Chris and Helena both had some limited experience handling people who had fallen over from the ‘real’ world. Magicians often handled lost souls in the more mystical realms, and it seemed the job fell to the police here in the Immigrant Realm. Which meant they both knew generally what to say for a quick introduction.

Camila was currently alternating between awe and disbelief, like most newcomers did. That was good. It showed she still thought like a human. “So you’re saying that magic was real? And that all you magicians and ghosts and monsters fled to secret magical realms no one knows about?”

“We know about them,” Helena pointed out. “There are more humans in mystical realms than on earth. To a lot of realms the ‘real world’ is as much of a myth as our world is to you.”

“Wow…” Camila looked out the window at the street, her stiff arms following along with the movement. They’d had to help the woman bend her knees so she could sit at the booth. “So then monsters come from these realms to bother people?”

Chris shook her head. “Very rarely. We usually only get one or two outsiders a year.”

“Magical creatures like ourselves don’t often go out into the outside world,” Helena said softly. “For most of us it’s certain death.”

“Well obviously that magician did,” Camila said with a pained smirk. “I was coming home from practice one evening. It wasn’t even dark out. I walk down an empty alley as a shortcut, and the bastard just walks out of the shadows and zaps me with some kind of blue light.” The woman’s eyes unfocused. “It hurt. Hurt more than anything I’d ever felt before.”

Camila sobered up a little. “That killed me didn’t it? I mean I’m pretty sure I’m dead. I can’t exactly check my pulse,” she waggled her locked arms a bit, “but I’m pretty sure I’m room temperature. And from what snippets I remember I’ve been shot in the chest a few times. People don’t usually survive that, no?”

“Yes, you died,” Helena said. She turned to face the woman as best she could in the booth. “It sounds like the spell shut down your organs, killing you instantly. Then he reanimated your body as a jiang-shi.”

Camila turned back to the window, staring into the distance. “I don’t suppose there’s some kind of cure for this? Like, you’re a magician right? There’s some sort of miracle around that can send me home?”

Chris looked at Helena, who shook her head. “No.” She forced herself to keep her voice even as Camila’s shoulders slumped. “Humans live and die. People that become immortal and people who die and return cease to be human.” She hesitated before continuing, “A better magician or a powerful god could remove your jiang-shi traits. They could make you look and feel human again. Maybe even let you age and die normally. But you can never be truly human again.”

“And what about going home?” Camila’s voice was shaking, but she still smiled. “Magic can work outside right? I can go see my family? Just for a little bit?”

“Magic doesn’t exist outside. That’s the rule.” Helena took a deep breath. “Our existence is an open wound in reality and reality wins in the end. I could survive three months, perhaps. Then I’d die of starvation. Every person who saw me eat something would have their memories rewritten to reflect that reality..

“Long Zhou Di might last longer. But that spell he used on you would have snuffed his own existence out if too many people saw it. He probably had to scurry home quickly after that.” Helena shook her head. “For a jiang-shi like you… with magical support you would last a week. Then reality would see you’re dead, make you a corpse and rewrite the past so that no one would remember you walking around.” She took a deep breath. “Your family wouldn’t even remember you saying goodbye.”

Camila seemed even more rigid than before. The woman was still smiling, but Helena could see the pain in her eyes. Helena wished there was something she could offer to ease the blow. But scientific reality was hard and unyielding. There was no defense against a force that could use time itself as a weapon. Something the magicians of the ‘real’ world had learned long ago.

Finally she simply said, “I’m sorry.”

Silence reigned over the table, as the muted bustle of the diner rattled and clinked to their side. Helena waited as Camila stared out the window, watching the foot traffic passing through the streets. It was strange talking about such weighty matters in a simple restaurant, while people walked about their normal lives outside. But maybe the familiarity would help Camila.

The waiter arrived with their orders. “Two fruit pancake platters and an omelet,” he said, placing down the food before each of them. “Do you want anything else?”

“I’m good for now,” Camila said. Helena and Chris shook their heads.

“Just call out if you need anything,” he replied before walking over to another table.

“No questions, huh? I guess a zombie, a witch, and a cop aren’t an uncommon sight here.” Camila shook her head in amused disbelief, then looked down at her plate. Her arms moved down and bent just an inch and then she froze. Her smile faded, replaced by shock and betrayal as she strained against her joints. “My arms…”

Helena mentally kicked herself. Of course that would be a problem. “Here let me help you.” She reached out and carefully bent Camila’s arms so they’d be over the plate, then handed over the knife and fork. “Do you need anything else?”

“Um…” Camila looked away. “The syrup, please?”

“Sure.” Helena poured a liberal helping over the pancakes until Camila nodded at her to stop.

“Thank you.” Camila awkwardly lowered her head and did her best to cut the food and shovel it into her mouth. She quickly got the hang of it, though it wasn’t very dignified. From the woman’s expression she was enjoying the meal.

