Scared, [Late Night | Saturday June 6th] [Open!]

[Clarice Ferguson]

Blink.

She exited the portal with the stealth of a fox, the dark sky protecting her from sight. The black covered the pink in her skin that covered the entirety of her body from head to toe. An owl made a noise in the distance, spooking her, but she recovered from it quickly. Birds were the least of her worries right now. Right now, she needed to get to the mansion, barely visible from where she was, just outside of the property. She had decided to teleport herself off campus, unsure of whether or not there would be safety precautions in effect, but she was close enough to see that yes, there was, in fact, a mansion standing.

Quickly and quietly, she began walking along the dirt path to the front gate, closed at this time of night. She reached out and held on to the cool metal bars, trying to push them open. A creaking noise was emitted, causing her to let go. Refocusing her eyes, she stared past the iron gate, checking to see if there were lights on in the mansion. It was late, but she figured somebody had to be up. There was no way she could stay out in the wilderness all night, not in a world she didn't quite understand yet.

Not wanting to make anymore noise, she reached over her back and carefully removed one of her small javelins from its quiver. In the dark, she could barely see it until she put pressure onto the handle, when it suddenly began to glow pink. The light emitting off of it was enough to light up the area around her, giving it a creepy feel. Shivering, Clarice gently pressed the javelin against the left side of the gate, causing it to disappear into the portal, reappearing a few yards up.

Smiling, she stepped onto the property, and repeated the task with the relocated gate, to put it back in its place. Honestly, she was surprised it had worked at all. Usually things like that went wrong. She figured that it was just going to make up for the rest of her evening, and the next few days, as she knew she would have to explain herself to countless people. Licking her lips, she forged ahead, walking along the path to the front door. As she approached, she could feel the nerves getting to her, a feeling in the pit of her stomach that seemed to shout 'don't do it!', but there was no other choice.

As she stood in front of the school, dim porch lights lit up the area, and Clarice let out a quiet sigh. “Here goes nothing,” she whispered, more to reassure herself than anything, and she lifted up her fist.

Knock, knock, knock.

She had to cringe—she didn't expect it to be as loud as it was. She wanted it to be heard in the vicinity, not all over the mansion, but if nobody was awake...

Abruptly, she knocked again. And again. She couldn't help herself. She was afraid now—afraid of an unseen enemy, something lurking in the shadows, waiting for her to drop her guard. She considered leaving, perhaps coming back in the morning, but she had already knocked... somebody was bound to come...

Her mouth slightly ajar, she lowered her fist, and stepped back, directly under the shining light. She cocked her hands behind her back, clenched in fists, at the ready. Her enemy was going to strike soon, she was sure of it. The paranoia inside of her was steadily growing as she waited for the door to the mansion to open.

She was alone. That was her biggest fear.

((Open to all--though, a staff member/X-Man would be preferred.))

[Jean Grey-Summers]

Jean had been in her office going through paperwork, rubbing her tired eyes, and completely ignoring the fact that her husband had been poking his head in every ten minutes for the last hour. She had finally told him to just got to bed, that she'd be there in a little while. But she wanted to be done with all of this. The sooner that she could finish her classes, the sooner that she could quit being too busy for her own good.

She had just leaned back in her chair, resting her eyes for a minute when she heard a knock on the front door. Confused, and jostled, Jean sat up, not instinctually reaching out telepathically to see who it was. In fact, Jean was completely freaked out. She glanced at the time on her computer, 10:48. No one would be outside of the mansion right now. At least not anyone that didn't have a key.

At the second, and third knocks, Jean stood up, finally using her power to 'see' who it was at the door. Of course, she couldn't recognize the mental signature. What she did recognize was the fear radiating off of the woman. Jean hurried to the door, opening it quickly.

"Hi---" She trailed off at seeing the woman standing in front of her. Pink skin...Pink hair...Lots of pink. Making her obviously a mutant. "I'm Jean Grey-Summers. Welcome to Xavier's." A quick, and noninvasive mental scan told Jean that for the most part she needed be worried about the woman, but she also wasn't quite sure she was ready to let the woman in yet. Something about the pink woman set Jean a little on edge. "Can I help you?"

((Set it at 11:00 so that Jean can get it before her swim with Bobby. Hope that's alright.))

[Lucas Bishop]

The night was quiet, almost peaceful. The quiet sounds of the wildlife on the grounds reassured Bishop that there wasn't anything lurking out there. Not that it meant he wasn't doing his usual nightly rounds. But after weeks of nothing having happened he was starting to find a routine that let him be watchful without being constantly on edge.

