10106/Watching In A Winder Wonderland

Watching In A Winder Wonderland
Date of Scene:	19 November 2019
Location:	Roof Tower - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Students and staff gather on the roof tower to watch the year's first blizzard, then have a snowball fight.
Cast of Characters:	Shadowcat, Nightingale, Wolverine, Samuel Morgan, Dragonfly (Armenteros), Cannonball, Haunt, Rage, Blink

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Shadowcat has posed:
The weather has been a bit of a strange thing since Friday when both Thor and Storm pulled in a massive storm to cover the protection spell, and provide them with lightning to use in the ensuing battles. First it was exceptionally clear and nice as all that energy was taken out of the nearby weather systems.

But nature abhors a vacuum, even of that variety, and a front was sucked into the area to fill the void. The result? A heavy snow fall, particular in Westchester. A full 18 inches are expected, and there's already 8 of it in on the ground.

The usual warnings about being safe traveling and the like went around the school. But also an invitation to watch the minor blizzard from the warmth and comfort of the Roof Tower, or from the balconies outside. Kitty's invitation to everyone mentioned hot chocolate, coffee, and various warm snacks and treats.

The young woman really gets into the holiday thing, so when anyone shows up they find the room has been decorated in a Christmas spirit even if it's not quite Thanksgiving yet. The aforementioned items are set out and there's music playing, though she's kept it to orchestral rather than the Christmas songs that will be covering the airways for the next month and a half.

Nightingale has posed:
     While Kitty might have reservations about playing tunes with lyrics for the time being, some have no qualms with adding them anyways. Shannon's made the climb up to the tower, a rare, genuine smile spreading across her face as she sees the decorations, the music, lights, and softly falling snow proving a much-needed anodyne to the aftermath of recent events. She's wearing her cream tunic sweater, dark blue jeans, and knee-length caramel suede boots, her wings no longer ragged as they had been for the better part of a week or so.

     She smiles over at Kitty, waving, a particular tune catching her ear; it's impossible to resist joining in with the words, her silky alto voice raised in song.

"Angels we have heard on high
Sweetly singing o'er the plains
And the mountains in reply
Echoing their joyous strains..."

Wolverine has posed:
    Logan comes slipping into the room rather unceremoniously, closing the door behind him. Despite the extreme winter conditions, he's dressed in lightweight clothing consisting of just a black t-shirt that stretches across his body like it might rip at the seams, along with a pair of faded and threadbare jeans. He's not the type of guy who gets into the Ugly Sweater season.

    "We really already gearin' up for Christmas, now?" He mutters as his steely eyes cast a quick glance around. "Please tell me there's at least some hot buttered rum in this for me."

    Despite the sour words, though, the grizzled old war dog wears a faint smile that plays on his lips. As he strides into the room, he first places a hand on Shannon's shoulder, giving a firm squeeze before moving on to take up residence in a half-sit against the ledge of the desk. "How's things, Kitty?"

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde greets Shannon as she arrives. "Hey Shannon. Always loved the first big snowfall of the year," she says. She's dressed in a warm sweater and has a jacket, hat and gloves set nearby too so she can go outside and enjoy the snow. But for now, the warmth of the heated tower room with windows looking out over the grounds, and the multitude of flakes that are falling, cutting down vision to about a hundred yards before it just becomes all white.

Kitty pours herself coffee, and glances up as Logan arrives. "Logan," she says with the small, soft smile that is reserved for the man that has been mentor and more to her. "Not Christmas specifically, but winter at least," she tells him. "And I didn't forget you, but I didn't want to advertise it on the invites," she says. Kitty pulls out a flask and adds a bit of brownish liquid to a cup of coffee, adds a douse of whip cream on top, then passes the resulting Irish Coffee over to him. "Chag sameach," she says in Hebrew with a smile as she passes the mug over to him.

Nightingale has posed:
     Grizzled old war dog or not, none are immune from the holiday spirit, it would seem. Even the 'bah humbug' of the sour words, belied by that smile, does not deter Shannon from rather promptly enveloping Logan in the feathery cocoon of a wing-hug, the young mutant completely unafraid of him and grinning ear to ear. "Glad you could join us."

     After a few moments, she steps back--only to wrap Kitty up in an equally warm hug, with a whispered word of thanks. She knows why. "You sure you're not the angel here, setting all this up? If I'd have known, I could've made some Muddy Buddies to add to the feast!"

Wolverine has posed:
    "See? I knew there was a reason you were my favorite," Logan replies to Kitty, his smile becoming more manifest as he sees her pull out that flask. He's opening his mouth to speak when he's being attacked with the embrace of the winged mutant girl. His demeanor shifts, shoulders straightening, muscles becoming tense and rigid as if they were made of living steel. A noncommittal grunt escapes him in response to Shannon's declaration of her joy in seeing him, and as she pulls away, he rolls his shoulders and pops his neck to one side.

    "As I was sayin'..." But he doesn't say anything. He reaches out and takes the cup offered by Kitty, holding it in between two hands and lifting it to sniff at it first, before taking a sip. A contented sigh escapes him and he nods. "This'll do."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    With the limited visibility, and the angle of the tower's parapet, one could be forgiven for not noticing that someone, some utter foolish madman, is actually up on the roof right now. As the snow pelts down, this lone figure can be seen sweeping snow out of the guttering, after sweeping nearly eight inches of snow out of the bowl of the satellite dish, working their way towards the tower. Whoever it is may be hard to tell, given that their clothes are by now a uniform white, although there is a hint of a grey hoodie and what at one point must have been shiny black combat boots. Approaching the tower, still industriously sweeping the gutters, the figure passes from sight in a blizzard of freezing white flakes that sweep across the expanse of the roof.

    Moments later a broom clatters over the parapet of the balcony, and someone can be heard climbing the outside of the roof tower. First gloved hands appear, followed by a hooded head bent low against the driving snow. Finally, the rest of the intrepid sweeper hoists itself over the parapet and stamps its boots on the relatively snow-clear flagstones of the balcony. Only now does this figure seem to realise there are people inside, and so he comes in as well, shutting the door firmly behind him, pulling the hood down.

