8390/A Herd of Mutant Witch Wolves

A Herd of Mutant Witch Wolves
Date of Scene:	24 October 2021
Location:	The Gardens
Synopsis:	Clarice and the boys come back from Disneyland and are treated to a picnic by Lydia. She shows off a couple of neat vampire tricks to them before getting around to testing Theo's powers.
Cast of Characters:	Lydia Dietrich, Clarice Ferguson, Raven Darkholme

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Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia was excited to show off her latest trick to the boys and to Clarice. She'd already shown it to Mystique and spend some good cuddle time as a wolf (10/10 highly recommended) and wanted to show it off to the rest of her family. So she brought them all to the Gardens, which will give her enough room to move around once she shifts. Plus afterwards, they can tell her all about their Disneyland trip.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    It's been a long, but fun day for Clarice and the two teens including makeovers, building their own lightsabers, many, many rides - and shopping. Excessive amounts of shopping. Clarice is wearing a traditional set of ears - with the perfectly round hat, in bright blue, with images of some of the main Disney characters on it and the words 'My First Visit' embroidered on it. She's got her arms linked with Pete at the moment, a cheer grin plastered onto her features.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Pete is Cinderella. It didn't matter if the staff at Disneyland were willing to do the make over or not, he did it himself and just bought the dress. Theo is wearing a Goofy t-shirt and the wears, and he's carrying. Pete and Theo are holding their own conversation about the trip, but they're also talking to Clarice about the trip.

"There were rides he missed even," Theo was saying, adjusting his ears. "We'll have to go again, hit the rest of the park, even hear there's stuff at night."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"Hey, all!" Lydia says cheerfully, giving each of the three a hug. "Did you all have a good time at the park? Looks like you got a lot of swag. Sorry I couldn't go with you. But... you know." She holds up a box in her ectoplasm, "I made everybody dinner, and figured we could have a picnic under the Earth. Come on!"

She leads them off the path until they find a nice, flat grassy spot and then gets to work. She pulls a blanket out of the box and lays it out on the grass and starts pulling out food and drinks for everybody. She's got curried chicken sandwiches, and a black bean and cucumber salad, and even little strawberry cheesecake like things set in mason jars. Drinks are all non alcoholic, which includes soda and lemonade.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "We had a good time. And you should //see// Pete's face in the Splash Mountain photo!" Clarice remarks cheerfully. "I mean - we had to get it for the album. Right?" She grins at the other two - having parted from Pete as she returned Lydia's hug. She follows Lydia to the blanket, kicking off her shoes before she settles in and helping out by setting out the plates, napkins, and plasticware. "Hope you didn't go to too much trouble while we were off having fun," she says conversationally.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
The boys are still in their private chit chat, the only reason that's obvious it the expressions on their face. They are laughing at something and there was nothing funny said out loud.

Pete does a lovely twirl is his gown for Lydia then hugs her back, "It was /amazing/. I scared so many parents and entertained so many children!" What a thing to be proud of.

Theo also hugs Lydia, nudges Clarice with a, "Go one, give it." Then offers his arm to Pete to escort the princess to the blanket. "You won't get his shoes off him," he comments as he sits to unlace his own boot. "Not after it took an hour to find just the right pair to wear."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia laughs at Pete's antics. "At least the children were happy. That's the whole point of the place, isn't it?"

"It wasn't much trouble," Lydia tells Clarice. "I enjoy cooking for you all."

"It's okay," she says, starting to make plates for the three of them. "That's what the laundry is for. Just don't get any dirt or anything in your food. So, which rides were your favorites?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Space Mountain!" Clarice says immediately. She, as it turns out, //loves// roller coasters. "Though the Haunted Mansion was also interesting. I was trying to figure out- well, how everything //worked//. I mean, maybe they're using modern technology and the ride has changed through the years? We could certainly do it easily enough with the technology here on the Asteroid, but..." As she's talking, she's rummaging through a bag, until she finds what she's looking for and lets out an, "Ah ha!" She pulls out a pair of black, sequined 'Minnie Mouse' ears with a small purple bow - and a large orange 'witches' between the two ears in a shimery, glittery fabric, but with candy corn color transitions. "We found you this! We figured the headband style would work better with your ears, and besides..." Witch. Obviously.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Pete adjusts everything so he can sit down, not get the dress dirty, keep his feet off the blanket and look fabulous doing it. That young man was skilled alright. "I can't help that Splash Mountain equaled wet," he comments, going back to the talk of the photo. "Wet and screaming... just a dream I.."

Theo cuts him off with a loud, "Yes! Space Mountain," while staring at Pete. Clearly there was something there that Theo didn't want Pete talking about.

