8541/Sunny Side Up

Sunny Side Up
Date of Scene:	27 July 2019
Location:	Staff Meeting Hall - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Roberto shares with Rogue and Kitty his idea to improve employment and conditions within Mutant Town.
Cast of Characters:	Sunspot, Shadowcat, Rogue

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Sunspot has posed:
Since he returned to the US Roberto has been at the periphery of the x-group. He went to help a couple times in missions, but failed to meet with either Xavier or Jean Grey, due to the demands of his own job as CEO of a multinational company. Moving from Rio to New York was complicated.

But it has been two months and business has settled. Roberto is coming to Xavier's most days, and has been accessing to databanks he has with his limited clearance. Today he requested a meeting with Kitty and a few other X-Men. At the staff meeting room, because he is getting used (way too used) to this kind of oversized conference tables to talk about serious matters.

Which is probably not a good thing. But look, Xavier put this table here... so it should be used, right?

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty walks into the room, wearing a pair of green shorts and a white top. After the day spent by the pool on her birthday, she has a great tan going, and so picked a top that leaves most of her arms and shoulders bare to show it off. "I really think this conference table should be round, with an open area in the middle. Sort of a King Arthur thing," she says as she comes in.

Kitty grins and walks over, squeezing Roberto's shoulder to greet him and then going over to pour herself some coffee. Lots of cream, a little sugar. She mixes it up and comes back over to have a seat. "I think Rogue is coming too. What's up?" she asks as she gets settled in.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue is on her way indeed. She'd gotten the text and she'd just gotten back to the school a few minutes ago.

Wearing jeans shorts, and a button down flannel over a white tank top, the flannel is tied off in the front and the sleeves of the green and gray flannel are rolled up to her elbows, gloves over her hands and forearms, sunglasses resting up atop her forehead and leather boots on her feet.

Rogue is... pulling a Radio Flyer red wagon behind her, and that red wagon has a bed made up inside of it because within the wagon is a bundle of warm and fuzzy puppies. Yellow lab puppies, eight of them, all balled up together and all snoozing, except for one that is at the front of the wagon with its paws up on the edge watching where the lady is wheeling him and his siblings to!

The sounds of the rubber treaded tires roll across the red carpeted hall and then across the smooth hardwood floor as she breaches the door to the conference hall and grins. "Loooook what I fooooound." She announces, wheeling the pups in and parking them beside the conference table.

Sunspot has posed:
Roberto stands to kiss Kitty on the cheek when she comes close, "happy birthday, Kitty. Belatedly, I know. I am really sorry I missed the party celebration." He lets her sit down, and grins when Rogue arrives with... the hell is that.

Roberto himself is still dressed for business, but at least he got rid of the tie somewhere between New York and Westchester.

"I don't think they make this kind of table in round shapes," he adds in good mood. "There is a point made when allocating seats around a conference table. Around any table that is not round, actually."

He leans forward, looking at the puppies, and then to Rogue, back to the Puppies. Rogue. Then leans back. He doesn't want to ask! Or know! "I had hoped Storm could join us, but looks like it won't happen. Too bad, but you are now one of the deputy headmistress... persons. Yes?"

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty gasps at the sight of the pupplies. "ohmygodthosearesocute!" she lets out all together in one big word. Sorry Roberto, distractions abound today. Kitty goes over to crouch down and pick up the one awake puppy. "Hello there," she tells him, rubbing her nose against his. "So are you planning to give these to the students? Or just break a lot of people's hearts?" Kitty asks Rogue with a grin.

She brings the puppy with her if Rogue replies with a nod to her little hefting motion indicating she wishes to do just that. Kitty rejoins the table with him, if so. "Um, well, I mean if the place is burning down and every other administrator and teacher is gone, someone MIGHT look to us," Kitty says, glancing to Rogue to see if that is a fair way of putting it. "But, yes, we end up helping with a lot of things anyway."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue, looks at Roberto in return! A good long lookin'!