Until he heard the front gate creak. The mansion was in excellent repair as far as he could tell, the gate wouldn't make that kind of noise just from the wind, which meant that someone or something had pushed up against it. There was a good chance it was nothing much, but that was not a chance that Bishop was going to take. Crouching low against the side of the house he jogged swiftly towards the corner that blocked his view of the front lawn, pistol drawn and eyes hard.

Once he hit the corner Bishop came spinning around it in the kind of textbook maneuver most people would only recognize from cop shows. His chunky gun came up perfectly level and centered on the head of the figure he could see outlined in the door.

"Don't know who you are, but don't move." he big man growled. His hands tightened visibly on the butt of the gun, and his narrowed eyes watched carefully for any sign of trouble. He could see that someone was standing in the door, which made it doubly important that nothing went wrong. Had he not been facing what looked like a young girl, all mutations aside, Bishop would have likely just fired and been done with it.

[Clarice Ferguson]

There were many scenarios running through Clarice's head, not all of them particularly inviting. Clarice had visited enough realities to know not to anticipate anything set in stone, everywhere was different in one way or another, and that she shouldn't draw on face recognition to get her places—for all she knew, people she considered friends could be enemies.

When the door opened and the woman introduced herself as 'Jean', nothing clicked. She didn't know a Jean, which put her off to a good start. “My...” she began, unable to keep eye contact with the woman. Sheepishly, she looked down at the ground and took a breath before continuing. “My name is Clarice Ferguson. I...”

Once again, she paused, unsure of what to say next. In most conversations, it wasn't a good idea to start off with 'I'm from another dimension', because panic would ensue, but what else was there? She was grasping at straws. Eventually, they would need to know that she wasn't from here—hell, they probably already knew. What if she encountered herself in this dimension? “I'm from another reality,” she croaked out, looking up at the red-haired mistress with a pleading glance. “I mean you no harm, I--”

"Don't know who you are, but don't move." The suddenness of the voice startled the already jumpy girl. She cocked her head in the direction it came from, and unable to see anything, panic settled further in. Rubbing her fingers coarsely together, she opened one of her portals next to her and moved inside, with a blink.

((She's still on the property, I assume. And great job Ogre, scaring her off like that, sheesh. ))

[Jean Grey-Summers]

The look on the girl's face further explained to Jean that the girl was no harm to anyone in the mansion. At hearing her name, Jean smiled, preparing to welcome her in, get a little bit more information, before the woman's next words sank in. "Another...Reality?"

Not the first time she'd heard that, but it was still unsettling. "Why don't you-" She was interrupted by a voice that she definitely recognized. The girl looked around, and then...was gone.

*Oh well, isn't that great.* She thought to herself as she stepped outside onto the porch, looking towards where the voice had come from, "Lucas, I understand your desire to protect us from whatever happened in your reality, but you just managed to scare off an obvious mutant. And who knows where she went." She closed her eyes for a moment, scanning the grounds carefully for the unfamiliar signature. Finding her, she opened her eyes, looking at Bishop, "Put your gun away. She's not a threat. At least not now, and I promise I will know before she becomes one, alright?"

Her voice was a little harsher than it probably should have been, but to be honest, Jean wasn't really caring. Sure, she understood what he was doing, but she also was slightly annoyed at the fact that he seemed to believe they didn't have a decent handle on the who security thing.

"Now, if you want to, follow me, but be nice. And don't pull out that gun again. And for the love of all things holy, if that thing gets fired and the person is innocent, I will not be a happy Jean Grey. And you don't want me to not be happy." She finished. She walked quietly to where she had sensed the young woman, close to the gardens, and held a hand up for Bishop to slow down.

"Clarice? I'm sorry about that. It's alright, we don't want to hurt you. And I believe you don't mean us any harm either. Come with me inside, and we will talk, ok?" She spoke, her voice quiet and hopefully calming to the woman.

[Lucas Bishop]

Catching flak for being cautious was becoming as much a routine for Bishop. He didn't make an effort to reply with more than a grunt, though he did holster the weapon. There wasn't any point arguing his case, he'd have to be proven right by time.

There might have been no point arguing, but there was also no way Bishop was going to let Jean go and face an unknown mutant who'd just demonstrated that she had at least one high-end power. The big man fell into step behind Jean, stalking along like an overly aggressive bodyguard.
"If I didn't know how to handle it I wouldn't use it. I've also got no interest in seeing innocent people hurt." He replied quietly but firmly to the second part of Jean's reprimand. He'd let people criticize his caution, but never his competence or professionalism.

