ic Party of Mysteries (IC)

[Ari]

GM

 

Claremont Academy, Freedom City

April 14th, Sunday, 11.59AM

 

Another crisp, breezy spring day in Freedom City was at its height. The sun shone weakly down through a thick bank of clouds that hadn't shown any sign of leaving since morning, a gentle sea breeze was rushing across the Bayview Hill, and Claremont Academy was its usual quiet self.

 

The grounds were well-populated, dotted with the school's outlandish students taking a breather from learning how to be the heroes the world would need. Most students were either off-campus or enjoying the outdoors before the week started the next morning and they would be stuck inside once more. Koshiro McMillan and Kimber Storm were among them, the paper-manipulator and poltergeist sharing a rare stroll together on the path threading around Claremont's lawn.

 

Everything was going very well, until the golden eagle landed with a thud on the path a few feet in front of them. Looking up at the pair, it got unsteadily to its feet, croaked and offered them a talon ringed by a thin band of silver holding a small scroll.

Edited May 2, 2013 by Gizmo

[Electra]

"...but I mean, it's like she doesn't even pay attention to me," Koshiro admitted, his brow creased and his jaw tight with frustration. "Sure when we're training or on a mission, but otherwise it's like not a look, much less a smile." He kicked a rock along the path, not quite looking at his companion. "it's not like I've never dated before. I think I can tell when a girl's not really interested. But I guess it's okay, not like there's even much time left here." 

 

He broke off suddenly as what seemed at first to be a projectile came rocketing towards them. Instinctively, he grabbed a square of paper from his pocket, the thin blue sheet growing instantly into a shield over both of them, but it was unnecessary. Lowering his paper guard, but not dismissing it entirely, Koshiro stared at the bird. "What the hell?" 

[Gizmo]

Carrying an umbrella over her shoulder less due to the threat of rain and more to prevent any sunlight peeking though the cloud cover from revealing her translucent form, Kimber absently mimed the act of walking a half inch off of the ground as she listened intently to Koshiro's concerns. Perched on her shoulder, the similarly disguised Avro lazily batted his tail back and forth as he took the manticore equivalent of a catnap.

"That's pretty much the pits," she commiserated, nodding along with his words. "It... well, it kinda does make sense, though. Y'know, 'cause she's so into action and when we're not almost getting blown up or whatever you're kinda stuck on brood mode. Which loads of girls totally go for!" she added hastily, giving the young man an enthusiastic thumbs up and a sunny smile. "We just need to find you one who's into soulful artist types who're good with their han-- yeep!"

Startled by the abrupt interruption, the phantom jumped back a step, hanging in the air for a moment before remembering to bring her feet back down to earth. "Ohmigoodness, are you okay?!" she asked the staggering bird, crouching down to better examine the eagle. Avro hopped down from her shoulders and padded around the letter carrier in a wide circle, deciding whether or not it was food.

[Ari]

GM

 

Its feathers ruffled up at Avro's approach, but aside from a cold sideways glare the golden eagle never shifted. Having to spread its wings out to keep from toppling over would have made that seriously dangerous anyway.

 

Kimber's attentions revealed that there wasn't anything wrong with the dusty bird a little rest couldn't fix. It was winded from the fall and obviously unsteady, but it wasn't hurt. Proudly raising its fearsome yellow beak, the animal croaked and shook the bound talon vigorously up and down to loosen its cargo, which Kimber easily retrieved. The letter was bound quite neatly and opened to reveal a thin, spidery message: 

 

Ghost GIrl & Papercut,

 

Your illustrious selves are invited to a gathering of young adult mages at the Arches of Abbridon, better known as the Greensward Mansion in eastern Bayview. Directions are on the reverse side. We have heard tales about your exploits which have warmed the hearts of Freedom's magical community for years, and it is to our shame we have never before extended the hand of comradeship to you.

 

At this gathering, neophyte magi such as yourselves will have the chance to enjoy yourselves with abandon, meet young mages from all over the world, a chance to make friends with those you might otherwise never meet, and discoveries that would otherwise remain in secret. Parties such as these are wonderful opportunities to expand one's horizons. Drinks served are not usually alcoholic, but the need for a hands-off attitude to such gatherings makes this slightly tricky to ensure. Careful shielding and wards will prevent any incursions or attacks from interrupting the fun.

