2013.08.09 - Magic Might Work

Carmichal had called Jocelyn and asked her to come by the office to see him. He and she might have been missing each other in the intervening days, and when they had seen one another, John had seemed troubled by something. Distracted even. On the upside, he'd been drinking far far less than usual, and had, in fact even been taking better care of himself. Sometimes even coming into the office clean shaved, and smelling of Old Spice only without the after-whiff of scotch, and cigarette smoke. His clothes looked less rumpled, and the bags under his eyes seemed less pronounced.
Something was differerent for the detective, that much was certain. The odd request for Jocelyn to meet him after hours at the office though was unusual, even for him. He usually let Joce make her own hours, but tonight he'd said "please", when he'd spoken to her. "It's important, doll...." and had refused to say anything more.
Well, Jocelyn had been making her way to the office regularly for hours, and she thought she'd been doing a good job. But something in John's voice told her this wasn't going to be a good conversation. It smelled a little bit like the one that she was going to get fired, and Jocelyn wasn't sure why it was. Of course, that could be the paranoia of the young, but that happens, too.
Regardless, Jocelyn has made her way into the office. The teen glances around, then heads on into John's office. "You wanted to see me?" Jocelyn asks.
Carmichal nods, and smiles and gestures to a chair by his desk "Yeah doll, have a seat..." he says "You want one of those fancy mocha-chinos you kids seem to like more than coffee, or a soda-pop or something?" he asks, moving to his in-office kitchenette, as he stands from behind his desk. When she'd entered he had been miles away, preoccupied with something, but seems animated as ever now that she's here.
"I got some things going on...and..." he says "I've thought long and hard about talking to you about it, but after weighing all the possibilities..." he says "I don't think I can figure out my next step without talking to you." he says "You're my gal friday after all, and my best friend." he says with a genuine smile.
Well, it wasn't the conversation opener that Jocelyn was expecting. Well, not after the offer of something to drink. "I'm fine with just some water, thanks," Jocelyn says to John easily enough. There were times she preferred the other drinks, but right now, she thought water was a better choice.
Then John gets into the meat of things. "Alright. What's going on then?" Jocelyn asks the detective. She hadn't figured out all the references that John tended to make, but she'd learned enough to figure out the general meaning behind them, more or less. "If it's something I can help with, I will," the woman adds.
Carmichal nods, and grabs a glass, and fills it with ice, and some water, handing this to her, and then moving to lean/sit upon the front of the desk near where she sits, rather than moving around behind it. "Well, alright, first off...." he says "You're already helping just by being willing to listen to me jabber-jaw, and putting up with my antiquated ideas." he says "Which I appreciate by the way..." he says and smiles, offering her a wink. "First...the small dilemma I have." he says "I met a dame...and HOW, what a dame!" he says grinning, and then sighs "Thing is...." he says growing a little wistful, and then frowning finally "She's got this problem...." he says "see...she's..." he seems to be struggling with the idea "Thing is she's some kind of demon-spawn, succubus or something like that..." he says shaking his head. "She's got a good heart, and all, but she...." he sighs again "She apparently needs to feed on people to survive...which ends up killing them." he says "I don't have any means of stopping her from doing it...and I've tried." he says "I've even offered myself...so we'll see if that comes of anything." he says
"Here's my problem." he says "I have no idea how to even court a woman in this day and age, let alone a demon-woman....." he says then laughs "I can't believe I even just said that..."
Nope! Not what Jocelyn was expecting at all. The girl takes a sip of her drink and just listens. And listens. Her brain attempts to process what John just said. It takes the girl a few seconds to speak, during which time she just takes a couple sips of her water, trying to get through, in her head, the craziness of it all.
"Alright. So you've got a crush on a succubus. While I haven't met her, I do think I need to point out that the way a succubus operates is to seduce men," the teen says. "I would be careful. You say you offer yourself, but that'll ultimately kill you as well, and it won't stop her," Jocelyn points out. Jocelyn does glance about briefly, then turns back to John, just to see if there is any lingering energy or magic or something around him.
"As for courting women, usually it's the manner of asking her out to a movie or a meal or some shared interest," Jocelyn adds easily.
