7240/Chevaline, The Other Red Meat

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Chevaline, The Other Red Meat
Date of Scene: 06 August 2021
Location: Horse Stables
Synopsis: Dyani, Noriko, and Rogue discover a dead horse that was drained of its blood by a mysterious hooded figure, who promptly escapes into the night. Moments later, Jubilation Lee joins the group, apparently not dead at all. Noriko was right! Dyani remains suspicious, however, as there's just something not right about Jubilee -- something difficult to place and even harder to communicate. Dyani wrangles the living horses while the others leave to get help.
Cast of Characters: Jubilation Lee, Rogue, Dyani Zitkala, Noriko Ashida




Jubilation Lee has posed:
    One of the horses is dead. No, wait, one of them is sick! No, wait, one is missing? Sleeping? Eating? It's honestly a little unclear. The student who reported it came back to the mansion in a bit of a daze -- scared, traumatized even. She snuck out there to feed the horses some sugar cubes and brush them but immediately ran back screaming. While it may not be immediately clear what's wrong with the horse... whatever it is, it can't be good.

    By the time the group gets to the stables, it's already early evening. The sun has mostly gone down, though there's a decent amount of light thanks to the summer's long days. The sounds of distressed neighing and hooves beating against dirt can be heard. Several horses, including Pony, are in a bit of a panic. They've already broken free of the stable and into the larger pasture. They're fine, as there's a wooden fence around it, but they're scared. Rowdy.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue cares a lot about the horses at Xavier's. They remind her of her childhood back in Meridian, Mississippi, specifically at her aunt's farm... She's grown attached to them, so when she hears the screaming from the kitchen, the southern girl steps out to get the brief rundown of whats going on and she's soon to run down the west wing hallway, breaking off at the intersection and going around the corner to the garage hallway.

"What the hell is it now?" Rogue mutters as she arrives to the horse stables through the fancy garage, her hair loose around her shoulders, a flannel tied around her waist, light blue tanktop on and blue denim jeans with torn out knees. The Belle looks around the stables as she arrives, trying to quickly garner more information.

She softly jogs through the stables out the doors to the horse field where she quickly counts heads to try and find them all...

Dyani Zitkala has posed:
Dyani loves horses. She remembers riding with her father across the desert and plains near their farm, spending time brushing and tending them, even watching the rodeo for the barrel racing. Hearing that something was wrong with the horses at the school, she leapt out the window and flew down to have a look, see if there was something she could do to help.

With her new vis-oggles, she was able to actually see quite clearly. They looked a lot like Scott's visor, but not nearly as face encasing. She wore a pair of cotton shorts and a tank top, as well as sandals.

Flying through the open stable doors and out to the horse field she calls, "Miss Rogue, can we help in some way?"

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Noriko had been strolling along and comes to a stop in confusion somewhere outside of the stables.  She looks around and then sighs.  "What the fuck?  Where did she go?"  She was /just/ walking with Jubes to come down and check out what was going on.  Nori even slowed her roll and everything!  At least she thought she did.  She checks further back toward the mansion, squinting, and frowns.

Hearing Rogue's inquiry behind her as she looks back toward the school, Noriko gives up and turns to enter only to see Rogue jogging her way out.  A quick scan of the stalls from where she is tells her to follow and the speedster is quickly next to Pony.

"Woaaaah girl.  I'm here.  I'm here," she says more softly to the blue roan, not afraid to get close and touch the horse in the slightest.  "What's going on?" Nori asks Rogue without really watching Pony enough.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Inside the stable, one of the gates is open, creaking a little as it sways. The dim light doesn't paint a clear picture, but you can make out the outline of a horse lying still in a pile of hay. With a little bit of illumination, it's clearly a brown horse with calico printing, surrounded by yellow hay stained with a deep maroon splatter. The stallion's flesh is sliced lengthwise down his neck, a deep cut that goes from his ear to his chest. Dried blood encrusts the wound. A female figure, hidden by shadow and the hood of her sweatshirt, kneels next to the horse corpse, holding one of his hooves. It's like she's going to drag it away, but that would be impossible, right?

