For Jelani

[bitterguardian]

Balthazar Blake doesn't always answer his PINpoint texts right away, but when more than twenty-four hours go by with no reply, that's worrisome. The Arcana Cabana sits empty, doors locked from the inside, but of course he's not the most tidy person so it's hard to tell if there's any minor signs of struggle. Nothing seems terribly out of place, though, at least no more so than usual. The nearest thing there is that could be a sign of abrupt departure is the coffee left in the pot, but that's not reliable either. Sometimes he just forgets.

Upstairs, Saint is sleeping on the couch, but slithers off and hobbles over to slurp on Jelani's hands, tail wagging. There's still a little food in his bowl, and water. Not much, but the bag is sitting on the floor. If he's gone another day, the dog will be able to knock it over and feed himself, but he's apparently well-behaved enough not to do that when he doesn't need to.

It's while Jelani is upstairs investigating that a sound comes from downstairs. It's a thump, impossible not to notice. Impossible to mistake for nothing.

Comments

[halfbreedczarnian]

The old sorcerer was supposed to have been setting up protective wards around Jelani's new house. When he didn't show up as agreed, the halfbreed had been a bit miffed, but had assumed that something had simply come up. But, indeed, when he didn't answer her snarky texts to his PINpoint, she did start to wonder if something was up, wondering enough to decide to stop by the Arcana Cabana and check up on him.

Of course, he wasn't there. That she could PINpoint in past his wards and he wasn't even there? Now that has her worried for real.

The sound from downstairs has her on alert. It could be that it's just Balty coming back home, but... For some reason she doesn't think so, and she has learned to trust her instincts. She's lightly armed today, with just the usual gun. She pulls it and starts to stealthily sneak down the stairs, step by slow and careful step.

[bitterguardian]

Downstairs, there's nothing immediately amiss, which means she has to venture out of the stairwell to investigate deeper into the place. It's once she steps away from that last stair that she finds herself running into an invisible wall. Trying to step back will result in the same sensation, and escaping to either side is out, too. Nothing's there, that she can see, but she's trapped in an invisible box with less than a foot of space in every direction.

She hears the voice first, a musical, expressive bass with a vaguely British accent. He sounds almost bored, disdainful. "I wouldn't recommend discharging a firearm inside a magical shield, and I won't be held responsible for any damage inflicted if you do." The stranger strolls out from the doorway of the back stockroom. He's tall, taller than Balthazar by a few inches, and heavyset. His clothes are more tailored and dapper than the other sorcerer's, but there's that same slightly antiquated look to the suit and bowler hat, and of course the pointy old man shoes, albeit in a slightly larger size. Dark eyes watch her shrewdly, but he has a rolling limp and a cane, so there's some weakness to be exploited, there. He wears rings on most of his fingers, too, and one glows faintly blue.

[halfbreedczarnian]

Magic. See, this is why she hates magic. Just like that she is absolutely trapped, with no way of knowing what it would take to break free.

When the man steps out from that doorway he's met with a red-eyed glare. She's frustrated, but not scared, and despite his warning she's tempted to pull the trigger of her gun. She keeps it low, but ready.

"What've ya done with Blake?" Her voice is low, a smooth drawl. Never once does she take her eyes of him, following him as he moves. Even trapped within those magical barriers she looks ready to spring into action, like a coiled snake ready to strike.

[bitterguardian]

One eyebrow rises expressively, and he studies her right back, unflinching. He's not intimidated, but clearly this is not the response he was expecting. "I believe that's my question to ask of you..." He hesitates, considering, then adds, "How's the dog?"

He knows Balthazar has a dog, and that it would be upstairs, since stairs are hard to manage on three legs. Or less. Which is why he chose to lurk down here and trap her.

[halfbreedczarnian]

"Saint's just fine," she snarls. There's the thought that this might not be the one responsible for Balthazar missing. But, he's still holding her trapped in her place, which is enough to anger the young halfbreed. "Plannin' on lettin' me loose anytime today?"