    "Hi guys. Didn't think anyone would be up here right now." Bean smiles, cheeks flushed from the cold but looking about as happy as can be... and dripping melting snow where he stands.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde accepts the wing hug after watching with a (mostly) suppressed smile the expected effects it had on Logan. Kitty's greeting for Logan, apart from the drink, is just a quick touch and small squeeze on the shoulder.

The sound of the person climbing up gets a curious look from Kitty. "At least if anyone falls they have some snow to land in. And a healer on hand. Plus Logan to give them an appropriate scowl," she comments with a tiny grin towards the Canadian as she goes over to see who it is.

"Sam Bean, you look like you're freezing," she says. "Come on inside, we have some hot drinks," she says as he comes in. Kitty spots someone else outside, going back over to open the door for them. A couple of seconds later, Lockheed flaps in through the door to land on her shoulder. "Oh god. Oh god. Your feet are cold!" she tells the dragon, Kitty dancing around at the feeling of cold dragon pawn on the base of her neck, but not dislodging him as she shuts the door.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon is not blind to that tension from Logan, drawing back and tucking her wings in behind her almost immediately. Her smile seems somewhat dimmed, though still present, and she does not move away from the gathering at hand. She remains quiet, a slight up-nod offered to Bean, with a slight gesture towards the hot cocoa. The message was clear. Warm up. Please. Now. "Let's hope that a healer isn't needed. It's too nice in here with everyone to even /think/ about that."

Wolverine has posed:
    Sam's unorthodox entrance is met with the appropriate scowl from the ever stern looking Wolverine once he's stepped in off the balcony. Everyone else is telling the boy to warm himself up, so Logan leaves them to it. He figures that Sam gets the point. So Logan just lifts his cup to greet him, and gives him a slight nod of the head. "Beans. Be careful with yourself. Don't need anyone taking a spill off the roof."

    Lockheed's arrival does bring a chortle to rise up out of the broad chest of the massive mountain of muscle that is Logan. He shakes his head at the antics, and then turns his attention back on to Shannon. "And you need a break from hurtin' yourself, too. So yeah, let's all make sure that we ain't gettin' ourselves busted up."

    Not that he ever needed healing. But still. Solidarity. Or something.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    Warm drinks? Excellent. "Thank you Miss Pryde, it's a bit on the cold side out there." The gloves come off, stuffed in one of many pockets, and Bean helps himself to hot cocoa... oh yes... First things first, let the heat seep through into his fingers before taking a sip to warm up the more important bits.

    "TV was out in the rec room, too much snow on the dish. I volunteered to go clear it off." is the boy's explanation as to why he was up there in the first place, mostly for Logan's benefit. He rarely feels the need to explain himself, but he'll happily do so to the taciturn Canadian. "Figured I'd clear the gutters while I was up here." He notices Lockheed flap in and gives the little dragon a smile. Anything that happy to see someone is clearly getting into the spirit of the season.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty gives an understanding nod at the explanation from Bean. "Well, good of you to do that. Though, safer to talk one of the flyers into it," she says, though not making more of an issue of it than that.

Kitty reaches up to ruffle Lockheed's head. "For someone who prefers the heat, you sure do like playing in the snow," she tells the little yellow-eyed dragon. He just looks back at her like he's listening, but as (almost) always he doesn't reply.

Kitty walks back over to get her beverage. The little dragon focuses over on Logan and his wings give a flap or two as he earns a smile, before he settles back into snuggle against Kitty's warmth.

"I hope the snow isn't going to mess with the Christmas decorations," she says. "Last I heard from Piotr, he was considering going with an idea we had to make the school sort of like that Christmas village display that we usually put in the foyer. Build a small train around it like the display has, big enough to carry a couple of people in the cars even, and make the school kind of look like the village from it."

Nightingale has posed:
     The winged girl lets out a short laugh, with a nod of understanding towards Logan--and also to Bean. "Not that /any/ of us would ever get hurt." Her tone, though, simply betokens good-natured teasing to both. "Seriously, though... everyone here's been worth it all. Though... yeah, try not to get me sent to the medbay again anytime soon?" Not that she would /ever/ wind up there... right? Her smile is a wry one, as she's equally apt to take a jab at herself as to rib anyone else in the room.

     Shannon's eyebrows loft as she peers over at Kitty, trying not to laugh a little bit. "Oi! There's only one flyer here right now!" Lockheed's entrance and application of cold talons and paws earn a little bit of a snicker from her. "You get her, Lockheed!"

     Talk of Christmas plans gives her a brief moment to retrieve a cup of hot cocoa for herself, cupping the mug between her hands briefly. "Don't forget, there's also the idea of getting some of us together for another hike, this time to collect some greenery for garlands and wreaths, too," she adds.

Wolverine has posed:
    "It's nice to get a change of pace," Logan responds to Kitty's comment to Lockheed, even as he leans forward and offers out his cup to offer the dragon a bit of his alcoholic beverage. Regardless of whether or not the Lockheed partakes, Logan says, "Bein' out in the cold helps you appreciate it when you can feel the warmth again."

    Looking back to Sam, Logan gives a faint nod, accepting his reasoning for his adventures in snowy rooftop sweeping. His broad shoulders roll with a shrug, and he offers up, "It's good to help out. It's definitely appreciated. Just make sure that you take proper safety precautions, bub. Or like Kitty says, let one of the flyers handle it."

    Shannon's quip about avoiding the medbay draws the steely eyed stare of the Wolverine onto her, and he just slowly hikes one of those brooding eyebrows heavenwards. A pregnant pause ensues, before Logan just eases back on his perchment atop the desk, and folds his arms across his chest, holding his drink just under his nose. "Well, I guess I got my "old man tryin' to keep the whippersnappers in line" quota outta the way for the day. I'll let ya slide for now, Wings."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "You can't ask people to fly in this weather. Far too dangerous." Yes, Bean is going to ignore the fact that he was at risk of falling several floors from the roof. A job needed doing, and he did it. End of. The warmth seeps through him as he drinks, still standing while he waits for the snow to melt off him. He's not going to get slush all over the furniture.

