@agcntressler // [ЯR] 

“Donald, honestly,” he said, exasperatedly, “you think this is the first time I’ve encountered two ne’er-do-wells who’ve gotten their hands on something as powerful as that ʙʟᴀᴅᴇ?” Red looked at the other man, clapping his hands on both his shoulders, “I’ve been in more dangerous situations with half my magic gone and been fine, I promise. I appreciate the concern, but it’s unfounded.”

youstolemycoat:

“Nick Necro. King of Magic.”

Red laughed so hard he almost forgot how to breathe. “I’ve met many kings and various assorted royalty. You, my dear human, don’t fit the description.” Why bother hiding anything about himself now? 

agcntressler:

Part of being a seer was the visions, but he would also sometimes get minor flashes of the future, quick warnings of what was to come. In his mind’s eye he saw the woman firing a magical attack, so he drew on every inch of his strength to power his strongest offensive spell. Just as she began to raise her own arms, he quickly stepped out from behind Red to launch the spell at Mab. It struck her perfectly, bowling her down, which only made her angrier.

“How dare you strike me!” She screeched, “I am the Queen of the Fairies, you are barely more than an insect compared to me,” she fired off a spell of her own which he managed to deflect with a defensive wall. After that he had just enough magic left to cast one last spell, pouring the last of his power into a spell he’d barely ever tried but had always wanted to. It was far stronger than anything magic he’d performed and with any luck would be just enough to destroy the queen. If it went wrong though, he might become a niffin. 

He smelled the magic sizzling in the air as Donald powered himself up, but it wasn’t a complex spell, it was one that–though powerful–could be fired off rather quickly. Red didn’t have enough time to turn to him and tell him not to, and the ball of fire hit her square on. This was now a fight, one that would most likely kill Donald if he wasn’t careful. Which he never was. So now Red knew he was not only playing offense against Mab, but defense to keep Donald from killing himself to help him. 

“Donald stop.” The command in his voice was so strong it nearly echoed in the stillness of the creek. He put up a force field and glared the fairy down. “While he made an admittedly stupid choice, you’re not going to kill him.” The Queen snarled at him, ”Am I not? Does this fetid pond scum not deserve to meet his end for daring to harm me?” Red rolled his eyes, but his skin was turning that brilliant shade of Crimson, his eyes had already gone golden. If she was going to fight, he was going to fight back. ”Honestly, did that do more than damage your robes? Leave us be. You know, well as I, that engaging me is a bad idea.” 

“I know no such thing,” she spat before launching a powerful spell at them. Red’s barrier held, though a spidering crack gleamed just in front of his face. “Okay. You’ve made your point clear.” Red wasn’t joking around, and a concussive blast of energy nearly bigger than he flew straight at her, sending her flying into a tree, which she then burst through, along with the next one, before slamming into the third and falling with a colossal thud. “Fools!” she screeched, standing to launch a third blast, this one more powerful than before

agcntressler:

There was definitely a past between Red and this Mab, one that went beyond mere acquaintances; from both of their expressions it hadn’t ended well. She also clearly didn’t like Donald very much, though Don had a feeling - based on what she’d said - that it was more due to him being a human than anything else. “You would rather spend time with this…” she trailed off, looking Don up and down, making him feel incredibly uncomfortable, “Child, than with me?” She sneered. Don was a little offended by her choice of words, he was far from a child, but at the same time she had a point. Red was centuries, millennia old, compared to that he was a child.

Mab seemed to grow angry, starting to make Don nervous; he could sense the power coming off of her in waves and knew he would be in for a struggle if he tried to fight her. Never let it be said that he wasn’t willing to try though, his hands twitched in anticipation of a fight - not wanting to start one, but wanting to be prepared if one was started. He tried to focus entirely on the situation instead of his worries about the situation. Maybe it was ridiculous for Red to choose Don over someone like Mab, a human seer that rejected his powers for the most part and only studied in battle magic, as opposed to someone whose mere presence filled Don with a sense of foreboding.

It had been centuries ago, long enough even for Red, since he’d seen her, since he’d left her. She’d been so full of pessimism, scathing negativity, and though the sex had been fantastic, there had to be something more, something else there to keep him. She had either been unwilling or incapable of giving him that, and she’d not taken his leaving well. This was the last place he expected to see her, it wasn’t often Fae visited somewhere like Fillory, a sovereign world, one that existed in relative peace without much outside influence. Something wasn’t sitting right with here being here, his teeth were on edge.

