11371/Time To Feed The Fish

Time To Feed The Fish
Date of Scene:	28 May 2022
Location:	The Gardens
Synopsis:	Six o'clock on the nose, Mystique goes to feed her koi and happened upon Spiral performing dancing katas. They sit for a time and talk.
Cast of Characters:	Raven Darkholme, Spiral

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Raven Darkholme has posed:
Everyone on the asteroid knows what happened at six o'clock every evening. Mystique makes her way from her office to the garden, a walk used to check over various locations along the way, one elevator ride and into the garden. Every day, no change, to feed the koi fish. When away on business, the koi are still fed at the exact same time by Bruin, who tends to the gardens, but today she was on the asteroid.

By the small lake, she opens a decoy rock near the bank to reveal the expensive, top choice bag of koi food and prepared to do what she does every day... feed the fish.

Spiral has posed:
Spiral hasn't been the most sociable member of the Brotherhood, but she does indeed knw what happens at six o'clock every evening. But when you're a whirlwind of chaos, magic, and temporal displacement and self-inflicted trauma, you lose track of time.

Also if you leave your cell phone in your quarters. You also lose track of time then. Which is why Spiral is still in the garden when Mystique arrives.

The six-armed witch is moving slowly, not unlike the spinning, sweeping dances she does in the midst of combat, but slower, every few motions of her hands set off a series of musical chimes in the air, and a shower of silvery sparkles from her fingertips that don't seem to be for anything but show.

That dance pauses as she notices the Brotherhood leader's approach and her lips split in a wide smile, a serene smile even one hand shifting from careful, calculated angle... into a little fingerwiggling wave.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
The pause is momentary as Mystique notices the dancing Spiral, and the finger wave that is offered... that's a lot of fingers, but the fish come first. Grabbing the scoop from the compartment in the rock, she digs into the bag to get one serving, perfectly measured by eye sight, then flings it into the water. Instantly the previous calm water becomes alive with movements, nine koi fish dipping, diving, sprinting around to collect their bites. A smile plays over the cobalt muntant'ss face as she watches, then the scoop is returns to the rock, and the rock closed.

Now her attention goes to Spiral, the smile still playing at the corner of her lips. "Enjoying the garden?" she asks simply, her voice calm and neutral.

Spiral has posed:
As Spiral's brief wave isn't met with immediate jolting, or running away at /all those arms/ and /so many fingers/ her lips spread into a wider smile as her dance winds down, arms folding under her chest and across her stomach, leaving just the one pair moving as she wanders pondwards, pace slow, long legs moving gracefully, even her walk a dance of sorts, those white eyes intent upon the shapeshifter, her lips spreading in a wider smile.

She laughs softly, head nodding and she sighs out, "I am. It's... calming. Focusing." She tilts her head and murmurs dryly, "And aside from the dedicated keeper of these fine fish, often nearly deserted. It keeps me balanced." She lets out a low, lingering sigh and murmurs dryly, "Which I think we can all agree is probably for the best. Even if it does mean I've been spending too much time alone."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
The fish continue to devour in the lake behind Mystique, a little splashing frenzy of joy and numminess. She glances back at it a moment, counting each to ensure there are still nine, then looks back to the many armed mutant. The movements of her body looks smooth and elegant, and yet the cobalt mutant knows they are also deadly.

"It's never a good thing to be alone for too long," she offers, lightly folding her arms across the chest of her double breasts, tailored white suit. It was difficult to tell if the suit was real or an actual part of her, the only ones who would likely ever know were Lydia and herself.

"Remaining calm may be for the best, but I also do not like the idea of you being alone," she continues, a neutral expression slipping onto her face, the mask against the ability of others to read facial expressions and body language. "Is there something I can do to assist, make it a little easier for you to interact with the other members and those who live here on the asteroid?"

Spiral has posed:
Those white eyes flick to the frenzy of joyous feeding for a moment, lingering, that smile shifting ever so slightly, from serene and genuine to something more feral, animalistic... but her eyes break off and she lets out a slow sigh, and draws a deep breath, a wave of tension running through her body as she murmurs dryly, "Well, it's not really anyone's fault but my own. At first it was... enjoyable. With no Mojo in my head, the quiet was wonderful. But... now it's getting... deafening."

She snorts softly and quirks her lips in a little grin, eyes glancing over that suit, shaking her head in wonder... such ease of style while feeding fish!

