Power Without a Price

[curiousdiscoverer]

The first time Ezra finds Milliways he spends most of the experience overwhelmed by psychic sensory overload. Postcognition doesn’t really mix well with inter-dimensional nexus.

However when he walks out and tells about the experience, the true nature of the place is eventually revealed, furthermore he discovers that the Traders are very interested in using the unique location to seed magic to other worlds and they pay very generously for it. So Ezra’s family all hear about the story and stay in the look out for another door, just in case.

Years pass, and Ezra’s family gets a little smaller, and starting wishing for a door to show up.

Because resurrection is possible, but expensive and bringing three people back is impossibly costly without extreme circumstances.

So Ezra feels extremely lucky the day he finally finds a door again, with family in his apartment where they wait behind after Ezra grabs a few things while Temps holds the door.

He is now in better control of his powers and Milliways massive history doesn’t overload him anymore.

Ezra looks around the bar, sits on a table with a nice view and observes.

Is anyone here that could want and deserve magic?

Comments

[can_i_help]

"You know, I was a bit curious, but it's not polite to pry. I assume you'll want to know about the three of us in return, right? None of us are biologically related, and in my case it's pretty obvious so we're used to people asking."

[mage_see_mage_do]

"I assumed that they extracted that story out of you," Temperance says "or that some combination of you are robots or clones from the alternate magic-less future. Anyway, I could tell the story."

She glanced around to get confirmation from the men, they nod in agreement.

"The shortish version in chronological order: Stephen, Our father, used to work for the old magical conspiracy," Temperance started explaining "he killed a few of times, albeit it was self-defense. He later left the job, got a new identity and married Mary Jane, they had the twins, Ezra and Arya" She points at Ezra "Stephen cheated even back then, just so you know he always a jerk. Anyway, Stephen's dad got cancer and without any other available magical cure, Stephen tried to make a deal with a Trader," She points upwards "but due to a combination of Stephen being a wanted man by the conspiracy, the fact that he has killed mages and cheated on his wife caused the Trader to ask either all of Stephen's magic or... Stephen could give only a fraction of the magic andhave three more magical kids, as a way to replace the mages he killed. Father decided to go with the second option and not even tried to convince Mary Jane to have more kids, instead he married Sophia and lived a double life. Mary Jane eventually figured out the situation and they divorced. Stephen then married my mom and kept the double life until Sophia figured it out herself, but by that time she already pregnant with Adam who is the youngest."

After a pause she adds.

"I once helped Adam make a tridimensional family tree for a school project," Temps says.

[superego_medico]

"You forgot how my mom," Ezra says "married Richard who had Sally from a previous marriage... she is one of of whom we want to resurrect. The others are Sophia and our shared grandmother... our grandfather died from his cancer after it came back and he didn't want any magic healing so we don't know if he would take well being resurrected too."

[of_all_trades]

The three half-siblings all look away for a moment, but Franklyn breaks the silence.

"So, that is our lovely family history," Franklyn says "feel free to not share yours, but feel free to share it as well or we could just start sooner."

[can_i_stay]

"Our story is not nearly as complicated as yours. My father died when I was just a baby, and my mother when I was nine. I have no living relatives but my mother didn't want me to go to an institution, so I was wheeled to a family friend, that is, Lucy's father. At the time I was already friends with Sabrina, and that's how I gained Lucy.

[can_i_help]

"I find how Ann hated Lucy for the first few weeks genuinely hilarious. Of course, Lucy being Lucy, she loved her instantly because she had been introduced as her sister and sisters are supposed to love each other. I met Lucy at the first sleepover we had after the death of Ann's mother. It was quite a surprise as she had conveniently forgotten to mention the fact that she now had a sister. It was basically love at first sight, between the two of us, and Lucy in her blessed six year old brain had decided that you can get sisters just by introducing them to people as such, so I was instantly adopted. She won Ann over shortly after."

[can_i_go]

"So Sabrina's not actually legally our sister, just someone who spent most of her time at our house because her parents were... Umm..."

[can_i_help]

"The word you're looking for is narcissistic. They only care about me when they can get something out of it. And Lucy's father has enough money to feed an extra girl, so he had no issue with it. Especially when he's never been actually around that much and it was the babysitters who had to keep the three of us from killing ourselves."

[can_i_stay]

"When Lucy finally realized that you don't normally get siblings just by saying 'this is my sister', it was too late, Sabrina was already firmly a part of the family."

[can_i_go]

"I still think family is the people you love, does it really matter whose genes you actually have and whose name is on all the papers? Besides, normal is totally overrated."

[superego_medico]

The siblings look somehow unfazed by the story, considering their own, it should be understandable.