Red instinctively put himself between Mab and Donald, his hand flexed out to his side in a protective gesture. “Yes, my dear, because, unlike you, he has a heart, not a smouldering pile of ruins. He still remembers what wonder is, and I’ve grown tired of your whole…gimmick, really. I’m here to enjoy myself, and you’ve no claim over me, nor this land, so unless you have something of value to add to the conversation, Donald and I are leaving.” But he doesn’t turn his back on her, no. He knows her well enough to know to never turn your back on an angry fairy. It’s like he can smell her frustration as it comes to a boil, that pallor on her cheeks ever-so-slightly pinkened as he prepares himself for what may be a fight. It looks likely.

agcntressler:

whcwashe:

Of course. 

Of course Red was here. And OF COURSE he knew Don. Somehow, it should’ve been more surprising – Hardly anything was ever all that much of a shock anymore though. She blinks, once, then again, letting him pull her along with little objection. “How do YOU know each other –” It’s whispered, hissed, almost, shoulders still tense at the thought of being caught. It’s fine. It was fine. They were better off, probably, having someone who was at least FAMILIAR with their surroundings. 

She’d been doing fine, though. THEY’D been doing fine. Sort of, anyway. Her nose wrinkles with slight indignation, one excuse rolling though her brain after another before she manages to settle on something. “It’s complicated –” It wasn’t. Not really. God, maybe it was better to just tell him. “Did you know employees have been disappearing?” Wasn’t that the sort of thing you should notice? Or maybe not. Maybe country clubs had a high turnover rate and she’d never known. 

@agcntressler​

          Steven? Well at least it was better than something like Frank. Recovering quickly from the surprise of seeing Red, he flashed a charming smile,  “ Can you blame her? ”  he asked cockily,  “ Oh this is just my friend L-ynn, ”  he added, hesitating a little after the L. There was clearly a reason Red wasn’t using his real name, so he figured he would do the same. Before he could say anything else though he and Liv were both being led away by Red.

They all had a lot of questions for each other, apparently.  “ Liv is one of my informants, she brings me magical cases that slip through the cracks, ”  he said to Red in a low voice, he wasn’t sure how to tell Liv about the relationship he had with Red though, so all he said was,  “ How do you two know each other? ”  

next up: @criimeconcierge​

Red rolled his eyes genially, “No, I can’t blame her one bit, dear. Lynn, pleasure!” he took the handshake Liv inevitably gave to grab her and drag them both out of eye and earshot. “Honestly, you don’t know how nosy and utterly insufferable all these folks are.” Why he frequented this country club, who knew. It was mostly the food. He stood there, looking at them both as they explained, chuckling and shaking his head. “I should have known the two of you’d cross paths sooner or later. I shouldn’t be so surprised.” 

“Ah, Donald and I are partners,” he said, leaning in to kiss the man’s cheek, his arm around his waist, chest puffed out with pride. Now, to Donald’s question, “Liv’s a wonderful finder, she’s helped me crack a few ‘cases’ myself.” Of course, most of them were where people who didn’t want to be found were hiding, or where secret stashes of goods had been hidden away. “Yes, I did notice Aurelio and Josefina haven’t been around lately. I’d assumed they’d either been let go or moved on to other ventures.” The fact that both of them were there assured him there was something else going on. “Have you any idea what’s taken them, then? Or did you show up blind and plan-less? Do either of you even know anything about this echelon of society?” Red paused, wetting his lips as his mind worked something through. “Your covers haven’t been blown, but people were suspicious, they’re always a paranoid lot, think someone’s out to steal all their money, but this was a different sort.” he turned to Liv, “If you had a layout of the building, could you pinpoint a more accurate location as to where all the magic hullabaloo is hiding itself?” 

next: @whcwashe​

agcntressler:

        So the books he’d read as a child had been real after all, Donald was suddenly having a lot of memories of his childhood self wishing he could find the clock that led to Fillory, that he could find that fantastical world of magic and fairies. Unfortunately, by the time he got to Brakebills he’d become too cynical to even think about that anymore. Now that he was here, he was beginning to regret that mentality. It was amazing here. He let Red lead the way, as he clearly knew where he was going more than Don did. Don only had vague memories of the actual events of the books, not nearly enough to recognize details like the scenery. 

