5708/Astral Flux: Ravens and Questions

Astral Flux: Ravens and Questions
Date of Scene:	04 November 2018
Location:	Astral Plane
Synopsis:	Jean seeks out a new ally on the Astral Plane
Cast of Characters:	Shadow King, Phoenix
Tinyplot:	Astral Flux

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Shadow King has posed:
The Astral Plane has held very consistent, there are few changes to it lately. The place is still a horror of a fortress of the whims of the Shadow King. It pulses with muted emotions of negativity and the sins the King promotes.

    Yet there are some subtle other things around. Traces of some other person or presence. In the sickening darkness of what has become of the plane they are shiny silvery little threads: but in the enormous tapestry of the woven state of the large area, those are but specks, overall ... easy to miss.

Phoenix has posed:
Good thing that Jean Grey has Cerebro on her side, now that she's back in the fray after a pep talk from Doctor Strange. There are of course some other things on her side, but none that she truly fathoms. She heard of embers from the Shadow King himself, and of a Flamebird from Superman and his fancy Fortress of Solitude computer. But none of those are beyond a general direction, such as, travel north to reach the arctic.

She uses Cerebro's empowerment to pinpoint better the faint traces of light in an otherwise realm of despair. One of them she met. Doctor Strange is why she's risking it by diving back in. But the others...who could they be? As ever was the rule in the Astral Plane, she moves there in thought, assuming she'll find much less resistance when her destination hasn't to do with the Shadow King. Something that should reduce the gravity of her little expedition in the cognition of the eye. She envisions he is supervising much like the Eye of Sauron from those old movies. After all, he always seemed so very aware.

Shadow King has posed:
There is literally zero wait between her starting to inspect and look at those glittering threads than she arrives at the location, and is greeted. "Hi," says a curious mental voice from loosely behind and to her left. It is a beautiful raven in shape; purple and bright blue lights glimmer through the feathers of the form of the creature. It it extremely subtle, a tiny blip in the world of the astral, small and tidy, an awareness that flicks away if one looks at it too closely. There are no 'trees' in the realm, the place is devastated, but the little bird seems to have found a few dead branches to perch in, translucent wings moving with, not against, any astral 'wind' that kicks up, letting no wind actually impact or find it.

Phoenix has posed:
"Hello...unusual aura for times like this," Jean shows a relaxed exterior and maintains a calm voice, even if the sudden greeting did alarm her a bit. Jean, quite naturally, doesn't try and see the raven, so much as think the raven. Her eyes are set in the general direction of the bird, but it's the thing it embodies that she is after, "are you aware of what is happening to this plane?" The question is a simple way to cut through the unimportant trivialities. A bold traveler, or a potential ally. From experience visits could be limited and she might need to get a physical meeting with this person sooner or later.

Shadow King has posed:
"Yes. What a mess, isn't it?" The raven replies. There's no movement to the beak or the bird itself. It is merely something for Jean to register as a presence, a small little link. It is only a trace of the awareness behind it, perhaps: a messenger. It feels, if anything, like a mote of magic, instead of something more specifically telepathic.

"I don't see others here. You must be powerful indeed," suggests the raven, in an appreciative, flattering manner.

Phoenix has posed:
"It is something that should not be," Jean concurs with the raven. The nature of the presence registering more akin to her meeting with Doctor Strange, does bring Jean to ask, "are you familiar with Strange? Are you here on his behalf?"

When she gets flattered for her ability to even travel the astral plane in the days it is so chaotic and corrupt, she just tilts her head in the slightest acknowledgement, offering, "I am not a wouldbe royalty, I feed on more substantial things, but you are perceptive. Are you of this plane? Or is there a place for us to meet in person...?" A curious question, after all, there are some disembodied spirits within, the Shadow King by right should be one, which clearly isn't the case.

Shadow King has posed:
The bird, or whatever the speck of magic is that is showing up as a bird, does move a little bit to cock an eye at her when she mentions Dr. Strange. "Familiar, yes. Connected? Not today," is the answer. It is slightly playful, but not in a mean way. More that the bird is tickled by the idea, maybe.

"Then I will not bow," decides the bird, as she declares she isn't royalty. "I am merely checking on a few things here. I could meet outside of the plane, if there's reason to, certainly. The very wind is made of ears, here.... good reason to not linger long."

Phoenix has posed:
"Requiring others to bow is a weakness in itself, revealing a fragile ego," Jean muses, as she gets this mischevious sense of the bird, to the point she would not be entirely shocked to find it was somekind of Fae on the other side of it. "You said it perfectly. I have the means to reach you directly, no matter the distance between us, give me an outlandish thought to lock on, and I will make contact."

