Magnum groaned, having discovered yet another flaw on NYC’s already lengthy list. While she was allowed to carry her gun -- her baby -- around town for her own personal safety, there were no decent firing ranges to discharge a cartridge of bullets (or two). Most reports were so loud that even the underground wouldn’t risk establishing a range in the city’s limits. So, with heavy heart and light fingers, she had taken her Jag out of the garage and driven it all the way to the countryside. 

Here she found herself, trekking through the dense undergrowth of the North Eastern forest, all to shoot some f***ing bullets. As if the hour drive weren’t enough, shortly after her foot hit pavement and started for the disgusting, moss-ridden trees, a state trooper had passed her and stopped. “You know it’s illegal to carry extra rounds,” he’d said with his annoyingly nasal accent. “I’m going to have to ask you to put the rest back in your car, Miss.” Now, as much as Mag hated being talked down to, she also had a small sense of respect for law enforcement (a trait not found in many criminals, but it had kept her out of trouble on many occasions). So, instead of shooting the human or something far worse, she complied with his wishes and set out with just a handful of bullets.  

Trees, and maybe even a small animal or two, were getting shot today. 

Disappointment after disappointment had significantly dampened Magnum’s mood, causing small dark grey clouds to roll through the atmosphere above her. This could have been related the weather systems pushing through, but Magnum knew it wasn’t. No, this was her curse acting up again. Shooting would make her feel better though. 

An hour later, with mud all over her boots and her hair significantly more mussed than when she’d stepped from the Jag, Magnum had found a tree with natural looking targets and no angry squirrels by a remote lake. She drew her .44 mag handgun and discharged two rounds into the trunk. Then, she took aim at a branch higher up. She followed with a leaf, and a few kicks and giggles shots. With a satisfied smirk, she holstered the gun again. Even though she was nearly two years out of LA, she hadn’t lost her marksman skills.  

It was the second time in a matter of weeks that Charlotte found herself trudging through the forest, swatting away bugs and combating the humidity. Already she had downed three bottles of water, two more remained in her bag for the journey back to civilization. There were many downfalls to her mutation, and dehydrating easily was at the top of the list. Another negative was she had to claw her way through a jungle to find a remote body of water, one where she could practice in peace. 

A cigarette hung between her lips, a trail of smoke lingered lazily behind her, almost blending in with the impending clouds of doom that loomed overhead. She hoped the storm could contain itself for a little longer, at least until she reached coverage by the lake. Rain was the last thing she needed.

Bang!Bang!Bang!

Gunshots rang out in quick succession, sending her pulse racing and a flock of birds scattering into the sky. Scratch that, an encounter with a gunman was the last thing she needed, and it sounded awfully close. The blonde did not do well with weapons, and if anything, the lake would offer her some protection. Quickening her pace, she hopped over a few fallen trees and broke through a bush, her bright blue eyes landing on the body of water she so desperately needed.

"Oh thank god.. damn it." Charlotte spat quietly. Her destination had been reached, but so had the danger she hoped to avoid. Across the lake, a young woman stood, gun on her hip, staring proudly at a tree which was assumed to be her target. The mutant held her breath and watched the stranger.

She was taller than the marksman, by a good several inches, but the other female seemed feisty. And she had a gun. But Charlotte had an entire lake, which could just as easily cause the same amount of damage, if not more, than a firearm.

Clearing her throat, the blonde walked to a nearby rock and set her purse down gently, and began tying her hair back into a high ponytail, her eyes still set on the young woman. 

The clip was empty, but the walk had been worth it. Feeling the way the gun trembled after each shot, the power behind every miniature explosion, and the concussive echo of each report made Magnum feel much more at ease. As a result, the thick layer of humidity surrounding her began to dissipate. Suddenly, it was significantly easier to breathe. In, out… the great wilderness might have actually been enjoyable at this moment if not for the swarms of mosquitoes, flies, and other microscopic annoyances. Then, a slight movement from across the pond caught her attention. In the time it had taken to unload her rounds, some tall, blonde chick had crashed her middle-of-nowhere paradise. And the blonde in question as watching her like a vegan would a hunter. Jesus, who knew that carrying a handgun in upstate New York was such a sin? 

