10375/Morning Tea

Morning Tea
Date of Scene:	09 December 2019
Location:	Kitchen - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Tea and brunch are shared by all. Gifts changing over time are discussed, and plans to rescue Warrior Joe from the clutches of a scumbag landlord are made. Save Warrior Joe!
Cast of Characters:	Prismatic, Nightingale, Dragonfly (Armenteros), Haunt, Triage, Cannonball

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Prismatic has posed:
    Alexis was still not used to the school. A beautiful mansion, retrofitted to serve the /exclusive/ students of the Xavier Academy. And Alexis was still getting lost -- and worse, was mistaken for a student before having to introduce herself. Hence the rumour mill that started with 'Sam Guthrie's girlfriend somehow tripped into the sun'.

    So, this morning, the newly minted teaching assistant to the music department had a notebook in front of her, a textbook set up on a cookbook stand, a bowl of steel cut oatmeal with some halved strawberries, and a pot of freshly brewed tea, with a little tea cup and saucer. She's writing notes down.

Nightingale has posed:
     Where there was a kitchen, there was breakfast. And where there was breakfast, there was often a Shannon. She traipses into the kitchen with a little wooden chest in her hands, a bit of a spring in her step, looking perhaps a bit more hopeful than she had in some time. It wasn't at all unusual to see others in the room at just about any hour of the day, so she's not at all surprised when Alexis is there, notes, textbook, and all. "Oh! 'Morning!"

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
Alexis was in the same boat Gwendolyn was a couple of months ago.

As a newly arrived student, Gwendolyn was thrown feet-first into the deep end and was expected to sink or swim with a little help and, thankfully, she took to the place like a duck to water. Classes were starting to pick up, with her fertile mind being watered by the knowledge imparted by faculty and staff, and she was starting to make friends which, with her mutation, was something she really hadn't expected.

Dressed comfortably for the cool weather in a bulky peach-colored sweater and long pants with matching brown boots, Gwendolyn backed her way into the kitchen with her backpack right on the heels of Shannon, spinning around on the toe of her boot to look to see who, if anyone, is here before starting on the search for her breakfast.

"Good morning, Miss Alexis." Gwendolyn takes the southern route of calling someone when you're unsure of how to situate them in a particular worldview, making her way around the counter to the fridge, opening the stainless steel behemoth to see if anything in there spoke to her, demanding to be cooked and eaten. "And hello, Shannon." She leans back, plucking the bottle of milk from the shelf, along with a bit of butter. "What's in the box?"

Prismatic has posed:
    "Good morning, Shannon." Alexis greets the winged girl, giving a wave from where she's sitting. She has a pair of glasses on as she reads through -- the textbook in question appears to be some sort of teaching guide.

    The young woman was wearing a gray sweater with yarn stitched into the elbow in the shape of a bright red flower and a pair of jeans. "Good morning, Gwendolyn. And please, jut Alexis." she gives a wry little smile, glancing up and stirring her oatmeal, she looks between the two teens, her eyebrows rising a moment.

    "Admittedly, I'm also curious about what's in the box." she admits, leaning back on her eat a moment.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon giggles lightly and sets the box down on the counter, the lightly stained wood giving off a soft gleam in the light. For her part, the resident winged healer in training is wearing a pair of brown and gold striped and snowflake pattern leggings, black boots, and a plain red tunic sweater. Her hair is long and loose, and her little glacier blue braid with its three silver beads dangles loosely on the left side of her face. "It was in my last care package from home," she offers, flipping open the little gold-tone catch to reveal...

...tea. Little paper packets of various tea bags, all arranged in sectioned compartments by type. Some is chamomile, some is earl grey, and there are even a few types of green tea. Irish breakfast tea, orange spice, and a few other assorted types abound.

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
Expecting some sort of treasure, Gwendolyn comes over after putting her things down on the counter near the stove and watches as the little polished box is opened to reveal...tea. She frowns a little, shaking her head. "Never understood hot tea. I mean, ice tea I can understand - you drink it when you're hot and want to cool down - but a cup of hot tea? Just tastes like hot water that smells good to me." Blunt and honest, Gwendolyn is.

Prismatic has posed:
    "Ah, well when you're not using a good tea, then yes it's really just hot leaf juice, as the Hitchhiker's Guide proclaims." Alexis gives a wry note, looking over the variety of herbal and black teas. She stands and grabs a couple more teacups and saucers, and sets them down for the two girls, and pours them each a half-cup of the tea. It has a reddish tint to it, and smells slightly floral, slightly toasty.

    "Iced tea I'm afraid will forever be a mystery to me -- then again, I find most American breads too sweet for my liking." she sttes, sitting back down on her stool and marking her page, closes the textbook.

    "That is a very thoughtful gift from home, though. Your parents?"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods, and smiles, flipping the lid of the box closed. "Mmhmm. They also sent the rest of my fabric stash, and a copy of the white star I have on my bedroom door at home." She rolls her eyes and laughs, shaking her head. "Should've seen the look on Sam's face as he was helping lug all that into my dorm. It was priceless."

The teacups on the counter catch her attention, her eyebrows lofting with interest as she peers at the oddly reddish brew within. She picks up one of the cups and sniffs cautiously at the contents. "This one's a little hard to place... the color reminds me of rooibos, but the scent's not quite minty enough for that..."

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
The treasure box closed, Gwendolyn nods to Alexis and heads into the pantry, keeping an ear open to follow along with the conversation, returning a few seconds later with a scoop of steel-cut oatmeal from the bin in the pantry. Milk is poured into the pan with a little water, a dash of salt is added and then the fire is lit, the insect-winged girl waiting patiently for the mixture to come to a simmer.

"I was wondering what all that noise was." Gwendolyn says with a smirk, leaning against the counter. Shannon might have noticed that Gwen's door was cracked, just a little, allowing her to keep track of what was going on outside without having to leave her room. "And I think the look on his face was more surprise about being shanghaied into hauling your stuff up stairs."

The mixture boils and the oats are tossed in, stirred with a spoon, and set aside to simmer, giving Gwendolyn a chance to observe the tea that's being offered. "You're just making up words, Shannon. Wood Road (rue bois) doesn't sound like a tea."

Prismatic has posed:
    "Ah, well, Sam I think was looking at trying to get a piano I was teaching myself how to restore out here, and he'd need to call a few hands. I was able to move it a bit forward, but I had to brace against the wall and push it with my legs! He's such a helpful lad, Sam." she gives a small grin as she looks over to the two ladies, nomming her oatmeal and gives a soft 'mm' sound, swallowing and replies to Shannon:

    "Good nose. Not rooibos, this is a blend I encountered. Black tea and hibiscus blossom. It gives it a sweetness that takes the bitter off the black tea. Good for introducing others to hot teas and not that sugary nonsense." she teases.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon laughs softly, and shakes her head. "If there was noise in the dorms, Gwen, it wasn't from mine. This was a few weeks ago. I don't get these little tea chests very often, so they're saved for a special treat." As good as oatmeal looked, that was not what was appealing to the winged teen right now. So as soon as she takes a few sips of her tea, she's off to the fridge to hunt down something a little bit more protein-based. And what should she find but some eggs! Oh yes. Scrambled eggs, no fuss, no muss. She sets about getting the bowl, a fork, and a pan for cooking the tasty treat, humming an unfamiliar little tune. Well, unfamiliar to Alexis, at least. Gwen might have heard it. Once.

