7962/How Do You Un-Piss Off a Teenager

How Do You Un-Piss Off a Teenager
Date of Scene:	24 September 2021
Location:	Clarice Ferguson's Quarters
Synopsis:	You let that teenager play anger and sad music, then get him talking. Clarice and Lydia do just that, and a plan with Theo is worked out for the future missions.
Cast of Characters:	Raven Darkholme, Clarice Ferguson, Lydia Dietrich

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Raven Darkholme has posed:
One thing about a small community, even one in space, nothing happens without someone knowing it. Those in the medbay itself practice the doctor/patient confidentiality situation, they don't talk about who's been in or out of the medbay. This does not stop everyone else around, in and out of the medbay, who might see things, from talking.

Even before the group woke up from the gas and darts, it was already spreading like wild fire that they'd returned in a pop of gas and panic to the medbay. At first names weren't given, but like any where else in the world, eventually the names of who it was joined the rumors, and the explanation of what happened had grown.

So by the time Theo returned from school the rumor around the Asteroid was that Clarice, Lydia and Rahne were near death in the medbay, having savagely been attacked on the mission and just barely escaped. Obviously there was some truth in the rumor, but clearly it had gotten out of hand. Theo had gone to Pete, but Pete kept his word... he said nothing and told Theo to talk to Clarice. This had done exactly what Pete feared it would... pissed the teenager off.

Theo now sat at the piano in the shared quarters, playing Vengeance on the piano, over and over again.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Getting an op of this importance and magnitude organized and ready - while also making sure that the rest of the Brotherhood's operations were continuing uninterrupted - took a lot of Clarice's time and attention. She's exhausted by the time she enters her quarters, and is brought up short by the aggression with which Theo pounded on the keys. She hesitates a moment, her brow knitting together, then moves forward to sit wordlessly on the piano bench beside the teen, waiting for him to speak first.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia passes by Theo, Pete, and Clarice's quarters on her way to Mystique and hers when she hears the sound of angry piano playing. Uh oh. This isn't good. She gently knocks on the door, "Clarice? Theo? Pete? May I come in?"

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Pete is sitting at Theo's desk, using the computer there, attempting to do his own school work, but really he's sitting there watching Theo. As Clarice enters, he chooses now to stand up and go into the now shared bedroom. He did his part, he pissed Theo off at Clarice, he doesn't want to 'feel' the rest of this.

The current time through Vengeance is finished before Theo looks toward the door, attempting to avoid looking at Clarice while doing it but since she's sitting right there, that fails.

"Come in, Lydia," Theo calls toward the door, then finally looks at Clarice. The expression on his face is anger and pain, eyes wet from tears, and then he looks back to the piano as if he'll just keep playing.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Theo..." Clarice says quietly. "Talk to me. Please?" she asks. She looks towards Lydia helplessly, then back at her brother again. She isn't good at these sorts of things. She doesn't know //what// to do.
    "Or, I- if you'd rather, I can go to my room? You can talk to Lydia?" she offers. She shifts uneasily on the bench, as she tries to figure out the right thing to say or do.
    And, honestly, what she'd even done to warrant this. Or maybe it wasn't even her that he was really angry at?

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia comes in and takes a seat next to Clarice and Theo, taking a moment to judge how the both of them are feeling. She stays silent for the moment. Both of them talking to Theo at the same time might come off as suffocating or overwhelming, so for now she's going to remain silent and just try to be a supporting presence to both her adopted siblings.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Theo's hands hover over the keys a moment then he starts playing something else, a slower, sadder song.

"What do you want me to say?" He asks, as he plays slowly along. "That you went on a mission, got hurt and I was the last to find out? That Mystique is missing and I was the last to find out? That you left a note with no real indications of what was going on when you could have been killed and never come back?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Mystique's tracker went offline unexpectedly," Clarice answers quietly. "Time was a factor. Every moment we lost gave them more time to get away with her - or do harm to her. Theo... I won't always have the luxury of the time to tell you everything that's going on. Sometimes I just have to go, that's just... That's how it is. I'm sorry." She glances towards Lydia for a moment, trying to see if she had any input on this, before returning her gaze to Theo, keeping her hand clenched together in her lap.
    She's not sure a hug would be at all well-received at the moment.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"That being said," Lydia adds, "We probably could have given you a little more information." She looks back at Clarice, worry creasing her eyebrows. "We also should have had somebody come and tell you what our status was when we got back."

"You're... new," she explains. "For a lot of people. Clarice and I have never had siblings before, and so we're still learning. The Brotherhood is used to a strict command structure so they wouldn't have known to let you know."

She pauses for a breath before she continues. "But. Having said that. There are going to be times when we /can't/ give you all the information. It's not because we don't trust you, or that we don't think you're strong enough to handle it. Some times we just don't have that information to give. Some times it has to do with security. As much as I love Mystique, even she can't tell me everything that goes on. I just have to trust her abilities to be able to come back safely."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
The first song Theo was playing comes to an end and he moves into another song without pause, as if the two are meant to just be played one after the other.

