It's about as simple or jarring as stepping from one room to the next. [ Still, he tugs Mantis forward, and as all proper gentlemen should he makes the smooth transition from joined hands to joined arms, the twisted connection loose to leave Mantis room to pull away if she so wished. This was New York, though, and he'd much prefer not to lose her in the hustle and bustle of all the humans walking the street. The mere idea of Mantis being cornered in an alleyway already gives him the beginnings of a headache.
Of course, this makes it ironic that Stephen is walking her into an alleyway himself, but he's found his life the butt of many a cosmic joke the moment he set foot in Kamar-Taj. ]
I would've thought your ship was capable of hyperspace travel by now. [ His arm slips from hers to hold his hand and its sling ring out, and even as it trembles -- as even his second hand trembles when he begins to draw circles with it -- a portal materialises in a ring of sparking lights coloured like fire.
The spacious foyer of the New York Sanctum is seen through the ring; Stephen's arms drop, and he gestures towards it with a sweep of his arm. ] After you.
[ there are a number of new things happening that she does not know how to feel about at first, the most prominent being their linked arms and that she is much closer to stephen (or to anyone) than she is used to. the general first impression people tend to have around her is fear, much less be so bold in touching her, but stephen is different from most people. his scarred hands, as much as they are a testament to what he's been through and what has made him the man he is today, are like her eyes and antennae -- they stick out, they make others want to hold back.
mantis finds that she likes this new contact, even if it is brief, and only so that she doesn't lose her way in an unfamiliar city. ]
I think this is a little different from hyperspace travel.
[ she's seen his abilities and what he's capable of doing, but actually seeing it when not fighting for their lives gives her more time to observe. she feels his hands tremble even without actually touching them; since traveling with the others, mantis has made more of an effort to not use her abilities unless given permission to, but it doesn't take an empath to feel the immeasurable weight on his shoulders.
she doesn't know if letting her practice using a flamethrower (hypothetically) in a house is a good idea, but with a nervous glance at him she steps carefully through the ring. ]
Your house is very nice. [ her voice is hushed once they're in the sanctum; the silence is a little intimidating. ] I'm very sorry if I accidentally break anything.
If you accidentally -- [ Stephen's whispering too before he realises he's doing it. And then he's shaking his head, bringing his arm up in an arc as the space before them seemingly cracks into pieces of glass: layers upon layers of chunks like icicles in a cave, only the sunlight filtering into the sanctum diffuses and turns into washes of rainbow colours. ]
The Sanctum is going to be fine.
[ He hopes to reassure her both in the steadiness of his voice and in what is, with luck, a calming expression. ] I'll show you. [ Then he's stepping into the broken glass, fully expecting her to follow, and though the world seems to erupt for a split-second into shimmering lights, everything becomes clear after.
And the world here looks exactly the same as reality, save for the random cuts in the environment, turning everything into chunks and pieces. In the crudest definition possible, it's as if everything around them is only a reflection on a broken mirror.
Stephen, however, looks the same. And he turns to face Mantis with a quick spell forming a ball of energy in his palm. ]
This is the mirror dimension. [ He bounces it up and down like a baseball, then reels his arm back to throw it directly at a window. Though the ball explodes, the window is unharmed -- but does, as everything else in the mirror dimension does, still hold its distorted shape. ] When you're in here, you can't affect the real world.
[ it's hard not to be impressed, especially when stephen treats the whole thing like it's nothing special, simply part of his day to day (which mantis assumes that it is). but her experience with magic is very limited, and the guardians have a tendency to simply go in and punch or shoot things until they're dead. the closest she can compare this to would be ego's abilities, but that wonder came at a price. this is different.
she follows him, steps light and ginger as if to prevent shattering the glass beneath her feet, shoulders bunching up in surprise when the space erupts into shimmering light around them. that same surprise is present when the ball of energy hits the window, but it's colored with childlike wonder, her eyes wide and bright as she takes it all in. ]
Is this where you trained?
[ mantis doesn't assume to know how his magic works, but it really is very convenient. she reaches out towards one of the random cuts in the space around them, but hesitates in touching it. what did they come here for again? ]
[ Seeing Mantis hesitate to touch the ends of the Mirror Dimension brings a small smile to Stephen's face, and he reaches his own hand out to push hers forward all the way. The glass-like material shimmers, the light seeming to bubble like water in a kettle, and Stephen's fingers slip away to let Mantis explore the rest on her own time. ]
But as the spells I learned became more complex, more... reality-breaking, my master taught me how to come here. [ There's a brief swell of grief at the memory of the Ancient One and how Stephen failed to mourn her properly, but he pushes the thought away as his hands link behind his back. ] And now I come here a lot.