     "No, Gwen. Not rue bois. Rooibos." Thinking for a moment, she tries to break it down to its phonetic pronunciation. "Row-EE-bows. Kind of like that. Sometimes also called African red tea. Miss Munroe introduced me to it my first day here."

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
The oats and milk mixture get a stir, slowly thickening as heat gets into the dried grains, the chopsticks Gwendolyn's using to mix making it go that much easier and, surprisingly, very fast to clean up. She will use a spoon because, could you imagine oatmeal with chopsticks? Does not compute!

"Well, there was something going on. I was in the middle of studying and I heard a lot of banging, like someone was moving giant hunks of furniture or something. Any time I looked out, it was pretty much deserted." She gives a one-shouldered shrug. "Ah well. I'll have to see what the star you're talking about is the next time I'm up there."

Oatmeal - enough for Shannon, if she wants some - is scraped into a bowl with brown sugar and butter added on top and mixed all together. "Hibiscus? Like the flower?" she asks, moving to take a seat on the opposite side of the island with her bowl and a glass of milk she magicked up from somewhere, sitting up on her heels a little higher to peer across at the offered cups of tea. Carefully she reaches over to slide it back across the island to where she sits, bending to sniff with eyes closed beneath her visor, a small quirk of her mouth appearing after a second. "I might just chalk this up to the same thing as going into a cigar store, or a coffee house. Love the smells - absolutely love them - but can't get the taste for it."

Prismatic has posed:
    "Yes, the flower." the young TA replies, Alexis refreshing her cup of tea as she looks accross the island at Gwen. "My nan feels that it's a bit of a stretch to call anything that is not tea 'tea', mind, so I grew up with regular black teas for tea -- which, is like a morning snack or afternoon rest where I'm from. Generally our tea was in the morning, break from classes and a little sandiwch, or in the winter Welsh Rarebit." she purses her lips, "Which is something like an open-face grilled cheese sandwich." she adds on, glancing over to the two girls, and gives a wry little smile.

    
    "So, Gwen, where are you from, if you don't mind my asking?"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon smiles and nods to Gwen, cracking a few eggs into the bowl. "Would either of you like some eggs, too?" She waits to work on those, until both have a chance to say yea or nay. In regards to the white star, she chuckles softly, and shrugs. "Sure, I guess. It's not like the star on a dressing room door or anything, though."

Her eyebrows quirk and she glances over at Alexis. "I've heard of Welsh Rarebit, but never had it. It sounds really good. Maybe we could make some one day?"

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:

The teacup close by is lifted and sniffed - yep, hints of hibiscus flower and some other, earthier scent that she can't exactly place come up, and this is followed by another, tinier sip. She does it almost like wine, taking a little in to swirl it around the inside of her mouth and get all the flavors. If it works, she doesn't exactly say, but she does take another sip and notably does not spit it all out. "Where I'm from? Well...all over is the simplest explanation. My mother and father were from Cuba, but I was put up for adoption a little after birth. Bounced around the system to Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, but ended up in southern Lousiana when I was ten, after changing my name from Ginessa to Gwendolyn. So..." She uses her spoon like a baton. "Down south, thataways."

She gives Shannon a smile. "I'm fine, thank you." Gwendolyn says, lifting her spoon and taking a bite, blowing out from between pursed lips when it's just a little too hot for her, following it with a quick swig of milk to cut down on the heat.

Prismatic has posed:
    "I'm all right, thank you. This oatmeal will suit me until I pause for super later. And we could make it sometime, we wold need either a mild cheese or some sharper cheddar with milk, and a little good stout. I can't buy in the US, though." she replies, giving a smile to Shannon before she gives a small grin to Gwendolyn.
    The tea does have a toasty, sweet flavor. The hibiscus cuts down on the bitterness of the black tea. , as well as add those pinkish floral notes.

    "Ah, so how long in Lousiana? Do you cook much?" she questions curiously, motioning "Other than oatmeal, I mean. Oatmeal and ramen are about the extent of my culinary expertise."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon chuckles softly and nods, setting to work on the eggs. She only cracks three of them, putting the rest away and tossing out the shells. There's a light clinking of the fork against the sides of the bowl as she beats the eggs together lightly, adding a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Plain, simple, but oh so good. Meanwhile, the frying pan is heating on the stove with a little bit of butter, on a medium flame. "Do you cook much, she asks," she teases Gwendolyn, grinning at her. "Do either of us cook much? She hasn't seen us both at work in the kitchen, has she? We'll have to introduce her to po'boys, and mac 'n cheese."

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
"Before coming here to Xavier's, about six years, give or take. From eleven until sixteen, and spent the next year heading up here on foot." Yeah, there's a story there, but it's probably not for polite company on why or how she managed to make her way from the deepest of Southern states to upstate New York. On foot. The question about her cooking much? That earns a grin and a look over at Shannon. She starts to think about how exactly to say what needs to be said to fill in the vast amount of cooking that she and Shannon do but decides that honesty and brevity are the best way to not sound like she's blowing her own bugle.

"Shannon and I cook a lot. a /lot/. If you want to try something, tell us and, if we don't have a recipe, we'll find one and make it for you." Kitchen Virtuosos, they are.

Prismatic has posed:
    "I see! I'm... actually not familiar with what a 'po'boy' is. Mac and cheese I know." she replies as she stirs her oatmeal again. It's more than half gone.

    "I don't cook that much, maybe I'll take some lessons from you two." she gives a wry little grin. "It wasn't something I was encouraged to pursue, since I was... pretty awful the last couple of times I tried at my grandmother's. Which is a shame, being half Italian you'd think I would have all these recipies under my belt from my Nonna."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon grins at Gwendolyn. "It seems the students have become the teachers now," she quips, giggling softly. "We'll have to be certain to broaden her culinary horizons." Nodding sagely, she scrapes up the eggs from the bottom of the pan as they cook, the whole pale yellow, swirly mess soon turning into the familiar curd-like form of scrambled eggs. "Or I could make lasagna again, and you could do that awesome cheesy garlic bread of yours...?"

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
"Hey it's not even past breakfast and you're planning lunch and dinner. Ten thousand Calories of Lasagna and garlic bread means that we'll be running for /hours/ if we eat all of that." Gwendolyn snickers, taking another bite of her cooler oatmeal, being sure to not overwhelm her mouth with heat a second time. She turns to Alexis with a nod. "We all start somewhere. I taught myself to cook because the places I ended up usually cooked from boxes or cans, so if I wanted something with, like, less salt and a million times more flavor, I had to do it myself. Mostly cajun stuff thanks to Gran'ma back in Louisiana, but I've picked up a few other dishes, too."

Gwendolyn takes another bite, gesturing with her spoon. "Just let one of us know. Best thing to do is to pick something you want and then we just do it. Italian, we could do a nice carbonara, fettuccine, or spaghetti. Make you make your own pasta, too. You know - the good stuff. Whatever you're interested in. I've got Cajun down pretty good, and it's fairly simple, as far as things go. You just have to be a little daring, when it comes to a few things."

Prismatic has posed:
    "Hm, if I may suggest an alternative, I could start running dance classes." Alexis offers, "I'm pretty comfortable with advanced ballet, lyrical -- it burn calories, improves flexibility, and working with the barre helps the muscles in here --" Alexis points to her mid-section. "And makes them tighten and shape better." she explains, and she gives a laugh.

