10006/Ho Ho Ho: The Preparations

Ho Ho Ho: The Preparations
Date of Scene:	12 November 2019
Location:	Garage - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Kitty, Rogue, Colossus, and Ororo start unpacking some of the Christmas decorations in anticipation of the season!
Cast of Characters:	Shadowcat, Colossus, Rogue, Storm

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Shadowcat has posed:
It's getting near to the holidays and so it's time to get the decorations going. Kitty had sent Piotr an email asking how much he wanted to involve his classes in it this year. And mentioned she was going to be out in the storage area and going over what they have put up from previous years, even if much of each new year's decoration gets created by the students that semester.

Kitty pulls out a giant candy cane that is at least 9 feet tall. She tugs on a second one, but it seems to be stuck. She tugs and tugs, and then loses her grip and falls over on her backside. "Oh for the love of all that is holey," she grumbles to herself. She rises to her feet, dusting off her behind and going to grab hold of the candy cane again. This time she just phases the sucker out of there. Once clear of everything else she sets it aside with its twin. "Those would look good flanking the main doors," she thinks aloud.

Colossus has posed:
Colossus makes his way down, clad in a grey knit sweater, slacks and brown shoes. His dark hair is slicked back against his scalp and he has his hands in his pockets as he makes his way into the storage barns. These had been servant quarters once, in years past, converted to storage space in the years since Xavier's became a school.

"I am in agreement," he says in response to Kitty's comment. "Perhaps something festive can be added to them. I got your e-mail. I do intend to have my class take up the bulk of decoration duties. It will invoke their creativity and it's always good to be of service to your community."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue is seated on the back of her car's trunk, the Bentley that was gifted to her a couple years back by some rich socialite in New York that Rogue saved from some terrible event. She'd floated up onto the car and gently sat down upon while placing her phone in her lap. Dressed in a dark charcoal colored Navy peacoat, some blue jeans and a wool knit hat on her head, Rogue looks up at Kitty as she fusses with the Christmas decorations.

"Its barely even half way into November. I don't think that stuff should come out until at least December... You're celebratin' waaaay too early." But when she sees Kitty use her powers she smirks at her. "Thats cheatin'... though, I probably woulda done the same thing... Or just ripped it half then glued it back t'gether later."

Rogue sweeps her eyes over to Colossus then and smiles happily at him. "Ya'll gonna put up the tree in the main foyer then? It gonna be a twenty footer again? Those things look amazin' all done up in lights'n such."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty flashes a grin over to Rogue. "I was going to say, your powers are always on! I've never seen you have to fight with the lid of a pickle jar," Kitty counters to her bestie and former roommate.

She's dressed in jeans and a leather jacket. She had a pair of gloves but she's removed them for now and stuffed them into a back pocket of her jeans. A sweater can be seen beneath the jacket. "Well, wait until December to start prepping it and it won't be up until a week before Christmas," Kitty says. "Just going through making sure it's all safe for students takes awhile. I'm just glad we don't have to hunt for dead lightbulbs," she says.

The brunette young woman looks up and sees Piotr arrive. "Hey Piotr," she says, her tone warming a bit. Even with them having split, since they came to terms, Kitty still finds something comforting in having around her the big Russian that was such a focus of her youthful days. "So did you have any anything special in mind this year for it?" she asks Piotr of the decoration plans. Kitty pulls out a few large strands of lights, wrapped around various things to help keep them from tangling.

Colossus has posed:
Colossus nods, "I agree that it's far too early, but part of being organized is having things in place. Grown-ups have things prepared, like magic, so that the holidays merely seem to happen, like the cycle of nature. Unfortunately, now we are those grown-ups," he says.

