byflame (byflame) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2021-07-03 21:26:00 |
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Entry tags: | #group scene, #june 2018, diego, haisley, jane, lem, mal, neil, oliver, reza, shane, toby, vex |
Who: Shane, Reza + all the lovely AIR peeps
Where: Overlook
When: Wednesday afternoon 6/13
Status: In progress, part 1
Shane might not want to swim but he still liked the idea of a pool party, especially on a sunny day with good looking people. He'd made sure everyone involved with their little operation was invited, though some of them were informed it was a meeting and not a party. Doing that had started out as a joke but the more he thought about it, the more he suspected their terse librarian and righteous preacher might not be as eager to show up if they knew they were all just going to hang out and get to know each other. The timing was a little risky, people had jobs and especially Toby had very unpredictable hours, but they'd gotten lucky there. Neil could leave early and Toby was not on shift today so a party set at three in the afternoon on a weekday actually worked out pretty perfectly.
Sunning by the poolside with a yummy cocktail had always been one of Shane's ideas of easy living when he was a kid and dreaming of a happier future and he couldn't wait until everyone was there so he could do just that. They had drinks aplenty, sunscreen to go and some light electronica playing from multiple speakers around the house so now all they needed was their guests. Shane didn't really expect anyone to show up at three PM sharp so he was a little surprised when the doorbell chimed, but given the nature of some of the people invited, maybe he shouldn't have been surprised.
Mal was eager to get everyone in a room together and start to really plan their attack on AIR, so when the word had come to him that Shane was organizing a group meeting, he accepted immediately. He'd canceled the usual Bible study that he conducted on Wednesday evenings, and had tried to soothe a rather pouty Sam. She kept wanting to be involved in all this, and while Mal appreciated her enthusiasm and loyalty, he couldn't put her at unnecessary risk. Besides, his self-preservation instinct told him to keep her separated from a bunch of psychics who could easily kick him out of the group for things about his private life that they didn't understand. He'd gotten lucky that Vex hadn't seen anything more incriminating in his vision.
In any case, Mal was glad they were all finally getting together at once, and he was nothing if not punctual, so at three PM he was ringing the doorbell of the ostentatious house. It wasn't exactly a low profile location, but he doubted that AIR would be looking for them here anyway, and if they did then they already knew too much. When Shane opened the door, Mal gave him a small half-smile, but that didn't last long as he took in the man's state of undress -- just swimming trunks? "Afternoon," he greeted. "... did I get the time wrong?"
"Nope, you're right on time," Shane said with a slightly mischievous smile as he glanced at his smartwatch then waved Mal inside. "Informal Wednesday, the sun is shining and we could all use a drink." He peeked outside before closing the door - in case their other fastidious guest was already there - then turned his attention to Mal again. "So what's your poison? We've got most of the more popular stuff and I'm pretty good at cocktails if you have a preference there." He had never tended bar himself, but he enjoyed alcohol and learning new recipes and he'd spent enough time in his nightclub to pick up a trick or three.
So this wasn't going to be the kind of meeting Mal had envisioned. Shane looked much more prepared to lounge by the pool and get drunk than have a serious discussion and planning session about what might get them all killed. Perhaps he was just that kind of man. Mal decided to stick around and find out what sort of mindset the others were in, maybe they could actually make some progress. He stepped inside and started to walk with Shane, chuckling faintly at his offer. "Thank you for the hospitality, but I don't drink," he answered, giving the half-nude man a wan smile. "Disappointing, I know."
"Nah, you do you, man," Shane replied with an easy smile. It wasn't really surprising, Neil probably didn't drink either. They'd probably slip away quietly if this gettogether was all party and no serious talk. "We've got plenty of virgin drinks too. Let me get you something." He was about to lead the way to the kitchen when there was another knock on the door and he seriously considered leaving it open for the rest of them to just come on in. It was a gated community of sorts anyway with heavy magical protection and that way he didn't have to be running to the door all the damn time.
It was Neil this time, a whole two minutes late and looking like he'd seen a ghost when Shane opened the door. "We did say three, did we not?" he asked, shoving his hands in the pockets of his wholly unnecessary jacket and averting his eyes.
"Yeah, you're actually only the second one to show," Shane tittered and hell, maybe he should have told all the party people three and the formal meeting people four, that way they were all more likely to show up at the same time. As it was, it was just him, Reza and two sticks in the mud. "C'mon in! Do you drink? I was about to get Mal something non-alcoholic."
"It's Wednesday," Neil muttered with a sour look on his face, then nodded a bit stiffly at the only other guest who'd showed so far. "Hello."
Mal backed up a few paces to give the new arrival room to come in, slipping his fingers into the front pockets of his jeans. He was vaguely amused to see that it was Neil. The other misfit most likely to turn down a drink and balk at the sight of Shane's nipples. "Hello Neil," he said, a little smile on his face. "Glad you came." He knew Neil wasn't his biggest fan, but Mal wasn't going to take it personally. From everything he'd seen of Neil, he wasn't really a fan of anyone on the planet.
Reza had been upstairs making some last minute adjustments to his hair, and hearing voices in the front foyer on his way to the stairs made him quicken his steps. He'd been nervous about this, but after meeting Diego and getting to all play with their powers together, Reza had relaxed. He knew at least one of them now and the guy was cool, so the rest of them were less intimidating that way. He was wearing swim trunks too, but had bothered to put a shirt on, a colorful button-down that he'd casually left half-open. He smiled warmly at the men in the foyer as he walked up to stand next to Shane. "Hey guys, welcome," Reza said.
Shane was ever so glad Reza joined them because these two guests were not the easiest to entertain. His smile looked a bit relieved and he introduced the three men before waving at them to join him in the kitchen. "We'll be able to speak freely outside, there's a sort of sound barrier," he told them cheerfully as he opened up the fridge to find some drinks. Mal and Neil didn't really need to know Reza was the one who put that there but Shane wouldn't be surprised if word had already gotten around that he was special too. "So we can enjoy the sun and still have a good talk. You guys have met before, right?" He gestured between Mal and Neil.
"Yes," Neil said with a little sigh and when Shane pointed at the drinks on offer, he accepted by pointing at the sparkly water. It wasn't really what he wanted but most of the things there weren't either. "Who else is coming?"
"I don't know them all yet but, uh," Shane started, squinting as he tried to count up everyone. "Jane and Diego, Toby, Diego's family. Someone called Vex? Am I forgetting someone?"
