"Archangel," he introduces himself to Nova. "Didn't get a chance to introduce myself earlier. You're Nova, right?"

(The cops go in and start leading ziptied cultists into the back of the wagon.)

He gievs a rapid nod. "Ah, yessir?"

(When the cultists start being lead out, he flinches away, half tries to hide behind someone.)

“...Cool.” He scratches the fringe of scales at the back of his head. “D’you like... music?”

He's quiet for a moment, before: "-M'sorry, I don't know?"

“Well. That’s unfortunate. Do you want to hear some?”

-That's a hard question. He doesn't- know?

"-Ah. If you- want, sir?"

Archangel reflects on this for a moment, then, instead of commenting on how this is actually in no way a helpful answer, taps a button on the side of his visor. Music starts playing.

It's classical, mostly violin and flute. It's a bit tinny, due to the visor's small speakers, but it's nice.

-Oh. Oh. That is nice.

(There is, on his lips, a tiny, unpracticed smile, as he sways minutely with the music.)

Music continues, Garrus nodding along as the final cultists are piled into the back of the van. Eventually the entire cult is packed in like clowns in a Volkswagen Beetle, and the cops gesture for the teens to get back in the front.

He goes still for a moment when the cops gesture of the teens to get back in, but he's not going to disobey them. Even if he will hesitate to see what the other teens do first.

Teens get in the front half of the van!

"It's okay, there's a barrier between us and them," Wiz Kid whispers.

...Okay, barrier is good, he's still uncertain, but he'll get in as well! And hope that none of the cultists seem inclined to say anything.

(They don't appear to be, more than a little cowed by the situation.)

It might also be the fact that the chaos mage who almost killed several of them keeps glaring in their general direction.

That is probably a large contributing factor as to why they're keeping their mouths shut!

Nova looks, a little, like he wants to curl his legs up to his chest, but is resisting the urge to do so, settling for hugging himself and hunching his shoulders down.

Leuco puts a hand on his shoulder and squeezes gently. "As soon as we get to town, that's the last you'll have to see of them," he murmurs.

He stills a little under the hand, but the touch doesn't hurt, feels almost...comforting. Even if the words don't seem realy. "Ah- what- happens to me then?" He flinches some, at his own audacity for asking that.

"Then we're going to take you to Whateley, and we'll figure out what happens then - most likely you'll be enrolled at the school, and they'll teach you to control your power. You'll be fed and kept safe and taught how to live on your own, as well."

...That doesn't particularly sound real either, but he nods slowly, as though he might possibly understand that, believe that. "O-okay. I-" (He wants to say he can earn his keep, but expects that it would be better to tell whichever people get to make the decision about where he's staying.)

Leuco squeezes his shoulder again.

"...It'll be better," he says eventually. "Better than you can believe right now. But- the worst possibilities from here are still better than what they did."

He nods again, trying to ignore the faint, alien twinge of something (hope) that's trying to grow. "I- thank you."

(-Which is when one of the cultists manages to work up the audacity to snort.)

The cultist abruptly feels an invisible cord tightening around his neck, tighter, tighter-

and it fades. After a few seconds Wiz Kid re-opens his eyes and stops breathing quite so carefully, and turns to stare through the barrier. "Please shut the fuck up. For both of our sakes."

He gets two wide-eyed looks for that. The first from the cultist is terrified as the man gasps for breath, and obviously wants to claw at his throat. He does, however, shut up, and will not make another sound for the rest of the journey.

The other, from Nova is something more like awe.

"Sorry about that," he says to Nova. "I really, um, don't have that much control over my power, and it does things that I want to do even when I shouldn't want to do them."

-And now there's a spark of something else, a shy, tentative look of almost...kinship? Another person who finds it hard to control their powers, it's...nice to know he's not alone in that?

"I- it's- it's okay? I don't- It's okay?"

"Thanks."

He looks consideringly at Nova, and then a breeze ruffles his hair. Inside the car, which does not have its windows open.