Exchange PI Crossing into the Circle

[Markus Eldridge]

If Markus had a fatal fault, it would be his inability to ask for aid or accept help. It had taken him far too long to take up the Inquisitor's suggestion. At first, he had been unsure about connecting himself too closely with an organization that aided the Exchange. But he had come to realize that his view had been skewed by his working with Mac, who admittedly had less-than-noble intentions and dealings.

When Markus first approached the Sewing Circle earlier in the week, it was just out of curiosity. He was told about the organization, informed about how they were connected to and helped the Exchange, and then let go to study. If he understood correctly, they held regular events where he could meet other members and offer their resources, so long as he provided some aid in return. He was told that, for now, any more complex rituals would require him to work with a senior member. But, they seemed content to let him learn.

On his second visit, the redhead found himself in an extensive upper level of the brownstone building that housed the Exchange. The space was surprisingly roomy, with plenty of tables and a dedicated section for ritual supplies that Markus almost drooled over. However, the most crucial feature of this place was the collection of books. Although not a massive archive, it was a treasure trove for the new Arcanist, given the difficulty he had with local libraries and online forums.

So far, Markus has avoided more public meetings, preferring to study in silence. He spent much of his time reading the Exchange resources to learn their rituals and crafting methods. Markus had not yet met Rizzo, but his notes were quite valuable, even if the redhead had yet to attempt to create one of his ointments.

After a couple of hours of looking through the workings of alchemy, the redhead decided it was time to study something else. Pulling out his own notes, he would set down a few pages before going to find a book that might help him recreate the ritual he had stumbled into the night with the Wraith.

Returning with a handful of books, Markus would sit down, pulling out a fresh journal. In front of him was a crude image he had drawn of a cage, a shadow's fuzzy image within the bars. Every inch of spare space around the image was covered in scrawling notes. Markus tried to remember everything he could from that faithful night. To his side, he opened one of the books. He started to read, occasionally writing notes, oblivious to the goings around him.

[Emily Reyes]

Outfit

These days, Emily was in the Sewing Circle on the top floor of the brownstone so often that it was beginning to feel like a safe haven. She knew people and could share her work with them, and recieve proper feedback. The thing she liked about it was that none of them were what one expected a wizard to look like. A lot of them had families and were gainfully employed. They felt normal, but with a dash of magic. Emily felt like she fit in here.

Today, on her way up to the workshop after her shift, she stopped to chat with Fanny Mcleod, another arcanist in her mid-forties. She was a botanist turned housewife with teens in the house, who specialized in magic herbalism. They'd bonded first over Emily's take on tree that produced healing fruit, and before long, they were meeting for coffee. Fanny wasn't a very advanced arcanist, but what Emily liked about her was that she was exactly where she wanted to be. It was less about ambition and more about deepening understanding.

The pair of women stood in the corridor outside for at least twenty minutes, catching up, before Fanny needed to leave to pick up one of her kids. They said their farewells and Emily slipped into the workshop, hefting her overstuffed bookbag and component bag.

She found it quiet at this time of the evening, most regular practitioners at work, or going home from work. One other person occupied one of the workbenches, and out of politeness, Emily selected a different one across the room. It was usually better to stay out of one another's way, although the man only seemed to be reading.

It was on a second look that she noticed the man's shock of red hair, and that had her giving him a closer examination. By virtue of her profession, she was good with faces, and recognizing him was a little shock to her system. She did not... like to see this man here. It was nothing personal; it was only that the juxtaposition of the memory of the ill-fated Byte Bash, and the very humble and shoestring surroundings of the Sewing Circle discomfited her.

That said, the man wasn't doing anything except reading, and Emily worked to stow any suspicious thoughts. After all, just because he seemed to be the host of Byte Bash's right hand man didn't mean it was the truth. It was just... likely. In any case, nothing stopped the woman from seeking the truth, not even her social reticence.

Crossing the workshop, she approached Markus' table, holding the fingers of one hand in the other in a very prim gesture. Her posture was stiff, but she still wore a friendly, if faint, smile.

“Hi...” Emily greeted, her tone the typical stilted of someone trying to be friendly but feeling awkward about it. It didn't help that she was speaking quietly, despite the place being mostly empty. She smiled, and pointed as she carefully ventured, “Markus, right?”

[Markus Eldridge]

Markus was immersed in reading a book, taking notes on the complex interactions between magic and various historical reports of when effects were nullified, either by accident or cross-contamination. He was particularly interested in the various factors that could impact a ritual. However, he got distracted and started contemplating what could have possibly led to the description he had received about Victoria's state.

He was absently twirling his pen in his hand when he heard his name. He hadn't been paying attention as the woman approached him, but when he looked up, he smiled. After all, the people here were ones he hoped to call allies. Markus had always been good with faces and even better with voices. He recognized the woman, though he wasn't sure that he ever got her name with the mess that was the Byte Bash. However, he remembered she came in with Max, which at least provided him with some relief even if he didn't know the other man well enough to know the company he kept. He thought he remembered that someone called her 'Em', but he doubted he could use such a casual nickname.

“Hello,” Markus said, standing and offering his hand. Looking her over and noting the slightly awkward tension between them. “Yes, that is correct, but you must forgive me; I don't recall your name? I believe you were acquainted with Max, correct?” He asked, his tone was friendly and almost formal, deciding it would be best to be transparent, especially since the last time the two of them met, it had been debating the merits of a group outside of the Exchange.

[Emily Reyes]

Emily hadn't expected a rejection, but she hadn't known what to expect at all to begin with. The wizard gathering had been a bit of a blur, and all of it either confusing or uncomfortable. She'd been glad to put it behind her and glad that Markus didn't mind her intrusion.

Her smile filled out as he offered his hand. Stepping up to the edge of his table, she took it and gave it a firm squeeze. “Emily,” she answered, unbothered. In other circumstances, her smile might've softened at the mention of her boyfriend, but she kept her face neutrally pleasant as she nodded in confirmation. She was still trying to get a read on Markus. “It's fine, that was a weird party. I'm... surprised to see you here after all that.” She smirked slightly, tilting her head and lifting her eyebrow slightly.

Now that she knew Markus knew Max, Emily thought back to the times she'd practiced some theory-crafting with the werewolf. He couldn't activate anything he'd written, but if Markus asked, if they needed to maintain the facade, she knew what he kind of spells he favored.

[Markus Eldridge]

Markus returned Emily's light squeeze and raised an eyebrow as she introduced herself. He remembered that Victoria had mentioned a friend named Emily with whom she had a falling out. However, Markus decided to let the thought slip from his mind for now. He had learned that questioning people with similar names didn't help, as he had lost count of how many men named 'Max' he had found in his search. Instead, he decided to wait for other signs, though the fact that two names had an association was at the forefront of his mind.

The redhead gestured towards the table and said softly, “Please, feel free to join me,” as he sat back down and moved some of his notes out of the way. When Emily mentioned the Byte Bash, Markus almost rolled his eyes in response. “That is an... apt word for it,” he chose his words carefully. Her statement that she was surprised that he was 'here' raised warning bells, and he wondered if there was some conflict of interest he didn't know about. He knew Mac didn't like the Exchange and had gotten the hint that the man wasn't alone in that feeling, but that had nothing to do with Markus, as far as he was concerned.

