A Night With the Hellfire Club

[Robin Wesley]

> "Yeah… guess you got me there. Most appropriate plant I can think of. Except maybe deadly nightshade, but I wouldn’t recognize one if it bit me."

Robin wrinkles her nose just slightly. It would have been a cool idea, except Ms. Munroe would have put the kabosh on that almost instantly, because some drunk probably would try to eat some of the fatally poisonous berries. Even the Hellfire Club might have difficulties explaining that one. There's also the fact Robin herself doesn't know much about the deadly nightshade, but she's not about to admit that. It would look unprofessional.

While Bobby's mind wanders elsewhere, Robin stares at her drink. At least it's not alcoholic, but it's not particularly good. Probably some sort of fruit juice, which Robin promised Ms. Munroe to stop pretending to be allergic to. Then the conversation about their costumes resume.

> "and, yes, I am the biggest dork on the planet actually, they held a contest last August. Um… so… "

Robin laughs and shrugs. She knew a little about Batman- her younger brother had been an avid fan when she lived at home. These days, when he did write, he still signed off with some kooky saying from the show. Something about holy something, Batman. He kept changing it and confusing her even more.

"Hey, there are worst things to be in the world than a dork," she points out, "you could be an evil terrorist organization ooor one of those anti-mutant agenda guys in the White House. Or something." She winces as soon as the words are out of her mouth. She had totally forgotten the party they were at.

But no one seems to have noticed her acidic remarks, as the politicians at the table seemed a combination of stoned and drunk, or just plain ignoring the young people. It seemed to be a pattern at the party.

> "Jeez, those are actual vines! I mean, they’re alive! That’s so cool… how’d you do that?"

Robin blushes a little at the compliment. Which was slightly ridiculous, as it wasn't as though she never received compliments. Just last week, her mother had told her how wonderful she was at alienating her other relatives, and yesterday her roommate had complimented her on her effective way of keeping their room separate (involving a large pile of clothes on the roommates bed and tape down the middle of the room). But compliments on her mutation were always something she loved.

"Well, it's really easy... Pumpkin vines aren't hard to control and as long as I stagnate their growth, they're really content." With a sudden urge to show off, Robin touches the mind of her vines.

She's brought three along. Only one is a large pumpkin vine which would grow the jack o' lantern pumpkins so popular at Halloween. It was slightly stronger, both physically and mentally, than the other two, which only grew small pumpkins. She reaches for one of the smaller ones and gives it small spark of growth.

Almost instantly a small, six-inch pumpking grew in her outstretched arm. It's entire life cycle happened over about forty-five seconds. Robin feels small tinge of guilt as the ripe pumpkin sits in her hand, but it's one of those things she has come to understand. Ripe produce wasn't supposed to sit on its mother plant. As gently as possible, she pulls the small pumpkin off the vine.

"Here," she says, handing it to Bobby. It wasn't really a present as much to prove she could manage the vines without a problem. What was the point of a mutation if you couldn't have some showing off?

[Warren Worthington III]

(( OOC content advisory: No explicit content, but implications and references and stuff. ))

> " Mmm. You know, I think I left something in the coatroom… Maybe we should go look for it... "

Warren nods dazedly at Josh’s comment, and the stroke of his hand, surprised at how readily his offer is taken up… though in retrospect, he realizes he really shouldn’t be. Josh is just about the most decent guy Warren has ever met, but he’s proven (several times now, quite emphatically) that doesn’t make him an innocent… not by any means.

And thank God for that! he thinks to himself as he follows Josh eagerly towards the entrance hall, trying not to look too obvious. In the month or so since their private birthday party, Josh has proven as eager and inventive as… well, comparisons fail him, actually. There are nights (and afternoons… and mornings…) when it’s Warren who has to work to keep up.

He hadn’t anticipated that when they’d first started dating. He’d expected a long relatively platonic period, a lot of kissing and holding hands and things like that. And, admittedly, those first two weeks before they finally jumped each other had felt like a long time for Warren, whose previous “relationships” had all lasted a matter of minutes or hours. But at the same time they’d seemed to rush by and there are moments when he misses them.

This, however, is not one of them. Not at all. He waves distractedly at Mr. Wagner, surprised to see him out and about – though, in retrospect, this is the sort of event he’d be most likely to come out for. Ordinarily he’d stop to chat with the guy, make him feel a little more welcome, but… later.

