《Magefall》 Hand of Fate Jason was startled awake by a deep booming noise, a light flaring under his desk chair, brilliant blue-white, an enormous hand reaching up around him. He leapt from the chair, sending it flying out of the magical ring that now encompassed him. However, as he gained his feet, the ghostly fingers closed in, grasping him and dragging him through the floor, his last sight being of his room¡¯s blue plaster ceiling, fading into pure white. White bled to black in his mind¡¯s eye, a deep void of unconsciousness. A strange sense of falling, but without wind against his back or rushing in his ears. He seemed to fall through infinity itself, unable to see his own body in front of him, or even feel it. Gradually, this strange sensation faded, blending into concrete against his left side, lying down, curled up on the ground. Sound came next, murmured voices. ¡°-ht, I summoned a monster, not just some sack of shit. Go warm up, I can¡¯t afford to lose more of you to failed attempts. DamnitdamnitDAMNIT!¡± A fist thumped against a wooden table, the dull thud and grunt of pain clear. It was soon followed by further thumping, from a different direction, more distant. ¡°RPF, COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP!¡± ¡°What? How d- DAMNIT! VINNY, TAKE CARE OF THEM!¡± ¡°Yessir!¡± A girl now, with a nasal accent that doesn¡¯t quite match anything he¡¯s heard before. Someone running up stairs, behind Jason. It was all so confusing, and he felt so tired, as if he hadn¡¯t slept in days, his eyes were already closed, it would be so easy to¡­ no. He couldn¡¯t fall asleep, or maybe he already was asleep, and this was a dream? Another loud thump of body against wood, but this came with an actual shriek rather than a grunt, someone got thrown to the ground, or against a wall? ¡°STAY DOWN!¡± ¡°HEL-¡± The girl¡¯s voice gets cut off by another thump. Finally, Jason forced his eyes open, finding himself in a cellar of some sort, wooden stairs leading up out of the corner of his eye, a man hunched over a desk in front of him, taking a knife to the surface, grunting in obvious frustration and effort as he scratched his design into the wood. A pair of men in leather jackets with some sort of padding rushed down the stairs, carrying pistols that they level at the man at the desk. One glanced at Jason, but he was otherwise ignored. ¡°HANDS BEHIND YOUR HEAD, TURN AROUND SLOWLY.¡± ¡°Fuck you, fuck you ALL!¡± The man whirled, raising his arms to reveal an ornate revolver in his left hand, his eyes shining with blue-white light as he shouts something unintelligible. Before he could finish, it was cut off by a pair of white orbs striking his chest, absorbing into the fabric of his shirt and causing him to fall over, stunned, but apparently alive. Finally coming to grips with the situation, Jason attempted to rise, but found his body not responsive. His muscles were stiff, like he¡¯d been lying on the stone floor for an entire day. Moreover, as he began to take stock of his other aches and pains, he noted an empty stomach and a dry throat, how long had he been passed out here, what was this strange dream anyways? For it surely had to be a dream, right? The click of cuffs brought him back to the situation, the two in leather coats seemed to be arresting the other man, now unconscious. Another trio of officers stomped down, all wearing matching leather vests, maybe this strange delusion¡¯s version of a police uniform. And as Jacob stared, the absurdities simply increased. At least two of the new officers were bear people. Muscular, covered in fur, with muzzles, round ears on the tops of their heads, one ¡°bald¡±, the other with a shock of black hair slicked back. The fur on both of them was a matching shade of light brown, not quite tan, but light enough that the color was obvious. And they had claws on their hands, not just fingers! It was so bizarre that Jacob forced his arms to move, rubbing at his eyes to make sure he wasn¡¯t simply looking at a pair of hairy men. When the scene in front of him failed to change, he let his arms drop, lying still on the floor and trying to force his legs to obey. Occasionally, as the police murmured to themselves, they would point at him. It was only after the third wild gesture from one of the bears that Jacob realized they were arguing over what to do with him, as other officers trampled down the stairs to retrieve their prisoner. Even knowing they were discussing him, the teen found it impossible to listen in, the mumbling almost unnatural in it¡¯s quiet. Slowly, he rose to his feet, wobbling a bit as he brushed off his dirty white t-shirt and jeans. ¡°Hey¡± Jason groaned out, his throat still hoarse. One of the bears -given the badge on his vest, perhaps this guy was the chief?