12465/Cheese 'n Chat

Cheese 'n Chat
Date of Scene:	18 November 2020
Location:	Kitchen - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Mac 'n cheese draws unlikely allies and dear friends and family out of the woodwork. The nature of Nature, nicknames, and Not Being A Jerk are discussed.
Cast of Characters:	Nightingale, Sabretooth, Siphon, Beast, Colossus

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Nightingale has posed:
     It was a trope of workplaces everywhere--'XYZ number of days since our last accident'. In the case of a trouble magnet, this could be doubly true. It had been a few days since the mishap at the haunted house that had rendered Shannon flightless, with her wings bandaged up and in splints. Thankfully, this was also the day those had come off, leaving her free to stretch her wings a bit and regain some of their flexibility.

     Healing, at least in her case, could be accelerated with heightened intake of calcium and protein. So what was the best source? Why, mac 'n cheese, of course! And, as it so happened, she was just putting a very large pan of the stuff in the oven to bake, with the ooey, gooey, cheesy aroma soon wafting through the room and out into the hall....

Sabretooth has posed:
    He is heard before he is seen with the thump of large boots and a heavy frame. Moments later, the large form of Victor Creed comes into the kitchen wearing a white tshirt, blue jeans, and heavy engineer boots. He spots Shannon and grunts with a slight nod of his head as he heads towards the fridge to rummage inside. He stands there with the door open as he, however, doesn't really seem to know what he wants. He lifts his nose to sniff the mac and cheese aroma, but doesn't comment yet.

Siphon has posed:
    It's not normal for Tabitha to be around food when she's all copper and shiny. That much in her batteries erases her urges for food and sleep, among other things. But this time she's under orders to eat anything she can get down to see what kind of effect it has on her ability to keep her batteries full.

    She's in her workout kit of full body black UnderArmor thermals with brushed copper shorts and crop hoodie. She's traded her leg-warmers and sneakers for a pair of her black and copper Argyle knee-highs and her offensive to the eyes dayglow lime green fuzzy bunny slippers.

    She gives Shannon a quick finger wave and the unfamiliar form of Victor a cautious up-nod on her way in. "Please tell me you're on a mac 'n cheese kick tonight, Shan?"

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon just becomes deathly silent for several long moments, her wings moving very slowly. It had become less of an uncommon thing to see Victor roaming the halls, but he was not someone she went out of her way to seek out. Her own steps are muffled by a pair of floofy Old English Sheepdog slippers, with those big black noses and floppy little pink tongues lolling about with every step. She's in red tartan sweatpants and a baggy grey tank top, not exactly a fashion plate but it gets the job done. Lifting her chin in an up-nod, she does her level best to keep fear from her voice. "'evening. Got some extra mac 'n cheese in the oven if you're hungry."

     Tabby's entrance is met with a sigh of relief and a nod. "Just got some in the oven. Best thing for healing."

Sabretooth has posed:
    Victor finally fishes out a beer from the fridge. As it is a Canadian brand, it is probably Logan's and Victor just doesn't really care. He turns and leans against the counter as he pops the can with the crack and hiss. "'preciate it," he says gruffly as he regards Shannon and Tabitha. "Might get some, but the beer is good for now." He almost seems to tower in the kitchen when compared to the refridgerator and even the cabinets. THe can in his hand looks small. He chuckles softly at the smell of unease coming from Shannon as he lifts the beer to his mouth.

Beast has posed:
Sometimes one needs a break from marking papers, or writing a paper, or from breaking..er.. /bending/ the laws of physics. The blue, leonine/simian mutant pads into the kitchen with his blue Cookie Monster coffee mug in hand and readjusting the half-moon spectacles on his lion-like snout with the other. HE comes to a stop almost immediately as he notes that there are people in the kitchen.. between him and the coffee maker. "Miss Barr. Miss Lance." he says in way of greeting, then takes a moment longer before.. "Victor." he intones with a wee bit more.. seriousness.

HE ythen lifts his head, ever so slightly, and his nostrils flare. "Do my olfactory senses decieve me or do I smell the delectable dairy delicacy of homemade macaroni and cheese?" he asks.. and licks his lips.

