ic I've Got A Golden Ticket

[Sophistemon]

His face fell, but the smile that came afterwards was genuine. "No," he said. "I didn't want to take it. Well, I guess that I didn't expect to take it. I just wanted to see it. Funny, that I've been looking at it more or less this entire time." He glanced up at her and the smile widened. "You deserve them more than I do by a long shot, Gretchen. I'm everything that Al-Kazar wasn't. If he were still alive he'd have never chosen me to follow in his footsteps. With you, at least, his belongings have a chance to do some good." He looked about the room, wondering, but then he shook his head. "Besides which, I've taken enough for one lifetime. Just being here, with you two, and getting a chance to learn more about my Gift... that's enough. I'm content with this." That wasn't really true, not for a country mile, but it was partially true. He was content with his place in this business, for now, and eager to get to work. "Anyway. Thank you for sharing some of your history with me. And, I have to agree; I like your look, too."

[Heritage]

Gretchen smirked, but with a bit more warmth than usual. "I didn't say you'd take it. I expected you to stroke it lovingly and get sort of gooey around the edges." She began to carefully lift the costume pieces out and lay them on top of an adjacent trunk in a methodical fashion, all the better to catalogue them. "Earlier you said I could ask you anything. I'm going to take you up on that offer." She folded a somewhat rumpled silk dress shirt expertly, like the retail veteran she was, then set it aside and turned to face him, one tattoed arm propped up on the trunk,  her head cocked to one side.

 

"What was prison like, and what did you learn there." If this had been the first day they met, there might have been more judgement in her tone, but instead there was mostly curiousity, with maybe even a hint of sympathy.

Edited January 9, 2017 by Heritage

[Sophistemon]

There was a long pause as Sam thought things over. When he spoke, it was sort of slowly, and distant. "I don't... really even like thinking about it," he said. "But you're right; I offered and you deserve to know." He inhaled, licked his upper lip, and continued. "So, after I was... defeated, I guess, I was sentenced to twenty years in Blackstone." He cleared his throat. "The thing about Blackstone is that it's made for people like us. You know, super-people. They have ways of taking your gifts away, of making you normal. Some people, you know, they're born with their powers and going to Blackstone is like losing an arm to them; it's like being crippled. Others, like me, we fought for our powers. I traveled the world, dug through old books until my hands bleed, read dusty scrolls until my eyes burned, even broke my way through the veil of reality and looted another dimension all so that I could fan the little spark of magic in me to a fire. Going to Blackstone, losing my magic... it was worse than losing an arm. It was like my life fell apart a second time, like all that work had been for nothing. I'd gone from being 'Presto the Preposterous, magician extraordinaire!' to 'Presto the Preposterous, super-villain!' to... Samuel Steiner, prisoner 1134, the nobody." He worried his hands together, cracking the knuckles. "And that's sort of what fixed me, I suppose." He smiled, slightly. "I started at the ground floor and worked my way up. I attended prison rehabilitation programs and got clean of the drugs and alcohol. I went to two... three kinds of therapy besides that, including anger management. And when there was that big escape attempt a few years back I stayed in my cell and waited it out. When all was said and done I got a reduced sentence and reduced it further after other examples of good behavior." He shook his head. "I guess that prison taught me that sometimes you have to lose everything, that you have to start over, before you can rebuild yourself into something better." He raised his hands, palms out. "Not that I'm perfect. I still get... angry. Jealous. And I'm still pretty extravagant, obviously. But I'm working on it and I like to think that I'm doing a little better every day." His smile widened. "You guys, you and Lynn, you've been such a big help to me. Having a sort of support network, not to mention a job that I love in a field that I'm interested in... you have no idea how much that means to me. It helps keep me grounded in a way that I don't think anything else could."

Edited July 11, 2016 by Sophistemon

[Heritage]

"I was in a POW camp on Mars for eight months," began Lynn, who was suddenly leaning against one of the bookcases near the door; as quiet as she moved, there was no telling how long she'd been there. "And Martian months are long; fifty-five, fifty-six days." She was staring off into space, clearly a thousand miles away. "They used old copper mines, miles beneath the surface. They tried to clean all the dust out, but it still got everywhere, mostly people's lungs; lots of former POWs got lung cancer, including my husband, though it took twenty-five years to kill him."

