10292/Snow Days and Comfort Food

Snow Days and Comfort Food
Date of Scene:	02 December 2019
Location:	Kitchen - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Gwendolyn asks Shannon some questions about the New Mutants, and her experiences overall. Questions are answered, more are asked, and a very important, precious memory shared on a feather.
Cast of Characters:	Nightingale, Dragonfly (Armenteros)

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Nightingale has posed:
     It's a beautiful day out, with fresh snow fallen just the night before. A familiar winged figure is just returning from outside, and what smells like a trip to somewhere that had roasted chestnuts available, going by the little paper bag in her hand. Shannon's in her dark blue jeans, cream tunic sweater, and knee-length caramel boots. She's sporting her blue braid, as has become normal of late, and is quick to tie her hair back when she gets into the kitchen. Bustling about, she's gathering milk, pasta, cheese, flour, butter... ohhh yes. The comfort food to end all comfort foods!

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
The go to, it seems, for Shannon, is Macaroni and Cheese. It's good stuff but, thanks to Jubilee's workouts, something that Gwendolyn can't partake in nearly as much as she'd like. Still, when it's available, she'll certainly take a bite or two. Or three. Or a plate full. Entering the kitchen after a day's class, Gwendolyn is in search of lunch - a necessary thing for a growing girl - and pauses at the sight of the winged Shannon.

"Hey there." She calls after a second, stepping into the kitchen proper, her backpack already deposited upstairs with the rest of her things. She's dressed comfortably for the weather in long pants and a bulky sweater, but she's got the sleeves rolled up to show her forearms and hands - an oddity for the normally secretive girl. "Mac and Cheese again?"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods, and smiles somewhat, tucking her little braid away behind her left ear. "Yeah, there's a lot of variants on a theme if you want, but a classic is classic for a reason." The rolled up sleeves do get a raised eyebrow from her, but she just shrugs; if it's something Gwendolyn wants to share, she will. There's no reason for her to pry. "I was thinking of maybe adding some leftover turkey or even duck to this if there's still some to get rid of. Care for some when it's done?"

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
Gwendolyn thinks about that for a second. "You've already got a lot of fat in there from the cream and stuff. If you could go with shrimp or a little bit of bacon - something with salt to cut the heaviness of it all - I think it'd work better. Turkey's just going to vanish into the sauce and become a part of it. You want contrasts. I think they have some of the boiled shrimp left over from a night ago - should be perfect to chop up and add in for little salty bombs of flavor."

Gwendolyn pads over to the refrigerator, putting her hair up as she goes, to see what, if anything, can be added, confiscated, or otherwise appropriated to her lunch and Shannon's Mac n' cheese. "You know I'll eat some no matter what." She says, gazing into the abyss of the refrigerator, waiting for something to call to her. "And when you've got a second, I'd like to chat with you. In private, about something."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods, looking at the gathered ingredients, and putting them away. "Grab some snacks, we can head to my dorm for that if you like. Nothing's on the stove yet so it's no big deal." She gets a little bit of cheddar cheese and a couple apples from the fridge for a snack, and heads for the door. "C'mon."

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
Gwendolyn follows along behind Shannon with a few snacks and drinks on a tray that she confiscated for just such a purpose. A couple of bottles of water, a couple of bottles of soda, and lots of leftover chocolate and cookies that can be easily eaten without need of a fork are visible, and as they slip into Shannon's room, Gwen sets it down on whatever open spot she can that won't get knocked over. "So." She finally says, looking back over her shoulder as the door is closed. "Wanted to let you know that Andrea mentioned New Mutants."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods, and settles down on the edge of her bed, careful not to knock over the tray of snacks. "I probably shouldn't have mentioned it in the music room the way I did, but Andrea caught me off-guard by calling into question her status on the team. It was really confusing." She reaches for one of the cookies--a gingersnap, as it so happens--and nibbles a little bit around the edge. "So what did she tell you about the team?"

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
"Well..." Gwendolyn takes a seat in one of the chairs, turning so she can face Shannon in her spot on the bed. "She told us it was a group of kids in the school that did extra training, learning how to fight and defend and work as a team. It was basically informing us - Me, Brad, and Nathaniel - about it, but I think it came off more like 'when you get more powerful, we'll give you a shot at joining the cool kid's club.'" She rubs her arm a little, looking away. "It really freaked Brad out. Made him think he was not good enough."

Nightingale has posed:
The scowl that darkens Shannon's face is a terrifying thing to see on the usually mild-mannered healer. "I'll have a word with her and Cannonball about that. That was uncalled for, coming out about it that way." Her wings have begun to spread open wide, and her feathers are decidedly ruffled in a very, very agitated way. She forces herself to close her eyes and take several deep breaths to calm down, until she can close her wings and speak without shaking with anger.

"She was right about learning to work together as a team. That's very accurate. She was also right about the extra training, and learning how to fight and defend. But we don't go looking for trouble. Trust me, it finds us well enough on its own, without any help on our part."

Running her fingers through her own hair, she lets out a soft sigh, and a little bit of a smile. "As for the 'when you get more powerful' idea, that's BS, and that was a very wrong impression for her to give. Take me, for example." She closes her eyes, nibbling on the gingersnap as she thinks back to the day she became part of the team. "For me, it was just after a mutant rights protest that went really bad. It was the first time, and so far the only time, I've been completely unable to heal someone. You might have seen that, when you were helping me with molting, you might not have. Anyways... I did a lot of things wrong, some things right, came face to face with death and had to press on. I had to re-think ideas about people being monsters when I didn't know their entire story, and... well, I also had a good, long talk with Captain Rogers about that day, too, about a week-ish later. But that night, I went to the lake and cried my eyes out. I'd never felt like such a failure, or so helpless and weak. There were others there who were able to do so much more than me. I felt broken and worthless."

