Norm was tucked away at a table in a corner far from the doors, reading a paperback novel and attempting to enjoy his (ridiculously overpriced) coffee. He was leaning back in his chair and had his feet resting on the seat of the empty chair across from him, trying to discourage anyone from taking it. The Bean was busy as a beehive, and people were crowded around tables, some even leaning against the walls. But no one, oddly enough, would go near the sombre-looking young man in the corner to ask if they could borrow the chair he was using as a footrest.
Go figure.

She wanders in, dressed in eye-searing clothing as usual--today, it's like a modern version of the stereotypical storybook gypsy, including lots of jewellery and bright colors that almost clash but just barely manage not to--and grins.

Her old friend!

His book appears to turn into a small, purple turtle.

Hello, Norm.

Norm stared at the book, his porcelain-blue eyes widening when he noticed that it was no longer a book.
'Book' is not supposed to equal 'turtle'.

He dropped it on the table and looked almost accusingly at it, hurriedly swiping his mug of coffee away as he had the bizarre idea that the turtle might drink it all if he left it there on the table. As his attention was focused on the weird creature, he hardly noticed Meg.

It only looked like a turtle, relax, Norm.

Meg grins and comes up behind him.

"Boo."

The turtle-book is now a rabbit. It's green.

Norm jolted, giving a gasp and slopping a good portion of his coffee down the front of his shirt. He hurriedly plunked the mug back on the table and pulled his shirt away from his skin so he wouldn't get burned. And then he looked at Meg, glaring sullenly at her.

"That was not funny," he growled angrily.

Her eyes light up. This is literal. There's a faint, pale green glow around them, accenting their natural colour. (It's amazing; they're actually their natural colour for once.)

"Yes, it was," she answers, and sits down on the table, primly crossing her legs and trying to appear sweet and innocent.

Eyes. Glowing eyes.
Weird.

But he shrugs it off, though it takes some effort.
"Was not," he snorted in reply. Picking up his now-empty cup, he prodded at the green rabbit sitting on the table, inquiring, "...And what the heck is this supposed to be?"

"It's a green rabbit. Duh."

She desists arguing the amusement factor of the surprise illusions, because she knows that she'll never convince him that the look on his face was priceless. She wishes she had a camera, but she tends to scramble their works, for some reason.

"It's supposed to be a book," he says, annoyance plain on his face. "I was reading. And now it's - it's g-g,...it's gone and, and t-turned itself into a rabbit!"
He looked a bit triumphant at saying that aloud, though the look was overshadowed by anxiety, followed by a very sulky expression.
"I can't read a rabbit. Now I'll never know how the story was supposed to end."

Meg giggles and pats his head.

"Poor abused baby."

The illusion vanishes, and it's just a book again.

"Can I turn your coffee cup into a snake, then?"

Norm jerks his head away, swatting at her hand.
"Stoppit," he mutters, grabbing his book back before it can turn into any other strange animal, and opening it to try and find his page. Then he shoves the empty cup across the table.
"Yeah, whatever. Go ahead. Knock yourself out. But no really big snakes, alright?" he says dryly. The coffee cup, now on Meg's side of the table, retains traces of his anxiety and annoyance, but no thoughts with words in them.

She pouts. It's no fun to turn the cup into a snake when she has permission... So she makes the book read in Spanish. (Unfortunately, she doesn't know a lot of Spanish, so after a couple of completely unrelated sentences, it degenerates into gibberish.)

"You're no fun."

"That's correct," Norm nods, closing the book when he realizes he can no longer read it. "No fun at all. I have a gold medal from the stick-in-the-mud event from the Funless Olympics. Remember that next time you have an urge to be bothersome,... er,... Maggie, is it?"
He glances up briefly. Her name started with an M, ... I think...
He's as bad with names as he is with ages.

She makes a disgusted face.

"Meg." Though Maggie is another derivative of Margaret...

"Well then, I should fix that."

"Meg. Right." He nods, thinking that someday, he's going to have to make up a book with people's pictures in it, along with their name and age, if he hopes to ever recognize anyone. He toys with the unreadable book, frowning, and casts yet another irritated look at her.
"Dare you to try."

... that was a silly thing to do, Normie.

She grins and touches his nose.

"I accept."

And at this point, the entire world went mad. The Bean turned upside down and purple, the chair across from Norm is a cactus, and I think that's an elephant behind the counter.

No one but Norm and Meg can see any of this, by the way.

At first, he looks as surprised as ought to be expected, and a little more frightened than ought to be expected. He seems to be handling this rather well,... no throwing things, yelling, hitting people or objects...

And then he - oh my goodness, is that a smile? - snickers.
There's just something terribly funny about the presence of an elephant in a coffee shop.

It's even funnier when the elephant is pink with neon green spots. Meg giggles and the cactus starts to dance.

