Owner	Pose
Jean Grey	SIX MONTHS AGO EARTH ORBIT Locked into a course for Earth re-entry, a jet-black shuttle hurtles away from a Starcore exploration vessel occupied by deviously clever alien parasites, their astronaut puppets-- and Marvel Girl. "I'm sorry," echoes through the minds of the X-Men aboard the shuttle. A shimmering pink field ripples into being around the Starcore ship, the bigger sibling of the bubbles that carried the team - regardless of their wishes - to the shuttle and held them there as its autopilot was remotely engaged. It was a meant to be a simple enough mission: investigate a missing ship that suddenly wasn't so missing anymore. The shambling astronauts with cyclopean starfish on their faces complicated matters, however, as did the teeming masses lurking within its crevices in hungry anticipation of fresh hosts. "I love you all, but these creatures, they can't-- they **can't** be allowed to reach-- " -- Flames erupt from the derelict vessel's heart in silence, consuming it utterly, blindingly. An astral scream slices through the shuttle and beyond, piercing the minds of friends and teammates on the blue marble below for a lingering instant before fading to nothing. NOW XAVIER'S INSTITUTE A bright pinprick falls out of the night sky, hurtling towards the gardens on the west side of the estate, growing steadily until it's a dozen feet across of roiling fire. Blazing wings unfurl from its upper half and the world shimmers in their wake. A scream-- a screech-- a //sound// slices through the air and astral plane alike, mingling terror and exultation. Burning talons extend, drawing wisps of smoke from smoldering grass. This lasts for all of maybe twenty, thirty seconds before-- **FWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!** -- the falling star crashes, carving out a trench through the center of the garden. Burning foliage rings the crater, threatening to spread beyond the garden, to the trees bordering the estate and the manicured lawn surrounding the rest of the mansion.
Spider-Man	Peter Parker was at the school again, though he wasn't teaching any classes today. Actually, he wanted to make use of the library for one of his classes at Empire State University. He had been seated at one of the tables, near the window, reading about the differences between mutants and mutates at the genetic level. It was fascinating stuff, at least to Peter. But the book was quite dusty. He doubted anyone else had read it since it had been placed in the library. Looking up, he could see the fiery object in the sky through one of the library's many windows. Fortunately, he had a habit of bringing along his costume in a backpack. So, figured there might be something that Spider-Man could do, he left the book on the table, grabbed his bag, and made his way towards the roof. The elevation always helped, and he figured he might be able to change up there in some secrecy. The door was locked, but fortunately, he had been supplied with a key. It was nice to be on staff, even if he was just a teaching assistant. Heading out there, he found a crevice, out of sight, between the air conditioning system and some other matinence equipment, where he could change. A few moments later, he had webbed up the backpack to the side of the building, out of sight, and took a better look at the fiery object, "now, if I were a burning ball of fire, where would I want to land?"
Chamber	There at the mansion, there's new students as well as old friends. One of those in the former category, new students, is one Jonothon Starsmore. He doesn't like to stay inside. Not because he particularly likes the outdoors, mind. Though it IS pretty out here, away from the city proper. But because he's afraid he's going to EXPLODE AT SOMETHING inside the mansion. Like, oh, a loadbearing wall. Or another student. Or a bunch of students. He's already exploded at his girlfriend -- and not in the fun way, either. Best not to risk exploding at anybody else. Though it looks like it's not going to be him that explodes at people tonight. He's sitting on the porch (probably with permission) when the light appears in the sky. First he thinks it must be a falling star. But then it's not falling sideways. It's falling STRAIGHT DOWN! Jono frowns, squinting at the light in the sky. {{Wot the...?}} It's a warning to any in 'hearing' range that something isn't right. Once the falling star seems to into a bird not far from the ground, Jono knows this isn't just a shooting star. And he heads in the direction he thinks he saw it falling in. He doesn't even question it, he just runs that way. Fire + all this bloody greenery is probably not a good combination...
