call me betty

[infestabeth]

levi.

Letting the door shut out some of the noise behind him, Levi answered Betty’s smile with one of his own — a little thinner, but no less sincere. He crossed to join her, standing over the stool instead of opting to sit just yet, his hands resting on the bar as he gestured to the man behind it for a whiskey. “I’m doing okay,” Levi replied honestly; no quips, no sarcasm. His relationship with Betty had changed a great deal over the last handful of months, more than enough that he didn’t feel a need to throw up his usual barriers.

“Riley’s good. He needed a little extra time to recover after, uh.” Levi picked up his drink, gesturing vaguely with the glass before taking a sip and continuing. “Putting me back together, but. He’s good.” Levi had gone straight to Betty when it came to his debrief after the first of June, and what’d happened with Prism; something he would’ve normally taken to Daichi — but obviously, that was no longer an option with their trust and relationship fractured. “What about you, boss? How’re you holding up?”

The growth of their relationship from one of little respect to mentor and student still amazed Betty somedays. There was little that could stop Betty in the pursuit of her goals, but she still had her doubts in the beginning that there could be any type of development between her and the young man. It was nice to be proven wrong, sometimes. 

She nodded at his answer, smiling slightly afterward. “You two sometimes remind me of my…” What could she call Antonio? Husband wasn’t accurate, yet neither was ex-husband. Despite the strife and betrayal between them, neither had ever initiated divorce proceedings. “I suppose I’d call him my estranged husband. He would put me back together after fights, too.” At one point in time, there was no one else felt safer with than Antonio. “But I’m sure you won’t have to worry about the estranged part, you two have the same values.” His question on how she was made her hum in thought, swirling her drink around as she did. “Physically, I’ve recovered. But mentally…” She took a sip of her drink. “I’m sure you’ve noticed an uncertainty in the air. Our losses have made people start to rethink their place in the Brotherhood.” While she could offer some understanding, it only stretched so far. “With Daichi’s…betrayal and his subsequent leave for Japan, we have to revitalize people. Whoever takes his place must be apart of that, they must be able to lead.” Her body turned to him fully. “Do you believe you’re up for that task, Levi? Or do you have doubts now too? I ask not because I lack faith in you, but because I want you to be fully honesty.”

[infestabeth]

ezra.

         upon opening the door, his hopes for relieving tension are dashed on the rocks. it’s betty. and betty, as far as he can recall, doesn’t do house calls. “hey, teach,” he starts, apprehensive. “wasn’t expecting to see you out here.” he doesn’t extend an invitation, but his step back away from the door holds the implication. with a sigh; “i’ll assume it’s important?”

betty doesn’t respond until she’s inside the apartment. she can imagine him attempting to close the door on her, if she starts her lecture outside. “for once, you’ve assumed correctly.” after a quick glance around his apartment, she turns to face him. “your lack of impulse control cost us what could have been a winning fight. in response to that error, you have scurried from your responsibilities not only as a top agent, but as a brotherhood member. the only reason i don’t believe you’re a spy is because no one in their right mind would think you as capable for such a task.”

[infestabeth]

antonio.

LOCATION && WITH WHOM : : HIS CLINIC W / @infestabeth​

“Ha, you have a lot of nerve coming into here after the stunt you all pulled.” It was after hours and luckily, he didn’t have anyone inside both clients and employees. Well, outside of the two that were in the back resting. St. Julian and some girl, he didn’t know either of their names. “What do you want this time, Elizabeth?” 

Betty, already tired and slightly wounded from everything, glared at Antonio’s greeting. “I don’t see you calling the calvary to come get me.” He still could, but her visits in the past have left her to believe he wouldn’t this time either. “I came to check if you were—” She was cut off by a glance of someone on the bed. “Why is she here? Did you bring her here?” 

[infestabeth]

he’s luckily avoided her thus far because of how much damage control she’s had to do since the first of june. that luck has run dry; betty stands at the door to his apartment after a short knock on the door. “ezra,” she calls out, arms crossed and fingers tapping impatiently as she waits. “it’s time we had a talk.” 

@smitebound​

[infestabeth]

This was the longest month Betty had been through in quite some time. After what happened with the Brotherhood’s…Well, failure, morale was understandably down. Ezra somehow reached a new low, people were considering if the group was worth fighting for, and they were losing one of their top agents in a matter of weeks. The very same top agent who had been seeing an Omega, then saved another that very same day. It was only because the Omega was her daughter’s best friend that she wasn’t angry over that too. 

