Dacy

Well, that answers the question, @WanderingAries! Thanks 🙂 So, the answer is, a feature! Not a bug. And the original command was /editbase 3, but the editor just goes with that command for higher numbers, too. However, I do note that in the post on the titan network, which I've never before visited, tbh, they did not mention that it's a command that will work in ANY base, whereas, the other commands will only work in YOUR base. So, learned something. Thanks, @WanderingAries! -Dacy

Okay. My standard approach to doors is to F5 them to "floor", then move/manipulate them where I want them to go. Sometimes it matters which door, also; I think one or two of them already orient to attach to the floor. But anyway. There are three axes (plural of axis), and so three controls to turn an item. Alt usually turns it from side to side (if you rotate the item, sometimes the controls won't seem to control the same movement. They do, but you changed the orientation of the item, so it looks different). ctrl/alt is another, and shift/alt is the third. Now, which one controls rotation from top to bottom, and which one tilts it in a cartwheel often depends on which direction the item comes out of the editor facing, but generally, I find that shift/alt will control rotation when you want to lay something flat. However, I just tried it on the COT door, which is the door I suspect you used (which indeed does come out of the editor attached to the floor) , since it is really the only door that is just door, and not frame; that door lays flat with the ctrl/alt keys. Once you have the door rotated to the final position you want, now you can move it with your mouse, either into the wall the desired amount, or if laying it flat, sink it with shift. It's good to turn off your grid for this, because the grid affects how things sink as well as how things move in the base, so it might sink too far or not far enough if you have the grid on. Changing the attachment and using the manipulation keys should mean you never have to use other items to place things correctly. Unless they are NPCs. Those guys are usually impossible to target after you place them, so you have to get them positioned before you click to place them, which could be a whole video topic, really. Yes, and long ago, we had to do just this. Now, however, check out fluid fx at the back of the editor tabs; it has several waterfalls. And yes, many fx seem to go on and on, you must account for this when placing them. I hope this clears things up! -Dacy

Genius!! I love the banner idea, and thematic color coding!! -Dacy

Added some new links. -Dacy

Cool, CR! Yes, other countries are very good at making sure their students have at least one other language. Here, not so much, but I come from a fairly literate family, and my older brother was born in Germany, and is fluent in at least three other languages that I know of. My mother spoke German, but French more fluently; she was also passable in Italian, as she was a classical singer, and many many operas and other singing materials are in Italian, of course! I was passable in Spanish for a while, but have lost much without practice, and the same with German. I got lazy because my sister majored in that, and she could always translate if need be, but honestly, Germans are the hardest people to practice on! Maybe it's that way in most European countries, I do not know. The French, they will let you continue on...they may laugh at you, but they want you to speak -their- language, whereas, the Germans, if you so much as mispronounce a syllable, they pounce and immediately switch to English, they are very eager to practice! I do not have personal experience with the French, but I've heard stories, heh. Myself, the only language other than English I am fluent is is Sign Language (with passable ASL). (Those are two different things). I always admire those who are able to speak several languages. Frisian, huh? I confess to not being very familiar with that language or the country it originates from. When I hear "Frisian", my first thought is of the beautiful horse made famous by the movie "Ladyhawke", and seen in positively every medieval movie after that (and some non-Medieval, like Wonder Woman), whether or not it was historically accurate. Hint: it wasn't. (I'm a horse geek. Big time.) Well, having an English Professor as a father is definitely a secret weapon in learning English well! I would bet it's likely you were speaking English and Italian as a child, which can explain your proficiency (the brain myelinizes the neural connections for language by age 5, so, if you'd been exposed to it enough, you had the foundation for learning more, more easily, than someone who did not have that). Me too!! Oh, just some notes for those that are still reading this post, and have read my story: that city I mentioned, the one in Central America that was destroyed, that was a real place, and they really don't know what happened to it. It went from what amounted to a bustling metropolis for the period, to...nobody there, no obvious reason why. I knew if I looked I'd find something like that...Central America has had a really interesting history. Trick and Solomon are both characters invented by my husband, and if I were to write more here, I might follow Solomon from the end of this book, because the heroine who is about to be created is one of my favorites of my husband's creations (but her story is totally unrelated to anything that happened in this story). Kinda weird writing characters I didn't invent (Fire Onyx and Starchilde were also characters of people we really did run with, and I cleared all character interactions with them to make sure they stayed true to their creator's vision of who they were.) The story would probably have run a bit differently if I'd had control over Trick! lol. But it taught me a lot about writing a character according to who that character was, not who I wanted him/her to be, or what I'd prefer happened in the plot. Sometimes, the characters tell YOU what they want to do, not the other way around. Sigh. Up too late again. -Dacy

