He doesn't know what to make of it, beyond the fact that he's worried about it. The details feel almost a bit too real, and he wants to do something about it, but how do you do something about it? How do you say to someone hey, maybe don't go to X location on this day and not be able to truly tell them why?
So he doesn't say anything to Luke about seeing him get stabbed at a specific bar on a specific day in a bloody dream because he's trying not to scare the guy off. The guy he likes quite a bit. The guy he's starting to hope might be more than a friend at some point.
Still, he can't just do nothing, which is why he finds himself downtown, late at night, alone, in a far too expensive suit and shoes, looking for the Leaky Cauldron, a bar he's never been to.
As he rounds the corner to catch sight of the sign, he sees Luke reaching for the door and shouts before he can think better of it.]
( It isn't unheard of to get sight unseen referrals, especially when half is wired (or Venmo'd, if the cost is low) up front. He hasn't seen his client in person, but they want something legit. They use all the right language. This isn't some amateur, this is the real deal, so he holes himself up in the campus lab for a few days to get things exactly right. It comes at the expense of a first date with a handsome British lawyer, but he seems to be begged off with honor and aplomb. He always liked men that can keep up. And understand. And it stops him from going a little too raunch a little too early. He doesn't deserve the Grindr treatment.
So, he makes plans later in the week. Real reservations. And he never makes reservations. That's how you know it's real.
The bar's on the nose for a client drop-off, The Leaky Cauldron, but he finds the less high profile the client, the more obvious the meet. Shep sources the code, the email, and the phone number. He doesn't ask questions, only does the favor. Maybe it's a Parker thing. He could get used to sibling carte blanche. Or, he's getting a longer conversation at a later date. Either way, no red flags. No Jaqueline's or Sierra's attached or affiliated.
His hand comes to the handle of the front door when he hears a familiar accent call out to him. He turns immediately, a grin forming. He's happy about this coincidence (7) to understand the severity in his tone. )
Hey! ( His hand pulls back as he gives one look at the two doors before sprinting over to him. He always arrives early, so he has a little time. ) What a coincidence, I have to drop something off to a client, but then I'm all yours. Should you want me to be.
[He very much does want him to be, but that isn't the important thing right now. He tries to recover some of his charm, but he can't chase away all of the concern. All he can do is try to articulate this in a way that doesn't make it seem like he's losing his mind.]
This is going to sound very strange, but you can't go in there. Please don't ask me how I know because it's not going to make any sense, but it isn't safe.
( The charm and concern come through equally, but it's his words he can't ignore. Robin might be surprised how strange they don't sound, though. As if he's studying him, Luke's expression shifts.
He assesses (14), not asking to take his hand but doing so anyway. Can he siphon? Is Robin magic? Either way, he believes him. )
[There's something there. It's very faint, like the the barest residue of magic flowing through his blood. Whoever his witch ancestor is, they are far back in their family line.
Robin doesn't fight when Luke takes his hand, because he doesn't know anything about magic. He just keeps having these dreams, and the accompanying deja vu and he doesn't know what to make of them.]
Two men, maybe three. I saw the sign of the bar and then I saw you getting stabbed with something.
[Might as well be blunt with it, Luke wanted to know.]
( He takes into account he's in danger - from two or three men - but he also wants to suss out exactly where this is coming from. )
Had you seen me before we met on the train?
( He's not accusing him, just asking. Might be cuter if he was in this guy's mind before. But, he does look behind them -- (19) to scan the entrance, and through the front window into the bar. )
[He had said as much, when they met, but if he had, it had been nothing like this. Just a glimpse of a man's face in the window of the train. He rubs at his eyes as he takes a step back.]
There was a weird flash of light and then strange things were happening, but I had just gotten to New York, so I didn't think much of it. But ever since I've had these dreams and I don't know what to make of any of them.
[He blinks briefly, because that word doesn't make any sense.]
Not one of those new age, crystal and energy witches I take it?
[But the moment the question comes out, footsteps sound on the other side of the door - seems like Luke's "customers" have waited long enough for their prey to arrive and are starting to wonder what's taking so long.]
( This could go one of two ways, metaphorically, and he could get flirty, but the moment's cut off as Luke looks back again. )
Come on.
( He grabs his hand, the first physical touch the two of them made, and it feels right in his as, sweaty palms and all, he runs them to a nearby apartment building. He flashes his free hand across the buzzer: )Delictum.
( The buzzer sounds like someone's let them in and he swings the door open so Robin can get inside first, closing it behind them. Where to, now? )
[Robin's just along for the ride, but he can see the witches looking to follow and he assumes that they can do whatever spell he just did, so he just heads for the stairs of the walk up and starts to climb.]
You decided to warn me, so I must be that worth it, or you must have wanted to prove you weren't going crazy.
