13588/Lounging in a Tower

Lounging in a Tower
Date of Scene:	03 July 2021
Location:	Roof Tower - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	A moment taken to lounge became a weird discussion of the edibility of termites and a situation with people possibly being puked on... Ewwww.
Cast of Characters:	Kit Killovarras, Nightingale, Storm, Phoenix, Jax Miller

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Kit Killovarras has posed:
It's about mid-day and having wandered around the majority of the grounds already, Kit finds himself here, lounging on some of the patio furniture. Oddly out of sorts today, he's wearing a pair of gray shorts and tank top, rather than a more concealing outfit.He has a book in one hand, writing in it as he hums to himself, a little lost in what he's doing. Beside him is a small bag of what, from a distance, look like seeds, though a closer inspection would find that they are in fact roasted termites covered in some kind of seasoning. Every so often he'll grab a few and pop them in his maw as he writes, happily munching away.

Nightingale has posed:
     Summer has brought no break from studying for one resident of the mansion. With her EMT exam just weeks away, Shannon has, of late, been holing herself up in her dorm and in the library, studying at every given opportunity. Eventually, though, even the most studious needs must come up for air. So it is that she is out and about, taking to the sky and soaring about lazily to stretch her wings a bit. The warm sun is a perfect way to unwind, and it feels so good that she is little conscious of anyone below, who might wind up in her shadow. She's dressed in knee-length denim cutoff shorts, white sneakers, and a 'Mutie Cutie' t-shirt tucked into the waistband of her shorts.

     Yes, for the moment, life was good. For the moment....

Storm has posed:
The large windows of the attic are pushed open from the inside, one at a time. The curtains within are left close, though they flutter softly with a breeze that stirs towards the interior. After a few moments, the wooden door that leads into that very domain is opened. From within the attic steps a woman who is dark of skin and white of hair, her blue gaze lightly wandering the space beyond.

The woman wears a pair of sandals that are relatively minimalist in nature, criss-crossing and tying a couple of inches above her ankles. A pair of blue jean shorts is also worn, and a light grey t-shirt with a cartoon cat that's sitting under a tree. Her long hair has been left free, and it might be noticed that there's an elastic band tucked around her left wrist. Ororo walks down the stone walkway to reach the main part of the roof. "Good afternoon," she offers in greeting, one of her eyebrows slightly quirking, and a smile touching at the corners of her lips.

Kit Killovarras has posed:
Kit gives a glance at the flying Shannon and chuckles a little, then goes back to writing in his book for a moment or two before Ororo comes out of the attic. His ears perk up and he looks to her, tilting his head slightly before he offers a smile and a slight wave. "Good afternoon."

Nightingale has posed:
     Spiraling slowly lower, Shannon nears the rooftop, backwinging her way in for a graceful landing not too far from miss Munroe and Kit. She settles her wings in at her back, with a little flick, and waves to them both; there are some shadows under her eyes, but at least she's smiling somewhat. "Hello, you two! How's everything going?" She settles on a patio lounge chair, drawing her legs up beneath her and letting out a little sigh.

Storm has posed:
The dark-skinned woman takes a moment to look over the fellow who writes so diligently, and she steps softly out further onto the rooftop. Her steps seem to be taking her towards the potted plants that grow and live up here. Though she could also be headed towards him, all things considered. "I do not believe that we have met," Storm says, a flicker of curiosity touching her blue eyes. She reaches where he sits, and then she offers her right hand towards him. "I am Ororo Munroe," she offers, a smile touching her lips.

Her attention shifts towards Shannon as the winged woman comes in for a landing. She inclines her head towards the younger woman, watching her as she settles in. "It goes well, thank you. And how is everything for you?" she asks, curiosity coming to her voice.

Kit Killovarras has posed:
Kit looks at Storm for a moment, then closes his book and shakes her hand, his smile brightening a little. "Kit Killovarras, I'm a new student, I guess." he adds that last bit with a little chuckle. When Shannon lands, he looks over to her again and tilts his head, "Pretty good, still sort of getting used to the place though." he explains with a shrug. "And aside from nearly knocking myself out last night, I'm good. In my defense, slick floors and paw pads don't go well together..."

