Owner	Pose
Hope Summers	Reconnaisance. When you land in a strange place, it's important to have a clue what you're walking into. And while Xavier's has some interesting foibles, one thing it's very good at is information and supply. Admittedly, that's why she came here in the first place when she landed here. It was drilled into her from an early age that this was stop number one. The thing is, ending up in a completely different world means there's a whole lot of information to consume. So while Hope does some of her investigations on the ground by traveling to nearby cities, she also spends a day every now and then in the library, just consuming information. It seems like today is a consume information day, as she has a stack of books as tall as she is next to herself. She's claimed a spot on the balcony of the second story, overlooking the first floor and the windows out to the front of the mansion, where she can see and hear people coming in and out. Even over the sound of the bag of BBQ potato chips at her side crinkling whenever she reaches into it.
Illyana Rasputina	Crinkly chips are probably the first sign of things gone awry. In that the library has actual students in it, instead of people running around outside or flourishing in the sunshine now that the weather is warm enough to disrupt the entire sophomore class out to buy lemonade. No problems there. Illyana wears her hair up in a bun pierced by two metal sticks that could probably be used interchangeably to stake a vampire or conduct electricity. They aren't ornamental in any sense of the name. She carries her laptop with her, thumbing through a map of the topography of some distant Indian Ocean island. No, Matilda, she is probably not up to any good. The paths that cut through the tables and chairs lead her to a spot by the window, at least where she can pretend to bask in the April sun while not shining a glare on her monitor. One of the hazards of working, anyway. The mobile flicker-flash of her presence might show up to some people, but not much by way of sound. Stifling her footfalls is a habit, especially when surrounded by people creeped out by the Demon Queen coming or going. In this case, there is some kind of work to be done. Syncing up her phone to the laptop takes a few swipes of an app, and then she sits back as data starts to scroll by whatever window she has open. One nose wrinkle, and she looks up, gauging who else is around. Hope with a nose in a book? Righto. A stack of books reaching perilous heights? "Don't let Jean see you like that. She might be worried for your safety," she notes dryly.
Hope Summers	"Unlikely," Hope says around a mouthful of chips, leaning over the edge of the balcony to wiggle her fingers at the Queen of Limbo with a wry smile. "One of my favorite things about this timeline. World. Whatever. Nobody's all that worried about my safety. Nice change." The freedom of it all is one thing. But then there's also the uncertainty, and...Well. There's a whole world of mysteries and for the first time in her life, Hope doesn't have a mission. Thus the pile of books. There's bound to be a mission out there somewhere. "I thought you were past the whole student thing?" she asks, nodding toward the laptop.
James Proudstar	See, the thing is, James Proudstar is a huge guy, and you'd think that it would be really difficult for someone that big to be particularly sneaky. Piotr? Not so good for the sneaking. But Jimmy? Jimmy can sneak. Carefully-placed footfalls and pointed avoidance of line-of-sight and all that. So it's with all due care that James makes his attempt to make his way into the library relatively surreptitiously, the better to come up behind where Illyana has posted herself, and from a safe distance say...a bit more than the reach of the typical length of sword Illyana prefers to wield, he notes: "Looking for a place to hide out for some reason?" It's phrased as an innocent inquiry. There isn't any real threat in James' voice, nor the manner of a man incensed. Nor does he seem unaware that Illyana rules pretty much the ultimate "hiding out place" from anyone of a less sorcerous nature available in a flash. (No pun intended Re: Recent events). "Afternoon, Hope. Gonna get through that whole stack in a day?" He extends towards the other young woman.