Mal took a bottled water from Shane -- not sparkly, he wasn't a fan -- and nodded a bit to the guest list. "Jane, Diego and his ... partner, the AIR girl they found, Toby, Vex and his conduit ... that's seven more," he said. He'd tried to make sure everyone was going to attend, since they all needed to talk and plan, he just hadn't expected the vibe to be quite so casual. But perhaps talking about dark things under the bright light of day, around a pool, would be good for morale.
Jane was more than ready to relax, drink and figure out how to fuck up AIR. She saw no reason why they couldn't do all of those things, though she knew Neil would probably be puckered the entire time. That was fine. As long as they discussed AIR, he would have no room to complain. She wasn't sure if she was going to swim, but she dressed in a two piece anyway, throwing on some shorts and a loose tank top. As soon as she saw Neil's car she relaxed, grabbing her bag to carry it up the driveway and into the house. The polite thing would have been to knock, but that felt way too formal for Jane.
"Hi besties," Jane exclaimed, once she had walked into the kitchen where she found the rest of them. Or some of them, anyway. As expected, Neil looked like someone was playing with his asshole and Mal looked... well, like Mal. Like the dad of the group who looked calm but you just know disapproved of everything. Or maybe just the showing of skin. "I clearly haven't missed anything fun. You've got gin, right?" she asked Shane, setting her bag down on the nearest surface.
"Jane!" Shane yelled and spread his arms in delight. At least that was one guest who didn't hate the idea of parties and would probably accept a cocktail from him. "C'mon in, let me make you something to drink." He didn't wait for her answer, already grabbing the bottle of gin. "This is better in a cocktail, trust me. You can have it straight later, but you gotta try it first." He wagged his brows and grabbed a glass, set on making this drink for her whether she liked it or not.
Neil deflated a little, starting to realize that this might not be a very productive meet-up after all. "Hi Jane," he said with a hint of defeat in his voice and decided right then that if this became nothing but a party, he'd mosey on out of there within the hour.
"Everybody's just arriving," Reza said with a faint smile, always the gracious host. It was good to see Shane's pleased reaction to Jane -- he knew they had talked and Shane's anger had died down, but Reza hadn't seen her since she'd confronted him at Joyland. At least he knew they were all on a good page. "Hello Jane," he added, moving around Shane to grab the supplies to make his own drink.
Jane waved her hand at Shane, giving him permission to make her whatever he wanted. "Hi Neil," Jane replied with a smile as she leaned against the counter. "You look like you're being led to the guillotine. I promise we're here to talk about the problem at hand. It's just nice to do it with alcohol. And sunshine. And a pool." Yes, she could have told him it was a laid back sort of "party" but she knew for a fact that he wouldn't have come if she had. She certainly didn't expect him to wear swim trunks or anything comfortable either.
"I do not look like I'm being led to the guillotine," Neil protested quietly. "But yes, this feels more like a party than a meeting and I'm not sure alcohol is going to keep us on track." He wasn't happy to be there, uncomfortable around new people and knowing more were coming didn't exactly improve his mood. "I suppose sitting outside can be nice, if it's private enough to allow for us to talk there."
"It's private enough," Shane groaned as he waltzed over to them to hand Jane her drink. "Trust me. Nobody will hear us." He looked Neil up and down with a little sigh and bit back on the urge to tell him to lighten up and have a drink, that he needed one. Neil could be so good looking if he didn't constantly look like he was smelling something awful. And if he dressed nicer. And brushed his hair. What a waste. Shane didn't tell him that now, just gave him a reassuring smile and patted his twitchy shoulder. "We're allowed to have a little bit of fun, like a little pre-war party."
"We're all adults," Jane reminded Neil when Shane handed her a glass. "Except for Diego's little human. This isn't a college frat party and we're not going to start snorting lines or having an orgy. We're going to enjoy the weather and get a plan going, okay?" Grinning, Jane slipped her arm through Neil's, holding on tight so he couldn't pull away. "Let's go outside and lounge. You can relax until the others get here." She really hated thinking of this as "pre-war" but Shane was probably pretty accurate with that.
Not too long after everyone vacated the kitchen for fresher air, another car pulled into the ample driveway and parked. Diego climbed out of the driver's seat and stretched his arms over his head for a second, giving a little groan. He ducked his head and shoulders back into the car to grab the little beach bag they'd packed with some sunscreen and towels -- Shane had said he had a pool, and Diego couldn't let the opportunity to swim go to waste. He slung the bag over his shoulder and grinned at Oliver and Haisley as they also got out of the car. He was nervous about Oliver meeting everyone and vice versa, but now that they were here, his excitement was starting to outweigh the worry. "I think you'll really like Shane," he told Haisley. "He's funny."
Haisley was kind of psyched about the pool too, even if she was doing her best not to show it. She had no idea how to swim, but she could at least stay in the shallow end if she had to. More than anything else, she was excited to see everyone because they were like her. It felt crazy that so many AIR "subjects" were here in one place and Haisley had to admit it felt really nice that she wasn't alone anymore. "Is he hot?" Haisley asked Diego, grinning because she was mostly teasing.
While the other two were clearly excited for this, Oliver was feeling a bit of trepidation. A rusty ball of unease had formed in the pit of his stomach since finding out AIR had a facility nearby, and that unease had only grown and festered since. He didn't want to ruin Diego and Haisley's fun, or destroy their new relationships with these people, but he couldn't help but think all of this was going to end badly. And he couldn't really do anything about it.
He locked the car and slipped his keys into his pocket as they walked up to the door. Oliver didn't really trust himself to say anything because he was afraid he might come across as a grouch or something, so he kept silent, doing his best to put on a relaxed, happy face to get through the afternoon.
Haisley's question made Diego laugh a bit and he avoided glancing at Oliver. The answer was an obvious Yes, but he didn't quite want to say so in front of his man. He got the sense that Oliver was already wary enough of these people, there was no need to potentially make it worse. "I dunno, you tell me when you see him," he said to Haisley instead, grinning back. As they all stepped up close to the large front door, Diego looked at Oliver for a beat, then reached over to give his arm a little squeeze before he rang the bell. It was going to all be okay, they just had to get through this awkward first part. Oliver would see.
