9325/And then the Brotherhood got involved...

And then the Brotherhood got involved...
Date of Scene:	28 December 2021
Location:	Mystique's Office - Asteroid M
Synopsis:	Mystique offers the aid of the Brotherhood to the Jon Sims and Justice League Dark, with the evacuation of Manhattan, the use of the Asteroid and weapons if needed to help with the fight.
Cast of Characters:	Raven Darkholme, Lydia Dietrich, Clarice Ferguson, Jonathan Sims
Tinyplot:	Path of Glory

---

Raven Darkholme has posed:
There was a new sense of hustle and bustle on the asteroid as preparations were made for the incoming. Numerous levels of the structure that often remained dark and unused are being powered up, opened up and readied. All of the shuttled, /all/ of them, from human transport to the heavy equipment shuttles were being gone over, tooth and nail, prepped for flight and made ready to move mutants and humans a like out of Bushwick to either the Asteroid or Genosha.

Admist all this Mystique sat at her desk, every monitor on, and three tablets on the surface of the desk keeping track of reports. In her right ear was a small comm unit so she could listen to the reports going back and forth throughout the asteroid, as well as constant voices reports over the intercom announcing locations of supplies that need moving, jobs needing workers, and of course that lunch was being served in the cafeteria.

As Lydia, Clarice and this mysterious Jon Sims appears in her office, the tablets are set aside and she stands to offer her hand to the one she doesn't know.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia asked Jon to meet her at her apartment for their trip up to the Asteroid. It's easier to be in a place that Clarice is intimately familiar with so she can just pop a portal in her living room and deposit them all inside Mystique's office.

"Jon," she says as she steps out of the portal, "This is Mystique, my girlfriend and the leader of the Brotherhood. And this is Clarice, my best friend and second in command. Mystique, Clarice, this is Jon. He's kind of the de facto leader of the Justice League Dark, at least until we can find somebody to step up and take the mantle."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice smiles broadly as the pair emerge - greeting Lydia with a brief, one-armed hug, and Jon with a simple handshake. "Welcome to the Asteroid," she greets the man in a friendly tone. "Shall I send for any refreshments? Tea, alcohol...? Snack foods?" she suggests - before taking a place perched casually on the edge of Mystique's desk.
    Sure, the topic of this meeting might be serious, but this is a friend of Lydia's - and somehow that sets the teleporter more at ease.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon has dressed nicely for the trip to the asteroid--black suit, slacks, shiny shoes, a crisp white shirt with no tie. This is a semi-official visit, after all. His weapons are left behind, his only adornments his gold-rimmed glasses and the gold bracer with hieroglyphs on his left wrist. He's easily the tallest person in the room, actually standing to his full height. For all he's projecting confidence, though, there's no hiding the dark circles under his eyes or the general air of fatigue about him. This is a man who hasn't been sleeping much, clearly.

    He steps forward after stepping through the portal after Lydia and offers out his hand. "Dr. Jonathan Sims," he introduces himself. "The Archivist. Representing the Justice LEague dark, yes. I... am intending to bring that up at the meeting on Wednesday, actually," he adds, flicking a glance to Lydia. "Making it official, unless there's some kind of major objection. Not that I sought the position, but I've been repeatedly told that often it's a matter of who steps up in a crisis."

    He looks to Clarice and smiles. "Ahh... I'll never say no to tea." Well, naturally not. He has an accent and air so stereotypically English he should be on the BBC and has been accused of faking.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Mystique is as she always is, cobalt blue with flaming red hair. She doesn't conceal herself, she has no reason to. She is dressed differently than she normally would be however. Under most circumstances she would wear her white body suit and thigh high boots, a general 'fuck off' to the world as she did her own thing. This time however, this was entirely different. She was wearing white tailored three piece suit, the shirt unbuttoned at the neck because she still believed in some comfort. On her feet is a pair of white pumps, not extremely high heeled, but enough to look fashionable.

Accepting the offered hand, her shake is firm without any sort of attempt to be macho. "I'm pleased to meet you Dr. Sims," she offers politely, her tone calm and cool which matches the mask of neutrality on her face. "You're welcome to call me Raven if you'd like, but please, have a seat, make yourself comfortable."

