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Post by DornKoon on Sept 10, 2024 20:31:38 GMT
A rainy evening in Gotham. As so often was the case, sunny weather was a rare treat for the people of this city. The storage contained goods of an antique variety, figurines, jewels, and pieces of art glittering in the sparse light. A treasure trove would perhaps be an apt name in another place and another time. This was, however, not a trove but the preparation of an auction to be held in the following days. Each item was perfectly catalogued; most were not meant to be there, but here they were, to be sold to the highest bidder and never seen again, as that would cause... complications with the law. A worker, putting away a few antique knives, looked up and, for only the briefest moment, saw a face reflecting in the window—a beautiful yet terrible face with golden eyes and a smile curved in a playful grin. But it was gone within the span of a blink. The worker thought it must have been her imagination, moving on to make the knives ready for display. Yet, a spot previously empty was no longer so; when no one looked, a lamp had appeared—not from a portal, not from a cloud of smoke. It was just there between one moment and the other as if it had always been there. It was gold, decorated with the most precious of stones and pearls, shining more than any jewel... yet... a terrible stain marred it, could be sot? Or ink? It wasn't easy to tell without a closer look.  Another worker happened to pass, noticed the lamp... and, with a frown, began to look over a list of items. "Hey!" he called out, "I think we've missed an item; this one is not on the list!" |
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Post by lvsphinx on Sept 11, 2024 4:27:11 GMT
Alejandra was in the expansive storage room, unaccompanied by her usual entourage. She had both coerced and bribed the owner of the auction house here to allow her to look through the various pieces and ware that would be up for auction later, giving Alejandra a sneak peek of what was available for purchase. She didn't like to admit it, but Alejandra had a small weakness for fine art, and liked converting some of her assets into art and gold. She wasn't sure how long she would be in Gotham, but aside from the head of her eventual target, she would be leaving with souvenirs.
As Alejandra perused the antiques and paintings, the glittering of gold caught her eye. Alejandra felt certain that such a mesmerizing and memorable piece wasn't there a few moments ago, and yet, there it was, on top of another antique. For now, she had done her best to stay out of the auction workers' way while going through the items, but the lamp stopped her in her tracks for some reason. It felt like it almost called to her.
"Then you don't have to worry about it," said Alejandra, placing a firm hand on the man's shoulder and pulling him aside, walking towards the lamp. Her gaze was nearly transfixed on it now, a smile crossing her lips as she appreciated the work that must've went into an eye-catching piece, each gleaming inlaid gem a small treasure its own right. Yet, for some reason, Alejandra could see there was some sort of stain or tarnish on the lamp. Normally, she wouldn't have cared all too much, but this lamp felt special. It had to be, if it were here.
Alejandra picked up the lamp, and, ignoring the man she had just moved aside, rubbed the stain, lightly at first, then more vigorously.
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Post by DornKoon on Sept 11, 2024 6:28:17 GMT
At first, nothing happened as the lamp was gently rubbed, and not right away when Alejandra did so more vigorously.
A stream of mist began to pour out of the spout, and the lamp became slightly warm to the touch. It stopped as quickly as it had begun, and the mist disappeared into nothing as several people stared at it. Silence followed...
"This is what I get for hoping for a little time to myself."
A man was sitting on one of the shelves, dressed in a simple pair of black jeans and a white button-up shirt with short sleeves. His skin was tanned, and his physique was strapping. Apart from the oddly coloured eyes, which had a slightly golden hue, like molten gold swirling inside them, he could be from the Middle East. As soon as anyone raised a weapon towards him, the man was gone... the spot was as empty as before; funnily enough, the person behind pulling the weapon would find themselves holding a stalk of leek instead.
"It's a little crowded here," This time, the man was a few feet behind Alejandra. He let out a sigh before clearing his throat. "Suppose I need to do this the right way..." he muttered before turning his eyes right at Alejandra, focusing on her with his piercing gaze, before bowing gracefully. "Greetings, Master." Now, how would everyone present react? That was the question. Sure, this lady had the lamp and was currently Master, but who could say if others did not connect the dots and seek to eliminate her to get at the lamp themselves?
He'd seen it many times before...
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Post by lvsphinx on Sept 11, 2024 6:59:51 GMT
Alejandra's gaze narrowed at the lamp when smoke started issuing from it, batting away the protests and hands of the auction worker with her free hand. As it warmed up, Alejandra did not let go. On the contrary, her grip tightened, for some reason not entirely known by Alejandra. Certainly, greed was a familiar feeling, but over this lamp? Why?
