Ororo Munroe | Storm

   I am participating in the ASK ME ANYTHING EVENT

THIS IS THE POST TO REBLOG IF YOU ARE PARTICIPATING IN THIS EVENT. Please tag asks #TF 2015 AMA. Not sure what to ask? Here are a few questions to start the thoughts a flowing!

One of the player’s best RP experiences

Something the player likes about their writing

A funny RPing story associated with TaskForce

One of the player’s guilty RP pleasures

A word of advice from one RPer to another on ___ subject

Reminders

The AMA Asks should center around:

Character development

The writing process of the player

The personal life and thoughts of the characters

Learning about head canons

Learning player’s likes and dislikes

The AMA Event is NOT:

About the writer’s personal life

Event ends January 3rd, 2016

His mind took in what Ororo was saying before giving a slight nod. “Whether she needs an escort or not anymore… it’s probably for the best, all things considered. We’re safer in numbers anyway…” He stepped from his bike and up to the sidewalk by where the woman was standing. 

Scott’s hand reached in to his jacket and pawed lightly at the shopping list, his mind mulling over whether or not to take her up on the offer. Though he would be a hypocrite if he went about it alone while just stating they were better in numbers. “Alright… That would be rather kind of you, Ororo. I suppose I could use the help in getting through all this… Everyone else was a little bit to busy to come out and do this so… I needed to get outside for a few minutes anyway…” 

Ororo strides across the store, heading directly towards the aisle with cold and flu remedies. She’d been in this store enough to know its general layout. She stops before entering the aisle, glancing behind her to be sure that Scott was nearby. He followed behind, his hyperawareness was recognizable if you knew him. He was very deliberate in his movements. Moments later he finally caught up to where she stood.

“Come. The cold and flu medications are this way.” She starts her way down the aisle, glancing up and down the shelves. “I think having something for day and night time symptoms can be helpful.” She pulls a midsize box off of the shelf at eye level. The color of the box is split between orange and green. She looks to Scott, offering the box to him with an eyebrow raised in question.

“Excuse me?” 

There’s a moment of low anger, though it ebbs quickly and Steve leans over his knees, rubbing at his eyes with forefinger and thumb. With so many fingers pointing the Avengers way recently, he can’t help but think this was expected to eventually happen. Hell, when it DID happen, his first thoughts went to the people he’d trusted to fight at his side in Manhattan, wondering if he hadn’t misplaced that trust. 

A soft sigh and he shakes his head before he realizes that Ororo can’t see him. He’s too tired for this conversation after a round with Stark the other day and he rolls out his neck. 

“We’re all too paranoid to take orders from people we haven’t investigated thoroughly,” he murmurs at last, opening up a bit on the subject with a bitter tint to his tone. There’s already two feet in the door with this one, the X-Men holding far more to him than he’d care to admit as his mind wanders to a petite blonde bombshell. “Unless someone is giving orders, I think I can stand strong saying we’re clean. But feel free to lead your own investigation, I know how important this kind of thing is. Trust me.” 

What a funny time to include trust into the details. Running a hand through his hair, the Captain grunts before he stands, pacing over to his truck to lean on it. Couldn’t actually take this sitting down, could he? 

“I’d ask if you’d done the same, but I’ve seen the security at the mansion,” he speaks again, this time his tone lightening to something conversational, though it’s a bit distant considering the subject matter. “Summers is a good man, I don’t think he’d let anyone in that even shifted wrong once.” 

“Having an X-men investigate the Avengers? Now that would be something to see.” A small smile crosses her lips as she moves closer to her balcony window. The snow still glistened on the grounds. The Captain’s mention of visiting the mansion causes her to pause. She turns her back to the window, concern wrinkling her brow. “Oh? Why of course, Scott is nearly militant about protecting those that he love. And the children here really top that list.”

Should she be concerned that she wasn’t quite aware of how familiar the Captain was with the mansion? Her eyes stare through the room around her, thoughts whirling along in their ever-cautious way.

