2014.02.21 - Helping Find Your Heart.

Walking up to the podium the Reverend William Stryker looked over the crowd with a smile upon his face. The Reverend had white hair and various wrinkles, but clean living and working out gave him a lean body. It was easy to imagine the man, easily into his 50s, could have beaten men half his age in various sport activities.

Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church was a red brick building. Some people could have easily confused it for a small school given the architecture. The bricks made it quaint but the place held services, mass, baptismals, and religious group. The pews were dark brown, recently restored. The walls and various colors were white with gold accents. Gold went around the stained glass windows and near the podium at the front.

Sun peaked through the church windows, the event was moved inside given the cold temps. Cookies, donuts, cider, water and other goodies were available to anyone on a table in the back. As everyone settled in Stryker started to speak, "First I want to apologize about the setting. While I am a man of Faith I know not everyone is comfortable with a church. Having the festivities in the parking lot was my way of making people comfortable. It seems the weather has its own ideas. Before I begin this is not your typical church service. I will speak of the scripture but I will not preach it," he was trying to make anyone there with conflicting faith feel welcomed.

"I want everyone to stand up. Stand up," his hands waved up in the air as he was trying to get everyone to stand. When everyone did the smile on his face widened, "Look to your left and introduce yourselves to one another. Look to your right and do the same." When he felt like the people were nearing the end of introductions, "Now I want everyone to hug one another. We're all friends here yes? So hug someone be it a loved one, an old friend or a new friend you just made."

This is not normally something the Five-in-One would attend. But after their recent experiences with the U-Men and other such things they had been curious about the fanatical behavior of some parts of society. Specifically religions and cults. Thus the reason why they were here at this event. The girls after all had no religious beliefs of there own, nor were they particularly interested in gaining a religion as they found the very concept to be a bit on the silly side.

As they listened to the man speak they were also passively scanning the room with their telepathy, wanting to know at the very least the basic thought processes that went into the man before them and the people who followed him. Why his message was considered good to some people and not to others.

When the order came to introduce their selves and hug one another the Five-in-One sprung into immediate action, actively using there telepathy on the people to the left and right of them would absolutely -NOT- talk to them or touch them. They had standards after all.

"..."

Okay. Talk about getting off on the wrong foot.

But we might as well start with the basics.

This is /NOT/ the sort of thing Hope would normally be at. Organized religion and this redhead do not mesh well. At all. heck, there've been a few times where she's fdlat out been attacked by people claiming it was due to religious reasons.

Thus well... She had to try and learn a little about people like this. Thus she ended up here.

To watch. To listen. To learn.

Not to end up hugging random strangers as she stands there!

Stryker's thoughts were purely on the crowd and the people. Visions of the invasion of New York by Zod and a legion of Kryptonians, Magneto taking over Genosha, the Five Herald attacks that were caught on bad amateur footage and the like ran across his mind. He noticed the quintuplets rise but did nothing. A note about that was made.

Seeing everyone hug and a little baffled by the impromptu hug session Stryker just waved a hand. The five-some stood out more than Hope's lack of action because they were in a group of five instead of a random anti-social person here or there. "I spoke of Zoar, a place of refuge and hope. That's what I hope the world turns into. Right now all I see is confusion. Look at the world. Years ago we found out there were people that claimed to be from the stars. They could do feats that superseded all human expectation. Then more like them started to appear. And that's okay until the displays of power of happened. Remember the Invasion of New York? Flying beings littered the sky, practically blocked out the sun. Costumed heroes tried to stop it and were quickly snuffed out," Stryker explained. His eyes moved through the room, "And then there was Genosha. A man that called himself Magneto, has the power of magnetism, commodeered an island and made it his own. How did that make everyone feel?" Stryker asked the crowd trying to gage their initial reactions and thought out responses. A lot had happened to New York thanks to the movement of the metas and mutants. "What about you," Stryker pointed at Hope, "And you five?" a point went to the Stepford Cuckoos. There were other ways to make people social.

When the Five-in-One were called out by Styker, just moments after pointing out Hope, they let out an internal sigh of relief. They weren't the only sane people here. They reached out with their minds and touch the thoughts of their sister |"We are very glad to see you here. We take it that you want to understand why people have fanatical devotion to unreal things as well? We are so alike some times."|

In reply to Stryker's question they had to think quick... well when you are five minds that process information at the speed of thought x 5 its not hard to think quick. So Esme started crying as if the thought of it all brought up bad memories. Irma and Phoebe both then held Esme as Sophie spoke in a sad and concerned voice, resting her hand on Celeste's shoulder as if to comfort her as well, "We're sorry, Reverend Styker... those events. We lost our parents to them. It's hard for any of us to think on them."

