14674/Didn't Turn Left

Didn't Turn Left
Date of Scene:	24 January 2023
Location:	The Magic Box, Sunnydale
Synopsis:	Accidental encounter leads to a mystery fate.
Cast of Characters:	Blackout, Willow Rosenberg

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Blackout has posed:
    The day was pretty normal, as normal goes for a magic shop. The few patrons coming in for their occult supplies, the random lookie loos, and the of course there are those who walk in thinking it's a vegan hangout. None of this applies for Blackout. He was just traveling from one point to the other through his darkness, when he didn't make the correct turn.

    A pitch black, horizontal disk shaped portal with a diameter of 8 feet opens just inches beneath the ceiling of the rear area of the store. From it falls a man wearing all black, vanta black even. So black he appears as if he's an aperture himself absorbing all the light and not showing contours or angles outside of his silhouette - this even fully covers his face and facial features. When he falls, there's the sound a man makes when he's messed up, a 'whoooooaaa'. It would have been fine if he landed on one of the mats. However, he did not. He plummeted onto the top of one of the training dummies. This knocks the wind out of him, He tumbles to the side, gets caught on the arm of the dummy which cracks across his left chest/ribs causing him to whimper oof, and then the solid thud to the ground isn't pretty at all. He lands flat on his back. The portal closes above him. He lays there, wheezing, trying to take in breath. But having impacted with so much on the way down, he struggles to take it in through his mask. He holds his chest with his right hand and he draws up his left knee to a bend. He hurt himself pretty good.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow had not opened up the store. Mondays were for inventory. ..okay, sometimes she still opened up the store while she did inventory, but today she had a new shipment of books that she was interested in. Needless to say, she was 'busy' this afternoon.

Of course she had just settled down with a book (The Phases of the Moon and the Way They Responded to Spells).. When..

*crash boom bang*

In the back. And she was the only person around. *gulp*

"Buffy? Is that you?" She knew it wasn't.

Blackout has posed:
    He hears the voice. He looks around the room briefly to see where the voice came from. But he doesn't hesitate to roll to his left side in hopes of getting to his hands and knees. But that's a fail. He rolls directly onto one of his bruised ribs and it hurts. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

    Blackout lets out a groan from the pressure and quickly moves onto his elbows and then draws up his knees. He tries to focus on opening a portal to get out of here, but it doesn't work. Perhaps the pain is the limiting factor. Maybe there's some Darkforce or power dampening magic in the shop. Who knows, he just can't do it. At least not this instant. And then there's the voice. He says nothing in response.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Definitely not Buffy.

Putting down her book, she crept into the back of the store. "Whoever you are, you're not supposed to be in the back of our shop!" D'uh. Whoever it was, they had not come in through the front door. And the back door usually was locked. The only people with a key were Scoobies. And even then, only certain Scoobies - like Buffy and her.

Whoever was in the back was a robber.. or worse.

Grabbing up a broom, holding it out as a sword (real smart, Willow), she entered the back fully. Only to realize it was dark. Ooops? With a flick of her wrist she turned on the lights from where she was (with magic, of course) "What are you doing here? Don't move! Answer me."

For all she knew he was a demon, or something.

Blackout has posed:
    Realizing that he's definitely not in the right place, Blackout swivels on his knees and raises upright. He lifts his hands and says in a weak, thready voice (he hasn't quite got his breath back), "H.ey. No. I mean don't shoot. I'm.." He pauses and the mask fades from his face and head - as if his skin absorbs the material. His dark green eyes narrow trying to discern what she has in her hands. At first he thought it was a legit weapon, a sword, a staff.. anything that would only serve to hurt his ribs more. He adds more to his answer after a deeper inhale, "I'm lost."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"No kidding! Who are you?"

Willow keeps the broom handle on him. Of course if you were only going to pick one Scooby to meet, and you were a bad person, Willow would be the one you would pick. Not because she was incapable of defending herself, but because she had the simplest heart. She was always looking on the bright side.

She watched his skin absorb his wound(?). That was neat.. sort of.

"What do you mean, 'lost'?"

Blackout has posed:
    "Blac.." He autocorrects to not sound so intimidating, "Marc. Marc with a C." His tone is of concern that she's going to bash him with that broom. The pitch of his voice is a little higher and doing his best not to seem intimidating. He's banged up, he doesn't want any more banging. He's also still on his knees. His normal height is just above 6 feet. So he's not quite eye level with her, but close.

