7070/What Else Do You Do With Free Time

What Else Do You Do With Free Time
Date of Scene:	25 July 2021
Location:	Harry's Hideaway (Bar)
Synopsis:	Clarice and McCoy talk about research - but this time, over drinks!
Cast of Characters:	Clarice Ferguson, Henry McCoy

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Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Even with her powers currently on the blink, as it were, Clarice tries to stay busy. Much of the day is filled with training, and working on her reading, writing, and math - but that still leaves hours and hours to fill. And one of the easiest ways to fill that time? Well. That might explain why she's seated at the bar with a glass of something fizzy in front of her, and a burger with fries. She not actually trying to get drunk this time - thus the carbonated water added to her drink this evening. But if she gets there? She's fine with it.
    And not wanting to deal with biggots and arguements tonight? That's lead to the choice of locations. Being so close to Xavier's, Harry's is used to hosting people who are visibly mutant, like herself. So she's able to sip her drink and nibble at her fries in relative peace and quiet. Aside from the awful country song coming out of the jukebox at the moment. Who //chose// that? Geeze.

Henry McCoy has posed:
Harry's is quite used to the more unusual and varied looks of the people from Xavier's, indeed. Henry does make a habit of stopping in every so often, usually once he's completed a project. It just so happens, tonight is one of those nights! Stepping in, he offers a wave and a smile to the staff. "Evening, all." The man greets, in his pleasant way.

Spotting another familiar-hued face, the furry fellow heads over towards the bar where Clarice is seated. "Mind company tonight, Clarice?" He wonders, nodding to the bartender. "An old fashioned, please? And a menu?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Not in the least," Clarice agrees easily, flashing Henry a brief smile in greeting. "How's the, umm, research going? Learn anything useful yet?" About the drug, preferably, but she's aware Hank probably had any number of irons in the fire at once. She picks up her glass for a sip then adds towards the bartender, "Hey - feel free to put Dr. MacCoy on my tab - yeah?" she invites, looking back to Henry as she adds, "Just- you know. A small way of showing thanks, for the work you've been doing for Dyani. I really do appreciate it."

Henry McCoy has posed:
The big man settles onto one of the barstools - carefully. He's got some density! "I think I have traced something back to that other individual I had worked on, that you brought in." He explains, talking a bit around the whole secret base thing, or mutant ids. "I think the drug might be partly created from his blood or plasma." A slight frown at that. "We might want to chat him up about the affects of his gift?"

A smile as she offers to cover his tab. "Very much appreciated, Clarice. As I mentioned before, I'm always happy to help our people out. It's part of my gift to be able to do so." The Beast grins. As the bartender comes back. "Some wings and fries, please? Spicy hot, please." A nod. "I am hoping to hand her the goggles tomorrow, if she's about."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Well - maybe she can show off the work you guys put into it at Kitty's party?" Clarice suggests - a smile on her features. "And I know you're willing to help, I just- well. I want you to know how much it means to me. Dyani's..." She hesitates, trying to find the right words - and struggling for a moment. "She's... maybe like a younger sister to me?" she suggests. "I don't know." She's never had a sister - so how would she really know what it was like?
    She nibbles on one of the fries before she adds, "Well, talking to the guy - turns out he has a little sister, himself. And it's possible these same people //have// his sister." Seems rather a convenient coincidence, but there you have it.

Henry McCoy has posed:
As his drink arrives, he takes a sip - enjoying the burn of the alcohol. "I would very much enjoy having her debut them at Kitty's party." He grins. He nods at the mention of the sibling-like relation between the two. "I can understand that - it's a wonderful relation to stumble upon, Clarice. Having someone you can relate to, and care for. You can be a proper sister to her, a role-model." Henry murmurs. "Give her the choices you may not have had." Another nod.

He listens as she reveals a bit more about the patient. "Do you think he's acting under duress? Perhaps to keep his sister safe?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "That's what he said. That the folks who have her wanted a massive ranson to release her - so he started literally slave-trading to make the money to free her." Clarice shakes her head. "Can't fault his motivations, but I've got issues with his choices. I mean - if it really lets him control them, why not target a few rich sods and get them to empty some bank accounts for him?" she suggests.
    "Anyways. Apparently she has gifts similar to his own, so it would explain any similarities there. Only he controls humans, and she controls mutants."
    There's a faint frown on her features as she adds, "Of course, this may all mean that since the drug doesn't trace back to the Magistrates - the similarities between what they're doing, and what the Magistrates did - may in fact be coincidental." That would be a good thing, though. ...wouldn't it?

Henry McCoy has posed:
Henry's claw taps against the side of his glass as he listens, nodding to her. "No, but think of this - what would you do to save Dyani?" He murmurs. "I am sure he will have to pay for what he's done - but many of us would do most anything for a loved one. It's in our nature, Clarice." I mean, maybe not Mystique's... but hey! "If she has similar gifts, they might be utilizing her as well. Regardless, we'll add it to our list of those we need to rescue." A wry grin.

