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It is just after noon in Westchester. The sun is high in the sky, warming the air to a nice 75 degrees, and there is a spattering of clouds that cover the sky, casting moving shadows over the rear grounds of the Xavier Institute. Birds chirp and a slight breeze rustles though the leaves of the trees. All in all it seems like a perfect day.
Julie is out back, with a strange-looking piece of kit up on sawhorses and a few tools. Some about would know it's a helicopter tail rotor she and her shop class have been doing various things to for a while: the blades cut down and some nonessential (for her) parts of the mechanism removed: it's all mounted to some kind of spindle, with a harness and some manner of control collective made with parts from a hot-rod shifter on it. No engine's in evidence, but she's painting the masked-off rotor tips a nice light yellow.
Lorna came from the woods, having been working on her morning training routine, it had included her usual trip to the scrap yard out back in the woods and out of sight. She came up toward Julie, in a tank top and pair of shorts, and a pair of sneakers. "Hey Julie, what's up?" She glanced over the tools and other various pieces the young woman was working on it.
"Need a hand at all?"
Elder students in the X-Men team sometimes keep away from the Institute for stretches of time. In Scarlett's case, that can be days, even months. The life of a Columbia student prominently attached to the Avengers team and a multitude of other causes; she rarely knows a free moment. Beautiful weather attest to multitasking yet again, dancing on the clouds while holding a book in hand. Her latest acquisition is heavy enough to require both hands as she skims over the contents, all while swan diving straight for the ground. With a few thousand feet between her and the green lawns of the school, it's unlikely she'll encounter any real difficulties but you never know. Her shadow is small, licking across the device set up on the sawhorses.
Sophie had gone inside for a few minutes, but now steps back out and walks over to where Julie is working. She's dressed in a pair of cutoff shorts and a purple T-shirt, with sneakers, without socks, on her feet. "This contraption of yours still looks insane," she comments, amusedly. "But then, we do insane or impossible things all the time, so what's one more? I still want to be there when you're trying it, so if anything goes wrong, I can catch you." She grins to Lorna. "Maybe you should be there, too, to catch an falling metal bits."
The light click-clack of flip flops follows Jay as he hits the yard from inside the mansion, one of the Miller twins following at his side. "Ah think it was the records you were playin'. Sam Cooke just draws folks outa the woodwork," Jay comments toward Kaleb as he finishes stripping out of his worn, denim overshirt, the bright crimson wings compressed against the young man's back practically groaning as they stretch and eke away from his shoulders with a ruffle and shake. "Let's hit the lake area up, huh? Won't havet' worry about folks too much back there." Leaning in to nudge the twin with his shoulder, there's a double check at the other young man, trying to shake him out of whatever mood he's in. A quick sweep of the yard they walk into, there's another light nudge of Jay's elbow on Kaleb's as he juts his chin out toward the trio of ladies by the tail rotor. "Th' blond chickie b'Julie an' Lorna? Ah met her down at the bar in Mutant Town. She sings like an angel. Guitar, too."
Julie smiles to Lorna, wafting some more paint on one spot, …unsurprisingly it seems she's been around a body shop all her life, too, and saying, "Hey, thanks, Lorna. Maybe when this dries, you can hold it up while I figure out if I got enough for landing gear on this thing. Came out a bit heavier than I hoped, so I gotta be sure I can handle it on the ground, and all that." She smirks to Sophie, the New York Italian showing in the hand-talking, "Insane if you can't be yer own counter-rotation, more like. For me, it's just…" She tries to think of an appropriate term, and shrugs. "Kinda daffy." She points at the rotors, for Sophie, they're all folded alongside each other as was originally meant for aircraft carriers, and Dizzy says, "One thing I can be sure of, it'll only come down in one piece, though. Plenty for Lorna to latch onto if it does, though." She's about to give a wave as Rogue overflies, the shadow across her work being more of a sign than particularly looking up. Mumbles. "Course some people got no need for this kind of thing."
In the distance to the west, there is a glint of sun of metal that might draw some attention. A brief flash as the light of the sun reflects back to the ground from something shiny with a mirror-like finish.
There is a shape in the sky, approaching quickly towards the Institute's rear grounds at speeds approaching that of a jet, or missile. But he shape is to small to be a jet…it looks humanoid.
Kaleb was with jay, and while he rarely actually miled he seemed to be at least not in a dour mood. An eyebrow arched over his sunglasses taking notes on the 'blonde' that Jay was pointing out for presence of mutant skill. Huh. "Really?" His focus was faintly distracted by a flurry of motion and just being around, well, others. This was odd for him but you know maybe healthier than living in anger and seclusion. He looked around, "Jay with everyone else I'm definiately thinking learning how to drive might be a thing. I like motorcycles, I just hate the noise.." He looked around and noted Rogue, and Dizzy's things, and Lorna AND…whatever that was, never you mind Jay that landed and he had to ask, "Okay I'm going to say it outright, Is it weird that Kell and I can't fly?"
Lorna flashed Julie a smile, her hands settling on her hips. "Sure, I can pick it up no problem." A glance was spared toward said thing in question as she a look of concentration crossed her expression. "It's got pretty good balance as far as the alloy goes. It should hold up pretty well if you do crash." She glanced toward Sophie and shrugged.
"Plus I could catch her midair if it looks like it's going south. I can lift a small tank, so I mean.. hey this is no where near that heavy—" She broke off at the sight of Kaleb and offered the young man a wave and a cheery smile.
"Kaleb! Jay! C'mon over." She called, cupping at hand to her lips. Her head cocking to the side as something tickled the magnetic senses of her mind, unsure what it was, she fell silent, puzzled. Her brows furrowing in thought.
"They would be in the minority," lilts the gilded voice from on high. Another rapid spiral swings Scarlett past, albeit far lower than she was before. The shimmer of a red wing and dark hair for those assembled mark out the crowd in passing. Each pass affords an opportunity to assess the gathered students granted a friendly wave. Or nearly does, as it should happen, the flurry of motion rustling her long tunic. "Technology like this grants an advantage for everyone, not simply those of us who depend less on gravity. That functions regardless of hour, how tired we are, or how many people require transportation. And I'm the worst person to ask about abilities. Jury is out on how we gain them or what is 'natural.'" Her smile dims. "Hold on."
