Owner	Pose
Shannon	While there were plenty of goodies at the dance the night before, sometimes there was just no substitute for familiar comfort foods. In the case of one of the mansion's residents, this meant mac 'n cheese. Shannon's puttering around the kitchen in her red tartan sweatpants, baggy grey tank top, and floofy sheepdog slippers, her hair tied back to keep it out of her way as she works. Pasta is boiling, and what smells like a simple but heavenly cheese sauce fills the kitchen with an ooey, gooey, savory aroma that well, is like catnip to a cat.
Colossus	Colossus comes down in his own night time garb, a pair of drawstring sweatpants in grey, a red A-line tank top with no sleeves and a pair of moccasins. "Ah, every generation of students has its resident cook. For us, it was Kurt. I take it, for the current students, it is you, Shannon, da?" Regardless, he makes his way over to take a look at what the girl is up to, "Do you require any assistance, comrade?"
Shannon	Shannon chuckles softly and shakes her head. "It's either me or Tabby," she replies. "Around this time last year it might've been Gwendolyn, but she's been more doing her own thing lately." The timer on the stove goes off, but the winged teen has her hands full finishing up the cheese sauce. "Oh scheisse... the pasta's done, but the sauce isn't... I'm sorry, would you...?" Offering a sheepish smile, she nods towards the sink, where a colander is at the ready.      "Got any plans for the art class helping with Christmas decorations again this year? Last season was a lot of fun, putting up those evergreen garlands everywhere."
Colossus	Colossus shakes his head, "I am more than happy to be of service," he says, getting the collander and going to the sink with it, before taking hold of the pot to give it a proper drain. "Yes, I would like that very much. As I was telling some of the students yesterday, I want to get more multi-media and different approaches to the artistic process. I want to give everyone a chance to have their voice, even if they aren't skilled in more traditional media," he says. "But evergreen garlands and chrysanthemum arrangements would nonetheless be welcome."
Shannon	"Spasibo," Shannon offers, twisting her tongue around the word. It's not her strongest language, but some words were good no matter what language was spoken. She's stirring the sauce for just a few more moments, turning the heat off and pulling the saucepan off the burner. "What were you meaning, like digital art? 3D printing and things like that? That could actually work out really well. Maybe printing out ornaments or other decorations. Or fabricating forms to hold some pretty elaborate light displays."      A smile tugs the corners of her lips upwards as she reaches across to retrieve the colander from the silk, giving it a good shake to dislodge as much remaining water as possible. "Or even to program a light show... that's an art form in of itself."
Colossus	Colossus gives a bright smile, "Ah, I appreciate hearing my mother tongue," he says. "Digital art, both that can be printed out or perhaps displayed on screens. I'm sure we can find enough spare ones around that we could hang a few up to show something. I just want to get as many of the kids participating as I can. I have to talk to Dazzler about musical performances and caroling as well," he says. Piotr has always loved Christmas and it shows in his enthusiasm. "You may be of great help putting up Christmas lights. You can reach all the high places."
Shannon	Shannon stifles a giggle, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "At least it wasn't the more... ummm, 'conversational' sort of Russian. This time." Oh, dear. Pasta meets sauce in the saucepan, and combines for the ooey, gooey goodness that is mac 'n cheese. "I don't mind helping with the lights. Do we have any telekinetics among the students this year? Maybe they'd like to help, too."      Glancing from the spoon, to the pan, and back again, she purses her lips. "Oh hell. I don't know if I want to wait for this to bake this time. What do you think?"
Colossus	Colossus ponders, "I am not fully up on the current roster. I had taken a bit of time off to do an art retreat, so I'm only just settling back in myself. But more hands makes work merry, as my own dear mother often says." "Patience can be quite the virtue. Do you believe there is enough improvement from the baking to make it worthwhile?"
Shannon	Shannon wrinkles her nose at that, reluctantly turning away to set the oven and get a baking pan. "Patience. I know some things are worth waiting for, but it doesn't always make the waiting easier." There's a little hitch in her voice, a note of frustration, but that's about it.      "I was wondering what had happened to you over the summer. It's good to see you back. I'll probably never be the artist my mother is, but who knows! At least class will still be fun."
