2013.06.20 - Blue Rover Blue Rover Let Meggan Come Over

The Blue Rover
43' of pure sailboat. The double sailed boat boasts a spaciousness that belies its size. There isn't a bit of her that doesn't look ready for open seas, from the dingy on the back to the broad sails center and fore.
Blue rover's interior is beautifully finished in teak with louvred cupboards throughout. Forward, there's a large head, hot and cold running shower and basin, mirror and manual toilet.
Just aft of that, the guest's bedroom with an elevated double wide berth to port for storage. Opposite the bed are bureau drawers and a hanging locker. Ventilation is provided by overhead opening hatches.
Aft of the main bulkhead is the salon to port and navigator's desk to starboard. The salon area is U-shaped with comfortable seating for 6. A large custom bookshelf is on the forward bulkhead and a TV cupboard (no TV) is located aft to port for easy viewing while seated. There is a forward facing nav desk to starboard with all navigation data displayed via a variety of instruments. The radios are located along a starboard shelf/console, along with stereo, and books. Overhead hatches and opening side ports provide good ventilation.
----
It's a lovely night. The sun is setting over the city, and the stars are beginning to become visible in the evening's sky. The moon rises as the sun dips into the west, giving a glow that isn't anywhere near as bright, but is illumination enough over the water.. for those with eyes that can see. The air is cool off the water, low in humidity, thanks to the storms that had come through in the last few days.
On the Blue Rover, changed from Red Rover, the lights on the sailboat are dark at the moment. Kurt's not planning on taking the boat from the slip, but that can change at any moment of course. There is movement on the other boats in the other slips, but nothing that would really gain attention. (After all, who would want to associate with a blue, furry demon? What would one tell their friends at the cocktail parties?)
Kurt is on his boat, sitting on the mainsail's spar, his tail wrapped about the beam. He's got a beer in his hand, a glass undoubtedly warmed to room temperature, that is presently half full.. or is that half empty? Regardless, it's a happy elf that sits upon the spar, his bare feet kicking back and forth slowly, casually.
If it's Kurt, it's half full. He's just that type of guy.
A shimmering purple portal appears on the bow, the glow on the other side of it a warm and cheery incandescence from the familiar confines of Amanda Sefton's apartment. For reasons perhaps not so apparent, the woman's not much willing to cross through the quays on foot, these days. Thus, she uses her own form of transport. And it sure as hell beats a taxi.
The blonde sets foot lightly on deck. "Permission to come aboard, cap'n?" she calls, for all that she's already on deck, the portal winking out behind her. She raises a six-pack of import. "I come bearing gifts!"
Earlier... on the telephone, a conversation with someone across the pond is going poorly. A topic in the news had hit a soft heart, and a rift, well--
"I don't care if it's the bloody policy, that poor woman was desperate and nobody was there for her! -- I don't-- Brian!! I'm not /simple/, you've said this a dozen times and -- What d'you mean if I paid taxes I'd - What!! How can you TALK like that! I-- Well then GO and do your particle experiments!!" Meggan had said, a complex welling of emotions having borne up and probably agitated the grade 10 dorm sector, as she was pacing around outside of it.
When some conciliatory words came through the phone, it was too late. END CONVERSATION. Meggan drew her hand back to pitch the telephone - and then paused, seeing the voice mail light come on. She pushed it, blinking twice, raising the phone to her ear. Listening with surprise, and then... with intensity.
AND NOW!
Meggan had to take the bus and then walk, having opted not to fly her way through the air (it'd be a little rude, after all, and the sun's still up). She shades her eyes near the edge of the waterfront, and well, Kurt DOES stand out. She begins to skip her way down along the dockway, easily spotted but some distance yet from the gangplank.
Kurt doesn't even have to turn around when he feels that familiar, warm, tickling sensation at the fuzz at the back of his neck. His smile appears, and he bends over backwards, looking still as if he's sitting upright, his position not altering other than his orientation, and he calls out, "Ja.. permission granted, liebling. Though I would dare say that if I did not, I would be sleeping here tonight und I would not get the beer." He's teasing, of course! Honest!
"Come und get comfortable."
With that, Kurt reorients himself such that he's sitting back.. up.. facing the.. correct(?) direction.
Catching a familiar pace now, Kurt stands upon the spar, only to climb a little higher on the mast, playing in the ropes and canvas. "Yarr! I see ye!"
