Finagle007
[Verified Great Old One]
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
I can imagine:
"Mom, don't be mad, but I'm pretty sure I'm gay..."
"Oh Honey, of course I'm not mad..."
"...for Dresden."
"WHAT!?"
Harry just can't catch a break...
Training Daze, A Crossover Fanfic of the Dresden Files
- Thread starter Ellf
- Start date
Harry just can't catch a break...
Tranquil Zebra
Equid of Peerless Tranquility
- Location
- Norway
On the other hand, when has Charity ever thought the best of Harry? I think she's more worried about him seducing Molly into 'unsafe' magic practice, though. The best that could happen for Molly, really, is to be apprenticed to an older, respectable wizard she could also respect. I.e. not Dresden, in case that was unclear. Also, Harry already knows Tara, so Molly/Harry in this story is on the whole about as unlikely as Harry/Nicodemus, which doesn't preclude someone else from writing it.
Beyogi
and a fairy
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Honestly, I don't know why Harry even gives a shit about her opinion. Her issues have issues for god's sake. If that woman was to cast a stone it would bomerang and headshot her. She joined a warlock's sect and almost drove her daughter to become a warlock in canon.
I guess one could say she's got good intentions, but that's what the road to hell is paved with.
azoicennead
Overly-Affectionate Zombie Squad
- Pronouns
- He/They
Because she's Michael's wife, and also he kind of likes her.
I'm kind of wondering if Dresden could track down some books that would net him a cliffnotes info about Buffy and their characters, and the abilities, to get an idea of what Glory is like... and maybe find out Tara might be Tara McClay.
Snippet 24: Conversations Galore
Ellf
Apprentice Wizard
- Location
- Virginia
The walk back with Molly had been mostly silent. I kept going over it in my head. Molly had magic. She had the potential for a lot of magic. If what I felt was right, she could easily make the White Council with the proper tutelage, but from what I could tell, she hadn't had it long. Magic snuck up on you sometimes. Hell's Bells, I still remembered the first time that I had done any sort of magic. I'd been attempting a long jump, and I wanted to win. I wanted to win so hard, that I broke every county record and possibly one of the state records with how far I managed to jump. Of course, two weeks later, my record had been expunged. Obviously I hadn't been able to jump that far. Obviously, someone was seeing things, but I knew. Justin did too, and so did… Elaine.
I shook my head as I walked. Molly's situation wasn't unique. Many young practitioners tried to keep it hidden from their parents. Magic can be pretty scary and hard to understand. Molly definitely had enough of a hold on her own magic to veil on command, something I struggled with myself, and I'm a wizard. Still, I never really got the chance to tell my parents, and my guardian at the time knew more or less instantly what had happened when the school had called him. That's what started my training in magic, and he became my mentor. Molly needed a mentor, if only to keep her out of trouble. I didn't want to have Molly be the first warlock I brought before the Council if I could avoid it. I'd have to let her parents know, preferably when she wasn't around so that together we could broach the subject.
"Miss, I just realized you never told me your name," Molly said, stopping her trek. "How do I know Mom really sent you to find me?"
"Hell's Bells, kid, now you start with the paranoia?" I asked sardonically.
"Kid? You don't look all that much older than me!" Hoo boy, I needed to diffuse this some. That was some energy output she was generating with that temper. I thrust out my hand, splaying out my fingers, and I channeled some of that energy through myself and into the ground. Whoa. Okay, that was new. Despite the anger tinging it, it actually felt pretty good. Molly's face paled. "What the?"
"I'm a bit older than I look, Molly," I said, my voice sounding a bit odd to my ears. Of course, given my current status, that wasn't entirely unexpected. "To answer your question, I'm a bleeping wizard."
Color returned to Molly's cheeks, and she looked me over in confusion. "Harry?"
"Yep," I said, popping the p sound. "Though how you manage to get that from what I said and look like…"
"Please," Molly said, some humor returning to her voice. "No self-respecting girl would wear that kind of duster, at least not one that long."
"It's mine," I said. "I shouldn't be like this for too much longer, so…"
I trailed off and looked back toward the church. "Let's get you back to your mom."
"Does she know it's you?"
"Yes." I sighed. "I'm supposed to be the investigator here. She was worried about you when you pulled that Houdini act."
Molly frowned. "She–"
"Wouldn't understand. You said. I do, however," I said, and I put on my best imitation of a British Accent. "Yer a wizard, Molly. Or at least you could be."
"You… you really think so?"
"White Council level, one day. You can veil pretty well. Even fooled me from my position in the car. Missed a couple things though, but that comes with practice." I started walking, expecting her to keep up with me easily. Damn shorter legs. At least I was still taller than– Stars and Stones, Murphy was going to laugh her ass off. "But, you need some training, kid."
"I've been looking… trying to find out things," Molly said.