- turned towards him, fiddling with a ring on his finger. ¡°Stay right there kid, we¡¯re gettin to ya.¡± ¡°Where am I?¡± It was the first question that popped into his head, rather than try to understand the bear-people or the streaks of light that came out of guns instead of bullets, or the spectral arm that had reached up and pulled him here, somehow. ¡°I can answer that, at least. You¡¯ve been taken by a nutjob with¡­¡± Another officer handed him a laptop, interrupting him. Again he fiddled with the ring, and things went to quiet murmuring. If he didn¡¯t know better, Jason would almost think the ring was muffling them, but even in a dream, he wouldn¡¯t think to come up with that, right? So many questions, and his stomach growled again, reminding him that he evidently hadn¡¯t eaten or drank anything in this strange delusion. The officer bear winced, though it was more difficult to make out given the fur, and turned back to Jason, giving his ring a twist with his thumb. ¡°Head upstairs, there¡¯s a couch you can rest on while we contact medical services to examine you.¡± The teen nodded, stumbling towards the stairs and gripping the banister tight as he ascended into a fairly modern suburban house, though it was on the small side, only four rooms and one story not counting the basement. White plaster walls everywhere, no sign of wood except in a single coffee table, which sat before a plain black couch. More police in leather vests were tearing the house apart, apparently continuing the investigation. Another officer had tagged along behind Jason, hauling the unconscious prisoner up to hand off to another pair -one a tiger-person, with white fur striped black and unnaturally blue eyes- at which point the human was dragged from the house, to a waiting car outside. There was a rabbit-girl in that car already, perhaps the girl he¡¯d heard before. Stolen novel; please report. ¡°Come on sonny, let¡¯s sit you down and get your statement while we wait for EMS.¡± It took a moment to realize the man was talking to him, as Jason looked up at the man¡¯s face, he found himself nodding along, almost falling into the couch as the officer pulled a smartphone from his pocket to record the interview. ¡°Alright, state your name for the record.¡± ¡°Jason Reider¡± ¡°Good, I¡¯m Officer Ban, now tell me, just what happened here?¡± ¡°I, erm, I don¡¯t know, sir. I was sitting at home when a big glowing hand grabbed me and pulled me through the floor to this place, the next thing I knew you guys were busting in and and the guy at the desk was screaming about something going wrong?¡± ¡°Can you describe the ¡°glowing hand¡± in detail?¡± ¡°It was, um, whiteish blue, like ice? Kinda transparent, but when it grabbed me it felt like cold metal, and I couldn¡¯t get free of it.¡± Ban nodded, frowning slightly. ¡°Definitely magic then, where was your home, was it somewhere in Rupture?¡± ¡°Rupture?¡± The officer¡¯s eyes nearly bulged out of his skull at the question. ¡°Oh boy, son, can you tell me what year it is?¡± ¡°Uh, 2019?¡± From the way Ban¡¯s expression darkened, Jason figured that for whatever reason he was wrong about the year. ¡°It¡¯s 398 P.E, Jason. We haven¡¯t used Common Era in nearly four centuries.¡± The blonde man paused the recording from his phone, confusion and worry clearly visible in his face. ¡°And 1 P.E was around 2018 in Common Era terms, so it¡¯s unlikely you¡¯d be¡­ what in the name of god did that man do?¡± Officer Ban quickly stood, tucking away his phone. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we¡¯ll get this sorted out, I need to speak to my superiors.¡± He scrambled back down the stairs, leaving Jason alone with his thoughts, staring out the window towards what initially seemed to be an ordinary suburb. What was Rupture? Just where was he? Was this really just a dream? He felt cold inside, considering that last question. If this wasn¡¯t a dream, how could he explain the strange hand, or the lights instead of bullets? Or the bear people? ¡°Sir, sir?¡± Jason looked up, snapping out of his exhausted reverie, there was a dove in front of him now, head cocked, wearing a dark red outfit that looked vaguely like a medical uniform and a blood pressure gauge hanging around her neck instead of a stethoscope. Seeing the bird head on a humanoid body reminded him that this was most likely a dream, and he relaxed slightly. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to check your vitals and perform a basic healing spell, is this okay?¡± ¡°Um, sure.¡± Jason nodded, allowing her to wrap the pressure gauge around his arm and check his vitals. 