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Show Me The Way; 5/23 evening (Doug/Topaz)
Topic Started: Jul 7 2013, 04:02 PM (740 Views)
Cypher
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(cross posted from Watchin' The Moon)

He could think of worse people to talk to on Comm Duty than Topaz, though it was starting to click just why her team had so much trouble with their systems. Still, she was one of the few who'd never called to complain things were broken, which was a definite plus. And, well, she was pretty easy to talk to. When he was managing not to drool, anyway.

"No, I'd be much more likely to complain that I couldn't figure out how to turn them on to begin with." Topaz winked teasingly, then added, "But I don't suppose there'll be much need to communicate over the computers now, will there? Not with most of us moving onto the helicarrier."

"No, probably not," he admitted as she waved away the pillows they'd been sitting on. Disappointing, but... "Maybe you can come up with some other reason to look me up once in a while?" he suggested with a crooked, hopeful grin. "I'm really good at turning those computers on." Yeah, maybe that didn't come out quite as smooth as it did when he was flirting with Gloria or Kitty, but hey. It was definite progress. Maybe he just needed to start off with the acknowledgement that he was going to be friend-zoned, and he could bypass the stammering entirely.

"Ready for you next teleport," she asked, that same teasing grin still on her face, "I can make it a bit more dramatic this time, if you'd like."

"Noooo, I'm just fine without the drama," he admitted, shuddering for effect as he grinned back at her. "Consider it a drama free zone. We can even walk if you'd rather. Or there's an elevator that almost always works."

Or they could teleport, he amended as the Topaz laughed and the deck, Sentinels and stars disappeared, to be replaced by his - oh god, it was a mess, wasn't it? - room. "Umm, sorry," he said, blushing as he let go of her hand and started throwing the sheets up over the bed. If he shoved those boxes over by the wall, it wouldn't be so...yeah, it still would. He looked over at her sheepishly as he started doing it anyway, and shrugged. "I didn't bother unpacking much once I was done setting up the computer."
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Topaz
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At least most of them could talk face to face now, Topaz mused, rather than via computer. At least when they were all at the same place at the same time, which this last week seemed as rare as any other time, despite the majority of them having moved into the helicarrier. There was so much activity she sometimes could hardly keep up with whether she was coming or going.

The life of a teleporter in the Resistance might be many things, but it was seldom dull.

"No, probably not," he admitted as she waved away the pillows they'd been sitting on. Disappointing, but... "Maybe you can come up with some other reason to look me up once in a while?" he suggested with a crooked, hopeful grin. "I'm really good at turning those computers on."

Topaz sent him a pleased smile of her own to that. Yes, he was very nice, wasn't he? "I'd like that very much," she told him, then smiled a touch impishly despite herself, "Though don't say I didn't warn you when I inevitably show up at odd hours because my tablet locked up again."

Why the thing insisted on doing that so much, she had no idea. In fact, she had no idea why she even had one, considering how seldom she bothered to use it and how much more trouble it invariably ended up being than simply writing something down on paper.

No matter, though, and that was a question for another time. Doug had offered to show her this video Johnny Storm had made. And, while she was a bit dubious about what sort of video it might be, she couldn't deny her curiosity and the least she could do was teleport them down. If he liked, she could even make an attempt to dramatize it a bit more, since that seemed to be what he was used to.

"Noooo, I'm just fine without the drama," he admitted, shuddering for effect as he grinned back at her. "Consider it a drama free zone. We can even walk if you'd rather. Or there's an elevator that almost always works." Oh dear. An almost always working elevator. She made a note of that to remember later and decided it was certainly a mark in the column in favor of teleporting.

Simple, easy, and much less likely to get them trapped between however many dozens of floors were on this steel behemoth. So, with a laugh, and an appropriately dramatic gesture of her free arm as she took his hand again, she teleported them down into his room.

Which rather immediately sent Doug into a frenzy of tidying up.

Topaz tried very, very studiously not to laugh, or even grin, at his flustered state as he looked around the room, face coloring.

"Umm, sorry," he said, blushing as he let go of her hand and started throwing the sheets up over the bed. If he shoved those boxes over by the wall, it wouldn't be so...yeah, it still would. He looked over at her sheepishly as he started doing it anyway, and shrugged. "I didn't bother unpacking much once I was done setting up the computer."

Well, she did indulge in a laugh, then, though a very small one. Hopefully he would forgive her if she came over to help him move his boxes where he seemed to be trying to get them to one wall.

"There's no need to apologize," she told him with a smile, cocking her head at the boxes in question he was fighting with and then deciding it would be much simpler to magic them into place than physically move them. "I don't know of anyone who's had a chance to unpack more than clothes since this all began."

With a silently recited spell and a jerk of her chin, the boxes obediently took themselves across the floor, stacking themselves neatly against the wall where she hoped he'd wanted them.

"I've just shoved all mine into the closet for the time being," the Indian girl added, nodding in satisfaction as she turned back to him, "I may get around to unpacking them in the next month or so, but I'm not holding my breath."
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Cypher
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This had to be one of his worst ideas ever, possibly including the day he'd tried flirting with Amara with Roberto in earshot. What had he been thinking, inviting her down when things looked like...well, actually, they didn't look much different than his room in HQ, but it actually mattered now. Maybe if he just moved a few boxes...

Topaz laughed. "There's no need to apologize," she told him with a smile as he tried to inconspicuously push the stack of boxes towards the wall. "I don't know of anyone who's had a chance to unpack more than clothes since this all began."

"I haven't even found those," he admitted, then startled as the rest of the boxes sort of...walked themselves across the room, restacking themselves into a neater pile than they'd been in to begin with. He blinked, then shook his head and chuckled. "That's definitely faster," he admitted, his face warming a little as he reminded himself that she'd likely just wanted to help.

