2263/Thinking Outside The X-Box

Thinking Outside The X-Box
Date of Scene:	28 June 2020
Location:	Harry's Hideaway (Bar)
Synopsis:	Recruitment continues for X-Force, as Artemis agrees to join the team.
Cast of Characters:	Jean Grey, Artemis

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Jean Grey has posed:
Harry's isn't too busy, which is a bit unusual for a Sunday. Then again, it's also not usual for an alien cyborg to be threatening the world with extermination and giving an extraordinarily lengthy timeline to get affairs in order.

In any case, Jean sits in a booth by the corner, wearing a green silk blouse and matching skirt, waiting patiently as she did send a message to an... well, she considers the other person a friend. How she feels towards Jean, she's not entirely sure (an odd position for a telepath, for certain!). Currently she smiles a bit to herself, idly glancing to the door in anticipation.

Artemis has posed:
Having gotten the directions from Jean, she had told the phone she had gotten to take her there. It was...not really designed for her form of travel. She is faster than most land vehicles so she typically just runs and jumps to where she wants to go. So, when she basically leaps over buildings and the like, the poor GPS seems ot lose it from time to time, forcing her to stop and stare at the thing until it finds her and figures it out. She then sighs and keeps going.

Eventually, she arrives at Harry's and looks over the place with a hmm. She has seen places like this before. Though, not usually so clean. It's usually dirtier and the people inside are nastier. This is an interesting change. Either way, Artemis walks in just a few minutes later than anticipated and looks around slowly before she spots Jean and gives a wave, starting over that way.

Jean Grey has posed:
Jean stands up when Artemis gets close to the table, waving cheerfully back to her, "Hey, I'm glad you could make it! Sorry I've been out of touch, but things have been..." She sighs, and gestures towards the television, "Well, you know, I'm sure, about everything that's been happening. In point of fact, that's why I wanted to talk to you."

She pauses, then smiles, "Well, not the /only/ reason, but one of the primary ones." With that, she gestures towards the table, "Care for a drink? Or something to eat? The burgers here are to die for."

Artemis has posed:
She has heard enough slang to know that this isn't what Jean really means but she still finds the words to be odd. She settles into a chair and smiles over at the smaller woman before nodding her head, "I will take water and one of those burgers then." She nods her head as she looks around briefly and then she states, "And what is happening? You mean the thing with the missing Mutant Town and the apparently alien attack?" She asks and tilts her head even as she adjusts her position in the seat to try to be more comfortable.

Jean Grey has posed:
Jean sits back down, ordering for the two of them, though Jean's having a stout beer in addition to water. She then nods, "Yes, as you can imagine, we've been rather busy with the team. Enough that I'm looking at making a separate team." She hmms, "One that would be a bit more... proactive, about answering threats. And I'm looking for like-minded individuals that could be interested." With that, she gives Artemis a meaningful look, arching a brow ever so slightly.

Artemis has posed:
Listening, Artemis nods. That is very noble in its own way. Being active and all. She then blinks at that look and tilts her head, "You mean..." She hmms, "Are you asking me to help you with this?" She gestures to Jean and then blinks a few times, "I am..." She then takes a moment and then she hmms, "I'm not sure how to react to that. I would not think someone would be so quick to choose me for this." She states, "I'm not really much of a team player."

Jean Grey has posed:
Jean nods, "Well, I saw you at work in the Savage Land, and I was impressed. I think you'd be able to bring a lot to the team, just with experience in a fight." She smiles, "But yes, I am asking you if you want to join us in this endeavor. This specific one, rather. I'm calling it... X-Force. Seemed a bit fitting, considering the angle we're taking and... ah, recent events." Instead of just the X-Men, anyway. Though Artemis might notice that there's something... weighing on Jean. Hard to tell what it might be, though.

Artemis has posed:
A blink as she consideres that and then she nods, "I guess that makes sense." She states even as she idly places a hand on the table and she nods, "And having allies is important." She then looks down at her hand a moment before looking up with a nod, "I'll at least help you out on this endeavor." She states simply enough and nods, "After all, I have at least a degree of interest in dealing with this situation as it can effect me and my journey as much as anyone else."

Jean Grey has posed:
Jean smiles, "Thanks Artemis. That means a lot that you'd be willing to help. I'll have you meet the rest of the team later." She sighs, taking a drink from her beer when it arrives, "It's... been pretty rough, the past few weeks. Between Brainiac and Sinister... I've had to make decisions I didn't think I'd be able to do." She doesn't elaborate too much, yet, though it's definitely an opening if Artemis wishes to take it.

Artemis has posed:
A look over at the drink that is brought to her and she picks it up to take a sip before she looks over at Jean again. She hmms and nods her head, listening to the things that are going on with Jean but then she leans forward a little and then she tilts her head, "Well, what kind of decisions?" She asks and hmms, "I know being a warrior is never easy for everyone."