Her head immediately turned to the voice, her fist starting to smolder on instinct. Her eyes widened in surprise at the sudden new presence. The man was strikingly handsome, but Alejandra did not appreciate that, though she would admit that his eyes were captivating. She blinked when he seemingly disappeared away from the auction worker who tried to apprehend him, cocking her head in confusion at the leek in the worker's hand. Upon hearing the voice again behind her, she almost jumped, spinning on the spot and almost throwing a fist at the man's face. But she paused.
That piercing gaze made her step back a bit. She wasn't prepared for those eyes. ""Master"?" She turned around to look at the other people in the room, almost a smirk on her face until she saw it. Those covetous glints in the other people's eyes. The tense feeling of shared greed. Alejandra clutched the lamp close to her chest with one hand. The other hand glowing red-orange as it shifted into molten earth, lava starting to drip from her fingertips. "The work here is over. You're leaving now. One way or another," she said aloud to everyone except the newcomer, threat clear in her tone. Either these people would leave, or Alejandra would have to create some ashes.
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Post by DornKoon on Sept 11, 2024 7:19:44 GMT
The tension was so muscular you couldn't cut it. Aladdin curiously watched the workers, some with their hands at their weapons. They were all thugs; no person with a clean slate would work at a dingy black auction. Yet, it did seem his new Master was a woman not to mess with, a mutant perhaps?
Slowly, hesitantly, people started to back away. They did not want to mess with her, but it was clear from their eyes that they would not forget what they had seen. The greed was there, the wishes for riches... so intense that Aladdin could feel it, almost see it.
"Nicely done," Aladdin said, giving a small applaud. "I've seen bloodbath start for less, believe me." He reached out and picked up a random object from a shelf, turning it over with a curious hmmm. "Not seen this many knickknacks and dodads since the burial of Ramses the second." He dropped the trinket back onto the shelf. "I was forced from my suite in Ibiza for this, oh boy. I was just about to..."
He shook his head.
"Nevermind. So, Master... looks like you've just won the jackpot. This is how it works: three wishes: I can't alter the heart, I can't kill someone for you, not directly, and if you wish me to return someone from the dead... don't; it never turns out how you think. My Aunt already scolded me for it, and let me tell you, when Death is angry, she is not fun. You don't want her here, I don't want her here." He raised his hand as if counting, with the tone of someone who had said this a million times over. "oh, and no wishes for more wishes, I'm sure you've seen the Disney movie... should give you the right idea. You get all that, Master?"
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Post by lvsphinx on Sept 11, 2024 7:48:04 GMT
Alejandra's mind was spinning. She was already halfway convinced that this was some metahuman playing some sort of ruse to...capture her? Trick her for...what exactly? She wasn't sure of a motive, but she certainly wasn't taking the man's words at face value. "Qué chingados?"
She was half-listening to the rules, her gaze occasionally darting to one of the armed men. She wasn't sure why she was so tense. With a few moves, the workers here would be charred corpses, though the bullets could be a problem. With that thought in mind, Alejandra set down the lamp, for now. The red-orange glow crawled up her arm, covering it before soon enveloping her entire body as she shifted into her magma form. Her clothes burned away as she transformed, and she started searing marks into the floor. She was a little annoyed that these workers hadn't left yet.
"Yeah, I understand," she said in reply to the mysterious man, her gaze now fixed on the armed thugs. "Just one second." She took one step towards them, and away from the lamp, almost baiting them. "Try and take it. Fucking. Try it."
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Post by DornKoon on Sept 11, 2024 8:57:32 GMT
"Oh yeah, go on, try it," said Aladdin with an off-handed wave, having found himself in the boxes with refreshments that were going to be served to guests of the upcoming auction. "Caviar, how nice, and Russian sturgeon too, not bad." He casually picked up a tin with caviar. Now, what else did they have to go along with it? Some nice crackers... yes, that would do nicely. Was that a bottle of champagne? These mobsters knew how to party it up, but looking at the wares, they seemed there would be more valuable things passing hands before long.
The tension continued to mount; arms shook slightly, guns trained on Alejandra...
All it took was one person to make a move, wrong or otherwise.
One of them suddenly made a b-line towards the lamp, firing several shots towards Alejandra, and that started a chain reaction... several others also pulled their triggers, and one also shot the first guy in the back, causing him to fall forward onto the floor.
Meanwhile, Aladdin poured some champagne and casually snacked on crackers with caviar on, seemingly oblivious to the firefight that just started behind him. He only raised a hand to deflect a few stray bullets with magic, causing them to melt and fall to the floor. Not that he was worried about mortal weapons, but this was a new shirt... he would hate to ruin it.
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Post by lvsphinx on Sept 11, 2024 9:33:02 GMT
A wicked smile flashed across Alejandra's face, actually glad that her full magma form didn't scare them off. This was why she transformed. The bullets embedded themselves into Alejandra's body, cracking the magma but not penetrating it, now stuck to her torso but harmless. She smirked when she saw the first man to rush and shoot her get shot in the back himself.
