Dude... Where's My Face

Participants:

julius_icon.gif leonard_icon.gif

Scene Title Dude… Where's My Face?
Synopsis Leonard seeks and finds a man who can give him back his old face.
Date February 23, 2010

Julius's Studio

The man known as Julius Amadeus Reinheldt owns a small art studio/apartment in downtown New York City where he creates his works of art. From the outside, the place looks like any of the other art studios one encounters in NYC, though the visible works tend more towards sculpture than painting. From the front, there is a single entrance to the studio with a small sign identifying it as Julius's Studio.


It's time to be who he was, if he can. But that'll need someone to restore his old face. So Leo's been hunting, since he came back….and now and then, rumors have tossed up a name. Julius's.

So Leo's finally tracked down the artist's studio, and drummed up the courage to come and see if the rumors are true. He's literally hat in hand at the door, knocking with gloved knuckles, breath steaming in the cold air.

Julius had been relaxing on his couch, lying down and thinking about what his next work of art would be, when he heard a knock on the door of his studio. He hadn't really been expecting any visitors. He pulled himself from the couch and walked to the door, opening it a crack to peer out at the man knocking, "Yes?"

There's a dark-haired, rather thuggish-looking young man at the door. He blinks mildly at Julius when he opens it. "I'm sorry to disturb you at home. I'm looking for someone named Reinheldt?" His tone is tentative, and there's a hint of a drawl.

Julius nods a bit, "Well, you're looking at him. Most people call me Julius, though." He purses his lips slightly as he looks over the man, trying to gauge if this is some kind of setup for a robbery or the like, "What can I do for you?"

"I hear you're an artist who works in…..some unusual media," Leo says, lowering his head and looking up at him from under his brows. "And might be helpful to someone looking for a new start."

Julius looks like he's considering something for a moment, looking up and down the street, "Unusual medium, huh?" He pulls the door open farther, picking up on the subtle hint, "I suppose you could say that. Why don't you come in and we'll have a little chat?" He steps back to clear the entryway so that Leo can pass through.

There's relief evident in the man's face - he tucks the black knit watchcap he's been clutching into the pocket of his coat, and slips past Julius into the studio building proper. No air of threat to him - if anything, he seems rather meek.

Inside his studio, Julius is the king. At least, in his mind. He slips the door closed, then gestures to a chair not far from the couch, "Have a seat." He steps over to a small bar and pours himself a glass of scotch before walking over to sit on the arm of his couch, "So, needing a new start, eh? How much you willing to part with? My work doesn't come cheap."

Leonard's lips thin out. "I….am not really in a position to bargain. I don't have a lot, but what I have, you can have," he says, as he seats himself in the indicated chair.

Julius takes a sip from his glass before speaking again, "I see. Do you have any useful skills? I'm always on the lookout for people with unique abilities. You never know when such might be needed."

"I was a soldier, I have been a cop, and well…." Leo trails off, and lazily holds out a hand. A little objet d'art wings its way to his palm, like a falcon coming to the glove.

Julius arches an eyebrow, "Telekinesis or something of the sort?" He brings a hand to his chin, tapping lightly as he considers, "I'll help you. In exchange, you're going to owe me a favor. If I need something done, you may find yourself called upon. My fees are usually quite steep, but there's something to be said for having people with such unique abilities in your debt." He downs the rest of his drink before leaning against the back of his couch, "Does that sound acceptable?"

"Can I put in a caveat?" Leo says, quietly. "I won't kill anyone for you. That's the one restriction. And yes, telekinesis. But I will owe you a favor, to be redeemed at your discretion." He's very still, after setting the little objet down on the table by him, gently.

Julius considers for another few moments, remaining quiet as he thinks. After a long moment, he sighs, "I suppose I can accept that." He sets his empty glass down, "So what do you want to look like?"

He reaches deliberately into his pocket, produces a picture of a redheaded young man - ivory skin, pale blue eyes, far more delicately featured than the face that's before Julius right now. "That. See, the face I have on now isn't mine. That's who I was born as, so I'm not trying to fake being someone else. More that I need to go back to who I was…..and the person who changed me originally is dead."

Julius takes the picture, glancing from it to Leo and back again, "So someone else gave you a new face. How interesting." He stands up from his perch on the arm of the couch and looks towards a door at the back of the studio, locked shut with several different deadbolts and the like, "Well, then. Come along and we'll see what we can do." He heads over to the door, reaching into his pocket with his free hand to pull out a set of keys. It takes him a few moments to get the door unlocked and pulled open, revealing a stairway descending into a dark basement. He reaches just inside the door to flick a lightswitch, causing a single bulb to turn on over the stairway. Julius smirks over his shoulder to Leo, "Do watch your step. I can't be held accountable if you fall and break your neck." He steps out of the way so Leo can be the first to descend the steps into the dark basement.

Leonard picks his way delicately down into the basement, lightfooted and wary as a cat. "Understood," he says, softly.

