Chapter 9: Chapter Nine

Natasha exhaled as she came to a stop, horizontally standing on the wall of a skyscraper, the night life of the city spreading beneath her in glorious golden lights. 

The web line she had swung from quickly fell apart as it drifted into the wind as she took in the ambience of the night, her silken mask unable to stop the cool air from reaching her lungs. 'Though, the pollution could use some fixing...' She wryly thought, comparing the air to the mountains she once trained in. 'I'll see if I can get Jasmine to help me convince Tony to take up a project to fix that.' She thought for a bit, 'And Pepper too. She'll likely be much happier with cleaner air.'

She flexed her legs, muscles apparent under the skin-tight body suit Jasmine and Tony created two weeks after her 'acquisition' of spider powers. Jade black in appearance, with a blood red spider on the back, a black triangular hourglass on its abdomen. Four pairs of red dashes mimicked eyes on either side of her face, the rest of the suit being near-featureless, just showing off the incredible body shifting underneath.

-How's it going~?- Natasha smiled at the voice of Jasmine in  her ears, the energetic girl more excited for Nat's nightly wanderings than the woman herself.

"It's going well so far. Took me slightly longer than intended to get to the vantage point." Natasha turned and started walking up the building- her excellent body control making the task look far easier than it had any right to be.

Jasmine laughed in her ears, -The muggings you stopped have already been reported to the police! So much for not wanting to be a superhero like Dad~♪- She teased, causing Natasha to shake her head at the girl's antics. 

"Octavia and Tony are rubbing off on you too much." All Natasha received in response was a giggle. 

Reaching the top of the skyscraper, Natasha turned around and crouched on the ledge, scanning the city below her with her superior senses, the cacophony of sounds mixing and stirring together in a chaotic orchestra of their own. Peaceful, in its own odd way.

-I hope the meeting with the wizardry society tomorrow goes well.- Jasmine muttured, hope and worry mixing together in her voice. Natasha nodded, though she knew Jasmine couldn't see her. Yesterday Pepper was contacted through... oddly normal channels by a woman claiming to be the head of the 'US Society of Wizards', and wished to have a meeting regarding Jasmine and her magical education. 

(A/n: I feel like women in HP weren't called wizards and instead were called witches. I'm using both as gender neutral terms for different jobs, with the latter being a subcategory.)

'Hopefully none of them are like that Dumbledore Jasmine was talking about. If they are...' Natasha's eyes briefly flashed under the mask.

-Anyway!- Jasmine shook herself from her anxiety, -How's the underground investigation of OsCorp going?- 

Natasha chuckled, scanning a particular skyscraper with said company's logo in blue neon on the side. Her eyes then panned downward to a small, squat but large building a few blocks away from said skyscraper. It was unmarked, but had clear signs of recent repair. "I'll give it to them, they work fast. The building the 'Crocodile' supposedly broke out of yesterday is already repaired."

-How much do you want to bet it has a secret basement connecting to the OsCorp tower?- Jasmine excitedly asked. 

"I try not to make losing bets, Jaz." Natasha chuckled, leaning and dropping off her current perch as she shot out a webline, feeling the air swoosh past her as she swung with a ridiculous grin hidden under her mask. 'I don't think this will ever get old.' 

 

>>> Next Day, Stark Residence 

"Nice to meet you, Pepper. My name is Maeve Shanahan, Head of the USSW." The honey-toned woman greeted, eyes twinkling with a mischief Pepper recognized from Octavia. She made a quiet note to try not to let the two women meet if it came to it as she shook hands with the platinum haired wizardess.

Maeve's attention down and to the side, "And you must be Jasmine." She smiled at the girl, noting the twitching tips of her pitch black hair, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you." 

Jasmine hesitantly shook the woman's hand, so far all her senses were telling her this Maeve was a genuine person and a good thing, but Jasmine could clearly feel the large amounts of Mana roiling under the woman's skin, and considering she likely had years of magical experience and knowledge... well. Both Jasmine and Pepper don't have the prerequisite knowledge to know what the woman is capable of or how dangerous she really is.

"Shall we head inside for some refreshments as we chat?" Pepper professionally invited Maeve in, receiving a smile in return, "Let's."

When they all had finally settled down with various drinks infront of them, the women drinking tea and Jasmine sipping on a cup of apple juice, Pepper placed her cup down and leaned back slightly, "So, what is the US Society of Wizards exactly?" 

A grin quirked up on Maeve's lips. "Starting with the easy questions to break the ice huh?" She cleared her throat slightly, "The United States Society of Wizards, or USSW for short, is a group created from various immigrant wizards from all over the world, though mostly europe, way back when north america was still in the process of being explored, conquered and settled by colonizers. Originally it was just a place for those wizards to gather, show a united front, exchange knowledge, and the works." Maeve smiled and shrugged, "Eventually it became its own monolith, a counterpart to the various wizard societies in the old world. I will mention we are distinctly separate from them and do not have... the best of relations." She noted with clear amusement in her tone. 