I don't know how to size pictures here, either, @BlackBlade. Some people post 1-3 and then post a link to a gallery, maybe on Imgur. And, nice work! 🙂 Just finished a base for someone, thought I would share, The person I did it for gave permission, and is really, quite happy to show it off. 🙂 Powergirls-9367 Take the quick video tour! -Dacy

Yes, I've been busy, I had all of the videos planned out, laid out, and I've been unable to do anything about it! So, here is the next video, a look at some building materials for the outside of buildings in a base, and where to find them in the editor. (I mean, really, isn't that really the biggest part of the trick sometimes?) -Dacy

Thanks, @QueenBethari!!! Sooo sweet, and I know what you mean about putting your soul out there, and I will be happy to read yours, too. 🙂 That's awesome!! Thank you for your very kind words! -Dacy

Thanks so much, @EmmySky! Yeah, the "window thing" was a demo of one thing that's possible, but it was also demonstrating possibilities. When you're looking to place quite a few objects perhaps just behind a wall so they show in front of the wall, or any time you're working with an array of items and you want them to line up, it's a good method, and I've edited with it and without it, and with it is so much easier and faster! I use the disabled feature on anglesnap to get the lowest possible degree. 1% is not much of an angle, but it's more than the disabled option gives you. You can also set the anglesnap to .1, .2, .5, whatever you wish, as I've shown, but I don't see a lot of difference between that and disabled, so I usually just use "disabled" unless even that is too much. The larger the object, of course, the greater the difference between the two sides you angle, so with large objects like I was working with, it's important to get the smallest degree of angle possible. I get what you are saying about "don't understand it yet", it was probably the last control I learned to use. I didn't appreciate it at all, and would routinely turn it to "disabled" when editing because I didn't understand what it was doing, so thought, better to turn it off. Now I use it all the time, and it does make editing easier, but conceptually, it's one of the harder controls to appreciate, I think. The roads can't meld quite as completely as some items do because they -are- at slightly different angles, and that makes a difference, as I showed you in the garden wall demo. So, if you don't like that bit of difference, I guess don't meld them. 🙂 I prefer it to the edge showing, or the flicker, when I'm trying to get a more consistent road color, but there are trade offs with the editor, unfortunately. Thanks so much for the feedback!! -Dacy

Thanks... I think? --------------- I think my word choice was awkward here, although I struggled with it; just didn't come out right, I meant, your skills are very high, and no matter what your profession, you could obviously be the aforementioned author or teacher, or an editor, or copy editor, or all of the above. So "at the least" does not mean copy editors are a low end profession, it means you seem to have the potential for all that and so much more, not to mention your creative talents (which again points back to the word choice, "at the least", because being a copy editor would not be using your creative genius). But all of that is rather long winded, so I settled for "at the least". Which doesn't sound nearly as good, I freely admit. 🙂 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think I'm almost literally floating, here. What a compliment! You made my year and then some! Thank you so much. 😄 If this were a book, likely this quote would be just inside the front cover. 🙂 You are not a native speaker? *Mind blown* May I ask, what language is native for you? Kudos to both you and whatever excellent teachers you had in English! It's a language with so many exceptions to its rules, even its natives often don't use it correctly. But, that is what happens when the nation that birthed it was the focus of conquest by so many other nations; so we have German, French, Latin, and Danish all in there, each with its own set of rules that influenced parts of speech and spelling. Some rules stayed, some were supplanted, and throw in a bit of the original languages in Celtic and Gaelic, you get a hybrid with words and rules going every which way, and a propensity for picking up words from anywhere. Most of us who speak and write well had advantages such as parents who were also quite literate. We learned our vocabularies and grammar because we were soaked in it from early on, but to have to have learned later on when the brain is not nearly as receptive to language, and to have done so so well...that is immensely impressive. -Dacy

I didn’t. 😏 I’m making new ones. Oh, and, I wanted to ask anyone who watches the advanced techniques: was it actually helpful? Clear? At times I wasn’t sure I was explaining it well. Or that the things I was doing had been obvious techniques to everyone but me. 😝 -Dacy

Two videos to post, more soon. I’m making up for lost time. -Dacy

In the other picture of the spaceship bridge, there’s no clickable box visible. The object box is still outside of the object it’s behind, but it’s invisible. But that’s from the back of the storage unit, not the side. I have not discovered a way to make a storage unit clickable from the side without having some box exposed. Sorry I didn’t understand your earlier question.

