8112/Failing and Flailing

Failing and Flailing
Date of Scene:	04 October 2021
Location:	Breakstone Lake
Synopsis:	Thus, does Rahne get her stupid self caught in a tree and it leads to lying and hurt friends. Comic drama, amirite?
Cast of Characters:	Rahne Sinclair, Clarice Ferguson, Kurt Wagner

---

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Tree climbing, in human form, is excellent for the cardio. It's good for muscle tone, and a real treat if you're good at it. Not quite what she'd expected to be doing, but hey, Rahne loves the outdoors.

Usually. today it kinda sucks.

"Kurt? Anyone down thaur?" She calls out, dangling by an ankle, a hand gripping a branch. She'd been walking with them, and went and climbed a tree while the others were doing nature things.

Now she's stuck.

"Halp?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Tree climbing is really not Clarice's exercise of choice. Nope - why climb the tree when you can just blink up into it? Instead, she's found herself a relatively flat piece of grass, and she's been running through a gymnastic's routine, flipping and tumbling on the open space, though at the sound of Rahne's voice - she brings herself to a stop, breathing heavily and looking up at the trees. She got herself stuck?
    "What did you go and do?" she asks a bit breathlessly, making her way towards the sound of the woman's voice, her gaze scanning up into the branches.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Kurt Wagner can and has used trees for various acrobatic routines. Lacking parallel bars, or uneven bars, or even a trapeze, because those aren't just anywhere, suitably placed branches can serve as a good replacement, though he wasn't feeling it today. Just one of those quiet times, introspective, deep in his thoughts as he explores the greener side of the grounds with Rahne and Clarice, accompanying them.

He is drawn out of his daydreaming at the sound of the Scot's call for aid, his hands slipping out of the pockets of a pair of circus-style pants, vertically striped. A relic of times past. "Rahne? What did you get yourself into?" 'Now' is the part left unasked. As Clarice comes back into view he shares a glance with her, then gestures upward. "She must be close." He's scanning the branches, looking for anything out of place, such as a pale young woman dangling like an ornament at Christmas.

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
"Ah'm up here," she calls out, pulling on the branch she's managed to get a hand upon. It cracks, snaps, and then she's full-force on her trapped ankle. The yelp she lets out is pained, then she whimpers.

She shifts partly, claws appearing from her fingers, and she digs them into the tree. It helps, just a little. "Might be...able tae.." bits of bark fall, giving away her position nicely.

She got way up, her light frame allowing her quite a bit of leeway with the branches. Kind of dumb, but you're only young once.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Kurt Wagner looks Clarice's way. "Over here. She is up there," he tells her, pointing in that direction. He shares a moment of indecision, as if silently asking who will go first, then he teleports up to land on a branch nearby, but not on the ones Rahne is caught up in. That could make things worse.

This allows him to hang from his tail, upside down, as his hands close in. "We could push them apart? You should be ready to hold on to something. Careful..."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice walks alongside Kurt, scanning the trees until the falling debris draws her attention - further helped by Kurt's direction. She looks up at the woman, with her hands planted on her hips, watching as Kurt bamfs up beside the wolf-girl to assail her nose with a foul odor. "How'd you manage that?" she calls up - more amused than alarmed.
    "Kurt - if you can get her free..." A portal opens just beneath Rahne, with the exit just above the ground beside Clarice, "Then she can just drop."

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
With Rahne scrabbling for purchase and doing a good job of fieldstripping the tree, it's hard to get near her hands. She appears to be holding it together by merit of years of panic training, but is really trying to alleviate pressure. "Hurts," she says, which would be obvious to Kurt. Her ankle's at a really weird angle.

She does not wish to discuss how it happened at this juncture.

It does seem as if some more power could fix things. Proper use of leverage. you know, using your brain. Rahne's brain seems to have atrophied a bit of late.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Kurt Wagner moves in a little better, glancing down at the portal Clarice has opened up. "Teleported," he explains to her, which does not exactly explain the question of how. Not right now.

