961/Setting up home turf.

Setting up home turf.
Date of Scene:	03 April 2020
Location:	Alexis and Sam's place.
Synopsis:	Sam gets help from friends and plans made for more help
Cast of Characters:	Samuel Guthrie, Illyana Rasputina, Douglas Ramsey

---

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie has :asked Doug to come give him a hand setting up a security system and entertainment center at his and Alexi's new place. Sam would have gave Doug a list of things he has, and while most is bare bone supplies he trusts Doug to make the best of it.

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
Headphones tucked in her ears, Illyana rocks it as she moves down the street. She might get looks from New Yorkers, even their really outland 'in the sticks' cousins on Long Island and Westchester County. In part, it could be explained for having a ridiculously fresh coconut in hand and a bit of sand stuck to the boots wrapped up over her knees in gold. Could also be the stomach-baring crop top she opts to wear, something suited for 30'C and not in the Fahrenheit scale. Weirdos and their Fahrenheit. Nor is there any explanation for how she has a rare Pacific wildflower tucked over her ear and a hibiscus riding shotgun on the shot... err, belt wrapped around her hip. If Doug holds still for more than ten minutes, he has an actual lei around his neck. Why on earth the coconut has a straw in it, that's up to the world to know. The straw, in fact, is shaped like the silly plastic rapiers used to hold umbrellas and cherries in mixed drinks, except this one has all the qualities of being made of metal, albeit bright purple, and a really pointy part jammed into the meat of said coconut.

"This is the place?" Trusting the omniglot to know where to go is a role reversal. Next up, Illy hacks the Russian central bank. "Or we end up running over rooftops to get there? I'm not so dressed for parkour."

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
The apartment is on the second floor of a building, businesses on the first, mostly vacant. The place used to be a dance studio and can be told from the look of it. There is a Area set up as a small kitchen, the majority of the place is open lay out with a couple doors leading off the main area.

Douglas Ramsey has posed:
"This is the place." Doug says, looking up at the building. "Bad ideas central." He's still a little salty about this. "But I guess my protests have been duly noted."

Doug goes up the stairs and then knocks on the door with his left hand, and says, "It's actually very nice, I don't know how he's financing the rent on it. I thought it was best not to ask."

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie will answer the door, and smiles a bit as he sees his friends "Hey guys come on in." He steps aside to let them in. He is wearing a tool belt, seems Sam has been putting up some shelves or something. The new deadbolts maybe part of what he has been working on.

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
A nod agrees with Doug's statement on not asking. She pulls the headphone from her ear, no longer tuned into the electrifying transmissions from the dark side, Limbo no longer informing her of gossip and worse. They are a handy little trick to distracting her from the sidewalk or warding off people. S'ym stops complaining because there's no longer anyone to drop eaves like they're hot, thank you. Instead, she slips in behind the golden-haired omniglot. He can knock on the door, and the lithe sorceress prepares to unleash a withering blast of energy should things turn out to be rotten. Sinister might just be lurking back there, for all they know.

"Some would say I am a bad thing for you," she points out. Her coconut has a lovely scent, all and all. It manages to not leak coconut milk everywhere through the occupied gouge. When the door opens, her composure meets no challenges, other than giving that frosty assessment and a tip of her head. "We brought a present." Out comes said coconut.

It's still warm from the sun. Where the hell has she been?

Douglas Ramsey has posed:
"Then I'd tell them to shut their faces. But this is--" He shakes his head. Doug walks in and looks around, "You've been busy, I see." Then he puts his hands on his hips and says, "...All right, let's get started. What do you need me to do, and where?"

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie says, "Well, I figure first thing would be to set up a basic security thing, her dad's not to happy with how she decided to come with me. So I wanted to get a little bit beyond normal security. Not thinking mansion level, as don't have enough picket guns." He jokes "But something where can see who's coming up, maybe if we can get some set to show the street and such."

