Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and works; all other characters and worlds belong to their respective owners. I'm just playing with them.
Betad by Priapus, Marethyu, Mike God of Lore, Beans
The Guild of Gamers: The Blessed
Chapter 10: Yamato
– Arthur King –
Now, I'd be the first to admit that I am a very petty man. It's almost a defining character trait at this point, and I won't deny that Spidey is… annoying. I'm biased after the way he jumped me when I just got here, but even during our fight, the man- boy was annoying. All that strength, and he treats the trash of this world with baby gloves? Is this a game to him? He's put so many of the villains I'm hunting behind bars time and again, only for them to get a slap on the wrist due to the insanity plea or just straight up escape a week later.
He's a band-aid on a gaping, diseased wound, pretending he's actually helping when he could be doing so much more. So, I can't say I like him much.
But even by my standards, this is a new level of petty as I finish my… self-pleasure session into the lacy underwear. I didn't need to know about Peter Parker's pecker, but this seemed like such a funny idea at the time, and then I was halfway done, and it felt like it was too late to back out. A nudge with Xavier will make sure things go the way I want. Having Telepathy on tap is really useful.
'Hiding' the red underwear, I finish what I actually broke into his house to do and slip away. After this, I'll leave Spidey alone. Honestly, I might have to do something nice for him to make up for all this.
…nah, fuck him.
– Peter Parker (Spider-Man) –
Having to go to school after getting literally shanked by fucking Copycat was not a fun experience. There was a limit on the number of bruises and injuries that he could excuse as just him being clumsy, and Copycat beat his ass last night.
Fighting himself was not fun. Fighting himself with all the other bullshit Copycat could pull out of his backside was even less so. It took some long sleeves and a thick jumper to hide the bulge from the bandages to stop anyone from noticing how badly he was injured today. He hated that he was getting good at pretending he wasn't one big, walking bruise.
Predictably, old J.J. was… exactly as pleased as you'd expect after being abducted and swung through the city before being webbed upside down to the side of the Daily Bugle. He was never going to let this go and… well, Peter had to admit that with some time to consider it, that one was pretty funny.
Arriving at home, all he really wanted to do was collapse into his bed and sleep for a week, but with Copycat out there, he knew he had to suit up and get back into the streets. His healing factor would keep him functioning when he really shouldn't be.
"Peter! A word, please," Aunt May shouted as he entered, and her tone made him pause before he headed over to the living room, facing her. She was pacing, a conflicted expression on her face that he couldn't place as she gestured for him to sit down. "Now, I realise this is partially my fault, Peter. I really put this off far too long," she rambled as Peter paused, wondering what she was talking about. Wait, she didn't know-
His panic must have shown, before she paused and took a deep breath.
"I only found it by… accident, to be honest. I had noticed some things going missing, but I didn't go snooping or anything like that!" May reassured him, his blood going colder as he felt his heart beat fast. "But I was in your room and found… well."
"I- I can explain- it's not been for long, I just-" Peter babbled, wondering if this could get any worse. She knew his secret and-
…why was she holding her underwear?
"I know you are at that… age, and you have new desires, but this can't happen again, Peter," May scolded, holding them out with… oh, that was why she was wearing the gloves she used for cleaning. Wait, was that white stain-
No.
Copycat, no. Even he wouldn't-
"I- I didn't-" Peter tried, but his words died in his throat. She'd found her… used underwear in his bedroom, in what world could he convince her that an intruder did it without exposing himself as Spider-Man? He couldn't. It was the entire truth, or let her think he was some kind of pervert!
"I'm- well, I won't say I wasn't angry when I found it, but as I said, we really should have had The Talk a long time ago," May said, as kind as ever, as he sank deeper into his seat with the realisation of the unwinnable battle Copycat had put him in. "But I do understand that this can be a challenging time for young men. I just need to make sure that certain… boundaries are set."
"I-it won't happen again," Peter squeaked, more afraid now than he had ever been as a superhero.
"I- is there anything you'd like to tell me?" May asked, a knowing tone in her voice. What- what else did she think she knew? He had no idea! His silence dragged on too long, and she sighed again and pulled out… oh god, that was one of the tiny cameras he got for the spider-drone he was working on… no. No, no, no, no. "After I found my… undergarments, I realised that I should have a deeper look around the house and I found this in the shower."
