Welcome to Gaia! ::

Cam’s prank on her hadn’t gone unnoticed, though it took a hot minute for her to realize just who had been behind the tipsy cup. Vowing to get even after she got dried off, she pointed in his direction, letting her own hijinx fly. Unfortunately, the military man had ducked out just in time, and the giant she didn’t know’s arm became rubbery, stretchy.

“Oh my stars.” She said, her southern lilt as sweet as honey on a biscuit. “That… was not supposed to happen.” Glancing down at her fingers, she shook her head, clicking her tongue as she chided her own abilities. “You’d think with abilities like mine, they’d at least hone in on the intended target.”

Mouthing an apology with her ruby painted lips toward the giant… she sighed. “Make a note that I’ll need to bring that man some sort of pie as a peace offering. Excuse me while I go eat some crow. But mark my words, that Cameron is gonna get what’s coming to him.” She vowed with a kittenish smirk, holding her head high.


**

“Hold your horses.” Gracie called back, snickering as she swung open the door for Daylia, who was kicking the bottom of it in an attempt to gain entry. Immediately helping her with her load, she took in everything her roomie had brought for them to snack on. “I’d say this is enough to feed an army.” She said, looking at the array of snackage. “But, knowing us…” It’d be gone in an hour or so.

Unless Gordon Ramsay kept finding dead things in the kitchen. “If they keep showing corpses in the kitchen, your loot will be plenty.” She said, feeling a bit green as he dangled the poor creature by its tail. “Mostly just him berating them for the cleanliness of their restaurant… he hasn’t even gotten to the menu yet.”

Despite her prior claim, her hand found the snack bowl pretty easily, and she chomped down on popcorn as the roasting continued. “I’m glad he’s not talking to me like that.” She shuddered involuntarily, knowing that Gordon Ramsay grilling her would leave her six feet under with her cooking skills. A few episodes in, their comms went off. Tilting her head, she pursed her lips as she listened, her confusion mirroring Daylia’s. And then… their names specifically sounded. Stunned, all the color in her face evaporated. They… wanted… them… “Who’s grand idea was this?” She demanded, mustering all the anger she could find to stave off the panic that was already making her jaw stutter. The note of confidence from Xavier didn’t make things better.

“I can’t leave.” Gracie said, shaking her head as images of Bruce came to the forefront of her mind. “He’s out there.” Drawing up her knees to her chest, she rocked back and forth, eyelids squeezed shut in an effort to not cry.


------ To Battle ------

How they convinced her out of fetal position, Gracie wasn’t sure. But here she was, in a uniform, behind a police line next to her best friend… To her credit, she was no longer shaking, but she doubted that she looked the stalwart leader that Xavier had built them up to be.

Processing the scene, hazel eyes appeared glazed over, almost as though she didn’t register Daylia’s whisper about their game plan. Nodding once absently, she tried to remember everyone’s power and codename. She’d never really bothered with them before in simulations, feeling that the aliases were impersonal and gimicky.

The police weren’t exactly a friendly bunch, and the southern belle resisted the urge to roll her eyes as one pinched his nose. “I showered today. It’s fine.” She muttered under her breath so that he couldn’t hear her. He went on a tirade about “muties” fighting “muties,” and Gracie’s fist clenched next to her leg, nails digging into her palms. August asked for specifics, but he got no further.

Already on edge, the last thing she needed was to go off on a insipid human for his ignorance. Biting down on her lip, she let Daylia take the talking points. Spinning back around to face her team, she smirked. “Well, you heard him, folks.” She said in so saccharine a tone that it could have made a southern mama go diabetic. Even still, her candied words didn’t fully conceal any barbs that she felt. “We muties gotta do our job.” Too bad that rock hard skin didn’t find Peabody’s face. Daylia had looked to her for some sort of plan, and Gracie’s mind worked quick with the powers they had at their disposal. Darius asked them what to do, seemingly an eager beaver. If only she were as confident about this whole mess.

Gabe started with suggestions that ended with him being front and center and Gracie considered it for a moment before looking to the others. “Non-lethal fire, Siege. That way,” She hooked a thumb over her shoulder toward the police officer they’d just left. “If I get an urge to pop a cap in his a**, he’ll recover.” Mischief danced in her eyes, making it clear she only half meant her statement. “We are here to make matters good, and leave a positive light for mutants. Killing will damage our chances of changing public opinion in the long term.”

Alex piped in too, and she held up a hand in an effort to try to think. A mutant with guns wasn’t best suited to a man with impenetrable skin. While she appreciated the input, she wasn’t sure if he realized what everyone’s strong suits were. Hell, she only barely knew them and some of that came out of a folder. But gravity and a telekinetic might work better than gravity and bullets. “Siege’s bullets aren’t going to do much more than what the police’s bullets have already done… which was just piss him off, and potentially ricochet into one of us.” If guns had been able to handle it, then they wouldn’t have called in mutants for help.

Nodding toward Auggie and Aurelie, glanced back at the path they were going to take. “We’ll need you all to clear the way, when we get up to him, Jedi focus on keeping him down once someone gets his feet swept out from under him. Cabriole, keep shields up if anyone opens fire. Chameleon might be able to help keep people safe from harm, but it’ll wear her out to go through stuff with someone else.”