No obvious reason accounts for her sudden alteration in course, at least immediately. The metallic shape will soon be apparent, but the bohemian will already be climbing towards an intercept when it really does. She thumbs the corner of the page and drops the book to the ground. Librarians everywhere, recoil in horror. Adjusting to a parabolic arc, she rapidly gains altitude to see what there is to see. Sentinel, Doctor Doom on a joyride, another of a certain Kentucky clan…
Upon Lorna's calling out to the two newer arrivals, Sophie turns, a bright, warm smile forming as she sees Jay there. "Jay! Hi…" She steps toward him, arms open to offer a hug. "How have you been? Who's your friend?" That last asked as she inclines her head toward Kaleb. She's as yet unaware of the incoming whatever, her chance of knowing of it being dependent on having looked in the right direction, no extraordinary senses being a part of her mutant gifts.
"Mmm hm," Jay notes mildly as he angles them away from the business with the rotor and out toward the back, further. "Groovy accent, too. 'Bert wanted me t'get her to come sing with me fer his restaurant a while back but I got…distracted, an' never saw her again. Yet, there's she is." He explains vaguely with a wave of his hand and vaguely anxious fwip of his wings, feathers shivering. The question about 'weird' makes Jay take pause, squinting over at Kaleb. "Weird? Ah mean…we're all weird, Kale. Ain't really much to measure by." Their path adjusted as Jay hears Lorna call out in their direction, his hands loosely crammed into his pockets, he glances over at Kaleb first before heading back in their direction.
A mile back, that glint in the air catches Jay's attention, frowning curiously with a draw of his brows together. He looks confused as Sophie strides right up to him and holds her arms out for a hug. Distracted as he holds his arms out in return and catches up with a smile, green gaze darting back and forth between Sophie and the direction of that quick reflective flash. "Hey, Miss Sophie. It's been a 'possum's age, hasn't it?" Embracing the small French woman, Jay lifts Sophie clear off her feet and spins her around with a single rotation before setting her down again, his wings freed up this time, they tremor a moment—an emotional barometer. "This is Kaleb. Kale, this is Sophie. She broke my heart when she sang 'Blowin' in the Wind'." His eyes dart toward the sky again. "Hey. Did any of y'all see that over there?" Calling out to Julie and Lorna as well while Scarlett peeks.
As Rogue gets closer to the object in question and the object itself closes in rapidly, she is able to discern that it is defiantly humanoid. Two arms, two legs and a flash of blonde hair are visible as it streaks towards the grounds, its angle adjusting to descend towards the ground with no hint of slowing.
She will also be able to note, as will others as it approaches, that the humanoid has large metallic wings that have a sixteen foot wingspan, sunlight glinting off what appears to be razor-like edges.
And he is unclothed.
And blue.
Not dressed in blue, but his skin is a dark robin's egg blue all over.
Julie beams a little, "You can trust me on the balance. Just like tuning a guitar to me: I'll even check out this paint la…" Then there's a pretty lady floating in to talk to Kaleb and Jay and the lot, and swooping off to… Now she sees the shiny object she's off to intercept, "That ain't no jet," she says, because few things are more obvious to her than turbines spinning at over ten thousand RPM, even in the sky. There's a note of caution in her voice, thoughts clearly crossing her mind it could be a Soviet attack, though perhaps that would be too mundane for this place, since she elects to try and play it cool. Almost nonchalantly, she picks up what might seem a comically-oversized wrench if not for some of the fittings on that rotor hub. "Hey, boys, ah, don't look now, but get ready to scatter, maybe. That could be… I dunno what."
Kaleb squint at Lorna. He spoke at normal volume and just pushed the sound to remain such all the way back to her asking from the walk up, "Why are you bothering to yell?" Fine, we're coming over." Which was a fair point in this case. What that young woman saw in this guy was beyond most including himself. At Sophie's arms extending in thier direction like she was going to hug them? Oh Kaleb's feet stopped cold in the lawn giving her a wan look. He murmured to Jay, "Please tell me she's just planning to land a plane…" That said he let his vallet, er, roommate take point on the approach to deflect contact in case these people were really super touchey feely. When Jay set her doown he still hung back instead of attempting to offer a hug, or a handshake, or a smile, or any real sign of human emptions period. Echo has been locked in his head all morning managing 'casual' around this many people. "You sing too huh? Groovy." It's so of like 'hi, nice to meet you.' Sort of. He looked to jay off-handedly, "We should get a thing together at some point, just not… public." He never did say what his issue with that way but he was nothing if not consistant.
As his attention was drawn up he looked to Jay and said "Leeeeet's find out?" That was somehting he could try to to and he definiately had the streaking object in line of sight. Kaleb pivoted and brought both arms extended towards the streaking (in all senses) Warren, and with an effort fought for the diminutive sounds that far out and forcibly pulled them down down down down to make it loud enough to be heard by those on the ground. There was screaming that echoed around Echo and he winced fighting holding onto the frequency. And then suddenly the colour just drained from his face "Warren?!!? I don't think that's a controlled fall. he needs help!" It wasn't often that human emotion hit him much less carried over. This ran right into concern and he called back projecting the sound out, "Warren, it's Kaleb aim for the lake!" It's been a long time since anyone has seen Kaleb get off his ass and move that fast. Maybe nothing will explode on his suit today like it did the last time he moved with any alacrity. And with that he threw tone in Warren to try to follow.
The redheaded bohemian follows the line of intuition, her hands cupped over her brow to avoid the glare of the sun. Just another day with some random girl floating over a posh estate, nothing strange there. Nor is staring at a winged man cause to so much as make her blush. Benefits of living in Greenwich Village, to say the least. Scarlett requires very little time to assess certain things she knows implicity: speed, direction, trajectory.
Details aren't going to be spared on this one. "Incoming man, potentially friendly. Probably not joyriding." Kaleb's guess not all is right with the world clearly agrees with her assessment. Warren in his prior form is no stranger to her. Like this?
The world's a changed place. "Humour me and scatter, please!" Would she can take that advice for herself, but that day isn't today. Playing interceptor means the others can act as they need. So much for the mod tunic, she rather liked it. Her slow ascent becomes a shot of brazen fire arcing across the sky in the space of a blink, streaking headlong for Warren. She'll brave fist and wing to snag him. This is a girl who plays leapfrog with Phoenix. The razor edged wings require countermeasures, rolling sharply and adjusting course, but there's going to be a tangle of limbs sooner or later.