"But you had time to tell Lydia to write a note," he says softly. "Just not what was really going on. You didn't want to worry me, you keep trying to protect me from what you do, but you called Pete in for his help, because worrying him isn't as big of a deal. Or maybe you didn't even think about it, which given everything going on, is more likely the truth. Tell me I'm wrong." He looks over at Clarice now, still playing. "Tell me I'm a liar for any of that."

The shifts his eyes to Lydia for a moment, then looks back to Clarice. "I get that there's things I can't know, but it's okay if Pete knows more, and then had to keep it from me."

He looks back to the piano now and keeps playing, the music doesn't stop. "It hurt," he adds quietly.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "That's not why I told him to-" Clarice lets out a sigh. "I didn't mean to hurt you, and I- anything I let Pete know, I didn't mind if you knew it too, I just- I didn't want to put Pete in a weird position where he felt felt like he had to be the one telling you stuff like this, or- I just- I want you to come to me. I want you to talk to me. //I// want to be the one telling you things, and having the difficult conversations, and- it's not supposed to be Pete's job. It's my job. That's all." Tears well up in her eyes, as she struggles to hold them back.
    "If you'd- you could have sent me a message, and I would have excused myself, and come to talk to you. You can ask me anything. I- I can't always answer, but you can ask me anything, Theo."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia gets a guilty look when Theo mentions the note. "The note's on me," she says. "I should have been more explicit in what was going on. I... I'm sorry. I was too wrapped up with suddenly finding out my girlfriend was missing that I didn't think about how that would come across to you."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Theo sighs softly, changing songs once more, before glancing to the two of them. There wasn't really much more he could say, at least not that his mind could think of. So he plays for a few minutes, letting his mind ease and try to make sense of what was said.

"I won't interrupt you Clare," he finally says. "When you're working and doing Brotherhood stuff, I refuse to interrupt you. That's important, you don't need to be worrying about a little brother, but I need to know those times that you might not come back. That something could happen. I don't need details, just that it's more than a jaunt to some place for business..." he pauses then snorts. "... I guess that one's on me, I should have known business meant getting your ass kicked, it's what the Brotherhood is in the business of, I just... I didn't link it."

He finally stops playing and turns a little more toward Clarice and Lydia. "I came home from school and the rumors flying around this place were you were dying in the medbay, both of you, Rahne, someone named D... and Mystique was missing... I felt... instantly alone," he fidgets a little. "So I tried to talk to Pete and well, kept getting told, 'no she's fine, she's working, talk to her' over and over again.... but I get it, structure, routine, protocol, last person to know the truth."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "We were fine," Clarice assures Theo. "It was only sedatives. It- well, it could have gone another way if- it was a 'rabbit hunt,'" she explains. "That's the code phrase Mister Creed came up with for us - if he ever refers to us hunting rabbits, I mean we've never hunted //rabbits//. It means it's time for us /to/ rabbit. To get everyone out immediately. We walked into a trap. I got us out, or we would have all ended up with Mystique," she explains. "But we were never dying, we were never seriously injured.
    "We're in the middle of planning the op to get Raven back, and maybe free a lot of mutants. It's a serious situation, and it's dangerous, but Mister Creed has one of the best strategic minds in the world for planning things like this. He's been doing this stuff for nearly 200 years. We're going in as prepared as we can. The last thing I want is to leave you alone again, Theo, but this is what I have to do. There are just some things worth putting your life on the line for."
    She lets out a heavy sigh as she adds, "I didn't meant to hurt you today, or scare. I'm sorry. And- I want you to message me. If I can't get free yet, I'll let you know, if I can. But I could have made time for you today. And I //want// to make time for you."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"Dying?" Lydia asks in surprise. "No wonder you were upset! We weren't dying. We were heavily sedated, sure, but not dying."

She falls silent as Clarice speaks, and brings Theo up on the situation. "There's more at stake than just getting Mystique back, too." she says, her voice turning firm. "They have a whole concentration camp forcing mutants to do dangerous labor at a nuclear facility. We can't just let something like that exist." Her eyes eyes meet Clarice's. "This is what the Brotherhood is for. What it /does/. Nobody else is going to help these people."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Again Theo sighs. "Pete told me you weren't dying, that you were alright, but clearly something big was happening and no... I'm not going to play all 'pay attention to me' while you're working, cause your right... this is what you do, this is what you have to do, and I //know// that this is what you do. Just like I know you could be killed doing it. That is what the Broterhood does because no one else gives a damn about mutants, and some day if I have a useful skill, it will be there for the Brotherhood to make use off."

