2014.02.22 - Mindless Smoothies

At least it wasn't a /girly/ smoothie shop? The theme of the place was a bit sporty, and meal replacement smoothies were advertised alongside protein shakes. Along the walls there were pictures of sports figures - of football games and weightlifters, of baseball players both local and national, interspersed with the fuzzy-headed bulldog that was Jack's Sports Smoothie hut. As such, there were many televisions hanging over the place tuned to ESPN. And Pixie was totally ignoring all of that. In spite of the weather warming up some, she was still dressed like she was in Alaska, complete with fuzzy hat with little earflaps to go over her pointed ears, the young woman wearing a purple and black striped sweater. It just so happened that this place was somewhere nearish the ocean - and certainly nearish a sewer manhole outside. But who thought of those things if they did not have to?

Megan Gwynn certainly didn't. There were two empty cups beside her, and the Pixie was working on her third, ignoring the stares of some of the other patrons as she takes a mittened hand to wrap around the cup proper. Sluuuuuurp.

Every few weeks Nate drops by to make sure Hope is alright, and not ploting the end of the world or anything like that. He has been doing it since the young redhead was attacked by some anti-mutant idiots that were sure she was going to cause the end of the world. Since Rose didn't bother taking prisoners, they never found out the details.

Today, he picked the smoothie shop, pretty far from Mutant Town. Because it is a 'trap'. You see, it was actually somewhat of a surprise 'family' meeting for Hope. Scott and Jean are also here. Only Rachel is missing, but the older time-travelling redhead had a prior appointment.

"I thought it would be a good idea," is Nate's excuse.

Oh yes. A family reunion with a group of children you never had, but you'll. Such an easy thing to accept!

Jean smiles best as she can while she looks about, trying to gauge the place and what it is that she is supposed to feel today. Being with any of these friends, by itself, would be delightful.

Together as a family? A bit overwhelming.

Still, the redhead walks along, the curve of her lipstick-colored lips noticibly satisfied for the time being, as she keeps her mental shields up. Arms over her breasts, hugging herself, Jean suddenly stops besides Megan and before a television to watch whatever it is that's happening there. She has a quizzical look on her face: she doesn't get why 'sport' nowdays is more about 'attitude' and 'energy' than it is about, well, sports!

"Do you like these places, Megan?"

"Wheatgrass, please," Scott asks of the smoothie salesperson, sliding a crisp and creaseless ten dollar bill across the counter, "Thank you."

He turns back around, looking at Nate impassively for a second before leaning against the counter and folding his arms across his chest. Sure, extended family outings are great but it's painfully clear that Scott hasn't got much in the way of small talk in his arsenal.

So he just kind of leans there and looks at everyone else through his glasses.

And as far as 'traps' go...

Hope grumbles, "Actually you're missing someone besides Rachel too..." is said, as if she somehow read his mind. But given her powers, she isn't doing that. Is she...?

Nah.

Instead, as she places her own order for a strawberry smoothie, before glancing at Megan, as if glad the pink haired mutant is here as well.

That is before she blinks and gulps in Jeans direction. A gulp that Scott pretty much gets a double portion of.

Well, if the Summers-Greys were a family, Megan might be, um. The family pet didn't sound right. And wasn't quite accurate. But she was dear friends with a couple of Summers, and Scott once gave her a bandaid for a bump on her head, once upon a yesterday, so. All of those persons were aces in her books. Of them, though, she knew Jean the most - so it was Jean that gets the most dazzling of the dazzling smiles. "Well, they don't make their smoothies sweet enough here, but they use a lot of real fruits and veggies and stuff, so that helps," says Megan, taking another slurp of her smoothie. "And if I'm not careful, they always try to throw scoops of like this powder in it," says Megan, kinda sticking out her tongue. Not quite as maniac as she was in the cafeteria, but a half-dozen cokes had far more sugar than comparatively healthy smoothies. Megan seemed to have a lot of energy regardless. "But, um... how are you doing Jean?" she asks, her eyes flicking from the redhead to the TV. "I mean, I'm not talking about how you are doing with /that/," she says, "Because that's a..." Secret, yes? "Um... I mean, how are you doing in general, you know? Like how your day is going and... ... ... O-M-G HI HOPE!" she says, turning her growing awkwardness into a shout as she waves towards Hope, sticking her hand in the air and waving it to and fro. "AND PROFESSOR SUMMERS!"