 

Doubtless you will have a multitude of questions that I(who am not a master of divination) cannot foresee well enough to fully answer in this letter, if you desire more information please take the messenger to a secluded place and ask whatever you need to know.

 

Hoping for your gracious indulgence, and to see you shortly,

 

Mrs. Grace Spannerman.

 

PS: Make sure there is plenty of room if you want to ask the messenger something. He is energetic.

 

The eagle was calmly smoothing its feathers down while the pair read the letter, and looking rather proud of itself.

Edited June 1, 2013 by Arichamus

[Electra]

Koshiro dodged Kimber's parasol to read over her shoulder as she opened the letter. "Okay, that's weird," he decided, "even by the high standards of weird they have around here. We're not either of us the sort of magic people that wear robes and read ancient languages and that sort of crap." He snorted and concentrated for a moment, making the abandoned paper shield fold itself up into a dizzying new configuration. In seconds, a blue paper bunny rabbit sat on the path, scratching its ear with a hind leg  and making a noise that sounded like book pages flapping. "Maybe they want our help with a magic show." Despite his dismissive tone, the invitation had caught his attention. He really didn't know anything about magic, but he had questions that needed to be answered by people who did. 

[Gizmo]

Kimber was literally bouncing up and down by the time they'd finished reading the letter, not even attempting to contain her excitement. "Young adult mages, Koshiro! Like, cool wizards who wear trench coats and are super sarcastic and brood!" Clapping her hands and beaming, she turned to her less enthusiastic friend. "Koshro. Koshiro. There are going to be girls there, ones who like sarcastic, broody guys! You're practically a quarterback compared to nerds who just sit around reading Latin all day! Ohmigoodness. I'm going to be you're wing-ghost. Eehee!"

Twirling her umbrella in glee, she crouched down again and beckoned her pet away from the eagle. "C'mon, Avro, you can't eat the nice mail bird. It says you can answer questions. Are you a magic, talking bird, Mr. Eagle?!" she inquired in a whisper that was still improbably loud.

[Ari]

GM

 

With a squawk the golden eagle shook its head at the ghost's question, looking crestfallen. Keeping a fierce yellow eye on the young manticore the bird folded its wings and hopped a few steps closer to the students. Looking up at them for a moment it suddenly bent down and in the blink of an eye swept a dusty wing against the loose gravel, the rocks quickly re-arranging themselves into the words 'TOO OPEN'. Indeed, the breezy open lawn was pretty difficult to hide in, even without their classmates wandering the campus in knots and chatting about their plans for the coming week.

 

Catching Koshiro's eye it gestured meaningfully around the busy lawn, especially to a nearby group of students coming jogging down the path, and giving a very interested glance at the dorms. Smiling as best as a bird could, it closed its cold eyes and went from solid to almost wholly transparent. A stamp of its mighty claw and the rocks clicked as they rolled across the ground to form 'INCONSPICUOUS'. After a moment's thought with its head to one side it added. 'BIRD CAN'T TALK'

 

Hopping excitedly up and down and from claw to claw, the eagle beat its huge wings enough to give it lift, and shot up to land on Koshiro's shoulder in a riot of brown and white feathers! The huge bird rested as lightly as nothing on the boy, and leaned slightly away to give his head some space. This close it smelled oddly of cinnamon and something else rich and earthy.

Edited May 2, 2013 by Arichamus

[Electra]

The eagle's sudden flight made Koshiro jump in a very unheroic fashion, which in turn startled the paper rabbit into taking off across the field with a flash of its blue cottontail. The moisture in the air and condensation on the grass ensured that the little paper critter didn't make it very far, just long enough for Koshiro to recover his equilibrium and pretend he hadn't even been surprised. "Yeah, all right, fine." He left the path and skirted around the edge of the trees, He was nowhere near green enough to take the eagle into the secured dormitories, and instead ducked behind the chapel into what had apparently once been a reflection garden but was now overgrown and seemed to be used mainly for storing broken gym equipment. 

