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Angel finds Harry Dresden, and the wizard has a terrible idea to try to help Willow. Angel temporarily goes along with it, with grave reservations...
4/4/2017
Castro Caritas San Francisco
Caritas[]
The lights are on, illuminating the area.
This could almost pass for any quirky neighborhood karaoke bar, except that most of the patrons are visibly non-human. Demons, vampires, werewolves, and all manner of folk seem to gather here, hidden from prying eyes by a layer of glamours and protection spells. Perhaps it's the niche clientele that assures such a steady crowd. Most nights, it's got just about the right number of people to make things friendly but still comfortable. It's decorated in splashes of silver and purple, and the decor of the place feels like the grandchild of mod-deco, punched up here and there with chintzy theatrical flair.
Subtly varied spot lighting creates just the right mix of tables where one can be seen or not seen, with a mix of small tables in the center and quiet booths along the edges of the room. A stage at the back features a high-end karaoke setup, the backdrop featuring a silver curtain that can be drawn aside to feature a full cinematic projection screen. Along one wall, the bar is stocked with everything from high-octane cocktails to fruit smoothies. Notably, they check IDs very diligently when drinks are purchased, as this is an all-ages place -- and they cut anyone off who hits the sauce too hard. For that, they'll tell you, go down the street to the Bear and Staff Pub.
Outside, it's cloudy and mild.
Angel is actually patrolling this evening. Unfortunately, he didn't think to bring any of the Slayers along, so his progress on patrol is stopped by many a female thinking he's unattached. It's difficult for the cryptic Angel to figure out ways to let them all down gently, but darn it he's trying! The good news is, if they're flocking to him, it means the predators of the world have a harder time finding humans to eat. So there's that.
The man known as Dresden to most and Harry to a few, and the evil black magic casting killer to a few other. Harry has a small paper bag in one hand, it's clear he probably went somewhere to buy something. He is lost in his thoughts as he is walking through the streets. He doesn't notice the guys checking him out as he rounds the corner and speeds through the pedestrian traffic with a distinct air of purpose.
An escape? Well, any exit in a burning building will do! "Dresden!" He goes over to talk to the guy. "Hadn't seen you in a few months. Get...caught on a business trip again?" He can't say what he was probably actually doing in front of all the mortals. That doesn't, for the moment at least, stop his more determined admirers from following him, but it's at least reducing the number a little bit.
A blink hearing his name, Harry turns to see whom it was and then takes a deep breath, "Angel." He responds stoically. "I was away on business for an important client." The manner which he says that indicates that he doesn't want a follow up question nor is he inclined to provide more information. ~Just my luck.~ Harry's signature inner monologue fires up, ~Trying to avoid anything remotely complicated and I run into a Vampire, in Castro...~ "You've been well?" Harry raises an eyebrow noting the throng of male and female admirers following Angel. "Busy night plans, or just a light snack?"
Angel almost looks insulted at the 'light snack' indication. He's above munching humans just because he can. "Just my usual...nighttime activities." By which he means patrol, not taking a lucky winner home with him. "Doing alright. A few things changed since I saw you last." There's always something changing, but sometimes, those changes are bigger than others.
"Life is change, unless you're an ageless being." Harry says, "And I know quite a few of those, dead, undead and otherwise." ~Ancient Mai...~ He shivers visibly at the thought and name. "I can imagine, though. Champion of Good and all that useless stuff." Harry doesn't really seem impressed by the title or the thought. "So what can I help you with? Professional Consult. Fake boyfriend?" He leans a bit to the side as the herd thins just a bit, but still ever present thirsty men and women. "Or something different/"
Angel, now Spring Knight among other things, shakes his head. "Spending too much time at the movies again, huh?" It's the easiest cover for why ageless got brought up. Giving a Shrug, he says, "There's a karaoke bar called Caritas. You usually prefer McNally's, I think, but it's not the worst time for a change of pace."
"Movies... Right." Harry nods, catching the drift. "Not like anyone is actually paying attention to anything you say. You could probably spit out a purse and people would fawn over you." He nods, "Karaoke.. The white man's form of vocal martial arts comedy." Harry says dryly. "I really only have a few minutes. I have some extremely perishable items that I have to cook with right away." Almost as if on queue the bag wiggles just a little. "Otherwise, I have to go spend more money."
