18309/Raid Reunion

Raid Reunion
Date of Scene:	13 June 2024
Location:	Central Nexus
Synopsis:	The Queen of Blood strikes up a conversation with a familiar face from the raid on the Friends of Humanity. Only for another to show up...and another...and another.
Cast of Characters:	Talia Wagner, Mary Seward, Lorna Dane, Neena Thurman, Cain Marko

---

Talia Wagner has posed:
Talia Wagner has just finished doing a melee training regimen, sword and staff. She doesn't tend to use firearms, mostly because her hex blasts fill the role easily enough and also because most weapons don't function as naturally with her unusual anatomy. She's left the staves behind, though, her sword sheathed at her side. She has on a bandanna with a long tail that spills down her back, along with loose fitting fencing gear in white, custom made to let her tail proper swish behind her.

Her golden eyes shine as she takes a moment to take a sip from her bottle of water, showing a hint of her own fangs as she smacks her lips. The place seems quiet today, a little sparse. So much going on down on Earth of late. Talia's put herself firmly on the side of the Brotherhood and spilled more than her share of blood during the recent raid. Still, it's a new thing for her, this ruthlessness. Sometimes it sits uneasy in her belly. But then, a conflicted heart is almost her birthright, halfway between the Brotherhood and the X-men, halfway between peace and war, in a world that doesn't even belong to her but reminds her of her own with every face she sees.%

Mary Seward has posed:
Mary Seward meanwhile, has been adjusting to Asteroid M. Functionally becoming a secondary home for her and her kin after her apartment complex got temporarily made a mess of by the old "Throw bombs through the portal as it's closing" trick. In a way, she was enjoying the benefits of being aligned with the Brotherhood. Though not a mutant herself, she agreed with their overall resentment towards humanity. She always saw herself as a freedom fighter in her own right, so may as well align with a freedom fighting group. Especially one that gives her such carte blanche to gorge herself on the blood of as many humans as she pleases.

Yet for now, here she was, more bored than anything else. She walks through the Central Nexus, not really having anywhere to go to in mind for now. She looks around, up at the various screens up above, hitting her with news twenty-four-seven. All of the world down below.

Then, her attention is drawn to a source of life in the room. Talia. She figures she may as well strike up some conversation...even if small-talk isn't her forte.

"...That's quite the get-up." She glances down to the mutant's weapon. "...Is that a prop or...?"

Talia Wagner has posed:
Talia Wagner turns her head and takes in Mary. The vampire queen, yes. She remembered her from that battle and had known about her from the others. All the mutants residing on the Asteroid had been told about their presence, just for safety's sake.

"This is the Brotherhood. We don't blunt our tools here," she says. "Sharp enough to cut, I promise."

"I'm Nocturne," she says by way of introduction, using her mutant name. "I don't think we've met officially, but I know who you are. How are you adjusting to being on the Asteroid? It can be quite different than being down on Earth. I hope the contained confines aren't too stressful for you and your brood."

Mary Seward has posed:
A smirk crosses Mary's face once Talia boasts the Brotherhood's value in weaponry. That she could appreciate.

With a bit more time to look at her, Mary would also recognize the mutant before her. Of course, with someone as distinctive looking as Talia, Mary would have a hard time forgetting her no matter how little interaction they actually had. "...Oh, yeah. You were there when Mystique had us go kill all those Friends of Humanity suckers..." Of course that part was what stuck out most to Mary.

"Oh, no. It's no trouble, we're doing great...Glad you're concerned though." She approaches closer.

"...I mean, it's a change of pace for sure. Not used to being...on somewhere other than Earth. But, we adapt. Unlike our enemies..."

Talia Wagner has posed:
Talia Wagner nods. "I don't take any pleasure in killing. But the threats we face, as mutants, as non-humans, are too dire for us to use half-measures to protect ourselves," she says. "We've tried reason for a long time. But maybe fear is the only real way to get the job done."

She rests one of her hands casually on the hilt of her sword, "More concerned for my fellow mutants, I admit. If you lot start to feel peckish, we're the nearest grocery store," she says. "But I assume since you're among us that you have control over your appetites, rather than your appetites having control of you."

