2214/There's a WHAT Outside

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There's a WHAT Outside
Date of Scene: 29 August 2017
Location: Unknown
Synopsis: Klavdiya Vasiliev
Cast of Characters: Tendril, Moonstar, Black Rose, Boom-Boom, Okhotnik, Phoenix




Tendril has posed:
    It's been roughly a day since the last time the quartet of students travelled this way, at one time or another. Mostly because Yana may have indicated that if Lexi did not at least let her nap a few hours, there would be murder involved, after all the extra training she's been doing. But while impatient, Lexi used that time to track down Dani and Tabby (and probably not for protection from Yana) in order to go wake up Yana after her nap, which was when it was getting dark.

    Then it was off to Miss Grey's office, to...well, convince her to follow them out into the wood at night, because they'd found something important that they didn't want to make too public before it. To whit, there's a giant freaking (if friendly) tiger who is also a friend of Lexi's at a campsite there.

    Lexi followed this up, if she agreed, by asking her (not with a little bit of embarrassement) if she'd mind if she hugged Jean for a bit...because the tiger seems cool with people who smell like Lexi.

    Either way, they're now proceeding into the woods. With Lexi leading the way. "So, um...just so you know, she gets a bit, ah...affectionate. With me, I mean..." the mauve girl says, a trace of embarrassement in her voice. "I mean, she doesn't hurt me, like, but...she kinda tends to pin me. She's not hurting me though! If she does, I mean..." the girl adds hastily. She kind of recognizes how this sounds, but...seriously, this is already weird enough to explainw ithout going into particularly humiliating or embarrassing details on her end. Besides, the other girls at least already know what to expect there.

Moonstar has posed:
    Dani gives a wry look to the others, "The tiger basically treats Lexi like her kitten. So that's fine." She smiles a bit, shaking her head as she stays on the point with Lexi, being pretty skilled in traveling through the woods around the school.

Black Rose has posed:
    "It's my theory that she's an animal with a high level of intelligence, almost on human level," Yana suggests, not looking embarassed, or for that matter, out of sorts about the situation. Then again, she's dealt with it a little, herself. "But, yes. She seems to have - adopted, in some form, Lexi, here."
    Luckily for Lexi, Yana had enough time to sleep, rest, and was in a fairly good mood again. And, on the start of the way here and even mentioned something about how she couldn't wait to get back into training again. The queer thing was? She was serious.
    In that sense, Yana seems to emulate Piotr very, very much. Eat. Sleep. Train. That's been Yana's schedule the last week. And, she's perfectly content with it.
    What free time she has had, she's often spent here or there, reflecting on what she's done wrong, and, how to correct her errors.
    She continues, "But at the same time, ... we probably should make a note of it. And, make sure that - well, she's not disturbed a lot. Or, worse, made sport of." Teenagers, afterall, can get bad ideas. Even ones with generally good intentions.

Boom-Boom has posed:
    "She eats a lot too." Boomer says, not far behind Lexi and Dani. "Like momma tigger, like baby tigger." she says, grinning a little. "I'm not worried about the students findin' her, I'm worried about Badger goin' feral on her if he smells her. It's not like she's far off the grounds."

Okhotnik has posed:
This is not just one two-foot. There are many coming. The tigress can hear them, smell them, even see them. They are not doing a good job of hiding. But when she catches the scent of her cub in the group, she crawls out from her hiding spot, where she has been watching for a wandering animal of suitable size to be worth breaking cover to pounce and devour. She shakes out her fur, then starts stalking towards their scents.

Closer, the tiger starts to catalog the other scents. She knows most. One she can picture, but does not know when she met her. But there is one who is new. New, and if her scent is to be believed, a bit older than the others, more mature. Still, she picks up nothing of a threat, other than the ever-present hint of ozone around the trees which are not trees. She stays well clear of that wall, but heads towards the campsite, as that seems to be their direction.

Once outside the walls of the Mansion property a good two- to three-hundred feet, those with GPS can come upon a tiny, very well disguised campsite. An army surplus sleeping bag is nestled into a hollow in the ground, covered with a crude frame over which a camouflage net and tarp have been stretched. A small fire pit is nearby, cold and thoroughly tamped down, but the stone circle is present, along with damp ashes.

Most interestingly, there's a bucket nearby, in which several other containers have been stuffed, after being cleaned out. Including bags for several large turkeys, a side of ribs, and a pork roast. They do not appear to have been cooked.

As the group reaches the campsite, warm amber eyes glint in the darkness, and a low rumble sounds, more felt than heard. Then the tigress comes forward, slowly stalking, sniffing about, tail swishing behind her. The cat is huge, her body a full twelve feet long, and nearly six full feet at the shoulder. Her orange is paler than a classic Sumatran, more the colorations of non-albino Siberian, which would - almost, but not quite - explain her massive size.

The tigress ambles forward, moving with rather incredible silence of footsteps despite brush and such, until she can literally butt her head against Lexi at the hip and tummy. She watches the new person carefully, but Lexi is why she is here.

Phoenix has posed:
Despite the crudely drawn picture taped to the door of Vice Principal Grey facing down a fearsome paperwork golem, the young administrator is nowhere near her office. In fact, if the downstairs fridges weren't still recovering from being pillaged by ravenous trainers and trainees between bouts of torture masquerading as combat and coordination drills, she wouldn't be anywhere that a student could find her, but a burning need for sports drink brought her to the School's vast, shared kitchen, where Lexi eventually found her.