"Should have just left the door open," Shane said to himself more than anything as he got up from where he'd just started lounging by the pool. It wasn't really feasible for a variety of reasons but until everyone was here he had a feeling he'd be doing a lot of the running back and forth. He jogged out to the hall and swung open the large door, beaming at Diego before taking in Oliver and Haisley. It should have been oh so good to meet them at last but in about a second flat his smile faded as he felt a familiar, claustrophobic feeling wash over him. He knew exactly what it was and while he could still feel his fire underneath everything, it felt muted suddenly. The first thing that came to mind was that there was someone else there, lurking behind his guests. An intruder from AIR, that they were essentially fucked, but as he looked around all he saw was the three people in front of him. "What the fuck?" he whispered, disgust and fear replacing his easy demeanor. "Which one of you is doing this?"
Haisley's first thought was that if this was Shane then he was hot. But then he looked... not nice. What he said was confusing and Haisley looked at Oliver and Diego in confusion, instinctively taking a step back. She wasn't going to run or anything but if something was happening that she didn't know about, she wanted to be ready to run if she had to.
Oliver reached out for Diego's arm, a protective instinct even though Shane hadn't really come across as threatening. "Doing what?" he asked calmly. Maybe this was some kind of joke and Shane would start laughing in a moment, so Oliver didn't want to overreact.
Diego was equally baffled, the bright smile he'd had on for Shane fading into a puzzled frowny expression. "Yeah ... what do you mean?" he asked, unnecessarily. His power was in check -- Shane wouldn't be asking if it had to do with gravity anyway, that answer was obvious -- and he was pretty sure Haisley's was too. She wouldn't immediately start feeding off of whoever opened the door. So he didn't know what they could possibly be ‘doing' to prompt such a greeting. Diego felt Oliver's touch and moved to take his hand without thinking about it.
Shane wanted to slam the door in their faces and he might have done just that if he didn't actually know the people on the other side and genuinely like Diego. Haisley and Oliver looked baffled, no sinister focus in their expressions, no calculated look as they smothered his flames. They weren't truly smothered either, they just felt muted and Shane was sure he could still call up a flame, it would just be harder. The effect was all too recognizable though and the memories that came with it were like a punch in the face. there was a Null there and as much as he might not want to be a dick to these specific people, he felt too agitated to be reasonable about it. "One of you's a fucking Null." He glared at Haisley, then Oliver, fighting the urge to back up hide, stepping forward instead to see if he could feel where it came from. "It's you," he said through clenched teeth, stopping in front of Oliver and doing his best to rein in the helpless rage that was bubbling up inside of him, nostrils flaring and lip curling as he studied the man. "Stop."
Haisley shrunk back from Shane's look and she couldn't help but wonder why Diego liked this guy when he was being such a dick. It didn't help that she didn't have any idea what a null was, but as soon as Shane turned to Oliver, Haisley reached out to grip Diego's arm, tugging on it as if that would prompt him to do something. This was totally a bad idea and now she just wanted to go home. What if the others she hadn't met were just as mean? There was a tiny part of her that could feel Shane's wrath and she wanted to feed off of it. But if she did that, it would just make him angrier.
Like Haisley, Oliver had no idea what Shane was talking about and his spine stiffened when Shane moved in close. "I have no idea what you're talking about," Oliver said, keeping his voice steady as he studied Shane. All he knew was null meant empty. Nothing. Something along those lines. But he had no idea what it meant coming from Shane and he certainly had no idea what Shane expected from him. Stop? Stop what, exactly?
This was not the easygoing and funny Shane that Diego had befriended. The switch was so unexpected and Diego was so confused by what he was saying that he felt kind of frozen. But feeling Haisley clutching at his arm in fear broke the paralysis and anger of his own rose up in Diego. He did not like anybody up in Oliver's face like that, even though his man was keeping his cool. "Hey," he barked sharply, stepping in closer, one shoulder between the two of them. He planted a hand against Shane's chest -- not quite pushing, but definitely applying ‘back up' pressure. "He's not doing anything, back the fuck up." He definitely hadn't come prepared to fight, in his swimming trunks with dumb little flamingos and flip flops on, but if it came down to defending Oliver, he wouldn't hesitate.
"You can't feel that?" Shane hissed back at Diego, though he didn't take his eyes off Oliver, anger and paranoia swirling in his mind. He didn't look anything like the suits who'd stepped into the room whenever AIR needed to mollify him, if it wasn't for the effect Shane was feeling his first impression of Oliver would have been that he was probably a nice guy. He didn't look threatening, if anything he looked as paranoid as Shane currently felt and that just made it all the more confusing. He backed up though, looked Oliver up and down and took in a shaky breath. "You don't know what you are?" There was a big part of him that wanted him to run now, to find out just how big the perimeter for the Quiet was so he could get out of it but this man was at his house and he was there with friends. It was enough to make Shane struggle to calm down, though that seemed a lot easier said than done.
Knowing what Diego could do, Oliver placed his hand gently on his partner's back, not wanting the gravity around them to go haywire. Oliver was tense and confused, unable to comprehend how Diego might have befriended someone like Shane, whose first instinct seemed to be attack, rather than ask questions. Not that Oliver had any answers. "I'm nothing," Oliver told Shane, keeping his voice calm, the way he did at the hospital when dealing with agitated patients. "I honestly have no idea what you're talking about, or what's made you so angry."
Diego was grateful that Shane backed off a bit, and he stayed where he was, planted halfway in front of his man, his face furrowed in a scowl. Beyond the defensiveness, there were things clicking in his mind. Having been thoroughly traumatized himself, Diego knew how easy it could be to react to fear with anger, and he thought that might be what was happening here. Shane obviously thought Oliver was something ... why did that ‘null' word sound familiar? A snippet of conversation from the first time they'd met passed through his mind -- Shane had mentioned nulls before. Nulls or zeroes? Was that what he'd said? Diego hadn't understood or asked at the time, which he regretted now. "Wait," he said, glancing between Shane and Oliver. "Whatever you think Oliver is ... a null? You mentioned them when we first met. But he's not with them, okay? Trust me, if you don't trust him. Whatever you're feeling, it's not on purpose."
It was hard to calm down when every instinct was telling Shane to fight or run. He wanted to knock Oliver out, just to make the smothering effect go away but what Diego said made sense. Whatever Oliver was doing, he hadn't completely killed the flame inside Shane, he could still burn things if he wanted to and if it was in any way on purpose, why give him that leeway? If he was with AIR he probably wouldn't out himself by coming to a party full of people who would want him dead. AIR employed witches too, Reza was a witch, it didn't have to mean anything. It didn't have to mean anything. Shane was still frowning as he tried to let reason in but like with any fear, his mind and his body were at odds. "I'm sorry," he said after what felt like forever and the words felt hard to get out, some part of him not convinced this wasn't a trap, that he wouldn't end up helpless and locked up again. He wasn't helpless though. He had friends, he had money, people who would look for him. Taking a shaky breath he backed up a bit more, taking his eyes off Oliver and for the first time noticing just how frightened the teenage girl with them looked. Haisley. "I'm sorry," he repeated, still unsure if he really was or if he was right to be paranoid and angry. "I need a- I need a moment." He probably should have told them to go inside, to get drinks, that they'd talk later, but the claustrophobia was setting in strong and all he could do was turn on his heel and stalk back into the house to find some quiet part of it to hide in while he composed himself.
