Owner	Pose
Mystique	The darkness was almost a comforting thing, caressing lightly against Lydia's mind. There were no dreams, no images, just the darkness and then... dim light. The room her eyes opened to looked for all the world like it could have come straight from a architecture magazine. The stone of the cavern had been cut perfectly to allow for the presentation of a stately master bedroom, all the comforts one might need, luxury in every direction. Lydia would get to truly enjoy the room, as she found herself not only in a suppression collar, but tied to a chair. A warming fire burned in the massive fire place, and a single man sat across from Lydia in a chair much like hers. He appears to be just watching her, which means he was watching her sleep.
Lydia Dietrich	Ah. Peaceful sleep. The first that Lydia's had that hasn't been filled with bad dreams or nightmares. When consciousness slowly comes to her her first thought was of how peaceful it was. That is, of course, until she remembers what put her there in the first place, and that jolts her awake. The first sign that she's been suppressed is the lack of the green glow that fills her vision. It's one of those things that's been in her life for the past ten years or so that she's just gotten used to always seeing that it's absence is glaring. The second sign is the weight around her neck. She's never been collared before but the feeling is unmistakable. A mutant's worst nightmare. Seriously, she thinks. How do people keep getting these things? Her initial reaction is to try to reach up to take the collar off, but that's when she discovers that she's been bound to the chair. She, of course, struggles in the chair for a bit, despite knowing that it's probably hopeless, but that's just something your brain makes you do when you're in this kind of situation. You test the bonds. They're secure, however, and she's not getting out. She looks up to take a look around the room, noting its decadence, until she finally lays eyes on the man who's been watching her all this time. "So," she says calmly, trying to calm her racing heart. "Here we are. What do you plan on doing with me?"
Mystique	The man smiles. "Ahhh, you're finally awake!" he chimes and stands up. Walking over to a nearby tables, he pours water into a glass with a straw then walks back to her to offer it in a place she can take a drink. "If all goes as it should, we will be doing nothing with you," he states as he holds the water in her reach. "You are unfortunately nothing more than the bait required to lure out our true target. Regrettable, but required."
Lydia Dietrich	Lydia shakes her head, refusing to take a drink. This man's /hospitality/ doesn't interest her. She narrows her eyes as he speaks, barely hiding her suspicions. "There are only two people who I can think of that would take me as bait," she tells him, her panic slowly seeping into anger. "One of them may show some mercy when they come for you. The other will destroy everything you are." She tosses her head to toss an errant curl out from her face. "And odds are they're both going to come here guns blazing, and you will /not/ like the result."
Mystique	The man continues to hold the water for a moment longer, then sets it aside. She'll come to regret that choice eventually, as soon as she realizes just how long she's been asleep and how dry her mouth actually is. "We are prepared for all three of them to come Lydia Dietrich," he replies as he moves back to the chair. "Hatshepsut, Mystique, and the teleporter. Do you think we have not been watching and waiting? Do you not think we choose the timing for this perfectly? We are the night little mutant, we know all that happens, and we know exactly what will happen next." ******************************************************************************** With the children from China beginning to settle in, Mystique is finally able to teleport to Genosha herself. Having returned with Red Robin, she had seen to it that Rogue made it home. Her daughter was beyond distressed, too many personalities and powers absorbed, she had been forced to sedate her. Her son has used one of the portals to get to Genosha, to get away from her, from the truth. Stepping through one of Gates portals, the wall of a tent being the exit, she looked around for signs of Clarice and the others. She still wore the black stealth suit, but her skin was back to the cobalt and she had removed the hood to let her flaming red hair be free. Spotting Clarice amongst those moving and helping children, she started to walk toward her before seeming to just freeze in place. Hatshepsut stood before her, but neither of them were in Genosha, instead they stood in the streets of New York, outside Lydia's apartment building. "You must come, now! The have taken Lydia and her life, no, her soul is in danger!" Mystique blinked a few times, Hatshepsut was speaking Arabic, a language she understood, and yet it was also English, German, and so many other languages at once... it was overwhelming, a scream into her mind that dropped her to her knee. That is what Clarice saw, Mystique had started to walk toward her, stopped, then suddenly dropped to one knee and grabbed her own head.
Clarice Ferguson	Clarice has been doing what she can to help - including teleporting the 'big guy' over to have a friendly chat with his friend who had screamed, and alerted the guards to their presence. The boy had eventually calmed down, and was now watching all that transpired with distrustful eyes. Personally, Clarice felt he was just plotting for his opportunity to turn on them all and get his fellows back to China to serve the glory of their nation - but he'd be watched, until he comes around.     At the moment, Clarice was helping to distribute stuffed animals to some of the youngest children, looking up to greet Mystique with a smile as she spots that familiar cobalt hue from the corner of her eyes. The smile quickly turns to concern - and then alarm as the woman sinks to her knee. The toys are dropped abruptly as Clarice closes the distance, putting a hand on the woman's arm. "Boss? Boss! Were you hurt?" Maybe she hadn't been ready to go out into the field after all? "Where's Doctor Hathaway!"
Mystique	Mystique grabs at Clarice's arm as she violently shakes her head to clear away that powerful strike. It wasn't meant to be a strike, but it got the message across perfectly. "I'm fine, we have to go, now!" She tells Clarice as she pulls herself to her feet. A few others had been looking, prepared to offer assistance if needed but the tone they heard, the anger in her yellow eyes, it caused most to take a step back. "Outside of Lydia's apartment, open a portal, NOW!"
Lydia Dietrich	Lydia just /stares/ at the man, and then just bursts out laughing. "Oh my god! You talk like a villain in some fanfiction I wrote when I was fourteen!" The absurdity of it all keeps her chortling for a good while. Once she gets herself under control, she sends a mental prayer to God to help speed Mystique, Clarice, and Hatshepsut along their way. Opening her eyes she turns back to her captor. "And what will happen next?"
Clarice Ferguson	"I- what? Why?" Clarice asks. With Mystique's hand on her arm, she doesn't bother with a portal - the two simply blink out in a flash of purple energy, appearing in the alley just beside Lydia's apartment to prevent them from accidentally materializing inside a pedestrian. "What's going on? What's wrong, Raven?" Her gaze are already scanning the street however - one of her javelin's appearing in her free hand.
Mystique	The man turns his eyes to the fire which suddenly burns higher brighter, forming a wall of flame inside the fireplace. "Watch and see for yourself little mutant," he says. "You will witness the events as they unfold, we will share this moment that the Irappu have been waiting for for nearly four thousand years." As the fire forms the wall images flicker through it, a massive stone cavern, dark as night, the only light a few pitiful torches that do nothing to truly illuminate it. The image changes New York, to the very street that Lydia was taken from, the front of her building, to Hatshepsut standing in a small circle of fire, her body covered in ancient looking armor that appears to be crafted of pure gold and silver, and is clearly Egyptian in design. On her head is an intricate crown that also serves as a helmet and in her hand is a longsword that looks like it was crafted from a single, obviously massive, red ruby. The Egyptian Queen's head suddenly snaps to look right at the man. At that moment the man starts screaming in pain, his eyes starting to bleed and he is forced to run from the room, leaving Lydia alone. "We are coming my child," Hatshepsut says directly to Lydia, at that moment Lydia can see Mystique and Clarice appear just before the fire dies back to normal flames. ******************************************************************************** As Clarice and Mystique appear, they share the image of Hatshepsut in armor with sword, but the ring of fire dies out. "The Irappu have taken Lydia," she says in English to answer Clarice's question. "It happened hours ago. I tried conventional means to contact you, but learned you were in China. We cannot wait much longer." Mystique heads out of the ally at almost a run, right toward Hatshepsut. "Do you know where she is?!" She demands, of the ancient queen, with power rolling off her older than anyone can imagine, but to Mystique, none of that matters. Hatshepsut expected emotion, she accepted it, but her eyes shift from Mystique to Clarice as she says, "I know exactly where they are, but I cannot teleport us all there. Clarice," she pauses, looking between the two. "I can show you the location, but it would require me touching your mind."
