5035/Peaceful Protests

Peaceful Protests
Date of Scene:	05 February 2021
Location:	Capitol Hill, District of Columbia
Synopsis:	At a Senator Kelly rally, a riot breaks out.. and the brotherhood of mutants make their presence known.
Cast of Characters:	Raven Darkholme, Viola Fiore, Quentin Quire, Lydia Dietrich, Noriko Ashida, Jubilation Lee, Zatanna Zatara, Paige Guthrie, Shredder, Aimee Alexander, Talia Wagner

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Raven Darkholme has posed:
The rally in support of Senator Kelly is massive.. but the counter rally is just as impressive. Mutants from all over the globe have showed up in droves to stand in unison against this afront to their civic rights, but there are equal measure people who seem to be in full support, which speaks to just how divided the country actually is on such a hot button topic.

Signs from the Kelly supporters run the full spectrum from marginally poignant to full on offensive. Blazingly decrying Mutants as afronts against nature, against god, and against America.. Likewise, the DC Metro police have come in force for what could become a powder keg ready for a match at any second. Hundreds (if not thousands) of people have arranged themselves in two camps in front of Capitol Hill, ranging all the way back to the Washington monument, divided by barracades, with massive speakers positioned so that all the individuals set to speak can easily be heard through the assembled.

The keystone speaker, Curtis Moore, is standing with an entourage of assistants and security, laughing quietly while going over his notes up on the stage.. There are a couple of notable figures in the crowd, namely mid ranking members of the Friends of Humanity group. Some of which are actually wearing legally purchased body armor. Whether for self defense or otherwise? Who can even know.

Suffice that peaceful might be a loose descriptive.

At least for long.

Viola Fiore has posed:
A young woman walks along the Mall, clad in a fairly stylish jacket, gloves, and a headband to keep her ears warm. Viola has sunglasses on as well as she looks about and finds a spot that is decidedly away from the spots that look most likely to break out in confrontations between the mutants and the anti-mutant protestors.

She had slipped away without telling anyone she was coming. Taking the HyperLoop down in advance and spending the morning at a little bed and breakfast to avoid the crush of people expected for the rally. The young woman stays back and just watches, no sign of which side, if any, she might take in this matter.

Quentin Quire has posed:
Quentin Quire is in the midst of the counter-protest and he's not hard to spot. The sides of his head are shaved, his purple-pink hair gelled up into a series of points atop his skull. He wears a banana yellow pair of overalls with a black T-shirt depicting the Eye of Providence with the words ILLUMINAUGHTY, the front of the overalls thankfully covering the anatomically obscene portion of the drawing. His eyes are hidden behind rose colored sunglasses as he shouts at the other crowd.

"KELLEY COULDN'T GET IT UP WITH A CATTLE PROD UP HIS ASS!" "GO HOME TO YOUR SISTER WIVES!" "BIGOTRY GIVES YOU BAD SKIN!" "WHO'RE YOU KIDDING YOU FUCKS HAVE NEVER HAD FRIENDS!"

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
It took a while to convince her mother to support her going to this protest, but Lydia finally did manage. While she loves her little Toaster, the Vespa just isn't suited to long distance travel, so she had to convince her parents to lend her a car. She had arrived the day before, booked a couple of nights in a hotel and took public transport to get to the protests, just in case things got rowdy.

So here she is, now, in the middle of a throng of people, mutant and human alike, protesting the proposed bill that Senator Kelly has put forth. Like most people here, she's dressed warmly, with two layers of pants, thick boots and a thick wool jacket. Her dense curly brown hair is tucked under a warm looking wool beanie that can barely contain the curls.

Unlike many in the protest, Lydia is quite obviously a mutant. She's constantly surrounded by a mist of phosphorescent green ectoplasm, that glows softly even during the day. Those who stand close to her and touch the mist feel a cool, tingly sensation, much like applying a menthol ointment to the skin. For the first time in a while, people don't seem to be all that freaked out by her mutation. In fact there are those who call her brave for just being out here, and being visible. Indeed. Lydia doesn't have a sign. Her presence itself is protest enough.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Nori's always been wary of vehicles, but today Paige and Jubilee convinced her to ride from school in Paige's new old car, a 1980 Rabbit in cherry red.  It just didn't feel right going anywhere without the wind on her face, so Nori left her window down.

And now they're in the thick of it.  Nori is holding up a sign more like someone who is trying to camouflage in while their mind is elsewhere.  It reads 'Now You've Pissed Off Jubes.'  The blue-haired Japanese girl is wearing metal gauntlets that end just past her elbow, a short sleeved shirt, and some shorts, all neon colors.  Yeah, in this weather.  "We're too close aren't we?!" she asks Paige and Jubilee.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilation Lee, the Jubes of Noriko's sign, stands next to the speedster holding a sign of her own. She wears a yellow wool peacoat, blue jeans, and white Heely sneakers. She has a bright pink headband in her flat-ironed hair, which falls halfway down her back. She shrugs her shoulders at the other girl. "Too close to what?" she wonders and hoists her sign into the air:

            IF GOD HATES
            MUTANTS WHY
            ARE WE SO CUTE

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Dressed down like she is, Zatanna Zatara might not be immediately recognizable. Not everyone can spot her on first sight like some of her teammates. The impressive display of democracy in so many bodies is exciting to watch. A little frightening, too. Voices shouting and arms raised swallow out the quieter chants and songs everywhere. For this reason, it helps to have a rather fancy purse slung over her arm. She holds the straps in both hands. Armed with a stylish leather Birkin bag a woman can do anything.

Mostly anything. She walks through the crowd, excusing herself when blocked off and getting too close to inanimate objects. A bit of luck has her pressed close to a lamp that someone already stands on for a better view. She edges in and gets a hand up from the protester happy to watch. "Big turnout!"

Paige Guthrie has posed:
Having drove the trio of 'Mutie Cuties' to the rally, Paige is as usual, headstrong and anxious to get this show on the road. She's dressed in a pair of slim black jeans, a solid black shirt and a military green puffer vest to ward off some of the cold. "We aren't close enough." She drawls out to Noriko and Jubilee as she gives a slight bounce on her feet. In her hands, she is holding a sign drawn on black, thick magic marker:

If you take away our Rights, we'll give you equal Lefts!

