7082/Asteroid! Fetch!

Asteroid! Fetch!
Date of Scene:	26 July 2021
Location:	The Gardens
Synopsis:	No description
Cast of Characters:	Clarice Ferguson, Raven Darkholme, Rahne Sinclair, Lydia Dietrich

---

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    After the party - Clarice invited Rahne up for that tour of the Asteroid she'd promised, showing the other girl the cafeteria, and the bar, and other recreation areas the Asteroid has to offer. Eventually, they end up wandering through the rather massive garden - staring up (or is it down?) into a view that shows the Earth on one side of the dome, and more stars than you could have possibly imagined on the other side.
    "So - what do you think?" she asks - tearing off a bit of an apple fritter she's purloined in the cafeteria, and nibbling at it idly. "I love it up here. I mean - after everything that happened on Genosha it just- I feel so much safer up here." After all, what could possibly touch them, here?

Raven Darkholme has posed:
The party had been a mistake, Mystique realized that now. It seemed that some things were still next to impossible to face for herself and others, so she had left early to avoid just that sort of thing. With Lydia busy working, a writer's streak happening, Mystique has decided to spend the remainder of the day watching the koi, her koi, they didn't have names but they were still hers.

Sitting now on a large rock, her feet dangling into the water, she has her eyes on the colorful fish moving around the water. She was alerted of Clarice's return with a guest, and of course guards has made sure that the restricted areas were clearly marked as restricted, but beyond that, she hadn't expected the garden to be the location Clarice chose to visit. Of course, she also didn't know whom Clarice has with her, that sort of information wasn't required, it all boiled down to Brotherhood or not.

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
The newcomer is having some issues. Her mouth isn't working. Having only just recovered from the teleport, being faced with her first view of the planet below? She was quiet before, but now she's quiet AND dumb. Or dumb and quiet. Order matters.

She had grabbed a glass of water, having turned down a real drink. Unpredictable, sure, but she really does like the freedom to choose. Right now she's halfway to dropping it, staring with eyes that can't take it all in. Trying, sure. Right where Mystique can see her, and she hasn't really spotted the lady.

"Es pure beautiful," she breathes. Oh, and it is.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "We have the best view," Clarice agrees - pausing a moment to take in the view of the Earth with a smile on her features as she points towards a small island off the coast of Africa. "That's Genosha there. We're always above it. It's been nice seeing that- well, seeing lights on the surface of Genosha again, at night. It was completely dark for a while." She lapses into silence next - staring at the planet. She'd spotted Mystique earlier as she'd glanced around - but it hardly seemed like the moment to approach. Not with Rahne still so taken in by the view.
    After a few moments watching the planet - her attention shifts, so she's watching Rahne, watching the earth, with a small smile on her features.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
The opening of the elevator door drew the cobalt mutant's attention off the koi and toward the front of the garden. The room was massive, from the lake it was next to impossible to see the elevator doors really, but the report had reached her ears only moments before the doors open. 'Blink and guest on the move to gardens.'

Picking herself up, Mystique makes her way along the rocks at the edge of the small lake, then hops over to the edge of the lake and the pathway leading back toward the elevator. It was inevitable that whomever it was Clarice brought, they would need to pass by her own inspection, so to save time she put her mask on and began the slow saunter toward the elevator.

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Whether or not Rahne is an enemy is really one of those undefined things. However she does keep sniffing at the air, calling to mind a certain other mutant's first weeks on the asteroid. So, enhanced sense of smell. Mystique would pick that sign up in a hurry.

She stops staring up at the universe, though she could apparently do that for hours, and looks around the garden. She leans down, cupping the bud of a flower nearby, and her fingers stroke it like she's touching a child. Then she lifts her head, slightly sharply. The exact moment when she scents Mystique in the air, or hears her or whatever. So obvious.

Still, she doesn't seem to go into combat mode. She just glances to Clarice. "So. Genosha," she says, almost managing to make conversation. It was an attempt, if a poor one.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Yeah, Genosha. That's where the metal to build this thing came from - which is rather a sore spot, but Magneto's been making good on repairing that rift," Clarice remarks. "He's managed to secure some ores from some meteors and asteroids we've passed - and defunct satellites and the like."
    She starts to walk again, slowly and idly taking them towards Mystique, rather on purpose. Because there's no point in putting it off. She smiles at Mystique as they both walk along the same path, greeting the woman with a nod. "Have you met Mystique before, Rahne?" she asks politely - gesturing towards her boss.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Pausing a short distance from the two, not wanting to crowd them, Mystique offers a slight nod in their direction. She had seen Rahne before, though Rahne likely never truly realize it. Sometimes when there were numerous people in a room it was difficult to pick up on specific scent, unless you knew to specifically look for it. Mystique has visited Xavier's a number of times before the truce to keep an eye on Rogue and make sure she was alright, but the truth was she knew nothing about Rahne other than putting a name to the face.

