<<< Catching angels as they fall, Tag: Alex, Riva, Jet

[Mitchell]

Date: Friday, November 18
Time of Day: 9:00 PM
Location: Corner of Dwight and Verona

---

I hope I'm not late, Mitch thought as he jogged towards Coffey Park. The plan was for him to have company on his patrol tonight: a former X-Factorite named Alix, one he hadn't previously had much of a chance to meet. She'd met him though, apparently; from what he'd been told, she'd been responsible for coordinating getting him picked up from the park after the fight with the robots. Getting to know other survivors of that fight was always a treat, at least when they weren't crazy, which he was reasonably sure Alix wasn't after they'd exchanged some coordinating emails.

In retrospect, he realized that he'd probably heard a lot about her while he was hanging around X-Factor, after the evacuation of Mutant Town; he'd just confused her with the far more notorious X-Factorite with the similar name. He hadn't mentioned that little fact during their email exchanges, though; somehow 'Oh, hey, I thought you were the guy being tried for destroying half the world' seemed like an awkward conversational gambit.

As he approached the corner of Dwight and Verona where they'd agreed to meet, it appeared empty; Mitch hoped that meant she hadn't gotten there yet, rather than that she'd gotten impatient and left. Then again, with mutants of the caliber of X-Factor, she might be there and invisible, or shapeshifted into a tree, or waiting for him two hundred meters in the air. He grinned at the thought; it was rather nice to have that sort of backup. Not that he'd needed it thus far; the worst thing his neighborhood patrols had turned up so far was a street gang from Brooklyn, nothing he couldn't handle on his own. But after the Purifiers and the tanks and the Strange fellow and the Sentinels, it would be a while before Mitch took that sort of thing for granted. And either way, it would be nice to have company.

[Alix]

While Mitch was left wondering if he was on time or not, Alix stood by with the others who'd been free enough to join on the neighborhood watch that she'd been discussing via email with one of the X-corps members she'd taken part in rescuing during the sentinels attack. The use of email, of course, had never been something she'd even considered before Riva had explained it's inter workings to her. It opened a whole new realm of communication that had always been impossible. The telephone was no longer a limit. Much like the realization that she could use text messages to communicate only just after the sentinel fight, the world of technology had never been particularly her strong suit. But there was no time like the present to catch up.

::Thanks for coming, you two.:: There was, of course, no thanks needed. Either would've come without her asking if they'd known about the set up. But it being Alix, thanks was absolutely something she'd give. ::I think it'll really mean a lot that it's more than just me coming. Show that even if we're not xfactor anymore in the public eye we're still invested in the well being of mutant town as we had been. Albeit as civilians with no real power except for citizens arrest.. but... invested none the less.:: She smiled pleasantly towards the two in her own usual fashion.

Her eyes shifted around the park a moment, searching for Mitch while she did, vaguely attempting to search him out with her mind. She'd never gotten to really get a good read on him before, however, so beyond looking for particular clues she had no idea who he was. Excepting, of course, if she'd been looking for his gel form.

::Remember when we used to do this sort of work all the time, Jet?:: There was just the barest hint of nostalgia and even a trace of excitement in her voice. She almost looked as if she was about to say more before stopping.

::I see him.::

She gave him a moment to move closer, waiting until he was within actual earshot before speaking. While with the team she could absolutely get away with talking without worrying about how her voice was perceived, outside of it.. she tended to err on caution. Mitch, no matter how many emails she'd sent back and forth (along with the sneaking suspicion that he'd thought she was not the Alix she was, but the Alex who'd left) had no idea of the nature of her powers, or that the only way she spoke was telepathically. It was best to ease into such things.

::Good evening:: Her tone was absolutely cordial and, despite it's mental basis, passed for being actually heard. ::It's good to see you in person. Emails are nice, but it's good to know that you made it through alright.:: She held out a hand in greeting.

::This is Riva Lafitte and Jet Black.. they're fellow members of XF investigations and wanted to help out as well. Hope that's not a problem.:: She knew it wouldn't be, of course, but gave the benefit of a doubt.

::So what's on the agenda for tonight?::

[Jet Black]

The three ladies of X-F-Investigations headed to the place where they were to meet Mitchell from X-Corps. She listened as Alix spoke in their heads, thanking them for coming along and why it was so important for them to do something like what they were doing. Jet put her hands in her pockets and spoke, "Not at all, Alix. Always glad to help out." Looking over quickly to Riva, the newest member of the group she removed her hand to pat her on the back. "Always some new adventure right?"

