9945/Fight Song: Revelations

Fight Song: Revelations
Date of Scene:	06 November 2019
Location:	Backyard - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Shannon finds out more about who Mr. Green really is, coming very close to the truth. An incredible gift is given, in the form of a brief flight into the space above Earth.
Cast of Characters:	Nightingale, Martian Manhunter

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Nightingale has posed:
     It was the morning after Shannon's soft debut in Club Evolution as a pianist and a singer. It had started out as trying to prove to Cannonball's lady friend that she was not that great a musician, but turned out having quite the opposite effect. The one place she could get away to clear her head and think straight at times was in the air. So, later that morning, with the sun close to its zenith, the young mutant takes to the skies above the backyard just for the sheer joy of it, where things were--at least for a little while--simple, and pure.

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn hasn't seen Shannon in a bit, apart perhaps from short meeting from and to classes. Now though, with a bit more time on his hands, checking how the winged girl is doing seemed a good plan that he gladly decided to follow. Locating her wasn't difficult, a quick mental sweep was enough, walking through the door to the backyard though, where his senses located her, his eyes can't spot her at first! Focusing on all his nine senses for a short period he takes note of Shannon's position, up in the air. So, it seems, the way to talk to her is by going up in the sky!
Gently, his feet leave the floor, and the man floats upwards, quick enough at first and then slowing down as he approaches Shannon's altitude. "Shannon, good day!"

Nightingale has posed:
     Okay. Now /that/ was definitely something different. Shannon was a little taken aback at first to hear someone up in the air with her, backwinging away from the source of the voice before realizing who it is. "Holy... Mr. Green! How did... what... what are you doing up here?" She peers curiously at him, trying to figure out just what was going on here. He had some interesting gifts that she'd witnessed so far, but this was definitely a first. "Wow. How are you, then?"

Martian Manhunter has posed:
"well...2" J'onn replies, "I figured it would be the less spooky way to have a conversation with you right now. The alternative would've been a telepathic link, that means, to put it bluntly, you hearing a voice in your head..." he shrugs, setting a course parallel to Shannon's to float at her side "I've been alright, thanks. What about you?"

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon can't help but laugh; it was a rare treat to have another flyer up in the sky with her, and one she intended to take full advantage of. She makes a show of flying in a fairly tight circle around Mr. Green a few times, giggling like a small child left to their own devices in a sweets shop. "Not too badly, but even better now. A lot of thoughts on my mind as usual, but none truly earth-shattering." She circles around him once more, as if daring him to try and match her flight.

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn raises an eyebrow slightly "even better now? How so?" he asks, staying still while she circles him, and when invited, shifting in the air to match her flight indeed, circling her as she just circled him. As for how he flies, well, he just, moves in the air. Not moving his body, itself, almost as if gravity itself allowed him to fly by negating its effect on his body.

Nightingale has posed:
     "Oh, nothing earth-shattering. Though I think I might have just hoisted myself by my own petard, in trying to prove a point at Evolution last night." The young winged mutant giggles, grinning wide for a moment. She folds her wings in tightly and angles herself towards the ground, plummeting towards the basketball court at an alarming rate. But instead of cries of fear, she's... laughing.

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn hmms, "and will you tell me what happened or do I have to search for it elsewhere?" he asks, grinning a bit! He stares at Shannon for a moment as she plummets down, and quickly follows! Turning upside down himself this time, accelerating quickly to catch up to her and then again setting on a parallel course to her right

Nightingale has posed:
     Laughing, Shannon snaps her wings outwards at the last possible second, just a few feet away from the surface of the basketball court, angling her flight sharply upwards once more. She twirls around in the air, relishing the sheer joy of flight for its own sake. "Nothing major, but Sam's been badgering me to sing at the club during business hours, and I've been telling him no way in hell. So his new ladyfriend seems to think I'm all that and a bag of chips, and I just marched right up to that stage to prove to her that I am /not/ very good. It sort of backfired, because now both she and Sam, and who knows how many others, seem to think I'm better than I really am."

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn follows Shannon down, stopping his descending flight at her own height and then following her upwards again "well, couldn't it be that you underestimate yourself?" he asks, glancing at the woman "I sort of have the feeling you do it, often. Perhaps you're, indeed good? Perhaps you went there to prove you were not, because perhaps you even think you're not, but facts proved to you that you were, indeed, mistaken? Maybe what they saw, what other people saw, is not you being better than you are but better than you think you are..."

Nightingale has posed:
     "Maybe. I don't think I'm all that great. Could definitely be better, anyways. I might have wound up with some extra music lessons for the trouble, and if I'm lucky, I might wind up with a little pocket change from playing at Evolution on occasion." Once again, Shannon ascends as quickly as her wings will carry her, only to dive down again, aiming straight at Mr. Green, giggling like a little schoolgirl.

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn waits, when she dives towards him, flipping upside down at the last second to let her pass if she wants "see? You gained something from it!" he exclaims, smiling and returning to his upright position "everyone could always be better, self improvement is something great after all! That doesn't mean we arn't good though."

