For lilorphanmaggie - Take Your Daughter To Work Day

[dresdenforhire]

When you're a wizard that used to be on retainer with the Chicago PD you don't get called in for the fun cases. It's never, "Dresden, someone has delivered a bunch of cute puppies at the all you can eat buffet during a supermodel luncheon and we need you to investigate". No, it's always something that's gone really horrible. Not just weird but usually violent and gory. When that happens I put on my wizard hat and go earn my paycheck. Only I don't actually have a hate. Well, I do but it's a Cubs hat so not really all that magical.

I haven't been on retainer with the Chicago PD for a while, though that doesn't mean I still don't get asked to look at cases on the down low. The down low comes with considerably less cash but as the Winter Knight I don't have the cash flow problem I used to have. It's not exactly a job but seeing as how Mab shudders at the idea of her Knight being homeless and half starved unless it's because she wants them to be I get something of a stipend. I'm not sure what the limit is because my needs are pretty simple. Clothes, a vehicle, and a place to heat up SpaghettiOs on the stove.

I kind of wish I'd forgone the SpaghettiOs this time though since the scene was a particularly gruesome one. A lot of people don't know how much mass a human body has, especially when you spread it all out. And someone spread these bodies out all over the 16th hole of a golf course in the suburbs. I feel bad for the foursome that was the first to run into it because they clearly didn't know what they'd found until they'd taken several steps into the muck.

The police wouldn't have even had any way to identify the victims until DNA came back except they found a few phones among the remains. They hadn't given me the names exactly but I just happened to overhear what they were saying when I'd planted a magical bug (it was spider) by the command tent that relayed what they were saying. I'd recognized the names instantly as a gang of magical bullies that lived in the surrounding areas. Kind of like the Alphas only the opposite. The Omegas maybe? Bad Alphas? Assholes? Yeah, I was going to go with the Assholes. They were small time, too small time to ping the White Council but still trouble. Not so much trouble that they deserved whatever happened to them. I can think of only a few people that I'd wish a fate like that on and even then I'd feel a bit bad about it.

I needed to find out if everyone in the Assholes had been killed though but I wasn't exactly sure where they'd go to ground after this. People tended to not be particularly open when talking to the Winter Knight/Warden/Rogue Wizard/Me. Fortunately I knew someone that just might know something like that.

I had one of the members of the Za-Lords army send a quick message to Molly (I refused to think of her as the Winter Lady because she deserved to be remembered as a person) and asked her to phone my daughter. Cell phones don't play very nice with me but Molly and Maggie can handle them just fine. Once that was done I headed to Mac's to have a drink and wait for Maggie to show up, assuming she would.

We had a complicated relationship. Really complicated. If they could keep the cameras from exploding we would have been on the E! network with the Kardashians. But I loved her more than she might ever understand, even if I was terrible about showing it, and hoped that she wouldn't resent me for asking her to come along. Selfishly I hoped she would take it as a sign of faith that I thought she could handle this sort of thing.

Comments

[lilorphanmaggie]

Grapefruit is the creepy uncle of the citrus world.

"Ahhhh," there is a look between Harry and the skull and then back at Harry and finally to the tangerine. "Well, thankfully I am expendable, so it's all good." Putting the remaining tangerine down she wipes residue from her fingers on to shorts before checking the time.

"Yeah, I think I can manage a trip to find Margot. I mean it would be a real shame if she were busted for doing black magic and I wasn't there to see it." Going back to the fruit Margaret considers what she does and doesn't have in her bag that may be helpful in dealing with a warlock. Assuming that's what Margot is. Though Margaret has a feeling (for whatever reason) that in stead Margot is probably dead.

[dresdenforhire]

"You are the partner that looks unassuming and like the 'good cop' but is actually 'just as bad cop'. As a meat shield you're entirely too small to be effective," I reassured her with a grin. This was almost sort of comfortable. It's not like we have experience working together like this but it's familiar enough ground in general to me that I can feel a bit more comfortable. Of course trying to find the balance between "I must protect Maggie from all harm" and "Maggie is an adult who can take care of herself in a lot of situations" will be tough. In general though I'm feeling kind of excited about it in an incredibly ominous way. Because we're Dresdens, there has to be an ominous feeling to go along with anything.

