[Later that morning]
Unlike how they were arranged yesterday, the MacNamara twins had switched their respective bodyguards for the day. Today, Maria and Cyrus would accompany Evan to the office building while Valerie and Freddy joined Elizabeth to her appointment with Alyssa Blair. Much to the relief of the lone 'beast magic' user of the group.
Maria would be lying if she said that yesterday's little incident hadn't left a bad taste in her mouth. In fact, it downright infuriated her. The way that Elizabeth talked down to that poor homeless woman was completely uncalled for. The mere memory of which forced a slight scowl onto Maria's face.
The 'beast magic' user tried her best to keep an open mind about the two rich kids they were tasked with guarding. She made a genuine effort to not let her assumptions about the twins get in the way of her judgment. And to her credit, Maria was doing pretty well up until yesterday. However, that all changed overnight.
Although the two outwardly presented themselves as regular teenagers, there were small glimpses of their true personalities that came out every now and then. The kind of stuff that was so ingrained into a person's behavior that they never actually went away.
Take Evan for example. The guy was your classic pretty boy who was way smarter than what he was letting on. One who had no problem letting it be known that he was both rolling in cash and the smartest guy in the room. Sure, everyone knew that he was a genius, but the guy had a habit of giving the best response possible to whatever was said to him. Almost as if he runs through all the possible answers in his brain before choosing the one that gives him the best outcome. The best way that Maria could describe it was that he had a mask on 24/7 and made sure to never drop it in front of others.
As for Elizabeth, Maria had already put the pieces together on what the lone 'earth magic' user of the group was all about. Mainly, the woman had a temper.
Aside from yesterday, Maria had noticed that Elizabeth was a little too quick to get annoyed at anything that even slightly inconvenienced her. A stereotypical trait among people who went their entire lives getting whatever they wanted at the drop of a hat. Most of this annoyance was directed at her brother whenever he said something that (no doubt intentionally) ticked her off. However, it happened at other times as well. Such as when she made a slight complaint about their waiter taking too long to come back with their food.
There was also the fact that Elizabeth was very meticulous, almost as if she had some form of OCD. The woman was constantly adjusting her clothing and hair to ensure that everything was in its proper place. The woman was obviously a perfectionist to her core.
This didn't just stop at the twins, though.
Her partners had also gained a fair bit of attention from the woman. Maria had always been an observant individual, even when she was a kid. It was something her father complimented her on a few times while she was growing up. And her observant nature had increased ever since the day he died. This talent of hers also gave Maria a pretty knack for reading people, including her fellow agents.
The first on the list was Cyrus, her fellow rookie and the newest sorcerer of the group.
Maria didn't really know what to think of him at first, and that was because the guy was pretty average. The kind of average that made you forget about him if you weren't directly paying attention to him. The kind of average that made it easy to fly under the radar whenever you wanted. And it didn't take long for Maria to figure out that this was intentional.
It was obvious to Maria that the guy was hiding something. What that "something" was, she couldn't quite say. But judging by how uneasy a few of her companions got whenever he was close to her was proof enough. Cyrus may have been plain on the outside, but something about either him or his magic was dangerous. Dangerous enough to put even a dragon-type cryptid on alert.
Next up was Valerie, the oldest of the agents.
Upon first impressions, Maria couldn't help but think that the tall blonde was just another spoiled brat from a famous family, one who obviously had more brawn than brains. With a bit of overconfidence mixed in for good measure. The 'fire magic' user was certainly strong; there was no denying that. But after a few brief conversations between the three female members of the group, it was clear that the woman had never so much as read a book in her entire life. From what Maria could gather, Valerie focused almost all of her time and effort on training her body. A choice that was spurred on by the fact that she couldn't use her magical attribute.
Thanks to her decent mana-sensing skills, Maria could tell Valerie's mana was unstable. So unstable that she couldn't safely use her fire around other humans. Even so, the woman managed to gain a decent reputation thanks to her admittedly impressive solo hunting record. But one couldn't help but wonder how much the fact that her aunt was the station's Chief played into Valerie's recent success. Maria wasn't outright accusing the woman of being a "nepo-baby", but the signs were there.
