6387/The Scales of Loyalty

The Scales of Loyalty
Date of Scene:	30 May 2021
Location:	Faculty Lounge
Synopsis:	Scott and Clarice have some words. Scott apologizes despite some skepticism. Clarice promises non-lethal revenge. Afterwards, they discuss the situation in Bushwick.
Cast of Characters:	Clarice Ferguson, Scott Summers

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Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Trotting down the stairs after Scott - Clarice manages to catch up to him to make a single, simple demand. "We need to talk," she says simply. "In //private//." Arms cross over her chest as she gives the man a determined look - and waits for him to lead the way. After all, this is //his// turf.

Scott Summers has posed:
Scott waves Clarice to follow along behind him after hearing her call out his name and insist on a private conversation, "I need to grab my laptop from the lounge, we can chat there. The rest of the staff have pretty much wrapped up for the semester."

Descending down the stairs from the roof at a descent clip, he navigates the mansion with ease, the layout coming second nature. Using a badge to open the lock to the lounge, he holds the door open for Clarice to step inside and then closes it behind him.

Heading to one of the clusters of chairs, he retrieves his laptop and sits down, opening it. He types in a password and resumes what he intended in the first place. Blink gets a momentary glance before he simply says "Shoot. I'm listening."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "That was dumb," Clarice replies in a flat, firm tone once they're safely ensconced in the lounge. She doesn't sit in any of the available chairs - instead she perches herself on the arm of one, arms crossed over her chest. "I make my position in the Brotherhood precarious enough - with everything I do. They're trying to pivot from their more violent past to a more reasoned, less controversial future. We're all better served by having a moderate voice in the mix to help with that. But you put that at risk when you call my loyalties into question - in front of //witnesses//. Students, Summers! Kitty - okay, she knows when to keep her mouth shut. But Atrid? What were you //thinking//?" she asks - her anger obvious in her stiff posture, the set of her jaw, and the fiery flash in her vibrant green eyes.

Scott Summers has posed:
Scott listens carefully and closes the laptop. He puts his elbows on his thighs and leans forward with his hands laced together. "I wasn't questioning your loyalty. I was asking for an honest assessment of Erik in front of a student you were already discussing the 'complexities' of alliances to."

He tilts his head to the side, "If you are worried about your loyalty to the Brotherhood being questioned because of association with us, you shouldn't be coming to the mansion. Me asking you how Erik is doing is a literal drop in the bucket in the grand scheme of things, and having that question in front of a student hopefully got that particular student thinking about 'outcomes' instead of rigid lines between factions."

"You have to face it. Magneto's asteroid, Genosha... It's all mainstream news at this point, and its better for the kids to see the adults discussing it and coming to terms with it. If anything, I was lobbing you a softball to defend Erik in front of witnesses, which you did by describing his remorse." He leans back and watches her. "That make it clear enough what I was thinking?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "You asked me to report to you on the mental state of my //King,//" Clarice insists in a firm voice. "Asking me my take on his announcement would be one thing. What you asked... was over the line." She lets out a huff of frustration as she adds, "And I can't stop coming here entirely. I also serve Lorna. And the work X-Force achieves is too important. I walk a fine line, and I don't need you making it harder - is //that// clear enough?" The heated edge to her voice has begun to fade - little by little - but it's clear she isn't fully placated yet.

Scott Summers has posed:
"Get over it. I asked you to assess the mental state of a very powerful mutant who has been a threat to this school, my friends, and Genosha. I don't give two shits about your monarchy, Clarice. You decide if what I asked really made it harder or if it just made it uncomfortable. If I made things harder for you, I'm sorry, because I consider you a friend and an important ally. We share goals. One of those protecting Lorna." He sets his jaw.

