Who: Billy Kaplan & Jay Guthrie ( @icarusjaybird )
Where: Billy’s house and District X
What: After using powerful magic to create a pocket universe, Billy trips a thread of reality on the way home and shakes someone free. Neither of them realize just how bizarre the situation is.
BILLY:
When he'd created the pocket universe with Lucifer, the sheer power and pull of the magic they'd used had been beyond anything he'd ever done before. It was creation in a way that he didn't know he was capable of. Perhaps it had been bravado, or naivete, or some mixture of the two, to think that something neither of them had done before could be managed in a vacuum and wouldn't touch anything else. The very nature of his powers had him constantly aware of the tenuous, fragile threads of reality - not only the one he existed in, but all the other possible ones - and they were frighteningly easy to touch. He should have been more careful.
Should have didn't do a lot after the fact, though. As he and Lucifer had left that little world of their own doing, Billy caught on something in a metaphorical and, unfortunately, very literal way. He touched a thread he had not meant to touch. He pulled something with him that he had not meant to pull.
An entire universe away from where he'd been, he found himself looking at a young man who couldn't have been much older or younger than him, and whom he'd never laid eyes on before. The colorful wings extending from his back immediately had Billy wondering if they'd caught the attention of Lucifer's family, somehow, but he'd been in the presence of angels. He knew what it felt like - the strange, preternatural magic of them, and that feeling wasn't there. Still, what was he looking at?
"Uh...who-?...Who are you?"
JAY:
It had been a slow and lazy Sunday morning already and Jay wasn't feeling any less lethargic even after a cup of coffee. His green eyes were a bit droopy as he stared down at the guitar in his lap, the rosewood smooth against the rough pads of his fingertips. The B string had broken last night and he had been too tired to replace it. After fishing out a packet from his dresser drawer he found a coiled-up replacement and was currently trying to get it unraveled enough to stretch out across the neck of the guitar.
He was in his little Nashville apartment and in his own bedroom, alone. His roommates were also members of his band, Lament. They were good guys-- all human, but they never treated Jay any differently for being a mutant, which he greatly appreciated. They were skilled musicians as well, and decent friends. His room was cluttered with various guitars and cases, a couple amps and cords wrapped around them. To the right of his bed was a keyboard on a stand that he played with sometimes to write down chords or for fun. Because he was alone, he didn't bother putting much clothes on, just some pajama bottoms and socks to keep his feet warm. Putting on shirts was a hassle due to his massive red wings, and he normally wore tank tops that made it easy to put on and remove.
When he suddenly was PULLED from his universe into another he didn't fully register what had happened, suddenly finding himself sitting cross-legged on the floor with his guitar still in his lap and the B-string stretched out between his hands. His wings flapped slightly as he gasped and looked up at the young man who had just spoken to him. "Huh? Well, who are you??" There was a slight Southern US drawl to his voice, his hands lowering from holding the string to clutch the guitar instead, as if thinking it would be snatched away. Without warning Jay flapped his wings so he could be lifted up into a standing position, the string falling to the floor as he moved to hold the guitar by the neck instead.
BILLY:
“I asked first,” he said quickly, as though that weren’t the most childish response in the world. As the other stood up, so did he. He could tell something was off. Magic just felt that way, sometimes, and especially with the way he’d been using it. It was like the wind had suddenly shifted a different direction before dying down. “Where did you come from?”
Part of him knew the answer already. Unless this man had somehow chosen to be there, then it was a mistake. His mistake. He’d been sloppy with something, caught up in the success of what he’d just been a part of.
JAY:
"Where'd I… ?" Jay glanced around as he asked that, trying to figure out where he was now that he'd been snatched out of his room. His wings fluttered, showing off that he was uneasy, his lips pursing before his gaze went back to the other man. He had experienced many strange things in his time at the Xavier Institute, including simulations in the Danger Room to prepare him and his fellow classmates for any type of situation involving other mutants, magic, strange powers, but he hadn't been at school for several years now and didn't think this was some kind of test… right?