Showing his flexibility, he contorts himself so he's still able to hang the way he is, but now he can get a hand up under Rahne's body to help guide her a little higher to release some of the pressure holding her presumably twisted ankle in place. "Any better? Can you slip loose now?" he asks her, another leg extending so his foot can grip another branch.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Let me know if you need me to come up," Clarice offers. She's not terribly anxious - Rahne is //safe//. She's not in any real danger.
    Other than the risk of injuring her ankle. She doesn't like the thought of Rahne hurting her ankle - but she'd be fine in the end. "I could toss a javelin, but with her ankle stuck- well. I'd rather we find a different option. I could sever the branch her leg is caught in?" she suggests. "Do you think her foot would just slip out if the branch fell?"

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
"I...can..." Rahne says, trying to claw at the tree with her hindfoot, the one that's not caught. She looks at Kurt, then takes a breath and nods. When he's lifted her a little (she is awfully light) she lifts, and gouges deep with that hindfoot.

Then she hauls the leg free, rolling backwards, and falls toward the portal! Kurt would be proud, she sees that she's a little off center and rolls into a ball. Good girl!

Of course it's a little off center, she didn't have the decency to fall straight down. But a moment later she's on the ground, the second portal meaning that she fell perhaps four feet. You know, basically nothing. Then she's grabbing at her ankle, her expression suggesting that it might hurt.

And a few hairs fall down from above, as the edge of Rahne's hair just barely clipped the portal's razor sharp edge. She's fine, but a little more punk looking. That was growing in, darnit!

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    As Rahne falls - Clarice seems fixated on something. She's fixated on those falling strands of hair. Her gaze widdens, her breath catching in her throat, as the portals disappear, and she quickly makes her way to Rahne's side.
    She doesn't check Rahne's ankle, though - instead, she's checking Rahne's head, her hands running over the shortened hair. "You're alright? You're okay? You-" Oh God. Oh God. If Rahne had been a few inches off- "You're okay?" she asks - sitting abruptly as she finds she's suddenly trembling, her hands reaching out to pull Rahne into her lap.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Kurt Wagner missed the thing with the hair. He did not miss Rahne getting loose and dropping down through the portal. "Ah, that's a good.." He pauses, for the way Clarice comes over so quickly to cradle Rahne up confuses him, perhaps in more ways than one.

A *BAMF* later and he's back on the surface as well, though he reappears far enough away that neither of them are in direct danger of getting a stronger whiff of that brimstone odor. Adjusting his white shirt, which happens to be closer to what one might see on a pirate or a person at a Renfaire, he queries, "Is everyone all right..?"

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Kurt's brimstone smell is awful, but she's kinda used to it after a few years. Smells like him, and she likes Kurt so there's reason to like something that's not objectively great. You know, like haircuts, since she just had one and suddenly she's being held close by Clarice.

Maybe she'll rethink her idea of them. Haircuts have always kinda sucked. "Not fine exactly," she says, her face getting grabbed and then her head poked at. "Ah mean, fine up thaur, but ...hey, Clary. Clary?"

She motions to Kurt, then tries to take Clarice's hands in her own. "Clary. Kurt, wha's wrong wi' her?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice's arms stay firmly around Rahne, her face buried against Rahne. She knows how dangerous her portals can be. She's used them many times, to //devestating// affect. She's used them to slice heads open on multiple occassions - but never someone she cares about. And not by accident - not in a long time, anyways. "I almost- if you'd been a few inches over..." she tries to explain.
    "I could have just killed you. Oh God, Rahne I'm sorry, I almost-"
    She's going to be more careful - and less cocky. Just an inch or two's difference...

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Kurt Wagner rests his hands back in his pockets, finding something else of interest to have a look at while Clarice is being this way with Rahne. Nothing untoward, but the way she's reacting tells Kurt a whole lot about a recent thing. He can't remember if he got the whole story or not, but even if that wasn't the case there are some blanks being filled in completely, no white space left in the bubble by the pen.

"Shall I give the two of you some time alone?" he asks, and not in any sort of way that suggests he's put off by this. Rather, he is trying to respect personal space.

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
"Clary, ah saw th' hole. Aimed for et." She doesn't seem upset at all, her recent shift away from worrying all the time being an asset of sorts. "Kurt had me," she says, waving to him. Then she reaches up and touches her own head.

"Oh. Oh hey, tha' was close wasnae it?" So let's just say the worst thing you can think of, shall we?

