8982/Specialis Traditio

Specialis Traditio
Date of Scene:	07 December 2021
Location:	Paris Bennet's Quarters
Synopsis:	Clarice delivers books to Bennet and they talk about the world, about some of the people on the Asteroid, about people with long lives - and some of the tragedies the world has been through in the last century or so - including the fall of Genosha.
Cast of Characters:	Clarice Ferguson, Paris Bennet

---

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    There's a quiet chime in Paris' room - followed by the disembodied voice of Clarice, speaking through the door's intercom system. "Hey - Mister Du Paris?" She's still trying to get that name right. "I brought those books you asked for. Oh, umm - it's Blink, I mean, Clarice - I'm at the door. Since maybe you don't really understand where my voice is coming from... May I come in?" She smirks with some amusement, as she has to wonder if anyone has used the intercom system before with this man. It must be strange for him - hearing her voice coming from the speakers hidden in the room's walls.
    Poor guy.

Paris Bennet has posed:
It is indeed an awkward experience hearing his name from nowhere. He knows what it is by now, but it doesn't make it less startling when it's him being addressed thusly. On a reflex, he responds with his own approximation via telepathy,<<Yes, come in!>>

He is slightly apologetic in expression as he sits cross-legged in mid air, clad in grey sweatpants and a tee shirt.

Yes, mid air.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Thankfully, Clarice has the access code that opens any door on the Asteroid - the few exceptions including Mystique's office, and the Inner Sanctum. She enters it now, and slips into the room, an amused smile worn briefly on her features. "If say 'open' outloud - or 'enter' - then the door will open," she advises him "'Come in' works too, actually. The door can't hear your telepathy though. Luckily as Mystique's second I have the code, though - but I won't use it outside of emergencies without permission."
    In her hands she carries a trio of books - Plato and Aristotle as requested. The third book is actually a copy of the Iliad. "Umm - the store didn't have any books on history in Latin, I'm afraid. We'll keep looking. But I got the two books you requested, and this third one's a story that I've been told is very old, and very famous, and that you might enjoy?" she offers uncertainly, as she gazes at the floating man.
    ...does he //always// do that?

Paris Bennet has posed:
Listening patiently in his indian posture, Bennet's gaze is keenly curious at Clarice's report. Realizing her expression belatedly however, he does eventually lower his feet to the floor to stand properly.

Having heard her out, he replies,"I think you, Mademoiselle. This will make an excellent start. I'm curious to see if this Illiad is any connection with the Aenead. I never read that either, but the church in my home village had a copy of it that the priest was well acquainted with."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I- I'm not sure," Clarice admits a bit sheepishly. "I just bought it because the book seller suggested it as well. I mean, of course he was just thinking of the profit of it, but I wanted you to have some, well, some options. Rahne and Lydia are always trying to help me find different books I might like - and Theo and Pete too. I guess they're all excited to see me reading more." As she talks, she holds out the books to offer them over to Paris, with a friendly and almost sheepish smile on her features.
    "You've had everything you need, right? Have you thought of anything else you might like, or need?"

Paris Bennet has posed:
Bennet almost looks apologetic at the elfen girl, his brows knitting in consternation as he tries in fumbling manner to think of an alternative route in this situation. He just settles on,"Oui, I do. My apologies if this was difficult. It was not my intent to see you unduly tried in what aught to be simple."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Amusement flickers over her features for a moment, and she shakes her head in response to his words. "It's fine," she promises him. "I didn't go to all that much trouble. I mean - I can go anywhere in world easily enough in an instant. It only took a little time out of my day, and I was happy to do it for you. I mean... I know how it is to feel lost, and perhaps lonely," she offers.

Paris Bennet has posed:
Bennet admits candidly at her explanation, expression relieved as he does,"Were it but a bit closer and my familiarity with modern convention greater, I could as well. I don't think I can reach quite as far as yourself, though I may soon attempt to see. Then I will be of no burden."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I promise you it isn't a burden - so don't think of it that way," Clarice replies easily. "Besides, I'm not the only teleporter in the Brotherhood with the range to ferry people back and forth from here to the Earth. There's also Ritz and Gates," she explains simply. The three of them take turns at the duties, though Clarice was the most reliable and versitile of the trio.
    "And really - when you're used to things here on the Asteroid, then we can show you to Genosha, or Bushwick, and you can see more of what the modern world is like..." And have a little more independence.

Paris Bennet has posed:
Turning diagonally from Clarice, he waves a hand through the air manifesting a sizzling aura like a cloud of white static. The field widens under his orchestral ministration to the approximate dimensions of a comic chat bubble properly properly proportioned and affording a view to ... somewhere familiar on the asteroid with plant life and waterfalls? Is that Pam chatting with a fly trap?

