Things had been quite busy at the shop, which suited Lee just perfectly. Since the passing of the Mutant Registration Act, she had been worried and hesitant about the idea of going out and getting herself another job, which really was understandable; with how many jobs she had been fired from over the years when her boss found out what she was, though they had always managed to fabricate some other reason to fire her, Lee was definitely not eager to throw herself back out there like that.

So with her and Tarin having moved the actual sessions into the back room now, and with how busy it had been, she and Tarin had decided it might not be a bad idea if she were to stay in the shop most of the time and work behind the counter, handling the money and the customers before they went for their session with Tarin.

Being stuck in the shop all day, Lee had taken to changing into her good boots once she got there (walking in those heels in the snow was just a bit too difficult to do everyday), and that day found her wearing a knee length black skirt, coincidentally the same one she had worn when she kissed Tarin for the first time, and a black blouse.

But even with it having been busy, they still ended up with lulls where there were no customers in the shop, which suited Lee just fine. "How've they been so far?" Lee asked softly as she stepped around the counter and made her way to sit on the arm of the chair beside Tarin. At least when they had no customers, they could spend some time together and were actually able to talk a bit.

There was something about being back in the shop that made Tarin almost giddy. It was hard for him to believe that he'd seriously considered giving it up at one point. Now that he was back into the swing of things it felt like he'd never left. His enjoyment of the shop might have also had something to do with the fact that Lee...and her boots...mmmm her boots....were working with him in the shop now as well.

Tarin frowned slightly at the thought though, Lee was sure worried about the fact that registration legislature had been passed. They'd had no trouble dodging so far, but there was always that chance that something could slip, and that would be it. Tarin scowled at the idea, it wasn't something he liked to think about.

There was a lull in the business at this point, something that had been reasonably rare since they'd opened the shop back up, and Tarin took the opportunity to flop in his favorite chair in the front of the shop. He was starting to get tired from the sheer volume of sessions he'd had so far and as usual when he'd been using his powers a lot a headache was starting to form behind his eyes and in his ears.

"They're alright...at this time of year it's always so sad though...people mourn lost loved ones more than ever around the holidays...and the people who bring legitimate spirits in with them never have a pretty story to tell." Tarin said, slipping his arm around Lee's hips as she sat on the arm of the chair and leaning his head into her waist. "We're busy though, and that's a good thing. I can't really believe I considered shutting this place down. Knock me in the head if I ever think about doing that again?"

ooc: Jumping in here! Tarin, if you decide to do a reading for Naveed there's a lot of history in his profile you way want to read but the main idea is that the person he'd want to contact would be the friend he got angry with and accidently killed the first time he used his powers. You have my permission to make that spirit do/say whatever you want. Also, whenever Naveed says something with intent his mutation makes it's impossible to ignore... I always give people the option of choosing the level of effect his power has on their characters... so being where your power is in the psychic esq category you'd probably be aware when Naveed tries to use his powers but most likely not effected. it's up to you though. PM me if you have questions.

ic: It was freezing outside and though Naveed was used to the harsh cold a sudden gasp of flurried wind sent him running for the nearest shop. He pulled open the door which made the little bell above it ring and slammed it closed against the wind as tight as he could. He stared through the glass in the door a moment oblivious to the puddle he was leaving as the snow from his shoes and clothing started to melt. His hair was damp and his cheeks were rosey from the cold, he was a little out of breath.

His eyes searched the white city streets through the window and he decided instead of ruining the new outfit Vibe had bought from him he'd wait out the storm in whatever little shop this was.

He turned around to take it in and was instantly reminded of the elder woman of his tribe who had trained his sister. There was something about the smell of this place that was the same as hers. He looked around with wide eyes letting everything sink in. Just what kind of a shop was this?

He looked at the items that adorned the walls and shelves, and his eyes fell on the woman who was standing in the front. He looked her over in an assesing sort of way- with all the mutants in disguise these days he always looked for signs- but he coudln't decide anything from looking at her. He could hear a male voice as well and as he took another step into the innards of the store he saw her acomplice chatting away.

"Hello." he spoke up, towering over them possibly looking a little threatening though he never ment to. "One hell of a squall just came down out there. What kinda shop is this place?" he asked in the kindest tone he could muster which really just made him sound like he was interrogating.

His eyes drifted to a curtained back room and his curiosity wandered...

Lee nodded as she felt Tarin slip his arms around her waist and press his head against her. He had a headache, she knew. He really only leaned against her like that when he had a headache. And with how many customers they had already had that day, if even only half of them were legit, that was a lot of spirits he had had to deal with so far.

