7494/And Then the Predictable Explosion...

And Then the Predictable Explosion...
Date of Scene:	23 August 2021
Location:	Training Room
Synopsis:	Trauma shared is trauma lessened? And seriously, gas that saps your will sucks.
Cast of Characters:	Clarice Ferguson, Lydia Dietrich, Raven Darkholme

---

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Medical has assured Clarice that none of them are in any danger from the affects of the gas they'd inhaled - and checking on the children ensured that the Genoshan medical team had everything well in hand, there. So Clarice turns her attention to what she needs to do - ensuring her people are recovering well after the mission, and keeping an eye on the Brotherhood's operations. With all urgent operations-related messages re-routed to her tablet, Clarice is currently perched on a pillar, keeping an eye on her two friends. She's placed them both a safe distance away from each other in comfotable but sturdy lounge chairs, incase they come out of their current, nigh-vegetative states with any unexpected violent reactions. But for the moment, all seems peaceful, as she scrolls slowly through some information on the screen in her hands.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
It's taken something like six hours for the gas to wear off, all the while Lydia was in a state of catatonia. Just staring blankly at a wall, knowing there was something she was supposed to do, but couldn't quite put her finger on it. That's about as much brain power that she was able to muster, so the time, for her, came and went by slowly.

When she finally came out of her waking coma, it was slowly at first, her brain slowly firing up each cylinder one at a time until she was able to string a coherent thought together. "Mmmmwha?" is the first thing she's able to say, her brain still muzzy. She looks around and finds that she's seated in a comfy chair in the middle of the training room. "How did I get here?" Then her eyes go wide, "Did the children get out okay?"

Raven Darkholme has posed:
There is something she's supposed to care about, something going on around her, but Mystique just can't put her finger on it. She remembers being at the house, and things happening, she recalled floating around and hearing that the children were safe, but none of it mattered.

For nearly six hours this was her state of mind, and as the minutes ticked by the back of her mind screamed louder and louder. Slowly that scream moves from the back of her mind and becomes a reality, a loud, agonized, pissed off scream as she sits up. Shaking her head, it was all starting to become more clear.

"Son of a bitch!" She then adds to that scream, and punches the thing nearest to her, thankfully an inanimate object.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    The tablet in Clarice's hand blinks away - appearing with a quiet thump on her bed not that far away. She pushes down off the pilar she's perched on - passing through another of her portals, to land neatly on the floor. It's Lydia she approaches first because, honestly, she's not sure Mystique won't take a swipe at //anything// that approaches her right now. And that's not a regret she wants to give any of them. "Lydia?" she asks the woman, her tone more gentle than her usual demeanor. "I brought you up to the Asteroid. The kids are safely on Genosha. Hopefully they're coming out of it now, as well." She hopes so, anyways. "Raven's right over there," she adds. As if the scream that starts a moment later doesn't make that clear enough. Clarice winces, looking over towards her mentor.
    "Hey boss? You want me to run a program for you?" she asks - keeping her voice calm, and neutral.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia jumps at Mystique's sudden outburst, but, really, doesn't blame her for it. She just worries that Mystique is going to hurt herself by punching things. Her attention drifts up to Clarice and nods. "Thank goodness," she breathes. "Did we get the Reverend?"

And then the whole fight comes back to her. Enough time has passed that the draining of adrenaline from her system didn't cause her to shake violently like it usually does but what does come back is the sight of the man being electrocuted to death and Clarice's interrogation technique.

"Oh God," she says as her heart starts pounding. "That guy got killed right in front of me." She looks up at Clarice, "And what you did to that other guys /finger/. I can't..."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Pissed off, more like outraged, Mystique attempts to pick herself up but her legs aren't quite listening to her so there is a stagger and near fall, and a lot of cursing. The slew of obscenities' that she lets loose would burn sailor's ears right off.

She finally manages to get her footing so she's at least standing up, but she can't move yet and is still cursing until she realizes where she is. Hearing Clarice she looks that way, smart girl is a good distance off.

