11661/How to get Inspired..

How to get Inspired..
Date of Scene:	24 June 2020
Location:	Bushwick (Mutant Town), Brooklyn
Synopsis:	Megan meets a dog in the park...That turns out to be Andrea's brother!
Cast of Characters:	Pixie, Barghest, Rage

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Pixie has posed:
It's a park. Nice warm summery day. Megan is out on a bench somewhere, dressed in jeans and a green t-shirt and running shoes, and she'd normally be enjoying the warm weather if she weren't so focused with practicing on her guitar. It's not a big guitar, one of those half-size ones, although she's still pretty new and awkward at playing. Most of her strength of course is in playing the piano but it's always good to try something new.

If only she could get inspired without her short-lived fairy band to help her out. She sighs a bit, practicing the same three chords over and over, her fingers awkwardly twisting over them.."Darnit, I miss my band.." she sighs..

Barghest has posed:
Parks are places for those of all sorts to get some fresh air and stretch their legs. Yes, even dogs. Though the shaggy black shepherd that meanders along the outer edge of the sidewalk is neither leashed nor accompanied. He's not moving all that well, with hips hunkered lower than normal and leaving his hocks to do almost as much walking as his back paws. Nose to the air, he ambles slowly towards where Megan sits. Perhaps curious about the sound? Or seeing if she has food.

Rage has posed:
Heading through the park is Andrea, looking frustrated. How did she lose her brother that easily? "Take me for a walk he says." She mutters to herself. "Geezus Christ.. this is why I don't own pets." She has a leash dangling from her hands, looking flustered. She's in a pair of spandex jogging shorts and a sleeveless tanktop with a matching sports bra beneath it, new sneakers. She has on a pair of shades also and her hair tied back. At least she doesn't look like 'Andrea' the celebrity. She can pass as a normie out for a run with her dog.

As she spies Megan in the distance with her guitar and Nevada on the approach, her brows raise upwards as she heads in that direction. ".. Oh boy." She mutters.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn didn't actually get to meet Andrea's brother the other day, having accidently bumped into some guy and spilled liquid on her cute summer dress which sent her to the washroom.

And she sure doesn't recognize the black shepherd from anywhere. As far as Megan knows, there aren't any students at the school with pets. And she quirks a curious brow at doggo, offering him a hand to sniff. "Ooh, hey there, are you lost? Where's your owner?"

She doesn't really have any food to offer, besides, some people could be fussy about what their dogs are fed and she slowly shakes her head with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, I don't have any food..You're a really pretty doggy though!" Noting the slight ambling in his gait though, Megan does frown a bit and leans over for a better look.

"Hey, you okay?"

Barghest has posed:
The black dog gives a brisk wag of his tail at the compliment. He *is* pretty. See, someone notices. He dutifully sniffs the offered hand before giving her hand a nudge with his nose. He'll forgive her lack of snacks. Whatever his ailment, it doesn't seem to be bothering the dog all that much. He just sits himself down there in front of the bench, looking back to Megan and her question with his tongue lolled out and looking generally pleased with himself.

At least until he hears the distant but approaching sound of the leash in Andrea's hand. His head jerks around on a swivel until he sees her and his ears slowly tilt back. Inch by inch he hunkers himself down and tries to gracelessly crawl around to the partly shielded side of the bench to hide. Busted.

Rage has posed:
"Oh, no you don't! Nevada!" Andrea calls out as she jogs forward as she sees the shaggy black dog try and make his escape. "There are leash laws and I can get in trouble!" This sounds so weird to say outloud and it's not making her happy.

As she approaches the bench, she gives a quick grin. "Hey, Megan. Uh.. sorry about.. " She glances down at the dog, then back to her. ".. my ..dog... " She slaps a hand to her face, sighing out heavily.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn giggles a bit and once the dog seems to accept her, she will give him some scritches under the chin before gently stroking his fur, fingers searching for a collar or ID tag or something. "Hmm, you're well groomed. I wonder who your owner is, hmm?"