Rogue has posed:
Rogue sees Buttercup and Cinamon out in the yard, but doesn't see Sergeant... the oldest of the group that lives at Xavier's. She shakes her head as Dyani arrives, giving the girl a glance. "Somethin' has'em spooked, just checkin' to see if there's wolves or somethin' nearby. Never seen anything before, but anythin's possible..."

She exhales sharply and turns around to see Nori with the pony. "Have ya seen anything weird out here?" Rogue asks on her way back in to the stables.

She grabs her phone out of her pants pocket and raises it up to her lips. "Lumos." She says softly in to it and a second later it beeps and activates its flashlight. She holds the phone up and out as she starts to scan the stalls....

Only to find Sergeant.... bloodied and being drug by someone??

"What the f---!" The Belle exclaims, shining her bright phone light right at the hooded figure!

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Pony, Noriko's pony, seems to have spent enough time with the girl to really bond and isn't startled by the sudden appearance of her owner.  "No.  There was just that girl blabbering about something.  She didn't make any sense.  I'll get the horses.  Dy.  Help me?  Some of them like humming I think.  One of them."  Nori can't remember.  She really only knows that Sergeant was a farter because she's cleaned out these stalls more than she likes to think about.

Noriko hops up onto Pony's back and attempts to ride her bareback, something Noriko makes look more effortless than Pony does...at least for a few moments while she realizes who it is clinging to her.  "It's me girl.  What's wrong?"  She tries to guide Pony back to the stable, but the horse will not budge.  "Fine.  Stay ou-"  Noriko's gaze darts to the stables at Belle's exclamation.

"What is it?!"

Dyani Zitkala has posed:
Dyani is higher up in the air, looking around at the horses out in the field, she's seen spooked horses before and yes, these are spooked. Sometimes the brain requires the obvious.

Hearing Rogue explain she spins in the air, and blinks. What was that person doing to the horse?! It's instinct, a small swarm of the bees that are always around her zip right over and start flying in the person dragging the horses face.

"Leave him alone!" She exclaims out loudly to the person. "That doesn't belong to yoU!"

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Lumos? That's the voice command to enable the flash light on Rogue's phone...

    The figure shifts, possibly from recognizing the Belle's voice. She's wearing a familiar Xavier's grey hooded sweatshirt and a pair of very short shorts. From this angle, it's not possible to see who this figure is, but she's clearly female. There's a hint of a growl and then... The light from Rogue's phone casts a sharp cone that reveals the figure's horrified face, along with a shadow of a bee swarm zipping around.

    She looks familiar, though it's very difficult to place from where. She just has this look, like you've seen her so many times before... skewed and made horrifying. Unsettling. Young, no more than eighteen or so, with a ferocity reserved only for Hell's teenagers. There's something predatory about her -- she has the demeanor that's not unlike an animal that thinks its at the top of the food chain but really isn't. Her skin is pale white -- not a speck of color -- and her eyes are wide open. Her pupils have all but vanished, taking the crescent shape reminiscent of a cat. The girl's mouth opens, revealing a photo perfect set of pearly white teeth, along with two razor sharp canines. She lets out a frightening hiss and turns back into the shadows.

    Those paying extra close attention might have noticed that she didn't disappear exactly. She ran away so fast that her form shifted into blurriness. She wasn't as fast as a speedster, but fast enough to possibly give the impression that she vanished in the dim light. The poor horse corpse has been left behind, leg sticking up in the air.

    Jubilation Lee has not been seen upright in about a week. Some saw her dead body, allegedly, at the hospital. Anyone who might have inquired about her would have been blown off by the hospital, told that the matter of Jane Doe #2142 is now under investigation and... no comment. Attempts to press them have been futile. There's an air of paranoia over there and no one seems keen on discussing.

