11143/A Toast to Non-Assholes

A Toast to Non-Assholes
Date of Scene:	13 May 2022
Location:	Cafeteria and Bar
Synopsis:	Tragic backstories are exchanged.
Cast of Characters:	Clarice Ferguson, Neena Thurman

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Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    It was not unusual to find Clarice in the Asteroid's bar - and in the past months she's become increasingly more open about her studies, so it would surprise no one to find her there, pencil in hand, scribbling away at some math problems with a look of concentration on her features. "Okay. So if I want to find the length..." she mumbles to herself, staring a drawing of a triangle. There was a formula. What was the formula?
    She lets out a quietly frustrated sound, and runs her hand over her face, pushing the page away for the moment. She's been at it for over an hour, and she's run out of cognac. "Sascha - can you pour me another?" she calls over to the bar.

Neena Thurman has posed:
    Neena's in the bar pretty regularly, herself, seeming to prefer to spend time there than in the garden. She likes to play pool, sometimes, using her luck to make seemingly impossible shots. After shaking a few people down who didn't know any better it's hard to find anyone who'll actually bet against her, but at least she can have some fun.

    She slides up to the bar humming to herself and says, "Rum and coke? Once you've got hers done, of course." She gives Clarice a friendly smile.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Hello again," Clarice replies with a friendly smile. When the glass is poured, it's set on the bar for her, and Sascha turns immediately to helping Neena with her order. That's when a small, purple-hued tear in reality opens next to the glass of cognac, and a brightly colored magenta hand reaches through to claim the drink before taking a sip. It's easy to be lazy with portals.
    "I wish this stuff made it easier to do math," she remarks in a dry voice as she regards the liquid in her glass.

Neena Thurman has posed:
    "I'd think it probably makes it /less/ easy to do math," Neena comments drily. "I don't know, I ever did much... math-ing. Enough to get me through high school, and unlike what Sister Mary Catherine used to insist I have /never/ needed algebra in my daily life."

    Not really having a normal residence or taxes to pay probably helps with that, but Neena doesn't mention that.

    "You took a pretty heavy jolt the other day. Looks like you're doing alright, though." That's Neena-speak for 'I was worried but I am incapable of admitting to that,' not that Clarice would know. She takes her drink from Sascha with a salute and takes a sip.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Well. It's the whole 'high school' thing I'm trying to work on," Clarice admits. "I'm trying to pass a high school equivilancy exam - at some point. Between my work for the Brotherhood, and time with my brothers, and my other... hobbies." If you call killing people to free their captives a 'hobby.' She takes another sip of her cognac then adds, "This stuff is, I think, called... geometry? I'm not sure how it's useful, but I'm told it'll be on the test..."
    She taps her pencil on her page a few times - as if that would help - and then scribbles an unhappy place where the missing number should go.
    THERE.
    "I'm doing fine. The doc told me to rest for a few days, and gave me some burn cream for the contact burns and- I was fine."

Neena Thurman has posed:
    "I mean I guess geometry's useful, and trig can help you calculate ballistics arcs and whatever, but I just... kinda..." Neena points a finger toward one of the arcade games and pulls it up like it's a gun firing and having kickback. "Point and shoot, y'know? It tends to work out."

    She leans over to peer at the paper. "The only thing I remember about triangles is the, uhh, a-squared b-squared c-squared. Mostly because of stupid teenaged jokes about squares." A shrug, and then she adds, "That's good to hear. I was, uhh, well... looked like kind of a close call, in the moment, but it turned out okay."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "...I think that was it!" Clarice says in relief, pulling her paper back towards her. "But it only works for //right// triangles." She stares at the page and frowns in thought. "Okay. So... Three squared is nine, plus B squared, equals... twentyfive. So if I just..." She wrinkles her brow in thought. "Sixteen! So sixteen is the- no. Wait. I need to-"
    She closes her eyes in thought before suddenly exclaiming, "FOUR!" Her eyes open again and she beams at Neena. "Thanks for the assist." She really was getting better at this math stuff! A day at a time.
    After scrawling down her answer, her expression sobers before she adds, "I was lucky. I mean - I let my attention slip. When I went through, and saw- well. Tunnel vision can get you killed."

