Players:
Summary: Emma and Tooth catch up; Cable and Rachel offer support, Gnoll-face offers his.
Date: August 28, 2012
Log Title: Back to Basics
Rating: PG
Location
Location description, if any, goes here.
Evening in the summertime around the mansion is a fairly quiet affair, especially given that the bulk of the student body is either off-campus with their own families, in the recreation areas enjoying the few comforts of the Mansion… or the rare few who have managed to get permission to go to New York. This leaves a bit more freedom for the staff to move about the place as it was before… a home. Lacking any busy work, or else denying it it's due for the moment… maybe even doing it just in her mind… Emma Frost is settled in on one of the living room couches, curled a bit like a cat in her indolence, a book cradled against her and keeping her interest by how the pages are idly turned.
While Tooth has had a few days to adjust to his new-old surroundings, he's been a rare sight all the same. Tonight, however, he's taken a break from errands, working out in the Danger Room, and generally skulking in the shadows to meet with Emma—something he's been meaning to do since he returned. If anything he has planned is going to work out, it's her he needs to speak with first. Stopping at the door to the room the gnoll gives the wall a knock before walking in a few feet.
"Mister Palmer…" Emma begins without looking up, the page being turned once before she continues on, "If I was a more inquisitive sort, I might consider asking how you got that stunning new facial decoration. But given the interesting people this mansion sees in it's halls, it's hardly the most interesting reason for you being here." Another page turned, and she raises one hand, flashing white-gloved fingers while two gather into a come-hither gesture, and then motion to the rather plush and sheddable-upon single chair, "I trust you have enjoyed the facilities so far?"
Tooth grunts and closes the distance between him and Emma, stopping to pull one of the chairs a little closer to the couch the headmistress has camped out on, "Been trying to stay out of the way until we could talk. Hopefully I've left a smaller footprint than most would have figured." He takes a seat and rests his elbows on his knees, "Been awhile, Emma." He gives her a long look and leans back, "Place is in good shape." It's an unusual response for someone who had many creative names for both the woman and the school, but this isn't the usual situation. At least by his accounts.
Still not looking up, Emma slips a small bookmark from her side, a decorative feather with a tassle, all of course in white, that slides into place and she slowly presses the two parts together, "Ms. Frost, please… Emma is for closer friends and acquaintances, or those who I have bled with, and for, Mister Palmer. After all… I believe it would be most hurtful if I simply called you James." Her legs stretch out a moment in that rather languid way only a woman who understands her inherent attractiveness can pull off, and she finally settles in a more proper position, "If you wish, Wednesdays would be best for your departure. One of your former companions comes to perform combat instruction and Danger Room for a small cadre of students who would prefer not to feel victimized."
"Tooth," the gnoll responds, "Since we're being official. I'm not…comfortable with my former name." Always one to cut to the chase, Tooth does so, avoiding any of the verbal sparring that conversations with Emma usually lead to. "So, Ms Frost," he starts, adding the title neutrally as asked, "I think we can catch up one of two ways. One, I can sit here and give you the sorted details over the next hour. Or, two, take a look for yourself." He taps the side of his head. For one who was always crazy-dead-set against anyone in his mind, it's an unusual amount of permission. "Just…be careful, and I apologize in advance," Tooth adds as less of a warning and more out of respect for anything she might see. Though the word 'apologize' sounds nearly forced out.
If the first opening was not enough to arch an eyebrow, which it does, the second part actually brings her up from the back of whatever she was currently reading. Her white-gloved hands settle into her lap, taking a deep breath as she takes the gnoll into consideration, "It seems that your time has taught you both diplomacy and manners. Consider me duly impressed." The room suddenly seems brighter than before… perhaps because everything is suddenly a perfect porcelain white, the place Tooth is sitting, the clothes he has on, and the window is just white on white with white light flowing in. Instead of a fireplace, how an outstandingly huge flatscreen sits there, white bordering on the black, which stands out quite a bit in the telepathic construct, "The remote is yours, Tooth."
Sitting next to the gnoll's hand is a remote. It's only got one large button, with a sideways triangle. Play. All white, with the center of the remote a glowing and angry red.
