7639/The Serpent's Flowers

The Serpent's Flowers
Date of Scene:	26 May 2019
Location:	Bushwick (Mutant Town), Brooklyn
Synopsis:	Sibil gives out flowers and gardening advice in Mutant Town to make some friends. Kurt Wagner wanders by and chats with Sibil... Nate Grey shows up and acts as a wingman, setting up Kurt and Sibil on a date, and sparking a bit of romance that may not have happened otherwise.
Cast of Characters:	Sibilance, Nightcrawler, X-Man

---

Sibilance has posed:
Sibilance is here. She's in a small dress of a bright white with blue flowers on it, with jean shorts beneath, and sandals with white socks. She's got a chair and a milk crate, and a box full of little flower pots. She appears to be offering flowers to people that stop to express their interest, and she's also discussing the various types of flowers she has on display. She brought a lot to this little spot. She's got a little watering can to make sure none of the flowers get dried out while she's there, and she's picked a spot with some shade so the sun doesn't cook them. Of course, she's sitting in the sunlight, because the warmth is very comfortable for her cold-blooded body.

Looks like she's having fun.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Slipping out of St. Margaret's, and onto the street, Kurt is without his inducer image off and he walks in casual clothes while his blue and his tail are clearly visible for a change.
    The Bavarian's movement is paused only by the sight of the mutant giving away flowers to those who greet her. Head tilting he approaches, waiting patiently until he is before the milk crate that is set up.
    "Guten tag, Mein Dame." he offers, in chipper tone, to Sibilance - tail flicking in a friendly wave. "Nice to see you've come down to M-Town, and bringing a little light and life with you." motioning to the flowers, smile all pointed fangs.

Sibilance has posed:
Sibilance lifts up her hand and shields her eyes from the sun to peer at Kurt. She smiles warmly at his words, and reaches into the crate to pull out a small flowerpot from the bunch and hold it up to show to Kurt. "Buenos dias," she replies, all blushing and smiling. "I came here to see what it was like. People don't stare as much, and I can just... be normal. It's very comforting. Bless you, for suggesting I come see this place."

She was hoping he'd show up, so she brought flowers specifically for him. Peonies, it looks like. She hands the flower pot to him, in the hopes he accepts the gift. "Peonies represent compassion, like I felt from you when I first met you," she tells him. "Bonus is that it's very easy to take care of. Peonies can survive a blizzard, they only need a bit of water and sunlight and they can live for a long time."

X-Man has posed:
    From somewhere in the Heavens, Nathan Grey descends, wreathed in a golden nimbus that surrounds his body, crackling with power and releasing golden sparks that flit harmlessly into the air about him. Seemingly that aura originates from his left eye, judging by how brightly it flares and spews out pure golden fire. Dark brown hair, with just a hint of auburn, and streaked with silvery white, whips about his head as if caught up by strong winds. Dressed only in a pair of jeans and an open leather longcoat in dark, dark blue, with golden trim that forms an X across his back, Nate is clearly a guy who subscribes to the notion of "No shoes, No Shirt, No Problem."

    Touching down on the ground with his bare feet, Nate seems unmindful of the discomforts of such on a city street. Dirt, garbage, broken glass. Doesn't exist in his world, apparently. He simply turns his gaze of one crystaline blue eye, and the other brilliant gold, on to Kurt where he stands with the flower girl. His lips curl up into a bright grin, dimpling his cheeks, as he waves his hand in greeting. "Mister Wagner... Hey, I was looking for you. I wanted to drop by and see i--"

    He then notices that the flower girl is all smiles and blushes. And giving Kurt flowers. He looks from her to Kurt, and then back to her. And slowly brings his hands together to quietly clap just once.

    "Sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt."

    Flashing Kurt a knowing look, Nate kind ofnods his head and gives a thumbs up.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    The fuzzy blue elf does accept the flowers, bowing graciously as he does, "Danke, it's good they are hardy, I have no green thumb... in both a literal and figurative fashion." he blinks though when Nate descends, brow knitting and frowning some at the imagery that he expects the man to be going for.
    "There is no interuption, Herr Summers. I was at confession, and then ran into this delightful young woman whom I had encountered near Tribecca previously." he looks to Sibilance and motions with his tail towards the golden eyed man. "This is Nathan, one of my associates. Nathan, this is Sibilance." not using her real name - after all he doesn't have that right.

