The X-Project

What happens when a true royal deigns to travel to the court of Forge the First? Plans are made of course.



At first glance, it may have appeared as though the redheaded royal was walking across water. Closer inspection would reveal tendrils of hair extended into the water and if one had the ability to see through the lakewater, the strands could be seen walking their way across the bottom of the lake bed, transporting Medusa to the small island in the middle of the lake. "Greetings Forge," she said with a curtsy. "I decided that if you were to hold court here, you should have a true royal visitor. The only tribute I bring is my company, but that is probably worth more than any other gift of fealty you have been offered."

Forge glanced up from his laptop. This morning he'd brought his office chair out to the island with him via rowboat, as it seemed a more fitting 'throne' than a reclining lawn chair. Saving his work and snapping his laptop shut, he rose briefly from his chair to gesture towards one of the many lawn chairs arranged around the island's tiny shore. "Lady Medusa, always a pleasure. Your company is gift enough, no need for any offerings. Make yourself comfortable. Soda?"

She smiled, walking over to one of the proffered chairs and sitting down in it gingerly. "A diet Coke, if you have," Medusa replied, reaching into her bag to remove a pair of scissors. Cutting off the strands right above the spot where they were damp, her hair flared out before resettling into the style she typically wore around the mansion. The lose strands twined together and slithered back in the direction of the mansion.

Forge watched the locks of hair slither beneath the surface, distractedly handing Medusa a can. "Neat..." he breathed, mentally making notes. "So, I expected you'd be off on the beaches of Attilan with your sister and your... friend Prince Blackagar. Not that you aren't more than welcome, but I was under the impression you and your sister preferred not to spend much of your leisure time here."

"I was home for the weekend and did enjoying spending some time with my family and the prince, but unfortunately Columbia has this pesky rule about attending classes. And while everyone else is enjoying their spring break, mine took place almost a month ago and missing classes this close to finals is apparently frowned upon." Medusa accepted the can and popped the top, taking a small sip. "So how have you found the royal life this week? Something you would like to become accustomed to or a passing fancy that leaves you longing for your regular life?" The fact that Medusa was openly teasing Forge would've been surprising to most, but she generally found herself amused by the shorter man.

"Some were born to greatness, others have greatness thrust upon them," Forge paraphrased Churchill deftly, smiling behind his sunglasses. "I, on the other hand, prefer to wait until greatness has its back turned and knock it over the head and abscond with it. It's fun, but..." He looked around at the small island and shrugged, "I don't think I could handle a leadership role for a long term. I kind of prefer to the guy actually making the machine of society work rather than the figurehead piloting it. A better administrator than a king, I think."

"Kings these days do a fair bit of administration," Medusa said as she leaned back in the chair. "Though I would say that being a background player in the game is probably a fair bit more fun than being one of the front runners. A small, temporary kingdom like this seems very pleasant." As she spoke, her sunglasses were transported from her purse to her her face by a single strand of hair. "Especially a kingdom with such beautiful weather. Though I know it is still lacking all your desired achievements for a nation. Unless you have been able to acquire the dancing girls of legal age? I believe that was the last thing you were missing?"

Forge blushed involuntarily, then chuckled to himself. "There is something to be said for temporary decadence. Alas, I seem to be lacking the proper harem environment. Perhaps if I'd declared myself a sultan..."

Medusa's smile grew ever so slightly at the blush. "A lesson for the next time you decide to be royal for a week. Try out different types, see which flavor fits you best and which comes with the best perks. Personally, I find being a lady quite enjoyable, but I doubt it would work as well for you."

Forge shook his head self-deprecatingly. "Nah. It's fun to pretend, but when it comes down to it, I'm no leader. You, on the other hand, stand a good chance of being a queen someday." He suddenly flashed back to his conversation with Angelo and smiled. "What would you say to putting some of that clout to use?"

"I would say I am intrigued," Medusa said, pushing her sunglasses down on her nose to peer over them at Forge. "How so? For your," she paused to search her memory, "HeliX organization? The one with the New Year's fundraiser?"

"The same," Forge answered, reaching into a satchel and pulling out a folder of information. Passing it over to Medusa, he nodded. "After the Tel Aviv bombings, San Diego... there's a lot of young mutants out there who aren't sure where they fit in the world. Groups like the Preservers, they target those kids, the ones that don't have any direction. They deserve better, another alternative. I figured that with Attilan having a very open social attitude towards mutants, you might have some ideas."

Flipping the folder open, Medusa glanced at the first page, rifling through the rest of the folder and skimming each page before closing it. "You have a rather valid point. It is so different here, this persecutory status of being a mutant. On Attilan, it is no different than having blond hair or brown. You are a mutant or you are not, simple as that. Although, we do have our own fair share of believers that mutants and humans are not in the same class." She didn't admit that she was one of them, though she was not militant in her beliefs.

Slipping the folder into her purse, Medusa pushed her sunglasses back up. "What you need are more opportunities for socialization that do not require allegiance to any organization. Allow individuals to come to events without being members of HeliX and have a variety of them - bowling, dinners, movie nights. Word of mouth is the best way to get attendance - have those students with connection at schools talk about it, be your walking advertisements."

"My thought exactly," Forge agreed. "And if someone's able to parlay a little bit of their celebrity into said walking advertisement..." He cocked his head and gave Medusa his best smile. "Word tends to get around a little faster."

A slow, steady smile spread across the Attilani's face. "It would be my pleasure. I suppose I could actually start spending a little more time on Columbia's campus. Perhaps Amanda and I could speak loudly about how 'cool' HeliX is and I could start a trend, just like purse dogs and Ugg boots. Except mine will actually be a trend that should continue to exist." Tapping one well manicured fingernail against the armrest of her chair, Medusa's next words came out almost too casually. "You know, it would be an awful shame if someone happened to leak to the paparazzi that I was planning to attend a HeliX function with the time and address of the meeting."

"Terribly awful," Forge agreed, cracking open a can of soda and taking a long drink. "But I suppose that's part of the life of royalty, yes?"