No, Tarsus, don't!
It can't be true!
Don't do this.
You open your eyes, pain fading away as...
It can't be true!
Don't do this.
You open your eyes, pain fading away as...
Empire Undone--An LGBT Noir
- Thread starter Disparate Dawn
- Start date
- Original Fantasy
- Created
- Status
- Ongoing
- Watchers
- 28
- Recent readers
- 0
- Threadmarks
- 19
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Statistics (18 threadmarks, 24k words)
User Total Disparate Dawn 18 -
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Waking Moments
Disparate Dawn
Extrasolar Cuddle Being
- Location
- Roy Batty's Psychedelic Gay Bar
No, Tarsus, don't!
It can't be true!
Don't do this.
You open your eyes, pain fading away as you push the past away. As you do so, you collect yourself. Push yourself up out of bed. Got to meet the day, right? At the very least, you've got to take care of yourself. Your therapist would certainly agree with that, but you haven't seen him in a while. Got too many other things you need to do.
You get up and stretch, taking in the Seattle cityscape as you look out the window. The city has been your home now for five years, and you've enjoyed staying here immensely. Much better than . . . well, you don't like to talk about those days.
As you're making yourself some breakfast, your phone goes off. Whoever they are, they aren't a contact. Probably a prospective client: you're an investigator, and not a bad one. You've got a handful of tricks up your sleeves that a number of other people don't.
"Hello," you say as you answer the call. "Mhlanga Investigations. How can I help you?" You sound more tired than you'd like to be, and you take a long draught of coffee.
"Um, hello," a feminine voice comes through the opposite end. "I'm calling about a missing person. You find those, right?"
"Yeah, I do," you reply, gripping your phone with your shoulder as you get some scrap paper. "But I'll need some more information first. Your name, who this person is, how long ago they went missing--how about you come to my office and we discuss things?"
"Tracy Uin—that's me. I'm at his apartment—Joseph Belor, he's one of my friends. There are things here that I can't explain, that you'll want to see. Do you just want to meet me here—"
"Okay, hold your breath," you say, somewhat confused. People generally don't have an issue meeting at your office, but she sounds urgent and scared, beyond what you've seen from other people who have had friends go missing. "How long has he been gone?"
"Three days."
"And have you contacted the police?"
"No; I don't think they could help."
You roll your eyes. "Trust me, you're going to want—"
"They won't understand. But you will. You're like him."
You stop there, feeling the weight of the phone against your shoulder. "What do you mean?" You're afraid of what might come next.
"You're also a wizard."
Yup, those were the words you really hadn't wanted to hear. You lose track of what she's saying for a minute, falling onto your bed as the words flow meaninglessly through you. Yeah, you can use magic, a member of that small, secretive group of people. For a while, you were even a member of the Arcanum, the organization which made sure that magic-users stuck to the background, invisible to the common person, making sure that forbidden magics were kept unused. You had been an enforcer, carrying one of their iconic staves, until you were excommunicated, your stave broken. During that time, you were known for . . .
[] Being a prominent warmage. You may not have had the strongest head for magical theory, but your strength, agility, and other martial training served you well, using mundane tactics to accompany your magical abilities.
[] Your skill in magical theory. As a member of the Arcanum without much standing, you wanted to prove yourself, and you did so with by delving into the mysteries of the arcane. You became known for your knowledge of magical theory, and you were often approached for advice.
[] Being popular. Hey, someone has to be. A lot of the higher ups in the Arcanum hadn't been the type for social interactions, especially with the younger crowds, which you found you excelled in. Whether it was building bridges with other groups of wizards, or trying to smooth over issues with individuals, you were the one sent to actually do the talking.
Still, it doesn't matter. You had left—couldn't deal with it anymore. Memories of that time are pushed back down, slowly subsiding, and you breathe again. It had been a while since you had an attack like that, and you hope that it will be longer still until your next.
Slowly, you begin to hear the voice on the other end. Tracy, right. ". . . hello?"