Sibilance has posed:
Sibilance looks up to Nathan as he descends, his powers looking quite bombastic to her more down-to-earth approach of just, ya know, walking and using a taxi. She smiles wryly as he lands, but that look is shattered as she realizes his assumption. She lets her mouth fall open for a second, briefly shocked. Her face turns about as red as it can appear at the notion.

She draws her feet up on the chair and hugs her knees, seeming infinitely more shy. Seems he's made her feel vulnerable. "Delightful," she repeats, as the compliment hits her harder in this state. "Hola, Senor. You can call me Sibil, or Ainsley, if you like." Her voice is quiet, her demure, skittish nature shining through in this moment.

"I have... flowers," she awkwardly tells Nathan, pointing to the milk crate in her fruitless attempt to shake the shock.

X-Man has posed:
    If Nate is going for some specific sort of image, he doesn't seem to show it. His bearing now that he's on the ground is nothing more than that of any young man standing on a street corner. When Kurt offers that he's not interrupting, he ticks his eyes in the direction of the snake woman, and then back to him. His chin dips and eyebrows hike upwards ever so faintly, as if to say "really, bruh?" before he shakes his head and shrugs it off.

    "Hello, Ma'am," Nate says as he comes in a bit closer to the pair. He offers up a bright smile and lifts a hand to wave in greeting. "Nice to meet you. Ainsley... That's a pretty name. I like it a lot. Your outfit is really cute, by the way."

    He tosses Kurt a look there. Hint hint.

    "Oh, right. So yeah, Kurt, I was told that you come here for church and all, so I figured I'd swing by and get with you to see if there might be something we can do around here to help out. If there are maybe some buildings that need to be cleared, I could do that. Replace it with some urban gardens or something. I dunno, man. I'm bored around the mansion and wanna do SOMETHING, you know?"

    Sibil's flowers, though, do draw Nate's attention back. He moves to the indicated milk crate and squats down beside it, letting his eyes wander over the assorted flowers he finds. "Hrm. So how much for these?"

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Kurt frowns a little at the 'look' from Nate, and looks like he'd be folding his arms over his chest if not for the fact that he's taking obvious care of the peonies he's been given.
    "He is correct, you do look lovely today miss, und I am glad you have found comfort here... If we could do away with more of the crime, it might be a nicer area of the city still." then turning towards Nate, brow knitting,
    "Wait, you could just transmute things? Or do you mean remove the debris and simply till and prep the soil put in place?" It's an important question after all.

Sibilance has posed:
Yep. Sibil is now hiding her face against her knees. She mumbles something in Spanish along the lines of 'dear god please rescue me'. And the further compliments get her to squeak out more of those words. But when things turn to less personal and sweet matters, she slowly unfurls and does a few deep breaths. Right, the flowers.

"Do you see any you like? You can have one of them," she tells Nate. "Free. They're all the kind that are easy to care for. Starter flowers, so they stay beautiful for a long time." She reaches into the crate and holds up a little flowerpot of marigolds. They're very bright yellow, but smaller than the typical marigold. "I like these... They match my scales." She compares the flowers with her arm. The flower is brighter, but her rattlesnake coloration is close enough.

X-Man has posed:
    "Either or," Nate answers Kurt casually, as if the question of if he could transmute things or not was the most mundane thing in the world. Nate adopts a thoughtful scowl, as he looks at the marigolds that Sibil presented to him. He likes them. That bright yellow is appealing. It reminds him of that Illyana girl's hair. Maybe he should get one for her. Stroking his chin, he gives a faint nod of his head, and then looks up to compare Sibil's flower to her coloration.

    "Your scales are very beautiful. They have a nice color, and the pattern is really cool," Nate notes, before he stands up, with the marigold. Despite being told that they're free, he still reaches into his pocket and withdraws a wad of cash. Momentarily, he kind of just looks at it. "I appreciate the sentiment, but people should be paid for their stuff and I.. don't really know what to do with this money too much, so... you can probably use it more than I can. Maybe you can use it to ask someone you like out to dinner?"

    He not-so-subtly looks at Kurt.

