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*
The portal to Rome came from the back of a rather rustic looking restaurant. Likely a tourist gimmick, despite the old stone building that rose up around them, the rest of the sprawling downtown was the epitome of 60s modernity. More than one red rimmed motorbike went whizzing through the cobbled streets and crowds ambled along at their leisure dressed in bright colors.
The sun was bright and cheery overhead, at the peak of the day whereas they'd just left New York City at a rather awkward hour.
Lorna stepped out first with excitement, twirling around and almost bumping into a pedestrian as she turned wide eyes upwards and inspected as much as she possibly could at once and failed. "Woah. Groovy!" She grinned and cast a look back at those following behind. "Billy! This is totally worth the visit!"
*
When some of the family and friends gathered, it was Billy who provided transportation. So he went to the nearest door — that was NOT a bathroom door this time — laid a hand on it, and said softly, "All roads lead to Rome." And concentrates, focusing: "Allroadsleadtorome." And then with an intensity that reality can't ignore: "ALLROADSLEADTOROME." Nothing obvious happens: there's no special effects that anyone who isn't a mage can see, but then Billy is opening the door, peeking, and with a grin pulls it open and ushers everyone through. He grins through to Lorna, "Hey, at least its not a restroom again." He stays by the wooshed door for everyone to go through, to make a point to close it when everyone's done. "I hear pizza in Italy is nothing like pizza in America." And this is something he very much wants to try. For his part, Billy's dressed in jeans and a simple fitted red t-shirt, with a simple windbreaker in case it, well, gets windy.
*
"You're right, it isn't anything like American pizza," comes Erik's reply as he steps through the offered portal. Blue eyes are thoughtful as they turn upward to survey his surroundings. The man's expression is one of careful, thoughtful intensity. he does not look like he is skeptical so much as like everything and anything is worthy of skepticism. His manner changes immediately when he steps through to the far side of the portal.
"All roads lead to Rome?" Erik repeats back, shifting his gaze to Billy and offering him a nod. It's a nod of respect, that calm manner designed to help conceal Erik's mild shock at the ease of transportation. Still he does step more gingerly than usual, hands near his waist. "That is more practical than flying," he continues before taking a deep breath. "If you are interested in pizza I know a good place we could visit for dinner. Thank you, Billy."
Erik actually has a spring in his step as he proceeds forward. May wonders never cease.
*
Crystal could have used Lockjaw, but this is really about Erik's family. And besides, using Lockjaw around populated areas carries with it a certain risk. An unnecessary one when there's no one in danger. She's dressed as simply as she usually does, in a full-skirted mid-calf dress of spring green embroidered with colorful flowers and belted tight around her waist.
"Ah, Rome," she smiles swiftly as they step through the portal, stepping aside for the pedestrian nearly displaced by Lorna's arrival. "I know I've been working at a school for too long when my first thought is about the lectures this sort of field trip should accompany," she says, rueful.
*
Maximus is trying to keep a lower profile at the moment. He is dressed in a Mandarin style suit, black, which suits him very well. Black ringlets play about his face and only his eyes are lined today, the rest of him make-up free. Rome is beautiful, but it almost immediately makes him a shade paler, from the pollution of car exhaust. He puts his hand to his mouth and takes a moment to get used to it. Then…he eyes Billy…with a nearly creepy interest. He steps up closer to the young man and asks, /casually/ as he can, "So…how exactly does that ability work?"
*
Lorna blushes as she tries to apologize to the gentleman that she nearly bumped into, only getting muttered at in Italian. A frown followed as she backed up toward Billy, trying to clamp an arm through with her nephew's so as to not get separated from the 'driver', in a manner of speaking. "This'll be so much better than Spain! With the added bonus of not having to deal with runaway bulls." She grinned, and glanced back at her father, hitching a brow upwards.
"Eh, you know Italian too tata?"
It seemed the idea of pizza was a welcome concept. "Ooh, can we see the Collseum after? Ooh! Or, or, the uhm, there are catacombs right? That could be fun in a totally creepy kinda way." She seemed to bounce as she stepped, her purple skirt swishing with each motion.
As Maximus came up to Billy, Lorna frowned faintly from the opposite side of her nephew, but refrained from outright saying anything.