"Probably." But why take the risk? Lots of accidents happen cause somebody got a little too careless. And accidents with this sort of thing are usually fatal if he and his don't get there in time. And they can't be EVERYWHERE in a city this size! He nods, though, at the 'only a few minutes' and says instead, "Then drop by the office later. There's a few things to catch you up on. And some of it might even suit your expertise."
His eye brow goes up ever so slightly, "As in paying suiting, or just a friendly favor suiting?" Harry shakes the bag a bit and quiets down the contents. "I might be able to spare a few extra minutes." ~Paying equals rent getting paid and maybe a new crystal or two. Friendly could be paying, but most likely not.~ Harry thinks to himself. He's not one to really care to much about the accords, he follows them when convenient as proofed by his constant interactions with Murph and a few other select people he's made aware of the truth along the way.
Angel...has more money then he used to. But what's gone wrong with Willow really is a major problem. "One of them will pay, yes. The rest...it depends on you." Angel has ideas about that. What Harry might actally be able to do about it is up for grabs, but the answer's gotta be better than 'nothing.' Then again, witch magic and wizard magic aren't the same at all. The other side is, he might have answers the witches would never think of.
"Good good." Harry says, "I can use a few more paying jobs. Rent here is amazingly high, even for small places." He pauses, "I suppose this requires a less..." He waves his free hand around, "To discuss." ~Well it obviously has to do with magic, why else would you come to a professional wizard.~ He grins to himself. "I'm a professional wizard after all." He laughs. Hey he advertises as such, no big secret, yet another flaunt in the face of accords.
Angel did recommend earlier..."Caritas then?" People not in the know have trouble entering the place, given that if they could, a bar full of demons and monsters and vampires of every shape and size would bust things wide open.
He nods, closing his eyes for a moment as a nearly imperceptible ripple in the air radiates around his hand and the travels along the bag and then ripples outward. "Caritas it is then." Yeah he heard you the first time, however, you know you didn't offer to pay him for his time.. Money talks. Harry smiles and starts walking toward that direction. "So. What can little old me do, that Angel Investigations can't?" ~Well me and Bob.. But what you don't know won't lower my hourly rate.~
The first thing Angel notices is that Lorne isn't present. Which is always a sadness, but hey, the poor man's gotta have a personal life. And since he's not there, and frankly, this isn't the time of day people expect him to be here, it's actually fairly quiet, except for some random demons in the corner and a couple vampires chitchatting at another table.
"We've encountered a problem. Willow, our resident witch, cast a spell that clones herself. It does this by splitting aspects of her personality off, one by one, and making them into clones. There's no limit to the number of clones that can be made, and the original Willow drains away to nothing as more are made. Moreover, not all of the clones are as kind as the original and misuse her magic. We need to reunite Willow into a whole person again, but since one of the Willow clones stole the book that tells how to do this, we're going to need a way to make them one again."
As he crosses the threshold of the property all sorts of bells and whistles go off in Harry's mind. He flips into his third sight and glances around swiftly before returning the world view to the norm. ~Pretty hefty warding and glamouring. Witch magic though. Amateurs, but still solid.~ He continues to muse the interior and clientele as he enters. Harry Dresden in a place like this, probably not a good combination, but Angel wanted to come here.
Harry contemplates carefully what he has heard. "Well... Cloning isn't entirely something unheard of. I can't imagine why she didn't just clone all of her personality, instead of facets." ~Stupid witches. Really stupid. Messing with cloning magic comes to close to the black, the amount of power needed to actually craft a clone, usually only comes from sacrificial components. Unless you're a lucky magical battery, which Harry is.~ He nods, "Sounds like a mess, for sure." He nods to himself. "Well... I could muster a focusing ritual, with maybe an open resolve. It borders on the black, but I'd have to ask if using the clones to fuel it as a sacrifice is really killing." ~They are just created by magic not nature, after all..~ "I have an associate that I work with constantly that has a wide berth of knowledge. I'm sure between the two of us, we could find something." He laughs, "But I know Witches magic can't be undone. It can only be circumvented. So that's where it gets tricky. Has the coven not bound her magical energies to prevent further cloning?"
