3933/Curing Cancer

Curing Cancer
Date of Scene:	25 October 2020
Location:	Pepper & Amanda's Apartment, The Dakota
Synopsis:	Cancer and Aquarius come to retrieve the last third of Zalmoxis' tablet from Amanda. While the Avatars may succeed at that, Amanda and Kurt still manage to free Jean from Cancer's possession. So, let's call this one a tie.
Cast of Characters:	Amanda Sefton, Kurt Wagner, Jean Grey
Tinyplot:	Zodiac Rising

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Amanda Sefton has posed:
She's been procrastinating. It's foolish, she knows. But the rumours Amanda has heard of creatures stalking the Manhattan streets, tearing apart places she has been, even in passing, have begin to filter through the white noise of the city's constant news cycle. Hallowe'en pranks gone bad, the anchors say. Mutants run amok, the conspiracy theorists say. Even Amanda herself didn't really start putting it together until she realized there was a pattern in the attacks. Each one has drawn closer and closer to this neighbourhood. This building. This apartment.

Maybe she's just paranoid, but the sorceress is pretty certain someone is hunting *her*. And she's pretty sure she knows who that someone is.

Thus, she pulls the 3D replicas of Radu's piece of the tablet and the rough mockup of Crowne's piece out of the warded box they've hidden in beneath her bed for so long and looks at them one last time, committing them to memory. Time to magically nuke the damned things and be done with it.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
It can be surprisingly hard working one's self up to a difficult conversation, even when one faces down all sorts of absurdingly dangerous situations on a regular basis. They don't really write self-help books on how to approach a colleague, a teammate, a friend with a 'hey, I'm pretty sure you're a crab monster, do you mind if we do somewhere and discuss this' chat. In fairness, how much demand would there really be for a scenario that specific? Or really anything close.

Of course the fact that they both live in a mansion full of teenagers certainly complicates things. Kurt is certainly unwilling to risk all of the students by confronting the school's head mistress in that way. Who knows what could result? And cornering Jean anywhere else can be surprisingly difficult. So he too has been procrastinating, putting the whole matter off.

So when Amanda lets him know that she is finally ready to try and deal with the artifacts that are at the center of this, to rid the world of them and deal with the threat in that way, the fuzzy blue elf insists on being present. Even limited to 5 mile jumps it does not take him all that long to reach Manhatten and join her, standing back and out of the way, silent so as not to provide any distractions in what he is sure will be a complex and difficult magical ceremony.

Jean Grey has posed:
Suddenly, there's a knocking on the apartment door, as Jean's voice can be heard from the other side, "H... hello?" On the other side of the door is, indeed, Jean Grey, dressed in tattered clothes as she looks like she's been through an ordeal. Hair is a mess, and she doesn't look like she's slept. Her right hand has been bandaged extensively as well, as if she suffered a serious injury there.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Complicated magical ceremony? Probably not, actually. Aside from the removing of the wards. In the end, 3D prints... are just plastic. Or, well, in this case, a proprietary ceramic polymer Stark invented to allow for a more realistic texture and material strength. So... less magic, more... Aw, hell. It's a Stark material. Complicated magic will doubtlessly be needed. He might as well be a wizard, himself.

She's grateful for Kurt's presence. He's always been steady and faithful. There's no one in the world she'd rather have watching her back. So, when he insisted on being present... Well, that was quite fine by her.

She lays the tablets out on the dining room table atop an inscribed piece of leather, surrounded by a handful of candles and other magical implements. Just as she's preparing the protective incantation, however, there's a knock at the door.

"Bloody hell," she groans. On the bright side, she knows it's not Pepper. Pepper wouldn't knock. And anyone that works with Pepper wouldn't think to hunt her down here. Which means whomever it is, is either selling something or is someone Amanda knows.

That doesn't mean they're someone Amanda wants interrupting her work.

She steps back and casts a small glamour over the scene, turning the magical array into a collection of mundane items, before she moves to open the door.

As she sees the ailing redhead at the door, her eyes widen. "*Sheisse.* Kurt, help me!"

