7217/Shi'ar v. Watchtower: the Afterparty

Shi'ar v. Watchtower: the Afterparty
Date of Scene:	04 August 2021
Location:	Cafeteria and Bar
Synopsis:	After the chaos on the moon - Clarice and Mystique sit down to have a drink. But when Talia joins them with some potential insight into the situation - Clarice suddenly realizes how much danger the school, and the students are in. And really, why not put //all// of Mystique's family under that roof all at once?
Cast of Characters:	Clarice Ferguson, Raven Darkholme, Talia Wagner

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Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Their guests were settled in and recieving medical care - and Clarice has been checked out as well, after one of the nurses spotting the young woman emptying her stomach into a trashcan. It didn't look like the mild head trauma would cause her any lasting harm - nor would the the mild dose of krypton radiation she'd been hit with.
    It did mean, though, that she was being a little cautious as she sips at the glass of scotch she'd ordered for herself, sitting with a slight slump at one of the tables, and something of a dazed look on her features. Everything that happened was just- it was a //lot//. Quite a lot to take in. And things weren't over yet by a long shot. Hell.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
There was a list of things so long that Mystique had to see to, most of them involving locking doors, changing signs, and hiding Creed in his room for a little while. She honestly did not, at any time, think the Justice League would end up on Asteroid M. She didn't have time to consider what just happened, the list had to be complete before any of the other members showed up, and she was pretty sure they would. Just how do you handle Superman 'dropping by'?

Once the list was taken care of, she went to the bar completely on auto pilot, then just froze there for a moment, staring at nothing. What had they just witnessed? What the...

Shaking her head she walks over to the bar, grabs a bottle of whiskey and the grenadine syrup before talking over to Clarice's table and sitting down. Again that blank stare came wondering back to her face as her mind start retracing everything that happened.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice watches Mystique in silence for a few moments, taking another cautious sip of her drink. Her stomach wasn't in revolt quite yet - so she was determined to carry on, slowly and steadily. Once she sets her glass back down, though, she gently claims Mystique's glass and bottles so she can start pouring the woman a drink.
    "You okay in there?" she asks in a dry tone of voice, before pushing the prepared drink back towards Mystique.

Talia Wagner has posed:
Talia didn't ask to go to the Watch Tower.

Talia avoided the whole Lilandra fest at the mansion.

It wasn't because she thought she couldn't be useful it was because she knows too much about it. Way too much.

Catch is... it might all be wrong or different here and talking about it before it started to cascade could cause it to cascade and worse.

"So.. looks like the Shi'ar imperium has finally shown up to put Aunt Jean on trial for being the Pheonix then...?" comes the voice from the archway leading out to the common space. "The guard routed the League... and they ended up here for now too... that is a twist." she notes bemused.

She slinks further in though hooking a chair with her tail and dropping to sit at it.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Finally opening the whiskey, Mystique takes a large drink straight from the bottle then pours the grenadine syrup right into the bottle.

"Oh no, no trial," she states, mixing the two together by rolling the bottle. "They want to basically drain her essence out, shove it into some crystal and take over the universe."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Something like that. The details are fuzzy. They Phoenix is the key to unlocking - and entering? the Crystal. Which might be a phoenix egg? Or might not? It's all a bit vague." Clarice's gaze is locked on the blue-furred not-granddaughter of her mentor, with intensity and curiosity as she asks, "Why? Do you know something about this crystal by any chance?"

Talia Wagner has posed:
"Oh." is all Talia says for a moment, then she slips back to her feet and heads to pick up a clean glass.

She comes back, plops back down, and pours herself some of that Whiskey as long as Mystique doesn't slap her hand.

"So uh.. usually it's a trial. The Shi'ar want to put Jean on trial for all the crimes the Pheonix has done. Which has always been odd. Like.. host vs. creature but... not exactly logical." she frowns. "Did the crystal have a name?"

Pause.

"Did it start with an M?"

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Mystique doesn't mind sharing, however she has no glass. "I don't think that was ever mentioned, but Clarice has a better chance of knowing then I do. She was at the meeting with the space Princess, I wasn't."

Another large drink is taken from the bottle, once she retrieved it from Talia. "No, I wasn't at the meeting... I got to be at the one where all hell broke loose and some hideous thing decided it wanted to absorb me, and bullets did not effect it."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I don't recall a name being given," Clarice offers simply. "Wish I did - sorry." Her eyes are still on Talia. "....why?"
    "Ugh, fuck that thing," she adds in a quiet mutter under her breath.

Talia Wagner has posed:
"Not sure, usually there is only one crystal with problems like this and galatic empires... one of the gems ...which aren't usually crystals.. or the M'krann crystal."

She shrugs and steals the bottle back. "Honestly all the Shi'ar rulers outside Lilandra are dicks and not to be trusted. The guard are just serving their home and rulers though... as often as not they fight on the side of good for the universe. Either way though if it is Deathbird or the brother.. whats his name.. they shouldn't get Jean or any special crystal."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Walking over to the bar, Mystique grabs two glasses then walks back and fills them both from the bottle... they were large glasses. Sitting back down, she picks up the glass for a large drink.

