mind_the_muse application: Introduction

[notevendarkyet]

The relatively new head of Chicago PD's Special Investigations department had stared at the yellow pages add for the longest time before she picked up the phone to dial the number. Despite the bells that the name rang for her from previous experience, she still suspected it was a hoax, but this was getting beyond her. In leaps and bounds.

... literally.

She sighed and was about to dial for an appointment when she was called in on a meeting with the forensics about the same damned case. On her way out, she muttered to Carmichael to check her schedule and set the thing up with the bloke, Harry Dresden, for whenever later in the afternoon, or the next day, he was available.

When she returned, there was a note on her desk, with the address of the office and a time. In about half an hour.

Oh great. She needed almost that to get there. She grabbed her coat and sped out, shooting a "Thanks, Carmichael" in his general direction, hoping he'd wonder what she meant.
Well he probably would. Briefly.

The drive to the building and the lift ride to the fifth floor did some good to calm down her temper. A little bit. The bit where disbelief about the whole thing wedged. But... if he could help, it'd be nice, for a change. She snorted to herself. Don't get your hopes to high up. That thing, the 'troll', was probably something I imagined anyway.

She knocked on the door, rolling her eyes a bit at the bit letters on the upper pane of it, and at his come-in, entered the corner office, walking straight at her full height, and confidently stepped to the chair in front of the desk and seated herself. Her eyes flashed as the dark-clad, tall figure across from her started to rise when she was sitting down, but she was done before he could finish the motion, so she didn't get to become more angry. Granted, angry didn't give off much of an impression at not-much-over-five-feet tall, but appearances could be deceiving. Her more than decade and a half and trophies in aikido were a good proof for that, but she wasn't about to flaunt that. It'd... come out naturally, if there was a necessity.

The man... Dresden, was tall, just like she recalled. And skinny. Not bones-in-skin, quite, but skinny. His features were angular, sharp; dark eyes glimmered at her with curiosity and she moved hers away from them, just in case her memory was not imagined and he was the real thing. Almost black hair, odd, if unobtrusive jewelery. He opened his mouth to do, she presumed, one of those awkward greetings to people half-remembered, but she had no time for that. Her voice businesslike, she started things her own way.

Take the initiative from the beginning and hold it. One of the reasons she'd gotten as far as she had.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Dresden. Whether you recall or not... I'm Lieutenant Karrin Murphy of the Chicago Police Department, head of Special Investigations." That last bit was still coming off a bit oddly, since she'd been that for about ten days. "I read your ad in the yellow pages. I don't know whether you're playing or not, but if you can persuade me you can be of some use, we can discuss your possible work as a consultant for the department." A big if.

But since the title 'head of SI' tended to last about a person in the range of four to six weeks, on average, and she didn't want to get kicked out NOW... and even more importantly, didn't want to let those things that they investigated to go on happening, she had to try all the possibilities.

Harry Dresden, wizard, seemed like one of the last one to come to, but... she was down to that. Maybe learning tarot or tea leaves was up next, if this failed.
If she had to, she'd do it too.

Muse: Karrin Murphy
Fandom: The Dresden Files (books)
Word count: 668

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[semi-auto-magic.livejournal.com]

As soon as Harry had received the call that the Lieutenant of S.I. would like to meet with him, he started preparing for the visit. He'd hid the pile of unread paperbacks that were normally in plain sight on his desk in one of the drawers. Pushed the box of read paperbacks under the desk and out of sight. Straightened the rest of the office up. Made himself a cup of instant coffee. Discarded the notepad covered with doodles and got a fresh one, plus a new pen.

The goal was to look professional and while he usually didn't go to extreme lengths to convey this, impressing this Murphy person might lead to a steady consulting job.

Hell, even getting any kind of paying job would do a world of good right now for the empty kitchen in his apartment. He hadn't gotten any work in nearly a week and he was down to emergency rations, ramen noodles and fruit loops.

When Karrin had knocked on the door, he cleared his throat and answered. "It's open."

Harry saw her enter the room and it occurred to him that he had meet this woman before. Two or three years ago, this Murphy lady who couldn't have been more then an inch or two above five foot, had jumped on the back of a troll. Wizard memory aside, that kind of thing leaves an impression.

He hadn't even come close to rising out of his chair before the Lieutenant had sat down. The wizard studied her for a moment. Blonde haired and blue eyed. The sort of woman who would look cute if she were dolled up, but she wasn't. She was dressed professionally in a navy blue pant suit and her makeup was of good quality and applied conservatively.

Harry sat down again and just before he could offer a handshake or even a hello, she was already introducing herself.

"I do remember, it's a pleasure to see you again Lieutenant." He said with what seemed like the appropriate amount of businesslike false cheer. "Can I get you a cup of coffee?"

[notevendarkyet.livejournal.com]

This time Karrin's eyes did most definitely flash with anger. He could be offering coffee when people's lives could be in danger - it just did not compute. She forced herself to calm down - he didn't know - but her voice was still probably a whole lot cooler than was strictly polite. A bit more clipped than it was.

"No. Thank you." She took out the folder she'd prepared before deciding to call and passed it across the desk.

There were the data about the one body with inexplicable wounds and contusions, and the reports of two (wounded, possibly concussed) witnesses. Reporting something that was entirely too large to be believable... and humanoid - that moved sort of heavily, but when it ran, it was loping... or in leaps and bounds.

"I don't know if you've heard about Special Investigations. We get the strange cases, the ones that 'homicides' gives up on and the profilers are too confused about to tackle. Such as this."