Kurt Wagner has posed:
While he might be a whole lot more familiar with magic then the average person, Kurt is still no expert. He is just as willing to take his queues from books and movies and any other fiction as the practicalities that he has observed over the years. Still, he does his best to hide his disappointment at the lack of pentagrams and candles and incense and the like.

Kurt might teach history at the school but it is possible he would have been a better fit as the Drama teacher. Or at least melodrama.

His brow furrows slightly when a knock comes at the door and he glances towards Amanda questioningly. He can't imagine she would have planned for anyone else to drop by and while he might be a little peckish, this doesn't seem like the time for delivery either. One glance her way is enough to confirm that whoever it is out there is unexpected.

To put it mildly.

Eyes widen at the sight of a rather disheveled Jean on the other side of the door and Amanda doesn't even need to ask, the fuzzy blue elf has already *bamfed* across that short expanse between himself and the door, falling in on the other side of the redheaded visitor. "Mein Gott, Jean. What happened?"

Of course, pausing for just a moment it should be fairly obvious just what happened. But instincts are instincts and while she might be a crab monster at the moment, she is a friend first.

Jean Grey has posed:
Jean collapses into Kurt's arms, "Oh, it was a nightmare... I just knew... they'd be coming here. So I managed to get here first." She clings to the fuzzy elf, breathing heavily as whatever she's been through has been clearly an ordeal.

She shudders a bit, and looks over at Kurt with a concerned expression. "I did get here first? I mean, I think they were coming soon, they've been narrowing down where it is." Her eyes then glance towards Amanda, as she does seem pretty curious about that.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Amanda is content to let Kurt take the burden of the woman. "You know her?" she asks the blue mutant, concern on her face. Her expression tightens as questions flit through her mind. Wait. If this is Jean... And Jean is actually...

"*Shiesse.*" she hisses again. She catches up the woman's bandaged hand, looking at it for half a heartbeat before she turns around and throws a heavy shield back over the dining room table with her magic.

Just because nothing's triggered her wards yet, doesn't mean it won't.

"Let me look at your hand," she demands, turning back to the redhaired mutant. Better safe than sorry. Because the bandage is seriously at odds with the rest of her appearance. If she was in that much of a rush, would she really stop to bandage that hand first? It would have to be a bad bleed, if so...

Jean Grey has posed:
Jean blinks, "Wait, what? I was barely able to take it off... it hurt so much, the pain..." She blanches at the memory, then moves slightly behind Kurt as Amanda advances on her, "What are you /doing/???" Her eyes go wide as Amanda expresses her demands, looking more than a little defensive.

Which, is defintiely a bit out of character for Jean to be like that. But then again, she's been through quite an ordeal, no? It's fortunate that she was able to make it here!

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Amanda's concentration is on her shield. Her eyes glow with that power. Nevertheless, she gives Jean a tight smile. "I'm healer," she tells the telepath. "Let me see your hand."

Before she can get that bandage off, however, a crackle of dark green and violet energy errupts in the living room. Her wards go off all at once and Amanda drops that hand in favour of reinforcing her shield and turning towards the more obvious attack.

Aquarius, tall, lean, and aquiline, steps through the portal, along with a pair of large demonic creatures that tower over both him and the others, though still shy of the 12' ceilings in the place. "She'll still be my kill," he says casually to the redhead behind Amanda. Then, to the sorceress. "The tablet, woman. Give it to us and your death may be less painful."

Jean Grey has posed:
Jean then laughs, "That wasn't the bet, I get to keep her as a pet once this is over!" She smiles wickedly at Kurt, "Sorry... but not really." With that, a massive crab-like pincer erupts FROM HER MIDSECTION and slams Kurt back into the wall.

"Jean" then grows and expands, into the familiar form of Cancer as her bandages fall away, revealing the glittering jewelry binding the avatar to its host. "You should be honored. I have such /plans/ for you in the eternity of our Lord's rule."

