March 19, 2016:
Bobby quotes a movie, badly, during a training session
X-Red HQ - New York
Characters
NPCs: None.
Mentions:
Plot:
Mood Music: None.
Fade In…
The X-Red HQ doesn't have the same Danger Room that the Institute does, but it does have an advanced training room that Mike built, capable of handling many but not all of the same functions. Bobby's making use of it tonight as something plays in the background. The ipod lists it as 'Lady of the Worlds' by Miracle of Sound. Odd choice of music perhaps as the ice nerd freezes and blasts things around him. It's a combat sim, clearly.
The shimmer of white skies. I spin to and fro. A flicker of wild eyes, I'm losing control. The shimmer of white skies. The legacy leashed in my cries, shall reign over bitter white skies.
It's late. The music's turned up. Doubtful he can hear much at the moment.
Brins standing at the doorway, behind the safety screen, watching Bobby practice. Sometimes they practice together, but right now, he needs the time to get a handle on his enhanced power, just as she needs to learn what's happening with her empathy.
As she stands there, she moves in time with the music, just a slight sway of the hips and tap of the foot, it's highly likely she doesn't have any idea that she's doing it…. and anyone who approaches will feel a sense of gentle elation in the area. All is right in Brins world for the moment.
"You should come dancing with me" Wanda notes softly to Brinley. She didn't creep up! She just walks really quietly. "Is he okay?" Wanda watches Bobby prancing around in the danger room with a curious gaze before looking back at Brinley. "You look well." She would say 'feel' but doesn't want Brinley to get self-conscious about her emotional resonance. "Can he see us?"
Back and forth like a pendulum, swinging hard for the outside. Smash the walls of the clock and run, overcoming the confines. Wake the wolf with a distant roar, stands of ash separated to entwine on a distant shore. Troubled lives ever fated.
The ice nerd turns and blasts a projection with enough cold to snap-shatter steel. As he does his form ripples and for an instant he's a gleaming man made of ice. The temperature in the air around Brin and Wanda drops enough for their breath to frost the air.
Then it's gone, and he's normal again and the temperature recovers. He can probably see them but he's too focused right now.
Brin starts just a little as Wanda speaks. She'd been concentrating on Bobby. "Perhaps I should, but I find most places where you can dance to be trying." the words are equally soft and the brunette doesn't take her eyes from the man in the room. "I am well, Wanda."
"He's … ok, I think. His doctor has given him something that seems to stabili—-" her words stop as his form changes and the air chills around them. Shivering a bit, she cants her head and reaches out "He's done that before, I'm not sure if he knows he's doing it, if it's deliberate or if it just happens."
"Shall we see if we can get his attention?"
"Trying? You don't need to try to dance, you just use your natural rhythm…like you were when I walked in" replies Wanda with a fond smile before it is wiped away by the icing of Bobby.
"It does not seem to be working very well" Wanda observes sadly. "Maybe something more drastic is needed?" Her words are surprising cold before her smile is back and the warmth of her tone returns. "Sure, as long as he doesn't think we're projections and ice us."
It's not good to ice projections of your friends. It's also not good to not be aware that your friends are watching you while you wind down from training. A projection appears, just a static target. Bobby's back is to them and he starts speaking in a bad italian accent. "You come here unannounced on the day my daughter is to be married? I welcomed you into my home. We broke bread together. My grandmama made you a cannoli." There's a pauce and ice gathers around his hand. "Ice 'em!"
And then he does. Yeah. He looks silly.
Ah yes, English and Wanda aren't particularly good friends. Brin just shakes her head. She'll… address that later. "Maybe, I can …" she'll make the concession as she continues to watch her team mate training before giving Wanda a sidelong glance.
"I might be ab—-" Then Bobby gives that ludicrous speech. "Well… then."
Opening the screen, the small brunette moves into the room, putting a glowing green and gold shield up before her. Let Bobby try to take a pot shot at her, this could get interesting … "May you first grandchild be a masculine one …" So not quite the same movie, but she's not going to shreak like a bunny.
"Bobby has a child?" Wanda asks Brinley. First she has heard about this. "Who is he talking to? And why is he doing a French accent?" And then Brinley is heading inside and talking even stranger. "He does have a child and they are old enough to have children too?" Why doesn't anyone tell her these things? Wanda looks a bit stunned at the moment…and even a bit paler than normal. This throws a new perspective on things. Which of his many girlfriends are the mother? All of them? Is that why he keeps changing them? These thoughts actually have Wanda glaring at Bobby for a moment and she yells something at him in Romanii that doesn't sound nice at all before she has her arms crossed and her expression is daring him to defend himself. If only he had any idea what he had to defend.
