8588/A faerie steps into the bar..

A faerie steps into the bar..
Date of Scene:	07 November 2021
Location:	The Laughing Magician
Synopsis:	Megan seeks out the Night Brigade and stumbles upon Jubilee. The two catch up on stuff.
Cast of Characters:	Megan Gwynn, Jubilation Lee

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Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn has heard rumours of this place, some kinda magical bar or something? She knows little of what exactly sort of clientele a this place attracts, but she is certainly not blind to the many magical wards that cross cross throughout the bar, making it difficult if not impossible to cast.

But at the very least it's got the word 'neutral' in it, and that's a start. For once perhaps, maybe she doesn't stand out quite as much with her bright pink hair and faerie wings. But she sure looks underage..Good thing she brought her fake ID - hey, she's only two years underage Afterall, who's really looking? Even so she decides to play it safe and orders a cream sofa instead of alcohol at the bar..

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    The Laughing Magician is pretty quiet right now, as the serious drinkers don't arrive for another couple of hours and this place, unfortunately, is not known for its food. At first glance, the bartender is busy with something behind the bar and with her back turned. Just a shorter girl with long black-brown hair that falls halfway down her back in cascading waves and gentle curls. Two girlish pigtails, high on her head and tied off with pink scrunchies, complete the look. When she turns around to the call of a cream soda, it's clear that the bartender -- at least the part-time one on some nights and weekends -- is none other than Jubilation Lee.

    She looks quite different from how Megan might remember her from Xavier's. Nowadays, she's pale with porcelain skin that's free of blemishes. Her brown eyes are far more captivating and striking, as though they might contain the answers to every question ever asked. Oh, and four of her teeth, her canines, are fangs...two on top and two on bottom, all razor sharp!

    "Megan?" she accuses, both eyebrows rising up with amusement. "What are you doing all the way out here?" There's a pretty significant pause before she bends down to see if she can locate a cream soda in the refrigerator below the bar.

    There's a clanking of glass as Jubilation rummages, moving this and that in her quest to find the right one. Eventually, a brown bottle with a faded label is produced. After a few graceful movements, just one gesture after the next, a glass is placed in front of Megan with a square napkin underneath it. Jubilee uses her thumb to pop the cap off the bottle -- an interesting feat, considering it's not a twist-off -- and tilts its contents into the glass.

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn bliiiinks in surprise as she instantly recognizes her classmate. Except that she looks considerably different, unusually pale, maybe a bit older, and those fangs..She shivers. "Woah, Jubes, is that you? You look..Ahh..Different." she smirks, eyes narrowed, peering at her intently, "Mm, aren't you a little young to be bartending..?"

As for why she is here, Megan just shrugs and smiles, "Ohh, well I heard some interesting things about this place. I hear it's a good place to go for information..Isn't this the place owned by Mister Constantine too..?"

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "Yeah, so I'm told," Jubilee replies with a smirk. The glass fills with the pale soda, which forms a nice fizzy head at the top of the glass. Jubilee sets the almost empty bottle next to the glass for Megan to refill when the time is right. "I'm eighteen," Jubilee replies with a shrug. "That's old enough. Besides, I never drink.... wine." She grins a little and waggles her eyebrows, amused with her own reference.

    Jubilee pushes the glass in Megan's direction with the tips of her fingers. "John? Oh, yeah, he owns it," Jubilee confirms, her gaze briefly flickering to the stool at the bar exclusively used by Constantine himself. She walks along the length of the bar to this area known as John's 'Pauper's Throne' and reaches for the ashtray that has been left behind. Her movements are subtle, graceful, elegant, as though they were all carefully rehearsed. Jubilee dumps the ashtray into a garbage bin behind the bar and returns it to its rightful spot.

    "Though, I'm not really sure where he's at right now," Jubilee admits, frowning a little. "He's usually....right...there." She points at Pauper's Throne with her index finger and shrugs. Jubilation hoists herself up onto the bar, sitting on it like its a seat. "Looking for information, huh? This is like a detective story!" She flashes the other mutant a big fangy grin and shrugs. "...Though I probably don't have any for you."

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn continues to peer intently at Jubilee, following her unusually graceful movements, tilting her head thoughtfully. "Ohhh, hmm..You seem..Different. Are you..Feeling okay? I mean.." she shrugs and shakes her head, maybe she's thinking too hard on this. "Soooo how'd you end up with a gig like this? And where is Mr Constantine..?"
She pouts a bit as she stares at his favoured seat and sighs, "Soo...Dont suppose you know anything about magic, huh? I just need to confirm something.."

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "I feel fine," Jubes answers simply, shrugging a little. Rumors had circulated through Xavier's pretty quickly over the summer. Some kids swore that Jubilation /died/ in August. Other kids said they saw her back at school. These days, it's commonly accepted that Jubilee is not dead but has been moved out of the dorms for some reason. Some kids, though, have been hanging on to their cautionary tales of Jubilee being a monster that should not be trusted. She might have been the one who killed that horse from the stables, after all.