Nightingale has posed:
     "Getting close to exam time," Shannon replies, running her fingers through her hair. "I'm starting to wonder, though. Can't seem to get a clear answer as to where to present myself for the EMT exam. It would really suck if all that studying for the past six months was for nothing." She lets out a bit of a heavier sigh, just shaking her head slightly and glancing between Kit and Storm.

     As she listens to Kit, though, her brows furrow, and she sits up a bit straighter in the lounge chair, her wings flaring slightly. She peers over at him with the eye of a healer. "Are you alright now, though? No dizziness or anything like that?"

     A healer's work is never done.

Storm has posed:
There's a smile that comes to Ororo's features, and she gives a nod to Kit as she shakes his hand in turn. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Kit," she says, inclining her head slightly towards him. "And welcome to the school. It is good to have you here," she adds, a smile easily returning to her features. "It does take some getting used to, being here and knowing where everything is. Do feel free to ask if you need aaything," she adds. "You are settling in well?"

One of her eyebrows quirks up when he mentions about being knocked out, and she tilts her head faintly to one side. "You are not hurt from it, yes? There are some floors that bare feet or paw pads are better suited for. Was it merely slick or was it wet from having been cleaned?" Ororo asks, a touch of curiosity to her voice. Her attention turns to Shannon, and she studies the winged woman for a moment before giving a small nod. "I will see if I might be able to find out the answer to that for you. We will make sure that you take the EMT exam, not to worry," she adds.

Kit Killovarras has posed:
Kit scratches at the back of his head and grins, "Nah, I'm fine now and I don't think the floor was wet, I've just never been good at gauging how much claw I need for hardwood floors. I either end up leaving marks or I don't use anywhere near enough and wind up slipping on occasion." Then he gives a little sigh and a nod, "Not certain if you could call it settling in, but at least I'm more comfortable here. I don't have to worry about people screaming when they see me at least." Then he looks to Shannon and nods, "Yeah, studying for six months just to miss an exam would suck, especially if the reason you missed it was because no one told you were to go." then he grabs some of the termites out of his bag and pops them in his maw, tilting the bag to the other two as a quiet offer, "By the way, remember when I said I had weird taste?" he says with a tilt of his head, "Chili-lime termites."

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon lets out a sigh of relief, finally allowing herself a smile. "Thanks, miss Munroe. Been working my tailfeathers off on this to complement my power set, and back them up." She opens her mouth as if to reply to Kit as well, something about 'settling in' not meaning on the floor, but then has to clap her hand over her mouth. She looks a little green around the gills, glancing at the bag, then at Kit, and the bag again with a mixture of horror and disgust.

Storm has posed:
"I am glad that you are fine, Kit," Ororo says, giving a small nod to him. "It is good that the floor was not wet at the time. Is there perhaps something that you can stick on your paw pads that would grant you more traction while not being in the way?" she asks, curiosity to her voice. "What tends to be shockingly different out there," she begins, lifting her hand to gesture towards the city beyond the school, "is only different, here. And we are accustomed to different."

Ororo's gaze turns towards the bag, a flicker of curiosity chasing through her blue eyes. There's a smile that comes to her features as the bag is tilted towards them, and she reaches forward to take a very small handful of them. "Thank you, Kit. It has been a fair while since I have found them in order to snack on," she says, sounding pleased. And she munches on a few of them that she had taken.

Her attention turns to Shannon, and she gives a nod. "I will reach out and find out what information I can for you," she says. "It is always a good thing to have more skills," she adds with a smile. She eats a few more of the termites with apparent enjoyment. She looks to Kit and tilts her head a touch to one side. "Where did you manage to find them?"

Kit Killovarras has posed:
Kit smiles to Ororo when she asks about the termites, "My mother sends me them by the case every few weeks. They've been one of my favorite snacks since I was little." He's about to say more, but then he notices Shannon's look and stops for a moment to study her. It very quickly becomes visibly apparent that he's trying not to laugh, but try as he might he fails and laughs a bit at her reaction to the termite snacks. "Not a fan of termites?" he asks, tilting his head to one side.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon shakes her head very quickly, keeping her hand over her mouth. Her voice is a little muffled, and almost a bit squeaky when she finally answers. "I can handle being out in the field. I can handle dealing with pulling swords and pointy things out of Logan when he's had a rough training session. Battlefield medicine? Sure. Taking on someone's third-degree burns as my own? Sure. Termites? No way. Bugs belong in nature, not on the plate."