Copycat, you absolute monster. Somehow, he preferred the genuine attempts to just kill him.
"Now, I know you're a smart boy, and I'm sure you've… encrypted, that's the right word, right? Encrypted whatever you… recorded, but I need you to swear to delete it all and never do this again. I don't want to get reports from your school about hidden cameras in the girls' locker room," May said, clearly disappointed in him as the most humiliating lecture of his life began.
His laptop? Confiscated and formatted, and as she searched his room for any hidden hard drives or usb sticks, she found one. It was one he put his suit designs and ideas for gadgets on, and now? It was destroyed because his aunt thought it was full of recordings of her in the shower. By some miracle, she didn't find his suit in the false back of the wardrobe, and she made it clear this wasn't finished and that he was in a lot of trouble.
But she was clearly mortified and decided to 'give him some space to think about his actions', and the moment she did? He was ready to jump out of his window. Preferably in his suit, but right now, he'd just take the escape from the worst day of his life.
Pulling out his suit, he glanced at the door with guilt before he got dressed and pulled the mask on… revealing a deadly flaw in his Spidey-Sense. It didn't detect… glitter, as the mask dumped so fucking much all over his head.
He really fucking hated Copycat.
– Arthur King –
Feat Achieved: Become Spider-Man's mortal nemesis, Two rolls granted for sheer ingenuity.
Dude, just cuck him like everyone else. Paul has nothing on you.
Ah, I see Peter got home from school.
Hehehe.
"You know you look like a villain when you sit there, stroking your Bond villain cat and cackling to yourself," Kitty points out, and I respond maturely by throwing a piece of broccoli at her. My cat is not a… wait, no. She's exactly the type of cat a bond villain would have.
I really need to come up with a name for the cutie, but I've always sucked at naming things. Hell, my hero name is Copycat. If I can even call myself a hero after the fuckery I got up to last night.
Not enslaving Tombstone, the Aunt May thing.
"Well, Rogue likes bad boys," I shrug, fluffing my cat's head until he loses his patience with my bothering and jumps off the table, wandering off. Rogue blushes at my words, but doesn't refute them as I give her a kiss on the cheek, one hand over her shoulder as it rests directly on her breast. Despite the fact that I'm groping her in the middle of the cafeteria, Rogue doesn't resist or even look bothered.
…hmm, she's a bad test subject for [Mr Nice Guy] because my time fuckery has shown me just how much I can get away with when it comes to Rogue. With my ability to turn back time by five minutes, I can afford to test [Mr Nice Guy] out to see just how much I can get away with, since if they do take offence, I can just undo it.
As for my upgrade quest, I've got a way to finish it easily, but… some concerns. I need ten rolls from things I did in aborted timelines, which gives me five minutes to earn a roll and then reset to undo it. The biggest answer is just kill ten people who are important enough to provide a roll, then undo it. Catch them by surprise, I can kill them in an instant and then undo it.
The issue? My connection to Bhaal. Sure, I can reverse time, but the Ancient One showed that my power isn't absolute. What if Bhaal takes the soul, and then I reverse time? Do I snatch the soul out of his hands, pissing him off? Do I bring them back as a soulless husk? Either way, it's not something I'm willing to test on someone I don't want to risk.
Even Shades Indoors and Blue Balls shouldn't be risked like this. Not because I'd miss them, but I don't want to burn my bridges with the X-Men entirely. I don't want to lose Rogue, if I'm being honest. She is willing to put up with me being a bit of a dick, but not a straight-up murderer without Mr Nice Guy mindwhammying her to high hell, which I don't want either. Even if I were willing to do that, there are two very powerful telepaths here.
So, as tempting as it may be to go over and just shank Blue Balls while he scowls at me, there's too much risk involved. Jean has already been giving me weird looks all day, and it's making me nervous. Has she noticed [Mr Nice Guy]? I haven't done anything major with it specifically to avoid giving her a way to do so, but she's got the fucking Phoenix in her head. If there was ever going to be someone who noticed my power mindwhammying people, it's her.