"I am the current head of the USSW. Having held the post for roughly fifty years now." Maeve smiled, taking another sip of tea as Pepper and Jasmine quickly absorbed the new knowledge before continuing. "In the current day, the USSW is an organization uniting the various smaller groups of wizards scattered throughout North America, dedicated to preserving, sharing, and creating knowledge of magic in all its forms. As well as being a regulatory agency to make sure everyone stays mostly in line."

"So you're a government?" Jasmined asked, tilting her head, hair curling behind her. Maeve tried not to coo at the cuteness and calmly responded with a nod, "You can think of us as such."

"Alright." Pepper nodded her head in understanding, deciding to treat Maeve like a company CEO "Then, why are you here today?" 

"Two reasons." Maeve smiled, "The first is to introduce myself and a bit of the magical world to both of you. Or I suppose all three of you." She nodded to Natasha standing behind Pepper and Jasmine, hiding her surprise at only noticing the woman a scant minute ago. "The second is to have a conversation about Jasmine's magical education. I'm absolutely sure you've noticed her magical capabilities by now, considering you have several small charms enchanted with cantrips on you, not to mention the... obvious influence Jasmine's magic has on herself." Maeve amusedly noted as she watched the girl's hair coil on itself, some strands starting to wrap around Pepper's arm that was near her head. That's not even to mention the glowing of the girl's emerald eyes. 'The amount and potency of the mana required for both of those together with no actual mutation...' Maeve hid her thoughts with a smile. 'And Britain abandoned her here in the US like random trash. Well. Won't be the first time such a gem gets waysided.' 

"Yes." Pepper slowly nodded, "We've been looking for magical knowledge to teach her about her magical side." The woman's eyes were carefully casual, "Yet we've come across no mention of the USSW in our searches." 

Maeve nodded at that. "Not surprising. The mundane and magical worlds are... somewhat carefully kept apart. Mostly out of habit due to the large-scale conflicts between organizations such as the church and the various magic societies." She grimaced for a moment, "Unfortunately those conflicts still partially remain to this day. I'd suggest keeping Jasmine away from any priests of christian faith, just in case. While most are perfectly mundane and unaware, some..."

Pepper nodded in understanding, mentally making a note. "We're not particularly religious, so no worries there."

"There's also the innate sense of superiority over the mundane that many wizards carry." Maeve continued, "It's especially bad in the old world and eastern regions. Still somewhat of a problem in the US, but most outside of a few stuck-up clans are pretty mellow about it." She snorted, "Far better than the wizards of Europe who have a massive inbreeding problem." 

Pepper wryly smiled, "That bad?" "Worse." Maeve shook her head, "The amount of discrimination between mundane and magical is extreme in Europe." The woman wryly grinned, "I'll give you one pertinent example: I recently received a letter from the white wizard of Britain himself, asking me to look around for a girl named Jasmine with black hair and green eyes, who had been abandoned in New York city." The other three woman's eyes briefly hardened as Maeve continued, "I assume you are aware that the Stark's are an international, famous business, and Tony in particular is incredibly famous with his every move watched?" She asked rhetorically, "and that all it would take to find the supposedly lost child would be opening a single damned mundane newspaper from the last few months." 

Jasmine started giggling at Maeve's exasperation, a smirk covered Pepper's lips and Natasha just shook her head slightly. "That... Is a bit worse than I thought." Pepper said wryly. Maeve rolled her eyes and took another sip of her tea. "At least you don't have to deal with them." The woman muttered.

"Anyway." Maeve shook her head. "I'm here with an offer. I'd like to take Jasmine as a direct apprentice." Maeve put her cards on the table, "While I won't be able to help or teach Jasmine at all times due to my duty as the head of the USSW, I can offer access to materials and knowledge that otherwise she'd have to jump through many hoops to get, as well as have various tutors to fill gaps where I am not available." 

Pepper blinked, straightening slightly in her seat as her eyes narrowed. "What does being an apprentice exactly entail?" Jasmine's ears perked up, hair tensing. 

"It's... a bit like a familial relationship." Maeve calmly explained, "The teacher takes responsibility for raising the student in terms of education and introduction to the magical world. If you're familiar, you can think of it as an archaic disciple-master relation. I will take her under my wing and teach her."

"I accept." Jasmine interrupted, causing Pepper and Natasha to startle and look to her. Maeve also blinked in surprise, raising an eyebrow at the girl. "My gut is telling me this is the best option." The girl further explained, cause a complicated expression to appear on Pepper's face, while Maeve suddenly got a curious one. 'Heightened instinct? That's a rare trait.' 