"Unless we're on Mars, I'm from Earth. Name's Jay. Now you." He turned his guitar just slightly in his hand before gripping the neck with the other, holding it at his side now almost like a knight with a lowered sword, clearly about to smack the other guy with it if he tried to come near him… and he hated to do that to his beloved guitar but he knew sometimes one had to be innovative when it came to fighting people off.
BILLY:
“Billy Kaplan. Wiccan, if you want...the other name. Look-“ he held up his hands, deciding to just say what he was thinking. If it turned out to be wrong, he’d be relieved, and having some random stranger think he was out of his mind was a small price to pay for knowing he’d not tripped over a thread of reality and shaken something loose.
“I’m a witch, to use an easy word, and I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to be here. So if you’re...I don’t know, if you’re actually from the year 2340 or 1995 or a timeline where robots rule the planet, please tell me now.” He had to figure out if he could even fix it.
JAY:
Jay lowered the guitar from the slight fighting stance he had, his body relaxing somewhat. Witches he could deal with, at least based on the things he'd learned back at his days in the academy. He blinked and gave Billy a confused expression when he mentioned ROBOTS since that was terrifying, but then he shrugged slightly, his wings extending but then curling back up more against his back. "Nah, no robots rulin' the world that I'm aware of. Year's 2021… I'm from the United States. Currently livin' in Nashville. Where's this?"
He was very aware that he wasn't really wearing any clothes other than his plaid pj pants and gray-tipped socks, but he figured this Billy guy brought him here so he could just deal with having to talk to a half-naked person and tough if he didn't like it. There was a long nasty-looking white scar across his chest right over his heart, but it seemed old and no longer one to cause pain. His dark red hair fell just above his shoulders, unruly as if he'd just woken up, but it added to his rocker-boy charm.
BILLY:
Okay. All good things. The answers didn’t incite any further or immediate alarm in him, though something still didn’t feel right. Could it be as simple as him accidentally pulling someone over from the wrong state? That seemed so...basic. Basic would have been nice. He could fix basic.
“Star City, California. Also 2021, and also no robots. So...okay,” he pinched the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb. “Do you have somebody you can call? I’d send you back home myself, but I’m zapped.” He’d spent too much energy on what he’d just been doing, and he had none left for a teleportation spell. “Or we can...there’s probably someone in District X that could get you there.”
JAY:
It was shocking to hear that he was in CALIFORNIA, since that seemed so far away to Jay, not even considering that he might be in an entirely different universe. “Yeah, sure. Um…” He bent down lazily to pick up the half-coiled B-string he’d dropped onto the floor earlier, then straightened and turned his gaze back to Billy, sizing him up a bit since there was something he needed to ask him. “Got a shirt I can borrow? And shoes…” They looked to be about the same size and height, he was maybe a bit larger than Billy in the torso and arms. He knew he might have to cut holes in any shirt that Billy lent him unless he could use his magical witch powers to conjure something up.
There were several relatives he could call but he didn’t have his cell phone on him, and it wasn’t like his mom could afford to buy him an airline ticket. He probably could fly with his own wings if he had to, but it would take several days and he really didn’t feel like exerting that much energy unless it was an absolute emergency. “Don’t have my phone. Or wallet. " He wasn't sure if he could find someone in Distrct X or not, but knew it would be much easier to get help if he at least was fully dressed. Last time he had talked to his siblings none of them had been near California, but he knew that the older ones got around a lot with their X-Men duties, so maybe someone could help him get in contact.
BILLY:
“I- yeah. Yeah, I’ve got something.” And if it didn’t fit, what was the use of magic if he couldn’t do a little tailoring with it? He stepped toward the closet and pulled out a black t-shirt with the neck cut into a deep V and a pair of boots he’d not touched in ages. “I can fix it if you need. I’ll-“ he made a gesture with his thumb toward the door and walked out into the hall to wait.
