13115/XM A Dinner with the Dude

XM A Dinner with the Dude
Date of Scene:	24 October 2022
Location:	Staff Meeting Hall
Synopsis:	The conversation with Rogue's father is had at dinner at Xaviers School. Much is discussed, Rahne is the winner in the end though.
Cast of Characters:	Rogue, Monet St. Croix, Rahne Sinclair, Tabitha Smith, Jean Grey

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Rogue has posed:
You'd think that a planned dinner would be held in the dining hall, but you'd be wrong. The dining hall was filled with the students of the school tonight, while a separate dinner was setup on the other side of the house within the Staff Meeting Hall, which basically is another dining room converted in to a place for all the teachers desks to be arranged along the window-facing-wall. Also, though, there's a large oval dining table, and it is here that the dinner cooked for the guests here tonight was being served.

The dinner was prepared, and being served by, the senior class students who are the highest graded members of the Culinary Arts course. Thus... they make better food than most of the adults at the school are capable of.

After people settle in, and make some idle conversation, the Seniors start to serve the various dishes prepared for the teachers, and the other free-loaders who've come in here tonight.

Why?

Well a few weeks back, there was an incident where some super bad jerks tried to ambush Rogue in Salem Center, and drag her off toward some... unknown place. Gateways had opened up at a old train yard, while men in dark suits were taking bodies through the gateways to some 'who knows where' place...

It was a concern that Rogue had been lost through one of those portals, but after they'd been forced closed... Rogue appeared, in the arms of a middle aged man who is here tonight, attending the dinner. He'd been vetted by the telepaths of the school, he'd told them his name was 'Owen' and that he was Rogue's biological father, the very same one who vanished with Rogue's biological mother 16 years ago... Where had they gone? Rogue didn't know, where had they been all this time? Rogue didn't know... nobody knew.

Tonight, Rogue is dressed nicely, and seated on the left side of the table, with Owen at the far end as the food is being served. He's dressed nicely, and looks freshly fresh for the evening.

Those who know, know that Rogue set him up with a place to live in Salem Center, an apartment over the Music Center store. Apparently he had very little money and no place to live after what happened at the train yard...

"Thank you." Owen is telling the kid serving his dinner tonight. "Chicken? It looks fantastic..." He says with a big inhale of the food taken, and then a smile to the others gathering up at the table. "And thanks for having me. I'll admit, this is my first dinner party in... awhile, so I'm a little nervous." He tells everyone with a grin.

Rogue eyes the man, still unsure of him, even if the telepaths gave her the 'thumbs up' that he was telling the truth about what he'd said with regard to their relation... She does smile back at him. "This group scored the highest on the last exam, right?" She asks the students erving the different meals based on what people ordered to be cooked by them. One of them grins at Rogue and nods, saying 'That's right' back at her.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
This has been very, very confusing for Monet. The incident with Rogue and Jean had been in many ways terrifying. Seeing Jean cut lose for fear of loss and terror had struck her very close to home. Even if it was not something that she could understand herself.. She understood loss and terror, and that was all. the Phoenix took it to a whole new level. But Monet had gone tos how up just to help do her litlte part.. And make sure that Rogue and Jean were okay. And to see if there would be anything more to gather from the discussion with..

Owen.

Monet is quiet and listening in over to the conversations, her expression rather bland. She's not reading minds, but is using her slightly enhanced hearing to try and track as much as she can. Gossip, chatter.. Whatever going through the student body. And her mind acting like a supercomputer files things away for if need be later review and analysis. Perhpas the students or other teahcers here have insights she does not. Monet is content to just eat and observe.

And to hypothesize. There is much to learn here. And much to calculate. And after the dinner a great, great more to review.

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Rahne Sinclair isn't a kid. She's just short, but she lends well to the idea that kids are serving the meals tonight. The fact that nobody said grace is overlooked; she said it in her heart, and that will have to do. She's not the star chef, but she's one of the ones bringing forth something edible.

Serving seems to suit her, oddly. She is happier when she's not the centre of attention. She has on black slacks and a white shirt, and looks for all the world like she's trying not to throw up. Cooking in class? Easy, relaxing. Public activities are terrifying.