"And I wouldn't assume our enemies can't adapt. The Friends of Humanity are largely ignorant bigots, but that doesn't mean that those who fund and direct them aren't smart enough to pivot with the wind if it blows against them."

Mary Seward has posed:
On the topic of control, Mary shakes her head. "Have a little more faith, Nocturne. Mystique and me have a done deal. Mutants off-limits...My Blood Red Moon knows to fall in line with what I say. Anyone who doesn't...they'll be dealth with...So, you've got nothing to worry about. It's only human blood we're after."

She leans forward. "...We'll have plenty of that blood to shed at least, thanks to the FOH. So, hey, let em' throw themselves to the slaughter if they want." She smiles, showing off her own fangs. "...You say you don't like killing, but the way I see it, it's a lot like a little kid eating vegetables...It's still good for you...and if you just make it a habit...you'll come around to it."

Talia Wagner has posed:
Talia Wagner keeps her face placid, stoic, "I'm not a little kid. Far from it. I like vegetables just fine. I won't deny satisfaction in taking out people who deserve it. But the playing field isn't always as black and white as it was on that mission. But you're right about one thing - I trust Mystique to make that call. She's seen more of this world and the way it really works than any other mutant I know."

And she's seen enough other worlds to know how bad things can get if the FoH and its allies aren't nipped in the bud. Not that she's going to share her extradimensional origins too easily.

"Blood Red Moon is a cool name, though, I'll grant you that."

Mary Seward has posed:
"Thanks." The vampire chuckles.

"...Yeah, Mystique's got a good head on her shoulders...Dare I say, she's a woman after my own heart. I only wish we could've met up sooner...but uh, I'm pretty well-versed in the world too. She's not the only ruthless redhead who's walked the earth for a very long time...."

Lorna Dane has posed:
"Still waiting for a chance to see its leader in something red, though."

The chime-in comes courtesy of Lorna, approaching from the refreshment and recreation wing of the Asteroid with a neon red smoothie in one hand and a towel draped over her shoulders. Like Talia, she's dressed to train: a black and green sports bra with just enough of a cleavage-freeing dip in the collar line to facilitate airflow, high-waisted green and purple yoga pants that help keep those last few stubborn post-pregnancy pounds/inches from showing too prominently, black sneakers, and vivid green hair bound by platinum wires into long, twin braids. Passing Mary on her way towards bracing a hand on Talia's shoulder, she gives the vampire Queen's bicep a brisk brush of acknowledgement and a smile.

"But it IS a cool name. How are you guys holding up--?"

Mary, of course, gets the brunt of the question given the murmurings of chaos surrounding her brood of late.

Neena Thurman has posed:
Speaking of black and white...

One of the least colorful mutants on the asteroid shuffles into view with short black hair left in a messy post-shower state. Domino has all of the energy of someone who slept in and still hasn't managed to wake up yet while all black leggings and combat boots refuse to commit to exactly what she's planning to do with her day. There's also a pair of karambits hooked to her wide belt in that sort of sense that the weapons have taken up permanent residence there some time ago.

"Does anyone else ever get used to not having daylight around here..?" she asks no one in particular, head tilting to rub at an ear. "I've spent months underground. Kinda the same feelin.' But thank hell we've still got gravity."

As her head lifts upright she hesitates with a single blink, looking at the trio now being assembled. "Still getting used to the new normal in a lot of ways" she decides.

Mary Seward has posed:
Mary's eyes and smile widen as her fellow queen makes herself known. "Lorna! Was wondering when I'd run into you!" She laughs, patting the Queen of Genosha on the back.

"Oh, I've been worse. My penthouse shouldn't take too long to get fixed up, then we'll be out of your emerald hair soon enough...But, what about you, huh? Haven't seen you since the raid, how've you-" Suddenly, another guest makes herself known. A woman just about as pale as Mary, now how about that? She didn't look to be a vampire though.

"...Hey, you're asking the wrong lady about the sun right here."

Talia Wagner has posed:
Talia Wagner dips her head in acknowledgement of Lorna, being a royal and all such things. She might think monarchy is old fashioned and silly, but she recognizes its usefulness in their current struggle and she's not going to undermine anyone by engaging in a complex discussion of civics and theory of government over a title.