Illyana Rasputina	"Degree work. Charles said to get one was best." Charles also doesn't know she can compress four semesters into a week, does he? Thumbing over the trackpad to associate the cursor with a quadrant of the screen, Illyana adjusts her laptop with the other hand to shade the projection from the harshest glow of the sun. A few moments later, she plucks a mouse out from her pocket and sets it on the desk. Does she notice the stealthy man over seven feet tall sneaking up behind her? The slightest movement of shadow against the scrolling data and windows flashing for attention could give him away. But what fun would that be? She sits back a little in the chair, opening up a bit more distance between herself and the wood. Golden hair and steel hairpins. Who could draw faster? What happens if they're flung? Does accuracy count when backbitten through a portal? "Hide?" A question sounds wrought of vague confusion, bemusement. "What do I have to hide? Ramsay and Katya monitor the network. Perhaps it's a bad idea to read reports on Genosha?" This idle tap of her fingers against the mouse produces a satisfying clickety-click, almost enough to do it again, except the icon is already booting up another program. "You look well, Jimmy. Care to join?" A gesture indicates the rest of the table. A whole lot of table. A good shield, except that she can probably spring over it and he can throw it on her before hell breaks loose. "Good studies up there? More interesting, I think, than mine." Which means she probably won't stick with them, but either way.
Hope Summers	"I might," Hope shrugs to James, though there's a hidden smile as well as he sneaks up behind Illyana. "Depends on if I find anything interesting in them." Something in what Illyana's said catches her attention - reports on Genosha. Closing the book currently in her hand, she swings her feet down from the balcony and jogs down the stairs to join the others, trying to get a glimpse at whatever Illyana's looking at. "I'm still trying to get my bearings on things," she explains once she reaches them. "Figure out what's the same, what's different, what's happening. I feel kind of guilty - like if I'd done that before, maybe I'd have a clue about what's happening with Genosha here. But there Genosha was a long time ago, and there were more urgent things to worry about." Giving James a once over, she offers a completely not innocent grin. "Experimenting with costumes, Jimmy?"
James Proudstar	"I don't have the slightest idea, Illyana." James says quite mildly, moving to take the indicated seat, "But maybe I will. Someday. Some cold, far-off day." His tone remains so mock-nonchalant that it must be teasing. And then Hope makes her comment, and while Jimmy manages not to go full-on scarlet it'd be a lie to say he doesn't get a shade or two more red. There are a considerable many here that James can cow with a -look-. He and Illyana share that in common (among other things), but for all of having known Hope but a couple days at this point, he's pretty sure she's not one of them. "Oh, you know. Just getting back in touch with nature." He looks -just- a bit ruefully at Hope. He doesn't -think- she was there but even with his senses he wasn't exactly in a mental state to take a detailed attendance record. But hey at least he's joking about it, right?
Illyana Rasputina	Maps. Information about calamities. Death tolls, overlays of ruined buildings and signs of damage taken from satellite photos, spectrometry, whatever she could lay hands on. It looks like a lot. Clicking between filters or windows shifts the view around, which Illyana is happy to do with Hope sidling up. They can squeeze in on either side of her if they want. "I will tell you small bit of advice, da? Do not blame yourself for not being in time. The flow of time differs for all." She gestures outside at the window. "We can spend our lives wasted worrying about what we did not do. It is a way to have no life at all." She dryly notes, "Tabby owes us dinner, too. I have not forgotten she lost." Of course not. This is a demon queen. Emphasis, demon. No doubt she is pursuing the wrong course of study. It should be law. Law in which she can bend reality into a pretzel and remind people of their words, oaths, obligations, signed and sealed in her honour. Letting her elbow rest on the table, she smirks at Jimmy as he blushes. She, on the other hand, probably could not as a genetic state of affairs. Limbo further ripped it out, right? "Zmei tried to eat it. He had to endure the skeleton coast and the blasted wastes, da? That breath is caustic." Which totally explains everything. It isn't even really a lie. On the other hand, Limbo is Limbo. Everything you don't want to meet likes to be part of the welcome wagon. "He is still rampaging around. I will have to go and calm him. Maybe feed him a Sentinel?" Just an idea.
Hope Summers	"Not sure what a Zmei is, but I approve of feeding Sentinels to things on general principle," Hope says lightly, taking another chip out of the bag before passing the bag over to James as a peace offering. "No clue what was really happening or why, but man have people been talking," she chuckles. "Pretty sure you can go down in history now, no matter what happens." She moves in closer to the screen, head tilting as she looks over all of the readings. "If anything, I'm early here," she muses to Illyana. "So that's good. Sort of. Not early enough for Genosha, but early enough that- Well. Things are definitely still in better shape here. I just want to get on the ground," she admits, restless. "This waiting and wondering...Hate it."
