8584/The Chaperone

The Chaperone
Date of Scene:	29 July 2019
Location:	Mutant Town, Bushwick
Synopsis:	Sam brings Shannon and Megan to Mutant Town, where Rahne gives them a bit of a tour.
Cast of Characters:	Cannonball, Pixie, Nightingale, Wolfsbane

---

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie heard some of the girls in the school were getting a bit of cabin fever. He called Rahne to make sure she was ok with playing tour guide. When she agreed, he offered the kids who wanted to get out of the mansion and see Bushwick could ride into town with him for a few hours.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn had never been to mutant town before, although she'd heard a lot about it from those who had. Of course there had been the attack on the club, and that made her a bit anxious, but Megan was also eager to see for herself, to see if she could maybe even catch a glimpse of Dazzler, and maybe even see if mutant town really was as scary and dangerous as she had heard.

"Soo where are we going first?" she quips cheerfully.

Nightingale has posed:
     Thankfully, the newest of the students had mostly healed from the flying mishap of the day before, with minimal difficulty walking. As much fun as it was to explore the school grounds and meet the students and staff, even Shannon was not immune to cabin fever. So when the opportunity came up for a minor road trip, she let herself be talked into it. A mixture of nerves and excitement kept her quiet for the moment, her wings tucked in tightly behind her. She'd learned caution the hard way.

Wolfsbane has posed:
Sam phoned ahead to let Wolfsbane know there was a visit in mind, and while she might not make the best guide for this place she accepted and promised to give it a shot. She was waiting outside the Rockman's Apartments, where she has a modest place of her own, seated on a bench close to the front entrance. She also wasn't hiding what she was, dressed in her usual attire even with the weather warm and muggy. It did mean a minimal amount of fur, at least.

While she had an idea of when they might get there, a lot of it depended on traffic. It gave her time to take a look at a few different places that had been the focus of some trouble lately, including Evolution down the block. Just looking at it led to a frown.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie will park at the club parking lot, and walks the girls along with him "Ok, you listen to Rahne, if you run into any trouble you do exactly what she says. Did you both bring any spending cash for today?" He will ask both girls.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn arches a brow at Sam. "Is it really as dangerous as they say out here?" she's dressed in casual wear today, green t-shirt with some band name on it, blue jeans, nothing to really hide her wings or bright pink hair as she steps out and peers aroud. "I mean, they're mutants like us, right? We should be safe here, shouldn't we?"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods slowly. "Some." Okay, so the neighborhood looked a little rough around the edges. Maybe a little caution was in order, but also a bit of fun, too. When she started to see for herself that she was far from the most different one there, she relaxed a little bit. "Anyplace can be a little bit dangerous. Just got to keep our heads on straight." She's in her cream poet's blouse, jeans and flip-flops, and short of keeping them pulled in tightly behind her, there was little to be done to even so much as minimize the appearance of her wings. "I wonder where we'll go while we're here?"

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane gets to her feet. She's trying some sort of wrap or open sock of some kind that leaves the toes open, as sometimes it can be dangerous to walk around without some kind of protection in places like this. As Sam comes closer with both Megan and Shannon, only the one with the more traditional wings being someone she doesn't recognize, she lifts a claw-tipped hand in a wave. While she may not have spoken much with Megan, she has at least seen the fairy-winged mutant around, and that pink is hard to forget.

When they get within normal speaking range, it can be noted the three females are nearly of the same height, with Rahne the shortest of the lot. "Hullo. I hear I'm gaunae be playing chaperone this afternoon?"

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie smiles and does step up to give Rahne a hug and then steps away and says "Rahne, this is Megan, Ah believe you have met, and this is Shannon." He introduces the two girls "Shannon's still in her first weeks." He will tell her "This is Rahne, my little sister. She started at Xaviers when Ah did, in fact, she was the first one to stand up for me, to get in the school.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon smiles shyly at Rahne, raising her hand in a little wave. She tucks a few stray wisps of pale gold away behind her ear, and tilts her head as she considers the other girl. "He was close... just my first week. Really nice to meet you. You're really lucky to have a brother like him."

Wolfsbane has posed:
"Ahh, we're no' actally brother an' sister, but..ye know how it is," the wolfen mutant says, a quick rubbing of the back of her neck following. "An' I usually go by Wolfsbane, but I guess things are a wee bit different oot here around everyone." She gestures toward people who pass by or mingle down the street, most of them paying no mind to them. "Those are quite th' wings, Shannon."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie looks over and says "Yea I had to adopt her into the family, but Ah count her as family, and would do anything for her. He will smile and says says "How long you think your good for today? I should not be to busy at work and can join you guys.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn smiles cheerfully and nods to Rahne, noting the socks. And claws. "Hi, Rahne! I guess we haven't talked much but I've seen you around. How you been?" she is a fairly new member herself of course, and doesn't have the same deep connections as the other mutants do with each other. "Well that's cool, so you are kinda siblings then? I've always wanted to have siblings.." she sighs wistfully as she glances around the neighborhood. "Soo, what makes this place so dangerous anyway?"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon smiles a bit. "You're right. We're all a family here." Her cheeks go a little bit pink at the... compliment? Yes, compliment. "Megan's are still prettier by far." She hesitates a few moments longer, then offers her hand to Rahne. "I'm sometimes called Nightingale," she offers, her smile fading, but no further explanation is offered.

