295/A Song of Ice and Fire

A Song of Ice and Fire
Date of Scene:	05 March 2020
Location:	Front Yard (Xavier's School)
Synopsis:	Phoenixes and others discuss possible futures including this one.
Cast of Characters:	Hope Summers, Jean Grey, Bobby Drake, Rachel Summers, Gabby Kinney

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Hope Summers has posed:
Hope hasn't been at the school for long. And, to be fair, she doesn't seem like she expects to //be// there for long either. There's a room that she was shown to, and some spare clothes (mostly school-branded attire and hand-me-downs), but she still keeps everything together in one place, as if she's ready to make a break for it at any time.

Whatever her plans, though, she's not run away from the school yet. Instead, she managed to commandeer a tablet from somewhere, and now sits on the front steps eating a sandwich, the tablet balanced in her lap as she frowns intently at it, scrolling through something. Someone's battered cargo pants, a school t-shirt, and a school hoodie are apparently enough to keep her warm.

Jean Grey has posed:
Jean's... okay, she's been pretty scarce lately, which isn't //too// odd considering all the aid runs to Genosha. Which she's been volunteering for more than she needs, as it gets her out of the mansion.

She's currently walking out on the front porch, wearing a warm looking school-branded hoodie, along with blue jeans. And she sees Hope there, wearing some clothes that... well, she recognizes them easy enough. She takes a bit of a breath, then releases it, calming herself a bit as she says, "Hey, Hope... how's it going?"

Yeah, Jean, brilliant conversationalist you are...

Bobby Drake has posed:
Bobby Drake comes and goes between the school and Empire State where he's finishing up his own classes, and so he's often coming and going. He comes strolling up toward the front steps, a leather satchel over one shoulder that contains his laptop and school materials, earbuds in his ears playing some music that can't be heard outside of them, but it must have a quick beat because he seems to be matching it with his footsteps unconsciously as he approaches. He's in a pair of jeans with hiking boots, a plain dark blue sweater, and that's it. No jacket despite the chill in the March air. He reaches one finger up and hooks one of the buds from his ears, letting it dangle as he approaches. "Hey Jean," he says and then offers a smile to Hope who he hasn't met yet.

Rachel Summers has posed:
    With Rachel, it's more a question from day to day of -which- trauma will be getting the best of her. The ability to sense the presence of mutants tends to make her feel overwhelmed when at the school, so she spends time out away from the mansion if only to feel like less of a hound. But when she comes home.. she retains her psi-glamour. She hates letting people see her hound markings on her face... and the only time that she lets that glamour drop is when she is in the privacy of her room. There is a deep shame that she can never really hide no matter what she is doing... in her scars and/or bones. Today, she returns from out and about, walking through the front gates rather than flying over the walls...

Hope Summers has posed:
Hope looks up from the tablet at Jean approaches, the frown smoothing away to a slightly awkward smile. "Hey," she greets. "I, uh. I'm cool. Honestly, things are better here than they've been pretty much anywhere in my life, so...I mean, that's good." She sets the tablet aside, tipping her chin up in response to Bobby's smile.

"I know this stuff is weird for most people. How about you?" she asks. "If there's anything you want to talk about or ask about or..." Trailing off, she shrugs. "Stuff's not likely to be the same here from what I can tell, for what it's worth."

Jean Grey has posed:
Jean nods, "Yeah, with the whole thing with Genosha, I've just been pretty... ah, busy." She looks about to say something else, when she sees Bobby, "Hey, Bobby, don't think you've met Hope yet, have you? Bobby, Hope. Hope, Bobby."

She looks about to say something else, then she sees Rachel coming up. And well, even if she's feeling uneasy about being locked into a certain fate, she does give Rachel a smile. It's not //her// fault, whatever happens, and Rachel's been through enough as she waves, "Hey, Rachel!"

Bobby Drake has posed:
Bobby Drake shakes his head and says, "Nope, haven't met yet." He offers Hope a bit of a wave as he comes to pause near the bottom of the steps, shifting the strap of his messenger bag on his shoulder a bit. "I teach a bit at the school. Will probably take it up full time once I graduate, myself, this spring," he offers. "How's it going?" Then he glances over to follow Jean's look in the direction of Rachel and he lifts a hand to wave to her in greeting as well. "Looks like it's that time of day, everyone's coming in or heading out."