[bitterguardian]

"That depends entirely on why you're really here." He leans on the cane idly, thoughtful. "Either you think you're very clever, accusing me of having done something to Balthazar, or..." He falls silent, debating and hoping she'll catch his drift and enlighten him.

She knows the dog's name, so that's a point in her favor, but he can't remember if there's a tag on his collar she might have gotten it from.

[halfbreedczarnian]

"...or I'm here 'cause th' guy ain't answering my texts, and didn't show up when he was s'posed to," she says grimly, and goes back to snarling: "an' if ya think I'm gonna give ya any fraggin' info about who I am, you can just go frag yerself. I ain't sayin' shit ta someone I don't know shit about just 'cause he happed ta got a magic trick up his sleeve." And she really is about three seconds away from finding out what a gunshot will do to the barriers that hold her.

[bitterguardian]

It's lucky she's spared the ricochet, as the stranger gives a weary sigh and a vague wave of his hand. Most notably, the ring stops glowing, since he's dropped the shield around her. There's still one around himself, because he hasn't lived this long being careless, but he can maintain that by less obvious means. "I assure you, I've known Balthazar far longer than you have. When did you send the first text he didn't answer? Knowing how long he's been gone would help in finding out why and where he's gone."

[halfbreedczarnian]

The second she notices that the barriers is gone the gun comes up, leveling at the man. The only reason she doesn't pull the trigger is because she knows how volatile some of Balthazar's artifacts can be in the off chance one of her bullets goes astray, and, there's the chance that this annoying old man right here just might be a friend of his. "He should've been at my place yesterday, an I've been tryin' ta get a hold of him since. Now, who th' frag are you?"

[bitterguardian]

"A very old friend." He raises that eyebrow again, very expressively skeptical, and completely unafraid. "Please don't let that thing off in here. If you break anything of his, I'll make you clean it up and pay him for it."

He shifts his stance a little, as if he's simply uncomfortable standing in that position too long. "At least a day, then. The wards are intact, and the Rolls is gone, so I suspect he simply went out, but it's unlike him to miss an appointment."

[halfbreedczarnian]

They're at a stand-still, with neither of them willing to volunteer information. But by now it's more wounded pride than anything else that makes her want to put a bullet in him, and she realizes that. She'll remain suspicious, but she does lower the gun. She doesn't holster it, but she keeps it in an easy grip in one hand, barrel down towards the floor.

"Unlike him ta leave his dog like this, too," she added. "Poor mutt was almost outa food an' water."

[bitterguardian]

He's still being defensive, in return, but he's not making any aggressive moves whatsoever, and seems unarmed apart from his magic. Well, that just might be a sword cane, but the way he moves shows he legitimately needs it. "We can't have that. Have you fed him?"

It'd have to be a damn sneaky enemy to look worried about the dog.

[halfbreedczarnian]

She isn't at all worried about what that cane might contain. The magic, on the other hand, yes... That does worry her.

"Not yet," she responds. "Ain't exactly been here long. Thought I'd see if I'd find any hints where Balty's gone before I take care of th' dog."

[bitterguardian]

"Thus far, it would appear that he left of his own volition. I'll have to lay a tracking spell. Unless there's some other clues upstairs?" He seems completely unconcerned about her weapons, although that could be a front.

[halfbreedczarnian]

"None that I saw." She hadn't had much time to look around, and she doesn't even know what she should be looking for. In any case, she feels she should take a more thorough look around, and Saint needs to be taken care off, and she plans on taking him home with her. She has Wylie at home to help out, plus there's her own dog to act as company for the poor three-legged mutt.

However, she is hesitant to turn her back to this sorcerer and walk ahead of him up the stairs. Don't ever turn your back on a potential enemy. Old habits die hard.