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane explains, "We were part o' th' first New Mutants. We both graduated, an' we've.." Here she hesitates, eyes diverting toward the club Sam is due to go back to, "..well, we've done a few things since then. Aye, it's more like an extended family for some o' us." Handshakes follow as needed, her grip gentle. "An' a couple hours, Sam? We might go tae th' diner, but..I'd no' recommend th' Sailor. Something happened there. I heard people talking about turtles an' ninjas an' some strange things going on." She adds to Megan, "Anywhere can be dangerous a' times, but there are a lot o' mutants tha' live around here an' ye never know whit might happen."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie nods, and says "Well, Ah need to check in on the security upgrades, and see what is what. " Ah will call you and meet up with you when Ah can."

Nightingale has posed:
     Turtles? Ninjas? Had she somehow been dropped off in a parallel dimension? She glances in the direction that Wolfsbane appears to be staring, tilting her head. What had happened there? "Well, what kind of things?" A diner? An embarrassing rumble in her general direction heralds her body's approval of the idea at some stage very soon.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn bites her lip. "Ninja turtles? That's crazy. Are they mutants like us too? That's too bad though, I mean, can't we help 'em at all..?" she shivers a bit, peering around the place rather nervously, "I kinda figured a place called mutant town would be a welcome place for all mutants..And this is the place that Sam's club is in?" yikes.

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane waves Sam off, then faces the two and shakes her head with a light shrug. "I'm no' sure o' th' details, an' I didna see anything. It sounds like there was a fight inside th' place, but I've no' heard much past tha'." Either way, it's a pub and she's not really going into one of those at this point. She frowns mildly toward Megan. "Ye'd think, but people are gaunae have disagreements everywhere, nae matter whit they are."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods slowly, understanding all too well about disagreements. Still, being in a new place, one where she might not have to be quite so afraid to simply -be-, it was difficult to let much dampen her mood for very long. "Mutants or not... people are people. Get two people in the same room, sooner or later they're going to disagree. But we're not, not right now." She smiles, ruffling her wings slightly. "We're here now... and as much as I'm loving the school, there's this thing called cabin fever...."

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn nods, watching Sam go before glancing back at Rahne. "Well, that's too bad. But from the stories I've heard of this place, it sounds worse. Like, you'd think a place called 'mutant town' would be a safe haven for mutants like us.." she shrugs, "Soo, where are we gonna visit first?" Megan nods and grins to Shannon, "You're right! It gets a little cramped at the school after a while."

Wolfsbane has posed:
"Th' thing is.." Wolfsbane looks around, up and down the block, noting the way some people appear whether visibly different or normal in appearance. "..I'm no' sure most o' th' people here really /want/ tae be here. It's a poor area, an' dangerous a' times. There are gangs, an' ye've heard o' th' recent problems wi' tha' Hook drug." Maybe they heard about what Rahne and a few other mutants tried to do about it, maybe not. "But from whit I've seen, th' people who do live here mostly look oot for each other. I think they believe naebody else will." Maybe that's part of how she ended up here.

Nodding behind her, she adds, "This is th' apartment I'm living in here. It's no' th' greatest, but it's nice enough for me. There are also some churches, some shops for food an' clothes an' things, ye know about Evolution.." Mostly what one would expect to find in any community, just this one is mutant-centric.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods, glancing around at the various people passing by. Her wings droop slightly as she listens. "Some of us are lucky that our families still care and try to look out for us. Some of us aren't. It sucks, going it alone, not knowing who to trust." Silence falls for several heartbeats after, her expression more thoughtful, pensive even.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn also peers around at those who pass by. Her own wings slow down a bit, taking on a darker, greyish brown look in response to her feelings. "Awwe, that's terrible. I mean, so they're not here by choice then, huh. It's probably the only place they can find, but at least they don't get hunted by mutant haters at least? Right?" she sighs, "Isn't there anything we can do for them?"

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane admits, "I'm..no' sure. Some maybe feel they have naewhere else tae go an' think they're safer here. If ye know yuir history, people o' different ethnicities often end up in th' same neighborhoods. It's no' tha' much different for a lot o' mutants, an' ye have tae remember most o' them never had any kind o' training like we have. How much control do some o' them have?" She paints a dangerous picture, like a poweder keg that could explode a' any moment, then she adds, "But aside from th' school, I dinna think I've ever felt so accepted in a place for whit I am, so fast. Someone almost always has a smile, an' most o' th' ones I've seen are upset a' whit happened wi' Evolution. Maybe by being here, wi' whit I know an' have learned, I can help more."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods. "I haven't had a lot of training. Maybe one flying lesson..." Here, she actually giggles softly, and grins at Megan, her eyes twinkling with mirth. "But for a lot of it, no, no real training yet. So I know how that feels... being scared of your own gifts. One can only imagine that the people here maybe have to deal with some of that the same way." She sighs lightly, glancing up towards the sky. "You're only one person, Wolfsbane. But maybe we can all work together to kind of help where we can."