She offers the appropriate whine for chicken to the main guest, eyes glancing around the room like a hummingbird on speed. "Enjoy dinder," she misspeaks. Then her brow furrows, trying to identify what she just did wrong.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
While Tabby's own dorm apartment might have a functional kitchen, she is a social creature so more often than not she will just head into the main dining area most of the students will have their own meals in.

But since this is kind of a big deal. And Tabby was there when Rogue was kidnapped and her father turned up she figured might as well see what the fuss is about now that she's not actually beat up and exhausted.

She even dressed pretty conservatively for Tabby. An actual skirt, sure it's a tigh denim knee length pencil skirt but the occasion kind of called for something more than her usuall loud pants. A red leather jacket, slightly darker for a change covering her upper half and some matching knee high leather boots laced up and some wedgeheels keeping her on her toes.

Tabby's not a picky eater so she just went with a whatever everyone else is having. Rahne gets an encouraging grin for her work and otherwise Tabby is still keeping her mouth shut in a supreme effort that might just fail at some point. But for now she's trying.

Jean Grey has posed:
Jean often comes off as a little show off-y with her own cooking (and baking especially!), the carefully orchestrated madness of her prep sessions for the Xaviers School Thanksgivings a well-known event. That, and the fact that they're serving ROGUE'S DAD (!!?!!??!) certainly motivates her to put forward the best that the school has to offer...

But it also means she doesn't cook! Organize? Yes. But these little MasterChef wannabes are on a different level. And she looks on with beaming pride at their masterful banquet!

She's seated beside Rogue in typical Librarian-esque fashion, definitely there for a degree of emotional support and... probably raw curiousity, a desire to be at the center of this strange and unexpected turn of events. The vagueness of Rogue's background has been a mystery present so long they've gotten used to it, seen even in how rare it is for people to even call her by her name. On the X-Men, and at Xaviers, she's almost a new person, someone they all know in that context. But beyond it? There are some big gaps.

"We're so happy to have you, and really, no need to be nervous," she reassures Owen, giving the kid serving his dinner a big grin for that strong showing, and quickly likewise for another student bringing out her own. "Anna-Marie is family to us, so I'd encourage you to see this as just a... really nice family dinner." Jean is having coq au vin, which is easier to make than the fancy-pants ass French name makes it sound, but still. "Honestly, the class had an exam coming up anyway, so we just kinda rolled it into this." And it looks like everyone is getting As!

Rogue has posed:
Rogue shows a grin to Rahne when her fancy salmon dinner is set down in front of her, and then Tabi's steak dinner is set down before her. "I ordered for ya." Rogue says over the table at Tabitha, showing her a grin.

Owen samples that drink given to him, before he smiles and sets the glass back down. "Well, really. This place..." He states, looking around. "I mean, my god... If Marie could've ended up anywhere, I'm glad it was here, most of all. This is like a Hollywood set, or something." He says dropping his eyes back to those at the table with him. A nod is given to Rahne and the other students then. "You guys don't skimp around here either... I'm impressed, to say the least."

"Well, we don't eat this nice every night." Rogue fires back with a small grin shown. "I think I had Crunch Berries last night, or the night before..." She jokes before reaching for her lemonade glass she'd ordered rather than wine.

"Crunch Berries get the job done too." Owen adds before he looks to Jean. "You know, the name Anna-Marie comes from the combination of my grandmother, and Pris' grandmother's names?" He asks of the Headmistress, but how could she know that!

It gets a glance from Rogue, but she doesn't comment on it.

"Course, now you're going by... Rogue?" Owen asks of his daughter. "I'll have to hear the story behind that one some time..."

"It was Aunt Carrie. She stuck it on me to start with." Rogue shoots back, which garners a smirk from Owen.

"That makes sense then." He states back, drawing in a breath. "She never was my biggest fan, you know. When Pris and I decided to move out of Meridian, Carrie was pretty upset about it. She wanted us to stay, wanted Pris to become a teacher like her. Buuut." He exhales then and sits back in his chair. "Pris wanted to see the world, not just teach about it."

Rogue glances over to the others at the table, and then looks to Jean. "Guess I picked up where she was supposed to." She says with a little smile of her own.

"Seems so." Owen says with a smile for his kid. "But, you're doing a lot more with it here in Westchester, than a teacher in Meridian, Mississippi ever could have. What with it's two bowling alleys, and a train track going right through main street."

