The Demutanator

[frost_queen]

The Demutanator

What's Up?

The residents of the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters wake up one morning to find that their powers don't seem to be working. Like, at all. Though this initially leads to some distress (even though everyone is safe and healthy!), within a day they track down the source of the problem and get to work fixing it! They'll just have to deal with being normal humans for a few days whenever they're at the school. It's fiiiiine.

Volunteer Slots

February 21st: Jean Grey, unsure of what else to do, decides to head out for some outdoors time, and finds that about a mile away from the school, their powers suddenly start working again. Well, at least it seems to be localized.

Manuel de la Rocha is minding their own business in their room when they hear a loud bang outside. Almost like someone running into a door or a wall... They go out to find Kitty, and any others who have witnessed her mistake.

February 23rd: Scott Summers runs a game of tug-of-war (classic mud puddle included) with the kids since it's the only time they can truly play powerless. It's actually kind of a hit, and the students beg them to run more games in the future.

February 21st

On a bright, sunny day, the residents of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters awaken to a strange and somewhat troubling situation - all of their powers are gone, though otherwise everything is painfully normal. Kurt Wagner is the first to notice, and does some quick research and discovers nothing in the news about this phenomenon at all. In fact, no other mutants anywhere seem to be affected, leaving them even more baffled.

February 22nd

The team pinpoints a child's clubhouse in a nearby park, and inside they find twelve year old Buster McKeever and a strange contraption. He tells them that he built this because his best friend, Opal Owens, was struggling with her powers (the ability to possess inanimate objects for short periods of time), and he wanted to make her life easier. He was able to achieve this because of his powers, which give him super intelligence, but once he turned the thing on... well, he's got no idea how to turn it off since he's back to a regular twelve year old's IQ. Notes he wrote suggest that simply turning it off isn't an option, and while it will run out of power within a month, the X-men aren't willing to wait that long. But at least they know the cause! Kitty Pryde updates everyone on their findings.

February 23rd/24th

With the problem sorted out and anyone who wants to helping with disabling the machine, there's nothing to do but just go about life as much as they can.

February 25th

After a few days of work they're able to safely turn off and dismantle the machine, which used a piece of extra-dimensional technology to make it all work. Luckily, after that's destroyed, there's no chance of replicating it or its effects, a relief to everyone. After talks with Buster and Opal's parents, the two agree to join Xavier's to hone their abilities, and maybe be a little bit more careful with mysterious tech.

FEB 21 | FEB 22 | FEB 23 | FEB 24 | FEB 25 | OOC

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FRIDAY: Midmorning, Kitty & Manny

[empata Manuel de la Rocha (Empath)]

Manuel hadn't expected measured, but he'll accept measured. Even if it's a little boring. He nods his agreement, willing to defend and repeat this story should the need arise, and smiles easily, "Vale. Your secret's safe with me. Until Emma has her powers back, at least."

He speaks as though this is a certainty. The alternative is too much to consider.

With Kitty on his arm, he starts down the hall, only glancing in her direction again when she thrusts her phone into his face. Instantly, he's intrigued, seemingly delighted to be included in this mundane bit of drama. His eyebrows lift as he reads the text and his smile edges closer to a smirk.

"I'm honored. I assume we like this boy?"

He's known her long enough to know what her crushes feel like, the energy and the rampant butterflies, but he can't sense any of that now. It takes some of the fun out of this, but it's still a welcome distraction. Besides, given the momentum with which she'd slammed into his door, it seems fair to assume there had been some excitement involved. Unfortunately, for her.

FRIDAY: Midmorning, Kitty & Manny

[passingthru KITTY PRYDE]

"I think by then it'll be so diluted with other secrets that it won't matter." But not too much other secrets. She holds hope this will be very temporary. Kitty's head is starting to pound, pain shockwaving up throughout her sinuses. It's very novel, actually. In all their battles and even training, she rarely can be caught by surprise, anymore. It's a rare day when Kitty gets bruised. She could have all in all done without this reminder.

It's lessened, though, at the ability to gossip a little. She grins, knowing now she made the right choice. Manny's the perfect blend of not caring about her enough to try and give her good advice, and not so aloof to dismiss her entirely. Or maybe it's just emotional Stockholm Syndrome because he can usually feel all of her crushes anyway, and had, since her truly embarrassing run of them as a teen.

"We do like this boy." She admits with a requisite eyeroll. "I met him at speed dating. He's a dentist and he loves Star Wars. He's really shy, so I'm probably fated to scare him off, but not yet."