"Evening," she finally offers, her body language appearing relaxed and her face an emotionless mask. "No, we have not met." Now she closes the distance from the two. "Evening Rahne, nice to meet you."

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
"Ne'er been there. Maybe should, now 'at a'm able." Rahne answers, as she's led. She's such a squirt, for all that she clearly was at the party, has a file on her a mile long, and is probably known by anyone who cared to look her up.

Tame.

Religious.

Weak.

Why Mystique wouldn't know about her. You don't research the 'C' team. Rahne runs her fingers over her head, her hair short enough to barely move in the artificial wind. "It be an honour," she says. And means it, she didn't even blink before offering the response. Her accent would put her in Scotland or Ireland as origin. Which probably stood her well. Less prejudiced against mutants. She glances to Clarice, then to the garden.

"Havenae seen some 'a these varieties before."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I can take you sometime," Clarice offers Rahne. "You can accompany Lorna and me - if you like. Or just me." She flashes the smaller woman a smile, before looking back to Mystique. Perfectly polite greetings between the both of them - as if this really were nothing more than a stroll through some perfect English garden or the like.
    "I'm not sure who put in all the plants up here - or where they're even from - but they are nice. I imagine it was a lot of work."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Mystique glances around the area they are in then indicates a section of flowers. "These are all mutant created," she offers. "He called them 'art' but they grow and are lovely, so they stay. There are a few trees in the back that were also his creation, though I don't know if they are a combination of other plants or pure creations from his mutation. He's also the one that maintains the soil, keeps it healthy so it will continue to grow things."

Turning slightly, she points in another direction, "That is where the fresh vegetables grow, the orbit of the Asteroid allows us the same twenty-four hour cycle as the planet, so plants get sun and grow quite nicely here."

Turning her attention back to Rahne, she offers a smile, "We spent several months creating this space, what the work of eight different mutants, but I think it turned out nicely."

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
When Mystique and Clarice look back at her, Rahne has stepped forward toward the trees. She's touching one of them, a hand to the bark, and her back to Mystique without the slightest -anything-. She simply touches the tree, so happy to be wherever she is. Whatever it is that she's doing.

Her defenses were never up. Mystique is faced with something unique. Someone who doesn't care if they get shot in the back, and frankly has better things to do than care about it.

"Someday ye could try tae take clippings down tae Earth." She turns, looking back to them. "We need strong plants, things be dyin out an ah cannae..ah cannee..."

She's crying. Just a little, but she's crying.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I didn't know that," Clarice says with some surprise - as Mystique explains the origins of the plants. She looks at them curiously - then follows Rahne towards the trees.
    "Might it do an harm, though - planting these... new plants on Earth?" she asks uncertainly.
    The uncertainty turns into concern as she realizes Rahne is crying. "Is something wrong?" she asks immediately - her attention shifting to Mystique for a moment as if the other woman would hold the answer.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Mystique steps over to the tree and lays her hand on it as well, "Do you think these trees would help? I'm pretty sure that clippings could be taken, and sprouts began to plant these and other trees. If you get us some samples of the local trees, I'm sure Bruin could pump them up for replanting, it's what he does."

She glances to Clarice for a moment, uncertain why Rahne is crying, but accepting it as it is. If she had to guess it was the state of the trees she was speaking about, the area she referred to. Some place dear to the woman that is struggling to survive. "It probably would be better to take plants from the area and bolster them for replanting, wouldn't take much work at all if we get enough samples."

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Rahne wipes her face, the tears easily seen, but as easily pushed off. She looks up away from the tree that she's been not-quite-hugging, then looks to both Clarice and Mystique. "Ah mean...well, sure an true yes? Scotland's forests be dyin' out. Th' world nae be much better. Ye be doin so well, but ah dinae want tae ruin wot ye hae nao, not either."

Translations available on request.

"Es jus', ah be one person. Ah cannee do anythin about et. Ye could jus'...ah mean, ah dinnae hae a degree en botany an shit." Cussing. Wow. Must mean a lot to her, given the cross around her neck and the obvious gentleness.