"Trust me," Ezra says "you are talking with the people most sympathetic with your opinion, even if don't ignore blood relations completely. Not to mention that you can guess what we think of our biological father."

Ezra closes the book that was still open in his lap.

"I think we should start now, if you guys don't have any objections."

Assuming no objections or any other problems they will head to the master suite, the room has a large bed and it is spacious enough to have sitting for everyone available. Temperance and Ezra sit on two large comfy chairs next to the bed and start the infusion process.

The infusion process is largely invisible to non-magical people. Franklyn shows a magic-seeing monocle to the sisters, it reveals a bright white halo around the mages, with a cone of light irradiating from Temps and Ezra to the general direction of Lucy.

The siblings talk for the first few hours but remain silent afterward, they start sweating despite the comfortable room temperature.

For anyone watching the process is rather boring and uneventful and anyone besides Lucy, Temps and Ezra can leave freely, Franklyn will fetch water and drinks for his siblings or the sisters if necessary.

How do the sisters spend the infusion time?

[can_i_go]

Lucy doesn't get a chance to get bored before she and Ann fall asleep, Lucy sitting up and Ann curled up with her head on her sister's lap.

[can_i_help]

Sabrina, on the other hand, realizes that she can get way ahead on her reading due to the time dilation.

Her reading consists of about half and half of schoolwork and a high fantasy book written by a person not yet born in the year 2010.

[mage_see_mage_do]

It is a little after the 11 hours and 30 minutes mark when the Grayson siblings stir from their sits.

Temperance stands with difficult, takes two steps and gently pokes Lucy's closest bit of exposed skin, she mumbles something and then says more clearly "Luck power" and that is all she manages before half-collapsing in the bed and sleeping next to the girls

Ezra is already sleeping.

[of_all_trades]

"Stubborn," Frankly says fondly to the sleeping Temperance.

He picks her up easily, the sisters might not have noticed before, but he is quite tall.

"She should rest for a few hours," Franklyn says to the sisters "after that we can inquire on the specifics, but Luck power sounds sweet enough already. I will just move my half-sibs and back to test it."

Franklyn does just that, Ezra doesn't even seem to notice he was carried.

"So," Franklyn says "how do you guys want to test..." he points theatrically at Lucy "your luck?"

[can_i_go]

"You're all shiny and pretty, that's so cute!" Lucy squeals.

[can_i_help]

"Focus, Lucy. Let's go back downstairs before we do anything else, there's not way this isn't getting loud."

[can_i_go]

"Ooh, tests! You know where you need luck? When you're throwing popcorn and catching it with your mouth."

[can_i_stay]

"That's... Actually a surprisingly sensible test, coming from you. Let's go get some popcorn. Franklyn, I'll assume you're coming with us?"

[of_all_trades]

"If you pay attention you still can see normal color," Franklyn explains to Lucy "it isn't actually sight. With time you will be able to see different colors, shades and patterns and learn what they mean."

Franklyn looks very perky, and he was never gloomy to begin with.

"Well," Franklyn says to Ann "it would be irresponsible of me to pass the popcorn testing opportunity. Purely for science, of course. We should take it to the backyard, thought, maybe a impromptu picnic?"

Assuming no objections or complications the group descends and gets a picnic supplies from the bar that come in a large basket, the popcorn is already inside.

Outside they go and look, is that a nice picnic spot by the lake? Sure it is! Franklyn sets the blanket and basket on the floor and offers the popcorn to Lucy.

[can_i_go]

Lucy hogs the whole tub of popcorn and starts throwing it in the air and catching it with her mouth. Unsurprisingly she does it effortlessly and doesn't miss even one. After about ten she pauses for a moment and then throws one towards the lake. It lands a good way from her, more than you'd expect but it still doesn't hit the lake.

"Aww, that didn't work. I wonder why."

She throws a few more popcorns into her mouth with a beautiful arch.

[of_all_trades]

"There is only so much you can do with luck," Franklyn says "or your power is experiencing some fluctuation, we should know better when Temps wake up. Meanwhile, you should try testing throwing it at other people's months, here, I dutifully offer myself!"

He opens his mouth wide and he is standing at least a dozen feet away. Hit or miss?

[can_i_go]

She throws the popcorn, but it ends up in his feet.

"I wonder if my power is broken? I don't want it to be broken."

[of_all_trades]

"Maybe it has a range limit," Franklyn says "or it doesn't feel like sharing popcorn."

Franklyn takes the monocle out of his pocket and looks through for a long moment, he takes a few steps to the side and then a step ahead.

"I think it is a range limit," he says "we should invert the test, someone throws the popcorn at you and you try to catch it with your mouth."

Any sister volunteer?

[can_i_stay]

Ann does! She takes the tub, but before any testing she shoves a few fistfuls into her mouth.