In reality, the Cuckoos didn't have memories that go far enough back to any of those events so they have no opinion on them at all, but they felt their lie would keep Stryker from probing it further.

Just the mention of Genosha is enough to make Hope a little cross. Heck, odds are if The Cuckoos have picked up her mind in this crowd, they also probably have picked up that fact as well. Especially as she tries to not let her anxiety, or anger get the better of her.

Heck as they contact her telepathically... They get a bit of a thought back at them.


 * "That, and why some of them have tried to kill me."|

On the other hand, to Stryker...

"Which part of the Genosha mess? The part where one little slice of the island held out, and was still a democracy, the part where plagues plural broke out all at once in that city, or the part where Magneto did what many dictators of every race have done, and use that emergency to justify his invasion?"

Seeing the member of the quintuplets react so strongly Stryker's face saddened, "You are not alone. You are one of many that have lost," the words were quiet yet firm. His eyes went to Hope, "The same plagues that broke out in parts of the country as mysteriously as it came. Amateur footage claimed it had a cause that was very unlike the Horsemen people thought it was," he looked between the six people, "It's these instances that have made a lot of people confused. In times like this we have to bond together. We need to persevere together because regardless of faith we are all in this together, yes?" he gestured to himself then to the Stepford Cuckoos, "I lost a wife in the New York Invasion just like you five lost your family. And we are just two stories in hundreds may even thousands," he looked around the room, "Does anyone else have a story of loss from these tragedies? What about you miss?" he pointed to the woman with the pink hair.


 * "This man is a pompous idiot"| the girls think to Hope |"Why would anyone follow what he says. He is obviously exploiting tragedy in order to gain power over these people."|

The girls to their credit keep up their act until they notice Stryker's intersted had moved on from them and even then they made sure that Esme still let out a few crocodile tears here and there in case his attention returned. They were getting pretty good at faking this whole "real person" thing.


 * "Perhaps we should just control his mind and have him spout out his dirty secrets and fetishes to all the people here. That would be more interesting than the blustering. Or is that considered wrong?"| the girls asked Hope in her mind. They were really glad she was here, they weren't sure they'd have put up with this if she wasn't.

Okay. Megan Gwynn was attempting to just be all quiet in a corner as the event went on.

Megan did not know what all she believed - not anymore. Raised Anglican, but never really practicing, the final nail in the coffin of her faith was her little trip to limbo. But maybe a part of her was still searching. Chewing on the inside of her lip as she is pointed out in the crowd - her dimunitive size and heavy cloak probably keeping her odd physiology from mostly being noticed, Pixie does rise to a stand, her heart lifting to her throat. "I don't," says Megan, her voice a bit higher than most, Welsh accent obvious. "But I felt... I feel - that the actions of bad men and women with these unique, um... gifts are making everyone who is just a little different look bad," she says.

And as Stryker moves on, Hope tries /NOT/ to roll her eyes. Especially as she agrees with the Cuckoos.

Up to a point anyways. Because as she picks up a certain thought aimed at her telepathically, her eyes go wide and she shoots something back.


 * "No! That's definitely wrong! It's things like doing that, that put you on Xavier's radar probably."|

Then though, as the girl(?) in the cloak speaks up, the redhead frowns and bites her lip.

Hearing Megan speak about blaming the individual rather than the source Stryker nodded. "In another time and place these gifted folk would have been called Sorcerers. We aren't here to condemn. We are here to be bonded together because here we are all friends, right? Each and every one of us here, all of us in these walls are friends. We have to push through this potential doubt in difficult times and come together because that's what friends do. Friends help one another. And so we must help one another. Like the poor girl there," he gestured back to the crying Stepford, "We should all make her feel welcomed because nothing is more tragic than losing a loved one. So everyone please comfort this girl make her feel the love of friends," Stryker spoke knowing people were going to move close to the Stepford.

He looked to the group, "We have to band together because the next incident is probably weeks away. Look at the Artic weeks ago. A man with skin of stone tried pushing forward. These are not going to go away. And we cannot forget that friends help out one another, right?" The group started to cry out "Yes!" How the crowd were quick to answer made him smile. Stryker looked to the room, "And I want us to continue to be friends. There will be more times I ask all of you to come to more talks because you can never have enough friends. You can never have enough people willing to help out one another." By now the people were getting more into the message of unity.


 * "We've never done it before, it just sounded like fun. But We suppose you are right"| the Cuckoos thought to Hope.

But what the pink haired girls said did attract their attention as well. The resisted the urge to read her thoughts immediately but they did have something to say to what she said. Because in their mind, she was right.