There's a quick inhale, followed by an equally quick exhale from the Gnoll's nose as the room changes. A creature of the five senses, Tooth has never liked his being messed with, "I'll never get use to that." His hand, which he finds gripping the chair a little tighter than real furniture would appreciate relaxes and goes for the remote. Without another word he hits the button and begins the 'playback.' It starts with his graduation from Xavier's, continues through his staying on, then pauses as a Sentinel crashes through the roof of the school, it's hand reaching for innocent victims. Tooth takes another sharp breath; having stopped breathing for a moment, mind giving him a little backlash as he relives some less-treasured memories, "I think it was about then when we all knew the shit just got real."
As the scenes play on, Emma leans forwards in her stance, her elbows touching to her knees, and pressing both palms together, fingers tapping every so often. She seems a bit more quiet and focused, and then suddenly there are two more individuals in the room. One is a larger, muscular man with a techno-organic arm and a glowing replacement eye. Cable Summers. The other side is a young red-haired woman in a red version of Jean Grey's Phoenix outfit, a bit slinkier than the original, and wreathed in a phoenix-style aura, the symbol of the entity floating just above one eye. Turning her head to look to Tooth, the blonde-haired telepath motions to the screen, "I felt it best to bring my resident experts on time travel and multiple dimensions in to observe." She then adds with a bit of a smile on white-clad lips, "No, they are not here to authenticate the veracity of your timeline… if anything… they will assist you in assimilating into this time and place, as well as help to coach you in dealing with your former friends. Miss Summers especially has much expertise in attempting to normalize to our era."
Tooth arches an eye, he's been alone far too long to appreciate the finer points of help. But while his poker faces says 'no' the rest of him says 'Alright." He gives the other 2 a look-over and a nod. He's unfamiliar with them, but in his future, even if they were there, it's hard to meet everyone or remember those you have. Though there is the faintest recognition with Cable. "The rest isn't pretty from here on out," he warns, again as more of a measure of respect. When it looks like the other 2 are ready, he starts it back up. More scenes play out, this time much more brief as if playing the highlights and avoiding the details: Tooth staying behind to buy escaping students time, his capture, his involvement as hunter, the use of his teleporting power to kill, and the use of it to save. All while working under the guise of a programmed killing machine. The scenes stop abruptly and he continues the rest verbally, "So, at some point, something happened back here, and I vanished from the school. Since I’m no longer working for either side in the future I thought it best to find out why and make sure it's not going to impact some things I do." It's a very basic cliff notes version of his reasons.
Cable is the first to speak up, walking towards the screen and touching it for a moment, but the drawing his mechanical arm back before turning to look at the M-tattooed caniod, "That's a lot to take in, son… but I have to say you've held up well under the pressure. Coming back here was a gutsy move. But then I think I'm a little biased on that count. You do understand that this is pretty much a one-way trip. What time-tech we do know of is limited, and I believe Forge said it best when he said… twitchy."
After that Rachel looks at the gnoll for a long moment, and then just turns to begin walking away, "Looks too much like home to me. Good god, how many realities are we going to let the Sentinels get loose on before someone figures out James Cameron had it right. If anyone needs me, I'll be pretending to do something important. Tooth…" She adds with a pause and a sniff, "Stop by sometime, we can swap war stories, and I'll help you with your cover."
With Phoenix's vanishing back into the white ether, Emma pushes to standing and approaches to where Tooth is sitting, and the room resolves back to itself, revealing Nathan Summers leaning on the fireplace with a pistols in hand, held with the kind of casual grace of a seasoned veteran. The look he gives Tooth is unapologetic, but also understanding as the woman herself gives another white-lipped smile, "No one here saw fit to prejudge you. The timeline you come from has very little bearing upon the point that your past self vanished… what lead to this happening has most likely changed. I daresay that this leaves us in the position of balancing between what we can do to help, and what we should do to ensure that this does not become self-fulfilling. So the bigger question is, Tooth…" The pause then ends with a lock of hair obscuring one eye, "What do you want?"
Tooth nods to cable, "I figured as much. Don't like hearing it though." The screen seems to automatically go to the last scene he saw from his possible future without his input: his PoV of being surrounded by equipment as a Sentinel prepares to fire. He looks over at the screen, "Anything I used is probably toasted anyways." Not how he'd planned it. He nods to Rachel, "Thank you, I will." He appreciates the candor. The room returns to normal, and with that Tooth is back where he started, with the addition of Cable. He pauses for a long moment, "Sam said as much abut the future changing when I talked to him, so I've had some time to think about it. I've got nothing to go back to. My job is done." THere's a pause, "But…here, maybe I can help keep it from happening?" Another pause, this one longer. The 7' tall gnoll looks over to Emma before resting his elbows on his knees, "Someoen much wiser asked me when I wanted to stay on at the school 'why.' I said because, regardless of everything, I considered everyone here my family. And that I wanted to take to job to make the world a safer place 'for' my family. Instead, in the future, I lost them. If I can do something here to keep that from happening, then that's all I want."