"I didn't think to ask them to do that. My knowledge of magic doesn't go beyond rituals." But now that it's been brought up, it's a perfectly sensible idea, and it'd hopefully stop the clones from misusing her powers for their own ends. "She probably did it that way because she didn't have to kill anyone to make clones doing it that way. Still, the book she 'borrowed' to do this was on the Grand Coven's forbidden list for a good reason."
He winces at the idea of killing the clones, but, "We're hoping not to have to kill them. While killing them does seem to restore that aspect of Willow's personality back to her, it tends to traumatize her friends to see a Willow die. I'd rather minimize that, if I can. Among other things, some of the clones were actually sired as vampires, and Buffy had to stake them. She didn't take it well at all."
~Stupid Vampire...~ Harry just nods, "Magic isn't sunshine and rainbows. You have to get your hands dirty to pull the real good stuff off. Sometimes it doesn't need that energy, sometimes it does. More often than not, the powerful magic needs it." He looks at Angel, "I bet you have one of those Smartphones. When's the next storm coming through town?" Harry asks, with a note of he wants to really know. "Storms are good. Bigger the better. I can use it to amplify the power and..." He stops, ~Well kill all the clones in one hit...~ "Resolve the issue without anyone having to really do anything but protect me and Willow. It's not easy though, and definitely not cheap." He adds for good measure, "But this kind of magic is grey-ish black. And I have to be careful otherwise the Council will come after me. And before we do anything like this... The Coven needs to bind her magically." ~Permanently if you know what's good for you, but you don't. Stupid Vampire.~
Angel does pull out his phone...thankfully, the wards her keep wizards from accidentally shorting them out...and goes to look up the next storm. "I see one coming through in a few day. Spring storms can be a little fiercer then people ever expect them to be." Angel's now a good bit more tied with this particular season ever since he accepted the Mantle of Spring.
As for getting hands dirty, "...The Grand Coven probably has ways to minimize the dirtiness of hands, but Willow was self taught. Most of her ways of doing things are just...natural manipulations of her innate ability. She learned by experience and the school of hard knocks rather than any actual training." Hmm. "I'll contact the Coven. I hope the Council and the Coven don't mind working together too much. I understand there's...a lot of professional differences going on."
"I really don't give a flying fuck, either way." Harry says quite matter of factly, "She'll die if something isn't done. If you don't get her bound, then I can still do it, but it just means more energy needed." He says that in such a manner that energy seems to equate clones just randomly dropping dead. "And we're talking life force, not magical." Harry sets the bag on the counter and takes his fingers and draws a circle on the counter. "They have all be close too. Otherwise we have rapidly diminishing power. So you'll need to have them all in say..." He stops ~Five carry the two, add in the circum... Fuck it...~ "Three miles of Willow. Any further and we might risk missing some." He looks at Angel and then looks at the bag, "You do realize that the components for Wizard Magic are far more expensive than Witch Magic... And something like this... Well, yeah. I hope you have some cash laying around and that she's worth it. If they can't bind her, call me. I have a circle in my basement that will bind all powers..." He looks directly at Angel, "Everything, when I use it, but I'd rather focus all my power toward getting her restored.." Harry sneaks a peak at the storm, "So it looks like Three and half days. That'll put us at around 2 am in the morning for the peak of the storm. So let's also add in with the between time of Midnight. So.. Three days, give or take. Can your people manage?"
"Point made. Give me a list of what you need." If worst comes to worst, he has resources he can use. And he will use, for Willow's sake. "And yes, she's worth it. All of it." Cause the power of Friendship, and all that. "The Grand Coven will do what's necessary. They don't want to see this out of control, and they surely want their book back anyway." As for all powers being bound, "If you're trying to warn me the Mantle will get bound too, it's not really a problem at 2AM. All it does on a regular basis is protect me from the sun." And some other personal stuff, but hey. "Life force...can that be donated from several people or does it have to be all from one? And do I count as a 'life force?' I'd bet not, but..." He's willing to bet no on that second part...Angel's breed is true undead with no heartbeat and no breath. But he'd contribute if he could.
