aterat | audio;

[ His appearance was nothing that registered with her. The only thing she took note of were the gloves he seemed to always wear. Even that was unremarkable to her. After all there were several mutants that used gloves to control their abilities. She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly at his statement. ]

Teleporters are used to having to wait for others. [ And they were used to being used as taxis. ] We need to find somewhere outside that people will not come by.

[Jagger didn't spend too much time outside the city and the raised eyebrows at her suggestion made that pretty clear. It was dangerous out there, after all.]

Uh...why?

[Sounds more dangerous than he originally thought.]

[ The look on her face at his question betrayed how stupid she thought the question was. Had it been anyone else asking she would not have offered an explanation. For some reason though she found herself explaining. ]

A scrying spell will pick up on a trail. If there are too many other people around there will be too many trails.

[It was hard to miss that expression and he frowned.]

How about from now on we assume I know literally nothing about magic and build from that?

[He knew something about interference, though, it happened with his own abilities of there were too many people and too much touching in the area.]

[ She met his eyes with her own and a wicked grin spread across her face. ]

I already was assuming that. [ Was she teasing him? Perhaps a bit. ]

[He smirked, a barely there smile that lit up his eyes. Something about her slightly condescending tone called to him. Well, that was dangerous.]

Good, as long as that's covered we should be fine.

Where do you suggest? You're the expert.

Perhaps...[ she looked thoughtful for a moment. ] What about the clocktower? It does not look like a place many go to and but it is still close.

[He looks toward the clocktower, thinking idly that it sounded like the destination for a horror novel, and nodded.]

It completes an aesthetic. Let's go.

I suppose it does. [ She let out a dark light chuckle and then turned to look at him with a wicked grin. A white disc formed at both their feet and then quickly moved up to surround them. As it engulfed them the familiar smell of brimstone wafted up and danced around senses. For just a second she could feel the otherworldly prickly heat and hear the distant sounds of what could be chittering or perhaps a language of some kind. Then just like that they were in the clocktower and she had a halfcocked smirk on her face. ]

[His first instinct was to run at the appearance of the glowing disk beneath his feet but he willed himself to stay put, to observe. He wasn't an active participant either way, so it wasn't as though he actually had to do anything.

He'd expected brimstone, but when the scent reached his nose as the light engulfed him, he realized he'd had no actual idea what 'brimstone' smelled like and that it didn't smell anything like how he'd expected.

When the scene shifted back to, well, reality was the only way he could think of to describe it, they were atop the clocktower and he blinked, looking around.]

...wow. [Profound, but it was all he could think to say at first.] ...you know, I can see how you end up used as a courier.

[ For potentially the first time in quite a while she actually laughed. Not a bitter chuckle or a sarcastic jab at someone, but a real laugh born of amusement. ] There are combat uses as well.

[ Those had taken her longer to master, but thy had been a bit more fun. ]

It does save time.

[He'd never fought a day in his life, he supposed that came from being from a generally peaceful world, at least to his knowledge, and he frowned at the thought.]

Combat, huh? That happens a lot?

[ She took five small black tea candles out of a pocket hidden in her dress and placed them on the ground in a small pentacle. With a wave of her a hand she lit them all five on fire. ]

I rule a demonic dimension. Fighting is all we know. [ She looked over at him and then offered a bit more. ] I do not think we ever stopped fighting as New Mutants. There was always something. Anti-Mator, Enchantress, Empath, Mojo, Magus, Hodge and the Friends of Humanity, the Purifiers [ she shook her head. ] always something.

Jesus... [The more he learned about her, the more her life sounded like it was from a comic book.]

...what about recently? Have things been anywhere close to peaceful?

[ She knelt down by the little pentacle she'd made and then looked over at him. ] No. > We were recently attacked by the Purifiers and members of Project Purgatory. [ She hesitated for a second. ] General Ulysses was the one attempting to summon the Elder Gods.

The Purifiers? [He frowned at that response.] Sounds like a good cult name.

Would you believe they also go by Stryker Crusade? [ She shook her head. ] They sound like what they are then. A terrorist cult. They believe they are in a holy war against mutantkind. [ Her tone shifts to one that has just the slightest hints of anger. ] They destroyed a bus full of our children. From what I understand those children no longer even had their powers. They had no way to defend themselves from that.

Of course they do. What self-respecting domestic terrorist group wouldn't call themselves a "crusade"?

[He shook his head.]

People will hate anything, won't they, as long as it's the least bit different.

Humans are always afraid of things they don't understand. [ There was an edge of bitterness to her voice. ] To them we are just freaks.

Yeah. [He breathes a sigh.] Even those who accept what you can do are still on edge around you.

[ She inclined her head. ] Experienced are you?

When I touch people, I...can see stuff about them, their past, feel things they felt, where they've been. When I touch their things the picture's clearer. Even if they say they're fine with it, you can tell they feel, I don't know, violated.

[ She tilts her head curiously. ] You are psychic? People are never fond of those. They tend to poke around where they do not belong too often.

I damn well try not to, thank you very much.

[ She shakes her head and gives a small smirk. ] It is no worry to me. Psychics cannot read me unless I allow it and I do not often allow it.

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