Together they walked until they reached a serene wooded area with a stream running right through it.  “ I think I remember this from the books, it was called the Wellspring, I think? ”  Just after the words left his mouth, he sensed a presence that nearly bowled him over with its power and he turned around quickly to face whoever - or whatever - it was. A woman stood before them, one that seemed far from human who looked right through Donald as if he wasn’t even there.  “ What are you doing back here, Red? ”  She asked, finally turning to Don adding,  “ And with a… child of man. ”  She said the words as if they left a bad taste in her mouth.

Red didn’t think he’d ever tire of seeing that look of wonder on Donald’s face, showing him something new, or something beyond his scope of understanding. That way his mouth parted and his jaw hung slack while his eyes widened imperceptibly. It was endearing, and a nice rush of nostalgia gripped him every time, remembering when he himself had been that way, when he had seen things for the first time like that, before everything became old hat and he’d had to find other ways to make his existence more interesting. 

“The wellspring’s near here, but this stream’s been called Chatwin’s Torrent since those humans found a door that led here.” Everything was fine until he heard that voice. Spinning, almost violently, on his heel, he saw the creature, inhumanly white with eyes like black holes. His mouth’s gone dry, but he hides it. “Mab! What a surprise, what on Earth–well, Fillory–are you doing here? Fillory never seemed like your thing.” Ah, yes, her disdain for humans. Right. “This is Donald. I’m giving him a vacation, a tour if you will, of a world other than his own,” he stood straighter, all his senses on edge now, “Perhaps you and I can catch up another time, unless you’ve got some…umbridge with my plans here.” Not that she held any real authority over Fillory, but she was a powerful creature, and one he didn’t want to trifle with. Bad enough they’d had a messy break-up of sorts, no need to get on her even-worse side. 

talentforlying:

          he  doesn’t  know  what  this  bloody  thing  is,  and  it’s  fucking  annoying.   there’s  a  whiff  of  EVERYTHING  —  magical,  primordial,  dark,  light,  expensive  cologne  —  but  it  all  collages  together  in  some  great  sodding  jamboree  of  don’t  fuck  with  me,  i  can  melt  your  eyeballs,  and  frankly,  it’s  making  him  nauseous.   it’s  loud.   which  is  interesting  in  and  of  itself,  to  be  honest;  most  ancient  nasties  put  in  an  effort  to  hide  themselves,  even  when  in  the  presence  of  someone  who  knows  them,  but  this  one’s  not  the  least  bit  afraid.   bit  like  having  OZONE  shoved  up  the  nose,  really.   he  has  to  shutter  his  secondary  senses  —  the  ones  that  go  where  normies  dread  to  tread  —  with  his  hangover  as  vicious  as  it  is  just  to  keep  his  head  on  straight.

                            a  snort  of  laughter.      ‘  you  en’t  on  twitter,  i  bet.  ‘      old  gobshite,  then,  if  he’s  being  this  bloody  pedantic.   or  just  a  prick.      ‘  i  don’t  make  promises  i  can’t  KEEP,  so  i  can’t  ‘elp.   so  sorry.  ‘      he’s  not,  and  he’s  lying.   hard  to  make  it  convincing,  with  his  reputation,  but  it  adds  an  extra  irony  to  the  proposed  toast,  and  if  he’s  being  REAL  self - excusatory,  he’d  point  out  that  the  only  promises  he  really  breaks  most  often  are  the  ones  he  never  intended  to  keep.   but  he’s  keen  on  the  free  refill,  so  he  shuts  his  gob  and  drinks.      ‘  interesting,  an’  SURVIVABLE.  ‘

Red was bored with being quiet, with hiding. Now, of course, he wasn’t just revealing himself to every Brad, Janet and Rocky, but when it was one person, privately? If they told someone, they told someone. He didn’t talk to anyone non-familiar with the true nature of the world, of life. He cants his head to the side, smiling as he feels the shutters close. “I have a feeling your hangover’s making my presence feel like a gringo who just ate a ghost pepper, hm?” He takes a sip of his own cup, shrugs one shoulder. He could make it go away, but he wasn’t in the habit of doing such grand gestures for a complete stranger, even if it would make the conversation a bit easier. 

“Twitter?” he inquires, “No idea what that is.” Red eyes him over the glass, which is joined by a cigar in his other hand, appearing out of nowhere, pre-lit. “I’ve heard otherwise, mage.” It wasn’t that he needed help, exactly, or that he even wanted it from the mage, but he did want to drink, and this mage, of whose identity Red was almost fully convinced, was definitely the most interesting man in the bar. “Aye, though surviving isn’t always the most fun you lot can have, is it? Must get boring just surviving.”

