Phil inspected the controls to the War Room. No wonder Ditto messed up last time. I understand English and I can't make heads or tails of all this. Maybe someone knows how to work this thing. Orbit seems pretty good at computers, maybe she can help. She's pretty bad-ass, too. Maybe she can share some of that Bat-fu knowledge.
Exiting the control room, Phil wandered through the base, looking for the telekinetic techno-wiz.
Orbit was in the workroom, sitting on a stool in front of a long bench. Her orbs were dismantled in carefully laid out pieces, and she was carefully cleaning them and shining them. They were already clean, because she'd done this yesterday. And the day before. The day before that, too. Her orbs were shining, dust free, and if they could speak, would probably complain of chafing. Honestly, tools and combat were the only things that kept her hands from shaking lately.
She'd cleared out quick after denying to go shopping with Luke. She didn't even know that Gabe had left. Slowly, she ran a tiny cotton swab around the outer edge of her blade, removing dirt that wasn't there. Her fingers spasmed and she fumbled the swab, losing it to the ground. "Dammit!" She swore, setting aside the blade she was working on. Slowly, she leaned on the workbench, her cheek resting against the cool metal. Her eyes slid shut of their own accord.
Phil entered the workroom, and softly knocked on the door frame to announce his presence.
"Hey Orb, what's up? I'm finally feeling better after..." Phil trailed off after he thought about all he'd been through these past couple of days. The fight, Nabu, the Tower. His arm. Now that he was back in this reality, he could feel the pain of his wounds once more. He tested his fingers: they responded, but slowly and painfully. His eyes snapped back to his teammate.
"So anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to do the War Room with me," Phil said. He was suddenly embarrassed that he couldn't figure out the controls, and decided to not mention it. [i]Orbit is put together, it's intimating. She knows how to use her powers, she knows unarmed combat, and even all this techno-stuff. I can barely cast my spells properly.
Jin opened her dark eyes, staring down Phil with sudden intensity. It was like she wasn't looking at him, but someone else. Blinking several times, she lifted her head from the bench and gently cracked her neck. "War Room... yeah, sure." She rubbed her cheek a bit. "Sorry. Was just... ah... catching a couple Zees." After casting a look back at her unfinished but unnecessary work, she hopped down from the bench and walked past Phil.
"You sure you're even up for a fight? I mean..." She gave a look to his arm. The way he held it spoke of injury all over. "Maybe you should rest or something. Unless you can toss magic with your other hand." Her slim shoulders rolled into a seemingly indifferent shrug.
Phil shrugged. "It hurts, but it should be fine." I need to get this plan in action. I can't let pain get in the way.
Jin led the way to the War Room without further comment, and looked over the controls. With her head tilted to the side, she studied them, her eyes darting back and forth rapidly as they did when she was figuring something out.
"So, who do you think we should fight?" Phil asked.
Jin spoke with her eyes still on the controls. "Depends. I mean, I'm tech and you're magic. Usually they don't play along, so I guess we gotta find something we can both handle." A faint, predatory smile twisted her lips. "Or something we can't. But you're hurt, and I don't feel like trying that hard."
Phil flashed back a grin. "Are you wimping out on me?" Phil asked. He didn't want to admit how much his arm was hurting. Holding the Amulet in his fist, Phil reached out to Kent Nelson. Is there anything I can do about this arm?
"Remember the shield spell? Just imagine that wrapping around your arm when you cast it. And watch out for this one. You best not push her too hard, she's close to breaking down."
Jin snickered, unaware that Phil was having another conversation. "Me, wimp out? Please. I'm looking out for you, Philly."
"I got this," Phil said trying to sound confident. He held up the Amulet of Anubis, and, with a focus of will, cast the shield spell just as Kent had instructed. Gold ribbons formed and laced themselves around Phil's healing arm, almost looking like a boxer's hand wraps. "See? All better."
Jin watched, the fascination in her eyes evident. "That's a nice trick." She would love to know how magic worked. There had to be some kind of rules, right? Something to know what would work and what didn't. Otherwise, magic would be everywhere... "Alright, Cheesesteak." She calmly adjusted the dials and levers, having worked out the basics of the control panel. Working it out in more detail would take another hour.
"Cheesesteak?" Phil repeated, wrinkling his nose at Jin's nickname.
"Yep." She grinned widely at him, teasingly. "Or perhaps I call you Philly Cheese instead? I was gonna go with Doctor Phil, but given the choice... I'd rather be something tasty than a big white dude who talks too much."
"Uh, and what should I call you? Jin and Tonic?" Phil playfully punched Jin on the arm. She was still struggling with the controls of the War Room. "Instead of messing with holo-driods, maybe we could just spar? You culd show me some of those Batman moves."
Jin raised an eyebrow, turning from the controls. "Uh... you sure? I don't want to hurt you. I mean, you were laid out in the infirmary a good while. The last thing I wanna do is put you back in a bed." She smirked and tweaked several things, before turning it on. The War Room settled into what looked like a Japanese dojo. A pristine wooden floor beneath their feet, sliding paper walls on the far ends, and out one cracked window was the view of a starry night. Jin kicked off her worn sneakers, and looked to Phil.
"So. What do you wanna learn?"
Following Jin's example, Phil kicked off his shoes as well. "Maybe some basic moves. I don't know much about martial arts... I just want to be better in combat," Phil explained. "Maybe some grappling moves?" What am I getting myself into? Phil thought.
Dizzy/Riurik