    He adds, in an attempt to answer her question, "I was traveling through the darkforce dimension when something leapt out to get me. I really thought it was the Predator. But it wasn't. Just some lesser being that was hungry for my leg. I tripped, cut to the left, ended up off the normal path, and then something else jumped out after me. I tripped, fell through a portal and ended up here..." He winces and grabs his left ribs again.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"The Darkforce? That doesn't sound good." Willow creases up her forehead."How do I know you're not a bad person?"

She still holds out the broom, even though both of you know how stupid it is. Especially if came from something called the Darkforce. And she's better with magic. Much better than with a stave or a sword.

She puts his name into memory. As she ponders 'would a bad guy give his name?'. Regardless he does seem to be in pain. She could sit him down and then read him his rights, so to speak.

"Here, let me help." Willow put down the broom and offered to help him onto a bench. (Note: Willow was a softie. Compared to Buffy.)

Blackout has posed:
    There's a nod of affirmation that Marc gives when she queries about the Darkforce and then he answers, "I... that's a good question. I mean, I've been a bad guy and a good guy in the past. Right now, I'm just a guy who tries to avoid trouble. But that's a whole lot of story to unpack."

    After the brief pause, he'll take her hand with his left gloved hand (the Darkforce glove makes it cool to the touch), still guarding his ribs with his right, and he'll stand with a brief notation of, "Thanks." in recognition of her assistance. Then he asks, "Can I get your name?"

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow knew that she shouldn't give out her true name, really. If he knew magic - demon magic - she could be in big trouble. And yet..

"Oh. I'm Willow. You know like the tree? Like that. Kind of weird knowing my parents are Jewish. And you're Marc - with a c, not a k." She giggles at that. "Here, sit down. I'm not going to beat on you with the broom. I mean I can smack on you, but I think you're stronger than I."

A pause.

"What do you mean you've been a bad guy and good guy in the past? Don't you know which you'd rather be? How can you be indifferent? Are you a pirate kind of thing? Seeing which way the pendulum goes?"

Noticing the right hand covering the left ribs, Willow frowns. "I'm sorry, but I can't help your injury. Maybe I could bind the ribs so they don't keep on hurting when you breathe?"

Blackout has posed:
    Marc seems to enjoy the commentary about her name and how she goes on about things as he's being led to a place to take a seat. There is a bit of a wince between the curious eyes when he finally settles down. He watches where she moves to afterward and he will try to answer her question, "I'd much rather be left alone. Thing is, when you have powers, everyone wants something. I used to be a physicist - I guess I still am. Masters degree; which means I was a lab assistant. That was a great job. But things change. Explosions, comas, and then life choices after waking up realizing that the world is completely different and jacked up. But nothing like killing. Never killing. If I stole something, it was when noone was around. Nobody to get hurt. And then I've helped out my share of people. But overall, I'd much rather just get back to normal. Though I doubt that'll ever happen because I have powers...."

    But then he pauses as he realizes she's offering to help. "I'm sure I broke it. Or cracked it. Ribs suck. But I've already tightened up my armor, it's holding it all together - for now. Just a matter of healing - and not getting smacked on them again."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"I'm taking my masters in Mathematics and Computer Sciences. I know what you are speaking of. Most people don't get me, unless they need me for my skills. And that doesn't include my abilities. Sometimes when I'm out I like to pretend that nothing is different about me. Even my intelligence."

"But then I wouldn't be able to help people. I mean, even simple things at my job. I work at X-Corporation helping put people in jobs that they would be good at. Well, one of my jobs."

She chews on her lower lip. "I have powers, well one. I'm a mage. Beyond my being a witch." She took a chance by telling him about herself.

Blackout has posed:
    There's a glimmer of recognition and concern in Marc's eyes as Willow goes into her explanation about herself. When she gets to the word 'abilities' there's a raised eyebrow. But she seems to minimize it until she hits the words 'mage' and 'witch'. That causes him to part his lips and take in air - which leads to another wince and a second or two of recovery. He says, "Sometimes I think that every other person I meet has powers. I mean, the odds aren't that high, are they? Mathematics-Girl." It was a slight question, but also an attempt at humor bonding the math, odds, and then putting -Girl at the end of it implying a super name.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow giggles a little bit. "I'm older than a girl, though." And she stops. "Most people don't know that about me. But you are right, I think. The odds of you stepping out in just this place, on the day that I was working is infinitesimally small. Trust me, I know maths. Though I do prefer theorems and pure maths than statistics.