"But if you are just upset because I made your beloved tyrant dictator look bad... Sorry, I'm out of sympathy for Magneto. He should start taking direction from individuals who seem capable of making better decisions." Scott appears to stare at her, but then again, that's always the effect of those ruby lenses.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "//Yes//, you made it harder! Yes, you put my position at risk!" Clarice insists - her frustration flaring again. "This has nothing to do with making him look bad. He does that on his own just fine - so feel free." She lets out another frustrated huff of air. "You and I both know he doesn't 'take direction.' But he will listen to counsel. And I am trying to be one of those voices. I'm trying to balance out Mystique." And ask much as she actually respects Mystique - her advice was usually far more cutthroat than Clarice would prefer.
    "All I'm saying - is if you have questions about what //I think// about something - feel free to ask. That's fair game. But the moment you make it sound like I'm going to report on the internal goings on of the Brotherhood to the X-Men? You could not only be putting my position in danger, you could be putting me in danger. If the wrong person, hears the wrong whisper..."

Scott Summers has posed:
Scott is quiet for a good half minute as he takes it in. He hums, and he sighs. "Fine, I disagree with the assessment, but if it gives you piece of mind, I'll keep those kinds of conversations behind closed doors. It's an acceptable request."

He frowns deeply, "Though if you are this worried, Blink. I'm worried for you. You to need to face that you are stepping into the home of two of the strongest telepaths in the world. While they respect people's privacy, if you believe your king is paranoid enough to plant spies here... Spies that would be very likely to fail... you probably need to accept you are being kept 'out of the loop'."

"I seriously doubt you or Lorna are going to be told anything that Erik or Mystique deem sensitive in regards to the X-men. They have to assume that anything you discover or told could be easily compromised the second you step across our foyer." He unfolds his laptop.

"Just remember, if either of you need help, we are here for you." He nods and starts typing.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I don't think he's planting spies," Clarice replies - a laugh coloring her tone on that reply. "I think students can't always keep their mouth's shut. And I think the school doesn't have complete control over what instant messages they send to their friends, or what webpages they post on from their phones. And you're probably right, I'll probably never be given information they want to make sure stays out of the X-Men's hands. They're perfectly aware of the fine line I walk - of my loyalties to Lorna, and hers to the X-Men." She lets out a sigh, and finally drops back into the chair - slipping down from the arm where she'd perched herself.
    "Look... I'm fine. I don't think I'm actively in any danger. In part, because I have no intention of betraying the Brotherhood. I do a lot of good - staying where I am. And I'm glad you appreciate that, and agree with it." She takes a deep breath, and lets it out slowly as she adds, "So - to really answer your question - I //don't// report to the X-Men. But if I thought there was any threat to the people of Genosha, no matter the source of that threat... I'd be obligated to report it to my //Queen//. And you can always rest assured that about that."

Scott Summers has posed:
Scott taps the last key strokes which announce his freedom for the next few weeks then closes the laptop again. "Well, guess I'll just have to count on Lorna. Glad you aren't in danger. I can't say I'd feel the same way in your situation but then again, I can't get out of trouble as easily as you can."

He sets the laptop to the side and waves a hand dismissively, "Not like I'm not playing with my own fire."

Rolling his head back to look at the ceiling for a moment, he then looks back to Blink. He offers a half-smirk, "We good now?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice considers Scott in silence for a moment - before a mischievous smirk grows on her features. "Well. I still think you're an idiot," she answers. "And there's a chance I //might// 'accidentally' misdirect something your way the next time I get a chance. But... yeah. We're good," she agrees. "Just don't do it again. My life is complicated enough without added help." She lets out a sigh, then adds, "So - do you want to hear about the warehouse raid - and the Kick that wasn't actually Kick?"

Scott Summers has posed:
"Hey. You aren't the only one that can have a stray shot. So let's keep the friendly fire down." He muses then nods to her.

