| Deepee Discussion Over Salmon Bagels |
| Summary: | Pete calls Doug while he is talking to other X-Men at the Xavier Estate and asks him to meet at Yura at Coleman's in New York City (click here for a Google search about the deli). After Doug arrives they compare notes about known "deepees" (a term Doug has coined for people displaced from their home universes). |
| Date: | 2016-08-01 |
| Related: | (2016-08-01) Logan, at the Horse Yard, with a Cigar |
| NPCs: | None |
| Scene Runner: | NA |
| Social/Plot: | Social |
| Players: |
 .. .. |
Late afternoon, August 1st, 2016, Xavier's Estate near North Salem, New York.
Four figures are conversing by the fence around the horse yard. The women have distinctive hair color: one a vibrant red and the other a verdant green. The men are equally distinctive: one is noticeably short with broad, muscular shoulders and is wearing a cowboy hat and smoking a cigar while the other is of average height and build, but has shifting lines on his skin. These are four of the X-Men: Jean Grey, Logan, Lorna Summers and the techno-organic version of Doug Ramsey known as Douglock.
[Editor's Note: Imagine the above paragraph as a silhouette only comic panel with narration. The conversation can be seen by viewing (2016-08-01) Logan, at the Horse Yard, with a Cigar.]
Inside Douglock's mind he senses someone calling his cell phone number and he answers the call. The caller hears him say, ":Greetings program!:" and then, after a socially acceptable pause where he and urRamsey share a silent inner chortle, he says ("Ok, enough of that, we are over that encounter from this morning,") to his fork and ":May I ask who's calling?:"
"It's Wisdom, you know this number by now," said the Brit. "How fast can you be at eighty-first and East End avenue? There's a little deli here that's just absolutely mad. And I wanted to keep in touch with you." In the distance, away from the phone, one could hear the occasional 'ding!' and an 'Order up!'
Outside, at the fence, Douglock goes silent for a moment then says ":Sorry, it was my phone.:" to the other X-Men, not that there was a sound. ":Pete Wisdom wants to meet me right now. Not sure if its urgent but I should go…:"
He then adds, ":Great seeing you again Lorna. And meeting you again for the first time, Jean and Logan.:" and then walks off towards Graymalkin Lane.
None of the above was heard by Pete, instead Doug says, ":If I take off right now and travel at mach 6.7 the whole way I can be there in a bit more than 32 seconds. However, this will likely upset my teammates, cause alarms to go off across the whole Tri-State area and shower you and everyone else in New York City with shards of glass…:" He pauses for dramatic effect and says, ":I assume it isn't /that/ urgent?:"
"It is certainly *not* that urgent. You don't even have to break mach one to get to me fast enough, you…" Pete stopped himself from insulting the kid. He may be an alien/human/resurrected hybrid… thing. But he was still a kid. "Just come at your leisure. There's a salmon bagel with your name on it when you get here."
":I'll drive then,:" Doug says to Pete over the phone as he ends the call and goes to the garage to borrow a car. (Hey, he's been invited and the cars are just sitting there. Sure, he doesn't take the key… starting it on his own… and he isn't a licensed driver… in this world, but Doug Ramsey is at least… but what does any of that matter.)
About an hour later, after he has reached the city and parked the car in a public garage, Doug walks into the deli. He quickly finds Pete and sits down with him.
":Hi. I had a wild morning, sorry about the oddness on the phone.:"
It was NOT a very large deli. So Wisdom was quite easy to spot. "Hello! Come sit, sit." He had a plastic cup with what looked like it was full of milk and something else (it was an iced chai), and half of a bagel with nova salmon, cream cheese, capers and onions atop it. "Wanted to check up on you. Figure out how you're acclimating. You're staing at Chuck's, right?" That is, Xavier's. "Are you going to be taking any classes, there?"
Doug smiles at Pete and then looks at the bagel with a mixture of longing and regret on his face before speaking.
In Douglock's mind, urRamsey is 'looking over' his primary's shoulder and says, ("Oh… those look like the bagels grandma used to bring over whenever she came to visit…") and is cut off by Doug saying, ("I know!")
":I am currently only a resident. Haven't been assigned any responsibilities yet,:" he explains and then adds, ":And no, I'm not taking any classes yet either.:"
If there's a look that Wisdom could recognize, it would be one of longing, or loss. "You okay?" he asked, as he pushed the bagel the boy's way. "I already had mine. Feel free to enjoy. Who's aware of your current status?" he wondered. "Have you been making many new friends?"
