16014/Xaviers By Night

Xaviers By Night
Date of Scene:	19 October 2023
Location:	Recreation Room
Synopsis:	A student's nightmares are made real by her mutant power. The X-men have to fight through hellhounds, Bloody Mary and Samara, and then the Headless Horsemen to get to her.
Cast of Characters:	Kitty Pryde, Monet St. Croix, Hope Summers, Warren Worthington, Henry McCoy, Noriko Ashida, Jean Grey, Rogue, Roberto da Costa, Samuel Guthrie
Cast of NPCs:	Charles Xavier

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Kitty Pryde has posed:
It has been a busy day. There was a X-man mission that thankfully didn't require fighting, but that probably tired out a few people as the X-men helped a group of mutants living underground in the storm drains of the Boston. Bringing all of their possessions to somewhere safer, and that would be warmer in the coming winter, and getting everyone moved out had taken some effort.

Now the team is back at the school. There have been time for quick showers in the base. Food was ordered, burritos and bowls from a decent Mexican place, and it is being brought into the Recreation Room to eat. Outside it is a quiet October night. The trees have changed colors but the grass is still pretty green. A great time of year, if starting to get chilly.

A few students are present. For a change they aren't playing video games, but instead are watching scary movies. Freddy Krueger is on the screen, fighting the 'Dream Warriors' which was just the name of the group of students he kills off in the rather old third installment of the Nightmare on Elm Street series. There has been a practical marathon of scary movies going on the last week as the students seem particularly into Halloween this year. Only broken by occasional forays into scary video games like Resident Evil.

Also a showing of Pretty Woman. Don't judge, Piotr had the remote that night. ("Is beautiful story of love, dah?")

Kitty plops down into a chair with a foil-wrapped burrito in hand. Carne asada, extra sour cream, lots of cheese and veggies in hers. "I get it's cheap, but it's rough living underground," she says, shaking her head. "Even rougher moving out. Who'd have thought they'get so much furniture down there!?"

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Monet St. Croix's arm is in a sling from a separate event she was caught up in. Namely her third or so go around in a brawl with Cheetah. She kept her arm on this time and most of her internal organs. Which was a steady improvement from the last time. But, the engagement has left her in an irritable mood (well, by M standards) and has in turn had her be mostly withdrawn.

However, she is making an attempt to show up to more social things after her complete and total freakout of a few days ago at the invasion of her brother. So she's been very, very quiet, kept up a shield of others to not approach her.. But has not met any with her normal verbal barrage or mocking. So she's just mostly been there, been quiet.. But not her normal present but highly anti-social self.

Hope Summers has posed:
"Hello?"

Hope knocks on the doorframe of the Recreation Room. She's dressed like someone trying very hard to lay low. A Mets cap is drawn down low over her eyes, an oversized Jimmy Buffet concert t-shirt scooped up from a second hand place, and a pair of jeans bloused into chunky black combat boots. A non-descript Jansport backpack is slung over one shoulder.

She sniffs the air at the smell of Mexican food. Not immediately placing what it is, but nice smelling food is nice smelling food.

"Oh, hey," she offers, spotting the few recognizable faces that she notes as either faculty or X-Men or both, "I'm looking for Professor Xavier. Is he around or ... ?"

Warren Worthington has posed:
Warren Worthington actually prefers these more casual gatherings than the formal events he usually attends. Not that he's likely to admit it. He has a bad reputation to uphold, after all.

He's wearing a simple light sweater over a t-shirt, his wings out but kept close to the body to keep from taking up too much space indoors. He reaches down and steals a spare jalapeno from Kitty, "You should see how much furniture I have. It's ludicrous. I should probably send them some of mine. I might not even notice it. I think there are a few rooms in the London house I've never even seen..."

He turns his eyes back to the screen, "I always dug the girl with the switchblade."

Henry McCoy has posed:
Food food! Having completed the last bit of his research in his lab for the time being, Henry followed the aroma of the Mexican feast. Mmm... burritos! He made his way through the manor, finding himself in the recreation room. He offers a smile to those present, waving to Kitty. "Is it a free for all? Or should I order more?" He wonders.

There's a glance to Monet, though he's not going to ask after the arm. He guesses she'll bring it up if she needs it looked at.

He looks to Hope, then to the others. "I've not seen him today, but I've been nose-down in my research." He offers sheepishly, before giving a wave and grin to Warren.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Noriko helped bring in the food, because, what else does she have to do?  Plus it's kind of her job.  School jobs always come with outside hours activities and duties.  This is one of those.  She hasn't been as open and friendly with younger students lately, and has blurry-trudged a few burritos over with her, though there's only one in her hand.

Then suddenly the speedster hops into a chair near Kitty and her burrito is already in her mouth.  As for Hope, when she comes in, Noriko slows down her eating to pay attention, shrugs.  "Haven't seen him," then somehow politely eats the rest of her burrito.  It's just disappearing in live stop-action with each bite.  She's dressed in some dark cargo pants and a bubblegum pink tank top, and some blue kicks.

Noriko glances to see if anyone else shows any signs of acknowledgement to Hope.

"I think I got enough for everyone...and me a few times over," Noriko calls back to Hank.

Jean Grey has posed:
Whenever there are larger scale student activities going on, it's a good bet that Jean will be there to supervise things, or at least make an appearance or check in from time to time to make sure that everything is going well and no one is burning down the building. It's her job to be some kind of vague adult authority, after all! Still, the various holiday events usually mean at least a little bit of a loosening up of the rules in favor of seasonal spirit. No one likes a Grouch. Or... a wicked witch, or whatever the Halloween equivalent is. So, even with one mission in the bag, her duties for the night aren't over. There's no rush, however, and after what seems like a slightly more indulgent-length shower (the Jacuzzi is fixed now...).

Plus they ordered food! THE PHOENIX HUNGERS. Or maybe that's just her stomach.

Emerging from the elevator with Rogue, she's definitely changed for a dressed down evening, in sweat-pants and an oversized sweater. Very un-headmistress-y, and far more maximum cozy comfort. She's even wearing slippers. "I could hear you all thinking about the food!" she exclaims, as they make their way in, and heads for wherever the bags of delivery are waiting to start hunting through them. "Oh this one's extra guac and sour cream, what did you get?" she wonders, grabbing one and looking back over her shoulder. "Oh, hi Hope! I didn't know you were visiting. Mm. I haven't seen him since earlier today. If he's not in his office, he might be down working with Xandra, we've both been putting in a lot of time helping her with her telepathy. I should give them a ping. She might want to join in on all this 'terran entertainment.'"