She jerks up then as she hears a familiar voice, and smiles and waves to Andrea, resting her guitar next to the bench. It's been a long day and her fingers are aching. Time for a break. "Hiii Andrea! Is this your dog? Nevada huh? That's a cute name!" she grins, "How you been?"

Barghest has posed:
Nevada squints out from where he's wedged himself under the actual bench in all his its-fluff-not-fat glory. He giving Andrea a most imperious and even catlike stare. The dog gives a loud and offended harumph of a snort as he eyes the leash then gives his head a shake. One that looks distinctly more left to right than the general semicircle shake most animals make.

Rage has posed:
"Yeah, this is my .. dog... okay.. no, this is my brother. Nevada. My twin brother." Andrea flops on the bench, then reaches around to grab the shaggy dog by the neck, hauling him out in front of them. "I swear to God, Nev, if you stick your muzzle in one more crotch today, I will body slam you through the floor when we get home. He is trying to get me in trouble." She says with an exasperated huff to her best friend.

"You didn't get a chance to meet him the other night at the club. This is him." She points. "He's like me. Wolf shifter, except he also has this Instagram worthy dog form that's really super cute. He just likes to play up on it. It would be hilarious if a dog leash fine wasn't like two hundred bucks."

"I mean .. I can pay it..doesn't mean I want to."

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn smiles...Then freezes, when Andrea reveals the dog's true nature. "Whaaa? You mean *that* dog that I just scritched and petted and googled at.." she points to doggo, "..Is actually a human!? Geez.." she laughs nervously, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Well, gee, at least I didn't wear a skirt or, or..." or try and pick up the dog and sit him in her lap or something that would be totally embarrassing!

"Sooo, I guess the whole animal shifty thing runs in the family, huh.." she smirks, "Must be...Fun!" And then there's the leash. Megan giggles, "Ooh really, you'd seriously keep him on a leash?!"

Barghest has posed:
As Andrea bodily hauls him out by his scruff, the dog starts protesting. Only instead of yelps it's a perfectly understandable, if lipless, English string of, "Ow, ow, hey! Geez. Grouch. Leashes are demeaning. I'm not an idiot who's going to run in front of a car. How would you like me walking you around on a string? You bite too."

The dog gives himself a vigorous shake once he's out of the dirts and sits himself down between the two of them with his ears splayed indignantly out to either side. He turns his head to look at Megan then with a casual, "Eh, I think I wear it better. That chick from the club give you anymore problems?" Good thing this is Bushwick and no one would probably be concerned if they spotted a talking animal.

Rage has posed:
"He's a half demon, half human. From his father's side. He's a Barghest. They take lost souls of the dead and guide them to a waiting area for them to be summoned to heaven or hell. Because my mother was born with twins, I got a genetic hiccup and became a mutant. So, he can turn into a hell hound and this cute Instagram dog. I can turn into a werewolf. We just have parts of each other." Andrea says as she gives a wiggle of the leash at him.

"And since he decided to spring this on me, he likes hanging out as a dog in public so that the media won't catch on I got a twin brother. It would cause TMZ trouble and then my mom would have to explain to my dad that she hooked up with a demon while overseas at war in exchange for her life."

Reaching over, Andrea gives him a flick on the shoulder with her fingers. "The leash is because it's a /law/. I will get in trouble if you're running around without one on. If it's too demeaning for you, then turn back." She says with a sly grin. "Unless you shifted naked and you can't."

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn blinks slowly and rather cautiously, peering back at the talking dog, trying to think of him as a human and not a dog. Except then he starts talking and she laughs nervously again. "Hah! You can talk too...That's a really neat trick..How do you even do that?"

Unfortunately she hadn't actually met him in his human form, although Megan had actually seen him sitting at the table with Andrea. "Oh, oh that crazy Goth girl?" she shrugs, "Haven't seen her since, although...I think she's one of the punks who tried to steal my sword before Morgana...Oh, it's a really long story. Probably wants revenge for the sword backfiring on her, but.."

