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She eyed Colossus’s hand a moment before she extended her own to briefly shake his. She didn’t want her hand trapped in his steel one for very long. Luna smirked at Negasonic with her very typical teenager response.
”Very nice. As for needing to see Veil, I’ve spoken to Xavier and he’s given me the basics of what is going on here. I’ve come to extend my services,” she explained simply. She looked around where they were standing and her nose twitched with the smell. She would love to sink some money into this place, that would probably boost moral but she was told that wasn't an ideal idea. Unfortunate, so Luna would have to make due. She looked back at Colossus.
”I would find Veil, get her here quickly. I have some information on Sebastian Shaw. Seems he has dipped his hands into the cookie jar and is sharing with the less fortunate. Although I wouldn’t call his type of sharing a kindness,” she said and crossed her arms.

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”You, know I don’t really believe in the proverbial ‘heaven/hell’. More of a world, circle view you know? We live, we die, we restart,” Cayden said in response to Havok’s comment. It was completely unnecessary and not needed in this situation but that was generally how Cayden rolled and all was spoken with that unwavering smile on his face.
He smiled at Callie, being introduced to both people he was here to help assist. He settled into the plan she dished out and relaxed, feeling better with a plan. ”I like it, straight-forward, simple, easy to remember,” he grinned at his movie quote before he waited for a couple kids and went about escorting them back down the backside of the building to one of the hopefully empty, Purifier cars.
They made it to the cars without a hitch but that’s where the luck seemingly ran out for the moment. Cayden opened up the back door and helped the couple of kids he had inside before he crawled into the front to turn the car over. The keys were still in the ignition. Ha! Idiots. He turned the keys but the car didn’t start. Out of gas. Cayden cursed and backed out of the front seat. Who left Purifier headquarters without filling up first? What if there was a chase scene? The kids he had put into the back were now crying. He looked to the front of the building, worrying now.
”Hey hey, minor problem. This is nothing,” he said, attempting to reassure them. He then had a bit of a light bulb moment. ”Who likes Doritos?” He pulled his backpack around and pulled out the half-full bag of Doritos, offering it to the kids. It wasn’t a permanent fix, but it was a distraction.
Now there was the problem of finding fuel and getting fuel into the car. He moved to the back of the vehicle and found a small gas can but as luck was not seemingly on their side, it was empty. Closing the back, Cayden was getting a bit worried now as he looked around. Any other vehicle did not look ideal for driving. Still, there was the possibility of fuel being in those less than ideal cars. Grabbing the can from the back again, Cayden hopped over to a car and found some fuel. It wasn’t much but it would get the car turned on and them a couple blocks away at least. Cayden was able to get the gas out of the car with some superior sucking abilities. Sorry boys, this man was all about the ladies. He dashed back and filled the car the kids were still in. Cayden kept an eye on the Purifiers and any other kids that came from the back.

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Homeless Shelter - Mutant Friendly:

"Only my friends can call me Hula Hoop," Havok complained. He had a certain image to keep up with the newbies! However, Spark Plug's idea didn't seem too dumb to him. Stealing a Purifier's car? It was more insane. Moonwalker's little manifesto about his insane ideas on the afterlife made Havok want to puke. He didn't know it was possible to find someone more annoying than his brother, Cyclops, but apparently the universe had decided to rise to the occasion and bring this insufferable person into his life. His eyes were practically twitching with each word Moonwalker said.

And quoting movies? That was his thing! Havok had half a mind to challenge the kid to a sparring match once they got back to HQ, just so that way he could assert his dominance over the man. Fortunately, none of the Purifiers seemed to notice that Moonwalker and the kids were stealing their cars, as the Purifiers breached the door and came face to face with Havok and Spark Plug at the back entrance of the shelter.

"Hula hoop time?" he asked Spark Plug, right before the Purifiers opened fire.

The Mutant Underground - Washington D.C. Station:

"I didn't know Xavier was sending us prostitutes now," Negasonic said, prompting a stern glare from Colossus. The teenager shrugged, spitting out her gum into a wrapper and then tossing it into the trash can. "What? He can send us a girl to entertain us but can't give us the funds to get a milkshake every now and then?" she pointed out. The Mutant Underground was perpetually strapped for resources. Negasonic blamed how frequently Xavier's Mansion had to be rebuilt as one of the underlying factors. Colossus sighed slightly, wondering if Negasonic would ever mature.

However, his eyes widened slightly as Glimpse explained that Sebastian Shaw was up to something. He was a public figure - the CEO of Shaw Industries. The billionaire was dating Emma Frost of Frost International. He had connections to just about every political figure and ties to most major corporations, making him one of the most powerful people on the planet. From what Colossus recalled, Shaw even had connections to the Avengers, as he had been friends with Howard Stark. He had ties to the Braddock family as well. "Then we have problem. The police took Veil," Colossus explained.

"We do not know where - I contacted Stretch, he is investigator, very good. Hopefully he can find Veil - if not, Spark Plug is acting leader of Underground cell," he explained, his Russian accent thick and he wasn't using any articles.

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She hesitated slightly, knowing the answer that everyone wanted her to give. The scripted answer was to talk about how attending school at Xavier's was a paradise, that it allowed them to live like normal kids and to feel like they could be productive members of society after they left. That was the fiction that was printed off in the brochures, that the X-Men would discuss when interviewed by reporters, that Xavier would testify to Congress about. "It's not what people think it is," Veil said carefully.

But Sapphire was her friend and she was going to tell her the truth. "It was like attending a military academy in the middle of a war zone," she said bluntly. "Every year or so, one of Xavier's enemies would blow up the Mansion, so no one ever kept things precious to them very long... Some nights, I'd go to bed wondering if my room would still be there the next day... We had to train once we were about sixteen years old, learning not just to use our powers but how to fight with them - how to be Xavier's soldiers. We didn't have prom or anything that a normal high school had, though I heard through the grapevine apparently they started having prom last year..."

"The teachers weren't there to teach. They were just the members of the X-Men. I learned science from Beast - Dr. McCoy. History and psychology was taught by Professor X... Wolverine taught gym class and Gambit, for some stupidly brilliant reason, actually was my Sex Ed teacher," Veil chuckled slightly, remembering the Cajun man grabbing a banana one day to do a demonstration. "But for the most part, the teachers weren't teachers. They weren't taught how to instruct and most of them weren't qualified for the subjects they were assigned..."

