The air was tense for a moment, Saphirus's teeth gritted. His clenched fist buzzed with energy gathered throughout their little walk. He felt like anything could provoke him. Anything. He just needed a reason to punch this old son of a-

He felt a jab to his ribs, and it brought him out of it. Eyes that saw red had a moment o clarity as he looked down to his daughter. She apologized for him, and he found himself looking back at what he'd just done... Had he really just threatened a king during a diplomatic mission to his kingdom? He'd done that? He'd really done that.

S#$^.

The moment of clarity left him as quickly as it had come, it's cue to leave being Maya's stupid #^&*ing voice saying stupid #$^&ing stuff. He knew it. She was fawning over this place. Like it was some sorta paradise. She called the telepath my king, and he almost stepped in, stopping when he realized she was also saying they had to leave. His rapidly beating heart faltered a moment as he tried to make sense... Ghost agreed with him. He was still pissed off at her. He was pissed off at her FOR agreeing with him. Why?

Everyone else followed suit at wanting to get out of town, and he fixated on all of them as they spoke, a look of disgruntled confusion on his face.

He stumbled a bit before he found his feet on the way to the door. His brain felt like it was going to explode. He needed air... He practically pushed past Achlus on the way out. "Don't drink no more." Was all he could get out word wise. Gawain chimed in via the radio... They had to change? Party clothes? What the hell were they on about? Had Gawain been on the plane this whole time? Hadn't he been spying on Atlantis to see if anything was less than legit? God his head hurt.

He was the first out. His head was pounding, but, oddly enough, getting out of that room helped a lot.

Maya could not drink the koolaid. Literally. She could not grip the cup, and even if she could it would pour right through her unless she managed to change the cup to be at the same level of corporeality as she had.

Plus, she still had this nifty fruit thing. Maya raised the fruit in salute to Achulus as she paused to offer her a cup. She took a polite bite to make up for not having the hands to accept her king the king's warmest wishes.

Incorporeality was her safe place. The safest way for her to interact with the world and its dangers, provided that there was no fire. Gawain mentioned meeting back at the plane and nothing had given her more hope since she'd set foot off of it.

Aaaaand there went Masochist. "I'm so sorry, my lord. I'll..." What? Go get him? Ghost noticed Elke taking a cup behind her back. Saph was gone so she took the opportunity to send a flow of air at her hand and knock Elke's wine off course on its way to her mouth. NO UNDERAGE DRINKING! "He will apologize." Ghost was further distracted by Jorge who had taken a drink. It could have been her less that accurate spatial vision, but he somehow seemed off.

Ghost put an incorporeal hand at his shoulder, touching as much as air could touch.
"Let's go get ready for the night's festivities." She breezed over to the officer. He was the oldest of them... The closest to retirement age... Maybe he, like Ghost, was going to stay? WE ARE ALL GOING HOME, she mentally corrected.

Good. It seemed like they were all on board with leaving. Elke shifted her attention between all who were talking while trying to keep her thoughts uncluttered. Currently, she was attempting to recite Pi.

”I can hardly deny such a request. Please, my new friends, take your time, explore, see what the city has to offer you, While it pains me to know that you will not be staying, I do hope that my looking around the city you may reconsider. Or, at most, stay for the feast tonight.”

The smoke demon returned, and with her brought a tray with a bunch of cups on it. The Native tried not to let her distaste show on her face. 

”Please… For your journey through the city. Sure you must be tired of water by now. Just a taste of what Atlantis has to offer…”

The stuff was purple. Was it fruit juice, or some kinda booze? She couldn't really tell right off the bat. Either way, she still didn't intend on consuming anything from the island, let alone some kinda weird ocean alcohol. She didn't even drink at home! Why the hell would she start now?

The teen openly stared at Becca as the teacher reached for a cup, before turning her attention to the others. She had been about to jump in and wave off the offer for both herself and Saph, but... strangely enough, when the tray was brought closer to her and she got a whiff of it, she found herself somewhat fixated on the cups. Even as her dad turned and stormed off, she was reaching for one with an abstract sense of curiosity that felt foreign in her body.

It smelled so sweet. She sniffed at it as she brought it closer to her nose, and felt like she could almost already taste it.

.... Well, one little sip surely wouldn't hurt, right? 

Just as she brought it to her lips and the liquid hit her tongue the cup jerked suddenly and sent most of the contents within spilling to the ground. 

She blinked a few times, brows drawn together in a confused manner as she stared down at her spill, before glancing back up to where Achlus still stood. "...Uh.. Sorry. Little clumsy after that flight, I guess." She deposited an empty cup back on the tray with a sheepish, slightly guilty grimace before she too turned to try and follow the others out. A half second later she was pressing a hand to her forehead while attempting to figure out what a sudden feeling was as it raced through her. She was... tingly. Like a sugar rush on steroids. Her face was suddenly hot, and she was maybe a little bit wobbly all the sudden.

A confused, curious expression settled on her face. Was this what alcohol did? Normally she would have been ticked off at the feeling, but right now.. well, meh. She didn't mind it so much.

It was suddenly really hard to focus on just on thing around her. Everything was brighter... more alluring. The very things she had been scoffing at on the way in were suddenly massively interesting and in the most simplistic ways. Everything was really, truly beautiful. Even the people!

She stopped just outside the door, past one of the guards and fixed a squinted stare at him. 

"... The hell are you so pretty for?"

ATLANTIS CITADEL – THRONE ROOM

The pressure was still building in his head. Jorge wasn’t entirely sure what was causing it, but the thumping, loud, cacophony of sound and pressure felt a little like his head was being stuffed with a fuzzy and comfortable blanket over and over again. It was pushed in, deeper and deeper in through his ears, filling his head up to the brim with warmth and comfort. The man winced, holding his hand up to his head in an attempt to deafen whatever sounds he believed he was hearing. The signal seemed to be getting stronger now, the sense of well-being and belonging. But while the before it had been gentle and relaxing, now it was practically screaming in his head and putting his teeth on edge.