"Sorry, I . . . I got lost in thinking about something. I'll meet you at the apartment, alright?" If this problem really is magical in nature, you'll want to be at the source as soon as possible. You hurriedly scribble down the address and hang up. You're about to go out the door when you realize you haven't had any breakfast, you're still in yesterday's clothes, and you've got some important equipment at your office. You'll want to . . .
[] Eat breakfast and get some clothes on before heading over.
[] Stop by the office. You have some magical equipment there which could help you today.
[] Go straight to Joseph's apartment. You'll want to show Uin you care, and you'll want to pick up any lingering magical traces before they fade further.
(A/N): Empire Undone is an urban fantasy noir quest following Bongani Mahlanga, an investigator in Seattle. In addition this quest will include a romantic side-story: to be up and front Mahlanga is a gay man. So don't say I didn't tell you so.
Regarding mechanics, Mahlanga has three stats:
Physical: not only your ability to exert yourself in manners of strength and agility, but also skills such as climbing, picking locks, and the like.
Knowledge: whether it is magical or mundane, this stat affects your ability to retain and absorb facts, as well as puzzle out difficult problems.
Social: how well you can speak to other people, bringing them over to your side, alongside your general street smarts.
These stats remain hidden, but will be altered depending upon the choices made. Having a high enough value in a stat will at times open up unique options; however, these will not be made available to see unless you have the necessary value. Similarly, you will get unique options depending on what items you have on your person at any time: these items will be placed at the bottom of every update so you will know them off hand.
Write in options will be available when prompted, though these can be vetoed if they are considered to be out of character, in which case the next most popular option will be chosen.
Inventory: Dirty clothing, cell phone
Edit: Made slight changes to the stats and made it more clear what each represented.
It can't be true!
Don't do this.
You open your eyes, pain fading away as you push the past away. As you do so, you collect yourself. Push yourself up out of bed. Got to meet the day, right? At the very least, you've got to take care of yourself. Your therapist would certainly agree with that, but you haven't seen him in a while. Got too many other things you need to do.
You get up and stretch, taking in the Seattle cityscape as you look out the window. The city has been your home now for five years, and you've enjoyed staying here immensely. Much better than . . . well, you don't like to talk about those days.
As you're making yourself some breakfast, your phone goes off. Whoever they are, they aren't a contact. Probably a prospective client: you're an investigator, and not a bad one. You've got a handful of tricks up your sleeves that a number of other people don't.
"Hello," you say as you answer the call. "Mhlanga Investigations. How can I help you?" You sound more tired than you'd like to be, and you take a long draught of coffee.
"Um, hello," a feminine voice comes through the opposite end. "I'm calling about a missing person. You find those, right?"
"Yeah, I do," you reply, gripping your phone with your shoulder as you get some scrap paper. "But I'll need some more information first. Your name, who this person is, how long ago they went missing--how about you come to my office and we discuss things?"
"Tracy Uin—that's me. I'm at his apartment—Joseph Belor, he's one of my friends. There are things here that I can't explain, that you'll want to see. Do you just want to meet me here—"
"Okay, hold your breath," you say, somewhat confused. People generally don't have an issue meeting at your office, but she sounds urgent and scared, beyond what you've seen from other people who have had friends go missing. "How long has he been gone?"
"Three days."
"And have you contacted the police?"
"No; I don't think they could help."
You roll your eyes. "Trust me, you're going to want—"
"They won't understand. But you will. You're like him."
You stop there, feeling the weight of the phone against your shoulder. "What do you mean?" You're afraid of what might come next.
"You're also a wizard."
Yup, those were the words you really hadn't wanted to hear. You lose track of what she's saying for a minute, falling onto your bed as the words flow meaninglessly through you. Yeah, you can use magic, a member of that small, secretive group of people. For a while, you were even a member of the Arcanum, the organization which made sure that magic-users stuck to the background, invisible to the common person, making sure that forbidden magics were kept unused. You had been an enforcer, carrying one of their iconic staves, until you were excommunicated, your stave broken. During that time, you were known for . . .
[] Being a prominent warmage. You may not have had the strongest head for magical theory, but your strength, agility, and other martial training served you well, using mundane tactics to accompany your magical abilities.