    "Anyway, yeah. I could break down an abandoned building into just dirt, and turn that plot into a garden. I'm not sure if I'd be able to make it rich topsoil or anything like that... But I mean..." He holds out his free hand and turns it palm up. In his open palm, golden light begins to trace small lines across his flesh, like pulsing lightning. However, those jagged trails of energy solidify, and the golden light works upwards, condensing into a single column, and then becoming a bud at the tip. As color settles in, becoming green and rich, it becomes apparent that Nate has just created a flower in the palm of his hand. It blooms, and the golden petals reveala marigold identical to the one he holds in his other hand.

Nightcrawler has posed:
Kurt Wagner stares at the works Nate is admitting, and showing, he is capable of. Quietly crossing himself. After a heavy swallow he manages to say, "It would be better, maybe, if you aided - if a building must be torn down - then perhaps break it down. But to do it all with a thought, it is only something done - and not something that the community has done... If that makes sense?" tail flicking slightly the Bavarian turns to Sibilance,
    "I apologize if I embarrassed you, at all, Miss Garcia. I would not wish to make you feel uncomfortable in your first visit to Mutant Town..." though he lacks pupils, there is a pointed look aimed at Nate now.

Sibilance has posed:
Sibilance accepts the money, blushing terribly firmly at the idea of taking Kurt on a date, but she gets a determined look on her face. Even though she feels she may pass out from the embarrassment. The tiny snake woman breathes a puffing sigh as he explains what he can do, that he's antsy, but when he shows off that he can just generate a flower with his abilities, she stares at the flower for a few seconds, and her demure feelings seem to slowly fade away.

She looks to Kurt, the passive-aggression from the blue elf to the ultra-powered mutant making her tilt her head and knit her brow. She looks to Nate and decides to be blunt. "Take up a hobby. Flexing your abilities so much, it's something you should offer to do for people, to let them choose, to give them the chance to participate. This," she makes a circle motion with an index finger. "This feels like you're showing off. Like a gym rat flexing at us. It's unflattering for someone that seems pretty nice otherwise."

"I have a lot of abilities. But not everyone does. People are fragile, even our own people. Si?"

"I learned that lesson the hard way, years ago." She flashes a knowing, mysterious smile. Then she stands up and says, "That's the last of the flowers." She waves to someone nearby. "Thanks for letting me borrow these!" She calls to them, pointing to the chair and milk crate, and someone on a stoop just flashes her a thumbsup.

"S... so." She steps up to Kurt. "That coffee you owe me. Let's, uh. Uhhhh..." She looks to Nate, extremely awkwardly, and then down at Kurt's feet. "Make it a date?"

X-Man has posed:
    "Of course," Nate replies to Kurt as he looks at the flower in his hand. "Teach a man to fish and all that. Right? I'd just create the plots. The community could tend to the gardens and grow what they wanted. It'd be a community effort. Sort of a co-op farming thing."

    His fingers flex, and the flower he had created in the palm of his hand begins to break down, becoming chips of golden petals that catch in the wind and eventually turn intogolden psionic light before flaring out of existence.

    "This is what it is to be me, Kurt," He says with a rolling shrug of his shoulders. "I have all this power, and I could reshape this entire world, if I wanted to. But... What would it mean? It wouldn't be appreciated. It wouldn't be earned. It would be the same as Lorna just messing with the TV without bothering to ask me to turn it down. Just another tyrant enforcing their will upon people. Even if with the best of intentions. I want to help people. But I want to help people to be able to help themselves. People take value in their feelings of self accomplishment. People need to come together in order to grow and to create a legacy that lasts beyond them. Isn't that what Xavier's dream is all about? At it's core, it's community. That's why I don't just... do these things. Or spend all of my time fixing all the world's problems."

    Clearly, Nate is still affected by that encounter with Lorna, and the implication that she made that he didn't do anything, or do enough, or was unconcerned with the state of the world.

    Looking back to Sibil, Nate's brow furrows. He shakes his head, and says, "That's not showing off. If I was to show off, it'd be a lot more extravagant, if we're being blunt. I was just showing my friend that I can do what he asked about."

    He gives a mournful smile when Sibil mentions that people can be fragile, and nods his head, but otherwise remains silent on the matter. Instead, he steps to the side as Sibilance musters up her courage to approach Kurt directly. This... brings a true, genuine smile to his face, his eyes lighting up. When she gives him that look, Nate gives a reassuring nod to her in turn. Quietly, almost under his breath, he murmurs, "Get it, girl."