"My circadian rhythms have always been out of whack," she says to Domino. "I'm kind of a night owl by nature," she says to the monochrome mercenary. To Lorna she adds, "Doing fine. Just finished up some training with swords and staves, last thing I want to do is get rusty. Although I did get plenty of practice on that raid."

Lorna Dane has posed:
"You're welcome here, just like you are on Genosha," Lorna assures Mary-- even as her eyes are drawn, inexorably, towards the sword on Talia's hip and her mind begins spinning with curiosity.

"And when your penthouse IS fixed up, you can return the favor by throwing a big-ass party."

She makes sure that the mischievous twinkle that punctuates this suggestion is plainly visible to Mary, tearing her attention from the sword with a grin. Unlike the raid, where she was stand-offish and largely quiet save for a speech just before deployment -- ensconced in an enormous suit of layered armored plates with her face hidden behind a skull mask -- she's thrumming with life and radiant with persistent electromagnetic warmth. "I'll bring--"

Whatever joke would've followed is cut off by the appearance of a sleepy albino. While Domino only gets a brief glance from the Queen, she also gets the wordless offer of a pull from the slightly sweet, tart, cherry and pomegranate-forward smoothie in her hand. "I can talk to Raven about artificial lighting-- mood lamps, that kind of thing," she offers as a compromise for actual sunlight.

"Multi-talented?" she then asks of Talia with an arched brow and gently impressed tone.

Neena Thurman has posed:
Another blink as Domino eyes up Mary, puts the pieces together from the recent raid, then eloquently asks "No shit?" Another brief pause, remembering what had been said and what she had seen and learned of the raid proper. "Wicked."

As long as it isn't her neck on the line she's not about to judge!

Lorna's given a turn at examination/admiration which ultimately results in a faint crooked smile and a subtle thumbs up from Dom's side. Nice look, Lorn. The offer of a hit of smoothie just about makes her chuckle remembering the last time a drink had been shared but she takes it with a nod of thanks and samples the flavor of the day. Not bad at all.

Talia naturally gets a thoughtful look as well, partly because of her appearance because it -is- striking, but also because they had worked on the same team that night doing the sneaky infiltrator stuff. "Hey, good work back there" she tells the elfette. "Didn't get a chance to catch up before."

Probably because Dom's either been in Vancouver or living inside of a bottle. Going by current appearance she's still crawling her way out of the last one.

"I'll get there" she backtracks to Lorna's comment about the lights. "Likely as soon as I'm done with the bar." To this she holds the smoothie out to its rightful owner.

Mary Seward has posed:
Judging by the amused look on Mary's face at Domino's rather blunt reaction to her, Mary's already taken a quick liking to the mercenary.

"...A party? Oh, that's genius! Why didn't I think of that sooner. I'll get an invite list together while I still can." Talia gets her attention again, soon after.

 :...Oh, yeah, you know, I actually know my way around a sword or two... I mean, four hundred years gives you plenty of times to try out hobbies so..."

Cain Marko has posed:
Heavy rumbling footsteps announce the impending approach of The Juggernaut. He's certainly not the only heavyweight that wanders The Asteroid from time to time but...he's arguably the heaviest of the heavyweights both literal and figuratively. Thus his approach is singularly unique. A sort of subtle pressure wave that seems to exude through he area alongside the heavy booted footfalls of his giant feet.

So, for those familiar with the shaking of even these sturdy and supported grounds, and the heavy muffled *tooms* of his footsteps, there should be no surprise to see his gargantuan helmed figure emerge into view from the direction of one of the halls leading to another part of the asteroid.

Why was he here? What was he doing? Hard to say! It should be known that his interests here are largely mercenary but...he's been known to wander in from time to time. Maybe he needed to get a check signed.

Upon sight of the others gathered, he slows his general movement and twists his attention their way...and then the rest of his body follows suit and he begins a steady shadowing approach. His huge size beginning to drape them in his shadow like an approaching overhead thunderstorm.

"Weellll...what's this about a party? I did say I'd throw a gig at my place but I was only being half serious. I feel like most of y'all would leave too much of a mess and also would start blabbin' about my special Dazzler collection..."

