2013.07.04 - Jono Meets Merle

Late morning in Mutant Town. The sun is shining, birds are singing, etc, and down the street come the sound of raised voices. Another typical day in the neighborhood. The mutant who sometimes goes by the codename of Chamber is out and about - unusually for him, since he's rarely spotted outside before noon. However, Jono's heard vague rumors and he just wants to keep an eye on the neighborhood, which means patrolling. In Jono's case, that means he's dressed in his customary black jeans, leather jacket and scarf - looking overdressed considering the sunshine - and is idly ambling along the street to see what's what. The sound of raised voices does attract his attention and the shouting draws him, like a rather gothically clad moth to a flame.
On a nearby rooftop, Merle Margali Wagner is waking up from a nap after a late night of patrolling Mutant Town herself. After stretching she looks out over the streets as she considers getting breakfast. Just as she decides that she should change her clothing from her uniform to civilies she hears the sound of conflict nearby. Running across the roof she jumps off it, crossing an alley as she falls, catching her descent on the lower rail of a fire escape and then twisting off into the air to land on the lowest level where her weight causes the stairs to descend toward the ground as she looks down to assess the nearby situation.
Jono isn't exactly as... professional in his patrol as Merle. No uniform for him, just a look of vague interest as he draws close to the situation. It doesn't appear to be a major altercation - just a group of youths whose argument is spilling from the sidewalk onto the street. There's a small group of three teenagers, who all seem to baseline human, arguing with a pair of mutants. No major mutations here - one kid is sprouting fur, the other a small pair of horns from their forehead - and it's not immediately obvious what the argument is about as Jono draws closer. There's just a lot of raised voices and the occasional shove - one of which sends on of the human boys stumbling backwards towards Jono and he catches him by the arm to stop him falling. " <Hey, careful there,> " he warns in his telepathic tones and sets the boy more firmly on his feet.
Going for dramatic effect, Merle calls forth the sheen of Brimstone material around her body so that she blends into the shadows on one side of the alley and quietly walks towards the group. She releases the film as she steps out of the shadows at a point where everyone in the group can see her and gives the mutant kids a somewhat stern smile since they seem to be escalating the argument. She says nothing however -- since Jono was the first on scene she waits to see what his intentions are.
Jono shoots Merle a glance as she steps into view, but is immediately distracted by the guy who's arm he's gripping baking him off. "It's nothing, man. Don't get involved!" he snaps and walks away from Jono back to his group. Jono gives a vague shrug in response but doesn't reply, stepping closer and just using his presence to reinforce the numbers of the mutant kids. Various glances are thrown across at him and Merle, the shouting dwindling to an awkward silence as the kids are silently observed. Awkward glances are exchanged and finally the boy who Jono caught moves to leave. "C'mon, guys, let's get out of here," he mutters to his two companions.
"That's a smart idea, boys," Merle says to the young man and his companions as she crosses her arms beneath her breasts. Addressing them further she adds a subtle threat to her words by intentionally causing her eyes to flare with golden light, "I'm sure nobody wants any trouble this morning." As the eye flare fades she says, "Myself, I'm more interested in brunch," with a friendly quirk of her mouth.
There's nothing like standing and staring to make people feel self-conscious and Jono is the king of the awkward stare. He's not particularly physically intimidating - his psionic aura is just very good at making people feel uncomfortable. Add to that Merle's subtle threat and no one seems very keen on sticking around, including the two mutant boys. As the humans head in one direction, they mutter guiltily to one another and make a move to leave as well. At which point Jono breaks his silence. " <What was that about?> " he asks pointedly. One of the boys just glares at him and gestures dismissively. "None of your business, man! A girl.>" That seems to be the only explanation forthcoming and both of the mutants start walking away, leaving Jono to shake his head in exasperation and share a glance with Merle. " <Bloody kids. Still, probably a good thing they backed off,> " he muses. " <People tend to take offense when you start bangin' heads together.> "
As all the kids depart Merle relaxes and takes a deep breath. "No, they don't tend to react well to costumed fights in the streets," she says. Then she looks around at the foot traffic which is still moving around the area, still bypassing the small plot of sidewalk where the kids nearly came to blows, "Except when it is a bunch of kids about to mop the pavement with each other it seems." She shakes her head and sighs. "So... Chamber... want to join me for breakfast?" The code name is used casually and the pause, it was a moment of thought decideing on which name to use.
