1451/7000 WORDS
Trinity
I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity.
It was almost too easy.
Lots of big things had been happening in Thana’s life recently, and she was more than ecstatic about it. She recently received news that the Magic Council of Fiore had deemed her a Coming Storm, supposedly some title that was given to dark wizards that were on their way to making names of themselves. It was probably meant to be some kind of derogatory term, a way to alert legal mages and magicless citizens alike about dangerous people they should keep away from. But for Thana, and -- she assumed -- anyone else that had ever done enough to bear the moniker, it was definitely a compliment and source of pride.
What was even better about it was the fact that the Magic Council was still trying to figure out who she actually was. They knew of her, and had gotten some rumors about what she looked like but the problem was they only knew a singular facet of herself. No one in the country had yet to connect her to Aeron or Trinity, the two other “people” that used this body. In either of their guises, she could walk down the street perfectly fine and not have anyone give her a second glance. Granted, she wasn’t quite infamous enough yet for people to recognize her dark haired for either… but that would soon change.
Today, there was a very special press conference going on at the hall of the magic council. Some political delegates were going to be making a statement regarding the country’s approach to dark mages and how to handle them. For the most part, the country’s leanings were that evil wizards need to be put down and treated like dogs, or thrown away and forgotten in prison. There was even a new guild fully approved by the Magic Council that had every legal right to kill dark mages, and not as a last resort.
However, the speaker for today’s conference was advocating for a somewhat controversial stance. It seemed this man, a statesman by the name of Archibald VanderBeld, wanted to promote a heavier emphasis on reforming imprisoned criminals in the hopes of giving them a second chance at being productive and trustworthy members of society. It was a compassionate and worthwhile notion. Certainly there were a number of criminal mages in the past that had learned to leave their nefarious ways behind in lieu of more conventional lifestyles. But like in all things, Thana sought to sew chaos. She lived for anarchy, and when she saw an opportunity to disrupt society and bask in some limelight, she took it.
Currently, she had taken on the guise of Archibald’s personal assistant, a petite little woman with long blonde hair, striking green eyes, and an overabundance of cleavage. A pair of delicate spectacles sat on her nose, and she wore a tight fitting outfit that consisted of a black, high waisted pencil skirt, black nylons and heels, and a crimson blouse who’s buttons were currently opened just enough to give quite the tease of her chest. Clipped to her collar was a picture ID bearing the name Felicity Bates, and she carried a briefcase in her hand.
Not a single person questioned her identity as she passed through the back halls of the offices behind the auditorium where the actual conference was to be held. Her magic allowed her to look exactly like the real Felicity, who was currently shoved into a custodial closet where Thana had snapped her neck and taken her belongings. Someone was sure to find the body eventually, but by the time that happened it would probably be too late to stop her from what she planned to do today.
Even those who knew the real Felicity were easily fooled. Resting around her neck was a necklace with a purple gem hanging from it. It was a beautiful piece of jewelry, but not so flashy as to draw any kind of suspicion. Despite this, it was no mere jewel. The item was actually an amulet that she had acquired at some point which held certain magical properties. One such ability was that it gave her glimpses of memories and knowledge regarding whomever she looked upon. As such, she was able to learn enough about those who engaged in conversation with her to successfully ascertain the nature of their relationship to the woman they believed to be Miss Felicity Bates -- or at least, enough to help her keep up the ruse without setting off any doubts.
After nodding to a Rune Knight that passed her in the hallway, she stepped up to Archibald’s office and knocked on the door. “Senator Vanderbeld?” Thana called, her voice a perfect mimicry of Felicity’s. Without waiting for a response, she opened the door and stepped inside.
“Ah, there you are, Felicity. I have been trying to find you.”
“I apologize, Senator. I was indisposed in the little girl’s room.”
He nodded his understanding and looked back down at his speech, the papers of which were strewn a bit about the desk. “I’ve read over this probably a hundred times to make sure I’m pitching this as best I can, but it still feels like people are going to pass me off as some kind of… criminal lover.” Thana was really only half paying attention to him at that moment. Her slender fingers had reached up to stroke the gem resting on her collarbone as she searched the man for any information regarding their relationship to each other.