Rogue has posed:
A X-Men mission without any punching? Boring!

Rogue played along though, and at least her suit wasn't damaged on this run.

She steps off of the hidden lift with Jean, the wal closing back over it in the east wing main hallway. Dressed in a New York Rangers hockey jersey, with her hands in her own baggy black sleeping pants, the Belle just strides along with Jean, her hair brushed smooth back behind her shoulders.

When they step in to the rec room she sees the horror movie on the screen, and leans over toward Jean. "I think that movie is totally loaded with nudity." She has to whisper, having seen at least one Freddy movie in the past 5 years, and it... well, she's a responsible Teacher and adult now!

She gathers up some of the food, and is looking it over when she hears the voice of Hope, and Jean recognizing her. Rogue looks back at the new arrival, smiling warmly toward her. OFfering a little wave of her right black gloved hand from within the baggy sleeve of the blue red and white sports jersey.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde waves to Hope and flashes her a smile. "He's probably in his office working late if I know him." She gestures to Henry McCoy to help himself. They ordered exactly what people asked for that were on the mission, but knowing how things are at the school, there were extra burritos for those who would wander through and want one, courtesy of Noriko's speedy delivery abilities. Kitty smiles up at Warren. "Some warm clothing for winter is probably what they could use most," she says. "If you want we could head back up this weekend to drop something off, and check in on them."


Sometimes there is a moment when things change, and you know it. It could be that different-smelling breeze that signals the arrival of a weather front. Or the way it feels when someone is moving away from your life.

Though this particular moment when things change is far more overt. A high-pitched scream of terror can be heard throughout the school, seeming to come from upstairs in the residential areas. It dies out and then repeats, and then a third time.

The lighting begins to flicker. It goes out and only one or two lights come back on, and those unusually dim. The TV is dead. Through the windows outside, everyone can see a mist spreading across the ground, and the previously beautiful evening seems to turn gloomy and foreboding. Soon it is difficult to see more than a few dozen feet outside for the mist.

It doesn't stay out either. Wisps of it drift in from the hallway, staying nearer to the floor. And then something stirring on the walls might make people jump. It takes a moment or two to tell what it is in the dim light. Vines are growing along the walls, dark choker vines with blight leaves with black spots that leave very little green to be seen.

Tommy, one of the students who has a vaguely frog-like appearance stares at the plant-like growths in awe. He walks over to one of the walls and reaches out tentatively to poke a finger at a vine. Immediately, thorns jut out of the vine and stick his hand, making him yelp and jump back. It only takes a few seconds and he's starting to stagger, and another student helps him in a chair as he's quickly losing his ability to stand upright.

Another scream sounds. And down the hallway, through the misty dark that grips the school, the brighter light as from open flame can be seen.

Kitty rushes over to Tommy, checking his pulse. "I'm going to get him down to the medical bay," she says of the high tech facility in the X-men base. "And then I'll get the rest of the students into the Danger Room assuming it's not, well, like this," she says, gesturing at the vines. "Someone sounds like she's in danger, can you guys get to them?"

Kitty Pryde has posed:
For those who head down the hallway, the vines don't reach out for anyone, but getting right up near to them will result in those spiky thorns popping out hoping to catch flesh. The mist seems thicker towards the entrance to the school. But soon it's being lit by fire, and it's clear to see it's more smoke than mist.

The front doors are open, but the doors themselves look mishapen and deformed, the wood turned a putrid black. And standing in the entry way are several black hounds. As big as wolves, standing as tall as a person at the shoulder, but with hairless dark skin. Their eyes glow red and turn down the hallway towards anyone coming down it. The one in front lets out a growl, lips pulling back and ichor dripping from its maw. And then it breathes out and fire extends a few feet from its nose as the Hellhounds all turn towards the X-men, their eyes settled on prey as they start forward towards those they see!

Hope Summers has posed:
Hope kind of blinks at the multiple answers to her question. She tugs on the brim of her cap thoughtfully, almost like a nervous tick, as she looks from person to person and nods in mute reply.

"I - um, yeah. Well, about visiting, I wanted to ask -- hey! Maybe you can help me. You're, like, the chief teacher, right? The manager? What do you call it?"

It seems as though her question may go unanswered, however, as weirdness begins to fill the room around them. The scream causes her to stand bolt upright, and all of a sudden there's a pistol in her hands. Finger off the trigger, but nestled against the side, she has it immediately drawn and aimed at the door.

Then there are plants, and collapsing students, and ... a fire?

She's brusque in the way she immediately becomes all business, pushing almost roughly past Doctor Grey and Rogue to move out into the hall. She narrows her eyes at the appearance of the hounds by the door and ...

> KRAK! KRAK KRAK KRAK! <

Oh, good. Hope's shooting at them.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
The glance from Henry gets a very,v ery small look of appreciation over from Monet that's hard to pick out unless one makes cmplete eye contact over with her. She picks up the approach of Hope - the girl she's met a few times and that her understanding of her life is 'complicated, then more complicated' as she moves to go to speak something.. And then the yelp over from Tommy has her look at him with concern over and she goes to start to try and use her telepathic abilities to scan ahead.

Glancing at Hope, and then speaking, "Summers, go ahead." Hope could pick up abilities from the rest of them with whatever was going on and get there quickly. She moves to quickly get up and moves to head in the direction of the noise.

And before she can go ahead and offer up more things are being shot at, and Monet goes tos wear as she catches the /look/ of the things. "Dammit."

And of course Illyana isn't about. or Meggan. Or Pixie. Or anyone that specializes in this sort of scenario. She goes to immediately move on an interception course for the Hell hounds - her intent is to act as a screen in case there are students in the path of them that are being chased.

