capeandcowl | 23 ⊗ video ⊗ peeking his lionface back in

[Hank is walking through the halls of the Institute, on his way back to his suite. The video angle is from below, he's walking and talking.]

New communicators for a new Network? Check.
Vulcanus on the move again? Very well, then.
Preliminary signs of an imminent Skrull invasion? Marvelous.

Heaven knows we had a hard enough time of it last time, though I'm hardly in any position to begrudge a species the audacity to escape extinction. I know a very charming little Broodling who might agree.

[He reaches his door and fumbles for the keys, still talking as he gets the door open. He's still moving afterwards, like he's looking for something. His expression is growing increasingly distressed.] Seems it's been a rather eventful week while I've been away, and here I expected the most significant issue I'd face upon return was keeping my dates straight! It's not something that's easily resolved in the mind when you experience and entire year's worth of days twice! Just further need for compartmentalization, I'd imagine.

And Logan, in case I need to remind you, I get the big office in this universe.

[Finally he stops, frowning. He gives the room one more glance, then points the camera at the table, where one sole plate sits. The meal's half-eaten, and spoiled from being left out for more than a few days.]

Has anyone seen Amanda?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Uh. You lost him, Professor. ]

Did I miss like, a debrief or something? When did you jump on the hating Cyclops wagon?

You really must be behind the times, Mr. Keller, I've been driving that wagon from the very beginning!

The beginning of what?!

Last I checked you were on his team.

I was ever on his team so much as I was the token dissenting opinion he kept around so he could ceremoniously ignore it while still acting put-upon for being called on his more questionable actions.

Three days of torture under one's evil opposite, only to emerge from recovery to find that these questionable actions have led to the most short-sighted display of power in recent memory, tends to lessen the amount of patience available to meet these situations with.

I don't know what you're talking about, Professor. What torture, are you saying Cyclops let that happen?

[ What is even going on at home? Absolutely none of this sounds in any way good to him. Being here so long, he hasn't been thinking about it. It's been good not to think about it. Now he wonders what he'll end up going back to. ]

What have I missed? Last I was there we were in San Francisco!

A lot can happen in a year, Mr. Keller. For you, especially.

[ Okay so that gets his attention. ]

What do you mean, for me especially?

[He just kinda...cringes.]

Well, ah, that would be telling.

[ SO SUSPICIOUS, what aren’t you telling him?! ]

Yeah. And?

There's some news one would really prefer not to be the bearer of.

What I will tell you is that Osborn ran us out of San Francisco, when Scott had the brilliant plan to move us to our own island nation situated on a resurfaced Asteroid M.

It was a terrible idea, and when no one listened to me saying so, I finally decided to leave for somewhere that didn't have a giant target painted on it. Eventually others figured out what I'd been saying all along, and we went to Westchester to start a school.

Highly truncated, but that's the general idea.

[ He’s still dwelling on that other part. Shit about his future that people don’t want to tell him doesn’t give him any feelings close to good. What news is bad enough that Beast wouldn’t even want to say it?

This is all so weird. ]

An island. I think Santo talked about that, a long time ago. [ And…never since that first time now that he thinks about it. ]

I still think that sounds stupid. So we all left, huh? It’s about time. I like New York better anyway.

It was even more astonishingly so than it sounds!

But no, not all of us, unfortunately. But a significant number. Things have certainly been eventful at Westchester since, but we've managed to keep the doors open, at least.

Anyone try to blow the place up yet? [ This is a serious question it used to happen at least once a year.

Usually more than that. ]

Where are the others?

Well, how else would they celebrate our first day of classes?

The rest of them remained on Utopia. I hear that Ororo did it against her better judgement, but someone was needed to keep Scott relatively in line. Having been in that position myself, I do not envy her the job.

[ ...okay so all of this is insane. He doesn't even get why Beast is talking about Cyclops like this. Julian's known the guy was a douche ever since he shut the school down and abandoned all the students to do whatever the hell they wanted, but he'd still been leader of the X-Men. No one had challenged him like this. ]

So you're telling me I'm gonna go back and we'll split in half and move half a country apart. [ ...again. ] Can't wait.

In essence, yes.

[ A pause.

Tempted to ask if it makes things better.

But nope. Feigning unconcern instead. ]

Never a dull moment with the X-Men.

Let's hope we all survive he experience.

That'd make a cool change, let me know how that goes down.

I'm afraid I won't be learning a terrible amount here, Mr. Keller. Though I can warn you to be more respectful of the flowers.

The flowers.

[ What. ]

I’ll see what I can do.

They're really not fond of otherwise, and, as you'll find, aren't exactly defenseless, either.

The flowers aren’t defenceless. [ Uh, has Hank been sniffing something more potent than flowers? ]

I think I can handle the plant life, thanks.

That's alright. You'll learn in due time.