“Why are you surprised?” he asked curiously, hoping she would elaborate. “ Like others, I was exploring options and was invited by Mac. Although I didn't agree with the methods and moved on,” he said honestly.

[Emily Reyes]

When the man gestured for her to join him, Emily hesitated for a brief moment as she scanned the table, and his books and notes for no other reason than being a particularly circumspect individual. Finding the clearest spot, she pulled out a chair and smoothed her skirts down as she sat. Then she leaned forward to rest her elbows on the sturdy table, crossing her legs beneath it.

Catching the eyeroll made one side of her mouth quirk up--she thought it was an interesting reaction and wondered if, after the fiasco of the whole evening, the man was aggressively trying to distance himself from it. Perhaps this was a reaction to the discomfort she'd spotted when Malcolm brought up Victoria. The question that came afterward supported some of her notions. His surprise told her that he'd mentally moved on and her perception of him wasn't what he'd expected. But he was addressing the whole thing very blithely. 'Considering options and moving on'. She hadn't expected that. She carefully smoothed the half-smile away, knowing he meant for her to answer honestly.

“Well...” Emily started thoughtfully, chewing the inside of her lip and watching Markus for a reaction. She folded her fingers together and rested her chin on them. “I suppose... I assumed you were very invested in Malcolm's cause. He brought up your sister as a call to action.”

There was no accusation in her words, her tone just light and questioning, well-practiced by the detective. After all, if Markus was getting away from the strange culture of needless esoterism that the Byte Bash represented in Emily's mind, then that seemed like a net positive. Some people liked that, making it an aesthetic or a lifestyle, but Emily was too by-the-book and perhaps a little stuffy in the process. Regardless, she wasn't going to stand in the man's way.

[Markus Eldridge]

Markus noticed that there was some hesitation. However, he mainly attributed it to nerves. As she started explaining what she assumed, Markus would visibly tighten at the mention of his sister. He was still angry at Mac for using her name in that way; he understood at its core why the man did it, but at least Mac could have warned him.

After a moment of contemplation, Markus finally responded. “That is understandable... But Mac's cause was his own. Not mine. In fact, I didn't even know what to expect from the invite, nor was I told about his plans to use my sister as a call to arms,” Markus paused, thinking back on the event. “I was just as blind-sighted as others. Maybe more so.”

Markus smiled apologetically at the woman. He didn't tell her that, in truth, he owed Mac a lot. The man had introduced Markus to magic and had walked the redhead through his first ritual, among other things. “Don't get me wrong; I agreed with the idea in principle. Allies are always useful, but... I am hesitant to put my faith in anyone I don't know.”

[Emily Reyes]

Emily got what she was looking for at mentioning Markus' sister. She wouldn't admit to giving him a bit of an interrogative evaluation, but she wanted to get the full measure of the man. He stiffened, telling her he either didn't like the mention of Victoria's name, or Malcolm's usage of it.

Markus confirmed that it was the second, giving him distance from the cause in Emily's mind. His smile went apologetic and the detective tilted her head, expression flitting to curiosity. As the man went on, it dawned on her that the man might have been something of a newcomer to the supernatural world, and she felt a mote of real sympathy for his situation. Or his previous situation. In a way, whether the involved parties intended it or not, Emily thought it sounded like his newness had been taken advantage of--it made sense he was unwilling to put his trust in the unknown.

“It's a bit of a wild world out there,” she agreed, gentle, but cracking a little smirk. “I'm glad you made it over here though. It's, ah...” Her smirk broadened slightly to a wry smile, eyes glimmering with mild amusement, as she teased, “Not as exciting as the Byte Bash, I suppose.”

[Markus Eldridge]

Markus couldn't help but feel somewhat grilled as they talked, but he didn't detect any hostile intentions. Again, Markus recalled what he knew of the Emily his sister wrote about. There wasn't much to go on other than that she and his sister had a falling out. If this was the same Emily, he wondered if she had drawn some of her conclusions based on that. Markus guessed it didn't really matter.

The redhead let out a forced laugh as she spoke about the wild world he now found himself in. “Isn't that the truth... I never knew her world was so dangerous,” He responded, speaking the last words almost to himself, still baffled by the fact that he was now pushing his way into it. Markus would give her a smile at her following statement, “Yeah, but so far, I haven't been attacked here. Which is a bonus... and the books are far better.” Markus said, gesturing towards the notes.

“If you don't mind me asking. How long have you been with the circle?” Markus asked, with a handwave towards the room around them. He assumed she had been with them, or at least heard of them, before the Byte Bash since she mentioned the Exchange during that discussion.

[Emily Reyes]

Even without knowing precisely what he was talking about, Emily could nod in agreement. The supernatural world was dangerous, and when he noted he wasn’t being attacked here at the Circle, she had to laugh softly.

Emily was curious to know more of his thinking and history but decided she’d pried enough. She let the topic pass, her body language relaxing minutely. She lowered her hands and clasped them in front of her on the table as she gave Markus’ spread of notes and books a closer look.

His question made her look back up at him and smile. “Since June of 2023,” she answered succinctly, being a precise woman who knew these sorts of things off the top of her head. “Before that, I was self-taught.”

[Markus Eldridge]

Markus noticed as her frame shifted, and her eyes started to wonder more. He was glad the moment of awkwardness seemed to pass. Her returned laugh told him she understood how dangerous the world was as well as he did. He wondered, not for the first time, how he had never stumbled upon it before he started to pry into his sister's death, or, more likely, how he just used excuses to validate anything he didn't understand before now.

He didn't mind that she looked at his notes or the books. If anything, he knew she might have insight, and there was nothing to hide. Much of the notes, written in his hand, were accompanied by perspective drawings. They were either of circles and runes, as he intended, or in his notes about the encounter with the Onryo; the image was of a shadowed form trapped in a dance club cage. Much of the notes currently out were him trying to recreate or understand the ritual he performed that night. He had done it in the heat of the moment, rushing the process and failing to provide an adequate power source, causing the magic to drain him instead.

He nodded as she spoke up and noted how quickly she knew the date. The more he talked to the woman, the more intriguing she seemed; not many kept such details in front of their minds. He found himself wondering about her background as he spoke up. “I see. I guess I would call myself self-taught as well, though Mac did introduce me to my first ritual, and for that, I am grateful."”

Markus took a moment to contemplate their conversation. “You have been going to this circle longer than I have even known all this existed... Does it get easier? Is it worth it?” Markus asked in a moment of vulnerability. He asked a similar question to Mac when they first started, but the redhead had a feeling she was far less interested in power and might have different things to say.

[Emily Reyes]

Mac had to be Malcolm, she thought. It seemed just like that strange man to have multiple names. She scanned his notes, taking in the runework and the sketches. It was not her kind of magic, though she could read it and it intrigued her. Likewise, the figure in the cage was eerie and curious. He seemed to be reconstructing something.

Markus went on and this time, Emily paused before answering. She could hear the quiet, vulnerable part of the question, and it seemed to her that Markus was questioning his decision to even do that first ritual. She wondered why he dove that far and if it had something to do with his sister.

Would she have followed someone she loved that closely? Into world where knowledge of it was both powerful and dangerous? Emily supposed she might, so she had no place to judge him from, if that were the case.