Or, of course, she might have been afraid the boxes would topple over on her if she came in any further. He had to admit the possibility existed.

"I've just shoved all mine into the closet for the time being," the Indian girl added, nodding in satisfaction as she turned back to him, "I may get around to unpacking them in the next month or so, but I'm not holding my breath."

"Lots of stuff?" he asked as he wandered over to the computer, slipping into the chair as he called up the video. The government had apparently pulled it off YouTube yet again - he wondered at times whether or not they had someone dedicated to checking for it on a daily basis - but it didn't matter much. He'd long since saved a copy to his hard drive. He opened the file and smiled crookedly, getting up from the chair as he waved her over to take a seat. "Prepare to be amazed," he joked. "Or possibly to go deaf. They sing. It's kind of scary."

Honestly, he could understand Johnny having the idea to segue a burning building into a bonfire on the beach, but he'd never been able to figure out which of them had acquired the misguided impression that they could sing.
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Doug seemed far more flustered than there was really any need for. In fact, there was no need to be flustered at all, much less apologize. Who had had time to do more than possibly unpack their clothes and maybe a few other things with all the activity of the last few days?

Even if he weren't going out with any of the teams, Topaz was more than certain there was quite enough to keep him well occupied all the same. With things of much more import than moving a few boxes around or unpacking the things he'd moved from the club to the helicarrier. That he'd even managed to get the computers unpacked and set up was impressive.

"I haven't even found those," he admitted and the sorceress felt a moment of chagrin as she gave him a hand, or a wave of one and a spell, with moving the boxes he seemed determined to shove against the wall. Oh dear, she hadn't meant to startle him. Her own team was so used to cursory uses of magic that she still forgot not everyone else was. Topaz sent him an apologetically sheepish look as he blinked, gave his head a shake, and laughed softly, "That's definitely faster," he admitted and she nodded slightly, still feeling a bit embarrassed.

"You'll have to excuse me. It's second nature and I'm afraid I forget everyone isn't used to it." There were so few of them left and, until now, most contact with the others in the Resistance had been limited to teleporting, healing, and things that weren't the simple, every day interactions aside from their own teams. Interesting, how things were changing but also something they all apparently needed to become accustomed to.

The boxes were neatly stacked now, at least. Perhaps they all, herself included, might get around to fully unpacking sometime in the near future, if they were extremely lucky. A month was likely a bit optimistic, but then she'd always been something of an optimist, even in the midst of all of this.

"Lots of stuff?" he asked as he wandered over to the computer, slipping into the chair as he did whatever it was one did to find this YouTube thing. Following him, the Indian girl leaned over his shoulder, peering curiously at the screen as he worked.

"No, not so very much," she replied with a shake of her head and a small smile. "Books and a few potions and potion ingredients." Though those were becoming sparse these days. At some point, she was going to have to seek out more, even if she had little idea how to even start with things as they were. "A few mementos. Things I managed to rescue after Stephen was gone and before I had to go into hiding for my own safety."

It was amazing so much of it had managed to survive through the last minute moves and occasional attacks these years, but somehow it had. The books she was especially glad of, since so many of them were quite irreplaceable and, if destroyed, their like wouldn't be seen again on this plane of existence.

Doug did something else, seeming to move from one place in the machine to another. He clicked on what she recognized as a file of some sort, smiling lopsidedly, then got up from her chair and waved her into the seat he'd vacated. "Prepare to be amazed," he joked. "Or possibly to go deaf. They sing. It's kind of scary."

With another soft laugh, she slid gracefully into the chair, tentatively putting her hand over the mouse. She at least knew enough to know how to click on a file, so perhaps she wouldn't totally embarrass herself. "I did ask you to show me, so I have only myself to blame," she joked, then clicked onto the arrow she assume was meant to start the film or video or whatever it was. A few seconds passed and she blinked, giving it a perplexed look. "What are they singing? I've heard chants to Baal that were more musical."

There was something exploding and a fire, and more singing and her brow furrowed. "They aren't actually trying to summon a demon, or something of the like, are they?"
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Cypher
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Teleporting? He hadn't exactly been spontaneously teleported often lately, but apparently it was like riding a bike; once you're used to randomly disappearing and reappearing, it fails to surprise you much. Boxes randomly relocating themselves, on the other hand? Well, Vance did it occasionally, but he normally said something first. Boxes just randomly moving on their own was definitely a surprise.

Not an unappreciated one, though, and now he had one more reason to kick himself, considering that Topaz looked as if she were embarassed by his reaction. "You'll have to excuse me. It's second nature and I'm afraid I forget everyone isn't used to it."

"Hey, I just wish you'd been around when we were hauling the printer in," he joked, gesturing towards the antique printer they used for posters. "Vance was off somewhere - I could've used the help." Which admittedly made him sound like a wimp, but was true nonetheless. The thing was a monster.

With the room no longer a potential walking hazard, he made his way over and called up the video, asking Topaz if she had a lot of stuff to put away given her prediction that it was likely to take months to do it.

"No, not so very much," she replied as he sat down in the seat to get the video started. "Books and a few potions and potion ingredients. A few mementos. Things I managed to rescue after Stephen was gone and before I had to go into hiding for my own safety."

Doug grimaced and shook his head. "That had to be hard," he said sympathetically. At least he hadn't had to deal with that - the closest thing he'd had to a mentor at that point was Erik, and he certainly hadn't disappeared. In fact, he'd urged Doug to come with him to Genosha - he just hadn't been willing to go. "Did you know where to look for the Resistance? Or did you go somewhere else?" She was a teleporter after all, so she might have just popped off to Genosha or somewhere similarly metahuman-friendly. Somehow, though, he didn't think so. She didn't seem the type to go into hiding for long, however much safer she likely would've been out of the country.