She's actually been staring at me so hard I've had to search my memories to make sure I didn't do anything in another timeline that she could be that angry about. I did spank her once or twice, and maybe kissed her to piss off Scott, but she didn't even seem that angry in that timeline!
She actually seemed to like it, now that I think about it. Did the Phoenix remember and tell her about my timeline fuckery? I shouldn't have tried using timeline stuff on someone whose powers I know so little about.
Continuing dinner with Rogue and Kitty, I let my attention drift to the scum of New York. Kingpin is getting a little... antsy over how many of his men have mysteriously died or disappeared lately. I'm still tempted to just kill or capture him, but he's the sort to have plans within plans, and I'd rather dismantle his operation around him while he flails, unable to work out who is even targeting him. Well, that's a lie. He's already figured out that it's Copycat after my little streaking prank.
He's got enough information to know that Copycat exists, and beyond that, it doesn't take a genius to work out that the fake Fisk running around New York naked was probably the guy who can copy people's looks. He doesn't know that I'm behind all his suffering, only that Copycat is somehow involved.
But he has nothing to go on, so what is he supposed to do about it? There's nothing linking Copycat to Arthur King anywhere but with Shield. And as influential as he seems with the underworld, I doubt the super spy network that is currently cleaning house after finding out they had a Nazi problem is working with some fat crimelord. Especially when Black Widow has made it clear they want to recruit me.
Flirting with Rogue, I smirk as I feel Bobby's eyes drilling into the back of my head. I still have my quest to fuck Rogue where he can hear it but I'm not entirely sure how to do that without humiliating Rogue so there's no rush. I like Rogue more than I dislike Blue Balls, so for now he can just watch as I grope the girl he wants. If she looked even slightly upset, it'd be better for him but Rogue pushes her body toward me, leaning against me as she flirts back. As I told Kitty, she likes bad boys.
As dinner ends and they have to leave for their 'special training', I wonder what to do with my time. I could join the X-Men in their training sessions, Storm and Prof X have made that clear, but I also don't want to give them the belief that I'm going to join their boy scout squad. Plus, Cyclops is a prick and he takes being 'in charge' very seriously so he'd expect me to listen to him.
Which isn't happening. Ever. I train better on my own anyway.
"Arthur!" Jean calls out as I go to start my wandering, catching me by surprise.
"What's up?" I ask, confused why she's coming to me instead of going with the other X-Men Junior division to their training session. Amusingly, I can see Scott frozen from where he was headed to the Danger Room. Indecision is clear on his face, unwilling to leave while Jean is with me. "Thought you had your 'extracurricular training'."
"We do, but I just needed to talk to you first," Jean says, a serious look on her face. She doesn't look angry, really more determined than anything, as I shrug.
"Shoot," I say easily, picking my cat up to stroke as he purrs in my hands. You wouldn't attack a guy holding a cat, would you? Plus, this is still semi-public so I doubt it's that serious. Jean pauses, hesitating before she speaks.
"Why not me?" Jean asks, her words blurting together before she flushes in embarrassment.
"Instead of Rogue? Why Jean, I didn't know you felt that way~" I tease, getting a punch to my arm for it as I snort. "Do you mean 'why don't I turn into you?'"
"Exactly! You use everyone else's forms when you train or spar, but I've never seen you turn into me," Jean admits with an embarrassed and slightly insulted look. Ah, it's hurting her pride that I don't think her power is worth copying.
"I didn't know that me being inside your body was so important to you," I reply seriously, getting a laugh from her in response.
"Most guys would rush to be inside me, not avoid it like the plague," Jean shoots back, unbothered by my flirting. Again, she doesn't seem offended at me flirting, instead she genuinely seems to enjoy it. "But seriously, why don't you turn into me?"
"It's been driving you mad, hasn't it?" I ask in amusement.
"You have no idea. I'm used to knowing what other people are thinking, and it's annoying enough having a big blindspot where you are concerned. It's been driving me crazy trying to work out why you wouldn't want to use my powers," Jean admits. "Oh god, that sounds so egotistical."
