bzzt. Bzzzt. BZZZT.
You groan and roll over as your alarm shocks you back to consciousness. You don't remember setting an alarm. You don't remember falling asleep. The bed is comfortable. The bleary oblivion of a dreamless sleep clings to you. Same as always. At least you've never had to worry about nightmares.
The sheets are hand woven from the remains of an alien beast, slain by your eldest sister at her first Incursion. Like sleeping on air. As your cell phone continues to saw through your skull, you reach out and silence it. A quick look at the screen shows it's only been 45 minutes since you left the poolside. That may not mean much to most, but 45 minutes of continuous sleep is damn good for you.
Fifteen minutes to get dressed and down to the party. So tired. Easy to roll over and try to go back to sleep. Your family would understand. They probably expect you to be late or miss the festivities altogether. 'Terry has a condition, the poor dear.' 'Take it easy, son. Don't push yourself.'
The only people in your life who don't treat you like you're going to keel over and die in the next moment are your classmates at university. Honestly, you can't wait until Spring Break is over and you can get back to finishing your degree. Only half a semester left.
Regulate your breathing. Concentrate. Don't give in. No excuses.
With a beleaguered sigh, you sit up, and quickly get ready. Brush your teeth. Shave your five o'clock shadow. Inspect your reflection. Blue eyes stare back at you from a masculine face. Handsome. Were you a foot taller and twice as wide across, you'd be the spitting image of your father. Still, even powerful mages and mediums envy your good looks. That's something they don't dare to trifle with. Apparently, altering one's self with magic can have serious and unexpected side effects. You shrug into your crisp white dress shirt. Not that you'd know.
After you've dressed in the proper attire, buttoned the American Flag lapel pin onto your black dinner jacket as your father suggested, and given yourself a cursory once over, you make your way through the wide halls of your family's estate.
People are everywhere. Blank servants in black and white carry trays of hors d'oeuvres and drinks. They don't meet anyone's eyes, not even yours, as they go about their business. Men in immaculate suits and women in stunning dresses mingle politely. Rich classical music from a full orchestra sounds from the main dining hall. The who's who of the ruling class are here. The Heavyweight World Champion Rodrigo Fernandez rubs shoulders with the pop singer Athena. Next to the pugilist and the diva, a pair of familiar looking lawyers, one with a wrinkled bald head, the younger protégé oozing sleazy affectation. They converse with a senator from Utah and a Hollywood studio exec.
Spheres of heatless magelight float like miniature suns. The glow grows more powerful and majestic as the constructs absorb and siphon off aura from the mansion's inhabitants—if some of the notables here were to let loose like your little brother did earlier, they'd wind up starting quite the blaze.
The soiree is like Tolkien rewrote Gatsby. Well, you get what you pay for. It's no surprise with Daedalus Industries, the largest and most powerful magicorporation in the entire world, is bankrolling the whole affair. Thanks to your mother's highly confidential work for them, you own a fair chunk of stock in the company—uncommon for a blank, to say the least—so one could say that you're helping to throw the party as well!
You move through the familiar corridors politely nodding and shaking hands as you go. These people wouldn't give the average blank the time of day, but they seek your company. Behind fake smiles and hollow laughs, you catch measuring glances and calculated silences. You are not average. Your name and your blood makes that so. The name Barlowe is almost a magic spell in and of itself. Surely, they see the 'Blank Barlowe' as a path to your more powerful and influential family members. How wrong they are. Your family would chew them up and spit them out!
You catch sight of the Barlowe Clan gathered in the central hall. A large stage and a single podium dominates one end of the massive room. Before the podium two dozen cameras are being put in place by camera crews.
Only a scant few minutes before your father gives his speech, you approach your family. You raise an eyebrow as you see everyone is here. All the kids. Even Richard descended from his ivory tower in literal orbit. You shoot your sister Tala a triumphant look. You'll have to collect from her later. Knew he would be here for dad. And of course, Samantha and Carmen took leave from their work at the Archaean embassy. Your younger siblings Tala, Laureline, and Simon are here, too. They are all trying to look like they're too cool for the 'geriatric snoozefest'.
Mother's usually cold and severe demeanor cracks as she catches sight of you. A genuine smile lights up her middle-aged features. "Terrence, I was-"
"Uncle Terry!" Little Emma vaults into your arms, and you catch her with a strangled gasp. Richard's daughter, your favorite little girl in the entire world, doesn't know her own strength. She looks up at you with a wide smile, which turns cutely serious. "Aunty Carmen said you beat up Simon?"
The three other third generation Barlowes descend on you with questions. You're their favorite uncle, their favorite family member altogether. They even seem to prefer your company over their own parents. Doctor Medheave says it has to do with your combination of sharing strong blood ties, lacking a threatening aura, and the children being too young to be prejudiced against blanks. It comforts them somehow. You don't care. Even if it leaves you on the edge of passing out from overexertion it's just good to be looked up to.
So, as your parents and siblings talk about weighty matters of politics and magic, matters they don't care to hear your opinion on, you assume your usual role as babysitter.
Solemn Uruthal asks about Harvard. He wants to go there one day. You tell him he'll have work hard. Timid, Bethany, Carmen's young daughter, just plays with her doll Sally, and you give her a bright smile. She smiles back shyly. From your other side, the always smiling Iris chirps about her visit to Paris, and whispers about seeing ghosts from the Shattered Isle in her closet. You shake your head and correct her firmly. There are no ghosts in what's left of Great Britain. It's much worse than that! She squeals in delighted dread. She doesn't remember the time when those supposed ghosts were millions of living humans, doesn't feel a pit in her stomach when she thinks about it. All a ghastly story to her.
But, time with the kids isn't the only thing you have to contend with. Soon, after your father's speech, you'll have to contend with questions about your impending internship and needling about your date. Speaking of which… she should be arriving any time now.
Choices:
Internship. This will certainly affect your take on the world and what you've focused on in your education. Your connections can open doors for you!
[] The One Humanity Initiative - A non-profit with the goal of easing tensions between the magic-less majority and the magic-wielding minority, and maximizing the benefits everyone might receive from magic. You feel that you're uniquely positioned to help find solutions to bridge these two ever-diverging worlds.
[] Congressional Office of Representative Tom Seaver - A friend and colleague of your father's, you've landed a prestigious internship at his office. You respect and revere the man and the work he does. He might just be your father's running mate. Plus, it doesn't get better as a starting point for a political career, and politics is a place where a blank still might reach the top.
[X] Daedalus Industries - You may not be able to contribute to the cutting edge magical research done there, but you can certainly find lots of opportunities for advancement working there as an Administrative Assistant. You'd be somewhere directly down the chain from your mother, working on… whatever it is that she does there. The specifics would be above your paygrade, at least to start.
Relationship:
[] Megan - A blank from a much less well-to-do family, you met her at one of your school's charity events. Smart, loyal and willing to put up with all of your constant medical BS, she's nearly a saint. She's currently a first year law student with top marks. Even coming from a family of overachievers, you're still blown away by her work ethic.
[] Cilia - A medium, employed as a researcher at Daedalus, and rising up the ranks quickly. You met while she was poking and prodding at you. Every test she could think of came back blank, and that captured her attention. You managed to keep it. Although she puts the bulk of her efforts into her research, she's never once let you down when you've really needed her.
[X] Anne - A skilled and respected mage working as an Incursion First Responder, she was a passionate supporter at one of your father's senatorial campaign rallies. There was instant chemistry. You fight often and hard, but never for long, and making up afterwards is always highly cathartic.