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“That’s, uh, not what I meant”

She looked at hi near him made all the hair on the back of her neck stand up, not in a horror sort of way, but in a strange Van De Graaff generator sort of way She was alle bit of hair on her body would start floating from the sheer electricity

His costuood Definitely movie quality And now that she really looked at it, it had to be bespoke Maybe even homemade

“How long have you been doing cosplay?” She tried to change the subject Not because she wasn’t interested, but because she was Because she was trying to get a sense of whether or not this guy was a secret serial killer Netflix specials had taught her that you had to be careful about that Also, people with tiger zoos

“Cosplay?”

“Dressing up like this Looking like you do” She gestured at his wings “All of this A lot of hours one into it”

“Oh yes, a very great many” He looked around and nodded, as if he had come to a conclusion “It is time ent, human What do you call yourself?”

“Katie”

“Kay-tee,” he repeated “In e… never mind”

He lifted his hand and snapped his fingers Time slowed and then stopped Birds hovered in the air, people paused er hovered an inch or so above the pavement

“What the…”

“Co her hand in his “Leave this petty little world behind Do not concern yourself with your job, or whatever an apartht be It sounds small”

“It is,” sheabout herself in a?”

With the world standing still, she was suddenly able to perceive a myriad of details which would have otherwise been lost to her Everybody she had gone out of her way to ignore, those who had been nothing but a general

“I didn’t I stopped perception of tis tend to explode if you don’t…

BOOM!

Soan to billow very slowly and strangely into the sky

“Yes, you see We’re stressing space Tio”

“Okay, sure, dude”

She couldn’t io Just an incredible stillness all around, and a war from above It felt like the sun, but more personal