Pepper sighed, turning to Maeve with a bit of caution. Maeve smiled, "Don't worry. For the most part Jasmine will stay home with you all. I am more than capable of tutoring her here for the most part. And I'll let you know in advance when I need to take Jasmine somewhere to further her education." Maeve pacified the worried mother, causing Pepper to sigh. "I... I'll need some time to process this." Maeve nodded, "Take your time. We can discuss the timings and further details of the whole thing whenever you are ready." 

Pepper nodded in thanks, and a small silence descended as the women slowly finished off their drinks.

 

>>> A bit later 

-So, how did it go?- Tony's voice came through the speaker alongside Sidera's shouts of excitement, -Yes yes, say hi to Mommy.- -Hi Mommy!- 

Pepper sweetly smiled, "Hi sweetie. How is your day going?" 

-Good! Me and Daddy went 'swoosh' and then 'bam' and 'wee' at park! There alot of light and others and fun.- The toddler babbled. Tony chuckled. -We went to the park and I showed off my suit a bit, much to the amazement of several other children who Sidera made quick friends with.- Pepper's eyes narrowed.

You are reading story Warped Causality at novel35.com

"Nothing dangerous, I hope?" 

Tony coughed, -No no, not at all.- 

She decided she'd interrogate him later. Going back to the original subject, "It... went surprisingly smoothly. The woman is at least magical and likely genuine according to Jasmine, who accepted her offer of apprenticeship by the way." Pepper sighed, "Jaz will be staying home for the most part, with Maeve coming over to further the girl's magical education. Their first session is Monday next week." 

-That's... good?- Tony hazarded a guess as Sidera babbled some more. Pepper smirked as she listened to her husband try and calm down their daughter, eventually continuing -I trust Jasmine's judgement quite a bit. She's sharper than most, at least.- He paused to calm down Sidera again, -Yes yes. We'll be home soon and you can give mama hugs all you want kido. That's not to mention Jasmine's instinct regarding these things.- 

Pepper could only agree to that, and let out a sigh. "Yeah, but I wish I had more to go off of ." She complained. "A whole other society basically hidden under our noses." She groaned, "I wish this sort of thing stuck to the movies..." Tony barked a laugh at that. 

-Reality is stranger than fiction.- He quoted, causing a further groan from Pepper. -Anyway. We'll be home in a couple minutes. We'll talk then?- "Lets." *Click* 

Pepper sighed and sat back in her chair, rubbing her forehead. "Hopefully everything turns out all right." Her eyes drifted across her new computer, which now contained digital copies of all of her work, cleaning up the papers previously piled mountain high. "And this sort of thing is releasing to the public in just a few weeks as well." With a sigh Pepper reached up and started going through her digital documents. Work won't do itself after all.

 

>>> Elsewhere 

"But if we add the neodymium we can shorten the response time!" Riri shouted, poking some of the parts of Jasmine's dismantled prosthetic arm. Jasmine shook her head, "The motors are bad enough on my mana, neodymium will screw it all up."

Riri threw her hands in the air and shook her fists, her fluffy cloud of hair bobbing with the extreme movement, "Magic! But science!" 

Jasmine and Leona rolled their eyes. Leona in particular poking a few bits of the dismantled arm on the floor the girls were sitting around. "Frankly I don't think the neodymium would help much, Riri. Whatever this 'mana' Jasmine has is, it's definitely doing its own work on the arm." The girl gave some of the 'tendon' wires a look, "I'm pretty sure several of these components are the same as last time, but did not look quite like this." 

The black wire she was looking at in particular seemed thinner at a glance, and much firmer to the touch than she remembered. The fact it was slightly wiggling, contracting and expanding, whenever Jasmine touched it was an oddity on its own. The Motors occasionally turning on with no power connected to them when close to Jasmine was another.

"I'm pretty sure you've accidentally enchanted all of this Jaz." Leona wryly commented, causing the pale girl to blush slightly as Riri pouted and glare at the disassembled arm. 

"It's not like I mean to..." Jasmine's hair coiled in on itself, causing Riri and Leona to roll their eyes at their 'magical' friend. 

"Well it definitely makes upgrading it slightly harder. Especially when we don't know the full capabilities of it due to magic mucking it all up." Riri complained, poking around in her toolbox. "We don't even know how it will react to additional parts we have to add as we increase the size of it. Are you sure you don't want to build a new one from scratch? I'm sure Tony has the materials." 

Jasmine shook her head and rolled the arc reactor in her remaining right hand. "I want to use as much as we can from the old arm while making a bigger one." The girl looked over all the parts on the ground. A few boxes with new parts and bigger plates sat to the side as the girls sat crisscross in a rough circle around the dismantled arm. 

