"Zahrah...this is my only room.  This is where I live.  Other people live in the other apartments in this building."

Zahrah looked askew at Stephanie, to see if she was playing a prank on her. It did not seem to be the case though, so she tried to puzzle it out, until a thought came to her. "You are not a sorceress, Mistress." She said this in a matter-of-fact tone, perhaps with the slightest hint of relief, not in a voice accusatory.

The translation box had been what had given her the mistaken idea. But putting together what she saw on her walk from yesterday and through the museum today, she had seen many people with those little boxes. If they were all sorcerers, and it would be a vast percentage of society from what she had seen, then surely jinn would be better known too. But Stephanie did not know what to make of things when she opened her bottle. So, perhaps sorcerers were as rare as they had always been. That was good news, since it was on less thing she would have to far.

Likewise, since Stephanie wanted her to stay hidden, or at last unrecognized, it was not because she worried about theft from another sorcerer, but just from more mundane sources. Again, this was something to put Zahrah's mind at rest. Some humans could be clever, but most were easily tricked, especially if they did not know to look for something.

"Do you wish for this tower to be your home alone, Mistress? Shall this one serve you in that task?" she asked, coming back to the topic at hand.

A little confused, "No...I'm not a sorceress.  In fact, I cannot think of anybody that is.  Like...ever.  Maybe that Crowley guy.  But no, I don't want to take over more of the apartments...I couldn't afford it.  This is my apartment.  It is small, but I like it."  She nods as she looks around.

Then, with a little shock, "Oh...somebody else owns the building.  I rent an apartment and they allow me to live here as long as I pay for it...monthly."  She sits down on the coach.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:15, Fri 18 June 2021.

"Is this Crowley someone at the museum?" she asked. While she had been out of her bottle during several of his Middle Eastern excursions, he had not made enough of an impact on the region to have come to her attention, especially when some of her masters preferred to limit her access to outside people and events.

"If you wish for it, then it costs you nothing, Mistress," Zahrah pointed out about the building, but she did not press the issue beyond that. Stephanie was being cautious with her wishes, she could see, or perhaps she really did enjoy living in such a small place. That was an odd thought- Zahrah's home could be considered her bottle, but it was not the same thing at all.

"But if this is what you desire, then perhaps I can serve you in a different manner. How shall I please you?"

Pulling out her phone, Stephanie types a little and starts to read. "Aleister Crowley; born Edward Alexander Crowley; 12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, painter, novelist, and mountaineer. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the prophet entrusted with guiding humanity into the Æon of Horus in the early 20th century. A prolific writer, he published widely over the course of his life. If you don't know who he is, I bet he may have been more of a charlatan than anything."  She shrugs.

***

"I'm starting to realize how powerful you really are."  She looks at you for a second, and shakes her head, "No...I don't want the building.  But I have been thinking about something.  Could you help me with somebody?"  She flops down on the couch.

"Any man who claims to found a religion is a charlatan," Zahrah stated.  "A true religion is begun by the one far above both human and jinn. That you do not know this Crowley suggests his Thelema was no more than a cult that ha passed away." She frowned. "A sorcerer should know better, but they are also the ones to have the power to sway those who listen to belief... and often that does not preclude them from believing their own tales."

She looked on, confuzzled, when Stephanie pulled out her phone again, and used it for a different purpose this time. "What is that, Mistress? I saw people talking to them, and even more watching and poking them. You have used it to speak to me, and now to learn the unknown. But it is not enchanted?"

***
She smiled ruefully, "I have but little power compared to many of my kind. Still, what little this one has is yours to command, Mistress. If not the building, then tell me of this person. Do you want me to execute them, or have them love you? One is far easier than the other."

"Ahh...yeah...this is a cell phone.  It allows me to connect to others with any type of phone and talk to them.  It allows me to connect to the Internet and look up information."  She stops for a minute, "OK...you remember when you walked about the museum and saw all those things...well there are people that have written information to share about those things and put them up on the Internet.  The Internet is a whole bunch of computers connected together to share.  How do I relate this...  OK...you know maps, and books, and even maybe seen an adding machine?  She pantomimes typing and pulling a lever.

***

He eyes go big for a minute and then she relaxes, "I wouldn't say love...."

[OOC]
I hope to threads here is OK.

Zahrah furrowed her brow, trying to take in the explanation and the unfamiliar words. Like wish the word Nazi, a definition came with each, but it was not the same as fully understanding, and she tried to correlate it with what she did comprehend as much as possible.
Phone = talking to others at a distance. That was easy enough to understand, since she had heard of phones during her last servitude and had already correlated it to being a type of radio. Some of the other words were harder to connect, but she made the attempt. "A radio for voice, a telegraph for words, and an abacus for computing all in one? With pictures? That is quite marvelous," she replied.

