Siren Song

[Wyll Wyldclay]

"Well. You owe me one mystical orb of uncanny and undeniable power, then," the Wyldclay frowned, crossing their arms.

[Leo N. Eskandari]

Leo felt his amalgamated soul settle back into it's equilibrium and released the tension he hadn't been fully aware he was under.

He gave Wyldclay an annoyed look. "Considering this whole situation could have been avoided if you weren't an asshole to her, I think losing the orb is the bare minimum punishment."

[Wyll Wyldclay]

"Leo, I can honestly say, from the bottom of my heart, that you are perhaps the finest, most paragonical exemplar of the quality of agent the Society is proud to have in it's employ," the Wyldclay nodded.

[Miriam Bell]

Miriam rolls her eyes and, trying to minimize her obvious embarrassment, untangles herself from Sam and the morass while fishing the communicator out of her ear.

"Please tell me you haven't been there this entire time..." she asks the ear-piece, holding it up to her face on her flat hand.

[Samantha McManus]

Extricated from the vines, the three Sams converge and flow into each other. She shudders briefly as she reconciles herself into one person again.

[Toshiro Narumi]

Tosh walked over to join his fellow X-Men. "Well, that was certainly... something. No offense to this world, but I'll be glad to get away from all the gods and monsters. Yourself excluded, Sam."

[Will Stanton]

Miriam rolls her eyes and, trying to minimize her obvious embarrassment, untangles herself from Sam and the morass while fishing the communicator out of her ear.

"Please tell me you haven't been there this entire time..." she asks the ear-piece, holding it up to her face on her flat hand.

The communicator remained...silent. And broken, not able to connect back to Xaviers due to the dimensional interference.


"N....not q..quite," the voice in her other ear tickled.

[Katarina Kane]

Katarina groaned a little, coming down from the influence of the orb.

"I don't suppose when I open my eyes, everyone will be gone so I do not need to explode out of embarrassment?"

[Erynies Adrasteia]

"Perhaps if you give me a couple minutes to try and scatter them." Ryn says, happy to just keep holding Katarina for now.

[Will Stanton]

Extricated from the vines, the three Sams converge and flow into each other. She shudders briefly as she reconciles herself into one person again.

Will came over to try to give her and physical support she needed, like a good little Champion.

"I don't think I've ever taken down a baddie via big ending medley before.

And I don't feel the need to sing...at least, not more than usual. You?"

[Samantha McManus]

"I think if I started up again Miriam would be violent."

[Will Stanton]

"A good trick to keep in the back pocket for later, then," Will nodded, trying (and failing) to suppress a giggle.

Will looked up at the sky, as the rain finished petering out and the sun began to peek through the clouds. "I suppose, in the end...that could have gone worse? I mean, considering the power that was being flexed here today..."

[Toshiro Narumi]

"I mean, no one died... that we know of. That's something!" Tosh supplied with optimism.

[Katarina Kane]

"Perhaps if you give me a couple minutes to try and scatter them." Ryn says, happy to just keep holding Katarina for now.

"Magic orbs may be bad news, in the end. It was just so...for a moment, I held everything in my hand..."

[Erynies Adrasteia]

"I still do." she says maybe not-so cryptically. "Though I do not know where to go from here."

[Leo N. Eskandari]

"You could go to the other world, leave the Society and everyone else who tried to control you behind," Leo said thoughtfully. "If I didn't hope to see my family again, I'd be tempted myself."

[Katarina Kane]

"I don't know...and besides, I would not put it past anyone to come after me, still."

[Samantha McManus]

"We are aiming to close the portal."

[Erynies Adrasteia]

"And I don't run." she says, finally setting Katarina down gently.

"If they come, we will fend them off. I no longer need their law-permission to walk among humans." she grins at Sam.

[Leo N. Eskandari]

"Wyldclay will no doubt tell them you're still alive. I won't be their big gun for tracking you down, but I'm sure they have others more dedicated to the cause than I am. Assuming they don't turn those guns on me when he tells them what I really am."

[Wyll Wyldclay]

"I am curious, Leo. What IS your plan now that you've decided to betray the Agency and defy their orders? It's a bold move to shirk your duties to this extent..."

[Leo N. Eskandari]

"Excuse me? In what way did I betray the Society? The threat is contained. The only one who said they had to die was you and that was to them. I did my job, which is more than I can say about you."