Despite the harsh reply Bishop followed Jean's lead when they finally found the intruder. he slowed his pace enough to fall back a yard or two, and remained carefully quiet. That didn't mean he was happy about the situation or in any way relaxed. The big man was eying Clarice over Jean's shoulder as if he was daring the girl to make a wrong move. At least his hands weren't near the gun holstered over his shoulder.

[Clarice Ferguson]

She reappeared in the bushes a little ways off from the entrance to the school. Crouching down, Clarice remained completely silent, not wanting to get herself caught by whoever that man was, she couldn't tell in the darkness. The voice didn't instantly sound familiar, but she tried to remember she wasn't home anymore, she didn't know everybody. In fact, she didn't know anybody here, she needed to keep telling herself that.

The woman known as Jean seemed amiable enough. Trustworthy. In the darkness, she could make out her figure, as well of that as a man—the same one as before?—heading in her direction. Curling herself up further, she waited for them to make the first move. She already had the upper-hand, not only being able to see them, but being able to teleport away from them in a moment's notice if anything were to happen. She was told not to move by the voice that had scared her off. If it was the same person, she knew the encounter wouldn't be friendly.

Needless to say, Clarice was spooked when the Jean woman seemed to know exactly where she was. At first, she hadn't found it strange that they were heading in her direction, but exactly? She must have been a telepath. “I mean you no harm,” she repeated aloud, still not looking up from her hiding position. It was useless—they knew she was here, and with a telepath they could likely track her every movements.

Still, to be careful, as she stood, she made her quiver at the ready, almost considering taking one of her javelins as a form of protection. Opting against it, she was now standing at full-height in front of the two strangers, with a look of nervousness on her face. “Okay,” she said after a few moments of silence, and taking a small step forward. “I'll come with you...”

At this point, she really had no other choice.

[Jean Grey-Summers]

Jean gave Bishop a look, but didn't say anything in reply to his statement about his gun. She believed that he knew how to handle it. Just not in the world he was in these days. He didn't seem to understand that people came to the mansion for help these days more often then they came for harm. She knew that there was also no way that he was going to leave her alone with Clarice.

She watched carefully and cautiously as the young woman stepped forward and noted the hesitancy, along with the pack of something hanging on the girl's back. Deciding for the moment to let it go, she gave the girl a smile, "See? We don't want to hurt you either. My friend here is simply a little protective." She gave Bishop a smile over her shoulder, glad to see that while he still held his somber face, his gun was still away, and he was even good at pretending that he didn't want to reach for it.

Sure...a deep deep part of her was semi-grateful the Lucas and his gun were patrolling the mansion every night. Made her feel good and safe regarding the kids, and the team for that matter. However, she also wished that he would...lighten up. Just a bit. As it was she'd probably have a heart attack if she saw him smile.

She turned back to Clarice, gesturing for the woman to come further out of her hiding spot, and to follow her back into the mansion, "So, another reality? How did you end up here?" She asked as they headed into the mansion towards her office.

[Lucas Bishop]

Though he couldn't see Jean all that clearly in the dark, Bishop could see her well enough to interpret that look. And though he didn't like that she disapproved of him trying to keep her and hers safe, it didn't matter. He was just going to keep doing it.

In the darkness the big man couldn't make out much of the girl when they finally found her, and Bishop kicked himself mentally for not bringing a torch. He'd have to make sure he was carrying one at night from now on. It was a small mercy that that slip up hadn't caused any harm.

The conversation between Jean and the girl was secondary, Bishop only listened with half an ear. He was more concerned with watching the intruder's movements for signs of a threat and trying to figure out what the strange pack on the girl's back was. And since he couldn't, if she made a move for it then the gun was coming out and Jean could give him as many looks as she wanted.

The words 'another reality' jarred Bishop though. The big man grunted audibly in surprise, the first response he'd given since the mansion. For a moment his wary stance dropped, floored by the implications of another person from another world. Was she from his time? Another entirely? He had to know.

"What do you mean, another reality?"
Bishop wasn't the most diplomatic of people at the best of time, and now he was pressed by a sense of urgency.His words weren't a request for information, they were a demand for answers.

[Clarice Ferguson]

Clarice still couldn't trust them. She was unwilling to let her guard down, just in case. As much as they said they didn't mean any harm, she could never be sure. She took another step out of the bushes, slowly following the red haired woman as they walked back towards the mansion. She could feel the gaze of the large man hitting her, making her feel more uncomfortable than she had before. She was being eyed like a mischievous child, making sure she didn't take cookies from the jar on the top of the counter.

“Where I'm from, I'm called Blink,” Clarice explained quietly. “I'm a member of the Exiles... a group of mutants from other worlds trying to restore broken ones.” The description itself, she figured, wasn't the best one she could give, but she didn't know how else to explain it, especially if they were confused about the 'other world' situation in the first place.