The man by the fireplace pushes off and says, "Good enough for me. Sam's a good judge of character. Of anyone I've ever trained, he'd be the one I'd let lead any team I'm on. Sometimes a little soft-hearted, but he's the only one I've ever seen with the balls to almost back-hand Charles Xavier." Cable begins walking towards the exit of the living room, holstering his pistols as he adds, "I'll just go finish up his security clearances, and tell Wyngarde to stop keeping him out of the campus eye."
Emma fishes a business card from her pocket, and then a white pen and scribbles something on the back of it. Turning it over, she passes it to Tooth, "For whatever good or ill it will do you, this is the address and house number for three people who will be either very interested, or very bothered to see you. Rashmi Franklin, Robyn Larkin, and Connor Blake." With that she returns to her spot on the chair, curling her legs against herself as she sprawls in that indolent cat-like fashion, "I must say… I appreciate the seasoning age has brought. It has been an interesting time. Four Mister Blakes so far, now two of you. I am beginning to wonder if I will be seeing another version of Mister Larkin, or Miss Franklin soon enough."
Tooth's about to ask about Connor and what she meant, or mention the accidental run-in with Robyn, but saves questions for the right person, and statements for the right time. Instead he offers, "I'll see what happens." It's a good way to avoid bringing up the sort of terms he was on with them, as she's already aware. 'Poor' would be an understatement. "If it helps, I can take up some slack this coming semester. Maybe it'll do some good." He shrugs at that. "It's a poor time to bring it up, but I do have one last thing to ask. Well, maybe two."
The book is opened once more, hair cascading down in a fashion to obscure all but the far eye as Emma drags on white fingernail traces the inside line of the text, "There are no poor times, nor are there rich times. There are only poor and rich people. Please… what might we be able to do for you?"
"First," Tooth asks, or rather states, "Help me find someone to sort out some of this bad wiring I have." He lifts his head a little, "While I'm thinking about it." He pulls a folded note from his pocket and offers it to Emma, "You've seen what happened. It's only by luck that I ended up being able to overcome some of that programming. If something happens to change that…this is how to disrupt my teleportation. Anything that happens after that, I can heal from." After Emma takes the note he gets onto the second subject, "Since I got back I've having nightmares. This is sorta new to me…clear conscious I guess." he 'hehs' as if it's some sort of joke, "I've got a pretty good idea why. I'd like your permission to go 'fix' that." He leaves the exact details as to who, what, and why out unless asked.
Pressing a finger onto the page, Emma turns it slowly, and then taps along some of the words, as if picking them out in specific, "As for the nightmares… this would not be Selene-related, would it? If it is, I have an aluminum baseball bat that was custom engraved that would like to have a casual conversation with her knees." Another page is turned, and once more she taps on specific words again, almost as if typing something out, "There are two people you can go to. One you will like… one you will not. Doctor Leonard Sampson is an employee of SHIELD and the Barnes Academy, but will also do services for the Xavier Academy. He can be called should you choose. The one you will like less is myself." A small smile spreading on white-painted lips, "While I am not a licensed therapist, I have a unique perspective on a generally healthy mind, if you will."
Tooth nods, and then starts to starts to stand, "I'd prefer you. What happens at Xavier's stays at Xavier's that way. The less 'they' know, the better. Besides, I trust you." The latter is a far cry away from the student who once terrorized the halls, and Emma's car on one occasion. "As for Selene," he says directly answering the question, "I know how this is going to play out." Or at least how it played out in 'his' future. "If it makes you feel any better, she's begging." He smiles as much as he allows himself to, "It does me." It's an unfortunate relationship Tooth has had with the woman Emma is more than familiar with, and not one he'd care to revisit if not for a small detail, "I won't pull any more future stuff on you tonight, so I'm going to leave it as 'it's something I should do.’” He turns to go, but gives into his 'know your enemy' take on life, "If you ever want an unfair advantage, let me know. I know how she ended up." And with that, he heads for the door, but not before stopping at the exit, "Em…Ms. Frost, thank you."
