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After the Usual Suspects leave (for 49-4) a few minutes go by and Jakob sees John come back into the lunch room following one of the boys that was here briefly, Nick you think was his name.  Nick keeps going, nut John stops where two girls are beginning to have a heated arguement.  Jakob can't quiet make out what John says to them, but Sammy turns to him and yells, "Like hell!"  then raises her hand to him and he essentually gets thrown backwards through the wall.  And then Holy Hell breaks loose and people begin to run.

Initiative please.  Please post your initiative rolls in the Action! thread.

Colin, realizing he can't get past the crowd, summons forth the blackbird to see through his eyes, and starts spinning around. Does he see Nick (or what's left of him)?

Sarah bounds atop a nearby table and spots the girls arguing.  "We are so losing our PG-13 rating."  
She gets herself ready to port and yells out to the two...others - Sammy2 & Sylvia2, "Sammy!  Sylvia!  Yeah, you two idiots!  Did you leave your brains in your other pants?"

Sammy stops long enough to check out Sylvia2 and Sammy2's outfits,  making sure her friends will be able to tell who is who.  Then she goes low and stealthy behind a table overturned in the general panic, and waits to push gusts of wind at Sylvia2 so that it looks like they are coming from Sammy2.

Sylvia looks over at Sarah, "Oh joy.  The other slut!"  she looks back to Sammy, "You drag her to this dimension with you to see how many boys you could tag team?"

"No stupid, she's the one from this dimension!  I came here to get away from you and your murderous need to black widow every boy I have sex with!"  Sammy yells.

Colin uses the Blackbird's eyes and finds Nick is in the crown near one of the doors.  Looking down the path of destruction you see John pulling himself from the wreckage of a classroom, pushing racks and desks and chunks of wall off of himself.

Sammy makes a note of the two girls.  Sylvia is always dressed in something handmade and colorful, and Sylvia is no exception, they will be easier to tell apart.  You realize that Sammy on the other hand has the same colors on you do.

OOC: Begin Round 1
Sarah's action

I realize now, that John was the one sent through the wall, not Nick. I got it reversed. Better for Nick, I guess. :)

Colin considers what Nick and John said. This 'Sammy' had no tattoo. Considering she got the tattoo when he stabilized her and anchored her to this world, this 'Sammy' is probably different, and, potentially, unstable and incredibly dangerous. He shifts to the mystic sight, trying to understand what exactly this 'Sammy' is at the moment, how (if ever) she keeps her djinn half in check. The blackbird said an out of control Sammy could level mountains. This must be avoided at all costs.

I bet I can talk these two out of this. thinks Sarah.
In a slow steady voice she says, "You two need to listen to me.  You really want to settle this peacefully and politely.  No more knocking" *zwip*

Sarah pops in and delivers a swing at Sylvia before popping behind Sammy

"Shouldn't you two have goatees or something?  Maybe it's different in the Psycho Sluts Dimension."

OOC:
Actions -  Not really attempting to mess with their brains.
Move By Attack Teleport - Smacking Sylvia (1d20 4=14) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1788497/)
Mindblast 3 / Drain Will 3

"She can have anyone she wants, and she wants Nick and Elrod?" Sylvia mutters.  "Why not Shia LaBeouf, for crying out loud?"  She snatches at the fire alarm and pulls it.

[At least, I think I'm second, right?]

Sylvia pulled the fire alarm handle.  the alarm had already been ringing, but the act was automatic to where her brain was going.  She pulled the handle and the act transmitted a wash of calm across the crowd.  the panic lessened and they began to move in an orderly fashion from the cafeteria like it was a fire drill, just another day in the life of a high school student.

OOC:
Initiative 20 Colin's Action

I'll be darned if someone mistakes me for that one again.  Sammy takes off her shirt to make herself look very different from her counterpart.  She looks at the two girls squabbling, and realizes that if they've been doing this for a while, her powers by herself might not be enough to take down either of them.  They know how to fight her.  Her fingers touch the tattoo.  Colin.  I wonder?  She spots him in another part of the room, and makes a mad dash toward him.  When she gets to him, she grabs his hand.  "Colin, you and I are linked.  Let's see if we're stronger together than we are alone."

"What's your plan?"

