12499/Thanks...what now

Thanks...what now
Date of Scene:	27 November 2020
Location:	Kitchen - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Oh no! Will the Thanksgiving Miracle come to pass? Will the turkey be cooked in time, and an edible gravy concocted? Stay tuned for this and more!
Cast of Characters:	Warpath, Pixie, Jax Miller, Nightingale, Phoenix

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Warpath has posed:
     There are certain people that really should stay out of certain crowds. Today is one of those days that Jimmy should not be out in the public. Regardless, a guy has to eat and so he slip down the the kitchen in hopes of grabbing a fast snack and back to his room before he gets caught up in any of the "festivities". What's not to like for a massive man and lots of food? Hard to be sure.

Pixie has posed:
There are some people who should stay out of the kitchen, for everyone's safety..But they are super eager curious hyper and helpful sorts, who are only too eager to help in preparing the great thanksgiving dinner for tonight! Let's just ignore her prior track record with turkeys shall we?

"Hiii! I'm here to help! Where should I start?" she offers as she zooms into the kitchen. Phew, someone drank too much coffee this morning. Again.

Jax Miller has posed:
    There are some people who should stay out of the kitchen, especially at Thanksgiving, lest there be nothing for anyone else to eat. First among that list is Jax, whose appetite is positively proverbial and has spent most of the day helping to get the decorations just right. In fact, he's just backing out of the dining room now, hands stretched in front of him, thumbs and index fingers describing a box as if watching through a viewfinder.

    "Bit more left... bit more... liiiiitle more. Too far, put it back. There! Perfect!"

    By such subterfuge does he trespass into the sanctum sanctorum, the places from which he is usually banned during any kind of holiday feast. With a hugs smile, he turns around on the toes of his left foot and is taking a step into the kitchen without looking before he inevitably becomes aware of other people there.

    "Oh, hi there!"

Warpath has posed:
Why can't he be invisible or ultra fast? Jimmy grimaces when he sees the gathering of people and moves to the refrigerator to get a few things out of it. Better to eat it cold than be caught in the throng of it all. He does glance towards Megan when she arrives and offers her a nod, then goes back into the regrigerator raid. In and out. That's the mission.

Jax Miller has posed:
    Hmmm. No admonitions, no shouts for him to get out, no ... and now he sniffs to make sure... no food cooking? Wha? Did he mistake the day or something? Just to be sure, he checks his smartwatch, double checking that this is, indeed, Thanksgiving day. Or Turkey Day. Or the Fall Feast. Or any other name you might want to use, all Jax knows is that on this day, vast quantities of food appear and are consumed, whereupon everyone falls asleep afterwards. Doubt begins to creep in.

    Doubt, of course, loves company, so he approaches James, blithely ignoring that the man seems to be trying not to be seen or interacted with. "Hey, ehmm... we're still having turkey today, right? And cranberry sauce? And stuffing? And potato salad an' things? I mean, this is the day, right?"

    As if only now remembering, he holds out a hand. "Oh, sorry, Jax. Don't think we've met."

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn giggles and waves to Jax as she reaches for sugary cookies in a nearby cupboard before sliding onto the kitchen counter. "Hi Jax! Hi James! Soooo we gonna get cooking or what? I mean Ibe never cooked a turkey before, especially one nearly as big as me, but it tastes sooooo good! So how about it? It shoulda thawed by Now, been in the fridge all night!" she giggles.

Warpath has posed:
Still getting a few things gathered, Jimmy does ignore everyone until he can't anymore. Great. A student he isn't overly familiar with approaches him. A deep breath and a slow sigh and he stands back up, pretty much towering over everyone in the room. He turns his attention towards Jax and regards him thoughtfully.

Finally he takes the offered hand and shakes. He has a grip like a vice, but it isn't crushing as he replies,"Mr. Proudstar. Social Studies. We'll get to know each other soon enough." He lets go of the shake and turns to get his food rounded up,"As for the rest. I assume they will be preparing food for your celebration soon enough."

His attention moves to Megan and he nods to her,"I would assume they have it thawed by now. Someone should have started it cooking by now. Beyond that I don't know." He really doesn't seem to want to talk about it too much. Really he just wants to get away and it's impossible to miss.

