Halloween At Rhiannon's
A New Orleans Magick story
by Tal Greywolf


I glanced up at the clock and sighed to myself.  Almost quitting time on a
Friday, payday to boot.  Add to that the fact that it was Halloween, then you
could tell what it was like in the office.

Everyone else was dressed up in some kind of costume for the day with the
exception of myself.  It wasn't that I didn't celebrate the holiday, far from
it.  It's just that I don't like the idea of costumes all that much.  Pretending
to be something you're not isn't exactly my cup of tea.

Still, I tolerated the ribbing I got from everyone else.  They were having fun,
and I certainly wasn't going to ruin it for them. Especially with what I was
going to be heading to once I was free of the slave pit I called work.

"Hey there, stranger."  That came from Ellen, one of the outside sales people,
and likely the only one who understood my feelings.  She wandered over and gave
me a hug as I was shutting down another system.

"And who's stranger than most?" I replied, giving her the usual comeback.  She
giggled and winked, twirling in place.  Her outfit was that of some harem
dancer, and she was one of the very few who could pull it off correctly, being a
member of a local bellydance troupe.

"Well, I had to at least come in and say hello," Ellen said gently. "I know how
this day is to you, Gregory, having to hide from all the other folks."

I shrugged.  "It's not exactly my best day, at least until later on this
evening."

"When you can be yourself and no one will know any better," she finished up.
"Still, I hope you do manage to enjoy yourself tonight."

That brought a smile to my lips.  "Definitely.  I've been invited to a small
gathering later on tonight, and I plan to relax and enjoy that."

"And since it's the weekend, if things happen to drag on into tomorrow, it's not
a problem, no?"  Ellen gave a saucy wink and smiled. "Well, I need to go here,
and so do you."

That made me eep softly.  "Aiee, it is!  See you later!"  I gave her a quick
kiss and grabbed my pack, and dashed out the door for the streetcar.

Thankfully traffic in downtown was heavy, making the RTA run behind schedule as
usual.  Just as I got to the corner of St. Charles and Poydras, a streetcar
pulled up, brakes squealing as it came to a rest. The doors creaked open,
tourists pouring out of the opening before the flow stopped and I could get on
board.  I showed my pass and walked to the back of the car, settling down for
the ride home.

---

There's something magical about New Orleans, and it's not merely the heritage
and the history of this old city.  This is a place where reality and fantasy
tend to collide and coexist in an uneasy peace. It's beliefs are Roman Catholic,
it's rituals hedonistic, it's way of life summed up in the words 'Let the Good
Times Roll.'  A city with it's share of problems, unemployment, housing blight,
crime and corruption, but putting on a glittering face to the rest of the world.

This is a place where Marie Laveau worked with politicians, where vampires
snicker at the works of Anne Rice, where elves walk down Bourbon St. with nary a
single notice.  The fantastic and the mundane walking side by side in a wild
tapestry that only those who live here can truly appreciate.

The scenery changed as the streetcar proceeded down the tracks, it's odd
syncopated rhythms lulling folks into trances.  Alongside drivers fought the
daily fights of driving on St. Charles Ave., the street much too small for two
lanes to move safely.  Joggers darted along the neutral ground where the
streetcars traveled, dodging both sets of vehicles with varying degrees of
success.

Soon I signaled for my stop, and the car slowed to allow me off. Lowerline, my
home for the last two years.  It wasn't a bad place, just a half block from St.
Charles, a short walk from Tulane University and the park.  I walked briskly to
a small building, converted into apartments by the owner, and went inside.

Once inside my apartment I relaxed.  The soft sounds of music drifted from the
next apartment over, and I gave a soft chuckle.  She was listening to Sting
again, 'Nothing Like the Sun.'  Give me 'Sister Moon' any day, and I'm happy
enough.

There was a message on the answering machine, and I punched the play button.
There was a crackle, then the voice of Rhiannon came from the speaker.

"Hi, Greg.  Just a reminder about the party tonight, it starts at 8pm.  Come as
you are, or as you aren't in your case."  There was a giggle, then her tone
turned serious.  "Just be here in time, ok?  I know there's a few folks showing
up that you don't get along with, but it is Samhain, and I want this to go off
without a hitch."

