[Plot] Cause the Person I am, are the Parts that I Play

[Ryn]

Sam, Leo and Ryn arrive only moments after Laura and Katarina pass through the front gate and the short woman stops to gesture at the manor and the other buildings directly adjacent to the large gravel driveway.

Ryn has fallen back a little bit but picks up her pace towards Katarina. Her eyes are fixed on X-23 and after a moment the other woman notices and they stare at each other. "Hrm." Ryn decides, earning her a quizzical eyebrow from Laura who responds with "I imagine that would be your friend Ryn then. Laura Kinney." She extends her hand to Ryn who looks at it, back up and Laura and nods before looking to Katarina. "Agent Ryn." she finally says and Laura awkwardly lowers her hand.

[Katarina Kane]

"Are you alright, Ryn? Safe and sound?" Katarina asked, concerned.

[Ryn]

"Always. And you?" she asks with a glance towards Laura. She wants to be suspicious simply out of protectiveness over Katarina, but something about the woman feels weirdly honest. Brutally so, she smells of blood and death, deep down, but she feels if Katarina was in danger from her she would not conceal it. She's not entirely sure how she knows this, normally the only thing about people she can reliably read is the depth of their rot, but something just feels familiar in ways that unsettle her.

[Laura Kinney]

"Well then, Agents, as I was telling Agent Kane just now, this is Xavier's University for the Gifted. Everyone here's got powers you'd probably be sent to investigate where you're from, if I understand that right. But it's been a long time since mutants were a secret and we mostly deal with the ones who think their powers give them the right to harm others. Sometimes that includes governments or visitors from other dimensions." she says with a pointed look at Ryn. "Head-Mistress says we're supposed to be more open, so... welcome, I guess. Don't make me regret trusting you." she says and she's really trying, but it's obvious to anybody who isn't Ryn how awkward her little speech is and how uncomfortable she is in this tour-guide role.

[Samantha McManus]

"I think we've ah... sorted most of the initial misunderstandings," Sam comments.

[Katarina Kane]

"Always. And you?"

"I require a shower, I think, but yes, I'm fine," she nodded.

"These visits from other dimensions. They're why you were able to spot us so quickly, yes? We are far from the first to visit your shores."

[Leo Eskandari]

"Exactly that." Leo nodded. "It was easy to figure out when you didn't seem to know what mutants or smartphones are."

"What I'm curious about is the way you reacted to my name. I take it you know another version of me?"

[Ryn]

"A boy cursed by an ancient Asura that warped his flesh. Spirit-ridden." she helpfully supplies. She's still not sure what to make of this, but she briefly glances at Laura again. No, that's ridiculous.

[Laura Kinney]

"Seems to be a pattern with this kind of shit. The other two dimensions we bumped into had a number of counterparts as well. They were all mutants though, so this is... different. And was supposed to be fixed, according to the egghead brigade."

[Samantha McManus]

"Of course the number of things we've had to 'fix' there is... considerable."

[Katarina Kane]

"And whatever you've done, you've sprung another leak. Your detritus is washing up in our world. Apparently, particularly subtly, because it went unnoticed until know."

[Laura Kinney]

"I'll bring this to Minamida's attention. Morrigan, Chimera, you two can chaperone our guests and see if you can come up with some ideas on what to do about this leak. Maybe set up a perimeter for now so no one stumbles into it while bird-watching or whatever." she says and heads off towards the Point, muttering. "Swear to god, if she punched a hole in reality with her quantum whatever tunnel bullshit..."

[Samantha McManus]

"So yeah, you've met Miss Kinney now."

[Leo Eskandari]

Leo turned to their guests. He had hoped to have nothing further to do Ryn, but it seemed that ship had sailed. "Why don't we start by showing you where the girl's showers are? They're communal, but I'm sure we could arrange some privacy."

"I know I could use a shower," he said, picking some drying mud out of his mane with obvious displeasure.

[Katarina Kane]

"Thank you mister...Eskandari," Katarina said, trying (and not quite succeeding) at hiding the hitch in her voice as she referred to the alternate-universe parallel. "But this is, sadly, far from the first time I've had to work while...disheveled. I can shower at home; it's probably a little more pressing to figure out what's going on, yes?"

[Ryn]

"Sooner or later other things may find the passage." Ryn nods.

[Samantha McManus]

"You seem pretty confident you can get back to your world without any problem."

"It's usually not that simple from what we've seen, at least."

[Ryn]

"Debris came through the other direction and back to here." she says and fishes the broken BluRay from her pocket. "And even when the tide comes in I know Katarina can dive us down to it."

[Katarina Kane]

"I have an...affinity for the water," Katarina said, pursing her lips together thinly. "Though I suppose you have more experience with...portals like this than we have."

[Samantha McManus]

"Wound up stranded on the wrong side of one for awhile."

[Leo Eskandari]

"Well, I'm definitely glad I'm not in the multiverse or time travel clubs yet. Frankly, people have been lucky to get back at all." He spoke as if it happened every day, even though he hadn't seen any incidents personally.