Lastly, there was Freddy.
The station's unofficial bookkeeper and utility man. A 'dark magic' user who specialized in information and barriers. Freddy was certainly the most normal out of the bunch in Maria's opinion. Even though he was objectively the weakest out of the six of them, he carried himself in a way that made it easy to enjoy his presence. He was effectively the one who brought a bit of balance to the group. To be frank, Freddy was the one that Maria liked the most out of the group. Mainly because he was the only one who had a relatively normal background aside from her.
There was also the fact that Freddy very obviously had a crush on Cyrus. Sure, the guy was good at hiding it, but Maria had caught the glasses-wearing teen stealing a few choice glances at the 'tree magic' user whenever Cyrus wasn't looking. And the guy wasn't exactly subtle about it either. However, as funny as that situation was to the 'beast magic' user, Maria decided to keep her thoughts to herself regarding the matter. The last thing she wanted was to get involved in that kind of drama.
If she was being perfectly honest, Maria didn't really fit in with this kind of crowd. Then again, she never really fit into any crowd to begin with.
Her fellow sorcerers were a mix of personalities that she could only stand in small doses, let alone all at one time. They weren't necessarily bad people; they just weren't the kind of people she could see herself hanging out with outside of work. Which isn't really saying much since she never hung out with anybody outside of work...or at all. The closest she had gotten in the past few years to genuine social interaction was when she met Robin Stillwater for the first time. And that only happened by chance.
Although the 'beast magic' user was trying to enjoy her time on what was basically a paid vacation, the woman was more than ready to go home and get back to her usual routine. She missed the peace and quiet of her apartment, along with her gaming consoles. She was getting by with her handheld device, but going three days without any actual screen time was starting to get to her.
'God, I'm starting to sound like an addict....' The woman internally groaned. Yeah, Maria was more than ready for this trip to be over.
With any luck, the next few days will fly by, and Maria will be back home and logging into her gaming account before she knew it. Or at least that's what she hoped anyway. In the meantime, Maria Ortega would do her best to make sure that this mission was a success.
-(o)-
"And that's how you perform the mana disrupter!" Evan said to Cyrus just as the two of them, along with Maria, turned the corner onto the next street.
"It's really that easy?" Cyrus questioned the older teen.
"Yeah!" Evan nodded with a smile. "The mana disrupter may be a basic enchantment, but it's also one of the most effective and practical. It's one of the first ones that my grandfather created, and he came up with it completely on accident. And it gives you a great foundation for learning the more complex ones."
"So all you have to do to perform the technique is force your mana into another sorcerer's body in an opposite current. That's it?"
"That's all it is."
"And it can only be done through physical contact."
"For normal people like you and me, yes. The only exceptions are those who have both abnormally high levels of mana and near-perfect mana control. The only people I know who can do it from long range are my sister, my cousin, and Theo. Even my dad and grandfather can't do it."
"That's insane!" Cyrus said with wide eyes.
The 'tree magic' user was now more excited than ever to try out the technique, especially since he now knew exactly how to do it. The only problem was that he would need a subject to try it out on. He highly doubted that Ayako or Freddy would volunteer for such a role. The technique is supposed to be rather painful after all. And the only other reasonable option would be trying it out on a cryptid. But that would require the 'tree magic' user to get close enough to physically touch it, which wasn't exactly the safest idea on in the planet.
In any case, Cyrus was sure that he would have more than enough opportunities to try out the mana disrupter in the future. Along with any other enchantments that Evan taught him before the end of their trip. Enchantments were exactly the kind of otherworldly and mystical aspects of sorcerer society that Cyrus loved learning about. And being able to learn even the basics from a member of the family who created the art was an opportunity he certainly didn't want to waste.
While the two boys were further discussing enchantments, Maria was busy actually doing her job. Keeping an eye out for any suspicious persons who might be targeting them for whatever reason. She even had Asmodeus trailing a few yards behind her in case she needed his assistance.