Monet St. Croix has posed:
The first round of gossip is listened over to as Monet dutifully listens over to Owen. the food is no doubt exquisite and a testament to the amount of care that Jean and the others have put out to ensure that Owen is properly welcomed. Monet goes to eat it over in appreciation. Something to be said over for lovely food that one does not have to put any amount of investment over into nor that she has to tip for. Something to be said for service with a smile.

She doesn't ask any questions. Now's not the time for her normal wit and observations for the world. This is being polite to thier guest. And to listen to the story. And whatever rumors will go around from it in the student body. She pays attention thoughtfully while going over her own mental checklist of things from the melee and those portals. Owen seems completely sincere and helpful.

His presence there is likely an indication he was trying to keep track of his daughter and came to rescue her when he saw she was in trouble.

At the very least if it was anything else Jean would have made sure to correct any such misconcepctions. So it's with a bit of a small, appreciative taste that Monet goes to watch over at the exchanges while filing things away for later research. Good, htose dropped names can be used to scan geneology and census databases..

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Becoming background again, the cooks for tonight's soire kind of gather in case they're needed. They have their own little place, and the cooks and servers ate their dinner half an hour ago. So when it's time to serve the guests, there's no issues. Also there's a treat if it all goes off well, later on.

Someone knows how kids work in the cooking faculty.

Whispering to Rupe, who was the one who made the fish, she compliments the smell coming off of it with a little smile. Rupe's barely fourteen, and she can't keep up with the kid's progress. But she can support him!

Got their own little thing going on, in the background, they do.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
The steak dinner is set down and Tabby perks. To be fair, despite working out and living off junk food most of the time, she still tends to look a little underfed sometimes. But in that way a lot of models do. It just makes some parts look bigger than they might be.

Like Tabby's head on her shoulders. Luckilly her ponytail also keeps the mass of hair behaving.

she does finally speak up between bites of the vegetables in front of her. "Mutants kinda tend towards names that reflect their powers or personalities. But not always." there are a few exceptions.

The kids doing the cooking get a little telepathic beam of appreciation.

Jean Grey has posed:
"I know it must all seem very luxurious, and we're grateful for it. But there's a trade-off to it, I think. The people we have here, well, they've so often had difficult lives elsewhere, because of what they are. Just like your daughter did." It doesn't seem to Jean that there's any sense in dancing around that particular bush either. Owen saw what all of them could do, when they were there trying to get Rogue and the other kidnapped people back. And he must know about his daughter. "So we try and make at least one part of their lives easy here, so they can focus on the hard part. I'm sorry Charles wasn't free tonight, because I'm sure he'd want to meet you too. It's his family's old home, this place, although he's given nearly all of it over to the school at this point. Precisely so we can help more people like her."

Still, his amazement at the food is... fair, and she has to backtrack on the 'we fancy' just a little, and she nods along with Rogue. "We really don't. And if you'd /prefer/ the bowl of cereal, well... I'm sure we could swing a bowl from the dining hall where the students are all eating. Those things are a real crowd pleaser, I know." Big grin.

Predictably, she shakes her head at the piece of Rogue-lore he offers. She couldn't know! "I didn't. We... honestly don't know a lot about her, especially not about her real family life. I'm not sure how much you know about the first group of people she ended up with, who... took her in after she left home, but that's kind of where the trail dead-ends for us. We have some contact with them still, with her adoptive mothers. Not always the most friendly, but at least enough to say hello." Considering his reaction to the mansion, she doesn't mention the Asteroid base!

Rogue has posed:
What the others say back to him, has Owen gently nodding his head a few times while he enjoys some of that meal in front of him. He takes another sip of the wine then and sets the glass down again. "It seems there's two worlds here then, for you Marie." He tells Rogue, glancing at her, before his eyes sweep over the others, even the students.

"I'm glad for this place then. This Xavier guy sounds like a good fella... it's a shame that they're a rare breed." He motions around again then with his fork idly. "Especially when they have this much to give to a worthy cause. Those types are even rarer in this world..."

A breath is drawn then, as Owen looks back over at Rogue. "I don't know what you went through after that night... Marie, but if nothing else, at least you've managed to find good friends. That's important, and since you set me up at that place in town... I've been doing a little research, and found out about this 'Mighty Woman', who bares a striking resemblence." He smirks then, pauses, before adding. "I'm proud, for what it's worth."

His eyes drop down then to his food before he sets his utensil down, gathers up a napkin and rolls it around in his left hand.