<On my way, ‘Indy’! Only, try not to shred the outfit this time, OK? That would take some explaining…>

The attendant won’t actually let them into the coatroom, but is amused by their “looking for something” story (at least after Warren slips him a hundred and Charming Smile #2) and suggests with a completely straight face that they might have accidentally left whatever it was in a currently unused closet around the corner. Warren thanks him with as straight a face as he can manage and tries not to trip over his own feet as he heads in that direction.

[Bobby Drake]

Bobby’s amused at Robin’s response to his “dork” line, and starts working on an elaborate “Batman and Robin” joke in the back of his head, when part of her reply jumps out at him.

> " …you could be an evil terrorist organization… "

The room seems to drop away for a moment at that, and Bobby can’t hear the rest of her comment over the rushing in his own ears. Somehow, he’s managed to avoid thinking too hard about that aspect of his current, um, involvement with John.

But he can’t avoid it forever. Even if John is a reluctant killer (and Bobby isn’t entirely sure about that, either, though what he sees in John’s eyes during those ever-more-frequent unguarded moments leaves him more and more convinced of it), he’s still a killer, part of an “evil terrorist organization.”

Which makes Bobby a kind of accessory after the fact in all of those murders, a thought that makes him sick to his stomach when he thinks about it, which is why he tries not to.

But sooner or later he’s going to have to face that fact, and deal with the judgment of people like Robin. And the hell of it is, they’ll be right.

Sooner or later. Definitely “later”, though. Maybe, if he waits long enough, the situation will resolve itself somehow. You mean, maybe John will quit the Brotherhood, he tells himself sternly. Which isn't going to happen and you know it.

It might, he protests to himself. He doesn't belong with them, whatever he thinks. He just needs someone to... to...

Fortunately, Robin's stunt with the pumpkin distracts him from his own internal dialog before he has to figure out how he intended to end that thought, and he blinks in astonishment as she drops it into his black-gloved palm. "That’s awesome…" He’s not really sure what one does with a small raw pumpkin… is it edible? Probably not… and she might be offended if he tried. He settles for pulling a black marker out of his “utility belt” and drawing a jack-o-lantern type face on it, tucking it carefully under one of the fake pumpkin-leaves on her collar when he’s done.

"There… final touch? Momma and Baby Pumpkin, or something."

[nightcrawler]

Kurt looked around, eyes wide, as he took in all this extravagance. Never had he seen such grandness, such a party and the way he slowly turned around in a circle, silently mouthing something in German only drew a few curious and disdainful glances from some of the other more 'privileged' guests. Kurt had thought the Institute was huge, but now that he was in a place like this, well, he saw that the manor was just the tip of the iceberg as far as social standings went. This Hellfire Club was certainly a very prosperous place and Kurt had to admit he was more than impressed, of course, this would fade quickly if he learned how the club made its money. Kurt was a morally 'good' person and the Hellfire Club was as far from 'good' as one could get.

A soft, almost lyrical, voice snapped Kurt back into this facade of a reality. He turned quickly to face Bella, giving her a quizzical look as her looked her costume over, doing his best to divert his eyes from the more...'revealing', side of her attire. "A more perfect characterization of us all than has ever been seen", he remarked about Bella's choice of costume. Kurt was very religious, always had been and he did not hide that fact, so seeing Bella as half-angel and half-devil quickly brought to mind several key scriptures.

Kurt slowly took a step toward his 'date' for the evening, letting a smile smile slip as he dared to steal a glance at the 'devil' side of Bella's costume, after all, blue skinned or not, he was still a man full of desires. Thankfully, a few passing students broke the awkwardness and gave Kurt the reason to look away from Bella, nodding his head quickly as the students vanished back into the crowd.

[belladonna]

Kurt seemed a bit shy, at the moment but still that facade started to fade as she felt his eyes creeping across her naked skin. At first she had this feeling of growing dread, something cold and damp creeping upon her as if she were being judged and he didn't approve. His words set her at ease and as he drew a step closer, his eyes still lingering in the places that longed to be touched, well it seemed that this cold, damp, 'sinking in grave' feeling was suddenly replaced by this 'alive with fire'. She smiled, glad that he had agreed to come out here this evening and started to take a step forward.. This was when the student caught her attention to and it sort of broke that short lived moment.. that feeling or connection.