As he agreed that they would have to come back another time, just so that they could explore the city, Jorge turned and watched as the gorgeous, smoky woman in white drifted back into the scene carrying with her a tray filled with clay cups of what looked like wine. Now, Jorge was an experienced police officer. He rarely, if ever, trusted things like this and his suspicious and cautious nature taught him that he needed to be on his guard. But there was something about this place that wasn’t allowing him to do that.

It was for that reason, and that alone, that he reached over and took the cup with a small nod of thanks to the woman. He didn’t even think twice about it; at most he was hoping that the drink would actually help clear his head a little. However, from all his study of literature and all the cases that he has followed up on in his career, it should have been drilled into his head that you don’t accept a drink from someone you don’t know. But he did and it tasted like the most wondrous thing that ever passed through his lips.

As the wine coursed down his tongue, Jorge was suddenly bombarded with the hypnotic memories of the past. Every sweet thing he had ever tasted, from his first piece of pie, to the amazing sweet & sour pork he had during one stake out, to cherry lip stain of a woman whom he had dated in the past out of pure physical attraction and nothing more. It was every birthday cake, ever Christmas cookie, ever Independence Day ice cream, all melted down, swirled into one goblet full of liquid and set before him. Jorge would never taste anything like it again – which would be a good thing.

The effects were immediately. The second the drink hit his bloodstream, Jorge suddenly felt woozy. The walls turned and the ground tilted, the faces of those people nearest to him flashes between familiarity and none. But the worst of it all was that he couldn’t quite make out what anyone else was saying. They all sounded like people talking in a separate room that was lined with the thickest and fuzziest quilts that he had ever experienced in his entire life. It was as if his entire mind were being locked down into sensory deprivation and the man couldn’t do anything to stop it.

But there was one thing that sounded clear in his head. Not his own thoughts, at least he guessed they weren’t, but the gentle call of a man’s voice whispering to him, welcoming him home. It was as if all the pressure he had experienced before had slipped away and the man was in a state of absolute and perfect harmony. He wanted to stay here, in this state of being, and the sweet songs of the voices that spoke to him told him it was entirely possible – so long as he listened to the king…’

>> "Let's go get ready for the night's festivities."

A hand touched his shoulder, gently. He couldn’t fully understand what she was saying but he could feel himself behind guided away from his king and away from his home. That wasn’t right…right?

---

ATLANTIS CATACOMBS – THE NECROPOLIS

General Paci was on the hunt. His forces were swiftly moving out of the catacombs and were on the hunt, following their leader with the keenest of senses. While he may not be able to exactly track where the interloper was going, that didn’t matter – he could sense where the young gorgon was. So long as she was with the intruder, then finding them would be the smallest of matters. Gorgons all had the same stench, you know, it was a practice that he had developed. Whenever a new Gorgon was introduced to the Necropolis, their food was spiked with the pungent juices of a rather rare and disgusting sea creature. It made tracking them extremely easy whenever they had attempted to escape.

The Gorgon, of course, had consumed her morning rations so she smelled ripe and ready for the plucking. They could flee wherever they wanted in this city, but they wouldn’t be able to hide. General Paci was a wolf on the scent and his men were some of the most well-trained in the city. Wherever the interloper went, they would be found and punishment will be doled out accordingly.

---

ATLANTIS CATACOMBS – ?

The young gorgon flailed and squealed a little at the person that was holding her in his arms. She hadn’t faced this kind of touch before. Only her mother had ever granted her these kinds of sweet moments but they were brief. The guards didn’t like to see the gorgons do anything other than work and work and work. That is what gorgons were for, after all, to work and maintain the infrastructure of Atlantis until the day that they died and became one with it.

The thought was scary to her and brought more tears to her large, obsidian eyes. Her gaze shifting up to the person’s face, she found that she was partially enthralled by him. His perfect skin and human-like appearance – she had never been so close to a demi-god before, especially since the only ones she has contact with beat her on a regular basis. She actually half-expected this to be a ploy so that he could take a turn hitting her in some lone corner where no one would interrupt, but as the ran further and further on, she slowly began to allow herself to calm.

>> "Hey. I'm Gawain, and I'm here to help you. What's your name?"

There was a brief moment where she was allowed to breathe and she looked up at the face of the man who had rescued her. He was handsome and the thought made her just a little nervous. Still holding tight to him, she cautiously reached out and scratched at one of the jagged edges of the pointed coral that jabbed out of her skin. Even her teeth seemed to be made of the stuff as she flashed her rescuer a shy smile.

He wanted to know her name? Why? She had only ever been referred to as gorgon. She actually wondered if she even had a name anymore. But then, she remembered something. She remembered one of the guards teasing her before shoving her down into the much. The soldier called her Kalos (beauty). It was meant as a jab at her, but it was a name that she still liked. So that would be her name now.

“Kalos,” she meekly whispered. “My name. Kalos.” However, her voice grew sad as she shook her head. “We’re going to die. I escape too much. You shouldn’t have seen. They’ll kill you.”

---

ATLANTIS CITADEL – OUTSIDE

He could hear all the thoughts rebounding in their heads (at least from the ones he could actually hear). Surprisingly there was a pair of them that the king simply could not read: that of the redheaded woman and the firmly-shaped young girl. Their minds, for whatever reason, seemed to be untouched by his. That was problematic; a shame too as the both of them certainly could be of use to the city of Atlantis. However, if there were those that could not be taken in by his rule, then they could not be allowed to infect the city. As unfortunate as it would be to lose their loins, more than enough newcomers were coming into the city. They shall not be missed.