[Wyll Wyldclay]

"You just suggested that a Siren, who was explicitly not allowed out of the House without supervision and control, escape to an alternate dimension," the Wyldclay pointed out. "The Deva walking among us is bad enough, in theory, but the Siren was forcibly brought in by agents because of the potential threat she caused. Not that there is any basis for justification in that, no; it's not like she took out a mall full of trained Agents, briefly moved a war goddess to a standstill, and for a moment became powerful enough to command reality itself. I'm sure they were overstating their concerns.

And instead of, say, slapping the siren in irons and dragging her back to somewhere where she can be safely contained and the public protected, you encourage her to continue to be on the proverbial lam. I just find that intriguing, is all."

[Samantha McManus]

"...if you're interested in starting the fight right back up, I can oblige you," She says, narrowing eyes at the Wyldclay.

[Wyll Wyldclay]

"I am making a point, which does not always need to be done with a knife, much to your disappointment, I'm sure. So lower your hackles and heel your dogs for now. If you want to go a round or six later, I'm more than willing to let you test the extent of my mettle, but at the moment, I am attempting to lead a horse to water."

[Leo N. Eskandari]

Leo was unafraid of anything Wyldclay could throw at him. "Don't get me wrong, I'm incredibly grateful to the Society for bringing me back to my senses. But that gratitude ends at helping them use someone who deserves better be used as a weapon or be executed for a problem of the Society's own making. If that makes me a traitor, then so be it."

[Miriam Bell]

"Yeah I don't think secret government black-ops deal in gratitude." Miriam says off-handedly while trying to dig around in her other ear with at least some decorum (it isn't working)

[Narrator]

"Yeah I don't think secret government black-ops deal in gratitude." Miriam says off-handedly while trying to dig around in her other ear with at least some decorum (it isn't working)

In her other ear was, of course...one of the (exceptionally ineffective) earplugs the Wyldclay had provided just before engaging Katarina!

[Wyll Wyldclay]

Leo was unafraid of anything Wyldclay could throw at him. "Don't get me wrong, I'm incredibly grateful to the Society for bringing me back to my senses. But that gratitude ends at helping them use someone who deserves better be used as a weapon or be executed for a problem of the Society's own making. If that makes me a traitor, then so be it."

"I am sure the Directorate appreciates your gratitude. Nearly as much as they don't appreciate their agents taking actions into their own hands! No, really, I admire your willingness to go back and face the music. Personally, I have an aversion to the stocks and pillory, but I commend you for having the strength of character to accept those consequences with nary a peep."

[Leo N. Eskandari]

"I'm used to getting sent to the principal's office for my attitude. Facing disciplinary action a bit sooner than I expected, but I'm not abandoning my ideals just yet so it is what it is."

[Wyll Wyldclay]

"Well, I'll be sure to send you flowers when you get out in 10 to 20," the Wyldclay said. "Perhaps bake you a file in a cake. It provides extra iron, you know," they added, as they turned away from Leo.


"I must say, however, I am impressed with the non-lethal solution, as temporary as it may be. The universe does not appear to be coming apart at the seams, and the fish woman still breathes. I would not have suspected that possible. Your X-Teams are quite the impressive lot, War Goddess."

[Samantha McManus]

"As I recall we have a deal, which makes me think things are getting quite a bit more complicated than Eskandari getting his ears pinned back."

[Wyll Wyldclay]

"Ah yes, the deal. As I recall, the service provided was to be 'hunting down and stopping the two rogue agents, and the return of my Orb.'. Well, there are the two rogue agents," the Wyldclay said, grandly waiving their hand. "We brought the Hunt itself to find them, and they do not appear to currently be moving anywhere. So it seems to me that you have achieved that goal quite successfully.

That second half of the bargain seems rather more difficult to complete, if'n you ask me," they added, examining their fingernails.

[Leo N. Eskandari]

"You're far too smart to honestly believe that the world isn't safer without that cursed thing. The artifact warehouse isn't your personal toy chest."

[Samantha McManus]

"Eskandari, not that I don't appreciate someone in our corner, but are you always like this?"

[Leo N. Eskandari]

"Only around people I despise," he answered. "I have a hard time controlling my temper around them, as you've obviously noticed."

[Samantha McManus]

"Aye, the war goddess has certainly noticed you've got poor impulse control."

[Wyll Wyldclay]

"He's had a very exciting day, and is probably overstimulated. I'm sure his superiors will give him some warm milk and a blanket and he'll settle right down."

[Leo N. Eskandari]

"I will literally never call them my superiors, and not just because my past life began before humanity. I just don't like the idea." Leo purposely held back a threat to bite Wyldclay the next time they compared him to a pet.

[Samantha McManus]

"I know this is going to sound bloody weird coming from me but this maybe isn't the time to have this out?"