There are things her magic can't do after all.

[mage_see_mage_do]

Temperance wouldn't expect her magic to be capable of transporting people between worlds. But she stood here in this new world as a living proof. She still had no explanation to what that creature was, but she couldn’t argue it was the reason she was here. Temperance tried to figured out a divination to look into the past of other worlds, to understand the creature better, but failed. She tried one to look at her own past, but had only marginal success.

Next she tries to create a spell to travel between worlds while also doing a few side projects. Very small stuff when compared to the great healing ritual, mostly to build a spell library of her own.

Temperance’s side projects are completed and replaced. She starts doing magical favors for the Institute and eventually gets a small room to work as her office (mostly because Sophie didn’t like people knocking on their door). Temperance wrote down everything she knew about the next three decades and a half. She starts a new herb garden for herself. The second wave of side projects is completed.

The interworld travel spell project made no advances of any kind.

It was time to consider other alternatives, maybe there are things her magic can't do after all. Edie suggested science next.

One day Dr. Hank McCoy might hear a knock at the door.

Comments

[not_without_scars]

Her left eye twitches "So it is your fault?" Meghan says sounding angrily but not accusatory.

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"Not...precisely. If I had known there was something to look for, I would have looked for it. I didn't. I regret that I had been looking for things in general less because I had recently had a great deal of other demands placed on my time. I had to prioritize, and it turns out I chose poorly."

[not_without_scars]

"Why were you looking less?"

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"You remember what I told you about the witch? I'm in a wheelchair because an accident almost twenty years ago shattered a vertebrae. She fixed the paralysis, but not the muscular atrophy. Physical therapy--and recovering therefrom--began taking up a great deal of time." His tone is regretful and apologetic but distant; he is explaining, not making excuses.

[not_without_scars]

Meghan thinks for a moment "Stop being stupid, it isn't your fault," She manages to say this with a tone that sounds almost accusatory.

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"He's trying to be as gentle as possible," Erika snorts, "because the last time he ran into a very angry woman who had had terrible things happen to her mother it very nearly ended very badly indeed."

[not_without_scars]

At "gentle as possible" Meghan shoots a glare at the Professor, then she turns back to Erika "What happened?" Meghan asks.

[maggie_of_the_owls]

After a moment, she rolls up her left sleeve.

[not_without_scars]

Meghan recognizes what the tattoo means and looks alarmed.

She is quiet for a long moment not looking at any direction, then Meghan looks up at Erika, for the first time her face is devoid of anger, just an empty confusion.

"What..." Meghan starts but doesn't continue.

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"I was...very angry," she says quietly. "And I did a great many things because of that anger. Some of them I don't regret. Some of them I do." She takes a deep breath. "My mother was killed while I watched because I failed to master my powers quickly enough for the man who wanted them."

[not_without_scars]

"No she wasn't," Meghan says at once, then realizes what she just said and adds "The man killed your mother," she says this with odd determination mixed with puzzlement "why would you say it like that?"

[superego_medico]

Ezra starts raising from his sit...

[abodyinmotion]

...until his sister pull him back down again.

'Wait' she tells him.

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"Because that's why he did it," she says quietly.

[not_without_scars]

"The way you said implied it was partially you fault. You shouldn't imply that."

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"I didn't intend to. There's a causal relationship, that's all." She considers for a minute before saying. "I eventually killed him with the same coin he was trying to get me to move at the time."

[not_without_scars]

"That makes sense..." Meghan says looking at her own hands, then at her brother.

[superego_medico]

'Professor? Are you sure this conversation between Meghan and your wife is going on a healthy direction?'

[maggie_of_the_owls]

Charles mentally grimaces. 'At this point, attempting to prevent it is overwhelmingly likely to do more damage than letting it happen.'

[superego_medico]

Ezra mirrors the mental grimacing. 'I am going to trust you and your wife in this one.'

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"Do you want to stay here, or bring her back to the Institute?" Erika asks.

[not_without_scars]

"What is the Institute like?"

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"It's a boarding school, mostly," Charles says. "But we also have medical facilities better suited for...nonstandard biology than most hospitals."

[not_without_scars]

"Better to bring her," Meghan says quietly, her face scowls for a instant, but then relaxes.

[maggie_of_the_owls]

At an almost imperceptible exchange between the adults, Hank (gently, carefully) lifts up Sophia and carries her into the Blackbird.