Cancer then glares at Aquarius, "But, well, you can do quite a bit of damage to her. I can rebuild her, after all. Better than ever." With that, she blows a kiss to Amanda, looking pretty confident since, well, two avatars versus one sorceress seems like good odds to her.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Of course Amanda's sudden concern is something of a warning to the indigo-furred mutant -- though that alarm seems to be directed both towards Jean and back towards where the artifact waits to meet it's final fate. Kurt too shoots a glance down towards Jean's apparently injured, bandaged hand, those bright golden eyes narrowing ever so slightly. But as the portal opens in the apartment's living room, Kurt tenses, instinctively slipping into a bit of a crouch as he prepares to launch himself towards the threat.

Except Aquarius isn't the only threat now is he? The sudden motion from the 'woman' beside him is really the only warning and then that massive crab claw simply batters into him from the side, sending him flying towards the apartment's outer wall. There's an exclaimation from him -- in German and probably not very nice at all -- but just before he crashes into what is sure to be a very sturdy barrier there is a sudden explosion of inky black mist and that customary *bamf* sound that accompanies it. The scent of brimstone lingers in the air for just an instant before the mist clears. But this time it looks like Kurt was too late. Laying crumpled against the base of the wall is one fuzzy blue elf, sprawled out and apparently unconscious from either the blow or the collision with the wall.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
The litany of expletives going through Amanda's mind is impressive. So is the brief prayer of thanks she breathes that Pepper is away with Tony again. But there are other people that need to be protected. "Kurt!"

He can teleport. He can *teleport*! She repeats this to herself as she dodges away from her friend and *his* friend, throwing herself forward acrobatically. She rolls across the hardwood, coming up near her shield. "Good thing no one lives forever," she snarks, contracting that shield over the table. It shrinks, objects falling out of it as it does, util all it holds are the two 'books' that had been sitting there. Her illusion around the tablet fragments remains within the shield, but she pulls them to her in a sphere of magenta energy, tucking them under one arm like a football.

"You want me? Come get me!" She stretches out a hand. A second portal appears, wilderness visible through the gap. Just as she is about to dive through, Aquarius reaches out with his blade staff and slices through it. The portal collapses and the former acrobat narrowly misses loosing her head as she tucks and rolls.

Jean Grey has posed:
Cancer chuckles, "Oh no, no early exits for you, dearie, not this time." She hmms, advancing slowly on Amanda, absently snapping her pincers in the sorceress' direction.

"Now, I guess the question is, how many limbs should I give you. There's so many decisions to make. Admittedly, seeing your furry friend makes me feel... inspired!" Cancer laughs at that, holding out her jewelry-covered hand, "It is /over/, sorceress. Set's time has come."

Kurt Wagner has posed:
It might not be over per se, but it certainly isn't looking very good either. Kurt is floored, apparently unconscious and Amanda is being surrounded by a pair of Avatars. Whatever are they going to do?

Except that Kurt might not be quite as unconscious as he looks. Perhaps instead of his teleporting suddenly failing him, coming an instant too late, perhaps it put him exactly where he wanted. On the floor, looking out of the fight. BUt one golden eye is open, just a crack, watching as Cancer and Aquarius threaten his dearest friend. One hand inchesi ncrementally towards his belt until fingers can curl around the hilt of the rapier that is belted there, curling slowly, ever so slowly so as not to draw the eyes of the gloating bad guys.

And then that tell tale *bamf* sounds once more and the fuzzy blue elf is no longer laying in a heap against the apartment's wall. No, he is up and mobile again, popping back into existence right behind Aquarius, that rapier in hand now. "I don't think so," he says simply, already in mid-thrust. While it certainly would not be good form in a real duel, his aim is not for center-mass. He is not trying to run the arrogant Avatar through. He knows all too well that there is very likely someone relatively innocent behind that facade, not in control of themselves. So when he thrusts with that rapier he goes for the man's arm, goes to immobile, disarm, instead of for the kill.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Aquarius lets out a shout of surprise and pain as Kurt's sword cuts across his arm. He spins to face the blue furred mutant, his blade staff coming up to defend himself. Along side him, the two behemoths move to engage, one swinging massive claws to try to snag Amanda, the other looking to flank Kurt.

