quicktoanger | Eighth Casefile: Reversed Fortunes

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Eighth Casefile: Reversed Fortunes

[Action: Your character's living room!]

I noticed a few problems immediately.

The first was that I wasn't outside of Johnny Marcone's office building. In fact, I wasn't even outside. I seemed to be in some sort of small apartment.

The second was that I couldn't feel the Winter Mantle. Which sucked, because I had been in really, really rough shape.

The third was that I wasn't in really, really rough shape. In fact, I felt fine. The only thing that hurt was my back.

The fourth was that my back hurt. Specifically, my shoulderblades hurt. And I had the most peculiar feeling of deja vu, in the same way that getting dropped into molten steel gives you a peculiar feeling of warmth. That, and the familiarity of the apartment...

"Oh hell's bells, you cannot be serious."

[OOC: So for today's exceptionally late re-intro, enjoy 1 Harry Dresden, slightly confused, and appearing in somebody else's house for a change.]

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Get out.

[Very used to this happening to him now. This is how he feels it's best to deal with it.]

Here's the thing.

I had no idea who that was. I'd popped up in his apartment without warning. I'd been on his end enough times that I knew exactly how frustrating it must have been.

I stared down at the guy. He seemed to be a little below average in height, and with me being so tall, it was a pretty significant height difference. On the other hand, he had the kind of muscle that would give a professional wrestler an inferiority complex. And since this was Luceti, I was willing to bet he knew how to use that muscle, assuming he didn't have any other abilities I didn't even want to know about.

Unfortunately, I also lack a sense of self-preservation, as multiple people have told me. And this guy's attitude annoyed me. I'm a little stubborn. And a little ornery. And I tend to lose some perspective when I'm having a bad day.

And finding myself back in Luceti, a horrible fever dream I'd all but forgotten existed, after all these years? That was a bad day.

"See, now I like the assertiveness. It's working for you. But real authority doesn't rely on hostility and aggression. Let's try it again, this time a little less harsh."

[He stares at Harry with no interest in his words whatsoever, face still as hard as stone as he approaches him. Nothing fast, a casual gait that wouldn't suggest anything dangerous. Contrary to what his expression might tell, he's not that angry- this has happened far too many times in the past to blow up about.

He only wants him out.

Gazing upwards at a man who is clearly so tall that he has to fly to even touch his head, he opts for something more within reach. A hand shoots out as he steps to Harry's side quickly, and tries to pinch one of his wings. Nothing too hard, enough for a grip between his two fingers but not enough to bring Harry to his knees or anything. But if he does grab it, it's going to hurt like a bitch.]

Well, he didn't rise to the bait. Disappointing. I always like to know I can smartass with the best of them.

Still, he also didn't seem to be lightening up. He took a couple steps toward me, no fighting stance, nothing setting off alarm bells- until he reached for me.

And I mean fast. So fast I could barely even see it. And even as I tried too late to twist aside from the grasp, I could already feel the hand on my wing.

And then I felt the pain. Hell's freaking bells. I remembered enough about Luceti to know the wings were a giant weak point no matter who had them, and I knew they hurt, but me and pain are old friends. We go way back.

This, this was different. This plucked at my entire nervous system and set all my nerves on fire. I clamped my eyes closed and concentrated on my breathing. Deep breath in, deep breath out. And then my eyes opened again and I stared down at him.

"That was the exact opposite of what I meant."

[He tugs on the wing. Tug tug. And then he starts to walk towards his door, with the intent of dragging Harry with him, still silent. Any resistance is met with a little harder tug and a lot more pain.

He'd be lying if he denied not enjoying a little bit of this.]

Well. The defiant and unreasonably stubborn part of me wanted to find a way to further defy the jerk on principle.

However, there was a more rational part of me that pointed out what a crappy position I was really in to do that. I'd just have to let this guy get away with being an asshole, so I didn't try to resist as he tugged me to the door with that astonishingly strong grip.

That and it hurt. I mean, seriously. I'd forgotten just how sensitive the wings were. Damned inconvenient, that.

So since resistance was out of the question, I decided to vent my petty spite another way. Gathering my will, I began to look around for whatever device looked the most technologically sophisticated in the room.