"Alright, then it's settled. We can work our magic, both literal and theoretical, to try and find Margot and either save her or stop her."

[lilorphanmaggie]

"It's true, my youth allows me to blend in and to appear harmless. But I am a striker, I do not tank on this game." She is a dex-based character for sure, go in quick, dump damage and then disengage. A rouge for sure. Maybe an archer? If we're in the world of DnD. She has given the bow a test but that was mostly fooling around. Maybe it's worth picking up again, but that's one of those thoughts that Margaret never knows what to do with.

Finishing off the tangerine, she collects all the pieces in the palm of her hand. "Easy as all that, huh?" Getting up she gives a scan around the room and finds the trash can by the end of the bar and goes to dump the peel and seeds.

[dresdenforhire]

"Well, I purposely left out the part where everything goes horribly wrong, people try to murder us, the inevitable betrayal of someone we trusted, the beatings, and then narrowly defeating out enemies. I didn't want you to hear all that and then get overly excited," I said, only half joking. Obviously I wouldn't bring Maggie into something that I thought was truly dangerous that she couldn't handle but she could handle a lot. And the sooner I acknowledged that then the closer I can come to helping her deal with everything else she had to handle.

Most parents face the challenge of "protecting your child from the world vs teaching them to survive in it" and it's difficult. I have the advantage of the fact that if I don't teacher Maggie how to handle herself (more than she's already learned) the world will spit her up and chew her out... possibly literally. That's the easy part, the choice is made. The hard part is all of the ugly things she'll have to learn to deal with.

"But if we do this we have to trust each other. I say jump, then you jump. You say jump, then I jump. Once we've jumped over whatever horrible thing tried to eat our feet, then we can ask the other person why we had to do that. Deal?"

[lilorphanmaggie]

"Oh I just assumed that was what was going to happen. It's just kind of a thing for us, it makes for good story telling at least, bad for insurance premiums." There has to be a database where they have a long list of people they are just waiting to deny for insurance and on that list is the name Carpenter and Dresden. Their preexisting condition doesn't have a fancy medical name but it does come with lots of broken bones and weird injuries. Well maybe Dresden isn't on that list, but still.

Margaret knows, kinda, what is going to go down. It's not like you walk up to someone who has had a substantial number of friends suddenly violently die and expect them to be chill. Which is why she is more still than usual. Heart thumping and humming in her chest, hands cold, palms slightly sweaty. Mom's spaghetti.

"Yes," is all she says to that. It's weird to agree with an authority figure but this isn't like staying out late at night, or getting a piercing, it's not like that at all. Reaching down she slings her bag over her shoulder and slips on the sunglasses. "We ready to go?"

[dresdenforhire]

I'm relieved that she knows what we're getting into but wish that she wasn't in a position to just assume that. But wishing only goes so far and then it's all about actions. I've done a lot of things to that Maggie and people like her (ie: people not me) don't have to deal with those things. I'm not talking morally grey things, there's only one of those things I've done and I hate myself every day for it, but just things like this. Rolling up on a mass murder suspect who turned several kids into soup so that other people don't have to take these types of risks.

"Let's roll," I said, standing up from the table. I heard Bonnie giggle from inside my pocket and I was pretty sure it was mostly her laughing at me rather than laughing with me. Heading out of Mac's I held the door open for Maggie before nodding to my ride. The Blue Beetle had been gone for years but part of me still looks for that first when searching for my vehicle. The parking lot had exactly two vehicles. one of them was an old army jeep and the other a pristine white Escalade. "What to guess which one is our ride?"

[lilorphanmaggie]

Pausing in the parking lot Margaret looks at the two choices, both raise eyebrows for different reasons. Holy shit can she not picture Harry behind the wheel of an Escalade. "You going for some White Court or pimp aesthetic? But then I repeat myself." The White Court isn't something that Margaret is very sure about, but like all vampire groups, gets the super hard side eye from her. Vampires are vampires no matter what the Court. No matter how beautiful and shiny.

Arianna was beautiful.

"I am assuming it's the white Escalade that makes me want to sip lean and ride real low. If I am correct it better have an amazing stereo in order to make up for the fact that it looks like it should be in a Lil Wayne music video."