At the mention of the Magistrate and such, he thinks a moment. "I understand your hatred for them, I do. But I promise you, that looking for their influence in every instance will drive you mad. It is unfortunately human nature to try to seek control - and some without morals will do so in terrible ways. They aren't demons from your past, Clarice. We still will defeat them, however. Don't go looking to kill what's not there, I suppose is what I mean. It will only frustrate you if we don't find the enemy you're looking for."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I would do anything for the very few people in this world I actually... love," Clarice agrees in a quiet voice - and it is a short list. "I just meant - well. There's other ways to get money off of people than selling them into slavery. Less painful, less traumatizing ways. Better to drain a fewe bank accounts than to //sell children//."
    She glances aside at the man for a moment, then back down at her drink as he talks about the magistrates, her expression grim. "It just sounded so similar - the two stories. I couldn't imagine that they weren't involved. If there is a Magistrate there - I still very much intend to kill them," she states simply, flatly. "But hopefully it's all a coincidence, and the Magistrates really are a thing of the past."

Henry McCoy has posed:
More tapping to his glass. "You assume he had a choice in what they asked for? They may have asked for the children, as opposed to cash. We're spinning assumptions from our past experience. It's not out of the realm of the known that we are wrong with what we suspect." A wry grin. A shrug from Henry. "We will need to dig more, to sort out this tangled web. We will, I promise."

"We'll see what occurs, Clarice. We all hope those monstrous people are long gone. But as we both know, dead things have a way of showing up in any number of fashions."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "No, they asked for the money - by his own account," Clarice says simply. "And he chose to get it by selling children into slavery. And I think you and I both know why people want //children// slaves these days." There's disgust and anger on her features that she quickly banishes with a drink from her glass.
    "He made that choice. Disgusting."
    She lets out a sigh, then picks up her burger for a large bite - perhaps to distract herself from further talk of the Magistrates.

Henry McCoy has posed:
The man ohs, nodding. "Well, then. I am certain he will pay quite the price for his behavior." He says, earnestly. "You're making me wish I'd bungled the surgery, Clarice." He mutters, looking to his wings as they arrive. "As it stands, he'll likely spend a terrible life in jail, with a collar around his neck."

He sighs, before picking up a wing and biting into it savagely.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Well - but then we wouldn't have the information about his sister, and //she// - as far as we know - hasn't done anything wrong," Clarice points out. "...but I don't feel so bad about having hurt him," she adds in a dry voice.
    She plucks a few more fries from her basket, nibbling at him before she asks, "I was wondering, actually - do you have any ideas on how I could practice that trick I was attempting on him? Teleporting a sedative into someone - especially if they're armored in some way - would be really useful. But I need to find a way to practice it until I can pull it off without inflicting harm on the target."

Henry McCoy has posed:
Henry chews a bit, thinking on the subject as he lets the spices flare up in his mouth. A moment later, he looks to her. "Directly injecting something into their body is going to cause all sorts of trouble. The human body is rarely full of airy voids." He explains. "Perhaps, setting up prior to that some micro injectors? Or skin contact transmissions? The injectors would be faster, though - getting it immediately into the blood stream." He hrms. "Problem with that, would be momentum. It's possible to have something that triggers on contact, and fires an injection when a sensor is blocked?"

"I have to admit, it's... not something I'd thought up."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Well, I'm not looking for an airy void," Clarice says with dry amusement. "But if it's a potent sedative - we're talking miniscule amounts. And I am capable of teleporting out only the contents of something I come into contact with. I-" She takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly before offering, "It's something the Magistrates trained me to do. I could teleport out vital parts of someone's anatomy without leaving any external wounds." He had her records now - she imagines summaries of her training must have been included. Right?
    "Same thing - small scale. I teleport out just the contents of the syringe, and as long as it's loaded properly, with no air inside, I should be able to get it into a target. It's just a matter of finding the best place in the body to deliver it - and finding a way to practice doing so without causing any harm from the disruption wave as the material appears within the target. With such a small amount of material, the disruption wave should also be small. I think it's possible - if I can find a way to practice it. I mean - can we build something? A... mechanical circulatory system?"

Henry McCoy has posed:
A nod to the woman as she explains. He read her file - that said, he's not one to speak on it. "It would need to be the proper dose administered, of course. We could create capsules of the correct amount. And yes, it's possible to fabricate a replica for practice - though I won't really condone the excisement of vital organs from living people." Henry says, seriously.

"The additional volume shouldn't cause too much strain, any more than an injection." A nod. "We could work on that, though. And the best placement for optimal and quickest affectation."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I wasn't going to practice removing organs," Clarice replies with dry amusement. Besides - she's mastered that skill already. "And it's not a technique I really use anymore." Almost never, anyways. And certainly not on //good// people.
    "It's not the highest priority, obviously. I mean, rescuing these folks is top priority. And helping people like Dyani's pretty important too. But if we could get a model together I could practice on... It could be a pretty useful skill. A good way to take people down non-lethally. And if we could make the model small enough to be mobile - so that someone could be wearing it like a back pack, in a practice scenario? Even better. Odds are these folks won't be holding still while I'm trying to take them out of the fight."
    She lifts her glass towards Hank adding, "And as ever - your help is appreciated."

Henry McCoy has posed:
Raising his glass, Henry taps his against hers. "We'll work on something." He grins. "And I am glad to help people, Clarice. I'm a philanthropist at heart." A wink to her. "Despite my outward appearance."