peryton

[shesepankh]

Summer vacation elapses, and sees their storefront doing one heck of a business in the Avalon with the help of their griffin employee. There is a suggestion box for new spells they should invent, some of which have to be long-term projects but others of which are converted into new product fairly promptly.

School starts up again. Darren and Bella are both skipping straight into twelfth grade. (Bella looked into just starting college early, but while she does technically have the sort of resume that can lead to that kind of thing, she can't exactly write an essay about how she saved the life of another person and this caused her to have Moral Character, let alone about how she started a small business - so skipping one grade it is.)

They apply to colleges. They both get into University of Washington and get sufficient scholarships to accommodate both going there.

Summer ensues again.

One afternoon, Bella is over at Darren's, and has fallen asleep - in purring fullform - across his lap on the couch.

Comments

[castmyown]

That's - worrying, he hopes it's not going after Savannah, but it's not like he can carry Bella out right now. He definitely isn't going to leave her. So, protections it is. It gives away where they are if anyone that isn't the ink monster shows up, but Darren can handle anyone that isn't the ink monster. Probably.

He finishes the ice spell. One chant later, and the circle around them is a bit more complete. He could finish it with the scroll at this point, but that seems like wasted resources. He'll draw out another spell, and keep the scroll in reserve.

[alicornucopia]

"That's what I - was hired for," whimpers the guy.

[morethanimaginary]

"By dead dude. Mhmmm."

She will have to investigate the paper trail.

"Well, how's that working out for you, jackass? Feel proud of yourself?"

[alicornucopia]

"Oh, God, what do you want," says the jackass.

[morethanimaginary]

If she had time to work, she'd make him suffer for torturing Bella, and be sure that there isn't anything that she missed, intelligence wise. But there are guards outside who will probably catch on any minute, there's an ink monster that hasn't been accounted for, and an unknown number of people that are running around here.

She does not want to deal with a hostage, or a prisoner.

"Just one thing," she informs him. "You're getting off lucky."

And then she slices open his throat.

[alicornucopia]

The result is predictable.

[morethanimaginary]

Entirely.

She takes to the sky, and goes looking for - others. Other people to question, other people to kill, or the ink monster.

[alicornucopia]

There's the ink monster. Slipping out the door of the warehouse.

[morethanimaginary]

Okay. Bad that it's alive, Darren hasn't gotten to it, yet. Or he lost. She does not think he lost. She suspects it's going to warn the guards, get some backup, instead. That's bad, they'll have weaponry, they'll be aware that she's invisible and watch each other's backs.

Hmmm, what's a way to turn the tides with the materials she has, when outnumbered...

[alicornucopia]

Out the monster goes.

The door opens. Guards, with guns, come in.

[morethanimaginary]

Yup. Called it.

Where's the power? She's going to need to separate them and - well, she ate the heart of their boss. Let's play with them a bit. She soars on silent wings, searching for a way to cut the power.

[alicornucopia]

There's a big fusebox on the wall over there.

[morethanimaginary]

Oh, how nice. All of these switches that are switched on? They get to go off now.

And on the first day, Savannah said, "Let there be darkness."

Lo. It was dark.

[castmyown]

Darren flinches in alarm at the darkness. Wing, over Bella, she is going to be safe. That - must have been where the ink monster went. Clever bastard. Okay, well, ice has been the only thing that's worked so far, but Darren can't draw out the runes for it in the dark.

The problem is not that there isn't a solution. He came prepared. Night vision goggles weren't possible on short notice, but a scroll to help with seeing in the dark? For him? Much easier. He just has to get to it. And to find the right one, that requires being able to see, which requires the scroll and - well, catch twenty-two.

He solves it by using his cellphone. Just enough to see by, and - bam, scroll. The light from it was possibly noticeable, but so's the ice ring, and he needs to see in the dark. Worth the risk.

One murmured chant later, and Darren can see in the dark.

[alicornucopia]

The guards, for their part, have flashlights.

The ink monster stays near the doorway, where there's sunlight, rather than following them back in. It is a puddle at the door.

[morethanimaginary]

Yeah, Savannah figured they would. She'll just - use them to see by, too.

She floats to a place out of the way but near the guards. Some place they can get to but not easily. She switches to her other voice (the male one) and then says, pathetically, like she's wounded, "Help, please, is - someone there...?"

[alicornucopia]

"Boss?" says one of the guards. "Where are you, what happened?"

[morethanimaginary]

"Over here, something - didn't see them, sphinxes, maybe - attacked me. It broke my leg, I can't move."

[alicornucopia]

"Are the sphinxes still here? Is the antimagic area intact?"

[morethanimaginary]

"It said something about - teleportation. Probably going to grab the one we got and teleport away with her. Augh -" she winces with false pain, hoping it's convincing in this foreign voice, "- come get me, I think once they get her I think they're going to kill me, but you can't - can't let them get away with the sphinx."

As in, split up, gang. C'mon, fall for the ploy. You know you want to.

[alicornucopia]

"I'll call an ambulance," one suggests. "We need to find the antimagic zone or we're sitting ducks."

[morethanimaginary]

"You wanna explain the torture equipment to the ambulance?" hisses Savannah. "Because I don't. Just - carry me out, I need cell reception, I know someone that can help -"

[alicornucopia]

"Paramedics won't have to go far enough in to see anything," argues one of the guards.

"Do you know how to get the dark thing someplace they won't see it, though?" asks one of the others.

"...Point. Boss? How do we control the dark thing?"

[morethanimaginary]

Fuck.

"You won't be able to," she says, thinking on her feet. "Too complicated - I've got it, but I have to be close, drag me to it, I'll get it. Then - paramedics."

[alicornucopia]

"Right then," and they move towards her voice.