After a few heartbeats of thought, she started, “There are… parts of this that I would put back in the box if I could.” Back into Pandora’s Box, as it were. Right now, she knew arcanists in the Circle who’d never fought a hydra or golden cat that could scream with magic. Nobody talked about dancing with a fire elemental or spending long lazy days up in Northrop’s mountains with shifters. She could keep that last one but over all, her experiences made Emily think she got herself into far more trouble than strictly necessary. She smiled faintly, sharing, “I enjoy enchanting, problem solving, or crafting pretty things. The occasional monster… not as much. But I think…” Another pause, as she gave Markus’ question the best consideration she could. She chewed the inside of her lip, before leaning back in her chair and folding her hands in her lap as she decided, “Yes. You start to see patterns, it begins to get easier, though… not less dangerous. But yes. It’s worth it, when I can protect the people I love.”

[Markus Eldridge]

Markus was still looking at her as she spoke and as she thought about her answers. The redhead was glad she took her time. Such questions were twofold; while he was very interested in her answers, how she answered would be just as important as what she said. He nodded when she spoke about the crafting and handiwork side of what they did; he was very much enjoying that. Hell, he even liked studying. It reminded him of easier times. Markus didn't have much experience with supernatural individuals or arcanists, so it was hard for him to imagine whether or not his experience was universal; however, with Emily also speaking of meeting with monsters, he felt it was more common that it wasn't.

At her last statement, Markus would pause. Protecting people you love is a noble cause, but it was too late in his case. Did he have anyone he would defend now? Sure, his mother was still alive on the West Coast. He had friends and old coworkers. But, he never really got close with them. He didn't have a lover or partner. Still, he could respect it. “I understand. Thank you for your answer. I hope I can feel the same down the line.” Markus said softly before forcing a smile and pushing the thoughts from his mind. "“I do enjoy the craft and study. I can understand the joy that comes from creation.”

[Emily Reyes]

Emily thought Markus answered like a man who was carrying a great deal of pain. Understandable, although she’d only meant it in the lightest sense and hadn’t wanted to touch on any nerves. The woman nodded in agreement because it would be cruel to say or think anything else.

He went on and she nodded and leaned forward again, her eyes skirting over his work. She lifted her eyebrows, genuinely interested even if she used it as an opportunity to pivot to a lighter topic. “What are you working on here?” she asked politely.

[Markus Eldridge]

Markus watched as she leaned over and glanced to follow her eyes, even turning the notes slightly in her direction. If she wished to take a closer look, she asked what he was working on. He thought a bit about how much he wanted to tell her before reminding himself that his entire reason for joining the Circle was to learn.

“Well, some time ago. Around the time of that little Byte Bash, I had a chance meeting with Mac at Barbarous, a nightclub,” Markus clarified, having no idea if she was the type of person to go clubbing or not. “While there, we were attacked by a spirit of some kind. In a rush, I was able to create a ritual that nullified its effect outside of the cage it was in, and I enchanted the cage to hold its essence.” Markus would point towards the oldest of the notes, the one with the drawing of the cage. They were rushed and a bit scattered as if written sometime after the event by someone trying to remember to the best of their ability. However, one of the things that would be obvious to anyone reading the notes was the lack of an energy source.

“That was sort of the last straw for me. I stepped away from all of this for a bit. However, that's not important, and now that I am back, I want to try and recreate the ritual.” Markus said, realizing that he was oversharing. “Well, recreate it without the danger and maybe see if I can use the enchantment on other objects, maybe something like handcuffs.” Markus finished, pointing at the newest notes and the book he pulled from the shelf.

[Emily Reyes]

The man tilted the page and Emily took that as an invitation to pick it up and read it fully. Interested, it wasn't long before she picked up another, holding both and reading the runes with a furrowed brow. At the same time, she listened, piecing together what Markus was saying with the runes in front of her.

Emily knew of Barbarous and gave a clipped nod. She hadn't been back since last summer, but it wasn't her scene anyway. She also knew of this ghostly cage dancer, but the last time she'd heard about it, it had been from Max. She looked up as Markus went on, describing how it had chased him from spellcraft for a bit, before getting back on topic. She didn't mind the detour, although she had to agree it was tangential to the discussion.

Recreating the ritual without the danger did have one obvious answer. Putting a paper down, she tapped a section of the runes, and murmured thoughtfully, “You were missing a power source, but I can't imagine you missed that after the ritual activated.” He would've felt it, after all. After a moment's thought as she continued reading, she mused, “Do you work in law enforcement? Handcuffs are a little conspicuous unless you have a reason to carry them.”

She offered this with an air of brainstorming--he'd stated his goal and now Emily wanted to see if they could talk their way to a solution. She had suggestions, but wasn't the sort to lead someone by the nose through their problem-solving.

[Markus Eldridge]

Markus had nothing to add as she read the notes and even gave an abashed nod when discussing the missing power source. “Yeah, that was one of my first rituals. I had read about the importance of an energy source, but in my rush, it had slipped my mind.” Markus thought back to the feeling he had when the energy was ripped out of him by the magic. He remembered the feeling, the exhaustion, and more. “I almost passed out, and from what I have read, I am lucky that it was the worst of it.” He said in a frank tone, knowing there was no reason to try and up-play it.

Shaking his head, Markus would answer her next question. “No, I used to be in the Department of Defense, but now I am just a student,” he answered before clarifying his intent. “Though, I don't care much about the medium and would rather not use them myself. I actually thought they would be useful for investigators or even police. Surely, some of them know about the supernatural.” Markus told her.

He knew his limits; he wasn't one to rush toward danger, at least not without cause. He wasn't a soldier or a police officer. He was an engineer, a creator, and a developer. His intentions were not to fight but to equip those who might or might not bring his sister's killers to justice.

[Emily Reyes]

After her question, Markus circled back to her comment about the power source, and she nodded. She could well understand the kind of damage a badly-keyed ritual could do. She was also lucky a bit of fatigue and a headache were her only lasting symptoms.

The man went on to note that he wasn't interested in what he enchanted, only that they might be useful for people in the field. Emily hummed, looking off to one side as she puzzled through the logistics of this; there were several models of handcuffs for police use, made from a variety of materials, and they usually carried multiple pairs in their duty bags. Her eyebrows drew together.

Where would one put the runes so they were inconspicuous? Further, how would the officer know when to use them? This was also assuming Markus could make a great deal of them. In her experience, every enchantment she did was handcrafted. It didn't seem entirely feasible, with too many moving parts, but she didn't share that thought right away. As for the Exchange... The one time she'd seen them in action, they had used the edge of a blade rather than cuffs. She didn't know what else they used.

Still, she imagined the other arcanist's intentions were in the right place. She drew in a breath, organizing her thoughts before she answered. “Some of them, in my experience, but most supernatural cases are handled by the agents downstairs,” she mused, pinching her chin as she looked over his work. “You could make a pair of cuffs for the Exchange, but you'll need to make sure your work is very good.”

Markus was so new and untested, it seemed very bold and ambitious to her for him to want to start making things for use in the field. People might be relying on that work to save their lives. How much had Malcolm taught him?

“I suggest making something for yourself first--something you can use to give yourself a running head start,” she gently urged with a small wry smile. Although Emily had several kills under her own belt, she thought that was mostly because Max was intent on completely extinguishing any threat. The safest bet for her when he wasn't around was running away.

