8119/So - About That Secret...

So - About That Secret...
Date of Scene:	04 October 2021
Location:	Mystique's Quarters
Synopsis:	Clarice apologies to Mystique for screwing up. Lydia shows up while they're consoling each other with liquor - and when Lydia shows up with milkshakes, she finds out a painful piece of Mystique's past.
Cast of Characters:	Clarice Ferguson, Raven Darkholme, Lydia Dietrich

---

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Everyone has conversations that they dread, it's just human nature, and for Clarice this was one of those moments. She stands for a few moments in front of Mystique's door, fighting that corner of her mind that wants to run from this. No real harm was done, right? Mystique would never find out. ... right?
    Whether she did or not - when you screw up, you face it. Reaching out, the magenta-hued woman presses the button beside the door. "Boss - you got a few minutes?" she asks simply.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Feeling much better and mostly healed, Mystique is wearing a tank top and a pair of shorts. The exposed skin looks almost completely healed now, just a few flaky places here and there. She sits at her desk, legs up in the chair with her, typing away on the keyboard.

Hearing Clarice she touches the 'open' button and the door obediently slides open. "Of course Clarice," she says as she turns the chair around. "For you I always have many minutes."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Great," Clarice answers - though there's something lingering in her tone that implies her sentiments on that are a little more complicated, at the moment. "Lydia's out?" she asks, glancing from the other woman's desk, towards the bedroom. She waits for confirmation of that fact, before she steals the chair from Lydia's desk, rolling it over and taking a seat. She remains silent for a moment before getting more or less directly to the point.
    "I was visiting Rahne yesterday - in Westchester. We were spending time with, uhh, Kurt actually," she offers, before falling silent.
    Shit. What's the best way to approach this? //Is// there a best way to approach this?

Raven Darkholme has posed:
A nod is offered regarding Lydia as Mystique says, "She had a few things to tend to in New York." but she doesn't miss the hesitation in Clarice.

Watching as the magenta mutant rolls the other chair over, her expression and demeanor do not change in the slightest, even as Clarice explains where she was. It changes slightly at the mention of who she was with, one brow lifting, other wise she keeps herself neutral.

"It's good to get out," she says calmly. "See the sights, visit with Rahne, and you might as well spit out whatever it is that has you clenched so tight your butt could make pearls."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I fucked up," Clarice offers simply - letting out a sigh. "Twice in fact. I, uh... nearly clipped Rahne with the edge of one of my portals. Gave her a haircut, in fact," she remarks, to explain how near a thing it was - and just how serious the consequences could have been. She stares down at her clenched hands as she recalls the events. "It rattled me. While I was still calming down, we started talking about Theo, Kurt asked who that was, and I just- I wasn't thinking. I nearly said that his... mom found Theo. I stopped myself, but- didn't cover for it well. Rahne tried to help, but deception isn't her forte, I- I really screwed up." She looks up at Mystique now as she adds, "I'm sorry."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Mystique shifts her legs out of the chair and to the floor, leaning forward slightly as she takes a nice, deep breath.

"You almost said it," she clarifies in a tight chested tone. "What exactly did you say? Why were you using portals at the school?"

It's obvious she is barely containing a more true reaction, the one Clarice likely expected, but she needs to know exactly what happened, what was said before she loses it.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Rahne got herself caught in a tree. Kurt was trying to free her. I put a portal beneath her to catch her if she fell. She twisted to the side when she fell, and clipped the edge of the portal. I think- I've grown so used to my portals, sometimes I forget how dangerous they are." Clarice takes a deep breath in, letting it out slowly as she struggles to hold back the panic and guilt she'd felt over that near miss. //Rahne was fine.// There was no need to freak out over it again. ...right?
    Clearing her throat, she adds, "I said 'your mo-' and cut myself off. Rahne tried to cover by saying her mom, Dr. MacTaggert, had found Theo. ...Kurt didn't buy it, told us not to lie to him. Then he said that his mother was long gone, abandoned him for what a monster he was, and then... bamfed out."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
That is exactly what Mystique believed was about to be said. That Clarice had all but said it, yet at the same time Kurt clearly didn't believe her. She closes her eyes, slowly taking a breath in before saying far too quietly, "Clearly a touchy subject for my /son/."

