12591/The Spirit of the Season Lives On

The Spirit of the Season Lives On
Date of Scene:	27 December 2020
Location:	Rec Room - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Christmas gifts were exchanged, and the origin of some new bling-bling on Jean's hand was discovered.
Cast of Characters:	Nightingale, Phoenix, Cyclops, Pixie

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Nightingale has posed:
     The past couple days after Christmas had been a whirlwind of activity, nearly as wonderful and chaotic as the holiday itself. Among those going down to visit the Guthries had been Shannon, who was tickled pink to be asked. With little time to find gifts for the whole clan, a marathon baking session had ensued, filling the mansion with sweet, heavenly aromas of sugar, spice, and everything nice.

     Just before going on the trip, though, she had left a note with Scott and Jean that she hoped to see them upon her return. The tone of the message did not seem particularly panicked or urgent, and instead ended with 'Merry Christmas', and several festive emojis. Having just returned a couple hours before, she was now flopped down on the sofa in the rec room, with a steaming cup of cocoa nearby, taking a moment to catch her breath and chill out.

Phoenix has posed:
Luckily for Shannon, she didn't need to be in a rush. Jean and Scott were out for the holiday on a short adventure to visit the Grey clan - a rousing event to be certain. They'd just gotten back yesterday morning and spent the day with their close friends while swapping gifts, drinks, and stories. At present, Jean is just walking in through the front door and shaking loose a bit of the snow clinging to her boots. Once she's made sure she's not going to track a bunch of slush across the polished floors, she begins to make her way down the hall though pauses as she passes by the rec room door.

"Ah, Shannon! Merry Christmas. How'd the trip go? Everyone doing well?" She asks of the teen while she shrugs off her hunter green wool coat.

Nightingale has posed:
     The sound of miss Grey's voice was enough to tug at the edges of Shannon's semi-somnolent mental state. Brief flashes of mental imagery of the boisterous Guthrie clan exchanging gifts, enjoying a fancy dinner together, and just overall enjoying each other's presence dance across the surface of her mind, suffused with feelings of a quiet joy, gratitude, and... relief? Lifting her head, she smiles, running her fingers through her hair. She's in dark blue jeans, a hunter green t-shirt with a huge image of Santa emblazoned front and center, and a pair of gaudy peppermint-striped socks. It seems someone wasn't quite ready to let go of the holiday spirit just yet!

     "Merry Christmas, miss Grey! Yeah, the trip went really well. It was great catching up with everyone. Kind of surprised they asked me to go, but it was a good surprise. Sam and everyone's been so busy with other things, ya know?"

     Pushing herself to her feet, she pads on over to offer miss Grey a hug, grinning. "I've still got presents for you and Mr. Summers, too. Is there a good time to get those to you both?"

Cyclops has posed:
Heading into the Rec Room is Scott with a coffee in one hand, adn the other in his pocket. He's wearing a green sweater and a pair of khakis, looking as relaxed as he can. He takes a sip and gives a glance around, noticing Shannon as he lifts his cup up in salutations. As he heads in, he scans the area for any other students, possibly looking for potential troublemakers before turning one of the TV's off that wasn't being used. Always conserve electricity.

"Good evening." He says as he takes another sip, then makes his way over to stand next to Jean as he bumps his shoulder against hers. "You got us presents? Students don't need to. It can be considered a conflict of interest."

It's probably in the handbook somewhere, tucked away in small print.

Phoenix has posed:
"If a Guthrie isn't busy with something, then there's reason to worry. They aren't an idle family." Jean says with a knowing and fond smile as she returns the hug one armed before tossing her coat across the back of the couch. "And I'm glad to hear they're all well and that you got to spend some time out of this stuffy old house."

As Scott joins them, she gives the man an adoring smile as she leans back into his shoulder. "You say that every year, and yet every year they do it anyway. I don't mind, so long as it's nothing extravagant. Besides, my bribery costs are high."

She looks back to Shannon then and says, "Well we're both here now. I don't have anything else going on that I need to rush off to."