He clears his throat then, glances at the Seniors a bit away, then looks back to those at the table with him. "I'm sorry I've missed so much too. What happened that night, it happened in a damn blur. I've toiled over it for almost two decades now, while trying to stay alive myself..."

His head shakes lightly from side to side, and he looks back to Rogue. He motions to her. "Your hair." He says, giving another right to left shake of his head. "I know what caused it. It happened that night. You ran after us. You tried to catch us before we got drug through... and you touched the edge of the gate. It does things like that to people who touch the magic, when they're not meant to, specifically if they're mutants."

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Now there's some thoughtfulness from Monet. Thoughts of breaching a topic of conversation.. That's buried away. no matter her particular interest, this is neither the time nor the place for it. This is a daughter reuniting with her father to the regrets of both. And appreciation for a place to stay.

So whatever angles are going along in her head, Monet stays quiet for now. This is a moment that the two have wanted for a long time. Her inquisitiveness can wait a bit longer. This is a moment that they do not need stripped from them like so many others in life.

She still muses thoughtfully in consideration. Her mind analysing the fight, the portals.. And some of the other things related to teh incident. Multitasking rather effectively. The food was quite good. "Rahne, will you be sitting down for the evening?"

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
The telepathic burst from Tabby gets Rahne's head jerking up. She nods, then gives a 'good luck' wave. She's picked up a bit of military handsigns, but using them during a dinner party is a new one there. She's about to start telling Tiff about the beef's seasoning (she thinks it's a bit pale) when someone speaks in their direction.

Three heads look up, and Rahne blinks at her name being said directly. "We're good," she says, for her and her team. They aren't meant to sit. Are they? That wasn't part of the plan. And Rahne would so not sit and leave Rupe and Tiff behind. Rude.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Tabby pauses on a bit of steak and holds the beef mid chew when owen talks about how Rogue got her hair. "I figured the stripe was just mutant things kicking in." she states and huhs then quickly looks back over her shoulder at her ponytail.

I'm guessing that it's like playing Operation, the bad zaps only happen when you tap the rim edges?" she asks curiously. so far hey hair stayed all yellow blonde. Cornsilk if you can pick spedific color shades.

"So umm, then I guess whatever we blasted that came though. We just shoved it back in the hole for now and it's still wants to get in on this plane of existance? Making notes in case we need to call our mystically inclined friends." Tabby means Illyana.

Jean Grey has posed:
"Oh, the things that makes the news, all the bank robberies and train heists? That's the small-time stuff," Jean notes with just a slight hint of amusement, even braggadocio over the big-time stakes of the hero biz. "It's the things you won't turn up that are really impressive. She's helped save so many people, probably legitimately 'saved the world' at least a couple times..." Here the bluster fades for something deeper, and more heartfelt. "And she's saved me, too. You've got a whole lot to be proud of."

Maybe Rogue even gets an encouraging hand-squeeze beneath the table!

Soonafter, Story Time begins, and it's obvious that Jean is very interested to hear it, leaning forward a bit in her interest. The secret origin of Rogue! "Magic portals?" There's curiousity, but also a touch of wariness. Magic is always weird, even in a world where the X-gene sets the baseline for normalacy. "That does sound a lot like what we saw that night, with the kidnapping. Although I admit I've never heard of magic that was mutant-specific, in terms of how it works. I suppose this is one for Illyana to weigh in on." Clearly, she's on the same mental track as Tabitha, although it takes a moment before she clarifies to Owen: "Our resident Witch-Queen of another dimension, among other things. She's good with that kind of stuff. And I'm more than a bit concerned about what might happen in they fry and take people again."

As for the business with Rahne and the other students, Jean looks over to give them a smile. She's not going to make them sit with the adults, especially if they've got their own little setup. But she does pass along a little bit of mental encouragement: <<You're all doing great. I don't think we'll need too much for a bit, so you've got a little time to kill until dessert.>>

Rogue has posed:
It's possible that Rogue returns the hand squeeze to Jean under the table took, for talking her up all like that. She glances over to the redhead and offers her a small smile too before Tabitha's words has Owen speaking toward her.