Chris started in on her own breakfast. “How is it?”

Camila’s grin was back. “Barely counts as breakfast. But the best meal I’ve had… like since I died.”

Helena turned to her own food and picked at it. “You really lucked out. Most jiang-shi can’t eat. From the way your magic is being restored, you not only can eat, but actually gain energy from it.”

Camila finished chewing and cocked her head to look over. “This is the enhanced undead body? Like, this-” she waggled her elbows, “-isn’t what I’d call awesome. Vampires don’t have to go through this nonsense.”

“You’re stronger than the average vampire, and have vastly superior magic resistance,” Helena said. “And you aren’t just the enhanced version. You’re the legendary version. The rituals required to animate you probably cost more than my apartment building.”

Something clicked in Helena’s mind. “That’s must be why he was working for the Triads. He needed that money to give his brother the finest of undead bodies. He probably used you as a trial run, or because he didn’t want to use his brother as a guard.”

“Is that so?” Camila took a few more big bites out of her meal. “Heh, typical guy. Scumbag spends a whole ton of money without asking and then expects you to just do whatever he says. No way to treat a woman.” She finished off the plate then drained the cup of juice Helena handed her. “Thanks. Mind if I order another dish?”

“Eat all you want. It’s a business expense,” Chris said.

Helena smiled. “Don’t say that. She can keep eating forever. It’d take seven ships of food to give her enough magic for a single day.”

The two other women looked at her in wide eyes. Then Camila slowly smiled. “I always liked that cartoon gag where the skinny kid eats everything in the restaurant.”

“Let’s limit it to ten plates then,” Chris said. She called over the waiter and Camila ordered another three dishes. As the man left the policewoman’s expression turned serious. “So, Ms. Barbosa, as an unwilling participant in the crimes we’re willing to give you full witness protection, and then transfer you over to the folks who help kidnapping victims resettle. It might take a little longer for you to settle then some, but The Big Apple itself isn’t too strange for people from the outside world.”

“Thanks, but will that really work for me? I’m kinda attached to her.” Camila gestured awkwardly towards Helena. “Like, in the magically connected way, not the love in first sight way.”

Helena blinked. “You noticed?” Helena mused on that. The magical connection between her and Camila was obvious from her perspective, but for Camila it should have seemed like business as usual. Especially since the woman had no training in magic.

“It’s… a weird feeling. Like I know you’re there.” Camila waved a finger around to try to emphasize the point before giving up.

“Wait, I thought you said you freed them from magical control?’ Chris peered at the two of them. “Why is there still a magical connection there?”

Helena’s stomach flopped at the question. “Because there has to be. A jiang-shi either gets energy from devouring other people’s chi or from a magician. I’m the only magician we can trust so I’m giving her magic.” Helena stabbed at her omelet. “It’s the same reason I made my talisman say ‘do what you want to do.’ I have to order them to have free will. I’ll see if I can figure out some way to fix that later but for now…”

“Don’t sweat it,” Camila said happily. “You saved my butt back there. I owe you big time. Waiting a bit for a better solution isn’t a problem.”

Chris frowned. “That’ll make the trial more troublesome though. Your testimony might get challenged…” She sighed. “Well that’s the DA’s problem. Let’s get the facts first. Can you tell me why you might have been targeted?”

Camila’s brow furrowed in thought. “Honestly? I dunno.” She continued thinking until the server came back with the extra food. “Oh thanks.” Helena helped set the woman up so she could eat easily.

The jiang-shi woman wolfed down something the restaurant advertised as a breakfast burrito before continuing. “Sorry I don’t have a clue. I’m doing… was doing okay in college, but I don’t think you need a lot of communications students. I know capoeira and I was pretty good at soccer, but that isn’t really useful like this.” She shrugged her stiff shoulders.

“Do you remember any other victims?” Chris asked. “And can you provide information about his Triad contacts?”

“I can tell you all the people he had us kill, but I can’t tell you anything else.” Her expression darkened. “When we weren’t moving my brain seemed to shut down. I don’t even know how long it’s been since… since I died. I mostly remember the assassinations. And there weren’t many of those.”

Chris nodded. “We’ll see if we can figure that out when we get back to the station. For now eat to your heart’s content.” The policewoman paused as she realized her mistake. “Uh, well within limits anyway.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll stick to ten plates,” Camila said with a grin.

Helena went back to picking at her own food. She should have been plotting her next move, or at least recovering, but she was exhausted, mentally more than physically.

An elbow tapped her arm and she jumped in surprise. “You should eat up. We got a lot of talking to do now that we’re going to be roommates or something.”

“I suppose so,” Helena forced herself to eat. Camila was right. There were a lot of long talks in her future.