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xp_logsAt Silver during the New Year's party, the two most out-of-place partygoers run into each other and discuss what the night's fundraiser will lead to.
So out of place. So very out of place. Nathan kept his expression as smooth as he could, but his lips kept twitching in a repressed smile at the looks he was getting from various members of the crowd here at Silver. The place was packed, which was good, but he had to be the oldest person of anyone he could see by about... well, at least ten years, and quite likely more.
The bar struck him as a place where older types, if any were around, might be hiding. So he made a beeline for it. No one near his age in evidence, so he just smiled at the bartender and ordered a martini.
"So far the line's about fifty-fifty on whether you're a bouncer or a cop," Forge quipped, walking over to lean against the bar next to Nathan, raising his can of Red Bull slightly. "That, however," he indicated one of the dancers whirling about on the floor, "is a man in a dress."
"So it is," Nathan said with a look back over his shoulder. The smile slipped out, and he shook his head slightly, sipping at his martini. "Quite the place. How goes the fundraising?"
Forge smiled. "Well, according to the folks at the door, HeliX is walking away with a couple hundred from the gate alone, and they've already had to empty a few of the donation boxes. Remind me to thank Mark when this is over, this was a great idea. Oh! That reminds me," He added, face lighting up, "I got an email from the University of Prague. You know, over in the Czech Republic. Apparently a group of students there want to start up a HeliX chapter, raising awareness so things like Smichov don't go quietly ignored ever again. I think this means we're officially international now."
Nathan raised an eyebrow, but the smile stayed. "It certainly sounds like your efforts are bearing fruit... and don't I sound like a pompous ass." He reached into the inside pocket of his coat and pulled out what was unmistakably a folded cheque, which he handed to Forge. "I suppose I didn't actually need to come down here and give this to you, but I was curious about all this. It's actually from Moira and I jointly. You can probably consider it a first donation, depending on where things go from here and what HeliX winds up needing by way of funding."
Forge glanced down at the check, and managed to restrain his surprise, the jump of his Adam's apple the only indicator of his reaction. Solemnly folding the check, he reached across the bar and slipped it into one of the many clear plastic boxes bearing the HeliX logo. "I... thanks. I suppose you of all people know how much it'll be appreciated, but still... thank you."
"You're welcome. It's important work, you know... and you know I'm not saying that to pat you on the head." Nathan sipped at his martini, his expression contemplative. "You change the mindset, and half of the things some of your acquaintances-" They were after all very much in public. "-tackle on a regular basis don't ever come to be."
Forge caught the inference and just nodded in acknowledgement. "Actually, there's something that got suggested at one of the meetings that I wanted to get your opinion on. This isn't the first fundraiser we've done, and even when HeliX was inactive, people still sent the occasional donation through the website that Kitty set up. So I called Jamie back on the West Coast, and he talked to Warren, and we got an investment account set up a few months ago. It's not a lot, but it'll keep operating funds going for a lot of our grassroots stuff."
His expression turned serious for a moment and he glanced out to the rest of the partygoers before looking to Nathan. "The idea got brought up to endow a scholarship for underprivileged mutants who want to attend college. You know, since a lot of them aren't going to be able to qualify for things like athletic scholarships. The thing is, we wanted to do it in the name of the students from Columbia University."
His only response, for a moment, was a sputtering cough. "... don't do that to me when I'm drinking, John Henry." Nathan coughed again, rubbing briefly at his watering eyes. "Um. Mind if I inquire as to the logic behind that choice?" And why you're talking to me about it...
"Because it'll make sure people don't forget," Forge said firmly. "You of all people know that the students that got caught in the crossfire that day weren't the only victims. But they're the ones that can be talked about. So in a way, it's in your name. And Kyle's. And everyone else that just got vanished and turned into something horrible just because of what they could be potentially used for. It's for your friends who died in Greece, or god-knows-where." He leaned heavily on the bar, rolling the empty can in circles. "Because it's a way of turning a tragedy into something better. Of showing people there's another side to the story."
"The victims of Columbia, huh?" Both the university and the 'district of', I suppose... "So long as you're prepared for some negative commentary," Nathan went on, evenly but quietly - it had been two and a half years and he could still recite those forty-six names without any trouble whatsoever, "from people who don't know the whole story and don't care to see something better in the choice, I think it's a good idea. No," Nathan amended, and tossed back the rest of his martini, grimacing slightly, "scratch that, I think it's a great idea." He looked sideways at Forge, thoughtfully. "Sending me to school was a mistake on their part, because it taught me how to think, how to see the world through other lenses than theirs. It made all the difference. Freed my mind and all that... well, what I'm saying is that it would help cut down on the isolation, for young mutants. To have chances they wouldn't have had otherwise. It might make all the difference for them, too."
"Exactly," Forge said, tapping the empty can twice on the bar, then pushing himself away and glancing past Nathan to the dance floor, waving silently to someone. "One mind at a time, you know? You guys save the world, and hopefully in time, we'll make it a world that doesn't need saving."
"Any problem that has multiple causes needs multiple responses," Nathan murmured, then glanced at Forge, his smile coming back, if crookedly. "Speaking of which, you ought to go mingle. I might have another one of these very good martinis and soak in the ambiance for a while before I head back out. And don't worry - you're not going to turn around and see me on the dance floor or anything."