"Nah..." He says, shaking his head. "That 'thing' that came through, or tried to come through... that wasn't the person behind all of this. That thing was a nobody, a nothing, even. We call them 'Striders'. They patrol the outer regions of this ... other world. They find run aways, stragglers, and... well, I'm sure you can imagine. It's the thing of nightmares. Worse, really. My nightmares, before all of this was... paying bills on time, or forgetting to zip up my fly in public. No... this is..., well, it's what I would've called 'demonic' at some point in the past."

"I also, admittedly, don't know what the difference between mutants and magic is... as this really isn't any of my expertise. What I do know is that these people, the ones who took Marie's mother, and myself in the process, do love mutants who fit in to their plans. Who they can use to power some of the things they do in this other place... It's part of why they wanted Marie, I'd wager. The other part being..."

He draws in a breath and lets it out slowly, his hesitance on how to phrase these next words shining through. "Marie's mother is the 'Queen' of this place. Not by her choice, mind you, the man... the one behind it all... he took her from us. He's forced her to be his Queen, in this sick reality he's created for himself, and his minions. I think, and I'm just guessing here based on what I heard... He found out about Marie, because of those 'Mighyt Woman' exploits being all over television, and the like. He saw you, kiddo, and you look exactly like your mother. Aside from the spectral highlights now, of course."

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Now there's a frown from Monet as the others ask questions on the matter and Owen elaborates. And Monet finally speaks up, pondering thoughtfully and considering. "Breaking a hive network apart can be done forcefully with the.. Queen. If we can find her hopefully we can.." She would ordinarily say 'recover' or 'salvage' here but remembering to mind her manners, she goes.. "Rescue her. If we can break their hold on her hopefully we can also disrupt thier entire network."

As Owen goes over to elaborate about the great discoveries borne of television, Monet finally goes to give in to ehr inner urge to snark. "It's a most amazing thing, sharing all the knowledge of the world. Do they also get the Internet over in your separate realm? They might overload from shock.." That's a bit far, and she goes quiet after that with a look of apology. Barely..

But, the look is still there. Improvement!

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
"We can help!" A girl's voice from the sidelines says, but it lacks a Scottish accent. Rahne's there, but she's currently looking horrified, as Tiffany Epsilon Candlelight Heaven butts in on the main conversation. She (Tiffany) has her fists bunched up, and is loaded with enthusiasm. She's also a newbie to the school and has yet to have a real danger room beatdown, so she thinks that the heroes always win. "We can do it, together!"

Rahne looks like she'd like to sit a few feet deeper into her seat, so she can't be seen right now. She'd love to help too, but this is not how it's done. Sad emoji.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
The blonde girl quicly looks down at her lap. Maybe she's doublechecking the zipper on her own skirt but thankfully it's done up. And her tan leather belt makes sure it stays that way.

"Umm, yeah, Striders are minions? Yeah, we need to call her mystic highness." she states and sighs. That strider was not an easy thing to blast even with more than one mutant.

That's what gets Tiff a warm smile for the enthusiasm. "I'm sure you'd hit harder than any of us. But baby steps. No need to throw you into the hellfire. We jump in first so you don't have to. Besides you guys help a lot with what you do for us anyway!" she states and gestures to her steak dinner. "I can barely manage a decent mac and cheese, you guys are awesome. Open a restaurant and I'll wait tables for you! Best Waitress at Harry's!" she tries to nudge the girl back on the culinary career path.

Jean Grey has posed:
There is a lot to take in about all of this, a lot to parse. A breadth of information... albeit much of it speculative, every bit as uncertain as Rogue's own history. No surprise they come together.

"OK. So maybe magic, maybe not," Jean muses. "Some kind of dimensional energy, at least. And mutant-reactive. That all fits together, actually. Well, more or less." And here, some 'Headmistress smarts': "Many X-gene related phenomena effectively rely on parts of space and sources of energy not neatly modeled in simpler, Newtonian physics. Not every mutant even KNOWS they're doing it, in fact probably most don't. But it makes a certain kind of sense." But those smarts have limits! "Add Hank to the list with Illy." Again, for Owen's benefit: "Very smart guy. Think you'd like him. Between them, I figure we'd have just about everyhing covered, from novel physics to the esoteric." And yet, she's left with her brow furrowed, dissatisfied.

