The resident wizard

[Jay Carpenter]

Continued from "You're a wizard"

Morning rolled around and Jay showed up at the exactly 0800. He was dressed, clothes perfect, freshly showered, hair arranged, and fresh as a spring daisy. Well, if daisies lived on a forty-five minute nap, half of which took place in the cab ride from Dorian's. Only obvious thing that showed his lack of full attention to his appearance was being unshaven. Luckily, the Legion allowed for facial hair. Hopefully nobody looked too close at how untrimmed it was around the edges. But if he was wishing for people to not look too close, it was best that he keep his sunglasses close. His eyes were red, not bloodshot as death-red, but close. He wasn't sure how much he drank the previous night. Nor was he too sure he remembered everything. But he remembered enough. Things like cannibals and murder stuck; being a wizard, and well, everything else.

He also kept his phone close in case Natalie called. And coffee. Lots of coffee.

Being an officer did have its perks, though. For one thing, a few glares kept everyone below rank from bugging him. And he was able to sit down once in a while, totally not sleep sitting upright, and send their resident wizard a message.

<dl>
<dt>Message to Vanders</dt>
<dd> </dd>
</dl>


I need to see you as soon as possible. Off grounds from Igumnov House. I'll be at Khram Svyatogo park grounds across the street.

The mansion the Legion was using, Igumnov House, was the residence of the former French Embassy, but it was watched like a hawk. Across the street was an old catholic church sitting amid green space, with fences, and trees, and lots of privacy. Literally across the street.

Once relieved of duty, he crashed in the room allotted to him. Igumnov House was sprawling, but the room he used wasn't large, but everywhere inside the former French Ambassador's building was nice. The floor never felt so comfortable.

---

He was back in civilian clothes when he dodged the traffic outside Igumnov House. With one hand he pushed sunglasses over his eyes and with the other nestled a hot cup of coffee. He wore the same jeans and leather jacket he wore to the concert, but the undershirt was clean. He didn't stand out too much. Well, less than if he wore uniform. He otherwise was obviously the most American thing possible, short of being a walking apple pie and wearing an American flag as a superhero cape. So he did draw a few looks. Most of which were returned with a nod of the head and a "hows it going?" that was met with mixed reactions.

He flashed a couple of old ladies exiting the park grounds a smile as he ducked under the canopy of trees when he pulled his phone to check for messages and wandered around, glad to stretch his legs. Now. How was he going to say this?

Edited by Jay Carpenter, Apr 25 2017, 09:07 PM.

[Jared Vanders]

Jared was rather enjoying the visit to Moscow. Meeting Emily had been weird though. Not in the sense that he didn't enjoy it. He had enjoyed their meeting immensely, but the fact that he had met her outside of their business meeting had been unique. It was also strange that he had developed feelings so quickly. She had felt the same which was also a surprise.

Jared's phone beeped and a message from Jay appeared on his screen. Jared frowned at it. The message itself was strange. Why would Jay want to meet out of HQ. Was he staging a coup? Jay wouldn't do that...probably.

Jared shrugged and typed a response back.

<dl>
<dt>Message to Jay Carpenter</dt>
<dd> </dd>
</dl>
Be there soon.

Jared was still in civvies. He wore a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. He went through the park, looking for the other Legionnaire. It didn't take long for Jared to find him. His wallet beeped again.

<dl>
<dt>Incoming Message from Emily Shale</dt>
<dd> </dd>
</dl>
Miss you already.

Jared could help the smile on his face as he texted back.

<dl>
<dt>Outgoing Message to Emily Shale</dt>
<dd> </dd>
</dl>
"Miss you too

Jared put his wallet away and approached Jay, who was walking around under a canopy of trees. "Morning sunshine! What's so urgent?"
Jared said with a hint of humor to his tone.

