Sell you a Bridge chapter 21

The next morning found me pretty well rested. I got a text from  Gentleman Ghost (who insisted we call him Jim in public) about our  meeting which he said would take place at noon at an address he  provided. He also mentioned I should bring Reggie, since he would be our  third team member and we would be picking up gear for the heist. I  texted Reggie and Arty about it and then went about my morning routine.  First was my ninja lessons, a particularly interesting skill that  enabled me to blend my shadow meld and waterwalking to actually move as a  shadow, albeit fairly slowly.

After  I drank my shake I sat down and checked my email. I had twenty four  points. The fourteen left over from the Dehumanization Draft and another  ten from yesterday. I looked through my emails for something to bump up  my finances a bit for this little outing and I finally came upon  something good. I spent twenty points on an email from a Nigerian  prince, asking me for a hundred thousand dollars in exchange for ten  million back. Much like with the condos the money was magically  withdrawn from my bank account, but the extra ten million was  immediately deposited into my bank. I winced at my low point value, but  I'd get another five at noon and I was positive nine would be enough for  the heist later tonight.

Once  I finished that I started going through my list of emails to make a  future wish list. I found some brain enhancement pills first. Sadly the  ones I could afford  any time soon only improved memory for twenty five  points. I pulled out a pen and paper and wrote the name of the email and  the point value. Before I could find the next thing to list though I  heard a knock at the door. I slipped the paper into the desk mom had  bought to put my computer on. She'd done some furniture shopping  yesterday when I'd been at school. Then I closed my email, shut off the  monitor for my computer and headed to answer the door, making sure to  walk in absolute silence.

I  looked through the peep hole and sighed in relief, opening the door. It  was Artemis, who had an eyebrow raised at my appearance. "Did you just  wake up? Must be nice to sleep in, my dad trained me to get up at  sunrise." She shoved some things into my hands and strolled past. It was  some kind of breakfast sandwich made from a bagel, with sausage and  cheese one it and a cold drink. "Guess your mom isn't home, that sucks I  was hoping to say hi." She was already eating her own sandwich, as well  as slurping down a frozen coffee drink I recognized as both a  frappuccino and the same thing I was holding.

I  took a long sip and sighed happily. "First off, yes I just woke up.  Second, thank you for the food and drink. Third no she's not home." I  yawned loudly still pretty tired, I took another long pull of the coffee  to wake me up a bit. "So what brings you here besides bringing me a  delicious breakfast. I figured we would meet at the address Jim texted  us. I have to say I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of secret  identity a floating top hat on top of a spectral suit could have. I feel  like it'll involve those joke glasses with a fake nose and a mustache  attached." If he had a regular name chances are he had some magical way  to blend in but it was still fun to imagine.

Artemis  snorted, then winced because she'd gotten frozen drink up her nose, and  started half coughing half laughing, clutching her head in pain from  the brain freeze as she sputtered. She coughed and laughed for a bit,  bent over with her knees on her hands then her laughs turned into a  glare that she leveled at me "Ok, ow. Don't do that. Also I'm so telling  him you said that." I just shrugged, he would probably laugh about it  too. She just rolled her eyes at my lack of concern "And I just figured  we could hang out before we head down there. Last Saturday was our bank  trip, and this Saturday is going to be busy as hell. We both deserved a  chance to relax."

She  wasn't wrong either. Today was going to be exhausting. Between buying  supplies and actually breaking into Shadowcrest there was so much riding  on this. Spending time with my best friend sounded like a blast. We sat  down to watch TV and ended up flipping to HBO (my mom had gone kind of  crazy on premium channels when ordering the cable, which had also been  delivered) where we watched Eurotrip. The movie was hilarious and  cracked us up and by the time it ended it was time for us to head out to  meet the others. We both felt more relaxed after a good laugh and we  called a cab to head down to rondevoux Jim and Reggie.

Reggie  was waiting when we got there, looking both excited and nervous. When  he saw us he broke into a broad smile and started waving "Artemis!  Morgan! Hey guys. Thanks for the call. You said you got us an expert to  help out with the heist? That's pretty amazing. I really appreciate all  you guys have done for me, seriously I'll never forget this. So who is  our mysterious benefactor and is he someone I've heard of?" He seemed  almost manic in his intensity, like he was torn on whether to be  terrified for tonight or if it would be the best night of his life.

This  time, when the sardonic British voice cut in, I didn't jump. "I do hope  not my dear boy, no proper second story man should wish to be in the  public eye. As for my identity, for today you may call me Jim." We all  turned to see Gentleman Ghost. Or rather, to see Jim. Jim who was not a  Ghost, or invisible. The top hat was still there, along with the cape,  but both they and the suit were pitch black instead of white. He held a  cane with a gold skull atop it and had blonde side burns and a blonde  mustache. He looked like a Victorian gentleman.