Megan laughs, "I'm sure I can handle her..." she hopes. Of course if Goth Girl brings all her friends along like last time..That might be a problem. Hopefully Megan doesn't see her again though.

To Andrea she frowns a bit. "Demon huh. Woow. That's kinda..." She shivers a bit. She cant help it. Nevada, at least as a dog, doesn't look *evil* and aren't demons usually evil? But maybe she needs to do more research on the matter. "Oh, huh, kinda like..An angel of death or something..?"

As for that leash, Megan just smirks, "Hmm, I guess you wouldn't wanna get in trouble. There might be another off-leash park around here somewhere, I'm not entirely sure..But geez, I guess being famous isn't all it's hyped up to be, huh.."

Barghest has posed:
"Well, that's one name we go by. Depends on the region we're called all sorts, but we're all just hellhounds. Though that's just loaded with stereotypes." Nevada says with a lofty snort. "Think of it like dog breeds. There's slightly different sorts for different jobs, but they're all still dogs. But yeah, genetics are kinda messy."

Andrea's mockery is given a bland look before the dog just stops being a dog. It's a rapid fire change with the speed of shaking off a coat of fur into the ether and standing up as a normal looking young man who's casually adjusting the collar of his shirt. "I was born to be able to change. Humans started getting finicky about covering their bits and bobs ages ago, so to avoid awkward meetings, we followed suit. Hard to try and talk down a panicking dying person or recently dead soul if they're too busy freaking about over social constructs."

He looks to Megan and gives a quick nod at her statement about death. "We work with Death. I'm the herding sort. We watch over the dying who are likely prone to bolt and end up as lost souls. It's our job to keep them in one spot and a sometimes a quick bit of talking therapy before the reapers come to guide them along. Hence why I can talk, even with fur. I can speak any language originating here on Earth too. Kinda hard to reason with someone if you don't speak the same language."

Rage has posed:
"And, there he is. Nevada Armitage everyone. He gets to shift and his clothes stick around. I shift and it's naked city and TMZ flashing cameras." Andrea says with a roll of her eyes upwards. She gives her brother an amused grin, then looks over to Megan as she tips a wink. "He's cute though at least. Doesn't look like an evil demon. He's single too." She hints towards her fairy friend with a waggle of her brows.

"But, yeah, he's a soul herder. So when we kick the bucket, we may end up seeing him at the crossroads."

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn meeps, stepping back as he transforms. But thankfully he's all fully clothed and stuff. "Woow, that's a really cool trick!" she does make a face at Andrea as she makes not so subtle hints and playfully elbows her. "Heey! dont embarrass me!" although he *is* kinda cute, enough to make her blush even, but that's besides the point!

"Soul herder, huh. Sooo, the cute Shepherd's just your 'friendly' visage? Remind me to never get on your bad side. I'll bet your true form's probably waay bigger and scarier, isn't it?" she grins, although she seems a bit nervous at the thought.

"I guess it'd be kind of reassuring to know you have a guide on the other side..Unless you did bad things. Then you're probably just a jailkeeper or something?"

Barghest has posed:
Nevada slants his sister his most charmingly smug smile. "She's just jealous." He does reach out to give her a light elbowing. "I am *not* evil. Some things I work with are, but that all depends on the person. My job is just to make sure the soul is collected instead of getting left behind, and that's not everyone. Plenty of people pass without turmoil on their mind. They die, they move right on. We just come into play when there's those who aren't likely to accept death, either through anger or fear or... well, the little ones are hard. They just don't understand, but a fluffy dog makes for a good friend."

He clears his throat than noisily as he hunkers himself down on the edge of the bench. "Anyway, depressing. In my full form, I'm not as dread terrifying as some of the guardian sort who looks like they're crossbred with radioactive porcupines, but I am properly large enough to ride into battle. I mostly use that for travel. I usually keep my nose well out of trouble, combat isn't my thing. I'm a lover, not a fighter."