Jean Grey	Given the flames cutting black trails through the estate's gardens and lawn, the answer to Spider-Man's question would appear to be, 'somewhere that'd cause lots of headaches'. Besides said trails, his vantage affords him a good look at the crater at their center, where yet more flames seem to be settling, rather than spreading. There's no sign of the fireball's avian features - the wings, the talons - now, aesthetics having fallen away in favor of sheer destruction. Throughout the mansion - including the library - there are faces in windows, some with their noses to the glass, drawn to watch the spectacle by some combination of the fire in the sky and Jono's warning. This lasts for about as long as it takes for someone in the west wing to point out the tongues of flame bearing down on that end of the mansion in a voice loud enough to carry through half the building-- at which point students begin congregating where the action seems to be. /Hiding/ from danger isn't a lesson often taught at Xavier's. As Jono nears the gardens, a trembling hand gloved in metallic gold reaches out of the crater, gripping a handful of charred grass and dirt. Spidey's eyes may or may not be sharp enough to clearly see the shape of the shiny limb from his perch, but once a second hand reaches out-- once both begin to painstakingly haul the red-haired, green and gold-garbed, and still smoldering woman they're attached to out of the crater-- well, it should be easy enough to make out a humanoid that appears to be on fire. Panting with exertion, the woman doesn't lift her head until she's kneeling beside the crater. Of course, since Jono is closing in-- {{Wh-- what-- //what//?!}} -- tumbles out of her brain and into his as she scrambles to her feet with a start, only to wobble back down to a knee a beat later. "Who-- " Her eyes dart for another beat, fix on a patch of flame, then snap back up to Jono as she weakly presses fingers to her temple. "Why is everything-- " she demands. "What-- what'd you //do//, whoever you are?"
Spider-Man	"I wish I had some fire retardant webbing right about now," Spider-Man muses to himself, and takes a running leap off of the roof of the mansion. He spins some webbing above his head into a makeshift parachute, and uses it to glide over towards the crater and the fireball. He also does another pass around it, using the heat generated to give him greater lift, so he can get a full idea of just what's going on down there, before he settles near the edge of it. He immediately begins firing off his webbing. It might not be fire retardant, but at least it is fire resistant. And it can have the affect of smothering the flames if used in the right way. He had to adjust something on his wrist, but right now, it's coming out as a foam-like spray. "Hey lady, are you all right?" He calls out to the woman who seemed to be at the centre of all this. She looked like she was fine, and the fact that she fell to the Earth amidst fire was a dead giveaway that she wasn't part of the tour group. Turning, as he caught sight of Jono during his pass, he calls out, "hey kid, get some help. The school's got to have an emergency fire blanket and fire extinguisher, some place? Maybe near the front door?" As Peter Parker, he knew that it was to the left of the front door, near an emergency eye wash station that was labelled with a gold plate, but otherwise clearly hidden behind a folding wooden panel. He couldn't admit that publicly, however.
Chamber	Fire suppression? Jono can do that. He knows he's more-or-less among friends now. Or if not friends, people that are just as weird in other ways. So he doesn't have any hesitation in pulling the wrappings around his face down, and letting the fire escape. The yellow-orange, almost liquid-seeming flames burning from inside his chest wreath his head for a moment... until, weirdly, he... ...Shoots the fire that's already there, with his own fire. The blast comes out of where his mouth ought to be, but like it's really hard to see anything past all those flames. Mind you, Jono shooting the fire with his OWN fire is not as bad an idea as it sounds, because Jono's fire doesn't actually burn. When it hits the fires burning on the ground, in fact, it may smother them in areas. Because Jono's doesn't burn, it hits with physical force, like a solid punch. Yes, this means he's effectively punching the fire out. That is, right up until he hears the voice in his head. {{Wot...?}} he says again, and turns to look. That's when he sees the arm, and hunkers down a bit. Though less for hiding, and more to be prepared to run. Once he sees the woman falling to her knee though, he goes to try and assist her. {{Easy there,}} he cautions. The weird expression of something like pain across what's left of his face might be missed, seeing he's all flamey now. But HEY, putting out fires! {{...Call me Jono,}} he says to the mention of 'whoever you are'. Though Parker's suggestion is a good one. And certainly less damaging than 'punch the fire until it goes out'. So, he leaves the fallen woman in Parker's hands. {{Be right back.}} And he goes looking for a fire extinguisher. Yes, he's going to cover his flamey face back up on the way, not to worry.
