I got a new way to live in the storm

[magneticfields]

» WHO? Magneto Henryk Gurszky & YOU (three open prompts, two closed)
» WHEN? Month of May, after the initial arrival
» WHERE? Various locations around the station
» WHAT? Some things Erik will be doing around the station during the month that your character can get involved with if it sounds interesting.
» WARNINGS? None now, and don't expect to need any. If shit gets weird I'll edit this to reflect that.



Who's gonna steam up all your dance halls (Pool Cleaning) Open

[ Erik stands at the edge of the pool, regarding the stagnant, stinky depths with undisguised disgust. He has a small bag of hand tools, mostly scavenged but a few he made out of scraps, on the floor at his feet. At the moment, it appears that he isn't doing anything, just lifting his hand at a slight angle and staring at the pool. He's searching the drainage system, making sure all the parts are able to move, and identifying where the blockages are.

This is going to be disgusting. ]

Who'll put your lilies in a vase (Door Opening) Open

[ After the conversation in the mess hall with Hermione, Erik wastes no time in finding the door she described on Deck 4. It's just as she said: locked tight. And a window revealing some kind of control room. It doesn't look big enough to be the main control room for the station, at least by Erik's estimation. Perhaps it's some kind of satellite location*. This should make it different from the other doors, again in Erik's estimation. So he sets to trying to pick the lock.

His hand hovers over the lock, fingers moving as he tries to find the tumblers and direct them in the right direction. He grits his teeth. This is harder than he expected. ]

When all the good men have had all their daughters (Playing Chess) Open

[ All work and no play, or whatever. He has downtime sometimes and doesn't sleep much. So when the mess hall is empty he carefully marks a chess board on one of the tables. Not too big, just big enough for two people to sit across from each other and play. The squares are marked by being either much shinier than the rest of the table, or much more matte. For the pieces he takes a couple place settings of silverware and makes them into hollow pieces just big enough to tell what they are. And magnetizes them so they don't float away.

This might be hard to explain if anybody really tries to press him on it. But stranger things have already happened on the station, so he's hoping anybody who notices just takes it in stride. He looks up when somebody else enters the mess, not smiling but his expression softer than usual. Also he's wearing his new casual clothes: a red plaid flannel shirt over a white tshirt and jeans. It's the small things that keep you going. ]

Fancy a game?

All the other men have fallen in with daisies (Roommate Meeting) Closed to Hawkeye

[ He returns to his room eventually. With a peace offering of a bottle of whiskey that's slightly less terrible than the rest of the bar stock. His reaction to Hawkeye's makeshift clinic wasn't the best, and now that there is a facility somewhere else for that sort of thing he feels the need to try to ease the tension somewhat. Luckily, Hawkeye seems like the sort of man for whom a bottle of liquor goes a long way on that front. ]

So what do you think about this roster business? Can't say I'm terribly impressed.

Well I don't wanna be the last one standing (Mutant Meeting) Closed to Rogue, Pietro, and Tommy

[ He might not know what all the acronyms and emoticons mean yet, but he has figured out how to send a private group text. Be proud of him, Steve. ]

Come to my quarters as soon as possible. We need to talk.

I don't wanna reach the bitter end (Wildcard)

[ Anything else you want to do with this guy that I haven't provided a prompt for? Go wild! Feel free to hit me up on Barbeauxbot if you want to brainstorm first. ]

*Heh.

Comments

mutant meeting

[supersonic]

Do you mean that literally?

[ "As soon as possible." Because, look. ]

I will be there in a few minutes.

[magneticfields]

You've seen the roster, haven't you? As soon as possible.

[supersonic]

[ Oh, please. Pietro seriously considers breaking the sound barrier on his way over solely out of spite, but decides to exercise a modicum of self-restraint.

(Instead, he takes a few minutes, out of spite.)