At the knock on her door, she glanced up to see the man himself walk in. “Daichi,” she greeted, her voice tired. “I believe I already know the truth, but I want to hear you say it. You were seeing that Omega, weren’t you?” 

@daichxato​

[infestabeth]

The loss of many Brotherhood members in the fight against Xavier left a void for those who survived. Betty would not lie and say she was uneffected, as much as she must act like it as a leader for the group. When she had learned Elliott had died…Something lodged in her throat, and it was as the rug had been pulled out from under her. She trained him with the belief he would not face death for many years to come, strengthening him and preparing him for any danger he’d face. For all his backtalk, anger issues, and inability to take things seriously, she had grown a soft spot for him. And now, he was gone. 

She sat at one of the Brotherhood’s private bar areas, sipping her second scotch, when she heard a door open nearby. Glancing back, she turned fully as she saw who it was. “Levi,” she smiled, sincerely happy to see him. With the chaos of after the people, she had little time to meet with anyone one on one. But, she’d known Levi was alive, and that was a gift in itself for her. “How are you doing? How is Riley?” 

@ascrowesfly​

[infestabeth]

laurel.

“What lies?! You and the rest of the Brotherhood are hurting innocent people!” Laurel retorts, her jaw setting into place. Her nose scrunches up, her lips frown. She didn’t want this woman’s pride. She wasn’t her teacher, never had been. “How does that make you the better option?!” It took more energy than it should have to keep her breathing under control, after that last burst of light. From what she understood, her ability– the light and heat– were in infinite supply. She could always produce more from within her. It was her body’s own stamina that was the issue. 

Unfortunately, Laurel knows that she can’t do that little trick more than a few times. A fact that her opponent has clearly guessed as she sends droves of black flies after her. With a gulp, she waits, just like with the moths, and when the bulk of the first wave descends upon her, she lights them up with her own sunlight. But she can’t hold it for long, and soon the buzzing, warping wall of black stops simply colliding with the shining wall of white light– and begins to consume it as her great beam of light shrinks, loosing it’s oomf. 

She lifts the collar of her suit to cover her mouth as the light fades back down to her normal glow, in an attempt to breathe without sucking in the flies as they drown out her vision. Smacking into her with their small bodies, their tiny, hairy legs and mouths making her skin crawl and itch, despite the layer of spandex between them. Laurel shakes her head violently, a poor attempt at shaking them off, suddenly grateful for the protective eyewear she’d donned earlier. But it’s too much, there’s too many of them buzzing around her, trying to snuff her out– She screams as she releases her glow again, too soon. She hadn’t given it enough time to build it back up to a reasonable strength– and that was obvious. 

“We have different definitions of innocent!” Betty can’t help but feel pity for Laurel, and that unwavering hope she has that mutants and non-mutants can live side by side. “Even if an individual human is innocent, as you like to say claim, they will still side with humans over mutants every time. Whatever compassion you think they have will not supersede their fear and hatred.” Even if Laurel, Cecily, and other mutants stay stubborn in their belief that Xavier is right, she will fight for a future where they can live openly and freely. If she must be the bad guy right now, so be it. 

She sees her theory is coming true once Laurel’s second burst of light dims quicker than the last one. It looks as if she’s winded from such intense use of her ability. “It’s suffocating, isn’t it?” She walks closer, taking one fly from the crowd and resting it on her fingertip. “They won’t bite you, or fill you with their venom like other insects. It’d be a kinder death if they did. No, they’ll simply snuff you out.”

Then, she spins her wrist in a circle and the flies freeze. “But I’m not cruel enough to kill you with that. Maybe to even kill you at all.” The flies disperse from the girl and off into the crowd. “Do you wish to continue this fight? Or have you had enough?” 

[infestabeth]

april.

“Okay, I’m gonna level with you, Betty… I think we’re having a miscommunication problem. Like, I’m telling you the truth and you’re interpreting it as lies.” April watched as spiders appeared, surrounding her and waiting for their orders from Betty. To be honest, they didn’t scare her very much — they just made her tummy rumble, and reminded her she’d skipped breakfast. “I brought it up because it’s all the Brotherhood have been talking about for weeks. Being the newbie makes a prime target for people to blame.” Staring at the spider sitting in Betty’s palm, April nodded. “Of course I want to live, I have things to do.” Unable to fight against her amphibian instinct, her tongue shot out, extending further than any normal person’s could to snatch up the arachnid from an open palm. “I don’t know Xavier,” she lied, chewing on her snack before swallowing. “We’ve never met.”