[] Your skill in magical theory. As a member of the Arcanum without much standing, you wanted to prove yourself, and you did so with by delving into the mysteries of the arcane. You became known for your knowledge of magical theory, and you were often approached for advice.
[] Being popular. Hey, someone has to be. A lot of the higher ups in the Arcanum hadn't been the type for social interactions, especially with the younger crowds, which you found you excelled in. Whether it was building bridges with other groups of wizards, or trying to smooth over issues with individuals, you were the one sent to actually do the talking.
Still, it doesn't matter. You had left—couldn't deal with it anymore. Memories of that time are pushed back down, slowly subsiding, and you breathe again. It had been a while since you had an attack like that, and you hope that it will be longer still until your next.
Slowly, you begin to hear the voice on the other end. Tracy, right. ". . . hello?"
"Sorry, I . . . I got lost in thinking about something. I'll meet you at the apartment, alright?" If this problem really is magical in nature, you'll want to be at the source as soon as possible. You hurriedly scribble down the address and hang up. You're about to go out the door when you realize you haven't had any breakfast, you're still in yesterday's clothes, and you've got some important equipment at your office. You'll want to . . .
[] Eat breakfast and get some clothes on before heading over.
[] Stop by the office. You have some magical equipment there which could help you today.
[] Go straight to Joseph's apartment. You'll want to show Uin you care, and you'll want to pick up any lingering magical traces before they fade further.
(A/N): Empire Undone is an urban fantasy noir quest following Bongani Mahlanga, an investigator in Seattle. In addition this quest will include a romantic side-story: to be up and front Mahlanga is a gay man. So don't say I didn't tell you so.
Regarding mechanics, Mahlanga has three stats:
Physical: not only your ability to exert yourself in manners of strength and agility, but also skills such as climbing, picking locks, and the like.
Knowledge: whether it is magical or mundane, this stat affects your ability to retain and absorb facts, as well as puzzle out difficult problems.
Social: how well you can speak to other people, bringing them over to your side, alongside your general street smarts.
These stats remain hidden, but will be altered depending upon the choices made. Having a high enough value in a stat will at times open up unique options; however, these will not be made available to see unless you have the necessary value. Similarly, you will get unique options depending on what items you have on your person at any time: these items will be placed at the bottom of every update so you will know them off hand.
Write in options will be available when prompted, though these can be vetoed if they are considered to be out of character, in which case the next most popular option will be chosen.
Inventory: Dirty clothing, cell phone
Edit: Made slight changes to the stats and made it more clear what each represented.
Last edited:
[X] Your skill in magical theory. As a member of the Arcanum without much standing, you wanted to prove yourself, and you did so with by delving into the mysteries of the arcane. You became known for your knowledge of magical theory, and you were often approached for advice.
[X] Stop by the office. You have some magical equipment there which could help you today.
[X] Stop by the office. You have some magical equipment there which could help you today.
Ultramandalore
Errant Quester
- Location
- just south of Parts Unknown
[X] Being popular. Hey, someone has to be. A lot of the higher ups in the Arcanum hadn't been the type for social interactions, especially with the younger crowds, which you found you excelled in. Whether it was building bridges with other groups of wizards, or trying to smooth over issues with individuals, you were the one sent to actually do the talking.
[X] Go straight to Joseph's apartment. You'll want to show Uin you care, and you'll want to pick up any lingering magical traces before they fade further.
[X] Go straight to Joseph's apartment. You'll want to show Uin you care, and you'll want to pick up any lingering magical traces before they fade further.
WanderingEye
smol skeleton
[X] Being popular. Hey, someone has to be. A lot of the higher ups in the Arcanum hadn't been the type for social interactions, especially with the younger crowds, which you found you excelled in. Whether it was building bridges with other groups of wizards, or trying to smooth over issues with individuals, you were the one sent to actually do the talking.
[X] Eat breakfast and get some clothes on before heading over.
Diplomancer quest are rare and I want to see more of it.
Eat breakfast and dress up, we want to be focused and presentable with clients
[X] Eat breakfast and get some clothes on before heading over.
Diplomancer quest are rare and I want to see more of it.