Lorna flushed at Kaleb's words, a furrow still in her brow as she considered him. "Because I'm not used to dating a guy that has powers over sound, okay?" She shot back, hands on her hips. Then her gaze shot toward Warren and she frowned, and with a look of concentration flew up into the air, mentally cursing even if she never dared say it out loud.
With a look of hard concentration she threw her hands out toward the falling or flying? Person that had huge bits of metal on them. As soon as Warren was within a few hundred yards? She could slow his flight, maybe even stop it. She hoped.
The pretty blonde giggles as Jay lifts her, and as the introductions are made, she turns that warm, friendly smile on his companion as she says, "Nice to meet you, Kaleb." She may be French, but her English is impeccable, though not without a subtle accent, if a slightly odd one. The kind you wind up with when you learn English as a young girl from a British tutor, and then live in New York for the next eight years.
But then as Jay indicates the incoming… object, and Kaleb identifies it, Sophie reacts quickly, a swirl of enveloping mist transforming her into her 'ghostly', airy form as she becomes airborne, that sweet soprano voice ringing out, "INCOMING!" And then she streaks away, joining Rogue on intercept.
Jay is one hell of a butler, valetI mean, roommate. He takes that hug from a beautiful woman for the team expertly. It lasts only moments before he hears Kaleb…exclaim? The show of actual emotion in his friend's voice is sign for alarm and concern from Jay. "Warren? Warren who?" There's only one 'Warren' he knows of and a shining, glinting object on a collision course with the ground doesn't match his description. The mention of scattering sounds nice and all, but as Kaleb takes off, Jay follows him swiftly, sticking to his friend's side and still earth-bound as well, rather than taking to the air.
As Rogue moves to intercept Warren, one of the metallic wings moves sharply to the side and a dozen projectiles fly from it, each flechette feather razor sharp and deadly streak towards her but bounce off as they impact her skin.
As Lorna's power begins to take hold, it slows Warren down enough for Rogue to easily grab hold of him, even as the wings on his back slash at her, but the forward momentum continues the falling former student towards the ground.
At least it appears Kaleb managed to get through, as the direction of Warren's fall changes slightly, the arc of decent altering to have him, and his passenger, splash down into the lake in 10…9…8
Julie watches as Kaleb goes dashing on by, doing his …weird things, whatever they are. "Hey, did you say Warren?" She doubletakes, apparently seeing the streaking object is in fact humanoid, if with wings. "Mammamia," she says, as Rogue streaks off like another missile, and… Decides to stick fairly close by Lorna, for now, coming forward protectively, but not in whatever Lorna uses for a 'line of fire.' Says, as she passes, "You remember Warren, right? Maybe someone slipped him some of that Vigor stuff again." There's just a look briefly toward her after that, since Lorna seems to have found some metal up there. What she plans to do is anyone's guess, but she seems to be trying to suss out trajectories. There's some benefit to having worked at an airfield just lately, after all.
Then, there's the collision, and Dizzy backtracks to where her jacket's sitting by the tools, pulling out from a pocket a coil of cable with a few weights welded to it. "OK, that ain't Warren," she concludes, aloud, glancing in various directions, then… books it across the field toward the boat-ramp.
Flechettes bouncing off skin being the operative word here: skin, not a poly-rayon blend or whatever matter her tunic is made from. Scarlett oughta bill Worthington Industries after the fact. Metallic pieces sliding harmlessly from her skin still leave rosy brands, and she fortunately cannot be heard swearing in Old Norse. "Warren, you know me! Stop it!" The protests only go so far. Feathers fall not on deaf ears but helplessly against shoulders and arms, then seek the face of the bohemian with a mind of their own.
Her speed shoves up into the inertia well provided by Lorna, and the tracers Kaleb threw for them. While the descent slows, Scarlett pushes back at Warren to arrest their speed even further, rolling hard to throw those malevolent appendages off. It certainly doesn't help when they blush across her cheek, some Vegas burlesque dancer playing coy. It takes only that brief incandescent moment for her curse to unleash itself, harboured in waiting while they struggle to not collide with the ground. It isn't a choice on her part. It never is, but the void bites into Warren's very soul and offers no pardon, the Soul-Thief briefly enveloped in the flaming double-image of a shared identity.
They are Legion, for but a moment.
Kaleb shot a look to Dizzy that was, well it looked just mean borderlining on cruel, "Yes it is Warren, and that's not what those goddamned assholes did to him. They tore him the fuck apart." The haughty teen was just furious and let his emotion surface as he ran flat out to the lake. For a kid who normally had no emotions it sure was unpleasant a thing to have not one but two at the same time and fear and rage didn't like to play well together. But while sound did marvelous things across water walking wasn't one of them and he hit the edge of the lake out of breath, hands falling to his knees. The water would help and he didn't like to do this to other mutants (who weren't Jaya nd that was for his own well being) but switched the pitch on the sound throwing his want and will up into Warren's ear throwing the subliminal wave of sound off the surfact of the lake back at him. "Warren, be still. Let. us. help you." He wined and aimed for simpler, "Warren, stop moving!" Sometimes havng a pocket ability to throw all the weight of reason in your favour was a handy skill. Right now he jsut didn't want to see him get hurt. Again.
Lorna wasn't as speedy as someone falling through the sky when she was flying. So when Kaleb started running for the Lake, she was able to swoop in above him, following even as her features twisted in concentration, trying to catch hold of Warren by the metal of his wings. It was slippery work, and at least as he slowed, she was better able to reach out with her magnetic fields to try to catch him and his passenger.
Even then, she was dropping down beside Kaleb at the water's edge, her arms out stretched before her. "He's metal, Kaleb. His.. I think it's his wings." She bit out, her brows furrowing as she pushed upwards with her own magnetic field to try to combat the extreme forces that would've sent him and Rogue spiraling down into the water.
"I think I can catch them."
As Warren and Rogue reach the last moments of their descent, Sophie is there — and so is a fierce updraft, helping to further cut their speed and gentle the impact with the water's surface. As for what's going through the young elementalist mutant's mind at the moment, well, ghostly blue eyes stare out from her airy visage, though for the most part, her expression is one of concentration, as she tries to manipulate her winds just so so as to cushion the landing but not destabilize the plummeting duo.