Bennet elaborates,"I've been dabbling, and I can step anywhere that I have been on this asteroid. I haven't tried going somewhere that I merely know of, however."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Not bad!" Clarice says with a broad grin. "Going places you've been is definitely easier. I can go anywhere - as long as I've got the GPS coordinates and satell-oh." Yeah, it takes her a moment to realize both of those things are going to lose him completely. "Umm, we have a system of numbers we use that can pinpoint any location on the Earth. If I have those numbers, I can find that place. But it helps if I have pictures of where I'm going to. ....it helps a lot. Otherwise, I might open a portal into a tree, or off the edge of a cliff, or something," she says a bit sheepishly.

Paris Bennet has posed:
Widening his golden gaze, he hmms in consideration of that. Those are apparently consequences he hadn't considered. Bennet waves his hand dismissively as the flytrap seems to grow suddenly as a bird flutters by it and snaps it out of the air to an applause by the apparent dryad, the electric scrying field vanishing with a sizzling snap!

Bennet responds then,"I do look forward to seeing those places. I've heard much of Genosha especially. They...have needs."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "It does," Clarice agrees, her expression going more somber. "Not as much as it used to, but- still. I help run an organization that helps some of the children of Genosha - the ones who lost their families, lost everything. It connects them with a mentor who cares about them, and visits them every week - playing sports with them, or teaching them a craft, or helps them with their learning... My contribution to Genosha's future."

Paris Bennet has posed:
The knight slowly nods in approval of this pastime. Charity had been a serious matter in his day when the Knights Hospitaller were yet young and a militant order of combat medics for pilgrims. He verbalizes,"Most commendable. Tis the little things that are oft most valued, and usually overlooked by the mighty."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Children are the future of Genosha," Clarice says seriously. "And the last thing we need are traumatized and mal-adjusted members of our society. Besides... I just feel bad for them," she admits wrly. "And... I- my brother was living there, with the orphans. I hadn't known he even existed, but Mystique found him. And I couldn't just leave all the other children there without doing //something// for them."

Paris Bennet has posed:
Bennet doesn't have any proper response to such commentary. Most of his life has been spent making orphans, not tending after them. For whatever it's worth, back then the same church that organized wars did at least see after the victims of them. At least that's his thoughts on the matter. Thoughts that are continuing to evolve as the days fly by...

Bennet proves that he pays attention with his effort at shifting the topic,"You have mentioned this Rahne twice in our conversations. She sounds like someone that I am destined to encounter."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Oh. Rahne is my- well. We're very close," Clarice says a bit uncomfortably - mindful of Mystique's admonishment to stop challenging too many of his beliefs at once. "She's basically a part of my family. So I have Rahne, Theo and Pete are my brothers - and they're Mystique, and of course Mister Creed, and then Lydia. Theo's the only one who's //actually// my family - legally. But all of them are family to me," she explains.
    "I'm sure you'll meet them all."

Paris Bennet has posed:
Slowly nodding again, he arches a brow thinking how to broach what is to him an obvious question,"I assume she too is unique in the manner we are...mutants?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "All the people I just mentioned are mutants, yes," Clarice confirms. "My brother's gifts are similar to mine. Rather than teleporting, though, he transports things from here, to a sort of... pocket space, where he can store things, and access them whenever he likes. Rahne can change her shape into that of a wolf. You've seen what Mystique can do - and Mister Creed is exceedingly strong, with claws on his hands, and he heals more quickly and easily than people normally do," she offers by way of explination.
    "Mutant gifts can take on many and often surprising forms."

Paris Bennet has posed:
The knight hrms yet again at the elaboration. He'd seen his fair share of physical oddities since coming here, well beyond Raven and Clarice, so he feels no discomfort at replying,"Not unlike werewolves or cynocephali. Curious indeed, and I mean no offense. With regards to Rahne or Creed that is."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Rahne even describes herself as a werewolf," Clarice admits, "though it's not caused by the moon. She never loses control of herself, or hurts others - and she can't turn others into a werewolf. She does become more... dog-like of mind, though, in her wolf form. ...what is cynocephali, though?" she asks with bafflement.

Paris Bennet has posed:
Bennet cracks a smile in spite of himself at knowing something she doesn't, and not merely about something either. The knight explains mildly,"Cynocephali are people with features like dogs. We avoided them and their places because they are fierce of temperament and strength, and because they don't talk like you and I. Ordinary people. It is said that they are capable, and that some do, gypsies and the like, but I only know of a couple who anyone would have wanted to be around. There is a feast day celebrated to one who was a martyr for the holy church. Saint Christopher. I heard tell of another who became a scribe for the church, but I am doubtful of it."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Well. Rahne is not fierce of temperment usually - but Mister Creed certainly is. Most people see him as simply a monster, a killer. That's not all that he is, however. He //is// a person, there are things and people who he cares about. ...and I'd do anything for him," Clarice admits with a wry smile.
    "But he does talk just like us. Rahne talks with an accent - some people find that hard to understand, but I'm used to it."

