10149/Blinktastic!

Blinktastic!
Date of Scene:	16 February 2022
Location:	Washington Square Park and Asteroid M
Synopsis:	No description
Cast of Characters:	Susan Sullivan, Clarice Ferguson, Raven Darkholme

---

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    February in New York is about the same as it is all winter long: Cold and snowy. Most people are bundled up in heavy winter clothes, even if they stop to talk to each other now and then. Deeper in the trees, dressed in a sleeveless, orange gi tied with a black belt, one woman with short hair and bare feet does Tai Chi in the snow.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    There have been rumors of a mutant who can manipulate snow and ice in the area - and that's what brings Blink to the area, a tear in reality appearing, tinged around its edges with purple color and allowing Blink to step in. She's dressed for the weather, with heavy boots, warm pants, a deep green sweater, and a jacket over the top. A matching green woolen hat is pulled down over her pointed ears, and magenta hair, with her matching magenta skin making a striking impression against the snow as the portal disappears.
    Blink has grown up on tropical islands - on Barbados, and on Genosha, and truth be told, she hates the snow. She's already freezing as she shoves her green-gloved hands into her pockets, making her way curiously towards Susan.

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    Not much could throw off Susan's zen, but the use of mutant power is an extention of them, and thus can be very evident to one who is sensitive to the flow of qi. Staggering back, Susan waves her hand in front of her nose, her eyes screwing tightly shut as her face wrinkles like she just got a blasted in the face with powdered cinnamon. She opens her watering eyes and looks around, sniffing at the air. The portal now closed, she's going off of the normal amount of data. She moves to a tree and plucks a long, puffy coat off a storebought dowel rod that leans against the trunk. She swings the coat around herself before lifting her feet up. One at a time, she kicks the snow off of her tootsies before wiping them on her opposite leg and stuffing them into wintery boots. As she does that, she's pulling a stocking cap and gloves from her pockets and putting them on as well. Still sniffing at the air, she grabs her dowel rod staff and moves toward where Blink is still breathing.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Why take off your //shoes// in this weather?" Is the blunt, direct question from Clarice, as the woman approaches her, a puzzled look on her features. "Isn't that how you get... frostbite?" Is that what it's called? She thinks that's what it's called - but it's not an everyday reality for the woman.
    "What were you doing?" she asks curiously.

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    Susan, guided by the smell of mutant qi and sound, finds Blink quickly. She smiles as she gets closer. "Meditating," she answers, kindly. She offers a wave with a gloved hand. "I learned when I was in China," she continues. "You have pretty eyes," she continues. "Were you watching me?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I heard reports of a mutant who's capable of manipulating the cold. ...you were standing in the snow without any shoes." Or coat. Or hat. Or gloves. From the way she's bundled up, it's clear how crazy she finds that idea. "I represent the Brotherhood. We provide shelter, support, and training for any mutants in need."

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    Susan continues to smile. "That's nice of you," she says, genuinely. "I don't think I'm a mutant, though. I ignore the cold through intense meditation. I control the flow of heat through my body to keep myself from freezing. How would I tell if I was a mutant?" she asks, tilting her head slightly to the side. She holds her stick against herself and leans on it, enjoying the interaction with this other person.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Well, usually because you have a gift, power, or ability that develops during puberty - or an unusual physical change," Clarice explains, gesturing to her own unorthodoxed opinion. "Though sometimes, as in my case, you're born looking this way. My brother, though, was born looking fairly normal - other than his pointed ears. He's developed some purple skin patches much more recently. Sometimes, though, it's hard to really be sure what the cause of certain gifts are without... some sort of testing." She shrugs her shoulders casually. "We have an excellent doctor on the Asteroid who's better with all this, compared to me. But she doesn't really come out on meet-'n-greets. We need her where she is, you know?"