Jean Grey	If only she'd crawled out of her hole a little sooner, the redhead might've spotted Jono with his wrappings in place. As it is, all she sees is a young man with a roaring furnace where his chest and chin ought to be, which is probably why her first instinct when approached is to try - again - to take her feet, this time to adopt a defensive combat posture with her left hand extended in a knife-edge and her right still pressed loosely to her head. But-- he tries to put her at ease, rather than set her on fire. And introduces himself in a way that doesn't involve words like 'Dread', 'Terrible', 'Master of (blank)', or any other bombastic titles. After a clipped, "Stay-- " leaves her throat, she swallows hard, flicks her eyes around again, and then lets out a slow, shaky breath. A little redness finds its way to her pale cheeks and her hands drop. A beat afterwards, they rise again-- but only to brace on Jono's shoulders until he decides to take Peter's suggestion. The fire wreathing her noticeably creeps up her forearms before contact can be made, sparing him from burns, if not the heat she's emitting. {{I-- Jean,}} she 'says' in turn. Once that's out, her eyes return to the red and blue-tinged anomaly she spotted amidst the flames - much reduced in breadth and intensity, thanks to having been smothered by psychic blasts and judiciously applied webbing - and squint, bemused at the threat/menace calling out orders and checking up on her as her adolescent home looms behind him. "I-- I, uh-- " she stammers as her eyes move up and down the costumed hero, "-- am... ?" She does a quick take down at herself before returning her squint to Spider-Man. "You're, uh. You're-- Spider-Man doesn't //do// upstate-- does he? Do you?" A hand returns to her head, this time to cradle it. A grimace overtakes her features, but it doesn't last for long at all before she spies a flame trailing towards the woods, causing her eyes to snap open and her fingers to stiffen against her skull. Pink light rushes across the ground and smothers //some// of the trail out, only to wink out of being when her knees go wobbly again and threaten to drop her back to her knees.
Spider-Man	Spider-Man is for a moment speechless. Seeing the flames being 'punched out' by more flames, that come from somebody's face, is a little different than he is used to. His eyes widen in surprise and contract in confusion. And then he shrugs his shoulders, and hopes down to a cleared area, offering the woman a hand, "Didn't you hear? I'm part of the Spider-Man Initiative. We're just like the Zebras crossing guards in Bolivia. There's a Spider-Man in every city of the world." He slips an arm around her torso, taking on the weight and trying to help her up as he continues to yap nonsense. "I was the lucky one to draw Westchester County. I know, I could have had Prague, but no, I had to pick Westchester County. Have you seen Prague this time of year? It's so beautiful. I hear they have a lot of drugs though. But I guess that beats having to face the Joker, or Rhino, or Sabretooth." Helping her out of the crater, or rather, grabbing her and jumping out, the wind briefly blows against their skin, and by the time they land, he's scooped her up into his arms. He moves over to the bench that Jono had been on, and lays her down, "I wonder if I could trade with the Spidey who drew Saul Paulo. I could learn Portuguese. Me chamo Spider-Man. Prazer em conhece-lo. See, I already know a few lines. I could learn more." Taking an interest in the woman's health, he reaches into his belt, which is hidden under his costume, and draws out a flashlight that shines a spider-man face-like symbol. He uses it to check her eyes, hoping that she can see clearly. He may not be a trained medic, but he understands the basics. He's trying to see how she is. "Can you hear me now?" He says, whispering near her left ear, "can I interest you in switching to LexMobility?" he whispers into the right ear. He checks her pulse. His costume is quite soft and fairly thin, despite being sturdy. It might be made from unstable molecules. "So, how come I can hear you two in my head? Is this invasion of the body snatchers, or am I dreaming? For an alien, you're surprisingly good at English, and very human looking. Are all aliens red haired and green eyed? Or hey, you look kind of like a former student here. Were you the captain of the swim team?"