The machine clicked off, and I reset it.  Trust Rhiannon to remind me that there
were going to be a few folks who, for lack of a better term, were going to be
annoying.  At least she trusted my good sense on keeping stuff under control.

Still it was a question of what to go as tonight.  Attracting attention wouldn't
be a problem, not given some of what I already saw on the streetcar already.
Given the right look, no one would pay the least attention to me.

I thought about ideas all through my shower and dinner, then as the clock
chirped 7pm, I discarded most all of them.  "What the hell," I said to myself as
into the bedroom I went, slowly shifting my body.  A light orange and black fur
sprouted all over me, becoming a light coat. My arms and legs altered slightly
as well, taking on a feline look as my face pushed out slightly into a muzzle.
Whiskers twitched in the air as a low rumble came from my throat.  Behind me I
could feel a tail pushing it's way into the air, lashing back and forth as new
muscles formed to my wishes.  Finally I stood there, a morphic tiger in every
respect, and looked at myself.

"Not bad, not bad at all."  Rhiannon would like it, she always liked my feline
forms.  A few of the loups might have a problem with me, but I knew ways to deal
with that.  Most of the weres knew me personally, and many of those respected my
abilities.  It was the vampires and goths that would likely be the most trouble,
folks with very little common sense when it came to behavior.  Especially the
Anne Rice Lestat wanna-be's.

A formal outfit would be sensible for tonight, so I rummaged about in the closet
until I found what I was looking for.  During one of my regular hunts in the
Quarter, I found this traditional silk robe from Japan.  Embroidered with little
gold dragons, this would be perfect for the night.  Even allowed my tail a
little freedom to move, which would be needed.

I slipped it on, enjoying the feel of silk against fur and skin. Gods, you have
no idea how good it is, not unless you can enjoy it yourself.  Credit the
Japanese and Chinese for one thing, they could make clothing sensual and
enjoyable as well as concealing.

Stopping in the living room, I picked up some CDs to bring with me. Rhiannon I
know would love them as background music, a good mix of rock, celtic and jazz to
help keep the mood changing.  A pause to reset the alarms, then off I went to
catch the streetcar back to Rhiannon's place.

---

There's one thing good you can say about fur, and that's the fact that it feels
warm.  And warm was good, considering that it had been raining that morning, and
the air was already cooling down for the night.  And silk doesn't protect you
when the wind cuts through bringing the chill right to the skin.  The only good
was that the skies were clearing out, meaning the evening would be crisp and
cool.  A perfect night, even if it was a new moon instead of a full one.

Rhiannon's place was on Carrollton, midway between Maple and Oak. An old house,
it was partially shielded by a brick fence that surrounded the entire building.
Rhiannon once said the place was well over 100 years old, built when the area
was a separate town.  Most of her neighbors paid little attention to her or what
happened, merely thinking her a quiet if a tad eccentric.

I walked up the pathway and chuckled.  The porch was outfitted with candles and
pumpkins all carved in a variety of faces, and a large bowl of candy waited on a
small table.  Apparently Rhiannon never worried about kids coming and emptying
the entire bowl, and likely she had a spell set to make sure they only took a
small handful.  I passed two munchkins who grinned at me, looking at my form and
giggling.  I waited until they left, then knocked lightly on the door.

There was a few seconds of silence, then the door opened and a St. Pauli Girl
stood in the opening.  Rhiannon grinned, then before I could say anything, she
grabbed my head and proceeded to press it into the rather immense cleavage
showing at the top of her outfit.

I made a rather muffled sound, and definitely started feeling flustered.
Rhiannon giggled, and brought my head up to kiss me with no hesitation.

"I was beginning to think you weren't going to make it," she said as her way of
greeting me.  "But I'm glad you're here, Greg.  Come on in, you're the first
one."

I walked into the house, and Rhiannon nodded towards the living room.  "Most of
the party's going to be either in there or in the den, depending on how many
folks show.  And some folks likely will want to move out into the back yard."

"More than likely, knowing a few."  I chuckled and shook my head at her.  "Are
you going to greet everyone that way?"