Clarice Ferguson	Clarice takes all this in, looking from Hatshepsut, the Mystique, then back once more. "Fine," she bites out tersely as she steps forward. She clearly doesn't like the idea, but she sees little point in arguing it right now. Lydia needed them.     But if //this// turned out to be a con Hattie's been running all this time, after all - then she very much intends to make her pay for it. This was undeniably a bad idea all around, though - here and Mystique both running off like this without any further back-up.     "Where do I need to take us?"
Lydia Dietrich	Lydia looks into the fire as instructed, and there's a hitch in her breath when she sees Hatshepsut geared out for war, and a sharper intake when she sees her lover. She /glares/ at the gloating man as he makes his declaration, then her eyes go wide as he starts to scream. Seeing that the connection could possibly be two way, she starts screaming, too. "BE CAREFUL! IT'S A TRAP! THEY'RE WAITING FOR YOU!" She doesn't warn them not to come. That would be fruitless. They'd come anyway. When the guy runs from the room screaming, she gives him a snort of derision. "I hope you'll never be able to fucking see again, you pretentious asshole." Now that he's gone, she starts to struggle for real. She twists and turns in her bonds to see if she can loosen them. "Fuck!" she shouts, when it doesn't look like she's getting anywhere. She struggles even harder which only causes her to knock the chair over with her in it. "FUCK!"
Mystique	Mystique looks between Hatshepsut and Clarice. "No. Clarice, you don't have to do that," she says, torn, a part of her soul dying that in that moment. The world was shattering around her in more ways than one, but she would never ask Clarice to open herself to an unknown entity like Hattie. "There has to be another way." Hatshepsut sheaths the ruby sword on her hip, before stepping closer to the two mutants. "There are many other ways that will take days," she responds bluntly. "I can and will go alone before I wait that long. It is me the Irappu are after, but they will not wait long before harming Lydia so that the entire coven can feel it." ******************************************************************************** As Lydia lay there on the ground, firmly tied in the chair, she can see the feet of someone enter the room. By the shoes alone she can tell it is a woman. "You seem to have yourself in a horrible position," she says quietly, her voice almost a whisper that crawls across the room and oozes into Lydia's ear. "Should I leave you there, or help you up?"
Clarice Ferguson	"It's Lydia. Why are we debating this?" Clarice says simply. "Just make sure our people know where we are and are ready to back us up." Hell - she's all for bringing more people in sooner, rather than later.     Her gaze goes from Mystique, to Hatshepsut once more, her hand tightening on the javelin she has in her hand until white knuckles show through her magenta hued skin. "Where do I need to take us?" she asks simply, her expression determined - but still wary of the circumstances.
Lydia Dietrich	Lydia cranes her neck to take a look at the woman who entered. "I would prefer that you helped me up," Lydia says calmly, despite the chills this woman gives her. She's been on the floor for a while now and the suppression collar is really digging into her flesh. "Please." When she's righted she says, "Thank you. I take it you're somebody actually in charge?"
Mystique	Given the circumstances, Hatshepsut doesn't wait for Mystique to complain again, she reaches over and places her hand on Clarice's shoulder. Instantly Clarice can see the location as if she was already standing there, in face it feels like she is. The cold of a desert at night, the wind blowing through her clothing, the moon over head the only light as far as the eye can see. A massive stone as black as night protruding out the earth can be seen in the distance, the sensation of something dark and deadly creeps into Clarice's blood. Evil, the purest form of it, looking back at her... but she see's the location. Mystique curses in German, quite a line of it actually, before she accepts that Clarice is right. She just knows how much Clarice hates telepaths and her mind messed with, and there was still that chance that Hatshepsut was up to something... though after listening to Lydia talking about the coven, and meeting Lydia's lady servant and so many other things, the cobalt mutant was a little more trusting of the former Egyptian Queen than she had been. "Thank you Clarice," Mystique finally voices, her tone sounding almost defeated. ******************************************************************************** The woman helps Lydia and chair back up, adjusting it so the fire can keep the mutant warm but not too close... fire is not a friend to vampires after all. "I am one of those in charge, yes," she replies, an accent to her tone that Lydia has never heard before. Reaching to collect the glass of water with a straw, she offers it to Lydia. "Now would you like a drink? I am Bhanavi, and you are Lydia. I am sorry that Viraj was so rude, the man has never understood what is fully at stake here, nor did he feel like he should have been the one to baby sit you, his words, not mine."
Clarice Ferguson	Clarice's jaw tightens as the images enter mind - even as she does what little she can to keep Hatshepsut from reading her thoughts in return. She hisses between her teeth as her vision returns to her at the images subside. "I've got it," she promises. "We're ready?" She looks between the two of them, waiting for nods of confirmation, before a tear in reality opens in front of them, showing the massive black stone just in front of them.     They were playing into these people's hands - she was sure of it. But what other choice did they have? What could she do to ensure they all made it home at the end of it?     The loathed the feeling the someone out there was pulling their strings.
Lydia Dietrich	Lydia considers the offered glass more thoughtfully this time. It's true. Her throat is dry, and no amount of saliva has been able to wet it. She still doesn't trust these bastards, but she's fairly certain that they didn't want to harm her.... yet. She leans forward as much as she can and takes a few sips of water, her hazel eyes always focused on the woman, watching her reaction. "So," she says, once she's taken her fill of water. "What /is/ at stake here? Just so I can understand the situation that I'm in."
Mystique	Clarice gets a nod from both Hatshepsut and Mystique, and when the portal is opened they step through. A desert at night, which one only Hatshepsut knew, was cold, almost freezing really. Where they appear there is no one visible, the at the ominous rock the torches by the large door shine brightly into the night. Through it all, Clarice never felt anything more than that image in her mind, and the sensations of the place they were going. It wasn't an invasion, at least not so far as she could tell. Hatshepsut drops a large duffle out of no where as she looks to the two of them. "Weapons," she states plainly. "And armor. Wear at least one piece of it to protect yourselves against their magic." Even as she is speaking she is looking to the massive rock. "Of course it is a trap, but what they don't realize is that I know about the backdoor." Mystique lets her breath out slowly, kneeling to unzip the duffle and see what's inside even as Hatshepsut was saying it. Reaching in she offers Clarice what looks like a pauldron, while she grabs one of the forearm guards to put on. The armor looks like it was crafted for females, smaller, more delicate looking, and very much looking like it's made of silver rather than steel. The weapons? Two rifles, some hand guns, two swords and a couple of daggers. Mystique suits up, gathering as many clips for the rifle she takes as she can put into the pockets of her utility belt. One of the swords goes onto her back, and one of the daggers into her boot. "The backdoor huh," Mystique says as she stands up, looking like she's ready to go to war. "They'll have it guarded as well." Hatshepsut nods once, "They will, but they expect me to be angry enough to blast through the front door... so I intend to do just that, while the two of you go through the back." Mystique is the one who gets the image of the 'backdoor', just planted in her mind like a seed in the ground. No invasion, no pain, just bam, she knew where it was. In that same moment she also knew Hatshepsut's plan, what she intended to do. Looking over at Hatshepsut now she just nods, "Alright. Clarice, you're with me. Apparently, we are going to deal with the familiars at the backdoor." ******************************************************************************** Bhanavi moves the water a little closer, to make it easier for Lydia to get as much as she wants. "Hatshepsut was born to this clan, Lydia," she explains. "She holds in her veins /our/ blood, she is part of us. She abandoned her blood for the Valkkai, and that is an insult to all of us. Now I realize the circumstances of her Embrace, the stupidity of it over Thutmose III." She rolls her eyes at this. "But her blood is our blood, and we demand she gives it back. We have tried all reasonable approaches, we have tried negotiations and conversation, and still she refuses... so now we much take matters to the extreme to get back what belongs to us."