Very cool! 😎 -Dacy

So I was typing fast to start editing, and accidentally typed /editbase 12 and hit return before I saw my error. To my great surprise, I found myself in edit mode anyway. However, when I tried to actually edit, it told me I didn’t have permission. Actually, I did, but it was interesting that this command put me in edit mode. So the next time I was not in my base but in another one of my bases, I tried the same command, and lo and behold, I was able to view the base in edit mode even though this time I did not have permission. I again could not do any actual editing, but I could view the base in edit mode and temporarily move a piece to see what it was. As soon as you release the piece that snaps back in the place and you get scolded for not having permission, but it was interesting. This of course means that you could use this command in any base and see how something was put together, even though you don’t have editing permission, and you can’t actually edit anything. Thoughts? -Dacy

Okay, @Flashtoo, do you mean buried, as in in the floor? You can, but whether the rack is accessible depends on the fence on the storage bin being just barely under the surface, and that means the edge of the bottom will stick up from the floor. It can be disguised in a wall, but just know that. To get rid of the edge if it's upright in a wall, just sink it a bit. Some of these bins are in the floor, click around the letters to access. Here is an example of just the end of the tech being accessible, the rest is in the wall. This was so I could put them sideways and fit many more into a small space. For arcane, you'd have to look at my video, Unfortunately, in traveling between bases in the video, I had extra footage of zoning I didn't want, and I edited it out with the YouTube editor, which is garbage, it would seem. Originally, the sound was fine, but now, looks like I will have to do it over, the sound is not matched with the correct visual after I zone between bases. 😞 But the arcane stuff I'm talking about is right at the beginning. As I have noted, I have not been able to access a salvage bin from either the top, when it's sunk into a floor, or the bottom, if it were turned upside down. I hope this helped! 🙂 -Dacy

I would dearly love to hear if anyone actually does download and read it. 🙂 -Dacy

Yeah, the programming allows you to use either an underscore to connect words, or to write them with no space and no underscore; it treats either the same, in any command. 🙂 -Dacy

Yeah, as I've noted somewhere, above in this topic, I think, there is a side of both the arcane version and the tech version which won't allow access (the photo in AboveTheChemist's photo shows the end that is accessible for both racks), and you cannot, unfortunately access from either the top or the bottom. Arcane is more difficult to bury than tech, since tech has a completely smooth side that is easily accessible. There is a wooden box on either side of the arcane rack, however...the prettier one is the one that is inaccessible, and the more worn, dull looking one IS accessible, so it is possible to bury the rest of it in a wall and only have that one box showing. Other than that, it's a matter of experimentation to find the places you can and cannot click on them. If you're burying them completely and have no part showing, might as well go tech, no one can see they are tech in an arcane setting if they are completely hidden. 🙂 -Dacy