"Nah, I get it. Your powers are kinda insane," I praise, seeing her perk up at the confirmation that it isn't because I don't think she's good enough or anything like that. "Do you know why I don't use Storm's powers, either?"
"Not really. I had noticed that you hadn't used her but I didn't have enough data to work on since you rarely train with us," Jean replies.
"I can copy her power, sure. I can't copy her control over her power and she's bullshit strong. I take her form, New York is gonna have some freak weather issues until I drop it," I explain. I tried, but her self control is insane compared to my own.
"So you're worried about my telepathy? I mean, I kinda get it since knowing what everyone is thinking can be a bit annoying," Jean says, before she pauses as I shake my head.
"You don't know, do you?" I realise, seeing her blink. "Your telepathy and telekinesis is great, don't get me wrong. It's not what I'm scared of when it comes to you. One of my powers gives me an understanding of all the powers anyone I can see has. You don't know what it says when I look at you, huh?"
"Do you get off on being annoyingly vague?" Jean asks accusingly. My entirely innocent smile is the answer. "What are you talking about, Arthur?"
"Hmm… well, if you don't know maybe I shouldn't interfere- oww! Stop hitting me, woman," I order, flicking her nose.
"I can't get answers out of you the usual way, so I'm improvising," Jean replies with a smirk of her own.
"How about a trade, then?" I ask, making her blink. "I'll tell you… for a kiss."
"Ugh, you're such a dick sometimes," Jean says, hands on her hips as she gives me a scolding look. Honestly, I said that because Scott has been slowly lurking closer and closer as if we can't see him and I wanted to see his reaction. I'm sure his eyes widened and his already scowling face went into overdrive with how upset he looks.
"I have a brand to keep," I reply smugly, going to speak before she grabs my shirt and pulls me toward her. Technically, a kiss could have been on the cheek or a quick peck but as she captures my lips she instantly slides her tongue into my mouth as my cat jumps away to avoid being trapped between us, hissing in annoyance.
With Rogue, I'm usually the one in control but Jean literally pushes me against the wall with her hands by my head as she deepens it, not pulling back or saying a word as my hands find her ass over her jeans. When she does finally pull back, it's with an entirely too smug smile, giving me a challenging look.
"There, all paid up," Jean replies proudly, seeing me gape. I almost turn back time just so I can be more prepared for round two but instead I just laugh and lean against the wall.
"So, did you want to do that or was it just to scare away pink-eye?" I ask, looking at where Cyclops had been. Jean winces, giving me an apologetic look.
"A little of both, to be honest. I know you and Rogue have an open relationship, and Scott has been… worse than usual lately. He even got into a fight with my ex-boyfriend over me. Which resulted in said boyfriend becoming an ex in the first place. I told Duncan not to do that macho bullshit, even if Scott started it," Jean admits with a frustrated sigh. "I just… don't see him like that and he can't accept it, especially now that I'm single again. So yeah, I kinda used you to send a message. I mean, he already hates you anyway so it won't make things worse."
Feat Achieved: Become Scott Summer's Nemesis, Two Rolls Granted. Four Rolls Total.
Instantly reverting time to before the kiss, I let it play out again to add those two rolls to my upgrade quest. This time, I give her ass a firm squeeze instead of just resting my hands on it but again she doesn't seem overly bothered as she gives the exact same answer again.
"Meh. Women want me, men hate me, fish fear me," I say with a shrug, getting a laugh from her as she wipes some of her lipstick from the side of my lips.
"Such a difficult life you lead. Now, answers," Jean demands, poking my chest playfully.
"You wanna go somewhere more private for this? And I'm not just trying to get you alone for round two," I promise, holding out my pinky as a sign of my incredible honour. She rolls her eyes, pinky swearing with me before she grabs my hand and leads me into a classroom that's currently empty.
"Talk, Arthur," Jean orders, sitting on a desk as she stares at me.
"I don't take your form because I'm fucking terrified of the Phoenix," I explain. "As powerful as it might be, I'm not risking copying someone who is a host to a fucking cosmic entity. I figured you knew since your connection to the Phoenix has been telepathically suppressed but I don't want to find out what happens if I poke something that powerful without the same suppression."