    "I told Mister Rasputin that I'd be happy to help with the train. Got a few idea for the shell, and a few concepts for the actual propulsion. Thinking probably two cars for four people to keep the load light enough." How many high school students spent time designing a functioning miniature railway this time of year? Just one more reason to like the school.

    "So, I have to know... are we including Saint Nicholas in the celebrations, or is that too German?"

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty grabs a snickerdoodle from the snacks. She's got some of the cookies on a warmer so they stay nice and gooey soft. The young woman settles into one of the chairs with a good look out the window, sighing happily as she watches the snow falling heavily outside.

"Picking our own garlands would be great. And a tree too. If it's a neighbor's property though, be sure to check with them first and offer to pay for it if they are ok with it," Kitty says. "I'm hoping to take a group caroling around to the neighbors, a chance to meet them as well for those who haven't yet," she adds.

Kitty laughs warmly towards Logan's comment about his quota. "Wait, you mean you actually ran out of those after awhile? So I just failed to hang around you long enough then?" she teases softly. Lockheed meanwhile, dips his snout into the Irish Coffee. Drinking some of it, but coming up with whip cream covering his nose. It sits there for a few moments before he shows he has a dog-like tongue in length, able to clean his nose off with it.

Kitty gives Samuel a shrug. "I don't know, but anything is welcome, really. Lorna and I will probably set a section for Hanukkah again," she says. "She usually makes fabrication like for the train easy, but she's in Brazil at the moment. And, not a bad idea to get to do itby hand, either," she concludes.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon just raises her eyebrow right back at Logan, but her smile is warm as she inclines her head towards the grizzled old mentor. "You don't just try. You succeed. Thank you for that." She raises her cup in salute to each in turn, before indulging in a sip of the sweet treat. Ah yes. There was indeed a bit of heaven on earth, and it was called hot cocoa. Especially if it was the stuff Kitty made.

     She cants her head slightly to the side as she peers over at Bean, seeming to consider this for a moment. "You know," she muses. "Fowl weather flying might not make a bad danger room scenario for us flyers. Could be an interesting challenge." While her words were serious, there was a mildly teasing tone to the first couple words. "Especially since there seem to be more of us recently."

     Snickerdoodles? Oh yes, please! Her hand darts out like a serpent striking to snag one of the sweet discs of goodness, which rather promptly finds its way down her gullet. For a moment it looks as if she's in heaven, and she grins a silly little grin at Kitty. "Now I'm convinced you're an angel. You just need the wings to match." She listens to the injunction about the tree, and shrugs. "Not sure what Mr. Rasputin has planned for that, but I'd think there's more than enough just here on the grounds to manage garlands and some wreaths without making any trouble for the neighbors, at least."

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
     The wonder of snow for someone that's never seen it is not to be understated. While it was possible to watch it out of the front window, for Gwendolyn, a high-up place is best to watch the mythical white stuff swirl and drift down from slate-gray skies. Booted feet pound the stairs, heralding her arrival to the tower where, at the familiar sight of Kitty and Shannon (and the not so familiar sight of a brooding dwarf and a purple dragon!) she skids to a stop. Dressed warmly for the weather in a hat and heavy jacket, Gwendolyn pauses to give a wave to all the people up here before scampering to the edge of the parapet and looking out over the Xavier Mansion grounds. "I've never seen snow before. Not for real." Gwendolyn offers as way of greeting, going quiet to listen to the sound of wind and snow brushing against itself as it falls.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "Just remember it's only about two weeks away." Bean cautions on the topic of Sint Niklaus, which was in truth a much bigger celebration in his childhood than Christmas. Shannon makes an excellent point, which earns her a nod and a point with the mug. Despite the pun... "It's not just the cold, or the lack of visibility. The snow settles on you and makes you heavier, the cold seeps in slowly and the damp comes with it. It's the kind of thing you don't think about unless you've been out in this kind of weather. Might be worth exploring that, see how it affects different wing types."

    With that, he drains his mug and puts it down again, nodding to the assembled people. "Well, anyway, I'll let you get on with your snow gazing. Enjoy the spectacle." As for Bean? He has plenty of study and fabrication to keep him busy, so he makes his exit, making sure to stick to the path he took on the way in as much as he can to avoid getting more slush on the ground.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty is reclined in a chair by one of the windows, looking out at the falling snow as Gwendolyn comes in. "Hello Gwen, come and get some hot chocolate," she offers with a smile. "Ah, right, from Louisiana isn't it?" Kitty asks, trying to recall what she read in Gwendolyn's file when she was invited to join the school.

"Well, you're going to get plenty of opportunities to see it. It might melt and return a few times over the winter. But this will last us for awhile if it comes down like they said," Kitty says of the forecasts for about eighteen inches of snow. "Before long there'll be people out there making snowmen and having snowball fights. Happens every year," Kitty says, and she leans closer to the window to look down, to see if it's started yet. "People also get trays from the cafeteria and use them to slide down the hills over nearer to the Lake. Those who don't have actual sleds to use. Or, like, Bobby Drake," she says with a grin.

Kitty looks to Samuel and Shannon. "Depends on the flyer. Many don't have wings. But the cold gets to Rogue, even if she doesn't much feel it even while it does," she says. "Then there's people like me. Weather conditions not really an issue. But then I don't so much fly as I walk."

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon just shrugs and smiles. "The damp wouldn't be a factor for my wings. The cold might, though, just like any other limb. The snow, too." She peers outside, thinking for a moment, glancing back at Logan, then back outside. Kitty's mention of snowball fights, however, seals the deal, with a grin wide enough to swallow an X-wing creeping across her face. "Tempus fugit!" she chimes out, knocking back the last of her cocoa, and pushing off towards the doorway that leads out to the balcony, and from there, acres upon acres of the white stuff.