Rhiannon laughed.  "No, but you know I love 'busting' you when I can."

I made a slightly rude comment that only brought more laughter from her.  "All
right, although I certainly can't complain about it.  So who else is going to be
here?"

Rhiannon paused and thought.  "A few of my circle, some others in the craft.
Hopefully Marsha and her friend, been wanting to see her again.  A few others
you might remember from events around town."

I nodded as I slipped one of my CDs into the player and started it up.  The
notes of 'Dead Man's Party' came from the speakers and Rhiannon grinned widely.

"Oh, you brought all the party ones?"  At my nod she rubbed her hands together.
"This is going to be good, I hope."

"Rhiannon?"

I turned to see a young lady standing in the doorway to the dining room.  She
looked perhaps 19 or 20, a slim oriental look with long black hair.  Immediately
I took a liking to her, there was something about her that tickled the back of
my mind.

Rhiannon turned around and waved her in.  "Come on in, Angie. Angie, this is
Gregory Marks, a very good friend of mine.  Greg, this is Angie Moreau, my new
student."

I smiled and bowed low to her.  "Greetings, Angie.  You're very lucky to be
taken as a student, Rhiannon's very particular on who she chooses to study
with."

Angie blushed a bit and giggled.  "I know, but I have been studying hard with
her, and hope to be as good as she is in magick."  She turned to Rhiannon and
looked a bit curious.  "Is Gregory the one you said I should talk with about
shapechanging?"

My ears twitched at that, and suddenly I was looking more intently at Angie.
There was something about her, something in her aura...

"Gregory's an expert at shapeshifting," Rhiannon said, giving me a sly wink.
"And I'm sure he'll find some time tonight to talk with you."

"Oh, I'd like that."  Angie smiled warmly, then suddenly gave a small eep.  "The
pitas!" she cried, and dashed back into the kitchen area.  I turned and looked
at Rhiannon, questions clearly written on my face.

"She's got the ability," Rhiannon said simply.  "Care to see what she normally
looks like?"

"Yes, I would."

Rhiannon went over to a bookcase, and pulled out a small picture album.  She
flipped it over to an image of her and another younger person, showing it to me.
"That's Angie normally."

I let out a low whistle.  The person in the picture was nearly as tall as
Rhiannon, with brown hair and about as well-endowed as Rhiannon was.  Lifting my
eyes from the picture, I chuckled.  "And she managed that?"

"All by herself."  Rhiannon looked rather pleased.  "It took her two days to
make all the changes, including looking less endowed.  But she did it without
any help."

My appraisal of Angie went up several notches.  If she could do all those
changes by herself, she could be capable of a whole lot more.  And if my guess
was right, Rhiannon would want me to be a teacher to her.

"Well, not an immediate teacher," Rhiannon said, surprising me. "But eventually.
I think you can tell she's got a lot of potential."

I looked back towards the kitchen, sensing Angie's aura.  "Quite a bit, both in
shapechanging and in magick.  The question is, does she have the dedication?"

Rhiannon nodded.  "She's got the dedication, sometimes a little too much.  Like
you when you're working on a problem, everything around you tends to fade to
nothingness."

I had to laugh at that.  I was rather single-minded when I had a problem by the
teeth.  "Ok, ok.  We'll talk about it later."

There was a knock at the door, and Rhiannon quickly kissed me. "Time for me to
be hostess, cutey," she said, giving me a saucy wink. "Just wait until after the
party."

---

Folks started trickling in slowly after that, and I soon was caught up in
greetings and general chatter.  Rhiannon greeted everyone personally at the
door, while Angie brought food and drink around to everyone.  I kept the music
playing, just loud enough to be heard but not so loud that conversations would
be drowned out.  At least Rhiannon had faith in my taste in music in that
respect, and I did bring the more relaxing and mood setting discs.

Angie kept coming by to make sure I was doing ok, and I really didn't blame her.
She'd often give me a warm smile, or a wink and I could tell she really wanted
to talk with me.