Well, actually, I wanted to go ahead and do two chapters. 🙂 But not all at once in one post. I'll go ahead with the second installment, and then, if people aren't interested by then, well, oh well; I don't think folks would like it if I posted the whole thing. 🙂 Not when they could just download it. The Fight Begins - continued Chapter Two Trick continued to watch the warehouse he'd been monitoring, cell phone still in hand, as he considered the situation. This was the third night in a row of tailing likely suspects and investigating possible locations for the stolen vase, and as much as he hated to admit it, he hadn't made much progress. Solomon was becoming understandably more anxious, as the trail grew ever colder, and the chances of recovering the vase grew more remote. He needed a break. But, this joe, calling out of the blue, offering information...this was either a gift from heaven, or a set up. Still, if it was a set up, it meant he'd shaken the right tree. That alone could be a break. Now if he could just figure out which tree it had been... He dialed the number. "How badly do you want the vase, Mr. Dacy?" No greetings, no confirmation of identity, and Trick knew his phone didn't give away his identity; it was blocked. Cocky sonuva...he was playing power games. "Just how is it you know I want a vase, Manitoba? I don't recall asking you." "As your assistant will no doubt confirm shortly, I am a paralegal in the law office of Jenkins and Gooden. We have handled many cases for the Circle. This has put me in the position of being able to obtain information, which I would like to use to supplement my modest salary. As to how I have become aware of your interest, let's just say, your questions have not gone unnoticed by the Circle. I also know you are nowhere near to finding the vase. My price is not inexpensive, but not unreasonable. Are you interested?" "And you are willing to violate your clients' confidentiality? Why should that make me more likely to trust you?" "Ahh, but you see, I'm neither a lawyer, bound by confidentiality, nor is this information something that was confided to me. It is something I was fortunate enough to overhear, thanks to having the foresight to capture a conversation with a listening device. And I have no illusions, Mr. Dacy, that you trust me in the slightest. However, I do have an idea what this vase is worth to your employer. Your goal is to recover it, is it not? You may not trust me, but you can rest assured, this is not an arrangement I want to destroy, when I have gone to great pains to establish my access to information. This is something I see as a way to raise my own income. And, if it happens to hurt the Circle, so much the better. What you get out of it is a happy client, who gets his vase back. Everyone comes out ahead, except for the Circle. Would that upset you?" "Naturally, that would be quite...a good outcome." Oh, this guy was smooth. He'd covered all the angles. He was also apparently unencumbered with any ethics, as dubious as confidentiality to a criminal or law firm was, as far as ethics went. If he was to be believed, he'd planned to use his position to sell what information he could get, from early on. What a slimeball. He might just become a valuable source; he could also be bait for a trap. Trick wasn't happy with weasels who had all the angles covered. Weasels usually didn't plan that well. But, he also couldn't afford to ignore the possibility that it was a real lead. "What would this information cost me?" "$5,000." Trick let out a low whistle. "What makes you think I can pay that kind of dough? My informants never get that much money. Hell, I rarely see that much money, and that's for a whole case!" "Given the value of that vase, I have no doubt your client would be willing to pay. And, Mr. Dacy, this IS your whole case." "There is the possibility he would pay, yes," said Trick, trying to unclench his jaw. "But he's not going to pay money like that unless recovering the vase is a done deal." "Understandable. I'd be willing to give you the information for a down payment, of, say, 10%, in the interest of developing a more trusting relationship for future business. It's in my best interest to do so, after all." Trick sighed. This was going to cost him, and he still wasn't sure he wasn't buying himself a nice trap. "$200. That's all I can lay hands on until I lay hands on the vase." "I will trust that you are a man of honor, Mr. Dacy. We have an agreement, then. Meet me at Tabitha Fabish's on Justice Road, in Independence Port. I will be waiting. Time is of the essence." "How will I know you?" "You won't. You, however, are unmistakable." Trick had barely put his phone away when it buzzed again. He checked the caller. This would be Dacy. "Hey, whatcha got for me, Doll?" "Not a lot. Our Mr. Manitoba isn't what you'd call a public personality. No public phone listing, no address, and the cell's a throwaway. Employment records list him as a paralegal at Jenkins.." "..And Gooden," Trick finished for her. "So, our rat checks out, hmm? At least, we know what he told me matches with the quickly available facts. Not exactly a surprise, that." He grew silent for a moment, as he mulled things over. "I don't have a lot of options. I'm meeting him. And hoping for the best." "I don't like this, Trick. Please be careful." "What's to like?" Trick chuckled, "It stinks. And don't worry, I always am. If you've found all you can on him in the public records, give a call over to Danny in Precinct 12, and see what he can dig up." "Already tried him, Boss, he's off tonight. And Brady was tied up, couldn't be reached." Trick swore creatively under his breath. "Then try Lee in 7. Or Roger in 8." "Will do. Count on me, Boss. Where are you meeting Manitoba?" "That medium's magic shop in IP. I'm almost there now." Trick thought he heard some words muttered that he'd not suspected Dacy knew, but they were too faint and indistinct to catch. Trick's mouth quirked upwards involuntarily. "I'll update you after I meet with him." * * * * * * * * * * Well, crap! Trick thought as he surveyed the situation. It's just never simple, is it. Trick pulled back a little farther into the shadows that were hiding him, and dug out his cell for his fourth conversation of the evening with Dacy. Good thing she never asked for overtime pay, or this evening would be breaking him. She was a good kid; he'd really lucked out that the one and only answer to his ad had not only been competent, but even eager. It was nice to have her backing him up, handling the paperwork and