More than anything, the new girl appeared to be significantly preppier than Magnum, which made the latina take an instant disliking to her. Sure, stereotyping was bad, but if the girl proved herself (which was highly unlikely) the disgust Mag felt could change.  

What really interested her, though, was the cigarette hanging from her lips. Although she had been trying to cut out everything besides the alcohol, the appeal of lighting up had become nearly irresistible. The only reason Magnum hadn’t made it to such activities yet? She was far too lazy to go through the hoopla of purchasing a pack. Instead, she just suffered on with her limited supply of tequila, rum, brandy, whiskey, wine, and vodka.  

With the draw of nicotine as her main driver, Mag gave as friendly a wave as she could bare to muster and started slowly walking around the lake toward the unnamed intruder. Even if the girl feel disinclined to share, she was sure that pinching a cigarette or two from her would be easy. When she finally got close enough that her voice could carry over the water without getting lost in its ebbs and flows, she greeted the blonde. “Hey, you look lost. What are you doing out here?”

"Great." the blonde thought to herself, returning the halfhearted wave. Charlotte was hoping the two females could stay on their respective sides of the lake, but of course her luck wasn't that great, and the tanned stranger was closing the distance between them. Stamping out the previous cigarette with the heel of her shoe, she retrieved another one and lit it, taking a deep puff, allowing the nicotine to calm her nerves. 

> “Hey, you look lost. What are you doing out here?”

Why did she care? She didn't own the lake. "I'm just.." The blonde paused, and took a few steps towards the lake. "I'm just a mutant, here to practice my power and walk on this water." Charlotte thought to herself. The world didn't work that way. Lazily waving her hand at the water, which caused a ripple to break the surface, she continued, "I'm just here for some relaxation." 

"And I could ask you the same," she said with a smile, inhaling another cloud of menthol-y goodness, and motioned to the holster gun. "but I assume you're taking out some frustration on that poor tree."

Why people found pleasure in shooting inanimate objects, she would never know. Sure, it helped with anger, but if she were to own a gun, she would probably want to inflict pain... Which is probably why she didn't own one. That, and weapons honestly scared the crap out of her. She's heard so many horror stories about guns misfiring and people losing hands, feet, and other..delicate body parts. She was tempted to warn the girl of gun dangers, but decided against it. It wasn't her responsibility.

“I’m just… I’m just here for some relaxation,” the blonde managed to state. Then she continued, “and I could ask you the same, but I assume you’re taking some frustration out on that poor tree”. It seemed almost as if the girl was mocking her just like the police officer had only hours ago. The distaste in the back of Mag’s mind grew when acknowledging this fact, turning her faux smile into a more begrudging look. This lasted for the moment it took her to recoup thoughts and invent a somewhat witty response.

“Well the gun is empty now, if that’s what you’re concerned about. Yeah,” she rested a hand on her hip with a hint of sass. ”It would be a lot easier to practice my aim if NYC allowed shooting ranges inside the city, but they don’t.” This was yet another flaw on the damned city’s already long list.

Magnum’s brain did not register that New York was horrible, it was going over her chances of finding someone to have a fun night with. Definitely not femme, it commented. And definitely not butch either, by the looks of her. Slightly disappointed, her brain pushed the internal thoughts onward to different topics - she could find someone to neck with another day but the drifting cloud of cigarette smoke kept nagging at her old addictions.

The nicotine drifting her direction smelled good, but as with all drugs it messed with her control. While she could normally suppress her curse, the fact that most of her body now thrummed with desire for a puff took away from the attention she usually paid to keeping the weird water occurrences that happened around her in check. As a result, a dense, muggy humidity started appearing in the area around her and the other girl - the vast majority of this water being drawn out of the readily available lake.

>“Well the gun is empty now, if that’s what you’re concerned about."


The blonde offered what could only be described as a pained smile as she took the last puff of her cigarette and flicked it behind her. "Oh, I'm not concerned." she lied, taking the few steps back to where she sat her belongings. Of course she was worried; just because the girl said the clip was empty didn't mean she was being truthful, but Charlotte couldn't let her know that. It was all about appearances and how tough one could be in this day and age. 

> ”It would be a lot easier to practice my aim if NYC allowed shooting ranges inside the city, but they don’t.”

