High Jinnks

You slip out of the casino, removing your (link-reveal: "sunglasses")[ (mirrored, of course)] on the way out. You count your earnings, examining your winnings in the glow of the street lights. You're $500 richer than you were when you walked in, thanks to some (link-reveal: "deadbeat")[ (to be fair, he was more "scrawny kid who didn't know what he was doing" than "deadbeat")] whose jinni radar was (link-reveal:"//terrible//")[. You won every hand against him, and one time when you were changing the numbers on your hole cards you ended up showing the table your two aces of spades when there was already one on the flop].It thrills you how blind humans are, making your miserable time surrounded by them just a little bit less painful. You wonder exactly how far you could push at their limits.And there he is! Scrawny Kid is lurking on the street corner, a cigarette in his mouth. A coincidence so remarkable you couldn't have planned it better yourself. [[Walk up to him and congratulate him on a game well played.]] [[Walk up to him and gloat.]]

(set: $fishman to false) (set: $jarhome to false) "It's not //that// bad, kid. You win some, you lose some, right?" You pat him on the head. It's just how these things go. A chump turns their pockets out, and they're left to the wolves. Or whatever they had roaming around the city during this time of night.He scowls at you and pushes past you, stepping out into the night. Man, some people really can't take a loss. And now you don't even have anything fun left to do. [[Follow him into the dark.]] [[Explore the city streets.]]

Pushing you away? After your show of kindness? Humans were something else nowadays. [[You recall back in the tenth century, the days of your youth, humans trembled around you.]] You'd make this one see reason.He doesn't seem to go far. You follow him until he walks behind some dilapidated apartment building, on a rather worn-down street. It looks terrible. [[Nausea rises within you.]]

You shrug off the guilt. The sorrow of humans can't be fixed by words, you've learned at least that much over the years.What //can// be fixed, though, is your thirst to discover the new, the untamed, the most delightfully unvirtuous! And while there's plenty of that in that hovel you were just in, there's far more in the dirty alleys and under the lurid streetlights. And here it is! A man lurking on the street corner surely has some of what you're looking for. [[Purchase what he's selling.]] [[Chat him up.]]

"Hello, young man! Do you, by any chance, happen to have anything //good// on you this fine evening?" You waggle your eyebrows a few times for good measure. "I-I can't say I know what you mean, sir," he stammers out, his eyes wide. Hm. You must still not look human enough. This might take a little more persuasion."Don't worry! I have something that might jog your memory." You pat your [back pocket.]<empty| (click-append: ?empty)[ What? [[Something is //afoot// around here.->afoot]]] (click-prepend: ?empty)[empty ] (click-append: "You waggle your eyebrows a few times for good measure.")[ He flinches.]

You walk right up to him. "Well, hello there," you smarm out in your slickest, smoothest, sleekiest voice. (click: "your slickest, smoothest, sleekiest voice.")[ (You won this one from a rake in Marrakesh! He really thought you were joking when you told him your bet. Humans.) ]"How do you do?"He frowns. Your technique must be rusty after these last few centuries. "No need for small talk, thanks. Just tell me how much you have and I'll give you what you need."You didn't see //that// one coming. You aren't in the mood to pay for something like this, but if your skills have deteriorated that much, this might be all you can get. [[Shell out the cash.]] [[C'mon, you can do better than //that//.->dobetter]] (click-replace: "walk")[saunter]

How could your pocket be empty? But hadn't you just won that money from that boy?What a dirty, nasty trick. [[Now you have to //show him.//->fire escape]] (click-replace: "boy?")[ //cheat.//]

You sniff him out, taking a deep breath. Oh, he's there. Along with the million other smells present in the city, especially this part of it. You gag a bit. You manage to rush in the air towards his abode anyways, eyes closed and nose up, like the bloodhound you are.You find yourself on the fire escape outside what looks like the absolute worst place to live in the entire city. It would be generous to call it an apartment at all, looking into the window from here. Scrawny Kid lies down on what must be a sofa, but it looks so grimy and torn that it could be an old, large stuffed animal. [[Break the window.]] [[Rap your hand on the window to catch his attention.]]

You click your tongue, satisfied with this transaction. You pat your [back pocket.]<empty| (click-append: ?empty)[ What? [[Something is //afoot// around here.->afoot]]] (click-prepend: ?empty)[empty ]

You huff. "I am nothing but a friendly stranger, come here to do you a good turn. I have no need to purchase any services you might offer, no matter how bodacious you perceive yourself to be."He blinks at you. You blink back. "Alright, then don't," he says, and turns away from you.First his lip, now this? A lowly human gigolo, telling you, a fearsome and legendary jinn, what to do?The absolute //nerve//. Now you had to show him you did what you wanted to, whenever you wanted, and that included paying for his services. You pat your [back pocket.]<empty| (click-append: ?empty)[ What? [[Something is //afoot// around here.->afoot]]] (click-prepend: ?empty)[empty ]

(set: $fishman to true) Those were the //times//. Or perhaps it was just the place. But returning to Persia probably wouldn't help these days, you think. You've heard from Omar that Persia doesn't exist anymore, but he's always been //confused//, if you know what I mean(click: "if you know what I mean")[ (it means he sets things on fire a lot)].There was this one little fisherman who freed you from this tiny (link-reveal: "jar")[(show: ?extra)] Suleiman had thrown you in.|extra)[Those are the nasty ones to be in, the small jars. And then when you're out, everyone always makes fun of you for it. You can't just tell all your friends at the bathhouse that you've been out of touch because you were trapped in a //jar// for four centuries. //Sure//, I'm a powerful magical demon-like creature. You can't exactly open the lid from the inside. They're not designed like that.]You never even saw him coming! One day, you're living inside of a jar, and the next, you're capable of movement. A miracle of Allah, that's for sure. As soon as you were out, you... [[...thought it was another jar-induced hallucination.]] [[...couldn't stop stretching out the kinks in your back.]] [[...let loose, really showed the world what you were. ]]

What kind of man gambles away all of his cash when he lives somewhere like //that//? Humans just couldn't see reason. You shake your head with disapproval. Perhaps you could leave him a little something under his door, just to make him feel better. A fiver might help him out, let him put a few meals on the table. You reach for your [back pocket.]<empty| (click-append: ?empty)[ What? [[Something is //afoot// around here.->afoot]]] (click-prepend: ?empty)[empty ]

You shove your fist at the window. It shatters at your touch. This always makes you feel cool, even if your magic doesn't replicate the usual noise that comes with broken glass. This time it seems inappropriate because there's no way that kid can pay for the damage, but he //stole// from you.He doesn't even look up. Probably because your magic window-shattering ability is noiseless. [[Clear your throat.]] [[Greet him.]]

You knock on the window as loudly as you can. He looks up at the window and appears to see you, but rubs his eyes with his hands afterwards, so you can't be sure that he has. Perhaps he wears contacts and has taken them out to sleep. [[Knock louder.]] [["Excuse me? Are you always this rude to your visitors?"]]

You clear your throat, but he doesn't even move. You sigh. Time for the big guns. "Boy!" you yell. "Return my winnings." That does the trick. He snaps up. You snap, too, transporting yourself into his apartment. He stumbles up off the couch and rubs his eyes. He still hasn't even implied he'd return your money."Give me my money back," you say, slowly enunciating each word. "Look, I'm going to count to three." You've fathered enough strays to know how these ones are wired."Count to three?" he says. His voice is confused and much too slow. You progress, raising up a finger. [[One...]]

"Hello!" you say. That catches his attention. He reaches behind him to grab something, but it doesn't look like it's your money. You hope it's not a gun, those things are a nuisance. You snap your fingers.The room light turns off, and whatever he was reaching for is lost to that grody couch. "Return my money, you wretch!" you boom. You're really good at booming.He still doesn't move in the dark. "Give me my money back," you say, slowly enunciating each word. "Look, I'm going to count to three." You've fathered enough strays to know how these ones are wired."Count to three?" he says. His voice is confused and much too slow. You progress, raising up a finger. [[One...]]

He finally stands up and walks towards the window. "Hello?" you try. "You've stolen from me." He doesn't say anything, so you try again, flashing behind the window into his apartment. "Give me my money back," you say, slowly enunciating each word. "Look, I'm going to count to three." You've fathered enough strays to know how these ones are wired."Count to three?" he says. His voice is confused and much too slow. You progress, raising up a finger. [[One...]]

His head snaps up. He hasn't realized where you are yet, so you knock on the window again. "I'm out here!" you yell. "I need my money back." He's just barely moved to a sitting position and his face is far too groggy. You're going to have to let yourself in. You do just that, flashing into the apartment with a snap.It was the correct thing to do, you realize. The kid stumbles up until he's standing in front of you. He's still not giving you any money. You're going to need to take drastic measures."Look, I'm going to count to three, and if you don't give me money...," you trail off in a threatening manner.He blinks. "Count to three?" His voice is confused and much too slow. You progress, raising up a finger. [[One...]]

He doesn't even move. You hold up another finger. [[Two...]]

(set: $snap to false) His eyes seem to clear, and he turns and shuffles around the room. You watch him go backwards into a kitchenette area and pull open a cabinet. There you go! Your rightful earnings, back in place. You're glad this didn't disintegrate into violence. You probably couldn't take anyone in a fight nowadays. You've been a pacifist since World War I, before it was hip.He pulls out a pig-shaped jar from the cabinet, and shakes it in front of you. "It's all in here," he says. "I can't get it out, that's the thing. Human fingers are just too unwieldy." He frowns sadly at the jar. You cannot figure out why it's shaped like a pig, but you know how to solve this one! [[Do your shrink-down-to-enter-the-jar-trick!->jar]] [[Snap your fingers!]]

(set: $snap to true) You snap as hard as you can. The jar doesn't even crack. You snap again, squinting at it. Something's a little fishy here."You can take a closer look if you want," the boy says."You know, I just might have to," you reply. "This hasn't happened in //years//." You switch hands and try snapping with that one. The jar remains pig-shaped. Maybe you could take it to Jamal? He's always been good with these sorts of things, magical mishaps, the like. "Give it here, then."He shrugs. "If you insist," he smiles. You take the jar.He pushes it towards you as you touch it, and you hear a whooshing sound. [[Curse him thrice.->jar]] [[Curse him and his lineage once.->jar]]

You're pulled down by some dark magic into the jar before you can think or speak. (if: $snap)[Any attempt you make at articulacy does nothing. ]The boy slaps something over the top of the jar, trapping you inside. You're stuck in //another// jar. You'll never be able to show your face at the bathhouse again.You sigh. Time to start planning. It didn't work last time, but hey, anything's possible if one can be trapped in a jar more than once in their lifetime. [[Map your surroundings.]] [[Recall your last jar escapade.]] (click-replace: "boy")[worthless miscreant]

It took a while for things to kick in. Once you're in a jar for that long, you begin seeing things, and frequently. You were worried you were turning into a bit of an Omar yourself. You had to focus on your surroundings for a while for things to look natural, //real//."Fisherman!" you said. Your voice sound so loud outside of a jar! The fisherman was cowering where he was. By Allah, you'd never seen anyone that terrified. And then you went off with that spiel you'd been working on. You're pretty sure he wet himself after that whole thing.(click: "spiel")[The spiel was probably a bad idea, come to think of it. I mean, letting someone know you're going to kill them after they've freed you from a prison just doesn't sound right. But you'd been trapped in a jar for centuries. Can't have anything //but// bad ideas in that situation. And you're a nonviolent jinn deep down, you just love the drama. Humans never appreciate drama properly.] [[Remember what happened next.->fishend]]

Most jinn aren't really conscious of their "body," but it's //much// different once you're living in a jar. Humans would understand this if they could fit into jars, but most just aren't capable of it.You really spread out. Like //out//, out. You could have been mistaken for a tornado at that point. The relief was so intense you almost forgot about your speech.Almost. [[Examine the man.]] [[Stretch to hurricane size before examining man.]]

You were a vehicle of destruction! It was beautiful. The lake you'd been tossed to the bottom of was thrown up into the air, the water twisting into clouds in the sky. Millions of fish slaughtered. You leveled the nearby trees you that show of power. The air spun around you, and you //breathed//, something you'd never have done for fun in your life before. You loved it."Fisherman!" you said. Your voice sound so loud outside of a jar! The fisherman was cowering where he was. By Allah, you'd never seen anyone that terrified. And then you went off with that spiel you'd been working on. You're pretty sure he wet himself after that whole thing.(click: "spiel")[The spiel was probably a bad idea, come to think of it. I mean, letting someone know you're going to kill them after they've freed you from a prison just doesn't sound right. But you'd been trapped in a jar for centuries. Can't have anything //but// bad ideas in that situation. And you're a nonviolent jinn deep down, you just love the drama. Humans never appreciate drama properly.] [[Remember what happened next.->fishend]]

"Fisherman!" you said. Your voice sound so loud outside of a jar! The fisherman was so far down, but you could still see him clearly. By Allah, you'd never seen anyone that terrified. And then you went off with that spiel you'd been working on. You're pretty sure he wet himself after that whole thing.(click: "spiel")[The spiel was probably a bad idea, come to think of it. I mean, letting someone know you're going to kill them after they've freed you from a prison just doesn't sound right. But you'd been trapped in a jar for centuries. Can't have anything //but// bad ideas in that situation. And you're a nonviolent jinn deep down, you just love the drama. Humans never appreciate drama properly.] [[Remember what happened next.->fishend]]

Then you were //really// something to look at. "Fisherman!" you said. Your voice sounded so loud outside of a jar! The fisherman was so far down, but you could still see him clearly. By Allah, you'd never seen anyone that terrified. And then you went off with that spiel you'd been working on. You're pretty sure he wet himself after that whole thing.(click: "spiel")[The spiel was probably a bad idea, come to think of it. I mean, letting someone know you're going to kill them after they've freed you from a prison just doesn't sound right. But you'd been trapped in a jar for centuries. Can't have anything //but// bad ideas in that situation. And you're a nonviolent jinn deep down, you just love the drama. Humans never appreciate drama properly.] [[Remember what happened next.->fishend]]

You look closely at your surroundings. It's difficult, considering that you've turned into a fraction of your original size and are now pig-shaped. The slip of paper he taped over the top itches the top of your back. You twist a bit. There //is// money in here. At least the little rat didn't lie about that. The coins are useless to you in this jar, though.It looks like that's all you've got. Well, you guess you can... [[Yell.]]