research so he could enjoy the part of detective work that he loved so much. Trick grinned, a disarmingly boyish grin that transformed his face from the stern expression he'd carefully schooled himself to wear. He was closing in on them! Time to get the show on the road. He sent the call. "Trick? Thank God, I was getting worried. It's been over two hours since you told me Manitoba had told you where the vase was! I mean, I know you were gonna follow him and stuff, but, jeez, give a girl a call, huh?" Okay, this was the downside of having an assistant. Last thing he had wanted was some skirt needing to know where he was all the time. Still, his conscience couldn't totally brush off his pang of guilt; he was in a dangerous situation, and it had been a while. "Yeah, I know, sorry. It took a while to double back around and tail Manny, and then..." "Manny? Oh, Manitoba?" "Yeah." Trick smiled to himself, recalling the irritation that had flickered on Manitoba's face when he'd called him "Manny". First crack he'd seen in his rather cool act. Smug scumbag. "I was hoping to see who he'd get in contact with, see if I could figure out who got nervous because I was sniffing around, if it was a set up. But, I lost him," Trick said, his voice betraying the annoyance he felt at this. "Oh, no! So, you still don't know if he's on the level, or it's a trap?" "Getting to that. I decided, rather than waste time on looking for Manny, I had better go check out the warehouse he'd pointed me to. He'd made it clear that this was a temporary holding place for the vase, that the Circle had plans to move it soon. As in, any time now. I'd hate to lose what could be my only chance at getting it back, tailing a rat who may or may not lead me anywhere. So, I went to check it out. It took me a while, nosing around for traps and patrols and such, to get to it, but...Dacy, the vase is here!" "Oh!" Dacy put a world of feeling into that one sound. "So, you did it! And he was telling the truth!" She sounded almost giddy with relief. "Nope, not done yet. Vase is locked down with magical enchantments and who knows what all, and is probably booby trapped. Jury's still out on whether or not Manitoba meant me harm or good," Trick said cheerfully. "Doesn't matter. I'm not stupid enough to waltz in there all by myself so I can single-handedly recover Solomon's vase for him. I know when to call in the cavalry. So, if it was a set up, and they expected me to see the vase and throw caution to the winds, I guess I'm a disappointment. The important thing is, the vase is here. Now we gotta get it out of there." "What do you need me to do?" There was an edge of fear back in Dacy's voice. Good. She was thinking. "First, call M.A.G.I., see if there is anything they got that could help with these traps, and see if maybe they have a hero or two they could throw this way. As soon as possible. Just because the place isn't crawling with Circle goons now, doesn't mean it won't be soon. Second, call Solomon and let him know what's up. He's got some resources that could be handy right now, I'm pretty sure, and I'll need that money for Manitoba." "Check. You want me to call the guys at the precinct?" "No! First off, they need a warrant to get in here, and believe me, if they could even get it, that would slow things down too much. Second of all... this is not exactly something that can be done with a police squad. They come in here, it could get ugly, fast. I think the situation can be finessed...providing M.A.G.I. can pony up." "Consider it done, Boss. You just hang on, I'll get whatever it'll take there to help you," Dacy promised fervently. "I'll be here, Doll." Trick ended the phone call and slipped the phone back in his pocket, wishing that he was as confident as he sounded. * * * * * * * * * * Dacy hung up the phone and sat back. This was the hard part. Waiting. Her fingers drummed nervously on the desk, unnoticed. She really hated waiting, but there was nothing left for her to do. She'd called M.A.G.I., also known as the Modern Arcane Guild of Investigation; she was quite grateful they seemed to keep someone available at all hours, because it was hours past being a reasonable time to be open. They did, indeed have a way to help with the enchantments that surrounded the vase, but apparently, it wasn't something they could let just anyone handle. Dacy's quick offer to run the item from their office over to Trick was met with a polite demurral. They were putting out a request for help with the mission through their contacts with the heroic community; they were sure someone would be along to help shortly, and it would be far safer, they said. Dacy chafed, but could hardly argue. Then, she called Solomon. He was quite pleased to hear the vase had been located, seemed to be understanding of the fact that it was not, in fact, in their possession yet, and quite possibly was mobilizing his forces to help things along. He'd managed to leave her with that impression without actually specifying. Solomon liked to play things close to the vest. You only got to know what he wanted you to know. Dacy had a grudging admiration for this. She was all too likely to tell someone more than they wanted to know; something she had to be careful of, working for a detective. She'd pressed Solomon as far as she dared, and still knew next to nothing. Which, wasn't helping her nerves, not at all. The phone rang, shattering the last of her nerves. She grabbed the receiver quickly, almost dropping the phone again in her haste. "Hello?" She didn't bother identifying herself or the agency. This time of night, no one but those involved in tonight's drama would be calling. "Ms. Davis? This is Azuria, over at M.A.G.I.. I did want to tell you, we put out a request for help, and it looks like that has been accepted by a hero, who should be there shortly. However, there was something rather disturbing. One of our clairvoyants has had a sending. Perhaps you are aware that precognition is an unreliable skill, and not terrible specific at times, but I thought you should hear about it anyway." Dacy's heart seemed to be beating awfully loudly. "She sensed that Mr. Dacy was in great danger. In fact, she sensed...death. And treachery." Dacy felt faint. Her own voice sounded far away. "How...what can I do?" "Please get in contact with Mr. Dacy immediately. This clairvoyant...she isn't able to see far. There isn't much time. If the reading is true." Far away somewhere, the phone clicked and went dead. Find out what happens next in the rest of the story, The Fight Begins.docx -Dacy

