8398/Little Help Here..

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Little Help Here..
Date of Scene: 18 July 2019
Location: Unknown
Synopsis: Alison and Scott talk security at her upcoming concert.
Cast of Characters: Dazzler, Cyclops




Dazzler has posed:
The afternoon has been long and arduous. Alison has been grading midterms for her summer students for hours, and the light is waning outside. She turned on a desk lamp some time ago, but even that is now failing to light more than just her immediate space.

Dressed in a black button-down sleeveless shirtdress with a little flare at the waist that creates a mid-thigh skirt, she slipped out of her heels hours ago. So much grading. But she's just finishing up her last midterm.

Cyclops has posed:
Scott walks into the Teacher's Lounge, a space he had not been to since resigning his teaching position. He sees Alison sitting in a pool of light and walks over with just his thumbs sticking out of the pocket of his jeans.

"I heard you were in here," Scott says when he gets near Alison's table. There is a momentary pause.

"Busy?" he settles on, looking at her pile of work.

Dazzler has posed:
"Been busy," she replies distractedly, as she writes a grade atop a stapled essay. She tosses it on top of the pile and leans back, running the fingers of both hands into her hair with a huge sigh. "But FINALLY done. My own fault, I should have started them last night."

Then Alison looks up at Scott, with a little more intensity and recognition. "You were looking for me? Is everything all right?"

Cyclops has posed:
"Yeah, I just heard you were in here," he says and gestures vaguely back towards the door. Scott stuffs his hand back in his pocket.

"Need any help with prep for the benefit concerts? I meant to offer at coffee."

Dazzler has posed:
"Aww, actually I'd love that. I'll be going over the layout at the venue. Not many people who hold concerts have to look at the tactical logistics of the venue, but..." She spreads her hands. "Here we are. Welcome to my life, eh?"

Alison stands and stretches, then leans back against the edge of the desk. Her bare toes wiggle, the nails painted a holographic silver. "You'd be invaluable to me, Scott. I mean...you already /are/...but with your input, I'd feel like we were putting the protesters and fans in safer hands. You're so sweet to offer..."

Cyclops has posed:
"Glad to help," Scott says with a hint of a smile. He takes a seat at Alison's table and leans back his chair. "It's no trouble, keeping mutants safe is what we do. Why not add Venue Security to my list of jobs?"

Dazzler has posed:
Alison notices the smile, and it makes her smile, too. Scott's been doing far too little of that for far too long. "Well, either way, you'll be my guest. VIP, the whole shebang, so you can come backstage and all that. Gonna work some of the old protest songs into the set, so some of it might be right up your alley."

Cyclops has posed:
"Backstage VIP?" Scott asks with a raised eyebrow. "Never been backstage at a concert before. Sounds fun. I'm going to grab some water, want some?"

Scott gets up and walks to the fridge. He fishes out a couple of water bottles and comes back. He offers one to Alison.

"What... Happens backstage? Some kind of party?"

Dazzler has posed:
"Ooh, thanks!" Alison takes the water, opening it up and turning it up to drink, then shakes her head. "Sex, booze...y'know..." She winks with a grin. "Nah, it's actually pretty low key. I keep the crew in line. Little bit of beer and champagne on hand, usually. A fan once in awhile if there's some sort of promotional contest. Usually just me and the crew, chilling and telling stories. Me in a dressing robe, and some good times. Some of my roadies worked for Metallica and AC/DC back when they were just sprouts. They have some interesting stories to tell. But y'know, not everyone knows all this, so I'll let 'em think there's some sort of wild party going on back there. Sorry if you were hopin' for strippers."

Cyclops has posed:
"I'm disappointed, I wanted a wild night so I could rub it in Alex's face," Scott says sarcastically. The smirk is tinged with a smile though

"Metallica and AC/DC, huh? I wish I could seen AC/DC live. Saw Metallica once in Boston, it was a great show. Not a lot of bands like that anymore."

"So what kind of threats do you think about? Sentinels, terrorists and lone wolf nuts? After the attack on the Professor you're more at risk than usual."

Dazzler has posed:
"Well, if you won't tell, I won't. This is the first big show back at home, so it might be a little more of a party than usual, anyway. Who knows? They've gotten wild before..." She trails off at that, and just shakes her head.

