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

[nonbird]

[I also kind of like my current city. How many powers have you designed?] he wonders. [How many do you have?]

[self_composed]

[Uh, pardon, let me count,] Bella says. She counts. [Are we counting magical permanent hexagon-level powers, or also mundane things that I pentagoned myself good at for various reasons? And the two-layered one that I doubled up 'cause I was paranoid?]

[nonbird]

After a moment of stunned silence,

[Yes.]

[self_composed]

[Minting, plus 17 other magic superpowers if you count the doubled one as two things, and one dozen non-language persistent uses of pentagons, variously frivolous, and twenty-one languages.]

[nonbird]

[I really want to look at you,] says Lazarus. ['Look', I mean. I can't even imagine what a stack of powers like that would look like. I've never seen one before.]

[self_composed]

[You shall just have to come visit me, then. How much do you like your current city? Because transit can be magicked, I'm just a little worried that Kolya will follow you to work one day and you won't notice.]

[nonbird]

[Well, if I really seriously join your magical conspiracy, I'm going to have to tell Kolya,] he says. [No two ways about that.]

[self_composed]

[That's probably fine eventually, I just have to be comfortable with telling him too before he gets all up in my secrets,] Bella says. [I would also really not like him to be able to unobtrusiveness at me, so I would want your help designing a workaround.]

[nonbird]

[No,] says Lazarus. [Several kinds of no. Native powers always beat nonnative ones, for one thing, so it would be impossible, and he'd rather never be in the same room with you than not be able to escape your attention, so: no.]

[self_composed]

[I can also work with the not being in the same room option. I've never been in a room with you before,] Bella points out, [and yet here I am, telling you all the things. I did not know that about native powers trumping. That is interesting.]

[nonbird]

[He probably also wouldn't like you to 'boo' at him,] he adds.

[self_composed]

[One time got it out of my system.]

[nonbird]

[Well, if you decide to talk to him with your magical Skype, can I warn him first?]

[self_composed]

[Yes. We usually call it a "brainphone"; I didn't install video capabilities,] Bella says. [But I'd want to email him first.]

[nonbird]

[Okay,] says Lazarus.

[self_composed]

[At any rate, wanna come for a visit? We can handle commuting. There's already a magic door between school and my hometown. I'd just need to know where another such device ought to lead.] Pause. [Hang on, let me just actually spot-check to see if you are being watched.]

Pentagon goes. Checking, checking...

[nonbird]

Lazarus is currently not being directly observed by any means, magical or mundane, that Bella's pentagon can detect.

[Well?]

[self_composed]

[Nothing I can turn up with a pentagon. Do you want to visit now? My roommate is out all weekend visiting family, and so far no one has been attempting to spy on me in my actual room. All I need to know is where to make the magic door in the stairwell.]

[nonbird]

[...I'm not sure where I'd put a magic door,] he says. [I don't exactly have a wardrobe handy.]

[self_composed]

[Ours is in an unobtrusive wall in a stairwell, so we can see if anyone's coming. It's invisible to most people, and doesn't admit sound or strangers, and so on,] Bella adds. [So you could put it anywhere there's space to walk. It wouldn't even have to be in a surface; you won't go through by accident even if it's in the middle of your living room.]

[nonbird]

[Yes, but I'd notice it all the time,] he points out. [And I don't really want anyone teleporting into the middle of my living room. Hmm.]

[self_composed]

[Hallway, backyard, unisex bathroom of nearest coffee shop,] Bella rattles off, unconcerned.

[nonbird]

[Hmm,] says Lazarus. [I think I'll go for a walk and see if I find anything that looks acceptable.]

[self_composed]

[Okay. Please remember not to act weird; you weren't being supervised when I checked but it's probably easier to have eyes on you out of doors. If I were my nemesis I'd kidnap you and make it very inconvenient to kidnap you back again.]

[nonbird]

[I'm not sure I know what acting weird means in this context.]