"The one with coffee," orders Nate. He turns to Hope. "Cable? I lost track of him," he admits, frowning slightly. "I am sure he is... hey, do you keep in touch with him?" Before Hope has a chance to answer Megan spots them and he turns to the other girl, recognizing her from the Academy visit day and grinning. "You know her well?" He asks Hope.

Jean smiles back at Megan, the girl's attitude brushing off on Jean easily as she simply lets that good humor flow and infect her. Still, the redhead rests both hands on her feminine hips, sighing softly, ready to respond with some restraint, as usual, when Pixie goes in overdrive greeting and hugging people with her words.

Nate and Scott earn her some looks, especially when the leader of the X-Men suddenly stops by the corner to be by himself. Rolling her eyes with a humored smile, the redhead beckons Scott closer to the others, knowing he needs some help with social interactions.

Scott reaches to get his smoothie, noticing the gesture from Jean. He does as he's bidden, heading across the store to Jean and everyone else. Yes, Scott /does/ need help with social situations. Usually in the form of holding his feet to the fire until he finally cracks and says something.

He takes a sip of his smoothie, looking off at the television with some sports highlights playing on the screen.

"This isn't bad," he finally says, holding the smoothie up slightly as though to showcase it.

And as the friends and family of The Summers-Grey Clan gather, the manhole cover outside the smoothie shop starts to... Move. And as it moves, a faint, eerie greenish glow can be seen coming from under it. but the glow isn't very bright. In fact, for now, it's still very faint...

Inside the shop though...

There's a bit of a pause, as Hope finally gets her drink, before she casts a bit of a sidelong glance at Nate.

"Sort of. He's doing some stuff in Russia right now. Won't tell me what. And I've only seen him twice since I got here. Last time I had to talk him out of something, since he was gung-ho I transfer to Xaviers instead of staying at The Academy."

Then though, well... The pink haired mutant gets a huge grin and a wave, "Hey Megan! Should I be afraid of the fact that you're here too?"

Then her gaze drifts to the older redhead, before she rolls her eyes. "Come on Jean. You know you want to smile."

On the other hand, as Scott speaks up, the mutant mimic takes a sip of her own drink. "It isn't, is it?"

Of course Megan's eyes were flickering between the people gathered there - certainly, she didn't /know/ know many, but she knew some, and recognized the rest. The gesture from Jean to Scott kinda draws Megan's eyes that way, and she stands ~up~ on the seat of her little bench - bending to one side to pluck up one of the empty smoothie cups and nest it in the other. "Mr. Summers, do you need a place to sit? I can totally move, or we can move to a bigger table and all sit down next to each other, you know?" says Megan. With that, her wings kinda thrum behind her, and she kinda lifts off, kinda hovering next to Jean. Sorta. Ish. There was like an arm's length distance between them at Hope's question. Biting her lower lip, Megan looks from Jean to hope and then back again. And Megan - still kinda hovering there - reaches up a hand to pat and squeeze Jean's shoulder. Looking towards Hope, Megan gives her head a shake. "I mean, it's kinda weird that you all would show up at the same place I was having a smoothie, but. You know, it's just so good to see you guys that I don't know why it would be scary. Um." Megan pauses, kinda mouthing at Hope. <"Is she OK?!"> while gesturing with her head towards Jean.

Nate waves at Jean in greeting, grabbing his smoothie and looking for an empty table. Wait, Megan has one. That works. "Just coincidence, Hope. I don't know Megan much." He hrms at the news about Cable. He wants to talk with him too, but the old warrior is hard to pin down.

"Why weird? They have good smoothies here. This table seems good, we just have to squeeze a little and, hmm," he actually pauses to see how good a position is from a tactical standpoint. Which is pretty bad, really. Old survival habits. It is not important anymore, because they are perfectly safe here, right?

Jean arches her brow, humored, at Megan's hand on her shoulder and Hope's comment, her eyes squinting as she grins some. Is she on suicide watch or something? Shaking her head Phoenix moves over the other table with them.

"You girls are so sweet today. It won't make me give Megan better grades, though.", she teases, her green eyes moving over the place to see if any smoothie catches her fancy.