Both go quiet as the gifts come out and are given. Theo sits down by Pete and watches Lydia.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia gasps in delight as her Minnie Mouse ears are handed over to her. "These are /fabulous/!" She immediately puts them on, settling them in her thick, curly hair. "You know, I've never been on a roller coaster," she says. "Now that it's getting darker sooner, maybe we can go to a Six Flags and do something like that."

"Did you all take pictures? I want to see them!"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Well - we got a souvenir photo from Splash Mountain," Clarice explains, pulling out and offering over the framed photo, sparing only a brief glance with raised eyebrows for the interplay between Pete and Theo. For her part, Clarice simply looks excited in the photo, wearing a large grin with her hands thrown up over her head. "And then of course we got various photos on each of our cellphones throughout the day. There's a great one of this little boy in a Prince Charming costume that wanted to dance with Pete..." She pulls out her phone and unlocks it ot find that photo, as well.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Pete immediately gets his phone out of his little hand bag, what princess doesn't have a hand bag? Offering it over to Lydia there are pictures of Clarice and Theo at varies points throughout the day, including eating, Theo making a screwed up face at some woman who made a comment about his skin color and Pete's dress.... there are a lot of pictures.

Theo gets his phone out as well, this of course are the same, but Clarice and Pete, at one point Pete making bunny ears over Clarice's head when she wasn't looking.

Both boys also took random pictures of other people there, the rides, there are a ALOT of pictures of men on Pete's phone.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia can't help but laugh at the photo of Splash Mountain. "You look like you were having a good time, Clarice," she says, handing the photo back with a grin. She takes each phone in turn and looks though all the photos, laughing in delight and living vicariously though them. When she gets to Pete's phone and all the photos of handsome men she just shakes her head. "Pete, you are /such/ a shameless hussy. Get anybody's number?"

"Well." She says, handing Pete's phone back to him. "I have something to show you all as well, but it can wait 'till /after/ dinner."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    While Lydia was focused on the photos - Clarice reaches for Lydia's plate - slipping a disney pin undernearth the sandwich. It shows Minnie Mouse, wearing a purple witches dress and hat, with an orange bow and and shoes. She's holding a broom - which also has an orange bow tied around it. Beside Minnie is a spiderweb with the word 'Bewitching' printed across it.
    As soon as she's done doing that, though, she's pouring herself some lemonade - and happily digging into her food while Lydia finishes her vicarious enjoyment of Disneyland. "I'd never been anywhere like that before - it was interesting. And there were parades and things like that- almost reminded me of..." Her expression goes thoughtful for a moment as she tries to remember the word before suddenly saying, "Kadooment! It reminded me of Kadooment."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Pete wiggles his brows at Lydia as he takes his phone back and tucks it into the bag. "I don't kiss and tell," he teases, then reaches for his sammich to take a bite.

Theo snorts, "He got like six numbers, but I think at least three of those had no idea Pete's a guy, it was funny as hell." He picks up his sandwich. "I'm looking forward to hearing about /those/ dates."

Pete grins then laughs, trying not to spit out the sandwich, manages to keep it in his mouth and swallows. "New trick?" is then asked of Lydia. "After sammich, okay."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"Kadooment?" Lydia asks curiously. "I've never heard of it. What's it like?" Lydia has just a half a sandwich for herself, and only a little bit of the salad. She doesn't need to eat, so they're mostly for nibbling on.

When she picks up the sandwich she spies the pin and her face lights up. "Oh, this is /delightful/!" She brushes crumbs off of it and turns it around in her fingers. "I'll have to figure out something I can pin this on."

She chuckles at Theo. "I'm sure. What about you? Any ladies catch your eye?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I might be remembering the word wrong," Clarice admits. "I don't remember why we were celebrating but it's- everyone dresses in big, bright, amazing costumes. There's feathers, and sparkles - //lots// of feathers and sparkles - and music, and dancing, and parades... I got lost in the crowd, and started to cry, but then faddah found me," she explains. "He went and got me a conkie to help me calm down." She nibbles at some of the salad before musing quietly, "It'd be nice - you know. To go to Kadooment again. I'll have to find out when it is." She doesn't know how to spell it, though.
    Glancing towards Pete she adds in amusement, "You'll have to tell me or Ritz when the first date is, at least - so we can get you back to California."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Pete grins broadly as Lydia finds the pin, then sets his sammich back on the plate. "Sounds like MadiGras, Clarice," he offers, looking at the picture himself, then goes for the salad. One thing he's always careful about, what he eats. He didn't use to have a choice, now that he does, he's picky, but if Lydia made it, he's eating it. "One of them knew Theo, the others I don't know if they did or not, don't care, will be fun."

