Reroll

“I suppose I can't really fault you…” she lets out a sigh, “Unlike the generals I served under, you're already looking at the bad things that can come from winning, and planning around them.”  She pauses, “I can't say as I understand you… but I can't fault you.  I could use some time to process, though, so….”

I chuckle, “I'll get out of your hair, yes. I have a mirror to deliver anyway.”  I grab my purchase and start walking out.

“And… thank you.”

I pause at the door at Bambi's words, “I'm happy to help,” and then I'm out the door.

I check directions on my phone… hmm.  The meeting is opposite home. Well, I can kind of be in two places at once, and the place in question is easy enough to find… I release my animal companion from possession, and instruct her on following the map app back home. Taking Elaine's card and my ring, I head off to the address the 2nd Elaine gave me.

I think I'm getting used to being naked in public.

A short flight and I'm at the address.  I take a bit to look through the walls… and find I can't get past the paint that way.  Well… this is an older neighborhood. They might have some lead-based paint in there… annoying. No help for it… I create a Shadow minion at the front door. I do the white winged thing again, much as I did for the hospital negotiator.  I possess her, and - thinking about it, decide to risk some trust. I shift into my social form, conjure some shadow armor, and Illusion it up to look like regular clothes: Jeans and a sweatshirt with the college logo.

I then press the doorbell, card in hand.

The door opens reasonably quickly; I find I'm face to face with a woman with rosy cheeks and short dirty blonde hair, looking about thirty-ish, wearing a green blouse and blue jeans.  A little small on top for my tastes, but she fills it out well enough… and I'm not here for a booty call.

I greet her first, holding the card up, “Hello, I was invited to drop by to discuss things… are you Elaine?”  I show her the card.

“Yes… I see my mother gave you one of hers. Hmm… you're not like we were lead to expect… come in,” she steps out of the doorway.

I consider as I step into a living room with each wall a different bright color, and flower-patterned furniture, “So you're Elaine the fourth, then?”

She chuckles, “Yes,” and shouts down the hall, “Grandma, your guest is here!”

Another woman with rosy cheeks and dirty blonde hair comes out, wearing a red blouse and a black ankle length skirt… who also looks to be thirty-ish.  They're not twins, but they could certainly be sisters.

The Elaine who just entered takes a look at me, “You are positively dripping with arcanium.  So… card?”

I hand it to her, she takes it and she closes her eyes.  I watch her pupils dance around under her eyelids, like watching someone dream.  A moment later, she opens them, “So the controllers aren't just squad commanders, huh?  We can certainly use that….”

I frown, “That thing was spying on me? The only magic was the invisible writing….”

The second chuckles, “Correct enough on both counts. That was an object reading; the cards we print up are alchemically treated to hold recent impressions better than other objects, but they're not really magical.  The events are quite clear, but don't stick for too terribly long as a result. I essentially just watched the last few hours from the perspective of whoever was holding the card at the time… and once we're done with business, I have got to try out that rod of yours,” she looks down and licks her lips.

I feel dirty for some reason… “That will need to wait; I'm not currently prepared with the means to make my physical body match my less physical one.”

“Pity…” the grandmother looks up to meet my eyes, “Well. You're certainly not working for the Inquisition, and that's the only part of what I saw I'm supposed to act on when the tests come up clean… I'm not even supposed to follow up on that poor woman you helped… we are ABSOLUTELY taking that bit of intel on the controllers for the resistance, though, so I owe you one… what would you have of us?”

This is going well so far… there's a resistance… that's good… “So I have my own ideas about the Inquisition and what needs to happen… I’d like to find out if they are compatible with your own; let's start with, ‘What are the goals and methods of the resistance?’ please.”

“I'm not going to breach operational security, you understand…” I nod, and the thirty-ish looking grandmother with a thirty-ish looking granddaughter continues, “Broad strokes? We want to free Arcanium users like you and I from the oppression of the Inquisition by destroying the Inquisition utterly.”

And this is where it all falls apart, isn't it? “And… what's your replacement plan for the legitimate portion of their work?”

She looks at me in confusion, “What legitimate portion? They're evil, through and through.  There's nothing worth replacing.”

That's what I was afraid of… “I stole some phones from operators that included archived mission briefings… most of the time they're going after folks that have been affected in such a way as to make them indiscriminate killers.  Ogres, vampires, goblins, and the like; the mission briefings even had the remains of their feedings pictured, and I interviewed someone they regularly use as bait: Those briefings weren't exaggerating.  Someone needs to keep the violent types in check.”

The grandmother rolls her eyes, “Meh, what do I care if some stupid muggles get eaten?  There's always more where they came from.”

I cringe, “I still remember being a ‘muggle’, so that's not exactly a sentiment I can get behind.” Something occurs to me… “Don't you remember what happened before your empowerment?”

The woman rolls her eyes, “What, you're first gen, and recent at that? Hah! No wonder you're so naive.”  She shakes her head, “Such a shame… well, feel free to join our ranks once you've realized just how bad the muggles actually are; it’s obvious you'd be quite the asset.”

“Ah…” I pause, “it's not just about protecting the muggles,” although that absolutely needs to happen. “The woman I interviewed that they used as bait? She's a high end immortal… and as far as I know, her immortality is the only good thing she got from her event. The violent types can't tell, and go after her too; it’s why the Inquisition uses her as bait, as far as I can tell.  How do you feel about being someone else's snack when there aren't enough muggles about?”

That, at least, gives Elaine the 2nd pause, “Okay toots, you might have a point on that one. I will bring your ‘after victory’ concern up with leadership.  Meet me back here… Monday, maybe?”

I consider, “I should be able to do that.  I'll plan to see you again then.”  Mind, even if they agree on that point… changing who's boot is on who's neck doesn't actually change anything: Magic supremacists aren't any better than human supremacists, we need to stop the supremacy movement entirely.

I give her a nod, and take my leave.

“She teleports,” my Perception ‘Al’ flags me as we go, “I heard the distinctive woosh as air filled into the spots they vacated. This house is a meeting place for outsiders, and has very little strategic value.”

Heh, ‘The Purple Way’ in the show.  All right.  They don't want to show too much of their hand if the wrong person gets a card: I can accept that. I mean, I still can't get behind them, but I get the misdirection: I use enough of it myself.

I let go of my shadow minion once I'm back outside… in both senses of the word, stopping my possession of her and releasing her from existence. Naked again, I fly off home, and meet up with my Animal Companion, which of course I possess, and gear up.

It is, of course, a new day, so I grab my scroll of Purified Calling, run it via the Use Magic Device skill, and summon up my Eidolon, now fully healed… and immediately dismiss it: There's little reason to be an angel full time.

I check the clock on my phone: We have a bit of time.  I listen for Ed and Betty… ah, they're about done, wait a bit, and take the mirror to them.

I fill them in on the events of the day, and of course, ask the question on the two supernaturals we saw abused in video: “Do you have the spells prepared?” I'm looking at Ed, of course.

He nods, “Yeah.  It's a long casting time, but you know that.  Give me a bit…” he takes the mirror in one hand, his Holly and Mistletoe in the other, I pull up a still of the mermaid on my phone, and Ed begins the hour long process of casting Scrying.