Doug takes a bite of the bagel. A complete chemical breakdown flows though his mind followed by a mental construct that amounts to 'tastes like a NYC deli bagel with nova salmon from the past'. Without giving a sign that his sense of taste is that inhuman he says, ":Tastes good.:"
Regarding the questions he says, ":Nothing to worry about,:" then, ":A few of the X-Men I've spoken with, Alex also possibly though I've not met him since arriving. And a member of the Avengers. Plus you and Amanda.:" and he finally adds, ":Yeah, I've made a new friend or two.:"
"That's good, that's good," Wisdom said, as he lifted his cup up, to sip from the straw. "Just mostly wanted to make sure you were acclimating. Have you found any others who are displaced, as you?"
":Yes,:" Doug says. Oddly enough he still moves his mouth while speaking and even though he takes a bite of the bagel with it also there is nothing in it despite his not chewing nor swallowing.
("You going to tell him more?") urRamsey asks him internally. ("Not X-Men… especially not Logan… not without clearance,") is Doug's reply to his fork.
"Doug, I'd like you to tell me who. You know it's my job to figure out who these folks are so I can help get them home. I've already had some problems already." A pause. "And you did say you'd help me out." Which was true.
":Of course. But as I haven't spoken with Alex yet I'm not sure what I can disclose about the internal membership of the X-Men. I hope you understand,:" Doug explains this then takes another bite of the bagel (which he converts into T-O matter and drains into dust almost instantly). ":I can tell you that Wonder Man is from another world. And that the Avengers don't know where a number of their members are located.:" After another bite he adds, ":They are effectively disbanded right now.:"
"So, you're willing to turn over on the Avengers, but not the X-Men? Interesting loyalties," Wisdom murmured, partially to himself. "I take it the X-Men are still in the midst of checking their own house, as it were. Who knows who among them's from elsewhere? Two I know of, at least, are from here. One I know for sure is not."
":Hey, I've never been an X-Man and if Simon Williams is willing to share the information with a relative stranger… even if he knew I was a techno-organic being… then I'm not reveling any deep secrets, right?:" he says sounding a little offended about the loyalties dig. ":Those numbers don't match up with mine. I know of three natives and two deepees.:"
"Well, considering the face you've got, you're more buddy-buddy with a lot of them than I am. And I've dated some. And worked with many others. They still like to keep their distance." Pete couldn't blame them. "Perhaps we should compare notes when you're feeling a bit more talky? And I don't care what Williams says, long as he stays far away from the UK. Let him keep New Jersey, or wherever the hell he's from."
":Its not that I'm not feeling 'talky', Pete,:" Doug says playing back Pete's voice for the copied word. ":And we could compare notes now. Who have you accounted for?:"
"Son, that's not gonna work with me. It's my job to find these people. You said you'd help. You tell me, first." Wisdom sounded, and looked, irritated. "Deflection isn't endearing, mate."
There is an internal debate for a bit as Doug and urRamsey consider the situation. urRamsey is on the side of continuing to wait to discuss with the current, acting Team Leader, Alex Summers, while Doug is of the opinion that he's been at the Institute for a week and nobody's discussed protocol with him so he should operate based on his past relationship with Pete of his world.
In the end Doug decides he won the debate and, less than half a minute later he speaks again.
":I know of two DPs for sure, myself and one other who is a bit grumpy at times so I won't be naming him right now. Not without his permission you understand, eh?:" The last word sounds /just/ like a native of Toronto. He then continues by saying, ":Alex and Lorna Summers are native, Lorna for sure and I assume since she's married to him Alex is also. Plus Sage. I've met Jean but the topic of DP status or not didn't come up again before you called so I don't know about her.:"
"I was present when Wolverine dug himself out of a grave, raving that the earth didn't smell right. So either he resurrected wrong, or he's not from around here," Wisdom said. "So he's technically an unknown. I redact my 'knowing for sure,' statement about him. I know Kurt is from here. Sage as well."
[The X-Men] Polaris says, "Scared him off! Excellent play!"
Doug nods. ":Not unknown really, just that you're a bit dense, eh?:" Again he sounds normal as he speaks until the Torontonian 'eh' again.
"Hrrrmph. Well, at least no longer an unknwon. And as long as Lorna and Alex are vetted…" Wisdom shrugged. "Should be fine. Anyway, enjoy your sandwich, mate. I should be going."
":Alright,:" Doug says and then holds up his sandwich as he continues, ":Thanks.:" A moment later, after thinking more on the deepee situation for a while internally, he asks, ":Do you have a DP sensor yet? If so, let me put my hands on it… if not, we need to get something like that developed.:"
As the scene fades Pete is heard to say "Now that would be useful…"