On the Origin of Magics

Chapter 6 - Need for Green

Her head pounded as she made her way out the door. Had she really had that much to drink last night? She kept on pondering what she'd done to deserve her torment as she stumbled through the corridor.
She came upon the door and out of habit read the name written on it. 'Gilligan Blood'. The name made her face tense up every time she saw it. She'd spent hour upon hour secretly trying to uncover anything about his past, but for all her effort every try came to a halt at that name. It was all she had to go on but she simply couldn't find anything. And not being able to find things was something Theresa's pride wouldn't stand for. Her uncanny ability to find anything was the reason she got into the private eye business in the first place.
When her irritation passed she read the piece of paper beneath it which seemed to change almost every week. 'Challenger of the Unknown' was his choice this time. She suspected he just changed his title either to fit whatever he was up to at the moment. Or to whatever he thought was funny, like this weeks little tidbit. She'd never asked him about it. By the time she picked up on it she'd already found out what a whimsical person he could be. This was one of the quirks she actually enjoyed. She just couldn't figure out how he was making a living this way.

Theresa entered the room without knocking only to find her friend readily awaiting her with freshly brewed coffee. Too tired to question how he did it she simply took her own cup and sat down on the floor.

"Morning, Tess!" he said, with just a bit too much gusto for her hungover head.

"Mornin', Gil." She took a few breaths and thought about last night. Thinking back on it he hadn't actually had more than a few drinks. The rest of the time he'd been having soda. Feeling stupid about her own predicament she abandoned the subject. It was time to say the words that had gone unsaid.

"I've missed you, you know."

"I've missed you too." His eyes were sincere.

"Where were you?"

"South of Cadence."

"Cadence?"

"Uh-huh. The Deserts to be exact."

"But why? Did you go all the way to Caden for a year on a whim? For what? Vacation?" She was more agitated than she'd meant to be. Her agonised state wasn't helping her control her mood.

"A friend needed some help. I didn't have a choice." A shadow of sadness flew over his face and disappeared. "I'm sorry. I can't tell you more."

"Why not? Am not I your friend?" She felt he was truly sorry but couldn't help but feel wounded. Didn't he trust her? He was one of the most important people in her life and he didn't even trust her? As if he'd read her mind he answered her real question.

"It's not that I don't trust you. I trust you more than I've dared trust anyone in a long time. That's exactly why I can't tell you. Not now. Maybe I will be able to someday, but for now, let me keep my secrets. Please." Theresa teared up as he spoke. There was something in his eyes. Like one will fighting another. He looked at war with himself. All feelings of anger left her.

"It's okay." Her voice trembled. Hoping to ease a pain she wasn't sure existed she granted his wish. "I'll wait. You can tell me what happened some day. I have time."

"Thank you, Theresa. Thank you. And again: I'm sorry." A sad smile stretched across his face. To stop her eyes from tearing up again, Tess decided to change the subject.

"So! You up for a pizza and video game marathon?"

"You bet I am!" This time a true smile lit his face. Her Gil was back.


By the time she got back to her apartment it was already late at night, but business had been slow lately so when she saw an envelope with the word 'Request' written on it taped to her front door she didn't hesitate. She ripped it off the door and brought it to her desk before opening it. It was a simple white envelope with text in simple black letters and upon ripping it open she extracted a short, simple white letter with simple black writing.


To: Ms. Theresa Stone, Private Investigator

Dear Ms. Stone.
My name is Rupert Green and I am the representative of a well known company. We've come into a spot of trouble and are in great need of a discreet private investigator. If you decide that you fit the description then we'd love to see you tomorrow evening for a job interview.

Sincerely, Rupert Green


Attached to the letter was a small card with a time and an address.


6:00 P.M.
78 Kote Road


"Another bloody mystery." she noted to herself. At least the adress wasn't too far away from where she lived, so it couldn't hurt to check it out. The truth of the matter was that the proud detective in her couldn't possibly leave a riddle like this alone that easily. Neither could the struggling young woman in her possibly let a potential paycheck pass by that easily. "Sure." she thought. "I can be as discreet as you want me to be."