Maybe. Let me switch to a larger screen. I'll call you back.
[And she will hang up and go in search of her tablet. In the meantime, Josie will look around and try to see if she gets anything off any of the other people they're trapped with (6). Unfortunately, she doesn't know any of them well enough to read any of their behavior as off.
Only if the thing is actually meant to be deadly. That's what Bela said, right? If it's meant to be protective, then we just have to get a little more creative.
[That's all witchcraft is, really. A little bit of creativity with things you don't really understand.]
But if your tia is a witch, bruja or not, you might be able to help us when we're trying to hone things down.
[Time to figure out if Ivan's got the gift. Josie holds out a hand to him and wiggles her fingers.]
( He hesitates, in over his head. But, he trusted these girls when he got lost on the way to Chemistry. And again when they were the only people he knew at the Frosh ice cream social. That's what friendship is in freshmen year of college. Deep three months down the line.
Is it something you feel with me or something from somewhere else in the room?
[Because maybe since Ivan seems to have a tie to the item in question, he can cut through some of the noise. But as she asks that, Hope's phone starts to ring with Bela FaceTimeing them back.]
["Oh, yeah. My magic is a little weird right now. Don't worry about it."
Bela shakes her head.]
We'll have to have a look at what's around you. But most of the time, dark objects are something innocuous. I've seen them be everything from a rabbit's foot to a Christmas ornament. The important thing is how it's spelled. You might get lucky and see something that looks older or out of place around new things.
("Probably the least of my worries right now," Ivan says, letting go of her hand. )
In an exhibit of older, out of place things. Alright. Once more unto the breach.
( She hops off the desk and ushers the small group back outside the lecture hall into the lobby area. )
I'd say we have maybe another... what, two hours, Josie? Before people start freaking out about physically not being able to leave? There are a few tour groups, other lectures, we have time, just not... endless.
[Bela can only see so much through the tablet screen (10), but Josie is going to do her best to start searching (14), trying to see if anything stands out that fits Bela's criteria.]
There's also usually a theme, if the witch who made it has any flair. I once was searching for a rabbit's foot that was cursed. For as long as you held it, you got a string of fantastic luck, but as soon as you lost it - and you always lost it - the luck would turn.
That was the sort of object that would kill you if you gave it long enough.
If it helps, trapping people in an enclosed space is a little too overt for an item that's murderous, in my experience. Unless the effect is immediate, they're generally more subtle.
[Aka, if the thing was trying to kill you dramatically, you'd probably be dead already.]
It all depends on how the item was made, and more specifically the power of the person who made it.
[Sometimes the things you create outlive your notoriety as a witch. And those objects can be a lot harder to keep track of.]
And ideally you don't want the person interacting with it to know what they're picking up most of the time. But there are some artifacts made by power players that can't escape notice.
Lucky us and our obscure artifact. We just need a better way to narrow it down.
("The exhibit's new, right?" Ivan asks, waiting for acknowledgement. "But, there are pieces always on display. So, cross-reference Tulane's collection and the visiting one. One of the visiting artifacts has to be it. Technically, right? What are the chances one already on this campus was randomly triggered? That's a place to start?")
["Ivan's right. People have been walking in and out of this place for years and it's never been triggered. The odds that we have something that specific on our hands is very small."]
Give me a second. I'll see what I can find online.
[Josie is also not doing well with her knowledge of the collection (6), but Bela spots it in the online information just as Hope sets her eyes on it (19).]
The dollhouse.
[It's a small little miniature room set on the far end of the collection, close to the door.]
[Bela can't do much from FaceTime, but Josie at least notices something (12). Maybe not with magic, but as she steps back to look at the other miniatures, her brow furrows as she realizes a pattern.]
In the other scenes, all the doors are open.
[Almost as though the rooms have just been left, as though the scene is still in media res. But the one that Bela pointed out to them does not. In fact, the door is closed. She quietly takes a step closer, murmurs a soft spell, and uses it to very gently push the miniatures door back open again.]
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everyonelives2023-10-16 07:09 pm
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( She doesn't love those odds. )
Would it help if you saw it for yourself? Even if you're not here in person, maybe you'd recognize it. Or -- uncle Elijah?
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[And she will hang up and go in search of her tablet. In the meantime, Josie will look around and try to see if she gets anything off any of the other people they're trapped with (6). Unfortunately, she doesn't know any of them well enough to read any of their behavior as off.
"Do you think she'll be able to figure it out?"]