Only after Leo has started down the steps does Julius step in as well. He pulls the door shut and locks it back from the inside before following down after Julius, "One thing you must know is that the changes are not permanent. You will need to see me every two weeks to ensure that you do not change back." He reaches the bottom of the stairs and walks past Leo, flicking a switch at the bottom to turn on a harsh, bright light in the center of the room. Beneath the light is what looks like a makeshift surgical theatre, though no blades or other such implements are apparent. He walks over to bed and pats it lightly, "Come on over and have a seat. And don't worry, there won't be any surgery. My ability is not so crude. I just enjoy the imagery, I guess you could say."

Oh, that's unfortunate. Leo glances at him, uncertainly, but nods. "I see." He pads over and seats himself on the bed, obediently, still watching Julius like he half-expects him to bite.

Julius steps over to a stainless steel washbasin and turns on the water, vigorously washing his hands as he looks over his shoulder, "Now, I'm assuming you want a full body change? Head to toe? That will take longer, but it's no problem. We don't need to worry about changing your height or anything of the like, do we? That always complicates things, you see." He dries his hands on a clean white towel, using it to turn off the faucet.
"Not…..really," Leo says. "Just the face, and the color of my hair. I guess that counts as full body, but….the bone structure and the muscles and even the skintone are fine as they are." He looks down at himself. "I don't need to strip, do I?"

"Ah, well that makes things a bit simpler, then," Julius replies. He cracks his knuckles as he approaches the bed, "Please lay down. I'll warn you that this will be a very odd sensation." He takes the picture of his goal and sets it atop a small stand beside the bed, "This shouldn't take too long if we're just fixing your face. No more than a half hour and probably less."
It's too reminiscent of Moab, really. Leo's tense….but he obeys, obligingly lying down along the surgical bed, gaze drifting up towards the ceiling.

Julius steps to the head of the bed and places his hands lightly upon Leo's face, "Please try not to move. If you do, it will take longer as I will have to correct mistakes." As his fingers touch Leo's face, a cold tingling sensation would spread out across his face from Julius's fingers before his face began to feel somewhat numb and, for lack of a better word, soft.

He closes his eyes, goes very still - no flinching or fussing or twitching. The numbness helps, really. Not that Leo's likely to sleep, under Julius's tender ministrations, but he doesn't fight it, either.

Julius's ability worked in a rather interesting way. His ability made his subject's flesh malleable like clay so he was able to work it in the same way he did his sculptures. There was no pain as he manipulated Leo's softened flesh, just the sensation of pressure and pulling as his face is reshapened. As Julius works the physical alterations, Leo's hair and skin would change color to match that shown in the picture. Julius is rather quiet as he works, concentrating as he sculpts a new face for Leo. Just under a half hour later, Julius pulls his hands away from Leo's face with a slight smirk, "There we go. I do believe you will be happy with the results.." He steps away from the bed, moving over to one of the more shadowy corners of the basement and grabbing a full length mirror on rollers. He brings it over towards the bed, keeping it turned slightly so it doesn't reflect the man on the bed yet, "Ready to see?"

The muscles in his jaw work - he braces himself, as if for a blow, and then opens his eyes. There's a barely noticeable flinch, before he puts up his hands to touch that new-old face. "I look like me again," he says, very pleased, before turning that brilliant vulpine smile on Julius. "Thank you."

Julius nods at Leo's statement of the obvious. He lets the man examine his handiwork while he himself steps over to watch his hands once more, "It was a pleasure." He dries his hands once more as he turns back to Leo, leaning against the sink, "Just remember what I said. You'll need a touch-up every two weeks or you'll start to change back. If I call in my favor with you and you don't honor it, then you'll find yourself declined for your next touch-up." He steps away from the sink and pulls a card from his pocket, extending it towards Leo, "This number is to be used when you need to schedule a touch-up or anything else regarding this particular aspect of my business." The card has no name or any other identifying information on it, just a phone number. "For future appointments, you'll be coming in through the back alley door into the basement. Keeps things out of the public eye, you know."

"I understand," says Leo. And there's barely restrained glee bubbling beneath the surface. "I'll call you, or you can call me…." He pats down his pockets, comes up with a scrap of paper. "I can't thank you enough," he says, swinging his booted feet down, and standing up, a bit tentatively.

Julius took the scrap of paper and stuffs it carefully in a pocket, "Very well. You'll be hearing from me when I've something that needs doing. Don't forget to call to schedule your touch-up appointment. I won't be calling to remind you." He walks over to a different set of stairs, a bit shorter than those they came down, "This is the way out. Enjoy your face and let me know if there's anything you need in the future. You have my number." He proceeds to unlock the door leading into the alleyway behind the studio and pulls it open.

He's not quite skipping….but he favors Julius with another of those brilliant, sideong grins as he makes his way out. "I'll call you, soon," he says, fervently. And with that, he's clattering out the back way.


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