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
"Take the coconut, Guthrie," says Illyana without preamble. She looks around the walls and the ceiling, measuring the drop to the corners and then to the floor. It probably stands to reason she knows a few things about different forms of security. "No secret door. Pit trap there," a pointed finger indicates the floor, right before the door so there's no way around it. She cannot be serious. Someone should not have given her Volo's Guide To Murdering Innocent PCs, just saying. Still, the flit of her eyes here to there is just about telling as she swivels around Doug, squeezing past him while taking a few steps. Sand glitters on the toes of her boots. Without a coat on, there's nothing to shun, just that scent of Hawaiian flowers in her wake as she traces her fingertips through the air. "How deep do you want me to go looking on this, da?"

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie does take said coconut. He looks around and places it on the kitchen counter for now.

Douglas Ramsey has posed:
Aside from a slight tightening of Doug's jaw, there's no further protest. "...I can install cameras," He says, "So that you can see who's coming up the stairwell, but giving you an outside view's a whole other issue if you don't own the building, there's a whole host of rules and regulations about filming public areas--" He scratches his head. "Not that we pay all that much attention to those."

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
The blonde keeps tracking around the room, and the fireworks only start to begin when she lifts her hand to touch the wall. One fingertip hits paint and plaster, and immediately lines burn away in circuitous patterns that resemble a little of what resides on Doug's arm. Not wholly, though, for the serpentine routes are themselves oddities. She murmurs the rhythms of magic into the spell, few words needed; most of that resides totally in the practice of channelling. As it goes, her hand rests upon the low-slung angle of her belt wrapped around her hips. No signs of horns or wings there, fortunately, nor legs going digitigrade, suggestive of far more practice in using her arts, such as they are. The magical impressions are mostly hers alone, other than giving a glowing patina to the room with embers falling like stars to her feet in slow motion. "Put checks for any taps, too. Control in the wiring, the landline if any. The fiber for the internet, if they have it."

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie smiles as he makes sure the coconut does not fall over. "Well we got a lease on this." he motions towards the apartment "For a year with option to buy after that. She chose the place, seems her mom was ready to help out soon as she sound out she got out of her dad's place. The two recently divorced." He will inform them. The apartment is still starting furniture complete with a old wire spool for a table. "We still gotta get more furniture, but I figured would be easier when I could draft Berto or James into helping moving it." He looks over to Illy "No trap doors since we aren't any place bit here. " His brow raises at the symbols, and looks to Doug to see if he knows whats going on.

Douglas Ramsey has posed:
Doug nods, and says, "I can give Sam a sniffer to check for those, as for his internet I'll install that and make sure that it's secure." He reads the room, making a box with his fingers, and then adds, "If he's going to attack you, though, it probably won't be here, he'll want to do it as quietly as possible, at least at first, which probably means he'll either have someone try to shoot you on the street or he might try to kidnap her. Or both. Face is really important to this guy."

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
"Wet work in the street?" A wrinkle of her nose shows Illyana's opinion on that. "Nyet. Too easy, he will want to tear everything down first. Your family, your name. It needs to be personal. That you know he won, and that you have lost. That you will have nothing. It is like the mafiya, da? Very similar principles. But the mafiya playbook is obvious." The demonic side isn't talking there; it is the Russian, standing on tiptoes as she starts to travel along one of the withered glowing channels that takes her around the corner. "Leak here, weak point. Too wet." She taps the indicated space for Sam's benefit, and then weaves past Doug again with her gaze blind to anything mundane for the most part. Definitely beats having a building inspector in here, anyway. She's too short to tap the ceiling, but that hardly limits her, looking for something to climb on. "Too many options would be tripped by you, by her. Going back and forth, you would set nonstop alarms. Trail cameras, those are cheap. Get better locks for more windows, have a safe room with door reinforced. Heavy, no other windows. Not so helpful, but I can set a ward up there to pull you to Limbo until it is safe."

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
She halts for a moment, then looks back over her shoulder. "Or a stasis trap. Hold whoever crosses it until I come back. Messier, though. It could be a bigger problem."