[Markus Eldridge]

Markus considered what she said as she spoke up and reviewed the notes. This ritual had been a problem for him; it was like a bad itch because it was so incomplete. It would primarily allow him to circle back to the previous ritual, refine it, and perfect it. He knew one of his most significant flaws was his desire, his need, to perfect his craft, whatever it was. Though, in the past, it had served him well as an engineer. He only hoped it served him well as an arcanist.

When she spoke up, he listened intently, taking in her feedback and suggestions. It made sense the Exchange would only want the best. Markus didn't take the suggestion negatively; he was glad it sounded like their standards were high. The suggestion of crafting something for himself wasn't a bad one. He often develops applications and designs mechanics to help him in his day-to-day life. He wondered what he would find helpful, and it took time for him to really consider it.

“That makes sense. This is more of a passion project, an itch, one I am happy to return to with more knowledge,” Markus gestured for his journal and flipped it to some of the first set of notes he ever took. “This was my first ritual; I am quite interested in nullification and dispelling. Frankly, I am unsure if this ritual worked as intended.” Markus let her read it if she wanted. The ritual was a superficial area of nullification, which would act much like an interference frequency for radio waves. However, the problem was that it only worked so long as the circle was active and undisturbed; it would quickly burn through the energy source and end the effect.

“I suppose an item that could protect against unwanted influence or magic would be useful, or perhaps a one-time-use blast, like a magic E.M.P.,” Markus said while debating the merits. “Though not any simpler, after all, I assume I would need to know the magic, expect it, or already be under its influence to then nullify it.” Markus contemplated the logistics and leaned back in his chair, allowing it to tilt on two legs. “Any thoughts or suggestions?”

[Emily Reyes]

He seemed to be listening which was unexpectedly nice. The witch didn’t consider herself any great talent but she did have hard-won practical experience she was willing to share.

Emily took the offered journal and quietly scanned the pages while he spoke. She could see that Markus was a very technical worker, keeping notes as he did his magic. It was a good trait for an arcanist to have, especially when one wanted to look back and see what went right or wrong. Emily had several notebooks full of meticulously documented failed experiments from her first year. The only thing she’d managed to perfect was her light charm in the first six months, but that still felt like a solid victory.

Again, she read and listened, piecing together what his first spell would do from the runework. It wasn't the most efficient work but it did work, and often that was what mattered when they were practicing. Markus went on to detail his thoughts about a nullification enchantment and Emily made a pensive noise, not looking up.

In the interest of sharing knowledge, she was tempted to show him her spellqueller. The teardrop pendant rested against her sternum beneath her shirt, a warm, familiar weight. It blocked magic completely, doing some of what Markus was looking for, but Emily hesitated. The woman thought he seemed decent, but she was still getting the measure of him, while knowing who he hung out with and, frankly, who he was related to. The deceased had not used her knowledge wisely.

So Emily kept the enchantment to herself, for the moment. Over cautious, perhaps, but she decided there were at least some anecdotes she could share. “Nullification is not my field… but I don’t think you need to memorize every spell out there to counter it,” she said thoughtfully. Leaning on the table, she rested her chin on her palm and looked up at Markus as they brainstormed. “I’ve seen the Inquisitor nullify magic in a field around him. It was like a pulse. It was a complete shut down- killed some of my enchantments and he didn’t know they were there.” She glanced down at his notebook and noted he’d favored a persistent effect of interference but it drained too much energy and didn’t last very long. “Your burst idea is good. Put it on something you can wear, have it react automatically to magic and you’d have an effective shield, yeah?”

[Markus Eldridge]

Markus didn't stop her as she spoke. He was curious about her field, but he decided not to ask. He wondered if asking an Arcanist what their specializations were was anything like asking about other supernatural factors. Trevelyan had told Markus once that such questions were rude, but Markus was still working to figure out the intricacies and nuances of supernatural social edicate.

It was interesting to hear that Crowhurst had something similar to what Markus was planning. It didn't surprise him; it was absolutely true that there was no such thing as an original idea. Still, the fact that the theory was sound gave him hope. It was even better to know that such magic could be universal. It meant he would have to be careful, of course, not to nullify the wrong thing.

“That's a pretty good idea,” Markus responded, considering the trigger. “If I trigger it to external magical effects, then it can respond before I might even be able to myself or if I am unable to.” Markus would eye the woman as he thought, flipping his pen back and forth through his hand. “Besides, as a larger effect, it could protect more than just myself. However, I would be worried about how obvious such an effect would be.”

[Emily Reyes]

Emily nodded along, serious until he noted how conspicuous it would be. At that, she chuckled softly, and simply shrugged, dark eyes crinkling with amusement.

“Think of it this way,” she said, “If something is slinging fireballs at you, subtlety is already out the window.”

Her spellqueller was not inconspicuous, but it didn't go off until her opponent went on the offensive. It worked well, being hidden until it didn't have to be anymore.

[Markus Eldridge]

Markus nearly laughed when she rebuddled. That was until he realized how terrifying the possibility actually was. “Please tell me you don't have a history with fireballs.” he muttered, half-jokingly. “Because that makes me almost prefer losing my memory by drinking water in the subway underworld.”

Over a moment, Markus would take a spare page and note down a few runes and ideas before speaking up, “Emily, would you mind working this with me?” Markus asked, referring to a practical ritual. “I would like to give it a try, but I was told the circle prefers newer members to be paired with those more experienced. Besides, I would really appreciate the advice of someone more knowledgeable.”

He wasn't sure if she would agree, though he didn't really mind if not. He would understand not wanting to risk such an unknown. Besides, he still had a feeling she had some preconceived notions about him, though this might be a way to alleviate some of those.

[Emily Reyes]

It was an interesting comparison to make, and her expression lit up with mild interest. A fireball versus forgetting all her memories? She'd take the fireball, especially after all she heard from Max about the experience. It had been harrowing, by all accounts--at least from Max. Goki's retelling had made it sound stupid. Flowers? Trees? Guns? Text messages? Her boyfriend's childish roommate had no sense of dignity.

Regardless, Markus pulled out a piece of paper to start making notes, and Emily leaned forward. Lips parting, she was curious, and just about to politely pry into the whole Underworld experience when Markus changed the subject to working on the nullification field. Her eyebrows lifted in surprise and then she looked down at the notes.

Thoughts diverted, she paused and quietly considered the question. She'd worked together with Vicky, and though she wouldn't denigrate the dead, Em was still left with the feeling of being taken advantage of.

“They do, yeah,” she stalled, before glancing around and finding she was the only other person in the workshop. That wouldn't do, and she obviously still wanted Markus to have a way to protect herself. She fought with herself a little bit before deciding. “I wouldn't... mind checking your runes, sure,” she offered with a polite smile, reticent but not saying no.

[Markus Eldridge]

Markus didn't react when she paused and considered his request. However, he did flash her a smile when she offered to check his runes. He could tell she was hesitant and uncertain. He wondered why, and many possibilities were playing at his mind, but he decided not to pry. He did have questions for her, but he knew he wanted to ask them carefully, especially with all they had already discussed. He decided it would be better to see how things unfold.

“I appreciate it,” he responded, passing her the quick notes. “Dangerous situations being the exception, I like to plan pretty thoroughly before experimentation. Measure twice and cut once, as the saying goes.” Mostly, he had jotted down ideas and symbols, laying out a rudimentary circle. Obviously, the ritual was in its infancy, but the more he got her aid, the more he felt he could learn.

