While the cats away, the mice run like hell

[caleb-z.livejournal.com]

As Calibusk uses Corrine’s summoning circle to jump to Alaska, Caleb reaps the benefits of Travis’ assistance. Free of the spell inhibiting him from siphoning off magic, he draws in as much magic as he can hold onto without concentrating too much, and phases his limbs through his restraints. Immediately he turns to the image revealing the battle between Calibusk and the Outsiders, only to discover that it’s disappearing.

“Dammit,” he mutters as he turns to the new arrivals. We can’t stay here. Assuming Calibusk survives his assault … best not to think about the other implications of that scenario as yet … Assuming Calibusk survives his assault, he’ll return here for us.

On one hand he truly doesn’t have the time for this, but on the other, abandoning two random strangers stranded in Hell is completely out of the question. Caleb runs over to the new arrivals, and begins to hurriedly jostle them. “Wake up!” he says. “We don’t have time to waste, so wake up!”

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[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

Small-talk, but... there's little wheels turning in Mara's head and then something clicks. She gets another look at his face, a better one. "Oh my God, you're that guy! That was so freaky when I read that. Did she really get up and just start walking around?"

The look in her eyes says it's entirely possible she's a conspiracy theorist... at least as far as this is concerned. "They missed something in the papers, didn't they? STAR and all those other whack-jobs with scalpels and too much time... What'd they really do to her?"

[caleb-z.livejournal.com]

He smiles and snickers, thoroughly amused by her excitement.

“STAR Labs, the DEO, the government -” then, sarcastically, “- the extra-terrestrial surgeons the Air Force is in contact with… Contrary to what the tabloids would have you believe, none of them touched her.”

“You’re correct, though – the papers did miss something.” He takes a bite of his beef jerky.

“I’ve never been so happy to eat Beef Jerky in my entire life.”

[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

Mara's a little insulted and it shows. She never put much conscious thought into Area 51. There's been all sorts of weird things in the world for as long as she's been in it, maybe longer. Watching the news is sometimes like another episode of X-Files without Mulder's cute butt, why shouldn't corporations and government agencies be corrupt sometimes? "Well it's not as far fetched as an alien that saves babies from burning buildings in blue and red tights," she says a little sourly.

She frowns a little lopsidedly. "Guess that's a secret of the trade, huh? Me being a civillian and all." She shrugs. "Glad your sister isn't a veggie anymore, though, whatever it was."

[caleb-z.livejournal.com]

He sighs privately, and runs his hand through his hair, before making a point of looking her right in the eye in an effort to convey sincerity. “I wasn’t trying to be evasive, I … No, I was, it’s just…”

He sighs again. “It’s rather complicated.” And if the look on his face is any indication, it's also painful.

“You see, she and I are, uh … are cambians. Demon-human hybrids. When we were younger, I-I … I wasn’t always so well versed in arcane theory. There was an accident, and it, uh … it cost her twelve years of her life.”

He lowers his green eyes to the floor. "It's just a painful memory, is all. She, uh ... she was like a sister, daughter, and only true friend rolled up into one cheery little package, and I cost her twelve years. She's been holding me at arms lenght ever since. Can't really blame her, I suppose."

[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

For a few long moments, Mara is very pale. She looks out into the blackness. She can feel that the desert before them is starting to warm already, even though there are only two or three streaks of orange cutting the sky. No real day or night-time here, it seems like, just oppressive light and heat, or chilling darkness and cold.

She looks at Caleb, just staring. She's not afraid, it's... whoa. Staring out into that darkness, she says the first thing she can think of. "So you're a... hybrid?"

[caleb-z.livejournal.com]

He snickers softly to accompany the nervous smile. “Yes. A, uh … a half-incubus to be precise.” It’s like a light bulb goes off inside of his head, and all at once the nervous fades, and the snicker evolves into a bemused chuckle.

“My youth makes rather a bit more sense when you take that into account, I think.”

[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

She doesn't want to laugh at him, especially after news like that, but she can't help it. Eventually Mara's got to prop herself against a wall and dab at her eyes. A few seconds of that and the hysterical fit wears off. She tilts against the wall and flops an arm across her belly.

"So many apologies, Dr. Zukov. Really. That was embarassing to myself." She's still minutely giggling. "It's just-- well, you'd think--"

[caleb-z.livejournal.com]

“You’d think what?” he asks, his face a neutral expression that betrays only that she has his complete attention.

[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

There it is, she's going to offend him again. If Mara's-- well, alive enough, to remember it, she'll put a voicenote alarm in her phone to remind her not to offend people attempting to rescue her. It's an important enough life lesson.

"You're, like, a round peg in a world of square holes." She tries to look regretful of her words but she's not very good at it. She's already cracking a smile. "Don't get me wrong, I am eternally grateful for the rescue. My brain's blue-screening on the 'hero' and 'demon' part. Especially considering when confronted with the word 'succubus', my mind produces that spectral thing that did it with Ray in Ghostbusters."

[caleb-z.livejournal.com]

He’s not offended. Quite the contrary, in fact – he’s amused.

Caleb waves dismissively at her. “It takes more than that to insult me. You’re, uh … you’re correct, though. I don’t quite fit in, and honestly, that’s quite alright with me.”

“Normal is, after all, boring.”

[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

Mara's really trying not to imagine him as incorporeal, or with any interest in the fictional Dr. Raymond Stantz, but the mental image is giggle-worthy.

Instead of going down that road she just gets quiet, listening to the silence... maybe watching him. The past few hours of her life have been surreal, terrifying and exciting in that 'I never want to do this again' sort of way.

There's noise on the horizon. She can't see anything yet, the weird lighting outside is making anything out there into a mere, dark outline but it seems to be a lot of outlines and more coming. "Hey." She points. "Something's getting ready to come right past us, I think."

[caleb-z.livejournal.com]

He looks out the entrance, and just stares for a few seconds. He sighs, and courses his fingers through his raven hair. Bugger.

“It’s an army, and since Calibusk doesn’t strike me as the sort to work through minions, I’m left to assume that another of my enemies is here for me.” With any luck they won’t even know to look for you once I’m dealt with, so long as you're not in plane sight.

He turns, and begins looking around the cave. "It's imperative that you two be hidden immediately."