A Reunion

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What's Up?

It's been a month since Professor Charles Xavier fell into an enigmatic coma, leaving his institute and his protégés to continue on without him.

It's been three days since the mark that had appeared on Xavier also appeared on his first eight students, the original X-Men. While none of them have followed their mentor's lead into oblivion, word of this strange shared circumstance reached them all quickly and they've agreed to gather and discuss the situation.

For better or worse, it seems that they're in this together.

It's dark, cold, and snowing outside when they gather in one of the mansion's parlors, a large room with double doors (which they close behind them) and a lit fireplace. The flames inside crackle and dismiss the worst of the night's chill as they arrive one by one, taking positions on two couches and three chairs scattered around a low table. The antique furniture and built-in bookshelves make the space reminiscent of Charles Xavier's office and the man's presence seems to hang over the gathering.

...But at least the bar cart is well-stocked.

Volunteer Slots

Scott Summers had the foresight to prepare a snack for the group before they met up. Or maybe they just needed a distraction. Regardless, they arrive armed with enough deviled eggs for everyone!

During the discussion, Kitty Pryde says something about themselves or their life that is just...not true. They don't know why they said it or where the thought even came from. How strange.

Near the end of the discussion, Kurt Wagner's mark begins to glow, bright enough to be visible through or around anything that might be obscuring it. One by one, the others' marks follow suit, ending with Emma Frost. The glow of their mark persist for several long moments after the others go dull and seems to pulse within their skin...before they suddenly collapse back with a gasp and fall unconscious.

When Emma wakes, only minutes later, their friends are around them and they recall nothing but a blinding light.

ARRIVALS ⮾ DURING THE TALK ⮾ AFTER THE TALK ⮾ OOC

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Comments

ARRIVALS

[367 367]

Introduce your character! Let us know how they're looking, how they're feeling, where they're coming from, and the like. Any pre-discussion scenes can also go here.

ARRIVALS: Scott Summers

[seeingred scott summers ⊗ cyclops]

Scott lives in the mansion, in the same room he was granted when he was fifteen, so he had time to take over the kitchen before the meeting. For hours. Making four dozen deviled eggs that look so perfect you'd expect them to have come out of a magazine.

Anyone who observed Scott in the kitchen today will know that he immediately put aside any flawed creations, which means he actually made way, way more than 48 deviled eggs. And in case you ask, he's fine. He's completely fine. If you don't want eggs, he also brought veggies and dip. All of the veggies are cut to exactly the same length.

As usual, he doesn't show much emotion during all the reunions, but he's quietly happy that they're together again.

ARRIVALS: Kurt Wagner

[blauerdamon kurt wagner ⚔️ nightcrawler]

Kurt also lives in the mansion, and he's taken it upon himself to be the host. Welcoming people when they arrive, taking their coats to the closet, making drinks, and generally teleporting excessively. He barely takes five actual steps the entire time people are getting settled, a pretty sure sign of either eagerness or anxiety. Maybe both.

He seems mostly like his usual gregarious self, but any time he sits still even non-telepaths and empaths can sense a forlorn uneasiness in his smile. He's genuinely excited to see everyone again, but his thoughts keep wandering back to Xavier or the marks or just the general state of the world.

ARRIVALS: Evie

[stroboscopic dazzle 'em]

Evelyn is in the process of moving back into the mansion at the moment, and today, all that's left after a couple weeks of sporadic effort are a pile of bags and bits and bobs that she immediately disappears to assimilate into her lair. After a while, she cheerily emerges to join the others, dressed down in plush baby blue athleisure and fuzzy slippers. Sleepover vibes! It's like she never left at all.

Once in the parlor, Evie sets about making honey and whiskey cocktails and projecting ambient mood lighting to match the glow of the fire. Obviously they're going to have to do some serious talking or whatever, but why not make it cozy?

ARRIVALS: Emma Frost

[frost_queen Emma Frost ♕ White Queen]

This is Emma's first day back after a whirlwind of trying to pack up to move back to the mansion - she had planned a slower reentry after Xavier had fallen comatose so she could finish up some business, but with the appearance of the mark her timeline had moved up to 'immediately.'