"Es okay, Mr Kurt," she adds, which is just kind of awkward. She's touching Clarice's cheek now, worried for -her-. "Hush, ye didnae..." Ack. What can she even say?

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Yes! It was close!" Clarice replies, letting out the sort of laugh that's more panic than humor. She takes a few deep breaths, though, and loosens her hold on Rahne enough that she wipe at her eyes. "I'm okay. You're... okay. I'll be more careful." Another deep breath before she repeats, "I'll be more careful."
    Then she gives up on using words to express herself - and kiss the little wolf girl instead, before she finally begins to pull.
    "...sorry, Kurt. I'm... fine. We're fine. I just- had a bit of scare. How's your ankle, Rahne?"

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Two different styles of teleportation. Essentially, that's what it is. A hole opens up from one place to another. Kurt instantaneously disappears and reappears in another place, but the puff of smoke left behind with the foul stench is not something that's been figured out yet.

"Ahh. I think I see now. Rahne, you must have barely touched the edge of her portal, und it.." He moves around for a better angle. "..it took some of your hair, somehow. That is dangerous. Something to be very careful with, ja, Clarice. But, no harm done. Take it a a lesson learned, something to remember next time."

He shares, "When I teleport, I need to know where I am going, need to be able to visualize it. If I ended up half-stuck in a wall..."

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Rahne may be too busy being kissed to answer Kurt's thoughtful repartee. The fact that this very effect is something that Clarice actually uses in combat is irrelevant for a moment. She smiles, then says, "I'm fiiine," with a slightly dazed expression.

Then she blinks it off, real quick. "Uh. Ankle be okay. Healin' a'ready. Kurt, whaur do ye go when y' 'port, anyway? Th' smell dinnee come from noplace." She's been to Limbo. She's smelled it before.

Also, she links her fingers with Clarice's on one hand. Seems to need touch too, for a moment.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice seems more than willing to retain that contact with Rahne, giving the other girl's hand a squeeze. At least Clarice has stopped trembling, even if she does seem a bit thrown, still. "I have a similar problem. I mean - I can open stationary portals like- well, like the ones I just did, and you can see through them. But if I created them in a wall, or support pillar, I could bring a building down. Or I can just blink myself or someone somewhere - and if I misjudge that then- yeah. Someone could end up in a wall. Not a pretty thought."
    Thoughtfully she adds, "I never thought that I was going //through// anywhere - with my portals. But Theo's gift seems similar, and he pockets things into... somewhere else. I wonder if I teleport through the same somewhere?"

Kurt Wagner has posed:
"I..go to mein room, und I take a nap then watch reruns of Golden Girls while I eat a snack, then I come back," Kurt says, clearly not serious in any way. In order for that to be possible, he'd either have to be super fast, or..time would have to pass differently. "Truly, I do not know. To me, it is immediate. I do not think I go anywhere." Which also doesn't make sense, given whatever shows up where he departs and returns.

He takes to walking about, humming quietly to himself. No staring at the public display of affection that's been going on. No sir. No ma'am. "Clarice, your portals seem to act like a tear in the fabric of space that allows one to pass through from one place to another. Do they work the same when you use them to teleport yourself? Und who is Theo?"

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Rahne's already brought up her point. Kurt addresses it, so she nods and accepts that. Even the joke, as in her mental headcanon Kurt now uses teleportation to get snacks and clearly does not share with us when he returns. So rude. "Next time, bring me an ankle wrap," she kids, though she's still hurting on the lower joint.

"Ye dinnae smell different after goin' through yours, Clary. Ah dinnae think ye go anywhere different." But she does about Kurt, she leaves the unspoken hanging. Evidence suggests, so she assumes.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Theo's my brother," Clarice explains - laying down on the ground, with her hand still entwined in Rahne's. Lying on the grass, staring up at the sky, with Rahne right beside her... It was, well, grounding after her fright earlier. "He was living on Genosha - in an orphanage. He was found by your mo-" Whoa. //Whoa//.
    Clarice cuts off abrutly - her hand tightening around Rahne's as she tries to find a way to play //that// off. "I- uh, sorry. Don't know where I was going with that sentence. That was weird. Must still be- uhh... freaking out a little."
    Yeah. Right. Sure.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Anything that has to do with methods of teleportation is suddenly left behind. Kurt's tail stiffens as if some invisible force has grabbed and pulled on it, and he turns around to stare at them with widening eyes. "What did you just say, Clarice? He was found by mein what?"