"I guess we should head to where the science gets done. The brainiacs are your best bet for figuring this out."

He huffed. "Unless it's 'magic', that is. Then they get all butthurt."

[Katarina Kane]

"Butt hurt?" Katarina mouthed to Ryn, confused.

[Ryn]

Ryn gives the slightest of shrugs. "Magic may harm them?" she whispers back.

[Leo Eskandari]

Leo had to think for a moment to translate the modern slang. "Sorry. Modern slang. They'd be... unduly resentful, I guess?"

[Katarina Kane]

"And modern, for you, would be..." Katarina asked.

[Samantha McManus]

"A few decades north of you, I'm guessing."

[Katarina Kane]

"The technology here is more advanced," Katarina admitted. "Though that was still a fairly quick deduction on your parts. You have had experience."

[Samantha McManus]

"I mean, you also dress like I've seen in my mum's old photos, so..."

[Katarina Kane]

Katarina looked down at her, ahem, borrowed outfut.
"Well, I can promise you that the wet, sopping look isn't in vogue back home, either. Though I have noticed fewer shoulderpads walking around."

[Ryn]

From what little Ryn has seen, she finds this world not any more or less scrutable than her own.

"It's people doing people things. It seems about the same to me."

[Samantha McManus]

"From the long view I suppose it looks about the same."

[Katarina Kane]

A bit of awkward silence.

"So. What is it you all...do, when something like this occurs? What science are we headed towards, Mr. Eskandari?"

[Leo Eskandari]

"The kind that makes my head hurt," he answered. "Quantum physics and shit like that. Whatever you do, don't ask them how anything works if you value your time at all."

[Ryn]

As they approach the squat building of the point Ryn slows down and sneers at the building. Something about it feels wrong. Like the air itself is stripped of life and twisted and the very ground hums with human-wrought machines.

"It reeks of ozone and metal." she notes and strongly considers staying outside. She's not concerned for her or Katarina's well-being and this is important, so she grits her teeth and follows past the sliding doors. But walking down the clean metal-clad corridor is thoroughly unpleasant. The hairs on her arms and back of her neck bristle and every breath tastes of tar and lightning. When they pass through the central briefing room and the projected hard-light display in it's center Ryn stops and squints at it. It's like looking at the fake spots that appear when staring directly at the sun or rubbing ones eyes too hard, except it's perfectly clear and detailed.

She reaches out to touch it and her hand goes right through it, the hard-light flickering and derezzing around her in frayed scrambles and to Sam it would look almost exactly like when Vivienne cleaved Conduit's Hollydale simulation in twain with Caledfwlch.

[Samantha McManus]

"It's not real, it's just a projection. I've a feeling it's not really made to cope with the likes of you."

[Ryn]

Ryn's eyes snap to Katarina for a split-second, then over to Sam. She never should have divulged as much as she did to the Godling if she keeps on insisting to inform Katarina about all the ways she is decidedly not human.

"I don't like this place." she says and angrily sweeps her hand through the hard-light projection until it flickers and fails completely. Not as satisfying as breaking something real, but better than nothing. There's human artifice all around her and it's making her weak. Lightning, fire and stone pressed into rigid edict. Every fiber of her being wants to tear the panels off the walls and not stop until she's reduced this place to shattered ruin.

Instead she presses her breath through her nose and catches up to the group to return to Katarina's side with stiff legs. It's a remarkable show of restraint that will likely go unappreciated.

[Samantha McManus]

Sam's certainly not blind to that frustration, and the next thing she 'says' is for Ryn only.

"I can show you somewhere to blow off steam after this."

[Katarina Kane]

Katarina rested one hand on Ryn's shoulder. "Breath in and out, Ryn. This is...overwhelming, I know. Something straight out of Galactica. But it looks like these people are our best hope of blocking this...portal before something bad comes through, yes? So when in Rome..."

She, herself, had been fascinated as she walked down the hallway. PATHS was astounding enough, but at least the...bits and bobs of what made it up were familiar. The tech outside? Interesting, sure, but nothing truly as jaw-dropping as this. It made her friend uncomfortable, however, putting a damper on the experience.

[Ryn]

Ryn's not sure if it's the promise of future violence or Katarina's hand on her shoulder, but she relaxes just a little bit. She does know that if it wasn't for Katarina and wanting to be sure she's not in any danger she would not have set foot inside this place.

[Ashlie Minamida]

Up ahead the workshop doors open and a white-haired woman in oil-stained overalls steps into the hallway, wiping her hands on a towel. She takes one look at the group and walks up to them. Something about the woman is ever so slightly off. Her hair occasionally catches the light strangely, her irises are speckled with purple-blue metallic hues and her knuckles have what looks like plastics or dull metal protruding from her skin. Her face looks like a blend of half a dozen ethnicities.

"Ah, Miss McManus, Mr. Eskandari. And guests?" she asks quizzically.