She stands from the chair to begin pacing the room, frustration, anger, guilt, regret, it's all right there at the edges of her face as she moves to the window, then back again to the chair to look at Clarice, then again toward the window. It was a mistake to tell her, she knew that now. Although Clarice was mature in many ways, she really was still just a teenager in her mind. No control of her emotions, no control of her reactions.

"At least now I know what he thinks happened," she finally says while looking out the window. "But there is a chance he'll calm down and think about it, realize what you said and what that means."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "That's... yeah," Clarice agrees. "That's what I was thinking, too. I'm sorry, boss," she repeats. "I didn't mean to- if I hadn't been so rattled..." She shakes her head in frustration. "I screwed up." She stays in the chair, her gaze following Mystique for part of the time, before staring back down at her hands again.
    "I didn't mean for this to happen... But I still think you should tell him, you know. Or I could approach him and ask if he wants to meet his mother. But I really didn't mean to... disappoint you like this. I don't have any excuse."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Continuing the look at the stars through the window for a short time longer, Mystique finally turns and walks back to her chair.

"I know you didn't mean to," she comments as she sits back down, the mask back in place everywhere but her eyes, where there is still anger. "Of course you didn't mean to, it falls back to you weren't thinking because you were distracted. I get it," she folds her arms across her chest. "I should have just told him instead of you, I should have had the balls to do that, but I didn't, and I don't, but now I know I need to find a way to tell him myself, and let him have his anger toward me in whatever means that may be."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Kurt's... From what I know of him, anger isn't one of his default settings," Clarice offers quietly. "I really think it'll work out in the end. And it seems obvious he does think of you - that he does want answers."
    With a wry smile she adds, "Sometimes it's better just to have it out, even if it's a conversation you'd rather avoid. I really hate that I forced the issue, though." Nearly killing her girlfriend, and disappointing her boss, both in the span of a few moments. She's had an awful day. She would have done better staying in bed today.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Instinct kicks in for just a moment and Mystique snaps, "Have you ever abandoned a child? No, then you don't get to say what is better!"

Then she reigns it back in, forced to look at the monitor for a moment. "Sorry Clarice, you didn't fully deserve that." She sighs, reaching over to grab her coffee then sets it back down. "I need a drink."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice stares down at her hands, still clasped together in her lap - the flinch as Mystique's tone rises subtle, but present. "You don't need to apologize to me," she says instead. She's the one who screwed up.
    "Do you want me to go?" she asks. "I could, uhh, go pick up Lydia for you - if you'd rather."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Mystique pulls herself out of her chair and steps over to Clarice and hugs her. Probably not exactly what the young mutant was expecting, but she gets that hug all the same. "I don't need to be a bitch to you, it was an honest mistake in a moment of distraction. Yes, I'm mad, but I don't have to take it out on you... so, let's go get a drink. Lydia needs some time to herself."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    The hug isn't expected - but it's more than welcome, and after a moment sitting stiffly in surprise, she leans into it, wrapping one arm around Mystique. She gives a nod of her head, a few tears starting to gather in her eyes.
    "I could've killed Rahne," she murmurs in response. As much as she regrets disappointing Mystique, that was the thought that still froze her with terror.
    She almost killed Rahne.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Mystique keeps her hold on Clarice for a moment longer then stands, but she leaves her hand on Clarice's shoulder.

"Why did you place the portal there? To catch her if she fell, right?" She offers a smile and nudges her. "Then she would have fallen through the portal and been fine, just like her hair did, only since she didn't go through completely, she got a trim. You didn't almost kill her."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "She went through it - but she clipped her head against the edge of it. If she'd been a few inches further over - it would have sliced her head open," Clarice offers quietly, and as calmly as she can manage. "You think Jasmine can heal that?" she asks withough any real humor in hr voice.
    She lets out a deep, heavy sigh before adding, "Let's get that drink. I need it. We both need it."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Walking to the bar, Mystique is quiet along the way, her mind wandering. Clarice was right in that it was something that needed to be done, and it might be better that the band aid has been ripped off. Once they reach the bar she says, "This is why we practice. Don't beat yourself up about it. You learned from it to make larger portals."

