February 08, 2017:
Flash makes a run to Westchester to speak to Storm about the Nuhumans he rescued.
//Xavier's Institute //
"Mutatis Mutandis."
Built by a Dutch ancestor of Charles Xavier, this building is one
of refined and detailed architecture but after a few incursions having been
rebuilt and refitted to that of a school on this wing of the manse. It has
branches for classrooms, faculty and staff, and an office for Xavier
himself.
On the second floor are the dormitories for the students that reside here
during school and even through the summer - or those displaced and that call
it home.
Characters
NPCs: None.
Mentions: Wonder_Woman Reader
Mood Music: None.
Fade In…
It had started to snow, blanketing the grounds in white, Breakstone Lake iced over and almost unseen now in the layer of precipitation that is coming down gentrly, but around Storm it is like a white wall. In this natural accurance she can come out and finally breathe out the setback of emotion she had been with holding.
Here there was no need to hide from eyes, her class over and the Greenhouse in order she could have the time she needed. She is hard to miss walking the covered path from the tree-surrounded lake back towards the Mansion, feet barely skimming over the surface so as not to disturb it completely, though what had been disturbed is quickly covered once more.
Boots cover feet in black, rising to mid thigh, Nubian skin exposed until high on hip where the cut of her 'uniform' dips across in a low cut pattern to rise in a slender line along abdomen and be held together by a silver loop, picking back up with the stretch of noir to cover her chestand circle to the back where pinches of that fabric them fall free, 'wings' of sort that are held by silver rings around fingers. Hair of white shaven on the sides rises into the full mohawk while the winds encircle her in a tiny cyclone of that snow, melding it all together.
Hard to miss, but she also is not expecting company.
Snow. Why did it have to be snow. Snow is a disadvantage to a speedster. There's no traction and even able to turn on a dime, that dime becomes more of a football field when you're running at nearly Mach 1. He had meant to stop somewhere near the school in order to ring the bell, as it were, but instead, the alarms may go off as he's sliding and the scarlet speedster has to jump the gate in order to try to come to a halt.
This, in itself is proving to be a challenge as Flash fights for traction on the snow covered ground and zooms right past the mansion and towards the lake. "…you've got to be kidding me." he says as he has to go from stopping to speeding up in order to hit the proper rhythm just to leave footprints across the water that is all he leaves in the snow and not take a polar plunge as he streaks across Storm's field of vision. "Uh, sorry!" he calls out to her, zipping past as he finally windmills to try to stop on the ice. And he disappears into the foilage on the other side.
After several moments, the figure in red is shivering, trying to keep himself warm as he reappears, not running this time. "Uh. Hey." he greets. "Is this Xavier's Institute?"
A blink. That's all it took as Flash was there and gone is slides, skids, and a clumsily/agile skip-stone/tip-toe across the lake. His landing into the brush scattered rabbits hiding for shelter in every direction to buckle down a distance away under new shrubbery and watch wide eyed.
Storm on the other hand is settling into the snow to imprint feet within instead of hovering just above. The small cyclone of snow that had wound around her settles with the rest of the fall that goes from a white wall to a more relaxed and natural descent.
"Xavier's is back there. You passed it, took the scenic route over the Grounds' Breakstone Lake." A light tilt of head that now bears the fall of long mohawk over one shoulder.
"I am Storm, and who might you be?"
"Flash. Speedster. Member of the Justice League." the scarlet speedster responds as he steps out, but stays away from the ice of the lake. Because vibrating at super speed means heat, and heat melts ice, and yeah, totally already had a bath this morning. He doesn't sound all that old, as he considers, and continues after a moment.
"I aided some of those that were affected by the Mists in Metropolis. And heard that you might be helping those that were affected.. and just wanted to see what information you may have, because I know someone that can hopefully help work on finding a way to prevent the Mists from continuing to affect people." he admits as he looks up at her.
"The the way you affect weather patterns could be really helpful in keeping the Mists away." he says with a small smile offered.
Fast on his feet and a fast talker. Storm listened though and regards him a bit more steadily when he mentions what group he represents and the intent. Slowly Storm begins to walk back towards Xavier's, at first with no words and it would almost seem as if there is more suspect towards him then trust.
"All we can do is help them. Before and after." A glance back towards him and the tilt of her head gestures for him to follow her inside, although the weather does not effect her it seems, either.
"We are helping them here in New York, those assaulted or those left with nothing due to it." Preventing it from happening? Storm had not considered it as it was nature now and not even she can change nature, which his suggestion brought that point.
"We have one of the Inhumans here as a guest, helping us understand some things. To them, this is natural and life. Even if we did not ask for it and it was not their intent." Stopping at the front door of the Mansion Storm looks back at Flash and smiles lightly in return.
"I can do it in small areas if I must, but there's risks even if I do enough to change the course of one of the full clouds. Nature has a course for a reason, you change it and you risk typhoons." And the play on words has more then one end meaning.
At least Flash has the sense not to ask her how she's not freezing in that outfit. "Yeah, there's this guy that calls himself Weather Wizard - he does that typhoon and tornado thing. It's not fun." he admits as he nods. "Which is what I want to do. I saw a child, no more than a few months old.. lose her whole childhood because the Mists forced her to age rapidly and give her powers." he says. "Not exactly a blessing."
"If the attacks were a one time thing, I'd understand the damage control.. but this is ongoing. The Mists are still out there, made by a monster. And still touching people that wouldn't have been otherwise.. I mean.." he looks down. "I know about helping others.." After all, look at Central City and one realizes the guilt he probably feels over the particle accelerator explosion that created metahumans.
