9377/The Trickster's Mess, part 3

The Trickster's Mess, part 3
Date of Scene:	30 September 2019
Location:	Jean's Office - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	9377 Shannon brings in the shards of Loki's pendant to Scott and Jean, and recounts the events surrounding her encounter with 'Jeremy'
Cast of Characters:	Phoenix, Cyclops, Nightingale
Tinyplot:	Asgard's Requiem

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Phoenix has posed:
With the message from Sam that Shannon needed to see both Jean and Scott, Jean had taken it upon herself to arrange the meeting. Placing it on Scott's schedule, and seeing that Shannon is a student, she simply had her paged to the Headmaster's office at that time.

Cyclops has posed:
Scott is in attendance first: he's often early, and as soon as he saw the notification, he headed to her office. He brought a treat, too-- a coffee for Jean, and a brief smile as he arrives.

Taking up a position to one side of Jean's desk, Scott sets about leaning there, relaxed, but to say he's not a dominating, judgemental figure in the room would be a lie.

Nightingale has posed:
     What had started out as a fairly relaxing afternoon came to a screeching halt the moment that text message came through. Though it was not entirely unexpected, Shannon had hoped that perhaps it would never actually happen. Tension, worry, and fear war with hope as she takes a few moments outside Jean's office door to try and collect her thoughts, forcing herself to take several deep breaths. Whether they were teachers and she was just a student, they were supposed to be on the same team, right? If she couldn't trust them with this, who could she trust? Would she get expelled from the school?

Phoenix has posed:
Jean smiles at Scott, more so when she sees the coveted coffee he brings, "for me?" She asks, even though she usually knows the answers before she asks a question. Reaching for the coffee, Jean looks like she actually was really hoping for such a treat, as she takes a sip and waits for Shannon to get there.

"Shannon, welcome, please, take a seat," Jean motions at the chair facing her desk, "care to tell us in your own words?" She asks before delving into anything. Must be nerve wrecking facing a teacher who can look into your mind, Jean is well aware of both sides of such encounters.

Cyclops has posed:
Scott sent a sideways smile to Jean: the sort which may have accompanied a wink, were winks possible from the mutant. Possible, yes; visible, no. He watches Jean with the coffee, sending a mental query silently to her. << My biggest concern is the pieces of this pendant. I still think Forge is the best person to examine them. >>

Scott nods to Shannon, quiet for now, giving Jean the floor to welcome and broach things with Shannon. He just looks unreadable and somewhat disapproving.

Nightingale has posed:
     To say this was nerve-wracking was putting it mildly. Thankfully, previous encounters with Jean and Scott had been pleasant ones, which blunted the sharp edge of this meeting somewhat. It was enough of a foothold in her mind for there to be some measure of trust, though anxiety is running high; it does, however, seem to be less focused on Scott and Jean. She nods slowly, some dark circles having formed under her eyes over the past days hinting at sleep lost over the whole series of events. She sits down in the chair across from Jean; as disapproving as Scott may be of her right now, the self-loathing is far, far stronger.

     Running her fingers through her hair, she lets out a deep sigh. "Where do I even begin? I'm not even sure words can begin to describe this whole mess." She bites her lower lip, canting her head slightly as she considers the two. Trust had to start somewhere, right? Her voice is a little bit hesitant as she speaks again. "I could either try to tell you... or show you."

Phoenix has posed:
<<Naturally, Forge would be someone that could help a lot, but what about Magik? Anyone consulted with her? I think Shadowcat has an in with the Scarlet Witch, she could also be of help...>> Jean assumes she hadn't heard of the other options for further concern of mystical entrapment. After all, the Shadow King did enact such ploys on the Astral Plane, no doubt Loki could replicate if not do worse with magic.

"Your pick...I can see it in your mind, if you prefer, but learning to speak up for yourself is a very important skill. You won't always have such an easy 'out' of having another person just 'see' for themselves..." Jean explains, as she pauses for another sip of coffee, "give it a try, tell us."

Cyclops has posed:
<< I haven't consulted Magik. I did not know about this object at all until the texts Shannon sent us, >> Scott answers Jean privately, with some frustration in it. Playing catch up on many things with Loki. It's become a habit, and he doesn't sense it is going to reduce any time soon. This is what Loki is about. Other people's frustration.

"You've been in a very difficult spot. We understand that," Scott says. The judgement will take that into account.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon just holds up her hands, her face flushing. "It's not meant as an easy out. If even half the stories I hear are true, that's a lot of trust involved in letting you inside my head. But yeah... okay, I get it." She leans back in the chair a little bit, closing her eyes as she tries to take it back to the beginning of the whole sequence of events.