She did not ask how it worked, since that was far less important than what it was. After all, she did not envision having or needing to use one for herself, and if commanded to fetch one for a future master, knowing what it was would b all that was important.


***
Zahrah was relieved that it was not an execution. Those were easy enough, perhaps the third easiest wish to grant, but she hated doing them. But it was not love she wanted either either. So, sex it was. "A male concubine is what you desire, Mistress? Just one, or a harem, of sorts?"



(ooc)
The is no concern with the threads breaking off. I have been in games where conversations sometimes necessitated multiple breaks, with earlier parts at times negating or invalidating later branches. *L* So, as long as we just keep the time and order clear, it should be fine.

She adds the term "smart phone" to the conversation, but says you've got it and she couldn't tell you how they all worked either.  She makes a promise to help you in this new age and seems a little excited when she talks about showing "microwave popcorn".

***

When you talk about a "harem" she get physically uncomfortable.  "No...just one person and I barely know him.  But he makes me laugh and maybe there is a spark...I'm not sure...I haven't had many relationships and I've never been good at them.  I've always had my schooling and work and sometimes I'm away all day for days when some new items arrive and we need to adjust the exhibits.  I'm not even sure I could get to know him...we are different and that could be a big barrier in this case.  I'm not even sure how to talk to him...get it attention...could we even go for coffee?  A movie?  Ahhhh!"  She was talking very quickly at the end there.  She flops her head on the back of the couch.

Her enthusiasm was infectious, and Zahrah looked forward to trying this delicacy. Of course, she had no need to eat- a very good trait to possess when one may be stuck inside a bottle for a few hundred years- but that did not prevent her from enjoying the experiences and flavors. This sounded to be a varied one, as Zahrah listened to her discuss the potential.

Likewise, she listened when Stephanie discusses her desires. This would not be an easy one, not at all. Zahrah might be considerably older, but she had less experience in these matters. Just as problematic was that her view on these matters was neither Western nor modern. But the biggest problem of all was that her view was not even human. Her view was that of a bound djinn, and the only important thing was to accomplish the end result. The means did not matter, and even the intentions or feelings of those involved was secondary. Kidnapping this person and keeping him prisoner until Stockholm Syndrome set in was just as viable a method as attempting to foster true love, depending on how a wish was phrased.

Still, Zahrah did not possess a desire to hurt humans if it could be avoided. So, she began formulating other ideas. And she felt it prudent to discuss this with her Mistress. "So it is love you desire? It is not an uncommon wish- sex or love is one of the three most frequent wishes. However, except for engendering fear, few jinn have the capability to simply alter the minds of another, so I cannot simply make him fall in love with you. Other methods must be brought to bar. Who is this man and how is he so different that it is a barrier?"

The more she knew, the more she could formulate a plan. At the moment she considered the options. The first option being impersonating Stephanie to make him fall in love with herself as Stephanie, then having the real Stephanie step in. The second option would be making Stephanie as desirable as possible- rich and important- so that any man would want to possess her. The third option was making his life as miserable as possible at all moments he was not with Stephanie, until he realized that his only moments of peace and happiness were when she was with him. There were other options, but her limited thinking focused on these three at the moment.

"I don't know that I love him.  But I know I like what I've seen now, have maybe picked up that he liked me too.  But we've only met and talked about three times now.  He is a friend of a friend and I would need more time to know.  But it is not going to be easy to get to know him...as he runs in.  Getting his attention and then being able to talk to him is where I need help.  As to who he is...ahh."  She slumps a little as she is sitting there.

She grabs Chicago Magazine from the table and flips open to a page that says "Interceptor-X, Chicago's Comet!"

Zahrah looked at the magazine, and studied the curious picture of this Interceptor Comet. She had heard talk of such things, but was not certain if they were real or a stories. This article suggested it was so though. If this was real, things had become much harder, and one thing she did not like was hard mental work. Physical work was not a concern, but mental work, she did not care to focus for that long. She was task-oriented, but with a brain of air and smoke, longer term planning was not her forte.

She read the article, trying to learn as much as she could about this person. If it was as hard as she thought it could be, she could either dissuade Stephanie, or do nothing if she preferred. After all, a wish had not been made. She did not respond until she finished the article, and then she asked, "What do you know about him?"


(ooc)
I do not see anything about Interceptor-X in the game notice threads, so whatever she can learn from the article would be useful to know.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:46, Fri 25 June 2021.

[OOC: See the thread Mindstrike - The Beginnings of a Team thread. Mindstrike joined the fight around Message 50. link to a message in this game]

[OOC]
The article compares the two, does a short history of both, and strings together a few statements from Interceptor-X to get a better picture of him.

[IC]
As you start reading, Stephanie makes dinner.  It is just a vegetable stir-fry, which she offers to Zahrah.