She has her car keys pocketed and zipped up on her snug jeans. Tactical to ensure she doesn't get robbed. In crowds like this, there is always someone with sticky fingers. "Yah'know, ah' don't wish bad things on anyone, but ah' sure don't wish Senator Kelly well. I don't think ah' even got enough thoughts and prayers for that jerk."

Shredder has posed:
     In the midst of the crowd are a group of figures who surprisingly enough blend in well enough with all of the mutants in sight abounding in every direction. Shredder stands at the front of the group his arms folded one over the other as he looms in place, brilliant metal catching in the light of the sun.

     Behind him stand tall Beebop, Rocksteady, Rahzar, Tokka and several other of the mutates created by the ooze. A collection of the monsters created by the foot clan all represented with their signs.

REPRESENTATION
    IS MORE
THAN A WORD

     And other such slogans adorning large signs held with respect as they stand tall and proud in their own section.

Aimee Alexander has posed:
Aimee's parents hadn't been told she was attending the protest. It had only been a few days since she'd 'come out' as a mutant to them; her power being incredibly easy to hide from the masses. Still, despite her ability to go incognito, the teen couldn't help but feel compelled to do the right thing and stand with the rest of her kind.

Now here at the actual protest though, the empath mainly just tries to avoid notice while lingering at the back of the crowd. A faded and baggy sweater and an old LA Lakers cap do a servicable job of making the Alexander heiress a little less noticable, but even beyond that she hasn't brought any signs nor is she joining in the shouts and chanting.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
With so many in attendance, and the weather being uncooperative, Curtis Moore waves to someone off the stage who gives him the thumbs up. With a big smile on his face, baby blue eyes, and intentionally shaggy blonde hair, he steps up to the dias and takes to the mic. The reception he receives is a mixture... from the Right it's shouting of support, cheers of delight, and general excitement.. The Left has different opinions, but the two sides joined together sounds like a divided WWE crowd.

"Alright, alright, settle down you filthy animals." The fact that he was looking at the mutants side when he made the broad statement is likely a coincidence, right? "As you're all aware, our being here is a clear example of democracy! Even our detractors, wrong as their belief may be-" He's not a politician and need kiss nobodies ass, "- are out in force, it does my heart proud. God bless America." Pandering.

It succeeds in exciting the Kelly supporters, at least.

"Senator Kelly and myself have been friends for two or three years now, but over the last couple of months have gotten rather close as he was drafting his Better Business Bill. A bill, I'd like to point out, that should go without needing to be made a law.. We live in a country of freedom, where liberties have been taken to take away the individual feedom of business owners to decide for themselves whom they are required to employ." This time his eyes daring to the girl surrounded by a glowing mist or the quartet (and other) obvious mutants around the metal clad figure is no coincidence at all.

"Would McDonalds benefit from the hiring of a warthog man as their fry cook? No... in fact that might detract from the fundamental principle of our entire economic system..." The cheers, while allowed, are met with hands patting the air, whereas the boos... well they're just ignored aren't they? "I'm not saying that a man who looks like a warthog shouldn't be employed, but that decision shouldn't be mandated, it should be up to individual employers, AND THAT, is the purpose of this bill..."

Quentin Quire has posed:
Quentin Quire cries out, "EVERYONE LOVES WARTHOG MEN YOU PIG-HATING DICK!" as loud as he can. Part of him wants to transmit that directly into the guy's brain, preferably at volume, over and over again, until the shaggy haired drip's nose starts to bleed. BUt he's only supposed to be here to 'make his voice heard' and was specifically forbidden from 'starting a riot' or 'brainwiping humans'.

Not that he was prone to obeying rules, but he just didn't need the hassle.

Now, if somebody ELSE were to light the particular match, so that his actions could only be self defense, well, that's the sort of thing psychic shotguns were for.

Viola Fiore has posed:
Viola Fiore spends awhile looking over both crowds before the speech has begun. Hidden behind her sunglasses, the dark brown eyes flit back and forth. Moving from one sign to another, first from one group and then from the other.

Her first time at a rally on this topic. She's seen TV coverage of some, but actually being here and seeing the emotions from both sides is so much more powerful than an image on a television.

The young woman hangs her head a bit as the speaker comes up and begins his oration. She looks back up, eyes going between Curtis Moore, and the reactions of both half of the crowd.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia finds herself next to the close knit group of girls from Xaviers, and finds herself grinning at their banter. "I like your signs," she shouts at them, attempting to be heard over the crowd.

And then Curtis is speaking. Lydia isn't one to anger quickly, but the things he says just makes her hackles rise. She boos along with the crowd when he speaks, and even *gasp* gives him the finger.

Shredder has posed:
     Bebop lets out a loud snort. "Hey! I'd do plenty good workin a McDonalds!" His sign drooping slightly as he holds onto it in his grasp. He adjusts his holding as he rights it back into place sliding his hand down the side in order to try and prop it back steady once, and then twice before a third time just forcibly bending it in the middle the opposite way so it'll stay proper above his head.

     Shredder looks over his shoulder in silence those pure white eyes locking on the man. He doesn't speak a word but the color fades from bebop slightly as Rocksteady looks and says. "I'd order a big mac from you." A bit more under his breath still holding up his own sign.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
When the Kelly supporters start getting loud and excited, Zatanna lets her attention drift over that way. Mostly she marks where they stand and the general disposition of that side of the crowd. Plenty of eye-catching opportunities among the pro-mutant masses will lure her in soon! Because there's great signs, cute people, loudmouths saying what really deserves to be heard. Her dark, expertly painted lips lift in a smile.

Quentin being that shrill gets a wider smile, just a bit. She clings harder to the grooved metal pole, pulling herself upright. From that loftier perch she can make out Curtis and his shaggy, neo-bohemian haircut. At that distance he probably won't be able to single her out either.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "Thanks!" Jubilation fires back at Lydia with a big smile. "I was going to use the glitter glue but they all told me big, boring, black letters were the way to go." Pause. "I like your whole non-corporeal tre-chic look!" Her smile is big, genuine, and she totally means the compliment! She shrugs her shoulders and Jubilee gives Paige a hesitant glance. "Paige, can you explain your sign to this lady?" she asks, gesturing to Lydia. Jubes stares up at the big block letters before looking back and forth between Paige herself and Noriko. 'Do you get it?' she mouths silently to Nori.

