12890/Peace Talks (Part 2)

Peace Talks (Part 2)
Date of Scene:	25 March 2021
Location:	Undisclosed Location, Canada
Synopsis:	After agreeing to speak to The Phoenix, Scott and Logan come face to face with the cosmic entity on the Astral Plane.
Cast of Characters:	Phoenix, Cyclops, Wolverine

Phoenix has posed:
An evening spent over grilled rabbit and snow-chilled beer. Plans made around a stove in the dead of the Canadian night. Sleep was scarce for Jean, who spent most of the evening curled under a bearskin blanket with her mind drifting and exploring their surroundings to find peace in the cold and calm. Better to aimlessly follow a raccoon around for four hours and see what it gets up to as opposed to running over sixteen different awful scenarious.

As the sun began to turn the sky from black to velvet blue to the softest wash of cobalt on the horizon, Jean finally gives up her psychic doze and slips free to pull on a thick overcoat and stand out on the porch with a fireplace-reheated cup of too thick coffee.

Cyclops has posed:
It was a restless night for Scott as well, as sleeping under a bear skin rug with Jean and a hairy Canadian isn't the most comfortable of situations. That and he could feel the stressful buzzing of Jean about in his head which kept him up. Having finally woke up and managed to use whatever Logan had cobbled together for a 'shower', he made his way out to join her, dressed in a heavy jacket, two shirts and a pair of jeans to ward himself of the cold. He gives a few squints from behind his red glasses at her, followed by a yawn.

"Hey." He says as he takes a seat next to her, staring out over the distance of the beautiful Canadian landscape. He reaches under his glasses to rub carefully at one of his eyes. "I don't think any of us slept good. Except him. Think he snored all night, loud enough to wake the dead."

Wolverine has posed:
Logan's been out since well before dawn. Cowboy hat, wranglers, and a coat over his usual flannel to catch breakfast. In reality he's just getting out into the calm of the surrounding countryside where he spent so much of his time prior to the mansion. He rarely found much calm, however. It just brought bad memories and even worse memories.

When he returns, shortly after dawn, it's with a couple fish on a bit of fishing string he'd had in a cabinet nearby. Eyes on Jean at the fireplace, "I don't snore." Said to Scott as he pushes over towards the kitchen to get them something to eat cooking. "And if you don't like the song, sleep in the fuckin' yard."

Phoenix has posed:
"Hmf, if the bears don't have a disagreement on the property boundary." Jean says between the two before leaning herself briefly into Scott in a makeshift coffee-holding kind of hug. Then she's stepping back inside while finishing said coffee and sets the metal mug aside so she can go rummaging in her pack for her hairbrush. Silly, to go through the effort just to potentially get in an uproar, but there's not much difference in the ritual of grooming and the ritual of putting on armor. It's all in the act of preparation.

"I'm just going to eat light for right now and I'd say do the same. Astral projecting can do a number on your stomach, especially if you're not used to it. It's the conflict between you trying to embrace reality when you're not really "in" it, so to speak."

Cyclops has posed:
"You snore." Scott says as he rises upwards to follow after the pair once he gives Jean a gentle bump with his shoulder. He can't help the ghost of a smile that passes by his lips. Things will never change between the three of them, no matter how much their lives evolve over the years.

"I agree, eating light is the safe bet. If everything goes well, I'd say steak and beer for dinner." As he heads into the kitchen, he takes a look around, then goes about hunting for dishes to set up on the old wooden table. "Nervous?" He asks the redhead curiously.

Wolverine has posed:
Logan is uses a single claw extending out from the center of his fist to quickly clean the fish, without going into much of the details, he's pretty quick about it. "Alright. We'll eat lite and have rockbase for lunch once this is all over." Flat out ignoring Scott telling him, again, that he snores.

Except for a grunt.

And some colorful words said under his breath.

A few berries and a couple slices of cheese for breakfast it is, but the fish are left out once they're cleaned. "We'll head out once you two are ready. Picked out a nice little spot up the stream.. good clearing."

Phoenix has posed:
"Good, we don't need anywhere special. Just someplace comfortable to sit and something to sit on so your ass isn't frozen to the ground when we're done." Jean states while fetching some food, as well as wrapping some in a paper towel along with some water bottles to go in a pack. Don't mind the emergency medical kit buried at the bottom.

"I'm pretty much good to go." She passes a quick glance to her phone and the block before closing her eyes, the gesture only lasting a few heartbeats before she reopens her eyes. "I let the Professor know we're about to set off. So when you're ready, we can head out."

Cyclops has posed:
"I am ready when you are."

Scott says with a determined voice as he heads out to grab one of his backpacks to throw over his shoulder. It contains some basic supplies. Blanket. Water. First Aid Kit and a GPS with a tracker built into it. Just incase the team has to find three smoldering bodies later, or two. He takes a moment to look around the cabin, then heads out with the two of them, letting Logan lead the way.