Henry McCoy has posed:
"Oh my stars and garters!" Henry comments, as he was just about to fix a plate. He bounds over to where Tommy had collapsed into a seat. He starts checking the young boy, nodding to Kitty. "Let's go - I want to make sure we can neutralize whatever toxin might be affecting him." He is certain that he can carry the young boy, and knows Kitty can phase them. "Take a deep breath, Tommy." He says, in a reassuring tone.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
When the lights flicker, Noriko thinks nothing of it.  Lights do that around her.  But when other stuff starts to happen like some kind of diseased plant hugging the school real hard from the inside out?  Well, Noriko complains.

"I just wanted to eat my burritos in peace," the speedster says after the first scream, thinking it a dumb prank.  When she sees the vines, she finishes her first burrito.  "What the hell," Noriko rolls her eyes when Hope starts shooting, having no idea what it is, but knowing there are people and children around-ish.  She zips as fast as possible to track the trajectory of each bullet, making sure there aren't any unintended casualties like from a ricochet.  But about the third bullet in she gets bored of it.

Noriko pulls out a second burrito from one of her cargo pouches as everything slowly unfolds around her.

Warren Worthington has posed:
Warren Worthington turns sharply, "Who in the blue hell brought a GUN?" he says, unable to react to much more than the sudden eruption of violence and chaos around him, with the only immediate he has on hand: haughty disdain.

He starts to head for the hallwaly, only to make eye contact with the Hellhounds, "Illyana, what have you done?" he mutters under his breath as he starts to head towards the doors to see if he can find a way out. There's something prickling at the back of his mind though - something isn't right here and it's not just that they're being attacked.

Jean Grey has posed:
Holding her hot, still-wrapped meal in one hand, Jean looks more than a trifle preturbed by this interruption! Can't even have a burrito in peace.

Of course, it's sadly not a new situation to her, and so her switch flips quickly to crisis-management mode, and authoritative Headmistress voice. "Alright, you all know the drill." Literally. They have drills! "Everyone find a partner and then follow Ms. Pryde as she leads toward the evacuation area. Keep together and watch for each other, and if anything happens alert a teacher right away." Although there may be action right at hand, her first priority is clearly on the orderly management of the students.

That said, she can do some things without rushing off face the foes directly. Once she sees that the students are more or less on track toward what they need to do and where they need to go, she turns back toward the door, although she doesn't rush out quite as boldly as Hope. "Careful of friendly fire in here," she advises, albeit only mildly, peeking out just far enough to see the very strange sight standing there in the foyer, while at the same time raising a pair of fingers to her temple in that ever-familiar gesture.

Jean closes her eyes. "I'm not getting any thoughts local to the creatures. But there's... something. A larger presence, maybe."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue was still sorting through food when things went Full Thriller all around them. Her back was to the rec room windows, so she hadn't noticed the fog outside, but the scream did draw her eyes out toward the main foyer, before the light show started. Everything else just has the Belle sweeping her eyes from one person to the next.

It isn't until Hope starts shooting that Rogue turns and begins to march. She starts pulling her hockey jersey up and off, tossing it over to one of the tables in the rec room, as if there is going to be a fight, she doesn't want her pretty sports jersey damaged! Dressed now in a tight fit tanktop of black in hue, with her black gloves on still, Rogue spies the targets that Hope is firing at, her eyes narrowing at it.

"This is some kinda drug or mind control stuff." She announces to anyone within ear shot of her. "Where did this food come from?" She initially questions, as it is the first idea that strikes her mind now whilst moving to make herself a tastey target for any evil attackers that may have ideas of their own!

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty leads the mostly-frightened students to a spot in the middle of the rooms to have them wait there so they don't have to brave the halls covered with vines. One or two students who protest they want to help are quickly shushed. Kitty then phases Beast and Tommy down through the floor, heading for the X-men's base below ground.

One of Hope's shots is either very good, or very lucky, depending on her marksmanship. It hits one of the leading Hellhounds in the eye. It falls over, crashing to the floor. Within seconds, flames spring up around its body, devouring its flesh with an unnatural speed. Turning the body into black mist, until all that is left is a scorched mark on the floor as the rest of the darker fog blends in with the rest of the mist covering the floor. Clearly it is not a normal living creature! Another of the Hellhounds rakes its claw across the floor, scoring it and leaving more evidence they definitely exist physically.

The other Hellhounds bound forward. They are fast, and they are strong. One leaps at Monet, mouth gaping open to sink its sharp teeth into her.

More of the pack rush forward to either side of the lead animal, or apparition, closing rapidly on the humans with an eagerness that speaks of blood lust and a desire to kill. One of the Hellhounds breathes out a gout of fire towards Rogue!

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Monet goes to lash out with her hands, managing to catch the jaw of the thing as it would unsnap. Her hands brace over agaisnt it, holding the gaping muzzle wide. She struggles with it as teeth snap out, seeming more and more growing from it! She's having to press the bandaged part of her arm into it to hold it back, where Cheetah cut her to the bone and her world goes white with pain. She manages to avoid screaming. Both hands braced to hold it open..

Then a forked tongue spikes out from it's maw, lancing over with fire and moves to spear he through the side as she goes to howl in pain!

She goes to forcibly snap the jaws upwards and downwards, then moves tos mash the thing over in the neck. Panting as she goes to yank the firey tongue out of her side.

She moves to drop the thing.. Right as it's head suddenly twists about completely 760 degrees to put itself back in proper plac,e the jaws snapped back to proper, and then it goes to blast her over in the face with fire! She can only retreat, even as her face would be roasted and she's having to work on shielding herself!

Hope Summers has posed:
"Know what I'm doing," Hope tells Jean in a clipped, no-nonsense tone as she keeps her firearm leveled at the Hounds of Hell, "Not my first ... whatever you call it. Cow riding competition."

Her aim is remarkably focused and with minimal spread, centered on the closest of the beasts. Though when Rogue and Jean announce their observations, she immediately borrows some Omega-level telepathy of her own. Sensing the same, she takes her finger from the trigger and points the weapon at the ceiling.

Still, she can't help but smirk when the beastie collapses in a heap. Deadeye Summers, reporting for duty.

The gun still clasped in one hand, she reaches out for another of the hounds. Telekinetically seizing it out of the air, several bones and internal workings crack under the extreme pressure of potent ability wielded by an amateur hand. It's an unpleasant sight to see it twist and fold in on itself before it disappears in a puff of hellfire with a plaintive howl.