"Like the egyptian mages did with the djinn; we don't have bands, but this" she indicates the tattoo "is the next best thing, I bet.  Maybe if you try to guide my power through you and mix it with yours to go after them?  Or you push your power through me to help steer mine?  We've sort of done it before, its worth a try."

"Uhm. Ok, good idea. Just be careful, though, try to deal with your double quickly, and to not push her over the edge, like Torrance almost did with you, remember? I couldn't contain her, she has no link to this world. That's what I saw on Nick's aura, I didn't realize then. Her aura is weird because she's not from this dimension."

Colin closes his eyes, and puts his hands on her shoulders. On another level consciousness, wings could be seen sprouting from his back, and wrapping around her. Sammy suddenly feels more alive, more... here. As if she was part of something bigger. Colin mutters a few words in an almost forgotten language, and when he opens his eyes again, they almost seem to glow for a moment.

"Go. I don't know how long I can make it last."

Sammy tries to take out Sammy first.
OOC:

plus whatever bonuses she gets from working with Colin, to this base roll:

I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down! (1d20=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1789228/)

OUCH! Pop goes the Sammy!  If you would prefer that I re-roll, I will.  If you want teh drah-ma, well, you have it.

OOC: Drama is up to you.  :D

OOC:  I'll keep the roll then.  :8

OOC: 

Sammy Floats up and unleashes a blast of air at Sammy that dislodges the other girl from the floor and hurls her against the wall.  But her Force Field was up and ready, and the wall crunches with the impact.  Sammy's eyes glow a deep rich azure color for a moment and in a voice dripping with anger she yells, "You should have kept your narrow goody-goody ass on the sidelines sister."  Sammy  Lets loose with a blast that tears a trench through the floor, throwing tables away from it as it cuts across the floor towards Sammy, only to miss by a foot to Sammy's left.  "You sure you want to play in my league?"

OOC:
Initiative 19
Donnie's Action

Trans-dimensional crap? Oh this sucks.  Donnie runs his hands through the air in front of him and shimmers from view.

ooc: Activiting the Now You Don't spell (Invisibility from visual Senses)

Maybe I can get close enough to SlutSammy from the Whoreth Dimension to giver her a dose of Ray Charles.

ooc: Ray Charles is the Blindness spell.

Donnie vanishes and begins to move towards Sammy.

People have begun filing out and the crowds are thinning some.

OOC:
Everyone make a Notice Check and post it in your reply in the Action Thread.  (Just edit them).

Initiative 3
Sammy's action (Which was moved to coincide with Colin so I'll just have that happen)

Initiative 24
Sarah's action

Sarah takes a swing at Sammy from behind. 

OOC: and like all cheap shot is justly rewarded.  Frak.
Sammy Staff Smack (say that 5 times fast) (1d20 4=10) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1790472/)

would this be at all considered a surprise attack as I teleported behind her? 

Sylvia's eyes narrow as Sarah's staff passes through her double.  [Or was that the turn before?  Oh, well.  Who cares?]  She reaches out, searching for Psycho Sylvia.

OOC: Yes it would be.

Sarah takes a swing at Sylvia, and the staff passes through the girl, but does not put her out.  

*bamf*

Sarah takes a swipe at Sammy  and hits her across the back with her staff.  The blast shakes the girl and sends her toppling to the floor.

OOC:
Initiative 20
Sylvia's action


Sylvia reaches out for Sylvia and finds her, it's not hard.  Her thoughts are fairly clear and intending severe harm towards Sarah for having attacked the girl she's in love with.

OOC:
Sylvia (the player one) still has the option to attack, contact, or interact with Sylvia (The other one) or can opt to 'transmit' her precise location to a single person.

Everyone who made a 20+ on the notice check realized that Sylvia had vanished and can make attacks at only a penalty of -4 because you have a sort of kind of idea where she might be.  Maybe.

If Sylvia opts to transmit the location that penalty is made into a +2 to hit.

[/color]

Our Sylvia looks aggrieved.  "Eww."  She transmits her counterpart's position in big, bold, glowing colors to the Usual Suspects only.

OOC: For clarity, for them to get a bonus you must pick only one person.

[Sorry.  Pikach--I mean, Sarah!  I choose you!]