The king stood as Achlus returned with her drinks in hand. She was attempting to pass them out amongst the group of them but, except for one, the majority seemed to turn away from the gesture. The redhead seemed close to drinking but something had stopped her at the last second. She pulled away from Achlus’ charms and rejected the drink with a flimsy excuse.

>> ”Thenk ye, Princess, but Ah dornt hink mah… stomach coods handle somethin' sae… sweit reit noo… Mebbe at th' feest.”

>>"...Uh.. Sorry. Little clumsy after that flight, I guess."

Achlus looked somewhat disappointed but she wouldn’t voice her displeasure out loud; and neither would the king. As he began to step down from his throne, he slowly made his way towards the group as they were beginning to gather their senses and leave. In the process, the youngest one dropped her drink, just as she was about to sip. Silently the king cursed the young woman’s ineptitude. If she had drunk the contents, they the fact that he couldn’t fully catch onto her mind wouldn’t have been an issue. She would have been pliable and accommodating – exactly what the old king needed.

>> "Don't drink no more."

>> "I'm so sorry, my lord. I'll... He will apologize…Let's go get ready for the night's festivities."

>> ”We shoods gie goin…We'll want tae gie tae th' jit suin tae gie ready.”

The only other male, Masochist, was clearly in some discomfort as he charged out of the throne room and back out into the light of day. His behavior was apparently deemed as inappropriate by the other teammates, who also attempted to use their good senses (while they had them) to escape the room. The king quickened his pace a small bit, not rushing, but his stride became longer and more confident. A grin crept over his face as he marched to the entrance to the citadel, the X-Man all standing outside – save for one.

Standing in the doorway with Achlus and the king, was none other than Jorge Cervantes. The old police officer had broken away from Ghost at some point. Looking a bit glassy-eyed, the man shook his head as he peered back at the group. A slow, unnerving smile swept over his lips, the smile of someone who was clearly not in control of his own movements.

”No…” he whispered. ”I-I think I’m dressed good enough,” Jorge said as he turned to the king, smiling at him. ”Right, sir?”

King Atlan’s thin smile merely stretchd as he nodded his head. He reached over, brushing invisible lint from his shoulders and patted them. ”Positively perfect. A true Adonis, if I ever saw one.” He turned to the group. He subtly he began to amp up his mental dominance, pushing his will into their minds with even more fervor and strength than before. ”Are you sure you must leave so quickly?” he asked. His grin then twisted. ”I’m sure Gawain…Maya…Mirror, however he or she prefers to be addressed, will be brought the party soon enough.” Though he couldn’t hear the intercoms in their ears, the man knew the X-Men was out there thanks to these mutants who thought about her/him. ”I…insist…that you stay.”

Gawain slowed down a little once they made their way away from the catacombs and the slums. He moved more carefully now, hopping here and there in a zig-zag, trying to shake whoever might still be able to pick up on their mirror-trail. He also stayed away from crowded areas as they slipped from one reflection to the next, as much as possible. If people here were really that awful about visible mutations, he did not want to parade the girl around town on their way to the jet.

>>“Kalos. My name. Kalos.”

"Pretty name" Gawain smiled at the girl. He could tell she was nervous and confused, and probably self-conscious around someone without a visible mutation. He held on to her hand as they moved along.

>>“We’re going to die. I escape too much. You shouldn’t have seen. They’ll kill you.”

"They will try" Gawain flashed a confident grin at the girl as they moved towards the city walls "I'm here with a team, and we are pretty good at what we do. Which is helping mutants. People try to kill us all the time." sometimes they succeeded... "We call it a Tuesday."

He noted the girl's empty blink and sighed.

"I'll not let them hurt you, okay?" he promised, pulling her out of one reflection, and into the mirror inside the Jet. He sighed a sigh of relief as they finally stepped out of the mirrorworld, and rolled his shoulders. "Welcome to the X-jet" he smirked, waving a hand around "Make yourself at home. The rest of the team should be here soon. Are you hungry?"

The plan was to leave, and it seemed like most of the team was on board, some more than others. Masochist was true to everything he had said and done so far, going off one last time on their host. It was not a good look for a team on a mission of diplomacy, but Rebecca was already wondering if they were past that point where this was still a diplomatic mission. She held her tongue, simply glad to see him heading out the door.

Ghost’s intangibility kept her from taking a drink, which was probably for the best. Moose also lost the chance to drink as something jerked the mug out of her hand. Almost immediately, something seemed off about their teenage stowaway, whose mood went from standoffish to intrigued. Whatever. They would sort her out on the jet.

Rebecca and the rest of the group had made it past the door, moving toward the streets, when the sound of a dissenting opinion stopped them in their tracks. Lodestone turned around to see Jorge standing firm in the doorway, wearing an unsettling smile. He was the only one who took a real drink of the wine, and he had already been showing moments of weakness. Now, he was perfectly compliant as Atlan admired him like a part of his collection.

It was no surprise Atlan heard the call from Mirror, but the real problem came from what he could glean from everyone else’s minds. He knew; he had to know. Now, his words sounded sweet but dripped of venom. He was through playing around, and as she looked around at her teammates, it seemed whatever will he was exerting upon them was working in double-time to get in their head. She was right; this was not a diplomatic mission, it was an escape. (Well, ideally a rescue, but in their position, escaping would be good enough.)

Lodestone brushed a lock of copper hair behind her ear, tapping her comm piece along the way so Mirror could hear her. ”Mirrur is mair than welcome tae join us, but Ah believe we've made uir choice clear.” It was an invitation for help; if things were about to go south, they may have reached the point where Lodestone needed Mirror to come in as their backup, surprise or not. It already felt like she was down one X-Man, which was a bad feeling.