     Her look towards them is, despite the high level of aversion to snacks of the insectoid variety, somewhat apologetic, taking into account their apparent enjoyment of the ummmm, 'delicacy'. "I'm awful sorry, that's one snack I'm just not ready for."

Storm has posed:
There's a nod from the dark-skinned woman, and a smile as well. "Ah, I suspected that to be likely the case. They have a better flavour when they are fairly directly from the source," she says in a thoughtful tone. She eats the last of the handful that she had taken, crunching on them, and then she lightly brushes her hands off. A glance is cast towards Shannon and her reaction to the termites, and though she manages to not laugh, there's a smile that quirks the corners of her lips. "Eating bugs is not a thought that all savour. They are viewed differently here than what they are in the places that consider them to be regular fare," she comments.

"It is quite all right, Shannon. You need not eat them because we do. Or for any other reason save for that you wish to, should such a time come," Ororo says, giving a small nod towards the winged woman. "There is no need to apologize for it."

Kit Killovarras has posed:
Kit nods with Ororo's response to Shannon's apology, then pops a few more of the termites in his maw and muses, "It's actually a fairly typical response, so no worries." with a smile. Then he sets the bag down next to him again and dusts off his paws before giving a glance back to Ororo, "I've yet to find anything I can wear on my feet that don't either wind up damaged by my claws, or wind up damaging me." Then he wiggles his toes a bit, pointing out the fact that his feet don't exactly look human. There's a moment of pause after that, then he looks to shannon and adds, "Wait.. Pulling swords out of people? What?"

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon nods briefly, taking a moment to regain her composure, if not her proper color. "Mhm. When Logan trains on his own, he can be very... harsh." She smiles somewhat, tilting her head to one side. "Don't let that fool you, though, he's not such a bad sort overall."

     Falling silent for a moment, she glances towards Kit's feet, her brows furrowing. "Have you tried talking to Dr. McCoy about possibly finding a workaround that won't hurt you, or be quite so easily destroyed by your claws? He's pretty brilliant. If anybody could science up a solution, it'd be him."

     Her expression melts into a more apologetic smile as she looks back over at miss Munroe, chuckling in a somewhat self-deprecating way. With a little ruffle of her wings, and a flick of her brows over pale azure eyes twinkling with mirth, she replies, "But you've all taught us to try to have an open mind about things that are different. It's just in this case, my mind is open. My mouth, however, will remain shut."

Storm has posed:
"There are different adhesives that are used on different things. Some are gentler on skin and hair than what others are. Perhaps there is something that can be fashioned that would stick to your paw pad and yet that would give you a better grip on smooth surfaces. I will need to speak with Henry about it," Ororo says, giving a small nod. "If it doesn't exist yet, then he is the most likely one to be able to come up with something that would work." Henry is a genius, after all. She had noticed the difference in his feet, and though it does propose a certain amount of challenge, she seems to be of the mind that there is a solution to every problem.

Ororo chuckles softly, and then she gives a nod about Logan. "Yes, he is a bit... rough. He is a good man," she says, a thoughtful tone to her voice. "If you have not already met him then you will," she adds, giving a nod to Kit. Her gaze turns back to Shannon, and she tilts her head to one side before giving a light laugh of amusement, her blue eyes showing a sparkle of the same. "It is one of the goals of our teaching, that is true. There are many who are not even open minded about the notion of eating bugs. There is a different perspective on such things, here. That is no fault of your own," she says with a smile. It is a fairly normal American -- and North American -- perspective to have. "I used to eat them when I was younger," she offers, perhaps as an explanation, of sorts.

Kit Killovarras has posed:
Kit looks at his feet, wiggling his toes a bit more as he tilts his head, "I mean, maybe? Adhesives would be weird, but it might work. I've never really been fond of wearing anything that covers my feet though." He gives a shrug, then looks to Ororo again with a smile. "We'll see, it could also just be a matter of practice at this point too." When the two talk about Logan he sort of lets one ear fall to the side. "Sounds more than a little rough. Regardless though, swords?" he just laughs a bit and looks at his hands, allowing his claws to glow for a moment or two before he adds, "Well, maybe not such a weird thing to hear I guess.. I'm just more used to hearing about gunshot wounds or the occasional knife wound. Swords seem a bit... Well, strange."