Ororo returns to pacing back and forth in the sunlight laid before her chaise lounge. The sight would be reminiscent of a catwalk, her feet slowly strolling along the bright path, toes curling into the thick shag rug. The Captain’s voice filters through her ears.

“Well, I don’t particularly know much except the same--there is information out there and someone is working to clean it up.” She stops her pacing and takes a seat on the edge of the lounge. “But do believe me when I say, I know how dangerous and vulnerable people are when their lives are available for perusal.”

Laying back, she stares at her ceiling, contemplating if she’s just getting herself overworked again when she should just re-focus back on the institute. It’s her go-to mentality when she starts to feel overwhelmed. Throwing herself into helping the kids and the team. Blocking out the personal. A sound draws her back to the conversation.

Which is exactly what he does when he hears the buzzing of his phone. Having no idea who would be trying to get in contact with him now, and having synced everything to his phone when he’s at home, the man only groans slightly when he has to get up. Grime and oil across his jeans and t-shirt, he’s smudged over enough that he has to wash his hands before he reads the message. 

[Outgoing: Munroe, Ororo] Sure. Incoming call in a sec.

Plopping right down on the bench on the side of his garage, he takes a drink before dialing out. He even goes so far as to turn down the tunes, big band and Sinatra only barely recognizable now in the background. 

“Miss Monroe?” he offers when he hears breathing. 

There shouldn’t be an emergency. He doesn’t feel a ‘we need to talk’ was in order when it came down to emergencies, but then he didn’t know the other woman very well. Perhaps that’s exactly what she did and his body weight was already shifting to the balls of his feet as if to get up, muscles tensed in case he had to go somewhere quickly. 

Buzzing interrupts her thoughts which are carried along by the upbeat melody drifting from her phone. Only a few beats of the ring tone play before she initiates the connection. She lifts the device to her ear, steeling herself for the worst possible outcome. There’s a soft inhale as she prepares to greet the man, but she is quickly beaten to the first word.

“Please call me Ororo.” She responds. “Miss Munroe is just a reminder of all the work have to do for my classes.” She leans forward in her chair, recognizing that he is very much straight to business.

“Before we begin, I want you to know that my reason behind contacting you is due to personal concerns. These concerns are not reflective of any opinions of X-Men or the Institute.” She gazes out of the window before her, eyes mildly squinting as the light of the late afternoon sun reflects off of the snow covered grounds. There were a few students playing in the wintery atmosphere. 

“Though, my goal is protection for both groups.” 

“Thank you, Ororo.” His voice was soft but tired, his hands rubbing slightly at his temple, tucking the shopping list in his jacket. “I haven’t left because I wanted to… I left because apparently we’re out of milk and a few of the students have come down with a mild cold…”

If she could see past his red glasses, his eyes would have rolled a little. Anything that made him leave the mansion was something he disliked greatly. There was something about the outside world that was increasingly worrying to him. With the hate they received from people on a daily basis just because they were mutants made him want to hole up in the mansion with his makeshift family and never let anyone out, ever.

“Hmm” she hummed mostly to herself. “I hadn’t heard about the kids getting sick.” The wind picked up around them as if on queue. Ororo was immune to temperature changes, a quality of her mutant gift. But considering the weather changes, perhaps she should have expected an increase in illnesses at the school. She’s brought back from her thoughts with his question.

“Oh, you know...Kitty has her dances classes. I’m sure she doesn’t need me to escort her anymore, but I feel like it’s a bit of a personal tradition. I guess I’m a bit nostalgic...and cautious, especially with all of the craziness that has been happening recently.” Her mind turns back to the multitude of anti-mutant demonstrations of violence that are currently prevalent in the media. A soft sigh escapes her lips.

She thinks. That’s what she’s rollin’ with at least.