"Alright, alright, I get the hint. I'm going. You really could have just asked, ya big goof."

It was a feeble attempt to annoy him further, but I wasn't on my A-game at that moment.

[The room isn't highly decorated. As technologically inclined as the entire family is, without the presence of Bulma, there's not a lot. Vegeta has never required anything but the basics, and all the tech is in Bulla's room. His journal lies on the table in front of the couch, the most advanced thing in the room. The house is small, so as Harry is dragged across the living room, he should be able to see the fridge and the oven in the kitchen. A clock hangs on the wall, but that's pretty much it. The man doesn't even have a TV.]

That's right, you're going. [When he gets to the front door, he opens it and glares back at Harry.] Out.

Okay. So, Rei isn't generally the sort to wander around the house in her underwear or a bathrobe, because let's face it there's a kid in the house now and Ami might be having her boyfriend over or something. This is a good arrangement for everyone.

However, today? Today Ami is out...and so is Hajime and she knows it. And Fenimore might be coming over or something who actually knows. It's not like her she really minds if her girlfriend just wanders by while she's in a general state of undress, and she's not going to be out in the public areas of the house long. So, when our intrepid Warden of the White Council finds himself in her living room...he'll also find himself not far from one teenage Japanese girl walking out of the bathroom in her underwear.

And she will promptly scream.

Loudly.

Several reactions happened at once.

The first thing I did was turn to face the source of the scream.

The second thing I did was immediately avert my gaze, because it fell upon a young woman wearing less-than-public attire and not staring when a lady is exposed is part of the chivalrous instinct that's basically hardwired into my brain at this point.

The third thing I did was place a name and an identity to that face and that voice. And so, with one hand still shielding my eyes, I blurted out-

"... Rei?"

The averting of gazes is appreciated if barely noticed in the flurry of activity that followed. Rei darted out of the hallway and back into the bathroom to grab a robe, slamming the door hard in whoever's face. The words, though, registered a moment after she started tugging on the robe.

That voice was familiar...and she felt a familiar sense come rushing back to her as she focused her senses.

"Harry?! Harry is that you?!"

"Last I checked."

I actually laughed a little.

"Sorry if I startled you. You decent yet?"

"A moment."

There's a lot of rustling sounds and she finally slips out of the bathroom, tying the bathrobe even tighter.

"Not completely, but better than before. I'll...go put on something suitable if you don't mind. Have a seat and I'll be dressed in a moment, I just got out of the shower."

"Will do."

I lowered my hand and headed for the nearest seat, glancing around me for the props I knew I'd have. Journal, check. Any of my other stuff, uncheck. The lack of a shirt kind of bugged me, if only because I knew it'd probably make Rei uncomfortable, but they didn't drop any of my clothing here.

Because why would they, right?

Rei exited stage left and returned about five minutes later, heralded by the creaking of the doors in the house. She’s dressed in the robe he’d enchanted for her a couple of Christmas’ ago, and looking much much more covered up than the simple bra and panties from earlier. Not that Harry should’ve noticed exactly what she was wearing, because she’d probably take a swing at him if he commented.

“Harry. It’s…been a while. Welcome back, I suppose.”

There’s a dry sense to her words, mirthless and amused at the same time. This isn’t the Luceti he’d left, not even close. Not the horrible prison, but rather some purgatory with a few small perks. Oh he was going to love that.

Fenimore had indeed been coming over. If she just came in at this point, things probably would have progressed pretty normally. Strange shirtless man would be a surprise, but she's been here long enough to know about New Feather pants.

But there was that scream.

She'd been too far away to be entirely sure she'd heard it or where it'd come from, but it did make her hurry towards Rei's house. And when looking through the window reveals a surprised Rei in a state of undress around a strange man after hearing what might have been a scream, she doesn't immediately think about the reason behind his shirtlessness (or that the man looks a little familiar thanks to an earlier event).

She's sure now. That scream must have been Rei. It's up to her to save her girlfriend. ...Save might be a strong word since it might just be saving her from embarrassment, but that's still a good cause and it could be more of an issue.

