mutantblues | Class 3 - [Voice/Action]

[ Voice; ]

[ Raven starts out the post reading from something rather than speaking casually. ]

"To Homo neanderthalensis, his mutant cousin, Homo sapiens, was an aberration. Peaceful cohabitation if ever it existed, was short-lived. Records show, without exception, that the arrival of the mutated human species in any region was followed by the immediate extinction of their less-evolved kin."

I went to the library for a cookbook and instead I get this. My brother's thesis that he submitted to Oxford to get his doctorate. It's a real boring read but I figure it might be something scientists here might be interested in. It's about genetic mutation in... in humans.

[ Her voice is a bit tight as she trails off for a moment before continuing. ]

Hell, even if you need a something to get you to sleep and not dream about anything it's pretty useful. It's called Theories on Genetic Mutation by Charles Xavier.

[ Action ]

[ After making her post to the network Raven goes on a few errands to keep herself distracted from the tug of homesickness in the pit of her stomach. The reminder that it's been months and she hasn't seen a single face from home. She stops at both the bakery and grocery store to pick up some groceries.

Later on the evening she'll be at HQ, not working for once but sitting at the bar. She isn't in the mood to dance but staying in her apartment alone isn't working for her at the moment. She'll be nursing a few drinks inside before finally giving up and sitting outside. ]

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[His smile gets softer at that.]

Thanks, Raven. That means a lot. I try to be a fuzzball more than anything else.

I guess I should return the favor, huh? Since you trusted me with your mutation I'll trust you with mine.

Only if you want to. [He hesitantly steps closer.] No pressure, man.

No, it's fine. I can't keep hiding forever.

[ She releases a breath and the first thing to change are eyes from blue to yellow with her odd speckled black pupil. Then her skin ripples as her scales reabsorb the skin and return to her true skin color. ]

Edited 2014-06-15 17:46 (UTC)

[ Her appearance stabilizes into her true self, the same clothes over near reptilian blue skin. ]

This is the real me, no masks.

[There isn't any mistaking what he sees now. It's like seeing a ghost. Suddenly, Kurt gasps and steps back, feeling overwhelmed by so many emotions.]

No! It... it can't be!

Kurt, what's wrong? [ There's a sinking feeling in her stomach. Wanda had said she wasn't a part of Charles' life in the future. Did that mean she'd done something to earn that? ]

It's still me, still Raven.

[But who has Raven been all this time? Now that he sees that blue skin, it's hard for him to think straight. It's her. She has a million faces and a million disguises. How can he knows that she's really been this young all along? This whole time, he had never even expected...

He remembers her falling and breaking. She was so many horrible things, but she was his mother. He's almost paralyzed in place as all the conflicting emotions clash, and all he can do is mutter weakly.]

Mom?

[ The word, just barely loud enough to hear is a rock in her stomach. Mom? ]

Please tell me that's a joke. I'm not anyone's mother.

[He hears her words. But it's hard to take anything she says at face value. His mother has lied so much and hidden so much that there's no way to tell for sure. And now, Kurt is just pankicking, shaking his head as she addresses him.]

How do I know this isn't another trick? All along... I had no idea!

This isn't some trick! I'm still the same person I was five minutes ago. The only difference between then and now is both of us showing our true colors.

Yeah... You're showing your true colors alright! [It's fear showing in his words.] You're really - you!

[ Perhaps her defense mechanism isn't the best but Kurt's fear has her scales rippling and snapping back into her human face. ]

I don't even know what I did...

[He gasps as he sees that face again. Raven, the girl he's befriended. But what does it mean now?]

How can I know that for sure? You've tricked us so many times. How... how am I supposed to know?

[ It's a good question, one she doesn't even know the answer to. ]

You don't. You can't know because whoever you're thinking of is someone I haven't become yet. If I'm... [ She doesn't even want to think about what he said. Mom. She had always imagined she'd be a better parent than her own. Maybe that was a lie, too. ]

Whatever I am to you, that isn't who I am.

[It's definitely Mystique. But with her penchant for disguise and especially for passing off as friends of the kids... it doesn't seem that there's any way he could tell for sure if she really is from her own past. She could be a Raven who isn't a monster yet.

Kurt realizes the most important part. She's a Raven - a Mystique - who is alive. It's not all over. She hasn't been shattered. She's right here in front of him, whole. Whoever she was, she's been befriending them all this time. Isn't that what he had secretly wished for from her?

He breathes carefully as he regards her.]

Whoever you are... In all this time, you haven't tried to hurt me... or her. Maybe you're not who I know you as. Either way... Things are different now. Maybe - maybe for the better!

[ Everything feels weird now, and Raven draws her arms in; unconsciously closing herself off. ]

Of course I wouldn't hurt you. You're just a kid, you're...[ Someone like her. Stuck in a body people wouldn't be likely to accept and hiding. ] I thought you were a friend.

[Kurt rubs at his other arm.]

I thought so, too. I... I want to still think that. It's just... It'll be hard now. [He can't erase this growing, nagging doubt about her identity and her intentions.]

Class 3 - [Voice/Action]

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