"Ah always wanted tae make somethin' better. Jus' once."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Oh," Clarice remarks in quiet reply. She's never paid much attention to plants, or animals - not with her own preoccupation with the plight of mutant kind. It baffles her a little that Rahne cares so much - about //trees// - but there it is. "Well, if helping plants is... Bruin's power, then why not send him to Scotland to see what can be done?" she agrees readily. "You can tell us where he most needs to go, and we can get him there easily enough," she promises.
    "No need for tears over it, I hope," she adds reassuringly.
    "And I'm sure there's plenty you've already done to make things better. All of it matters in the end, I think."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia likes wandering around in the garden from time to time. The view of the stars and of the earth is magnificent after all. When the elevators ding open, she's surprised to hear the voices of her friends and lover, and another that she doesn't recognize. It doesn't take long to spy them, and when she does, she gives them a merry wave to catch their attention.

Lydia is dressed in her yellow floral print sundress, since it was rather hot down in New York today. In one had she's got her oversized purse, the one that she uses to drag her laptop around for when she wants to write, and as always she's surrounded by a glowing green aura of ectoplasmic mists.

"Hello," she says in way of greeting, and turns to Rahne. "I'm Lydia, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
From Rahne's perspective, Mystique can understand why the woman would see the project as too much, or too large, but when you have a organization as large as the Brotherhood at your disposal, nothing was too large. Already in her head she is working on the tactics and logistics of getting enough samples of the Scotish trees natural to the forest that Bruin could begin the process of strengthening the trees, making the heathier, a little more resistant to the pollution that was destroying the planet at a whole... and why not? Picking a starting place to better the planet seemed a daunting task and here was Rahne to offer a starting point.

"It wouldn't be taking anything from here save some time and effort," she says plainly with a slight shrug of her shoulders. "We need to take care of the planet as much as each other, and since that is failing on so many levels, it makes sense to pick a place and just... do it. I'll start looking into the natural trees for that area and what it would take for Bruin to alter enough of them to make a difference. After that, it will be all hands on deck for a massive planting."

As Lydia enters, something in Mystique's face changes. Instead of a completely emotionless mask, there is a hint of what the cobalt mutant feels breaking through. Her eyes light up and as Lydia comes closer, she lips her arm around the woman's waist and places a single kiss on her cheek.

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
"Clary, ah cried when ah had tae mow th' lawn once," Rahne says, her fae starting to offer the smiles that it keeps in abundance, along with the pain that it gathers so close. "Dinnee read too much intae..oh!" She hears a greeting, having entirely missed the scent of Lydia in the controlled air currents of the station. She's actually surprised, and lifts her left hand into an over the head waving that you see from children.

Given her height and some of her habits, one might be surprised to learn that she's turning 21 in November...

"Be an honour!" Rahne says, bobbing her head with immediate welcome. "Ah came up on th' experss..." Pause. English baffles her at times. "Th' express route," she says, after a heartbeat, her Scots accent pushing her at times. She's being spoken to by Mystique too though, but as she sees what happens to Mystique's face, she...shuts up, and lets the two have a second together.

The offer, amazing and huge and life-changing? She still wouldn't interrupt someone's happiness to rant on it. It would be rude.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "You cried over the lawn?" Clarice repeats - sounding both baffled and amused by this, giving Rahne a smile that's reflected in the little crinkles of amusement at the corner of her eyes.
    She turns from Rahne towards Lydia, gesturing towards the woman as she adds, "Rahne, this is Lydia. Lydia... well. This is Rahne."
    Her attention shifts back to Rahne as she admits, "I may have mentioned you to Mystique and Lydia both," she explain.
    She allows her expression to go more thoughtful as she turns her thoughts back to the notion of saving the forests in Scotland. "Sounds like it would take a fair amount of effort to pull off," she muses quietly. "But it'd play well on the news..." She hadn't thought of using //environmentalism// to change hards and minds. It just wasn't their usual area.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia leans in to the peck of the cheek. and wraps an arm around Mystique's waist. She had been listening to what Mystique had been saying upon her approach. "I think it's an excellent idea to start getting into environmentalism. After all, we still need a planet to live of if we want to live equally."

When introductions are made, Lydia's eyes light up in delight. "Oh! So this is Rahne! It really is a pleasure to meet you."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
The numbers continue to roll through Mystique's head as she leans in against Lydia, "We just have to be careful about too many hands in the pot. We'll go with the Scottish forests first, shouldn't be all that difficult just hard work, then we'll start in on the next set of plans."