"I want to incorporate personal projects, which will vary from student to student. The big tree is a must, as Rogue says. I had the idea to perhaps have hot chocolate trolleys for the various floors, with peppermint and cocoa and the like. Self-serving, naturally."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue sets her phone down on her thigh and leans forward onto her elbows on her knees, chin in her hands. She grins at Piotr as he speaks of his plans. "I'm eager t'see how this works. We got a lotta punk kids livin' here, ya know? They might mess with it if its not properly surpervised... but, maybe I'm not bein' optimistic enough about it all." She says all of this in good humor, a bit of a playful tone to her southern flavored words. Her green eyed gaze sweeps over to Kitty then.

"This is your favorite Holiday, don't act like it ain't." Rogue quips back at her friend. "You been dyin' for Halloween t'be over with all year, just so you could get back on to this one. You gonna help me pull kids around in that sleigh this year? You can be Misses Kitty Clause."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty hears the words, "hot chocolate trolleys," and lets out a little pathetically beautiful-sounding mewl. "Oh Piotr, that's just... YES!" she says with a big grin. "I'm going to have make plans to sleep at the school more in December, I can see," she says with a grin. "Great idea. I'm really glad you're back with us full time again," she tells the Russian.

Kitty turns to Rogue and lets out a laugh. "Of course it's my favorite time of year. I mean, yes I'm kind of bombarded by some of it. But anything that brings out as much of the good side of people as this time of year does? Of course I'm on board," she says.

Kitty turns up her nose a bit playfully. "Not to mention I look killer in red velvet," she says before dropping her nose to give a warm grin. Kitty turns back to the storage room, pulling out a few boxes that she opens up to rummage through. "Are you planning the sled thing this year?" Kitty inquires.

Colossus has posed:
Colossus smiles and bows ever so slightly, "I am pleased to be back. Life away from the mansion is simply not the same. I hope we will have a quiet holiday season, at least. This year has been extremely trying for many of us and a season of rest would be more than welcome."

"And I will confirm, she looks good in red. Not as good as me, mind you," he says with a hint of a sparkle. "I will handle the optimism part. I have found most of the young ones to be very intelligent and kind indeed, although perhaps the 'troublemakers' have simply not come into my circle of acquaintance as of yet."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue reaches her right hand up to pull her wool cap off of her head and then runs her other hand through her hair starting at her brow and moving her ungloved fingers up through the whites of her hairline, pulling the wealth of locks back behind her head where they mostly fall back to where they were after she drops both of her hands down to her lap to hold onto her cap between them. "I haven't gone over t'the Clancy's place t'see if its still back by that old barn where it was when I last left it there. They're in they're like sixties or seventies though, so I doubt its moved anywhere, less some damn antiquers came and picked their farm over... But yeah, I'd do some'a that still. I like flyin' the good kids around."

Which gets a look back to Colossus and Rogue just grins and shakes her head. "That figures, all the bad ones just gravitate toward me... just my damn luck, I tell ya..."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty lets out a soft cackle as Piotr notes his opposite perception of the students. "Well, Rogue," Kitty asks, "What is that saying about like draws like?" She gives her friend a teasing grin before opening up another box that she's pulled out of the storage. "Oh!" Kitty says, grabbing a pair of Mrs. Claus glasses from the box, and a full wig and hat which she promptly dons along with the glasses to make herself look a lot older. But just as merry.

Kitty grins and removes the bit of costume and smiles to Piotr. "You do look good in red. But then it always makes me wary it might give you the urge to invade Czechoslovakia," Kitty teases. Lest he find any offense in the joke, Kitty adds in Russian, ~I'm just teasing you, Piotr. But you do look good in red.~

Kitty slides that box aside and then begins to remove some animatronic reindeer from the storage room. "Oh, remember these? We made these when I was 16," Kitty says nostalgically. "Who was it that had the electrical powers that used to walk around with Rudolph's nose strapped to his face, lighting it up in class?"

Colossus has posed:
Colossus ponders, "Theo Feldstein. I believe he used the codename Zap. He's an insurance adjuster in Michigan now. He friended me on Facebook," Piotr says.

