14039/A Snowy Rooftop

A Snowy Rooftop
Date of Scene:	26 December 2021
Location:	Roof Tower - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Storm, Phoenix

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Storm has posed:
It's fairly early in the morning, and the grounds of the mansion are yet quiet, peaceful and tranquil. The sky overhead is grey, both from clouds and from the hour of the day. Though the sun has risen, there is only a faint bright spot of it in the sky from behind the clouds that this morning has brought with it. There is only a dusting of snow to faintly cover everything.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Ororo is awake. She is no stranger to early mornings, and there are times when sleep is fleeting for her. She wears a light blue t-shirt and a pair of black jeans, despite the chilled temperatures of the outdoors. Her hands rest lightly to either side of her, a little bit away from her body, and she hovers a few inches from the rooftop. Her long white hair spills down her back in a bit of a tumble, and she has her face lifted towards the sky, her eyes closed. Storm's attention is upon the weather, tugging and teasing the threads of it. There is a moment in which the temperature falls a little, and then... then it starts to snow.

Phoenix has posed:
Jean Grey is also no stranger to early mornings. At this hour, Jean has been up for several hours. More, as she's been at the school since at least an hour before sunrise. She had gotten most of her work done that she had meant to get to before Ororo's nightmares woke her up. At that point, she set everything aside and left her office.

She makes her way to Ororo's roof tower. There, she pauses to watch the weather witch and leans against the edge of the doorway once she's closed the door behind her. "I would tell you they can't hurt you," she says. "But you already know that."

Storm has posed:
It's only after the snow has started to fall that Ororo lets her magic bleed out of her grasp. It's slow at first, but then a bit on the abrupt side of things. She falls the last few inches through the air, her feet settling back to the rooftop. Her arms wrap around herself, and she opens her eyes before turning to look to where Jean stands there in the doorway.

A very faint smile touches at the corners of her lips, and she steps the short distance across to the doorway, moving out of the falling snow. She leaves bare footprints behind her, in what little snow is upon the rooftop. "Knowing that they cannot hurt me does little to keep them away, it seems," she says quietly, a little bit... sadly, perhaps. "The fear is always there, and nothing keeps the nightmares away," she adds, giving a small shake of her head.

Phoenix has posed:
That slightly abrupt bit of things? That's not missed at all by Jean. Nor does she miss the woman's arms wrapping as they do. She turns her eyes away from Ororo, and looks up to the falling flakes of snow. "Fear. It's a hard thing to bear. A hard thing to deal with." Her eyes drop from the sky to land on her fellow mutant. "Come. Let's go inside. I'll get us cocoa."

Jean turns then, and opens the door. She holds it that way for the other woman to proceed her inside. "If you like, tonight I'll see what I can do to nudge the nightmares away. See if it works?" They both know that it has a high chance of working.

Storm has posed:
It had been a long time ago that the fear of small spaces, of being trapped in them, had been born in her, and it has persisted through her life since. Though immune to being harmed by the cold, she does still feel it. She takes a moment to look back to the falling snow, a pretty gift given to the morning. Her gaze turns back to Jean, and there's a little smile that tugs at the corners of her lips as she gives a small nod. "I would like that. Cocoa with you," Ororo says softly. "Marshmallows?" she asks quietly, a bit hopefully.

As the door is held open for her, Ororo doesn't hesitate to step inside and into the warmer domain of her attic room. Not far within, she stops to look to Jean, to await her entry as well. "I would appreciate that, if... it would not be too much trouble," she says softly, her brow wrinkling for a moment. She isn't one to impose by asking for the help, but she's also not one to turn aside the offer either, especially given the nightmares that had awakened her. "The fear is always there, waiting, but it seems... sometimes, it is... stronger, or harder to keep control of," she says softly.

Phoenix has posed:
A pretty gift that some might not find to be much of a gift. Snow has its own set of drawbacks, not the least of which is it turns into an icy mess on the road. Or a slushy icy mess. And it can drift when one has to drive somewhere. Ororo might not be harmed by the snow, but Jean has no such luck. She can, and will, be harmed by the cold.

"Of course marshmallows. Would it be cocoa without them?" Jean grins and steps inside after the other woman. She closes the door firmly behind them. She makes a soft, chiding sound. "Tsk. You're my friend. Of course it's not too much trouble. It's not any trouble at all, Ro."

