Forest Fright

[blauerdamon]

Forest Fright

what's up?

In the early afternoon on Saturday (3/1), the Xavier Institute is attacked by an unknown mutant who manipulates the surrounding foliage, trapping the X-Men and one of their students in a forested maze. The situation is quickly brought under control, and seems to be the result of a messy international custody battle. The incident doesn't even make the local news thanks to the X-Men's quick response.

the incident & volunteers.

Shadowcat is out for a brisk walk in the wooded area surrounding the mansion, something they’re very familiar with. Strange, then, when they notice that the path is trailing off, and the number of trees has grown hauntingly dense. They can no longer tell which direction the mansion is in, and before they can come up with a plan of action, woody vines erupt from the forest floor and entangle them.

Meanwhile, Empath is out on one of the verandas enjoying the afternoon and keeping tabs on a couple students who are messing around with their powers on the lawn. Suddenly they hear the distressed shout of their teammate from beyond the treeline. One of the students, Veronica Milanović, is a firestarter who’s always eager and never in great control of her powers. The second she hears the scream, she takes off into the forest.

Empath narrowly catches up with Veronica. She overzealously uses her powers to light several of the trees on fire, which causes the foliage to react violently, attacking both student and teacher. Empath and Veronica work together, with them helping Veronica to finally get her fire powers under control for the first time.

White Queen rushes outside, where more and more students have arrived to check out the commotion. The forest is visibly overgrown now, with thick trunks making it hard to enter. White Queen makes quick time by telepathically tracking Shadowcat to navigate to the thickest part of the forest, where they find Shadowcat knocked out and bound in vines. They work to free them as the team finally regroups.

When the X-Men corner the source of the trouble, they catch a glimpse of a normal looking man with a black moustache. Rather than fight, he makes a run for it, using his control over vegetation to assist his escape. Once he’s gone, all of the trees return to normal, and the overgrown plant life recedes. It’s like nothing ever happened.

Well, besides the trees that Veronica set on fire.

resolution.

Later they learn that the man behind the forest’s eruption was Thomas Cassidy, an Irish mutant who was mistakenly convinced that his niece, Theresa Cassidy, had been sent to Xavier’s in secret. It seems like he’s in the middle of a very messy custody battle over the girl, and had plans to steal her away from the American school.

He escaped the scene of the crime, and his current whereabouts are unknown. He likely returned to Europe.

code

Comments

MORNING

[blauerdamon kurt wagner ⚔️ nightcrawler]

FOREST MAZE

[blauerdamon kurt wagner ⚔️ nightcrawler]

AFTERMATH

[blauerdamon kurt wagner ⚔️ nightcrawler]

OOC 🌳 ETC

[blauerdamon kurt wagner ⚔️ nightcrawler]

OOC 🌳 VOLUNTEER SLOTS

[blauerdamon kurt wagner ⚔️ nightcrawler]

Re: OOC 🌳 VOLUNTEER SLOTS

[empata Manuel de la Rocha (Empath)]

...May I take Character B for Manny~?

Re: OOC 🌳 VOLUNTEER SLOTS

[blauerdamon kurt wagner ⚔️ nightcrawler]

Awww yes, Manny help her find some balance!!!

Re: OOC 🌳 ETC

[passingthru KITTY PRYDE]

I'm still debating if to offer the child one of the volspots but I LOVE this and would love to thread w everyone! I have a v slow weekend so let's WRITE.

Re: OOC 🌳 ETC

[frost_queen Emma Frost ♕ White Queen]

THIS IS CUTE AND I AM EXCITED!! After I do my morning video games I'll be hitting this up 🥰 lmk if you want Emma!! thank you Meggie!!!!!!

Re: OOC 🌳 VOLUNTEER SLOTS

[frost_queen Emma Frost ♕ White Queen]

Cannnn I grab C for Emma? She's just going to use some brain tracking to get the job done, if that works~

Re: OOC 🌳 VOLUNTEER SLOTS

[passingthru KITTY PRYDE]

ok i big debated but I decided it would be fun to let Kitty get surprised for a change let's let her be kidnapped, character A please!

[My rationale is she was like deep in the Find Maddy sauce on her phone on this walk and by the time she could have phased out of the vines she was unconscious whoops but also if anyone else wants this please say lmao]

Re: OOC 🌳 VOLUNTEER SLOTS

[blauerdamon kurt wagner ⚔️ nightcrawler]

Absolutely! A+ tracking job

Re: OOC 🌳 VOLUNTEER SLOTS

[blauerdamon kurt wagner ⚔️ nightcrawler]

Poor Kitty :')

Re: OOC 🌳 VOLUNTEER SLOTS

[passingthru KITTY PRYDE]

Don't walk and request birth records from Alaska, friends.

Re: OOC 🌳 ETC

[blauerdamon kurt wagner ⚔️ nightcrawler]

Thank YOU for helping me! ♥

AFTERMATH: Kitty & Emma

[frost_queen Emma Frost ♕ White Queen]

All the adrenaline is pretty much gone already - ultimately, this little... adventure had been mild, thankfully. A mere annoyance that will likely be forgotten by their trip to Genosha. Even so, Emma is feeling a little fussy over Kitty, not liking that anyone had managed to knock her out.