Fun is a variable concept, for her. She's almost as amused by her illusions as by his possible reaction to them, and... Well. An elephant in a coffee shop is a very amusing thing.

Of course, it's not so benign when his chair seems to get hot enough to burn. That's not so nice.

Norm blinks, startled. Instead of jumping up and crying out, he stands very slowly, and nudges at the chair with his foot.

"Not funny," he said. "Very not funny."

She looks prim, and steals his seat. It isn't hot to her, of course.

"Is too funny. Not like it'd actually hurt you." She pokes him. "Fuddy duddy."

That is such a strange phrase/word. Don't you think? Meg thinks so.

He stands by, arms crossed.
"Yes, pretending to hurt someone is almost as funny as actually doing it," he says - sarcastically.

She shakes her head.

"No, actually hurting somebody isn't funny; it's just messy and annoying. Anyway, I don't like pain-screams."

They're different from screams of fear, or startlement. There's a certain tone to a scream of pain that grates on her ears, and she doesn't know why, and has never bothered to figure out.

"Wow. I'm so impressed." Again with the sarcasm.
He gestures vaguely around the room. "Change it back now, why don't you. Seriously,...that's enough."

She pouts, adorably. "But I don't want to change it back."

So there!

"Yeah. It figures." He frowns, not affected by her (admittedly very adorable) pout. "In any case - I'm done my coffee, and you've messed up my book, and I'm leaving now, thank you."
Oh, look at that, Norm's in a huff.
He stuffs the book in his jacket pocket, and turns to go find the door, which he'll hopefully be able to find.

She sighes and everything reverts to normal.

"Hey, what're you scared of, anyway?"

This is a comment brought on by his coffee cup, which he's just been so courteous as to remind her of.

Whereas he's been brushing off her questions (or anything she's said) so far, he actually ponders a moment this time.

"A lot of things," he sighs, then forces a very fake-looking grin. "Isn't everyone?"

"I'm not."

She might be afraid of iron, if she ever had to worry about someone randomly attacking her with it, but other than that, she doesn't care too much about things that might hurt her.

She can always bedazzle them and flee.

"What exactly are you afraid of?"

"Things. Stuff," he says awkwardly, biting his lip to keep from saying what he's thinking: Like I'd tell you what I'm afraid of. As if I'd tell anyone.

Well, maybe Nick.

"Anyway, seeya later," he says, and then doesn't even move towards the exit.

"Aw, come on, I won't tell anybody."

She makes her eyes brown and wide and adorable and pleading, and that is so cheating.

It certainly is.
It's a good thing Norm is going to fall for i-
not going to fall for it. Not!

He still doesn't leave, though. He can't bring himself to just turn and go.
"I don't believe you," he says, though he sounds like he's not quite sure, and maybe she's telling the truth...

"Really, I won't. Promise."

Oh, can those eyes get any bigger?

Yes, she's being shamelessly manipulative. He's just a human, though a rather intriguing and fun to tease human. Sort of her own private plaything, in an odd way.

"Mm."
Somehow, he's wandered over to the table and taken a seat. He's not fully certain as to why,... he just knows that it's something that he ought to do. Because he's going to be telling Meg things he doesn't want anyone else to hear.
He was fairly certain a moment ago he didn't want her to hear them either, but the objection seems to have been overridden.

"Why do you want to know?"
His voice is completely lacking in suspicion. Just thought I ought to mention that.

"'Cause I'm curious, of course."

She smiles winsomely and waits to hear.

"Right. Well. Um,..."
He combs his fingers through his hair, and is about to take a sip from the coffee cup when he remembers it's empty. Well, that marks the end of his attempt to delay. I don't even know why I'm telling her this...

"I,...I'm afraid of lots of things. Like everyone. Like I said before. Um,... people. Things that aren't people. Other,..stuff."

"Why?"

That should be an interesting answer.

"And what makes a person not a person?"

"They hurt me."
My, what a simplistic answer.

"F-for starters, there was a guy - wasn't - was,... he was grey. And tall. And hiseyesglowedandhehadwingsandclawsand-" he takes a gasp of breath, and holds his head in his hands, trying to regain control of himself. Finally, he continues, his tone more forceful. "And I don't want to talk about it."

She blinks.

"Eee."

She doesn't know who or what that grey thing was, but she is pretty certain that she doesn't want to meet it. She's not entirely innocent, you know.

"I think you need a hug," she opines firmly, and promptly gives him one.

See! She can be nice. Sometimes.

"Don't th-"
Norm flinches when she touches him, tensing as if to flee,...but then he settles.

Oh. This isn't so bad.

Of course it isn't.

She snuggles for a minute, then turns the ceiling into green slime.

The whole being nice bit couldn't last, I guess.