Rage has posed:
"I haven't seen that form yet, but I'm looking forward to it. Maybe even go toe to toe with him." Andrea says as she gives a long stretch. "Then we'll see who's jealous. Megan here has seen me in battle." There's a smug look upon her face as she gives her brother another side-long glance. "Maybe show him a little bit of what our 'father' gave me through our DNA."

Leaning over, she settles her shoulder against his, peering over at Megan past him with a grin. "Don't embarrass you?" She teases her best friend, then lifts her hand to ruffle Nev's hair up.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn smirks, peering between the two of them. Well, they DO have some resemblance to each other, probably. Which is kinda interesting.

"Hmm, I think I'd probably prefer the 'fluffy dog', honestly. I've ready way too many stories about 'Things that go Bump in the NIght.' she shivers, remembering the last horror story she read..

"Hmm...Although..I wonder if you ever met my father when he.." she draws a deep breath, "I mean, I suppose there are a lot of hellhounds out there, but sometimes I wonder what it felt like, if he was at peace or scared, when the mine came exploding down on him..I wonder if he ever had a message for me.." for a brief moment Megan seems a little sad, a little thoughtful as she leans back on the bench, staring up at the soft fluffy clouds floating in the peaceful blue sky. Oh, there is soo much more she wants to ask about the other side, but she's afraid too, so she says nothing more, for now..

Fortunately, Andrea's light humor manages to snap her out of her reverie, and she just giggles a bit at her, shaking her head. "Oh, nothing, I know you're trying to make me blush." she laughs.

Rage has posed:
"It's pretty easy to make you blush." Andrea grins at her as she gives a long stretch of her body. "Sides, I think it'd be fun to double date. Jay and I don't have any other couple friends besides his brother and Alexis and he's not too keen of having his brother around to harass him."

"So, bonus is that we get to hang out more, another bonsus is you get to entertain him. Scratch him behind the ears and his leg thumps." She says teasingly as she gives an amused smirk to Nevada once again.

Barghest has posed:
Nevada looks to Megan as she speaks about her family, and there's a genuine look of understanding and soft sorrow on his face. "Everyone always wonders, and I'm afraid we don't have the answers. We live a very, very long time, but unfortunately we're outside dogs. The gates between life and death don't open for us and our belated mortality. While I wasn't there, with what it sounds like happened, I wouldn't be surprised if one of us was there to watch over him to help make sure he moved over in peace."

He looks then to Andrea as she transitions into planning love lives and he slants her a weary if amused look. "Another bonus, since I live with my sister now, if you want any juicy gossip then I can tell you. I can tell you *all of it*."

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn sighs a bit. "I really hope he's somewhere peaceful..Just wish I could see him one more time.." she seems a little sad at the thought, but blinks slowly at Andrea as she tries to hook them up!

"Heey, I just met the guy! I don't even know him that well, even if he is your brother. I mean, no offence...You seem like a really nice guy.." she says quickly to Nevada.

"Besides, Conner DID just ask me out on a date, although...I suppose he's a bit of a flirt, apparently has had lots of girlfriends in the past.."

She frowns a bit, "Hope I'm not making a mistake, but maybe I'm just feeling paranoid, cuz of everything that happened with Josiah." Annd this conversation just gets more and more awkward. Yay.

Rage has posed:
"Well, that's a red flag in itself. Dude got a ton of girlfriends in the past and none are sticking around? Seems like /he/ may be the common denominator. You remember math. Math doesn't lie." Andrea says with a chuckle. "Josiah was a weirdo anyways. I never did buy that overly religious crap he was always trying to sell. I'm a Christian girl, don't get me wrong .. but, you know.. he was over the top with it."

"I guess I was lucky he never hit me up. Then again, I think it was obvious that Jay and I were a thing, even if we weren't a thing. Also, I may have just .. uh.. blatantly ignored him also. When I'm into a guy, I sorta tunnel vision. I only had eyes for Jay."