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( Ivan just needs a minute, because a minute ago, these were his Freshmen girlfriends (literally, they're adorable) and now...
"Look, when I said my tia was a witch, I meant, like, brujah, eggs, spirituality. I didn't -- mean all this. Someone might die. " )
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[That's all witchcraft is, really. A little bit of creativity with things you don't really understand.]
But if your tia is a witch, bruja or not, you might be able to help us when we're trying to hone things down.
[Time to figure out if Ivan's got the gift. Josie holds out a hand to him and wiggles her fingers.]
Take my hand.
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He listens. )
Creativity is Josie's specialty.
( Hope's is brute force. )
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Close your eyes, take a deep breath and just ... open yourself up to the energy of the world. Tell me what you feel.
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"Everything. A well of power. And more."
he feels what she can siphon, but he feels something else, something else distinctive.
"What is that?" )
Something else. But, she's right. You're a natural Ivan.
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[Because maybe since Ivan seems to have a tie to the item in question, he can cut through some of the noise. But as she asks that, Hope's phone starts to ring with Bela FaceTimeing them back.]
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But, he's not the expert. He's the muggle, or he thought he was.
Hope picks up again, holding the phone back so that everyone else is in the picture. )
Anything?
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Bela shakes her head.]
We'll have to have a look at what's around you. But most of the time, dark objects are something innocuous. I've seen them be everything from a rabbit's foot to a Christmas ornament. The important thing is how it's spelled. You might get lucky and see something that looks older or out of place around new things.
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In an exhibit of older, out of place things. Alright. Once more unto the breach.
( She hops off the desk and ushers the small group back outside the lecture hall into the lobby area. )
I'd say we have maybe another... what, two hours, Josie? Before people start freaking out about physically not being able to leave? There are a few tour groups, other lectures, we have time, just not... endless.
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There's also usually a theme, if the witch who made it has any flair. I once was searching for a rabbit's foot that was cursed. For as long as you held it, you got a string of fantastic luck, but as soon as you lost it - and you always lost it - the luck would turn.
That was the sort of object that would kill you if you gave it long enough.
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Let's lean on it not being.
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[Aka, if the thing was trying to kill you dramatically, you'd probably be dead already.]
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Anyone ever tell you you have dark thoughts?
( Maybe he was born with them. )
Okay, what we have is time. Is... there a reason why something this powerful doesn't give off its' own magical signature?
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[Sometimes the things you create outlive your notoriety as a witch. And those objects can be a lot harder to keep track of.]
And ideally you don't want the person interacting with it to know what they're picking up most of the time. But there are some artifacts made by power players that can't escape notice.
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( "The exhibit's new, right?" Ivan asks, waiting for acknowledgement. "But, there are pieces always on display. So, cross-reference Tulane's collection and the visiting one. One of the visiting artifacts has to be it. Technically, right? What are the chances one already on this campus was randomly triggered? That's a place to start?" )
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Give me a second. I'll see what I can find online.
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( Hope brings her phone down, toggles Bela's FaceTime screen to the side and tries to use her best Googling skills. (13)
Ivan's on a roll, so he makes his own attempt: (4). )
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The dollhouse.
[It's a small little miniature room set on the far end of the collection, close to the door.]
I recognize the artist.
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Over there.
( Hope keeps up appearances as the three of them move through the other students. )
And this is our collection that we just got in. One of the great things about Tulane is the dedication to...
( Hope has never been good with bullshit, but Ivan on the other hand: "Culture and tradition, especially locally." )
Yes. And this is a good example of the local meeting the national and everything -- coming together.
( Nobody is lingering by the dollhouse so they have enough privacy to inspect it.
Hope gets an (8) and Ivan a (3). Ivan is probably continuing his fake showoffy lecture to Hope's ... aunt? )
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In the other scenes, all the doors are open.
[Almost as though the rooms have just been left, as though the scene is still in media res. But the one that Bela pointed out to them does not. In fact, the door is closed. She quietly takes a step closer, murmurs a soft spell, and uses it to very gently push the miniatures door back open again.]
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Hope looks up and around at everyone. )
Do you feel that?
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Okay. We should be able to go now.
[She pokes her head over her girlfriend's shoulder and waves to Bela on FaceTime.]
Thanks, Bela.
[The other woman nods. "Everything alright, then?"]
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( It could have been scary, had they not acted quickly. She guesses this kind of object has done its fair share of bad. )
Thank you. Bela.
( Ivan also waves from behind the girls. )
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