Carmichal almost grins and nods "Well, I know that, doll. I didn't just fall off the turnip truck...." he says with a chuckle "And I know it would kill me...but that brings me to the other thing I wanted to discuss with you." he says and holds up a hand "but let's not get ahead of myself..." he says with a light chuckle.
"Ok, so I've learned a few more things about myself, and my abilities...." he says "I can walk through solid stuff, which you already knew about." he says "I can be invisible, which I can't recall whether I told you about or not..." he says "but as it turns out...." he says "I can't stay dead..." he says "I die...and come back." he says "The first time someone told me that I didn't believe 'em." he says "the second time someone told me that I thought they'd taken a hit to the noggin." he says, but sighs "But recently it was told to me by someone who had lots of reasons to lie.." he says "So I tested the theory out...." he says and before she can chew him a new one he's holding up a hand to silence her. "I know...I know it was reckless...." he says "But I had to know, and it seemed simple enough to test...."
"Well, much as I want to call you reckless for it, I can't say I've never done stupid things to test my abilities," Jocelyn admits after a moment or two. She's pretty sure John has never seen her go nova, so to speak. There were flaws to her power, and she wasn't unkillable, like John was. "Though that makes sense. If you were 'dead' for however many years it was, I'm guessing you were just in a position where you couldn't revive until recently," Jocelyn suggests. She doesn't seem that freaked out about it. But, she's met enough people with weird powers that this one seems almost normal.
Carmichal nods "Right, knowing that now, lots of things make sense." he says "Like why I woke up in a construction/demolition zone amidst rubble of a building that was being built when I last recall being "in my own time" as it were." he says "Anyway...my succubus friend has already killed me once." he says "I hoped that might entice her to continue to seek her food from me, but she said as good as I am..." he shrugs "Nobody wants to 'eat the same thing all the time'...her words." he says with a shake of his head. "Anyway...I'm hoping I can change her mind or come up with some other solution to her problem...until then I don't know what to do but keep trying." he says
"But okay enough about my love life, or whatever you wanna call it." he says and sighs fixing her gaze with his own "So after turning in that information to Magneto....." he pauses, perhaps for dramatic effect, or perhaps just to let her settle her mind on the change in subject. "He made me an offer I'm seriously considering...." he says, and waits for her reaction.
Hmm. Jocelyn wasn't quite so sure about that. Leaving someone out on the streets who had to kill to survive didn't sit well with her. But for now, Jocelyn keeps quiet and lets the topic shift to Magneto, at which she raises her right eyebrow slightly. "What sort of offer?" Jocelyn asks. She doesn't trust the man all that much, no. Magneto had too many great plans for mutants, from what she'd seen, and it wasn't as though he'd consulted with all the mutants in the world. She just didn't trust him. Too much the politician. Who could blow up just about anything with a flick of his finger.
John crosses his arms, and sighs "He's offered to help me improve my powers..." he says "He was able to suss out that I HAD powers, and pretty much what they were just by having me in his office." he says "Now, mind you, I got no interest in improving my abilities..." he says "But I DO feel like I could be doing the world a whole lot of good, if I stuck close to the man, and kept an eye on his activities...." he says, leaving unsaid what she already knew. That being that he was associated in some fashion with SHIELD.
"I don't trust the mug further than I could throw him while bound hand and foot, and using only my teeth." he says "but I spent time during the war in occupied France." he says "I know how to blend in...keep my mouth shut, and my head down, and watch, listen, and report back on the quiet." he says "Seems like someone oughta be doing that...."
"You got any way to deal with his telepaths?" Jocelyn asks. "Because I assure you, he'll definitely have telepaths there, and they will go poking through your head," Jocelyn states. "If you're going there undercover and just being in the area, that's one thing, but to be sticking close to him, then you'll be under more intense scrutiny". Jocelyn couldn't defend against a strong enough telepath herself - she only had basic defenses against casual scanning. "That would be my only concern about you sticking close to him".
