8917/Fireworks are still science!

Fireworks are still science!
Date of Scene:	22 August 2019
Location:	American Museum Nat. His.
Synopsis:	Learn a little, laugh a little.
Cast of Characters:	Beast, Mercy Thompson, Sersi, Omnis

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Beast has posed:
Henry McCoy is at the museum today! Not with students, though school is coming soon. He's standing in a lecture hall at the museum, with slides playing behind him. "And so, we can see from this evidence, that mutants did exist as far back as prehistoric times, in all likelihood. For ages, it was assumed these fossil records were just broken or faked." He clicks to a slide showing a skeleton with wings, and then to another that, well, looks like him. "But it turns out they were just showing the diversity of mankind. Any questions?"

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Mercy's got a front row seat with her history degree, she looks up to the proejction and nods, not saying a word...yet. Instead she's writing down notes on a small pad she's got balanced on her knees, quick, deft hand movements as she listens. Mercy's here because, come on, history! Plus, it sounded better than cleaning. Because she really, really hates cleaning. Mercy raises her hand to ask a question however.

Sersi has posed:
"In all likelihood..." is an excellent way to begin a vague conversation. Sersi doesn't loiter, for loiter suggests a delay and a purpose not being fulfilled. She sashays her way through one corridor and into another, escorted by one of the museum staff, whispering to her in animated tones. The excited sound rises and falls as he points out some salient detail. It could be that this most respected of institutions has reasons to impress a pretty young woman but it's more likely the presentation was tucked away where a few of the guests couldn't find it. Possibly. He holds the door open for her and she slips into the nearest open seat, evincing no sense of embarrassment about coming along. People come and go through this all the time, after all, though her bright, curious green eyes take in the details with a certain degree of focused attention. No immediate question yet; she takes a spot just behind Mercy.

Omnis has posed:
Slipping in, Kally smiles a little to Mercy as she approaches the spot where the girl is sitting, joining her and looking to Hank up at the front. She looks over at Mercy's notes and whispers, "I miss anything good?" she asks and tilts her head before looking again to Hank. She doesn't have questions yet...but then again she was late.

Beast has posed:
Henry McCoy clicks to the netx slide, which shows mockups of what the people might have lookd like, with those winged and large skeletons. And yes, they look vaguely like Shannon and Hank, if you examine them more than a moment. "Yes, right there?" he asks, pointing toward Mercy. "You have a question? Stand up, there are microphones along the center aisle so everyone can hear your question."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Mercy stands up. "Yes, I have a question. What could have initially caused the fossils to become mutants in he first place?" Mercy asks, sitting back down. That's all the question she's asking. An open ended one. A broad question and....one that's got her thinking too. Mercy settles back down, scribbling notes as she listens.

Sersi has posed:
It takes Sersi a few moments to smooth out her skirt and generally train her focus on Mercy as the woman stands up. Her gaze flicks to Henry to anticipate his reaction, though the corner of her generously full mouth lifts up slightly with a mirthful side. In a content mood, presumably, she isn't one to interrupt. "That's an important question," she murmurs. The fringe of her black bangs sweeps sidelong over her brow, practically falling over her eyes. She nods to Mercy and Kally, still finding her grounding in the conversation of sorts.

Omnis has posed:
A look is given to Mercy at her question and Kally idly slips out her own notebook and hmms. She is just interested in the subject really, not a student by any stretch. She does take a moment to look to Sersi though, hmming softly at the sight of her before shrugging and going back to looking to see how Henry handles this.

Beast has posed:
Henry McCoy gestures with his clicker to Mercy. and backs up. "Good question. In the 20th century it was often assumed that mutants were actually genetic mutations casued by the radiation inherent in 20th century living. Some earlier known mutants having nuclear connections aided that theory. For example my father worked in a nuclear power plant when I Was born, and some thought that had an effect on how I Grew up. Very large. But, we know it's genetic now."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Mercy nods and scribbles down notes, she stays quiet though having asked her question, eyes fixed on the projection then nods setting her pencil down. Looking around Mercy smiles, before fixing her eyes on the proejction again. "I see, thank you. That answered my question" she said with a grin.