"I think I'll be able to manage that," Lee said, rolling her eyes slightly when Tarin asked her to knock some sense into him if he ever thought about closing the shop down again. She already had to keep him from making other mistakes, so why not add this to the list?

It was then that Lee heard the bell over the door ring, and she sighed softly. At least some part of her mind had known that that lull in business wouldn't have lasted long. Giving the back of Tarin's neck a slight squeeze, she couldn't exactly do much more to help his headache with a customer there, Lee stood up to go back to work as she looked over to see a tall man simply staring out the window into the street. Turning a slightly confused and worried look at Tarin, Lee wiped that off her face as she turned back to see the man examining the items in the front of the shop.

What the guy said when he finally did open his mouth did not help worry that had sprouted up when she saw him staring out the window. Pushing that worry away as much as possible so it wasn't visible, she had lots of practice doing that with Tarin regarding her powers at any rate, Lee took a small step forward and clasped her hands behind her back.

"It's a Medium Shop," Lee explained simply. Simplicity was normally the best way in these situations. "If you have a loved one you've lost, we can help you get that last message to them."

Naveed stared at the woman with a curious look on his face. "medium eh?" he glanced back over his shoulder at the weather outside. "Well I may be here a while..." he turned back to look at her. The man who was with her was gone. Was he the medium? Naveed thought a moment. If he was legit- there was a chance he was a mutant. Naveed didn't really believe in spirit mediums... but knew he coudln't pass up the chance to find out if the man was a mutant or not.

"How much does it cost... and ... heh does it have to be someone I loved?" he joked. "As far as I know I only know one person who could be a spirit and wanting to talk to me." he was coming off a bit cocky and he knew it... something about this place made him feel nervous and he coudlnt help coming off a bit arrogant. He felt out of control...

"I guess I'll take you up on it" afterall if it was too expensive he knew he could just 'convince' them he'd already paid.

Tarin was momentarily irritated, it looked like this guy had walked in off the street simply to warm up in the shop. A moment more though, and Tarin's irritation gave way to curiosity as the familiar rushing sound filled Tarin's ears and he saw the spirit of a young boy trailing after the young man who'd entered the shop. It was a kid...

Tarin had always had a soft spot for the kids...from the one that had ended up getting him tossed in jail in Chicago to the little girl at the zoo the day of his and Lee's first date. This one was no different and suddenly Tarin really wanted to know what had happened that was so bad the kid stick around on Earth instead of going to wherever it was spirits went when they weren't on Earth.

"It starts at 20 dollars." Tarin said, walking forward again to stand beside Lee as she spoke to the newest patron. "I'd tell you if it was going to end up being more before it went up though." his rates always varied, Tarin could tell when someone walked in what kind of effort it was going to take to make a communication. This one didn't seem to hard.

It didn't seem to take much time or consideration before the young man decided to take Tarin up on his services. "Come this way then..." He said, nodding his head towards the back of the shop. "No...it doesn't necessarily have to be someone you've loved..." Tarin said, strengthening the connection he had with the spirit slightly, and taking in the flood of images to try and learn more.

What he saw was slightly shocking, apparently there were three mutants in the building now. Hiding his surprise at what he saw, and not passing judgment until he'd had a chance to learn a little more, Tarin sat down on his customary side of the crystal ball and waved a hand to indicate that the younger man should do the same. Casting a look towards the front of the shop, Tarin hoped Lee would stay out of the back room. She normally did when he was doing readings, but in this particular case especially he hoped she'd stick to her routine.

"As I was saying...spirits are tied to the Earth through unfinished business or violent deaths. Nobody who dies in their bed at 103 after living a completely fulfilling life stays around as a spirit. Sometimes spirits will align themselves with specific people because their death or their business specifically relates to that person." Tarin paused and considered what to say next, then chose his words carefully. He knew the man's secret, why not give a little over himself?

"For example..." Tarin said cautiously, "The spirit with you seems to have known you quite well in life. You must have been rivals I think...you played a direct part in his death...though I feel that it must have been accidental...I can't feel malicious intent."

Tarin didn't have a clue if it had been an accident or not...he took more images from the spirit, trying to sort some things out and waiting for the younger man's reply to his initial words. Hopefully Tarin had guessed correctly and whatever had happened to kill the young man who was now a spirit had been an accident, otherwise, there was trouble.

The man seemed interested, at least in finding out more about what Tarin did there.

Quoting a price was always difficult, and Lee never liked doing it because it was variable. Depending on how much time the reading took, what all Tarin needed to do, the price was effected. And it was his shop, his work. Thankfully, Tarin came up beside her and started speaking, ridding her of the task of coming up with a price for the reading.