"Where at?"
"Library, mostly. Barnes and Noble too."
"No occult shops?" I asked.
"No… I've never been brave enough to go in."
"Right. We'll handle that," I said. "First, however, you need to tell your parents."
"No! I can't do that!" Molly exclaimed. "They'll… they won't…"
"Understand. Yes, I've got that, but they love you, kid. If you'd like, I can tell them. Recommend some people for you to apprentice under. Make a few calls."
"And what if… what if I want you, Harry?" Molly cleared her throat. "As my teacher, I mean."
"Molly, you don't…" I sighed. "I'll talk with your Mom and Dad. We'll work something out."
The two of us made it to the church parking lot, where Charity immediately ran over and hugged her daughter.
"Oh, thank God…" Charity said as she wrapped her arms around Molly, and I smiled. Reuniting family always gave me a warm fuzzy feeling inside, and it was a little more pronounced this time. Charity turned her head toward me from the hug. "Thank you, Mist–… Miss–… Mister Dresden. For finding her so quickly."
"It's what I do." I said, and at that moment, a familiar pickup truck pulled into the parking lot. I tensed slightly, my formerly gloved left palm tingled as a reminder of the reason I hadn't been to see the truck's driver in over two years. Pushing back thoughts of Lasciel, I awaited the driver's exit from his truck.
The truck parked, and out stepped Michael Carpenter. The man was almost as tall as I had been, and he had a hell of a lot more muscle. He had the kind of face that promised honesty and kindness to you but could easily kick the crap out of you if you offered him some sort of violence. To this day, I still wasn't entirely sure how he managed that, something maybe about his jawline, but his kindness showed down through his soul. You could see it in the warmth of his grey eyes. Today, he wore a pair of dark denim jeans and skier's sweater. He smiled upon seeing his wife and daughter hugging.
The passenger-side door opened as well, revealing a dark-skinned man, similarly-tall and built. He wore a pair of cargo khakis and a looser jacket than Michael, and his face spoke of hard times with the hope for better ones. This was Sanya. I'd met him once before, a couple years ago, the first time that I'd encountered Denarians.
The two were Knights of the Cross, similar to what Shiro had been. Michael wielded the Sword of Love, Amoracchius, and Sanya, the Sword of Hope, Esperacchius. While Michael lived here, the last time both of them had been in Chicago together was when the Denarians actually were in town.
"Charity, Molly, it is good to see you," Sanya said. "Who is your young, pretty friend?"
Molly buried her face in her mother's arms, and her shoulders were shaking. I swear Charity was cracking a smile as well, though she managed to keep from laughing.
"Sanya," Charity said. "This is–"
"Harry?" Michael asked. "Holy Mother, is that you?"
I blinked. I swear, I was going to have to get a sign. Or at least new business cards.
Sanya walked over to me, towering a few inches over my new height. "Harry. You have shrunk, my friend. Is this common for wizards?"
"Not… exactly…" I said. "Trying to figure it out, mostly."
Sanya nodded. "Very strange. I am not sure how I may be of help, but if you need it, I will be available. First, however, I must go talk with Father Forthill."
"See you, then." I waved the Russian off, and turned toward Michael, who still was a little pale.
"We'll head inside too, Michael. Don't be too long." Charity ushered Molly inside where the rest of her children were.
"Harry," Michael said again as he approached. "Just what happened?"
"I don't really rightly know," I said. "Was working a case, and then poof."
"Poof?"
"Technical term. I was in a fictional town, during fictional events in a fictional person's body," I said. "When I returned here, well…"
I gestured to myself.
"Do you have any leads?" Michael asked, looking a bit concerned.
"Not yet. It's been less than six hours since I've woken up like this, and I still… I haven't eaten in two days, Michael."
"That is a problem. You should remedy that. I'm sure that Father Forthill has something you can–"
"I'm going to Burger King after we're done here."
"We?"
"Warden Chase and I. We're leaving a… possible witness… here with Father Forthill. She's seen some of the things that are going on here, and she was attacked this morning by a schizofiend."
"A what?"
"Schizofiend. Half chlorofiend, half troll."
"Chlorofiend?"
"Plant monster," I said. "She's a bit shaken up, and I think she needs to calm down a bit before we come back and talk to her more. But what she mentioned she saw… It's disturbing."
"More disturbing than a half-plant monster half-troll?" Michael asked.
"Being from the fictional world I was in, here." I shook my head. "I just wish I knew more about it."
Michael nodded. "If you need my help in this, you need only ask."
I smiled. "Thanks Michael, that means a lot. I uh… did need to talk to you about another thing though."
"Oh?" Michael asked. "What is it?"
"Your eldest, Molly?" I really had no easy way of doing this, so I ripped off the Band-Aid. "She has magic."