Her yellow eyes shift to Clarice, "I think some tea would be lovely, and some of Eddie's tea cookies on the side. I know he's busy, but he always makes them with the fritters in the morning."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia quirks a questioning eyebrow to Mystique as she offers to be called by her given name. This is a change, and not an unwelcome one. She's dressed casually today, but not too casually. A simple black ankle length pleated skirt, and burgundy colored button up blouse. Her curly hair has been pinned back in a bun, to keep it out of her eyes.

"I don't think anybody is going to have an objection," Lydia tells Jon. "Nobody else is really stepping up to the plate."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice, for her part, is in a simple pair of black slacks, with a green blouse, and a simple silver chain with a pendant of silver and diamonds. Reaching into her pocket, she starts typing into her phone, requesting a tray be made with tea, biscuits, and all the fixings, to be sent to Mystique's office.
    "We're simply grateful you could make the time to come up and see us, Dr. Sims. From what Lydia has said, I'm sure you have plenty on your plate to occupy your attention, and I'd hate to think we were adding to it."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon, having shaken both the hands of the mutants he didn't know--his hands are warm and his shake firm but not hard--nods to Mystique and takes a seat, crossing his legs and fiddling with the cuff of his pant leg for a moment. "I know, but I'm hardly going to barge in and declare myself in charge. You can walk at the front of the group and claim you're 'leading' but if nobody follows then you weren't doing a very good job at it."

    He looks between Mystique and Clarice and says, "It's no bother. What's going on concerns /literally/ every living being in the universe, and quite a few more besides. And even if I'm mistaken about the scope, even if it's the smallest of scopes... there are mutants in New York, and I'm certain you have concerns for them."

    He looks... a little nervous, maybe. This /is/ a base for people who, not long ago, would have gladly killed him as a seemingly normal humans. But they've changed at least publically and he trusts Lydia, so he takes a breath, stills his nerves.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Settling herself back into her chair, Mystique crosses right leg over the left, folds her hands together and rests them in her lap. She had been doing this for nearly a hundred years, watching people, observing their actions, reactions and body language. It was almost second nature to her to completely dissect Jon where he sat, then put him back together in a matter of seconds.

"Let me start by thanking you for coming to the asteroid for this meeting," she states, offering a small smile but it is a real one, nothing forced about it. "I realize the reputation that still runs wildly throughout the world regarding the Brotherhood, so I appreciate that you were willing to... take the risk."

For a moment her eyes shift to Lydia, but they return to Jon quickly. Mystique may not fully understand everything there is about the Justice League Dark, but she knew it was important to Lydia, and that it was going to be important for the entirety of the planet, and that was more than enough to offer up a little warmth and little trust.

"I seriously doubt there is much mutants can do against angels," she continues, focusing herself on the task at hand. "That however, does not stop me from offering the full power of the Brotherhood to the fight, nor stop me from offering the Asteroid itself as a safe base of operations for whatever it may be needed for. The Justice League was welcomed here during the Shi'ar invasion, when the moon base was destroyed, and for the time it took to rebuild. That is how I came to meet and know Wonder Woman and Troya. I now make that offer to the Justice League Dark for however long it might be needed."

There is a pause as she collects the remainder of her thoughts. "The asteroid will also be made available as a safe haven for any or all city officials, family members of the members of the Justice League Dark, and I will be attempting to make the offer to the leader of SHIELD as well."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia shakes her head. "I still find it weird that I'm an auxiliary member of the Justice League, and that this /thing/ we cobbled together is kind of official now," she mumbles. Louder, to Jon, "Since the Asteroid is in space, that acts as a kind of ward in and of its own. There's a lot of magic that just can't reach up here. While I don't think that'll protect us from the Host directly, it /does/ mean that we'll be able to coordinate without much in the way of interference."