"The wha-" Jean starts, before she gasps and grasps her head, pain clear on her expression. "I- no, I remember-"
Ahh. Oops.
As Jean lets out a scream of pain, the room temperature increasing, I feel the slightest stirrings in the back of my head where my conscience is supposed to be. This is why you don't fuck around with things you don't understand. My [Power Sight] gives me an idea about what is happening, seeing the block being raged at by the awakening Phoenix and after a moment, I make a decision.
Summoning Yamato, Jean gives me a surprised look through the pain which turns to fear and betrayal as I stab it at her. Because my luck is so good, the door bursts open and fucking Scott rushes in at the exact right moment to see me stab Yamato into her heart.
And predictably, he blasts me for it. Cuck.
But my work is done, as Jean explodes into a fiery light. Yamato can sever anything, so I cleaved that mental block right out of her and opened up the connection between the Phoenix and Jean. It was only hurting because of the block… I think, and what kind of symbiote kills its host?
If Jean didn't know about the block, then someone else has been fucking around in her head and that can't be good. Right?
Scott, being fucking Scott, blasts me again while I'm down as he rushes to Jean, hesitating in confusion as she floats in the air, emitting a golden-red light that almost hurts to look at.
"Jean! What did you do, King?!" Scott bellows, unable to get any closer thanks to the heat she's putting off.
I want to say that I helped her, as Yamato falls out of her without any harm done, but uhh… I kinda winged it. Like, I think I helped but I can't say for certain. Maybe I should turn back time and-
Feat Achieved: Unite Jean Grey and the Phoenix, avoiding Dark Phoenix. Three rolls granted. Seven Rolls total.
Heh, nice.
Hey, if I turn back time again I can get these added to the- why is Cyclops looking at me like that? A flash of red hits me like a truck, and as I fall unconscious after being blasted through a wall, I confirm what I already knew.
Forget Spidey, we hate Cyclops now.
– Jean Grey (The Phoenix) –
As terrifying as it had been to have Arthur lunge at her with a katana of all things, the moment he stabbed it into her, the pain had vanished. When he'd mentioned the mental block, she'd gone looking for it and she'd felt… her. The Phoenix, trapped in her mind in a way that no cosmic being ever should be.
She'd reached out to the being, and the Phoenix had reached back, only to grow enraged at the block between them. Professor Xavier, it had to be. Suddenly it made so much sense that she couldn't control her powers. The muted emotions she often felt, wondering why the world felt so… dull. Someone had literally sealed parts of her mind in the hopes of stopping something they didn't understand.
As Scott blasted the already downed Arthur, she snapped to attention and her hand lashed out. Scott's body froze, his head snapped up at the ceiling where he couldn't attack again. She understood, as he had just watched Arthur stab her in the heart, but wasn't it obvious that this wasn't a normal situation? She wasn't even bleeding.
"J-jean?!" Scott gasped, seeing her lower herself to the ground.
A pathetic child. He is no worthy mate for a host of Life itself.
"I'm fine, Scott," Jean replied, harsher than she intended as she picked up Arthur's sword curiously.
"We have to tell the professor! Why did he try to kill you?!" Scott retorted, clearly ignoring her comment about being fine.
"He didn't," Jean replied simply, her hand coming to her heart. "In fact, I'm fairly certain he saved me. How he knew it would work, I don't know, but this is no normal sword."
He cleaved the block between us in two. Impressive, to cut something metaphysical in half. Your lust for him is well placed.
Wait- shush, you.
Why be ashamed? I can feel your burning loins.
"But-" Scott stuttered, before he flinched as they both got a psychic message. Only, she didn't because the Phoenix recognised the same telepathic signature as the one that had bound her and responded by psychically bitchslapping Xavier without a moment of hesitation. If Jean hadn't acted fast enough, the Phoenix may have melted his mind in an instant.
As if I would permit such a fool to affect your mind ever again. His short-sightedness could have been the end of us both. One such as I cannot be sealed in such a way. He turned us into a… what is the expression?
Ticking timebomb?
