Page 1 of Dramatic AF
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~ Trick ~
“Trick!”
I lifted my hand in acknowledgment and stepped up to the counter to receive my iced Americano with a mumbled, “Thanks.”
That should have been the end of the transaction, but as I reached for the sweating cup on the counter, I realized the barista still had his hand wrapped around it.
“Interesting name,” the guy said, batting his lashes and giving me a flirtatious smile. “Nickname? Or is it short for something?”
I swallowed back a sigh. It wasn’t the first time I had been asked, and I doubted it would be the last. Most people didn’t mean any harm, but it still annoyed the hell out of me.
“No.”
Politeness dictated I offer an explanation or maybe soften the rebuttal with a mirrored smile. I did neither. Prying my drink from his fingers, I took my coffee and headed for the exit.
Only a week remained until the official end of summer, but no one would know it by the weather. Despite the wall of gray that blanketed the skies over Circle City, daytime temperatures remained scorching, while the nights were saturated with oppressive humidity.
Traveling the sidewalks around the plaza, I squinted against the glare of sunlight that broke through the cloud cover to glint off street signs and parked cars. A thin layer of perspiration beaded across my brow and the back of my neck, and my cotton tee felt heavy and limp as it absorbed the moisture in the air.
I had just paused at the corner, waiting for the crosswalk light to flash green, when my cell phone chimed with the distinct sound of a new MNSTR notification. A crooked grin curved my lips, and I retrieved the device from the front pocket of my cargo shorts to check the screen.
New Task Request!
While not my main source of income, the side gig with the Magical Network of Specialized Task Resources did ease some of the burden. The work was easy, the pay good, and the split with MNSTR fair, which made me look forward to new requests rather than dread them.
And with rent due in just a few days, the notification couldn’t have come at a better time.
The light turned, and I crossed the street, finding a spot out of the way of pedestrian traffic beneath the awning of a nearby pizzeria. With school now back in session and people settling into their new routines, the plaza felt surprisingly empty for that time of morning, but I still didn’t want to bethatguy.
Some of my initial excitement faded when I pulled up the request and saw it had been sent by anonymous user. Granted, I didn’t need to know the client’s name or anything else about them to complete the job.
Still, hiding behind a screen while ordering a low-level hex on some unsuspecting soul just felt wrong.
Coward.
Not that I had any room to judge.
I knew full well my particular specialty fell into a sort of morally ambiguous area. That didn’t mean I lacked principles, though. While the line I drew might be somewhat slanted, I did have rules when it came to deciding which jobs to accept.
I didn’t touch anything that involved kids, and I didn’t use my magic to hurt people.
And yes, some might consider that the bare fucking minimum of being a decent human being, but whatever. I had never claimed to be a good person.
Bringing up the attached file, I skimmed the request details, relaxing a little when nothing raised any immediate alarm bells. The target was a stage actor at the Circle City Theater, the lead in a new production scheduled to open in a few weeks.
The user wanted a basic curse, something that would prevent the target from performing in the play, though they hadn’t asked for anything specific. They also hadn’t included any information about themselves or why they wanted this person hexed, but that didn’t really surprise me.
Honestly, it was a pretty basic request, and I already had a couple of possibilities in mind that wouldn’t cause any physical harm or lasting damage.
A muting curse that stole his voice—like magical laryngitis—could work, but it would be temporary, and it wouldn’t necessarily prevent him from rehearsing. A memory hex, on the other hand, would be much more impactful, ensuring he forgot his lines, the choreography, rehearsal times, and so on.
Other than the anonymity of the user, I didn’t notice any other red flags, and frankly, I could use the cash.
I accepted the request and popped off an in-app message to the client.
TRICK:This is your task agent, Trick Wyrin. Based on your request, I believe a memory hex would be most effective. Are you agreeable?