OOC:
Initiative 20
Colin's Action

Colin continues to serve as a conduit for Sammy, connecting her to a power greater than her own and serving as a sort of circuit breaker to keep her from overloading.

Sylvia relays Sylvia's position to Sarah, and becomes dimly aware that Sylvia has noticed.

OOC:
Sylvia needs to make a Will Save DC 16
Initiative 19
Donnie's Action

Must . . . resist. . . . (1d20+4=16) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1792063/)

Sylvia feels her perceptions shift slightly, subtly, and she realizes it's not right.  With a mental shudder she realigns the world to the way it should be. 

Humming mentally in case BizarroSylvia is listening in, he gets as close to Sammy as he can and ZORTs her with a little Ray Charles.

Touch Attack vs. Sammyho (1d20+1=15) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1792721/)

ooc: I don't have my book atm. Please add any modifiers for Donnie being an invisible attacker. Ray Charles is a Dazzle 10 (visual senses) attack.

Donnie's spell goes off and catches Sammy square enough to effect her.  She lets out a horrible scream, "You sonofabitch."  And the world suddenly becomes a less stable place as object begin to shift in the building vortex of air that is circulating.

OOC:
Everyone needs to make a Relfex Save DC 12 or strength roll DC 12 this round not to fall.

Initiative 6
Jakob's Action

Oops Upside Yo' Head (1d20+2=6) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1792847/)

A chair smacks the back of Sarah's knees and she is tumbling along with the rest of nearby cafeteria.  "Oh man... this is going to be the worst food fight this cafeteria has ever seen."

OOC: I just hope it isn't a casserole day. 
Reflex Save (1d20 3=5) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1793104/)

Donnie goes flying back from the Sammystorm, knocked silly by the erupting wind.

Reflex Save (1d20+1=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1793696/)

Reflex Save (1d20+3+15)

Jakob scrambles to catch Donnie before he hits the ground.

"Is this what you do every day here at lunch?  I've been missing out on a lot back on the farm..."

ooc: Donnie is completely invisible at the moment. Perhaps Sylvia or Sarah? :)

Probably a better idea  ::)- Sylvia it is.

Sylvia would like to fall gracefully into Jakob's precociously muscular arms, but instead she does a good impersonation of a sack of potatoes being flung from the back of a truck.  She looks up at him in dismay.  "Jakob, it was nice meeting you, but let's do lunch tomorrow.  This is no place for a civilian."

The gusts of wind make Colin's hair flail wildly about, but don't seem to bother his concentration. If it wasn't for that, he would almost look one with the ground. When he speaks, his voice resonates far louder and lower than it should be.

"You don't belong here, and you're not welcome. I ask you to leave on your own, before we make you leave. Your disturbance won't be further tolerated."

Sammy can smell and feel a storm gathering around the school. She can almost feel lighting bolts at her fingertips, like lieutenants awaiting their orders.

People begin to tumble about, being tossed by the horrific wind that stirs up from the now blind Sammy.  Sylvia gets tossed outward and lands in Jakobs arms.  Sarah suddenly finds her fall arrested as well, looking up to see John setting her down, then he's gone in a blur snatching other people up and taking them outside.




OOC:
Initiative 3
Sammy's Action

Samantha sinks both mentally and physically into Colin's grasp.  Trusting him to preserve what is human about her, she becomes a creature of the elements, a "thing of Heaven and Earth, of thunder and lightning, of rain and wind" (1d20=15) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1794611/)*. She seizes control of the air around her and sends it back against Sammy's forces, to neutralize and overwhelm them.





* I am a being of Heaven and Earth, of thunder and lightning, of rain and wind, of the galaxies.
Eden Ahbez

The storm brewing outside becomes reflected in Sammy's eyes as she settles downward.  The air that had begun to swirl in a vortex around Sammy begins to slow as another wind clashes with it.  The swirling vortexes churn up bits of debris around Sammy, as a funnel cone begins to form up.  People and objects in the outer ring of the whirl wind are dropped or fall.  And a blur of color zips around the room snatching people from mid-air to set them on their feet.