[ His right wrist draws a circle in the air, making it so his face-down palm ends up face-up, and he curls all his fingers in towards his shaking palm: one by one, from his pinky to his thumb. When he turns his wrist back the way it came, a small pattern pops up on the skin of his hand for just a moment before a flamethrower in what he presumes is the perfect size for Mantis' frame appears in mid-air. ]
This was made in the Mirror Dimension, so it isn't real. [ One hand behind his back, he holds his free arm up and pushes it outward to move the floating thing towards where Mantis is standing. ] But it should work the same way for all intents and purposes. The only difference is the flames won't hurt.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Of course, this makes it ironic that Stephen is walking her into an alleyway himself, but he's found his life the butt of many a cosmic joke the moment he set foot in Kamar-Taj. ]
I would've thought your ship was capable of hyperspace travel by now. [ His arm slips from hers to hold his hand and its sling ring out, and even as it trembles -- as even his second hand trembles when he begins to draw circles with it -- a portal materialises in a ring of sparking lights coloured like fire.
The spacious foyer of the New York Sanctum is seen through the ring; Stephen's arms drop, and he gestures towards it with a sweep of his arm. ] After you.
no subject
mantis finds that she likes this new contact, even if it is brief, and only so that she doesn't lose her way in an unfamiliar city. ]
I think this is a little different from hyperspace travel.
[ she's seen his abilities and what he's capable of doing, but actually seeing it when not fighting for their lives gives her more time to observe. she feels his hands tremble even without actually touching them; since traveling with the others, mantis has made more of an effort to not use her abilities unless given permission to, but it doesn't take an empath to feel the immeasurable weight on his shoulders.
she doesn't know if letting her practice using a flamethrower (hypothetically) in a house is a good idea, but with a nervous glance at him she steps carefully through the ring. ]
Your house is very nice. [ her voice is hushed once they're in the sanctum; the silence is a little intimidating. ] I'm very sorry if I accidentally break anything.
no subject
The Sanctum is going to be fine.
[ He hopes to reassure her both in the steadiness of his voice and in what is, with luck, a calming expression. ] I'll show you. [ Then he's stepping into the broken glass, fully expecting her to follow, and though the world seems to erupt for a split-second into shimmering lights, everything becomes clear after.
And the world here looks exactly the same as reality, save for the random cuts in the environment, turning everything into chunks and pieces. In the crudest definition possible, it's as if everything around them is only a reflection on a broken mirror.
Stephen, however, looks the same. And he turns to face Mantis with a quick spell forming a ball of energy in his palm. ]
This is the mirror dimension. [ He bounces it up and down like a baseball, then reels his arm back to throw it directly at a window. Though the ball explodes, the window is unharmed -- but does, as everything else in the mirror dimension does, still hold its distorted shape. ] When you're in here, you can't affect the real world.
It's the safest space to practise anything.
no subject
she follows him, steps light and ginger as if to prevent shattering the glass beneath her feet, shoulders bunching up in surprise when the space erupts into shimmering light around them. that same surprise is present when the ball of energy hits the window, but it's colored with childlike wonder, her eyes wide and bright as she takes it all in. ]
Is this where you trained?
[ mantis doesn't assume to know how his magic works, but it really is very convenient. she reaches out towards one of the random cuts in the space around them, but hesitates in touching it. what did they come here for again? ]
no subject
[ Seeing Mantis hesitate to touch the ends of the Mirror Dimension brings a small smile to Stephen's face, and he reaches his own hand out to push hers forward all the way. The glass-like material shimmers, the light seeming to bubble like water in a kettle, and Stephen's fingers slip away to let Mantis explore the rest on her own time. ]
But as the spells I learned became more complex, more... reality-breaking, my master taught me how to come here. [ There's a brief swell of grief at the memory of the Ancient One and how Stephen failed to mourn her properly, but he pushes the thought away as his hands link behind his back. ] And now I come here a lot.
[ His right wrist draws a circle in the air, making it so his face-down palm ends up face-up, and he curls all his fingers in towards his shaking palm: one by one, from his pinky to his thumb. When he turns his wrist back the way it came, a small pattern pops up on the skin of his hand for just a moment before a flamethrower in what he presumes is the perfect size for Mantis' frame appears in mid-air. ]
This was made in the Mirror Dimension, so it isn't real. [ One hand behind his back, he holds his free arm up and pushes it outward to move the floating thing towards where Mantis is standing. ] But it should work the same way for all intents and purposes. The only difference is the flames won't hurt.