    "Ah, I'm not sure. I mean unless I were to talk someone into bringing me to Italy and buying the very specific meats from the farms my nonna and papa use, I think I'd be a bit udgemental. It'd be good, no doubt, but I'm particular about my Italian food."

Nightingale has posed:
     "Funny you should mention dance classes," Shannon muses, chuckling lightly. "I was just asking Chris about bo staff training and he suggested those to help with agility as well as the strength training I've already been doing." As for the lasagna and other Italian foods? She just shrugs and smiles, turning off the burner and plating up her eggs. Eggs and oatmeal. Perfect brunch! "The offer stands, if you ever want it."

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
"with the strength and financial opportunity being a member of Xavier's Staff - and having Blink on campus - you'd be surprised. In fact, your most likely problem would be currency exchange or learning the language." Gwendolyn leans back and pulls her legs up under her, sitting cross-leggedon the bar stool, munching on her oatmeal. "Dance? I could see you doing well in that, Shannon. I'm too leggy and hippy for dance, and my coordination is terrible. I was surprised I did the rings as well as I did when Samuel took me downstairs."

Prismatic has posed:
    "Well, I'm just a teacher's aide. I'm sure there's allowances taken out for room and board, materials..." she trails off as she gives a small shrug, finishing her oatmeal.

    "And Gwen, the whole idea behind dance classes is to work on coordination. It's like taking on a sport. You are awful at it in the beginning, and once you get comfortable, and you teach your muscles how to move it becomes memory." she explies with a wry smile towards the other girl as she stands, and ashe takes a step back from the island she was sitting at, and exhales. She grasps the edge firmly, leaning forward slightly, and reaches down her leg.

    And there's a bit of a stretch, but she draws her leg up, her arm drawing back slightly as her knee rises up behind her elbow, and she holds her toes in her cupped hand. It looks mildly unomfortable.

    "Mind you... it's a little difficult in jeans..." she trails off, giving a little puff of breath.

    "But ballet training helps in many ways for coordination, strength, and flexibility."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods slowly, and smiles, nibbling on her eggs first while they're still not, not minding cold oatmeal in the least. "Chris pretty specifically mentioned ballet. So I imagine that'd be a place to start. By the way," she says, gesturing lightly towards Alexis' right arm. "I did let him know about that, so he could look at it later, and make sure everything's on the up and up after that DR session."

Her jaw drops as she witnesses the display of flexibility, glancing over at Gwendolyn. "Oh... wow. You really think I'd be good at /that/?! I think I'm going to wind up in the Wellness Office more often than not!"

Haunt has posed:
"Morning kitchen-yoga?" Brad asks from roughly the doorway, invisibly. A little bit later the invisible boy turns entirely visible, though. He's dressed simply, dark jeans, sneakers, and an unzipped red hoodie over a generic white tee. He looks mildly ruffled and damp from a recent shower and lack of doing anything with his hair other than drying it with a towel, so it's a little fluffy on the long part on top.

Brad reacts with a slight squint and frown at the room in general, as if it were too way bright for his eyes and he's adjusting to it, as if he'd come out of a very dark theater.

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
Gwendolyn is sitting by the bar, finishing a bowl of oatmeal and a cup of tea, watching Alexis stretch in ways that make her wince. Mildly uncomfortable? That's one way to put it. "Well...better than me, at least, Shannon. I don't know if I could ever do that...I mean..." gwendolyn giggles. "Sometimes I have trouble touching my toes."

Gwendolyn looks over to Shannon, then back to Alexis. "It'd be like that John Wick movie - the ballet assassin guild, but with wings, if Shannon and I did it." Brad's appearance gets a small wave and a smile from the insect-eyed girl. "Hi Brad."

Prismatic has posed:
    "Good morning!" Alexis greets Brad cheerily enough, her bright British accent ringing like a silver bell, bringing her sock-clad foot back down as she looks to Shannon and Gwendolyn in amusement. "Like learning how to fight, or controlling our gifts, it takes time and practice. You have to be able to do a full split before you can do something like that. You need to be able to touch your toes before you can do a full split. I wasn't born able to read music, or perform on pointe. It took many years to learn those skills." she replies, then turns to Brad again "Just taking information down for possibly forming a recretational ballet company, for flexibility and agility training. Tea?" she offers, holding up a teapot.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon smiles at Brad and waves, beaming with pride. "Hey there! Wow... you are doing really well!" She leaves off eating her eggs, moving to the light switch to turn off the lights for him, that squint not lost on her. "How's it going?"

Alexis gets a funny stare, and a shake of her head, the winged girl chuckling softly. "Well... even the greats start somewhere," she quips, her eyes twinkling at some amusing memory. Chuckling turns to outright giggling, and she just goes right back to eating her eggs, in high spirits for today, it seems!

Haunt has posed:
"Hullo," Brad says, aiming a bright smile towards Gwen's voice. An instant later, he disappears out of view, as a telekinetic breeze flutters around the kitchen. The habit of using his powers on the environment kicked into reality, and he's tired enough to not maintain being visible while he does it.

"Smells good in here, is there extra food?" Brad asks hopefully, his voice making it evident that he moved over towards the stove, even if the boy is now invisible in the room. He didn't undertand he was being offered tea, probably.

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
Anywhere else, a boy vanishing into the aether would be considered strange. Today, it's just a Monday morning at Xavier's. "There's oatmeal in the pot by the stove. Should be enough for you, as long as you don't mind heating it up a little." Gwendolyn calls over to Brad, managing to return his smile before he vanishes, following Brad with her heightened senses across the kitchen.

"There was this cartoon I watched when I was little. This dog thing said 'the way to start getting good at something is to suck at it for a while, first.' When I started fiddle, I was terrible, but now?" She wtaps fingers to thumb in a rhythmic fashion. "I can play with the best of them. Ballet, though?" She giggles, turning to look at Alexis. "Recreational ballet...seems about as recreational as kickboxing classes."

Prismatic has posed:
    "Precisely, Gwen. Practice, practice, practice. And even if you don't get to my level, hopefully you should be able to take away from classes a better sense of confidence and awareness of your body." she grins.

    "Ha. I wish the 'fight classes' Sam wants me to go through were recreational. After contending with a break-in at the shelter I volunteer at, he's insisting I should be knowledgeable at some hand-to-hand. Classical fencing," she states as she draws up and goes to grab another teacup for Brad, should he want some tea, "isn't any good when the nearest weapon at hand is a baseball bat. Incredibly different discipline, and I'm rubbish at sports." she gives a mirthful sound.

    "Brad, would you like a cup of tea? It's a mix that I'm rather fond of."

Nightingale has posed:
     "Think Sam would be able to fight off both of us at once?" Shannon asks Alexis, chuckling. "With half the scrapes I get into, I really need to get way better at hand-to-hand than I am. Flying drop-kicks are a little tricky to pull off in close quarters." The eggs do not last long, and neither does the oatmeal, both fairly vanishing down the winged girl's gullet in short order. "Ugh, remind me not to forget about eating breakfast again... now it's going to be a day of 'if it's not nailed down it's going in my belly'." The tea, however, she does try to take some time to savor, sighing in delight at the taste. "Okay, this is good stuff."