Besides, taking time to plan things out would give them time to talk; he could ask her more about fireballs and other dangers, sneak in a few of his other questions, or answer any she might have.

[Emily Reyes]

Cinder Assistance, Extraordinary success, +2d6 on next roll

“Of course,” Emily said, maintaining her polite smile as she took his notes. It was a good mentality to have in all scenarios. There was more she could say, and she was curious about Markus, but she turned her mind to the current problem for the moment.

The woman laid the notebook down on the table in front of her, but only after carefully stacking and putting Markus’ loose notes aside. Scooting her chair in to sit up straight, she picked up a pen and used the tip to keep her place, hovering it over his runes as she read.

With nothing else to say, the woman worked quietly until Markus saw fit to speak up again, adding notes and suggestions in a very clean hand.

Aware he’d written it out hastily, she didn’t state the obvious for him, like correcting the curve of his circle, but did add some ideas from her own experience on trigger and shield-types—hers was a light shield but Markus talked about subtlety. For that, she recalled Billy’s wardstone in her bag, and added some runes from that to create something sturdy but transparent.

[Markus Eldridge]

Markus leaned in as she added her notes, a smile on his face. He was glad she took such care of his notes and stacked them. He often worked with a mix of bound journals and loose pages, using the latter for temporary or unfinished ideas and the former for when the thoughts were solidified. It allowed him to be flexible, many of his oldest journals had loose pages taped into them, creating an almost artistic abomination of curated chaos not many other than him would be able to make out.

Her work was neat and precise. He could tell she was well-practiced, at least far more than he was. The work reminded him of what he had seen in the journal given to him by Sunako and even some of the notes he got from Mac. It showed the traits of someone with experience, while her handwriting gave him an insight into her.

“So, fireballs, eh? What else have you run into out there?” Markus asked, deciding there was no reason they couldn't talk as they worked. He would work on a loose page while he looked at what she wrote, noting down possible ideas for components and making a new illustration of the first circle he proposed. The runes she introduced to make the spell transparent were quite intriguing.

[Emily Reyes]

Markus' gentle prying broke the quiet and Emily huffed out a quiet laugh. She was reminded of her nephews, who often asked her about her detective work. Out of habit, she tended to sterilize the stories, make them sound less exciting, and she was tempted to do that here.

There was... quite a lot to tell, she realized. Werewolves, nian, hydras, and sirens. The Mari Lywd were an interesting encounter as well, but friendly, like the fire elemental in the maze. Where did she start and... what did she want to tell? Not all of it, but she didn't think she could get away with shrugging the question off.

“Um...” She thought it over while she finished up a rune. Looking up at Markus, she tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear, before smiling almost bashfully. “Well, I've never actually had a fireball thrown at me, honestly,” she admitted. “That was just to make a point.”

[Markus Eldridge]

Markus only looked at Emily through the corner of his eye, but he did watch her all the same. He didn't prod her while she finished her work on the current rune and looked up to meet her gaze when she turned towards him. He couldn't help but smile as she tucked her hair and spoke up. He would be lying if he said he wasn't glad that there was, in fact, no fireball. However, that didn't answer his question, so he raised an eyebrow and let out a small laugh.

“Well, that is good to hear; at least, that means it isn't a common occurrence,” he said, shaking his head. He still wasn't quite sure what was common and what wasn't. After all, he knew of at least three people who had underworld train experiences. However, even with that in mind, he knew if he had based his entire worldview of the supernatural on only his experiences, then he was sure a lot more people would be dead. He wondered if that made him just really unlucky.

“I would still love to hear about some of your experiences. If you are willing to share, of course.” He added, prodding still. “Sorry to ask, but this all still feels so new to me.”

[Emily Reyes]

Markus was doing a fine job reminding Emily of why she sterilized her stories about work. Because her nephews were young, new to the world, and although a sense of morbid curiosity told them they wanted to hear the bad stuff, they didn’t need it. Let them think Tia Emmie’s job was boring; doughnuts, coffee, and cop cars.

Markus was notably not a child but his question reminded Emily of her nephews’ morbid curiosity when he expressed relief at the fireballs. It seemed to her that he wanted to hear about the strange and terrifying things—why, she couldn’t say. Possibly to validate his experiences in the subway and at Barbarous. Or validate his fear.

Frankly, though, the terrible and evil parts were not worth talking about. Evil was, in essence, boring, uncreative. It had the same methods and the same ends, every time. Looking upon it might give someone a thrill, but it wasn’t much compared to contemplating the good parts of the encounters. The triumph Emily felt at her ingenuity and survival fed into her drive to get better at her work. Not fear.

Emily didn’t think to say these things to Markus, and didn’t assume the specifics of what was going on in his head, but it informed her answer to a great degree. She was quiet as she contemplated the man’s question marking down a few more runes as she did. The thoughtful expression on her face showed she’d heard him, but it was still a few heartbeats before she straightened up from her work and spoke up again.

“I’ve had a few close, dangerous calls, yeah, but nothin-” She stopped herself, about to say “nothing major” but she had to admit that a hydra spitting acid was pretty major. “They don’t happen very often.” Emily smiled and put her pen down, carefully lined up with the spine of the notebook. “Once, I got lost in a hedge-maze and a fire elemental found me. She asked me and my friend to gather hawthorn and build a fire, so we could dance together. She… could sing. Really sing… it was…” Emily’s eyes went a little distant as she recalled the music, the way it settled into her bones liked banked coals, warm, but with a promise of wildness. “Primeval, I think.”

[Markus Eldridge]

Markus was a practical thinker above all else; if there was a problem, he didn't need to know all the things the problem affected; he just needed to know the details. If there were dangers, sugarcoating wouldn't help find a solution. However, he also learned from his experience deploying advanced technology abroad that if you focused on the threat and focused on the bad, then you would be useless on the field. That, frankly, is why Markus was asking for the woman's experience. If he only heard doom and gloom, he would have reconsidered her answer to his first set of questions on whether it was all worth it.

He didn't feel the need to push his question, and he could tell from her face that she heard him and was contemplating it. He could also see she was finishing some runes, which she probably wanted to maintain the train of thought on, which he respected. As he looked over their work, having completed a better revision, Markus felt confident they were approaching the test application faze, which meant the time to do practical magic was fast approaching.

As she spoke up, Markus would give her his full attention, raising an eyebrow as she caught herself and changed what she was saying. He could infer what she was about to say, probably hoping to cause him less worry. But he appreciated that she decided not to lie about that fact. It would not have served him any good and, at worst, would have done him harm. He wasn't a wide-eyed child looking for scary stories; he had seen the horrors of war and that world; he now needed to understand the world of magic.

She would continue; he watched as she placed down her pen and talked about an elemental. He had never seen such creatures; until now, he didn't even know they existed. Though the revelation didn't surprise him, how she worded the encounter and the look she got in her eyes was intriguing. As glad as he was that she didn't try to mislead him with her first statement about dangerous calls, he was even more satisfied with the experience she decided to share. He had yet to see the good side of supernatural encounters outside of the possibilities that came with magic.