Wolverine has posed:
Logan packs a few extra things in his bag, some travelling food, and some survival equipment just in case things get really nuts, but he's nodding to Jean while doning it. "Ready." Last on his head is the cowboy hat, pulled low with two fingers along the brime. "Not to far away, I'll bring one of the blankets to sit on."

One of the two bear blankets is rolled up and slipped through some rope on his pack before setting out with a point to the South East. "Just this way."

And it's not terrible far at all. Within the hour they're coming upon a clearing a few yards from the side of the stream. "Hasn't been any game out here in a few weeks-" Sniffing at the air. Likely why he chose it.

Phoenix has posed:
No one can argue the three aren't realists. When you plan to end up dead, every victory is a bonus. People also don't ask you to plan their parties.

"Good thing I brought my old hiking boots." Jean muses as she puts on her pack and then heads out after Logan. But she's fit and used to long walks, and there's trouble for her to keep up when there's a guide pointing the direction. "Well, that's good. We shouldn't get interrupted by a hungry wolf or anything. It makes focusing hard if something is trying to gnaw your arm off."

She finds a clear and flat enough spot for them to set up, and it's not much work to get some blankets out and a small fire going nearby so they're not entirely out in the cold. She kneels down on the one blanket and adjusts the sleeves of her coat to make sure they're loose. "This is the easy part. Just sit in front of me. Sorry, but you may actually have to be in each other's personal bubbles so I can reach you. It just makes it easier, especially when I'm pulling all of us through."

Cyclops has posed:
Once they are settled and the blankets are spread out, Scott settles down next to Jean and gives a nod of his head as he listens to her. He glances over to Logan, brows raising upwards a bit before he glances to Jean. He straightens up as he criss-crosses his legs, settling his hands over his knees.

To say he is nervous is an understatement. He may be a Fearless Leader in the battlefield up against throngs of the enemy. But this is on a different level. Dealing with cosmic world swallowing birds of fire was not something anyone could be trained for.

Besides dying.

"Personal bubbles, huh?" He says aside to Logan. "Think good thoughts."

Wolverine has posed:
Logan stretches after setting down his pack, then goes about getting a small campsite ready for them. Couple blankets down, then the bear fur for extra warmth. Close enough to a fire that nothing catches on fire. Once he's satisfied, and while Jean explains that they may have to sit within each others personal space, "So longs he doesn't snore.."

Clearly he's not letting that go.

A few minutes later and he's settling down cross legged beside Scott, but in front of Jean where she could easily reach for them. "Alright. Ready when you are Red."

Phoenix has posed:
Kneeling in front of them, Jean offers up a smile that is warm despite the misgivings. "Right. Happy thoughts. This isn't going to be Neverland, but I'll be with you. Always."

She reaches out to place a hand against either head and the world is washed in rose light. Familiar enough with both of their minds, Jean has little trouble gathering all of the knotted and frayed bits of their collective minds and weaving them together. It's a subtle tugging sensation to bring their grouped minds over to the Astral side of things, leaving their bodies safe and sound back where they sit. No sooner do they arrive, however, than the Phoenix is there with all of the magnitude of trying to see the whole of Jupiter when you're three feet from entering the atmosphere. It didn't come to them, it was already there right under the surface.

<> The voice is loud. So loud. It defies thresholds such as volume, because the voice isn't a sound in the air. It's a psychic frequency so low and vast that the rattling of the soul somehow translates to a vibration in the bones that's carried right to the skull. There isn't the sense of blazing heat that they may expect, but there's the sensation of the firebird's brightness sinking past skin and muscle like the rays of the sun.

Cyclops has posed:
As they appear in the Astral world, Scott Summers is in his full uniform of blue and gold. It's the 'face' he wears below the surface of his own mindscape. Forever locked in as a 'hero', a role model, a leader, an icon. The part of him that he is unable to escape from due to the weight he carries with it upon his shoulder.

The voice that hammers his head from the bird of fire causes him to flinch as he stares upwards through the lens of his red visor. The intensity of the moment causes his skin to prick in the real world and fear to creep up into his chest. He swallows it down, shielded behind a stoic face.

Wolverine has posed:
That would definitely take some getting use to. Logan is glad that he doesn't have to, that this isn't frequent enough that he'll ever have to see a day where he's totally nonchallant about the whipping around in the astral plain. He appears as a wild thing, hair all a mess, clothes tattered and torn and claws perpetually out from his fists. Not because he means anythign harm, but this is his base mental projection..

The beast inside his mind.

Both hands cover his ears at the sound of Pheonix voice though it has no more effect on keeping it from rattling his brain than would an umbrella during a hurricane. "We're here to talk... in a calm, collected, manner... at normal volumes."

