A conversation about Sentinels

[Gambit]

Still wary of letting Shade wander the city on her own, Gambit decided to drag her out to the Hellfire Club with him. She didn't mind to sit at the bar while he was working there, so he allowed himself to spend that night as a bartender.

[Shade]

Shade was sitting on one of the bar stools, her chin propped onto her hand lazily, a non alcoholic cocktail in front of her. Even though she didn´t mind spending most of her time in Gambit´s apartment, it was nice to get out now and then, even though with what had happened with the sentinel in Manhattan, she still had the feeling that things were far from over which made her more wary than she usually was.

The club was not crowded but well visited, maybe a little less than usual, she couldn´t tell. Some of the faces familiar to her already, since she had been here quite often already and was starting to be able to tell who belonged to Gambit´s staff and who didn´t. "What do you think?" she asked. "get some Chinese stuff after work? Didn´t have that for quite a time."

[Nimrod / Nicholas]

::Nicholas Hunter walked from the van to the club and proceded in.::

<<thoughts<<I hope Gambit is here. I need to talk to shade about her encounter.>>

::Data spike, Scanners detecting pre-contacted mutant...........ID...........Shade.::\

<<Then again, maybe I won't have to wait.>>

::Nicholas looked around and saw her and Gambit at the bar and walked up to a stool one after the one next to Shade.::

"Hello Shade, the students at the school miss you. And so do the Teachers."

[Gambit]

Gambit didn't reply since he saw a man he didn't know walk up to her. He fixed a cocktail for another patron while glancing at them every now and then.

[Shade]

Shade had not noticed Nimrod until he addressed her. For a moment, she could not sort in the voice, she had not seen him for quite some months, last time when she had still been in the Brotherhood, wary of him being able to detect her intentions and alliances. She turned her head, partly realising who it was talking to her already. Nimrod.

Her first reaction was fear. She knew what he was, knew he was neither human nor mutant, she had always been wary of him. Seeing him here after all these months and after she had just been chased by a sentinel days ago was...slightly disturbing. She shot Gambit a glance and felt her body stiffening slightly. "I..´ve not seen you for a time." she said trying to figure out whether to run or not to run.

[Nimrod / Nicholas]

::Nicholas continued look at Shade.::
"I have been finding mutants and giving them Xavier's address."

"So where is this 'Gambit' that stole you away from us. The female students smile alot when they mention him."

[Gambit]

Gambit noticed her reaction at seeing the stranger. His senses instantly at full alert, he inwardly prepared to react to anything to protect her. He didn't really expect her to know anybody who could make her tense in such a way, so it was... worrying, to say the least.

The reference to himself was surprising as well. "Right 'ere," he said. "An' you are?.."

[Nimrod / Nicholas]

::Turning to Gambit::
"Nicholas Hunter, Teacher of Math and Physics at Xavier's."

::Data spike....class 4+ Mutant....Physical contact required for further data and enhanced range of further scans.::

<<I will not initiate that contact until he knows what I learn from such contact and agrees.............First Shade's stress level jumped when I announced my self then Gambit's did too........... She heard quite a bit from listening in on my talk with Magneto. I wonder if she told Gambit any of it? I hope so. Xavier's request that I not tell some staff and all students chafes at me. Maybe........?>>

"So Gambit. Has Xavier told you much about me."

[Shade]

Shade´s thoughts were racing and she tried not to show that in her outwards behaviour although she knew Nimrod sensed changes in her emotions -not like Gambit would, but with the preciseness of a machine... a robot. What she had gotten to know about him was little. Sniplets of memory, all of them alerting her at once. That he could turn himself into some robot, that he absorbed data from touch, that he could see right through her because he felt shifts in emotion and whatnot. She had always been somewhat uneasy around him,for different reasons then than now, but still. She just nodded to his words, thinking what to do. She had never told Gambit about Nimrod because well... it had not been of any importance. Her last incounter with him had been before she had met him, before she had left the Brotherhood. It had not seemed relevant. Which also put Gambit into danger since she could not explain what Nimrod was doing at the club all of a sudden. Why would he return to the institute only now? Maybe it was also her recent experiences acting up and her protectiveness adding to that, but she wished she was an empath so she could give Gambit at least some information or a warning.

Then she suddenly had an idea. She leant her right hand on the counter of the bar in a way that her forehead was shielded from Nimrod´s view but Gambit, oposit of her could see it. The shifts in her powers would be too small for Nimrod to detect them and even if he did, he would be unable to make sense of why she was using them right now - to write. She had done it before, she knew it worked if she concentrated. Slowly, she made parts of the skin on her forehead vanishng letters, one after one, each word fading ere the next one appeard. "Robot." was the first word. "Don´t."..."toucn" The h didn´t work well but she didn´t notice. Gambit´d decipher hopefully. "hand."

[Gambit]

While Gambit was listening to the question and thinking of his answer, he noticed Shade shift in her position. Glancing at her face, he saw the words appear on her forehead. He couldn't make any connection between robots and hands, but Shade was so worried it was setting all his mental sensors off, and he decided she probably had a valid reason to be - which meant it was wiser to obey. Then his gaze was immediately fixed on Nicholas again. "Nothin' at all," he said. "Was he s'posed to?"

[Nimrod / Nicholas]

::Scanner spike.......minor power use........Shade..........details.........too little data.::

<<What is Shade doing? I could see her from any of my surfaces......I refuse........I underestimated the depth of her suspicion of me, or the effect of her ordeal with the sentinel. It will be useless to push her into talking about it. My initiation of dialog is causing more harm than good. If i could pray................... >>

::to Gambit::
"Ask him. I made a promise not to talk about my past to the students and to the staff he has not told yet. I believe that promise would not include you. You are not staff or student, you are an adult, and being involved so far with Wideawake you have a right to know. If he doesn't tell you everything...........I will. Tell him that!

<<emotion real - frustration, impatience. emotion projected determination.>>

::Turning back to Shade.::

"I am sorry to have disturbed you. I only wanted to see how you were, after the attack you suffered through. Also I must admit I wanted to ask you some questions about it. Anything Xavier can learn about these things is desperately important. I should have realized your 'situation' and asked him to send someone else."


"I will take a table for a minute or two and then leave."

::Nimrod turns in the direction of an empty table and starts a step.::

[Shade]

Maybe she did him wrong, she couldn´t tell. Her instincts ran deeper than that. "After what you told me about you months back..." she said. "I think you wouldn´t expect me to be all calm after that attack and then you showing up to ask me about it with Xavier not having told me in advance." Her voice was calm, but showing part of her anxiety. "Don´t take it personal." Her voice sounded a little stiff, her heart beat increasing a little.

[Gambit]

Gambit didn't stop Nicholas from leaving. He needed to have a word with Shade before thinking of talking to the other man. However, as far as he could sense, Hunter meant no harm - at least not immediately and not directly.

[Nimrod / Nicholas]

::Turning back to both of them, looking at Shade::
"I............I had bad judgment in initiating the conversation. I had intended on finding Gambit and having him give you a message from me. When I noticed you I should have left and come another time."

[Shade]

That didn´t really make it any better. Shade was not sure whether she could trust him, whether Nimrod meant harm or noth. Even though she had almost come around to thinking he was no direct danger to her safety (even though he had been a danger to her secret brotherhood membership) months back, his showing up this time had made her feel extremely uneasy. If he had wanted to talk to Gambit first she would not have had a chance to warn him either which did not help her to feel any easier about the whole matter. Again she nodded trying to catch Gambit´s glance after that. He would have sensed her anxiety, she knew.