I dreamt of lying before you ever spoke (invite)

It was getting very near time to open Iris Clinic. Things were almost ready, but there still seemed to be a hundred things left to do, down from a thousand which was an improvement. Still, the immortal needed to take a break from sleeping, eating, and breathing Iris Clinic every once in awhile, even if it was just for a stroll outside for fresh air. It was getting cooler out these days, there was a crispness in the air that hadn't been there even a week ago.

He wasn't really paying attention where he was headed, he was wandering both mentally and physically and either his wayward thoughts or footsteps brought him Tarin's Medium Shop and he decided he might as well say hello. He pushed the door open, tintinnabulations greeted him from within, as well as the sight of Tarin holding a deck of cards and greeting someone else that had also just arrived. A customer, perhaps. More likely an acquaintance, given the ending of the greeting.

“Good afternoon Tarin,” he bowed his head slightly in the spirit medium's direction. Turning to the other man he added, “I don't believe we have met. I'm Sebastian.” Another slight bow in his direction. “But please, don't let me impose.” He backed toward the bookshelf where he knew he could find some sort of occult book or another to occupy himself until Tarin was free.

Martin was just getting ready to speak when the bell above the door jingled again and Sebastian entered the shop. Tarin gave the other man a wave and grinned at the look on Martin’s face as Seb made himself at home in the shop. Leave it to an immortal to hate imposing on a conversation. The tail and horn had taken a little getting used to, but it was hard to judge someone based on looks when they healed your wife from a wound you’d caused. There was also the conversation they’d had on the top of the Empire State Building, people didn’t discuss things like that without feeling closer. Especially men. Even if one of them was several centuries older than the other.

Martin was the task at hand, and it didn’t escape Tarin’s notice that there were two interesting age cases standing in his shop at the same time. What were the odds? The medium looked down at the cards sitting on the counter again…strange coincidence. Martin spoke and it took Tarin a moment to remember what Martin was talking about. Vaguely it came back, though, they had talked about putting a fence up in the alleyway Martin had been assaulted in. Apparently Martin was here to take care of that little piece of business.

“Oh, heck yeah. I hadn’t meant that you needed to actually do the building. I was going to get to that…some day.” Tarin said, feeling just slightly awkward at the fact that he’d taken so little action to rectify the dangerous situation that was his alleyway. Martin had come prepared though. “I’d love to have a fence back there. I’ll even help. I’m not awesome with my hands, but you can order me around. First things first, though.” He said, finally setting down the cards and making his way around the counter to stand between his two guests.

“Martin, this is Sebastian, Seb…this is Martin. He ran into a rough character in my alleyway a while back. We spoke that night about making certain those sorts of things stop happening. He’s here to make me good on my promise.” Tarin didn’t mention the other man’s strange powers, if Martin wanted Seb to know more, he’d tell the unicorn man himself.

His head was tilted into his direction as Tarin spoke, the eyes and mind of the other immortal upon his, blue gaze taking in every move he made. His arms were still hanging at his side. And then, after he had ended, a reaction rippled out from him. The hands moved and folded themselves in front of his body, shoulders sinking forward in the process a little bit. Ah my, the man would not have come to it in the near future. And he knows it. A friendly smile appeared on his face, while the rest of his body was still shifting positions, in transition so to speak. "Its no trouble at all. I just hoped it might make for..:" He paused shortly, head spinning with possible endings for the sentence. ... a better place? ... a little more safety? ... "...easier access to the trash bins." OK Martin. You should think harder. That as the most, the most awesome, intelligent sentence you ever said. Not. While Tarin was walking, his body moved, as to have the two of them in his vision. Coincidentally, the door was now at his back. It was an itchy feeling that overcame him, not really a feeling, more a memory. He started shifting positions again, walking slightly to the side, as to have both the door and his two companions in view.

Ah and after Tarins considerate introduction the Unicorn offered him his hand. His glance flashed downward. Hands still covered? Good. Tail still swinging. Very good. The fact that he was not hallucinating was comforting again and again. Even if he had to repeat the words in his head for a while, before he was actually able to believe them. Even if his opposite had a tail. Especially then. And a horn. But it looked kind of nice anyways. and the fact that he was working in a school full of the strangest things was helping a little too. He had seen girls go ghost on him, after all.

He accepted the hand and clasped it moderately, an offer, but not a too enthusiastic one. Or was it that he simply did not wish for his opposite to be crushed? An interesting line of thought. "Es ist mir eine Freude. (Its my pleasure)" And as he spoke, his mind being elsewhere, the accent became a draw, consonants shifting from their usual values, Germanic indeed. German. He had just used the wrong language. Hearing the sounds he had made of his own, seemed to bring back some light into the steel gaze and his smile turned into an apologetic one. The hand fell limp.The eyes of steel flashed at Tarin shortly. "The materiel for the fence will need a few more minutes to arrive. I suggest we wait inside for that time." Polite English with but a hint of foreign sounds. Everything was so different from before. Was it not?

Sebastian was a little startled at the sudden shift in language as he shook Martin's hand, but it seemed more polite to answer in kind.

“Die Freude ist mein,” his German was very rusty, and he couldn't remember if he had conjugated it correctly, but the other man would get the gist of the sentence, he hoped. It had been so long since he had spoken it, that the other man's English was bound to be better than Sebastian's German.

As Martin pointed out, in English again, they had some time to wait before the supplies arrived. Before the manly fence building could commence, it was first necessary to spend some time chatting idly. Sebastian opened his mouth to ask Martin a question, but Tarin beat him to it, asking first about the man's employment.

Sebasitan waited his turn, then asked his own question, “Are you from Germany, then? What brings you to the United States?” As a recent immigrant himself, he was curious to know that sort of thing.