“No one knows who leads SHIELD now. Fury was killed in the fight against HYDRA and whoever took his place went underground,” Darcy admits, pouting slightly before she sighs and opens up. “My division hasn’t heard anything from the main agency in months. We’re on our own, somewhat. The higher ups get orders and they raided our teams for HYDRA peoples but we’re pretty locked down, even now.” 

And then there was the Avengers thingy. Oh boy. 

“The Avengers aren’t SHIELD, as far as I know. Not. Not anymore. I mean, Cap took us down, right? I doubt he’d stick around or let his team stick around if SHIELD was anything less than peaches and cream kind of good guys.” And they weren’t. Darcy wasn’t naive enough to think that, she knows they work in the grey lines of the world, not good or bad but doing what they could, when they could. “You’d have to ask them. I don’t suggest asking Banner, though. He seems like not a good idea.” 

She’s intimately aware of their names, powers, and last known whereabouts on social media (cause like Hell she has that kind of clearance). She’s made it her business to be in their business, mostly to protect herself. After all, last time she saw Thor, the whole world was falling apart. Again. 

The woman before her concludes with a warning against trusting unknown SHIELD agents and Storm decides then and there she’ll do what she can to protect her as much as she can. A soft smile graces her face. 

“Thanks for the warning...and for allowing me as much information as you have. I can tell you from personal experience that going through times like these will be tough for you and your teammates. It may quite some time, and you’re correct that things may be different once it all comes together. As long as you trust each other and remain focused on your goal of keeping people safe then you can, and will, make it past this hurdle.” Ororo nods her head towards her table companion.

A moment later their waitress rolls up to the table and introduces herself. “Are you ready to order?”

Ororo quickly glances at her watch/communicator before directing a face at Lewis. “Unfortunately...I don’t think I’ll be able to stay very long. But please get my friend here whatever she likes.” She hated ducking and running, but it would only be a matter of time before her teammates and the rest of the school noticed her absence. Pulling out a school business card, she scribbles her personal number on it before sliding it across the table as the waitress left. 

“Here’s my information. Call me if you ever feel unsafe or in want of anything. I’m sure you’ll look me up and find out all about me with those computer skills of yours. Just please realize that I am working alone...I’m trying to keep my associates safe, just like you and your team.” A meaningful stare. “And be safe yourself...I will admit I was able to learn about you prior to our meeting. I’m sure people with more malicious intent could do the same. Be safe.”

“Waffles.” 

Darcy nods, feeling a bit like she should have an orge she should be bothering if there were waffles involved. The idea is gone in a blink and her grin turns more amused, even if the joke was only in her head. If she couldn’t find herself funny, how would she ever laugh in the worst of times? Quickly shuffling Ororo out, she eyes the machine they’ve brought up and then casts her gaze upward to the stained ceiling. 

Please, please, please let that work. Please. She’s begging here. 

“You’re greasing the palms in the right way,” Darcy laughs softly, making her way back out to the sidewalk. She flips off someone that honks at her as they go by before turning to go the opposite way, humming a bit as she does. “I am easily bribed with food and shiny things.” 

Lies, but only just. Once upon a time, it would have worked wonders. Now, she’s a little more hesitant. Still, she trusts her gut a lot of the time, and right now it was telling her that ‘Ro wasn’t the bad guy. Right now, it was telling her that waffles and information were exactly how she should spend the rest of her afternoon. 

Well, that and trying to figure out that reel thingy. She had the materials for the actual film, if that’s what it was. It was just getting it to run. 

Maybe transfer to her computer. That would be AWESOME. 

“It’s right up there. Gaudy and decked out in red glitter, but they do things on roller skates,” she explains, glancing to her side towards ‘Ro. “What did you need to know from me, though. Other than they have the BEST malt milkshakes because everyone needs to know that.” 

She hadn’t exactly been specific what she needed from her, and Darcy needed that kind of outline before she filled in the blanks. Anything to keep SHIELD from falling into more disrepair than it already was, really. 