She gets a faraway look to her features. "I wonder if there is a reason for our meeting?"

Blackout has posed:
    "The gods are crazy." He says with a grin. Then he adds, "But you do magic. Don't mages have some way to look in a pool of water and see what the fates have planned? Maybe discern a reason for our meeting?" He smiles broader and then slides a little away, and glancing to the broom as if he expects her to grab it and hit him for being a smartass.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"Mage sight doesn't work that way. And I'm certain you mean something different than that." Which Willow has a bit of - seeing in the future "Scrying is what you mean. And no, not all witches can use it. We all have different skills. For example, I suck at potions. Really bad." She nods to emphasise that.

Blackout has posed:
    Marc hears and sort of grasps what she's talking about regarding the word 'scrying' and gives a slight nod in affirmation. "So no healing potions from you, then? Nothing I could gulp down and my ribs be all good as new. Jeez, guess I fell into the wrong..." and he looks around at the room and peers forward into the front of the shop. Then labels the location, "...ninja dojo magic shop of shopping." He's definitely trying to bring humor to the conversation. Also, wondering just where he did drop into as he continues to glance around.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"Noooo?" Willow sighs. "I have a lot of mixed feelings about my magic. My friend does fix about most of her injuries. This room is for my friends. You know, for fighting. They've taught me some."

Enough to stand her own until the posse comes and saves her!

"I can do divination though! And use force lightning."

Blackout has posed:
    He glances around a bit more while she tells him of her friends. He doesn't want to pry regarding private lives and references therein. It's always best to leave things like that well enough alone. Asking questions could cause her to be suspicious of him - more than she already could be. But also, he's not one to draw attention to subjects that people glaze over.

    There's a moment taken as Marc tries to process the two spells she noted. He defines them in his head, or at least tries to. Then he queries about them, "Force lightning? Is that something like lightning that doesn't shock, but punches? Right? And Divination? Is that talking to heavenly spirits?"

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow watches him glance around. Of course she's nervous. (Kind of late to be that!)

"I know why does a magic shop have a secret room for fighting? It's a long story, but they like it here better than a gym. And the store's owner lets them have it, in return for some store hours, which I don't mind taking over for them.."

It's almost the truth!

But when he questions her spells, she grins at his trying to wrap his head around them. "Kind of? The divination covers a whole bunch of spells that usually means the finding of answers. It's more broad then talking to gods or goddesses. I mean, they really aren't that wrapped up in our day to day lives, and quite often they are in another realm or planet to boot. Like could you imagine Thor answering every spell directed at him?"

But it's the force lightening that gets a giggle from her. "Oh no, it shocks too. It's directed though. Have you watched Star Wars? Like that."

Blackout has posed:
    "The store owner?" He quirks up as he looks back to Willow with a slight shift of his body that was a mistake. He winces a bit. Like the tightening of his lips and the squinting of his eyes. But he recovers and adds. "Oh, I thought you were the store owner. But wait, you said Force lightning. Like the Force-Force. Star Wars and stuff?". His voice is a bit faster and excited in tone. He even possesses a slight smile in the corners of his lips and a brightness to his eyes as he reflects on the definition given. He continues, "That's totally cool. I was hearing force, as physical force. But your answer is way cooler. And a bit scarier. Like you're a dark Jedi or Sith, or something that would totally kick Jedi ass - everybody's ass. Wait, I can say ass, right? I didn't mean to offend."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"Like that! Literally. Though, Xander has told me only the Sith Lords use it, and sometimes I worry about it." Willow furrows her brow. "You don't think he's right, do you?"

She brushes the bad word away. "You can use any words you want. I don't. Though I really don't know why? It just feels wrong? My friends think that another thing that is weird about me. But they are wrong. I mean, I have plenty of girl and boyfriends." In the past, ahem. "And as a pagan we often had ceremonies where we were skyclad." Amongst other things.

"But, no, I just work here.The owner is currently on a leave of absence, finding certain books to bring back."

