14750/What is this

What is this
Date of Scene:	23 April 2023
Location:	Suicide Squad HQ!
Synopsis:	Melissa cracks the whip, Wade tries to understand why she is so mean.
Cast of Characters:	Melissa Gold, Wade Wilson

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Melissa Gold has posed:
The op had gone surprisingly well after the nightmare that had been their pitstop. She could still hear the voice of the telepathic woman in her head, warning her about Wade's weapons on their property. As though she needed to be told! Melissa was already on edge when she saw what he was retrieving and realized it was on school grounds. Where some kid could've found it and, being kids and therefore not the brightest crayon in the box, they likely would've ended up with someone getting cut, stabbed, or killed. If that was adults being careless, that was one thing. But kids!

Yet they had made it to the op and the team had surprised Songbird. They actually got in, got the required data from the computer inside, and got back out without anyone getting captured or killed. Not that they would actually be killed. This was all a setup for testing them, not an actual op. And they'd passed. It had been...unconventional. But they had achieved their goal.

Yet, she was still on edge when they made it back to the base the Squad was using when they were outside the prison. It wasn't really that fancy but it was their home away from home. For some of the actual prisoners who had to go back to Belle Reve, it was pretty damn luxurious!

As soon as they were inside, Melissa looked over at Deadpool. "You. With me. Now." And she walked toward the area that was set aside for training with the mats and necessary equipment. "No one follow us," she added because of course one of these people would likely try if she didn't tell them not to.

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade was walking into the place and he wasn't quiet about it.
    "Good work everyone!" He points sideways, "Skullface, nice work with the security guard. That minimum wage bastard will never forget what hit him." He points the other direction, "Peter, next time I like my tea with lemon. Lemon."
    He's already pulling his katanas off his back, undoing the clasp of the combat harness over his chest, letting them clatter on the table as he then starts to work on the belt buckle for his pistol holsters. "This one time, way back when Wolvie and I were doing this thing for DER HOMENLANDEN up North, after a mission I took off my gear in the ready room, and I just kept on undressing right in there in the middle of all these tough grizzled Canadian soldiers. Nobody said a word. Not even when I got down to my skivvies."
    Of course that's the moment when Melissa comes over and he had already been grabbing at the belt of his pants, then sighs and nods. "Alright, you want some pointers? I'm your man. Good first mission."
    Wade starts walking with her down the hall toward the training hall area with the best hyper advanced electric and robotic training systems 1974 has to offer. He gets down the halls a way while talking with her, "First, you should probably get a better uniform. Something more revealing, because really hey, you got it you should totally flaunt it. I was thinking of adding a chest window to mine, since... you know. Show Pecs get Respecs. You like that? Made it up. Just now."

Melissa Gold has posed:
As soon as they got into the training room, she waited for him to get inside then closed the door. And flipped the lock into place. Then she walked out into the room which truly had seen better days. THe mats had been taped quite a few times to keep them from falling apart completely. They didn't really have the spring they once did but at least it was better than landing directly on concrete. There were some free weights and other equipment but really, one would think ARGUS would have some more money in their coffers to provide an upgrade. To at least the 80s. Maybe the 90s. Everyone loved stationary bikes after all. Likely they could get a lot of them super cheap.

"My costume is just fine the way it is." Covering every single inch of skin other than her face. She moved to the middle of those mats and turned to face him. Yes, that was her MadFace again. "What the fuck were you thinking, having a weapon hidden on Xavier's property?" Now that she knew the name of it at least, not that she knew the nature. Or likely ever should. Outside they had a telepath on the payroll. But no, she'd said she wasn't on the faculty. And Roulette had known the other girl. And Harley had known...Everyone. She would have to try to get more info out of the clown girl in the near future.

For now, more pressing matters. "Do you have anything else hidden or stored at that school?"

Wade Wilson has posed:
    "Whaaat?" Wade says as he walks along with Melissa and out onto the mats. He stops there with his hands on his hips and looks at her. "Look, lady, I know you're not a mutant. So you're not hip to the street lingo or the street cred I have in that crowd. But that school is constantly like, totally in danger. All the time. It's blown up like... thirty times."
    He pauses, scritching a hand on his chin, "Or is that in this continuity? I can never remember. Just... ok imagine it has this enormous karmic burden to blow itself up through one means or another. Across time and space, it's like one thing that is known, that Xavier's eventually blows up. And seven times out of ten it's by some outside attacker. The other three times it's usually a student blowing it up. Or Chuckles himself. But still."
    Wade spreads his arms wide, "So really, I was just planning for that eventuality! I have tons of 'Just in Case' guns all over the place. One in the statue of liberty, one floating in a buoy near the Starport. I even have one in Wakanda where you'll never guess."
    He touches a hand to the side of his mouth as he shares the secret, "It's hidden in the giant gold panther's butt." Hee.

