aterat | audio;

I will try. [ She pauses before deciding to elaborate. ] I know many scrying spells. Things that should pick up a trace of something. Maybe a trail if we are lucky.

I've heard about how useful magic can be, but I've never actually seen it. [There's a sound in his voice that suggests he...might want to watch.]

Curious are you?

Something like that, and even more curious about whatever the Hell that was out there.

DO you want to come with me?

[The rational, intelligent, and self-preserving part of him, typically the dominant voice, was screaming at him even before he voiced it.]

Against my better judgement...yeah. Yeah, I do.

Where do you wish to meet?

I can meet you in the commons, if you like.

[This is probably one of his more stupid ideas, but now he's committed.]

Do not keep me waiting too long.

[He can't help but smile, at least a bit at that.]

I'll be there.

[ It had been quite a long time since Illyana had to worry about clothing outside of a uniform or her attire in Limbo. Something had told her that attire would not be entirely practical for this place. Which meant she had to actually shop for normal things to wear daily in this place. Normal was no longer something she was very good at. Even after her initial return from Limbo she had been a bit abnormal. After all that had happened since then...well, normal was certainly not in her vocabulary.

The attire she wore while waiting for him in the commons matched her personality at least, dark and vaguely ironic in it's theme considering her previous lack of a soul. She finished the outfit with black tights and combat boots. Somehow it felt more comfortable than anything else she'd attempted to wear. Perhaps it was the fact that it gave off a somewhat unwelcoming vibe that she liked. It gave less incentive for someone to approach her, or at least she hoped it would.

She leaned up against the wall as she waited for him to show himself so they could get on with this. She was definitely curious to see if she could locate anything at all. ]

[The commons weren't that far of a walk from the dorms, and it had been as good a place as any to find her. It was central to their locations and central to a good bit of the city besides. Jagger was wearing something very similar to the clothes he'd arrived in: dark pants, a dark shirt under a coat, leather gloves. When he arrived and saw her, it occurred to him they made quite a pair.

Dressing the way they did accomplish keeping people at a distance, and if half what she'd said was true, she had every reason to. Either way, it suited her, and he wondered if she had any idea she was attractive.

...this was business. At least he tried to remind himself of that. Business and nothing he should be thinking about with her.]

Thanks for waiting.

[ 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.

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