"I think if we could get in there, we could get her free." Although Jean has nothing to base this boast on, her general sense of it seems to echo Monet's moreso than Tabitha's worry. "The thing I fought was dispatched easily enough." By the Phoenix, granted... "And we have a number of powerful telepaths, so mind control is something of an area of expertise. The problem is more like how we even get in there in the first place." She glances over at Tabitha. "Because those protals didn't seem very friendly to intruders. And that's assuming we can be there when they open. It's a shame we don't really have any readings or records of what we encountered, no way of easily researching what we saw in retrospect, to figure it out without... well, waiting for them to try something again, and react as best we can."

As for the sudden and heartfelt optimism from Tiffany, Jean looks back with a warm smile. It's not unusual for students toget rather gung-ho about this stuff, inspired by the example of their teachers, waiting for their own chance. "We're definitely going to help her. We always figure something out. But -you- have exams to study for." Bad grades means time with Scott... and NOT in the Danger Room!

Rogue has posed:
"There's no television in this other place. There's no internet. Hell, there's no radio even. The place is... dry on most natural resources too. This is why they have to come out, frequently, back to this reality to get supplies, to get the resources they need to survive inside." Owen goes on to explain, his left hand gripping the edge of his fork while his right taps at the base of his wine glass idly with one finger.

"Help is appreciated." He says to the student that chimed up, his eyes going to Monet, and then Tabitha. "But, this isn't a small place. These are 'lost souls'. They recruit people who don't want to /be/ on this Earth anymore. IT's always been their recruitment style, to go after the people who want to leave this place, to go to ... the 'Other Place', which is what I've called it for a long time now."

His wine is sipped from, and Rogue takes a moment to glance down at her plate of mostly untouched food. She looks back up at her father then at his place at the far end of the medium sized table. "So mom is there, and being held captive? By some 'guy'?" She asks softly, glancing to Jean.

Owen looks to Jean too, and nods at what she says, before he looks back to his daughter and gives her a single nod as well. "Your mother met this guy, his named is Cold, Indrid Cold. She met him the night we vanished, at a convenient store not far from where we were living. She was picking up some food for the gathering we were having that evening. This guy rolled up in his caravan, with all his people following behind him. I guess he talked your mother up, and she invited him to the gathering. He said he was a 'priest' or a 'shaman' of some kind, and your mother was eager to get help trying to summon the good mojo for our fields. We were growing our own food back then, with mixed results. This guy made her believe he could fix that... Seems he had other plans though."

Owen draws in another light breath then. "This place..." He says toward Jean now. "It's not a small commune, mind you. All the people in the world who've gone missing, it's like a good majority of them have ended up here in this 'Other Place', and the most loyal, the most willing to serve Cold... they get the closest to his compound. The less capable, the less loyal, they get pushed further and further out to what we call the Ashfields... this is where the Striders are, the one you saw. Any who try and rush out on their own? Rush out in to the Ash? Well... they're never seen again."

"So if there's help to be had, this is... no small feat. I've been apart of a small resistance for, well, ever since I healed up good enough to be of any use to a resistance. We're hidden well, but we're few in number, and now? My 'pass' for the portals, the gates...it's likely been revoked now. I'm bannished, I'm guessing. But that's not to say they're not going to come looking for me."

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Monet St. Croix would go to consider lightly over and go to take a breath, "So we're going to need a way to guarantee access to there. For our entry and our withdraw. And we'll need multiple paths in case we have to split up.." And for contingencies. She's thinking over on this. They have the technology for back and forth raids, which means they have a way to scout out the area to target it.

likely not by technology due to the bulk of setting up transporters.. So something else. Perhaps psionic in nature or placed agents? Her face goes to a frown thoughtfully over and continue to consider. Seh's not spekaing again, as she's going to try and evaluate what they know fromw hat Owen is saying, her own thoughts on the -things-.. And whatever sort of data and analysis she's already done.

And not particularly liking the conclusions so far.

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
"There's always a way, we could come up with something on the fly..." Tiffany's voice is kind of up-front, when Rahne puts a hand on her wrist to calm the girl. She has a whisper, about how the team knows what SHE can do, and that this isn't the planning session. That will come mybe after dessert.

TIffany pauses in her mouth-babble, then looks at the room. The dinner and Rupe looking on, and she immediately closes her mouth and looks at the floor. Then she mumbles, "I forgot that time exists, sorry." Which gets her a hug from Rahne.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
There's a lot to unpack there with Owen's exposition. Tabby still eats though because she's hungry and the food is fantastic. The vegetables went first, then she's working on the steak.

