@Bazmund I get that. My character's the same way. She puts out all the stops for long cons and relies on peoples inability to accurately describe someone they've met once or twice, or don't see often.

@silvermist1116 Mm, plus, even if they remember the eyes they're unlikely to be able to remember the rest of them. He's got two different spells that work for illusory purposes and can probably hack it with cosmetics even if they fail him. I'm actually really looking forward to our characters eventually interacting - especially since the persona he's currently got on would probably fall for a con, but he wouldn't himself. He'd have to weigh up whether or not to consciously allow himself to get conned in order to keep the cover, and that would probably depend on who else was present to see it fall through. I think Kai and Miles/Mike would get along, if they were able to get comfortable with each other.

@Bazmund I'm excited for them to meet too. He's gotta be convincing though. Kai can see through bs. She might not believe he's genuinely who he says he is. She's naturally suspicious. If he can drop the act I think they'll get along. She doesn't con everyone. Not the most honest, but if there's no money then there's no point. I think if they're ever in a situation where they have to plan something criminal she'll rely on Miles, 'cause she's not going to trust anyone else to do it.

@Stitches Question, would you be alright with Kai using mind magic on Bagel occasionally if she thinks she's gonna do something stupid that could get them caught?

@silvermist1116 Well the thing is that he's not actually bullshitting, and he's also not really gonna like, volunteer any bullshit. He's approaching it from the angle that he really is Mike Stafford, an ex-electrician's apprentice, who doesn't really know what's going on and is a generally cool guy who can kinda play guitar. It'll eventually come out - especially if she does see through it, though that's gonna be hard because at this point Mike is almost as real as Miles - and then he'll be more real with her.

For criminal shit, yeah I can see them working very well together. They both have a certain natural inclination towards certain types of activity, I think. In a slightly different world he would probably end up trying to recruit her for work like his.

@Bazmund Ooohh, a challenge. She's gonna have to work to see through him. Sounds fun. She won't bust him out in front of everyone, but when she figures it out it'll definitely be in private.

Depending on how the rp turns out, they might end becoming spies for Mages. Shop it'll be a recruitment of a different kind. Or if the government stops trying to capture them, he could try to convince her to use her skills in a legitimate may. Plenty of criminals end up working for the law when they're too good to keep in prison.

@silvermist1116 I like the sound of this. Yeah, I don't particularly want anyone seeing through Mike too quickly, mostly because there's kinda nothing to see through. He's not doing anything in particular that might arouse suspicion that his whole persona is an elaborate lie - especially because even when you're quite paranoid, that's not usually what you think of first when you suspect someone of something. He's not telling any particular lies or acting weird, he's got 10+ years of experience acting as Mike Stafford (or any number of variations from the normal Mike), on top of acting under other pseudonyms at times. He's got quite a lot of personal history that was fabricated for Mike too - there's even photos of him with his 'parents' on the phone he carries.

The big problem with all this is that he really should start constructing a new fake persona some time soon, because the CIA will be in contact with the SIS quite shortly, and then they'll have a pretty complete dossier on Miles Honeywell's various alter egos. That's gonna be quite interesting to see.

@Bazmund Oh shit. Mike might get them caught. That's not going to fly with Kai. She's got a bag full of fake identities if he needs something quick. I'm assuming he won't be able to contact anyone it get everything he needs to reconstruct a new persona, but she's got hook ups. It'll cost, but it's better than nothing. He'll owe her of course. Nothing's for charity in her world.

@silvermist1116 Nah, it's probably not quite that bad. Mike is, after all, a pretty common name. Hell, Mike Stafford is probably also a common full name. It's not like mentioning it aloud will bring the CIA down on them, it's just that if they end up having to cross national borders or sneak into anywhere that might need an ID card, he'll probably have to get a bit inventive. He can probably forge his own documents that will at least hold up to visual inspection.

The problem with using criminal contacts to forge new documentation is that it's just never going to hold up to the stuff he currently has (or had, he's probably dispensed with his ID card and passport and stuff, that's really just a liability) since it was fabricated by an actual national government, so it's not even reaaaallly fake ID, just a fake person with real ID.

That being said, it's not too rare for people to end up without any legit photo ID. If he gets into a position where someone is asking for ID he'll probably just say he doesn't have any full stop, and ideally not get caught behind the wheel of a car.

I'm also assuming that most of Kai's fakes are designed for her, right?