[dresdenforhire]

"No, that would be Mac's car. And I think he was in a Little Wayne video with it. Can never get the full story out of him though," I said. The white Escalade was a good guess and the Winter Court had a whole fleet of vehicles like that but it both wasn't my style and came with strings attached that I wanted no part of. Sure I could probably rationalize it that I deserved something nice while trying to fight the good fight from inside the White Court but once you start rationalizing that you deserve nice things for fighting the good fight it's no longer about the good fight. Maybe some people could enjoy the comforts and not feel like they were letting their soul be sucked in to the White Court little by little but I wasn't one of those people.

"You get to ride around in army green bumping your tunes from an AM radio while sitting on cracked leather seats. Everyone who sees you will be envious."

[lilorphanmaggie]

Margaret is having one of those moments when she is mentally painting one hell of a picture in which a hard looking white man just stands in the background while Lil Wayne does whatever it is he does. The Carter albums are pretty dope but those were a really, long time ago. What a dated reference. "That is something," she finally says in a slow, voice that is not sure of how else to categorize the idea that a grown ass man is driving a pure white Escalade.

"Thankfully," Margaret begins as she starts toward the car. "I have no dignity, so this isn't so horrific. The worst part is the AM radio, which one could argue is only radio in the technical sense of the word. Though I do appreciate anything that can provide a platform for conspiracy theorists because the truth is out there and will not be repressed." As she walks she unzips her bag and takes out a heavy-ish denim jacket with black leather sleeves. The thrift store find is almost practically covered with carefully stitched runes and protections.

[dresdenforhire]

"It's either that or static, awkward silence, or we make real conversation on the ride," I said, not sure which one she would prefer. Probably the awkward silence, although I have a feeling it wouldn't be terribly awkward for her. While she has the gift of gab like her old man I had a feeling she spent a lot of time just with her own thoughts. It would be awkward for me because I always feel like those thoughts are full of judging me and finding me wanting. Which... fair enough I am wanting but also unfair of me to assume she's thinking about that all the time. Not everything is about me. For the most part, very few things are actually about me.

"Nice jacket," I said, impressed with the magic she's got worked into it. It's not as cool as a duster- it is in fact much, much cooler than a duster- but that pretty much sums us up; one of us much, much cooler than the other. Well, metaphorically Maggie is cooler and literally I'm cooler. Oddly enough, I'm willing to bet that neither of us care too much about that sort of thing.

Stepping up to the Jeep I pause for a moment and glance over at her as a thought occurs to me. If I'm entrusting her to have my back with this case then...

"Want to drive?" I asked, pulling out the keys and handing them to her. I'm fairly certain she knew how to drive a stick. The Carpenters are good people like that.

[lilorphanmaggie]

"Geez, all Lady or the Tiger over here, huh?" They could sit in non-awkward silence. Despite her love for music, Margaret actually doesn't mind silence and she rarely feels awkward just sitting next to Harry not speaking. He would probably have mixed feelings over the fact that Margaret doesn't spend a whole lot of time thinking about Harry, and that's not to be insulting, he does come up quite a bit but it's not like she dedicates a set number of minutes thinking of how Harry is a shitty dad. She doesn't think that actually, it's more that he doesn't necessarily feel like a dad to her.

Which comes with it's own issues.

"Really?" But oh my god, he compliments her on the jacket and for a moment she very obviously lights up with pride and pleasure. A lot of time and effort was spent on the jacket, something cool but protective and she is insanely proud of how it turned out. Sure, it could be tweaked a bit but such as it is it's not too bad. Ducking her head to hide that immediate reaction she runs her hands over the sleeves and then the denim chest. "Thanks, I spent a lot of time on it, I think it's pretty cool looking." And the jacket itself cost like, five bucks, so let's give a shout out to thrifting.

He's just knocking them out of the park here today. Head lifts and hungry eyes widen, hand automatically shooting out. "Heck yeah, I would love to drive." She can, stick, automatic, all of the above, but since she doesn't have her own car she doesn't get to drive as much as she'd like. "Thanks!"