[Jay Carpenter]

He'd done something the night before with the power, but for the life of him, he couldn't remember what it was. Let alone how it happened. Nox had been doing good cop bad cop with him, only no good cop. Basically threatening to kill him unless he used the power to defend himself. Well, it didn't work. It had been Sage sneaking up on him that sparked the response. What had he called it? Shooting from the hip. He almost laughed at that.

He was sitting on a stone bench when Vanders walked up. "You're in an oddly good mood. It's freaking me out. Stop it."
Joking, he stretched out an arm to shake hands in greeting. It'd been several days since they'd seen one another. Jacques kept their resident wizard busy, doing what, Jay had no clue. Apparently he'd find out soon enough. If he told the Legion at all. Assuming this wasn't all in his head.

He checked for anyone close enough to listen, and hesitantly began to explain. "So uh, you know how you're a -- uh --."
he didn't finish. This was harder than he thought it was going to be.

Suck it up, he told himself. What was the worst that could happen? Be abducted from home, friends, family and future to be a slave in someone else's army? Yeah that probably wouldn't happen. Then again, this was Moscow. Jay had seen the Ascendancy's arch. This city was crawling with sorcerers.

He took a deep breath, pulled the sunglasses from his face, and looked Vanders in the eye. "I think I am .. what you are."

[Jared Vanders]

Jared chuckled a bit at Jay's quip. "Hey now...I'm always in a good mood."
He said, taking Jay's outstretched hand.

Of course he had been in a great mood lately. For some reason things seemed to be really making sense. At least ever since he had met Emily.

Jared could sense the unease in Jay's voice and posture. That mixed with the oddity of his request. He made sure no one else was listening before meeting Jared's gaze and telling him what he thought.

Jared raised an eyebrow. Of course Jared knew what he was referring to. Jared's wallet chimed again, but he left it. Jay needed his attention right now, and Emily, who it likely was, knew he was a busy man.

"Really?"
Jared sat down. "What happened?"

[Jay Carpenter]

Jay scrubbed a hand through his hair and turned around. In fact, his headache seemed to be getting worse. Fucking hangovers.

He had no idea where to start, nor how to even describe it. There had been a knife when he wasn't carrying one. He had hold of the power while he was thinking about Africa. Alright. Fuck it.

He sat down alongside Vanders and relayed the tale. It was almost mostly true, if one didn't think too long about the details.

He'd gone to the concert, there had been a fight and he chased down one of the guys. So did another guy, a wizard, magician guy like Vanders who used the power to save someone. They went for beers after it was all over, and the guy told him he was one of them too. "Apparently I did something with the power and didn't know it. He asked if I'd ever been so sick I thought I was going to die, and I haven't. Nothing like that has happened. He didn't believe me, and I didn't believe him."


Jay skipped over the part of the story where they went to Dorian's together, given how that sounded. Ironically. He scratched the back of his neck and went on. "He wanted to prove it to me, and well, he did. One second I was holding a knife and the next second it vanished."


Eyes wrapped in questions, he looked to Vanders for answers. Nox said he'd die if he didn't get it under control. But he didn't look long. He squeezed his eyes tight and popped his sunglasses back on. The shade did little to alleviate the headache though.

A couple walked by just then, peering down at the two men, knowing they didn't belong there. They obviously weren't going to church. Jay leaned forward, head throbbing, wondering if this is what an aneurysm felt like.

Face in his hands, he chuckled despite the pain. "He said I was shooting from the hip. Like a cowboy, right? That'd make a good call-sign."


He waved off any concern from Vanders, though. Telling him he'd drank more than usual and it was just a hangover. A cool wind wound through the trees, and when it hit Jay's pale face, he blanched like he was going to vomit.



Edited by Jay Carpenter, Apr 26 2017, 09:56 PM.

[Jared Vanders]

Jared nodded as he listened. All of it sounded familiar. The circumstances were different sure, but basically it mirrored his own. Something happened and he didn't know how. The sickness came after.

"Sounds about right,"
Jared said, confirming what Jay's friend had told him.

