4971/All Roads Lead Back Home

All Roads Lead Back Home
Date of Scene:	20 July 2018
Location:	Warren's Manor
Synopsis:	Ororo and Warren meet for dinner. They start in the past but end up in the future.
Cast of Characters:	Archangel, Storm

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Archangel has posed:
The summer sun was still high, tracking towards evening. The afternoon heat had given away in the face of a cool breeze from the east, blowing out of clear skies.

Warren's Manor, they used to call it. Not far from the school, the home at on a few acres of land. A long winding driveway leads in from the road past manicured hedges and well kept lawns. The house itself was a sprawling, two story brick affair with white wooden window frames and a wide semi-circular set of steps leading up to the large double front doors. Off to the left of the home, the drive way curves around to a four car garage. Ororo knows from many past visits that behind the manor were the large terrace Warren liked to use for entertaining, more lawns, a rose garden and an artificial pond. The only thing marring an otherwise picturesque setting is the concrete heli-pad beside the garage. Never a big swimmer, there was no pool, Warren having long since had it dug out and filled in.

There is a red Chevrolet Silverado parked out front with some tools and lumber in the back. The front doors are ajar and Warren is in the foyer. The home is decorated throughout in a colonial style, but right now it seems to be having work done. The chandelier is still covered, as is much of the furniture in the adjoining living room. There were signs of painters and other trades having been at work and left for the day. Warren is talking amicably with a man in his 40's, probably a contractor. He is dressed casually, brown loafers, jeans and a blue and white striped polo shirt.

Storm has posed:
Every time Ororo enters the grounds of Warren's Manor, she is dumbfounded at how different, yet sophisticated his tastes are from Xavier's Mansion. She is driving a black Ford Mustang, a couple of years old, but still immaculate in design and upkeep. It's engine roars as it pulls up on the left of the house and stops in front of one of the four garages available. With the engine silenced, Ororo steps out of the vehicle with a bottle of champagne in hand. It is of the expensive sort. She is wearing casual wear: an African styled blouse tucked into dark blue jeans. Her hair is pulled up into a Kenyan headdress, despite the style of her Mohawk underneath.

Six inch heels start off towards the back of the property, passing the rose garden and pulling a stem from a bush. Hesitant as she approaches the ajar front door, Ororo sees Warren in the distance speaking to another gentleman. She lets herself in. Her steps are careful and calculating, making sure she is careful to not interrupt any of the work stations of the workers that has since gone home for the day. As she nears Warren, making sure to get his attention, Ororo motions with the bottle that she will head in the kitchen. He will know to come meet her when he is done with his current conversation.

Ororo takes it upon herself to find two champagne flutes while she waits.

Archangel has posed:
Warren smiles broadly when he sees Ororo and winks. There is the sound of the two men talking and then laughing good naturedly. Then there are footsteps heading away and the sound of the front door closing.

The kitchen is spacious and seems to be re-opened already, cleaned and laid out. It smells of garlic, onions and fresh bread. Everything is just where it was the last time Ororo was here. The french doors doors to the terrace are open and there is a table set out there. On the island in the kitchen there are covered stainless steel chafers and the card from Mulino's, a high end Italian restaurant in Westchester.

Warren walks around the corner into the kitchen and his face brightens. He smiles broadly and walks toward Ororo with his arms spread wide.

"'Ro! It's /so/ good to see you," Warren says. He air kisses both of her cheeks and grins when he steps back. "You look fantastic. Thank you so much for coming tonight."

Storm has posed:
It does not take Ororo long to find the champagne glasses, a wine opener, and a wine chiller; things have certainly remained the same since the last time she visited Warren. The aroma of the kitchen is certainly Italian, Ororo's favorite food, and she takes notice of the terrace as she opens the bottle of champagne with a *pop*. Filling up the first glass, Ororo pauses on the second glass when she notices a polo shirt entering the kitchen.

Warren's bright face and smile catches Ororo's attention next, as she delivers a similar expression to her dear friend. His spread arms are met with a tight embrace from Ororo, still holding onto the champagne bottle in her left hand. Air kisses ensue, and then she observes the man before her. He looks different, yet the same, if not a bit more mature in his outlook from what she remembers when they both were so much younger. Her smile brightens at his compliment to her, shaking her head as she grabs a full champagne flute.