Shadow King has posed:
"You suggest the King of this plane has fragile ego? I would not say such too loudly," teases the raven in return, pleased by the answer, probably. The soft flutter of translucent colors that move over the bird in a subtle 'laugh' do nothing to reduce the sense of the fae to the thing, probably. "Outlandish thoughts? Tempting. Hmmm. Pick a continent? Let's narrow this down just a hair."

Phoenix has posed:
"A mere observation...," Jean muses.

"Are we that mobile...? In that case, what of Antarctica? Remote, lacking surveillance, and few innocents to pay a price..." there was a reason Jean recently exiled herself to that specific region on Earth. She was very much afraid for innocents she just might hurt under the Shadow King's influence.

Shadow King has posed:
The bird releases a dismayed breath. "You must be exceptionally paranoid, to want to freeze your butt. But sure," is the answer. There's almost a roll of eyes in the comment, but not quite. The emotions are all very distant with the raven: it isn't even really there. It's overlookable to an extreme level, that focusing on something else might cause one to lose track of it entirely.

"Mmmmmm." A spark of a thought is delivered: a vision of an area of the Savage lands, within a frothing set of warm geysers, on a grassy slope. Fairly remote. "Found a hot spot," teases the bird.

Phoenix has posed:
"Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you," Jean jokes in turn at the bird's teasing, before inclinging her head in acceptance, "very well. Hopefully we elevate one another, see you very soon." With those words Jean leaves the astral plane of her own accord for once.

No point holding discussions aimed at overthrowing a king in his very courtyard.

Shadow King has posed:
The little bird releases something akin to a laugh, and melts away into nothing, with a splatter of feather and light.

Phoenix has posed:
Jean doesn't waste time, making sure to arrive at the designated spot at the earliest, dressed in her Phoenix costume if only to stand out all the more. She scans for minds in the area, having no doubt whoever she is looking for will register quite unique.

Shadow King has posed:
There is absolutely nothing there. At first.

It is just exactly as the thought was given to her. She may have more than enough time to wonder if she was messed with, just to send her off on some amusing wild goose chase, before magical energy starts to gather nearby, a spinning circle as a magical waygate forms: obviously a form of travel.

Phoenix has posed:
Just when Jean was starting to consider she may have been had, the familiar spinning portal opens up, and she has her green eyes set upon it, "I see magic users like this form of travel...I am right about the magic part, correct?" She asks, assuming the person she was here to meet can already hear her beyond the portal.

Shadow King has posed:
"Magic is the best," is the answer. It's a young male voice. The person that arrives is probably not what was expected; he looks perhaps fourteen. He's human enough, really, a blonde teenager. He comes through the gate readily enough. He's wearing fairly nondescript tan pants and a warm rust-colored hoodie, zipped up. He gives her a once-over with overly dark, black eyes. "Huh. Okay. Hi," says the teen with a wave, as if he had not quite expected her appearance to be what it is, either. He swats behind him. The gate doesn't shut. He turns, and gestures. It closes. He turns back to her as if nothing was amiss.

Phoenix has posed:
One of the side affects when having first meeting as avatars on the astral plane, it's much like online friends meeting physically for the first time, expectations are generally defied. "Much younger than I expected...to weild such power at such a young age..." Jean is duly impressed, Strange seemed far older after all.

When he turns back to face Jean after taking care of that gate behind him, she is smiling warmly at him, "I assume you know about the shard of infinity?" Again, no introductions, no small talk, directly to the matter at hand she goes.

Shadow King has posed:
"I'm not so young," defends the teenager with some petulance, as if he were probably used to that comment. "I could use illusion to look older if you'd be nicer to an older guy." He doesn't sound actually upset, more like that if he can make a game of it, he might want to. "Seems kinda wasteful though," he adds, settling his hands into the pockets of his hoodie.

The comment about the shard makes him frown, and expression turns serious. "I know there's a relic. Something he's using. I'm tracking it."

Phoenix has posed:
"Agreed, and I don't think I wasn't nice, if anything I was admiring your prowess. From my understanding, I have witnessed one of the best magic users on this planet do just that feat." Which of course belies how little Jean understands magic in general. After all, just because a Sorcerer Supreme casts a relatively trivial transportation spell, it doesn't mean the spell itself is beyond humbler casters.

"That is precisely what I discussed with Doctor Strange...if we can locate it, and somehow severe it from the host, the Shadow King should be more manageable. At the very least, the Astral Plane should revert to it's natural state..." all assumption on Jean's part, but in her mind, it seems straight forward. Than again, she is ever the optimist.

