[X] INTRODUCE YOURSELF, FIRST OF ALL]
"Hello," you begin, holding out a hand politely. You're fairly sure that earlier in the evening, the shimmering, transparent, half-there figure of a girl in front of you would have frightened you. But after what this day has been like, you're not sure anything will ever frighten you again. Well, except spiders. They're pretty gross. "My name is Lucy Calloway, private detective. These are my associates, Marinette, a technological genius, and Owen, a... boy." You offer her what you think is a reassuring smile - the same smile you offer your clients when they're distraught over their missing pets, or lost homework, or defaced books. Of course, she's probably had much worse happen to her than losing a piece of homework - probably even worse than losing even a
really important piece of homework - so you're not sure if your smile will do. But it's what you have to offer, and so you give it.
It's hard to read a response in the shimmering, flickering mirage of a girl in front of you, but she does extend a hand to shake yours, a light touch that almost feels like there's nothing there at all, like the wind blowing upon your hand on a cold day. You're worried for a second that she won't be able to speak, but then you hear it, a voice that sounds a little like wind rustling through trees in the autumn. A voice so soft that you have to strain to hear it properly.
"Hello. You are detective girl. And particles girl. And lucky boy. I am the moon. I have a name, but names don't matter here. It's Kala, if you want to know it. Now that we know each other's names, we can get along. That's good." She flickers into being again, and offers a tentative smile, before vanishing altogether. You frown, taking a step into the room, and after a few seconds of concerted squinting, spot her reclining on a bench and staring directly at you.
"You're here to take the elevator. You made it through the maze. The elevator isn't working. It's broken. If the elevator wanted to go through the maze, it couldn't. Because it is broken. But fixing it is like a puzzle. And you can do puzzles. You're smart. Smart kids. Clever kids. Maybe not still kids. But still clever. If you do your clever thing and fix the elevator, we can go. You can do your clever thing, and I can do my thing, which is different. It is only fair that you help," she continues, a tone of suspicion in her voice, like she's been betrayed too many times to see anything coming but an attack, "Because I already helped you. With writing. I liked your letters. You are very polite. It was nice. Nobody is polite to me. So," and then, a flicker, and she's gone - and the mirage is back, right in front of your face, a face shimmering into existence with pleading eyes.
"Will you help?"
Before Mari can open her mouth and say something impolite, you nod. "Naturally."
[KALA MEHROTRA has JOINED YOUR PARTY!]
[You may now VIEW KALA'S CHARACTER SHEET]
LUCY CALLOWAY has
GAINED A LEVEL!
You have ascended from
[WATSONIAN WHIPPERSNAPPER] to
[TEACHER'S PET DETECTIVE]
Select ONE STAT INCREASE:
[]
+5 GUMPTION
[]
+5 VIGOR
[]
+5 FISTICUFFS
Select ONE CLASS MACHINATION:
[]
NOIR FOR NUMBNUTS: You can't see the future, that would be ridiculous - but if you know enough about the present, you can make an educated guess. That's what deduction's about! This CLASS MACHINATION allows you to figure out where somebody you are FOLLOWING is HEADED and PREDICT which path they've taken.
[]
IT'S ALARMING HOW CHARMING I FEEL: When you're a JUNIOR SLEUTH, it pays off to make sure you can get grown-ups to do what you want them to. A few polite words, a smile, and perhaps a boost to their ego, and it's easy as cake. This CLASS MACHINATION lets you double your MOXIE STAT bonus when interacting with a NON-HOSTILE ADULT.
MARI BRIGHTON has
GAINED A LEVEL!
She has ascended from
[RISK-TAKING RASCAL] to
[AFFLUENT PRODIGY]
Select ONE STAT INCREASE:
[]
+5 NIMBLENESS
[]
+5 FISTICUFFS
[]
+5 GUMPTION
Select ONE CLASS MACHINATION:
[]
MARINETTE RUINS THANKSGIVING: Sometimes, something cannot simply be shoved under the carpet and ignored forever. This CLASS MACHINATION allows you to SEE AND TELL THE TRUTH WHEN IT MATTERS, even in situations where doing so is DIFFICULT or SCARY.
[]
WELL, DOES IT DEFRACULATE?: You're an expert at fixing machines, and breaking something is basically just fixing it in reverse. This CLASS MACHINATION allows you make a GUMPTION CHECK in order to DISABLE ANY MACHINE that you're able to GET AT THE INNER MECHANISMS OF.
OWEN MARTINEZ has
GAINED A LEVEL!
He has ascended from
[LUCK'S BEGINNER] to
[FORTUNE'S FOLLY]
Select ONE STAT INCREASE:
[]
+5 FISTICUFFS
[]
+5 VIGOR
[]
+5 NIMBLENESS
Select ONE CLASS MACHINATION:
[] THAT WAS A PRACTICE TURN: It takes a lot of luck to get a second chance. Fortunately, you've always been, as long as you can remember, inordinately lucky. This CLASS MACHINATION allows you to REROLL your FIRST failed ATTACK or DEFENSE ROLL in any instance of COMBAT.
[] OHGODWHAT: You talk so much, and so quickly, that people often have difficult telling what you're talking about unless they know you well. Usually, this is a problem, but if you're lucky enough, even the most irritating of problems can be a useful asset. This CLASS MACHINATION allows you to communicate information to your PARTY MEMBERS without anybody else being able to UNDERSTAND it.