Colossus	Colossus smiles, "It can be a hard task to live up to the example of my parents. My mother and father are simple farmers, but they are devout, kind, decent people who make the world better simply by being in it. I do my best to do the same." "Tell me about your mother's art. I confess, I did not know it, but there are many artists and I don't always keep up as much as I should. And do not worry about the waiting, I will keep you company. We can play cards, if you like."
Shannon	"Oh, she hasn't had any major works, nothing in any galleries," Shannon begins, sliding the baking pan into the oven and setting the timer. "For a while when I was small, she was drawing a lot of inspiration from Greek mythology. I still have her old book of myths. Those were a lot of my bedtime stories as a kid."      There's an oddly wry smile as she thinks back to those times, giving her wings a little flick. "She mostly worked in watercolors, sometimes pastels. I remember once she did a piece depicting the birth of Athena, from Zeus' skull. Who knows if she still has it."
Colossus	Colossus nods, "Mythology is a rich basis for artistic expression. The divine stories always carry the deepest elements of what it means to be human, from ecstasy to despair. I like watercolours, athough I tend to favor acrylic myself. I don't have the delicacy for them." "I imagine you might have felt a certain kindred feeling to Icarus, da?"
Shannon	Shannon cracks a little bit of a smile and nods. "A little bit, but that didn't come till later. I always liked the myth of Demeter and Persephone. There's also Orpheus and Eurydice. I'm surprised my mother never tried painting that one. There's so many scenes from that story she could work with."      Dragging one of the kitchen stools over to the counter, she perches on the edge, resting her elbows on the counter and her chin atop her forearms. "He was so close to having the one he loved, and then because he looked back, they were never to be together in life again."
Colossus	Colossus sighs and nods, "A great tragedy. The Greeks loved their tragedy. A very sensitive people, in some ways, even if they were inhumane in others. Humans are complex creatures, they always have been. No wonder, then, that they struggle to face the changes in the world today," he says. He takes his own stool, leaning sideways into it and laying his elbow against it, "I was always fond of the punishment stories. Prometheus, Sisyphus, Tantalus."
Shannon	Shannon lofts her eyebrows, peering over at Mr. Rasputin. "Sisyphus and Tantalus were punished pretty much for being some first-class jerks. Prometheus was punished for helping mankind by returning fire when it had been taken away by Zeus. At least he did a decent thing." A light laugh escaped the girl, and she shook her head. "Makes me wonder what the gods would think of those tales today, what their take would be if we could ever ask any of them."
Colossus	Colossus shakes his head, "I don't mean to say I have sympathy for them, although I don't know that anything deserves the degree of torment to which they were subjected. More so because we live in a world with people like Thor which makes me suspect they were very real people who suffered in such a way. What a sorrow," he says, shaking his head. "Perhaps someday we will meet a few gods and be able to ask them ourselves. Although I am reminded of the aphorism: 'Be careful what you wish for.'
Shannon	"Maybe if we ever do meet them," Shannon begins. There is a knowing tone to her voice, something of a certainty. "..if we ever do meet them, maybe they're more like us than we think. Maybe even gods can get lonely sometimes, too." She smiles somewhat, letting out a little bit of a sigh. "I see what you're saying. Thor's very real. Other gods, maybe they're real, too. Which makes some of those torments also possibly very real. We may never know, but who's to say?"
Colossus	Colossus considers, "I would imagine that they do. Not many gods in the world. It is always difficult being different, even when different comes with power." "My parents were always believers. I have been, as well, although I sometimes have...difficulties with such subjects. Hell, to me, does not seem like a very loving thing. So I do not think about it very much. Instead, I focus on the positives. Like Christmas!"
Shannon	A bright smile lights up Shannon's face, and she nods quickly, her wings spreading out behind her. "That's a good way to think about it. And Thanksgiving... there's that first. I know the teachers probably have plans down to a science, but do they need or want help from the students at all this year?"
Colossus	Colossus ponders, "Thanksgiving I am less familiar with. It is not a tradition we have in Russia, although I admire it. I know it is a lot of food. I am always happy to eat. I think I will take a back seat and let others organize that while I focus on Christmas," he says with a grin. "And we always want the students to help. We want the school to be a real community."
