Welcome to Gaia! ::

Lorn followed in behind Tobias and felt the tension instantly. There were not just two auras here, but three. Not only was Tobias irritated, but she was matching psychic wits with the stranger. She didn't seem to realize it, though.

"What?" he asked himself as he jogged up and in front of Tobias.

"Trying to get this... guest to give us a little privacy," Tobias growled. "We've got urgent matters to attend to, and she can't stay in an unattended house, so..."

Lorn had been feeling around with his Dunamez powers when his dim tendrils scraped against something exotic, something unfamiliar. He stepped back next to Tobias, and touched her shoulder.

She is not human, he told her, mind-to-mind. He felt her tense up even further under his hand, and he withdrew. She didn't seem to surprised that he could speak with his mind, but whoever or whatever the IRS lady was, she could feel his magic, and stiffened herself. There was a delicate way to deal with this.

That way was out of the question now.

Dana was busted, but she wasn't out of the game yet.

"Easy now," she said, carefully lowering her purse to the ground while simultaneously raising her cell phone and snapping it shut to momentarily divert their attention. She was sure they did not notice her conceal the small roll of paper inder her fingers.

"Hey now," she said. "This... isn't what it looks like."

Dana felt the air begin to stir around the wizard. She pretended to be frightened by this, letting her eyebrows rise and her lips tighten. Her black sunglasses kept her true emotions from showing through.

"Alright, little witch," she thought. "Let's test those reflexes."

"Well," she stammered aloud. "I was just trying t-" Suddenly she flicked her wrist down hard, throwing the tiny roll of paper forcefully to the ground. As the paper hit the ground, a burst of light exploded into the middle of the hallway. The explosion released the light from several sources, mostly dead flourescent lamps. Though not as bright as pure collected sunlight, the explosion could still shock and sicken as it released all the stomach quaking anxieties brought up by interrogation rooms, principles' offices, and hospitals. Dana had ducked down and grabbed her bag before the paper had hit the ground, and she was barreling through the hallway as the wizard and the ******** yelled and quailed against the walls trying to escape the sudden explosion.

Dana didn't have much time. As she reached the front room she swung her large bag out in front of her, forcing open the old door. She was momentarily blinded by the afternoon sunlight as she raced down the concrete steps towards freedom.

But, suddenly, she felt something pull tightly agains her ribs. The wind was knocked from her lungs as an invisable force yanked her through the air up the stairs and back into the house. She landed hard on her back, her glasses and the contents of her purse flying across the room. Once she was inside, the door promptly slammed and locked itself. She was trapped.

Dana was flat on the floor, gasping for breath. She had always, ALWAYS asked permission before she left a house, but she had never been absolutely sure that it was a necessary precausion. Well, she sure as hell knew now.

Dana was still reeling over what had just happened. She was still struggling to realign her thoughts when she was suddenly thrown to the ceiling. Her eyes, free from the glasses, were crushed shut, and she wriggled feebly against the force holding her against the ceiling.

Someone demanded answers. Dana, stuggling for air, could not even begin to answer. She couched and gagged, trying to get across the point that she seriously needed air.

Dana lay sprawled on the floor. She folded an arm over her eyes and tried to catch her breath. The Wizard waited, tapping her foot rapidly on the hardwood floor. Dana was certainly going nowhere fast so she slowly pulled herself up into a slouched seating position, her back to the wizard and...thing. The wizard had said something about the "NeverNever." She had always found it peculiar that human's insisted on calling the Other places by this name. But then, lots of things about humans were confusing.

Dana rubbed her eyes harshly.

"How rude," she said calmly, "threatening a house guest." Dana "looked" over her shoulder with her lidded eyes.

"According to the rules of hospitality, you can't lay a finger on me."

Dana didn't see the Wizard deflate slightly, but she didn't need to.

It was a gamble, but Dana played the game well.

"And an open show of hostile magic. I had no choice but to defend myself. And, as neither of you were hurt by my sad little flashbomb, my status as a guest remains intact."

"I hope..." she thought to herself.

"So," she said, leaning her head backwards. "Please hand me my glasses and we'll get down to business."