Michael's eyes widened. "You're sure?"
"Positive." I held out a hand. "When two practitioners touch, bare skin to bare skin, a form of energy feedback goes into both of them. It helps identify when someone else is able to do magic of their own, and it can give a taste of the kind of magic that the other person can use, to a trained practitioner. Like a wizard."
"And Molly?"
"She's got some power there. She could even be White Council one day, if she were to learn under the right teacher," I said with a smile. "Believe me, though. She does need a teacher and soon. Nobody should have to find out about magic on their own."
"Are you offering?" Michael asked. "I don't know many wizards outside of you."
I breathed out a sigh. "I could, yes. And she needs it."
"What would it entail?"
"Lessons, mostly," I said. "I'll admit I haven't given it much thought just yet, given the current…" I gestured at my body. "me-ness. But I will think it over, how much she needs, how fast. I just… I think I need to deal with a few things first."
"Like your current situation."
I laughed. "Yeah, that." I turned serious. "I don't want to drag your daughter into this, Michael. Whatever did this to me, they had power. They have power, and this isn't a place for an untrained apprentice."
Michael nodded. "What can I do?"
"You can let Warden Dresden do her job," Cordelia's voice came from the side. "We'll handle it."
"Michael Carpenter, Warden Cordelia Chase." I gestured to the Warden. "Cordelia, this is Michael Carpenter, Knight of the Cross. Wielder of Amoracchius. We should be honored to have his help."
"Oh," Cordelia said, blushing slightly. "Sorry, Sir Knight."
Michael smiled. "It is no trouble, Warden. If you have need of my services, Harry, you know where to find me, and when you're done with all of this, we should have a talk."
"Yes," I nodded. "We should."
Michael turned and headed toward the church, and I headed toward the Loaner, gesturing for Cordelia to follow. We entered the Jeep, and buckled up.
"So, now where to?" Cordelia asked.
"Now?" I asked rhetorically. "Now, we get some God damn Burger King."
I shook my head as I walked. Molly's situation wasn't unique. Many young practitioners tried to keep it hidden from their parents. Magic can be pretty scary and hard to understand. Molly definitely had enough of a hold on her own magic to veil on command, something I struggled with myself, and I'm a wizard. Still, I never really got the chance to tell my parents, and my guardian at the time knew more or less instantly what had happened when the school had called him. That's what started my training in magic, and he became my mentor. Molly needed a mentor, if only to keep her out of trouble. I didn't want to have Molly be the first warlock I brought before the Council if I could avoid it. I'd have to let her parents know, preferably when she wasn't around so that together we could broach the subject.
"Miss, I just realized you never told me your name," Molly said, stopping her trek. "How do I know Mom really sent you to find me?"
"Hell's Bells, kid, now you start with the paranoia?" I asked sardonically.
"Kid? You don't look all that much older than me!" Hoo boy, I needed to diffuse this some. That was some energy output she was generating with that temper. I thrust out my hand, splaying out my fingers, and I channeled some of that energy through myself and into the ground. Whoa. Okay, that was new. Despite the anger tinging it, it actually felt pretty good. Molly's face paled. "What the?"
"I'm a bit older than I look, Molly," I said, my voice sounding a bit odd to my ears. Of course, given my current status, that wasn't entirely unexpected. "To answer your question, I'm a bleeping wizard."
Color returned to Molly's cheeks, and she looked me over in confusion. "Harry?"
"Yep," I said, popping the p sound. "Though how you manage to get that from what I said and look like…"
"Please," Molly said, some humor returning to her voice. "No self-respecting girl would wear that kind of duster, at least not one that long."
"It's mine," I said. "I shouldn't be like this for too much longer, so…"
I trailed off and looked back toward the church. "Let's get you back to your mom."
"Does she know it's you?"
"Yes." I sighed. "I'm supposed to be the investigator here. She was worried about you when you pulled that Houdini act."
Molly frowned. "She–"
"Wouldn't understand. You said. I do, however," I said, and I put on my best imitation of a British Accent. "Yer a wizard, Molly. Or at least you could be."
"You… you really think so?"
"White Council level, one day. You can veil pretty well. Even fooled me from my position in the car. Missed a couple things though, but that comes with practice." I started walking, expecting her to keep up with me easily. Damn shorter legs. At least I was still taller than– Stars and Stones, Murphy was going to laugh her ass off. "But, you need some training, kid."
"I've been looking… trying to find out things," Molly said.
"Where at?"
"Library, mostly. Barnes and Noble too."
"No occult shops?" I asked.
"No… I've never been brave enough to go in."
"Right. We'll handle that," I said. "First, however, you need to tell your parents."
"No! I can't do that!" Molly exclaimed. "They'll… they won't…"
"Understand. Yes, I've got that, but they love you, kid. If you'd like, I can tell them. Recommend some people for you to apprentice under. Make a few calls."