Shannon	"It is," Shannon replies. "I remember last year I stayed behind for all those kids who really don't have anyone else. At least this year my folks will be a lot closer. Just a couple hours away instead of a day's drive one way. Who knows, maybe they could actually join us here. I think the Guthries did that last year. That was a lot of fun." Her countenance seems considerably brighter at the thought--and brighter still as the timer on the oven goes off.      "Ah-ha! And now we feast!"
Colossus	Colossus laughs, "The Guthries always bring their own special flair to every occasion. Truly, they are like the archetype American family. They remind me of characters from that old television show, they used to play it sometimes in Russia: The Waltons, da?" He hears the sound of the ding and grins, "Yes! The baking is complete. At last, carbs."
Jax	There is the sound of whistling in the hallway, which is odd because it's not accompanied by any footsteps. It's a tune that drifts along, nearing the kitchen, a rendition of 'Thriller' for lips and air vibration. It gets so close to the kitchen that for a moment every note rings clear, and then passes on, shifting tune slightly as the minute doppler effect takes hold, indicating that the whistler is whistling further away.     A few seconds later, the tune turns again, shifting in range and then normalises as it once again approaches the kitchen. Silently, and checking the corridor behind him, Jax comes in sideways, still making no sound but for his whistling, and checking every possible approach except the obvious.     Then, with perked ears and a huge self-satisfied grin that nobody saw him, he turns theatrically on his heels, takes one step, sees both Shannon and Colossus, and stops in mid-whistle, freezing comically.     "Whoops, caught."
Shannon	"And here I thought you were a health nut, Mr. Rasputin. I should have known better, the way you wolfed down this mac 'n cheese last year." Giggling, Shannon just shakes her head, turning off the oven and the timer, wings a-flutter behind her. There was nothing like the ooey goodness of mac 'n cheese to lift one's spirits! A pair of oven mitts protects her as she retrieves the pan with its cheesy payload, depositing it on a cooling rack on the counter.      And it was then that she heard the whistling. It was catchy, to say the least. It called. And she had to answer, with a little twirling dance step. "If you cook it, they will come!" she calls out to the newest of the students at Xavier's. "If you want some of this stuff, better get it quick before Mr. Rasputin does. It kind of tends to be a favorite around here!"
Colossus	Colossus smiles, "I allow myself the occasional indulgence, especially when it smells as good as this!" he says. He's snuck a bit close to the oven himself, leaning in to get a good, deep inhale of the steamy cheesiness. When Jax makes his presence known, Piotr laughs and shakes his head, "No worries, young friend, people often cross paths in the kitchen here at all hours. This is one of the social hubs of the school. This is why we have ten kinds of cereal in the cabinets."
Jax	The first thing to unfreeze are his ears. From a droop, they raise up to full perk until Jax looks his usual happy self again. Then, as if time is suddenly flooding back into the world, he continues the step he was taking and bounds over to a stool, hopping on without even checking to see if his hop was correct, confident enough that when he lands, he'll be sitting comfortably.     "Just a little bit then, not a lot." He drums a little tattoo on his abdomen, still grinning. "Bad for the old tum-tum, but it's so good. Cheese. Love it." Disjointed. Absolutely.     Then his nose twitches and he sniffs, suddenly looking around. His ears swivel as his eyes scan from side to side, narrowing slightly. "I'm in someone else's territory..."
Shannon	A silvery giggle bubbles up from within her as she watches Jax calculate the perfect trajectory, application of force from his legs, and the target landing area. It was like watching an artist at work. However, when the talk of territory is brought up, she glances over in confusion, Shannon ruffles her wings, caught mid-reach as she is retrieving a few bowls and some spoons. "What do you mean, you're in someone else's territory?" she asks. "This mac 'n cheese, I usually share anyways."      Well, bad for the belly or waistline or no, it didn't matter. Mr. Rasputin, Jax, and Shannon each got a bowl and spoon, and each of the two gentlemen is favored with an impish grin. "Dig in."
Colossus	Colossus frowns, "Does that mean someone has been peeing in here? No one should be peeing in here, this is not the lavatory. No, this is a public space, Jax. You are welcome here." He starts to eat the macaroni with a frankly voracious appetite, having finished his workout not that long before he came to the kitchen. This is much better than the Hot Pocket he'd been planning to make. Especially since they ruined the crust with that weird herb garlic thing they've infused in it.