"You're right," Amanda says to Kurt, flashing a grin as she meanders her way to the base of his mast, staring straight up at him. "Herr Eichmann said to say hello." The owner of an exquisite microbrewery just outside of Düsseldorf the pair had the pleasure of meeting some years ago.
As he goes into the whole pirate routine, however, the sorceress glances over her shoulder toward the gangplank. "Meggan!" She grins upon seeing the shapeshifter approaching. Then, to Kurt, she adds, "Good thing I brought enough to share."
"Hallo!!" Meggan cries out, before she runs the rest of the way and pivots around, skidding to a halt at the gangplank - perhaps having gotten THAT one taught to her - and looks up at the blue captain, raising a single index finger to wave in mock admonition.
"Kurt Wagner, you should have said something! I'd been completely in that book and the courses and I hadn't even spotted that you weren't about, and now I find you here with a new boat!" She gives Amanda a beaming smile and vigorous wave, before clearing her throat. "May I board your -" She leans back, tilting her head, and frowns thoughtfully for a moment upon sighting the name on the back. "Blue Rover?"
Ice cream. It makes the world go 'round. Alright, maybe it doesn't have quite the global sway as that, but it can still motivate people of all ages. TJ's just lamenting over the fact that it's also gone. Definitely one of the highlights of her afternoon.
That stage of her day may be past her now but it's hardly the end of her being able to enjoy her time in this reality. While Kurt's got himself stuck to the mast she's got herself stuck to the bow, beneath the deck. She's just barely above the shallow, rippling waves, peering intently down at the fish as they swim past. Occasionally she'll give one a run for the money when she tries to spear it with the spade tip of her tail, just to keep them on their proverbial toes.
Some people enjoy walking on the beaches. It's really not that different!
The announcement of another has her crawling along the outer curve of the boat's hull, poking her pointy-eared and yellow-eyed head up from the edge of the deck. "Company, ho!"
Kurt is attached to the top of his mast, and looking at the rigging, uses the rope to slide down, opening the sail a little as he does so. (It's not specifically built to hold his weight, but hey! It is his!) Landing on the deck, his grin echoes Amanda's, showing those pointed canines, and he finishes what is left in his glass, setting it to the side on the railing. "Herr Eichmann is a artist.." and to show his appreciation of such art, his hand reaches out for a bottle.
He's caught mid-grab, however, by Meggan's approach. The smile turns.. lopsided. Dramatically sheeping, but there's truly no feeling of contrition there, and he finishes the reach for the bottle and hands it out to the newly arrived. "Beer?" As if that'll make it all better? "Ja.. come aboard, und I'll explain.. I swear." And he even crosses his heart!
TJ, now.. Kurt just.. shakes his head as he looks to his 'daughter', now loved as if she were truly his own, and laughs. "Ja.. I see that. Come, und stop poking the fish." Mind, it's a favourite pasttime of his.. poking goldfish as they surface whenever he sees an unprotected tank!
Amanda laughs as TJ's call rings out. "Or, maybe I didn't," she says, as to having enough to share. Ah well. She passes a bottle to Kurt. "Don't you already have a stein?" she comments, noting that he did have. But, it's obviously been discarded in favour of Eichmann's finest.
"How are you, Meggan?" she smiles Kurt give her permission to board and is properly chastised for his unannounced departure from the X-Men. Even her ties are looser than they were, now. But, there's easy comfort in the company of teammates from a different time in their lives.
"Maybe if it's quite a bit," Meggan muses. After this, she comes aboard, saying to Amanda with a chest-heaving sigh, "Oh, I'm in /quite/ a mood, I don't want to talk about it, I think..." At which point, she continues on blithely enough, "I had a horrible row with Brian, it was /awful/, I was nearly in /tears/ before I got that message from Kurt--"
She then looks at TJ with some surprise, before beaming at her as well. "Hullo! Kurt, introduce me!" Perhaps it's his sister? she thinks to herself.
TJ crawls up through the railing and gets back to her feet, bare for the time being. The large black boots set aside on another part of the deck are probably hers. Any lingering water is flicked clear of her tail with a quick, agitated motion behind her, though the rest of her presentation is as open and friendly as a fresh, sunny Spring day.
Good thing that Meggan's moment of sounding upset has passed them all by or she'd start to feel like she emotionally over-dressed for this conversation.