"Not that I hated it there - I had fun. I felt normal when I was at the mansion. It was when people came to visit or we left the grounds that I didn't feel normal anymore - that I felt like just a pawn in Xavier's game against Magneto and reality..."

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Sunshine was alone in the tunnels, near the exit to the sewers that Max, Stretch, and Leighton had used earlier that day. She took in a deep breath, blowing out streams of green smoke from her lungs. Up above, the Purifiers were dropping like flies, in the grips of a bad case of influenza. She loved the flu. However, there was one problem - the Purifiers were still alive. She didn't have as much experience with her powers as others did, essentially spending almost all of her time and energy trying to stay alive. And in juvi, she had been forced to wear a power inhibiting collar.

The sewer grate started to move and Sunshine's heart started to pound, hearing the metal scrape against the earth up above and light flooded into the tunnels. She had been down with the Morlocks for less than a day and the light blinded her, forcing her to put her hands up to protect herself. "Blink? A little help here?" Sunshine called out. "Grimlock? Please?"

"You can't let him through!" Grimlock's voice whispered into her mind.

She saw the light of the Purifier's gun before she saw the man himself. She took a deep breath, forming a little ball of the green smoke in her hands and she tried to imagine every disease she had ever heard of flowing into it at once. She thought about measles, small pox, the flu, polio - all of it. Her nose started to bleed from the overuse of her powers and she could feel the energy of the little disease bomb becoming more and more unstable.

"I'm not here to hurt you," the Purifier said, looking a bit taken aback when he was face to face with a teenage girl and not some terrorist monster. "Put that... thing... down," he told her, holding out a hand. His other hand was still securely wrapped around his gun, a finger on the trigger and the safety off.

"You can't let him get any farther, Sunshine," Grimlock's voice urged in her mind. She sent Sunshine flashing images of mutants in pain, lynched by Purifiers across the country, of the rallies and hate speeches. The telepathic Morlock was playing every card she had, in order to ensure that Sunshine did something horrific that she couldn't take back.

"You're human. That's what you were born to do," Sunshine told him. She threw the ball of disease at him, her enhanced accuracy ensuring that it hit. At the same time, a shot went off.

"...Sunshine?" Grimlock called out.

"He's taken care of," Sunshine said, staring at the bullet embedded in the sewer wall behind her. Another few inches to the left and it would have hit her.

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As if Leighton was the incarnation of Aphrodite, Ward was entirely focused on her and didn't even seem to hear what Jack was saying. He was so focused on this embodiment of female virtues and sex appeal that he didn't even really seem to register that Jack was there. The trunk wasn't closed to the car as he smirked at Leighton, enjoying the slight shiver that went down his spine as she touched his muscles.

"Ewww, this is like watching a porno! I hate straight porn," Ben groaned. Casper had to nod slightly in agreement. "Or a disgusting new ColdStones advertisement," Casper joked to his ghost friend. "... Anyways, you should probably help Jack out of the trunk before Larry the Lobster here comes out of his child molesting fantasies."

However, as Leighton appealed to Ward to let Jack go, he just nodded, putting a strong arm around Leighton. He bent in, grazing her neck with his lips slightly, before pulling away. He had to be modest, after all, they were in public. Ben started making gagging noises at Casper and Casper was having a hard time not giggling. It really was disgusting. "Something funny, druggie?" Ward asked, looking at Casper.

"Well, yeah, you," Casper told him with a smile. "You're thinking with the wrong head and falling for the oldest trick in the book. I would know, I played a female bard in Dungeons and Dragons for three years straight." Ben glared at Casper slightly - was he seriously messing up Leighton's disgusting plan to get Jack to safety? Ward just chuckled slightly, stepping away from Leighton for a second and he punched Casper as hard as he could, sending the wiry drug addict stumbling backwards, holding his eye with his hands.

"At least you wear enough eye shadow that they won't notice the black eye," Ben teased his friend.

Unfortunately, Ward wasn't the only Purifier present. Blink and Erg stuck to the alleyways behind the stores, letting Max and James follow along with them if they chose. By the time they got to the little alleyway that would let them emerge in front of the ColdStones, they saw that Ward had back up with him. There were about three other beefy Purifiers, watching the exchange that was going down. James, since he had taken the sidewalk, would be essentially about to walk into the other three.

"Keep on stepping," one of the Purifiers told James.

"If you guys can get Leighton and Stretch into the alleyway, then I can portal them out of here," Blink explained. Erg nodded, looking at Max. He hoped that James wasn't about to do anything stupid, especially since it seemed that Jack and Leighton might have had this situation handled. If they spotted Erg, there'd be no doubt in their minds that he was a mutant. His M brand on his face ensured it. Blink's case was similar, thanks to her distinctive markings.

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Perception New Outfit

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Max nodded back to Erg, having some sort of idea as to how he wanted this to go down. He couldnt help but agree that in this scenario a fight wouldnt be the best idea. Sure he was wearing kevlar, but a bullet to the head is still as deadly and he wasnt about to test his luck for a scrap. Max ran through a fre ideas in his head, noting that using any powers would just paint the mutants as the villains and the purifiers as heros of the zoo and cold stone. So what's a kid to do? Kid, that's right, he and Leighton were both just kids, wouldn't do any harm to act as if he knew her some how. His critical eye began to appraise the situation, seeing a good angle to enter in and what the appropriate thing to say may be, did she look distraught? Damsel? No, she surprisingly had it under...oh god what did he just do to her neck. I think I may just vomit. Alright collect yourself Gray

Max straightened his jacket and signaled for Blink and Erg to stay put. He strode out from where he was and pretended to look around for a moment, placingbhis hand above his eyes and looking about. "Oh.My.Gawd. There you are honey! I have been looking everywhere for you. Oh my, and who's this strapping young man? Never mind! We dont have time for that, I'm out of iced coffee and our ride is here. Tick tock sweetie, a gay isnt happy unless he has his Venti Iced Soy Caramel Macchiato with Sugar free vanilla, extra drizzle, light ice and 6 shots. Let's mooove it people." It was at this moment that Max was the gayest he has ever been. His voice was so flamboyant that it put his fire magic to shame. Every word sounding like a pride parade.