He follows, little more than a jog so he doesn't lose his footing. "Those that have already been affected? I'm not sure they can be cured.. and well, there are those that wouldn't want to be." Cured that is.
"I do not know the particulars of the Mists, exactly. The reports I have read and what other X-Men involved in what caused this," Stepping inside the snow gathered in the folds of her 'wings' fabric is shaken off as well as boots stamped upon the foyer's carpeting. Her silence spans until she takes him down a hall and to her office just off the Greenhouse exit. Once the door is closed she speaks further. Privacy for now is necessary on this topic.
"This was not intentional by the people this is natural to. As natural as worship to those of us who do. Apokolips threatened, and when they did not waver, he used the Inhuman's he held as well and unleashed what we are seeing. The Mists to them, is like an act of the gods. nterfering is taboo. They revere the creations that come from it and protect them if they can. This was told to me by one of the Inhumans who came with us when we sought to save a nest of them and failed…" Storms words fell low at the mention of their failure despite trying.
"No one likes their fate if it is not their choice. But that's fate." Slowly Storm leans against her desk and lifts a tablet, the slender platform a creation of Cypher's in aiding them to track signatures.
"It has been a race to save them as they are against people who seek to end them, or any of us, really."
"I know you know of helping others," Storm smiles to Flash then. "Justice League does not just recruit anyone."
"I saw a nest of them in Metropolis, and those of some paramilitary organization trying to capture the coccoons that were made from the Mists and rip them away from their loved ones. You are right of course.. perhaps in some of them, mutations were going to happen. Perhaps in the baby that was affected, perhaps when she was a teenager, she would have had that happen to her." Flash admits as he considers Storm for a moment. "…but to steal that chance of a childhood from her to force her to age and mutate? That is not fate, Storm. That is a crime."
"There have been failures along the way, yes." he admits as he reaches up to rub the back of his head, and shivers a little more to warm up once inside the house. "I thank you for the kind words." he admits with a little smile, and touch of a blush against his exposed skin. "What we can do now, though, is try to find a way to make sure no more lives are stolen." he says with a sigh as he looks up towards them. "I know that there are those that would.. take advantage of this. Powers or no. I understand the reverence - but reverence in the face of an unnatural act is forcing a will upon those that may have never wanted it."
"So, other players and not just Revenants. I am not surprised, this sort of chaos gives them ease to move in and out with less notice. If some wake confused and violent, plausible deniability." Like the one she called 'Nix that woke from his cocoon that had been shot up, angry, afraid, and like any person or animal when wounded… Fighting.
Storm's cerulean eyes remain on Flash as he speaks and somewhere in there a touch of sorrow at his words, but there and gone just as quickly as he can be. Storm must stay neutral. "It has killed people to, but to the Inhumans who are now forced to live among us as well, not by choosing, this is natural and to not handle it diplomatically will be a new war we do not want. We want to understand as none of us chose what happened. Not that child, not the one that died in our medbay, not the ones that died before they could be 'reborn'."
A low exhale and Storm claims a seat on one of the large antique chairs, crossing legs and resting the tablet on up-most. This explains the tempest she had risen outside, but using what was already occurring as she needed to.
"Then we stop the ones who seek to take advantage. We recue those who ask. We can possibly trace the Mist pattern and do evacuation procedures, but before we do something damaging, I suggest you speak with Reader as well to understand a bit more, and maybe there is something we missed." Mutants and Metas err, just like humans!
"Are they allowed to fight for the choice to decide if they are affected or not?" Flash asks simply enough, his own blues reaching to meet hers. "After all, if this is about fate versus choice.. isn't humanity, meta or otherwise about the choices we make? Did I ask to become what I have? No. I was normal once, and that changed. Would I take it back? Once upon a time, maybe. Now? Not a chance." he says as he draws in a breath.
"We have all made mistakes in this life. But that was because we were afforded the choice. Perhaps you're right, that those affected by the Mists were predetermined, preordanied to become what they are now. However.. should we not afford them that choice? The choice to decide to change to be touched.. or to remain normal. I'm not looking to cure, Storm. What I'm hoping that SHIELD, the JLA.. and here can do.. is simple."
"…to give a choice."
He smiles finally. "I'll have the SHIELD represenatives speak to Reader. As far as the ones we recovered in Metropolis? Princess Diana has offered sanctuary to them. But if you are willing, I will extend the offer to bring those that want to learn to control their powers here.. for your school is more prepared to handle such."
Storm nods at his words and then looks at the tablet for a long moment, though not powered on. "Choice is something always good to be given, and no one should have that taken from them. I am with you, do not misunderstand me. If they ask for help if they make the choice to run, I will put wind unnder their feet and carry them, but those who do not want to leave? I won't force, and in the end I want to still be careful not to offend our new people."
A tilt of her head and Storm smiles at Flash now, serene, gentle as if any rocks thrown would not even cause a ripple. "I will let Reader know he may have visitors, it is up to him from there." Choices. "We have had to spread sanctuary ourselves as the numbers are great, but we will not close our doors to anyone who needs help. So willing? Always."
A bell rings in the backdrop while a grandfather clock also resounds the age old cadence of chords. "Students are done with lunch. Hungry?"
"Sounds good. There's a lot to do.. Apocalypse and his weapon brought this horror upon us." Flash smiles quietly, honestly, simply. "Least we can do is prove that humanity won't break under his boot." he says with a shrug of his shoulders.
And that's when the bell goes off, and the speedster's stomach gives a plantive growl. "Starving. Is it all you can eat?" Because, yeah, he eats alot.