So Harry's probably not going to get much of a chance to reply when a short woman throws open the door, grabs a pillow from a seat he is not in, and throws it straight at his face. Her aim might not be entirely on point since she doesn't slow in doing so, only stopping when she can stand between Rei and Harry defensively.

"Rei! Are you all right?"

Fenimore may not have noticed that this tableau is slightly more relaxed from the one she saw through the window in that Rei has gotten dressed and Harry is sitting down casually. She'll pick up on it eventually.

"Yeah, believe it or not-"

... It's good to be back, is what I was going to say. Unfortunately, I only made it as far as 'or not' before I heard the footsteps. And then the door went open, and something was flying into my face.

Damn. Damn. No duster, no blasting rod, no shield bracelet, not even my amulet. Nothing. I was a sitting duck. Hopefully Rei could handle herself. I sprang to my feet and gathered my will, one hand batting aside the-

... Pillow?

"... What?"

A moment later, the chair overturned behind me, my hands raised as if to ward off incoming attacks with the shield spell I was about to cast, I blinked at the young woman in the doorway. I didn't recognize her, but...

She was trying to save Rei.

... She was trying to save Rei from me.

I don't remember starting to laugh, but I was suddenly having a hard time stopping.

Rei blinked in shock when there was a blonde flash in the entrance, and raised her fingers in a warding gesture, preparing to block an attack when she heard the flump of a pillow hitting Harry. And then it registered that it was Fenimore who'd come exploding into the house like a bat out of hell. And she was trying to defend her?

It's an absurd picture for anyone who doesn't know Fenimore, and even then Rei has to admit that she's fighting back a laugh. It's hard, but she manages it. And to reply calmly.

"It's fine, Fenimore. I'm alright, really."

Stepping closer, she snakes an arm around the blonde's waist and pulls her back from Harry and into an easy embrace from behind, as much to show Harry that the girl isn't a stranger as it is to prove she's alright. She grins at her old friend, propping her head against Fenimore's in a show of affection.

"Harry, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend Fenimore. And Fenimore, this is Harry Dresden. My friend the wizard."

Wow, um. That's a big man. Fenimore got the impression from glancing through the window earlier that he was tall, but she underestimated just how tall he was. It's pretty intimidating -- while Fenimore's not unusually short, there's quite a difference from her 156 cm. She's not sure what she can do if he actually is dangerous, but --

But he's laughing. And Rei is hugging her from behind and Fenimore has the sneaking suspicion that her girlfriend is holding back amusement of her own. ...And it's Harry, the guy that Rei had told her was important to her. Oh. She'd really gotten this one wrong. She brings one hand up over the bottom half of her face in a vain attempt to cover her blush.

"I heard a scream...."

Her explanation for her sudden pillow assault comes out not quite as a mumble, but her tone is certainly edging towards one. But, after a moment, she lowers her hand, resting both on Rei's arms around her waist, and attempts to collect herself, though her cheeks still retain a pink tinge. This is certainly not how she would want to make a first impression on one of Rei's friends, but she can't exactly change that.

"It's, uh, good to meet you, Harry. Rei's told me about you."

Oh. Oooohhhhhhh. Well, that explained a lot, then.

"Ah, crap, my reputation precedes me, huh?."

I managed to smother my laughter, though I was still smirking a little more than I would have liked.

"It's alright. She hadn't had a chance to tell me about you, but I have to say, if my girlfriend screamed and a guy who looked like me was the reason why, I'd probably have been a lot less polite about it. We're good."

Rei barely manages to hold back laughter of her own when she feels Fenimore's embarrassment coloring her emotions. Squeezing tight, she kisses the blonde on the cheek and focuses more on Harry.

"You're quite the the scruffy one, that's for sure. I can completely understand why."

Hopefully Fenimore will be able to get over it and move past it. She doesn't exactly want her feeling bad around Harry over a little mistake, anyway. If it'd been anyone but Harry, she'd have welcomed the distraction so she could get away.

"Thank you dear. Really."

Fenimore is still embarrassed, but their reactions have mollified the feeling to make the meeting only a little awkward rather than something insurmountable. The hug and kiss on the cheek from her girlfriend certainly doesn't hurt, and Fenimore smiles a little

"If I had known how big you are, I might have thrown something harder than a pillow, so it's good I couldn't tell from the window." A rock like she had thought about might have fallen more in line with a less polite response as Harry said, but she was glad she's changed her mind. "Though if I had, maybe I would have realized who you might be. I don't know of many people as tall as you."