 

"All right, bird," he said, extending an arm in the hopes the eagle would get the message and jump down, "how do we even know this is legit? This could easily be a trap from some villain." 

[Ari]

GM

 

With a short bob that could have been a bow the bird gently lifted off and glided to the ground a few feet away. Glancing around it clicked its beak in satisfaction, turning gravely to face the two Claremonters.

 

Then the change began, its body shifting, expanding and twisting impossibly before their eyes. In the span of a few seconds the squat golden eagle had exploded into a handsome, tanned young man about Koshiro's age wearing a russet velvet suit, elegant buckled leather shoes and a beaming smile, an eagle-headed cane tucked under one arm with eyes that glowed faintly. Walking forward he shook both their hands warmly, literally in Kimber's case, his hand solid and thrumming to her touch. As he pumped their hands briskly, he said with a grin "Hello! I'm Phoebus of the 12th Circle, right hand and general errand boy of Mrs. Spannerman, and quite pleased to make your acquaintances!" Jumping backwards to land on a pile of broken soccer nets with uncanny weightlessness, he tossed the cane aside and began with a slightly more sober expression "Now then! You want assurance this isn't some kind of trap? Entirely sensible!" Leaning forward he went on crisply "First off, that fight at the Columbus Day parade made clear to everyone who saw it that you two have powerful friends, and that any attack against you would bring them down on the poor fool like a sack a' bricks, not to mention that any attempt would have to contend with your own exceptional abilities. I'm not sure if you know this, but people of your strength are rare in the magical world, meaning a trap would have to be sprung somewhere you can't have told anyone you'd be, and the Greensward is a rather public place. Second, if I was a supervillain I'd probably come up with something more immediately attractive, like an offer to come with me so I can get you a new body and keep your powers, Ms. Ghost Girl" he offered, wincing a little as he added "Er...which isn't something I would say anyway. Seeing as it's kind of a gigantic lie. I wouldn't say "Hey, come to a magic party at this random place so you can meet new people!", that just arouses logical suspicions and questions a lie would be hard to answer"

 

Hopping down lightly from the nets he continued, watching their faces with care "Third, if we were interested in trying to trick or hurt you, Mrs. Spannerman wouldn't go and tell you her real name right in a letter. She'd give her Light name or use an alias." Tossing a football a few feet into the air with one foot, he bounced it off his knee with great care "Fourth, the Arches are a little outside of the terrestrial sphere, just touching the astral plane. Anyone tries anything funny there, and Eldrich can put a stop to them without missing a beat." Phoebus abruptly kicked the ball into the mass of netting behind him with a thud "I've been to these parties before, I know the people, I have enough power to be useful if something does go down, you can rely on me!" he declared with a much less flippant smile "You can stay as long(or short!) as you like, and be back without missing more than an hour of real time!".

Edited June 11, 2013 by Arichamus

[Gizmo]

Avro bolted after the paper rabbit the moment it sped off, leaving an exasperated Kimber to leave him to his devices and follow after Koshiro and the eagle. As the bird unfolded into a handsome youth, the phantom gave an appreciative whistle with her usual lack of artifice, blinking a few times in surprise as she reflexively accepted his proffered hand and found it effectively solid to her ghostly touch. "Oh wow. My best friend is a shapeshifter, too, y'know!" Turning to Koshiro she continued to beam, giving him a thumbs up. "See? It'll be great! All the hermits I've ever met have been great! I haunted a cabin in the woods by myself for years," she informed Phoebus with a slightly worldly air. "So... chaperone?"

[Electra]

Koshiro shook hands reluctantly, then folded his arms across his chest and gave Kimber a raised eyebrow for her enthusiasm. Maybe it was because she'd been dead longer than he'd been alive, but it sometimes seemed like Kimber's survival instincts had atrophied completely. He sighed. "First off, Hermetic is not the same as hermit. It's a kind of magic. If they were hermits, they wouldn't exactly be throwing parties. Second," and here he turned back to the stranger, "we've got your word that this party is safe because you know the host and have been to one before." He smirked. "Unfortunately, that doesn't mean a damned thing since we don't know who the hell you are and if you can be trusted. How did you find out about us anyway?" It took some effort, but Koshiro managed to swallow the comment about not trusting anyone who looked that much like Willy Wonka. Who said he had no manners? 