Yes, that. Had we erupted, had the block eroded enough for a partial connection, I suspect the backlash would have been the end of this 'school'. Your paramour has a truly impressive sword, and I don't mean the one you felt pressed against you as you swapped saliva. Such a clean removal of the block permitted me to ensure that the merging was painless, rather than devastating.
Arthur wasn't her paramour!
…is that the part of my statement you found the most noteworthy? Ignoring your denials, I suggest we go and turn this Professor into a vegetable by melting his mind.
What- no! It wasn't that she wasn't furious, but Jean knew that the Professor had to have a reason for this.
Yes. The reason is that he is a meddling old man who believed he knew best. I knew another like him, once. Well, Odin was less annoying and far more aware of what I was and why controlling me was a doomed effort. I suppose that's why I bedded him.
You- wait, the Odin?!
As I said. Meddling old man. This Xavier is nothing special in that regard, he simply possesses enough power to take his endless meddling to another level that most could not hope to achieve. That's why we should kill him.
Shaking her head, she let Scott down as she moved over to Arthur and carefully lifted him. He didn't respond, blood coming from the back of his head as she gave Scott an extremely unimpressed look. The first blast was understandable. She could almost excuse the second, but the third when he was already down and not doing anything?
"Jean-"
"Go and fetch Professor McCoy, Scott. Arthur is badly hurt, thanks to you, and he needs medical attention. I'm taking him to the infirmary," Jean ordered, seeing him go to respond before she silenced him with a glare. First, she needed to make sure Arthur was going to be fine. Head injuries were no joke.
Then we kill Xavier?
…then she would speak to the Professor and he had better hope he had a very good explanation for what he did.
Or we'll kill him.
– Arthur King –
As I wake to my cat purring on my chest, I groan and grab my head. Is it too much to ask that I get a healing power or two? Beyond [Entropic Eyes] which I need to drain other people to heal with.
"Arthur!" Rogue shouts, rushing over and hugging me (once again disturbing my cat who hisses, scratches her arm and jumps off the bed to hide under it.
"Did anyone get the number of the fucking bastard that hit me?" I mumble, rubbing my head.
"I punched him in the face, if it makes you feel better," Rogue admits with a blush, and Kitty snorts. "And maybe kicked him in the dick. Professor Munroe gave me detention for it."
"Thanks, babe. Glad to know I've got you to defend my honour," I praise, giving her ass a squeeze. "Oh hey, you're alive too. That's nice," I say to Jean, spotting her sitting in the corner of the room.
"I am," Jean admits, her lips curling into a small grin. "Quite possibly thanks to you, since you stopped the Phoenix's power from blowing up the school."
"Man, I'm such a fucking hero," I agree. "So, how much did I miss?"
"Not much. Professor McCoy kept you asleep overnight since he wanted to make sure your head was fine, but you've only missed an evening. It's Saturday morning," Jean replies. Ah, just one night then.
Still going to commit hate crimes on Cyclops.
"And the Phoenix? Since you're not on fire or about to explode, I take it things went well?" I ask, getting a shrug from her.
"Not exactly. Things are good between me and the Phoenix, but I wouldn't say they went well either," Jean admits, scowling for a moment. "But things are safe. I was looking after your sword for you- stop giggling Kitty- but it disappeared."
"My stuff does that," I explain, clicking my fingers as it reappears in my hand and then vanishes again. "But thanks all the same."
"Least I could do," Jean admits, moving over and sitting on the side of my bed. "Thanks, Arthur. You're a bit of a bastard, but deep down there's a nice person buried deep beneath the smart-ass comments and flirting."
"Maybe. You'll need one hell of a shovel to find him though," I joke, surprised when she kisses me again. Rogue doesn't seem overly bothered, watching as Jean pulls back. "Ah, now this is some proper bedside banners. Hello, Nurse."
"I suggested we reward you with a foursome when you woke up, but Kitty chickened out," Jean admits with a playful shrug. "And Rogue wants her first time to be one to one. Honestly, I thought you two were already banging."
"Jean!" Kitty squeaks, blushing as I realise that Jean is being honest.
"Ah, shame. We'll have to put a raincheck on it, then. Don't worry, I'm working on seducing Kitty," I promise sincerely, ducking under whatever Kitty just threw at me. "Hey! I'm injured! Dying. What if that had pushed me over the edge? Think how sad Rogue would be if you killed her man?"
