A Leap in Time ~ An Infernal Devices Fic

A Violent Encounter

 "Tess, Tess, Tessa.

Was there ever a more beautiful sound than your name? To speak it aloud makes my heart ring like a bell. Strange to imagine that, isn't it – a heart ringing – but when you touch me that is what it is like: as if my heart is ringing in my chest and the sound shivers down my veins and splinters my bones with joy."

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In the middle of an empty London side street stood a tall, blond man in a grey suit, looking up at the sky, his features at first glance content and serene, in tune with nature. But upon closer examination, the eyes' curve was really too sharp, the mouth not a serene curved smile but a smirk, his hands in his pockets fists.

The man didn't move or even seem to breathe as a stranger stepped from the shadows towards him. A tan skinned stranger, with feline eyes, rather overgrown hair, and a luxurious suit that, unlike that of the man he approached, fit in with that of the society around him. He walked until he was several feet away from the blond man in question, eyeing him with barely contained disdain, a hand in his breast pocket. He seemed to pause, awaiting something, but, after several moments of silence and the blond man of strange apparel ignoring his existence.

"Echius," he said, straightening his spine. "Let us not be naive and pretend we don't see each other, shall we?"

The man in the suit simply smiled, turning his gaze even further upwards towards the heavens. "Magnus," he purred. "My dear friend, what on earth could bring you to be following me through the depths of our sweet city? Not the Clave's lapdog as rumor has it, are we?"

To these taunts, Magnus Bane showed no sign of insult or injury, only cold anger. "You are dealing with that beyond you, Echius. The magical community around you has put up with it for so long but it can no longer be ignored. We know what you've done."

Echius turned a smirking lip towards his alleyway companion. "Don't like my methods do we?" he asked jauntily.

"No," the Victorian replied coldly, eyes ice upon the perpetrator.

"Well, my dear friend, did you just follow me to tell me you don't want to be pals anymore? How tragic." Echius' face broke into a sneer as he turned fully to face his opponent.

"No," Magnus replied smoothly, a curved smile appearing on his lips now. "I came to tell you I'm not going to let it go through. I fully intend to stop you."

"And how exactly do you plan to do that?"

With that, Magnus Bane raised a beringed hand, swirling it once in the air, substance with the appearance of blue lightning appearing around it. "You aren't the only one who can meddle with the future, Echius. Be sure of that."

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Will sat, his elbows upon the steering wheel, knocking his forehead against the horn for quite some time. It was rather hypnotic after a moment or two, and it was a fun little game to see how long it took for a neighbor to give him a death threat.

This was a neighborhood was foreign to Will; Jem had simply texted him the number and he'd plugged it into the GPS. It was quite nice, truth be told, with a large abundance of flowers and hanging gardens, despite the humble little homes it held.

Will hadn't spoken a word to anyone at school that day, despite the fact that several people called to him in the halls. He'd kept his eyes on the ceiling, not wasting time with lugging books from class to class, and simply accepted the fact that it was going to be an incredibly weird day. Nothing, not one single thing had felt normal. Well, nothing, except Jem.