“I originally came from Earth-295, where a man named Magneto created a group known as the X-Men to protect against Apocalypse,” she continued to explain. This was probably when it would start to get confusing. “I was... removed from reality there and became an Exile. Then I was sent here, and...” she paused, looking around at her supposed saviors, “and I don't know how to get home.”

Perhaps it was her nerves making her overreact, but upon explaining her story, Clarice suddenly felt very jumpy. What if they didn't believe her story, what if they thought she was tricking them? Stretching out her fingers, she proceeded to clench both her fists, watching Jean walking in front of her. She decided not to say another word, only to wait and see if they believed her.

If they didn't, she would be able to get away... she hoped.

[Jean Grey-Summers]

Lucas simply had to butt in. And it took every ounce of self restraint she owned in her body not to face palm in exasperation. She didn't even bother giving him another look, as it probably wouldn't make a difference anyway. Instead she focused on the girl's story, flashing back every once in a while to pretty much the same conversation with Bishop. Ironic that he was here for this conversation too. Maybe they should just make him the welcome wagon for people from other dimensions.

Then she thought about the gun. *Right. Cause that would go over well.* She thought to herself. Magneto, Apocalypse...Well. Magneto sounded familiar anyway. She wasn't too sure about the Apocalypse name. Later there would be time to ask more about that. Or...more likely, Bishop would be all over that perceived threat. She walked the three of them into her office, closing it behind her. She gestured to the small seating area, sitting on one of the couches, while offering the other two the comfortable chairs that were there.

"Interesting. You were sent here? And you don't know why?" She sighed as she thought, "Who removed you from your original time line? You original reality?" She was careful not to have her voice sound too critical. She actually believed the woman in front of her. Hell, She had believed Bishop when he came around with his intensely cock and bull story. No reason not to trust Blink when her telepathy told her there was no reason not to.

[Lucas Bishop]

Letting the intruder into the mansion was not something that sat well with Bishop. Not grilling her with questions was even harder. But this kind of thing was probably best kept 'need to know'. And it would mean less of a fuss if she did cause trouble.

In the light the girl looked less threatening than the big man had thought. The pack containing those strange spikes on her back on the other hand did not reassure him at all. he didn't know what they were, but they looked far too suspiciously like weapons for his comfort.

When offered a seat, Bishop shook his head and remained leaned against the door, with his arms crossed in front of his chest. The posture wasn't exactly friendly, but at least the shake of the head had been less curt than it could have been. it was almost polite by the standards of Bishop's behavior when he was on edge.

The name Magneto definitely rang a bell with Bishop, the man had been plastered all across the history books. But Apocalypse didn't ring a bell, and that worried him. That was all window dressing though, it was more important to address the matter at hand.

"What were you sent here to do?" He asked curtly, like a policeman during an interrogation. Except that in Bishop's time interrogation involved masnacled chairs and electric shocks.

[Clarice Ferguson]

Stepping into the office calmed Clarice down—it was better than being outside. She now got her first good look at both Jean and the as-yet-unnamed man. Upon looking at him, she squinted her eyes slightly, to get a better look. Do I know him? she questioned inwardly, not wanting to draw attention to it just yet, but as she explained her story, she continuously looked back over her shoulder at him, for any visible reactions. She didn't really get many—maybe she didn't know him, or at least didn't know this world's version of him. Jean was still a complete mystery to her, she didn't recognize her at all.

“A being who called himself the Timebroker removed us from our worlds. One minute we were there... the next, we were somewhere else.” She paused, looking around. She chose not to elaborate on the Exiles situation—finding out the Timebroker wasn't real, and how they chose to stay behind... Clarice had a feeling that they already didn't believe her, which caused her to tense up her muscles once again. She needed to stay on top of everything, because she knew that if she said the wrong thing and set them off, she would need to leave at a moment's notice.

Taking a breath before speaking, Clarice continued on, choosing to answer Bishop's question, as well as Jean's, in combination. “That's the issue...” she said slowly, “I don't know what I was sent here to do. I was somewhere else, trying to complete another mission, when I was sent here. I have no way of contacting my team... I don't even know where here is, let alone what I've been sent here to do.”

Licking her lips, she pressed on, looking at Jean. “All I do know is there is something in this reality that needs to be changed.” Once again, she paused, collecting her thoughts. “Usually I wouldn't get myself involved with people like you, but,” she breathed, “not knowing what my mission is, I thought that maybe I could ask you a few questions myself...” She stopped and attempted damage control. “Later, of course, but...”