    The words from Curtis draw some of Jubilation's attention. She hitches her breath at the thought of being called an animal but then draws up some spunk. "That guy really raisins my cookie!" she calls out with a line forming across her brow.

Paige Guthrie has posed:
There's an amused look from Paige to Jubilee before she gives a glance to Lydia. "Just saying that if they take away our equal rights, we may owe them some equal lefts." She gives a quick cross hook with her left arm. Whack! She sure knows how to put her shoulder and hips into it.

"It's ah' play on words. Ah' thought it was pretty clever mah'self." She gives the sign a spin about in her hands, then furrows her brows at the speaker who starts in. "Ah' really hate that guy also. What ah' jerk. Ya'know, this could be anyone. What if he was talkin' about black people? Or gay people .. or ah' dunno.. handicapped people? Ah'm sure everyone would be in an uproar. But you grow a tail or a third eye and suddenly you're not allowed ta' get a job? That's dumb."

She looks clearly frustrated as she holds the sign up higher a few times. "Ya'know, we didn't get enough time ta' work on a chant."

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"Fine," Noriko calls out to both of them and pushes forward through the crowd further and further till they end up so close they can taste the Hateos.

"Close to the front!" Noriko calls back to Jubes, still holding her hand to keep from getting separated.  "Hey Paige.  Close enough?!"  Oh the speech just started.  Noriko doesn't seem to care that her direction draws ire from Kelly's supporters when her voice rings out over the dying crowd at all.

Noriko lets go of Jubilee's hand to flip the other side the bird, electrified so they can see it more easily.  Then she nonchalantly mouths back to Jubes as if she hasn't missed anything, which she hasn't, with a shrug.

That attitude disappears in an instant at usage of the animal centric example.  Her gauntlets tighten, one around the sign, one into a fist.

Aimee Alexander has posed:
Rubbing her temples to try ease the faintly building headache caused by the sudden increase in intensity of emotions around her, Aimee finds herself grimacing. Curtis Moore's words aren't new; it's a sentiment she's heard before. But hearing it in person, feeling the crowd's real-time response, *that* is new for her.

Carefully, and trying not to draw any attention in the process, she backs her way through the crowd until she can stand at the very edge of it. As much to give herself an easy escape as to ease the pressure in her head.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Curtis actually laughs at Quentin's colorful retort and shakes his head with a motion of one out stretched hand towards the pink haired mutant, "The youth of our nation are spirited, I'll give you that." The supporters chortle, hundreds of little chuckles in unison trying to drown out the status quo of boos. "It's also misguided. I don't hate PIGS anymore than I hate MUTANTS." Someone from the Right, a burely fellow whose probably already drunk despite it being early afternoon, "I fucking hate them for you, Mr. Moore!"

His friends, a full two dozen of them, all laugh.. Curtis smirks, but shakes his head. "I don't hate MUTANTS.. What I hate is the inability to decide for myself whether I LIKE them. No, see, we live in a country where we HAVE to like them. Like them going to our schools with our children. Some of these people are very dangerous! You add to that an aggressive disposition and you've got the potential for true danger for young boys and girls.." His smirk is replaced with a frown, a moment of silence from the dias which is likely filled with the sounds of both sides of the rally line.

"What I hate is that if I, a God fearing man, am /forced/ to HIRE a pig to do a job where people expect to see HUMAN'S.. I mean, some of you folks-" Looking to the mutants and their supporters, "-You look just like us. Normal. So this isn't about y...ou..."

It'll be hard to tell, later, who exactly threw the first punch.

Different news outlets will blame a different side.

All that is 100% known is that /someone/ did.

That there is a shout from further away from the stage. Then another shout.. then a cloud of noxious gas... and then into that gas errupts white streaks of what appears to be lightning that has several individuals on the Right side of the rally screaming in pain.

Then actually all of hell breaks loose.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"Thanks!" Lydia replies to Jubes' comment about her mutation. "I think glitter would have been really cool! Made it stand out in a crowd." Her face gets a kind of stunned look as she realizes something. "Hold on, I have an idea!"

She raises a hand above her head, and the green mist coalesces into giant words:

SENATOR KELLY
LICKS GOATS

"How's that? I'm not very good with protest signs," she admits.

To Paige, "My father says this whole thing is unconstitutional, and would never stand in court if it actually passes." She waves her free hand, "This is all for show."

And then, as they say, all hell breaks loose.

Lydia yelps in surprise, dropping the makeshift sign she had just created. Since she's near the front with the Mutie Cuties, she's a prime target from some angry demonstrators. The hand that was holding the sign is thrust out and a half dome of glowing green force is formed around her, big enough to protect, perhaps half a dozen people.

"GET BEHIND ME!" she shouts, bot to the girls she just met, and to anybody else who happens to be nearby.

Viola Fiore has posed:
Viola Fiore's lips press together tightly, the sunglasses doing nothing to hide that part of her reaction. The young woman has a small frown, but whether it is one side or the other, or both, that cause it would be up to the individual to interpret.

The young Italian-American woman is still watching when things suddenly start to turn violent. Her mouth drops open, not having been watching where the flash point occurred. Though those flashes of electricity are impossible to miss, Viola actually jumping as the crack of their thunder echoes across the Mall.

She takes a few steps back, though the young woman has remained well apart from the protestors, leaving ample room between herself and then. She watches, seemingly horrified, at what is happening.

Quentin Quire has posed:
Quentin Quire watches with bulging eyes as the crowd starts to turn violent. Of course, Quentin's more than a bit delighted at the sudden scrum, the chaos, the madness. Kid Omega was born to riot. He reaches down and tugs a bandanna around his neck to cover his mouth and nose, not so much a disguise as taking up arms.