"Maybe you could talk to the mayor or something. I'm sure he doesn't appreciate you shooting that poor tree." she snorted, digging a water bottle out of her bag. In the few minutes she had been here, the humidity levels had exploded. It was almost tangible, and she could only imagine what it was going to do to her hair. Again, it all had to do with appearances. Especially when it came to females. The woman was decently attractive, and Charlotte scolded herself for not putting on more makeup before she left.

Crossing her arms across her chest, the water bottle resting in her lap, the blonde drummed her fingers against her arms, staring blankly at the stranger. She hadn't planned on running into anyone, and as such, didn't have much to say. She wanted to walk out onto the lake, and have target practice of her own, not chit-chat with someone who clearly had an attitude. But it seemed like her new acquaintance wasn't going anywhere, and at the very least she could be cordial towards her.


Begrudgingly, she held out a manicured hand. "I'm Charlotte."

“Oh, I’m not concerned,” she said. Yeah, not concerned my foot. As if to reinforce her theory, the blonde took a few steps back to her belongings and then sat down. Nicotine gone, the latina realized her power was running amok again and put more conscious effort toward keeping it under wraps. Excitement or not, it would be hard to explain a localized rain cloud that had appeared out of nowhere; she was already choking the other woman with humidity, after all.

Aside from her apparent lie, there was something else she was hiding. No one hiked out into the woods alone this far without a purpose. Despite her harassment, Magnum had been serious when she had mentioned the danger of being out here without some sort of self defense. Never mind predatory males, animals of all kinds roamed this forest - from harmless squirrels to bears to wolves - all of them carrying some disease or another. “Maybe you could talk to the mayor or something. I'm sure he doesn't appreciate you shooting that poor tree.” Magnum plastered a slightly bitter smile on her cheeks. “I would love to talk to Mr. Mayor if he’s concerned about my shooting a tree, but this is outside of his jurisdiction. Why else would I come this far?” she asked rhetorically. The blonde became more visibly annoyed as the conversation grew longer. Perhaps she was out here to meet with one of her many boy toys while another one slept back at home in their bed.

Responding to her attitude, Magnum changed her own posture. Just as quickly as her irritation had appeared, it was gone. In its place the blonde held her perfectly painted fingers out. “I’m Charlotte,” she stated plainly. Being the first friendly movement that had been offered, it was accepted with skepticism. Mag reached out, quickly shook her hand, and sat down on a stump a few paces away from her. “My name’s Magnum.” responded, forcing a pleasantness into her tone. “But seriously, what’s a pretty little thing like yourself doing all the way out here? I’ll keep your secret.”

The humidity began slowly dispersing, though not nearly fast enough to save Charlotte’s hair if it continued at this intensity.

As quickly as it had came, the humidity was slowly dissipating. Charlotte fanned her neck and took another sip from her water, then ran a hand over her ponytail, trying to smooth out the frizz that had already taken over. In all the years she had lived here and been to this lake, the weather had never been so erratic. It was almost as if someone was controlling it's fluctuation...hm. Raising an eyebrow at the brunette, she lit another cigarette. Maybe she wasn't the only one with a secret.

> “I would love to talk to Mr. Mayor if he’s concerned about my shooting a tree, but this is outside of his jurisdiction. Why else would I come this far?” 

At this the blonde just shrugged, letting a cloud of smoke escape through her nostrils. "Dunno." She knew not much about jurisdiction, or gun laws for that matter, and thus let the subject die. What the girl did in her spare time, no matter how dangerous, wasn't her business. And no matter how forced their interaction was, the blonde appreciated the effort.  

>“But seriously, what’s a pretty little thing like yourself doing all the way out here? I’ll keep your secret.”

Well, that just changed everything. Clearly this girl had good taste. Yes, Charlotte knew she was attractive, but she always enjoyed when people affirmed it for her. And that made this Magnum girl somewhat alright in her book. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to tell her the truth. After all, it's not like she could run and tell the nearest person; they were miles from civilization. Even if the girl did, the mutant could deny it until she was blue in the face. Standing up, the blonde stretched her arms and cracked her neck. "Here, hold this." she commanded, handing her lit cigarette to the other woman. 

