I never asked Terr's permission for this. Well, here it is anyway.
His eyes opened. He didn't move, he didn't even so much as twitch a muscle. Admittedly, this was because he was pinned down in bed by two warm female bodies, and didn't want to wake either of them. With practiced movements, Terrence Knight eased himself out of the sleeping pile, silently slipping to the bedroom floor.
But there was another reason he was quiet.
There was another presence in the apartment. He could sense it. He was surprised his girlfriends didn't, actually...but then Lisa was still a nurse at heart, not a trained combatant. Rhea had been a soldier, but still...
Without making a sound, he slowly opened the door, and left the bedroom.
He could see the kitchen lights spilling through the doorway into the apartment's main living space. That bothered Terrence, for he knew the lights had been switched off when they'd retired for the night. But what sort of intruder would turn the lights on?
And what sort of intruder would be tunelessly humming to themselves?
After a moment of concentration, Terrence knew the answer. The ki signature he felt was familiar, but that still left the question of why a certain individual was in his apartment at who knows what o'clock in the morning.
"Alec," Terrence said, as he entered the kitchen, "what are you doing?"
"Oh, hey," said Alec Kazam, casually lifting a hand, as he tore open another cereal box. The magician was dressed in his usual attire, a black tuxedo, complete with bow-tie. But his domino mask was missing, his shirt sleeves were rolled up, his suit jacket was thrown over one of the chairs, and the bow-tie was undone.
"Alec," Terrence said with some concern, "why are you in my apartment, and why are you pouring my food on the table?"
"Oh, right, right," Alec said, as he carefully poked the intricate patterns of cereal bits with his fingers, "see, this is a standard circle of empowerment. And this here would be the binding element, while the cornflakes over there represent..."
"What are you DOING?"
"Ah," Alec coughed. "Sorry, yeah. Okay, remember how we were talking about getting you more power, right? Little more oomph, gas in the tank during fights?"
"Right," Terrence said slowly, carefully.
"But we already figured magic armour and stuff really wouldn't add much for you, and you're damn magic-resistant and all, so it's hard to enchant you directly. But see, see," Alec explained, speaking quickly, "I realised that just means we need to get the magic inside you."
"And this means you BREAK INTO my apartment and---"
"Well, yeah," Alec said calmly, "it's best done with your own food, you see. Stuff that belongs to you, yeah? Sympathy, contagion. You know."
Terrence rubbed his face with his palm. "Alec, get out."
"But I'm not done! You'll love this, I call 'em Inspirations! Once the cereal bits are enchanted, you just eat one, and..."
"NOW."
"The red ones make you stronger!"
-- Acyl
His eyes opened. He didn't move, he didn't even so much as twitch a muscle. Admittedly, this was because he was pinned down in bed by two warm female bodies, and didn't want to wake either of them. With practiced movements, Terrence Knight eased himself out of the sleeping pile, silently slipping to the bedroom floor.
But there was another reason he was quiet.
There was another presence in the apartment. He could sense it. He was surprised his girlfriends didn't, actually...but then Lisa was still a nurse at heart, not a trained combatant. Rhea had been a soldier, but still...
Without making a sound, he slowly opened the door, and left the bedroom.
He could see the kitchen lights spilling through the doorway into the apartment's main living space. That bothered Terrence, for he knew the lights had been switched off when they'd retired for the night. But what sort of intruder would turn the lights on?
And what sort of intruder would be tunelessly humming to themselves?
After a moment of concentration, Terrence knew the answer. The ki signature he felt was familiar, but that still left the question of why a certain individual was in his apartment at who knows what o'clock in the morning.
"Alec," Terrence said, as he entered the kitchen, "what are you doing?"
"Oh, hey," said Alec Kazam, casually lifting a hand, as he tore open another cereal box. The magician was dressed in his usual attire, a black tuxedo, complete with bow-tie. But his domino mask was missing, his shirt sleeves were rolled up, his suit jacket was thrown over one of the chairs, and the bow-tie was undone.
"Alec," Terrence said with some concern, "why are you in my apartment, and why are you pouring my food on the table?"
"Oh, right, right," Alec said, as he carefully poked the intricate patterns of cereal bits with his fingers, "see, this is a standard circle of empowerment. And this here would be the binding element, while the cornflakes over there represent..."
"What are you DOING?"
"Ah," Alec coughed. "Sorry, yeah. Okay, remember how we were talking about getting you more power, right? Little more oomph, gas in the tank during fights?"
"Right," Terrence said slowly, carefully.
"But we already figured magic armour and stuff really wouldn't add much for you, and you're damn magic-resistant and all, so it's hard to enchant you directly. But see, see," Alec explained, speaking quickly, "I realised that just means we need to get the magic inside you."
"And this means you BREAK INTO my apartment and---"
"Well, yeah," Alec said calmly, "it's best done with your own food, you see. Stuff that belongs to you, yeah? Sympathy, contagion. You know."
Terrence rubbed his face with his palm. "Alec, get out."
"But I'm not done! You'll love this, I call 'em Inspirations! Once the cereal bits are enchanted, you just eat one, and..."
"NOW."
"The red ones make you stronger!"
-- Acyl