Spiral's uncrossed arms join the others in crossing, this time over her chest, fingers curling around her shoulders as she sighs out, "And, honestly? I'm not sure. I've... been trying to keep those urges to cause havoc and chaos in check. Beat up some Humanity First idiots a couple days ago, that sure helped out a bit, but..." She draws another breath, her face tensed, it wouldn't take an expert to see she's tensed, and someone who's used to reading body language and facial expressions will see she's genuinely troubled. "Maybe I should just be hanging out at the waffle bar more often to... socialize myself, hm? I'm not used to social interactions that aren't supposed to be broadcast for entertainment value."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Mystique listens intently as Spiral speaks, taking each and every word she says and turning it around in her head. Every member of the Brotherhood was equal, but it was her job to ensure their comfort, and clearly she was failing in that regard with Spiral. She understood the desire for carnage and chaos, it was something she felt deep in her own soul, but she had had Lydia and Clarice to aid her in moving past it.

"Hmmm," she breaths out in thought, canting her head ever so slightly. "It is not an easy thing to alter a fundamental part of who you believe yourself to be, in this case havoc and chaos. No one, not even yourself, can expect that to change over night."

As she speaks she makes her way over to sit on one of the benches near the lake, close enough to Spiral to be conversation and yet still able to give the woman her space. "I have no idea what it would be like to have someone in your head all the time, nor what it would be like for them to be gone, I can only speculate that the first would be a nightmare, and the second would seem like heaven, until it wasn't any more." She glances up at the ceiling, at a sliver of the earth and the stars hovering above them.

"Would it help if there were more situations in which you could deal with the enemies of the Brotherhood," she says as she looks back to Spiral. "More instances of Humanity First that need to be eliminated, rather then merely the possibility of finding a situation? There are numerous targets on the black list," she continues with a hint of a smile playing on her lips.

"As for socializing, that is a skill like any other, one that needs time and practice." she pauses there and indicates the bench beside her. "Sit if you'd like, we can talk about possibilities."

Spiral has posed:
Spiral lets out a soft little noise, somewhere between harsh, bitter bark, and helpless laugh as she murmurs dryly, "Yes, well, it's also hard not to blame yourself when it's... yourself who made you what you are, right?" She shakes her head and unfolds her arms again, fingers writhing, curling, wrists rolling and flexing, moving in a variety of small, subtle motions, some sort of meditative pattern.

She slinks to the bench and practically folds into it, legs stretching out in front of her, two sets of arms crossing behind her head as she hums thoughtfully. "Oh, I'm not worried if I don't go on a murder spree I'll snap and hurt innocents or anything. But if you're all going out on a... field trip..." She grins crookedly, "I can tag along and help out, I'm not having any problems with that."

She rolls her eyes and sighs out, "The socializing is the tricky part. I mean, socializing for the sake of it is... well, that's not something I used to do." She glances sidelong and perks an eyebrow slightly, "Plus, I'm a little worried if I start... hanging out... with people, it'll just lead to me encouraging wild, risk taking behavior. And I don't want to burden anyone with... giving in to old habits they might regret or whatever." She rolls her eyes, "I swear, showing up to cause havoc and mischief without a care for the consequences was so much easier."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Crossing her right leg over the left, Mystique folds her hands into her lap as she watches Spiral. Every movement of the woman's body, even the way she sits, it's all information to process about her.

"There are a few things coming up that you should be able to, as you say, tag along," she says as she turns her torso toward Spiral. "I don't believe you are a murder spree risk, but there are members of the Brotherhood to feel the need to kill, and if they don't they do a little stir crazy, that's the reason I made the offer."

Continuing to watch the woman, one brow lifts slightly, by only very slightly, and a mischievous smile plays over her lips, "We have medical covered, including mutants who can heal, so if you happen to create some chaos with risk taking behavior, and someone does get hurt, that's on them, not you. You didn't /make/ them do it, you just offered the chance for it. Be yourself, and if you do happen to do something wrong, what's the worst that happens? I tell you, you learn and keep going."

Spiral has posed:
Lips quirk in a thoughtful little grin, eyebrows perking as Spiral hums out, "Oh, I don't think I need to /kill/ necessarily... I just beat those last fellas up a little. Okay, one of them /did/ get run over... but only his arms! And it was his own fault. Maybe I just need a day job, but... well, that's really not a realistic option." She rolls her eyes and grins crookedly, "Oh, and really I'm more likely to taunt the others around here into some other sort of mischief! Especially if there's going to be outlets for the more... violent sorts of urges being focused at those who deserve it!"