    "Nope, but if you hang out here long enough someone who knows about it is bound to walk in," Jubes answers. "I just know what they've told me. What are you wondering about?" Jubilee leans backwards and reaches up with both hands. She rakes her fingers through her hair, allowing the motion to go on for longer than necessary.

    How'd she get this gig? Jubilation's eyebrows rise up, her eyes briefly wide open. "That's kind of a long story. We're sort of this, like, club. Monsters. Demons. Little possessed dolls, I guess. We, like, handle that stuff..."

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn arches a quizzical brow as she thinks back on events. Oh she's privy to all sorts of gossip at the school of course. She had her own theories, but nothing she could prove. "Well hey, it's been a while since I've seen you at the school..You..Look really well." she shrugs and smiles, "This place is pretty cool too. Soo, this..Club you're talking about. I think I've met a few of them when I stumbled on that haunted house.."

She shivers at the memory off those ghosts crawling around, swarming her and the others, "Ooh,but he and his allies were pretty powerful, I guess if I hang out here a bit I might be able to find some help.." she seems cheerful in spite of..Whatever happened on Halloween.

"Hmm, as for what happened, well..I dunno how much you will believe but.." she shrugs, "It was the night right after Halloween..I..Saw something odd..Down by the beach. And I'm pretty sure there's more to come." well, if that isn't cryptic enough. "But I need to make sure. Funny things tend to happen around Halloween, if I'm not mistaken..I need to make sure there isn't more.."

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "Yeah... They moved me out of the dorms," Jubilation explains, like it's the only explanation necessary. It doesn't explain why she's not around during the day and not attending classes. When Megan mentions the haunted house, Jubilation nods her head, as though she's recalling an event. She likely heard all about it. "Yeah, I guess that would be a pretty memorable way to meet the Night Brigade." Jubilee turns so her legs are now dangling behind the bar and hops off of it.

    "I didn't name it," Jubes explains with a smirk. Such a dumb name.

    "Megan..." Jubilee begins. She squats behind the bar and pulls a mason jar out from the fridge, her gaze lifting to watch the other girl. "I think you'll be surprised at how much I'll believe..." Jubilee unscrews the mason jar's lid and empties some of its contents -- a thick, dark red liquid -- into a rocks glass. The glass goes into the microwave -- beepbeepbeep -- for ten seconds. In the meantime, Jubes screws the mason jar lid back on and puts it back into the fridge. She gives the door a nudge with her foot to close it up.

    "Well..." Jubilee mutters, bringing her finger up into her mouth as she thinks about it. "You could probably find some answers from the crew, here... You could also check out the Candle... The people there are legit, too." Beeeeeeep. Jubes turns and retrieves the rocks glass from the microwave, allowing a brief metalic aroma to waft. She brings the rocks glass up to her mouth, shrugs, and tilts it back for a sip. Jubilation's eyes close and a contented smile creeps onto her face as she enjoys whatever's tasting.

    "What did you see, anyway?" Jubilee asks, eyes open now.

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn oohs, "Night Brigade huh? Is that what they call themselves? Cuz that's totally cool. The way they dealt with those scary ghosts..I gotta meet em again! Maybe someone can teach me magic.." well there's Illy but she's freaking scary. Annnd then Jubes goes and pulls out a glass of suspiciously red liquid, and it's hard not to let her mind wander as she watches her drink it.

"Waaaaait, is that...? Are you a...? Whaaats going on..?" she scoots back a few feet from Jubilee now, eyeing her warily. No doubt about it. That's blood, she'd recognize the scent anywhere.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "Yeah, I dunno. No magic for me," Jubilation comments, peering down at the glass held in her hands. "I don't know much about it but it always seems to have a down side that sneaks up on you..." Jubes perks up and shrugs, her smile reforming. "Well, John's taught some people stuff. Nettie, too. There's a bunch of people around who seem to do it."

    "What?" she asks, blinking her eyes innocently. She holds that for a few seconds, staring, wondering. Oh. "Oh, you don't know? Jeez, I thought everyone knew with how kids were acting." Jubilation shrugs and takes another sip from the glass. "So, you know how they said I died a few months ago?" She leans forward conspiratorially. "I did," she whispers.

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn smirks, "Heh, I mean..Yeah, I heard the name Nettie when I was there. Do t think she trusted me but..I'll just have to convince her.." she does calm down a bit though, smiling faintly, "I heard the rumours, but I haven't been at the institute for a while, Yknow, just recently got back from a vacation abroad, visiting my grandparents and friends at my hometown.."

She peers curiously at Jubilee, "Buut, you're still the same Jubes I grew up with in school, right? I mean you don't just go around biting everyone's neck right?" she laughs nervously and shrugs. But really, Megan has seen worse, especially lately.

"Hmm, well..The other night, I saw these pretty faerie lights at Brighton beach. a group of drunk teens were partying around a campfire but once they saw those lights over the water, it was like they were drawn to them as if in a trance. They nearly drowned, and once I disrupted the spell, these giant tentacle thingies erupted from the water..."