Triage has posed:
Chris tucks his staff under his arm and doffs a pair of gloves and stuffs them into the large pockets of his coat before he crosses the threshold into the kitchen. He yanks off a wool cap and stuffs that into one of the pockets as well. He smiles at Brad's question, even though he hasn't located the relatively new student. He could scan for life-signs but that seems secondary at the moment. "We might have some bad weather soon if those clouds to the East are any portent," he mentions. When Allegra mentions training, his eyebrows rise. "He's right," he volunteers. "At times, the city itself seems like a war zone. Everyone should have some combat skills or at least self-defense." He nods to Shannon and reminds her, "We'll practice some hand to hand soon enough."

Haunt has posed:
"Cool," Brad says easily, and then pots and plates start moving around the stove area. He lifts the pot, upending it over a bowl, and works to scrape the oatmeal out with a spoon. That gets transferred to the microwave to heat, where a bunch of buttons are pressed, and then the 'start' is hunted for. Eventually he gets it going (for thirty two minutes). It's probably a little cringe-worthy, the clumsy use of the microwave, but the blindness doesn't make easy work of a microwave panel. Still, Brad made it happen, and he hangs out near the microwave invisibly, counting in his head.

"Nothing wrong with being /limber/. Yes, I'll try the tea," Brad adds when asked directly, clearly listening.

"Everyone here is //really// into fighting," Brad asides to Gwen with a thoughtful amusement. "Have you ever had to fight anybody since you got here? Feels like a militia; zero pacifists."

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
"I can honestly say that I've never been in fight up here. Generally my fights consist of me getting out of the fight as fast as I can because that's something I'm pretty sure i'm not very good at." Gwendolyn slips off her seat and takes her now empty bowl and cup to the sink, giving the invisible Brad a bump with her hip as she slips by, remaining near the microwave to converse with everyone. Chris gets a wave as he comes in, and Alexis and her ballet? Well, that gets Gwen to thinking. "Being more limber will probably help out in some parts of my life, and it's probably a little easier on the joints than running. IF you end up doing anything like that, let me know and I'll see about making an appearance?"

Prismatic has posed:
    "Good morning, Chris!" Alexis replies brightly, looking to the healer with a smile, and holds up a teacup questioningly, giving it a shake. "I have four cups left still if you would like some, it's hot." she states, grabbing a second set of saucer and teacup from the shelf.

    "And you're not wrong. Twice now I've been knived by anti-mutant gentlemen, one slumming around for 'freaky chicks' and another bothering the nice miss from the bodega down the way from my apartment. I," the five-foot two lady states, motioning to herself "am not precisly an intimidating member of the community ."

    And she sets the saucers and teacups down, pouring the tea for Brad.

    Gwendolyn is near Brad, so she doesn't mind not minding the microwave as she pours.

    "Well, once I'm sure that Kurt doesn't include dance with his drama and theater course, I would be happy to run perhaps a dance class after proper classes. Unlike music... I don't really have much experience teaching dance. I'll have to go back through some of the planners."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon purses her lips and shrugs at the talk of fighting. "It's not my favorite thing to do, but the fact of the matter is, Miss Carr and Chris are both right. Trouble's going to find us, so being able to defend ourselves is probably a smart idea. My idea of a fight? If I'm going to have to do it, then hit hard, hit fast, and get out of there as quick as I can. Or better still, don't be there to begin with."

In answer to Alexis' inquiry about the drama and theater class, she shakes her head, and smiles. "No, he hasn't been adding in dance to that. We're actually reading through Cyrano de Bergerac."

Triage has posed:
Chris shakes his head at Brad's comment about the fighting. "Most of us don't /want/ to fight people, Brad," he answers, recognizing the voice if not a face. "That's why I mentioned self defense. When you're ... different, you might need to protect yourself. If I can calm someone with words, I'm happy, but if blows are necessary, I want to be ready. That goes double if I need to protect people with me." He glances to Allegra, Gwendolyn, and Shannon in turn.

When Alexis offers tea, Chris grins and inclines is head. "Yes, please!" he answers. Her story, however, brings a frown to his face. "Bullies can spot vulnerable people like those poor people in shelters," he comments. "It's a sad but common situation." He looks toward the microwave now that Gwen has shown where Brad is. "No one here hunts for fights, but if we have no options, we'll deal with the situation. There are dangerous parts of the Big Apple, and other large cities that I've visited. It's like a universal disease."

Haunt has posed:
"I haven't been in a /real/ fight since I turned invisible. People don't catch me, obviously." Brad listens to Triage's explanation. "Yeah. I've gotten some weird reactions, true. I haven't thought about needing to protect somebody else with me, I guess..... But... I'll show you why I don't feel like I need to bother with self-defense, but you gotta promise not to be weird about it," Brad offers, but with some hesitancy. He isn't doing anything until he's gotten feedback on the offer, though. There's a soft little laugh as Gwen comes up to bump him, he pokes at her side invisibly with a finger.

Then, Brad stops the microwave manually by pushing the lever to open the microwave door, and moves one hand in to sense heat from the bowl within. He deems it not warm enough, closes the door, and starts up the microwave again by pushing buttons until it goes.

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
Gwendolyn leans against the counter, quiet, rocking a little from some unseen push on her side, crossing her arms over her chest. She shakes her head after a while, blowing a breath out of her nose. "I don't want to fight anyone. I mean...I know that's kind of a given. I don't want trouble. I don't want to be hated by anyone for anything. I just..." She hangs her head, her hair falling over her face. "Just wish it could be like it was before. But it can't. So I've got to."

Prismatic has posed:
    "I certainly don't hunt for fights... most of the time. I was... just taught that you should be respectful to another person, and help where you can. Sometimes, that does involve fighting, or in my case taking a couple of punches while someone gets away." Alexis gives a wry little smile, pouring Chris a cuppa as well. The tea is a reddish color, and smells both toasty and floral. When sipped it's not as bitter as regular tea, and has a sweet, almost flower-y taste to it.

    She look to Gwendolyn, and she gives a slight, sad smile,"To paraphrase one of my favorite books, you do not have to fight, or do something grand, Gwendolyn. The everyday acts of good done even by ordinary people are the greatest thing that keep evil at bay. Small acts of kindness and love."

    "Brad, dear," she turns to where she thinks he's standing near the microwave, "I have your cuppa here. Would you like me to bring it over to you?"

Nightingale has posed:
     "It doesn't take a fight to be a hero, as I've been told many a time," Shannon adds, sipping her tea. "You could rescue a cat from a tree, or heal someone and save their life, and you'd still be a hero to them." Her smile is a rueful one, and she shrugs. "Still, I'd rather not trust in blind luck too many more times. It'd be nice to up my game a bit, have some decent, solid skills on my side."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie comes walking in from the garage area, he has been out to pick up a few things. He is carrying a couple grocery bags, and looks around and says "Hey all." He moves to put the bags down on the counter.

Haunt has posed:
Brad shuts off the microwave again, but just quietly approaches Gwendolyn where she is hugging herself, gently invisibly touches her elbow once, then offers a hug, his arm moving across the self-hug she's doing. Not that anyone else can see it, so it might look really funky to anyone else witnessing it! But the extension of comfort is there, along with a subtle lean of his head towards Gwen's; he is careful, though: he's aware that he can't be seen at the moment and doesn't intend to headbutt her.

Brad also quickly drops the topic of his own defense methods, letting that go. "Yes, please," Brad answers Alexis when she asks him. "Or tap which one it is?"

"I actually have a lesson about my TK, so I have go. I'll take it for the road if that's okay," Brad asks. He moves aside from Gwen to rescue his microwaved bowl and spoon. He may or may not actually be carrying them.