She gives him a wide grin. "Plus we've got a waffle bar."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "And I'm happy to provide transportation whenever needed. I mean - Lydia has my number, and she knows she can call on me anytime, especially if she's in some sort of trouble. I'd like to extend the same to you. Being able to reach the Asteroid means I have the power to reach anywhere on the planet," she offers simply. "Obviously, the continued existance of this reality is as important to us as it is to you - and everyone else in this world."
    Smiling at Jon reassuringly she adds, "Guests here on the Asteroid are assured of their safety, as long as they respect the safety and autonomy of the other residents. We won't tolerate violence on the Asteroid. This is our //home//."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon listens to all of that quietly, fingers slowly drumming on one knee as he does. Not in a manner that indicates that he's bored; it seems more like a fidget of sorts, to make sure he's paying attention. He raises his brows at the offer of the asteroid as a base, but keeps drumming his fingers, thinking things through for a long moment.

    Then he says, "I appreciate the offer, but I think you misunderstand the scope of the problem. I have met Shi'ar. They are terrifying, and I would not welcome another invasion. But they are /mortal/. They are /physical/. And the stakes, should they invade, would be for the planet."

    A beat. "What we face is nothing less than the potential destruction of all Creation. Our universe and, potentially, all others. If we lose, then at /best/ our universe is wiped out to keep the larger multiverse stable. At worst, everything goes up. Either way, if we fail in Manhattan, there is not likely to be anywhere to run. The Asteroid will disappear, along with /everything/ else."

    He looks to Lydia. "You have a good point, in terms of shielding and so on--but there is another problem, that is perheps specific to the Justice League Dark. We do not have our own base as of yet. If we start acting and coordinating from here, then we begin to look like we are beholden to the Brotherhood. I have another temporary base of operations set up, until we can find a space of our own. And we'll certainly keep it in mind in case of emergency."

    He raises his brows. "As for SHIELD? I cannot speak for Chief Carter, but I might warn you that the general tenor of feeling amongst SHIELD toward the Brotherhood is that you've done no more than a veneer of re-branding, and are still doing some kind of nefarious plotting down underneath." He smiles. "Then again, people keep bringing up that SHIELD was recently infiltrated by HYDRA as if that invalidates all the good work we've done over the years."

    Wait... we? Since when is SHIELD 'we' for Jon?

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Not a single word Jon says seems to phase Mystique. The mask of neutrality remains in place, perfect without a crack.

"I am well aware, thanks to Lydia, of what is at stake," she states with that same smile. "I am also aware of the reputation, as I said. We are all in this together, homosapien, homo magi, homo superior, alien... should we not stand or fall together?"

Yes, she had completely expected to be shot down. So far Wonder Woman was the only person out there willing to give the chance and see the changes as real, everyone else clung to the past like a familiar old jacket one might wear in the fall. "If everything as we know it is at risk, if we are all to disappear into nothingness should be we fail, does that not mean that we have the right to fight for our existence?" She shifts her hands slightly, and uncrosses her legs as she leans very slightly forward. "This is bigger than what the Brotherhood was known for, it is bigger than what we would like to be seen as now. It is bigger than prejudice, hatred, anger, and territorial posturing. In this Dr. Sims, we are all equally fucked if we lose."

Settling back again, she takes a slow deep breath. "Whether you take the offer to use the asteroid or not, whether SHIELD does, or the mayor, or anyone else for that matter, the offer will be made and remain until either we win, or we all disappear. I accept that most will not look past what was, to what is now, or what could be and will refuse the offer. I even expected you to. I keep being told change doesn't happen over night, but I had hoped someone would be willing to take the chance to see the truth."

There is a soft knock at the door before a woman enters pushing a food trolley, on which is the tea and cookies, but she only brings it just into the room before she departs again.

"I was not aware that appearance were important in this situation, given we are talking the /annihilation/ of everything in the universe," she says once the door closed. "If you would like a legal contract written up, arrangement to pay 'rent' to declare that no one is beholden to the Brotherhood, I'm sure we could arrange a well known lawyer to over see it."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia purses her lips. "Some people are myopic that way," she says with a sigh. "Jon has a point, though. When we win people will think that the Brotherhood has somehow compromised the Justice League Dark. Not that we're a public entity as of yet. They'll look for ulterior motives beyond wanting to show, once again, that the Brotherhood is moving beyond terrorism."