 

The changeling pushed herself away from the wall and sauntered over to her two employees, the fatigue of many years weighing heavy on her limbs, and she rested a hand on Sam's shoulder. "It marks you, doesn't it? It's like...scar tissue or a patch of dead grass; those months of despair and isolation that you can never get back. Nothing grows there anymore" Then she took a deep breath and shuddered, then looked sheepish. "Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop." She lifted her hair, uncovering her pointed ears. "These things are hard to turn off, and they've got really good range."

 

Gretchen crossed her arms and looked somewhat annoyed as she returned to folding garments. "Have you considered earplugs? Or maybe, I don't know, not hovering about like a giant-" 

 

Suddenly the young barista went limp and crumpled to the floor, like a marionette whose strings were just cut; in an instant, Lynn was upon her, cradling her head just before it smacked the floorboards. "Omigod, Gretch! What happened?!"

 

Meanwhile, Sam could clearly see a small object glowing inside the trunk...

Edited July 19, 2016 by Heritage

[Sophistemon]

Sam's heart fell as he listened to Lynn's story. He was about to speak up, to say that he didn't mind her interruption, when Gretchen started to snap at her. Caught in the middle of what looked to be the beginning of a lover's spat, Sam remained silent. He averted his eyes from it, to give them a bit of privacy, and his attention was gripped by the soft glow emerging from the trunk. He turned towards it, to get a better look, and so he didn't see it when Gretchen collapsed. Only the blur of movement, of Lynn rushing forward to catch the other woman before she struck her head, was enough to draw his eyes away from the glow. "Whoa!" he gasped. "What happened? Gretchen? Are you all right?" He stood, and stepped towards them. "Lynn? What's wrong?"

[Heritage]

"I have no idea! She just...fell!" Lynn quickly checked her partner's pulse, pupils and breathing, then she laid her down flat and raised her feet, propping them up with a low conjured ottoman. She was so glad she finally took those first aid classes! "Her vitals are all good, so I don't really know-" 

 

The changeling stopped suddenly as she became aware of the shadows being cast on the wall by whatever was glowing up in the trunk, and her eyes narrowed as she spoke very carefully. "Sam, could you see what the f### is glowing up there? Don't touch it, though; it could be dangerous."

[Sophistemon]

Sam paused, then looked back at the trunk. "I... yeah, of course. I saw it glowing a moment ago, but I don't..." He took a step towards the softly-glowing vessel and peered inside, one hand at the ready to conjure his wand and defend himself. If this thing, whatever it was, had hurt Gretchen... he would need to be prepared to fight it off however he could. Why, he thought, would Al-Kazar keep something dangerous unguarded among his things?

Edited July 21, 2016 by Sophistemon

[Heritage]

The object in question appeared to be some sort of clasp or brooch, still attached to one of Al-Kazar's gold lamé capes; it appeared to be made of pure gold, but the real eye catcher was the ruby in the middle the size of a silver dollar. The whole thing was glowing with a light that was fascinating to behold.

 

Just then, Gretchen roused and shook her head. "Huh!" She blinked her eyes a few times, then began to stare at the front and backs of her hands. "I, uh...I think I just downloaded a patch."

 

Lynn punched her shoulder, good and hard. "Jeez, don't do that; you scared me half to death, you bitch!"

 

"Ow! I don't always have control of this stuff, you know!" Then she noticed her head was in Lynn's lap, and her face softened. "You caught me?"

 

And then the changeling smiled, and it was wonderous to behold. "I'll always catch you, kid. Always."

 

This then led to a lot of kissing, which was very awkward indeed for Presto, until Gretchen finally came up for air. "Um, we should...Samuel."

 

"Right, yes; sorry about that! Status report, Mr. Steiner!" She brushed her hair out of her eyes and looked up at him expectantly, her cheeks rosy pink.

Edited July 23, 2016 by Heritage

[Sophistemon]

Sam, who had kept his eyes averted from the public display of affection so as to not embarrasses his employer and her girlfriend-slash-employee, returned his eyes to them and smiled knowingly. "No need to apologize, ladies," he said. "Remember, I toured in Las Vegas; I've seen things that would make your heads spin." He cleared his throat and looked back at the crate. "Things are all right over here, I think. It looks like one of Al-Kazar's old brooches, attached to... one of his capes." His eyes widened, and he got a different, funny little smile. Sure, Gretchen was using one of the old magician's effects, but this one was unaccounted for! "Let me just, ah... take a closer look." He pointed his wand at the crate and, using a spell of levitation, lifted the jewelry and attendant cape from its resting place. The gemstone took his breath away. "Lord," he whispered. "Look at the size of that ruby! It must be worth a fortune!"