Dressed in a nice, fitted white dress and heels (what snow?), she's a little flushed with travel as she arrives not long before their discussion truly starts. She makes sure to sit next to Manny on one of the couches, and will shoo someone to a chair if there's not initially room for this. Outwardly, Emma projects relative calm, but she is very displeased about their current situation. Still, at least it's nice to have everyone together again.

ARRIVALS: Manuel de la Rocha

[empata Manuel de la Rocha (Empath)]

For most residents of the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, today is just another day and immersing himself in that stable monotony, keeping busy, makes it far easier for Manuel de la Rocha to get through the long hours until the gathering. He spends the day teaching. Grading. Practicing Prokofiev's Suggestion Diabolique with (perhaps unwarranted) intensity. Working out. Showering and making himself presentable again. And, eventually, it's time to meet the others.

He arrives just on time and not a minute before, taking a seat beside Emma on the sofa nearest the fire and looking between his friends. He doesn't see them enough anymore, even the ones that are always close at hand, but he's in no mood to appreciate the reunion just now. There's too much happening. There's too much that's beyond his ability to understand, let alone control. And, to add insult to injury, now they've been branded like chattel.

Maravilloso.

With an impatient sigh, he brushes back his still-damp hair and waits for things to get underway.

ARRIVALS: Kitty Pryde

[passingthru KITTY PRYDE]

Kitty has never moved out of the mansion, though she did switch rooms from the one she used to share with Jean to a private suite with an office. She's actually spread herself about the mansion considerably in those years, between those quarters and her in-the-wall hideout that very few know about, the place she prefers to work when the work's top secret. It's from there she descends through the ceiling about five minutes after the agreed upon meeting time, still sitting cross-legged from working on her couch, still holding her laptop. She does, at least, set that aside immediately. Lockheed of course is also in attendance. She's wearing sweatervest over a yellow t-shirt and very baggy pants that she can almost guarantee will make Emma and Manuel's eyes bleed. That is of course the point.

Despite her tardiness and lightly disheveled appearance, Kitty is almost just as bright as she's ever been upon seeing her friends, with warm welcomes for each of them. She's just a little more quiet and ready for the meeting to get underway than she'd normally be, perching on the back of a sofa nervously rather than sitting all the way. Also she already ate what feels like sixteen reject eggs today, but takes a few more to be polite.

ARRIVALS: Bobby Drake

[hotfrosty bobby drake ❄️ has a perfect attendance rate.]

It's a short commute for Bobby, who moved back in the spring. He tries to be helpful by rearranging the couches and chairs until they had just the right amount of space between each, something his mother always had opinions about — it takes all morning and a workout's worth of vacuuming but he found $4 in change so who wasted their time now?! Not Iceman, that's who!

He got the cozy memo and flops onto an armchair in jeans, a bright blue UCLA sweatshirt (did you hear he went to college? because he went to college–), and no socks. He's not trying to make light of everything but he's still trying to keep the mood light with a smile and jokey asides.

ARRIVALS: Jean Grey

[totalities marvel girl]

Jean also lives here, but has been spending a lot of time this past month jaunting around the astral plane looking for solutions to the Xavier Problem (and also spying on everyone else). She has the general energy of someone emerging from a haze of hyperfixation. She's wearing a pretty typical outfit/look for her and is physically very put-together even if she's clearly in mental disarray.

DURING THE TALK

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Any parts of the discussion between the group as a whole that people want to play out or any asides between pairs or groups of characters can go here.

DURING THE TALK: The Mark

[seeingred scott summers ⊗ cyclops]

Scott holds up his right hand, with the shared mark clearly branded on the back of it. "Has anyone seen a symbol like this before?"

DURING THE TALK: Xavier's Status

[blauerdamon kurt wagner ⚔️ nightcrawler]

Kurt brings out the medical report he was given. MRIs, vitals, bloodwork. There's a copy for everyone in the room.