Oliver breathed a little easier when Shane walked away and he looked at Diego, his hand coming up to smooth over his boyfriend's back. "Are you all right? Do you want to stay?" He still had no idea what a null was but he was fairly certain he wasn't one. And if he was, he certainly hadn't known. But Shane's demeanor had been aggressive and off putting and Oliver had no idea if he would be able to relax there now, even when surrounded by the others. What if they all reacted to Oliver the way Shane had?
"What's a null?" Haisley asked, having loosened her grip on Diego when Shane walked away. "What's he talking about?"
Shane had left the door wide open and Diego didn't know if that was an invitation or an oversight, if they were still welcome at this gathering or not. Fuck. He felt a little shaky with the sudden rush of adrenaline, and he lifted his hands to rub them over his face as he turned more toward Oliver and Haisley. "I don't know," he said, and it was an answer that kind of covered all the questions. This had all taken him very off guard and now he didn't know if Oliver would ever trust any of the others, or if they even should. "He mentioned them as some ... source of control AIR used on him? But I didn't ask questions about it, it was just in passing," he said. Diego gave Haisley an uncertain glance. "You don't feel anything weird, do you?" He didn't know if ‘weird' was the right word, but something was nagging in the back of his mind.
While Shane had been freaking out, Reza had started to wonder what was taking so long. He'd excused himself from the others on the back deck to go inside. The kitchen was empty, it obviously wasn't Shane being a bartender that was delaying things, so Reza walked on to the front door. Which was open, with people on the other side of it who had not come in, and Shane was nowhere to be found. He was frowning vaguely as he stepped into sight and looked over everyone, Diego and who he assumed to be Oliver and Haisley. The vibe was just bad. "Hey guys ... What's going on?" he asked.
Source of control? Oliver's dark brows furrowed together as he tried to think back to his time at AIR. They had never said anything to him about having any kind of ability. Oliver imagined if they knew, they would have thrown him into a room too, right? But then again, they had assigned him to Diego on nearly every shift. Because Oliver had always calmed him. But had that been because of their bond? Or because of this null thing? His palms were feeling clammy all of the sudden and he desperately wanted to leave.
"I don't feel anything," Haisley said with a shrug. "But I don't know what I'm supposed to feel?" She glanced at the guy who showed up in the doorway. "That Shane guy got pissy with us and called Oliver a null. I don't know what it means but then he stormed off."
Diego's head felt kind of spinny. He felt his power all the time, he thought, and there was a difference between how he felt when Oliver was around and when he wasn't. But Diego had always chalked that up to how calming Oliver's presence always was for him. He'd never thought of it as some kind of drain on his ability, or a wet blanket over it or something. They'd been together so long now, he was so used to it, it didn't even cross his mind anymore. Was Shane just more sensitive to his own fire? Had Oliver been a null this whole time and Diego didn't know it? He obviously wasn't a bad null, if that was even a thing, he meant no harm to anyone. Diego just shook his head helplessly at Haisley's question, then looked to Reza. At least it was someone he already knew.
Reza was confused but he definitely knew what a null was from conversations with Shane. His magic felt perfectly fine and normal inside of him, but not being psychic kind of exempted him from feeling a null, didn't it? "I'm Reza, Shane's uh, boyfriend, I guess," he told Oliver and Haisley first, nodding to them. "I'm sorry if he was rude ... nulls are people who can subdue psychics' powers. They're like anti-psychics. AIR used to use them to torture him back in the day, so ... he's not a fan. The others are in the back around the pool, I can take you out there if you want to come in?" He quirked a brow and moved back a bit in invitation. Once these three were settled, he would go find Shane and try to figure out more about what was going on.
Diego wet his lips nervously and turned his eyes to Oliver, his brow furrowed a bit in question. "Do you want to stay?" he asked in Spanish, paying no mind to the manners of language-switching. It was a question just for his man. "Jane and Mal should be here, and I know them ... I had no idea he would act that way, I'm sorry my love." He wasn't even sure what he wanted to do at this point, all of this had thrown him off so much. Would the others instantly know if Oliver was this null thing too? Would they have the same reaction?
Shane hadn't gone far, even if the urge was there to leave and keep going until he was far away from all of this. Instead he paced inside one of the many unoccupied rooms, trying to control his breathing and clear his head. There was a disconnect between what he was feeling and what he was thinking that was so stark it almost felt like two people fighting inside of him, one freaked out and wanting to run, the other trying to talk sense into him. He heard Reza by the door and it was grounding in a way, even if it threw a whole lot of new feelings into the mix, fun ones too, like guilt and embarrassment. Those were his guests out there, this wasn't somebody else's party that he could just leave, he was going to be working alongside them on the most important thing in his life.
He finally left the room, stalking out to where he knew he had a spare shirt lying around and put it on. It was strange to feel cold but his body naturally ran hot and right now it didn't. Because of Oliver. Shane still felt shaky as hell as he made his way back to the doorway, catching Diego's words in Spanish and even if he didn't understand them, the tone sent a rush of more guilt straight through him and he gave him a pained look as he stepped up next to Reza and, without thinking much about it, slipped his hand in his for comfort. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "Will you please come in?"
Oliver was about to respond to Diego when Shane showed up again. He tensed instinctively, but Shane's demeanor was certainly less hostile than it had been before. Still, he was wary of the man, and whoever else might be inside. Glancing at Shane, Oliver turned to Diego, his hand still on Diego's back. "It might be better for everyone if I just go home, but I'll stay if you want me to stay." He wasn't going to push anything. This would be Diego's decision because these were his people, not Oliver's. And he didn't want Haisley to be scared of anyone in the house, especially not Shane. If they all left now, she might not trust anyone either.
