The X-Project

Tandy is trying to convince Topaz to be social (gasp) when something goes very, very wrong with her powers.



"I dunno, I've got a lot of work to do," Topaz said as she walked down the row of bookcases, Tandy trailing behind her. "Xavier does still pay me to keep this place in order, and I've been blowing it off lately." Well, technically she had quit, but whatever. She liked the library. "I was planning on just spending tonight cleaning up."

"Pretty sure Xavier won't mind you going out to eat in Salem for a few short-short hours." Tandy wasn't taking a no for an answer. "Besides, I am pretty sure everyone in a 100 mile radius knows not to mess with the library so it will still in order when we get back."

"Can't we get lunch tomorrow or something? I'm tired." Topaz already knew that wasn't going to fly. She was the queen of "let's do it tomorrow" and then finding another excuse tomorrow.

"Nope. I know you too well, you'll just use this time to come up with another reason not to go out for some food and drinks." Tandy paused as her cresent moon over her right eye started to shine brightly, "Is it hot in here? Do you even put the AC..." She didn't finish as she dropped to the floor and started to pant. "Shit.."

"It's freezing in here, what're you-" Topaz stopped short when she heard Tandy fall, turning quickly. "Tandy?" The moon over her eye was shining. That wasn't good. "What's wrong?"

"Remember when I had trouble with my powers and if I didn't expel the extra light I would do it involuntarily?" She said slowly pausing after a few words. "Like that, but...It hurts."

"What?" The books were immediately dropped in favor of running to Tandy's side. "It's not supposed to hurt, is it?"

"No...it's....stabbing." Her skin started to glow and she hunched over. "I can't release it."

"Stab-" Topaz cut herself off once again as Tandy started to glow, and she felt a small ping in the back of her. It was faint, and something she was almost used to, what with Stephen "I'm going to imitate everything" Strange running around casting spells every five minutes. But she knew his magic. And she knew this wasn't him. What the hell? "Um, okay, c'mere." Topaz shifted to Tandy's side. "Can I touch you? You need to go to the med lab."

"I...think...so." She gritted with her teeth before letting out an involuntarily yell in pain as the intensity of her light was making attacking her instead.

"All right, c'mon..."

Topaz took Tandy's glowing arm, dragging it over shoulders and hoisting her up. Tandy was easily five inches taller than her, and Topaz wasn't exactly the strongest person. She managed to hold Tandy up, though, letting her lean on her.

Tandy wasn't being much help as the stabbing pain intensive with every movement. Was this how it felt for others when they were hit with her daggers? She continued to grit her teeth and occasionally let out a cry when it became to much. She was burning up but her skin was cool to the touch. Her vision started to darken from the pain and for a moment she was deadweight.

They were slow and shuffling, but it was good, it was fine. Topaz could do this. They made it out of the library when Tandy gave out completely, and nearly brought Topaz down with her. "Fuck!" Topaz hissed, She couldn't drain pain. She couldn't numb it. "Okay, okay, um... ah!" She shifted slightly, trying to aim her free hand at Tandy. A ring formed around her waist, lifting her into the air just slightly. Magic was useful sometimes. "Okay," she breathed. "Tandy, you with me?"

The blonde came back but was greeted with the feeling of dozens of daggers and she almost passed out again. She would had fallen to the ground again but Topaz and magic was keeping her floating. Luckily it was just the stabbing feeling and nothing more serious or it would had happened already. Like coma or death. Attempting to speak but couldn't get words formed but she grabbed onto Topaz's shoulder and squeezed it as if she was answering her.

"Good enough." Even with magic, it was still hard carrying her along. She just needed to get her to the med lab, and the doctors could take over from there.

And Topaz could try and figure out how magic had caused this.



Following the incident with Tandy, Topaz goes to Amanda with her concerns about recent events.



Topaz stared hard at the door in front of her. She was debating herself, and honestly, trying to talk herself out of this, but she couldn't deny what she had felt when Tandy's powers had gone out of control. It was magic. And if magic was involved, she had to talk to Amanda.

She sighed, knocking on the door, and opened it before she could run, calling, "Amanda? You home?"