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    "In space?" Susan asks, enthusiastically. "Genosha, right? I should have remembered that." She shakes her head. She kicks the base of her staff and flips it over her shoulders before letting it fall down on the other side. "Is testing for the mutant gene something that would be allowed even if I end up not being a mutant? I think it would be cool to go to space."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I mean, the whole point to the test is finding //out// whether or not you have the gene," Clarice remarks in an amused tone. "And if you want to use that as an excuse to visit the Asteroid once, well..." She shrugs her shoulders. "Genosha is an island, though. //Our// island, granted. The Asteroid, obviously, is in space - but it's in geosynchronis orbit above the island. Thanks to our King, Magneto."

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    Susan considers that name for a moment. "I think I've heard of him," she says. She shrugs. "I do want to go to space. If non-mutants aren't welcome there, hopefully at least they'll be friendly toward me. I'm unusual, even if I turn out to not be a mutant."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "All guests are treated with respect as long as they follow the rules. And the rules are pretty simple. Do no harm, don't go where you're not authorized to be," she explains simply. "That's about it. And I can take us there easily - if you like."

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    "Do those rules extend to non-mutants? Going to space is a dream of mine, and I would hate to do the test and be immediately ported back to Earth." She bites the corner of her bottom lip slightly. She's clearly hiding some excitement about this trip.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Well, I think it takes time to get the results," Clarice says in amusement. "We take you up. Hathaway takes a sample - I believe it's a blood sample? I never had to do the test, there was no doubt about what //I// am. And then you can enjoy a tour of the Asteroid, a meal in the cafeteria - and head back down again afterwards. We try not to be inconsiderate hosts," she says with some amusement.

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    Susan lets out a soft sigh, then nods. "Well, up to space for a meal is better than not in space at all," she says, "and I am hungry. I'll get tested, then," she concludes with a nod."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Amusement shows on Clarice's features at all of this. She's fairly certain the woman is simply in it for the trip to space but - who knows? Maybe she //does// have the X-gene? With a gesture, another tear in reality opens beside her, showing metal hallways on the other side, and doors to the Asteroid's medical facility. "After you," she offers. "We'll get the blood drawn, and you can visit the cafeteria and garden in whatever order you like."

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    Susan's face squishes up like her nose is blasted with the equivalent of a spotlight to the eyes. She looks curiously at the portal with some wonder. "Wow!" she says. She reaches out with her dowel, pushing it through first. "Wow!" she repeats, just as enthusiastically. She steps through carefully, not sure what disorientation to expect.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    A portal appears just outside the medical bay, with a staff poking through, before Susan steps through, followed by Clarice who remarks with a laugh, "I don't think I even introduced myself. I'm Clarice, by the way." She gestures for the woman to proceed her through the doors into the Medbay as she adds, "Our Doc is named Dr. Hathaway." Clarice had headed down to New York after hearing rumors of an unknown mutant with the ability to manipulate snow and ice - and she's bundled up to face a New York winter as a result.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
The medical facility on the asteroid is much like any hospital on earth. There are the day to day visitors with common colds, the need for stitches from cuts, and it all routes through the main lobby where two woman and a young man sit at a large desk. Presently the lobby is mostly empty, save for what looks like a perky blonde haired woman in a lap coat, with a stethoscope around her neck, and a smile on her face. She doesn't move from her spot by the desk, instead she just looks toward Clarice and her guest and offers a nod through the open door way.

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    "Oh!" Susan lets out. She smiles at the blonde lady and lifts her store-bought dowel-staff to her side. It remains in the air where she's put it as she takes off her gloves and hat, stuffing them into her coat's pockets before taking it off. Tucking it under her arm, she snags the stick out of the air. "Sorry about the snow," she says before moving through, tentatively.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Hey Doc," Clarice greets the woman in a bright voice. "I brought us a guest whose name, truth be told, I haven't managed to catch yet..." she remarks a bit sheepishly. "But she's a bit uncertain if she has the X-Gene or not." There's a momentary pause before she adds with some amusement in her tone, "Plus - she really wanted the check out the Asteroid. Who can pass up the chance, you know?"
    And honestly, letting random people up to see the Brotherhood //not// being monsters never does their rep any harm.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Hathaway offers a brighter smile as she says, "It's a slow day, so I think we can manage a look see."