[dresdenforhire]

Being an absentee father is hard. Not as hard as being an actual father probably but it comes with its own hardships if you wish you didn't have to be an absentee father. It will never feel as good as being a "real" dad, I know that. I know that and I'll still never stop trying to be the best father I can- within the boundaries that Maggie will let me because obviously she had a say in all that. She's her own person and can make decisions about that and some of those decisions keep me at arms length and that hurts, even if I understand why and agree that in ways it's probably best.

But there are times when all the effort pays off. Times like when she lights up at my compliment and my heart soars and hurts all at once in the way that only love can do. The sort of love that is bigger than anything you can even comprehend but leaves you so vulnerable. Completely worth it though.

"It's very cool looking. Getting one with a hood is a really good idea. Good enough that I kind of want to steal the idea," I said, tossing the keys at her with a weird sense of pride. She's a smart girl and I knew that most of that had to do with her mother and the Carpenters but I'm still proud. "Also, try to not get a ticket otherwise the Winter Court will make it disappear and I hate letting them have anything like that over my head."

[lilorphanmaggie]

As cool and withdrawn as Margaret is there a pretty significant portion of her that desperately wants to have all his time, all his attention. To be the utter center of his world. Little Maggie was the same way, with him, with The Carpenter's. But there are more things in Harry's world that are more pressing in a way that a forest fire ten miles from the center of town is more pressing than a child waiting to spend time with their parent at home. It's an easy but difficult decision to make.

It just so happened that the world was going to shit when she showed up and Michael was retired and there. Even he was, through no fault of his own, arms length as well. Unwilling to overstep or overshadow Harry. And that was kind of him. But there's this gap and it's so hard to speak up and say: I need this. At least for Margaret.

When he's proud of her, oh boy does it reminder her how desperately she wants his love and approval. Now, with the compliment still fresh, and that tingling feeling crawling over her skin, she loves it, wants more. Later, when things have cooled down it will seem like a moment of weakness. If that assessment is correct or not it depends on your point of view.

"By all means," she catches the keys and moves over to the driver's side. "Though it can get in the way, obscure side vision, so that's something to keep in mind. Looks cool af though." Unlocking the door she wrenches it open and then crawls over to unlock his side. "Fuck the Winter Court," Margaret agrees. "Give the Fae nothing and take nothing from them. Don't worry," she grins at him from over the center console. "I am a fantastic driver."

[dresdenforhire]

"It's not you I'm worried about, it's everyone else. Personally I've never wrecked a vehicle. I've just happened to be behind the wheel many, many times when other drivers, demons, werewolves, and other supernatural entities have caused the vehicle I was driving to crash. Which is completely different," I said as I climbed up into the cab of the Jeep. It was a good, solid vehicle and perfect for a wizard like me. They were built to function in a wide variety of rough situations so that meant less of a chance for my magic to short everything else or cause other types of catastrophes. As much as I miss the Blue Beetle the Green .... something (I've been a bit busy to come up with a name) is a better vehicle for me. Also, I can fit in it a lot better.

"We're going to head south from here and take a right on seventh street."

[lilorphanmaggie]

"Yeah, no, I am totally sure the insurance company agreed with you on that and didn't raise your rate or classify you as a total risk. I bet that little gecko didn't know what to do with you." Bag gets put in the back as she eases into the driver's seat and adjusts it a little bit because as leggy as she is she isn't Harry Dresden leggy.

Then the seat belt. Then the mirrors because we need to see what's around us. Then the windows because it's hot and she likes the breeze. What's cooler than being cool?

Finally she turns the engine over, fiddles with the stick, grinds the gears a couple of times (because of course she did she's never driven this before). Then backs out of the spot and parking lot, following his directions.

[dresdenforhire]

"It was my mechanic that was always tearing his hair out. Usually I didn't want to be around when it was time for the insurance companies to investigate whatever had happened," I said. I always liked to imagine that there was one person that just happened to get assigned all the situations that I'd been involved with and they were just tearing out their hair trying to figure out what had happened. Because props to that person if they could guess "giant magical scorpion" or "demonic feces throwing ape".