Sersi has posed:
An intrigued look flicker-flashes over Sersi's face, though she arches her raven-black brows at that. With a measured look, she raises her slender arm, a stack of bracelets tumbling down in harmonious cacophony to her forearm.

Omnis has posed:
Looking again at Sersi, Kally's eyes grow wider slowly. She stares for a long moment and her mouth drops open. She hadn't seen it right away, perhaps ignoring it due to disbelief but now she just can't help but stare. She shifts slightly and then looks over to Mercy a moment, wondering if the coyote can see it but...thinking maybe she can't. She looks ahead, at Hank a moment before closing her eyes and swallowing slowly. She isn't going to interrupt the woman's question just yet but she has a couple of her own.

Beast has posed:
Henry McCoy nods to Mercy. "It's important for folks to understand that we're ust people with unusual genes. Like red hair, or being very tall. Just in... ways we're not used to." At that, he looks around taking a stab, he points with his clicker toward Kally. "Question? Step up to the mics in the center so we can all hear it."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Mercy's curious where this is going, she picks up her pencil again, tucking it behind her ear and smoothing out her jacket and jeans, stretching out her sneakered feet too, though she makes eye contact withh Kally mouthing 'what?' to her, looking like a fish for all the good it'd do. She's still thinking on what's been said, too. Gennetics for explaining it makes sense to her, eally.

Sersi has posed:
Sersi combs her fingers through her shock of dark hair, arranging it in an unfairly tousled sweep around her shoulders. It's just the sort of thing that one does when contemplating the nature of a lecture, the universe, or something more. She taps her finger against her lips when Henry calls up Kally, and winks at the young woman hitting the spotlight.

Omnis has posed:
A blink as she is called upon, and Kally stands up and walks over. She looks over at Sersi again, seeming somewhat unsure of her even as she looks to the mic and then up at Hank. She takes a breath before tilting her head, "You say that being a mutant is genetic. If that's the case, given the advances in genetic manipulation, could it be possible to create mutants or umake them? As a follow up to that, why do some mutants fly while others, well," She chuckles, "are big, blue and furry?"

Beast has posed:
Henry McCoy gestures to Sersi. "You're next up after this one." He then considers Kally's question. "Another good one. The honest answer is, we don't know. We're still studying genetics. We can't YET perfectly do things like, create genes for red hair, or 7 feet of height, or great limbs for swimming. We understand the mechanism, but not the details." He then clears his throat. "I wasn't born blue and furry. I was just born with this overall build." He walks up to his laptop, fidgets a bit, and pulls up a picture of a young man in a high school football unifrom. "This was me, age 16. Years later I thought I knew enough about biochemistry to do genetic manipulation on myself, to remove my mutation. I faailed, and turned myself blue and fuzzy. And I'm a practicing expert in the field. There have been attempts to create mutants, as well, but the entire thing is crude guesswork."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Mercy is lining up a question that....might ruffle a few feathers,or hairs. But it's one she'd like to ask to get it off her chest. She's listened and been wondering on itt. Apparently, curiosity is a thing with her. She raises her hand, doing her best to signal she'll go after the next question. She's scribbled down her question, too and circled it. It's.....sort of one that might be a loaded question in some eyes, but she's genuinely curious about it, too.

Sersi has posed:
With a slight rustle of crepe over perfectly tailored wool, Sersi rises from her seat. She waits for the microphone to be passed over, the faintest lines marring her forehead as she considers her question before speaking. Too late to jump out of that frying pan! She doesn't seem to take any offense to the attention she gains; that's part and parcel of being her. It happens. "You suggest the proof for genetic mutations originates before the twentieth century and we're finding good examples of this from earlier periods. However, genetic mutations are fairly frequent: sickle cell anaemia in malaria-prone areas, for example. They don't tend to produce such a plethora of unpredictable outcomes, though, since the manifestation of the genetic marker could be anything from having wings to being tall to manipulating the planet's magnetosphere. I'm curious then how there ends up being such a dynamic outcome when we don't see that with other expressions of genetic mutation. Red hair is red hair, pretty typical, whereas a third pair of limbs or conjugation of fire from thin air isn't. How can the proposed gene act so differently from other sequenced genomes? Is a matter of what triggers it from dormancy, or something else?"

