14982/One's Penance

One's Penance
Date of Scene:	23 April 2023
Location:	Frontyard - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	A wild Penance falls from the sky! And Tabitha is there to see and offer assistance to the mute creature.
Cast of Characters:	M, Boom-Boom

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M has posed:
It's a fine and sunny Spring day in Upstate New York. The weather is just right with only a slight breeze and there's only a few clouds in the sky. A good day for a picnic, perhaps, or other outdoor activities. Little risk of overheating since it's not quite *hot* yet.

And that's precisely what some people are doing when there's a loud crack in the air as if thunder... but no storm clouds or rain come. Instead, a shimmering, jagged scar rips open in the sky and from it... tumbles a being of dark red wrapped in black.

Unconscious, Penance is flung from the scar (that shwoops closed immediately after) and hits the lawn, rending a long line into the grass. Woe to the caretaker.

Boom-Boom has posed:
Seem's like there's new old arrivals popping up all over. Out by the boathouse near the lake an old yellow and black van had been left parked under some trees with a blonde woman doing the semi homeless thing.

This would be Boom-Boom, Tabitha Smith but no one allegedly ever called her Tabitha. Why is she back? That's a whole thing but it's easy to skip when there's a sonic boom in the sky. The rip in reality being worth a look as it ejects something. Tabby, in way too tight dark bluejeans, a pink tanktop with BOOM! across her chest, a red spiky leather belt, choker and wrist cuffs along with red chucks hears the next it as she's rounding the mansion on foot, seeing the massive furrow in the lawn.

"Oooohhh fuuuuuuu...." she mutters and makes a dash to see the woman in black with red skin. While Tabby had met Monet years ago, this is a face that's not recognizable to the blonde.

While random portals with young women being exjected from them have been a thing in Westchester before, that doesn't mean you should ignore when they happen, as Tabby hunkers down in the dirt to check on the woman. "Hey, you okay? You're not dead?" she asks and gently reaches to touch a shoulder and see if the being is conscious.

This is probably a bad idea, but this is Tabitha after all.

M has posed:
In the smoking crater (though it's a very smol crater) lies Penance. Humanoid -- feminine even -- in form, she might as well be alien otherwise. Dark red skin, fingers inhumanely long ending in talons, and rather than hair long dread-like fronds that sweep away from her forehead and down her back. Her body is wrapped in leather and belts for a sense of modesty; layers and layers wrapped like bandages.

When touched, she starts and flails out as she tries to get to her feet; stumbling and falling over instead, blue eyes half-closed.

Hopefully Tabitha doesn't get too near those sharp talons.

Boom-Boom has posed:
It's actually not a bad look for the woman. The sharpness of it all does get noticed when the blonde accidentally nicks herself on some of that hair. "Ouch, damn, you're like pointier than a cactus. Seriously!" she commenst though she does have to jump a little when Penance rolls over.

The talons do manage to add a few rips along a knee and thigh showing light cuts under the denim but nothing that bad. Tabitha's had plenty worse. "Watch the nose BOOPs!" she warns but isn't made as she lands on her behind beside the struggling girl.

"Can, you like tallk? English?" she asks and looks a little worried. <<Russian?>> she adds in that language.

Rising to stand, or at least squat first she smile. "Hey, I can help you up and inside but we gotta be real careful. That landing gotta have done a number on you. Maybe someone inside can help. I'm Tabitha, most foiks call me Boom-Boom." the woman sounding way more friendly than she ever did towards Monet when they first met years ago. But then Penance doesn't look like the allegedly perfect Monegasque woman from so many years past.

M has posed:
While that landing *should* have done a number on Penance, she actually looks... completely fine. A little addled, maybe, but that seems more 'out of it' than injured. There's no sign of bruising, broken bones, or anything you might expect from someone being *yeeted* through a portal to fall from the sky. Especially at such a velocity to rip a crater into the ground.

As she gets to her feet and crouches nearby, Penance just *stares* at Tabitha. There's a glance to the rips and injuries and she looks morose, but she doesn't say anything.

The being looks briefly toward the mansion, then back to Tabitha. There's an anxiety to her; a fear, almost. Like a beaten dog cornered. And though she can understand Tabitha, clearly, no words come.

Boom-Boom has posed:
That look of worry is definitely one Tabitha knows well enough. She's worn it more times than she can count. But she can also kind of sometimes read people. "I'll be fine, and people pay a fortune to have their jeans custom shredded like this. Double by someone cute like you!" she reassures.

It'll sting but it'll all heal.

"You don't have to worry, this place is a safe place. You're a mutant? Me too, whole place is full of 'em. I just came back after a bunch a weird shit. Only place I ever felt safe." she points out, warm tone and smiles.

"If you want, we can go inside, find like wherever they put the med bay, get ya cleaned up, food, coffee or something. bet ya they freak out more about me being there than some sudden random girl falling out of the sky!"

M has posed:
There is a gutteral sound that's almost a scoff at the 'someone cute like you.' Penance knows what she looks like. She's also heard for years now, daily, how hideous she is. On top of other abuse. She shrinks back just a bit more with another sidelong glance or three at the mansion.

The mention of food does seem to gain interest and there's a rumble from her stomach in answer. Penance stands up, tucking her arms (and thus those sharp talons) in against herself. She takes a few steps, slightly hunched over. Food, it seems, is the real trick.

Boom-Boom has posed:
The dismissive scoff hets a soft chuckle. "I dated a girl that was a fox with like prehensile hair. And I've been with men that were positively fugly. You are not. You got like badass heavy metal album cover style going. Own that shit yo!" she encourages.

Going from that self determined image of perception to her curent form probably did a huge number on the woman's self esteem. Knowing that or not, Tabby's not going to let self doubt kick someone around.

The sound of a tummy rumbling gets more chuckles. "C'Mon, we'll get food first. Honestly I could eat and maybe we'll find someone working here that can helps us both." she encourages with a nods and gesture of her hand to the front door.

"If we're lucky we might even find the headmistress. She's like a mind reader. But usually pretty cool. I'd ask for a name but till we can find that out. I'm gonna call you Slice. On account of all those claws and sharp bits. And the cake." she says playfully.

Flirty Tabitha might be, but she doesn't seem to be doing more than that. Portal yeeting is a lot and helping people feel better about themselves is often a good way to help heal. Boom-Boom just might be horrible at it though.

M has posed:
Monet was (at least in her eyes) the epitome of beauty and fashion. So to be Penance, well. It's quite a flip of the script. Pair it with the emotional and physical abuse from her brother and...

Monet just ain't what she used to be.

Penance does begin following Tabitha toward the mansion. When it's mentioned she'll call her 'Slice' the blue eyes drop to the talons and hands curl in on themselves. She can't cut herself, at least, so there's that. Penance sighs, just faintly, and continues along in the other woman's wake. And anyone who passes them, she seems to shrink just a bit more into herself. Perhaps afraid of inadvertently cutting anyone else. Once inside she will definitely, absolutely, keep her hands to herself.