She shifts her attention to the guest. "I'm Dr. Emily Hathaway," is what she says first. "Welcome to Asteroid M. There are two ways we can go about discovering if you have the X-Gene. The first is a DNA test," she gestures behind her toward the hall leading off to many locations in the hospital. "There other choice, well... it involves my mutation. I can touch people and know what's wrong with them, to do that, it means I learn them down to their DNA. The choice is yours."

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    "I assume no genetic data is kept after the test is concluded?" Susan asks. She's not got sleeves in her current outfit, so she doesn't need to roll them up. "If so, the DNA test, please. I was sort of promised a meal in a space cafeteria while waiting for the results."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice starts peeling off her cold weather gear as well - starting with her hat and gloves, and following up with her coat. She glances towards Hathaway, to let her answer what is done with any test results, as she tucks her clothes in under her arm, leaving her green sweater exposed over a pair of black pants and boots.
    "I know the Doc has my genetic profile on file but- I'm a member of the Brotherhood, and it could be of use to her if- well. It's hard to know //what// could happen, the sort of life I lead."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Anther nod is offered as Hathaway says, "All samples are destroyed upon completion of the test. If a second test is required, we take another sample. We're all very serious about ensuring nothing is left sitting around, trust me, we are paranoia level of making sure nothing is left sitting around."

Stepping around the desk she gestures toward the back again, "If you'll follow me, we'll go back and get the sample for testing," she states with that same smile. She doesn't seem to mind the longer method as the woman's choice. "However, it will take at least twenty four hours for the results. That can mean a few meals in space, and perhaps even sleeping in space if you'd like, or if you leave me your contact information I can contact you with the results."

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    Susan nods and follows along. She also doesn't seem to mind the mention of longer time. "I'm in space," she says. "I'm happy if I get to stay here longer," she continues with a pleased nod.
    In just a few moments, she's out again, beaming. "Can I look outside?" she asks Clarice. "I want to see Earth from space!" She's still pretty excited about even the idea that she's in space. So far, it's just...medical stuff.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "The best view is up in the garden," Cael remarks, nodding her way towards one of the lifts just outside of the medbay. "Hell, the boss might be up there feeding her fish," she muses thoughtfully, pulling out her phone to look at the time, and then tucking it away again. "The gardens here are incredible."

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    Susan steps off the lift into the gardens. The first thing she notices is SPACE! It's right there! The second thing she notices is how comfortable this garden is. The flow of qi distracts her. She closes her eyes and breathes in through her nose. She lets out a rather contented sigh. Life still happened under the winter snow, but this was a vibrant, living space.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Clock work, that's what everyone on the Asteroid called it. At exactly six o'clock, every day, Mystique went to the garden to feed her fish. It wasn't anything amazing really, one large scoop of fish food flung in a specific way to ensure that the food spread out in the water, allowing all nine of the the fish to get some. So that is exactly where she was now, feeding the koi.

There was no mistaking that Mystique was a mutant, her cobalt blue skin stood out like fireworks in the night sky. She wore a white tailored suit over her form, with a low cut blouse, and no shoes. Flaming red hair hung freely down her back, loose as it moved across her back when she shifted.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    It was significantly more peaceful in the garden, now that so many of the refugees had returned to New York. Some still remained, due to their homes being inaccessible or damaged, but most had opted to return to their homes, and their lives.
    Clarice breathes the air in deeply, a smile growing on her features, as she allows her guest a short time to enjoy the sight before she starts to move towards the pond. "I still haven't caught your name," she says pointedly. "What should I call you?"