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James had been keeping an eye on the situation as soon as he found them, slowing down just a bit as he watched with just a bit of a wrinkle in his nose. The man reeked of testosterone, an obvious case of closet insecurities, but his attention was quickly redirected to the Purifier thugs in front of him. James only shrugged at the man's demand and continued on for a few more feet past them, pausing to watch again.

James grimaced sympathetically at the guy who clutched at his eye. The best idea was to stay out of the way until they knew the others’ plan but James couldn't help feeling guilty about not touching up the black eye that was probably already forming. James decided to stay near the three Purifiers just in case but wouldn't take any action unless he was needed. Unlike Max apparently who barged directly into the fray and it took everything James had not to sigh and face palm. Of course. Why hadn't they left the guy who suggested breaking into a supermax behind?

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"...Wait, WHAT class was Gambit teaching?" she asked with a laugh. Who in their right mind would let Gambit of all people be teaching sex ed? That was just sheer stupidity. Sapphire had met Gambit, even worked with the guy and he seemed fairly nice enough, but still, the guy was definitely a bit of a flirt. She just would have loved to be in one of those classes, she might not have learned a damn thing, but still, it would have been a bit of a laugh no matter what.

"...Still, you probably got a better sort of education than me... I was on my own at 14, so school kind of was non-existent for me, high school anyway. Any schooling before that I did do... Kind of hard to got to school without a parent or anyone who actually cares and would be fine with you being a mutant and all," Sapphire said softly, looking at her friend. It was true, and there wasn't much she could really do about it. Though she figures that she didn't miss out too much on that sort of thing.

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Now Jack was starting to get in this not so great mental state, and he really was wanting to beat himself up over this entire situation. This was his fault for probably making things worse, his fault for not dealing with things correctly, and now the person he had been trying to help out was basically getting him out of a horrible situation. Of course, seeing his brother get punched to the ground and Ward's words didn't help that at all either, since it just made him feel like more of a failure for not being able to help out his older brother no matter how hard he tried.

He didn't like the fact that Ward had punched Casper, but that didn't really matter much right now. As he got out of the car he snapped a picture of the scene of Ward and Leighton so that no one else could see it, and put his phone back in his pocket as he walked over to Casper. "Are you okay there bro?" Jack asked him, though Casper would be able to tell that it wasn't so much of his normal pep or happy-go-lucky attitude that he generally says. He grabbed Casper by the arm and started pulling him towards the direction that Max had come from, hoping to be able to get them both out of there, then he'd be able to go be off and clear his head a bit maybe. Since at the moment he did not feel much like talking to anyone at the moment, especially since he was feeling like a complete and total idiot right now.

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Things were going swimmingly, or as swimmingly as one could ask for given the fact she was flirting with some old dude in order to save Jack and his brother. She was truly flirting with danger. If he had so much as a whiff of her mutant abilities, she was done for. Thankfully, he bought it hook, line, and sinker.

She stifled a shudder as she felt his lips on her neck. "Dontthrowupdontthrowupomgomgomg" was all she could think. Until the oddball started to speak and insult him. Leighton could only stare at him in disbelief. Was he deliberately trying to screw her over? Wade wasn't taking chances though and sucker-punched him. Jack's brother or not, he kind of deserved that. "Oh wow. That's so hot."

Before she could continue to go down the wormhole she entered, Max suddenly appeared, dressed very...Purifer-y and made an excuse for her. "Oh, right! Girl, thanks." She turned back to Wade. "Listen, handsome. Thank you again. I promise to make it up to you. Here's my number." She took out a slip of paper and wrote down the digits (605) 475-6968 on it. She handed it to him. "Call me later huh? I'll find a way to reward you." She winked before turning with Max, as Jack had his brother, and made their way down the alley.

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Callie looked towards Cayden and gave him a slight smile and nodded towards him, glad that he was on with her plan and shook her head slightly at the movie reference. She then turned her attention towards Havok and smirked slightly towards him, as the last of the kids started to follow shortly behind Cayden they were now out of the back room which was a good thing. "And here I thought we were friends and we had something special." Callie said jokingly as she could hear the banging against the door, and she quickly started to make her way towards some cover. She then started to concentrate on her powers as electricity moved through her fingers, and Havok asking to start hula hooping.

"It would be a great time to start your thing." Callie said, as soon as the door burst open Callie then sent a few bolts of electricity at the Purifiers as they started to open fire on them. She managed to shock a few of them, and then quickly got up, she'd rather not be in the back surrounded by Purifiers and get shot again. "Hurry up and get back to the car, i'm not really interested in getting shot again." Callie said towards Havok as she left the back room, and tried to make it to her car. She then called out to Cayden, she wasn't sure if he got the car up and running or not. "Get the car started and pull out to!" Callie yelled out towards him.

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Luna’s eyes sparkled from the teenager’s sharp tongued response to Luna’s initial words. She took a couple steps towards the young buck and smiled at her.
”I’m afraid you wouldn’t be able to afford me,” she replied. However, the wit and charm Luna would be able to supply the child with would have to wait. She turned and looked back at Colossus. Prison tended to complicate things but it wasn’t a complete deterrent. Of course, there was the tiny problem of the hundreds of precincts within Washington D.C.
”And let me guess, this Spark Plug is not here at the moment either?” Luna had two options. Sit and wait for the interim leader to show or go out and do a little recon.
”Where was Veil supposed to be when she got arrested?”

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The car quickly became full with kids and Cayden continued to keep up the drumming on the steering wheel to keep himself calm. He kept his eyes peeled for any of the Purifiers and if they decided to come check on the vehicles. Just as the last kid climbed into the back there was yelling and Spark Plug yelled at Cayden to get the car going and get out of there. He did not need to be told twice. He fired up the SUV and paid no mind to saving fuel as he pinned it and drove around the other Purifier car and headed down the street. From here he had a rough idea on how far the Underground was. If he could just make it within a couple of blocks of there, they would be golden.
First, they had to make it there alive though. Cayden focused on the road ahead, moving around cars too quickly to possibly be safe but fortune was smiling down on him as he got around vehicles and went through a couple of red lights in order to gain some distance if there were any pursuers. It was like a scene straight out of Fast and the Furious and thank goodness Cayden had witnesses because he didn’t think anyone would believe him with how many times he successfully drifted around corners or flew over bumps and past red lights.
A block away from the Underground, Cayden parked in an alley and started ushering kids out of the vehicle and towards their safe haven. They made it back to the Underground without a hitch and Cayden relaxed once they were all inside. He hoped Spark Plug and Havok would have as much luck as he and the kids seemed to.