The girls debated in an instant that lasted hours which one of them would speak up and agree with the pinked hair girl. Especially since the speech was starting to have a very bad ring to it. A ring that reminded the Cuckoos of the very same speeches about the people they were going to bring up.

It was Phoebe who spoke up, "Excuse us, Adolf Hitler, twelve million people killed, Leopold II of Belgium eight million people killed, Jozef Stalin seven million killed, Hideko Tojo five million killed, Pol Pot 1.7 million killed, Ismail Enver 2.5 million people killed." Phoebe's eyes had a spark of anger in them, "The one thing all those people had in common was that they were ordinary human beings. They were not metahumans, mutants, sorcerers or aliens."

Phoebe crossed her arms, "You are making a false correlation and using the tragedies that people have suffered, including ourselves, to fuel hatred in the name of 'friendship' or 'nationalism.' That's another thing those people had in common."

Megan Gwynn was slightly, well, not peevish, but awkward. As far as she could tell, she was the only one here with any sort of powers - at least obvious ones. And she had it in her mind to come without any sort of disguise at all, but threw on the cloak at the last minute. But the Welsh mutant's lips purses as hears him compare her sort to sorcerers. And so, she starts grumbling to herself, "Or bloody Fae, if you're stuck in some backwater town in the middle o' Wales," she says - no doubt the people around her could hear her, but it would take the ears of a bat for Stryker to hear her.

Turning her black 'bug eyes' to the crying Cuckoo, Megan heaves a bit of a sigh, and rises to a stand, moving over as best she can, joining the queue of well-wishers thronging around her, eventually reaching out a hand to offer a brief squeeze to her shoulder before shuffling back into place, giving a brilliant smile to those who might catch her unusual appearance beneath her cloak. At least, until Phoebe speaks up, Megan turning in place a bit to look back at her, her brow furrowing. Is that what was really going on here? Megan looks back to the Reverend afterwards.

As far as Hope is concerned, the blood has been in the water regarding people with powers all of her life. Just not in the way most people would expect. Especially considering how rare powers were, and what sort of people had them in the times she grew up in.

But this guy? Stryker? It feels like he's pushing that while also trying to make it look like he's pushing the whole 'powers are bad' thing while doing anything but.

Then again, the Cuckoos do a good job of pointing out just how much normal humans can, and have done to each other... Thus in regards to that, the redheaded mutant mimic remains silent.

And yet, as she does that, she does keep a half an eye on the girl in the cloak.

"And we are not here to talk of hate but love. Friendship, remember?" Stryker said with a smile. His eyes looked at the Stepford collective. Something about their unity, their conformity just stood out. Ever get that feeling or vibe off of someone? He had that suspicion about them. Looking at the time he shook his head, "Friends our time is coming to an end today but soon I will be giving a sermon. You are all encouraged to attend. Please go forward and spread the love that only Friends can bring," he held his hands up toward the group. His eyes went back to the collective one last time. There was a sinking suspicion that he would see the Cuckoos would be seen again.

The Five-in-One couldn't help it, they 'peaked' into the pink haired girls mind. They could feel he apprehension and couldn't help themselves, so they knew why she was so apprehensive now. They didn't blame her. If they weren't the Five-in-One they would probably feel the same. But they had little use for emotions like that.

However it was Stryker that really peaked their interests now. They thought for a brief instant that they should erase his memories of the five of them. But they knew that Hope and Ms. Frost would most likely frown on that.

Instead, the five would wait for now, make sure that Megan Gwynn and their sister Hope would get out of here safely. They could feel the paranoia and fear in the crowd. They were glad that Stryker didn't push further. There could have been a riot.

Phoebe however said quickly and quietly as Stryker was leaving, "Friendship... I'm sure 'some of your best friends are mutants,' like all bigots say."

Megan Gwynn did not feel particularly unsafe here. Yes, Phoebe had some issues with what was being said, but... Megan didn't quite see it. Love and friendship? How could anyone be against that? Of course, the blame on superpowered persons was a little troubling, but overall, maybe all these people needed was a good example?

Megan Gwynn would try to attend the sermon. She was curious, if nothing else, so long as the general mood remained more or less civil.

So the Five-In-One might be waiting for some time.

Spread the love...?

Yeah. As Stryker takes off, Hope wants to cry BS on that. Instead she sort of stands there. And waits.


 * "I'm gonna try to check on the cloak girl."| is sent as she sort of stands around, and waits. But if she ends up staying for the sermon, well...

The redheaded mimic will probably break down and start doing all those old mental exercises from back in the day before she ended up in the here and now.