"I would make fun of you for how cautious you're being in an attempt to get you to continue to be so as an act of rebellion but you're stubbornly too much your own person to fall for that," I told her, admiring how well she handled it all. I would guess that she was trying to show me how trusted she could be with the vehicle but I could see shades of Michael and Charity Carpenter in the whole process. It made me smile.

[lilorphanmaggie]

"Best AND worst job ever," and because she is his daughter (despite having these moments of uncertainty and shyness toward that idea) the same scenario pops into her head. The guy kind of looks like Butters actually, maybe a little bit taller and with more suits but still very similar.

"A car is not a toy," clearly this is a Carpenter line. "A car is a powerful machine that should be respected." There may or may not have been a litany that was repeated before and after each driving lesson. There is a mild streak of rebellion in the young woman but not when it comes to driving. God, wouldn't that be ironic, a world filled with supernatural shit looking to kill and she dies in a car accident because she wasn't paying attention at a red light.

But when they are on the road there is some relaxing, a hand on the wheel the other on the stick. "Where are we going? What's the plan?"

[dresdenforhire]

I was glad that she took driving seriously. I'm pretty sure that Maggie took just about anything that involved the safety of others seriously. People dealt with trauma in a lot of ways and a lot of them are destructive, both to themselves and others. Whatever Maggie does though I feel like I can be reassured that she'll choose options that don't hurt others. At least not if they don't deserve it.

"We're going somewhere that will have all the answers we need to find out quarry," I said, purposely being obtuse and mysterious just because I can. I kind of get it now why the old, wise people always do that. Because it's fun as hell and keeps you from getting too bored. "Then we come up with a plan together to approach wherever she's hiding. I have a few ideas but a few more can't hurt."

It's not my usual M.O. but that no one said it was against the rules for me to grow and mature as a person. A lot of times people end up looking to me for the grand plan but I'm starting to wonder if that's not because they know I'm so stubborn I'll just do what I want anyway. Not exactly a good look.

"I could probably swagger up to the front door and drag her out but I'd prefer not to. If we can convince her together that we're there to help I'd prefer to do that."

[lilorphanmaggie]

By and large Margaret isn't into inflicting pain on to others because she, herself, has been hurt. There is some resentment there at times, some jealousy, but she doesn't strive to actually hurt people. Generally. Ever since turning eighteen things have gotten a little weird at times. Sometimes there is a feeling that sort of swells over her, that clamps on to the animal part of her brain and makes her teeth feel sharp and nasty. It feels like something is slipping over her skin and muscles.

Not something she likes to talk about. At all.

"That is a super wizardy response, just so you know, so you can appreciate my side eye." That he can't actually see because she's got those dark glasses on. "Just so long as you give me enough notice for turns and merges, I'm here driving Ms. Daisy." Harry should be sitting in the back for that reference, but taking a few liberties is fine in this situation.

"So you're general plan is to talk first, blast second? I'm not against it, but I am asking first so it doesn't get awkward later. Because: full disclosure, I hate her and hope all her hair falls out, she's a bitch."

[dresdenforhire]

I couldn't help it, I laughed at her comment. It was so frank and honest and snarky it was like hearing my own comments and I happen to think I'm very clever and funny. Maybe not something she'd be pleased to hear about but it's true all the same. Also, I was glad to hear that she hoped her hair falls out and not that she was going to make her hair fall out.

"Look, you can't just go blasting everyone you hate that's a terrible person. If I did that... you know, let's not talk about if anyone would be able to tell the difference. But- take a left at the next light- that could work to your advantage. I'm guessing she hates you too?"

[lilorphanmaggie]

Turn signal on, she carefully merges into the correct lane to take the turn at the light but is frankly caught off guard by Harry's laugh. She hasn't really heard him laugh that often, given his mantel and profession this isn't exactly surprising, he doesn't have a whole lot to laugh about. It's an interesting sound, does it sound like her laugh? Maybe? A little bit? Hard to actually tell to be honest.

"Listen, if I was absolute arbiter of justice things would be a lot better around here. I'm just saying." Only a Margaret speaks in absolutes. And she is not yet self aware enough to realize that by going down such a path she would probably turn into the thing she hated the most. "I don't know -" pause, some thought, another turn signal. "Yeah, she fucking hates me. It's a good litmus test, if a bully hates you then you know you're doing the Lord's work."