*
"Wormholes are the thing I'm best at. One of the few things that are almost completely reliable." remarks Billy to Erik, with not a little bit of pride. "Other things… vary. But wormholes I have down pat, and I can even close them now." He turns a curious look over to Maximus, and he gives a shrug, "I don't exactly know." he admits, "I'm still learning how it works." Pause, "Sometimes. Other times nothing happens. Or something weird happens." He eyes Crystal for a moment, "If this is a school field trip I'm gonna run away." He pats Lorna's arm when she takes his, "I don't know if it can be better than Spain— paella is… wow. I mean I know it makes me a bad Jew, but … the seafood paella I had… Wow. Just, wow. But I'll give the pizza a try."
*
Maximus is regarded with a glance as he speaks up, Erik's left eyebrow lofting. He murmurs a few words of apology to the Italian man Lorna had nearly run over in lightly accented, skilled Italian before giving Lana a brief nod.
"I'll teach you," the man assures, even as his gaze turns back toward Max. Erik takes a deep breath then, smiling at Lorna and reaching a hand out toward Crystal. "Wormholes," Erik then repeats before nodding slowly. "I've done some research regarding wormholes. That is a fascinating ability to have."
There is no direct response to seafood paella from Erik. He watches stoically and lets his naturally dour countenance dream up words of disapproval for him. They might not even be his actual thoughts. "The pizza is fantastic," Erik continues briskly. "And I don't see why we shouldn't see all the sites of the city while we are here. Now, let's see…" He frowns as he turns to look around slightly an eye narrowing slightly.
"Billy," Erik asks. "Where in Rome are we?" He asks this despite the fact he's moving to find the nearest street sign.
*
"I shall somehow restrain myself," Crystal chuckles to Billy, taking Erik's hand and setting her stride to match his. For all she's the picture of domestic bliss, she also spares a warning look for Maximus when he sidles up to Billy. There's friendly, and then there's 'friendly.' "I haven't been to Rome in ages," she muses to Lorna. "We passed through for a time when we were looking for Medusa, but we were always on the move."
*
"Wormholes mmmm…yes, it is." Max threads his fingers through his curls and then smiles at Crystal when he catches her warning look. He arches a brow as if to ask 'what?', but he doesn't get bent about it. "So interesting. I am Maximus, by the way. And you are?"
*
"It is not a school field trip. It's supposed to be a family trip. With everything going crazy back home, I thought it'd be good to get out. Especially after Miss Crystal mentioned how much she's been working at the Institute." It might've had something to do with Lorna helping cook dinner that one night too in all honesty.
A pause as Lorna thought and then failed to follow through Billy's words, "Wait, what? What's wrong with paella? I don't get it? It was pretty good." She mumbled, having only just learned about her Jewish heritage in the last year or so, Lorna still didn't understand the finer points. Her voice dropped as she asked Billy, trying to keep it from her father that led the group toward the promised pizza.
Even as her father promised to teach her yet another language, Lorna groaned. "This is why I'll never get out and have a social life. School, and then home to more work and training and then chaos!" She waved her fingers and pouted.
*
"I'm not sure they're really wormholes — Einstein-Rosen bridges, I mean — that's just how I think of them. I connect to Reality's settings file and connect one part of reality to another part and that stitches them together temporarily. In theory I shouldn't need to use a door or make a portal, I think, but I can't figure out how to approach teleporting a group of people otherwise." Billy muses somewhat philosophically of the nature of his power, but then Erik's question causes him to blink, "I have no idea." he admits a bit sheepishly. "I've never been to Rome and didn't really think of anything more specific— like the Colosseum .. so, uh. Somewhere in Rome is as specific as I can get." Still, he flashes a dimpled smile at Max, "Oh, Hi. Yeah. I'm Billy Kaplan." Pause, "And-or Maximoff. Look up 'complicated' in the dictionary and you'll find 'Billy's life' with a picture of me long-suffering-sighing." He doesn't notice any looks anyone is making. He gives a shrug at Lorna's question, murmuring, "I'm Jewish." Pause, "And if you're a good Jew, you keep kosher. That means no unclean food: no pork, no shellfish, … it's actually a bit involved, all the rules." He does add absently, "Should I italianish us up so we can speak local?"
