RP for shadeof_grey
Neena finished what little paperwork she had left for tax filing and sat back with a deep sigh. She debated doing her yoga, and had even gone so far as to put on her black yoga pants, but then she changed her mind. She wanted to do something fun. Bea was at Sarah's house and Logan was off doing... whatever it was he did when he wasn't home. She
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She absorbed the information about Irene Merryweather with some surprise, and the first name that she put together with "Providence" and the name of Neena's daughter almost made her choke. She'd only had a brief encounter with the mercenary-turned-do-gooder still known (for some reason) as Deadpool. But you really didn't have to meet a ninja fighter with a Bea-Arthur obsession and apparent Tourette's syndrome more than once for him to stick in your memory.
As Domino went on, though, Jean picked up the name "Nate" and made the proper association. "Ca-- ahh, Nathan Dayspring is your ex?" she asked with some surprise. "He's an. . .interesting guy. I remember the X-men were really keen on figuring out his backstory, for a while, but I don't think anything ever came of it. I guess because his history is all in the future -- that gets a little problematic. Anyway. . ." She winced. "So you know, he and Irene are coming to the party. Not that Tony was thrilled about it, but he couldn't NOT invite them." And Steve, for some reason, actually seemed to get along with Cable.
Responding to the question about Beatrice, Jean said, "Of course, she's still your daughter. I mean, look at the guys and Sally? They chose to be a family, and they're one of the strongest families I've ever met." Mentally, she said, Mutation can take a while to show up, and it's not always predictable. She'll probably have a strong healing factor, which is nice in a kid -- I wish Tommy and Billy did. Plus, well. . .I'm sorry, I don't really know what your mutation is."
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Her eyes made their way back to her hands and she eyed the chocolatini, wishing she had a hand free to polish it off, "You're right. She's a great kid and she's my... OUR kid," Mentally she added, I know. She'd been injury free thus far. Perhaps if something happens to her, then we'll know... not that I want anything to happen. I'd just as soon not ever know, you know what I mean? And she'd be lucky if she ended up with mine. Literally. she sent her, amusedly.
Technically, I have the uncontrollable psionic ability to alter probabilty to my favor. I'm just flat out lucky,
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She jerked to her feet and pulled her half manicured hand away from the startled girl.
"Did you see that --?" she asked Dom, staring at a point in the air. A flash of blue.
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"See... I didn't see anything, Jean. Maybe those chocolatinis were a bit stronger than I thought," she said lightly, but her concern was more than evident on her face, "You alright?"
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Looking at the shocked expressions of the surrounding employees and customers, she suddenly laughed and covered her face. "Stupid me. I guess they're part of the entertainment." Sitting back down, she turned to the manicurist. "That's a neat trick. All those butterflies." To Dom, she said, "How do you think they get them in formation that neatly?"
She had no idea that the reaction of the others was not just to her outburst but to the way in which her skin wa slowly, steadily, beginning to glow.
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"Jean? You think maybe we should go outside for a second? You're... um... glowing," Neena wasn't sure what the hell was going on here, but judging by the looks they were starting to get from other patrons and the employees, things were about to get very hectic, very quickly.
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Fucking mutant,. Jean heard the girl's thought. Working this close to you freaks, I should get hazard p-
Jean whirled toward the girl and froze her in her tracks, levitating her just slightly into the air. The voice that came from Jean was so deep and loud that she hardly recognized it. "We are here to protect you, we are Avengers, we are vengeance, against the weak and impure."
Jean couldn't see the flames that started to glow out of her skin, but she heard the words that raced through every mind in the room. Mutant. . .Avenger. . .Knew they couldn't be trusted. . .Phoenix, they call her Phoenix. . .I always thought she was the nice one. . .the other one is worse.
Turning to Domino, Jean spoke in her normal voice. "This is an attack. We need to stop it."
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"Jean! You have to stop. No one is attacking you!" Dom reached behind her, just to make sure she hadn't left her last ditch effort at home. It was like a Mastercard. Even after all these years, she never left home without it, "Jean, let her go," Her voice was calm, but she knew her mind wasn't anywhere near it. She tried to remember what Nate always taught her to quiet her own mind, but it had been so long...
She turned instead to the people in the salon, "I suggest you folks step outside so I can talk to her alone," Well, almost alone Dom thought quietly as she looked at the girl's terrified face. She didn't even want to know what this girl was thinking.
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"You should have heard what she was thinking!"
Crossing her arms, Jean levitated off of the floor and started to turn around, her gaze falling on everyone in the room. "All of you, your thoughts. They are sick, impure. But we will save you anyway. We are avengers. Leave!"
The crowd hastily ran for the doors, leaving Jean alone with Domino, and the butterflies. "What is it, Neena?" her voice boomed. " Why are you angry at us, and not at THEM?" Neena, and the butterflies, and her other self.
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"If you value your life, you'll get the hell out. NOW!" Now... now she was angry. This wasn't going well at all. Even if this girl didn't call the police, someone was bound to have had a cell phone on them. She tossed an irritated look back to Jean, and watched her very cautiously. She'd never seen her friend like this, and she couldn't figure out for the life of her what had brough this on.
"Alright, Jean. I believe you. I'm sure they were thinking horrible things. They ALWAYS think horrible things! Why was this time different?" Very gently, she reached out to Jean with her mind, hoping that she wasn't going to fry her own brain trying to do so. Quietly, she called out to her. Is it the butterflies?
She remembered a long time ago when she would have to do this with Nate. He'd be so angry at something that had gone wrong or simply mad at the world with no explanation. She was always the one to calm him down. Granted, she was usually distracting him in various... pleasurable ways while doing so, and that tactic pobably wouldn't cut it this time. Though, aumsedly she thought, maybe if Jean wasn't madly in love with Wanda she'd give it a shot.
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They sat at a table set for afternoon tea. "Sorry I had to do that. Unfortunately, when you get out of here, neither one of us is going to remember any of this. I'm going to find away to break out, though, for good --" She reached out to pour Domino some tea. "And when that happens, I trust, you're going to help me kill Wanda Maximoff. Because, seriously, you as a soccer mom? Unless that's what you want."
*OOC -- So I figure, in the white hot room, they can have their regular memories. It just doesn't get to affect anything going on outside. Feel free to move back and forth!
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She wasn't as angry as her words portrayed. She was just very confused and even more concerned.
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Jean looked over the table at Domino. "You understand why this is wrong?"
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"So... this is all some elaborate dream thing she concocted? And she thinks I'd make a good mom? Damn, she really is batshit crazy. How are we going to get out of this, Jean?"
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Already, she could feel her grasp on the situation fading.
"For what it's worth, I don't think it's Wanda who wants you to be a mother. I think that you ---"
And then they're back in the store. "Why are you angry at us?"
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Oh, shit. She remembered a discussion she had with Tony ages ago about the Phoenix. It was short and sweet. Hope you aren't on oppposite sides, to paraphrase what he said.
"I'm not angry at you," She focused on her own thoughts and threw up the psychic barriers Nate had taught her to use so many years ago when they had shared the link. She kenw Phoenix was powerful and could probably tear the walls down like legos, but she couldn't think of what else to do. She wanted to soothe the rage, and she oculdn't do that if she was waging a small inner war of her own, "I want to keep Jean safe. This is not safe. Lashing out at people who have done nothing to harm you, because of their thoughts isn't going to keep Jean from harm. Please... let me talk to her..." Violet pools softened as she pled for her friend. She realized that the Phoenix was focusing on Jean's frustration and anger, and it was all Dom could do to keep herself calm.
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