20348/Paths Cross

Paths Cross
Date of Scene:	30 March 2025
Location:	Garage and Stables
Synopsis:	Two people who shouldn't be at Xavier's School are! Secrets! Friendship! Who is Maddie?
Cast of Characters:	Longshot, Cain Marko

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Longshot has posed:
Longshot is Not, in fact, very good at self-entertainment.

He is, however, really trying to do as he's told for the past week. Stay out of trouble and out of sight til someone important has time to talk to him. He could have left at any point, and yet he hasn't.

It's nice here. Everything feels like-

Happy? No, that's not right.

Hope.

The school grounds feel like Hope for a Future. It's not a feeling Longshot understands, but also not something he's questioned. Just something he is reluctant to leave and return to the perpetual Sadness that is Doom Manor.

But there is only so many things that he can Not Touch in Cable's safe house before Not Touching becomes painful. And there are only so many horses to meet and become friends with in the Stables above said safe house. At least enough horses to spend a day with each, between making himself scarce as students and staff make use of the stables. Only so much boredom that he can stand before the undeniable ease of this place makes the wariness hard to maintain.

And Sam DID tell him not to wander much. Maddie has gone to Kurt, whoever that is, Longshot still doesn't know.

Longshot is, however, also not good at being lonely. As lively as the place is, it's hard to keep to himself.

But the garage is attached to the Stables, so that's not really wandering right? And certainly not too much.

So he sits in the dark, empty garage on top of one of the cooler cars. It's got a rack on top that probably is for boats or something! Longshot doesn't know, but it's a nice perch, and the garage offers a nice place with weird acoustics to play music.

It's dark, the school at dinner or whatever it is they did at this time, surely there is nothing odd about sitting in the dark ontop of a militaristic vehicle playing Dazzler music in a cool echoey garage. Right?

It's not less lonely than the stables, but it is more fun!

Cain Marko has posed:
Heavy footfalls can be heard, echoing through the garage, drawing closer with a slow and steady almost inexorable feel to their approach. The very air stirs, being parted and pushed apart by some sort of immense force that is so irresistible its very movement seems to alter the atmospheric pressure, creating an odd rippling feeling like the pressure of an incoming storm or the descent of heavy humidity.

The footsteps continue, vibrating the room softly and jostling parked cars...slightly unnerving the horses in nearby stables. *STEP* *STEP* *STEP*..

And then - suddenly - the lights begin flickering on as the motion sensors are triggered and the entrance to the garage is filled up by the shape of a truly massive figure. A very distinct figure...

"Hey...what th'hell are -you- doing here?"

It is Cain. Mr. Cain Marko. Here, of all places, where in a past that is recent enough to be clearly memoralbe, he'd have potentially been trying to flatten this entire estate into the ground. Now he's just sort of walking the grounds, entering the garage with a heavy lumbeing sway - body straining and stretching his casual clothes as they hug to his oversized ridiculously, swollen with muscle, body.

But the surrpise on his face is readable as he sees Longshot... A mixture of surprise, curousity and mild annoyance. He'd been looking for a brooding spot of his own and coming across the cheerful extra-dimensional mutate was not in the cards.

Longshot has posed:
The music clicks off the moment Longshot hears someone. He listens to the thuds motionless in the dark at first. Wonder what that is? Feels like something to be worried about-then the moment the lights are on, Longshot is in motion, straight up-jumping from his perch on the vehicle up to snag one of the rafters and pull himself up. He's crouched into a defensive position, a halo of blonde hair spilling over his shoulders as Longshot peers down on the massive man. Recognition is instant, Longshot relaxes, face splitting into a bright smile and a laugh.

"Oh, Hi Cain!"

Dropping the defensive crouch to sit, legs are swung over the rafter and dangle down, kicking lightly, but Longshot makes no move to actually jump down himself. Words bright and matter-of-fact, "I've been here since we fought the evil book! Maddie was hurt!"

This seems to require no further explanation, Longshot already moving on and pointing down toward the stables, "I already made friends with all the horses, but sound here is better than in there."

Though conversations are usually two-sided affairs, Longshot has spent almost a week now with very little contact with people interested in talking to him. Rough days for an extrovert! Words spill out of him without pausing for breath, seemingly trying to make up for lost time, "I know usually schools are for learning things. But, I met a guy named Sam, he said you can Stay in schools! Not just apartments or homes or-um, the places people stay usually? I didn't know that! I'm hoping to Stay here actually, in the school I mean, I don't know what I'd do-but it's very nice here and everything feels like a good place to be."