What little patience Betty had for April was draining, quickly. “Do you think this is a game, April?” she questioned, acid dripping from her tone as she said her name. “Or perhaps you think I’m stupid? Or, even worse, you think I won’t harm you?” Her anger deepened from April stealing a spider out of her hand, especially when she lied right after. The spiders crept closer to her feet. “Funny, because you told us you were an Xavier student who left after becoming disillusioned with Xavier’s beliefs.” She took a step closer to April, mind rifling through various parasites and what they could do to her. “How would you explain that?” 

[infestabeth]

levi.

Eyes on Betty, Levi only saw what happened in his periphery — the flash of Ezra’s knife in the midmorning sun, subsequently buried in Finley’s stomach. Her cry of pain startled him, cutting through like ice, but Levi couldn’t afford to hesitate. “Shit,” he blurted out, immediately stripping off his gloves and shoving them deep into a jacket pocket, thick but pliable leather sleeves hastily pushed back to his elbows.

From there, he followed Betty’s lead. A swarm of rats scurried harmlessly around his feet only to lunge and snap at the nearest opponent who dared cross the divide, and Levi jumped in to meet them. The distraction of hundreds of little pairs of teeth and claws was more than enough to give Levi an opening to find and exploit a bare patch of skin, dropping their first target. The rats moved on to the next in one fluid wave.

“This part of the plan?” He had to raise his voice over the ensuing chaos to ask, even if he was pretty sure he already knew the answer.

Pride filled Betty’s chest at how quickly Levi readied himself, despite the abrupt start of the battle. She smiled as he took down one opponent, allowing her rats to find their next victim. To make sure people couldn’t run away as easily, she waved a mass of locust towards them to block their view. 

Of course, there was that one person who somehow made it through when the rest were trying to wave pests out of their eyes. Their hands moved up to use their powers in some fashion, and Betty grabbed one, yanking it behind their back with a loud crack. 

As they fell to the ground, she glanced toward Levi with a huff and shook her head. “No. But that’s what happens when we put Ezra in charge of the hostage.”

[infestabeth]

april.

“Okay, I see your point, but! My thought process was that if I’m busy killing someone like the psychopath I truly am inside, someone else could get the jump on me while I’m focusing on that. If I just zip tie people and put them in a pile, I have more time to take out more people without risking getting knocked out.” April had a feeling she was going to be getting knocked out really soon anyway — within the next few minutes soon. Insects that could take down a frog? “Oh, what the fresh hell, Betty? I thought we were teammates. Are you the spy? Why are you trying to kill me with insects, hmm? Not very brotherly-hood of you, if I may say so.” The only way to possibly get out of this life threatening situation was to fake it until she hopefully made it. “No, but really, I’m not doing anything. What do I have to do to make you trust me?”

Once April was finally done, Betty sighed and walked toward her. “It’s incredible, how easily people tell on themselves,” she pondered, more to herself than for April’s benefit. “My mother taught me if I wanted to catch a liar, all I had to do was ask a question and let them talk.” No one could deny April had a talent for talking; too bad it was a double edged sword. “You brought up the topic of spies unprompted, why is that?” An amused smile grew upon her face. “Don’t worry, I won’t make you think of another lie to tell. You’ve dug yourself a deep enough grave already.” Suddenly, a circle of spiders surrounded April, but stayed still for the moment. “You want to live, don’t you, April?” She manifested one of the spiders in the palm of her hand, gently petting the back of it. “If you tell me what Xavier knows, your options here would expand greatly.”

[infestabeth]

laurel.

Unlike her experience with April, Laurel doesn’t quickly recognize this voice. What does jog her memory, however, are the flying bugs that pop into existence with one snap of the other’s fingers. 

“Betty?” The ravishing woman she’d met at the New Year’s gala. “You’re–”

But she doesn’t get to finish her question. Where once, she’d been dazzled when the woman produced one sweet, little butterfly– this time she’s sent a whole.. herd? Of moths? No, was it a flock? As unhelpful as this line of thought was, her mind stayed on it– searching through the tidbits she’d retained from various encyclopedias she’s read over the years. And as the looming, dark cloud of moths gathers closer, the buzzing of their wings beginning to drown out the rest of the chaos, her mind provides her the answer: an eclipse. Seems fitting, Laurel thought. Only, they wouldn’t be able to snuff out her light. 