Diego gave Shane a sideways glance and was a tiny bit placated to see how sheepish he looked. He could have some sympathy for emotions getting the best of you, God knew he'd had some trauma-related freakouts of his own in the past. The pressure of making the decision to stay or go made his chest feel tight for a moment. He definitely didn't want to just send Oliver home like he didn't matter in all of this -- they were a package deal. Diego's expression shifted into something more determined and he shook his head, reaching back to snag Oliver's hand to squeeze it. "No, we're a family. We all go or none go. If anyone else is trouble, I'll flatten them and we can leave," he declared. His eyes ticked to Haisley and he gave her a little smile. "We know how it is to be scared sometimes when those bad memories come up, right?" he said to her, then looked to Shane and Reza with a nod. "Lead the way, there's lots to discuss."
Since nobody protested, Shane let go of Reza and backed up to let them in, scrambling internally to relocate the cheerful host he'd been just minutes ago. He halfway managed, though his voice still felt a little shaky as he walked inside and gestured to the kitchen and backdoor. "We've got a variety of drinks and I made a punch for anyone with no allergies or sensitive stomachs. We're still waiting on a few people to show up but it's a pretty casual meet-up so... What is everyone drinking?" It felt easier to ignore what had just happened, at least for now, move on like everything was okay and he didn't actually feel cold in Oliver's presence. It was a head trip, but he'd certainly been through worse, he could make it through this damn party with a smile on.
Haisley understood what Diego meant, so if he was willing to give Shane another chance, she supposed she could too. That didn't mean she wouldn't be wary of him. She stuck close to Diego and Oliver until she was in the kitchen and Haisley was marveling at how large this house was. It was just like the party she went to a couple of weekends ago. As much as she liked living in Seaview, she couldn't help but feel a prickle of jealousy. There was just so much space here. And a pool. "Just water," Haisley said, turning back to Shane. She wasn't that thirsty, though the urge to start eating was pretty strong. Haisley resisted for now, thinking maybe she would do it later if the "casual meet-up" got too stilted and awkward.
"Water is fine for me too." Oliver's hands were in his pockets now, his back tense. He was going to try, for Diego and Haisley's sake, but it was difficult to relax right now. Maybe once everyone was there and talking, he could just stay back and observe. These were Diego's people, not his. And yet, the word null kept drifting through his mind, making him uncomfortable and unsure.
Diego was vaguely hoping that being outside would make some sort of difference. Maybe Oliver's null-ness or whatever it was would be harder to feel to the rest of them. He and Haisley weren't so sensitive to it, obviously, so who really knew. He wasn't too surprised that his family turned down alcoholic drinks, but Diego sure wanted one. He could still feel his heartbeat in his ears, he wanted to relax some. "Spiked punch? I'll have some of that. Or a screwdriver if you've got orange juice," he answered.
Reza trailed after them all, eyeing Haisley and Oliver curiously. He'd seen pictures of them both when they'd gone out into the woods to experiment, and it was too bad that Shane had already made a bad impression. He helped out by grabbing two bottles of water out of the fridge while Shane took care of Diego's drink. Reza gave Oliver and Haisley a wan smile as he offered the water out to them. "The closest bathroom is down that hall if you need it," he told them, nodding in the right direction.
Shane couldn't say why it was reassuring that Diego wanted alcohol but it was, especially since Haisley and Oliver declined it. He nodded at Diego with a little smile, feeling like he was just barely staving off another panic attack. "We've got everything," he said and maybe making a screwdriver would ease his nerves some. "You have to try the punch too though, later," he added as he busied himself with the alcohol, relieved beyond measure that Reza was there, like he was a buffer between him and Oliver. It didn't work on the man's abilities of course, but having someone else there who was able to talk to him helped.
Haisley had alcohol before and things got pretty crazy so it was probably better that she avoided it here with people who were like her. She took the water from Reza and then started wandering away, towards the door that would lead to the back. It was still kind of tense around the guys in the kitchen so it felt natural to try and escape it. Besides, she wanted to see the pool.
Oliver watched Haisley go, not really blaming her for sneaking off. He also didn't blame Diego for wanting something stronger to drink. The afternoon hadn't really started off on the right foot. And because Haisley walking to the back doors gave Oliver an excuse to escape the situation himself, he started after her, hoping it would give Diego a moment alone with his friends without having to feel protective of Oliver.
Diego felt even more uneasy with Oliver out of sight, and he didn't much feel like chatting with Shane right then in the first place, even though he had a dozen overly-personal questions buzzing around in his mind. He found himself listening hard for any commotion from the back doors while Shane made his drink and Reza tried to make a little small talk. He was sure they would end up talking about this new development, but now wasn't the time for it. Once he had his drink in hand, Diego turned to follow his family out to the back deck, hoping he wasn't going to walk out to anyone else treating his man badly.
Once Toby learned that bathing suits were involved, his mind shifted the gathering from ‘meeting' to ‘party'. Meetings, like work, were the sort of thing he tried to get to on time. Parties, however, had a different timeline, so it didn't matter that he spent far too long on his hair and changed shirts five different times. By the time he arrived, he felt fabulous, which was half the armor he needed when walking into a room filled with psychics like himself. The other half was covered by his abilities, tuned in with volume up, not to spy so much as to keep up. He was determined to be Fun!Toby today, not Paranoid-Majorly-Freaked-Out!Toby, like Neil had seen. He just needed to get his shit together… and maybe get a drink in his hand sooner rather than later. Summoning a grin, he rang the bell, then proceeded to let himself in, feeling good about that decision. "Knock, knock! Anyone home?"
Shane was somewhat relieved to hear the knock, a distraction was good, oh so good, and he headed out of the kitchen and met Toby in the hall. "Fashionably late and yet not the last to arrive," he said jovially. "Come on in, have a drink. Please tell me you're drinking. Half the people here are sober." Or more? He hadn't counted. Too many at least! He definitely felt too sober now and maybe some booze would put the warmth back in his body. "I made punch and we have a shitload of other things if you don't like it. I think you will though, it's fruity." He winked at that last part but couldn't help but wonder if Toby already knew it was all an act and he was really having a meltdown underneath the facade. God damn psychics, it was the last thing he needed.
It was a good charade; Toby would give him that. But even without his powers turned all the way up, he would've picked up on the under current of anxiety running beneath Shane's smile and smooth demeanor. And lit up as he was, it was impossible to miss. It made Toby wish his telepathy was more advanced, that he could do more than make the entire room hear that he wanted a cookie. Maybe someday. This wasn't the crowd to experiment on. "Good God, that's a shame. I'll have to drink their share as well," he grinned, letting Shane keep his walls up. "Get me some of your fruity booze and introduce me." His eyes scanned the room, landing on the big window that framed the back patio. Everyone appeared to be outside for the moment and it gave Toby a moment's pause. "Anything I should know?" he asked, raising a brow.
