A scene from the life.

[md_donighal]

Dr. Primoris, a level 15 Mutation Blaster, settled to the ground in front of Jim Temblor, an angry young man, and opened his mouth.

He never got the chance to say what he'd come to say. "I got a call from Fusionette. She told me that she's fine, thanks to you. So I owe you for that. She also said that the Lost did have the tape, but now that some Lost leader called Kurse has it. And then she told me that she's going to go get it by herself."

That last sentence was the only thing that wasn't part of the message Primoris (né Michael Daemon Donighal) had been planning to deliver. "Sounds like the young lady's quite determined."

"Yeah, impulsive. She's in no shape to fight again, it's too soon. All I wanted was to find out what happened to my Dad. I didn't want her to get hurt doing it."

"Thoughtful of you, Jim," said Primoris, "but I somehow doubt one of the Nuclear 90 can be dissuaded that easily."

"Probably not, but I have to try anyway. For her sake. Thanks for helping, Dr. Primoris. I know I can be kinda hard to get along with, but, ah, thanks."

"You're quite welcome," Michael replied. "And I don't mind. You've been through a lot."

"Y'know? You're the second person who's ever said that to me. Here." Temblor held up a cellular phone. "If we're going to be working together, we'll need to stay in touch."

"Good thinking." Michael retrieved his FBSA-issued multicomm from his jacket pocket and pointed it at the phone. The devices made contact with a few quick beeps; now, they'd be able to contact each other no matter where in the city they might be. "And now, if you'll excuse me... I'm going to go do some favors for another friend."

0 0 0

BOOM!

The little mechanical pest collapsed, with that faint sound of machinery winding down that they all made. Michael swooped down and extracted a power source from the wreckage. It seemed to have been damaged in the fight, but hopefully, there'd be enough of it for the Hero Corps rep over in Steel Canyon to study. Luckily, he had Ms. Saramago's cellular number loaded into his multicomm already. It took only a few button-presses to call her up. "Colleen? It's Dr. Primoris. I've got that Clockwork power source, and I'll be faxing it to you... now." He aimed the multicomm at the power source and pressed a button, and the city's teleport grid did the rest.

"Thank you very much. I'm sure this will help me understand the Clockwork better. I'll let you know what I discover."

"I'll be listening." The multicomm started to vibrate in Michael's hand. "Oops! Incoming call! I'll get back to you!" He hung up and checked the comm's screen. The paging was from Jim, unsurprisingly enough. The boy was only a short distance away, so it was no trouble at all to swoop over to him. "What's the 411?" he asked, not caring how poseuresque he might sound.

Luckily, Jim had neither the time nor the inclination to razz him for it. "Fusionette's gone after the tape of the battle with Faultline on her own, and she's gonna get herself killed. Look, you've already helped me out a lot, and this is a lot to ask of anyone, but you may be the only one who can help her!"

"It's no trouble at all, I assure you.

"'Nettie didn't tell me where she was going, but I heard of this Kurse guy when I was investigating the Lost. I know where he often hangs out. I can show you where you need to go."

"That sounds useful indeed." Again, it was a short flight to Kurse's hideaway, in an underground parking garage practically under the nose of the mystical Asian heroine Mirror Spirit. Michael opened the door and stepped through...

...but wasn't at all expecting to end up where he did.

Comments

[elementwizard.livejournal.com]

Where he did would happen to be a small attic bedroom barely large enough to fit a bed and a desk. There was a dresser somehow squeezed in there too, but it didn't leave much room for wall space. In fact Michael would appear to be walking through the door to the room, except one would assume that he wasn't walking through where the door normally lead.

There is an Alec sitting on the bed looking very pleased with himself. Above him, through the window, it could be seen that it's night time, soon after dusk for the sky is still clings to some reds and purples. A moon sits halfway up in the sky... and another one... more near the horizon.

[md_donighal]

Michael looks around the space with some surprise and a lot of confusion... until he spots his lover sitting on the bed. "Honey, I've zoned!" he announces. Out the window, he sees the plural moons. "Your world, I take it?" he asks as he heads over to the bed.

[elementwizard.livejournal.com]

"Yes. I've seen your world. I figured it was about time you saw mine. We're in my bedroom, to be exact," Alec said with a very smug smile on his face. "And I've got us reservations for dinner, so I hope you weren't planning on doing anything tonight."

[md_donighal]

That gets a smile in return. "Nothing that won't keep, given the tricks time's been known to play in Paragon." An arm goes around Alec's shoulders. "And even if it wouldn't, I'd still stay as long as post-humanly possible."

[elementwizard.livejournal.com]

Alec gives him a peck on the cheek. "Fantastic. Come on, I'll give you a walking tour as we go."

He stands up and holds out his hand, smiling and nearly bouncing on the balls of his feet.

[md_donighal]

Michael takes the hand. "Looking forward to it."

[elementwizard.livejournal.com]

The attic bedroom is on the third floor of a medium sized house. Alec takes him down the stairs which are lit by glowing glass globes. The bottom floor is compromised by a large living area and a kitchen.