When he does roll up to Erik's door, it's at a leisurely pace, with his communication device in hand, rapidly tapping through the flurry of network activity. He knocks, but doesn't look up when Erik answers. ]

Are you back-talking Captain America? [ He's not even back-talking Captain America. ]

[magneticfields]

Took you long enough. I thought you were fast. Close that door behind you.

[ Yes, he's irritated. Peter is fast, too. He never would have taken so long. ]

I'm not back-talking a man who's half my age, no. We're discussing how to proceed. And that's what I wanted to talk to you about.

[supersonic]

[ That at least gets him to look up, with a slight clench of the jaw he feels he deserves an award for managing in place of sonic booming anyone in the face. ]

He fought in the war, he isn't half your age.

[ Even if you are old as time, says his tone, although this Erik, with his hair dye, Pietro is admittedly less sure about.

Still. How to proceed. He does shut the door behind him, if only to give him half a moment to collect his thoughts. ]

I thought I might train with him. Not join up, or whatever he is proposing, but--

[ You know. Spar. Expose the full extent of his abilities to a collection of near or total strangers who might try to kill him. Whatever. ]

pool!

[warcried]

You're not thinking of diving into that, are you?

[ a smallish man with shoulder-length dark hair steps up next to erik, expression gently interested, glancing to his lifted hand. it's.. pretty apparent that he's not actually planning to swim in the murky water, but he's not quite sure what he is doing.

the hand gesture is a little familiar, though, as is the look of concentration on the stranger's face. it reminds him a bit of students in the temples, but he has no sense of the force in this man. very curious. ]

[magneticfields]

[ Erik glances at the man who just arrived. ]

As much as I would like to avoid contracting typhoid, I may have to. Whatever is clogging the drain has to be cleared. This thing is a breeding ground for infection.

[ He's not exactly rushing in. This is going to be disgusting.]

[warcried]

[ oh, so he's planning to clear it somehow? he's not sure how he's going to do it without tools, but he has a feeling it has something to do with the pose revan found him in. ]

Maybe I can help with that, then.

[ he takes a moment to glance around the room--it's big enough to make this doable, he thinks--before his glance returns to the pool itself. for a few moments, there's nothing, just the slight twitch of his fingers against his outer thighs. but then the water starts moving-- just a little at first, beginning to sluggishly swirl in the center. it quickly becomes a whirlpool, then grows into a column of filthy water, spinning like a miniature, contained tornado, which grows as it takes more and more of the dirty water, spreading thinly overhead.

eventually, revan is finished, and there's no more than a few inches of water remaining in the deep end of the pool, where the column of water continues to gently spin. he glances aside at erik, then, hand spreading in invitation, lips quirking up. ] Be my guest.

[magneticfields]

[ Erik watches as the man somehow turns all the water in the pool into some fetid cyclone. It's impressive, though disgusting. He picks up his meager bag of hand tools and climbs down into the pool. Which is still damp and slimy but at least he isn't diving into muck. The drain is easy to find. The wads of muck give way easily to his flathead screwdriver, but there's a lot of it. And there still may be tougher things under that. He glances up at the water still circling above his head, then back at the man. ]

How long can you keep that up? And be honest. If you're trying to impress me: I'll be far more impressed if I don't end up suddenly at the bottom of all of that.

Chess

[subplot]

[Karen's only here to get some coffee. Or what passes as coffee at the mess hall, anyway. She's been up for way too long working on lists of incidents around the station, and she needs the caffeine to keep going. But there's definitely something to be said about all work and no play, because his invitation definitely is appealing. It's the sight of actual clothes that get her to stop and look him over long enough to hear his question.]

You look good.

[Much more relaxed than the last time she saw him, that's for sure. So she gives him a smile and a nod, slipping into the chair across from him.]

How did you manage to make this?

[magneticfields]

[ Erik waits while she scrutinizes him, regarding her impassively. He has no idea what she is looking at him so closely for, and he does not especially care for it, but better to wait before reacting.