She then grins as Kitty rushes over to get the most energetic of the pile of puppies. "Thats Tucker." She tells her friend then. Once Kitty picks up Tucker the little fella is just a ball of wild wiggling happy emotions! Tail tongue and big huge puppy feet going every which way in her hands! He's a wild one, trying to crawl up her to lick her face!

Rogue drops down onto one of the chairs and then kicks her booted feet up onto the table and crosses them at the ankle, leaving her long bare legs stretched out before her and her hands flopping down into her lap where she sits with the wagon of sleepers on her right.

"I'm gonna let the kids play with'em, but I'm gonna post'em up on my social media page and tell any family that has a kid under ten years old can come an' pick one out. I call it 'Rogue's Free Puppy Life Experience'." And she uses her gloved hands to write that out in the sky in front of her.

She grins over at Roberto then. "Yeah, we're definitely not in charge of anything." She tells him in her thick southern honied voice. "But... we're good at pullin' strings, Mistah." She holds that grin. "What kinda strings ya need pulled?" She's kind of a flirt...

Sunspot has posed:
Roberto can't compete with puppies. He is just not cute enough.

So he pulls back a little, watching Kitty and Rogue talk about their plans about the dogs and kids. And say they have not pull in the school administration. Which he doesn't really believe.

When addressed directly, Roberto leans forward again. "I had a proposal, actually a few of them, I wanted to discuss with the school direction. Which is a bit difficult lately. So... yes, maybe you can help me. Or as the lady with the puppies said, pull a few strings."

Shadowcat has posed:
"Hello, Tucker," Kitty tells the energetic puppy. He tries to crawl up and lick her face, and so lick her face he shall. Kitty brings him up and a flurry of puppy kisses ensue across her cheeks. Lockheed is probably going to get jealous if he notices. Actually he tends to get along well with animals like dogs and puppies.

Kitty grins to Rogue. "I don't think we have a most-popular staff member award with the kids, but I see you're out to win it," she teases warmly.

Kitty is settled in her seat, petting the puppy as she listens to Roberto then. "It's not like we don't give input. Might not be our final call, but, hey anything that's sounds worthwhile, would be happy to try to get behind. So what's the proposal? Or, what are the proposals," she asks, emphasizing the plural on the last bit.

Rogue has posed:
"Lady with the puppies." Rogue quietly repeats what Roberto says. "I am Marie." She says placing her hand against her chest near to her collar bone. "Otherwise known as Rogue around here." She motions toward Kitty. "I am her hetero life mate." And then with both hands she motions to the room around them. "And together, this is our home and playland, as well as our place to plot our nefarious plans for a better, more fun, tomorrow."

She smiles brightly then, pride levels high within her as she places her gloved hands back down into her lap.

"So yes, lets hear your plans, sugah! Lets see how we can make all've your wildest dreams comes true." She lets her smile shift into a sly grin before she glances down to the puppy wagon beside her as two of the little balls of yellow fluff are rolling around together, adjusting their comfy sleeping positions.

Sunspot has posed:
"Marie?" Roberto looks surprised. Rogue had always been Rogue for the New Mutants. She was very... Rogue-ish. He chuckles. "That is a nice name. But it will take a while for me to get used to it, Rogue suited you too well."

His plans, okay? "It has been going for a few years that mutants are being driven into ghettoes, like Mutant Town in New York. You know Sam purchased a club there, and I financed it. But that is not enough. Mutant town suffers from rampant poverty and crime. Business there are either tourists traps or mostly rundown, as are the tenements. The local police precinct is undermanned and underfunded. And to be realistic, this school is hardly enough for all the mutant children of New York. Nevermind all the East Coast."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty grins at what Rogue is saying while she is petting the puppy. She often is grinning when Rogue is about. But then something she says draws Kitty's attention away from the puppy, and making Kitty sit up and ask, "Wait. /Hetero/ life mate? Aw nuts. There go my plans for the evening," Kitty says with a forlorn sigh and a shake of her head that manages to hide her grin at the joke for several seconds before it breaks through.