Eat breakfast and dress up, we want to be focused and presentable with clients
[X] Your skill in magical theory. As a member of the Arcanum without much standing, you wanted to prove yourself, and you did so with by delving into the mysteries of the arcane. You became known for your knowledge of magical theory, and you were often approached for advice.
[X] Stop by the office. You have some magical equipment there which could help you today.
[X] Stop by the office. You have some magical equipment there which could help you today.
- Location
- Volksstaat Hessen, Deutsches Reich
Is preference voting allowed? If so...
[x]Being a prominent warmage. You may not have had the strongest head for magical theory, but your strength, agility, and other martial training served you well, using mundane tactics to accompany your magical abilities.
[X] Being popular. Hey, someone has to be. A lot of the higher ups in the Arcanum hadn't been the type for social interactions, especially with the younger crowds, which you found you excelled in. Whether it was building bridges with other groups of wizards, or trying to smooth over issues with individuals, you were the one sent to actually do the talking.
[X] Go straight to Joseph's apartment. You'll want to show Uin you care, and you'll want to pick up any lingering magical traces before they fade further.
[x]Being a prominent warmage. You may not have had the strongest head for magical theory, but your strength, agility, and other martial training served you well, using mundane tactics to accompany your magical abilities.
[X] Being popular. Hey, someone has to be. A lot of the higher ups in the Arcanum hadn't been the type for social interactions, especially with the younger crowds, which you found you excelled in. Whether it was building bridges with other groups of wizards, or trying to smooth over issues with individuals, you were the one sent to actually do the talking.
[X] Go straight to Joseph's apartment. You'll want to show Uin you care, and you'll want to pick up any lingering magical traces before they fade further.
[X] Your skill in magical theory. As a member of the Arcanum without much standing, you wanted to prove yourself, and you did so with by delving into the mysteries of the arcane. You became known for your knowledge of magical theory, and you were often approached for advice.
[X] Go straight to Joseph's apartment. You'll want to show Uin you care, and you'll want to pick up any lingering magical traces before they fade further.
[X] Go straight to Joseph's apartment. You'll want to show Uin you care, and you'll want to pick up any lingering magical traces before they fade further.
Disparate Dawn
Extrasolar Cuddle Being
- Location
- Roy Batty's Psychedelic Gay Bar
- Location
- Volksstaat Hessen, Deutsches Reich
Well, multiple choices wouldn't actually create any distortion. In this case, voting for both A and C would simply be a vote against B. But hrm, okay. If we do it that way...
[X] Being popular. Hey, someone has to be. A lot of the higher ups in the Arcanum hadn't been the type for social interactions, especially with the younger crowds, which you found you excelled in. Whether it was building bridges with other groups of wizards, or trying to smooth over issues with individuals, you were the one sent to actually do the talking.
[X] Go straight to Joseph's apartment. You'll want to show Uin you care, and you'll want to pick up any lingering magical traces before they fade further.
A mage who is simply good at mageing is boring
Plus, we should avoid over-specialization so we are equipped to deal with as many challenges as possible.
DocMatoi
Theoretical Lover of Girls
- Location
- within 2 hours of the White House
- Pronouns
- They/Them
[X] Go straight to Joseph's apartment. You'll want to show Uin you care, and you'll want to pick up any lingering magical traces before they fade further.
So since the other option involves putting on clothes, please tell me that means we'll be naked on the job?
So since the other option involves putting on clothes, please tell me that means we'll be naked on the job?
Disparate Dawn
Extrasolar Cuddle Being
- Location
- Roy Batty's Psychedelic Gay Bar
I'm afraid not. Also, don't forget to vote on the specialization.
Disparate Dawn
Extrasolar Cuddle Being
- Location
- Roy Batty's Psychedelic Gay Bar
Voting is going to end at midnight tonight. At the moment your expertise is a tie vote, so this is a reminder to bring your friends in for no reason other than to bolster the vote you want. If it is still a tie at midnight, I'll be deciding between the two through random selection, and no one wants random selection.