He wasn't expecting a compliment, and it takes him a moment to respond. Luckily, she asks another question and he can respond in a way that doesn't quite explain what he did. ]

Just appeared.

[ He shrugs. He means the clothes, and so isn't technically a lie. ]

I'm not sure if I should be suspicious of anything that makes this place feel more normal. But I'm also sorely lacking in creature comforts.

[subplot]

[She makes note to look into the random appearances of clothes and other things around the terminal. It gives her something else to focus on.]

I don't think there's anything wrong with setting suspicion aside long enough to appreciate it. Just as long as you don't forget how intrusive it is that clothing in your exact size just appeared at random. It's almost like they just have these things sitting there waiting for us. Like cheese to motivate the lab rats.

[Her attention shifts from him to his chess set, and she reaches out to touch at one of the pieces.]

Do you mind if I play a round with you?

[magneticfields]

Or just keeping us sane.

[ Erik shrugs. ]

Humans need recreation. If it's not available, we'll create our own. [ Which is exactly what he did, ironically enough. But if he admits that, she'll want to know how. And he's not going to tell her that. He smiles and gestures to the seat opposite him. ]

By all means. Do you play often?

chess

[monomachy]

[For as much of the station as she's explored, Diana can confidently say that she is no closer to unlocking any of the mysteries--or doors--that have presented themselves. People hallucinating from the food, hearing screaming in the walls, finding things crawling beneath their skin... it's all a little much all at once, even for her. She's spent a day or two just trying to acclimate herself, to find quiet spaces where she can stop and think about what to do.

At this time, the mess hall is usually one of those places. But she is not alone, something that both relieves her and makes her a little anxious. At least seeing who it is makes the former takes precedent, and she offers a smile, eyeing the makeshift board. The layout is familiar to her, if the pieces are not.]

I would, but a game of what?

[magneticfields]

[ Erik is pleased to see that Diana has happened upon him. His initial meeting with her was less than ideal. Disoriented and trapped in a box, neither were terribly interested in making friends. But she had freed them by punching her way out of the box, something Erik has not forgotten.

Plus she's one of the most beautiful people he's ever met. That doesn't hurt. ]

Chess.

[ He smiles slightly, though her question does puzzle him. The game is definitely older than Big Ben. ]

I can explain it to you, if you like. I'm always interested in pleasant opponents.

I'M BACK

[monomachy]

[At the invitation, Diana settles herself on the table opposite him. It still feels strange wearing something besides her armor, but it will do for now. She eyes the board once more before turning her gaze back to him. She remembers him as well, and the strange way he'd simply seem to know the massive size of the structure they were in. It could have been a guess, but something in her gut tells her it's something else. What, she cannot say. But perhaps he will, eventually.]

I've never heard of chess, but I've seen games like this before, I think.

[She flashes a smile, brilliant despite the relative gloom of the situation.]

And I'm always interested in a challenge. Tell me about the game.

YAY I MISSED YOU

[magneticfields]

[ He's trying to be polite and not ask too many prying questions, but she keeps saying things that make no sense. Apparently, this is what breaks him. ]

The point of the game is to capture your opponent's queen. But, forgive me for being blunt, you have never heard of chess?

[ Never played he could accept. But never even hearing of it? ]

It's the most common board game in the world.

a DOORS song here

[mutants]

[ She may have arrived fashionably late but she picks up the gist quick enough to compensate, she thinks. Abduction. Space. Perpetrators unknown. As long as it's not aliens, she can keep from losing her mind, maybe. Parts of this, she's kind of used to, and everyone she's met so far has been in some way remarkable, "other" -- mutant. She'd go ahead and assume some Twilight Zone shit, that she's one of several mutant rats in an elaborate maze to be observed for research or entertainment, except humans really aren't that subtle. If you're gonna experiment on a mutant, that mutant's gonna know about it. Half the point is gloating.