*
Erik is frowning as Lorna asks about the paella but then he nods slowly when Billy explains. Taking a deep, slow breath the man moves toward the street signs, Crystal's hand still in his, and looks around. "Aha! I have some idea of where we are. A good traveler always remembers a map." He's going to the small bag at his side now, browning thoughtfully as he does. Crystal's hand is released now, though instead he absently leans over to plant a kiss on her cheek.
"Whether they are actually bridges or instead something else it is still fascinating," Erik responds seriously to Billy even as the map is being unfurled. "Now, let's see. I believe if we head north we will find the restaurant I mentioned. A ten minute walk, perhaps." the sound of rustling paper is now nearly omnipresent.
"Your Italian studies can follow learning German and Polish, coreczka, if it helps."
*
"Better to know a language and not need it than to need to know one and find yourself unable to speak when you need to," Crystal chuckles to Lorna. "I found myself in more than one tight spot when we traveled, until I learned to pick up at least a few phrases here and there. I'm not perfectly fluent, but." She tips her cheek up to Erik's kiss, listening to Billy's explanation. "We have a few Inhumans with teleportation related powers, but I suspect it works…a bit differently."
*
"Yes, like my dog that you stole." Maximus replies to Crystal with a crooked and baiting grin.
*
A faint smile tugged at her lips as Billy explained how complicated the family tree was. A blush crossing her cheeks as he explained why the seafood paella wasn't kosher. "Oh. I knew that. Really." She bit her lower lip, and fidgeted as they walked. But his offer to Italianish everyone up? That was met with a grin. "Yes! Oh, please. That would make life so much easier."
A glance was spared for her father has he promptly parcelled out language lessons for the future and she bit back a groan. "Right between advanced physics and reading The Art of War too?" She grumbled lightly, "It'll be a miracle if I ever get out for another day off at this rate.."
Crystal's positive spin on why Lorna should learn another language was met wrinkle of her nose, "Yeah, I guess that's a good point and all.."
*
Billy stares blankly at Crystal for a moment, "I am not at all clear on what an 'inhuman' is, it sounds like a weird way to say 'alien'. Err, no offense." he asks, his brow furrowing as he glances between Erik and Crystal, "Oh, right. Teleportation isn't what I do, its just something I can do with what I do. I am a…" Air quotes start, "…reality warper…" Air quotes cease, "Which I am told very firmly is not magic although it seems like magic to me." He shrugs. Who can argue with the Sorcerer Supreme? "I used to go by the codename Aether, because I thought I was like, Zeus's grandson or something. Flying, lightning, all that sky-demigod-stuff. But it turns out that was just… like… autonomic manifestations of my ability. I don't even know how it works. But now that I'm doing spells more — like, all roads lead to rome — I'm gonna change the name. Uhh, 'warlock'? No, that means oathbreaker." He frowns thoughtfully, "Witchboy… is completely lame. Witchdude. That might work. I dunno. I'll think of something." He follows along regardless, not being especially shy about his powers. Which maybe is not the wisest thing, but, its Billy. He's distracted by this line of thought so doesn't really catch that he should italianish folks, but he does add for Lorna, "Days off are fictional. I'm in college two days a week and at my internship five days a week. I haven't had a real day off besides this forever. I had to make arrangements to make up for today."
*
"Days off are indeed a myth," Erik agrees with Billy. nodding once as he does. The tall, stern man is turning to survey the people gathered and taking a deep, long breath. "Working hard is the only way to succeed. We can negotiate the timing of your lessons so that you can have time to court with Julian." There's a purposefully old-fashioned lilt to Erik's words as this is stated and then he shifts his weight slightly, studying each face in turn. Lorna's most of all, though he stays closest to Crystal's.
"In any case, I am almost starving. Shall we find that pizza?" Taking Crystal's hand once more Erik is settling back into walking. "Reality warping sounds fascinating and infinitely dangerous. Are you aware of the limits of what you can do?" The discussion of the Inhumans does have Erik's attention but it seems he expects Maximus or Crystal to field any questions on the matter.
"I can smell the margherita now," the man adds in an unusually cheerful manner.
*
Crystal's lips quirk at Billy's comment, a glimmer of amusement in her features. "Well, weird way to say alien is more or less the truth," she drawls. "But I'm sure Maximus would enjoy going into more detail on that front." Whether it's a test for her cousin or an olive branch is…less than clear. She doesn't have any advice about working hard, though. For all she does work hard, she tries to take her free time as well.