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DocMatoi
Theoretical Lover of Girls
- Location
- within 2 hours of the White House
- Pronouns
- They/Them
[X] Being popular. Hey, someone has to be. A lot of the higher ups in the Arcanum hadn't been the type for social interactions, especially with the younger crowds, which you found you excelled in. Whether it was building bridges with other groups of wizards, or trying to smooth over issues with individuals, you were the one sent to actually do the talking.
[X] Go straight to Joseph's apartment. You'll want to show Uin you care, and you'll want to pick up any lingering magical traces before they fade further.
Dirty, smelly, friendly, diligent wizard man
[X] Go straight to Joseph's apartment. You'll want to show Uin you care, and you'll want to pick up any lingering magical traces before they fade further.
Dirty, smelly, friendly, diligent wizard man
BurningLaugh
Shape Shifting Master of Hiatus
- Location
- The Land of Retconnia
[X] Your skill in magical theory. As a member of the Arcanum without much standing, you wanted to prove yourself, and you did so with by delving into the mysteries of the arcane. You became known for your knowledge of magical theory, and you were often approached for advice.
[X] Stop by the office. You have some magical equipment there which could help you today.
literally magic's whole thing is knowledge. Who wouldn't want to know of the mysteries of arcane? Think of all the shit that comes from it.
[X] Stop by the office. You have some magical equipment there which could help you today.
literally magic's whole thing is knowledge. Who wouldn't want to know of the mysteries of arcane? Think of all the shit that comes from it.
- Location
- Diamond City
[X] Being popular. Hey, someone has to be. A lot of the higher ups in the Arcanum hadn't been the type for social interactions, especially with the younger crowds, which you found you excelled in. Whether it was building bridges with other groups of wizards, or trying to smooth over issues with individuals, you were the one sent to actually do the talking.
[X] Stop by the office. You have some magical equipment there which could help you today.
I looove playing a diplomancer.
[X] Stop by the office. You have some magical equipment there which could help you today.
I looove playing a diplomancer.
MariBari
Lackadaisical Content Creator
- Location
- Wisconsin
[X] Your skill in magical theory. As a member of the Arcanum without much standing, you wanted to prove yourself, and you did so with by delving into the mysteries of the arcane. You became known for your knowledge of magical theory, and you were often approached for advice.
[X] Go straight to Joseph's apartment. You'll want to show Uin you care, and you'll want to pick up any lingering magical traces before they fade further.
[X] Go straight to Joseph's apartment. You'll want to show Uin you care, and you'll want to pick up any lingering magical traces before they fade further.
Disparate Dawn
Extrasolar Cuddle Being
- Location
- Roy Batty's Psychedelic Gay Bar
WanderingEye
smol skeleton
Umi-san is basically voting what veekie votes.
Disparate Dawn
Extrasolar Cuddle Being
- Location
- Roy Batty's Psychedelic Gay Bar
Ah, thank you both. Sorry, first time running a quest, still getting used to things.
Disparate Dawn
Extrasolar Cuddle Being
- Location
- Roy Batty's Psychedelic Gay Bar
Voting closed. With a tie in what actions we will take, I will be flipping a coin to decide whether we stop by the office or go straight to the apartment. I will have my wife watch the coin flip to ensure its veracity. We are going straight to the apartment. Update should be up tomorrow night.
Fun fact, I am apparently so bad at flipping a coin and catching it that my wife grabbed the coin from me and did it herself.
Fun fact, I am apparently so bad at flipping a coin and catching it that my wife grabbed the coin from me and did it herself.
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The Apartment
Disparate Dawn
Extrasolar Cuddle Being
- Location
- Roy Batty's Psychedelic Gay Bar
You decide that it would be best to head straight to the apartment. Show that you care. So you grab your tennis shoes, some breakfast (a power bar counts as breakfast, right), your wallet and a phone and head out. Sure that means you're still wearing an old t-shirt with a graphic of Daler Mehndi on it and some shorts, but that isn't what's important. You do grab your blazer on the way out, hoping to look a little smarter. You don't think you managed.
You start moving quickly once you reach the cool morning air. The address you got was in Capitol Hill, about a half-hour away from where you live in Belltown. A longer portion of that is spent walking to your car than you'd like, but hey, you save a hundred dollars a month by parking that far out of the way. Gotta save cash somehow.