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Homeless Shelter - Mutant Friendly:

"We are friends - Bob Ross here and I are not," Havok clarified. Both he and Callie were grazed by bullets, but it wasn't much more than a surface wound. Havok took the slight cut on the side of his face, while Spark Plug was hit on her upper right arm. As Spark Plug took off at a run, the Purifiers weren't knocked down yet and once of them charged out and kicked her in the back, knocking her down to the ground.

Havok gritted his teeth and rocked his hips slightly, letting out a scream before sending Hula Hoops of Death and Destruction at the Purifiers. He sliced the one that had gone after Spark Plug in half, the blood getting on her. The others were merely knocked out from the blast and Havok offered Spark Plug a hand, getting her to her feet. "Hate to say it, but blood red is not your color," he told her, smirking a bit before dragging her along with him the rest of the way to her car whether she wanted his help or not.

"You're driving," he then told her, getting into the shotgun seat. None of the Purifiers had gotten back up yet, so they had a good shot at getting out of there without further injuries.

The Mutant Underground - Washington D.C. Station:

Negasonic smirked slightly at Glimpse. "I can see the future. I'd just need to buy a lottery ticket - then I could buy you." The teenager then went back to texting on her phone, going over to get the kids that Moonwalker brought in settled. "You should talk with Colossus," she told him, not even glancing up from her phone in the process. Colossus and Glimpse were more or less by themselves now, so any conversation could be semi-private - until Moonwalker joins (if he joins).

"Spark Plug is on mission with Havok - Purifiers had plot to attack homeless shelter for mutants," Colossus explained, sighing slightly. He didn't like that Spark Plug was out in the field again, so soon after getting shot but that was the way they lived their lives. People got shot, they got a bandage, and then they got back up and walked it off. "Veil was at Skyrise Apartments - I was there with Spark Plug, Havok, and Sapphire... Spark Plug was shot - so Veil distracted police and allowed us to get Spark Plug to clinic safely."

He rubbed his face slightly with a cloth, getting more of a metallic shine. "Spark Plug should return soon - Moonwalker was there with her," he explained, nodding at the boy. "Then you may speak with her - I will see if Stretch has found anything soon..."

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Veil was giggling too at Sapphire's reaction, despite the pain it caused. She could understand people's reactions to hearing that Gambit taught Sex Ed - but he did have a lot of experience with that subject area and they had gotten a very informative education in it from the self described Ragin' Cajun. There hadn't been too many accidental pregnancies in her graduating class - just one from what she remembered - so it had been more or less effective. "Probably - for high school at least. You did go to college though, something I never did..."

She didn't talk too much about what she did after graduating from Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngsters. Xavier had told her that she couldn't join the X-Men when she graduated, as she didn't have the right temperament for it. For a while there, she had been heading down a dark path - a path that culminated in the brand she had on her arm. And unlike the Morlocks, Veil didn't choose to have that brand on her body. The scar did help to serve as a reminder of the person she didn't want to be again - the person she had left behind.

"Well, fuck parents," she then told Sapphire with a slight smile. "We choose our own families." Havok was a part of her family, as annoying as he was. Sunspot and Cannonball were like her brothers. Negasonic was her little sister and Colossus was something akin to an uncle. Sapphire was her sister and so was Spark Plug. It didn't matter that they weren't related by blood - to Veil, the only thing that mattered was that they chose to be family to each other.

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Sunshine knelt down in front of the body of the Purifier, just looking at him. He didn't seem nearly as scary like this, just a defenseless corpse with hives covering his body. She didn't hear any more Purifiers coming down from up above, which she hoped was a good sign. It didn't cross her mind that all of them getting sick right there might have confirmed to the Purifiers that they were heading in the right direction. As much as she liked to sell herself as a champion of surviving on the streets, even Sunshine didn't know everything.

Glancing around quickly, and seeing no one coming, Sunshine decided to loot the corpse. She found a chocolate bar and she opened it, eating it quickly. Whenever she had food, she had an impulse to consume it then and there. She always felt happier and safe when she was eating. There was a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, both of which she tucked into the pockets of her shorts. The picture of what looked like his wife and kid, she just sort of tossed aside. It wasn't like he needed it anymore and she didn't want it.

"Thanks for the snack," Sunshine said, before she couldn't help but be a bit curious. She took out the cigarette pack and the lighter and lit one of the cigarettes. Putting it in her mouth, she instantly started gagging and coughing as the smoke hit her throat. Dropping the cigarette, she crushed it into the ground with her foot. "Gross," she complained, still coughing. "How do people like those things... Bleh..."

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Ward stared at Max for a moment, the way someone might look at an exotic animal at the circus. "How old were you when your father abandoned you?" he asked, a firm believer that homosexuality resulted when there were no strong male role models. If any of Ward's kids - if he ever had any - were gay, he'd beat it out of them. If things went well with this girl, maybe he'd offer to help straighten out her friend. It was just sad and embarrassing. Sure, it would be harder since the boy was older, but it was nothing a metal rod and a few hours couldn't fix.

The Purifiers standing near James seemed to more or less not really care what was going on. Ward must have been their leader - which in itself was significant. Purifiers varied greatly in terms of organization, but it seemed that these ones likely had some sort of hierarchy in place. They were organized, making them a greater threat.

Casper was still clutching at his eye as Jack picked him up off of the ground and led him over to the alleyway. "I'm fine, Jackie," he said softly. He didn't need Ben to point out to him that Jack was beating himself up at the moment. His brother was a perfectionist and felt that he had to be in control, he had to make the plans, make the sacrifices. Pulling his brother into a hug, Casper hugged him tightly. "Ça va bien, oui?" he asked him softly in French, figuring that Jack might not want to discuss his feelings in English.