    Tonight, she's standing there, in a bright pink t-shirt and a pair of black short shorts. If there was any indication that she was in the hospital, supposedly dead, etc., it's certainly not on her tonight. She looks positively gorgeous, with silky smooth hair and soft skin. Her eyes are piercing, just screaming vitality and zest. Her hair isn't done up all fancy-like and her makeup isn't particularly elaborate, but she really just looks...amazing. There's just some kind of unquantifiable magnetism and allure emanating from her. A glow.

    "Hey," she says softly, walking quickly towards Rogue and Noriko. "What's going on?" Just like that. No big deal.

Rogue has posed:
With the face spinning around to look at her and hiss at her, Rogue takes a step back out of instinct... she's nearly invulnerable, but there's just something off putting about having anyone do that to you, let alone someone next to a dead horse that you kinda have affection for... even if SErgeant was the mean one that bit people all the time.... it wasn't his fault!

The figure speeds off in to the shadows and Rogue can't follow it fast enough with her light, but she does see Jubilee walk right on up to them in the stables. "F....... uck is goin' on in here t'night?"

"Here." Rogue jams her phone at Noriko and steps in to the stall to look at Sergeant. "Jesus, Christ...." Rogue mutters, stepping over the horse and picking him up to put him in a more relaxed position on the ground.

She leans over him to check his ... how the hell do you check a horses vitals?


"Someone try to get the lights on please!" Rogue says loudly, not able to deal with Jubilee alive right immediately? Okay its a lot to deal with!

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Noriko appears next to Rogue to see the carnage of the once-horse in the stall, but not before she notices a grey sweatshirt discarded on her way in.  She snatches it up to examine it while everyone else still processes their initial shock.  Then she races past Jubes to look at the carnage.  Then her eyes dart back and forth faster than fast even for her before she sinks back into the same pace as those around her.

"Something...ate the horse?"  Apparently Noriko didn't see what, that hooded figure.  Maybe then she wouldn't be so casually holding the grey sweatshirt.  Noriko hesitates when Rogue hands her the phone.  "Uh."  She passes it to Jubes.  "Can you get the flashlight thingy working on this?" she asks, completely at ease with Jubilation being alive.  "You /see/ /her/ right?"  Noriko insists back to Rogue first.  She could get the lights in less than a second.  "She's alive.  I told you."  She waves the sweatshirt around as she gestures.

The lights come on.

Dyani Zitkala has posed:
The bees aren't fast enough to catch the thing that blurrs into the shadow, but they are there as assumed dead Jubilee just steps out and is there, looking fantastic. They buzz around the woman a few times, but as Dyani recognizes her, they just stick to that, buzzing around her.

Dyani flies a little closer, head tilting as her mind is listening to the signals from the bees... something was wrong, off, different and she was attempting to ascertain what it was. It was Jubilee, but not as she was before, her 'scent' was different. The pheromones coming off her body made the bees twitch and thus Dyani twitched and recalled them to herself.

"Hello Miss Jubilee," she offers, looking toward Rogue for a moment as the belle exclaims, calls for light and tries to ignore that Jubilee is even there. "We are happy to see you, but um... we thought you were dead."

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "Dead?" Jubilation repeats, smiling mischievously at Dyani. "Honey, I'm not dead. Everyone seems to think I'm dead, but, I assure you. I am very much alive." She speaks with a certain velvety quality, like each word is fun for her to say. Her choice of words is a little unusual, also. Honey? She never says honey. Never, never. Jubilation reaches out with one hand and rests her fingertips against Noriko's neck. She drags them slowly down the speedster's arm and then across her hand. While staring at the other girl, she effortlessly takes the smartphone. "Of course..."

    There's a certain dance to her movements, a grace usually reserved for seduction. That's just how she's acting -- like the entire world is ripe for her to take. The smartphone's light comes on and Jubilee holds it dangling in one hand. Her other has already started tracing a scandalous path across Noriko's body and takes the grey sweatshirt. It's done expertly, like it has been rehearsed.

