[IC] Finding Benjamin

[Malcontent]

Malcolm waits for James to move up beside him, then without a word cautiously walks forward.

[James Carter]

James sticks to Malcom's side.  He was feeling very uneasy about the whole affair and simply having someone else beside him gave him c-c-courage.

[GM Marvel]

You both walk down the short passage and hesitantly pull aside the tattered blanket that was being used as a door.  Peering inside you see barrel-fire in the middle of a room whose light didn't quite reach the walls which made it difficult to determine the dimensions of the room.  In the shadows at the edges of the room you can just make out a dozen or so humanoids watching and whispering among themselves. On the other side of the fire, there's a throne made of junk with a person seated of indeterminable sex.  They were about five and a half feet tall, 140 pounds, with red eyes peering from within the hood of a robe.

"You are a long ways from home," the humanoid says with a hint of amusement.  "What brings you to my humble abode?"

[Malcontent]

"W.we c.came to f.find our f.friend. H.he w.was s.sick, and.d it af.fected e.m.motion. I.I th.think h.he was f.feeling al.lone. W.we want.t kn.now h.he is ok.k. And.d ask h.him t.to c.come h.home."

[GM Marvel]

"Oh really..."  Masque glances around at the Morlocks lining the room and everyone starts to laugh.  After a minute or so, Masque raises his hand and the room grows silent.  

"I'm afraid he will most likely not be interested in joining you anymore.  Will you Benjamin?"

There's a shuffling noise off to your right.  You both can see some movement.  Pushing and grumbling.  Suddenly one of the Morlocks are shoved into the light of the fire.  You are both horrified by what you see...

All of the creature's eyes are weeping tears.  "H... hi... Mal... Malcolm.  It's me.  Ben... Benjamin."

All the Morlocks begin laughing hysterically, again!

[Malcontent]

"Wh.why did they do th.that t.too you?!"

Malcolm's stutter begins to fade ever so slightly.

He turns to face Masque..

"Wh.what did you do?! Wh.why?!""

[GM Marvel]

"Why, because, it's a no-no to run away from the Morlocks.  We can't have people leaving every time they get a little unhappy.  Look at this place!  There would be hardly any of us left!  So I alter those who might want to run away so they are so hideous that no one will accept them except us."  There is a mixed reaction of laughs and whimpers from the Morlocks around you.  You assume that not everyone in the room needed to be mutated as their mutations already made them hideous looking.  Those were likely the Morlocks who were laughing.  They have been ridiculed for all their lives so they seemed to enjoy the suffering inflicted with Masque's power upon the victims.

"And before you get any ideas, I can easily turn your brain into spaghetti or completely remove your friend's mouth.  So I would behave yourselves if I were you."

[James Carter]

James recoils at first until he realizes that the monster before him was just another kid like him.  He clinches his fists tight.  This wasn't right.  "You better not try anything! We have friends that will stop you!"

[Malcontent]

"D.did it.t ev.ver occur to you that people might stay if you did not do ... do things like that to them?!" His stutter is almost gone by the end of his sentence as his voice rises.

[GM Marvel]

James recoils at first until he realizes that the monster before him was just another kid like him.  He clinches his fists tight.  This wasn't right.  "You better not try anything! We have friends that will stop you!"

"Who?  Storm?" Masque replies with a chuckle.  "She hasn't been back to the tunnels in years.  Not since she defeated Callisto for leadership of the Morlocks and then failed to protect them during the Mutant Massacre.  But now I'm leader of the Morlocks and Callisto along with Ben will be a couple of my greatest champions.  Wouldn't you like to be worshiped?  I can make that happen.  I can change your appearance to anything you wish."  Seeming to ignore Malcolm's question, Masque looks at him and says, "Wouldn't you like to be taller and muscular so you could have more confidence to remove that stutter?"  Then looking at James he adds, "And you, you could lose all your fat and have model good looks to be attractive to the ladies?"