Jax Miller has posed:
    There is that magical moment where James simply unfolds in front of Jax, and the cat kid just watching him get taller... and taller... and taller... and the taller he seems to get, the more Jax smiles, looking in wonder and grinning like the Cheshire cat. "Oh wow, hello Mister Proudstar." Yes, he has to look up. Yes, that's a rare thing for him. His own grip is solid, but not impressively so, a strange combination of soft fur and warm finger pads. "I don't have Social Studies on my program until Summer, I think, so I'm looking forward to that."

    Despite being considered mostly clueless, he nevertheless picks up on the subtle hints and takes half a step back. "Shame you're not staying for the feast. Want me to save you something for later?"

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn pouts, "Buuuuuut I'm part of the celebration committeee, and we already decorated the dining room and were supposed to help with the turkey dinner but the others are late or couldn't make it and I'm the only one who showed up and I know nothing about cooking turkey andandand....."

And she needs to take a breath here cuz she only has sooo much energy. Megan draws a deep breath. "Sooooo it's up to you and you to save the day! With my help of course!" she smiles sweetly, kicking her feet against the table as she looks up at James with cute puppy dog eyes.

Warpath has posed:
Glancing towards Jax he shakes his head,"I have food thank you." he tells him steadily. He sighs as Megan draws near and looks for the save the day comment,"I don't cook Megan. Nothing on the scope you are talking about regardless. Maybe find Shannon or one of the others. You might make sure that they didn't preorder one from the town and just haven't received it yet."

Jax Miller has posed:
    A look of utter panic suddenly crosses Jax' face, at the mere suggestion of cooking the Thanksgiving turkey. Really? A suggestion fraught with peril if ever there was one. But then again... he's kind of johnny on the spot here...

    "I'm... ehm... more of a barbecue and grill kinda cook, y'know? Take meat, add heat, poke occasionally? Flip if absolutely required? When in doubt, add more heat? Turkey is like, like... like... magic or something."

    But he does look at James with a half frown. "Pre-ordered? I mean, you think that's likely? With all the great cooks we've got here? I mean, sure, cooks that seem to be missing in action right now, but..."

    A sigh.

    "This is gonna be a Thanksgiving Special, isn't it?"

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn visibly wilts as none of them 'rescue' her. "Really?! Reallyreallyreally? But turkey day is dooooomed!" she practically sobs, "Doooooomed, I say! Unless......" Unless Shannon comes to the rescue! But knowing Shannon she's about to pop in at any moment, or she probably already cooked the turkey earlier and it's ready to pop out at any moment....Right?"

"Okay okay......" she draws a deeep breath. "Think happy thoughts!" she crosses her legs and closes her eyes..

Warpath has posed:
A soft snort and it is clear Jimmy isn't overly concerned about the prospect of the meal happening or not. He nods to Megan and replies,"It might be faster to check for her in her room?" He gets his food and nods to the duo to make his way back to his room and away form anything that might be festive on this particular holiday.

Jax Miller has posed:
    When the going gets tough... it seems the tough really do get going, and away at that, but with a deep breath Jax steels himself for the inevitable. With great ceremony and stoicism that is clearly faked, he walks over to the kitchen island, takes a deep breath, and puts on an apron.

    Run now, ye fools.

Nightingale has posed:
     Or it might be faster just to hold one's ground and hope for the best, for at just that moment, a familiar winged resident of the mansion slips into the kitchen, and stops, sniffing the air and smiling. Shannon is dressed in dark blue jeans, a long white t-shirt with a cartoon turkey on the front holding a sign that proclaims, 'Eat Ham!', and is in her stocking feet.

     Shaking her head, she ties her hair back, chuckling softly as she heads for the oven. "Should've known the smell of turkey would bring everyone out of the woodwork," she says, by way of greeting to everyone. Honestly, with all the other holiday goodies that have been cooking all day, is it any wonder that the 'guest of honor' was missed?

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn shakes her head at James and Jax, wringing her hands in despair. "Nooooooooo! We can't have thanksgiving without turkey! This is a disaster!" and with that, Megan hops off the counter and starts to rush off for Shannon's room...Unfortunately vanishing out the other door a moment before she steps in. "Shaaaaannnnooooon!" she yells as she zips around the corner, banishing from view.

Warpath has posed:
The arrival of Shannon gets Jimmy off the hook. He smirks as yes, he did indeed smell the turkey. Shannon gets after things and he looks at Jax,"Your lady savior has arrived." he tells him and starts towards the door and the promise of an escape from all the chaos that the day brings.

