8187/So, I Made a Problem...

So, I Made a Problem...
Date of Scene:	09 October 2021
Location:	Lydia's Apartment
Synopsis:	Clarice goes to Lydia for backup - and support.
Cast of Characters:	Lydia Dietrich, Clarice Ferguson

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Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia's apartment in Brooklyn has become more of a sanctum sanctorum than it has a place where you actually /live/ in. Sure she and Mystique pop over for a fancy night of dinner here and there, but for the most part the apartment is only used for her magical studies and practices.

Currently she's pushed back the sofa and coffee table to give her some room in the middle of the living room, and has drawn a circle within a circle, with arcane runes and Hebrew letters sandwiched between them. She's sitting crosslegged on the floor with an ancient tome in her lap.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    When was the last time Clarice was here? When she was admitting to Lydia that she was a murderer? ...that was a while ago. And yet, here she is again, outside the woman's door, rapping politely. She even has a pair of milkshakes - one with cherries, like Lydia likes, and her own favorite - chocolate peanutbutter brownie chunk.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"Just a second!" Lydia calls out to the knock at her door. She folds her book closed and sets it on the coffee table, and gets up to see who it is. Looking through the little peephole she sees that it's Clarice, so she unlocks and opens the door.

"Clarice!" she says happily, taking a step back to let her in. "To what do I owe the honor?" And then she spies milkshakes. "Ooh! Milkshakes! Come in, come in. Make yourself at home, but don't step on the circle."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Generally sound advice," Clarice says with dry amusement as she enters. "I know almost nothing about magic - but I think 'don't step on the circle' is something I could have sussed out." As she steps in, she starts to offer on of the shakes to Lydia, before stopping herself, and offering the other instead. Whoops.
    "I'm not interrupting anything important, am I?"

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"Nope. Just doing a bit of homework," Lydia explains as she takes the milkshake. She pops the lid on it and grins, "Cherry chocolate chunk. My favorite!" She motions for Clarice to follow her to the dining area and takes a seat at the table. "So what brings you by?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I think I need your help - with Pete and Theo. Mostly with Theo. I- It's complicated," Clarice explains a bit uncertainly, but there's worry evident on her features. She slips into one of the chairs at the table, stirring her shake with the spoon she shoved into it, and starring down into it as she does so. "Do you know anything about Pete's past? About what happened to his parents?"

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia shakes her head, digging into the milkshake. "No, I don't. He's usually tight lipped about it." She reaches out with a hand to take Clarice's with a gentle squeeze of comfort. "What's going on?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I've never heard from him," Clarice admits. "It's not something he can talk about, I think. Theo told me. He's seen it - felt it, //experienced// it - from Pete's nightmares. Pete accidentally put the whole thing in Theo's head. Pete wouldn't mind her telling Lydia this, right? ...she was relatively certain he wouldn't.
    "His parents were activists in Genosha. They were aware of what the Government was doing to its mutant citizens - and they were silenced. Pete watched them get tortured to death - he was made to watch. And it's almost as much Theo's memory, now, as it is Pete's," she explains, finally looking up from her shake, and towards Lydia.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
The more Lydia hears about the horrors of Genosha the more angry she gets. "That's /horrible/!" she says aghast. "That poor kid. No wonder he has nightmares."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "He was only ten," Clarice adds quietly. Is it any wonder, given the topic at hand, that she's only stirring at her shake - instead of actually eating it.
    Her gaze drops back down towards her snack as she adds, "I was talking to Theo - I wanted to check with him before I brought it up to Pete - but I thought if Pete could share the images of the people that killed his parents, and what powers they possessed, we might be able to discover their identities. Find out if they were alive, or dead. If they'd acted of their own free will or not - get him some answers. Maybe some sort of closure would help him. But Theo... He insists that if we find the people responsible, he wants to kill them. Himself."
    She shakes her head, wetness springing to her eyes. "I tried. I tried to explain to him..."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia's scowl only deepens. "He wants to kill them?" She shakes her head. "I... that's kind of understandable. Kids will have that kind of sentiment because they don't always have a firm grasp on what that actually means." She lets out a deep, sad sigh. "Pete might have a better grasp of it than others, though."

"I don't know if you'll be able to change his mind, though." She says thoughtfully. "Those kinds of things that happens to kids leaves deep, lasting scars, but what he doesn't realize is that his trauma won't go away with their deaths."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Theo won't listen to me. He's furious that I won't just- bless his desire to become a murderer. I guess he expected me to, given what I am." Clarice stabs at her shake with frustration now. "Maybe it's my fault. I set a bad example, and he follows it. And now I don't know what to do or say to change things. I can't forbid it - he'll just resent it, and it won't actually change anything. I don't know what to do, Lydia = I wanted to help Pete, but..." It's all going wrong, somehow.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia squeezes Clarice's hand in sympathy. "Sometimes you have to do things for your child's protection that they may not understand at the moment, or may resent you for," she says. "The point may be moot anyway if they're already dead." She shakes her head, "I think, really that we're putting the cart before the horse. We should find out what their fate is first before we talk about how to bring them to justice."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Does forbidding it even fix the problem? If that //desire// is still there?" Clarice shakes her head helplessly. "I can't help but feel I caused this with the example I've been setting. But how do I fix it? Swear I won't kill again?" Somehow she doubts it.
    "But maybe you're right. Maybe we'll find out they didn't have a choice, or that they're already dead or- who knows what. I just- I'm frightened for him."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"I know," Lydia says sadly. Sad for Clarice for having parenthood thrust upon her when she's so young herself. Sad for Theo and Pete for the terrible events that have happened to them, and sad that they feel that they have to turn to this extreme. "I don't know if we have the tools to fix it. Something like that takes time and therapy to work out, and a therapist is the one thing we /don't/ have." But they so desperately need one.