OOC:
Initiative 24
Sarah's Action

John is there and gone before Sarah can even try and thank him.  Sarah looks around the room for Sylvia but just isn't sure where she could be... except that she does know... precisely.  The knowledge is there in her mind and ignores what her senses might be telling her.  She trusts the knowledge.  A quick port and she is there, her staff slicing through the air in a diagonal strike before disappearing once more, this time behind Sylvia.

OOC:

Attacking Alterna-Sylvia not including Action Bonus? but am including Sylvia's location focus bonus. (1d20 6=18) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1794895/) 
DC: Mind Blast 18 vs Will, Drain Will 13 vs. Will

Sylvia screams and then everyone can see her.  She crumples to the floor in a heap.

OOC:
Initiative 21
Sylvia's Action

Our Sylvia lets out an inappropriate shriek of victory, something like "Woohoo, you skanky she-dog!" and almost immediately turns to Evil Sammy, slamming into her with the full force of illusion.  Sylvia wants to cut Evil Sammy's ties to this reality, or any reality, and seal her in a bubble of self-delusion where she can't hurt anyone.

Sylvia goes to work disconnecting Sammy from this world.  As she does she feels a strange presence, human but not exactly like she senses most people.  Familiar, but in a vague and faint way.  Then a swirling vortex erupts in the air a few feet behind Sammy and Sylvia.  The presence begins to thin.

Everyone else sees a wall of.....goo? rise up off the floor in a wave and essentially topple Sammy and Sylvia into the swirling vortex, and the goo gets sucked in with it, and then a moment later the vortex closes and the cafeteria becomes quiet.

OOC:
End of Combat rounds.  We can maintain this thread for anything that happens right now and then move along later.

Sammy's eyes are still storm wild and not quite human.  She acknowledges Colin's help with a brief smile, then flies out an open door to a nearby rooftop to collect herself and allow the connection between her and the storm fade.

A second later John is standing a few feet away, "Are you ok?"  he says in a low tone.

Sammy turns her head slightly and gives him a half smile.  "Yeah.  Give me a minute to let it go, pull myself back in.  I'll be okay.  You okay?  She tossed you kind of hard."

"Nothing that wont heal before the end of lunch."

The staff have arrived, helping students who couldn't get out.  And moments later police and fire rescue people come in as well.

Statements are taken from witnesses.  And the stories essentially talk about boil down to everyone seeing two Sammy's and two Sylvia's and then the other Sammy was flying and stuff, and there was a super fight or something and then the other Sammy and Sylvia got swallowed by a sort of hurricane looking thing.

None of the statements really mention any of the Usual Suspects, they clearly state Sammy and Sylvia were there, and they were seen, but not much beyond that.

"That's good."  She shivers, then looks down at herself.  "Oh.  Right.  I don't need to make myself look different anymore."  She takes her shirt from where it was tied around her waist and puts it back on.   "Last thing I need is more rumors about me.  Colin had his hands on me in the cafeteria, and then if anybody spots me up here half nekkid with you on the roof?  Four guys in less than 24 hours would be a school record, I think."

[I'm deeply troubled by the lack of blue.]

Sylvia swings a few krav combat punches at the air in front of her.  "Yeah, take that bee-atch.  I claim this universe in the name of me!"

OOC: GM error.

Before the cops are done, Sammy gets a text message from Elrod.

Talk to me later.  Talk to Nick.  He will need to know you don't hate him.

Sarah's staff vanishes, a rapidly fading afterglow.  She runs over and hugs Sylvia and then Sammy, stormy eyes or no.  Donnie get's a hug too when he decides to make his appearance known.  Aw.. hugs for everybody!!!  
She smiles at John, "Thanks for the catch big guy."  
Colin gets a kiss on the cheek and a grin.  Then she notices new boy standing around.  "Oh.  Heh.  Well... welcome to Oakpark Jakob.  How's your first day treating you?"

"It's been interesting so far.  Evil twins of people pop in out of nowhere and pick a fight, some guy vanishes into thin air."

He looks over at Sylvia.

"And girls I've never met just fall into my arms."

Sylvia shoots Donnie a reflexive look of worry.  She tells Jakob, "We met.  You could say we've already met twice."

She touches Colin and Donnie's minds.  What just happened?  Was that magic?