     She giggles at Gwendolyn, wiggling a wing at her in a wave, and positively reeking of pure mischief born of innocent delight in the snowy weather. "What do you think? Think we can get these two to keep us 'whippersnappers' in line in a snowball fight?" Her merrily twinkling gaze is turned upon both Kitty and Logan, and she laughs. Actually laughs. A rare, but welcome sound, when there is occasion for it.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie is one of the flyers who the snow does not bother, course it could be snowing boulders with the way Sam flies and might not bother here. He is wearing a jacket, and a toboggan (Knit hat not the sled). He will look over as Shannon comes running out of the room a brow raised a bit at her.

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
Gwendolyn gives Shannon a look that, for a second, could be construed as 'what the hell are you doing, woman?' She has never been in a snowball fight and, in fact, as just seen snow for the first time in real life a scant thirty seconds prior, and she's challenging people to a snow ball fight? "I imagine it'll be like that scene from that old movie Elf, in the park? Except i'd be the kid getting pelted mercilessly by snowballs."

She flutters her wings beneath her parka, the dragonfly-shaped appendeges flicking out and then back in beneath. "I just learned how to fly period, so this might cause some issues. Or not. I'llhave to try it out sometime."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty grabs her jacket and knit cap and gloves. "Alright, snowball fight it is. But let's go down to the grounds," she says. "You all can fly so don't need me to get you down I guess?" she asks as she pulls the warmer articles of clothing on.

Lockheed flaps up into the air, circling about overhead nimbly while Kitty gets ready. "If you do, just let me know," she says, eyes going to Gwendolyn primarily since she isn't used to using her wings in cold weather.

When everyone else is ready, Kitty opens the door to head outside. She'll wait to see if anyone needs help getting down. If not she just starts walking down from the roof through the air like there were invisible steps beneath her.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon giggles as she almost barrels right into Sam on her way to the balcony. He, too, winds up wrapped up briefly in a feathery cocoon, and is also favored with a noogie. "Snowball fight!" she calls out, with devilish glee.

Gwendolyn gets a silly grin and she laughs. "You can always tuck your wings in under your parka if it gets cold for you. But yes, welcome to a winer wonderland. Forget baptism by fire, this is baptism by snow! Let's see if these two..." She motions over first to Kitty, then Logan, and grins at both. "...can keep us whippersnappers in line!" Oh yes, it seemed the girl from N'awlins was about to have her initiation into the delights of winter!

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie will look over to the bunch and hmmms. Hugging Shannon when she bumps into him and making sure she does not go skidding off the roof. He does not move his goggles from over his eyes, might as well have a bit of protection if snowballs are going to be flying "Seems Ah came home at the start of Snow Wars 2027?"

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
Resigned to her fate, Gwendolyn pulls her hat down over her goggles for just a second, laughing, pushing it up and back into place. "Okay, fine, fine. I'll just get cold. And snowy. Nothing I can't survive." She hopes. Sam gets a look and a grin. "Don't know. It's like the russian revolution. Russian find out." Following Kitty, Gwendolyn's wings snap out from beneath her parka as she steps off of the edge, fluttering down to the lawn below.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty grins and waves Samuel Guthrie on down to join them. She reaches the show, her boots sinking into to a little past her ankles. It's not deep yet, but deep enough to supply all the snowballs one could want. Kitty bends down and gathers up a bunch of snow, beginning to pack it in quickly so she's armed. She prepares a second one, one in each hand.

"Now the secret to a snowball fight, Gwendolyn," Kitty says and then immediately throws one of her snowballs towards the other girl's body. "Is to always be prepared to be hit by a snowball!" she says, beginning to run a little bit further away to make a throw tougher for the other girl.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie will land, and watches Kitty and shakes his head a bit and will scoop up a bit of snow, and actually turns his back to Kitty so he can show Gwen the proper way to make snowballs, and only get his from behind "And if you feel your fingers hit the ground pull back a bit before scooping up the snow to make sure ya aint getting rocks or anything."

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
*piff* The sound of the snowball hitting Gwen square in the chest reminds her of a balloon popping, with a little thump following behind. She looks down at the smear of snow on her jacket, back up at Kitty, back down again(!) and then turns her attention right to Samuel who's showing her how to pack a snowball. Thankfully her gloves are waterproof so she can do so without getting her hands too terribly cold, so Gwen goes about trying to make her very first lopsided snowball, packing it kind of loosely but not too loose. And no rocks inside.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon grins evilly and scoops up snow enough for one snowball, then two, eyeballing the trees in the immediate vicinity for easier sources of snow. Why? Because this snow war will involve an aerial attack! She takes to the skies with her snowy payload, laughing as she chases after Kitty. "I've got your back, Gwen! Bombs away!" Two snowballs are sent on their way to the intrepid counselor, with positively gleeful laughter following each shot.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty lets out a little eek as she gets snowballs coming from both above and the side. She ducks, but still feels a pair impacts on her back, the snowballs blowing apart in all directions. Some of the snow goes up, then back down, landing along her neck and getting under Kitty's jacket.

"Ack! Cold! Worse than Lockheed's feet!" she exclaims. Kitty tosses her remaining snowball up towards Shannon and then begins making another.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie looks over to Gwen and says "Well now that you know, seems I may need to go deal with the aerial force." And he does take to the air but moving towards the roof scoping up an armful of snow as he flies along it.

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
Gwendolyn's snowball is now formed. Much to Kitty's misfortune, one of the things Gwen did before being all mutant was play softball. She sets herself and flings a snowball overhand in an arc towards Kitty but, unfortunately, it doesn't fly nearly as well as a softball would. If she stops and turns to taunt, it'll probably hit but, more than likely, she'll be able to dodge or avoid it. Still, with that shot fired, she scrambles for more snow!