Heading straight to the bar she orders her usual drink, allowing the tender to actually do his job for a change.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Much larger," Clarice agrees, adding her own request for a scotch, instead of her usual cognac.
    She probably shouldn't get drunk - there was still a lot of work to do before they go after the children in China - but she really, really would like to. She drops into a seat at the bar, picking up her glass when it's set in front of her, along with the bottle. After a moment, she takes a sip. "Part of me knows it's silly to be this upset - she wasn't even hurt. And yet..."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Picking up the glass, Mystique takes a large drink then sets it back down.

"You spend far too long on the what ifs," she offers, then this time a small sip. Her mind was already racing around how to deal with the situation with Kurt, how to tell Lydia, how to handle any of it while also planning for the covert Chinese operations.

"Truth is Clarice, you need to learn to compartmentalize sometimes, to lock it up until you can deal with it."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "If we're on a job - if there's a need to lock it away - I can," Clarice answers. "But I had not real need to do that then... or now. You always have to deal with it eventually. You can't keep this shit just... bottled." She knows that much at least.
    "I'll be more careful," she murmurs. And that just fixes everything. Right?
    After another drink from her glass she adds, "You know - Rahne might have pieced things together." Then again - maybe she hadn't. Rahne wasn't the most shrewd individual.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Mystique smacks her head against the top of the bar. "Of course she's figuring it out," she states with a sigh. "Because the hints are everywhere apparently." Picking her head up she takes another large drink, then slides the cup toward tender. "More whiskey, less syrup."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "She might not," Clarice replies quietly. "She might not say anything about it even if she does because- she knows she's not supposed to know." She lets out a sigh, but manages to bite back yet another apology. She's said it. Mystique's heard it. That's enough, right?
    She knocks back the remainder of her drink and refills her glass instead.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Turning her head slowly to look at Clarice as she asks, "So, you 'accidently' told her too?"

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia had some errands to run in town, and had stopped by Mootant Milkshakes to get some yummy goodness for everybody. Calling Ritz to port her up to the Asteroid, she hands her a milkshake as a kind of thank you for all the work that she does.

Once on the Asteroid she asks around to see where Mystique and Clarice are at, and finding them at the bar she walks up to them. "Hey, folks," she says giving Mystique a quick peck on the cheek before setting down milkshakes before them. That's when she notices the gravitas of the room. "Is everything okay?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I mean - she was there. She heard everything Kurt heard. I didn't tell her anything more than that - I wouldn't," Clarice assures Mystique immediately. "I'm just saying - if she figures it out... I don't think she'd say anything. I don't think she'd even say anything to me. She wouldn't want to put me in that posi- ...tion."
    Clarice hadn't anticipated Lydia's sudden arrival - with a chocolate peanut butter milkshake, complete with brownie bits, no less. She accepts the treat, looking from it, to Lydia, before hastily saying, "Thanks. I, uhh, can really use this today. Had a bit of an accident with Rahne. She's alright, but it was a near thing. Rattled me."
    Yup. That's what's going on. That's all that's going on. I swear.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Mystique turns slightly, watching Lydia approaching them at the bar. A smile appears on her face for a moment at seeing her, she was truly glad she was there, but it just reminded her of what she hadn't told her. Looking back to the bartender for a moment, she then stands up and announces loudly, "If you aren't Clarice or Lydia... get out and close the door behind you!"

The reaction is instantly. The few people that were present gathered their drinks and headed out. The bartender offers a nod, sets his rag down, and leaves, locking the door behind him.

Only when they're gone does Mystique look back to Lydia, kisses her lightly on the cheek and says, "There's... something I need to tell you because... it's about to hit a head and I don't want you being shocked by it at the time."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"Oh no!" Lydia says, looking concerned. "What happened? Is Rahne okay?" She sits down next to Mystique and starts in on her milkshake. Cherry chocolate cordial. Yum. She considers it for a moment, and the fact that everybody is drinking, so she reaches over the bar with a tendril of ectoplasm and grabs a bottle of nice rum, and pours a little into the milkshake to spice it up.

The order for everybody to leave leaves Lydia a bit surprised. She looks worriedly at Mystique and she rests a hand on the woman's knee, squeezing it reassuringly. "I'm here for you. Always."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "She's fine. I, umm, gave her a haircut with the edge of a portal," Clarice explains quietly. She imagines Lydia can piece together the full meaning from that statement. "But she's fine."
    She follows suit with Lydia - adding some of her rum to her milkshake, and stirring it up, as she turns her gaze towards Mystique. Looks like there was no need to distract Lydia by baring only half the truth. She flashes Mystique a brief, small smile, along with a nod of encouragement. She falls silent, however, leaning against the bar with one arm.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
The milkshake is observed, but for now Mystique sticks to straight alcohol. This was not something you drink milkshakes over, not even mentally, in fact just thinking about that made her snort.

