13025/Green Thumb

Green Thumb
Date of Scene:	13 April 2021
Location:	714 Titicus Road, Breakstone
Synopsis:	Some of the X-gang hang out to discuss recent news and make battle plans over coffee and bagels.
Cast of Characters:	Phoenix, Storm, Cyclops, Rogue

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Phoenix has posed:
The spring fog is just starting to burn off as the sun rises, but the light cloud cover is making it a slow process. Jean is outside on the back porch, dressed casually for a day of eventual outdoors work, but first coffee is required. She's on a makeshift folding chair since she hasn't gotten proper porch furniture yet and sipping on a steaming mug of coffee. Her eyes are looking out towards the edge of the property and the creek where a small flock of songbirds are busy drinking and dust bathing before likewise getting on with their day.

Storm has posed:
Ororo emerges from the kitchen with her own steaming cup. This time, she didn't bother to hide her eyes or her white hair, letting it all hang down in a silk press that makes her hair blow with the breeze as if she were attached to a running fan. It was all in a ponytail to keep out of her face, thank goodness, if they were going to do yard work she would need to keep the dirt out of her hair.

Flopping down upon her own borrowed folding chair, her bare foot lifts, toes wiggle, then lower again as she follows the line of sight that Jean takes on. "As much as I dislike weathermen, they do an honorable job." She confesses. "Its hard to predict the weather and what would turn up." Yes, Ororo was monitoring the state of the world through it's patterns. Not exhaustive, but she was curious. "Alaska is three times hotter than Ontario right now. Imagine that."

Phoenix has posed:
"Hey, a best educated guess is better than none at all." Jean says aside to Ororo with a smile. "That is something, though. It's hard to think of Alaska as anything *but* cold, but I guess it thaws a little once in awhile. Changing climate aside, but the most I know about weather is reading what they're predicting or just asking you."

She looks back out towards the yard with a relaxed, comfortable regard. "I can't wait to see what all these trees look like in fall. I love the color, but I bet spring and summer will look every bit as good once its cleaned up. I figured I'd leave those garden beds in place, give them a try since they're already there. I've never gardened in my life outside of picking weeds with you, but I do have a best friend to teach me."

Storm has posed:
"One thing that I have grown to dislike is the fact that trees take too long to grow." Ororo admits, pausing to sip her coffee. "It is like watching a child. But even then it is blink and you miss it." She leans her head back now, eyes lolling to the sky. If they were going to do anything about the yard, today looks to be like a wash.

"Mm. Gardening is easy once you get the hang of it." She gestures with her cup. "First, you start with a plan and design."

Cyclops has posed:
Heading out on to the porch is Scott, who is also holding a cup of coffee and a bag of bagels in his hand. He is wearing a snug black t-shirt and a slim pair of jeans, looking comfortable. As he settles down into a chair next to Jean, he eases back into it with a sigh, then holds the bagels out to them.

"There was that one kid who came through the school who could make plants grow really fast with a touch. Maybe you can give her a call and see about teaming up to restore the rain forests." He says, though there may be a trace of humor in his voice, the idea isn't terrible. He thinks for a long moment, then clicks his tongue against his teeth. "Huh." He takes a sip of his coffee.

"That's actually an idea."

Phoenix has posed:
"The plan and design is basically 'keeping it alive'. Everything else is a bonus." Jean stifles most of her chuckle while she reaches out to grab the bag of bagels and grab one out before passing it along. "...also, it probably says something about us that we're heathens that are used to just grabbing untoasted, unsmeared bagels and just eating them. Clearly we were late to class too many times in our lives."

Mention of the plant-boosting mutant has Jean making a noise of recognition, "Oh right, I remember her. Hm. Well, that may not be a bad idea, but I wager it'd be a lot more complicated than that to rebuild an ecosystem. Still, with the right talent pool, it might make some difference."

Storm has posed:
Ororo shakes her head at the bagels, being overly satisfied with what she has in her hand. She tries not to laugh, but then points out a fact. "If you two could manage to keep us all alive the past few years, you can handle a damn plant." True, true!

But Jean's point was the reason why Ororo didn't eat a plain bagel, she wanted to live to see another day and not choke out on her best friends lawn. Ideas were all around, so much so that Ororo glances up towards the sky, quietly willing the few clouds that do bless them to part and slowly dissipate. Slow, as to not alert anyone else nearby.

"Rebuilding the eco-system. Plan. And design." Her cup was lifted into the air for a toast, and a sip was taken afterwards.

