Nolan and Sage | Backdated to the Hamptons Party

[ax_sage]

Nolan and Tessa catch up during a quiet moment. There is, unsurprisingly, a great deal of ground to cover.

Though the Brotherhood was certainly a boisterous enough group, and sociable among their own membership, Tessa had rarely made any significant time for casual fraternization since joining their ranks. Her time was better utilized elsewhere, and while that had given her something of a reputation for aloofness, she took little issue with that assessment. She had not, after all, left the school in order to socialize. It was a mission, with tangible objectives, and achieving those objectives had absorbed the majority of her effort and attention.

She had not actually intended to accept Nolan's invitation to this gathering he had elected to host at his Hamptons beach house. Certainly, it was much less convenient, now that the Brotherhood had relocated to Genosha. And there was no shortage of work yet to be done--Magneto was, she could acknowledge, a gifted demagogue, but issues of repairing, maintaining, and expanding the country's infrastructure in light of potentially hundreds of mutant immigrants was beyond the abilities of most of her current teammates. It was difficult and demanding work, but the cyberpath shouldered it without complaint.

And, ultimately, that was why she had chosen to attend. Endless work in a land without friends must begin to take a toll, even on one of her considerable faculties. She had earned a brief respite. Besides, she was curious regarding Nolan's present status, and would welcome the opportunity to catch up.

As the adult party goers began to excuse themselves, leaving only the local adolescents and those their host had specifically invited, Tessa took her drink and made for a spot overlooking the moonlit beach below. Leaning on the railing idly, she wondered not for the first time if it had actually been worth it. Her contributions to the Brotherhood had been fairly minimal, compared to what she'd achieved at the school, but she'd helped keep the group from repeating anything like the incident in Montana--at least, until Genosha. Had she failed, after all?

It was a somber thought.

Nolan had noticed Tessa sneaking past the privacy hedge that stood between his pool and the beach, and he managed to time his pace just right, so he could weave through the party-goers with a minimal chance of being stopped. He slipped around the hedge and found Tessa clearly deep in thought. He didn't bother trying to make a sound so as not to startle her as he approached; he knew that he did not need to.

"I have to admit, your RSVP came as a surprise," he remarked as he joined her, his usual soft dryness tainting his words.

"Did it?" she inquired, inclining her face toward him with a trace of amusement just visible at the corners of her mouth. Her dark eyes considered him for a moment before she offered a shrug, cradling her cup between her hands. "Odd, that you would have invited me to this gathering with the expectation I would not attend. Wishful thinking is typically a waste of energy I would not recommend."

Tessa's face turned back toward the water. "Still, I thank you. Perhaps my presence here is not wise, but I welcome the feeling of normalcy--if not belonging. In any event, I was curious regarding your present status and state of mind. Much has changed since last we had the opportunity to enjoy each other's company."

Nolan's eyebrows raised slightly and his lips twisted sardonically, his expression conveying a silent you don't say. Yes, things had changed. She was now helping run a country. But first... "Extending invitations until you accept one of them will hopefully never feel like a waste of energy," Nolan remarked, curling long fingers on the railing. "Does your presence mean you are no longer hiding our friendship from your associates?"

"Sufficient ties have been established between individual members of the Brotherhood and the students of the Institute that our affiliation would be unlikely to be viewed as anything particularly remarkable," she said. "And, in any case, most of my current teammates are much to preoccupied at this time to be overly concerned with the particulars of my social life." The olive-skinned psion offered a shrug. "I have decided that attempting to maintain the confidentiality of our relationship is now a needless waste of energy--at least, as far as our fellow mutants are concerned."

"Or Hamptons society," Nolan finished for her, with a small smile. He was glad that Tessa had finally reached that conclusion. And while things were, ironically, a little more dicey for him now, he would field any question he needed to as to his friendship with someone linked to the new, temporary government in Genosha, should it ever come to people's attention. "How are things in Genosha?"