JAY:
Jay watched quietly while Billy gathered up the shirt and boots. He nodded slightly in thanks as he gently set the guitar down against a nearby wall, draping the string over it for safekeeping. Once Billy had left the room he carefully put the v-neck shirt on backwards so that he could have his wings pop out the back without having to rip the fabric… though he did stretch it just slightly. Oops. The shoes were a little tight but nothing he couldn’t live with, once dressed he picked up his guitar and dumped the string inside the soundhole to just rattle around in there for now., then went out into the hallway.
“Thanks.” It was supposedly Billy that had snatched him out of his room and dumped him here in California, but he didn’t feel anger or resentment about it. He was just confused about what step to take next and worried he would have to struggle to find someone to get him home. “Yer a mutant?” He assumed Billy had to be since he had known about a mutant-friendly area and didn’t seem scared of him, but also figured he could be a magical mutant-ally?
BILLY:
He was leaning against the wall when Jay stepped out, texting Tommy to let him know he'd be out of the house for awhile. He had no idea how long yet. Hopefully they could find...Nightcrawler or someone who could help get Jay back to Nashville and out of Star City. Barring that, Billy would just gave to rest for a little while and do it himself. He felt guilty at the idea of making him wait to go home, and it was his fault he was there in the first place, so hopefully that wouldn't be the case.
"Yeah. You?" He motioned for Jay to follow him to the front door and out. District X wasn't far. "It'll be faster if we fly." Billy had his own version of it, no wings involved, but it looked like Jay was perfectly capable of handling that part himself.
JAY:
"Mm." He nodded in agreement when Billy asked if he was a mutant, not about to hide it at this point even if the other guy had admitted to being human. He couldn't help but smile faintly when Billy suggested flying. He brought the wooden guitar closer to his torso and body before suddenly lifting up a foot or so into the air, his wings flapping as he looked down at Billy. "You can fly?" He glanced around to make sure nobody would start freaking out and yelling or something at the sight of two grown men FLYING, still wary of humans having bad opinions of Mutants even though things definitely were getting better these days… "Or were you expecting a ride?" He probably could lfit Billy up in the air for a while if he had to, but felt like that might be awkward since they just met and all, and physically it would be exhausting depending on how far they had to go…
BILLY:
“I can handle it on my own, but thanks.” Once they were outside, he wasted no time rising into the air. He was propelled by seemingly nothing, but held himself easily several feet above the ground and waited for Jay. “Just follow me. I’ll- we’ll find some help when we get there.”
He figured they’d waited long enough as things were, and set off immediately toward District X. With the ban lifted and NOVA gone, public displays of abilities were no longer forbidden. He didn’t think twice about flying, and especially not once they’d crossed over the massive gate that separated District X from the rest of the city.
“I’m going to go ask inside the school. Maybe you could have a look around?” It probably wouldn’t hurt.
JAY:
Jay smiled without being able to help himself when Billy lifted up into the air. He found it interesting and impressive that he could fly without even having wings. Holding the guitar close to his body to keep the wind from knocking it around too much, he flew up behind Billy and then around to his side, curious about the cityscape below them.
In his own world (which he assumed he was still in), there was no ban on Mutants or other non-humans flying about. He couldn't help feeling a little nervous, though, since humans still liked to be violent towards Mutants and treated them like second-class citizens when they could.
He nodded when Billy said that, also relaxing once he saw signs that indicated they were in the mutant-friendly area. "Yeah, sure. Thanks for yer help." Once Billy landed he carefully touched down next to him, not wanting to knock the other guy over with his wings, then glanced around. "I think some of my former classmates might teach here. I'll look 'round and meet you back here in a little bit. Name's Jay Guthrie." He realized earlier he hadn' t given his last name to Billy but only because he'd been wary of him, but now he seemed like a nice enough fella..