Douglas Ramsey has posed:
Doug murmurs, "I can install motion detectors on the roof and alarm systems at the windows, though I imagine having to disarm an alarm every time you open a window for fresh air would get annoying PDQ." He adds, "I'd see about installing bulletproof glass, just to be sure -- but Illyana's right. Have you considered that maybe he might drag your family into this? I didn't want to be the one to say it."

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie says, "Well if we go with the limbo route Ah think Ah would want to take her there first, is a bit jarring your first hundred visits or so." He jokes a bit to this and says "Not sure how or what he will try. He thinks Ah am the mutant with heat and fire powers, don't think he realized it was her." He will admit a bit to this. He does get some chalk and offers it to Illyana so she can mark the spots she is finding "Well part of her family is Italian." He admits. "Looking into what all physical changes can be done while leasing still." He looks to them, and says "Well so far he does not know my name, Ah don't think, but if he finds out, well don't think he would want to go up in those mountains. Probably would think to far below him to mess with."

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
Tape is easy. Illyana takes the roll and rips off a few pieces, using Xes in a series to mark the problem spots. And this is the X-team's, and that is the X-Force team's, and there Xavier gets X, X, X, all the spots in question. Her movements come with an errant fluidity being guided by spell-point, meaning she is going to knock into any furniture lightly for not paying attention. Easy enough to follow Doug and Sam's position, but not much else if it's inorganic and not saturated by the eager motes their barest steps kick up. "Beneath him? Nyet, Guthrie. You took his /heir/. She is a girl, Italian, da? What, /Sicilian/? You think too sweet, too southern."

A sweeping movement tests for who-knows-what, but it's not like she is doing jumping jacks. Something clearly displeases her about the backside of the room, considering she paces slowly in front of it, then crouches down. "This is blood. You could be no one, no family and no name, he would still come. Put Jean in his head, maybe Betsy. See if I am wrong. Old school ways, it is not only horse heads and cocaine in your bed. It is annihilation and justice, the old way. You remember what I would do to him if he comes? He takes your family, I will not hesitate to make him learn what eternity is under my hand."

Douglas Ramsey has posed:
"...You underestimate a man like that's desire for control and vengeance." Doug says, "You took away his prized possession. You've embarassed him and made him look weak to his allies, who're all sadistic men. This is a rabbit hole with no bottom." He gestures, "Magic wards are Illyana's area of expertise, but I can make sure you're digitally secure. Motion detectors on the roof, cameras and motion alarms in the front stairwell..." He gets out a notebook and starts writing things down. "If you really want to understand how this game is played, and I would never say so in front of him -- talk to Berto about what his *father* does to men who cross him, Sam."

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie looks to the two and says "Ah expect some issues not sure about as bad as you guys think but will call Ma, and give her a heads up. Paige as well. I am expecting him to saying I took her against her will, but talked to her about making sure her other family know the truth." He looks over to Illyana "You find something wrong over there?" To Doug what else I need to get for the alarms?

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
Illyana Rasputina's expression pales away to white, her eyes awash in that unearthly indigo light that so much saturates her aura when she /isn' t/ busy incarnating the darker side of herself. She stares at the floor and the baseboard, sparks flooding around her fingertips, not quite set on the paint. Whenever she brushes so much as a digit in a stroke on the wall, a tiny comet follows her. The hibiscus at her hip radiates silver in that glow, whereas the apparent unfolding dance of the pauldron at her shoulder must be reacting to some kind of imminent danger. A half-moon rises around her shoulder, locked down by a smattering of straps, clinching her t-shirt this way and that. And it's a rainbow chrome finish, purer white-silver than usual black. How embarrassing. She glares down at it. "Go /away/."

It doesn't. It clamps around her fairly happily. "Not sure yet. Looking deep, could be past owner psychometry." Liiiiar.