There's nothing flashy or superheroic about the way she takes on the creatures. It's production-line style destruction. She relinquishes Jean's abilities to borrow those of another nearby mutant. As Monet's strength and toughness infuse her, she swings an arm through the air like an errant sledgehammer to send a pouncing monster crashing into the wall with a plaster-and-wood splintering thud.

Warren Worthington has posed:
Warren Worthington may seem powerless in many ways in such a situation, but he's got experience and training on his side. Not to mention, the physical perfection of his body -is- one his abilities, giving him remarkable timing, self-control, grace and, while not superhuman in his level of strength, as fit and strong as a human of his build could possibly be.

He uses Judo, mostly, his wings just extra limbs, allowing him to use the hound's strength against it. The flames he dodges, only barely though, until he gets on the back of the thing and wrestles it down, until he finally breaks the damn thing's neck with his arm around its throat.

He jerks back as it licks into flames, shaking it off as best he can. He knows violence and is more than capable of it, but he has never become entirely immune to it. He does not like killing things, even things of evil, even if he isn't even sure if they're real.

"Somebody smarter than me please figure out how to end this," he says softly.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Noriko has plenty of pent up electricity.  She was just about to need to excuse herself to discharge, given she recently broke her gauntlets doing who knows what.  It's not really a sustainable situation, so when a hell hound comes barreling at her and her second burrito, the speedster merely holds out her forearm to let the hound munch down into a BUZZZZZZZZZ as electricity surges through its body.

The speedster just continues to surge like some hopped up Blanka a la Street Fighter III.  Her whole body is alight when a second hound goes for her burrito.

"NO!"  Noriko, out of a burrito-reflex, punches the hell hound in a quick jab that splats its face with a crunch and sends it flying into a wall, leaving an outline of its body behind.  "Oww-grosss," she shakes out her punching hand and viscera flings off at high speeds with little regard for trajectory.

The second burrito is finished.  Noriko uses her cleanest hand to reach into the cargo pocket on the other side.  Burrito three retrieved.

Jean Grey has posed:
"I know. Nathan's really done a wonderful job raising you." Gosh, is this gonna get weird? Such wholesome pride in young Hope! "But I still get to nag. Grandmotherly privilege. Or being, what did you call it, 'Chief Teacher'? Take your pick." Somehow, despite the strange scenario unfolding around them, Jean is smiling.

And for the most part, she doesn't rush into action, instead remaining and watching how Hope handles her own powers with a mix of curiousity and a more instructor-ly analytical eye. At the same time, her hand hasn't left it's place beside her head. Maybe she's looking for something in particular, or maybe she's just trying to keep aware.

Or she's playing defenese, as becomes obvious, when a coughed up fireball flies their way but impacts harmlessly upon an empty patch of 'nothing' mid-air, causing just a little yellow-orange flicker to form and then just as quickly vanish back to nothing.

"Well, I'm no Hank, but I'm 'looking,'" she calls back to Warren. "But it- well, it really feels like it's everywhere. And there's a lot of extra overlap from everyone else's own emotions, even the students just from their movie, and now this. Could be it's feeding on that and amplifying it back toward us, whatever it is?"

Her voice is uncertain here. It's guesswork, not a firm answer. "Everyone try and keep focused. Mind your thoughts, mental discipline."

Rogue has posed:
When the fire comes at her, Rogue flies upward, and backward, ending up standing on the wooden railing of the eastern staircase. She avoids the flame spout sent her way, with her gloved hands clenched tightly together. She watches everyone move in on the evil hounds, staying back and out of the way. She's not in a good mood right now, which means the exposed skin of her arms and shoulders is dangerous should she accidentally brush up against one of her own people right now.

"This feels like a distraction." Rogue announces down toward where Jean and Hope are, as Nori goes for her Burrito hat trick.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
The Hellhounds are tough opponents, but the powers being wielded against them are whittling the pack down. They fight as a group, trying to surround people and attack from the flank.

Warren, Monet and Hope manage to take down Hellhounds, and Noriko electrocutes one. Each corpse bursts into flame, threatening to burn a hero who remains too near to it. Making little flaming mounds in the hallway that the X-men have to fight around, while the hounds don't seem to mind the flames in the slightest, rushing through them to attack!

Upstairs and still some distance away, another terrified scream sounds like the one heard earlier. The hounds seem to rush forward with even more fervor, intent on rending flesh, their eyes glowing red with their desire to kill!

Monet St. Croix has posed:
IT's the covering fire from the others that helps Monet get through it. Whether it's energy blasts from Hope, smashings by Rogue, zottings by Noriko, or those perfect abs from Warren.. She's able to get a few mometns to breathe over with half her hair singed away over.

"We must speak to Mrs. Rasputina later." That's gritted out through pained teeth even as she goes to charge to catch one of the Hellhounds to hold it down for one of the others to finish off!

Hope Summers has posed:
Mental discipline. Hope can do that.

She lets Monet's powers go, considering going full electrified speedster mode for a moment just to see what it's like before internally chiding herself. Plus, wings don't seem like a great asset indoors and she's not sure she wants to experience suddenly growing new appendages. No, it makes the most sense to go back to the Phoenix-fried well that is her dear sweet grandmama.

Once again enjoying a profound Jean's abilities, a taste of which she's had through Cable already, she knows how to use them provided she doesn't swing for the fences. Rather than reaching out telepathically or flinging bolts of telekinetic energy, she instead shields her mind off from everything around her. A charming little blank spot in the psionic landscape.

That's when she notices one of the remaining Hellhounds darting in her direction. A gout of flame belched towards her, she drops to the ground on her back in time to let the beast leap over here. The pistol is in her hands again, unloaded into its torso with precision and leaving her splattered in foul ichor before the thing gives up the ghost.

"Thanks, nanna," she says to Jean in response to her proud admiration. She's about to speak again when she turns her head in the direction of the scream upstairs.

Jean Grey has posed:
"Yeah. It's... something isn't right about it, that's for sure," Jean finds herself agreeing with Rogue. "What we're seeing isn't the full picture. The hell-doggos aren't in our heads, exactly, but they don't seem entirely real, either. As if maybe they're just pieces of something larger?" Ultimately, whatever she's sensing, Jean can't quite pin it down with any more specificity than that. So she keeps on working through it, trying to focus in.