Wolverine has posed:
    "And remember... if you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a snowball," comes Logan's voice. While previously, the "old man" had been content to sip his Irish Coffee in silence, staring out the window while the others conversed and decided on shenanigans, now, he's come out. Still, in nothing but a t-shirt and jeans, The Wolverine stands proud in the snow, not seeming even the slightest bit cold.

    "Oh, and don't use the yellow snow."

    With that, the hulking figure of Logan moves with an uncanny alacrity. Like a blur, Logan slides forward, unleashing two frosty white projectiles that tear through the air like snowy meteors. One is launched up, into the sky towards Shannon. The other, is aimed directly at the counselor, and his former protege, Miss Pryde.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon might successfully dodge Kitty's shot, banking out of the immediate path of the fluffy, icy projectile--but Logan's finds its mark, hitting her squarely in the chest. She makes a great show of clasping her hands to her chest and gasping, bursting out into fits of giggles. "Oh, I see how it is!" Her eyes twinkle with mischief as she brushes off the snow and makes for the nearest balcony, scooping snow off of the railing to form into a pair of nice, neat little snowballs. One is lobbed with surprising speed at Logan, and the other? Well, that's aimed right for her adoptive big brother.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie maybe a bit of an easy hit but he is blasting and the snowball splatters against his field with no effect and he banks upward above Shannon and releases his armful of snow, not packed but a nice raining of snow onto the girl.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty manages to dodge Gwendolyn's next snowball, but just barely. "Almost got me!" she hoots while launching one back towards the other girl. Kitty scoops up more snow and is just packing it in to keep it together when in flight, when she spots Logan launching one towards her.

Kitty acks and as the snowball flies in towards her head, she arches back like Neo, letting the snowball pass overhead. Unfortunately she isn't Neo and so Kitty ends up doing something like a back cartwheel to give her body somewhere to go with the momentum. Though the footing is treacherous and she slides for a few moments, feet going all which ways on the slippery ground as she tries to right herself. A quick phase solves that, Kitty getting her footing and stepping up on top of the snow before phasing back to normal. She grins at Logan and sticks her tongue out at him.

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
Gwendolyn doesn't wait to see if her snowball hits, instead working on her second and third, flanking to try and get out of the line of fire that she inevitably knows is coming from some direction. Hopefully she won't need to worry about Shannon, but Cannonball might be an issue, and with her on the ground, she's a little bit of a sitting duck. And running in snow? The first few steps are okay, but the next one sends her tumbling in the frosty stuff. sliding on her back when she doesn't step high enough to avoid a newly-formed drift. Snow goes down her parka and the shriek echoes in the yard, GWendolyn hopping to her feet and shaking herself out, throwing another snowball in Kitty's Direction!

Wolverine has posed:
    A wolfish smile plays on Logan's face, lighting up the weathered features of the mutant when his opening gambit is launched, and then reacted to. Kitty's tongue is met with a single wiggle of those bushy dark brows, as Logan shifts his weight forward and moves into a full on dash.

    Shannon's return fire is noticed, and met with a resounding:

SNIKT!!!

    Claws extended, The Wolverine punches through the snowball aimed at him, scattering it to a fine white powder that clings into his wild mane of dark hair, and the thickness of his brows and muttonchops. He tucks and rolls, doing a somersault on the ground, and coming back up onto one knee to launch a ball of snow at Gwendolyn.

    "Ya can't go shriekin' everytime you get a little snow down your shirt, kiddo. This is war, and anyone who hesitates, even for a second... loses!"

Haunt has posed:
"I hear fun," Brad says with upbeat interest to Andrea, as they exit out the back door to investigate. Brad is bundled up warmly: pants that are clearly covering some inner thermals, proper boots for the snow, and a heavy white winter jacket. He has a wool cap pulled down just to where eyebrow level would be, and some warm blue and white winter gloves.

Brad, however, has no face: his face is invisible, which makes him a little interesting to look at, with the appearance of a hovering hat. He starts over towards the group fearlessly, leaving only small prints in the snow at first and then lifting to hover about a foot off the ground, attracted to the game.

Rage has posed:
Having caught wind of the snowball fight together, Andrea and Brad head out to join the festivities. A wide grin forms upon her face as she leaps forward, feeling her body snap, crack and pop as her bones twist and distort. She hits the ground as a wolf, wiggling out of her clothing, soon barreling across the snowy landscape.

New Mutants protect their own!

She launches off the ground, looking to tackle Logan from behind with her tongue lolling out of her muzzle. She's large, black, with a white splotch along her chest.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon sputters as she gets a rather large armful of snow dumped on her from above. While her wings do not seem affected, the snow sliding right off of them, her hair is another matter. It clings to the strands of pale gold, and to her sweater, sticking to her like... well, like snow. She bursts out giggling, shaking her fist playfully at the sky as she shakes off the snow. "You stinker!" she calls out, grinning.

     That swift, metallic retort heralding the demise of the snowball aimed at Logan gets a raised brow from her and a wry smile. "Oh, I see how it is." Very well, time to take a page out of Cannonball's book. She swoops up to the roof, scooping up a healthy armful of snow, winging her way over to the Wolverine.

     "Bombs away!" She sets loose her snowy payload right above his head, taking care to stay out of range of those claws--but giggling all the same. Poor Andrea. Caught in the 'splash zone'....

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
Whoever the short yelling guy is gets Gwendolyn's attention, just in time for her to turn and get blasted with his thrown snowball. Unlike Kitty's, Logan's throw comes with a bit more force and rocks her back on her heels, a smear of snow on her jacket. She hefts her second snowball and, assuming she was going to fire back at Logan, doesn't when she sees a familiar four-legged form scampering toward him. Instad she changes targets - slightly - aiming for the spot where he /should/ be if he's successfully tackled by Andrea. The second snowball is loaded and she shouts, playfully. "Heads up, Brad!"