"I wouldn't have missed this for the world, my friend," Ororo says, handing him the full glass. She begins to fill up the second glass and looks around when she is done. "The renovations are coming along nicely, Warren. I'm to assume you picked out the décor for the foyer?"

Archangel has posed:
Warren accepts the glass and holds it while Ororo pours her own. "I did," he says with a nod. "Since I was re-opening the house anyway, I thought it was a good time to change a few things."

Once Ororo's glass is full he holds up his glass to her. "To dear friends," he says and clinks glasses. Warren takes a sip and smiles. "Hmm, that is good," he says appreciatively. "I hope you brought your appetite. I don't have staff yet, so I had dinner brought in."

Warren walks over to the island and starts plating dinner for the both of them. "You liked the lobster bisque at Mulino's, didn't you?" he asks. With two plates in one hand and his champagne in the other, he pauses for a moment looking at Ororo. "It is really good to see you," he says again. "The bread is there, do you mind grabbing it?" he asks, with a nod toward the plate of sliced foccacia.

With that he leads the way to the table and sets their plates down. He holds out Ororo's chair for her and then takes his own seat. His wings flex just slightly and settle again once he is in place, an unconscious gesture that keeps him from sitting on his feathers.

"Has it really been two years?" he says with a shake of his head. "How are you?"

Storm has posed:
"To dear friends," Ororo repeats. Clinking her glass with his own and taking a sip of the wine, she nods at his reaction. "It is one of your favorites, if I recall correctly. And I see you remembered my love for Italian."

While Warren plates dinner, Ororo places her champagne flute against the countertop and grabs the ice chiller. "I haven't been able to get to Mulino's in months," she says, entering the freezer and retrieving ice for the chiller. Filling it half way, Ororo returns to the bottle and places it inside. Balancing the chiller, her glass of champagne, and the sliced focaccia, she follows Warren to the set table.

The chiller and bread are placed on the table first, and Ororo takes another moment to sip a little bit more from her glass before Warren pulls her chair for her. "Thank you," she says politely.

"Time is not our friend, it seems. It's almost like yesterday that we were all in the mansion, celebrating someone's birthday, and now we've allowed two years to pass us by." Ororo pauses, looking over the spread on the table before them. He certainly knew the finer things in life. "I have been well. I took over leadership of the X-Men, while balancing school work. A lot of the staff, especially Jean, have been picking up missing pieces around the school, as the school is growing tremendously now."

Archangel has posed:
Warren drops a napkin in his lap, nodding as Ororo comments on the time passing.

"You did? 'Ro, that's amazing! Congratulations... We have to drink to that!"

He raises his glass to Ororo with a broad smile. "And to balance that with teaching, you must never sleep," he says and cocks his head slightly. Warren seems to be considering Ororo for just a moment, the easy smile replaced by something more thoughtful. He nods approvingly. "I can see you leading the team, I really can. You were always the type."

Then the moment passes and the smiles return. Warren sips his champagne again and gestures. "Please, dig in before it gets cold. That is great news about the school. How are the others doing? I haven't been in touch at all."

Storm has posed:
The champagne glass rises for another cheer.

"I have honestly forgotten what sleep truly feels like," Ororo says, a grin and a laugh accompanying her words. "But, it is for the good of the school and our community, so I can afford myself a few hours every now and again."

"Other than me, a few of the senior staff members have returned for the semester," she begins, placing a napkin on her lap. "Scott is finally back from the sabbatical Charles forced him to go on." She smiles at the thought, cutting into a few vegetables balancing the dish. "Even Jubilee is as excited as ever, but she has always been quite jovial in nature."

Ororo takes her first bite and her expression melts into lust for the Italian dish. "This brings me back to the old days," she says in compliment to the food. Sipping more of her champagne, Ororo looks up to Warren, placing the fork on the plate. "Enough about us. How have you been these last couple of years, Warren? I always see positive things in the media about your company."

Archangel has posed:
Warren twirls just enough of his pasta onto his fork using his spoon and takes savors the first bite with a nod.

"Scott taking a break," he says with a laugh. "I can't picture that."

"The company's doing great, my team is top notch," he says with a smile. "And me? I'm always great."

He pauses and takes another bite from his plate, knowing full well Ororo would never let him get away with that. He sips his drink again and leans back in his chair. "I have been in Africa, Libya and Egypt mostly, with some of the NGOs I sponsor. We have been working with mutants coming through the people smuggling routes to Europe. The stories are heartbreaking, they really are. But their resilience, especially the kids. It is work."