In the meantime, he'd verified that someone had once again removed the video from YouTube, and brought it up from the hard drive instead, leaving it paused but ready to play as he offered the seat to Topaz. With a disclaimer that the video did, in fact, involve Johnny and Bobby doing something that might be construed as singing by someone of a charitable nature. Sadly, he couldn't offer ear plugs, but at least she'd been warned.

She laughed softly and, despite her disclaimer about her inability to use a computer, maneuvered the mouse over to click on the video. "I did ask you to show me, so I have only myself to blame," she joked, then clicked onto the arrow she assume was meant to start the film or video or whatever it was. A few seconds passed and she blinked, giving it a perplexed look. "What are they singing? I've heard chants to Baal that were more musical."

Doug frowned, having wondered that himself on more than one occasion, and leaned over her shoulder for a better look. "According to Drake, it's 'I'm Sexy and I Know It', and I'm pretty sure I recognize a word of that here and there." He grinned and shrugged. "I wouldn't swear to it, though. And I'm not sure they really knew, considering they were half trashed when they made it." In fact, he still wasn't sure how they'd gotten Johnny's car home in one piece, other than that there weren't many on the roads.

The first explosion made its appearance, followed by more off key singing, and Doug watched as Topaz's brow furrowed. "They aren't actually trying to summon a demon, or something of the like, are they?"

Laughing, he shook his head. "I'm pretty sure not," he assured her, then grinned teasingly. "They promised that any demonic appearances were purely coincidental."

Not that he'd actually noticed any demons making guest appearances, though there were those kick-lining cheerleaders they'd apparently pieced in. He'd always maintained cheerleaders were evil, so maybe they counted.
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That was a very large piece of equipment, and it looked rather old, but then who was she to judge? She knew next to nothing of electronic equipment, though Topaz did have to smile a little at Doug's apparent determination to fill his room with computers and related things, despite what she understood was an entire room dedicated to them already aboard the helicarrier.

As for herself, no, she hadn't very much to carry around with her. A few boxes of things that had followed her from one base of operations to another countless times over the years. Books of spells, potions and ingredients, things that were dear to her due to their scarcity these days or for their rarity in general. Things not easily replaced, a few mementos from her time before this all happened. The time before Stephen was killed by the people he'd once considered friends and she'd been forced into hiding herself.

Memories of lighter times to help her through the darker ones.

She was being maudlin, however, as proven by Doug's grimace and shake of his head. "That had to be hard," he said sympathetically[/b][/i] which was kind of him. And, yes, it had been, but it was hardly the first hard thing in her life and likely wouldn't be the last. "Did you know where to look for the Resistance? Or did you go somewhere else?"

As he moved to the chair in front of the computer, she shook her head, thinking back to that time years ago. "I didn't really know how to find the Resistance at first. For a while, I simply moved from place to place, trying to stay ahead of the Sentinels." Topaz lifted her shoulders in a shrug, not ideal, but then nothing had been for anyone then. "After a while, Daniel Rand found me, and brought me into the Resistance. He was very kind to me." And his loss not long after had been a great one. She would be forever grateful to him.

Who knows what would have become of her otherwise?

Those thoughts drifted from her mind, however, as she sat in front of the computer in Doug's place, watching this video that Johnny Storm and Robert Drake had apparently made. It was...surprising was perhaps the best word she could use. What on earth and the many realms were they singing? She'd heard chants to the dark gods that were more musical than that.

Doug frowned himself, as if he were trying to decipher that mystery, leaning over her shoulder for a closer look. "According to Drake, it's 'I'm Sexy and I Know It', and I'm pretty sure I recognize a word of that here and there." He grinned and shrugged[/b][/i] and Topaz let out a small laugh despite herself. She didn't know the song at all, but the title alone seemed very much like something Johnny Storm would pick. "I wouldn't swear to it, though. And I'm not sure they really knew, considering they were half trashed when they made it."

"That I have no trouble at all believing," she replied, voice more than slightly amused despite the fact that, at another look, she wasn't at all certain they weren't trying to summon some demon or other. There were explosions and more dancing and singing that she couldn't really understand at all.

With another laugh, this time right next to her ear as he leaned over, Doug shook his head indicating, she assumed, that any demon summoning rituals were unintentional. "I'm pretty sure not," he assured her, then grinned teasingly. "They promised that any demonic appearances were purely coincidental." Perhaps that should have been comforting, but Topaz wasn't at all sure that it was. And now there was a chorus line of girls in very short skits.

Cheerleaders? Interesting.

Still laughing at the antics, Topaz turned her head to flash an amused grin at Doug, nearly bumping her head with his in the process. Perhaps she could blame it on the video. "How on earth did they manage to put all this together?" she couldn't help asking. Or how on earth had they even thought to put it all together? "It's very...inventive."

It was the very nicest word she could think of, though she couldn't help that her grin became slightly mischievous or that there was a hint of that in her eyes, too. Actually, she had to wonder if they were at all sober when they did this. If she didn't know better, she might think it was some sort of disjointed, mystical vision.
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Cypher
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On the run at age...sixteen, maybe? He wasn't sure, exactly, though she seemed as if she were about his age and he remembered the news reporting that Dr. Strange had been "neutralized" as a threat, fairly early into the movement. He couldn't imagine it. The world being turned upside down had been hard enough when the mansion had been blown up, but at least he'd never been alone. For a girl still reeling from the death of her mentor?

No, he couldn't really imagine, and didn't want to. He hoped, though, that she'd gotten as far away as she could, or had been able to hook up with the Resistance quickly.