Which reminds her. "This has nothing to do with anything really, but do you know how one goes about becoming a warden?"

[dresdenforhire]

"Well it's good to know that your decision making is flawless and you won't fall into the sort of trap that all other people who have uttered that statement have fallen into," I said with a nod. I'm pretty sure that she doesn't want any sort of morality lesson - or any lesson at all - from me but I couldn't not say anything. I remembered what it was like to be that age and seeing all the injustices in the world and knowing that if you were just in the right position you could fix all of them. And I would never want to take that passion away from her because I know that she could do good. I know she does do good. I just want her to be careful.

"Good. If she hates you then that's a familiar target for her anger. You're a known quantity which will hopefully help her feel more comfortable."

Her question caught me off guard because... well because that's a hell of a career path to start inquiring about. And even if she said it had nothing to do with anything I can't help but wonder if talking about being an absolute arbiter of justice and asking about becoming a Warden isn't connected.

"Well... you become a part of the White Council. You get yourself recognized... then a bunch of politics happen and maybe you get chosen. The circumstances are often different each time. Or... a bunch of Wardens die and they get desperate and ask kids to do it."

And that way? That way hurts. Because those kids died because of me and the war I started. I did the right thing, I know I did, but that doesn't mean that some of that blood isn't on my head. And I hope no more of that blood falls on Maggie.

[lilorphanmaggie]

MARGARET DRESDEN KNOWS SARCASM WHEN SHE HEARS IT, HARRY. "It most certainly is, and I am happy and appreciate that you are acknowledging it." She's not going to win this sarcasm battle, but goddammit she is going to not go down without a fight. And being eighteen doesn't lend itself to seeing his point, or considering that she might be wrong, it's the way the brain is wired. Even Margaret's generally self aware brain.

On the plus side he doesn't generally have to worry about her actually becoming an absolute arbiter of justice. Unless the White Counsel takes an interest in her of course.

"You think so? You don't think that she won't just be more suspicious or come out swinging?" Behind dark frames, eyes narrow in thought, better her than some random stranger - they do have some common ground on which to stand. Even if that ground was an after school fight.

At a red light Margaret gives a glance over at Harry and then back at the road, thumb lightly tapping on the wheel. "Huh, that's kind of cool. They go through training, right? A boot camp maybe? Though the way they seemingly arbitrarily swing those swords around maybe they don't." Because of course Margaret has an issue with the gray cloaks, their zero tolerance policy is questionable.

[dresdenforhire]

"I'm sure the White Council... actually any of the Councils, would be glad to rate you among their number with that sort of thinking," I told her pleasantly. And that's all I was going to say on that subject and just let her stew on that for a while. Or completely ignore it as the moralizing of her old man. Either way I'm not too worried about her becoming some sort of vigilante or despot.

"No, you're a known quantity enemy. There's been what... verbal barbs and maybe some pranks exchanged between you two? You're a low-grade enemy and she might lash out at you as a convenient target at worst she'll think you've come by to gloat about the death of her friends. One last turn on the right up here."

By now I figure she'll probably get that we're headed to the library. It is the place where we'll have access to all of our questions. Well, at least about where to find our quarry.

"There is a boot camp. I ran it for a while. It was... whatever you think about the Wardens, most of them want to do good. They want to keep people safe from bad magic. They don't always get it right but their hearts are in the right place. At least when they start out."

[lilorphanmaggie]

"Wow," a glance, a double glance. "The temperature dropped like ten degrees over here with that shade, brrrr!" A fake shiver, but like, for real though. Damn Harry Dresden.

Do not mention the time you egged her house. Do not mention that one time you trashed her car and drive way. "Yeah, something like that." Nice job, brain, no need for details now, just do the driving and listening. "I suppose you're right, I mean she could also be tits out crazy, so, you know." The turn signal clicks on: "though I never saw her as one to go mad. Too col, a reptilian brain that focused doesn't have the capacity for it, going mad takes imagination."

Ah, indeed, the library, the fount of all knowledge and questionable smells. Already the hunt is on for a parking spot.

"You ran it? Really?" Another set of double glances at least she isn't giving him a semi-obscured hard look this time. "What was it like?"