Theo pauses with the sandwich in his hand, staring at Lydia, "No. I... I don't ask girls for numbers." he admits, then bites into the sandwich so he doesn't have to talk any more, while giving Pete the 'keep your mouth shut' look.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"What's a conkie?" Lydia asks curiously, unfamiliar with the word. "It sounds a /lot/ like Mardi Gras," she says, agreeing with Pete. "I'd love to go see that, too." She gives Theo a knowing nod. "It's okay. I couldn't ask girls their numbers when I was your age either. It's hard when you're young and queer." She glances at Pete, "Well, for /some/ people it is."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I'm not sure when it was," Clarice admits. "We'd have to look it up. I don't really know anything about Mardi Gras, so I don't know if they're the same or not... I just know it was fun. Except for when I got lost, that was scary." Being lost in a crowd would be terrifying for almost any three or four year old child, though. After nibbling on her sandwich she adds for Lydia's benefit, "Conkies are sweet. They're cooked inside a leaf, and you have to open them up." She looks towards Theo because this is something //he'd// know more about - beside, he looks like he wants a change in topic. "What're conkies made out of?"

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Theo finish his bite and takes a drink of his water before he offers Clarice a thankful look and says, "Conkies use plain flour and corn flour, coconut, pumpkin, butter, sweet potato, raisins sometimes... spices are brown sugar, almond essence and nutmeg, banana leaf... that's all I remember really. Can't remember how they're cooked, but they're /really/ good."

Pete wasn't going to say anything, even if he wanted to, he knows better. Looking over at biggest sister he says, "Lydia, I want to see your new trick."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"Hmm," Lydia says thoughtfully when Theo explains what a conkie is. "I'll have to look it up and see if I can't find a recipe to make for you all."

At Pete's request, she grins, and sets aside her plate and pin. "Okay. Well. There's really two tricks. The first one is this..." She closes her eyes and concentrates a little and in short time, color starts coming back to her skin. It isn't long until she actually looks /alive/. "I can go out in public without being immediately clocked as a vampire," she says, holing out an arm so she can look at it. "I'm still pretty pale, though. Paler than what I used to be but at least I don't look like I just rose from a coffin."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Apparently dad used to make them for Theo," Clarice explains. "I just remember picking them up at the corner shop." She gives a shrug of her shoulders, and a small smile. "I mean - I suppose I could pop over anytime and pick some up for us. Then you'd know what they're like before you tried making them."
    She nibbles at her food some more, watching the color seep into Lydia's skin. Knowing it was coming was easier - though there's still a pang of remembered pain, from the shock she'd had the other night. "It'll come in handy," she agrees.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Pete leans closer, then reaches out and touches Lydia's arm. "Nice! Warm too." He nods with a grin. "You looks healthy again."

Theo also touches Lydia's skin, but he brushes her cheek instead. "Now that's a seriously cool trick, will make your life a lot easier." He glances to Clarice with a grin. "Better to try them before making them."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia nods. "It only lasts for about an hour or so," she says. "So it's not something I can keep up all day. It'd drain me of energy too quickly." She brushes off crumbs off her pants and stands up, taking a few steps back from the group. "But that's not the nifty thing I want to show you. Hold onto your ears...."

Last time it took her the better part of an hour to change forms, but that's because she was having trouble finding the power within her that would let her change. Now that she's found it once, it's easier for her to access, though it still takes her a couple of minutes to get it all working.

Soon enough, though, her ectoplasm constricts around her and her form shimmers into that of a big black wolf. This time she's ready for it and doesn't land on her muzzle, instead hitting the ground with all four paws, blood red eyes blinking.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I'll make sure to bring plenty of conkies for everyone," Clarice promises. "We can all try them together." She glances towards Lydia while the woman is concentrating on her 'trick' - then returns her attention to Theo and Pete, continuing to nibble on her food as they talk, and wait. "Honestly, we should all make a trip to Barbados. You should go, Theo. See what it's like there. Don't you think?" she asks - almost hopefully. Theo still finds anything to do with the past rather painful, she finds. Maybe he won't want to go to Barbados?
    Finally, she spots movement out of the corner of her eyes, and turns to catch the end of the transformation - letting out a loud laugh. "Mutant witch wolf! Just wait until Rahne gets a glimpse of this..."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Theo and Pete stare at Lydia, then look at each, and just fall over laughing. They had listened to Madison rambling with no clue what the hell she was talking about. They heard how the Jedi mind trick worked on the 'wolf', and now they got it.

Theo is the first to collect himself. "That explain everything! Poor Mads, she has no idea," he says still laughing. "She'll never understand anything more than mutant witch wolf that the Jedi mind trick worked on."