Bobby spins, eyes wide, when Brin comes back with her own quip. He flushes beet red. "Er. Hi." Aaaaand then Wanda is making it worse.
"Uh, no, I don't have children and my grandmother doesn't make cannolis."
The Romani doesn't sound nice. But he also has no idea what exactly he's being called. "Uuuuuuuhhh… how long have you been there?"
Brin resists the urge to rub her temples. Perhaps she could get Gabriel to show Wanda those movies … on second thoughts, no. She'll end up with the pair of them asking her what it all means … "They're just lines from movies, Wanda. You and Gabriel should go and see the new one that's out." That will be safe right?
"I always like it when you blush, Bobby." she teases lightly and drops her shield drop. It's a nice change to her blushing actually. "I've been watching nearly since you started. You're getting good at that… "
"Movies?" Wanda considers this, and Bobby's protestations, before she shrugs it all away. "Okay. I forgive you, Bobby" she magnanimously decides before smiling to Brinley. "Gabriel and I watch lots of movies" she notes. "There are so many movies on the internet. And so many training movies. In Transia I had no idea they all existed but Pietro must have since he was much more…umm…successful with the ladies? But I will watch the new movie out with Gabriel after I get back from Greece."
"Oh…and there is a local tech group that has sentinel parts according to someone called Vixen" Wanda adds, doing her best to recite the things she needs to. "She has information and so does a spider woman called…umm…Spider Woman. No one was here so I answered the alarm myself."
A nod to Brinley's words. "Da, you are getting very good with your French accent."
"It was supposed to be Italian." Bobby mutters as he fixes Brin with a glare that says, without words, 'You let her on the internet? With Gabriel?'. He really hopes that when she says 'training for being successful with the ladies' she means 'dating videos.' Maybe RomCom's? He doesn't want to imagine otherwise.
"Sentinel parts. That's not good. We've had some indications that weapons are headed overseas as part of a buildup." Weapons and people. "Scott's going to be on some of that but we'll need to get all of the access and information we can if we want to be effective in supporting them and shutting what's coming down."
At least Bobby's not sweating. Far from it. Though his shirt is still wet. Price of turning to ice. "Shall we take this to the kitchen? I'm starving."
As Wanda mentions watching movies on the Internet and the training ones… Brin really does rub her temples. Also, she hopes that Mike managed to get the safe search function enabled. She is truly expecting Gabe to find her with the "… I found this …" line, now.
Bobbys glare is returned with a small shrug. They're both adults and she's really not their mother - no matter how much they might seem like they need one.
"You should be hungry…" she remarks as she leads the way to the Kitchen. "Sentinel parts, Wanda?" she shakes her head "Any information you get on that, will be helpful."
Pulling food from the fridge and setting about heating it, she looks to Bobby "Are you aware that your form changes during your workout? You became ice back there for a moment. Like you did on the rooftop the other day."
Wanda nods to the kitchen idea and is soon following along behind the pair. "Oh, Italian. Yes, very good." She at least tries to bolster Bobby's confidence. "Vixen and Spider-Woman have the information. They were going to give to to SHIELD. I wanted to collapse the building but I did not have time before the police came and I am not good at talking to them like you two are. There is something about uniforms that still make me nervous. In Transia the police are like an army that only kills its own citizens."
Once in the kitchen Wanda sets about organising the drinks. "Have you ever put flavors in your milk? I did not think you could do it at home. Is your belt working, Bobby? Brinley is right, you turned to ice for a moment. If you are not aware that you did…:
Bobby nods with a long sigh. "Yes I know. The belt doesnt prevent me from doing that and it happens when I am concentrating too hard or really putting the cold on. I might be able to control it but I havent figured out how yet."
"Well I'm glad you didn't bring the building down, Wanda." An idle thought passes through her mind - maybe Gabe and Wanda could have good behaviour star charts … She leaves the bit about the authorities alone.
"Yes, I used to flavour my milk. It's quite nice … " she murmurs before turning her attention to Bobby "It doesn't seem to hurt you, when it happens. It gets cold… " she shivers at the thought "… maybe I can work with you on control." Although is Brin really one to talk about that, at the moment?
Everyone is getting flavored milk whether they want it or not! "Didn't Booby say that he could kill people if this happened? That is more than just getting cold. But I suppose getting cold is better than killing people so if the belt is doing that… Do you have to wear the belt all the time? Even in the shower?"
Wanda places a glass of strawberry milk in front of each of them. "You will figure it out, Bobby. You have to. We don't want to see you stop being a hero." She peers at him a moment before laughing. "Though you do look naked when you become all ice."