Nightcrawler has posed:
    "Ja, teach a man to fish." he offers a small smile, "I'd appreciate perhaps if you came around her more... It may sound like drudge work, but some of the places could use repair, the graffiti removed, and like you said - plots prepped for community gardens."
    He then looks back to Sibilance, brow raising, seeing the embarrassment returning, he bows like a proper showman, one hand on his chest and the other thrown out to the side, "How could I refuse a lady of such lovely tastes, who even thought of me when selecting a flower? Of course Mein Dame."

Sibilance has posed:
Sibil had nodded, listening to Nate. His encouragement just makes her even more embarrassed. But there it is. Kurt is flourishing in front of her, and she looks startled by the smooth demeanor of the fuzzy blue elf. She lights up like a christmas tree when he agrees, and her tail perks up, and her hands clasp together...! Such a happy face she makes.

"Okay! The diner, here in Mutant Town. Next weekend. I work on weekdays," she tells him. "Can't really get away from the office, takes up all of my time." She then takes out her phone and says, "Here's my number." She shows off the cracked screen to Kurt, since she doesn't have anything to write it down on.

X-Man has posed:
    "Eh. I don't think it's drudge work," He says, giving a quick, careless shrug of his broad shoulders. He breathes in deep and looks around the area as he says, "And it's the foundation which supports everything else, so... even if it was, it's good work that matters."

    With Kurt accepting the proposition, Nate just bites down on his bottom lip with a triumphant look while giving the old one-two combo of a hip thrust and fist pump. The pleasantries are exchanged and she's giving Kurt her number. Nate's work here is done. Helping people help themselves.

    "This is awesome. Congratulations you two. But hey! If it doesn't work out with the ladies man here, Ainsley, look me up. You seem like a cool lady with a good head on her shoulders. And you're kinda the hotness. Dem hips..."

    Nate curls his fist and bites his knuckles.

    "But I'll leave you both to it. I'm going to go give this flower to someone as a present."

    The light in his left eye flares up once again, almost blinding, before a wreathe of psionic power wraps itself around the young mutant X-Man once again. Holding the marigold gently to his chest, Nate offers a bright smile to the pair of them before lifting his chin to gaze up to the sky. With a golden comet trail streaking behind him, he launches heavenwards, and arcs off, over the buildings towards the direction of Westchester.

Nightcrawler has posed:
Drawing out a phone, smiling when she shows the cracked screen and Kurt's tail moves to unlock and then begin tapping at information on his own device. Now it's his turn to be chagrinned, his fingers too big for even some of the largest phones, he is forced to hen-peck with the tip of the devil's spade at the end of his tail - mouth in a thin line as he tries to keep his composure there.
    "Maybe, with Herr Summers, we could find a place for some of these garden plots as well, Ainsley" smiling as he motions with his free hand, "If you've such a talent, it will only help the community. Sometimes it is only the first brave forward step that draws others. There have to be others who love flowers, and can tend them. Maybe you can help bring them and others here together, ja?"
    Nate's sudden comment about 'dem hips' and the term Ladies Man draws him up short and before he can say anything Nate is gone, and he nearly drops his own phone in the process, tail hovering.

Sibilance has posed:
Sibil watches patiently as Kurt puts in the phone number, holding up her phone. She nods in approval of his suggestion, and glances around at any of the potential spots that would make for a good garden... But then Nate mentions her hips and offers to be the rebound and she looks at Nate as he leaves.

"..."

Her tail rattles, a shiver and a big frown on her face. "I want to punch him now," she says, and then she grunts and puts her phone back in her pocket. She reaches out and lays her hand on Kurt's own, and tells him, "Hey. I'll see you soon." And she flashes a smile to him and steps away.

She hums a little song to herself as she goes, merrily heading home by the looks of it. Yeah. Today's a good day.

Nightcrawler has posed:
Kurt Wagner blinks a little as she starts to walk away after giving his number, head tilting, "Oh! I didn't know you had to leave so soon, miss. I thought you might have more time perhaps?" tail flicking behind him, curiosity piqued at the sudden move to exit the area.
    "At least if I am not holding you up, ja?" offering another bright flash of his fangs, "Friendly outing and all."