Nightingale has posed:
     "Yeah, well I also don't want to become all full of myself and think I'm the best, when I'm not. That's just not realistic." Shannon does indeed pass right over Mr. Green, her wing feathers barely touching him as she whizzes by. It takes her a few extra feet to stop at that speed, but she manages to halt her flight, hovering in the air with slow, steady beats of her wings. "Okay, so... telekinetic, telepathic... how the heck are you flying? Are you a mutant, too?" Stupid question, maybe--or is it....?

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn chuckles again, floating again in front of Shannon "I didn't say to think you're the best, but perhaps, not to think you're the worst? Maybe to think, ok I'm not the best, but I'm good..." he winks, and smiles at her! At the question he looks thoughtful for a moment "is denying gravity a satisfying answer?" he asks, then tilts his head, and shakes it "I'm not, but if it can make you feel better you can think I am!"

Nightingale has posed:
     "Well.. if you're not a mutant, then what? I mean, you don't have to say if you don't want to, but I'm kind of curious." The young mutant tries to imagine defying gravity without wings, and chuckles a little bit. "I think everyone's had dreams where they've been able to just leave the earth behind on a whim, but here you are actually doing it!"

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn smiles some more, offering no answer for now except for a "well, isn't this world full of metahumans and all sorts of powered people, now adays?" he asks, spreading his arms wide. At the leaving Earth part, he just smiles again, this one though a bit different, almost, bittersweet "you have a beautyful planet, Shannon. Save it, hold it dear to your heart, because it, and its people, are a treasure that must be preserved from the destruction that humans could draw upon themselves..."

Nightingale has posed:
     That last bit has Shannon frowning, sorrow etching lines in her face that just do not belong on one so young. She flies a little bit closer, reaching out to gingerly touch Mr. Green's arm. Thankfully, at this altitude, none can hear them, unless they were to be flyers themselves. Still, she keeps her voice low, just in case. "This isn't the first time I've heard you talk about humans as if you weren't one yourself. And hearing you talk about the Earth like that... were you from another world? One that's gone now?" Just how close to the mark was she, if at all?

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn remains still allowing the touch, and even smiling at it "well, Shannon, there are things that students at the school shouldn't know... You might be close to the truth, somehow, but it is something I cannot deny or confirm for the time being. Suffice to say I don't want the Earth to suffer the destiny of several other planets, in this universe"

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon just nods slowly. "That's fair. I think 'friend' is enough. If you ever decide to say anything about the rest, well, it's not hard for you to find me." She looks down to the ground below, smiling to herself. "Looks so peaceful from up here. It's just a beautiful world. You don't see the hatred, the bigotry, the fighting... it all just falls away." She crosses her arms, frowning slightly. "Sometimes the other teachers think I try to take on too much. Maybe they're right, maybe they're not, I don't know. But this is the only home we have. This place here, the school, it's my home now. The people here, even the ones I've disagreed with, they're family. Including you. I don't want to see anything happen to that."

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn looks thoughtful for several seconds, then turns towards Shannon with a relatively serious gaze "do you want to see something truly spectacular, shannon?" he asks, tilting his head a little, but smiling warmly at her words "and you, all of you" he gestures downwards with his right hand "are family to me as well, which I intend to protect however I can"

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon just smiles wide, and lofts her eyebrows, chuckling. "What could be more spectacular than all this, and having a friend up here to enjoy it as well?" Something told her that was probably a loaded question but hey, she did seem to specialize in those....

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn chuckles, a hint of amusement showing for a moment on his expression as he extends his right hand towards Shannon, obviously an invitation to take it. "It'll be faster if I fly the both of us..." he mumbles "and, well, you'll have to trust me for this" meanwile, he starts creating an invisible bubble of telekinetic energy around the both of them, containing enough air for her to breathe for a wile, as well as making the bubble thick enough so that temperature wouldn't be a problem.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon grins and takes Mr. Green's hand, wondering just what he has in store. "Are we talking Cannonball type of fast? Because let me tell you, when he's going full blast in the air, whooooo... I sure wouldn't want to be in his way!" She can't help laughing; it was nice to just cut loose for a few minutes, and do something maybe just a little bit crazy.

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn grins a bit, gripping Shannon's hand and smiling afterwards "sort of, yes..." he states, and then starts flying upwards. He tries to nullify gravity in Shannon's body by surrounding her with a quite powerful telekinetic shield, and indeed, the ascension doesn't seem much if one doesn't look at the ground. The ground though gets smaller and smaller, and approaching the speed of seven miles per second, the required speed to leave Earth, probably Shannon could feel a bit of the gravity claiming her, their speed is definitely a lot after all! Then the ground is no longer visible, as they go through the clouds, and upwards some more, keeping to rise, quickly but steadily, J'onn's hand still reassuringly holding the winged girl's hand. Then, light starts to be different, everything starts to be different as under their feet, the planet appears, and above them, the blackness of space.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon lets out a yelp of surprise as the ascent begins, indeed feeling some of the G-forces acting on her. She instinctively tucks her wings in tightly against her body, laughing as the simple miracle of flight takes on a whole new dimension. Somehow, her eyes manage to stay open through the whole ascent, the view of the Earth growing smaller and smaller one that has been seen by only a select few amongst humanity in all of its history. Just how she remains breathing, and how the vacuum of space is affecting neither of them, the winged girl can only begin to guess. But then again, there were times when it was better not to question a gift too closely, and simply enjoy it for its own sake.