"Yes, please. Any details would be appreciate, especially something that might help me identify a similar operation. I'd hate to see people's efforts to clean the neighborhood up get ruined by normal drugs let alone some sinister element producing power dampening chemicals. I'm particularly interested in the vector. Shots? Aerosols? Do you have a sample I could get to Hank?" He listens to intently.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I... well. I can try to get a sample?" Clarice suggests in an uncertain tone. "But I don't have access to it on my own. Science isn't my department." Really, anything that required education was not her department.
    "Emma Frost found the factory and supplied the intell," she explains simply. We," and yes she keeps the 'we' vague, "met Emma nearby and she explained the situation. Three story building, two guards on the roof, more at the front and back doors. Guards inside supervising the mutants, and some overseers monitoring the production. We were told it was Kick - you know Kick, right? Gives flatline humans a high, and a random mutant power they have no control over that lasts as long as the high do. It's very addictive, and the people on it sometimes accidentally kill themselves or others with their lack of control and training. It's nasty stuff, and we wanted it gone." She shifts in her seat, crossing her legs, and letting out a huff of air.
    "So we made a plan. Me and one other blinked to the roof to take care of the guards there. Two more busted in by the front door. Emma 'supervised' from nearby. But the moment we broke through the doors... the place was filled with fumes. From the production, I think? And the fumes gave us these... //nasty// headaches. I mean, it was bad. And our powers got weaker. It couldn't blink things very far, that was for certain. But... we managed to take down the guards. And got the captives free. Emma took care of destroying the warehouse and the stock. She promised to keep us apprised if she heard anything else about the group making the stuff." A shudder runs briefly through her form. "Just- well. I hope you never run into that stuff. It felt... awful."

Scott Summers has posed:
Scott hangs on every detail, doing his best to mentally recreate the battlefield as the mission report is given. His brow knits above his glasses when she mentions fumes. He takes a mental note of asking Hank to make an inspection of the team's gas masks for future operations.

"Sounds like Emma is really making good on her promises. Good work saving the civilians. Not bad work for 'you all'." He smirks a little bit, clearly being playful in the jab since she's not willing to say 'Brotherhood'.

"Impressive you all performed so well with your powers dampened. I know we run Danger Room drills for those scenarios, but I always thought Magneto might overly rely on your advantages." He rubs his forehead, clearly a little worried about the tactical effectiveness of the Brotherhood, despite being happy for the outcome.

"I bet it was awful, but then again.. awful is what we all face on a regular basis."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "She is," Clarice agrees. "Even if some of her intel was bad on the job." She lets out a huff of air - still annoyed that the vaunted White Queen had gotten things so very, very wrong.
    She remains silent for a moment, turning over something in her mind. She'd given Scott Emma's name. She had no intention of telling him what members of the Brotherhood had been there, herself. Should she...? "If you need another perspective on the battle, you can call Alex," she offers simply. "I don't think he picked up a sample of the stuff - but who knows. Maybe."

Scott Summers has posed:
Scott grits his teeth a little bit, evidently more then just a little concerned about his brother being involved. He knows Clarice would have told him if something happened though. "I wonder if he's dating Emma again... Yea, I'll hit him up for additional detail."

He offers her a nod of appreciation, instantly seeing the game she is playing. He'll take breadcrumb trails if that helps her either feel better or feel less at risk for giving him information.

Standing up, he pops his neck. "Thanks Blink. Really appreciated, especially in the wake of pissing you off. I won't forget the cooperation. Now excuse me, I'm going to go take off my teacher hat and put on my X one. Sounds like I need to start patrolling Bushwick a little more actively."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Well. I appreciate your promise not to stomp on my little anthill in the future," Clarice replies in a dry voice. "Because I won't be so forgiving if it happens again. Seriously." She fits him with a very stern look.
    "...but like I was saying upstairs," she adds, as she allows her expression to soften. "I think we'll get more done, and accomplish more good, if we can find ways to come together. That's my goal. Hopefully... I can achieve some of that. Stay safe out there, huh?" She flashes Scott a smile - before heading for the door herself. She should find and talk to Lorna. There was plenty to discuss...