8/1 Instance: Many Blood-Sucking Parasites

[Svartfreja]

Current Timeline.


<Sue> Sue stared at the poster over her bed for a long time and frowned. "Well, Larry, you're probably right but it's not making me change my mind..." she could try another idea though. Shutting her laptop, she got up and went on a hunt, invisibility powers were so useful for searching that giant building.

<Melati> Invisibility or not, Melati wouldn't have seen Sue coming either way, her eyes hidden behind dark welding goggles, while the stereo next to her drowned out most other sounds in the workshop. With a cigarette tucked between her green lips, the lizard-girl's attention was focused on the old husk of a van in front of her.

<Sue> Bingo! Not that it was hard. And now.... the old van vanished from view. She had to get her attention somehow and the music was so loud.

<Melati> Melati blinked behind her goggles, the cigarette drooping from her mouth when she leaned back to better see the whole lot of nothing right in front of her. "The hell?" she mumbled, trying to figure out why she was welding thin air.

<Sue> And for her next trick... a sound proof bubble went up around the noisy stereo. Ahhhh better. "Boo."

<Melati> "Fuck!" Melati nearly dropped the welding torch, but frantic fumbling prevented the worst. In the end, her half-smoked cigarette was the only casualty. "Goddammit!"

<Sue> "Nice to see you too," Sue giggled, "If you will play your music so loud, how else am I supposed to get your attention? I'm hardly going to go and tap you on the shoulder - welding torch to the face is a potential issue there...."

<Melati> "Hey, you can always toss something at me to get my attention," Melati replied, a smirk on her lips as she pulled another cigarette from her pocket, put it in her mouth, and lit it with the flame of the torch. "Sorry about that." She reached over to the tool cart and turned off both the gas and the stereo.

<Sue> Sue opened up the bubble enough for Mel to get her hand in to hit the power button on the stereo. "It's okay... you've been keeping busy, huh?"

<Melati> Melati shrugged and nodded towards the partly dissected van. "Just a little hobby of mine," she said, grabbing an oily rag to wipe her hands. "At first I thought it was one of Broo's weird experiments again that swallowed my stuff, so I'm glad it was just you."

<Sue> She laughed, going over to her friend, "Got some time for a chat?"

<Melati> "Have I ever said no to a break?" Melati asked back and cracked a wry grin, before she leaned down to grab a bottle out of the small cooler parked right next to her tools. "Want anything? I actually got some water in here if you don't care for any alcohol right now."

<Sue> "Water's fine, thanks - trying not to pickle my liver." She found a workbench to hold up, "I wondered if I could pick your brains about something..."

<Melati> "Sure thing." She tossed Sue one of the small, cooled plastic bottles, before uncapping her beer with the help of a claw. "You must be pretty desperate to come pick mine, though. Can't promise you'll find anything of use in there."

<Sue> Sue caught the bottle but didn't open it, "I'll find plenty - I need an opinion and you're the most opinionated person I know."

<Melati> Melati chuckled. "Won't deny that," she said and took a generous swig from her beer. "So, whatcha' wanna know? Guess this ain't about my killer chili recipe."

<Sue> "No... I like my stomach lining," Sue nodded sagely, "What do you think about politicians?"

<Melati> Melati responded with a crooked grin. "Politicians?" She promptly took another swig of beer. "If you've been out drinking with me, you should have a pretty good image of what I think of 'em."

<Sue> "Okay okay... I know all the ones we have at the moment suck... but what if I was a politician. Would your opinion change or would I be tarred and feathered with the rest of them?"

<Melati> That question earned Sue a raised eyebrow while Melati continued to empty her bottle. "Are you serious?" the reptilian mutant asked. "And you want my honest opinion?"

<Sue> "I am totally serious and, yes, I want your honest opinion.... and since when have you been afraid of giving it?"

<Melati> "Hey, I'm just trying to be considerate." Melati bridged the pause with a chuckle. "Well, if you're absolutely sure..." She gave Sue a sincere smile. "No, I wouldn't throw you in with the lot of them."

<Melati> "You see, I'm not some naive idealist. I know it's not as much the people in power who are the problem, but the system itself. I'm pretty sure most of them started out as decent people and had nothing but the best intentions."

<Sue> "So, if I went into politics, you'd expect me to end up like all the rest at some point in the future?" she wrinkled her nose, "Ewww....."

<Melati> "No, I'd expect you to take the high road and be better than that," Melati replied with a grin and, after having determined that her bottle was indeed empty, bent down to help herself to another beer. "The way I see it, there are three kinds of well intentioned young politicians."

<Melati> After popping the cap of her fresh beer, she counted along with her clawed fingers. "Those who have no idea what they're getting into and get chewed up by the system, those who succumb to it and end up betraying their ideals, and those few who manage to stay true to themselves 'til the end."

<Melati> She looked at Sue with an uneven smile. "And history taught us, that end often comes rather messily for most of them."

<Sue> "Yeah... I was thinking about that a lot... but I decided that I have in-built bulletproof glass so I'm pretty sure I can handle it. I'm behind a bubble ninety percent of the time anyway... don't even have to concentrate on it anymore."

<Melati> Melati chuckled. "That's good, because I have a feeling you might need it. Honestly, I'd probably feel a lot safer fighting bad guys and facing down weird ass shit with the X-Men than parading my mutant ass around on a public podium."

<Sue> "I feel a lot less safe staying with the X-men long term, actually... after everything that happened with Johnny..."

<Melati> Melati remained silent for a moment, her lips pressed firmly together. "Yeah, can't blame you for that." She raised the bottle for another swig of beer, while giving Sue's shoulder a squeeze. "Hell, we all must be a bit crazy to continue doing this after all that's happened."

<Sue> "Eh... some'll be fine whatever happens... but I think it's time for me to think about moving onto bigger and less explosiony things, you know? I don't want to be trapped here forever..."

<Melati> The edge of her mouth formed a crooked smirk. "Hey, I can dig that," Melati replied. "So if you're sure about going through with that, you can count on me."

<Sue> "Thanks Mel..." Sue leaned to give her a hug, "Your support means a lot - you're my best friend in this hellhole."

<Melati> Melati returned the hug and gave her friend a tight squeeze. "Don't worry, I'll always be there to cover your back," she assured her. "Or to give your pretty ass a firm kick should you not become the best damn politician you can be."

<Sue> Sue laughed, turning her head to kiss Mel's cheek, "I knew I could count on you."

<Melati> "As long as you don't forget your old friends once you've made it to President." Melati joined the laughing and curled her tail around Sue's legs.

<Sue> "Not a chance," Sue promised, "After all, every President needs their own personal hareem."