"There's," a sweaty, MF Char shirt-wearing Jean exhales while peering at the girl with a single-eyed squint and a slow head-tilt, "a what-- where? A campsite? There's a tiger who's sophisticated enough to wanna get back to its roots living on the grounds, and this' the first--"

By the time the girl makes her request, Jean's eyes have slid shut and her fingers have found the bridge of her nose. The squint returns for a beat, and then with a slow sigh, she opens her eyes fully, extends an arm, and silently counts to four.

Heading into the woods, her green eyes are more focused on the other girls, none of whom seem remotely surprised by Lexi's talk of an affectionate tiger who may or may not look like she's causing harm. "There's a campsite, apparently, so either she's someone's super well-trained pet, or," she waves a hand vaguely in Yana's direction while studying Moonstar with a frown, "a someone. So, I'm gonna go ahead and see if I can communicate with her, so we can figure out why she's, you know. Here. On the grounds, for an indeterminate length of time. As a giant, intelligent apex predator. Without any of the faculty being made aware of her."

The Vice Principal's gaze finally shifts from the New Mutant to watch the path ahead, with that. And intermittently frown at the other students, still; the latter doesn't end until something primal vibrates through her, body and soul. As the tigress emerges, her eyes are screwed to the place where the brush gives way to her, narrowed once more-- now in building concentration rather than frustration.

Following a few seconds of headbutting and green-eyed staring, {{Can you hear me? Hello? Nod, or, I dunno, stamp your paw, or something, if you can hear me,}} echoes in the tigress' consciousness.

Black Rose has posed:
    "She's not someone's pet." Of this, Yana is entirely certain of. "She's been hunting, for one." But, the blue-haired girl is otherwise quiet, and yields to Jean's intent. She's either on her best behavior because it's still not determined if she's going on the mission or she simply trusts Jean's ability to make the right decision.
    She watches, as the tigress headbuts Lexi, and moves towards Dani, and Tabitha to give the tigress a bit of 'space'.

Boom-Boom has posed:
    "I... did you hear somethin'?" Boom-Boom begins to say as she stars to feel another presence, and then all of a sudden the tiger is just -there- and headbutting the mauve girl. "Wha'?!" and she starts as the immense creature materializes out of the shadows. "Don't _do_ that! Geez!" and she puts her hands on her chest. "You almost gave me a heart attack!" Calming down a bit she looks around to the others. "She's not a pet or probably an animal. Foxy... er, Lexi's been talkig to her other-self, but maybe there's two personalities? Maybe she doesn't know she's a people and the person-version doesn't know that she's a tiget sometimes?"

Tendril has posed:
    Lexi can't help but flinch, just a tiny bit, at the dry tone being used. She may resort to sarcasm next! She bits her lower lip a bit, at the question of why the tiggress might be here. She's got a pretty good idea why, after all, but figures it's best not to ...offer too many facts to confuse the situation.

    Also see: OMG, still embarrassing to tell other people about.

    She slows a bit as the big tiggress approaches, though she can't help but break into a soft smile as she sees her, reaching out as the tigress butts her head against her hip, swaying a bit, before she gently slides her hand into the ruff of her neck, scratching at the sensitive spot that's a bit hard for her to reach on her own. "See? She's not bad...." she says softly, resisting the urge mightily to do what she's usually do and just hug the huge predator. She doesn't want to give Miss Grey a heart attack. Or leave for more wry comments about not having let her know earlier about this! She kinda got the impression she might just be juuuuuust a tiny bit peeved that she wasn't told earlier.

Moonstar has posed:
    Dani looks at Ms. Grey, and says, "Well, I communicated with her, through my powers. And she had a stash of clothes, where human tracks led up to, and tiger tracks led away from." She seems a bit uncomfortable at the frowning, being put on the defensive as she watches the tigress carefully, though she doesn't seem too concerned just yet.

Okhotnik has posed:
The tigress considers the redhaired woman. Instinct tells her the words her ears did not hear come from this one; none of the others have done this, and she is - naturally - one who trusts her instincts.

The tigress' answer is indistinct. In some ways Dani's animal empathy gets a better read, but Jean will get images. She can hear, yes. Thoughts make more sense than words, though the human of course sends those thoughts as words. On some level, the cat's instincts translate these ... roughly. Imprecisely. But she can stamp a paw, if the redhead would like her to stamp a paw. Why not?

What Jean will pick up clearly is that the tigress has imprinted on Lexi, whatever her reasons. She is here, outside the grounds, keeping watch, protecting Lexi. Which includes keeping Lexi //inside// the grounds, and herding her back beyond the 'trees which are not trees' when she dares to come out here. The tigress also seems to identify everyone else by some degree of relationship with Lexi. And her 'vision' or 'word' for someone is a complex melange of sensory information, a 'scent picture' with other elements mixed in.

Yes, the tigress is very intelligent. And there is a vague sense that there is more, there. A sleeping or subconscious mind that is in fact //human// in actuality, not merely in capability. But it's not in charge. Not right now. The tigress is in the driver's seat. All thousand-plus pounds of her.

