2019-04-25 - Clarke's Third Law

Summary:

Illyana goes looking for Noh-Varr to see if he has any insight on their fight against Plotka's forces at the pier.

Log Info:

Storyteller: None
Date: Thu Apr 25 21:38:35 2019
Location: Outside the Triskellion

Related Logs

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Theme Song

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noh-varrillyana-rasputina

Twice now Illyana has come across portals spilling creatures from other realms into Earth. The first time, it was from Sifror's realm. The second, Plotka's. Neither realm has the natural bridges to Earth that Limbo does, which means great effort was invested to open those portals. Knowing how many people are interested in helping the missing kids that have been tied up in the two splinter lord's bid for power, Illyana's has been focusing on the portals themselves to see if she can learn anything helpful on that end. Because portals are kind of her thing.

To that end, she's decided to track down a certain SHIELD agent that was right near the last one that opened. With his white hair and youthful face she figures he should be easy to pick out of a crowd. While she debated just teleporting into the secured SHIELD building and walking around, she didn't feel like stirring up a hornet's nest. Lacking a sympathetic link to lock onto, she's lingering outside the entrance in the late afternoon when most people leave for the day and sipping a smoothie. It's something of a longshot but it also lets her people-watch, which is one of her hobbies.
Dressed in black-on-black with a lot of leather and silver accents, and with an aura that sends a shiver down the spine of most people Illyana isn't hard to spot as she lounges on a bench by her lonesome.

Noh-Varr doesn't necessarily keep a normal schedule but many of the people he needs to talk to do which means when they leave for the day, he does to. Leaving the Triskelion, he heads off to the side, a flash of light transforming his uniform into jeans, sneakers, and a snug t-shirt. He's about to take off when he he spots Illyana. What's wrong with this picture? "You look familiar." he says as he walks over. "We haven't had sex have we?"

Growing up in Limbo gives one a certain level of paranoia, which translates into being aware than your average worker bee and so pale blue eyes are already tracking Noh-Varr as he moves off to the side to change clothes. Rising up to her feet, she's headed his way when he spots her as well and the question gets a low chuckle. "If we did, it was really forgettable." She says in an amused manner.

"The fight on the pier with the portal." Illyana says to jog his memory. "You were fighting the mages there." There was a lot going on. She'll forgive him for not remembering her. Not like she stuck around long after the dust settled.

"We didn't then." Cause forgettable? Never. "Oh, right." Noh-Varr agrees as she explains. "The one with the ugly, one-eyed things and the really big one. You were doing something with the portal." He was a little busy with the people. "They're not back are they? You need help with them? I'm game."

Illyana Rasputina's lazy smirk broadens into a grin that shows a bit too much teeth to be strictly friendly. It has a predatory air, even if she's not being threatening. Like Noh-Varr, one thing Illyana is rarely called is 'forgettable'.

The blonde shakes her head at the question, "Not that I've come across? But I'm fairly sure they're cropping up. Call me territorial, but I'm not partial to other people opening portals to hell in my town." Only her portals are allowed, damnit. A nod is given back to the Triskelion, "You're with SHIELD. I figured you might have some insight on the portals from your investigation after the fight." And of course would just share it with Random Interested Party. Illyana's social skills aren't that great.

"SWORD actually." Noh-Varr corrects. "I only stuck around after the fight to make sure no one contaminated the place before the science guys had a chance to look around. Need an interstellar schooner built? Want to know which planet to get the strongest booze? Be glad to help you. Magic portals? That's not my thing. Though…" he adds, sounding thoughtful. "They probably work similarly to those created by non-magical means. Which means you might be able to figure out just where it leads to after it's already closed. If this planet had the technology which it doesn't so it's really just a thought experiment."

Illyana Rasputina's cheeks hollow a bit as she slurrrrps her smoothie and listens. "Space, huh? Well, that's definitely not *my* forte." She admits. "I've been working with a WAND guy on the whole thing. And I'm pretty sure I know where that portal went to, since it's Plotka's realm, which is the Dark Domain." Her lips purse thoughtfully. "If they might work similarly, would you have any idea how to *track* them? There's too much magical background for me to pinpoint them with any reliability and I really don't have the time to spend all of it watching the whole damned city."

"Since you say you know where they're from, I assume you mean track them once they've come through the portal and not between dimension." Noh-Varr says. "That shouldn'e be too hard. Every reality resonates on a different frequency from the others. It's how you can tell them apart from each other if the differences are minor. That's a vast over simplification, of course, but the general idea is accurate. I'm going to guess that the same applies to dimensions; that everything from the Dark Dimension you mentioned has, on a fundamental level, a difference not found in this one. So all you need to do is find that difference and use it to detect them. I'd suggest obtaining something from that dimension and then using it to fashion a device using the Law of Similarity." After a moment, he adds "I did read up on magic a little once I discovered WAND was a part of SHIELD."

Illyana Rasputina hmmms. "And I don't think that WAND is doing this currently. Of course, I'm not sure if they can deal with the portals, either." The two she's seen, she's dealt with.

The blonde shakes her cup a bit, but it's empty now. Glancing around she spots a trash can and drops the cup. A portal opens beneath it and then winks out. No littering for Illyana. "I'm pretty sure WAND has something from both Plotka and Sifror to make it happen."

Pale blue eyes narrow consideringly at Noh-Varr. "Most people that are technically inclined tend to dismiss magic." And he clearly isn't.

"To quote an old Kree saying, any sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology." Noh-Varr answers. "We don't use magic as a rule, it's not common in any of the three major empires, but the Skrulls have been known to make use of it now and then. It's just another way of doing things. It's generally less reliable and requires more significant effort than technology. It's not really suited to interstellar activities but it's not unknown either."

