Green Flame Rising (Exalted vs Dresden Files)

18th of February 2007 A.D.

The thing you notice about the would-be-Wardens isn't how young they are, contrary to what Harry's complaints might indicate, the youngest are around Lydia's age and Lydia's visited Hell with the intent to bust people out, it's just how sparsely they are strung up along the tunnel gawking at the lights powered from nowhere, or chatting to one another about the announcer's voice. They are all, or rather each, used to being alone, isolated in their own little bubble of weirdness. Little wonder wizards got a reputation for being hermits when magic itself starts isolating them so soon. To be a wizard of the White Council is to understand that you are mighty yes, but also that the world is fragile.

If the dark eyed girl over there wishes for a snowday it might lay down ice on the roads and get someone killed in an early morning skid, if the boy with the braces wishes to hit harder in baseball try-outs he might overshoot so hard that it injures someone in the stands, on and on... lead children of a world spun of snowflakes, they do not know how to deal with each other, with the chaotic energies born where spheres of influence overlap and Carlos doesn't know how to help them since he too was taught the regular way, just him and his master. So a score of kids just... stay apart, elbows metaphorically tucked in least 'something bad' happens, other than the pair of twins at the edge of the platform.

At least that's what they do until the train comes in. A few weeks of training can't have prepared them for Porter. Leaving aside the enormous steel chassis, and it is a rather large thing to leave aside, to more arcane senses he's a magical bonfire and one that's almost attuned to them. True, they do not desperately need help, these score of wizard talents had been found and are well on their way to mastering their magic, but they haven't found themselves or their purpose yet, they had pledged to fight in a war they only half understand.

Carlos whistles when he sees you in the door of the train, not that way... not mostly that way, it's more of an impressed sound. "You have been busy."

"Just you know..." you give an airy wave. "Keeping my hand in. Honest word builds character."

"What, the railroad? Are you going to start singing Old West work songs?" He looks past you, as though expecting to see the train filled with cowboys. Instead it's filled with Jade Dogs, some of them mortal, some of them not, one toddler in attendance come to see the wizard-folk. The only people most of these people had ever seen is Harry who looms large in every sense of the word.

"Most of the rails were here, we just repurposed them..."

"It... is... good... to... have purpose," Porter interjects, his voice coming as much from the metal body of the trail as over the speakers.

"Everyone, meet the elemental dragon of the Chicago under-city, everyone be polite to the elemental dragon of the Chicago under-city," he gets out with a wobble in the middle.

"Oh don't mind... me, it's already a.... wonder how quick you... wise-folk learn the ways of things... I shan't be expecting... children to... already know them."

That's torn it, he just called a bunch of people learning serious wizarding that they are children. The denials are loud and insistent.

"My pardons... all things born... mortal seem as... children to me... Could you perhaps... educate me on the... distinction?" Before you had thought Porter was teasing them, now you're sure of it.

To their credit the students don't just shout over each other, they work out among themselves who would be the best to try to explain the stages of human development to a living magical train, it's one of the girls, Tina's her name and she does a pretty good job of explaining the difference between knowledge and experience, between a teenager and a 'little kid'. 'We're all old enough to join the wizard army so I figure we should get the wizard vote' sticks in your head and Porter obviously finds her endearing since he offers to teach them all how to bargain with least elementals for information and help.

While that's going on the other twin, Terry you remember, is looking between you and Carlos and asks. "Scuse me ma'am but who are you and what are you doing with all..." he kind of motions around.

"Well first of all I am definitely not old enough to be called ma'am, that's my mom as for who I am..."

[] I'm a girl who got lucky

[] I'm a friend of the Council, odder than most maybe, definitely newer

[] Write in

OOC: I know you guys were waiting for the magic cookies, but then I realized that due to his new purpose Porter would have a minor positive intimacy with the kids and the interaction developed on the way to the Station.