He looks between the two of them for a moment, a little frustration showing because he doesn't think he's getting his point across at all. "This isn't about you going, it's about you not telling me you were going at all. That's all I'm asking, tell me your going, so I know I could be coming back an only child and not have it hit me like a freight train, out of no where. That's not too much to ask, is it? That you tell me your going and that people can actually fucking tell me what's happening after? That I can be there beside your bed if you're hurt?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "No, it's not asking too much," Clarice answers. "And no one would dare stop you from being at my bed. If it were serious - if there were any chance I might actually be dying - I'll have Ritz come and get you, okay? I'll make sure everyone knows that that's what we want. Does that work for you?" she asks seriously.
    But that wasn't all Theo was asking for, and Clarice glances towards Theo's desk for a moment, then back to her brother once more. "How do you want me to tell you? I could send you a text with just... 'business.' Or there could be something I leave on your desk that means I've gone off on a dangerous job. It has to be something that's quick, and easy, because I don't always have a lot of time - like this morning."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia remains silent as she tries to think of a way that they can quickly and easily communicate what's going on to Theo. Maybe a code of some sort? She shakes her head. Maybe. Whatever it is it needs to be quick and easy.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Theo looks over at his desk, it was slowly gathering a collection of books and knick-knacks, just like every other teenager in the world.

"Ritz will need permission to sign me out of school, but that's acceptable," he says first, still looking at his desk. "Oh! I know!"

Sliding off the stool he walks over to his desk and off the shelf above the monitor he picks up one of the ugly plastic dragons he 'five finger pocketed' a while back. There are three of them. They have nice detail but they are solid plastic, one is red, one is black the other is white. "Just pick one of these and put it down on the desk by the laptop," he sets the thing by the closed lap top. "Doesn't matter which one, just grab, drop and go... then I'll know that you are doing Brotherhood 'get your ass kicked' business."

Walking back over to the bench, he sits on it by Clarice again, "If you're out and something comes up, just the text briefcase emoji."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Okay," Clarice confirms quietly. "You got it. I'll make sure Ritz is allowed to pick you up from school." But she really hopes they never have to actually use it.
    She finally wraps one arm around her brother as she adds, "I'm sorry I hurt you today. You know I've got no fucking clue what I'm doing, and I'll probably hurt you again sometime, not ever meaning to. So just... always know you can tell me when I screw things up, so we can make a plan to avoid it the next time. Deal?"

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia considers the plastic dragons for a moment. "I feel like there should be more nuance in the message we leave. Maybe assign different meanings to the different color of dragons?" She picks one up and turns it around in her hands, thinking. "Maybe I'm just overthinking this."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Theo suddenly hugs Clarice very, very hard and while doing that tries to reach out and grab some part of Lydia so she'll get closer and into the hug. He's not a selfish git, he gets that the woman Lydia loves is missing and she probably needs a hug too.

"It's a deal Clare," he offers while hugging, death grip tight.

When he does let go, he looks back at the dragons, "I was thinking that too Lydia, like white for just doing random outing, black for possible ass kicking... but Clare said to make it something quick, so sticking to just any one of the of three seemed best." He suddenly grins. "Hey... we think alike Lydia!"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Good," Clarice offers quietly in response. "Because there is no one in this world I love more than you. Not Rahne, not Raven, not Lydia, or Pete, or Mister Creed. And I will always do everything I can to come home safe."
    She leans into the hug, then lets out a sigh as she adds, "If it's just an 'outing' - why would I worry you by putting a dragon on the desk? I'm only going to do that if I'm anticipating a fight!" she protests.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia gets pulled into the group hug, and she wraps her arms around Theo and Clarice. Then she wraps her ectoplasm around them and gives them all a gentle squeeze.

"Well," she tells Theo, once they break. "We'll just go for the single Danger Dragon for now. Let's give it some more thought and see if we can come up with a better system for them."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Theo snorts a laugh at Clarice. "That sort of what I was thinking, and why any one of them works. If you're just going some place to shop or whatever, you can text, aren't in any hurry, etc. So yeah, one for now works. Later when you get in over your head, we'll come up with something relating to the colors."

One more quick hug for Clarice, then he stands and gives Lydia one more quick hug. "I have to go apologize to Pete now, and add a song to the list of 'never play around Pete'. I know you are going to get Mystique soon... if I could do and help, I would, but my skills aren't useful. Make sure to tell someone that they need to let me know if you all come back to the medbay broken, okay?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "And Lydia and I need to turn in - so we're rested and at our best," Clarice confirms. "We'll both see you before we go, though. Alright?" she promises.
    "And Theo - you're silly if you think your power isn't useful." She returns that last hug, pushing herself to her feet. "Tell Pete I love him too, yeah? And that I'm sorry for causing so much turmoil. Yeah?" That said, she turns her attention to Lydia adding, "Go get some sleep," before she'll head to her bedroom door.
    Tomorrow's a big day.