Blackout has posed:
    There are a whole lot of things she said that he needs to process, but the key was the question. Marc smiles and shakes his head, "No. I can say with 99 percent certainty that you're no Sith, nor a bad witch. If anything, you've got Glenda beat, hands down." Then he pauses, "Well, I should rephrase that, because Glenda really wasn't the good witch that she claimed. She was a bit of a tart. Elphaba was the good one. She cared about the Animals. Glenda... just a jerk." Then he pauses with a grin, "Sorry, I'm just rambling. Anyway." Then he pauses, leaving the rest of her statements alone. There were a few words he wasn't familiar with, but he doesn't want to go too deeply into boyfriends, girlfriends, skyclads or sound like he's a criminal and ask about the owner being on leave of absence.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"Phew! You have no idea how much I worry about that! I mean, sometimes when I have used it, I have felt powerful, and almost like how it feels. When we were at Apokolips, I meant it. And at the time there wasn't anyone I could talk to!"

Willow looks absolutely relieved.

As he speaks, she nods. "Glenda was in the Wizard of Oz movie. But there was something about her that didn't sit right for me. Did you know, just because your a bad witch you don't have to wear awful clothes? They just dress her that way for movies, so that you can tell them apart. But really, the good witch shouldn't be caring about clothes. Like maybe, the bad witch has to dress up even more so to fool you. And be that, wouldn't Glenda really be the bad witch?"

Blackout has posed:
    If he could, he would lean forward presenting that he's interested in what she has to say. But every time he subconsciously tries, he feels the pain within the ribs. So, he remains seated, upright, and attentive. He's also eager to hear her speculation and suggestions regarding the witchery. It's pretty clear in his facial expressions.

    The question may have been rhetorical, however he has a few speculations regarding it. "Glenda was just a bit off putting - in my opinion. And in the Wicked musical her true superficial nature was presented quite prominently. As for real witches, mages, magic users. I've met a few. And by a few, I can count..." he pauses and thinks, "...four, maybe five. The last one I wasn't sure about. She was killing vampires left and right and seemed like she had magical abilities. Anyway, they all had their own styles. There was a lot of dark clothing involved with two of them. And even if they were good or bad, they were definitely stylish." His eyes indicate that he reflects upon her own clothing, "A lot like what you've got going on; sharp, fashionable, and with the hint of knowing what looks pretty on you." Then he realizes he may have overstepped. So he stops with the observational remark which could be construed as flattery.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"I never saw the musical, just the movie. But I have realized that the outer layer of people may not be the truth of it."

"And you can add one to your list! I have to ask, where did you see them fighting against vampires, and such?" That particular snippet stood out for Willow. When he flatters her dress she blushes. "I know my clothes aren't fashionable, but I like them." Her clothes grew on people who knew her. It was just.. Willow ..to a T.

Blackout has posed:
    An invitation to add to the commentary about her clothing is presented, however, he deems it's a road best avoided till a future conversation - if there is one. He knows it's best to just stop there, otherwise creeper factors seem to come into play. Though he does smile and glances back down to her dress for a second.

    Marc then addresses the vampire killing when his eyes return to hers. "It was some woman named.... Selina, no, Sybil, no wait, Selene. It was about two years back in Gotham or maybe New York slums. She had these dual shiny guns and shooting vampires left and right. But she was practically flying through the air with all the leaping around. Had to be magic. Or maybe she was a meta. Hard to tell."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Selina.. Selina.. That name doesn't ring a bell. Though..

Once again Willow blushed. "I guess it's kind of late to tell you, but me and my friends are fighting supernatural things, such as vampires, ghosts, demons, and such. Your friend may have used bullets that used spells on them. Vampires are mostly old school problems. Have to be invited in; pierce their heart with something stakelike - you know all the old late night movie schtick."

Blackout has posed:
    Marc's lips part slightly as he smiles. There's a noted elation within his eyes as he says, "That's friggin awesome. I can totally see you blasting the creeps with force lightning in between smashing them with your boomstick. Not to be confused with a Boomstick. Then again, I'll bet there's a lot of bpzzzzzt boom going on. Do you like have a battle cry, catch phrase? Like, "Eat lightning, sucka."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"Well.." Willow shrugs. "I don't get to force feed the lightning as much as you might think I do. Usually they have me ward them. My best friend is the Slayer. It's kinda her think to slay them. I mean, I do sometimes? Mostly when I am with the Justice league *then* it's more important! The vampires don't really care if a can shoot a bear of lightning at them, but regular villains do."

Willow nods.

"But what do you do? You said you had powers?"

Blackout has posed:
    There was a moment when Marc wanted to comment about the Justice League, but he should just hold off on that because that's more than impressive and he'll have better questions.