@talentforlying // [ ЯR ]

A mage! He hadn’t seen one in ages, it felt like, but time tended to get a bit soupy after your first millennia. This one smells like he may have bathed in his last drink, but at least it’s something interesting. Red knows it’s easy to read him, with a power radiating off him just warm enough to burn slightly to the immortal, like a dazzlingly searing shower. 

“Have things really changed that much in society that a single sentence constitutes an entire speech?” He questions, head canting to the side as he looks the mage up and down. “Simply to make a point, mage. Hell, the reason I’m still here was a broken promise.” With a wave of his hand, the mage’s glass was refilled, and another one appeared in front of Red. “Why not toast the liars, hm?” He holds out his glass, “For making life that much more _interesting_.”

agcntressler:

Fillory?  “ Like, the books? ”  Don asked. He’d read some of them as a kid, but had never suspected they could be real, not even after discovering magic was real. By that point he had enough distance to when he’d read them that he didn’t even think about them anymore. It was almost as if he’d forgotten about them, though not enough to not remember the name of the world those kids had found themselves in when it was mentioned again.

He nodded, as long as he wouldn’t miss too much on Earth, he was pretty happy with getting to have a month-long vacation with the literal god whose bed he was warming. Their relationship was so much more than that to him, but Donald was a mere mortal, how could he even come close to imagining that he was anything more than a fun few nights to someone like Red? Red could watch him grow old and it would still be just a drop in the ocean compared to the life he’s already lived, the life he still has yet to live. Somehow though, Don found himself not caring as much as he thought he should.  “ Lead the way, ”  he said with a smile, trying to shake the niggling worries in his mind that something was wrong.

“Oh! Right! There was one of you humans that ended up here, or knew someone who did. The very same, yes.” he said with a smile. The things people chose to look at as fiction still made Red chuckle sometimes, as a lot more of it was true than anyone would ever believe. “Haven’t you ever heard the quote, if you write it down, it’s real somewhere? I guess this is out of order, but my point stands.” The path isn’t treacherous, it’s easy enough to walk, and he knows the way like the back of his hand. 

There was something with Donald, something that felt like two pieces of a puzzle slotting together to create that perfect image on the box. He didn’t quite understand it, how could a mortal be a missing piece of anything in a god’s life? But it was nice, for the moment at least. A refreshing change in the unending tedium and monotony of immortal life. “Just this way. There should be a stream up here, which we can drink from and refill our water if we need. I’d suggest it, the water’s said to hold healing properties.” 

agcntressler:

“ Not on Earth? ”  Don asked, though as he took another look around the clearing he had to agree, it didn’t look like any place on Earth he’d ever seen. There was also a sense of magic in the air, far stronger than anything he’d ever felt before, aside from Red himself.  “ Then… we’re on another world? ”  Other worlds and alternate universes had been covered by his education, though unlike his classmates he hadn’t been all that interested in them. At that point he had two figurative worlds to worry about, the human one and the magical one. He didn’t have time for more.

Now he was starting to wish he had though, with everything he was seeing, everything Red was telling him.  “ How differently? ”  he asked, worried that too much time would pass on Earth while they were… wherever they were. Red wasn’t wrong though, the air did smell wonderful, pure, clean, though there was something else, something… darker. Something about the magic in the air mixing with his own gave him a slight sense of apprehension, but he trusts Red. Trusts that he wouldn’t bring him somewhere dangerous, and would protect him if he did.  “ It’s amazing, ”  he breathes. 

Red’s eyes squinted together as he gave some sort of noncommittal noise, “More like another universe, much sense as that will make to your world-view.” At least they hadn’t ended up in the clearing full of smoke that made you high, that would have made for explaining things all the more difficult. “We’re in the forests of Fillory right now,” he proclaimed, holding his hand up to the sky as though he were trying to make some sort of tracking decision. “We should go this way, towards Whitespire.” 

He’s beaming back at Donald, “Nothing you need worry about. You’ll be gone a week and you won’t have aged suddenly, but time does tend to…slow itself here. We’ll be able to stay here somewhere around a month–plenty of time to pop around and see all the country has to offer, don’t you think?” Best to answer most of his questions before he asks them, save them both the time. There’s a scent here, something he remembers, but can’t quite place. He puts a mental pin in it, thinking that if something comes up, he’ll simply deal, as he heads towards the edge of the clearing. “Isn’t it, though? Just wait until you taste some of their native fruits!.”