Alix then spoke in her mind with the nostalgia and excitement in her mental tone, but only slightly. "Oh yea. Night patrol seemed to have the best memories. Like the one time the couple locked themselves out because they got too drunk. So they decided to go streaking." Jet chuckled at the memory and continued, "But the day shifts made all the hard work worth it." It was all still worth it. Even with the hardships.

Alix called out that she saw the guy they were supposed to be meeting. She greeted and introduced them to the X-Corps guy. Jet gave a head nod and said, "Pleased to meet you." She waited for him to tell the three what the plan was for the night.

Jet smiled for a moment, and had the image of the three of them as Charlie's Angels, with the man from X-Corps playing Bosley. She wondered who Charlie would be? Most likely it was Alex though, he was the rockstar Bossman after all.

[Riva]

“So a blonde, a brunette, and a redhead walk into a bar…” Riva smirked into her coffee, steam rising from the Styrofoam cup and warming her face in a very gratifying manner. It felt almost as good as drinking it, Riva relishing another sip and humming as the hot java trickled down and warmed up her insides. If there was anything she was addicted to, apart from her cigarettes, it was caffeine, the Cajun drinking it at all hours of the day. It was what kept her running, and with so much to do, so many people to help and places to rebuild since the attack of the Sentinels, Riva had been drinking historic amounts.

November in the Big Apple was anything but temperate. She’d never acclimate, the Southerner bundled up more heavily than her two teammates in her peacoat-sweater-boots-fuckyouYankeeandyourwinterstoo-ensemble. Back home, the fireflies had probably died down, she imagined, but it was still warm enough to hang out on the patio in shorts and with those citronella buckets and pass the night away chatting and drinking with friends. She sighed almost wistfully in her cup, nostalgia hitting her like a freight train…

“Oh, it ain’ no problem, Alix. Nothin’ good on TV anyway, an’ the Jamies fight waaay too much over the xbox,” she mused, though remained distracted with her thoughts. Now that she thought about it, her grandparents hadn’t called yet this month to say hi, or ever, since the World Court clusterfuck. Slight worry began to nag at her, but Riva quickly pushed them away as the two ladies in her company chatted about past evening excursions and those memories.

“Naked couple? Oh, Ah miss all the good stuff,” she laughed, quite grateful that she wouldn’t be tethered to that receptionist’s desk, at least not all the time. There were new things to do now, and as Alix pointed out their rendezvous point and the man at the corner, Riva focused on the present.

“Uh oh, another redhead. Ah gotta switch up the dye now,” she mused, smiling at Mitch. “Nice t’ meet ya. So long have ya been patrollin’ M-Town?” she asked, curious about the guy’s findings.

[Mitchell]

Mitch was a little surprised to find, not one, but three ladies joining him. He shook Alix's hand as she introduced herself and her companions as "XF Investigations," a name that confused him for a moment before he remembered that was the name X-Factor started using after they officially broke up. "No problem at all," he replied. "The more, the merrier."

He shrugged as Riva asked him how long he'd been patrolling Mutant Town. "Started a few months back, after the Night of Broken Glass... y'know, when the Purifiers first hit town. I figured you X-Factor people needed all the help you could get keeping those bastards out of here. Then we were getting stragglers into safehouses, after the Dome went up... and after that, I wasn't exactly gonna trust SHIELD to keep us safe, and... I dunno. I guess it became a habit. Most of the folks who evacuated when the Dome went up didn't have much time to clear out their houses, or even lock up; looters and stuff are a problem, so I figure every pair of eyes on the neighborhood's a good thing, y'know?"

What Mitch didn't say out loud was that this neighborhood watch project of his was as much a way of trying to feel useful, feel relevant, as it was anything else. Somehow, after the events of the last six months, the job he used to do just didn't seem particularly important anymore. Rebuilding Mutant Town so the next crazy mutant-hating army could blow it up again? Rebuilding peaceful relations with their human neighbors so a crazy mutant army could blow them up? It all just felt pointless. Not that these night watch patrols were any less so, ultimately, but they were at least something he could do that wouldn't get destroyed tomorrow.