Though her skin was practically crawling off of her at the thought of letting the bugs get closer to her, Solarbeam stood her ground. Betty wants the bugs to attack her? Swarm her? Fine. She’ll make sure they don’t miss. Her glow flickered, brightening then dimming– beckoning. Then as soon as the eclipse surrounds her, and with only minimal squealing of discomfort: she channels her aura in the same way her harness did, turning sunlight into a solarflare, capable of enough blistering radiation to cause real harm. Only instead of it being concentrated into a palm-sized beam, she channels that destructive power into her aura, turning her into a human bug-zapper.

“I am on the right side of this battle,” Betty finished for her. “You could be too if you let go of the lies your dear professor has told you.” 

But she wasn’t here to recruit. Laurel was an enemy who needed to be put down because she stood in the way of the Brotherhood’s future. She expected her bugs to snuff out her light, but found herself surprised at the young girl’s quick thinking. The world around them began to brighten so much Betty had to look away and cover her eyes with her arm to avoid being blinded permanently. Still, she stumbled slightly once she dimmed. Her moths lay dead on the ground, then disappeared into the air in ashes. 

“Oh, if I was your teacher, I’d be proud,” she called out. Then, it occurred to her: How much of that energy did Laurel have in her? She remembered the days of teaching those new to their power that they could drain themselves quickly. It was time to see if that lesson would apply here as well. Pressing both of her hands out, hundreds of flies flew from behind her in large waves toward the human bug-zapper. Take her for all she has, she instructed her mini army.

[infestabeth]

levi.

Be patient. Levi nodded, almost imperceptibly, and let some of his tension work out with a faint roll of his shoulders. Patience was rarely his strong suit; recklessness typically won out. But he was learning. For Betty, he could be patient.

“I’m ready,” he assured without hesitation, eyes meeting hers unerringly for a moment before they flicked over his shoulder, back towards Riley, and then forward again to the self-righteous pricks in spandex. Levi repeated his orders.

“If negotiations go south, we just gotta keep ‘em busy. And I think I can help keep 'em very busy,” Levi murmured, gloved hands flexing carefully where they hung at his sides, itching for what he deemed an inevitable fight.

A different mentor would find Levi’s tie to Riley a burden that could weaken his resolve in a fight. But Betty saw it as the direct opposite; it would make him fight harder. As much as Xavier framed the Brotherhood as a cold and ruthless organization, there was love and care for each other between members. There had to be to survive. It was why they fought for a future where all mutants would thrive. 

“I believe you–” Betty started, then was cut off with a scream of pain from Finley at the front. Ezra had done something, and she had a guess as to what when she glanced down at the ground that blood dripped onto. Whatever tense calm there was broke, and those on Xavier’s side started to charge at them. With a snap of her fingers, a sea of very hungry rats came nipping and biting at their heels. It wouldn’t stop them for long, but it’d give Brotherhood members enough time to take advantage of their distraction she hoped. 

[infestabeth]

laurel.

June 1st, 1998; 46th Street || @infestabeth​

Laurel’s glow grew and intensified until, for two precious seconds, it was as bright as the sun. Then extinguished to almost nothing. A blink, she’d been calling it. She blinked thrice more before deciding to take her chance and kick her target’s weapons out of their hands. She missed, but the two masked mutants were already stumbling backwards anyway, having been standing too close to save themselves from being blinded by the blinks- a side effect that Laurel was thankfully immune to. One fell into a still standing trash can, wedging himself into it. The other fell back after Laurel landed a swift kick to their torso. 

She lifted her head and made eye contact with her next target: a woman who had apparently not been standing close enough to be affected by the rapid blinks moments earlier. Solarbeam took a deep breath, and then resumed the battle stance that Jackie had worked so hard in teaching her.

Betty finished kicking a man to the ground, who struggled against a swarm of goliath beetles pinning his arms and legs to the dirt. They multiplied enough to crawl up his arms and begin to suffocate him as she had instructed them to do. A flash of intense light and warmth nearby spun her around in time to watch two members taken down by a beaming woman with striking red hair. Laurel, her mind supplied, remembering her from the gala. It was a shame she hadn’t been persuaded in time to join them for this battle; maybe once she lost here she’ll have a change of heart. 

“Did Xavier set you up with that suit?” she called out, hiding a slight smile under her mask. “Let’s test how much protection it offers, shall we?” With that, her hand flicked up, down, then to the side, and a flood of moths appeared out of thin air heading straight toward her. 