Chamber	Not to worry. The young man seems to be used to people fleeing from him. Or at least expects it. So when Jean starts to get defensive, he doesn't make moves to attack or otherwise try to get closer. He'll try to help keep her on her feet as best as he can, despite the fire -- it doesn't seem to bother him -- 'till he goes for a fire extinguisher. As for actually getting the extinguisher? Well uh. If he needs to break a window to get in and get one he will. If he needs to break a DOOR to get in and get one, he will. Even if he has to use his psychokinetic fire again. He can pay for it later. Making sure the landscape doesn't go up in flames is kind of more important than a window or door. So yes. He will eventually come back with a proper fire extinguisher. And when he comes back, it's to barrage of puns that make him roll his eyes. At least he's got his face wrapped up again, so he looks less like something that crawled up from the depths of hell. He leaves Spider-Man do to the PR, if this IS an alien, Jono doesn't want to mess that up and make her decide to blow up the earth. On the other hand, when Spidey asks the question? Jono should about have most of the flames out, thanks to the fire extinguisher, so he can pause long enough to reply. {{Dunno. I can't talk anymore. S'pose I gotta compensate somehow. Somethin' about 'avin' fire comin' outta me face disagrees with the vocal cords, I s'pose.}} He may not be able to talk, but he can snark. Given the sarcasm in that second statement. The words are even accented. It's oh-so very British-sounding.
Psylocke	Driving home after an evening with her brother in town at one of the finer dining establishments, Elizabeth Braddock noticed the fireball coming down from the sky, heading to what looks like the same direction as -- home? The sound of a screech on the astral plane only makes Betsy press her foot on the accelerator as if her foot was made of lead. Driving like she flies, Betsy reaches behind her into the back seat for the gym bag which contains the psininja's preferred combat outfit. Of course, changing in to it will be next to impossible, so that will have to wait.
Jean Grey	"Got some bad news for you on the Sabretooth front," Jean notes with a faint smile, allowing herself to be taken to the bench. Since there's still fire clinging to her - fire which crawls away from the web-patterned limb wrapped around her body - it, too, begins to burn once she's close enough for a tongue of the stuff to lick across the wood, prompting her to try and tear herself away from him as pink light strobes atop it. After a second or two, the bench is sporting a new black mark, Jean is clutching her head, and there's a Spidey-head flashing in her eyes, drawing rapid, faintly confused blinks as she twists her head back and forth for a few beats to avoid the luminous irritation. Finally, she settles on just squinting in his general direction as she murmurs, "Telepathy, probably not, I don't know, uh, no-- what-- what are you even //talking// about-- " Another look down at herself, this time lingering until her eyes snap open with a sudden realization: "Why am I on-- how did I not-- God, am //I//-- ?" She briskly pinches an ear lobe. "-- okay, no, somehow," she softly concludes while giving Spider-Man and the less furnace-like Jono another, more critical look. "What-- what day is it? What year?" she then wonders. Jono and his extinguisher still have a few fire patches to contend with, but he and Peter's initial efforst did a lot to curb the immediate danger of the grounds being destroyed or the mansion going up in flames-- and of course, there's Jean herself, for all that she seems to be speaking and moving like a woman who isn't perpetually on fire.
Spider-Man	"I hope that whoever owns this place won't see it as a massive burning crater, and more of a... new sand trap for the 16th hole." The estate was pretty massive. It might have a golf course. It certainly had enough land for one, and what did Spider-Man, or Peter Parker, know about golf? He was a New Yorker, and a poor one at that. If anything, he might have been a caddy when he was younger. That'd be the extent of his knowledge of golf. "That's harsh," he admits to Jonothon, "but at least you got a great set of hair. I love the way it billows in the wind, all majestically. The fire really brings out the colour of your eyes. It's almost anime like. It's anime-esque. It's something. Whatever you're doing, keep doing that." Jean, even if she's partially on fire, seems to be doing all right, or as well as some could be while on fire. Of course, Spider-Man's going to try and put it out with webbing. No oxygen, means no fire, so he can spray her until she looks... like quite a state. "Don't worry, it'll dissolve after about an hour, and it never leaves a mark... can't say the same about the flames. Do you always travel by fire? Or was this another Fantastic Four experiment? The Fantastic One? No, Flame One? Wait, no, Johnny would probably sue for copyright infringement... too close to his catchphrase. Give me a moment, we'll figure something out."