Siphon has posed:
    Tabitha on the other hand definitely does not loom or tower. She's more the 'can hide behind a closed umbrella' type. With her body turned into the appearance of a copper statue she looks more like something belonging next to a fireplace holding the pokers.

    "Sounds great. I'll be sure to snag some." She looks up, and up, and a little further up to give Victor a glance-over, then turns around to face the door a couple heartbeats before it opens and returns Hank's greeting as if she knew it was him entering. "Doctor Hank." She grins at his verbosity. "You do, indeed. Shannon's specialty and the best spackle to be found for what ails ya."

Nightingale has posed:
     Turning to peer over at Dr. McCoy, Shannon finally offers a smile--perhaps one of relief. "You do, Dr. McCoy. It's quick, easy to make, and it sure beats the heck out of the blue-box junk." One wing, still moving a bit slowly, furls around in front of her face as if to stifle a silvery laugh. "Nothing wrong with blue, mind. Just not good when it comes to the most heavenly of comfort foods."

     Victor's assessment of beer being sufficient sustenance is met with a dubious look. She glances from him, to the beer in his hand, and back again, shaking her head. "You're going to be lucky if Logan doesn't find out about you swiping that," she remarks, chuckling. Turning to Tabby, she rolls her eyes, and actually does laugh a little bit now. "Why do I have a feeling I should've made two pans instead of one?"

Sabretooth has posed:
    "McCoy," Victor grunts as the azure furred mutant enters the kitchen. He takes another swig of his beer. His voice has a bit of amusement in it rather than threat. He does move his glance to the copper mutant and cocks his head slightly at the lack of scent for a moment before straightening back up. "I hope he does find out, Frail," he says to Shannon. "In fact, if you have a paper and pen, I'll write the Runt a note about it."

Beast has posed:
Padding around the ladies, he sets his mug in the keurig and reaches up up WAY up with those overly long arms of his to pluck one of the k-cups of Tim Horton's Coffee an old student in canada sent him, off the top shelf of a cupboard. "Oh believe you, me, Miss Barr. You may not think it by my obciously refined countenance and tastes but I am still Mama McCoys baby blue boy, born and raised on a farm in Dunfee Illinois.. I know all about the soul-healing properties of 'macaroni au fromage'" he says as he chooses the largest cup setting and pulls the closing lever on the coffee maker.

Looking to Shannon, Hank smiles that toothy smile of his. "Oh yes, I agree. Blue is Beautiful, except for boxes of economy gustatory horrors such as Kraft Dinner.. Though youl will probably admit, like the rest of us, that no matter how 'plebien' Kraft Dinner is, we all still secretly love it." he points out. Then he eyes her wings, as iof guagiung their movement, and shakes his head. "And you know, I would /prefer/ you didn't stress your aviatory ambulations for a few days longer." he tells her reprovingly.

Now Hank sighs and shakes his head, like some exhasperated teacher.. which, enough of the time, he usually is. He gives Creed a look slightly MORE reproving look then he gave the coppertop student. "Victor, please. No name calling. At least towards the students. I'll give you Logan because of your past history. And perhaps you can call Bobby ice cube or something because, well, he /can/ be annoying as much as I love my friend. But please. Not towards the students." he says seriously. Not threateningly at all. But still protective none the less. "And if you can be REALLY good maybe I'll reward you with your own keg."

Siphon has posed:
    As happens every time, Tabby's mind starts to threaten a long vacation as it parses Doctor Hank's speach. She's no dunce, she was just educated in a backwater public school that pretended she didn't exist. The reflections in her solid black eyes are the only indication that she's rolling them at the cracks about Kraft. "Nothing at all wrong with Kraft dinners. I ate them at least six meals a week and just look how I've grown!"

    She takes over Victor's previous spot at the fridge, her teeth starting to chatter within seconds of opening it and her coppery sheen dulling out somewhat. She uses a towel and an oven mit to pull out two small bottles of apple juice and quickly closes the door then just as quickly puts the bottles down on the counter. She holds her hands up to her mouth to blow on them and warm them up.

    Looking between the mac n' cheese and juice she gives Doctor Hank a look that would be classified as 'puppy dog eyes' if she didn't look like a demon bookend. "Do I really have to eat right now? Can't I wait until I drain off some charge and start to /feel/ hungry?"

