8151/This Mall Has Everything. Including Friends of Humanity

This Mall Has Everything. Including Friends of Humanity
Date of Scene:	02 July 2019
Location:	Mall - Salem Center
Synopsis:	A simple trip to the mall pits Josh, Doug, Kitty, Hisako, Bobby, and Carrie Kelley against some members of the Friends of Humanity
Cast of Characters:	Shadowcat, Carrie Kelley, Elixir, Armor, Iceman, Cypher

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Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty called up Carrie Kelley to see how she was doing. A trip to the mall in Salem Center was arranged. Kitty also let some of the students and staff know she'd be heading down there. It's getting to be time to meet up, and Kitty has stopped in a Sharper Image. She's currently checking out a drone that they have on sale, reading through the list of features it has on the back of the box. "Hmm, battery could probably support an upgraded camera but anything beyond that and I'll have to upgrade it," she comments to herself, turning the box over to get a better look at the drone's layout.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley was more than happy to get out and do something with Kitty as it had been awhile since she'd really gotten a chance to spend time iwth her friend. The fact that there was a bubble tea place? Bonus. After that it was a short trip to finding Kitty. A very short trip since there weren't any technology stores here, other than Apple, and Sharper Image. While Kitty is looking over the drone she steps up beside her. "You should totally give it lasers. Pew pew."

Elixir has posed:
Josh checks his phone for the fortieth time. He finally decides to blast back a few texts to friends as he walks through the mall. With a couple swipes, the browser opens on his phone and he reads the article again. Josh shakes his head, not sure what to make of it.

He slows at each store he would normally go into, but frowns and keeps walking. Josh catches sight of Kitty in Sharper Image and detours across into the store.

"Hey Kitty!" Josh says with a big grin, coming up a little after Carrie arrives.

Armor has posed:
Hisako Ichiki did her school work for the day, and with a change of clothes, makes her way out to the mall. Backpack over one shoulder, she slides on in, and for the moment, just starts out by doing a little window shopping. Very simple.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde looks up from the specs on the drone's flight capabilities, her face lighting up at the sight of the familiar Gothamite. "There you are!" Kitty says, moving to slip an arm about Carrie and give her a tight hug before letting her go. "Worthwhile lasers use too much power," she says. "Though as targeting for the rockets...?" Kitty's eyes grin over to her friend. She probably isn't kidding. But then Carrie is probably used to people far more gadgety than Kitty is, apart from computers.

"Glad you could make it out," Kitty says, before hearing her voice. She turns and spots the handsome blonde-haired man coming over. "Hey Josh," Kitty says in a bright voice. "Hey, come meet Carrie. Carrie, this is Josh, a friend from the school," she says in way of introduction. Kitty sets the drone back on the shelf where she got it, drawing a disappointed sigh from the clerk who was sure he was going to make a good commission on the sale.

Meanwhile outside, a couple of people of college age are starting to set up a table and some chairs. They put a table cloth over the table, the front of it bearing a Friends of Humanity logo and text. They put up some posters hanging from portable stands, each portraying mutants in a poor light while making the humans in the images exemplary. They have a few boxes they open up, pulling out fliers from.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley doesn't even resist a snort of amusement when Kitty corrects her on the laser suggestion. "Yeah, sorry it took me so long. I got distracted," she offers while lifting her cup of bubble tea to explain why. It was a particularily pretty shade of green with tapioca balls floating in the bottom. Sliding her arm around Kitty she's mid hug of her friend when Josh comes over, so she steps away flashing the rather shiny guy a smile. "Hey, nice to meet you, Josh." Offering out her free hand to shake she grins, glancing just breifly over his shoulder at the motion of people outside.

Elixir has posed:
Josh gives Kitty a side hug and then beams at Carrie.

"Hey, nice to meet you," Josh says while shaking Carrie's hand. "You're not buying the drone? Drones are really cool. Wish I had one, but I'd get in so much trouble. It would be amazing."

Armor has posed:
Hisako Ichiki ends up wandering into the Sharper Image, and then she sees some familiar faces. "Good evening!" she smiles with a wave. "Are we shopping for fun or for work, may I ask?" Whatever she was looking at is forgotten as she sees a drone being examined.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty hears Hisako and looks over to flash the Asian girl a friendly grin. "Hisako, how are you?" she asks, waving her over. "You know Josh already. This is my friend Carrie Kelley. She came over from Gotham," Kitty explains. Pretty much the whole school knew Kitty was dating one of Bruce Wayne's sons by now, so it might not be surprising to hear she has a friend from Gotham.