“Thank you, Emily.” Markus looked at her directly with a smile on his face. “That sounds like a beautiful experience,” Markus remembered dancing in the forest in his youth and how magical that was, even without the influence of actual magic. He knew good could be found in all things; the cliche of looking for the silver lining was a cliche for a reason; however, sometimes, it was hard to get over the fact that his sister was no more, and his world had changed entirely.

[Emily Reyes]

Emily knew she had Markus’ attention and could tell when the story struck a chord with him. She was glad for that. However, without knowing what he was thinking, being thanked made her faint smile go crooked. The woman lifted an eyebrow and tilted her head, looking at him askance.

“You’re welcome,” she replied, her tone mildly perplexed. “What are you thanking me for?”

She was still smiling, a faint upturn at one corner of her mouth. She took the exchange in good humor, just trying to understand what he meant. She was only giving him what he asked for.

[Markus Eldridge]

Markus tried to think of how to explain it; his thanks were genuine because her answers came as far as he could tell without expectation. With Mac, everything was an exchange: information for information, favor for a favor. Even their meeting had been because Mac was looking for his property. His experiences in the world of the supernatural had been marred by negative encounters, alternate worlds controlled by depressed half-bloods, underworld visits on his route home, angry spirits in a nightclub, and discovering his sister had been murdered by those she trusted. With few notable exceptions, Markus hadn't had much to look forward to, and he was worried the Sewing Circle was going to be another ploy, a way to exchange favor for favor. Sure, it was still that. But the fact that everyone seemed so normal was refreshing to him.

Markus chuckled, “Because you are helping me, and as far as I can tell, you're not being dishonest or blowing smoke. You don't seem to be telling me what you think I want to hear. I will admit I came to the Sewing Circle with a lot of... pre-conceived notions. It's refreshing to get something so... ordinary.” Markus laughed at his choice of words but then waved his hands over the papers, gesturing to what they had been doing. “This all reminds me of a simpler time, and that is a gift I don't know if I can properly put into words.” The redhead hoped she was what she seemed, even if he couldn't bring himself to trust her fully.

[Emily Reyes]

So, he was thanking her for being honest and simultaneously revealing a little more than he was saying. The man didn’t seem to trust easily, and it seemed that was because his trust had been abused. Emily was surprised at the way he laid it all out, but at the conclusion, she smiled, softer but more openly than before. It was a consolation for him to find something simple and normal—fortunately, Emily could be quite good at normal.

“Well, it looked to me like you attached yourself to a group that takes it all very seriously,” she said, not unkindly. She smiled to show she wasn’t being accusatory, but acknowledging that Malcolm and the Byte Bash were not the norm. “It’s usually like this though, you know? Ordinary. There’s wonder, but in the day to day, it’s just… work and life, but with magic.”

After the initial reveal, that’s what it seemed to come down to. Magic existed, but life went on. For Emily, it wasn’t a paradigm shift so much as a broadened scope of reality.

[Markus Eldridge]

Markus had nothing to say when she made her comment. While she was technically correct, Markus would argue that he never attached himself to Byte or Mac's group. He accepted teaching from Mac as a trade and agreed to hear his proposal. But it was a technicality Markus didn't really think mattered, and he was glad to hear that they were not the norm, even if he wasn't entirely sure any one group, including the Exchange, could call themselves such.

He would think about what she said, contemplating the day-to-day, letting out a sound of understanding. If he was really to think about it, he was sure he had more of a chance of getting hit by a car than running into a dragon. But the more he explored the supernatural, the higher such chances became, even if they were not the norm. Which is where protection came into place.

“I understand, and I look forward to the day it all feels more ordinary,” he replied after deciding that he ultimately agreed with her. He wasn't sure where to take the conversation, and he wasn't sure he would ever get used to the world without his family. But he did have hope. In a moment of awkward hesitance, Markus looked back towards the ritual they had been working on.

[Emily Reyes]

Cinder Ritual Prep 1/3, complete success

And that, it seemed, was that. Emily had very little insight into Markus’ thoughts, and when he said he understood, she took him at his word. It was a good hope to have, though Emily noticed that it had happened for her when she stopped thinking about it very hard. One day, she looked up and it felt completely normal to start her day by lighting her room with a charm. Or chatting with her familiar over breakfast, while feeding the cat pieces of bacon from her plate.

The creature was currently snoozing in her bag—Emily also never thought she would be the sort to carry her pet around in a special purse, but here they were. The new normal.

So, she had confidence Markus would one day come to such a realization if he continued along this path, although she didn’t feel as though she knew him well enough to offer this insight. Instead, she smiled softly and nodded, and took his cue to return to their work. To her, the quiet was studious if not companionable, and she took the opportunity to finish a line of runes.

Satisfied with her work, she slid it over to Markus. “What do you think?” she asked, business-like as she started clearing the table in front of them to make room for a ritual.

Her work was neat, drawing on her experience with her nullifying pendant. It would activate on contact with arcane energy. However, it left a bit to be desired on the shielding aspect—rather than light, it created a hard bubble shield, transparent but not permeable. If it stayed active long enough, the person inside would suffocate. Emily didn’t imagine Markus would be under sustained attack, based on her own experience, but who could predict any scenario?

[Markus Eldridge]

Cinder Ritual Prep 2/3, complete success
Circle Cast
Runes Drawn
Markus looked up as Emily spoke and took a breath. He then critically examined Emily's work and nodded in appreciation. He looked for anything that might be wrong, any concerns he might have, missed runes, or any 'accidental' mistakes.

The ritual seemed sound, and the runes seemed excellent with Emily's aid. The work was neat and tidy and even seemed surprisingly well-planned despite her statement that she did not know Nullification magic well. The shield would be transparent, and the only negative effect he could see wasn't one he was worried about.

“I think it's as good as it can be without giving it a try,” Markus said, a slight hesitation in his voice. As Emily cleared the table, Markus reached for his bag and pulled out some items. One of the things Mac had taught him early on was always to be prepared, and while the Sewing Circle had things on hand, there was something about using your own chalk that just felt right.

Now was the moment of truth, of course, and he hoped their preparation would all be worth it; that wasn't even his primary concern. Markus watched Emily from the corner of his eye as he pulled out items, and she cleared the table. There was the tiniest sliver of doubt in his mind about whether or not doing magic with her was safe. Even if she wasn't the Emily his sister had written about, he knew Vic had lost her life because her spell had been tampered with by someone she trusted. Though Emily seemed nice, Markus just couldn't be certain. However, he knew he had to risk it. Doing the ritual with her would answer many of his final questions and go a long way toward building trust.

Once the space was cleared, Markus took a breath, focusing his nerves, and nodded towards Emily, “Let's do this.”

He would then join ritual preparation. He had already memorized the circle they laid out; he would pull out his tools and begin to draw, making sure that the circle would focus the magic into the item being enchanted. It wasn't a complex circle that, of course, he knew would fall to the runes, but still, once he finished drawing it, even though he didn't feel he needed it, he would double-check the work and start laying out the runes, giving space for Emily if she wished to write, add, or double-check his work.

The runes, while complex, were relatively easy to transcribe. He would take care to write each one perfectly, first writing the spell for nullification, then following that up with the trigger as guided by Emily's work. Finally, he would modify the workings of the enchantment, making it so that it would be transparent, once more following the suggestions laid out. Finishing the enchantment runes, he would step back and eye the work, double and triple checking each line as he raised an eyebrow to Emily to see if she had any thoughts.