Chamber	Jono will work with the fire as much as he can. That shouldn't be an issue. Looking to Jean, though... What can he do about her? He can't smack her around with his punchy-flames to put her out. And he'd rather avoid blasting her with a fire extinguisher. That can be deadly. Besides, what if she needs to be on fire to survive? Like Jono himself does, kinda. Granted, his own flames don't actually burn, but that doesn't mean it's not possible for someone to need to literally be on fire to survive. So he's not sure what to do. He can, however, give the date. MOnth, day, and year. {{Last time I checked, leastways.}} But he just sort of... raises an eyebrow at Spider-Man regarding the anime comment. {{Yeah, if yer thought 'Akira' was a thing yer wanted t'happen,}} he replies sarcastically. Which is why he keeps his face wrapped up when he's not using his fire. Like he did not too long ago. No need in running around like the Brit On Fire right now, is there? Spider-Man starts to put Jean out, and Jono cautions, {{Careful. She might need ter be on fire.}} Which... sounds ridiculous, but makes sense to him. For obvious reasons.
Psylocke	Screaching into the driveway in her sportscar, Betsy realizes that there is no way she is going to be able to be properly dressed for the occasion. And this! -thinks her Hand assassin half- is why socializing and being out of uniform is foolish. Mental note - spend less time with people and mmore time training for surprise incidents such as this one. Steppingo out of the car, Psylocke lets her psikatana form as she assess the situation. It's when she sees the friendly face of Jean's that she allows the katana to shift out of existance as she approaches. << Welcome back, Jean. >> the telepath sends directly to the other, her mental voice being very British. << You've looked... better. >> She looks to the two gentlemen and shakes her head. "The fire is only needed when she flies," she tells them, looking over her shoulder. "Or crashes," she adds, her speaking voice being distinctly Japanese with strong British influence.
Jean Grey	Having never met Spider-Man before, Jean - despite the concern visibly spreading through her features after she inquires about the date - can't help but stare as he keeps. On. Talking. Just spraying his stream of consciousness everywhere. She does at least catch Jono's response, and after a moment of wide-eyed surprise, the concern deepens. "That's-- that's six months," she quietly replies. "Oh my God, I actually-- " Of course, //since she's never met Spider-Man//, she also doesn't know what the gesture he makes at her with his hands signifies until-- **THWWOOOSH!** -- foamy web fluid begins to coat her torso, smothering the flames clinging to it even as she flails in instinctive protest. "Wait-- !" she starts to call out after her initial shriek of surprise, before snapping her jaw shut and twisting her head away from the spray. The flailing subsides as webbing weighs her exhausted limbs down, but she keeps her hands raised protectively anyway. By the time he's finished, she's halfway to a cocoon, but roughly fine, otherwise-- at least, she doesn't //seem// to be immediately keeling over due to lack of being on fire. Following a shuddering exhale, she turns her eyes back to Spier-Man and murmurs, "-- no, this is, uh-- this is-- not normal, even relative to..." Rather than finish the thought, she just sort of gestures - to the limited extent that she can - towards the mansion. Pink light then begins to shimmer through the webbing, sloughing enough of it from her body to let her move her limbs without resistance. Once that's done, she drops her hands to knees, bends at the middle, and offers a quiet, "Thank you...?" Beat. "Thank you," she repeats, more certainly. "I-- sorry for the..." Again, she refrains from finishing the thought, but she doesn't bother gesturing, this time. "Are-- are you //students// here? Is that why-- " A more familiar - and still British - voice touches her psyche. Given the fire, and the webbing, and the Spider-Puns, the motorcycle went unnoticed, but that voice... {{-- Betsy? I've-- definitely-- //been//-- better,}} she replies, broadcasting openly rather than go to the trouble of narrowing it to the kunoichi.
Spider-Man	When she's out of fire, Spider-Man begins to reach for the webbing, and rips it off of her. He's careful about where he grabs, leaving any webbing that ended up on areas that would be inappropriate for him to put his hands. This is functional, all about helping her not to be weighted down, not that the webbing was especially heavy. In fact, it was like silk, light as a feather. But it was still a rapidly hardening adhesive, so worth removing. He turns to see the other woman, "it's a party, everyone's invited. Did you bring the burgers and hot dogs? And no, I'm not a student, just a concerned citizen who crawled out from under a rock. He's right," he adds, looking over at Jono, "and hey, I managed to avoid referencing the Terminator. That's a personal breakthrough from me. I mean, there are so many ways to play it. Old Arnie, middle aged Arnie, new Arnie, CGI Arnie, or the one that didn't have Arnie in it at all. Nobody liked that one."