(set: $jarhome to true) (if: $fishman)[Hmmm...jar, lake, King Suleiman. That awful lid. How'd you get out of that one?Oh, wait. You were freed from it by that fisherman. After four centuries. Four centuries in a jar. Jesus Christ.Guess there's nothing you can do about this one. Well, except...](else:)[Hmmm...jar, lake, King Suleiman. That awful lid. A pretty beautiful environment, though. [[How'd you get out of that one?->You recall back in the tenth century, the days of your youth, humans trembled around you.]]] [[Yell.]]

You scream, screech, shriek. All Scrawny Kid put on top is a flimsy piece of paper, and while that may be enough to keep you stuck in here, it is //not// a noise trapper. If you won't be getting any sleep tonight, neither will he. [[Howl.]] [[Roar.]]

You've always been rather wolf-like. It's your best trait (click: "your best trait")[(or so you've been told)]. You let out the most high-pitched howl you can muster. //You're// the big bad wolf, and everyone else is the sheep. The paper ripples. [[Wail.]] [[Lament.]]

You channel your inner Leo the Lion. You really let your heart out with this one. You can almost feel your own ears splitting with how annoying the sound is. The paper ripples. [[Wail.]] [[Lament.]]

You cry with the pain of a thousand souls. That's actually the exact number of those you've eaten so far! It's almost too annoying of a noise for even you, the crier, to stand, but you push through. Your struggle //will// be heard, whether everyone else likes it or not. [[Ululate.->okayokay]] [[Caterwaul.->okayokay]]

You cough out a series of sobs, drawn from the complaints you've suppressed for centuries, for millenia. You moan out your mourning. Poetry, that's what this is. It's just not very good poetry. [[Ululate.->okayokay]] [[Caterwaul.->okayokay]]

The paper is whipped off of the top and you whoosh back out before you can let out your next nightmarish note."Okay, I get it, you can scream," Scrawny Kid says, back in view. You're both still inside the apartment. He probably thinks his landlord will kick him out. You can't see why that wouldn't be a good thing for him. [[Attack him! What an awful creature.->killhim]] [[Curse his lineage and then attack him! That'll show him what's up.->killhim]]

"I'm going to kill you, you terri-""Wait!" He cuts you off. You should kill him for the disrespect alone. "You like deals and bargains and all of that, right?" he asks. This is true. He knows his jinni lore well for someone who can't spot magical cheating in a poker game. "We can do one of those, and then you can kill me if things don't work out or whatever." He nods with vigor as he speaks. You're a fan of human bobbleheads, so you wait for him to declare his terms and conditions.He doesn't say anything else. [["What are you asking me for?"]] [["What are you planning to offer me?"]]

He pauses at that, seeming to think things over in his head. "It's kind of a long story.""Aren't they //always//?" God, he really thinks he's special."I mean, they might be," he said. "I haven't heard many." [["Well, get on with it, then."->whatiwant]] You have nothing but time.

He stammers, surprised this worked. Little does he know that you can't kill him anyways! You probably could have just torn up his apartment and broken a few bones, at most. That doesn't quell the urge to kill within you well, though. It makes you feel like you're just part of the mob or something. "Well, I have the money you were looking for..." he tries. [["The money that's //mine//, you mean?"->moneythatsmine]] [["If you throw in your braised liver on a plate, then sure, why not?"->moneythatsmine]] [["And I have your life in my hands! We are matched, then."->moneythatsmine]]

He cuts off, and straightens. "Fine, then, wiseguy, what do you want?"You mull this over in your head. You never actually get asked this one. The ideal solution is, of course, to have Scrawny Kid become your slave until the moon next swallows the sun, since you can get whatever you can out of him, but having a slave right now would mostly just be inconvenient."What do you think I want?" You try to sound assertive.Scrawny Kid looks like he wants to punch you. Too bad he wouldn't be capable of it. "What about I tell you what //I// want, and then we haggle from there?"This sounds suitable. You nod in acquiescence.He takes a deep breath. [["Are you going to get on with it, then?"->whatiwant]] [["Do you wish to turn into a turtle so you can live as slowly as you wish? Is that what you wanted?"->whatiwant]]

You can almost see the steam boiling out of his ears! It delights you how short the tempers of humans are. He inhales and exhales, trying to regain whatever composure he had."So," he says. You resist the urge to speak once more. "My parents died when I was young, and I was on my own for years. But a few months ago, I found out about this uncle." He frowns. "He's a little...odd, but he's family, of course. He has an obsession with...how do I put this?" [["The esoteric?"->jinnbelief]] [["He's unbalanced enough to believe in jinn?"->jinnbelief]]

Scrawny Kid gestures at your words with his hand. "Yes, exactly!" He looks relieved that he didn't have to be the one to say it. "But he's also kind of..." He trails off again. [["Well-off?"->richboi]] [["Loaded?"->richboi]]

He sighs. "Yeah.""And you're dirt poor? And let me guess: he wants to //capture// a jinn, and recruited you, willing and broke nephew, to follow through on his plan? Which consists of this entire steal-money-trap-pig-shaped-jar debacle, followed up by you handing me over to him for him to do whatever magic spell or curse he's trying out for kicks, after which you get paid enough to move out of this dump. And at some point, you find out he's not your real uncle."He looks so resigned at this point that you almost feel bad for him. Almost. "Well, it's more than that," he says. [["The worthy cause of true love is part of this?"->itreallyistruelove]] [["You're a sexually deprived young man?"->itreallyistruelove]]

"You know, if you're just going to interrupt and be obnoxious about how you've done this a million times, you can just..." He stops. "But yes, something like that." You wave him off."Your affection is a worthy cause. Not the most worthy, but I would say it's legitimate. I've done my share of pro-true love direct action over the centuries.""Are you making fun of me?""No," you say. "Well, I'm not making fun of you when I say that I've taken action to support true love.""When? For who?" Scrawny Kid sounds more shocked than he has any right to be. [["A long time ago, for multiple people."->trueloveok]]

Then things went a little hairy and didn't work out that well. But c'est la vie, right? Long story short, you got out of a jar, and now that fisherman is long dead! You didn't even have to do anything. The circle of life is beautiful.(if: $jarhome)[[[Anyways.->Recall your last jar escapade.]]](else:)[[[Anyways.->Follow him into the dark.]]]

"We can do it later, then," Scrawny Kid says quickly. That's what you //thought//."So //first//, we're going to need to get you a new pig-shaped jar." You wrinkle your nose. You don't want to be in one of those again, but it would be a necessary sacrifice for this mission. "But I'm not sure where you'd be able to find one of those. I wonder if he carved it himself.""Um, I can get us another one," he says."Perfect! Shall we head out right now?" you say. "This would mark the beginning of our Quest.""It's kind of the middle of the night right now, so I'm not sure if we'll be able to-""So you //don't// want to start our Quest?" You narrow your eyes."No! I mean, I do want to start," he says. [["Then off we go!"]]

(set: $long to false) You follow him to his intended destination, but it's just a Target. You have no idea where he's going to find a novelty item that looks even close to a pig-shaped jar, but you follow him inside anyways.Scrawny Kid grabs a cart (click: "cart")[(which perplexes you, since you're only buying //one// thing)] and brings you both to an aisle that contains a real plethora of pig-shaped jars. Who would have thought? He grabs the first one he sees off the shelf."Are you serious?" you say. "That looks nothing like the original.""It looks exactly the same." He turns it over in his hands. "I'm pretty sure he even bought it from here.You scan the shelf, and pick the one that fits best. "But this one is a closer match," you argue. "And I'm the expert here.""Because you were trapped inside it? Doesn't count." You fume. [[Point out the CLEAR differences between the two.]] [[Wait for him to put it in the cart and swap the two when he turns around.]]

(set: $purchase to "coffee maker")(set: $jarcheat to false) You stop him from moving any closer to the checkout. "Look, this one has a //much// larger nose than the one you originally had. And the tail is too curly. And if you examine the shade of pink on this one-" You thrust your finger at the one in the cart. "It's far too red."He rolls his eyes. "If it's that important to you..." You nod. "Then sure. Put whatever you got inside." At least he can see reason at the most crucial moments. You swap the two items in the cart and follow him to the checkout. Crisis avoided."So why are you helping me, again?" he asks. "I felt like you didn't really clarify that part of this."There were multiple things you didn't clarify, and he (link-reveal: "picks this?")[ You can't help but get the feeling that when the government mails him his tax returns, he sends them back.] [["Would you rather I didn't help you, then?"]] [["So I can take your heart and feed it to my children when we're done with this."]] [["Because my help is worse than none at all, and it's almost guaranteed that when this is over your life will be more miserable than it would be if I tried to punish you for trying to trap me in a jar."]]

(set: $purchase to "coffee maker")(set: $jarcheat to true) You sigh and pretend to look disappointed and put the one you picked out back on the shelf. He pushes the cart to the checkout area while you follow close behind. At one point, he becomes distracted by a particularly vibrant bag of chips (click: "vibrant")[(you still have no idea how humans get them to turn out that shade of red! They almost look inedible)], and you slyly swap out the terrible pig-shaped jar replica for your more authentic one. And he doesn't even notice! The sheer obliviousness of humans never fails to astound. You wait for him to turn back to the task at hand and head to the checkout."So why are you helping me, again?" he asks, instead. "I felt like you didn't really clarify that part of this."There were multiple things you didn't clarify, and he (link-reveal: "picks this?")[ You can't help but get the feeling that when the government mails him his tax returns, he sends them back.] [["Would you rather I didn't help you, then?"]] [["So I can take your heart and feed it to my children when we're done with this."]] [["Because my help is worse than none at all, and it's almost guaranteed that when this is over your life will be more miserable than it would be if I tried to punish you for trying to trap me in a jar."]]

It's only the most stunning thing you've ever seen. (if: $purchase is "coffee maker")[The color! The workmanship! Its ability to make multiple cups of coffee right after each other! ](if: $purchase is "decorative mirror")[The clarity! The workmanship! Its ability to reflect your wonderful visage right back at you! ](if: $purchase is "leopard-print shirt")[The pattern! The texture! Its ability to make you resemble the king of the jungle! ](if: $purchase is "four-person tent")[The size! The practicality! Its ability to fit four entire humans in it despite being a foldable piece of fabric! ]"Scrawny Kid! We //must// purchase that $purchase," you announce. "I require it."His forehead scrunches. "You need a $purchase? For what?""What would I //not// need a $purchase for? I'm the almost-all-powerful being here. I decide what's needed and what's not." You try to sound as threatening and assertive as you can, and it works! Your haughtiness leads to Scrawny Kid putting the $purchase on the counter, rolling his eyes again. You resist the urge to roll his eyes right out of his head.When the cashier tells him the cost, his eyes bug. "Uh, I don't have that much," he says. He glances at you, worry showing in his eyes. "I can't afford the $purchase. We have to put it back." Put it back? What nonsense was this? [[Show your flame irises to the cashier.]] [[Expand, growing to a threatening size while staring directly at the cashier.]] (click-append: "king of the jungle!")[ (Most people think the king of the jungle is the lion, which just goes to show how unintelligent most people are. It's like they've never even been in a jungle before.) ]

Your eyes light up, burning in their sockets. The cashier raises an eyebrow. "You're still going to have to pay."You scowl, but your eyes return to normal. You're going to need to think this one out. [[Think.]]

You rise up in the store, growing to ten feet, then twenty, until you near the ceiling. The cashier raises an eyebrow. "You're still going to have to pay."You deflate, scowling. You're going to have to think this one out. [[Think.]]

You think as hard as you can. You feel your hair catch fire, and pat it out quickly. "Hey!" You turn to Scrawny Kid. "What happened to my money that you stole?"He shrugs. "That's what I have. It's still not enough." What a little rat. There's only one solution left now. [[Take out your credit card.]] [[Pull out your checkbook.]]

"You have a credit card with you?" Scrawny Kid says. "Why didn't you take it out earlier? You know I'm broke."You shrug. "I was preoccupied." You insert your card in the chip reader. It doesn't work. [[Pull out the card and insert it again.]]

"You have a checkbook with you?" Scrawny Kid says. "Why didn't you take it out earlier? You know I'm broke."You shrug. "I was preoccupied." You snap your fingers at him. "Pen, Scrawny Kid?""Where would I get one of those from? I don't even own a checkbook," he spits. Well, //someone's// touchy."I've got one!" the cashier says, offering you a ballpoint pen. It's weirdly sticky, but it does the job.You tear out the check and hand it to the cashier when you're done. "Have a great night!" she says.You restrain yourself from lashing out at her impertinence. After all, you would have had a great night anyways. [[You leave the store.->itworked]]

(set: $cardcount to it + 1) You stick your card in again. It still doesn't work. "Try it just once more," the cashier says. You resist your urge to maim. (if: $cardcount is 5)[[[The transaction goes through!->itworked]]](else:)[[[Pull out the card and insert it again.]]]

Double-click this passage to edit it.

You buy your $purchase and the pig-shaped jar! The cashier puts each in a separate bag, and you cradle the $purchase for the entire walk back to Scrawny Kid's apartment. Only when you reach do you realize what //trickery// took place right under your nose. [["This is NOT the right jar!"->wrongjar]] [["You swapped jars! Wastrel!"->wrongjar]]

(if: $jarcheat)[Scrawny Kid shrugs. "I don't see what's wrong. This is the piggy bank we agreed on.""It is //not//!" you say. "I swapped them out when you weren't looking! You deliberately went behind my back to put your //disgrace//"—you gesture at the pig-shaped jar—"back in there."He blinks. "So we //both// went behind each other's backs, right? So we're technically even.""Incorrect! //You// went behind my back, and now you must pay for it!"]"Look, I'm sorry this happened, but your jar just wasn't right," he says, shrugging. "See?" He pulls out the jar from his cabinet again. "This one is identical to the old one."He does appear to have a point, but your rage is still present. You take deep breaths. You can't kill him, not yet. You're going to have to [[wait.]]