Martian Manhunter has posed:
Now that gravity can't play tricks any longer, J'onn can focus a bit more on their speed, and indeed it is moving at several miles per second that he pulls Shannon, and the bubble of air in which they're standing, away enough from the planet to allow the girl to see it in its full splendor, from above. "well, Shannon, this is, Earth... Your home, your planet." he says, in a low voice "this is, well, I'll let you find the words for it I have none..."

Nightingale has posed:
     Awestruck, Shannon just looks down upon her home, looking for the tiny little speck on the surface that surely, somewhere, must house the school, and all her friends there. "Your home too, now," she adds, her voice soft, barely audible. The silence here was absolute, leaving both with nothing but their thoughts. "All the hatred makes less sense than ever. I wish more could see the world like this for themselves. Maybe they'd think twice about fighting. Look at that. Just... a thin shield of atmosphere protecting us from the rest of the universe, yet we fight amongst ourselves." Her grip on Mr. Green's hand tightens, and her voice shifts from awe-struck to bearing a steely note of resolve. "Maybe I'm just a kid and a student. But if there is something I /can/ do, then I /will/ do it."

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn releases a light chuckle "some, upon seeing the world, would only think of a way to make it their property, Shannon. But yes, I do agree, fighting like that under that small shield that separates them from the rest of the universe... And out there" he points with his free hand in the general direction of the outer space "out there there's things much more scary than those down there" he points at the planet floating in front of them. "but well, anyways, I am glad you got to see this" he smiles some more, squeezing that hand and perhaps remembering something, something that he soon voices "this is different from the shannon I met months ago, that one so convinced she was no hero! Cause it takes a lot of heroes to save that planet down there... I'm sure, that you'll be a great one, in your way..."

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon just laughs, and shakes her head. "I still think I'm no hero. Not like some of the ones out there. I'm just a young lady trying to do what she can to protect her home and the people she loves." She cracks a small smile, and glances over at Mr. Green. "But then again, wasn't that how all the great ones started out? Superman... Captain Rogers... all of them?"

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn nods in agreement "indeed! All of them were young people trying to protect their home and family. And in a way, arn't they still doing that? I mean, if the planet is your home, and its inhabitants are your family, then arn't you just like them for protecting your home and family?" he asks, starting to move them back towards the planet, a movement that, while surrounded by the emptyness of space, can't be felt if not for the sight of the approaching planet "now I'd better bring you back before someone gets worried, down there..."

Nightingale has posed:
     "This was an incredible gift. Thank you so much." The smile on Shannon's face goes from ear to ear, an expression that he's rarely seen on her to that degree. "I guess you're right, they still are. Their home and family just got a lot bigger, that's all. Still," she muses. "I've got a long ways to go."

Martian Manhunter has posed:
"well, at least you know that you're not alone on your way, and that's an important thing. Long way or short way, it's still a road that I'm sure you'll be able to travel with great success" J'onn admits, and now again needs to concentrate to stop them from plummeting down to the ground. Gently he lets them descend into the atmosphere again, where gently means they're still flying at several miles per second but it isn't felt too badly by them inside that protective bubble. Meanwile the ground approaches, at an amazing speed at first, and gradually slowing down till they're floating, again, in the exact spot they left from.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon bursts out giggling as they come back to the very spot they left, hovering over the basketball court of the school, finally spreading her wings out just a bit. "I think if that trip caught someone off-guard, they'd be needing to do some laundry! But it was fun!" Her grin, if it was somehow possible, has grown even wider. "How is it I've never seen you out flying here before, when it's just so much fun to enjoy it for its own sake?"

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn chuckles amusedly, releasing Shannon's hand and the bubble of atmosphere he dragged with them "well it's easy, because then they'd start asking the same questions you asked, but not always I can answer them, so..." he shrugs, smiling again afterwards "plus, in all honesty, in my years I've sort of, well, grown accustomed to flying. It's like, for you, to brush your hair or something like that, routine, relatively so."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon smiles wide, and tilts her head, thinking for a moment. "Sometime, when you have the chance, look up a song called 'I Hope You Dance', and listen to the words. I mean, /really/ listen. They're good ones to live by, no matter how old you are or where you're from." The student, giving a teacher homework? Now that /was/ a change!

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn nods and resists the impulse of quickly searching through someone's mind for the song, just limiting himself to smile 2"I'll listen to it, yes." he states "I'm afraid though that I'll need to return to, well, to fly away in a few... Duties call me away, unfortunately."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods, and wings her way back to the ground, alighting with more grace than Mr. Green might have witnessed a few months previous. "Same here. There's a project another student and I are working on, along with Triage and Logan, I've got to go lay a little groundwork for. But hopefully I'll see you soon!" She smiles, and waves as she heads back inside. "Thank you so much for that incredible gift!"