Lydia Dietrich	As she watches Bhanavi speak, Lydia's mind is working. This woman is clearly dangerous. Far more dangerous than the goon that she had watching her when she first woke up. For one, there's that whole icky dark feeling she gets just by being /near/ her. The second is that she's speaking fairly reasonably, and not like some half baked villain from a child's television show. "When you say you 'demand to give you back your blood', what do you mean?" Lydia asks, flicking her head again to get that one lock of hair to stay out from her face. "I assume you're talking metaphysically, and not literally. I don't think /anybody/ would agree to bleed them dry no matter how civilized the request."
Clarice Ferguson	The pauldron is accepted, and wordlessly strapped into place, before she tries swinging her arms, to make sure it doesn't impede her motion too much. She takes daggers, sliding them into place on the tactical armor she hadn't yet removed. She also takes a handgun, strapping it to her thigh with a few extra clips of ammunition. She's had weapons training with guns - but she never chooses to use one, herself. She always relies on her portals. But who knows what tricks these people have up their sleeves? If her portals stopped working - she doesn't want to be defenseless. Besides, she's already used her powers extensively in the last couple hours. ...she wasn't going into this battle fresh, as she bandage over the shrapnel wound to her left arm would attest     For a moment, a wince plays across Clarice's features, and she pulls out her cellphone. A few moments later, she sends out a very simple message. 'Briefcase.' That done, her phone slides back into her pocket.     "Alright. I'm ready. Let's go ruin their night."
Mystique	Mystique gives Hatshepsut one last look, and the woman merely nods, then the cobalt mutant goes into stealth mode and starts sneaking across the sand. Her direction is not the massive stone, instead she heads across the desert to the side, intending to warp around and back to the stone. "She's risking her very existence," she whispers to Clarice as she moves. "She's who they want, Lydia is the bait. I shouldn't leave her to fight that battle alone, but she's certain we have a better chance by dividing up, and from what I saw, she's right. Their heavy hitters are in the main room waiting for her, and they would quite literally destroy you and I by looking at us." She cuts in now toward the side of the rock, and only then does the forest behind it become visible, meaning they were at the edges of the desert. "The 'back door' is in the forest," she finally adds, just as quietly, and moving swiftly. ******************************************************************************** The laugh that comes from Bhanavi is just as dark as her presence. Moving to set the glass down she practically floats over to the other chair and sits down, one leg crossing over the other. "It is not so easy to bleed a vampire that old dry," she comments as she settles. "But this is more of a magical bleeding dry. You know nothing of the clans, and I will not be the one to tell you. As a living, breathing creature who smells amazing, you do not need to know our secrets... so I will say just this much, it would not kill her, but it would weaken her to where she should be as a Valkkai."
Clarice Ferguson	Clarice still has her image inducer on her - so she alters it to darken her appearance - helping her blend in with the shadows as the pair silently approach the backdoor. She offers a silent nod in response to the explination, but offers no unnecessary response. After all, their goal was to take these people by surprise. If they do this right - perhaps they can get to Lydia without alerting anyone to their presence, at all, leaving only a pile of corpses in their wake. That would be ideal.     The forest allows for more opportunities for cover - though Clarice wasn't exactly certain how a forest could be a 'back door.' She was sure that would make itself clear quickly enough.
Lydia Dietrich	Lydia tries not to wince at that laugh, the darkness in it curdling her blood. She listens as the woman speaks and nods. "I see." It's true that Hatshepsut hasn't gone into great detail about the vampire side of her. It's been something she'd been meaning to ask because she finds vampire lore /fascinating/. "Soooo..." she says, drawing out the word. "What happens to me if she submits?" She's pretty sure that she knows what will happen to her if Hatshepsut /doesn't/ submit, and that's not going to be pretty. Still. Keep the woman talking. Ask more than you answer. This is what you're supposed to do in a hostage situation, right?
Mystique	Into the forest Mystique goes, pausing to listen for the patrols she was warned might be around, but given the situation they didn't believe anyone would be out there, everyone was inside. Four hundred feet into the forest a second set of rock formations becomes visible, and it's toward this that she goes. At the edge of it she pauses, going low. "Two guards," she whispers to Clarice. "Just like she thought. They should have a lovely walk on the moon, think you can manage that?" She smiles at this, already picturing the two of them just suddenly on the moon and dead. ******************************************************************************** Bhanavi folds her hands into her lap, watching Lydia with a smile on her face. "You are a chatty one, so full of questions," she offers with a dry chuckle. "I know why. You think by keeping me talking, you are learning something useful for your eventual escape, or for when Raven, Clarice and Hatshepsut rescue you. I will humor you of course, because your questions amuse me." With a gesture of her hand, a bottle of wine floats over from a table, followed by a crystal glass. "If Hatshepsut submits, you will have your memory altered and you will be returned to your apartment. We have no interest in you beyond the fact that she cares enough about you that she would come herself to get you. We have waited a long time for her to care that much about someone, and alas, that is you."
Clarice Ferguson	The moon's extent of her reach - and rather taxing for the young teleporter, but rather than argue the point, she gives a nod of agreement. She can easily shunt them high enough into the atmosphere - and far enough from their current location - that no one will hear them when they fall to their deaths. A second javelin appears in Clarice's hand, as she peeks to get a glimpse of them. A swift toss with her hand, and the pair vanish with a quiet bliiiink, and a flash of purple energy. She just hopes the flash doesn't attract any unwanted attention from anyone.     She then nods for Mystique to proceed, as she continues to monitor and cover their rear.
Lydia Dietrich	"Well, it's either that or we just stare at each other," Lydia says conversationally, somehow managing a strained grin. She's trying to remain calm. Or at least /seem/ calm. Panicking isn't going to help her situation any. This is another one of those 'box it up, and deal with it later' type situations that she's been finding herself in lately. "So that's it? Hatshepsut becomes weaker, I get put back with some memory loss and everybody walks away happy?" She shakes her head, sending that one damn lock of hair falling down in her face again. "I don't buy it. This has got to be some sort of take-over-the-world kind of plot." Inside she's praying for Hatshepsut's, Mystique's, and Clarice's safety, that they'll be able to meet what challenge lay before them, and make it to her before they decide that she's no longer of any use and dispose of her.