When the call is given for Kurt to make the introductions she passes her line of sight back to the other blue-inspired individual, narrows her eyes slightly, and--
-Foomp!-
--is suddenly standing right beside Kurt. Facing the wrong way. With the thick cloud of sulfur dissipating into the air she suddenly has to reach out and catch him by the shoulders, hiding the wince that threatens to pass across her face. "Oof..hello there. Mind the bamf."
Kurt opens the bottle expertly, popping the cap off without a church key, and immediately takes a swallow. He pauses to savour it, and for a long couple of heartbeats, those glowing yellow eyes are closed. They do reopen, however, and his smile is most certainly a grin of the most sublime pleasure. "He hasn't changed his recipe."
Meggan's despair, however, gains Kurt's attention, and he tries to make sense of the commentary.. his brows rising. "You und Brian.. Oh, I am sorry liebchen.. if I can-
Foomp!
Foomp?
Suddenly, TJ is right before him, and he puts out a hand reflexively to catch his daughter, trying to anchor her as if making sure, willing her not to teleport again- unless she so willed it. "Herz-- ah.." and the smile reappears. One of pride. "Look at you.."
Returning to Meggan, Kurt looks.. as if he's trying to find the words.. and he simply comes out with it. "Meggan, this is Talia Wagner. My daughter.. well, from another dimension, but she's a good likeness, don't you think? The nut isn't falling far from the tree?"
Foomp?
Amanda grins at TJ as the blue girl steadies herself. "Oh, someone's learned a new trick, I see..." Not, mind, that the sorceress got the same complete rundown of abilities from TJ that she did from Merle. But she's had greater opportunity to observe TJ in the field and the girl's never displayed that ability before.
She places the remainder of her six pack on a nearby box, pulling one of the warm bottles for herself. "No. He hasn't," she grins at Kurt. "Help yourself," she says to the others. "Fresh from Düsseldorf not an hour ago." There's an advantage to portals, yes.
She gives Meggan a lopsided smile, with empathy in her eyes. "I'm sorry to hear things with Brian aren't so good, right now. But, you're certainly among friends, here."
The topic of Brian is left aside in Meggan's mind for the moment as she raises her hand to cover her mouth, almost as if shocked. She's smiling with her eyes though, and she says finally, as she lowers her hand, "I do see a bit of a resemblance now that you mention it." To Talia proper she steps forwards, clasping her hands before her.
"Hel-LO! I am terribly glad to meet you; my name is Meggan and I've been studying at the Professor's school, but I've known Kurt for quite some time, at least the one in this dimension of course. I'm curious what I'm up to in your dimension if you aren't fleeing from it, of course, don't feel that you have to dig up old memories if it's a terrible sort of place or there's a star war on or anything like that!" Then she pauses, before estimating, and guessing aloud, "I suppose you aren't allowed a beer in America, are you?"
And with that she walks over to collect one herself, opening it up. She lets out another chest-heaving sigh at Amanda's words. "Ohhh... well really it's just that he can be so heartless about some things. Nothing, I mean, nothing /wicked/, just..."
"Try not to look too intently."
TJ rolls her eyes at Kurt's introduction, saying loud enough for everyone to hear "That's not how the saying goes, Dad..."
She gets herself righted and straightened out with a tiny shake of her head, scattering deep indigo braids back into some semblance of order as her smile returns, slightly less vibrant than before the cross-deck foomping. "It took a bit of detective work to uncover it. That's only the third jump."
From the looks of things she's still trying to adjust herself to such an ability, too. There's a twitchiness in her limbs and a look about her not unlike someone realizing that they are about to feel seasick. Still, practice is practice.
The greeting from Meggan is downright surprising. It's rare to find anyone that can keep pace with TJ's rampant positive energy, and even more unlikely to find someone that can surpass it! The hand in greeting is received in turn, any ill feelings getting pushed aside as the proverbial light behind her own demeanor clicks back to life, complete with dainty fangs in her 'holy crap that's bright' smile amidst a sea of blue.
"Not sure that I could tell you! I've spent so much time skipping across various timelines that I can barely remember myself some days. A few things have remained consistent at least, such as my inability to ask for permission."
Just like that her tail's got a beer within easy reach of herself, not even looking as she reaches back and hooks the neck between two thick fingers to bring it front and center.
"Ja," Kurt nods to Amanda. "She did.." but he lets it go at that. After all.. he'd taught her very much like Mystique had.. sort of taught him, and provided a safety net very much like Azazel had. So not thinking too hard about it all. Nuts truly don't fall far from the Wagner tree! And, truth be told? He's not really willing to recount the hows and whys... just that it had been done, and they were successful!