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    "Huh?" Susan says, pulled from her slipping into zen by Clarice's words. She is distracted yet again by the blue woman. "Susan," she says without making eye contact. She moves to a couple meters away from Mystique, looking down at the fish she's feeding. She kneels down and smiles at the fish. "Hello," she says to the swimmers.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
As Clarice and her guest enter the garden there is enough distance that Mystique doesn't immediately notice, but the whispering in her comm from H & D already told her they were on the way to the garden. When Susan moves closer to the water to look at the fish, yellow eyes shift to look her over then move on to Clarice, a slight question in them.

"Evening," she offers to the both of them before her eyes are back on the guest. "As Clarice to tell you all their names."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice smirks in amusement at Mystique's words as she explains, "She only says that because I made a game out of letting everyone give the fish the most ridiculous names possible. ...because they //were// simply named //numbers// before. And numbers aren't names," she says firmly.
    Having been known as #083 for almost half of her life, there was cause for her objection.
    "So we have... let's see. That's Lord Scaley-Bottom, and Teddy von Fishfin the Third, right there. And Miss Bubbles. Then there's Lady Squiggles, and Sharkbait Ooh-Ah-Ah. And that's Darth Splish-Splash, Wiggle-Waggle, Flukes 'n Fins the Eighth, Lord of the Pond. And over here's Call me Ishmael, and Herald Luke, and- where's...? Oh. There's 7 or 9, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix One."
    Then gesturing towards her guest she adds, "This is Susan - she's getting tested for the X-Gene. And... you know. Visiting space."

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    Susan smiles and waves to the blue woman. "Hello," she says. "I expected space to be dead. This is nice." She looks back down at the fish. They're not quite ignoring her. She doesn't have the ambiance of the local qi, yet. She stands and says, "A coy pond is an absurd luxury in space, isn't it?" she asks. "The cost of the water alone would be--" She stops as she remembers that Blink just made a door for her to step through to get into space. "I mean...it would be, I guess," she concludes, slightly sheepishly.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Her attention returns to the fish, watching them bobbling for the bits of food on the surface, before Mystique steps over to place the scoop back in the fake rock container that holds the food. Closing the container, it literally looks like a decorative rock and nothing more.

"We have a druid," she comments idly. "And several mutants who can make water, as well as teleporters. Humans might have issues with these things in space, mutants do not."

Turning now to look more fully at Susan, she folds her arms lightly over her chest. "The view from this place is the best on the asteroid, the second best is the central nexus. Try not to harm any of the plants in here or Bruin will be upset."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "You should see- well, shouldn't see, the hurt look in his eyes if you so much as break a twig. Let alone the occassional accident where someone falls into a shrubbery. He's //way// protective of our plants, but seeing as he maintains all this for him..." Clarice can definitely forgive him his foibles.
    "This is definitely one of my favorite places on the asteroid - and I love dumping our visitors //here// when they arrive. It always stuns them."

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    "I would never!" Susan says as she's warned about harming plants. She reaches down and pets the grass like it's a fluffy dog. "I can smell the plants breathing, here. It's not winter for them." She looks up and out into space. "I just--" Susan hesitates. She puts on a smile. "It's funny that something I know is so big should smell so small."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Mystique shifts her eyes slightly past Clarice and Susan, as if she saw something there and even offers a nod before she looks back to Susan. The woman was petting the grass, that wasn't exactly normal, but what non-human type was normal? What was normal?

"What do you mean something so big smells small?" She finally asks, canting her head slightly. "Are you referring to a garden inside an asteroid?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice looks equally puzzled by the woman's words, but she directs her attention towards the fish the pond asking curiously, "Is 7 of 9 still nipping at Herald Luke's fins? Or did we find a fix for that?" She tries to study the fins of the different koi - searching for any signs of damage or distress in the fish.