His words were a tad surprising, though. Tarin didn't normally offer sessions for quite that low. Sure, he did have a tendency to drop the price if it appeared the person was in a tight spot for money, but that was normally after the fact, and normally after the session had gone on longer than expected. Tarin must really be curious about this guy, or about a spirit with him, Lee realized.

Giving the two men a small smile as they made their way into the back of the shop, Lee took a couple steps toward the curtain, then a couple sideways to the counter before stopping and looking at the curtain again. Normally, Lee would simply go and sit at the counter while Tarin was in the back with a customer, but this one had her worrying more than normal. Just something about how he had entered the shop, starring out the window at first before actually paying attention to the shop (and not even knowing what sort of shop he had entered) felt weird to Lee.

Eying the chair behind the counter, Lee turned and sat in Tarin's armchair, which was much closer to the doorway into the back of the shop. Lee knew that Tarin felt she worried too much, even more so now since the Registration Act was in force, but like Lee had been telling him since they had started dating, one of them had to worry, and apparently it was again not going to be him...

Naveed stood up tall as the man extended his inviation and mulled over the price in his head. "Ok then, sure I'll bite." he smiled and followed the man to the backroom aware of how intently the man was glancing at him. He smiled one last grin at the woman before he was in the room and being offered a chair.

He shrugged and sat himself down happy to rest his bones when the man began to speak about a boy. Naveed thought back to the past. That would have been right. They would have both been boys back then...

Suddenly Naveed shook his head to clear his thoughts. That was a lot for the man to simply guess at. He had to be a mutant. Naveed had to know more. Guessing the man had some sort of psychic ability he knew his own ability wouldn't have much of an affect on him- he'd have to do this the old fashioned way. He placed his arms on the table and stared intently at the man across the table completley unaware of the spiritual presence in the room. "Please, tell me more..." his eyes flashed red a little in the light. Naveed didn't mean to give an order- it slipped out. It didnt matter anyway... he was paying this man so he would be telling him regardless.

The spirit boy jumped around the room wildely like an animal and came over to Tarin and began whispering in his ear. Naveed was watching Tarin so curiously you'd have thought he could see the spirit but Navi was in his own little world.

The spirit whispered of how Navi and he grew up as friends and rivals, both trying for the warrior spot in the tribe when one day the boy insulted Navi's sister who had been discovered as a mutant. Naveed was angry and told the boy to drop dead. Suddenly the spirit boy lept into Tarin and started to replay the death watching Naveed from Tarin's eyes.

Naveed's eyes flickered red and one by one the boy could feel his organs shutting down, his blood freezing in his veins, his breath stolen from his chest as the memory of Naveed's tormented face covered his now exisiting one that was watching Tarin for a reaction.

The boy stepped out of Tarin with tears streaming down his face and explained he never meant to insult Raina he just didn't understand about mutants... and he was staying with Naveed now to protect Naveed from ending up in the camps as he tried to save her.

Naveed was still unaware of all this happening and was waiting for Tarin's reply.

ooc: hope that was ok, I thought it would be neat for Tarin to experieince the boy's death but if it's too much PM me and i'll edit it out.

OOC: You're fine! The only thing is that it's unnecessary for the spirit boy to "jump" inside Tarin. The mental link that they have would provide him with everything he needed to know. I love and APPRECIATE the fact that you filled me in on the background here though. I must put off lazy vibes...you saved me the trouble!


The young man wanted to know more. Of course he did. Who wouldn't want to know more when they found out that someone knew a deep dark secret like the one he'd just discovered. The thing about it was, the way the guy across the table was talking to him made Tarin want to tell him, almost need to tell him about it.

A fresh flood of memories came from the young spirit boy as a myriad of emotions played their way out in his actions. First the youngling was bounding around the room with loads of energy, then he was right by Tarin crying silently as the final details and pieces of the puzzle fell into place in the form of a rush of images depicting the young rival's last moments on the living Earth. Tarin shuddered in spite of himself at the absolutely mechanical way the young man's body had shut down and how the whole episode had played out. He felt better though despite his reaction, it had been an accident.

"You were rivals." Tarin said, regarding the guy across the table, "He insulted your sister...she's a mutant too." Tarin paused trying to decide whether he should go on or not then throwing caution to the wind and shrugging, "You told him to drop dead...no real malicious intent, just being a kid...and he..." Tarin paused for a second searching for a good way to say it, "did..." he finished for lack of better phrasing.