Colin for a time almost doesn't notice Sarah's kiss.... almost. He comes back to his senses in time to catch her hand and squeeze it. He's not really convinced by what happened. His eyes still have the faint glow of the ghost sight as he looks around, trying to understand what kind of portal that was and who really opened it. Sarah had clubbed the other Sylvia, so it probably wasn't one of her illusions, but still... He closes his arms in front of himself, forming the Eye, and asks him to make him see clearly. Are there still any traces, mystical or otherwise, lying around? Is there anything interesting in the area the portal was opened and the 'goo' appeared?

Blackbird, how does one travel through dimensions? Is there a 'dimensional immigration office' that deals with this kind of things?


I'm trying to find out.

"Yeah.  I guess we have.  Though I think the first introduction was far better than the second."

There is no magical residue of any kind.

There are many ways, some magic, some science.

"I don't?" Sammy asks herself out loud.  She doesn't send a reply.  She waits around for the cops to be done.

"So... is anyone going to help me make sense of what I just saw?"

Sylvia looks at Jakob and gives it her best shot.  "Apparently . . . in another universe . . . Sammy and I are crazy paranormals.  Which so totally isn't the case here.  I mean, forget the fact that Sammy totally blew her cover by flying away.  That has no bearing on whether or not I . . . or any of us . . . is anything but an ordinary, average, run-of-the-mill newspaper geek."  She gives up and yammers out the rest.  "And if you're uncomfortable with that, I bet between Sarah and me we can totally make you forget."

"That's pretty much what I thought.  I'm good with it - unless that disqualifies me from being made to forget by you & Sarah."

The cops are done and gone inside of half an hour.  The class right after lunch is cancelled, and most of the kids spend that time in one of the auditoriums.  Some people in suits arrive in black SUVs and use some technical equipment to take some readings from the area around where the vortex swallowed Sammy and Sylvia.  They then pack up and go, and make a point of not answering any questions.

In the auditorium, Sammy sits near the other Usual Suspects.  After a while, she looks over at Sylvia and Sarah.  "Do me a favor?  Once they let us out of here, find Nick and Elrod.  Doesn't have to be at the same time.  Explain to them that I don't 'hate' either of them;  I understand that other Sammy was me, even if she wasn't me.   However, that doesn't mean that I'm magically okay with what happened, or that I especially want to talk to either of them right now.  If they're not okay with that, tell them... I dunno, tell them to get together and start a support group."

Sarah says, "You took that all in with surprising calmness.  My bet is you've been around some weirdness before.  Or maybe you're just a Pisces with a really sanguine personality?"
------------

Sarah laughs and rolls her eyes.  "Sorry, you'll need to try and hop through to that slut dimension for that to happen."

- In the auditorium -
"Well that was entertaining," says Sarah.  "What do you bet that we're going to be hearing from them again sometime soon?"

Jakob shrugs.  "I'm Polish.  My aunt & uncle tell stories from back in the old country that make just about anything seem possible."

He smiles good-naturedly.  "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

Once everything is somewhat stabilized, and all the police and fire-rescue folks leave they begin to dismiss people from the auditorium to go to their next class.

John makes sure to find Jakob so he can help him get where he needs to go for his next class.

OOC: If Sarah and Sylvia agree to go after Nick and Elrod, just go back to those threads.

As always if anyone needs something thread wise, let me know and we can get it going.

Sylvia stifles the urge not to let Sammy dodge her interpersonal responsibilities.  "Yeah, sure."

Sammy spots the flicker of disapproval.  "What?" she says.  "If you don't want to do it, don't."  She waggles her phone at them.  "Elrod's pushing me to talk to him and Nick, and I'm just not up for that right now.  I need to get a grip on how I feel and what I think about all this before I can deal with them."

"Then maybe you should tell them that?" John says, "I know how I felt."  he stops, "When we were in the dream world the witches had us in.  Megan and I."  His color sharpens, "Anyway, I knew that afterward I felt pretty bad.  It's different I guess, but it was a hurt a lot to find out it had been something that it wasn't."