Triage has posed:
Chris accepts the cup from Alexis, lifting it and smiling at the scent, "Lovely!" he declares. "This should dispel the chill nicely. He inclines his head to her. "Thank you." Then he perches on one of the stools around the island. "Gwen and Brad," he calls, looking toward the microwave, "You shouldn't be ashamed about wanting to avoid fights. As I mentioned, most people want to avoid such things if they're not backed into corners, either physically or in their minds."

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
Gwendolyn leans into something - probably Brad - from her spot on the counter and it really looks odd, since if there wasn't something there for her to lean on, she'd be toppling over on to the floor from being off balance. She does straighten a little as Brad heads over to get his cuppa, putting her bowl and cup into the dishwasher to be taken care of with the rest of the morning's dishes. "Thanks, Mis...er, Alexis. Thanks Brad. Hi Sammy." Cannonball gets a wave as he comes in with his bags of groceries.

Prismatic has posed:
    Alexis does absent-mindingly taps the glas of the cup with a teaspoon, making the glass ring nicely, and then turns to look at Sam.

    Her face just lights up, her ears turning a little pink as she exhales a little bit of a breath, leaning herself back on her stool as she sits back down with the BASICS OF EDUCATION textbook and a notebook in front of her.

    "Hullo Sam." she greets Cannonball as he groceries his way to the counter. "Need a hand? Is there any more? We were just talking about possibly getting into fights with the power of ballet." she jokes, "and drinking tea."

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
"I prefer talking about tea than talking about fighting." Gwendolyn says, watching Brad's bowl for a second before she wanders over to gather her backpack. "Samuel, if you're available tonight, you want to finish that testing?"

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie looks over to Alexis and smiles. He will give her a soft kiss and says "Just a things, thought I would pick up some things while I was out and about. "I should be available this evening, if your free." He will move to a place in the kitchen where none are about and making sure Brad aint in the area and will do a Tour en l'air "You mean something like that?"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon raises her eyebrows at Sam. "The heck... you been holding out on us there, big brother?" She grins, and chuckles softly. "Yeeeah, I'm seeing ballet lessons happening here. There's just way too many ways they can be applied elsewhere, to be considered anything but worthwhile." She raises her cup to everyone present in something of a toast, and takes a sip. "So, when are lessons starting up?"

Prismatic has posed:
    Alexis gives a smile, the kiss drawing a deeper pink to her ears as Sam kisses her cheek, and she purses her lips at Sam showing off his skills. "Well, at least I know I may have a ballet partner for the Xavier Corps d'Ballet. Think you can handle my weight?" she asks a bit cheekily of the much taller blonde.

    "A man of many secrets. Pity I can't keep my own!" she playfully states -- and offers Sam a cup of hot tea. Yes. Still hot. Proper tea.

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
"LEt me know." Gwendolyn says with a smile, hefting her backpack. "Until then, I've got math class to get to." She gives the gathered group a playful wave and heads out into the school proper.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie will look over and take the tea. He looks at it, and will raise a brow, but he does take a sip of it though. "Ah aint sure about classes taught by me, but Ah can set up for you guys to have classes if your wanting them." He moves to stand besides Alexis holding her with his free arm.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon tilts her head slightly and peers at Sam and Alexis. "Are we talking about fight classes, ballet, or both here? Because I could probably use both. Especially when it comes to learning to handle the bo staff properly." She cracks a smile and eyerolls at the kiss shared between the two, flicking a dish towel very lightly at them both. "Oi. Lovebirds." There is no malice in her tone, however, only laughter.

Prismatic has posed:
    The tea taste like tea. There's a toastiness to it, with floral notes and sweetness though, not at all like the overly-sacchrine abomination to the tea world that is Southern-style Sweet Tea. It may not be clear that Alexis has strong feelings about her tea.

    "Oi yourself, Pidgeon." Alexis replies to Shannon as she laughs, leaning a little into Sam.

    "I was considering offering ballet as a once-a-week recreational class. A couple of tall mirrors and a barre, and we should be all set to go."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie nods, and says "Well if you need help I can help with it." He smiles over to Shannon and says "We can teach both, not the best with a staff, but I know a little still suggest Remy or Ororo for staff training mainly though.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods and grins. "I did actually get to ask Remy about that." Now, she starts giggling madly, sipping her tea for a moment, before the mirthful sounds bubble up from within her once again. "He had a few good bruises on his neck, and it seems he needs a girl's opinion on what to give a ladyfriend for Christmas. So I help him with the Christmas present, he helps me with staff lessons."

Prismatic has posed:
     Alexis has a very stern look to that, and sits up a little straighter, sipping her tea as she breathes out. "I will... likely go with your suggestion, should I start carrying weaponry. An extendable baton with a suitably strong material would do nicely, I should think." she replies quietly, then gives a soft 'heh'. "Though I'll need to brush up on my fencing."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie nods and says "Well you have met our resident fencer now, so Ah am sure he will help out with it." He sips his tea again, not seeming to be the biggest fan but will drink it. "Ah am more hand to hand than weapons personally, but people give me grief for hitting things with my head."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon snickers softly, ducking back out of Sam's way. "Oh, you have no problem with that. Your skull's certainly thick enough to handle it." She bursts out in peals of laughter, her eyes dancing as she looks over at her adopted brother and his incredibly talented girlfriend.

"Oh, the next time you do a powers test in the DR, any chance of calling both Chris and I down to help out? We were talking about some things about our gifts yesterday, and if our theory is correct, there's the possibility my gift could shift a little."

Prismatic has posed:
    "Oh? Who fences?" Alexis asks, and wryly replie "But Sam, I distinctly recall someone saying you're /very/ hard-headed. Why would it be bad?" she jokes gently, and she finishes her tea, pouring another cup for herself.

    "Shift? Can... powers do that? Change as we get used to them?"

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie says, "Shift, not so much but yea it powers can change or expand somewhat with practice, and trying things. Like my punch, when Ah came here, ah never thought you doing a blast punch, Ah just flew, but Ah have learned a bit more. As for fencing that would be Kurt, blue fellow with a tail in the wellness office, warning you though he can fight with 3 swords at one time."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods quickly, her voice actually sounding... hopeful. "That's kind of what we're hoping. I had him check on my arm to make sure that my trying to heal around something that wasn't there didn't affect it badly. It was a little 'off', but he was able to repair it. And this time, I paid very close attention. As it turns out, the way that Josh taught me to use my gift to sort of 'see' into an injury to assess it, is just about identical to the way Chris does the same thing. So if he can get a sense of what happens when I'm healing someone, we're hoping that maybe with some training, my gifts could be expanded to include healing more like his. God, I hope that's possible..."

Prismatic has posed:
    "... so he is a teleporting German blue elf who teaches drama, fencing, acts as guidance counselor, has strong religious ties and a delicious sense of humour?" Alexis inquires to Sam, raising an eyebrow as she breathes out in a huff, and rubs the back of he rhead. "I have so much to learn about this place. I'm going to have to get used to non-standard teaching practices." she murmurs quietly, and looks at her hands, then back up to hannon as her lips purse a moment.

    "Does that mean that over time you might be able to repair the armor layer?" she questions curiously. And she reaches down and pulls up her sleeve. The place where the test had been done is irritated, skin peeling like a bad sunburn or allergic reaction.

