Vladimir blinked, his eyes turned back to normal, but that was also part of the illusion.

Vladimir was happy his day was turning out to be so interesting. The feelings of worry and lonliness must be taking their toll on the girl by now, she would be feeling quite out of place, hopefully it would get worse. However Vladimir did feel some respect for the girl, she was being brave in the face of a strange and new situation. A trait Vladimir respected and rarely was seen in most people, he decided that it didn't matter to him if she fell for his tricks. If she beat them and escaped, he would feel nothing but admiration. A strong will is a very coveted trait, one Vladimir enjoyed seeing.

Either way it was time for the final twist. Whether or not she became terrified, or if his plan failed, Vladimir would in fact leave the girl alone if that was what she wished. She had earned that right, not that it was ever Vladimir's position to judge, that was something he took upon himself as a game.

Vladimir's eyes had returned to normal, but that was only part of his fun. Feeling powerless meant one must be aware of the situation, enough to realise they cannot control it. She would have surely noticed his eyes truning red when the feelings of fear first started, but now that they seemed to be normal again, and the feelings did not leave, the fear could only intensify. Or not, Vladimir was only but one player in this game.

“Fine, alone you shall be.”
He muttered before activating his last illusions. Vladimir stood up from the table and created the illusion of himself. Stepping back behind his illusion, he willed that he be unseen as he backed out of the restaurant, as well as the edges and sounds of the surrounding people be further erased and dulled. At the outlying fields of the girl's vision, people that were never present at the restaurant, yet looked as if they were simply sitting behind her or to the side, started leaving quickly.

This was the illusion Vladimir chose, the illusion being that Vladimir had not left at all, he was just outside looking in, yet what could be perceived was that he had not left. Her words had not worked, she asked him to leave and he said he would, but didn't. If she were to try to make him leave, it would be in vain, since he was not there.

Simple yet effective, an illusion that grew in fear the more you fought it.

Vladimir had terrorized countless people, he had done it so many times he could feel how scared a person was, and how well his illusion was holding up. The better it worked, the easier and bigger he could expand upon it. Usually, a person was hardest to deal with at the very beginning, and once they gave into their fear it became painfully easy. This time however things had changed.

He could sense the girl's fear turning into righteous rage. Anger didn't defeat the emotion of fear completely, but it did hold it back long enough for a person to collect themselves and strike back. She had glanced outside, Vladimir knew part of his last illusion had failed. She was still being effected, but it wouldn't last long now, she would defeat them very soon. The admiration of the girl's character Vladimir held only grew from this fact, so many people had helplessly drowned in their inner demons, so easily that most of the time Vladimir felt all he did was give them a small nudge before they snapped. But this girl, this girl was fighting it well, and would win given time. Vladimir ran through his options and knew none would be good enough to stay this flow of anger. Just the opposite, it was far more likely that creating more illusions would make her anger worse, at least that was Vladimir's assumption.

Vladimir smiled to himself. Maybe his current fear-scape could hold her attention long enough for him to leave. It usually could, but this girl was quite possibly a mutant herself. She obviously had more fight in her than most already, there was no telling what she could do. Vladimir wasn't scared, but he certainly didn't want his great morning to turn sour.

Fate had other plans for him though, just before Vladimir was going to end his influence over the girl, the previous victim reappeared on the street. The waitress had finally calmed down and was returning to work, angry and very confused when she saw Vladimir.

“You!!” She exclaimed to him, “I don't know what you did but I KNOW it was you!!”

He turned to face her, which immediately ended his illusion over the strong girl. He wasn't focused enough to deal with both forming his fear and avoiding this angry waitress.

This sunny and happy day had a rain cloud on the horizon.