8128/Millions of Pumpkins

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Millions of Pumpkins
Date of Scene: 05 October 2021
Location: Garage / Stables
Synopsis: Millions of Pumpkins. Pumpkins for me.
Cast of Characters: Rogue, Jubilation Lee, Michael Erickson, Noriko Ashida




Rogue has posed:
Rogue had just arrived back home after her trip to the store.

Her red truck (Ford Raaanger!) is parked just outside one of the garage doors that is open. The back of her truck is open and Rogue is standing there. Dressed in a black hoodie over a green tanktop with it half zipped and one hand in her blue jeans pockets. She's looking at her phone and tapping a response out to a Instagram picture she put up.

Because the back of her truck is filled with orange and yellow pumpkins...

There's like a hundred of them in there!

Rogue reaches her hand up to put her sunglasses up on her hairline which is partially covered by a dark camo bandana she's wearing tied back behind her head, a camo doo rag! She's just humming a quiet tune to herself as she...

tap tap tap taps to her Insta followers!

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    There's only so many places Rogue could be. It's after sundown, so Jubilation checked exactly four places: her room, the stables, Harry's, and now the garage. Rumor has it that Remy's back, but Jubilee had a feeling that her newly heightened sense of smell wouldn't be able to handle that right now. It's unclear when Jubilation arrived at the garage, but she makes herself known just a moment after Rogue sends off that update.

    "Hello, Rogue," she says grimly. Jubilee's form seems to fade in from the shadows as she steps forward. She's dressed like she just stepped out of a brochure for a goth whorehouse: a black tank top with a neckline that shows way, way, way too much, a black skirt that, similarly, covers almost nothing. Her hair is pulled up into an elaborate up-do with bangs, something that would have undoubtedly required a visit to a salon -- a drastic change. Her makeup is dark, with black liquid eyeliner and purple lipstick. Most of the qualifications to be the assistant manager of a Hot Topic have been met.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue sends off that response and then puts her phone away in to her back jeans pocket. She exhales as she walks around the truck to grab two of the pumpkins and hold them under her arms as she starts to unload the truck...


She turns and sees Jubilee materialize out of the shadows.

You can be nearly invulnerable with super strength and still be scared by something.

Rogue JUMPS back and speaks out. "Jesus Christ!"

She realizes who it is after a moment and looks her over. An exhale huffs out from between her lips. "Jubes." She says softly. She gives the teen ANOTHER look over.

"You're... really embracing... all'a this, huh?" She asks, but really just states.

"I mean... it's lookin' good? In a ... okay, I dunno if that outfit is appropriate for the school. Ya might wanna throw something more on before one'a the Finer Things-types finds ya like that." Rogue says with a growing grin as she starts to walk in to the garage with the pumpkins...

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilee looks down at herself and shrugs. "I look ridiculous," she admits. "I wanted to fit in with... Well, you know." Other ones. She grabs one of the pumpkins from the back of the truck and holds it up into the light. Jubilee gives it a look, like she's perplexed by it, and then follows Rogue. "I went to Coney Island," she explains.

    Before Rogue has a chance to express her displeasure, Jubes lowers her voice to a whisper. "I think I'm in deep shit, Rogue," she says quietly.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue carries the two large pumpkins under her arms toward the work bench in the garage. She looks back over her shoulder as she does this and stares at Jubilee. "I mean... yeah. It kinda seems like you are." She is upfront about her response, because its fair to Jubes to be forthright with her about all of this.

Once the two big pumpkins are set down on the large empty work bench she turns around to face the teen again.

Her hands go to her hips. "So was the rumor right then?" She asks. "Are ther eVampires hiding under the Coney Island docks?" Once more she looks the girl over and then stares at her eyes again. "Do they all dress like that? I mean.. surely there's a Vampire who bucks trends and wears like... I dunno... a hot dog costume?" She smirks at herself then.

"Did you not come up with any leads on .. what to do about all'a this?" She then asks next.