    "So, you're the new girl," Jubilee announces, smiling that same mischievous smile. "Welcome. We don't normally have dead horses and aliens and things. It's been a busy week." Yes, it has.

Rogue has posed:
Okay so its a lot to take in, and Rogue just found one of the school's oldest horses dead in its stall with a vampire that killed it? Or... whatever that was that ran off in to the shadows.

And now Jubilee is back alive?

And maybe drunk?

Time to figure that out later, Rogue is up and jumping over the horse again to rush over to Jubilee and hug her!

There's no stopping this hug, the southern girl just wraps her arms around Jubilee and hugs! Her touch power is under control at the moment, so she's not actively dangerous to the touch.

When Rogue pulls back she squeezes Jubilee's arms. "Where the hell have you been and what the hell is goin' on?" She asks then. She drops her hands from Jubes' arms and looks to Nori and Dyani. "We gotta alert Jean and the others, and we gotta get those other horses inside... and.... get this one out..." She looks back over her shoulder at Sergeant.

And sighs. What a weird week its been!

Dyani Zitkala has posed:
Dyani is deliberately keeping her distance, not because she isn't glad to see Jubilee is alive, but because something isn't right and she can 'smell' it, well the bees can and thus she can. Even the way she's acting doesn't seem right, though honestly she doesn't know the woman well enough to know just how not right it actually was.

Continueing to hover there in the air, wings fluttering behind her, she looks to Rogue and says, "We can collect the horses, we do not scent human to them, it may help. Horses do not fear bees and we think you should... um... take care of Miss Jubilee." She buzzes back a little more, "Yes, Miss Jubilee needs to be checked out, by a doctor, or specialist, or something... we think this is a /very/ good idea."

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"Happy to see her?  Last time she saw you you weren't," Noriko's brow wrinkles with skepticism, but it doesn't take much for her expression to get back to resting bitch face which utterly melts when Jubilation makes contact.  The speedster's expression softens and she smiles when she surrenders the phone.  At first, the speedster is entranced by Jubilation's attention.  It's unclear whether she realizes the sweatshirt has been taken or not.  She certainly doesn't care.  It's not like Nori hasn't let Jubes carry things for her before.

Noriko tilts her head at Jubilation and then Rogue comes in for the hug.  Noriko steps back a little and says to Dyani, "I don't think she was ever fully dead.  Just mostly dead."  Yes that's a reference to Princess Bride.  The speedster grins as Rogue and Jubilation hug.

"Yeah I left Pony out there."  Noriko chews on her lower lip a little.  The sometimes aloof teen has become quite fond of the pony.  "I'm sure she's fine," Nori says, but looks to Jubilation, clearly not speaking of the horse.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilee's arm comes around Rogue and eagerly returns the hug. "Oh, Marie, what a strange, interesting story /that/ is..." Jubilation begins. She doesn't smell drunk, but she's loose and amused, so who knows? As soon as the hug is over, Jubilee dangles Rogue's phone in front of her, a silent offer for her to take it. "And one I would be happy to tell, but..."

    Dyani's apparent concern, coupled with Noriko's sudden reminder that Dyani had not been too happy to see her last time, draws an amused smile from Jubilee's face. She leans in and plants a kiss on the speedster's cheek. "Oh, it's alright, Nori. Just a misunderstanding, I'm sure," she offers, lingering there inside the girl's personal bubble for just a moment longer than would be expected.

    For the point about getting checked out by a doctor, Jubilation shrugs her shoulders. "Yeah, well, with all the rumors from people saying I was dead, I'm positive Hank will want to talk to me as soon as possible," she declares with a grin. "There's no avoiding that. But... I think, Dyani, that Rogue meant tell everyone about what happened to this horse."

    "There's your problem..." Jubes adds, pointing her finger at the giant gaping slash in the animal's neck. She turns her head and grins a little at the rest of the group. A little macabre humor, just for a moment, before she suddenly moves away from the scene of the crime and towards Pony. She walks with purpose and confidence, each hip swaying in rhythm. "Pony!" she calls out, one hand outstretched for pets.