Shane's smile faded into a grimace and he shook his head while shrugging one shoulder. Booze was a better topic so he grabbed Toby's wrist and pulled him with him into the kitchen. "You can have their share, someone's gotta drink all this." He poured Toby a drink and thought better of not telling him since he was about to go out there and meet Oliver. If he felt what Shane had felt it might just cause another scene - although there didn't seem to be any commotion out there yet so maybe his ability wasn't this constant hum like it was for Shane. "Turns out Oliver is uh, you remember the nulls? Zeroes? Whatever the hell you called them. I didn't know and I'm a little... Freaked out." He handed Toby his glass and gave him another flash of a smile. "It's all good though, we'll get over it. We've got bigger fish to fry and all that."
Toby's took in the group on the patio, zeroing in on the on the one he decided must be Oliver. It was a guess, but, knowing him, probably accurate. He didn't recall nulls being used on him back at the facility, but he'd only been getting a handle on what he could do back then. His powers weren't like Shane's, there was no physical manifestation to stop out, but the thought of his head being completely void of everything but his own thoughts scared him a little. Then again, it might be nice. Oliver didn't feel like a threat, not yet. He took the drink from Shane, taking a sip, then smiling. "This is good," he said, tipping the cup up. His eyes turned back outside. "I wonder if I can get a read on him. And he could be useful, you know. If he's on our side." He knew trust was probably the biggest obstacle among them. They barely knew each other, but had a common enemy. That seemed to be enough to bring them together. "Let's go," he grinned again. "I've been dying to try out your pool."
Shane poured himself a drink as Toby spoke, nodding along. "Yeah I know, it just caught me off guard," he muttered and he hated that it had, that he'd lost his cool like that, had a damn near panic attack at what was supposed to be a nice gathering. Then again maybe it was crazy to expect this group to be able to come together without panic attacks or crying fits. They were all fucked up and traumatized, each in their own way. "Wait, are you telling me you didn't try out the pool when you spent the weekend here?" he added, glad to latch onto something else. "That was the whole point, you idiot. The pool." He had to trust that Diego was right about Oliver, that he was truly on their side and not a spy for AIR. It helped that it didn't make much sense for AIR to spy on them. Why not take them in if they knew where they all were? Why let them run amok and keep plotting AIR's demise? "C'mon," he murmured. "I'll introduce you to everyone you haven't met yet. And then you can swim to your heart's content."
"We used the hot tub. And several of the bedrooms," Toby grinned. "The pool was a little too chilly for my taste. At least at night. It's probably great during the day. But then I couldn't sleep the rest of the weekend, so that was weird. You missed out on that fun." Though he was smiling, the sarcasm made it clear that the lack of sleep part had not, in fact, been a good time. Toby had thought it was just being around Zach that had kept him up, like he was able to run on sex and adrenaline all night, but it had continued even after Zach went home until he thought he was losing his mind. And Shane had been lucky enough to miss it all. "Who're we missing?" he asked as they headed towards the patio. It felt like a pretty big group to him, but he recalled Shane saying he wasn't the last to arrive.
"Vex?" Shane said with a little frown as he thought about it. "Am I forgetting someone?" He started counting in his head but then dismissed it with a little wave of his hand. "Go socialize, try to figure Oliver out, tell them all how good my punch is. I'll be right behind you." He gestured vaguely at the fridge in some indication he had something to do but really he just needed a moment to himself before he braved the crowd. Hopefully the last guests would show up and they could all talk or something that distracted him enough. More people, more distraction, or so he hoped.
"Oh yeah, Vex and his, what's she called? Conduit," Toby said, not entirely sure if someone had told him that or he was pulling it out of thin air. It didn't really matter. He was sure she had a name, but it wasn't coming to him. Oddly, he thought it was a fruit, like an orange. He just knew it wasn't Apple. Maybe Lemon? He shook off the thought. "I'll see you in a few," he said, giving a nod to Shane, then heading out onto the patio. It was the closest he'd been to another group of gifted individuals since their escape from AIR and he was eager to meet them.
Jane saw Toby venture outside and she lifted her drink in greeting. It was perhaps a bit strange to see everyone here together, especially given how different they all were. There was a tension in the air that Jane found hard to pinpoint, but she figured people would loosen up with a couple of drinks. "It seems like we're waiting on Vex, but I think everyone else is here. I'll wait for Shane to come outside before we jump into the gritty part of all of this. But I think this is the first time we've all been in the same place together. I know we probably have different thoughts and ideas on how to handle our problem, but I think we can all agree on the end goal." Jane sipped her drink and then shrugged softly. "It's them or us, so I think at this point, we need to think of each other as family. And if not that, at least acknowledge some kind of loyalty, otherwise I think this will end terribly for all of us."
Mal had found an unobtrusive place to sit under the awning that covered half of the deck, watching everyone curiously as they trickled outside and settled and introduced themselves to each other. He'd seen most of them before, if not in person than in the minds of the others. There was one in particular who caught his attention though, the man who'd accompanied Diego and his lovely young girl -- Oliver. Mal didn't need his telepathy to see Oliver's wariness and mistrust, and when Mal tried to read him, he found it a bit more difficult than it should have been. He got through, however, and learned some things that he was sure none of the others knew. A former employee of AIR, who wasn't even aware he was a psychic null, in a homosexual union with a man he'd been tasked to care for at the facility. Interesting. Mal sipped at his water, eyes sliding over to Jane as she spoke. Declaring loyalty with this group was going to be a challenge.
Neil wasn't loving any of this, that was for sure. It was hard enough to trust one or two people but a whole group of them? And a ragtag group like this one? It was only going to get worse when Vex and his oddball little friend showed up and it was bound to get weird considering their past. He'd been prepared to meet in a more controlled environment, a true meeting, but this was more of a party and he found his nerves getting more and more frayed the later it got. Jane was right though, if they were going to work together in any capacity, they needed to at least trust each other, no matter how hard that might be. Could Vex trust him? Could Neil trust... Vex? Or any of them? He shrank a bit into himself as he thought about it, wishing he could disappear and watch the gathering from afar instead of being part of it.