FRIDAY: Midmorning, Kitty & Manny

[empata Manuel de la Rocha (Empath)]

The handkerchief is getting redder still and seeing Kitty grin at him through the mess is slightly disconcerting. But Manuel knows she's been through far worse than this and will follow her lead, keeping up the conversation, as long as she remains steady on her feet.

Besides. Now he wants to know.

So he ignores her rolling her eyes at him and simply listens as she talks about the mysterious Peter P. The description is...underwhelming. The man doesn't sound particularly exceptional or even worth Kitty's time. But there's no accounting for taste and she's not seeking input on her selection. Just her approach.

He clicks his tongue and shrugs dismissively.

"So, you like him and he likes you. What do you need me for?" he returns easily, "Tell him that the galaxy is taking up your weekend, unfortunately, but that you want to see him soon for coffee or..." He gestures absently with his free hand. "Whatever it is you want to do with him and be done with it. If he can't accommodate one minor emergency, it's never going to work, anyway."

FRIDAY: Midmorning, Kitty & Manny

[passingthru KITTY PRYDE]

Finding a spot on the handkerchief that is not red is beginning to be a problem, and Kitty is trying to convince herself that she's not dizzy, it's just more blood than she's seen come out of her in a little while. Not a dangerous amount. She remains fixed on the steps ahead, and only leans into Manny's arm just a little bit more.

"I wanted a second opinion, that's all!" She sighs, faux-exasperated. She looks at her phone like maybe the text has changed in the time since they started talking. "Like, how long after a text do I send the sorry, can't one so it sounds like I'm definitely busy and not making something up?"

FRIDAY: Midmorning, Kitty & Manny

[empata Manuel de la Rocha (Empath)]

Normally, Manuel's empathic sense would be sounding the alarm about Kitty's worsening condition. Her wavering resolve. Her uncertainty. Her mounting vertigo. But he doesn't detect any of that now and remains oblivious, thoughtlessly taking on the mild burden of her weight as she leans into him a little more.

"And now you have it," he returns, smirking playfully as she defends herself from his chiding and then considering her question. "Give it a few hours at most. If this guy's as timid as you said, playing hard to get isn't going to motivate him; it's going to make him second guess himself."

FRIDAY: Midmorning, Kitty & Manny

[passingthru KITTY PRYDE]

"See, I knew you'd be good at interpreting guy psychology."

Kitty smiles up at him. She's still sort of counting the steps towards the infirmary, and probably looks just a little paler, but she's excited enough that continuing doesn't sounds like the worst thing.

"That's why I ran into your door first." Like perhaps this will help him feel honored.

FRIDAY: Midmorning, Kitty & Manny

[empata Manuel de la Rocha (Empath)]

"Obviamente," Manuel returns, smiling back. He knows that he hasn't delivered any information that's particularly insightful about guy psychology or anything else, but he's never been one to turn down a little adoration. Though, the fact that he can't feel it (or anything else) reverberating back through his empathic sense makes it feel unreal. Makes him feel...disconnected from his friend in this moment in a way that he could never hope to articulate.

Instead of focusing on that, he focuses on Kitty.

She's leaning on him even more now. And some of the color has gone out of her face. He feels a pang of uncertain alarm.

"...Are you all right?"

He loathes having to ask and the moment after he does feels entirely too long.

FRIDAY: Midmorning, Kitty & Manny

[passingthru KITTY PRYDE]

"Yes." Kitty answers, maybe too quickly. She doesn't like how there's an actual note of concern in his voice. Manny, of all people, shouldn't be worried about her. She rallies, sits up from his shoulder, forces herself to smile and not look at the bloody cloth in her hand. Kitty tests her hand right under her nose, instead, and she's pleased to find,

"I think it's mostly stopped now." She nods, but not too fast, and sends up her best attempt at a disarming grin. "I'll live to get hurt worse. How are you doing, anyway?"

FRIDAY: Midmorning, Kitty & Manny

[empata Manuel de la Rocha (Empath)]

Looking at Kitty more closely now, Manuel doesn't believe her, but he also doesn't think arguing with her will do any good. They're nearing the infirmary, anyway. Better to just stay close and be prepared to catch her if she pushes herself too far beyond her limit before they arrive.

The question feels absurd, especially accompanied by her bloodied grin, and he gives her an incredulous look.

"How am I doing? A ver. I haven't run into any doors, so..."