She looks back to Rahne, "I'll have to get the exact forest from you so I can send Bruin for seedlings and plants. The hardest part is on him, and whether or not he can alter the trees and bushes enough to make them viable. I'm pretty sure he can," she gestures to the room. "he did this in space after all."

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Rahne bobs in an actual honest to god curtsy to Lydia, managing to make it look both awkward as hell and something she'd naturally do. She treats the lady like, well..like royalty. Might be something in the air.

No literally, she's got a really good sense of smell.

She does that for Lydia, directed by Clarice, but she -attends- to Mystique's words. They matter, and she's being given work to do.

"Ah can...do thet," she says, stumbling a little as she realizes she has no idea even how big Scotland is, or where the forests are exactly, or details, etc, etc. It is, after all, an entire country. How well do you know your own? "Ah've got mum tae ask, she can give details," she says, mostly to herself. Then she looks up. "Mum's Lady Moira. Ah'm one person, but she hae th' info. Jus' got tae convince her tae give it."

Finally she's said something that she isn't sure about. She has no idea if Lady MacTaggert will be willing to talk to the Brotherhood. Though there's good reason to try.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Don't do that!" Clarice protests with a laugh, giving Rahne a nudge. "Lydia isn't royalty! Why does everyone-" She shakes her head in amusement, and accompanies this with rolling her eyes.
    "I suppose you're right, though - about the planet. The news is always talking about climate change, and how we're not doing enough to reverse it, and all the harm it's causing... So I suppose anything we can do to reverse that, well. Perhaps we must."
    When they aren't otherwise busy saving mutants in need.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia looks at Mystique in surprise. "One man did all /this/?" she asks, sounding awed. "That's.... impressive."

"Oh, nononono!" she says when Rahne tries to curtsy before her, waving her hands as if that would stop her. "You don't have to..." but then the curtsey is over and she sighs. "Just because I grew up a Jewish American Princess it doesn't mean that I'm an /actual/ princess," she mutters.

Still, she looks at Rahne. "I didn't know the Scottish forests were in trouble," she admits.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Mystique's amber eyes look up toward the earth, the planet they all call home. "There are numerous people here on the Asteroid whose mutant abilities are no good in a fight, who often wander around here trying to figure out how they can make a difference... well, this is that something. We just have to get all the pieces in place."

She suddenly stops, reaching up to her ear and her face goes emotionless again, "Send the reports to my computer, put the Asteroid on alert, I want guards at /all/ stations and arming the missile sights," is said into her communication device and then she looks at the three. "I'm afraid I need to. We've got alien sighting coming toward earth, I need to secure the asteroid and ensure Erik is available for defense. They're reported to be out by the Ort Clouds still, but that's our solar system and that means they're too close."

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
As she's nudged, Rahne shifts. She doesn't fall so much as just...take it, and lower her eyes a little as she automatically fails to defend herself. She wasn't attacked, oh no. But her habits are so odd, for a combat trained individual. "Ah'd bow tae you, if ah hadnae seen ye in y' undies last Christmas," she teases Clarice. Even from lowered lashes, she's clearly willing to be a little bit evil.

Then, Lydia. "Oh yes, th' forests be failin' yearbye, an..." She pauses. She looks at Mystique, then her face goes slightly more white than a normal Scottish pallor. You know, the people who get a day of sun and forget how to sky. "D'ye...ah should go?" She glances to Lydia, back to the retreating back of Mystique, then to Clarice. "Ah be nae security cleared. Tha' how et works?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "You- did not! She did not!" Clarice protests, but there's laughter in her voice for once, not the crippling embarrassment she often wears. "I was no where near Xavier's on Christmas."
    As Mystique gets called into duty, Clarice turns to follow her - automatically, on some sort of instinct. "And I'll-" she starts, then stops abruptly frustration, and a flash of anger showing on her features for moment. "I'll do nothing," she mutters under her breath. Without her powers - what could she do to help? She couldn't teleport their people in or out. She was not help.
    She lets out a huff of frustrated air, then turns back to Rahne, quick to smile reassuringly as she sees how pale the woman has grown. She even moves closer to take her hand. "It's fine, Rahne. No worries. Like she said - they're at the edge of the solar system. There's no real threat."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia's eyes go wide at Rahne. "Clarice! You never mentioned you were at /that/ stage of the relationship!" She's teasing of course, trying to get Clarice to blush a little.

Lydia shakes her head. "You're fine here, with us," she reassures the young mutant. "If Mystique and Clarice trust you, then so do I."

