Flattery corrupts both the receiver and the giver.
~Burke
Vladimir, as the old man was named, led Jiya and Alex away from his mini wax museum, with his cane echoing in the walls. He seemed like a light-hearted fellow doing much serious work.
"Why did you hypnotize me?" asked Alex with a smirk, which Jiya would describe as 'angry, but cannot show it' smirk.
"Did I?" the old man chuckled making his bushy beard and hair tremble from the impact.
"You know better than I do, don't you?" Alex asked with an obvious frown, as though his attempt to piss off the old man did not work out in the end.
"Of course," the old man sounded amuse, "Now ask me. Why did your gal not get hypnotized?"
Both Jiya and Alex halted in their steps because of the words 'your gal', but did not dare to stop. Alex threw a glance at Jiya, who had turned pink, before he stammered, "Why… why?"
"Because she has a better sense of not believing everything she sees or hears", the old man added with another of his chuckles.
Jiya sighed before throwing a quick glance at Alex, who had his head down, deep in thought, as if contemplating what he heard.
What are you thinking? She asked him in her head.
Nothing? He sounded unsure of himself; which made Jiya sigh.
The mini wax museum which seemed so long to end its way finally stopped in front of a red door. The door seemed rather ordinary. There was board hung on top of it which said, NO VISITORS ALLOWED.
Vladimir opened the door and let his frustrated and 'awkward towards each other' guests in. The room was far more ordinary than the other two they passed across. There was a short stone podium with a velvet cloth over it, probably something was hidden under it. Beside it was an almirah. For the rest of the room, it was void of anything. Jiya wanted to see what was underneath the velvet piece. But to her utter dismay, the old man walked towards the almirah. It had iron handles, and the wood was bare of any paint. The old man pulled open the door.
To Jiya and Alex, it seemed rather empty. That is until they saw two small wooden boxes, placed inside it on the third shelf. The old man's bushy beard was shielding it from view. One of the boxes was a cuboid while the other was a cube. The old man placed his cane against the wall and stretched his hands to grab the boxes. With a light push, the doors closed themselves.
Seeing the boxes, Jiya suddenly remembered about the box of secrets. She shoved her hand inside her cloak pocket and heaved a sigh when the rough wooden surface grazed against her palm. She pulled back her hand. Her cloak just seemed to long shrug to her which had collars like the fictional Draculas' wore. Though, the pockets came in really handy.
Vladimir placed the boxes on a round wooden table which they had failed to notice earlier. Then, he grabbed his cane and waved for the two of them to come over. The old man held out the cuboidal box to Jiya. She took it and asked, "What is it?"
"See for yourself", the old man said his throaty voice.
Jiya opened it and saw that there was a pair of goggles inside. Secret Vision Glasses! She remembered that it was on the list.
"Secret Vision Glasses?" she asked with a polite smile.
"Indeed", he gave an amused nod.
"What does it do?" Alex asked as he eyed the pair of goggles.
"Why don't you read the paper inside the box?" the old man hinted at Jiya.
She nodded and carefully pulled the pair of goggles and placed them on the table. Underneath it, there was a piece of folded paper. It looked old and dusty.
"The paper had been waiting for too long", the old man gave one of his chuckles.
Jiya pulled it out and unfolded it. Words were written in an old-fashioned, though neat calligraphy.
It said:
CAUTION|
Please do not use the glasses to spy on anyone without reason.
You are advised to handle it with extreme care.
Only a rightful owner would be able to handle its powers.
HOW TO USE|
(Use this when you have to find out someone's secret without letting them know and without using your sense of smell. It might be useful against someone who knows about your ability and/or has the ability to shield their minds.)
This works best when you are spying someone through lucid dreams.
A high amount of concentration is asked from the user.
The user should avoid communication with anyone during the process.
HOW IT WORKS|
It works best through lucid dreams as mentioned above. The user needs to concentrate on the picture of the aimed target and/or imagine them in their minds. The user should look for a quiet and peaceful location to carry out the activities. Any form of distraction to the user will disrupt the work of the glasses. When the user has located his/her target, it seems like they are where their targets are (though their targets will never know). The glasses then act as a scanner on the targets and spills out every secret, hidden in conscious and/or subconscious mind.
Jiya sighed as she folded the paper and placed it back inside the box.
"Quite complicated, though", Jiya gave a half-smile.
"Obviously", the old man said as he handed her the other box.
Jiya opened it and realized that it must be the esteemed 'Smitchwatch'. It looked like an ordinary digital watch with its black, round dial.
"Smitchwatch?" she said with a smile, "How does it work?"
"It works as a tracker", Alex began to explain, "For your level and amount of power. It tracks how powerful your ability is, notifies you of how much power you used, and how powerful you become with practice and precision. It also shows you what your level skills are."
"Like a game?" Jiya asked, raising an amused brow.
"Like a game", Alex nodded.
"I hope it is clear", the old man intervened with a smile, or so Jiya thought. For it was hidden under his bushy beard.
"Now it is time for your much-esteemed partner-in-crime", the old man continued as he glanced at the cloth-covered object on the podium.