Nightingale has posed:
     "Please, Dr. McCoy. That's not the worst thing I've been called." Shannon just rolls her eyes, but smiles, the tension of the moment broken. "Okay, I'll admit it. The blue box stuff is okay. If it has ham, hot dogs, or best of all, bacon mixed in with it. As for the wings?" She wrinkles her nose, but settles those great, snowy-feathered limbs behind her once again. "It felt good to stretch them."

     Looking back over at Victor, she just shakes her head. Had she actually just stood up for him? Would wonders never cease? "I'll give my dad a call on your behalf, then." She points to a small pad of paper and a pen kept near the fridge, usually reserved for jotting down edibles as they were used up.

     Was that a smirk on the winged teen's face as she answered the siren's call of the oven timer going off, or was it a trick of the light? No, surely it must be an illusion, for the mansion's resident healer in training -never- smirked. "If I have to listen to the good Doctor, so do you, Tabby. Pass me those oven mitts, and I'll get this pan out."

Sabretooth has posed:
    "Why lead them on, McCoy? I talk to everyone this way. Might as well get used to it." Victor is leaning against a counter with a beer, probably one of Logan's, in his hand as he watches the group of students and Hank move about like a coordinated dance move. Coffee here. Mac and cheese there. Apple Juice. Lectures. Where else would you rather be? "And don't worry about the keg. I will probably go into Chuck's liquor reserves after this anyway." He glances at the notepad and picks it up. He writes a note quickly and moves to stick it on the fridge with a magnet. It reads: "Runt. I took your beer. Get stuffed. VC." He glances at Hank. "See. Didn't even use foul language on that one," he darkly chuckles.

Colossus has posed:
As a frequent partaker of Shannon's TM Mac 'n' Cheese, Piotr Rasputin cannot resist it whe the light is on late in the kitchen and the siren call of unnecessary dairy keens into the night like a great fattening wolf. He's wearing a t-shirt that stretches over his broad shoulders, a pair of drawstring pants and slideon shoes. His dark hair is slicked back a bit, like he's not that long from the shower.

"Greetings and salutations, my friends. Is that the sound of macaroni and cheese I..." he pauses, slowing as he spots Victor in the kitchen, his brow furrowing. "Is all well?" he asks.

Beast has posed:
Hank sighs and gives Tabitha that 'look'.. the same exhasperated teacher loo he used just a few moments before. "Miss Barr... Tabitha.." he says. "While we understand that you ability allows you to absorb both potential and kinetic energy, the human body itself requires more then that for survival. Your body, when the field is not in operation, works like like a normal human body. Converting chemical energy into other forms of energy, powering your anatomy. But that is just part of the biological process. We consume food for more than just powering our biological functions. We require the vitamins, minerals, and other forms of biomass which we cosnume to provide the body with building blocks from which our bodies grow and repair themselves. That is why we are running this experiment, to see if your abilities are just as efficient when you /do/ consume nutrients as compared to just absorbing energy alone. As well as other processes I wish to baseline."

He licks his lips as the timer goes off on the oven and he is about to say something to Shannon when Victor speaks, and Hank sighs. "Mayhaps I ask you to not call the students names so they don't feel they are entitled to do the same to others. Or perhaps so they don't feel belittled by one of their own any more than the world has belittled them already. Or maybe, just mnaybe, because I feel it is beneath even you, Victor. You play the monster well enough, as you have for countless years, but you are /not/ stupid. You are /able/ to grow and ovvercome your past. And while you have shown your tendency to be cruel or unkind over and over again we have also seen your ability to be something better as well. You are part of this 'family' now, whether you accept that or not. And while I have never lied and said I fully believed you would change your colors overnight, if at all, I /have/ come to the personal conclusion that I believe it /is/ possible you /can/. And that, whether you have been obvious about it or not, you /have/ tried. So please, I beseech you, adhere to Wheatons law..."

He picks up his coffee mug and looks straight at Victor. "Which is 'Don't be a dick'" he says.

Turning around he smiles at his russian friend and raises his mug in greeting. "/Privet moy drug/ Petr," he says in russian. "And everything is fine."