Clenching her fists, she stared down the Lord of Atlantis one last time, hoping there was some way they could leave without everything going to hell in a handbasket. ”An' oan 'at matter, Ah dornt tak' kindly tae monarchs who woods try tae mess wi' th' heads ay mah team,” she said sternly. The X-Men were her friends. She put her lives in those people’s hands on more than one occasion. If she was the one who could best resist Atlan’s call, she would stand up and speak for her team.

Unfortunately, her team was divided and struggling, Ghost most of all. She had been the weakest to Atlan’s telepathic influence all day, and if Rebecca had already lost the backing of a water elemental, she could not afford to have an air elemental turned against her, too. She muttered, ”Ghost, Ah’m sorry, but ye need tae gie th' heel it ay haur ur do somethin'.” Rebecca had to hope their Mission Leader was in enough control of her actions to do something before it was too late.

Turning her gaze to the older detective, her eyes were pleading behind her mask for him to come to his senses, even if it was fruitless. ”Jorge… we’re a team… we need tae gang haem together. Tae gemma... Tae chase... Please, come haem wi' us...” Her body was already tense, prepared for the worst that might come next.

The guard didn't answer. The Native squinted and set her jaw stubbornly, before turning her attention carefully back to the X's and the royalty. Oh, @#$%... they were all royal and junk, weren't they? Wasn't there some kinda etiquette you were supposed to use around them or something? She'd never paid attention to most things concerning manners before but found herself suddenly a little nervous.

She also had no frakin clue what all of them were going on about when it came to changing. She'd snuck onto the plane and thus didn't have anything to change into anyway. It seemed like Jorge, the one she didn't know all that well, was on a similar wavelength anyway. Although... she eyed the princess' outfit, before glancing down at her own. Was she supposed to feel self-conscious? Because she did. She felt like a potato stuffed into army brat gear. "Eh... I don't have anything to change into anyway... Didn't know I was supposed to bring anything else, and... well, don't think I own anything as pretty as the stuff y'all've got."

In fact, now that she really looked at the princess, it was startling how pretty she was. It kinda... well... made her forget about all of those things she'd been mad at before.

... What had she been mad about..?

The teen pressed her palm harder to her forehead, squeezing her eyes shut as she tried to pick through her hazy thoughts. In fact, it was getting harder just to think straight the more the King talked. The fuzzy static in her head she'd been ignoring for the better part of the trip was growing louder, and a little more clear. She could make out more than before and the feeling of control over herself steadily started to diminish.

”Are you sure you must leave so quickly? I’m sure Gawain…Maya…Mirror, however he or she prefers to be addressed, will be brought the party soon enough.”

Was she so sure she wanted to leave? She... wasn't sure anymore. "...Mm, that's a... a valid point." She found herself nodding, but wasn't really sure why. "Would kinda be a waste of time going all the way back there when we're just coming back here."

She glanced back at the team, which she was not a part of with a semi-slack expression on her face. Really, why go back at all? The school wasn't really a home to her.. just somewhere she was forced to stay. She didn't really have any true friends there, did she? And Saph... it's not like either of them would be missing out on anything if she... if she stayed, right? He wasn't her real dad and didn't seem to believe in her, anyway.

”I…insist…that you stay.”

Becca, a teacher who'd never liked her anyway, jumped in and went off about a bunch of stuff Elke didn't understand. She backed up a few steps toward the doorway where the Atlantians and Jorge were gathered.

"I... I think..."[/color] She turned from the group, from Saph, and stared at the king and princess slightly in confusion. "I think I wanna stay. I can stay here, right? Forever?" Her gaze fell on the princess. She'd have to remind herself to apologize for being so mean earlier...

Maybe they could be like a family to her?

Just as soon as the tide of pain started to ebb, in it came again. The Masochists teeth clenched as he stopped in his tracks and turned to see the bright moon, the source of his rage's high tide. His fists could not close any tighter than they were now. It was physically impossible. They would break if he tried.

King @#$^face had followed them out. Jesus, didn't this son of a #$&*@ know how to take a hint? Was it a culture thing? What a crap culture. Of course, he didn't have the slightest clue how right he was about that.

He'd left the room quickly, so he missed much of what had been said... He missed his daughter, who he'd promised himself not to lose sight of, taking a drink of the offered cool-aid.

”No… I-I think I’m dressed good enough, Right, sir?” His passive look of anger turned into an active look of rage as the King laid out his cards on the table, and Lodestone replied. He ignored Elke's response. She didn't have a say in the matter.

"Oh don't be so @#$^ing naive Rebecca... @#$^ing amateur. Shoulda @#$$in guessed it'd be the cop. You ain't even one of us... @#$$#in Pig. We never shoulda let you on the god damned team. Maya, you gonna stay too? You been looking around like a kid in #$%*ing Disneyland all day. You pr#$ks wanna stay? Stay. We're leaving. Moose?"

His hand went there. It rested on his crowbar as if it had fallen there innocently, a random act of chance. I mean... how could it not? It was just a comfortable place to put it while he proceeded to see red and call out his teammates in a cold-blooded fashion.

"I... I think...I think I wanna stay. I can stay here, right? Forever?"

What?!

His mouth hang open for a sec as he heard the words come out of her mouth. "The... #@$^!... Did you just say? That's it then... After everything I've F#@$ING DONE FOR YOU." His crowbar was in his hand... When did that happen? "NO... @#$#ING BRAT NO!" He wasn't yelling. He was snarling, roaring. The well built X-Man turned in a rage at the last scream of protest, knocking a support from one of the stalls at their side with his crowbar and letting it crash loudly to the ground.

"#$%^! #@$#! All OF YOU..." He attacked the rubble, no semblance of reason... what did the poor stall do to him? After he was done he turned to the group, a primal, wild look in his eyes. Was... was that... Was he foaming at the mouth?