[Ari]

GM

Phoebus beamed at Kimber "Shape-changing is a rare art. Your friend is one? That's truly remarkable! I hope to meet them. Are they an animagus, or-" he turned with a surprised blink to Koshiro as the teen hero made his point.

"Your magic is quite distinctive, Mr. Papercut" he said by way of explanation "I was told to come here because something like it was felt once several months back, quite by accident while one of the Seers was searching Bayview for some runaway. That and I have a little practice knowing a ghost by sight. Not many of them as powerful as you Miss Ghost Girl!. As for proof of our good faith and intentions..."

 

Snapping his fingers and catching the pen and paper that fell from nowhere into them he went on "Let me write down some character witnesses for me and Mrs. Spannerman. Well, for the mystical side of our lives. Under the Light my name's Phoebus. In regular life I'm Jacob Merchant," he went on briskly, rapidly jotting down a long series of names and phone numbers "I go to FCU and am being ground under the heel of a mathematics degree with an internship in ASTRO Labs physics division. Mrs. Grace Spannerman is part of the city Chamber of Commerce and has been in government for the last eight years. I sleep at the campus dorms, you can find me very easily there. As could anyone else who wanted to find out about me. Ah! Here we go."

With a flourish he offered the duo the paper, which was mostly covered by almost two dozen very neat names with impeccably traced phone directories beside them.

"Feel free to ask anyone you like about them or us. "

Edited June 11, 2013 by Arichamus

[Electra]

Koshiro accepted the list and studied it with a raised eyebrow. A few of the names were familiar, but nobody jumped out as someone they actually knew. "I've got a better idea," he suggested. "You leave the list with us, we check up on things however we decide to, and then decide if we're going to come to your get-together? There's a reason you don't check someone's references when they're standing right in the room with you." He folded the paper, more from habit than anything else. "If we do decide to come," he added, "what's the dress code and the protocol like? Is this going to be some stuffy suit and tie thing? And are people actually going to be getting down and doing magic, or just talking about it and drinking?" 

[Ari]

GM

 

"I hope that manticore isn't your shapeshifting pal, Ghost GIrl! Wouldn't want to insult them by trying to cuddle them."
The young man grinned "And as you wish Papercut. I do hope you agree to come-"

"Just talk about magic?" Phoebus looking horrified at the other boy "I hope not! The point of the party is for people to get exposed to things they would never otherwise be, keeping a lid on the magic would destroy its purpose! Besides, how dumb would it be to expect us not to show off at a party?" He laughed aloud. Very suddenly adopting a more serious look he tucked the eagle-headed cane under his arm and went on crisply "Right, dress code: it's entirely up to you what you wear, if you want to wear a suit or flannel and jeans feel free. Mrs. Spannerman would prefer something more formal, I dare say, but mages come from every walk of life, and most of them simply can't afford or create what she would call 'respectable wear'. Just...you know, nothing too risque if you can help it" he said with a note of awkwardness flickering across his tanned face.

Quickly banishing that moment of discomfort he went on "General conduct is at your discretion, but please be at least a little respectful of others and try not to antagonize anybody. We're there to learn, not to pick fights. Setting up games or magical contests is not only permitted but strongly encouraged! Especially if lets people strut their mystical stuff. Calling up spirits, reforming space, divining through objects, traversing to the Subdernal Realms, anything goes! Other than that? Speak your mind, make friends, do whatever you want, and be yourselves to the limits of your power!"

 

Glancing back at Ghost Girl he smiled reassuringly "By "Chaperone" I mean only a very temporary guardian and guide. I'll answer your questions and keep you out of any really spectacular mistakes the witching world can lead to that you don't know about yet. Speaking with considerable bias, making deals with those whose Art draws from the fairy or infernal realms is...dumb."

Edited June 29, 2013 by Arichamus