14383/Day of Destiny! Or: Recruiting Time!

Day of Destiny! Or: Recruiting Time!
Date of Scene:	11 March 2023
Location:	Washington Square Park
Synopsis:	Wade begins gathering his army, only to be foiled by the likes of the X-Men!
Cast of Characters:	Wade Wilson, Betsy Braddock, Ororo Munroe

---

Wade Wilson has posed:
    The Winter is almost over, and the people in the city are getting used to the warmer weather. School has been back in session for a few weeks and the school quad for New York University is alive with action. Which means there is the token guy with the guitar playing on the steps into the library, acting like he's trying to focus on his playing but should a certain telepath wander by they'll catch his inner monologue as something akin to...
    <<< Please, please ask me about my guitar. Please be cute. Please be interested in me. Please please please ask me about my guitar! >>
    That guitarist peeks a look up, but then affects a stern edgy look as he starts to strum some more.
    Then in the park itself people are sitting and talking, sharing warm cups of cocoa and soup. There are the handful of food trucks parked along the way toward the parking lot. But school back in session often means one thing in main. Causeheads.
    Those people so wrapped up in a cause and there are no shortage of them with little folding tables set up along the path of the sidewalk, each handing out pamphlets about the plight of polar bears, eskimos, the world being too cold, the world being too warm, the world just being even has its own cadre right next to the nihilists.
    There are people for the rights of one group of people but deathly set against the rights of others, and vice versa. There are people who proclaim that certain types of food are immoral while wearing their forced labor clothes created in a sweat shop by their favorite designer, while they type on their 5 suicides a day in the factory laptop, and smoking their lovely vape solution that comes from the hands of child labor hired for fifteen cents a day. So many upright and forthcoming people.
    And then there is Deadpool.
    At least it's likely him. He's wearing his mask, which gets some sideeye from the crowd of people that are listening to him. But they've seen stranger because... this is NYU. He's also wearing skinny jeans, with a full beard and waxed mustache that apparently has been glued onto his mask, accompanied by a man bun that is stapled to the back of his head. He also has a lovely NYU t-shirt and a blue and white Members Only jacket that apparently is being worn ironically.
    And he's speaking. To the crowd. Who seem entirely attentive.
    "We are talking about hate here people. A gathering of hate! And we are going to do something about it! All well and good for you to sit here and enjoy your what is it the kids do today? Avocado toast? Ew." He stops tilts his head, then shrugs, "Sit here and with your hula hoops and your yo yos, or what have you. But this is hate pure and simple! And I'm recruiting. Anti-hate!"

Betsy Braddock has posed:
The visit to NYU had been eventful. The young Xavier's student, Matthew, had wanted to tour the campus. He'd been accepted at three different universities in the tri-state area. Thus today had been set aside for NYU. Betsy was already in town so when Ororo had mentioned she'd be bringing the student for the tour, Betsy had suggested she join them. Thus the trio had been given the grand visit where the school put the best foot forward to try to convince the young man to join them.

But once the tour was done, he wanted to visit some family in town before returning to Xavier's. He headed off to a subway station, leaving the two X-affiliated friends to their own devices for a few hours, until Matthew returned to the campus and they headed off back to Westchester.

"I was thinking we could go get some lunch. There is a place up the block here that serves a lovely avocado toast." Which is when /THAT/ voice is heard and Betsy snaps her head in the direction of the noise. Only to see Deadpool. "Bloody hell." She didn't usually use that phrase but it fit in the moment. "What is he doing now?"

Ororo Munroe has posed:
Ororo's pale eyes fasten on Betsy in disbelief. "You got it in two words."

New York is not her scene, never has been. And she'll never blend in, no matter how much she tries. Not that she minds standing out, but she's not like the guitarist pretending to be cool.

Ororo is cool. In more ways than the guy giving her the side eye might imagine, she could chill the earth and the sidewalks they trod on and freeze their feet to it, like putting your tongue on frozen metal. Not recommended, by the way.

That kind of meanness is reserved for people that hurt others. Like Wade? Maybe. The mahogany skinned woman with the stark white hair, squeezes her chin between two fingers, head canted to one side, as she contemplates Wade mesmerizing the crowd.

"What do you think he is doing? He's up to no good."