Thank God.
"Nein.. he's not. Brian just gets.. very into his work," Kurt agrees.
When he makes sure that TJ is on her feet and isn't about ready to lose or toss anything, Kurt approaches Meggan to give her a brief hug in greeting, and of sympathy. "Well, I'm glad you came here. I wanted to tell you that I wasn't there, but.. well.. leaving notes was a bit hard. So," and here, he offers a smile, "Voice mail works a little better." Not the best way, certainly, but!!
TJ gets a look again, and as her tail catches the beer, his smile brightens again to catch her own lightening of mood. That's his girl! "It is when you are a Wagner, Herzchen.."
Though now that they're all aboard and they've got drinks, Kurt gestures towards the bow of the boat where there's a little sitting area. "Come und sit.. und I'm certain that we could use to get each other up to date as to what we've been doing, ja?"
Amanda leaves off the talk of Brian, now. They all know him well enough to know how he gets. Well. Alright. TJ doesn't. But she's a smart girl. She'll get the drift.
She follows Kurt toward the bow of the boat, finding a corner in which to settle -- leaving the perching to the Wagners. "So, what have you been up to, Meggan?" the sorceress says, now, turning toward the perkiest among them (and, yes, that's saying something given the irrepressible blue company). "I haven't see you since that trip down to Florida." You know... where they hauled Kurt's tail out of a mutant zoo.
"Ooh, so you've been to a great many!" Meggan says, before opening the beer and taking a healthy swig, then resting her bottom on a nearby railing. Her outfit has been decidedly civilian (and heretofore left undescribed) and she takes a moment to slightly adjust the T-shirt.
Brian is left alone, in favor of a pout at Kurt. "You've been gone for so long and I was reading that bloody /book/! I mean did anyone ever really talk like Tom Sawyer? It was a good story but it was certainly awful to just wade through everything. It was like half a Western, half a... a I don't even know."
Another sip. This time she looks towards Amanda. "Well," she says, "studying mostly, really, I mean that's very demanding a lot of the time and it's what I came here to do... ummm... I did do a bit of a tutorial, that's what they call them? With a video camera, on polymorphic... um... Well, how to change your shape and visualize things better, you know?"
"Technically I've helped fix a great many, to various interpretations of the word 'fix,'" TJ replies to Meggan. The British tones in her presentation are impossible to miss, which brings up some memories all on its own.
As the others start moving across the deck she follows along, this time walking the distance. She's already feeling tipsy enough without having had anything to drink, amateur teleporting can be an ugly profession!
Sure enough, up at the bow she comfortably settles into a crouch along the top of the railing. Even with her being slighly unsettled while upright on her feet, balancing on such a small surface doesn't appear to be nearly as much of an issue, even with the gentle rocking of the boat at large. Maybe the hunched posture makes up the difference.
"Oh hey, are you one of those metamorph sorts? I knew a few like that. It's neat to watch, every time."
Kurt, too, perches upon the bow, his tail swaying lightly, his three-fingered hand holding the bottle of beer from Dusseldorf gently, lovingly. With each swallow he takes, he pauses to savour it. Quality not withstanding, the alcohol content is a great deal higher than American beer, or even Canadian.. so that, in itself, is reason to care for the six-pack, now.. four? Three?
"I'm sorry, liebchen.. forgive me?" And now, Kurt sounds contrite, even if it is a little heavy on the theatrics. "I swear," and here comes the crossing of his heart again, "I will call und tell you where I'm off to. Ja?"
TJ, for her part, is given his attention, and he falls silent, though now, his tail reaches out to give his daughter a little bit of an anchor again. Woozy isn't the word for teleporting when one doesn't have the stamina built for it!
Amanda takes a swig of her own beer and smiles at Meggan's answer. "You know," she notes, "I was never one for Tom Sawyer, either." And she knows all about tutorials. "But, I did do a Magic 101 tutorial for some of the kids at the Institute not so long ago." She considers that. "Actually, speaking of... Kurt, TJ, do you remember the purple cat guy from that tangle downtown a couple of weeks back? I bumped into him again. The kid might benefit from your particular brand of teaching."
Meggan takes another sip. She, at least, isn't terribly floored by it - yet! - and she answers TJ cheerfully, "Oh yes, I am! It's quite a lark really. I'll show you in a moment if you like, I'm rather good at it. Of course others aren't as fortunate in their scope and... and..."