"You remember I told you there's a lot of secrets I don't talk about," she starts, taking a drink of her mostly whiskey. "This is the big one, the one..." she closes her eyes, just stopping there for a moment.

"I loath myself for this Lydia, it's the primary reason I cannot and will not forgive myself, or cut myself any slack, or..." she sighs. "I told Clarice, she told me then I should tell you but... it's not an easy thing for me to talk about. Well... Clarice slipped up, and it's about to become known, and I promised you warnings before shit like that happened."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia turns so she's facing Mystique fully, the worry on her brow deepening further. "It's okay," she reassures. "You can tell me anything."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "You didn't have a lot of choices, Raven," Clarice offers in a quiet voice - but that's all she has to offer at the moment. It was Mystique's story to tell, and she'd let her tell it.
    While she comforted herself with a milkshake.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Another large drink is downed before Mystique stands up and moves around to the other side of the bar. She isn't pouring more alcohol, she is finding that safe spot in her mind to talk about this, and that requires just a bit of distance. Clarice likely remembers the pacing away from her, the distance she kept while talking about it, this is no different.

"I'll sort with the short version of it, then... go right into the long version." She looks between the two of them, but in the end her eyes settle on Lydia. "Kurt Wagner, Nightcrawler... he's my son."

That was the short version, blunt and to the point and painful to admit, but she only paused a moment before going into the long version. "I fell in love with a human Baron, Christian Wagner. I wore my Raven skin, I thought we were happy, I thought I was happy," the last of the alcohol in her glass disappears and she sets the glass in the dirty bin. "I tried to live a human life with him, but he couldn't have children. He was sterile, but of course no one would admit that, it was my fault. So... I met," for a brief moment the look in her face is almost dreamy. "Azazel. God I loved him... it started out as just sex, my attempt to get pregnant for the Baron, but I fell in love with him and him with me."

She makes a dismissive gesture now, "Never mind that, that's not what this is about... this is about his and my child, because I did get pregnant. But the Baron's father... that piece of shit, no good..." breath. "He suspected that the child wasn't Christian's, and put just enough doubt in Christian's head before I could off the old bastard that, in the end, even Christian wasn't convinced."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia looks like she wants to stand up and go to Mystique as she leaves her side but remains sitting, watching her. At the revelation that Nightcrawler is her son, her eyebrows raise in surprise. She doesn't know the X-man personally, you don't get to be in the brotherhood without hearing stories about people tangling with that mutant group.

She leans forward as Mystique tells her tale. She nods when it's revealed that she slept with another man to have a child. This wasn't completely unheard of for the time. Nor, really, falling in love with the child's father. And honestly? Christian's reaction wasn't that much of a surprise either.

"So what happened next?" she asks, taking a sip of her now alcoholic milkshake.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice doesn't offer any comment - after all, she knows where the story is going, and it isn't hers to tell. She takes another scoop from her shake, continuing to nibble at her treat slowly as she tries to offer Mystique an encouraging and supportive smile. It's a small, solemn smile, given the story, but still.
    As she senses Lydia shifting beside her, perhaps considering getting up to approach Raven, she reaches out to put a hand on the woman's leg - her own subtle hint that the woman should probably stay where she was for the moment.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Mystique busies her hands by putting back a few of the bottles off the counter, would be easier to tell this while punching things, but you can't always get what you want.

"The more Christian doubted, the louder he got about it," she continues quietly. "But in the end a child is a child, right?"

She snorts, finally taking a moment to pour herself a coke with just a dash of rum. "That is until you find out your married to a mutant and... your child is born blue." She takes a drink then just keeps going.

"The labor was a great deal harder than I expected it to be, and I lost concentration over my form. So as I'm delivering my son with midwives everywhere, I went blue." Another drink, at least she watered it down with coke this time.

Now her tone turns almost dreamy as she goes on. "I cannot describe in words just... Kurt was a beautiful baby. Blue as me, his father's tail..." she sighs, shoving that memory back into the box and her tone goes distant.