They didn't have to wait too long for the last of the guests to arrive. Shane didn't get to wallow in his misery long before there was a loud knock on the door and while Vex didn't look quite as wild as he had when Jane showed him to Shane, the toothy grin he gave him was about as manic as he'd have expected and he was at least easy to recognize. Shane showed him and Lem inside and offered them drinks, somewhat glad to have more people willing to try his punch and cocktails. It was easier to come back outside with three new people in the mix and he settled down on one of the lounge chairs near Reza once he made sure all the guests were comfortable. Or, in some cases, as comfortable as they could get considering how stiff they were. "So we're all here now," he said, avoiding looking at Oliver for now and trying to suppress the chill he felt when he was too close to him. "Has everyone met?"
Toby tried not to pout as it seemed Jane was eager to jump into business. He'd much rather socialize and focus on meeting everyone, but he knew that wasn't really the point of this get together, despite the drinks and the pool. His eyes moved from one person to another, trying to get a feel for them by proximity. Jane he'd already had a taste of—blunt and manipulative, probably fun in another circumstance, but she'd caught Toby off guard. He refused to let that happen again. Neil clearly didn't want to be there, but they'd both agreed it would be worse not to know what was going on. Shane had had all the confidence in the world the last time Toby saw him, but his limited exposure to Oliver seemed to have shaken him up, which was somewhat worrisome. How many of them would be all bravado until actually faced with something they feared? Not knowing what they were up against felt like the biggest hurdle. He hadn't spent any real time with the rest of the group, barely confirming their names before Vex and Lem arrived, and he hoped he'd have a chance later. "Not quite," he said, sipping his drink as he perched on one of the deck chairs. "Should we do introductions or just jump right in? I assume someone has some kind of a plan."
Oliver was already feeling out of place and meeting Shane hadn't helped anything. Jane's words prompted the tension to worsen but he did his best to appear as casual as he could as he sipped his water. Diego would have his back, he knew that. But if any of these people found out he used to work for AIR, he wasn't sure what that would lead to. Likely nothing good. Haisley, for her part, felt a little bit better being outside. She sat down and glanced around, already able to start pinpointing everyone's most dominant "sin". Gods, she was hungry. But she forced herself to stay hungry, not wanting to turn this meeting into the kind of party she had experienced earlier. Her gaze landed on the one she knew was the pastor and she realized he was a sinner too. But wasn't everyone? She didn't really know how religion and churches worked, so Haisley didn't dwell too long on him. All of these people had so much more life experience than she did, but she was trying hard to appear confident.
"I'm Haisley," she said, once Toby asked about introductions. "Um... I haven't met everyone. So, hi."
Diego was trying not to stare warily at everyone. He'd been excited to meet them all, but that had changed pretty quickly, and now he was worried they were all able to feel something strange from Oliver. Even without the null thing, if it was true, maybe it was foolish to bring him into the middle of a bunch of psychics, considering they were keeping his former employment a secret. It was too late now though, they were here. He felt a flash of pride that Haisley spoke up, and he smiled at her a little before glancing around at everyone who'd gathered. "I'm Diego," he said, figuring they should just go around the circle and introduce themselves. "From the west coast. This is my husband, Oliver. And Haisley lives with us." He gestured at each of them in turn.
Mal's lips quirked just a tiny bit at the word ‘husband,' but he wasn't going to get into all that here. He lifted a long-fingered hand to greet everyone, nodding around a bit. "Malachi," he said. He'd met almost all of them, and the rest he felt like he already knew. He'd only promised to stay out of Jane's head, after all. "But I go by Mal. Nice to meet you all."
This whole thing was wild and kind of fun to Lem -- she'd seen quite a few of these people in Vex's visions, and they were here in the flesh! It was weird, but so cool. The two of them were perched on the same pool lounger, pressed together at the hip as they looked around at everyone and occasionally exchanged private murmurs. When the introductions got to them, Lem looked to Vex to do the talking.
"You don't all know me," Vex said. "But I know all of you. I've seen all of you." He smiled and glanced at Lem. "She has too, most of you. I'm Vex, this is Lem. I have visions of things that are currently happening elsewhere, most of them related to AIR. Lem sees them too. She emboldens and strengthens me, takes on some of my burdens and channels my gifts. She was never caught by AIR but she is one of us." He felt a surge of importance as he spoke, that old feeling of being chosen rearing up and filling him with confidence. His trial on the other side had nearly killed that feeling but being here now, seeing all those people outside of a vision, it made it all real again and his chest felt full of emotion. A part of him also felt like it fell to him to take charge, he was the oldest and he was the seer. It came down to him, Mal, and Jane who despite her young age gave off some leadership vibes. His lieutenant, Vex decided, and Lem was his right hand man. He glanced at Oliver and gave him an easy little smile. He had seen just enough to suspect he had been on the wrong side of things to begin with, but he was here now with his husband. Vex knew that could be useful, but he also knew not to bring that up now. "We have a lot of work ahead of us, but we must start by getting to know each other, build trust. We are nothing without a bond and today is a good day to start building that."
Shane was slightly amused at the way Vex talked, slow and with purpose, like he was telling a scary story over a campfire, slightly dramatic, clearly a little insane and yet there was something about him that demanded respect. He wondered just how much he really did know, if that little smile was just polite or if he knew something about Oliver. Was Shane the only one bothered by his ability? "I've met most of you," he said. "I'm Shane, as you probably all know. This is Reza. We're pretty eager to get started."
Neil suddenly felt the weight of needing to speak when some of the others looked at him expectantly. So they were doing an introduction ring, this felt entirely too much like some of the misguided group activities back in high school and college. "I'm Neil," he mumbled uncomfortably, trying to get a good look at all the faces he didn't know without getting caught staring. That was all he had to say for now, he certainly didn't want to make a speech like Vex. No, he'd leave that to the talkers off the room and he glanced to Jane, though she obviously didn't need to introduce herself as she was their main contact - the annoying force driving them all into this situation.
"Fantastic," Toby said, clapping his hands together with a grin. "I'm Toby. I was born in Point Pleasant, visited AIR as a kid, escaped with some of my lovely friends here, and now I'm a full time nurse, part time entertainer, occasional exotic dancer. I'm clairvoyant, which basically means I know things I shouldn't, among other things, and I'm thrilled to meet you all." He wanted a chance to chat with all of them, except for Mal, who he got bad vibes from, even at a distance. He wasn't a danger to Toby, that he was sure of, but the mind reading felt even more intrusive than his own abilities. As a result, he focused loudly on the last bit of porn he'd watched every time he felt the priest in his mind. Vex's powers were interesting, it made him wonder what he'd seen, and if Oliver was a null, did that mean Lem was something of the opposite? Curiouser and curiouser. He'd have to get with them both to find out.