Once all the children have been wrangled and reassured and everyone has settled back into the mansion, Emma has forced Kitty to rest in one of the comfortable sitting rooms while she fetches her a cup of tea, which she's currently returning with.

"I'm going to talk to someone about setting up better perimeter sensors," she complains as she reenters the room.

MORNING: Manny & Emma

[frost_queen Emma Frost ♕ White Queen]

By 11:30am Emma is seated in the kitchen, two espressos ready on the table, her phone decidedly tucked away as she waits for Manny to arrive. It's not an uncommon ritual for them on Saturdays - they've been off to yoga and back, and after getting cleaned up they'll share a quiet espresso and a little gossip.

Honestly, the gossip is practically ready to overflow from her, but she wants to be mindful of the fact that technically, nothing has really been resolved with her and Scott. So she should mostly keep her mouth shut, and hopefully steer the conversation in other directions.

MORNING: Kurt & Emma

[frost_queen Emma Frost ♕ White Queen]

After a late awakening and a little bit of fussing around her room, Emma emerges in a silken robe, hair done up in heatless curl rods as she pads her way into the kitchen for a cup of coffee and then into an east-facing lounge to slowly start her morning.

Normally she'd be up a bit earlier than usual, but she'd felt like indulging, so she's not surprised in the least that she's not alone when she steps into the room.

"Guten Morgen, Liebchen."

AFTERMATH: Kitty & Emma

[passingthru KITTY PRYDE]

Kitty's brain is just as much a tangled pit as the forest was. A sense of pervasive shame for being caught in the way she was. (Never being caught was supposed to be her One Thing. How could she possibly fail at her One Thing?) She's indulging in a moment of self-pity. But she's still thinking about next moves at work. The alien technology of the Demutanator. How to request birth records from Alaska. It's enough that she tries to bring her mind back to the present when Emma comes back in the room so as not to grant her an instant headache. She flops her head to the side of the sofa and concentrates on the plush feeling under it.

"I can't believe they got an entire maze in here. That's so annoying. What was that going to do anyway???"

AFTERMATH: Kitty & Emma

[frost_queen Emma Frost ♕ White Queen]

Emma gives Kitty a pitying look, the other girl's tangled thoughts just as messy as when she'd tracked her down outside. Sorting though them is possible, but not necessary, and so she simply shakes her head as she puts out a coaster and then sets the mug of tea on it.

Afterwards she seats herself in the armchair to the side of the couch but still angled towards the coffee table, the proximity of her seat allowing her to reach out and gently touch the top of Kitty's head before she settles back.

"Distract and delay, I imagine. But... are you feeling alright? I think you've got too many things going on in your mind."

MORNING: Manny & Emma

[empata Manuel de la Rocha (Empath)]

While it's impossible to really be late for this sort of informal get together, Manuel is so punctual and predictable most of the time that the couple of minutes he leaves Emma sitting by herself are noteworthy. It's clear he's been walking at a brisk pace when he enters the kitchen and he slips into the seat across from her with an apologetic smile.

He looks down at their mugs, still sitting together and untouched, and shakes his head. He reaches for one, but waits for her to do the same before lifting it into his hands. There's still steam coming off of it, so he's not that late.

"Forgive me. You didn't have to wait. I was...intercepted."

MORNING: Manny & Emma

[frost_queen Emma Frost ♕ White Queen]

"Intercepted?" Emma could, of course, look, but these chats are a little more entertaining if she doesn't just get all her answers on her own. She does indeed reach for her mug as Manny does, her own smile forgiving and reassuring. She can deal with a few minutes tardiness, particularly because she's been a little up in her own head all morning.

"And the clock was ticking, but you arrived before I gave in to temptation." She takes a slow, content sip.

MORNING: Kurt & Emma

[blauerdamon kurt wagner ⚔️ nightcrawler]

Kurt was staring out the window, listening to the bubbling sound of the coffee maker doing its job, thoughts off somewhere north with Scott. Emma's voice jolts him out of his trance, and he brushes his worries away under a metaphorical carpet so that they won't stick out so much. She can probably still catch fragments, but it's the best Kurt can do on short notice.

"Ah, Emma, you look as lovely as the morning sun."

AFTERMATH: Kitty & Emma

[passingthru KITTY PRYDE]

She frowns at the look. That's pity, she doesn't need to be Manny to tell that. It's the worst feeling of all to receive. "I'm good." She snaps, and immediately feels bad about doing so. She winces, apologetic, and takes a penitent sip of tea.

"I do have a couple dozen projects right now. I didn't sleep much. That's all."

MORNING: Kurt & Emma

[frost_queen Emma Frost ♕ White Queen]

With a little hum, Emma goes to seat herself across from Kurt, watching him for a moment. Even without getting a clear view of everything that had been on his mind when she'd arrived, it's not difficult for her to guess his mood (and probably the reason for it).

"Such a flatterer. You're looking darling as always, but worry is dragging you down a bit." This is said gently but directly. "Is the view outside helping at all?"