Which makes it convenient that someone else can make use of her abilities, when she's a little too dialed in to use them all anyway!

"Hey, remember that time when that giant demon got loose in Salem?" she asks Rogue, offhandedly, in the middle of all of this. "You took it's arm off, and ended up with some little imp following you around like a puppy?" This story may or not have any actual relevance to the situation at hand, but she just couldn't help but be reminded of it!

The scream resounds again.

"We need to get up there." It's stated firmly, although the saying is obviously easier than the doing. Another thing Illyana would be helpful for! But no. "I'll see if I can get through mentally, maybe-" More psychic mumbo jumbo! Hand gestures, focus, you know the drill!

Rogue has posed:
Rogue remains on the eastern wing staircase bannister, her green and yellow sneakers adjusting to standing on the polished wood, even if she's using her flight power to keep her well balanced. She keeps her eyes on the action down below, as Jean calls up to her about that Salem Center event a couple years back.

An Imp that followed her around. "What does Remy have to do with this?" She asks, before she finally remembers the little giggling guy that had been nicknamed 'Lewis' by some of the students. "God, I forgot about him. Is this---" She's cut off by the scream.

It sounded like it came from the girl's dorms on the eastern wing of the second floor... i.e. right over Rogue's left shoulder. She turns to face the stairs, jumping down on to them the Belle just rushes up toward the girl's dorms off of the second floor landing, trying to view trouble, or listen for more sounds to lead her toward it...

Kitty Pryde has posed:
The X-men take down the last of the Hellhounds. The scent of their burning corpses raises a sulfurous stink in the warped-looking entryway of the school. There are just a few moments to see to any wounds where someone was bit or burned, and then the need to check the rest of the school takes the heroes upstairs.

The hallway seems longer than normal. Darker, with those eerie blighted black vines clinging to the walls and ceiling. Many of the doors are covered over. In fact only one door can be seen open. At the far end of the hall where it bends. A door sits almost fully ajar, revealing there is a dim, flickering light as of candles in that room.

As the heroes advance down the hall, being careful to avoid the vines, they can hear a voice, as of a little girl. Too young of a voice to be any of the students, it comes from the room.

"Bloody Mary..."

"Bloody Mary..."

"Bloody Mary."

The name is repeated again and again, the little voice eerie sounding as the heroes draw near to the doorway. Finally they reach it and get a view inside.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
The name is repeated again and again, the little voice eerie sounding as the heroes draw near to the doorway. Finally they reach it and get a view inside.

The room contents are not that of a student's room as expected. The room isn't even the right size, it's larger. The walls dark and aged, but lacking the vines in the hallway. The room is short on furnishings, the furniture aged, from the threadbare chairs to an old rear projection TV. A full-sized stand mirror is prominently placed along one wall, and a few candles sitting here and there in corners.

There's no one there to be seen that was speaking. But as the heroes look, a form appears in the mirror, with nothing to cause the reflection. A woman, with dark hair in an elaborate hairdo fitting for the Victorian dress she wears. Though the dress is soaked with blood. Blood that runs down her arms to her fingertips that end in wicked looking claws.

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She steps OUT of the mirror and into the room, her eyes falling on the heroes at the doorway. Her voice cackles with evil glee and she gestures towards the mirror. Another figure emerges from it, though this one in a crawl with her limbs moving in ways that human joints don't usually bend. If it's not the monster from The Ring it's a very close approximation to it.

Bloody Mary cackles again and points forward, the pair moving to attack. Something else moving in the mirror can be seen but not fully made out yet.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Oh, lovely. "Don't you have a flair for the theatrical? This is subpar. I would expect something better from a vaudeville performance. This is sad, unoriginal, and at best an infringement upon what other performances have done a far, far better version of." She's taunting. Whatever this is - entity, anthropormorphization, antagonist.. It's not going to respond well voer ot being taunted. That hopefully gets it's attention over on her.. And a bit more of an opening to the others.

OF course, she still has one arm in a very, very bad state that Henry will have to fix up later, her face has been hit by hellfire, and most of her hair burnt away. She's keeping one eye closed to minimize further burning.

She flies evasively, trying to draw any attack over towards her to lure the thing away from the others.

Hope Summers has posed:
For Hope, the urban legend and media bases for everything that is happening to them is unknown. As far as she can tell, this is just weird and dangerous stuff like giant radioactive scorpions or armies of murderous cyborg soldiers. So she's far from screaming and panicking.

Her eyes settle on the strangely dressed woman emerging from the mirror, and once again the gun is raised. She doesn't check with the others to make sure it's okay, she's confident enough in her aim to not fear hitting anyone she doesn't mean to hit. She raises it up and fires.

She misses!

Except it's on purpose, it seems. The mirror shatters as the bullet strikes it. That done, she turns the gun on Bloody Mary only to hold her fire out of an unwillingness to shoot 'around' Monet. She's sure it wouldn't hurt, but why waste a bullet irritating a fancy lady?

"So, what are you thinkin?" Hope asks, "Some sort of illusionist? Reality manipulator? Is this thing like the dogs downstairs?"

Jean Grey has posed:
Jean shakes her head back at Rogue. "I doubt it's really related, it just sort of reminded me. As far as both Illyana and Dr. Strange told us, those were... well, legit creatures from hell, whatever that means in the grand scheme of things." She's not really religious, so it's all pretty vague! "But I'm pretty sure this isn't that. I guess that's the usefulness of the comparison. Even demons -think-. But these?"

The unusual geometries of the hallway are certainly disorienting, although to Jean, the effect is one that once more provokes thought more than it does anything else. "I didn't experience it like the rest of you did, since I was already 'inside', but I remember Xuan telling me about the 'Nightmare Barrier' inside the M'kraan Crystal. This is almost closer to that. Reality altered to match thought, rather than a mental illusion. I wonder what could be so powerful as to do that on this scale, if it's what's happening..."

All of this is musing still, rather than a definitive take, but it's all Jean can really do to try and piece the mystery together. Meanwhile, as they finally approach a goal of a sort, and it creates more antagonists for them - in this case clearly drawn from such urban folklore and stock of cultural tropes - that she finds her stance reinforced, despite the attack. And then there's another thought: "It's entirely possible one of the students is doing it."