123/75, apparently he was ¡°okay, but stressed¡±, and as he¡¯d suspected, direly needed water and food. The former was at least easy to find, the dove handing him a water bottle to nurse while she placed a hand on his chest. ¡°Restore¡± Her eyes flared blue-white, a big difference from the grey they had before, and the gentle ache from a few scrapes on Jacob¡¯s side vanished, only noticeable now that they were gone. The air around her hand had chilled, her palm cold and coated in a barely visible layer of frost that she casually flicked off with a shake of the wrist, stepping back. ¡°Alright, sir, is there anything else I can do to help you?¡± ¡°Um, no, I¡¯m fine, thank you.¡± Nodding, the dove headed back out of the house, leaving him to the police once more. ¡°Jason.¡± His head snapped up, though he soon realized it was simply Officer Ban again. ¡°Yes?¡± The older man took a seat next to him, palms pressed together in his lap and taking deep breaths, as if preparing to, well, tell someone the bad news. ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure how to explain this. It barely makes sense to us, even with a Scry -to see exactly what happened- it¡¯s confusing. From what we understand, the man we arrested here today was attempting to summon monsters from another world, but he failed for some reason, instead summoning you, and nearly killing his assistant in the process with the Burnout. The confusing part is that this should be impossible, especially with only two people. Magic simply cannot do that sort of thing, as far as we¡¯re aware.¡± That only seemed to add to the pile of questions that were bunching up inside of Jason¡¯s head, but he tried to ignore most of them, focusing on the only two that really mattered. ¡°So this isn¡¯t a dream?¡± ¡°No. It may not be your reality, but it¡¯s ours.¡± ¡°What does that mean for me?¡± ¡°It means that, near as we can tell, you can¡¯t simply be sent home.¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s impossible, or because you aren¡¯t willing to try?¡± ¡°Because it should be impossible, and no one wants to risk their lives trying, I¡¯m sorry.¡± They sat there for a long, silent moment, Jason contemplating these new facts, slowly being consumed with emotion. When it finally forced its way out, hot tears boiling up in his eyes and trailing down his face, he couldn¡¯t stop it. Clutching his head in his hands, he wept. Even if this was still a dream -and that hope was shrinking quickly- it was a nightmare. Ban seemed uncertain what to do, and sat awkwardly, waiting for Jason to pull himself together. It took longer than either of them would have liked, other officers trailing out of the basement while Jason broke down, their work apparently done in this house. Eventually, however, he dried his eyes, red and puffy, and looked towards Officer Ban. ¡°So what do I do?¡± ¡°Well¡­ there are clauses in our laws for this sort of thing, usually for victims of trafficking, which, I suppose, this is simply an extreme case of. We can get you citizenship in a month, and in the meantime give you a work visa and a small bit of funding. It¡¯s not much, but it will keep you off the streets long enough to try and sort yourself out.¡± It felt like whining, but he had to ask anyways. ¡°I¡¯m only just turned eighteen, how am I supposed to just¡­ get a job or whatever!?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t help you there, but know that there¡¯s plenty of stuff that needs done in the city that doesn¡¯t take very much training. It¡¯s not exactly fun work, but it pays the bills and it¡¯s usually easy, they¡¯ll even pay for your mana on the job if you¡¯re using something like telekinesis.¡± ¡°So what, anyone can use magic?¡± ¡°Oh, right, you wouldn¡¯t- well, it¡¯s on the citizenship exam, so you¡¯ll learn about it just going through the two-week course.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t help me now, though.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t really need it now. What you likely need is some food and the funds, though, so come along.¡± ¡°Where to?¡± ¡°The precinct, we¡¯re going to get you that visa and funding, and a meal. No use waiting around, right?¡± Ban tried to smile, but it seemed like the fake smile of someone who¡¯d seen too many people hurt. Jason made his own attempt, but even wiping his eyes again, the knowledge that he might never see anyone from home ever again¡­ it burned him up inside. Still, he¡¯d likely have time for another breakdown at the precinct, and it would be better to do that with money in his pocket and a full stomach, right? So, standing, he allowed Officer Ban to lead him out the door, and into the new world. Establishment As it stood, the new world was shockingly similar to the old one. The car brands were different, but there was still a collection of cars, trucks, and SUVs clogging the freeway from the suburbs to downtown. Blessedly, siren laws still applied in this strange, magical place, and with the ambulance leading the charge, Jason and Ban had a