Giving a glance to Nevada, then back to Megan, her brows lift upwards as she leans her shoulder in against his, nudging him over towards Megan with a giggle. "BUT! He asked you on a /date/. That's just dinner or a movie. That's not asking you to be /his girl/ if you know what I mean?"

Barghest has posed:
Nevada leans back into the bench and slowly looks between the two from where he sits. Right, so now he has a sneaking suspicion what a girl's night out may feel like. There is a very faint wrinkle of his nose as he listens, "...yeah, take it from me. Anyone who tries to use faith as a shield? Stay away. And I mean any faith. There's a fine line between belief and delusion. One second you're basking in their virtues, the next you're getting sacrificed on them. It's messy."

Then his sister is trying to shove him in towards Megan with no matter of subtly. "Nope. I know the laws. I'm keeping my mouth shut on this one. I smell a trap."

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn pouts a bit as she tries to figure that out. And sighs. "Geez..I have really bad luck with guys, don't I?" she shrugs again, smiling faintly.

"Well..yeah, it's not like we're an item, or anything serious. Just dinner and a movie. I'm sure he's still scoping out other girls too, sooo...It's not like we're serious. Maybe I'll just have some fun, get in free food while I'm at it, right?" She smiles, "I've really missed having you around, Andrea."

To Nevada she shrugs, "I guess..At the time I was all 'possessed by an evil goblin prince' and was afraid I was gonna turn into a de--I mean, you know..Evil. Faith can be a powerful thing if you've got it I think. His powers could be soothing, even.."

Rage has posed:
"I missed hanging out with you too. I'm glad I got to graduate with you." Andrea says with a long yawn, arching her back to pop the joints. "But I don't know, Megan. I think at our age, we all have bad luck with guys because guys are still 'boys'. Remember all the Mason stuff I went through over the last five years of dating him? He cheated on me. Did drugs. Shot me in the head with a rock. All that stuff. It was toxic and it took some therapy and friends for me to get out of it."

"It's not a trap, Nevada." Andrea giggles as she flops the leash into his lap, brows lifting upwards before she gives a glance to the fairy. "You wanna give my brother a walk around the park?" She teases.

Barghest has posed:
"...I'd think being lobotomized by a rock would be reason to be a little angry." Nevada says with a faint scowl. "Which reminders me, please point him out if he shows his face around here. I may have to follow him to where he lives. For reasons."

He looks to the leash in his lap and then up to his sister with a bland look before rolling his head to look towards Megan, saying dryly, "Has she always been as eloquent and subtle as a untuned semi with a jake brake?"

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn blinks at Andrea. "Woow, really? You went out with a jerk like that? Geez...That's just...Mean!" it's more than mean, it's evil! And that makes her really mad to know that someone did that to her BFF.

"Heh, I guess it all comes with experience.." she pauses a moment, staring at the leash, then back at Andrea. "Heh, I'm sure your bro wouldn't want to be treated like an animal..Am I right, Nev? Can I call you Nev? Sooo much easier than Nevada." she giggles.

"Yeaah, she's pretty blunt and straight forward. But hey! She's your sis! You should be used to this.."

Rage has posed:
"It was a little bit of him and a little bit of me too. Also, a lot of his mother. Mason wasn't perfect, I wasn't perfect. We just weren't made for each other. Also, the shot to the head was an accident involving his powers and he wigged out. It's just.. it's hard to explain. We were young and got serious too quick and it burned us both out being that we were celebrities. He's changed a lot. He's not the guy he used to be. He's clean now. His time at Xavier's was healthy. But .. you know.. I'm willing to support him as a friend and hope he continues to move forward."

Andrea gives Nevada a nudge, scolding him with a look before she looks to Megan. "So, Nevada and I met for the first time a few days ago. Our biological dad took him when we were born and my mother kept me. So, we're kinda just learning about each other as we go."

Barghest has posed:
"The offer stands if he ever needs eaten." Says Nevada with a shrug. "I'd be a poor brother otherwise."

"Sure, Nev's cool. It's what everyone generally calls me. I actually have zero ideas why that's even my name. She gets a normal, respectable name that has a high chance of being found on kitschy souvenirs. I get named after a state with casinos, strippers, and nuclear test sites."