Pete sets his sandwich down while laughing. It was going to take him forever to convince her that the mind trick didn't work, and would never work, but for now he was focused on the wolf. "Now /that/ is a cool trick, though a wolf in a city would be fun to watch people's reaction to."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia's tongue lolls in a lupine laugh and her eyes glitter in delight. "Mads? Was that her name?" Yes. The wolf spoke. "Never got a chance to ask her about it," she says, walking back to the blanket. She finds a place that's free of food but near enough for pets and plops down on it. "She ran away too excited that she Jedi mind tricked a mutant witch wolf, though I have /no/ idea how one of me turned into a whole herd."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Theo's told me she's an exciteable sort," Clarice offers - as if that explains anything at all. She reaches out now - fingers brushing over Lydia's fur, before tenatively scratching at the 'wolf's' shoulder - watching her friend's features for a reaction.
    "We should make Rahne jealous!" she suddenly remarks, a teasing grin on her features as she tosses her phone towards the boys. Scooting over towards Lydia, she gestures the wolf-woman over.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Theo catches the phone because Pete is taking a bite of his sandwich. Once Clarice and Lyi-wolf are in position, he takes the picture, then a second to make sure there is at least one good one. "Why would Rahne be jealous of you with a wolf? There something in your relationship a little beastial Clarice?"

Pete nearly spits the bite out again, this time managing to keep from doing so just swallowing then has to drink water to get it down, then is laughing. He doesn't comment mind you, he wants the answer to this.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia leans into the scritching when it's offered. "Are you sure," she asks Clarice as she obediently comes over and flops into her lap. "I don't know how Rahne will react to you philandering with another wolf." Still. She poses for the camera, doing a stoic wolf pose, a kind of happy companion pose, and for the last one flipping around on her back with all four paws in the air for a goofy pose.

Red eyes peer at Theo when he asks his question. "They don't know, Clarice?" she asks. She doesn't answer the question, though, and lets Clarice do it .

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Clarice seems a little puzzle by Theo's question, and Pete's reaction, as she looks between the two boys. "Well... yeah," she answers, in a 'well, duh,' tone. "It's Rahne." She blinks, and it's not until Lydia's question that she starts to laugh. "Wait- wait. Has she seriously- have you never seen her use her power? You guys don't know what she can do? Here." She holds out her hand to accept her phone back, and soon finds a few pictures of herself with Rahne. They're all selfies - but they show Rahne and Clarice snuggling together with Rahne in various degrees of wolfishness. Some of them are clearly in Clarice's bed, though none of them are revealing - and one of them shows Clarice using what seems to be a sleeping red-furred wolf as a pillow.
    She phone is given back to Pete and Theo so they can study the photos, as Clarice remarks to Lydia, "It's Rahne. As soon as I tell her //you're// the wolf, she won't care in the least. She knows we're not interested in one another."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Pete and Theo both look like there's something they aren't getting about this conversation then as it is explained, the light comes on. Pete takes the phone so that both of them can look as he asks, "No, when would we have seen her use her powers?"

Theo stares at the pictures, then at his sister, then at the pictures and a stupid grin comes across his face. He's just about to stay something when Pete elbows him, and he just busts up laughing instead.

"He was going to make another bestiality comment," Pete offers with a smirk. "Rahne, makes a lovely wolf, right Theo."

Theo just nods and laughs, finally getting his brain back into the right gear. "Yeah... had no idea," he manages to chortle out.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia gets up and takes a few steps back off the blanket to shift herself back to human. "There," she says, and takes her seat to pick up where she left off sampling her food. (She's not really eating. Just nibbling on things here and there to enjoy the taste.) "I think Rahne will get a kick out of me being able to do that. We can romp around the garden like that." She takes a sip of lemonade to wash down a bit of sandwich. "Have you ever romped around as a wolf? It's quite enjoyable. I highly recommend it."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Well... I don't know. In our quarters? Or here in the garden? It's not like Rahne makes a secret of it. What did you //think// her power was? Why did neither of you ask? I mean- you knew she's a mutant, right?" Wasn't everyone on the Asteroid automatically presumed to be a mutant? She shakes her head in amusement, looking between Theo and Pete. "You're the worst, you know that? I love Rahne because she's Rahne. That she's a wolf isn't of much consequence. Though... Can be kind of warm and cozy," cuddling against a furred being at night.
    Back towards Lydia she asks, "When would any of us be able to manage that? Though it does sound fun."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Theo shrugs slightly as he says, "No idea, I don't go around asking. I figured whatever the power was, either I'd know or not. Didn't think about it, but didn't know." Now he looks at Lydia. "Sure, I've done it a million times cause that's how useful my powers are," there was a little sarcasm and a lot of joking to his tone.