Illyana Rasputina gives Noh-Varr a skeptical look. "Is that really a Kree saying?" It sounds familiar, and since she doesn't really know who the Kree are, that isn't likely where she heard it.

"Most magic comes from living things." Illyana admits. Not all of it, but most magic that mage-types can use. "There's less to draw on in the voids between stars, from my understanding." She hasn't been out in the Black herself.

The blonde finally offers her hand out to the white-haired man. "Illyana."

"It is." he assures her. "The point being that magic is just another science: the study of why something works and how to make things happen. It's not something I ever studied since, like you said, there's a lot of nothing in between stars as far as magic is concerned. It can't really tap into what's there. Noh-Varr."

"Or not there, as the case may be. It sounds like you're eager for fights." Illyana did notice his… enthusiasm at the pier, and the offer to help was one of his opening statements. "I'm surprised you're with SHEILD, well, SWORD and not one of the hero groups." A pause. "Or, if you are, I've just missed it. I've been, well, let's say I've been 'away' recently." And she's never been into media, social and otherwise.

"SWORD gives me the best way to protect your planet." Noh-Varr says. "They're looking in the right direction. And with the Kree hanging out in your outer solar system, they're going to be needed sooner than later. Guaranteed." He gives a little shrug of a shoulder. "I've been a little busy with things and I haven't been here too long. Where've you been?"

Since he asked, "Hell." Illyana's tone is dry, but not joking. "Well, hell-realm. One of them." It needs a lot of qualifiers or people get the wrong idea.

There's a tilt of the blonde's head and that thoughtful frown on her lips. "And 'Kree' is your race then?" Since he mentioned a Kree philosipher earlier. Her pale gaze slides down over his casual attire and then back up, brows arching as her lips curve into a smirk. "You look pretty human, but I know better than most how little that means."

"Kree were originally blue but breeding outside our race eventually lightened our complexions. There's still a small minority of blue Kree who are way too impressed by their genetic purity. Major assholes." Noh-Varr explains. "They refuse to admit they're genetic dead ends." He seemed to accept Illyana being in hell without comment.

Illyana Rasputina chuckles, "Sounds like for the most part, you're all mutts then." She doesn't say that like it's a bad thing.

The blonde raises a hand, making a dismissive gesture. "I should get going. I was hoping maybe you found out something that'd help me stop the portals and the kidnappings, but…" She hitches a shoulder in a shrug. "I'll poke the WAND guy about your thoughts on monitoring for incoming portals."

"You might want to see if they collected any DNA from the creatures." Noh-Varr suggests. Or what was left of them. "And if they can spare some. Otherwise, you'll need to go there and collect something to use. If you need to, I'll be happy to join you. I don't get to different dimensions often. Should be fun."

Illyana Rasputina wrinkles her nose a bit at Noh-Varr's suggestion. It's an almost cute mannerism that's at odds with her cold gaze. It makes her seem younger than she looks. "Me visiting either of their realms would be a bad idea." It's considered rude but more importantly, it would make her incredibly vulnerable. Much moreso than she already is just being on Earth. "And we managed to pick up some remains from their creatures already, so we're set on that front."

"Well, there you go. Suspend some in a neutrally charged substance, perform your ritual, and I'll fly it up to the top of the Empire State Building where it can overlook the entire city." Gesturing vaguely in that direction, Noh-varr continues. "It'll resonate should anything from that dimension come through. You should have a second item that you can use to track the new arrivals."

"I may not fly, but I get around alright. I should be able to take care of it." Illyana assures Noh-Varr with another chuckle.

A stepping disk opens behind her like a door, empty one moment then there the next like an editing mistake. There's no sound to announce it, no displacement of air. It's glow is muted by the late afternoon sunlight and it's rimmed in eldritch fire. What's beyond isn't clear, it's just that wall of light that Illyana walks backwards into. "Good ideas." She tells him, because complimenting is easier than saying 'thank you'.

"Yes." Noh-Varr agrees. "I'd like to watch you do the casting when you do it. And see where that portal leads." Magic is outside his experience so more than a little fascinating.

Illyana Rasputina pauses just on 'this' side of the stepping disk as Noh-Varr says he'd like to be there. She considers a moment and then puts out her hand. "Give me something of you or yours. Something that has some meaning, if it's an item." Admittedly, it's not the best idea to give a mage a sympathetic link to you. It does open the door to a lot of potential mischief. But he's the one with the request, even if he didn't ask a question.

Noh-Varr's brow furrows and he glances around as if he can find something of his. After a moment, he just reaches up and pulls out a couple hairs, stepping forward to offer them. "That work?"

Illyana Rasputina takes the pale hairs in one hand, the other coming up to twirl them into a single strand and loop it around until the ends touch. She speaks a word and her hands pull apart, the loop of white hair hanging suspended in the air between them. A twist of her wrists, and lines of cyan light burn into being around the loop, turning and twisting as it carves out symbols of light into the air, tighter and tighter into it explodes in a little shower of sparks. Illyana turns her hand palm-up and a clear ring with a heart of familiar white hair drops into her palm.

Slipping the ring onto one of her already-beringed fingers, she flashes him that predatory grin again, along with a wink. "Perfect."

Noh-Varr watches the spellcasting curiously, brows rising at the final result. "Cool. I take it that'll let you contact me directly instead of loitering outside the Triskelion. They really don't like that. Makes them paranoid."

"You could say that." Illyana says, pale eyes glinting with amusement. It allows a lot more than that, but she'll let him find out that the hard way. "And besides, paranoia is good for you. Keeps you on your toes."

With that, she steps back into the circle, which winks out as suddenly as it appeared, leaving Noh-Varr standing alone with a few curious onlookers peering over his way.

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