Me?  I settled down on the couch, making sure my tail was well out of the way,
and watched the processions.  Already most of Rhiannon's circle was present,
along with one or two people I hadn't seen before. Angie had brought me a coke,
and I started to take a sip when a familiar voice came from behind me.

<So, our hostess informed me you were here, and there you are.>

The language was German, and I turned around to see Henry Voss standing behind
me, a large hawk sitting on his shoulder.  I nearly jumped up out of the couch
and gave him a warm bearhug.

<Henry, you old fraud!  How are you?>

Henry shrugged, making the hawk fan it's wings.  <Well enough, and yourself?>

<Not too bad.  Working hard, as you no doubt know.  Who's the new familiar?>

Henry chuckled.  <Her name is Tara.  Tara, say hello to one of my older
students, Gregory.>

The hawk tilted her head at me, then gave an imitation of a bow.  I laughed
softly and shook my head as Henry lifted the hawk off his shoulder.

<Go sit on the perch our hostess provided for you, dear.>  The hawk blinked,
then flew over and settled on a large wooden perch in a corner. Henry gave a
small chuckle, and turned back towards me.  <And what do you think of her?>

I shook my head in amusement.  <I'm surprised you're getting away with this
one,> I replied.  <Normally the Council would have a cat.>

<They did.  But most of them understand my reasons.>  He smiled and waved his
hand towards the couch.  <Shall we sit and relax, and watch the others?>

<And would you two mind talking in a language everyone else here understands?>
That came from Rhiannon, shaking her head at the two of us.  "Now what am I
going to do with you?"

"Well, I could make a few suggestions," I commented, only to find Rhiannon
walking towards me with a glint in her eyes.  "But I'd rather stay in one piece,
thank you very much."

Henry chuckled, taking a drink from off a tray.  "Gregory, you always did have a
way with the ladies."

I snorted and sat back down on the couch.  "I do not.  I'm just a simple,
innocent person, that's all."

"You?  Innocent?"  Rhiannon tussled the top of my head.  "Since when, the
1800's?"

---

More folks arrived, the more unique and unusual of the night's celebrants.
Marsha Higgs arrived with her lover, the two already having morphed into partial
wolf shapes.  A year ago Marsha was having personal problems, and I helped
introduce her to a new pack that I knew of in town.  It was a good match, as
they took to her and she to them.

The music ended and I switched CDs again, then looked up as a couple entered
into the room.  The male was fairly rugged in his looks, while the female was
clearly middle-eastern in origin.  They both were making their way around, being
introduced by Rhiannon.

"Greg?  I want you to meet Andrew and Aluria Davis.  They're good friends of
mine, and rather special."

I smiled and nodded, giving Andrew a warm handshake.  "Hi there, I'm Gregory.
Or Greg for short."

Andrew gave me a measured look, then chuckled gently.  "Good to meet you, Greg.
This is my lady, Aluria."

"Pleased to meet a fellow spirit," she said gently, then gave me a very fluid
bow.  I coughed discreetly and shook my head at her.

"There's no need for that," I said, offering her a hand up.  "Treat me with
respect and you have to spend time after school cleaning up the blackboards."

That got a set of giggles out of them both, and I made shooing motions with my
hands.  "Raus.  Off with you two.  Go have fun talking with the others here."

They grinned and left after Aluria gave me a warm hug.  I watched them
retreating, then looked at Rhiannon.

"All right, who and what are those two?"

Rhiannon smiled a bit.  "You want the long story or the Cliff Notes version?"

"Give me the Cliff Notes."

Rhiannon grinned as Henry moved in closer to listen.  "Aluria is a djinna.  She
was, well, a present to Andrew about a year, year and a half ago.  Not
surprisingly, the present turned out well.  What was surprising was that Andrew
ended up becoming a djinn himself."

I raised an eyebrow at that bit.  "Oh really?  And just how did that come
about?"

Henry cleared his throat.  "Mmmm, you might have heard of something called
'Spells 'R Us?' Gregory?"

I wracked my brain a moment, then a bit of a news article surfaced. "Wait a
minute, you're not talking about the same store that someone claimed turned them
into a female out in Indiana?"