“Ma-” She stopped herself from finishing Marcellus’ real name. “Monsoon, let’s see if this guy holds to that pokemon elemental stuff.” She said, raising an eyebrow. Man she really hoped she was using that reference correctly. “We’ll need to get you close enough to make it happen, but erode away what you can of him, or at least try to sink him. I can’t imagine rocks being too buoyant. With Jedi working with you to keep him down, we might be able to get him to pass out. If you can fill the room with water, we’ll run rescue on anyone who can’t swim.”

“Wraith, we’ll need crowd control, as you said. Everyone not helping with geoskin will need to sweep the rest of the gang out. Plague… if any of his minions get in our way…” A wicked grin painted across her lips. “Well, do what you do best.” Make them hurl, girl. “Rebound, don’t make yourself too much of a meat shield while trying to get people out of range, okay?” She might have said something more flirty at the end about how she'd loathe to see such a pretty body tarnished with scars, but the stress compiling in her skull was already threatening to leave her comatose. Plus, now was definitely not the time to tease a new student.

“Chameleon, go with the geoskin, break up their electronics so they can’t report back to wherever their leaders are for help… I’ll direct the crowds.” Taking a breath, she kept her shoulders squared and looked at the team. “Alright muties. Let’s go hunt.”

Taking in Daylia’s haul, she nodded appreciatively before mentioning that there might have been enough to feed a small army. But it was them… they both knew they’d be making another run to the kitchen before the next season of Hell’s Kitchen started. “No, but it’s often enough. Or it’s roaches. Speaking of, oh my god! Did you see the newest healthfood craze? People are drinking cockroach milk.” Even just saying it aloud made her visibly go green, and it became an effort not to dry heave right then and there.

Continuing with the episodes, Gracie could have been content to laze out on the futon for the rest of the day, but Professor X’s voice on their communicators disrupted that plan. By the end of his spiel, the Georgia native started hyperventilating. She hadn’t even wanted to go out to Halloween festivities because of her paranoia… now, he had deemed fit to send them… with her and D in charge.

What kind of ******** bestie attempted to console her, but the tears had already sprung in her panic. “That’s just it. We don’t know where he is. How close he could be. And god help all of you if he gets into my head again.” On her own, her mutation was a force to be reckoned with, even when she was in control - things didn’t always go the way she’d planned.

But with Bruce holding the steering wheel, the hex witch’s eyes shut off from the world as she imagined it burning.


--

The police were less than friendly toward them; no surprise there. Rolling her eyes, the southern belle made a quip under her breath, but D had heard it. Grinning back at her, she lifted her shoulders toward her ears before regaining focus. Directing the goat rodeo had for some reason become their job, but everyone else started to pipe in before she could bring what she thought to words. Gabe started with Alex backing his idea up, and while she appreciated his courage in wanting to be at the front line, his bullets weren’t going to do much if the cops’ lethal ones weren’t able to. Holding up her hand in the air to give them pause, she mentally sifted through the files she’d read just before coming out to the field to try and make a list of what would work well together. Letting Gabe go through with getting close would only be asking for him to get hurt. Reminding the group that nonlethal force was all they could use, D’s bitter remarks weren’t wrong.

“Of course they wouldn’t. But I’m sure that it would only further damage the perception of mutants as a whole if we kill anyone.” D added that they wouldn’t be able to bail them out if anyone accidentally killed someone, and she bobbed her head along with that assessment. “Don’t put us in hot water, peeps. Or I’ll find a way to melt you like a marshmallow later.” By her tone and the light dancing in her eyes, it was obvious that she wasn’t serious, but the intent for them to not get them into trouble was still there.

August offered to hold him down, and Gracie thought about it for a moment and quickly paired him and their telekinetic together. Between the two of them, he would have trouble over staying up - giving Marcel the perfect chance to drown him. Aurelie offered to keep up shields to let them get close to their target. It seemed like a good idea. With her and Daylia working defense, they might have been able to split up and sneak up on Geodude. Daylia voiced just that, seemingly on the same wave-length as her and she relaxed. “Sounds as solid as we can get on the fly.” Pun intended.

Merrick headed after Daylia’s group, and Gracie rubbed her brow. “Please don’t let him be an idiot.” She muttered under her breath, not knowing the man from Adam.

Glancing to everyone else still left, she dished out orders for crowd control and getting innocents to safety. Mentioning that Alex had been right about needing to redirect the masses, she didn’t miss his smile at that. Nodding once, a part of her was happy that the man approved so far. She instructed June to do what she did best with a cheeky expression and a wink. “Just… uh… don’t get too carried away in any closets, okay?” She joked.

Alex said something in what she assumed was latin or greek, and she motioned for everyone to get started, but that was when Darius started talking, citing his experience in rougher neighborhoods. Listening, she kept a pensive countenance until he said for them to watch their asses. A chuckle escaped her then, and she spun on her heel before throwing a look over her shoulder. “I think I’d rather watch yours. View is a damn sight better.” She quipped before sobering and crossing the street. Stopping, she pointed straight ahead, hoping for something that would help with surveillance. Luck was on her side, and for a few short moments she heard everything in slow motion. Doing her best to process it, she winced as she fell to her knees, the sensation ear splitting, promising that if she held on too long she’d get a wicked headache.

“Three buildings to your left, Wraith. Two men on a balcony readying shots, but I couldn’t tell what floor. Think you and Siege can take them? I don’t want to risk pointing at them and causing them to spontaneously combust. Rebound, Plague… There were some innocent bystanders next block to the west.”