Jamal's prelude

15:23	MysteryMage	The LAPD station seems to be back to normal, if it had ever really changed. The officers are at their desks, paying little if any attention to him as he leaves. A man in a royal blue suit nods at Jamal and smiles. "Yes officer, that's him. Don't worry, I'll make sure he keeps out of trouble."
15:29	MysteryMage	The officer seems nonplussed. "See that you do." As he walks past Jamal, he glares; "I'll be keeping my eye out for him." The man beckons him and pulls out a set of keys.
15:31	Jamal	Jamal has certainly had better days. His face and hands are cut open, bruised, swelling, his eyes red. His steps are hesitant, as if he expects to be stopped on his way out at any moment. And he is. Sort of. Dark eyes flash toward the man in blue, and there's a minute of hesitation before he moves after him. That seems like his ticket out, so he follows. He doesn't speak yet.
15:35	MysteryMage	The man guides him to a porche the same color as his suit. The lights flash, signalling the unlocked doors. "Hop in. I'll buy you breakfast and we'll discuss your ordeal, and what it means for you."
15:39	Jamal	Jamal stares at the car. He never imagined he'd be stepping into one of these. Another moment of hesitation, and he steps into the passenger side. "I don't know you," His voice sounds raw. "Are you real? They told me this was done."
15:48	MysteryMage	"What do you mean by 'this'? If you mean your time in the pokey, then yes, 'that' is done. At least for now. But that is, as of a few minutes ago, the least of your worries." He pulls in to a rather classy looking restaurant. "This place has pancakes all day and brews their coffee with pumpkin pie spice. Can't go wrong with that."
15:52	MysteryMage	The inside looks like a diner out of a movie - the booths and seats are all fashionably "dirty" pattered but immaculately clean, the plants are all vibrant enough but plainly fake on inspection, and so on. A just slightly too trendy looking girl seats Jamal and the man in the corner booth. He orders a spiced coffee and berry pancakes.
15:52	MysteryMage	"Get whatever you like, it's on me."
15:54	Jamal	Jamal doesn't clarify. Instead he opens the menu placed before him when he sits, pointing out a stack of pancakes, and then addressing the man across from him. "So who the hell are you supposed to be?"
15:58		*** Ecksdee joined #prelude
15:58	MysteryMage	"That's a good question. I don't know who I am *supposed* to be, but does anyone? But who I am is much more easily defined. I am called Zagreus, and I am much like you."
16:01	MysteryMage	"You see, what you went through in the station is not what it would seem. I don't know exactly what happened, but I do know what the outcome was. That is, and you have to not react tremendously to this, you are now a mage. You can use magic."
16:05	Jamal	"Yeah?" The boys voice is quiet. "We don't look like we got much in common." His reaction to the next bit is incredulous. "I-what? That's not real." He sounds unsure of himself, though. Like he might not believe his own words, after what he just saw.
16:08	MysteryMage	"Is it now? Well how about this. You pick someone in this restaurant. Anyone you can see. I'll make them pay for our meal without so much as a word to them. And when I do, I want you to focus on me. Watch me with more than just your eyes, though; I want you to /feel/ what I do."
16:10	Jamal	"Alright." Jamal's eyes scan the room, eventually selecting one of the men at the bar and pointing. "That guy. Make him do it." His eyes turn back to the man across from him, studying intently.
16:14	MysteryMage	Zagreus doesn't move at all to look. He places a $20 on the table, then puts his hand on one side of it. Jamal sees a curl of smoke exude from the money that twists into a shape resembling an impish version of Zagreus, which then floats over to the man pointed out. It dissolves as it enters him.
16:16	MysteryMage	A moment later, the man hails his waitress and points over at your table. She comes over. "That man over there says he wants to pay for your tab. Is that okay?" "Very much so! Please give him our thanks." Zagreus grins.
16:18	MysteryMage	"That was a little bit of abuse of our power, but in the grand scheme of things I'm sure he'll make an excuse for himself why he spent the extra money."
16:19	Jamal	Jamal's eyes widen, following the sprite, and then snapping back to the Mage. "Shit." That about sums up his feelings. "You're serious. I saw it. You just-that little thing just made him do it. You're serious."
16:22	MysteryMage	"I am! That little 'thing' is part of what known as a nimbus. Every mage has one; some call it an aura or avatar or whatever, but it's basically the same concept - the visual representation of a spell taking form. mages can see them if they are looking for them, but sleepers are largely unaware."
16:23	MysteryMage	He pauses as the pancakes and coffees come, measured almost too precisely.
