strangetrip | Warm Jelly Donut

Clarice still didn't sleep in her room. There were trust issues and decorating taste issues, but she was spending more time at the 'compound' as she called the Inn. Since the inhibitor collar was removed, Clarice's powers had been broken. She was pretty sure it had to do with everything that had happened to her, at least she hoped so.

So far everything that she'd tried to teleport came back split in two, even after she'd visited the places. Sometimes, it wouldn't hold true and fizzle out after a couple of minutes. The frustration was growing and she knew that made it even worse. She could hear John in her ear to concentrate on something you like.

She sat in the lobby, in one of the padded chairs, with a glowing light between her hands and a bunch of tennis balls at her feet. There was a light from the ceiling above, that correlated to the one between her hands. Clarice picked up one of the balls and tossed it through the teleport only to have two halves fall at her feet.

"Warm Jelly Donut."

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"Whoa, ease off." Kitty held her hands up in an appeasing gesture. "Blink had nothing to do with me being here." She didn't even know if Blink was in universe at home. "And I didn't abandon my team. I took a sabbatical to be a regular girl for awhile and try to get a degree."

Why did Clarice think she'd abandoned people? "Did your world's version of me abandon you?"

"7/15." It was said with the knowledge that everyone knew what it was. "There was a mutant rights march that ended in riots. The X-men left right after that when Sentinel Services started hunting us down and taking us to prisons. We have an Underground that tries to help other mutants, but it's rag tag group of people."

To be fair the Brotherhood took off, too.

"Mutants were 'recruited' and told there would be a war coming, then split." There was bitterness as she said it. Mostly on John, Lorna and Marcos' behalf since they were leading the Underground.

"What the hell?" That didn't make any sense to Kitty, the part about the X-Men splitting. "Are you sure they didn't get zapped to Asgard or something? We disappeared more than once in my world because some god or villain decided they wanted a new playtoy or we got stuck somewhere--"

Never mind the time Kitty had gotten literally stuck in phased form until Franklin Richards and Lockheed convinced the X-Men and Avengers to help her.

"I mean, we're not perfect, and 7/15 didn't happen in my world, so I can't say for sure they didn't bail on you. But if they did, on behalf of the Kitty Pryde in your world, I'm really sorry."

"No idea." Clarice said honestly and frankly she didn't care. They prepared enough to get John and the others ready for what was coming. That was premeditated in Clarice's eyes.

"But I can say that even the people in charge of the mutant underground don't know what happened to them."

She looked at Kitty and saw the sincerity in her apology. It didn't make up for the Xmen being dicks and leaving but she couldn't really blame her for what another version of her did. Anymore than someone could to her.

"On behalf of John, Lorna and Marcos, I'll accept. And, sorry I snapped. Automatic reflex." Not just at X-men but at pretty much anyone on first contact. "If it helps, at least I didn't throw a coffee pot at your head."

John and Marcos didn't ring any bells but Lorna... "Lorna Dane? Polaris?" she asked, curiosity getting the best of her. "She's an X-Man, sometimes, in my universe. Interesting that she's with an Underground in yours. Who else do you work with?"

Her posture had relaxed into friendly conversation, but in case that wasn't clear, she made it explicit. "No apology necessary. I'd have snapped if I was in your place. And if you'd thrown a coffee pot, I'd just have phased it through me, which would probably have pissed you off. It always did with Mirage." She grinned at that memory, even if she and Dani had made up years ago.

"Yeah it would have." Clarice admitted with a chuckle and then thought of Lorna as part of the X-men. She couldn't see it. Maybe their version was a lot different.

"I have heard some people call Lorna Polaris, but she mostly goes by Lorna. There's Sage, Shatter, Fade and Sonya. The Struckers just joined the Underground, Lauren, Andy, Reed and Caitlyn." Clarice included Sonya because was a big part of it, if not any longer.

"To be honest, I haven't been a part of the Underground for long. They're just the ones that are in Atlanta."

Most of the names weren't familiar out of context, but it didn't matter. In context, mutants running from the government were mutants running from the government. They'd all be scared, determined, angry, on edge, poorly supplied, hungry...dangerous.

"If you ever want to talk about what happened in your world, I'd like to know, but no pressure." She upchinned in Clarice's direction. "Looks like you're having a little trouble with your powers. Anything I can do to help?"

"Not unless you can take me back in time. Can you?" Clarice wasn't actually asking her that question. "I think it's a mind thing and an inhibitor collar thing that only time can heal. Well, that and a warm jelly donut."

Think happy thoughts.

"Inhibitor collar?" Kitty looked mad again. Really mad. "Are you still wearing it?" She didn't see it, but that didn't mean anything. The level of tech in any particular version of their world might range from basic to what Yana was wearing. "If you are, I can get it off."

Clarice's hand automatically went up to her throat even though there wasn't anything there. "No, when I arrived Xavin used a force field around it to get it off." There were faint burn marks still on her throat, they were almost healed.

"I think the shock - literally and figuratively is part of why my powers are so off."

"Good. I'm glad they were able to help." Kitty had never talked to Xavin enough to find out what pronoun was preferred, so she went with neutral for now and reminded herself to ask so she wasn't being an insulting asshole.

"I've got a lot of experience training with powers, and with teleporters. If you ever want help, just come find me." She'd offered, and there was no point pushing her. Clarice already had a lot to work through.

"Thanks." Clarice wasn't sure if she'd ask for help, but the offer was definitely accepted. "If what I've tried in the past doesn't help much, I'll come find you." It was as close as Clarice got to truth and not just saying what someone wanted to hear.

That was a non-answer, but Kitty would take it. "Sure. Any time."

[ooc: fade?]

[ooc: And fade!]

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