Appointments

[redjacketthief]

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.]

Comments

[quicktoanger]

I grinned at him. Anybody who keeps a crowbar by the door gets points from me.

"Yeah. And I'm a wizard."

I focused on drawing power, focusing it into my hands, shaping my will into the spell. After a couple of seconds, I looked at the thief again, still grinning.

"Batter up."

[redjacketthief]

[Lupin's smile in return is sharp, a little giddy, He has no idea what it was that Harry just did, but anyone willing to take a crowbar barehanded deserves notice. He spreads his feet and adjusts his hands into a batter's stance.]

Aye aye!

[Swing!]

[quicktoanger]

"Riflettum!"

I spread out my hands in front of me and braced myself, and a hazy mist of swirling energies suddenly congealed into a transluscent partial sphere between them, catching the crowbar. There was a bright flash and a loud rush of magic discharge as sparks fell away from the shield I'd conjured, and then I let it drop.

"... Damn. I've gotten too used to the bracelet. Must half wasted half of that spell on all the light and noise."

[redjacketthief]

...That was pretty cool though!

[Even though he had no idea what it was that he just saw, and was as willing to blame the Malnosso as sleep deprivation. He smile turns a touch childish as he leans on the crowbar as if it were a cane.]

It looked like something out of Street Fighter.

[Even if he had terrible luck at the game, it was still damn fun.]

[quicktoanger]

"Never played it. But anyway, it's not the point."

Hmm. Well, hell. Here was a novel thought.

"What if I were to fix you a jacket with shielding charms on it?"

[redjacketthief]

[Tempting thought--he was down one jacket, and desperately wanted it back, but still had reason to be wary of getting used to the accomodations in Luceti.]

I dunno man. Magic never really was my thing...

[quicktoanger]

I stared at him. It might have been a little bit skeptical, that stare, but hey, I'm only human.

"You're going to turn down a bulletproof jacket because it's not your thing?"

[redjacketthief]

I'm just worried that I'll get lazy and soft if I had it around. I travel pretty lightly, you know.

[quicktoanger]

"... Alright, but if you get shot, don't say I didn't warn you."

I shrugged.

"Alright, if you don't like magic... what if I taught you a little trick to close out magical energies? Wouldn't work on just anything, but it might come in handy at some point."

[redjacketthief]

I'm really good at not dying. Don't worry about it.

[It was that confidence that always drove him forward that kept his tone light and playful when he winked.]

...That little trick of yours sounds pretty handy. All you want is the jacket in return?

[quicktoanger]

"Sure. Jacket for a magic trick. Jacket means a lot to me, I think I mentioned."

I held out a hand.

"Deal?"

[redjacketthief]

[Lupin grasps the offered hand and grips it firmly.]

Deal.

[quicktoanger]

I shook his hand, then began digging in my pocket for chalk.

"It's a pretty basic process. The important part is the will- the belief. It's like any other spell that way, even if it doesn't require magical talent to use."

I found the small lump in my pocket, then looked back at him, holding it up.

"Step one: Draw a circle. Can be anything, really. You could draw a groove in the sand, or use chalk- it's why I keep this on hand- or whatever. The closer to a perfect circle you get, the stronger the barrier you make."

As I spoke, I looked around for a good spot, but decided that the hallway was too likely to get traffic.

"... Got a surface you wouldn't mind getting chalk on in there?"

[redjacketthief]

[Curious about what was going to happen now, Lupin opens the door and leads the tall man inside. He shoves the coffee table to the wall, kicks bottles out of the way, and makes an open gesture with his arms.]

Anywhere, really. The floor?

[quicktoanger]

"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."

[redjacketthief]

[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.]

[quicktoanger]

"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."

[redjacketthief]

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?

[quicktoanger]

"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.

[redjacketthief]

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.]

[quicktoanger]

"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."

[redjacketthief]

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?

[quicktoanger]

"... 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."

[redjacketthief]

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.]

[quicktoanger]

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