witch's cape, not hat

[characterquarry]

Grendyne groans and starts pulling on her boots when the alarm goes off. Again. She quick-marches to the broom hangar, sits on her machine and is handed a plethora of loaded weapons by attentive corporals.

"Two flyers in one day? They're getting way too common."

"It's worse," the commander informs them, "South Karlsland got hit with three at once. We're taking Lytee's express and sleeping there. You can sit out if you absolutely need to, but Freya's still recovering so we could use you as a comms relay."

"No, I'll come. I just reserve the right to complain about it."

The 42nd United Forces Witch Wing takes off and assembles into a perfect synchronized formation as Lytee charges her teleport power.



...This is not South Karlsland wilderness.

[note: halfway through this thread I created a unique account for Grendyne. Do not be alarmed by the change in account. -Rockeye]

Comments

[characterquarry]

"I'm not a cape. The word is Witch."

[wormcan]

"If you say so.

I'm Senegal. I'm with a paramilitary group, fighting some of the superpowered criminals we got here. I'm here to invite you to join. Or, if you just landed here out of nowhere, to volunteer a place to stay and hold off on the invitation until tomorrow."

[characterquarry]

"I landed here out of nowhere. I'm technically AWOL right now. Or maybe MIA, since it's not my fault. I'm not sure I want to add 'defector' to that, but I'll hear you out. Tomorrow."

[wormcan]

"Sure. I can give you a lift, whenever you're ready to go."

[characterquarry]

"I'm just about of mana for the day. Long fight this morning, got teleported to a random insane dimension, had another fight, collapsed myself doing a fancy trick, then two hours of healing people. But flying takes just the tiniest speck, so I'll follow you once I pick up my steelwing."

She does that, and follows him close to ground level, presuming nobody has moved it and nothing stops them.

[wormcan]

He leads her to a perfectly ordinary-looking car. "That thing going to fit in the trunk? You could follow from above, but that's just asking for someone to track us."

[characterquarry]

"It comes apart." She takes it apart, and it does fit in the trunk.

Military guy will probably be slightly concerned if he sees the no less than eight flintlock pistols and bags of gunpowder and shot stored in one of its compartments.

"Nice, a horseless carriage. Someone made engines that fit inside something smaller than a train."

[wormcan]

Senegal is more surprised at the type of weapon than their presence.

"These are common here. They not been invented yet where you're from?"

[characterquarry]

"No. And trains are shiny-new. Most, er, invented things have come in the last three dozen years since the Neuroi invasion tossed the kings and dukes out on their heads."

[wormcan]

"You're really not from around here. Cars are over a hundred years old, and trains are almost another hundred on top of that. Still got kings, some places, maybe because of the lack of Neuroi."

[characterquarry]

"Oh, we still got nobles in some places too, they just can't order you executed for daring to look upon them with unclean eyes or some other thing anymore."

She gets in the car, and copies him with the seatbelt.

[wormcan]

He drives off. "Executed? That sounds even farther back. Don't suppose we share a calendar? We're twenty-eleven A.D."

[characterquarry]

"Thirteen forty one years since the death of Jesus Christ."

[wormcan]

"And you got steam engines. Impressive. Bet we could help deal with those invaders, if we manage to get to the right world and all."

[characterquarry]

"Those bombs from earlier would probably do it by themselves, with a Sew to deliver them. Ah, S-W-W, Strike Witch Wing. How does one cross worlds here? In my case it was a botched in-world teleport."

[wormcan]

"We can't. Someone somewhere probably can, but I don't know who. There are other worlds, we're in contact with one, but the Tinker who made the portal died."

[characterquarry]

"Unfortunate."

[wormcan]

The car drives up to a completely ordinary-looking house. "This isn't the base. Location's secret, and you still might not join," Senegal explains. (Of course the secretive paramilitary organization has a house. They have some of everything.)

[characterquarry]

It doesn't look ordinary to her, but at least it's the same as all the others. "Key?"

Presumably getting one, she unloads her gear into the garage, has a shower after being briefly confused about the plumbing, and sleeps for a solid twelve hours or until awoken.

[wormcan]

Nobody interferes. When she wakes up, she'll find a change of clothes in her approximate size if she doesn't prefer the uniform, and one of Senegal's colleagues waiting downstairs.

[characterquarry]

The uniform is filthy. She changes clothes. (Jeans feel weird.)

When she comes downstairs, she opens with, "Giving me a nice place to sleep bought you my interest. At home I was necessary, if I didn't help the Witches, the Neuroi would glass one more city, turn another hundred farmsteads to ash. Here that doesn't seem to be a problem so you'll need to convince me to join this group instead of what seemed like at least a half a dozen other groups in this city."

[wormcan]

"First, some background. I'm not sure how much Senegal told you.

Half of the groups here are criminal gangs. Drugs, robberies, the occasional rape or murder, and different directions of racism. I'm assuming you don't want to join any of those.
Last night was one of the rare emergencies worse than turning a hundred farmsteads to ash. And the bombs were only a distraction while one of Bakuda's teammates broke another out of jail.

This organization, working for a man called Coil, is one of the groups opposing those. Unlike the official heroes, we operate more like a military than like a game of dodgeball. There is an elaborate system of unspoken rules, in which nobody kills one another or exposes secret identities, but it also involves nobody trying very hard to get their opponents arrested. This organization, staffed entirely by non-capes with the possible exception of you, is outside those rules and can make more progress."

[characterquarry]

"It sounds like I'd be opposing people, not forces of nature or incomprehensible aliens. I'd have killed Bakuda if that was the only way to get her to stop exploding things, yes, but please take a moment to appreciate that human enemies are new to me. And I hardly believe you're composed entirely of non-capes, especially as you seem to be trying to recruit me."

[wormcan]

"The unstoppable forces of nature attack every few months. Against those, only capes fight.

Initially, we wanted to recruit you as a form of misdirection. With your powers, anything you did would appear to be friendly or accidental fire, and examination after the fact would bear that out. Knowledge of the opponent is crucial against capes, by the way, that might not be true of your aliens. And when facing a previously unknown cape, you would be able to tell us exactly what we're up against.

That's why we want you. One thing we can offer that other groups can't, is a better chance at getting home. Senegal mentioned telling you that no one knows how. Coil is in a better position than most to try to find out. Second best would be the Protectorate, but whether they would be willing to is another question."

[characterquarry]

"Yeah, well... This whole thing feels very sketchy. I do think you're acting in good faith here, giving me a roof and so on, but I didn't sign up to the Witch Wings to use my magic on humans. I might wait for the paralysis of rules you claim exists to show itself before considering options outside the law."