Henry nodded.  "The same.  The proprietor has... a slightly unusual sense of
humor.  Twisted might fit at times for him, actually.  But every so often he
does something that might be called acts of kindness and charity."  He nodded
towards the two, now across the room and talking with a vampire in a white
dress.  "That was the result of just such an act."

I shook my head slowly.  "And I thought politics was bad enough."

Rhiannon chuckled gently.  "Only if Mayor Morial talks the current voodoo queen
into supporting him in the next race.  Which I would doubt, I heard on the rumor
mill that she's still upset over the casino deal."

I made a soft sound of disgust.  "Let's not talk about that, ok?  Is there a
refill somewhere?" I asked, motioning with my now-empty glass.

---

Things were going smoothly, a little too smoothly.  I knew somewhere that things
were going to turn to the worse, just a question of when. That answer came soon
enough, with a rather nasty stench preceding it.

There was another knock at the door, and Rhiannon opened it to find a wall of
mist that flowed into the room.  A deep thrumming filled the air, and out of the
mist walked a tall, svelte male dressed in a black outfit, followed by two
females in tight-fitting black dresses and little else.  The male looked around
the room for a moment, then gave something that was more a sneer than a smile.

"Hello there, my dear Rhiannon.  So nice to see you and your... friends here."

Rhiannon sighed gently.  "Vance, do you have to make every arrival so
melodramatic?"

Vance looked unapologetic.  "Dear, every arrival should be done with style and
flair.  I certainly wouldn't want to change that."  He walked into the room, a
path clearing from in front of him as he did so.  Most of the conversations died
as well, picking up only once he had left the immediate vicinity.

"What is he doing here?" someone asked behind me.  I turned to see the young
female vampire standing there, a slight frown on her face. Rhiannon walked over
and sighed deeply.

"I sent Marco an invitation, hoping he could make it. Unfortunately, he couldn't
and said he'd send one of his associates." She sighed again, and shook her head.
"I didn't know it was going to be Vance."

I looked at the topic of conversation, standing in the hallway talking to
someone I couldn't immediately recognize.  "Just what does he think he is?"

The lady vampire spoke up.  "His name is Vance Rogert.  Belongs to Marco's group
in the Warehouse district.  Very conceited, egotistical, considers himself a
lady's man.  Personally, I wouldn't be caught dead with him if he was the last
male vampire in the city."

"Stefia, I couldn't agree more."  Rhiannon sighed again.  "But he's here, and we
just have to deal with it.  Hopefully he won't cause too much trouble."

She turned and looked at me.  "If he gets out of hand, I might need you to help
out, Greg.  Think you could do that much?"

I nodded slowly.  "I'd rather not get into a fight, but if push comes to shove
I'll toss him out if need be."

Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy.  Vance inside of a half hour managed to
annoy, irritate or outright anger at least a third of the folks present.
Rhiannon was being run ragged trying to keep tempers from exploding, while I was
doing my best to keep things under control as well.

Angie had stayed out of sight in the kitchen, but finally she ventured into the
living room to bring a few drinks out.  Vance caught sight of her, and I could
see from the look on his face he considered her fair game.  That made me upset,
and I hunted down Rhiannon.

"Rhiannon," I said gently once I was in earshot, "I think we have a problem."

She turned and looked at me.  "I know, Vance has been sniffing around Angie.  I
told her to stay in the kitchen as much as possible, but he's been taking peeks
in there from time to time."

"Something's going to have to be done, or else he's going to create a major
incident."  I glanced back across my shoulder, then bit off a curse.  "Damn,
he's going for her."

I started towards Angie, and could see her trying to tell him to go away.  The
look on his face was clear, he wouldn't accept no from her. Reaching out, I
gripped his shoulder and spun him around to face me.

"You heard the lady," I said sharply.  "She said leave her alone, and you will
leave her alone."

"I will?"  The tone in his voice was thick with scorn.  "And what makes you
think I'm going to leave her alone?"

"Because Angie is under Rhiannon's protection and is my student," I said in a
level voice.  "And if you do not stop right now, I will knock you clear into
next week.  Do I make myself clear?"