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Rahne would deny all of the things, but the conversation has suddenly gotten serious. She shakes her head, letting Clarice take her hand without the faintest of twitches. "Ah cannee stay, either," she says with a fast beating heart. "Once thengs start tae amp up, ye gotta stop teleports. Clarice has m' phone number," she says, indicating the purple girl held in hand with a squeeze of fingies.

Then she leans, a little, and stage whispers to Lydia, "Was a lie, but really we nae be t'gether. Ah'm super independent." Just, like, a kid saying it to an adult. And she's so small!

Then without pause, miniature adult Rahne appears, and she stands up straighter. "Ah do got tae go though. Talk tae mom, get on m' way. Am on a quest."

What, exactly, am I on a quest to do?

I'll let you know when I find out myself.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "You're sure you won't stay? I promise - we can get you down safely if any real trouble starts," Clarice promises - still holding to Rahne's hand.
    "And we can send you down to anywhere you like. If you wanted to return near the school - or if you'd rather go to Scotland to see your mother, or Genosha, or... well, anywhere, really," she promises. She looks to Lydia - as if seeking support in this.
    As if Lydia weren't the newest member of the Brotherhood, herself. But Rahne had no way of knowing that...

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia makes a show of being disappointed. "Well, you can be independent /and/ still be with somebody, you know." But that's all she's going to say about that. She nods to Clarice. "Anywhere that you need," she agrees. "I've thought about using them to pop over to Rome and go a bit of sightseeing, but my current project is keeping me busy. Maybe once it settles down I'll do it. Take Mystique with me."

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
The thing is, Rahne needs to be alone. She's been surrounded since she arrived at the mansion, and this is her time to grow. She isn't sure what she's looking for, she just knows that she didn't find it at Xavier's. So she nods.

"Anywhere," she agrees. She closes her eyes moment. Before going.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Ritz joins them in the garden at Clarice's summons, when the girl utterly fails to convince Rahne to stay - and after a brief, only slightly awkward hug - she sends Rahne on her way, leaving her staring at the empty space where she'd been for a moment, before turning back towards Lydia once more. "So, umm, that was Rahne," she repeats needlessly, tearing a bit off the apple fritter she was still holding in her hand, and flinging it into the stream babbling past her.
    "We're about the most awkward pair you could find," she admits wryly.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"Be safe," is all Lydia says in parting. She's sure Rahne has been told time and time again that she can call on the Brotherhood for anything, and that reiterating that would be smothering. She watches Rahne go, and turns back to Clarice. "I don't know," she says. "You make a cute couple."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Well, we still don't rightly know if we're a couple at all," Clarice protests quietly. "But... still. I care about her. I worry about her, being out on her own. I mean, I know she's capable and all, but still - I worry," she admits, pulling off another piece of the fritter - but this one she actually nibbles on.
    "She liked the view, though," she adds quietly, with a small smile. "I thought she would."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"It's hard /not/ to like the view," Lydia says. "It steals my breath every time I come up here. Especially when I see the earth," she says gesturing at it as it slowly makes its way across the horizon.

She makes her way over to the tree and sits down, leaning up against it, smoothing her dress out to keep it all decent. "It takes time to figure things out," she laughs. "I got lucky and hooked up with somebody who has a /lot/ more experience than I do, so we were able to sit down and talk about what we wanted in each other."

She lets out a sigh, thinking of Mystique. "I never, for a million years thought I'd fall for somebody like her. Not that there's anybody on the earth /like/ her, but..." she shakes her head. "Time will only tell where it will lead us."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I still struggle with understanding how I feel about people. How do know- what they really mean to you. You know? And I don't really know if that's something that happens to everyone, or if it's something that would have been a struggle for me no matter what, or- or if it's because of my past."
    After a moment's hesitation she takes a seat next to Lydia adding, "Today Dr. McCoy - I mean, Hank - he said that we're friends. And Dyani... I've decided she's like a little sister to me. Or at least what I imagine it must be like to have a little sister. I'd do anything to keep her safe, to make sure she didn't get hurt again."
     Once she's settled into place, she tears off another piece of her fritter to nibble.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia tilts her head as she listens. "I think it probably happens to more people than you might think, and I don't think that your past helped with any of that. I spent /years/ trying to figure out my feelings when it came to other girls." She shakes her head, "My only advice is to give it time, and be honest with the people you care about."

