The Streets of Fandom, Friday Afternoon

[puppy_fair]

"Alright, guys!" Zack's arms were crossed over his chest as he looked around the streets. Handwavey Messages had been left on the phones of anybody who had exchanged numbers at past Reserve meetings, Martial or Magic, and people had been told to bring whatever they needed in order to go zombie-fish hunting. "This is kind of like the time we had

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[onlymistaken]

A standard defence blaster was probably not the ideal weapon for taking out swarms of tiny, deadly things, but it would do, and more to the point, it was what Cally had.

"Are these things actually native to Earth?" she asked as the field of her weapon brought down a handful of them.

When they stilled, flopped, then took to the air again, she was suddenly a bit too busy to ask the follow-up question: What in the names of the five remaining gods are they?

[glacial_witch]

"I don't think so?" Karla said, using witchfire to thin out some of the reanimated piranhas. "I'm not from this world, either, but going by everyone's reactions, they're just as surprising to everyone."

[onlymistaken]

"How are they even breathing?" Because that was the important question. Right. Not what did you just do there, and what world has powers like that? "Forget I asked," she added as one dove for her face, functional gill-slits less impressive than teeth.

[glacial_witch]

"I'd suggest bringing a few home and letting our more scientifically-inclined friends take a crack at them, but..." This time, she let fly with several bolts of Sapphire power. "...My curiosity draws the line at things that reanimate."

[onlymistaken]

Speaking of curiosity... "What was that?" Cally found herself asking as she flipped the little monster away from her with the muzzle of her blaster, then fired on it.

[glacial_witch]

"Craft," Karla explained. "Err, magic? I'm a witch. It's an innate ability of my people, the Blood."

[onlymistaken]

Ah, the part of this place that Cally had just been letting slide past her ears, certain -- well, pretending to be certain -- that what people were calling magic was only science of a level too advanced for their education to explain.

"Some form of telekinesis?"

[glacial_witch]

"That's part of it, considering I can float things," Karla said. "But basic Craft itself is much too complex to be labeled as any one thing."

Besides Craft, of course.

"Some time when we're not in combat, I can give you a run down of what I can do?" she offered. "It's...kind of long."

[onlymistaken]

Cally raised both eyebrows, but nodded, keeping an eye out for the next rush of fish heading their way. "Some among my people can move objects with their minds, but it's very rare. Certainly nothing like what you just did."

[glacial_witch]

"It's pretty rare for this world, too," Karla said with a nod. "But, in my world, it's part of being a member of the Blood. Even those who are too weak to wear a Jewel still have basic Craft."

Good job, Karla! That wasn't confusing at all!

[onlymistaken]

Not so confusing, given the jewel about her neck if it was visible, but still slightly more complex than Cally's society. "I comprehend the idea, if not the mechanism. Only a few of my people have other psionic powers, but everyone under thirty or so is telepathic."

[glacial_witch]

"Really," Karla said, tossing a gout of Sapphire energy at another swarm of approaching piranhas. Her hand came up to fiddle with her Jewel as she asked, "Everyone under thirty? That's very specific. I'm assuming there's a reason for that...?"

Intrigued Karla was intrigued.

[onlymistaken]

"It's a by-product of our replication process." Cally trained a stream of blaster fire over the ones that flopped back up into the air. "Such gifts occurred naturally in the population before it was perfected, but now all the children are born with it."

[glacial_witch]

"Replication process?" Karla asked. "Is that a fancy way to talk about childbirth, or is it more complicated than that."

Stupid piranhas! Karla would much rather be sitting down, chatting about this over tea or something.

[onlymistaken]

As would Cally. Though after today, perhaps one of those coffees with a kilo of chocolate and whipped cream in would suit better.

"More complicated, yes." To say the least. "We use genetic manipulation techniques and artificial gestation machinery; our infants can be created and born in a matter of days."

[glacial_witch]

And alcohol. Don't forget the alcohol!

"Fascinating," Karla said, in a voice that suggested she truly was fascinated. "Are you still capable of childbirth the natural way--whatever that way might be for your people--or has that changed with the onset of this new technique?"

In a few minutes, she might realize that was a rude question. Maybe.

"Well, not so new, I suppose, if the earliest generation is about thirty. Oh! Does that mean you are a telepath, too?" Cally looked under thirty, but if their gestation lasted only a few days, who knew how their aging process worked?