“I weep for you, in some ways.” came a voice from behind her. Mandy stopped to turn around. She had been in a hurry to get to her vehicle due tot he fact it was raining, and only getting harder as time went on, but the statement reeked of a potential stalker. On the defensive, she took a good look at the man who spoke. He was tall, maybe a little over six feet, though she couldn’t guess at weight, though she did note that he was on the muscular side. Details beyond that were hard due to the rain.
“Do I know you?” she asked, raising her voice to be above that of the rain. He took a step toward her, and brushed away the strands of wet hair hanging in front of her face.
“No.” he replied, though he gave a small smile. “But I have seen you. Glimpses of your past as well as your potential future…” he tsked.
Dark hair, with a touch of grey. Eyes that were brown, or maybe an odd shade of green. A pendant she didn’t get a better look at. She took three streps backward. “Leave me alone.” she said and quickly jogged off. She heard his voice calling after her.
“You’re an experiment, you know.” he had said. “You mean nothing more than that to them.”
She quickened her pace, looking over her shoulder once to make sure he wasn’t following her. Quickly, she unlocked and climbed into her car. She was soaked, and wanted nothing more than to find a place of security and safety, as quickly as possible. Something seemed weird to her about that guy. There was a sense of otherness there, and it wasn’t something she wanted to mess with. Fearing he might come up and bang on her car windows like a crazy person in a movie, she started the car and then locked the doors and drove, following traffic so as to lessen turns that would take too long.
She ended up finding herself in the area of the luxury hotel where Brandon made his home, and decided to head there. She found what she felt was a safe area to park and headed into the building. There were looks of disapproval at her sodden state, but she didn’t care, and simply headed straight for the elevator bank. It wasn’t until the doors were closed and the elevator started moving that she allowed herself to ease down a bit.
The ride itself wasn’t quite express – it stopped several floors up, and opened up onto a man that looked to be the age of an average college student, but with what had happened already, she was wary. He looked startled, maybe even surprised to see her. She just waited for him to get one so that she could continue her way to safety. He just stood there, however, not moving until the doors started to close. He quickly reached out a hand to stop them from closing, and she flinched.
“I know you…I know your face. You’re the acclaimed Ms. Winchester, are you not?”She just looked at him in response, really not up for a q and a session right now. He continued. “If you’re here to see Brandon, I’m afraid he has much on his mind. Might I be of assistance?”
“I don’t know you.”
“No. You’re quite right there. But Brandon was to introduce us, and things have been in the way. Please, step off? I can explain more and then you can be on your way if you like.”
She was debating it when he reached for something tucked into a back pocket. “I thought something interstellar might happen when I had the prescience to grab this.” he said, holding out a hand sized towel. “Now I see it was meant for you.”
Intrigued, she took the towel offered to her and stepped out of the elevator and into the hallway there on the seventh floor. She patted her face dry, then tousled her hair with it in an effort to get it less drippy, if nothing else. “Thank you.” she said, handing it back.
“Oh, fer sure.” he said, taking it back and folding it neatly in half before hanging it out of his back pocket again.
“I’ll be blunt – why am I supposed to be introduced to you?”
“I’m here to help teach you.”
“Teach me what?”
“Expansion of the mind.” he said, which only caused her further puzzlement. He gestured for her to follows him, and after a moment, she did, stopping just outside the door. he paused, and gave a light rat-a-tat-tat at the door before slipping in the keycard and holding the door for her. She entered, and took a look around the basic suite while he entered and closed the door.
“Don’t mind the webs.” he sais, moving over to clear off a chair for her.
“I don’t see any webs?”
“Not out here. In here.” he said, pointing to his head. “I can be a bit jumbled at times, so please just have patience – the spiders and butterflies are on the move and I’m a touch preoccupied.”
“I…ok?” she said, feeling helpless, wondering if she’d made a smart choice.