Confusion contorts Jay's expression while Kaleb sneers at Julie. Whatever all that meant, none of it sounded good, and honestly, there would be time for all of that later. For the moment he's a bystander running along Kaleb's side, watching as multiple people try to stop the plummetting force of two people on a collision course with the lake. Skidding the a halt at the shore line, Jay's wings eke out to either side of his body, begging to take to the air, but for the moment that looks like a poor idea, so he stands by.
Who could stamp back and hide such emotion that thunderclaps across the psyche of Jean's mind? It was clearly enough for her to be roused from a sleep that was desperately needed, yet slow enough for her to take her time in gathering the things that may or may not be needed, the bag hitched up upon her shoulders as she begins to make her way from the room.. to the halls.. out into the foyer.. in the back yard..
And almost like a ghost she flits through here and there.. quite possibly passing the cabin, quite possibly passing whomever decided to linger by and watch.. only to fall prey to watching as well, leaned up against the tree with arms folded about her chest.. watching the back of those running towards the lake and assisting in the plight of the blue one. Or metal one. Wait.. is that Scarlett?
The combined effort of Scarlett's strength, Lorna's manipulation of metal, and Sophie's updraft slow and then halt the plummeting form just before they would impact with the water, causing Warren to hover there just over the surface of the water, toes dipping into the cool liquid with a brief splash.
Warren hovers there as the wings strain against the magnetic pull, trying to break the grip and lash out at the perceived attacks. As the wings battle to break free, Warren dangles there limp, head bowed in unconsciousness. More details of his state of being evident as the dried blood and bits of gore spattered over his body become more visible in his non-moving state.
Julie's glance darts about as she runs, particularly back toward Kaleb, who's …good at being heard, certainly. "No time to argue, then…" she bolts still harder toward the docks, and twists a hand out before her to start the resident motorboat's engine on the recoil, "Try and catch him, Lorna!" Dizzy's plan? Apparently to be there with a boat for splashdown, or perhaps at this point, magnetic-levitation recovery.
…Rather than stop to undo the mooring lines, she simply holds out her other hand to unscrew the cleats as she finally hits the little slip, then leaps for said boat, and the throttle and tiller in a little display of gyroscopic balance that makes it seem simple…. soon the boat's lifted its bow and headed out across the lake… When struggling stops, it's maneuvered underneath the dangling Warren and Rogue, settling in as it goes. "OK, howsabout down nice and easy?!"
One fractured shriek might stand out in the metal landscape, the echo to Warren's thoughts in crackling relief. Mercy is not screaming aloud.
Water, water, everywhere. Water and feathers of doubled volume, lashing out for blood and finding none, create a horror in rustling wind and alternating magnetic fields. Gloved fingertips close all the firmer around Warren's shoulders in an effort to ease the impact and giving the others — Lorna, Sophie, in particular — something to work with. Scarlett hasn't forgotten them, but holding up Warren consumes the lion's share of her control.
The angelic mutant's waning grip on consciousness is captured in eyes burning the same incandescent shade as his, her fair complexion mirroring the afternoon sky. Those glittering appendages, marvels and horrors, are steadfastly slapped away lest they get any ideas about trying to gouge her eyes out, until he fades unaware. The reflection lacks the original's murderous intent, throwing flecks of pond water around the boat Julie brings close. If she's even aware, it's dodgy.
"What have I done?" The slanted query is given at a tight whisper, incinerated by rage and remorse. It takes many seconds more for her to voice a prognostication, like the Pythia on her tripod at Delphi. A damned oracle for an angel: "Death and blood and tears."
Kaleb was throughly out of breath. A pained expression turned to Lorna with a quiet, "Thank you. Didn't want him to hit ground. Don't wnat him to drown either." He watched the boat go into play able to do nothing else but watch and call out not too loud because his voice carried easily across the water skipping up to them in conversational tone, "Face down. not on his back and careful… touching them at all. That's gotta hurt enough as it is." Deep breaths. Man he needed to get into shape if running was going to be a regular thing. Note to self: sonics need good lungs and that was going to mean an uncomfortable amount of cardio. He looked up to Jay and shook his head ruefully and only told him, "I didn't want you to know." The better issue to address might be how did hell Kaleb know? The normally dispassionate youth just watched, hopeful, and the ladies saved their friend from the lake. His eyes lookd skyward for anything following Warren in. "Eyes up. He might've been followed." His hands rubbed at his face before his fingers combed back through his hair. He could do nothing but watch Warren "Nothing to anyone who didn't have it comin." Maybe that was for Warren to hear, or maybe just for himself where he and the three near him were. That done he turned a slow walk around hte lake to catch up, the fear fading from the immediate incident which just left him with his general subdued rage and disgust on the surface he worked on putting back down.
Lorna slowly lowered her grip on Warren as he slipped out of conciousness. The strength of her magnetic field falling away as she slowly helped to guide him to the boat that Julie floated over. Leaving most of his weight to Scarlet to handle since, well, she basically was outside of the metal of his wings. That at least, she could keep some of the weight off.
Her gaze shot back toward Kaleb, her brows furrowing as she stared at him. "Kaleb—" As he started to turn and walk off, she reached out toward him, one hand still out stretched in Warren's direction while she tried to snag Kaleb's hand with her free one.
"Hey. What's going on? Kaleb, are you okay?"
Once the plummeting had turned to hovering, Sophie had slowly eased off her winds, especially once she saw Julie approaching with the boat, and by the time she arrives, the air is calm. But Sophie remains hovering nearby, ready to act if some intervention is called for. Assuming that Warren gets settled down into the boat, she'll remain with it on the way back to the dock.
Thats one hell of an entrance, to be certain. Jay holds his breath while he waits for the inevitable splashdown with a cringe, though it doesn't seem like that moment is going to come to it. The young man watches as those efforts have the blue man drawing to a halt and hovering just above the water with just his toes dangling in the drink, buck ass naked for the whole world to see. Releasing the breath held in his lungs in a slow exhale, anxiety twitches along every fiber of Jay's body and up into wings, setting each feather on end until his silhouette is engulfed by the large appendages, all the while staring at the figure that captured everyone's attention today. More specifically, at the sharpened metalic shapes coming out of his back. Kaleb turns to him and Jay blinks back to him, shaken out of that creeping feeling of doom brushing the back of his neck. "Know what?" And then warning that he could've been followed has Jay glancing skyward again for a paranoid moment. He jogs a few steps to catch up, feathers shaking out and slicking back once more into a sleek profile. Jay glances a moment to Lorna, then back toward Kaleb, quiet for a beat.