"I can talk to them, if you want," she offers. "I don't know how much good it'll do and I'll have difficulty trying to keep my religion out of it. Killing puts a stain on the soul. It's not something you want." She shakes her head, "It's something you can make up for, though, with time and effort. Nobody is a hopeless case."

"But like I said... killing them won't fix the issue. Won't keep the nightmares from happening. Odds are it won't bring them the satisfaction they crave either."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice lets out quiet snort. "That's exactly what Rahne said. 'A stain.'" She smiles sadly, and finally nibbles on a little of her shake, though she really doesn't seem to be enjoying it today.
    "It doesn't hurt to try, right?" she adds. "Though... I'm a terrible hypocrit. If I ever found the people who experimented on me, and forced me to kill? I'd want to kill them. But here I am determined to stop Theo and Pete from doing the same."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"It doesn't make you a hypocrite," Lydia reassures. "You know the toll it takes on you to kill and you want to protect your family from it." Now that Clarice is nibbling on her milkshake she starts to nibble on her own. "You want him to do better than you, it's that simple."

"Like I said: We should take this one step at a time." She takes a spoonful of shake and closes her eyes in pleasure. "Mmm. One step at a time. Find out if they're still alive and where they are and then we can worry about what kind of justice they'll meet."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Maybe we just arrange for someone else to kill them - before Theo can get to them," Clarice offers, letting out a humorless laugh. Is it underhanded? Absolutely. Would it work? .... well, it'd be better than letting Theo take a life in cold blood with his own hands. Wasn't it?
    "I still think I'm a hypocrit, though. But I'd give up any right to my own vengeance - if it'd stop Theo. If it'd make him see how much this matters."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"Maybe," Lydia says uncertainly. "I don't like lying to them, though. They deserve to know the truth." She lets out a weary sigh, "I don't think there's going to be an easy answer for this one. Pete and Theo have been through a lot of pain, so they want to lash out and bring pain to those who harmed them."

"I can speak to them, though. See if I can't convince them. I can't make any promises."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "You can promise to speak to them - you just can't promise it'll do any good. I get that. And I think- Pete seemed to understand what was at stake, more than Theo did. Theo seems to think that- that because he killed once, that it's all the same. He killed to protect our father during the Sentinel attack, though, and that's just- it isn't the same thing. I tried to explain that to him, but..." Apparently she failed.
    Utterly.
    "I appreciate it, Lydia."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia takes a quick spoonful of milkshake before getting up and moving around the table to give her adopted sister a hug. "I know," she says. "Killing in self defense isn't murder. Sometimes that has to be how it is." She squeezes Clarice tight, and when she releases the hug she goes back to her seat. "Teens are difficult and stubborn, and think they know everything. I was a TA for high school for a while to get my bachelors, so trust me on this."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice leans into the hug - sometimes you just need a hug, there's no denying the fact. "Families a mess, huh?" she remarks. "Things were simpler - when it was just me and Mister Creed. I wouldn't trade things in for anything in the world, but- ...it's a mess, and I have no idea what I'm doing, and I can only pretend to even have any say for another year." And then Theo's adult.
    "And it's hard feeling like I have any right telling Theo what to do - when I'm barely older than him, and don't have any education, and I've only known him for a couple months. And then I try telling him 'It's okay if I kill, but not okay if you do,' and- well." It just doesn't work.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"I'm not much older than you," Lydia says, digging into her milkshake. "I just have more experience with teens, that's all." She shakes her head, "I don't have much in the way of answers for this one, but I'll play it by ear."

"You're doing fine," she reassures. "You're being a good older sister to him."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "It doesn't always feel like it. Sometimes it feels like I'm the worst possible person for this job but- ...I'm trying." Clarice nibbles at little more of her shake before adding, "I appreciate the encouragement, though. It's- it can be a real roller coaster. Going from Pete and Theo loving me when I dropped those adoption papers on them, to... To stuff like this. I just don't want to fail him - either of them. And I want them to be happy. And I worry that I'm leading them into a world - into a life - that's just going to... It's just setting them up for more pain, and trauma, and loss."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia nods in understanding. "It can be rough, and sometimes you're going to have to do things they don't like." She shrugs, "They'll get over it, though. Eventually. You're looking out for them, and you're doing what you think is best for them. That's all any parent can ask for."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice nods, falling silent for a few moments, while she stirs her shake some more, then takes another bite.
    "Sometimes I worry," she admits, "that my life is better for having them in it - but that I might ultimately make their lives worse. By setting the wrong example, by leading them the wrong way. That- that maybe they would have lead happier lives in the end - if Raven hadn't found Theo."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia shakes her head emphatically. "No. Their lives are better with you in it." She says this with certainty. "Where they were at... wasn't a good place. Sure they were taken care of, but just barely, and they only had each other. Now they have all of us," she says sweeping her hands to indicated themselves. "And we're family."