Paris Bennet has posed:
Bennet slowly nods at the clarification. He doesn't have a response to the admission of devotion to a murderer, but he's aware enough not to judge without context at the present so he simply states,"Interesting. I shall look forward to meeting them for myself in due course."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Most people don't profess to looking forward to meeting Mister Creed," Clarice admits with amusement. "But he's usually more than happy to share a drink with someone. Especially other warriors. He's fought in a lot of the wars of the last century or two. He's not //as// long lived as you are - but he doesn't really seem to age, He's far older than I am, and will still be here long after I'm gone."

Paris Bennet has posed:
That certainly gets the Knight's attention. The prospect of encountering another with even a comparable situation to himself has him widening his gaze and growing more animated, rather like the point about someone who actually DOES understand!

Bennet then states,"You make him sound as someone I should hesitate to meet, yet I doubt I will! What is his preferred beverage? I will make a request for it and put it aside."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Beer," Clarice answers simply, letting out a quiet laugh. "He likes beer. He's not too particular about it, usually. He's not the only one with increased life span, you know - many mutants with the ability to heal seem to find it increases their lives. So Wolverine is another individual with a longer life. Just don't mention him to Creed, or Creed to him. They're... not friends," she remarks in an amused tone. "Magneto is also older than he seems. He was born before the second World War so he's..." She has to stop and think about it for a moment. "About ninety years old, I'd say? And Mystique is older than Magneto - but younger than Mister Creed, and Logan. Err- Wolverine." She looks thoughtful as she tries to think of anyone else she knows whose lived an unusally long life. "I think those are the only ones I'm aware of right now... who I //know// are older than they seem."

Paris Bennet has posed:
Bennet doesn't know who Logan is or what a wolverine is, but he doesn't ask. He does ask however,"World War? The entire world has entered into conflagration with itself twice?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Uhh... Yeah. I mean, both of them were centered around Europe... And history's not really my thing, since I didn't go to school and all? But I've got some people in my life making sure I know some of the basics, these days," she explains. "They were both last century. The first one was... a little over a century ago. The other was in the 1940s so... 80 years ago?" Clarice gives a shrug of her shoulders before she adds, "Almost everyone with a //normal// life span who went through either of those wars are already dead." It all felt like a long time ago to her - and therefore not very important.

Paris Bennet has posed:
Paris Bennet is no longer animated so much as disturbed at this news. His lips purse in consideration before he intones,"And Lady Raven and Lord Erik saw these. Verily, they must have been astonishing."

One thing Bennet is intimately aware of is the human drive to violence and survival, even if not so the scale that was displayed in those days. He has a good imagination and a degree of experience to guess with though.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I suppose so," Clarice agrees. "I mean - no where in any of the wars has the distruction been as bad as it was in Genosha, though," she murmurs quietly - and for the moment, the young, vibrant woman looks haunted by her memories of the Sentinels and they're attack on her home - and how everything looked when she'd awaked from her coma. All that had been lost. Over 15 million lives... "Anyways. Almost everyone here on the Astereoid has seen pain or violence of one sort or another. That's just... that's the way things are. I wish it weren't so, and if I'm being honest, I do what I can to curb the worst of the violence in the world."

Paris Bennet has posed:
The tall knight catches a flash of her memories as they burn to the surface. Untrained telepathy can be... vexatious. Especially without related context.

Bennet's eyes shimmer as he nudges aside emotions that he realizes aren't his own and tries to make sense of what he has glimpsed,"Giant men...of metal, like flying knights, but...not alive. Golems? What..."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice's electric green, featureless eyes lock onto Bennet as her jaw sets, and she throws up the rudimentary shields around her mind that she's spent months practicing and learning. "Don't- please don't intrude on my mind," she says coolly. He gets a warning this once.
    "Yes - metal men. The Sentinels. They were sent to exterminate the mutants of Genosha. They... nearly succeeded. I wanted to evacuate my King - but he ordered me to save as many people as I could, while he held them off. We- ...we didn't save enough."

Paris Bennet has posed:
Bennet isn't big on excuses, and he knows when he has erred even if unintentionally. As such, he hears her out, then replies quietly,"Pardon moi, mademoiselle. I will speak with the other two about this when the occasion arises and not trouble you. I have kept you long enough, I suspect."

With that he bows apologetically, suspecting any further may tread into trespassing once more,"And thank you again for your time."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Look, just... try not to go into people's minds without their premission," Clarice says a bit flatly . "And lots of the people here are survivors of Genosha, but... well. It was traumatizing for anyone who was there. It was- ...it was bad," she says simply, as if he hadn't glimpsed that from the scenes in her mind. People and buildings crushed and disintegrated in a moment. Screams of pain and panic. Utter chaos and confusion - and she saved so few people.
    With a final nod she adds, "Enjoy the books," before she makes her way from the room, letting it slide closed behind her.