7551/The Earnestness of being Important

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The Earnestness of being Important
Date of Scene: 20 May 2019
Location: Doug's Room - Xavier's School
Synopsis: Kitty and Doug firmly establish that Doug is not a 15-year-old girl... or is he?
Cast of Characters: Cypher, Shadowcat




Cypher has posed:
Doug has been hiding in his room -- aside from a trip out to Wendy's he will *categorically* deny ever happened if Ororo ever asks him.

But he's sulking. Doug has always been a mercurial sort - when he's up, he's up, and when he's down, he's down. Gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, though nobody would EVER mistake him for a Barbarian.

But his room is illuminated only by the light from his laptop computer, as he works on it, furiously. He wants to shut out the world right now, and limit his only information input stream to what's in front of him. Just him, and the Internet.

Shadowcat has posed:
Doug's IM lights up with a message from Kitty.

/ I'm on my way in there. So your scrawny butt better have on some pants by the time I walk through the door. /

The message is accompanied with a picture of the old Coppertone ad of the kid with the pants being pulled down by the dog. And true to her word, about twenty seconds later there's a knock on the door and then Kitty is walking through it without waiting for an answer. She's got a couple of bottles of A&W Cream Soda in hand, the glass wet with condensation that speaks to how cold they are.

"So, figured something was up," Kitty says without giving any clues as to how she knew. She walks over to offer Doug one of the beverages before plopping down on whatever convenient seating there is next to where he's on the computer.

Cypher has posed:
Doug has shorts on - so that's kind of pants. He looks up, and then back down to his computer in the dark room.

"I almost killed the Professor because I didn't know what to do. I appreciate you coming to try to cheer me up, but I'm feeling pretty low, Pal. And like I said, I can't keep screwing up in front of Storm like that."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde opens Doug's cream soda for him, setting it beside his computer. "Half of us wouldn't know what to do in that situation," Kitty tells Doug. She plops back down on his bed, feet dangling over the side onto the floor. "Do you have any idea how many times she's given me hard criticism? You don't actually since you didn't come to the school until later. She had kind of a maternal role with me when I first came here. That's how it felt anyway. And while it was a great support mechanism, that also meant she had some high expectations for me," Kitty tells Doug.

She reaches over and squeezes his shoulder. "You need to move past it. Learn from what happened, but don't dwell on it. Professor Xavier lived. It could be a lot worse. I've done worse. I got Sam killed because I let a Sentinel spot me, and he jumped in the way to save my life. I still don't get how he healed from it. He had a whole through his chest and heart, thicker than my arm. But he lived. And I moved on and learned from it. Yes it broke me up for a bit, but this is a hard life we lead Doug. The Professor survived. Keep moving forward, that's what he'll want from us."

Cypher has posed:
Doug raises his eyebrows, and then says, "Yeah, but I'm not you, and I'm not Kid Omega, and I'm not Sam." Doug murmurs, before he closes his laptop and grabs the bottle. He takes a pull from it, and then says, "Sam tried to talk me down with the same argument you're using, but I don't buy it for a second. He would've known what to do, and so would you." He grimaces, visibly. "It isn't even that I'm wasting my potential, it's that I don't even know what my potential is. I don't know what I should be doing or HOW I ought to be doing it."

"And Xavier trying to make me feel better by asking me to take point on stuff was a little--" He shakes his head. "I'm not ready to take point like that.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde holds her own cream soda with both hands as she listens to Doug. "I wouldn't have known any better than you what to do. I know first aid. The difference is, my power would be suited to that particular moment since I could phase the bullet out of him. Plenty of situations, I have neither knowledge, nor ability, Doug."

She waves her bottle about to emphasize her words. "There are plenty of things your power, and your knowledge, are capable of that mine isn't. I can't watch video of this Sentinel cyborg and get anywhere near to what you would be able to deduce from it. You can probably get more in 5 minutes of watching their flight patterns than I'll get with 3 months of data analysis. I was wanting you to take point on a number of these things too, before Xavier was shot. You were the best suited for them. And I still want to see you take point on them now. Because you're still the best suited for them. Don't let one situation derail your confidence in what you're good at. Train up in medicine, but don't doubt your value."

Cypher has posed:
Doug listens to Kitty, and then he falls silent. "It's so EASY to hear those things," He says, finally, "And so hard to really feel them in my heart. I *feel* like a liability, Kitty."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty takes a sip of her drink. "Then stop sitting here feeling upset and go do something to make yourself feel better about it," she tells him. "I don't know if I ever told you the whole story about my time in Japan with Logan, did I? You know there was a ninja who... well, anyway, Logan saved me from him, but he was still after me. My phasing? Wasn't enough to avoid him."

Kitty takes another sip before continuing. "And I was all feeling helpless and couldn't grasp how I was going to fight back? You know what Logan did? He didn't let me sit there complaining. He pushed me off a goddamn mountain cliff into a river. In the middle of winter. And then he jumped in with me and told me to swim. And that was the beginning of my physical training, and my ninjutsu training to be able to resist. If he'd left it up to me I'd have sat there balling for hours more."

Kitty looks over at Doug. "I'm not Logan, and this isn't a mountain cliff. But you're also not a frightened 15 year old girl. If you're not happy with your current skills? Get off your ass and go learn. There's training down in the Danger Room. I just uploaded a scenario for combat medicine."

Cypher has posed:
Doug gives Kitty a flat look, and he stares at her, as if he's taking this in. He blinks once, twice, slowly, and then he opens his mouth to speak.

