2013.06.08 - Talking After Tumult

This scene is an immediate followup to 2013.06.08 - Tumult in Mutant Town

It's a few minutes after the trio ran into the alley together. Axiom and Blue are still present, able to discretely watch over the incapacitated mutant until the police arrive. Jubilee, remembering the errand she was running, has already left.

"Not your typical morning, I hope 'Ax'," Merle says trying out the nickname she heard Jubilee use for the costumed hero.

"It sort of is for me," Axiom replies, sounding both sheepish and like he wouldn't have it any other way. He finally stops mimicking Merle, costume shifting back to its default appearance and the blue going away. Stretching a little, he glances down at the police activity below and then back to Merle. "Where did we m-m-meet before?"

Merle chuckles softly and smiles. "We had lunch together about a week ago. You wouldn't recognize me right now though... my skin color is distracting you from the details," she explains. Brushing her hand though her hair she says, "I often go about town looking much more 'normal'... whatever that really means... than my natural looks do. Perhaps if you squint you can see the features despite the color?"

Axiom blinks slightly at the information, head tilting to the side. He watches Merle for a few moments, mind working to place the voice and remember who he had lunch with. His imagination works to replace blue with several other colors until he jumps as he finally remembers. "From the f-food truck! Oh man," he smiles. "Sorry, I'm usually a lot better at figuring this kind of thing out. It's just been a busy week."

Merle shrugs and winks as she says, "So you're saying I'm not the most memorable woman you've ever met?" She puts her hand to her chest with a mock-pained expression on her face and says, "I'm devastated." Naturally she is pulling his leg but she maintains the expression for a moment before glancing in the direction of the miscreant they detained and the fact that the police still have yet to arrive to detain him.

"No I mean I've just been k-kind of distracted," Axiom flails a little. "I had to fight Loki and I've b-b-been trying to track down these psychos c-c-called the Young Masters and um...s-sorry," he squeaks, not catching on to the leg pulling just yet.

Poor insecure boy. Merle quickly lets him off the hook when she realizes he isn't getting the joke. "Its ok, I was exaggerating... wait, Loki?" She glances at their recent opponent again and asks, "He's not responsible for the guy we were fighting is he?"

Axiom blinks when he's let off the hook, starting to blush a bit. When asked about their opponent, Axiom shakes his head. "No, I d-don't think so. I'm pretty sure this guy is crazy all on his own."

Merle chuckles softly and fights the urge to give Axiom a comforting hug. Instead she goes back to business and asks, "Are the police always so slow in responding to calls here in 'Mutant Town'?"

Axiom's expression turns to a frown at that question. "They are," he replies, turning his gaze to the KO'd Ghoul down below. "It's the s-s-same out in Suicide Slums and Hell's Kitchen too," he adds. He perks up slightly at the sound of sirens but they're not close enough yet to spot the car they belong to. "The c-cops are always slow when it comes to these poorer parts of the city."

"I see," Merle says, also looking a bit relieved that the police are arriving while Ghoul is still unconscious. She turns her attention back to Axiom and asks, "So, which would you like to talk about... your involvement with Loki or the Young Allies?" Her attitude, while remaining friendly, seems to imply that not discussing one or the other is not an option. She further explains, "I've studied magic as you are aware, so I know something about magical beings... and I met another member of the Young Allies the other day... Trauma."

The question from Merle just makes Eddie blink a moment and his head tilts to the side. "Umm...what d-d-do you want to know about Loki? He's s-s-sort of my uncle..." Axiom trails off, rubbing the back of his neck. He perks up at the mention of his teammate though. "Trauma? He's a c-cool guy. He's a little too down on himself sometimes though."

"Your uncle?" Merle asks incredulously. "Well, I know that he can be problematic. My family had dealings with him years and years ago... or, that's from my perspective. Your Loki may never have dealt with them after all." She looks about the alley and asks, "Do you want to go someone less... well, more comfortable to talk? Perhaps one of the parks?"

"Yeah...Thor adopted me and..." Axiom gestures vaguely. "I'm not an Asgardian god," he says. "Your family?" Eddie considers a moment. "You're related to Nightcrawler, right? I m-mean your p-powers felt kinda like his did but also d-d-different," he says a little awkwardly. "Sure, which park did you have in mind?"

"There's High Rock Park, in the 'Greenbelt'," she says referring to the nature preserve in the central part of the island. She then begins what looks like a dance move finishing by throwing her arms up in the air and ...