Thus, even as they're attacked, her focus remains mental. "Can you all cover me?" Rogue and Monet are brawlers, so who better than to brawl with those creepy-crawlies. And she doesn't need to give Hope permission to 'borrow' at will.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue is at the top of the stairs when the others come rushing up to join her. The odd angles and distorted vision of the hallways has Rogue reaching up to rub her gloved hands over the back of her bare arms, each one covered in goosebumps at the eerieness of all of this. She's never been one for scary movies, even if they've travelled across the galaxy to fight monsters on other worlds. Some Human psychology never changes.

The Mississippi girl looks to Jean then as she's joined by the redhead. "Ya know all I did t'get him t'ffollow me around was give him a Snickers bar, and smile at him. He was just a .. a guy. A tiny, weird lookin, horn-ball guy. This feels diffferent though, that was cold and evil, this feels taunting almost..." The Belle states that last part as they move down the hallway together.

With the others reaching the door ahead of them, and Hope already taking another shot inside it, Rogue knows they've found something. She sees the visage of Bloody Mary inside the bedroom, and slips herself inside the gap between people, with Monet rushing for the Ring Bitch, Rogue moves toward Bloody Mary.

She doesn't hold back, just curls her lips in disgust at the woman in her old world attire, then throws a hot haymaker right for Bloody Mary's nose!

Roberto da Costa has posed:
Roberto Da Costa drives his newest toy, the stayeof the art LexCar e-cruiser. Through the gate, "Wow, Storm is going all out this years. Yeah, I will never get used to girl Higgins and now she's pregnant? Totally jumping the shark." He parks and nods to Sam, "Thanks for coming Sam, I just wanted to check on Monet. She had a rough time of it." He shakes his head. "Her brother is a real piece of work." He opens the door of the car and leads the way to the house. "Wow... this unusual for the mansion. I mean you rural types usually go all in for Halloween but... this is alot right?" He offers a grin, but then stiffens, "That was a gunshot!" He tries the doors but finding them warped shifts to pulling them open with solar powered strength. "Who is it this time!"

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie looks over and says "Yea this is a bit much, and didn't see anything on the message boards about. He will walk along beside Berto after the door is ripped off. "Well sounded like the Gunshot came from upstairs." He tells the other man. "Someone piss off Poison Ivy maybe?" He ponders a bit.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
The distorted body of the dark-haired Ring creature, Samara, scuttles over to the wall, running up on hands and feet, joints bent at unnatural angles, and as if gravity didn't exist. And then leaping at Monet where the young woman is flying, arms extended as if to throttle her! The creature is strong, possibly as strong as Monet, and seems only to want to kill.

As the bullet whizzes past Blood Mary, a monstrous ugly green-skinned arm with wicked talons has started to reach out from the mirror. It's big. Big enough whatever it belongs to may struggle to squeeze through the mirror. Or not, who can really say if it's size matters?

But the bullet strikes the mirrored glass and it shatters, sending shards skittering across the floor. The demonic arm just falls to the ground, severed at the spot it was passing through the mirror.

Bloody Mary lets out a horrible sounding shriek as she lunges at Rogue. Her claws aim to slash Rogue across her chest even as Rogue's punch lands. Mary's head snaps back, the blow strong enough to kill a normal person. But only bruises her face further and sends some of the blood that clings to her body splattering, and a trickle of blood from her lip. Her eyes shine with hate as she jumps at Rogue again, trying to drive her claws into the X-man!!

Further in the building, the voice sounds again, this time more of a sob than a scream, as if a voice can only scream so much before it, or the mind behind it, begins to fail. Jean, and Hope while she's copying Jean's telepathic powers, can sense a stirring in the mind they've sensed, the timing coming at the same time as the sob.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
It's the stuff of nightmares. Literally perhaps. But this is the sort of thing that likely can't be resolved by no more scary movies before bed. Not all things can be finished so simply. She goes to speak along the mental conduit <<Whatever it is, resolve it quickly!>> Because a series of increasingly magical maleolvent entities spreading throughout the Mansion is not going to end well!

She geos to try and move to charge over at Bloody Mary, moving to try and grab onto the apparition to move to try and slow it down as it would charge at Rogue! Attempting to dig her feet over in to the gruond to anchor herself and slow it's lunge to hopefully let the bigger,s tranger, brawler woman slow it down! Or the arriving Berto and Sam dynamic duo to defeat it!

Hope Summers has posed:
"You lead a strange life," Hope tells Rogue in a matter-of-fact tone, looking satisfied with herself as the weird demon arm is severed. She gives it a kick for good measure with a booted foot.

She's one to talk.

It's then that she moves towards the Ring Beastie - Samara to her friends - and seizes her by the back of the white nightdress she wears. There's an old CRT television in the corner, a relic that nobody has gotten around to tossing in the dump yet, and the redhead's eyes suddenly light up.

"Wait! I saw this one! We watched it at that stupid make-pretend elf game night after the book got all burnt up!"

Then, letting go of Jean's telepathy to borrow Monet's strength, she heaves the Ring Girl into the television screen head first. There's a crash, a shower of sparks, a puff of acrid smoke.

"Huh. Okay, so it's different. Now we know."

Jean Grey has posed:
"... yeah it looked a lot like that, actually, except for being red instead of green," Jean remarks, as the shattered mirror severs the giant arm. What is it about portals and giant arms?! "If I'm remembering right, anyway."

However, the time for idle chatter about their previous adventure seems to have passed, as the fights between Monet, Rogue, and the two monstrous women grow more intense. While it isn't to say Jean wasn't taking things seriously before, her approach was definitely more cautious and analytical, not motivated by immediate danger or survival. But seeing that thing take a real haymaker from Rogue and keep going?

"We definitely need to figure it out. Because if it's not really playing by normal physical rules, then we could end up in a lot of trouble, no matter what kind of powers we have on hand." And so Jean continues on her thinky quest. To most observers, there is little to observe in this, although of course Hope may be aware of parts of it as she weaves in and out of telepathic participation. Finally, there's something there, at the end of whatever she's following. And so she reaches out.

<< Hello? >>

At this point it's all about finding out who, what she's even dealing with here. Solutions are step #2.