She tilts her head and hums thoughtfully, "So if I cause a ruckus, I go to the principal's office, hm? You know, if we get enough teenagers, we could form a dodgeball team and go up against Xavier's." She clicks her tongue sharply, "Well, we could do it without teenagers, but I feel like they're serious enough that 'adult mutant dodgeball contest' wouldn't exactly fly. Or it'd just sound like a terrible euphemism."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Mystique offers a soft laugh, the idea of dodgeball games with Xavier's and the euphemism that it might be causing it.

"If you didn't kill anyone, then no harm done," she replies. "Well, harm done, but no problem with the organization. I could make a long list of do's and don'ts, but it would likely take me the rest of my life as it would require every small detail possible. Since that isn't an option, it's better to live and learn."

Her eyes shift to a very large bush about twenty feet from the bench and linger there for a moment, as if she saw something, but eventually they return to Spiral. "I'm not a principal however, and most of the time what you do and how you do it matters very little to me. The one question you have to ask yourself before doing anything is this, 'How will it make the Brotherhood look?'. If there is no effect to our image, do it. If you don't know the effect to our image, ask me. If you don't care about our image," her eyes flicker quickly then narrow. "Then we need to talk."

Folding her hands together, her face returns to a neutral mask. "There are numerous teenagers at the orphanage in Genosha, many of whom need mentors, or just plain need adults to spend time with them. They prefer soccer, but if you'd like to help out, speak to Clarice. She's running a mentor program for Genosha with the Brotherhood, and you'd get paid for it."

And now she will address the question that had kept running through her mind. "In what way are you responsible for who you are?"

Spiral has posed:
Spiral shakes her head with a bright grin, "Oh! That's the best part! There was this little girl there who had some sort of... healing punching power! So no one was hurt at all!"

She pauses for a moment, brow furrowing, lips turning in a thoughtful frown. "Well, she said they were healing punches. We left before they could really take effect, so the cops wouldn't catch us... okay, it /might/ have just been a teenager punching some bigots. So they /might/ have been hurt."

Spiral groans softly at that final question, eyes closing, head craning back as her body arches in a long, slow stretch. "Oh, that is... incredibly complicated, but also terribly simple. I wasn't always the graceful, multi-armed goddess you see! I was just the same as any other incredibly talented, up and coming stuntwoman, when I ran across this mutant fellow, and got swept up into Mojoworld... where a multiarmed psychotic woman tortured and shaped me into..." She trails off, all six arms rising up, gesturing at herself dramatically, "Tadaaaa. So you see? I am literally a self-made woman."

Shoulders shrug and she mutters dryly, "On the plus side, if I ever get in an argument with someone who says that they're too hard on themselves, I've got them beat, right?"

Raven Darkholme has posed:
The quick version left many questions dancing around inside of Mystique's head, but she wasn't going to bombard Spiral with all of them. There was just one, one that nagged and needed an answer. "Are you proud to be a mutant?" She asks plainly, bluntly. "Whether you were born with a X gene, or it was forced on you through torture, what you are /now/ is what matters."

Calm, that is what the cobalt mutant remains, but there is something in her eyes, a force, driven for a cause. "What I see before me is an amazing and beautiful mutant, and powerful in ways beyond just her mutation. It is a struggle for all of us to exist in this world," she continues, smooth, gentle and yet with conviction. "That is why we are here, why the Brotherhood exists now. This world is as much ours as it is theirs, and we /will/ take are piece of the dream just like the humans do."

Spiral has posed:
Spiral frowns thoughtfully, brow furrowed for long moments at that question, white, intent eyes locking on yellow, her body shifting on the bench, hands clasping together as she tenses up and hums thoughtfully, teeth worrying her lower lip for long moments. It is, perhaps, the most pensive and vulnerable Spiral has ever looked.

She bobs her head finally, "I am. I'm proud of who I am, of what I am, even if I didn't have a choice in the matter. I'm my own woman now, my own... mutant... witch... whatever, I'm living /my/ life, for my own purposes."

