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Summary: Kage visits Bruce at “Nowhere” after the Magneto incident has calmed a bit. They discuss Mutant Superiority.
Log Title: Homo Superior
Rating: PG (L)
Mutant Town - Nowhere
Nowhere is a community bar, with a slightly old world feel. All of the tables and chairs are made of wood, though there are some couches in a slightly offset room with green fabric. The music varies, depending upon the Owner's music taste for the day. Beer and Liquor are both served, but are both carded for as well.
At the front of the bar, right as one walks in,is a large sign. "Superhuman friendly establishment. There will be no tolerance for disparaging remarks based on one's genetic status. Any fights will not be tolerated within the bar. The management holds no responsibility for where combatants are teleported."
Scene
Nowhere is a little less crowded than usual. It might have something to do with the fact that it's Wednesday, or maybe it's because of the rain. There are still plenty of open seats at the bar and about half of the tables are empty right now. Bruce is playing the part of patron tonight, spending all of the money he earned on the place he earned it from. If you asked him, he'd simply state that he was "reinvesting". Bruce is wearing his usual Australian attire. The bandages from his fights earlier in the week are off, but he's still got some scratches on his face and hands. The man has about four empty beer bottles in front of him and a rather annoyed looking coworker bringing him a fifth. He thanks and pays the girl before starting on his next beverage.
Almost with out a sound suddenly someone is behind Bruce, hand on the bar, painted nails showing. "I think you owe me a drink." Says the androgynous voice of Kage in Bruce's ear. Kage is dressed magnificently in a wine coloured skirt with a high slit up the side and a tight leatherish top with buckles on it. His hair is up in a cascade of curls and his make is done just like a woman's. Nothing masculine looking about Kage. "After that vist from the father of a mutual friend, I think you owe me something."
It takes Bruce a moment to realize that there is someone next to him, it takes another second for him to realize that this person is talking to him, and another to realize that this individual is familiar to him. He squints his eyes at Kage and nearly drops his bear. "Ay! Yer that sheila from…Last week." He waves a hand to the bartender, "Oy, get this lady whatever she wants." He apparently still thinks Kage is a woman. The bartender looks slightly more annoyed with Bruce, but takes Kage's order nonetheless.
Bruce leans in once the tender has turned her back to whisper to Kage. "Yeah, sorry 'bout that. He tried to grind me up when he realized I was at that incident. Lucky me I'm a bit metal-proof." He shrugs. "But he kind of insisted on knowing who shot Speedo, sorry 'bout that." He takes a drink of his beer and nods. "Looks like you survived, though."
Kage looks over at the bartender and places his order. "Whiskey, Johnny Walker Blue, on the rocks." He orders, nothing too manly at all and nothing too cheap either. "And like I said earlier, I'm not a sheila and I'm not a woman. I don't believe we met, I'm Kage." He says offering a hand. "And don't worry about it, Magneto and I had a talk and all is fine." For now.
Bruce looks slightly confused at Kage's response. "Not a…" He glances down at Kage's lap for a second before looking back at his face. He leans in close as though looking for stubble. "Yer a Bloke then? Hmmm…" He leans back and tips up the brim of his hat "Name's Bruce. Guess I couldn't tell ya that back the other day." He notices the hand and offers a quick shake. He looks slightly relieved about the Magneto situation. "Well that's good. He seemed a little pissed when I talked to him last."
"Oh he was mad but we had a chat and things are smoothed over." Kage says taking the glass of whiskey when it's brought over. "And correct, I'm male." And he has no shame about his manner of dress, Kage just believes he's -that- beautiful. "So robbing a bank? I guess everyone has to start somewhere."
Bruce holds up a hand and shushes Kage when he mentions the bank. "Careful, mate. Lots of ears here." He glances around before deciding that it's ok to talk about it. "Well it's not really my style to do these things, but I kind of needed the cash up front. Gonna start doing some things that might not be too popular with the humans. And I'd rather them not know who I am to come running at me with pitchforks. Kind of wanted to get a snazzy costume from that costume shop."
Looking at Bruce, Kage just shrugs. "What is your style then Bruce?" Kage says amused that he's given his real first name. Not many people who are alive know Kage's real name. "What is your opinion of us?" Meaning mutants. "And which costume shop, the one run by the mutant kid around here?"
Looking at Bruce, Kage just shrugs. "What is your style then Bruce?" Kage says amused that he's given his real first name. Not many people who are alive know Kage's real name. "What is your opinion of us?" Meaning mutants. "And which costume shop, the one run by the mutant kid around here?"
Bruce smirks at Kage’s response. “You’re maybe the first person I’ve met here to agree with me. Other than Magneto. And he might still want me dead a little.” He ponders for a moment. “Well yeah we should get what we want, but I’d rather have not caused a commotion if I could have avoided it. Speedo was a bit of a problem. And that ghost kid keeps getting in my way. Found out how to knock him back, though.” He is silent for a moment before speaking again. “If I had a snazzy costume I could go out and speak out without having to worry about the humans. But now money’s not an obstacle.”
"The Ghost kid who I could have killed in two seconds, who wasn't a mutant, and was just in the way." Kage says with an eye roll as he sips at his whiskey. "Ever since I found out I was a mutant, I new I was better than the rest of race and that also came with knowing I'll always deserve better. And if money is ever an obstacle, come find me, I can assist you if it's not to much. You don't always need to go to the bank."