Shannon's remark gets a little grin from him and he gives a shrug, "Again, to each their own. If you ever change your mind on it though, the honey-ginger ones tend to be a lot less awkward for people who are new to it. They sort of taste like candied walnuts."

Nightingale has posed:
     "I'll bear that in mind, Kit. Thanks." Shannon actually, for a moment, looks as if she might be considering the delicacy, glancing dubiously at the bag. "Is there some way they can look a little less... buggy? I like chili and lime, and I love honey and ginger, but... bugs."

     The talk of swords has her grinning a little wider, and she nods. "Mhm. There's another one of the teachers here who's actually reputed to be quite proficient in swordplay. Kurt Wagner. Has a zest for life like nobody I've seen, and a heart as big as the sea. As for your paws...." She gestures towards them with one wing and smiles. "I've been working on shifting my gifts a little with Dr. McCoy's help. If I see him before you do, I could let him know you might want to speak to him, if you like?"

     The winged young woman glances over to miss Munroe, chortling softly and shaking her head. "And I used to eat escargots when I was younger. Freaked my parents out every time we'd go to a fancy restaurant as a treat, and that'd be my appetizer of choice. But I loved them. Still might, just haven't had them for years."

Storm has posed:
There's a glance towards Kit's wiggled toes, giving them a bit of consideration for the challenge that they pose. "They would be weird, that is true, and they would take some getting used to, I would expect. Though it would perhaps not be entirely dissimilar to wearing a bandage," Ororo says, a thoughtful tone to her voice. "The idea would be to have something just covering your paw pad rather than covering your entire foot," she adds, tilting her head a touch to one side.

There's a soft chuckle that comes from her, and she gives a nod. "Swords are not uncommon. We train in many weapons here. And there are times when we face many different kinds when we are out there," she says softly, lifting her left hand to make a slight gesture towards the space beyond the school's bounds. She gives a nod to Kit at his mention of the honey ginger ones. "Those ones are quite good. I have not had them for many years," she says, a touch wistfully.

Her blue gaze turns to Shannon, listening to what she has to say, and she chuckles softly, a bit of amusement showing in her eyes. "Some look a little bit more like bugs than others. They make chocolate covered ones that have a candy coating, and they look less buggy. They tend to curl their legs in when they die, but the odd one ends up with them sticking out," she says, a smile curling up the corners of her lips. "Tastes change with time. There is only one way of finding out if you still like them or not. I seem to recall hearing that they are best with melted butter and garlic."

Kit Killovarras has posed:
Theres a long moment of thought for Kit at that question, then he nods and smiles. "Actually yeah, there is. I occasionally get a bag of candy-coated ones that wind up looking a little like weirdly shaped peanuts." Then he nods and chuckles a bit. "Sure, let him know. For now though, I figure I'll just practice on walking a little slower on slippery surfaces." Then he chuckles at the mention of something to cover his pawpads, "Well I'd assume that would be the case with an adhesive based approach, since if they were meant for the whole foot, I'd wind up losing fur." Then there's a sudden face at the mention of chocolate coated termites, "Never liked the chocolate ones personally. Then again I'm also not fond of most chocolate in general."

Nightingale has posed:
     "Mhm. You heard right, miss Munroe. Garlic and butter. They'd be served up in little dishes that had a well for each escargot, filled with the snail and the garlic butter, and little pastry caps over each one." The growling of Shannon's stomach at the mention of such a delicacy has her giggling, and shaking her head. "Maybe that's one taste that hasn't changed over time."

     However, the matter of candy-coated insects may remain another matter, for some time to come, such talk still eliciting dubious looks from the winged young woman....

Storm has posed:
"Yes, there are also those ones. They are a bit sweeter and have a crunch in the middle. Not entirely unlike peanuts, though they do taste a bit more... walnutty," Ororo says, giving a small nod in agreement with Kit's assessment. Then she gives a light laugh before nodding to him. "Going a little bit slower might help as well," she comments, a touch of amusement to her voice. "Chocolate is a temptation, and I give in to it fairly often," she adds, quirking a smile. She enjoys it -- it's hard not to.

"I have seen the dishes, yes. It seems they are designed to hold the little snail within it so that they can soak in and soak up the garlic butter. I have never tried them, but I must admit to having a curiosity to them," she says. One of her eyebrows quirks up at the growling of Shannon's stomach, and she tilts her head a touch to one side. "Ought we perhaps consider raiding the kitchen to see if some manner of meal might be able to be put together? It seems someone might be hungry," she comments with a touch of amusement.