What a surprise, an airy, disembodied voice whispered in her head. Flashes of memories races through her head, giving her images of the two of them seeing one another day in and day out in the office, always working, always professional, always focused on the tasks before them. You managed to find the one politician that isn’t corrupt in some way.
I know, it’s such a shame, she thought back to the voice inside the amulet. I was at least hoping for some kind of office affair scandal. Maybe I’d have given the man one last lay before he dies. A pity.
She smiled. “Everything is going to be just fine, Senator. You’ve come this far thanks to your ideals and conviction. The people will hear what you have to say, and even if they disagree they will know your intentions are genuine.”
Archibald smiled back at her. “Thank you, Felicity. I appreciate that you’re always here to keep me grounded when I want to freak out.”
“It’s my pleasure, sir. Are you ready? The conference is set to begin in just a few minutes. We should start making our way to the auditorium.”
“Yes, I suppose we should. Very well.” He neatened up his documents and stood, walking over to a mirror to make sure his attire was straight.
Thana collected his speech paperwork. “I’ll double check that everything is set up properly for you and meet you backstage.” He nodded dismissively to her as he undid his tie to fix it, and Thana slipped out of the door.
It didn’t take her long to reach the room, where her badge was checked and she was allowed access to the stage. The room was already filled with the dull roar of seated civilians and reporters that had come to bear witness to the statement. Almost all of them ignored her. State and Council officials tended to appear on and off of the stage getting things prepared, so her presence was of little consequence.
The podium was a simple item fashioned out of wood that had a couple of shelves in it for storing things one might need during a speech. Thana set the papers of Archibald’s speech on the face of the podium where it would be readily waiting for him, and tucked the briefcase in one of the middle shelves. Then, she went out of her way to make sure there was also a glass of water for him on one of the shelves as well. Once that was done, she took her station at the side of the stage next to the steps leading up and waited until the senator approached.
The crowd hushed as a different delegate eventually took the stage and announced it was time to begin. The man gave a brief summation of the reason for the meeting before introducing Mr. Vanderbeld and inviting him on stage to give his speech.
It was time for the fun to begin...
Lots of big things had been happening in Thana’s life recently, and she was more than ecstatic about it. She recently received news that the Magic Council of Fiore had deemed her a Coming Storm, supposedly some title that was given to dark wizards that were on their way to making names of themselves. It was probably meant to be some kind of derogatory term, a way to alert legal mages and magicless citizens alike about dangerous people they should keep away from. But for Thana, and -- she assumed -- anyone else that had ever done enough to bear the moniker, it was definitely a compliment and source of pride.
What was even better about it was the fact that the Magic Council was still trying to figure out who she actually was. They knew of her, and had gotten some rumors about what she looked like but the problem was they only knew a singular facet of herself. No one in the country had yet to connect her to Aeron or Trinity, the two other “people” that used this body. In either of their guises, she could walk down the street perfectly fine and not have anyone give her a second glance. Granted, she wasn’t quite infamous enough yet for people to recognize her dark haired for either… but that would soon change.
Today, there was a very special press conference going on at the hall of the magic council. Some political delegates were going to be making a statement regarding the country’s approach to dark mages and how to handle them. For the most part, the country’s leanings were that evil wizards need to be put down and treated like dogs, or thrown away and forgotten in prison. There was even a new guild fully approved by the Magic Council that had every legal right to kill dark mages, and not as a last resort.
However, the speaker for today’s conference was advocating for a somewhat controversial stance. It seemed this man, a statesman by the name of Archibald VanderBeld, wanted to promote a heavier emphasis on reforming imprisoned criminals in the hopes of giving them a second chance at being productive and trustworthy members of society. It was a compassionate and worthwhile notion. Certainly there were a number of criminal mages in the past that had learned to leave their nefarious ways behind in lieu of more conventional lifestyles. But like in all things, Thana sought to sew chaos. She lived for anarchy, and when she saw an opportunity to disrupt society and bask in some limelight, she took it.
