i'm just that fascinating i guess

[self_composed]

The first day Bella spends out and about with her new who's-watching-me powers, she is rather alarmed.

Maybe she's just mistaken about how much time people spend looking at reasonably pretty eighteen-year-old girls. She kills a pentagon to try it on a nearby control - who's looking at that girl over there?

Fewer people. Fewer people are looking at that random girl, and less intently. They're looking at her familiarly - they know her - or casually - they're checking her out.

[I have a spy problem,] Bella says. She makes a faintly exaggerated show of snapping her fingers in frustration and turning around. She's going back to her room to get a mirror and bobby pins and barettes, so she can spy back on the pretense of checking her hair, without making it overwhelmingly obvious that she knows what's going on.

Comments

[self_composed]

[This magic supports conference calls,] Bella says.

[nonbird]

[All right,] sighs Lazarus.

And a moment later: [Kolya? It's me.]

The third party to the call yelps wordlessly.

[Yes, I know, magic mental phone,] says Lazarus. [It's very weird. I'm with you there.]

[Where are you,] says a quiet, woeful voice presumably belonging to Kolya.

[Well, I'm not sure,] Lazarus admits. [But I'm more or less safe for the moment. And it's not Bella's fault, exactly.]

[You're so reassuring,] sniffs Kolya. [How is it inexactly her fault?]

[Kind of a long story,] says Lazarus.

[self_composed]

[FYI, not a private conversation,] Bella inserts. [My apologies for my inexact fault. Someone has been spying on Lazarus - what I think happened is that when I came for a visit, they couldn't do that anymore because I'm all wrapped up in defensive magic, and they yoinked him to find out what was going on.]

[nonbird]

[Oh,] says Kolya.

[Sorry,] says Lazarus.

[Don't you be sorry. You didn't kidnap yourself,] Kolya admonishes. [Who was it? Was it the creepy witch lady? I bet it was the creepy witch lady.]

[...As far as I know, it wasn't Chris,] says Lazarus. [But currently that is not very far at all.]

[self_composed]

[I think we'll find out more about who, once they reach Lazarus,] Bella says. [They obviously want him alive, so they've almost certainly got someone on the way to chat with him.]

[nonbird]

[That sounds bad,] says Kolya.

[Better than them not wanting me alive,] says Lazarus.

[That's not saying much!]

[self_composed]

[Yes, this is all bad. By the way, Kolya, you're now immune to coin-based magical attempts to mess with you, including via further yoinking - but I don't want to assume their resources are all magical. There might be folks on their way to you too. You may wish to consider being hidey - and that might not do the trick if they know about you, such as via Chris's involvement, and flood the apartment with chloroform or something. So you might also want to consider being in a place you have never previously visited.]

[nonbird]

[I can do that,] says Kolya, sounding less sniffly and more somewhere between resigned and determined.

[Make sure you pack everything you might need,] Lazarus says anxiously. [I mean it.]

[Okay,] says Kolya. [Don't worry, I will.]

[self_composed]

[Lazarus, I'm beginning to wonder where, geographically, you are. Are there windows - is it night or day?] Bella asks. [Is there writing on the boxes and so on? What's the temperature like, and is there any AC or heating on that you can determine? Humidity, audible wildlife outside, traffic noises?]

[nonbird]

[Day,] says Lazarus. [No writing on the boxes, but the emergency exit signs are in English. Temperature's a little cold, I can't tell about climate control but I'm guessing no. No audible wildlife. Maybe some traffic? But not close. So I guess I'm not that far from home. I could even still be in Toronto. ...I can think of a way you could locate me more precisely, but I'm not sure you'd like it.]

[self_composed]

[Actually, you know what, I was able to make a wish about the watch - I'll just see if I can find that. I'm curious what your idea was, though.]

Bella kills a pentagon to know the latitude, longitude, altitude, and address of the watch she enchanted.

[nonbird]

It turns out the watch is in New York City.

[Well, I can see magic,] he says. [So if you just made a line of magic over the surface of the Earth, and moved it around, I could see when it got to me. Repeat at different angles for triangulation. Did yours work?]

[self_composed]

[Yep. You're in New York City.]

[nonbird]

[I am not sure what to do with that information,] he says. [But it's good to know, I guess.]

[self_composed]

[Well, if anything comes up that could be fixed by me coming there in person, I now know where to go. I don't expect anything like that, so long as you keep me posted, though. Kolya, how are you doing, do you need help with anything?]

[nonbird]

[No, I'm fine,] says Kolya. [Still not kidnapped.]

He does sound much better now.

[self_composed]

[Good. Is there anybody else who might reasonably need warning or defensive superpowers?]

[nonbird]

[Not on our account, I don't think,] says Lazarus. Kolya makes an agreeing noise.

[self_composed]

[All right. I don't suppose you're uncovering new details in the boxing-you-in magic?] Bella asks Lazarus.

[nonbird]

[I've been a little distracted,] he admits. [Nothing major so far. It's very... boxy. I hypothesize that whoever made it wanted to be really, really sure I didn't get un-yoinked, and the other anti-magic warding is more of an afterthought.]

[self_composed]

[Un-yoinked here meaning everything from me teleporting you out, to you walking out the door,] Bella says. [That's very annoying. If they know you're an important resource why didn't they kidnap you already, or make friendly overtures like I did inside of a few days of meeting you?]

[nonbird]

[I don't know,] says Lazarus. [And the empty crates are not forthcoming on the subject.]

[Are you sure they're all empty?] says Kolya.

[Ye-es,] says Lazarus.

[Did you check?]

[I'm not sure that going around breaking things is going to help me any. Then again, I'm not sure it won't.]

[self_composed]

[It's not like you have a lot else to do,] Bella says. [You could also try yelling "I know you're listening" and see who comes out - if no one's listening, no one hears you making the wild guess.]

[nonbird]

[I'd hear me,] he points out.

Kolya laughs.

[self_composed]

[And you're listening,] Bella points out.