[bitterguardian]

He considers a moment, frowning mildly, then gives a nod and a sigh. "A second set of eyes can't hurt. Go on up, you can feed Saint while I have a look around, and we'll still be able to keep an eye on each other, mm?" He's completely aware she still doesn't trust him, but he'd rather be last up the stairs for very practical reasons. He's very slow and awkward getting up them.

[halfbreedczarnian]

They could be at it forever, trying to get the other to go first, she realizes. That's time wasted while Balthazar is still missing. So she does move, never once taking her eyes off him, gun still in her hand as she makes her way up the stairs as quickly as she can.

Saint comes to greet her again and she crouches down to ruffle his ears a bit. "Missin' yer poppa, huh?" she murmurs quietly. After having given the dog some food and fresh water, she moves on to search the place, hoping to find some sort of clue.

[bitterguardian]

He follows behind at his own pace, struggling with the cane and thumping rhythmically. It's embarrassing, to have to struggle with something so basic, and he gives her plenty of space to go ahead out of sheer pride.

When he does reach the top, Said lifts his head from the bowl to trot over and slurp on his hands. He ruffles the dog's ears distractedly, panting just slightly. "Look for his carpetbag. He usually takes it if he's going out on business..."

[halfbreedczarnian]

It looks like Saint is familiar with this man, and that helps put Jelani a little bit more at ease. Not too much at ease, she'll remain suspicious. "You got a name?" she inquires, going to look for that bag.

[bitterguardian]

"...Maxim Horvath- not the version from this world." He's very quick to make that addendum, just in case Balthazar has told her about their history. That's also why he took his time giving his name. "We're from parallel worlds. Met in the Nexus." He's poking around now, too, peering into the kitchen to check for food left out, the bathroom for toiletries dropped in a hurry, any sign that Balthazar left in the middle of something. He knows where everything is.

Saint trails after them both, tail wagging. He's not sure what kind of game this is, but he likes these people.

[halfbreedczarnian]

That makes her stop in her search. "You're Max," she simply says. That revelation is very comforting. Balthazar has spoke of him enough times that Jelani knows that this is someone he trusts. Of course there are always the risk of people not being who they say they are - he could be lying - but Jelani decides to at least trust him enough to put her gun away. She's not going to be completely at ease until Balthazar himself confirms that this guy can be trusted, though.

[bitterguardian]

He pauses, too, equal parts sheepish and annoyed. "Only Balthazar calls me that." The man he's known since they were both just boys is allowed to call him whatever he wants.

With a little shake of his head, he resumes poking around, embarrassed to hear his old nickname from anybody else. "I didn't catch your name."

[halfbreedczarnian]

"Ya didn't ask it, Max." Oh yes, she can be quite obnoxious when she wants to be.

"I'm Jelani." She doesn't know if Balthazar has ever mentioned her or not. "Met Balty in the Nexus a while back. My dog is like BFF with Saint. Or, 'least they come from th' same shelter. We got the mutts at the same time."

[bitterguardian]

His eyes narrow at the use of his nickname, but Horvath is wise enough, or at least devoted enough, to put this insult aside right now for the sake of finding his friend. His only friend, really.

Her name sounds familiar. And wasn't there a Connor? Horvath isn't very sociable, so he's paid limited attention to the snippets of information about Balthazar's other Nexus friends. Something else catches his attention instead, if only because it's bewildering.

"They're... what? Saint is neutered, isn't he?"

If she doesn't explain, he'll be trying to look up 'beeyeffeff' on Google later.

[halfbreedczarnian]

"Oh right... Another old-timer." Deciding to take pity on him, she goes on to explain. "BFF. Best Friends Forever. They're a trio, though; the dogs we got from the shelter. My teacher was th' one to convince Balty an' me that we needed dogs, just like he did. So we each left with one. Saint, Connor's Sorcha, an' my Vandal."

[bitterguardian]

"Mmm... I prefer 'several thousand years young', thank you." It's a haughty tone, but it's also too preposterous not to be a joke.