( Reaching the top floor, Luke turns to the stairwell, performing another spell. )
Repetere.
( Turning back, he takes Robin's hand in his again. )
If they come up the stairs, they'll end up back on the third floor. Until we can figure something out. You don't happen to know anyone that lives here, do you? Or the New York underground system? Any bootlegger-prohibition tunnel entrances nearby?
Given I've lived in New York all of six months, you should honestly be impressed that I managed to find you when all I had to go on was a fever dream and a bar logo.
[So no, he's not become intimately familiar with the inner workings of the history of New York City.]
Unfortunately you've got the wrong Blyth for that.
[He considers before taking out his phone and calling his sister. He can't promise she'll know something, but it is the kind of thing she would be into.
He puts it on speaker. The phone rings twice before she answers. "Where are you? Did you forget to tell me you had plans?"]
Ran into a bit of a hiccup. Quick question for you, do you know anything about secret passages around New York City?
["Why? Are you stuck somewhere? Are you on a treasure hunt? Robin, you promised you wouldn't do schticky tourist things without me!"]
Darling, it's a yes or no question.
[Maud sighs dramatically. "Let me grab my laptop. Where are you?"]
An apartment on Broadway. Three floors up. Four or five buildings away from the Leaky Cauldron on the opposite side of the street. I think to the East. But, don't quote me on that.
( That he can answer. Even from the very little he's said, though, he loves Maud.)
["Oooh, is that the boy? How intriguing." Maud shifts and there's the sound of typing as she speaks. "Remember the rule about bringing dates back to the apartment."]
Darling sister, you are not helping.
["I never strive to. Alright, I am sending you a map. The red X's are the entrances you're looking for. Have fun. Don't do anything that I wouldn't do."]
Who's the older sibling here?
["And yet you never act like it. Love you." And with that he hangs up, followed by a buzz as the text message comes through. He pulls up the map, and sighs.]
Alright, it looks like we have to go back to street level, but there's a tunnel entrance two buildings down.
( Luke and his sister are the same type of bulls-in-a-chinashop, so as much as he'd like to keep it stealthy, he's more about speed than stealth, trying his "best," (9) but, the echo of the stairwell isn't easy to mask. )
[Luke is not much quieter (11) - he has not spent a lot of his life sneaking around places or trying to go unseen, so he is just average at it. Fortunately for them, as they move down past the first few goons, they are able to go unnoticed (5). At least for now.
There's three of them on that first level, sniffing around at the edges of Luke's spell. "He's gotta be here somewhere."
"Maybe we should just let him go. If he's on the run then problem solved right? I don't want to be stuck in a maze all fucking night."
"Do you want to go back to Mr. Harper and tell him we let the Gemini Witch slip through our fucking fingers? Because I sure don't."
Robin doesn't know what any of that means, but he'll just keep following Luke's lead. Stealth round two, go!]
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everyonelives2025-07-26 07:05 pm
robin & luke | new york city
He doesn't know what to make of it, beyond the fact that he's worried about it. The details feel almost a bit too real, and he wants to do something about it, but how do you do something about it? How do you say to someone hey, maybe don't go to X location on this day and not be able to truly tell them why?
So he doesn't say anything to Luke about seeing him get stabbed at a specific bar on a specific day in a bloody dream because he's trying not to scare the guy off. The guy he likes quite a bit. The guy he's starting to hope might be more than a friend at some point.
Still, he can't just do nothing, which is why he finds himself downtown, late at night, alone, in a far too expensive suit and shoes, looking for the Leaky Cauldron, a bar he's never been to.
As he rounds the corner to catch sight of the sign, he sees Luke reaching for the door and shouts before he can think better of it.]
Luke! Wait.
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So, he makes plans later in the week. Real reservations. And he never makes reservations. That's how you know it's real.
The bar's on the nose for a client drop-off, The Leaky Cauldron, but he finds the less high profile the client, the more obvious the meet. Shep sources the code, the email, and the phone number. He doesn't ask questions, only does the favor. Maybe it's a Parker thing. He could get used to sibling carte blanche. Or, he's getting a longer conversation at a later date. Either way, no red flags. No Jaqueline's or Sierra's attached or affiliated.
His hand comes to the handle of the front door when he hears a familiar accent call out to him. He turns immediately, a grin forming. He's happy about this coincidence (7) to understand the severity in his tone. )
Hey! ( His hand pulls back as he gives one look at the two doors before sprinting over to him. He always arrives early, so he has a little time. ) What a coincidence, I have to drop something off to a client, but then I'm all yours. Should you want me to be.
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This is going to sound very strange, but you can't go in there. Please don't ask me how I know because it's not going to make any sense, but it isn't safe.
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He assesses (14), not asking to take his hand but doing so anyway. Can he siphon? Is Robin magic? Either way, he believes him. )
What did you see?