"Maybe we can do some sort of Christmas pageant. There's enough musical talent, I know, and goodness knows the kids are dramatic enough to have a theater department," he says. "Might be a good outlet for some of that excess energy. Maybe that Charlie Brown thing."

He looks through things on his own, finding a giant glitter-covered papier mache snowman.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue's eyes light up at Kitty referring to her attracting a certain kind of person. "Har har..." She says in response. "-Be that as it may- ... " Rogue leans back on the rear window of her car then and looks up at the roof of the garage, a steepled roof high above the marble floors of the fancy mansion car-hold. "I hope they don't put stuff in the cocoa and such. Cause they're just that kinda trouble. My kinda trouble is waaaay different." Her right hand goes up to flick across her nose, tickled by a 'rogue' strand of hair.

When the Russian joke is made, Rogue's form undulates a little where she's lounging, because she chuckles heartily at it. "Thats a Russian Red Army joke, I'm pretty sure, and I don't know nothin' about that stuff."

When she looks up again and sees Kitty in that wig and glasses, she laughs again before dropping her head back once more. "You better check'n make sure there's no mice nestin' in that thing, before ya go throwin' it onta your head, Pretty Pryde."

"And yes, I wanna make it mandatory that all the kids do somethin' musical. Not enough'a that gets pushed around here."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty laughs about the mice comment. She smiles at the sight of the snowman that Piotr brings out. "The kids always do such amazing work," she comments of it. Kitty slaps her forehead. "Theo! That's right. Wow, I forgot all about him. We only had the one year in common before I left for college," she says.

"Wow, I hadn't even thought about him in awhile. Glad he's doing well. He used to do that thing... go gently touch someone and charge them with static electricity so their hair stood up on end," Kitty says, laughing warmly at the memory. "Pete, tell him I said hello when you talk next," she says.

Kitty nods about a Christmas pageant. "Kurt's got the theater class going. And there's the glee club as well. I imagine the two together would be great for putting something like that on," she says. Kitty pulls out more stored decorations from the storage room. She tosses a giant wrapped present over towards Rogue. "Don't say I never got you anything," she says of the giant empty box.

"You know, we should go caroling. Maybe visit some of the neighboring farms. Go into Salem Center," Kitty says.

Colossus has posed:
Colossus nods to Kitty, "I will," he says. He's continuing to dig in himself. Even in his human form, he's fairly strong, enabling him to lift a few of the larger boxes out of the way. "I had mentioned caroling to some of the students, earlier. I know Megan Gwynn was interested, at any rate. I think it was her. There were a lot of kids in the kitchen that night and I'm still learning her names. She was one of Illyana's friends. Sort of. I hope she'll be back from Limbo soon," he sighs.

"I am glad to see they are close. Some of them, at least. The friends I made here were always the best part of coming and the best comfort to bulwark against that which I had lost," he says a bit wistfully.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue is laying on the back of her car, up over the back window with her dark peacoat on, blue jeans and a sweater beneath it, in her lap is her wool cap and her cell phone on her left thigh. When Kitty throws that over sized christmas present at her she reaches up and catches it without looking, because, well... her seventh sense protects her from random present bombs. "Ha ha..." Rogue states then holding the gift up then and looking at it. "I thought Xavier had classy Christmas decorations, this all tacky stuff. Where's the... ya know, ancient antique stuff that ya have t'treat like they're museum artifacts?"

The present is tossed up into the air where it twirls around end over end then falls right back down into her hands as she catches it again. "Is this all the stuff outside? And... if ya'll do go carolin' ya gotta take Carol with ya, and make her do a sweet solo at each house ya visit. She needs that kinda life experience, versus all that space stuff she does..." There's a pause then. "Oh, and make sure ya don't get shot at..."