Illyana Rasputina	"Zmei," adds Illyana for Hope's benefit, "is the offspring of a demonic shadow and a dragon, da? Clutch of three. He is sometimes thought to have three heads."
James Proudstar	"Better yet, feed him someone that pulls the Sentinel's strings." James suggests, perhaps grateful for a change of subject. "Though maybe getting eaten by...Zmei...is too good for that kinda scum." Aaaand then Hope brings it back up, though once again he seems to...somewhat...take it in stride, "Dunno that was what I was -hoping- to go down in history for...." But as to people talking? No question that was gonna happen. He's been here more than long enough to know that. "Know that feeling. Like you just wanna claw through the walls and get at...something. Or someone."
Illyana Rasputina	Bearing gifts and baring her teeth gives a voice to wrath in the compact form of pretty blonde Russian sorceress. No one to take the fall for that one other than her. "I already gave promises," she says easily, nudging James with her elbow if he is within reach at all. It might be nice if she were at all repentant. At all. "We will set history straight. Saving history, da? We have you here," she nods to Hope, "and you survived, Jimmy, for reasons. I could say more, but spoilers." Someone has clearly shown her Doctor Who. That or she's just fine with cryptically wiggling her fingers and skimming over another round of updates displayed on the computer. No, she isn't Kitty, but she's been around Kitty and the rest of the technologically adept to figure out how to use the Internet well. Maybe a bit more than well. "Here, you see? They have made a landing zone in Hammer Bay. All broken wharves there." She points to the square and the date being off by three weeks suggests that some efforts to get into the deeper affected parts of the city is mildly successful. "Genosha happened. It is done. But finding other marks, stopping them? It changes much." She wraps her fingers around the mouse and slides the slider back and forth, regarding the damage, less damage. More smoke, no smoke. It's rather exciting. "Waiting is terrible. We are blind, deaf. If it were me? We would go right now. See what we need and come back, tell them. Why are we waiting? What is the point?"
Hope Summers	"Huh." Hope just sort of looks at Illyana for a moment when she explains what a Zmei is, then decides to let that one be. Probably safer that way. "That's pretty much it, yep," she nods to James, leaning in as Illyana points things out on the screen. "You and me both, Illyana. One downside of not being the savior. The expectations are lower, but they're less inclined to just let me take action and trust it's going to be for the good of all mutant-kind," she snorts, shaking her head. "It's Scott, almost certainly," she adds, stepping back to drop into a chair, sprawling there. "He wants to make sure we have as much information as we can, don't go into a trap, don't lose more of us in the process of trying to find out more about the ones already lost. Fear. Doubt."
James Proudstar	"Yeah, that'd be my guess. Trying to be as certain as we can that we're not gonna show up and immediately have the same thing happen to us." Jimmy agrees with Hope. "No way to be absolutely certain, but we can try. Probably a small team first. Try to figure out where we need to be pointed. Right now we're just flailing in the dark." He pauses and notes, "Plus there's a question of whether or not Genosha -wants- us there at any given time. They got a lot of stuff weighing on 'em, and having us stomping around kicking up dust might not be what they need just yet."
Illyana Rasputina	"I am not sure anyone much survived to argue. The survivors were mostly relocated to Wakanda. Not a large number," murmurs the blonde, considering the screen. She doesn't say much there, but there are hints of darkness to her tone that never quite reach her eyes. Let there be cause and just reason for the wrath of the gods to level a hammer on the sentinels and their maker. "Why. We have no reasons yet for why, do we? I do not ask Lorna much about these things. But we need more than we have." The impatience seethes under the surface without an outlet for it to go anywhere.
Hope Summers	"It's not like the ruler of Genosha isn't, you know. Here," Hope points out, shrugging. "We've got X-Men, we've got the queen of Genosha. Those sound like the necessary components for the mission if we can just...put them all in one place long enough to get orders." She leans into one arm of the chair, legs slung over the other. Civilized use of furniture, not her strength. "I know it's hard, I just..." She lets out a huff of breath. "Sorry. I know not everyone's as...mission-oriented. Not so much you guys," she adds, wry. "But it's a whole team, and the whole team's got to work for the mission to work."