Mystique	The 'back door' is a metal door set into the stone, much like a trap door only at an angle and solid metal. Mystique pulls something from her utility belt, a small bottle of oil, and oils the hinges before pulling the thing open. True stealth is her nature, into and out of places via back doors and hidden passages, of course she had oil to ensure no sound. With the door open, a very steep set of stairs, almost a ladder really, descends straight down into the darkness. There is a hint of light, enough to see that there is nothing directly at the bottom of the stairs, but little else. Mystique pulls out another small device from her belt, looks like a cell phone or at least that is the size and it has a screen, then she detaches something and drops it down. It hitting the dirt below makes no sound, nothing louder than would could be easily mistaken for the wind. The screen in her hand instantly springs to live with an image of the tiny room, and a hallway leading off it, but there is no one immediately down there. "Either they're really sure of themselves," she whispers so very quietly. "Or they're around the corner at the end of that hall. So two options... I move the camera down there, or we just go find out. Which would you prefer?" ******************************************************************************** Bhanavi pours herself a glass of wine that is actually far redder and much to thick to just be wine, then with another gesture that lock of hair on Lydia's head goes back off her face, the curl wrapping into another so it won't fall back into her face. "Why would we want to take over the world?" She asks then takes a sip of the 'not wine'. "We are perfectly content in the shadows and darkness, picking our prey as we desire and enjoying life... er... unlife as it were. No, this is entirely about the balance of power in our war against one another dear Lydia." The bottle floats back over to the table and settles itself. "You think too highly of yourself, and too much like the writer you are. What sense would there be in one, taking over the world of humans that far out number us, and two, causing any harm to an innocent like yourself who just happened to be chosen by the wrong vampire? No, no, no... we aren't about all that." She waves a hand dismissively. "Hatshepsut should have told you more, you poor thing."
Clarice Ferguson	"You've got more experience at this, boss," Clarice murmurs. She'd think Mystique was using this as a 'teachable moment' if not for the fact that they're here too //rescue Lydia.// "But I'd think having a glimpse of how many are there and how they're positioned would give us the greater tactical advantage - rather than just poking our necks out an hoping." Other than a brief glance into the hole, Clarice keeps most of her attention focused on the forest around them, determined not to let anyone sneak up on their position. So far, so good - but even that was making her nervous.     There has to be a catch. There's always a catch. Right?
Lydia Dietrich	Lydia tries not to recoil as the vampire before her takes care of her hair problem. "So what /are/ you all about?" Just keep talking. There's been something that's been bugging her, something about what Bhanavi said about just letting her go that doesn't match up, and she struggles pinpointing why. She can't help but chuckle, though. "I'd been meaning to talk to her about it," she says. "We've just been a bit busy lately." Then it hits her. When she was abducted the man who wasn't there said that she would, 'by this time tomorrow she'd be either dead or one of them.' This she believes more than the whole 'let her go with some memory loss' bit. All the while silently praying. May God still the sounds from Raven's feet. May They guide Clarice's hand, and may They rain down righteous fury through Hatshepsut.
Mystique	With a nod, Mystique moves the little tiny wheeled drone down the hall to the end, placing it against the wall just before the corner, then angle the camera around that corner. Sure enough, down another very short hall there is a small room with eight guys in armor, with swords and guns, just standing there looking toward the hall the drone is in. There is the possibility of more of them, as the drone can only see directly down that hall and directly into the opening of the room. "Alright then," she whispers. "There they are, at least the first of them. Hatshepsut said they would be familiars, which are stronger than humans, more enduring." If Clarice looked, she could see the words, 'Arming' on the small screen now. "So, we take out a few, or at least weaken them, with a little PETN." Without another word, Mystique drops silently down into the room bellow. One way or another, they were going to have to get through those guards, and her thinking was a full on secret attack, but the drone's range was short, and she had to get closer. Moving herself to the edge of the hall, but keeping herself against the wall in case the explosion decided to wrap around corners, she checked the screen and the word 'Armed' finally lights up. The little drone then starts moving, around the corner against the wall, silent, until it makes it into the room with the people... three, two, one... boom. At the exact moment of the smaller explosion, a second explosion that rocks the cavernous depth beneath the massive rock echoes through the halls and rooms is followed by the sound of many voices screaming out in numerous languages. Some sound as if they are in in pain, some as if in panic, the loudest in a commanding tone. Hatshepsut had arrived, there could be no mistaking it for anything else. Dust and debris falls from the stone ceiling above in the halls and rooms, all but one room that is. The room that Lydia sits in hears nothing, feels nothing. ******************************************************************************** Bhanavi takes another sip from the glass, for one moment Lydia could swear that her eyes were glowing a violent red as she did, but it passed to quickly, perhaps it was just reflection of the fire light. "What am I about?" She repeats the question then laughs again. "That is a question you do not want to know the answer to. I will tell you one little secret Lydia... Irappu means Death." She stops there, to lick the liquid off her lips and stare at Lydia with a predatory hunger in her eyes. "I am what Hatshepsut /should/ have been, a Goddess of Death." Setting the glass down she stands up and walks toward Lydia. "I am much like the Four Riders, I am Chiron, I am an angel and a demon, I am all these things." Leaning down she brushes a kiss across Lydia's cheek before whispering, "Your mentor and lover have arrived... the clock ticks." And as if on cue, the sound of a clock ticking echoes through the room.
Clarice Ferguson	Clarice follows Mystique down, watching as she sends the drone in - placing a hand lightly on Mystique's arm to keep her from just charging in after her little toy. She then mimes opening a small portal, and draws her gun to point at where the indicated portal would be. It would be far safer (if a little less fun) than going in hands-on against these guys. As soon as the boom reverberates down the hall, she opens the small portal, and starts firing on the men in the room, aiming for any of them that move. It's like shooting fish in a barrel.     "Party's really started now," she remarks with a smirk.
Lydia Dietrich	Lydia can only keep on a brave front for only so long, and that look of /hunger/ causes her to shrink back into her chair. She'd argue that Bhanavi is no goddess... but how can she be sure? The literal God of Thunder lives in New York half the time. The literal God of Mischief attacked the entire city not too long ago. Hell. Constantine was going to /literally/ summon Set. Gods exist. Her eyes squeeze closed as Bhanavi leans in to touch her lips to her cheek. She tries to control her elevated breathing by forcing herself to take a deep breath. And when she's told the clock is ticking? That's when her silent prayers become audible. In Hebrew she starts praying to the success of her rescuers. She prays for her survival. She prays that they get to her before the clock winds down.