Cyclops has posed:
"I think it would be possible." Scott says as he takes another sip from his steaming mug of coffee. "Just take it in chunks, right? Could also track down that one mutant who can amplify another mutant's powers and then have the three of you work in tandem. Imagine what we could do if we really focused on the long term instead of the day to day, huh?" He says as he reaches into the bag of bagels and uses his beam to zap it in half with a thin spark of red from his visor.

"Though the moment we start doing something like that, the world's government would get their feathers ruffled and immediately do something involving greed and stupidity combined to stop us." As he takes a bite of his bagel, he hums in thought, giving a few licks of his lips.

"Sometimes I wonder if Magneto maybe had a point, about mutants forming it's own .. I don't know.. soverign nation I suppose you can say. Just without the dropping of nukes on people to make a point. I am sure we could bring many improvements to the world if we were work together in unity instead of against each other."

Phoenix has posed:
"You can tell me when you're hungry! Or sick, or... whatever. I don't speak plant!" Jean waves her bitten bagel towards the expanse of lawn. "I'm pretty sure that's why people get pets and have kids instead of rose bushes, though at least the bush is quieter." There's a disgruntled noise from her as she dunks some of the plain bagel into her coffee and eats it that way. Savages.

"It's a grand dream to have an entire country safe for mutants." She says aside to Scott. "But mutants are still as driven by politics and machinations as humans. I want unity as much as the next person, but... I just don't know how something like that can work. Besides, you know with him in charge, it'd be far less helping the world than it would be putting a strangle hold on every resource so nothing could be accomplished without his okay."

Storm has posed:
Ororo listens to Scott intently, her lips pursing as she prepares to take a drink of her coffee, settling for leaving the rim of the cup pressed against her lips so that she could savor the smell as she thinks.

"There is a wound in Magneto which would make him incapable of leading, but he is right in a sense." The cup was brought down to sit into her lap, cradled as she sits upright. "What most of us seem to forget is that we were once considered human until a point." She nods her head. "That is something Magneto hasn't forgotten, moreso it was shoved in his face at what humans -could- do and have done."

"Creating our soverign nation is good, but with the right people in charge. And there is no right person in charge. Jean is right. Most of us are fueled by politics. Eventually, with such a power in our grasps, we ourselves become the oppressors.. as Jean rightfully puts it. Besides, changing the eco-system in chunks, you have to account for -every- single thing that lives upon this planet. I can enact a world-wide hotzone and kill a million. I can make the planet lukewarm, with spring and summertime weather, kill a billion. There's checks and balances to the earth for a reason. Some things aren't meant to be tampered with."

Cyclops has posed:
"Oh, I definitely would -not- put Magneto in charge of anything riskier than a McDonald's. I was just saying the general idea of it all. But, what if it wasn't one person, but a group of people in charge?" Scott asks as he brings the mug up to his lips for a sip. "They don't necessarily even have the be the most powerful. Just a group of mutants who all bring something to the table."

There is a slight glance between the two of them, motioning his mug towards them. "Both of you have excellent leadership qualities. Jean with her abilities in telepathy to keep everyone honest and Ro' with your diverse background in culture and politics. Kurt with his beliefs and values." He takes another sip.

He is excluding himself? He makes no mention of himself serving in such a capacity.

"Perhaps even the Professor and Magneto side by side. Each of them have a vision that is roughly the same, but just with different paths. There is a middle ground they can find."

Phoenix has posed:
"I can barely keep the school from burning down." Jean says with an amused snort as she takes a sip of her coffee. "It's not that the idea doesn't have merit, but maybe I'm just jaded. Even with a group of us, can everyone put aside their own agendas for the good of the whole? Can the humans look to us as equals if we amass, claim a part of the Earth for ourselves, and demand they recognize us? Or will they see it as an attempt to consolidate our power and have a place to strike from? There'd be a lot to consider."

"A lot of red tape too, to go through a whole congress or committee of mutants. Probably no more running off when we feel it's the right thing to do. ..mm, I don't know if it could work, but, I guess it's not the worst idea to consider. It would be nice to have a place bigger than a house to keep mutants safe within."

Cyclops has posed:
"If we can manage a school full of children with the potential to blow up several cities, we can run a country."

Scott gives a glance towards the house as he can hear his cell phone ringing, then pushes himself upwards as he heads past them on the porch. The three of them are enjoying a morning coffee and bagels in a bag at the Summer's new home. Their address was given to everyone 'in case of emergencies' which also includes coming over for breakfast with an open invitation to join them.

"I'm going to get this. It's probably the landscaper who said he'll be by today." As he jogs into the house, his voice can be heard in a muffled manner. "This is Scott. Ah. Hey there Mario. Thank you for getting back to me."