"So there I was, a blue mutant holding a blue baby and Christian went insane. I had to kill him, he was doing to kill me and Kurt, so I killed him and ran... but the midwives had seem Kurt and thought was a demon. The entire fucking town started hunting me down. Believe me, I tried, I tried so hard to keep going and carry Kurt and they were closing in..." she turns around now, putting her back to the two. "I wasn't strong enough, I wasn't brave enough... I had no choice! It was me... or them... or him..." she hangs her head. "I had to drop him in a well, shift to a normal looking human and claim they ran off a cliff."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia is silent as she listens to Mystique's tale, a look of sadness growing deeper as the story goes on. "Oh," she says quietly, sadly. "Oh, sweetness. I'm so sorry." This time she does get up and move around the bar to be with her lover. She wraps her arms around her and hugs her close, her face resting on Mystique's back. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that. That you had to make that kind of choice."

If she was being honest with herself she's not sure what she would have done in that situation. It was a heartbreaking choice with no good outcome. "How did... how did Kurt survive?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "'Or them' wasn't an option - or you would have taken it," Clarice offers in a quiet voice. "And you didn't want to leave him to their hands. That was an act of love, and mercy, and strength."
    Her hand slips away from Lydia now that the story was over, idly stirring at her shake as she offers, "My only theory is that he somehow managed to manifest his teleportation powers remarkably early - to save his life. How else could he survive?" She scoops up some more of her shake, but pauses to add softly, "I told you Lydia would see things like I did. You didn't have a choice, Raven."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Mystique doesn't stop Lydia, but at the moment the only return is that she leans against the green mutant a little.

"They would have tortured and murdered a new born baby," she says quietly with venom in her voice. "I... I thought it would be merciful, yes. I didn't want him to suffer."

Leaning even more against Lydia, beginning to accept the comfort being offered, almost as if she is beginning to believe that she actually deserves it. That perhaps she isn't the monster her mind has made her believe she is for so long, and that inspite of the horrid and awful choice she had to make, it was the only choice possible and she could start to forgive her... not yet, not until she talked to Kurt and told him the truth.

"I don't know how he survived," she finally says. "I have to assume it was Azazel before he was banished from this plane of existence, but I honestly have no idea. I only found out he was alive by accident. One of my missions took me near where the circus he grew up in was located. I saw him, happy, truly happy with the family there, and alive... I knew it was him, I knew it had to be him, so beautiful... Clarice," she turns her head to look at her. "... He is beautiful, you can confirm that for Lydia. A beautiful, handsome and good man... that I have to face and tell the truth to... that his mother is, well, me."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"Telling him will help you start to heal," Lydia says, still resting her cheek on Mystique's back, and holding her close. "It will probably help him, too." She silent for a moment, just hugging Mystique and sending her warmth and love. "It'll be hard," she murmurs. "But I'm here for you. Always."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "He's not bad looking," Clarice agrees a bit teasingly. "But more importantly, I think... he's a good, kind man. He has a sense of humor - and he doesn't have much if any hate in him. He does want to know, though, and as hard as this will be... You know I agree with Lydia. This will be good for both of you, and I'll help anyway you want me to. I- you know how sorry I am that I flubbed things a little, but... This'll be for the best. And you'll get to talk to him, to get to know him."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Mystique hated when Clarice was right, not that she would ever say that, but she did... because it meant that Clarice was right about way more things than she was ready to face. So far the magenta mutant had been right about the direction change Erik had wanted for the Brotherhood as a whole. She had been right about her own changes in how she did things, and now she was right about this. If the cobalt mutant was keeping score, and she was, that was three scores.

Slowly turning around in Lydia's arms, she wraps one arm around her lover and extends the other hand out for Clarice. "Once again Clarice, you're right," she offers, then presses her forehead against Lydia's. "You two are the first to ever know, and you've both been... I don't have the words, I should but... amazing. I've hated myself for so long for what I had to do."