Douglas Ramsey has posed:
"I'll get you everything you need and help you put it all together." Doug says, as he's watching Illyana. "You know, I never get tired of watching her do this? It's like living in a Michael Moorcock sotry." He turns, and closes his notebook with a snap.

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie nods a bit and says "Got a TV, and a decent stereo system. Want to get the most out of the music system for her dancing and practice. Surprised her last night that Ah knew how to tango." He smiles a bit at the memory, and looks over to Illy, and says "Are you saying we got a ghost?"

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
Illyana isn't out to explain herself. The Soulsword hasn't shown up, but she tears out strings of tape length-wise and lays it up and around in a sort of arch that branches out at the bottom. "The conversation takes more than that."

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie 's brow raises a bit and says "The conversation, you speaking to the apartment or it's past?" At one point Sam may have thought that stuff only for the Steven King novels, but he has seen enough and trusts Illyana, so waits listening.

Douglas Ramsey has posed:
Doug lets out a sigh, and then says, "Times like this I find that it's best to just watch her do what she does and if you have any questions, the answer will make itself self-evident later. Hours, sometimes days, but you'll always figure it out eventually." He gives a sheepish shrug and then says, "Listen, I know you're doing these things for the right reasons, Sam..." He just feels like Sam is going about them the wrong way.

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
The patience that Illyana displays is such that she turns around and collapses the spell showing her what she needs to see. The men are no longer walking around in a starlight forest of mythical enchantments, or gathering motes of starlight to them. She swats at the pauldron, but it simply resists her efforts. "I told you, /go away/." The muttering is audible enough as she scrapes her fingers along it. The sheepish grin from Doug only makes it worse, the silly armament gleaming in rainbows and the organic contours so much more like her brother than her typical fare. "More research." That means, when Alexis wakes up. She's not going to jump that gun. She stalks back over and loops her arm around the blond omniglot's shoulder, a practice far and long out of habit, but too bad. Enough leverage to touch her head to his. "You have food in the cupboards? You have furniture? Or she sleeps on the only bed and you take the floor?"

Illyana is blunt, okay? But she probably means well. Probably.

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie says, "We have a little furniture need more." He admits, and at the comment about where people sleeps he blushes and rubs the back of his neck a bit "Well um,, we got that part sorted out." He says to that one "Ah was thinking about hitting some of the second hand places for more furniture.""

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
"Let him go work on the system. I will work on setting up a basic ward." Illyana nudges Doug again with her hip and saunters off, like you do.

Douglas Ramsey has posed:
Doug watches Illyana go, and then says, "In case you ever wondered what it was like dating a cat? It's a lot like that." He rests his chin in his hand. "Still, I'm never, ever bored."

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie smiles and puts a hand on his buddy's shoulder, and says "I am glad your happy, and I think your both good for one another. She can use a bit of nerd in her life, and she deffinetly makes you think outside the box.'

Douglas Ramsey has posed:
Doug lets out a sigh, and then he says, "Listen, Sam. I'm... sorry that I've been so hard on you. I guess my motives there aren't entirely selfless. I come back just in time to see everybody moving apart." He shakes his head and says, "But honestly... I just worry. I understand wanting to have a life that feels ordinary but at the end of the day... I think we're soldiers. I don't think we'll ever be able to get out. It's just... our lives now."

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie looks to Doug and says "Even if I am living here, I am still part of the family Doug, and you know you guys are always welcome where Ah am. You guys are family, may not be blood but that does not change if your family." He looks at Doug, heck me being out here might find us al more things to do, and pretty sure, Ah can get back there pdq, and Illy can get you guys here even quicker.

Douglas Ramsey has posed:
Doug tilts his head up at Sam, and says, "A few minutes, a few seconds..." He shakes his head, "It can mean all the difference in the world. I wish you luck, Sam... and I hope you're right about this, I really am. I still disagree, but from here on out I'll do so quietly."

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie looks over and says "I think you will like her if you get to know her. She is great..Hey I just thought of something, can you play an insturment?