Talia Wagner has posed:
Talia Wagner fingerguns at Domino, a gesture made more dramatic by her slightly oversized fingers and the swish of her tail behind her, "Right back at you! You've got quite a bit of swash to your buckle in your own right, although I remain the Buccaneer Princess," she grins mirthfully.

"I do like a good party," she agrees along with the rest, "Especially if there's dancing. What's the use of awesome mutant agility if you don't get to use it to burn down the dance floor?" she says.

She notes Lorna's interest in her combat training, "I think I've probably swung about every weapon there is to swing, especially if it's got a blade on it. My, uh, adventuring period lead to a pretty diverse set of experiences," she admits, then blinks her golden eyes and waves a hand in greeting as Cain makes his presence known. Hard not to notice the Juggernaut, after all.

Lorna Dane has posed:
"We'll talk," Lorna tells her--

Well, whatever Talia is to her, given the dimensional distances at play. It's something she doesn't sweat, really-- something that she is, at best, only even cognizant of in passing, via second hand knowledge.

"I've got some things I wanna lear--"

It's hard not to notice the Juggernaut's approach. Lorna is reasonably used to large Mutants, loud Mutants, Mutants of many different stripes; beyond sheer size and thunder, however, Cain brings with him an undeniable, ineffable presence that demands attention from the oldest, lowest parts of the mind.

The parts that evolved to fear dread powers and the vast unknown, and still lie waiting to stir even the most enlightened of minds to remember what their ancestors learned out of brutal necessity.

"You just told us about your special Dazzler collection," she deadpans with a look craning way up high and a crooked smile. "Which - unfortunately - I'm now going to have to learn everything about, because I fuckin' love Dazzler." That part's less deadpan; the Dancer in the Bright video album got her through some rough times.

Also less deadpan, more sincere is the look she levels on Domino when the smoothie's passed back to her: pursed lips, gently furrowed brow, wrinkled nose. "You know we're here," she gently offers, her fingers brushing the albino's amidst the cup transfer, "if you need a distraction, right--? I could add you to the Astley list--"

A brief beat.

"The Astley list," she then briskly explains, glancing around at the rest of the group, "are people who get contacted whenever someone tries to trigger a decoy mutant control collar, and it phones home to Genosha-- it's just a way to get people scrambled and deployed to snap up whichever dickheads were trying to use the collars to begin with." This comes with broad, sweeping gestures of her drink and is punctuated in the middle by a long, slurping sip.

Mary Seward has posed:
Mary Seward hasn't had quite the right amount of time to get used to Juggernaut , so she was caught off guard by his sudden storming entrance. Once it became clear it was just him and not something wrong with the asteroid, she quickly adjusted.

"So, is everyone from the raid gonna pop up here to talk?...Not that I mind, it makes narrowing down the guest list much easier." Seems she might be taking this party idea a little more seriously. At least a little, now that it's in so many people's heads.

"Also in my personal opinion, as someone who's lived through pretty much every major era of music, all the way to Beethoven...Dazzler's pretty good. I don't listen to her often, but I've caught her on the radio..."

Off the topic of music, quickly onto the topic of hunting down their enemies. Mary's interest in the latter compared to the former quickly shows itself.

"You mean you've got a special contact list for people to go and hunt down humans and you didn't tell me about it? For shame, Lorna, I thought we were friends. See if you get an invite now." She teases.

Neena Thurman has posed:
Oh gosh, compliments from the blue lady. Domino makes a show of preening but the grin proves she's just being a twit. "A title which won't be threatened by me" she promises. "Though one of these days I might ask you for some pointers." Pun maybe intended.

The floor starts to vibrate. A Cain-sized shadow falls upon the area. Dom winces, quickly holding up a hand in protest but one which is not content to sit still. "Jeezus, Cain, that..." she trails off, pausing to rub her forehead. "Your voice hits the -exact- right notes for a migraine, what the fuck." Surely the thudding of his footsteps didn't play a part!

Before she can go off in search of the nearest source of painkillers Lorna offers a compelling 'side gig' opportunity which halts the albino mid-step. Really, it's not the sort of offer she needs to think about for long. Not after her upbringing.