    Marc says, "What do I do... Well, remember that lab job I was telling you about? We were seeking a source of Zero Point Energy within a pocket dimension called the Darkforce Dimension. Thing is, we tapped into it alright. And then boom. I woke up a few years later with super powers. I can manipulate Darkforce. It's an interdimensional energy and or matter that is really dark. It's the stuff I'm using as a super suit, I can use it to blast targets, can make solid objects, entangle targets, and it's also a dimension that I can open portals to with which I can travel from the east coast to the west coast, or wherever. Thing is... Remember when I first showed up. I've periodically tried since you found me, but I can't seem to open a portal. Which means this place, building, whatever, could be blocking me. Maybe your magic. Or maybe I simply didn't want to leave right away." (Maybe because he liked the company.)

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"Ahem.. it's probably warded.. my fault? You will have to go out the usual way, unless I let it go. Usually, nobody can't come in the unusual ways. Really I should be frowning at you." And she does, though it's a joke when she does it. "Can you imagine a coven of vampires coming it when they are practising?" She shudders.

"So you open portals.. anywhere? Do you have to know the place? I guess not, or else you wouldn't come here. " She listens more to the suit, and what he can do with it. "Holy kerflufferdoodle! Almost like magic supersized! I mean I can pick up small things and carry them with my mind, but you? You can think of almost anything and do it."

Blackout has posed:
    There's a moment of concern when she relays that the place is warded, but he nods with the thought of keeping out invaders. He says, "Yeah, a coven of vampires would suck." then he chuckles, "Bad pun. Sorry."

    "So, opening portals. Let's see if I can make sense of it. So if you think of a globe of the world. Now, put a piece of tissue paper over it. Wrinkle the tissue paper. That's the darkforce dimension. It's all over, expands throughout the entire universe. But it's more condensed. Meaning, 1 mile on the globe equals about 10 feet in the darkforce. Sometimes it's more, sometimes less. A portal can be opened anywhere - for the most part. But you don't always get exactly where you want unless you're intimately familiar with it. Like know the road map of the darkforce to know where to open portals and exit - like back to my living room. So yeah, I can get to places I don't know. But those places aren't always a good idea to drop into. I might break a rib, or two. But, I've also used it to get into places I shouldn't. Like, I could put my hand on the outside of a bank wall, estimate that the vault is 10 feet inside, then open a portal on both sides to be able to step in." He grins then adds, "Hypothetically, of course."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow laughs. "That's good! Sucks.. hee!"

Then she sobers, and furrow her forehead while she listens. "So it takes up space. Interesting. If you look at Stephen Hawkings, you get an idea that the universe could be layers upon layers of ultradimensions. But I know from travelling across space with a portal they also have a physical space - Did you know I was the anchor here to hold it so that others could travel to Apokolips? This would make three types of portals if I'm not mistaken.. neat!"

"So.. if this Darkforce is traversable, then by definition there should be things that live in the Darkforce, and could follow you to our dimension? Which means you have to be extra careful when you go into there that is not a complete mystery where you are going to? Correct?"

Blackout has posed:
    "There are 'regions' that are best to avoid. Where things live. Like Cloak, Dagger's partner. He accesses the Darkforce Dimension in a different way. But also within his little section, there is a creature called the Predator that pretty much rules that region of the dimension. Nobody wants to run up against the Predator. But Dagger can handle him with her lightforce power. Anyway, yes, there are things in the dimension that mostly stay hidden. And I limit my travel time through the dimension as much as possible. It's also how I got here... running from something. Or imagining that there was something chasing me. Which brings me to your word of 'anchor'. I would definitely not throw you out of the boat. However, you being an 'anchor' may imply that you have a drawing or pulling affect on interdimensional travel? If that's even a thing. Or am I just wanting a good excuse for dropping into your shop instead of that the 'fates' brought me here."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"Well we needed to go across space in the shortest time possible. My partner was from Apokolips, so I latched onto him and between us we created a field that the others could go from here to there. And then I followed them to close the portal. I mean, I wouldn't do that everyday! Sometimes my magic doesn't explain how it works, it just.."

Willow opens her hands wide.

"..works? Like when I really need it to work for everyone else. It's not so great if there is just me. One side is helping others, and the other side is selfish. That's as far as I have gotten so far in my theorizing."

She realizes, "I guess I should ask you if you want some tea, or cookies? Or.." And here she grows quieter. "..if you wanted to leave. You mentioned trying to portal out of here. I should remember my manners."