The rest of the cookie vanishes down her gullet, silence reigning for a few moments as she composes her thoughts. "Sam came and found me later that night, and we had a talk about why there had to be such hatred and bigotry in the world. How so much hate could exist, that people would make killer robots just to hunt down and extinguish every mutant life they find, and generally make our lives a living hell. He asked me to make sure that I wanted to be out there in the field with everyone else, and learning to use my gifts to defend, to fight and to heal. There was no question in my mind then, and there isn't any question about it now. He didn't ask me because my powers were perfect, or I had perfect control over them, or I was the strongest and the best out there. He asked because he saw heart and potential, and maybe even something I myself don't yet quite understand, even a couple months on.

She opens her eyes and looks right at Gwen. "Whether or not you eventually choose to seek membership in the team, at least give it a chance. Ask yourself the same question Sam asked me. Is it what you really want to do? It is a wonderful thing, but it can also be very trying at times. But... even with all that, I wouldn't trade it for anything. If you've found out about the team, it's because you have heart and potential the same way. Did I feel ready then to join? Hell no. Do I feel ready now? Hell no. But I know I'll never stop trying, and learning."

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
"I think it was...I don't know what to think, really. I mean, extra training to learn what I can do? Sure, fine, makes sense. How to work as a team? Awesome. Be examples and mentors for the rest of the students in school? Hey, sign me up. Get to that point, though, and /then/ mention the whole secret super team." Gwendolyn reaches over to snag one of the coconut macaroons, flopping back in the seat after adjusting herself for her wings. "I just don't know what to think, which is why I'm talking to you. I'm going to talk to her later, as soon as I can, about this, just because I want to understand. I know she was offering us an opportunity. I don't think Brad or Nate took it as well as they could have."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods slowly, reaching for another of the coconut macaroons. "I can have a talk with them about it, too. Tell them the same things I've told you. It's important that they know they are /not/ 'broken', or need to be 'fixed'. Sure, there's things they don't understand about their gifts. There's still things I don't understand about mine, potential that hasn't been explored yet. It's the same for them. They are now where I was a couple months ago."

A light smile spreads across her face, and she settles back on her pillows, spreading out her wings and resting her left arm behind her head. In her right hand is her macaroon, which she nibbles on. "Guessing you have a lot of questions. I can't promise to be able to answer them all, but if I can I will. And if I can't, I'll say so."

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
"That's the problem, though. I really don't know what /to/ ask." Gwendolyn shoves the whole macaroon into her mouth, chewing the chocolatey-dipped confectionary quickly, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't even know what good I'd do. I can't even fly for more than a couple of minutes, and i'm going to go against giant robots attacking the school in uniforms made of unstable molecules?"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon chuckles softly, and shakes her head. "Okay, just to dispel that myth, we haven't had giant robots attack the school. Not that I've seen since arriving here, anyways." She grimaces and closes her eyes again, chomping down on the macaroon with unusual aggression. "I have, though, seen mutant supporters that, not only were attacked by the Friends of Humanity once for supporting us, but then ripped from their home /after/ having helped heal them once, set on fire... TWICE... and then damn near dying again. That second time, it took both Chris and I to save their life."

It takes several moments for Shannon to calm down after that, the mention of the uniforms actually getting her to smile a little bit. "It was a very proud day when I got my 'bumblebees'. Nearly as proud a day as when Sam asked me to join the team."

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
Gwendolyn leans over, lacing her fingers together, her elbows on her knees. "Why are you telling me this stuff? It's just so...horrible."

Nightingale has posed:
"Because it's the honest truth of the things the team can face out there. It may not always be that bad. It's also meant to show you that you don't have to be a strong fighter or to be the best or most powerful, to be able to make a difference, whether or not you choose to join the team." She sighs softly, leaning over a little bit and extending one wing by way of the beginnings of a hug. "It /can/ be horrible. But you can still make a difference. If, for you, that's out in the field or as a member of the team, then great. If that's not the path you feel is right for you, that's great too."

Briefly, she nibbles her lower lip, then plucks one of her larger flight feathers. Closing her eyes, she concentrates on it, holding it between her hands for a moment, infusing it with a memory from not so terribly long ago. "Gwen... I want you to use your gift on this. I think the things that the Captain told me the day he was here, after that protest, are the same things you need to hear now." She offers the feather to Gwen, and smiles. "I hope it helps you the same way it has me."

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
The feather, once offered, is taken carefully and tucked away inside the sleeve of her sweater. She'll look at this whenever she's alone, later this evening. Shannon sharing a memory, like this, may be an interesting thing to look into, but it's something that very much needs to be done respectfully. "I don't know what the right path for me is, Shannon. I really don't. I mean...it's like I'm at the beginning of a race. I know there's a finish line, but what kind of race I'm running, I have no clue. Do I drive? Fly? Run? Crawl? I mean...am I in the race with anyone else, or just me? And what about the obstacles. The world is so crazy now, Shannon. I don't have anywhere but here anymore. No family, no ties, no nothing. I didn't have a lot of those before coming up here, but now...I'm completely cut off. The only family I have are the ones I make."

Nightingale has posed:
     "You're right. The world /is/ crazy. You're also right, in that the family we have are the ones we make." Leaning over, Shannon hugs Gwen gently, extending her wings around the other girl in a warm, feathery cocoon. "Nobody can choose your path but you. You may run, you may fly, you may crawl, but the path is /yours/. One thing is for sure, though. You're not on that path alone. There's all of us here, at the school. We each have our own path. But we all support each other."