Phoenix has posed:
Jean Grey's voice preceeds her appearance. "I would think you could simply have a set of shoes custom made. They make them for dogs now, you know." And then the redhead appears, coming from the stairs below and into the afternoon sunshine. "Chocolate covered what?" She could probably peek and know exactly what's being spoken about, but she doesn't. In fact, she's trying hard not to hear the thoughts of anyone around her.

She wrinkles her nose at hearing about escargot. "That one I'll skip, thanks. Those aren't my favorite." Like... at all. She raises a brow at Ororo. Walnutty? She mouths the word but doesn't speak it aloud. "Do I want to know what sort of conversation I walked into the middle of?" She sounds more amused than put off, at least.

Kit Killovarras has posed:
"I mean, I'm literally always hungry, so..." Kit just kinda chuckles as he stands up, tucking his book and pen away under one arm after a quick stretch. He still falls into that somewhat slouched posture of his though, even here. "As for chocolate? I'm really picky about it. If it's in a recipe, I'm ok with it, but I can't really handle it on it's own."

When Jean mentions shoes, Kit just wrinkles the bridge of his nose for a moment, "Shoes are remarkably uncomfortable." he murmurs, laying his ears to the sides for a moment before he shakes his head, then he gives a smile and muses, "Termites." He picks up his bag of snacks, tilting it to show Jean and to let her take a few if she wants. Then he gives a glance to Ororo and Shannon and one of his ears folds to the side a little as he adds, "By the way, snails in garlic butter... How is that different than eating termites? Crunch aside, I mean, they're still technically bugs."

Jax Miller has posed:
    As usual, not a sound precedes Jax. At least, no footsteps, nor any sound of anyone stepping on the floorboards beneath. Instead there is that odd sound again, the sound of a happy whistle coming closer without any indication that anyone is actually there. Why is the school's resident cat mutant coming up to the tower? Who knows, who can tell? Who may fathom the deep mysteries that dwell within the mind of the feline?

    As his ears clear the top of the stairs, they twitch for a moment as if they catch something that has peaked their interest. It's probably not a surprise when they end up tilted over towards Kit, even if his head isn't turned that way when he emerges. "Wa-hey! Party in the tower and I wasn't invited?"

    And then the rest of him emerges, walking easily, standing easy... wearing footwear on his distinctly digitigrade feet, seemingly and very visibly sponsored by Nike.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon opens her mouth to reply to Kit, but then just closes it again, shaking her head. "They're snails. They're food. And if you don't like them, miss Grey, that's fine, it's more for me!" Giggling a little bit, she gets to her feet, her stomach growling all over again. "Oh, hey Jax! We were just talking about international delicacies of various types, and differing sensibilities in different areas of the world. And about the possibility of getting some snacks from the kitchen, since it looks like I forgot to eat again while studying...."

Storm has posed:
There's a glance towards Jean as her voice is heard, and then as she appears, and a smile comes to Ororo's features. "That is a possibility as well, perhaps," she says, her tone thoughtful in nature. Then she quirks a grin and winks. "Chocolate covered anything. But in this conversation, termites," she comments. That is what had been getting discussed, after all. Her blue eyes show a touch of a sparkle to them, and she can't help but to grin again. "It is perhaps a strange one. Or unusual. Termites. They taste kind of walnutty," she says.

Her attention turns to Kit, and she gives a nod. "There is no harm in being hungry. And I will attempt to bear that in mind, about the chocolate, but it is possible that I will forget, as well," she says. She laughs lightly at the question about the snails, and then she lifts one of her shoulders in a bit of a shrug. "They are, essentially, bugs that live in the water. It is not much different, to my way of thinking. I simply have not had a chance to get around to trying all of the unusual foods," she says.

Her gaze slides towards the feline who has come up to the rooftop, and she moves over towards the edge of the roof in order to hop up and sit on the wall that edges the space. Her hands settle lightly to her lap, and she seems entirely comfortable there. She chuckles softly, then gives a small shake of her head. "Shannon, you really ought be more mindful of eating whilst you're doing something like studying," she says, a gentle scolding tone to her voice.