"But having said that, I do believe that the Asteroid is going to be one of the safer places to be once the invasion begins," she says. "We may want to set up a forward camp on the front lines, as it were, and use this as a hub. Use the resources we have at our disposal and worry about the politics of it once the dust has settled."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "And regardless of whether or not you accept the use of the Asteroid," Clarice adds, "I still offer you my services. If you need your people moved quickly, or evacuated to safety... I can respond quickly. I know New York City fairly well, and there's nothing more important than this fight," she says firmly.
    "And Lydia will vouch for me," she adds, nodding towards her friend.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon sighs softly. "I believe you," he says. "But I am also dealing with people quite literally preparing to fight /with/ the angels. Appearances /absolutely/ matter in war. Propaganda matters. There is a significant chunk of the US population that has been literally preparing for the End Times their entire lives. They are going to /flock/ to New York to help fight. And I'm already dealing with infighting with other groups, people not... trusting us, because of our origin and provenance." Because of John Constantine, he doesn't say. "I have a prominent superhero going around telling people the Justice League Dark is possessed by demons. I /have/ to think about these things."

    He uncrosses his legs. "You're free to fight with us. I'm happy to tell you what I know of how to fight angels. If you could offer logistical help? I'd be glad of that, too. Supplies, weapons, intelligence, help with troop movements. Teleportation would be /vastly/ helpful." He nods to Clarice. "Help with evacuations. We are evacuating Manhattan at least, and quite possibly all five boroughs plus Long Island. There are going to be a /lot/ of displaced people."

    He raises his brows. "Which... brings me to a question." He leans forward. "Tell me this: would you open your asteroid to refugees? Not leaders, not the Justice League Dark. The homeless. The least of society. The people who are going to be hurt the worst by this... madness."

    He regards her quite seriously. "Words are easy, Raven. Words of togetherness, of 'this is bigger than us all.' I believe you when you say that you've changed, and your Brotherhood has changed. I also believe that you opened with an offer of safety for me and mine for a reason. You didn't ask what we needed--you offered something you assumed I would run for. Safety. Security. And if you want to work with me, then perhaps you need to understand me better."

    He shakes his head. "I believe you will help us. I do /not/ believe that you, nor /any other/ super group, will open their oh-so-fortified and well-stocked bases to the people who are going to be left in the cold in the wake of this. Will the Hall of Justice or Titans Tower start housing the homeless of Manhattan? Will Gotham open its doors to my neighbors in Chelsea without reservation? I know they'll welcome /me/, but what about Camila, the lady who runs the botega around the corner from my old apartment? What about the panhandlers I pass on 9th every day?"

    His voice actually shakes a little. "How can I /possibly/ take up your offer of safety and refuge if it's offered to me because I'm the leader of the Justice League Dark, when I know there are so many on Earth suffering and dying?"

    That cracked him open. Under whatever veneer of polite regard he had--the man truly does care most about the people who are in the way, in danger, who are going to be put out of their homes for this.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
A new sort of smile plays across Mystique's lips, and the mask slips with it. Her eyes sparkle and she almost laughs... almost.

"Bushwick is being evacuated, humans and mutants a like, to Genosha." She begins, standing up to walk around the trolley and wheel it over. She pours Jon a cup of the tea, indicating the honey, sugar and cream before she pours herself a cup and walks back around the desk.

"My offer to you and your family, to the families of all members of the Justice League Dark, to everyone in New York... I will take in as many as I can get out of Manhattan, I will find places for them here or in Genosha. I will put every teleporter I have to work until they drop from exhaustion," she looks to Clarice for a moment, then back to Jon. "When I made the offer to you and yours, did you think that New York wasn't a part of yours?"

Sitting back down, she adds a little cream to the tea. "If the homeless and Camila need a place, I will make them a place, even if I have to drive a damn school bus across the bridges to get them out myself. It is commonly known that I am not fond of humans, I don't hide it, but I don't wish death on the innocent, no matter who they are." And that part had become true. She may not like humans, but she no longer wished them all dead.