"When 'Jeremy' first got here, both Triage and I were called out by Betsy. She made certain to warn me to turn my image inducer on, which I have done for all encounters with 'Jeremy' since. Nor did I mention at any time specifically being a mutant, since none of us knew for certain just how much he knew about the school. He was brought into the wellness office and stabilized, made aware that both Triage and I were healers, though not the exact nature of our gifts."

She takes a few breaths, trying to compose herself before continuing. "In the process of cleaning up some of the wounds through conventional means, I saw the blue ichor, and suggested samples be taken for analysis. Demonic influence was hinted at, but I'm guessing now that was pretty much a lie. At the time, with the patient stable, Triage and I both backed off."

"Later on, I returned to check on 'Jeremy' and see how he was doing. Brought him a little bit of food, thought that and some company might help. Figured maybe asking a few questions could help things later on when Triage was finally able to return. I let myself get talked into trying to heal some of the minor cuts on his face, with him bringing the blue ichor to the surface to be expelled. Unfortunately... once the process started, it couldn't be stopped, despite my urging to do so. So... I had to see it through."

Phoenix has posed:
"Shannon, in simple terms, you wouldn't want to let a telepath inside your head. I happen to be your Headmaster, and I am beholden to your health and education...but you must realize that a telepath can be very dangerous. There are so many things a telepath can do without you ever being aware. We will go over that in a session after this whole situation is resolved. I just want you to understand it's not just trust, it's something best not used without having exhausted other options." Jean covers the basics she likes to inform students about when they seem uninformed in regards to telepathy, and then she adds, "but the habit of speaking on your behalf, is a good one to hone, and this is a perfect opportunity. Not everything is easy to explain."

"A lie or half-truth, that is the way Loki operates, that is no fault of your own..." Jean notes, if only to calm Shannon a bit, as she lets her continue.

When Shannon explains her side of it, Jean continues to look at her in silence, as if to give her the opportunity to recall something more. Meanwhile to Scott she thinks <<wanna bet Loki knew exactly who she was and what her powers could do?>>

Cyclops has posed:
<<I don't think he had to. He came and asked for healers, and we provided them,>> Scott answers mentally, without tone. He's keeping his emotions about the situation damped down into a serious, reserved mask.

"I've watched the security footage, Shannon," Scott says, his tone not forceful: just matter of fact. "He held onto you. You're not to blame here, for that."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods, her face flaming a bit, and offering something of a sheepish smile. "Guess there's still a lot to learn. Thank you." Though it's difficult, she does keep her gaze directly on them as she continues to recount the events involving 'Jeremy' thus far.

"After the whole thing was done... I'm not going to lie, thought that was going to be the healing that'd kill me. He had cuts all over his arms and legs, some pretty deep ones on his chest, the minor ones on his face, and his hands... well, his hands looked like they'd been through an old-fashioned wringer." She glances down at her hands, flexing them slightly. "I seriously owe Triage a pizza for him helping me out when he was able to get to me a day or so later."

"But yeah... 'Jeremy' mentioned repayment, though neither of us was really in much shape to do anything about it after all that. He was actually concerned if I was going to be alright, it was the one thing he kept asking. I thought that was going to be the end of it, never heard from him again. Or so I thought."

Now, Shannon's face goes flame red, clear to the tips of her ears. "The day Triage got me out of the medbay and finished what my own healing factor had begun... two of the Avengers had shown up to take a look at things. It was Mr. Stark and Captain Rogers." The latter name is a bit hushed, coming from her; someone apparently held in very deep respect. "Dani was there as well and it was only then that I heard the name Loki. Norse mythology is my weakest, but that's one name I did remember. Not someone you want to get mad at you."

Now, she reaches for the pouch kept tied at her side, which in of itself looks to have origins perhaps not of Earth, with the runes worked into the worn brown leather. She opens it and withdraws several dark blue pieces of a crystalline substance, which still seemed to glow from within. It looked to be a pair of wings, a head, folded praying hands, and bits and pieces of what might once have been a flowing robe. She sets these on Jean's desk. "When I'd been talking to Jeremy prior to the healing, mention was made of old stories, the ones where strangers come looking for help. I mentioned the adage of 'entertaining an angel unawares', which may well have led to this. But I don't know... could he have seen past the image inducer? Is that even within his powers? Rahne brought me the pendant and told me it had been from him. I got a photo of it, the one I sent to you. Upon Kitty's direction, Sam took me to see Doctor Strange." Anger roiled within her at memory of the encounter, her voice actually starting to bear no small measure of venom. "I know this thing is linked to Loki, some sort of communications thing there... but we'd hoped he could investigate it, tell us more about it. Instead, he took it into the street and smashed it without even giving it a chance. I don't care who it was from, it was a gift given in good faith, and given the source... I'm very concerned its destruction may be taken as an insult and acted on accordingly."