[Heritage]

The two women untangled themselves and stood up, both as transfixed as Sam was by the beautiful ruby.

 

"Wow," said Lynn as she gazed upon it. "It's so big!"

 

For her part, Gretchen kept shaking her head and fiddling with her glasses, seemingly confused. "Uh, the, uh...the cape is perfectly ordinary. The clasp with the ruby...is a source of considerable power."

 

The changeling looked back over her shoulder and frowned. "How do you know that?"

 

The barista started to laugh but caught herself, clearly on the verge of hysteria. "Because the Helm...is telling me so." She reached up to pull off her glasses and stare at them in wonder. "This whole time I thought I was summoning the Gifts. But I've been wearing them...the whole time." She abruptly donned her glasses, twisted her ring counter-clockwise, and in a flash she was wearing a beautiful flowing ballgown in creamy pink. She twisted it again, and was dressed like a flight attendant. And then a cop!

 

Lynn took a step backwards and made a T with her hands. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, timeout! One mind-blowing discovery at a time here, people! Yes, it looks like you unlocked some...quality DLC there, Gretch, but we need to-" She waved her hands at her partner's law enforcement uniform. "Just hit the reset button for now while we focus on the...'Amulet of Al-Kazar over here."

 

"Fine," Gretchen said as she returned to her original street clothes with a smirk. "Not so fun when someone else is doing it, is it?"

 

The fae pursued her lips and shook her head. "No, it's not; I guess I finally see your point now." At last, she turned her attention back to Sam and his amazing find. "Okay, so...big ass ruby! What do we think it does?"

[Sophistemon]

"Well," said Samuel, alternating between staring while Gretchen demonstrated her new powers and inspecting the ruby for any other weirdness. "As a master of the mystic arts -- a man who has traveled through several alternate dimensions in search of greater and greater magical knowledge and arcane power -- I can conclude beyond the shadow of a doubt that this ruby... glows." He chuckled, then shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know about you guys, but I've never developed the ability to sense magic. I don't... well. My spark is weak. I know a lot, I've got a bit of power, but I'm not, ah, naturally inclined towards magic." He gestured towards Lynn. "Not like you are, anyway."

Edited July 25, 2016 by Sophistemon

[Heritage]

Lynn looked thoughtfully at Sam for some time, occasionally glancing from him over to the strange, very glow-y amulet. At last, she abruptly snatched it out of the air and tossed at the startled magician.

 

"Y'know what, keep it. If you can figure out how to make it work, it's yours."

 

This was just a bit too much for Gretchen, and she said so, telepathically.

 

- You have got to be kidding me. -

 

- No...this feels right. -

 

- He's an ex-con who shows up to his first day on the job, and you just toss a magical artifact of unknown power into his lap. You cannot possibly be so naive. -

 

- I call it having faith in people. And you may be right; this could blow up in my face like an H-bomb, but I don't think it will. I have to believe in people, because otherwise I don't know how to do this job...I really don't. I can't live in a world without hope. -

 

- Fine. For what it's worth, I hope you are right. But that's not the world I grew up in. -

 

During all this, all Sam could see was the two women pacing around, eyes locked and arms tightly folded across their chests, clearly involved in an intense mental conversation. Finally, they broke eye contact and let out their breath at the same time. Gretchen addressed Samuel, though she had a hard time looking him in the eye.

 

"You can keep the Amulet, but as a...professional courtesy, I request that you share with me what you find out about it. I am more than willing to offer my services as a research assistant."

 

And with that, she stomped out of the room; Lynn held out her hand, looking like she wanted to say something, but then she just sighed, let it drop and looked away. 

Edited July 25, 2016 by Heritage

[Sophistemon]

Samuel, open mouthed, fumbled with the amulet when it landed in his hands. He nearly dropped it but managed to grasp the glowing stone, undamaged, to his chest. Eyes wide, he smiled at the implications of the gift -- but then noticed the silent communication commencing between his employer and her girlfriend. The smile faded; you didn't have to be a genius to deduce what was going on between them, and his suspicions were confirmed when Gretchen said her piece and left the room. He watched her go, and held the amulet loosely in one hand. "Lynn," he said, his voice uncharacteristically soft. "I... look, I appreciate this. I really do. But Gretchen..." He shook his head. "It's not my legacy," he concluded. "It's not my right to take this from you, or from her." He held the ruby out to her. "It means a lot, Lynn, really. But I'm content to read his work; I don't need to carry his things. And even if I wasn't reading his work, the kindness that you've shown me these last few weeks is just..." He paused. "Lynn, I don't deserve this."

