sometimes they come back

[wizard_dresden]

"IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND."
"Understand what?"
"OUR PURPOSE, WARDEN. FOLLOW ME."...

...followed Demonreach down into the dark.

Or, I thought that's what I'd done. I have my glow stick and my snarky air spirit in his skull, but now it's not dark and the stairs are gone...

...and why do I feel like I've been here before?

"When I said 'run away', Harry, I meant somewhere, you know, on Earth."

"Not now, Bob."

"Ooh! Do you know where we are though? Wow, didn't think we'd get back here after the spell stopped working."

"There was a spell?" I shake my head. Whatever. I know where we are, though I'd also thought I'd never come back. Not because I didn't want to - it just stopped happening.

"Guess we should have a drink then."



[ooc: same Harry, same Bob (primarily and NPC this time 'round) as way back when. if you knew him then, he'll probably remember you - it's been about 3-4 years his time since he bounced. ("White Night" was the last book before he skedaddled, and he's currently from the early parts of "Cold Days", so potential spoilers through that book for now.)]

Comments

[yinyangwizard]

There is a small flock of birds sitting on the bar. Paper birds. At Harry’s approach, they startle and fly up into the rafters with a sound like someone rapidly shuffling a deck of cards.

There is also a paper frog sitting on one of the barstools. Its little paper throat flares in and out rhythmically, like that of a living frog.

While it does not have eyes, it somehow gives the district impression that it is regarding Harry curiously.

(Or, rather, someone at a corner table is regarding Harry curiously, using the little spirit animating the frog as a conduit.)

[wizard_dresden]

The birds are new. Interesting.

I hold out a hand for the paper frog to hop into - I figure sitting up on the bar is better than a stool where it could get crushed. There's a touch of magic in it, obviously. Paper frogs don't usually breathe and move.

[yinyangwizard]

The little frog hops into Harry’s hand. The paper it’s made of is a pastel green color.

The birds swoop back to the bartop. Some of them preen their wings. Others peck as if searching for crumbs. A couple of them take wing again and perch among the bottles on the shelves behind the Bar.

[wizard_dresden]

"Harry, why are you playing with magic origami?"

"Because it's here. And I didn't want to crush it. That would be rude." I move my hand so the little paper frog can hop onto the bar, then I take a seat and order a beer. I mean, I'm here, right? Might as well chill before I have to go back and see what the hell it is lurking under my island that I'm the warden of.

[yinyangwizard]

One of the preening birds on the bartop abruptly snaps into rigid stillness. Whatever force was animating it is gone.

About a minute later, one of the birds perching in the shelves above the bar does the same thing, and falls off the shelves onto the floor.

Someone else comes up to the Bar, a Japanese fellow a foot and change shorter than Harry, dressed in a pale grey winter kimono with a pattern of black swirls. He picks up the still origami bird from the bartop. “Needs a recharge,” he says, in Harry and Bob’s general direction.

Holding the paper bird on the palm of his left hand, he puts his right fingertip on its head, lifts it up, and gently exhales on it. The bird flutters its wings and hops off his hand to join the majority of the flock sitting on the Bar.

Then he goes behind the Bar and ducks down, presumably to get the bird that fell off the shelves.

[wizard_dresden]

I turn to the man who just walked up. "That explains the subtlety." A quick infusion of power to keep the things dancing that fades over time.

I offer a nod and a wave of my beer bottle.

[yinyangwizard]

The man in the kimono stands up from behind the Bar, paper bird in hand, and bows at being complemented on the subtlety of his spell.

"I always appreciate a professional opinion," he says. "I am Abe no Seimei. You can call me Abe-san."

This suggestion is for two reasons: to give a hint to Westerners who may not understand Japanese naming conventions, or to allow a certain degree of informality for those who do.

[wizard_dresden]

I nod in a subtle bow of acknowledgement. "Pleasure. I'm Harry."

I point to the little birds. "Do you fold the origami yourself too? Or just bring them to life?"

