Chapter twenty nine

"Alright, Neah, are you ready?" Yuki asked the other magi. Everyone was gathered in the center of the large jail for breakfast, Neah preparing to steal the keys off the guard.

"As I'll ever be," Neah sighed. She did not want to do this. The only way she could think of getting the keys was to flirt with the guard. The disgusting guard who looked (and smelled) like he rarely showered, and was always eating the greasiest food he could get his hands on. Nevermind the times Adna and the other magicians had caught him reading porn magazines.

"Go get him, then!" Adna giggled.

"Be quick, and don't let him do anything!" Yuki warned.

"Gah, why do I have to do this? Couldn't you do it, Adna?" Neah looked at the female magi.

"I think I'm a bit young for him," Adna smiled cheekily. It was clear she was looking forward to Neah's torture.

"What did I do to make you hate me?" Neah muttered. "I can see how you're related to that little pervert now..."

Adna giggled, then began ushering Neah to the barred exit, "Come on, you'll be fine. He shouldn't do anything too too bad."

"Breakfast will be ending soon, so we'll see you later," Yuki spoke. "Don't let him do anything, ok?"

Neah rolled her eyes, "Alright, alright. I'll be back."

Approaching the exit, Neah realized why no one had escaped through the large garage-like door before. There were strange carvings in the metal bars, and a strange feeling filled Neah's hand as she touched it. The rukh around her fluttered violently to the bars, it looked like the bar was absorbing them. "Woah...are the bars taking my magoi?" The magi quickly pulled her hand away.

"I wouldn't touch that if I were you," Neah looked up at the guard standing a few feet away on the other side.

"What the hell kind of magic is this?"

"Anti-magic... Hey, aren't you the new one? The third magi?" The guard pointed at her, his light brown eyes confused. He wasn't exactly overweight, but did have the starts of a beer belly. His hair was brown and short.

"Yeah," Neah nodded, "my name's Neah."

"Well, Neah, you should head back to your cell, breakfast will be over soon." His tone wasn't very demanding, like he didn't care whether she obeyed or not. Neah noted that the rukh around him were slower than average; lazy.

"Actually, I was wondering," Neah walked closer to the bars, careful not to touch them, "do you have any more of those shot things? My legs are still killing me."

"No-can-do, sweetcheeks."

Neah sighed impatiently, "Well, can you do anything? I could really use something. A distraction, even."

"A distraction?" The guard raised an eyebrow.

"Mhm, you got anything that can help with that?" Neah shifted her feet.

The guard glanced around. By now, all the djinn and magicians were back in their cells, and everything was quiet. "Alright, fine. Come on, I'll let you in." He walked over to a panel covered in buttons. Above it was several monitors showing footage of inside the cells. He pressed a button and the barred door in front of Neah rose.

Neah entered, all the while cursing to herself. It's button operated?! Why the hell didn't they know that!? They've been here how many years and they never fucking noticed?! The magi breathed deeply. There had to be a reason the others didn't know. "Is that new?" She pointed to the panel.

"Oh, yeah. Cool huh?" The guard pulled out a set of keys, "Better than using these. They still work, it's just easier to press a button. I don't even have to get up!"

"Mm, it's great," Neah nodded absentmindedly, her mind racing with a way to get out of this without being sexualy assalted. She rethought what he said, the keys still work? The magi glanced back at the now closed gate and sure enough, there was a traditional lock on it.

"Also, it feels weird touching the bars," The guard continued. "You noticed that, right? It's some magoi-absorbing thing. Kinda cool, but weird."

"Yeah, I noticed that," Neah turned her attention to the guard again. "Say, what's your name?"

"Butler. Yanno, like, 'Black Butler'? That manga?" He laughed, "Although most people call me Freddie."

"Right..." Neah raised an eyebrow. What the hell was he talking about? Manga? The magi had been in the past for a long time, apparently. She assumed it was some new fad the non-magicians had created. "Anyway..." What was she supposed to do now? Run up and kiss him like she did Sinbad? It could work... "About that distraction..."

"Oh, yeah," Freddie fished through his uniform pockets. He wore a typical police officer attire. He pulled out a small plastic packet with white power in it, "You mean something like this?"

"Is that...cocaine?"

"Shh!" Freddie hissed.

"Woah, ok! ok!" Neah raised her hands. "Do you have anything...less deadly?"

"You mean like weed?" Freddie pulled out another baggie.

"God, dude, why do you have all this?" Neah walked over, looking the baggies over.

Freddie shrugged, "It gets boring in here. No one does anything. This war is the most action we've gotten, and I'm not even a part of it!"

Neah scoffed, "Yeah? I'm their leader and I'm already down for the count."

"Yeah... Wanna get high and talk about it?"

"Sure," Neah agreed. This was a lot less painful than she expected it to be. At least she didn't have to have sex with the unhygienic, lazy guard. Who was also apparently a drug addict, or dealer, either way.

~

After a short while, Freddie was as high as a kite, Neah laughing at him as he blabbered on about topics she couldn't care less about. The magi wasn't nearly as high as he was, she was using wind magic to direct the smoke away from her, although Freddie had forced her to take a few drags earlier.

Neah could see the keys to the jail dangling on a chain on Freddie's belt. She frowned as she tried to think of a way to get them from him, and get back to everyone else.

"So, like, you've never heard of manga before?" Freddie spoke.

"No, I haven't," Neah shook her head.

"Aw, man, it's great!"

"Hey, don't you think I should be heading back now? Isn't someone going to notice I'm gone?" Neah tried to change the subject from Freddie's apparent strange obsession.

"Ah, shit, yeah." Freddie sat up a bit. They were sitting behind his desk, where no one would see them immediately if they were to enter the room. "You know how to get back, don't you? It should be dinner soon, so just go press the button and let yourself out."

"Wouldn't that be risky?" Neah said, "I could just open the door and let all the magicians and djinn out."

"Hmm...You're right," Freddie stood, "Get up."

Neah stood and followed Freddie as he led her to the gate. She walked beside him as he went to the control panel, bumping into him as he stopped walking, "Oh, sorry." Neah slipped her hand behind her back, the small silver keys in the palm of her hand.

"Alright, time for you to get back," Freddie dismissed her apology and ushered her to the gate. "And don't tell anyone about this."

"Of course not," Neah smiled, moving her hand again so it was out of his sight. She walked to the other side of the open gate and used her free hand to wave at him, "See you later~!"

The gate closed, loud scraping echoing in the air as it did. Neah quickly made her way to the tables in the middle of the large room, where everyone was just getting out of their cells. "Neah! You survived!" Adna ran over to her.

"And look what I've got~," Neah dangled the keys in the air.

"Oh nice! What did he make you do?" Adna looked over the keys as Yuki walked over.

"Neah, are you alright? What did you have to do?"

"Nothing really," Neah shrugged. "I watched him get high."

"He has drugs on him?" Yuki looked towards the gate and frowned.

"He's a great guard, huh?" Neah chuckled. "Now we just need to wait for him to fall asleep or something."

"Should we call King Sinbad and tell him?" Adna asked.

Yuki nodded, turning back to the two magi, "We could call and tell them what time to start attacking."

"I'm not sure they'll understand our time system, but ok," Neah agreed.

"Why wouldn't they?" Adna asked.

"We changed pretty much everything. They tell time by the sun or something stupid like that," Neah explained.

"We'll figure it out," Yuki said, "Want to call them now?"

"Yeah, might as well."

~

Author's Note-

Freddie is legit Luschek from Orange Is The New Black but as a weeaboo. This is what happens when I binge watch OITNB then create a side character.