7526/Some Civilized Behaviour

Some Civilized Behaviour
Date of Scene:	18 May 2019
Location:	Ororo's Room - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Ororo returns to the mansion, and Kitty, Doug, and Sam join her to sing away the blues.
Cast of Characters:	Storm, Shadowcat, Cypher, Cannonball

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Storm has posed:
Some people think that Ororo controls the weather. This is not quite accurate, and the semantics of what her limits are often seems a blurry line. After all, dialing up a tornado versus moving a thunderstorm over the coast-- is there really a difference?

There is to Ororo, and this is one of those occassions where the white-haired woman rolls with the weather crashing into the New England countryside. Her attic windows and doors are all thrown wide open so the heavy, damp air can roll through the attic. Lightning splits the sky about three miles away, and thunder rolls across the old hills shaking leaves and windows alike as it peals without regard for the masses of humanity scurrying home to escape a driving rainstorm. It's at least quite warm, rather than being shockingly cold, and Ororo's attic always radiates a sound, snug amount of heat.

She hums something to herself, some old tribal song, and lights a few more candles with a long matchstick. The tea kettle is started, water boiling, and she starts setting some cookies out on a plate. Her innumerable thin white plaits of hair roll back and forth with the motion, causing her mane to shift across her scalp. Subtle tinkling noises can be heard from the beads woven into the plaits.

There's no plans for tea, per se. It's just one of those things that seems to happen when heavy storms peal into the area.

Shadowcat has posed:
There is motion over at one of the windows. A small purple form alights on the windowsill to peer inside. Lockheed gives a few flaps of his wings, water running down his body from the rain that he flew through to get to the window, and then he launches back out into the night, diving down towards the rows of windows on the floors below.

What happens next is predictable. Even down to how much time it takes for Kitty Pryde and Lockheed to rise up through the floor together. Kitty is toweling off Lockheed even as they are still clearing the floor, rewarding her little scout who confirmed whether Ororo would be celebrating the storm with tea.

Once they are clear of the floor, Kitty's face lights up. "It's been too long," she says with a grin, moving over to offer Ororo a big hug. Lockheed's wings flap a few times, more than needed to keep his balance. A display of his excitement too.

Cypher has posed:
Doug would like to say it was the thunderstorm that woke him up -- but it really wasn't.

Because he shot upright in bed, shouting 'RAHNE, LOOK OUT!' at the top of his lungs - And when he has that nightmare, there's no getting back to sleep for him for the next few hours. He has it a couple of times a month.

He's shuffling down the hallway in his fuzzy slippers, flannel checked pajama pants, bathrobe, and a t-shirt with Castle Grayskull on it, and he inhales, deeply, catching a whiff of steam and the faint aroma of melting beeswax.

"Storm's here."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie has been doing alot of night flying himself. It might have something to do with his girl friend being away it might have somehting to do with dreams like Doug's or it might just be alot on his mind. He will land on Ororo's balcony planning on heading down the hall not into her rom, but does look over seeing movement there.

Storm has posed:
Ororo turns and embraces Kitty, her regal features lit up in an expression of sincere joy. The hug is returnd with uninhibited affection and she laughs once. "Dear Kitty! Every time I am gone, I come home you look even more mature and lovelier," she says, and her richly accented voice fills the room. "Hello Lockheed!" She reaches a hand up near the dragon's face, letting him sniff her fingers, then offers a scratch of her white-painted nails under his chin.

"I just got in last night," she explains to Kitty, and moves to her luggage neatly piled near the entryway. She's one of those people who will probably have her suitcase emptied and stored by morning. Ororo roots around in one for a moment. Pale jeans and black open-toed boots with a modest heel are worn under a periwinkle blue shirt with voluminous, flowing sleeves that attach to her wrists and shoulders. She rises with a box in hand, and moves to Kitty. "I brought you a present," she reassures her friend, and offers her a tiny but intricately carved wooden box. It smells sharply foreign, and inside are a bundle of dried and shredded leaves. "Authentic rooibos. I remembered you saying how much you liked it," she smiles.