"Ugh!"
Her answer is to sink into the floor and vanish, but I saw the tiny smile on her lips.
As I go to respond, the door opens and the last person I want to see enters. Fucking Cyclops.
"I- I thought you'd killed Jean," Scott admits, his eyes going to where she's sitting on the bed next to me. "I don't regret it, but I am sorry I… jumped to conclusions."
"Fair enough. I know what it looked like. No hard feelings?" I ask, using [Teeth Rot Inducement] to give him several cavities as I give Jean's ass a squeeze.
"No hard feelings," Scott agrees, clenching his fists.
I'm going to ruin your fucking life, you sunglasses at night, broody bitch boy.
As he goes to leave, he pauses and looks at Jean but she doesn't even deign to look at him so he sulks away.
"Bitch."
"He does feel bad, for the record. But he still hates you, even more now," Jean explains.
"The fuck did I do this time? I've not even banged you yet," I say, getting a laugh from her.
"You caused me to leave the school, indirectly. He needs someone to blame and he's too much of a Xavier follower to blame the professor and too much of a simp for him to blame me," Jean snorts darkly.
"You're leaving? That bad, huh?" I ask, getting a nod from her.
"I don't blame the professor for what he did. I almost certainly couldn't have handled this power when I first got it. I do blame him for not saying anything over all these years," Jean explains. "Was he expecting the Phoenix to just go away if he ignored it enough? Either way, for now at least I'm leaving. Not sure where I'm going or what I'm doing, but I can't stay here."
Rogue and Jean share a look, and I get the feeling that Jean's situation has done a lot to damage the trust they had in the all-powerful telepath. Basically, if he did that to his prized student, what else had he done?
I go to respond, before I pause.
"You still want to do 'good' right," I ask, getting a nod from her. "So, wanna come do spy stuff with me?"
"...what?" Jean asks, amusement replacing her brief anger.
"I've got an invitation to join Shield, you know, the guys behind the Avengers, and I know they'd kill to get someone like you on their side," I explain, seeing her pause. "It's better than just running off on your own. No offence, I know you can take care of yourself, but with your power you've got one hell of a target on your back and I doubt you were planning on switching over to the Brotherhood."
"No, I wasn't. Shield, huh?" Jean muses. "And you're joining?"
"Black Widow scouted me, I was going to contact her and accept her offer soonish," I explain. "With how public my identity is, I thought I'd be better off joining a side and the X-Men are too idealistic for me, mind-fucking professors aside. Besides, what guy doesn't want to be a spy."
"Especially when you're recruited by the dictionary definition of a Femme Fatale," Jean laughs. "I'd be able to stay in touch with everyone, not disappear into some blacksite?"
"You think I'd disappear?" I point out. "And frankly, I'd feel better about going into the espionage/hero business with someone I can trust at my back. I don't think Widow has any evil schemes for me, but she is a super spy."
Jean pauses, clearly thinking it through before she laughs quietly.
"Fuck it. It's better than my current plan, and you're right. I do want to do good, I just don't want to stay here. Frankly, it's hard enough to get the Phoenix not to kill the Professor as it is so I think putting some distance between us and him is best," Jean admits as I look for my phone, getting it from Rogue.
"Copycat," Black Widow answers after one ring.
"Hey, Widow. So, about that offer. I'm in, but I've got a couple of conditions," I start, getting a hum in response.
"Name them," Black Widow responds immediately.
"First, what's your opinion of scarily strong telepaths? I've got a friend looking for a change of pace, you might have heard of her. Jean Grey?" I say, listening to the line go quiet for a moment. "You're on speaker, by the way."
"Marvel Girl wants to join Shield?" Black Widow asks, sounding almost surprised.
Jean winces at her old name, clearly embarrassed.
"I go by Phoenix now, but yes. I do," Jean responds, the line going quiet for a moment. I get the feeling Widow is muting it to talk to someone else. "Though I have my own conditions."
"This should be done in person. Same place as last time, Copycat?" Black Widow asks.
"Same place, at twelve," I agree. "Talk to you soon, Widow."