Sibilance has posed:
Kurt snags her attention, making Sibil pause and turn to look at him. She peers at him for a few seconds... and looks around, and then back to him, briefly confused. "Well..." She lowers her gaze. "It just felt weird sticking around. I'm..." She shrugs. "I'm not used to all of this." She stares at his toes for a sec, but manages to pry her gaze back up to his face with some effort.

But she reaches out to grab his hand and give it a squeeze. "It's one of my days off. What do you want to do?"

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Looking at Kurt's feet definitely cause him to look like he's pegged under glass, but he weathers it, keeping his face friendly. The taking and squeezing of his hand drawing a smile to his features.
    "Well, we could always walk, talk, if it'd help you feel more comfortable I used to be a circus show and I could do a little routine for you to delight at?" picking up his stride now, releasing her hand long enough to give an example as his tail moves to help support him as he... walks over him self. One hand touching down on the ground as his spine bends nearly in half while he rotates at the shoulder, first one foot coming down digitigrade and the next before he rolls his torso to come up from behind his hips, keeping his pace as if he were walking normally.

Sibilance has posed:
Sibil looks at people's toes because it's easier and, in some ways, safer. She isn't looking at Kurt's toes, but instead his whole form as he shows off his circus-trained agility.

"Oh!" The acrobatics are impressive, and it makes her watch carefully in fascination. "I want to try," she tells him, getting excited, and then she tries to do the same. It demonstrates she has similar, if not even more impressive, flexibility, but her dress flops over her head halfway through, and in her effort to prevent that she ends up falling onto her back with a shout in Spanish. Thud.

"Ow," she says, and giggles mirthfully from there on the sidewalk, looking like a bit of a mess.

She holds her hands up to him, looking to get helped back up to her feet.

Nightcrawler has posed:
Kurt Wagner smiles, "Very good, all the same." he beams another smile as he offers his hands to help her up, and then he gets a bit of an idea. With the lift he gives a "Hup!" of flexing muscles before aiming to lift her, rolling back to put her feet on the bottoms of his. Tail moving to support if she loses her balance even as he moves to put himself in a reversed rollover, going up on his hands with her standing on his feet, and then moving as if to make it appear as if she were walking down stairs with how his own legs go, toes moving to grasp the sides of her shoes for added stability before helping to get her down to the sidewalk in a standing position before he flips to land next to her.
    That's the aim at least, and he's intent on doing all he can to make it a success, but she's the 'x' factor in the circumstance... no pun intended.

Sibilance has posed:
Oop! Sibilance giggles even more loudly as she becomes the assistant to his circus act, squeaking as she's pulled into the air, and she... doesn't lose her balance at all. In fact, she reacts smoothly and speedily. She doesn't have his training, but her mutations have clearly given her a lot of natural talent for this kind of movement. When she's back on the sidewalk, she is laughing loudly, her eyes almost shut, her hands on her face because her cheeks almost ache with amusement and embarrassment at the spectacle she just participated in.

It takes her a moment to get her breath back, covering her face and fighting her fluttering heart. "You're fun," she tells Kurt!

Nightcrawler has posed:
Kurt Wagner sweeps into a bow again as he is compliments, "I make my best use of the gifts Gott has given me, Mein Dame" Where are the peonies he was given? Carefully placed on the sidewalk and lifted again with his tail throughout the stunt.
    "I know that we will need you to meet with certain people, but I hope this might give an idea of how welcoming we are, in the community I spoke of." bowing his head, "And with your own talents, clearly I will be given a run for my money as 'the acrobat' ja?" tipping a wink.

Sibilance has posed:
"No, no, Senor Wagner. We'll be known as 'The Acrobats,'" Sibil corrects enthusiastically. "Are you thirsty? I'm thirsty." She points off toward a corner store to indicate, and waves for Kurt to follow, merrily walking along. She does a quick cartwheel on the way, and flashes a playful grin at him with her bestial teeth and her emotive but fairly inhuman face.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Taking off after Sibilance at her beckoning, Kurt keeps up easily, tail flicking back and forth and giving applause when she does the cartwheel, casually stepping up on a wall and walking along on all fours, putting himself up a little higher to tip a wink before his tail snakes out around an errant pole, and he checks a bleep from his phone, head to one side as he quickly skims the message, while hanging like a big blue possum/elf/thing.