Once contact is made with Lexi, the subsonic rumble becomes an audible, thunderous purr, as the cat nuzzles at the girl. She hasn't knocked her down; not yet.

Phoenix has posed:
{{My name is Miss Grey.}}

"There's an imbalance," the telepath softly exhales as her eyes just about shut. "A second self sleeping in a corner of her psyche..."

{{I'm the Vice Principal of the Xavier School. Which is where you are. I see you've taken Lexi into your care...}}

Muscles grow rigid as the redhead seeks synchronicity with a mind both alien and familiar, simple and hopelessly complex. What begins as human language is gradually broken down and translated into something like the dizzying bouquet of scents and symbology she's reading from the tigress.

These grounds are safe-- not just for her, not just for Lexi and her friends, but for many humans like them.

"And only one of you," she wonders in a distant voice, "spoke with the Woman?"

{{... and while I appreciate the sentiment... well. I think that it would be easier to talk about all of this if She were with us, just now. I can feel Her-- can She wake up?}}

"Why is she here?" she wonders of the girls, already ready to enact a Plan B. "How long has she been here?"

Tendril has posed:
    Lexi ums, looking back at the other girls, particularly Yana for some reason, before she frowns. Well...it's not like she didn't already tell a bit of this to TAbby and Dani, after all. "Well..." she begins slowly. "I...know who she is. She's a...a friend. From back in Mutant Town." Where Lexi came from, before she was deposited uncermoniously at the school as a foster child. "She lives on the street, so I helped her there, and she helped me out of some trouble...so she came out here to watch over me, I think. She doesn't like crowds though." She pauses. "...shes' a little like Mr. Logan? Um....I think."

    Or at least, he's the person who seems to act a lot like Diya does at times.

Black Rose has posed:
    Yana pushes her hand into her forehead. She exhales. "She's here, because of Lexi," Yana states, quietly. Though, there's no blame to Lexi in Yana's voice. She stuffs her hands into the pockets of her half-shirt, half-jacket. Yana looks decidedly uncomfortable, though. Even distressed. Usually, the girl is much more in control of her emotions. She seems to be sorting things out in her head, realizing just how damn perceptive, and sharp-minded Jean is.
    She glances at Dani, giving the other young girl a glance that is perhaps unreadable before looking over to Jean, then, and saying, soberly, "She helped Lexi out of a tough situation in mutant town. But, she is a recluse. And, desires to stay that way. She wants to be left alone. Very much so, otherwise."
    If Yana knows more, she's not saying it, or showing it beyond that brief measure of discomfort. Jean - and perhaps Dani each with Dani's empathy, might recognize the fact that Yana is perhaps attempting to protect the tigress as well, for whatever reason. It could be merely that because Lexi is her friend, and, the difficult situation?

Boom-Boom has posed:
    "See? I was right!" Tabitha says, grinning. "Maybe I'm a little psychic myself." and she looks to Dani and Lex to see if either of them have smart-mouth comments. A glance back to Grey. "I've only known she was here for... a couple of days. She hasn't eaten the food I brought, so it couldn't have..." then she squeezes her eyes shut. Maybe she shouldn't have admitted raiding the kitchen for the tiger's lunches?

    "She likes kolaches." Tabby blurts out, meaning to be helpful somehow.

Moonstar has posed:
    Dani hmms, and looks at Jean, "Ms. Grey, did you want to mentally link with me while communicating with her? It might be a bit easier since, well, she's a tiger right now. It's pretty similar to the connection I have with Rahne." She nods towards the other girls in agreement, "I found her when I was trying to see what was spooking the horses in the stables. They picked up her presence, and that's when I encountered her. After that Lexi and Tabby told me more about her."

Okhotnik has posed:
The human words 'Miss Grey' are now affixed as a label of thought and sound to the complex melange of scents, sounds, gait and presence that is Jean. The redhead is apparently in charge, somehow. All of the others are deferring to her. The tigress respects this, and identifies it as 'leader'. Vice Principal isn't one she understands. The human mind slumbering within might, but for her 'leader' is enough.

Jean's pushing of thought, reaching, questing within the tigress for that human mind, calling out to it, causes a tremble inside the huge cat. That mind twitches a bit. Stars to stir.

The tigress nuzzles at Lexi, and starts to lick at and groom her, just a little around her belly. She sits, pressed against the mauve mutant girl, and pauses to regard each of the others, sensing they are all talking about her. All concerned with her.

Inside, that other mind stirs a bit more, starting to wake up, confused, dazed.

The tigress's rumbling purr stops, abruptly, as she pants, head lowered. Twitches course through her, and then a resounding crunch, as if a bone just shattered inside her. The tigress growls in protest and stretches out on the leaves, closing her wide amber eyes as more shudders course through her, and her limps start to pop, rend and twist in unnatural, agonizing ways.

Being connected to the tiger's mind, as it goes through this agony, is Hell. Confusion. Pain so intense torture is the only way to describe it. Fury and helplessness. Even fear.

Tendril has posed:
    At first, Lexi is still calm, even a bit affectionate with the big cat, giggling softly as she's licked and groomed slightly as she squirms. At the stop of the purr, she looks down, curious, then gets an alarmed expression as that first sharp CRACK of bone giving is heard, her hand starting to reach out for her. "Tigger?" she breathes, her eyes going wide at the tiger falling over and starting to make those sounds. "Tigger!" She kneels down next to the stricken big cat. "What...what's...?!?" She looks a bit panicked.

