9810/Daily Check-In... Busted

Daily Check-In... Busted
Date of Scene:	28 October 2019
Location:	Breakstone Lake - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Shannon checks in with Triage, on day one of light duty restrictions during her recovery. She reveals her connection to Poseidon, and many things are discussed.
Cast of Characters:	Nightingale, Triage

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Nightingale has posed:
     Flying in high over the lake, coming from the direction of the far end of the grounds, is a familiar winged figure. Something glints softly in her hand, catching the early afternoon sunlight. But she's coming in from farther than usual, and seems to have missed her daily check-in with Chris so far. She's heading back towards the mansion, perhaps to find a spot to land where she can slip back inside without attracting too much attention. But has her luck run out...?

Triage has posed:
Armed with his quaterstaff, Chris glances at his watch while he strides along a path from the backyard to the lake. Keen eyes might see that he's anxious. He is dressed for the nippy weather of autumn by the lake. When he nears the shore, he begins to look upward, scanning the horizon with his right hand shading his eyes.

Nightingale has posed:
     Crap. If she didn't bank so that the sun was at her back, Shannon knew she was going to be so busted. She recognized that figure down by the shore readily, quarterstaff and all. So she tries to circle lazily in the sky as if she was just another bird, aiming to keep the sun behind her. But would it do much good in this case? Or had she already been spotted? There was just no way to know yet....

Triage has posed:
Chris continues to scan the tree-line. After their last two talks here, he knows that it's Shannon's favorite haunt when she wants to be alone. Something distant catches his eye, a brief metallic glint. He frowns and watches that part of the sky. There he spots the speck, barely visible in the blue. Barely is enough. Gambling, he lifts the quarterstaff over his head and waves it.

Nightingale has posed:
     Busted. She'd been spotted. Shannon sighs, figuring it was better to come in for a landing than make a bigger fuss about it later. So she circles lower and lower, till she's just above Chris' head. Just to mess with him a little, while he has his quarterstaff raised up, she pretends to perch on it--all the while keeping her wings moving so she is merely hovering in the air, with her booted feet on one end of the staff. The brassy glint in the air turns out to be an incense burner which is giving off its last wisps of smoke, something that smells like a little frankincense and myrrh. What the devil had she been up to?

     Giggling a little as she 'perches', she smiles somewhat. "Hi!"

Triage has posed:
"I should be glad that you're not one of the pigeons in Central Park," Chris teases, looking up to Shannon and tapping her boot playfully with the tip of the staff. "They hover when their aiming." He grins. "You missed your appointment," he adds. "I should report you for going beyond the line."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon comes in for a proper landing now, touching down on the ground next to him, her wings drooping almost instantly and her head bowing. Great. Just great. She was in for it and she knew it. "I'm sorry I missed checking in... didn't know you'd set a time for that."

Triage has posed:
Chris shifts the staff to a relaxed position in the crook of his arm when Shannon touches ground. "I trusted you to see me when you had free time. You had time to risk detention for a flight ..." He looks at the small censor and cants his head. "Is there ... something that you'd like to tell me?"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon sighs softly, sitting down on the shore, and setting the censer down on the ground where the remaining charcoal inside can burn itself out safely. "I tried telling Cannonball about this and hoped he could go with me one time. But then he got caught up in other stuff and that's fine, it's the way things should be." Still, it's plain she feels a little let down. "And after the whole mess with Loki, there is no way in hell I want this spread around any further than necessary..."

Triage has posed:
Chris settles himself with a soft crunch on the sand in front of Shannon. With legs crossed, he swings his quarterstaff downward to rest on his knees. "Okay." He levels his gaze to meet hers. "So, what exactly is ... 'this' and why is it so important that you'll risk detention rather than talk about it?" He frowns and shakes his head. "Never mind. If you want to hide it from the other teachers, I have no right to pry. He has your trust."

Nightingale has posed:
     "After the mess with Loki, do you /really/ think most of them would take it any too well if I was talking to another god?" Shaking her head slightly, Shannon wraps her arms around her knees protectively, resting her chin atop them and wrapping her wings around herself. "After all that... I had doubts if any of it could be for real. But I haven't dared go out beyond grounds, and I sure as shooting didn't want to take a chance on bringing another god here after what happened. When I realized I probably wasn't going to be able to get Cannonball to come with me... I finally had to go myself, settle a few questions in my own mind."

Triage has posed:
Chris listens quietly while Shannon spills some of the beans, although surely not all. His face has softened from the dark, anxious frown to a look of gentle concern. "Settling questions is always good," he answers. "Still, you shouldn't have gone alone. You know the rules. No student should leave the grounds without an escort. That's for everyone's safety but it applies even more to you, and you know it."