fast, clear path to the 6th Precinct of the Rupture Police Force. That did not mean, however, that it was not a long drive, over an hour, in fact. This gave Jason plenty of time to take in the city, gazing out the window at an absolutely bizarre skyline, with gothic mansions clashing against ordinary office blocks and skyscrapers. Streetlamps here glowed with a blue hue rather than a yellow one, bathing everything in a cold, alien light. And at the north-eastern edge of the city, a single volcano was visible, Rupture seeming to butt up against the mountain, which had a crusted, crystalline lip that could be seen from anywhere in the area, glowing the same blue as the lamps. Officer Ban glanced away from the road for a second, nodding towards the mountain. ¡°That used to be called Yellowstone.¡± The revelation hit Jason like a truck, he¡¯d been to Yellowstone once before, seen the supervolcano and old faithful. ¡°There wasn¡¯t a mountain in Yellowstone, though!¡± ¡°It used to be flat, but when it erupted, it sort of just grew out of the ground, no one knows why, besides ¡°It¡¯s magic¡±. I suppose they¡¯re right, given it is the source of all our mana.¡± Erupted? Jason had heard that Yellowstone could erupt back home, but he¡¯d never really gotten into the details of it, and it certainly wouldn¡¯t erupt with magic in his world. Just ash and death. Seeing the look on his face, Ban chuckled. ¡°Yeah, it confused the heck out of us too. One day everything¡¯s normal, next we got magic dust falling from the sky and our pets are turning into monsters. Day after that we have people throwing around fireballs that don¡¯t know where they¡¯re supposed to go and god only knew what else.¡± Jason nodded, trying to put himself in the shoes of someone suddenly having their entire world changed like that. As it turns out, it was quite easy, given he was already wearing them. ¡°Must have been horrible.¡± ¡°Well, given about three in four people died when they breathed the stuff, yeah, it was pretty bad.¡± Ban kept a straight face even as Jason whipped his head around to actually look at the officer. No hint of a smile or joke in his tone. ¡°You¡¯re serious.¡± ¡°Yup. It was a genetic thing. A lot of animals died too, not so much for plants. The rest of us were left with the ability to use magic when we got the dust into our systems.¡± ¡°I thought you were going to let the citizenship class teach me about magic.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always been talkative on long drives, why do you think I don¡¯t have a partner?¡± The older man smiled, and Jason thought that he was lucky to have someone kind to help him find his feet in this place, even if he couldn¡¯t do everything. ¡°So anyways, humans got to use magic, though it changed them in one way or another if they used a lot of it. Animals became beasts of legend, or they just got bigger and more dangerous. Subset of those got even more power and intellect. Australia¡¯s actually run by a komodo dragon that turned into a real dragon.¡± Well, that¡¯s not too shocking, given it¡¯s Australia. Well actually¡­ ¡°Not a giant spider?¡± Jason attempted a joke. ¡°Thankfully no, I don¡¯t think diplomacy would be going nearly so well with a spider.¡± It felt like he was standing atop a glacier, unaware of its enormous depths, only able to see the part above the water. There was so much to this world he might not ever understand, and politics between what were apparently monsters and mages was barely even the tip of that iceberg. But there was one thing he did know. He had been pulled here by magic. Ban said it should be impossible, but if it happened one way, why not the other? ¡°Ban, what would it take to try and send me home?¡± The officer took a deep breath, clearly thinking it over. ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure. I¡¯m not a magical expert, but I know it would take a very expensive spell, which would mean quite a few people required to cast it, and an obscene amount of mana. The aftereffects would be incredibly dangerous, as with the girls in that ambulance ahead of us. The rabbit was only minorly Burned Out, but there were three others she had by a heater when we entered. Pulling that much mana through your body is comparable to standing naked in antartica, even with a Mage-Net to support you.¡± ¡°Mage-Net?¡± ¡°Hard to explain, you¡¯ll get a better lesson on it in the classes.¡± Jason nodded, going quiet for a moment. ¡°...Listen, I know I said it was impossible, and that we weren¡¯t willing to try, but obviously, you¡¯re here, so I¡¯m possibly wrong on the first, and it¡¯s likely you could eventually convince some others to help you with that spell. I don¡¯t know, it would be easier to just give up on it, but if it¡¯s what you want to do, well, it¡¯s your home and your life, right?