"So they aim for the suicidal? Know the feeling... Knew the feeling." she admits. It's a hell of a thing to come back from and she's had her moments. Mostly back before she even made it to Westchester, and a good chunk of during that time when Genosha had sentinel and Brainiac problems.

"That is what you mean right. Or you mean literal. Like I sometimes don't wanna be on Earth. Space is awesome, even if it smells like farts. I've been to a couple Hell dimensions, a couple of the Asguardian Nine Realms. So if we can kinda find the right feeling, they'll come knocking?" Tabby says and looks to Rogue and Jean. <<Undercover Op? Get in, find the way to let others in, kick the place down till we find Anna-Marie's mom?>> she beams to them and the other adult mutants at the table, yes this includes Rahne cause she's actually a year older than Tabitha.

Jean Grey has posed:
"I'm sure it's dangerous, I don't mean to dismiss that," Jean is careful to explain, to preface. "But..." There's a clear bit of a 'they don't know what THEY'RE messing with' building up here. "Most things we do are dangerous, when it comes to the kind of help we offer the world. People here have been to other dimensions before. To hellscapes, to bizarre fantasy lands, to dinosaur-filled jungles and... reality TV shows come to life, if you'd believe it. And to outer space, for that matter, to planets billions of light years from Earth. So you're not going to deter anyone here by laying out the honest scope of the problem. Rogue's mom? That's family. So of course we'll do whatever we need to." It is clearly not even a debate, not a matter of any question what-so-ever.

Rogue herself gets a quick smile after she says this, a promise in it.

When Owen starts to mention his 'pass,' Jean starts to open her mouth again, clearly about to seize upon that detail as a possible way in... only for him to shut the door pre-emptively. "I was hoping you might have a way in for us. Do you know anything about... it's clear they recruit, from what you described. From working in this resistance, do you have any hints to that? Because our next best option seems to be to wait for another snatch-and-grab, and interrupt things." She looks over at Tabitha, perhaps sharing a similar thought, or at least one among many. <<Its a possibility, but I don't want to risk anyone alone on something like that.>>

"Whether we can get through or not, maybe we can at least grab someone to give us answers." As for his own safety? "I know your daughter helped find you somewhere close, but you're free to stay here if you ever want or need to. Otherwise, well, we're just next door and some of us are -very- fast. So if you see trouble, send up an SOS and we'll come running."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue's eyes go up to look at the students volunteering to help with this, she smiles at them, Rahne included, before she glances to Monet when she speaks.

"Yeah, there are scout trips." Owen speaks up again, his hands raised up in front of him over his plate of food, one holding the back of the other.

He listens to Tabi, and then Jean, before nodding once to them. "It sounds like you've all seen a lot. More than I could have ever imagined was possible, let alone real. Sure, I enjoyed playing D&D when I was young, like anyone, but I didn't... I didn't see this kind of thing coming, and as I said, I'm not an expert on this stuff. Alternate realities? Dimensions beyond our own? This is way over my head, man." There's another smirk then. "But. I've had a crash course for the past sixteen years, you could say."

He looks to Rogue then, before he nods two small times. "There are ways to draw them out, but I'm not sure I'm willing to do it." He says, now regarding the Headmistress. "They have standing orders to bring Marie in, to bring her to him, right to him. That means one thing, and one thing alone. He wants her in his collection. He collects his favorite women, and he keeps them locked away in his compound. It's--" Owen shakes his head more vigorously once. "It's not something I'm going to be really in to, using my daughter as a bait trap for this madman."

Sitting back in his chair then, Owen lowers his hands, one going up to swipe across the tip of his nose as he drops his hands to the arms of his chair then. "So, yes. I can probably track down a scout group. I can probably present myself to them. I can be the bait. They won't take me to Cold though. They'll just... take care of me either on this place, or the Other Place. I'm not sure. Depends on their mood, I guess."

He takes in a breath then, and nods softly. "Again, though, I am grateful for your hospitality. You've helped my daughter out, in a time where her mother and I were completely unable to. There's no paying that debt back. If I come around here, it'll just be to help out where I can."

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
For her height, people do tend to forget. But yes, Rahne is older than some of the people who are seated at the table. She may also not be the best cook in the room, but she's got control of a few things.