"Jean may not like me," she states the obvious. "But she's a mutant, and I will fight to defend her if I can. No alien comes in and starts declaring rules over my planet, and that's what this fucker was trying to do. I didn't even get the chance to tell Superman the real reason the fucker wants Jean before hell broke loose."

Another large drink as she thinks about that moment when hell broke out, that moment when the thing that clearly skipped a few steps in evolution decided she was the target. "I've seen a lot of things in my life time, but that... what I just witnessed..." she shakes her head. "I've got A LOT of thinking to do about what I've been doing with my life. I watched Superman and some other super powered thing punching each other /into/ the moon. There's new craters on the surface because of it!"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "D'Ken, I believe," Clarice supplies. "Is the brother's name, yeah? He's the ruler right now - from what I hear." She lets out a tired, frustrated sound. "God, they were //such// assholes," she adds under her breath, before sipping at her scotch once more. "...though to be honest, I didn't have too much time to watch what Supes was doing outside the window. There was too much going on inside that demanded my attention..."

Talia Wagner has posed:
"I imagine it was Gladiator or her cousin... there was one time that Gladiator literally beat up Thor and survived Odin going at him too. Heaviest hitter in the Shi'ar imperium and no one I'd want to tussle with for sure..."

Pause.

"Is the moon just dented or is it structurally damaged too?" yeah she isn't entirely sure to be honest. Scary.

"So... do the x-men have a plan.... I imagine Lilandra came here for a reason?"

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Again Mystique shrugs and says with a hint of bitterness, "The X-Men don't tell me shit Talia, they don't talk to me, they don't like me, remember? I don't know what they have planned, if they have a plan at all."

She takes a zip from her glass, slowing down a little now. "I think Lilandra is safe, I know she talked to Charles and the others, but she's no on Earth now. I honestly have no idea beyond that. Even in the middle of a crisis like this, there is no communication... so fuck it."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "They talk to me. When I //go// talk to them. I need to see if I can learn anything else from Lilandra about these assholes we're up against, and their strategies. See what we can do to keep everyone... safe." Clarice blinks and, well, it shows on her features abruptly. Concern, worry, perhaps even fear.
    "Didn't they threaten the school? To blow up the school? //Dyani's there//." And the kid is tough. If just one bee survived, she could in theory heal. But would any bees survive... that? "Shit. Do you think they moved the kids yet? I mean, they must have. Yeah?"

Talia Wagner has posed:
"They better have.... as much as Colossus says, school blowing up builds character... I'd rather it not be blown up." she looks darkly at her glass.

Morbid much Talia.

"You should call it in though and make sure they are hustling..."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Mystique stares at Clarice for a moment, then starts cursing under her breath.

"I'll bet you good money the answer to that question is no, they haven't moved the students. There's a safe room in the mansion they believe will be enough," she looks between Talia and Clarice. "You might want to call Clarice, maybe try to get Dyani out of there."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Call? I should pop down. Maybe they'll need help moving the kids - you know? Getting them somewhere safe. I'll get Dyani out first - then see about the others." Clarice pushes herself to her feet - then reaches out to put her hand on Mystique's shoulder, flashing the older woman a broad smile. "We got this, you know. These assholes aren't taking any of our people anywhere." She nods towards Talia - before opening and portal that shows Xavier's lawn on the other side.
    Because she //never// bothers with going to embarcation room. Who's got time for that? Not impatient teleporters, it seems.

Talia Wagner has posed:
"Want me to come Blink?"

She downs the rest of her glass and slips up to her feet pretty agile despite having a drink and all.

She clearly doesn't feel very good about Blink going into the whole Shi'ar oncoming onslaught alone.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Mystique eyes Clarice, then the portal. She wants to go help, to protect those students, but she can't. There's too many super powered balls in the air, well in space, on the Asteroid.

"Clarice, if anything happens, get out... " she states with far more emotion than she normally shows, then her eyes look back to Clarice. "Grab what students you can, and get out. Don't be a hero."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "You're welcome to if you like," Clarice agrees. "I plan on offering them portals to get everyone clear before the trouble strikes. Should have thought of it before. I'll see to Dyani first, though." That's her priority - unabashedly.
    Mystique's tone catches her up short, though, and she turns to look at the other woman, uncertainty melting into a warm smile. She leans in to give Mystique a hug. "I'll try to get everyone clear. Me, Rogue... everyone. Alright? I'll be careful," she promises.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Mystique returns the hug, briefly, not intending to make a huge show of it, then nods.

"I know you'll be alright," she states with a smile. "You've had great training from Creed."

Talia Wagner has posed:
Talia looks back down to Mystique with the whole telling Clarice to get out, save students, but get out. "I'll watch her back." she notes softly and means it too.

"Also.. uh take me with you when you get out of we have to bug out Clarice..." a wry smile despite all the morbid nature of the talk.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Aww, and I was thinking of leaving you behind, TJ!" Clarice counters as she straightens. She gives Mystique a last pat on the shoulder, before stepping through the portal, and onto the school's lawn.