    "Because it itches awfully when I'm healing."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie looks over to Shannon, we should have talked to Chris to see if he could get it healed up for you, and the German blue elf, is also dating the Scottish werewolf you met at the mall." He tells her, seeing if she catches on to what Rahne's powers are. "It may be able to heal more, and without it taking it on. Also it maybe that you can heal it faster with prep or something.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon shakes her head and shrugs, setting down her cup. "I honestly don't know at this point, Allegra. Probably the best way to get a handle on if that's possible is to allow Chris to try, and if you're willing, I could observe. It still wouldn't be a sure thing in my case, but it'd put the odds in my favor if he can do it. There's a lot of unknowns here." There's definitely hope and a fair bit of excitement in her voice, something that hasn't been there in a few months. She's definitely more animated, finding it difficult to sit still on the kitchen stool.

Grinning at Sam, she tilts her head and laughs a bit. "He's sure agile enough, so I can believe he'd handle three blades at once. And holy hell, just look up the DR session from oh... I believe around August 9, and let Allegra have a look at that. You want to see some serious acrobatics, let me tell you, Kurt has turned it into a fine art. So few have a zest for life like that."

As the talk shifts back to gifts, she nods. "That's what I'm hoping for, big brother. I mean, okay, in a pinch, if it's a rush and no massive danger to me, sure. But if I can channel that gift differently, practice it enough to where it becomes instinctive and really doesn't need prep, then you won't need that nameplate for me in the medbay after all."

Prismatic has posed:
    "Rahne?" she blinks, and she considers a few things about the two, and she purses her lips slightly, and gives a nod. "All right, so he has good taste in women as wee-rewolf?" Alexis blinks, pours herself the rest of the tea. "I hope then his enthusiasm is infectious. I'm still nervous about teaching, and with classes sorting out soon," she motions to the education book she's reading through. "I'll need a little more animation, I think, for keeping attention on what I'm doing. Mm. If I propose a Ballet class, do I bring that to Jean? Since we apparnetly have two interested in guitar, two more fiddlers, and two interested in ballet class for the sake of developing flexibility and agility..."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie nods and says "You can talk to her or put in the info via school's mail system. Also if your needing help with the ballet pretty much any of us original New Mutants and Kitty have some training. Actually dance class is where we originally met Doug. And Rahne aint the typical werewolf most times if it is ok of late she prefers her half human, half wolf form. We a bit more diverse than you thought we would be hon?

Triage has posed:
Chris returns, carrying the tea cup that he took with him when he left to attend to another student who needed help with an injury. He sighs. Seeing that Sam, Shannon, and Alexis are still here, he returns to the island. "I don't suppose that you have more of this at hand," he asks Alexis. "I used mine to calm the poor student when he thought that he'd broken his leg at gymnastics."

Prismatic has posed:
    The musician makes an uncomfortable face at Sam's question, though she looks embarrassedly down at her tea, her lips set in a firm line before Chris makes his triumphant return, just in time to save her from saying uncomfortable things!

    "Ah, the poor lad." Alexis states, and she slides the untouched tea originally poured for Brad over to Chris. "Will he be all right?" she questions, her lips pursing a moment.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods, and grins. "It only took one interested in drama class to ask Kurt." She raises her hand and chuckles softly. "Even if Sam had to twist my arm to ask him, because it felt selfish to ask for something I wanted. But yeah, bring it up to Jean. She's pretty awesome."

She can't help smiling as she glances over to Alexis, remembering how it had felt when she first arrived here. "It can be pretty intense when you first get here. You see so many things you thought were the stuff of myth and legend. Yet there it is, staring you right in the face--and you're part of it, too. There's just so many people from different backgrounds here, so many different gifts--and we're all of us here a part of that. It's pretty freaking amazing. You're probably never going to see anything like it anywhere else."

As Chris comes back in, her open excitement and hope shift, brows furrowing in concern when she hears his tale. "Oh hell... how'd that happen? I'm pretty sure of the answer, but he's going to be okay, right?"

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie squeezes Alexis' hip to him, and says "Trust me, was a bit overwhelming for me when first got here, had never been more than a hundred miles from home. Got here and now, have family from al over the world." He looks over, and says "You got a bit of healing left in you Chris, to look at Alexis' arm?" He will ask the man "We were talking a bit about you looking at it just a bit ago."

Triage has posed:
"The leg wasn't broken, only badly sprained at the hip," Chris answers Shannon. "The kid hoped to milk it for a day off from the class but I've seen enough of faking to know that. He's back to his feet." He looks to Sam and nods. "I'll have a look. Shannon told me about the situation and what she tried. Yesterday, I looked at her arm where she transferred the injury. From what I could tell, she did well but her body rebelled slightly at the situation." He looks from Sam to Alexis and then agrees. "I'll have a look. If you don't mind, for training purposes, I'd like for Shannon to observe while I check. She's still honing her diagnostic skills."

Prismatic has posed:
    Alexis gives a soft huff as Sam tugs her in a side-long hug, and she gives a shake of her head before she shrugs out of the long cardigan she was wearing, and hangs it on the back of the stool she's occupying in order to show Chris the arm.

    About half way up her lower arm, along the fleshy bit before the elbow there is what looks like an awful rash, scratched and itchy, dry flaking skin and discoloration beneath it in a variety of abnormal brusing colors. As Alexis turns her wrtist and her arm back and forth, it shimmers, a thousand tiny prisms catching the light and turning colors.

    "So, this is what it looks like after the armored layer breaks. Which it can do with a hard enough blow, or repeated blows. Hurt like hell, but at least we have a guage for what I can handle."

Nightingale has posed:
     "If that were anything else catching the light like that, Allegra, I'd call that really beautiful. Right now... it's just a beaut." Shannon just smiles at Allegra, Sam, and Chris, nodding to all three. "She was really a trooper through the whole test."

     Looking to Chris, she nods, closing her eyes and resting her hand on Allegra's arm, just on the injury, opening her senses to observe but not to attempt another healing. "Ready when you are..." Her voice sounds a little bit faraway as she sinks into a mildly altered state.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie holds Alexis' other hand. "She did really well. And now know at least a bit more about her powers, and more prepared." He looks to the group and says "Thank you for helping, Ah know sorta what ya do but it is still appreciated."

Triage has posed:
Being farther from Allegra than Shannon is, Chris circles the island to stand beside their patient. He waits for Shannon to settle herself and focused. Even without touch, he can sense the subtle shifts in her life-force, and knows, even before Shannon speaks, that she is ready. He places his hand below the wound that might best be described as a rupture. "She's right," he agrees. "The colors are almost ... opalescent. They would be beautiful under other circumstances, but I also sense the neural strain." He looks to Sam, and then Alexis. "This won't hurt. In fact, it might feel pleasant. Most describe it as warmth with a slight tingle like effervescence." He closes his eyes. His breathing deepnes, and a tendril of energy flows slowly, like a feathered serpent exploring the sight of injury.

Prismatic has posed:
    Topically speaking, the epidermis is a bit of a mess over where the armor was broken. Irritated by old carbon bits, discarded or mishapen as the armor knits itself back together, the network of crystals beneath her epidermis reforming. Tight enough to allow capilaries and sweat, but not anything more than half-width hair She shifts her weight slightly, pursing her lips a moment as the bubbling happy warmness spreads along her skin.

    The iritation was anatural reaction, the epidermis is slightly disconnected from the dermis, the blood flow was reduced and the nerves were shot from pain, but everything was healing.