Then finally comes the pause, brief, as though the thought has just occurred to the man, "But-What are -You- doing here?"

Cain Marko has posed:
For a man known for his impatience and disinterest in hearing others drone on and on and on ... Cain seems remarkably patient as Longshot begins rapidly speaking. The gigantic man hoods his eyes, flares his nostrils and tightens his mouth only once...and does not interrupt. He seems to be actually ...listening. Perhaps he's become used to the 'jackrabbit', as he called him.

In that, he knows it's futile to try and slow him down until he's ready to stop.

"Maddie?" is the only interruption he offers as the story gets told. This is followed by, "Sam?" and then a "Well this...school is not like ...normal schools I uh..."

And then - finally - when the question of his own presence is raised, Cain takes a deep breath and grunts, "Right, right. That's a long story and I don't feel like gettin' into it.. Uh..."

How much to say. Longshot isn't exactly known for his...ability to keep things to himself, but then again the fact that he's here and has seen him means some of that ship has already sailed.

"Listen, people aren't supposed to know I'm here so you -better- not go out there telling people you saw me but... My brother's the headmaster here and I needed a place to stay. My place got burnt down by some idiots called The Acolytes. I'm just crashing here until I pick out another safehouse and then head up to Asteroid M to....file a complaint...."

Longshot has posed:
"Maddie and Sam are friends!" Someone might want to tell Sam Guthrie that he's been collected into Longshot's toybox of friends at some point. A single conversation seems to be all it takes for Longshot to get attached. "I wouldn't know, but I think someone mentioned this being a school for Mutants! That's so cool!"

At the mention of yet Another Secret, Longshot does sober. So Many People Trusting Him With Secrets Recently. This is getting to be difficult, but at least people are Telling him which things are secrets.

For the most part.

Longshot listens, finally hopping down from the rafts, landing lightly on a car below then down to the cement floor. His movements lack the flashy flips usually present in his more acrobatic feats. Longshot stands, approaching Cain with far more seriousness than he's demonstrated thus far.

Longshot doesn't know what a headmaster is, or who the Acolytes are, or what the significance of Asteroid M is. But he doesn't need to, to understand that Cain is hiding.

Stopping in front of Cain, Longshot nods solemnly, his voice softer, "I won't tell anyone. I promise. But you have to be honest with me, if you have people after you-"

"Cain."

"Are you Safe? Are you going to be okay? Do you need help?"

Cain Marko has posed:
The colossal red haired brute just sort of -stares- at Longshot .. A literal deer in the headlights. He's briefly flabbegasted, unsure of how to react. What to say. How to approach the sheer honesty and sincerity in display right infront of him.

So he just sighs, laughs lightly and puts a hand to his head as if nursing a small headache. "Ah...oh man..."

He's quiet for a second after that chuckle and then, finally, rumbles, "Alright chum, listen... I'll explain more but you -gotta- promise to not tell anybody alright? You could get the people here in -big trouble- if you go blabbing that I'm here. Understnad? I'm a wanted super criminal so if you go telling people that you saw The Juggernaut hanging out at a school you'll cause alot of problems. Got that? So..."

He pauses and then says, "I'm not in danger. They can't hurt me. Nothing can. But.....I got into a little trouble where I upset some of them. It was their own fault but they decided to escalate things and attack me - which escalated things even more after I defended myself and they blew up my home. My -brother- is in charge of this school. In fact...long before this was a school? I twas just a big house. I grew up here with him. He offered to let me stay here while I sorted things out and in case these Acolytes continued to cause trouble. I"m just biding my time until I make my next move."

After a pause, he peers at Longshot, "Understand? Now....who is Maddie?"

Longshot has posed:
Social que is missed again, Longshot is forward at the pause, a pat-pat on one of those massive arms, still not tall enough to manage the shoulder. Even this does require Longshot to go onto tip-toes a moment, but comfort is offered. Stick of an individual offering support to the mountain of a man.

A second Pat-Pat comes at the second pause.

Longshot listens, nodding along, not interrupting until the direct question. "I promise I won't tell anyone. No one will know from me. Cross my hearts."

Hearts are crossed, once X motion made over each side of Longshot's chest. Then back to listening, digesting things slowly and most certainly understanding more this time. A second nod will bring the return of a smile, "Well-If you do need help, I'd help you. And-I guess it's not really my place, but welcome home then? I hope it's good to be back."

Before confusion settles heavily on him. Far more obviously not understanding the question than before. Longshot blinks at Cain and shrugs.