Markus would then reach around his neck and take off the pendant he wore, looking at it fondly. It made sense that her gift would be what he enchanted. Pulling out a set of fine files, Markus would add a second set of runes to the charm, setting the spell that would take the enchantment. He would then place the item in the center of the circle, making it available to Emily if she desired.

[Emily Reyes]

Cinder Collection Extraordinary success, good component

Emily didn't know what Markus was thinking as he looked over her work. If she had, she might've found it all deeply ungrateful after he asked her for help, so it was better that she wasn't privvy to his thoughts. The young man's reticent judgement on her work made Emily hum and nod, noncommittal. It was a little funny, admittedly, a bit of a puffed-up nonsense phrase, but she let it go.

Back at the table she'd left her bags at, Dulce stirred, her tail unfolding from the bag before the whole cat appeared. She slid out of the bag like heavy cream glugging out of a carton. She stretched and then mewed at Emily across the room, drawing her attention with a question only the witch could understand. What was going on?

With the table clear, Emily nipped back to her table to retrieve her familiar and her component pouch unaware she was being watched. Her pouch was a small leather satchel with a wolf charm in one of the loops--a birthday gift from Max. Flipping the top up, she sorted through the neatly arranged contents while Markus wrote, and Dulce hopped up on the table to sit at Emily's elbow. She wasn't shy about staring at Markus.

There wasn’t a lot in her arsenal that was good for the spell, except maybe Billy’s wardstone but that was hers. Instead, after pulling out a few pieces of cotton, components of her part of the spell, she looked up to see Markus pulling out a pendant to etch runes into it.

Fiddling with the cotton balls, her brows furrowed, she asked thoughtfully, “What will you use for components? I used part of a spell my friend wrote for the shield, but I don’t know what components he had.”

[Markus Eldridge]

Cinder Collection Exceptional Success, good component
using "Hint of Excitement", good component

As Markus finishes his touches on the pendant, his attention is pulled by the sound of a cat and movement around the room. Glancing up, he would see the large creature looking at him. Mac had told Markus about familiars and explained the concept. However, Markus wanted to avoid assuming that this was the case. Instead, so long as it didn't cause him trouble, he decided to ignore it, giving the cat a warm smile before returning his attention to Emily.

Markus thought carefully after she asked what he wanted to use for components. He didn't have much of his own, so a few ideas came to mind: the coin he had found after the charity gala was a possibility he dismissed. He knew he would have to use what he found in this room for most of the components. With a quick glance, he found himself drawn to a piece of tanned leather or hide. He would grab it, thinking it would make a good component, as he spoke up.

“I have been thinking about that; I don't have much collected on me,” Markus said, contemplating. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a couple of items, among them a carefully folded napkin. It was slightly stained with alcohol and held a residue of the magic he had captured at Barbarous. Placing it on the table, he would smile at Emily. “Momento from my night with an angry spirit. We could have used some protection then.”

[Emily Reyes]

Dulce responded to the man's smile with a little tilt of her head, acknowledging it, but otherwise she didn't stop staring. The familiar was watching him work, stretching out her neck to get a look at his work on the pendant. Emily idly pet the cat, sinking her fingers into the soft fur down her spine.

Markus didn't seem too concerned that they had a spell they didn't know the components for, noting that the didn't have much 'collected' on him. She tilted her to one side at that, unconsciously mirroring the cat. What did he mean? They had a storeroom full of junk to go through, so there would be plenty to choose from. Perhaps he meant specialized items, but they'd only just written the spell, so she didn't think he could have been prepared like that.

Regardless, she watched him pull a stained napkin out of his bag, and nodded thoughtfully. It was a meaningful component and she did like adding emotional aspects of components to her healing spells. “Not a bad focus,” she murmured. Then, Emily gestured to runes he'd etched into his necklace, asking shrewedly, “And you'll be enchanting your pendant?”

[Markus Eldridge]

Markus tried his best not to let the attention of the cat get to him. He knew cats did their own thing and found the most curious of stuff to capture their attention. Their family had a cat when he was in high school; it was more the runaround and yowl at everything that moved variety, but Markus had fond memories of it when it wasn't a menace. He wondered again if this cat was Emily's familiar, was it rude that Markus wasn't addressing it, or would it be more disrespectful to speak to another caster's familiar without permission? He didn't want to learn the hard way again.

Markus nodded when Emily spoke, gesturing to the amulet. Surprisingly, it was of cheap make, considering that most of Markus' clothing was designer. The silver chain holding the pendant was probably more expensive than the charm itself.

“Yeah, it isn't the best quality, but it should hold fine.” He said, hoping there wasn't something he was missing about the item. He had never enchanted something so small before or anything made out of pewder. The cage he had worked on was steel, and hard to work with. So he didn't think metal and make mattered. But he could be wrong. “It was a gift from my sister, she was very proud of it,” Markus said, unable to stop himself from smiling thinking about it.

[Emily Reyes]

Dulce stared at Markus for a few more heartbeats, but when he studiously ignored her, she got up with a little “mrrp” sound and began to circle their spell, reading the runes. Emily left her to it, knowing she’d speak up if she found an error in their work.

As Markus went on to explain what he intended to enchant, Emily smiled faintly, but it quickly morphed into a thoughtful frown. He was clearly attached to the item, and understandably so when he mentioned it was from Vicky, but she disapproved of the sentimentality when he mentioned it being of lower quality. It looked like pewter, which was soft.

“Would you stake your life on it?” she asked seriously, leaning on her hands on the table. It was a leading question, Emily still in the process of testing his ritual smarts. If this was to be his protection out there, was he willing to channel the magic through a sub-par material?

[Markus Eldridge]

Markus watched as the cat got up and started circling the spell. He was even about to say something, worried that he might accidentally step on a rune or decide to knock something off the table when he realized. It was looking at the runes and avoiding breaking anything. Markus would raise a curious eye to Emily but leave the question unasked. If she wanted to explain, that was on her.

He would take time to really think about what she asked and consider the material when she spoke, especially with the frown she gave. As far as he knew, and from what he read, the pliability of the circle was essential in casting; more rigid materials and circles were preferred over softer ones due to the risk of the circle breaking. But, after enchantment, the circle was finished, and it relied on the item to hold the magic and what it was made of. He knew that the natural makeup of the material was critical; if he were trying to enchant plastic, he would be lucky if the enchantment worked even once due to magic's reaction to unnatural materials.

“No, not with my life, but that isn't because of the material. I do trust it, however, to hold the enchantment,” Markus answered. He wouldn't ever be willing to risk his life on a single thing going well; he was one to believe in redundancy. “I don't need the magic to last too long when activated; besides, if it did, then the lasting shield might harm me more than the attack itself. I need a quick effect that allows me to act, which this is sufficient for.” He knew that if the pendant were damaged, it would require repair and perhaps even re-enchantment, but that was acceptable and maybe even preferable if he continued to refine this enchantment.

“Pewter is subpar regarding manufacturing materials, but it should be fine for enchantment unless you can tell me otherwise. Its quality is arbitrary based on its value and manufacturing time, neither of which magic cares about. It is a pliable alloy of all-natural metals, meaning it can hold intricate details better than harder metals. The risk then comes with its ability to take a hit, meaning I must be careful. But that is true of any soft metal. Not because of the magic but because of physics and the risk of damage from scratching it against a wall, for instance.” Markus finished explaining his thought process; however, he was very open to correction. If the enchantment worked as intended, he didn't have to worry about magic damaging the item, not with its nullification effects; in this case he thought, it was the mundane he needed to worry about.