One hell of an entrance? That was one hell of a show. Though there was hardly amusement that crosses Jean's features, there was a small look of concern and at the end of the day? Slight anger at what she sees. They worked together well as a team, but.. judging from the rolling emotions, the shouts of a particular name.. Rogue's distre— check that, everyone's distress, kudos and congratulations are going to become something of an afterthought.
"He wasn't followed." Jean finally pipes up, moving away from the tree, her arms still folded about her chest as she rolls a shoulder to hitch up the backpack that remains upon it. Where one would continue to speak, Jean's mind was a rolling storm of curiosity, including the presumed 'know' between Kaleb and Jay. Speaking of.. has she met them yet?
"I don't know.." She starts off.. "..what the -hell- is going on here but I expect at least THREE of you in my office by sundown." The issue was already handled, to her at least, affections, attentions and everything else were on high. Perhaps that's what she was feeding off of. The bag that she carried was soon hitched from her shoulder, pitched near the edge of the lake with a chucked laced with TK.
(In other words.. 'Clean this shit up.')
Warren is lowered gently to the boat. Even in his unconscious state, Warren's wings still try to fight against the magnetic grip they find themselves caught up in for a moment longer until they themselves give up the fight and fold in on themselves with the sound of scraping metal on metal until they are no wider than the width of his back, flush against his back and shoulders. Warren lets out a soft groan as his body relaxes, limply falling into the floor of the boat and curling in on itself in a fetal position.
Julie,meanwhile, idles the boat, slipping on a pair of sunglasses against any still-flying water: she seems to take in a lot more of the metallic wings and their bladeyness by now, also Warren's face and, well, eventually, perhaps, state of undress, which she kind of averts eyes from. She corrects a bit with blips of the motor to keep those sharp things as clear as she can, piping up, perhaps for Rogue's benefit of knowing someone's there. "So, what's this, you mutate and then you turn blue eventually or something?" She pauses, as Warren's lowered, then turns the boat back for shore at a more sedate pace, concern creasing her voice. "Hey, Warren," she starts to say, then looks toward Rogue. "That really him?" Oddly, she seems to consider Warren a friend. Of course he's part of her reason for being here.
The redhead floating in the air has several seconds more of her mutable genetics growing accustomed to the additional weight on her back. Her arms cross over her chest rather than hang slack once Warren ends up lying on the boat where others with a better grasp of medicine might see to any of the minor troubles. For what ails him under her accursed grip, there is no relief save time, even for the brief contact. However lovely the image might be — Girl Standing On Water, seraphim reclining on boat, for Warren — the tableau may appear, it's nothing short of harrowing from up top. Ruffles on the water follow as she more leaps than actively flies to the edge of the pond, forsaking the boat under her own volition for the other participant of Team Redhead. And the rest. "He has suffered trauma," she says from no grave distance, commenting on matters as a sports announcer might talk about a particularly slow game of cricket. Or Wimbledon, possibly, "Something terrible happened. Source unclear. Do they know?" An idle gesture passes in the vague direction of Jay and Kaleb, softly executed. Everything at the moment has considerable, precise control. Not to disregard Julie and Sophie, but it's all she can mentally do to hang on through the slipstream of memories and lives racing through her mind. When in doubt, leave some breathing room and get to her teaching counterpart. "What have they done to him? What justifies this?"
Kaleb was just fuming but as he turned to teh dock but his arm was caught in Lorna's hand and he stopped. For someone who generally had zero investment in others his face was still but the rage was roiling. How was he? He worked very, very hard not to direct that anger to Lorna, "Me?" This confused him. He was pretty far from okay and just shook his head, "Right now we worry about him." His voice snapped to Rogue and Dizzy "He suffered a trauma?! No fucking shit. I tried to tell you but no one ever listens." He pulled his arm back to him carefully and plodded over to the dock to get an updated assessment. He looked to jay like seriously, mate?! "How come is it the louder I get the less people hear anything?" Well no one said he was personable.
Lorna let go of Kaleb, her brows pinched as she stared. She let go of her grip on Warren entirely when his wings started to fold up, and her other hand dropped to her side. A mental cringe of confusion and hurt was so clearly spread over her features that it certainly didn't take a telepath to understand how Lorna's felt. The green haired mutant stood stock still, until Jean's voice grabbed her attention. She winced, and bit her lower lip.
What good was she going to do out here waiting for Julie to get a boat in? Not a whole heck of a lot. Instead, she made to turn around and hurry back inside. Hoping to find a blanket or something to wrap Warren up in. It wasn't like the first aid kit was going to do a whole lot at this point.
Sophie follows, hovering alongside the boat as Juile steers it back toward the dock, keeping an eye on Warren's prone form all the way. In her airy form, she has nothing to fear from razor-edged wings, but Julie is quite another story, and in case there should suddenly be a problem, she wants to be able to act quickly.
Holding his silence for the scuff between Lorna and Kaleb, Jay's attention holds mostly toward 'Warren' when the blue figure is lowered into the boat with Julie and so on. A visible jolt marks a start in Jay as he watches the large metal facets on his back fold up and seemingly vanish, from the shoreline. His eyes wide with surprise for a moment. "What the…?" Murmurs of trauma and the like are given a 'well yeah' sort of loft upwards of his brows, murmuring softly and largely to himself, "A man don't show up bloody an' naked, crashin' to earth when everythin's hunky dory…" The dubious 'three in her office' commentary makes Jay glance upward, though the non-specifics has him disregard it the next moment. Couldn't be him. Why would it be? The bulk of his attention and concern follows the boat, attention stolen away for a moment when Kaleb asks him that question. "Because it's all outta context, an' you ain't got any clout here. You sure seem to have a lot to say, though." Jay gives his friend a look like 'we're going to have words. "C'mon, they're gonna be gettin' on shore in a second. Get angry later, gotta get him inside now." Jay tries to redirect Kaleb's ire for the more immediate need as he tries to meet up with the boat where Julie seems to be headed. He lifts a hand to wave her in a bit, holding a hand palm out, he yells 'cut it!' when she's close enough to glide in without grounding the engine and screwing it up. Jay's been around boats enough to know some shorthand protocol.