The redhead seems oddly relaxed today, each step of hers light, an easy smile on her lips. Still, she glances at Scott with a grin "If you two want to help anyone, try getting Almighty Leader to ease up a bit. This is a smoothie store, not some Danger Room proceedure, Scott. Relax~", she singsongs, letting her eyes linger to his ruby lenses before she sits down.

"No, thanks, I'm alright," Scott says appreciatively, raising a hand and shaking his head as Megan tries to offer him her seat, "Thank you."

Jean's comment, however, causes his brow to furrow and his head to tilt to one side. He does look genuinely confused, "I am eased up."

Perfectly safe. Nothing to worry about. Pay no attention to that manhole cover that slowly starts to float upwards outside the building, as if under its own power. Don't mind the big three fingered hand that comes out of the manhole cover. One where the hand and arm both look like they're somehow made up of living charcoal. After all, everything is safe...

Especially as that green glow from the 'sewer' continues to slowly get brighter.

Meanwhile, inside the shop:

There's an eyeroll from Hope, before she shakes her head slightly.

"Megan, knowing Nate this isn't weird. At all. Odds are this whole thing is a setup."

Then though, her eyes appear to glow for a moment. Or maybe just one eye. Either way, she says something telepathically to Megan.


 * "Jean and Scott are my grandparents. Sort of. By adoption. It's a mess of time travel and maybe some alternate universe stuff too."|

Yeap. Odds are if Nate and Jean pick up on that being said, the younger redhead is in some trouble for even saying that. Especially to someone like Megan. But as soon as it's said, the copy of Nate's powers that Hope is using fades away.

All though, at one certain thing...

"You know, I think he is relaxing. After all, Scott doesn't look like he's sucking on a raw lemon and is instead.... He looked almost like he was about to smile before."

"Oh come on, Jean," says Megan, her voice lifting in - yes - a whine. "I was getting a C - a C in English last time! If I'm reaaaaally sweet, can it be a C+? Maybe? No?" Fluttering away from Jean a bit, Megan does a lazy somersault in the air before landing on the ground, standing quite a bit shorter than most of the people here. Although she does take a drink of smoothie. Unaware of the horror that was starting to crawl from the sewer outside. Or maybe it wasn't a horror. It's hard to tell at this point. "Did you set it up, Nate? Erm. Mr. Nate?" asks Megan of him, waggling her half-drunk slushie at him. That was when the telepathic message strikes her. Megan's black eyes widen, and she snaps them on Hope. "Oh my GOD!" she calls out, "You guys are re... re..." Megan pauses a moment, and just closes her mouth. "Re...stricted... from... ... from..." Megan looks around, flickering her eyes from person to person. From Scott to Jean, and she blushes terribly, "...from... um... trying the boysenberry! It's not... well, it's good, but the strawberry is better! Good choice, Hope!" she says, grinning cheesily. Although she looks at Scott last. "...what's wrong, Mr. Grey - ohgodImeanMr.Summers."

Nate blinks in mock outrage at Hope. "Wait, I didn't do it. Well, okay, so maybe I setup you to meet with Jean and Scott. I had no idea Megan was here." He smirks at Hope's comment about Scott, though. The truth is his genetic 'father' has not been an easy man to get known. At least he is not one of Apocalypse's minions in this world.

"Hey, not Mr. Nate or Mr. Grey, willya? Just Nate." He does glances at Hope. She didn't, did she? Yes. Of course she did. "Relax, Megan, at least you are not related to us. Well, probably aren't. It is better not to think too much about it."

It's something Scott has gotten used to, being talked about like he's not in the room. The unfortunate side effect of orbiting the periphery of most conversations that aren't deemed crucial or mission-oriented. Social situations and Scott Summers go together like oil and water.

He turns his attention to gaze silently out the window, looking over the street and the scene outside. He straightens up immediately, his eyes narrowing behind his glasses. He spots the arm and the floating manhole cover, turning to the rest of the assembled mutants.

"There's something coming out of the sewer."

Yes, something is coming from out there. Something is coming from the sewer. In fact...