"You get me what I need and I'll get you what you need" she offers in return, glance lingering a little longer with that familiar kill-happy glint glowing within the pale blue depths. People who would treat mutants in such a fashion..? Oh yes. She'll happily pull some more triggers.

A hand gently falls on Lorna's shoulder with a light squeeze as she steps past with a "Right back," off to settle a score with the nearest Tylenol bottle. Maybe a water bottle as well, so long as she's up and about.

Cain Marko has posed:
"Huh. I guess I did." considers Juggernaut in response to Lorna's own. His expression can't be clearly scene but the way his hand goes to his waist and the exaggerated recoil of surprise he does might indicate that he very well did so on purpose.

"Well, whaddya know, Queenie. Sounds like we got good taste in music because I just happen to be the biggest Dazzler fan there is! "

Quite literally, obviously.

"So much so I even got special tickets to her next major gig courtesy of an Avenger who wanted to keep me in a good mood once. Maybe I'll need some folk to come along with me to it..."

His hand slips from his side and both arms hang against his flanks like swamp trees on either side of a boulder the size of a semi truck cab. He twists his gaze towards Domino at her complaining but then drifts his gaze over Talia and Mary. Domino he recognizes. The other two...

"Raid?" he rumbles curiously before his mind is quickly drawn back to events in recent memory. It figures that only Juggernaut would have filed being shot from orbit about in the forefront of his mind as 'I went to the store last week'.

"Ooooh! That!"

He inclines his head slightly, frowning about, "THere were two teams..." he finally recalls, "Didn't see either of you two so you musta been on the other team.." Talia -really- gets a once over now and a slightly confused look is visible on his mouth as it works abit as it tries to ascertain her identity while reconciling just how close she looks like a certain someone. He then looks over Mary closely. "Yeah..don't know either of you." he says finally.

Talia Wagner has posed:
Talia Wagner notes Cain looking her way and takes a moment to model, even turning around a bit in her slightly flouncy fencing gear, her pants a bit blousy and cream-colored and a saber at her hip. Her blue tail swishes and wraps around one of her ankles, "Nocturne. I don't think we've been formally introduced. Yes, related, but in a complicated way that you don't give a shit about, big guy," she says in regards to her appearance.

To Domino, she winks, "We'll have to cross swords sometime! I'm always looking for dueling partners, it gets very tiresome using dummies and AI is never quite the same. Swordfighting is an art, not a science, you can't just reduce it to probabilities and random number generators."

At Lorna's mention of a squad, she raises one of her fuzzy eyebrows, "I'm usually available - unemployed and Asteroid centered as I be, at the moment."

Lorna Dane has posed:
"You WERE a little busy being artillery," Lorna wryly notes. "Mary was on your side of things, but -- I think she'll forgive you if you were a little too busy getting bloody to notice her," she punctuates with a wink. The playful smile flickers towards Mary, who she assures, "I'll make sure you're on top of the list, right next to Dom. It can get a little dicey, sometimes; sometimes, you just find a couple of pissant Friends of Humanity who thought they were gonna have a fun Saturday night." She shrugs a shoulder as the smile melts away and her lips purse again. Her attention finds, and lingers on the pale blue fire in the paler mercenary's gaze; the offer gets a small, wordless nod.

"Either way, it's more assholes gone."

After a deep breath, her expression softens towards casual neutrality as she promises, "I'll make sure you all get pinged, next time we get a signal. You ping back, a teleporter scoops you up, you deploy; blood spills, maybe someone repents. Lives change..."

*slrrrrp!*

"Just a little something extra to do."

The bone white hand on her shoulder's briefly cupped to transfer a little extra good luck in her quest for Tylenol.

"I don't get to do an awful lotta concert-going," she then says to Cain as threaded brows rise, "but I would absolutely make an exception for Dazzler.

Mary Seward has posed:
Mary stifles a scoff. She's not used to not being recognized. At least when she's not looking to be unrecognized.

"Mary Seward, Queen of Blood. Remember it." Very confident in her tone, but when was that ever not the case?

"Much better, I'll be waiting for your ping then. Thank you for being so considerate, Lorna."

She grins. "...If a concert's on the table, I won't say no. So many warm bodies together in one place, I can't say no to that...Oh, and the music too, I guess."

