Part Three- Enter Department 7
Rayzer and Umi sat in the uncomfortable silence of the parlor with Ms. Webber. She sat there sipping tea while the antique clock in the room ticked away.
"I might az well do with you as I hav done with some many other displaced," she said.
Ms. Webber sat the teacup down, and left the room, leaving Umi and Rayzer to ponder what was going to happen.
"What is wrong with that woman? She treats Maddie like crap and now she's goin to do a favor for us," said Umi.
"Let's hope it isn't something like what Kane's Underdark book had in it. Man that was unsettling." said Rayzer.
"Where do you think he went?"
"He probably went to go and make Maddie feel better."
"Didn't you see how those two fought? I bet he went to go and say, 'I told you so'."
Ms. Webber came back into the room. She set a small business card onto the table and slid it toward Umi and Rayzer. It had only an address and the name of a company: Department 7.
"These people will help you. Now retrieve ze rude boy and leave," said Ms. Webber in the most serious of tones.
"Yes ma'am," gulped Umi and Rayzer.
"Kane! We need to go, now!" shouted Umi.
Earlier in Maddie's bedroom, Kane and Maddie were talking further.
"Never been one for sports. My fast metabolism let me eat and be as lazy as I wanted," said Kane.
"Is that supposed to give me an idea at what's under that cloak of your's Kane?" replied Maddie.
"Since I started the ritual, this cloak and I have become… inseparable you might say."
"So it's attached to you? Like creepy symbiosis?"
Maddie started to poke the cloak and the arm made a quick appearance. He had grabbed her hand and placed it in her lap.
"No. It's just what it looks like. A cloak. Not attached or part of me. It just hides the one thing I can't bear to see anymore."
"What would that be?"
"Myself. Y'know how some people look in the mirror and see themselves, while others see only a distorted image? I've become used to that warped image. I hate what I see."
"What do you see then?"
"I see a sad boy tryin' to escape from the truth. Some one so afraid of real world consequences, that he decides to ruin his life and the lives of his friends as well by stranding them in a different world. That's what I see."
"So you're that bad? Try being me. The girl trying show people that nothings wrong with her life, one without a father and an abusive mother. Would you mind if I take a look under that hood?"
"If your so inclined. Might add a bit of reality to this pity party."
Maddie grabbed the back of his hood and pulled it back, his blonde hair fell onto his face covering his right eye. His other blue eye blinked, the room and home was kept at a low light but it was even bright for Kane.
"So this is the face of self hate?" said Maddie.
"Yes."
"You know, you look kind of cute for some one with a freaky arm."
"I don't know whether to take that as a compliment, or to get depressed."
"Well, if we continue on like this, something might happen."
"Something that might piss off your mom?"
"Maybe."
Then the call came. Umi had yelled his name and Kane heard it.
"Well, I guess I have to go," said Kane.
"My mother gave them the card. You know this means I'll never see you again, right?" said Maddie.
"What is this card?"
"It's a referral card to the Department 7 townhouse. She keeps the cards well hidden so that I can't go and see anyone else that I found."
"Why don't you sneak out? She has to be getting' deaf in her old age."
"I could. Will you wait for me in the parking garage?"
"I will. See you there."
Kane pulled out up his hood and left the room. He found Umi and Rayzer by the elevator and they had a questioning look on their faces.
"Where were you?" said Umi.
"On the balcony, looking mysterious, with my cloak fluttering in the breeze," said Kane
"I don't know what scares me more, the fact that I think it's completely made up or that I believe it," said Rayzer.
"It is, not let's get out of here and down to the parking garage," replied Kane.
"Why?" said Umi.
"We need to wait for a new friend. You know what, you guys go on ahead, I want to talk with Ms. Webber."
"Fine. Get your head chopped off," said Rayzer.
Rayzer and Umi rode the elevator down and Kane returned to Maddie's room. She had finished packing a backpack with all of her things and was topping it off with a stuffed spider toy.
"Kane? What are you doing back?" she questioned.
"I got a better idea. This one's goin' ta be fun," said Kane.
He got in close and whispered in to her ear. Maddie gave a sly smile and looked at Kane.
"That's down right evil. Let's do it," replied Maddie
"There's that inherently evil Drow nature surfacin'. I knew you had it some somewhere in ya," said Kane.
She locked her backpack and hung onto Kane's shoulders.
"Let's get going," she said.
"Right-o," he replied.
They walked out and came to the balcony, where Ms. Webber happened to be.
" Madeline, what are you doing with that rude boy? " she said in French.
" He and I are leaving this world mother. We're going home ," replied Maddie.
" And how do you propose you do that? There's now way back through the Shadow. "
" I didn't say we were going back alive. Good bye mother. Now Kane!"
Kane grabbed Maddie by her waist and leapt over the railing. Ms. Webber didn't do anything to stop them. No, she just sat there and smiled at them.
"Stupid girl," she muttered.
Cloak fluttering in the wind, Kane stuck the warped arm out.
"Ready for an abrupt stop?" he shouted through the rushing wind.
"Oui mon ami!" replied Maddie.
"Thrae Onureth! Spell of Feather Fall!"
The air around them seemed to stop rushing. They were falling slowly toward the ground and touched down softly.
"Whew! What a rush!" shouted Kane.
"No time for celebration, my mother's probably on her way down so she can see her foolish daughter's road pancake of a body," said Maddie.
They ran into the parking garage and found Rayzer and Umi.
"How the hell did you two get down here so quick?" said Rayzer.
"Not really a problem if you jump off the building," replied Kane.
"How did you guys…" started Umi.
"Feather Fall spell," said Maddie. "Let go before my bitch of a mother gets here. Kane and I will take my bike and we'll follow you to the town house."
Umi and Rayzer ran out and hailed a cab, as they took off, Maddie and Kane zoomed out on her racing bike, trialing the taxi.
The taxi stopped at the Department 7 townhouse as did Maddie and Kane on her bike. Maddie paid the taxi driver again and they entered the townhouse. The inside was painted a somehow welcoming white. The designers went for a minimalist look with the furniture, with black and white as the main color scheme. As they walked around, they found the living room and a small disk like object. The object turned on and there stood a foot tall, blue holographic woman in a three piece suit.
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen, I hope the rain didn't disturb you much," she said in a British accent. "My name is Ms. Fellowes. Welcome to Department 7."
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And now the introduction of Ms. Fellowes and Dept 7 is completed. People who know the Urban Arcana setting have a good idea of what's going on right now and they might be able to guess what's going to happen next, even though I have a few curveballs up my sleeve.
Till next time, Oeuvre mon ami!