Michael Erickson has posed:
    And then, as if a bloody angel descended from a metal heaven none knew of until now, Michael arrives - or at least, his armored figure does. Gleaming red, his body appears as equal parts an Art Deco hood ornament and an anatomical model, every muscle rendered in sculpted red metal, helmeted head faceless and with only a shallow 'v' shaped visor that glow with a seething violet glow that matches that of a diamond-shaped stone set in his chest. Down he comes, Isis-style wings made of razor-sharp aerofoils extending from his arms, without sound or flames or any other sign of propulsion, and touches down upon the grass near the women as if it were as natural to do as anything else. Carrying in his arms the human-sized bundle of trash bags and electrical tape that is, apparently, his burden for the evening. Gleaming in the moonlight, an eerie angel of night.

    << Good evening, ladies. >> The voice that emits is Michael's, if metallic and emitting from seemingly his entire body. Man knows how to make an entrance. << What are you up to tonight? >>

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "No, no, I mean... I think I'm in deep shit /now/!" Jubilee stage-whispers. She watches Rogue closely, watches as her eyes go up and down. Jubilee crosses one arm over her chest and grips her opposite shoulder. Her other hand goes down and adjusts her skirt, holding the hem down against her thigh. "I don't know..." she answers, shrugging one shoulder. "They weren't there when I was there..."

    "But there were vampire /hunters/..." Jubilee adds, her eyebrows rising as she watches Rogue's reaction to that. Her joke about the hot dog costume doesn't even get a smirk. She's afraid. But then, the suit of armor comes to its landing, causing Jubilation's mouth to curl, revealing her fangs.

    "Oh, for fucks sake!" she mutters.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue is on her way back to her red truck in the driveway just outside the garage when Michael arrives. She watches his impressive entrance and then... sighs.

"Listen, Bub." Uh oh. "Ya might not wanna scare the locals by flyin' in like that. Some'a the folks here are still on edge about enemies attackin' this place..." She states before she gathers up a couple more pumpkins out of her truck. With them in arms now, the southern belle turns to walk back in to the garage past Jubilee with her fangs out... proving Rogue's point!

"Do ya need me to help with somethin'?" She asks Jubilee then. "Like, vampire or not, you're still my friend and I'll make sure nobody is gonna give ya any trouble..." She tries to remind the Gothy teen in the garage.

Plunk, plunk. Two more pumpkins are set down and Rogue turns back to go get some more...

Michael Erickson has posed:
    << Yes, we can't all fly around looking all gorgeous and Southern. >> Michael drops the apparent body, and in a flash of violet light he is 'mortal' again, looking at the two women, then at the pumpkins.

    "Right. I'm here to help with the orange gourds." And then, to Jubes: "I apologize, Jubilation, for startling you."

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilee turns back to Rogue and raises both eyebrows again. "I'll tell you later," she answers, tilting her ear in Michael's direction a couple of times. The 'later' is drawn out. `It seems that whatever she was going to say is one of those things best heard by as few ears as possible.

    "You didn't," she says simply, shrugging casually to Michael's apology. "And, it's 'gorgeous and Asian,' by the way." Jubilee's nose wrinkles as her gaze lowers to the bag that has been dropped on the ground. "What's in there?" she asks, her tone suggesting that she has a pretty good idea. Her nose twitches, nostrils flaring.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue shows a frown at Jubilee not sharing what's up, because she wants to help, just doesn't know how she can other than fists and punches...

To Michael, Rogue shows a quick smile. "You flirtin' with me, Space Man?" She asks then in a sassy tone before going back to her truck to gather up another pumpkin that she lobs right at Michael's chest. "How kind of ya. Feel free t'help. We need t'stack these all in there by the work bench. Probably gonna have to put some on the floor though... This is wave one of the pumpkisn that we're gonna be decoratin' and making pies outta..." She says as she gets three pumpkins out of her truck now and turns back around.