Black Rose has posed:
    Yana need not remind Lexi she was against this, from the start. Sure, it was inevitable. But, Yana had never thought it a good idea. Here is proof. And, even knowing she might be risking her chances on going on the mission that she's shown in both behavior as well as conversations with Jean that seems to mean the world to her with her actions, she does it anyways.
    She had told someone, once, she would protect them. And, through various acts - bringing food, clothes, providing shelter - she had proved this to some degree. Now, Yana steps between Jean, Dani, and Tabitha and Lexi and the tiger, Yana inserts herself as a barrier.
    There's no threat from the girl. She's not stupid, nor does she think any of them means harm. But, ... a promise is a promise.
    At least Yana seems calm, but there is purpose in her stance. She shakes her head to Jean, "You said that we were to be above reproach. That doesn't translate merely to action, in a battlefield. But, how we act outside it." Her tone, however, is not reproachful towards Jean. Anything but. It's - protective. "She is my friend. And, before this goes further, I want your word. Your promise. That whatever comes of this, you will not speak of this - or, for that matter - let word get out - not even in the smallest measure - to anyone outside this school. You see, I've made -her- a promise. And, I will keep it, Ms. Grey. Because no one else ever has to her. Or, for her."

Boom-Boom has posed:
    "You shouldn't make a promise you can't keep, Yana." Tabby says, speaking up. "You shoulda got people to make that promise a week ago, not today. If you were that worried about the girl in the tiger, you'd have sent her away, somewhere safe... not next to a school full of half-trained mutant kids and a psycho Canadian runty guy with claws for brains."

Phoenix has posed:
"No, I-- don't-- think-- that'll be necessary," Jean dreamily says without actually drawing her eyes from the tigress to Dani, brows furrowing at the mention of kolaches. "I think..."

Lexi and Yana begin explaining as the lady within the tiger stirs, prompting the redhead to trail off and listen.

In short order, her eyebrows shoot up and her eyes snap towards Lexi. Though still clearly distracted, there's a definite edge to her voice when she exclaims, "Wait, you knew what she was?! All along? And y-- "

The telepath's eyes grow as wide as a hunter's moon as her arms stiffen, then begin twitch and twist violently about, perpetually on the edge of wrenching themselves into impossible angles, as if possessed by a sudden urge to pop and lock herself to death. Mercifully, the physical contortions only last for a few seconds before she manages to force them to a halt by snatching one forearm and holding both limbs close to her chest.

Less so, the tigress' recession continues to ignite her nervous system for a while longer until she finally manages to withdraw, maybe three quarters of the way through the transformation.

"-- oooouuUUUAAAAAAGH!" she screams before collapsing to her knees to recover, panting-- and watching the tigress through re-dampened locks, even as Yana issues ultimatums.

Once the Russian girl has finished, green eyes snap up towards her, narrowing as the Vice Principal exhales, "I'm responsible for more than just you four-- more than her," with a sharpness that she might recognize from some of the tenser moments of the last week, when bodies grew tired and the options for animating them for further training were slim. "So, no, I'm not promising you that-- what I will do is see who it is you all have invited to live in our back yard, and see if there's anything more that we can do for her than that." She begins to pull herself up towards the end, arms still tight against her chest for a moment before beginning to loosen and fall with a soft sigh.

Moonstar has posed:
    Dani suddenly winces, a sharp cry of pain escaping her as she feels what the tiger is feeling. In this case, she says, "Not... expecting... change." She clutches her head, her scream echoing Jean's as she falls to the ground. She doesn't recover nearly as quickly as the Vice Principal, probably because it's a different link... and she's not nearly as experienced as Jean is, the girl gasping for air as she tries to control the pain she's feeling.

Okhotnik has posed:
The agonizing process of the tigress' change takes almost a full ten minutes of that agony, as bones break, tendons pop, joints snap and realign, her jaw crunches and dislocates, hips realign, and worse. By the time the process is nearing its end, it should be abundantly clear that this shapeshifter does not come with clothes, and the fur ripples and recedes slowly under her skin, as an ash blonde mane slowly emerges atop her head. The tigress can do nothing during all of this but suffer, twitch, bend, twist, snap, crunch ...

Even after it is over, the naked woman lies there, head down, panting, moaning softly. The one benefit she has had previously is that she shifts back while asleep, not at all conscious of the pain of the transformation ... or even that it has happened. Not quite so, this time. And there is a stark terror that ebbs through at that, along with a hypersensitivity that echoes out from her skin, causing her to wince and twist away from any and all contact; she'd twist away from the ground, too, if she could.

Tendril has posed:
    Lexi starts to reach for the other woman, then force herself to stop, like she knows it won't help, then sits on her hands, her gold eyes full of mirrored emotional pain....she obviously cares deeply about this person. "Hunter..." she says softly. "Hey....Hottie, I'm here..." She swallows, still lookign agitated as she looks back at the others, then says, perhaps a little sharply to Tabby. "Different promise hon, not...." She frowns, then looks back at Diya. "...sorry Boomer.." she apologizes immediately. "It's just...she...she's safer here. Where she has people who care about her nearby. It's her secret...we don't wanna let it get out if she doesn't wanna do it herself...that's the promise."