Jax Miller has posed:
    Behold then, a recipe for utter chaos thwarted. A kitchen. No meaningful supervision. Jax just tying on an apron with a look of determination on his face. The one responsible adult in the room leaving. Appliances... Honestly, must the list be completed? Then occurs the Miracle Of Thanksgiving, as Shannon enters and conjures up turkey from the oven.

    In hindsight, bit of an obvious spot to check, really.

    "This year..." Jax begins, breathing a sigh of relief "I am grateful for good cooks. Hi Shannon! Anything I can do to help, let me know, and I might get on it."

Nightingale has posed:
     "Oi. Where do you think you're going, shik'isn?" Shannon calls out to Warpath, chuckling. "You think you're going somewhere without a hug?" David, meet Goliath. It was just about that proportion, really, of winged teen to a veritable mountain of a man. And she was holding her ground without flinching.

     A mildly amused glance over at Jax is chased with a wry grin. "Seems the turkey's well in hand, with the pit master present," she comments. Who was she to refuse another pair of hands to help? Or, in this case, paws? Was disaster truly averted, or merely delayed? Stay tuned, dear reader!

     Her smile softens, offered to each in the room. "I'm grateful for all of you, more than you can know."

Warpath has posed:
Food. He has food and the promise of anywhere other than here. Still, there are certain things you don't do. He sighs and starts putting his food down again and turns to hug the little winged warrior. He's always glad to hug his little sister, but he really does want to get out of the kitchen as fast as possible.

Jax Miller has posed:
    *Sproing*

    Radiating eagerness and a desire to be of some use, thereby increasing his time in the kitchen during Thanksgiving, Jax brandishes a spatula. Yes, a spatula. Clearly he seems to think this is going to be useful at some point. But then his speciality is the grill...

    "Your word is almost my command, oh master chef."

Phoenix has posed:
For all it was a holiday, Jean Grey hasn't found the day restful. Whatever's kept her busy must have kept her behind closed doors because there hasn't been any signs or sounds from her. But then there's her voice coming down the hall.

"...I promise, Mom. Christmas. I'll be there - and no, probably not a whole week. I will. Yeah, yeah. I love you too. Give everyone hugs and kisses from me again. Talk to you soon, bye."

The woman comes walking into the kitchen then, in jeans and a light green sweater. "Hey, smells good. You end up kicking out the kitchen staff?"

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn returns, having missed Shannon in passing, but now she can really smell the turkey, now that it's just about ready! "Oooooh there you are, Shan! And you cooked the turkey! Yay! Thanksgiving is saved!" she rushes over to hug Shan and smirks at James, "Heeey you're not leaving already, are you?"

Nightingale has posed:
     "Well, don't they deserve a break once in a while too, miss Gr... oof!" Beware what one asks for. It will surely be given. Shannon giggles, wrapping arms and wings alike around the towering warrior known as Warpath. Hugs were a good thing.

     "If you'd turn the oven off, that'd be great, Jax, I'll get the turkey out of there in a moment! Oh, there should be an extra pan of stuffing in there, too, just in case someone doesn't like theirs having been in the bird." She flashes Jax a grateful smile, glad for any help offered. "You know, I saw a video on YouTube once that showed a turkey actually being cooked on a grill. Maybe there's some way we could work on that for Christmas?"

     Not quite disentangled from hugging Warpath, she suddenly finds herself in the midst of a hug sandwich between him, and Megan! Giggling, she shakes her head. "Bah. You have any idea how much a lot of the other kids have been helping out today? There is no way in heck I could have gotten any of this done without them. Might want to start thanking them first."

Warpath has posed:
     Seeing the incoming Megan, Jimmy shifts his foot to brace for potential impact. Not that she makes up that much force of course. Looking at Megan he shakes his head,"I'm not a big fan of the holiday. I'd rather eat in peace and not go into it." He's friendly about it, but doesn't leave a lot of room for debate. His attention shifts to Jean as she comes in and he tells her,"You didn't ask, but I'll tell you anyway. Once family is gone Jean, there is no getting them back, no matter how much you miss them." He doesn't dwell on the point as it isn't exactly his business, just a long line of regret that follows him.