"Come sit with me! I imagine some others will come soon, it seems a good night for tea and biscuits," she says. Her head tilts. "Yes, someone is coming up the stairs now." She looks around Kitty from the little sitting area, and just before Doug approaches the threshold-- "Doug! Is that you? Come in, we are having tea," she invites him.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty has a number of special relationships with members of the team, and Ororo was certainly one of them. Though in later years they moved on from the nearly maternal relationship that Storm had with her, the guidance Kitty received as a young X-man will always make the African woman a special part of her life. Those feelings can be felt in the heartfelt hug before finally Kitty lets the woman go.

"Oh, Ororo you shouldn't have," Kitty says, though beaming at the small present. She opens it up and smiles when she sees the contents. "You've gone to far too much trouble for me," she says, flashing the smile over to the older woman. Kitty takes the offered seat, while Lockheed lingers until the scratching is done before he moves over to take a seat in Kitty's lap.

"You'll have to tell us everything," Kitty tells Ororo of her latest trip. The arrival of Doug gets a bright smile from the brunette, and wave over to him. Her expression softens a little as she deduces, "Having trouble sleeping tonight?"

Cypher has posed:
Having received the invitation, Doug shuffles in. He's running on about a half-second delay, so he walks in, Kitty talks to him, and then he has a seat. There's a long pause, before his eyes open a little bit.

"Just a nightmare I have sometimes." He says, mildly. "It's fine." He looks up at Ororo, and gives a little, sleepy smile. "Sawubona, i-Ororo. Kuhle ukukubona futhi."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie will atep into the hallway which puts him right behind Doug as the young man is heading into the room. He will wave a hand to thoise inside, not planning on intruding as he does not know whats going on.

Storm has posed:
"It was either that, or a t-shirt that says 'My friend went to Wakanda, and all I got was this lousy t-shirt," Ororo offers, and her eloquent voice carefully pronounces each word before she bursts out with a merry and uninhibited laugh.

She turns to Doug and steps over, offering him a clasp of one hand over the other in greeting. "Ukuthula nenjabulo kuwe, mhlobo," Ororo tells him, in the same language. "Your Zulu is much better than mine, Doug," she tells him, and smiles warmly at the insomnaic X-man. "I have not been to South Africa in many years. Come, please join us." She's already more or less delicately maneuvering Doug around, by dint of expecting no one's going to be rude enough to pull a hand back and refuse a polite offer of tea.

She sets out a box of a mixed bag of teas (and a little powdered cocoa for people who like it), and pauses. Her head swivels just as Samuel walks in, and she straightens to offer him a friendly smile. "It seems many of us are awake tonight. You are Samuel Guthrie, yes?" Ororo asks. The white-haired mutant makes a point of memorizing names and class photos as soon as people arrive, and she gestures at the sitting area. It's an eclectic mix of low stools, pillows, and high-backed chairs. "Perhaps some tea will calm your spirit. Come join us," she urges him. "It is a good night to listen to the storm and smell the rain dancing on the roof."

She moves to kneel down near the tea service and start pouring hot water over strainers as people select their tea, letting people sit on the floor or chairs as they wish. "I have some biltong strips if anyone wants something stronger than biscuits," she offers. Dried, heavily seasoned and salted strips of African beef, and definitely an acquired taste for most.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde chuckles softly and says, "You didn't need to get me anything, but I appreciate the thought." Kitty looks up to Samuel, giving him a wave. "Hey Sam. What has you up so late?" she asks him. She leans over to pick out a tea, and also one of the cookies.

Kitty's initial rush of emotion at seeing Ororo after so long passes, and the happiness starts to give way to a little bit more of a melancholy look. Though it comes over her slowly, so it might take some time for people to notice the change in demeanor. She nibbles on the cookie, but has slipped back into her thoughts of the previous day.

Lockheed senses the change immediately though. The dragon is empathic, not telepathic, and he nuzzles in his head against her hand as he nestles in her lap. She looks down and runs her fingers over the little dragon's head, then glances out into the night. Watching a flash of lightning that makes her wince slightly.

Cypher has posed:
"I could switch to Yoruba or Wakandan if you prefer," Doug says, "It's just nice to stretch a bit, and speak in something other than standard English." He murmurs this, sleepily, before he says, "I'll have a biltong strip, please." He accepts one, and worries it with his teeth a bit, as his eyes open a little more.

"Hey Sam. I had the nightmare again." He explains why he looks so haggard -- it takes a lot out of him.

He picks Irish breakfast -- which means tonight he's going to take it extremely strong, with cream and honey.