His voice trails off as he heads towards the back of the house to the backyard.

Storm has posed:
"I'm unsure it would work." Ororo admits. Though, there was the thought. Her as apart of a ruling counsel of an island of mutants. The possibilities that they could achieve..

"My diversity of culture and politics is a reason that I would decline a part in this. I'm African and I am a woman. That is to not say that most in my position couldn't handle it, they could. But me?" She shakes her head with a purse of her lips. "Too old and too angry."

Though, one couldn't tell!

As Scott leaves to take the call, she glances towards Jean, not worried, but serious. "Is he alright?"

Rogue has posed:
There's never any real telling when a random Rogue will appear. Sometimes she doesn't seem to ever be around because her social meter is full and she needs a break from people. Then, when one might least expect it, she just shows up like she was never gone to begin with. Yesterday was one of those not around, hiding in plain sight type of days until she was found and discussions were had. This morning she's decided that she doesn't want to be at the school at all and so took off to have a joy flight around areas where she knew no one would be suspect of seeing something flying through the air.

So it should be no surprise, really, when she finally lands gently and carefully in the lawn of the Summers' home. Well, at least not to the ones sitting on the porch enjoying coffee and conversation. The auburn haired woman who wears full body suits and gloves because she has to gives a glance around before sidling up to the porch - stopping just at the steps to regard Jean and Storm a moment. "Mornin'. Hope I ain't interruptin' none." That Mississippi accent thick this morning be it for better or worse as the rebel loner gives a wayward smirk.

Phoenix has posed:
"Bit of a early midlife crisis." Jean murmurs aside to Storm. "Both of us, sort of. Guess we're just realizing that, like it or no, we'll be X-Men forever. We'll never be able to walk away from that. Not really. So now, it's just trying to figure out how to balance the normal life that we need to have so we don't burn out with our duties to the school, the team, and mutants. Though an entire country... that's a new one." She adds in a subdued tone as she looks towards where Scott stepped into the house.

The clock must have hit the right time, because shortly after Scott's phone goes off then Jean's follows suit. She withdraws it from her pocket and there's a roll of her eyes. "SHIELD. Checking in about the boy we helped recover from the hospital last night. Gimme a minu-- oh, hey!" She interrupts herself as she spots Rogue arriving. "Not at all. Give me just a few minutes. Feel free to look around!" She answers the phone then with a quick and easy swap from her happy, conversational tone to her sober business one as she walks around towards the front of the house.

Storm has posed:
Ororo leans back into her chair, then slowly nods towards Jean. "I can understand that." She murmurs. "I can easily disengage from this.." She gestures around. "..in a sense. Though calling it this is in fact disrespectful. The cause, I mean." Ororo doesn't say any more, as there was something to those words. Perhaps a longing to return home for a week or so was telling.

Rogue's arrival was a welcome surprise, one that causes the dark woman to smile, her eyes fading into that blue hue as the work of the weather woman was done, bringing a spot of sunshine to the yard they sat in. "You aren't!" She pips up, gesturing towards Jean's vacated chair if she chooses to sit.

"Scott wants us to find a mutant island and have a council be sort of a senate." A quick catch up. "Magneto and Charles could work together to share that vision, blah blah. Optomistic, no?"

Rogue has posed:
"I will gladly move to an island and keep it well maintained for when anyone wanted or needed to meet there." Rogue states in a sort of matter-of-fact type of way. She still smiles and does indeed head up the stairs and claims Jean's seat since the woman was no longer using it. "Also, hi. It's good to see ya, Storm." Then she looks towards the skies and back towards the woman. "Thanks for the sunshine. Made flyin' around really nice." Does she figure Storm is the whole reason? Likely not, but she likes thanking her anyway just because.

"I suppose it is a bit optomistic. First of all to think that Magneto and Charles could come to any sort of actual agreements on anything - cause the way I remember it, Magneto's always been a thorn in the Professor's side." Rogue begins. "But also, that's a lot of pressure to put onto one set of people..." Then again, "Or I could be thinkin' about it all wrong. I do that sometimes." She teases about herself and then glances towards where she knows Jean went towards. "They doin' alright? Last few days have been...kinda rough."

Storm has posed:
"Oh, I would go too, do not get me wrong. But I like -not- being in charge." While 'Ro does run a history class, she.. well, runs from it. All the grading is left to a very, very intelligent student. "You're welcome Rogue, I'm tired of the weather reflecting my emotions.." A little jab at herself. "..so bipolar.."

Ororo leans forward to place her half-full coffee cup upon the ground, her arms returning to hug herself. "Nnh."