"I'm sure they're hurt and confused too, but... they chose what happened, didn't they?  I mean, yeah sure, She went to them, but they heard what they wanted to hear and went along for the ride.  They chose.  Free Will.  I don't have mind control powers, and  Stalker Girl Sylvia didn't come along until later to chase them off roofs and into dangerous streets.  Me, I get to deal with a bunch of people thinking I'm some kind of 'ho, and, and both of them thought I was too, when they thought I had been with both of them.  They both believed I was capable of that, as well as not giving a sh!t if El got sent to jail for corrupting a minor, or that I'd take advantage of Nick by outright lying to him about something very important.  They didn't put any of that past me -- do you have any idea how much that burns?  I don't do that sh!t!!  And then, on top of it all, I get to deal with the fact that they both have very clear and intimate memories of an encounter with what they thought was apparently a very experienced me, and there's no amount of brain bleach that will wash all of that stain away.  Too many people heard all about it.  I think I'm allowed to be upset, ok?"  She looks back and forth between John and Sylvia.  "Fine."

Sammy rips out two pieces of notebook paper and writes identical notes on each.
I don't hate you, but I'm not ready to talk to you about any of this right now.  Maybe later.  Sammy

"I'll stick these on their lockers."

"I'd be mad, too," Sylvia says.  "It's just, you know, sending Sarah and me to tell them to leave you alone is a little grade school, and this has gone way past kissing-cooties crush.  I'm happy to do it, though.  Hell, I can do it from here if you want."

Sammy stares down at the notes in her hand and crumples them up.  "Yeah.  I see what you mean.  Shoving notes in their lockers isn't much better, is it?"  She sighs.  "I'll figure something out."

"Ah.  I'm sorry"  John says, "I hate to ask this.  When was it exactly that they thought you were capable of that?  Was that a mind reading thing I missed?"  John looks very confused.  "And, not to side with the boys, but you don't know what she said to either of them really.  I understand you're upset.  And if you want to avoid them and let yourself relax, then by all means do it.  Send them each a text message or something and then when you're ready talk to them."

Sarah offers, "You know I can fix it for them at least.  But I don't think it's the right solution.  There was one good thing about all this.  You know it wasn't you.  Imagine if those other two were just hopping through different dimensions banging alternate bfs and gfs?  What if we'd never seen them?  Just that rumor going around and the memories of the boys."

"This rumor will get tossed around for a while and then it will fade.  The people important to you know it isn't true.  A lot of our friends outside of the US know, or suspect that something is up with us and everyone knows that weird crap keeps happening here.  I think if you told them that the rumor got started through some weirdness they would probably believe you.  No doubt a few people caught a glimpse of double Sammy and Sylvia so that will help things.  Rumors fade."

She smiles and adds, "And if they don't... well you've got us and we know the truth.  We're here for you and I'll knock anyone's block off that gives you grief and spreads lies and hate."  

Sammy smiles grimly at Sarah.  "Thanks.  I'll keep that in mind."

Then she turns back toward John.  "Nick believed I two timed him.  I could see it all over his face.  Both he and Elrod... neither of them particularly wanted to believe it wasn't me.  I could see that too, even while I was swearing up and down it wasn't me."

"Oh."  John says, and a second later his brow furrows.  "You read minds too now?  Let me say it another way, and you will have to forgive the way this comes out."  He takes a deep breath.  "The girl I love gave me the most perfect gift of intimacy."  his tone is almost dreamy, a put on voice.  Then it changes to his normal voice.  "Oh, shit, it wasn't her."  He shrugs, "I could be wrong.  I'm not really good with people."

A little bit of the princess behind the castle walls starts to build up.  Sammy growls at John "I get it, ok, I'm not a mind reader, just somebody who feels more than a little hurt and betrayed so maybe I'm not able to be as godawful rational and logical as you are right now.  Just drop it.  Forget it.  I'm sorry I said anything at all."

Sylvia squeezes Donnie's hand and then escapes the crush of emotions.  She heads to the news room to make her phone call.

"Yeah."  John says, and then he's gone with a whoosh of loose papers and a slight breeze.

People are filing out of the auditorium and it's not long before something like normalcy returns to the halls of Oak Park High School.

Jakob looks around the lunchroom once more, shrugs, and tries to remember John's directions to his next class.

Many? Ouch.