She let a slight sigh slip past her lips and she stepped forward and took hold of Kurt's arm, knowing that him being the person that he was he was going to offer it anyway. "I hope I'm not too terribly late." She glanced around seeking a clock, already knowing exactly what time it was. "Have you been enjoying yourself?" She glanced his way surely expecting him to give a 'yes', totally undefined and lacking alot of confidence. But then again that was what was expected. See, Kurt's more of an observer during things like this and she knew before asking he would be polite. Still she could also tell that his behavior was a little off from the norm and he was probably feeling very awkward at the moment. Still he would surely learn to grow more comfortable with it and within time perhaps it would not bother him in the slightest...

Ahh, another question just to sort of draw him out a bit. "And have you seen others here from the school?" It may have seemed like a bold question but it wasn't like she had really labeled anything. There were many people there that she had never seen before and she wasn't going to chance anything...

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

(mild content advisory.)

As Josh walks with Warren towards the empty closet, there’s a flirty bounce in his step. He flashes the mischievous smile - the one reserved only for Warren - from under the fedora as the two of them approach the door.

He looks in each direction. Good, nobody’s hanging around. He opens the closet, which has a few boxes and jackets hanging there. Before Warren can blink, Josh yanks him through the door and presses him up against the back wall, kissing him furiously.

The door slams shut with barely a flick of his telekinesis.

[Robin Wesley]

Robin watches with some amusement as Bobby tries to figure out what to do with her little pumpkin. She realizes she probably should have thought of that before giving it to him, but oh well. For a moment, he seems posed to eat it, bringing it part-way up to his mouth before thinking better of it. It was too bad. Watching anybody eat a raw pumpkin would have been interesting.

But instead he gave it a jack o' lantern smile and gave it back, which Robin decides is the best thing. The pumpkin vines actually like the creepy smiles their children wear at Halloween.

> "There… final touch? Momma and Baby Pumpkin, or something."

Robin grins at him, reaching up to pet the little pumpkin. It's an idea she rather likes- being a Mom Pumpkin, taking care of the baby pumpkins. It was kind of what she did. Plants could certainly live on their own, but they don't have a chance against humans.

In the little pumpkin itself, there is a lingering consciousness to it, which will either flourish with the planting of the pumpkin seeds or fade together completely with the death of the little pumpkin. Robin makes a mental note to save the seeds and store them in the greenhouse until they could be planted.

"Thanks. The vines," she says, gesturing to her living accessories, "they say thanks, too. They like it when people are nice to them. Instead of just taking their pumpkins and using them as projectile weapons." The pumpkins didn't mind jack o' lanterns, but once they had learned about pumpkin throwing, they had been quite upset. They viewed their pumpkins as artworks, and throwing artwork wasn't even acceptable to humans. Why should pumpkins have to put up with it?

She ends up taking a sip of the not-really-good drink to calm down a little. Getting upset over small things like this made her health go down, and she already needed to start watching her health even more since winter was coming.

"Sorry. I hope I don't sound like I'm raving about bad treatment of pumpkins or anything. What a bad Halloween topic."

[Ororo Munroe]

>as it provided me the opportunity to meet you. I’d been hoping to, and perhaps the other members of your… Emporium?
>Are they so common here, or do they merely prefer to congregate with one another?"

John, what on earth have you been saying about us? Ororo resists the urge to correct the 'Emporium' bit. I'm not even going to go there. Nevertheless, she's relieved that Wanda doesn't appear to be a member of the Brotherhood.

"I suppose you could say that they prefer to congregate together. Our school is to help children learn to control their gifts." She points to a few students across the room. "Josh is the boy with the fedora on. He is a telekinetic, and also has some telepathic skill. Warren, next to him, has real wings underneath the costume ones." And they seem to be going somewhere together... Her lip twists slightly in good humor as her finger trails in midair. "Bobby can generate ice and change temperatures. Marie can copy other's abilities. Robin can speak to and control plant growth." It's obvious that she's extremely proud of all of them by the tone of her voice.

>So you are enemies, then, and not merely rivals? I’d inferred as much, but Mag…neto was somewhat vague about the details. Perhaps you can enlighten me further during our quest for acceptable footwear?

