Infinite Consortium, Monday

[deathsmajesty]

There was something...off about the mirror Liliana received today. Artifacts were not her strong suit, of course, but she wasn't about the discount the uneasy feeling the mirror caused every time she passed it. The skin on her forearms prickled into goosebumps every time, and she swore the area around it was several degrees colder than the rest of the store. Every so often, she thought she spotted some kind of shadow within the depths. And, her least favorite, there was a persistent feeling of being watched.

At first, she assumed it was simply haunted. But a haunting would fall right in her bailiwick, and whatever this was did not. She narrowed her eyes at the silvered surface. "I don't know what you are," she said, "but if you try anything in my shop, I will wear your heart as a glove."

The mirror did not respond, but the watched feeling didn't abate and neither did Liliana's suspicions.

Malevolent Mirror (Probably)
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Comments

[single_man_tear]

Dean had left one of his books behind the counter a few weeks back — and, naturally, it was the one damn book he needed for one of the hunters calling in.

And, of course, it was an urgent call.

Dean shoved his way through the door, phone glued to his ear. "All right, Rodney! Just keep your pants on!"

He shot an eye-roll at Liliana, jerking his thumb at the phone as he made a beeline for the counter. But as he passed the mirror, he froze.

Was that a chill?

"Hey, Rodney, let me call you back... I don't know, just shoot at it and keep your ass hidden until then," he muttered, hanging up.

Dean glanced around, brow furrowing. "Is it cold in here, or is it just me?"

[deathsmajesty]

"It's not just you," Liliana said. "Is it cold in here everywhere? Or just in certain places, or...?"

Why yes, she was going to be scientific about this. She was a professional.

[single_man_tear]

Dean glanced around the room, then back at the store windows. No frosting. He opened his mouth and let out a small "Haaah," checking for any sign of his breath fogging up.

Look, this was about as scientific as Dean gets.

"Seems localized," he muttered, making a quick circuit of the store. (And yeah, he gave the chair a solid shove with his foot when it tried to rush him.)

But when he stopped in front of the mirror again, that familiar prickle ran down his neck, the hairs standing on end.

Dean squinted at his reflection.

Maybe he should just smash it now and save himself the trouble when whatever was lurking in there inevitably tried to make a grand entrance.

[deathsmajesty]

"Mmmm," Liliana nodded. "It's not haunted, but I'm not sure what it is. 'Not haunted' leaves a number of possibilities remaining."

[single_man_tear]

"Nobody has said anything about a woman named Bloody Mary recently have they?" Dean asked, dryly.

He sighed and started scratching the back of his neck. "If this is a problem I know some low grade sigils that might help. Nothing on your level of course. Or I could hop a portal and bury this thing someplace. I have a storage locker off island where I store some dangerous crap if you don't want in your secured area."

[deathsmajesty]

"Bloody Mary?" Liliana asked, saying her name for a second time. "What kind of name is Bloody Mary?"

Third time.

...The mirror just sat there, continuing to be a mirror. There was a name to be recited thrice, but it wasn't that of some third-rate teenage ghost.

[single_man_tear]

Look, third-rate teenage ghosts could be a real pain in the ass — especially if they were teenagers.

Dean immediately swiveled toward the mirror, eyes wide... and waited. After a beat, the tension in his shoulders eased, but not entirely.

"It's an urban myth. That was also very true," he muttered, stepping away from the mirror. You know, just in case. "Probably nothing to worry about."

Yeah. Dean wasn’t taking his eyes off that mirror.

[deathsmajesty]

"I suppose the easiest way to solve this mystery is by using the mirror," Liliana mused. "See what it does."

She was confident that she would be a match for anything that could be bound in a simple mirror.

[deathsmajesty]

"How does something feel apocalyptic?" Liliana asked, raising an eyebrow. "I've got three world-ending artifacts in the back and none of them feel like this. Certainly, you've never noticed."

[single_man_tear]

"Because you had them locked down in the back and I didn't have access to them," Dean reminded her. "And then when you did give me access to them, I gave the keys back to you because I should never have access to them."

Dean and apocalyptic things should never been in the same room. Ever.

"Plus none of the other stuff you brought in gave me creepy vibes. They might have tried to kill me but they didn't necessarily creep me out."

[deathsmajesty]

A lock was the least of the protections that Liliana had wreathed that area in. "That's what I mean," she said. "I'm trying to figure out what you mean by something feels apocalyptic."

She stood, making her way over to the mirror. "Feel like doing a bit of experimenting?"

[single_man_tear]

Dean of course took this completely the wrong way.

"Does it involve me dressing up like Little Red Riding Hood?"

[deathsmajesty]

Liliana just scoffed and walked over to the mirror, slapping her hand on it and imbuing it with mana. "How in the Abyss you survived to adulthood is beyond--ow!"

She snatched her hand away and discovered that her palm was bleeding; a fairly deep cut. "Vizuthim," she intoned, followed by, "Well, that answers that question. Dean, will you fetch me the first aid kit from the back room? I'm going to wash my hand." Plink plink plink, red drops hit the floor and she rolled her eyes. "Obnoxious," she declared and strode off to the bathroom in an aggravated swish of purple silks.