She shivers a5 the memory, "I guess if I hadn't bumped into Ghostrider at the time I would t have survived the attack, but..Even after we defeated it, I sensed magic lingering there..The creature's body discorporated so it must be a magical construct or otherwise summoned from..I dunno, maybe another dimension? Annd what ghostrider said about Halloween being a dangerous time, when. the veils are thinnest between our world and others. Maybe a portal was opened? I need to find a way to locate and seal it before other..Stuff can slip through.."

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "Just Nori's!" Jubilation answers with a smirk. Is she joking?

    "I'm not the same, but I'm okay. Not gonna let it get me down! I'm just glad it didn't happen when I had that ridiculous haircut. Remember that thing?" She rolls her eyes with a smile, recalling the shorter hairstyle she had when she was first brought to Xavier's. "Every night I come back to life looking like this."

    Jubilee knocks back the last of the red liquid in her glass and sets it down. She holds it in her mouth for a few moments, as though sampling a fine liquor, and then swallows. Jubilee lets out a satisfied 'mmm' as it goes down. The elixir of life.

    "A group getting called into the ocean? Giant tentacles? Thinnings? Yeah, that stuff sounds right up John's alley. Too bad he's not here..." Jubilee declares, frowning a little as her eyes dart back to the empty Pauper's Throne.

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn grimaces at mention of Norie, another rumour coming to mind. "Sooo are you and Norie..?" she just trails off, not wanting to make too many assumptions. And shrugs, "Well I mean, I guess you can't help it and at least you're drinking..Uh..Where's that blood from anyway? Blood bank?" must be. She'd never go about killing people. Right?

"Ooh but that must be kinda fun though, I mean besides the blood drinking. I'll bet you have all sorts of cool athletic enhancements, and..Uh.." she grimaces, "Wait, are you saying you die and come back to life every single night?"

Ouch..

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilation frowns a little at Pixie's reaction to the mention of Noriko. "Are we what?" Jubes questions, eyebrows rising with curiosity. "Still together?" Jubilation assumes everyone knows about their relationship. They started as randomly assigned roommates but the details of their friendship turning romantic became an open secret. Jubilee was moved out of their shared room, however, pretty recently, apparently for the other girl's safety.

    "Yeah, we are," Jubilee answers, unable to contain her smile.

    As far as the blood that was in her glass? "Oh," Jubes says, glancing down at it. "I don't know. Chas gets it." She shrugs it off, apparently not at all concerned by the mystery of where it's from. As Megan looks towards all the perceived benefits of vampirism, Jubilee shakes her head sternly. "It's not fun. It's not fun at all," she answers.

    "I mean, I guess it's sleep, but it reminds me more of what happened when I died," Jubilee shrugs. "It's fine. Really. I'm not really even alive right now, anyway." After all, no breathing, no pulse. Even Doctor McCoy had no explanation.

    "So, like, you were visiting England?" Jubes asks, apparently unaware of the distinction between England and Wales. "That's where John's from. I mean, we all say Con-stan-teen and he says Con-stan-tine. Calls everyone 'luv and all that."

    "Oy, mate!" Jubilee imitates John's accent, grinning a little as she does.

Megan Gwynn has posed:
But of course, something as dramatic as turning into a vampire is bound to affect one's relationship,with others. She smiles and nods, "Ooh, that's good. I'm glad for you two." but the thought of Jubes having no pulse, of being for all intents and purposes, dead..Well..She pouts bit. "Oh..Wow. Geez, that kinda bites. I'm sooo sorry, I mean..If there's anything I can do to help." she shrugs and sighs, "Is there no cure for this..Condition?" she seems truly concerned and sympathetic towards Jubilee.

As for England and Wales she just chuckles, "Oh, Wales is close to England and part of the United Kingdom but a separate country. And yeah, I figured Mr Constantine was English or thereabouts." she smiles, "But it was nice to get away, a nice change of scenery, but now that I'm back, I really need to think about getting a job.."

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "I don't know," is Jubilation's answer to that. "I'm kind of 'meh' on looking for a cure now. I mean, I was dead, right? So, wouldn't I just be dead again?" She reaches out and grabs the empty glass so it can be placed into the bar sink.

    "Well, Burger Joint in Salem Center is probably hiring after they fired me for not coming to work," Jubilee answers with a shrug. "Though, I think I had a pretty good cause." Her smile widens, exposing both sets of fangs. She either can't retract them or chooses not to.

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn blinks slowly, "Ohh, I never even considered that, but.." she smiles, "Well whatever you call it, you're here, you're aware, we haven't..Completely lost you at least, right?" she rests an encouraging hand on her shoulder, "It's gotta count for something right? And we'll..I got some names and a lead. Thanks, I'll have to drop by soon and see if I can find Mr Constantine, or Nettie or one of those other super Magicky types." Megan sets down her glass once she's finished and ruses to her feet, "Til then, see you soon!"