Rachel Summers has posed:
    Lifting a hand, Rachel attempts to smile, but while it spreads over her lips, it doesn't reach her eyes. It's nobody's fault, but she just... it all weirds her out. Most notably the fact that her future has been erased, or that's what she thinks. While she thinks that she has succeeded in preventing her future.. she worries that it didn't really -help- enough. And she is waiting for the other shoe to drop... for herself to start fading out.
    But that's all going through her head, let's face it.. every day. Right now, she tries to put on a brave face and moves closer to the group. "Well, it's like the Waltons, plus Bobby." she admits, trying to joke to lighten the mood. But she is broadcasting her discomfort to anyone who can pick it up.

Hope Summers has posed:
"Hey, nice to meet you," Hope nods to Bobby with a polite smile. "I'm new here." Understatement. "I'm not sure how long I'll stick around, but I need to get my feet under me, you know? How are things with Genosha, by the way?" she asks, looking over to Jean. "What...Doug said there were //millions// of people killed. Does anyone know anything about who or why?"

She tips her chin toward Rachel as well, doing her best to treat it all as normal. People did the same for her before. She knows how much it helps not to be looked at like a freak.

Jean Grey has posed:
Jean sighs, "Yeah, I don't know that we'll ever know the final count but... yeah, it's bad. Reports seem to indicate some sort of massive Sentinel with multiple faces? But we haven't really had anything specific." She frowns, "Lorna's the only survivor we found so far that saw too much, but well, she's not really able to relay what happened." Shock is definitely a real thing with her, as Jean shakes her head.

Then she smiles over at Rachel, "The Waltons? That's a bit of a dated reference." Though now, wait, does this mean the Waltons exist in the future? "Though, well, at some point we need to do a shopping trip. I think Lorna could use the trip off the campus at some point." Because she worries, and, well, she does need to get to know Rachel and Hope better.

Bobby Drake has posed:
Bobby Drake smiles a little curiously at Rachel, clearly not getting the reference, but not seeming to mind either way. He chuckles a little at the joke because it's a joke, and slides his hands into his pockets. When Genosha is brought up, he glances over toward Jean, since he has not yet been on a mission to Genosha, instead spending his time staying at the school with those who come in. "I'm hoping that more survivors are found and that the death toll isn't as high as was predicted." He shakes his head slowly.

Rachel Summers has posed:
    Shrugging, Rachel remarks, "In the camps, without internet access... all we had for entertainment were cobbled together VHS tapes and improvised players. So we watched a ton of old time shows." she admits, blushing a bit as she wriggles under the attention.
    "What about your future Hope?" she asks, trying to divert the focus from her terribad future. Then she snickers at a memory, "I'll never forget when Magnus was trying to play a tape and his magnetism kept erasing the tapes." But then the Genosha comments get to her. "I have been there three or four times since arriving here. It was terrible." she says, her shoulders sagging. "Sentinels.. are terrifying." she adds.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
The door to the mansion had begun to open, only to pause just a crack when the talk of Genosha starts up. Gabby pauses with her hand on the door intending to exit. But... This was stuff she hadn't heard spoken of, at least not outright around her. She keeps in the shadows as best as she can straining to hear in that crack in the door.

Of course, the intense interest that practically radiates off her is no doubt easily picked up by any of the three psychics here. And the more she hears, the angrier she starts to get.

Probably a Howlett trait. Darn it. For now she snoops while accidentally letting in the cold air to the mansion.

Hope Summers has posed:
"Very, very empty," Hope shrugs to Rachel. "But it was shaped that way by the person who was trying to find us. He figured the fewer people existed, the easier Nathan and I would be to find. They weren't wrong, but..." She trails off, grimacing. "We also sort of covered a //really// long span, so it's not much of a prediction anyhow."