Once you start driving, you finally let out a long, shaky breath. It isn't as if you went without magic for the past few years, far from it. Your abilities have given you an edge that you wouldn't have had otherwise in your job, augmenting your own intelligence with perspectives which normal humans don't possess. But you haven't interacted with other members of the magical community in all of that time, haven't let anyone know about who you are. The idea that someone you had never met knowing about you, and sharing that information? You'd be lying if you said it didn't scare you.
Besides, things hadn't been in the best of places when you had left the Arcanum. Sure, no one had been angry with you, and no one had tried to stop you, but you'd been in a bad place when you'd left nevertheless. It had taken you a long time to recover, and the idea of going back, or having it come for you, had been a part of your nightmares for a long time. It's those nightmares that are coming back upon you right now.
But you're past that. You do your best to remember that. And besides, these are people asking for your help. You'll be fine. You'll be fine. You hope that if you say that enough times it will become true.
You start cataloguing things as you reach the apartment building. It's fairly nice, good neighborhood. No one who you're passing seems particularly frazzled, so it seems the neighbors don't know anything. Or Belor was an asshole that no one liked, but that seems more doubtful.
A woman who you assume is Uin is standing at the entrance to a small apartment complex. Tall, muscular, brunette. Could probably throw you around with ease—you're a bit of a noodle. She gives you a small, shaky smile as you approach. "You must be Mhlanga?" There's a little bit of pain present in her voice. You don't blame her for that.
"The same, madam," you greet her with a handshake and a nod. "Shall we go inside?" She mirrors the nod, and the both of you start walking further into the complex. "So when did you see him last? I know you haven't been in contact for three days, but..."
"I was the last person who saw him," she replied. "We were with some friends at a local club." She hands you a folded up pamphlet for a local club called Silver Pulse. You tuck that away in your pocket. Maybe someone there would have noticed something.
You arrive at the door, and Uin opens it for you. "I don't think I can go in there for now," she says. "It's all a bit. . ."
"Too much?" After getting confirmation, you continue. "It will be alright, I promise you. I can take things from here—is it alright if I take the key?" She hands it over to you, and you feel around the key for a moment. "Now, if you need to call me at all, you have my number, don't hesitate. I'll call you when I have updates. Here are my rates, but if it would be… more comfortable for you we can discuss that later."
"No, I can discuss that here quickly."
"Alright. I don't charge until we're done. Or bi-weekly, if it lasts that long. Now my advice: go home, get some rest, tell yourself that it is going to be fine. Worrying about Joseph won't help anyone and just hurt yourself. I know that's tough, but—"
"I know, I know." She idles for a moment before taking a step away, even then turning back. "Can I ask you another thing?"
"Sure."
"How does magic work? He never tried explaining it to me."
You have to chuckle at that. Everyone asks it eventually. "Those of us who use magic can pour energy into geometric shapes, which causes us to cast spells. Ofuda, runic magic, the like. These days, a lot of us use hand and arm movement, form a mental version of the shape. That or you have an artifact which has had a spell placed into it, but those are a bit more rare."
She takes it all in, nodding. It's clear that she's interested in the issue, keeping back other questions. You can't blame her. "Huh. So that's where spellbooks come from? Instructions on those shapes?"
"For some of us. For the rest, there's an app for that." As you say that, you hold up your phone and open the little spellbook icon on the screen. She actually laughs at that, and it makes you feel like you're doing something right. "Alright, Ms. Uin, I'll be taking a look through here." She gives a small nod before heading down the stairs.
You step into the apartment slowly, taking everything in. The place seems just like any other residence, but you quickly notice a few small things. The dining table is askew, a chair knocked away: someone was thrown against it. Scorch marks against one wall. You keep moving into the apartment, looking more inquisitively. The suitcases are all in the closet, no clothing has been moved around. You find Joseph's wallet on the bedside table. He wasn't planning on leaving, and there was a confrontation in the living room.