Edited July 26, 2016 by Sophistemon

[Heritage]

Lynn stared at the ruby for a long time, then slowly shook her head. "Ira Silberman left this store and all its contents to my Grandfather Louis. And he left it all to me. So that means I'm the one who decides who to give it to from now on." Then she looked thoughtful. "But maybe...maybe I was a bit impulsive earlier. Let me consult with my colleague."

 

Her eyes went a bit unfocused, a look which Sam was beginning to recognize; from time to time she shrugged or shook her head, and sometimes her lips moved wordlessly. Finally she nodded decisively, and then she looked at the magician with a smile. "Alright, a compromise has been reached; the amulet stays here, but you can study it on a regular basis. And maybe later we can run some tests at Rusty's for safety reasons. If you ever do figure out how to make it work, than we revisit the deal. Does that seem fair?"

 

Before he could answer, Gretchen poked her head into the secret storage room. "He has to earn it now?"

 

Lynn sighed and nodded. "Yes, he has to earn it."

 

"Okay." She stepped into the room and presented the changeling with a very elaborate coffee-based drink, topped with an insane amount of whipped cream. "Then I made you this mint mocha."

 

The store owner practically melted as she put her hand over her heart. "Aww, you're so sweet! Thanks!" They briefly kissed as Gretchen sat on Lynn's lap, and she rubbed the barista's arm with great affection. They both looked at Sam inquisitively. "So, does that work for you?"

Edited July 27, 2016 by Heritage

[Sophistemon]

The magician nodded, smiling, all the while wondering if he'd made the right decision. Magical artifacts didn't just fall into your possession every day, and here he was willingly restricting his access. Still, it felt like the right thing to. He looked down at the glowing gem, its light leaking through his fingers, and held it out to Gretchen. "It really... just makes sense," he told her. "Al-Kazar boxed it away for a reason. It might not be safe to remove it from the room without knowing what it is, first." He breathed in and caught a whiff of Lynn's mine mocha. "Huh. That smells pretty amazing," he chimed. "If you ladies will excuse me, I think that I'm going to get some use out of my employee discount." He passed the gem to the young vigilante and left the room, already missing the stone's heat in his hand. He felt that it might be wise to give the two women a chance to talk, face to face, without relying on their telepathy to communicate. Telepathy, he thought. I should read up on it. Plenty of my spells have mental components; it shouldn't be that difficult to learn...

[Heritage]

Lynn took a sip of her mocha as she watched Sam leave the storage room; this left a large dollop of whipped cream on her nose, which she appeared not to notice. "He'll get over it, right? It's the right thing to do."

 

"Absolutely," said Gretchen, trying very hard not to crack up at the sight of her partner's 'creamschnoz'.

 

"Let's not think-fight in front of the kids again, okay? Promise me."

 

"Okay."

 

Lynn reached out and took both her hands. "Look me in the eye and promise me." Her eyes were so big and her tone so sincere that Gretchen finally busted out laughing, while the changeling pretended to be deeply offended, despite having to hide a smile. "Why do you find that funny? You're awful! You're an awful, terrible person!"

 

- - -

 

Out on the sales floor, Lance looked up from behind the bar and, noticing Sam's expression, offered a look of concern. "Everything okay, Mr. Steiner? You look like you lost your puppy."

Edited July 28, 2016 by Heritage

[Sophistemon]

Sam blinked, shook his head, and grinned. "Oh, no, thanks! Everything's fine!" He reached up and rubbed the back of his head. "I'm just a little tired; I had a long night. Any chance you could hook me up with a cup of something that'll get me going?" He chuckled. "And please, call me 'Sam,' Lance. Everyone does." He took a breath, inhaling the scent of fresh coffee and various pastries, and leaned towards the display to inspect the day's selection. "Why don't you recommend me something good?"

[Heritage]

Lance looked comedically crestfallen. "I knew it; you see a big fancy mocha, and you forget all about the plain old mug of coffee I just made for you." He sighed as he pulled two shots of espresso. "Y'know, I get it, I really do; espresso drinks are all sexy, exotic and Continental. A simple cuppa joe just can't compete."