The talk of Genosha, on the other hand, gets a more speculative moment. "That's a lot of people. A lot of destruction. Not the sort of thing you can usually pull off without some serious planning. And money. And...I mean, it's a whole island. How do you even hit everyone at once?"

Jean Grey has posed:
Jean nods, "Exactly. That's why we're a little on edge about it. I mean, who's to stop them from hitting something else. There's plenty of targets." Including the Institute, honestly. It's not like it hasn't been wrecked before.

She glances back towards Bobby, "Yeah, me too. There seemed to be a few that didn't want to leave just yet. I mean, with some of the old Brotherhood folks there, plus well, our history with Magneto, they didn't exactly trust us that much. Didn't attack us, at least, but I hope we can keep them safe there." She then looks back at Rachel, "Yeah, can't imagine what you went through there..." She trails off, feeling a bit bad for not keeping Rachel safe.

Even if she's not Rachel's Jean from that timeline, there's still the kinship there. Though Gabby does get a bit of a mental poke from Jean, >> You can come out and join us. It's alright Gabby. << With that, Jean turns to Gabby, flashing her a reassuring smile.

Bobby Drake has posed:
Bobby Drake nods his head to Jean in understanding and says, "There's a lot of reason for there to be distrust on both sides, but no one should just be wiped out like that, not by Sentinels." Regardless of what differences they may have had in the past. He listens as Hope and Rachel talk about their futures, studying each one quietly, giving a small nod here or there, just taking in their stories. "How are the both of you finding the school? Is there anything that we can do to make you guys more comfortable at all?" He looks from one to the other and then follows Jean's glance toward the door. A brow raises at the slightly open door. "Someone's dropping eaves," he says, but it's with a little bit of a grin.

Rachel Summers has posed:
    Feeling Jean's pshycic broadcast, Rachel glances up and turns her attention towards Gabby. She pings something there, but it doesn't matter to her. So she looks back to Hope and says. "Maybe we can sit down and talk about our different futures. Share the ups and downs?" she asks. "But then she inclines her head before asking, "Did you say earlier you did not know how long you would be here? Where are you going?"

Rachel Summers has posed:
    And then Rachel realizes Bobby asked her a question. "Well, it's... it's just really strange being around so many Mutants and -not- being either in a prison, or well... worse." she says sheepishly, that last bit being sheepish.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney gives a little jump both mental and physically at the broadcast from Jean. A little bit of guilt comes from that as she opens the door further to step outside wearing a rather guilty sort of grin. "Didn't want to interrupt," she states with a shrug offered to all around. Plus she wanted to hear more about this Genosha thing. She knew it was attacked but not to what level.

Bobby is flashed a smile as she steps out with a cheery enough greeting to the unfamiliar face. "Hi! I'm not Laura if that's what you're thinking." Of course she wasn't. She was too young and had scars. Nevermind the resemblance otherwise.

The trio of redheads also earns a grin far easier than the last. "Oh! I want to hear about the future!"

Hope Summers has posed:
Hope glances over her shoulder toward the door when Bobby mentions it, smile quirking. "Hey, Gabby," she says with a tip of her chin before looking back to Rachel. "Dunno," she shrugs again. "I just...I'm not really much for settling? I mean literally settling not like...settling //for// something. I've always had a mission, a purpose. A big one. And now I'm here, and I'm pretty sure I accomplished all of that back home, so... I don't know. There's a lot to see."

Jean Grey has posed:
Jean hrms, "Well, I should really head back in, I mean... I'm pretty sure they need to coordinate for the next aid mission there." She smiles at the others, and gives a wink to Gabby, "Don't get in too much trouble, you. Logan would never let me hear the end of it otherwise." With that, she smoothly makes her way back in, "Though yeah, Hope, Rachel, we should probably take some time to talk about... well, things." Because there's so so much to talk about, hoo boy.

Bobby Drake has posed:
Bobby Drake gives Rachel a little bit of a nod and says, "Sorry. Yeah, I can imagine that'd be.. very different." When Gabby steps out he gives her a bit of a grin and then says, "I wasn't, but.. okay. Hello, Not Laura." He gives a little wave to Jean as she heads off to check on the next mission and says quietly to her, "I might swap in for someone soon so they can get a break and I can get out there, some." Someone has to man the fort, though. Not everyone can go, and he's been okay with staying back thus far.