"But none of them, none of /us/ will survive if there is no safe place to operate and coordinate attacks from," she finally says, then takes a small sip of the tea. "If you have that place, so be it. If you don't and still refuse the asteroid, do be it. The offer will always stand."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia has little to add to this. She's in a strange position being on both teams, but their respective leaders have to has this out. In a way, she's proud of how far Mystique has come since she's known her. Probably due, in no small part, by herself being in her life. She smiles as Gabriel's words come back to her about the power of compassion.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    As Mystique offers her teleporters to assist with the evacuations, Clarice agrees with a firm nod of her head. "I'll do everything I can, and I'm sure the others will as well."
    Pushing herself off the edge of the desk, she approaches the cart with the tea and looks towards Jon. "How do you like your tea?" she asks - prepared to follow his directions.
    "I think it's also worth mentioning that Genosha should still have the tents we used to house our population until permanent housing was built - and we've been building to accomodate more than our current population, in the hopes of attracting more immigration. We won't be able to accomodate //all// the population of New York City without help from others, but we can certainly relocate a significant number of them in reasonable comfort, with all the necessary accomodations for health, safety, and sanitation."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon just stares at Mystique for a long moment, then laughs and shakes his head briefly before he puts his head in his hands and runs them through his hair. For that moment, he looks vulnerable and terrified, overwhelmed, exhausted.

    Then he takes a deep breath and sits up, looks to Clarice. "Umm, cream and three sugars," he says. "Thank you."

    He lets out the breath in a long huff and sits back. Frowns, then looks to Lydia. "...Are you /certain/ about the... shielding? The angels are coming through space, after all. That's what the star is. Wouldn't putting a bunch of targets here be... a /bad/ idea? I mean, Michael's coming for me eventually... I doubt he'd let an asteroid stop him."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Another sip of the tea and one of Mystique's brows lifts as Jon laughs. Either he was too exhausted to really give a fuck or perhaps he was truly starting to see the possibilities, she didn't know for certain but she could tell he was exhausted. She knew the level of exhaustion in his eyes, she'd been there many times in her life.

"The asteroid likely cannot take a full assault by the angels," she admits plainly. "I know that Mag... Erik, I know that Erik can in fact deal with them, but that still puts a great deal at risk."

This time it's Mystique who reaches up to run her fingers through her hair to pull it back off her face. "The asteroid can take up to five thousand people without stretching the resources we have and the power source we use," she then states. "There are only three teleporters that I know of, Clarice included, who can take the leap from Manhattan to the asteroid or Genosha, there may be one more if he's willing, I have to speak to him." Azazel, that would be an interesting conversation.

"As I said, we all have to work together, so whatever it is that we can do to aid, Dr. Sims, just tell me and we'll do it."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia clarifies her earlier statement, "What I meant was that most earthly magics won't be able to reach up here. While it won't be any more protected against the Host it /will/ protect us from those who have magical abilities who want to assist the angels to bring about the End of Days." She scowls like she just tasted something bitter, "Because you just /know/ there's going to be those whackos out there."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "It is worth nothing, Dr. Sims, that we are currently in orbit above Genosha - and Genosha is on the opposite side of the planet from New York. I'm not sure how much of a difference that'll make to //literal angels,//" Clarice remarks in a dry tone, as she stirs in the three sugars before adding the cream. "But there you have it." She sets the cup on a little saucer, with some of the biscuits, and hands this to Jon, before she starts preparing a cup for Mystique, as well. Only then does she start fixing a cup for herself, as well.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "Five thousand," Jon breathes. He's clearly doing the numbers in his head. Five thousand against two million in Manhattan alone. He reaches up under his glasses and pinches at the bridge of his nose.

    "We'll send you visible, obvious mutants first. People who won't do as well in normal FEMA camps. And we'll screen the rest for anti-mutant sentiment. I'm not going to send you some bloody terrorist who wants to use this chance to get at Genoshan royalty or right some perceived slight."

    He sighs, and takes the cup and biscuits and murmurs, "Thank you." Then he looks to Mystique. "You... cannot begin to know how much I understand your position. I wish I could give you some kind of hope, that things will be better for /homo superior/ any time soon, but I have five thousand years of ancestral memory that tells me that humans are cruel to each other--on top of being a brown man, an immigrant, with a Jewish husband. Sometimes, I wonder why I'm... doing this. Fighting so hard."

    He sighs. "There already /are/ wackos. There are cults forming, one of them at the site where the angels are landing. Michael is appearing to people, offering them... peace. Some of those people will fight for him. They will fight in the name of a man who died two thousand years ago so that we didn't have to do /any/ of this anymore." He shakes his head.

