9480/Of Brothers and Blue Boxes

Of Brothers and Blue Boxes
Date of Scene:	08 October 2019
Location:	Security Center - X-Men Base
Synopsis:	Thor visits the X-men to discuss Loki, and discouraging any further possible threat to the school or students.
Cast of Characters:	Shadowcat, Cannonball, Nightingale, Cyclops, Samuel Morgan, Thor
Tinyplot:	Asgard's Requiem

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Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty had let Thor know during Carol Danver's birthday party that she wished to talk to him about Loki. Not long after the party, she reached out to him to invite the Thunderer to the X-men base for the discussions. It would make it easier for her to pull up any video, should Thor wish to see it.

Others involved in the Jeremy Larkin incident were also contacted so they could be present, as well as course as one of the team leaders in Scott Summers. Kitty meets Thor outside the school and brings him down via one of the hidden elevators into the base. "Thank you for coming," Kitty tells him. "That Asgardian ale really packs quite the punch," Kitty says. "And thank you for the dance too, that was a great experience. Sorry this is a less enjoyable topic," the young brunette woman says.

Lockheed is riding on her shoulder, as he was since she met Thor outside to bring him down. The little dragon watches Thor with interest, but otherwise just stays perched there on her shoulder. Kitty asks, "Can I get you something to drink? I don't think we have anything that compares, nor, alcohol down here at all, but some stiff coffee maybe?"

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie looks over from where he is siting as kitty and Thor come in, and hearing the last bit of the conversation "Ah could go upstairs and dig something up with a bit of a kick Ah am sure, but Ah fear it would not be anything like Asgardian Ale." He looks over and says "Good to see you again." to Thor.

Nightingale has posed:
     It had been a nice calm day, with memories of a recent trip to visit her family back in Connecticut to buoy Shannon's spirits. Classes were going well despite her recent trip to the medbay, and she was finally starting to relax once more. Perhaps the whole mess with Loki was finally behind her. Perhaps for once, she could just be a normal student.

     Yeah, right.

     A series of soft oaths in varied languages escape her from under her breath as Kitty's message reaches her. What could possibly have gone wrong this time? She lets out a soft sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose and tucking her phone away in her pocket, to make her way from her dorm room to the base. It took her a little bit of searching to find the security center, because it was one area she was definitely -not- permitted to go without good reason. She takes a deep breath and slips into the room, careful not to let her wings get clipped by the door....

     ...and the color just drains from her face. She recognized most of the faces in the room, but given the topic of discussion, it was not hard to guess who their guest was. Not one single word escapes her, and she remains as still as a statue.

Cyclops has posed:
    While not early to the gathering, Scott arrives on time, coming swiftly up out of the hangar area. He's windblown, and has a thick black motorcycle style jacket on: black, with banded yellow stripes up the sleeves that cross in the mid-back.
    "Welcome, Thor; I'm Scott Summers," Scott offers to the Avenger smoothly, face and manner serious, terse. "Thanks for arranging this so quickly, Kitty," he adds to her, with a brief nod, entering the room. He doesn't select a chair, instead, takes up a post to one side of the various security consoles, arms crossing low across his chest. Scott's expression is mostly unreadable: it could be due to the red glasses, or more just that he isn't wearing much of any expression anyway.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    As far as days go, today had not been a bad one. Bean's morning run was back on schedule, students were less likely to avoid him, and nobody was either pushed through a wall or stabbed. All in all, a good day. The brain gremlins that had been his companions for the past few days had been squashed for the moment, and the Black Dog was on a firm leash. Add in a few hours in the gym and Bean was about as happy as a Sam could get.

    Until the knock on the door. Until the polite staff requested his presence. Until he was escorted into the lift, down to the lower level, and into the security center.

    That's a name that never bodes well.

    Still, putting on his most neutral facade, Bean walks through the door and takes a moment to study the situation. First and foremost, he puts a hand on Shannon's shoulder, gently, giving her a smile. "Like being called to the headmaster's office, isn't it?" Bit of a private joke between the two home schooled students. He too has a shrewd guess as to who the somewhat intimidating blonde man may be, but keeps his mouth shut until asked to open it, almost automatically coming to stand at parade rest.