¡± Another nod. So there was hope. That had to be enough. ¡°I¡¯ll go for it.¡± ¡°Well, first step for that would probably be citizenship and a job that can get you enough cash to pay for the mana and support, that¡¯s about all I can help you with, though. Speaking of which, here we are.¡± Jason hadn¡¯t even noticed them slowing down and pulling up to the squat brick building that was the 6th precinct. It looked like one of the ordinary city buildings, rather than the wildly styled but primarily gothic mansions that dotted Rupture. For once glad he¡¯d fallen asleep at his desk without taking his shoes off again, he climbed out of the car after Ban, following him into an office-like precinct, though a few computers used holographic projectors over regular monitors. Interactable holograms at that, given how several detectives were seated around a central table and talking while moving a model of what looked to be the same house Jason had been in. Ban pulled him away from that display, taking him to a smaller side-office, where they were soon joined by one of the two bears. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Jason, this is Lieutenant Lowry, he¡¯ll watch over you while we get a lawyer for your citizenship paperwork.¡± The large anthropomorphic bear nodded, grunting with a deep voice. ¡°In the meantime, you can help with our investigation. Our suspect is accused of sixteen counts of kidnapping, fifteen counts of mind control, and eleven counts of manslaughter, while the other surviving victims are recovering and their cases are open and shut, yours is special.¡± Jason took a seat across from the massive man-bear, nodding quietly. Special, that was one word for it. ¡°Our scrying magic falters from the sheer energy released in that moment, so while Officer Ban has already sent me his brief interview recording, I¡¯d like to talk to you myself.¡± ¡°Alright¡­¡± ¡°So, by your account, a hand made of magic appeared from the ground in your home and dragged you to the suspect¡¯s basement. Do you recall anything else from the transportation?¡± ¡°It¡­ it felt like I was falling through a big, empty void. I couldn¡¯t see myself or feel anything, just a big black nothing.¡± Thinking back on that vastness made him shudder. It was like seeing infinity. The bear in front of him nodded, idly fiddling with his ring again. Or was it idle? Jason still wasn¡¯t sure what to make of it. Now that he had a closer look, it had an intricate engraving across it¡¯s two pieces, and Lowry had just clicked it into a position where the two parts lined up. ¡°Was there any voices within that space.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Did anyone speak to you while you were in transition.¡± ¡°No, or if there was a voice I don¡¯t remember hearing it.¡± The Lieutenant nodded, reclining slightly in his chair. ¡°Alright, now, your appearance here, you had no major injuries according to the EMT, what do you remember before we arrived on the scene?¡± ¡°Not much, something about how the guy had made some mistake? I wasn¡¯t supposed to be what was summoned?¡± Another nod. ¡°Um, a lot of swearing, telling others to warm up. Burnout, right?¡± Yet another nod. ¡°And that¡¯s about when you guys showed up. I didn¡¯t really get a lot of time to process stuff.¡± ¡°Alright. Thank you. This interview is concluded, you can wait here for the lawyer now, or go to our break room.¡± Wincing at the thought of trying to navigate this place without a guide, Jason shook his head. He¡¯d wait here. Eleven people died trying to summon whatever ¡°monster¡± that guy wanted. Instead they got him, or something else prior to him? The teen still wasn¡¯t certain about that situation, but it wasn¡¯t really his problem anymore. They¡¯d caught him, and saved the ones they could, that was a sign of a good police force, though their reliance on magical surveillance put him on edge. Were they always watching everyone? They couldn¡¯t be, or they¡¯d have caught this man sooner, but then what exactly was the Scrying magic? So many questions, and no one to answer them right now, certainly not the Lieutenant. Left to its own devices, Jason¡¯s mind wandered towards thoughts of home once more. Who would realize he was missing first? His mom and dad? No, he went out late some nights, it would probably be Sasha, his older sister. How long would it take for them to start searching? Probably less than a day, and they probably wouldn¡¯t stop¡­ More boiling tears filled his eyes, but this time, rather than letting them flow, he stifled them with an arm, scrubbing at his face several times, even though it only served to make his eyes redder and puffier. Lowry pushed a box of tissues towards Jason¡¯s side of the desk, and for reasons he couldn¡¯t explain, that awkward kindness did more to stop the