"Far as the threats go, I'm looking at all of the above. With the sentinels on hiatus for the moment, I really wouldn't put it past Trask's guys to put some feet on the ground. And you just never know whether those feet might belong to men or those...things. The cyborgs." She shudders. "But you've always got those crazy far rights that might see it as an opportunity to make a statement. And just plain sleeper cell terrorists who'll blow up anything. I'm not too worried about myself, but I don't want to put civilians at risk. They'll be safer there than some unregulated protest, but nobody can stop everything."

Cyclops has posed:
Scott does not really seem to know what to make of her comment about wild parties, they really are just not in his ken. So he ignores it and moves on.

"You need to be worried about yourself," Scott admonishes with a frown. "You can't help anyone if you're dead; team safety then public safety," he intones the familiar refrain he gives over, and over in training. And over.

"Your usual security person is going to hate me, but we'll make it as safe as it can be. How many people are you expecting?" he asks curiously.

Dazzler has posed:
"I dunno for sure. There are about 2,500 on social media who have vowed to be there. And another 400 protesters who've decided this is a fantabulous place to hold a demonstration. I'm glad to hear /that/. But when you factor in the number of people who'll come along with those people, and people not on social media...and people who just don't post their every intention and move? We're planning a top end of about 10,000. That's probably a very liberal estimate, but better prepared than sorry, right?"

Alison goes a little quiet when Scott mentions that she can't help anyone if she's dead. "I don't...I don't know how exactly to tell ya this, Scott. But if anyone needs to know, you do." She pauses, taking a drink from her bottle of water. "Far as I can tell, I can't actually /die/. I mean I can be killed. I've /been/ killed. Too many times for my taste." She frowns, fretting at her bottom lip. "It isn't pleasant. Just...if something ever happens to me, please don't let anyone bury me, all right? That's the /worst/. Do ya know how long I have to listen to bugs underground to get enough power to blast myself back out again?"

Cyclops has posed:
Scott lets out a low whistle at the number who might attend. He rubs his chin in thought, but the change in Alison's voice brings him out of his thoughts. He frowns and listens.

"You've what?" Scott says, missing the joke entirely.

"Alie, that's awful. I'm sorry, I didn't know... I won't tell anyone," he assures her, and is known for being a lockbox for secrets. "I don't know what to say. How many times has it happened?"

Dazzler has posed:
"I dunno. Five? Ten? A dozen, maybe. I don't always know for sure if there's no one around to find me. But I know for sure of a good handful. Particularly the time I was buried," she adds. Maybe there wasn't a joke to miss. "I don't tell anyone. You're the one I would trust enough. If it became common knowledge, well...that makes me a public figure, a known mutant, AND an X-Man, who's an ideal target for torture, and if there's anything worse than being killed...well."

Cyclops has posed:
Scott has an expression on his face. It is some strange mix of mildly horrified and slightly heartbroken. He reaches across the table and puts his hand on Alison's, just like in the shows.

"Let's not let it happen again, okay? We'll keep your secret and keep you alive... Nobody should have to go through what you have," Scott says solemnly.

He frowns slightly, glances down and looks almost surprised. He lets go of Alison's hand and grabs his water bottle instead.

"How old are you?" he asks. He uncaps his water bottle and has a drink.

Dazzler has posed:
Alison shakes her head. "Maybe it's tough, but if I didn't have this ability, I wouldn't be here right now, right? Lots of people aren't that lucky." She, too, notices his hand on hers, just before he pulls it away and grabs his bottle. A faint smile tugs one corner of her lips, and she watches him for a moment.

"I'm not gonna put myself in harm's way. But it's nice to know there's someone like you looking out for me. That means more than you can possibly know. Just...thank you. For being you."

Cyclops has posed:
"Can't be anyone else," Scott says with a shrug and wry smile. "People don't change much."

"Tell you what, take me down to meet your team and go over the venue tomorrow and we'll get the security squared away. Sound good?"

Dazzler has posed:
Alison smiles. "Yeah. Don't go changing on me now. And that sounds great, I'm sure the team's gonna love ya. You're the best, Scott." She leans over and wraps her as around Scott in an unexpected hug. "I can't wait!"

Cyclops has posed:
Scott is caught way off guard and freezes for a moment. He relents, puts his arms around Alison and gives her a squeeze.

"Thanks, Ali."