"Est-ce que tu veux parler avec Ben?" he then added. His ghost friend turned bright red and shook his head rapidly. "No, let's not do that again Casper! You always change what I say around and hit on him for me - which is really weird since he's your brother and I'm dead!" Ben snapped. Casper just ignored him. He knew that he wasn't good at comforting Jack, but maybe Ben would be. Ward had taken Leighton's phone number and motioned for his goons to go with him, walking into the ColdStones to get some ice cream before resuming the hunt for the mutants that had caused the chaos at the zoo.

Seeing everyone come into the alleyway, Erg let out a slight sigh of relief. "...You brought the idiot, I see," he told Stretch simply, nodding at Casper. "The Morlock tunnels are not a way station. After the supply run, everyone who is not joining us will leave - willingly or by force," he finished a bit darkly. Blink gave him a ~SERIOUSLY?!~ look, a bit annoyed with how easily Erg went straight to violence.

"Come on, we do need to hurry," Blink then said, opening up a portal that would take them back to the tunnels. "We kinda sent the kid - Sunshine - to deal with the Purifiers that were getting too close to the entrance..."

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A while later, Flynn showed up at the prison to bail Sapphire and Veil out. He walked inside and was led to the cell where the girls were, and gave them a bit of a wave. "Hey there you two," he said with a smile. Veil glanced up at him, finally able to see the agent that Sapphire was in love with for herself. He was tall, muscular, and had a pleasant smile. And in comparison to the two girls with their numerous injuries, he was radiating health.

"What the hell happened to you?" he asked, and Sapphire just shrugged in response.

"Yeah, just what happens normally to people like us, thanks for bailing us out Freddie," Sapphire said with a smile, trying to hide slightly that she was blushing.

Flynn didn't seem to notice that at all though, "Actually, I need to tell you something, but later, come on, let's get out of here."

Veil hesitated for a moment. Their collars had been deactivated and she pulled hers off, before discretely using her powers to make Sapphire practically fall into Flynn's arms.

Sapphire's face turned redder at that, and Flynn easily caught her in his arms. "You okay?" he asked her.

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine, sorry about that... I'm a bit of a klutz, so lets get going, okay?" she said, and he just nodded his head.

This was going to be harder than Veil anticipated. She then flicked her hands twice quickly, forcing Flynn and Sapphire's lips to be within inches of each other.

Flynn's face turned red now, he was trying to stay calm, considering the fact that he might burst into flames at any moment, at least he had been smart enough to bring a few extra shirts along with him, knowing perfectly well that he might burst into flames. "L-L-et's um... Let's get going," he said, before leading Sapphire and Veil out of the prison, he actually looked like he was sweating slightly.

Seriously? Veil was getting more and more annoyed, and she wasn't even the one trying to get laid. Once they were outside, she purposefully tripped Sapphire, sending her right into Flynn's arms once more.

"You really need to be more careful Sapphire," Flynn said, catching her once again.

"Uh, yeah... Sorry..." she said, figuring that her sudden clumsiness was courtesy of Veil.

Veil crossed her arms slightly. When were these two going to kiss already?!

"Anyway... Um, how have you been? Been a little while since I last talked to you... And then suddenly out of the blue you ask for me to come bail you out..."

"Everything has been fine... Still wish a little bit that you had come with me to D.C. instead of joining SHIELD."

Veil perked up slightly. Now all Sapphire had to do was tell Flynn how she felt about him!

"Yeah, well I learned more than a few things about myself over at SHIELD... Like how apparently I had a latent x-gene and apparently have super powers so..."

"Wait, really? You're a mutant?" she asked, sounding a bit surprised at that.

"Yeah... Apparently I can catch on fire as my super power..."

"Oh my fucking god just kiss already! You're both beautiful so jump each other's bones!" Veil snapped, before she walked off to Flynn's car to give them some privacy.

"...She's subtle isn't she?"

"Yeah, um... Sorry about that..." she said, still blushing. Flynn finally noticed that she was blushing and couldn't help but chuckle slightly at that.

"So... You going to take her suggestion?" he asked with a slight smirk.

"...Was thinking about it..." she said, before she kissed him.

"YAY!!!!"

At the sudden sound of Veil's voice, not to mention he was still holding onto Sapphire, when suddenly he burst into flame. He seemed to panic at that, but Sapphire took it in stride, her hair turning white, skin going pale, and she didn't seem to be getting hurt at all from the fire. She gave him another kiss, and the flames died down, and his shirt was completely gone, so he was now sitting there shirtless.

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Jack was a little surprised by Casper deciding to randomly hug him like that, but hearing his words he was almost positive that Casper had noticed. If Casper had noticed, then odds were that others might notice as well, and that could be bad. "Je vais bien Casper, ne t'inquiète pas," he said simply with a slight smile towards him. He was mainly trying to convince Casper that he was alright, that he didn't need to worry about him or anything. "Je n'ai pas vraiment besoin de parler à Ben," he added, shaking his head, before they ended up running into Erg and Blink there.

"Nice word choice there Erg, and don't worry you don't have to deal with Casper or anything, later I'm going to take him over to where my office is and let him crash on the couch or something, so he won't be a problem or anything with the Morlocks alright?" he said with a slight eye roll at how quickly Erg had turned to violence. Hearing Blink's comment about Sunshine, he stopped and looked at her. "You left the kid alone????" He really wanted to get back there to help out Sunshine, so as soon as Blink opened up the portal, and trusting her to get them there like she always did, he stepped through it.

"Oh, shit, give me one second guys.... Think I portaled a little off...." Blink said, her cheeks red with embarrassment. She closed the portal and reopened it, pulling Jack back through. "...So where did you end up? Nowhere bad I hope?"

Jack didn't even move from where he was now, he was wearing a different outfit than he had been wearing a few moments ago, and his hair was slightly longer as he whirled around to face Blink. "...Took you long enough... I haven't seen you guys for like, several months now, think around 10 months maybe? I kind of lost track of time... Damn it the Trump presidency happened... Wait, good news I need to go check the Stock Market though... Um, anyway, anyone want to give me a slight reminder of what's been going on, I remember mostly but just want to make sure we're all on the same page..." he said, glancing around at everyone else now.