Topaz shook her head, though, denying that possibility. "I didn't really know how to find the Resistance at first. For a while, I simply moved from place to place, trying to stay ahead of the Sentinels." Topaz lifted her shoulders in a shrug, not ideal, but then nothing had been for anyone then. "After a while, Daniel Rand found me, and brought me into the Resistance. He was very kind to me."

Doug nodded. He'd never really met Iron Fist himself - not to speak to, at least - but he'd never heard anyone speak badly of him, either. On the contrary, there'd been genuine dismay amongst the Resistance groups when they'd heard of his death. "He was a good man," he agreed, and smiled just a little as he reached back to give her hand a squeeze, letting the rest go unsaid. They'd all had losses, too many of them, and so many years later, a verbal expression of sympathy seemed misplaced. Still, it was a loss, and should be acknowledged.

The subject lightened, though, moving on to Drake and Storm's video, and the potentiality that their actual intent had been to summon demons. It was a possibility he'd never seriously considered himself, but knowing the pair he thought it more likely that they'd just been drunk when they filmed it. Neither of them seemed the type to try and revisit the Inferno.

Not intentionally, anyway. He leaned in over her shoulder to get a better look, just in case there were demons lurking unnoticed in the background, but all he saw was a chorus line of cheerleaders. Evil, beyond a doubt (at least, they were based on his time at Salem Center High, but he thought it likely that was representative), but not actually demonic.

He had to admit, though, that he liked the short skirts, whether their wearers were evil or no.

Topaz laughed, turning her head so quickly she nearly bumped his, and once again, Doug was knocked into near incoherence at the sight of her smile, up close and very nearly personal. "How on earth did they manage to put all this together?" she couldn't help asking. Or how on earth had they even thought to put it all together? "It's very...inventive."

He pulled back a little, reluctantly, and shrugged, smiling crookedly at the question. That, he could answer at least, even if his head was still spinning. "Oh, I'm guessing they used the standard video editing software, it's not like we've got anything speciali" - he broke off suddenly and chuckled, then shook his head. Not what she meant, considering she'd already admitted she barely used a computer. "But yeah - no one's ever so much as implied that they're not inventive," he admitted, then grinned a little. "Their collective sanity's been questioned, yes. But not their originality."

What had he heard from Johnny about the mission to North Dakota - something about bowling with fireballs? Inventive definitely was never an issue.

"This part's pretty cool, though," he gestured, pulling himself back to the topic in question. "I'm guessing Drake filmed the burning Sentinel while ice sliding in circles around it; only way I can figure out how he could've gotten the angles he did. Not sure how he managed to do that without either melting or being shot by it, but..." he shrugged. No doubt she'd long since heard of Drake's condition; somehow, word had spread amongst the Resistance groups, though any of them who'd ever worked with him had probably noticed it firsthand. It wasn't like it took a rocket scientist to pick up on it, after all.
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If it hadn't been for Iron Fist finding her and taking her to the Resistance, Topaz wasn't at all certain what would have happened to her. Or course, she could have left the country, gone to Genosha or Wakanda. Madripoor or Muir. But somehow that just hadn't seemed right. Not after Stephen and so many others had fallen trying to fight this.

For them, and for herself, she'd wanted to be part of that fight. And so she had, thanks to Danny Rand, and then he, too, had fallen.

Doug nodded and she could feel his sympathy, though she routinely tried to limit such things. Especially here, on the helicarrier, with so many of them group together now. Telepathy and empathy were not a blessing always, but she was tired and her shields were thin and so proximity let some of it seep through.

"He was a good man," he agreed with a very small smile as he reached over to squeeze her hand. The Indian girl gave him a small smile, and a grateful return squeeze of her own hand, in return.

"We've lost many good people," the sorceress said simply, and saying no more than that. They all knew the names, and they had all lost friends and family, there was no need to repeat them now.

Instead, they turned their attention back to this odd video of things exploding and girls in short skirts dancing, and Bobby Drake and Johnny Storm trying to sing. Or at least she gave it the benefit of calling it singing, though she still wasn't at all sure they weren't trying to summon demons or evil spirits, possibly unintentionally. How on earth had they even conceived of doing such a thing?

It was very...imaginative? Inventive? She tried to find a word that was as polite as she could make it, since these were Doug's friends. But she couldn't quite contain an amused smile all the same, though it turned just a touch embarrassed when she turned her head and nearly smacked it into his.

Oh! She hadn't realized they were quite that close, but it did give her a very nice, upclose look at his eyes and his smile and they were just a nice and as warm as they were at more of a distance.

He did pull back slightly, however, the better for her not to accidentally knock them both unconscious, shoulders lifting in a shrug and crooked smile on his face. "Oh, I'm guessing they used the standard video editing software, it's not like we've got anything special" - Topaz had no idea what 'standard video editing software' was and blinked at him in slight confusion, but then Doug paused and let out a small laugh as he shook his head. Well, she had warned him she knew almost nothing about computers, and that included the things that helped them run. "But yeah - no one's ever so much as implied that they're not inventive," he admitted, then grinned a little. "Their collective sanity's been questioned, yes. But not their originality."

With laugh of her own, and a glance back toward the screen, she nodded her agreement. "I can certainly see why," she replied a touch mischievously. Original is a very good word for this, too." Word of their antics had, of course, circulated among the other cells from time to time, so what she was seeing wasn't totally unexpected, except that she could never have even imagined scenes like this.

"This part's pretty cool, though," he gestured, pulling himself back to the topic in question. "I'm guessing Drake filmed the burning Sentinel while ice sliding in circles around it; only way I can figure out how he could've gotten the angles he did. Not sure how he managed to do that without either melting or being shot by it, but..." he shrugged again and Topaz nodded thoughtfully, expression becoming more serious.