James Proudstar	"Whoever's left, they deserve that their voice be heard." Not that this would be close to home for Jimmy, would it? For reasons both cultural and personal. "Well the good news is that nobody's about the mission more than Scott. He might be cautious, but for all the crap we give him he never takes his eye off the ball. We'll go when we go. We'll chafe in the meantime, but that just mean we'll have a bigger can of whoop-ass to open on whoever did this once we know where they are."
Illyana Rasputina	"Mmmhmm. In the meantime, wasting time and life," Illyana says, but then hers is a very skewed sense of time and she probably knows that. Sitting still. Being normal. What are these things, given she has so little opportunity for the majority of her life to encounter just that? Kicking back and learning how to make lasagna or something, what normal teenagers do, doesn't really show up on the radar where she is involved. She shuts down the applications one by one, clicking out of windows until it's a desktop image of a group of familiar faces scowling, waving, smirking or smiling back at her. Probably a pretty recent photo, considering the haircuts for the New Mutants themselves are all pretty much comparable to what they have.
Hope Summers	Hope snorts at laugh. "A bigger can of whoop-ass," she agrees, sketching a playful salute. "Looking forward to opening it up. Although." She pauses, grimacing. "I should really get in on some of the team practices soon. I'm kind of shit at taking orders from not-Dad." What? Being raised by Cable isn't a recipe for respecting authority? Say it ain't so!
James Proudstar	"You get used to it. I was shit at taking orders from anyone when I first showed up here." Then you know, he found out that his brother died for lack of following orders. Tends to have an effect. James looks to Illyana, and oh-so-nonchalantly offers: "Could always try to rope some people into swimming lessons."
Illyana Rasputina	"I am rather good with rope. You better with tying knots? I need to learn," says Illyana with absolute deadpan skill, looking up at James. He's the survivalist. Then, to Hope. "You might be able? Then we could practice. If it holds him, very strong, da?" Pure as driven snow. On Pluto.
Hope Summers	Hope looks between the pair, arching a brow with an amused twist of her lips. "You know, the concerning part is that I'm not sure if I should be more worried about Illyana's swimming lessons, or the knot tying lessons," she drawls. "You'd need some ropes with some serious tensile strength, though. I've seen him bust out of-" Pausing, she clears her throat. "I mean, you know. Big guy like that, probably not going to go down without some real equipment."
James Proudstar	"Maybe just "concerned" in general might be a good way to go." Jimmy offers to Hope with a bit of a grin, though there's definitely a curious twist to his expression when Hope starts her statement and then amends it mid-sentence. "Explains why it looked like you were happy to see me when we met the other day, I guess." A bit of a half-smirk then, "But guess you're gonna have me at a disadvantage."
Hope Summers	"When I was a kid," Hope offers in explanation, smile faint. "Nathan and I'd had to run again. And the further we went into the future, things kept being...dead. Until we made it far enough that not everything was dead. But that wasn't really a good thing." She leans forward enough to steal back the bag of chips, pulling out out as she settles back again. "Stryfe - a clone of Nathan who worked for Apocalypse, long story - was waiting for us at the advice of the man who'd been hunting us. Meanwhile, Scott was starting to realize something was off when we hadn't come back yet. So he sent a team to come get us." Pointing to James, she dips her chin in a nod. "You were on it. So were Josh, Laura, Angel, and Domino," she ticks off on her fingers. "Things went sideways, you and I were taken. You kept Stryfe occupied long enough for the others to get back to us."
James Proudstar	"Never heard of the guy, but don't imagine a clone of that pile of mean that is your Dad would be any kinda joke." James hasn't been formally introduced, really, but he's seen him in passing and gained a general awareness of who he is. "Anyway, go me, I guess." He grins just a touch, "Glad you made it here."
Hope Summers	"Eventually," Hope laughs with a rueful shake of her head. "I actually liked you guys so much that when Dad started to slide us out, I fought him over it. We got separated in the timestream. Ended up spending a couple years on my own because of it." She says it like it's not a big deal, like it's the sort of thing that could happen to anyone. "But yeah. Survived. With good memories of you guys," she adds, grin flashing. "Some people, I've got to remind myself they aren't the same people, they might not make the same choices, I've got to give them a chance to be better. Some people I just hope turn out like they did before."