His eyes landed on Achlus... Yes... This king was going to take his daughter away from him? Time to return the @#$^ing favor! He started toward her, weapon raised high. "HAAAAAAAAAAAGH"

> ”Are you sure you must leave so quickly?”

No. She wasn’t. But Maya was sure of one thing, the Masochist was so far out of line that Maya didn’t even know where to start. She whirled on the team, ready to shuffle everyone out by force until her king spoke again.

> ”I…insist…that you stay.”

Jorge had the right of it. Their King needed them. Their job as X-men was to be there for people in need. Lodestone was talking, but Ghost was busy sorting through all her reasons why she belonged here. It was good that someone was taking charge and organizing for them to stay. Her head was just so full.

And Elke. Elke needed someone to look after her when they stayed.

> ”Ghost, Ah’m sorry, but ye need tae gie th' heel it ay haur ur do somethin'.”

The words were so jarring, so alien that Ghost went from loving the idea of staying to intolerably offended. She reached back and slapped her teammate across the face with her incorporeal hand, which amounted to the force of a feather gently landing against Lodestone’s cheek while Ghost’s hand dissipated around the other woman’s face.

”How dare you turn your back on those in need.”

And how dare Saph open his big dumb mouth?

”Saph! Stop!”

She had told him to engage his brain to mouth filter. She had told herself that the next time he cursed in front of them, she would put him in a bubble of silence. He was obviously unwell. He about to be a hell of a lot more unweller

Ghost rushed at him bodily with each movement she looked less and lees like a person and more and more like an angry buzzing cloud of smoke. That smoke rammed itself straight down his big, fat, dumb mouth and continued to pour into Saph well past one comfortable inhale of breath.

It would take some time to orient herself and to spread throughout the body, but now his body was hers.

And now… with a proper amount of meat and bones to protect her mind, she was incredibly clearer headed.

Jorge couldn’t make any sense of anything that his former teammates were saying. They were crazy, right? They wanted to leave this place. They didn’t trust their king, and they had just been suspicious and rude ever since they set foot on this island. It just wasn’t right the way they continued to deny their host’s good intentions. The good King Atlan only wanted what was best for mutants and what was best for the people of the world. It was best that they were here, protected, unified and ready to rally against a world that needed to be taught a lesson. The world would pay for what it did to mutants and Atlantis would be the debt collector.

Looking between his team mates as if they were all alien to him, the man continued to eye them all with complete and utter shock. They still didn’t seem to want to trust the king and the way that they now eyed him was absolutely rude. However, it would seem that one of their rank was finally getting their heads in the right place.

He turned to the youngest member, Elke, as she stepped closer to them, the same understanding in her eyes as she actually smiled.

>> "I... I think... I think I wanna stay. I can stay here, right? Forever?

She wanted to stay. Jorge breathed a small sigh of relief. He really didn’t want to be the only one of his group to stay here and the rest of them needed to be convinced. Though, really, what convincing was needed? This was a good place and it had everything that they could ever want.

Jorge glanced to his king. The man nodded to the young child, his grin a slight bit more disturbing than it should be. ”Of course, my dear.”

A smile pulled at Jorge’s lips as he turned to the others. ”You see? We are welcome here. We can be happy while the rest of the world drowns under the rising tides of the great Atlantis.”

Rebecca didn’t seem to agree. She was fighting with them at every turn, trying to poke holes in plans and making suggestions that would just continue to take them away from the king. That wasn’t what he wanted though. That wasn’t what Moose wanted. And, judging from the look in Ghost’s eyes, that wasn’t what she wanted either. That made the man smile as he turned his gaze back to Rebecca.

”Rebecca. Please.” he urged. ”Don’t side with the mortals.”

>> ”Jorge… we’re a team… we need tae gang haem together. Tae gemma... Tae chase... Please, come haem wi' us...”

He tilted his head the other way. Gemma? Chase? The names echoed with familiarity in the back of his mind but they were so buried beneath the thunderous voices of home and hearth that Jorge couldn’t spare the thought to think about them fully. They should have been important, shouldn’t they? Pictures of faces flashed in his mind but they were quickly drowned by the waves of water he felt churning inside of his head; they weren’t important after all – right?

>> ”How dare you turn your back on those in need.”

A blink in his eyes. Ghost had turned and attempted to slap Rebecca for her insolence. The way that Rebecca carried one, Jorge knew that it was warranted. The redhead was being far too stubborn for her own good and she needed to be reminded of her place. Though Ghost’s movement didn’t have the impact it should have, Rebecca seemed stunned nonetheless. But this stunned behavior wouldn’t last long as Masochist, the man who called him a pig, would immediately draw all attention to himself. He screamed, he ranted, he blamed them all for things that were entirely not their fault. And then he did the one thing that no citizen of Atlantis would allow…he threatened the royal family.

>> "#$%^! #@$#! All OF YOU…HAAAAAAAAAAAGH"

>> ”Saph! Stop!”

Jorge was ready to move. Already his arms were out, already he was summoning a large serpentine shape of water from the canal, but stopped when he noticed Ghost make the first move. She charged headlong at the raging man, shifting into smoke and air as she flowed herself down his throat and began to choke him out from the inside. Jorge turned to the king to eyed them both appreciatively. With his king’s favor, Jorge turned, his muscles tensing as even more water from the canals were summoned to his aid, swirling about the royal family, Elke, and himself. His eyes rested on Rebecca again – this time it was clear his patience was done.

”Rebecca Grey….” his voice wasn’t entirely his. Just underneath it was the familiar tone that belonged to none other than King Atlan himself. ”…do not force my hand…”

---

ATLANTIS OUTSKIRTS – X-JET

He said her name was pretty. Kalos smiled, tilting her head down and burying it into his arm. She tried to not cut his flesh with the jutted out coral that stuck out of her skin but she felt too moved by the handsome man’s words. She had never had a kind interaction with a demi-god before and found herself a little unsure of what was going to happen now. Part of her wondered if this was some cruel joke to get her to lower her defenses. The guards like to play jokes like this on her and the rest of the Gorgons. But the young man just seemed far too brave and nice to continue to fool her.

