The Magic Box, Saturday

[livingartifact]

"Do you mind?" Jenkins made a third attempt to get the front door to the Magic Box open, shoving it against the rump of a truly massive rabbit that had taken up residence on the sidewalk. "Look, I'm certain it's a perfectly nice spot to have a nap, but you're blocking my customers and I have truly had quite enough of being blocked today." His back

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[whoisalicewhite]

Parker had had plans this morning; plans that did not involve exploding eggs or violent rabbits. She was kind of offended on behalf of all bunny-kind by this stuff. She was making her way along the rooftops toward the diner, and decided to swing down and somersault into the Magic Box when she saw that it was open.

"Why are they trying to ruin bunnies for me?" She frowned at Jenkins. "This is a magic thing. Do you know what's going on?"

[livingartifact]

"Haven't the foggiest." Jenkins admitted. "No feathers, so it's not the Mother Goose Treaty of 1918. Perhaps Aesop's Lyre, though I would expect those bunnies to be . . . chattier." He shook his head. "I'm tempted to simply blame it all somehow on Beatrix Potter." A sigh. "I always hated that woman. Naming twins 'Flopsy' and 'Mopsy' - just cruel."

[whoisalicewhite]

Mopsy was a really dumb name, Parker had to agree. "I could interrogate one and ask it what's going on," she offered, looking speculative. "I usually *like* rabbits. I have a stuffed rabbit. A toy, not a taxidermied one, because that's just ick." She made a face. "And, and, there's no internet, and Hardison is going to start freaking out about then pretty soon, I just know it." She'd left him a note not to turn on his computer. Like that would work. But at least she tried.

The abruptness and mention of Hardison might ping Jenkins' memory of the skinny guy he'd met on gender-swap day, if Parker's entire affect hadn't clued him in yet.

[livingartifact]

They certainly had similar enough mannerisms that Jenkins was beginning to pick up on, yes. "So the blockage is digital as well as magical, is it?" he asked. "I haven't managed to contact my people all morning, either."

[whoisalicewhite]

"You have people?" Parker looked curious, picking up the same crystal ball she had before, spinning it between her hands. "And yeah. I was just gonna check the weather, but the internet was down. Then I tried to call someone, and that didn't work, so..." Yeah. Hardison was not going to be happy at all about that. "This is kinda more random than most invasions, though."

[livingartifact]

"I'm not some sort of mad genius shut in," Jenkins said. "Well. Not anymore." His annex had filled right up a couple years ago, and he'd had to relearn a few people skills. "And . . . how do most invasions go, then?"

She seemed rather young to have experienced more than about three, in Jenkins' opinion.

[whoisalicewhite]

"Hmm, well, usually we get warnings earlier in the week? Stuff going strange, or people noticing crap disappearing or something. Or a new person comes to town and is obviously Up To Something." She looked up at the ceiling, remembering. "Weird weather. People getting sick about mid-week? This, just on a Saturday, boom! bunnies is bizarre. I don't like it," she complained, sounding about twelve.

[livingartifact]

"Bizarre," Jenkins echoed. "You know, it's simply fascinating. Two weeks ago, you were turned into a man and mostly just grumpy that your center of balance had changed. Today we have some connectivity issues and a giant rabbit or two, and you're put right out."

[whoisalicewhite]

"Stuff I'm expecting I can account for and plan for. Stuff I don't expect, that can make my people unhappy, makes me unhappy," Parker said soberly. She took the Mastermind thing very seriously, okay? Although his comment was now getting her thinking about how to turn those minuses into pluses. "You're taking this all really well too, for someone who hasn't been here very long. Do you do this in your own world too?"

[livingartifact]

"Slaughter enormous bunnies? Not particularly." Jenkins shrugged. "Investigate magical mysteries, now. That I do a few times a week."

[whoisalicewhite]

"Hunh." Parker studied him a moment, then nodded. "Do you need anything to keep looking, that I can help out with? I'm good at getting stuff." Absently, she put a tarot card that she'd picked up back on the counter.

[livingartifact]

Knight of Swords. Jenkins gave Parker a curious side eye, then tucked the card away. "Have you been out and about much on the island today?" he asked. "Perhaps you can tell me what you've noticed."

[whoisalicewhite]

"I was on the roofs, so. From our place over on Godiva to here." Parker paused, thinking it through, what she'd seen so far. "Four really giant bunnies, I mean, bigger than houses. They don't really seem to be doing anything other than wandering around, though. I'm not even sure they noticed all the people. And a whole bunch of person-sized rabbits being violent and stupid. Plus eggs eggs-sploding." Ha!

[livingartifact]

"Really. From the rabbits?"

[whoisalicewhite]

Parker kind of shrugged, and nodded, playing with some of the other items on the counter as she thought it over. "Yeah, from what I could see, they were throwing them. Easter eggs. Pretty, but seriously?" She made a face.

[livingartifact]

"Interesting. So perhaps it's something to do with Ēostre. Or Cadbury. . . ."