"But perhaps he wasn't very worried about that?" It was well enough known that Iceman had had a very difficult time after Shadowcat and the others were believed killed on the attempted raid of the Bronx Camp. It saddened her that he might feel so hopeless as to not really care about his own safety at all. "Yes, I could understand that, I suppose. The few times I worked with him, there seemed to be a great sadness there. Almost soul deep."

It had, in fact, been painful for her in a very literal sense to be in close proximity to that sort of...emptiness. It was impossible to shut it out completely and she'd made a point of trying to arrange for others to teleport Rogue's team when she knew that he would be there. Perhaps it was not very good of her, but a thing like that could swallow an empath whole, left unchecked as it seemed to be with him.

She could only hope that Shadowcat's return had helped him to pull himself from that abyss before it was too late.
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Could he possibly be any more of a geek?

In retrospect, it seemed obvious that Topaz had been referring to what Bobby and Johnny were doing making a video, rather than what mechanism they'd utilized to make it. Obvious, of course, only after he'd begun talking about the limitations of the currently available video editing software. He cast a sheepish look at her in apology for her confusion, and pointed out instead that if nothing else, Johnny and Bobby could definitely be described as original.

"I can certainly see why," she replied a touch mischievously. "Original is a very good word for this, too."

"Oh, this is minor," he assured her. "I think their latest is a game they're calling Bowling for Assholes, which apparently involves Johnny throwing fireballs to chase people down hallways." He made a face and shook his head. "Still trying to figure out why, but Johnny seemed pretty excited about it the other day." Even accounting for Johnny's tendency to exaggerate, it had sounded fairly effective, but again, why?

Shaking his head in an attempt to dismiss the puzzle from his mind, he turned his attention back to the video, pointing out that one of the best parts was coming up. Granted, he wasn't entirely sure how Drake hadn't been killed by the burning Sentinel he was circling, but...well, it wasn't either the first or last time Drake had courted death. Something he was fairly sure was at least minimally common knowledge amongst the other Resistance cells. It wasn't as if he hid it particularly well.

"But perhaps he wasn't very worried about that?" Doug nodded as Topaz echoed his thoughts and shrugged helplessly. They'd known, of course. Or at least suspected. But ultimately, he wasn't sure anyone had been able to figure out how to keep Bobby out of the fight, even if they'd had the heart to do it.
"Yes, I could understand that, I suppose, she replied. "The few times I worked with him, there seemed to be a great sadness there. Almost soul deep."

Doug frowned a little, confused, then shook his head and smiled a little as he remembered that magic and teleporting was only a fraction of her skill set. "I forgot - you're telepathic, right? You'd definitely know, then." Which made it no less awkward a discussion topic, but at least he didn't need to feel that he was betraying any kind of a confidance by discussing it at all. "They filmed this just about a month after what happened at the Bronx," he did offer in his teammate's defense, though he wasn't altogether sure the timing mattered. Not counting the mischief he got into with Storm, Drake had only gotten worse from there on.
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Yes. Original. That certainly described what she was seeing on the screen. There were also other words she could think of, but original seemed the safest. And definitely accurate enough.

"Oh, this is minor," he assured her. "I think their latest is a game they're calling Bowling for Assholes, which apparently involves Johnny throwing fireballs to chase people down hallways." He made a face and shook his head and Topaz blinked in something more than mild surprise. They were...throwing fireballs at people and setting them on fire and calling it a game? "Still trying to figure out why, but Johnny seemed pretty excited about it the other day."

That...oh dear. That couldn't be right, could it? No she must have misunderstood and the Hindi girl tried very, very hard not to frown. Unfortunately, she wasn't entirely sure she was successful, but she made a valiant effort all the same.

"I...I'm sorry, I think I must've misunderstood," she told Doug apologetically, shaking her head, "Don't the people catch fire?" A very impolite thing to ask, or perhaps to imply, but, well, it was just that strange. Self defense was of course necessary, but they surely wouldn't inflict something so awful on another person, would they? Even most enemies wouldn't deserve that.

Topaz scolded herself and put it out of her mind, however. It was very uncharitable of her, and not a very pleasant topic of conversation to say the least. So it was something of a relief when Doug mentioned Bobby Drake and the camera angles and the surprise that he'd managed something so dangerous without great harm to himself. Or why he might try it in the first place.

The petite sorceress didn't know Iceman very well, but the few times she had worked with him there had been an abiding sadness about him. A feeling that something was missing, or askew. As much as she disliked saying it, perhaps he wasn't very worried about his own safety.

Doug nodded, apparently either thinking the same or confirming it. Yes, she could, in part at least, understand that. How he could come to that, though it was a heart-wrenching thought. She'd seen such despair in India as a child, and here, much more recently, in faces from the Camps they were working so hard to liberate.

What she'd gotten from Iceman the very few times they'd worked together had been so deep, so apparent, that it made her uncomfortable. It felt soul deep, burrowed down so far until it had become a part of him, that sadness.

That brought a frown to Doug's face and she wondered if she's said too much, perhaps. Spoken out of turn. After all, she didn't really know the man. But then he shook his head and smiled a little, as if dismissing something. Or perhaps remembering it. "I forgot - you're telepathic, right? You'd definitely know, then." Which made it no less awkward a discussion topic, but at least he didn't need to feel that he was betraying any kind of a confidence by discussing it at all. "They filmed this just about a month after what happened at the Bronx," he added, which explained at least some of it and the dark haired girl nodded, glancing back at the screen.

"Telepathic and empathic, though I try to maintain sturdy shields, especially around groups of people." Some emotions and thoughts, however, were too strong to shut out completely, even with that. And unfortunately Bobby Drake made her very uncomfortable. "And, yes, that would have been a very hard time for him, wouldn't it?" Then she smiled and turned back to Doug, "It must be such a huge relief to find out those people are still alive. Difficult, I'm sure, in some ways, too, but amazing. It's not often we get people back."

No, not often at all, so it was hopefully a reason for all of them to take heart. An omen, perhaps, of better things to come.
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Bowling for Assholes. Where, exactly, Johnny had gotten the idea (let alone the name) was something about which he'd preferred not to inquire. Suffice to say it was a Storm and Drake idea, and apparently fairly effective when it came to chasing SHIELD agents down corridors, despite the difficulties inherent in said corridors branching. He'd heard far more about it from Johnny when he'd returned than he'd ever wanted to.

Topaz didn't seem overly impressed with the idea, to judge by the confused look on her face. "I...I'm sorry, I think I must've misunderstood," she told Doug apologetically, shaking her head, "Don't the people catch fire?"

Doug bit at his lip, trying to figure out how to best answer that question. The obvious answer was yes, considering he was pretty sure that's what Johnny had intended to begin with. On the other hand, he wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of chasing people with fireballs in the hopes of setting them on fire himself. It was just a little too cat and mouse for his taste. After a split-second's consideration, he grasped at something Johnny had said and shrugged, smiling crookedly. "I got the impression that Drake was poised to play extinguisher if it happened." Granted, Johnny'd mentioned it as part of a complaint about Jean keeping tabs to make sure they didn't kill anyone, but it was true anyway.

Definitely time for a subject change, though upon reflection, Drake's camera angles and their representation of his mental health possibly wasn't much of an improvement. Her immediate observation as to the latter caught him off guard for a moment, but upon reflection, he realized it shouldn't have. He was so used to thinking of her as a magician and teleporter that he tended to forget she had other abilities as well. He did feel the need to mention, however, that they'd filmed the video not long after Kitty's presumed death.

He just wished that there'd been any sign over the subsequent two years that Bobby's death wish had gone away. And hoped that Kitty's return might make a difference there, both for Drake's sake and hers. She didn't need to be dealing with that on top of all her own problems.

"Telepathic and empathic, though I try to maintain sturdy shields, especially around groups of people." Topaz confirmed. "And, yes, that would have been a very hard time for him, wouldn't it?" Then she smiled and turned back to Doug, "It must be such a huge relief to find out those people are still alive. Difficult, I'm sure, in some ways, too, but amazing. It's not often we get people back."

He found himself smiling at that as she turned towards him, with added impetus given that her smile seemed to be infectious. "Huge," he agreed, then chuckled and shook his head. "I couldn't believe it when I first heard - it's been two years, after all. But I'd have never thought of interdimensional transport as a possible alternative." He grinned crookedly and shrugged. "Considering the number of times I was dimensionally and/or temporally displaced as a teen, I probably should've, but I never did. It's good to have Kitty back, though. Strange," he admitted with another shrug, "but definitely good."

Even stranger to have gone from none to two in just a couple of days, and he was willing to admit to himself that he wasn't sure what to make of the differences between the two, which definitely couldn't be chalked up to just the difference in age. Despite the differences, though, they were both Kitty - and both of them made him realize just how much he'd missed her.

On the other hand...

"Of course, if she doesn't stop hiding my NoDoze, I may have to find a way to send her back," he tossed in as an afterthought, shaking his head sadly despite the smile that tugged at his lips. "She hasn't changed at - oh, here comes the big boom," he interjected, gesturing towards the screen where the manufacturing facility, half ice-coated, half burning, was about to explode under the pressure generated by the opposing elements. "If you've never seen them in action, it's pretty cool," he admitted a little wistfully.

Yes, his powers were definitely useful, and he was hoping that tomorrow he'd prove just how useful they could be. But he had to admit, it would've been nice if they'd come with some awesome special effects, too.
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That seemed like a very strange sort of sport and Topaz couldn't help but frown. If they were bowling with actual fireballs, well...didn't that mean that the people they were bowling toward would catch on fire?

Could that possibly be right? Topaz decided that she must've misunderstood somehow. Or perhaps not, given the way Doug was biting at his lip and looking uncertain, perhaps a little awkward. She certainly hadn't meant to cause him discomfort, but surprise had gotten the better of her.

"I got the impression that Drake was poised to play extinguisher if it happened." Topaz nodded slowly to that, thinking it over. Well, that...was a little better, maybe? At least they were hopefully putting the SHIELD agents or whoever they were chasing out before any damage was done. Still, it seemed cruel. As a child, she'd seen people burned alive once or twice and those instances were tattooed upon her own memories, even young as she was.

It was a horrible death, even in a country where ritual Sati was still very rarely practiced (and just as rarely, but occasionally encouraged), despite having been outlawed well over a century before. Stress and loss did strange things to people, however, and so she supposed this might be a reaction to that and in some ways it was also understandable. Often, they all sought to harm those who had done them harm.

Topaz didn't comment further, however. It was much easier, and more comfortable, at least in some ways, to return attention to the video. And to answer Doug's question about her own powers. That she was more than a sorceress was not a secret, but since she tried to limit use of her other abilities, like telepathy and empathy, people often forgot about those powers. Or didn't realize they were there to begin with.

They were, however, and they often made proximity to people with deep pain, like Bobby Drake, uncomfortable, even with the best of shields. Still, that didn't mean she felt no sympathy toward him or others like him. It had been a great loss and it must be an equal relief to now know that Kitty Pryde and the team that had gone with her were still alive.
Also likely somewhat difficult, but she was sure that would pass. It wasn't often they were lucky enough to have people actually return. Loss was much more of a constant companion.