"Well, the problem is here, Angel." Harry says, "Life force is like Blood. You have types and you have to be compatible." Harry says, dancing around the topic. "And the amount we need, is going to require a lot of collateral damage. They aren't real beings, you realize that right? They have no more soul than your smartphone, if that's what you're worried about." Harry pauses, "Think of it like a light beam shining through a crystal. What comes out on the other side is still light, but it's not the real light that went in. Part of the whole. In this regard what's fueling this magic is Willow's life force. In order to fix this, we have to forcefully return part of it so her own magical countermeasures kick in and allow her to reign in control. Or.." ~And how I plan to do it...~ "We just drop them all and force it all back in and end this in one fail swoop."
This is the very, very painful part for him. Because if ANY of the girls knew what they were planning, they'd surely object, and..."This isn't something the Council would approve of is it? I'm not sure the Coven would like this plan either." He knows without even asking that the people closest to him would object to this plan. 'Kill 'em all' would set Buffy to tears before the yelling started, and the rest of them would start yelling too. "I get collateral damage to get a job done. I've done that before..." And regretted it every single time. Brood brood brood...
"I think..." Harry says, "Because they are magically originated clones that they are immune to the clause of killing with magic." He says to Angel. "I can do this without you. I know she's a friend. But look at it this way, if you don't. She's as good as dead. So. Magical clones or Willow?" Harry asks plainly, "Which is it?"
"...why do I keep feeling like I'm going to regret this?" Pause. "...Do it." But he can't say he feels good about it, or relieved, or anything like that. In fact, he looks more brooding than he has in a long time.
"Only when you get my bill." Harry takes off a ring and then hands it to Angel. "Make sure the real Willow wears this. I don't want a misfire." ~Yeah, I'd hate to have to kill the spring night along with this poor stupid witch, by accidental purpose.~ "It's just a kinetic ring, she can only charge it. Promise." He reassures. "And I need them all within three miles of her. Remember." Harry pulls out a small pad of paper and a pen and scribbles a list down. Items from the esoteric to three ounces of diamond dust and grave dirt from a virgin maiden's grave are on the list. "Like I said expensive." He folds the paper and slides it toward Angel. "My fee, however, is going to be much higher. We'll talk when I'm done with it." ~Cause this might just kill me.~ Harry says with a wry grin.
"Money is expendable. Friends aren't." He feels a lot more confident about saying that at least. He takes the ring. "Alright. Hmmm. We'll probably have to move all the clones out of Hyperion that're currently there. My home is heavily warded against virtually everything, and would absolutely interfere with this kind of thing. I'll see to it." He looks at the list rather sadly. "...I could wish virgin maidens getting killed wasn't so common around here..." But with the number of soulless vampires running around... "But this isn't too bad. We'll have it ready."
"As is my place. We'll meet in Golden Gate park. It's got a good connection and a ley line runs through it. So we can tap that for extra power. And..." Harry smirks, "You'll need some people who can protect me, while this happens, once it starts the clones will feel the magic hunting them. And I will have my associate with me and he's practically defenseless." He adds. "So bring as many Slayers as you can muster. I hear they are pretty much living tanks."
"They're warriors. And one of them is my fiancee and a Champion herself, and another is my best friend, so be nice." But protecting the site..."The last time we had a major magical spell cast around this time last year, Wolfram and Hart got involved and tried to disrupt the whole thing. Hopefully they don't care enough to do that again, but since it's happened before..."
"This will happen quick. I'm going to use the storm to amplify the spell exponentially." He figures that Angel is overwhelmed by the whole scenario. "But, to most people this is going to fly under the radar. We aren't doing anything major, really. All we are doing is..." Harry nods slowly, "killing the clones and sucking their life force up and pushing it back where it belongs. We're just doing it on a larger scale." He laughs nervously. "It really is not a big deal magically. Especially considering what you've seen thus far." ~Really minor, just complex to compensate for the number. Yeah.. But that means I can charge extra. Might even be able to fill the icebox up.~ Harry nods to himself. "But if you're worried about them, we could setup a distraction, if the coven wants. They can start casting a major spell right before we do. Ours will go unnoticed if their magic is deeper and more powerful."
So far, this ritual mostly seems to do...about the same thing as hacking the clones down with swords. It just spares his friends the trauma of picking up a sword. "That can be arranged. They're not fool enough to attack Rowanwood. It's more heat than they want to bring on themselves, even if they win. And they have very, very low odds of winning."