He reaches out his left hand and manifests his psychic shotgun, gleaming psionic power glowing pink as his hair as he turns it onto one enemy protester and cuts loose, knocking the dude clean unconscious.

"WELCOME TO THE BALLPIT!"

Aimee Alexander has posed:
Being right at the back edge of the crowd was meant to help her slip away if she needed to, but the sudden surge of emotion when the fighting breaks out staggers Aimee, leaving her stumbling dizzily as the people who don't want to stay and fight bump into and shove her in their efforts to escape the press of the crowd and the emerging violence.

Falling to her hands and knees the empath braces herself, resigning herself to waiting and enduring until the immediate rush of people subsides and gives her a chance to try regain her bearings. "Why did I think this was a good idea?"

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"Sag ot gof dna niar."                            

Beyond the roar of unleashed anger, it could be Zatanna isn't heard. She has to narrow her eyes and shield them with her hand from the lightning bolts. Afterimages burn in her vision for a moment, but that doesn't exactly matter. Thunder rumbles like the drum interlude before a rock concert breaks out. She's not dressed for that, what a waste!

The stern whisper from her lips invokes a turn in the elements. Notably that choking miasma spreading out everywhere loses the poison, forced to become water vapor and a cold shower. Looks like some of those people could use it.

Stepping off the lightpost means casting herself into the people pushing and staggering. She weaves through, using a formidable elbow to keep space around herself if push comes to shove. Really it shouldn't. She veers towards Aimee on a path circling through the worst of it.

Shredder has posed:
     "Jaku niku kyo shoku" Shredder offers with a low nod of his head as the fighting starts. His head locking forward as his soldiers surge from behind him into the crowd. If this is going to be a fight Shredder holds every intent of making it a slaughter of the enemy side.

     Kicking up into the air shredder runs across the crowd from one head to the next darting with the speed of a shadow racing to the far edge of the setting sun. His feet touch down just barely light enough to be noticeable as he draws his tonfa from his person and dives down into the crowd of anti-mutant protestors right in their midsts.

     This is set to be a slaughter, not a combat.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
When the gas pours out, the crowd just reacts as people try to run from it or run into it depending on their powers or temperament.  Noriko looks back and knows she can't get her friends out of the dense crows, so she dashes out toward the smoke as soon as she hears the hissing noise.

CRACK! goes the attack or whatever it seems to be.

Noriko drops to the ground putting her hands over her head, concentrating sharply to get back into human speed for no apparent reason save for a bolt of electricity that struck the ground 2 seconds ago where Noriko directed it.  "Shit shit shit shit.  Jubes!"  How will she know when to listen and when not to?  When she can go into speed to find the group.

The speedster starts speed crawling through legs and other obstacles.  She pops up again.  "Jubes!" she shouts back in the standard velocity.

"Nobody touch me or you'll f*cking regret it!" Noriko threatens.  Touching her will feel like licking a battery but just more widespread.  Electricity jumps between the tips of her fingers, hands kept at the ready.

Paige Guthrie has posed:
SHLURRRRP!

Paige reaches up and gives a hard tug at the top of her head, ripping forth her skin and pulling it straight downwards to reveal what appears to be a bright, shining metal surface beneath. A few people in the crowd glance over and immediately freak out at the sight of the girl holding what appears to be a deflated blow-up doll version of herself in one hand. She casually drops it to the side limply, then pulls her arms upwards. Her knuckles have become rounded studs, much like brass knuckles built into her hands.

"Maybe yah' should get behind me instead." She says to Lydia as she steps forward, cracking her neck to one side as it sounds like an alumnium can being crushed within one's fist. Crinkle-crack!

"Jubilee, we gotta go with defensive formation Alpha five. Back ta' back and we clear ah' path ta' get to Nori, then we get th' hell outta here. On my lead." Look at her, taking charge! As she steps forward, she pushes out with her hands, her strength augmented, her density thick. People are going to bounce off her like a brick wall as she barrels her way through. "Come on! We're gettin' outta here!"

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilee nods her head at Paige. "Got it!" For a moment, she imitates the other mutant and throws a couple of fake left hooks herself, grinning from ear to ear. "Hey, that looks pretty good!" Jubilee calls over to Lydia. "I could probably..." Before she can complete that thought, her mind bounces back to Paige. "Oh! I have a chant I came up with on the ride over... It goes..."

    Jubilee shrieks as the fighting starts, her eyes widening. "Nori!" she shrieks, reaching a hand out and... not finding the other mutant. Her head frantically spins, left, right, left again, behind. "Nori!" she screams into the chaos. Jubilee's attention shifts to Paige. "I lost Nori!" she shouts.

    The electrical cracks and snaps command Jubilation's attention. Amidst the chaos and the screaming, Jubilee stands there motionless. Staring. She zeroes in on the electrical bolts and the screams attached to them. She's too young to have a thousand-yard stare, but while others are running or hiding or even getting involved, Jubilee stands there. Staring. Oh god. She doesn't even hear Lydia's offer of protection. How could she?

    Paige Guthrie's words bring her out of that stupor. Blink blink. "Defensive alpha five," Jubes suddenly recites, pressing her back against Paige's. "Okay!" She takes a few deep breaths and sticks her hands out like they're registered weapons. 'We're coming, Nori...' she thinks.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
One person knows who threw the first punch.

Moving through the chaos, that person switches sides indiscriminately as they move closer to the stage. In one moment, a burly man with a balding head catches a punch thrown by an even burlier man whose biceps are as big around as most peoples waist... in the next moment a police officer smacks down a punch aimmed for an obvious mutant and shatters the attackers knee with a stomp.

Smoothly change their appearance as they shift through the crowd like water through sand, the elusive individual stalks the stage.. A viper in the tall grass of a riot.

Curtis Moore's security leap into action, ready to get him off the stage with the kind of alacrity for which they are paid handsomely. Hurriedly rushing him off stage while several others stay behind to cover their escape should any of the rioters (mostly the mutants) attempt to follow.

While the Kelly Supporters might be ill equipped for the fight, it doesn't mean they're not game for one and they've come marginally equipped at that... mostly with things they could sneak into a rally of this many people. A handgun is brandished somewhere and the shot rings out loud as a whip crack in a quiet church. The mutant who got shot screams, but it's just another scream in the chaos erruption.