Jono's eyes narrow sharply when he's addressed by name and his gaze becomes more searching as he evaluates Merle. " <Do I know you?> " he asks quickly, then cocks his head to one side. There's definitely something familiar about Merle. An eyebrow flicks upwards as gears whirr in Jono's mind and he comes to some kind of conclusion. The wrong one, as it happens. " <Is that you, Kurt? Did you get turned into a woman or something?> " To be fair, it wouldn't be the weirdest thing to happen with the X-men.
Merle chuckles slightly. "No, I'm his daughter. Sort of. It's a long story, care to join me for brunch and I'll explain?" Another look around is followed with: "I should change, join me in the alley?"
She steps deeper into the alley and begins casting a spell. Waving her arms like a hula dancer, to the left and right two times each while chanting "Sicut vestem mutabis volo" (Latin, literally translates to "I want to change as dress") with her eyes closed, Merle is bathed in a wave of glowing purple energy which passes over her from head to foot. Behind the wave her uniform is gone, instead she is now clad in a t-shirt and acid washed flare jeans with Converse All Stars on her feet.
Jono squints in confusion as Merle mentions being Kurt's daughter and then the eyes widen at the mention of joining her in the alley so she can change. The response comes as a non-committal " <Uhhhh. >" It's impressive how vague even telepathic speech can be. But as Jono steps closer to the entrance to the alleyway, he catches sight of Merle's magical quick-change and his shoulders sag. " <Oh, magic. That explains a lot. Things always get weird when magic's involved, >" he concludes, then gives another expressive shrug. " <Anyway, if you know my name, you might know I don't exactly do brunch,> " he adds dryly.
Merle nods knowingly. "I know you don't do lunch but you wouldn’t mind my eating in your presence would you?" she asks as she adjusts how the t-shirt fits by performing what Star Trek fans call 'The Picard Maneuver'. "I'm feeling like a big breakfast."
Jono gives Merle another appraising stare without speaking. Just long enough that it tips into uncomfortable silence, but then eventually he gives a nod. " <Okay, I can do that,> " he agrees. Not the most friendly attitude, but he's perhaps understandably suspicious of a stranger claiming to know him. That and his paranoia levels are usually set at 11. " <So... uh... you are?> " he questions. Merle might know him but he doesn't know her name.
"Excellent!" She extends her arm to him and says, "Lets go to the Denny's down the street." Then, to answer the question asked of her she says, "My name is Merle. Merle Margali Wagner. I'm the daughter of Kurt and Amanda Wagner." And she waits for him to take her arm... or not.
Jono isn't exactly a touchy-feely person, not even with his closest friends, of which there are few, so the proffered arm just gets a blank stare and a nod. " <Sure. It's not like I'm fussy with my diet,> " he comments dryly and his hands slide a little deeper into the pockets of his jacket. " <Kurt, I know,> " he adds. " <Amanda Wa... oh, heh,> " he says as his brain whirs into gear and makes a mental connection. " <Interesting. So, what, you're from the future or sumthing?> " he asks, spurring into motion to pace in the direction of the Denny's indicated.
Merle nods and lowers her arm. As they walk down the street to Denny's she says, "Basically, yeah. Really more of an alternate timeline though because... well, this place isn't actually my past you see?" Jono's recalcitrance about the arm locking seems contagious and she falls silent -- unless spoken to further -- though the walk to the restaurant.