16:25		*** Ecksdee is now known as Ecks|Away
16:25	Jamal	"So...I got one of these things too?" Conversation is interrupted when the food is delivered, and Jamal almost immediately carves out a slice of pancake and shoves it into his mouth. He winces briefly at the effort, but he’s far more interested in the conversation to pay much more mind to his wounds. "So, like, I use magic. How?"
16:29	MysteryMage	"It's fairly simple at the base of it. You focus on something you want to have happen and you will it so. That's why some of us call ourselves willworkers. Using tools such as certain thematic objects," he nods to the $20 still on the table, "certain places of power, and the like enhance your ability to do so."
16:29	MysteryMage	"Now, what I would like to do is take you aside and teach you all the ins and outs of magic myself, as I get the impression that you and I are of similar magics. But unfortunately I can't, because there's something I need you for that requires specifically your magical inexperience."
16:33	Jamal	Jamal had been leaning in to listen, his expression one of intent concentration. Then that wariness returns. "Yeah? And what’s that?" He should have realized, of course. Nobody gives something for nothing.
16:34	MysteryMage	"First, a bit of explanation on the nature of existence."
16:37	MysteryMage	"We live here, in what most call the Fallen World." He points at a middle pancake. "Up here is the Supernal Realm, a place of concept and symbol given power." He points at the berry compote on top. "When you cast a spell, you're pulling power fro the supernal into our world."
16:38	MysteryMage	"But there's a barrier involved: the Abyss. It is a realm of paradox, of timelines that never were, worlds that cannot be, of creatures that cannot exist. When mages cast spells too powerful for their own good or in front of too many people, some of that realm comes through on the metaphorical coattails."
16:40	MysteryMage	"Some mages, however, don't see this as a bad thing. They willingly interact with these entities, for power, for knowledge, sometimes just because they think their world is preferable to this one. Me and my fellows have reason to believe some of them have created a school, to teach and corrupt young mages such as yourself."
16:41	MysteryMage	"What I need you to do, along with some other prospective students, is to infiltrate this school, assuming of course it exists. Find out what they're teaching, why they're so secretive and occluded from not only the world in general but also other mages, anything you can."
16:43	MysteryMage	"Because while I'm sure they will teach you much about magic and other topics, there is also the chance that they will try to use you for their own ends. And I don't know about you, but I don't want to hand someone, or any group of people, the keys to reality unless I know what their aims are."
16:46	Jamal	Jamal nods his head as he follows along. Or mostly does. "So the Abyss is bad." He got that much. "And these people are trying to fuck up the world, and that’s bad. You say." He’s silent for a long moment, before continuing, "What if the find out we're just there to snitch? They got magic, couldn’t they, like, read our minds or something?"
16:49	MysteryMage	"They very well could, and that is a risk. But I imagine that if you are clever enough, you can convince them that such spells are unnecessary. Or at the very least, protect yourself against them. As a mage you have an inherent resistance against magic."
16:56	Jamal	Another brief silence while Jamal digests this. "They'll teach me how to use magic?" There's a quiet intensity in the question.
16:57	MysteryMage	"If they don't then all the rumors are wildly off base and I have even less of an idea what is going on up there, and that is just not something I allow to happen."
16:58	MysteryMage	"It's up in the upper peninsula of Michigan, where trees outnumber people 100:1. Cell phone reception is spotty and magical communication is likely impossible. But I'll try to get you what aid I can, when I can."
17:00	MysteryMage	"All you have to do is be a diligent student and keep all of your senses as open as possible as much as possible. Every mage walks a fine line between too careful and too reckless, but I believe in you."
17:01	Jamal	"Alright. I’ll do it."
17:03	MysteryMage	"Wonderful! I have others to meet with for this purpose, but I will be back tomorrow evening to pick you up. Do you have a place to stay, or should I put you up at a hotel for the night?"
17:05	Jamal	"I-" He considers. Should he see his family? Arrange everything? Probably. "I got some things to take care of at home, don’t worry about it."
17:09	MysteryMage	"Very well then. I'll be there tomorrow evening. Dress warmly."
17:12	Jamal	"Yeah." It’s a lot to take in. Jamal’s not even sure this guy is playing him straight, he’s learned it’s a mistake to take anyone at face value. But this is his ticket out. This is his chance to decide his future for himself. He can’t pass it up. "Yeah. I will."
17:18	MysteryMage	"Good." He slides the $20 to Jamal. "I trust this will be enough for bus fair home. Take as much time as you need here, the waitress is a nice girl."
17:22	Jamal	The boy crumples up the bill in a fist and tucks it away, nodding once. He doesn’t seem like he’s in much of a hurry to go, returning to gnashing on his pancakes until he’s ready.