No, he didn't say any of that out loud. "Agenda's pretty simple, really," he answered Alix. "Basically I've been wandering around town, keeping an eye on stuff. Busted some heads a couple of times. You know, just basic grunt stuff... goes down better with company, though. How about y'all, though: what're you up to, now that X-Factor doesn't exist anymore?"

[Alix]

The two, of course, gave unanimous confirmation of it not being an issue for them to come and help out; it was just the way things worked. Say thank you, have it dismissed as just something that had to be done. XF-investigations was no different than X-factor in that right. New approach, maybe, but same all the less.

::Yea they do... though...:: She didn't mention that there were other Jamie fights that could put the xbox to shame. But there were. A particular hamburger incident reached her thoughts and she smiled despite herself.

::It's alot better than going to the kitchen and daring that wrath.:: Their exchanges were light, despite the past few weeks- but then, that was how things always went when the world seemed to constantly try and knock you down a few pegs. You built it up anyway possible.

::ohhh yea. Those were interesting times. When Mutant Town was still being established and everything felt so new. All the weird little fights that we broke up. Remember the guy that used his xray vision to spy?:: She smiled towards nothing.

::And with the detective agency.. I bet we'll get some of the same issues. Only this time, instead of going to find them and break them up, we'll be hired by one party or another. Maybe.:: She shrugged with a smile. ::But it'll definitely be interesting.::

::that's good. Things were crazy for us then and we couldn't keep on everything. Some of us kept watch and we took alot of turns, though. But with the trial..:: He probably understood. She listened as he talked about the looters and she smiled- perfect. She'd been doing much and the same throughout the duration of the trial and while she'd never crossed paths with Mitch while doing watch-work before, it all made sense. Someone had to have been watching the homes outside of the team because, frankly, they'd all been spread so thin at that point that there'd really not been much a chance for anything else.

If she would have caught Mitch's thoughts on why it didn't seem that important, she would've given some kind of hopeful speech. Talking about how every time they built things back, it'd come back stronger.. that no matter everything that happened, mutants would still have each other. Mutant Town would recover and grow, just like it's two patron organizations.

The Night watch was important- it was everything they'd done in the past and while recent events had kept them from it as much as they would've liked, Mitch was absolutely doing his part. Somehow, however, she knew that the same thanks that they had received as x-factor would've been transferred to him and in that, he would know just how important the beat could be.

::Sounds good. I can scan while we go and keep an eye out for anything and if necessary, Jet can take the skies. Riva's good at punching things.. really, really hard.:: She smiled towards Mitch.

::Definitely better with company:: She started, as they continued to walk towards the heart of mutant town and where things could likely get more dicey, pleasant despite the cool winter evening.

::Since we lost alot of the team we kind of changed up focus. Multiple Man has been setting us up as a detective agency and we've been working on the paperwork and the remodel. We're still definitely going to be helping police the streets of Mutant Town but like you, it'll be as citizens. Employees, maybe, of a Detective Agency.. but citizens none the less. I think we're in the process of applying for a venture capital whuzit it from you guys.:: She had no idea on the name and vaguely glanced towards Riva- well aware that she'd know the right word for whatever it was that they were getting.

::How about X-corp? Rebuild going well?:: She made openings in conversation so that either Jet or Riva could jump in when they liked.

[Jet Black]

Riva reflected Jet's thoughts on how it was no problem that they were coming along with Alix to help patrol. Riva complained that we missed all the good stuff. "Oh yea, it was 'good stuff' alright." Alix agreed with her that they were interesting times and recalled Mr. X-Ray vision.

"Haha! I do. I remember saying something along the lines of 'I'll make sure you sing soprano if you use that crap on me!' And he definitely made sure not to do that by looking at the ground." They met up with the X-Corps guy, Mitch. Riva asked how long he'd been doing the patrols and Alix asked what was on the agenda.

After he told them that it was just going to be simple patrols Alix offered him an angle that all three of the ladies could cover. Jet nodded and added, "Yea, it'll be good to be able to fly over head like I used to. I get to keep a better eye out." Mitch then asked what X-Factor was doing since they broke up. Which Alix had answered.

The blonde then commented, after Alix had asked how X-Corps was doing, "I know you guys are working like hell, getting your building back together. Honestly we would have helped out more after it happened but we got a bit..." As Jet trailed off she cleared her throat.