"The fuck happened?!" she demands.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    As Lydia's features change, and her complexion goes a little palid, Clarice starts to move closer, one hand lifting towards her friends. The words she speaks stops her in her tracks, however. At a momentary hesitation, the hand drops, and she takes a few steps back, a flat, neutral expression sliding onto her features. "We don't know where the Reverend is, and as for that guy... I didn't think that door would kill him," Clarice admits quietly. "I simply... wanted the fastest, and most expedient way to get the children out, and to safety. I wanted to know how to open the doors." And she didn't care how she got that information. She was told not to kill.
    There's a lot of wiggle room there.
    "Everyone's clear, boss. We're all save. But the asshole slipped the noose," she says simply. "The kids are all safe and being cared for, so the mission was a success." Mostly. She moves a few steps towards Mystique, but she's still well out of reach. This also moves her away from Lydia, which might be a good thing right now.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"I know," Lydia says, her breath coming quicker as she gulps for air. "You had no way of knowing. I don't blame you." She leans over and rests her head on her knees to try to keep from hyperventilating. "But... my God. I can still /smell/ him." She tries to keep the image out of her head, but it doesn't work. It just keeps replaying. The sound of the electricity, the convulsions, the smell of burning skin and ozone.

She groans as she feels a little queasy now. "Does it... Does it get any better?" she asks. She feels so stupid letting it get to her like this. Her friends are people who doesn't let something like this get to them, and she wonders if she could get there too. She knows that being with Mystique, and being friends with Clarice, that more deaths are going to be inevitable, and she wants to know how they handle it.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
With her brain slowly kicking in the rest of the way, and her body starting to respond, Mystique shakes off the last of the groggy and starts walking toward Clarice and Lydia. Her steps remain a little shaky but she's determined to act like everything is fine with her, this display of weakness is pissing her off, which is fueling her ability to fake it. Under normal circumstances, toxin and poisons have little effect on her, whatever this was that they were hit by, it was something unique.

"Easy Lydia," she offers softly as she approaches, not worried about ending up vomited on. If it happens, it happens. "Clarice, did they take samples of our blood in med-bay? Whatever that was will need to be studied."

Kneeling down beside Lydia, she wraps one arm around the woman's back. "Honestly? Not really. It will get a little easier, but not much."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice was so young, and so drugged, and so //controlled// the first time she'd killed someone - that she has a hard time understanding what Lydia is going through. She watches the woman put her head between her knees, and she can //see// that Lydia is struggling, but it's so hard to understand why, fully, or to know how to help her with that. All she's really certain of is that she was the cause of much of it. "I- yes. I think it does," she answers uncertainly. Of course - Mystique seems to disagree on that front. She lets Mystique pass her by to attend to Lydia, as Clarice continues to stay clear of both of them - her brow furrowed as she watches them both.
    "Yes, they took samples," she promises. "And I made sure that all urgent messages were being forwarded to me. Until you're ready to reverse that," she remarks. "No rush."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia takes a few moments to breathe deep "I'm okay," she says, finally. "I'm going to be okay." She rights herself and leans into Mystique. "I might have nightmares for the next couple of days as I process it but... I'll be okay." She's more telling herself this than she is Mystique and Clarice, assuring herself that she can get past this.

Another few deep breaths and she turns to look at Clarice. "I don't blame you for his death. You had no idea that the doors were electrified. I blame those... /bastards/ who kept those kids in cages." She gives Clarice a weak smile, "But please... next time you're going to teleport body parts off of somebody give me a moment to turn my back. That was..." she shakes her head, the words coming all jumbled to her. "Disgusting," she manages.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Mystique keeps her hand around Lydia, she may be 'okay', which she isn't, but if the cobalt mutant was going to pretend to be fine, there's no reason she can't let Lydia pretend for now as well.

"Hey, you don't have to be okay about this," she comments, caressing Lydia's back. "This is allowed to upset you, and your allowed to take as much time as you need."

Leaning she places a soft kiss in Lydia's head, "And it's alright alright, if this is never okay with you."

For now the other business will wait, Clarice has it under control and she can catch up later. Lydia was more important.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    It was only a finger... It was his //little// finger. "Sure Lydia," Clarice promises. She probably shouldn't mention that there's no chance the man's still alive given the crater that explosion created. She watches the pair for a moment, her foot scuffing at the ground, before she adds, "I, uhh, closed the training room for now. I figured you'd want to run through a few programs," she remarks towards Mystique. "I'll just leave you guys here - since you're both okay and all."
    No, she doesn't really believe either of them. She just doesn't think there's much she can do to help either of them at the moment.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia looks over at Mystique and turns to face her, wrapping her arms around her lover. "I don't want to see anything like it again," she breathes into Mystiques neck. "But I have this awful feeling that I will. I need to learn how to be stronger. How to be able to process this, without immediately wanting to throw up."