"Ummmm, Maddie fought with us against the evil book." There is a brief pause, frown pulling slightly, "I don't have the best memory, but I think you talked to her even. Maddie did the-I dunno, fire-y magic-stuff and held the bad guy at the end. I owe her a lot, she kept me from killing that child. But she wanted to come back here, needed help and healing and-"

His words cut off, walking too close to the Other Secret he's supposed to be keeping, a brief discomfort before circling back, "I mean, I thought you knew her? You acted like you did."

Cain Marko has posed:
There's a frown. A glare. A withering glare.

The first time Lonshot pats his arm it's only slightly so.

The second time he pats his arm, Cain looks as if he would bore a hole through Longshot with that gaze of his.

But he continues the story and when all is said and done, lets the slender blond man off the hook. This time.

Something more pressing nags at him now.

"Huh? I uh..." He casts his mind back towards the battle. "That was a mess. I mean... Magic always is. The supernatural isn't anything to just scoff at. It was disgusting. Awful messy garbage but ...."

Cain's eyes narrow as his mind wanders. He didn't speak to many people there but he was sure .. "...Wait a second. You mean.. You talkin' about the red head? That was .....that was Jean wasn't it? Jean Grey? One of Charles ...one of the teachers here. I..." He's clearly confused now. "..There was a comment she made. Didn't really...seem like it uh...was something I'd ever hear Jean say but ... Wait a second, you saying...that was someone -else-? Someone named -Maddie-? You sure?" Cain rubs his jaw, trying to figure this all out now as he rumbles, "..If it wanns't Jean she sure -acted- like she knew what I was talkin' about. Maybe it was Jean pretending to be someone else for some reason but like...why would she do that infront of me? Maddie huh? And where is this Maddie now?"

Longshot has posed:
It's possible it is the withering glare that has Longshot offering the second pat. Anger cannot scare away earnest attempts at emotional support or the offer of reasonable levels of violence on the Juggernauts behalf. Whether it is wanted or not, Cain is another of the toybox of individuals that Longshot considers his friend.

However, even Longshot isn't going to push his luck too much. At the second, harsher glare, he will step back, hands in the air a moment, then shoved into pockets. Attempt made. Conversation moving on.

"Magic is weird!" Longshot is still unaware that what he does is magic, but it simply doesn't matter! "Yeah, the red-head who was flying."

Admittably, Longshot doesn't know many other redheads who can fly, but the name 'Jean' will bring pause. Consideration.

"I don't know a Jean, but Sam said that's one of the people who might be able to help me stay here." Jean being a teacher makes sense? Perhaps, if that's one of the people who could help him?

Longshot watches Cain's confusion with his own easing into the comfortable contextless-ness that he usually exists in. Nice to have someone else not know things as well for once! If neither of them knew, must not be all that important, right?

Longshot is absolutely sure that was Maddie, he doesn't know if she has a last name or other names like how Cain is also Marko and also Juggernaut-but will nod firmly, "Yes, that's Maddie. I met her in Ryker. She kept me company in solitary, then we've met a few other times since I've been out. She's a really good friend."

"She's got some secrets too though. It's not my business-She acted like she didn't know me the first time I found out she had powers. It was weird, something about sports, but there was a lot going on then. But there has continued to be a lot going on, I figure we'd talk about it when things were less-um crazy? But she's definitely Maddie! No one else! I'd know, right? She's my friend." There is a moment of hesitation here. Would he know? Probably. Maybe? No, he'd know. A little nod, mostly to himself and the smile returns, "Yeah, definitely Maddie."

As for now?

"She was Really hurt, so I helped some." Longshot shrugs, skirting exactly how he was helpful, "When she was feeling better, she went to go talk to her boyfriend Kurt. I haven't met him yet, but he likes flowers and chocolate and Maddie's crazy about him, so must be a nice guy!"

Cain Marko has posed:
"Listen...kid...er....Longshot."

Cain's deep voice lowers even more so, quieting and coming down in volume and also heaviness as he draws in closer.. looming overhead like some seven and a half foot plus tree starting to lean in over the much smaller twig like man.

"You better watch yourself around here alright? This is a mutant school but...beyond that...there's alot of strange things that can happen. Listen to me when I say this.. She might be called 'Maddie' but she looked -just- like Jean t'me. So much so that I got confused. Now I dunno what that means but ...her response to me? Well...let's just say that she aint too fond of Charles...that's my brother, by the way..."

