With a final look back at Paige, Meggan moved to the bars. She waved her hands in an effort to gain attention. “Excuse me, guards? Guards! I shouldn’t be in with...with these regular people,” she called. And she really didn’t like to make a snooty tone like that, but it was the only way to sound convincing. She banged her hand against the bars, to make certain that they would pay attention to her.
“I’m a changeling,” she called out in a kinder tone. “There’s been a very terrible mix-up, but I can understand the confusion! Truly! I was going out for camouflage and a drink at the worst time. Just look over here, it’s really very obvious what I am!” She gestured at her face. And oh, her fingernails were slightly sharper now, too, but she could notice every little detail of her changed body later!
She heaved the most put upon of sighs, hands on her hips. “See? Look at me. If you could please get me out of here, and set me free to be my changeling self outside of a cell, that’d be great! I would be eternally in your debt.”
"What now?" rumbled a troll as it stumped towards the clamor. The guards weren't accustomed to commotion in their cells. It was true that newcomers often complained, but it was relatively short-lived; a few turns of hard labor quickly sapped the spirit. These things tended to resolve themselves after the first few days. Consequently, they were not recruited for their problem-solving skills. The craggy creature came to a halt in front of the cell and gave Meggan a blank stare.
“Hello there,” Meggan beamed at the tall guard, even as she sought to hide any nervousness that a delay might potentially mean. “It’s really very nice to meet you, and I wish it was under better conditions. But, well--I’m not a human being, I am a changeling, and I need to leave the premises. You grabbed the wrong person,” she reiterated carefully, when the guard didn’t seem to be making any further movements.
Another 'what?' formed on the troll's lips before a short, stout elf with a pike and disconcertingly prominent teeth came bustling up with one hand clamped against its blood-red cap.
"What's this you say, a mistake?" it barked. It locked its bulbous eyes with Meggan's gold-pupiled black, then took in the pointed ears and gleaming golden hair. Its wrinkled face folded in confusion. Angry confusion.
"What are you doing in there?" the redcap demanded, as if Meggan's presence in the cell was a personal affront.
“Well, it wasn’t my choice, was it?” Meggan retorted in a softer tone, even as she leaned against the bars. “I don’t think I’d walk into a cell on my own and then draw attention to it, so there’s no need to blame me for it. I was caught when I happened to be near others being captured.”
She shrugged. “I was unconscious before I could shout what I really was, and I woke up in here!” she added. Her dark eyes widened in what she hoped conveyed a suitably plaintive enough look. “It’s a big mix-up, as you can see, sir. Someone scooped up the wrong one, and didn’t think to look at what they had!”
The redcap glared at her for another moment, then swung its pikestaff against the back of the troll's knees hard enough to clang. This failed to have any effect whatsoever.
"Dolt! You want us more of a laughing stock than we are? Those hunters" it snarled as it began to fumble the keyright from its belt, "too dim to know they'd ensnared one of their own, but the Lady's favorites will never be blamed, will they? It'll be us who'll be held to account, though we be the ones to correct the error." The redcap shoved a brass key into the lock and flung open the cell door. "Get out, then. You understand it was no fault of ours, yes?"
“Oh, yes, I totally understand,” Meggan assured him, even as she pointedly glanced back into the cell and gave a quick nod. She looked back at him and continued. “I can’t hold it against you. Never you. You’re amazing at your post,” she gushed with delight.
“You’re certainly not to blame for fixing any and all errors as soon as they were brought to your attention, sir.” Perhaps she was laying it on a bit too thick there at the end, but she wanted to be a good distraction.
"I appreciate your cooperation," the redcap said in a tone that might have been squeezed through a lemon. As it stepped aside to let her pass its eyes fell on a peculiar heap near the bars. Cautiously, it extended its pike and hooked it to the edge of the heap.
"Here, what's this?" it muttered as it raised the pike. Something thin and pale hung from its tip.
In a shadowy back corner of the cell, Paige had been sitting, waiting for her moment. She was too small to overtake the guards as she was, and as she thought over her options for what form to take, Jono’s voice came through. Apparently, she had listened to more of his stories than she thought, because she could hear him talking about the superstitions around iron and its “magical properties.” Iron was a good sturdy metal, so it was a good practical option as well.
Giving in to Jono’s advice, Paige ripped her skin off, transforming to iron, and hid herself away as best she could until the door opened. When the red cap entered the cell to poke at her scraps, she took her opening. Paige rushed the small red cap, attempting to kick him out of the way, aiming for the opposite corner of the cell. Squaring up with the troll, Paige tried to wave Meggan out of the cell.
Meggan immediately vacated the cell as directed, even as she watched in blatant awe. It was one thing to plan this sort of thing, and another to see it playing out in motion! She was impressed that iron was seemingly actually working in their favor, just like all the stories had proclaimed.
She looked back into the corner of the cell, then, not wanting to just walk away entirely, and leave the man that had given them helpful warnings about everything he could. "Please come with us," she urged from across the threshold.
Before the thrall could respond there was a roar. The troll's reaction time might not have been the keenest, but the sight of its fellow guard in a shrieking heap at the base of the opposite wall proved to be very motivating. Meggan barely avoided being trampled as it charged into the cell and made a grab for Paige with hands the size of pizza pans.