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James followed the group back over to Blink as the situation diffused. He was more than pleased he really wasn’t necessary. He knew his way around a fight well enough but that didn’t mean he wanted one. No fights, no issues―disaster averted and they could focus on the supply run. Which Erg decided to remind them all of with a little added threat but after the incident last night, James hadn’t expected anything less. At least he wasn’t pointing a gun at anyone this time.

James watched wide eyed as Jack vanished and reappeared differently, even though he’d been gone for all of a minute tops. Blink’s portals made him incredibly nervous now that, if he was understanding this right, they could move people through time. Always wait until she gives them the green light, understood. James edged away from that for a moment and instead move dover to the guy who got decked.

“Hey if you want, I can take care of that for you.” James gestured at the eye Casper had been clutching at. “I just gotta touch you for a few moments. Some people get a little wierded out so I thought I’d check?”

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Leighton was thankful to be away from that maniac. She felt off about him, Purifier or not. Jack was out safe, his brother was found, and they were reunited with the others. Still, Jack didn't say anything, which upset her. She put herself in danger and got him out with minimal damage. Didn't that deserve a thank you?

And Erg, being Erg, threatened to cut the fat as it were. She didn't know if she wanted to be one of them or not. How could one make that decision lightly? She only just found out she was a mutant and it was still something new. She hadn't had formal training. The Morlocks could help and, given what happened before, it might be best.

Blink portaled Jack and brought him back, different looking. He got even cuter. "Let's see. We've been dating for 2 months, haven't said the L word yet, but it might be coming?" She even found herself appalled. . "Ok no, I lied. I just saved you and your brother from a Purifier and didn't even get a thank you and now I'm placed in a predicament of deciding if I join you guys and potentially get training and help or live the life or a normal person but freeze those I care about or get arrested, killed, or worse. This is all new to me, but no one seems to grasp that. Let's just...go save Sunshine or whatever. Where is she?"

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New Outfit

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Max looked at Ward as he asked him about his father's absence. He stayed quiet for a moment before finally saying "At the age of 12, but he did teach me how to bat!" emphasizing the last word as he kicked up his cane and swung it hard at Wards balls. The lunk of a man doubled over, then quickly rising up and upper cutting Max square in the jaws. Sending him off the ground 2 inches before colliding back onto the concrete. Max could hear some words being spoken behind him, snapping himself out of his daydream and back into reality where the purifiers were walking to Cold Stone and the rest of the mutants were heading towards the alley. Right, it wouldn't do to start a fight after they had just defused the situation...after Leighton just diffused the situation. Even if the scumbags did deserve it.

When he turned around to walk towards the group he noticed Jack looked...different. A bit stunned, Max chose to ignore the elephant in the room and walked towards the rest. Max used his cane for support as he walked over to them wide eyed, he was shaken up by the events that has just transpired and began to feel weight upon his shoulders. These purifiers, these threats, they weren't the same as just defending some kid in the schoolyard. Others lives were at stake, people could've been harmed and all based on a single careless act that he did, a wrong call he made. As soon as he made it to the group he almost fell into Leightons arms, holding her and hugging her tightly as tears began to well up from beneath the sunglasses. He whispered to her "I'm so sorry. I-I- I'm just sorry...Thank you so much for all that you did." his voice was shakey as he spoke to her.

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Callie let out a slight groan as she felt a bullet grazed against her skin, cutting her jacket ever so slightly as well looking over at the wound which was nothing. A shot to the chest nearly killing her now that was pretty bad, and she survived that, as she ran over towards her car. Callie felt a boot hitting the middle of her back as she tripped and fell onto her chest, she was half expecting to get several more bullets now. But Havok saved her as she heard the energy blast hitting the one who kicked her, and then a wet sticky mess landing on her back. She looked up at Havok and quickly accepted his hand and pulled herself back up to her feet looking at the Purifiers who were there, she did not want to stay any longer than she needed to.

"Yeah though the color of red seems to try have some attraction towards me." Callie said as she got to her car and unlocked it, and once Havok was inside Callie quickly pulled out of the area tires screeching in the process as she got the hell out of there. She just hoped that Cayden got the kids back safely. Callie drove as fast as she could, passing through at least one red light before finally making it back to the DC Station.

"I owe you a beer later to now I guess to." She said with a slight smile as she locked her car and headed into the building, she noticed Cayden was there and gave the man a grateful smile and nod. She could hear Colossus speaking as she entered the room seeing a new face there. "Yeah getting a shot to the chest wasn't really my intention." Callie said as she walked into the room eyeing Glimpse up and down for a moment. "Whos the new girl with the 'I want to see your manager' hair cut?" Callie asked.

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Oh this child had much to learn about Luna. She was sure time would come for that though. Luna’s attention remained on Colossus as he explained where Spark Plug’s whereabouts was and where Veil had been before she had been taken to jail. Skyrise Apartments. It seemed like an easy enough name to Google and find. Luna didn’t have much for tracking but sometimes things were left behind. People tended to linger too, witnesses were everything.
Her attention shifted when the shiny man pointed out a young adult who had just come back with a bunch of kids. Spark Plug wasn’t with them but they could show any minute. Luna looked back at Colossus.
”When you hear from Stretch, tell me what you know immediately. I will go after Veil myself. My father is known on both sides, both for good and bad things. Perhaps it can get us some sway.”

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Cayden ruffled one of the kids hair as they walked away from him, happy to all be in a safe space now. He winked at them before nodding at Negasonic and went over to the big man and a woman he hadn’t seen when he first made the round trip here.
”Ya, they should be back soon. They gave me a head start to get the kids out of dodge. They should make it back,” he said again and glanced at the door a couple of times. They better make it back.
A few minutes later, they showed and Cayden breathed a sigh of relief. Spark Plug and Havok walked over to the group of three and Cayden snorted at Spark’s comment.
”At least it’s better than the soccer mom look,” Glimpse threw back at Callie. Cayden’s eyes widened and he laughed. ”You’re in charge for the time being I’ve been told. Xavier sent me with information on Sebastian Shaw. I would like to find Veil before I explain what Uncle Seb is up to,” Luna said to Callie.
”Whoa what? Uncle Seb? Dudes, he’s like a billionaire! But bad so, who are you?” Cayden was slightly confused now.

