The Jean Grey School-

[throughaphase]

Getting any real work done over the last day was impossible. The kids weren't paying attention, the teachers weren't paying attention, and Kitty was paying attention in public and then ended up watching the news in the headmaster's office in private where the kids wouldn't be watching.

"The dust is still settling from today's epic battle in San Francisco Bay," the reporter said, "where the island of Utopia now appears to be in the hands of SHIELD. No word yet on the whereabouts of the X-Men who once called Utopia home. As always, stay tuned to Channel 12 for all your Avengers vs. X-Men needs. Up next, Worthington Industries stock continues to plummet..."

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[throughaphase]

Kitty heard the door click open, and Logan walked in, disheveled, with multiple tears in his costume. She jumped to her feet and said, "I saw it all on TV. Are you all right?"

[beerandclaws]

"I popped my claws, Kitty," Logan said in a low voice, in no way happy with anything thaat had just happened. "And then I used them against people I once considered family. People who called me traitor to my face. So no. I definitely ain't all right."

He walked over to the bar cart, starting to pour himself a much-needed drink. "And the worst part is, this whole mess is just getting started. Hope took off. No one knows where. We're having a helluva time tracking her. And Scott and his people got clean away. They could be anywhere by now."

[throughaphase]

As he talked, Kitty could hear something outside, and when she turned to look, she felt her stomach sink. "Uh, Logan."

[beerandclaws]

Logan frowned, and stood next to her at the window. "You gotta be kidding me."

He threw back his drink in one gulp before popping his claws. He was going to need it.

[throughaphase]

Kitty followed him outside to the portal, not because she wanted to get involved, but she was afraid of what might go down and she might be needed to mediate.

Because there, in front of the entrance to the school, where all the kids would be able to see during the upcoming passing period, stood Scott, Emma and Illyana.

[beerandclaws]

"That's far enough!" Logan shouted as he stalked over. "One more step and you'll bleed for it!"

[lasersfrommyface]

"Hasn't been enoough bloodshed for one day? Cyclops asked. "I thought this was supposed to be a place of sanctuary for mutants. Trust me, we could use a bit of that right now."

[so_hawkward]

There were a lot of things about this situation that Clint still didn't understand, but when Bobby and Rachel grabbed him and said Kitty might need help, he went with them without questioning it, and he knew enough to be aware that seeing Scott and his folks here was probably not good. "You've got some nerve coming here," he said, moving quickly to Kitty's side.

[beerandclaws]

"It's downright suicidal," Logan growled. "Krakoa, fetch."

With that, Krakoa- who was a hive mind entity in the form of land mass, shook the ground as it came up from the earth, knocking both Emma and Illyana down as it grabbed Scott and started pulling him toward its mouth.

[so_hawkward]

Clint took a big step back, because what in the actual hell, Logan? "Are you serious?!"

[throughaphase]

And suddenly Kirty realized, "...Did I not mention Krakoa?"

Oops.

[so_hawkward]

"Yeah, no, I think I missed that on past trips," Clint said, standing very close to her now. "I don't think this is a good idea."

[throughaphase]

"Oh, definitely not," Kitty agreed. "It might get ugly."

[so_hawkward]

"Maybe you should call it off? Or Logan?" Clint really didn't want to watch someone get eaten by this thing, even if it was one of their enemies.

[bestmoneycanbuy]

Scott was yelling that he wasn't there to fight, and Logan was still advancing on him anyway, and Emma was already tired of this.

So what stopped things was her changing into diamond form and solidly planting her incredibly hard fist into Logan's face and dropped him.

"Don't you ever get tired of sounding like such an idiot, you insufferable little caveman?" she asked, watching him shake off the shock on the ground.

[so_hawkward]

"Hey, you maybe want to hold back on the insults when you're the ones who came here?" Sorry Emma, you were never going to be Clint's favorite person.

[bestmoneycanbuy]

Emma would do no such thing.

In fact, she looked past him to Kitty. "I see you've gotten him trained to fight your battles for you. How quaint."