Jean Grey has posed:
Jean hmms, "It's..." She pauses, and smiles a little, "Well, the person that we were dealing with, he had made clones of quite a few of us, including myself. Imagine all my abilities, but none of my ethics. Or rather, negative ethics, she had no morals whatsoever. And..."

She pauses, then sighs, "I killed her. I didn't have a choice. She was too dangerous to be allowed to roam free. I mean, I know what /I/ can do... that unchained by any sense of ethics is just too much." She pauses, and looks at Artemis, "And I don't... feel bad about doing it, so much as I feel bad about /not/ feeling bad. Does that make sense?" With that, she takes another drink, as this was definitely something she needed to tell someone, from the looks of it.

Artemis has posed:
A hmm and tehn she nods her head, "Well, I may not be the best person to ask about ethics in a combat situation." She shakes her head and then frowns, "I'm not one to hesitate to kill someone if that is what is required. I'm a warrior since I was very young." She nods her head, "I fought to kill even when practicing with my enemies." She nods her haed, "Just normal for me. I think you did the right thing."

Jean Grey has posed:
Jean smiles, "Thanks, Artemis. I mean, I know, intellectually, I did the right thing... but damn, I don't like not having a choice." She nods, and looks curiously at Artemis, "You were trained as a warrior since you were young? I was... well, not. Just kinda wound up that way, I guess, though I'd never consider myself like that." At least, not before... now, well, the jury is out.

Artemis has posed:
A nod and then she states, "I can remember being a toddler." She nods her head, "I started learning to fight when I was old enough to stand." She laughs a little, "It is deifferent back where I come from than here." She nods her head and then she shrugs before she gestures to Jean, "I don't know what it is like to not think like a warrior but I will say that if someone was a threat to you and others, then killing them isn't bad.

Jean Grey has posed:
Jean nods, then chuckles, "And that, Artemis, is why I want you on the team. You know the lines." She hmms, "I didn't really learn to start fighting until I was a teenager. I mean, I never saw a need for it, but then I realized I had my... powers. And that changed everything. Took me a while to recover from when they first manifested. But I've done things..." She grins at Artemis, "I've been to the /stars/, seen other planets... so much I never dreamed of, when I first started doing all of this." She gestures a bit, tilting her head at Artemis.

Artemis has posed:
A blink and she tilts her head right back, "The stars and other planets?" She asks and then shakes her head, "I have not seen nearly as much as all that." She states, "Until I was a teen I hadn't even been outside my home." She nods her head, "It is only recently that I have been seeing the world." She nods her head and then looks over at the incoming burger and then glances to her again, "Sounds exciting."

Jean Grey has posed:
Jean nods, "Oh, it was definitely /that/." She grins at Artemis, looking a bit more relaxed now that she's gotten some of what's been bothering her off her chest. Especially with the fact that Artemis understood it. But then, Jean kinda suspected that she would.

She then looks at the burger, and smiles over at Artemis, "Well, no guarantees of intergalactic trips with this team, but you never know... wouldn't complain at the chance to show off what's out there sometime." She looks curiously at Artemis for a moment, "Though, well, if you wanted... I could always show you my memories of it. That's definitely a way to see it, without having to make the trip."

Artemis has posed:
A blink and then she eyes Jean, "I think I'm going to avoid that for now." She nods her head, "I am not so sure about the mind to mind stuff. especially given...a lot of things." She states and then nods her head before she smiles, "Maybe one day I'll get to go see. I have a lot of life left ahead of me."

Jean Grey has posed:
Jean smiles, "Well, it's a standing offer, but I understand. It can be... pretty weird, the first time. I mean, I've been this way since I was ten, so sometimes I forget how strange it can be for other people." She chuckles, "Well, who knows... maybe we will end up taking a trip into space." She returns Artemis' gaze, then smiles a bit wider and turns her attention to the burger. Because, well, let's be honest.

It's a really GOOD burger.

Artemis has posed:
Taking the burger up herself, she takes a bite and nods, "This is good." She states simply and then looks up, "And yes, I would enjoy going to space some time. Maybe even the other...at another time." She nods her head adn then proceeds to eat her hamburger more. She hmms softly as she eats the burger before looking across to Jean, "Jean, what is the plan with this group after Brianiac is dealt with?

Jean Grey has posed:
Jean considers that, "Well, we'd probably still have other threats to our people to deal with. I know that's not your fight, but I'm sure that Stryker and Sinister and others won't be thinking that with Brainiac gone that mutants deserve a break from everything." She sighs, "They'll probably look to strike while the opportunity is there, and the team is going to need to focus on them, I suspect." She eats her burger in between answers to Artemis, giving her a wry look, "Honestly, I'd just appreciate having you there. The team is... long on determination, but short on some types of experience, with a few exceptions."

Artemis has posed:
A nod and she smiles, "WEll, I have that, to a degree." She nods her head, "I am not some old veteran of war." She shakes her head, "I'm just well trained with some real life experience."