Amanda comes up into a crouch just beyond the reach of Aquarius' staff. She shakes her head. The destruction of her portal stunned her. The shield and the illusion has disappeared from around the tablet replicas. She clenches a fist and sends a concussive blast at Cancer, hoping to make the woman back off while the demon continues to swipe at her. Once again, she's dancing back out of reach. But she's running out of room to maneuver. When she hits the back of the couch, she flips herself over it and rolls beneath the coffee table to get away.

Jean Grey has posed:
Cancer snarls at Aquarius, even as she picks up the couch with her pincers and tosses it aside carelessly, letting it crash into the wall as she laughs, "Nowhere left to run, sorceress. And this time, I'm not going to stop with wiping out your mouth. But don't worry, you'll get it back, eventually."

With that, Cancer slams a pincer on either side of the coffee table, preventing Amanda's escape as she reaches down with her human hand to the trapped sorceress. Not really paying much attention to Kurt's fight with Aquarius as the jeweled artifact glitters on those fingers...

Kurt Wagner has posed:
There are a lot of nice things about being able to teleport and while being limited to five miles at a time can seem a bit of a drawback when you need to span the globe, it is awfully handy when you need to be in five or six different spots over the course of a second or two. Kurt doesn't have any big wind up, there is no portal to step through. He is in one place one instant and in another the next. Flank him? Good luck with that.

Not that he minds letting Aquarius or his big hulking monsters think that they're getting the best of him. Indeed, the fuzzy blue elf puts himself directly between the troublesome Avatar and his mystical goon very specifically. So when the beheamoth lunges for him he is no longer there. Indeed, there is nothing there to prevent the beast from lunging directly into Aquarius instead.

Again that black inky mist dissipates to find Kurt perched atop one of those pincers that have been driven down on either side of Amanda to cut off her escape. A wicked grin rests on Kurt's face, that rapier held straight out towards Cancer's throat. Could he kill Jean, even to save Amanda?

Not likely. And definitely not the plan. Where he is right now, Kurt isn't the threat anyway, regardless where that sharp, pointy sword is aimmed. He's the distraction.

"Grab it!"

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Tablet abandoned, Amanda twists beneath the coffee table, ignoring the pincers in favour of grappling for that bandaged hand. Wrapping her hands around Jean's wrists as Kurt shouts, she sends her concussive power along the fleshshaper's limb, up towards the shoulder to immobilize and distract her further. Her fingers start tugging at the cloth and the rings beneath it. She wants that gittering piece of jewelry off the woman's hand. Cancer just needs to stop.

The demonic creature crashes into his master, who is knocked aside. The Avatar shouts out his frustration, falling back over the edge of the coffee table. He lands inadvertently atop the tablets, but is not such a fool as to miss what he's accidentally snared. His shout becomes a crow of triump as he starts rolling away from where the mutants and sorceress fight.

Jean Grey has posed:
Cancer hisses, "NO! She is... MINE! And when Set triumphs, I'll have her full power! I'll remake minds AND bodies!" She struggles as Amanda grabs the jewelry on her now exposed hand. "LEGIONS WILL SERVE ME!"

Then Cancer screams again, as there's a feminine voice echoing mentally in the room, << I was possessed by the Phoenix Force, Cancer... compared to that, you're fourth rate at best. >> And then there's a sudden surge of telekinetic power focused around the jewelry-wearing hand, helping Amanda yank off the cursed item.

And then Cancer /howls/, "No! I was so close!!!" And then she contorts, shrinking down and collapsing into the redhead that was there before, faint burn marks visible where the mystical artifact was worn on her hand, curled up by the coffee table as Jean's mind echoes slightly to Amanda and Kurt, >> Not sure... how I woke up. <<

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Amanda doesn't much care how Jean woke up. As she yanks that hathphool from the woman's hand, she's simply glad the telepath has. She rolls away, the jewelry clenched tightly in her fist. When she comes to her feet, her eyes are glowing with eldritch power, a shield around her fist. She turns and sees Aquarius lifting the tablets. "No!"

But, even as she releases a discharge of energy at him, he and his minions are disappearing through a portal. Her blast leaves a hole in the drywall beyond it, a gap that looks into her bedroom. She swears in German again. "He got the tablet."