Without resources and likely to shoot someone with the loose screw she's carrying in her palm, Lorna gives herself the task of trying door after door on deck after deck. It gives her an outlet for her anger, wrenching at them waves of magnetism, even if they whine at worst and the only ones that crinkle or budge lead to dead end supply closets. At the same time, she starts to get the lay of the place, so it's not a total waste of time.

When she hits deck four, it's no skin off her nose to crashing someone else's coping-slash-snooping time. Lorna scans the inside of the room through the glass as she approaches him, having already clocked from a distance that he's favoring finesse where her technique is force. Because no glowy green stuff around his hands. ] What's in there?

Break on Through

[magneticfields]

[ He feels her approach before he sees her. Rolling waves of magnetic fields fueled by seething anger. It's not exactly the same as his, though it is shockingly familiar. He's never met anybody who could do what he did. Even Jean's abilities were telekenisis, not ferrokinesis. He does his best to conceal his intense curiosity as he regards the young woman. Could she be another mutant? Or was this another variation, so close and yet so far?]

I don't know. I'm hoping not a hull breach, although it's moot if I can't manage to unlock the damned thing.

[ He glances at her hand. There's something beautiful about the green light, even as he can't quite figure out how it's happening. ]

You're welcome to take a crack at it, if you'd like. I haven't been having much luck.

[mutants]

[ And she does nothing to conceal that seething anger, concentrated on maintaining its simmer and blinded to his the subtle suit of control he's woven around himself of the same cloth. She accepts his invitation, however unneeded, with a jerky nod and a flex of her fingers. Normally, she would advise him to stand back. Lorna skips right to leering at the door, raising her palm past the lock to shove at the centre with intangible force. Green light threads around her fingers and the door frame, both sources bursting as Lorna clenches her teeth. The door doesn't even groan.

Frustrated, she calls to any metal that will listen on the other side. A drawer, losing its paper content in a fluttering mid-air stream, flies toward the glass and clatters to the ground without making so much as a crack. There's a little scratch, if one squints. ]

Come on! [ She smacks at the same spot the drawer hit. Same type of metal as the door, she's pretty sure, which hasn't started to make sense, as often as she's encountered this kinda thing. ]

[magneticfields]

[ Erik watches, intensely interested but keeping his expression neutral. The raw power she wields is impressive. She could do with a little finesse but such things are far more easily taught.

He examines the door after she's done for the moment. Almost entirely unperturbed by what had to have been a significant amount of force. ]

You scratched the paint.

[ It's part encouragement, part an attempt at humor to break some of the tension. He steps back from the door and looks at her again. ]

How are you doing that? Is it some sort of telekinesis? Gravity manipulation?

[ He knows how she's doing it. He doesn't know how honest she'll be with him. ]

mutant things, a million years late with no starbucks

[theycalledmeacurse]

[ Hopefully by 'as soon as possible', Erik meant within a few hours, because it certainly took as long for Rogue to finish her workout, get cleaned up, and grab something vaguely resembling a protein shake from the mess hall. (Very vaguely.) So two hours later, she's standing at his door, giving a good knock before taking a sip of the awful drink.

He might catch her making a face at it if he's lucky. ]

TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH (ic only ooc ilu)

[magneticfields]

[ Erik waves his hand and the door opens. ]

I'm sure you were doing something worthwhile.

[ This is sarcasm. He huffs a sigh. ]

We need to talk about this roster nonsense.

YOU DON'T RUSH A LADY (ilu2)

[theycalledmeacurse]

I was, actually.

[ Don't you give her that tone, Henryk. She's not afraid of you anymore and strength or no strength, she will smack you upside the head if you deserve it.

Stepping inside, she slips her hands into the pockets of her jumpsuit and gives a little shrug. ]

It's nonsense, what's there to talk about?

[magneticfields]

[ He gives her a flat look but doesn't argue further than that. They have bigger issues to discuss. He gestures to the couch, inviting her to sit down. He won't until she does.

Old World manners. ]

What's to talk about is what they are going to do with it.

[ He doesn't need to specify what "they". She knows. ]