Mystique	Mystique drops the screen and draws her hand guns, firing through the portal at the men on the other side. The explosion seems to have dropped a couple, and wounded others, but it was a small one, not really the sort for ultimate damage. "Sounds like Hatshepsut just knocked on their door," she states, then her attention shifts as one of the familiar manages to jump through the portal toward Clarice. His reward is to get shot in the shot in the face which would normally drop someone but this guy seems to keep moving, swinging his sword which forces Mystique to do a drop kick to his midsection to shove him away from Clarice. The cobalt mutant doesn't even realize that he managed to nick her shoulder, she's in the heat of the combat moment and keeps moving. Drawing the sword off her back, she let's Clarice finish off the others in the room while she focuses on hacking this one up as that seems to be the only way to actually kill him. Clarice would be the one to notice that the forearm guards are glowing a very faint red color. If Mystique weren't so wrapped up on her work, she might notice, but her attention is focused on keeping the guy down and away from Clarice who is handling the majority of those who had remained standing. ******************************************************************************** Her lips are cold as ice, her breath sweet like wine but cold, if Lydia didn't know better she would swear that Bhanavi's breath against her skin actually froze it a little. The clock ticks steadily, a repeated rhythm that doesn't seem to change, but as the only sound in the room it becomes clear that the ticking is steadily getting faster. "Prayers to an invisible god," she hisses as she moves her hands down Lydia's body to the waist of the slacks she's wearing. With a single jerking motion, she rips the pants right off the woman, leaving her sitting there in just undergarments. "He doesn't listen to prayers any more, Lydia. He stopped caring about this world so long ago. Miracles aren't real, your God is dead..." Taking one step back, she straightens to her full height to listen to the ticking that is growing steadily faster. "But pray, if it makes you feel comfortable and safe, pray to a dead god while a real one prepares for one of two inevitable endings."
Lydia Dietrich	Lydia shivers at that icy breath, eyes still screwed tight and still chanting her prayers. It's only Bhanavi's forceful disrobing of her pants that causes her to stop. Her eyes pop open in surprise, disbelief, and in betrayal. After all this gloating about being a goddess, and how powerful she was, she was going to /rape/ her? She starts desperately kicking at the floor, trying to scoot the chair away from her assailant as fast as she can. She gets maybe a foot before the chair gets stuck on something and she ends up tilting backwards and lands on her back. This sends her into a full blown panic attack, her breaths coming quick as you can and she just starts muttering, "Please come save me, please come save me, please come save me."
Clarice Ferguson	"How the fuck-?!" Clarice lets out in shock. She'd kept the portal small to prevent just such an occurance. How had she not seen him coming through, either?! She'd have snapped him in half given the chance. She grits her teeth, continuing to fire on the rest of the guards through her little window into their room, aiming for head-shots, and silently counting her bullets. She pops the clip out, sliding a new one in as the last of them falls with a final spasm, and the window on their personal hell blinks closed.     The pistol is abandoned in favor of a javelin as she adds, "Boss - the bracers." Just what the hell. She waits for some sort of opening, loathe to toss it unless Mystique is able to open some space between herself and her foe.
Mystique	Mystique is in an odd sort of wrestling, stabbing match with this man, attempting to keep him on the floor while at the same time coming to realize that those are some mighty big fangs in his mouth. "Shit!" she exclaims, both at the bracers glowing and at the obvious vampire. No wonder he wasn't just dying like a good little familiar would. Time to change tactics, time to be some place else, so the hilt of the sword is literally shoved onto his mouth to stop him from the bite he was going for, then she does two back flip away from him and back to Clarice's side. That is all the more time he needs to go to mist again, which literally looks like he just disappears from sight. The pauldron on Clarice's arm begins to glow now as well, indication he's still in the room some place. The men on the other side of the portal are gone, either shot or blown up, which leaves the one lingering problem. Mystique should have thought to bring wooden stakes, that would have been the smart thing to do, but she wasn't fully thinking. She puts her back against Clarice's so they are able to watch as much of the room at once as possible. "Clarice," she says quietly. "Start opening random portals all around the room, try and force him back into a solid shape." ******************************************************************************** In spite of the frantic kicking the chair doesn't move, another force holding it in place and up right now. The ticking gets faster then seems to remain at that pace for the moment. "Ahhhh, they are losing," Bhanavi breaths, then looks back to Lydia. "Your beloved and your mentor are losing!" She laughs again, licking her lips as she walks around the chair. "You poor thing, poor, poor thing. If only you had chosen more carefully who you loved and who loved you." There is a flash of movement, so fast that Lydia's brain can't register it happening. Bhanavi was behind her laughing, then on her knees in front of Lydia, upper body between her legs, twisted in laughter face looking up at her. "You should keep praying little lamb," she teases, running a nail over Lydia the Great Saphenous Vein in Lydia's inner thigh. "Prey that my people win, because if they don't..." she licks her lips again. "No more nice Goddess."
Clarice Ferguson	"Why would a portal do that?" Clarice murmurs back. But if Mystique thinks it's going to work - she's not going to argue. She rotates slowly, opening a series of small portals throughout the room, three pairs at a time. They effort of so many portals - even small ones, and so nearby - is staring to wear on her a little, but there's little choice but to keep pushing on. This was for Lydia. Still - she had to reserve enough energy to get them out of here afterwards.     Finally, one of the portals manages to land on the creature's mist form, and maybe it's the shock of the displacement wave causing the vampire to 'flinch' - but he begins to appear from the air. Clarice doesn't wait for him to fully form, afraid that he'll start to vanish again, and she quickly tosses one of her javelins, neatly severing the head from the body. That was supposed to kill vampires, right?     Not entirely sure if that was enough, she moves towards the head, kicking it hard - and as she does, it cleaves into two neat halves that go sailing off into different directions, spilling out brain matter as they do.
Lydia Dietrich	Oh God. She should have guessed. Lydia's used the Great Saphenous Vein in her books /all the time/. Why go for the Carotid when you can go for that? Plus the humiliation of being disrobed. Lydia is doing everything she can to keep this monster away from her. She kicks ineffectually with her legs trying desperately to do /something/. "If I die," she says through clenched teeth. "They will /rip you apart/." Still struggling she spits, "I don't care if you're a goddess. Try being a goddess with your head orbiting the earth!"
Mystique	"That was effective," Mystique comments, staring at the body as it takes it a moment to fully collapse to the floor without it's head. "Now we have to move, and move fast." She doesn't wait even another minute, she shoots down the hallway to the room with the now dead guards. It's a blood bath, corpses everywhere as there had in fact been more than eight, but the small bomb and Clarice's gun took care of them. Familiars were stronger, but not impervious. There were two doors out of the room, both blown open with no signs of other guards down either hall. After only a few seconds of standing there, it's as if cobalt mutant just knows where to go and bolts through the door on the right. The caverns were a maze of halls and doors, stairs to more halls, some halls looking like they go on and on, but Mystique follows that inner image that had been implanted in her head. How Hatshepsut even knew the lay out of this place was a mystery she would have to ask about later, but for now she was following the urges that passed through her. ******************************************************************************** Bhanavi again traces her finger down the vein while watching Lydia's face, the terror and panic in the air was almost as tasty as the blood flowing through the mutants veins. The ticking suddenly speeds up again, much quicker that it had been before. The 'goddess' curses in a language so old that there is no chance Lydia knows it, then snarls out, "Too bad... for you!" before the same quick movement sinks her fangs into the great saphenous of Lydia's right thigh. The vampire's bite. Some claim that it is the most painful thing a human can experience, others claim it is the most intense wave of ecstasy a human can experience... the truth is, it is both. First is the pain that shoots through the entire body and just when it seems the pain should end in death, the ecstasy strikes, dragging the victim down, down, down into pleasure so intense there is no escape, no fight, no will for it to end. Bhanavi takes her time, slow sips to extend the ecstasy, and her own pleasure in the taste of blood linked to the great Hatshepsut. She could taste the power in it and savored the sensation as it slide down her throat. There was no need to hurry now. Lydia would be dead before her rescuers could reach her, and threat or not, the risk of her head in space or not, Bhanavi would complete her mission for the Irappu.