Rachel Summers has posed:
    "I'm not sure you -do- understand." Rachel says towards Bobby, a sudden burst of anger roiling through her. But she takes a deep breath and lets her psionic illusions drop. Since Gabby has those scars, she figures... why hide hers?
    She sighs and controls her emotions. "These marks on my face... they are brands, burns to identify me as a hound. A mutant who was brainwashed and who had the ability to -detect- mutants telepathically. My job for years was to hunt.. and kill other mutants. So when around mutants, when I can -sense- them... all I can think of is how many I was brainwashed into killing." Her head lowers, her eyes going to the ground.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Being the youngest of many, many clones trained to be killers meant that when one was starting to look the way Rachel was looking and talking about herself, she knew just how to respond. Without even thinking about it she steps forward to catch Rachel in a hug unless stopped.

"I understand. We don't have to be what they want us to be though." Gabby falters a moment before glancing to Bobby, then Hope, and finally back to Rachel. "I think they look good on you. It means you survived and got away." Lifting both hands she points at her own with a beaming grin. "Same as me and Bellona. They scarred us so they could tell us apart. At least that's what the official excuse was. But the scars... We can't change the past and what we lived through, just know that we're gonna do better now. And I think any of us will be glad to help you out with that."

Hope Summers has posed:
Hope reaches a hand for Rachel's shoulder, quietly reassuring. "Where I came from, you didn't hide them anymore," she offers in a low voice, nodding to echo Gabby's words with a small smile. "I think Gabby's got the right of it," she agrees. "You're not alone here. Although I get it about how weird it is being surrounded by other mutants," she adds, rueful. "Half afraid I'm going to start picking up on the least convenient power in the house as soon as I need to do anything important."

She looks to Bobby then, thoughtful. "If you guys need another set of hands, it's not like I've got other obligations. I'd be happy to help however I can."

Bobby Drake has posed:
Bobby Drake looks a little taken aback at the sudden flash of anger from Rachel, "That's not what I.." he trails off. That's not at all what he'd meant. But he falls silent as she speaks and takes a half step back, reflexively withdrawing a bit. "Sorry," he says quietly, glancing to the others, and then dips his head, "I should probably.. go.. do something useful." Like stick to math. He gives another nod Hope and says, "Yeah, I'm sure any help would be appreciated." He makes a wide arc around those on the steps to go up them and toward the door of Xavier's to head inside, giving them all a little nod and saying, "Was nice to meet you," as he makes his retreat.

Rachel Summers has posed:
    No.. Rachel wasn't trying to scare Bobby. "Wait." she says as she shakes her head. "I didnt' mean to..." And then Hope's words register and she freezes, her head turning slowly towards Hope.
    "Wait. In your future.. I am there, and... scars... are you telling me that I came back in time... and nothing changed?" Her voice small, tiny, like a little girl... Then flames begin licking over her flesh.. "NOTHING?!" She yells out... and she lets out a scream of rage and anguish as she launches herself skywards in full Phoenix force aura form... a beacon in the night sky.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney winces when Rachel just... flames-on and rockets into the sky well out of hearing range. She looks toward Hope with worry, then back up to the sky. "She'll be okay, right? I mean I'm worried and all but I'm also kind of glad that I wasn't hugging her when she did that. ... Though flying does look cool," she has to admit before sighing quietly. There really wasn't any need to explain more of that remark. "Ah. Well. If you want to go after her I understand," she adds to Hope.

Hope Summers has posed:
Hope blinks as Rachel starts toward the edge, perhaps warned by some familiarity with that particularly flame-worthy instinct herself. She pulls her hand back just in time, already reaching for Gabby to try to pull her to cover when Rachel takes off.