You hate waiting. But you understand the power and value of sacrifices, the greatest currency a being with free will has. This will have to be another one for your list.You put on your most (link-reveal:"benevolent expression.")[ Scrawny Kid flinches. That must not have come out right.] "We will move past this," you announce. "For I am kind and forgiving. But if you cross me one more time..." you glare. He looks appropriately cowed. Time for step two of your brilliant plan. (if: $purchase is "coffee maker")[[[Make a strong cup of coffee.->coffeern]]] [[Magic the old pig-shaped jar.]] [["So do you happen to know where your '''uncle'''"—you use air quotes—"lives?"->unclehouse]]

(css: " font-size: 14px; margin: 0 0 1em 0; padding: 0 0 1em 5em; border-bottom: solid 1px #ffdd99; top: 0; left: 30%")[(css: "top: 0; margin: 0 0 1em 0; padding: 0 12em 1em 0; border-bottom: solid 1px #ffdd99; right: 40%")[''High Jinnks''] (if: (passage:)'s name is "About")[] (else:)[[[About ->About]]]{(link:"Save ")[(if:(save-game:"Slot A"))[Game saved!](else:)[Save error ]]}(if: (saved-games:) contains "Slot A")[(link: " Load ")[(load-game:"Slot A")]](if: not ( (passage:)'s name is "Start" ))[(link-repeat:" Restart ")[(set: $restart to (confirm: "Are you sure you want to restart? "))(if: $restart is true)[(reload:)]]]]

(set: $restart to false)

Scrawny Kid frowns. "Not exactly," he admits. "But I know the general location, if that's what you're looking for."This is unhelpful. "What do you mean by //general location//?""You know," he vaguely gestures with his hands. "The general location.""Like the city? The district? Anything like that?" you ask."Kind of," he says. "It's definitely..." he trails off. "In this city?"It dawns on you what's occurred. [["Ah! He's used magic to addle you brain and make you incapable."->imnotstupid]] [["Ah! He's ruined your capability to be coherent by repeatedly kicking you in the skull."->imnotstupid]]

Scrawny Kid frowns. "Isn't it more likely that he's just cast a spell or something to make it impossible to speak his address to others?""Yes, that's basically what I said," you say. "If you give me your memories, I can magic out the location from them regardless of whatever spell is on you.""What do you mean by //give//?" he asks. "That sounds suspect.""Well, it means I take them. You just won't remember anything about them anymore." You wave your hand, siphoning the content from his brain.Easy and simple! You've found what you need. Scrawny Kid shakes his head. "You just stole my memories!" he splutters."You could call it that, I suppose," you say. "But I think the word '''steal''' implies that you didn't know what was going on when I took them.""It doesn't matter! Give them back," he says, his face growing red. It must be the post-memory removal embarrasment at being seen and known too closely by someone you don't care for. [["There's nothing to be done, but on the bright side, I've found what we were looking for! Just call the memories part of your payment."]] [["I'll give them back after this deal is worked out, just wait this one out."]]

You wave your hand over the jar. You can't seem to come up with anything. (link-reveal: "Perhaps one more try...")[(show:?q1)]|q1)[Nothing. This is most unusual. You assault the jar with as many spells to reveal information as you can, but nothing works, not even your strongest location-revealing spell. [["Do you think I broke the jar of its magic when I got out?"->brokejar]] [["Do you suppose someone snuck in here and swapped that old jar for this one when we were gone?"->brokejar]]]

Scrawny Kid frowns. "Isn't it more likely that he's just cast a spell or something to make it impossible to get any useful information out of it?""Yes, that's basically what I said," you say. "If you give me your memories, I can magic out his location from those instead.""What do you mean by //give//?" he asks. "That sounds suspect.""Well, it means I take them. You just won't remember anything about them anymore." You wave your hand, siphoning the content from his brain.Easy and simple! You've found what you need. Scrawny Kid shakes his head. "You just stole my memories!" he splutters."You could call it that, I suppose," you say. "But I think the word '''steal''' implies that you didn't know what was going on when I took them.""It doesn't matter! Give them back," he says, his face growing red. It must be the post-memory removal embarrasment at being seen without knowing what was seen. [["There's nothing to be done, but on the bright side, I've found what we were looking for! Just call the memories part of your payment."]] [["I'll give them back after this deal is worked out, just wait this one out."]]

"They're gone?" he says. "You destroyed them?""I didn't //destroy// them, you just can't put them back. That's just how it works. It's a sacrifice, a cost. You understand that much, right?"His face is still red, but he seems to be calming down. Thank Allah for that. "Okay," he says. "Let's just get this over with." [[Go to the magician's home.]]

Scrawny Kid takes a deep breath. At least he understands that this needs to be done. "Fine," he says. "But if you don't, I swear to god, I'll do whatever I can to get you back in a jar."//That's// a relief. You thought calming him down would take more time. Thank Allah he doesn't know that the memories can't be returned. "Scout's honor," you say, holding up three fingers. A problem you'll have to deal with later, you suppose."Okay," he says. "Let's just get this over with." [[Go to the magician's home.]]

You both take an Uber to Scrawny Kid's uncle's house, called with Scrawny Kid's phone. None of you were really in the mood to walk after that debacle. You hold both the new pig-shaped jar and the $purchase, which is a real pain to carry everywhere, but you couldn't just leave it at Scrawny Kid's pathetic excuse for an apartment."Do you really think we'll need that?" Scrawny Kid says, pointing at your $purchase. You resent him for disrupting the silence of the drive."Yes." You aren't sure what you'll need it for yet, but you definitely do feel like you need it. And really, against an evil wizard, something like this could definitely be useful. [[Make small talk with the driver.]] [[Make small talk with Scrawny Kid.]]

"So, Chauffeur," you say. "How has your day been?"The driver glares at you in the rearview mirror, for some reason, and ignores you. //That// was rude. You can't even do anything about it because he's the one driving the car. [[Make small talk with Scrawny Kid.]]

"So. Scrawny Kid, tell me about your //girlfriend//." You leer, or at the very least, attempt a leer."My //what//?" Scrawny Kid chokes on something. Odd, considering you hadn't seen him eat anything."Your love interest? Your 'well, it's more than //that//' that you're going through with all of this for?" He's so slow."Ah, my...that," he says. He still appears to have something lodged in his throat, and you wonder if you'll have to give him the Heimlich. "It's...complicated. But anyways, stop calling me Scrawny Kid. I'm twenty-three, a legal adult. And my name is Ali."He just totally ignored your love interest question. The rudeness present in this car is shocking. "Twenty-three still makes you a child," you declare. "Do you know how old I am?""How old are you?" he says, rolling his eyes. [["You can't just go around asking people their age," you say. "It's impolite."]] [["How old do //you// think I am?"->howolddou]]

"Then don't tell me," he says, frustration leaking out of his voice. He shuts his eyes and rests his head against the seat. He looks like he's on the verge of falling asleep.You won't. But the all this questioning makes you feel the urge to remember...[[how old //are// you?->agejinn]]

"How old do //you// think I think you are?" he says."Thirty-five.""You're thirty-five?""No, but that's how old you think I look." You don't bother hiding your smugness.He straightens. "Hey! Stop going through my mind like that without permission," he says. "Or I'll leave.""Leave where? You need me for this," you say. "And I didn't have to go through your mind." Like you'd need to be able to read minds to know what humans are thinking. They're all so transparent."No, //you// need //me//," he says. "I don't know what for, but you clearly do. That's why you haven't killed me yet. Don't think I haven't thought about this whole...situation. You're planning to use me for something, and you're refusing to tell me so that I can't back out of it. But I'm willing to help you, despite the fact that I could probably more easily just stuff you back in that piggy bank and come out of this unscathed. So just..." he takes a deep breath. "Just try not to be an asshole all the time." [["I'm not an asshole."->notanasshole]] [["You //dare// to speak to me like that?"->howdare]]

You remember a time and place without cars, where the humans moved around on camels. You remember the Middle Ages, the Islamic Empires. You remember the Roman conquest of Judea. You push your mind further. You remember Alexander the Great. You remember early Persia. You remember Mesopotamia. Your head tingles. You're approaching your teenage years. Your childhood. You draw [[a blank.]]

"I'm not-" you realize this is probably not the best thing to say right now, thankfully. Perhaps you should just sit in silence. You don't have anything to say that wouldn't wind him up further.And you do sit in silence, for quite a long time. It's always a long time, even though you've lived enough human lifetimes for time to feel shorter than it is. You suppose it really is true what they say. The centuries are short, and the minutes are long. [[Dwell on your present.]]

"How dare-" you realize this is probably not the best thing to say right now, thankfully. Perhaps you should just sit in silence. You don't have anything to say that wouldn't wind him up further.And you do sit in silence, for quite a long time. It's always a long time, even though you've lived enough human lifetimes for time to feel shorter than it is. You suppose it really is true what they say. The centuries are short, and the minutes are long. [[Dwell on your present.]]

But how could it all just disappear like that? The crucial moments of //your// beginning. What about your own history? You've never cared less about anyone else. You must have //something//. You [[press further.]]

You can almost feel yourself approaching...approaching..."We're here," your driver says. Ali gets up and out of the car, and you follow, $purchase and pig-shaped jar in hand. The wisps of your memory fade away once your focus is broken, but you don't bother trying to catch them. "Have a great night!" And with that, your driver rushes off into the distance, and you're left standing in front of a large townhouse that holds a magician who wishes to enslave you with a young human who dislikes you, a $purchase, and a pig-shaped jar. C'est la vie."So now what?" Ali says. (link-reveal: "The name doesn't really suit him.") ["Is your name really Ali?" you ask. He glares at you. This is probably the wrong time for that. ] [["It's kind of complex."]] [["It's actually pretty simple."]]

"We have to put me in that jar," you sigh. "But we have to be really careful. Give me a second." You focus on the jar, and mutter over it. It glows faintly. "There we go.""Is that your plan, then?" Ali says. "You get in the jar, I give it to him, you do whatever you're supposed to do to get out."You nod. "Yeah, you got it! Humans aren't that stupid, after all. I have to take the $purchase in with me, of course.""And you have a use for that?" Ali asks."Of course," you nod. "It's our..." [[Distraction.]] [[Weapon.]] [[Back-up plan.]]

"We have to put me in that jar," you sigh. "But we have to be really careful. Give me a second." You focus on the jar, and mutter over it. It glows faintly. "There we go.""Is that your plan, then?" Ali says. "You get in the jar, I give it to him, you do whatever you're supposed to do to get out."You nod. "Yep, that's how it'll work." Humans aren't that stupid, after all."And what about the $purchase?""I have to take that in with me, of course.""And you have a use for that?" Ali asks."Of course," you nod. "It's our..." [[Distraction.]] [[Weapon.]] [[Back-up plan.]]

(set: $purchaseuse to "distraction") "That sounds legitimate, I guess," Ali says. "But where's the complex part?""Well, that's it," you say."It's not very complicated.""But it's not very simple, either."He sighs. "Okay. Let's just get this over with." [[Enter jar.]]

(set: $purchaseuse to "weapon") (display: "Distraction.")

(set: $purchaseuse to "backup") (display: "Distraction.")

You really didn't want to end up in another jar, but it makes you feel better to know that it was your choice to be here. It's just as small as the last pig-shaped jar you were in, but with the $purchase in here, it feels much more uncomfortable. [[Now you wait.]]

It does bother you that Ali was correct. Not in the you being an asshole part, perhaps, but in your needing him at the moment. Which is unfortunate, because you thought you'd been hiding that rather well.You feel the unfortunate embarrassment of being seen and known too closely by someone you don't care for.Wait, you shouldn't be feeling that. Has someone been snooping in your mind? You check your alarms. Nope, they're all good. Phew. That was really stomach-turning.But you digress. You have to figure out what to do to convince Ali that you're on his side. This is the clear next step. You have to push away your ill thoughts of him to think more clearly. You wonder if you could sneak in and just //quietly// push away his ill thoughts of you, but that might be too risky. [[Scheme.->planning]] [[Plot.->planning]]

You think for a bit. The clear thing to do is apologize, but you don't really want to do that. You try to think harder, but you see a mental block approaching, and the only worse than apologizing is trying to jump over those things. You're going to have to bite the bullet on this one. [["I'm sorry for saying that...well, you know."->apology]] [["I'm sorry for incorrectly wording my statements."->apology]]

Ali looks up at you. "That's not...an apology."You deserved points for effort, at least. "Then what //is// an apology, if you're the sole arbiter of what is and is not an apology," you say. You feel the angry thoughts rush in, and try to push them out again. This was not the appropriate time."I think I'd have even accepted a sorry for being an asshole," he says, after thinking it over. [["Well, I //wasn't// being an asshole."->tryagain]] [[Apology for being an asshole.]]

"Then don't bother trying to apologize," Ali says. He's about to close his eyes and lean back on his seat again."I'msorryforbeinganasshole," you say quickly, before he can do so."You know, I'd ask you to repeat that because I didn't hear it, but I'll ignore it, if only because I'm feeling benevolent."With all of your negative-thought-suppressing, the kid can be almost funny. Who would have thought? Hey, you think you might be [[approaching some kind of mental change right now.]]

You roll your eyes. "I apologize for being an asshole.""Okay, I accept your apology. And I'll ignore your eye roll, but only because I'm feeling benevolent."With all of your negative-thought-suppressing, the kid can be almost funny. Who would have thought? Hey, you think you might be [[approaching some kind of mental change right now.]]

You can almost feel yourself getting closer...closer..."We're here," your driver says. Ali gets up and out of the car, and you follow, $purchase and pig-shaped jar in hand. The mental change stops just as fast as it started, and you shake off your disorientation. "Have a great night!" And with that, your driver rushes off into the distance, and you're left standing in front of a large townhouse that holds a magician who wishes to enslave you with a young human who dislikes you, a $purchase, and a pig-shaped jar. C'est la vie."So now what?" Ali says. (link-reveal: "The name doesn't really suit him.") ["Is your name really Ali?" you ask. He glares at you. This is probably the wrong time for that. ] [["It's kind of complex."]] [["It's actually pretty simple."]]

You can just start to hear the sounds of talking outside of the jar. You just have to wait for the magician to summon you. [[Unless...]]

Unless he doesn't intend to summon you. He could just be planning to sell you or something, which would ruin your entire plan. It would be a disaster. You could become a collector's item, left on someone's shelf for centuries. Your anxiety rises, and the small space of the pig-shaped interior begins to feel smaller yet. This might be the worst idea you've- [[Oh, never mind. He's rubbing the jar.]]