Wade Wilson has posed:
    "I am looking to recruit like-minded people to join me in my march against hate." He folds his arms over his chest, the little 'Members Only' emblem prominent on his upper arm. He looks at the people around. "But only the right kind of people! We need to be diverse. We need to represent the modern world of today!"
    Deadpool then gestures, "Ok you over there. Peter was it?"
    A young man stands up, handsome, reasonably well put-together, with a well toned and exercised physique. He looks up over at Wade and nods as he pushes himself to his feet and walks over. He smiles as he walks up to stand beside Deadpool, his NYU blue backpack hanging over one shoulder. He gives a small smile.
    "Here. Peter is a good example of the type of person we DON'T need." He gestures, "Look at him. He's in shape. Unacceptable. Physical fitness is a tool of the man. It is oppression! They inflict these rules on you and then have the medical industry try to beat you down with their 'standards', maybe I DO want to have a heart attack at fifteen! You ever think of that, Mr. Man!"
    Shaking his head Wade looks at Peter, "You Peter... you make me sick. Go sit down. Get at least five piercings, one in your face and dye your hair orange. Try to eat only ramen noodles for two months, then get back to me. Shoo."
    Peter sadly walks off to the side.
    "Now! I know what you're saying. Wade. Buddy. But you have such a hot bod, aren't you suffering under the delusion of physical fitness? And I tell you NO! NO I AM NOT!" He points at them, "I have had this beautiful picture perfect body inflicted upon me by The Man. So that means I have more disadvantage points than all of you! Just in case one of you might try to step to me."
    He claps his hands together, "There, Melvin come up here! He is a _perfect_ candidate. Testosterone? No, sir. You are not welcome here. Virile full head of hair? Unacceptable! Welcome to the club, Melvin."
    He pushes Melvin back into the crowd.
    But then there's a _squeal_ as Wade's voice goes up several octaves as he espies a particular purple haired vixen. "Oh MY GOD. It's you."
    "Again."
    He waves his hands and gestures, "Ok kids, class dismissed. Go out there, get piercings, dye your hair, do not exercise or eat anything healthy. Those are all tricks meant to deceive you. Under no circumstances learn to fight, but carry with you a false sense of empowerment. Too many of you don't even have a record. Get out there, commit some crimes. Fuck sake there are enough superheroes running around you should get caught instantly. Ok now get lost."
    He starts to walk over to the two X-Women, his footsteps quick and light even as he's pulling off his beard.
    "You! Are harshing my groove as I build my army." He looks to Storm, "Oh hi, Ororo." Said in a voice of a particular San Francisco filmmaker.

Betsy Braddock has posed:
No, this could not be happening....Again.

Betsy had that moment of fight or flight. Perhaps in the past before the interference of certain Hand members and Body Shoppe proprietors, she could've turned tail and run away. Her feet would've carried her across the campus like she had wings and allowed her to get away from the insanity that was Deadpool.

Unfortunately, she was post change. And thus the instincts that were born into her thanks to her other half were always to fight. Which kept her where she was though there was that slight shifting of her stance, weight distribution changing subtly, so that if a fight started, she'd be ready for it.

"God hates me. I have come to this conclusion," she explained to Ororo in her British accent. "I keep running into Deadpool constantly of late."

And then he was approaching after sending off his minions to... "Wade! You cannot tell these people to go out and commit crimes! They should focus on their studies and having a nice life without a criminal record."

Ororo Munroe has posed:
Straight faced, Ororo watches Wade put the crowd through his paces. "God might hate us both, Betsy," she replies, her voice rolling with an accent that is not easily identifiable. Kenya? South Africa. Just not from here.

When he abruptly breaks off to join them, she feels Betsy subtilely change her stance.

"Harshing your groove!?" Ororo exchanges a glance that says can you believe this guy with Betsy. "Nobody made you stop talking, Wade. You -could- have ignored us. Betsy is right you know. That could get you put in jail for inciting crime. We should be so lucky."