Taken off guard by the phrase ‘greasing the palms’ Ororo holds her tongue, concluding from context that the woman is referring to bribery. The idiom is unfamiliar to her and she files it away to readdress on her own at a later time. In her many years in the US she has had to do this less and less over time.

They’re only walking for a city block or so when Lewis indicates their destination. A standard diner with ‘retro’ decor and.... Roller skates? She opens the door for Darcy to enter before her. The quick glide of a waitress passing by confirms her company’s prior remarks. It’s a fairly busy place, lots of ambient noise from the patrons and servers as they go about enjoying their meals. This would be a perfect place to go unnoticed.

“Mmm a milkshake sounds divine right now.” 

She slides into a booth, the vinyl squeaking as she moves along its surface. Menus are placed before them and they’re left alone after being told their server will be with them shortly. Ororo looks over to the girl before her without touching her menu.

“So, Dee. I’m sure you’re keenly interested in what information I’m requesting. And that is the actual issue.” She picks up her menu and opens it before her, glancing along the options more for show than actually deciding on options. “I’m looking for information on who leads SHIELD, where their allegiances lie. I’m also concerned about the Avengers and their goals and allegiances. Since this HYDRA breakthrough, it’s tough to know who is actually SHIELD and who is a wolf in sheep’s garment.”

Ororo’s voice stays hushed, loud enough for Lewis to hear, but soft enough to blend into the surrounding chatter. “I don’t plan on being judge, jury, and executioner. I just need to know who I can trust. I have many innocent lives counting on me, and I know that I can’t always do it all.”

Sometimes, she really did act a little too much like her baby niece. 

“It’s easy enough to draw attention to yourself if you know how to get behind people,” Darcy laughs, pulling her hair over her shoulder and waiting for ‘Ro to catch up. “I’ll take it up to my apartment and then we’ll go to that diner place, unless you’re totally up for something else. But otherwise, then we go someplace and you ask your questions. I’ll do my best to answer, cross my heart, hope to fry.” 

Lead the way she does, stopping in front of a small building that is run down but not completely trashed. Just old and probably cheap, from the looks of the washed bricks and slightly peeling paint on the outside of the iron gate. Key code in, and Darcy is moving around to her apartment stairs. 

“Just the second floor,” she murmurs, voice dropping as she goes in. “Might want to keep it down, the walls are like, paper. And there’s a single mama down the hall with a cranky toddler who naps this time of day. Drop it off in here and we can be on our way. Told you I didn’t live very far.” 

A quick run of her brush through her hair and Darcy is waiting by the door once more, looking to ‘Ro for guidance. 

“You said you wanted...waffles?” She questions, uncertain as her mind has been focusing on other things. “The diner sounds fine. I don’t want to overstay my welcome, just need the information to help ease troubled minds. That is all.” She continues to take in her surroundings, cautious and calculating any future needs for escape or combat.

They come to a stop before a building that’s unremarkable and slightly worn in appearance. Ororo shifts the equipment to her other arm as a code is keyed in and they enter. Darcy’s voice drops once in the building, and Ororo remains on high alert. Inside she is at a disadvantage and she remains acutely aware of that. Her movements become a little more stiff and wary as she keeps herself prepared. She refuses to underestimate Lewis, though she has yet to give any indication of foul play.

Once upstairs and into the apartment, Ororo places the reel player on the floor near the door. She takes in her surroundings but stays near the door, ready to be out and back into neutral space. As Darcy returns to the door, her hair appearing a bit more manageable, Ororo shifts a bit in relief.

“Yes, I’m ready.” Darcy offers Ororo to chose a place to eat which further eases the mutant’s mind. Perhaps things are exactly as they appear. She retraces their steps as Darcy continues talking, leading them downstairs and back out of the building. My, was she talkative. It reminded her of Kitty. A feeling of fondness washed over her as Lewis continued talking. This could only work to Ororo’s advantage.