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The Luxury - Washington D.C. Waterfront:

Not too far from the Thomas Jefferson memorial, Sebastian Shaw's private yacht was docked at the Wharf Marina. It was dubbed the Luxury and it truly befit the name. Practically every amenity and convenience that Shaw and his guests could possibly desire was on board the yacht. The main himself was wearing a neat white suit and sipping a martini on the sun deck, wearing sunglasses in order to combat the glare.

He had summoned Jinx and Requiem to join him on his yacht for a key reason - they were the only two he felt reasonably certain that could be trusted. Someone in the Hellfire Club was a traitor and he couldn't allow his position as the Black King to be threatened. "Gentlemen, please take a seat and help yourself," Shaw said, gesturing to the fully catered meal featuring a lobster course, fine wine, and Cuban cigars. "We have much to discuss regarding your futures."

"If I am correct, there are about to be vacancies in the Inner Circle," he said with a dazzling smile.

The Mutant Underground - Washington D.C. Station:

Negasonic was handling the children and Colossus paused for a moment, looking at Glimpse. Even if she had information from Xavier, that didn't mean that she got to give orders. He understood that she just wanted to help but the Mutant Underground had a hierarchy for a reason. And once more, he admired Glimpse's spirit and energy that she would go after Veil herself... But Glimpse was an unknown element. Even then, no one in the Mutant Underground would have allowed her to go after Veil alone. "No," Colossus told Glimpse. "We are team. No one goes alone - and, eh, miss? We do not know your name - we do not know who you are."

Havok overheard the conversation, specifically the last bit about the newcomer being the niece of Sebastian Shaw. He frowned slightly, a bit curious as to why a billionaire's kid was slumming it with the Mutant Underground. Billionaires with powers tended to gravitate towards the large established teams that made headlines - not the ones that no one ever noticed, just helping people to get by with their lives. There was no Magneto here for them to fight - no Loki to attempt to trick. They were just normal people. "So what brings an uptown girl downtown?" Havok asked.

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Veil was very content, sitting in the back of Flynn's car as she more or less spied on her friend and her future husband. She wondered what sort of powers their kids would have, given that Sapphire dealt with ice and Freddie dealt with flames. Maybe the kid would have water manipulation? She shrugged slightly, before finding a bag of peanut M&M's that was unopened. Opening it, Veil started to eat the delicious candy and she was practically in heaven. They didn't get supplies beyond the necessities very often - and sometimes they didn't even have as much coffee as they really needed.

She really did hope that this worked out for Sapphire. She hadn't seen the ice queen melt like this for anyone before. And even though Flynn worked with SHIELD, they could work out some sort of long distance relationship. Veil was more or less certain that his base was in the Washington D.C. area too, meaning that he and Sapphire could go for coffee dates and other cute things - as long as no one recognized that they were mutants. But as much as Veil just wanted to think about her friend's love life, there was something more important to do.

Taking the bag with her possessions she had received back, Veil pulled out her burner phone and turned it on, dialing Spark Plug's number. "Spark Plug?" she asked, before continuing to talk. "Sapphire's SHIELD friend bailed us out. We'll be home shortly. Is there anything pressing I should know?" she then asked, all assuming that Spark Plug answered the phone of course. Her stomach grumbled slightly. She had every intention of asking Flynn to get them Dairy Queen on the way back. She was craving everything.

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Casper nodded, feeling relief wash over him as Jack reassured him that he was perfectly fine and there was nothing to worry about. He should have known better than to believe his little brother in this moment, but given everything that had happened that day and he still hadn't gotten waffles yet, it was more or less to be expected. In even better news, he even was going to get to crash on his brother's couch! He really did like Jack's couch. He slept on it enough that it had slight indents in all the right places for Casper's maximum comfort.

"I'm not convinced he's okay..." Ben commented.

"You're being paranoid, Ben," Casper told his ghost friend. "If Jackie says he's fine, then he's fine! He's even going after a stray!" he exclaimed, referring to the kid that Jack had mentioned. His brother had a knack for picking up strays - people without any sort of place to go. Casper was a prime example of that. However, in the blink of an eye his brother was gone and then came back, looking a little older and going on about Trump.

"...Huh, so time travel is real then," Casper said. "Please tell me you killed my father as a baby. I'd love to do that one day if you didn't."

"Shit, I am so sorry..." Blink told Stretch, her cheeks positively crimson. "I must've slipped a little bit and sent you back... well, not where you needed to go. Anyways, the portal is fine now and the kid is near the exit that leads you to the zoo," she explained. Erg jumped through the portal without hesitation, partially to demonstrate to the others that they were indeed safe to use.

Casper blinked a little bit, looking at the cute boy who offered to heal his eye. "Oh, go for it," he told him with a grin, hoping that the boy hadn't already fallen heads over heels for his brother. Jack had an annoying habit of seducing all of the men that Casper found attractive. It was so inconsiderate. His eyes then widened a bit as it turned out his brother had a girlfriend!

"You didn't tell me you got a girlfriend, Jackie!" Casper said, grinning madly at his brother. "She's a bit young for you, but I'm proud you're going for it anyways. Love finds a way, right? Can I go to your wedding?"

"Hey, weirdos, hurry up!" Blink snapped. She was getting tired from holding the portal open.

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Sapphire was more than happy to be out of that prison, it brought back way too many bad memories of what happened a few months back. Though those memories weren't all that bad, after all, she had met Freddie there, so that was definitely something. Part of her wondered what was going through Veil's head, but she didn't really think too much about it, or really she didn't want to dwell too much on it. In her mind, Veil was being a bit ridiculous about the whole, trying to throw her together with Freddie thing, but she knew that there was nothing more she could really do.

Hearing Veil calling the Underground, she nodded her head slightly, "So, they know we're out and that we're coming back over there, so that's a good thing," she said with a slight smile. At least that was over with anyway, when she heard Veil's stomach, she couldn't help but laugh and she glanced over at Flynn to ask him something. "...So, you mind taking us to get some actual food? That horrible food was disgusting..."

Flynn chuckled hearing that, nodding his head. "Sure thing, just tell me where and we'll head there."