Blackout has posed:
    Marc first states, "Tea, tea cakes if you've got them would be spectacular. If it's not too much trouble." Then he shifts gears and does his best to answer the supposition. "Well, when I first got here I wanted to leave. I knew I was intruding and had no idea where I was. I tried, it failed. I became concerned. But then you showed up. Then I was just wanting to figure out why it wasn't working. Which sort of brings me back full circle and about what you just said...". He pauses then segues, "I was sort of curious if you'd figured out the mathematics of magic. The consensus is that magic is just science we've not figured out yet. And you with the big brain and the math. Maybe you've figured it out, or are close."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow excuses herself for a moment, leaving Marc alone. Her voice drifts as she talks with him, while waiting for the water to boil for tea.

"Well not quite? The fractal theory tries to explain everything, but seems to fall apart when trying to explain english. I would say that magic may also be one of those things that we haven't the understanding.. yet.. to understand it."

She wanders in tea and chocolate chip cookies. "Wait.. well eat and drink, and I'll be back!" And she's off again.

Blackout has posed:
    During her absence, even though she continues to speak Marc will take the time to stand and rearrange the darkforce around his body. Instead of it being a body suit, he shifts it to fit more like boots, slacks, and a long sleeved pull over shirt (no gloves) that will serve to bind his ribs a bit better. Giving the underneath a bit more rigidity to stabilize his posture. The whole while, he listens to her suppositions and studies. He'll also attempt to open a portal again, nothing. Then he'll focus on her return. He doesn't have much in a response other than to consider what she said and piece it together. He's familiar with fractals.

    Upon her return, she will find him standing. He states, "Thank you." as he eyes the objects she carries. He'll take care not to bend or flex as he takes the offered items. But he won't eat or drink. It's not proper. He just holds what he was given a bit longer and watch as she departs only offering, "Is there anything I can do?"

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"Nope! I'll be one second! You'll see!"

(She was a couple of minutes.)

When she returned, she has her satchel with her. "I want to show you something! By the way those, chocolate chip cookies are fresh from yesterday. I baked them. I'm good at chocolate chips; not so good at oatmeal."

As she gets comfortable, she pulls out her laptop, and boots it up.

Blackout has posed:
    Marc waited patiently. While he waited, he made the space that they were occupying a bit more conducive to sitting with tea and cookies. Just a bit of tidying and straightening. Not the OCD straightening, but the sort that allows for face to face communication instead of something askew. Upon her return, he'll note that she's carrying a laptop and he'll stand and then make an area she can sit it; upon the table. "Let me take a shot in the dark." He intones, with the hint of a pun based on his powers and a smile, "You've created a algorithm to predict magical outcomes based on fractal patterns - or the lack therein. Because that's what math witches do."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"Not quite.." Willow booted up the laptop. "You see, magic and technology shouldn't be compatible. Yet, for some reason I can. It goes beyond the keeping the books of my magical gear. I can use it to scry."

In fact, a couple of time she has used it without the internet hooked up (though she doesn't mention that).

"As far as I know, I'm the only witch who has done it. But geeze, your idea sound even more fun!"

Blackout has posed:
    He watches a few seconds and processes what she stated. He shifts some to get comfortable after having sat back down. He seems a bit more comfortable now that his darkforce clothing is different and more supportive of his ribs. Then he smiles, "So it's not Spyware, it's Scryware." And he leaves it at that with a very large, 'proud of his joke grin'.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
For a moment Willow just stares at him. And suddenly she laughs. "I guess so." Then she sobers. "It's not like I can tell anyone the truth of it. My friend - who isn't a mage - she knows.. or at least I think she knows, but anything to do with magic is beyond her, and she would be just as well if I told her the computer sorted the entire semester's marks. I mean she's not dumb, but she really leans toward the martial arts."

She shrugs.

"I thought, if you wanted, we could see, for fun, if this was a random encounter, or something else."

Blackout has posed:
    He laughs with her. But then straightens and listens in as she explains. Marc nods along, accepting what she was going on about friend but then when she gets to the scrying part. Then he raises the index finger on his right hand and says, "Ummm. This isn't like a Ouija board? Right, we're not asking some 9 year old kid ghost named Tommy who drowned in the lake back in the 50s whether or not our meeting was the will of some deity. Right. It's just attunement or something tunable. Like tuning into a particular channel on the television and seeing the Miss Tide Soap winner telling me how to clean my drapes. Right?"

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"It could be a ghost? Not very likely though."

Willow was very serious about this. Too serious.