A quick nod and Darcy quirks a brow, eyes kept forward towards the people ‘Ro mentions. Ah, so that lady really was someone special? Interesting. 

“She must be paranoid already about her stuff if she hired security for an open air market,” she murmurs, snorting slightly before she inclines her head towards the other woman. A quick wink and she frowns, almost pouting as she moves forward to the cashier. “Hey. Yea, you. Who do I talk to about the quality of your products? Big dude? No? Wow, you’re super bad at this.” 

Darcy is off, kicking up a stink about the authenticity of older items, how is she supposed to KNOW that they’ll work when they’re so old, and possibly dying from being cut by rusty metal. Oh, she goes there and she gets the attention of the woman in blue, keeping it for as long as she can as the guy in grey moves forward to hover. She doesn’t make enough of a scene to make him leap at her, but his attention is definitely there as she uses her history degree to good use, picking up the ‘antiques’ on the table and demanding to know how they plan on proving they’re not knock offs or if the mechanical ones even work. 

They eventually buy her off, giving her an art deco hairpiece with its paperwork from some artist she doesn’t care about and then she disappears. That she’s good at, stepping into the crowd and moving through it easily, her shorter height making her turn invisible.

In no time she’s at the rendezvous location. She leans against a wall near a separate crowded market, hoping to remain inconspicuous. With the few moments she has alone she eyes the device.

‘Doesn’t seem dangerous, but it’s pretty weighty. How was she ever planning on moving it on her own?’ She places it on the ground between herself and some crates and decides to keep a look out for her current companion.

She spots Lewis out of the corner of her vision as she appears from a side alley. With a wave she’s spotted. Darcy rushes up to her, excitement and concern blatant on her face. “Did you get it!?” Her eyes seem to dance around, noticing Ororo’s empty hands.

She settled back into her chair and nodded at the next question. “Sure, the other teachers are practically my family. We’re a close group.” She stops at that. Ororo is very private about her own life and that extends to her teammates and close friends. It took quite a bit of time, trust, and perhaps even a shared crisis to gain Ororo’s trust.

“Lady, I’m SHIELD. How do you know you can trust me?” she murmurs, knowing how much their reputation has been hurt. Didn’t matter though, she already knows the answer to Ro’s question, letting the other manipulate her hand and doing as she says to stop the slow ooze of blood. “Look, here’s the best I can do. I know a few things and I have enough money on me for waffles. You get me that, we stash it in my apartment that’s about oh, a five minute walk from here, and then we get food and I tell you what I know. Deal?” 

She won’t make her shake on it, cause her hand is injured, but the girl raises her eyes to this woman and hopes it’ll help ease her mind. HYDRA screwed them all over and if she can help someone feel safer with SHIELD still in the world, then that’s what she’ll do. It’s PR, not giving up secrets, she reasons with herself as she nods once, a smile blossoming over her lips. 

Maybe she shouldn’t be proud of this, but when she has a knack for causing a scene. She’s small, can look fairly helpless when she tries, and Darcy cradles her arm as she rocks on her toes. 

“I’m on your team for the afternoon, call me Dee. What do you need me to do?” 

Easy as that. 

Now her current offer requires Ororo to accompany her to a nearby apartment and that could be a greater tactical risk. There could be other’s in the place waiting for Darcy’s return. On the other hand, even Ororo didn’t know she would make contact today, so she shouldn’t be expected. Better to be cautious. “OK...Sounds like a deal.”

Ororo shifts so that her back faces the majority of the marketplace with the intention of having Darcy look around without drawing attention. Ororo easily slips back into thief mode. It comes as naturally to her as riding a bike, having spent such a large part of her childhood years learning the ways of thieves.

“So see the guy at the front who’s selling near the register? He’s just an assistant. There are two other people who work here. The large man in the back with the grey hat and beard is security. And the woman who looks like she’s perpetually shopping with the long blue dress? She’s the owner.” Ororo awaits for Darcy’s.... no “Dee’s” confirmation before continuing.