Jax	"Nah, not that. I just mean... there's another cat. Or a dog. Didn't notice it near my room, didn't spot it at the dance, 'cause... y'know, so many people. But here... eh, it's nothing special, just that I'm probably going to have talk to 'em." Jax doesn't seem terribly bothered by it, and glances over to Colossus just as he digs into his bowl. "No marking in the kitchen, got it. I'll save it for the garden."     Is he joking? He's joking right?     Mhhmmm, noms! At least he eats very much like a human, using cutlery, rather than just chowing down on in the bowl.
Shannon	"Oh!" Shannon laughs, and shakes her head. "There's at least two other cats here. One is Miss Carr's cat, she calls him Warrior Joe. The other is mine. He came to me last Christmas. Deadpool had him trapped in a box in a Santa bag, and I heard the poor little guy scratching around. Found the box, freed him, and he claimed me as his person. Wound up naming the little guy Squeakers." Getting her own bowl of mac 'n cheese, she sits back down at the counter, digging right in. "He's my furry little study buddy."
Colossus	Colossus frowns and shakes his head, "Wilson is a menace to society. I would inflict violence on him to help him learn, but he simply makes giggling noises and calls me 'Daddy'. Inappropriate and unhelpful," he sighs. He eats a few more large spoonfuls of the mac and cheese, "Do not fall under his influence, young Jax. Deadpool is not to be trusted and has the moral capacity of a cheese grater."
Jax	"Dead who? Sounds like someone outsourced their hero name and lost a bet." The joke is punctuated with a swish of his tail and a *chomp* down on a spoonful of mac. And cheese. Lots of cheese. Well, plenty, not too much, just... enough to satisfy, not enough to have him curse his own weakness for dairy again. The story of the little cat trapped in a box as some sort of gift doesn't seem to get any response. Just the slight twitch of his right ear and a tighter curl of the tip of his tail. "Wilson huh? I'll keep it in mind. But don't worry about falling under an influence. I'm barely under the influence of myself."     Tail swish.
Shannon	"Bah. He has his good moments, too. You've just got to look for them a little harder." Shannon rolls her eyes and giggles lightly, shaking her head as she chows down on the cheesy treat. No doubt, she too would be paying for it later--but a little suffering was sometimes good for the soul, right? "What would you pick for a hero name if you could, Jax? Mine's Nightingale." She smiles lightly. "When my healing gifts came in, my folks called me their little Nightingale. The wings came later, but it still worked."
Colossus	"I am sure he is kind to you, Shannon. Everyone should be kind to you, you are an extraordinary young woman. Wilson, unfortunately, has taken a liking to tormenting me in particular. He thinks that I am a 'stiff' and a 'party pooper'," he says, doing the air quotes and everything. "Ah, yes, picking out a name is quite fun. My codename is Colossus."
Jax	"Hero names? Pff." Wait, what? For a moment, Jax continues to eat, oblivious to any potential change in room ambiance. "I mean, when I was young I ran around with a towel around my neck and called myself Captain Jax. But man, does that sound like a cleaning product or what?"     Omnom, more nomming. "B'sides, who needs heroes? I mean, the Avengers, yeah okay. Gotta love heroes that have fun, kick some serious ass and sell good merch. But why would anyone wanna be a hero? Bit crazy, am I right?" He looks up from his bowl with an infectious grin, looking from Shannon to Piotr and back again.
Shannon	Shannon just giggles madly at the mention of the Avengers having fun, and... oh, my, is she actually whistling the Harlem Globetrotters theme? Yes, yes she is! "Most of them play a pretty mean game of basketball, too," she adds. "I mean, okay, Thor gets his sports terms mixed up a little but holy hell, he's got potential. Mr. Stark, well... a genius, he is. A basketball player, he isn't."      Wait, was she serious? Or was she pulling Jax's tail? "We really kicked their butts in that basketball game about a month or so ago. You did pretty good on the court, Mr. Rasputin."
Colossus	Colossus shakes his head, "I think they were going easy on me," he admits. "I have done my share of superheroing, I am afraid, young friend. I do it because I believe it is my responsibility to use my powers for the betterment of mankind. And to make life easier, hopefully, for future generations of mutants by showing a good example and helping to win the hearts and minds of people who distrust us," he says.