Yeah. This was going to go -well-. The obvious changes to Scarlett's mental facilities were near jarring, but she understood the girl and her clipped nature. Scarlett pointed them out, Jean is going to knock it down. "They quite obviously know." Yes, Jean knew Warren.. but in this state? Not. Even with Kaleb's outburst, eyebrows shoot upward, first towards the man and then Lorna. Then from Lorna to Jay.. well..
..the three..
There was a quiet mumbling of words beneath her breath as she approaches the rag-tag crew, Sophie's hovering, Julie's moving the boat.. and everyone else.. is everyone else…
"I'm pretty sure you all know that you're going to take him to the medbay. Where he is going to remain sedated until -I- can mentally clear him to even get out of bed.. or move a muscle. And considering the -way- you three.." She points them out.. Lorna's backside, Kaleb, and Jay.. "..are currently acting? You three are the three that -I- need."
There was no dodging to the Professor for this. The little hellfire was going to see what was what. Since the bag itself wasn't taken, it was left there for the others.. and with a turn upon her heels, she heads right towards the house.. hoping at least to get to the medbay before anyone else.. but..
"Let's go Scarlett." Twinsies! (And work stuff RL)
"We can file a report. I need to see a map to be able to ssume where he may have come from, based on what little I have." It's the nearest that Scarlett will ever come to openly admitting a psychic near her, testament to the fading sense of otherness put back in the crystal oubliette of her mind. Whatever chunk of Warren's soul she stole is forever hers, uploaded to an eternal matrix of a kind, and under the present observation of the firebird in human form. Have a nice day.
She doesn't quite fold the long metallic feathers, although a few stir almost protectively around Jean after the assessment calls out the three cool kids. A nod given to Jay and Kaleb, Lorna being occupied, identifies this requirement. "I look forward to hearing more about it. Warren will hopefully be back to himself soon, and until then, notify us immediately if his state changes. Please do not put him or the students at risk by letting him up and about." Her gaze is a mixture of blue and green, wholly unnatural, given the glow is burning bright and she'll have to shield her eyes for a bit yet. "We shall have to sort through the rest of this. I don't think I will be eating dinner for a few hours yet, either."
Some memories are still far too close to the surface. She follows in Jean's wake, and they might indeed make it to the med bay in time… if she doesn't get stuck under a lintel. What they can't see, they can't accuse her of!
Rogue goes home.
Kaleb took a deep breath and relented to Jean demanding an audience and just looked emotionally beaten. "Yeah I was …there. When they did this to him. You can have what I know." Where there was or why he didn't say. He wasn't happy about it and there was just a faint look of something that may pass for 'regret' in humans that crossed his face. H elooked to Jean and admitted only, "Jay and Lorna didn't know." And he also didn't say why he knew. Who the hell was this kid in a suit?
Julie brings that boat to a nice bit of level shore, as …things are announced. "Arright, someone better call the Professor," she says, just giving a bit of a strange look to the rarely-seen Jean. Not making much sense, really. "Cause I dunno how to sedate no one without using hardware, if nothing else." Kaleb gets a 'Why didn'tchu say so' sort of glance, but things do get missed around here.
Lorna grabbed a towel off the back of one of the lawn chairs. It would work at least for helping to get Warren out of the boat and into the med bay. Jean's words had her mouth falling open. "I don't know what's going on at all! What?" She gaped as Scarlet and Jean left one by one. Her features twisting with her own irritation.
The look broke off at Kaleb's words and she glowered, before going to the end of the dock. "C'mon, let's get him covered up and into the med bay. I'm sure there at least someone will know what to do." She growled under her breath.
Jay kicks off his flip-flops and wades into the water some to help tow Julie's boat ashore (hallelujah), no concern for the state of his jeans or his wings as the long flight feathers soak into the water behind his legs. His confusion genuine when he's picked out, but he's not going to argue with anyone right now over his own state while he's busy helping drag Julie's boat to ground. And rather easily, all things considered. There's just a nod and a mild, "Yes'm," from Jay as he tries to work quickly, grounding the boat and reaching out for the towel from Lorna with an absent, "Thank ya," draping it over the blue fellah's groin because /women/ are present, /Warren/. Cover up your business. Glancing up to Julie. "Steady the boat, yeah?" Reaching down, trying to get his arms around Warren and hoist the guy up rather effortlessly if he isn't sliced to pieces of course.
Once she's standing on the shore, the mist swirls around Sophie again, returning her to her normal, solid form. Being airy is helpful in a lot of circumstances, but not when she needs to use her hands to do anything. "Here," she says, doing whatever is needed, helping to steady the boat or to lift Warren clear of it.
Julie nods, then as Lorna comes up, and, despite the circumstances, says, with a shrug, since little of this makes sense to her except 'Get him to medbay.' "Why don't you just bring the whole chair, I bet it'll do for a litter.
Warren, for what it is worth, is light even as dead weight. Even for being tall and muscular, the hollow bones of his skeleton make him much lighter than he appears. The wings twitch, a slight scrape of metal on metal, but remain collapsed as he is lifted form the boat.
Kaleb was just used to getting this look of accusation from people, just not usually from his own team. It smarted but he was never one to complain or affinity his weaknesses. He bleeds from the ears and still denies there's a problem. This round of WTF Echo?! was weathered rude same. Right now all he wanted was to see Warren get help. As he was getting help Kaleb hung back to not complicate it. So much static. So much.
Lorna sighed, nodding to Julie. "Yeah I can get a chair." She mumbled, lifting it into the air near where Warren was sure to be settled on land. "Jay, if you put him down, then I've got him. It'll be easier than trying to lug him back to the medbay otherwise. It's a good idea Julie." She offered a weak smile. It would seem the green haired girl was now just sad and confused. Her anger at Kaleb's snap had faded as quickly as it had came.
A glance was spared toward Warren and Lorna pursed her lips together. It certainly no longer looked like Warren anymore…
Confident that he'll be able to handle lifting Warren's dead weight by himself, Jay shakes his head mildly at the mention of a liter. "Ah got him, ladies. There's really no need fer all that." Unsurprised by the relative lightness of Warren's frame, Jay knows enough about the lore surrounding Warren Worthington (assuming this is seriously the guy), and his own comparative physiology to know he'd be able to handle it. You can only hear 'oh, like Warren!' so many times without learning a thing or two about someone you've never met. Even if he weren't the guy Kaleb claims him to be, Jay remains unworried, and seems to lift Warren's body up effortlessly aside from managing the limpness of the body.