"Heh, it's just witch's magic." Harry says with a wry tone. He nods, "I want to make sure their attention is focused away from us, if you are really worried. But I more worried about Clones using magic to try and bring the ritual to a close faster. I need about twenty minutes to get the spell charged and then once I pull the trigger." He says it like that on purpose, "It'll be over in a few seconds."
"Well, some of the clones are...not kind, as I said earlier. They'll actively oppose being reunited with the original. Willow's Anger, Willow's Avarice, that kind of thing. And even the ones with a better moral compass may not want to die." So there's that to worry about...
"Do you really get a choice to die if a bullet goes through your skull and blows your brains out?" Harry asks. "This isn't about a fair fight, Angel. I'm a sniper and I'm firing on all of them at one time. They'll feel the targeting on them, they'll know something is coming, but with the storm, my own power and will and that of the ritual.. They can't stop it. Short of being in a heavily warded place.." He says, "They're going to die, and so may others if they fight back. So the faster we can do this, the better."
"The Darker parts of Willow could well fight back, and cause a lot of collateral damage to humans if they do. You might have a thing about not killing people with magic, and Original Willow does too" Little does Angel know... "But clones made of Anger and that kind of thing could well kill without a conscience to guide them."
"I can try..." He stresses the try part, "To do a sleep spell before hand, but again, I'm not sure how well it would work over an area, versus a single person. I will check with my resource to see if it can be done." Harry laughs nervously at the concept of that.
"If it can be done, it'd help." Mostly concerned with people found to have 'cause of death: Lightning bolt to the face'. And that sort of thing. "It's mostly to prevent unnecessary casualties. We don't want anyone to die from this."
"Well, if they are magical clones, when the life force is pulled from them in this manner... They won't have a body to leave behind." Harry says, "In theory. This kind of thing hasn't really been done before. So I could be wrong."
"I can't confirm or deny that. All I can tell you is the clones who got sired as vampires were dusted in the usual way when they got staked. That might be more the vampire demon's doing than the clone's doing." Angel kinda shrugs there.
"Fair enough." Harry says, "Now that we have the idea planned out. We should probably look at getting this done. However, at the moment, I have another case that I need to work on." He points to the bag. "And another helpless client with need." He says as he picks the bag back up.
Angel nods at that. "Helping the Helpless comes first. We both know that. Go where you're needed." As if Harry was part of the whole 'Champion' thing and just doing a slightly different version of his job!
"I'm no champion, Angel. I go where the pay is." Harry says, "I don't buy into the whole destined champion schtick." He says again, matter of factly. "But you're free to think what you want." He offers a smile.
"Maybe you're not. But you could be someday. It's in you to be a Champion. One way or another. You just have to make a decision. Like I did, a long time ago. Like Buffy did, before that." Encouragement of the day!
"I don't make deals with higher powers." Harry says. "I don't play into destiny." He shrugs, "I am in this to survive, not save the world. The world is to far gone to save. But you'll figure that out eventually."
"If there's no great glorious end to all this, if nothing we do matters, then all that matters is what we do. 'Cause that's all there is. What we do. Now. Today. I fought for so long, for redemption, for a reward, and finally just to beat the other guy, but I never got it." Angel pauses, and continues. "All I wanna do is help. I wanna help because, I don't think people should suffer as they do. Because, if there's no bigger meaning, then the smallest act of kindness is the greatest thing in the world." That's what Angel's figured out.
"Well, you are entitled to your opinion Angel." ~Stupid Vampire... So stupid...~ Harry nods as he starts for the exit. "Three days. Be ready. We'll get this wrapped up with a pretty little bow. And maybe I won't get smacked down for doing it." He says with a slight shrug. "I'm in the book if you need me before then." He says with a wave of his hand. ~Some people are just born to be suckers. Destiny is a joke. If there is some all seeing and all knowing force that guides everyone, then why does bad things happen to relatively good people. That's the joke on everyone.~ Harry just laughs at his thoughts.
Angel hears the 'you are entitled to your wrong opinion' in Harry's comment, but he'll let the man go for now. The greater good isn't something that can be forced. It's something that has to be chosen. "Have a good night..." At least he's helping the helpless, even if he's convinced himself he's in it only to make a buck. There are, after all, more lucrative ways to use a wizard's power that wouldn't help anyone else at all...
With that Harry darts out of the club and heads back home for business.