Clarice Ferguson	Clarice was on Mystique's heels, javelins in both hands as she anxiously eyes any corridors and doors they skip. What if there are more foes waiting there - waiting to spring out and ambush them? What if they are skipping Lydia's location? "Are you sure she's this way?" she asks anxiously, her eyes continually scanning for any sign of movement or danger.     Something felt wrong. There was an anxiety in the pit of her stomach. She mistrusts this place - and it's sepulchral silence.
Lydia Dietrich	There's a sharp intake of breath as the teeth of the vampire pierce through the sensitive skin, and Lydia's back arches in pain. She's never felt anything quite like it, the pain. She's never broken a bone, never had to get stitches, nothing that would cause her great pain. She's led a sheltered and privileged life. She knew that. So pain like this... it's new to her. The pain doesn't last forever, though. That's when the ecstasy starts to creep in, causing her to slump in the chair with a groan. "No," she slurs, "no, no, no, no. Not like this..." The sheer inevitability of it all weighs on her, leads her into despair. Once this woman has been full of hope, but that has been drained of her, like her blood.
Mystique	Although not obvious to Clarice, Mystique knew where she was going. If there were enemies left behind in the rooms they passed, it didn't matter. There was a rock in her stomach, knot in her chest, she could feel that something was wrong as easily as she felt her skin prickling with sweat from the continuous running. "I don't know how, but I know where I'm going," she finally said with heavy breath, just as the two of them reached a flight of stairs leading down. "We're close now!" And down the stairs she goes. They seem to go on forever, down, down, one flight, two flights, three flights, until the reach complete and utter darkness that seems to cling to the skin and soak their clothing in... something. Mystique does not stop, she grabs Clarice's hand in the complete darkness, and keeps moving forward. On a normal night the halls would be filled with activity, but those who would normally be here were presently fighting for their very existence. Hatshepsut spared no one who tried to stand against her, between vampiric blood magic, her own magic and that sword, she was cutting her way through them. The armor she wore was spattered in blood, her own as well as theirs... mostly theirs. When the last of them finally fled, her extra senses reached out through the cavernous home base of the Irappu and her scream that followed echoed endlessly.... "Bhanavi!!!" ******************************************************************************** Just a little more and Lydia would be dead, but suddenly Bhanavi stops and lifts her head. There was no time for the second step, the blue devil was at the door with her magenta teleporter. "Too late for you Lydia," she whispers, licking her lips as she stands. "You will die, rather than join us." That is the second that Mystique and Clarice suddenly appear in the room through the darkness portal at the end of the hall Mystique has insisted on continuing down. In that same exact moment, Hatshepsut appeared out of no where on the other side of the room nearer the chairs, so as the darkness swirls like a cloud of mist behind Bhanavi, pulling the Irappu back and into nothingness, Hatshepsut is on her knees beside Lydia. Three portals of darkness emerge in the room, and three vampires step through. The bracers and pauldron glow again, that being the only way to know they are vampires. Whether they drew the short straws, or this was some kind of test, it is not Hatshepsut that they go for, it is Mystique and Clarice.
Lydia Dietrich	Lydia, still tied and collared lets out a soft moan. She can hardly feel her heart beat anymore. She could hardly feel /anything/ anymore. Anybody with eyes could see what's been done to her, with the punctures in her inner thighs still leaking what blood she has left. Her head lolls to the side, not having the strength to pick it up. Still, her prayers have been answered. Mystique and Clarice is there, and a hint of a smile is all she can manage. "You came..." she whispers. "You came...." Then all is blackness.
Clarice Ferguson	"Boss..." Clarice doesn't try to stop or slow their flight - but the anxiety she feels at this headlong flight through enemy territory is carried plainly enough in that single word. She dashes down the stairs, keeping up with Mystique, though her heart was pounding, and her breath was starting to burn in her lungs. If there was another fight as the end of this flight.     She clings tightly to Mystique's hand as she's lead blindly through total darkness, teeth gritted tightly. This was not smart. This was not smart. If they both get ambushed - if they both get taken down here - what of the Brotherhood? What of Theo, and Pete? What of Mister Creed?     Clarice doesn't have long to adjust as they suddenly emerge into the room - the form that had been crouched by Lydia's form vanishing, as three more - plus Hatshepsut - take her place. She's out of breath, her strength flagging - and now they have to fight three vampires?!     "Boss... this a rabbit hunt?" she asks - dropping the codeword for an emergency evac. Fight or flee? They've got Lydia now - that's what matters, right?     Three javelins glow with purple energy, as she tucks into a roll to avoid the charge of one of the vampires. Three javelins for three enemies? Or three allies? That's the question.
Mystique	Hatshepsut lays her hand on Lydia's chest, the presence of the other vampires in the lost to hear as tears of blood escape her eyes to mingle with the blood of her enemies. Too slow, there was nothing that could save her life. "There is only one way to save her," she says, looking toward Mystique and only then seeing the vampires closing on the two mutants. Her eyes flash with an anger straight out of the depths of hell and that is exactly what it felt like as the room went hot as the desert at noon and all three of the vampires just explode into fire. Screaming in agony and terror, they start to run but only a few steps are taken before they fall to the ground and shatter into ash. Clearly the ancient vampire had had enough with interruptions. "She is near death, nothing can save her life," Hatshepsut says so calmly that it is almost as creepy against the soul as all the darkness, "but I can make her a vampire and save her from a final death." Mystique was ready to make the choice when it was taken from her and another choice given to her in return. Darting over to Lydia, she lays her hand on her cheek... so cold, so pale, she was... there was no logical thought, there was only emotion and that is what made her say "Do it!" before kneeling down beside the chair in tears, and ripping the collar off her lover. No other words were needed for Hatshepsut. In all of her three thousand years she had never once Embraced another as a vampire, but for Lydia... she would do this. Lifting her wrist to own mouth she uses her fangs to bite down and break her skin, then holds that wrist over Lydia's lips. Several droplets of red land on the pale lips, then pass through into her mouth, then a few more, and then Hatshepsut presses her wrist to Lydia's mouth.
Clarice Ferguson	The foes were there - and then gone in an instant, causing Clarice's arms to lower cautiously. Hatshepsut's question to Mystique catches her off-guard, and in the moment, the answer has been given - the process already started. "What?" she gasps in surprise. "N-no! Raven, would she want this? I- we could go to Jasmine. Where would Jasmine be right now? There must be- there must be something. We can't-..."     Tears spring to her own eyes, but she quickly, wipes them away, as she slowly turns, studying the room and still trying to keep watch incase more of their enemies were lurking.     This was wrong. This was all wrong. It was like some sort of nightmare...
Lydia Dietrich	She thought she was gone. All was dark and she thought she had gone, and this was the end of it. And once she thought that her final chapter had been written and the book to be closed she felt a gentle tug, and then.... a spark. Lydia's lips part as the first drops of blood hits them, opening wider to accept the next few. Each drop a spark of life, reigniting her body. The first sensation that comes back to her is taste. What passes her tongue is sweet, but in a way she's never experienced before. It burns down her throat like fire, giving her much needed warmth to her dead cold body. Her throat reflexively swallows and her head moves towards the source, and when the wrist is offered to her she latches on to it like a suckling babe. As she drinks feeling slowly seeps back into her body. The chafing of the ropes that hold in her her chair. The smell of blood and charred flesh. The sound of Raven weeping over her. And the light.... She doesn't open her eyes yet. The blood she drinks tastes too good, too /viatal/ to pay attention to anything else and she drinks deeply. As her soul is once again anchored to her body, flakes of what look to be black ash start to pop into existence around her. Whatever damage has been done to her has damaged her power, too. Gone is green glow of Lydia's ectoplasm, only to be replaced with the gently falling ash.