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon looks about to say something more, but then her jaw just drops. One finely arched golden brow flicks upwards, and that jaw-dropping expression melts into a grin big enough to swallow a planet. "Are congratulations in order?" She glances from one, to the other, and back again, not blind to the ring, nor to the more open display of affection between the two. Not that it was a big secret around the mansion, but still, more often than not, propriety was observed.

Cyclops has posed:
Giving a glance down towards the ring on Jean's hand, then back to Shannon, Scott brings his coffee up for another sip. There is a light noise in his throat. "We are not making a huge deal of it, Miss Lance." He's not. Most likely Jean is already planning the next ten years with Ororo and Alexis.

"I am unbribable." He gives a squint of his eyes behind his glasses at Jean and her price. He makes another noise in his throat.

Phoenix has posed:
It wasn't a secret one bit, just no one brought it up because of one super serious Scott Summers. Say that ten times fast.

"He's smiling inside, I promise." Jean says to Shannon with a long suffering but happy smile on her face. The look she gives Scott then is utterly serene. "It's Christmas. I give them the chance once a year to impress me."

"Anyway, yes. It is what you think, no, we're not doing anything crazy. It's more just making things official. Come on, let's sit." And she'll go and do so, sitting at one of the scattered wooden game tables big enough for several.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon just has that shit-eating grin on her face as she looks at the pair, and it doesn't take a telepath to see the gears in her head turning. "Oh, of course. No big deal at all." She bobs her head as if in assent, but those pale blue eyes are twinkling with pure mischief. "All I can say is about bloody time, you two, and congrats!"

     Squealing with joy, she skitters out of the room, making a mad dash up to her dorm for some stray presents still remaining there. She's gone for a few good minutes, returning with two packages wrapped in holographic gold paper, with plain silver ribbons. One is a longer, thinner package that still has a bit of heft to it, while the other is a slightly larger box with a bow on the top of it. The thinner gift is offered to Scott, while the box is given to miss Grey, bow side up.

     "Better keep that end up," is all the warning she is given, a grin on her face. "Remember you did challenge me to see if I could actually manage to surprise you for Christmas. Hopefully it worked."

Cyclops has posed:
Taking another long sip from his coffee once the student bolts out of the room, Scott sighs to himself as he glances over to Jean. He gives her a brief smile, then ambles over to the coffee machine to start making a fresh round. It's going to be one of those nights. He can just feel it in his bones.

As he Keurig percolates, he leans against the desk, giving a swirl of the last swallow of coffee in his mug before he finishes it off. When she returns and hands the gifts out, he puts his mug away and opens the package up to take out the pool case.

"Huh." He says as he turns it about in his hands. "Thank you Miss Lance. This is nice."

Phoenix has posed:
"Challenging someone to surprise me is a bit of a loaded bet." Teases Jean to Shannon from where she's taken a seat, a bottle of water next to her that she'd been sipping on in the student's absence. "But I try not to cheat. Also I hope the jacket fit. If the slits for your wings need adjusted some more, just let me know."

She takes up her gift and opens it once Scott has done so with his. "Oh, this is lovely! Thank you, Shannon. Now I know you made the macarons. Did you make the rest yourself?" Homemade gifts around a school were fairly common. Pete usually made sure there was no small shortage of labor intensive crafts in addition to finer arts.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn is lurking about the halls herself, having made a brief trip back to Aberglyde to visit her grandparents and a handful of childhood friends in the small town, before returning to the school to try and track down a few people whom she still owed gifts to.

Fortunately, travelling around the world is pretty easy when you can port in an instant, and Megan is back quickly enough, still dressed in her wool green pea coat as she passes by the rec room, carrying a big bag full of presents.

there's Scott and Jean, and Shannon too! She knows Shannon would probably decline her offer of getting a gift but she won't let her get away that easily. She pulls on her red Santa hat and skips in. "Boop! Merry Christmas everyone!" she exclaims cheerfully.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon grins from ear to ear as Jean and Scott open their presents, doing a quick little twirling dance step. "You're both welcome! I didn't make the tray or the mug. Got those on a little shopping trip with Andrea and Sam just before Christmas. Figured with all the BS you have to deal with all the time, both of you would need something you could relax with."