Pete is still grinning over keeping Theo from making certain comments. "I thought she was physically enhanced, like strength and agility, cause I seem to recall hearing something about it."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"Oh /please/," Lydia says, play batting at Theo. "Your pocket is /more/ than useful. Just because it's not combat-y it doesn't mean that it isn't of any use." She shakes her head. "I'd say that on a day to day basis, it's as useful as anything I can do."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "We can find uses for it - and we can train you. Even train your reaction time. I mean - I can use my portals to intercept and redirect bullets. Can we train you so that you can pocket anything that comes at you? That could be useful. Moving large payloads in and out of locations covertly would certainly be useful. Theo - your power is a wonderful gift, and I mean that sincerely. I wish you didn't think so little of it."
    Glancing towards Pete she adds, "That's definitely part of it. She has enhanced senses, agility, and strength - plus being a werewolf."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Theo looks at his hands a moment, then looks back to Clarice. "I don't think I can intercept things effectively yet," he admits. "I managed to pocket a ball just once before, without touching it. Normally have to touch it, then I can send it back at a short distance, up to twenty feet away at this point."

Pete sits quietly staring at Theo before thumping him lightly on the top of the head, "What did I tell you about talking like that regarding your powers?" He asks.

Theo snorts, "That you'd thump me."

Pete nods, "And I did. Just cause /you/ don't see it, doesn't mean there aren't uses."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia can't help but giggle. "A werewolf and a vampire. The Brotherhood is turning into a regular spook house." She scowls at Theo, not liking him putting himself down like that. "Your powers are like a muscle," she says. "The more you practice with it, the stronger, more flexible you'll get."

She shakes her head, "When my powers first manifested I didn't eve know I /could/ do anything with them. I just thought I'd glow green and that'd be the end of it. It wasn't until I accidentally started moving it about that I realized that I could manipulate it... shape it however I wanted."

She holds out a hand and those fat black flakes of ectoplasm coalesce into a ball, and then shift until she's holding a fairly realistic looking raven in her hand. "It's taken me /years/ of constant practice to be able to do something like this, and as neat as it is... /this/:" she says pointing to the raven, "Isn't even remotely useful."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "We can worth with that," Clarice reassures Theo - even as he's getting deservedly thumped. "Look - at this point, you know how much time your school work is taking you at your new school. You know how much time you spend visiting the orphanage and mentoring the younger kids. You know how much time you need for your piano practice - and how much time you need just for relaxation and free time. People keep insisting that last part is important too," she smiles a bit wryly as she says it.
    "So we can figure out how much time you can spare for the training room. We can work on your ability to 'catch' thing - we can start with balls, and slowly increase the speed, and decrease the size. And even increase the distance at which you can grab them. Maybe we can even work on the size of the objects you can pocket. What was the biggest thing you've pocketed?" she tries to remember.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Theo listens to both the older sisters and sighs. "I know, I know... there are a lot of possibilities, and maybes, and perhaps that will works," he admits, then finishes off his sandwich. "I have lots of free time. Homework gets done pretty quickly, only go to Genosha on weekends because of the time difference. That's been the main issue, time differences. Keeps messing with my head."

Pete remains silent, munching on his salad and wondering if Theo will actually say the largest thing he's ever pocketed... he doubt it, but there's a chance.

After taking a drink of water, Theo adds, "I've pocketed a lot of larger things, I think the Sentinel finger is one of the largest, a truck, a grand piano once, then put it back. I also noticed that I can't pocket things created in the training room," he'll admit to having been in there at last, but the semi? No way, he's not talking about that. "I tried, it failed."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"A truck?" Lydia says, looking rather surprised. "That's impressive. Does your pocket ever get full?" She blinks as a thought comes to her. "You know, I think I figured out a way that we can test to see how much you can stuff in there at a time. Go out in the ocean and see how much water you can pocket at once." She gives off a little laugh, "Besides you never know when you'll need a truck load of water."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I'm not surprised you can't pocket things in the training room - none of it's //real//. It's some sort of solid illusion... I'll make sure we program in some sort of device with safe but real projectiles you can use for practice," Clarice suggests - giving Theo an encouraging smile. "And you can pick out who you want to train with, and we can see what sort of training schedule we can work out. You'll need time for instruction and feedback, of course - but also time for just... practice."
    She looks at Lydia for a moment, nodding thoughtfully, before looking back to Theo again. "Or we can find other ways to practice pocketing large things. I mean - we have store-rooms filled with supplies on pallets here on the asteroid. You could try pocketing some of those. Or... I mean, there are junk yards where were could try pocketing trucks, semi's, boats... even planes."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Pete slowly looks over at Theo, still nibbling on his salad. There is a conversation going on, and Theo just shakes his head at Pete before looking back to Lydia.

"That's a cool idea, but if there is anything at all living in the water, even bacteria, it will die, so I'd rather not kill the ocean," Theo says. "Nothing living, been working on that one for a long time. 60 seconds, that's it, no more or it dies."