She nods, "That's good! More friends are good. You are deserving of more friends. And I'm kind of jealous. I always wished I had a sister."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Yeah," Clarice says in a quiet voice. She shreds a little bit of the fritter in her hands, her gaze fixed on the view outside of the dome as she lapses into a momentary silence. "There's part of me that wonders," she finally offers, "If- if I'm just trying to replace, you know, what I feel like I've lost, ever since Nicolai told me what my mother said. But even if I am - is that necessarily a bad thing? I don't really know."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia looks thoughtful for a moment before shaking her head. "I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. After all, they say that the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb. The bonds we choose to make are stronger than the bonds that are thrust upon us."

She scowls, "I don't mean to downplay the loss that you feel about your family, though. That kind of grief is real, and it takes time to process."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "If I could turn back the clock," Clarice murmurs quietly. "If I could even go back and just... have one dinner with them. You know?" She throws another piece of fritter into the passing stream. That probably isn't good for the poor koi.
    She lets out a sigh, then adds, "But I'm glad to have Dyani - and Mister Creed, and Mystique. I should be grateful for what I have. I mean - I //am// grateful."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lyida nods in understanding, "I know. The hurt is still real. Your feelings of loss are valid, and don't try to convince yourself otherwise. You're strong, you'll get through this. Just..." she shakes her head. "Remember that it'll take time."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice ends up wiping at her cheeks in annoyance as a few tears streak out of her eyes. She forces herself to eat a little of the fritter, and clears her throat before she remarks, "You know - I had a piece of licorice, not too long ago. And the taste, I- it reminded of something I'd forgot. I went walking on the beach with my dad, and he pulled this flower off this plant, and was chewing on the stem while we walked. And when I asked him why, he gave me one, and I chewed on it, and it- it tasted like licorice. And we just walked along the cliffs next to the beach, and watches the waves, and chewed on the flower stems. We weren't even talking or anything. I don't think we were, anyways."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia gets up when she sees Clarice wipe away some tears and envelops her in a warm hug. "It's rough. Sometimes trauma will make us forget things and then something little like that would make us remember." She releases the hug and steps back. "It sounds like it was a good memory. You don't have many of those, so cherish it."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    There's a moment's hesitation before she leans into the hug, grateful for the comfort. She takes a deep breath in, letting it out slowly before she agrees with a simple, "Not many, no. I wish I could remember what the plant was. I don't think I ever really knew - but if we figured it out, we could plant some here, perhaps."
    She gets a thoughtful look before remarking, "I can't remember if the flowers were white, or yellow. The plant was tall, though. Taller than me. And the flowers were little sprays of tiny blooms..."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"Hmm," Lydia says, and goes back to the tree. This time when she sits down she pats a spot next to her for Clarice to join her and pulls out her laptop. Powering it up she says, "Let's find out if we can figure out what that plant was."

She loads up a search engine and plunks in 'plants who stems taste like licorice,' and the first hit she gets is fennel. She brings up a picture of the plant and turns the screen to face Clarice, "Is this it? Fennel?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Leaning over - Clarice studies the images uncertainly - reaching out with her fingers, but stopping just short of touching the screen. "I- I'm not sure. Maybe? The yellow blooms look about right - I think that's what I remember. But it's hard to say, the memory's so old.
    "Does it say how tall it grows?" she asks hopefully.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia turns the screen back around and reads. "Says about five feet or so. That probably would have been taller than tiny Clarice." She looks thoughtful, "It's a real common ingredient in cooking, so I'm sure we can convince somebody to plant some up here." She looks over and considers Clarice for a moment. "Maybe we can have you plant them and take care of them? Maybe start a garden and grow other things?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Much taller than a little Clarice," she admits quietly. "I must have been four, maybe five at the time. That must have been it." Clarice's gaze is still locked onto the images on the screen, before the suggestion catches her off guard, and she looks towards Lydia in surprise. "Grow things?" she asks. "I've never gardened before. Have you? I don't know very much about growing things. I mean - I have a few plants in my room, but that's not the same as- I mean, I just have to water them, is all."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia laughs and shakes her head. "I've never gardened a day in my life. That's what gardeners were for in my household. Not that we had a garden. We had a strip of grass in front of the place, with some trees and some flowers and topiary bushes, but that was all taken care of by other people." She chuckles, "I don't even have plants in my apartment. I'm afraid I'd kill them all."

She looks thoughtful for a while before suggesting, "Maybe bring this up with Bruin? Was that his name? He may know more about gardening than I do. At the very least, he'll be able to get some fennel up here and grow it."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Maybe," Clarice agrees. "If he's not too busy with Rahne's project. I mean, it's not exactly like it's urgent. It just... it would be nice," she says simply. "It's a nice memory. I really remember so little of life before the Magistrates."
    She's silent a moment before asking curiously, "Do you remember much of when you were little, Lydia?"