@Bazmund Didn't think about the common name thing. The fakes can hold up, especially if it's from a state with fake ID problem. I.e. Illinois has had a problem for decades. Authorities can't tell just by looking at it. If they decide to investigate it that's when it becomes a problem. So no getting pulled over.

Kai's fake IDs and passports, yes, kinda. Those match personas she's created, so they don't look like her to a T. Half of them the gender is different. If he can use magic to change his look enough, then he can probably get away with it. Her credit cards and social security numbers, no. He can use any of those as long as the place doesn't ask for ID. Most places don't. And no one needs SS outside of hospitals.

Also, his magic. Can't he make them see what he wants temporarily? Like the ID looks like him if they're distracted enough for it to work?

@silvermist1116 He's probably got a fake driver's license and stuff in that case. He does have illusion magics - two of them, in particular, one of which is mental and one of which is physical but more limited. He also probably has a bank account that his bosses didn't know about, but that's only a matter of time since it would still be tied to a variant of Michael Stafford. He's probably taken most of the money out of it by now for that exact reason.

I'm from the UK irl so I don't know these specific things about the USA unfortunately. It's good to know that Illinois in particular is fucked enough that Mike is sustainable for the time being. All that being said, he's still avoiding using cards because of the data trail, and he's also not bothered with stealing cars to drive for much the same reason. Greyhound buses are anonymous enough, I think.

@Bazmund Greyhound and Amtrak. Amtrak will ask for ID, but it's nothing like the airport. It's just a glance to make sure the name matches the ticket and they don't check bags either. So there's two modes of anonymous transportation.

I am from Illinois myself. I think the ID thing they're putting in place next October is dumb. Like fix the fake ID problem, instead of making two different types for different things. Standard is for driving and general use. REAL ID is for airports, military and federal facilities, driving, and general use. I don't think it solves anything. Adding a gold star on the top right corner isn't going to make a difference when the ink they use for new IDs is shitty. Like it rubs off and is hard to read shitty.

@Stitches Question, would you be alright with Kai using mind magic on Bagel occasionally if she thinks she's gonna do something stupid that could get them caught?

- Dumb Sombitch: Whilst gifted with a keen gut instinct and the gift of vibe-reading, Abigail's not all that smart; partially due to her age and partially due to her upbringing. She's especially vulnerable to Mind magic because of this.

Yea just lemme know beforehand. The answer's usually yes, unless it's something I don't think she'll fall for.

@Stitches Cool. Thank you. Run it by you first whenever the need arises.

@Haydrian Cindel@Guardsman@Gentlemanvaultboy@duskshine749@Bazmund@silvermist1116@Stitches:

Sorry for posting early - I was afraid I'd lose my post drafts again!

@silvermist1116
Man Kai is like MEGA paranoid, she's gotta have ulcers and crap at this point! I really like how your writing her, her reaction to what's going on feels pretty natural for her, though honestly I'm surprised she didn't come in with a pistol drawn on Gavin. She's ferocious!

@Haydrian Cindel Thank you. She is paranoid. She's conned a lot of people and has a police record that's listed as unknown, because she's never herself. She doesn't know she has a record, but she assumes she does cause people don't keep quiet when they lose a lot of money. Guns?! Nonononono. She's a con artist. Murder is harder to get away with. She wants money. Not someone's life.

Just had a fun thought. If she was a murderer it'd be funny if Haydrian brought back someone she killed and they meet face to face. I think she'd lose her mind.

Just had a fun thought. If she was a murderer it'd be funny if Haydrian brought back someone she killed and they meet face to face. I think she'd lose her mind.

That'd be fricken hilarious. I feel like Haydrians magic is going to freak her out in general though. I mean the walking dead is one thing, but I imagine that watching him sculpt solid metal like it was clay, or animate a statue wouldn't sit to well with her either. Plus Haydrian talks to ghosts. I'm just picturing someone she screwed over passing away not to long afterwards, haunting her out of spite, and being all to happy to relate his tale of woe to Haydrian.

@Haydrian Cindel Lofl! I knew when I read your character sheet that she and Haydrian wouldn't get along. Like she wants a whole room between them wouldn't get along. The inanimate object thing won't bother her, but the undead and Haydrian himself will. Creepy vibes man. Creepy vibes. You do a great job making him uncomfortable to read.

@Haydrian Cindel@Guardsman@Gentlemanvaultboy@duskshine749@Bazmund@silvermist1116@Stitches:

Gavin is touchier than expected...