Neena Thurman has posed:
Talia's comment about reducing swordfighting to probabilities gets a soft "Heh" from Domino in passing, though the idea of a proper spar with what is very likely to be a superior opponent gives her something else to think about. She can use a sword in a pinch but it's a rare occurrence for her. She's likely taken more lives with pool cues than swords. Always good to keep one's skill sets properly honed. "Sounds good, Nocturne."

On the same front, the offer from Lorna is just the sort of activity to keep an idle 'bino from self-destructing. She's never been one to sit still and there has been a slight shift from mercenary work to Brotherhood work of late. She'll be glad to get back out into the field.

It'll be an efficient operation, one born of repetition as Dom won't take long to wander back in with water in hand and pills already heading southward into her stomach.

Cain Marko has posed:
"You make time for the stuff you want to do, yer majesty.." drawls out Juggernaut with a slow growing grin as his attention is pulled back to Lorna. "Maybe you need to do more 'gettin to doin'. Tell ya what.. Yer on my short list. Meaning you'll get to go if you really want to make it happen."

His attention returns back towards the others, particularly Nocturne and Mary.

Talia gets a confused look again as he tries to work things out in his mind. He heard her, naturally, but still.. "I uh..." he begins only to pause and blink as he hears Mary and he turns his attention towards her and just..stares.

He falls dead silent.

And then he begins to laugh. It's a loud rolling bark of a laugh that quakes and rumbles and shakes the area before he finally manages to reign it in but apparently there's something -incredibly- hilarious to him at her introduction. Not exactly the sort of thing that should be done at someone introducing themselves as 'The Queen of Blood'.

"What the---are you for real?" he questions as he pulls it together. "Man...now.. Oh wow. Now that's funny." he waves a hand a few times to try and regain some composure, "Sorry Miss Blood Queen... sorry it's just..." there's a big grin on his face, "..I just happen to know some folk that'd just -looooove- to meet you. What the heck's a vampire doin' up here anyway? Man you guys are really expandin' your recruitment net. Wow."

Talia Wagner has posed:
Talia Wagner can't help but grin as Juggernaut gets a good laugh out of the presence of vampires and their somewhat gothic title structures. She assumes that the leadership have good reason for the alliance and she's not one to overthink things. She's also fairly confident she could handle herself regardless. She'd had the fear of death frightened out of her enough times over through the years and the worlds that she didn't really get worried about things anymore.

Plus, she had a prime example of a dashing disposition in the face of adversity in her father. Her mother's example had taught her different things, things that had probably lead her here more than the gentler wisdom her Kurt Wagner had offered.

"Be nice," she tells Juggernaut. "We all get a little precious about our special names. Believe me, I've heard much worse."

Lorna Dane has posed:
Obviously, the uproarious response to Mary's title gets a look.

The curious, wary, grimly appraising look of someone trying in real time to determine if something awful is about to happen--

... sorry it's just... I just happen to know some folk...

Lorna's eyebrows both shoot up as she slowly exhales and turns from the giant; crisis -- probably? -- averted. "Mystique met her, and figured we had enough common cause to justify cooperation," she supplies the crimson tower of Cyttorak.

After another quick exhale, she turns her attention - wary eye and all - towards Mary. "Any friend of Mystique's..." she offers the bloody Queen. "Especially the kinds of friends who don't mind snapping the right neck or two."

The incoming albino gets another wordless smoothie offer once she's close enough; a beat after the extension of her arm, Lorna actually glances Domino-wards to flash a welcoming smile before setting her eyes on Talia. With a thoughtful cant of her head and minute squint, she wonders:

"What's the worst one?"

Beat.

"... that none of us would know," she decides to stipulate.

For politeness' sake.

Mary Seward has posed:
Juggernaut's overreaction to Mary's presence is cause for suspicion. Too much so. Her eyes narrow and her lips tighten. Tension thick enough to cut.

"...Some folk, huh? Interesting." Now, who of all people would Juggernaut know would want to see Mary?...The likelihood of them being anyone good isn't great.

"...Oh, it's fine. I'm fine with my name...It's more a title, really. It's got weight to it."