"If you think about it, they've had to be friends at one point to form such a.. well.." She gestures at the air. "You're not thinking about it all wrong, no. As soon as we move, the world moves. That's just the way it goes. They will look to us and scrutinize everything that we do from there on out, which yes, we should be used to. But most aren't. And most aren't ready for that certain type of leadership either. Myself mainly noted in that."

Cyclops has posed:
Having made a quick trip around the backyard on the phone with Mario the landscaper, Scott comes back out on to the porch, bringing some fresh coffee and an extra mug for Rogue. "Hey, Anna." He calls over to his teammate as he hands her a mug, then puts the pot of coffee down nearby. He retakes his seat, giving himself a long stretch of his body.

"Jean is still on the phone with SHIELD. The new kid we picked up is going to have some settling in kinks, so I may assign him to Dani for counseling. Twelve year old boy who can summon um.. laser beams from space. They explode. Shoulda seen the mess last night in the city. Poor kid."

He tilts his head over towards them, then lifts his own mug upwards for a fresh sip.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue nods to Storm and then gives a grin. "I don't think anyone said you'd have ta be in charge. Maybe you could just be on pleasent weather duties or something.." She jibes, lightly, and then tilts her head as Storm explains a bit more concerning Magneto and Charles. "I believe the world outside of our ilk feels they have to scrutinize us harder, especially considering..." She waves a hand. "Several events over the last, I'd say, decade or so?"

Then there's a sudden Scott and a mug of coffee for her, which she takes with a soft 'thanks' offered. "Seems like the last few days have been busy..." It's all she comments before taking a sip of her drink. "I also talked with Kurt last night, Summers. He's on board. Provided Mister Disappearing Act don't wind up reappearin' on his own accord." Considering HOW Deadpool appeared the first night she actually met him - well - she isn't too sure how that man gets around when not being kidnapped, and then kidnapped again.

Phoenix has posed:
"Oh he's back." Comes Jean's voice as she comes back to the rear of the house from the direction of the front porch. "Caught him climbing over the wall yesterday. That was the other thing I meant to talk to everyone about until we got called out."

She retakes her seat to settle back in before continuing, "He was held by some unknown government entity in an underground facility in the Bronx. He wasn't the only one. In his memory loss and attempts to be a better person, Wade thought it a kindness to... release Cain Marko, who was also there. He made mention of a glass cell too, empty, and some equipment that was destroyed. I was thinking about us going to see if we can get in. I doubt there's anything left, they've probably moved out and destroyed everything since they were compromised, but... I'm getting very sick of letting anti-mutant shadowy organizations fester unchecked."

Storm has posed:
"Laser beams from space.." Ororo says almost wistfully. She was actually surprised, and mildly glad that she missed that one. Rogue's words gain a little bit of her consideration, but she doesn't offer much after that, just listening to the recent events of the manse where Ororo was wisely, it seems, absent. "So those rumors are true."

Kids snoop. Kids also gossip. In fact, they gossip more than the Redhats at brunch, they damn near know all and see all. Ororo wouldn't be surprised if it was one of the students who outed a few relationships within the manse..

"Instincts want me to ask you to give me the address or the location and I will go alone." The african woman murmured. There wasn't a rolling thunder, but an odd chill in the air. Storm was getting a bit testy. But the air itself calms and her shoulders slump, now taking on her coffee again. Someone needs to inject that shit into her veins. "But that would not be wise. I will need to sit with the Professor soon, mayhaps he knows of some anti-mutant shadowy organizations that we can nip in the buds before they get worse."

Cyclops has posed:
"Juggernaut was spotted yesterday at The Coffee Bean. He ran into Andrea Jackson of all people and she was able to lead him out of the shop with the promise of an autograph. They even took a selfie together. Sam was there as well and kept his head down, but he was texting me to give me a head's up in case we had to get involved. He was in street clothes, no red armor. Just wanted a coffee and bear claw."

Scott takes another sip of his own drink, humming around it. "So, as long as he is wandering about with his helmet off, we should be able to track him easily enough." He says with a head tilt towards Jean. "Just in case. Unless he does something, I don't see the need to make a move on him."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue's face says it all when Jean announces that Deadpool was back. Caught climbing over the wall and all that jazz. She's not happy to hear this, and for more than one reason that whirls around her head. Silence is all she offers for a long moment as she listens to the others talk, drinks coffee, and lets her thoughts try to settle the best they want to. Finally, though it almost seems like maybe she's talking to herself (or possibly her coffee) she murmurs, "Well it was nice to catch up with Kurt either way..."