Jean's expression is sympathetic as she looks at her friend. "I know," she says softly. And she does. Not only from being able to feel it within Ororo, but within herself as well. The fear that the Phoenix will get out of control is always there, even though she doesn't usually show it. "You stay right here. I'll go get us cocoa and be right back." She reaches out with her right hand to pat Ororo's right shoulder, and steps past her. Out the door she goes, and down through the tower toward the closest place to get cocoa.

Storm has posed:
It's true that some might not find it to be such a gift. The snow can make things complicated. The temperature is, at least, only a couple of degrees below freezing, and it's unlikely to remain so through more than just the morning. It's not a heavy sort of snow, nor is it thickly falling, so these aspects of it may prove to be helpful in managing it.

"Well," Ororo says softly as she considers, one of her eyebrows quirking just a touch upwards, "it would still be cocoa, but it is always better with marshmallows than without them." A little smile tugs at the corners of her lips, and she gives a small nod. "As are you, mine, and I am forever grateful to have you as my friend, Jean," she adds, that bit of a smile returning to her features.

Maybe a day will come when they can both be without their fears. She gives a little nod when she's told to remain here, and she seems a bit more at ease than she had been just moments ago, especially with that touch given her shoulder. "Thank you, Jean. I will stay here and await your return, I promise," she says softly, giving a small nod. She watches Jean head out in order to fetch the cocoa, and while she's gone, she plucks up a fuzzy blanket from the couch in order to wrap it about herself before she settles with her feet tucked beneath her in the corner of the couch. Even though she hadn't admitted it, she was chilled.

Phoenix has posed:
Thankfully, Jean doesn't have to deal with it. She doesn't plan on leaving the mansion today. And she'll be staying on sight through the night. "Not the same," she says over her shoulder as she disappears out of sight. And as far as it goes, whether Ororo admitted it or not, Jean still knew the woman was chilled. Perhaps that was the larger part of why she suggested inside, and cocoa, in that order.

Jean is only gone for about fifteen minutes. When she returns, it's with a tray laden with not only hot cocoa. But also a can of whipped cream, marshmallows, and cut blocks of cheese and summer sausage. "How 'bout we finish the cocoa and food, and head to my place for a dip in the hot tub?" So much for not leaving the mansion today!

Storm has posed:
It will give the younger children the opportunity to have some fun. Maybe snowball fights or snow angels or other activities. It would take a larger snowfall for snow fort building, though that's something her powers could bring about as well. Whilst Jean is gone, Ororo uses her fingers to lightly comb out the locks of her white hair. And though it isn't likely to stay, she divides it out into sections and then braids it.

As Jean returns to her room, Ororo lifts her gaze to her friend, and there's a smile that tugs at the corners of her lips. And it's a smile that quirks a bit further at seeing what else is on the tray beyond the cocoa. It hadn't been mentioned, but she had been peckish, as well -- she hadn't had breakfast yet. "I quite like your idea," she says softly, giving a small nod. She's quiet a moment, casting a brief glance towards the windows and the snow falling beyond them before her attention turns back to Jean. "You always know how best to help me," she says softly, a warm note coming to her voice.

Phoenix has posed:
And not just the younger children. But older children as well. Perhaps even the teachers, some of them. Jean was peckish as well. The food may or may not have been provided to satisfy her own hunger rather than Ororo's. She sets the tray down on a table and grins at the other woman. "Of course I do. That's what friends who know you well are for, isn't it?"

She puts a liberal amount of marshmallows into one of the cups and passes it over to Ororo. The other gets an equally liberal amount of whipped cream atop it. That one Jean keeps for herself. She places the whipped cream where Storm can get to it if she should so desire. One sip of her cocoa, and she retrieves a piece of sausage and a piece of cheese. The pair get stuck together, and a bite taken from them.

Storm has posed:
"Yes. It is what friends who know me well are for," Ororo says softly, a smile touching at the corners of her lips. She isn't very good at letting people get close to her, or at letting people come to know her as well as Jean does. "Friends like you," she adds, reaching a hand out to lightly touch Jean's knee nearest to her. "There are few who know me as well as you do," she says, a thoughtful tone to her voice. It's difficult for her to let people know her.

As one of the cups is dosed with marshmallows before being offered, there's a smile that turns at the corners of her lips, and she reaches out to accept the mug. "Thank you," she says softly, slipping her fingers through the handle of the mug. She shifts slightly, sitting forward and reaching towards the tray to claim a slice of cheese to take a bite of. "It is always hard to relax, after the nightmare has passed," she says quietly. "It helps, having you here."