"And what if… what if I want you, Harry?" Molly cleared her throat. "As my teacher, I mean."
"Molly, you don't…" I sighed. "I'll talk with your Mom and Dad. We'll work something out."
The two of us made it to the church parking lot, where Charity immediately ran over and hugged her daughter.
"Oh, thank God…" Charity said as she wrapped her arms around Molly, and I smiled. Reuniting family always gave me a warm fuzzy feeling inside, and it was a little more pronounced this time. Charity turned her head toward me from the hug. "Thank you, Mist–… Miss–… Mister Dresden. For finding her so quickly."
"It's what I do." I said, and at that moment, a familiar pickup truck pulled into the parking lot. I tensed slightly, my formerly gloved left palm tingled as a reminder of the reason I hadn't been to see the truck's driver in over two years. Pushing back thoughts of Lasciel, I awaited the driver's exit from his truck.
The truck parked, and out stepped Michael Carpenter. The man was almost as tall as I had been, and he had a hell of a lot more muscle. He had the kind of face that promised honesty and kindness to you but could easily kick the crap out of you if you offered him some sort of violence. To this day, I still wasn't entirely sure how he managed that, something maybe about his jawline, but his kindness showed down through his soul. You could see it in the warmth of his grey eyes. Today, he wore a pair of dark denim jeans and skier's sweater. He smiled upon seeing his wife and daughter hugging.
The passenger-side door opened as well, revealing a dark-skinned man, similarly-tall and built. He wore a pair of cargo khakis and a looser jacket than Michael, and his face spoke of hard times with the hope for better ones. This was Sanya. I'd met him once before, a couple years ago, the first time that I'd encountered Denarians.
The two were Knights of the Cross, similar to what Shiro had been. Michael wielded the Sword of Love, Amoracchius, and Sanya, the Sword of Hope, Esperacchius. While Michael lived here, the last time both of them had been in Chicago together was when the Denarians actually were in town.
"Charity, Molly, it is good to see you," Sanya said. "Who is your young, pretty friend?"
Molly buried her face in her mother's arms, and her shoulders were shaking. I swear Charity was cracking a smile as well, though she managed to keep from laughing.
"Sanya," Charity said. "This is–"
"Harry?" Michael asked. "Holy Mother, is that you?"
I blinked. I swear, I was going to have to get a sign. Or at least new business cards.
Sanya walked over to me, towering a few inches over my new height. "Harry. You have shrunk, my friend. Is this common for wizards?"
"Not… exactly…" I said. "Trying to figure it out, mostly."
Sanya nodded. "Very strange. I am not sure how I may be of help, but if you need it, I will be available. First, however, I must go talk with Father Forthill."
"See you, then." I waved the Russian off, and turned toward Michael, who still was a little pale.
"We'll head inside too, Michael. Don't be too long." Charity ushered Molly inside where the rest of her children were.
"Harry," Michael said again as he approached. "Just what happened?"
"I don't really rightly know," I said. "Was working a case, and then poof."
"Poof?"
"Technical term. I was in a fictional town, during fictional events in a fictional person's body," I said. "When I returned here, well…"
I gestured to myself.
"Do you have any leads?" Michael asked, looking a bit concerned.
"Not yet. It's been less than six hours since I've woken up like this, and I still… I haven't eaten in two days, Michael."
"That is a problem. You should remedy that. I'm sure that Father Forthill has something you can–"
"I'm going to Burger King after we're done here."
"We?"
"Warden Chase and I. We're leaving a… possible witness… here with Father Forthill. She's seen some of the things that are going on here, and she was attacked this morning by a schizofiend."
"A what?"
"Schizofiend. Half chlorofiend, half troll."
"Chlorofiend?"
"Plant monster," I said. "She's a bit shaken up, and I think she needs to calm down a bit before we come back and talk to her more. But what she mentioned she saw… It's disturbing."
"More disturbing than a half-plant monster half-troll?" Michael asked.
"Being from the fictional world I was in, here." I shook my head. "I just wish I knew more about it."
Michael nodded. "If you need my help in this, you need only ask."
I smiled. "Thanks Michael, that means a lot. I uh… did need to talk to you about another thing though."
"Oh?" Michael asked. "What is it?"
"Your eldest, Molly?" I really had no easy way of doing this, so I ripped off the Band-Aid. "She has magic."
Michael's eyes widened. "You're sure?"
"Positive." I held out a hand. "When two practitioners touch, bare skin to bare skin, a form of energy feedback goes into both of them. It helps identify when someone else is able to do magic of their own, and it can give a taste of the kind of magic that the other person can use, to a trained practitioner. Like a wizard."
"And Molly?"