Siphon has posed:
    Tabitha's pouty face comes off about as well as her puppy dog stare: Completely useless on a face of fluid copper and eyes of solid black. She wraps up her apple juice bottles in the towel to protect her hands and takes them over to the sink to run under hot water for a couple minutes. After both Shannon and Doctor Hank give her the business she lets out a breath and nods. "Okay. But I'm starting with the juice. If it comes back up, or tastes like burning, or something else equally dire I don't want to ruin my love for Shannon Mac."
    She's completely lacking any context for the adult's conversations, so she does her best to just stay out of direct line of sight. And then Piotr arrives and makes that even easier to do. She shuts off the sink after checking that the juice bottles have lost all of their collective chill, then quickly gets out of any potential 'get flattened' paths.

Nightingale has posed:
     With the mac 'n cheese out of the oven and the pan set on a rack to cool, Shannon bustles about, getting everyone--even Victor--a bowl and a fork. She tries not to laughtoo much, just shaking her head. "Flipping freeding frenzy," she mutters. "Happens ever... oh, privyet, Mr. Rapsutin!" she calls out, right before she turns to Dr. McCoy.

     "Tell that law to the dweebits out there, the ones that take a knife to you or try to pull your wings off just for going into town and getting a pizza. I don't mind the names so much. That's pretty mild."

Sabretooth has posed:
    "Don't worry. Not much is beneath me," Victor says with another chuckle and takes another sip of his beer. His voice turns slightly serious for a moment as he speaks next, "Look, the one thing I am good for around here is not sugar coating. The world is harsh and cruel, but really, in the end, it doesn't care. Death comes for all of us. We can run from it or embrace who we are. You think I am belittling? Naa, I just know who I am, and they should know who they are." He looks to Shannon and then to Hank again. "She doesn't want to be called Frail? Then don't be Frail and I won't. In the meantime," he shrugs. He glances over as Piotr walks in. "Rasputin," he grunts.

Colossus has posed:
Colossus meets Victor's eyes in an unflinching fashion, although he resists the urge to shift to his metal form. Just barely. Hank's reassurance is taken at its word, even if Piotr isn't particularly happy about having the murderous mutant among them, much less mingling with the student body.

"We are having differing ideas of what is frail and what is strong. The world is not harsh and cruel - it is indifferent. Only people can be harsh and cruel. People like you, comrade Sabretooth," he says.

"Shannon," he smiles at the friendly angel girl, "I see you have help already tonight, so I will do what I do best and simply eat the outcome."

Beast has posed:
Hank sighs, opening the fridge and pulling out the GOOD sweet creamer for his coffee before putting it back and looking at Shannon. "And you think I do not know what that is like, Miss Lance?" he asks. "And while I hate to agree with Victor over there, he /is/ right in that the world, or at least many of it's people are cruel. But what he fails to mention is that people CHOOSE to be cruel. It is truly, wholly, a /concious/ decision on their part. DO not think otherwise. Ignorance is a lifestyle choice. Thus, we have our own choice tpo make. To be as cruel as they are, or to /not/. To lead by example. We can defend ourselves, of course. I am not a pacifist hippy after all. But we have to be better than those who treat us like nothing more than animals.. And we need to protect the allies we /do/ have among humans as well. There are many more of them than you may think. And many of them are our family, as well, regardless if they have abilities. It's just that the militant rascist ones yell loudest."

Then to Victor he shrugs. "None of us know who we /are/, Victor. Only who we /were/. Maybe you should think on that and then start trying to discover who you want to /be/."

As he lopes away from the counter, he reaches up and pats Colossus on the shoulder in passing. "That is the great thing about being in America, my friend. We can /have/ differing opinions. That is one of the things we fight for." he says.

As he is about to pass out of the kitchen, he stops and looks to Tabitha. "Yes yes, start with the juice. If my suspicions are correct you shouldn't have too much difficulty. And if you do feel distress it may be psychosomatic at worst."

"Anyways, I need to go check on some experiments running in my lab. If anyone needs me, just call. Or if you feel the school start to shake, well... you all know the evacuation drills. Except in this case you should probably put a good twenty-five miles between you and the school property. You know.. The safe minimum blast distance." He then grins. "Cheers!"