As Hope starts to roll her eyes, and say something towards Megan, that manhole cover up and comes flying through the front window to the shop! Worse, that hand? It belongs to a large, cyclopean being. A near hulk of a being with a visor like eye. One that lumbers towards the shop! And behind it, there's another! And another! And... Another! heck, they all appear to be coming out of that open manhole, and each time one comes through, the green light coming from it gets brighter!

But what are they? Well, if one was mystically inclined, they might recognize The Mindless Ones!

Then as Hope turns to look out that window due to Scotts statement, she notices what's incoming, and ducks for cover!

"Why do these things have to show up when I don't have a gun!"

Megan was kinda grateful for the little slime monsters coming out of the sewer. It helped stop her gaffe from really being paid attention to. Squealing with a bit of a scream as she ducks her head - that manhole cover flying into the restraunt and sending shattered glass everywhere but where she wanted it, Megan Gwynn's instincts kick in. She dives beneath a table. "I'm not sure a gun would help! They look kinda... you know. Muddy," she says, glancing up towards Scott then. "What should we do?" she asks.

Scott acts swiftly, diving to one side as the manhole cover flies through the window while reaching a hand to the side of his head. He tilts his glasses down slightly, peering over the top of them at the lead monster so he can level a blast of crimson energy at it.

Thank god. Armies of evil beasts he can handle but social situations? No way.

Nate sips from his smoothie, looking pretty relaxed compared with his usual self. Maybe this family thing works.

Of course it can't last. The usual Summer's luck. "There is something..." Scott's warning makes him jump to his feet just as the windows shatter. He raises his hands and stops the rain of glass with a TK shield. A gun? Why does Hope need a gun? "Just copy our powers, silly Hope." He peers out look puzzled. But at least they are not Sentinels.

Well these 'beasts' can be social. Given the right circumstances. Just be glad that they're not using skate boards right now Scott!

Instead, they're just large, lumbering beasts... Which fire eye beams!

Yeap. They fire eye beams, all in unison, towards the inside of the restaurant! All while they lumber towards it as well!

And inside...

Hope mutters before she shoots Nate... The look!

"Hold yourself together Megan!" is said as the redheaded teens eyes start to glow red, the beam from one of those Mindless ones slashing through the air above her.

"If you can fight them! Do it! If you can get them away from here, do it! If you can get the civilians away from here... Do it!"

And with that said, she looks right at one of the incoming minions... And cuts loose with an optic blast aimed right at its head?!?

It was just a surprised squeak that Megan had released. It wasn't really /af.../ Okay, maybe it was a little scared. Casting her eyes away from the window, Megan bites her lower lip, flexing her fingers as a little puff of fire dances between them. She had had training for stuff like this, darnit! Megan takes off, flapping her wings at a brisk pace, dodging this way and that as she wings towards a family. "Come on! Get behind cover!" she enthuses.

"Get down!" Scott shouts, replacing his glasses over his eyes and gesturing for those not blessed with powers to duck and cover to the best of their ability. With all the Mindless Ones firing at once, his primary interest is keeping people from getting hurt.

"Hope," he calls out, falling into combat leader mode easily, "Take the angles. Hit them high and low."

Scott immediately moves away from the incoming beams, climbing up onto the bench and then the table so he can hit them with a blast of his own from up high.

Nate growls and expands the shield when the monsters begin shooting eyebeams. "Hey, they stole your eyeblasting thing," he comments to Scott. He is concentrating in blocking the monsters attacks because the shop is full of civilians, but when Scott and Hope start blasting, he drops them and switches to offensive. He reaching with telekinesis to tray to grab the Mindless One that is not being blasted and pin it to the ground.

And as Scott issues orders, Hope follows them. For as Scott hits high, Hope hits low. In fact, the combined efforts of the two of them cause one of them, the closest to the manhole to fall backwards. And as Nate 'helps' it falls even faster. Only as soon as it hits that green light coming from the manhole, before it can actually touch the ground, the Mindless one up and vanishes, and that eerie green light dims just a little.

As Megan flutters over to that family, the little girl actually smiles, points at the pink haired mutant, and says, "Cool! A real Fairy Princess!" On the other hand, the parents don't have to be told twice! When they hear what Pixie says, they grab their daughter and run for it!

Unfortunately fort everyone else, the rest of the Mindless ones keep coming. They're just moving painfully slow.