"It is... complicated. Suffice to say that Magneto and our school have ideological differences." Images of Liberty Island, the Alkali base, Alcatraz, the Grey home, and Phoenix rush through her head. "And I would like that very much." She pulls a business card out of her purse. "Please feel free to visit us sometime. I would be happy to show you around."

>Would you like me to find him for you?

Only if you're volunteering to place him on an open field for me. "That's quite all right. I haven't spoken to him truly for many years, since before he left our Institute. I prefer to remember him the way he once was."


[OOC - Storm may feel that way, but I'm personally all for some Wanda/Magneto/Storm interaction, Mags!]

[Bobby Drake]

Bobby laughs as Robin pats Baby Pumpkin protectively, getting into the spirit of it.

> " The vines, they say thanks, too. They like it when people are nice to them."

That throws him for a second. ‘They like it’?!? Is she serious? I mean, I know she can control plants and stuff but she talks like they’re friends of hers. But Robin seems perfectly matter-of-fact about it, and he concludes somewhat reluctantly that she really is serious. He looks over at the plate of food he put down to use the marker, and is somewhat relieved to confirm that nothing on it is recognizably pumpkin. (In fact, for quite a lot of it he’s not sure if it’s animal, vegetable, or mineral.)

> " Sorry. I hope I don't sound like I'm raving about bad treatment of pumpkins or anything. "

"Um… no, not…" Bobby gulps unconsciously, then shrugs. Ah, the hell with it. "Well, kinda, actually. I mean, how do they feel about, you know… like, pies and stuff? " He whispers the word ‘pies’ despite himself, then frowns at his own foolishness; it’s not like the pumpkins can actually hear him. Can they?

"And is it just pumpkins, or… " He trails off, aware of skating on thin ice. One learns pretty quickly at the Institute not to make the other kids feel uncomfortable about their mutations, however odd they may seem at first glance, and Bobby is usually pretty good about that, but this business with the pumpkins has thrown him off-balance.

Trying to recover, he grins and quotes an old Dr. Seuss book his mom used to read him when he was a kid: "He was shortish and oldish and brownish and mossy.
And he spoke with a voice that was sharpish and bossy.
Mister! he said with a sawdusty sneeze,
I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees.
I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues.
And I´m asking you, sir, at the top of my lungs--
he was very upset as he shouted and puffed--
What´s that THING you´ve made out of my Truffula tuft? "

[Pyro]

OOC: Minor G’Mod as Jubes doesn’t seem to want to post

Jubilee does that thing people do when they have no idea what to say, the awkward little dance of trying to make dignified exit when they’re having complete brain freeze and find themselves incapable of anything except blushing, making little non-words, and stumbling off backwards. Predictable, perhaps, and John’s response is equally unsurprising, waiting just long enough for her to turn and flee before breaking into the grin-snicker usually reserved for people stupid enough to ask ridiculous questions like whether he has a lighter.

That dispensed with, he lets his eyes wander, watching first to see whether she’s run to tell anyone about the mean mutie (which she doesn’t, sigh. That would have been entertaining), and then to watch for anyone else from the Institute… okay, just to people spot, really. Josh and Warren catch the eye (let’s face it, Warren has a hard time not catching it even when he’s not running around in a body stocking) and… ooh, okay. What the hell?

He grabs a fork for himself, fake-sneaky grabbing a mouthful from her plate (because it seems like the thing to do… and anything she’s eating he can probably trust to be *real* food) while asking the question now bugging him as casually as he can. ”Hey… erm, Josh – oh man, that is good stuff – but yeah, Josh and.. erm, Warren?”

[Rogue]

Even as she's watching, he takes a forkfull of cake off her plate - despite the fact that thre's more cake sitting less thana foot away, and she gives him a look that's between a playful glare and a pleased grin. The grin being pleased with the fact that he's somewhat the same.

But she still has to protest, even if it is so John that it's welcoming. "Hey!"

”Hey… erm, Josh – oh man, that is good stuff – but yeah, Josh and.. erm, Warren?”

She shrugs slightly. "Apparently. Not sure when it happen'd, though. I'm not real big in the mansion's gossip circle..." She takes her own forkfull of the cake. And he's right, it's good - best chocolate....anything she's had in forever.