Sabretooth has posed:
    "If you say so, Doc." Victor finishes his beer and crushes it in his hand. He doesn't seem to be taking it too much to heart at the moment. He does take the offered helping of mac and cheese however with a nod of thanks. "Call 'em as I see 'em, Comrade," he responds to Piotr as he pushes away from the counter. "Now, I'm going to grab the whiskey from Chuck's secret cabinet. I'll see you lot around." He tucks the mac and cheese into the crock of his elbow as he heads towards the door of the kitchen.

Siphon has posed:
    Tabitha half listens to the conversation about the harshness of the world. She does not put her own two cents in, instead focusing on the juice bottles. Deciding that she's being a touch on the rediculous side she opens one and takes a test sip. Then a second with a slight frown.

    "I can't taste it. It's like I'm drinking purified water."

    Her confusion is brought to a screaching halt at Doctor Hank's parting words. She looks to Shannon and Piotr in wide-eyed near panic. "Evacuation plan, what? Is he serious?!"

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon just shakes her head, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Mr. Rasputin... he's not wrong. Nature can be harsh and cruel. But right now? Seriously, I've seen some real jerks out there, and... god, I can't believe I'm saying this, but he's actually not being one of them."

     With a bit of a wry smile, she bustles about, heaping a bowl full of the mac 'n cheese, and bringing it over to Dr. McCoy. "I know you're no pacifist. You forget, I've been out in the field with you more than once. Maybe one day, there will be a time when we won't /have/ to defend ourselves quite so much, and we can all just live with each other in peace. I'm glad for the allies we have. Some of them, well... come from very unlikely places." She plops the bowl into Dr. McCoy's hand and chuckles. "And sometimes protecting our own means protecting them from themselves. And their tendencies to forget to eat while they're working."

     For Tabby, she gets a slightly smaller bowl of the good stuff, and another heaping bowl for Mr. Rasputin. "I'm really glad for the people we have here, and for all of you. It's moments like this that make all the things we go through worth it. Otherwise, what are we fighting for?"

Colossus has posed:
Colossus watches after Victor's departure with a shake of his head, "I understand that we must be forgiving and let others have a chance at redemption. But it is not so easy for me to forgive. Some people need to show more repentance before they are granted laurels," he sighs.

He takes the big bowl Shannon offers him and smiles, "Thank you, Shannon. As always, you spoil me with your efforts. I will not waste a bite." To Tabitha, he shakes his head, "We have evacuation drills posted on the school website and at a few choice locations in the hallways. It is good to memorize them. In case of fire or...other disaster."

Siphon has posed:
    "Other disaster..." Tabitha looks from Piotr to Shannon and back again, then nods. "Yeah, that tracks with the stories I've heard." She finishes the first bottle of tasteless juice and gazes at the bowl of Shannon Mac.

    Deciding that not being able to taste it isn't going to ruin the dish for all time, she starts in. Between bites she glances over to the note on the fridge. "So the greasy guy with the muttonchops. I take it there's history there?"

Nightingale has posed:
     "Big time." With Victor out of the room, Shannon allows herself to flop down on the nearest stool. "You just met one of the few people who can scare the living shit out of me. Probably one of the few who could ever take Logan down. Not someone to mess around with." She takes a few deep breaths, closing her eyes for a moment. "I guess even he has his moments. To a point."

Colossus has posed:
Colossus takes a long sigh, "In the past, I'd have described Victor Creed as a raving psychotic. Some of the others believe that he can be redeemed, that he deserves a chance to prove himself. I am often accused of being naive, but I think they are the ones to be too trusting this time. He is not one like to change his stripes," he sighs.

"I understand the principle. But I do not like having him roaming free, mingling with students. I can handle him. Many others cannot and I fear the damage he could do before I or someone else could intervene."

"But I am not a leader. It is not my place. So I will do the best with the plate that is set for me. In this case, a delicious one, thank you, Shannon."

Siphon has posed:
    "Sounds lovely. So keep my aura out around him. Got it." Tabitha tears through her bowl of mac quickly, not bothering to savor a taste she isn't experiencing. Then the second bottle of nothing juice to wash it down.

    "Yes. Thank you for the Shannon Mac, Shan. Always warms the belly." She starts to clean up after herself, taking extra time washing the bowl so she can leach off some of the hot from the hot water.

    "Now I just have to figure out what I'm going to do tonight since I know I'm not sleeping."