Finally, she lets go of Mystique. "No you can stay," she says addressing Clarice. "I want you to stay."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Mystique gives Lydia another light kiss on the head, then looks to Clarice. She also doesn't understand how one missing finger is a problem. but it wasn't just about that, it was also about the man fried on the door. She honestly had only seen part of it, but it was nothing compared to the things she's seen.

"You can stay Clarice," she comments. "I may attack something in a little bit, but not yet." She looks back to Lydia, "No, you don't have to get used to this Lydia, in fact it may be better if you don't. We can find other ways you can assist instead of direct combat and involvement."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Not everyone's meant for combat, Lydia, and that's fine," Clarice agrees with Mystique - stopping after only a few steps towards the door. She meets Mystique's look with a wry smile and shrug. No - she doesn't get it, either. Violence has simply been a part of both of their lives for too long.
    "I mean - maybe it's hypocritical of me in a way - but the life I lead? I don't want it for Cynthia - or even for Dyani. I can't stop either of them if that's what they choose, in the end, but... There are so many //other// choices."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"I just feel so /useless/ if I can't help you fight," Lydia admits. "My powers, they can be really useful in a fight. I think I did okay, today. I don't mind knocking people around like that, especially when it's somebody who abused children like that." She grins weakly, "It was kind of cathartic, I admit."

Lydia nods as the two talk about being able to be useful outside of combat. "I know. I try to make myself useful in other ways, but it's so much part of your lives, that I feel compelled to be part of it too." She shakes her head, "Maybe not every combat mission, but once in a while."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Sitting down on her butt beside Lydia, Mystique is actually glad for the chance to do just that. Her body is still pretty pissed off over six ours of being a brainless ragdoll.

"Just because it's a part of our life does not mean it has to be a part of yours," she says softly, taking Lydia's hand. "You keep trying to drive in head first, maybe you should consider easing in to it rather then just jumping in. You can take care of yourself, and yes your abilities are useful, but we got by without them before and we can again, until either you get comfortable or decide you aren't doing it any more."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "You did do well today," Clarice confirms. "But... yeah. Everything Raven just said," she agrees with a wry smile. "Neither of us want to see you harm yourself, by forcing yourself to do things you're not ready for." She lets out a sigh then adds, "I have... nightmares. More often than I really care to admit. I mean, the stuff that happened today? Doesn't even really register for me. Not any of the fighting, anyways. The stuff they did to those kids, though..."
    For a moment, that calm, neutral expression on her features slips away, allowing a glimpse of the lost, frightened child she used to be. She saw too much of her own past in those cells today. She redirected her gaze to the floor. "I won't sleep well tonight, just not for the same reasons, exactly. And it's not- like I said, neither Raven or I want you to end up in that habit of sleepless nights."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia nods slowly. "Okay," she says, thinking about this. They're right. "I guess I /do/ leap head first into things," she says with a weak smile. "I kind of leapt into Magic, and the Watch, and to Raven." She shakes her head adamantly, "None of which I regret. I don't even really regret this," she admits. "I helped, and this was important to accomplish."

"Oh! Speaking of leaping headfirst into things," she says turning to Raven. "I need to talk to you about an opportunity that I want to take up. But that can wait until /after/ you blow off some steam."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Well Lydia was feeling better, Mystique got that part really quickly. She may not be perfect, but she was doing better.

"Full disclosure," she says with a sigh. "My body won't listen to me right now. Whatever the hell was in that gas is hitting he pretty damn hard, I don't think I could even change form right now. So the idea of kicking AI ass is great, but not going to happen."

She takes a moment to look between the two of them. "I can't stand up."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice frowns, coming closer so she can sit at the very foot of the lounge chair the other two women occupy - the concern on her features directed towards Mystique.
    Whatever Lydia wants to discuss certainly can wait.
    "I could teleport you to the Med Bay?" she offers, "If you think the doctors should try to take a look at you?" Her gaze goes to Lydia as she asks, "The gas - is it still affecting you? Do you think you could stand?" she asks. Maybe it just takes more time to wear off completely? //This// is different from what she remembers of her own enslavement, though. Her free will had been sapped from her - but never her coordination.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia bursts out in laughter. "I don't think I can stand up either. My legs feel all wobbly. Hold on." Lydia, then, just kind of oozes out of her chair until she's sitting on the floor with Mystique. She wraps her arms around her, "That stuff was nasty. I hope they figure out an antidote to it in case we come across it again." She looks thoughtful for a second, "When the Reverend pops up again, I think next time we should equip gas masks just in case."