Dozens, hundreds even, try to get the hell out of there.. mutant and supporter alike all rushing towards and around Aimee in a blind frenzy to get the hell out of Dodge.

Those acosted by the ninjitsu clan attempt to put up a fight. Grabbing at Shredder's heels, feeble... While Quentin finds he's got a nice group of Supporters coming at him! One of them just so happens to have a smoking pistol in his hand! Which he raises to point in Kid Omega's direction.

The rain doesn't make anything any better... if anything it has people terrified and a stampead is forming for the exits.

While the metro police are... fumbling. This situation is going to get out of hand and they're dividing their attention in too many directions to make proper response. Certainly not enough to pay attention to a shadow moving amidst them. A shadow that suddenly looks just like Sgt Diago, who hops up on the stage and moves over towards Curtis' once he's moved past his security. "Sir, we need to go this way, the police are clearing you a path over at the front of the stage..."

There are plenty of people attempting to grab Nori, all of them shouting in pain when their fingers go temporarily numb! Nevermind the groups coming at Xaviers Girls! Not all of them in violence, but how do you tell?

Quentin Quire has posed:
Quentin Quire throws up his TK shield as the onslaught of followers head his way. He surges forward and makes his pink energy form into the blade of a bulldozer, charging forward and scooping up jerkwad human bigots and piling them up on top of one another in front of him.

The gun he'll shoot with his own psychic shotgun, adding telekinetic force to its telepathic attack to shatter that weapon into itty bitty bits as he flexes a bit behind his screen of power, "THat's it, keep it coming, you flatscan bitches, this isn't even my final form!"

Shredder has posed:
     The Foot Clan are brutal as they are efficient and yet something in their actions has them attacking to maim instead of kill. They are subduing the people on the other side of the conflict. Now that is not to say that there is an avoidance of broken bones and sheet unadulterated pain, no there is plenty of that to be had but the ninja clan are doing their best to avoid their usual brand of murder, as they mix and flit through the crowd doing what they can.

     Shredder works his magic fighting with all the skill and gusto of a man who has spent over 800 years training. Compared to those lifetimes spent working under history's greatest masters it is like beating children fighting the protesters on the other side.

     Five at once surround him as he dives down into their midst a flurry of blows and fists in all directions and yet he parries dodges and ducks grabbing onto one and using their momentum to send them to the next.

     He closes his eyes as he goes through the motions Crunch, snap, crack, scream, the thuds go out as he battles through on sound alone slowing his breathing, his heart-rate, and his senses to accommodate the weaker opponents.

     It is a slaughter, a brutal slaughter carried out with the efficiency of a machine, and the grace of a dancer. Each move flows one to the next as some run, some stand and fight and others go for their guns, the man clad in black armor doing his part to ensure chaos remains and builds greater by the moment.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Noriko's screams of 'Jubes' turn into shouts of, "JUBES GO!" at the gun being drawn.  She then slips into high velocity to try and weave her way to track the bullet.  The speedster hasn't thought about what she's going to do when she gets there, if she gets there.  She's never experimented with...bullets.  This is just impulse.

And for once, Noriko is too late.  She watches the mutant go down through a legs and stays ducked until she arrives to pick the guy up.

"JUBES GO!" Noriko slows down enough to say.

Aimee Alexander has posed:
"Fucking fuck!" The sound of the gunshot causes another spike in the ambient emotions, but Aimee hardly notices in favour of the panic beginning to coil in her chest. Blinking back tears, the teen squeezes her eyes closed and uses her power over emotions to clamp down on her own.

Her panic is suppressed and replaced with stubborness, her anger smoothed out into an unnatural calm. Ignoring the tickle at the tip of her nose as a drip of blood falls to splat on the ground the teen tries to stand again, staggering about as she's once more bumped and shoved around.

Paige Guthrie has posed:
As she moves through the crowd, Paige is a bulldozer, though a gentle one when it comes to other panicking mutants. She keeps a steady pace to ensure that Jubilee is right behind her. Not once does she refuse to lose the touch of her teammate's back. Touch. Punch. Touch. Shove. Touch. Push. She'll glance over her shoulder every few seconds to ensure she's right there.

"Ah' think ah' see her! We're gonna be okay!"

When come of the anti-mutant protestors cross the line, one burly man throws a punch which connects with her jaw. She can hear the crack of bone in his hand, followed by the loud yelp of pain. Reaching out, she grabs him by the shirt and with a swift motion, she throws a hard kick square into his stomach, then hauls him upwards as if he was made of tissue. She throws him into a couple of his friends. "Back off, /now!/"

Another bigot gets grabbed by the throat, then slammed to the ground, followed by a hard kick to the side with her foot, snapping ribs. "NORI!" She hollers out, her voice metallic sounding. "NORI! WE ARE COMING! HANG ON!"

"Jubilee, you okay back there?" She calls over her shoulder, still keeping an eye on her best friend.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Expecting that she's going to just make their progress through the crowds prettier, Jubilation extends her fingertips. Her powers have always been good for a laugh, a distraction, or even temporary blindness, but that's about it. So, as she and Paige move back-to-back through the throngs of people, Jubilee expects that it'll be Paige doing most of the sickhousing. Still, she can fire some spunk and no one knows her plasmoids don't actually do anything other than look pretty.

    "Stay back!" she shouts at the approaching supporters, wiggling her fingers. "Or I'll bedazzle your asses!" A few dozen fireworks explode menacingly in the air separating the advancing supporters, showing them that she means business! Even though it looks a lot like a box of Trix cereal exploded, it's enough to keep them at bay. For now...

    When Paige calls out to her, Jubilee points one of her fingers in another direction. "That way, Paige!" she shouts, gesturing in the direction of the most recent JUBES.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia eventually drops the shield, since it doesn't seem to be doing any good, and it's taking all her concentration to keep something that big up and going. She looks around her in wonder, trying to figure out something helpful she can do.