"Wolf, my brother, isn't home or I'd introduce you," Alec says as he leads Michael out the door.

The streets are lit with larger versions of the globes providing a soft light that doesn't so much chase away the darkness but tuck it gently into corners. Most of the people are on foot, but there is an occasional carriage usually pulled by a horse, larger than an earth horse with a single horn sprouting from its forehead and two smaller ones on its nose.

"The city is divided up into four main districts. Market, merchant, university and living. It's actually based on another city that was destroyed a thousand years ago."

[md_donighal]

"I'll just have to hope I meet him sometime, then, won't I?" Michael takes note, in passing, of the globes; they seem to be enchanted, or at least giving off energy that looks like the manaflows his aetheric vision reveals around some Milli-folken.

On the street: "I think I'd like to see the uni distrct at some point— good gods and butter, is that a mutant horse or a mutant unicorn?"

[elementwizard.livejournal.com]

It takes Alec a second to realize what Michael is getting excited about but then he realizes and shakes his head, "No...it's a perfectly normal horse. I can't help it if your horses aren't proper."

Ah the differences of worlds.

[md_donighal]

Michael takes a moment in turn to process this, then shrugs. "Different evolutionary pressures, no doubt. Not something you can affect unless you already wioll haven and just don't on-knowen it yet." Mischievous smile as he rolls out the Streetmentioner tenses there.

"So, here in the present, how much time have we to kill before dinner?"

[elementwizard.livejournal.com]

"We have dragons. You kinda need something that'll protect you from that." Most of the prey animals on Alec's world have developed some sort of armor and protection that would be some sort of deterrence to large flying predators. Michael should see the goats if he thought that the horses were mutated.

"We have..." and he glances up at the sky, "About an hour to kill."

[md_donighal]

A sober nod at the explanation. "Makes sense. Unless you get on a dragon's good side, of course." He tenses up a little about halfway through that sentence, suddenly realizing that the memories of Verra thus stirred up might include her death, then starts paying attention to Alec's reaction in case that's happened.

"An hour? Probably not enough time to see the entire uni district, but certainly enough to whet my mental appetite. May we?"

[elementwizard.livejournal.com]

If Verra was on his mind at that moment, it didn't show. Instead, he took a right at a wide boulevard and led Michael up it. They passed intersections with large fountains, some water, some fire and finally entered a large round area with three buildings surrounding a courtyard. Ahead of them was a gleaming white wall cut in twain to make a passage way.

"That's the library," Alec said pointing to a floating building, "Council building," A blue building that was built like an upside down funnel, "And the temple," an imposing black building. "And that," he pointed to the white walls, "Is the university."

[md_donighal]

"Is it just the cultural differences that make me worry about any deity whose temple has architecture like that? I ask only for information."

[elementwizard.livejournal.com]

"Deities. Five. The temple is really for the Oracle though," Alec said, "I don't know what they were thinking when they built it though."

He leads them over to the white walls, "Behind the walls are four sections that surround the campus. Each section is devoted to a different element ... they're practice grounds. The walls are spelled to absorb wayward magic."

[md_donighal]

"...If I had to guess? They were trying to make it so intimidating that nobody would bother the Oracle without a damn good reason."

He considers the walls and what's behind them. "Good system. Would they let me look at the fire section, do you know?"

[elementwizard.livejournal.com]

Alec doesn't seem to be too interested in talking about the Oracle, so he jumps on the subject change, "Sure. I can take you there. It's late, so there won't be anyone inside."

The corridor had an ethereal glow to it, off set by the more warm and earthy glow of the globes. Benches and trees lined the corridor and a few people, young in their mid to late teens gathered around them. The corridor let out into a large courtyard with five, two story buildings. "Each of the buildings is for a different element, the fifth is the school library and administration."

[md_donighal]

"Now I'm torn between the fire building and the library." He thinks on that a moment. "The fire building, I think. We go in the library, you may never get me out, let alone in time."

[elementwizard.livejournal.com]

"The fire building is just classrooms. I'll let you peak in the library another time," he tugged on Michael, "This is more interesting."

He pulled Michael back to the wall and through a gate. The ground was parched under foot beyond the gate, and crackled as they walked. Large pits of fire burned, casting shadows on a barren landscape. While the place looked bleak, it felt alive. Burning brightly with fire. This was a place where fire could live and be cultivated like a greenhouse for plants. It beckoned and begged to be used, humming in the air just beyond the senses.

Alec grinned at Michael, practically glowing in his element. "What do you think?"

[md_donighal]

"It's... singing to me. Actually fucking singing, I swear." Involuntarily, his clothing shifts to the armor and cape of Divis Mal (as shown in the icon). "This is another place I could easily get lost in if we'd the time." Kiss on the forehead. "Thank you." On the nose.

[elementwizard.livejournal.com]

"I know it's singing... I hear it all the time... but here... it's alive." He then grins wickedly, "I like the cape."