Bruce chuckles, "Yeah. He mentioned he wasn't a mutant. And I discovered he really doesn't like salt." He nods at the offer. "Thanks, going to the bank could be rather troublesome. I'm just lucky Speedo didn't call any of his Avenger friends. He was enough of an annoyance." He shakes his head. "It's really a shame that our kind would waste their time and risk their lives for the mundanes. It's such a waste. The Avengers should be using their powers to benefit our kind. If they keep working for the human government to opress the other mutants, they'll eventually be alone. Then the government will get rid of them."
"Salt? Interesting." Kage says with amusement, something so simple. "I really wasn't trying to kill him, I don't kill our own." Kage says and means it, well not unless he has to. "Lives of the mundane don't matter. They're cattle is all. Chimpanzees as you say, who really cares if there is one less chimp in the world." He says taking another swig of his drink. "And Avengers, Ha! Most aren't even superior like us. Not mutants."
Kage finish his drink and puts it down, hard, on the table. "The war is coming, and I will survive it. We are the superior race, how could we lose?" And yes Kage is that confident. "I just know I'm on the right side and I want to show those below us that we are kings and gods and they aren't. Noone wants to be replaced as the top of the food chain and not even their Avengers can stop us."
The bartender turns to look at Kage as he slams down one of her glasses. SHe sighs and comes back to offer him a refill. After the bartender goes back to her duties, Bruce continues the conversation. "Yes, we are stronger. But if we keep having to fight our own kind, or if the humans keep making artificial mutants, then we're going to have a problem. We need to get our people's attention. Start training them for the coming war. Train them like the Avengers train their students." He holds up a hand, "Apparently they have some training school. So says Ghost Boy, anyway." He nods in agreement with himself. "We need to do that. Take in the mutants who get kicked out of their homes. The ones who live in the streets. Convince the ones who spend all day living their lives as normal folks that they need to prepare, and offer them the means to do it."
"Ghost Boy just told you all this?" Kage lets out a bit of a laugh. "Ah another Xavier's. If only we could start recruiting them young but so many have these ideals. Don't know what they really are. Sorry but when you are better, why do you need to stoop so low to 'get along'. Look at mutant town, this should be the Upper East Side, beauty and wealth not another harlem."
Bruce chuckles. "Well, he kind of stole some of me liquor from the bar. So they apparently don't teach 'em very good morals out there. He was pretty drunk when he was chatting with me." He looks a little confused. "Xavier? Don't think I met him. Is he like Ghost Boy?" He kind of agrees with Kage's point on Mutant Town. "Hey, at least someplace like this exists. Most cities don't have anyplace like this. Unfortunately it just makes Mutant Town a huge target."
"Oh no, Xavier's, it's a school for mutant kids, teaching them morals and to be good little kids." Kage says enjoying his second whiskey. "And no, he's not, he's a powerful telepath. I've only met an alternate dimension version of Xavier. And yesh, this Mutant Town is decent, I should see about getting that park fixed up." Or making a large donation to the city too.
Bruce looks a little surprised. "A second school? Like the Avengers School?" That is an interesting bit of info. "Well is that school at least teaching the kids to defend themselves or is it teaching them to be obedient guard dogs for the human monkeys?" He shakes his head, "Doesn't matter. They'd still use propaganda to make the kids feel safer than they are. We may be able to convince some of the kids to see things our way before it's too late. Save them before they get wiped out. A place like that is likely to be a huge target as well, though I've never heard of it." He doesn't ask what Kage was doing in an alternate dimension, but in response to Xavier he adds "Telepath? Like he can move stuff with his mind?"
"The original school." Kage says with a wave of his hand. "All mutant, home of the X-Men." Kage say with a mischievous smile. "So Bruce, shall we combine our talents and see what fresh meat we can convert to our cause? There are plenty of kids out there who know, in their hearts, that we are better and need to show them that."
Bruce grins back at the other man. “Well, I figure I’ve got a bit of military training, I could teach those kids a thing or two about defense. How you want to go about doing this?” He ponders for a moment. “My plan, once I have an acceptable costume that doesn’t look like I’m a hobo, is to canvas the city with adverts for a rally of some sort. Get everybody together and let ‘em know they’re not alone.” And rant at them. Ranting is key.
Kage raises an eyebrow. "I think we need to find a way to just show these kids what they can have, how they can live, and how we're important and that they need to desire that. Go hang around these schools. I shouldn't be telling you this but I can detect mutants. I can tell who is worth my time and who isn't.
"I can find them, just look for too many mutant signatures that aren't in Mutant Town." Kage says with a wink. "Oh they will definitely have security but believe me when I say I am some sort of expert with security." No powers, Kage is just really good a breaking into area as he's an expert thief. "Breaking into the MET was barely a challenge."
Bruce looks a bit skeptical at the MET comment, but he takes Kage's word on the security expertise. "Ok. So we get in there and what? Just talk to the kids? What do we do when one of them rats us out and we've got Captain America on our ass?" He frowns, "I really don't think it'd look good to those kids if I started bashing their heroes against a wall."
Kage stands up and throws down enough money for his drinks, Bruce's drinks and a good tip. "Let's find out exactly where the school is then we can scout out the area and them come up with a plan. You need to take baby steps, don't rush." He says to Bruce with a smile. "I'll find you again once I have more information." He says as he starts to walk off, disappearing before getting to the door.
Bruce shakes his head at the money. “I thought I owed you a drink.” But Kage is already walking away when he turns back. He calls out “Ok, I’m usually here.” He points to his seat, “Or there” He points to the other side of the counter. He assumes Kage can still hear and see him. Bruce turns back to the bartender to get yet another beer. He may be here a while.
~ Fin ~