Closing the distance between her and the lake, Charlotte stood, both arms extended in front of her, palms facing down. Allowing her eyes to shut, she took a deep breath and waited. The water's surface in front of her began to ripple, and then violently thrash, spraying her and the girl behind her in a  light mist. The blonde balled her hands into fists, and two pillars of water erupted from the lake. Each pillar was roughly a foot wide, nothing too stressful for her to make, but large enough that it should impress Magnum. The pillars began to intertwine, creating a double helix, as they moved toward the center of the lake, their rotation increasing until they churned the water around them. 

The blonde let her arms drop, and she turned around to face Magnum as the pillars behind her imploded, scattering water droplets across the vicinity. Charlotte offered a smile and an exaggerated bow, and resumed her spot next to the female. "That's why I'm here." she said with a sigh. "I need practice." 

For some reason, hitting on Charlotte had unlocked the door to openness. Although the line had originally been intended as an insult, one moment the blonde had been angry and the next she was handing Mag a brand new cigarette. “Here, hold this,” was the instruction given - it mentioned nothing about to puff or not to puff. So, before Charlotte could clarify that meaning, she took a large drag of the smoldering tobacco roll and relaxed as the presence nicotine-carrying substance soothed her psychologically. After holding her breath for as long as possible, she released it in a gust.

This occurred just about the time that the blonde had begun a strange ritual that made the surface of the water tremble - or it could’ve been her own powers going haywire from the stimulant drug. However, that theory was quickly discounted as the water shot up in response to her balled fists. Then it twisted, spiraling upward and curling around itself like two snakes being charmed. “¡Coño!” she swore under her breath as the pillars slipped out into the middle of the lake. Then, as soon as they had appeared, they were imploding. It created a mass of water droplets raining down through the sky, causing her moisture register to send alerts similar to that of localized rain. As Charlotte took a seat near her again, Magnum couldn’t help but stare a little."That's why I'm here." she said, punctuating her statement with a frustrated sigh. "I need practice."


She’d met few other mutants (including the one that snatched her body the other night), but she’d never seen a water mutant make the news - like the journalists thought that water manipulation was the least-cool of all powers to possess. But sitting right in front of her, real and touchable, was a water mutant. Even if she did claim to need a practice. Her excitement grew, even more than the nicotine had caused. A real water manipulator. Maybe Charlotte could give her a few lessons.

However, Magnum was too star-struck to mutter any of this. Instead, she barely managed to utter a rather pathetic ”Wow”.

It's not everyday that one just showed their mutant ability to a stranger. To do so is to show one's soul, to divulge a deep secret that has the potential to ruin a life, or end it. It's an ability that brings hundreds of people to together, and can also destroy a civilization. So for Magnum to only muster up a "Wow" left Charlotte at a loss for words. Most people flipped their lids, or were on their phones calling the police. She knew she didn't have the best power out there; after all, there were mutants who could transform into enormous dragons or shape shift or even becoming freaking invisible. And her control wasn't the best, by any means. Her emotions often got the better of her, and her concentration faltered after a short time. But.. wow? 


"...that's it?" she managed to ask after a few moments of silence, digging in her purse for another cigarette to light. The blonde has seen the other woman inhaling the nicotine like it was a McDonalds milkshake, and she assumed it was best to let her have the rest of it. She took a deep drag and let the smoke spill from her mouth, lingering lazily in the sky before a light breeze swept it away. Smoke always interested her. In fact, for a short while she longed to be able to control that instead of water. It was much more whimsical and less predictable than water, and it would give her an excuse to smoke all day every day.

Side-eyeing the girl, Charlotte realized she was still staring at her, in what looked to be utter amazement. Maybe she was actually impressed. Angling her body so that she faced Magnum more head on, the blonde offered a meek smile and asked, "Do you have any secrets?" She felt it was only fair, a secret for a secret. That's how the world worked. And who knew, maybe the gun-wielding woman had a power of her own? 

Dumbfounded, Magnum said nothing more as the cigarette wilted away. The fire that produced such lovely drugs was slowly disappearing, not that this was of the utmost importance at this very moment. Notwithstanding, she took another, smaller puff to keep it lit - one does not simply allow drug-bearing gifts to become extinguished from negligence immediately after receiving such a beautiful present. “Do you have any secrets?” The question drew her back down to earth, setting off tiny panic alarms in her mind. Did she have secrets? Holy Jesus, yes. Did she know how to use them? Good God, no.