Again, Tessa offered an enigmatic shrug; she hadn't deemed it appropriate to discuss her background or present occupation with Nolan's neighbors and acquaintances, politely rebuffing such inquiries when they were offered. The most she had acknowledged was that she was a longtime friend of their host's, visiting from overseas. Further curiosity was gently quashed through a combination of her customary, aloof demeanor and the application of subtle telepathic suggestion. Those outside the realm of her own familiars who had attempted to mine her for information had withdrawn from the exchange fairly convinced Tessa was no one of any great importance--and largely uninteresting, besides.

"Genosha is largely stable, at this time," she said in answer to his specific query, "though not so much as I would prefer. There are many factors which could lead to a general upheaval, if left unchecked." It went without saying that Tessa was unlikely to permit that to happen, if she had any power to stop it. "The infrastructure remains largely intact, and we have repurposed some elements of Genoshan science to advance the public good. Magneto's offer of safe haven to the world's mutant population in general has me concerned, however. I think he will soon find that taking a country and holding it are two altogether different propositions."

"Are you overhauling their entire political system?" Nolan asked, turning to lean sideways against the railing and watch Tessa as they talked. The follow-up question, of course, was what were they replacing it with.

"I have recommended that we maintain as many of the previous forms of day-to-day governance as possible," she reported, "for the purpose of easing the transition of power. Of course, I have also suggested that the standards of voter eligibility be relaxed. It goes without saying that those enforced by the previous regime were extremely restrictive, if sufficient to allow for a patina of democracy and progressivism.

"In any event, the final decision will be Magneto's."

The final decision on a country's new political system put to one man alone. Nolan's dryness came to full bloom as he remarked, "Well, that's going to be interesting."

"To say the least." Her tone was a mirror-perfect echo of Nolan's. "But it is a debate I could not win today. Magneto's popular support is significant--significant enough, I think, for him to institute whatever manner of order currently suits him. And those who do not support him out of awe and love do so out of fear. Nor is this a time to invite the disruption of Genosha's fragile stability."

Her dark eyes turned to again consider the distant whitecaps. "However, it is a conversation that needs to occur, eventually."

"It is," Nolan echoed thoughtfully. "One can only hope enough influential Genoshans agree with you." He did not trust Magneto to relinquish power happily, or readily. Nor did he expect the man to care about any pressure the UN might end up putting on Genosha.

A faint smile ghosted across Tessa's lips. "I can be persuasive, too, when the need arises." She paused, then added, "Frightening, too. As I said, though, it's a debate for another time. Once the country is fully recovered, and I am confident we will be capable of feeding and housing a potentially huge influx of foreign mutants. And vetting them, to prove to my satisfaction they won't work to undermine our progress, either for themselves or in the service of an interested foreign power." She didn't sigh, not exactly, but her whole posture gave a very strong impression of it. "I think my time with the Brotherhood is not so close to concluded as I would have hoped, when Lance and Magneto were recovered."

"Your time in Genosha, at least, is only just beginning," Nolan replied, straightening up from his lean, a hand resting idly on the railing. He gave her a small, genuine smile. "They're lucky to have you."

She shook her head, a curt but decisive gesture. "Were it simply a matter of luck, I would have already left them. But Genosha has the potential now to be something of use, a sanctuary for mutants who, through lack of inclination or ability, do not wish to stand on the front lines with X-Factor, and whatever other groups may emerge to champion our rights. And there are still many ways that vision can go awry. Magneto is, for now, a benevolent dictator, but I cannot say how his moods might change, or if he might become indisposed again. And none of the Brotherhood possesses any aptitude for the thousand minor things that make civilized existence possible--an efficient water and sewerage management system, a reliable power supply, effective schools, well-provisioned hospitals, regular garbage collection, regulated public transit, a reasonable system to govern tariffs and trade, immigration and emigration ... The list is much too long to practically enumerate.

"And so, lucky or not, I find I have little choice other than to stay. To do otherwise drastically increases the probability Genosha will fail."