Nightingale has posed:
     "And how the fuck am I supposed to follow that rule, if the one I tell that I think I could trust with this, has their own life to live?" Her anger and frustration is clear, and a single tear rolls down her face. "Once, I tried telling him, don't think he even heard. Second time, said he'd look into some of the old myths but never heard from him again on the matter after that. I get it. He's got his hands full with other stuff and that's fine. Maybe he just forgot." Her brows furrow slightly, and she continues. "And let's face it, the winters around here are going to get rough, there aren't going to be many more chances for me to go out pretty soon. It had to be now."

     Running her fingers through her hair, Shannon peers over at Chris, and rests her chin atop her knees, hugging them to her chest again. "How familiar are you with the old Greek myths...?" she begins, cautiously, gauging his reaction to the query.

Triage has posed:
The frown returns when Shannon erupts in anger. Chris listens while she vents. When the single tear escapes her eye, he leans forward to brush it away with his fingertip. Still, he meets her defiant gaze. "He's had a full plate with new students, especially two who come to mind," he replies. "Is it fair to rely on him alone? Is it good for you?" He sighs. "You've been hurt. I can see that. But if you want to move beyond it, you might need to trust in addition to him." He glances along the sandy shore and nods. "Winter is around the corner. Whatever 'this' is, if it depends on the weather and you need help, that's even more of a reason for you to break down that wall and trust someone. Going alone might work for Logan ... for a while, but even he will hit his limit." He stares into Shanon's eyes, seeking her there in case she will not give it in words.

"Greek myths?" he echoes. "The old gods, Zeus, Apollo, Hermes, Athena, Poseidon, and then there are the great heroes, Achilles, Hector, Nestor, and good old homesick Odysseus heading for home with his crew. I read the Iliad and the Odyssey in eighth grade." He nods. "I might know a thing or two about them. Why?"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon takes a deep breath and lets it out again in a very deep sigh. "Because believe it or not, the old gods are very, very real. And I'm pretty damn sure I've wound up with one of them as an ally. But I had to make sure of things for myself, and especially after the whole Loki mess, I wanted Cannonball's input on it, too, because I've always been able to trust him, and he has a good head on his shoulders. If there was any funny business involved, I know he would've sniffed it out and been able to warn me. But either I didn't get the message across, or it was just... forgotten in the mess of other things called life." She looks out over the lake, her eyes unfocusing for a moment. "Given which one it is... it's proven a hell of a lot easier to get in touch when there's water nearby. And I have no idea if winter has any effect on that or no." There. Let that sink in, and let him make his own guesses.

Triage has posed:
"Where did you try?" Chris asks, as casually as if Shannon had been looking for a misplaced sock and asked him to help. He waves toward the water. "If I'm right, you should try some place bigger than this lake, and I'd be careful about meeting anyone particularly powerful here, only a stone's throw from the school." He touches his staff. "I'd bet on the Atlantic," he recommends. His eyes return to meet Shannon's. "Can you fly that far?"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon shrugs. "Not sure, never tried flying that far. But a small brook was enough. It was running water. Found a little spot in the woods just off grounds south of here, brought the censer with me. Figured a small offering couldn't hurt. Incense seemed to make the most sense." She cracks a bit of a smile. "Yeah. You probably guessed already it's Poseidon. First two times I saw him, he took on a normal appearance. This time... it was full on... BAM. Yeah. Trident and all. Either way, not exactly something I was keen on bringing onto campus, after the recent mess." She sighs softly, resting her head on her chin. "Even more than not wanting to get into trouble, you wanna know why I haven't told the teachers this? Because I'm worried it'd not only worry them, but maybe make them feel... unwanted, unneeded. That's a pretty lousy feeling I deal with every single day, and I wouldn't want that for anyone else."

Triage has posed:
Chris shakes his head. "They shouldn't feel inadequate, how is this different from asking the Captain or someone from the Justice League." He raises a hand. "I don't mean for you, but for them. I'm sure that they've enlisted help from other teams." Then he shrugs. "For that matter, why would the teachers need to know that you wanted to meet him?" he asks. "You're a student, not a prisoner. They have some responsibility for you but you have /some/ freedom." He rolls the quarterstaff again on his legs. "If you were older, you could go by yourself to the ocean to search for him, and if they still wanted someone to go with you in that case, I'd take you."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon rests her chin on her knees, letting out a soft sigh. "Because it's when you don't let teachers know stuff, people get hurt. I don't want a repeat of the whole Loki mess. That could've gotten a lot of people I've come to care about hurt, very badly. We're lucky it was just me in the medbay from that one." She frowns a little bit. "I'm trying to stick to the rules here, I really am. But this time I don't feel as if I was left with much choice." She cracks a small smile, up-nodding towards the lake. "So far it hasn't -had- to be the ocean. Seems like most any body of water will work. Just the ocean happens to be the biggest one." For a moment, she pauses, glancing at him, then the water. "I still want Cannonball's input. Maybe even Bean's. But what about if, the next time I go out looking for Poseidon--and I seem to have a knack for finding him--if it's at all possible, what if you were to go with me?"