"Dang, 'M gonna haf't' find out where they get this cake from..."

[Pyro]

”Not big in the gossip circle?” He looks at her, mock-wounded, as if it’s a huge slight that she hasn’t got more to tell him, words coming out around another stolen forkful of the chocolate concoction. ”This is Josh we’re talking about.. and you don’t have any decent information for me? Shame on you.”

With confirmation that Josh and Warren are doing that, and no real concrete details, it’s obvious someone with his mind is going to start filling some in… and obvious, perhaps, where those sorts of details lead him, who he’s now scanning for. Spending time with Rogue is nice, of course, but she hasn’t got any more information… which makes this a really good time to acknowledge an interest in what’s happening back at the Institute which he’s been trying to avoid admitting to since he left. And isn’t Josh rooming with Bobby now…?

He spots Batsuited-Bob in conversation with a giant pumpkin. The distance is too great to work out what he’s saying, but it’s obviously in the carefully nice vein which, if John was the sort to go in for those terms, could only be labeled somewhere between cute and utterly adorable. And even though he knows it’s innocent the fact that that’s trained on someone else… He has to go over.

< 'M gonna haf't' find out where they get this cake from..."[/color]
”You do that, doll.” He grins, switching tone to take the sting out of wandering off and getting some weird, painful detective speak… oh well. At least it’s in character. Might as well just push it… He nods in Bob’s direction ”I’m going to turn the heat on this cool customer. Get the inside scoop” With another final parting grin he wanders over to Bob’s side..

< What´s that THING you´ve made out of my Truffula tuft?[/color]
Okay… what? Sounds like Bobby’s misplaced his marbles. But whatever. John nudges him in the ribs as he pulls up alongside – to the rest of the world, who would miss the secret smile (wow, this fedora comes in useful…), it seems imbibed with suitable animosity under the fake friendly greeting such a neutral venue demands ”Anyone messing with your Truffula tuft is going to have t’answer to me, Drake. No idea what it is, but it sounds like my area…”

Ooh… was that a little far? Whatever. Institute people would no doubt either expect that sort of thing from the John who left, or not know what to expect from Pyro… and besides, there’s a thrill in hiding things in plain sight like this. He gives the pumpkin girl – Ro.. something. Not sure what. Rob springs to mind, but he’s putting that down to thoughts from the other 99% of his brain leeching their way in, and gives up trying to figure it out – a slight nod by way of greeting, warmer than the one Jubilee got. ”Hey”

[Magneto]

The interaction between Wanda and Storm made Magneto uneasy and he wasn't sure just how loose Wanda would be with information about he and the Brotherhood, things such as where they were hiding out at and just how many of them there were and who they were. Wanda was a loose cannon and someone far beyond Magnus' reach, something the old man did not like one bit. He never could stand to 'not' be in control of everything around him, call it a 'god' complex or something like that, but that was just him.

"If you'll excuse me for a moment Sebastian...I have a few introductions to be making," he said with a forced smile as he turned his attention to that of Wanda and Storm, giving Sherridan a quick nod, some sort of unspoken comman to make sure Sebastian was kept here and away from the confrontation which was about to ensue. Leaving his little 'social guard', Magneto made his way slowly and carefully over to Wanda and Storm, his cane clicking against the marble floor as he walked. As Storm handed Wanda her card, Magneto cleared his throat and spoke up, "Ah, Ororo, I trust it you won't be picking anyone's pocket tonight?," he asked her, quirking one eyebrow as he poked at the woman who once upon a time ago, used to be a student of his as well. He stopped just behind Wanda, offering a sly smile of jest, "Charles would be proud of his young protege. Already inserting yourself among the ranks of the wealthy and very influential," he said provoking Storm a bit more, seeing just how much she had learned from Charles in his long absence.

Magneto stole a quick glance toward Wanda, hoping to steer this coversation and little meeting in a more desirable direction....well, one more desirable for him anyway. Storm was too much like Charles for her own good, always poking and snooping where she wasn't wanted, thank goodness she couldn't poke around in his brain like Charles used to try and do. Of course, that thought struck hard at the moment, making Magneto regret once again, his decision to leave his helmet behind, but as Sesbastian had said, Emma would be kept on a very short leash, but that also brought up another question, since when had Emma ever listened to Sebastian fully.