There's something kind of wrong, flinging a snowball at a blind, invisible guy, but all's fair in snowball war, apparently.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie will come landing near one of the ditches around the area, sinking knee deep perhaps but also able to squat down and make a smaller target as he starts making a few snowballs, not throwing them yet.

Blink has posed:
Curious on what goes on at the mansion now that Blink has been invited to stay for a few days it means that she gets to go out and explore, and going up to the rooftop is one of those first places. Her ears perk up at the sounds coming out on the other side of the door..., combat..? But with giggling..? That only means she will have to be careful and stealthy so she peeks out to what may be going on out there, only her head poking out in sight, the rest of her crouched and hidden by the edge of the door.

Wolverine has posed:
    Proving his own point, inadvertently, the stationary Wolverine gets a surprised look on his face, just before the large black wolf tackles him from behind, sending him face first into the snow. The launched snowball from Gwen hits its mark as a result, and then both wolf and man are dumped on by an armful of snow from above.

    "Oh, so we're gettin' out and out dirty, huh?" Logan snarls as he lifts his snow-covered face from the ground. "I can do dirty, an' I'm the best there is at what I do."

    Rolling out from under the Dog Girl, Logan doesn't even bother with balling up snow, so much as he just scoops up an entire giant bearpaw full of the stuff and splashes it in Andrea's face. Doing an immediate turn and spin, another handful of snow is scooped up, balled, and thrown. Then another. And another. One for Guthrie, and one for Shannon, and one for Gwen. The Invisible Kid... even Logan hasn't committed to picking on the blind kid, yet. Yet. But the last of his flurry is set rocketing right up towards the balcony, at the peeking head of the shy Blink.

Haunt has posed:
Brad doesn't orient towards Gwendolyn; he doesn't orient on much of anything, and it looks like her shot is going to cream the blind kid right in the head: until it doesn't. The snowball adjusts course and begins to orbit Brad's body, circling the telekinetic boy leisurely.

"You miiiissssssssed," Brad calls towards Gwendolyn's shout, his voice cheeky; the teen is still hovering there, gloved hands sliding into his front pockets. Warm air from his breathing betrays that Brad does, in fact, have a head and face: it's invisible, but certainly present.

Rage has posed:
Standing proudly on top of Logan, Rage has her tail up and her ears perked. She is Alpha! She is -- oh god, hit with an avalanche! SPLAT.

There is a wolfish yelp from her as she digs herself out, giving her fur a hard shake, just to get hit in the face with a large snowball from Logan. YELP.

Ears wilting backwards, she turns herself around and starts to kick snow at Logan from behind, sending a wide spray of white.

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
The blind kid seems to be taking care of himself pretty okay. Gwen has a cheeky response all ready when Logan's snowball...snow boulder, more likely...creams her right in the face, knocking her backwards into the snow with a laugh. She pushes herself up and scrambles to the side, rolling to sprint towards one of the shrubberies - one slightly higher than the other so there's a two level effect with a little path running down the middle, scooping snow as she goes, making more misshapen balls.

Nightingale has posed:
     Having learned the hard way from the previous volley launched her way, Shannon just laughs as she gains altitude and banks out of the way, effectively dodging the bearpaw full of icy white stuff heading her way. She calls out her taunt to the ground, her tone teasing and just plain out playful. "Yeah you may be the best, but just you watch out, us whippersnappers learn quick! And it ain't just in yer class!"

     Andrea gets a bit of a giggle and an impish grin. "Ummm... whoops! Sorry about that one!" #SorryNotSorry.

     She grins as she swoops over to where Cannonball is hiding in a ditch, and hovers overhead--unarmed. "Whatcha say we call a truce and show 'em what family can do, hmm?"

Blink has posed:
Whatever Blink was expecting ..., this wasn't exactly it.. They don't have these kind of activities back at the Brotherhood! She is still taking in on everyone that is around, some faces she doesn't know, others she does ..., a bit distracted... a very large ball of snow in her direction.. A VERY LARGE BALL OF SNO---

It hits her right in the face, making her flail back and fall on her behind, sputtering out some snow and rubbing her face with her hands but then .. *BLINK* a portal and she goes up to a vantage point surveying the yard, beginning to create her own snowballs.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie takes a hit to the shoulder but hunckers down continuing to make ammo. Sam grew up in a bit family, and the ability to fire back is an important one.

Haunt has posed:
Gwendolyn has attracted the hovering blind kid; he's gliding over towards her now, roughly above her: maybe eight feet up. And he starts to attempt to steal the snowballs that she's making: telekinetically grabbing them and pulling them up into his orbit!

He 'borrows' some other snow projectiles that end up thrown near him as well, adding to his circling artillery. It might be getting a little fearsome, the snowballs whirling around him, as they grow in number. He's in a similar position to how Shannon is above Sam - except that he's stealing Gwen's ammo.

But Sam and Shannon aren't that far away either. A few of Sam's snowballs from his pile start to sneak away while he's making more....

Nightingale has posed:
     "Sam, look out, you're losing ammo fast!" Shannon giggles as she calls out to her adoptive big brother, landing in between the pile of snowballs and the direction in which they seem to be heading. Which, apparently, is Brad. She tries to shield Sam long enough for him to finish his stockpile of snowy missiles, spreading her wings to their full span for a feathery foil to further filching.

Wolverine has posed:
    Content now, with his barrage, Logan starts to quietly back away from the primary battlefield, back towards the building to let the kids run around and do their thing. He's covered in snow, which now has his sable mane looking a good salt and pepper from the snowy frosting. His once black short now clings to his body, damp and cold, with snowy remnants still clinging to his shoulders, back and chest. His breath pours from his smiling lips like puffs of steam, but he looks more or less content. But what dangers await the ol' Canucklehead, still?

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
Gwendolyn has...had...three snowballs, but as one merrily floats its way over to Brad's orbit, the enormity of what might be coming her way starts to sink in. She counts fifteen snowballs, at least, in orbit around Brad, and the worst thing she can think of is that they end up coming her direction. She looks up at Brad or, rather, Brad's clothes with the invisible Brad inside hovering above her, and dodges as best she can, trying to go for the shrubbery, wanting to use the little path between them as cover, pulling her hood over her head to withstand the barrage!