Phoenix has posed:
Jean Grey doesn't comment on chocolate. Nope. Sometimes, she likes chocolate just a bit too much. She nods to Kit about shoes. "Well, yes. They certainly can be. But if it prevents you slipping and sliding on hardwood floors, you could at least slip them on for walking in those places, and leave them off otherwise." She looks down at the bag as termites are mentioned, and the bag proffered, She reaches out and actually does take a few. She pops one into her mouth and eats it with no apparent issue sat all.

"Different texture," she says, about snails. "Snails are squishy. Termites are crunchy." She smiles to Shannon and nods. "The snails are all yours. I'll stick with crunchy." She pops another one of the termites into her mouth and happily crunches it. Her attention shifts to Jax as he appears. "Hello Jax."

She looks to Ororo and is thoughtful. "The chocolate covered ones aren't bad, but these are better, I think," she says, lifting the hand with the termites in it. She pops the last two into her mouth and crunches them happily until they're gone. As the topic goes to eating whilst studying... Jean remains silent. She might be guilty of getting so engrossed in what she's doing to forget to eat as well.

Kit Killovarras has posed:
Kit's ears perk forward a little at Jax' voice, he just gives the feline a glance and a smile. "Didn't intend for it to become a party." he says with a little grin. "But kind of glad it did, getting to meet new people is interesting," he says with a chuckle, then tilts his head and adds, "And it was amusing getting to see poor Shannon turn a shade or two of green." He gives Shannon a glance and playfully sticks the tip of his tongue out at her, then he looks to jean and sighs, "If shoes are an alternative, I think I'd prefer Miss Munroe's idea of adhesive grips for my pads." He gives a little shrug, then adds, "I've always been uncomfortable with things displacing the fur on my feet. It drives me nuts."

When Shannon argues about snails being food, he just sort of looks at her and shakes his head, musing, "Still bug. Oh, which reminds me, I should introduce you to cricket cookies one of these days, they're actually really tasty and you can't really tell they have bugs in them."

Jax Miller has posed:
    With a grateful nod to Ororo, Jax sits down. Not in his usual loose limbed sprawl that makes it appear as if his spine is entirely optional, but straight backed and crossing his right ankle over his left knee. Shannon gets a wink. "Gotta keep fed. Especially if you're studying, I can't study on an empty stomach." And, let's be honest, barely on a full stomach at that. He'd passed the finals, but his results are best described as 'mediocre'. Enough for a scholarship, though, and that's what mattered.

    "You ehm... might not wanna do the adhesive pad thing." For a moment, Jax appears uncomfortable, drumming his fingers on the shoe that is now so prominently displayed on his left knee. "I mean, you don't realise how much you rely on your toe pads for a sense of pressure and balance until you've got something stuck to them. I tried it. Sucks." Although that experience might be entirely subjective. "Soft soles are better, but..." And he nods. "... shoes suck if they're not done properly. I get mine made special. If you ever wanna try one of my extra pairs, lemme know."

    Pause.

    "And did someone say termites? I distinctly heard someone say termites."

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon just ducks her head, blushing a little bit. Her smile at miss Munroe is a bit on the sheepish side, her wings actually furling around in front of her like a giant, feathery cocoon. "Sorry. I just don't want to foul up on this EMT exam. That is, if they ever give me a straight answer on where it's going to be administered." At this, she actually grumbles, a touch disgruntled at the annoyance. "But I'll try to remember to eat."

     Pause.

     "Yes, Jax. Termites. They're eating -termites-."

Storm has posed:
Chocolate is delicious and it should be enjoyed and savoured often. Ororo is a firm believer in this particular logic. This is why she has a stash of chocolate hidden away in the attic. "Mmhmm," she agrees, giving a nod. "Termites are crunchy. It's their bodies. Snails would be crunchy if the shells were eaten as well, but I think that would likely be bad for other parts of us," she comments, quirking a bit of a grin. "These ones are good, I have to agree. Though I'll eat the termites in just about any way they are, even plain," she adds, sounding amused.

"I can understand that, about the fur. I mean, most things do not tend to like being stroked backwards, and shoes would likely do similar with every step that is taken," she says, a thoughtful tone to her voice. Then she gives a light laugh and a nod. "That's because the crickets are ground up into flour," she comments, quirking a grin.