"I see. He did tell me he'd been talked into it. The dog has been good for him..." He continues, reaching down to ruffle Saint's ears as he peers at a stack of books left out from research, or just very advanced recreational reading. It doesn't help this search for clues any that Balthazar is disorganized. The place is cluttered, which normally gives it a homey feel, but now books left out haphazardly that provide research on defeating dark magic could be vital clues, or just something he was perusing in his spare time. It's impossible to tell.

[halfbreedczarnian]

Jelani flops down to sit cross-legged on the floor, elbow on knee and chin in hand. "I've got no damn idea what I'm s'posed ta be lookin' for," she sighs, clearly frustrated by now. "I'm sure he's got some sorta system ta this mess, but I don't get it, and I sure as hell can't tell if there's anything missin', or if there's some otehr clues."

[bitterguardian]

Horvath strokes his beard. considering, then eases himself down to sit on the couch with a sigh. "This is proving decidedly futile. I'll have to try a tracking spell; but I can make no guarantee. If he's taken measures to conceal himself from some enemy, it may conceal him from me, as well."

[halfbreedczarnian]

"It's worth a try, ain't it?" Anything would be worth a try. She's honestly worried, with neither her or Horvath finding anything to indicate where their mutual friend has gone off to. "Does he do this a lot? Go missin'?"

[bitterguardian]

"Of course it is." He reaches out, and pulls a heavy book out of midair. It's very thick, and cover almost appears to have beetles embedded in it, dark and metallic. "I... couldn't say for certain." He looks mildly sheepish, but pulls out a pair of reading glasses and opens the book in his lap. "Not in the time since we've been... reunited, but there's millennium between so I don't know all of his habits."

[halfbreedczarnian]

If she's impressed by the show of magic she doesn't show it. She just sits calmly, looking at him flip the pages. "I don't really know the history of you guys," she says. "He ain't never told me much, an' I didn't feel a need ta pry." Sometimes people's histories can be good to know, but at the same time people aren't their pasts. Thank goodness.

[bitterguardian]

He doesn't even look up, explaining distractedly, "We were apprenticed together, as boys."

There is so, so much more to that story; love, trust, betrayal, war and revenge. Their apprenticeship didn't end well, in either of their parallel worlds. If she's good at reading people, there's a wealth of things he's not saying, and a lot of emotion attached to them, but he's trying to make it all sound offhand and unremarkable. He doesn't know her well, and doesn't know quite what Balthazar would trust her with. The basics are safe enough, though. They were both Merlin's apprentices, and what more does she need to know?

After a moment he shuts the book and vanishes it away with a vague wave of his hand. "The Encantus isn't saying much about current events." He levers himself to his feet stiffly, ready to try the tracking spell now.

[halfbreedczarnian]

"Yeah, I think he mentioned that." She knows there's more to the story than that. These guys can count their lives in centuries; there has to be more.But, as she said, she hasn't tried to get that story out of Balthazar yet, and she doubts she could get it from Horvath. It's not really relevant right now, though.

"Ain't sayin' much, or ain't sayin' nuthin' at all?" She asks, staying where she is, watching Horvath get up. There's not much she can do to help at the moment she feels like, and she hates that feeling.

[bitterguardian]

"Let us say, its has nothing relevant, for the moment." He sighs, pacing carefully to an open space on the faded rug. Saint looks briefly interested, because getting up means something might be about to happen, but when he's ignored he goes to flop down by Jelani.

Horvath makes a vague gesture, light flaring around him briefly, then coalescing in his hands. He stands on both feet, braced and wide apart, cane leaning against his leg so he can have both hands free. Apparently he's not dependent on it just to stand in one place. He mutters low over the ball of light, which pulses and swirls, then he throws it like a hard pitch in baseball, for the living room window. It sails straight for it, and passes harmlessly through the glass, and fades into the air beyond.