    Pony, the horse that positively loves Jubilation Lee, starts neighing as she approaches. With a shrug, she turns on her heel and returns to the others. "Well... I guess I just don't have any candy on me. She loves candy," Jubes explains. Since when does she not have candy on her?

    "But, I do agree... We really should be getting back. To the Mansion. To the dorms...." Jubilee begins. She comes up right behind Noriko and, now a little quieter (but still absolutely within earshot of everyone else). "...To the bed."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue takes her phone back and taps it again before saying "nox." which causes the light to turn off once more, what a Harry Potter nerd. She slides the device away in to her left hip pocket and then looks back to Jubilee. "Well, yeah, ya'll go find Jean, like immediately, and I'm gonna call Scott. Somethin's on property and we need to be on a security lock down."

She just didn't piece it together. Why would she? Jubilee the Vampire isn't something she wants to believe in.

At Noriko, Rogue nods once. "I'm sorry I questioned ya, Nori." She states with a soft smile before looking to Dyani. "Come on, help me get the horses tied up outside?" She starts back out. "I don't think they'll coime inside until Sergeant is gone though..." She says on the way.

"Go get the others!" Rogue shouts back to Jubilee and Nori. She'd linger longer but there's a bit of an emergency going on!

Dyani Zitkala has posed:
Dyani shifts her eyes to Noriko, still keeping her distance, "Of course we are happy to see her, it means she is not dead. We do not dislike Miss Jubilee, we just did not like how she treated our hive Clarice," she offers, then her head turns so she can look at Jubilee again.

Appearances can lie, but pheromones and scents can't, something wasn't right. Something had changed, but she didn't know how to explain that, how to make it understood. With a soft sigh over that inability, she nods to Rogue and flies off to get some leads then out to find the horses and gather them up on the leads. Eventually she may find a way to explain it, hopefully not before something bad happens.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"Oh," Noriko says, as if suddenly Dyani's logic makes sense and if she wasn't utterly distracted by Jubilation, perhaps she might have the sense of mind to be embarrassed about being mistaken on something so obvious.  But she is very distracted.

As Rogue apologizes, Noriko shrugs.  "I get to sit up front when you ride to the store instead of in the back," of the truck.  Joke's probably on her though.  Rogue might have let Nori ride up there anyways.  "I earn my keep," she adds.  It's not like Rogue doesn't know what Nori is talking about.  it's not like Noriko hasn't been stowing away in her truck on grocery runs or coming up to pick food out on Rogue's way back once in the grounds.  Nori is insatiable.

"Oh...Oh yeah, we gotta go," Noriko agrees with a rapid nod and then keeps up the nod to redirect it to Rogue.  "Come on."  The speedster moves, taking Jubilation's hand along the way, her fingers threading through the other girl's.  "We just have to let them know real quick on the way to the dorms."  Noriko, for all of her antics, has always been helpful to the teachers, and quadruply so when things are amiss.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "Oh, yes, Clarice is her name," Jubilation agrees, smiling as she recalls it. "She visits you a lot. Please, next time she does, be sure to find me so I can apologize to her myself. In the flesh." There's a pregnant pause. "Or... you know, I'm the R.A., so, I could just come see her myself. I have keys to all the rooms." Her tone, particularly in her last sentence, is a little unsettling.

    "But, yes, total lockdown. No one in. Or out. Right?" Jubilee manages another smile and nods her head. "Let's go tell Jean," she says to Noriko, leaning in to gently drag her nose against the other girl's cheek. The PDA is off the charts tonight. "Don't worry. We'll hurry."

    With their fingers now threaded, Jubilee and Noriko head back to the mansion. The speedster might find that she has to slow down a little bit less than normal. She'll also find that Jubilee is taking them in through the backyard entrance.

    The grey sweater is tossed in one of the dumpsters neatly tucked away near that back entrance.