Besides, with his powers, he never needed to come back for her. The way he moved between worlds, leaving shining surfaces as if they were doorways, unbound by any means, she found herself to be utterly enamored with it all. She wondered if there were more demi-gods like him, able to travel between worlds of wonder in such a way. Secretly she grew a little jealous at his powers and wished that her pieces of coral would fall off and she could be beautiful and do amazing things like him.

But it was only a passing thought.

Before she knew it, they were inside of a strange house. Kalos looked with wide eyes all around her, the various shiny panels and the beeping sounds and the tiny flames caught inside round glass. She could scarcely comprehend of anything that she was looking at but found herself utterly enamored of it all. She watched to reach out and touch the tiny flames but the beep startled her, causing her to fear that she had scared some angry spirits within the walls.

>> "Welcome to the X-jet…Make yourself at home. The rest of the team should be here soon. Are you hungry?"

Kalos turned to him, awe still in her eyes. “Thexeget,” she smiled. She wandered up to one of the mechanical looking consoles and carefully ran her hand along it, petting it. “H-Hullo Thexejet,” she said, as if soothing a timid beast. “I am Kalos.” When her rescuer had asked if she was hungry, Kalos turned, her face masked with shock and nodding her head. “Oh. Yes please.” She said with a nod. “V-Very hungry…”

For what seemed like the only moment she has ever had, Kalos felt a flicker of hope in her heart. She felt a small smile creep up on her lips and tears dot and sprinkle her eyes. This was good. This was nice. She felt as if things would finally be okay, so much so that she had forgotten about the general that hunted her and the scent that would soon lead him and his men, within sight of the metallic bird from the sky.

---

ATLANTIS CITADEL – OUTSIDE

The lord looked upon his denizens and a smiled pulled at his lips. Things were falling into place. He had about three of the six members already enthralled under his command (two of the most powerful, it seemed) so it would only be a matter of time before the rest of them fell into line. It was a sweet feeling knowing that he was getting exactly what he wanted. The second he knew he individuals were on his island nation, the second he knew he had to have them. They were going to be prized pieces and members of the citizens of Atlantis.

Watching as his new citizens defended both himself and his daughter, the man smiled, placing his hands on Elke’s shoulders and giving them a comforting squeeze. The man was clearly far too familiar with the young girl, enough that it would have turned suspicious eyes towards him. But in the midst of battle, who could look into the inappropriate actions of a crazed king of an oceanic world?

As the water swirled about them, the man lifted his head back, smiling and sighing in relief as the sensation of droplets splashing across his features. He turned to glance to his daughter, Achlus, and the young, wispy woman watched him momentarily before lowering her gaze. Confusion furrowed her eyebrows but she said nothing to raise her voice against the man. Instead she kept her gaze down, doubt poking into her mind. A gentle nudge with his influence seemed to correct her though, and a forced smile pulled up her cheeks as she looked at the battle that was getting ready to rage.

Watching as the air elemental took command of the enraged man, his gaze turning to the waterbender who warned Rebecca with the both of their voices, the man’s smile only stretched further into something almost demented.

”I would listen to him, child,” he said. He advanced. The waters parted for him and even if he couldn’t read her mind he pushed as much influence towards her as he could, his focus moving away from the Masochist whom he assumed Ghost had managed to subdue. ”I don’t want a fight.” he tilted his head. ”That would damage the goods. I need you, all of you…young…healthy…and fertile.” He smiled. ”Please, don’t tax your body any more than you need to.”

>> “Thexeget. H-Hullo Thexejet. I am Kalos.”

It was clear the girl had never seen a vehicle like the Jet before. It was both endearing and heart-wrenching to watch her interact with a piece of technology that Gawain had gotten so used to. She had come from a place that seemingly was a fairy tale incarnate... but also from a place that was mostly medieval in its treatment of her.

As Gawain asked if she was hungry, his comm came alive with Becca's voice.

>> ”Mirrur is mair than welcome tae join us, but Ah believe we've made uir choice clear. An' oan 'at matter, Ah dornt tak' kindly tae monarchs who woods try tae mess wi' th' heads ay mah team,”

There it was. Trouble. Gawain was not the only one who had run into it, and the powerful telepath on the island made it worse. He was not sure how Becca managed to stay out of the influence, or what happened to the others, but if she was calling for backup, it could not be good...

>>“Oh. Yes please. V-Very hungry…”

"Here." He dug up some chocolate bars and sandwiches that had been stashed in the Jet for the duration of the flight. He handed them to her, then paused for a moment "... don't forget to unwrap them."

Just in case.

Gawain took his archery gear out of where it was stored, and then looked around, considering his options before making an executive decision.

"Alright, Kalos, listen to me." he said, guiding her gently to one of the seats and strapping her in "This big bird is going to fly up with you to keep you safe, while I go and get my friends. Okay? You don't need to do anything, just... sit here, and eat. The X-jet knows what it is doing, and it will keep you out of danger. I'll be back soon. Alright?"

It was probably a fool’s hope, but Rebecca wanted more than anything for her words to reach Jorge through whatever the mighty King was doing to him. It was hard to believe the man she knew to be devoted to his family would remain unflinching as she reminded him of what he was trying to leave behind. Jorge was a good man, but Atlan’s influence was just too strong for her to move him with words now.

Instead of the situation getting better, everything felt like it was spiraling out of control. Jorge was standing opposite his own team. Ghost, to say the least, did not respond well to Rebecca’s suggestion to get away. It felt like Atlan’s influence was pressing hard on her again, or she just decided it was time to be a melodramatic jerk, because she tried to smack the redhead across the face. Thanks to the woman’s intangibility, she only felt a puff of air hit her cheek, but there was conviction in the way she swung at her.