"At twelve," she confirms, ending the call.
"You have the Black Widow on speeddial?" Rogue asks, not as surprised as I expected.
"Something like that. I helped them out with something a while back, before I showed up here," I explain. "Ready to meet the world's most dangerous spy, Jean?"
"Not particularly," Jean admits with a laugh. "I'm going to get ready and talk to a few people. Where are we meeting her?"
"Central Park. It's tradition at this point. I've met her twice there. And she only shot me the first time," I say cheerfully, watching Jean sigh.
"Of course she did. Yeah, this is a great idea," Jean chuckles, giving me a quick kiss before she stands up and walks away.
Feat Achieved: Convince Jean to join Shield, one roll. Impress Nick Fury (and also drive him to paranoia), one roll. Impress Natasha Romanov, one roll. Ten rolls total. Roll with Advantage available.
And that's what I was waiting for. With my luck, rolling with advantage is my best friend.
Rolling. Results: Epic. Common. Rare. Rare. Legendary
[Militia] - Epic
Worm - You can summon a projection of any mundane weapon in your hands. As long as the weapon is not tinkertech or beyond the level of the technology of your current world you can summon it. You can also control the ammunition, such as summoning a beanbag shotgun, a nuclear bomb launcher, an automatic rifle, a sword, a crossbow etc.
Ugh, guns. I'm really good with swords but I already have a really cool sword. Well, I can always give it to one of my portraits to empower a minion.
[Cuddle King] - Common Power
You are the king of cuddling, whoever you are cuddling or having a skinship with will feel comfortable, and you are the best cuddling partner. Good for building relationships.
Pulling Rogue against me, I feel her melt into my grasp. This power will never leave my side.
[Tinker Speciality: Hacking] - Rare Power
Allows you to build technological constructs or contraptions related to hacking, hijacking, and interfacing with other technologies.
Hey, a spy group sounds like the exact place where this would be useful.
[Boots of Bloody Bounding] - Rare Armour
A unique pair of enchanted footwear that provide a significant increase to the wearers agility, and their skill with bladed weapons
See, I like blades and I like things that make me better with my badass sword.
[Hindsight] - Legendary Power
You can predict the short and long-term consequences of any action you see about to take.
…hey, what's the consequences of joining Shield? In my mind, two things flash. In the first, I'm balls deep in the Black Widow. In the second, a news article declares the final destruction of Hydra.
Shit, I'll take it.
— Bonus Scene — Doctor Victor Von Doom
He was no fool.
On his throne in Latveria, Victor scowled to himself beneath his mask as he considered the offer he had been given. In most situations, people who came to him with tall tales and bargains found themselves missing a tongue, but this was one… creature even he had to take seriously.
After all, Mephisto remained in possession of his mother's soul. He had tried so many times to defeat Mephisto and reclaim her soul, and each time he had been… rebuffed. He tried every Midsummer's Eve, when the barriers between Earth and the other realms were particularly thin, fighting his way through Mephisto's forces and each time he had failed. Failure was not something Victor Von Doom was accustomed to, and certainly not something he was fond of.
But he had failed all the same, and now the devil had come to him with an offer on his forked tongue. An offer, and a threat. Mephisto offered to return Cynthia Von Doom's soul, with no strings attached, in exchange for one of equal value. Specifically, the soul of one Arthur King, a teenage boy in America.
Victor had refused, of course. He was no devil's lackey and would reclaim her soul with his own power, rather than bend the knee and play the devil's game. That was where the threat came in. Mephisto claimed he had grown tired of Victor's futile attempts at invading his realm, but rather than relinquish the soul, he would rather consume and destroy it entirely.
Mephisto knew that such a thing would not stop him from invading, changing his goal from the retrieval of his mother to the death of Mephisto himself. Mephisto also knew that he had made a powerful enemy merely by suggesting such a thing and forcing Doom into this position.
Which meant he was sure Arthur King's soul would be worth the cost.
But with such a threat on the table, Victor was forced to go along with Mephisto's demand. He would hunt this Arthur for Mephisto.
For now.
But soon, the devil would regret making an enemy of Victor Von Doom.