"The imperative is entirely yours," Nolan retorted with an amused little smile. "And so, it is your choice, and they are lucky to have you. Take the compliment." The last was requested with indisputable affection. Perhaps Shaun was rubbing off on Nolan. Or perhaps Nolan was simply in a good mood. Today felt as if the two worlds he navigated, the two lives he lived could in fact coexist, like the shadow of death or disability had loosened its hold on him slightly, banished by the Hamptons sun.

There was another brief pause, during which Tessa turned her attention to studying Nolan--his expression, his posture--and at last offered a nod and another bare hint at a smile. "If you insist. But how are you, Nolan? You seem to be doing well, which pleases me enormously, but I would not wish to presume. And I would much prefer to hear an assessment of your present status from you personally."

"I am doing well," Nolan confirmed, with a small smile. "NolCorp's numbers are meeting our highest expectations. We're making headway miniaturizing the holotech into something marketable. I finally have semi-decent lodgings at the Academy, and Shaun's just moved in next door. And I haven't had a seizure in months." Not for lack of trying, as it turned out. He turned back towards the sea, watching the waves roll onto the beach. "Of course, I'll feel better once we've cracked Essex's tech."

"I congratulate you on your professional success, and I trust you know how relieved I am to know your mutation no longer seems an imminent peril to your health." She leaned upon the rail beside him, joining him in studying the ebb and flow of the dark ocean below. "I am sorry I am unable to be of greater assistance in deciphering the problem of Essex's technology. From what I was able to glean in the limited time between Scott's infiltration of his lab and the Brotherhood's invasion of Genosha, the programming seems ... complex. Counter-intuitive, even. I am uncertain if that is a deliberate security precaution, or if the man's mind simply works in such a bizarre way that it is reflected in his software. But I have every confidence that you and Kitty will be able to make sense of it, in time."

If only his mutation was no longer 'an imminent peril to his health'. But Nolan knew better than to think so. No matter why he had not had a vision in months, it wasn't through any control he had acquired over his mutation. The threat was still there, a sword of Damocles hanging above his head, which he refused to ignore.

But today... today, he would focus solely on the sunlight.

And, clearly, on Essex's technology. "Whatever the reason, at least it's a challenge." He only wished lives didn't hang in the balance. They needed to be ready for whatever Essex did next. No more being in the dark about him.

She gave him a considering look. "Given that their lines of research were, in some respects, parallel, perhaps it would assist your efforts if I were to forward you what I have collected regarding the Magistrates' research and technology. Much of it is flatly repugnant, but there may be illuminating points of commonality which will prove useful."

"I wouldn't turn that down," Nolan confirmed with a small nod. "However repugnant." He wasn't sure that it would help them unlock Essex's tech, but it might illuminate them as to his more genetic researches. And who knew, that might even prove useful when it came to Nolan's own problem.

"I will forward the data upon my return to Hammer Bay," Tessa confirmed. "If you require intact pieces to further your examination, you need only alert me. I will make the necessary arrangements."

Nolan nodded. "Thank you, Tess." His lips pursed into one of his driest smiles. "But perhaps we should stop talking shop on your evening off." Especially repugnant shop.

"I am not certain I am ever actually 'off', Nolan," she said, with another of those faint, almost invisible smiles. "However, we may discuss whatever you like. Or nothing at all, if that is your preference. I am here for you, after all. I will accede to whatever your preference happens to be." It was not a concession she made often, or lightly, but ... it had been some time. She meant to enjoy it, and ensure Nolan did, as well.

Nolan understood that feeling well. It was difficult for him to ever be off, too - unless he was with Shaun. Another reason to love him as much as he did. He gave Tessa a sympathetic little dry smile, and told her, "I miss our dinners. Are you still experimenting with cuisine?"

She shook her head, a hint ruefully. "I am afraid my current teammates harbor little interest in such experimentation, and it is much more difficult to get the kitchen to myself for any length of time. More recently, I've simply been too preoccupied with more substantial matters to dedicate much time to recreation. It is a shame, but I must strive to use my limited time as efficiently as possible." Tessa's dark eyes glanced back toward the party. "This is the first outing I have undertaken solely for myself since I joined the Brotherhood. It seemed about time."

