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[Just outside of every entrance to the Bay, new arrivals might find a magazine stand stacked with fliers, each one with a sign overhead saying "READ ME." On the flier itself is a message.]

DON'T PANIC
If you're reading this you've probably just woken up in a strange place and are very confused.
Welcome to the club.

What I can tell you is that you're safe, this isn't a trick, and, no, we don't know any way back yet. The packet you woke up with should give you more information and include some cash and an apartment key.

If you need help, give me a call on that communicator you got. Or you can come by my office in Everglade.

- Harry Dresden, Wizard.
Lost items found
Paranormal investigations
Consulting
Advice
Reasonable rates
No love potions, endless purses
Or other entertainment.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Harry just grunts at that.]

Magic and technology doesn't mix. The last place you want to be with a wizard is in an elevator.

[He pauses at the steps for a second.]

You go ahead if you want. I'll meet you up there.

N-nonono! I'll go with you. I was just wondering.

[It'd be weird if she didn't.]

What happened the last time you were in an elevator?

Suit yourself.

[And he starts up the steps, counting on Ruby to keep up. Her question has him thinking back for a second.]

It was... Hell's bells, it was twelve years ago now. I was working on this case tracking a sorcerer who was using storms to power this black magic ritual of his. [He'll spare Ruby the gory details of just what the ritual did.]

He figured out I was onto him and started taking shots at me. One of them was a boobytrapped scorpion talisman that ended up growing to the size of a dog and cornering me and a friend in an elevator after all the magic flying around had shut it down.

That's why I take the stairs now. More room to run for it.

[Ruby's listening to the story with wide eyes. She's hearing about real world wizardy stuff, this was so cool! She's also completely forgotten the fact that she was almost killed by a scorpion way bigger than that for the moment.]

Oh wow. Woah woah. Back up a second, what happened with you and the scorpion talisman? Did you and your friend make it out of there okay?

[Ruby, he's talking to you right now...]

[He gives a glance backwards, catching the note of excitement in her voice and grins a little despite himself. As grim and dark as the world of magic could get, and it definitely could, it was easy to forget that to outsiders it could still be pretty damn cool sometimes.]

Yeah, we made it out more or less okay. I smashed the scorpion.

[And after a moment's pause, he adds.]

With the elevator.

[There's a sigh of relief there. She's glad he was okay.

...Even though he totally survived to tell her the tale.

Oh man. WITH the elevator!?]

That is soooo cool.

[And at that moment she does remember the encounter with the Death Stalker, and as much as she'd like to speak up and compare stories with Harry, it just reminds her of how much she misses home so she'll keep it to herself for the moment.]

Edited 2013-11-29 05:27 (UTC)

It would have been cooler if he only had the one scorpion.

[And not just for Harry, keeping Victor Sells' ultimate fate in mind. The man had been a total bastard but going out the way he had was still a gruesome end for anybody.

At least Ruby seemed to enjoy the story. If she liked that one, he had plenty more.]

He had more than one? Well you smashed that one, right?

You probably took out the rest in just as if not cooler ways, didn't you?

[Come to think of it, he'd never actually seen what had happened to those other scorpions. But he could guess it was probably the same thing that happened to their creator. A toss-up between burning and becoming demon chow.

But he figured Ruby doesn't need to hear those kinds of details right now so he just gives her another grin.]

Damn straight.

That is so cool.

...Well you'd probably fit in great were I'm from, there's all kinds of monsters there.

Monsters, huh?

[He gave her another look over his shoulder.]

Big bad wolves and such?

[He thought he had let it go. He had not.]

How did you know? Oh right, it must be a wizard thing.

Yeah there are big wolf guys called Beowolves and bears called Ursa and Nevermores and Death Stalkers.

[She just kind of have up explaining what each of them were.]

No, that was a lucky guess.

[Beowolves, Ursa and Nevermores? Who was doing the monster naming in this world?]

Let me try another one. Giant monster ravens?

[He's got nothing for the Death Stalkers.]

A-are you a wizard? Ohrightyouare!

[She'll nervously laugh that one off.]

I got to ride one once!

[More like she hitched a ride on one.]

Trade secret.

[Always look like you knew more than you did, pretty basic one. But in this case it was just strange. It had to be some kind of coincidence right?

When they reach the door to the fourth floor, he reaches out to open it then stops, blinking.]

Wait, run that by me again? You rode a giant monster?

Yeah. Well during my initiation into Beacon we had to go to this forest temple. Except me and my partner couldn't find it, so we got on the Nevermore so we could get up in the air and get a better look around.

We had to fight it later on and I maaaaaaaay have cut it's head off a little?

Edited 2013-12-01 01:09 (UTC)

A little?

[He looks back at Ruby, quickly reevaluating his opinion of her and shifting it from cute kid to cute kid who might be able to kick my ass. With that decided, he finally opens the door to the floor.]

I'm guessing you're not some regular kid, then.

Yeah. Just a little... Or a lot, you really can only cut if off a lot, can't you?

[And she'll step through the door, assuming that he's going to hold it open for her again.]

Me? No, I'm as regular as they come, promise!

It's usually the kind of thing you have to go all or nothing on, yeah.

[He does hold that door again. Because, of course he does.]

Humor me a little. Let's say we're talking about a place where regular fifteen year old kids don't fight monsters at all. How "not regular" are we talking?

All or nothing, yeah... Yeah it is.

[Next question makes her stop for a little and she plays around with the thought for a little. She'll go to say something then stop herself as she tries to think of the best way to go about this.]

I'm really fast and can beat people up really good with a scythe. A scythe that also happens to be a gun?

[Cue sweet nervous smile.]

How's that?

[That makes Harry miss a step there and he turns around, gaping for a moment before shaking his head with a laugh.]

Er, sorry. For a second there I thought you said you have a scythe that's also a gun?

[He couldn't have heard that right. Right?]

That's because I kind of did say that...

[Remember that thing she was holding on to in the truck? She'll hold that up.]

And well it's a high impact sniper rifle to be exact.

[Somewhere, in some world, the sky is currently falling. Pigs are soaring through the sky on feathered wings. Earthquakes, volcanoes, the dead rising from the grave. Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together. Mass hysteria!]

[Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden is speechless.]

Huh.

That's, uh....

That's really somethin' alright.

B-b-but aside from that I'm just your completely average girl... I promise!

[Insert a long awkward pause and some shuffling here.]

I can uh... Show you it to you if you want... Once we get into a room with more space.

[Crescent Rose and narrow hallways don't mix.]

[Completely average. What kind of world was this again?]

Completely average it is. I've been around enough to know not to argue with a lady carrying a giant gun.

[He steps aside, letting her have free reign down the hallway.]

Not only do I want to see it, I feel like I have an obligation to. [He nods down the hallway.] Nobody else lives on this floor, as far as I know, take your pick.