(set: $hatbreak to false) (set: $necklacebreak to false) You feel the familiar tugging sensation coming from within, and rush out into the (link-reveal: "room")[ (which is tastefully decorated and quite spacious; it makes you wonder how much money one can make with a career like old-scary-magician)]. While you'd be tethered to the old jar with the spells attached to it, you're disconnected from this one. "Who //dares// to trap me?" you roar, in your scariest jinn voice. "Come out!" The magician is already there, but it's not as dramatic if you don't get to say it like that."I am Malik, you new master, and I-" the old man is cut off by you chaining him to his wall. You might not be able to kill right now, but you can still inconvenience. "What is this?" he splutters. "I trapped you with-""Your spells of horror, yeah, yeah," you say. "Trapping a jinn is a violation of the Interspecies Interaction Conventions of 2345 BH, you know." The magic chains you have him up against the wall with won't hold if he tries anything funny. You examine him for his magical talisman. [[Break his necklace.]] [[Break his staff.]] [[Break his funny little hat.]]

(set: $necklacebreak to true) You grab the raven charm wrapped around his neck and bite it in half. It snaps, but you can't taste any magical residue. Looks like you got the wrong one. [[Break his staff.]] (if: $hatbreak is false)[[[Break his funny little hat.]] ]

You grab the cobra-headed staff from his hands and snap it in half against your knee. You feel the magical residue leak out of it, and the magician screams, withering before your eyes into an even older man. His skin melts off of him, dripping off of him onto his otherwise well-maintained plush carpet. He must have put some life-strengthening charm in there. Not very wise, but you suppose he's never met a real jinn before who'd be able to break his staff."Just," he starts coughing. "Just kill me. I can't live without..." He starts hacking again. There's a little drool coming out of the side of his mouth.This is awkward. You can't kill him, but to not kill him would show weakness on your part. Your lack of murder thus far is making you look pretty pussyfooted as it is. [["I'm a God-fearing creature. Thou shalt not kill, and all that."->godfearing]] [["You don't deserve even a merciful death, you louse."]]

(set: $hatbreak to true) You're not quite sure how to //break// it, but you grab his conical hat and tear it up with your hands. The fabric tears like paper, but you don't feel any magical residue leak out of it. That must not be the right one. (if: $necklacebreak is false)[[[Break his necklace.]]] [[Break his staff.]]

Double-click this passage to edit it.

"Please just kill him," Ali begs, staring at the old magician with wide eyes. "He's dying as it is, in the worst way possible." He's right, unfortunately. You don't want to see this happen almost as much as Ali doesn't."Ah, well," you say. "This is just how things are sometimes. We should leave before any cops show up." You sweep your $purchase off the floor, ready to make a run for it."Cops?" Ali chokes out, still staring at the melted skin. He looks like he's about to vomit."Jamal!" the magician squawks out. You're shocked into spinning around. "I know you," he says, still melting. You can't believe he's wasting his dying words on this. You can't believe he knows you. "I know..." He's approaching his last moments. "...your...your //sentence//...I can...c-cure..." [[And then he dies.]]

(display: "godfearing")

You've never wanted to kill someone more, but he's //dead// already, and you didn't even get the chance to kill him yourself. This is unbelievable."Did you just see that?" you ask Ali. "The nerve of that guy! He knew what he was doing when he said that stuff." You shake your head. You don't know what to do about this."How did he know who you were?" Ali says. He's still pale. You hope that his skin won't start melting off, too. "And what curse?"A can of worms you don't want to open, that's what. You wonder if your curse has been broken yet. [[Kill Ali.]] [[Kill yourself.]]

You speak one of your favorite curses, a spell that makes the target (cycling-link: "burst into flames", "bite off their own limbs and bleed to death", "shrink until they turn into a speck of dust"), while waving your hand at Ali. Nothing happens."What did you just say?" Ali asks, eyes narrowing."Nothing! I have to work on something." [[Search through the dead magician's house for information.]] [[Search the dead magician's robes for information.]]

You speak one of your favorite curses, a spell that makes the target (cycling-link: "burst into flames", "bite off their own limbs and bleed to death", "shrink until they turn into a speck of dust"), while waving your hand at yourself. Nothing happens."What did you just say?" Ali asks, eyes narrowing."Nothing! I have to work on something." [[Search through the dead magician's house for information.]] [[Search the dead magician's robes for information.]]

"Answer my questions, //Jamal//," Ali says. You can't answer them, now, though, because you cannot set a precedent where he receives a valid response every time he uses your real name. It's bad conditioning. You get back to your task. Before you can start looking, the front door of the house opens. That can't be good.A young man walks in, almost angelic in the way his curly brown hair bounces over his forehead. He's almost the height of your human form, but not as ripped, of course, although he's not that far from it. He smells like magical residue. The angel image is ruined by the look of horror on his face once he spots the magician puddle. It's matched by Ali's look of horror, although he's stopped (link-reveal: "looking at the puddle.")[ You give the puddle your own cursory glance, and see that it's looking just as oozy as before. Ick.]"Hakeem," Ali says. "What are you doing here?" His skin flushes red. Interesting. [["I presume this is your '''well, it's more than //that//'''?"->flushing]] [["Not sure if you've realized this, but he's //way// out of your league."->flushing]]

You don't particularly want to, but this is a //necessity//, you remind yourself, and sacrifices must be made.(display: "Search through the dead magician's house for information.")

He turns even redder! He's like a little tomato. You push down the rush of—is that endearment? Being around humans all the time has made you disgusting."So, //Hakeem//," you say. "What are you doing here?" You waggle your eyebrows."What are //you// doing here?" he says. You can't tell if he's talking to you or Ali. [["He's here to turn me over to that guy," you say, pointing at the dead magician.]] [["Look, I'm just here because of that," you say, pointing at the broken pig-shaped jar on the ground.]]

"You killed him?" Hakeem says, looking at you.You technically didn't, since you're not allowed to, but you don't want to look like you're incapable of murder. "Yes," you say. "Something like that.""And you helped him?" Hakeem says, looking at Ali now.Ali opens and closes his mouth, but no words come out. You and Hakeem patiently wait for him to speak. "Something like that," he says.Wow, young love! You're sure there's some erotic subtext here, but you don't care enough to look for it. You have things to do and places to be. [[Search the townhouse.]] [[Interrogate Hakeem.]]

"He trapped you?" Hakeem says, looking at you. "And then you killed him?"You technically didn't, since you're not allowed to, but you don't want to look like you're incapable of murder. "Yes," you say. "Something like that.""And you helped him?" Hakeem says, looking at Ali now.Ali opens and closes his mouth, but no words come out. You and Hakeem patiently wait for him to speak. "Something like that," he says.Wow, young love! You're sure there's some erotic subtext here, but you don't care enough to look for it. You have things to do and places to be. [[Search the townhouse.]] [[Interrogate Hakeem.]]

As Hakeem and Ali discuss whatever they need to, you decide to examine the townhouse. You thought about looking through the magician's robes again, but the goo kept you away. You might be a jinn, but melted human is still a pain to scrub off your hands. [[Search the living room area.]] [[Look for the magician's old work area.]]

"So, Hakeem," you say. "Who are you?""Malik's apprentice," he says, his voice cold. Unfortunate."In my defense, he //was// trying to enslave me," you say. "Anyone might be driven to murder under those circumstances." He remains unconvinced.Ali approaches him and talks to him quietly, so that you can't hear. They both turn away from you. You suppose it's some request for forgiveness for being complicit in a murder. It does hurt your feelings a little to be left out. (click: "a little")[Just a little.]You have to find something productive to do. [[Search the townhouse.]]

Despite the antique furniture and super-soft carpet, there's not actually much magical residue here, at least as far as you can smell. You //do// spot your $purchase on the floor, though. You really thought Ali would be angry that you didn't use it as a $purchaseuse as you told him you would. You did also think he'd be angry about the memory-stealing, but it just goes to show: watching someone you know die in a brutal fashion can take your mind off of anything. [[Search the cabinets.]] [[Check the walls.]]

You snoop around, nose up. This is //quite// the residence, if you do say so yourself. You've seen the (link-reveal: "kitchen")[ (with its granite countertops and stainless steel appliances)], the (link-reveal: "bathrooms")[ (which have heated floors and jacuzzis)], and the (link-reveal: "bedrooms")[ (//tons// of windows and hardwood flooring)].You finally spot something that resembles a work area. It's modest compared to the rest of the place, but you smell magic here, so this has to be what you're looking for. The only things here are a [[trunk]] and a [[desk]].

You open each one of the cabinets. Some of the contents hum, but (link-reveal: "they're so arbitrary")[ (teacups, snowglobes, and your favorite: a marble bust of the magician's upper body)] that you can't imagine what they would have to do with your curse. You're going to have to try looking elsewhere. [[Search the townhouse.]] [[Search the living room area.]]

You press your ear against the walls. Ali gives you an odd look. What does he know, though? You can't seem to hear anything that would indicate magic. Well, onto the next one. [[Search the townhouse.]] [[Search the living room area.]]

When you open the trunk, the contents are about 70% dust and 30% magical artifacts. Not the worst artifact-to-dust ratio you've seen, to be honest. The artifacts are just [[some glass looking balls]], [[various tchotchkes from other countries]], and [[a few books]].

The desk contains (link-reveal: "miscellaneous papers")[ (mainly tax forms and bills)] and (link-reveal: "a few pens")[ (cheap ballpoint)]. There's nothing that smells magical here. [[Look through the rest of the study.->Look for the magician's old work area.]] [[Search the townhouse.]]

These manuscripts look //old//. You almost don't want to touch them because they might crumble in your hands, but you have no other way to read them. You look at the titles. Compelling. (link-reveal: "//30 Ways to Wind Up the Weather Without a Wand//")[ (okay, that //can't// be it)], (link-reveal: "//Magicians's Manual for Making Mayhem//")[ (you might have to grab that one for later)], and //Jinxes for Jinn: The Joy of Jars, Jeans, and Other Jewels for Jailors//. (click: "Jinxes for Jinn: The Joy of Jars, Jeans, and Other Jewels for Jailors")[[[Okay, that's gotta be it.->gotem]]]

Yeah, these look useless. They're not a legitimate method of clairvoyance, and are mostly just used to look mysterious at appropriate times. Which could be useful, but you have enough (link-reveal: "dead weight on you")[ (Ali, the $purchase, and now that kid Hakeem. It's like you're Daddy Warbucks)]. You'll just have to look through the rest of the [[trunk]].

They're barely magical. You grab a small replica of the Pyramids of Giza and sniff it. It's purpose appears to be generating dust. No surprise there, you guess. You go through the rest of the [[trunk]].

You flip through the pages. It's not the most interesting book, and a lot of these spells are outdated. You check the index, and finally find something useful. Hey, you might actually be able to—Something crashes in the living room.Aaaaaand now you have to check on that. The universe hates you. You hope it wasn't Hakeem killing Ali. [[Go back to the living room with your book.]]

Once you're in the living room, you wish you weren't. No one is dead, fortunately(click-replace: "fortunately")[unfortunately]. Instead, Ali and Hakeem are rolling around on the floor in various states of undress. Literally fifteen feet from a puddle of human remains.The universe hates you.You whistle your (link-reveal: "sharpest whistle")[ (the one where you put your index and pinky fingers in your mouth. It's not very sanitary)]. They stop, and Ali looks suitably ashamed attempting to get it on infront of a corpse. "It's time to leave," you say. He nods, and stands up to look for his shirt. Hakeem remains where he is."Leave where?" he says; he's defiant for someone talking to a jinn that just melted their teacher into goo."Somewhere that's not here," you say. Oversharing with strangers who want to kill you is not your thing."I have to pay him back," Ali tells Hakeem, his voice subdued."For killing your uncle?""He wasn't actually his uncle," you say. You turn to Ali. "And you shouldn't believe everyone who tells you that they're related to you. It's very dangerous.""It can't be as dangerous as traveling with a jinni," he mutters.As disrespectful as ever. Murder doesn't work that many miracles. [["I'm sure paying back a jinni is much more dangeous."]] [["Which isn't as dangerous as intimate relations with a magician, of course."]]

Hakeem rolls his eyes. "No doubt about that." So //that's// where Ali gets it from. This kid is a terrible influence."Farewell, then, Hakeem, apprentice of Malik," you say, inclining your head at him. Being openly hostile will probably rub Ali the wrong way.Ali nods again, and follows you out. Now you have to start the //real// mission. [[Ask Ali to call another Uber and have it go to the library.]] [[Ask Ali to call another Uber and have it go to the park.]]

"//Intimate relations//?" Hakeem says. You really don't like that kid. He just doesn't look trustworthy.Ali's face is red again. You had no idea that brown skin could be that red all the time. Your own skin is a burnt orange, and you've never seen it turn red, but you also don't have any blood circulation."Farewell, then, Hakeem, apprentice of Malik," you say, inclining your head at him. Being openly hostile will probably rub Ali the wrong way.Ali nods again, and follows you out. Now you have to start the //real// mission. [[Ask Ali to call another Uber and have it go to the library.]] [[Ask Ali to call another Uber and have it go to the park.]]

(set: $park to false) (display: "Ask Ali to call another Uber and have it go to the park.")

(set: $park to true) He grumbles about it, but does it anyway. It's still dark outside, but sunrise is approaching, you can feel it in your body. You aren't the kind of jinn that enjoys spending extended amounts of time in the sun, especially when there are too many people around, so you'll want to be quick about this. The Uber wait time is seven minutes."So what do you want from me this time?" he asks. "And explain the curse thing. Don't think you're getting out of that." Getting out of it? Does he think you owe him something? [["I'll tell you when I'll tell you."]] [["Explain the Hakeem thing, and then I'll think about it."]]

(set: $hakeem to false) "Or you can just tell me right now, while we wait for the Uber," he says. "We can trade. You can tell me your depressing backstory and I can tell you about mine."You snort. "You don't have a depressing backstory." You frown. "And neither do I. It's just a normal backstory.""I'm pretty sure narrative convention requires that the backstory be depressing, though."A fair point. "Fine," you say. "It all started when..." [["...the fire nation attacked."]] [["...I was born."]]

(set: $hakeem to true) "Fine," he says. "I'll explain the Hakeem thing.""No, you won't!" you say. "I changed my mind.""Yes, I will," he says. "I know how you work in deals and exchanges and all that. I'll tell you this, and you'll tell me whatever you've got going on." He takes a deep breath. You don't stop him. You've made your own bed, and well...you're curious."So when my parents died, I was around sixteen, and I didn't want to deal with foster care, for obvious reasons." [["Obvious for //humans//?"->wellyeah]] [["And what did they die of?"]]