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    Susan furrows her brow, thinking of how to explain while Blink talks about the first fish problems. "It's about qi," she says. "I was blind for about a decade. All I had to sense was the qi of all the little things around me. The bacteria are faint, but there. The planet's alive, too." She gestures around. "This place has a strong smell--a good one," she quickly adds. "Out there," she says, gesturing toward space. "It's beautiful, but I don't feel as overwhelmed by the bigness, since I'm so used to judging the size of the world by the smell of her qi." She stares for a moment at the Earth. "I will try to recenter myself so I can be."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
The fish seem to be feeding without chewing on each other, at least right now. They all seem healthy, happy and really, they look almost exactly alike so who could tell one from the other? Mystique could, she knew who each fish was, though she still called them One through Nine when no one else was around.

"They've stopped tormenting each other," she replies to Cael. "I had another set of streams added through the back part of the room, gave them a little more space and that seems to have solved the problem. Most likely will have to figure out how to add even more as they grow, but for now they only come around each other for feeding time."

Susan's explanation helps a little, but only in defining the parameters of the why smell has size. "What is qi?" she then asks, because that was the one part of the explanation that she found confusing. "Unless you are referring to the energy that flows through all things."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Oh, that's good. I was sure you'd find a solution," Clarice replies easily, turning back from her study of the fish to look at their guest with puzzlement instead.
    "Qi?" she asks - almost in unison with Mystique. She gives the blue-skinned woman a look that's half-amused, and half-surprised. She was used to Mystique knowing a lot more about things than she does.
    "I thought that was the Force," she adds with a broader smile. At least Clarice has seen Star Wars now.

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    "That's it exactly," Susan says to Mystique. "I would call it The Force, but that would kind of sell it short and they don't work exactly the same way." Kneeling again, she reaches into the water and runs her fingers gently along one of the fish's sides. "I can't smell the fish, though. Qi is in the air. I know they have it, but water holds it like a fish-shaped bubble for each of them." She pulls her hand out as the fish swims away. She flicks the water back into the pond before wiping her forearm on the grass. "I'm a Disney Princess," she proclaims, "not a Jedi." She smirks. "Unless someone gives me a laser-sword. If that happens, I'll happily change my tune."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Mystique takes one step forward as Susan reaches toward the water. Mutants and her fish, those are the things she's over protective of, but when the woman just runs her fingers through the water, she stops. It was only because of this that the comment about the Force made my Cael merely gets a smirk and a snort, over protective fish momma is over protective.

"How long have you been able to use qi to see?" She then asks, really wanting the woman to get away from the small lake. "You said you were blind for a decade, as a child then or after an accident?" Yes, she's trying to piece together if this woman could be a mutant or if she was something else. She didn't need a DNA test to figure it out, information would work.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "It's hard to even imagine being blind," Clarice comments quietly. She'd be useless in fights without her sight. She could probably still use her portals to transport people and things - after all, she just needs to know //where// she's going - not see it. It's still an uncomfortable thought.
    "You can see now, though?"

Susan Sullivan has posed:
    Susan doesn't hesitate at all. She responds to Mystique with two, simple words. "I died." She wipes her sleeveless forearm on her orange tunic, trying to get it all the way dry while Blink talks. She takes a deep breath in through her nose and continues, "That's not entirely true," she admits of her previous statement. "Someone took my qi. If my mother hadn't trained me in meditation, I wouldn't have been able to get ahold of myself. It cost me my whole life to get it back." She plants her feet shoulder-width apart and takes in a deep breath through her nose. Placing her hands palms down with her thumbs and index fingers touching, she breathes out through her mouth and slowly pushes her palms toward the floor. "Being devoid of qi is the worst experience," she says. "Someone else having hold of your life force and moving you like a puppet is worse, but I was devoid for a long time. I had to coax nature to share with me for a time." She shakes her head. "That's not exactly right," she admits. "I gave up everything to get my life back. I struggled with myself daily. Until I could find the breath of creation itself, I was blind and in pain and starving every day. Most people can't even sense nature. It's not their falt, though. We are like viruses in scale. To breathe in a little of mother nature's breath--she doesn't notice. Gaia is a world; I was less than an insect. I'm not that, anymore, though," she says. "I live!" she proclaims.