Omnis has posed:
A nod and then she hmms softly as she looks down. She looks up at Hank and then stares at him a moment before nodding, "I see." She then turns and walks back over to her seat. She looks down and nods a little to herself before looking back over at Mercy. She then looks up at Sersi speaks and hten looks up to Dr. McCoy again, hmming softly as she kind of wouldn't mind hearing that answer.

Beast has posed:
Henry McCoy gestures to Mercy. "You're up again next." Kally he watches, she seems content with the answer again, so he moves on to Sersi. Whom he listesn to carefully. "That is another thing we're studying. IT is notable that there are ways to.. turn off mutations. Temporarily, in a sort of field. The X gene is unique. We're still studying it. Mutants, independent researchers, and those who would do harm to mutants are all doing that. It's been said that science is about studying what you don't know, and the difference between religion, and science, is that religion promises the asnwers to everything, while science looks for the answers to what it doesn't know yet."

"So I can't answer that question with a definite answer. I can give you my best theory, though. Most mutations first manifest themselves in puberty, the way many ordinary biological effects manifest. I had a very large growth spirt. Others grew wings, produced fire, read minds.. you name it. That suggests that the gene is able to act on other genes, because it's not producing its own new effects, but rather is modifying other effects. It could simply be that the X Gene, at a basic level, creates a ... randomization. Most mutants don't have wondrous powers. Go visit Bushwick sometime. You'll see randomness in action, ma'am."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Mercy raises her hand again and stands up. "I mean no offense with this question, but.....is it feasible foreign powers could create mutants, and mutant armies? Could that be used as a boogeyman to drum up anti mutant agendas?" Mercy says, pausing. "How would you tackle that and improve mutant and human relations? I've read about the hostility, I was merely wondering was all" Mercy says settling down. She's worried she's ruffled feathers, or....scales...or....or......anything, but she is genuinely curious. She's not sure if she should have asked that question, on reflection. Like. Two seconds after she said it.

Sersi has posed:
"I suppose it's that very expression of the unknown that creates such interest in the field," says Sersi. She follows the answer with ease enough, though she doesn't stray her gaze from Henry until he's quite done. "And I must disagree on a single point; for most people, I would think most mutants /do/ have wondrous powers because they are outside the norm. Even if it happens to be resistance to a cold or acute hearing or recall, those are unique characteristics that deserve to be considered for what they are. It's not necessarily the same as the greatest approaches of power, but they're still plenty useful." She flashes a smile of intense brilliance for a moment. "And please, miss. Ma'am is suitable for my mother, and I really hope she hasn't taken time off to come visit." The bounce back to her seat takes only a moment, conducted with an effortless joie de vivre.

Omnis has posed:
A look over at Mercy and then at Sersi again. Kally hmms before scribbling something down. She slips up quickly and then walks over to where Hank is standing and offers it to him, "Thanks." She then starts away, walking off toward the exit and thinking as she goes.

Beast has posed:
Henry McCoy nods to Sersi. "Some mutants do purely have physical anomalies, and how do I put this, many are unaesthetic. But your point is what it is." Hetakes Kally's note, glances at it, and with a nod to her, puts it into his pocket. So then finally turning to Mercy with a laugh. "It's true. Every word you said is true. IT's possible, and it has been attempted. When I work with mutants, I learn from civil rights activists of the past, and counsel non-violence, self-defense, and peace. Others might not. IF mutants are used for evil, I take it personally, seek out to expose them, and tell the truth about it."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Mercy nods slowly and gets up, with a nod as she, too is heading for the door, a 'thanks' is nodded as she steps toward it. She's asked her questions and her curiosity is piqued. She smiles. "Thank you, I'll research on my own time too" Mercy says with a nod as she finally, finally heads out the door, too.