Thor has posed:
Coffee? Thor is willing to try this. "Coffee? I am not certain I've had that, but I shall certainly try it. Thank you, Kitty."

When Samuel adds in, "Nay, ale is not required today. That is...for happier occasions, ideally. Good to see you, as well.

Thor analyzes the situation, and he understands who's in charge here...Scott's leadership is unmistakeable, as one leader recognizes another, "Thank you for having me, Scott. I understand there's much to discuss."

Then there's Shannon...the shy maiden seems to be one who is for some reason..."...You have no reason to fear in my presence. If my brother has victimized you, there shall be justice." Because a maiden like that...what has Loki been DOING around here?

And then another man comes in, "I fear I am no headmaster, but well met, all the same. I am Thor Odinson, protector of the 9 realms." Since that was the one man who might've not known who he was.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde will let each person introduce themselves to Thor as they choose while she goes and gets a cup of coffee, already brewed, and about as strong as it is possible to make coffee. Somewhere Steve Rogers probably has perked up, sensing a disturbance in the Caffeine Force.

Kitty bring the mug over to Thor and then leans back against a counter. "So the short version as I understand it, Thor, is that at some point after Loki fled Doctor Strange's Sanctum, having drained a lot of magic from Earth... he appeared outside the school in the guise of a young man named Jeremy Larkin. He's used the identity before, but we didn't realize it. He was injured and brought inside. There was a blue coloring along his veins," Kitty says.

She pulls up video of Jeremy being brought inside. "Shannon has a healing power. She takes on the injuries of the other person, but thankfully heals faster than some. Apparently Loki got her to heal him, while he purged this blue goop from his veins. It was extremely toxic, eating into the room they were in. His identity was discovered, by myself and Rogue when we talked to Doctor Strange, and by Danielle Moonstar, one of the Valkyrie who is a former student and was present. Loki fled. We thought, hoped that would be the end of it." Kitty glances over to the student to see if there was anything important left out, before going on.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie sits back listening for now, he is not adding to the conversation letting those who were there for this part speak and fill others in.

Nightingale has posed:
     Time to face the music. Shannon's expression shifts from outright fear, to a more sorrowful, guilt-ridden expression as she straightens, ruffling her wings. "Shannon, sir. Wish we'd met under better circumstances. Sam's spoken of you with a great deal of respect." She glances over to Sam and smiles faintly; one can imagine those times when her entire countenance is lit up with joy, but this is not one of them. She tucks a wisp of pale gold away behind her left ear, taking a few deep breaths to compose herself.

     "Unfortunately, sir, the matter was not closed at that. When the healing was finished, your brother spoke of repayment owed, for what I had done to help him. I swear on whatever you hold sacred, I had no idea it was him. All I saw was a soul in suffering."

     The young winged healer withdraws her phone from her pocket, and turns it on, scrolling through to a series of photos before offering the device to Thor. "This pendant was shattered by Doctor Strange, but I had taken photos of it prior, just in case it never came back into my keeping. I'm not sure what it's made of, but it supposedly had a connection to your brother, and the means to draw him to it, if held and one's will focused on his name." The pendant in the photo is shaped like an angel praying, and looks to be small enough to fit in the palm of her hand. It's cobalt blue, of an unknown crystalline substance with a glassy sheen to it, and it seems to glow from the inside as if it were alive. "I salvaged a few pieces after its destruction and turned them in to Mr. Summers and Miss Grey straightaway."

