#16

You finds a bar in town pass the day watching the townspeople and the strange guards, ordering water. Initially, the bartender doesn't care as You drinks glass after glass, but You decides to take his indifference as a challenge and begins to drink as much water as You can. You'll show those city slickers how the farmin' folk drink water. People begin to become disturbed with the sheer amount that You consumes. You makes sure to laugh quietly under Your breath as You does it, to make sure to give them nightmares for years to come of the mysterious stranger who would just. NOT. STOP. DRINKING.

You's laughing at how dumb this all is. Naturally.

As night begins to fall, You begins to wander through town, trying to find Madame Levingt's Boutique, where the lady from the doll booth said she would meet You. After questioning some people, You manages to find it, where You sees that lights are on. You knocks on the door, and the doll booth owner opens the door.

“Come in, quickly.”

You does so, and finds Yourself in a place that seems completely alien to You; in fact, it is indeed just a hair parlor. You feels a little self-conscious, having never had a haircut in Your life. Your host seems to notice this and once more gives her knowing smile at You, though she says nothing.

“So,” You says then. “I'm guessing you're the Madame Levingt?”

“So I am,” she says. “Does my reputation precede me?”

You shrugs. “I haven't been here for long. I don't know about any reputations.”

“Well, that's probably for the best. Though I'm afraid You'll learn about my dark side when I tell You about Your doll. There's a reason so many soldiers were at my stall today. The Empire doesn't care much for...sorcery, these days.”

“Sorcery?” You asks. That's not all You's wondering about either. You was unaware that there was any sort of “Empire” in these parts.

“Oh, yes. You sees, my dolls are for sale to customers who are 'in the know' about their particular...talents. They have power...the power to snare and imprison someone's soul, for various purposes.”

You doesn't really believe her, and You suddenly wonders if she's a madwoman. You tries to remain calm and asks incredulously. “They trap someone's soul?”

“Well, electromagnetic neuroencephalogic rhythm patterns, but basically the same thing.”

“Um. How?”

“Magic. At least, fabricated electrically-active willpower. 'Wishful thinking', a lot of people would call it.”

You stares at her, and she laughs. “You doesn't believe me.”

“Of course not.”

“Well, I can prove it all to You. The reason that I was so surprised by Your doll was because it doesn't merely contain a man's mind—it contains his body, too.”

Your stare becomes even more skeptical, and You feels an eyebrow raised. “A whole body? I'm pretty sure that's not possible.”

“Theoretically, anything's possible with magic. You just have to be insane enough to pull it off.” She gestures towards You. “Hand me the doll.”

“Why should I?”

“Because, as I just mentioned to You, there is a man trapped in it, and he deserves to be freed. I assure You, even if I'm wrong, You'll get it back.”

You looks down at the semblance of the old man, and then hands it over.

She begins to wave her hand over it. “This gesture is just a cliché,” she says. “But it's one that works. Trope-magic is incredibly strong—though honestly my ancestors would've called the tropes 'loa', which is a fair enough name.” You becomes surprised when the lighting of the room seems to slightly chance. It's as if the light is bending towards the figurine.

“The cliché's working. And it's bringing in others.” She must be referring to the light.

“Alright...almost there...”

And then there's a flash of light. You gets knocked back, Your confusion briefly becoming panic. But when You looks up, there is a new person in the room. Dressed in his lederhosen, his feathered cap, and holding his mug of beer, the figure is now a living, breathing person. He seems more bored than anything else to be standing there, though You figures his expression is just a product of the shock of being restored.

Levingt turns to the man, looking bemused. “How do you feel?” she asks the man.

He merely shrugs.

“What's your name?”

He shrugs to this, too.

Nope, it's not the shock. You can see it now...he's just bored. And, it seems, irritable.

“I said, what's your name?”

The old man rolls his eyes, and lets out a sigh. “Ich bin Klaus,” he says.

It's Madame Levingt's turn to shrug, as she looks at You. “I guess his name is Klaus,” she elaborates.

There is an awkward pause in the room.

“So...I guess magic does exist after all.”

“Yes, it does. You seems to be a more believing lad than either of us first thought. Normally, the discovery of the reality of magic is more world shattering than it apparently was to You.”

You realizes that this is odd, but what she says is correct: You is a strange non-skeptical person, when the situation calls for it. It's a pretty variable thing, though. A malleable personality makes You more useful to Yourself and others in the long run, but You realizes that there might be some who might consider Your flip-flopping a breach of character.

Levingt continues. “I myself am curious as to where You got this doll.” She then holds it out to You. “It's worthless now,” she explains. “But you can still take it.” And You does.