She looks to what Jubilee is spying and shrugs her shoulders. "No clue." She replies then. "So what's your next move then?" She asks the Vampire next, guessing she can't answer that either. "I think it's time t'go see Doctor STrange, myself..."

Michael Erickson has posed:
    "A corpse." Michael looks between the two women, brows arched. "I found it on Jupiter, on a long abandoned refinery belonging to one of your galactic races. Human body converted into a service drone. I thought that Doctor McCoy might like to examine it." He squints at Jubilee. "Yes, gorgeous, but you don't fly, either."

    Then to Rogue. "No, that would be unprofessional. But I'm not blind. Water is wet, the sky is blue, and you are gorgeous. Most people at this school are. Genetics, I assume." That said, he snags the pumpkin easily that Rogue throws to him, and begins stacking. Easily. Man can lift a ton on his own, after all.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
"I don't know..." Jubilee mutters back at Rogue. "I learned how this happened to me...So..." There's obviously more to that thread, but the mention of Doctor Strange gets her riled up. "No!" she shrieks. "Don't call /anyone/!" She tilts her head down, both brows going up. She means business.

    She doesn't fly. "As far as you know," Jubilee answers cryptically. Maybe she can fly now! Jubilation's head tilts back, her eyes rolling with irritation. Her eyes snap back at Michael, gesturing frantically at the bag. "What the hell!" she shrieks. "You can't bring that here. It has no blood! Everyone's going to think /I/ did it!" Good sense of smell on her, it seems. Her sense of right and wrong seems to be slipping, though. Her chief concern is what this dead person is going to do to her reputation.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue deposits those three pumpkins down on to the bench with a heavy sigh as she turns to first smile and smirk at Michael's response. "You clearly haven't sen the uggos around here then." She comments back at him in good humor.

She's about to respond to Jubilee, and the Doctor Strange subject, when the dead body is brought up. This, of course, draws her eyes to the bag in question. She puts her hands on her hips and just sighs.

"Don't worry... We'll make sure it gets taken down to Hank's lab before anyone can pin this on you, Jubes." Rogue says as she walks past the girl in black and gives her a slight pat on the bicep with her black gloved hand.

"So you don't want me getting you ANY outside help then?" She asks Jubilee before glancing at Michael again... almost like she doesn't FULLY trust him yet!

Michael Erickson has posed:
    "Not unless you changed races and did the work five hundred years ago, Jubilation." Which, you know. She did not.

    He looks to Rogue then. "This is the Xavier Institute," Michael says, grunting. "I firmly refuse to believe that anyone here is anything below 'movie ugly'. They might not fit baseline human aesthetics, but." With a shrug, he stacks another few pumpkins. "I can go, by the way. You two clearly have things you want to talk about."

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "Oh, don't bring up the uggos, Rogue. They're almost as bad as the chuds," she replies, managing to find her humor again, just a piece of it in the darkness, a small smile. Her eyebrows hike up, head turning towards Michael again. "Yeah, well, I'm going through, kind of, a second puberty here," she shoots back, still making a point to keep one arm across her low cut top and her other holding her skirt against her thigh. "I'm doing all kinds of new things." She doesn't elaborate.

    "No, no outside help right now. Hank can work it out, I'm sure," Jubilee answers. "And no way, Jose, to Doctor Strange!" She glide-walks back in the direction of the Ford Ranger, presumably to get another pumpkin.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue just smirks at Michael. "You just realized how many pumpkins are in the truck and are lookin' for a way out now." She teases the space man in his fancy garb. On her way back to her truck her phone buzzes in her back pocket so naturally she pauses and pulls it out to give it a read. Whilst reading she distractedly speaks up again. "Watch out for the Uggos and the Chuds..." She says before tapping again on her phone.

Message sent. Little beepy noise heard from the device!

She stuffs it away behind her back and starts toward her truck again. "So fine then, it's all on Hank t'figure out the cure for Vampirism... I'm sure he's up for the challenge." She says with a slight smirk.