"Well. we can keep as much as we can the same- though some of these 'tendons' will definitely have to be replaced. We may be able to keep most of the actuators and motors?" Leona hazarded a guess, "Though I think most of the 'skin' will have to go. I don't think we can simply fuse more silicon to it without it looking patchy. Not replacing it will leave significant portions of the internals and frame exposed, or it will tear as we try to fit it around the new, bigger plates."

"That's fine." Jasmine said, placing down the arc reactor as a box to the side seemingly slid over to her on its own power. "I think keeping the wiring and motors the same is the most important outside of the somatic interface. That's gonna be the main problem." She said while starting to pull out components from the box with her one arm and a bit of telekinesis. 

Riri groaned at that. "I guess we can take apart the pads and such and just make the distance between them greater." The girl grumbled, pulling a box over to rummage through it herself "But it would be so much faster to replace them with new versions. Heck, Octavia recently made a new model with even lower synaptic delay, no?" 

Jasmine chuckled as Leona shook her head. "Yeah. Aunty did, but I'm pretty sure my older ones are actually faster now."

Riri's head bonked into the box as she let out a loud groan, "Stupid magic."

Leona and Jasmine laughed. Riri shook her head, "No wonder the magical society in your memories seems archaic." The girl complained, "If old stuff becomes better the more and more you use it, why ever bother upgrading to new stuff that doesn't do something entirely different?"

"I don't think that's quite the reason." Jasmine tilted her head, "I don't remember anything when I was young being clearly magically enhanced. Though, I'm not sure if I would have noticed even if they were..." Jasmine absently muttered, causing Leona to shake her head. 

"That eidetic memory of yours is scary." The girl said, brushing a blond-dyed hair out of her face. "I can't imagine remembering being that little and all the times I pooped my diaper or something. I have a bad enough time with the embarrassing moments I do remember."

Riri snorted, "It sure would make school alot easier though. It's all disgusting memorization. You're lucky you're homeschooled, Jaz." 

Leona grimaced, "Yeah. School is pretty awful. It's not a place of learning for sure. Just a place of memorization..." Leona shook her head. "It is frankly pathetic. I wish our mom didn't force us to go..." Both the girls sighed as Jasmine gave them a sympathetic smile. Riri shook her head, "Oh you need to socialize! She says." Leona snorted as Riri continued, "Like there's anyone who wants to play with us." She grumbled as she dropped a pile of components next to the arm. 

Leona reached over and grabbed a few parts while commenting, "Yeah. Most of the other kids ignore us or straight up antagonize us for being smarter. Mom just says to 'be friendlier', whatever that means." She sighed. "Hopefully it changes when we start middle school next year, but somehow..." 

"Yeah, I doubt it." Riri grumbled while helping her sister assemble the basic frame, using a Stark 'safety welder' to fuse the metal together- a nifty thing that didn't produce extreme light or heat. Only worked on certain metals and alloys though. 

Jasmine passed a few parts from her box to the two girls, not able to hold things still with telekinesis yet, though hopefully learning from Maeve would help that. The three girls descended into a comfortable silence as they worked on upgrading Jasmine's arm, the hours slowly slipping by as they bantered and played. 

 

>>> House of Maeve Shanahan, New York City 

"Annnd done." Maeve let the spell end, all the books and materials she could think of needing for Monday packed into the spatially expanded suitcase. "I'll add anything else I think of over the weekend." She said, clapping her hands together.

A pair of arms wrapped around her neck, a healthy bosom pushing into her backside, "All finished packing?" Zawati purred into her ear, causing Maeve to grin. "As much as I can remember to pack anyway!"

Zawati chuckled, the throaty noise causing Maeve to tingle pleasantly. "Is someone's old age getting to her?" 

Maeve rolled her eyes and lightly elbowed her lover, "You say that like you're not only a couple years younger than me. And that's not mentioning you look older too!" Zawati fake gasped, 

"You think I look old? Boo hoo~" Maeve turned around and pecked her lover's grinning lips. "Yes yes. Positively ancient." Maeve added, rubbing her nose into Zawati's. 

"I'll have you know that I think this silver hair suits me very much." Zawati  whispered as the two started a slow dance. Maeve giggled, "Yes. Yes it does, and so do the tiny wrinkles around your eyes when you smile." She said, leaving pecks all over the taller woman's lower face.

"Hmmmm...." Zawati moaned slightly as they slowly shifted towards the bedroom. "Why don't you come prove it? I have a lot of stress after being worked to the bone by my unforgiving boss." 

"Ho?" Maeve smirked, "Well I can't let my dear be so tensed up now can I? How will I work you so hard otherwise?" 

Zawati nodded, pecking Maeve back. "Yes yes. Come help me relax a bit~" she breathily moaned. The bedroom door was kicked shut behind them, both of them falling into the sheets shortly after for a long night.