Pete sighs, shakes his head a little and takes a drink of his lemonade. "Might be better to go with a junk yard, so long as you let the owner know you aren't stealing the object, just borrowing them."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"I'm not suggesting you pocket the entire ocean , Theo," Lydia says, giving Clarice a worried look. He can't pocket the entire ocean, can he? "I was just thinking we go grab a boat, go out in the middle of nowhere where it's unlikely you'd be pocketing anything more than some krill and just.... see how big of a dent you can make in it. There has to be a reasonable limit to it."

She looks to Pete. "I'm sure that for a couple of grand any junk yard will let us do whatever we want in it."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Have you tried pocketing uncontained liquids and gases?" Clarice muses in a thoughtful tone, glancing towards Lydia as she adds, "It might not be the same as pocketing a solid. I mean - I can't target and teleport a gas at all. And I can get liquids to move through my portals, but... Just trying to blink a liquid away? It's a lot trickier than solids. Doable - but hard. I'm still practicing it."

    "I'm sure we can find a junk yard we can use - if and when we want to train on the sheer size aspect of things. I think working on reflex speed and the distance at which you can grab things would be useful, though. I mean - I can't teleport away something if there's solid matter between me and it. If you could pocket things - while just glancing through a window? Very situationally useful."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Pete gets this amused look on his face over the mention of a couple of grand just tossed to some junk yard, so he says in his best 'posh' voice, "Why yes, of course my dear biggest sister, we'll through money at it." Then he giggles a little and hugs her, just to show he was kidding. "I don't think about that sort of thing, usually don't have any money."

Theo finishes his water then goes for some lemonade. "I've never tried gases, but there are some that can be touched so I suppose... wait, does smoke count? I pocketed some of that once," he suddenly realizes and shares. "I don't know about liquid though, never tried. I do know that the thing in the pocket don't touch, at least not in the sense of the way I can touch you, or you. They hover in a space together, frozen there... it's hard to explain. Think of the items like they're frozen in an ice cube without the cold."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia gets a funny look on her face as she's reminded that she's just a spoiled rich kid who's gotten in /way/ over her head and is just winging it. She's hugged by Pete and gives him a weak little smile, and hugs him back. "If a junkyard doesn't work then we can always go to Genosha. I'm sure there are places where they would be glad to have you clear away some of the larger bits of rubble."

She turns her attention fully to Theo. "Here, try this," she says. She fills her glass full of lemonade and holds it out to him. "Try pocketing the lemonade. /Just/ the lemonade and not the glass."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "It's not just you, Lydia - Raven seems to be encouraging me to throw money around these days, as well," Clarice remarks in a wry smile. "I mean - the boys are going to be buying my Halloween costume for me, and she doesn't seem to care //how// much they spend on it..."
    She turns her attention back to Theo, imagining all of his Playboys simply floating in stasis, locked into place in Theo's little... pocket dimension. It's odd.
    Finally to Pete she remarks, "Maybe if you weren't spending all your money on... drag queening?" Is it a verb? It is now. She shakes her head in amusement as she adds, "Though really - I don't mind in the least how you spend the cash on that card. It's yours."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Theo eyes the lemonade a moment. "I have to touch it. It's really difficult for me to pocket things I'm not touching, and since I've never tried liquid I think it's a bad combo to try new and really difficult at the same time. So, I'm okay to stick my finger in it?"

Pete frowns slightly as his joke crashes and burns, honestly he knows nothing about Lydia's life or childhood, so he had no idea the joke would hit her like that. "Sorry," he offers quietly, then goes back to sipping his lemonade and trying to work out what just happened without reading Lydia's mind.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia chuckles at Clarice. "Well, we /do/ have a lot of money laying around. We're not for wanting, that's for sure."

She then turns and nods encouragingly to Theo, holding out the glass to Theo for him to stick his finger in it. "Touching it is fine. I don't want you to push yourself too much."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Hey. Cinderella," Clarice directs towards Pete, scooting closer to the man, and wrapping her arm around him to pull him in towards her. She leans her head close to his and murmurs quietly, "Love you. Biggest brother." Which he is - technically. And yes - she just inadvertently dubbed herself and Theo as 'littlest sister and brother.' Oh well.
    She turns her attention curiously towards Theo to watch his attempt. Her first attempt at this sort of feat was when she accidentally imbedded a small piece of plastic syringe in a guy's lung.
    But he was a //bad dude//.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
With permission, Theo sticks his finger into the lemonade. At first nothing happens, because he is letting the feel of the liquid get into his brain before he wiggles his finger a little and the cup half empties, sort of... it looks to those watching as if it was being consumed through a straw, stops, fills a little, then gets sucks back through the straw.

While doing this his face looks like he's concentrating really, really hard and finally he lets out his breath cause he'd been holding it. "That is so fricken difficult!" He manages, taking a few deep breaths. "I mean seriously."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Pete gives Clarice a hug and smiles again as he says quietly, "Love you too, Clarice." Then adds a little more his normal tone, "Did you just littlest sister yourself for life?"