She smirks and quirks an eyebrow playfully, hissing out in a stage whisper, "You've got impeccable style, an orbiting asteroid base, and a /waffle bar/. You are well on the way to getting a piece of the dream. I won't let anyone try to take back what you... what we've got." She shrugs lightly and grins, "And if I ever get bored of /not/ worrying about popularity and audience engagement, I'll just start paying a lot more attention to social media."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
While Spiral is musing in her head about the questions, Mystique watches her face. It was obvious there was some turmoil over how Spiral became what she is, but the question was blunt for a reason. It was meant to strike right at the hart of the matter to get a real answer, which was offered.

"Good," she then says with a nod. "Because you have nothing to be ashamed of, not one... damn... thing."

Looking back to the garden she continues with, "This place was Magneto's creation, a safe place for mutants away from humans who would harm us. Humans are terrified of us, confused by us, and thus put labels on us, but here and in Genosha, we are free to be who we are." Closing her eyes a moment she takes a slow, deep breath, the effect calming her. "Some day, the entire world will accept us for who we are, and as I am longer lived that most mutants and humans, I will see it happen."

Opening her eyes, she glances to Spiral, "You are a big part of this dream Spiral, of /the/ dream. I'll admit I don't fully understand this mojo... thing," she frowns, not liking the fact there was something she didn't know. It was her job to know. "Or about the popularity and audience engagement you referred to, but I'm interested in learning."

Spiral has posed:
Spiral arches an eyebrow thoughtfully, "Oh, Mojo's just... this big, ugly kind of spider... blob from another dimension. They somehow wound up on the same wavelength as Earth TV broadcasts, and it turned them into a dimension of crazy... like, people say Hollywood rules the world? They actually did it." She shakes her head and sighs, "It's best not to learn more than you have to about it, but... it did hit me that with them being on the same wavelength as broadcast TV, and everything switching to online streaming..."

She blinks slowly, "I wonder if Mojo kicked me back here and hasn't bothered to show up and bug me again because their society collapsed and his head's on a pole somewhere." She clicks her tongue and sighs out, "Well, that'd be a shame. I mean, not because he didn't deserve it, but because I didn't get to do it. I had this whole song and dance number where i used his head like a soccer ball. There were fireworks and everything."

Spiral smiles lopsidedly and nods her head, "Thanks... I mean, for including me in the dream. I always figured most people's dreams involving me were like that Nightmare on Elm Street movie series. Being dreamt of in a good context sounds pretty nice! If a little new."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
A true, actually genuine smile touches Mystique's lips as she cants her head and says, "You are more than welcome, Spiral. You are a sister to me, my family, and as such I will do everything I can to ensure your freedom to do what you want, to live your life, is exactly what you want it to be."

In her pocket her phone buzzes, but she ignores it. If it is something important, they will speak to her directly over the comm. "This Mojo sounds like a right asshole," she then comments with a snort. "Perhaps we can find a way to ascertain what happened to him, if anything. I know a few dimension jumpers, and if his head isn't on a spike..." for one moment something dark and almost sinister dances across her yellow eyes. "... perhaps we can arrange for you to play that game of soccer with it."

Spiral has posed:
Spiral smiles lopsidedly and bobs her head, murmuring dryly, "Well then, I will continue to dance to clear my head, and /try/ not to interrupt you in feeding the fish too often. When I'm not helping... however I can help you, hm? And the brotherhood, sisterhood, the entire family really."

She shakes her head with a low little noise, "Oh, I'm completely fine with him remaining a mysteriously missing part of my life. Every time he gets involved in things they turn out messy. And not just 'Oh god, why does it look like an angry blender went through this room?' messy." She smirks and shrugs lightly, "But I'm sure we can come up with some sort of way for me to pass the time." She gestures with one hand at the buzzing phone, "Are you sure you don't need to get that?"

Raven Darkholme has posed:
"Are you willing to go to the training room and spar with me sometime?" Mystique asks, seemingly out of no where, but she continues with, "I would like to fully know your capabilities in combat before determining when and where you can help, but I would also like to know what you might be interested in doing, not just what you feel you can already do. I am a firm believer in helping my sisters and brothers learn the skills, hobbies, and talents they want to learn. If you don't know right now, that's alright, take time to think about it and let me know."

Reaching into her jacket pocket she removes a small box, looks much like a box for a ring, and she offers it to Spiral. "You should have been given one of these a while ago, but H & D have been swamped with security. This is the Brotherhood's official communication device, which is linked to our cell phones..." she pauses there, her face expressionless before she suddenly sighs.