    "About the worst thing is I get the absolute want for burnt toast. Higher carbonized items, I suppose, make it easier to 'knit', as it were.

TShe leans a little bit against Sam.

    "I don't know a whole lot about how it works. The doctors who determined that it was a... mutation couldn't really figure just what it was." she admits softly.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods slowly, half-hearing Alexis, but primarily focused on the healing in progress. A little smile appears on her face, a look of pure wonder on her features as she 'sees' everything knitting together as it should. The more she saw, the more certain she became that, with time and some training, she could redirect her own gift in just such a way. "Sounds like what both Chris and I deal with when we've healed someone. Our dietary needs shift, depending on what we've healed."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie is just being the supportive boyfriend. There is not a lot he can do to add to this so he is quiet, and there for her to lean on. He will watch them and offers Alexis a smile to give support her.

Triage has posed:
"It's definitely a crystalline growth," Chris murmurs in a trance-like voice. The thin worm of energy begins to spread, like a liquid filling gaps in the crystal. The tissue itself begins to accrete, with each edge growing slowly closer to its opposite until they touch. "It's almost like an exoskeleton, a layer of crystal armor beneath the skin," he comments. After the 'armor' has sealed, the epidermis and dermis begin to heal as well. Finally, the last vestiges of the wound begin to heal, and Chris's breathing returns to normal. Apart from a slight sheen of perspiration, there is no sign in him of strain. He exhales and his eyes open slowly. "You should rest for an hour or so. They you should be well," he urges. Looking to Sam, he suggests, "If we can, we should do a kind of 'biopsy' to see what the material is, and whether we can find foods that might closely approximate it."

Prismatic has posed:
    Alexis looks geuinely surprised when the energy begins to heal her. She gives a gasp, her fingers stretching as all the wounds begin to heal, her fingers curling slightly, but she does look a little pale as he shifts her weight, leaning more against Sam as she gives a breath out.

    She watches as the irritated skin draws, easing the itching and irritation, and she looks to Chris with appreciation and awe."That's... that's amazing. I didn't think that the armor could be healed like that..." he states, though he tilts a little bit against Sam.

    Alexis gets a goose's HONK on her phone, and she looks surprised, reaching for her back pocket a moment. "... oh. Thaaat's the landlord. I'll have to give him a call and take care of some 'moving out' business." she states quietly.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon smiles, seeing that it may one day be possible for her to heal like that. She only draws her hand back when she notes how Chris slowly disentangles his life energy from Allegra's, finally understanding just how close her gift is to his. "Now it makes sense why stopping a healing suddenly almost killed me," she murmurs. "The connection was /so/ strong, that disrupting it forcibly was a shock to my system. If that strength can be channeled..."

Opening her eyes, her smile widens, looking over at Chris and Sam. "She did mention burnt toast as a shift in her dietary needs when healing. So, maybe that's something? Carbon-laden foods?"

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie kisses Alexis and says "If we need to get stuff out sooner than planned let me know." He will look to the two healers, and :nods, and says "Figured might be sorta like that, we often end up getting cravings for what is needed. " He looks over to them, and says "Thanks again guys appreciate it."

Triage has posed:
Chris steps back so that Alexis can leave for a bit to wrestle with the landlord. He looks to Shannon and nods, smiling. "You need control over that situation," he notes. "It's like controlling the burner beneath a pot." Then he looks to Sam and offers, "If you need extra hands for the move, you know where to find me." Then he looks back to Shannon and recommend, "helping with that could count as upper-body strength training, too. More hands make faster work as long as we coordinate things."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon smiles wider, and nods. "Like I'd need a reason to help my big brother and his girlfriend." She hugs Sam fiercely, smiling and....

...giving him the mother of all noogies! An impish little giggle escapes her, wings fluttering behind her like a playful little bird getting ready to take off into the sky.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie looks to her, and says "You do know Ah have a lot more practice tormenting little sisters than you do big brothers right." He jokes a bit to her, and says to them "Not alot to move but guy is probably trying to get an extra month out of her.

Triage has posed:
Chris nods. "Well, the offer stands if you need it. She is part of the family now." Then he grins to Shannon. "He has a point, Shannon. With nine siblings, I'd say that he's had ample opportunity to hone his skills at doling out mischief."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon giggles and just hugs Sam again. "Hey, I need the practice!" By that mischievous little twinkle in her eyes, one is left to wonder if she will be quite the menace come April Fool's Day. She grins at both Sam and Chris, chortling. "Okay, so I've got some catching up to do. I'll work on it, trust me.

The talk of Allegra's landlord has her making a sour face for a moment. "Huh. Sounds like a greedy sum'beach she's got for a landlord. You know... I could bake him some chocolate chip cookies. With chocolate-flavored Ex-Lax for the chips." She snickers, and one can almost imagine little demon horns sprouting somewhere atop her head. Almost.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie looks to her, and says "99% of land lords are greedy but the place was not to expensive, and Ah am pretty sure he will rent it again quickly. So what you been up to of late you two?"

Triage has posed:
"When I'm not tending the ... rather creative injuries that some of the students manage to inflict on themselves or each other while they're learning about their gifts, I'm continuing my studies at college," Chris answers. "I'm still working on kung fu with the bo and other nonlethal weapons when I have opportunities."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon smiles and sits back down on a stool at the counter, and rests her elbows on the edge, her chin in her hands. But there are no wings drooping here, nope. "Mostly keeping up with my studies here. Training where I can, but wouldn't mind getting into the DR a little more sometimes. Learning quite a bit about healing from Chris. Glad for bussing the tables at the club, it'll help out a lot. Thank you for that."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie nods his head a bit to this and says "Well trying to help as many as Ah can and better than delivering Pizzas, trust me." He will nod a bit to the two and says "We can get the training in there when ever you want, and what all you wanting to work on Shannon?

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon tilts her head as she thinks about this, mulling the answer over in her mind. "Well... just for myself, I wouldn't mind working on a little hand-to-hand, and run the flight rings again. See if maybe my top speed has improved. But overall, I'd really like to see more of us going in there in pairs and groups, and working together on exercises like you had Bean and I do that first day. It'd be a good way to keep the team sharp, and maybe give potential members a chance to see what we're /really/ like." A smile plays upon her lips, and there's a sense of a will of iron, a budding confidence that has been a long time coming. "I really think we can do it, but we can't just slack off because of a misunderstanding. Best way to clear that up is to let the ones who were involved see what we're really like, and keep to that moving forward." She grins a bit sheepishly, shrugging. "Maybe I'm not the team lead, but it's what seems to make the most sense to me."

Triage has posed:
Chris nods to Shannon when she offers her ideas bout the DR. "It would work well as a simulator for acrobatics, too. I think that some people underestimate the value of acrobatics for evasion and as a way to set up an attack that might take an enemy by surprise."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie nods, and says "Trust me, Ah make sure to work on that a lot with the flyers. If your going to be in the air, knowing how to fall with style." He chuckles and says Never know when something is going to mess with your ability to fly so you need to be ready.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods in understanding, and smiles. "Either fall with grace, or something that's tricky for me is close-quarters flying. There was a DR session with Kurt, Bean, and Megan that got a little messy. When I was having to fly between buildings, the space kept getting narrower and narrower, and I wasn't quite sure how to deal with it."