Chamber	The screeching of tires draws Jono's attention to where it's going on. It's probably faint back this far, but he's keenly aware Normal People Do Not Need To Be Here right now, so he's paying super attention. Sadly, Jono doesn't receive or pick up telepathic words unless they're either broadcast to the area or directed AT him. Psylocke's are neither, so he misses that. However, he notes that this newly-arrived woman seems to know who the red-haired woman is. {{...Oh.}} It's pretty inadequate, but Jono doesn't People well. His inability to People is demonstrated when he totally forgets to introduce himself, in favor of making sure the red-haired woman is all right with the webbing. That is, she's not suffocating or anything. Though he blinks a bit as she just sort of pushes the stuff off mentally. As for if he's a student? {{Yeah. Pretty new, though.}} He shoves his hands in his pockets. Though Spider-Man's answer to the question DID bring up a question. And not about the movie, either! {{...How'd you get here anyway?}} he asks. There might be a bit of defensiveness in his mental 'tone'. Just a little. Because he's concerned that if peple can just walk onto the property, there might be some problems with him getting found out. He doesn't need to get mutie-outed.
Psylocke	Psylocke gets closer to the trio, the red lightning tattoo that she usually hides with a psychic glamour on full display. The distance between her and the party closed, she rests a hand on Jean. "You look like you could use a day at the spa," she tells her friend with a hint of a smile, helping to brush off the webbing. She can feel Jean's distress from Spider-Man's rapid use of all the words and gives him a look while pinching her fingers closed, a silent order to 'shut it'. Not that he'll listen.
Jean Grey	Peter's help isn't rebuffed, telekinesis or no; the pink light just shines where his hands aren't. Between him, Psylocke, and her own efforts she winds up fairly clear of goop, with just a few strands mixed up in her hair. "Welcome to Xavier's, then," she offers Jono, quiet and dry. "This //may// be on some exam." She //does// at least know that Spider-Man tends to swing about, thanks to years of Bugle front pages, so when Jono wonders about his presence, curiosity creeps into her features and she gives him another, quizzical look. Though, given the way she arrived, she refrains from actually questioning him about how he got here, just now. After a beat, she shakes her head, straightens to more or less her full height, and turns her attention to Betsy, saying, "No, it's-- I just-- " She pauses briefly to let out a shaking breath. "-- I think I just need to-- lie-- " Another unsteady breath is drawn in-- and then, without warning, her eyes roll back and her legs become jell-o. Given some time to rest, she'll be fine; she's breathing, but the lights are very much out.
Spider-Man	"I had a few frequent flier points saved up and the ad said come seen historic Westchester County," Spider-Man replies to Jono. "I really wanted to see the leaves turn brown. But then I found out that wasn't really a springtime activity. Hollywood has lied to me yet again." He really doesn't want to get into why he's here. Fortunately, there have been reports of Spider-Man appearing in Metropolis and Gotham, so it's not unheard of for him to be in other places than Manhattan. Still, Westchester County has got to be short on that list. "Plus, I wanted to get Professor Xavier's autograph. Do you think he'd sign it, 'to Spidey, my most arachnid fan?'" And that's about the point that he notices Psylocke's pinching fingers. He closes his fingers, and runs them across the 'lip' area of his mask, as if he's zipped it shut. He then unzips it slightly with his left hand and offers his right o Jono, "Sorry, where are my manners. My name is Spider-Man, one word with a hyphen. What's your name?" With a wink of his eye, yes, that mask can wink, he mimes zipping his mouth shut again for Betsy and Jean's sakes. Apparently, he is a good listener.
Chamber	Jono quiets down, at Betsy's request. Even if it's not aimed at him, he still understands. Whatever the red-haired woman has been through, it's been hard on her. And she probably has to think through it. SO MANY WORDS just makes it more difficult. So he stays quiet. Right up until Jean collapses! If either Spidey or Betsy has it handled, Jono will just take a step forward instinctively, but pause. Otherwise he'll assist in catching Jean as best as he can. The question of his name from Spider-Man gets a reply, {{Jonothon.}} He's introducing himself as a student. He's concerned about Jean though. So he waits to see what's going on with her. Will he be needed to help? Because he will. He's nice like that, even if he does come off very much like 'sad pupper in snow' mentally.