"Oh yes, even Rogue had a real name before coming here," she tells Roberto. "And there's definitely not the facilities for everyone here. We've mainly had to pick and choose those that we thought we could help the most, that would get the most out of the school. And not every mutant wants a school environment, no more than every kid does. Even if it does them good," she says. Kitty takes a sip of her coffee and then asks Roberto, "So what do you have in mind to address that?"

Rogue has posed:
Rogue smirks at Kitty's response to her and slowly nods her head. "Yeah yeah..." She quietly replies before her eyes drift back over to that of Roberto. "Past tense..." She notes of him speaking of her name and alias and then Kitty speaks of it in the past tense as well and she peers over at the other young woman at the table with Tucker the Puppy. "I can have two names at the same time... I mean, I have lots've names! I used t'go by Scarlet once upon a time too... but that one didn't settle well with me."

She huffs out a sigh as her phone starts to buzz in her right pocket so she drops her feet off of the table while Roberto talks of Mutant Town. She listens while reading the text she got once she'd dug her phone out of her shorts pocket.

"Mutant Town is a mess, ain't nobody gonna deny that." She says then as she lowers her phone and looks up and between the two of them, quietly listening for now.

Sunspot has posed:
"Yes, and from a business perspective a criminal waste of talent," explains Roberto. "There are mutants there and everywhere that could be fixing the world problems. Not through fighting crime, which requires training; or much less super-criminals, which requires intensive training and extraordinary powers. Just... applying correctly their specialized abilities."

He looks at both women, "and that includes many X-Men too. We could do much more than fighting mutant criminals and help in the occasional emergency if we knew where and when apply our powers. So what I'd like to attempt is creating a large enterprise. A corporation to find ways to apply mutant powers to solve problems, as well as finding industrial applications, and more importantly, to offer well-paid jobs for mutants that right now have none or are pretty much forced into low-wage jobs due to rampant racism."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty brings Tucker up to her face, getting a few adorable licks on the nose and then cuddling the pup against her chest. "That sounds like a good idea. One thing to consider, there has been some sizable exploitation of mutant's powers. I mean... Genosha, before the old regime was overthrown. Not that I'm worried about you, Roberto... but some kind of structure that would empower each individual might be a good idea. Like more of a... skilled contractors, than employees who get directed on everything?"

Kitty gives a little wave of her hand. "Again, not that I would worry about your company there. But I think in any group of mutants, the moment someone talks about using mutant powers for a business, there's going to be people in the crowd who will have that jump to mind. So, just good to think ahead on how to show, this is /definitely/ different. Something more than, 'well, yes but I won't exploit you like they did'. Because they won't know who to trust."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue looks between the two of them, and Tucker, and she nods to what they're both saying. "When I was with the Avengers, I went t'some'a their social shindigs... I heard people in New York talkin' about this kinda thing with Mutant Town, the big wigs an' big spender types. They said one of the reasons they don't want to build anything new, or refurbish things in Mutant Town is due to the inherent collateral damages that are being caused by poorly trained mutants, or by the ones who have less than stellar moral compasses... They said that they wouldn't ever do business in that region until the mutants there-in started behavin' like 'civilized people'."

Rogue then smirks softly as she glances down to the wagon, but the other bundle of pups were still passed out in a heap together, they'd been on a car ride which knocked them out!

"So, I don't know. I mean, what you say sounds great, but there's probably a lotta elements t'factor in that could make it a really complicated thing, if you get pretty far along with it all, then a couple'a bad apples go'n ruin it all for ya." Rogue looks to Roberto then. "Not everyone who has a powerful mutation, cares t'use it for good, after all and others just straight up can't even control their destructive 'gifts'."

Sunspot has posed:
"That is a good point, Kitty," acknowledges Roberto. "But we can be careful with the contracts, and generous as I will be backing this operation. Transparency in some regards, and... do you know any mutant lawyer?"

