15071/I don't think I'm like Baba Yaga!

I don't think I'm like Baba Yaga!
Date of Scene:	11 May 2023
Location:	Columbia University - Somewhere outside the library.
Synopsis:	Nadia runs into Willow while handing out GIRL fliers. They talk about magic, science and math. Nadia makes a recruitment pitch and Willow says something shocking about science.
Cast of Characters:	Wasp (Pym), Willow Rosenberg

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Wasp (Pym) has posed:
Building a super science collective able to totally change the world takes time, effort, and people. But Nadia is more than willing to put the time and effort in. Searching college records, school SAT scores, rumours, newspapers & magazines (was that a UFO or a potential recruits drone test flight!), you name it she's checking it with a thoroughness you only get with Red Room training. Where failing at a task means death.

Not that you'd know anything about her background from the way she's handing brochures to seemingly random college students. (Actually top scorers in their respective classes)

The petite Russian is dressed casually. A GIRL bomberjacket, jeans and a simple t-shirt. Plus pink sneakers with glitter on them. She could probably blend in just as well at a High School as a college. Which is probably the main reason campus security have been ignoring her and her handing out of fliers.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Her first year was officially over! And while she had started the year by herself and was quite nervous - what with her friend, Buffy, not here with her.. by this time she was enjoying it, and found herself with a voice. Well, kind of! She still was shy. Most of the time.

In the library she returned the books on string theory that she had finished, and started on her syllabus for the fall. Yes, she was that kind of student. Besides, keeping ahead meant she wouldn't be trapped in the fall when she tended to have more responsibilities beng a teacher's assistant.

She still did not know if she liked that part of her job - failing the exams. But Buffy had tried to give her another way to think of it: the students were giving the failing grades to themselves, she just recorded them. (She did have troubles with her actual teaching and failing, but that was a whole nother ball game).

Spring was here with a vengeance. Which is why she happened to notice Nadia having out the pamphlets. Science? Yes please!

Wasp (Pym) has posed:
Is it a coincidence? Or is it a scheme unfolding? A devious plan to track down the best and the brightest coming to fruition.

Mostly it's a coincidence. Although Willow is a face she knows from her research. So when she notices she's been noticed Nadia approaches fearlessly. You shall have a flier! If you want one or not.

"You're Ms Rosenberg right?" she greets. "I'm Nadia. Nadia Pym. And I think you'd be perfect for my project. I have an engineer, a genetics expert and... a xenobiologist." Aliens are by their very nature xeno-somethings. And just knowing general information about alien life probably over qualifies Kara for the title. "To make the plan work I need more physicists, chemists and mathematicians." She beams a smile. "But I get ahead of myself."

"I'm trying to start a research lab. One which provides support for those who aren't supported by current academic structures. We're going to help superheroes, go on adventures and basically save the world. Not in the punching a villain sort of way. I mean clean energy, curing diseases, and all those other things heroes should be tackling but don't."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow found herself under the spotlight so to speak, clutching the pamphlet that was given to her. "Uh.."

How did this woman know her name? But wow, like a sorority - just with women who liked science? *boggle*

Back to the present, and Nadia..

"It sounds really good, but how did you know my name? Oh! Perhaps a student told you?" That's it, do the work for the stranger. "Really I'm in mathematics and computer sciences - like that? Was it one of my professors?" Her brow creased as she thought who? A friend?

Wasp (Pym) has posed:
"I have put together my list of recruits from various sources," Nadia says earnestly. "Exam results, essays, and pretty much any publicly available source." And a few sources which are less than legal but hey. If a college does not pay for cybersecurity to protect it's data that's on them. "Anyway the fliers detail the basic idea. There's a virtual reality lab where people can meet up and say hi. Get to know each other and do some collaborations." Right now it's just an off the shelf VR suite running a glorified chat room. But once she secures some more funding... Well the sky is the limit.

"We can't /pay/ anyone yet. But there will be plenty of perks. Chances to learn from the best minds the world doesn't know about. Adventures. Possibly some lab safe parties once I've got us a building to throw them in."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow nods as she listens. And things began to click.

"Oh dear.." A giggle escaped her. "You mean you hacked the files to pick and choose the people that you are interested in. Right? I could have done that, but it was.. not easy, just I didn't see me doing just that for a profession. Though, I guess, Mathematical Theory doesn't have that many jobs lying about." She did combine it with computer science, though. That counts?

"I sometimes look around for things? I wouldn't say I'm a hacker though. Mostly looking for clues.. uh.. well. Things." Was she a moderate hacker? She had never thought about it before.

"I'm used to not getting paid. My friends and I rarely, if ever, get paid. I've got a job on the side to pay the bills."

Wasp (Pym) has posed:
Nadia Pym flutters her lashes and pulls a 'butter wouldn't melt in my mouth' look. "I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about," she replies sweetly. "I actually put together some very complicated selection criteria equations. I also fed every essay available through a customer anti cheat program to rule out anyone who paid for grades or in any other way manipulated the system to attend better schools than their abilities would allow."

She scuffs her sneaker against the ground.

"Any suggestions I would break the law are shocking to me!" Unless it was a stupid law. Or one of the laws of physics, but those are really more of suggestions than laws....