Triage has posed:
"I think that taking someone with you would be better than going alone," Chris answers. "I'm sure that you'd prefer Cannonball or Bean, but if they can't or won't go, you find me," he nods firmly. "If I'm out, call me. I'll be here for you. You should know that by now. As for your being out here alone, if they don't ask, I won't tell. If they do ask, I'll do what I can to cover for you."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon smiles a little bit. "Thank you." She looks up towards the sky, then over at the mansion, and back at Chris. "You know, one thing he said which sounds kind of counterproductive, but actually set my mind at ease somewhat... I told him about having serious doubts after a bad encounter. He told me it's good to doubt, to ask questions. Doesn't strike me as something someone with nefarious intentions would say... but I'll sure feel a whole lot better once you all get to meet him as well."

Triage has posed:
Chris smiles. "You're welcome, Shannon - always." Then he follows Shannon's skyward glance and then looks toward the mansion with her. "I've not met Thor but I suspect that he would say the same thing. It's wise. The Apostle Paul wrote, 'Test everything. Hold fast what is good.'" He inclines his head. "We learn, and we use that knowledge to test the next thing that we find. With time and practice, we become better at guarding ourselves from the bad and embracing the good."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon shrugs. "He might, I don't know him well enough to even guess what he'd say. Really only ran into him twice, and those were pretty brief encounters. One of them you saw at the memorial." She cracks a little bit of a smile. "Didn't think a stupid little velvet pouch I made and a note would mean that much to him."

Triage has posed:
"Little gestures are important to big hearts," Chris answers. "And even the biggest gesture seems trifling to a small heart." He sighs and then repeats, "As I said, if you need my help, even if it's in the middle of the night, find me or call me."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon leans over a bit, wrapping one wing around Chris in something of a hug; it seems the thing she needs the most is simple human contact. "Wish I could've been out there with Bean making a difference. If he goes out again... wish I could, too. Stupid, I know. Foolish, probably. Bordering on crazy. But the more I can do out there, the less maybe I'll have to do coming back here."

Triage has posed:
Chris leans forward when Shannon drapes her wing around him, comfortable in the avian hug. He smiles and touches her arm with his hand. "It does seem foolish," he agrees. "But I know that feeling, that desire to be out there, helping, particularly when people dare to ally with us. We need more of that, more unity, more of seeing that beneath fur or feathers, all humans have the same extraordinarily similar DNA."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods, and sighs a little. "I'm starting to get real tired real fast of waiting for the aftermath of the fight, and having to see folks in the medbay. I want to get out there -in- the fight, and maybe keep a few more from having to see us to even begin with. I want to seriously knock some FoH heads together for the crap they pulled on poor miss Burkle, and who knows how many others. If I could've been, I would've been out there with Bean doing just that. Things like this actually make me want blood."

Triage has posed:
"That's why I want to work on my martial arts and acrobatics," Chris mentions with a nod. "I don't want to kill them, but I want to leave them with some very unpleasant memories when they've hurt people like those kids who were minding their own business and people like Ms. Burkle who understand that some of us want a peaceful world." He pauses. "Speaking of her, I'm not sure what happened, but she apparently left the hospital. I've already informed Scott about her request and her apparent disappearance."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods, and sighs softly. "Good. At least he knows. Thing is, though, I don't think that's the last we'll be hearing about or from her. That's twice the FoH have targeted her already. I'm not sure they've quite got the message yet that we're not going to stand for that BS. You know... as much as I'm trying to stick with the whole teamwork thing, and going on about that to Bean, if he goes out like that again, I just might join him." She smirks, a somewhat grim look on her face. "Wonder if we'd be able to talk Logan into helping out, if it came down to it."