Illyana Rasputina	Illyana listens without interruption. Hers is an eerie way of focusing in while waiting for the prey to move, as it were. She doesn't quite complain, however. "What did you see him break out of?" This is a question, the only question, she deigns to interrupt with. Still, listening to Hope speak about the story of her past is interesting. Good audience, no interruptions, here.
James Proudstar	"Gotta be pretty weird. Having to take in a whole bunch of old stuff in a new light. Do I get to ask who's the most different so far?" James does have a curious bone or two, though when Illyana asks her pointed question he chuckles, "Or there's that, I guess."
Hope Summers	"Some sort of..." Hope pauses, tilting her head, then puts down the bag of chips to gesture in a wide circle. "Machine. Force field sort of thing. Big old pods around the hands and feet, energy field keeping everything spread-eagled. While Stryfe went digging around inside your head," she adds, grimacing apologetically. "Keep up with the mental defenses practice, by the way," she adds, smile flickering, before she goes back to her chips. "So far, from what I've seen? Frost. But she was never one to put things front and center anyhow, so I can't say that with any certainty anyhow."
Illyana Rasputina	"Any pleasant surprises?" Not like the Demon Queen knows anything about that, though /her/ future in such a place is probably not worth asking about. She has no need to, anyway. Death and destruction in a tyrannical realm where psychic veterans of their wars scoured the lands sounds awfully familiar. She closes up her laptop and shamelessly goes about putting her feet on the table, crossing them as she leans back lazily and doesn't actually topple. "Frost. Da, not like what I thought."
James Proudstar	"Huh." James only interacted with Emma the one time. She seemed OKish all told, briefly making him wonder what she might be like wherever Hope is from, but he retains enough wisdom to make the decision that it probably isn't something that should be pried out. "So Scott isn't much different, but younger and somehow less grumpy." Yep, still skeptical on that score, but he has no idea what folks went through in that reality to make them so.
Hope Summers	Hope lifts a hand to James, wiggling it from side to side with a crooked smile. "The grumpy isn't all that different. What he's willing to do...Hoping that's still a little different. Too much loss, too much failure, does not do good things to Scott Summers." Dropping her feet to the floor again, she leans forward with her elbows on her knees. "There are a lot of pleasant surprises," she answesr Illyana. "Like that there are still so many mutants. That we're not hunted. That so many are alive. That the school's not a crater in the ground, that's a big plus."
Illyana Rasputina	"Let us be honest. A Scott who was unnaturally happy? Happy-go-lucky? This man is an imposter. He must be quarantined, and perhaps repeatedly visited by the sword to see what his real form is." Right, don't invite Illyana to any surprise parties or family get togethers where he is a happy man and full of excitement and joy, okay? Bad idea. She's joking. Maybe she is not joking. "Dour man. Makes me look thrilling." She shrugs her shoulders a little, that deadly little smile forming for a moment and no longer. But they can count themselves as seeing it without the horns, so that counts for something. "It is a living world. Trying to kill itself all the time, but alive."
James Proudstar	"Sounds like you had it rough." James notes to Hope, rising from his seat, taking a moment to give Hope's shoulder a light (very light) squeeze, "Lotta folks might say you got a chance to relax some, but I suspect anybody told you that is as likely to get punched for suggesting it as anything." He jerks a thumb at Illyana, "What she said. Always new and not-so-exciting ways of trying to blow up the world, for power, for pride, for hate, probably even for love if you look hard enough. Maybe we make it through, maybe we don't, but we fight either way." A pause, "And now speaking of the world, I guess I better stop hiding out in here and get used to hearing a lot more whispering, which all things considered isn't so bad."
Hope Summers	"Whispering, whistling..." Hope trails off with a grin, shrugging innocently. "You'll be fine. Someone else'll do something crazy in a week and they'll forget all about your little show." She winks, incapable of maintaining even a facade of innocence. "Don't worry, Illyana and I will just plan the investigation of Genosha from here. We'll have this figured out in no time." And surely, no one will regret leaving the two of them alone to plot.