Mystique	Even with the tears streaming down her face, Mystique is moving to untie Lydia now. Dead or alive, she wanted them off her lover bad enough that she drew her knife and went through the ropes and yanked them away. She wasn't focusing on what Hatshepsut was doing, or how Lydia was reacting to it, to do that would be admitting it was happening and she was the one who made it happen. Was it selfish? Would Lydia have wanted this? The thoughts were too late of course, but the cobalt mutant had once warned that she was not ready for Lydia to not be a part of her life, and that is the emotion that had made the decision. Hatshepsut closes her eyes, she knew exactly how much of her own blood Lydia would need and only when she reached that amount would she take her wrist away. "There was... no time," she breathed to Clarice. She had not expected the sensation what washed through her at this, she had never once before allowed her own blood to be drank and so the euphoria of it was making her more than light headed. "She... was already... dead." Mystique does finally look up, but to Clarice instead of Lydia. Would the magenta mutant forgive her? No... not likely. Just as Lydia would likely not forgive her. "Clarice," she offers quietly, then at long last looks to Lydia. If she could stop crying she would, but there was no will to do so. Her son hated her and ran from the truth. Her daughter was suffering through too many powers taken in. Her lover was dead yet not dead, and now her other daughter was forced to accept her decision and likely would hate her as well. It was almost too much for the rock that Mystique presented herself as, so she cried.
Clarice Ferguson	Already dead? Those words felt like lead - cold, heavy, and toxic. They were going to take a while to unpack, and she couldn't do that now - not here. She spares only brief glances towards Lydia, as the woman suckles at Hatshepsut's wrist, and as the ash-like... aura? begins to take hold where a green glow had once been. This was wrong - this was all wrong. Wasn't it? Would this even be Lydia anymore? What did she tell Theo and Pete?     "I'm here, boss," she answers Mystique. Her tone isn't unkind, but it's difficult to read. Distant? Or perhaps simply distracted, as she continues to scan her eyes over the room, anticipating more danger.     "We can't stay here. Where should I take us? ...your quarters?" Would Medbay do them any good at all?
Lydia Dietrich	The more blood she takes the more alive she starts to feel. She can feel it course through her veins, causing her fingers and toes to tingle. Her sense of touch is heightened, causing her to feel the rough rasp of the rope as it's cut away, the plush seat and back of the chair she was tied to... even the way the air currents eddy across her skin to the time of Raven's sobs. As the feelings start coming back to her so does her consciousness. At first there's relief. She's not dead. (no no no) They came for her and found her. (no something's not right) She can hear Raven sobbing, and underneath that her heart. (somethings wrong) She can hear Clarice talking in that dazed voice and she can hear /her/ heart too. (no) She can smell the sweet sent of blood as she gulps it down (what am I doing?) and the tang of salt from Raven's tears. Blood. It's what fills her senses now. It's her world, and her brain is screaming at her that this is /wrong/. Her eyes pops open looking up at Hatshepsut feeding her her blood. She wants to back away, to spit out the wrist that's being held to her, but she just can't fight the primal need that's driving her on. Her body /needs/ this and she can't deny it this one thing. All she can do is whimper.
Mystique	It was time, the fire inside Lydia had brought rebirth, had turned living flesh into that of the undead and was burning hot and fast inside her body. Hatshepsut opened her eyes, the light headedness not allowing her to fully focus her eyes at that moment, but she was aware enough to pull her wrist away. Lifting it to her own mouth she licks her tongue across the holes and they disappear as if they were never there. The holes in Lydia's thighs have also disappeared, whether from something Hatshepsut did or her blood in Lydia, they merely are no longer there. "A moment, Clarice," Hatshepsut says, her eyes starting to focus. She had seen the Embrace before, when a long time ago lover saved one of his familiars by Embracing him. Seeing Lydia's actions and reactions, she knew it was a success. She knew they still remained in danger where they were, but this was not something you rushed, many a Childer had lost their minds in this moment and she would not permit anything to remotely threaten that as a possibility for Lydia. "Lydia?" Mystique whispers, finally starting to get herself in check, to lock some of if away. She had watched the color changing in Lydia's face, seen her react to the blood, witnessed the moment that conscious thought returned to her lover. Lifting up she looked into Lydia's face again, into her eyes. "Take a moment, Lydia," Hatshepsut says quietly. "Do not let your senses overwhelm you. Let this reality come slowly to you."
Clarice Ferguson	The sound of that whimper - confused and frightened - tears at Clarice, but still she keeps it in check, her hands tightening over the javelins she still holds in her hands. "It's okay, biggest sister," she replies, keeping her tone light and reassuring as she risks another glimpse at what is happening. "We're here with you. Your family's here. We're going to figure this out together, okay?"     Is it alright, though? Is it? None of this felt even remotely 'alright.'     "Let me know when you're ready, Lydia, and we'll all go home." Her heart was still thudding from the exertion of that run - but it was slowing, bit by bit, along with her breathing. After giving the confused, frightened woman a brief smile, she turns back to her watch. Staying here felt like a mistake.     But hey, it's a day for mistakes, apparently.
Lydia Dietrich	Lydia leans forward, following the wrist as it's being taken away, only to be gently pushed back down into her chair by her mentor and, now, sire. It takes a moment to get her bearings, though, for her brain to catch up to what has transpired. She just stares in wonder at the room, everything so clear and sharp. It's as if before she needed glasses and now has perfect vision. But better. She can hear /everything/. The rustle of cloth when Mystique and Clarice move, to the scraping of the metal in Hatshepsut's amor. What's more is that she can hear the heartbeats of each of the women she considers her family, and the lack of one from her mentor. What's most deafening of all is the lack of sounds that's coming from her own body. We go through life with these sounds, the gentle rushing of blood in the ears, the rush of air as you breath, and a myriad of other bodily noises that we all take for granted. These, for Lydia, are gone. But the thing that catches her by surprise is what she's able to smell. The ash of the burned vampires and the crackling fire are forefront, but underneath that she can pinpoint other smells underneath. The tang of gunpowder still lingering on Mystique's hands from firing her weapons. The damp of perspiration that wet the insides of their body armor, and most of all, their blood which just smells.... so.... /delicious/. And then suddenly Mystique is there right in front of her vision, and she jerks back in surprise. She was so overwhelmed with her senses that she didn't catch the rustle of movement that would have warned her. "Raven," she breathes. And then she /launches/ herself out of the chair that she was bound to, to envelop her lover into her arms. "I knew you'd come for me. I knew you'd save me."