"...I'm not a fifteen year old girl? Then what am I going to do with these new Pusheen earrings I got--" His head tips, slightly, and then he says, "You're right, of course." He sighs. "I already know that's what I had to do. I just wanted to sit here and be funky for a couple of days." He closes his laptop, slowly. "Why is it you all have to be so damn *sensible* all the time."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde flashes a grin at him. "Well, you don't get a couple of days. We're far too busy. You had a night. Anyway, if one of us should be sulky it's me. You failed a medical procedure that most doctors would struggle with. I loosed.. the Lord knows what kind of giant robot into the world. And I need you to help me find out just how bad that situation is. I've got so much data to go through. And I won't get half as much out of it as you will," she tells him.

Kitty reaches over and slips her hand into Doug's. "I'm so glad you're back. And that isn't anything to do with data analysis," she tells him. "I wish I'd been here to help you. I'm sorry I was in the UK," she tells him. Attending school.

Cypher has posed:
Doug looks up at Kitty, and he says, "I'm serious, by the way. You made a choice based on the available data and your own conscience. You did *nothing* wrong. You just didn't have all the facts." He gives Kitty's hand a squeeze. "You know--I don't know WHY this question is crossing my mind, because I know we're WAY past it--"

"But humor me."

"IF I hadn't gotten out of Piotr's way -- if I had decided to ask you to go steady, all those years ago, instead of just being friends -- would I have had a shot?"

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde doesn't pull her hand back. Though it also is the hand that has a very noticeable ruby ring set with diamonds on it now on her ring finger. Not a wedding ring or an engagement ring from the look of it. But nothing something Kitty would wear without it having a lot of meaning.

"You would have had a shot. Though I really don't know what I would have done. I liked Piotr from the moment I first saw him in my living room. That level of crush would have been a lot to overcome. But it says something you'd have had a shot," Kitty tells Doug warmly.

"It took a long time away from Pete to realize maybe it wasn't quite the right thing for me. For us. I don't know, that might have been my decision and not his, maybe he just went along with me," Kitty says. "Though I really love Jason, the guy I'm with now. We're opposites in some ways, but alike in the ways that need to be," she says.

Cypher has posed:
Doug smirks. "That's all right. I would've just broken your heart anyway." He threads his fingers through Kitty's, and then says, "You know the funny thing? And I mean, I was *flabbergasted* -- Illyana once told me that when he was mooning over you, he was jealous of me. Imagine that. Piotr, jealous of *me*."

He snorts, and shakes his head, and says, "I'm sure he's great, Kitty. I'd really like to meet him. Have people been giving him that 'If you hurt Kitty, we'll hurt you' line? As if he'd have more to fear from them than he would from you."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde smiles to Doug and says of Piotr, "Oh, he was. He could tell how close we were." Kitty smiles over to Doug and then chuckles softly at the question about threats. "He's received so many threats I've kind of asked people not to anymore. After like eight to ten times it starts to lose its charm, really. Almost literally every one of my friends he's met. Plus the majority of his own family, even" Kitty says, shaking her head at the last part.

She gives a little shrug of her shoulders and a smile and says, "His father was very approving. I found out later, after the first time he met me, he gave Jason his own mother's ring, for the time it was right with me. Which, it's a promise ring between us, we're not engaged," she says. "I really do hope you'll like him. He can be a bit brusque. He's had... Doug he's had an even harder life than you. Which, given what you've gone through, you can intuit just what it might take for me to say that. But he's come out the other side a good man. If, with scars."

Cypher has posed:
Doug thinks about that, and then he says, "They only do it because they love you. Really, I don't know anyone who's met you who doesn't at least LIKE you. Except... maybe Quentin, but I'm not sure Quentin likes anybody. He loves himself, but he doesn't really LIKE himself. But... believe it or not? The pink menace? He's got a good heart. I'd trust him with my life--but not my wallet."

Doug rests his chin in his hand, and then says, "So when do I get to meet him? Huh?" He pokes Kitty in the arm. "Huh? Huh? When do I get to meet him?" Poke poke poke.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde gives a warm laugh and says, "Soon. I'll get the two of you together," she tells him. "So, Jason knows I'm a mutant. Knows I'm on a superhero team. In fact, he has even been down to the X-men base. He consulted on three students who were kidnapped. Was able to identify the game that was used to lure them, to where it had been manufactured which is where we found them. I don't know if you'd be comfortable having him know you're a mutant too? Or what happened to you? I think he'd be really understanding if he did, but it's your choice of course."

Cypher has posed:
"You can tell him whatever you want about me." Doug says, "It's all right. I trust you." Then he says, "I have to learn how to fight. But more to the point, I have to learn how to fight people who are stronger and faster than I am. So IF I get into a fight, I have to be ready to take people apart. Which means I need to find a teacher who can show me how to do that."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde looks troubled. "It's tough to fight people who have enhanced abilities, without being lethal. That's one reason I don't carry swords despite being good with them. There are werewolves I'm helping with that... I'm still not quite sure what do about them. Not like there are facilities to lock them up, and apparently there is no cure. And they are not like Rahne or Andrea, they are out there causing problems and hurting people." She sighs and shakes her head. "Well, anyway, I'll get you and Jason together. I hope you like each other," she says with a smile.

Cypher has posed:
Doug murmurs, "Sometimes, I think... you have to be prepared to kill. You try like hell not to, but you have to be ready to die, and you have to be ready to kill -- if there is no other choice." Doug is quiet, and then he says, "Have you talked to Illyana about that? Come to think of it, how is Illyana?"

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde tells Doug, "If it's needed to safe my life, or others, I am. But it's best to avoid seeing it as anything more than the last resort." Kitty says, "Illyana's been in Limbo for the most part. Though we need to catch her and let her see you're back," she agrees. "Alright, I'm heading to bed. Remember, Danger Room program. Medical training." She grins to him, then leans down to give him a hug. "See you tomorrow."