Neena Thurman has posed:
Aaand she returns to the sound of Cain's bellowing laughter, prompting Domino to hold back for a few seconds with another grimace. "Guy's got some pipes on 'im" she mutters to herself. "Goddamn PA system on legs."

At least it covered up her amusement of what Cain was actually laughing about... Poor Mary.

The second offer of Lorna's smoothie brings the smaller mercenary back into her immediate orbit and this time she decides to continue hanging around Lorna's side, taking another sip of the blended drink while Talia is given a curious look. It's a good question! It also might spark some inspiration as she does, on occasion, love giving people sarcastic nicknames.

It's how she shows she cares!

It also might be because she's a brat.

Cain Marko has posed:
It's often a social faux paus for the laugh to come -before- the explanation but there's just not much Juggernaut can do about that. Not to mentions social graces are hardly his strong point.

"No, no, I'm sorry.." he manages to grunt out though the grin on his face may question that. He waves his hands again, "No, no, listen. It's not the name... It's hard to explain. I'm laughing at....uh... life and irony. Yer name's fine. Title's fine. Sorry. It only triggered my laugh because of...welll... listen nevermind all that. Pleasedtameetcha Mary..."

His grin hasn't gone anywhere but he at least made a passing attempt at clearing up the confusion on that point.

The increase of her tension however? That makes his grin get even larger and his eyes seem to dance with the 'I know something you don't know' look to them as he just stares at her while smiling.

But ...he is, at the end of the day, a professional, even if occasional lapses of self control can happen now and again. "..Yeah... 'some folk'.." he says again. "And come to the concert eh? Yeah, I bet you would like some warm bodies around ya... Anyway, last I checked 'vampires' weren't exactly part of the whole protecting mutant kind' thing but what do I know? I'm just a retainer so whatever. Not my business.... I don't exactly check all the marks off either so Mystique can follow her instincts."

Talia Wagner has posed:
Talia Wagner smiles playfully back at Lorna, "I wouldn't dare speculate," she says. "I've seen some pretty strange things in my day. Not the first time I've crossed vampires for one and more than happy to fight beside them. Fighting against them is no bueno," she says.

"Although probably not a problem for you, big guy. But then, not much is a problem for you, is it?"

Kinda makes her want to take his body for a ride - no not THAT way, with her power. Savor the feeling of being invulnerable for a little bit. But it might be dangerous - who knows how the source of his power would react to her possession? Yeah, maybe better just to imagine it.

Lorna Dane has posed:
"Very diplomatic of you," Lorna tells Talia with a grin.

Because that was, after all, a test.

And not the Queen of Genosha indulging in her taste for tea.

Which would be undignified.

"A little disappointing," she admits, dipping far lower for a moment, "but extremely diplomatic." The blue swashbucklass' shoulder gets a firm, fond squeeze; whatever they are to each other, filtered through the dimensional perspective, Talia's light, but staunch sarcasm tempered with pragmatic certainty is refreshing.

"Protecting and uplifting Mutantkind means improving EVERYONE'S circumstances-- the less resources we dedicate to killing each other instead of learning how to--"

Maybe a second after Lorna turns her gaze to the Juggernaut, she realizes that she has slid effortlessly into Discourse Mode. She's even standing a little straighter: chest out, shoulders straight, chin up...

A low, dismayed groan rumbles in her throat. Domino and the sound of her accepting Lorna's blended fruit offering come just in the nick of time, though, giving the Queen an opportunity to flick her eyes to the mercenary, gently lean against a snow-colored shoulder, and accept the cup when it comes her way again.

"-- uh, the point is... we love making friends up here. Friends have nice penthouses, and -- honestly, I'm just gonna say it, weirdly charming Dazzler fandoms," follows, quieter.

*slrrrrp!*

"I should probably actually get to the gym," she then resolves, quiet and thoughtful. "I'll make sure you're all on the list, though-- oh! By the way:"

While she sets her eyes squarely on the albino, the announcement's for everyone:

"The Purifier Blob sat on until he could be brought back is... I mean, he's still not cooperative," she quietly admits, "but a couple weeks of isolation from the armor's at least got him to a point where he'll do more than glare, and spit, and curse a whole lot. So: if anyone wants to take a crack at getting him to talk, just think it over-- maybe grab a couple extra hands to help you out, and just."