Black Rose has posed:
    Yana's eyes snap to Tabitha after watching Dani's and Jean's pain, both, with a frown. Her expression towards Tabitha isn't dark, or challenging, but Yana's not amused. In the least. "I can keep it. And, I will. If it means I have to leave the school to do so." It's not so much an ultimatium, but a statement to how far the girl will go, apparently, to keep said promises. "And, it's the other way around, Tabitha." The tiger, in the girl.
    She looks back to Jean, and says, calmly, "If you don't keep it a secret, you're putting her to death. And, many others." Her words are sincere. Flat. Yet, still protective. And she hasn't moved. This, perhaps, is why she hasn't told anyone. The more people that know a secret ...
    She glances behind her, looking to the woman. << You are safe. Look around you. Lexi is here. I am here, Diya. Others. The tiger's presence has brought - interest. You are safe. For now. You are safe. Find your bearings. And, be still. Please. >>
    She looks back to Jean. "It is not my story to tell. It's hers. I trust you will do the right thing."
    Only then does Yana move, slowly, to extract herself as a barrier, to kneel into the ground, near Diya. She does not touch the other woman, though, for comfort. Instead, she merely murmurs in Russian again, << I have not forgotten my promise to you. I will protect you. >>

Boom-Boom has posed:
    Tabitha looks to Lexi suddenly, concerned. Everyone else seems to be crying out in pain, who'll be next? But that only lasts a moment and then Boomer steps over to crouch next to Dani, to tey and help Moonstar stand. "C'mon, chief. Lean on me. It's alright." easy for her to say, right? "I gotcha." She makes a face and turns partially away from the tiger-becoming-a-girl, not wanting to watch the poor thing writhe in agony as it changes. "Ugh. Do we have to see this?" she wonders, disgusted. "Omigod. No wonder shapeshifters are cranky all the time."

    The change is done and Yana is blathering something about promises and gibberish in Russian. "You can't protect her if you're not at the school..." and Boomski sighs. "... whatevs."

Phoenix has posed:
Green eyes dart between Dani and the weretigress after her response to Yana. A shuddering breath fills Jean's lungs and burning wings unfold in each of the two women's minds for a heartbeat before seeking to gently enfold their psyches with soothing warmth.

Coming seven or so minutes into the experience, it's an excruciatingly late gesture, but it's the best she's got, just now; a sense of regret accompanies her attempt at dampening what's left of their pain beneath waves of calm and a rush of endorphins.

"Look," the telepath murmurs once it's all said and done, sweeping sweat from her brow and skimming the girls' memories for signs of the camp she has yet to physically spot, "I admire your sense of loyalty, but if this woman is seriously in that level of danger, then you should've told one of us immediately-- not just for the school's sake, but for hers." The redhead takes a moment to massage her aching temples with a low groan, then brings her gaze back to Yana. "We could've tried to help her sooner," she adds, tone taking on a layer of ambiguity. "It isn't like we don't have the resources for it, right?"

With that, she joins Yana by squatting on the other side of Diya and thinking, {{Hi, there; sorry I couldn't make that any easier for you. What's your name?}} with a small, tight smile.

Moonstar has posed:
    Dani slowly catches her breath, "I'm... okay. Just, that was excruiating for her." She seems a little skittish still, as if she's still getting a feeling of what Okhotnik is going through right now, even though she's no longer a tiger. She sighs quietly as Jean uses her power to mitigate the pain, her body relaxing as she says, "You... you're right Ms. Grey. I'm sorry, we should have come to you sooner than this." Teenagers. Go figure.

Okhotnik has posed:
The trembling, panting woman starts and twists around, reacting on instinct to defend herself, hunching back on herself as she growls, an elbow sweep aiming right through the spot where someone's temple would have been if they were leaning over her and whispering like Jean was, telepathically instead of audibly. As such, it probably barely misses Yan and Lexi, as the woman scrambles further back, seeking distance.

The thoughts of Diya come through ... jumbled, jangled, and in Russian. Sharp, stilted, razor sharp Russian, tinged with paranoiac levels of fear and desperate determination. She's a fighter; indeed, she's a soldier.

The woman's voice, when she responds aloud - no experience with telepaths at all - is ragged, rough, shredded. "They call me Okhotnik." The translation filters through to the telepath: hunter. "Diya was my name." Not really. It's a tiny fragment of her name, but it is the fragment most used to identify her.

"Damnit, Lex. What are you //doing// out here?" Diya cannot help but growl. "I told you to stay //away// from the damn tiger."

Tendril has posed:
    Lexi lets out her breath in a woosh of air, swaying a bit in relief, then lets out a squeak as the strike narrowly misses her as she leans back out of the way. "Wait! Um...w-well...because...I was reasonably sure she wouldnt' hurt me an' th' others, if I was here too." she says. So reasonable! She leans down so she can see Diya's eyes. "...Diya..." she says, and there's a little triumphant sound to her voice now. Looking pleased with herself for a moment, before her expression of concern returns. "Miss Grey was tryn' to talk to you, an' it made ya change back, I think?" says, looking at the teacher in question. She didn't really see what she was doing, obviously...