Once at her truck again the southern gal starts rooting around in the Pumpkins to get the biggest ones out from under the cuter smaller ones that the younger students will likely be all over.

"Xavier's Institute mkakes this place sound like an Insane Asylum..." She idly mutters.

Michael Erickson has posed:
    Jubilee gets something of a look as Michael moves to stack more pumpkins. "I seem to recall telling you all about that," he points out. "In our conversation in which I counselled you upon the nature of becoming a predator and the dangers therein. You know. A few weeks ago."

    Michael pauses a moment, considering the next pumpkin he's about to fetch. "Well. If you don't want external help concerning a cure, I've at least secured a method by which whole blood can be generated for your consumption. It's not going to be plasma, it will be whole blood - clonal, of course. You won't get the same rush as hunting, but hopefully you'll be able to use it to feed without drawing attention to yourself or murdering people out of starvation."

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Noriko appears.  Jubilation's probably the only person (aside from Hank) who would know how little "Hey guys."  Noriko seems to sleep.  The door swings shut just now, announcing her arrival even though she's already here.  "The pumpkins are here?!"  She blurs over to give Jubes a kiss on the cheek. "You didn't make it very far."

Nori doesn't really vary up her seasonal wardrobe very much, and she's wearing some athletic shorts and a tank top.  She doesn't loooook cold.  Her hair is a bit of a mess, windblown enough to be speedster-acceptable.  "Need help?"  Noriko helped last year...she helps nearly every event though.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    He has a machine that makes blood? "That sounds a lot like external help," Jubilee replies, shaking her head as she returns into view holding a pumpkin down at her side. She sets it with the others on the work table. "Thanks but no thanks." With that settled, Jubes turns and glide-walks back to the truck a third time for more pumpkins.

    Thud. Thud. Thud. Jubilee manages to arrive back in the garage, three pumpkins this time, after arriving in a blur of vampiric speed. Just a series of simple gestures. After setting them down, she covers her chest again with her forearm.

    When she feels the speedster's touch against her cheek, Jubilation tilts her head and smiles a big fangy smile, apparently not even a little self conscious about them. "No, no I didn't..." she says with a smile. In truth, Jubilee entered the garage from the side that's closer to the Mansion, suggesting she came from over there and not the direction she should have.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue is just doing the hauling work while listening to Michael offer Jubilee help too. It sounds like great help but when it starts to get questioned by Jubilee, Rogue just smirks a bit. She puts two more of the bigguns down on the work table and just sighs softly. She's fast too! but only when flying...

Thus Nori's arrival is not a surprise, but it is a sudden moment of Rogue doing a double take to see the cheek smoochin'.

"Oh hey, Speedy Gonzales." She says the offensive character name to Nori. "Just the kinda worker bee I was hopin' to find for this load."

"All these pumpkins took like an hour to load up..." Rogue mutters as she is back at her truck again and now stepping up on tot he tail gate. "How's the college house apartment, Jubilee?" Rogue asks then as she walks on top of her truck's bed now.

Michael Erickson has posed:
    "Ah," Michael says, his voice growing ever more casual. "I've gone from 'Welcome helping hand who understands' to 'external help'. Well, I'll have it given over to Doctor McCoy anyway. Feel free to speak to me again about it if you decide that I rate it." Bitter? No, but he's not likely to offer further help until it's deigned welcome. And then he's back to collecting pumpkins as well - though Jubilation gets more room now to travel.

    Oh. And there's a body bag over off to the side, made of trash bags and electrical tape. Cos there's a body in there. "Good evening, Miss Ashida," Michael says to Noriko with a faint nod to the speedster and to yonder bundle. "The corpse is mine and of extraterrestrial origin. To get in front of any potential misunderstanding."

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"Why didn't you just have me come with you?"  Noriko tilts her head at Rogue and then gets to work.  She starts throwing a bunch of little ones up into the air, sending them sailing, and then races to pick them out of the air on her way to set them down gently.  At some point, she ends up next to Jubes and whispers, "What is Speedy Gonzales?"

