Shinra was alone in his small room. He was stuffed from the meal he’d had with WIntersbane, but was glad to be home. Wintersbane and the Sheriff's office had pulled some strings to get him into the Officer’s Barracks, which was a fancy term for ‘crumbling, old, dormitory’. The room was much smaller than his hovel in the Zombie village, but it had everything he needed: a bed, small bookcase, night table, and a writing desk. The furniture was all old and used, but he didn’t mind. He even had a window! Though it looked out to the bricks of the next building, 4 stories up.‘I went from murder suspect to Deputy Sheriff pretty fast. I’m not in jail, but I’m still surrounded by law enforcement… and I sleep in a tiny room.’ He smiled. The irony wasn’t lost on him, but he also viewed it as an opportunity. ‘I can learn about the worst mages in the city doing this job, and the ones who get away with their crimes.’Not to mention, he might even learn the layouts of their homes, and their

The streets of Tardel in the late evening gloom were filled with the types of mages you didn't notice during the daylight hours. Men and women in tattered robes, carrying all their belongings wrapped up in sacks, singing bawdy songs at the top of their lungs, and begging for change or asking for food. It was a reminder that even with overwhelming gifts, humans could all fall.  Except for their robes and magical auras, they would be mistaken for the most wretched of Zombies.Tardel was a harsh Empire, and the Capital city was harsher yet, Shinra knew that it was a dangerous time to be out on the streets without magic.  The veneer of civilization that mages pretended to have could drop away quickly in the anonymity of the darkened streets.  As a Deputy 1st Class, Shinra shouldn’t be worried as he navigated the streets, but he’d left his badge, and any other identifying items, behin

 “Woah!” was all the young man said. That is how it started for her.  Loren was working on her personal vineyard, trying to create micro environments for each row of grapes. This would allow her to release several versions of her famous ice wine in the same year, instead of a 3 or 4 year cycle.  The magic was more complex than she thought at first, and she had been working away at the problem for weeks now.“If only these weaves didn’t intersect here….” she mumbled, still oblivious to the man who was now beside her.  He stared up in rapt attention, attuned enough to see the outlines of the spells she was constructing.“I need to check my notes,” she said, making a twisting motion with her one hand that corresponded to a complex series of knotting and tying off of the weaves she had bee

Dave was not having a great night. He had thought to drown his sorrows from the disappointment of Shinra being promoted, by asking Hannah to go with him to a members only club that his family had acquired access to for him. Things didn't go as planned.She had said, "maybe". He had tried to explain that the club was private and she wouldn't be able to get in without him, and she just smiled blandly and replied, "We'll see. I might show up later".It turns out, faint hope is worse than a no. Dave drank himself into a stupor. Alone. The private club, The Red Disk, arranged an escort home for him. It wouldn't have been good for them to have a client spend the entire night.You would think that Dave would have fallen deeply asleep as soon as he made it to his small but comfortable apartment, but the night air had aroused him enough for him to again feel the shame of being stood up by Hannah, his disappointment and not being promoted and his anger at that little shit zombie. He banged a

"It is with a heavy heart that we tell you that one of your own, Deputy Dave, of the Shadeleaf family, has died," Captain Spars said. He looked at everyone in the Deputy Bullpen before continuing."I won't downplay this, it is bad. Dave was murdered." The room was filled with sharp intakes of breath and a few gasps. No one expected this when they arrived at work today. Well, no one except Shinra, who also made a short gasp sound to blend in.'I guess someone was sent to check on him after he was a no show at work yesterday,' he thought."We are about to have a general assembly with all the Sheriffs under my command, but I wanted to tell you all first, as he was your comrade."A few hands were raised up, and Captain Spars nodded towards Hannah, who looked calm, though her raised arm trembled slightly."Captain. Will you share the details of the crime with us, and will we be participating in the investigation?" She asked."Deputy Hannah. I will share more details in the general a