"Obvious if you live anywhere near here, maybe," he says. "I was basically an adult, and foster care...wouldn't have helped me in any way. My parents didn't exactly die so much as disappear, and no one noticed my presence until the rent stopped coming through and the landlord evicted me."His forehead crinkles. "That's when Malik showed up, actually. When I moved into my new place with rent that a minimum wage job can pay for. He didn't send mail or anything. I didn't even wonder how he knew where I lived, since he seemed almost like an angel." [["You know who else seems like an angel? The devil."]] [["When you say things like that, it's makes it obvious you've never seen a real angel."]]

"Funny," Ali says. "What actually happened?""That //did// actually happen," you say. "As beings made of fire, jinn have the license to call ourselves the fire nation. And we do attack things.""But where does it actually start for you?"This is a harder question. You can't remember the details of your youth. You suppose it starts... [[After you were cursed.]] [[Before you were cursed.]]

"I'm sure it did," Ali says. "But if you started somewhere more relevant, that'd make this ordeal a lot easier.""That //is// somewhere relevant," you say. You don't press further. You don't remember the details of your birth, anyway. Or of anything close to your birth. But there's nothing to be done about that."Start somewhere where you have a personality, then."That's even harder to think about. That must be... [[After you were cursed.]] [[Before you were cursed.]]

He pauses. "I'm not sure," he says. "They just went out for groceries one day, and then they never came back.""They might not have //died//, then," you say. You enjoy being the voice of reason."Okay, then, they didn't die. They ran away to live a wonderful life in Papua New Guinea, unburdened by base things like paying rent or taking care of their son.""Fine, fine," you say. "What happened to you after that mess, then?"His forehead crinkles. "That's when Malik showed up, actually. When I moved into my new place with rent that a minimum wage job can pay for. He didn't send mail or anything. I didn't even wonder how he knew where I lived, since he seemed almost like an angel." [["You know who else seems like an angel? The devil."]] [["When you say things like that, it's makes it obvious you've never seen a real angel."]]

"Aren't you a variant of the devil?" he says. "Like as a jinni?""You mean the //devil// is a variant of a //jinni//," you say. "I'm devout."Ali snorts. "You're the most irreligious person I've ever met.""I'm not a person, so you can't say that.""You're full of...vice," he continues. "Not just that, but you don't seem to have any fear for God in you at all.""I could say the same about you when it comes to vice," you counter. "Do you recall where we met? And you're religious gatekeeping.""Maybe, but I stand by my words," he says. "You just don't seem like you believe.""It's hard not to believe in God when you've met the devil himself," you say. "Just continue your tragic backstory."He looks like he's about to say something else, but continues his backstory instead."Anyway, he offered me a real job. Not the piggy bank thing, but odd jobs, here and there. Easy stuff with incredible pay." [["Didn't it seem a tad suspcious that you were getting paid a lot for doing minor things?"]] [["My apologies for killing your main source of income, then."]]

"It's great that no one here except for you has seen an angel before, then," he says. "And what I mean is the societal concept of an angel, not a literal angel.""If you're going to nitpick, then sure," you mutter. "Pedant."He ignores you. "He offered me a real job. Not the piggy bank thing, but odd jobs, here and there. Easy stuff with incredible pay." [["Didn't it seem a tad suspcious that you were getting paid a lot for doing minor things?"]] [["My apologies for killing your main source of income, then."]]

(set: $backstory to false) "A lot of jinn don't really need to have a purpose the way humans like you might," you say. "Our lifetimes are on a different scale, so we don't search for meaning as much. A lot of the time, jinn will just curse each other instead of killing or maiming. It's just easier. We still //die//, though. It just takes longer, and it's more significant of an event.""How much longer?" Ali asks."I don't know, but it must be coming soon," you say. "It feels like I've been around forever.""When were you born, then?""Stop asking questions! It's my story to tell." You ignore the flare of anxiety that results from the thoughts that question brings."Okay, then," Ali says. "Tell it.""I accidentally killed this human who happened to be friends with this other jinn who got upset about it. Who I was also friends and coworkers with, actually. And then that jinn cursed me to not be able to kill anyone.""And then what?" [["And now I can't kill anything, obviously."->isthatall]] [["And that's my curse."->isthatall]]

(set: $backstory to true) "So before all of this, I used to be a different kind of jinn," you start. "I had a human form, of course, but I could also fly and turn into snakes and all of that. More importantly, I could //hide//."Hide from what?""Humans, of course. No one wants to be seen by humans all the time. I was part of the other realm. I had friends there. A home. A job.""That's...normal," Ali says. You nod solemnly."I used to kill humans a lot," you continue. "But well, not every jinni is a fan of killing humans a lot.""I wonder why not," Ali says."So anyway, one time I accidentally killed this human who happened to be friends with this other jinn who got upset over it. My friend and former coworker, actually." You pause. "It wasn't an //accident//, per se, but you know what I mean, right?""Right." He rolls his eyes."I //saw// that. Anyway, the jinn whose friend I killed chose to curse me to never be able to kill again," you say."And?" [["And now I can't kill anything, obviously."->isthatall]] [["And that's my curse."->isthatall]]

He shrugs. "At times, yeah, but I was also paying bills and trying to survive. And I never saw anything suspect happening.""Anyway," he continues. "I hung around there for maybe a few months before Malik took on Hakeem. He dropped out of school for the job. I was upset at first, because I felt like it should have been me, you know?" You resist the urge to say that you don't know."I mean, I was his nephew. It turned out to be because you don't get paid to be an apprentice, and Malik was...well-aware I was there for the money. I got used to it, and eventually...we were together. [["Is there more?"]] [["And you all lived happily ever after, of course."->happyeverafter]]

He shrugs. "To be fair, I helped you. I'll find something else. It's just another lost job at the end of the day. No hard feelings.""Anyway," he continues. "I hung around there for maybe a few months before Malik took on Hakeem. He dropped out of school for the job. I was upset at first, because I felt like it should have been me, you know?" You resist the urge to say that you don't know."I mean, I was his nephew. It turned out to be because you don't get paid to be an apprentice, and Malik was...well-aware I was there for the money. I got used to it, and eventually...we were together." [["Is there more?"]] [["And you all lived happily ever after, of course."->happyeverafter]]

"So your big loss is not being able to kill?" Ali says. "My parents are //dead//. I was homeless. I'm going to be homeless again now that you've killed my employer." He pauses. "Speaking of which, how did that even //work// if you can't kill?""He killed himself by connecting his body too closely to that staff," you say, dismissing the thought."Okay, then why have you been threatening me with death every time something doesn't go your way?""Key word: threatening. I haven't killed anyone, or even tried to kill anyone."He shakes his head. "It doesn't matter. Just don't kill. This '''curse''' wouldn't even be an issue if you were a normal person."(if: $backstory)["There's also the not being able to return to the realm of jinn.""That's fair," he sighs. "It's just a perplexing curse, for something uttered in the heat of the moment."](else:)["I mean, I was also forced to permanently remain in the human realm and never see my friends or home again," you say. "And never use any powerful magic, an essential muscle for jinn that rots the longer I can't use it."Ali is silent for a moment. "That makes your case more persuasive, I think. You could have started with that.""I //could// have, but it wasn't the core tenet of the curse, just a side effect." You sigh."Mmm, okay," Ali says. "This just seems complex for a curse uttered in the heat of the moment."] [["That's what jinn are known for, I guess. Heat."]] [["When you say things like that, you make it sound like you've never met a jinni before."]]

"I thought they were known for being great at card games," Ali says, grinning."One can be known for multiple things," you reply. "Humans are known for both their arrogance and their stupidity."You both settle into a companionable silence. It's odd to have a companionable silence with someone who's not a jinni. It's odd to have a companionable silence with anyone at all, really. You're just not that kind of jinni. But it feels good, almost good enough for you feel safe, for just one moment, in an unknown realm, far away from everyone you've ever known. [["Oh, there's the Uber."->uberhere]]

"I'll try not to show off my ignorance, then," Ali says, grinning."Isn't that against human nature?" you ask."Won't stop me from trying."You both settle into a companionable silence. It's odd to have a companionable silence with someone who's not a jinni. It's odd to have a companionable silence with anyone at all, really. You're just not that kind of jinni. But it feels good, almost good enough for you feel safe, for just one moment, in an unknown realm, far away from everyone you've ever known. [["Oh, there's the Uber."->uberhere]]

"Yeah," Ali says. "Malik thought it was a waste of time and told Hakeem to stop.""Magicians are like that," you say. "All work and focus.""You've met many?" Ali says. "I don't think I'd want to talk to one again. Other than Hakeem, but he's not a full magician.""They're not all bad," you say. "I knew one who was alright.""Define alright," Ali says. [["Not evil."->magicianstory]] [["Likeable. Doesn't destroy lives."->magicianstory]]

"Not with Malik around," Ali says. "He's too focused on his work. Or he //was// too focused on his work.""Magicians are like that," you say. "All work and focus.""You've met many?" Ali says. "I don't think I'd want to talk to one again. Other than Hakeem, but he's not a full magician.""They're not all bad," you say. "I knew one who was alright.""Define alright," Ali says. [["Not evil."->magicianstory]] [["Likeable. Doesn't destroy lives."->magicianstory]]

(if: $park)[(set: $location to "park")](else:)[(set: $location to "library")] You move your $purchase and the magician's book into the car. The driver shoots you a dirty look. Not everyone appreciates the beauty of a good old $purchase. You hope he drives fast. (if: $park)[The park](else:)[The library] isn't far from here, but you're in a hurry."Why are we going to the $location?" Ali says. "What are you looking for?"You hesitate. [["A friend."->wellsortof]] [["Something I need is there."->wellsortof]]

"And what am I for?" Ali asks.And //there// it is. According to the magician's book, you'd need to befriend him to fix your curse. But how would you do that? You can trick a human into giving you //anything//, and manipulate their minds into rage and desire, but you don't know how to make one become friends with you. You've never needed anything like that."A last resort," you say. If you weren't able to summon Sophia, you'd need to figure out how to become friends with this kid."That's not an answer," he says. "You can't just keep me here on an as-needed basis." You could! Your demand of payment was loose enough that you had an eternity to figure out how to befriend him. Or at least as long as he would be able to survive. [["Did you ever pick up any knowledge on summoning from Malik?"]] [["I don't suppose you have any latent magical talent?"]]

"Not exactly," he says. (if: $hakeem)["And why would you want to summon a jinni?""It's curse-related," you say. "I need to bring her here to work things out." You pray that this would be effective. This is your best chance at breaking the curse.](else:)["For dealing with the jinni that cursed you? Do you really think she'll undo it if you force her out of her home?""No," you admit. "But she'll have to do something." Your reasoning is flawed, but you don't want to question it right now. This is your best chance at breaking the curse.]"Why would you need my help?" he says. "I feel like a jinni would be best suited for summoning another jinni.""Your puny human mind shows its ignorance once more," you say. Ali glares at you, but you ignore it. "Jinn can't summon other jinn. And the only summoning spell I have is the one from that magician's book, which is, of course, only meant for human use.""Shouldn't you have brought Hakeem, then?" Ali says. "Since he's the one who's actually trained in this stuff?" [["He's the last person we can trust with something like this."]] [["Hakeem's not the one who owes me an unspecified debt, unfortunately."]]

"The most magical thing I've done was trap you in that piggy bank," he says. "Which turned out to be ineffective, seeing as you screamed your way out of it.""That wasn't a magical mishap," you say. "I wouldn't have been able to leave if you hadn't physically let me out.""Fine," he says. "But why do you ask, anyhow?""For summoning a jinni."(if: $hakeem)["And why would you want to summon a jinni?""It's curse-related," you say. "I need to bring her here to work things out." You pray that this would be effective. This is your best chance at breaking the curse.](else:)["Is this for dealing with the jinni that cursed you? Do you really think she'll undo it if you force her out of her home?""No," you admit. "But she'll have to do something." Your reasoning is flawed, but you don't want to question it right now. This is your best chance at breaking the curse.]"Why would you need my help?" he says. "I feel like a jinni would be best suited for summoning another jinni.""Your puny human mind shows its ignorance once more," you say. Ali glares at you, but you ignore it. "Jinn can't summon other jinn. And the only summoning spell I have is the one from that magician's book, which is, of course, only meant for human use.""Shouldn't you have brought Hakeem, then?" Ali says. "Since he's the one who's actually trained in this stuff?" [["He's the last person we can trust with something like this."]] [["Hakeem's not the one who owes me an unspecified debt, unfortunately."]]

"//We// can't trust him?" Ali says. "If anything, we can't trust you.""And I presume '''we''' means you and Hakeem?" Your eyebrows raise. "We just killed his father figure.""He was also kind of my father figure, to be honest.""It's different," you say. "The apprentice-magician relationship is forged in blood. He's probably still under an enchantment that would make him wish to avenge Malik. It's risky."Ali sighs. "Fine. This whole thing will be done by sunrise, right? I can just go back then." [["Riiiiiiight."->yeahright]] [["Rrrrrrrrrright."->yeahright]]

"He'd still help, though," Ali says. "For my sake."You shake your head. "He's too unpredictable.""You don't get to call //anyone// unpredictable," he says.Your eyebrows raise. "We just killed his father figure. He's in a fragile state of mind.""Well, Malik was also kind of my father figure.""It's different," you say. "The apprentice-magician relationship is forged in blood. He's probably still under an enchantment that would make him wish to avenge Malik. It's risky."Ali sighs. "Fine. This whole thing will be done by sunrise, right? I can just go back then." [["Riiiiiiight."->yeahright]] [["Rrrrrrrrrright."->yeahright]]

Ali opens his mouth again to say something, but thankfully, the driver pulls up at the $location. Small miracles.You both get out of the car. You chose the $location because (if: $location is "library")[there's an open space behind the library where you'll have more than enough room to carry out the ritual. Also, you can dump this book out here when you're done with it.](if: $location is "park")[it's the only place in this awful city where you can breathe. Also, the amount of open space makes it easier for you perform the ritual.]"So is there something specific we have to do now?""There's //multiple// specific things that you have to do now." You show him the book and open it to the page with the spell written on it."And you're sure I can do this?" His forehead scrunches when reading the page. "This doesn't even look real." [["You definitely capable of doing it, but whether you can do it at this second with your current magical skill level...that's a different question."]] [["I'm sure you're the only one here who can do it, yes."->"You definitely capable of doing it, but whether you can do it at this second with your current magical skill level...that's a different question."]]