Currently, she had taken on the guise of Archibald’s personal assistant, a petite little woman with long blonde hair, striking green eyes, and an overabundance of cleavage. A pair of delicate spectacles sat on her nose, and she wore a tight fitting outfit that consisted of a black, high waisted pencil skirt, black nylons and heels, and a crimson blouse who’s buttons were currently opened just enough to give quite the tease of her chest. Clipped to her collar was a picture ID bearing the name Felicity Bates, and she carried a briefcase in her hand.
Not a single person questioned her identity as she passed through the back halls of the offices behind the auditorium where the actual conference was to be held. Her magic allowed her to look exactly like the real Felicity, who was currently shoved into a custodial closet where Thana had snapped her neck and taken her belongings. Someone was sure to find the body eventually, but by the time that happened it would probably be too late to stop her from what she planned to do today.
Even those who knew the real Felicity were easily fooled. Resting around her neck was a necklace with a purple gem hanging from it. It was a beautiful piece of jewelry, but not so flashy as to draw any kind of suspicion. Despite this, it was no mere jewel. The item was actually an amulet that she had acquired at some point which held certain magical properties. One such ability was that it gave her glimpses of memories and knowledge regarding whomever she looked upon. As such, she was able to learn enough about those who engaged in conversation with her to successfully ascertain the nature of their relationship to the woman they believed to be Miss Felicity Bates -- or at least, enough to help her keep up the ruse without setting off any doubts.
After nodding to a Rune Knight that passed her in the hallway, she stepped up to Archibald’s office and knocked on the door. “Senator Vanderbeld?” Thana called, her voice a perfect mimicry of Felicity’s. Without waiting for a response, she opened the door and stepped inside.
“Ah, there you are, Felicity. I have been trying to find you.”
“I apologize, Senator. I was indisposed in the little girl’s room.”
He nodded his understanding and looked back down at his speech, the papers of which were strewn a bit about the desk. “I’ve read over this probably a hundred times to make sure I’m pitching this as best I can, but it still feels like people are going to pass me off as some kind of… criminal lover.” Thana was really only half paying attention to him at that moment. Her slender fingers had reached up to stroke the gem resting on her collarbone as she searched the man for any information regarding their relationship to each other.
What a surprise, an airy, disembodied voice whispered in her head. Flashes of memories races through her head, giving her images of the two of them seeing one another day in and day out in the office, always working, always professional, always focused on the tasks before them. You managed to find the one politician that isn’t corrupt in some way.
I know, it’s such a shame, she thought back to the voice inside the amulet. I was at least hoping for some kind of office affair scandal. Maybe I’d have given the man one last lay before he dies. A pity.
She smiled. “Everything is going to be just fine, Senator. You’ve come this far thanks to your ideals and conviction. The people will hear what you have to say, and even if they disagree they will know your intentions are genuine.”
Archibald smiled back at her. “Thank you, Felicity. I appreciate that you’re always here to keep me grounded when I want to freak out.”
“It’s my pleasure, sir. Are you ready? The conference is set to begin in just a few minutes. We should start making our way to the auditorium.”
“Yes, I suppose we should. Very well.” He neatened up his documents and stood, walking over to a mirror to make sure his attire was straight.
Thana collected his speech paperwork. “I’ll double check that everything is set up properly for you and meet you backstage.” He nodded dismissively to her as he undid his tie to fix it, and Thana slipped out of the door.
It didn’t take her long to reach the room, where her badge was checked and she was allowed access to the stage. The room was already filled with the dull roar of seated civilians and reporters that had come to bear witness to the statement. Almost all of them ignored her. State and Council officials tended to appear on and off of the stage getting things prepared, so her presence was of little consequence.
The podium was a simple item fashioned out of wood that had a couple of shelves in it for storing things one might need during a speech. Thana set the papers of Archibald’s speech on the face of the podium where it would be readily waiting for him, and tucked the briefcase in one of the middle shelves. Then, she went out of her way to make sure there was also a glass of water for him on one of the shelves as well. Once that was done, she took her station at the side of the stage next to the steps leading up and waited until the senator approached.
The crowd hushed as a different delegate eventually took the stage and announced it was time to begin. The man gave a brief summation of the reason for the meeting before introducing Mr. Vanderbeld and inviting him on stage to give his speech.
It was time for the fun to begin...
Please forgive me if I don’t talk much at times. It’s loud enough in my head.
IVYLEAF33