"Mmmhmm, little love. I'll use my fairy magic, and make sure nothing gets ahold of you," says Pix with a wink towards the young woman, although her eyes go to the parents as they start to bolt," Bathroom bathroom! Hup hup, let's go!" says Pixie. The monsters seemed familar, though, and the young woman does give them a glance every so often, pursing her lips. Until she can get the family safely there. Winging around, Pixie kinda takes a moment to consider her options. Distraction might be good. She was terribly good at that. Taking the long way around, Pixie hopes to swoop ~around~ the mindless ones while yelling, hoping to use their slow speed to her advantage and get them to turn around and follow her. Might leave 'em sitting ducks for the others, aye?

"I didn't hear a splash," Scott announces, leaving the managing of civilians to others, "Push them back the way they came."

The First X-Man lifts his arms in front of his face, diving through the nearest window which (unfortunately) hasn't broken just yet. He hits the ground outside in a hail of glass, dipping his glasses and blinking to fire off a rapid barrage of concussive bursts.

"You know, I can't sense their minds at all," notes Nate. It is not normal, even though he often finds alien minds unreadable or shielded, this not finding them at all is odd. He is also jumping outside, since drawing fire away from the shop seems like a good idea. Sadly, there won't be more smoothies for a while, given the amount of destruction to the building.

While Scott concentrates in one of the critters, Nate charges the other. Enhanced his strength and resistance to injures with his telekinesis, he aims a punch to the monster's head, and then another, to try to drive it back to the glowing manhole.

And the family does go right to the bathrooms. All though as The Mindless ones are distracted by the fairy mutants fancy flying. Which makes them easy targets for Scott as he jumps through the window. In fact... He manages to cause not one, but two more to fall back into the light, and vanish.

But then, as Nate jumps into the frey as well? There goes two... No /THREE/ more!

And that leaves one. Just one. Which as Hope scrambles outside, she tries to blast. And it just sort of titters there, for a moment, not willing to go down. At least not until...


 * SPLA-CRASH!*

A cup of smoothie hits it, providing just enough extra force for it to fall into the light. And once it does, that light fades, and the mindless ones are gone.

But who threw that smoothie? Who knows. It certainly wasn't Hope.

Well, Pixie didn't need to do overmuch. One thing she would never ever say about the Summers-Greys? That they didn't know how to fight. My goodness. "Okay," says Pix - waiting a moment for the dust to settle. "Just what in the heck were all those things?" she hadn't quite landed yet. Her flight had taken her outdoors, and she was peering down into the sewer. "Do you think they came for one of us?"

"Or for the smoothies?" Scott moves towards the manhole, leaning forward slightly and craning his neck to get a look down there and see whatever it is he can see.

"Was that a joke? I am telling Jean," states Nate, he is heading back to the shop to see if anyone got injured. "I had never seen those critters, but that seems likely, they went straight to the shop. Hmm, or maybe they went after someone else there."

"..."

Yeap. Hope just jaw drops a at Scott as he says that. That is before she blinks at both Nate and Pixie.

"I've never seen them before. Cockroach soldiers? Brood? Prohibition Gangsters? Sure. But those guys? Never."

Then she shrugs. "Either way though, and I don't know about you guys, but I don't want to be here when the police decide to show up..."

"Mr. /Summers/," chirps Pixie. "I'm /so proud of you/," she just about gushes. "Well, um. I think I'm going to ask if I can borrow one last smoothie before I go. Or maybe I should go now, and just get an energy drink or something," she says. "Hope - it was still nice to see you again. And you too, Mr. Nate," says Megan.

"Let's move out," Scott calls out, waving a hand to round up his fellow mutants and X-Men, "Hope's right."

He ignores the shock and awe at his joke - or attempted joke. No time to soak in the adoration or admit that he might have a sense of humor buried deep beneath the strata of his personality.

"You guys go ahead and shy and secretive," replies Nate with a smirk, "I am a registered superhuman, I will talk to the cops and see if we can figure out what were those guys. I'll go back to the mansion this evening and tell you what I got."

And with an eyeroll, Hope almost mutters 'I'm always right'. But instead, she joins the others in moving out!

Meanwhile, in another dimension...

"Your mindless minions failed to procure us a smoothie!"

"Do not worry my lord, I believe I have found us a girl scout. Want some cookies instead?"