Black Rose has posed:
    "Diya." Yana's voice is calm. Reasonable. And, she moves herself briefly, so she has the attention of the soldier's eyes. She exhales, "This is what we talked about. The inevitable. This is Ms. Grey. She is - our teacher, trainer, and she runs this school."
    She looks back to Jean, to indicate the red-headed older woman, then back to Diya. "It is better she know now, than later, now that the tiger has taken to the grounds. She will be able to make sure that no - irresponsible people - students, or otherwise, come across the grounds the tiger has claimed. BUt, she wants to make sure you are not a danger to the school. Or, it's students. Perhaps other things."
    She looks back, meaningfully to Jean, her expression twisting. Quietly, she tells the Vice Principal, "You may have the resources, true. But, this isn't about resources. It's about exposure. About - keeping things quiet. We told you, when it became necessity. Because it is, now. It wasn't. Until the tiger came here. And, we've only learned recently she, and the tiger were the same."

Boom-Boom has posed:
    "We did help her sooner." Tabitha offers helpfully. "we jus' didn't tell anyone 'cause... I dunno. I didn't tell because I thought Badger would come out here and pop claws and everyone would bleed a lot. It didn't seem like somethin' we should do until we figured out some things." Tab has done a good job of inserting herself into this whole mess, though she's really only here as support for Lexi. She pats Dani on the shoulder. "There. Better?"

    "Hey! Watch out!" she shouts in Hottie's direction as the girl-who-was-a-tiger swipes at Lexi. "We're tryin' to help. Don't be hittin' people! I'll come over there and put my boot up your ass, tiger or not."

Phoenix has posed:
Diya's elbow glides along a plane of flickering pink force, which disappears once Jean drops her hands.

"I'm sorry for causing you so much pain, Diya, but I thought it was important that we spoke-- and now that I know that your life and some number of other lives are in danger-- well." Sitting back on her heels, she pushes a hand back through sweat-drenched hair while shaking her head a little and flicking her eyes around her students.

"Alexia and the other girls were ultimately acting in your best interests; it was only a matter of time before someone else found you, and I honestly can't imagine how they might react to suddenly encountering a giant tiger on our property. Although," her eyes shift to Tabitha briefly, "Logan's got a way with animals, so-- I mean, fifty-fifty on that one, honestly. Anyway," and then to Diya as she stands and goes to search the camp for clothing, calling out, "the important thing is that you're safe here, Diya; this place exists to teach and shelter people who are different! But it'd definitely help - us, and you - if you could gimme an idea of what it is you're running from!"

Moonstar has posed:
    Dani nods towards Jean, and gives Diya a reassuring smile, "She's right, you can trust us. We're... well, pretty formidable, really." She then winces a bit, muttering, "When not having wicked migraines..." under her breath. She then takes a seat on a convenient rock, being quiet and listening for a while as she doesn't quite look to be up to snuff from that earlier experience.

Okhotnik has posed:
"Just ... don't touch me. Everything hurts right now." Diya struggles to say, to make her mind catch up to speaking in English; her instinct is Russian, obviously. Her accent is strong, but still intelligible, though there's some slurring right now, still panting with the pain of the hypersensitivity.

"Damnit." the soldier growl-mutters, as she tries to pummel her brain into processing thoughts other than the pain. "Only came up here ... to follow Lex. To make sure she stayed here, stayed safe, out of the City." Diya lapses quiet for a while.

"They can't find me, here. You ... you're in charge. Take them. Take them and get back inside." Diya offers, as sharply as she can given how uneven she is right now. "You ... keep her safe. Keep her safe, and I will go. I can't bring them here."

The imagine that flashes through Diya's mind is a collection of heavily armed Russian soldiers in black powered armor with unusual insignia. They are her fear. They are the hunters of the Hunter. And they are coming.

"Keep the girl //inside//." Diya snarls, as she struggles to push herself up, dragging herself towards the cleverly disguised hollow and the sleeping bag, digging for clothes hidden there. "I will not put //children// in danger. I am a soldier. I will face my threat without innocents in harm's way." She starts struggling to dress herself, and more white-hot lances of pain proceed, her body too hypersensitized to take it lightly when she drags that rough fabric over her skin.

"Yana, get Lex ... the others ... to safety. I will make my stand ... " Fatalism, thy name is Russian.

Tendril has posed:
    Lexi can't help herself...when Diya starts painfully dragging herself over to the tent, she moves after her. "But no one knows yrt here but US!" she says, a bit plaintively. "How would they? There's no one who followed ya here, or knows that yer here. You can't put us in danger if you're completely away from where anyone can find you!" She frowns a bit. "And we're not defenseless either. The people here are strong. You aren't gonna threaten 'em by being close, ya saw th' security an' stuff!"

Phoenix has posed:
"Drones, subdermal trackers," Jean rattles off while counting on fingers, "basic stealth recon, a wizard of some kind, any number of extrasensory powers..." once Alexia suggests that Diya's got anonymity on her side, just loudly enough to be heard.

Boom-Boom has posed:
    "Are you okay, Fo... Lexi?" Tabitha asks, still a little concerned. But, back to the group. "What're we gonna do now?" she wonders, raising her voice a little so Phoenix can hear. "Does she _have_ to be a tiger..." and she looks to Diya, realizing it'd be better to just ask for herself. "... do you _have_ to be a tiger sometimes, like when the moon is full or there's a sale at Spatula City or somethin'? If you can change whenever, you could probably stay at the school... maybe Yana needs a roommate?" she wonders.