"She's got some power there. She could even be White Council one day, if she were to learn under the right teacher," I said with a smile. "Believe me, though. She does need a teacher and soon. Nobody should have to find out about magic on their own."
"Are you offering?" Michael asked. "I don't know many wizards outside of you."
I breathed out a sigh. "I could, yes. And she needs it."
"What would it entail?"
"Lessons, mostly," I said. "I'll admit I haven't given it much thought just yet, given the current…" I gestured at my body. "me-ness. But I will think it over, how much she needs, how fast. I just… I think I need to deal with a few things first."
"Like your current situation."
I laughed. "Yeah, that." I turned serious. "I don't want to drag your daughter into this, Michael. Whatever did this to me, they had power. They have power, and this isn't a place for an untrained apprentice."
Michael nodded. "What can I do?"
"You can let Warden Dresden do her job," Cordelia's voice came from the side. "We'll handle it."
"Michael Carpenter, Warden Cordelia Chase." I gestured to the Warden. "Cordelia, this is Michael Carpenter, Knight of the Cross. Wielder of Amoracchius. We should be honored to have his help."
"Oh," Cordelia said, blushing slightly. "Sorry, Sir Knight."
Michael smiled. "It is no trouble, Warden. If you have need of my services, Harry, you know where to find me, and when you're done with all of this, we should have a talk."
"Yes," I nodded. "We should."
Michael turned and headed toward the church, and I headed toward the Loaner, gesturing for Cordelia to follow. We entered the Jeep, and buckled up.
"So, now where to?" Cordelia asked.
"Now?" I asked rhetorically. "Now, we get some God damn Burger King."
Ellf
Apprentice Wizard
- Location
- Virginia
Building Faith update comes later tonight. I just wanted to get this out.
Spectrum
Tell me a secret~
- Location
- Behind you~
I was just so confused. I mean, maybe if instead you had updated the story with the main character talking to street signs (please? *puppy eyes*) I would've noticed it wasn't Building Faith faster... XD
esotericist
A Weary Hand
- Location
- Lacey, WA
Well, from what I saw, you'd already had canon kinda impressively derailed such that the game couldn't be effectively rehashed. But fair enough.
All three of the stories in question are delightful, regardless, so I'll take whichever you'll give us whenever you can. <3
Ellf
Apprentice Wizard
- Location
- Virginia
Wasn't completely derailed. Plus I'm on a DF kick recently. This plus Faith... well, they're both fun to write. I do want to get this story to its completion point eventually as well.
Mandabar
Waifu of choice is Rem. Give that girl some hugs!
- Location
- Florida, USA [Yes. Florida *FacePalm*]
I always enjoy more chapters of Boobs!Dresden. Interesting canon derail here with meeting Molly and discovering her magic ability to early. And informing Michael as well. Harry is getting in touch with his feminine nature and communing with his soul daughter Faith from the other layer of the multiverse I see.
"Help my sister Papa, help her!"
*Ignores all Elif's comments against it*
Now finally we get to Burger King and eventually Murphy!
"Help my sister Papa, help her!"
*Ignores all Elif's comments against it*
Now finally we get to Burger King and eventually Murphy!
Ellf
Apprentice Wizard
- Location
- Virginia
This was planned even before Faith started being a thing. That said, Burger King is going to be fun, and Harry gets to start investigating again.
Snippet 25: BURGERS!
Ellf
Apprentice Wizard
- Location
- Virginia
We finally pulled into the Burger King parking lot about ten minutes later. Stars and Stones, it felt like months that I'd been trying to get there, and my stomach felt like it was digesting itself. Like I said to Michael, I hadn't eaten in two days, and I'd missed the Chinese food that my brother was supposed to bring home that evening thanks to what happened at the morgue. Excuse me. I didn't eat that evening because of what had happened at the Forensic Institute. Stupid renaming of things. It was a place where dead bodies were. It was a morgue.
Okay, that was enough thinking about the dead. More thinking about food. I turned off the Loaner, and when Cordelia had left the car, I got out and locked it. I took a look around the lot, and I noticed that Butters's SUV was parked there still, which was a good sign. Given the weather, I was pretty sure that I wouldn't see any motorcycles parked in the lot, but there were a decent amount of cars sitting there.
"So what's so special about Burger King anyway?" Cordelia asked.
I ignored the blasphemer and entered the restaurant. Walking to the counter, I placed my usual order of a Whopper and some fries, but then I paused. I added two orders of chicken nuggets another two Whoppers, and an order of onion rings.
"Would you, uh… like anything to drink with that?" The cashier wasn't exactly looking at my face, or at least I don't think he was. I didn't want to try and soulgaze him, but from the way his eyes were looking… No, that's madness.
"Large Coke, please." I smiled at the cashier, maybe that'd get him looking at the customer in the face rather than a place that I didn't want to be reminded I had right now.
