redjacketthief | Appointments

Entry tags:

Appointments

This is the mailbox of your's truely, Arsene Lupin III. I take it that you've come here because you want to talk to me or make some kind of plan. Whatever it is, I'l gladly listen, but I need your name, date, time, and the best way to get back to you. Sorry I missed you, and I'll get back to you soon, okay?

[Please denote if you are leaving a written, voice, or video message and comment here.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Works for me."

I knelt in the center of the space he'd cleared for me and drew a circle around myself. It was freehand, but it was still pretty good. I've had lots of practice.

"You can also make permanent circles, painted or made of a thin band of metal, and you can even use circles that already exist- it's the shape that's important. As long as it's clearly visible, it'll work."

I carefully placed a beer bottle in the center of the circle, stepped out of the boundary, then fished in my pocket again.

"Step two- blood. Not a whole lot. A drop. Just enough to connect the construct with your life energy."

As I spoke, I pulled out a small pocket knife and handed it to him, still closed.

"The next bit is where the willpower comes in. What you have to do is will a barrier into being. Imagine an invisible force field coming from the boundary of the circle, if it helps. And you touch the blood to the circle, releasing that willpower along with the blood."

[Magic is magic. Lupin accepts the small knife with skepticism, not certain how a chalk circle and a drop of blood would work, but is curious enough to at least give it a try.]

So you're saying that I could use anything that's a circle. What about things like a disk, or a watch? [Because inquiring minds want to know.

He releases the blade with a practiced hand and briefly tests the edge with the tip of a callused fingeer. It was sharp, and had a respectable heft--it wasn't a toy used by boyscouts on camping trips.]

"You could, but I don't know how much good it would do you, unless you were looking to protect or contain something small. If a physical object disrupts the circle, it'll be broken. That said, a CD is close enough to a perfect circle to make a strong barrier, so it's not a bad call, as long as you have a flat surface to set it on."

So it needs to be a circle itself and not a circular shaped object. Gotcha.

[He lapses into silence, studying the chalk circle on his floor and the empty bottle inside it, trying to let go of his sense of logic just enough to see if this would work.

Though he was friends with a Jedi, he was still a skeptic at heart. He tended not to believe something unless he saw something.]

So I just prick a finger and drop a little blood on the circle? What's it supposed to do? Like...how does it work?

"Blood is powerful, symbolically. It's the essence of life itself. If you put your blood on the construct, you're both linking your own energy to the construct and providing a symbolic channel for your will to activate the barrier."

Which was the theory. In practice, it worked because people believed it should work, but telling them that when they were already skeptical tended to make it less effective. Go figure.

I'm just gonna trust you on this then.

[It was the most he could offer. Delicately, he takes the point of the blade to his finger with just enough pressure to prick it. He waits a second or two for the blood to well up before stooping to make contact with the chalk. Only a drop was needed, he was told.

That was easy enough.]

Okay. Now what?

[He stands and reaches for a nearby handkercheif to wipe away the excess, eyeing Harry with expentant curiosity.]

"Alright. Now, watch."

I took a moment and began lining the bottles up on either side of the circle, then stood back a few paces.

"If we did this correctly... Ventas."

I held out my hand, and a sudden burst of wind made the bottles on either side of the circle fall over and begin rolling.

But the bottle in the circle stood. Undisturbed completely.

"... See? No magic, no wind, no moving the bottle. If it's you instead of a bottle, and I'm using fire magic instead of wind, it just saved your life."

Okay. That's really cool!

[And handy. Lupin's mind is all ready going over the practical possibilities for how to use this skill.]

Does it work on non-magical things too? Like bullets?

"... Unfortunately, no. Shield magic is a little more complicated, and takes a lot more magical firepower. Unless the bullet is being propelled by magic, it would still go through- and any physical object that pierces the barrier destroys it."

Oh. So it only works against magic then.

[It's a little disappointing--how often was he going to run into magic that he didn't willingly seek? But...this was Luceti, and there was always the chance of something freaky happening.]

Would it work on the filial spirits then? [Because, if it does? He's calling Daisy down for some experimenting.]

"I haven't tried it. The Filial spirits make me a bit edgy, honestly, so I don't try to work with them."

So I'm gonna need to talk to Nami or Daisy for a proper test...hell, maybe even Smoker.

[He mutters this to himself, but does almost wish he knew something to give it a try without assistance. While no scientist, he did like to have proper data.]

So what of people who have powers, like Smokeer or Ace. Will this work against them?

"Depends. In theory, if their powers are magical, they won't work. If they're physical, or tied to physical objects, they'll break the barrier...

... In practice, magic works weird here. I would definitely encourage experiments. Safe ones."

Of course. I'm impulsive, not an idiot.

...I know of a few people in town that would be interested in trying to figure out how it works too. It's pretty spiffy--and don't worry, the people I plan to ask to help me test it aren't ones that will hurt me.

"... Honestly, I'd be interested in those tests as well. Might be useful to know in advance what my circles will and won't stop."

I'll let you know when I get started on them, then. The right people just need convincing first.

"That sounds like a plan."

I took a paper napkin from my pocket and wiped off the chalk circle, then stood up again.

"Well, I think that's my end of the deal, yeah?"

[Lupin chuckles.] Yeah, that covers it. Hang on.

[He heads into his bedroom briefly, and returns with the oversized jacket he stole from Jack a few months ago.] This is it, right?

"You know any other six-nine skinny guys in black leather dusters?"

I can think of a few that I've seen back home~

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Appointments

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject