☆ audio.

[hexappeal]

Hello there, young padawans. [Her voice is flat, almost to the point of disinterest.] I've been skulking about for a few days and I'll cut straight to the point: I'm pretty sure that I'm ready to leave now. [More emotion starts to present itself; frustration with the slightest trace of anger.] I get the whole "stuck" thing, but that's always such crap. Someone's usually behind that and they'll usually fold if approached the right way -- which in my case may very well be with a fist.

[She lets a little huff of air out, almost a laugh.] But I'm getting ahead of myself. So, how about this! I'll even be a good sport about it (if you could see me, I am smiling and not going to press any sort of interdimensional charges on you, I promise). I'm a busy woman with a cat to feed and a teenage cousin to roll my eyes at back home. Send me to my San Francisco and I'll forget this ever happened.

Comments

[pursuitofcappiness]

Maybe I've seen him. What's his name?

[hexappeal]

Giovanni Zatara.

[pursuitofcappiness]

[ Hmmm... ]

When did he practice magic from?

[hexappeal]

The 30s onward. He had a larger following after the second World War because he was one of the masked men that grappled the Spear of Destiny from Hitler.

[pursuitofcappiness]

I never heard of the Spear of Destiny. What is that?

[hexappeal]

A very dangerous weapon. It's the spear that pierced Jesus of Nazareth before he was strung up on a cross. It holds influence over the supernatural and can be used for mind control.

[pursuitofcappiness]

That sounds familiar... I didn't know it was on Earth for so long.

[hexappeal]

It's changed hands a few times. We threw it into outer space last time it showed up.

[pursuitofcappiness]

Makes sense. I think a Norse god got it last, if you'll believe it.

[hexappeal]

I can, but I can also believe that it's just as dangerous in their hands as anyone else.

[pursuitofcappiness]

I guess you're right about that.

wow, this took longer than i thought. sorry, busy work week :(

[hexappeal]

Power can corrupt even those with the best intentions, unfortunately.

that's alright! I know how that is haha

[pursuitofcappiness]

I was actually thinking I wouldn't want someone who didn't know how to use it cause an accident.

lucky us...

[hexappeal]

Well, there's that, too. But it's a little unlikely that some nine year old's going to be the first to come upon it and start flinging it at her friends.

tbh, way better than being unemployed though

[pursuitofcappiness]

I don't know, I heard some civilians got their hands on alien tech back home.

okay, true enough. that's a bright side if i've ever heard of one!

[hexappeal]

That's different. It happens more often than you'd think back where I'm from, but you find a way to deal with it.

[Or Batman does. And then he leaves said civilian kid in outerspace with no way home W H O O P S?]

[pursuitofcappiness]

Oh? How do you deal with it? Last time, we almost lost the city.

[hexappeal]

We band together and hope for the best. I mean, we usually have people ready and willing and often there are precautionary measures but you can only expect so much from the Department of Metahuman Affairs.

[pursuitofcappiness]

Sorry, department of metahuman affairs? Your world has one of those?

[hexappeal]

We have enough metahumans -- um, people with the metagene, which is a gene that allows them to have "super abilities" -- to warrant one. Of course, not everyone has a metagene, some are aliens or have totems or whatever, but it handles all of them. It's not usually in our favor, if I'm honest with you. But that's understandable that they'd err on the side of caution.

[pursuitofcappiness]

Oh. And it's... the... 1980s?

[hexappeal]

Two thousand and eight, last I checked.

[pursuitofcappiness]

...Guess that means we're from separate universes.

[hexappeal]

When are you from, then, Steve?