She looks down at her hand and slowly opens it. "But we got *this*." It's a partial win? She looks to Kurt and Jean. "I'll be right back."

Because she's learned better than to leave a corrupted Zodiac artifact in the same room as the one it controlled. That... can end badly.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
A palpable sense of relief goes through Kurt as he watches Amanda grab that unholy talisman. It could even be a trick of the light, but it almost looks like it pushes itself into her grasp. Maybe it's no trick. Either way, there is an intense satisfaction in watching the Avatar crumple in on itself, howling in anger as it is denied, it's disturbing plans brought to a premature end leaving only the huddled redhead behind.

<< Rest up. You're going to need it. Trust me, I know. >> comes Kurt's gentle thoughts in reply. He should know. He has first hand knowledge afterall. He slept for almost twenty-four hours after being freed from the control of Leo. Of course she has a little more experience with outside entities possessing her. It might be a little bit more old hat for her at this point.

Ahhhh, the lives they lead.

With Cancer shrinking away the fuzzy blue elf has lost his perch. Which is okay. He hasn't forgotten the other threat in the room, no matter how glad he might be that Jean has been freed of the influence of the totem. He is already *bamfing*, porting across the room in a heartbeat. But sometimes even a heartbeat is just a little too slow and he emerges just an instant late, that rapier blade extended just as Aquarius disappears back through the portal, his thrust getting nothing but empty air this time. Kurt stiffles a curse and straightens, shaking his head, his eyes flickering towards Amanda to see what's next.

In the grand scheme of things, trading the tablet for Jean might be a trade that Kurt would make every time. But now the last piece stopping the big bad is apparently in the hands of the bad guys. Which certainly suggests that Hell is about to descend upon them all.

Jean Grey has posed:
Jean murmurs, "Don't... remember much, flashes though, nightmares..." She grimaces, still laying on the ground as she does talk audibly, though both Amanda and Kurt can sense her mind is working very rapidly, "Where's... where is it?" Simple curiosity, really.

Honest.

No ulterior motives at all.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Aaaand *that* would be why Amanda is putting the hathphool away somewhere safe. In the same warded and disguised chest she's got Kurt's torc in. One that's difficult even for a telekinetic/telepath to get to, thanks to the magic around it.

When she returns, some moments later, she answers Jean's question. "Safe. Out of reach. It needs to be purified before *anyone* gets to see it again."

If the teep is listening, there's an addendum there. *Especially you.*

The blonde comes slowly towards her, crouching near by. "I'm Amanda, by the way. I don't think we've formally met."

Kurt Wagner has posed:
As far as Kurt is concerned, if he ever sees that copper cross, or torc, or whatever else it makes itself look like, it will be far too soon. But who knows what residual programming might still be kicking about his brain. He really doesn't need to become a lion-man again.

Of course all of this was a little easier with Kurt. He wasn't conscious very much in the immediate aftermath of his transition back to loveable fuzzy blue elf. And by the time he did wake up he was far more concerned about the things he'd done then getting some magic totem back. "With luck you'll never see it again," he says, echoing Amanda.

Jean Grey has posed:
Jean smiles weakly at Amanda, frowning as she recognizes the impulse in her. But just because she recognizes it doesn't make it easier to manage. Some ways, it makes it harder, but she locks it down enough as she says, "Jean Grey. And thanks, Amanda." She glances over at Kurt, "You too, I'm guessing? I don't... remember much of what was happening, when she was in control. I'm just glad she couldn't access my own abilities." She shudders a bit.

Something like Cancer, with her power already, but with Jean's abilities to boot? Yeah, best not to think about it.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
"Kurt? Help me move her to..." Amanda looks around at the devastated apartment. She sighs. "I'll call Pepper and tell her to stay at Tony's tonight. Jean can stay in her room." It won't likely be for long. Just until Amanda knows the woman has her head back together. Then, Kurt can port them both home.

She gives him a smile. "I'm glad you have my back, Elf. Because, now it's our turn to go hunting."

The final showdown is coming.