– The priority for the foreseeable future must be damage control. – Tall order when Mutants everywhere are taking to the streets. X-MEN ‘97 – Bright Eyes (S01E07)

Miguel Mercado

@positivelybeastly

Her eyes widen behind the mask, but she didn't screamed or jumped away. She was used to seeing people like this in her own world, but they never HIT HER, not greet her. She focused once the man mentioned Spider-Man.

🕷️ → ❝ T-There's a Spider-Man in this dimension? ❞

She was small, her voice sounded young. She has red-and-blue tights similar to Spider-Man, but wore a jacket and a backwards cap over it with patches of so many musicians, baseball logs, and video game characters.

❝ Uh--N-Nevermind. I'll worry about that later. Ummmmm....Like.....I kinda, sorta, maybe HOMELESS right now. I don't have any money, but I got these. ❞

She holds out a box of empanadas.

❝ I know, I know. It's bad looking to pick up bums off the street, but I saw you on the news with that HOT GRANDPA getting arrested. You seem cool and know what is like to have powers....So...I'll pay you back if you let me sleep here. At least for tonight. ❞

The eyes of her mask closed tightly, hoping the blue-haired man doesn't reject her and slam the door on her face.

"There is indeed a Spider-Man in this - oh." The use of the word dimension had Hank's brow furrowing slightly as he took in the young (Spider-Woman?) on the Mansion doorstep, and it was only her evident youth and confusion that kept him from outright suspicion.

Usually, the X-Men's brushes with alternate realities only ended badly, as Bishop could attest, but she seemed harmless enough, and disinclined to be a nuisance. He felt as though he would be a heel to turn her away based on negative associations alone.

"Would I be right in suspecting that your exact place of origin and your current dire state are linked? Regardless - this is a place of refuge for all kinds of disadvantaged individuals, young lady. You are more than welcome to seek shelter with us for as long as you require."

Opening the other half of the double doors into the Mansion, Hank gestured inside and smiled, the foyer just as bright as his smile - and just as warm. It wasn't exactly a temperate night, after all, especially not for someone wearing tights.

"Please, come in. Perhaps we can share that box of empanadas, and you can get yourself situated while I ascertain how best to help you."

He was going to leave the hot grandpa comment alone. That wasn't a conversation he was about to have with anyone - not Tess, not Morph, and certainly not with a young woman he had only just met. He could quite happily go the rest of his life without thinking about Magneto like that.

"And there's no need to worry about reimbursement. Our resources are such that your care is but a drop in the ocean, so to speak. If you have need of our other facilities, the restroom, perhaps, don't hesitate to say so. Our home, for the duration of your visit at least, is your home."

As she wanders into the sterile looking room, soft paws barely making a sound, an oddly cheerful voice seems to echo behind her. The shock is enough to send the young woman into a mild panic. The feline feet almost seem to skitter on the tiled floor, fur standing on end as she finally manages to turn towards the voice.

An upside down blue… something? He seemed vaguely ape like, but with other elements. Her slit pupils eye over the male as he speaks. Elegant and wordy. Tilting her head softly, Lex smiles gently, the relief that at least she wasn’t the only animalistic mutant was high to say the least.

“I suppose exploring is the most appropriate term? I was brought in today, but my guide abandoned me. The Cajun? He seemed busy and, well, honestly the way he kept asking if I’d purr if he petted me.” She chuckles, the tension still heavy in her hind legs. “You must be the Doc I’ve heard so much about?”

The sudden shock had Hank smiling a little bit, just a hint of the prankster in his eyes as he enjoyed Lex's surprise, but he stood ready to assist if she did herself a mischief - thankfully, it appeared that her feline qualities were more than cosmetic in nature, and she remained firmly on her feet.

"Exploration! I believe it was Edwin Hubble who said, 'Equipped with his five senses, man explores the universe around him and calls the adventure Science.' We can, of course, presume that he would have included mutant in those words, had he known of us. With that in mind, it would seem only fitting that you explore the universe around you, and find . . . science! To wit, my lab!"

Letting go of his perch, Hank landed on his feet with a cat-like ease and quiet, one large blue hand keeping a hefty tome on quantum physics at his side while the other extended to offer a handshake.

"I hope that you've only heard good things, of course. Doctor Hank McCoy, but, if you prefer a more pithy term of address, you might also address me as Beast! What might be your appellation, young woman?"

Most vexing, that Gambit had seen fit to abandon their new charge. He would have to take it up with the man later. If their guest had gotten unlucky, they might have found their way into the Danger Room, and then, well, then they really would have had a problem.

It was a hell of a week… turfed out of yet another institute after being discovered as a mutant. Trapped in another because of said mutation. Rescued by a team of more mutants! Then, somehow at the age of almost 30 years, being adopted by said mutants.

As she roams the halls out in search of a library, the main promise that had maintained her attention, Lex somehow found herself among the smell of chemicals and sterilised glass. A laboratory of sorts? Braving the new environment, a furred face pokes around the corner, feline muzzle first as her tail wriggles curiously.

“Lexie… you know better than this. Curiosity killed the cat” She speaks softly to herself, vaguely aware of another scent in the apparently empty room - one very unknown to her in breed.