He studies Kitty, through squinty eyes. "Mmmmmhmmm. You're upset. What's wrong." He jogs his diffuser in crazy hot water, and then says, "Come on, Kitty, cough it up." Pun intended.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie will look to Storm. "Yes, Ma'am I was in Doug and Dani's class." He mentions Dani as she was the one who cared for Ororo's plants one of the times she had to be away unplanned. "Just been thinking about some things and blasting helps clear my head. " At Doug's word he will put a hand on the other man's shoulder giving a soft squeeze but will raise a brow at doug's question, before looking back to Ororo. "Have a towel, I would hate to ruin your pillows ma'am."

Storm has posed:
"Doug, I am from Kenya," Ororo says, with a great deal of patience. "Nigeria is two thousand miles away from my home, as far west as is Zimbabwe south. I do not know all the languages of Africa. How is your Swahili?" she offers, as a compromise.

Biltong's retrived along with a sharp little pocketknife, because it's entirely impossible to actually chew through a biltong stick. She offers both to Doug, and smiles at Samuel's considerate nature. "I do not mind some water," she assures him. "It will all dry out. But there are towels in the cabinet if you wish," she says, and nods at one of the cabinets.

"And Doug, do not pry it out of Kitty," she scolds him, rounding on the other mutant again. She pours him more tea as she does, just to take the sting out of it. "She will tell us when she is ready. Sad stories are for the comfort of the sun, when it rains, we should tell only jokes and sing songs," she says. Her tone suggests she's not just stating an opinion, but sharing one of the limitless philosophical maxims of the deep majani grasslands.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde looks over to Doug, not surprised that he could read her body language as easily as if she had a neon sign across her head spelling out her emotions. She lets out a breath. It doesn't appear to be some small matter, whatever it is.

Kitty looks like she's about to answer when Ororo supplies the majani wisdom. The younger woman relents, glancing over towards the storm outside. Somehow the storm seems to suit her mood better tonight, anyway. And there will be time tomorrow for her to receive the blame she richly deserves.

Kitty does reach over to Doug though, giving his hand a little squeeze. "Sam I have always wondered if your shield kept out rain," she comments to him, for something else to talk about.

Cypher has posed:
Doug inhales the steam, and then breathes, "I'm going to blame that one on not being entirely awake. Nina aibu kwa ukosefu wangu wa neema. Nisamehe, Ororo."

He sips his tea with his free hand, but gives Kitty's a squeeze with the other.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie looks over to kitty and says "Most times no, but Ah think if Ah believe it was somehow going to damage me it might. Ah mean, if I use it underwater, or to go into water Ah come out wet."

Cypher has posed:
"Ah yes," Doug says, adding a touch more cream to his tea, "Your famous torpedo impression."

Storm has posed:
"Hakuna kusamehe, rafiki yangu," Ororo assures Doug, and smiles at him with sincere gratitude for his thoughtful apology. She looks around, then gets to her feet and reaches for an old steamer trunk. "Perhaps some music will help us enjoy the evening," she offers as a compromise. A little drum is produced, along with a set of bone rattles. "Come, it is very easy. Samuel, will you keep a beat?" she says, and demonstrates the rhythm she wants before offering him the instrument. Her voice starts into song once the others find a rhythm, and with soft claps she punctuates the rolling song of her people as if warding off the gloom that seems to have accompanied the rain. A scene repeated thousands of times through human history, no doubt, both banal and eternal, and it lasts until drowsiness overtakes them and they all make their bids for bed.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde is not an accomplished musician, but the girl with the professional dance skills can at least help contribute a steady beat to the musical offering. She gets the bone rattle and shakes it in time to whatever beat Samuel provides. Meanwhile outside the storm blows. Winds sweep in through the windows, trying to combat the heat of the room. But there is tea to warm their cores and refresh their spirits. And for a short time, at least, Kitty is able to forget what she loosed into the world.

Cypher has posed:
A little sleepy for dancing, maybe, Doug takes the opportunity to demonstrate another quirk of his powers -- the Mutant Master of Language has perfect pitch. Once he has an idea of the song, he provides the harmony for Ororo. ...Though he is keeping one eye on Kitty. Oh yes, Pryde, he can see right through you.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie plays the song. Sam seems to have a bit of a connection with music not as strong as his brother, but his appreciation for it, as given him at least a decent rythm. He does not try to sing though, thats for in the shower.