Alejandra quickly lunged towards the second thug, the one closest to the lamp other than her. She grabbed his head with one hand, ignoring his screams as she squeezed, turning the top of his skull into a bloody pulp. Smiling a bit too widely, she then turned to a third man, unfazed by the bullets as he fired them repeatedly into her body. She formed a glob of lava between her hands before sharply throwing it at the man's legs, wanting the molten earth to cover and sear them. As she worked on this man, another one took his opportunity to dart straight for the lamp!
Alejandra would grab him from behind by the shoulders, and using her superhuman strength in this form, pulled apart her third victim like she was trying to tear through a wall, like through string cheese. She ignored the sprays of blood from him, his screams of abject agony. This was just like sicario work for Alejandra. This was easy.
"'Ey...What's your name?" she asked aloud, finally turning her head to the mysterious man once more, taking a break from her defense of the lamp. She wasn't paying attention to any of the other thugs anymore right now; she figured that she had made her point with three bodies. If they wanted more bloodshed, she would only be happy to provide.
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Post by DornKoon on Sept 11, 2024 9:57:53 GMT
It was not such a big surprise that, as three people died, the rest had to rethink their position and weigh their greed against their survival. A few had already booked it and escaped from the building, together with most of the workers.
"I've been called many things, Master." Aladdin replied, "The Djinn, Efreet, Ifrit, Child of Desire. But you can call me Aladdin, as that is my name." He waved a cracker as he spoke before taking a bite. Even after all these centuries, it still felt odd to use a name; he'd spent most of his eternity with a title and no identity. " And it looks like they all decided to leave..." He motioned to the room, and indeed, it looked like those who had been sticking around thought better of it and ran... leaving the two alone in the room. "I had hoped they'd last a little longer, oh well."
Aladdin strolled over to where the lamp was, but he did not touch it and instead turned to look at Alejandra.
"Anyway, where were we? Yes, I just told you the rules. Pop-quiz, what did I tell you?" He wanted to be sure she had listened to him when he told the rules because he disliked explaining them more than once. Still, she looked like a sharp enough person.
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Post by lvsphinx on Sept 11, 2024 10:22:42 GMT
Alejandra kept her guard up until she watched the last of the workers flee out of sight. Once the two of them were alone, she surveyed the scene she had created. Two bloody corpses and a half-burning man. At least none of the artwork got damaged; most of the bullets had hit Alejandra.
"Fucking "Aladdin"," she says with a scoff. "Like the fucking Disney movie? Are you fucking with me?" Despite her cursing, Alejandra wasn't angry. She was actually smiling somewhat, genuinely enjoying what she thought was a joke, having successfully defended her new prize. She walked over to the caviar, gave Aladdin a look up and down, and took some with a cracker, quickly bringing it to her mouth. "I've never had caviar before," she explained, not shifting out of her magma form just yet.
"Impressive powers. Are you also a mutant?" she asked, watching Aladdin carefully, unsure why he hadn't moved to take the lamp yet. She still felt that strange possessiveness over that lamp, but for some reason, didn't feel threatened by Aladdin being there. "Right, your rules."
"Umm...One, you cannot alter the heart, whatever that means. Two, you cannot wish someone dead. Three, you cannot wish for someone to come back from the dead. Four, you cannot wish for more wishes. Now, if I got all that right, tell me," she crossed her arms, a serious expression on her face. "What is Ibiza like? I've never been."
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Post by DornKoon on Sept 11, 2024 10:44:43 GMT
"Yes," Aladdin replied, ignoring the scoff. "Robin Williams was brilliant as the genie, inspiring. However, Aladdin was Chinese, not Arabian. There was an evil sorcerer, but he was not nearly as cool as Jafar." He did not go into why he was now called Aladdin, but his way of telling it did reveal he was not Aladdin from the story.
He examined her as she joined him for caviar, as she asked if he was a mutant, to which he shook his head. "No, I'm not. I'm The Djinn, so I don't think I've got anything like a race or species." He replied, "My father is The Smokeless Fire, which is a whole complication, but let's say a living star for simplicity's sake, and my mother is Desire, one of seven siblings that representations powerful natural forces, which was why I mentioned my Aunt." He took a sip from the champagne, giving Alejandra time to take all that in because it tended to be a lot if she was even willing to believe it... that also happened. "And you got it, those are the rules, other than that, go nuts. Well, not too nuts, for your sake, more than mine. Last time someone went nuts, it resulted in the death of 50% of Europe."
At the question of Ibiza, Aladdin tapped his chin a few times.