The young woman would be lying if she said that she wasn't at least somewhat interested in the art of enchanting herself, though. Based on how Evan explained it to Cyrus, the 'beast magic' user was pretty confident that she could perform the mana disrupter herself if she practiced it a bit. However, the more the two got into the mechanics of how enchanting worked, the less she understood and didn't even bother to continue paying attention.
'Let's just hope that today is uneventful.' The woman silently hoped as she continued to scan the area in front of her. There was a slim chance that those goons who tried to attack Evan and the others yesterday were still around. And based on past experiences, it wasn't out of the question that they'd come back for revenge. However, even if they did, Maria was certain that the three of them could handle whatever happened. That didn't mean she was going to take any chances, though.
*HISSSSS!*
Asmodeus echoed its master's thoughts as it lashed its tongue out into the air, earning a quick smile and nod from the woman.
'I'm sure that we'll be fine.' Was the last thing Maria thought before the office building came into view.
-(o)-
"Wow, look at you!" Alyssa Blair said with a grin as she sized up Valerie. "What lab did they make you in?"
The trio of Elizabeth, Valerie, and Freddy had just stepped into Alyssa Blair's room after leaving the hotel a few minutes prior. Upon entering, the 'plant magic' user wasted no time in appraising the two new agents that showed up with her client. And although they weren't quite as interesting as Cyrus in her opinion, she didn't let that stop her from making them feel welcome.
"Oh, stop it!" Valerie laughed with a slight bit of blush on her cheeks.
"Goodness, I can see why Elizabeth has you working for her. I bet you could give some of my uncles a run for their money on a flat bench."
Valerie would be lying if she said that these compliments didn't give her a warm and tingly feeling on the inside. But as the good and professional agent that she was, the 'fire magic' user made sure to keep herself composed. Or as composed as she could be.
"Y'know...you're supposed to introduce yourself to someone before you start buttering them up."
The group looked over to see Solomon, Alyssa's younger cousin, who was busy playing another one of his video games at the dining table near the window. There were quite a few bags of chips and other snacks surrounding the boy, so it was safe to assume that he had been sitting in that spot for a while.
"As much as I hate to admit it, the little pest over there is right..." The woman then held out her hand in Freddy's direction. "I'm Alyssa Blair, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise." Freddy said with a friendly smile as she shook the woman's hand.
Hearing the woman's last name made Valerie remember something. "Blair, huh? Do you guys know Rosalind? The Deputy Chief at the San Francisco station."
"Ew...you know that bitch?" Solomon looked up from his game with a look of pure disgust on his face.
"I'm sorry?" Elizabeth tilted her head in confusion, obviously not expecting such a response from the young teenager.
Alyssa scowled before pointing her finger in the boy's direction and firing off a small orb of dark green mana at him. The mana bullet hit Solomon square in the forehead, causing the boy to drop his game and start rubbing his head. The elder Blair cousin quickly recomposed herself before answering Valerie's question.
"Yes, we do know our Aunt Rosalind. I haven't talked to her that much, but I did hear that she became a Deputy Chief a few years ago."
"That's right!" Valerie replied. "She's been working under my mom for the past three years and helped train me when I first joined the DPA. She's great. And she's definitely one of the best agents I've ever met. I've seen her use her 'cactus magic' on cryptids a few times and that stuff is a sight to behold."
"So I've heard."
"Valerie is actually Chief Bridgette McKenna's daughter." Elizabeth suddenly added. "She transferred over from the San Francisco office late last year. And in my opinion, she's definitely someone you should keep your eye out for in the future. I heard that she even got a nod for "Rookie of the Year" last year."
"So you're as strong as that Desmond Reed?" Solomon asked after finally recovering from Alyssa's earlier attack.
"I really can't say." The 'fire magic' user shrugged. "I've never met the guy. I don't even know what kind of magic he has."