Jax Miller has posed:
    Responsibility! He's allowed to be near the turkey before it's been carved! A light seems to metaphorically appear in Jax' eyes as he covers the distance between spatula and oven in record time. Reach over, turn knob, ensure oven is off. Responsibility discharged!

    But wait, a complication arises! The cook has been trapped between the arms of her friends and loved ones. Oh no! Pan in oven. Turkey in oven. Cook entrapped! Thanksgiving must be saved!

    Bend towards oven, extend paws towards scalding hot pan, feel warmth through finger pads, remember basic precautions, withdraw hands, straighten up, twist, find oven mitts, don oven mitts with air of finality, clack fingers together like crab because ... hey, oven mitts... bend towards oven, extend arms, grab edges of tray, slide tray, /LIFT/ turkey, be surprised by lack of weight, recover balance, turn towards kitchen island... realise that this is as far as your planning took you and stand there with the turkey, uncertain of the next step.

    Curse you, impulsiveness!

    His ears turn to the conversation going on in the kitchen, remembering Scott's words yesterday about the dangers of being a hero. Bits fall into place and are filed away for later. Operation 'Cheer up Mister Proudstar' enters the planning stages.

Phoenix has posed:
Jean Grey turns her eyes over towards Jimmy and gives him a quiet, knowing smile. "I know, but I think they'd understand why I'm here with this family versus that one. Right now, I need to be here." There's a lot left unsaid with the weight of her words, but she doesn't say anything further. "But I hear you."

She looks over towards the rustle of the oven and the withdrawing of food. Reaching out a hand, a pale rose light illuminates the roasting pan as telekinesis supports the weight. With her other hand, a trivet floats on over to the counter for the turkey to go on top of.

"Anything going in, or just coming out? I'm mostly doing a walk through right now, but I have a few minutes if you need help."

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn smirks, letting go of Shan before she is squished. "Sorry sorry! Well to be fair, I DID help grab food and supplies for the dinner too!" she makes a face, "Well I'm just glad you already prepared the turkey in advance, cuz I'm starved! Oooh, and like, do you need help with anything else? Sauces? Pies? Sweet drinks?" She beams, onky too eager to help out. And eat too of course. Yummm it smellls soooooo good!

As she spies Jean, Megan smiles and waves, "Hiii Miss Grey! Happy thanksgiving! So is it time for dinner? Shall we set the table?"

Nightingale has posed:
     Finally disentangled from the hug, Shannon steps back, with a smile of understanding to Warpath. Some things did not need to be said, to be understood. "Door's always open if you need it," is all she says.

     Megan gets a grin and chuckles. "Well, I kind of had to start the turkey brining last night. Let's hope adding some orange and basil to the brine worked out well! Oooo... yeah, how are you at making gravy? Because that's one thing I am complete and utter rubbish at!" Le gasp!

     Though she's turning to rescue Jax from the curse of impulsiveness (was this how the teachers sometimes felt with her?), Miss Grey's right there, and the turkey is saved! Both she and Jax are both given hugs next, and she beams a brilliant smile at them both. "Thank you so much! Phew. Help or not, it's crazy cooking a holiday dinner. Doesn't matter how big the family is."

Jax Miller has posed:
    "Look! It's the miracle of Thanksgiving!"

    Jax watches the trivet move itself into place and puts the turkey down. Honestly, he had that under perfect control. Totally...

    Shannon gets a squeeze, and then he beams a smile at everyone. "The table's been set. Centerpieces are down, cutlery, napkins, plates, decorations... we've been working on it all day!"

Warpath has posed:
"You know where I am if you need me as well." Jimmy replies to Shannon and then turns to escape what will likely be great fun for everyone. Some people are just the proverbial stick in the mud. Gathering his food, he makes his way out of the kitchen and a strategic withdrawl to anywhere but here."

Phoenix has posed:
"Homemade gravy isn't too bad to make." Jean says as she gives Shannon a returning hug. "I can work on that, you both can go set the table. It's been a long time since I cooked much, but a gravy I can still do. Then I'll grab a bite with you guys and head back to work."

And so Jean Grey will get down to cooking. Straining off gravy drippings, reducing, some seasoning and corn starch to thicken. Easy peasy.

Later, she'll grab a plate and make a short round of eating and small talk, but the woman will retain a lingering distraction about her and head out once she does with a promise to come get some pie later on.