Cyclops has posed:
    Scott moves to the console to page into the other videos as Kitty goes over the content, moving the video feed to the healing itself, which displays Shannon holding onto the teenager Jeremy Larkin, while covered in blood and oozing blue slime that's coming out of the boy.
    "We've done a number of tests on the residue, and handed some samples off to the Avengers. The pendant's remains are being looked at by a few of ours that are versed in magical objects," Scott says, reserved.
    "While it isn't a /problem/ for someone to seek medical attention from us in an emergency, Loki specifically agreed to not harm or endanger any student here," Scott says, tone cold, turning his head to indicate the security footage where Shannon is very clearly absorbing injuries in the form of cuts and gashes off of Jeremy.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "Son of Odin, God of Thunder." Bean nods, holding out a hand and forearm in what he supposes is a more traditional greeting than a simple handshake. "I'm Sam Morgan, and I was there when your brother visited."

    He lets Kitty tell the tale, and Shannon add her bit, nodding to confirm the facts of all the stories ... and makes the holographic projector show a clear picture of Jeremy Larkin. "Another healer was present, who is unfortunately not here. He and Shannon both decided that healing Jeremy was necessary, due to blood loss, but not feasible due to the contamination of the wounds. This other healer could have done so without endangering themselves, and I feel that Loki likely knew this."

    His tone goes a bit hard for someone his age, especially when surrounded by those that might be considered his superiors. "When his actions became suspect, I confronted him with Laura Kinney and Dani Moonstar. He understood very quickly that his disguise would not hold up much longer, but it was then that we got the message that he might be dangerous and withdrew from the room. As soon as we did so, he vanished and so did his illusions, leaving only the residue." He won't add what he has silently vowed to do, but the look in his eyes likely betrays his intent.

Thor has posed:
The blue in Loki's veins, the blue in the pendant's crystal...that all suspiciously sounds suspiciously like the Tesseract to the Thunderer. "Tony has confirmed the Tesseract is a thing Loki has. I suspect what Shannon healed was residue from overuse of it...which probably hurt you a lot, didn't it?" He has great compassion for that..."Even if your healing is greater than that of most Midgardians, the Tesseract is no joke to heal from. The Tesseract is difficult to use, even for us of Asgard, and it can have poisonous effects on those who use it foolishly. Which Loki must've been doing."

Also noted was Loki breaking his word. "...Mischief and Trickery is my brother's domain. His word isn't trustworthy...even when he gives it to me." Perhaps the biggest problem with this. He is still concerned, "Are you alright from absorbing the residue of the Tesseract?" Thor doesn't SEE any lingering problems, but he was never exactly a doctor of Asgard.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde refers to the footage that Scott Summers pulled up. "I'm not sure if she actually absorbed the... let's call it Tesseract Goop? Or took on the other injuries that resulted from it. It was pretty noxious stuff, eating through the room. Would a non-Asgardian have survived it?" Kitty asks.

"Well," she goes on, "Actually that's a side topic. The main reason we wanted to talk to you is, that Loki sent her the pendant. Sure it could have been a nice gesture. But.. glowing blue pendant, glowing blue Tesseract that Doctor Strange says opens portals. You can understand our concern. We were wanting to talk to you to see if you can help make sure Shannon, and the school, don't go through anything like this again. And, if it was an attempt to get his hands on her, to help make sure he keeps his hands off."

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon's viewing the security footage with an odd sort of detachment, her brows furrowed. "So that's what it looks like to others from the outside when it's happening. I've always got my eyes closed." She shakes her head and sighs lightly, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Thankfully, that... I'll call it 'ichor' for lack of a better word... didn't get into my system to any great degree. The injuries were a little slower to heal than usual, took perhaps an extra day or two to recover from, despite aid from our other healer, Chris. The worst of it was my hands, just as the worst of your brother's injuries were." She glances over at Thor briefly. "Yes, it was painful. Imagine having to deal with those wounds, but also having the strongest alcohol you can find poured onto them and then set on fire. But... I couldn't -not- do it. He was suffering. And regardless of what he's done, in the end he's still someone's family."

     Her frown deepens, and she crosses her arms, spreading her wings out ever so slightly. "You know, that's the second time I've heard of this 'Tesseract'. Wade was in here a few days after all that mess, shooting his mouth off about it. I thought at the time he was just being Wade, but now... what is it? What is it capable of? And is this pendant maybe even made from it somehow?" Another sigh escapes her. "And what was all this for? Why was he doing this?"