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"Casper, I only met her like, yesterday first of all, so I would have called BS on that anyway," Jack muttered, his mind racing through a few things, and he was also reminded of just about everything that had happened before hand in much more vivid detail and flinched slightly at the memory. His mind was essentially wanting him to beat himself up over it all over again, even though he had already spent the better part of a week doing that. He had no idea what to even really do, and he glanced over at Blink, giving her a slight smile, "Don't worry, I figured it was an accident, so let's go already," he said, before he stepped through the portal, glad to see the familiar Morlock Tunnels.

He followed Blink's instructions to where he knew Sunshine would be, eventually coming along in the tunnel, seeing her. Nearby he saw the corpse of someone who probably was a Purifier when they were alive, and it wasn't too hard for him to think of what likely happened. "Hey there Rookie, you alright there?" he asked her as he walked up and gave her a hug, whether she wanted one or not. He usually could tell if someone needed one, and right now he felt like Sunshine needed a hug.

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James nodded and put his hand on the man’s wrist, frowning slightly in concentration. His eyes unfocused, his heartbeat matching with the man’s and roaring in his ears, his breathing grew short, and then- Nothing. James blinked briefly as he shook his head, his breathing still fast, and he sighed at the still remaining injury. He didn’t have as good a handle on this as he thought apparently.

“Uh, well that didn’t go exactly like I hoped. I’m sorry.” James apologized as he scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, moving into the portal. “Maybe I can help you get some ice after the supply run and I patch up their electrical system? Or try again? Never tried a second time.” James could feel the back of his ears burning, the embarrassment scalding. That was pathetic; it’s just a black eye. He really needed to spend some time working on that apparently but electrical systems first. Electrical systems first. Those he could do just fine.

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Click.



Requiem grimaced as a flare of pain flashed lanced through his leg but faded rather quickly. The slight rocking of the boat didn’t particularly agree with his bad leg but he’d suffered through worse. A little pain wouldn’t stop him from honoring an engagement with the white king. His cane tapped along as he limped with a dignity he’d managed to regain just recently. The smell of lobster drifted his way and his stomach did grumble but first an aperitif, a martini should prime the pallet perfectly for lobster, and business.

“A moment please.” Requiem smiled at a server, catching his attention with a slight wave. “A dry martini with a twist please, naked if you can. I would greatly appreciate it.” Requiem turned his attention back to Dr. Shaw, a contemplative furrow in his brow. “Something tells me these vacancies may be less than optional and if that is the case Dr. Shaw, you have my full attention.”

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Again, there was no thank you from Jack. Nothing. Instead, she had Max crying into her Gucci with little to show for the hard work she just put in. Nothing from Erg or any of the Morlocks either. She was starting to think she may be on the wrong side of things. Did no one appreciate her getting them all out of danger apart from Max? She patted the boy's head like one did a stray puppy. "There, there, I guess? Don't worry about it. We're safe now."

She followed the rest through the portal to where Sunshine was. And a corpse. Because yeah, THAT wouldn't be suspicious and show where the Morlock tunnels were. So far, she figured she was the only one NOT to spill the secret. "Hey so, someone going to take care of the body? That's going to be a nice spotlight for the Purifiers if they find him." She didn't know if Max was still latched on to her, but she checked to see if he was doing ok. Bastard rubbed off on her. She continued to glare at Jack though. The least he could do was thank her. If this was how they treated their own, what good were they?

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New Outfit

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Max felt her hand as she patted his tuft of hair. Normally he would feel belittled, treated like some sort of dog, but he had to admit, it felt...comforting. He lifted his his head off of her shoulder and wiped his leather sleeve across his cheeks, clearing away any tears that may have been present. Right, there was still so much more to do, but first they all needed to get away from the surface. Huh, such an odd thought now, the fact that he actually wanted to hide. Max nodded towards Blink and apologized for having her keep it open for so long as he stepped in. There he was faced with a corpse, a purifier corpse.

"Alright. Well. Ok. Sunshine did he have any weapons on him? We may want to take them for our own use and protection." Leighton seemed to check on him, being more caring than he previously knew, but then again hes only known her in bad circumstances such as running from cops due to an awakening of powers. He ensured her he was fine before he began to pace back and forth on the hard concrete, his boots resonating throughout the cavernous sewer tunnels. No longer using his cane for a crutch, it was held to his side, swinging wide every time he turned to pace anew. "I can see two options at least, not sure how good they are. Either he gets portaled somewhere very far and it just appears he died of an illness suddenly. Or I can attempt to cremate him with my flames. Itd be a first but...its a shot?"

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Pj slowly waltzed with himself, making long strides to imaginary music as he twirled circles around some of the staff. He kept humming a tune to himself as he made his way towards Shaw and the place where theyd sit, listening to what the man was saying but acting as if he wasnt paying full attention. When he finally made his way to his chair, PJ collapsed backwards onto it so that his legs would hang off of the right arm of the chair and his back would rest on the left. He clapped his hands in an almost mocking manner after Shaw finished speaking. "Garçon! I too would like a drink. Make me a cocktail that tastes like bubblegum or cotton candy. Something sweet." Pj tilted his back back, viewing Requiem in the seat to his left as he rolled his eyes at him. "Must we talk business so soon?" he huffed out in a dramatic sigh.

Pj twisted and turned in his seat, swinging his legs around and landing them on the nearest clear spot on the table, crossing his ankles. His hands were now folded on his stomach as he tilted his head down so that his sunglasses would slide halfway down his nose. "Fine. Let's talk shop. As our lovely songstress over hear has said, it sounds as if we will be making these vacancies. I, ofcourse, am sure that that means we will be free from persecution when we dispatch of those members, correct?" PJ chewed the gum in his mouth giving enough pause to make it seem as if he was waiting for an answer before continuing forward. "What's more, I am curious as to just who would fill these new spots, and as well as how you want it done. Do we want a little...accident, to occur?" PJ wiggled his eyes brows at Shaw as he posed his question, then began chewing his gum again, the loud smacking sound audible to all. " I am ofcourse always willing to demonstrate." He eyed one of the servers that stood near the railings before he blew a large bubble with his gum, waiting for it to pop before pulling it back in and chewing, awaiting Shaws answers.