“Oli, what-”
Oliver motioned for Polina to wait as he led her to his truck, his gaze locked on to the business card he was just handed. Or, more specifically, the ephemeral aura surrounding it. While he could easily recognize it as some form of magic, it was of a type he hadn't seen before... Though, to be fair, the only magic he had experience with was his own. And Spell Tomes.
In a way, the magic surrounding the card was similar to the Spell Tomes: the magic itself seemed to be embedded in the object. His best guess was some form of enchantment... Though, that raised the question of why they used a card and not something more durable...
The answer to that was obvious enough. It wasn't unusual for a FBI Agent to hand out their card, though it was rare enough that most people never experienced it... And anything more durable than a business card would be a bit strange for them to give to someone.
But, still... Enchanting a business card? Even the best stock paper used to make them wouldn't last long... Unless it was tossed in a drawer somewhere and forgotten. Even then, he imagined enchanting took a good bit of effort. And it certainly didn't seem practical to do it on such a temporary item like-
His mind latched on to that thought and ran with it. A temporary item... So maybe a temporary enchantment? But for what purpose? The first- and most logical- answer that came to him was simply for tracking the card's location... And the person that held it.
But that also assumed that he didn't just drop it somewhere and leave it, like the junk drawer in the kitchen where he honestly had expected to leave the thing... While that sounded right to him, it also sounded a bit too simple. Why go to all that effort to track an item that he may not even carry with him?
Stuffing the card in his pocket, he quickly climbed in the truck and started it up. Seeing the curious look on Polina's face as she buckled her seat-belt, he opened his mouth to tell her everything...
And paused, mouth hanging open as a single word popped into his head : Message.
It was one of the random magics that Marty had had him query on the Bounty Board, and a rather simple spell at that. The entirety of what it did was to deliver a simple message from one person to another, usually within a set range. Useful for communication, but nothing else...
And, after thumbing through some of Marty's gaming books, Oliver new there were a lot of possibilities for magic...
Depending on the setting and game system, spells were usually divided into a number of categories: Fireball, and similar other damage dealing spells, were usually lumped into a single classification- often called evocation, evoking, or simple destruction magic... And, while Oliver was especially fond of such destructive magics... Marty preferred a different approach.
Whether it was called Divination or Oracular magic, the purpose was the same: gathering information through various means. For some games, and some types of divination magic, it was through communication with a deity and requesting insight... But, for others, it was as simple as being able to remotely observe a distant location... Or listen to a remote location.
'Could that be it? Did... Did the FBI figure out how to use magic to effectively turn a business card into a listening device? Fucking... Genius!' Oliver thought as his mouth snapped shut and he focused on driving.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
----------------------------------------
Seeing the thoughtful look, and the range of emotions, flashing across Oliver's face, Polina remained quiet. A hint of concern crept onto her face, as she recognized his expression all too well: Something had happened that set Oliver's mind racing. And she doubted it was anything good.
When they pulled up to her house- their house, she amended in her mind with a brief surge of joy- she watched as he waved for her to wait their before he ran into the house, only to return seconds later.
As they pulled out of the driveway again, she studied his face closely. Concern, worry, and a touch of anger were obvious... But... something else... Some other emotion flickered across his face. Respect? Admiration maybe? She couldn't be sure...
“Call Marty for me, please? I think I need his advice.” Oliver said softly after a few seconds. “Actually, hold off on calling him yet. I want to get your opinion first.”
Taking his hand gently in her own, Polina smiled past her worry for whatever was happening. “Ok... If it's about the FBI Agent, then I need some details on what she wanted to talk to you about... Though, honestly, just having the FBI poking around is enough to worry me.”
Oliver nodded sharply. “Right, details... Umm... So, apparently... she's not a regular FBI agent. I mean, aside from being a Senior Agent... She's part of their Paranormal Investigation Division, which is clearly a secret... And they have magic, at least in some form or another.”
“What!?” Polina exclaimed, struggling to process the revelation. While she knew magic was real, thanks to Oli, finding out the government not only knew about it but was using it? “That... Ok, start from the beginning and tell me everything, please? Because this is... just...”
Realizing she was about to call it crazy, Polina chuckled softly while shaking her head. Life with Oliver, it seemed, was bound to be pretty crazy... Not that she would change it.
It was actually kind of exciting, too.
“Ok. Well, she approached me while I was chatting with Franklin...”
----------------------------------------
“So, to sum it up, a special, paranormal division of the FBI is looking for that vampire that kidnapped Tyrone- you said her name was Eve, right?” At Oliver's nod, she continued, ticking points off on her fingers. “She asked you questions about that, but not about you or any of the stuff the local PD is hounding you over... Then she gave you her business card, which has magic all over it... And you are thinking that the magic is for them to spy on you?”
“That's pretty much it, yeah. I mean, I can't say for certain that I'm right, but...”
“But it makes sense.”She finished for him with a nod. “For a FBI business card... I imagine one of two things happens: either the person throws it away as soon as they are out of sight, or they stick it in their wallet for safe keeping.”
“If you had tossed it, that would be a pretty clear indicator that you are either unwilling to help them... Or that you are against them in some way.” She sighed at the twisted logic. “And, if you kept it and it really is some sort of magic to let them listen in, it would provide them with a lot of information... It's kind of a 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' situation. And devious as fuck...”
“I'm starting to hate that Agent...”
Oliver snorted a laugh. “Yeah, it's pretty sneaky. I bet Marty will get a kick out of it, though.”
“One question though.” Polina said, a thoughtful look on her face. “Why drop the card in the junk drawer? Why not put it in your warehouse thing? You said its a separate space, so they wouldn't be able to listen or track it...”
She shook her head quickly, cutting off her own words. “That's why you didn't. If they suddenly couldn't track it, they would wonder why. It would be no better than throwing it away... Worse, actually. If you ever took it out again, the tracking would probably kick right back in. That would just raise a bunch more questions.”
“Yeah, we should definitely get Marty's take on this... Though I worry that it will only add to the list of magic stuff he wants you to buy.” Polina remarked, a touch of amusement entering her tone at the end.