Neena Thurman has posed:
    "Yeah," Neena agrees. "Well, I mean, not me, really, I'm always lucky enough to avoid the 'being killed' part, but my carelessness can get other people killed. Sometimes they're even people I give a shit about." She grins briefly and takes another sip of her drink.

    "Glad to help," she adds with a grin. "I guess I /did/ have use of it, if only in helping you pass your course. What's the story there, anyway? Standard mutant 'grew up without a proper education because someone decided I wasn't human enough to deserve one' bullshit?" Her tone's sympathetic; she dealt with that when she was younger.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "...more or less," Clarice confirms. She taps her pencil on her paper a few times, staring down at it, before looking back to Neena again. "I'm Genoshan," she remarks. "Have you heard of the Mutate Program?" she asks, watching the woman's features for signs of a reaction, before she can continue.

Neena Thurman has posed:
    Neena frowns and then shakes her head. "No... should I have?" Like someone who's been caught flat-footed at a test. Erk!

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I mean. If you keep up to death on atrocities," Clarice mutters. She lets out a sigh before continuing. "The government at the time - and their enforcers, the Magistrates - were enslaving mutants. We were kept collared, and drugged, and... compliant. They took me when I was five, and had me until I was seventeen. I wasn't seen as a person, and the way they... uhh... managed to supress my thinking and personality, I wasn't really a person. I was trained to be an assassin for them, taking care of any threats to the government, any discidents, anyone who campaigned for mutant rights and freedom... The thought of resisting, or refusing, never even entered my mind. After the Brotherhood freed me, Victor Creed took me under his wing. We... understood each other. He looked after me until I was able to find myself. So- yeah. No education."

Neena Thurman has posed:
    "That sucks," Neena says, firmly. It really does. "But now you're out of it, and here with the Brotherhood, and if you run into any of those assholes again you can open a portal through their bodies." No question there what she thinks of people like that.

    "I was the only survivor of a /US/ program to breed mutant weapons. My luck powers weren't deemed 'good enough' but my mother managed to get me out." She shakes her head. "Then I was raised by Catholics, but at least they thought of me as a /person/, just... a very willful one who was likely on her way to Hell. Not because of the mutant thing though."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "It sucked a lot," Clarice confirms. "But... I'm here now. I have my brothers, and Mister Creed, and Raven, and Lydia," she says casually. "Like's pretty good, honestly. But - yes. I'd definitely open a portal through those assholes if I ever caught any of them. And I'm glad you got clear of having to deal with similar... circumstances." She frowns for a moment, then shakes her head and adds, "It's why I'm so determined to make sure that shit doesn't happen anymore. Not to anymore kids."

Neena Thurman has posed:
    Neena frowns down at her glass. "I've got a brother out there... he uhh, I... I rescued him from the same place I'd been when I was a kid. I had to stop my mother from killing him. He's got a really weird ability." She sighs. "I left him at the church where I grew up, but... he got kidnapped. I don't even know if he's alive."

    She sighs, and shakes her head. "It's good that you've got people. I mean, I've got people, but they kinda come and go, y'know? Right now there's Wade, and Inez, and I'm liking things here, and Cable keeps looking at me like he knows me /way/ better than I know him. So I'm... hopeful things might be settling a bit."

    A grin and then she raises her glass, unwilling to be maudlin for long. "To having people around who aren't assholes?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Cable's weird, right?" Clarice remarks with an amused smile. "I mean... //time travel.// Can't really blame him, I guess."
    She does lift her glass, however, to echo Neena's statement. ...sort of. "And fuck the assholes." She grins across at her, then takes another drink from her glass. After a moment's consideration she asks, "What does your brother do? I mean - maybe if I know a little more... I can keep my ears open for news?"