You keep examining things. There's shard of wood stuck in a wall, about the size of your thumb, carved with ornate runes. You place it in a plastic baggie that you swipe from the cupboard to examine later. Whatever it was, it was definitely a magical artifact of some sort.
And with that, you raise your hands and dash them across the space in front of you, weaving the symbol of the inner eye, illuminating the lingering magical auras and effects that have danced across the space. Kaleidoscope colors refract, magic flung back and forth between two skilled users, shattering all across the space. One was far stronger, knocking the other back. It chills you for a moment, the idea of wizards hunting each other in your hometown. Something which you'd escaped coming back to haunt you.
You push that back and keep looking around. There are some jars and measuring cups which have lingering magical auras, likely from brewing potions or the like in them. You hope he didn't use those for cooking, that would be rather unsanitary.
And then you come to the mirror. Oh boy, the mirror. It's a full length one hung on the bathroom door, and it's been wrapped around with highly technical, complicated magic. It takes you a moment to place it, but when you do you shudder: the mirror has been turned into a portal of sorts. A gateway into a mirror of the place it was at when first enchanted, which further investigation makes out to be . . . this apartment, three days ago. You let out a breath. You could, with the right spells, enter into the mirror, enter an alternate version of the apartment which would normally house no living soul. Unless Joseph was inside of here. Personally, you doubt it. It seems to easy. But if he is, and he lost his ability to come back, you could grab him right now. Unless he isn't in there. Or if the mirror realm is trapped. In which case you will probably just die. Besides, you can always take the mirror with you. And besides, there's always the piece of wood that you could try and identify. Or you could try and go to the club, they may let you in, and you might be able to find information there. Or you could keep looking around here, in case you missed something.
[ ] Go into the mirror
[ ] Take the mirror and focus on something else
-- [ ] Try to identify the splinter of wood
-- [ ] Go to the club and try to talk with someone
-- [ ] Keep looking around the apartment
[ ] Other (write-in)
(A/N): Due to my real life schedule, this poll will close at midnight Central Standard Time on Saturday the 20th.
You start moving quickly once you reach the cool morning air. The address you got was in Capitol Hill, about a half-hour away from where you live in Belltown. A longer portion of that is spent walking to your car than you'd like, but hey, you save a hundred dollars a month by parking that far out of the way. Gotta save cash somehow.
Once you start driving, you finally let out a long, shaky breath. It isn't as if you went without magic for the past few years, far from it. Your abilities have given you an edge that you wouldn't have had otherwise in your job, augmenting your own intelligence with perspectives which normal humans don't possess. But you haven't interacted with other members of the magical community in all of that time, haven't let anyone know about who you are. The idea that someone you had never met knowing about you, and sharing that information? You'd be lying if you said it didn't scare you.
Besides, things hadn't been in the best of places when you had left the Arcanum. Sure, no one had been angry with you, and no one had tried to stop you, but you'd been in a bad place when you'd left nevertheless. It had taken you a long time to recover, and the idea of going back, or having it come for you, had been a part of your nightmares for a long time. It's those nightmares that are coming back upon you right now.
But you're past that. You do your best to remember that. And besides, these are people asking for your help. You'll be fine. You'll be fine. You hope that if you say that enough times it will become true.
You start cataloguing things as you reach the apartment building. It's fairly nice, good neighborhood. No one who you're passing seems particularly frazzled, so it seems the neighbors don't know anything. Or Belor was an asshole that no one liked, but that seems more doubtful.
A woman who you assume is Uin is standing at the entrance to a small apartment complex. Tall, muscular, brunette. Could probably throw you around with ease—you're a bit of a noodle. She gives you a small, shaky smile as you approach. "You must be Mhlanga?" There's a little bit of pain present in her voice. You don't blame her for that.
"The same, madam," you greet her with a handshake and a nod. "Shall we go inside?" She mirrors the nod, and the both of you start walking further into the complex. "So when did you see him last? I know you haven't been in contact for three days, but..."
"I was the last person who saw him," she replied. "We were with some friends at a local club." She hands you a folded up pamphlet for a local club called Silver Pulse. You tuck that away in your pocket. Maybe someone there would have noticed something.