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia lets out a long, drawn out sigh. "Mostly of mom making my life miserable. There was one, where one day I decided to be a crab, and clung to my father's leg and he would go, 'Oh no! Whatever shall I do! A crab!' and then he tried walking around doing various chores and loudly bemoan his fate." She chuckles and shakes her head, "It's a silly memory, but sometime it's small moments like that that really stick with you."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "That does sound fun," Clarice admits - letting out a quiet laugh.
    "I don't remember my parents ever making my life miserable, though. I just remember- what little pieces I have, they were happy. They were all happy. The one Birthday where they let me celebrate Halloween like an American and I dressed up like Lilo from Lilo and Stitch," she explains. "Or going to the park for Christmas in- in the beautiful dress mom bought for me, and playing with other children while we listened to the music. It's all things like that - until the day I went to sleep at the hospital."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia gets a rather strained expression. "My mother.." she begins hesitantly. "She had plans for me. She loved me and she thought she was doing the best for me but she never listened to me and to what I wanted." She runs her fingers through the grass that she's sitting on as she talks, taking comfort in the feeling of the leaves that brush against the palm of her hand.

"For example, when I was.. I don't know. Six or seven, my mom decided that she wanted me to take dance lessons." She looks up at Clarice, "I /hated/ them. The dance instructor was so mean, and he had this little stick that he would whack you with if you weren't standing /just so/. So one time I faked that he sprained my ankle to get out of the lessons." She shakes her head, "You would think that one of the best neurosurgeons would be able to tell that their child was faking an injury but, no."

She lets out a heavy sigh. "I envy your memories. I wish my family could have been more like that. I... I took Mystique to see my parents last night. Everything has come to a head and I've been in the news so much that it was time to come out to them. Mom just flipped and said horrible things about Mystique while she was /right there/, and then we started yelling at each other."

"This is only the second time I've had a fight that big with my mother. The first was when I got tired of her trying to 'cure' me. I told her that I was /happy/ being a mutant and that I didn't /care/ that people could tell at a glance." She shakes her head. "She just doesn't understand. She still doesn't understand, but she stopped, at least."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice listens with sympathy, and concern - and a strange mix of curiosity and confusion as well. She was longing for parents she couldn't have, and barely remembered. What sort of life would she have had if she'd stayed with them? Would the memories have remained to happy, and loving? Or would things have changed, as she great?
    She'll never know. It's impossible to know.
    "I'm sorry you had a difficult time with your mother," she murmurs quietly. "What did Mystique- Raven do when she started talking like that?" she asks. "And- what about your father?" she asks.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia snorts out a "Hah. Raven was there as Aya, that really tall black woman who is unbearably sexy. We chose that because my mother is a little bit racist. We probably should have chosen something a little less provocative but I was feeling testy at the time and she went with it." She heaves a sigh, "Aya had been doing good at staying polite and not saying what came to mind, even though I could tell she /really/ wanted to. But when we started going at it? She just had to join in and give my mom her two cents worth."

"Dad was... dad. He tried to keep the situation from exploding like that but there's only so much he could do." She looks a little sad, "He's always trying to mediate between my mom and me, trying to keep me from weathering the brunt of the storms and be my ally."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I see," Clarice answers quietly - though there's no way she possibly good. Not really. She is //trying// to, though. She watches Lydia's features as she asks, "Well, have you at least talked to him, since? Called to see... well, how he's doing since the arguement with your mother?
    "I- I would imagine he'd like hearing from you. Don't you think?"

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia is quiet for a few moments before answering. "No," she admits. "I've been too busy taking care of myself. I spent the rest of last night in Raven's arms crying my eyes out." She waves a hand to the garden, "I came up here to be by myself for a while and write, but I didn't realize that you all were here too." She gives Clarice a reassuring smile. "It's okay. I don't mind the company."

"Once I get calmed down and my head in place I'll give him a call," she resolves.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I'm sorry it was so difficult," Clarice says quietly - edging a little bit closer, so her shoulder is bumping lightly against Lydia's. Wrapping her arm around someone else was still a gesture she struggled with, at times - this seemed a simpler way to show her sympathy and concern. "I hope you enjoy your conversaation with your dad. When you're ready," she offers in an encouraging tone.
    There's a moment of silence before asking, "Do you want to see my parents? I have a picture of them... I found it online."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia lets out a sigh and leans into the bump, returning the affection. "It's okay. It'd been something that has been brewing for a while and needed to get done and over with." She looks sadly over at her companion, "Either mom will get over it and apologize or... or I just won't talk to her. For a very long time."