As if all that was not bad enough, Moose was in a haze, agreeing with Jorge. She was poking holes in their cover story and escape, but that was not as heartbreaking as hearing her student claiming she never wanted to leave Atlantis. ”Elke…” She spoke softly, and for a moment, the feeling of defeat made her forget to even bother with the young woman’s code name.

She was not the only one upset, but the girl’s father had a much different reaction. Masochist pushed past the line of “angry” to “raging, mouth-foaming lunatic,” racing toward Elke, Jorge, and the royal family with his trademark crowbar. Lodestone might have believed the time for a fight was fast approaching, but in his state, she worried what Saphirus might do to Jorge, or God forbid, Elke. She held out a hand, hoping to yank at the crowbar, but Ghost’s reaction time was quicker.

It took but a moment for Masochist to stop in his tracks. Rebecca had never seen Ghost “possess” someone before, and it was almost unsettling how quickly she robbed the body of movement. As was becoming the case with anything that happened, Rebecca was wondering if this would make things better or worse.

Lodestone looked on as Atlan spoke through Jorge like a puppet, calling her by her true name. It was a warning, and it was hard not to consider obliging the King. He was powerful in his own right, and Jorge was one of the strongest of them. Maybe it was the right choice to let Jorge accept his happiness in Atlantis. Elke, as well. The fight would be treacherous, pitting mutants against one another. Did she want that? Why fight when she could just accept that this was where they belonged. Vanessa could not join her, of course, but Agnes was a mutant. They could be happy again. Even if that did not work out, she could always take the time to get to know Achlus better, and—

What was she thinking? She did not belong in Atlantis. They knew there was a dark side to the so-called-Utopia now. But was a dark side not required for light to truly shine—

”STOP,” she bellowed, realizing now that Atlan had found a way past her defenses. She was fortunate; had she not already seen what he was doing to the others, she might not have questioned the thoughts in her head as anything but her own. They fit so neatly in her head, because it was so easy to see her happy life as a consort, planting delicate kisses on the alabaster skin of her princess, in the throes of—

Rebecca slammed her shield into her thigh, looking to focus on something besides the thoughts in her head. Pulsing pain would help, even if it brought her down to one knee momentarily. ”Get it ay mah head,” she growled. She was focusing, trying to push the intruder from her mind, but he was applying so much pressure. Now that she was fixated on recognizing his influence, she was no longer hearing her own thoughts betraying her. Instead, there were commands being whispered, trying to compel her to comply.

”Accept your place.”

”You fight for your king.”

”Mirror is a traitor and a criminal. Deal with her.”

”Accept that you belong to me.”

The whispering was difficulty to ignore, like Lord Atlan was focusing his mighty will on her. Knowing that he was doing this to the others made a part of her infuriated, but there was still a part of her that was trying to accept her role: the young, healthy, fertile addition to the King’s court.

Her eyes were watching the royal family from behind the swirling waters controlled by Jorge, but she could not focus her sight. Keeping her mind in her possession was a priority, but it made it hard to do anything else. She was struggling to find the energy to move. Immobilization was always the one thing that took her back to the Ragman; once again, someone was looking to take her will and her body away from her.

Ragman was a dark place to bring Rebecca back to.

”HYYYYYAAAH!” Rebecca’s scream was deafening, but it was harmless. What was not harmless was the uncontrolled burst of her powers, sending a violent quack through the magnetic fields around her.

Through her training, Rebecca always estimated that her magnetic reach extended roughly fifty meters. In that moment, she unintentionally accessed all fifty of them, sending every sword, spear, or otherwise magnetically-susceptible object not directly in contact with her to go flying dangerously in random directions.

She was comfortable here and growing more and more comfortable as time passed. The tension in her head was melting away the less she tried to pay attention to noise. Instead, she just focused on the king and his daughter. Jorge. New faces, and yet... familiar. Her new family. The thought put a warmth in her chest that was foreign to her... she hadn't felt it in a long time.

Belonging. Acceptance. Love.

A smile settled on her lips, a tad bit off as it was. She looked out of it to outside eyes, but strangely happy.

"The... #@$^!... Did you just say? That's it then... After everything I've F#@$ING DONE FOR YOU. NO... @#$#ING BRAT NO!"

... and then Saph had to go open his big @#$in' mouth. Her smile was gone in an instant as she re-focused on him. Was that it then? After all he had done for her? Hell, he'd practically kidnapped her, held her hostage, and then fored an adoption on her that she hadn't been too thrilled with. He hadn't done a damn thing for her aside from put her down every chance he got!

...Just like that, she found that all she could see were negatives. Every time he'd chastised her, yelled at her, mocked her. The good times were gone, buried by the noise.

The second he went for his weapon she had hers drawn. In a flash her bow was out in front of her, arrow knocked and at full draw... and she was aiming it directly at the man who'd dared to try and peg himself as her father. She may not have had an offensive power like the others, but she'd spent a lot of time working on her physical body to more than make up for that gap. She'd sparred with Saph multiple times... she knew most of the in's and out's of his power. She also knew where his weaknesses were.

She'd edged herself protectively in front of the princess like a shield. If Saph wanted to get to her, he'd have to go through Elke first and she'd make damn sure she sank a few arrows in his weak spots before he got to her. Luckily, it didn't look like it was going to come to that. Ghost stepped in to try and control him. The Native watched as she worked her magic, less able to marvel at what was happening in lieu of keeping an eye on the threat as she dropped back from a full draw into a tense half draw.