[Emily Reyes]

Markus was watching Dulce, but Em was watching Markus, and as he answered her, her brow furrowed. It made sense that he trusted it to hold the enchantment, considering he was preparing it for enchanting, but as he went on, Emily's expression went a little slack with puzzlement.

She thought she understood what he meant--he didn't need the enchantment to last too long since the shield wasn't permeable, but did that mean he was counting on the thing eventually breaking? But wasn't it sentimental? Then he began to talk about pewter itself, its manufacturing; how its quality was arbitrary, and that it was notably fragile and she looked even more troubled.

Preparing for eventual failure was one thing, but choosing to use subpar materials on purpose was just careless. If he wanted a test run, using a sentimental item wasn't the way to go. Her lips parted as she tried to work through a few responses to address all of what he said.

“Um...” she dithered, glancing over at Dulce. It wasn't a shy sound, just a perplexed one as she sorted her thoughts. She could tell him otherwise, but she wasn't certain he wanted to hear it after that. Thinking that perhaps she might be able to save him from himself, she tried a more direct approach than her initial question.

“So... the material does matter,” she said, her tone still mild, but straightforward. “You're pushing magic through it, so you want something sturdy. Also, if the quality is arbitrary, or it's fragile, doesn't that seem even riskier to you? If it breaks, well... Then you've broken something from your sister.” At best. Never mind whatever happened when the enchantment broke. Maybe nothing, maybe it blew his head off. Markus seemed to have a lot of information off the top of his head, but Emily wasn't certain what he meant to accomplish with it. Did he want to break his sister's gift?

[Markus Eldridge]

Markus listened carefully, taking in what she was saying as he contemplated. He watched as Emily looked towards the large cat and once more thought about just how well it knew what was going on. He could understand why quality mattered—copper was better for wires than lead, for instance. But he would have to do many, many more tests with magic to determine what, if anything, mattered there if there wasn't already a book on the subject.

“ahhh,” Markus started, realizing what she meant. “I don't mean the pendant is of bad make. It is quite beautiful; Victoria spent a pretty penny on it. I just mean... you know...” Markus paused, realizing that he was about to talk from a place of privilege, and he didn't know what sort of life Emily came from. “Pewter is often thought of as... lesser. Cheap. Like how diamonds are thought of as classy. But, if you think we should use something more durable like steel...” Markus said, a bit embarrassed, hoping he was clarifying.

He knew Victoria had spent much of her paycheck buying him that gift, looking for the best makes at the renfair. It was one of her first purchases with her own money and not her trust fund. She had been so sad that she had to get pewter instead of silver. Markus had told her he loved it anyway, and he meant it. It wasn't her fault he had it attached to a multi-hundred dollar silver chain.

[Emily Reyes]

Emily's poor economic background was not something she advertised but when Markus clarified, and they reached some kind of common understanding, she suddenly sensed there was something of a gulf of personal experience between them. It had been the same with her and Victoria, but just like back then, now it just made Emily huff in mild amusement. Rich kids were gonna rich kid, but it would be stupid if she held a grudge.

She didn't. Most monsters didn't care how much was in your bank account, they were ready to eat you up all the same. Emily just thought it was in both of their best interests if she tried to steer them straight.

“Well, now that you've pointed out that pewter is pretty fragile, I would pick something sturdier, yes,” she mused, chewing her lower lip and glancing over at the storeroom. “I've done wood, glass... white-gold. Expensive things.” Tucking her dark hair behind one ear, she cut a glance back to Markus and smirked as she said that, referencing his 'it's expensive, but still cheap' attitude. She found it amusing enough to rag on him about it. “Also... That's something your sister got for you. I wouldn't enchant a sentimental item unless I knew the spell back to front.” Emily had enchanted her grandmother's hair comb, but that was only after weeks of research and testing.

[Markus Eldridge]

It made sense that he wouldn't want to risk the pendant. He had no intention of breaking it; his plans to use it here were entirely because it felt right to have some protection in something she had left him. As she mentioned something studier, Markus would consider his options, knowing they had a wealth of items around them.

He turned an inquisitive eye towards her when she talked about expensive things. He thought maybe she was teasing him, and his ears turned red at the remark. Surely, glass was a worse medium than metal, but he nodded along anyway. He knew that, eventually, he wanted to enchant the pendant, but she was right; he should wait until he had a better foundation.

“That's a Good idea; I would hate to lose it. It does mean a lot to me,” he said, a bit of emotion behind his voice. “Well, I guess I have to find something, and we are still missing a couple of focusing items; if you have any suggestions?” Markus called over, turning away to hide the redness as he started to look for something to hold the enchant.

[Emily Reyes]

In her own mild way, Emily was gratified to see Markus' ears turn a little pink. She didn't intend to scold him or anything, but it was a rewarding reaction to teasing him. Save a little smile, the woman kept this to herself, primly clasping her hands together on the desk in front of her as she tackled his next question; components and items.

“What do you see yourself wearing daily?” she asked with a thoughtful air. The pendant's make and sentimentality were unfortunate, since it was clear he wore that daily. “Or carrying, I suppose. I prefer jewelry.”

Even now, Emily was wearing a notable amount of jewelry. They were small sensible pieces, so they didn't necessarily draw the eye, but she had rings on all five of her fingers on her left hand, and two on her right. Around one wrist was a woven bracelet set with a medallion, and she had a necklace that went beneath the neckline of her shirt. And they weren't magical, but she was also wearing earrings.

[Markus Eldridge]

Markus glanced around the room, walking a bit away from Emily as they talked. He didn't mind calling over to her since they were alone in the room at the moment. However, he didn't go far to keep himself from raising his voice too much. As she spoke and asked him about his daily wear, he would contemplate. He was always one to prefer layers, generally one to be more dressed up. But, his clothing was always at least somewhat functional. He thought about what he wore most often and ruled out a few options, such as everyday clothing, tie, or anything that would only be on him for a particular occasion.

“Well, I wear my belt, let's see... Watch, necklace.” Markus paused, thinking about what else. “I own bracelets and rings. I wear them occasionally, but if they had a purpose, I would wear them more often.” Frankly, Markus would really wear anything so long as it was somewhat stylish. The added benefit of protection would make him much more likely to do so.

As for carrying items, he usually wore a jacket to hold things in the coat pockets easily. Hell, more often than not, nowadays, he even carried his firearm, concealed within the folds. He also usually had his bag with him, a multi-pouch messenger bag which held books, a journal, his laptop, and a few other things.

[Emily Reyes]

Having only provided the jumping off point, Emily left Markus to finding his components. Putting her cotton balls next to the circle in case he was interested in them, she pulled Dulce into her lap while they chatted. The big cat curled up on her thighs, resting her chin on the edge of the table while Emily smoothed down the fur along her spine.

As she did, she thought through Markus' options. Seeing him now, she thought he could get away with a good number of accessories. “The belt isn't a bad idea,” she mused, smiling as Dulce started to purr. “A tie bar, maybe? You seem like a stylish guy.”