Orla, Texas, Early Saturday Afternoon

[weldedtomyspine]

Dinah and Jaime had gotten up early, and Dinah had helped walk Jaime through an actual plan for investigation. Which was much better than his "plan" of going back out to Orla and "trying to find something helpful".

So they were back out in the desert, driving old, mostly abandoned roads. Jaime didn't have much to say, and Dinah seemed willing to let him think. So the silence drew out between them until they finally arrived. "There's Mrs. Wilson's car," Jaime said as he pulled in behind it and stopped the car. "I found her phone a couple of dozen feet away, just lying on the ground."

Comments

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Blue Beetle, Manhunter. Manhunter, Blue Beetle," Dinah introduced them. "Oracle sent her to investigate what happened to Blossom. And Traci 13, who's in the middle of doing the magic assessment." She paused and added, "I didn't see much else that looks suspicious, but I didn't finish the sweep completely."

[weldedtomyspine]

"The residual magic stuff is keeping me from getting a complete scan, but I haven't picked up anything yet, either." He gave Manhunter a polite nod. He might have been about to say something when Traci's staff stopped glowing and she let out a long breath.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah perked up noticeably. "What've you got?"

[elpasoposse]

"Okay, so this is weird," she said without further preamble. "This area was some sort of local nexus point for a really weird inter-dimensional spell of some sort. A number of worlds... overlapped, for want of a better term, for a short while."

She frowned. "The energy here is all chaotic from that, but my best guess is that anyone here probably got sucked into one of those other worlds." Her frown deepened. "But I would have expected someone to be sucked from another world to here in order to compensate for the energy..."

[theytookourjobs.livejournal.com]

Well now. That made a lot of sense to Tynan as he listened in from his hiding place in the shadows and he hissed slightly.

Amusing, really, when he thought about it: he'd been kept on the guard teams because his magic had been determined too weak.

[weldedtomyspine]

Blue Beetle frowned. "But we haven't seen anyone, or even signs of anyone, since we got here," he pointed out, looking around again, wondering if they'd somehow missed something.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"So they either left, or... hid somehow?" Dinah offered, then added, "Frankly I'd think leaving would be smartest, this place has nothing to offer, but then, I don't know much about the fae."

[elpasoposse]

Traci frowned at that. "We don't really have what I guess you'd call 'native' fae in this world, so I don't know much about them, either." She looked around. "But since magic's involved, maybe I should do a seeking spell..."

[theytookourjobs.livejournal.com]

To be fair, Tynan wanted to leave. Also to be fair, they couldn't find him because he was projecting a strong aura of magic that should keep people from noticing him.

Also, he was in a black cloak and in the shadows.

Unfortunately, anyone particularly skilled with magical senses could probably notice that there was a very strong sense of WATER in a particularly dark shadow he was hiding in. Which was why he was nervously watching the woman with the staff. A seeking spell?!

And not realizing that while he was hidden, the small dribble of water he was casting instead of a shadow was possibly visible to anyone who had a keen eye for movement.

[elpasoposse]

Manhunter whirled suddenly in place, eyes narrowing as her hand tightened on the baton she was holding.

She leaned forward, as if studying something she'd half-seen. There was something... there.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah was immediately on-guard too, and moved forward. "What and where?" she asked, keeping her voice very low.

[elpasoposse]

"That deep overhang over there," Manhunter gestured. "In the shadows. Not sure what it is..."

[theytookourjobs.livejournal.com]

It was remaining absolutely still is what it was...

or at least Tynan was.

[elpasoposse]

"Water magic," Traci announced suddenly, her staff glowing again. "Very concentrated."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Come out, come out, whoever you are," Dinah sing-songed, putting on her most innocent face.

[theytookourjobs.livejournal.com]

Tynan considered his chances of running and didn't like the odds. Plus he was partFomorian, a proud race of powerful rulers!

He stepped from the shadows slowly, dropping his cloak as he moved. It would only get in the way. "Humans," he greeted them. Four of them? Hmm. This would be hard but not impossible.

[elpasoposse]

"Careful," Traci warned the others. "He's got quite a bit of power."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Fae," Dinah said, imitating the guys tone. To Traci she said, "What kind of power?" She grinned at the Fae. "Excuse us, but we're missing a friend. And I don't think you're here by accident, are you."

[theytookourjobs.livejournal.com]

He was fairly sure he could take her. The staff wielder probably didn't know how to use it as anything other than a magic device, so she would be easy as well. The other two... he needed to know more.

"And why do you think that?"

[elpasoposse]

Manhunter twirled her baton, keeping her eye on the newcomer even as she spoke to Dinah. "Fought them before?" she asked, wondering if there were any tricks to it.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Fae, yes. This particular brand, maybe no." Dinah didn't take her eyes off the guy. "Iron helps. Usually they're tougher, faster, stronger than human. But not smarter. And I've got a few tricks your Black Canary doesn't." She grinned a little. "And well, everything bleeds."

To the Fae she said, "It just seems like too much of a coincidence. And Traci said something would've gotten sucked in when our friend got sucked out."

[theytookourjobs.livejournal.com]

"And if things actually went according to plan," he kept his arms loose at his side and began concentrating on the moisture in the air around them. "What then? What if my companions and I intended for this exchange in order to remove your friend?"

They hadn't. Unless the friend they were talking about was the legendary Lady Momoko of the Hyper Blossoms (http://anarchist-queen.livejournal.com/60410.html?thread=494842#t494842), which he doubted it since there was no way they would be that lucky. But the bluff was buying him time. Which he needed because there really wasn't a lot of water here.

[weldedtomyspine]

"Picking up disturbances in atmospheric moisture," Jaime warned, eyes narrowing. "It's even possible that it's not prep for an attack."

Possible, anyway!

[elpasoposse]

"Can we hit first and ask questions later?" Manhunter asked. "Because I don't really believe in coincidences, or vague threats."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Let's examine the issue from up close."

And Dinah grabbed the guy with her telekinesis, pulling him out of the shadows and a lot closer to them.

"-- say, within hitting distance?"