The question hung in midair for a few moments. To proclaim that one did not have secrets was a lie for anyone above the age of 5. To proclaim that one did have secrets was to invite others to listen. A catch twenty-two, for certain. Magnum knew she was not reacting as societal norms dictated, which likely made Charlotte suspicious, but nothing else could be done. In character, she blurted the first answer that came to mind: “Yes.” Such comitance was sinful to proclaim and then not explain. “I mean, we all have our secrets, don’t we?”

Intense desire burned in her blue eyes, pressing Magnum for answers. It seemed that generalized answers would not fill the empty space and force the conversation onward. No, Charlotte had given her something very dear and now it was on her shoulders to return the favor. She swallowed heavily. “I can manipulate water. Not in the ways you can, but I can create it, destroy it, and to a certain extent maneuver it - but that works better with gases than liquids.”

With her confession laid bare on the table, the latina hoped with all her heart that the blonde didn’t ask for a demonstration. Aside from being terribly dangerous due to how little control she possessed, Magnum didn’t actually know if she could make it occur on demand without triggering the memories or if the effects would be as strong when forced as they were when she didn’t want them around.

The nagging voice at the back of her head mentioned something very important: One could say Magnum was afraid of her power, and, though they would be right, her ego was still greater. A challenge would force her to try despite the danger.

Charlotte did her best to stifle a laugh at the girl's response, opting instead to take a deep drag of her cigarette. An evasive answer like that gave away more than if Magnum had answered honestly. Yes, everyone had secrets, of varying importance and darkness. The young mutant wanted to know the nitty gritty. She had just divulged one of her biggest secrets, and expected the same in return. If her companion offered anything less, well, it would not be good. But to her surprise, the other female was a mutant just like her. In almost the same aspects, in fact. They were both water manipulators, but it seemed as if the brunette was more advanced and could control a wider array of water molecules.

Bringing her knees to her chest, the blonde rested her chin and turned her gaze to Magnum. "Can I see? That sounds fascinating." she pleaded, turning on her best puppy dog pout. Of course she was going to ask. One didn't simply declare what their power was only not to show it. That was almost as bad as.. offering someone a vacation to the Bahamas and then taking away the plane tickets. You just don't do that. It's cruel and unusual punishment. And besides, Charlotte wanted to see what she was up against. She may not be the best mutant out there, but she'd be damned if she wasn't the best when it came to water.

"Wait.." The blonde's brow furrowed as things shifted into place. The humidity had been all over the place since she arrived at the lake. Who knows when Magnum first got there. If her powers worked how she thought they worked, then it would be safe to assume that she was responsible for the weather fluctuation. "My hair.." Charlotte finally mumbled, running a free hand through it. "Are you the one doing all this?" she asked, waving a hand through the air in the general direction of the sky. "'Cause that's just not cool." 

If it was the Latina's doing, then it would all have to be tied to her emotions. There had been no hand movements, or vocal commands, or anything to suggest she was involved. To say that was dangerous would be an understatement. 

“Can I see? That sounds fascinating,” was the blonde’s response to her relatively nondescript revelation. Of course she wanted to see. Of effing course. As if that weren’t bad enough, her lips contorted into a small pout that would lead the viewer to believe that they were being begged by a young puppy. Except it wasn’t quite that cute - no, Charlotte had an undertone of whininess that Magnum found almost irksome. Apparently she felt it earned her things, because the pleading pout amplified the pitches and dips in her voice. Her saving grace might’ve been the slight moves the blonde kept pulling - from little tilts of her body to drawing her knees upward. To Mag, it signified innocence and weakness. She was always looking for someone to drag around until a better option presented itself. Everything in between was always fairly fun as well.

The if not for allowing these thoughts to obscure her own trails the humidity would likely have risen, as thinking of having to perform on demand was not a comfortable thought for mutants like herself who spent their life repressing their curses. Luckily, Charlotte came to Mag’s rescue: “Wait…” Her brows furrowed as though thinking were difficult. Perhaps (due to her own blondeness) it was. Then again, as a brunette, Magnum was probably biased. “My hair,” the words came with slight accusation. “Are you the one doing all this? Cause that's just not cool.”