Cain glances around, almost as if searching for a conspiracy with his eyes before looking back towards Longshot. "Now I dunno what that means but she's got some anger in her, that's for sure. I know all about that sorta thing. I got anger in me...even right now. I guess it was good for you to help her if she got hurt but you get wrapped up in whatever is happening and it probably won't be good..."

Longshot has posed:
Longshot doesn't generally feel fear.

However, that little bit in him, that muscle memory that remembers how to fight, that does have some sense for danger shrinks back from the monstrous thing that boils with something Longshot has only experienced once. Longshot steps back, hands up-half falling back into a semi-defensive posture that looks very much like he is ready to be anywhere but right here.

Ready to flee.

But Cain is his friend. Cain wouldn't hurt him.

"Maddie wouldn't hurt me." This is stated with the same assurance, tone still bright, but that Longshot doesn't relax, watching Cain, "Nothing's happening, right? What's happening? Things are fine, we fixed the book, didn't we? Maddie has secrets, you've got secrets, I suddenly have a lot of other people's secrets, there's nothing wrong with that."

Another step back from Cain and a smile is offered again, finally able to relax slowly, "Why are you worried about her? Maybe she is also Jean, I don't see why that matters, she's a friend, she helped us with the book right? I don't see what the problem is?"

"I mean, you don't seem to be a huge fan of your brother either?"

Cain Marko has posed:
It is a mark of The Juggernaut that he is able to inflict fear just by existing. By leaning in too close.

It was never his intention to frighten Longshot. He was actually doing him a favor, offering him some advice. Speaking from a place of concern.

He's also the Avatar of Destruction and the Incarnation of Strength. So .. yeah.. even a kinder gentler Juggernaut is still The Juggernaut.

But he notes the back pedaling and concern exhibited by Longshot - and so he leans back towards his full height and pulls away from the slender man though he continues to eye him with his sharp and yet still somehow heavy, gaze.

"Relex. You're acting like I'm gonna eat you or something. I'm just trying to tell you to watch your step. I'm sure Maddie your friend but hell, boy, you call anyone who so much as offers you a quick smile a friend. There's alot of people who smile at you but mean you harm.."

He grunts, suddenly stopping and then pinches his nose in exasperation. "....Ugh...look at me giving advice. Listen. Just...be careful, alright?"

Longshot has posed:
"I know, I know, you would't hurt me either." The words remain easy, tone remaining light, even if Longshot doesn't physically relax until Cain backs off.

Cain wouldn't hurt him.

He's sure of that. Again.

All ease back, almost as if not realizing that he's doing it. Smile easy again, hands back in pockets, straightening himself and nodding with a hum. Physically matching the words and tone he's maintained, it's thoughtless, "I don't think I should be judging people on what they could potentially do to me, especially if they are currently being kind. That's just silly. I'm not going to assume the worst of anyone. Even if they prove me wrong, that's on them. It's on me to give them the shot."

And it's as simple as that for Longshot.

It does, in fact, lead to a surprisingly low number of people taking advantage of him. But that's luck for you.

At Cain's words however, Longshot laughs, "Thanks Cain, yeah, I'll be careful! You don't have to worry about me though, but see? You are a good friend too."

Cain Marko has posed:
"Well dont' you go spreading that around either, alright? I'm not trying to make a habit of this sorta thing.."

He didn't exactly deny it though. Longshot may be finally weathering the sequoia of a man down.

"Anyway I get not wanting to assume the worst in people but like, you now, the reason people do that is because often the worst in folk is true. So it's easier for folk to be cautious and then work their way towards being relaxed later."

Cain makes a vaguelly dismissive gesture, " You got this habit of just comin' at everyone open armed and while....sure it may work out for you..eventually yer luck is gonna run out and the wrong person is gonna take advantage of you. Don't learn this the hard way."

Luck. If he only knew...

"Anyway... you gonna just stay in here forever or you hungry?"

Longshot has posed:
"More secrets. I got it! Big bad super villain gotta do big bad super villain things. I got it! I got it!" Longshot is mostly listening. He'll nod. He'll smile.

"Butttt-I think I'll keep doing it my way actually. It'll work out. It always does."

Luck! If only he knew!

"But I promise I'll be careful!" Hmmmmmm-fooodddd! Longshot is immediately nodding, "YES! Please! If this is your home, then probably okay if I'm wandering around with you. Huh? Supposed to be keeping a low profile-"

BUT! Food! Friendship! Things good! Longshot doesn't expect it could be anything else!