Triage has posed:
Chris glances from one to the other while the two fliers talk about something that is completely alien to him. "I've seen pilots in films turning their aircraft to a 90-degree angle to fly between buildings, but I never took that seriously. I'm sure that you reach a point where the space is simply too narrow."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie says, "It is one that others will be more able to help you with, if it is a short enough space you might be able to hold your wings in and let momentum take you but after a second or two your going to have issues, need to make sure ya know your height and faling time"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods, and grins. "Now that is actually something I get a lot of practice with, every single time I go flying outside. I love doing a dive-bomb over the lake, and then open my wings at the last second. Natural extension of that was the flying drop-kick. Major drawback? I need a good bit of airspace to pull that off properly. So close-quarters flying would be a huge help, and it might help other flyers, too."

She glances over at Chris, seeming to mull this over for a second. "You know, I never did try that. Wonder if I even could?"

Triage has posed:
While he listens, Chris frowns for a moment in thought. Looking to Sam, he asks, "If you intend to go between two buildings that present a narrow path, then, shouldn't you try for an upward trajectory to compensate for the rate of fall when you tuck your wings close?" He uses his hand to illustrate, holding it in a vertical and flying it at an upward angle. "Still, you'd need enough initial momentum to compensate for the lack of lift from the wings."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie says, "Well if you have time to try to go over it, is a good thing, but if you don't you want to know roughly how far you will make it before your past the whole no return mark."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon purses her lips thoughtfully. "It would be a good idea to try it in the DR sometime, to see what that point is for me. I've gotten to just above the lake successfully, so I could skim the surface with my fingers. But that's a wide open space, with a clear view all around, so there's a big difference."

Triage has posed:
"You also had time to correct there," Chris mentions. "And no distractions like enemies. We need to know how that would work under duress." He looks to Sam. "Can the DR give her a scenario where she needs to fly between two buildings, skyscrapers that are quite close, while under pursuit?"

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrienods and says "And wiping out on asphalt is a lot more unforgiven than the lake is as well." He reminds them, and says "We can set up the danger room so she is having to fly through the star wars trash compactor with a pack of flying monkeys chasing her.

Prismatic has posed:
    Alexis returns, pinching the bridge of her nose as she comes in from the garage. She looks mildly upset, and her ears are red, but fading back to their original color. She is currently cursing under her breath "... foro li cosi profondo che raggiunge nel fottuto infern--" she pauses mid-sentence, and glances up at the group still in the kitchen.

Nightingale has posed:
     "That's exactly what was happening during that scenario with Kurt, Bean, and Megan," Shannon chimes in. "And it involved me being pursued by HYDRA agents in jetpacks. The whole thing got a little messy and when the space got too narrow, I wasn't left with much option but to fly up into the open..."

     Allegra's return has her frowning slightly, and she tries to translate what she's saying. "Ummmm, I can't quite make out all of that, but I'm guessing some of it's words I shouldn't be learning anyways...? What happened?"

Triage has posed:
Chris turns on his stool when Allegra returns. He notices the arms first, and frowns. "Hey! I just healed you!" he complains, trying to cover his concern with humor. He looks to Shannon, and finally Sam. "Something's wrong, and unless I miss my guess badly, it's big."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie looks over and says "Ah think Ah am going to have to learn to speak Italian." He will look over and walks over to take Alexis' hand, and says "Ok hon, whats going on, and what can Ah do to make it better for ya hon?"

Prismatic has posed:
    "No, it's a terrible language to swear in, this monster is slinging horrible language and is serving a -- a -- gah. English, Allegra! Ordine di sfratto -- eviction notice! There, that's the one!" she hisses, and she just grumps. "Even though I'm leaving the apartment in better condition than when I found it, since Sam helped me fix the window and helped with some other work around the place, he claims that there was an outside contractor which violates the terms of the lease, so I don't get my deposit or safety back. It literally cost me two thousand dollars to move into the place." she mutters crossly, "Apparently it got around that I'm teaching and he's trying to extort money. Right unproper of the man."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon gets a positively /evil/ grin on her face, and just looks between Chris, Allegra, and Sam. "Please, /please/ can I bake those chocolate Ex-Lax chip cookies for that greedy son of a bitch? I promise, I'll even add in some Metamucil for extra fiber! He'll be clear as a bell... and it sounds like he needs it!"

Triage has posed:
"How is Sam an outside contractor?" Chris wonders, shaking his head at Allegra's fuming. "If he's claiming that you hired an outside contractor and you didn't hire someone to help, you have him on that point, and he should need to show proof." He looks to Sam and suggests, "You might need to go over the rental agreement to see if he really has a claim." He lays a hand on Shannon's arm and reminds her, "We're healers. If he's that rotten, he'll find enough trouble for himself in time."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie hmms and says "May Ah go talk to him?" He will ask Alexis. He is polite as he asks this. "I do believe he and I should have a talk, and see if we can come to terms. Sam wants to have the talk with this fellow a mile up or so.

Prismatic has posed:
    "Shannon, that is positively evil in so many ways, and I forbid you from doing such, and I wouldn't wish that on him. He lives in the building and each floor has one shared bathroom." she states glumly, and she looks around at the group.

    "I don't know if that's a good idea. Remember, 'Alexis Carr', who signed the agreement... doesn't actually exist. If I'm caught living under an assumed identity, I can only assume it will start trackng back to other places. I always paid rent in cash, so there's no notes that I even paid anything that I can prove. I don't have a bank account. He's a slumlord." she gives a l ittle shrug.

    "As long as he leaves Joe alone, I'll just take my things and leave as soon as possible."

Triage has posed:
"Joe?" Chris asks. Then he remembers, and nods. "Allegra, if you left him there, you might want to get him sooner rather than later. If this man knows that Joe is important to you, and if he wants money, he might cause problems." He looks to Shannon, frowning.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods to both Allegra and Chris. "Okay. So no special cookies for him." By the look of it, however, another idea is brewing. Uh-oh. "Next question, Allegra. Have you already paid your last rent to him? If not, may I suggest giving it to him all in pennies? And don't give him the courtesy of having them in rolls, either. For this nonsense he's pulling on you, he doesn't deserve courtesy."

Her brows furrow and she glances at Chris. "Agreed. I'd get Joe out of there first."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie nods his head a bit to this and says "I have talked to most of the folks with pets to make sure that Joe will be ok out here, so we can go get him, and load everything in the stationwagon tonight, and then i can break everything again.

Prismatic has posed:
    "Yeah, let's... let's get Joe tonight, I don't have much in the way. Other than the Piano, everything should be able to fit in the station wagon." she takes a deep breath, and straightens herself up before she looks to Sam, and Shannon, and Chris.

    "My apologies both for losing my temper in front of you as well as the horrible languge."

Triage has posed:
"Then we should go, and waste no time," Chris urges. "If the piano won't fit, we could rent a truck for that." He shifts from his stool and looks to Sam for his response.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods, and starts cleaning up some of the dishes from tea, and brunch, ferrying them all over to the sink and washing up. "The sooner the better," she adds. "Don't worry, Joe will be okay. We'll make sure of it."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie nods, and says "The piano, I don't fit but we can get a uhaul to get it up here if we want. Was not sure if Alexis was going to bring it or not for sure.

Triage has posed:
"That shouldn't be a problem," Chris tells Sam and Allegra while he heads to the sink to help Shannon with the dishes. "Let's reconvene her in an hour to give everyone time to tend to any loose ends."