Storm has posed:
"Kitty? Are you still in here?" Ororo calls. She enters with a box on her hip. "Oh, hello everyone," she says with a flashing smile for Piotr and Rogue, then turns to Kitty. "I /knew/ I'd seen them before," Ororo announces. She hefts a small box of delicate ornaments and gives it a demonstrable waggle, then sets it with the others. "It was in the north wing attic, of all places." Her hair's worn loose and flowing past her shoulders, and sensible cavalry-style boots and jeans are partially obscured by a bold black-and-white serape that hangs from her shoulders.

"Did I hear something about Kurt's pageant?" she inquires.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty lifts her voice back as she hears Storm calling for her. "Yep, we're in here!" she cries loudly for the African woman. Kitty begins pulling out more rolls of light. "There's all sorts of stuff, Rogue, but I think the nicer stuff that stay inside is in one of the inside storage rooms so it doesn't go through summer/winter out here," she says.

Kitty pauses a moment and nods to Piotr. "Been awhile since I've seen her," she agrees of his sister. "I really do wish we could figure out how to make a cell phone that would reach her. There was a discussion of keeping a disk open, but even if it's a tiny one, something could manage to escape through it," she says.

Kitty waves to Storm as she approaches. "Yep, Piotr was talking about a pageant. I was saying Kurt's drama class, and the glee club, would be good to tap for that."

Colossus has posed:
Colossus shakes his head, "I do not think she wants to be reached usually when she spends time there. When last we spoke, she was having difficulty adjusting to life here. I tried to make it easier for her, but there is only so much I can do," he says.

"Something like this, Rogue?" he asks. He takes a moment and there's a brief flash as he converts himself to metal form, organic steel gleaming and stretching his knit sweater as he reaches in and takes a moment to pull out a vintage Christmas village, complete with little railroad system and lots of delicate silverwork, "I think it needs a cleaning. It has been giving Christmas to the spiders," he says.

"Ororo! Hello!" he calls out.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue sits up when she hears Storm's voice and when Ororo makes her entrance, Rogue is just all smiles at seeing the teacher she is the assigned assistant too. "Heya, Stormah." Rogue says to her then softly before she looks over to KItty and Colossus. But its Colossus pulling out that fancy Christmas decoration that makes Rogue drop the presnet on the ground behind her car and she raises her hands up to excitedly clap for it. "Yes! That is less tacky, more fun. I like the trains the most." The young Belle is all grins now before raising a hand up to stroke some white hair out of her face again. "I mean, so long as the spiders stay the eff away..."

Storm has posed:
Ororo beams a warm smile at Rogue. "Hello Anna-Marie. Are you helping, or just loafing on your phone?" The rebuke comes with a dancing amusement in Ororo's blue eyes, and she mimes squeezing Rogue's hand mid-air.

"And Piotr! I see you're hard at work," Ororo says. She steps up to the Russian and gives his arm a quick and friendly squeeze, along with a smile up at him. "Thank you for doing the heavy lifting. Some of these boxes are very cumbersome. We really should find a way to organize this better this year," Ororo mumbles, and glances at Kitty speculatively. It's a refrain that happens *every* year, and has yet to be followed through.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty holds up her hands. "Sorry, when it comes to organizing Christmas decorations, I'm the wrong religion," she says to weasel out of that one. She doesn't insist on calling them Holiday Decorations either, though, so at least she's being consistent.

Kitty grins as the Christmas village is brought out. "That's awesome. You know... could sort of use that as a theme for the whole outside of the school. Put a little railroad around it even?" Kitty suggests. "Maybe your hot chocolate carts could be a little railroad running around the outside of the windows as well as going inside?" she says.

Yes, give Kitty, or Doug, a hand in such matters and they are likely to be greatly over-engineered. But then again, such things are a great challenge for students.

"So Rogue, you and your dad doing Thanksgiving together this year?" she asks.

Colossus has posed:
Colossus embraces Ororo and laughs, "Yes, I must always keep myself busy. I do not do well with idle hands," he admits. At her remark about Rogue, he says as an aside, "Loafing on her phone is Rogue's way of helping. She keeps us entertained," he says.