Henry McCoy has posed:
Bounding back up to where the action is, Henry follows the sound of the battle. Parkour-enthusiasts would be envious at the path that the Beast takes to return to his friends. He lands in a crouch near the others, frowning. "Are we sure this isn't Mastermind?" He asks, surveying the scene. "Or Karma playing a prank?" Not that the latter would likely occur, not like this.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue watches her first hit stun the bitch, but not put her down. This gets a grimace from the Belle, who has to pivot and step back to avoid the swipe toward her chest! She glances over at Hope who is ffighting that sewer looking chick, then back to Bloody Mary.

"Alright, fine. Come on." Rogue taunts her, waiting for Mary to take another strike before she lashes out with one gloved hand to grab the woman's punching wrist. She spins the arm around by said wrist, pulling Mary around to bend her wrist up toward her own arm until there is a snap of bone.

Rogue rushes forward then, standing behind Mary, she rushes her right toward the fireplace in the room, beffore giving her a hard shove and a kick to the ass, aiming Bloody mary right in to the open fireplace yawning maw!

Head against bricks!

"My life didn't get this weird until I moved ta this house!" Rogue says back to Hope. "Where are those screams comin' from? Whoever is screamin' is the culprit behind all'a this!" Rogue declares in ffrustration at another night of madness.

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie comes in with Berto, and seeing the fight going on he takes a moment to see what is going on. The woman slammed head first into a TV seems to be moving again, so Sam takes the easy move and tips the TV over atop her to at least trap her under it "What's going on?" He asks as he sees the ladies.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
The beating that the X-men put on the mythological and movie monsters is enough to cause them to go still. Bloody Mary slumps to the ground, and over the next few minutes her corpse seems to just deflate, leaking out a morass of blood onto the floor that might make Rogue want to lift into the air, or at least step quick, to avoid.

Sparks are still coming from the old fashioned TV on Samara's head as she's slumped there after the blow from Sam Guthrie. Her corpse seems to slowly dissolve into a nasty smelling loamy looking dirt, the TV settling into the pile.

Kitty sends her thoughts to Jean and the others. <<Tommy is going to be ok. I have the students in the Danger Room. The base doesn't seem to be affected like the rest of the school, whatever is causing it.>>

The sounds of a female voice sobbing can still be heard down the hallway. As the X-men move out of the room to investigate, the hallway they move down is even more changed than the last. The walls are still covered with vines, but there are thicker tree trunks of dark wood there as well, as if a forested lane. Tree branches of dark wood stretch across the ceiling, looking like eerie hands reaching out in search of prey. The ceiling is even taller, the hall wider, than normal.

Down at the end of a hall, Janie's bedroom can be seen. The youngest student currently at the school, she's only been at Xavier's for two weeks. The extent and nature of her mutant power still being worked out. Her room is the only room they've seen lit, though the lights are flickering and intermittent. Janie is curled up in a fetal position in the corner beside her bed, sobbing. Staring in absolute terror at the monstrous figure outside her door.

In front of her door is a dark figure on a horse. It is facing her room, but then turns towards the X-men as if it has just realized they are there. The shoulders are completely bare. The Horseman, Headless. Until he reaches down to his side and pulls up a pumpkin with flaming eyes and rests it on his head. He spurs his horse which rears back, and then begins charging down the hallway. The Headless Horseman sweeps his hand and darts of fire fly through the air towards the X-men!

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Oh, lovely. This is getting far, far more catastrophic with every moment. It's the wails and fears of a child caught in the darkness. And so Monet takes a breath. Moves to take a hand up to brush her hair away from her face, where it's burnt and scalded.. And shen she goes to head on in to the room. One arm up in a sling that she had just rearranged.

And she goes to take a breath. <<She needs calmed and reassured. This will keep on escalating the longer she is terrified. She needs to be soothed. The longer this goes on, the worse her fears will be, and the more trauma she will take. She needs to be assured that she is safe and that everything will be all right.>>

Monet says this rather calmly along to the rest of the group. <<Samual, when one of your siblings is scared from a nightmare, how did you help them when they were her age? Doctor McCoy, can you think of something to help reassure her?>> If they're facing the personification of a girl's terrors and nightmares.. They need to find a way to help sooth her.

And then Monet goes to sigh over and adjusts her posture in a way that is 'I will kill you if you mention this' and she starts to.. Sing. It's a lullabye in French, going through the air and piercing through the chaos and the carnage. It echos.

Hope Summers has posed:
"Why are all your old fashioned spooky things so gross?" Hope asks, a little irritated by the whole affair and giving Sam a frowning and skeptical look in reponse to his sudden arrival.

"Ugh."

Hope does her best to avoid the pooling bloody puddle, switching back over to 'Nanna Mode' by picking up Jean's powers. Stepping out into the hall, she spots the Headless Horseman and his pumpkin. Some of the fire strikes an invisible field around her, while the rest hits the wall as she reflexively dodges out of the way.

Looking for the simplest solution, perhaps alarmingly so, Hope can be felt reaching out to Janie's mind. It's not the scalpel approached of a practiced telepath, but more like a heavy and blunt object being swept through the astral in Janie's direction. Too aggressive.

"It's here," Hope barks towards Jean, still half-sprawled on the floor of the hallway, "She's making it all happen."

Henry McCoy has posed:
Beast is no slouch - not one to be ignored when he enters a fray. Seeing the new threat appear, he growls in anger and launches himself at the Dullahan. With impressive agility, he's diving towards the headless horsement, intent on tackling the monster to the ground, dismounting him forcefully.

The fiend had other plans.

With nary a strained muscle, the monster swats Henry out of the air - sending him flying across the wooded room - crashing into a tree with a rather nasty sounding thunk.

Jean Grey has posed:
At the sight of the horseman, Jean can't help but reference an earlier conversation with Rogue: "Still want to go to Tarrytown after this?" For those not in the know, it's a little town on the Hudson that happens to be right next door to the genuine Sleepy Hollow. In fact, the town, where Washington Irving lived, was on the whole the original setting for the tale, with the northern part of the village renamed after the eponymous haunted glen as a tourist stunt. "Anyway, defense! Monet has the right idea, and I'm going to try something."