Mystique	Hatshepsut moves back almost as quickly as Bhanavi and moved, having been right there as well, but she doesn't seem to mind having to move to let Lydia get to Mystique. The Embrace and rebirth was complete, it had gone far more smoothly than she had expected, but the worst of it was still to be dealt with... Lydia wasn't aware of all that happened. The Childe never knew the full truth, unless they'd been told before hand, which Lydia had not. Mystique managed to keep herself upright as Lydia assaults her with a hug, her own arms wrapping around her lover. She takes a moment to savor that, her presence and her body. "I told you I'd always come for you," she breaths quietly, having to keep the real emotion out of her voice for the moment... the pain, the horror of what she'd done. "We have to get out of here now, alright?" Hatshepsut looks to Clarice and nods. "If their room lacks sunlight, it is the wisest choice." Mystique refuses to let go of Lydia, in her heart she felt that this would likely be the last time she would get to hold her. "Our bedroom has no windows," she says to confirm it, then kisses Lydia lightly. Would it be the last kiss?
Clarice Ferguson	"Good," Clarice answers. She wants out of here - wants her family out of here. She has no intention of dying in this pit, and leaving her brother alone once more.     It takes her a moment, however, to make a portal that reaches all the way to the Asteroid - and to stretch it large enough to allow them to pass through it safely. She was tired, she could feel it.     "Go quickly," she grits out - waiting for the others to step through, before she'll finally emerge in Raven's bedroom, the portal blinking closed as she lets herself fall back agaist a wall, bracing herself there. Yeah, it was a good thing she hadn't tried to send those men to the moon. She's going to have to sleep today off.     She takes a deep breath in, letting it out slowly as she looks towards Hatshepsut. "Hattie," look, she gives zero fucks right now. "Is there any risk to Raven?" she asks in a quiet voice. Lydia sure seemed to be Lydia at the moment - but what does she know about this sort of thing? If she became hungry - a 'newborn' vampire - was Mystique at risk?
Lydia Dietrich	Lydia leans into the kiss, and then quickly deepens it. Everything felt so much more, well, /more/. Not just her senses, but her emotions, too. That sharp pang of relief that she had been rescued followed up by the deep and powerful love that she has for Raven. And the /desire/. Oh god the desire was great. The desire to kiss, to love, to /make love/ to reaffirm her connection to the woman is almost overwhelming. It takes all of her willpower to break the kiss. "God, I want you," she breathes, looking deep into Raven's eyes. She holds them there for a good while, the longing evident before she breaks away. "But if what I think happened happened It... it might not be a good idea."
Mystique	Unprepared for the kiss to go from something light to deep, Mystique is taken of guard but that doesn't stop her from returning the kiss with just as much passion as is offered. Her brain was still telling her this was the last, the end, so she was willing to take what she could get before Lydia attempted to kill her for what she had done, or walked away. Really, the first would be preferable. When the kiss breaks, Mystique slips her arm around Lydia without a word, guiding her to the portal and through it. She knew what Clarice had been through today, she knew she was exhausted and knew that meant the portal could just pop out of existence as quickly as it appeared. Hatshepsut followed without a word, until they were all standing in Mystique and Lydia's bed room, then she looked to Clarice. A part of her was repeating 'Hattie' over and over again, and trying to decide if she hated it or not. Three thousand years, no on had ever shortened her name. One would think with a name as long and hard to say as hers was, that someone would have done it before... takes a magenta mutant apparently. Finally Hattie just chuckles and accepts it. She needed to get away from the living as quickly as she could. Between using blood to power her magic and Embracing Lydia, the sound of Clarice and Raven's hearts beating was a song to her ears she was having troubles resisting. "For the next twenty-four hours, no." She finally answers Clarice's question. "Then the hunger will hit." She looks toward Lydia now but Mystique lifts her hand. If someone was going to tell Lydia, it would be her. "What you think happened..." Mystique says, looking into Lydia's eyes. "... was the only way to save you. We weren't fast enough." Does she say it directly? Yes, that is the best way. "Hatshepsut offered to save you by making you a vampire, I told her to do it, I..." she lets out a slow breath. "... did not want to lose you."
Clarice Ferguson	Clarice nods at Hatshepsut's answer, before turning her attention back to Lydia. Now that they were safe - she didn't have to keep quite as tight a rein on her emotions, and a few tears spring to her eyes.     "You know we'll all be here for you, sis," Clarice offers on the heels of Mystique's words. "We'll figure this out together, as a family. We'll help you." Pushing herself off of the wall, she makes her way to the other two mutants, wrapping her arms around them both, and leaning on them a bit more heavily than usual. It was either the emotion of the moment, or the exhaustion.
Lydia Dietrich	Lydia closes her eyes as she listens to Hattie explain how safe she is. She takes a deep breath (more out of habit, now, than of necessity) to steady her nerves and focus her thoughts. The world was just so /much/ right now. Opening them she looks over at Clarice. "Tell Dr. Hathaway about what happened. She's never going to believe it, hell, /I/ hardly believe it, but when I get hungry it's better to have some blood bags prepared then me going and /snacking/ on somebody." Then she's being embraced by both mutants. She works her arm around them and looks back into Raven's eyes. "It's okay," she says as reassuringly as possible. "There wasn't any time. If you had waited any longer... I wouldn't have been able to come back." She squeezes her family tighter to her. "Don't worry. We'll figure this out."
Mystique	Mystique just hugs them both, if she says anything at this particular moment, she'll be crying again, so hug and hug tight. Hatshepsut takes a couple of steps back from the group of hugging persons, including her new Childe. "What is there to truly figure out?" she asks bluntly. "Nothing. I will teach you everything you need to know, starting tomorrow... but I must get out of this room, off this asteroid. I will return tomorrow night."
Clarice Ferguson	"I will," Clarice promises Lydia, tightening her arms around both her and Mystique for a moment. "I guess maybe we should put a little... mini fridge in here or something," she suggests in a wry tone. Just to keep supplies at hand.     She breaks free from Lydia and Mystique when - sitting on the edge of the bed as she says to Hatshepsut, "I'll have Ritz send you down." She doesn't trust her portals right now. She pulls out her phone, bringing Ritz's contact up. It's probably best that no one can see Clarice's screen as she types in the message. '(Vampire emoji) needs a ride down. Mystique's quarters, pls.' "She'll be here in a second."     The next message she sends it to Theo and Pete, using the pair of emoji she's decided means 'I'm home.' 'Satellite house.'
Mystique	Ritz pops into the room through a white portal, she's learned over the past several months to listen to commands from Clarice as equally as Mystique. She looks to Hatshepsut, she assumed that is the vampire emoji, and before she can even speak the image of where the woman wants to go is in her head. That cleared up, another white portal opens and without another word, Hattie goes through it. The added beating heart had nearly pushed her over that edge, thus she just did what had to be done to protect them all. Ritz then looks at the situation in the room. She doesn't have to be psychic to realize that this was heavy, serious and time for her to leave. Through all this, Mystique just stands there with her arms around Lydia, then finally let's go of her, once her brain registers that she's not leaving. Everything else has been locked back up. "Clarice," she says calmly. "I think it's time for you to sleep." It's the polite way of saying get out without saying get out. "I think Lydia and I need a little time alone now." Clarice nods, picking herself up of the edge of the bed. "Hey Ritz, walk with me?" she asks as she reaches the woman. Ritz nods and falls in step with Clarice, she can see how exhausted the magenta mutant is and wasn't leaving without seeing her to her room anyway. Once they have both departed, Mystique looks to Lydia, only then realizing that her arm hurt. "I'm going to take a shower and then I'm going to snuggle the fuck out of you, if that's alright." It's probably alright, after all... Lydia didn't kill her, didn't leave her, and knows what she is... a vampire.