 

He was expertly making an elaborate drink of some kind as he continued to sigh and speak with mock despair in a bad French accent. "But zat is life, non? We try so 'ard to rize above ze crowd, only to die in ob-scur-a-tee! C'est la vie!" At last he winked as he served up a true caramel macchiato; not the appalling imposter churned out by Starbucks, but a tall luxurious cup of heaven that flowed down your throat like liquid bliss.

 

"Save your travel mug for later; it'll still be good cold."

 

- - -

 

"So what are they like, your new powers? Anything super-cool? Though even if it was just the extra costume changes,  that would be pretty awesome." Gretchen was still sitting on Lynn's lap as they passed the mocha between them; now they both had bits of whipped cream on their noses.

 

"Too early to tell," the young barista said as she shook her head. "But it feels powerful. I think it was one hell of an upgrade."

[Sophistemon]

Samuel blinked, then smiled. "Oh, no, I didn't forget the coffee. I just gulped it down like it was water in the desert. I'm tired, Lance." His grin widened at the barista's mock-French. "Ah, see, that's where you're wrong," he told the young man. "Obscurity's for the people who can't get up and stay up -- I plan to be on top again in no time, and this round I'm going to stay there." He took the cup, tilted it to his mouth, and almost collapsed. He drank deeply, laryngeal prominence bobbing up and down, and let out an appreciative sound of pleasure. "My God, Lance," he said. "This is fantastic. We're going to have to start calling this my 'usual,' at least until you show me something even better."

[Heritage]

The young man grinned and nodded. "The secret is the ristretto shots; you only allow about half the amount of water through." He made a sort of popping gesture with his fingers in front of his mouth. "The flavor's more intense with short shots, but less bitter."

 

Meanwhile Gretchen had come up behind Sam and poked him hard in the shoulder; it wasn't an angry poke, more like an affectionate schoolyard poke. "When you're done with your amazing spectacular orgasam drink, come on back." She tapped the temple of her glasses and smiled like the cat who swallowed the canary, then leaned in to whisper.

 

"I can read Yiddish now."

Edited August 12, 2016 by Heritage

[Sophistemon]

Sam nodded to Lance, appreciated his tip, and then turned to face Gretchen when she poked him. When she whispered in his ear, close enough for her warm breath to ruffle his hair, he nearly choked on the coffee. "You can?" he asked, incredulous. "That's... but... you... how?!" He tossed a few bills on the counter for Lance, to pay for the drink, and then followed after Gretchen with his own cat-ate-canary grin spread wide across his features.

[Heritage]

"It's the upgrade," she murmured, shaking her head in disbelief as she waved her hand by her glasses. "All this new information...it's bizarre and intense. Somehow being in the presence of the Amulet unlocked all these new abilities. Me passing out was basically a reboot."

 

Then Grethen stopped and reached out to grab his sleeve. "We need to get you up to this level somehow. I'm not going to be able to read through all those notebooks by myself. Unlike you, I have a life." It could have mean, but Sam was getting to the point that he could pick up on her deadpan sense of humor. He hoped.

 

Then the barista began to drag him back to 'the Cave'. "Come on. There's no time to waste. The sooner we get you reading Yiddish, the sooner I can get back to s### I actually care about..."

[Sophistemon]

Samuel grinned widely, pleased with the revelation. "The amulet did this to you?" He can barely restrain his excitement, and it's only a second or so before he's leading her into the back room. If the amulet could do something like that unconsciously and without any prompting, who knew what it might accomplish once he'd put some work into discovering what it was capable of? "Of course," he says, pushing his way through the door into the storage area and then leading her back into the secret room. "Learning a language through magic is simple enough -- a quick incantation and we'll be on our way. I should be able to brute force it if we don't mind the risk of tearing a hole in the noosphere and releasing the denizens of the Outer Dark. I've just got to send my mind skyward and dip my consciousness into a few centuries of German-Jewish history and blammo we'll be golden." He takes a breath and pauses to calm himself down. "I feel like we're on the precipice of something here, don't you?"

Edited August 18, 2016 by Sophistemon

[Heritage]

Gretchen snorted. "Yes. It's the edge of the smoking crater where our store used to be." She swatted him hard, but with considerable affection.  "We have to start slowly and build to phenomenal cosmic power. Shortcuts are for losers and dead men."

 

And with that, the unlikely duo took the first step of their journey together.

Edited August 4, 2017 by Heritage