[Riva]

Oddly enough, Riva did remember seeing the other redhead around town—after all, bright hair colors were difficult to ignore—but thought nothing of it. Much of X-Corp often walked around doing their own brand of field work, checking with families that had previously requested assistance, doing their own research and gathering information about the neighborhood, figuring out what the community needed to lobby for and shout at the Mayor’s office. Ex-Mayor’s office. Wonder what happened to that dick… Eh. Anyway, knowing that Mitch had been out here, doing his part on his own time without any kind of kick back or reward, it certainly did merit respect. People like him and Deadie, who wanted to do right by the community, were the heart and pulse of X-Corp… pun clearly intended… Riva even smirked to herself at her own inner monologue cleverness.

“So y’ a veteran at this, huh? Well then! Ah feel safer already,” she smiled, sipping her coffee and gulping down another hot mouthful of liquid crack before nodding her head. “Things was crazy after those attacks. Ah hardly got a lick o’ sleep durin’ all that. Phones never stopped ringin’ until most everyone left the borough. The silence was even creepier,” the Cajun murmured, reflecting on those tense and terrible times. Much more probably lay ahead, but she didn’t voice those fatalist views. “People still comin’ back, from what Ah know, but now we got some missin’ person rumors. Ah heard there was some folks posin’ as Sanctuary agents when they weren’t. Fuckin’ scammers.”

There wouldn’t be any pay in it for XFI if the amateur gumshoes were to investigate, and money was important to keep their fledging business and cover running, and rumors were just that. Rumors. But could they really sit on hypothesis and heresay if there was a possibility that people really were vanishing? Riva glanced at Alix and Jet, not really wanting to continue on that tangent of gossip. She often got carried away with the rumor mill, and sometimes exaggerated, but the expression in her honey-colored eyes told volumes of her worry.

The conversation was a little too dark for Riva’s taste, but Jet and Alix salvaged it, talking about patrols of days past and the telepath describing XFIs new modus operandi. The entire thing was a front, though not entirely illegitimate. Jamie did have a PI license, which one of his dupes ever so proudly hung up in his office in a ridiculously flashy frame. Flashy, being that he made it out of popsicle sticks and glitter and maraconi. That wasn’t exactly the way Riva thought they should put their customers at ease…

“Mhm. Punchin’. S’what Ah do,” Riva grinned. “Ah punched a Sentinel in the face, y’ know. An’ then broke m’ shoulder.”

Yeah, good times. Nothing left to do but to grin and bear it, though X-Corp couldn’t say that, could they? Not with the losses they had suffered, and Riva had seen first hand what that carnage had been. It was the stuff of nightmares, quite literally.

“Venture capital funding,” Riva picked up for Alix, wanting to quickly steer away from massacres and face-melting and bodies stapled to the ceiling. “Ah mean, yeah, we’re not inventin’ some crazy new technology, but a PI agency run by mutants? C’mon. We got the best trackers and snoopers, an’ that’s without the tech. We got an ad runnin’ in the paper already, so once people warm back up t’ us, they’ll be no stoppin’ ‘em comin’ through the door. Besides, it’s grassroots. Real trendy.”

She took another sip of coffee, looking down the darkened street. Nothing stirred.

“So, we stay together or do we split up? Guess Ah’m the newbie to the whole neighborhood watch thing.”

[Mitchell]

Riva's good at punching things... really, really hard

Mitch chuckled at Alix's telepathic summary of her teammate's abilities, not entirely sure whether that had been broadcast to everyone or just to him. Then Riva replied, and he laughed outright. "Punched a Sentinel, huh? I'm impressed. Was all I could do to keep from getting squashed underfoot. As a brawler I, well, make a pretty good distraction, leastwise around here."

Truth be told, telepathic communication was still pretty novel to him, though he remembered Alix's "voice" vaguely from that fight with the robots. Still, the other two seemed to take it in stride, so he did his best to do the same, or at least pretend to. "So, that telepathic thing you do... that just broadcast, or d'you listen in as well?" Not that Mitch had too many secrets to keep, but the idea still made him uncomfortable.

How about X-corp? Rebuild going well?

"I guess. Gotta get the place all nice and shiny for the next racist army or homicidal robot or whatever-it-is to blow up, right? Hate for 'em to feel like they weren't gettin' their money's worth, after all. Beats me where the money comes from, though." Mitch vaguely remembered reading something about mutant benefactors funding X-Corps in one of their orientation brochures, but he didn't remember the specifics. He wondered if their benefactors felt as frustrated by the pointlessness of it all as he did. "Hardest part's gonna be restaffing, I guess. We, y'know," he swallowed hard for a moment before continuing, "we lost a lot of people. And even with half the town still living in that pineapple under the sea or wherever, after the robot warzone thing there's just as much need for our services as ever. So, it's kind of crazy. Most of us are working through the holiday just to keep from getting too much further behind."