Pain struck, causing a sharp jab that began in her chest and slowly inched its way upward. Guilt joined it the moment sensations entered her head. Against her will, the air thickened, becoming almost like pea soup. Then Magnum became angry. Localized clouds started to appear and block off the sky. “Yes it’s my fault. You don’t think I choose to do it, though, do you?!?” She was angry at the girl for insulting her, angry at herself for not being able to control the power, and angry at her arrogance and unappreciative manners. Years of hiding and developing self control were still worth next to naught in comparison to how overbearing her power was. Mostly, Magnum was angry at herself. 

> “Yes it’s my fault. You don’t think I choose to do it, though, do you?!?”

Oooh, someone had a temper. Charlotte could hear the sudden edge in her voice, that tone of defensiveness that undoubtedly caused the air to thicken around them.  Tempers were a major weakness in some people, especially when it couldn't be controlled. This, coupled with Magnum's apparent lack of control for her mutation, was a dangerous combination.What had the potential to make it even more dangerous was the blonde's enjoyment in angering people. Something about getting under a person's skin and rattling them brought the mutant immense fun, however her conscious warned that it could turn sour if she angered the Latina anymore.

Conscious be damned, she rose from her position on the rock and retorted, "Well, of course you chose to do it.. that's kind of how powers work, right?" Her eyes rolled to the sky to scan the darkening clouds. She didn't even need to taunt the other female; her anger was growing on its own.

What was supposed to be a simple day at the lake had escalated into a confrontation, and that didn't make Charlotte happy. Stepping closer to the water, she turned to face the brunette. "Maybe you could just leave, or something. I don't need any attitude." she said, bringing her dying cigarette to her lips for one last puff. Flicking the butt, it landed off to the side of Magnum. She hadn't intended for it to go that direction, but her aim wasn't the greatest. 

"All I wanted was some peace and quiet." Charlotte mumbled to herself, taking a few steps back so that she now stood on the surface of the lake. She wasn't much of a fighter, but she would make the other woman leave if she had to. This was her spot, and she didn't share. Her gaze was still trained on the sky, but she watched Magnum from the corner of her eye. She didn't know what the other mutant was capable of, but she was certain she was about to find out. 

Again, the blonde’s demeanor shifted without explanation: one moment she was angry, the next they were smoking together, and now she straight pissed. "Well, of course you chose to do it.. that's kind of how powers work, right?" The thought appeared, proposing the idea that Charlotte was experiencing PMS. How else would one explain such erratic behavior? Just as Magnum opened her mouth to give an argument, she was speaking again: "Maybe you could just leave, or something. I don't need any attitude."

PMS or not, this was unexcusable. "I’m not the one with the attitude issue, maybe you should check yourself before you start spilling crap," she glowered. Charlotte didn’t care - no, instead of listening or talking back she flicked a f***ing cigarette butt. Really? What the heck? Magnum turned livid, hateful words spewing over her insides like Niagara. Her hand traveled down to to the gun on her hip, only for her mind to realize that she had emptied the magazine into the tree minutes earlier. She swore under her breath, noticing how black the sky had turned.

Caution was to the wind (which had picked up significantly). "All I wanted was some peace and quiet." This was Charlotte’s last attempt at jabbing, but Magnum was already over the edge. As if responding, thunder rolled in the distance. One Mississippi. Two Mississippi. Three Mississippi.

Lightning flashed. The storm had come out of nowhere, only encompassing about a square half mile. Any astrologist in the area wouldn’t be able to determine what happened; it would look as if two pressure fronts had met and started warring. (Scientifically speaking, however, Magnum’s power was creating one of the fronts and causing the mayhem.) They had three minutes to get this under control before the situation turned very bad. A part of Magnum noted that her adversary had moved onto water - her element - and was preparing for a mutant fight. This would have scared her, had she not been so angry. Although she couldn’t control her powers, they hadn’t failed her yet. However, one thing she couldn’t guarantee was that both girls or anyone in the surrounding area would walk away from this encounter.