"Okay," the cashier said, and then he told me my total. Lower than I expected, but I wasn't going to question it, so I paid him.
"Thank you very much," I said, and I went to go wait for my number to be called. I looked around, and I nabbed one of the Burger King crowns, sizing it to fit my head.
Cordelia ordered her own food, and I looked around for the other wardens and Butters. There they were, sitting at a corner table, talking to each other and… a familiar blonde woman. I hadn't seen her car in the lot, but I supposed that the snow could have hidden her car some if she'd been here for a while. After all, it had nearly hidden Butters's, and he didn't drive nearly as compact a car as Murphy.
My food was placed on the counter, and I grabbed it then walked over to the table where everyone else was. It was time to face the music, but more importantly, it was time to consume my food.
I placed the tray down on the table and pulled up an empty chair, smiling. "So sorry that we're late. Traffic was terrible and we had an unfortunate detour."
Murphy looked at me, looked at my duster, looked at my clothing, then my face. Her face was unreadable for a few seconds, but a smile started to tug at her lips. It was less than half of that before she started laughing. "Dresden? That's you, isn't it?"
"It's not that funny," I said, looking at my food.
"No, you're right," Murphy said, seemingly calming down. A snort escaped her, and she started to laugh again, or dare I say, giggle? "It's really funny. Big tall, Harry Dresden, now this… You're actually cute like that."
"You mean I wasn't before?" I asked innocently. "I seem to recall–"
"Another word, Dresden, and you'll be eating those burgers through a tube," Murphy cut me off in the nicest way possible. "So, really, what happened?"
"Wish I knew. Best any of us can say is it was some kind of ritual."
"Black magic, for certain," Yoshimo added.
"Just means we need to catch the bad guy," Carlos said. "Shouldn't be too hard with the five of us."
"Six," Murphy said. "I might not be a warden, but I am an officer of the law. Someone messed with a person under my jurisdiction. Plus, we still have murders to solve."
I nodded. "Speaking of, we ran into someone on our way here that might be able to help with that. She said she was friends with Lisa Hendricks."
"She even said she saw something that might be related," Cordelia added as she brought her own food over. "If what she saw was truly there, we should be able to handle it. We'd just need to figure out where she's going to next."
"Murph, meet Warden Cordelia Chase," I said. "Cordy, meet Detective Lieutenant Karrin Murphy. Head of Special Investigations. I work with her a lot when it comes to supernatural related deaths in the city."
"A pleasure," Murphy said, and then she looked at me. I stuffed a fry in my mouth and unwrapped my burger. "Swallow before answering this, but where's this witness?"
I sipped my Coke, swallowing. Cordelia stayed a bit quiet, maybe because I was the superior here. Man, that felt weird. "Tara is staying at St. Mary's for now. Father Forthill's watching her. After I check on a few things at home, I was planning on seeing if she was feeling up for talking."
"I think she'll be up for a bit more than that," Cordelia muttered.
"Okay," Murphy said. "I'll come with you when you go. We can try and get a statement."
"No offense, Murph, but she was spooked. Good reason too, whatever she saw had them send a schizofiend after her."
"A what?" Murphy's voice was joined by a few others at the table.
"You remember the chlorofiend, right?" I asked Murphy.
"The plant monster at the Wal-Mart a few years ago? The one I killed with a chainsaw?"
"And looked damn sexy doing it too," I said, smiling. Murphy reached up her hand and slapped me in the back of the head. While it didn't hurt, per se, it was a bit of a surprise. Usually she couldn't reach that far. "Hey!"
"Stay on point, Dresden," Murphy said. "If I had any doubts…"
"Right. That. The schizofiend was half chlorofiend and half ogre. Or troll. It was a bit hard to tell given the division."
"Those aren't natural, are they?"
I shook my head. "Was a combination of Summer and Winter Fae. Split right down the middle."
"Just like our victims," Murphy said.
"Oh, that reminds me, uh, Lieutenant Murphy, Harry," Butters said. "We got an ID on the male victim, and it was confirmed once we were able to get through to his parents."
I blinked. "Sorry we didn't get to go through the full examination, Butters."
"Nah, it's okay. I'm just glad you're up and awake right now, Harry."
"So, the ID?" Murphy asked. "CSI didn't really find anything in the room, and the prints had been too ruined to really tell much."
"Yes, well." Butters pushed his glasses up. "The victim, his name was Lawrence Astor."
"Astor, you mean like those Astors?" Murphy asked.
I blinked. "I thought the Astors only had one child, a daughter."
"There's more than just that bit of Astor family, Harry," Murphy said. "Dominic Astor has an older brother. And apparently he had a nephew."
"So, Larry was Lawrence Astor then," I said, frowning. I picked up another fry and ate it. "Interesting. I'll bring that up with Tara when I talk with her. Maybe we should look up Faith Astor as well. She'd be… what, just turned eighteen by now?"