Doug smiled again at that and Topaz felt a brief surge of relief. The last thing she wanted to do was inject too much gravity into a night that was meant to be for celebration and hope. "Huge," he agreed, then chuckled and shook his head. "I couldn't believe it when I first heard - it's been two years, after all. But I'd have never thought of interdimensional transport as a possible alternative." He grinned crookedly and shrugged. "Considering the number of times I was dimensionally and/or temporally displaced as a teen, I probably should've, but I never did. It's good to have Kitty back, though. Strange," he admitted with another shrug, "but definitely good."

Her own smile widened. She was glad for the return of his friend and Topaz reached up to lay her hand over his, fingers pressing gently in happy sympathy. "I'm sure it would have to be, and I'm glad for you both. I wouldn't have thought about interdimensional displacement, either," she assured him, smile tipping a bit crooked, "so I wouldn't worry about that. It's not as though that's a common thing."

Even if it sounded like it might have been with him at some point in the past.

"Of course, if she doesn't stop hiding my NoDoze, I may have to find a way to send her back," he tossed in as an afterthought, shaking his head sadly despite the smile that tugged at his lips. One brow inching upward in curious query, Topaz let out a laugh of his own. His NoDoze? "She hasn't changed at - oh, here comes the big boom," he interjected, gesturing towards the screen where the manufacturing facility, half ice-coated, half burning, was about to explode under the pressure generated by the opposing elements. "If you've never seen them in action, it's pretty cool," he admitted a little wistfully as she returned her attention to the screen.

A few seconds later, there was, indeed, quite a massive explosion. One that she could practically feel, though there was no possible way that could be in any way true.

"Very impressive," she commented, watching the video pan around the debris, some of it still raining from the sky above the camera. Glancing sidelong at him, she smiled a little, "It's easy to envy that sort of thing, isn't it?" Topaz asked knowingly. "I was feeling much the same last night, as we were trying to end that Sentinel rampage we stumbled into. What I wouldn't have given for the ability to simply rip them in half, or reduce them to so much metallic dust."

Magic, however, was not a fan of cold iron. Or her own was not in any event. But she'd done her best to fight as well as evacuate as many people as she could from harm's way. In the end, they'd been exhausted but victorious. If you could call such pointless destruction a victory.
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It was a relief when the conversation turned to lighter topics. Doug couldn't really explain some of the more creative "games" that Storm and Drake played with the SHIELD agents, and honestly tried not to think too closely about them other than to laugh at the appropriate intervals when Johnny told of their exploits. What he could definitely agree with was that it was a relief and a miracle for Kitty to have returned two years after her "death". He just wished he'd have thought of the possibility of temporal displacement a couple of years earlier. Given Illyana's absense, though, there wasn't any reason to. He'd just never considered another Illyana having a hand in the disappearance of an entire team from the Bronx.

Topaz's smile widened, her hand moving to cover his. "I'm sure it would have to be, and I'm glad for you both. I wouldn't have thought about interdimensional displacement, either," she assured him, smile tipping a bit crooked, "so I wouldn't worry about that. It's not as though that's a common thing."

He laughed softly. "There was a time when it felt as if it was," he admitted, shaking his head. "But yeah, not recently." Something about which he wasn't going to complain, considering his own experiences with it. At least it seemed as if Illyana had a better handle on her powers these days, and was less likely to drop them innocent (or nearly innocent) bystanders into dystopian futures.

He probably should remember to warn Vance about the possibility, however. Just in case Yana hadn't. He made a mental note to do it later, and instead joked that if Kitty didn't stop hiding his NoDoze, he might have to find a way to send her back. Not that the threat would have any impact, considering her apparently near-obsession with his sleep habits, but that wouldn't stop him from making it. He brushed thought of that aside, though, as he glanced back towards the screen, just in time to advise Topaz that she might want to catch the big boom, especially if she'd never seen Storm and Drake in action.

No matter what anyone said about his usefulness to the Resistance, he couldn't help but feel that it would be really, really cool to be able to do that. Just once.

"Very impressive," she commented, watching the video pan around the debris, some of it still raining from the sky above the camera. Glancing sidelong at him, she smiled a little, "It's easy to envy that sort of thing, isn't it?" He looked over at her, surprised. Was he that obvious? Probably, he had to admit, and he smiled back crookedly and shrugged a little. "I was feeling much the same last night, as we were trying to end that Sentinel rampage we stumbled into. What I wouldn't have given for the ability to simply rip them in half, or reduce them to so much metallic dust."

"No such luck?" he asked, forehead furrowing with surprise. "I thought - well, you've got the magic and, well, everything else," he continued, gesturing vaguelly to represent the full extent of Topaz's abilities. "I would've thought you'd be right in there, blowing Sentinels sky high." He smiled crookedly though, and shrugged. "But yeah. It's hard not to envy it. Not because I don't think I do anything worthwhile," he observed, seeing as everyone seemed to be assuming that was the problem. "Just...because it would be nice to do something..." he shook his head and smiled awkwardly, leaving the rest of the sentence unsaid. Given the difficulty he'd had explaining it to anyone so far, maybe he'd be better off letting her fill in her own adjective.
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Strange how the things they used to take for granted, or consider common, were almost strange now. Like interdimensional travel. Like magic. But Doug was right, there was a time when people seeming to return from the dead was almost commonplace, and where people like the Fantastic Four and, apparently, some of Doug's group moved through dimensions like one would move through room.

So no small wonder these sudden appearances, and sudden reappearances, had thrown so many of them for a loop. If Stephen had been among the extra-dimensional visitors, she certainly wouldn't have known what to think or how to act. All the same, she was glad for Doug that he had his friend back.