She pooches out her lower lip. "Kurt, how can I say their powers aren't quite the same as mine without sounding like I'm saying they're bad?" She raises her index finger again. "That is your punishment for just running off like that!" She straightens up to reach over, threatening to pinch one fuzzy blue cheek - and pausing for a moment to look curiously at the news of a purple cat guy.
TJ has to take notice with how sincere Kurt seems to be in making promises where this Meggan is concerned. She's never seen him act like this around anyone else. What's the deal? Something she can pester him with later, at the very least.
Meggan's response is more to the tune of "Sure, that sounds fun!"
Amanda's question just has her looking thoughtful. "Purple cat, purple cat... Sorry, all I remember is that guy dressed like a Rhino having a bad case of epic fail. I wound up missing a lot of the excitement back there, though I think I managed to win over the crowd. Bombed the quiz, aced the extra credit," she concludes with a show of two blue thumbs held up in front of herself.
"I don't recall.." Kurt offers to Amanda, his words coming slowly as he tries to remember. Still, it may not be all that important to recall, but moreso for what may be asked of him. "Ja? My particular brand of teaching?" A smile grows once again, showing fangs. "I am not always gentle, liebling." But perhaps that is the type that is meant?
Meggan's pout brings that smile to a grin, and he barks a laugh, shaking his head. "You can't say it as if you're not better than they. But, you are here, with us.. so you may say so to your heart's content. Und we are duty bound to agree, ja?" That pinch to his cheek gains another laugh, and he reaches up to brush that soft, smooth cheek of hers, the grin remaining easily. "My punishment? Tell me again how I am to do penance, liebchen, und you will find a willing subject. Unless, of course, it's to clean .. und .. well.. clean." No fun there!
Another laugh exits the fuzzy blue elf, and his tail gives his daughter a squeeze. "Ja.. I was quite impressed, actually. You did well on crowd control. They listened, even."
Amanda chuckles at TJ's recollection. "He dropped an anvil on the head of the electrical maniac," she says. "Likes to play the Cheshire cat, but has the confidence of a newborn kitten." She flashes a grin at Kurt. "I know. And he needs to toughen up a little. Good heart. Good instincts. Doesn't trust 'em worth a damn."
He'll learn, though. Whether it's the demonic duo that teaches him or the sorceress herself.
She also laughs lightly at Meggan's opinion of powers not hers. "Among us, my friend, you might as well just tell it how you see it. We know you, after all." No shields, that one. At least she's trying to be sensitive and polite. It wasn't always this way.
Meggan protests, as her cheeks color slightly, "Well I don't mean it as an INSULT, but it's terribly hard to say and I had to think about it a great deal, because not everyone's are the same!" She stays there vaguely nearish to Kurt, looking out towards the shore again with a mournful look on her face.
"So I had to be very vague and general and it was mostly about trying to imagine what you're being in a moment." The towards TJ, she offers, "Here, make a suggestion." A pause. "Should I do this inside, Kurt, though? I mean if we're still so close to shore..."
When Kurt starts going into a bit more detail about matters of punishment and penance, TJ's expression splits into something that's almost mortified, complete with hands covering her pointed ears. "Aw--gawd, gees, did not need to hear that! Get a room you two, seriously! A little warning goes a long way..."
Now that Amanda mentions the anvil from the heavens TJ's expression snaps into one of recollection. "Okay, yeah. I remember that part. Nothing quite like the ol' Wile E. Coyote approach to fighting nasties."
Suggestions? Color her intrigued. Or blue. Both are accurate. "Can you copy people? What about animals? Scenery? I don't think I can let you walk out of here without giving us a good Elvis impersonation."
"Then I will do what I can, liebling. If he wishes to learn." From the beginning. Ground up. Kurt's firm on basics, but then again, he's also very aware that Amanda is as well.
"Liebchen," Kurt begins, "Would you like me to take her out of port, und then we can have an evening of 'I bet you can't do 'this'? My cabinet is stocked, I believe.. und the night is young." That last bit is given with that grin, the pearly whites in stark contrast with the blue fuzz of his face, and the shadows.
The horrified response from his daughter, however, receives another laugh, and he elbows her before he *bamfs* over to the navigation area. "TJ.. get the bow line, und I'll get the stern.. the sails are down enough for us to back out.." Turning on the lights now, the reds and greens flicker on the sides of the ship. "We'll find a spot a little further out, und then drop anchor again."
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