When the gunshot fires, her ectoplasm instinctively incases her into a brightly glowing green carapace surrounding her for her protection. The added strength this gives her allows her to push her way through the crowd with ease. She keeps herself close to the girls, since they seem to know what the heck they're doing.

"Tell me what to do!" she yells at them "I can do... things!" She waves her arms uselessly, leaving green tracers int he air.

Viola Fiore has posed:
Starts to back further away, apparently deciding this is something she doesn't want to anywhere near, when she sees a young woman on the edge of the demonstration seem to go down. Possibly getting trampled.

There's a moment's hesitation and then Viola is running forward. She dodges fleeing people, lithely evading them, at times slipping through the smallest gaps between people. Soon she's reached Aimee, reaching down to gently take hold of her to try to help her up.

"Come on, let's get you away from here," the brunette in the sunglasses and winter headband says. Maybe it's adrenaline from the moment or something, but Viola is able to pull Aimee up completely if need be, but otherwise just tries to help her to her feet and urge the other woman to run at whatever speed Aimee can manage, away from the fighting.

Paige Guthrie has posed:
"Stick with us!" Paige calls over to Lydia. "Protect Jubilee with that fancy shield powers if yah' can. Can you wrap her up in it too? Ah'll be fine. Ah'm made ah' titanium right now. Just follow us through the crowd and stick close. We can do this! We're .. uh .. we're trained for this kinda thing!"

She throws out a quick jab, followed by an overhand smash to another man that comes at her with a billy club. He goes down like a sack of potatos grasping his now broken nose. "Just don't hurt any of th' mutants if yah' can. They're just scared. But these jerks, don't feel bad. Yah' play stupid games, ya' win stupid prizes."

As she and Jubilee move together, years of training integrated into them instinctively hopefully kicks in. They should be somewhat synergized! If they can survive the Danger Room's best, they can survive this. When Jubilee gives the direction, she angles herself to move forward and to keep the path clear. After seeing her knock a few of the chunkier Gravy Seals over, most are now giving her a great deal of space.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Zee really has no patience for the crowd running her way. "Talk about a hostile audience," she clears her throat and gestures with her wrist. Nothing fancy, except it bring a small black baton no wider than a pair of pens to hand from a hiding place in her coat. It rests against her wrist and sleeve, easily forgotten with so much neater things to see. Look! There are huge telekinetic dragons and green flares in the air. But she has more civilians fleeing behind her. Around her, people get a little too close for comfort.

Viola closes on Aimee before she can get there. The black-haired magician looks quickly over her shoulder for them. "Keep going that way, I'll open a path for you. Stay to the left!" she advises, clear and not quite losing her cool as she retreats back a few steps.

Then she raises her hand to stop one of the men trying to shove another into her way. "llaW." His momentum forces her to stumble and twist out of the way, catching herself uneasily. The springing barrier of force around her makes for a harder barrier to crash into.

"nepO a htap!" A flick of the wand sends a cascade of starlike sparks running ahead of her. They catch up to Aimee and Violet, and past them, forming a corridor that resists being squashed. An escape route for anyone, really.

Talia Wagner has posed:
This whole situation was not quite the same as the other times. The red flags were all there though. Large Rally. Mutant Rights. Protesters on both sides. Heated. Hate. The same powder keg as every time.

I mean sure it isn't Senator Kelly this time. Not like other times. Things are so very different here than back home and some of those other places.

Still though. Talia knows. Talia also has a lot of experience trusting her guts and the fact these patterns sometimes repeat one way or another.

So Talia didn't come down with the Xavier Protest bus, but she did come. She is wearing a 'borrowed' image inducer with her go to appearance programmed. Bright eyed, blond, twenty something, average girl next door.

She isn't participating in either side of the protest either. She is watching for something very specific. When she sees it she starts to move nimbly through the crowd, ducking, weaving, moving through the increasingly dangerous situation towards the stage. Moving in an intercept path towards the agent of chaos. That viper.

Too slow to catch up with them before they get on stage the young woman just twists around one of the many security and others. Which is risky to put it mildly for Talia.

Still she manages to get a hand on Sgt Diago's arm and she says pleading. "Grandma don't do this please." a whole lot of pure naked fear in her voice.

Of course Curtis's security grabs her from behind and yanks Talia away, causing a wrinkle in her doing more than pleading. "Don't!" unless she wants to openly pop off on the guards or cop. Which she thinks would make it worse and well blasting her grandma or whatever is going on may be hard for her.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Noriko must have brushed an electrokinetic generator or something when she brushed through all of those mutants.  She can feel it.  It always feels good, but she has to set the mutant down so she and keep herself electrified, now putting on a more vibrant show as small lightning bolts jag out from and up her body.

The sight of her just enrages the humans.  That lightning.  "IT'S HER-GET HER!" someone yells, though it's hardly the only one being blamed for all sorts of things.  Two guys move in quick.  Noriko simply moves and tazes each of them to the ground with a touch of her gloves.

That's when someone pulls their handgun.  Is it the same person?  But someone's decided to put Noriko down, and they're close.  "GET ON YOUR KNEES!"  The mutant beside her is still bleeding, still conscious.  "I will get you out of here," she says down to him.  She starts doing math in her head.  She's done the calculations though before.  She knows she would be able to step left, step right, but then someone else would be hurt.  She kneels instead.

Nori knows she'll only get one shot...if she still has it.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
The viper on stage, hidden beneath the guise of Sgt Diago, is convinced the security and Curtis himself to come along back towards the front of said stage. Walking with a purpose, a gun at his side as the quartet of paid goons and Mr. Moore himself follow along dutifully! Why wouldn't they? He's a police officer isn't he?

The appearance of the bright eyed girl startles security. Startles them long enough that she gets right up beside Diago and takes hold of his wrist. Turning cold eyes down to stare at the kid calling him grandma with a little sneer spreading across his face.

When the security move and tackle Nocturne to the ground, Diago is already jerking his wrist away. A wrist that's changing, a face that no longer looks hispanic or male. Eyes that are no longer a muddy brown. Mystique's blue flesh reveals itself as Curtis and his two remaining security detail step out in front of the cameras. Her yellow eyes turn sharply towards him when all eyes turn away from her to the perfect distraction that is her grand daughter trying to prevent a terrible future.