There had been sushi, too, but that didn't seem to matter enough to point out. Or else Tessa had had ulterior motives for the dinner. Either way, Nolan simply agreed with her. "And then some. This workaholic can attest that time off actually boosts your efficiency, rather than take away from it."

"This does seem to be the case," she nodded, "for most. I have yet to notice more than a negligible impairment of my efficiency, when I budget time only for seeing to my basic dietary and hygienic needs, and the unavoidable necessity of sleep. I am here less as a means of enhancing my productivity and more ... because I chose it. This was something I wanted."

Human after all, no matter how much she sometimes insisted that she wasn't. Nolan pursed his lips in a wry smile. "I'm honored." Dry, but no less true for it. He relaxed as he leaned back against the railing, sliding his hands into his pockets. "Have you talked to Kitty yet?"

Tessa frowned. "I do not wish to impose. It would be better, I think, if she were able to enjoy this gathering for what it is, without my distracting her in such a selfish and very probably unwelcome fashion."

"A wonderful plan, if you want her to keep thinking you don't care about her," Nolan congratulated her.

Several moments of silence passed, during which she considered Nolan's face, it's usual wry expression. Finally, she nodded. "I will speak with Kitty in the morning. Is that sufficient compromise? I do not wish to detract in any way from her enjoyment of the festivities."

Nolan frowned mildly, then realized Tessa likely expected Kitty to sleep over. "I'm not sure she's planning on staying the night. She might prefer heading back home with her mini-Bond. Not that that should deter you, while you're in the country."

"Very little deters me, when I have decided upon a course of action," she said, less boastful than reciting what, from her perspective, was simply fact. "And I would enjoy seeing the Institute again, in a non-crisis situation. You and Shaun will be making use of the accommodations here, I presume?"

"Absolutely," Nolan confirmed. "There's a room for you, if you want it." It might go without saying, but it was worth saying all the same.

She blinked--as close as an expression of surprise as she'd ever offered. Not that, in hindsight, it was so very disarming that Nolan would offer the hospitality of his home in such a way. It simply hadn't occurred to her that he would. "Thank you," she said, an note of warmth thawing her typically-glacial tone. "I would be pleased to accept, if you are certain it is no inconvenience."

"We've never had breakfast together," Nolan remarked, already thinking ahead to what he might like to try out. They could have this one small moment of culinary experimentation. He'd already instructed for the party leftovers to be donated, anyway, so it wasn't as if they would be available for breakfast. "It'll be a first."

One dark brow arched, and a corner of her mouth quirked upward. "It would," she confirmed. "And I would welcome the opportunity. Still, I would not presume to compete with Shaun for your time. Are you quite certain he will be able to spare you in exchange for experimental breakfast cuisine?"

"I'm quite certain there will be no competition involved," Nolan replied, amused by the notion. Shaun was hardly the type to begrudge Nolan his few friends, on the contrary, and Nolan was very grateful for that. It wasn't as if he made friends easily to start with. "I'm sure he'll happily be our test subject."

"Then I will certainly take you up on that offer, as well." She nodded, tucking a thoughtful finger beneath her chin. "Of course, the precise nature of our experiment will depend to considerable extent upon the ingredients available. But I'm confident we will be able to manage something suitably extravagant. We are, after all, uniquely experienced in endeavors of this kind."

"And I can always have some last minute deliveries made," Nolan added. If they were missing something integral, or simply too tempting. "This is the Hamptons, after all."

She offered another small, cryptic smile. "This is the Hamptons, indeed."

"Breakfast is on," Nolan concluded, his smile mirroring hers.

Comments

[ax_iceman]

I would really, really give a lot to know Shawn's reaction to breakfast with Tessa. ;)

[ax_glory]

He would figure out pretty quickly that she is light-years beyond him, and just enjoy the food and let Nolan and Tessa do the brilliant genius conversation. Also he'll look decorative for them. :)