Jet apologized for X-Factor not having been more help on the rebuild, and he waved it off. "You guys had plenty on your plate as it was. And actually your tech guy, Madison, was all kinds of crazy helpful." Not that Mitch had understood half of what came out of the guy's mouth, but Hart had seemed impressed. "'course it turned out we didn't need most of his defensive improvements, once the Dome came down. SHIELD turned out not to be as big a bunch of dicks as we'd expected; thank God for small favors. And when the shit did come down, well, you saw how it was... we got caught with our pants down, there was no time to get folks into the safehouse. But, well, it's there in case we need it again, right?"

"People still comin' back, from what Ah know, but now we got some missin' person rumors. Ah heard there was some folks posin' as Sanctuary agents when they weren't."

"Oh, great. Like the real thing wasn't bad enough," Mitch replied grumpily. "I, yeah, I ain't got a clue what to do about that. Cops ain't gonna treat them any different from the folks who just took off, and at a guess I'd say about half of them ain't come back yet... whole lot of empty houses. My housemate hasn't yet. Landlords, neither." He shrugged. "Dunno if they're coming back, even. But I guess I can make up a list of suspected missing persons and spread it around, see if anybody's heard from 'em." He didn't sound particularly confident, for the excellent reason that he wasn't.

"Anyway, guess we can split up if you want; cover more ground that way? I've mostly been patrolling on my own, hasn't really come up. What do y'all think?"

[Alix]

::I've heard those rumors too, Riva.:: Alix muttered as a sideline, her glance shifting a bit nervously. Of course she had- any rumor worth its salt that passed through mutant town was, in one way or another, caught onto by her. She generally investigated them as deep as possible but with all the events that had been happening she had not found out near as much information as she had wanted.

Riva continued to stir the conversation towards other, far less serious tones and Alix grinned. ::It's true. And if you think about it.. we are inventing some crazy new technology.. private use, though.:: She added. ::And XFI is the trendiest. I mean. Look at Guido. He's nothing but trend. Have you seen that hair? Totally the do of the year. And Gibney? We're a bastion of trend and forerunners. We almost should just give up the whole PI thing and go into mutant fashion.::

But not really.

::I ah.. I just broadcast.:: She lied, and understood his minor discomfort. It was easy to fall into a comfortable level of calm when around the rest of XFI- they'd all gotten more than used to her popping up in their head with comments-- sometimes before she'd even stepped into the room. It came with the territory and was, as a whole, who she seemed to be. Recent months had sparked that just vaguely more outgoing nature in her and had generally made her more animated. Yet when presented with the reminder of just how off her manner of speaking could be, she'd back it off a notch.

::If you ever need any help, I'm sure some of us can offer a lending hand. Even if it's just putting files in the right order and things:: She nodded towards Mitch quietly.

::Splitting up probably works best. We can cover more ground and I can act as a communication point between us all.:: She pointed to the side of her head. ::It's a benefit of a built in radio.:: She smiled light heartedly and looked towards Jet softly. ::Jet can do eyes in the sky thing, too.::

[Jet Black]

As everyone was catching up and getting settled the plan of action was thrown out in the air. Splitting up was defiantly a better option. Each of them was more than capable of fending for themselves. Jet nodded to Alix when she spoke of being their means of communication and mentioned that the blonde could be the eyes in the sky.

"I'm no Chopper-Man Dan, but I'm more than happy to keep skyward." Chopper-Man Dan being the news traffic guy, and the Silverlight being, well Silverlight. She felt she had to add on, "And please no plane jokes. Those turn ugly real quick." Usually ending with her being jumbo sized, but she had no doubt in her mind that anyone there would do that. Still it was nice not hearing the Jet plane jokes.

Last time she threatened to blast said 'jokester' out of the building. She just couldn't remember who made the joke. "That and it's too obvious." Jet smiled and clapped her hands together as she said, "So I guess we should get started, yeah?" The blonde took a few steps away from the group before she powered up and took to the air, calling out as she did, "See you all from the skies!"


[Exit Jet]