She lets out a sigh, "But having said that people will do what they do. You can lead them to the right path, but you can't force them to take it."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "But we've brought them into the middle of a war," Clarice points out. And they want to join it.
    Maybe they would have anyways, given their pasts. Maybe she gives herself all too much credit.
    "I just worry. And I tend to blame myself. Maybe that's just natural." Maybe that's just her. She gives Lydia a small, tight smile as she adds, "I'm just glad I don't have to try to do this completely alone."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia shakes her head, "They were already in the middle of the war, if you think about it. They're not going to be content to wait on the sidelines for very much longer, anyway." She stirs her milkshake contemplatively. "They've seen how bad it gets and they're going to want to be involved in making it better." She chuckles, "We'll just have to try to convince them that getting a good education first is going to help in the long run."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Theo wants to finish school - so there's that at least. I'm just not sure if he means high school only - or if he plans on college, too. He's so much brighter than I am, I- I don't want him to piss out on opportunities, just to follow me into a war," Clarice answers with that same tight smile. "And Pete's not a slouch, either. He missed a few years of schooling - before Magneto freed Genosha. And he's caught up just fine."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"Sounds like it'll be easy to guide them towards further education," Lydia concludes. She takes a few more spoonfuls of her milkshake before asking, "Other than that, how are they holding up?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "They've been doing well - until I had to muck things up by bringing Pete's parents into things," Clarice admits wryly. "Pete's talking more. He's relaxing around more people. I think... whatever anxiety it is he has, it's been more manageable. And Theo's much happier since- well, since he started being Theo, instead of Thia. You can feel it. He's more at ease with himself, you know? And- well. We got some good news from one of the people helping me look into options on how we can make his body more like he wants it to be."
    She takes a nibble from her shake before explaning, "She had some success with some of her experiments on guinea pigs, and now she's moving on to regular pigs. ...and we're taking some of her guinea pigs off her. Theo and Pete insisted on taking three of them. Their excuse was that we're naming them after the witches in Hocus Pocus."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia nods along at the report, but the news of the experiments gets her attention. "Oh really? That's great! I know that trying to get your body to match your identity can be difficult to do. I have a friend... well... an internet friend... that I made in high school who was going through that. She wants to get bottom surgery, but that's really a big deal. Bigger, I'm told, for trans guys."

"You're getting guinea pigs?" She sounds surprised and delighted at the same time. "I've always wanted a pet but my parents would never let me have one. I bet they're cute. Do you have any pictures of them yet?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice shakes her head. "Tara showed us the pictures of them - but we haven't picked them up yet. We need to get their cage set up." She furrows her brow as she adds, "Theo was running around the apartment with a tape measure, writing things out, and plotting things on his tablet. He's got some sort of mad scheme in mind, I think, and I assume it has something to do with the guinea pigs."
    She takes another bite of her shake before adding, "I never had a pet either. So... well. Maybe this'll be nice. Theo and Pete are excited about it, anyways. And they've promised to take care of them and clean up afterr them."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia nods enthusiastically. "Good, good. That'll help keep them out of trouble," she says with a grin. "I can't wait to see what kind of modifications Theo has planned. Knowing him it's probably something elaborate."

"I've heard that Guinea pigs are fairly easy to take care of," she says. "Of course what I wanted as a kid was a puppy, but we didn't really have a back yard beyond the deck and the pool, and I wanted a /big/ rottweiler." She chuckles, "My mom would have had a fit trying to take care of something like that. Or she would have just hired somebody to take care of him for us."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Are they?" Clarice asks. "....to be honest, I haven't looked into it that much. I've been trusting Theo and Pete to look into it, and make sure they know what they're doing. All I really know is they look cute enough from the pictures. Almost like a cross between a mouse and a rabbit," she explains. "You'll be welcome to come over and visit them whenever you like, I suppose. And there's more of them to rehome - if you wanted some of your own. Though I'm not sure how Raven would feel about guinea pigs in her quarters."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"And I'm not here enough to really keep there here anyway," Lydia says, nodding. "I'll just borrow the piggies when I need a pet fix." She shakes her head. "You never know, though. Raven might fall in love with them and want to get some. She does love her koi, remember."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "But she doesn't have to share her quarters with them," Clarice points out. "But... still. You're right. She does."
    After another bite from her shake she adds, "I feel a little bit better, Lydia. Thanks. I just- I care about Theo, and now Pete, so much that- well. When I feel like I'm failing them... it gets overwhelming."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Clarice gets a sympathetic smile from Lydia. "I understand. It's a lot to deal with, but I'm here for you. So is Raven. We'll get through this together." And, really, isn't that what the Brotherhood is about?