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia spares a glace for the affection that Pete and Clarice are showing each other and can't help but grin. Her attention, though, is mostly on Theo as he works on getting the liquid out of the glass. She was expecting it to blink away, like when he pockets other things, and not for it to be just kind of slurped up.

"Interesting," she observes. "It was like you were using your finger as a straw, but you did it! That's good! That means the next time you do it, it'll be a bit easier. Now," she says, moving herself off the blanket so she can hold the glass out over the grass. "Put it back in."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "For life? Please. At the rate I've been acquiring family this year, it'll just be a few months before we end up with another, even //littlest// sister," Clarice counters, flashing an amused smile. But yes - that's what she just did. Her own eyes, though, are also locked onto what Theo is doing, her attention but curious and intent.
    "I've been working on just small amounts of liquids - medications. Trying to dose people with sedatives and- it's hard. It's //so// hard."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Pete giggles again, wiggling his brows, "Nope, you will always be littlest sister, Clarice. No more adoptions, just to make sure."

Theo takes a few minutes to just think on what happened. "The liquid resist being moved as a whole, instead wanting to go bit by bit, I'm thinking it has something to do with how water is constructed, H2O, and I don't think the lemon part of helped at all. Ice, no problem, because it's already a solid, but this... phew, majorly fricken hard."

Looking to Lydia for a moment, Theo looks back to the glass, "I don't know how successful this is going to be, but I'll try." Instead of putting his finger in the liquid this time, he just puts two fingers into the glass to hover above the liquid. It takes just as much concentration, perhaps even more, to single out the liquid in the pocket. He has to close his eyes and remember the feeling of the lemonade to even remotely be able to find it, but when he tries to put it back, only a small part of it makes it back.

"That's it..." he breaths out. "Apparently I'm keeping the rest for now."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia nods at Clarice. "Fine control is hard. I've been learning how to pick locks with my ectoplasm and /boy/ is that tough." She shakes her head, "I'm strong enough that I could easily just /break/ the lock, but that's not what I'm going for. Also.... no more siblings. The three of you is enough for me." She grins affectionately at them, to show that she's only kidding.

She nods, listening to Theo as he talks about how his power works. "I wonder, if we use distilled water would it be easier? Maybe another time." She grows silent to let Theo concentrate on putting the lemonade back to where it belongs in the glass. "Very good!" she says, and does something insane. She tastes the lemonade. She makes a face and a little cough. "Well. So much for sucking up all different kinds of alcohol and being a bartender."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Too late! I'm forgetting Dyani again! I already have another littlest sister!" Clarice protests, letting out a laugh.
    Poor Dyani - always an afterthought these days.
    "We can work on it - little by little, Theo. It'll get easier - and you'll get better at it. I'm sure of it." She smiles with confidence at her brother, seemingly perfectly relaxed, tucked up again Pete with Mickey Mouse ears still perched on her head. "Did being in the pocket change its taste, I wonder?" she muses in a thoughtful tone.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Theo had considered tasting it, but Lydia did it for him and by the look on her face, he was glad she did it. "Bad huh? I'm telling you, the pocket kills everything. There's all kinds of chemicals in lemonade, not to mention the lemon being a sort of living, organic thing. I should have remembered that, it changes how I pocket it."

Pete snuggles himself up against Clarice, "You'll have to tell me some time how Dyani became a part of this family. She talked about you a lot, but said something about you being her hive and saving her and then Madison changed the subject and Dyani followed along." He looks over at Lydia as she tastes the lemonade and even though he didn't taste it, he wrinkles up his face in reaction with Lydia. "Ew." that's all the more he offers about that.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
"Yes," answers Lydia flatly. "It changed its taste /very/ much. I...." she looks into the glass. "I'm not even sure if it'd be safe for human consumption anymore." She turns to Theo and gives him an apologetic shrug, "No offense."

She nods as he explains. "Killing the lemon wouldn't have changed it's flavor, though. It did... /something/ to the organic matter and the sugar to make it taste, well, like cardboard." She shakes her head. "Somebody smarter than I could probably figure out what's happening. Maybe Doctor McCoy?" she asks, looking at Clarice. She knows him better than she does.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Oh... Some of the X-Men and I stumbled onto evidence that Hydra was- well, running things similar to that Genosha used to do. Drugging and collaring mutants and forcing them to do their bidding. They upped the anti, and implanted explosive devices in their necks. If they thought we were about to free one of their mutants, or if the explosive lost the signal - pop." Clarice speaks quietly, her voice solemn, with an under current of anger. "We didn't save any of them on the first encounter. Not a single one. I had to kill some of them myself, to save other mutants from their attacks." She'd hated it, of course. They were innocents - they hadn't deserved to die by her hand or any others.
    "We got wind there was another attack planned with their mutant shock troops - so I went in, and I saw this little girl and I just-" She shakes her head. "I was determined not to let her die - not to cost her her life. I managed to get the control devices free, and I teleported her to safety. Doctor Hathaway patched her up, and we kept her in a safehouse for a bit. Found her parents, found her a school... She's a good kid. Earnest. She- her mind doesn't seem to work the same as any of us, because of her mutation, but she's a good kid."
    Turning her attention back to the matter with Lydia and Theo, Clarice offers a nod of agreement. "He could test the lemonade - maybe he could tell us how it changed? Help us figure out exactly what is happening in the pocket?"