Vance's eyes flashed red.  "Do you have any idea who you're dealing with?" he
said, the tone in his voice clearly laced with acid.  "I'm not some mortal that
you can push around."  He added hypnotics into his voice, attempting to take
command.  "I'll do as I please, and you'll not interfere."

"I don't think so, Charlie."  That came out in a low growl, and Vance blinked in
surprise.  "You might work that trick with the folks outside this house, but it
ain't gonna work now."  I took a step forward and stared him down.  "Now, either
you leave her alone this minute or you're going to find yourself waking up next
week."

Folks around the room froze in place as the scene unfolded.  I could see
Rhiannon in the door, eyes widening in surprise at me.  I didn't care any more
at that point, matters needed to be settled right then and there.

Vance looked at me with a flash of shock, then his form wavered, turning
insubstantial.  "You'll find it hard to do anything to me," he said sharply.
"For unless I wish it, you can't touch me."

"Wrong answer."  My hand curled into a fist, and I could feel the tingle of my
own magicks building.  I kept my eyes locked on his, then turned away.  "Thanks
for playing today, however."  With that, my arm swung around, a white aura
blazing across it as knuckles arced towards his face.

>CRACK!<

The sound made everyone in the room jump in surprise.  All eyes looked towards
Vance, who wore a very stunned expression on his face for one second.  Then his
eyes rolled back into his head, and he crumpled to the floor, unconscious.  I
rubbed my knuckles and looked down at him, letting out a low growl.

"Luser."

---

A phone call later, Vance was carried out by two of Marco's folks. Marco himself
had arrived, tsking softly as Vance was taken away.

"I warned him," Marco commented.  "I told him to behave, but does he listen?
No.  And who is it that takes him down but you?"  He looked at me and shook his
head.  "Then again, how was he to know that you were here?"

I shrugged my shoulders.  "I never met him before in my life," I said simply.
"He obviously never recognized me."

"Youngsters, they think they can't be touched or that no one can stop them."
Marco let out a gusty sigh.  "No matter what you tell them. Ah well, he'll learn
eventually.  What do you think I should do with him?"

Rhiannon chuckled gently.  "Put him in his coffin, close the lid and nail it
shut?"

We all chuckled gently at that, especially Marco.  "I'm tempted. Believe me, I'm
tempted.  How long will he be out?"

"Just until tomorrow," I replied.  "Much as I was tempted to knock him into next
week."

"Perhaps you should have," Marco said, surprising me.  "It would have taught him
a very good lesson.  Never think that someone is merely ordinary, especially
when he works so hard on looking ordinary."  Marco clearly was amused, which
relieved me.

"Ah, I should go.  Rhiannon, it's a pleasure to see you again, if under less
than pleasing conditions."  Marco gave her a warm hug and kiss, then turned to
me.  "As for you, Gregory, I'd rather you keep a wide berth from my folks as
much as possible.  Even though we get along fine, some of the younger ones I'd
rather not see get the kind of lessons you can teach."

I laughed gently and shook Marco's hand.  "They only get what they pay for with
me, you know that."

"So they do."  He nodded to the remaining folks, and turned to leave, followed
by the two ladies that came in with Vance.  The door shut behind them, and I let
out a whoosh.

"Gods, that could have been nasty."

"Tell me about it."  Rhiannon watched as folks went back to enjoying the party,
settling down on the couch with me.  "I'm just glad Marco's not really upset."

"I think Marco might have done that on purpose," I speculated. "Just to give
Vance a lesson in humility.  He's done that before, knowing full well in advance
who would be able to deal with him."

"Mmmmm, you might be right."  Rhiannon snuggled up against me, then giggled and
waved to Angie.  "Come on in, it's ok now."

Angie smiled and settled down on the other side of me.  "I saw, was it a
problem?"

I shook my head.  "No, just class of a different sort."  Angie chuckled at that,
and I purred softly.  "So, what now?"

Rhiannon surprised me.  "Now, you get to enjoy tonight with us both," she said.
"Once everyone else leaves, of course."

I raised an eyebrow.  "Now wait a minute, don't I get any say in this?"

Angie giggled.  "Sure you do," she told me.  "You get to say yes."