Her attention turns to Jax, and she raises an eyebrow slightly before giving a nod. "Termites have been mentioned, yes. They are a tasty treat," she says, raising an eyebrow slightly. "The idea behind the adhesive is that it would only be on the main pad of the paw, not each toe. But it all depends on what you want," she comments, giving a nod to Kit. Then she looks to Shannon and gives a nod. "Please do try to remember to eat. It would be terrible if you passed out midway through the exam. Or elsewhere."

Phoenix has posed:
Jean Grey nods at that decision. It's a fair one, afterall! "Talk to Doctor McCoy, then. He will be able to recommend an adhesive that won't cause irritation to your skin." She looks thoughtful for a moment. "Hm. I'll go arrange a tray and be back with it, then. I seem to be a bit hungry myself." She turns to head for the door and pauses to look back to Jax. "Yes. Someone very much said termites. Line with some sort of chili powder, if I'm not mistaken," she says. That being said, Jean turns and continues toward the door, disappearing soon after through it.

Kit Killovarras has posed:
Once again, the bag in Kit's hand is tilted towards someone and the chili lime termites are offered, this time to Jax. "They're really not that bad, once you get around the look of them." He gives a nod to Jeans suggestion of talking to Dr. MaCoy, then gives a little wave to her as she departs. After a moment he glances back to Jax and adds, "If your sense of smell is anything like mine though, they might be a hell of an interesting flavor the first time around."

Shannon gets a glance as Kit tilts his head, her response to people reminding her not to forget to eat drawing a little chuckle from him as he muses, "Passing out from hunger in the middle of an exam would probably suck worse than missing the exam.."

Ororo gets a glance and a nod, the fur along his neck actually bristling up ever so slightly as he makes another face, "Yeah, that's part of the reason. On top of that, my pads are sensitive. An adhesive would still feel weird, but at least it wouldn't be messing with my fur." Then he pauses a moment and his ears perk up, "I wonder...." and then he just sort of trails off in thought, looking down as his feet, even lifting one to study the pads for a moment.

Jax Miller has posed:
    "And you don't want to end up as part of the exam yourself, y'know?" Jax grins over to Shannon, and reaches into the offered bag without looking. Has he not been listening?! Or is something else dividing his attention? At any rate, he reaches into the bag and comes back up with a handful of chili coated termites. Without looking, he spears one on a claw and pops it into his muzzle, crunching it.

    "We used to get these when we were cruising around Egypt, dad and I" Jax grins, clearly enjoying the snack. "Mom hates 'em, probably why dad likes them so much. Thanks for hooking me up!"

    And then, as if prompted by Kit looking at his own feet, Jax starts to unlace his shoe.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon just stares at Jax, turning a decidedly interesting shade of green as he skewers a termite and just devours it with apparent relish. Shaking her head, she mutters, "Nuts. You're absolutely bonkers. I'll stick with escargots, thanks." Still, with everyone else at least trying the things, she takes a deep breath, plucks a few termites out of the bag, holds her nose, and knocks them back.

     It couldn't hurt to try new things, right? Right!

     WRONG.

     Almost as soon as she had them in her mouth, Shannon regretted it. Though she chewed and swallowed the delicacy that the others seemed to find so tasty, it did not seem to love her back. Within about a minute, she had her head over the side, and there was a fair amount of cursing from down below, following coughing and rather wretched retching sounds from her.

     Oh, dear.

Storm has posed:
Storm turns her blue gaze to Jean, and she gives a small nod at the mention of a tray being sent. "Thank you, Jean, that is a perfect idea," she says with a smile. She watches the redheaded woman leave, and then her attention shifts to the others. She raises an eyebrow slightly at Kit, and then she chuckles softly. "The termites are good. A bit of an acquired taste, perhaps, but still good," she comments.

There's a nod as he explains further about the adhesive. "That makes sense. Perhaps Doctor McCoy can work out something that would be less irritating to your skin, though. It is hard to say what he might come up with," she says, her tone thoughtful. Her gaze turns towards his feet, considering them and the pads on their undersides, though she's not a medically inclined person in order to know what might be possible.

"They are quite common in many places in Egypt, and Africa as well," Ororo says, giving a nod towards Jax. Then her gaze turns towards Shannon, and she raises an eyebrow slightly as she watches the termites be tried. And observes the return trip that they make, too, wincing just a little bit. Shifting her weight, she rises and steps over to Shannon, lifting a hand to bring it to her back and lightly rub it.