Looking relieved that Clarice changed the conversation to her own parents she nods, "I'd love to see them!"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice nods, pulling out her phone. She unlocks it and navigates to the image - a young couple, in tropical surrounds, - the man with a slightly lighter complexion, perhaps due to mixed heritage, while the woman has darker skin, and hair hair neatly braided, each bread capped off with beads and shells. The woman is tucked into the man's arms - and both are smiling for the camera. "I remember the sound her hair used to make when she shook her head," Clarice offers quietly.
    It's probably not the most expected image, since Clarice's hair lacks the unique texture of African hair - but mutation is a strange beast.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia leans over to take a look at the picture Clarice is showing her. "They look like a happy couple," she says, sadness creeping into her voice. Once again her heart hurts for Clarice, for the missed opportunities that she could have had and for the bondage for which she had been pressed into. "Are there any pictures of you as a child?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I found one," Clarice answers. She thumbs over to the next photo - and it shows Clarice on a beach with her mother - her father persumably holding the camera. She's dressed in a Little Mermaid bathsuit, and is trying to lift a plastic bucket off the top of a sandcastle to leave another stack of packed sand on their creation. She looks like she's three or four.
    "I don't remember this," she remarks as she stares at the photo. "I mean, I know we went to the beach. I know I made sand castles. I just don't remember this - specifically."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"Awww!" Lydia says, cooing over the picture. "You were so cute!" She digs around in her purse and pulls out her phone. "I don't keep very many pictures of myself on the phone, but I'll show you the one that my mom likes to show people." She flips through the myriad of pictures she has, a lot of them are candid photos of interesting people and sights until she comes across one of a small girl, around the same age as Clarice at the time of her folder. The girl is smiling beatifically at the camera her tightly curled brown hair pulled up into floofy pigtails, waving around a dandelion letting it seeds float throughout the air.

"By all accounts I was more adorable than I had any right to be."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I can see that," Clarice agrees - smiling at the photo. "I imagine we would have had fun together as children - don't you? It was always so easy when I was little - I remember that. As long as there were other children there - you had friends. Immediately." Even looking as different as she did. Sure, people stared at her - other kids stared at her, but that was her //normal// and she didn't even know to take offense at it.
    "What holidays did you celebrate when you were little?" she asks curiously. "Aside from Christmas - and my Birthday - I know we celebrated this sort of... parade festival. Everyone dressed up in brightly colored costumes, with features, and sequins, and jewels - and marched in parades, and played music... It was so exciting."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia shakes her head. "I'm Jewish, so I don't celebrate Christmas or Easter, or any of that. So Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Passover and Chanukah are the big ones. We did celebrate my birthday, though." She sighs, and leans back into the tree. "Jewish holidays are more solemn, for the most part. There's a lot of celebrating of still being here despite everybody trying to kill us, though Rosh Hashanah is where you get the big parties." She chuckles, "It's celebrating the new year, but for us that's in September."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Kitty's Jewish," Clarice remarks. "I know that. But I'm afraid I don't really know much about Jewish holidays." She gets thoughtful for a moment before remarking, "Celebrating that we're still here despite everyone trying to kill us? ...sounds like something Genosha could celebrate," she states with dark humor. "I doubt Lorna's going to institute any celebrations like that. Though- ...we could do with some sort of day of rememberance, I guess. That might be a good thing. I don't know."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia nods solemnly. "There are a lot of parallels between what Jews have gone through over the ages and what mutants are experiencing now." She gives Clarice a smile, "I believe that if unpowered Jews can get through these hardships through tradition and faith, then mutants can get through it with hard work. And maybe a little bit of faith, too."

She shakes her head, "I know that faith is a hard thing to come by when the odds seem so insurmountable, but it's less about believing in god and more about believing in your community, and /being/ a community throughout the hardships."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I believe in us," Clarice says firmly. "I believe in myself, and Mystique, and Lorna, and Magneto. I believe we can work together to build the world we need."
    She puts her phone away now - adding with a sigh, "Raven thinks it will take hundreds of years to make the world we need. But I hope not. I hope I live to see it."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"Me too, Clarice," Lydia says, slowly closing the lid to her laptop. "Me too."