Triage has posed:
Chris nods. "After those wounds yesterday, I think that Logan would want to go after them but the problem is that he prefers to go on his own. Still, he seemed quite interested in what Bean had to say about his little adventure. Part of me says that we should see how Scott wants to handle it. Another part wants to find the man from the pizza place. He said that she works for him. If that's true, and if he's on the level and not looking to bring further harm to her, he might be able to help with seeing to her safety."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon chuckles, and nods. "It's exactly that interest he showed in what Bean had to say that makes me think we might be able to talk him into helping. Should be interesting to see what Scott wants to do, too. Still..." She drops an expletive, and her voice has gone to something of an unpleasant growl. "The more I think about it, the more mad I get, and the more I want /blood/."

She cants her head slightly, taking a few breaths, but the scowl and growl do not fade quite so easily this time. "If we can track that one down, maybe we can get a bead on miss Burkle. We can't help her if we don't know her twenty." Uh-oh.

Triage has posed:
When thoughts of revenge threaten, Chris touches Shannon's arm again, gently yet with enough pressure to draw attention. "Careful," he murmurs. "That kind of hatred fuels their kind, Shannon. I know." He looks into her eyes. "That's what worries me when I think about Andrea. Each time when the wolf surfaces, I fear that it might surface and stay. /That/ is what gives our enemies ammunition, when they can point to attitudes like that. We need to rise above it."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon frowns slightly, though she does seem to simmer down a little as Chris touches her arm. "Did rising above it keep miss Burkle out of the hospital? Did it keep her from nearly dying? No. On one hand we have to rise above it. But on the other, we can't be doormats." She does lean a little bit into that touch; perhaps it's enough to offer a bit of a calm center for the time being.

Triage has posed:
"I never suggested that we should be doormats," Chris insists. His hand is still on her arm but he more relaxed, sensing that his touch is having the intended soothing effect. "We fight, but we do it without stooping to what they've become, full of fear and hatred. Those are diseases. They've infected patients like my father." He sighs. "I know that some will not recover from those diseases, but we need to try to cure the patient, or we might lose part of ourselves in the process."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon sighs softly, hesitating a moment before leaning in for a little bit of a hug. "I know. But however wrong it is, part of me still wants to crack some skulls over this." The last is spoken with a touch less venom than before, though her eyes still smolder with banked embers of anger. The scowl fades away slowly, the remaining growl in her throat, silenced.

Triage has posed:
Sensing Shannon's need for soothing, Chris leans forward to slip his arms around her and hug her for a moment. "I understand, Shannon," he murmurs. "It's okay to be angry about what they did. It's okay to acknowledge that and to face it. I'm only saying that we need to show more and better resolve than they did. We should protect those who are weak, but we should remember what Nietzsche said about those who fight monsters. Let's not become the monsters that we fight."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods slowly, her wings relaxing but not drooping behind her. Rather, the other one comes around to complete the hug, even the banked embers of rage dying down in her eyes. They no longer snap and dance in their depths, and her breath becomes more slow and even. "Never read Nietzsche. But that sounds smart. Still... yeah you bet that stuff gets me mad. If I wasn't on light duty, it'd be 'heading into the danger room' kind of mad."

Triage has posed:
"You'll be ready for the room soon," Chris assures, still hugging Shannon and rubbing her back slowly between her wings. "Nietzsche had some gems, like that, but he had some horrible ideas as well. His conclusions could lead to danger, just as they did in Germany before the second great war." Then he asks, "What combat skills are you training? Have you thought about any weapons?"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon finds that backrub particularly soothing, relaxing still further. "Yeah, the Captain hinted at some of the stuff he had to deal with during that war. The hatred... the fear... a lot of really ugly things." Her voice has definitely shifted, a lot calmer now. Her brows furrow slightly as she considers Chris' question. "Basic hand to hand. Not as much as I'd like, a lot of focus up till now has been on building myself up so I don't get myself killed out there. Hope to add in a bit more to that soon. Haven't thought too much about weapons, they don't let students have those. It took a lot, I bet, for them to let Bean have that baton, so half the things I'd even consider for a weapon, they'd definitely say no to. You have any idea how tempting it was to keep that sword from last night?" She cracks a little bit of a smile, looking down at her hands, curling her fingers. "Andrea was running a few ideas by me at one point. She put out the idea of possibly a taser, but the idea of gauntlets with diamond-tipped claws came up, too. That... would probably get a big no from staff. At least for a year or two."

Triage has posed:
Now that Shanon is showing signs that she is back to normal, Chris slowly breaks the hug and sits back. He studies her for a moment. "Hand-to-hand should be good. I wouldn't mind learning to use a blade of some kind but mainly as a deterrent. I'm wary about drawing blood even though I could heal the person quickly. That's why I took the quarterstaff." He taps the wooden weapon lightly. "They're effective once you learn how to hit so that you can stop someone without inflicting permanent damage."