"What we will do is input a few things about you, and what you were doing. Then because we know that you ended up with me, we will put that in as well. Then we will wait. Sometimes things will immediately spit out.. well.. answers. But it isn't quite like any answers you would be used to. Like, say if I asked you if you want sugar in your tea, there are three probable answers: Yes, No, Maybe. Correct?"

She waits for a nod.

"But here we don't have the whole picture to look upon. So what we might get would make any sense until we fill in the other things. They would most definitely begin to flesh the answer out. Does that make any sense?"

Blackout has posed:
    The seriousness is conveyed to Marc as she hammers out the details on how the magic computer works. His eyes dart to one side and then back to her as he then gives a silent nod to the first understanding point.

    Then her second point is made and the query comes, "I think. Yeah. But it'll make more sense as we do it and it gives us whatever answer it does. So, what's your first question?"

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"First we need to centre in on the broad side, before we can narrow it down. After all, you don't know me, so asking 'where do we go from here' won't be terribly useful, unless we narrow it down."

Of course, Willow grins. "The odds are we won't find anything drawing the two of us together, unless you consider mathematics."

Blackout has posed:
    "I always consider mathematics and probabilities. Though, I don't necessarily subscribe to fate. I definitely think that things happy for a reason. Most of the time it's because somebody did something stupid - then stupid things happened." He offers a smile again and then says, "Okay... so. I was stumbling through the Darkforce Dimension when all of a sudden, I was aware of something stalking me. Or so I thought. Then I panicked and opened a portal into an unknown space to tumble into your .. here. Where's the question in that?"

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow types all those things into her computer. "Nothing. In theory. But what if there is? The odds of something happening are so slim, that to be a thing, has to be planned. The theory depends on us recognizing the patterns in the chaos."

Her specifications, plus a few more she doesn't tell him about, are also inputed.

"Now we wait. I should warn you, sometimes there isn't any answer. Or, it could take days or weeks to answer us." And, sometimes it answers immediately. Good or bad.

"Now we wait. Say we drink up our tea, and eat our cookies, and see? Besides, we're doing this for fun, right?"

Blackout has posed:
    He is glad to hear that they're drinking tea and eating cookies. Because he's been holding back. He picks up the cup, drinks, and then after drinking, he gives a nod. "Fun? Nah, this is research for science, and magic. Plus, we don't have a Magic 8-Ball to consult. So we've got to ask your magic laptop all the questions of the universe, starting with 'was it kismet or random chance' that we met. I'm actually sort of leaning toward hoping it's kismet. Because that makes it even more interesting."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow picked up her tea. "You're strange, did you know that? I don't mind. Just.. well, you are someone who does brilliant things, and yet you drink tea, and cookies only when I do. You have exquisite manners. It's.."

The computer was flashing. Over and over again.

"That's weird."

Blackout has posed:
    He takes a cookie while she talks about him being strange. He starts to offer, "I was just being polite..." But then he's interrupted by the flashing and he quirks asking, "What's weird?" Then he sits the cookie back down on the plate and will slightly stand to bring his chair around to the side where he might see the screen from her left side.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow put down her tea, and took up her laptop. "Remember when I told you it could be a long time? I was joking.. Well, only a little. It does take time. Just, I was sort of on your side. The odds of something going on were so minute.."

She tried putting in the exact same parameters again. And almost immediately it gave her the same thing as before.

Adding new input.. same thing.

No matter what she put in there, it came up flashing.

"Umm.. Umm.."

Blackout has posed:
    "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows bad? Or Princess Bride good?" He queries as he tries to understand where she's going with this or extrapolate clues from the flashing screen - he doesn't like flashing. He doesn't lean in, he's already figured out that part sucks for ribs. So he sits straight and cants his head in curiosity.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"That.." Willow said with a frown. "I don't know. It hasn't given me anything to go on except we were supposed to meet. And even that is iffy. It could mean, because we did meet, something will happen. It's not like I can control it, or weasel my way to more answers. I can only put what I know as I know it, until we can piece it together."

"I thought this was going to be a joke of sorts. At the worst.. maybe.. we would have bumped into each other.. eventually? But this is adamant we were meant to meet. No matter when, we were meant to meet. But why? I can't tell you. Yet?"

Blackout has posed:
    The expression on Marc's face is clear curiosity and interest for additional answers, "Seriously? Like... according to the magic computer; we were destined to meet but it's not telling us why or what to expect? What's that all about? And you say 'yet' like there will be additional information? Answers?"