Wade Wilson has posed:
    "Small crimes," He turns and yells at the crowd as they break up, "Remember if you ever want to punch someone be sure to yell, 'Stop hitting me!' before you punch them. It's all about public opinion people!"
    He proceeds to clap a few of them on the back and give them high fives that... are not returned with much animation. "Good game, good game buddy. Good game, ezee." He turns back to the two women, his white eyelets widening as his mask smiles.
    "So I see you have suckered Ororo into joining your Anti-Wade Wilson Having Fun Task Force. Et tu, Ororo?" He looks back at her, feigning a sad sad look even as he grabs the man bun off the back of his head and tears it free, with only a little bit of blood on the staples. He tosses it in a nearby trash bin and points at one of the students walking by. "Don't eat that. It's cinnamon."
    Back to Elizabeth and Ororo.
    "Pfft," Is his succinct counter-argument towards Ororo as he says, "Ain't no prison that can hold me, baby. I'm the wind." He makes a hand gesture to the side as if sliding it along the air, free as a bird.
    "But for serials, what brings you two out here." He gasps as he touches a hand to where his mouth should be, "Are you... are you here to invite me into the X-Men? Finally? After all these years? Oh lordy me."

Betsy Braddock has posed:
That gets a brief moment of concern as Betsy reaches out with her mind to the people departing. One person heard that and suddenly, with a touch of telepathy, he didn't and goes on his merry way to rob a convenience store. Wait no! Betsy quickly tampers anew and has him go off to study for his anatomy test instead.

Then she looks at Wade with a frown. "I am not sure why you keep appearing in my life but let's be clear on a few things. One, I do not recuit for the X-Men so I would not be here to do that. Second, Even if I did, I would refuse to recruit you if you were invited because I see too much of you already in my life." If they expected sugar coating or politeness, she was a little beyond that. "And three, if someone who does have recruiting ability were to suggest you, I would change their mind. Literally."

She sighed. "Don't you have enough to do with X-Force?" Of which she was a part. And no, he didn't have enough to do because they rarely did anything. Kinder gentler world or some such bollocks.

"Why are you trying to turn college students into criminals? Minor or otherwise."

Ororo Munroe has posed:
Ororo hasn't spent an enormous amount of time with Betsy, but decides when she lights into Wade that she really likes the woman despite the fact she could literally plant that idea in her head.

Arms crossed, Ororo suppresses a sigh and stops her foot from tapping. She reminds herself that she's dealing with a child. A dangerous, very smart child. And, that anything she says or doesn't say, can and will be used against her.

Her eyebrows hike, and she shakes her head slowly from side to side, "Really? For serials? Not in your wildest dreams, Wade. We want the school to stay in existance."

Wade Wilson has posed:
    "Bets. Betsbets." Wade spreads his hands, "This _is_ X-Force, babeh." He gestures around him. "That's what I'm doing here. I'm takin' it to the street." He raises his voice in a particularly Doobie Brothers-like trill as he adds, "Yeah you!"
    He gestures, "This is X-Force Franchise! Got the idea from that Bat guy." He nods his head a few times. "Sure the rest of us will still do those bad ass hard core against the comics code missions. But this is a grass roots thing, I'm telling you."
    He stops and then says, "Do you know what I am saying?" In a hint of a monotone.
    Then his attention snaps over to Ororo and she can see his lower lip pooch out in consternation. "Fine, Ororo 'Dream-Smasher' Munroe. Why don't you come by Christmas time and light my tree on fire and then take a whizz in my gas tank, you soul-crippler harpy of a woman." He sniffs affectedly.
    "And yes I know it would be _super_ hard for you to do that to my gas tank, but that's just to _EMPHASIZE_ how mean you are being right in this moment."
    Another deep breath, then he stuffs his hands into his pockets. "Well, now that you've ruined my afternoon. Where are we off to, ladies?"

Betsy Braddock has posed:
"X-Force franchise? Telling young people to go commit crimes and not take care of themselves? I'm not sure that I am following your....nevermind. Of course I am not following your thinking." Because to be able to do so means Betsy will have gone insane. A place she does not wish to be ever in her life. For obvious reasons.

"Wade. We..." And decided he might need visual aids. She pointed to herself and then to Ororo. "Are going to have a lovely lunch. You..." A point at him, center chest, not even close to touching. "Are going to hopefully go home and think about what you did today." Wait, that was not enough. "And realize how detrimental it is for those young people you tainted with your message."

Which had her pausing. "Wait, what precisely was your message?"