Douglas Ramsey has posed:
"Well I mean I don't know if I'm concert hall ready," Doug says, "But I can, yeah. I'm best on percussion, where I can make and keep a beat... piano, drums. Everything else requires a lot of body control that I don't have. I can whistle like the dickens."

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie nods and says "I was not sure if it would count as is sorta a code or language. Sometimes with I could. And I don't know if we are soldiers but yea we will always be part of the X but part of that is working for the whole working and living together

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
In the background, the sounds of sonorous chanting is actually pretty to the ear. One might wonder where she got a chorus from.

Douglas Ramsey has posed:
Doug says, "It's... all data. Communication. Math. I'm good at it, yeah. But to tell you the truth, I hated piano lessons, when I was nine my mother hired a Piano tutor and I had to sit in front of that damn piano... she said it was good for me. But, I've come back around to it." Then Doug tilts his head and says, "Oh, that's one of the nicer invocations, her iambic pentameter's always been a little loose but she's getting better."

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie says, "Alexis is looking at teaching piano, violin and guitar, might have to get a piano for the first though." He chuckles a bit and says "You know maybe able to talk to Scott and Jean about working through the school I mean we went to Stevie's for lessons after all."

Douglas Ramsey has posed:
Doug sighs, and then says, "...If you think it's best. Just remember, the more public exposure you have, the quicker they'll get to you." He finds a place to sit, and rests his elbows on his knees.

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrienods a bit looking over to the chanting "It could almost be relaxing, if had not been to limbo." He smiles at Doug, and says "Part of why she left is she wants to have her own life, and not be under control of another.

Douglas Ramsey has posed:
"But other people aren't going to make that easy." Doug says, "I understand the desire to push back against them, but sometimes..." He says, "You can't have it all at once. He's going to have to be dealt with. It's going to get violent. You can wish that it won't but we've seen how these people *work* time and time again. Just be ready, before someebody gets hurt."

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie nods his head, and says "Trust me, I know, but we also seen what happens when a Mutant comes out in a family that is anti mutant as well."

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
The blonde keeps singing, and if the windows rattle with a hint of fire, it's no mistake. She must be nearly done.

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie looks over to the windows, and a brow raises a bit "You know Ah have thought about showing Alexis can ballet dance a bit but Ah figure keep that one put a side for when I need a surprise for her.

Douglas Ramsey has posed:
"Yeah," Doug says, "We have." Then he shakes his head and says, "My Jazz-Tap was always better than my ballet."

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
"Jazz tap? What is this?" Illyana sticks her head around the doorway, having clearly caught that. "What? Is this a thing people in America do? I thought it was only for Thor or Astaire? How did you do this thing?"

Douglas Ramsey has posed:
"I'm not going to tap-dance, I can barely remember how to hornpipe." Doug says, with a roll of his eyes before he sticks his tongue out at Illyana. "Nyeh."

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie looks to Doug and says "Dude, when ya hot girl friend asks ya to show her a dance you show her a dance." He smiles and says "Aint like we aint seen one another do goofier stuff."

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
"Do not make me get a balalaika and start the haunting melodies of my people. Or a mazurka. We have swords." Illyana does, in fact, though not that very instant. She nods to the wisdom of the southerner, as though they need anything more to add into the mix. "I do not do goofy things. I do purposeful ones." Like land face-first in snowbanks. "We can go dance later. Have the club to see, da?"

Douglas Ramsey has posed:
"Yeah, I do the goofy things." Doug says, before he reaches put and puts his finger on the end of Illyana's nose. "Boop!"

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
Illyana Rasputina bites at Doug's finger. Too bad, if he hopes to dodge that. Nothing less than elegant, her.

Douglas Ramsey has posed:
"I know this looks cute, Sam," Doug says, "But she bites really hard... ow!"

Samuel Guthrie has posed:
Sam Guthrie chuckles a bit and says "I can imagine my friend, I can imagine."