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn pouts, "That's really sad..I suppose we couldn't invite all of them to the school either, could we?" there's a hopeful lilt in her voice as she says that, but she gets the feeling that there are a lot of people here, and many of them are probably criminals so that could be dangerous. "Yeah, sorry about that, Shannon." she smirks, "Guess I was trying to show off too much, but I hope you got at least something out of it?" she nods, "I also know what it's like to be afraid of your gifts. You should have seen the first time my faerie dust manifested. That was a riot." she grins. Well, it was pretty scary actually, but she's trying to put on a brave face. "Still, I think Sam's club should be a place where they can feel welcome and safe. Why would someone target that place?"

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane shakes her head slowly. "There's just nae way we could bring all o' them tae th' school for anything. Some wouldna want it, some we could no' trust wi' our secrets. Besides, tha' goes against whit we have th' school for in th' first place. Th' goal is for people no' tae need a secret place like tha'. Mutant Town may be rough, but places like it are a first step toward more," she explains, and if her expression is any indication, she may have just surprised herself with some of what she thought of.

Rubbing a bare shoulder, near part of the outfit that crosses over by the collarbone, she looks between the two winged ones. "I was verra scared o' whit I was a' first. I dinna know if I'd ha' even made it without th' help others gave me. But wi' th' club..gangs do bad things. These..people," She wears a distasteful look at calling them that, "maybe they're scared o' their suppliers, because they're really trying tae push Hook everywhere an' take over th' area. I've been hearing rumors about some group called th' Family tha' is looking oot for mutants, but I'm no' sure I've met any yet."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon shakes her head and shrugs. "Looking out for mutants in a good way? Or..." A light shudder courses through her, as if a chill wind had suddenly blown through the area. "Because a lot of times, it seems like if we don't look out for each other, who will?" There's that thoughtful look again, and one can almost hear the gears in her head turning. There were people who knew the chill touch of fear all too well, and the sharp, stinging bite of hatred. They knew fear, anger, the insidious poison of drugs--what could they do against all that? "Sometimes, where there's churches, there's shelters and soup kitchens and things. If there are... do you think they'd let us volunteer sometimes? I mean... it's not much, but even a little bit of hope can maybe make a difference."

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn bites her lip at mention of the 'Family' "Huh, I wonder if we can trust 'em..." doesn't seem like they've done a whole lot of good by the looks of it but who knows? "Well, still, I wanna hang around and maybe help out, however I can.." she nods to Shannon, "Volunteering seems like a good idea! I dunno, like at a shelter or something?" she shrugs, peering around as they near Rahne's apartment. "Soo, you actually live out here? Isn't it kinda dangerous?"

Wolfsbane has posed:
"I heard they may ha' kept th' Friends o' Humanity away from Mutant Town, but I also heard some o' those people went missing," Wolfsbane explains, shaking her head. "I'm no' sure whether they're good or bad for this area yet. Maybe their intentions are good, but their methods are bad." She might have to try to find out.

Then she says, "Volunteering is a good idea, but before ye do anything like that ye should talk tae Sam an' Scott an' whoever else ye need tae first, an' make sure ye all have a plan when it comes tae keeping th' truth o' th' school secret."

The wolfen mutant motions for them to follow as she starts away from the apartment complex, beginning to point out a few places - shops, shelters, restaurants - all apparently run by mutants. "Aye, I suppose it is more dangerous than staying a' th' school, but I've stayed in a safer place most o' muh life since I learned whit I was, an' I think it's time I grew oot o' tha' bubble a wee bit."

Nightingale has posed:
     One thing true of ghettos and boroughs the world over was that each had its characteristic smell, the aroma of local cuisine and perhaps some well-known favorites wafting through the air. Smells, the sounds of people just going about their lives, the whole thing created a patchwork symphony of life. Mutant Town was no exception, Shannon's nose twitching--and her stomach growling, rather embarrassingly so. "Something around here smells -really- good. Is there somewhere we can grab a bite to eat?"

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn nods, determined to do something to help. "Right! I'll talk to them, see what I can do. You in, Shannon?" she frowns, "Well, so they're protecting them but probably killing humans, huh. That's not good either." she sighs, "That's really sad, but I think we can definitely help out somehow. That must be pretty scary living out here though, Rahne, why'd you decide to do it, just to keep an eye out or..?" she nods to Shannon and smiles, "Food sounds good!"

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane holds up her hands. "I'm no' saying tha's whit happened, but it does sound suspicious tae me." She's just going to have to see what's going on with the Family if she's going to be living here. Hopefully it's nothing sketchy. As for those smells, some are definitely better than others to someone with enhanced senses, leading to equal parts nose-wrinkling and extra sniffing. "We could spend some time in th' Diner before Sam gets done wi' his things. I know they're working on more security a' th' club. An' I just wanted tae make a bigger difference than I think I was a' th' school." It might work. It might not. Either way, she shows them Fred's Diner, where they will be able to take care of rumbling stomachs and hang out a while longer.