Phoenix has posed:
"I can assure you, you're not the only one, I used to think Thor was just a codename and building on a mythology for striking fear in opponents," Jean shares with Shannon as she bravely recounts her story without dropping important details. Not like Shannon would honestly expect Jean to make sure she wasn't being lied to.

She listens to Shannon's musing, and nods her head, "I can tell you that Norse Mythology calls Loki by many names, one of them is Lie Smith or Lie Weaver, not sure about the proper translation, but I would imagine a god who oversees the misleading of others, is likely very difficult to mislead. It is very likely he could see through the inducer, though it's just an educated guess, I don't really have a claim to understand what he is capable of...but his brother is Thor of the Avengers, that should give you enough of a ballpark."

Jean turns silent for a moment, her expression looking very grim, "I had circumstance push me to work with Doctor Strange in the past, both in the threat of the Shadow King, and in the event of the Black Sleep. I can tell you one thing about Doctor Strange, if something needs to be done about a terrible threat, he would do it without question, no matter the cost. That gift, I would hold, was no gift at all. I wouldn't like to assert anything without talking to Doctor Strange myself, but I think he may have saved you, or even us, on some level...Shannon. Don't feel bad about it, Loki will never hold that against you...and he will have to go through me if he does."

Cyclops has posed:
Jean may recognize the look on Scott's face when the item comes out, and he moves to get a better look at it -- that Scott's reaction is also related to preferring to destroy it. But he has the restraint to not do so, but instead to look at it from other angles, first. If it truly is a danger to the children, school, the team - he wouldn't hesitate, though.

"I'm not familiar with Loki's exact abilities, other than that he is a master of magic and manipulating people," Scott replies, with a turn of his head towards Jean. He knows she's far more aware of what Loki is capable of. "But illusions, as I understand it, could fall into the same area of what an image inducer does. I would assume he could see through everything." Scott is speaking aloud, inclusive of Shannon, on the topics that may help her to hear. He frowns at the pieces.

"I'd like to get the pieces analyzed. We'll get answers from what's left, Shannon. And.... if there's even a hint of contact from anyone unusual, or something that could be considered retaliation from Loki, we need to know immediately. That we haven't seen one yet, I'd say is a good sign: either he is still healing, or there won't be a problem with destroying it."

<< I'm concerned he will kidnap her, if we restrict her. >> Scott shares mentally with Jean. How to keep the girl safe? They'll have to discuss it later.

"Thank you for bringing the pendant pieces in. We'll let you know what comes of it," Scott says.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods slowly, and sighs a little bit. "If those are proven to not be an immediate threat... would I be allowed to keep them? I'd be more than willing to work with whoever I had to if need be. Just... please, please not Doctor Strange again? That man did what he had to do I'm sure... but he didn't have to be such a jerk about it."

She bites her lip again and glances at them both. "It's probably a stupid question... but I'm not being expelled for this, am I?"

Phoenix has posed:
Jean all of a sudden looks like her attention is shifting, but even as she gets up, she thinks back to Scott <<I don't think he really wishes harm on Shannon, she's a nobody to him, what we need to uncover is just what was so powerful as to injure a god. That might be the real problem.>>

"If you'll excuse me, I'm needed for a training emergency, Scott, please wrap it up," Jean says and leaves her office in a rush.

Cyclops has posed:
"If they are truly harmless, we may be able to repair it or a version of it, for you to keep. I would keep it as a reminder of what happened," Scott answers immediately, shaking his head.

"Not today."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon winces a little bit, caught between relief and lingering worry. "Not today? Or just... not?" She gets up, though is reluctant to leave herself, without knowing.

Cyclops has posed:
Scott looks down at the pieces again, his visor making his actual gaze difficult to determine, though: he could still be looking at her. The sunglasses can often make Scott even more serious than he already is.

"Had you hidden this, it would have been another story," Scott says. "I can tell you are unhappy with Dr. Strange's handling of it. But if he judged that it was spying on everything it was close to, for example, or slowly poisoning you - it may have been the best choice. We'll learn more."

Scott doesn't evade her question, he ends with, "You've made us proud. You've made efforts to learn from mistakes. That's all I ask. You are not expelled. But you are dismissed." A brief smile shows.