Neena Thurman has posed:
    "He, umm... god, he must be eight or so by now? He's a telepath, or an empath, or whatever, but in a weird kind of..." Neena sighs. "He can control minds," she says bluntly. "Make people make decisions... make them feel blissful, happy. Some people killed themselves out of withdrawal after the control was removed. But that's not..." She shakes her head. "He could learn to control it. Supress it, somehow. Or live away from anyone that wasn't strong enough to resist him. It doesn't work on me, I bet it wouldn't work on a lot of telepaths."

    She frowns down at her drink. "That's why I took him to Father Rudolpho. I figured if anyone could teach him about the importance of free will, y'know? And every time I checked in... things were good. Laz was resisting using his powers, even if he /really/ wanted to break up fights. He wants people to be happy."

    A huffed out breath. "His name's Lazarus. I think, umm... I think maybe the whole X-Force thing has stumbled on something about him but I haven't gotten up the nerve to ask Wade."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Well - like I said. I'll keep my ears open for Lazarus. And if you don't mind - I'll tell Mystique, as well?" Clarice suggests. "She hears more of the intel and reports than I do."
    She takes a last sip of cognac, while trying to run her mind back over things they'd learned - but not having perfect recall, she runs a bit dry. "Was it something we learned on the latest job?" she asks uncertainly.

Neena Thurman has posed:
    "I've been thinking about telling her, it's just been, y'know, there's been so much else going on with refugees and everything. One missing boy didn't seem like that much in the grand scheme of things." Neena shrugs. "And yeah, it's just a name on a couple documents, and... who knows, maybe they mean it in the original way 'Lazarus' is meant? But maybe..."

    She sighs. "I'll ask Wade if I get a chance before the next op. And if not, well, after the next op. He knows about Laz."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Well - would you rather do it yourself?" Clarice asks - giving Neena a curious and sympathetic look. "I mean, she found my brother for me, when I- I mean, when I learned I //had// family, I assumed they all died when Genosha burned. I was- //exceedingly// fortunate to learn that wasn't true. I wasn't even bothering to look, I considered it all so impossible." She smiles a bit wryly at that admission.
    "So - as far as I'm concerned, you should never give up hope - and you should definitely ask Raven to help."

Neena Thurman has posed:
    "I'll think about it," Neena says, toying with her glass. "I've barely told anyone I even /have/ a brother, let alone that he's missing and all the rest." She sighs. "It's hard to trust people, you know? It's not that I doubt Raven wants to help, it's more... just... it's my own issues."

    She frowns. "He might be dead. My mother was trying to find him, to kill him. But at least if I found a body... I'd know, you know?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Yeah... I know," Clarice agrees. "And I get it. We all got fucking issues, you know?" She offers a brief smile. "But for what it's worth - I think with something like this, you can trust Raven. She wants what's best for mutants. That means getting Laz back with his family, and getting him the help he needs to control his powers. Those would be her priorities."

Neena Thurman has posed:
    Neena nods, frowning for a moment, then shaking herself. "Well, if this X-Force lead doesn't pan out, I'll definitely..." She huffs out a breath. "I'll talk to Raven." There! She said it! Hah!

    She downs the rest of her drink and then eyes the pool tables. "Fancy a game? Or do you have more homework to do?" For her part, she gets up to go over, pondering pool cues.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Good," Clarice replies - her smile broadening once more. "But until then - I'll keep my lips sealed," she promises.
    She rolls her eyes as she adds, "You mean, fancy getting my ass handed to me? Sure. I can use the practice. But it's just a friendly game." She's not dumb enough to bet with Domino.
    Finishing off her cognac - she leaves her homework behind to join Neena at the pool table - and lose spectacularly.
    "I get to break, or I won't even get a turn," she adds.