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]

[Yes it is.]

[self_composed]

[Well. I'll let you know if I think of anything else. I'll run at double speed while I do my homework so I can carry on thinking of things. But for the moment I'm pretty stumped. Keep me updated.]

Feeling like a bit of an anticlimax, Bella sets herself at x2 and goes to check her email, turning over what she'd do if she wanted to keep someone in a box and how she could thwart herself.

[nonbird]

[Will do,] he says.

Someone using Lazarus's email account has replied to the tail end of their conversation. That someone is probably not Lazarus, because the email was sent two minutes ago, while Lazarus was wandering around an empty warehouse.

The message reads as follows:

WHAT DID YOU DO WITH HIM???

[self_composed]

[...By any chance,] Bella says. [Does Kolya have access to your email?]

[nonbird]

[Wouldn't surprise me,] says Lazarus. [Why do I get the feeling this is not a hypothetical question?]

[self_composed]

[Well, it looks like two minutes ago "you" emailed me "WHAT DID YOU DO WITH HIM???", so, that was my guess. Any advice on how to handle this?] Bella inquires, clicking to reply.

[nonbird]

[...I would appreciate it very much if you'd yoink-proof him, and whatever other wards you can spare, just in case,] says Lazarus. [As for how to reply, well, I think that's up to you. I've never been kidnapped before, so I don't have a good idea of how he reacts to it.]

[self_composed]

[One no-magic-interference hex coming right up,] says Bella. Wish, poof.

She writes back, carefully. The email exchange contained no evidence of Bella herself having magic - but it's probably still the most suspicious thing in Lazarus's inbox.

You must be Kolya. I didn't do anything with Lazarus. What makes you think I did?

[nonbird]

[Thank you,] says Lazarus.

Kolya's reply comes a few minutes later:

SOMEONE did something with him. if not you then who? where is he i want him back help.

[self_composed]

[Can you think of a good way to warn Kolya about the brainphone without warning - whoever - if we assume that they can hack into your email?] Bella asks.

I don't know who might have done that.

It's not helpful, but keeping Kolya focused on replying to emails instead of making an obvious - visible - fuss seems like a good plan.

[nonbird]

[Not really,] says Lazarus. [If you put him on it, can I talk to him first? He might like that better.]

Kolya does not reply.

[self_composed]

[Okay.] She adds Kolya to the brainphone network. [Chat away unto Kolya.]

[nonbird]

[Is there anything specific you'd rather I didn't tell him?]

[self_composed]

[No specific thing you can't tell him if it seems like he ought to know, at this point - he already knows something's going on and thinks I'm involved - but I'd rather be present in the conversation if you want to tell him everything instead of just calming him down.]

[nonbird]

[There is no calming him down without telling him everything,] says Lazarus.

[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.]