    Tabby frowns. "Oh, stop it." she snaps, irritated. "_Who's_ comin'? More lame mutant EVOs? Or somethin' else?" She crosses her arms and taps her foot. "We've faced worse and prob'ly will face worse again." she looks to the now-quiet Moonstar. "Right, Dani?" and she shakes her head. "We don't have anythin' to worry about. Stop talkin' 'bout last stands. Geez. Come inside and have a cup of cocoa and have a nap. Everthin'll feel better after that. I mean, we're not _innocents_." and she considers what she just said. "Uh... it's jus' that we're fighters too. So, screw whoever's comin'. Let 'em come. We'll kick their butts like we do everyone that messes with us."

    She waves a hand in Yana's direction, dismissively, though she's still berating Hottie. "Why're you talkin' to her like she's gonna save us? She's just a spoiled rich homeschooler rookie. If you want people to lead, we got perfectly good ones here. Don't need her."

Black Rose has posed:
    Yana moves to Jean, and - perhaps, risking something - there's a measure of displeasure that twists on her features, but she recognizes that fatalism all too well, "Tabitha. Get ready to leave with Lexi. Please. She will not forgive herself if she hurts Lexi." Because if this doesn't work?
    Yana takes advantage of Jean's having knelt close to her, to put her head near the older woman's, and whisper in her ear, so low that nobody can hear. Perhaps Diya, with her hyper-awareness.
    "She suffers from PTSD."
    It's a clue to Yana's own intellect she'd been trying to hide - or at least, play as close to her chest as possible, as well as her ability to diagnose, recognize, mental issues. She doesn't look happy with Jean's rattling off of possibilities. In fact, quite the opposite.
    She hopes - or, perhaps, trusts her instinct that Jean can do something with that. Then, she's moving to Diya. "I will, Diya."
    She looks at Tabitha. And, she looks like she suddenly really wants to haul off on the other girl. But, she restrains herself. Really. Restrains herself.
    Then, she moves to Diya, exchanges a brief look with Jean, and moves to stand in front of Diya. "I will move them. I will help you keep them safe," she assures the woman. "But first, I want you to take a deep breath. Long. Slow. Deep." She speaks slowly. Reasonably.

Tendril has posed:
    Lexi starts to get one of those very stubborn looks. "What?! I'm not leavin' her too. I promised too!" she says to Yana. "I told her I'd keep her safe an' I'd help her. I'm not gonna desert her!" She shooks that look at Jean as she starts demolishing her attempt to set Diya at ease. "But they gotta know..I mean...they can't...." She stammers, looking back at Diya. "But...but ya can't just go off an' DIE, DIya!" she says, a bit of a wail in her voice as she starts to truly get upset now."

Okhotnik has posed:
"Lex, damnit, stop arguing with me. Go! I have to get away from here." Diya offers, grumbly, growling as she struggles into her clothes painfully. "She's already asking who is after me. She has the right. It is //her// responsibility. And mine is to take my risk, my threat, away from here. To face it where innocents don't pay the price. Because they won't care."

Tabitha quips, and Diya lifts bloodshot green eyes to look towards the blonde. "Take your Lexi inside that goddamned secure perimeter, and keep her there. Stop trying to prove something, and do the right thing for someone you care about. Which isn't me." She's not blaming. But it's true; she doesn't matter.

Diya pulls out a belt, struggling to get it on. A large matte black blade knife hangs on it, as does a holster for a heavy caliber pistol, both very well maintained, as one would expect of a soldier. Her attire is all military surplus. She is working on getting boots on as the others argue. She's struggling to breathe, but her determination is clear.

"She asked what is chasing me. What the danger is. She has a right to know. But she also has a right to keep you all safe. As long as she does that for Lex as well ... I owe it to her to take //my// threat somewhere else." Growling - but like a woman, not a cat - Diya turns and grabs Lex with a hand around the back of her neck, pulling the mauve girl closer.

"Lex, stop it. Just stop. You saw my injuries. Very little can kill me. But I will not let that danger come //here//. I came to keep you inside. To keep you safe. Because I knew you were too blind to realize the threat if you went back to town. Now I'm part of the threat, bringing my danger to you. I can't do that."

Finally, those eyes lift to Jean. "I didn't know about the tiger, when I came here. I never meant to put anyone in danger. I never went inside. I just patrolled out here, to keep her //inside//."

Phoenix has posed:
"... cloaking tech, stolen Pym Particles, hired nin-- "

Green eyes squint and shift towards Yana, then widen. Both hands immediately drop, momentarily clasp behind her back, then come up as she folds her arms.

"My point," she says after clearing her throat and leaning away from Yana, "is that if there's actually someone hunting her, Alexia, then we need to focus on keeping her and anyone who could be caught in the middle safe-- and that obviously includes you, now. But, also, more importantly:"

Approaching Diya, meeting the weretigress' eyes, she reaches out - not with a hand, but with a piece of her consciousness, seeking to touch the Russian's with a sense of determination - and continues, "Alexia's right: this is one of the safest places any of us could be-- but, still and all, I should thank you for going out of your way to make it a little bit safer. Pretty much all of those things I listed off, though? We either have explicit countermeasures for, or could figure a way around," not stopping until she's just a foot or two away from the soldier. Leaning close enough to whisper, she assures, "The Hunters in Black can't hurt you here, even if they did find you."