crying than any attempts to calm his own emotions. Wiping at his eyes properly now, and blowing his nose for good measure, he tried to lean back in his own chair to match the bear¡¯s posture, only to sink deeply into it. Despite being a simple office chair, it seemed sized for a giant. A giant like an anthropomorphic bear? Thinking back, the car had been larger too, with more legroom than most trucks he¡¯d been in. Doorways were taller, though not really wider that Jason had noticed, and in general things were built as if the average person was closer to seven feet tall. Was that all to accommodate people like the Lieutenant? Were they that common? What created them anyways? More questions, hopefully the citizenship crash course had answers. Actually, that just raised another question, why would a citizenship exam test knowledge of magic? Did they really need to go over that? His wildly off-rail train of thought was finally stopped as the door opened to reveal Officer Ban and a small fox woman in a business skirt with enormous ears. ¡°Jason, meet your citizenship sponsor and lawyer-¡± ¡°Cindy Johnson, pleasure to meet you!¡± The fox barged into the room, despite being relatively short, she managed to give off an aura that was hard to define, but demanded attention. She flashed a smile, waiting for Jason to stand up before offering a hand to shake. ¡°Shall we get to a place that¡¯s a bit more private?¡¯ ¡°We have the interrorga-¡± ¡°No need, we¡¯ll use my office, they just finished connecting the buildings, remember?¡± Ban sighed, nodding. ¡°That they did, alright, off you go, we¡¯ll have the pizza delivered to your office.¡± ¡°Pizza?¡± ¡°For Jason, poor kid hasn¡¯t eaten anything since the incident.¡± Finally finding his voice, the teen grimaced. ¡°I¡¯m right here.¡± ¡°Oh! Sorry, yes, right this way, come along!¡± Using the hand she still held, Cindy all but dragged Jason out of the office, and Ban closed the door afterwards, leaving him purely in the hands of this lawyer. They moved through a hallway that still smelled a bit like fresh paint, and then Jason found himself in something more akin to a psychiatrist¡¯s office, or, he supposed, a law firm. There was a plush waiting room, but they skipped right past it, moving directly to Cindy¡¯s own office, where the -assumed- fennic fox finally let go of Jason, closing the door behind them and gesturing to a chair across from her desk. ¡°Take a seat, I have the paperwork ready, you¡¯ll just have to fill it out. By the way, if you fail to obtain citizenship, the funds you receive will have to be paid back, so try to pass the test the first try?¡± Wonderful, because he didn¡¯t have enough problems. Grumbling, Jason took his seat, reaching for a pen, only to realize there wasn¡¯t one. Instead, just a tablet on the table in front of him, with three different documents for him to read through. ¡°Which one is which?¡± ¡°The first one is your citizenship application, the second will be your agreement to funding, last but not least is the general information document.¡± ¡°What all do I need for the application?¡± ¡°A sponsor, a cause for becoming a citizen, and documentation of your origin. In your case, that¡¯s what the GID and police report I¡¯ll gather will be for. Oh, almost forgot to mention, my work here in sponsoring you and filing your paperwork is pro bono on one condition.¡± ¡°One condition?¡± The fox leaned in, placing both hands on the desk, an odd glint in her eyes. ¡°Just one teeny, tiny favor.¡± Jason gulped. ¡°Which is?¡± ¡°Do you have anything from home that could have stored songs?¡± Wait, what? ¡°Songs?¡± Blinking, the teen pulled his phone and earbuds from his pocket. He had music downloaded, but there was no telling if this woman would like any of it. ¡°Perfect! It¡¯s outdated, but if it has songs from your world on it¡­¡± Cindy had something between stars and dollar signs in her eyes at this point, and Jason was left distinctly uncomfortable with the whole situation. ¡°Well, play one for me! That¡¯s my price for this, and if you could send them all to me at a later date, I¡¯d owe you an enormous favor!¡± Gulping, he nodded along, this was all he could do in order to get citizenship and some money to stay alive, there wasn¡¯t exactly a choice. Hopefully she liked emo-rock. With a press of the ¡°shuffle¡± button, he landed on ¡°It Has Begun¡± by Starset. Wide-eyed, Cindy listened with her ears swiveled towards his phone, utterly silent until the song was over. ¡°Perfect. Thank you. Now, to business, I can help you if you need to understand any of the paperwork, but most of what we need is basic census data and signatures. You can start any time just by tapping one of the documents, two fingers to scroll, one to write.¡± And thus, tucking his phone away, Jason got to the paperwork.