Elizabeth took a deep breath, eyes closed. She brought her hands to her face in her customary "processing pose" (as Rachel had dubbed it): fingers together, index fingers against her forehead, thumbs down on her chin. It almost looked as if she was praying. It was an odd pose, yes, but somehow, it actually did help her process things. She sighed. "...A Wizard," she said, her voice betraying no emotion at all. "You're telling me... you're a Wizard. From Wizard City. And you do magic. Frequently." She sighed again and shook her head. Normally, she'd call the guy loony and have him put in a mental asylum, but after tonight, she wondered if she might not need to join him there herself. [i]Think it through,[/i] she told herself. [i]Just like analyzing a bad play. Think it through end to end.[/i] She started.

Seraph claimed he was a Wizard. That was impossible. However, so were hooded nightmare beings that could freeze time and phase through walls, so "impossible" was not allowed in her vocabulary this time. So his being a Wizard was now possible. She had certainly seen him do some strange things this night: summoning fire and repelling those Wraths with that stick he was carrying; presumably that was his magic wand. It certainly seemed plausible... though still completely insane. Maybe [i]she[/i] was going insane and talking to two figments of her imagination right now. Maybe she'd slipped and hit her head in the bathroom, and was laying on the floor in a delirious nightmare. She pinched her forehead and opened her eyes. [i]...Nope. Still here,[/i] she thought to herself. Well, darn. That would have made it much easier.

Next, the Wraths; if she wasn't insane, and she wasn't delirious, then those things were real. They were also a very real threat to her. There was no denying that they recognized Seraph, or at least recognized his power. The black one seemed to know him, but the rest seemed more... mindless. [i]I probably shouldn't discount them as threats, though.[/i] They'd done a good job of hunting her all throughout the day, steadily nurturing her sense of fear until they'd cornered her in the restaurant. The pain in her back was certainly a testament to the reality with them: she hadn't been sent flying back by a stray gust of wind, that much was clear. Even if she tried to desperately hold on to that explanation, twice in one night? In two different parts of town? What were the odds of that happening?

She [i]was[/i] glad to hear that everyone else would be safe, but she still hoped to contact them and tell them [i]she[/i] was. [i]This is assuming, of course, that I[/i] am [i]safe, and Seraph here isn't trying to kill me himself.[/i] She'd hold on to that thought for now. She had her phone in her pocket, of course, so she could easily call or text someone to let them know what had happened. Unfortunately, she was sure if she tried to explain what she'd seen tonight, she really [i]would[/i] end up in an insane asylum, so that plan was scrapped. [i]Ultimately,[/i] she realized, [i]I'm at the complete mercy of either Seraph or the Wraths out there. Both of them want me, and I'd really like to know why.[/i]

Finally, she spoke again. "Alright, next question: let's assume I believe you, at least in part. a) Why should I trust you over them-" she jerked her thumb back toward the exit, "and b) What do [i]you[/i] want with me? I'd rather not go out there with those [i]things[/i] looking for me, but I'm not about to trade one kidnapping for another."