Jared waited until the couple passed. Not everyone needed to know what was going on. Jay was clearly not well - if it was the sickness they would have an issue - if it was just a hangover. Well, in the current state of things, the hangover was preferable.

Luckily, Jared carried water with him quite often. He handed a bottle to Jay. "Get hydrated."
Jared sat back and sighed. He knew he'd have to train Jay - at least enough to control it, but he figured he'd at least ask Jay if that's what he wanted. If he didn't, well, he'd have to get over it. "So you want me to help you figure out how to control it right? Before you hurt yourself or someone else."

[Jay Carpenter]

Don't puke. Don't puke. Don't puke.

He took a sip of Jared's water and it seemed to calm his stomach. Or maybe it was the sheer willpower that kept his food down. Didn't matter. Either way was a win.

Jared's question stuck him odd, though. Nox repeatedly warned against killing himself, something Jay wasn't keen to do. But never did he mention accidentally hurting someone. Suppose that made sense, flinging about imaginary knives and tossing Sage around. Give a deadly weapon to a jumpy man and bad things happen.

"Yeah. Control it. But Vanders, don't tell the Legion."
Jay's voice grew grim, desperate almost. The thought of Jay in war with power at his fingertips terrified him.

He feared what he could do with that much power. War was already a close companion, best not to fall too much in love with it.

Darkness on the periphery of his vision turned his head. Coming up the path was an older man of middle age, dark with gray at the temples, and wearing the black outfit of a priest. Jay glanced nervously at Jared as though the holy man might have guessed at the topic of their whispered conversation.

Jay quickly pushed his sunglasses back over his eyes, hiding the redness of alcohol and the emotion crimping at the edges. His stomach continued to flop inside his shirt, so he let Vanders deal with it.

"Gentlemen, is there something I can help you with?"

[Jared Vanders]

Jared listened. He could understand why Jay would want to keep it a secret, but he needed to learn how to control it before others found out.

A man approached, adorned in priests garbs.

"Gentlemen, is there something I can help you with."


Jay was leaving it to Jared, and Jared could understand why. It didn't change the fact that it was annoying. "Just enjoying the peacefulness of the garden, Father. We apologize if we've caused any distress to yourself or your flock."
Jared said remembering the couple that had looked at them earlier.

The priest nodded. "With the situation as it is, many are wary of strangers. I apologize for any scrutiny you may have recieved from anyone. Feel free to rest as you will. May the peace of God be with you."
The priest made the sign of the cross and departed.

Jared's wallet beeped again after the priest left and he snuck a quick look at it. Emily again. A slight smile pulled at the corner of his lips. Quickly he typed her a message saying he couldn't talk right now, but he'd send her a message later.

"We're attracting attention here. Perhaps it would be prudent to go elsewhere."
he suggested to Jay.

[Jay Carpenter]

After the priest left, Jay nodded in agreement. "You're right. This is too public. Where could we possibly go? Back to Igmunov House and the Legion is certain to find out. Not that I don't want them to ever know, but not yet."
Jay knew his limits. If he could do what Jared did in battle, and Jacques asked him to, he'd not decline. He hadn't heard from Natalie, so there was no point in asking her. Pretty much every park in the city would present the same problem. They couldn't exactly drive out into the country. Renting a hotel was probably a bad idea, but Jay was running out of ideas.

He got up and pulled his Wallet, prepping a message to Nox. It seemed someone was dying to reach Jared, also.

<dl>
<dt>Message to Nox</dt>
<dd> </dd>
</dl>


Hey. Uh, any suggestions on where to go to practice this magic stuff?

[Nox]

<dl>
<dt>Reply for Jay</dt>
<dd> </dd>
</dl>


Underground tunnels are where I throw a lot around - just be careful not to go too deep, monsters lurking - worse than the concert. Dorian's basement is safe if you don't want to worry about monsters. Cruz will help ya out.