[infestabeth]

levi.

Levi was trying to keep his irritation under wraps, he honestly fucking was, but his impatience with the politics was getting harder to swallow back with each second that passed. He scoffed quietly in response to Elizabeth’s murmur, shaking his head and cutting his attention sidelong to his executive.

“I’m all for trusting the process, but we’re wasting our time. If Xavier threw a spy to the wolves to begin with…” He trailed off, voice low, the muscle in his jaw working as he laid eyes on Finley, in Ezra’s bruising grip. “There’s no way he’s going to trade ‘em for something like Cerebro.”

Betty hummed in thought at Levi’s expectations; she had been thinking the same thing. She knew personally Charles wouldn’t trade Cerebro for even the entire school of mutants, let alone just one. “We must be patient.” As long as Charles and the ones he brought with him were distracted, the team sent to Xavier’s would have more time to remain undetected.

“Are you ready, for when the time comes?” she asked, finally glancing over at Levi. He looked battle ready, which was a good sign. A lot about him had changed since their discussion at the gala, and she couldn’t help but be proud.

[infestabeth]

xelleuminatex​:

LOCATION & WITH WHOM: 46TH ST W/ @infestabeth​

Elle opened another portal, she wanted the kid gripping her arm to go somewhere safe, but it’s not like she could send them home, wherever that was. The best she could do was somewhere public where the kid could find a proper adult. She spread her hands and through a purple haze times square was visible, crowded, but thankfully not in complete chaos. “Go find an adult with another kid and have them call the police ok honey?”  The kid nodded and stepped through the portal hesitantly. Elle felt terrible, but this wasn’t the place for a child and the police, while useless in most respects, were probably the only people who could track down whatever family the kid had that weren’t lying a pile of blood. As she tried to collect her thoughts Elle noticed bugs crawling by her feet, too many bugs, why the hell were the so many bugs. She spun around and saw Betty facing her. “Let’s do this,” she gritted her teeth.

Betty watched her send the child off in a portal she created, waiting until that matter was settled to send a wave of beetles in the direction of the young hero. They were harmless to people, and just a way for her to make an entrance. 

“You can still walk away from this,” Betty replied, opening her hand and letting a wasp fly out of it. “You look young. You can still change the course of your life to a better one.” The wasp circled around the woman. “But, I suppose you won’t take me up on this generous offer, will you?”

[infestabeth]

april.

“Well, I’m just a really selfless person! I thought that I’d like… I’d let you do your thing without interrupting. You had that dude handled.” April had no desire what-so-ever to get involved in this war. Had she considered running all the way to Xavier’s to protect her friends? Yes, absolutely! But she didn’t want anyone from the Brotherhood to follow her there and cause even more trouble. So, instead, she’d watched her friend get stabbed by Ezra in front of a live audience. And now? Now she wanted to throw up and cry.

With a furrowed brow, she shook her head at Betty. “It’s not abandonment! I’m the Brotherhood’s wifey for lifey, you know? I just need to go grab some zip ties from the hardware store a block away… I can’t restrain people without zip ties, Betty! And if I can’t restrain them, I can’t save them all in one big pile to mass poison later. I figure if I excrete enough of my frog juice, I could kill them all in one go. I’m really big on efficiency.”

The excuses piled up without Betty saying a word. People only talked this much if they had something to hide, and hoped enough talking would distract someone from that thing. “Zip ties won’t be needed. You’ll take out people as you go. This is a fight for survival, and delays will do us no good.” But she hadn’t bought the hardware store excuse at all. She walked closer to April, eyeing her nervous demeanor. “Tell me what you’re doing. Now.” Before April could summon another list of lies, she raised her hand. “If you wish to keep lying, we can try this the hard way. I do know of many insects that can take down even a frog.”

[infestabeth]

WHO: betty & @ascrowesfly

WHAT: right-hand death man! 

WHERE: 46th street.

Tension was already crackling in the air. Two groups of people in opposite sides, ready to go to war at any moment. The negotiations were going…poorly. That was an understatement. Betty attempted not to sigh as Charles, once again, pleaded with Magneto to see reason and let Finley go without anymore bloodshed. 

“Now he cares about bloodshed,” she muttered under breath, then noticed the quick turn of Levi’s head in her direction. “What is it?” Her eyes didn’t leave the scene in front of them. She still needed to pay attention, despite her lack of faith that this would end well.