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Pete listens to the explanation quietly. Seemed that was becoming more normal for mutants, to be part of something horrific and awful, get saved, and move on with life. He wouldn't say that, because he didn't want to upset anyone, but he knew that Clarice, Theo and himself had faced things before getting to be real people too.

"Glad you found her," he finally says. "Dyani's something special, and no, her brain does not work the same as us. That was one hell of an accidently migraine."

Theo reaches over to take the glass of lemonade from Lydia, mostly to he can smell and study it a moment. It doesn't even smell right now, and that was after just adding back a small part from the pocket to what was already there.

"I wouldn't mind knowing what happens to it, it might help me figure out why living things die and if there is something I can do to change that in the future," he says before offering the glass back. "Clare, what are X-Men?"

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia listens as Clarice talks about Dyani. She's heard the mutant's name before but never knew the details. She glowers when she hears about how Hydra had been kidnapping kids. Just like Genosha. Just like China. Just like Reverend Sinclair. The record may change but the song remains the same. "One day I may have to meet her," she says.

She gladly hands over the glass to Theo for him to sniff, and turns to sit back down on the blanket. "We'll get this to Doctor McCoy, then. It's always good to know the details of how your powers work. I've had a /lot/ of doctors try to explain how I generate ectoplasm. Hell, nobody knew what it was until my mother hired an exorcist. He'd encountered ghosts before, and could tell that I wasn't possessed or anything."

Lydia purses her lips when the X-Men come into question. She looks over at Clarice to gauge how much she should tell him. "They are a small group of mutants who occasionally go out and fight for mutantkind. They're kind of like a privately funded elite strike team." There. That's about as neutral as she can get about it.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Really?" Clarice asks curiously. She turns her gaze towards Pete, studying his features for a moment. "Anything you think I should know? Or should I leave Dyani's privacy well enough alone?" She seems perfectly willing to accept either response. Towards Lydia she adds, "You should meet her - she's like a sister to me, too. I mean - I don't really know what else to call her. It neglect her a little, simply because she isn't //here//," and she feels bad about that, at times, "But she texts me every day, and I check in on her periodically."
    Theo's question catches Clarice a little by surprise, though, and her attention soon turns towards him. She nods to Lydia's words, before adding to them. "Their founder and Magneto have had a long history - friends, and sometimes rivals. They've always been fighting to prove that mutants are contributing members of society who can exist alongside humans, as equals. They fight to protect humans as often as they do mutant kind - if not more often. Dr. McCoy is one of the X-Men, as is Lorna - and Rahne's worked with them before. I mean - I've worked with them as well, obviously, so... They're our allies now, though they've fought the Brotherhood many times in the past."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Pete shakes his head a little. "I couldn't explain it, even if I wanted to, Clarice," he says apologetically. "It was an accidental touch, she was getting really wound up about cookies, and it just happened... and..." he pauses a moment, then shakes his head again. "I just don't know how to explain it, not one mind, so not one thought? That's the closest I can get."

Theo sets the not-lemonade to the side, looking between Lydia and Clarice as they explain the X-Men. "I'd heard them referred to before, just wasn't sure cause everyone seems to be on egg shells when they come up," he takes a drink of /his/ lemonade, then offers it to Lydia since he basically destroyed hers. "I think I saw Dr McCoy when he was helping keep keep Mystique in her room, big furry blue guy, right?"

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia holds up a hand and a slight shake of the head to Theo. "I'm good." And, really she is. She doesn't get thirsty anymore. At least not in the traditional sense, just like she doesn't really get hungry in the traditional sense anymore either. What she gets is a combination of the two.. a kind of /thungry/ that she feels in her body and in her heart more than she does her stomach.

"That's because there's a lot of history between the Brotherhood and the X-Men," she explains to Theo. "Many of them still consider us terrorists and while, yes, we did many terrible things in the past, Mystique and Magneto realized that that way wasn't getting us anywhere other than getting humans to hate us just that much /more/. We've changed since then, but they're slow to trust."

She claps her hands together and rubs them. "Anyway, we can talk about this later. Help me clean up and we'll retire to your room where we can lounge on your couch and maybe watch a bad horror movie or two."