Obviously things had happened since then, and obviously it had been a long time since that event. Tarin only hoped that things hadn't changed to a degree that the young man in front of him had decided to use his powers of persuasion for evil purposes. As trite and cliche as it sounded, Tarin didn't know just how strong that power of suggestion was. Having already experienced it once wasn't proof enough that he could throw it off.

Naveed froze as Tarin began to speak- suddenly feleing like a suspect on trial.
His muscles tightened and he gripped his hands into fists until there were little crescent moons where his nails had dug in to his palm. He was resiting the urge to shake but even more was resisting the urge to throw the table. He had opened a can of worms, that was for sure.

"So you can tell I'm a mutant then." he said standing up. "I can tell you're one too." now that wasn't entierly true- but Naveed decided he'd at least bluff knowing.

He backed away slowly from the table feeling rather cornered though the man hadn't exactly done anything threatening. It was just having someone other than himself an dhis dead friend know what happened. He felt threatened.

"Word of caution..." he said sternly to the man. "These parts as you know aren't mutant friendly.... if you're suspicious of someone asking for a reading you should fake it. I'm sure someone with you gifts would feel insulted at the suggestion... but there are undercovers all over the city." he narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. "Your girlfriend wouldn't like it if they threw you in the camps." though it was truley helpful advice, and he had only guessed she was his girlfriend- Naveed spoke these words more as a threat. As if he himself was a stalker.

But his expression eased as he thought of Raina and he sat back down at the table. "My sister had a miscarriage in the camps. Are you able to tell if the baby's soul passed on?" he was serious this time with his question- he was paying anyway... he might as well get his money's worth/

The other man was uncomfortable, Tarin knew it, he could almost feel it radiating off the younger guy as his muscles tensed. Tarin almost told the guy to calm down, that he'd spent his life seeing things like this, that he knew what it was like to have killed.

The other man stood and Tarin followed suit, despite the fact that the guy towered over him in either case, this felt a little better. At least he'd be able to defend himself should the need arise. Sitting down he was at an extremely distinct disadvantage. The younger man was on the defensive, giving advice, but it was masked as a threat. Tarin shook his head slowly, "I'd know." he said easily. "I knew everything about you thirty seconds after you'd walked in the door." It wasn't said in a threatening way, just matter-of-fact. "I really do thank you for the advice though."

Tarin knew that the area wasn't extremely mutant friendly, and he really was careful to come across as nothing more than a hack. A good hack, but a hack in the end. Surely they'd been in to check him out, and Tarin narrowed his eyes slightly, let them come. He shrugged his shoulders, "My fiance would mind greatly."

The young man had narrowed his eyes, his arms were crossed, whole body basically emanating the frustration he was surely feeling. He sat though. Following suit after giving the other man an appraising look, Tarin listened to the question and nodded his head slowly. The other spirit was still in the room and Tarin had to concentrate hard to block him out, but he succeeded and found silence.

"I don't see anyone else...." He said slowly, raising his eyes to meet the young man's, "It's not necessarily an indication though...I can only see them if they're relatively close. I'm very sorry for her loss though." Tarin wished there was something he could do, he'd heard about the camps and the thought made him shudder. The best he could do though is keep his head down and worry about himself and Lee, not getting caught.

"Anything else you want to know?" Tarin said, shrugging his shoulders slightly as they faced each other across the table, "I can't do much and I don't see any other spirits around you..." he trailed off, "Oh...consider this a sample too...on the house." It was a blatant offer of good will, a show of faith to say the least. Glancing up at the door, he wondered what Lee was doing out in the front.

Naveed's face was washed with sadness for a breif moment before becoming stone-like again when he said he coudln't sense the lost child. He kept his rigid disposition but was releived when the man divulged that he would know if someone was checking him out. He was curious to hear the woman out front was his fiance, and almost jealous in a way because he was still able to protect her and Naveed was not able to protect Raina... he had been too late.

He gave the man a curt nod and stood up less threatening this time. He raised his eyebrow when the man said the reading was on-the-house and to be honest he hadn't any of his own money anyway. He forced a friendly smile the best he could. "Well thank-you."

Why did he put himself through this all again? Oh right... to figure out if the man was a mutant? He wasn't sure if it was worth the mental scarring this time. "Naveed" he said extending a hand.

He lingered a moment. "Do you see them?" he asked waiting before sharing who 'them' was. "Do you see them walking around I mean?... The spirits of those who died in the camps? I bet the city is crawling with them..." he said it more in a reflective way wondering what it would be like for the man to see dead people all the time.