😁 Close enough! I rather think it fits quite well. -Dacy

Argh, so frustrated. The software I had been using for my videos was inherent in my vid card, but it stopped working. So, we looked for another program, my husband likes to be careful because there is a lot of malware out there. So, we got what seemed to be a good program, and I recorded a LOT of content. However, something is wrong; it plays at a much higher speed. The voice track, it's the speed it should be, but all the video is moving very fast, and it seems to be consistent with all the videos I did. Hours of work. *headdesk* So, things will be a bit delayed, to say the least. -Dacy

The Fight Begins It was on a whim that she decided to apply for the job. She never realized it would lead to a fight for her very life, or that all of Paragon City could well be wiped out if she makes the wrong choice... Chapter One He was late again. It was going to be another long night. Dacy frowned slightly as she took another look at her progress on typing up the weekly Case Report for their client. She was almost done, and then what would she do? She glanced involuntarily at the slight smudge on the window that indicated the spot where, if she pressed her forehead to the glass and looked to the left, she could just barely see the entryway to the building. It was a lot of effort just for a glimpse, she chided herself. What, am I a schoolgirl who has to sit by the phone in case he calls? Dacy realized with some irritation that she was playing with her hair, and placed her hands firmly back on the keyboard. All right, so maybe the schoolgirl comparison wasn't so far off the mark. Silly thing, focus on your work! He's not coming back any time soon. Well, this job sure hadn't turned out to be like anything she'd expected. Actually, looking back, she wasn't sure what she had anticipated. Seeing an ad in the paper for an assistant for a detective whose last name was the same as her first, well... that had just seemed too much like Fate to her. She was fairly sure "Trick Dacy" had to be a made up name, but even so, it was just too much of a coincidence for her to ignore. So, she'd stopped by the office, just out of curiosity. The office was fairly forgettable: your typical run-down and poorly lit hole-in-the-wall detective agency. The man sitting behind the desk was definitely NOT forgettable. Tall, dark, and handsome was the oh-so-applicable cliche that sprang to mind, but Trick was no cliche. He certainly had a distinctive style! His trademark yellow suit was definitely out of the ordinary, for one, and he often used phrases and references that sounded like they were straight out of a 20's speakeasy, even though she thought he himself couldn't be more than 30. These things set him apart from anyone Dacy had met before, but it was his intensity that really caught her interest. Such a lot of fascinating characteristics, all rolled up in a package that was very easy on the eyes! Intrigued, Dacy filled out an application on the spot. She'd thought Trick must have been just as taken with her, because he'd interviewed her then and there, and hired her as quickly as she had filled out the application. Okay, so you didn't realize that the ad had been running for six weeks. Dacy's mouth twisted wryly. She shook her head, and then gave in to a chuckle. Much to her disappointment, hiring her immediately was the most interest Trick had shown in her up to this point. She gave a mental shrug and returned to the report in front of her. Well, at least the work was interesting. It would be more interesting if she could go out in the field with him. Dacy chafed at the restrictions, because she had always loved excitement, and the idea of helping to chase down the bad guys had a lot of appeal to her. Thus far, she hadn't been able to convince him that her help would be a good idea. In Paragon City, where they lived, it was dangerous to be on the streets. The city had undergone a series of cataclysmic changes that had brought all kinds of evil to its doorstep, but also a large population of heroes who used their various powers to fight this evil. Neither he nor Dacy possessed any sort of special ability that would help them in the event of meeting up with the powerful villains at large in the city, so he was unlikely to want her to come along. He maintained that the risk was bad enough for him; he wasn't adding her to the equation. Dacy looked over the report. Unfortunately, the information on it was rather sparse. The client, a Marcus Solomon, had hired Trick to recover a stolen vase, reputed to be quite valuable. The vase had been taken right off of the ship it arrived on; the cargo hadn't been unloaded yet, and the rest of the cargo hadn't been touched. Naturally, no one had seen anything, and although the police had to be alerted, Solomon had been clear that he didn't expect any results from their investigation, and so, was hiring a private investigator. So much for the information their client had shared with them. What was more interesting was what he hadn't shared with them. Perhaps, if Solomon had told them a little more, Trick would have been able to solve the case by now, instead of spending yet another night out on stakeout! Trick had quickly become suspicious of the nature of the item because nothing else had been touched, although there were quite a few valuable things on the ship. The fact that there were items listed at over twice what the vase's reputed value was, in the very same hold as the stolen item, pointed to a specific reason that item was taken. Putting that together with the fact that there was no real physical evidence, and the reliable guards' memories were suspiciously fuzzy on any details of the entire evening, and Trick had deduced that magic was involved. This was, after all, Paragon City, and magic was almost commonplace. The artifact was likely taken for its magic. What magical properties those were, was still quite unclear. Solomon had admitted the vase was magical, but claimed he'd been importing it for study, not to use it for magic, and so had no real idea what sort of powers it had. Dacy doubted that. You didn't become as rich and powerful as Solomon was and buy something that expensive, without knowing why you were buying it. He knew, she was sure. Trick was sure, too, but obviously, his client did not wish to tell him that information, and so, he would not press it further. Knowing the item was magic was one thing, but proving who took it was quite another. Marcus didn't want an airtight case; he simply wanted the vase back, quickly, quietly, and no questions asked. But, even had Trick been inclined to cut corners and not build as complete a case as possible (something Dacy very much suspected was not possible for him), it still had taken painstaking old-fashioned detective work to dig up any evidence as to the identity of the thieves and the possible location of the vase. Dacy