Of  course, that didn't draw too much attention for his formal dress, this  was Gotham, I'd seen people walking through downtown in full body Elmo  costumes. Still I had to give him credit, he'd surprised me again. His  mustache twitched as he smiled, taking in my look of shock. "Oh-ho, you  thought I passed my days as merely a specter in a suit? Hardly. My name  is Jim Craddock, I'd tell you not to spread it around but anyone of  consequence knows my identity already, even if they can't exactly prove  the link. That's what happens when you've been dead for a few decades."

I  was glad I wasn't drinking that frappuccino anymore or I might have  been the one to cough up icy beverage. Jim turned to regard Reggie "Now,  your friends have weighed in on your behalf and asked I extend the  offer to you they have already accepted." He lowered his voice until it  seemed to carry on the breeze rather than issue from his mouth, and I  wondered if it was some kind of magic to obfuscate from prying ears. "My  nomme de guerre is Gentleman Ghost, and I have accepted Artemis and  Morgan as my pupils. Should you wish it I can train you as a team. Do  you accept?"

I  was pretty sure he would say yes. Reggie's family was suffering since  his dad died, poor and looked down on by their former friends. He had a  chance to turn that around now. This one off heist might fix his issues  with the Court of Owls but it wouldn't fix his financial problems.  Reggie was a straightforward guy, I could see it on his face as he  considered the potential benefits of this career path, money, prestige,  all the respect he'd lost when his family lost everything. He swallowed  heavily and then with a slow nod, he accepted. "I...think I'd like that.  Yeah. I'm in. But how will we explain all our money from the stealing  thing?"

Jim  merely laughed and waved off the comment "No need to worry dear boy,  money laundering is a key skill for a thief. I'll teach you to clean  your money so well the treasury will ask you for tips. Now,we're here to  peruse the wares of a powerful sorceress, so be respectful. She can be  of great assistance to you in the future should she take a shine to you.  Madame Xanadu is older than I am and well known for her neutrality. Her  shop caters to both legal and extra-legal clientele and she treats them  all the same. Regardless of your origins should you offend her a  terrible curse would be your lightest penalty."

We  entered the shop, which to be honest seemed a bit out of place here was  intensely interesting. Hokus and Pokus Occult Curioso was a small shop  with the windows papered with occult postings like palm reading signs  and the all seeing eye and some mystical symbols I didn't even  recognize. The place seemed very much like any random New Age shop, and i  couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "Not to be indelicate but Chinatown  doesn't seem like it would be the place to open a new age crystal  medicine type store. Why did she choose to put it here? Asking now so I  don't offend by bringing up a sore subject or anything."

Jim  chuckled "An intelligent precaution but unnecessary, Madame Xanadu's  store is a nexus, it exists in many places at once. This particular  iteration arose from her love of the nearby magical community. Madame  Xanadu spent several years in Kublai Khan's court, hence her title. Some  even avail themselves of her abilities with space to travel through the  shop's entrances, bypassing potentially hundreds of miles with a few  steps. Though that particular service is one offered only to her premium  clients."

We  stepped through the shop door and into what seemed like another world.  The shop was hazy, and very cramped. Neatly labeled and stacked glass  jars on the walls and various knick knacks and curiosities in glass  fronted store counters lining the sides of the place. Despite seeming so  crowded by the various bric-a-brac the shop was clearly bigger on the  inside than it had seemed from the street, and the pink smoke that hazed  the air smelled...maddeningly intriguing, though I couldn't put my  finger on an exact scent because it seemed to change slightly all the  time.

Jim  inhaled with a peaceful sigh "Oh it is so nice to be back. I adore the  atmosphere of this establishment. Now, come along children, we have a  few necessities we need to acquire. Specialized tools for our little  escapade as well as replacements for some of my more esoteric trinkets  that I fear may be too worn down to make it through such an impressive  set of defenses." He strolled into the place with casual confidence  easily navigating the tables packed with unusual objects spaced out  between the counters, creating aisles to walk though.

He  stopped in front of one such table and picked up a black wooden box  with a gold skeletal hand inlaid. "Ah, a hand of glory, perfect. Mine is  almost burnt out." He popped the box open and then wrinkled his nose  and slammed it shut. "A bit fresh. Preservation enchantment I imagine.  Still, that should make tonight's caper much easier." He started rifling  through the objects, pulling out a new one here or there before finally  deciding he'd gotten enough. He explained what each item was to us as  he searched, not a detailed summary but a name and sometimes a quick  tidbit of information. Finally when he finished he took us up to the  register, to meet Madame Xanadu.