Murphy shrugged. "I'll go see if I can talk with her, see if she knows anything while you talk with your source."
I nodded. "Now, if we're done with shop talk, I have food to eat."
I picked up the crown I'd sized for myself off my tray and placed it onto my head. Apparently I'd sized it a little too large as it slipped down past my eyes.
"Here, let me help with that, Harry," Murphy said, taking the crown and re-sizing it. She placed it upon my head, and giggled again. "There, now, don't you make a fetching Burger Queen?"
"Shut up." I ate my food.
Okay, that was enough thinking about the dead. More thinking about food. I turned off the Loaner, and when Cordelia had left the car, I got out and locked it. I took a look around the lot, and I noticed that Butters's SUV was parked there still, which was a good sign. Given the weather, I was pretty sure that I wouldn't see any motorcycles parked in the lot, but there were a decent amount of cars sitting there.
"So what's so special about Burger King anyway?" Cordelia asked.
I ignored the blasphemer and entered the restaurant. Walking to the counter, I placed my usual order of a Whopper and some fries, but then I paused. I added two orders of chicken nuggets another two Whoppers, and an order of onion rings.
"Would you, uh… like anything to drink with that?" The cashier wasn't exactly looking at my face, or at least I don't think he was. I didn't want to try and soulgaze him, but from the way his eyes were looking… No, that's madness.
"Large Coke, please." I smiled at the cashier, maybe that'd get him looking at the customer in the face rather than a place that I didn't want to be reminded I had right now.
"Okay," the cashier said, and then he told me my total. Lower than I expected, but I wasn't going to question it, so I paid him.
"Thank you very much," I said, and I went to go wait for my number to be called. I looked around, and I nabbed one of the Burger King crowns, sizing it to fit my head.
Cordelia ordered her own food, and I looked around for the other wardens and Butters. There they were, sitting at a corner table, talking to each other and… a familiar blonde woman. I hadn't seen her car in the lot, but I supposed that the snow could have hidden her car some if she'd been here for a while. After all, it had nearly hidden Butters's, and he didn't drive nearly as compact a car as Murphy.
My food was placed on the counter, and I grabbed it then walked over to the table where everyone else was. It was time to face the music, but more importantly, it was time to consume my food.
I placed the tray down on the table and pulled up an empty chair, smiling. "So sorry that we're late. Traffic was terrible and we had an unfortunate detour."
Murphy looked at me, looked at my duster, looked at my clothing, then my face. Her face was unreadable for a few seconds, but a smile started to tug at her lips. It was less than half of that before she started laughing. "Dresden? That's you, isn't it?"
"It's not that funny," I said, looking at my food.
"No, you're right," Murphy said, seemingly calming down. A snort escaped her, and she started to laugh again, or dare I say, giggle? "It's really funny. Big tall, Harry Dresden, now this… You're actually cute like that."
"You mean I wasn't before?" I asked innocently. "I seem to recall–"
"Another word, Dresden, and you'll be eating those burgers through a tube," Murphy cut me off in the nicest way possible. "So, really, what happened?"
"Wish I knew. Best any of us can say is it was some kind of ritual."
"Black magic, for certain," Yoshimo added.
"Just means we need to catch the bad guy," Carlos said. "Shouldn't be too hard with the five of us."
"Six," Murphy said. "I might not be a warden, but I am an officer of the law. Someone messed with a person under my jurisdiction. Plus, we still have murders to solve."
I nodded. "Speaking of, we ran into someone on our way here that might be able to help with that. She said she was friends with Lisa Hendricks."
"She even said she saw something that might be related," Cordelia added as she brought her own food over. "If what she saw was truly there, we should be able to handle it. We'd just need to figure out where she's going to next."
"Murph, meet Warden Cordelia Chase," I said. "Cordy, meet Detective Lieutenant Karrin Murphy. Head of Special Investigations. I work with her a lot when it comes to supernatural related deaths in the city."
"A pleasure," Murphy said, and then she looked at me. I stuffed a fry in my mouth and unwrapped my burger. "Swallow before answering this, but where's this witness?"
I sipped my Coke, swallowing. Cordelia stayed a bit quiet, maybe because I was the superior here. Man, that felt weird. "Tara is staying at St. Mary's for now. Father Forthill's watching her. After I check on a few things at home, I was planning on seeing if she was feeling up for talking."
"I think she'll be up for a bit more than that," Cordelia muttered.
"Okay," Murphy said. "I'll come with you when you go. We can try and get a statement."
"No offense, Murph, but she was spooked. Good reason too, whatever she saw had them send a schizofiend after her."
"A what?" Murphy's voice was joined by a few others at the table.
"You remember the chlorofiend, right?" I asked Murphy.