[Bobby Drake]

> "Anyone messing with your Truffula tuft is going to have t’answer to me, Drake. No idea what it is, but it sounds like my area…"

John’s attempts at keeping their rekindled particular friendship discreet would have been effectively neutralized by the way Bobby’s face lights up at his arrival, if it weren’t for the bat-cowl half-covering Bobby’s face. As it is, his sudden absurdly happy grin is obvious enough for anyone who happens to be paying attention.

It’s not that Bobby’s startled by John’s presence – he realizes, belatedly, that he’s been tracking John with his heatsense since he first noticed the other boy at the party – but rather that he’s surprised John left Marie to come talk to him. It makes him feel… well, he’s not really sure how it makes him feel, he doesn’t have a word for it, or at least he’s not sure he’s ready to use the word he does have.

So he does what he always does – at least, except for the times when he doesn’t – and tries to make a joke out of it. "What’s that, Johnny… are you thinking of chopping down my Truffula tuft? Now just what exactly would you do with a Thneed, anyway? " It’s not much of a joke, admittedly, but it keeps him from saying anything unrecoverable about John’s “area,” and gives him his balance back for a moment.

Just for a moment, though, and then without thinking he steps in so that they’re standing side-by-side, separated by inches. It’s nothing blatant, they aren’t even touching, but it lets him feel the heat pouring off of John’s body, and for just a moment he has trouble breathing.

Then he notices John trying to place Robin, and he grins. Much safer subject. "Pumpkin, this is Humphrey Bogart… Bogey, this is Pumpkin. Or, if we’re going for more informal this evening: Robin, John; John, Robin. And no, you don’t get to make any Batman & Robin jokes; if I’ve managed to avoid it you’re going to have to."

Suddenly emboldened, he adds: " Robin, I don’t remember if you were around back when John was a student… he’s a kind of, um, exchange student now, studying with an old friend of Professor Xavier’s. ” Bobby tries and fails to suppress a smile… it’s certainly true, though it’s really more John’s sort of ‘true’ than it is Bobby’s.

[Robin Wesley]

> he was very upset as he shouted and puffed--
What´s that THING you´ve made out of my Truffula tuft? "

Robin opens and closes her mouth, not entirely sure how to answer the question about pies. How would humans feel hearing about their children being baked into pies? She has never broached this topic with the pumpkin vines out of fear of their reaction.

But the whole topic makes her slightly uncomfortable with the brutal awareness that the problem she has with eating plants is just her being fucked up in the head. Everyone else ate plants ok. Eating plants was one of those things she had to get over. Robin was the one with the issues. Which wasn't at all a topic appropriate to start mulling on such a happy occasion as this, uh, wonderful gathering, so she's not terribly upset when her thoughts are interrupted.

> "Anyone messing with your Truffula tuft is going to have t’answer to me, Drake. No idea what it is, but it sounds like my area…"

Robin almost chokes on her sip of the disgusting juice. What sort of reply was that? Was it supposed to sound as dirty as it did? She didn't recognize the young man who joined them, but he was making a big deal of hiding his face in the shadow of his fedora and trenchcoat. It didn't pay to be rude, however, so she returns his greeting cheerfully enough. "Hello."

At least Batman Bobby knows who he is, if the physical distance between them is anything to judge. The familiarity is definitely there, and Robin could swear she does recognize his voice. Bobby intervenes with the introductions.

> "Robin, John; John, Robin."

John, John- John. Right. The fire boy. Their overlapping times at the Institute had been short. She hadn't made much of an effort to get to know him while he was there, mainly because of the whole fire thing. Needless to say, plants hated fire, and Robin felt an inate urge to keep some distance between them. He had just kind of left the Institute, now that she was thinking, but no one had felt like explaining it to her, and it had been outside her circle of interest.

That, however, is no reason to not be perfectly friendly at the party.

> "he’s a kind of, um, exchange student now, studying with an old friend of Professor Xavier’s."

Oh, good, this seemed like a safe topic to discuss.

"Oh, an exchange student? That sounds really cool. What sort of research are you doing? Or is it more a political studying? It's great that other people beyond the Institute are pursuing the Professor's dream now that he can't," she says, leaning forward slightly with interest.