The introductions went the way Jane expected them to, more or less. She grinned and folded her arms beneath her breasts. "With that being said, I mean, we're really a good looking bunch, aren't we? I mean, smoking hot, all of you. So let's try not to do anything stupid that might ruin these gorgeous faces. I think the next thing we need to do is explain what it is we can do. I know that might be uncomfortable for some of you, but it's important to know what our strengths are. Vex and Toby both already explained themselves. I'm a dreamwalker, meaning I can visit you in your dreams. Manipulate them and recently I've learned I can create dreams too. But I have to see someone in the flesh to be able to do it. It was how I was able to talk to some of the others at the facility when they would keep us apart. How we were able to formulate a plan to escape."
Dreamwalking sounded pretty cool and Haisley listened with a bit of awe in her expression. Clairvoyants, visions and dreamwalking? Her own power felt a bit silly compared to those because it mostly benefited her, rather than anyone else. When Jane's gaze turned on her, she felt her face heat up, but she kept her voice as even as she could.
"Um, I'm... I guess they called in sin eating, at the facility I was taken to. I don't really know a lot about it, because they never told me anything too major before I escaped. But like, I can... uh, tap into, like, negative personality traits and feed off of them. The seven deadly sins, if you believe in that stuff." She remembered Mal was there and paused, hoping her cheeks weren't as red as they felt. "It kind of heightens it."
Diego was very curious about all of the others and their abilities, but he didn't want them to be too curious about Oliver. Hopefully Shane would keep his mouth shut, because they didn't really know anything yet. Having a clairvoyant and a telepath so close by was slightly nerve-wracking, but he tried not to think about it, and focused instead on this little ice breaker exercise they were doing. Once Haisley was done, he glanced around at everyone again. "I can control the strength of gravity in an area," he told them all. If this get-together hadn't started out on such a shitty foot, it was something Diego would've been proud to explain, but at the moment he felt more wary than anything. "And the direction of it, when there are walls around." Diego resisted the urge to glance at Oliver, sipping on his drink again instead.
Once the homo -- one of them, anyway, this was a fruity group -- seemed done speaking, Mal took his turn. "Telepathy," he said, his eyes skimming around at everyone again. The young girl was interesting, Mal was curious what sorts of personality traits counted as ‘sins' in her power. She seemed interested in his thoughts as well, so perhaps he could find out before the day was through. He was all too aware that his power made people uncomfortable, so he didn't expect anyone to be happily impressed with him. But he would be invaluable and he knew it. Not to mention he'd already bonded somewhat with Vex and Jane, the two other de facto leaders of this little group of misfits. Everyone else had given more details, so Mal added, "I can read thoughts and emotions, and project them as well." That was really all he wanted to say, unless someone asked him more questions.
Reza was paying close attention to everyone as they went around the rough circle and described themselves. This was his first time meeting Toby, but he liked him already, and he was curious what kind of things a clairvoyant could pick up on. He knew he technically wasn't part of their group, not being a psychic, but he was part of this whole thing, so he piped up when there seemed to be a good opening. "Hi, uh, I'm Reza. I'm not psychic, never even heard of AIR until recently, but uh, I am a witch. Yes, magic is real, and I can use it. To some degree. My focus is air and sound, so I can do things like project my voice, put up a sound barrier so no one outside of an area can hear what's being said, hear people over long distances, that kind of thing." He felt a little awkward for a moment, but covered it up with a quick smile as he glanced at Shane. He hoped that was okay and Shane didn't want him to just stay in the background, seen and not heard. "I want to help you guys any way I can."
Neil didn't really want to talk about his ability and he wondered if his strange telepathic connection with three outsiders could be useful here or if he should keep it to himself. "I do some lightning things," he mumbled, as if it was no big deal. "I haven't known about it for long." He had finished his water and he really wanted some more but that required asking for it or getting up and fetching some and that somehow felt like too much hassle when everyone was talking. So he clutched his empty glass and tried not to squirm when it felt like everyone was staring at him while he talked.
"And I'm the guy who burns shit down," Shane said and he was pretty sure everyone present knew what he'd done. It was possible the younger girls were in the dark about the extent of the damage at AIR all those years ago. "Diego, Reza and I already tested out what we can do together and it was-" he paused to cock a brow at the two. "It was something." The thought of what they'd done almost warmed him when his own fire couldn't and actually made him smile. It had been an amazing day and he was eager to do it again, even if Diego's man happened to be a null and even if today hadn't gone as smoothly as he'd hoped. "I recommend practicing whatever it is you can do, it's useful and fun. Especially if you can team up with someone."
"I've been meaning to talk to Jane about that," Vex said. "I want you to visit my dreams soon so I can show you some of my visions, you might be able to draw some of them for me. Or is your art more abstract?" As he spoke, Shane was getting up and offering more water to Neil who looked a little stricken, as if he suspected maybe Shane too was some kind of telepath. It was kind of funny, Vex knew all about how hard it was to be a misfit in society, but even he wasn't so oblivious to social norms and reading body language as poor Neil. "Showing things to Mal and Lem is easy, but if I need the rest of you to see what I see, I'm going to need someone who can both see and draw."
"No, I could draw what I see," Jane said, flashing a grin at Neil, since he was the only beneficiary of her paintings so far. "But that will only work if you're dreaming what it is you want me to see and that's not always easy. If you can show me your visions while you're sleeping, there shouldn't be any issue." She had a feeling that visiting Vex's dreams would be something of an adventure. He was eccentric so his dreams had to be along the same lines.
Toby couldn't stand still. As people spoke, he moved among them, careful not to obstruct the conversation, but letting his mind read between the lines. He wanted to see Haisley in action, but thought this was probably a bad place to do so. People weren't feeling nice and fuzzy. They were more likely to turn towards violence than lust. He wanted to see if Diego could make him fly, or at least lighten gravity enough that he could do standing flips. He gave Oliver a little smile as he neared him, noticing the way the constant static in his head cleared just a touch. Welcome to the party, he sent mentally in his direction, and gave him a little wink, just in case his words didn't hit their mark. He let his mind skip over Mal, though he wondered if he should tell the group he could project his thoughts as well. It was a new skill however, and a rather clumsy one on his part, but that was how all Toby's abilities felt to him. Reza's introduction tickled something in his brain, a feeling that continued when Neil spoke and intensified when it came back around to Vex and Jane. "What about the witches?" he asked, going with that feeling. It didn't seem to matter that no one had spoken to him about witches before. "I think a few of you know them—Vex and Lem. Reza. Neil and Jane. What can they do?"