     Just as she's turning about to retrieve her mug of cocoa, she nearly mows poor Megan down! "Oops... sorry about that, you okay, Megan?" Uh-oh. There was a gift bag in the pixie-winged girl's hands. This could not be good. She sidles along towards the doorway, smiling and trying to slip out of the room. "Merry Christmas to you too!"

Cyclops has posed:
Putting the gift to the side and out of the way of any potential splashes for the coffee, Scott fills up his mug with the next round, then pops the cap out and into the trash. He takes a sip, then adds a package of sugar. "When I am ready to lose money to Remy, I will be sure to bring this to Harry's with me."

There is a small, amused smile as he glances over to Jean. << I don't even play pool. I wonder if Remy got a calandar by accident from her that was meant for me. >>

There's a small chuckle as he passes the message to Jean through their psychic link. The thought of Remy opening a calandar full of muscle cars is amusing to him.

"Hello Miss Gwynn. Merry Christmas. I do not see any mission reports on my desk so it seems things were well in order while Jean and I were away on our short trip."

Phoenix has posed:
<< Well then maybe it's a sign that you should go out more, it'll do you good. Even if you'll lose money. >> Jean retorts merrily back across the link. << Consider it... mm, target practice and gaining more intel on the various ways Remy cheats. >>

"Relaxing is exactly what I've been aiming to do while on winter break. Just think, we're already halfway through the school year. Hopefully the rest of it goes smoothly. I need to put some final touches on a building project that I have planned, speaking of that."

Hello, Megan! Merry Christmas." She says to the arriving pixie and her bag of gifts. "Get a part time job from Santa while we were gone?"

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn smirks at Shannon, barring the exit and spreading out her wings so that they might just bat Shannon a bit if she pushes, "Hiii Shan, there you are! I've been looking all over for you, you didn't think I'd let you slip by again, did you?"

With a giggle, she pulls out a bright pink package decorated with silver snowflakes, pushing it at her, "This is for you!" she says cheerfully before stepping further into the room.

Scott is next, offering him a holographic blue squishy package and a bright red one with a golden bow is offered to Jean. "And for you two! Happy Christmas!" her gaze lingers the longest in Jean, noticing the sparkly ring she now sports, "Ooooo is that new? It's Soo pretty! Oooh is that an engagement ring?!"

Nightingale has posed:
     There is a fair bit of good-natured cussing in various languages as Megan blocks Shannon's path out the door, forbidding her escape from the general Christmas cheer. Defeated, she accepts the package, giving her former classmate a hug. With that, she tears into the paper, nowhere near as careful as some with the stuff. "Oh... wow. Thank you so much! These'll be great when I'm out flying! Oh... crap, I have to get your present out of my dorm now! Be right back!" She finally manages to slip past Megan, making a mad dash to her dorm, giggling--and pulling on her mittens.

     Busted. No Scrooges here!

Cyclops has posed:
As Megan brings out gifts for him, Scott raises his brows upwards, then opens them up. He stares at the hat, then the mittens, slowly blinking from behind his red shades. "Thank you Miss Gwynn." He says as he puts the hat on over his head, letting the draw strings dangle on either side of his cheeks. He takes his phone out and turns the camera on to look at himself. Shifting his jaw to one side, he glances to Jean, then back to Megan.

He'll just stand there .. like a stiff board, fiddling with his camera now as his thumbs tap along the glass. "I'll also be sure to wear these to Harry's for when Remy steals my money at the pool tables."

<< You are probably right. I haven't played pool in a few years. Though the last time I did, Warren cleaned the place up easily. I think it'd be interesting to see Warren and Remy go at it in a round of pool. I'll make that a team building exercise for next month. >>

Phoenix has posed:
Mandatory X-Pool meetings. Well, if it gets Scott out for a night, then so be it. Jean just quietly beams to him. "It's adorable. And *this*..." She then says as she withdraws the shawl to sweep it around her shoulders like a cowl of woven fire. "Is soooo much nicer than the one I tried to make Ororo. I need to get tips off of you. But now she and I can match. It's beautiful."

"Also. Yes, this is an engagement ring. Scott asked me yesterday." She answers cheerfully. "And no, I haven't even started making plans."

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn smiles at Shannon as she unwraps the blue Angel themed gloves, "Hope you like it, and sure! I'm not going anywhere.." she giggles, mission accomplished!