Paige ducked and tried to maneuver herself between the troll and her exit. It was probably smarter to run from the hulking creature, but after the third time getting kidnapped this year, she has some frustration to work out. With a swing that would make Sam (and Doug who had taught her) proud, Paige struck against the troll’s giant arm.
The force of the troll's bellow shook bits of ancient mortar from the ceiling. The troll fell to its knees, crumpled around the blow as if she'd shattered bones. The redcap, still curled in an agonized ball, began to shriek hysterically.
2022: Garrison posts about a dream he had involving hockey teams.
2023:A Haven to Call Home: Terry alerts the journal to anti-mutant activity building on the edge of District X; the X-Men arrive in District X preemptively in case they need to intervene; an explosion triggers a number of mutants' powers to flare, including a number of X-Men; Blink and Dust deal with a mutant unable to control his powers; Nightcrawler and Wildchild deal with members of the Friends of Humanity harassing a mutant; a disoriented Mayhem is unable to shift back and collides with Echo; with Alex's powers flaring, Cyclops and Spectrum work together to keep him and others safe; following the riot, Arthur finds a young woman named Beatrice outside of X-Factor's office; Garrison and Haller receive a text from Arthur about the woman; Beatrice is interviewed by Garrison and Haller to make sure she's not a Brotherhood plant; Haller meets with April, still stuck in symbiote form, and she gives him a clue to what may have caused her flare.
2024: Artie runs into Gaia in the attic and is bemused.
2003: Emma, Marrow, and Chamber uncover Shaw's secret plans for an mutant prison in Maine; their base at Rock River is attacked by prototype Sentinels; Emma is taken by Sebastian Shaw.
2004: Cain and Miles talk about Magneto. Remy asks Lorna to come to Europe with him to investigate Magneto's doings. Remy gives Jubilee some advice. Sean and Terry talk about what she thinks of him. Madelyn invites Jubilee to a Bartlet Family Gathering. Hank returns to help with Alison. Hand Me Down prelude: Jamie has nightmares about Skippy.
2005: Madelyn tells Nathan and Moira there's a problem with the Askani. Angelo intercepts Terry as she tries to talk to Bobby again. Stoker and Stalkers: Kitty encounters Manuel and finds him in a very strange mood. Mommy Dearest: Kurt talks to Madelyn about his birth mother's identity. Lost In The Woods: Remy asks Moira what happened to Amanda whilst he was in medlab and is unhappy with the answer.
2006:The Gates: Just before dawn, the Elpis team agree they've done all they can and withdraw to Muir Island; Forge announces the relaunch of HeliX in order to raise funds and volunteers to help with NGOs in Smichov. Julio encounters Pietro in the library and accuses him of not doing enough to save him, which leads to Pietro making a post inviting anyone with a problem with him to say so. Kyle and Jennie celebrate election results. Garrison Kane of the RCMP receives word of a new assignment - in Westchester County.
2007: Crystal posts baby photos of Forge, obtained through his mother. Kevin is overwhelmed by the amount of reading Nathan assigned him. Forge confronts Kevin about his 'relationship' with Jay, and Kevin is confused; Kevin talks to Jay about the conversation with Forge, and a certain accommodation is reached.
2008: Manual and Bishop play chess and talk about girls. Dani and Sam get into a bidding war on ebay and later run into each other. Bishop gives Adrienne bad news about her missing employees. Pride Goeth: Amanda announces to the Snow Valley crew that she, Wanda and Farouk will be travelling a while longer; Amanda posts to her journal that she won't be back for a while. Clarice exacts her own brand of revenge on the absentee Jean-Paul, and later he has beer and catches up with Nathan. Catseye tries to share Jean-Paul's bed, but gets evicted.
2009:Modern Nature: Crystal announces on the staff comm a field trip to view the new plant for the biology students. She also emails a number of her students, giving them notice that they have a free period while she is out on a field trip for biology.
2010: Amanda posts to x_snowvalley, explaining what happened and asking for a greater focus on finding where the Minorus are hiding.
2011: Garrison gives Vanessa a ride back to the city and they discuss Garrison's muddy moral compass and the temptations of revenge. Korvus surprises Meggan with a question about their relationship while swimming, they try to straighten things out, and he attempts a prank. Jennifer Walters and Warren go out for drinks and discuss a new partnership.
2012: Jean-Phillipe decides Angelo has not been getting out enough since Africa, and takes it upon himself to rectify this by taking Angelo out for dinner.
2013: Lorna posts asking who would be around for Thanksgiving. Kyle posts about his monster class and to change their ring tones or else. Doreen posts about the new gnome models in WOW. Cammie makes good on her threat to drag Tabitha out for shopping for adult toys.
Ride of the Valkyrie: Another plot by Loki against his brother Thor results in certain mutants being caught in the middle - and the "return" of someone thought lost.
Green-Eyed Monster: A medical mystery arouses the concerns of the mansion's medical staff, and leads to a cross-country heist.
Psi War: A mysterious patient at Jean's hospital paves the way for the return of an old and terrible foe.
Dark Dimension: Homecoming: Vivid, unexplained nightmares reveal a truth to Clea that changes her whole world.
Operation: Salt The Earth: A specialist operation means the four "elders" of X-Force (plus Dom) have to infiltrate a conference in the closed science city of Koltsovo. Without their powers.
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