Jono gives a nod and the silence hangs in the air a moment as they walk towards the restaurant. Before it can grow too uncomfortable, however, Jono breaks it. " <Weirdly, that doesn't sound completely unbelievable,> " he admits. His body language is hard to read - he's restrained both in emotion and movement and his hands remain firmly shoved in his pockets as they walk. " <Do I want to know how you know me?> " he asks in a bland tone. " <Or the other me, anyway. Poor sod,> " he says, self-depreciatingly.
"Actually... you were one of my teachers," Merle says. "When my eldritch blast ability developed my parents called you in to help me master the ability." Even in Mutant Town her words draw some attention from the other pedestrians, but only looks. As they reach the restaurant she walks up to the automatic door and passes though it as it opens in front of her. Inside, she steps up to the pithy sign that reads "Please Wait To Be Seated".
Jono's eyes narrow at this revelation, then he raises a quizzical eyebrow. " <Master...?> " That doesn't sound like him. " <Maybe you should give me some pointers,> " he says with a nod. " <One way to teach yourself control, I suppose,> " he says with black humor. He follows Merle awkwardly into the restaurant, looking around. He hasn't seen the interior of a eatery for some time. " <Was I any good?> " he asks.
"Sure, you were brilliant. You helped me get it under control so that I wasn't zapping randomly in moments of anger." Then a waitress approaches and says "Come with me," in a droll, slightly whiny, tone of voice before guiding the two nineteen year olds to a booth. After she sets a menu down in front of each of them the waitress says, "My name is Monica, I'll be your server. I'll be back in a bit to take your order," and then walks away. As Monica departs, Merle says, "That's right, you must not have as much control as I remember you having..." as she picks up and begins looking through the menu.
Jono takes a seat in the booth opposite Merle and the hands finally leave his pockets, folding over his chest, or what there is of it, instead. He leans back in his seat, contemplating the answer and then eventually says, " <That's probably true. I doubt I could offer you much advice now. Apart from don't blow bloody great holes in yourself or others.> " He thinks a moment, then shrugs. " <Maybe I get it in the future. Or one of them, anyway.> "
"You were fine really, Jono." Merle continues to examine the menu for a bit then sets it down and looks for Monica for a moment. After they make eye contact and it is clear Monica will come over in a bit Merle looks back at Jono and says, "I never got the nerve to ask your older self this but.... did it hurt?" She nods in the direction of the hidden hole in his chest.
Jono's eyes widens and there's a moment of discomfort on what remains of his face at the question. " <You'd think so, wouldn't you?> " he replies eventually. Not that it's much of a reply. He looks away, looking for a distraction, at which point Monica returns and looks at them both expectantly. Jono meets her gaze and then gestures vaguely with his hand. " <Just a coffee, thanks.> " The request gets a confused look as Monica obviously realizes there's something off about the telepathic voice in her head, but instantly dismisses it and turns to Merle for her order.
Speaking to Monica, Merle says, "I'd like a Build Your Own Grand Slam with the wheat pancakes, seasonal fruit, hash browns and scrambled eggs. Also I'd like an order of Buffalo sauce chicken strips and two sides of bacon as well. I want some hot water for tea and a glass of orange juice." As Monica walks away shaking her head at the two teens, Merle says "I'm really hungry this morning," to Jono in explination.
Jono blinks at Merle slowly and nods. " <Apparently,> " he responds. " <Are you sure you've got room for all that? You're not hollow like me, are you?> " he asks rhetorically and glances around the restaurant again. It's a novelty for him. Clubs and bars, sure. Bur he hasn't set foot in a restaurant in years. " <You might just find out what it's like to explode after that lot,> " he adds, demonstrating that he's not perhaps entirely humorless about his own condition.
"Well, it's been more than twelve hours since I ate. Had dinner at eight o'clock last night you see." She chuckles softly at Jono's joke and then says, "It's not as much as you might think. As long as you mix fruits and proteins with your carbs like I did."
Jono narrows his eyes again, cocking his head to one side. " <If you say so, luv. If you say so. I'm out of touch with dietary requirements,> " he says blankly and stretches out in the booth. He unfolds his arms and drums gently on the table with his fingers, apparently about to say more, then Monica reappears. She drops an empty cup in front of Jono and pours in some coffee. "Black or white, hon?" she asks. " <Either's fine,> " Jono responds vaguely and gets a roll of the eyes in reply before Monica retreats again. " <So, what, you've been lurking in alleys all night?> " he asks, finally.