skimmed over the report, checking for typing errors as she reviewed the case. This week, Trick really had made quite a bit of progress. It was entirely possible, she thought happily, that this would be the one and only case report she would need to type up before the thing was over and done. She glanced around at the shoddy office, at the walls in need of paint, at the furniture that had seen better days, been retired, and then wound up here, and tried not to wonder once again exactly what those stains in the carpeting were. Oh, yes, it would be good to get a nice paycheck from this one! Solomon was bound to be happy with this. Trick had started with no leads to anything, and with careful research into any and everything remotely connected to the ship, the docks, the guards, the warehouse the cargo was destined for, and all of the connected companies and the lists of their partners, had managed to come up with some names of people who were suspected of being associated with the Circle of Thorns, which pointed to their involvement. Dacy's eyes closed for a moment as she remembered the hours of research she'd done, trying to uncover all of the shell companies that might be hiding criminal connections... That hadn't been very fun. While Trick had been out hitting his contacts and informants to see if any of them could shed light on the heist, she had been pouring through pages of information, comparing names to a list of names and known aliases of known or suspected Circle members. Once she had found some names, Trick again hit the streets to shake loose some information to connect the dots between the names they had and the theft. Meanwhile, she got to work her way through mind numbing manifests and inventories, tracking possible places the vase could have gone. They suspected that the Circle was using warehouses owned by seeming legitimate businesses, but controlled in fact by the Circle through shell corporations. It felt like they were getting closer, but they still had nothing concrete...except some confirmation of what they already knew, that the Circle was a magical organization with vast resources that hid its tracks very well and was exceedingly hard to pin down. It was also very dangerous. Dacy jumped as the phone rang. Thinking about the dangers involved with the Circle had left her on edge. She gave herself a mental shake and took a deep breath to calm her now racing heart. She picked up the receiver. "Trick Dacy Investigations, how may we help you?" "I have information I know you would be interested in." The male voice on the other end wasn't particularly menacing or notable in any way, and yet, Dacy felt her skin crawl. "How do you know we are interested in what you have? What information? What is this concerning?" "It concerns a vase that Mr. Dacy has been showing a particular interest in. I am interested in exchanging my information for an appropriate amount of money.This is not the sort of information I am going to give to anyone else, especially not over the phone. I am sure Mr. Dacy would be interested, if you would be so kind as to tell him." Dacy decided that what she didn't like about the voice was its utter lack of any hint of emotion. She blinked. Distracted by her reaction to the caller, she'd almost forgotten a basic detective rule: get all the information you can! Trick wouldn't be happy with her if she screwed this up. A possible lead could not be ignored. Still, best to play it cool. "I don't know why you think Mr. Dacy would be interested in your information. Still, I'll pass along your message. May I tell him who called? And where you can be reached?" Dacy held her breath, hoping this was a good lead. The caller laughed. It was not a pleasant sound. "If you are to pretend disinterest in the vase, well and good, but then Mr. Dacy should not be asking so many questions from so many. It would not profit him to ignore my information. Has he so many leads he has no reason to seek further?" The dry voice mocked her. "Surely you know of the vase of which I speak? Or do you not share confidences with your employer? Perhaps I should only speak to him, then. How may I reach him?" Dacy gritted her teeth and did her best not to sound ruffled. "Perhaps he would be the best judge of whether or not your information is valuable. Perhaps it is worthless, perhaps it is of some small value." There, take that! "I will give him your name and where you can be reached, and he can decide if it is worth contacting you. If you can tell me that small information, I will tell him. If you are still interested in the money you think it is worth...?" The caller was silent for a moment. Dacy wondered if perhaps she'd played this one wrong, and felt a pang of anxiety. "Tell him Paul Manitoba called. I know where the vase is, but he'll have to move fast." Dacy quickly wrote down the cell phone number he rattled off, her mind racing. Oh, please let this be legitimate... She quickly hung up and dialed Trick's cell number. Trick took a few moments to answer. His answering 'hello' was quiet and cautious. Dacy swallowed. She hoped this wasn't a particularly dangerous stakeout. "I may have something for you, Boss. An informant called, wanting a payday for some info he had. Wouldn't give it to me." "This could be good...who was it?" "Said his name was Paul Manitoba. Didn't want to tell me anything. Gave me the creeps, honestly." Trick chuckled. "Probably means he's legit, dollface. Informers are rat-fink double-crossers who'd sell their own mother if you offered 'em enough dough. Still...I don't recall a Manitoba from my contacts. An informer calling me, when I never heard of the joe before...I don't like it. Not in connection with this case. It was the vase he was calling about, wasn't it?" "Yeah. Said he knew where it was, but you'd have to hurry. I got his cell phone number." "Knows where it is, but I have to hurry. That's convenient," Trick growled. "Liking this less and less...did you by chance look him up on my contact list, or do any searches on him at all, yet?" Dacy's fingers flew to the keyboard. "On it, Boss. You want that number?" "Sure." Dacy rattled off the cell phone number as she scanned the search results. "He's not in your database, that's for sure. Searching out who he is, that will take longer. You want me to call you back when I have something?" Trick hesitated for a second, and then said, "I'd appreciate that, but, don't you need to be getting home soon?" "I don't mind," Dacy said, biting her lip. She was not going home! "Ok. I'm going to see what this joker has to say. Call me when you have something. I got a bad feeling about this whole set up." That makes two of us. "Be careful, Boss," Dacy said, as he hung up. She went back to the computer screen, to start her search. ********************************************************************* Keep reading if you like, the entire story may be found here:The Fight Begins.docx -Dacy