Forge screwed his face up in a grimace. "Dude, I was there at your wedding reception. We're all very thankful if you'll just stick with the spectator role."
So out of place. So very out of place. Nathan kept his expression as smooth as he could, but his lips kept twitching in a repressed smile at the looks he was getting from various members of the crowd here at Silver. The place was packed, which was good, but he had to be the oldest person of anyone he could see by about... well, at least ten years, and quite likely more.
The bar struck him as a place where older types, if any were around, might be hiding. So he made a beeline for it. No one near his age in evidence, so he just smiled at the bartender and ordered a martini.
"So far the line's about fifty-fifty on whether you're a bouncer or a cop," Forge quipped, walking over to lean against the bar next to Nathan, raising his can of Red Bull slightly. "That, however," he indicated one of the dancers whirling about on the floor, "is a man in a dress."
"So it is," Nathan said with a look back over his shoulder. The smile slipped out, and he shook his head slightly, sipping at his martini. "Quite the place. How goes the fundraising?"
Forge smiled. "Well, according to the folks at the door, HeliX is walking away with a couple hundred from the gate alone, and they've already had to empty a few of the donation boxes. Remind me to thank Mark when this is over, this was a great idea. Oh! That reminds me," He added, face lighting up, "I got an email from the University of Prague. You know, over in the Czech Republic. Apparently a group of students there want to start up a HeliX chapter, raising awareness so things like Smichov don't go quietly ignored ever again. I think this means we're officially international now."
Nathan raised an eyebrow, but the smile stayed. "It certainly sounds like your efforts are bearing fruit... and don't I sound like a pompous ass." He reached into the inside pocket of his coat and pulled out what was unmistakably a folded cheque, which he handed to Forge. "I suppose I didn't actually need to come down here and give this to you, but I was curious about all this. It's actually from Moira and I jointly. You can probably consider it a first donation, depending on where things go from here and what HeliX winds up needing by way of funding."
Forge glanced down at the check, and managed to restrain his surprise, the jump of his Adam's apple the only indicator of his reaction. Solemnly folding the check, he reached across the bar and slipped it into one of the many clear plastic boxes bearing the HeliX logo. "I... thanks. I suppose you of all people know how much it'll be appreciated, but still... thank you."
"You're welcome. It's important work, you know... and you know I'm not saying that to pat you on the head." Nathan sipped at his martini, his expression contemplative. "You change the mindset, and half of the things some of your acquaintances-" They were after all very much in public. "-tackle on a regular basis don't ever come to be."
Forge caught the inference and just nodded in acknowledgement. "Actually, there's something that got suggested at one of the meetings that I wanted to get your opinion on. This isn't the first fundraiser we've done, and even when HeliX was inactive, people still sent the occasional donation through the website that Kitty set up. So I called Jamie back on the West Coast, and he talked to Warren, and we got an investment account set up a few months ago. It's not a lot, but it'll keep operating funds going for a lot of our grassroots stuff."
His expression turned serious for a moment and he glanced out to the rest of the partygoers before looking to Nathan. "The idea got brought up to endow a scholarship for underprivileged mutants who want to attend college. You know, since a lot of them aren't going to be able to qualify for things like athletic scholarships. The thing is, we wanted to do it in the name of the students from Columbia University."
His only response, for a moment, was a sputtering cough. "... don't do that to me when I'm drinking, John Henry." Nathan coughed again, rubbing briefly at his watering eyes. "Um. Mind if I inquire as to the logic behind that choice?" And why you're talking to me about it...
"Because it'll make sure people don't forget," Forge said firmly. "You of all people know that the students that got caught in the crossfire that day weren't the only victims. But they're the ones that can be talked about. So in a way, it's in your name. And Kyle's. And everyone else that just got vanished and turned into something horrible just because of what they could be potentially used for. It's for your friends who died in Greece, or god-knows-where." He leaned heavily on the bar, rolling the empty can in circles. "Because it's a way of turning a tragedy into something better. Of showing people there's another side to the story."
"The victims of Columbia, huh?" Both the university and the 'district of', I suppose... "So long as you're prepared for some negative commentary," Nathan went on, evenly but quietly - it had been two and a half years and he could still recite those forty-six names without any trouble whatsoever, "from people who don't know the whole story and don't care to see something better in the choice, I think it's a good idea. No," Nathan amended, and tossed back the rest of his martini, grimacing slightly, "scratch that, I think it's a great idea." He looked sideways at Forge, thoughtfully. "Sending me to school was a mistake on their part, because it taught me how to think, how to see the world through other lenses than theirs. It made all the difference. Freed my mind and all that... well, what I'm saying is that it would help cut down on the isolation, for young mutants. To have chances they wouldn't have had otherwise. It might make all the difference for them, too."
"Exactly," Forge said, tapping the empty can twice on the bar, then pushing himself away and glancing past Nathan to the dance floor, waving silently to someone. "One mind at a time, you know? You guys save the world, and hopefully in time, we'll make it a world that doesn't need saving."
"Any problem that has multiple causes needs multiple responses," Nathan murmured, then glanced at Forge, his smile coming back, if crookedly. "Speaking of which, you ought to go mingle. I might have another one of these very good martinis and soak in the ambiance for a while before I head back out. And don't worry - you're not going to turn around and see me on the dance floor or anything."
Forge screwed his face up in a grimace. "Dude, I was there at your wedding reception. We're all very thankful if you'll just stick with the spectator role."
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