“I got it in an old house on that road I told you about,” You replies. “The house was abandoned, except for some weird bats.”

“Curious...but You didn't find any evidence of it once being the home of a magician?”

“Nope. Just some old junk, and...” You suddenly remembers that there was a whole foosball table full of the figurines. “Well, shit.”

“What?”

You explains the nature of the table. She frowns at the thought of a whole foosball table full of trapped souls.

“I'll have to go check out that house, because I lied. I do indeed know where that road You talked about is, and I can help steer You onto it.”

Your face lights up, and You then hurriedly explains the predicament with Susie; in fact, in Your excitement, You describes everything that has happened to You so far. She smiles in reply.

“Though I don't know Your friend, I'll take You with me to the road, so that You can continue on the right path. I'll also stop by the prison, to see if there's anything I can do to help Your Lord Kletus. I'm not sure what can be done, because my magic is limited somewhat to the dolls...but it sounds like his peril is supernatural in nature.”

“And you're no normal merchant or hairdresser.”

“That's true, darling. In any case, I call myself an infiltrator rather than a merchant, and a power-thief rather than a hairdresser. And, I also call myself an occult adventurer. Though it's looked down on next to the power of the fuel, I do use my magic to help those in need. That's why I sell the dolls. Though they can be used for harm as well as helping.”

You wants to know how they can help, given that trapping one's body or soul in a doll seems like a purely evil gesture, but You decides not to ask of that for now, as You can ask during the journey. “What's the deal with the Empire?”

This time, Levingt frowns. “You doesn't know about the Empire?”

“I've never heard the word before, except for in some old books that Susie had around.”

She looks away from You, her expression stern. “I shouldn't be so surprised. The Empire has so divided the continent that word doesn't get very far anymore...” Then her face softens, as if she's forcing back a harsh memory. “I'm sorry. I'm just a crazy witch who hates the government. The laws against magic are strictly to prevent any sort of power from undermining the fuel. You doesn't want to hear my ideas, because they're just theories, and nothing else.” Then she tries to make herself seem more relaxed.

Klaus languishes awkwardly in the background. You senses something with Your APPLE, but You begins to realize that You's tired, and so You can't tell quite what it is.

“Anyway,” she says. “I'd like to take a look at that item from the cave You mentioned, if You doesn't mind! Maybe I can find out why Your friend was so keen on Your having it.”

“Oh, uh...yeah! Of course!” You pulls out the eight-sided stone, and hands it to her. She looks it over for a few seconds, concentrating on it. For a second, it looks as if perhaps it is magic. Her face becomes one of confusion, and she hands it back to You.

“I can't tell what it does, but I do sense a bit of a magical aura around it,” she says. “It's strange that she would see more importance in it than I do. But maybe Your friend is a bit of a magician herself...?”

You tries to envision Susie as some sort of wizard, but You can't do it. A grin breaks out across Your face. “Her stepdad would never allow it, being a government worker and all...” Then You remembers the note, and how the word “dad” was highlighted.

You begins to wonder about him. It was strange that the government is apparently referred to simply as “the Empire”, when he never used that term, and never seemed particularly fanatical about a government that would go about employing colorfully-garbed soldiers—ones that seem to hold a tight grip on the city. The use of such guards implies that either this town has or had a high crime rate—which seems somewhat unlikely, given how well put together it looks, and the fact that children were running about sans parents—or something else is afoot.

You is still young. Perhaps Your ideas about authority are misplaced; born out of a grudge for Your father taking a farm coalition trip the week of your ninth birthday, or Your mom embarrassing You a couple of times in front of Susie with bad jokes about the two of you dating. But still, You likes to think You's a smart enough person, and as such, a decent detective...and something seems off about this whole thing.

You takes the stone back and puts it next to the now-worthless doll of Klaus. Levingt didn't comment on Your statement while You was pondering privately (a good ponder); instead, she seems to be inspecting Klaus himself, who is irritated by her study. She gives up, and looks back at You when she sees You's no longer looking down at Your shoes.

“Let's rest up before we start traveling,” she says. You nods in reply.

“Is he coming with us?” You points at Klaus.

Klaus has previously zoned out, and points silently to himself. You nods. He glances to the side, and says nothing, but instead shrugs. You takes this as a yes.

Levingt shows You to a bed. And as You lies down to sleep, You realizes Your entire worldview has probably been shattered, thanks to an event that happened first crack out of the box in this city. You has a sudden suspicion concerning the contrived convenience of all this, but You wonders if that's just paranoid; and what's more, that's another thing to consider later, instead of now. You just needs to rest, and so You follows Klaus' suit and shrugs, before drifting off into a dreamless sleep.