     The winged teen glances over at Kitty and snorts softly, just shaking her head. "Miss Pryde, let's be realistic here. To people here, I'm somebody. But what am I to Loki? Very likely a nobody, who is hardly worth much notice."

Cyclops has posed:
Scott gets more and more heavy with his frown as Shannon describes her interactions with Loki's injuries. But he isn't going to bring up in front of others what may need to be talked over later. That can wait.

"Details of the Tesseract need to stay more contained, please. Wade will be informed, as well, about that," Scott says firmly. Wade will get his punishment, potentially, too.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "I have a distinct feeling we're not going to be told about the Tesseract." Rather than continue to stand, Bean finds a seat and crosses his arms as he leans back. Coincidentally he's sitting close to Shannon. Probably means nothing, right? His eyes narrow at the mention of Loki coming for her, and hands curl into fists.

    "Wade was interested, but didn't seem to know anything that was already mentioned to Mister Stark and Mister Rogers. His mistake was appearing in the Jeremy disguise, I nearly stabbed him. Next time I see 'Jeremy', I won't hesitate."

Thor has posed:
"As a rule...no, those of Midgard will die if they come in contact with the Tesseract. Some can handle it, but they are those who can have unusual talents. My friend the Hulk, for example, can withstand the might of the Tesseract, and so can Dr. Strange, and I'm sure some in the Justice League can as well...but for the most part, handling one unprotected is fatal."

"Your hands feeling on fire is likely the lingering side effects of touching the Tesseract unprotected...as for what they are...If you recall the Chitauri invasion of New York, that was accomplished by the power of the Tesseract. So...it is very bad if Loki has it."

Pause, "Loki's compassion is...still a work in progress. I have yet to convince him to develop more of it. So he may well have disrespected your value...foolish to disrespect a healer, but he's made worse decisions."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty nodded her agreement with Scott, and looks over towards Samuel and Shannon. "Like I said before to Shannon. This is not a topic for discussion even within the school, let alone outside of it. Some information is best kept discrete. And that someone like Loki can infiltrate is all the explanation there need be on why that is so," she comments.

The young woman looks back to Thor. "I realize you don't control him. But if it's possible you could help make sure there isn't a further threat in this regard, it would be greatly appreciated," she tells him. "That's really all we wanted to ask of you," she says, smiling over the Norse god.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon shakes her head slightly. "Loki was holding nothing at the time. There was just the blue ichor, and my hands took the longest to heal. Perhaps because of the ichor, perhaps because of the severity of the injuries, or a combination. I'm not sure which. They still feel a little bit stiff sometimes, but playing music helps a bit with that." She flexes her fingers slowly, with a soft little sigh caught in the back of her throat.

Her expression softens, and a ghost of a smile curls the corners of her lips upwards. "Maybe he could take away a bit of a capacity for compassion from this. Something about the way he spoke, it made me wonder at the time when the last time anyone had shown him kindness was, when I thought he was simply 'Jeremy'. Maybe he can learn a little from that."

The young woman's face takes on a delicate rosy hue, clear to the tips of her ears. "Then you see more value than I, sir. In trying to help... I may have done everyone a great deal of harm. Where is the value in that?"

Nodding to Kitty, she nibbles her lower lip for a moment. "It's difficult to keep quiet to friends, but if pressed for information I will refer them to you or Mr. Summers."

As Samuel sits down a bit closer to her, that blush just deepens a shade or three, and her smile brightens ever so slightly. Oh, my.

Cyclops has posed:
    "I understand that Loki assisted the school earlier this year, in a way I'm not going to bring up here," Scott clarifies to Thor carefully. "And for that he had our thanks. But injury to a student violates the terms of the agreement that came from that." Scott crosses his arms again, over his chest once more, slowly moving fingers against his opposite arm. His eyes, covered as they are, make him seem even more dour than he might actually be.
    Shannon's statement about the referral gets a nod from him. She's said the right thing: referral to Mr. Summers is the good answer.
    Scott pauses, though, as his phone buzzes.
    "Please excuse me, this is important." Sentinels stuff, no doubt: Scott has been very busy, though the stress isn't something he'll show. "Thank you for coming to meet with us, Thor. As Ms. Pryde said, we're hoping only to reduce these difficulties going forward." Scott says, before having to discreetly exit.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "Classified highest level, understood." Bean, at least, understands the need for secrecy on some topics very well. The knowledge gets added to the list of things he should never talk about. He does, however, have to nod along to Shannon's exposition.