He cleared of the other chair and sat down. “I know you don’t know much, but my clan is known for their touch of insanity. Some of us have a gift for prophecy. Which brings me to what I am to teach you – Auspex.”
“Oh. I’ve been struggling a little with that one.”
“So it is, so it is. But that’s why I’m here to help. I don’t think Brandon’s mentioned it to anyone yet though.”
“I hate to say it but..”
“..it sounds like him?” he nodded, the both of them having spoke at the same time.
“Well….if he’s ok with you teaching me, then I don’t mind.”
“Good. Now for the more distressing news. Oh…oh! Don’t panic.” he said, noting the look of concern. “It’s just a warning, but nothing dire. I can’t give you all the details you want, please know that, but there’s someone out there that wants to mess you with. I don’t know if it’s out of boredom or malice, but be careful.”
“I think I may have already run into them. He told me I was an experiment.”
“Don’t let him get to you. It’s nothing of note now, and others will become aware of it soon.” he paused, looking thoughtful. The more he lapsed into thought, the more he began to sway slightly, in a fashion that vaguely reminded her of a metronome. She was beginning to wonder if she should leave, when he spoke again.
“I just realized I didn’t give you my name. I’m Rob.” he said, standing up to check first his pockets, then the small desk for something. After a moment, he walked over, handing her a scrap of paper containing a phone number.
“In a way, you are, you know.” he said as he handed it to her.
“Am what? An experiment?”
He nodded. “Don’t get angry though. Endrik’s just a new Dad not sure how to raise you right.”
“That’s an interesting way of putting things.”
“But not an unparalleled metaphor, either. Humans don’t know how to raise their kids right either, at least not the first ones. So it’s kind of a trial and error thing, see? He wants to see you suceed where other may have failed.”
“How…how much do you know about him?”
“Me? Not a damn thing. But I get impressions…whispers…from this web in my head.” he said, motioning around his head as he spoke. “I am relaying those thoughts into a way I hope you can understand.”
“I’ll try to keep it in mind.”
“Oh, and stand up for yourself. If your pack does something you don’t like, I mean. Like the last minute surprises. ”
“Sometimes I think when I talk, they have that ‘oh, isn’t it cute?’ sort of mentality.”
“Maybe. Maybe you’re just young. But if they don’t listen…take a page out of Coyote’s book.” at the lost expression on her face, he tried again. “Loki?”
“Oh!” she said, understanding. “You’re speaking of tricksters.”
“Yes! Exactly!” he said,s lapping his knee with glee. “See, the point of a trickster, is to play pranks, yes? But not these dumb pranks you see all over YouTube. Pranks to teach a lesson, to make a point.”
“Make them sit up and listen.”
“Yes, exactly!” he said, again, delighted. “Damn but they’re right to be impressed by you.”
“They are?”
He nodded. “And excited for your prospects. But don’t let them keep the reins on your leash, ok?”
“Okay.” she said, finally smiling.
“Man, but you have the prettiest smile.” he said, reaching down for her hand.She took it, and he helped her up. “I won’t keep you. It should be alright for you to go home. Go rest, go dry off. Then, next time you make a public appearance, do me a favor.”
“What’s that?”
“Be stunning, as only you can be.”
“Why do I have the feeling you know something I don’t?” she asked.
He tapped his head. “I don’t, remember?”
“Right.” she said, then headed for the door. “It was nice meeting you, Rob.”
“Wonderful to meet you, Mandy my dear.” he said, opening the door for her.
“Are you sure you don’t know anything?” she asked, having felt the need to make a last attempt. He nodded and bad goodnight, whistling a tune as he closed the door. It sounded familiar, and it was bugging her. She rode the elevator back down and headed to her car, waiting until she was there to use SoundHound to try and identify the song with his whistle, or humming, if need be. It took a bit, but she got a match – and she knew the song, too. Heaven Knows by The Pretty Reckless. She queued up the song to play for her on the way home, now feeling much better than she had earlier in the evening.