Nica and Alex - backdated to January 10
Jan. 10th, 2021 04:46 pmAfter a DR training, Nica and Alex talk about her discussion with Gabe about the other world. Among other things.
"Those bot things were definitely Scott's idea," Alex grumbled as they trudged into the locker rooms. He could already tell he was going to be aching in a few hours. "He's the only person sadistic enough to give something saws for hands and lasers."
"Yeah." Nica winced and looked at a burn mark on her uniform sleeve. "Damn, that was closer than I thought. I guess lasers are somewhere on my EM spectrum. Last time I train with you if Scott's going to leave you booby traps." She was joking, however, and grinned at him as she shrugged out of the jacket.
"Hey, you don't know he left those for me specifically." Although the schedule did have him and Nica on it. And it wouldn't be the first time Scott pulled something like that. "Okay, maybe they were for me," Alex admitted, grinning back. "A little brotherly love, if you will."
"That sort of affection makes me glad I'm an only child," she teased. "Still, it's always good to work out the aggression, even if it fights back."
"If you gotta be a sibling, be the older one. So much more power." Alex chuckled, checking himself over for anything that might need immediate attention. All seemed clear, however. "Hey, have you uh... asked anyone about that whole... other universe thing?"
He tried to write it off, make it seem casual, but he was curious. And aside from Lorna, his options of who he felt okay asking about it were slim. He knew Scott was from the other place. And he really didn't want to bring up those memories.
"Uh, yeah, actually. Gabe, you know, one of the X-Force people?" Nica sat on the bench to take off her boots, but also to give Alex room to ask more questions if he wanted. "I went right up and asked him and he told me."
"Is it as wild as it sounds in my head?"
"Yes and no. Gabe was really straightforward about it, even when I was as awkward as hell. But it was weird. And once he told me I didn't have a version of me back then, I really didn't know what else to ask, you know?"
"I wonder if it was different like... technology wise," Alex said thoughtfully. "Do you think they had flying cars?" It was a joke, mostly, to avoid thinking about other things. Like if there had been a better Alex.
"I didn't think to ask about that," Nica admitted. "But he did say it was better, for mutants. A bit, any way. No M-Day meant we weren't on the hook for every disaster that ever happened."
"That's a boat I can hop on." It was possible the idea made Alex a little wistful. "There's some philosophical schpiel here about other worlds and the many forms in which we exist, huh?"
"It's a mindfuck, all right," Nica replied. "I mean, I'm not really into all that philosophy stuff, but it does make you think about possibilities. Who we might have been, if things were different."
He tried very hard not to think about who he might have been, actually. "Everything happens for a reason and all that, right?" He shrugged. "Even if that reason is some... weird god-ish mutant restitching the universe together like an old blanket. I wonder if this means we're all from like.... different universes, but melded together."
"That's not so clear," Nica replied. "I mean, Gabe told me what he could, but I get the impression things were kind of fuzzy at the time of the actual melding? But whatever it is, Xorn basically saved existence, from what I understand. So there's your reason?"
"It's something." Alex stretched, standing. "Universe-building mutants. And I thought the telepaths were scary." His voice was wry, but mostly filled with humor. Trying to understand all of this was... a lot.
"Scarier even than the whole magic thing, even." Nica's shudder was only half-feigned. "I don't know about you but between contemplating the reality of the universe and that DR session, I'm starving. You want food?"
"God yes." Alex groaned. "Philosophy right after almost being killed by Scott's death bots really makes a person hungry."
"Those bot things were definitely Scott's idea," Alex grumbled as they trudged into the locker rooms. He could already tell he was going to be aching in a few hours. "He's the only person sadistic enough to give something saws for hands and lasers."
"Yeah." Nica winced and looked at a burn mark on her uniform sleeve. "Damn, that was closer than I thought. I guess lasers are somewhere on my EM spectrum. Last time I train with you if Scott's going to leave you booby traps." She was joking, however, and grinned at him as she shrugged out of the jacket.
"Hey, you don't know he left those for me specifically." Although the schedule did have him and Nica on it. And it wouldn't be the first time Scott pulled something like that. "Okay, maybe they were for me," Alex admitted, grinning back. "A little brotherly love, if you will."
"That sort of affection makes me glad I'm an only child," she teased. "Still, it's always good to work out the aggression, even if it fights back."
"If you gotta be a sibling, be the older one. So much more power." Alex chuckled, checking himself over for anything that might need immediate attention. All seemed clear, however. "Hey, have you uh... asked anyone about that whole... other universe thing?"
He tried to write it off, make it seem casual, but he was curious. And aside from Lorna, his options of who he felt okay asking about it were slim. He knew Scott was from the other place. And he really didn't want to bring up those memories.
"Uh, yeah, actually. Gabe, you know, one of the X-Force people?" Nica sat on the bench to take off her boots, but also to give Alex room to ask more questions if he wanted. "I went right up and asked him and he told me."
"Is it as wild as it sounds in my head?"
"Yes and no. Gabe was really straightforward about it, even when I was as awkward as hell. But it was weird. And once he told me I didn't have a version of me back then, I really didn't know what else to ask, you know?"
"I wonder if it was different like... technology wise," Alex said thoughtfully. "Do you think they had flying cars?" It was a joke, mostly, to avoid thinking about other things. Like if there had been a better Alex.
"I didn't think to ask about that," Nica admitted. "But he did say it was better, for mutants. A bit, any way. No M-Day meant we weren't on the hook for every disaster that ever happened."
"That's a boat I can hop on." It was possible the idea made Alex a little wistful. "There's some philosophical schpiel here about other worlds and the many forms in which we exist, huh?"
"It's a mindfuck, all right," Nica replied. "I mean, I'm not really into all that philosophy stuff, but it does make you think about possibilities. Who we might have been, if things were different."
He tried very hard not to think about who he might have been, actually. "Everything happens for a reason and all that, right?" He shrugged. "Even if that reason is some... weird god-ish mutant restitching the universe together like an old blanket. I wonder if this means we're all from like.... different universes, but melded together."
"That's not so clear," Nica replied. "I mean, Gabe told me what he could, but I get the impression things were kind of fuzzy at the time of the actual melding? But whatever it is, Xorn basically saved existence, from what I understand. So there's your reason?"
"It's something." Alex stretched, standing. "Universe-building mutants. And I thought the telepaths were scary." His voice was wry, but mostly filled with humor. Trying to understand all of this was... a lot.
"Scarier even than the whole magic thing, even." Nica's shudder was only half-feigned. "I don't know about you but between contemplating the reality of the universe and that DR session, I'm starving. You want food?"
"God yes." Alex groaned. "Philosophy right after almost being killed by Scott's death bots really makes a person hungry."