[yinyangwizard]

“I always fold them myself. It is essential to the process.” Seimei scans the shelves behind the Bar. “Do you drink whiskey, Harry-san? And if so, what sort do you prefer?”

[wizard_dresden]

"I can see that being necessary, yeah."

I scan the shelves too - see if there's anything wildly new and interesting since the last time I was here. "Uh - sometimes, yeah. My preference is usually 'whatever I can afford'." So - cheap.

[yinyangwizard]

“Well then, since I wish to make a good first impression...” Seimei locates a bottle of Suntory Toki and takes it down. He surmises that it’s nicer than something Harry would buy for himself, but not extravagant.

As he is obtaining tumbler glasses, he notices that someone is in the skull Harry is carrying. “Oh! My apologies, I did not see you there before.” Turning to Harry, he asks, “Shall I get something for your retainer as well?”

Seimei directs the question to Harry because it is simple good practice. He doesn’t know what kind of contractual arrangement they have, and sometimes spirits will, given the opportunity, ask for things they really shouldn’t get.

[wizard_dresden]

Whatever he pulls down should be fine. I don't know much about alcohol from Asia aside from that one thing Shiro gave me.

When he addresses Bob without being explicitly told about Bob, that's a little - odd. "As much as he might like to be able to get drunk and have a party, he cannot. He's probably going to take a nap." Assuming Bob doesn't decide to be an ass, he'll stay quiet. For a little while. (Bob probably won't behave, let's be real here.)

[yinyangwizard]

“Ah well. I have a couple like that, too.”

Seimei pours a finger of whiskey into each tumbler. Before he can lift one for a toast, the little paper frog - the one Harry picked up earlier - hops right into one of the tumblers.

“Ai-ya,” Seimei grumbles as he fishes the little frog out. “I suppose that one is mine now.”

[phantasmal_resplendent]

Wizard, meet another wizard.

An elf glances over Harry's way and grins. "Nice skull."

[wizard_dresden]

"Thanks. Been sitting on top of my neck my whole life."

There's a distinct snort from the air spirit.

"Oh - you mean this one," I set Bob up on the bar. "Nothing special. Just a skull." Holding a snarky air spirit.

[phantasmal_resplendent]

Oh, a comedian. "Ha ha."

A normal skull, huh? Sure.

While she talks, Lup pulls out her wand underneath the table and surreptitiously casts Detect Magic on the skull.

"I'm Lup. You?"

[wizard_dresden]

"Currently wondering why you're magicking at my skull."

[phantasmal_resplendent]

Whoops, busted.

Lup shrugs. "Well, if you'd rather I didn't, I guess I could just ask: Is your skull magical?"

[wizard_dresden]

"I suppose you could say that." The skull itself is sort of magical, but the air spirit inside is way more magical - I just don't talk about him much. Or let him out. He gets into trouble.

[phantasmal_resplendent]

"How about you? Are you a wizard, or sorcerer, or cleric, or whatever?"

It's possible for non-magic users to have enchanted items, but it's less common.

[wizard_dresden]

"I'm a wizard, yeah. Harry.

"What do you do other than wave your wand at skulls?"

[phantasmal_resplendent]

"I mainly stick to evocation." Lup casts Produce Flame, just for fun, and lets a small flame dance in her hands. (She's noticed, happily, that Bar is a bit more lax on spell slots that her own world.)

"If you're asking about my job, I'm an interplanar explorer."

[wizard_dresden]

"The quick-and-dirty stuff is flashier and easier to do on the fly. So that makes sense. Ritual magic takes forever." And if you're head's not in the right place, it gets messy.

"You travel around different parts of the multiverse?" Hey, I may not be up on all the types of magic and specialties and whatnot, but I know about alternate universes... and not messing with them.

[phantasmal_resplendent]

"Yup." Lup grins, flashing the IPRE badge on her robe. "You're looking at the Head Arcanist and Co-Chef of the crew of the Starblaster."

[wizard_dresden]

"I... am not going to even pretend I know what half of those words mean." I'm too tired to piece together that many context clues. Too tired and too hungry. I ask the bar to provide me with a steak sandwich and fries and a beer.