Melissa Gold has posed:
He said a lot of words and, individually they made sense. But when he put them together, it was like he'd lapsed into a foreign language. Melissa did not speak any language other than American. And one couldn't say she spoke that well as her formal education had been lacking after she ran away at the age of 12.

Who was Chuckles? And why would he blow up the school. And why would a student blow up the school. And why would people attack the school. And what did her not being a mutant have to do with anything at all that they were talking about.

The mention of the Starport and Wakanda had her suddenly worrying about international incidents on top of everything else. This job was going to give her gray hair and an ulcer. How would he even get into Wakanda? They didn't really have open borders that she knew of.

Then she realized that technically he hadn't answered her question. All he'd done is add more to the list she needed to find out about.

In a movement that was probably unexpected, she brought up her right fist and slugged him in the jaw. Hard. Putting not her full strength into it as she didn't want to have to wait for his jaw to heal but taking Harley's advice as she resorted to violence.

"Wrong answer. Let's try this again. Do you have anything else, weapons or otherwise, hidden or stored at Xavier's or on their property?"

Wade Wilson has posed:
    There's a /CRACK!/ and Wade gets smashed hard in the jaw.
    "Owwwwwuuuuahah!" Wade says as he twists to the right, one hand coming up to the side of his face as he staggers to the side a step, one foot tripping over the other but somehow staying upright. He turns back to her, one white eyelet scrunched up in pain as he straightens up.
    "Now that was uncalled for. I was just... framing my answer. You need the backstory. Okay?" He straightens up though still rubbing at his jaw, "Son of a tufted... _tit_mouse." He grimaces behind that mask then says, "You got a mean punch, lady. But ok..."
    He takes a deep breath, holds his hands up palms down, then pushes them down as if calming himself. Calming herself. Calming the situation. Calm. "The answer to your question."
    Wade says as he looks at her solemnly.
    "Is I don't know."
    Then he holds his hands up, "I'm being super honest here with you chief. I sometimes do a lot of things without knowing or remembering. I don't _think_ I have anymore there. That last one I hid by the lake just in case, you know, Sea Monsters." He takes a deep breath. "But I don't remember any others. Thing is, I can tell you that, and through no active effort at deception I could be wrong. Just... you know. Forgetful."

Melissa Gold has posed:
She stared at him a long moment, eyes narrowed. And if she was worried about him deciding to strike back at her or something, she wasn't showing it at all. Because this? Violence? That was something she understood. It was something she excelled at. Which wasn't good if someone compared it to well adjusted people.

Admittedly, she didn't know many of those at all.

She thought it over then gave a little nod. "If you actually know the people there as you claim, you should reach out to them and see if we might have permission to sweep the exterior and grounds. I wouldn't ask to go into their school, since obviously we shouldn't be around their students. We'll see if we can find anything else and, if you do remember something, you should mention it."

Then she pursed her lips slightly. "Sea Monsters?" Had he actually said that. "At a lake? You thinking they have Champ or Nessie out there?"

Wade Wilson has posed:
    "Hey... Wade doesn't do asking for permission, baby."
    Then realizing that might get him another sock in the jaw he holds up his hands, "I just mean... it's not in my idiom, you dig?" His voice had drifted a little low and rumly there, but he rubs the back of his neck thoughtfully, perhaps actually thinking about it.
    "But I suppose there are a few fan boys I have over thattaway I can drop a line to and ask them if it's cool. But if I remember anything I'll try to let you know."
    That said he looks back as she asks about Sea Monsters, "Oh yeah, you ever been out there on the lake late at night? Stars shining above? The way the reeds whisper against your hand as you float by in a small rowboat. The peepers trilling softly in the distance while the moon's reflection shines brightly enough to light everything with the gleam of a diamond."
    Wade nods slowly, his head tilted to the side, "It's so peaceful."
    Then he looks askance, "Until you catch sight of Logan spying on you from the bushes. You have to clap your hands real loud to make him scoot. Then he rushes off into the woods, naked as a jaybird."
    His eyebrows rise, "Which is, of course, when you need the harpoon gun."
    His brow knits. "Sorry, what were we talking about?"

Melissa Gold has posed:
"Or I can reach out to the school but perhaps you can do an introduction. I can ask for the permission. That way we aren't facing off against them again." Because she really doesn't want to fight the woman that could talk inside her head and read her mind. Made it hard to fight someone if they knew what you were going to do. She made a mental note--no pun intended--to get with Waller and see if there was such a thing as blockers for telepaths. If so, they probably should be standard issue for the team.

"We were talking about sea monsters. Although that really doesn't matter." Because Melissa recalls the man is utterly insane. So getting a straight answer out of him was unlikely. "Though I'm not sure why you needed the harpoon gun for our mission since it didn't involve water. At all."

