we are not evacuating this house. we don't believe in you and your wrecking crew.

[thehighestwing]

[ooc: I was finally able to put it up, yay me! This is a party thread, folks. Tag into it if you'd like, threadhop to your heart's content, assume whatever you need for the day is there in one of the many rooms. And fun! Have fun. ♥]The day has finally come and Phoebe's perhaps a little too excited for it, but whatever! A little excitement hurt no

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[starryeyed_cass]

Cassie still kinda hates herself for being here. She hates violence and would never resort to physical violence herself in any sort of argument both back home and here. But she's helpless and she really doesn't know what else to do anymore. She can't keep running anymore. It just won't work. It's pointless.

So she's agreed to come and learn how to defend herself. That's what she keeps telling herself, anyway. She's also staying well away from the knives. London had enough knife crimes and all the time people her own age were being killed on the streets for no reason. It was always on the TV or in the papers. And it hurt to read or watch about it. She's promised herself she won't handle them. If she has to fight, she's going to use her fists.

So she stands awkwardly, not knowing what to do with herself as she ties up her hair for what's probably the fifth time, looking for someone she knows. Or someone who can teach. She doesn't care either way.

This should be interesting, she honestly doesn't think she's thrown a punch in her entire life.

[sophicsulphur]

"Hey," a small voice calls from across the room, getting closer. The sound of clinking glass accompanies her as she runs. "Hey, Cassie, isn't it?"

Iris pulls up to a halt from her brief sprint, panting a little. "I remember you from--" She stops herself short. She doesn't want to say when, exactly. Even if they're all here because of that night, she wants to focus on the present, not the past. "--from before. I," she glances around at the crowd, "just thought I'd say hi. Busy in here."

She's got a bag slung over her shoulder, evidently the source of the previous strange sounds, as it clinks and clatters audibly when she sets it down. "I'm glad you came. Looks like we found a way to do something, after all."

[starryeyed_cass]

Cassie pauses at a quiet voice and looks about confuse, trying to find where it came from. She frowns at the clinking of glass, what on earth is that? She frowns for a few moments before seeing a very small girl hurtling towards her. She doesn't actually think she'll stop in time and is tempted to brace herself for some kind of messy impact.

But she doesn't and Cassie just grins down at her, "That's me! Hey Iris!" she's happy to see her. The grin falls only slightly and she nods seriously, "Yeah, I know.."

She looks about and nods again in agreement, "Yeah, there's lots of us here," she comments before glancing down in the bag, "What's in the bag? Sounds like you've got a little warning jingle to get you through the crowd in there," Cassie giggles softly, she's only teasing of course.

[sophicsulphur]

Cassie is right to fear. Iris doesn't always stop in time. And lately, in particular, she's been in the habit of throwing herself against things - intentionally or accidentally - that a girl her size really should not be impacting with the full weight of her body.

Thankfully, the weight of her bag and the gathered crowd have slowed her down somewhat, and she comes to a relatively well-timed stop in front of Cassie, her bag swinging back and forth a little as it adjusts to the sudden halt.

"...Oh, that," she says with a breathless grin, in response to Cassie's question. "They're my alchemy supplies. Glassware." She unzips the bag and holds up a simple glass flask, which miraculously seems to have survived unbroken. "I'm going to teach people here to make a few simple potions, basically. For healing, in case anyone gets hurt."

It's nice to be in Cassie's presence again. Things had been too fraught back on that day for her to really pay attention, but as with many of the people here, there's something about her that's a little different from the normal human energy, though she can't quite put a finger on it-- it's... shadowy, and slips out of her fingers when she tries to grasp it. Though Cassie's demeanour is bright, there's something about her that seems to constantly want to recede from Iris' mental touch. It's a little like when Saul hides in the darkness, that way.

"There are all types of people out here today," she says, by way of raising the topic. "I've never been in a place with so many different energies. It's kind of amazing to take in, how different everyone feels."

[touchme_n_die]

Rogue is there to teach unarmed combat, and she walks on over to Cassie with a small smile on her face. She takes in the awkwardness and feels a bit of sadness. She supposes that's natural, to feel sad that someone is put into a situation like this one. It's nothing anyone can control, of course. People get pulled here, and Rogue doubts that's going to let up any time soon. It's best to simply accept what is and move on with doing what comes next. Knowing that doesn't make the sadness lessen.

She waits for Cassie to finish with her hair before holding out a gloved hand to her. "Hi. I'm Rogue." Her tone is as friendly and open as she can possibly make it. It won't do much for any kind of learning if the one learning is stressed out and uncomfortable.

"You teachin' or are you here to get a lesson in somethin'?" If Rogue had to guess, she'd say the girl was here to learn, but she also learned a long time ago not to judge a book by it's cover.

[starryeyed_cass]

Cassie smiles sheepishly and lets her hands drop from her hair once she finishes tying it up so she can shake the young woman's hand. "I'm Cassie, nice to meet you," she greets her with a nod of her head.

"Um," she glances about the room nervously. Nope, she's definitely not here to teach. "No, I'm here to learn some fighting. I guess,"

She pauses to make a face and rubs the back of her neck with her hand. "I'm kinda rubbish at it. I couldn't really fight my way out of a paper bag.." she laughs nervously and grins.

[touchme_n_die]

"Hiya, Cassie. Likewise."

She tilts her head to the side as Cassie speaks, and the first thing she wants to do is put her at ease. "Well, all righty. That's something I can help with, then."

The nervousness doesn't worry her, much. If anything, it tells her that the gal's determined. Obviously, this isn't Cassie's cup of tea, but she's here anyway. That says something right there. "We'll just figure out what'll work best for you. There's no one way of fightin', and some of it has more to do with distraction than physicality."

Rogue motions to one of the mats.

[starryeyed_cass]

Cassie smiles brightly once Rogue mentions being able to help. This was surprisingly easy! She's glad - looks like the first stages of banding together to help fight back against the CLF weren't gonna be as difficult as she first thought. "Brilliant!" It's strange, Rogue doesn't look too much of the sort of girl who would fight - well, not in Cassie's eyes, anyway. But you never know, this is Chicago, after all.

She nods, "Now distraction is something I think I can work with," she replies. "Well, I hope.." It's worked before. By distracting Ianto, she managed to get herself free. But... she still kinda thinks that was a fluke more than anything. She smiles nervously and moves over. "Ohh-kay.. where do we start?"

Cassie's going to show you how much she fails, Rogue. Have fun!