Ororo Munroe has posed:
"Read my mind, Betsy. Be my guest." <<Yes, for lunch! You know he will do anything to send you up, right? Anything? I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't like you. Which, need I say it, would be as toxic as handling nuclear waste. There -is- something about him...a natural magnetism obviated by how nasty he can be.>>>

"Obviously someplace far from you," she replies aloud with a hint of resignation. At the least, she wasn't surprised at his patter. "You may count on me to smash those dreams, Mr. Wade, until you can be trusted not to ruin Xavier's reputation."

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade watched Elizabeth as she gestured, his eyes even following along with the bouncing ball, or in this case the fingertip Psylocke uses to indicate herself and Ororo. He nods a few times as if he 'got it', and clearly didn't need this explained to him. "So you are wanting me to make you two a lovely lunch at my home. That's gonna be tough. Al doesn't like guests and I haven't ordered groceries in like..." His mask lifts as if looking off into the distance. "Ever."
    Then she asks about his message and he answers her up front, "No idea, I'm sort of winging it. Taking it as it comes. Improv baby. And really, not to give you notes, but what you did back there." He points to where he was speaking. "That was seriously not a very nice 'yes, and.' You sorta cut me off. So, hey, still love you. But... let's work on our craft, shall we?"
    Then he turns and looks at Ororo with what passes for a blank look on that red and black mask. He turns his head... sloooooooooooooooooowly to the right, as if listening closely to her words.
    Then he says in a low murmur, "But I _didn't_ hear the word no. So I have my answer. I'm walking on air!" Those last four words said with a light upper class British accent.

Betsy Braddock has posed:
"Al?"

Betsy regretted it as soon as the word left her mouth. So apparently he had roommate. Who didn't like visitors. Named Al. The man was either insane or a saint to put up with Wade. Because, of course, her immediate presumption was that Al was a guy. As in Albert. And she almost followed up the first question with another but quickly moved on.

"Cut you off? You chose to come interact with us and disperse your little flock." Because he had the facts wrong and she wasn't going to let that stand. Which in and of itself was a problem because he was Wade. She was pretty sure facts just randomly popped into his head.

"No. I am not suggesting you make us lunch." And when he took Ororo's non answer as an answer, Ororo might hear a mental scream from Betsy's mind to hers. Down on like volume level 1 so it wasn't horrifying but giving that frustration a moment.

<<He can be quite amusing. And there is a certain charm. But I would have to do contortions I can't even begin to fathom to understand him. Mentally, that is.>>

Ororo Munroe has posed:
<<Please, all powers that be, hear my prayers,>> she sends to Betsy with grim humor.

Aloud, she says, "No. No to Al, no to lunch. No. N-O." She glances at Betsy, biting her bottom lip.

"It sometimes takes repetition with him Betsy before a message sinks in. Like for Xavier's which is a no. Like for lunch, which is a no. No, Wade."

<<Yes, amusing. And he knows it. No one could understand him mentally.>>

Wade Wilson has posed:
    "Pssh, I knew what you were about to do and assumed what it would be, so I knew what was going to happen, so I shunted myself over to an alternate timeline where I just ended it quickly, saved us some time." Wade then winces a little as he raises up one leg, pulling at the inseam of his skinny jeans as he grimaces. "By the way, not for nothin', but these things are like super tight..."
    He shifts to stand on the other leg, trying to pull the inseam out some, failing. "And I'm not saying that to intimate like, you know. Oh ho ho, I have tight pants because I am extraordinarily gifted in the pants department."
    He then starts to pull on the buckle of his belt as he adds, "I mean I am, extraordinarily gifted in the pants department." He nods, "I mean I have like... thirty pants. They're pretty great."
    He turns around, "Don't look ladies." He makes a loud GRUNT, then redoes his belt, but not before giving a Senor Wences tribute of saying, "S'alright?" And then in a deeper voice, "_S'alright_."
    He turns back around, pants secured and spreads his arms, "So anyways, where were we? Lunch? I have a coupon for Subway we can use for a free small soft drink. It has that Jared guy's picture on it though, wonder if they'll still honor it."

Betsy Braddock has posed:
"Wade!" Because he was pulling at his pants and then unfastening them and she very quickly did what anyone would in her position. She reached out to make sure No one in the immediate area was looking in the direction of the trio. They just all found something else interesting to look at.