She stares after the flames for a moment, frowning to herself, brows furrowed. "I...think she may have taken what I said the wrong way," she says slowly. "My Rachel had come back too. But I mean, so had the guy who...You know, I feel like people put //way// too much faith in possible futures."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney is rather easily pulled back since she seemed to lack any sort of self-preservation instinct in this case. Though thankfully she doesn't get scorched. Or at least it doesn't seem like she did. Good enough! She does frown in thought a moment at the mention of futures. "Yeah. I think they're forgetting the 'possible' part of that. I mean, so far I don't seem to be in any so that's fine by me." She points out with a shrug.

Hope Summers has posed:
"I mean." Hope moves back toward the abandoned tablet, sitting on the steps again. "It's not like I even know that much about //mine//. Everything I grew up in was a fabricated- a mess of things that were //already// changed from what they would have been. Seriously, if there's one thing I know it's that //nothing// is set in stone."

Leaning back against the step, she starts scrolling through the tablet again, more to distract herself than actually reading. "Sorry. Wasn't expecting the...Phoenix thing again so soon. Still not sure what I think about that."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney glances after Hope listening to what she says quietly for a few moments. Then she turns to walk back toward the steps of the mansion herself. A mildly curious glance is cast toward the tablet as she debates asking what she was reading. Then again her eyes weren't really seeming to focus on anything in particular on the tablet.

"It's kind of awesome. I mean, scary cool, but awesome. Must be tough to deal with all the same. Jean seemed just as antsy about it."

"I think everyone just wants to have some reassurance that everything they've been through was for a reason. It's easier to get through the hard times if you believe there will be a happy ending." It's here she pauses to stare off into the distance as it seemed she was speaking from experience in spite of her age. "It's worth fighting for a happy ending. Except things don't ever really end, do they."

Shaking her head quickly to get rid of such introspective thoughts she smiles again broadly at Hope. "I should go find Bellona and check on her. She's doing better, but she doesn't like being here long."

Hope Summers has posed:
"You make your own destiny, Gabby," Hope says, firm. "//That// I know for sure. The future changes, the past changes. The only part you can really control is what you do about it now. Unless you've got a time machine," she grins, winking over. "That changes things a little bit. Mostly on the control front."

Leaning back against the step, she sets the tablet in her lap again to level a look on Gabby. "I'm glad to hear she's doing better," she nods. "It sounds like you guys ahve been through enough."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney smiles in spite of the topic and really, she doesn't seem to be the least bit upset when talking about her and her sisters. "We all have. But we're free now, and I'm going to make sure Bellona gets the help she needs. My sisters protected me at Alchemax. I want her to have a chance at something other than what we grew up with, too." Dipping her head at Hope she rocks forward onto the balls of her feet. "And thanks for not being afraid of Laura. I think she could use a friend other than me and Logan."

Hope Summers has posed:
"The Laura in my world was there for me," Hope shakes her head. "When things were...things were tough. I was just a kid, but she understood what I was going through. It's kind of nice to have a chance to return the favor."

Her smie quirks and she huffs a soft laugh. "Besides, I've got no reason to be afraid of her. If she's close enough to hurt me, I'm close enough to copy her power and be okay. So we're good."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney tilts her head at that looking just a bit curious at the remark. It takes a few seconds to tick over in her mind. "You can copy powers? Or abilities?" Her eyes narrow thoughtfully. "I wonder if you could copy my inability to feel pain? Though that's because of what they did to us so maybe not>"

Hope Summers has posed:
"Yeah, that's what I do." Hope smirks slightly, looking toward the door and then up in the direction Rachel flew off. "All appearances and assumptions to the contrary. When I showed up the other day it was the first time I'd ever met Jean. Any Jean. I copy mutant powers. So if the pain thing comes from something other than your powers, it wouldn't copy over."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney falters just a moment at that, looking back toward the building again. "There'd be nothing to copy then. Anyway, I should be getting back." Another grin is flashed, and she starts up the stairs to the door. "It's good to have you here. Laura seems happier."

Hope Summers has posed:
Hope quirks a curious brow, but doesn't press the issue. There are enough other things going on. No need to make it harder. "Good," she nods. "I'm glad. Let me know if you need anything," she adds, picking up the tablet again. "I mean. Anything I can maybe help with, at least."