He takes a close examination of the village, kneeling down for a moment, "We could put this in the foyer. It would take up space, but not too much and it wouldn't be that hard to walk around. We could set candles here, here and here, so it would be lit at night. Perhaps drape some lights on it. And yes, I like what you are saying, Kitty, it would do well. This is the north pole for many of us, the place to which we are drawn. Our true north."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue grins when Storm questions if she's helping or not. "I help with the heavy stuff." She says then motioning toward Kitty and Piotr. "None'a what they're haulin' around is heavy, its all the light stuff, like the tiny decorations or the tacky stuff that goes out on the lawn and makes this whole school look like we get our decorations from what the Salem Mall Santa Clause didn't want anymore." She's joking, of course, even if its kind've a harsh joke.

"That... and..." Rogue points at her own small little nose. "Dust Allergies. They're servere, ya dig?" Does the Southern Belle have any allergies at all...? Nobody knows. Well the telepaths might know, but they're not here.

Her eyes flash over to Kitty, whilst she's grinning and her feet drop down behind her car to dangle off of the trunk of it. "Haven't asked him. I suppose I should, I mean this is the first Thanksgivin' we've seen each other since like Obama was president." Thats a long time ago in this world! "I don't know if he knows how to cook a turkey though. But I guess I could always take'im out t'Jack in the Box or somethin'. Its open on all holidays after all." What a wonderful first Thanksgiving together in 14 years that'd be.

Storm has posed:
The hug is reciprocated with Colossus and Ororo helps set out the little Christmas village so it can be examined. She looks over to Rogue's plaintive commentary. Ororo arches a white brow at Rogue and probes the inside of her cheek with her tongue. "Anna-Marie, get off that car and help, or there will be no spiced cider for you for the entire season," she says as menacingly as one could utter that statement.

"Christmas is a secular holiday for me and Kitty. Yet we are unloading all the decorations. Get in the Christmas spirit," she advises Rogue in her richly accented voice.

"And that includes taking your family to a drive-through," she adds with a waggling finger. "A sit-down restaurant. A /nice/ one," she admonishes Rogue.

Colossus has posed:
Colossus nods, "Christmas was complicated in my family. My mother loved it, loved the ceremony and the memories. Loved going to church. My father was a loyal Communist, even after the fall. He had no use for the opiate of the masses. Not surprising, I take after my mother, while my sister takes after our father," he says.

"Family is good around the holidays, regardless of what you believe," he says. "There are a few bent pieces here. I will see if I can straighten them out and get the engine running properly. Shouldn't be too much work to get it back in working order," he says.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue grumbles some at Storm putting her to work, but she begrudgingly accepts her fate and puts her phone into her coat, then drop off of the car to her feet. She wanders over to the storage unit area and peers inside it. "Spiders..." She quietly whispers before putting her hands onto one of the cabinets inside that is filled with about 18 drawers, probably weighing 300 lbs. She starts to pull it out o the closet like it weighs 3 lbs.

"I'll take'im t'whatever I can, I mean, I'm not a religious person and neither is my dad. But Christmas - t'us anyway is just about ya know... yeah, family junk." So sweet, this one. Once she has the cabinet set out of the closet area she starts pulling open drawers. "Ooo, Christmas lights. We should totally decorate the Professah's chair with these!" The Belle moves to hold up the strings of lights, grinning huge at her idea for them!

Storm has posed:
"Christmas is my favorite tradition in America," Ororo says, agreeing with the sentiment expressed by the others. "It's a chance to connect with people during the winter cold. Skating, and gifting presents, and /baking/," she says, almost singing the words. A length of tinsel is pulled out and she loops it over Piotr's neck like a long scarf. "It is about the tradition. For me, anyway."

"Come, we've got a good amount ready," Ororo instructs the others. "Everyone grab a box, and then we'll send the students down to fetch the rest of it and start decorating."

She sweeps out the door with a regal posture, humming 'Deck the Halls' in her rich alto.