Storm has posed:
Taking a second bite from the plate, Ororo nods. Interest peaks at the mention of Africa. She knows all too well the strength of the people on the African continent. Many of them are not able to enjoy the many luxuries that America offers, but they make the most of it over time. Ororo surely did.

"The people are strong, indeed. I pray for my people and those going through trials in that area," Ororo says, pausing. She cannot help by think of her time in Cairo and Kenya many years ago in the moment. "And I applaud your efforts. You have always been a caring and compassionate man."

"So, you are back from your adventures?" she asks. "Does that mean we will see more of you in the mansion this semester like so many others?"

Archangel has posed:
Warren leans forward and sets back to eating while they speak. He helps himself to some of the foccacia and waves off Ororo's compliment with a smile.

"They are strong," he agrees, then waves off her compliment and grins. "Don't applaud too soon. London, Paris, Milan, Ibiza... All too close for me to resist temptation."

At Ororo's question he dabs at his face with his napkin. His expression softs just a bit and his right wing waves back and forth, the way it does when he feels uncomfortable. Some things have not changed at all. "I... miss it. I miss all of you. I needed to be awayy, but now it's time for me to come home."

Warren's smile broadens. "And Scott, what would he do without me to spice things up for him?" he says with a grin.

Storm has posed:
"We miss you too," Ororo says.

At least, she misses Warren and any of her former teammates that have been away from the mansion for a lengthy period. While she embraces change, there is something comfortable in knowing that the teams that set the foundation for what they have now are still around. Call it nostalgia, but Ororo certainly appreciated the original team and their support of her or the organization.

Ororo chuckles at the thought old Scott-Warren shenanigans, nearly threatening to spit out a string of pasta that she puts into her mouth. "I think he misses you the most, honestly," she replies, jokingly. "Things have certainly changed for the better, but you know you always have a home with us at the mansion."

"Depending on how involved you want to be, I'm sure we have options for you."

Archangel has posed:
Warren laughs at the idea of Scott missing being teased by him.

"Thank you, 'Ro. That means so much to me," he says and crosses one leg over the other. "I want to come back, 'Ro. To the team and to the school."

He smiles. "Not that I'm going to teach classes every day! But I want to be part of it, so we can build up the next team. And the next."

Storm has posed:
Ororo eats another helping of pasta and vegetables. She washes it down with a glass of water that stood idle on the table. Placing her fork against the plate, Ororo interlocks her fingers, destroying etiquette as both elbows are placed against the table. A long glance goes to Warren, observing the man as she chooses her next words carefully.

"I'm building a new team, one where we continue to fight for the rights of the people, to protect the public when no else can - or wants to." Ororo takes her champagne flute in hand, but she does not sip from it just yet. "Too many people out there are dying because of bad situations, especially in our communities. I want to prevent death as much as the Great Goddess will allow."

"We are not the Avengers or the Justice League," Ororo says, "We are X-Men and something tells me the world misses us all right about now."

Archangel has posed:
Warren nods, lips pursed. "It does," he agrees. "People ask me what happened to the X-Men, where are they," he shakes his head.

There had never been any hiding that Warren was a member of the X-Men. The moment he was photographed in an X-Men uniform, the media knew who he was. There is no hiding the wings, and Warren did not try.

"Who is on the team?"

Storm has posed:
"There will be a lot of familiar faces involved if things work out," Ororo offers, diverting from the question for a brief moment. "With all the changes happening this summer, I want to have a meeting with everyone to see if this opportunity peaks an interest."

"Over the years, I've learned that some people may support the cause of protecting human-mutant, even super-human, relations but they only want to contribute to a certain degree - which is awesome. Not everyone wants field work, or to be in the heart of danger." Ororo pauses. "But for those willing to take those changes, we have the opportunity to help the world in a better capacity than we have before. Now, it's our turn to astonish everyone."

"It sounds, as Jubilee would say, corny. But it is now necessary."

Archangel has posed:
Warren smiles and something flashes across his face. Pride, respect, appreciation.

"The Professor chose really well, didn't he. Listen to you.." he shakes his head and smiles. "Keep talking like that and I would follow you anywhere."

Warren uncrosses his legs and leans forward, matching Ororo's body language.

"Tell me what you nees from me, 'Ro, and you've got it. All the way."