Carmichal suddenly frowns "Oh hell....." he says "Telepaths, you mean like mind-readers?" he says and shakes his head "No, doll, I don't think I do...I got no idea..." he says "I don't even know telepathic people..." he says and then his eyes fasten upon her intently "Do I?" he asks. He figures if there are telepaths in/around him, Jocelyn of ALL people would know. But then again, for all he knew SHE was a telepath and was just too much of a lady to admit it to him. The look on his face is one of sudden embarrassment as he looks away from Jocelyn then and shakes his head.
"Stupid, Carmichal, real stupid..." he sighs "I didn't even realize people could do that...but I guess I shouldn't be surprised...."
"Not sure if you know telepaths or not," Jocelyn admits. "I can see psionic energy, or psychic energy, or whatever you want to label it, but I can't read minds myself. I have basic defenses against it, but most telepaths are strong enough to bypass mine. Only advantage I have is that I know when they're using their powers, so I can know to go punch them in the face if they're abusing it". The girl shrugs a little at that. "But yeah, telepaths make certain things tricky to deal with. Most of them have strict personal moral codes about mind reading, but I'm guessing that if Magneto has any in his employee, they have very specific instructions about what their morality towards scanning people is, and I doubt I'd like it very much".
John Carmichal continues to frown and sighs "I don't suppose you know anyone who could help me here?" he says "I mean...I really feel I need to do this, but if simply walking into the room is gonna blow my cover...." he shakes his head "Then it might already be too late." he sighs
"Jocelyn, I'm a trained spy..." he says "and I'm a man outta time...would that make one of these telepaths have a more difficult time?" he asks "And...do you know anyone I could ask, if you don't know?"
"Nobody I can point you to. Every telepath I've met is absolutely adamant about secrecy, and frankly any that I know that might be powerful enough I don't know well enough to ask," Jocelyn says. Which is true. There are a grand total of two who might be able to pull it off, and really she doesn't know Jean or the Professor well enough. Plus there is no way they'd agree to their cover being compromised. "I'll keep an ear to the ground, though. You might have better luck talking with some of your contacts with Mr. Fury. They might have something that can help," she offers.
Carmichal just sighs and nods "Thank you...and I'd rather not contact Fury." he says "I'm trying to keep my association with Fury and his people real quiet-like, in case Magneto's got people watching me." he says. "That mug's got some real shiney sciency stuff around him, and he likes to flaunt his power..." he says "it makes me uneasy. He's alot like ole Adolf, I think....but that makes it all the more important for someone like me to get close..." he says "I gotta find some way...but not before I'm sure I won't blow it..."
"Well, it's possible he's got someone watching you, and if he does, it's almost assured that you've got your cover blown already, if he's had telepaths on you for awhile. If not, then you've still got a chance, if you can find someone who can help you deal with telepaths. But they're some of the strongest metahumans out there, if only because they can know way too much, and it's incredibly hard to deal with them if you aren't a telepath or naturally reistant yourself," Jocelyn admits.
Carmichal strokes his chin thoughtfully and then sighs a bit, before he grins at you "I wonder if my demon dish could help out. Magic's kinda weird right? I mean it doesn't follow the same kinds of rules that science, or mutations and stuff follow, usually...." he says "Ya think?" he asks. "As for my cover...I don't think my cover's been blown yet...I think Magneto would probably not have left the offer open if he already knew I was planning on ratting on him." he says "If you see Rain will you let her know I'd like to see her?" he says "She's got this weird habit of showing up at odd times, and well...she rides a broom. She might know a good way to guard against telepaths."
"Magic might do it, yeah," Jocelyn agrees. "I don't know enough about magic to know how well it'll work, or if it'll be detectable, but that's one avenue to approach. He won't be expecting it, more than likely," Jocelyn agrees. She thinks about Rain, and the broom riding, and nods, thinking she might know who that is. "If I see her, I'll let her know," Jocelyn agrees.
Carmichal nods to her and smiles "Alright, so that's something to check out..." he says and sighs "Alright doll, thank you for your advice...and I might have to introduce you to this gal I met...maybe between us we can help her out with her situation..." he says "I'd love to keep her around if I can....anyway you probably got things to do....so...you go do it. I'm gonna go see if I can track down a redheaded succubus." he chuckles.
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