Kitty motions to Hisako, saying, "This is Hisako, a... what are you now, senior? At the school," Kitty tells Carrie. She looks back to the drone then and says, "Oh, was just checking it out. Might get it. Though I'd probably end up getting Forge or someone else to swap out so much of the engine and electronics we might want to just build our own. I figure they probably have good propellers though," she says. Kitty's forte is computers and programming rather than things like the drone, though she can do a fair enough job with a motor if need be.

Carrie's comment draws Kitty's attention towards the FoH members. They have things set up now and are starting to approach people. "It's time to make a stand for purity and truth," a young woman calls out. "The Friends of Humanity are all about positive experiences and uplifting our human brethren!" she announces, trying to hand out fliers to people passing by.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley lets out a rather long, weary sigh before taking a deep slurp off of her drink. It's only momentary, and the introduction to Hisako earns a smile as well. "Hey, nice to meet you. I go to Gotham U and met Kitty through her boyfriend." Her eyes swivel outside to the grouping again and her teeth chomp down on the overly thick straw that her drink required. Her head tips one way, then the other, and she ends up rolling her eyes toward Kitty.

"Soooo want to do something about that, or...?" It's offered simply before she adds, "I think they sell propellers and stuff here for replacement parts on the drone. Could be worth checking out."

Elixir has posed:
"Boyfriend?" Josh says with a wicked grin. "I didn't hear about this. So? Who's the lucky guy? Doug? Sam?"

"I wanna see if I can make her blush," he confides to Carrie in an over-loud whisper.

Josh waves to Hisako when she joins them. He starts to smile but then his face falls and pales when his eyes take in what is happening behind her.

"Oh shit," Josh says with a sinking feeling in his gut.

Armor has posed:
Hisako Ichiki starts to introduce herself as she meets the group. "Good evening everyone..." she says with a cheery wave, but the the stuff is starting to happen. She then turns around to look outside of the shop, to see what's going on outside. She goes quiet, her face very serious.

Iceman has posed:
    From out of nowhere, the iceman cometh and his voice heralds his arrival. "If Sam and Doug have a shot with Kitty, I have a shot with Emma Stone." The blonde man says with a chortle as he runs his hand through his hair and with a quick flex of his power, it stands up as though it was gelled. But then the ice thaws and his hair falls back down to its 'normal' state.

    Bobby is wearing a simple t-shirt tucked into a pair of jeans with coverse on his feet and a button up plaid shirt left unbuttoned, because he says it feels like a cape, flapping in the breeze. "Funny running into you all here." Bobby smiles towards Carrie, Josh, Betsy, Hisako and lastly Kitty.

    --"Did I miss something?"

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde hesitates just a moment after Carrie's comment. "Ex-boyfriend," she says softly to Carrie, and giving her a little shrug, her expression just a little quiet but not otherwise showing too much. Kitty gives a shrug towards Josh and says, "Nobody now. And don't you /dare/ try to make anyone blush, let alone me, Joshua Foley," Kitty says, going all full name on him though doing it with a smile. A forced smile, but a smile.

Bobby's arrival is a welcome distraction. "Hey Bobby. Do you know Carrie? Friend of mine from Gotham. This is Bobby Drake," Kitty says. Carrie is meeting everyone today it seems. Kitty looks back out at the Friends of Humanity recruiting drive. The girl is going around talking to people, as are three guys, while another boy and girl sit at the table.

"Stand up and be proud of your humanity!" one of the college age boys says. "Stand together as one against the forces that would divide true humans if we allow them!" he says. A man in a baseball cap stops to talk to him, taking one of the fliers and nodding his head as if in agreement. Meanwhile a woman frowns towards them, pulling her child along in her wake as she raises a hand to ward off the paper they try to hand her.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
"Oh. Oooh. Geeze. I'm sorry Kitty," Carrie murmurs only to lean against her friend giving a one armed hug. Boy did she stick her foot in her mouth. "Nah, Doug's like a brother to her. I don't know Sam. Maybe?" A little shrug is given as she looks over toward the others. Bobby's entrance gets a faint grin and she chuckles with amusement that fades at the sound of those outside.

"Oh, fuck this. I'm going to say something," she blurts out with another angry slurp of her drink as she starts to march out the doors. "Bunch of racist sons of..." It's all muttered beneath her breath as she heads for the door glaring at the people at the table.

Cypher has posed:
Kitty gets a text message. 'Hey, I hear the Fash is outside of the Sharper Image. I was buying new shoes... is everything copacetic?'

'???'