Shes a bit more shy when it comes to Scott and Jean..Especially Scott who could do with more humour honestly. "Heey! It looks cute on you! May I?" she giggles impishly, pulling out her camera, taking a few shots. Those aren't getting posted in X-net! nope nope!

As for Jean, she smiles happily and nods, "Glad you like it, I spent the most on that but it seemed fitting.." the ring does cause her to giggle, "Ooooh that's so sweet! Congratulations you two! I was wondering when you two were gonna get married! This is sooo awesome!" Shes of course snapping more picture. yyyyyup!

Nightingale has posed:
     It doesn't take but a few minutes before Shannon returns with a small package wrapped in that flashy, yet somehow elegant holographic gold paper, with a silver ribbon. It's small and light, but seems to have both the combination of soft fabric whispering against the paper, and something rattling about inside. "If I can't get out of Christmas presents, neither can you! I promise, no metal involved." That's about all the warning Megan gets, a grin spreading across the angel-winged girl's face.

     Still talking to Megan, but casting side-eyed glances to Jean and Scott, she giggles softly. "I'd say we have a party to plan, don't you, Meg...?"

Cyclops has posed:
Weathering the storm of pictures by Megan, Scott keeps a straight face while he sips at his coffee. Once she is done, he takes it off and folds it neatly to put it into his back pocket along with his mittens. At the topic of his engagement comes up again, he glances to Jean and lets out a snort. "Liar."

He leans back against one of the tables, shifting his weight some as he watches the two younger girls talk about parties. "We don't need to make things into a big deal around the school."

Phoenix has posed:
Jean Grey seems perfectly at ease and happy amongst the gifts and even the pictures. Once you've been dead, you come to appreciate those small moments.

There's a laugh from her as she remarks, "Yeah yeah, I know, about time. I'm incredibly curious to see what betting polls the team has going. And no planning anything! At least... not without involving Ororo. I'm pretty sure she'll electrocute whoever muscles in on her honored role as my best friend and spiritual sister." And there's probably a reason Scott chose to propose in front of her. When one seeks the favor of the Phoenix, one must brave the fury of the Goddess of Storms first. Scott's still here, so one presumes it went well.

Scott earns a tsk from her. "You know me. I don't plan, I just go with what my gut says it right. But I'll at least try to give you fair warning a few days in advance once I make up my mind."

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn wastes no time in unwrapping her present, though she makes a face at Scott, "Awe, Cmon, it's never too late or too unneeded to throw a party!" wait is that even proper English? She giggles and shrugs.

Nightingale has posed:
     "Ooof! Message received! But -after- miss Munroe's had her chance, please, pretty please is there any way we can all plan something for you? Come on, you both mean a lot to everyone here." All the same, Shannon's dancing around, grinning like an idiot, clapping her hands together and radiating pure joy for Scott and Jean.

Cyclops has posed:
"It's up to Jean."

Scott chucks her under the bus in regards to parties. He gives a glance down at his phone as it beeps, then responds to whatever message came across his screen. "If you all wish to throw a party, she can approve of it. I am sure me and the guys are going to do our usual rounds at Harry's to celebrate." Football and burgers.

Phoenix has posed:
Jean Grey holds up a hand that serves as both a placating measure and a defensive one. "Hey, the bride-to-be does not plan any party but the big one. Those things go through the maid of honor." Storm. Because who else would it have ever been? "I have no issues with finding reasons to party, we all need them from time to time. But seriously, I have not even thought of long term plans yet, so don't get ahead of yourselves. You know how we get involved in Work, this may take awhile." Stress the capital W, because they wear a few hats.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn shrugs and giggles, "Well, you just let us know, and in the meantime, I dunno if they've had any general Christmas parties here, since everyone's pretty much fine off to celebrate with their families.." she shrugs, ever eager for an excuse to party.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon's smile wavers ever so slightly and she nods. "I wish I could help with that Work. But yeah, we get it. Still, we're happy for you and want to show it." Looking to Megan, she smiles a bit more, leaning over to hug her friend. "Hope that bracelet works for you. It was a little tricky to make, especially where I wasn't quite sure of what size to make it..."