Freddy was quick to add in what he knew. After all, stuff like this was right up his alley. "Unless I'm mistaken, Desmond Reed has a unique magic type called 'sound magic'. It allows him to generate and manipulate sound waves and vibrations."
"Really?" Valerie looked at the 'dark magic' user with genuine surprise on her face. Magic like that sounded powerful as hell. She knew the guy who ended up taking last year's "Rookie of the Year" title was allegedly America's newest S-rank sorcerer, but she didn't know all that much about him.
"His brother goes to school with me." Solomon added. "Damien doesn't use 'sound magic' though, he has 'poison magic'."
"Is that right?" Freddy said as he pondered for a moment. "It's pretty rare for two siblings to have different kinds of magic. Then again, Elizabeth and Evan are twins, and they both have different magics. So I guess it isn't as rare as I thought."
Elizabeth couldn't help but agree with the guy. "My mother always said that even after seventy years, the inner workings of magic are still a black box to us. It might just be one of those things that we'll just never truly understand."
"Good point." Valerie nodded as if she actually understood the complexities of how inconsistent and downright bizarre sorcerer genetics turned out to be. That kind of stuff was for eggheads like Lucas to worry about. If it didn't involve killing cryptids or knocking people out, then she didn't really care.
Seeing as they didn't exactly have all the time in the world, Elizabeth quickly got the group back on track to what they came here for. The 'earth magic' user's dress still had some major adjustments that needed to be made to it before her creation could be completed. And the woman was hoping to iron out most of the kinks before the end of the day.
Soon enough, the group wasted no time in getting down to business. While Elizabeth and Alyssa worked on the 'plant magic' user's dress, Valerie and Freddy chatted with Solomon. The two agents spent quite a bit of time telling the young teen about their lives as agents, which was the kind of information that the boy was more than interested to hear about. And from Valerie could tell, the boy definitely had the right kind of attitude needed to do their job.
The tall blonde couldn't help but be reminded of how she was when she was sixteen.
Valerie had already decided that she was going to join the DPA by that point, something that certainly didn't help maintain what little motivation for school she still had left at the time.
The idea of being able to prove to her family that she wasn't just some defective loser was all that she needed to become an agent, and a little over a year later here she was doing exactly that. Sure, Valerie wasn't exactly where she wanted to be yet when it came to her career, but she was coming along pretty well.
Of course, the woman still had the goal of joining the APS. But as much as she hated to admit it, it wasn't in the cards for her right now. Deputy Chief Mubele had denied her request when Valerie was still in the process of transferring to the Charlotte station a few months ago. And the woman was pretty sure it was because she couldn't control her magical attribute. Or at least that's what she suspected.
Valerie didn't want to sound petty, but after meeting Maria and seeing what she could do, the 'fire magic' user was certain that she had what it takes to be on the team. She knew for a fact that she was stronger and had more mana than the 'beast magic' user. But there was something about the raven-haired woman that made her more qualified to be on the APS than Valerie. And Valerie had no clue as to what that could've been. Nor was she likely to find out anytime soon.
Deputy Chief Mubele was frequently away from the station due to being given secret assignments from the Commissioner. So, the chances of running into him were slim. On top of that, confronting the guy as to why he didn't want her on his squad might hinder her chances more than what they already were. The last thing she wanted was to come off as a bratty child to one of the strongest men on the planet. That was basically career suicide.
'I'll ask Aunt Zoe about it when we get back.' Valerie told herself before refocusing her attention back to the conversation she was having with Freddy and Solomon. This really wasn't the kind of stuff she should be thinking about right now. It'll only end up making her depressed. And annoyed.
And the last thing anyone here wanted was to be around Valerie when she was annoyed.
-(o)-
Back at the hotel, Hannah and Mikayla were busy lounging by the pool while soaking up some much-needed sun. They had given up on convincing Aaron to leave his room and decided to simply enjoy what the fancy establishment had to offer. After all, it would be rude of them not to take advantage of their boss's generosity and get the most out of their vacation.
"I wish we could stay here forever." Hannah said with a smile. The strawberry blonde was subtly using her magic to chill the drink she was holding in her hand.