Phoenix has posed:
There's a few times where they're sure Jean is standing there, only for her image to shift and be nothing more than a trick of the firelight. The Phoenix stares at Scott with a tip of its head like it was tasting his fear before it swings that starship-sized head towards Logan and takes the measure of the feral man and then the X-Men leader in turn with the same degree of vague curiosity that a lion might afford to an unusually brave mouse.

<< Talk? >> The click of its beak is like a thundercrack. Blazing eyes narrow as the head lowers closer but remains no more focused on one man then the other.

<< You did not wish to speak with me. >> For a split second, they get the impression of Jean. Her voice. Her faintly pouted expression with one hand on a hip as she shows a mock offense. The voice isn't the agony of before. It's familiar but it's a stranger, an emulation so perfect it's terrifying. << You do not want me here. Is that why you came? To ask me to leave? >>

Cyclops has posed:
"I don't think any amount of words would get you to leave." Scott grimaces through the loud rumble of the voice as he stares back at the large bird of fire. He tries to put on a brave front, emotionless face and straight back. "But your presence here within Jean does not make anyone comfortable, nor the power that you wield. We just want to know what your intentions are with her, what your plans and goals are." He keeps his voice calm and steady despite the accceleration in his heart.

"Because .. we love her, and we do not wish to see harm come to her, or anyone else. We just want to live in peace with you if that is possible."

Wolverine has posed:
Hard not to be a little defensive. Logan's whole purpose is to fight... Let the wild man loose and see how much chaos he can cause. Except in this situation where a bit more finness is required. That's why Scott's doing the talk and Logan's doing the ... whatever it is he's doing.

Trying to look casual?

"Speak for yourself, I want the fuckin' thing gone." He aint afraid of no firebird. "I just realize that's not gonna happen. So maybe if we better understand-" he nods and motions to Scott, "What he said. If we know what you want, maybe we can all get along and learn not to want you gone..."

Phoenix has posed:
<< No. >> The Phoenix says with a proud flaring of its fiery plumage, the answer direct and brokering no argument. It may have learned the dubious art of the English language, but there is still the impression of disgust as if it despised such primitive means of communicating. << You cannot. >>

<> It further supplies, though probably not in any helpful manner. <>

Which, seems to be all its willing to provide as it looks to the two men expectantly like a teacher staring down at her class. Now who wants to explain to the rest of the class what we were just discussing?

Cyclops has posed:
Furrowing his brows, Scott weighs the words for a long moment, casting a glance towards Logan to gauge his reaction before he looks back towards the Phoenix. "You are a parasite at best, injecting yourself into her life and holding her prisoner under the threat of world ending power. Jean is the love of my life and I don't want to see her controlled like a puppet where the strayest thought or action could have dire effects. I understand that we don't have a choice in the matter, but I am willing to voice my concern."

Folding his arms over his chest, he studies the cosmic entity. "So, what next? You just wish to merely exist within her mind? To live out the life of a human until you grow bored and she outlives her usefuless for you? What is your goals from here out?"

Wolverine has posed:
"I appreciate you bringin' her back to life." Logan gets that part out of the way because that's fairly important to him and he means it.

"The rest of it was horse sh-..." He's about to go on a rant, but a glance at Scott and the little familiarity the pheonix holds to Jean stop him. chuffing through his nose he glances off into the astral distance.

Besides, Scott's got all the diplomatic stuff handled.

Phoenix has posed:
<< You speak like you matter. >> Says the Phoenix. It's blunt, rudely so, except there is no indication the Phoenix even comprehends that aspect. She seems equally dismissive of Logan's thanks, only regarding the wild mutant with an empty gaze like he'd just thanked grass for being green.

Here, the bird gives a restless rustle of wings that sounds like the crackling and popping of embers. <>

It remains quiet for a moment as if pondering a great many thoughts before it seems to come to a decision. << But you matter to her. Are you willing to open your eyes? >>

Cyclops has posed:
"That is why we are here, to try and understand so that we can relieve some of our concerns." Scott says to the bird of fire as he lets out a heavy breath of frustration in his chest. "As long as you're way of communication doesn't mean we'll become .. incapcitated by the experience, I am open to learning more."

His muscles tighten in his jaw as he glances over to Logan for a moment. He is sure the feral man is rearing to go and dive head first in, even if caution screams at the back of his own mind.

"We're ready."

Wolverine has posed:
Logan's been ready. All this talking with space demons possessing his loved one is wearing thin on his limited amount of patience anyways. Fidgeting, even in his mental projection until the thing offers to show them. "Yeah let's see whatcha got."

A glance spared over at Scott, then back to the firebird. Arms laid across his mostly bare chest, he waits for the revelation of potentially dark projections from a realm well beyond his understanding.