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade knits his brow as he looks down and to the side, hands on his hips as he ponders. "You know... why _did_ I need the harpoon gun?" He asks of her but moreso of himself. He taps the toe of his boot lightly. Then abruptly he snaps his fingers.
    "Oh right, Peter!" He gives a nod, "Since we were going to have to cross between those two buildings, and he failed the rope climb physical. Didn't want him to feel all bad about having to be stuck in the van the whole mission."
    His mask shifts a little as it looks like he might be biting his own lower lip. "Shoulda worked, it said it supported 300 pounds. Then again..." His eyebrows rise, "It is 70 years old. That could have played into it."
    He nods a few times and then falls silent into his own little world, carrying on an internal monologue of some kind complete with facial expressions and slight physical gestures. Until he remembers Melissa is there.
    "So yeah, right. Will get right on it, chief." He points at her. Yet as he tilts his head he sort of sees the expression on her face. It's enough for him to give a small smile of his own. And to take pity.
    "Hey." He says with a moment of reflection subtly in the words. "I know what a shit I can be sometimes. Sucks. I mean, even on my best day I wouldn't want to be around me, right? It's nothing personal. You seem to be a cool cat in your own utterly gender neutral costume. Big ups for that. So progressive." He takes a deep breath, "But still."

Melissa Gold has posed:
"Gender Neu--" She stopped herself right there. Because if she said it, she was likely going to be raising her voice again. And they seemed to actually be communicating for the first time. Though his zoning out had her trying to figure out what he was muttering to himself but to no avail. Even if she could read lips, the mask would've intefered with being able to figure out the details.

"It's not a problem being around you. It's that you are somewhat erratic and I'm not used to that," Melissa admits as she tilts her head slightly. "Usually I can predict what someone might do. Both you and Harley are beyond my ability to figure out like I can the others. I just want to be able to help the team and make us more effective so we don't lose anyone. I'm aware of the turnover. It's not called the Suicide Squad for nothing, morbid as that is. But I'd like to keep everyone around as long as possible. And to do that, I need to understand you all better. And probably, you all need to understand me as well."

Wade Wilson has posed:
    "Heh, yeah, for reals. Whoever put you on a team with both me and Harls.... hooboy. They do not like you." Wade says as he points at her. Then he claps his hands together, "So anyways. Action item decided!"
    Wade turns and starts to walk back off of the mats, "You need anymore help with your leadership style, Songbabe, and I'll be around to lend a hand." He pauses a second at the edge of the mats. Then lightly _hops_ off the side of it as if it was some barrier between him and the room itself.
    Sticking that landing he holds his arms up and out to the sides like an Olympic gold medalist, then proceeds to walk again.
    "Anything else going on tonight? I was thinking we could do subs. You think Skullface likes subs? Does he eat? Never seen him without the mask. Then again look who's talking?"

Melissa Gold has posed:
"Songbird."

And there was that steel undercurrent in her tone again. He had moved out of range of a punch this time. Before he said it. Which had Melissa wondering if that was calculated or it just happened to work out for him.

But either way, she wasn't letting it stand. Nor did she intend for it to continue. "While I understand you might think it's a compliment in some way, it actually undermines my position as leader of the squad. If you continue to use it, I won't hold back when I punch you the next time."

Wade Wilson has posed:
    "Oh come on, Term of Endearment." Wade says as he turns his head to the side, those white eyelets meeting her gaze. "Phrase of Affection. Language of La Lacivious." That last handful of words are murmured with a hint of a French accent, his mask where his eyebrows would be waggling a little.
    He then spreads his hands, "Ok what about nicknames, without the tacit implication of hotness and or attractiveness? Like Songy-B. SangBaird. Singy McBirdface. Singblade. Ohmigerd Serngberd." As he says each name he shifts his head a little left or right, as if gauging her opinion of each, trying to discern her outlook.
    "It's all meant in good fun. But maybe. Just maybe. I'd have a teensy bit more respect for you if I knew something other than you can throw a mean punch. Right? Capisce?"

Melissa Gold has posed:
Shutdown commencing in 3...2...1...

Melissa folded her arms over her midriff, frowning mightily in his direction. Each nickname had just gotten a blank stare and admittedly, she almost laughed at a couple. But she had managed to keep her facial expression from shifting. After all, having to play her role as a heel had allowed her to learn how to not break character. But damn if Singblade hadn't made her want to giggle.

But getting asked to know more about her? That was enough to have her just want to send him out of the room. Only, he was right. She refused to say those words outloud. Never ever ever. But if she wanted to understand them, it made sense.

"Fair enough. But what do you want to know? I thought I was pretty open when I introduced myself to the team." With all of the general vague things that one might mention in such a situation.