He never sees the knife.

A knife plunged right into his chest.

Mystique steps up close to him and whispers something in his ear as she jams it deep into his chest, blood oozing around the blade when she twists the hilt to make certain the job is done. The other hand raises the pistol and fires shots directly at the staggering security detail, hitting body armor of one and the other in the neck. Sending him over the stage into the crowd with a spray of blood across the faces of mutants and Kelly supporters alike.

Yellow eyes turn towards the camera, knife gone from a white gloved hand bathed in crimson up to the elbow, the other tight around a pistol. "If you stand with us, we'll respect you. If you stand behind us, we'll protect you, but if you stand in front of us... We'll destroy you."

Raven takes a step back, yellow eyes cutting towards Nocturne, pointing a pistol at the guard holding her down.. She doesn't pull the trigger, but turns and runs for the back of the stage.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilee's own fighting style differs a bit from Paige's more conventional methods. It's more like gymnastics or dancing rather than fighting, but it sends jerks to the hospital well enough. One guy goes down hard as Jubes uses her arm to launch herself off of Paige's shoulder and sweep her leg across the guy's face. Another guy wearing a Mutants Are Gross Abominations hat stumpbles away with his fingers pressed into his eyes after getting a face full of bright lights and colors.

    "Stay close! And don't look into them!" Jubes calls out to Lydia, trying to angle her fingertips away from the other mutant. In truth, she could make the micro explosions come from anywhere, but her hands were a logical focal point.

    "Nori!" she shouts in between sending guys to the hospital. "NORI!"

    "Paige! Three o'clock!" she shouts to signal a change in direction.

    Another cloud of fireworks explode in the face of a slack-jawed supporter who got too close. "I'm blind! This mutant bitch blinded me!" he shouts for his inbred friends to hear.

    And then they finally come upon Noriko. "Nori..." she whispers to herself, some relief coming forth. "We gotta---" Her mouth hangs open at the sight of a human drawing his gun on the speedster. No no no no no. It all happens so fast. For an instant, the young mutant wishes she could have been born with some other, better mutation. Logan's claws. Simon's fire. Blinding him will have to be enough if luck is on her side...

    Jubilee's fingers start to sparkle with micro explosions just about the size of dimes -- every color imaginable burns into and out of existence as she raises her arms. With both elbows locked and all ten fingertips pointed at the man, Jubilee mounts a distraction and screams.

    "HADOUKEN!"

    As the man pulls the hammer back and takes aim, he's engulfed in a cloud of fireworks and micro explosions. Colors of every sort explode all around him. BOOM. CRACK. POP. SIZZLE. "Aughhhhhhhh-----" When the explosions cease, the man is on the ground covered in blood, looking as though he just held an entire package of M80s and had it explode in his hands. His gun lies on the ground near the bloody stump that was his hand with a barrel that looks like it had been reforged and slightly melted. He's blind, yes. He seems dead. But is he?

    Jubilee stands there in horror, her hands shaking...She lets out a bloodcurdling scream.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia nods to Paige, and sticks close to them. Her ectoplasm shifts again, this time forming a small shield around Jubes, holding it together with one outstretched hand. The other has tendrils coming off of each finger, all wiggly like, and are being used to move people out of the way. Occasionally, one may ball up and punch a rioter with enough force to knock them senseless.

She watches helplessly as the scene unfolds before her. Up on stage, the assassination of Curtis. Before her Jubes' explosive defense of her friend. For all the abilities that her mutation has given her, she was completely useless to stop any of it.

Paige Guthrie has posed:
"Ah'm on it!" Paige calls out to Jubilee as she calls out her 3. She gives another man a good backhand to the side and away from her, sending him reeling a few feet away. As she sees the man raise the gun to Nori's head, she starts moving quickly forward, pumping her arms and picking up speed. "NO! NORI! DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE DUDE! PUT THE GUN DO-- Oh.. "

As the explosions rip through the air from Jubilee and lights the man on fire at a sub-atomic level, she slides to a stop, digging deep rivets in the ground below her. "Oh, no.. Oh God.." She stares down at the smoking man, then hears Jubilee screaming behind her. "Oh God.. Oh.. " She starts to breathe quickly, feeling something she hasn't 'ever' felt before rise up in her chest. /Panic/.

At Xavier's, they teach you to subdue, not kill. Never kill. (You listening, Quentin? No killing). But this ..

"Nori, we gotta go! Get Jubilee out of here.. go! I got this guy. Get Jubilee and get the hell out. Ah'll call my brother. He'll fix this." She moves forward to pick up the injured mutant. "But you gotta get her and run. Quickly." She looks over at Lydia, gritting her teeth. "You still with me? I need you to be my shield. We gotta get this one to a doctor. I have one on speed dial. He'll help us."

Quentin Quire has posed:
Quentin Quire isn't killing anyone. Tossing them, breaking bones, blasting their brains until they're drooling vegetables for the next couple of days? Oh yeah, lots of that, left and right. He's created a sort of telekinetic armor around himself, going full mech as he lashes out and finally pushes his way over to the other Xavier's folks only to see Jubilee blast somebody's girlfriend hand into gooey gooey gushers.

"HOLY FUCKSTICKS!" he yells at the gory explosion. Sensing the panic starting to spread, he does something a bit against his nature and pushes out a soothing psionic vibe, his words palpable in big letters with an almost narcotic haze effect that helps to push down negative emotions, "BE COOL LITTLE FONZIES BE COOL AND LET'S GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE KAY."

Aimee Alexander has posed:
Aimee finds herself hoisted and steadied by a stranger's hands. The teen stares blankly at Viola for a moment, before the unnaturally calm expression twitches with a relieved smile. "Th-thanks... I... coming here was such a bad fucking idea..."

Initially she still staggers, leaning heavily on the other woman for support, but with the strange pathway of empty space that opened before the pair she's able to slowly regain her ability to walk in a straight line as distance is put between them and the action.

She throws a look behind herself, spotting Zatanna back at the start of the invisible pathway, and throws a smile that she isn't certain will be noticed. Finally her attention returns to the closer saviour, and she mumbles a strained but effusive "Thank you."