"The doctors say that he's stable. We've hired nurses to take care of him on a day-to-day basis," he explains as he turns a page, pretending to understand more than he actually does. Sometimes it's just nice to pretend you're on top of things. "They have had thorough background checks. All fellow mutants."

DURING THE TALK: Magneto's Whereabouts

[totalities marvel girl]

It's during an awkward lull in the conversation that Jean decides to say something which has been nagging at the corner of her mind for a few minutes.

"Has anyone talked to Erik recently?" She's neither suggesting they contact him about this themselves nor pointing a finger at him, really, but she's also sort of doing both.

DURING THE TALK: Who did this?

[passingthru KITTY PRYDE]

Kitty pulls up an extremely comprehensive spreadsheet of every weird crime in the area, and every person with mental based powers that their records had ever encountered. But she hides her work immediately, slamming the laptop shut immediately and dramatically. “No meaningful leads. I’ve been looking since it happened. I was talking to my husband when we were clipping our dog’s nails last night, and he said.” She blinks, feeling like something was off, but isn’t sure how.

AFTER THE TALK

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Any interactions that occur after the discussion and prepare to depart can go here. If characters leave together and go somewhere else, just make a note in the subject line.

AFTER THE TALK: Emma & Open (one to catch her if you want, ++ otherwise)

[frost_queen Emma Frost ♕ White Queen]

The glowing of the marks is concerning, and Emma isn't sure whether them lighting up in sequence is any less worrisome than them lighting up in unison. She hates the feeling of it as it becomes her time, a pulsing sensation that makes her want to twist out of her own skin. Quickly she's on her feet, staring in a mirror on the wall at her shoulder while mentally searching the room for something, a trail to follow that might lead to her mark, which keeps glowing, longer than it should, longer than the others.

And then there is light, a small gasp, and a small step back that quickly turns into a free fall.

When she awakens minutes later, she is dizzy and confused.

AFTER THE TALK: Scott & Emma

[seeingred scott summers ⊗ cyclops]

It's nearing bedtime when Scott returns with empty dishes, after all the students descended on him and his offer of free eggs. Who knew the children were in such desperate need of late night protein? Anyone else might consider this a job well done and end the day, but Scott's mind is busy listing tasks like washing plates and wiping down surfaces. He probably won't fall asleep before 2 AM anyway.

Those plans are derailed when he sees someone already in the kitchen, with a glass of wine in one hand and a deviled egg in the other. "Emma," he says, surprised. He shouldn't ask her if she's okay; it'll annoy her. Although he's thought it now, so.

AFTER THE TALK: Kurt & Emma

[frost_queen Emma Frost ♕ White Queen]

After a late night snack, a final removal of her make-up and earrings, and one more quick glass of wine, Emma is ready to go to bed. But when she enters her room, essentially barren because none of her personal things have arrived, she just stands in the doorframe for a few moments before shaking her head and moving back into the hallway. She's got more welcoming options.

« Kurt? Are you awake? » The question pressed into his mind is gentle, enough to wake him if he's sleeping lightly but not enough to jar him from a deep sleep. As she asks this, Emma is already opening his door to slip inside.

OOC - QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS!

[367 367]

You know the drill. ♥

VOLUNTEER

[367 367]

Grab a volunteer slot if you want to!

Re: OOC - QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS!

[frost_queen Emma Frost ♕ White Queen]

Yay I'm so excited!!!!!!!!! Thank youuuuuu Kasey~

Re: OOC - QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS!

[blauerdamon kurt wagner ⚔️ nightcrawler]

Thank you Kasey this is so cool I'm so excited!!!

Re: OOC - QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS!

[passingthru KITTY PRYDE]

Oh my god I’m so excited thank u kasey!!!!!

Re: OOC - QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS!

[hotfrosty bobby drake ❄️ has a perfect attendance rate.]

YESSSS ty kasey!!! PUMPED PUMPED PUMPED

Re: OOC - QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS!

[empata Manuel de la Rocha (Empath)]

A stupid question: do we want to establish a GLOW ORDER? Just in case it ever comes up in conversation?