"If there's a stand to be made," she continues, leaning away, letting her eyes glow bright pink as she casts her consciousness out in search of foreign minds, "then so be it, but you're not doing it alone-- not here, not now that we've met. I'm casting a psychic net, now-- seeing if there's anyone in the area who doesn't belong, anyone who could try to hurt you, Lex-- anyone; if they are here, they won't be for long, understand? And if they aren't... then maybe you'd like to come inside, so I can tell you a little bit about the mansion's defense grid. Over, maybe, a meal; what do you think about that?"

Boom-Boom has posed:
    "We're not goin' anywhwere!" Boomer insists. "We're not goin' anywhere..." she repeats gently to Lexi. "Don't worry, honey." Then a look to Diya. "Noone's gonna die either. You come inside and relax for a while."
    Tabby growls in turn as Hottie grabs Lex. "Let her go. Stop handlin' her. You do that enough as a damn tiger." She sighs. "We were jus' fightin' a buch of _demons_ and stuff. I think we can handle anythin' else anyone wants to throw at us. Stop bein' dramatic and come inside already." Pretty much what Jean said, only with less tact.

Black Rose has posed:
    Yana is blatantly ignoring Tabitha, now. Mainly because if she doesn't an entirely new situation will brew. And that's not what she wants. Or, any of them.
    Instead, her hand moves to cup Diay's cheek, after Jean has spoken. Yes. Yana has dared to touch the woman who loathes to be touched. In front of others. She turns Diya's eyes to hers. And says, simply, "I will fight for you. So will they. Diya." There's a pause. "Trust me." Another pause, and Yana lowers her hand. "Come, inside, with us. Food will help. And, I can teach you some breathing exercises to help you - find some calm. And clarity."
    Then, her hand reaches out to take Diya's hand. The hand, that's holding the pistol. She's not dumb enough to try and wrest the pistol from the soldier, but she does touch Diya's fingers. "We've done much for each other. Yes? Do this for me. And, for Lexi."

Tendril has posed:
    The mauve girl helps in suprise, her eyes widening as Diya as in her in a few strides as she's gripped by her neck...almost scruffed as she tenses up. "But...but...if ya leave, then there' no one protectin' me here. If...if I"m not whera -you- are...how will I know if ya need -me-!" That stubborn look is still there, as she gets over the initial shock of being grabbed, holding up a hand to Tabby. "I'm...I'm alright." She looks up at Diya, then licks her lips. "...she wouldn't hurt me." She swallows a bit, then nods softly. "...ya...ya trust Yana an' me, right? At least...give it a chance? Before ya go away...-please- Diya...."

Okhotnik has posed:
The psychic scan won't pick up anyone out there, not now. There is an odd ripple around Diya, however, almost like a pall. A seed of darkness, of trouble, planted deep.

Something wicked this way comes.

Diya glances past Lex to Tabitha, curiously. All she did was make sure she had direct eye contact, and this one is being all jealous? She can't process that, so she doesn't try. She just lets Lex go and looks at the red-haired woman in charge. "Listen ... I appreciate it. But the one thing you //do not doo// is invite the goddamned f--king monster //inside//. Better me out here, far away where no one else will get hurt."

But then Yana touches her, and Diya freezes stock still, a hiss of indrawn breath. "I'm //doing// this for both of you. For //all// of you." If even her own team wouldn't stand with her, why should these people? Why risk their lives?

But she relents. Against her better judgement, she relents, and lets them draw her away from running, from disappearing.

Boom-Boom has posed:
    Boomer sighs. "Look, you guys enjoy playin' in the mud. I'm gonna go back to the kitchen and get a lot of water ready for hot chocolate. If anyone wants to have some, come find me. She steps over to Lex, to touch the mauve girl's elbow. "I'll see you later, huh?" she suggests softly. Then she begins tromping off home, her phone in her hand to use as a light source.

Phoenix has posed:
"We specialize in frightened people who see monsters in the mirror," Jean gently, swiftly replies. "We-- " A shudder as her retracting consciousness practically stumbles over the darkness in Diya's.

"-- there's something-- something buried, something painful..." she quietly trails off, shaking her head and briskly blinking. Once she's looking squarely at the soldier again, she says, "You aren't alone, now, Diya. Whatever hunts you, haunts you... you don't need to worry about facing it on your own, or protecting anyone else from it," at a more readily audible level. "Whatever -- whoever it is, we can plan for it, for them, together."

Black Rose has posed:
    There is a newfound, and perhaps measured respect for Jean, in Yana's expression, briefly. "Come on," she tells Diya. And, she leans to the slightly taller woman and murmurs something quietly to her, in Russian that the others won't be able to hear. << I keep my promises. You are like family.>>
    Then, to Jean, she says quietly, earnestly, "Thank you, Ms. Grey." She'll stick by Diya, however, on the walk back, no longer touching the other woman, but close enough to do so at any given moment. An honor guard, perhaps? Yana's certainly taken her stand, however. And there's no going back.
    "Between the two of you," she says to Lexi, looking over her shoulder, "We might have to get a second kitchen."