"Your moral support is invaluable," Ali says. "How do I start the fire? Or does it have to be a magic fire?""What do you mean?" you say. "There's fire everywhere." You grab a bit out of the air and throw it on a near public trash bin. It lights up immediately."...alright," he mutters. "Why not?""Are you ready?""I mean, yeah," he says. "It doesn't actually look that complicated.""That's because it requires incredible power," you say. "Too bad we broke Malik's staff. It could have been useful."Ali is still scanning the spell instructions. "I'm sober, I'm in front of an open flame, it's nighttime, and I have no children. I guess I can just recite the spell, then." [["Don't forget to speak with a German accent."-]] [["Don't forget to hop on one foot."]]

(set: $onefoot to false) (set: $german to true) Ali scans the page once more. "It doesn't say anything about that in here."You think quickly. "Well, of course not," you say. "A lot of magical knowledge is implicit. They wouldn't mention something like that in there. It would be like explaining how to mince an onion in a recipe in a cookbook.""I mean I //guess// that makes sense," he says. He clears his throat and begins reciting:"Chinn pe nimple, chinn pe guick, chinn come out of mein candlesdick." He flips the page, clearing his throat once more. "Zobhia, zat means vu."You both watch the flaming trash can. Nothing happens."At least no one I know saw that, I guess," Ali says, snapping the book shut. "I can't believe this is happening."Neither can I," you say. "I didn't expect your German accent attempt to be both so sincere and pitiful." You snicker, even though the lack of any other jinn present, named Sophia or otherwise, worries you."I //knew// you made that up," Ali says. "You're unbelievable. And you wouldn't have done much better.""If you //knew//, then why'd you-"You're cut off by the flame rising higher in the trash can, tearing up the metal off the top. You hope the city tax can deal with that. The flame twists around, until it forms a familiar shape. [["Sophia! I didn't expect to see //you// here."->sophiashere]] [["You've aged a //lot// better than I expected, to be honest."->sophiashere]]

(set: $onefoot to true) (set: $german to false) Ali scans the page once more. "It doesn't say anything about that in here."You think quickly. "Well, of course not," you say. "A lot of magical knowledge is implicit. They wouldn't mention something like that in there. It would be like explaining how to mince an onion in a recipe in a cookbook.""I mean I //guess// that makes sense," he says. He lifts up one foot and begins reciting, hopping slowly:"Jinn be nimble, jinn be quick, jinn come out of my candlestick." He flips the page, maintaining his hop rate. "Sophia, that means you."You both watch the flaming trash can. Nothing happens."At least no one I know saw that, I guess," Ali says, snapping the book shut. "I can't believe this is happening."Neither can I," you say. "I didn't expect you to hop with such diligence." You snicker, even though the lack of any other jinn present, named Sophia or otherwise, worries you."I //knew// you made that up," Ali says. "You're unbelievable.""If you //knew//, then why'd you-"You're cut off by the flame rising higher in the trash can, tearing up the metal off the top. You hope the city tax can deal with that. The flame twists around, until it forms a familiar shape. [["Sophia! I didn't expect to see //you// here."->sophiashere]] [["You've aged a //lot// better than I expected, to be honest."->sophiashere]]

"What?" Sophia looks more perplexed than angry. You hadn't considered the possibility that she might not even remember you. "Jamal?" So she //does// remember you. Or at least your name."Correct," you say. "I'm not sure if you recall, but a few centuries ago, you-""Ohhhh! I cursed you after you killed Maria. I remember that."You're put off at being interrupted, but hold your tongue. "Yes," you say. "As I was going to say, I would like to formally request that you undo my curse.""This doesn't follow //any// of the formal protocol for curse reversal.""I couldn't exactly examine the documents for the formal protocol when I was //trapped with humanity//, but I followed what I remembered as best as I could.""And what did you remember, then?" (if: $german)[[["The German accent part?"->germanaccentisano]]] (if: $onefoot)[[["The hopping on one foot part?"->hoppingisano]]] [["The open spaces part?"]]

"That wasn't in the protocol, but that still is a best practice, so you're not totally off.""I try my best," you say."But best practices or not, I still can't approve your request without the necessary forms." [["Perhaps my neglect can be overlooked if I would...provide an offering?"->veryclose]] [["Oh, wait! I remember part of the protocol. Offer the requestee a bribe, right?"->veryclose]]

She frowns. "Was that really in the formal request protocol?"You shrug. "It was close enough.""I'll...gloss over that, but I still can't approve your request without the necessary forms." [["Perhaps my neglect can be overlooked if I would...provide an offering?"->veryclose]] [["Oh, wait! I remember part of the protocol. Offer the requestee a bribe, right?"->veryclose]]

"That's not how this works," Sophia says, sighing. "I'm not the kind of jinni who would-"You lift up your $purchase."I guess I could take it into consideration," she says, her eyes widening. Hah! You got her."I'm going to need more than just consideration for something like this," you say. You toss the $purchase between your hands, raising an eyebrow at her. "I mean, just look at it.""I can't guarantee something like that," she says."I don't see why not.""I can //try// undoing the curse, but I don't even remember what I said." [["You can only //try//?"->wtfisthis]] [["You don't //remember// what you said?"->wtfisthis]]

She shrugs. "I have a life, you know.""Fine, then," you say. "Just take the $purchase, and do whatever you can." She expresses no remorse at having ruined your life."What is this, by the way?" she asks."It's a $purchase.""A $purchase! Very interesting," she says. "I wonder what that does."You don't actually know the answer to that. You turn to Ali, hoping he'll offer insight.He rolls his eyes. (if: $purchase is "coffee maker")["It makes coffee."](if: $purchase is "decorative mirror")["It lets you see yourself, but surrounded by a embossed frame."](if: $purchase is "leopard-print shirt")["It makes you look like a leopard."](if: $purchase is "four-person tent")["It lets you sleep outside of a house."] Not really helpful, considering that's the definition you would have provided. Humans don't even have interesting information about their own inventions.Sophia seems pleased, though. "Wow! You learn something new every time you come here." She picks up the $purchase, and nods. "Okay, here we go!""One, two, three, four, five, once I cursed a jinni alive, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, now I let him free again." She clears her throat. "That means Jamal."Nothing happens. "It might take a while for it to kick in," she says. "But I have to go! I'll see you later. Or never, if it didn't work properly." She disappears into the flame, leaving you and Ali in front of a sizzling trash can. [["That went well."]] [["That could have been worse."]]

"Yeah. I was worried she was going to start singing Mambo No. 5," Ali says.You don't bother asking what that is. "I can't feel the jinni realm. Whatever she did was useless.""I'm not surprised," he says. "She just wanted the $purchase." He pauses. "But I just don't understand why she wanted it."You shrug. "Human items are exotic. But this in particular is neat because(if: $purchase is "coffee maker")[ it's so bulky and yet so compact for what it does.""That's why people buy it, too.""I thought people bought it to make coffee.""It's both.""Interesting."](if: $purchase is "decorative mirror")[ it's reflective glass surrounded by a frame.""That's why humans buy those, too.""Humans buy these because they're vain.""Sometimes there are multiple reasons for actions.""Fair enough."](if: $purchase is "leopard-print shirt")[ it's fun to look like something you're not.""That's why humans buy those, too.""I don't mean looking like a leopard. I mean looking like a human.""Yep, that's why humans buy them."<o>"Hm. Interesting."](if: $purchase is "four-person tent")[ it seems useless but still has a purpose.""That sums up what its purpose here is, too. Tents are the kind of thing you use only once.""She just wants it for decor. It's not really the same thing.""No, really," he says. "They're basically like decor.""If you say so."]"So what now?" he asked. "Am I allowed to go back home?" [["Why would you want to go there?"]] [["Your payment still isn't fulfilled."]]

"Yeah," Ali says. "I really thought she was going to start singing Mambo No. 5."You don't bother asking him what that is. "I can't feel the jinni realm. Whatever she did was useless.""I'm not surprised," he says. "She just wanted the $purchase." He pauses. "But I just don't understand why she wanted it."You shrug. "Human items are exotic. But this in particular is neat because(if: $purchase is "coffee maker")[ it's so bulky and yet so compact for what it does.""That's why people buy it, too.""I thought people bought it to make coffee.""It's both.""Interesting."](if: $purchase is "decorative mirror")[ it's reflective glass surrounded by a frame.""That's why humans buy those, too.""Humans buy these because they're vain.""Sometimes there are multiple reasons for actions.""Fair enough."](if: $purchase is "leopard-print shirt")[ it's fun to look like something you're not.""That's why humans buy those, too.""I don't mean looking like a leopard. I mean looking like a human.""Yep, that's why humans buy them."<o>"Hm. Interesting."](if: $purchase is "four-person tent")[ it seems useless but still has a purpose.""That sums up what its purpose here is, too. Tents are the kind of thing you use only once.""She just wants it for decor. It's not really the same thing.""No, really," he says. "They're basically like decor.""If you say so."]"So what now?" he asked. "Am I allowed to go back home?" [["Why would you want to go there?"]] [["Your payment still isn't fulfilled."]]

"That's harsh," he says. "It has a place for me to sleep, which is more than enough for me right now." He looks at the horizon. "The sun is rising, and I got two hours of sleep.""If it's less than three hours of sleep, it's a nap, not sleep."He sighs. "Yeah." The sun rises behind the trees, and you watch it in silence. You might die here. Not near this specific $location, but among humans. You'll never see any of the jinn you knew again. You'll lose your sense of who you are, becoming human enough to die as one. You still have //one// option. You turn your head."Ali?" you say. He doesn't move. His eyes are shut, and seems to be snoring. No mental resilience. That's going to be you one day.It's time for you to leave. You're about as tired as he is at this point. [[Go to the magician's old house.->magichouse]] [[Go to Ali's apartment.->backthere]] [[Go to the casino.->casinoagain]]

"And yet you probably wouldn't stop me if I went back home. There's nothing you can use me for anymore." You don't correct him. He looks at the horizon. "The sun is rising, and I got two hours of sleep.""If it's less than three hours of sleep, it's a nap, not sleep."He sighs. "Yeah." The sun rises behind the trees, and you watch it in silence. You might die here. Not near this specific $location, but among humans. You'll never see any of the jinn you knew again. You'll lose your sense of who you are, becoming human enough to die as one. You still have //one// option. You turn your head."Ali?" you say. He doesn't move. His eyes are shut, and seems to be snoring. No mental resilience. That's going to be you one day.It's time for you to leave. You're about as tired as he is at this point. [[Go to the magician's old house.->magichouse]] [[Go to Ali's apartment.->backthere]] [[Go to the casino.->casinoagain]]

"You thought defeating a magician and summoning a jinni from another realm would be easier than trying to become friends with a human? And put me through this awful night as a result?""Yes," you say.He doesn't say anything for a few moments. "I can just say that we're friends, and you'd be able to go back?""That's the thing, you have to mean it when you say it. I can't just make it happen.""But I do mean it. Or at least I thought I did until now, when you informed me that I went through all of that pain for nothing.""So you think we're friends? But you never said that. And you don't really know me.""If you weren't insane, you'd understand that's not how friend-making works for humans." [["You don't have human friends."]] [["You think that you can see jinn."]]

(set: $places to 0)(set: $friends to false) You press against the wall of the human realm, pushing your way out. And it works. The warmth of jinn hits your body, and you look around. The same world, but you see jinn instead of humans! You can't believe that worked."I can't believe that worked!" A few jinn turn to look at you, but you ignore them. You look for Ali, and then realize he's not there. Huh. You find that the lack of his presence makes your surroundings look odd, but you ignore that thougt. Time to look for what you've missed. [[Find your old friends.]] [[Look for your old home.->home]]

(set: $places to $places + 5)(set: $friends to true) You sniff the air. There's no residue of their presence anywhere you've walked, but you know they're probably at your old hangout. You fly over there, just because you //can// fly. It's the same casino you played cards at in the human realm, but here, there are jinni playing instead of people, so you can't pull any of your old tricks. You sit down at a table and wait to be dealed in.You look around. It's all jinn that you don't know. The jinn at your table look too young, too. [["Do any of you know Samya?"]] [["Do any of you know Kareem?"]]

(set: $room to false)(set: $gardens to false) You check if your ability to fly has been returned to you. It has! You're a real jinn again. You speed through the air to find your old (link-reveal: "house")[ (it's actually more of a palace, if you're being forthright)].You walk into the front hall. Everything is exactly where you left it. In the human realm, it doesn't exist. The materials are all magic, tricks of the eye that turn into tricks of the hands and feet when you're inside. It's a marvel, all marble and stone, pillars and columns. It's also...empty. But it's not //empty//. It's how it was when you left. The furniture is all still there. The shelves. Your kitchen is still fully stocked. The (link-reveal: "decorative chessboard")[ (you don't know how to play yet)] rests on the table in living room. There's nothing that's out of place, but it's different somehow. [[Look for your room.]] [[Check the gardens.]]

(set: $places to $places + 1)(set: $room to true) It's also sparse. You just have a king-size bed and a vanity. It's just not where you want to be. You can't remember the last time you've used anything in here. [[Check the gardens.]] (if: $gardens is true)[[[Leave the house to look for anyone you might know.->Leave to search for anyone you might know.]]]

(set: $places to $places + 1)(set: $gardens to true) They're doing well enough on their own. Unlike human plants, they don't need your constant care, which means they look exactly as they did when you were expelled from the realm. You can't see anything here that sparks joy in you, not even the fountain in the center of the gardens.The lighting is good, though. [[Look for your room.]] (if: $room is true)[[[Leave the house to look for anyone you might know.->Leave to search for anyone you might know.]]]