Viola Fiore has posed:
Viola Fiore slips an arm beneath Aimee. The other girl might or might not recognize Viola, who wore the sunglasses and headband in part to try to make sure she wasn't recognized in the off chance she ran into someone who knew her, or if she got caught in the background of a TV shot.

Together they start forward, finding that sparkling corridor open up before then. Viola glances back over her shoulder trying to spot who was responsible for it, but doesn't waste time in getting Aimee down it. "I don't know. Standing up for what you believe, but... chance of danger," Viola says. Trying to not sound like she was revealing her own turmoil about the situation, that had brought her to Washington D.C. but kept her away from the main protests themselves.

"We can get you to a hospital if you need, there's one up ahead. Or if not, I'll call you an Uber," Viola offers, escorting Aimee away, giving her physical support as long as she needs it.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
That open path won't last forever but it may last longer than two women need to escape. Stars twinkle ahead of them and around them, giving some cover for another few people smart or lucky enough to follow the route through the Mall. Viola and Aimee will soon enough have fresh air and not need anything guarding them.

Zatanna's wall gives her an invisible barrier between too many violent figures and herself. Not very nice odds. The smart move is now slipping away the wand up her sleeve and ghosting it. Or getting back to a spot beyond the thick crowds where she can offer assistance under a shredded veil of anonymity to help the injured.

Soon enough, she's just another face in the crowd for the rare times she wants it.

Talia Wagner has posed:
Son of a bitch.

That is pretty much what Talia thinks as a couple of security guards yank her away from Mystique.. aka Sgt. Diago.

She probably should have hex blasted her, she would get better eventually right. Also she should have just possessed her. That is also temporary and would have just knocked her the hell out for a while.

Also in hindsight she should have probably warned the X-men about these sort of things, and what they can lead to.

She is full of regrets in that perfect slow moment of clarity.

When the yanking away turns to tackling to the ground she grunts in pain. Also her image inducer gets jarred and fails revealing blue skin... fur.... and bright yellow eyes as it starts and jitters trying to reassert the illusion. Still she makes yellow eye to yellow eye contact with her Grandmother there under the security guard holding her down.

Then in the next momment she just phases into the Security Guard possessing him in the sheer chaos of the moment.

Mystique might see it, but it is a safe way for Talia to stagger back up to her feet and get her bearings while not ending up in the Raft.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Noriko looks over to see Jubilee when they finally get there.  "I said fucking go!" she shouts and moves as fast as she can when she sees the fireworks suddenly spraying in her trajectory along the edge.  That close to the fireworks, she can feel the heat coming off of them as she twists way to the side.

Breathing like a hummingbird about to have a heart attack, Noriko looks around.  A lot of the fireworks went off right near her ears or near enough.  That's when she realizes the scream is coming from Jubilee.  She looks back at the body and then takes off toward Jubilee to pick her up and move their way out.  She's not going to stop.  Her brain races many many times faster than she does, but her actions are instinctive.  She intends to take Jubilee out of the city.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
With chaos wide spread, there's nothing left but the aftermath.

Mystique has escaped, slinking off the back of the stage and taking on a different appearance to blend in with the crowd startingt o run now that the police have gotten their stuff together well enough to wrangle control of the situation. The aftermath, as it will be called, is handing out arrests... which means mutants and supporters alike are taking off in different directions.

Away from sirens.

"She stabbed him!" Someone shouts, seeing the bloody corpse up on the stage, but medical personele can't get up there through what remains of the crowds to actually /give/ medical treatment.

Curtis stares lifelessly at the sky with blood oozing down the corner of his mouth.

The fuse has been lit.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Paige's voice is enough to snap Lydia out of her daze. She shakes her head and tells them, "I can get the boy." She grits her teeth and slams a glowing green wall between them and the downed guy's buddies, one of whom is picking up the gun. She pushes outward with a hand and just *shoves* a dozen or so of the rioters off their feet, to give them enough room to maneuver.

She reaches out with a hand, a glowing extension of it reaching out and enveloping the injured mutant. She carefully picks him up and brings him close to her to prepare for extraction. She, then, contracts the shield to cover their retreat, following Paige's lead.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Everything fades away. Jubilation can't hear Paige Guthrie. She can't hear Lydia. She can't hear Noriko. She can't hear the screaming. Just a loud ringing in her ears. She stands there in a daze. After a few seconds of this, there's a vacuum effect that returns Jubilee's sense of sound and brings her back to the nightmare.

    "I...I...I.....I didn't mean to!" Jubilee stammers, her hands still outstretched and shaking and her eyes still wide. "...I..." She didn't even know she could do that. It's never happened before. Her eyes rapidly shift between the people flanking the pile of meat. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she tries. Hands still shaking. Mouth still hanging open. She begins to cry.

    She's able to turn towards Noriko just in time to see her blurring closer. Not enough time to say anything. What could she say? She's scooped up by the speedster. Easily.

Paige Guthrie has posed:
As she watches Noriko blur away and snatch Jubilee up, Paige takes a moment to stare after the contrails of her two friends. She swallows her emotions down into the pit of her stomach, then clenches her fists up tightly as she teurns to Lydia. She gives a sharp nod of her head and starts forward quickly. "Come on! Follow me! Ah' got a car and we'll get 'em help. Mah' friend is a healer. He can probably stick yah' arm back on if you got it cut off. If he ain't around, then ah' got one of mah' professors who's a doctor. He's a mutant too."

As she tilts her head towards Quentin, she finally spies him through all the chaos. "Quentin! We're gonna get help. Come with us, please." She knows he's a heavy hitter, as well as 'family' in that extended manner. "Ah' need your help."

Talia Wagner has posed:
Talia keeps the security guard possessed and looks around in the chaos as people try to gfive medical attention and surge around after the attack.

There is a deep sigh there and she... he... shakes their head and heads off fast now towards the back stage. Where the assailant ran to. The security guard must be chasing after the assailant.

Some time later the unconcious guard will be found sleeping deeply for about twenty four hours.

Meanwhile Talia will make her escape and avoid arrest.

What a bad day.