Or as scruffy. She'll keep that one to herself.

[Anakin felt his arm inexplicably give up the electronic ghost and the suddenness and reasonlessness of this event stopped him in his tracks. His mechanical arm hung there like a dead thing; he could move everything down to his elbow, but beyond that, it was nothing but useless, heavy, metal weight.

He wasn’t happy about this. Anyone looking at him could guess he was thoroughly peeved about something.

Whatever errand or task he was doing was forgot as he stepped out off to the side to pull off his glove so he could examine just what the hell happened to his arm.]

It had already been a weird day. I'd pissed off the world's shortest bodybuilder, had a rather alarming introduction to Rei's new girlfriend, and only just gotten my stuff together- fortunately, nearly all of it was there- and was only just now getting around to finding a place to hang my non-existant hat.

And then I heard the unmistakable sound of passive magic shorting out advanced circuitry. From a broody-looking guy just to my left.

I turned and found him examining his arm. His limp and lifeless arm. And he pulled off his glove to reveal-

Oh, hell's bells. I vaporized the poor kid's arm.

"Crap! Uh, sorry. Sorry about that. Usually I can, um. Control that. Better."

Anakin looked up slowly, most of his attention had been, and still was, focused on trying to figure out why his arm had suddenly stopped working for no reason. So it took him a moment to realize this stranger was trying to provide an explanation.

“You... did this?” Anakin did not look relieved, or happy to have this answer.

This isn't her first time around the block, sure, but Nel's never had the dubious pleasure of having someone arrive in her apartment. It's...strange. Granted, she's dressed and in a relatively decent mood for someone dragged back to a place that inflicts strange instances like this upon its newest inmates, but she's flexible.

He's tall, if the impossibly long limbs are anything to go by, and a stranger. And he has to be pretty uncomfortable, since he's laying on her coffee table.

She casually strolls over to where he's splayed out and stares down at him, green eyes twinkling in mischief as she puts her hands on her hips and slides one tattooed leg out for an easy escape if he turns out to want to tangle.

"I was under the impression that those were used for dishes and odds and ends. You look odd enough, I guess."

I was still struggling to reorient myself as I sat upright on the table, and stared up at the woman standing over me.

A wise-ass. Great. I hate competition.

"I've never had anybody eat off of me, but then, I did miss out on the whole 'Spring break and body shots' experience."

Largely because college for me was a pig-farm in Missouri with a guy who would kill me if I twitched in the direction of black magic.

"Sorry. If it helps, I do know the deal. I got dropped into Luceti once before."

Nel might not be a very big woman, but she makes up for it in being quick and accurate with both her runology and daggers. The moment he moves, she's a few feet back, looking as cool as a cucumber and a hand touching the hidden hilt to her weapons.

"I'm not sure what that even means, honestly. What's a body shot?"

When he mentions that he's not new either, she relaxes a little, but her hand never leaves the dagger.

"I've never given the 'Welcome to a very strange land' speech here before. I suppose I should be glad that I don't have to start today."

[ And here Helios is walking into the living room with a cup of hot tea and two dragons tailing him from behind. Said dragons will proceed to rush forward towards Harry because wow new person in the living room. Well Luminair remember him but Maggir does not and she's a bit more hostile as she bears her fangs and snarls a little at Harry. Helios will put his cup down and ease Maggir back before he turns to look at the stranger now in the room. Luminair will just happily wag his tail and chirp at Harry with a trill, happy, little cry. ]

H-Harry?!

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Eighth Casefile: Reversed Fortunes

sorry i couldn't help it NOT SURE HOW LONG THIS THREAD WILL BE

IT'S OKAY SHORT CAN STILL BE SWEET.

GOOD GOOD

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And now I make up for the delay by being a giant shit again.

lolol it's okay!

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/BREAKS INTO THIS THREAD

OH NOES

/waaaahhh

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SORRY. Sorry.

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Hope this works! Say it's taking place somewhere in the village, yes.

Absolutely!

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Incoming sassy redhead

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