Wade Wilson has posed:
    "Ehn," Wade gestures to the side, "Anyone can look at me and know why I'm doing this. I got nothing outside of this, or these things, or these crazy fucked up moments I grab and hold near me. I move from instant to instant laughing the whole time I find something, anything that appeals to me. So I'm here, because I got pretty much nothing else. I mean ok, I have lots of other things. To be fair. I got guns, and knives, and some stuffed animals with crunchy fur, and the entire run of Golden Girls on VHS AND Blu-Ray."
    Wade shakes his head, "But beyond that, I'm here because... fuck it, why not? Harl's the same way, she talks about going straight and doing the right thing, but she knows she's fucked up too. Other guys on the team got the bombs in their head, or have a sentence to work off."
    A pause as Wade straightens up, "And ok I don't know what Peter's deal is, other than he's adorbs." He takes a deep breath. "But you? The hell are you doing here, Songy-B? You're normal. Ish. You could have a normal whatever..." He gestures over the side, "You could be all two point five kidsing it up out there in Suburbia. I mean sure you got the danger hair, but it's understandable nature gives bright coloration as a warning sign. But why the..."
    He takes a deep breath, turning his head to the side just so he can overly emphasize the next word, "FUCK! Are you here?"

Melissa Gold has posed:
So Many Questions. That's the main thing one got when talking to Deadpool. From why was there a naked guy running around in the woods near a school full of children to why would stuffed animal fur be crunchy and ending at what was the Golden Girls.

He'd probably lose his shit if he knew that last one.

At the mention of the hair coloration being a warning in nature, she glanced upwards in the direction of her hairline and actually smiled before she could stop herself. "Okay, that one I like. I may steal that and use it in the future."

Then she took a deep breath and shook her head negatively as she walked toward the door herself. "We may be more alike than you realize, Deadpool," she said in a conversational tone as she weighed if she should answer. And if so, what parts should she give away. Every instinct in her body screamed to just walk away but she needed to make a connection with these people if they were going to be a real team. She'd learned that much in her lifetime.

"I don't have anything either. My...history isn't something that leads to anyone wanting to settle down with me. I've been a criminal for as long as I can really remember. Been on my own since I was twelve and did what I had to." Which he could just fill in his own blanks cause that was the most she was likely to ever say on that. "Then I went into wrestling and from there, being what they love to call a supervillain in the papers. A member of the Masters of Evil. Later the Thunderbolts. Not the good ones. The first team that tricked everyone into thinking we were heroes.

"As for why I'm here? I guess trying to make a difference. I discovered I suck at being a hero. But an anti-hero? Maybe that I can do."

Wade Wilson has posed:
    When she said they might be more alike than he realizes... she'd see him sort of smirk and turn his head to the side, yet for once he holds his response and actually sort of listens to what she's saying.
    "See alright, right there. A criminal. That we can work with." Though he says that in the brief moment of pause before she starts to speak about exactly what she did as a criminal.
    She gives some insight into her past, and when she says the word 'wrestling' he repeats it to himself silently. But he listens, and seems a passingly decent listener which might be surprising to their other teammates. Yet she fills in the blanks for him and he takes a deep breath before answering finally. "Ohhh, shit."
    He points at her, "I mean super villain. Cool. You gotta respect that. Just from the cubic fuckton of caped weirdos who run around, trying to be a super villain against that crowd is tough." He then opens his hands as if staying her, "But damn, Songbird." He shakes his head.
    "You _actually_ want to do good?"
    The way he says that it's almost as if he can't believe it, he's incredulous.
    "I mean, don't get me wrong. Sometimes I can be... you know, tricked into doing good. Or sometimes I do that whole begrudgingly doing good despite not getting paid but secretly revealing I have a heart of gold thing. But you _actually_ want to do good."
    A beat.
    "And you suck at it, so you're doing this. That is kinda sad." A pause, then he adds, "But relatable." His tone is actually... semi-reasonable.

Melissa Gold has posed:
If she had hoped for any sort of 'oh I'm sure you aren't bad at it', she certainly had the wrong conversational partner. He just said what he thought. Which was both annoying and refreshing. She'd heard enough platitudes and lies from people. Truth was better, even if it wasn't always what one wanted to hear.

"Well, hard for anyone to trust a former criminal to not still be a criminal. Especially after as many years as I did it. Over half my life."

And she considered as she moved to unlock that door so they would be able to exit. Though he could've done the same at any time. It wasn't locked with a key or the like. "I wasn't a very good criminal either, really. Got caught a lot of times." And she let out a humorless laugh as she shrugged. "Maybe that's really my problem. I'm not really good at anything. But I guess I want to try to be a hero. Or did. And here I'm doing good but...my way. With all the negatives that make me who I am able to be used in the 'right way'." She actually did little air quotes on the last two words.

"Anyway. Let's change subjects. I think subs would be good to order in. Let everyone get a good meal before they have to head back to Belle Reve."