"Andrea's right, though. This is all brand new. We were raised entirely apart. I just finally got tired of not having answers so I came looking. It's a hot mess of a story, but, hopefully things are on the right road now. We'll see how long she can put up with me crashing in her place."

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn nods slowly. "Yeah...Well, I'm glad you're happy now, with Jay. You two are soo cute together!" she smiles, "And you make a really awesome duet on the stage! Although, I hope I can do more gigs with you soon..And I could really do with some more practice on the guitar...I've been getting rusty since I was busy with other things."

She glances back at Nev thoughtfully and smiles. "Well. I think Nevada's a really nice name. I mean, to me it sounds exotic and worldly, like you've travelled far and wide and been on lots of adventures. I guess I probably know more about your sister than you are. But I'll say she's a really awesome person to have your back, good friend and all that."

Rage has posed:
"Mom named you after her best friend, Nevada. They grew up together in high school, used to be in a gang together. She actually had a miscarriage with him when she was fifteen. I know that much. She told me about him when she found out I was having sex with Mason when I was fourteen." Andrea says with a furrow of her brows. "It was one of those lectures that was designed to scare me straight about teen pregnancy. I was named after my mother's sister who passed away when they were kids."

At least she knows the history of her family tree and this will be news for her twin brother. "So .. the names are meaningful .. you know.. to her.. " The popstar shifts her jaw to the side in thought, letting out a soft breath. The compliments from Megan does lighten her mood a bit, giving her a grin. "Same with you. I'll always have your back. You're my pack mate."

She gives Nevada another nudge in the side, followed by a lofty grin. "And my brother is worth getting to know also. I trust him." She teases. "Definitely the best dog I've ever had."

Barghest has posed:
"Huh." Nevada says quietly as he digests that scrap of information then gives a short chuckle as he adds, "Well, I guess she cared enough then to give me a name that meant something and not just the 'Visit Nevada!' on the bedside magazine cover. Hot days and hot nights, find your fortune or get buried by loan sharks in Death Valley. But you two are right, at least it's not an easy name to forget."

Andrea's comments about being a best doggo does earn her a smirk. "Pics with me in them *are* trending faster than you holding up another coffee. I'll leave the music to you all, though. I didn't pick up any of those genes. I'll just sit next to the VIP door and look properly intimidating to scare off the groupies."

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn nods slowly, frowning at the story. "Wow..That's quite a sad story. But it's kind of nice to know she has you in her thoughts." as for Andrea's affirmation, it causes Megan to giggle, "Well...I can't turn into a canine like you two, but I do my best!" she grins and winks, pink faerie wings fluttering quickly..

"Hmm, well you know what they say about dogs..Loyal to a fault, there's no one better to have at your back." Megan peers curiously at Nevada now. "Soo, are you into the music scene too? I'll bet it runs in the family, right?"

Rage has posed:
"Her friend Nevada was shot and killed in the streets. So, I guess in a way mom lucked out that she didn't end up as a single mom at fifteen. But he impacted her life pretty big time." Andrea curls an arm about Nevada's shoulders for a squeeze.

"I am jealous that you can fly though. That is a great power in itself. I would love to soar around the sky and never need to use an Uber to get around." At the topic of loyal dogs, she grins. "I guess time will tell, right? He's staying with me at my place. So if you visit us, I'm sure he'll be around."

Barghest has posed:
"Naming a hellhound after the ghost of your once love. Guess you can't get more depressingly poetic than that." Nevada drawls as he leans briefly into Andrea's hug. "Eat your heart out, Poe."

"As for music!" Because he talks enough about death during work hours. "I can totally appreciate good music, but I can't make it. I'm all thumbs with instruments and I sing like, well, a baying dog. So I'll leave that talent to my dear sis here. I'm with her on the flying thing, though. That'd solve so many of my issues. Even if I could just teleport! But no, I have to walk like all the other plebs."