An emerald glint flares across the depths of her right iris as she regards the assembled Brotherhood.

"Let me know."

Mary Seward has posed:
"We may not be mutants....Not officially at least but...When our interests both lie in killing off our human enemies that resent our peoples for being better than them, I'd say a partnership is GREAT for 'protecting mutant kind'."

She says it with a lot more bite than she'd normally speak with. She'd been so casual before.

"Exactly, Nocturne. Thank you...Buuuut, that's just my humble opinion and all...No need to over think it."

She's content to let it lie for now, but Lorna gets to speak too. She's fired up. Mary likes it. She loves Discourse Lorna...Reminds her so much of...well, her. Hopefully, there'll be more opportunities to draw that side of her out...for one.

"...Oooh, interrogation. Saucy. I'll keep that in mind...buuut, I should probably get going too." She turns around and begins to walk away.

"See you all around. Probably. Some time soon, I bet, you guys have given me so many opportunities."

Neena Thurman has posed:
"Well, don't leave her in suspense!" Domino eggs Cain on, which doesn't have anything at all to do with her own curiosity of who it is Cain might know who would take an interest in Mary. Maybe Dom's heard of them! Maybe she's worked for, or against, them. Who knows! It's one of the joys of merc life, you never know what you're gonna find.

Though when Cain speaks the word 'vampire' the albino does give Mary another lingering look. She has limited experience and what little she has usually involved 'kill or be killed' situations. To have a friendly talk with one, and...what, an actual vampire -queen?- Hey, it's a big deal to her!

Talia deflects Lorna's question which prompts an immediate snapping of pale fingers. "Speaking of suspense..." she gripes, siding to Lorna to joke "The world may never know."

Oh, is she still holding Lorna's drink? One more sip before it's handed back. Pretty tasty! Thank goodness they don't need to survive on an astronaut's diet up here. Bourbon loses a little something from the experience when it's served Capri-Sun style, for one.

"Friends are important" she agrees with a subtle lean back against Lorna. "I figure it's only a matter of time before I'm the one needing a rescue from an inhibitor collar and a standing room only sized cell." And these people here are the sorts who she could rely upon to come rescue her pale butt.

Mary lights up at Lorna's spark of fire and Dom knows exactly why. It's good to be hanging around with the movers and shakers, keeps things exciting.

Feeling the Magnetrix's look, Dom looks back and soon mirrors Mary's reaction. "What she said" is offered with a thumb hooked toward the vampire. "Sounds like a good time to me. Maybe we can have a girl's get-together later. Foreceps, car battery, couple of sharp blades... It'll be good" she suggests with a grin big enough to show some teeth.

As the group seems to be drifting apart she nods once, "I hear the endless waffle cart calling my name. Stay wicked, peeps."

Cain Marko has posed:
Domino just get sa slight smile but Juggernaut's attention is soon pulled to Lorna at her words.

"So what're ya gonna do? Create a cattle farm for 'em to hunt and feed on?" asks Juggernaut as he turns the weight of his gaze onto Lorna as she speaks up to him to explain some of the logic involved.

"Last I checked, Vampires kinda have to do that hunt and feed off of living folk thing unless I'm missing some plot twist. Mutants and humans and aliens can at least kinda live with each other if they stop actin' like asses and try and get along. Kinda hard to do that if someone's eyin' yer neck like a porkchop."

Discourse Lorna has met Dismissive Cain with his own set of life experiences. Most of them leading to the inevitable 'Everybody's jacked up.' point of view.

He snorts a little, "Killin' off humans. Tth. Yeah okay. Sure, make it sound like an Olympic Sport while yer at it. Anyway, like I said, not my problem until it gets made my problem. As to interrogatin.. Don't y'all got access to psychics? Get good ol'Charles involved or do you think you already burnt that bridge when you left a pool of blood in Nicaragua? He might be willing to look the other way considering what's at stakes... " his eyes narrow slightly, "Always the peacemaker, Charlie..."

As Mary begins to take her leave, however the giant starts smiling slightly again though he says nothing until Domino also begins to drift off. "Yeah....laters.."