Jay slogs out of the water and nods to Lorna again, reassuring. "Ah'm fine." As he starts to stride swiftly back across the lawn with Warren's unconscious body leaning against his chest in a bridal carry. Jay holds his breath, trying not to think too hard about what the hell just happened and restraining the urge to take a look at Warren's back out of fear for what he'd find. Icarus murmurs low and under his breath as he trods along, "We gotcha, man. Yer safe an' sound." All the way down to the medbay, wet footprints on the shining wood floor in his wake.
Julie hrms, and nods, helping if she can to get Warren settled. She does recognize the face, despite it all. "So that's one more of us someone's been after and did something to. We oughtta have a word." 'With their kneecaps,' sounds like it may be implied, by the tone.
As Jay carries Warren, he murmurs something. It could just be a guttural grunt of discomfort. The eyes flutter slightly and his lip curls up in a bit of a grimace. The wings on his back twitch slightly, the cold techno-organic metal caressing the underside of Jay's arm for a brief moment and they writhe under it.
Now that Warren is back on dry land and being taken to be treated, Sophie folds her arms across her chest and asks, flatly, "So. Does /anyone/ have /any/ idea what happened to Warren? I don't care if it's not all of it. But the changes in him, and then today he comes crashing back here after being away… /ANYone/? /ANY/ part of it?"
The scene coming up to the house was not a promising one. A blue man with a blanket around his waist as his only garment laying unconscious being conveyed into the mansion by the nearest door, and a mournful parade of concerned persons. For Kellan's sake three of those persons he'd recognize, and one of those three all too familiar as his twin. Kaleb watched Jay take Warren in and just paced around under the tree with a head full of static and a heart full of rage, fear and regret that manifested only as an unhelpful scowl. Finally he looked to Sophie and he murmured, but being a sonic, he was heard anyways. "Yeah. These… people took him. We were in Europe. I don't know when he got there but this …corporation had em in a lab." He stopped and his eyes squint shut. He finally looked back to Lorna with some expression that might be a shadow of commiseration, "I told you. The people I met…were awful okay." Well he did say that. He paced a bit and waited to hear if word was coming back.
Lorna followed along, just incase Warren woke up and started slashing at people with those metal wings of his. She looked utterly miserable, and kept closer to Julie and Sophie than any of the boys. She crossed her arms, but her expression twisted as Kaleb spoke about what had happened to poor Warren. Her jaw tightened and she struggled to not snap. He was telling her kind of what happened at least.
"What do you mean, took him? Like black van drives up and throws him in the back kind of took him?" She arched a brow, her lips thinning. "How do you know.." She trailed off as Kaleb shot her a look and mentioned having told her before.
"Wait, those people that you were complaining about? How they were bad mouthing mutants?! Kaleb! That's way beyond a bunch of rich snots just talking!"
Julie runs back and anchors the boat to shore and then back to catch up with Sophie and the rest. In time to hear Kaleb's explanation. She does mutter some kind of imprecations in Italian under her breath, but it must be directed toward whoever did these things, since she briefly just puts a hand on the generally-stiff fellow's shoulder, but does make her way toward Lorna, "Sounds like someone been doing a lot more than that." Then back to Kaleb, "Gonna be more than one person here asking who, only I got this feeling a couple might already know. Once we get my friend here settled in, then I'm one of them."
That it takes this long for Sophie to respond is due only to the war between the various outraged questions she wants answers to, each wanting to be asked first. Finally, they come spilling out in rapid fire. "/Took/ him? How long ago? Where was this lab? WHAT CORPORATION?" Sweet, kind, easygoing Sophie appears to have left the building, the young Frenchwoman's temper quickly rising to 'storming the Bastille' mode.
It's possibly not a good sign that, with every word that spits from her lips, Sophie's normally almost-nonexistent French accent becomes more and more pronounced.
Kellan comes strolling down from the direction of the school. He'd come by to check it out, but finding the group walking up toward where he's coming from, he pauses, glancing from those he knows to those he doesn't. He's dressed like a prep school kid, complete with white shirt and blue tie, hands in the pockets of his slacks. There's a slow blink as he looks from Kaleb, to Lorna, and finally to Jay carrying Warren.
Word was coming back, yes. Word in the form of a red-headed young man with a troubled look written across normally serene features. Jay's jaw working around silently as his molars grind together a little bit, strides come slowly across the grassy yard, lost in his own ponderings over what just happened. Arms hanging at his sides rather than stuffed in his pockets as per the norm, his wings are not shaking. His emotional barometers are still and quiet, but held high and large, away from his back, lending a taller, broader appearance to the fair musician.
Coming back to the group and likely more specifically coming back to Kaleb and Lorna with the others still lingering around, Jay lifts his gaze up from the lawn. He doesn't exactly wait for a break before he hums a soft interruption sound and continues. "Uhm, they got him in medical. He's stable, Ah guess." He shakes his head helplessly. "He was mutterin' to himself, but Ah couldn't make out the words. Those…things on his back're still twitchy but they're gonna sedate him."
Perhaps he's gleaning something off of Lorna's aggitation, or Sophie's, or any of them, but it's Kaleb that Jay's normally soft green gaze falls on. Quiet for a breath, the musician begins very evenly, his voice pitched low, but there is steel backing in each leaning southern syllable; quiet, not 'soft'. A storm building down in the pit of his soul, but he knows this isn't the person to unleash it on. "Kaleb, now, yer a close friend of mine. You've been kind t'me when ya didn't have to, so Ah'm gonna ask ya a couple questions, an' Ah'd really…/really/ suggest some brief, clear answers. Ahll raght, pal?" Don't they all?!
Julie nods, then, just keeping on heading by to catch up with Jay. "Wings, or at least they used to be," she says to him, Warren's that guy I mentioned you ought to meet, only only they used to be alive like yours, …this metal thing and the turning blue and naked would be kinda new." As for answers, those she's interested in.
Kaleb was not, funny enough, what one could constitute as a 'happy camper'. Being beset upon by everyone all at once his normally indifferent self snapped back distressed and growled back with a sharp ting in the tone that just pierced the senses and left the wind chimes hanging from the tree ringing. "I. DON'T. KNOW! I wasn't there when they took him. I don't know how they found him or- or got him. I was fucking lucky they didn't know *I* was one when I was there or we wouldn't be standing here having this discussion. I don't know who they were by name and I DID NOT hire them to this! Stop looking at ME like I'd sell out my own." Someone went entirely on the defensive here. He was… scared? Holy mackerel.