"The plant monster at the Wal-Mart a few years ago? The one I killed with a chainsaw?"
"And looked damn sexy doing it too," I said, smiling. Murphy reached up her hand and slapped me in the back of the head. While it didn't hurt, per se, it was a bit of a surprise. Usually she couldn't reach that far. "Hey!"
"Stay on point, Dresden," Murphy said. "If I had any doubts…"
"Right. That. The schizofiend was half chlorofiend and half ogre. Or troll. It was a bit hard to tell given the division."
"Those aren't natural, are they?"
I shook my head. "Was a combination of Summer and Winter Fae. Split right down the middle."
"Just like our victims," Murphy said.
"Oh, that reminds me, uh, Lieutenant Murphy, Harry," Butters said. "We got an ID on the male victim, and it was confirmed once we were able to get through to his parents."
I blinked. "Sorry we didn't get to go through the full examination, Butters."
"Nah, it's okay. I'm just glad you're up and awake right now, Harry."
"So, the ID?" Murphy asked. "CSI didn't really find anything in the room, and the prints had been too ruined to really tell much."
"Yes, well." Butters pushed his glasses up. "The victim, his name was Lawrence Astor."
"Astor, you mean like those Astors?" Murphy asked.
I blinked. "I thought the Astors only had one child, a daughter."
"There's more than just that bit of Astor family, Harry," Murphy said. "Dominic Astor has an older brother. And apparently he had a nephew."
"So, Larry was Lawrence Astor then," I said, frowning. I picked up another fry and ate it. "Interesting. I'll bring that up with Tara when I talk with her. Maybe we should look up Faith Astor as well. She'd be… what, just turned eighteen by now?"
Murphy shrugged. "I'll go see if I can talk with her, see if she knows anything while you talk with your source."
I nodded. "Now, if we're done with shop talk, I have food to eat."
I picked up the crown I'd sized for myself off my tray and placed it onto my head. Apparently I'd sized it a little too large as it slipped down past my eyes.
"Here, let me help with that, Harry," Murphy said, taking the crown and re-sizing it. She placed it upon my head, and giggled again. "There, now, don't you make a fetching Burger Queen?"
"Shut up." I ate my food.
Finagle007
[Verified Great Old One]
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Harry Dresden gets no respect.
Wait, what? I miss anything?
Ellf
Apprentice Wizard
- Location
- Virginia
He was referencing Building Faith, and one of the theories that came up there.
Oh dear Cthulhu.
Harry's brother is a sex vampire who can more or less make women orgasm with a look.
Harry is now a woman.
For the both their sakes I hope they dont meet up until after harry gets his body back.
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Mandabar
Waifu of choice is Rem. Give that girl some hugs!
- Location
- Florida, USA [Yes. Florida *FacePalm*]
Moaaarrr? I'm feeling spoiled. Thank You!
GLORIOUS.
Won't be ignoring those places you don't want to be reminded you have anymore!
That's right Girl! Work it if you got it! Or don't but still have it work anyways. Sheesh.
Ahhh... nice. That was good feelz. Surprised she was so... subtle about it and no blatant "You're a woman now! BOOBS! No more standing up for you *snort*!"
Harry, you remain Harry. Murphy will keep your head at the correct size, no getting to big for you Burger Queen.
I... I can't wait actually for this actually. Even unconscious levels will be amusing, but first sight standard seduce before s/he informs Thomas?
GLORIOUS.
Won't be ignoring those places you don't want to be reminded you have anymore!
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Ellf
Apprentice Wizard
- Location
- Virginia
Moaaarrr? I'm feeling spoiled. Thank You!
That's right Girl! Work it if you got it! Or don't but still have it work anyways. Sheesh.
Ahhh... nice. That was good feelz. Surprised she was so... subtle about it and no blatant "You're a woman now! BOOBS! No more standing up for you *snort*!"
Harry, you remain Harry. Murphy will keep your head at the correct size, no getting to big for you Burger Queen.
I... I can't wait actually for this actually. Even unconscious levels will be amusing, but first sight standard seduce before s/he informs Thomas?
GLORIOUS.
Won't be ignoring those places you don't want to be reminded you have anymore!
Thomas. Bob. Those two reactions will be fun to write.
Mandabar
Waifu of choice is Rem. Give that girl some hugs!
- Location
- Florida, USA [Yes. Florida *FacePalm*]
Hah, true. And her reactions to them.
Honestly I don't know why I thought we had already talked to Bob. Haven't even gotten home yet from Butters.
esotericist
A Weary Hand
- Location
- Lacey, WA
I've been looking forward to Bob since the situation was made clear.
Beyogi
and a fairy
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Well, Bob will be exstatic. Converting the hotty in front of him to part with panties should be easier than convincing her to buy them from a pornstar