It certainly can't be his moped. He's never had one. And mopeds don't find people.

It can't be a mop either, but one of those might be good for wiping that look off his face.

Monk? No. Moon? He also doesn't have one of those, and that's way up in the sky. Moth, moss, money, motor, movie, modem, molar, moose, month, mouth, monkey...

Kurt lifts his arms and lets them fall again. "You are confusing me right now, Clarice. If I did not know any better, I'd say you were talking about mein mouse, but I have not seen him since mein days in the circus."

This /has/ to be a clear-cut case of denial. Right?

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Little White Lies. Rahne' had this talk recently, and she gets that scent off of Clarice. Time for one. She opens her mouth, fights to pull this off, and says, "My mom. Mum, she helped tae find...Theo. Except he was a she an' her name was Cynthia an she was actually pretty cute though she be cute now too an she be he an..."

Babbling. Totally babbling. "Me mum. Th' Lady MacTaggert."

SHE'S TRYING!

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Rahne was... lying. For her. To her friend. Clarice tries to keep the relief and gratitude from showing on her features as she gives Rahne's hand a squeeze, before letting her grip loosen. "Yup. Moira was visiting Genosha - part of her research, and doing some, umm, relief stuff there and- and she found this mutant that- well, there's a resemblence. You want to see her? Him. Sorry - him. Umm- Theo's transgender, I still get confused sometimes..."
    Even though she only just laid down, she pushes herself back up, to pull out her phone and access her photos. She offers the phone over to Kurt saying, "That's when we found her. Him." On the screen is an image of a young woman - several years younger than Clarice - with long hair of mixed black and purple. Her skin tone is clearly African, but with purple splotches on her skin. Her ears are pointed like Clarice's, and they have the same electrically green, pupil-less eyes. "If you scroll through you can see Theo in his suit. He makes it look good." And indeed, a few photos down - the same person, but now with hair cut short, and wearing a black suit with a light blue shirt, and a purple bow tie.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
"Rahne, bitte," Kurt begins, his tone gentle, "Do not try to lie to me. You are not very good at it, und that is for the best."

To the other teleporter, he points out, "Und Clarice, you were answering me when you said that. Meine Mutter is long gone, I'm afraid. I believe she abandoned me when I was just a child, for what I was. I could not blame her if that was her reasoning. I know what I look like."

His tail twitches, irritation evident in it as he adds, "I do not believe either of you meant Rahne's mother instead." He only glances briefly at the phone's display, then away again. "This is not a conversation I am prepared to have. Rahne, I am relieved you will be all right, und I will see the two of you later. Auf Wiedersehen."

*BAMF*

Seconds later...

*BAMF*

A roll of a stretchy medical wrap is dropped near Rahne.

*BAMF*

They are alone again.

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Rahne sits quietly, the sin on her soul balanced by the love that caused it. She loves them both; hopefully she always will. But she lays her head aside Clarice's quietly, knowing the pain of lying and being caught, for the first time ever in her life.

"Sorry," Rahne whispers. She failed, and she hurt Kurt in the process. And he even brought her ankle wrap. She might cry.

Lying's gonna be even harder, now.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "You have nothing to be sorry for. I screwed up." Clarice wraps her arms around Rahne as she adds in a voice that almost sounds awed, "And you tried to fix it for me. And I'm so grateful, and so sorry. Thank you, Rahne."
    She is going to have to talk to Mystique - and she is not going to enjoy that conversation. No one little bit. She squeezes her eyes shut, taking a deep breath, and letting it out slowly.
    "I- is it okay if I don't explain to you what just happened?" she asks softly.

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Rahne kisses Clarice gently, then. She says nothing, just leaving it there. Because if she answers Clarice, it'll be a lie. Either way. And she doesn't want to do that. So she just kisses, and then offers the wrap to her girlfriend. She's tired, and she wants to get home.

And by the way, a sprained ankle hurts.