She shakes her head at Clarice. "It's getting better. Give us fifteen minutes and we should be able to walk around normally. Besides," she says with a shrug, "If I needed to go anywhere I could just float myself there."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Mystique sits there, taking even breaths, trying to determine honestly if she should go the med-bay or not. After a moment more, she pulls herself up to her feet. There is again that stagger, but she doesn't fall and manages to stay standing.

"This may be an after effect of the gas," she offers, able to stand making her some what happy. "If could be the bodies reaction to it, or it could be something from the gas itself... no way to know, but they have our blood, so if they find something they'll let us know."

Offering her hand to Lydia, "Come on. Maybe something to eat and drink will help, start flushing it out of our bodies."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "How about I stand in the middle for once?" Clarice suggests, gently interposing herself between the two women. "If you're both so unsteady then- well. I can help keep you on your feet," she suggests. "If you start to lose your balance."
    The last thing anyone wants to see is to watch their leader take a tumble in the mess hall. Though she's sure Mystique would quickly disabuse anyone of the notion that that made her weak.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia takes Mystique's offered hand and somehow manages to get to her feet. "Oh, yes." she says. "Waffle bar sounds /divine/ right about now. Maybe some alcohol to help flush it out of our system." She takes a couple of tentative steps, to test out how wobbly she is and finds that she can manage walking. "I think I'll be fine," she says. "As long as we take it slow."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Glancing to Clarice there is a part of Mystique's brain that wants to tell her to fuck off, she's got this... that is the part of her brain that refuses to show weakness, the one that leads, that keeps her moving even when in pain. She has to shove that that part of her brain down, use a chair and whip like a lion tamer, lock it back up.

"I appreciate the offer, but that wouldn't look good," she states more calmly that her brain wanted her to. "We'll just walk slow, see how it goes."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice doesn't like the answer - and it shows on her features. But what's she going to do about it? "...yeah, boss," she agrees. Still, she sticks close at Mystique's side, ready to lend a hand to help balance and support her should the need arise. Because honestly, it's probably better to let them see her supporting Mystique for a few moments - than it would be if they saw Mystique go down, and struggle to get back up.
    "I could go for some waffle bar too," she agrees.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia starts out slow, cautiously, but eventually picks up speed once she gets her legs underneath her. She shakes her head, "That stuff really knocks you for a loop." The closer they get to the waffle bar, the more sure footed she becomes.

Once they get there, Lydia rubs her hands in anticipation. "I think I'm going to put pecans on mine this time. And maybe bananas. With lots of syrup." Just what she needs tonight: a sugar high.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Mystique is a master of deception. She starts out slow, getting her balance and her feet under her, and by the time they reach the waffle bar, she looks like she's steady on her feet. Whether she really is steady is another matter entirely, she's just too good at faking it to know.

"Waffles," she mmms. "Hot, with butter and boysenberry syrup... that's what I'm having." A chair, yes... that's what she wants. Settling herself down, she still looks perfectly fine. "Hot coffee, no alcohol though... Lydia, I would suggest at least one drink for your nerves."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I'll get the drinks if you want to make the first batch of waffles, Lydia?" Clarice offers. She barely waits for reply before she's off to the drink station to fetch two coffees and a tea. There's even a handy bottle of whiskey on hand so she can dose one of the coffees, plus Lydia's tea. She keeps Mystique's unadulterated coffee off to one side as she also retrieves some sugars and cream - and a packet of powdered hot chocolate to add to her own coffee.
    Look, sometimes you need chocolate.
    She'll bring the tray of caffeinated beverages back to a table - settling it into place.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Having gotten what everybody wants with their waffles, Lydia stands at the waffle bar, making copious amounts of waffles for the three of them. When she returns she says, "Thank you for the tea, Clarice." And now that waffles are served and drinks have been had, the night closes with the trio talking into the night.