Kaleb was about to go on but there was Jay with an update and how Warren now surpassed how he got this way for the moment. Kaleb's jaw was tight looking to Jay and his expression was… well he was remiss to see Jay have to see this at all.
Lorna froze, her brows pinched as Kaleb seemingly had a melt down. Small wonder, she hadn't helped there. Instead of pushing for more answers, she simply made to silently take his hand. Her expression twisted with confusion, concern and the need to press him for more answers. Things weren't making sense or adding up on her end. And Kaleb's explaination was only making it even worse.
Still.
Lorna didn't press again.
Reining in her anger, at least a bit, Sophie's voice is tightly controlled as she says to Kaleb, "No one is accusing you of anything. But we need to know all we can about what happened to Warren, and how, and who is responsible. Do you remember anything that might help? This corporation that had him — If you do not know the name, did you see anything like a symbol or logo or the like? Anything we might be able to identify?"
Kellan frowns as he approaches and catches the conversation that is going on around him and sees and feels Kaleb in distress. Walking over to his brother, he comes to stand next to him and look at all of those who are addressing Kaleb, studying them with his brows knit together in concern. He says nothing for the time being, trying to figure out what's going on via context rather than asking everyone to repeat it outright.
Julie just widens, then looks as if she might want to roll, her eyes wondering what that outburst is about. As usual, apparently left out of some drama already in progress, perhaps. She pauses a bit as one of those 'vrrr' sounds issues from a pocket. Sighs, decides to fish out a rumpled, but almost-full pack of Chesterfields, offering around before lighting one herself. Gestures assent to what Sophie says, "Just, ah, tell us what you know," she says to Kaleb. "Maybe you being here is how he found his way home. Somehow. I dunno."
Jay turns his head slightly to Julie when she speaks, but his eyes remain fixed on Kaleb. "Ah know who Warren Worthin'ton is. M'brother told me all about him when Ah turned up mutant. /Those things/ ain't wings, Miss Julie." Turning his head back toward Kaleb, possibly hitting some of those finer marks on what happened on his way there while Kaleb was yelling at folks, Jay's normally serene, empathetic expression a stoic mask of restraint, though his eyes are focused and shine, misty with rage. He's got a million little questions, but so does everyone else. He stays quiet then rather than peppering Kaleb with his own questions like he promised.
On the upshot the following may explain a few hings such as 'Kaleb, why are you such an asshole?' or 'Kale, why are you so protective of Jay when you do not like people?' or 'how do you always seem motivated to use the word 'exterminatus' in a sentence at the drop of a hat?' Funny that. But Jay's questions's didn't come.
Still…
He laid it out for them.
(Jay was a little persuasive)
Kaleb, as requested, kept his attitude and sharp tone in check. His teeth clenched but there was his brother(s?) by him and…by some escape of logic an olive branch in the form of Lorna's hand around his that let him bury that shit.
"I went… to Europe for the Summer because it was expected of me. There was stuff I wanted to see and I was bored. Right? So dad," He glanced to Kellan, "gets this call from someone… I dunno I wasn't on the call and they said there's people doing research. Some medical breakthrough in Sweden or Switzerland. Had an S, mountains. kinda chilly. Wasn't paying attention. We GET there and there's this flat… building looking thing heavily guarded and it seemed like you might expect a pharmaceutical testing place and I was sort of bored to tears but Dad said it was 'good to humor contacts' and they were upset about things happening in'good society' and I didn't know what was going on. My school mates got colds and STDs all the time." He shrugged.
His lips pressed together and his grip on Lorna's hand tightened. After taking a moment he spoke almost in staccato working, more so, to keep pitch in control as to not screech at Jay and molt the wings from his back causing more incident. ""I saw… Warren… kinda flayed on the table and had to stand… and watch while they were finishing the implant process and just pretend like I still didn't give a shit… while they talked about 'the mutant problem'. I went to the bathroom, threw up, and tried to get every name I could remember, leave, a-and I called back to the facility and vocally forged the identity of the so-called medical experts and Warren's father to have him readied for export. And he… broke out when they got him out of the room." His eyes watered but were just frozen open and running down his face. "Twenty-two people didn't make it and it was covered in the paper as 'a lab accident'…it was the most horrible thing I ever saw. But it's why I left Europe. There was no ugly ice sculpture." He looked to Jay with a challenging expression as if to make him understand many things retroactively, "That's never. happening. again."
Lorna stilled as Kaleb started to speak, and by the end of it, she was pressed closer to his side. She hadn't broken her grip on his hand, especially not after he tightened his grip on her hand. She just shifted closer until her shoulder bump up against his. Her free hand moving to slid over and then, slowly, she just wrapping her arm around him in a hug. He looked like he needed one. And she knew he wasn't big on affection, especially in front other others.. but she really didn't give a damn at that point.
She didn't say anything, just held onto him and was there. That, she figured, was all he'd like accept at the moment anyways.
"One of our own has been abducted, abused, and mutilated," Sophie states, her voice low, her tone and manner defiant and dangerous. "This is like unto a declaration of war. It must not go unanswered."
There's a slow look of horror that dawns over Kellan's features as he listens to Kaleb relate the tale of what really happened in Europe. He knew Kaleb was having some nightmares. He knew that there was more going on, but respectfully, he had not dug around in his brother's brainmeats for the whole story. He puts an arm around Kaleb's shoulders and he hugs him, looking a mixture of concerned and horrified all at once. "You helped him get away. You did something," he tells him reassuringly. "Now.. we will figure out who did this."
Jay looks sick by the middle of Kaleb's explanation, but he looks more angry than sick. The gentle man stays stilled and listens to every word of it. A violent shiver running through him, wings twitching with it, held high away from his body, fluffed up like the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. Not a hint of moisture makes it down his cheeks, to Jay's credit, though his eyelashes are damp, red spikes by the time Kaleb finishes his explanation. "…you should've told me." Jay whispers back around the tension in his throat. "He has…a healing factor. The /damage/ that they would've had to do—" Jay simply shakes his head, voice cutting off abruptly as he turns away, striding back down the lawn. "Fuck them." The mild-mannered young man cusses. And in front of ladies, even. But he isn't coming back to apologize for it. He's out of here.