She lifts her head again to look over at Clarice, "You're forgiven Clarice, it may in fact be exactly the kick in the ass I needed. I've thought about telling Lydia numerous times since I talked to you, but I always found a reason that it wasn't the right time. To keep a promise however, I had to tell her first and tell her now, and... it was easier to say the second time. So maybe... maybe I am ready to tell him."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia leans up to kiss Mystique, a deep and loving one. "Thank you for telling me," she says. "I know it was hard, and I know that you've been punishing yourself over it. But now..." she says giving her lover a soft smile, "Now I hope this eases the burden."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    At the invitation, Clarice rises to her feet, and makes her way around the counter, so she can wrap her arms around Mystique and Lydia both.
    She'd blink over, but the fact that her powers were in fact dangerous remained heavy on her thoughts.
    "You deserved the chance to raise your son - and you deserve the chance to get to know him. And he wants to know about you." She rests her head against Mystique's shoulder as she adds, "Families are there for each other - yeah? And the Brotherhood has always been my family - ever since Mister Creed took me under his arm. I'm here for you."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Now Mystique hugs them both. It had been a long time since she felt like she could fully trust someone, and now she had two people she knew she could. No matter the situation, Lydia and Clarice were family, they would be there. It was an odd feeling, after so long, but a welcome one.

"After this situation with China, I'll talk to him, but for now I need to stop drinking the alcohol I want to be drinking and switch to something that won't knock my ass on the floor. I still have reports to get from China and send copies of to our allies, my luck trying that drunk, I'd reverse it."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia winds an arm around Clarice to give her a hug, too. "Family," she echoes. This is her second out of three. You can never have too much family, she's finding.

She finally breaks the hug and takes a step back, and moves back over to where her milkshake laid forgotten. Thankfully it's still milkshakey enough to eat. "Drunk bureaucracy is never a good idea."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "But I still //want// to get drunk," Clarice complains - even though she knows she still has work of her own to contemplate. She gives Mystique a little tug as she adds, "Com'on. Lydia brought us shakes. We can add whiskey or rum to yours, too?" she suggests enticingly, before making her way back to her seat to continue nibbling at her treat.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Mystique let's the two women go, then walks around the bar to the stool she was at before.

"No more alcohol," she says plainly, then picks up the milk shake. "What flavor did you decide for me?" She asks, settling onto the stool again.

"Then again, I could get drunk and let /you/ do all the work Clarice," she teases, taking a sip of the shake.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"Chocolate fudge banana," answers Lydia with a grin. "I know how much you love chocolate." She gives Mystique a stern glare. "This project is big enough with the both of you working on it. No getting too drunk to work for you!" Her chiding is light hearted, though.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Oh God," Clarice says - with slightly widening eyes. "Don't do that. I can't read the reports from China! I barely read English!" Chinese is, quite literally, nonsense to her. "You're the worst, you know that?" she grumbles good naturedly.
    "As compared to Lydia - who brought me a chocolate peanut butter with brown chunks Mootant Milkshake. She is, in fact, the best." She pauses for a moment after jabbing her spoon into the shake. "...you brought some for the boys too, right?"

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Mystique sticks out her bottom lip in a lovely fake pout, "But, but... I /wanna/ get drunk." She whines, completely and utterly out of character for her in every way, shape and form. She holds that pout for exactly thirty seconds then starts laughing. "I'll stay sober and keep threatening Clarice with more work."

A grin is finally offered to Clarice, but she looks back to Lydia and says, "I /love/ chocolate and bananas together, my favorite Sunday is a banana split with chocolate, strawberry and pineapple toppings. Very old school because I'm old."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia facepalms. She literally facepalms. "Oh God. I forgot." She turns to Clarice with desperation in her eyes, "Port me back down so I can get them something.... what kind of milkshakes do they like?"

She turns and giggles at Mystique, kissing the pouty lip. "You can get drunk once we save the children. When I get back I'll give you a hand with your work. See if we can spread it out a little."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Okay, I take it back. You're also the worst," Clarice counters with amusement. "You can't forget your //brothers//, Lydia!" She rolls her eyes broadly, rising to her feet. "And honestly - I don't think they've met a milkshake they didn't like. I'll fetch the milkshakes, you two... make out or something," she remarks - and then with a blink, she disappears.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Mystique steals another slurp of the milkshakes before she nearly spits out the mouthful as Clarice gives them instructions before popping out.

"You know, that's not a bad idea," she comments, then leans over to scoop Lydia into her arms and kisses her rather soundly, letting it linger while holding her close.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia wraps her arms around Mystique's neck as she's scooped up, and leans into the kiss, deepening it. "I think it is a /very/ good idea."