As for her, she very pointedly looked skyward so she didn't see whatever he was about to do. The voices had her /almost/ looking but once she heard the belt fastening again, she dared to peek. Thankfully nothing was exposed that had not already been and she breathed a sigh of relief. "Wade. You are not joining us for lunch. I hope you enjoy your Subway and I doubt they will accept the coupon considering that the man upon it is currently in jail for horrible crimes."

<<I can't. I simply can't. I am trying not to laugh as it will encourage him. Thirty pants.>> And Ororo would be able to hear that laughter she was carefully keeping under control. "Perhaps you should buy a sandwich and take it to Al. I'm certain it would be appreciated. And we will continue on our way instead of interfering in your life."

Ororo Munroe has posed:
Ororo rolls her eyes and sighs aloud. She felt Betsy's intervention and was glad that she had someone as powerful as Betsy by her side. Maybe this time he won't be jumping cars over walls.

"Happy now? You had at least five women in the area, running in panic from the man about to expose himself." She crosses her arms again and makes sure not a bit of the laughter she feels welling up inside shows, "We were at no lunch. Zero lunch with you, Wade. NO. Enjoy your free drink."

<<Do not, I repeat, do not encourage him. He will run with it. Don't laugh. Because if you do, I will split my sides and pee in my pants. Just imagine what he would do with that.

Wade Wilson has posed:
    "Well..." Wade says as he turns his head one way, then looks back. "If you insist. But this whole thing acting like you don't want to hang out is gonna seem Pri-tee-thin the next time I run into you and you're all, 'ohmigod it's such an accident LOL.'" He actually says lol, pronouncing it lull.
    He spreads his arms, "But you gotta do what you gotta do when you're dealin' with your heartfelt desires for the Wademonster. I understand."
    "Ororo?" He turns to her but holds up a hand. "No, shh." He touches a finger to his lips, "Hush lambkins. We'll speak of this..."
    He turns to _pointedly_ look at Psylocke, his white eyelets narrowing as if she were intruding, "Some other time when we are in more... hospitable surroundings." His eyes tighten to slits.
    He starts to walk backwards, "You sure you guys don't want my coupon?" He starts to dig into a pocket.
    "See your mouth is saying zero lunch, no lunch, none of the lunch. But I hear you saying 'all the lunch, so much lunch, every lunch.'"

Betsy Braddock has posed:
<<Don't you dare.>> And there is the faintest twitch of her lips. Which she can't hide bescause Wade's mind is impossible for her to manipulate so he didn't see it. It was like trying to catch an eel with one's hands. Practically impossible. And a visual she really wished she hadn't thought about. <<If you lose it, I will lose it. And we will never be rid of him.>>

At the new accusation of her possibly following him, Betsy almost protests. Until he hushes Ororo. And she has to slap a hand over the lower half of her face. A little noise came out. She promptly tried to hide it as a gasp of horror. That he was...something. Seeing her as intruding, that was it!

"Thank you, no." Because she was British thus she was required to be polite when he offered the coupon again. Or else they would take away her citizenship for rudeness, much like could happen in Canada. "Enjoy your sandwich. And drink. And surprise Al." And she took her own step backwards, oh-so-slowly, reaching out a hand to Ororo's arm to tug her along with.

Ororo Munroe has posed:
When he talks to her like a lover hushing his beloved, Ororo shuts her eyes tightly, knowing that is exactly the response he wants from her. With an effort she does not freeze him into a block of ice, preferably in some embarrassing position, then leave him in the park.

After a large breath through her nose, she regains control of herself, and opens her eyes. Betsy's image hits her at that precise moment and she claps a hand to her mouth, making a strangled sound that she tries to change into a cough.

Thank god for politeness, she thinks. Thank god, thank god. None of which was meant for Betsy but likely overheard. Desperately, she grabs Betsy's hand on her arm and lurches away from Wade, pulling her along. Then, calls over her shoulder, "Enjoy your drink."

Wade Wilson has posed:
    "Fine, fine." He turns and starts to walk away, some hint of sound indicates he's speaking to himself but under his breath. He takes a few strides along the concourse of the quad, then he walks past that guy playing guitar on the steps and abruptly turned to yell at him, "GET A JOB!"
    Then he was off on his way. Likely to Subway.