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie looks over and hmms a bit, and watches the orbiting snowballs. He hmms and lobs one up to come down and try to land in the middle of the snowball orbiting party hoping thats where Brad is going to be.

Blink has posed:
Vengeance. Now that Blink has finished amassing a few snowballs near her it's time to deliver. She surveys the battlefield quietly.., two fliers. Yes, those seem like good targets, at least one of them as she chooses to leave the telekinetic in peace (perhaps wisely!), and aims one of her snowballs at Shannon, then another quick one at the retreating Logan. Sneakily attacking from behind! That's her. Smile is still a bit reserved but she seems to be trying at least.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon gets smacked in the back of the head by a snowball from out of nowhere, leaving her to whirl around and try to find the source. But, with no target apparent but Sam, she eyeballs him, pointing two fingers to her eyes and then at him, giggling.

She turns back to where she sees the orbiting snowballs and grins, bending down to scoop up some snow and pack it loosely. "Oh Braaaaaaaaad...! Incoming!" It's the wind-up aaaaand... it's a pitch! She launches the snowball in his general direction, grinning, curious to see if he'll pick up on this one, too.

Haunt has posed:
Brad doesn't 'throw' snowballs in straight fashion. They arc out and loop back: the effect ends up with these strange arcs of boomerang snowballs that go past a target a little and then hook back in: ideal for fleeing targets. He's sent a mob of them for poor Gwendolyn, and has a few looping back for Shannon: that way, he can make her think Sam is hitting her in the back! Such betrayal!!

The ball flung by Shannon does a boomerang and comes back for her. "You dropped this!"

And one or two from the ammo pile that Sam is building move: those are teasingly flung towards Sam. Because it's really FUN to hit someone from their own ammo pile, isn't it? They aren't very accurate, though, and lack momentum: there's a LOT to manage right now, so most of the flung snow can be dodged. He's prioritizing picking up balls that come his way, sucking Sam's projectile into his orbit.

"Come back and make more ammo, just throw it my way," Brad teases, giving floating chase to Gwen.

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
The only thing that Gwendolyn sort of has experience with this is when she did Paintball with a family when she was nine. At the end of her first round with her rented gun she had gotten shot in the head, both shoulders, the back twice, and in the butt thanks to turning while the son of the family she was staying with opened up on her with a full-auto paintball gun, hosing her down with pellets.

These are colder and larger. Thankfully, the Jacket takes up the brunt of it but, when she looks out from her parka's hood, another volley dust the shrubbery in front of her, making her hair and eyelashes look like she's walked through an ice bomb. "hey!" She calls. "No fair!" Must distract the telekinetic while more snowballs come his way and, as a distraction, she leaps up and grabs for his foot, hoping to pull him off balance.

Gwen has a /hell/ of a vertical.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon hits the decks as the snowball comes looping back at her, laughing. She calls out to Brad, in her best Darth Vader imitation, "Impressive. Most impressive. But you are not a Jedi yet!" Rolling to a kneeling pose, she quickly makes two more snowballs, firing them both in his direction. Oh, it was on now! The few that do manage to hit her from behind, she doesn't even bat an eye at; having just witnessed the way her own snowball did the same, she knows better. Work begins on her own stockpile of snowballs, and she chuckles to herself. One by one, they're launched in the general direction of the TK kid, one after the other. One or two shots fly wide, but she grins as most seem to be heading in the right direction. "Heads up, Brad!"

Blink has posed:
Success! Blink's perch seems to be working on keeping out of the way of most attacks and so she becomes more daring, her smile more sly and she starting on chucking a few snowballs, joining in the flurry of attacks that seems to be thrown towards Brad, she chucking on a couple of her own towards him. For some reason she uses no powers. Those portals would certainly come in handy for unexpected attacks but..., she keeps her restraint.

Haunt has posed:
Gwen grabs onto Brad's leg, and he immediately starts to lift her, his snowballs in orbit starting to fling and drop weirdly, until he realizes he has a choice here:

Either Brad can lift her and possibly lose his pants because she thinks she has weight and is pulling on him, or he can drop with her to the snow. The choice is extremely easy: he's not going to get pantsed in the middle of a snowball fight. Teen boy always picks LESS embarrassing! And so with a yelp he's pulled downwards into the snow, his ammunition flying up and all over the place; Shannon's and Blink's flung snowballs strike nearby, some hit Brad and/or Gwen, and some are flung upwards in the air by what would appear to be playful poltergeists. Unalike Blink, Brad did not use restraint: because if he did restrain himself, he'd be stuck on the porch.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie get pummeled a bit and and hmms as he tries to figure out how to deal with Brad. He will find a few more snowballs, and start to wing them as fast as he can at Brad. He wonders about overloading him as he takes a few hits himself, but keeps throwing snowballs.

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
Gwendolyn laughs as she catches hold of Brad's foot. Success! But the laugh quickly changes as gravity suddenly takes hold and she's dropped into a snowbank with brad on top of her. Snow - lots of it - is pushed down her shirt and soaks through her pants and, with a shriek, Gwen scrambles to her feet, doing a twisting, silly dance, unzipping her parka to get the snow out from off of her skin! "That was not fair!" she says with a laugh, playfully kicking a little snow at Brad, shivering, now that the melted snow has started to soak into her clothes. She lifts a hand like she did at the snowball fight and starts trudging back towards the house, walking backwards, calling to all. "Hot chocolate will be setup in the kitchen. Ten minutes!" She waves to everyone with a laugh and disappears inside to change and to prepare good hot drinks for everyone.