A small upnod, silently signaling, and she and the other two turn in unison. They rummage a bit, then come out with pots of hot beverages. Coffee, cocoa, and tea are all placed about the table whenever someone indicates which they'd prefer. All without a word.

Someone's taken the covert comms course, yay!

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Boom-Boom has more than a fair idea of what Owen is afraid of. And she keeps her smile reassuring. "I'm sure we can come up with a way that won't like use you or our sister, our friend..." she looks to Rogue. "As bait. But Rogue would make for a good weapon when the bait has been taken. Like hunting a squirrel with a fifty cal BMG!" she states and finger guns and then makes an explosion sound. With her voice, not her powers.

"Nothing hits harder than someone looking out for family. "she points out.

Cocoa, with a lot of sugar and all the good stuff is claimed. She even lightly toasts some marshmallow herself in a little tiny stream of plasma.

"Just point us at these scouts and we can probably sort out a way in."

Jean Grey has posed:
Owen claiming to be so out of his depth makes Jean smile a little, because it's a very familiar thing. "It's always a bit like that. A lot of crash courses and learn as you go. And sounds like you've been doing it just about as long as me." Of course, the difference there is suggested by their ages; he's spent those sixteen years as a grown man. For Jean, like with Rogue? They've been dealing with it since they were barely more than children. "Its kind of why we have a school." The Xaviers 'Get used to Weird Ass Shit!' Academy.

Rogue's high value to the cult does draw a quick back and forth glance, from father to daughter and back. "I'm not keen on putting her at any kind of unecessary risk either. Of course, it's her mother, and you'll notice your little girl has grown up in the menatime. So, ultimately? Her choice." A smirk. "And then mine." Asserting that Headmistress slash X-Boss lady energy. "But we're always looking to minimize risk and do things smart rather than brute-force. You know these people, so we're relying on you for that intel, for the best ways to approach them."

She glances back around the table, taking in the group present, although the scope of their resources go much further. Ultimately, she nods in agreement with Tabitha. "We have a lot of tricks up our sleeves. You can be bait, and we can trounce whoever shows up. And then maybe I go through their brain like a google search and figure out a way in. Or maybe we lure them out and trick them into thinking we want to join up, and get a group of us in together. All of that's just operational details, tactics." The big picture? They're getting Rogue-Mamma.

As for the man's gratitude and humility? She scoffs a bit. "Excuse me, but no. I've said it once, but you're family here. If you come around? It's because you're welcome here. And I hope that's more like a 'when' than an 'if,' because I figure you two have a lot of catching up to do. Now." She glances back around, looking for those tricksy students. "Where's the- Oh! Perfect timing. Time for coffee and dessert."

Rogue has posed:
"Well, like I said... I couldn't be happier that Marie ended up at a place like this." Owen tells the group at the table. He then looks to the student offering the sweet drinks and his hand reaches up to stroke at his beard. "Uh... I'll take some of that hot chocolate, I think. I... can barely even remember what that stuff tastes like." He offers a smirk then before his hands go back down to the table on either sides of his plate.

His eyes look between Jean, and Tabitha, then he regards Rogue.

"Naturally I can't stop you from choosing to be the bait, but you'll ... well.. I'm sorry, the last time I saw you, I had you and your mother at my sides. Then one bad night happens, and I lose you both for nearly two decades. I guess I'm being a little reactionary to having you back, even just if this much."

Rogue is quiet at that, and just shows him a reserved smile before she nods her head. "If I can be the bait, then I'm eager t'do it. I just wanna be careful. I don't wanna make... whatever is going on in this 'Other Place' worse than it is."

Owen nods lightly to that. "Something, all of you have to realize too... the people there, the vast majority of them? They're loyal to Cold. They don't /want/ to leave this false reality that he's created for them. They prefer it there, over here. It'll be about as easily achieved, as any foreign army coming in to try and topple a nation's leader, even with your..." He waves his right hand a little. "Mutant, abilities... of which, may not even work precisely the same there, as they do here. I've heard of them being different there, but... I was never allowed around anyone who had any mutations, thus why I'm still pretty ignorant on the whole thing. Hell, just learning that my kid is one, let alone one that is flying around savin' the world? It's quite a lot to have sink in to your head, ya know?"

When his Hot Chocolate arrives, he graciously accepts it, and takes a sip. He melts a bit before everyone's eyes. "Damn. Yeah. I prefer it here, over that 'Other Place'."