Merle looks though the collection of teas, seemingly unhappy with the selections available. "I was patrolling," she says idly. "Looking for trouble that needed 'shooting' so to speak," she adds with a wink and a smile.
Jono blinks again and again there's that slight questioning head cock. " <Not literally I hope,> " he responds. It probably wouldn't surprise him. " <But I'm glad someone's keeping an eye on things too. Can't always reply on the cops to keep things calm here. Sometimes they ain't exactly... diplomatic when there's trouble. And sometimes it takes a mutant to give other mutants much needed dings round the ear,> " he states. Mission statement.
Merle nods in agreement to the last and then answers the first. "No, not literally. Although a stunning eldritch blast will sometimes be applied when needed." Monica then returns to the table again with Merle's order even as she excitedly pulls out a package of Earl Gray tea and begins steeping it in the cup of hot water that was brought along with Jono's coffee. After laying out the plates for the blue girl the waitress walks away again.
Jono leans forwards slightly, again with the questioning look. " <Okay, eldritch blast... Do I want to know?> " he asks, blankly. " <Magic again, I'm guessin'? I don't really /do/ magic,> " he admits.
"No, you don't but I inherited the ability from my mother," Merle explains. "However, in addition to learned spells I developed an innate magical ability which we call Eldritch Blasts."
Jono nods, then pinches his nose as he considers the explanation. " <I dunno, magic stuff gives me a headache,> " he says blandly and reaches out to carefully set the cup of coffee to one side, otherwise untouched. " <I have a hard enough time with mutants. Aliens. Once you start throwin' in time travel and magic, I need to go for a lie down,> " he says. " <You've got all your bases covered there,> " he remarks, sounding almost cheerful for a moment.
Merle begins eating. She's not a delicate eater but she isn't crass enough to wolf them down either. "How about magical time travel due to the complication of Sentinel based temporal technology?" Yes, there's a mouthful to say and she follows it up by nibbling at one of her bacon slices, of which there are only four even if it sounded like she ordered a huge plateful.
Jono brushes his hands and makes to stands. " <At that point I'm afraid I'll have to leave,> " he says, pushing himself half upright, just long enough to suggest he might not actually be joking, before he subsides back into his seat. " <Best not to try telling me about still like that,> " he says with a wave of his hand. " <I don't even understand my /own/ powers.> "
"Yeah, it's a bit much isn't it?" Merle says, chuckling at the pseudo-departure joke. "By the way," she adds as she pulls a small card out of a pocket and slides it across the table to Jono. "Before I forget, this has my private line on it. I feel I owe you for your future-self's actions so if you ever need a hand or just a mate to listen give me a ring, ok?"
Jono hesitates and then extends a hand to take the card, flicking it between his fingers as he hold it. " <Thanks,> " he says, sounding genuine, but there's a hesitation in his tone. " <Uh... but I don't have a phone. Tends to be hard to make calls when you don't have vocal chords. It's all up here,> " he says, tapping the card against his forehead. " <But maybe I can send a text, eh?> " he says, trying not to rain on Merle's parade entirely.
"Hey, who actually talks on a phone anymore?" Merle says with a laugh. She is obviously embarrassed however because she was treating him like any other friend without thinking about his 'disability'. "Sorry, its just hard to think of you as disabled. I'm also used to you having a longer range."
Jono winces slightly at the definition, but moderates his reply. " <Oh, I wouldn't think of myself like that. I might not be able to make phone calls, but on the other hand, if I go swimming I can hold my breath a really long time,> " he jokes. Assuming it's a joke, anyway. In Jono's deadpan and with his air of gloom, it's hard to pinpoint exactly when he's attempting to be humorous.
Merle replies with a simple, "Good, cause you aren't," and then takes a sip of her tea.
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