A few of them turn to look at you. "Samya who?" the jinni next to you says. He's so young that his voice doesn't roar when he speaks."He..." You don't know his last name. "He has a clunky bracelet? With jade.""Um, no," one of them finally says. "We don't know who that is.""Alright, then, do any of you know Sophia?"You have the whole table's attention now. "Which Sophia?" "She wears this navy blazer all the time." You know that much because it clashes with her burgundy skin tone. "She also talks about regulations a lot. And she's around this high." You raise your hand to your shoulder."Are you talking about the Sophia on the //Council//?""She's on the Council now?" And she said she couldn't undo your curse."Yeah, she's the head. Who did you say you were again? And where are you from?" The jinn at the table all look at you with suspicion. You don't belong here. [[Leave to search for anyone you might know.]] (if: $places is 5)[[[Go to your home.->home]]]

A few of them turn to look at you. "Kareem who?" the jinni next to you says. He's so young that his voice doesn't roar when he speaks."He..." You don't know his last name. "He has a clunky bracelet? With jade.""Um, no," one of them finally says. "We don't know who that is.""Alright, then, do any of you know Sophia?"You have the whole table's attention now. "Which Sophia?" "She wears this navy blazer all the time." You know that much because it clashes with her burgundy skin tone. "She also talks about regulations a lot. And she's around this high." You raise your hand to your shoulder."Are you talking about the Sophia on the //Council//?""She's on the Council now?" And she said she couldn't undo your curse."Yeah, she's the head. Who did you say you were again? And where are you from?" The jinn at the table all look at you with suspicion. You don't belong here. [[Leave to search for anyone you might know.]] (if: $places is 5)[[[Look for your home.->home]]]

He throws the cigarette on the ground and stubs it out with his shoe. A waste, in your opinion, seeing as he didn't use it for very long. "Yeah, okay," Scrawny Kid says. "I'm bad at poker. And you're good at it. You don't have to go on, I do get the point." [[Hm. He's not as laid-back as he looks.->begin]] [[The human temperament is back at it again.->begin]]

High Jinnks was written in Twine by M. Nite Chamberlain for the 2020 Interactive Fiction Competition. Gameplay takes about an hour.Many thanks to Alana Platt and Naja-Lee for beta testing, kind words, and constructive criticism. And thank you to Husain Haddawy and Richard Burton for writing the translations of the Arabian Nights I borrowed/stole from.Cover art is by Alana Platt.Please (link-repeat: "email me")[(open-URL: "mailto:mnitechamberlain@gmail.com")] if you have any questions or feedback. Thank you for playing!(link-goto: "back", (history:)'s last)

(set: $sleep to "magician") You walk there. You wish you could fly there, or even call another Uber, but your powers are still gone and you never had purchased a cell phone. When you get there, it looks just as it did when you left.The house is dark and empty when you go inside. The remains of the magician left on the ground have been cleaned away, most likely by Hakeem. You think about checking the rooms for him, but decide that his potential hostility isn't worth it in your condition.In times like these, there's not much to do other than [[sleep.]] Or [[look for more reading material.]]

(set: $sleep to "apartment") It's an awful place to be, especially when you already feel so down, but you don't want to go to your own apartment slash penthouse, since it's too far across town for you to walk and you don't have access to a phone with which to call an Uber. His apartment doesn't look as sad in the early morning light, and you notice small shelves in the corners of the room, with small trinkets and books. You'd be nosy enough to look through them if you weren't so exhausted. You lie down on his patchy, stained sofa and [[let yourself sleep.]]

(set: $sleep to "casino") You walk towards the casino. It's the only place you belong in this realm, surrounded by beings who while away their time making their lives worse. Probably the closest thing you have to home right now.When you go back inside, it's almost empty, but you stil sit down at a table. You play the fair way this time, but still win. You suppose humans who stay up this late don't have the mental capacity to play poker in a way that gives them at a shot at winning this (link-reveal: "late in the night")[ (or, more accurately, this early in the morning)].You play hand afer hand, and feel yourself growing more and more tired. Not because your body shuts down when it doesn't sleep, but because you don't want to think about the way things are anymore. Your eyelids weigh themselves down, and you slip [[into dreamland...]]

You don't sleep much, mostly because it's not real sleep. You have to be fully lucid, and wander through abstract thoughts for several hours unless your body wakes itself up. This one's a doozy. It's just footage of cars driving past you. It's boring, but it does mentally recharge you. [[Continue sleeping.->dream text]]

There are no books with anything relating to your curse or anything that would help break it, but you do find other interesting texts. Malik must have been well-read, that much you can tell. It's almost disconcerting to look through these shelves, seeing books on foreign countries, cooking, philately, technology, and know that he might have been one of the more fascinating humans here. Someone who could hold an intelligent conversation. You shake yourself out of it, grab an existentialist play, and sit down and read. It's dull enough for your mind to check out, and you find yourself [[falling asleep.]]

(display: "sleep.")

Ali stands over you, shaking you roughly. "Get //up//!"You bring yourself up to a sitting position. "What?" Your voice is still groggy. You always forget how terrible the waking up is."What are you doing here?" His eyebrows are furrowed, and he looks as tired as he did earlier. It's a good question. [["I needed a change of scenery."]] [["What are //you// doing here?"->whatareyoudoing]] [["I think I would like to live here now."]]

(if: $sleep is "magician")["And you thought the best change of scenery would be somewhere where you killed a man?""Didn't kill him. And it's the only place nearby that doesn't feel like it should be condemned.""My apartment's not that bad. And are you just planning to live here now? Because I doubt Hakeem would let you stay."You snort. Hakeem had no control over this house. "I'll stay as long as I want. And when I'm tired of this place, I'll go to the park and lie down until the crows there pick my eyes out." Ali purses his lips.](if: $sleep is "casino")["It's not a very good one."He makes a fair point. "It's more fun than my other options," you say. "And it's the closest thing I have to home here.""Even surrounded by gross humans?" He sits across from you at the now empty table. "Are you just going to stay here?"You've thought about it. It's not the worst place to stay, and at least two tiers above Ali's apartment. "Not forever. I can wander around the city until a car runs me over after I'm done with this."](if: $sleep is "apartment")["And you thought this apartment would be the best place for that?" Ali says."Yes." You stand by your words, even though you don't believe in them yourself."Do you not have anywhere else to go over here?"You do. That apartment never feels like it's really yours, though. "Nowhere that I want to go that I can also physically go to, like say, my real home."]"Is it really the worst thing in the world to be surrounded by humans? You can't still think we're all worthless.""Yes. It doesn't matter how irritating humans are or aren't. It's not just being here that I don't like.""Then what's wrong?" [["I'll never get to be myself again."]] [["I won't be able to see any of my friends again."]] [["I want to be in my house again."]]

(if: $sleep is "magician")["I came here to look for Hakeem, actually, but..." He shakes his head. "No, what are //you// doing here? It makes sense for me to be here.""I guess I just wanted to make sure Malik was fully dead. You can never really tell with some of these wizards."](if: $sleep is "casino")["Looking for you, actually. It seemed like you'd be here. And here you are."He makes it sound as if you're predictable. "I actually had multiple destinations in mind," you say. "So I might not have been here.""But you're here, and that's what counts. And I checked my apartment, too." He sits across from you at the now empty table. "Are you just going to stay here?"You've thought about it. It's not the worst place to stay, and at least two tiers above Ali's apartment. "Not forever. I can wander around the city until a car runs me over after I'm done with this."](if: $sleep is "apartment")["It's my apartment," Ali says. "That's why I'm asking //you// why //you're// here.""I figured it was at least one tier above sleeping in a nearby dumpster.""Do you not have anywhere else to go over here?"You do. That apartment never feels like it's really yours, though. "Nowhere that I want to go that I can also physically go to."]"Is it really the worst thing in the world to be surrounded by humans? You can't still think we're all worthless.""Yes. It doesn't matter how irritating humans are or aren't. It's not just being here that I don't like.""Then what's wrong?" [["I'll never get to be myself again."]] [["I won't be able to see any of my friends again."]] [["I want to be in my house again."]]

(if: $sleep is "magician")["In this townhouse? Where you killed a man? Who tried to trap you in a jar?""It's better than all my other options in this awful world."](if: $sleep is "casino")["I don't know if the owners would be okay with that."You can't imagine why not. "It's better than all my other options in this awful world."](if: $sleep is "apartment")["You want to live //here//?" Ali looks more shocked than you've seen him before, including when his uncle melted into a puddle."It's growing on me. And I figured it was at least one tier above sleeping in a nearby dumpster.""Do you not have anywhere else to go over here?"You do. That apartment never feels like it's really yours, though. "Nowhere that I want to go that I can also physically go to."]"Is it really the worst thing in the world to be surrounded by humans? You can't still think we're all worthless.""Yes. It doesn't matter how irritating humans are or aren't. It's not just being here that I don't like.""Then what's wrong?" [["I'll never get to be myself again."]] [["I won't be able to see any of my friends again."]] [["I want to be in my house again."]]

"That's...that's something to worry about," Ali says. "But you weren't worried about that when I met you.""What does //that// mean?""You've been here for so many years, and you've been doing fine. You'll get out of here eventually. And if you made it this far, why give up now?""I only gave up because I couldn't find a way to break the curse. And making it this far is how I know that there's no plausible way to break the curse," you say."There has to be something. Are you sure you can't think of anything?" [["Not really, nothing that's an option."]] [["There's something, but it's basically impossible."->somethingimpossible]]

"That's...that's a good reason," Ali says. "But you weren't worried about that when I met you.""What does //that// mean?""You've been here for so many years, and you've been doing fine. You'll get out of here eventually. And if you made it this far, why give up now?""I only gave up because I couldn't find a way to break the curse. And making it this far is how I know that there's no plausible way to break the curse," you say."There has to be something. Are you sure you can't think of anything?" [["Not really, nothing that's an option."]] [["There's something, but it's basically impossible."->somethingimpossible]]

"That's...well, I can relate to that," Ali says. "But you weren't worried about that when I met you.""What does //that// mean?""You've been here for so many years, and you've been doing fine. You'll get out of here eventually. And if you made it this far, why give up now?""I only gave up because I couldn't find a way to break the curse. And making it this far is how I know that there's no plausible way to break the curse," you say."There has to be something. Are you sure you can't think of anything?" [["Not really, nothing that's an option."]] [["There's something, but it's basically impossible."->somethingimpossible]]

You close your dream-eyes and take some time to think. What you need is next steps. You can't think of any, but you know there are some. You need more time, that's all. [[And now there's an earthquake.->wakeupp]]

"So there is something, but you don't think it's an option," Ali says."Because it's not. It's almost impossible."(display: "somethingimpossible")

"You should be impossible. Just tell me what it is.""I have to befriend a human," you sigh. "And the human has to state that we're friends, and mean it.""You have to //make a friend// to break your curse," Ali says. "And you've been stuck here for centuries?" [["Yes, that sums up the state of affairs."->friends]] [["It's only around two centuries, more like a century and a half. But yes."->friends]]

"I have at least the one. And just let me try," Ali says."Try what?""Explicitly stating that we're friends.""Okay, go for it, then.He clears his throat. "We are friends. End curse."It's a nice attempt, but nothing happened," you say."At least try going back," Ali says. "After I went through all of that effort." [[Try.]]

"And you think you are one. Just let me try," Ali says."Try what?""Explicitly stating that we're friends.""Okay, go for it, then.He clears his throat. "We are friends. End curse."It's a nice attempt, but nothing happened," you say."At least try going back," Ali says. "After I went through all of that effort." [[Try.]]

You leave the casino and wander around the city. It feels exactly the same as it did when you were in the human realm. Except it's emptier, too, since there are fewer jinni outside during this time of day. You search the streets until you find the government building. This is the only place where you might know anyone right now. [[Enter.]]

You walk towards him, turning yourself into a more (link-reveal: "human-looking")[, but still handsome,] form. You even put forth a kind smile, for good measure. Scrawny Kid looks up when he sees you and blows a cloud of smoke in your face. You breathe it in, savoring the ashiness. You don't get much of that around all these humans. "You know, your technique was decent for someone your age. One day, you might be able to walk out of that casino with //more// money than when you came in," you say. "You just have to practice."He looks at you, but doesn't speak. [["What's important is that you try your best."->yeahokay]] [["You just to need to be patient. The highest virtue."->yeahokay]] [["You know what they say, small steps lead to big changes."->yeahokay]]

You stroll up to him, stretching out to just around seven feet tall, to maximize your sense of superiority. Scrawny Kid looks up when he sees you and blows a cloud of smoke in your face. You breathe it in, savoring the ashiness. You don't get much of that around all these humans. "Painful to lose real money when you play, huh? Do your parents know that you're out this late gambling your allowance away?""Very, and no." He doesn't react to your words, reducing the amount of glee you feel, but not by much. You take the money out of the pocket of your coat and flick your thumb through it in front of him. [["This might even be enough money to cover my dinner."->yeahokay]] [["Do you think think that if I set this on fire the light of the flame would be enough for me to return home by?"->yeahokay]] [["With a decent rubber band, I could use this as a paperweight for me desk."->yeahokay]]

When you enter, the lobby looks exactly like the front hall in your house. There's not a lot of variety in jinni architectural styles. You look for the main hall, ignoring the silent, well-dressed government workers wandering around.The hall is full when you walk in. The council's table sits at the center of a large arena encircled by thousands of spectator seats, each one with a jinni in it. You never used to spend time here, and as far as you knew, no one else did either. There must not be much to do in the city anymore. [[Approach the Council table.]] [[Wait in line for your case to be heard.]]

"Sophia!" you call. She looks up. She's at the (link-reveal: "head of the table")[, which irks you. You wonder if that could have been you if you hadn't left. You were both working here when you still lived in this realm, and you were closer to the top than she was in status back then. But she wouldn't do what she did to you for a Council position, you have to assume]."Did you file the necessary paperwork for a Council hearing?" she asks."No! I didn't even file any inter-realm paperwork when I traveled back here." (link-reveal: "The crowd gasps.")[ What //happened// to this place?]Sophia shakes her head. "I don't think I can hear your case today. Please contact the Pan-Jinni Affairs Council help desk to fill out a ticket." [["I don't need a //ticket//, you snake."->"I don't need a ticket, you snake."]] [["But I just want to know where everyone I knew went, and you're the only one in this realm with any of their contact information."->contactinfo]]

You stand near the back of the arena behind a few other jinn. Nothing seems to be happening. The Council listens to a jinni speak in front of them for a while, and takes notes.Yeah, you can't stand in line right now. (display: "Approach the Council table.")