Mikayla had no reason to disagree. "For real...." The 'bone magic' user was completely sprawled out on her lounge chair.
It had been quite some time since their group had the chance to unwind like this. Between their regular jobs and their work for Iznana, they hardly ever had the time to just relax and kick their feet up. However, having the opportunity to fully unwind before their big operation was set to begin was definitely what the group needed.
Before either of the two women could say another word, Mikayla received a notification on her phone. The brunette lifted the shades from atop her eyes and leaned over to the small table directly to her left. It took a second for her eyes to adjust to the light, but once they did, she quickly grabbed the mobile device and unlocked it.
-(o)-
Tree: Are you guys still up for hanging out tonight?
Skeleton: Of course!
Skeleton: Did the pretty boy convince his sister and the others to tag along?
Tree: He did.
Skeleton: Sweet!
Tree: What time do you want to meet up?
Skeleton: 7:30pm in the lobby.
Tree: Sounds like a plan. I'll let the others know.
Tree: See you later.
Skeleton: Can't wait!
-(o)-
Mikayla set her phone down before waving a hand over in Hannah's direction. The blonde looked up from the book that she was currently reading to see what her long-time friend wanted.
"What's up?"
"Cyrus and the others are coming with us tonight."
"Really now?" Hannah couldn't help but smirk at that. This was definitely the kind of news she wanted to hear. "We'll have to be careful. We obviously can't make a move on him anytime soon, considering the operation is in a few weeks. But being able to get an early start on this is a good sign."
Mikayla nodded. "I know. We can't do anything too drastic, considering who he's with either."
"Remind me to let Aaron know. He's not going to be happy about that McKenna girl coming with us. Frankly, I'm not too keen on the idea either."
"I get it. But you'll just have to deal with it. If what Aaron said about Cyrus's 'tree magic' is true, the headache will be worth it."
"Hmm." Was all that Hannah could say to that. Her friend was right, though. Personal feelings aside, this was way too good of an opportunity for them to pass up. Getting some much-needed intel on some potentially super-rare magic was too important to let her grievances get in the way of that. Especially since it was the kind of magic that the boss seemed interested in.
If everything went well, Hannah could become an official Iznana member sooner than she had hoped. Then, all of her worries will finally be washed away. Soon, she, her best friend, and her brother would be set. And all the trials they went through before now would be worth it.
'We're so close.' The woman thought as she gazed upon the clouds slowly passing in front of the sun. 'Just a little bit more and we'll have everything that we wanted. It's only a matter of time.'
With a smile on her face, Hannah leaned back in her chair and let the feeling of satisfaction wash over her body. Her mind was now set on ensuring that tonight's events all went according to plan.
-(o)-
Info Card: Blair Family
One of the nine families that serves as a major faction in American sorcerer society. They are the largest sorcerer family in the country with over 700 confirmed members.
The Blair family famously began as a polygamist cult that was started by Joseph Blair and his three brothers in the late 1940s after his return from fighting in World War II. The brothers were originally members of the Mormon Church, but later disassociated from the group due to a difference in opinion regarding the church's teachings.
The Blair family is widely known for its 'plant magic' users. According to recent estimates, roughly 35% of America's 'plant magic' users belong to this family. However, that number has been disputed due to a lack of accurate information.
In addition, the family is a powerhouse in the fields of agriculture, botany, horticulture, and environmental science. One that is responsible for almost 20% of the country's total crop output in any given year.
Due to this fact, the Blair family has immense political and economic influence. So much so that several members of the family serve in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.
Notable Members: Thomas Blair (Family Head), Rosalind Blair, Malcolm Blair, Joseph Forest, Felicity Blair, Alyssa Blair, Constanza Flowers, Jonathan Blair III, Miranda Blair-Conley, Kurt Blair-Alvarez.
Fun Fact: Outside of the U.S., the Blair family is famous for the numerous alcoholic beverages that they produce. The family makes millions of dollars a year selling expensive wines, liquors, and champagnes all over the world.