***PAMPH***

... as the sulfurous smoke that accompanied the teleport clears trees surround the pair on all sides but off a bit is a clear path with a bench a ways down it. "Yes, I'm the daughter of Nightcrawler... from another dimension," she explains as she reaches to take Axiom's hand to lead him down the path to the bench.

"Sounds great," Axiom replies, smiling. He's familiar with the place. He watches the dance curiously and ends up stumbling when they teleport. He waves some of the smoke away and looks around. "Wow, I d-didn't know he had a daughter. That's r-really cool. I've worked with him a few times and," he pauses. "Another dimension?" he blinks. "I'm meeting a lot of people from other dimensions lately," he remarks idly. He blinks slightly when his hand is taken, letting himself be led along.

"There's two of us... but the man you've met has no daughters, not really," she says, not seeming to have any problem with the paradox such a statement includes -- she's accepted the odd life she is now living fairly well, helps to have grown up on cross time adventure stories that her father actually lived. Reaching the bench she lets go of Axiom's hand and sits down on the bench.

Axiom is quiet a moment before nodding. "Interdimensional travel is crazy like that," he says simply. Yes, he accepts it too. Fanboy and comic book nerd. Sitting down on the bench, he stretches a little. "So what d-did you and Trauma do?"

"He and I share a common friend," Merle says. "She and I were looking for lunch in the Theater District and he passed by, saw her and told us there was trouble. So we ended a police stand off, the three of us did that is. It was discussed in the papers... not our part really..." at that last she trails off and smirks about an aspect of the stories that doesn't quite match that statement.

Axiom nods, making a mental note to check the papers when he gets home. He likes to stay on top of information like that. "Yeah, the news usually g-gets stuff wrong. The hero fan websites have b-b-better information most of the time," he says. "I'm glad you g-guys took care of it all."

"It was really touchy there for a moment when I thought Channel and I were going to be taking on the Juggernaut on our own," Merle says, "Then it turned out to just be Trauma." She stops talking as a pair of women approach jogging along the path. They slow down as they approach the bench, staring at the costumed individuals -- more at Blue than at Axiom though. As they approach Merle grins at them and says, "Lovely day to get out, isn't it?" at which point they pick up their pace again and moments later pass around a curve in the path.

"Channel?" Axiom grins. "She's one of the Young Allies too," he says. "Oh man...the Juggernaut is a t-tough one," he adds. As the ladies jog by, Axiom lifts a hand to wave. The way they speed up too flee gets him shaking his head. "R-really...people need to get over the fact that some mutants and aliens look d-d-different than them..."

"It's the same way twenty years into the future...," Merle says addressing the last comment first, "...at least, there are still people who act that way even in the most civilized nation in the world." With her accent that phrase obviously refers to England and her grin illustrates the fact also. However, she quickly changes subjects back to Channel: "Really?" she asks. "Channel didn't mention that." Actually Channel intentionally avoided having it said, to the point of steering Trauma away from the subject, but Merle doesn't know that to be a fact even if she is now suspecting it.

"That's... really sad," Axiom replies. "Well...we changed the future four times already. What's one more?" he nods. The power booster just looks confused when the subject goes back to Channel. "She d-didn't?" he asks, blinking. "That's...weird. I wonder why she d-d-didn't mention it. Especially if you guys were with Trauma..."

The fact that Merle met Jocelyn at Xavier's is the reason behind the deception by omission, but again Merle doesn't know this in order to tell Axiom, so the confusion is going to remain unresolved.

"Well, meeting Trauma wasn't planned so... I don't know other than that," Merle says in regards to the question. "Where I come from the Young Allies were a junior team to the Avengers, like the New Mutants to the X-Men... or... maybe that isn't public knowledge in this time and place..." she trails off thinking about this and the possible problems she could cause by continuing to talk on that subject. "So, you're a mutant too?" she asks to divert the conversation.

"To the Avengers? R-really?" Axiom just blinks. "We're not a junior team to anyone here. I mean some of us asked t-t-to join the Avengers awhile back but they said we were t-t-too young..." he shrugs. He just nods at the mention of the New Mutants and the X-men. It's not public knowledge but Axiom's in the know. "Yep," he chimes. "I'm a mutant," or so he just assumes anyway since he doesn't know better.

Merle nods and then looks at the shadows and leaps to her feet. "I'm sorry to have to dash on you but... I'm going to be late for a lunch appointment!"

She again dances and throws her arms up and disappears in a cloud of brimstone smoke.

***PAMPH***