As she picks up little bits and pieces of the conversation, Noriko looks around from person to person.  "Oh you're calling dibs?" (on the body) Noriko asks without a hint of humor, which probably is the humor.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "That's what you are, though, right?" Jubilation points out, shrugging her shoulder a little. "Not a mutant. Not a vampire. So, yeah, external. You were nice to me and I appreciate it, but why should that mean I have to drink your imitation blood that comes from who-knows-where? Or accept you as some kind of expert on me?" Jubilee sets another large pumpkin down, this time on the ground.

    "He's a cartoon mouse. Very fast," Jubilee whispers back to Noriko. Important to get that detail out for her.

    Back to business. "So, yeah, excuse me for wanting a say in what happens to me," Jubilation adds, gaze rising to follow Michael. "I thought you were cool, but if you're going to be a baby about it or try to guilt me into it, then I guess you're just like the uggos and the chuds."

    Without skipping a beat, Jubes turns towards Rogue and answers her question. "I sleep in a cardboard wardrobe box --" (kinda like a coffin) "-- in the bedroom, which I have barricaded to keep Illyana or whoever comes knocking away from me. Instead of..." She looks over at Noriko and then back to Rogue. "...Instead of at home." It probably beats the sublevels. Probably.

    With that hanging in the air, Jubilee begins walking for the door to the garage. "This is not a storm-off. I want to change out of these stupid vampire clothes so no one thinks I'm a skank!" she announces. That could have gone better. It could also have gone worse.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue, carrying more of the load to the work bench, glances at Jubilee as she starts to leave. She gives a look to Nori too, one with a frown, before she calls out to Jubes. "I'm gonna watch some movies later in the rec room if you're interested in comin'. Maybe some scary ones, if you're in the mood for that." She probably isn't, but hey, she has to offer!

"Let me know if anyone needs t'get punched too!" She says before the double french doors in to the mansion are closed in the Young Vampire's wake.

Rogue sighs and glances over to Michael. "Okay, lets take that damn body down to Hank's lab. Okay?" She says as she walks toward it with a grimace on her GORGEOUS FACE! (Thanks, Michael!)

Michael Erickson has posed:
    Michael shakes his head. "No, I'll take care of it," he replies. "I don't understand. A couple of weeks ago she was grateful for help. I pulled a lot of strings to get this machine developed. First of its kind, and all." He runs a hand through his hair in irritation, then, looking among the pumpkins and checking for damage. "I'm not trying to be an expert, but I /do/ know predators. And a few weeks ago she was terrified about hurting someone." He takes a deep breath. "Right, well. Not being an expert, and being the external party, I'll leave her be if she wants. But if you talk to her, please do reaffirm for me that I'm happy to help her if she wants it."

    He turns toward the truck, gauging the pitiful remainder of the pumpkins there. "It's not synthetic blood, as it happens. It's just further generated from a source. That is, you put a pint in, it grows more blood. That's all."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue is not far from where Michael is so she reaches a gloved hand out to place it on his arm. "You've never worked with teenagers before, have ya?" She asks with a soft smile. She drops her hand from his arm and walks back toward her truck. "The machine sounds great, and please do deliver it t'Hank's lab too. Jubilee has her faith in Hank, she trusts him and well... Hank will listen to you. So just go through Hank to help her for now. Don't take the stuff personally, either. She's goin' thorugh a ton and bein' her age is hard even when you're not a Vampire..."

Rogue mutters something as she opesn the side door on her truck to lean in and grab her phone charger. "But yeah, get that damn body outta here." She says with a grin over toward him.

Michael Erickson has posed:
    "I have," he says with a sigh, "But it's been a long time. Anyway. I'll talk to you later, then." And off he goes, reaching down to scoop up the corpse in its street bag and marches off across the grounds.