Student Housing, London, Friday Morning

[bitten_notshy]

The portals were booked: Jack and Sebastien were scheduled to go to 1901 Boston early the next day. Kevin had been informed he'd need a new flatmate for the spring, and the university had been told Jack was taking a leave of absence. (Neither, it must be said, seemed exactly broken up to see him go.) Jack had made excuses to his London friends, something about a sick relative that was deliberately dull enough to discourage further questioning.

All that was left were the calls to people from Fandom.

Sebastien, being a wise man, had taken himself elsewhere to handle some paperwork, so Jack had privacy as he started dialing.

It was possible he was calling in ascending order of difficulty.

[OOC: NFB due to distance, but open for calls and the like.]

Comments

[bitten_notshy]

Jack laughed in relief. "Thank you. Everyone else I called has started with the dire warnings about getting myself killed. Anyhow, I appreciate the offer but I think you can stay where you are for now. Do you remember Professor Garrett?"

[not_in_the_book]

"I was involved in two different wars before I even made it to Fandom," Ronan pointed out. "Because it was the right thing to do. I can hardly get mad at you for doing the same thing."

He had to stop for a moment, but-- "Yeah, I think I do -- Detective Insp... No. Detective Crown Inspector?"

[bitten_notshy]

"Plain Lady Abigail Irene, now," Jack said dryly. (So ... not so plain at all, really.) "She got drummed out of the government and seems to be just on the edge of tipping onto our side. If she does, we're in a far better position."

He smiled, not that Ronan could see. "Did you win both of yours?"

[not_in_the_book]

Ronan sighed softly. "I'm still here, aren't I?" And he'd been a fairly prominent figure in both, too. "But yeah, we won. Saved Ireland the first time, saved the universe the second. Not... without our losses, but. War."

You still do what you have to do.

"Want me to see if I can work up a few compact spells for you to carry along? I don't know how compatible your universe is to my magic, but it can't hurt, right?" And it might take a little more energy than he should really spend right now -- he still wasn't entirely recovered from the battle against the Auditors, really -- but it helped keep a friend safe? Duh.

[bitten_notshy]

"War," Jack agreed. "I know there will be losses, but maybe fewer if I do my job well."

He brightened before speaking again. "I'd like that," he said. "I don't know if I can use them, but it's better to have them anyhow, isn't it?"

[not_in_the_book]

"I'll see what I have that I can load them into," Ronan explained. "Would a bracelet or a wrist-cuff of some kind be okay? Silver's usually a good metal for me."

[bitten_notshy]

"It'd match sebastien's ring," Jack said, glancing to his hand. "It should be fine -- but something that could be covered by a shirtsleeve would be good, given where I'm going."

Victorian gentlemen did not wear much jewelry.

[not_in_the_book]

"Something simple, then. Not much in the way of decoration. I think I've got just the thing..."

It'd take a little while to find it -- Ronan was fairly certain it was in a box somewhere in the back of his puptent, but couldn't be completely sure -- but he was pretty sure he still had it.

"Any particular requests? What kind of things do you think you'll end up doing?"

[bitten_notshy]

"Sneaking messages around, mostly," Jack said. "Trying to get people on the upper levels of government on our side. Feeling out people on the street to see if there's anyone with gifts we can use. I don't know exactly where we'll be yet -- the fighting's in America now but I don't know if I'll stay there."

[not_in_the_book]

"I think I've got a few spells that'll help with that," Ronan suggested. "Let me see what I can do-- I can always just drop it in the mail-drop if I can't get it to you before you leave.

"I imagine the ability to walk through a wall would come in handy?"

[bitten_notshy]

"Very much so," Jack said, impressed. "Someone as magical as a log, like me, could use it?"

He might get in trouble for unauthorized use of magics -- but given he was already planning to incite treason, that was hardly worth worrying about.

[not_in_the_book]

"That's going to be the tricky part," Ronan admitted. "Storing a finished spell is pretty easy, once you have the trick of it, but working in a trigger for someone who's not a wizard is going to be a little more difficult. I've got some different ideas -- and it won't take long to test them."

[bitten_notshy]

"Whatever you can do is fine," Jack said. "Oh -- could you do something that would guarantee people looked past me? I'm good at blending in, but I wouldn't mind a boost until I readjust to the time."

[not_in_the_book]

"A spell that bends light around you okay?" Ronan asked. "Any of the psychotropics are... difficult, with my variety of magic, so spells how people perceive someone are more difficult."

[bitten_notshy]

"That would likely work just as well, and might be less dangerous for me to try to use," Jack said. "Thank you."

[not_in_the_book]

"You're welcome. Just make sure you let me know if you need any other help," Ronan insisted. "Seriously, anything."

[bitten_notshy]

"I can practically guarantee something will come up," Jack said.

[not_in_the_book]

Ronan laughed, a short, sharp exhalation. "It usually does," he agreed. "Just give me- Well, don't give me a call, I guess. Unless you want me to see about rigging up something to get through? That one might be a little harder to swing, but I can look into it."

[bitten_notshy]

"I'm going to say no on that one," Jack said. "A bracelet with a few charms in it isn't much of a crime, but the kind of magic it would take to get a phone to work seems like it might draw more attention than it's worth. I can send telegrams, anyhow -- or could when I was in school."

[not_in_the_book]

"Ah, yeah, I can see the problem there," Ronan agreed. Although he was also running his mind across ways he could work an SOS beacon into the bracelet.

He didn't want Jack out there without a quick way to get ahold of someone who could help in an emergency.

"When are you planning to head out?"

[bitten_notshy]

"First thing tomorrow morning," Jack said apologetically. "Does that leave you enough time to do much of anything?"

[not_in_the_book]

Ronan considered a moment. "I-- might be able to get it done. If not, is the mail-drop you mentioned secure enough for it? I can package it so that it's not suspiciously contemporary."

[bitten_notshy]

"It should be. It's through some old friends," Jack nodded. (Very old, considering they were Sebastien's friends.) "It may take a few days for me to get something from there, but no more."

[not_in_the_book]

"And if you need anything I'm getting you within the next week," Ronan suggested, "things are... probably worse than we're expecting."