Nightingale has posed:
     "But if you hit someone just the right way, it can still be lethal. Even with just your bare hands." As Chris leans away, Shannon returns to hugging her knees to her chest, and wrapping her wings around herself as if a continuation of the hug. "No matter the weapon, you don't carry or draw one unless you're ready to deal with the aftermath. Even if the only weapon is you." Her smile is wry. "At least the 'lone wolf' managed to drum that into my head. That, and setting boundaries for myself."

Triage has posed:
"Correct," Chris replies when Shannon recites the rules for anyone who carries weapons, or is a weapon. "All of us learned that, but some people need more time to allow that to become instinct." He looks at Shannon for a moment when she hugs her own knees and her wings fold like a cocoon around her. He sighs. "For example, I brought my staff in case you were in danger."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon cants her head slightly, peering at the staff in his hands. A ghost of a smile curls her lips upwards. "It's pretty rare for me to see you without that, come to think of it. Wait... you thought I'd be in danger, this part of the grounds? With all this airspace for me to escape to?" Her smile widens a little bit, oddly enough. Chris' sigh doesn't escape her notice, however. "You okay? That was a pretty heavy sigh."

Triage has posed:
"You would be safer than most," Chris nods. "Still ... if someone or something pinned you and you /couldn't/ fly." He pats the staff. "I'm fine," he insists. "I realized that the hug might have been an ... imposition." He shrugs.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon just looks at Chris like he grew two more heads, her jaw dropping for a moment. Then, out of the blue... she laughs. "It wasn't." As if to illustrate the point, she folds her wings behind her, in a more relaxed pose. "I see the point about the staff, though. Wonder if I should see when things like that can be added to my training, or if I should just be patient about it."

Triage has posed:
Chris inclines his head. "You've been hurt twice." He adds gently. "I know that neither was intentional." For a moment, he frowns. Then he leans forward again to touch her shoulder. "I didn't want to be the third."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon does not pull away at all, and smiles just a little bit. "What makes you think you would be? You've never done a thing to hurt me." She tilts her head, just listening, more than content to do so for the moment.

Triage has posed:
Chris nods. "Perhaps I'm too cautious about all that has happened," he admits. "You're young and pretty. You should have a boyfriend holding you. I'm ... not a student. With all of that, hugs can be ... a problem."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon wraps her wings around herself again, just nodding, silent for a moment. Her expression remains even, for the most part, though a few shadows creep into her eyes. "I've heard it before," she murmurs, resting her chin on her knees and looking out over the water. "It's alright."

Triage has posed:
Chris sighs and looks at Shannon. "No," he objects. "It's not alright. If I were younger and still here as a student ..." He shakes his head. "Even then, you'd be out of my league." He sighs. "As it is, I've met a wonderful young lady when other things conspire to make a relationship impossible."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon's wings droop, her grip around her knees tightening and the color draining from her face. She tries to smile, for his sake, at least for the moment, leaning over to whisper something.

Triage has posed:
Chris bites his bottom lip, lost in a long moment of consideration. His eyes meet Shannon's and he answers in a whisper.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon raises her eyebrows, turning a little bit pink. She shifts her gaze towards the water after a moment, lost in thought. At least her wings no longer droop, but rather, they ruffle just a little behind her.

Triage has posed:
"You asked, and now you know," Chris concludes, nodding to Shannon. He watches her and then shifts to sit beside her, to share her view of the lake. After a few minutes of silence, he raises his hand to massage her back between her wings again.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon sighs softly, relaxing as she shares a moment of silence. "Not such a bad day after all," she murmurs, her breath even and deep, her eyes half-lidded from that soothing touch. A small smile appears on her face.

Triage has posed:
Chris continues to massage Shannon's back. He nods. "You chose a good spot. I can see why you enjoy this place." Then he smiles.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon laughs, and shakes her head. "Not so great to sit and think when the weather turns bitter. I'd rather not have snow or a cold, hard rock under me, and have my nose and toes get frostbitten. Going to have to either get used to the harsh winters, or find a seasonal thinking spot."

Triage has posed:
"That could be a problem," Chris admits when she mentions the harsh winters. "I'd suggest hunting now for another place before things become much worse. I'm sure that something will be available."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods slowly. "Sure hope so. It's nicest to come out here, though. Nice and quiet, lots of nature, good place to think things through and get your head on straight. I can see why Logan favors being out here, and Rahne, too."

Triage has posed:
Chris nods and looks around their spot. "In that case, finding another place to think might prevent overcrowding." He smiles. "Just be sure that it's close enough to reach without flight unless you /really/ want solitude."