The crowd boos. Sophia and the other Council members remain impassive. She checks her watch. "I'll give you fifteen seconds. After that, you will be escorted from the premises. Go.""Where are my friends?" you ask.(display: "contactinfo")

"How should I know? I wasn't aware of your social circle," Sophia says. You're both at the center of the crowd's attention, now, and it's clear whose side they're on. But you don't need to be liked."You were //in// my social circle. Just tell me where Kareem, or Ahmad, or even Omar went.""Hmmm," she says, referencing a notebook on her table. "I'm pretty sure they're in exile.""In exile for //what//?" you snap. "All of them?""Unproductivity. They weren't performing any tasks, and didn't maintain employment or work for an income." She flips the page. "Yep, that's what happened." [["You banished them for //unproductivity//?"->kys]] [["Working for an income? It's illegal to be employed now?"->kys]]

"The city was in disrepair before these laws were instated, Jamal," Sophia says. "Drastic enforcement measuer were necessary.""I would say exorcising everyone who wasn't working is more than drastic," you say, trying to appear calm. "And what about these guys?" You gesture at the crowd. "They're not employed."She clears her throat. "They are. This is their job. Council Spectatorship pays well."You just can't take this anymore. You've never wanted to kill anyone more. [[Attack her.]] [[Try to set the Council table on fire.]]

You rush forward, ready to //maul// that tyrannical creature, but Sophia claps once, and before you even reach the table, guards appear at your side and haul you out.Home, sweet home. After getting trapped with humanity, you thought you were in a living nightmare, but it's clear that being back here was the worst fate you could have been dealt.But you think about it more. And [[it's not]].

You twitch your hand, and the table is set alight, incinerating a few papers. Unfortunately, Sophia claps, and guards appear at your side and haul you out as soon as the first flame burns, and whatever fireproofing placed on the table makes the rest of your work peter out without doing much.Home, sweet home. After getting trapped with humanity, you thought you were in a living nightmare, but it's clear that being back here was the worst fate you could have been dealt.But you think about it more. And [[it's not]].

You aren't trapped here because you can still go back to the human realm! It's not home, of course, but it's something. You know at least one person. You have a //friend//. Who may or may not welcome you back with open arms. But it's worth a shot. [[Reach out into your other world.]]

(css: "text-align: center; font-size: 25px;")[Epilogue - Six Months Later] You sit in the living room of the townhouse, reading a book on geology that used to belong to Malik on the futon."Jamal!" Ali calls, walking into the living room. He thrusts a small clay figurine in your face. It's incredibly detailed, and looks just a little familiar. "Hakeem wants to know what this is for. He found it in the attic."You take it from him, and turn it around in your hand. "Does he have more?""Around seven or eight. He says they were in a box with items from an estate sale in the seventies or something. So what does it do?""To be honest, not very much," you say, pressing your lips into the top of its head. [["At his best? Make decent falafel."]] [["But he //can// cheat at poker."->cheatatpoker]] [["He's great at setting things on fire, though."]]

The statue squirms out of your hand, falling to the ground and enlarging, turning from clay into flesh of smoke and flame, until Ahmad sits on the floor in front of you, hale, hearty, and confused."I wish you had mentioned that would happen," Ali says, his face green around the edges. "That would have been less terrifying with even a little mental preparation."You would make fun of his squeamishness on a normal day, but you're too overjoyed to do anything about it right now. You have a home, and friends, and joy, and fun, and even another $purchase, but this is different. Your two worlds are starting to come together. And that might be what you wanted the whole time.//Fin.//

"I get it," he says. "My parents died, too, and I never knew how. It's the //what-if//s that make it so terrible, I think." You don't agree, but you don't disagree either.(if: $long)["That really wasn't a very long story, by the way," Scrawny Kid says."Yeah, I thought about telling you the stories that the old men told me, but I figured I wouldn't even get through one before we reached the checkout."]You both continue walking through the store in silence. Scrawny Kid seems upset by your story, but you know better than anyone that time heals all wounds. Your grief has been replaced by joy and grief and joy again. And now it's all evened out, into a flat plane of apathy that both contrasts and imitates the feelings of the humans around you. But you're content to live in the moment, your quick rebounds from feeling to feeling still end up averaging out. And that's why you let your heart fill itself with pure exhiliration when you spot the most incredible (cycling-link: bind $purchase, $purchase, "decorative mirror", "leopard-print shirt", "four-person tent") right before reaching the counter. [[You have to have it.]]

"I just want to know why," Scrawny Kid says. "You don't seem like the type.""I'm not. I'm often inclined to forgive, though." You remember one instance well."Like when?" he asks, eyes skimming the shelves for groceries. "And under what circumstances?""Like when my son was killed." Scrawny Kid stops in his tracks."Killed? By who?""It's a long story," you say."I haven't heard many long stories, so I'm willing to hear what you're willing to share," Scrawny Kid offers. He wants to hear the whole thing. You sigh. [["It's //really// long."->storytime]] [["I'll keep it as short as I can."->shortstorytime]]

"I didn't know you had children," Scrawny Kid says. "You don't seem like the type.""I'm not. They didn't seem like the type of jinn that should be children, either. Except for one." You remember him well."Are you two close, then?" he asks, eyes skimming the shelves for groceries."Before he died, we were, yes." Scrawny Kid stops in his tracks."Died? Of what?""It's a long story," you say."I haven't heard many long stories, so I'm willing to hear what you're willing to share," Scrawny Kid offers. He wants to hear the whole thing. You sigh. [["It's //really// long."->storytime]] [["I'll keep it as short as I can."->shortstorytime]]

"I'm sure your help is at least average," Scrawny Kid says. "The magic powers must help, too.""Not as much as you'd think." Especially now."I bet you can't give me one instance when you weren't able to fix your problems with magic," he says, eyes skimming the shelves for groceries."Now, of course, since my powers are too limited. And when my son died, too." Scrawny Kid stops in his tracks."Died? Of what? And your magic is limited?""They're both long stories," you say."I haven't heard many long stories, so I'm willing to hear what you're willing to share," Scrawny Kid offers. "If it's only the less painful story, then so be it." You sigh. Talking about your son's death kills your vibe, but it's better than the alternative. [["It's //really// long."->storytime]] [["I'll keep it as short as I can."->shortstorytime]]

(set: $long to true) "We were playing football behind our house," you start. "He was approaching his first century, so he still lived with me. His mother was a human, so she was long dead by that time. His brothers and sisters had all moved out, because they didn't like me, so it was just us two."He just dropped dead. I thought it was fatigue, but when I went up to him, there were all of these date pits next to him, and one had gone straight through his eye. His blood was all over the lawn. Then I realized." You pause to take a breath."Realized what?" Scrawny Kid asks. [["I was //getting// to that part."->godihateyou]] [["Realized that I was going to kill you if you interrupted me again."->godihateyou]]

"We were playing football behind our house," you start. "He was approaching his first century, so he still lived with me. His mother was a human, so she was long dead by that time. His brothers and sisters had all moved out, because they didn't like me, so it was just us two."He just dropped dead. I thought it was fatigue, but when I went up to him, there were all of these date pits next to him, and one had gone straight through his eye. He was splattered all over the lawn. Then I knew." You pause to take a breath."Knew what?" Scrawny Kid asks. [["I was //getting// to that part."->godihateyou]] [["Knew that I was going to kill you if you interrupted me again."->godihateyou]]

"Okay, I'm sorry," Scrawny Kid says quickly.You don't accept his apology. "It was a human. Sometimes that happens, items go between realms, but usually no one //dies//. I had to avenge my son."I went to the other side to figure out what happened, and when I got there, there was this merchant eating dates and throwing the pits. Just sitting on the ground, not even thinking about what he was doing. I showed myself to him, and told him I would kill him. He was terrified. Sobbing about his wife, his family. Praying. Hysterical. Over //his// life, not his son's, or his wife's, or his daughter's.""And you didn't kill him after that?" Scrawny Kid says. "I would have if I were you." Your sense of bloodlust is nothing compared to a human's, you realize. It's almost sad to think about. [["I tried to, of course."->wellthats]] [["Sometimes, we have goals, and despite almost reaching them, the goalpost moves, and things don't work out like we want them to."->wellthats]]

"Interesting," Scrawny Kid says. "What happened?""He made a deal with me," you say. "He wanted twelve months to spend time with his family so he could tell them goodbye, and I gave it to him, despite not being afforded that privilege myself. And I showed up on that one year anniversary of my son's death, and he was sitting on the ground sobbing next to these three old men with their pets. They were crying for him, too. He wasn't even dead. He wasn't even close to dead yet."So I asked the old men what they were doing there, and they told me that they wanted to make a deal with me.""You probably should stop making careless deals with people," Scrawny Kid says. You give him a pointed glance. [["I wonder who I'll start with."->nextbit]] [["Good advice. I might start following it very soon."->nextbit]]

"It's just for future reference," he says. You ignore him."They wanted me to listen to their stories, and if they were good stories, they wanted me to take off a third of the merchant's punishment for each story."For three stories," you repeat. "In exchange for avenging my murdered son.""And you took the deal?""Yes. And then the stories actually turned out to be pretty good, and I had to let him go. But I think about him every day, even though he's long dead by now.""The merchant or your son?" [["The merchant."->Untitled Passage]] [["My son."->Untitled Passage]] [["Both, really."->Untitled Passage]]

"You're making //coffee//?" Scrawny Kid says. "You said we had to do this whole thing tonight." Your pour yourself a cup."Yes, and I'll need energy. You don't have to take any if you don't want any." You sip your coffee slowly. Ahhh. That was needed. You let Scrawny Kid pour himself a cup too before unplugging the machine again so you can take it with you. [[Magic the old pig-shaped jar.]] [["So do you happen to know where your '''uncle'''"—you use air quotes—"lives?"->unclehouse]]

"Continue, then," Ali says."There was this cook who made great food. No one really knew who she was, though, because her restaurant was small and in the middle of nowhere. And this magician visited her restaurant and had some of her food, and he thought it was great. He didn't have any money, though, so he offered to fix the illness the cook had.""He's supposed to be alright, but he goes to restaurants without bringing enough money to pay for his food?" Ali asks. [["First of all, it was centuries before money was lightweight enough to carry everywhere."->likeok]] [["You go to Target without bringing enough money to pay for your needs."->likeok]]

"I see your point," Ali says. He'd have to be blind not to."//Anyway//, the cook tells him she's not actually sick, just very in love. But the woman she's in love with is sort of minor royalty. Like a duchess, sort of. She comes into her restaurant to pick up food every evening, because it's good food, and over time, they realize they want to be together, but they can never actually be together but the girl's dad, who is also minor royalty, would hate it."So the magician tells the cook he'll figure something out, and asks her for some metal, needles, and other stuff. And after he's done, he tells the cook that her lover will be able to sleepwalk to the cook's home at night, without waking anyone else up.""Couldn't the lover just sneak out by herself? Why add the magic into this?" Ali interrupts. [["Because I said so."->ummm]] [["Because she wasn't able to. If she could have done it herself, she would have."->ummm]]

"So anyway, the cook's lover becomes happier and more positive, and her dad gets really suspicious.""Solely because his daughter's happy?" Ali asks. "That seems unrealistic.""Your boyfriend's career is 'magician's apprentice,'" you say. "And he isn't sure what's going on because her actions are tracked during the day. So he puts a bag of millet on her bed, and in the morning, follows the trail straight to the cook's house with a small army."But the cook sees them coming, and tells the magician, who tells her to throw some water outside, so he can turn it into a moat. And it works! The moat keeps out everyone, and the cook stays safe."So after all that, the lover's dad sues the cook for sleeping with his daughter, and wins, which means the executioner has to behead the cook.""The executioner? What year was this happening?" Ali asks. [["Not too long ago."->nextenx]] [["I'm sure you understand what a executioner is, and the year has no relevance."->nextenx]]

"Mmm. Go on.""When they try to put the cook on the chopping block, the executioner can't kill her. The magician curses the executionaer so that he kills other people in the court when he tries to get her, and a bunch of people die until the lover's dad steps in and gives up. And then cook and her lover marry, and they all live happily ever after. Except for everyone the executioner killed, and the cook's lover's dad," you finish."I think you're right about the magician, but just not right enough," Ali says. "It's the extraneous murder that—" [["The Uber's here,"->uberhere]] you say, cutting him off.

The statue squirms out of your hand, falling to the ground and enlarging, turning from clay into flesh of smoke and flame, until Ahmad sits on the floor in front of you, hale, hearty, and confused."I wish you had mentioned that would happen," Ali says, his face green around the edges. "That would have been less terrifying with even a little mental preparation."You would make fun of his squeamishness on a normal day, but you're too overjoyed to do anything about it right now. You have a home, and friends, and joy, and fun, and even another $purchase, but this is different. Your two worlds are starting to come together, almost as smoothly as Ahmad's falafel. And that might be what you wanted the whole time.//Fin.//

"Maybe so," he replies. "But I still don't have a lot of faith in your support for true love above all else."I didn't say it was above all else. I've been trapped in jar after jar over the years. I can do this whole storyline with my hands tied behind my back. True love is just something I enjoy on the side. I don't think there's anything else you could give me that I couldn't just take by force." You pause for dramatic effect. "But I'll help you out anyway." You throw him a benevolent grin."You'd really do that?" he says. You don't see why he's shocked, considering you haven't even committed a single violent act against him so far. He has no idea what you should have been capable of. "For free as long as you get to see me win true love?"You scoff. "No. We can decide the cost later. I don't work pro bono.""Oh. I see." [["Or we can just not do this at all, if that works for you."->thatworks]] [["Or-" You twist your irises into flames. "We can decide now."->thatworks]]

"There was this boy, probably around your age, similar to you in personality," you start. "Except he was incredibly handsome. They sent him to prison for elder abuse.""Elder abuse?" Scrawny Kid says."I think he also refused to get married. They always exaggerated stuff like this. I told my friend Samya about him, and she said she knew about this princess who was even more beautiful." [["I thought she was lying."->beautybee]] [["She doesn't have the best taste."->beautybee]]

"So I make a bet with her, and tell her that we should place them next to each other to compare. We grabbed them when they were sleeping, but Samya turned out to have a point, and both of them really were divinely beautiful. And I didn't want to lose, so I told her that we could try waking them up one at a time to see which one would be most vulnerable to falling in love, and judge the bet based on that.""Let me guess: you won?" [["Did I ask you to guess?"]] [["Of course I did. I'm good at winning."->umyesidid]]

"I thought you'd want to know if I was paying attention," Scrawny Kid says. "It was an appropriate insert in the conversation." It most certainly was not, but you don't care enough to reply.(display: "umyesidid")

"Anyway, after they both see each other, they both fall in love. And after we separate them again, they make it back to each other and get married. If we didn't get them together in the first place, that never would have happened.""But didn't you only get them together because you wanted to have fun with your bet?" Scrawny Kid says. [["You really love to nitpick, don't you?"->Untitled Passage 1]] [["The end result is more important than the process, actually."->Untitled Passage 1]]