That said, it was apparently time on the video for whatever massive explosion Johnny Storm and Bobby Drake had arranged. When it came, Topaz had to admit that it was very impressive, with things ripped apart by the raw forces of the elements. Ice and fire at their most primal. It sent debris raining down around the camera and the two men. And...well, whatever backup singers or dancers, or whatever those were in the background.

On closer inspection, however, she wasn't certain they were really there. Some sort of insertion from another video, maybe? She wasn't very good with such things, but that seemed more likely than barely dressed girls dancing around an exploded Sentinel.

Then there was a look on Doug's face - a little wistful, perhaps? - that caught her attention as he watched the screen. Not exactly envious, she wouldn't say, and it was only there briefly, but yes. A bit of yearning, that much she could pick up on if she cheated just a bit.

It was easy to envy the ability to do such impressive things. He certainly wouldn't be the first, and she'd done her own share of that the night before, fighting that rogue group of Sentinels. What she wouldn't have given then for the power to rend the metal monsters into pieces, or simply reduce them to nothing more than the ash of their component molecules.

"No such luck?" he asked, forehead furrowing with surprise, which she understood. It was a look she'd seen before, considering how few people realized the limitations of most magic, and the raw power often required to wield it. "I thought - well, you've got the magic and, well, everything else," he continued, gesturing vaguely to represent the full extent of Topaz's abilities and she smiled, lifting on shoulder in a shrug. "I would've thought you'd be right in there, blowing Sentinels sky high." He smiled crookedly though, and shrugged. "But yeah. It's hard not to envy it. Not because I don't think I do anything worthwhile," he observed, seeing as everyone seemed to be assuming that was the problem. "Just...because it would be nice to do something..."[/b][/i]

For a moment, she studied his face, resisting the urge to gain deeper understanding via those 'everything else' powers he'd mentioned. But no, it wasn't really necessary and it would be rather rude to go rooting about in his head and emotions like that.

"Something that wasn't in the background?" she ventured, thinking perhaps that was it. It was certainly hard sometimes to work that way when others were accomplishing grand and impressive feats. "And no, I'm afraid my magic has limitations, metal - and iron especially - being one of them. It's not very effective against Sentinels and neither are the telepathy nor the empathy." The dark haired girl grinned a little then, "Even if it were, I'm not sure I'd care how the things felt."

Leaning back in the chair a little, eyes still on his face, she shook her head, "No, I did what evacuation, and support for the others, that I could. Mikhail and Laynia and some of the rest more suited to that sort of fighting dealt with the Sentinels, but even their considerable power was barely enough. And we still have no idea why they were there, especially in such numbers."

Perhaps it would be a puzzle for all time but she still had a very bad feeling. It may have been a random event, some extremely coincidental glitch of electronics. But she didn't believe so.
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It wasn't that he didn't know that what he did was important, despite the fact that everyone seemed to think that was his problem. He knew it was, knew that if someone didn't keep things running behind the scenes, there'd be definite problems. If anything, he'd pretty much made himself indispensible - which, as Kitty'd pointed out, was entirely his own fault and which resulted in a definite lack of sleep and a patch of circuitry on his hip that he couldn't seem to get rid of, no matter how much he tried.

So, it wasn't a question of usefulness. It was just that, once in a while, he really wished he could do something...

"Something that wasn't in the background?" Topaz ventured, completing his sentence. He smiled crookedly and nodded. He wasn't proud to admit it, but she'd pegged it. Something that wasn't in the background, behind the scenes. Something...bigger, that people would take notice of.

Tomorrow, he might get his chance. But even then, no one was likely to notice who'd done the job, not the way they did when Storm and Drake blew something to hell and back. Just that it was done.

Topaz resumed speaking, and he pushed thoughts of exploding buildings and Sentinels aside to listen. "And no, I'm afraid my magic has limitations, metal - and iron especially - being one of them. It's not very effective against Sentinels and neither are the telepathy nor the empathy." The dark haired girl grinned a little then, "Even if it were, I'm not sure I'd care how the things felt."

Doug laughed and shook his head. "I've heard them 'think', so to speak - it's not all that exciting," he admitted with a crooked grin, deciding that was as good a way as any to describe analyzing their programs. "Pretty sure they don't feel much of anything, though, so I don't think you have to worry about it." Whatever could be said of the Sentinels, they weren't self-aware, at least. They'd be in big trouble if they were.

She leaned back in her chair, then, and shook her head. "No, I did what evacuation, and support for the others, that I could. Mikhail and Laynia and some of the rest more suited to that sort of fighting dealt with the Sentinels, but even their considerable power was barely enough. And we still have no idea why they were there, especially in such numbers."

Doug frowned and shook his head. "I don't know - it doesn't make any sense," he admitted, running through what he'd heard about their mission and the oddly behaving Sentinels. "I do know that the ones you ran into weren't the only ones acting weird, though." He smiled a little and shrugged. "I hacked into the government's system earlier - they're not sure what's going on, either. It's like the things went rogue."

He paused as a thought occurred to him. What if they had? What if, instead of being misprogrammed, they'd somehow moved beyond that, becoming self aware? He almost dismissed the idea out of hand - they were robots, after all - but couldn't, quite. Finally, well aware that she was probably going to think he'd gone nuts, he took a breath and said, "I know this is going to sound crazy, but...did you pick up anything from them? Anything at all?"

Not, he supposed, that her saying no meant anything, considering he didn't imagine she'd been actively trying to sense anything from a bunch of marauding robots and he wasn't sure if she could, anyway. If she said yes, though...

Shit. He wasn't even sure what that would mean, but it wouldn't be anything good.
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