DELETED- Something was wrong with the speed. New video, Roads and Other Cement Surfaces. You can see most of these surfaces in a finished product, along with more demonstrations of materials good for the outside of buildings in the upcoming video release, "Materials Good For the Outside of Buildings", which I will release tomorrow, along with a base preview, but I do not wish to release any of that until the base itself is debuted by its owner. Coming soon (maybe even later today, if my video software cooperates >.<) Advanced Building Tips and Techniques. -Dacy

@DJ1, normally, don’t have such reactions. Musta been a bad day. And tho I’d asked for critique on my fiction, I did not expect it on my posts or efforts, and I take it better, apparently, when I’m expecting it. Over and done, nothing to see here, I’m moving on. I must because I cannot unsay what I posted, though I wish I could. I was about to say, @Midnight Blue Magehad some good ideas, and I’ll look for some excerpts, maybe write a blurb. Not sure where to post them, however; I’m still in favor of a general writer’s works topic. I guess I’ll go with @EyeLuvBookstopic, it being more recent and having the advantage of having another author already present. And I do appreciate CR’s plugs and the considerable effort he puts into this corner for the arts. I know he’d like to see more people posting and doing creative works here. I don’t know as he’s an author or teacher, however, you certainly can be proficient in English without being either, and I know a fair share of authors who need a lot of editing to look anywhere near proficient. All I know is, he’s very good at grammar and spotting errors. He’d make an excellent copy editor, at the very least. -Dacy