Colin does his best try of tossing Chris's, Kevin's, and even Bobby's names around, hoping to get their attention, and explain them what there was to see. He doesn't directly ask any question, but searches their faces carefully for any sign of worry. He also tries to find out who's in charge.


He comes back to the auditorium as Donnie and Sylvia are going away.

"Nope." he tells her. "No magic. I have a strange feeling though. As if it wasn't over. As if I had ruffled feathers I couldn't smooth."

As he goes back in to look for Sarah, he also finds Jacob looking a bit disoriented.

"This is kind of what I meant before. Strange things are bound to happen around us. Can I help you with anything?"

"Ruffled feathers?"  Sylvia shoots Colin a funny look.  "You mean you've got a bad feeling about this?  I don't blame you.  I do, too."

The people in the suits completely ignore any inquieries, and the police make sure to keep anyone at a distance.  They're noted as being 'Feds' by some of the cops, but they don't ever mention an agency.  Normally this stuff would be handled by the NSA.

"Anything I can do to help?"

"Can you bend dimensional gateways to your will?" Sylvia asks flippantly.

Sarah lets her eyes wander towards the ceiling of the auditorium.  Her mind drifts over recent events.  What would bring them to our dimension?  Were they fleeing a terrible world or just tramps on holiday?  Was the dimensional travel something developed by one of them?  Who would do that?

The answer seemed simple enough to Sarah. Evil versions of the science geeks.  Wait... our science geeks aren't exactly on the straight and narrow.  Should we ask them?  Risk them thinking up a dimensional portal of their own?

And should I have found it so cathartic to smack down Sammy and Sylvia?  Ah well.

Sarah's thoughts drift as the auditorium clears out and she snores quietly into next period...

Donnie reappears near the point here the goo-portal took the two Hoverse girls, chin in hand. He checks independantly what Colin had already found out, running his hands through the space where the portal had appeared. Finding nothing, he follows the Usual Suspects around the school as directed by their teachers.

He seems nonplussed by the whole ordeal, but his mind is already awhirl at the possibilities. My alternamother used a device to leave our orld, but it was quite different. Perhaps both are of a technological origin.[/i] He starts to process the necessary components in his head to create some sort of magical detector for interdimensional rifts.

A rift is a rift, wheather torn open by magic or science. The residual energy of the occurance should be detectable..

He is terminally ignorant to the emotional upheavals of Sammy's situation. It's not that he doesn't care, it's that he is utterly out of his depth. Heck, he barely keeps his own mind-reading girlfriend, let alone trying to help Sammy deal with to suitors ho have, in a sense, already achieved their conquest. Of a sort.

As he is led from the auditorium by Sylvia, he mentions his ideas to her. "I think there might be a way to look deeper into the whole rift-to-another-dimension thing, if we want.."

"How?"  She looks hopeful.

"Remember the visit from mom-from-another-dimension? It took place in my living room. If I can detect the faded traces of the rift she opened (with a device, by the way) I might be able to use the 'readings' to detect other rifts."

"I was going to call Dr. Banner.  Maybe he can tell us what we need to look for."

"Nope.  But if anything of an agricultural nature pops up I'm your guy."

Sylvia, originally from San Francisco, gives Jakob a look like he just strolled in with a hayseed in his teeth and a gold medal in cow tipping.  After a few false starts she has to ask, "Why are you here in Oak Park anyway?"

"Good idea." He says, and then checks his watch. It might be time for a call to Arizona.

"Just one of those things.  My folks, who owned a small farm out east, passed away so my Aunt & Uncle took me in.  They live in Oak Park."

Upon closer inspection Jakob might look like a champion cow tipper but doesn't really seem to fit the hayseed mold, but that may just be a product of his failure to use annoying linguistic contractions.

Other than being a little on the beefy side and taller than most others in school - including the staff - he looks more or less like a regular kid, even if his clothes look a size or two too big.

"I'm sorry about your folks," Sylvia says.  The traumas and losses of the past year have deepened and trued her sense of grief.

Colin, who is still rather on the short side, and who can't wait to be finally blessed with a serious growth spurt, pats his hand on Jacob's big shoulder in sympathy, and decides this is not the best of times to tell him he can talk with the dead.

"Thanks guys.  It was rough.  Still is some days... but life goes on, you know?"