finalflight | PSL; [YOU MAY BURY MY BODY]

[You can’t avoid government assigned dog-walking fun forever.

If Warren allows it, Makima reaches out with a finger, just to gently press at one of the dark marks on his back, now that she’s swam behind him.]

I thought I’d spy proof of our contract somewhere, that’s all. But I see I’m getting more than I bargained for, visually.

[This is not actually a complaint— I mean what.]

Oh, if that’s what you’re looking for, it’s under the water.

[ Scandalous? No, not really.

He eases himself through the water until he can stand, stepping into the shallow end of the pool enough so she can see it, the dark silhouette of that chess piece emblazoned on his skin. The powers that be probably think they’re funny, or something, for picking that out. ]

The rest is magic. Shortcuts, so to speak, so I don’t have to physically cast.

[Not scandalous? How disappointing.

Except not really. The chess piece is just as compelling, if not more so, than whatever might be below the waistline. (no it's not, don't lie to yourself girl--) Makima eases forward just enough to find herself at the shallow section of the pool, too, following so she can get a better look. And again, the pad of her pointer finger traces down to that new marking.]

The powers that be must have a sense of humor. A chess piece... I like it.

[A horse's head. The knight. But also, what better symbol for control, other than a piece to be moved around on the board?]

Magic tattoos, though. That's clever. Do all wizards have something similar?

[ Scandal will just have to wait for now. Warren stays where he is, arm half-raised as she draws her finger over his skin. He’s not blind, and not so inhuman that he doesn’t realize how insanely hot Makima is, but he’s also a cautious sort. New as this arrangement is, better not to bring anything complicated into the mix just yet.

So, he lets her do as she pleases with a clinical sort of distance, before he finally brings his arm back down. Oh yes, he thought she might like it. ]

Usually only wizards who might find themselves in a fight.

And you definitely qualify, don't you.

[Oh, how many people has he faced-off against like he did against her? How many did not walk away from it? What a thought.

Makima drops her hand, finally, but she also does not remove herself from his personal space just yet.]

So what do these tattoos do... What are the spells that are worthy of a "shortcut"?

[ Though he makes no remark about her staying close, he's watching her, but then he's always watching her. This new unknown in his life for the foreseeable future. He'd be a fool not to observe. ]

You've already seen most of them. Care to take a guess?

Hmm.

[She affects at thinking, tapping at her chin.]

Well... How about your magically-appearing gun?

That's one of them, yes. I can access the pocket of space by casting normally as well, but it's terribly convenient to have it literally on-hand.

[ Well, the tattoo itself is on his back. Semantics. ]

Anything else?

Yes, very convenient. You did shoot me.

[She didn't forget!

Makima makes another "hmm", slightly exaggerated, as though she can't run their fight like a play-by-play in her head.]

What about your biggest inconvenience to me? Your little ["little", it was not] shield?

[ He lifts a shoulder as if to say "it happens". There's still something kind of funny about whipping out a gun in the middle of a magical battle. Most people aren't prepared for that at all. ]

Yes. The shield is a staple. That you managed to break it at all is rather impressive, by the way.

[She pretends to preen at the compliment, though maybe it's only half-pretending. There is some satisfaction in knowing that, not even at full power, she did manage to poke a hole through his defenses.]

Not without some effort. But it's nice to know exactly where my limitations are now, so I should thank you anyway. I guess I won't be blasting my opponents into space anymore... not for a while, anyway.

Into space?

[ It's impossible to tell whether or not she's exaggerating. Given what she's told him her powers are supposed to do, he wouldn't doubt if she had sent people through the stratosphere. ]

[Yeah, no, she actually did that.]

Mm-hm. Some Devils are a lot more stubborn than the rest. Well. He was a special case. But that's...

[She splashes him, just a little.]

...a story for another time!

[ The more I learn about CSM the less I understand.

Anyway, Warren lifts an arm to keep the water out of his face, but when he lowers it, the look he's giving her is one of distinct curiosity. ]

Does he, whoever he is, also have something to do with the way you ended up here?

[She was just going to leave it at that, but his look of actual curiosity seems to make her reconsider.]

...Yes.

[And how. But then a little shrug, and she takes a few away until the water is at her waist, then grabs the flamingo floatie with an arm.

It's hard to read her expression as anything other than neutral, but it's also safe to assume this is on purpose.]

But don't worry. I made him work for it.

[ Warren doesn’t very often tip his hand, but in this case he figures she would expect some measure of curiosity from him, so he doesn’t mind showing it. ]

If you were as powerful as you say, I don’t doubt that you did.

[No immediate reply as she dips herself beneath the water, then pops up again in the middle of the flamingo donut, an arm on each side.]

Well. Something for you to look forward to in the future, if we can get the rest of my power back...

[She kicks off, floating lazily down in the opposite direction. That idea trails off and she loops back around to their initial conversation.]

So did I miss any tattoos?

[ The flamingo really sits at odds with everything around it. Even Warren’s pool is dark in color. (Hey, at least he’s consistent.) Perhaps much like Makima herself. Even if there is a mean edge to her brightness more often than not, it’s still bright. A flash of color in the middle of all this black. ]

You did. Three of them.

[ Three whole tattoos! ]

[Makima might be a lot of doom, but she’s not a lot of gloom. Not in demeanor, anyway — (almost) always smiling, always pleasant and polite. She has no shame using this bright pink flamingo donut.]

Three?

[THREE. Gosh.]

Let’s see… now you’re making this a little more difficult. You were pretty fast. Does that have anything to do with your tattoos too?

It does.

[ The last two... would have been harder to spot, if not impossible given how their fight went. Speed is easily displayed. Strength and durability? They have very little bearing when someone swoops in and just makes him relive old memories. ]

[Yeah, though she plays at obliviousness, she also knows when she… simply does not know.

Hm. Maybe their scuffle didn’t skew the way. She’d like to believe she’s pretty observant in general, even amid a fight. Especially amid a fight.]

…Well. I have to admit, I’m not sure what the other two could be.

[ Again, Warren doesn't usually like to give things away, so being so forthcoming is a bit strange for him but... well, they're bound by a contract, aren't they? She's already explained her abilities to him. He can at least return the favor. ]

Enhancements to my strength and durability. I make it a point to be difficult to kill.

Oh, that would make sense. Something to go hand-in-hand with your speed, too.

[She’s still floating along. One of her dogs paddles by.]

No defenses for your mind, though?

[ :) ]

[ The flattest look. ]

You slip through the cracks once and suddenly think you have me figured out, do you?

[That earns a short, sweet(?) laugh from her.]

Far from that. I don’t pretend to know you all that well at all. If anything, my excursion into your head only made me even more curious.

And besides, I’m allowed a little satisfaction. It was a small victory — I still lost, in the end.

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