Indeed, Monet quickly settles on an approach that is not unlike what Jean has been discussing, albeit a little more in the melodic direction. "Yes, for the moment, the most important thing is to simply pull her back from this. Hope, can you-"

Hope, obviously, has caught on already, and taken the initiative, but there is a certain brashness in youth there, and as she reaches out, she soon feels Jean beside her in that strange mental realm, an astral counterpart and companion. << Gently. You do this wrong, and it's easy to leave someone a vegetable. Or if they're powerful, to kick up a lot of nasty feedback without getting the result you want. The mind is complicated. And it can be powerful even absent telepathy or other external manifestations. But Janie, hers is clearly far more active even than that. >>

There's no reprimand in it, but a gentle sense of guidance as Jean pushes to the fore and then pulls the young woman with her, into Janie's thoughts. << If you have to think of it like a battlefield, imagine a fortress, not a shooting gallery. Minefields and walls. Direct assault means casualties. This is special ops, infiltration, not demolition. >>

Use the vocab that works!

And so, beside Hope, she turns her focus toward Janie. << Janie. We don't know each other that well yet, but I can tell you're scared. But you don't need to be. We're here for you. And we can help you. But first... you have to stop all this. >> Not just words, of course, but the most surface-level expression of more complex thoughts, as she seeks to calm - and quiet - the girl's agitated mind.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue does indeed float up off the ground so her sweet kicks don't get any of that gross filth on them coming from the fireplace, and the fresh cadaver she just left sticking out of it. She ffloats over to the doorway then, her hands going up to plant on either side of the door frame, as she looks out in to the hallway to see the Headless Horseman. She grimaces. A look is sent down to Jean who is eye-level with Rogue's waistline now, and she nods her head. "Whatever fears I thought would find us there, have clearly come to ffind us at our own home. What is there to fear now with a trip there?" She exhales after speaking, and her eyes flash back over to the Horseman to see him battering Beast aside.

Rogue narrows her eyes at this display. She lets go of the doorframe then, and flies at high speed toward the Horseman! Rogue's landing on the back of his Devilish Steed, and grabbing the Rider by his mid-section. "You're lucky you don't have a head, I'd be jammin' it up your backside for that one, Bub." She growls at the Evil Entity, before she tries tearing him off his own mount, and throwing him to the ffloor of the hallway!

There's little else the Belle can do but try and keep the spirits busy while the Mind Games play themselves out!

Roberto da Costa has posed:
Roberto Da Costa smiles at Sam as he flips the TV, "Nice one."
     Then the big boss shows up shadowy and fierce with a horse and- ooooohhhh!
    Berto matches the villain vanta black shading to shadowy darkness but he is limned inbright white light, bright enough to burn away normal fog, "Your not taking another soul Horseman! Janie isn't like Ichabod! She has friends who will fight for her." Berto is a beacon in the darkness and moves towards the the Horseman with a purposeful gait, "He won't hurt you Janie. We promise. Remember the cider we had with Miss Pryde, it was so good. Would you like some cider? We can all go downstairs and Sam will make us some, Right Sam?" Berto doesn't after the rider, he targets the horse.

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie looks over and says "Singing, or reassuring talking to them, letting them know they are not alone." He sees the others heading towards the horseman and steps in front of Hope, Monet and Jean and kicks in his blasting into a hover. Something he could not do back in the day but he has been working on. While this does not do much to help the fight it does put a neigh invulnerable shield up between the three ladies who are fighting on another realm. " "Sure, we can even make smores." He offers adding to Berto's offer.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
The Headless Horseman proves to be the toughest adversary yet. He wrestle with Rogue on the back of the steed, showing an almost supernatural ability to stay on it back while he swings to pummel Rogue in the side with a first.

After knocking Beast aside, he rears the horse, aiming its hooves towards the women. But Cannonball manages to get his shield in the way to protect them in the nick of time, as everyone is trying to get through to the frightened young mutant teen.

She's so scared, the monsters having appeared before when she was younger, hurting people she knew and loved. Not these particular monsters, but always there are monsters. But the emotions she feels from Hope and Jean, and the memories of acceptance that Roberto brings to mind, help draw her back.

Another voice enters Janie's head, one that everyone can hear, the English accent calming. Reinforcing what is being said to her. << You have it in you to control them. To control your fears. And what happens around you, Janie. >>

Down the hallway behind the X-men, Professor Xavier rolls down the corrupted hallway in his wheelchair. "You can do it, Janie. Let your mind be at peace," he tells her aloud, voice soothing and quiet.

The combined effects get through to the girl, and the Headless Horseman grows still, and then fades away, leaving Rogue floating in the air. The vines and tree-like shapes fade out of existence. There is still damage done to the school. The front doors will need to be replaced, the flooring is scored there where the hellhounds burned. But the worst of it is undone.

Janie gets up to her feet and runs forward to press herself at the nearest X-man.

Professor Xavier lets out a soft breath and looks about. "Well done, my X-men. Well done indeed," he tells them.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
It's over. Finished. No, it's never over. Monet gives a low sigh over and murmurs to herself in French. "No more scary movies before bedtime." That's something that they'll need to have someone work with the girl with.
    <<Professor, I believe that we need a full time -qualified- counselor on staff that has gone through a full accreditation. We have too many who need help that the.. Rest of us do not exactly have the training or experience to best serve the studetns>> She goes to take a calming breath then, moves to ensure that the bandage on her wrist is still in place, and manages to not slump herself over agaisnt the wall.
    For Monet, it has been a very, very long week. A very, very rough week. A very, very painful week. Her mind goes to lock down over as her face goes completely neutral as she goes to throw away any sense or showing of empathy that she might be doing. Now.. Now is the time that she gets out of the way as the situation is handled, and she goes to the back of the gathering quietly, and hopefully without observation.

Roberto da Costa has posed:
Roberto Da Costa smiles, "Wow, S'mores. That sounds like a good time!" Roberto folds his arms over his chest and narrows his eyes at the Professor's sudden arrival, "Your timing is improving back in our day half the time would be flattened before you showed up to save the day, Professor." He laughs and breaks into a grin. "We're going downstairs for Cider and s'mores. I've heard that no monsters can hurt someone with Cider or s'mores in their tummy. Would you like to join us?"