    "I'll pass on the offer to use this as a base of operations to the rest of the Justice League Dark at the meeting on Wednesday. But any mutant who wishes to fight angels need only arrive with their normal weaponry. I've been looking into it--they're weak to negative energy and demonic energy, yes, but /most/ angels can be taken down by conventional means. It just takes longer."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "That's //the Asteroid,//" Clarice corrects. "Genosha can take more. At least a hundred thousand. Perhaps more...?" She glances towards Mystique for confirmation, then looks back to Jon again. "I wish we could offer more, but with Genosha's population what it is right now..." And she just offered to double it overnight, //without// checking with her Queen. It'll be a stretch.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Mystique shifts slight in her seat before she crosses her legs again.

"You don't need to screen for mutants, or worry about the obvious ones. They'll know through us that the lines to Genosha are open," she explains slowly, having to sift through the anger and hatred in herself to say what she says next. "This offer is for humans, Dr. Sims. If mutants happen to also make it into the numbers, so be it, bit this offer of five thousand is for those humans who truly have no where else to go, the homeless that the police will ignore or over look as they are busy aiding those pushing to the front of the line."

She glances to Clarice for a moment, then looks back to Jon. "As Clarice said, Genosha has much more space, and the offer for taking in more comes from their former King. I can also arrange rent of numerous cruise liners that can dock at the Manhattan Port, Pier 88 at 48th Street, and Pier 90 at 52nd Street, to take on passengers to go to Genosha." She pauses her, taking another small sip of her tea. "My point is Dr. Sims, the Justice League Dark is not alone. The Brotherhood /will/ help evacuate Manhattan, some will come to the asteroid, some to Genosha, and some can remain on those cruise ships at sea if needed."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "I'll still suggest we screen for anti-mutant sentiment," Jon says softly. "You shouldn't need to bend over backwards and have your people put up with potential nastiness just to prove yourselves to the world."

    He sighs. "Chief Carter's already alerted the US government. You should coordinate with them, on the wider evacuation. If any of your people are willing to fight, they can get in touch with us through Lydia, or contact me directly. We'll be glad of the help for so long as it comes to that. This won't be solved by fighting... but battle seems unavoidable, at this point."

    He frowns, and sips his tea. "We weren't supposed to meet like this," he notes. "Lydia and I talked about a double date, with my husband." He smirks and shakes his head. "Martin even promised to be nice." A sigh. "Feels like a lifetime ago, but it was only... what, three weeks? Last night of Hanukkah."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Leaning to place the tea cup on the desk, Mystique offer another of those rare /real/ smiles as Jon talks about the double date and when it was originally talked about between Jon and Lydia. It explained a lot that Mystique had been wondering about, the question of why Lydia had been away so much.

"I appreciate your concern, and thank you for the screening, Dr. Sims. We both know a person with true anti-mutant sentiment can easily pass a cursory test, just as I could pass such tests. Without telepaths or empaths involved, there will still be a risk of a few getting through, and it's one I'm willing to take and will be prepared for. As for contacting the government to aid with evacuation, they'll be even more wary of me than you are, so I do not see that working... but I will send out the offer, all the same."

Her eyes shift slightly to Lydia, "The double date was mentioned in passing, and I told her I was willing," and then her yellow eyes shift back to Jon. "As for Martin, he's welcome to be himself and throw whatever comments or insults he wants. That's his right. So when this mess with the angels is over and we win, however it is that we are meant to win, we'll go on that double date, Martin can be himself, I'll eat a streak and dance with Lydia, and we'll have a good time. In the mean time... I'll inform the mutants who can fight, through my connections in the communities, to prepare themselves. You will just have to tell me where and when, and we'll be there."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
Lydia just shakes her head. "Only three weeks? God. So much has happened since then." The mention of the double date causes her to smile. "If we have to look forward to one thing to get us through this, let it be an awkward double date. It's the most human thing we can do."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Something flickers through Jon's expression at 'when this is over' and 'after.' A tightening of his brows, a stiffening of his posture. He flicks his eyes away, down and to the left. Guilty, hiding something. Mystique, at least, can surely put it together.