    "I originally thought he was just a kid younger than me that had been ganged up on. There was a lot of blood, none of his wounds were defensive, it looked like he'd just been beaten up. He even looked dazed, frightened of everything. I promised him I'd find the people who did that to him and teach them a lesson."

    "I was so angry when I found out he'd been lying to us." Does he notice the blush of the young lady next to him?

Thor has posed:
"I don't control him, it's true...but he's been abusing Avengers as much as he's been abusing your goodwill. If I am fortunate, I may be able to get him to apologize...if I am not, he may prove incorrigable. At the very least, if I feel he hasn't learned any lessons, I will let you know so that you can take appropriate measures if he tries to contact you again." Sometimes, even for Thor, the best he can do is minimizing the damage his brother causes is warning people to take appropriate measures. "Illusions are his specialty, so you may have to rely on your telepaths to pick him up."

"I hope kindness teaches him something...it is true, he experiences little enough of it on Asgard, as his reputation as the trickster proceeds him, and not in a good way." Well...he can always hope it creates a change.

"Unfortunately, with Mischief and Trickery as his domain, honesty is his poorest suit. It is frequently difficult to find truth in a specialist of lies. It is...not the honor Asgard preaches, for certain."

With that, Thor stands, "...There is more to find out about Loki's misdeeds...I have more with whom I must speak. Thank you again for having me...if you need me in the future, either against Sentinels or to keep my brother line, let me know." And then the Thunderer must go, for there is more to do.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty gives Thor a grateful smile at his response. "Honestly, Thor, I don't want an apology from him. Because that would mean he's taking notice of us. Better that he is out of our lives. I didn't want to have Shannon here for this, but if you had questions I figured it would be best to have them answered. I want her to be able to be the school kid she is, and not have to worry about things like this. So anything you can do to help discourage, would be great. But I don't want to give him any reason to interact with us again," she says.

Kitty glances over to Shannon. "It's a nice thought. And there are people that are in need of that kind of sentiment. But this one is out of our league, and presents nothing but danger. If he's going to find redemption, he has an entire people of his own with whom he could find it," she agrees with Thor, "if he wants it."

She smiles to the man and says, "Thank you again for coming. We look forward to working with you further on the Sentinels," she says before walking him out.

Nightingale has posed:
     "Miss Pryde... the minute I found out I had these gifts, the luxury of not having to worry went right out the window. Though... it would be nice to worry maybe just a little bit -less-." Shannon just shakes her head and sighs slightly. "I can endure having been tricked, if I knew it were at least for something worthwhile in the end. Just want to know -why- all this happened. That's not... unreasonable, is it?"

     The young woman bows briefly to Thor, snapping her wings outwards to their full span--which is not an inconsiderable thing! She has that small smile upon her face again, as she speaks. "Sam spoke of you with a great deal of respect, and now I can see why. Thank you for your kindness and your help. Perhaps if we ever meet again, it will be in happier times."

     As she steps back, one wing sort of folds itself around behind Samuel where he sits, almost as if in an odd, feathered sort of hug. And did that blush deepen yet again? My, my, my.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    Is anyone ever actually beyond redemption? Sam-Bean has his thoughts on that, thoughts that have been challenged in recent weeks. But hearing Kitty say it out loud brings back some of those doubts. Is there hope for everyone, or are some just destined to walk apart from even their own people? And who are those people?

    Somewhere in the back of his mind, the Black Dog barks and strains at its leash, snaps at the wing it cannot reach, its shadow growing longer.

    "We rarely ever find out why, Nightingale. Sometimes... you just have to let something go."