Shadow King has posed:
The teen grins and shrugs, seeming to accept her comments about admiring him. "It's just a transport spell," he says, leaning in a little to whisper it, as if sharing some big secret that a magic trick was really not that big a deal. "I'll summon some fruit or cake if you like. So impressive." There's a little bit of jazz hands and a good-natured looking smile. His dark eyes have the sparkle of that raven. Something of what he cast to scout the astral lingers in this character before her.

"It's nasty, this relic, though. Blow off your hands if you touch it nasty. That much I have gathered. Which... I mean. This guy can't just be mortal, or he'd be toast, using it. What is he? Do we know?" asks the boy.

Phoenix has posed:
"No need to tease," Jean, slightly flustered, murmurs at the boy as he reveals the nature of the spell. Further illustrating how relatively mundane it is compared to others. Not that it will ever seem so to Jean, Illyana always struck an entrance, and that was quite similar.

"I would imagine something bearing 'infinity' in its name is not to be trifled with." Taking a deep breath, Jean looks at the teen and explains, "what I do know is that he was my mentor's nemesis. I know he was beaten to the point of losing his physical form...but being as powerful a telepath as he was, or rather is, he managed to transfer his essence to the astral plane."

Jean takes a brief pause to let her compatriot process that far, before proceeding, "which is why both Strange and myself are of the belief he is inhabiting a host, and it is that host through which he is wielding the infinity shard." Funny that Jean should speak of hosts, while being so oblivious to just how relevant her own experience is.

Shadow King has posed:
The kid is quick. He listens alertly enough. He might have looked at her costume a little, but that would be normal for a teenager of his age when given a Phoenix costume to look at. "So he is a disembodied spirit that possesses physically sometimes."

"...So his host can touch an infinity shard. That should really narrow it, right?" he asks.

Phoenix has posed:
Jean makes no comment of the occasional lingering look on her costume, it is skin tight, and as such tends to draw attention. Particularly that of teenaged boys. What, perhaps, should have bothered her, is why she all of a sudden made this very distinct change after years of wearing the Marvel Girl costume. Her very own. Though truth be told, she imagines this one is her very own as well, she was rather pleased with how that Phoenix logo came out.

"I would imagine so...Strange might know more. I'm actually very worried about knowing nothing of that host."

After a moment's silence, she notes, "you're smart. Shielding is a very good idea."

Shadow King has posed:
"It's not paranoia if people really are after you," the boy parrots back to her cheekily, and taps the side of his head. He flares his eyes a little, the darkness shining with his smile. He stretches his legs some, but leaves his hands still in the pockets of his jacket. They aren't doing anything there, he's just relaxed.

"Something I've been tracking makes more sense now. As a host. One of those fungus aliens. Why is it connected? How? What if that's the connection?" he asks her. "Could one of those things BE a host?"

Phoenix has posed:
Jean actually laughs, finding it much harder to keep a poker face when they're meeting in person, and he tosses her joke back at her. But levity dies quickly, when it's back to the matter at hand, and she's quick to note, "one of us, Emma Frost, had dealing with the fungi mastermind, or overmind, or whatever they called it...a hive mind like controller. It is, actually, possible that the Shadow King was or is involved with that thing. What better host than something so unassuming, something nobody would look for..." she takes it with a grain of salt, none of it is fact yet, but the likelihood is alarming.

"Do you think you or Strange could track such a being...on the off chance your guess is correct?"

Shadow King has posed:
"Well, there's a giant one I found," he answers, lifting his eyebrows somewhat. "But they're resistant to all sorts of things. Fire, energy magic powers them up. If he's inside it, it will be really difficult to deal with." He seems to be puzzling on it, though, thinking it over. "Which just makes me think it's probably correct. If he's scared about his body being weak. I don't know if those things could handle the shard or not. Certainly stronger than humans though. Maybe Dr. Strange would know."

Phoenix has posed:
"It sounds disheartening," Jean agrees with a frown, just another reason why it's probably accurate. "I will look for Strange again, or perhaps Emma who faced those things before." She thinks her contact information to the boy, "I go by Jean Grey, you can reach me in the manner I showed you, should you need to."

Shadow King has posed:
    "Jeremy Larkin," shares the magic using young man immediately, willing to accept the contact information. "I can't fight the big fungus monster, but I can watch on the Astral plane. I've learned a lot. The landscape there changes, and you can get hints of what he's doing, I think. Right now it's just covered in visions of sin and decay. Really great outlook, this guy must have."