    There's a bit more movement in his torso as he uses his hands to add to the communication of the moment, which in turn makes him wince a bit due to the bruised rib.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow cocks her head at him, and contemplates. "I know it sounds weird. I mean I study sciences. Maths. Things are supposed to be logical." To a point. "I can't force the scrying to make more sense than it does. Which makes it kind of.. weird. I mean, the logical part of my brain should reject it, right?"

And there it was: she was a logical person, who was also a person who did magic.

"Sometimes I will get more, or less, to work with. It's kinda a puzzle? Like it presents the facts, which I then have to put in the right order to make sense of? Does that make any sense?"

Blackout has posed:
    There's a bit of ease that crosses Marc's face from the curiosity. He nods, "Oddly enough... it does. Not much different than a hypothesis. The computer is giving us its educated guess based on some observations that we have no concept of. Now, we have to try and sort out experiments to prove or disprove the hypothesis. I imagine some of those will become evident the more we interact. Or even not interact. Say, I leave now with the idea of never returning - but something forces me to come back. Or something forces you to bump into me on the street. That encounter in itself would lend to some sort of defined intent of the puzzle."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"Exactly!" Willow becomes very animated. "And just so we are on the same page, the magic projects that, not the computer."

"Once we were looking for some books, and we had a clue that we followed to Vancouver, and then it went silent. That one was strange! I often think about it. But yours looks to be simpler. The length of the time between question and answer was so short.." She thinks on it. "Maybe we are supposed to go out for lunch? Supper?"

Of course she pinkens a little bit.

"Will you leave and never come back? I mean, I.. You.. shouldn't be bound by what I said. Sometimes I make mistakes.. But you should take the front door out, rather than try to break the wardings in here." Willow stumbles about her words.

Poor Willow.

Blackout has posed:
    He smiles and notes the blushing. Marc is totally going to focus on that for a moment as he thinks it's adorable - and considering what she said after, the tone of her concern that she might never see him again even if she was using the wards as an excuse, "You said 'supper'. Not 'dinner'. By definition, that's a much later meal. Dinner is at 5-6. Supper is at 9ish. That means we'd need time to sit and relax afterward. Maybe looking up at the stars or taking in one of those late night plays that happen around midnight at the 'Black Lodge' up in Vancouver."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"Well, we were looking for a book. A very old book. It was one that had a spell that could open the Gates of Hell. Funny thing, it was cognizant.. sort of. For awhile I think it chose me to rescue it.. to take it away from muggles.. well, people who don't do magic. And then.. wait.."

*blink blink*

"Did you just say yes to supper? In Vancouver?" Willow blushes further, and continues on. "I can get to Vancouver, via the Justice Leagues teleport.. Dinner? It's.."

She runs over her evening plans for the week. Other than the weekend she could do it, and even the weekend she could rearrange her obligations to make it work. "I think I could make it."

Blackout has posed:
    "You know how I got here?" Marc asks rhetorically then says, "I teleported. I say that I leave here - out the front or side door. Go home, change into something less comfortable - meaning actual clothing, and not darkforce armor. Then I'll be back here at say, 8:45 to pick you up then teleport us to 'couver so that we have dinner and then catch the late showing of Who Killed Laura Palmer at the Black Lodge." then he pauses watching the expressions in her face come to fruition as she considers his offer.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"You know, Vancouver is three hours behind us, right?" Willow debates whether he means supper, or dinner by that. "If I pay for the meal, and you can pay for the movie, we have got a date!"

Blackout has posed:
    He stands. There's a tightness to his stomach as he braces from the twisting and rising. He says after taking a second to recover, "Deal." in agreement. "And being 3 hours behind gives me plenty of time to make myself pretty."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow can't help but notice that he is in some pain still, and yet he still makes the plans. Perhaps he can do something when he gets home? Could be. "Deal then. I try to make myself reasonable in the time that we have allotted."

Of course she sound very proper, but if he looks into her eyes he will happen to see the glimmer of mirth there. Yes, she's making a joke. "Here is my address. Only.. no, I think you would be okay to drop on? The wards there are pretty specific." A pause. "You aren't a vampire are you?" (Yes, another joke!)

Blackout has posed:
    "Oh no. Not at all." Marc smiles and says, "I'll be back at 8:45 VC time, 5:45 our time." and he walks off, heading for an exit (stage left). He walks tightly, trying not to twist his ribs. Ribs suck. And exiting, he's gone.