[lasersfrommyface]

Logan was still picking himself up from the ground, Illyana and Bobby were fighting about something, and Cyclops was tired of it. So he focused a beam into the ground in front of Krakoa, startling it into dropping him.

It was also a really good way to stop all arguments.

"That's enough!" he yelled. "We come here in peace, dammit! Logan, this is me waving the white flag. I'm only here to talk, man to man, mutant to mutant."

[beerandclaws]

Logan was still shaking off the daze- getting punched by a diamond would still hurt even him- but he pulled himself up fully and just stood watching him for a moment.

And then, he silently nodded his head to the courtyard, motioning for Cyclops to follow him.

And leaving Emma and Illyana facing off against Kitty, Clint, Rachel and Bobby, along with all the students who were of course coming out to watch the fight.

[so_hawkward]

Clint watched Logan and Scott walk away, and turned back to the others. "I don't suppose asking you to be civil will work?"

[grewupinhell]

"You're adorable," Illyana said with a creepy little smile. "We didn't bring the Krakoa."

[so_hawkward]

"In my defense, I didn't bring it either, but it wouldn't have had to come out at all if you'd stayed away," Clint said. "Don't think pointing out my adorableness is going to win you any points either, I'm taken."

[grewupinhell]

"You couldn't handle me anyway," she stated.

Because, you know, she was a demon sorceress who grew up in hell and was more than a little evil these days and liked playing with the emotions of the people she loved because she could.

[throughaphase]

"Oh my god," Kitty said, facepalming.

[so_hawkward]

Clint opened and shut his mouth a few times, genuinely speechless. "I don't know how you put up with some of these people," he said to Kitty. "It's a miracle you all got along for so long."

[bestmoneycanbuy]

"Of course," Emma said coolly, "everyone on your side is just a treat."

[so_hawkward]

"Okay, they're not all charming, but at least I know they're trying to do the right thing."

If nothing else, Kitty believed they were doing the right thing, and that was close enough for Clint.

[bestmoneycanbuy]

"And what do you think we're trying to do?"

She was dying to know the answer.

[so_hawkward]

Clint sighed, because he didn't understand everything Kitty's folks did on a good day, and this was turning out to be a pretty lousy day overall. "I think everyone's trying to keep Hope safe, but there's some different ideas on how to do it, and how much collateral damage is acceptable." Particularly Avenger-related damage, but he was trying to stay neutral about people who weren't really his team.

[throughaphase]

The X-Men were used to infighting- this would not be the first or last divide, but like... no one usually boldly stated logic, and nobody really knew what to do with that?

So they all fell silent, uncomfortably.

Eventually Kitty cleared her throat for noise.

[so_hawkward]

Clint wasn't used to being the voice of logic, he was just used to being too blunt and making people angry. He quietly wrapped an arm around Kitty's waist and leaned close to her. "Sorry," he said softly. "This really isn't an easy situation."

[lasersfrommyface]

Cyclops returned with Logan following, neither of them speaking. In fact, Cyclops walked to the portal, with Emma and Illyana deciding that they should follow.

With more uncomfortable silence, the portal disappeared behind them.

[beerandclaws]

"I assume you heard every word?" Logan asked, mostly to Rachel. He and Scott had been arguing, but they'd been walking around enough that no one else would have heard everything. Probably.

[guesswhatido]

"Sorry. Eavesdropping comes sort of natural when you're a telepath," Rachel said, folding her arms across her chest since she also knew what was coming.

[beerandclaws]

"No, I'm glad you were listening. Now you know what sort of a stubborn, arrogant nutjob we're dealing with here. Now you see why I have to fight him," Logan said.

[guesswhatido]

Read the room, Logan. Rachel had problems with Scott, but he was still her father... in an alternate universe.

She looked at him and said, "I know the Phoenix Force can be controlled, because I've done it. I've dealt with it longer than anyone else on Earth. If it's chosen Hope and if that's the destiny she wants, I'm gonna help her get there."

[beerandclaws]

Logan expected someone to pick up the argument, and was a little surprised when no one did.

"If that's the way it is," he said, and turned on his heel to walk back into the mansion.