Nothing to be alarmed about, certainly.

This is completely normal.

Phoenix has posed:
<< If you cannot see, then you are of no use to her. >>

The Astral reflection of Canada dissapears. In the searing eyes of the Phoenix, the last images of the world dies in fire.

They find themselves in a void. Before them is a scattered asteroid field of fading light. They are upon a shard of rock slowly diffusing out into nothingness, and in their hearts they would feel the dying memories that this was once a world. A world among an entire universe, an entire time. A time that once was teeming and is now dead and superfluous. Like the scientific law, its matter is being recycled back out among the stars from each speck of dirt to each glowing mote of a soul.

Everywhere are time streams like strands of DNA, the very genetics of the universe. Hundreds, thousands, millions, more. Spinning like tornados, they meet, twist, clash, and exchange light when they strike. Evolution. It is a sea of infinite possibility and there, far in the distance at the core of all things, there is a steady white glow.

Before it is the Phoenix, resplendent and terrible. The firebird approaches, and as she weaves through the storms of time there are points when she draws a wing across a strand to send it colliding into another where they twist together. With another who's glow flickers feebly, she drags a talon through like a seabird does a wave, and the strand spins itself apart into oblivion and the motes of what was are taken into the light. In the empty space, the Phoenix breathes, and a tiny flicker of her own flame is left behind and begins to spin and stretch into the birth of a new universe. A new time.

The Phoenix dances through the ages on sweeping wings, painting a nebula of celestial flames in her wake. Crimson and gold, indigo and blinding blue. The scene defies imagination. Reason. Sanity. If you stare long enough at the sun, will you go blind, or will you be able to see the churning surface in full clarity?

Cyclops has posed:
As the world washes away and becomes an infinite swirls of space and time, Scott's eyes widen from behind his visor as he floats about amongst the stars. He can feel his breathing become heavier and quicker as he searches for Jean anywhere in the midst. "God." He breathes out under his breath and past his lips.

"Jean! Can you hear me?" He calls out into the voice, trying his best to turn himself about so that he can get an idea of where he is at, where everything is at. His strong, analytical mind is tugging at the strings of sanity.

"What are you trying to show us? That you are the beginning and the end of the universe? What does this have to do with Jean?"

Wolverine has posed:
This is a lot to take in. Logan is fairly certain that he doesn't see whatever it is the Pheonix is trying to show them, but he's definitely not going to voice that fact. It probably already knows... He's not a stupid man, not by a long shot, but the vastness of space existing within a single entity housed inside Jean Grey? What does that mean?

Scott's asking the good questions so Logan just stares at the infinite void of space and possibility with a look on his face like he has to shit and can't.

Phoenix has posed:
The fiery being comes to hover over the ashes of the former world and the two men standing untouched on its surface. There at the center of the Phoenix is Jean in her phoenix-styled costume, though the color of it shifts. First the green they know, then scarlet red, then pearlescent white, and then back. The woman herself seems to be resting with her face calm and relaxed. There are no words from the Phoenix, only the impression of its great head hovering over them. In their minds, the two mutants see images as the firebird cuts and stitches memories to form images like a game of Pictionary in fast forward.

A man in black and white hunched over a book. In his hand is a quill, and as he draws a bird upon the page the quill ignites. The tool does not burn the hand of the artist but illuminates the page into a riot of color. He marvels at the sight and whispers the name, "Phoenix."

A golden balloon emblazed with a crimson firebird floats free up towards the sky. A tiny hand reaches up suddenly to grab the string and brings the balloon back down to earth. It's a little redheaded girl looking down at a grave, and in her hands the balloon is grounded. Safe. It doesn't fly away. With solemn care, she ties the balloon string to the stone.

There's the memories of that day Jean died. Of her green eyes staring out into the void and fixing on a distant star, and the feeling that while she will die so those she loves can live, that she does not want to. She has the power to say no. In her mind, Jean grabs that fiery quill and refuses to stop writing her own story. She is another page in that book, neither at its beginning nor its end.

A last image. Jean at the cabin, standing beside the firebird and watching Scott, Logan, and Storm watch helplessly from outside a dome of power as Jean looked to be dying in front of him. The Phoenix whispers to Jean while Jean look back. The Phoenix sees in her a hand holding a string. A book. A quill. Means, tools, and a voice in one. Phoenix feels her crushing love for those outside, the love powerful enough to forestall death, and it understands what it forgot.

<>

And then they're back with all the shock of jumping into a cold pool. There's the dead weight that comes from returning a mind to a suit of meat. And, as Jean warned, the churning sensation of the mind trying to adjust to the laws of gravity and being encased in sloshy grey matter again. Being a pro, Jean is kneeling there and opening her eyes with not even a hint of them going crossed.

12890/Peace Talks (Part 2)

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