"A common aphorism, with no small amount of wisdom to be found in it, and yet, I often find that the uncommon rejoinder, that satisfaction brought the feline back, can be just as true!"

Showcasing his oft uncalled for stealth skills, Hank seemed to suddenly appear behind Lexie with a smile. His feet wrapped firmly around the various fixtures and fittings in the ceiling, he appeared to be just as comfortable inverted as their new guest was right side up.

"You appear somewhat lost, young lady. Perhaps I might be of some assistance in navigating this fine domicile? Unless, of course, you intended to find your way to my laboratory - in which case, I bid you a most enthusiastic welcome!"

Abigail was sitting on the couch flipping through a magazine while waiting for Hank when the door opened. She quickly finished reading the sentence and then looked up to greet Hank. However, the hello stuck in her throat when she saw the way he looked at her.

She raised eyebrow as she looked back at him before closing the magazine and putting it away, her eyes never leaving Hank. Abigail didn't need any words to understand what he was thinking, his face and grin were more than enough. "After dinner! I've been waiting in line for an hour and I don't plan on eating it cold," she clarified. "And then dessert," she added quickly.

The very instant that Hank opened his mouth to reply and put words to the look on his face, Abigail cut him off, and he couldn't help but pout a little bit, even if he privately agreed that food was a good idea first. Nothing survived refrigeration like Chinese food, but that didn't mean he wanted to completely skip getting to eat it warm, now, did it?

"Whatever you say, my effervescent emerald enthusiast. I would never dream of arguing with my superior officer." With a rascal's smirk, he leaped onto the couch and landed with his head in Abigail's lap, grinning up at her. "I'll just try to keep my eyes in my head until we get to dessert." Bringing a paw up, he gently took hold of her wrist and pressed a kiss to the back of her knuckle.

"Rough day for you as well, hm?"

ㅤㅤㅤ"Thomas Jefferson, huh?" Logan's mouth quirks at the corner, bemused by Hank's anecdote and how it somehow manages to be both educational and validating, "…If I recall, he was a pretty smart guy. American politics not withstanding…"

ㅤㅤㅤGrinning, the Canuckle Head pops a claw on his free hand and uses it to pry the bottle caps off both beers, before relinquishing one into McCoy's palm. He props his hip against the kitchen island and turns to consider the flicker of their shared television, watching as the other mutant works his way through the available channels.

ㅤㅤㅤLogan's eyebrows shoot upward when Hank settles on a Hockey game, slanting him a skeptical -- but appreciative -- look, "Well now yer just humorin' me, Blue." It's even the Habs playing, which is a nice touch, even if it is just circumstance. Wolverine tips his longneck at McCoy in salute and takes a long pull before rounding the kitchen island and settling into a chair alongside the other mutant.

ㅤㅤㅤ"Not that I'm not grateful," Logan sighs, propping his booted feet on the vacant coffee table (he'd catch hell from Ororo, but she ain't here to see it), "… but I get the impression y'think I need cheering up." The Canuck tips his head back, eyeing Henry with a knowing glint to his eye. There's no secrets in the X-Mansion, for good or ill. And Logan is under no delusions about his ability to keep his feelings hidden.

"Jefferson was a statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, and a philosopher, so, it would indeed be fair to say he was fairly intelligent." Hank waited a beat, letting the punchline breathe. "Of course, he did also happen to partake in the trans-Atlantic slave trade, so in retrospect, perhaps not an ideal role model. But, the quote is still apropos, I find."

Accepting the bottle pressed into his palm with a convivial smile, the blue furred beast took an exploratory sniff, enjoying the hoppy scent that the stocker of the fridge had seemed to favour when shopping. It wasn't often that he partook in the grain, but his constitution could at least keep fair pace with Logan's, and unless the situation called for him to pilot the Blackbird, what was the harm?

"Humouring you, Logan? Why, surely not. I was, in my time, a sportsman of some considerable repute, after all - I do possess an appreciation for the physical art." Granted, that had been football, and yes, he sort of was humouring Logan, but he knew very few men, especially those as proud as the Wolverine himself, who responded well to what could be interpreted as pity.

The boots up on the furniture doesn't go unnoticed, but it does go unremarked upon - the last thing Logan needs is a disapproving look, and, if Hank is honest, he can occasionally find Ororo's askance expressions when he uses his feet to do things irritating, too.

His feet are very clean, thank you very much.

Then came Logan, cutting straight to the point, and Hank froze for a moment, sipping on his beer and meeting the other man's gaze with a gulp.

Caught. Blast.

"Do you? Need cheering up, my companion? Because this can be whatever you wish it to be. It can be two friends simply enjoying each other's company, or it can be me cheering you up. I have no intention of forcing it to be anything you find uncomfortable."

Perhaps this was why Jubilation had cottoned on to Hank as one of the 'cooler' adults in the Mansion - he tended not to force people to confront their problems like Scott or Ororo would; he preferred a gentler tact, one that caught more flies with honey, as it were. It simply wasn't his way to induce conflict or press the issue.

Made a new and hopefully better Hank McCoy playlist because I couldn't remember why half the songs on the other one were there. Still in progress but for all my enjoyers of buff blue furry men out there.