You arrive at the door, and Uin opens it for you. "I don't think I can go in there for now," she says. "It's all a bit. . ."
"Too much?" After getting confirmation, you continue. "It will be alright, I promise you. I can take things from here—is it alright if I take the key?" She hands it over to you, and you feel around the key for a moment. "Now, if you need to call me at all, you have my number, don't hesitate. I'll call you when I have updates. Here are my rates, but if it would be… more comfortable for you we can discuss that later."
"No, I can discuss that here quickly."
"Alright. I don't charge until we're done. Or bi-weekly, if it lasts that long. Now my advice: go home, get some rest, tell yourself that it is going to be fine. Worrying about Joseph won't help anyone and just hurt yourself. I know that's tough, but—"
"I know, I know." She idles for a moment before taking a step away, even then turning back. "Can I ask you another thing?"
"Sure."
"How does magic work? He never tried explaining it to me."
You have to chuckle at that. Everyone asks it eventually. "Those of us who use magic can pour energy into geometric shapes, which causes us to cast spells. Ofuda, runic magic, the like. These days, a lot of us use hand and arm movement, form a mental version of the shape. That or you have an artifact which has had a spell placed into it, but those are a bit more rare."
She takes it all in, nodding. It's clear that she's interested in the issue, keeping back other questions. You can't blame her. "Huh. So that's where spellbooks come from? Instructions on those shapes?"
"For some of us. For the rest, there's an app for that." As you say that, you hold up your phone and open the little spellbook icon on the screen. She actually laughs at that, and it makes you feel like you're doing something right. "Alright, Ms. Uin, I'll be taking a look through here." She gives a small nod before heading down the stairs.
You step into the apartment slowly, taking everything in. The place seems just like any other residence, but you quickly notice a few small things. The dining table is askew, a chair knocked away: someone was thrown against it. Scorch marks against one wall. You keep moving into the apartment, looking more inquisitively. The suitcases are all in the closet, no clothing has been moved around. You find Joseph's wallet on the bedside table. He wasn't planning on leaving, and there was a confrontation in the living room.
You keep examining things. There's shard of wood stuck in a wall, about the size of your thumb, carved with ornate runes. You place it in a plastic baggie that you swipe from the cupboard to examine later. Whatever it was, it was definitely a magical artifact of some sort.
And with that, you raise your hands and dash them across the space in front of you, weaving the symbol of the inner eye, illuminating the lingering magical auras and effects that have danced across the space. Kaleidoscope colors refract, magic flung back and forth between two skilled users, shattering all across the space. One was far stronger, knocking the other back. It chills you for a moment, the idea of wizards hunting each other in your hometown. Something which you'd escaped coming back to haunt you.
You push that back and keep looking around. There are some jars and measuring cups which have lingering magical auras, likely from brewing potions or the like in them. You hope he didn't use those for cooking, that would be rather unsanitary.
And then you come to the mirror. Oh boy, the mirror. It's a full length one hung on the bathroom door, and it's been wrapped around with highly technical, complicated magic. It takes you a moment to place it, but when you do you shudder: the mirror has been turned into a portal of sorts. A gateway into a mirror of the place it was at when first enchanted, which further investigation makes out to be . . . this apartment, three days ago. You let out a breath. You could, with the right spells, enter into the mirror, enter an alternate version of the apartment which would normally house no living soul. Unless Joseph was inside of here. Personally, you doubt it. It seems to easy. But if he is, and he lost his ability to come back, you could grab him right now. Unless he isn't in there. Or if the mirror realm is trapped. In which case you will probably just die. Besides, you can always take the mirror with you. And besides, there's always the piece of wood that you could try and identify. Or you could try and go to the club, they may let you in, and you might be able to find information there. Or you could keep looking around here, in case you missed something.
[ ] Go into the mirror
[ ] Take the mirror and focus on something else
-- [ ] Try to identify the splinter of wood
-- [ ] Go to the club and try to talk with someone
-- [ ] Keep looking around the apartment
[ ] Other (write-in)
(A/N): Due to my real life schedule, this poll will close at midnight Central Standard Time on Saturday the 20th.
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