Jax	"See, I like that, that's good." Yup, Jax seems to be all for winning hearts and minds. "And I'm going to do that by being Jax Miller, first mutant quarterback to win the Super Bowl. Or first mutant to help win the World Series. Or just being the first recognised mutant pro-player in any league, full stop." Well, it's a goal, certainly.     And having said that, he seems to sliiiiiiiide on over, bowl and all, resting his head on his left hand, elbow on the table (horribly bad manners), looking at Shannon and Piotr with a grin. "You played the Avengers? Where do I sign up for that? When's the tryouts?"
Shannon	"Mhm. It was around the end of September, and it was on their court. So we didn't even have home court advantage. Don't know if that's going to be a regular thing, though. But if you like to play there's a basketball court out back. I'd be willing to shoot a few hoops with you sometime." Oh, the tales the winged one could tell, if anybody ever cared to ask! She just giggles softly, digging into her mac 'n cheese and chowing down.      The talk of superhero work has Shannon smiling a little bit. "It can be... rough, sometimes," she confesses. "Sometimes it's hard to want to pick up and go on with that kind of stuff. Some of the things you see and do, well... they kind of stick with you." She moves her spoon around idly in her bowl, and just smiles some.      "One of the most heroic things anybody ever did that I saw, was when Cap reached out to me after a mutant rights rally went south, hard. Didn't have to, but he did. Said a lot of things that have stuck with me since. It's something I've tried to pass on to othes." Turning to Jax, she tilts her head. "A hero isn't always about fighting. Sometimes it's being in the right place at the right time, to reach out and pick someone up when they fall."
Colossus	Colossus nods to Jax, "And that is a wonderful and good thing. No one is ever pressured to do superheroic work. It is an option for many students and a lot take advantage of it, but we want you to be who you want to be, to do what you want to do. We want to give you the tools to pursue your chosen profession well, to understand the world in which you live and to have a grasp of your abilities that will set you up for success. Not to mention arts and humanities like mine which might just make you a better and kinder and more creative person for no financial gain, but a great deal of spiritual gain." "Captain America is a very good man, very different from what my parents thought. We got a lot of bad propaganda, even after the fall of the party."
Jax	"Why would students be doing hero work? I mean, maths is hard enough, can you imagine having to do homework and save the world on the side. You'd never get enough sleep." Hah. By now his bowl is almost entirely empty, and he's chasing the last few remnants with gusto. "Besides, once people realise mutants aren't scary, this'll blow over. People are never afraid of me when they get to know me, you just have to... y'know, not break the law or tie people in knots or blow up cities. Gives everyone a bad name."     The spoon rattles in the empty bowl as Jax sits up fully and stretches. It's a stretch that keeps going for a while, before he pats his belly again. "That hit the spot. Compliments to the chef!"
Shannon	"Ha, no, there's enough jackasses out there who do enough of blowing up cities and causing trouble on their own. We don't go looking for it. It'll find us soon enough on its own." Shannon just lets out a short, sharp whuff of breath, akin to a laugh, shaking her head. "So we just make sure we're ready for it--and our math exams in the meantime."      Smiling at Jax, she dips her head, reaching out to collect the bowl. "You're welcome. Dead easy to make. Maybe one day I could show you, if you're into cooking at all."
Colossus	Colossus isn't going to argue with Jax on the subject. If the young man was hopeful about the future, all the better. "I hope that you are right, my young friend," he says. "I am not sure I would want to learn. Instead, I will find my own specialty to cook. Perhaps meatballs."
Jax	"Eh, I'm wrong a lot, but I always believe that people can like each other not matter how we look. Got that from my dad, and he got married somehow." Tail swish! Yup, Jax isn't going to bemoan his lot or even think about it much. After all, he is who he is, and who else is he going to be?     "So, I'm getting a vibe here that this is like a friendly chat of some kind of secret society, just to see what the new guy is like... So, what's the play? Super secret political party? The school is secretly run by rich companies who want to train new executives?"
Shannon	"Secret society?" Now Shannon just looks genuinely puzzled. "Rich companies? Okay, that last one's a new one." She just shakes her head, chuckling lightly as she starts going about cleaning up the dishes. "Can't confirm or deny the former, of course, but let's just say you're in for the ride of your life here."      And really, was that such a bad thing? All work and no play, and all that....