Amanda glanced up from her note taking with a surprised noise. Topaz was knocking at her door? Topaz wanted to speak to her? That hadn't happened... in a while. Trying to sound casual, she called back: "Door's open!"

She was doing absolutely nothing to hide her surprise, and it made Topaz want to run. She sucked it up, though - whatever had happened, it was more important than her hang ups - and let herself fully into the suite. "Hey." She closed the door behind her and leaned against it, making the desire to keep space between them obvious. Her gaze was steady and her expression devoid of any emotion, however, as she spoke. "So, I'm not really sure how to explain this to be honest, but something... weird just happened with Tandy." Weird didn't actually quite cover it, but that was the best word she had. "It was... are there any spells that could cause someone's mutation to turn against them?"

So, no tea then. Amanda stifled a sigh and focused on the question. "Yeah, a couple. Mostly newer stuff, adaptations of spells meant to curse magic users. What happened with Tandy?"

"We were in the library and she started complaining she was hot - and it's freezing in there, by the way, I have no control over the thermostat - and then she started glowing, and it was like..." Topaz frowned, trying to find a way to describe it. "You know, like when she releases her daggers. Except there weren't any daggers, but she was hurting. She said it felt like she was being stabbed. And..." This was the part where Topaz hesitated. This was the part where she started sounding crazy. "Right before it happened, I felt a flicker of magic. And it wasn't one of the kids, or Billy or Megan, and I'm assuming you'd know if you cast any spells in the last hour."

Amanda frowned. "No, I haven't. And the wards haven't pinged at all, which they would have done if someone was using curses here." She doubted the students would do that deliberately, but pranks could turn into accidents sometimes. "How's Tandy now?"

"Down in the med lab, still feeling like she's being stabbed," Topaz said bitterly. She hadn't been able to offer much help except for comforting Tandy outloud and mentally before slipping out to come up here. She didn't like feeling useless when someone she - when a person was hurting. "She's not the first one who's gone down with something weird lately, either. Hope's been in the med lab for a few days with some kind of pain no one can identify."

"And Bobbi brought Callisto in with something as well, and she has a healing factor..." Amanda's voice trailed off as she started putting pieces together. "You don't think someone's targeting the mansion, do you?" It wasn't really a question.

"I can't imagine why anyone would, we're such a peaceful bunch who never put our noses in where they don't belong." The sarcasm was thick, hiding the real concern in Topaz' voice. "But if they're using magic.... the Way wouldn't be sadistic enough to put people through something like this just to test us, would they?"

"Not the Light side - they're wankers, but they wouldn't inflict this sort of pain on innocent bystanders." Amanda didn't sound entirely convinced, given her experiences with the Ancient One. "Could be the Dark Side trying it on. 'Join us or your people will suffer' sort of thing."

Topaz bit lip for a moment, her mind going to the most obvious place. "You don't think it's my - you know, Taboo, do you?" Her expression twitched slightly as she stumbled over the words my father. "He's working with the Way, and I got the feeling we share an opinion on the Ancient One, so I doubt he's anywhere near the Light side."

Wrinkling her nose, Amanda pondered the suggestion. "Maybe? I doubt he's got the strength for this sort of thing right now, even if he was mad enough to try - Adam really fucked him up and that's going to take a lot of recovery time, even with friends helping." At the mention of the name, however, her expression darkened. "But Adam has more than enough power. And it would be right up his alley."

"He doesn't have any reason to come after us, though," Topaz said. "I mean, not right away at least, unless there's more of a history between you two than I thought. He wants Taboo. We were afterthoughts."

"True. If he was after either of us, he's had plenty of chances." Amanda sighed. "Well, looks like there's only one thing left to do." She looked up at Topaz expectantly.

"Gather the troops and find someone to make a lot of coffee," Topaz replied, pushing herself off the door. "Most of my books are down in the weirdos’ library now, we can take that over for study space if you want. Plenty of room to spread out, and if Murdock gets annoying I'll kick him out."

Amanda grinned faintly at that. "All right, sounds like a plan. Want me to round up the rest of the magic troops? If only to make Stephen and Clea carry books?"

"I'm all for making someone else do the manual labor," Topaz said with almost a hint of humor in her voice. "I'll get the coffee started and meet you lot down there."