Blink has posed:
Blink ..., blinks when she sees the tumbling down to the snow and stops her chucking, head slightly tilting to the side and her bright green eyes watching the scene. Some of her smile begins to falter, perhaps unsure if anyone is hurt and who knows.., maybe they'd blame the Brotherhood mutant present! But things seem good so she loses some of her anxiety and leans back.., and back and then ...*BLINK* a portal opens and she is gone. Sneaky little git.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon chuckles, pushing herself to her feet in the snow, the stuff crunching under her boots as she heads over for the snowy 'puppy pile'. "You okay there, Brad? Don't worry, I'm unarmed." She reaches down to help him up, holding still so he can get a sense of where she is.

Haunt has posed:
"Sure. It's just snow," Brad calls in answer. Gwen climbs out of the mess, and Brad stays more low: but the snowballs around him lift and swirl, and rearrange: he's building a neat little wall out of the snowballs instead of keeping them in orbit. Defensive bunker is a go while he rights himself, because Sam is still throwing ammunition. It doesn't form between himself and Shannon; she's unarmed, after all. It's just a shield while he gets up and shakes some snow out of his pant leg, using Shannon's hand-up to stand better.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie will pause, and calls out "Truce?" He will say as he stops throwing or even making ammo till he hears if it is accepted "Ready for a bit of coco?" He will watch Gwen leaving "Well think she liked her first snow."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon calls out to Sam in answer, chuckling. "Truce!" She grins at Brad, and helps him steady himself till he can get the snow out of his pants leg. "That was some pretty impressive telekinesis there. Wish I could do something like that."

Haunt has posed:
"Used to do this with tennis balls; which is safer than like, knives or something," Brad answers Shannon cheerfully, his weight on her arm as he dances in the snow a little to get the extra out, then realizes he doesn't have to stand in it, and resumes hovering about a foot above the snow. "I am now freezing. Yeah, let's go in."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty had gotten pulled off along the side of the school where a second snowball fight had started up and gotten a little overly aggressive. After cooling things off, in the middle of the small blizzard, Kitty comes running back, her boots crunching in the snow as she sees the others that have since joined.

Kitty has snow on her shoulders, suggesting that there were probably snowballs exchanged as part of the other matter. Lockheed is flying along overhead, enjoying looking down at everyone from the appearance of things.

"Hey guys, sorry about that," she calls to them, flashing the students and Sam a grin. "Is that Brad? Hey, glad you made it out," she tells him. The comment about it being cold gets a little nod from Kitty. "Anyone want to head back up to the roof where we've got hot chocolate, tea and coffee in the tower room?" she asks.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie says, "Sounds like a plan might want to send word to Gwen we are going to be up there." He tells them and looks around the yard checking make sure nothing is forgotten"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon smiles a little at Brad, and motions her head towards the tower. "Think you can fly back up to the roof tower, or would you prefer to take the long way back?" Hey, give the girl a break, she's still learning the ins and outs and limitations of his gift! "Either way's worth it for some of Kitty's Kocoa!"

Haunt has posed:
"I'm gonna go to my room and change my wet shoes, then I'll come back out," Brad says, agreeably, squinching his wet toes inside the sneakers. Brad pats Shannon's arm once if she allows, and then glides, hovering low, until he reaches the steps. He lands and squishes his way in, hovering again after a moment so to not crack wet snow inside.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon smiles and lets Brad hold on if he chooses, stepping back once she sees he's okay. "See you back up in the roof tower," she calls out. "Cocoa and the most AWESOME snickerdoodles up there!" Oh yes. Discs of sugary goodness call her name. On her way back up to the tower, she takes a few minutes to change into some fresh, dry clothing, dressed in her light blue jeans, old white sneakers, and her favorite cream cotton poet's blouse when she rejoins everyone for cocoa and cookies.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty nods to Brad and says, "Sure, get changed and come on back up." She gives him a smile, which even if he cannot see it, the tone will be able to be picked up from her voice. "Ok, everyone left can fly up on their own right?" Kitty checks. Barring anyone too cold to fly up, Kitty does her air walking thing and drifts on up to the roof again, stepping onto the outdoor observation deck with the patio furniture. She apparently phases back then as she starts leaving footprints in the snow that is gathering up there.

Kitty heads back over to the door opening it up and holding it for Lockheed who flies on through. He moves over to one of the radiators in the room that help spread the warm air, landing on it and plopping over on his back on the metal which would be uncomfortably warm to the touch for most.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie will look to the two and says "I will be up in a moment, going to head into the kitchen and get something and meet you guys up there." He will say as he does not fly up heading to the kitchen now.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon giggles as she heads right for what cocoa remains in the tower, pouring out a mug and uttering a little sigh of pure delight. "Cocoa like this twice in two days... really getting spoiled pretty rotten here, Kitty!" She also grabs a couple cookies with her other hand and flops down in the nearest chair, with a fair bit of color in her cheeks from all the play-fighting and mischief out in the snow. "That... was... EPIC."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde smiles to Shannon and says, "Just means we need more snowball fights to burn it off. Making it with condensed milk, it's not exactly low calorie." Kitty removes her hat and ruffles her fingers through her hair, pulling it back into a ponytail as it so often is worn.

The jacket is removed and there's signs of where the snowball down the back of her neck melted on the back of the sweater. Though the warmth in the room goes a long way towards making up for that. Kitty grabs a snickerdoodle from where some are sitting on a tray heated by a candle light beneath to keep the cookies feeling like they just came out of the oven.

"By the way, I'm probably going to be taking a little trip depending on how the Texas thing goes. So I hope things go well with what we talked about. Don't be afraid to talk to one of the staff if something comes up," Kitty says, leaving it a little vague in case anyone walks in.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon looks mildly confused for a moment. "The Texas th... OH... you mean..." She leans over briefly, keeping her voice down low, forgetting about cocoa and cookies for a minute or two. When she leans back again, she nods and smiles. "I did have a message out to Kurt about that other thing we talked about, and I brought it up to Mr. Rasputin, so there's no shortage of people to talk to. Might actually wind up with a little DR training with him. Told him about counselor's orders to wear myself out before bed with a trip to the gym."