"He seems funny.  He talked directly to me, instead of talking around me, as many men can do.  I have no idea what he looks like, but I guess he is a smidgen tall than me and slim.  Oh...he likes Indian food.  He smelled it when he came in one of the times prior to the theft...when he was asked to come in by Dr. Boralis.  I don't know how they know each other.  Dr. Boralias is the Exhibit Supervisor for the museum (moving, setup/breakdown, on-floor security)."

Zahrah takes a moment from the article to ask Stephanie if she would like her to prepare her Mistress' dinner for her. It was her role to serve, after all, although she did not know how to prepare that particular dish. Likely she would be turned down, both for that reason and because Stephanie wanted her to read the article, but she would be remiss if she did not ask.

When she did finish the article, she made some conclusions. These were not sorcerers, if what Stephanie had said earlier was to be believed, although they had abilities quite unlike most humans. This was rare, but not unknown to her. Zarqāʾ al-Yamāma of Jadīs had exceptional abilities, for instance, at least until they ripped out her eyes and crucified her. And Zahrah had no doubt people still told stories of Gilgamesh. So this Comet and this Interceptor-X were similar in mature.

She would try some of the stir fry when offered, but just a taste to savor the experience of it, since she did not have to eat. And she would discuss the subject at hand. "You think he has an interest, which makes it easier, since we must just bring you together to see if you both desire to be married. I assume you have no family. Does Dr. Boralis know of his family?"

"Yes, I think I do.  I think it is too early for marriage talk.  I would like to get to know him first.  I've never thought to ask Dr. Boralis what he knows.  I think I can do that.  I would like to ask him to introduce us...too much for work and it could stress their relationship.  Any other ideas?  I seem to be smart, but don't have the simple sense to do the simple things."  She smiles at that thought.
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 20:38, Wed 30 June 2021.

Stephanie was making no sense now. The meeting was not for love nor sex, and not to determine marriage suitability. And it was also not to suggest working together. What other reason would this human have for meeting this man? To get to know him? The article tells all about him. What more did she need? Zahrah supposed though, that it did not matter. It was something her Mistress wanted, so that was really all that mattered.

"If Dr. Boralis can tell you of his family, that simplifies things. Also ask him which tower is Comet's home, or where he holds court. If we know any of that, I will go there and bring him to speak to you wherever you wish. Should that not be enough, then I will find a way to have him come to me, and then send him to you."

"I'm sorry...I keep forgetting you are not human...I'm sorry."  Her face shifts to a pained look and she seems to look off at nothing.

While true, Stephanie's response seemed like a non sequitur to what Zahrah had stated, confusing her even more. Perhaps it was that Stephanie had no family? So she asked gently, "Mistress, do you wish me to speak to Dr. Boralis for you and gather this information?"

"No...that isn't what I mean."  She pauses and thinks for a second.

"I keep forgetting you are not human...some of your ideas are 'old', but they come from you view.  You can live forever for god sakes.  How can we understand each other.  And you have power...power that I don't understand and I know I can't control. <hehe>  I was worried about others finding you and I should have been thinking about myself.  I just talked to you like you could help me with boy trouble and you looked at it like a mission.  Cold"  You can see she is struggling with something.

Zahrah thought she understood what Stephanie was trying to say, at least most of it. So she tried to reassure her. "Your wish is my command, Mistress. So you do control my power, because you command me. Your desires are my desires. You may think of me, but my only thoughts are of pleasing you. If you want this boy, I will bring you this boy."

He look is worried...a little sad.  "You seem so trapped," is the only thing she says.

"When what you want doesn’t happen, learn to want what does," Zahrah replied. "My bottle is a prison, but it also is my certainty. My purpose is unquestioned. My task is given. In that, my freedom is greater than most. Do you know of any other who knows what the purpose for their life is to be? Do not most seek something that their minds cannot even envision? Your desires are mine, your joys are mine, but your doubts and worries of life and death are things that are never to be mine again."

"When you say 'be mine again'...you mean from before the pact?  Before the bottle?"

"Yes," she replied, then paused a moment, realizing she had given Stephanie a misconception. "Perhaps that is too strong a statement. I can have doubts or worries, as can any other, if I choose to have them. It is of my purpose that I will never have such concerns. That is the freedom I speak of. But even the more trivial of worries, rarely is such a thing an affliction of my spirit. Temporal concerns fade into eternity. Material needs are non-existent. Save for a sorcerer, there is little that can threaten me. So I can devote myself fully to your needs Mistress."

What Zahrah said now she believed to be truth, but it was not wholly true. For instance, she had been alarmed when Stephanie had sealed her in her bottle, so it was not always a case of choosing to be worried of things or not. But what she said felt like it was correct, for what she could remember and think about in this moment. So for her djinni mind of smoke, it was true enough. Humans might think differently on this point, but they were hard to understand at the best of times.