Welcome to Gaia! ::

Fatal nodded. "I see. Well, Hanabi, if you don't mind my asking, what are your plans for the future? I must admit that I am... curious. Your magical prowess earlier impresses me, for a novice. I could... arrange to... teach you sometime."

Fatal grinned. There were so many different forms of magic. To pick one was just too... ah. Lonely, had Hanabi said? Fatal nodded. This was key.

With a wave of his hand, an exact replicate of Fatal appeared standing next to the original. It was an illusion, but nonetheless a perfect replica.

With another gesture, and a whispered incantation, Fatal caused a flower to grow out of the bare rock. It was now an undead flower, but Hanabi wouldn't realize this.

For a third and final show of magic, Fatal opened his hand, where--previously not existing--a small hamster rested, staring curiously at Hanabi at eye-level. It's twitching little nose was too cute to resist.

"It's yours," Fatal replied. A simple summoning charm... Fatal had no idea where the hamster had come from, but it was here. "Do whatever you like with it. Let it go--keep it--do as you will. Or I can send it back (since you might not be in the position to take care of it right now)."

Fatal's illusory clone vanished. The flower would never die... unless Fatal did.

~

Somewhere in a random house, a girl was crying to her mother because her hamster was gone.

Fatal felt appalled at such a display of happiness. It wasn't that he despised all that was good or blissful, but that such emotions even existed in such times as these... this appalled the necromancer. His philosophy and outlook on life were... unique, in a word.

The hamster disappeared, apparently sent back to its true owner. Apparently.

Fatal grinned at Hanabi. "So you liked that? I know magic for almost any possible cause you can imagine. I know... so much. The good magic, and... the dark magic." Fatal's tone had suddenly turned ominous. "Can you brace yourself to learn such things," he asked, "even in trying circumstances?"

His face was serious. Not malicious or evil-looking. Just serious.

Fatal nodded, content. "Then I shall teach you. But first--I must find these people. They are not necessarily my friends... but I wish them no harm. I just wish to know where they are. Are you familiar with an invisibility enchantment?"

Fatal scratched his cheek for a moment.

"They are working for an evil man, this I know. Or at least--their allies are. I must determine whether they themselves do as well. And I think one has an ability that I myself covet. The ability to resist trophyfication. Can you imagine it?"

The necromancer glanced at the book. "Where did you come by that, anyhow?"

((XD I think it's funny how smoothly they just became allies in evil, even if Hanabi isn't quite informed of that detail.))

((Mmhmm... gtg.))

"Exactly," Fatal replied. He hesitated a moment, but figured that, if Hanabi were to betray him, the 'good guys' would tell her this anyway. "My specialty, you see, lies in necromancy. I believe in the search for knowledge, and the Dead know more than any. An ability to resist the trophyfication process... is tantalizingly taunting. I wish to know more. And yet... I cannot know how my presence will be taken. It is because I don't yet know if their friend, Travis, has convinced them to take his side. With Kranza."

Fatal waited to see if Hanabi knew who Kranza was.