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Robin doesn't fight when Luke takes his hand, because he doesn't know anything about magic. He just keeps having these dreams, and the accompanying deja vu and he doesn't know what to make of them.]
Two men, maybe three. I saw the sign of the bar and then I saw you getting stabbed with something.
[Might as well be blunt with it, Luke wanted to know.]
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( He takes into account he's in danger - from two or three men - but he also wants to suss out exactly where this is coming from. )
Had you seen me before we met on the train?
( He's not accusing him, just asking. Might be cuter if he was in this guy's mind before. But, he does look behind them -- (19) to scan the entrance, and through the front window into the bar. )
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[He had said as much, when they met, but if he had, it had been nothing like this. Just a glimpse of a man's face in the window of the train. He rubs at his eyes as he takes a step back.]
There was a weird flash of light and then strange things were happening, but I had just gotten to New York, so I didn't think much of it. But ever since I've had these dreams and I don't know what to make of any of them.
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( He looks back at Robin, then, unable to see anything. Maybe they're inside waiting. With his luck, hopefully. )
And you've been flirting with a witch. Since we're putting everything out on the table.
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[He blinks briefly, because that word doesn't make any sense.]
Not one of those new age, crystal and energy witches I take it?
[But the moment the question comes out, footsteps sound on the other side of the door - seems like Luke's "customers" have waited long enough for their prey to arrive and are starting to wonder what's taking so long.]
Later. We have to go.
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( This could go one of two ways, metaphorically, and he could get flirty, but the moment's cut off as Luke looks back again. )
Come on.
( He grabs his hand, the first physical touch the two of them made, and it feels right in his as, sweaty palms and all, he runs them to a nearby apartment building. He flashes his free hand across the buzzer: ) Delictum.
( The buzzer sounds like someone's let them in and he swings the door open so Robin can get inside first, closing it behind them. Where to, now? )
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So you're saying that magic is real?
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( Luke climbs behind him, putting distance between him and the witches who are after them. )
They are after me, so, I'm sorry.
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[He keeps moving up the stairs, trying not to let his thoughts spiral out of control in terms of the fact that magic is real.]
I spent far too long debating on whether you'd think I was losing my mind.
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( Reaching the top floor, Luke turns to the stairwell, performing another spell. )
Repetere.
( Turning back, he takes Robin's hand in his again. )
If they come up the stairs, they'll end up back on the third floor. Until we can figure something out. You don't happen to know anyone that lives here, do you? Or the New York underground system? Any bootlegger-prohibition tunnel entrances nearby?
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[So no, he's not become intimately familiar with the inner workings of the history of New York City.]
Unfortunately you've got the wrong Blyth for that.
[Maud would know the answer to that question.]
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( Maybe they could phone a friend. )
I never bet great odds on my Who Wants to Be A Millionaire tenure, but I have personality for days. And magic.
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He puts it on speaker. The phone rings twice before she answers. "Where are you? Did you forget to tell me you had plans?"]
Ran into a bit of a hiccup. Quick question for you, do you know anything about secret passages around New York City?
["Why? Are you stuck somewhere? Are you on a treasure hunt? Robin, you promised you wouldn't do schticky tourist things without me!"]
Darling, it's a yes or no question.
[Maud sighs dramatically. "Let me grab my laptop. Where are you?"]
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( That he can answer. Even from the very little he's said, though, he loves Maud.)
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Darling sister, you are not helping.
["I never strive to. Alright, I am sending you a map. The red X's are the entrances you're looking for. Have fun. Don't do anything that I wouldn't do."]
Who's the older sibling here?
["And yet you never act like it. Love you." And with that he hangs up, followed by a buzz as the text message comes through. He pulls up the map, and sighs.]
Alright, it looks like we have to go back to street level, but there's a tunnel entrance two buildings down.
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( And an out-of-town-sister who crashes, but she is in Baltimore, on a case. He thinks. Also, not the time, he knows. )
I like her.
( Also not the time. )
How very National Treasure. ( He knew she'd come through. ) What's your fighting weight?
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[Boxing as his recreational activity of choice may finally pay off, though he would prefer not to do it in dress shoes.]
If they have magic can punching them do much good?
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( Which begs a later question of what might not be human. )
But let's see if we can get out without running into them. Avoid fisticuffs.
( He heads to the other end of the hallway, checking the elevator numbers and finding a back staircase. )
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Stealth checks, please.]
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There's three of them on that first level, sniffing around at the edges of Luke's spell. "He's gotta be here somewhere."
"Maybe we should just let him go. If he's on the run then problem solved right? I don't want to be stuck in a maze all fucking night."
"Do you want to go back to Mr. Harper and tell him we let the Gemini Witch slip through our fucking fingers? Because I sure don't."
Robin doesn't know what any of that means, but he'll just keep following Luke's lead. Stealth round two, go!]
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