"Anyway you can leave all the planning and funding stuff to me. I've got plans. Feel free to join in our virtual chat room and try meet the others! See if it's for you. If not there's no obligation to remain involved."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow looks aghast! Her? Cheating? On a test!?!

NEVER!

It would be tantamount to stealing. Or killing!

"I never cheat." No, no, her head shakes. She didn't even cut school - even when it was expected of them. Even twisting the truth was something she didn't do lightly. Except when keeping her friends safe, and then all bets were off. "Did you find some in mine?"

Oh, and that time when she had to erase her mother's memory to keep herself safe. Come to think of it, there were a few places where she stretched the truth when she was superheroing, or being a Scooby. Surely they didn't count?

Wasp (Pym) has posed:
Nadia tilts her head to one side, a little bemused by the reaction, and smiles. "Oh don't worry I wouldn't be inviting you to join if I thought you'd in anyway cheated," she assures. "But I'm currently recruiting in quite a broad area. Gotham, New York, Metropolis and anywhere else within reasonable travel time. Later on I intend to go global. Support education programs in schools. GIRL sites popping up like maker-spaces but also an integrated virtual network."

She practically bounces on the spot with excitement.

"It's going to be /amazing/. I promise." She seems to realise she's getting ahead of herself and coughs. "Oh. One thing I should warn you about. I do find myself acting as a superhero occasionally and there is a small chance once we're properly established that villains might come after me there." She bites her lip a little. "I hope that won't be a problem? There's going to be world class security I assure you. I just feel it's important that people be allowed to make informed decisions. And didn't wish to keep that from anyone joining.."

She looks a little dainty to be a superhero. But then Willow is sure to know that looks can be deceiving!

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Again there is a giggle, followed by a serious face by Willow.

"I'm kinda in.. Well one that isn't formally a superheroes group. One, I am sitting on the sidelines.. kind of? And one bona fide superhero group. Quite frankly I am used to keeping my mouth shut with normal people. In fact my one job is at X-Corp where I am the only person who isn't a mutant. Which only shows I've been there before. I'm not scared.."

Should she? ..Thinking ..Thinking..

"Uhm, There is a matter that you may not want me? I'm sorta a witch? I mean really sorta a witch." She waggles her hand to accentuate the witch..

Wasp (Pym) has posed:
"So long as you're happy with the level of risk," Nadia says seriously. "I'll explain a little more in a less public setting. It's not about secrets. I don't hide who or what I am. But I wouldn't want anyone getting hurt because I hadn't given them the facts. That would basically be no different to my having hurt you myself."

Now serious face is on she looks older somehow. Not a /lot/ older. But certainly not mistaken for a high school kid old. Also more confused.

"I don't follow? I do know that scientists believe the stories about witches broomsticks likely comes from ergot being cultivated for narcotic purposes. If that is what you are alluding to then I don't mind. So long as you take proper care of your health and it does not impede your decision making."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow looks around, and sees a quiet corner of the courtyard. "Come on." And with that, she leads on. "I'm a witch. I guess you could say, a mage. A magician. A magus. Like Wanda. You know, I can do things with my mind."

"Would you like a demonstration? Forgot what science says. They are wrong. Some of my specialty deal with things that aren't exactly science per se. I know ancient languages. And I can scry - amongst other things."

Wasp (Pym) has posed:
"Oh. You are talking about magic," Nadia says with an acceptance so easy it probably makes Willow wonder why she was worried. "Yes I know that magic is really. But I can assure you ergot really would make you think you were flying. It's not a mistake. Just because magic is real it does not mean that witches would always fly around on broomsticks. That would be very uncomfortable."

She tilts her head to one side. Shrugs and follows along.

"So long as you are not a witch like Baba Yaga I would be happy to see what you can do."

There's a pause and she pouts a little. "Forget what science says is possibly the most shocking thing anyone has ever said to me. I think given time science will eventually be able to explain /everything/. Including magic."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"I don't think I'm like Baba Yaga! At least.. Well, one of my spells could be not very nice. But I only use it on bad creatures. And sometimes bad men and women." A pause from Willow. "I'm so sorry that you weren't treated nice. We are always coming up with new things that a hundred years or so ago would have been witchcraft. Like genes! I mean we can make babies outside the womb, and put them in there. Long ago, we believed that only Yahweh had the ability to give life. At worst it is a combo of science and Yahweh. At best, science."

As for magic, there must be a simple sort of answer. But why some people had it, and not everyone? Willow still doesn't have any clue.

Wasp (Pym) has posed:
"Anyone can have super powers if they study and work hard," Nadia says with the conviction that only someone who gave herself super powers on purpose can muster. "I generally prefer not to hurt anyone. I certainly won't be allowing people to research weapons at GIRL. That's the one line I don't ever want anyone crossing. We're saving the world not destroying it."

"Probably also we will not be making any babies?"

Nadia coughs. "I mean in the lab. Everyone will be free to do whatever they like outside of GIRL."

"I much prefer a universe where logic and reason triumph. And people have agency over their own destiny. But that doesn't mean I'm going to reject things I don't understand when there is evidence they exist. I've read too many accounts of inexplicable phenomena out in the world." At least inexplicable /now/. In time though? Who can say!

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"Logic and reasoning! And most definitely no babies!" Of course Willow has to smirk, "Besides genetics isn't my thing."