Kit Killovarras has posed:
Kit's fur almost immediately stands on end at the sound of retching, turning to look at Shannon for a moment before he snerks a little. "Oh geeze, Are you ok?" he asks, tilting his head a little. "Maybe I should have warned you about the legs..." After a moment or two, he looks to Jax and nods, "They're a very common food there actually, most places tend to sell them plain, but a lot of places apparently started adding flavors to them."

Then Jax starts untying his shoe and Kit just tilts his head ever so slightly.

Jax Miller has posed:
    "Probably for the tourists..." is about as far as Jax gets before the sound of retching makes his ears flatten, and he grimaces over to Shannon. "Oh man. Guess they're an acquired taste. Sorry, I should've checked." After all, as he said before, his own mother doesn't like them at all.

    Even as he's looking with some concern in Shannon's direction, he takes off his shoe, revealing a foot with almost the exact same structure as Kit's. It's digitigrade, at least, with toe pads around a center foot pad, and the fur around his toes seems to be unruffled despite the shoe. "Here, try this one on. We're probably not the same size..." what with Kit being a full foot taller than Jax "... but it'll give you an idea."

Nightingale has posed:
     It's a good few minutes before Shannon's standing again, her retching eased by miss Munroe's hand on her back. She's decidedly peaked, but at least she isn't that sickly shade of green any more. "I think," she manages, as she catches her breath. "...that those are a taste I won't be acquiring." A wan smile of gratitude is offered to miss Munroe, as well as Jax and Kit. "Yeah, I'll be okay, just... no more termites for me. If I'm going to eat bugs, I'll stick with escargots."

     Staying to the side with miss Munroe, she observes as Jax offers his shoe for Kit to try. One brow lofts, and she hmmms lightly. "Huh. That might actually work...."

Storm has posed:
There's a glance towards Kit, and Ororo raises an eyebrow slightly. "I am not so sure that the legs were the sole cause of the issue," she says softly. She glances to Jax then back to Kit before giving a nod. "They are a common food in many countries, but there are not many here who consider them the delicacy that they are known as there," she says, a thoughtful tone to her voice.

Softly, her hand lingers on Shannon's back, a gentle and comforting sort of touch. There's a smile that touches at the corners of her lips, and she gives a nod before gesturing towards the tray that one of the kitchen staff has come along with. "Perhaps a gingerale from off the tray will help to settle things," she suggests. She glances towards the other two, but turns her attention readily back to Shanon.

Kit Killovarras has posed:
Kit sets the bag of termites down and walks over towards Shannon, one of the ginger ales from the tray literally lifting up and moving with him as he walks up and gives the poor girl a remarkably gentle hug, "Noted, thank you for at least giving them a try though." he says with a warm smile as the ginger ale comes to levitate right in front of her. "I'll have to get you to try some of the less buggy treats my family sends, you'll probably like them a lot better too." he adds with a little grin, even once again poking his tongue out at her a bit

Then he walks back over and takes the offered shoe, studying it for a moment before he sighs. "Well, the design would probably keep the fur from being tugged on.." he says as he pretty much drops strait down to sit on the ground, a motion he's practiced before it seems. He slips the shoe on, lacing it up fairly easily before standing up again, leaning on it a little and almost immediately there's a twitch of his ears and a weird face. "Sooo, I'll admit, it's not bad." he says with a glance to Jax, then he looks back down at his foot and tilts his head, "It still feels weird, but at least it's not as uncomfortable as the last ones I tried. Still tugs at the fur a little, but that's probably because they're a bit snug." Then the shoe unlaces itself as he lifts his paw up, the shoe staying firmly where it had been as he pulls his paw back out of it.

Jax Miller has posed:
    There are some things that are hard not to notice. Of course, over the now nearly a year of Jax being at Xavier's, he has gotten used to the occasional display of telekinesis, but that doesn't mean he's blind to it. And so he learns a bit more about his fellow furry mutant. Interesting.

    "Eh, figured we weren't the same size. But I'll tell you what... how 'bout I have three pairs made in your size?" And here Jax hopes fervently that Kit doesn't take offense. It shows in his body language, with his ears half folded and his tail curling tightly up at the tip. Yeah, cats make lousy poker players.

    Partially to hide that worry, he starts putting his shoe back on, with quick and practiced motions. "Escargots, hmm?" And that is said with a glance at Shannon, with a tilt of his ears that clearly indicates he's planning something.