Then, as if inspired, she looks up and over to Summers. "I helped Hank out the other day testing some materials. He might have a plan or two up'is sleeve to enhance the Danger Room and maybe some other places and things. I dunno what's all on the doc's mind but he seemed excited. It was a nice look." Since they were all sort of talking about random happenings and such, that was the only other thing Rogue had done this week that seemed in any way productive. Sulking on a roof-top in the rain doesn't seem to top that list.

Phoenix has posed:
"So long as he keeps himself busy with coffee and bear claws, then he's low on my priorities." Jean says with a rough exhale. "As much trouble as he's caused, I'm... grudgingly satisfied he's free of any group that's keeping mutants imprisoned. Hm. Come to think of it, he may be a better source of information on this group than Wade with his patchy memory. Which is, apparently, due to a magic-oriented curse, or so Illyana told him. Something relating back to a circus. He seemed fairly up on resolving it himself, though I told him to please speak to us if he determines he needs backup. Better than him running rampant alone."

Jean gingerly rubs a hand across her face. "This is all hurting my head just to keep track of. But, Wade's interactions with this group seems personal. Maybe... /maybe/, I may see about having a chat with Mr. Marko. The enemy of my enemy."

Mention of Hank helps a small smile to come back to her face. "I'm glad he's got a project, it keeps him out of trouble. And speaking of trouble, Ro, no going by yourself. We go together. But, talking to the Professor isn't a bad idea. He may have some information, and it's about time someone else talk his ear off besides me."

Storm has posed:
Christ, is this what it's like to have a social life? 'Ro was darting her head back and forth with each conversation, brows raising higher and higher. "For fucks sake.." She manages to murmur quietly, though she couldn't help but laugh. A laugh that wasn't that loud yet included a slap of her knee. "My intentions with Charles were to be therapudic, but yes.. all of this is concerning. And I do promise, I will not go anywhere near anything suspicious alone." She raises her hand. "Hand to Ogun."

Cyclops has posed:
"We probably could speak with Mister Marko and see what information he may have. That's a good idea. Maybe give him a freebie afternoon of not punching him in the face, or being punched by him." Scott finishes his coffee and peeks into the cup mournfully. It's his third on.

"We should go as a team though, just in case he throws one of his tantrums though." He tilts his head over to Rogue and looks curious. "Yeah? I'll make sure to touchbase with Hank and see what he's working on. Specifically because I told him to not work on anything for a week."

"I'm surprisd he even went three days before he broke my rule. That's a record for him."

Rogue has posed:
"All he really did was stand there and record data while I broke stuff." Rogue says, finishing coffee before setting the mug aside. "Honestly it was a decent time, and he didn't strain himself or anything." Then she, finally, smirks. "Plus, the fresh air probably did him good...and he even gained a bit of interest from Jeremy." Like all of that excuses the fact that Hank broke a rule. Then again, Scott's right, cause it's Hank and they're lucky he kept by the rules as long as he did.

"So when can I get a hold of Mister Disappearing Act and give him a piece of my mind? Or did y'all already throw him through the ringer and I missed my chance?" Seems her thoughts are getting sorted and she's finally deciding where to land. Unfortunately, she's landed on annoyed - which is becoming more and more a typical state of mind for her. Perking up a bit as she glances between Scott and Jean, "Team trip? Sounds fun."

Phoenix has posed:
"You talk like any of us listen to the rules." Jean says with a quiet huff of amusement. "But yeah, we can go as a team. No uniforms, though. Let's go plain clothes. This is a peaceful talk and we don't need him thinking we're coming to throw him behind bars again. He /will/ throw a tantrum then. So long as he behaves himself, then right now I'm inclined to let bygones be bygones. For now anyway. What with the Cure and now possibly other mutant-hunters out there, we need to focus on standing together. Even if we don't have our own country." She says with a teasing glance towards Scott.

"As for Wade, he went in to take a nap. He may still be around the mansion. I'd probably keep tabs on the kitchen. I wager he'll probably be set to raid it once he wakes up. He didn't mean to threaten you. He figured things were going to go south, so he wanted to get you out of there to be safe. I can't agree with his motives most of the time, but, that time he was actually being honorable."

Storm has posed:
A time for calls? Well, now Ororo gets her phone call. Though it wasn't anything as important as the other two. As she looks at the screen after pulling the phone from her pocket, her face scrunches into something unreadable. "Eehh.. kini apaadi-n-fe.." She mutters, then rises from her chair. "I'll be back." And into the house she goes, quite possibly drilling a hole into the ground with her pacing.