Tarin could tell that the younger man was disappointed in the fact that he couldn't sense the child. "I really am sorry..." Tarin said, "I can't just make it happen...they're just either there or they're not..." he trailed off with a shrug. It was weird talking to someone other than Lee about his powers, as dangerous as things had become recently, it was hard.

Tarin could tell that this young man too, had probably had problems as far as trusting people was concerned. The smile he gave across the table was forced, but sincere. "Any time." For some reason Tarin felt like he wanted to reach out to this guy and he went on to say, "If you ever need somewhere to stop in...feel free. Lee and I are still relatively new to the area and we don't know many people."

"A pleasure, I'm Tarin, Tarin Brooks." he said, taking the younger man's offered hand.

More questions, this one stopped Tarin and he looked at the young man standing in front of him for a few moments. "They're everywhere...." Tarin said softly, then looked up and shrugged again, a little helpless, "Are they mutants from camps...immigrants that died a hundred years ago, or someone who tossed themselves from the top of the empire state building? I don't know unless I make the link with them...otherwise..." Tarin stopped to gesture with both hands around his ears, "It's all background noise...I know they're there...but unless I seek them out, or they're exceptionally powerful I rarely get to know them individually."

Tarin tilted his head, feeling like he would be prying if he asked the question on the tip of his tongue since Naveed hadn't offered up the information on his powers, but Tarin asked anyway, "Does your power have something to do with your being able to stay out of the camps so far?"

Naveed couldn't help but show a genuine interest in the man, though he himself was being quite stand-off-ish it was nice to encounter someone so friendly in NYC. He accepted his hand and shook it and then listened as the man spoke about seeing the ghosts. It freaked Naveed out a little but he didn't show it this time. He was glad he couldn't see the boy following him around- and if Tarin coudln't see a girl following him around he knew Raina was still alive... somewhere.

Then Tarin asked him about his powers. Naveed's power was his trump card. True it would have little to no effect on Tarin but Naveed still didn't like to willingly reveal it. "Something like that" he answered. "The key to staying out of the camps is simply not using your powers though for you that's a problem. Though as long as you dont give stalkers a reason to believe we are mutants they generally can't tell we are. In some mutants it's obvious but not with us. I recently had a run in with one. Not a great experieince- but it only identified the person I was with as a mutant... I guess that's why it's not good to stay around others for long... puts them in danger."

His eyes drifted to where Lee would be outside of the door to the room. "Does she have powers?" he wondered if Lee was a human with a mutant like Raina and Rupert or also a mutant.

Tarin could still tell that the other man was interested in him. It wasn’t really all that surprising, most people were intrigued by what Tarin could do when they found out that he was the real deal and not just some talented hack. Then again the prospect of being able to communicate with someone you never thought you’d see again was enticing to even the most cynical person.

Naveed explained how it was that he stayed out of the camps and Tarin nodded his head, it wasn’t as expansive on the young man’s powers as he would have hoped, but obviously it was something Naveed liked to keep private. The advice, again, was sound though and Tarin was gradually coming to the realization that the mutant standing in the room with him had been through quite a lot despite his youthful appearance. Tarin shrugged at the information though, “I rarely ever make a real contact.” He said, then glanced around the room at the few spirits that were always randomly present.

“And moreover, people rarely actually bring spirits in with them..” Tarin paused and tried to put together enough works to explain how it was he actually operated.

“People need closure…even when they’re the last one their 89 year old loved one sees before the pass away, people feel the need to know for sure that the person they cared so much about made it through to wherever they’re going.” A slow grin spread across Tarin’s face, rueful and a little dark, “Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had people bring in a couple whoppers of real spirits, but most of the time I’m what people think I am, a very observant and talented hack.”

Naveed asked about Lee now and Tarin got a little more reserve, straightening up slightly as a small frown crossed his features. As much as Lee had been worrying lately, he didn’t think she’d take kindly to his outing her to an almost complete stranger.

“That’s something you’ll have to ask her yourself. I don’t speak for her.” Tarin said then turned towards the curtained doorway, “Lee!” he called out, “Come back here. I’d like you to become a little more well acquainted with our guest.”

Tarin had to grin at the speed with which Lee made it into the back of the shop. She must have felt something about the customer too when he’d walked and Tarin just knew that she’d probably been waiting for an opportunity to find out more.

“Lee…” Tarin said, indicating the young man, “This is Naveed. It turns out he’s something of a kindred spirit with the two of us if you know what I mean.” He added, trying to be as discreet as possible, “We’ve been chatting for quite some time now and he was curious to know more about you.”

Tarin stopped speaking and grinned, moving to stand by his fiancé, “I told him that I know better than to speak for you.”