"Apparently I will need to get you a cell phone as well, something else you should have been given. The phone is linked directly to the asteroid systems, and with it and the comm unit, you can reach the other members of the Brotherhood, including myself, at any time, anywhere on earth. Did H & D get you a room?"

Spiral has posed:
Spiral's eyes practically light up as she smiles brightly, nodding quickly, "Oh, I'll happily spar anytime. It'll let me shake off some rust... I mean, a bunch of mouthbreathing bigots with pipe wrenches and sledge hammers wasn't exactly a challenge." She grins crookedly, "But I promise I won't go /too/ hard on you, just show you what I can do."

She screws her face up a little and winces, reaching out to take the box and sighing, "Oh! Yeah, I think they mentioned swinging by to pick one up, they were out at the time... I've got a phone and a room!"

She clears her throat and mutters softly, "The uhh... phone's /in/ my room in fact. Left it there after working out earlier. It's probably been chiming an alarm for hours now."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
"If you go easy on me, or the created training persons in the room, how would I know how good you really are?" Mystique asks with a coy smile. "I need you to be ready to go all out, that's the beauty of our training room, it can take Juggernaught assaulting the walls and not fail. Computer generated opponents act and react like real people, mutants, aliens, etc. Feel free to use it any time you need to blow off steam, I do."

She nods a little to the phone and room. "The ear piece will work no matter where the phone is, so long as the phone has a charge. H & D designed the batteries, /much/ longer life than normal, so it should be fine." Turning her head she reaches up to move her hair out of the way and show Spiral the ear piece in her own ear. "I am constantly listening."

"One last thing, before I head back to my room and my just waking up fiance. I would very much like you to take some time to think about what it is /you/ want. Not the things you need, clothing, food, spending money, that's all things you need and you will have those without hesitation. I refer to things you want, like perhaps there is a painting or books, a certain computer, maybe something to aid your magic... whatever it is you want, make a list and we will see about getting things on that list checked off."

Spiral has posed:
Spiral bobs her head with a crooked little smile, "That's a fair point. Okay, I'll do my best to make you regret asking me to spar! At the very least I'll try to be creative in showing you what I can do."

One of those hands makes a little gesture and that communicator box disappears into... well, presumably wherever Spiral keeps her swords when she's not using them. It might very well be on her dresser now. Or in some pocket dimension. Magic is fun!

She clicks her tongue softly and chews her lower lip, "I'll give it a thought... I mean, I'm not really the... sorcery and potions kind of magician, so I don't really... /want/ anything in regards to it. But I'll really try to think of something. Honestly, this conversation's... probably the closest to something I've wanted in awhile!"

Raven Darkholme has posed:
A hint of a frown crosses Mystique's lips before she nods her head once and says, "My door is always open Spiral, should you want to come by and chat. This place almost runs itself these days, which is a good thing really, gives me time to scheme."

Standing up, she smooths the suit jacket out. "If you have any questions, any desires, or just want to talk, I'm here for you. When I know what you are capable of, we'll see what sort of missions and help you can offer, in the mean time... hang out at the waffle bar. The waffles are fantastic, and there is always someone seeking conversation there."

Spiral has posed:
Spiral bobs her head and grins brightly, "Well, I'll definitely drop in time to time... but I believe you mentioned you've got a waking fiancee to go greet, so go! Go! I will wander towards the waffles and enjoy my freedom to be myself."

She stands up smoothly and heaves out a loud sigh, "Or, I'll go and find some sort of mischief to get up to. Don't worry though, I'll make sure it's entirely acceptable, entertaining mischief." And then she's swaying her way off through the garden, vaguely towards the quarters... because knowing Spiral, she'll change her mind five times before she gets anywhere.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Mystique offers a nod. Lydia liked her to be there when she woke up, but it wasn't always something she could do... today she could. Watching Spiral depart, she finds herself eternally grateful for the sign warning people away from her fish. She could tell them apart and each one had a name. Honestly the space safe, emergency tank was probably a bit of over killed, she she loved her fish, so they got the best.

Meandering her way toward the elevator, she offers that large bush she'd looked at before a nod with a quiet, "Don't worry Bruin, the new plants were will here tomorrow." and she continues on her way to wake her fiance.