"I can if the cold gets out of control. Hypothermia, or snap freezing." Both are bad. "And yes, I do have to wear it all the time." Not that anyone will notice since he doesn't exactly have company in the shower. The news that he looks bare when he ices up gets a slight roll of the eyes. Lovely. More PR for Brin to deal with.
"Working on control would be good. I'll need it. Mean time, how are folks? I feel like I'm still catching up. No more clockwork men recently Wanda?"
"Everyday, Bobby. You can help me and I'll help you." Brin eyes the strawberry milk askance. Not her favourite by a long shot. Pulling the food out of the microwave she sets it out on the counter with flatware and cutlery … they can help themselves.
As Wanda mentions that Bobby looks naked, Brin shakes her head. Much like 'Berto, that's likely PR she can spin. Bobby is rather fit, really.
"I'm alright." Her eyes cut to Wanda "I did some digging with a friend on who you think is following me, Wanda. His name was Alberte." That's the first time since The Incident she's said that name. "I need to go and speak with Jean about what happened back then. The records … aren't clear." please Wanda, don't misunderstand that statement.
"I have not seen the Clockwork King since that last time you were there, Bobby. I do not understand how he can make all these factories underground and no one knows about them" queries Wanda, brow furrowed before she sighs. "Actually, I can. That is my magic's fault. When I helped him. Now he can hide from us. He is not an evil man but he might be too confused to fix."
Wanda peers at Brinley. "You do not like strawberry milk? I can get you another flavour or something else if you like." She listens to the talk of Alberte with a frown before nodding to the the idea. "Okay. I am sure Jean can help with that" Wanda replies with a smile. "I can too if you like." She'll offer at least.
Bobby sips the milk and considers, glancing first to Wanda, then to Brinley, then back. "That's several times you've mentioned helping and meeting the Clockwork King. What can you tell us of him? And what help did you give him when you weren't yourself?" Maybe they can track him down while they're waiting for other things to shake out.
"Irregularities, Brinley? That's… not good. Do you know where they're coming from?" Since if things are off, odds are someone made them that way.
"It's just not my favourite, Wanda." Brin takes up the milk and sips at it as she listens to the news about the clockwork king. Bobby's asked the question and she's interested in knowing more.
"Once I get through the paperwork side of things, Wanda, I'd like help … " she murmurs as she shakes her head to Bobby "I don't want to hack our systems, so not all the records are available. But it might be that mission report for Alberte has been modified. He… may have been alive when we extracted." beat "And no, I can't tell more than that. I'm hoping Jean or the Professor will give me more access to dig deeper."
"I gave him my magic" Wanda sighs to Bobby's question. "When I was upset I wanted to bring chaos to the world so I thought this was a good way. He…ironically he does not like chaos. He wants to bring order to the world. Old fashioned civility. Craftsmanship not mass production…but he must have changed his mind about factories. I cast my magic into his assembly lines and into his materials but maybe it is so diffuse now." It's not a period of her life she is proud of.
A nod of her head and a smile for Brinley as the subject is changed. "I could try and find Alberte if that would help." A quirk of her eyebrow. "You are going to the place where it would have been modified to see if it was modified? How would you know? Why do you not want to hack our own systems? If people are lying then we need to know, no matter who it is."
Bobby will let Brin handle that last bit. But he can see the value of asking before hacking. Especially if they were to get caught. "I see. Hrm. That does give me a few ideas to deal with him." If he likes old world values maybe it's time to push the new.
"Don't worry, Wanda. We'll get him. I promise. We'll make it right. Brin… I wish you luck. I need to make a couple of phone calls and rest before tomorrow." He drains his drink and gives both ladies a hug before going off to handle his before-bed business.
"I've no reason to believe that anyone actually changed the records, Wanda. I trust Jean and I trust the Professor. It's them I will be asking, no one else. If something is wrong, I want them with me…" she shakes her head as she thinks on that "If we hack first, we'll look guilty … and why then would they help me?"
"We'll help you with the Clockwork King, Wanda." That Bobby might have an idea is refreshing. Giving the Ice Nerd a tight hug as he leaves "Every day, Bobby, we'll work together."
"Take care, Bobby" Wanda smiles before getting in a hug as well. "Brinley will make you feel better." She downs her milk and glances at the clock. "I suppose I should get some rest. Gabriel is at the Institute so I have a chance to sleep tonight. Oh, I know we will get the Clockwork King but…sometimes I think he has some good ideas. I am not sure the new world is all it thinks it is."
Wanda's phrasing about Gabriel being at the Institute hasn't been missed by Brin. She'll just happily assume, likely correctly, that they stay up late watching movies on the Internet.
Finishing her own milk, the small brunette will spend a few moments cleaning and tidying before finding her own bed. "It might not be, Wanda." The 'new world' that is "But it's up to us to make it better and we will."