[Central Park] Turn Into Earth

James watched the city bellow buzz from observatory penthouse of his apartment, nearly 780 feet in the air. The sound of honking cars and the sirens of emergency vehicles drifted up from the city below. Another restless night; he seldom got rest without his medication. His restless nights were haunted by a mix of visions and nightmares. He could rarely distinguish the between the two. This world was just a few steps away from cosmic apocalypse or becoming cosmically unbalanced by the actions of some asshole at least every other week it felt like. It felt like a siege. Conflict after conflict, wearing down at the resistance of those who protected this world for one reason or another. He savored a slow, contemplative drag from his cigarette, the ember glowing like a distant star in the morning darkness. He put it out before tossing it, the morning wind immediately caused it to vanish from his sight. He couldn't help but think perhaps it was all some sick twisted game for some entity pulling the strings from behind the scenes on a grander scale than the cosmic entities who already were playing their games. For a brief moment he considered how easy it would be to just jump and never have to worry about any of this again. He brushed the thought aside. He doubted his patrons would let him off that easily, and even if they did he knew deep down he didn't deserve to escape his suffering. Not to mention the earful he was going to get from his therapist for even considering the thought. A heavy sigh escaped him as he descended into the penthouse, the weight of his troubled thoughts evident. Kingston waited for him at the bottom of the stairs, his head cocking slightly before moving toward his master and licking his hand. James gave the lively Boxer a scratch of appreciation before moving on to his wardrobe closet further into the penthouse. He studied his collections of suits, considering which would wear today. He decided upon his navy blue suit with silver pinstripes, a black tie, a matching navy blue vest, and a light blue, button up, long sleeve shirt. He put on his watch, checking the time. He put a ring on his left hand pinkie finger and put his warded ring on his left middle finger. He considered for a long moment if he should take the Ring of Solomon with him. He generally avoided using it, preferring to keep it locked up. It was bound to draw attention if he wasn't cautious, but he didn't trust the Darkwatch. Put enough powerful practitioners in the same room, and someone's ego was bound to start causing issues. For all he knew, this was all an elaborate trap to finally arrest him. He had let his guard down to many times in the past. He wouldn't do it again. He didn't doubt they'd have some justifiable reason to do it if they knew half the things he had done.

The things his bosses asked him to do weren't always kind or heroic. Balance. That was the name of the game. At least that's the only rational assumption he could make based observable facts. Not that the entities he dealt with were rational by human standards. They were what they were, and their thoughts and motivations could rarely be taken at face value. He made his way to his vault, looking it over. Once of the few keep sakes from his time with the team and Aldo. It had been truly a task creating this with Aldo. He look at his watch again, eying the exact time. He closed his eyes and began chanting, summoning his staff briefly to help buffer the power he called upon. As he chanted he could feel every fiber of his being beginning to vibrate with power. The smell of ozone radiated from him as the spell completed. He envisioned the combination and began manipulating the puzzles into their correct solutions with precise telekinetic movements. It was a task, taking longer than he would have liked but that was part of the security. He opened his eyes as the vault opened, going in and retrieving the ring from its place. He slid the ring onto his left index finger. His finger moved as he did a quick chant in Egyptian, the ring faded from view hidden by his illusion. On his way out, he shifted one of those puzzles to the wrong solution causing the vault to close and the other puzzles to reset and change their solutions. With his things collected, James's focus shifted north. He could feel central park drawing him toward it. He hated when his patrons were vague. He couldn't prepare and he hated going into a situation without knowing what to expect. It left him vulnerable to unexpected surprises, and he hated that. Not that he wasn't good at improvisation. Regardless of his thoughts on the matter, he was sure whatever request they had for him would be explained in due time. He couldn't exactly fulfil his job without knowing what they exactly whoever was calling upon his services wanted. With Kingston in tow, he left the penthouse, going down his private elevator to first floor. He gave a nod to the concierge and doorman as he walked out. James couldn't help but wonder how much longer this place would last. Eventually he'd have to move again. He didn't like staying in one place for long. It made him a target. It was a shame. He rather liked the view. The cold morning breeze greeted him and Kingston as they made their way toward the subway, heading north toward the closest stop to Central Park. Once they arrived, James made his way deeper into the park, heading toward the Turtle Pond. He found the view there relaxing. It would be a good place to relax until whatever he was being drawn toward made itself apparent. He sat down on an empty bench overlooking the pond, a cool breeze coming from the pond, and began simply waiting. It wouldn't be long before whatever was supposed to happen would happen.