"It's nice, warm, sweet beach, and the food is to die for. I have a very nice suite at one of the best hotels and was getting back from a particularly intense evening when my mother showed up," His face darkened slightly at the mention of Desire. " And they stole my lamp and poofed it away, and here we are." So much for that vacation, but such was his lot in life, and not like it was the first time... still... he did need to pop back and pay for the room.
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Post by lvsphinx on Sept 11, 2024 18:50:24 GMT
Alejandra listened intently to Aladdin as he spoke, sincerely interested in the enigmatic man. This experience was a lot to take in. To her, a random stranger had just appeared and offered wishes right before she fought over an antique, instead of just buying the piece the next day. She had confused herself, with her brief possession by greed, a feeling that still simmered every time she looked at the lamp. She took note of the names that had no meaning to her. "The Smokeless Fire"? "Desire"? As far as Alejandra knew, those sounded like superhero names or some other metahuman aliases. She didn't yet comprehend the supernatural forces Aladdin spoke of.
"Nice, warm beaches, huh?" Ideas rolled around in her head, the woman wondering why Aladdin hadn't simply left himself yet. He had called her "Master". Alejandra was still skeptical; she had to try it.
"I'm sorry your vacation got cut short, but since you're here..." She took a breath, feeling a little self-conscious actually saying the words aloud. "I wish...I wish I knew who is responsible for ousting my cartel from Gotham," she said, almost to herself, wishing for the one thing that had dominated her thoughts the past several days.
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Post by DornKoon on Sept 11, 2024 22:19:09 GMT
Aladdin watched her keenly as the wish word left her lips, and once she finished the sentence:
"Your wish, my command," The Djinn raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Instantly, Alejandra saw how her shadow began to grow and distort—a silhouette formed from it, covering most of the nearby wall. A slightly disfigured figure with a sharp nose, holding an umbrella, accompanied by a most recognisable laugh. "I believe his name is Oswald Cobblepot, but more commonly known as..." Should she wish to do so, he left for her to finish that.
"There you have it, now you know--" Aladdin said as the vision faded, shadow returning to normal. " And your first wish has been granted; two more left." He finished the cracker before collecting another two tins of caviar, letting them slide into one of his sleeves... where they vanished without a trace; if he was to be here, he planned to get something from it all, and expensive caviar seemed reasonable enough.
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Post by lvsphinx on Sept 12, 2024 1:44:16 GMT
Alejandra watched her shadow form into another silhouette, arching a brow at the continued use of magic. The longer they interacted, the harder it was to believe that Aladdin was simply another metahuman. She frowned as Cobblepot's laugh filled the room, the woman was feeling as though he were here taunting her.
"The Penguin." She nearly growled the name out. She was, of course, aware of him. The man had established himself as the de facto #1 crime boss in Gotham, with the other criminal families and gangs having been pushed to the side. Alejandra would admit that she had underestimated Gotham's underworld at first, but now that she knew that the Penguin was behind her men's slaughter, she wouldn't make the same mistake twice.
Her body finally started to cool down, not having anything to burn. She took the lamp again, and held it close to her chest as she shifted back into her normal form, almost cradling it like a newborn babe. "So, about the lamp. Your lamp. Can you defend it from other people? Will you defend it? Or, do I have to play guard dog all the time? How free are you to come and go?"
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Post by DornKoon on Sept 12, 2024 8:51:08 GMT
His new Master seemed like a woman with a lot of temper, and it showed itself in an equally, if not hotter, form. The Djinn could appreciate that; he was also a creature of fiery passions—well, maybe not anger, but fire could be so many things. Gotham City, what a dump. He always wondered why anyone would freely live there. He certainly could never stand all the rain, psychopaths, and masked vigilantes.
Aladdin turned towards Alejandra when she asked about the lamp; he could understand why she was cautious.
"I cannot," he replied, deciding on the direct approach. "You can wish me to keep it safe, but that would waste a wish. Without that, it would be impossible for me to defend it. You see-" He tried to figure out how to explain it. "Have you watched Lord of the Rings? It's like the One Ring; it has a will but not a mind you can talk with. It wants to be found, tempts others with the promise of riches, power." Aladdin glared at the Lamp before looking at Alejandra. " And since I was given my name, I can be outside the Lamp, even if I do not have a Master. This is a freedom I did not have for a long time. Before that, I was sealed inside whenever the Lamp did not have a Master. The small blessings, I suppose."
He tossed the glass to the side, ignoring it as it shattered on the floor close to one of the smoking corpses.
"But-- I'll be honest, I do not much like the prospect of potential Masters in this city. Can you imagine if the Lamp would fall into the hands of someone like The Scarecrow or The Joker?" Aladdin had a sneaking suspicion that it might have been a reason why the Lamp came to Gotham, why Desire sent it there. It was one of the most dangerous places on earth where such an object should turn up, and even worse... word had most likely already started to spread from those that escaped.
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