Elixir has posed:
"Yeah, sure," Josh says distractedly to Bobby. His attention is fixed on the Friends of Humanity people. "Kitty, That guy must be a fucking moron," adds in the same way.

"Ah, I know those people... Like, all of them," Josh says. "Is there another way out of this place? They really can't see me."

Josh moves so his back is turned to the mall exit of the store. He looks about as pale as Bobby.

Armor has posed:
Hisako Ichiki takes a deep breath, and shakes her head. Looking to Kitty, she straightens up, steadies herself, and asks softly "So what do we do? Do we let them just do that?" She doesn't say it, but only implies that isn't a great option.

Iceman has posed:
    Bobby's not a leader among his peers, but he is still an X-man, and one who's personally been trained by Charles. yes THAT Charles. "What would MLK have done?" Bobby asks himself softly, a mantra Charles taught him long ago... He has that thought and it clicks quickly and he's reaching out to try and stop Carrie. "Wait! Wait! Wait!" Bobby says rapidly. "I have an idea." The Iceman sayeth.

    Bobby reaches out and pulls out a couple bucks and gets a tray of tacos before he walks over towards the Anti-mutant bro. "Hey man! You been out here long?" Bobby starts, trying to make small talk.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty glances about as Josh's obvious mutant status looks like it could be a problem. She touches Hisako's shoulder softly and says, "Just stay calm, don't let them get you riled," she says reassuring. "I'll get Josh out," she says quietly. "Carrie, distract the clerk would you?" she asks.

Assuming Kitty gets an affirmative from Carrie, she'll move over to take Josh's hand in hers, if he allows. "Who needs back doors?" she asks him with a wink as the girl who phases takes him out of phase with the rest of the mall. Assuming Carrie provides a distraction, Kitty and Josh walk through the back wall of the store, continuing on through any back areas until Josh is safely outside.

Cypher has posed:
...Which is where Doug is waiting, carrying a sneaker box. "...I figured you'd come out the back." He says, gesturing. "In there?" He raises his eyebrows, and huffs out a breath. "Recruiting at the shopping mall. Well, it's a LITTLE low-rent..."

Elixir has posed:
"Thanks, Kitty," Josh says with relief. The colour starts returning to his face.

"They're not a joke, Doug," Josh snaps, which /never/ happens. He runs a hand through his hair and forces a smile. "They're not a joke. If they saw me, they'd send Reavers after me and all of you. Remember the big lockdown last year? It was because of them. They don't forget."

"I'll catch you guys later," Josh mutters. He looks around to make sure nobody is looking their way and then walks off in a big hurry.

Armor has posed:
Hisako Ichiki immediately sighs heavily when Kitty takes charge. She's ready to follow Kitty's lead, but it doesn't mean she has to like the decision. Respecting cultural differences, and the authority, she takes a step back, physically placing herself behind Kitty, and watches. "I'll do my best."

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley glance back at Bobby when he catches her to keep her from going out. "Relax, I'm not gonna hurt them," she assures with a shake of her head as her eyes skim past toward Kitty to nod an affirmative. "Got you covered. Meet up later?" She asks even as she flashes her friend a reassuring grin. Then she moves following after Bobby with a bored expression. She moves out, and heads for one of the guys at the table to throw her hands down in front of one of the guys seated.

"Oh my god! THIS is what you stood me up for!? You said your grandma was in the hospital!"

Iceman has posed:
    Bobby's eyebrows shoot way up and then he shakes his head. "You what!? Dude! That's not cool." The mutant says with a look from Carrie to the guy. "Way uncool." Drake notes again before shaking his head in shame and taking his hastily ordered tacos away and walks back deeper into the mall.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde nods to Josh, "Be safe," she tells him as he heads off. She looks back to Doug. "Yeah, there's 6 or 7 of them in there," she says. "I'm going back in," Kitty says, offering him her hand if he'd like to come with her. Either way then, she heads back in, pausing to peek through the wall and make sure she and Doug can emerge in the store again without being seen.

Once back she moves over to Hisako. "What'd I miss?" she asks softly, watching and seeing Bobby and Carrie over with them.

Kitty can't help but chuckle and look over to Hisako. "Ok, so messing with them a /little/ isn't a horrible thing. Maybe. Just, you know, we don't want to get in a confrontation here," she says.

Cypher has posed:
Doug watches Josh go, and strokes his chin. "...Huh." He says, staring at where he was. "Huh."