Only when her king laid his hands on her shoulders did she break her stare in order to look back at him. In a way, the touch both inspired warm, happy feelings with in her... as well as a strange crawling sensation. She didn't pay much attention to the ill effect though, choosing to reflect on the calm warmth and how it made her feel like smiling. When he moved away she resumed her defensive stance, keeping her bow drawn ready in case it was needed. Her bow had a draw weight of 120 pounds, and the arrowheads she had brought with her were broadheads. She'd never aimed her weapon at someone before with the intention to explicitly kill... so given what she was currently feeling it was a strange sensation suddenly being fully willing to aim it at the X-man, let alone someone she'd once thought of as a father.

She didn't pay much attention to what the king was saying, too focused on making sure she was 100% ready to protect her new family with everything she had. She'd struggled so long without one. She'd do anything to protect her new one.

Even as Becca reacted, Elke watched on mutely. At a certain point, her aim shifted from Saph to her previous teacher when she started acting funny. How was punching yourself in the thigh supposed to help? Maybe she was going to start having a similar reaction to Saph... Droning on about someone messing with her head, randomly becoming violent.

Why couldn't they see how amazing this place was? Why didn't they understand? Elke shifted her attention back slightly to check on Achlus, who she was still trying to shield from any threat. "Are you okay, Princess?"

Around that time Becca let out a scream, and there was suddenly an explosive reaction from various weapons within the vicinity. The arrows Elke had knocked and gripped loosely in her hands were ripped away in a random direction, while the rest of her arrows that had been in her quiver exploded out the top and rained around her. The teen turned swiftly in order to bodily protect Achlus, waiting until the chaos ceased before she turned back around.

She wasn't entirely sure what had just happened, but she could hazard a guess that it had to do with Becca's freakout. No... no, it was more than that. An attack. The king had warned her. Jorge had warned her. She'd chosen to ignore that warning and had pressed a direct attack against them. Underneath the haze anger bubbled to life within.

How dare she. How dare she try and attack her new family!

The Native shifted from protecting mode straight into attack mode. She left the princesses side in order to rush toward her former teacher with the intention of engaging her in a physical fight. A clone popped out along the way. She'd been intending on using it to help her take on Becca.

Instead, as soon as it split off on its own it had an entirely different reaction...

"Uuugh! What is this horrible nooooise!?" The twin stopped in its tracks, thoroughly distracted by the buzzing, crackling chaos in its head. "What? Who? Eww! Wrong number, don't call me again!" The twin slapped her hands over her ears like she was trying to block the telepath out. "How do I hang up my brain!?"

Gawain shoved some hard rectangles and some soft and shiny bags into her hands. Overwhelmed, confused, and scared Kalos wasn't even sure where to start.

> "... don't forget to unwrap them."

Unwrap. Okay. So the outsides came off. That was good to know. She used her hardened fingers to rip at the side of one of the soft bags and it stretched and pulled, but did not open.

Gawain was busy doing something so Kalos set the mess of food down and focused on shredding her way through the side of one of the plastic bags. Inside, the food appeared to be... bread. But it was nothing like the crusty rinds of loaves she was used it. It was soft like the clouds of jellyfish that sometimes wafted past in warm currents. Her teeth cut through it like it wasn't even there. Just a few moments more and it wasn't. She'd inhaled the entire thing and had to pick at the stretchy shiny covering that had gotten stuck between the coral of her teeth.

What it tasted like, she couldn't say.

> "Alright, Kalos, listen to me."

Gawain looked ready for battle. Not like Paci looked ready for battle. He looked somewhat under guarded without armor.

She gathered up the things he had given her and let herself be guided into a seat. She got to sit in a chair! Like a lady!

"Y-You're leaving?" Bird? Thexjet was a bird? And they were inside of him?

>"Alright?"

"No!" It was not at all alright. "No! You're going to- no! No!" He had put some restraints on her and Kalos scraped her fingers across the buckle, unclear on how it worked. She tugged at the straps and ended up dumping at least one sandwich off of her lap. "You- you can't! The General- You don't have armor! Please, please don't die. Please don't go!"

Thexjet! It was smart! "Thexjet, don't let him go!"

Thoughts were mostly a nonexistant thing there for a few moments... Nothing coherent came to mind over the loud snarls of rage and the constant yelling in his ear that he was home and that he should be happy. He was not happy. He knew at least that much. If he knew much at all.

As Ghost charged at him to intercept his attacking rush, he reacted by instinct, swinging his weapon her way. By the time she made it to him she was mostly a buzzing tornado of death. His enraged form thrashed about as she clawed her way into him. He gasped and growled as she forced her way in until none of her was left outside of him.

As the smoke entered his body, the fog quickly started lifting from his mind; where one mind was bearing the weight of the psychic attack on his body, now there were two. A look of confusion appeared on his face, and then utter horror.

"Oh Jesus... Oh no..." What had he done? What had he said? Everything. He'd said every little stupid thought that came to his mind when he was angry. Even the ones he knew weren't true. Tears welled up in his eyes as they went to Elke, who was aiming her bow right at him. Aiming for his left side. Aiming to kill. All the while, that smug son of a @#$^& was touching her.

She went back to half draw once it was apparent Ghost had taken hold. GHOST. That was right. Maya was brainwashed. He had been too, but apparently something had gone wrong. It was all Atlan; Rebecca was the only one who had held her ground, and he'd called her a #@$^ing amateur. Great, and that was the nicest thing he'd said. And now... A brainwashed Maya was in his body.

He could feel her...

"Maya... What ever you are trying to do... Don't do it...p... Please, Maya... He's manipulating us-"

WHOOSH!

Suddenly his Crowbar was jerked from his hand, and at the same time all of the sharp metal objects around them went flying every which direction. He winced as a random sword was flung his way, bouncing off of his right side and landing at his feet.

Elke popped out a clone. She looked confused.

Rebecca was fighting. Could he help her? How did this work? He tested his arm to see if it would move normally.