Rogue's words make Roberto smile vanish, though. "That is... typical. Narrow-mindness and prejudice. Some forward-thinking enterprises in New York already use super-humans with little training and great success. Have you heard of Damage Control? Fact is most adult mutants have learned to control their powers, or at least learned not to use them." Of course accidents with superpowers are going to be a problem, but he does also own a couple insurance companies. "And training and control is one of the reasons I'd like the school to be involved. Xavier staff has the most experience in developing training programs for specific abilities."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty's expression gets glum for a moment as she hears what Rogue has to say. "Well, that's what business is about. Making a buck, not about making the world a better place." She nods slowly to Roberto. "Not having the technology of the Danger Room, or a Nate Grey to teach, would make it more difficult. I don't think sharing the Shi'ar technology would be a good idea. I know we aren't the only ones who have something like it. But it could really be used for some bad stuff in the wrong hands. One of those Pandora's Box technologies."

Kitty gives Tucker a kiss on the nose then brings him back over to the wagon. She gently sets him in with his friends, before returning to her seat. "A lot of devil in the details. But I think it could have legs. Start out training some people which would include, training people to become trainers," she says.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue watches Kitty bring Tucker back to the wagon and he remains in it for all of about 4 seconds before he walks over all of his siblings and summarily starts to wake them all up as he tumbles out of the wagon and is instantly scooped up by the southern belle. She starts to stand up then and reach for the wagon handle.

"Well." She starts then. "I was with the Brotherhood of Mutants for several years. I know for a fact that not all mutants -are- good people and I know for a fact that a lot've those types -are- in Mutant Town. They're the kinda people that like how scuzzy that region is, and they may well put up a fight t'stop it from changin'. They like it like that cause they can hide there... and ya know what happens if ya start rootin' animals outta their hidin' spot?"

Rogue starts to wheel the waking-up puppies toward the doorway. "They start bitin'." She says before she smiles. "I certainly hope it works out though, and I'm happy t'help with heavy liftin, if'n its needed at all. Just give me a hollar... not many people can do what I can, when it comes to physical labor." Rogue's hands are full now as she starts to wheel her litter of pups toward the doorway. "I'm head out back, ya'll. Gonna let the kids wear these little fuzzballs out before its bedtime."

Sunspot has posed:
Roberto shakes his head. "But Xavier didn't have the Shi'ar tech to train the first students. Very advanced technology is not necessary, and they are not going to get combat training, just some fine-tuning, if they need that. And that only if they have useful powers. There would also be positions for clerks and basic staff of all kinds. I want to pull them out of poverty, not just exploit the super-powered ones."

He might be able to get some money out of it, but actually Roberto would be happy if he just covers costs. But even if he loses money for years, he has the resources to be able to afford it.

As for the criminal element, he smirks briefly. "Rogue, most criminals are into crime for not having any other way to earn a living. Also, I am pretty sure the worst offenders, and those with extreme political views have left for Genosha. I will absolutely give a second chance to gangers and petty criminals. Now, murderers and terrorists, I think I will call for help from super-heroes with experience dealing with 'evil mutants'." He quotes with the fingers.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty watches the wagon of puppies start to roll off. "Rogue, you know who Scott is going to make clean up any messes, right?" she says with a faint grin. The young woman looks back to Roberto. "I hope it works out. You do have a lot of students here who will be graduating in a year. Maybe some of them might be interested in teaching positions in something like that. Or even, being employed in it of their own right," Kitty suggests.

Sunspot has posed:
Roberto tips an imaginary hat to Rogue's retreat and then nods to Kitty, "oh, I hope so. Although I expect most of them to try to become X-Men, like every year," he grins. "Still, I might lure away a few, at least part-time. There is much more powerful mutants can do than prepare for the next time Magneto goes to war. Just the number of genius intellects turned into soldiers in the grounds is alarming."