He looks back and then follows Kitty inside, and then he says, "I wouldn't. Humiliation and teasing aren't going to de-escalate anything, here, and nobody really needs protecting. Hmmmmm." He is quiet, thoughtful, but still looking back, now and again.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley finishes her little yelling, screaming match with the utterly confused man, then throws her hands up in the air declaring they were DONE. Absolutely DONE and he could take back his Superman costume that he liked for her to wear while getting pegged, the SICKO. With that she storms off declaring men pigs, tossing her hair in an indignant fashion as she does. Off into another store entirely.

Kitty's phone receives a text a moment later. 'All clear?'

Iceman has posed:
    Bobby has since walked down the halls when Carrie did her acting thing and Bobby had no idea it was coming or what was to be gained from it. With a shrug, the x-man just goes back to shopping, trying to ignore that nagging feeling in his head as he does so.

Armor has posed:
Hisako Ichiki doesn't really do combat in half measures. When Kitty lets the leash off, she makes a fist. "I will do my best." She steps otu of the store, the compact high schooler's skirt swishing with every rapid, deliberate step. Approaching the table, she points "Your ideas are not the American way. I am not even an American and I can see that. Stop now." A young man decides to try to head her off with a push, but alas, her armor fires up at that point, making her taller than he, and she responds by pushing him back, sending him skidding 10 feet away on his posterior.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde winces a bit. Note to self: make sure Hisako understands all of the words. Like the confrontation one that was to be avoided, as that's what it turns into. "Oh shit," Kitty says. "Shit shit shit." She looks at Doug for thoughts. "I could phase her into the ground, if I can get through her armor. Never tried before," she says. There isn't a lot she can't phase through, but it's not unheard of either.

Finally Kitty just runs forward and puts herself between Hisako and the FoH person who got shoved down. "Violence isn't right," Kitty says, looking at the FoH guy first, but then looking to Hisako in a more meaningful way, hoping she'll get the message. "Please, this is a peaceful mall, just everyone go," she says, as if she's not taking sides but just a bystander trying to head off trouble.

Cypher has posed:
"He knew some the kids that are out there, Kitty." Doug says, finally. "He knew them and he didn't want them to see him. That's why he bugged out. He was running away from his old life, not from the FoH. I'll talk to him later." Doug doesn't seem one way or the other about that.

Doug strolls out, and then he looks at one of the young men. "It'd be best if you go. I got it on camera." That's a lie, but he lies convincingly. "You initiated contact."

For a moment, it looks like they want to stand their ground, but with at least one Mutant in the mix and Doug stating he has them pushing Hisako on camera, they back off, slowly, and turn to walk away.

"Everyone's okay?" Doug asks, running a hand through his hair.

Armor has posed:
Hisako Ichiki breathes deeply, but relaxes when people did notice she was not the aggressor, and acted in self defense. Her armor drops when others intervene,a nd place physical separation between her and the attacker. Fists loosening as well, she looks to Kitty, nods, and quietly walks away, going off to the side, to the entrance fo that Sharper Image again, getting out of the way.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty will keep an eye on the Friends of Humanity people. If any think to take a picture of Hisako, Kitty is ready to move herself in the way as if by coincidence to ruin the shot. Not wanting them to be able to get any evidence of the now-confirmed mutant to pass on to Reavers that might come hunting her. Thankfully they seem to be concerned about their own legal status after the boy pushed Hisako. She might be a minor at that. They retreat without any sign of phones coming out.

After they are gone, Kitty glances to Hisako, giving her a little furtive look with her eyes that is a universal "lets get out of here" sort of look. Kitty moves over to join Doug, leaving at his side, a glance to Carrie so she'll know they are going, and not all as a big group. Kitty will put her phone and text Carrie, "Not what I was expecting. Thanks for coming though."

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley texts back her response of 'No problem,' to Kitty. Once everyone's out she meets them out front with a little wave. "Hey. Going to head off, but I wanted to make sure you guys were okay first. I'll have to catch up with you later, Kitty. Got some stuff I need to take care of back home."

Cypher has posed:
Doug takes his phone out. "...Bricking their phones..." He swipes with his thumb. "Now." Then he glances to Kitty, and to Hisako, and says "The emotional aspects of those confrontations are more frightening than the idea of physical violence. ...You did well." He glances up to Kitty. "...All this for a new pair of hi-tops. I tell you, pal."

Armor has posed:
Hisako Ichiki blends in to the side and socially would ordinarily be disappearing right now, except for the fact that her easy pushing around of the would-be bully got her some attention. the whole thing was so fast, even if someone recorded it, it's hard to say what they could see, but a flash of light and some quick movement.