    Jon doesn't expect to be around when this is all over.

    He smiles, though, looks up to regard Mystique and Lydia with a voice that only holds a thread of tension. "I'll look forward to it," he says brightly. For a moment, it's false cheer, but then he says, "Lydia's a delight," and /that/ is genuine. "We really couldn't have done this without her... I don't think I'd be /sane/ without her. I'll do my best to make sure she comes home to you, safe and whole."

    He already did that, after all. Not that he's going to mention the business with Michael, just now.

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Although the cobalt mutant doesn't know the details of any of this angel business, something that sends a pang of anger and settles into uneasiness in Mystique's gut, she does know from the body language and expression what Jon isn't saying. It's not her place to call him out, or to even point out that she read it. There is a pang in her chest however, one she hates. If something happened to this man that she hardly knew, Lydia will be very upset and greatly hurt, that much is obvious from just these few moments of watching them together. Even more importantly, Mystique felt that losing this man would do serious damage and harm to the newly formed Justice League Dark, and such an organization was very badly needed in the world.

In that moment as she watched Jon, Mystique found herself wishing she knew him a little better, that Lydia has talked about him, her friend, that she could truly /feel/ the sense of loss that his very being exuded was going to happen... but she didn't. All she had was the connection that Lydia knew and cared about him, and that would have to be enough.

All of her personal feelings and thoughts are carefully locked up so that her voice remained calm, without hint of anything going on inside her. "Lydia can take care of herself, but thank you for that." The smile offered is softer, she is grateful he would think to say that, even if in her mind there was no way in heaven or hell he could actually keep to that sort of offer. "I could go into the changes I have seen in Lydia from when I first met her, but it doesn't seem the time or the place. What I will say is that I'm proud of her will and strength, impressed by her control and power, and love her more than I will likely ever be able to truly express."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
If Lydia could blush she would be at all the compliments. Instead she smiles at her girlfriend, the love she feels for her in her heart worn on her sleeve. "I could say the same for you, love. You've grown so much since I've met you." She catches herself fawning over her lover so she clears her throat and looks back at Jon. "Anyway. I'll help coordinate things here with the JLD."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon smiles. "Oh, I have no doubt Lydia can handle herself. I've seen her do some /amazing/ things. But even the toughest heroes need backup, sometimes. And if I'm supposed to lead, I'm responsible for the people I'm leading, when we're out there in the world."

    He glances aside at Lydia and grins. He caught the fawning, but he seems to find it endearing more than anything.

    "Anyhow. I'm certain between all of us, we can figure this out. And... who knows, maybe there will be something a mutant can do, to help stop Michael directly. I certainly hope so."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Mystique stands up again, this time walking around the desk to offer her hand to Jon. Nervous, fidgety, foreboding of his own doom, she still liked the man, as much as she could like someone she barely knew. Lydia was right though, she had changed more than she thought because normally, she would just tell this man what she intended to do, followed up with a 'suck it' sort of statement. Instead, she offered aid where she could, and will do what she can, without having to be all... butchy bitch about it.

"I'll contact SHIELD, and when it's all official, I'll make my offer to the whole of Manhattan. Those who want to take my aid will have it," she says as she shakes the man's hand. "If there is anything you need between now and then, anything at all, let Lydia know and I'll make sure you have it. If bullets will hurt these things, our armory is open to those who will fight. Just let me know."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon finishes off the biscuit he was eating, dusts off his hands to be rid of the crumbs, and stands to shake Mystique's hand. "Thank you for your help," he says, and sounds like he quite fervently means it. "Even if no one else will accept the aid, I'll see about directing people to you. And we'll call on your armory if need be." He's already going through people he knows that might be able to find those who will fall through the cracks of a normal evacuation. Lonnie Machin and Phoebe Beacon both work with the homeless, though that's in Gotham. Marc Spector keeps an eye on those populations in Queens. Who else does he know? He'll ask around.

    This is most of what's on his mind, of late. A list of things to be done and people to talk to. People to delegate to, really; he's no micromanager. But he has to be certain he's done all he can.

    "And... after..." Again that guilty flicker in his eye. He clears his throat. "After, we'll definitely go somewhere nice, to celebrate. I look forward to it."