13505/Cloudy Skies

Cloudy Skies
Date of Scene:	05 December 2022
Location:	Xavier's School Front Yard
Synopsis:	Late night wandering brings Jimmy Hudson to the school, brings Ororo out to investigate and draws Gabby to a trip to the stables with them.
Cast of Characters:	Jimmy Hudson, Ororo Munroe, Gabby Kinney

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Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    The December evening hangs heavy above as the clouds are low across the sky. No hint of the stars above save for the faintest of flickers, the light pollution from the world and the overcast doing their share to blot out the heavens. If it was colder it might almost feel like snow. Yet on this late Sunday night, the hour reaching well toward midnight, it's relatively quiet.
    Inside the mansion most of the students are getting ready for bed, and a good number of the faculty as well. It's around this time of night, however, when headlights brighten up the driveway as a black SUV rolls on up along it. The vehicle takes the turn and heads into the garage as the doors roll open. Then slowly the door rolls back down and closed, the locks securing in place.
    It's not much longer after that a tall man emerges. James Hudson if one knew him. Wearing brown work boots, faded blue jeans, a black t-shirt and a black leather jacket, he looks like he's getting back from a day that's taken a small toll on him.
    Over one shoulder he's got a canvas sack, the other... a large leather saddle of all things.

Ororo Munroe has posed:
Most of the mansion sleeps, bundled against the cold. Ororo is on watch this evening, walking the halls. She likes the night, missing the starlit skies of Africa and the spill of the Milky Way so bright it was easy to walk without the moon. The sound of a car rolling through the front gates brings her down the long staircase. She floats so her passage through the house is silent, her white hair glimmering in the dim lights kept lit in the front entrance.

Opening the doors quietly, she comes back down to earth to await the late arrival, arms crossed against the cold.

"Oh, Jimmy! You're coming in late." Noting the saddle slung over one arm, "Going riding tomorrow?"

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Sure, most people would be avoiding coffee this time of night, but that doesn't stop Gabby from it. The fact that there was a can of whipped cream in the fridge to top it off with was just perfect. So with whip-cream topped coffee in hand she steps out into the evening air just strolling. Just thinking. Revisiting places she hadn't been to in awhile due to a sudden load of responsibilty she'd taken in the past year.

The sight of Ororo heading out, and the sound of a car coming up draws her attention as well. It only takes a moment for her path to veer toward the pair that were all too familiar as she got closer.

"Hey Jimmy, hi Ororo!" She greets cheerily with a lift of her mug.

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    "Hey, 'Roro." Jimmy says as he pauses for a moment, letting her wander on over. His blue eyes shift back toward the garage where he left his vehicle, then he looks back to the storm goddess. Her words cause him to look at the saddle hanging over his shoulder, his hand curled around a strap. His eyebrows rise then he looks back to her.
    "Some repairs I need ta wrangle, didn't have the tools back at the ranch." Which he makes a mental note about, need to buy some leatherworking gear. "How's it? I miss anything goin' on?"
    Though his question might be curtailed as Gabby comes into view. "Hey Gabs. You're up late?" Then he furrows his brow as he looks at them, "What time is it by the way?"

Ororo Munroe has posed:
Ororo, arms still crossed, twists to see who is roaming the grounds at this late hour on a cold night. The night hides her dark features making her pale eyes gleam, "You could say..." she interrupts herself. "Good evening, Gabby. Sleep escape you? And out night wandering, I take it." Something not out of the ordinary for someone with her genetic heritage, judging by her 'parent'.

She turns back to Jimmy, "A little past one, I think. I imagine we have all the tools you'd need to make repairs. I didn't know you did leather working, too."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney stuffs her empty hand into her hoodie pocket as the distance is closed. No sense in raising her voice to speak this late at night. There were people trying to sleep as well, even if she wasn't one of them. A little grin creeps over her while she responds with a simple shrug. "Taking a break from some work, and yeah, wandering," she offers in explaination to both.

Without skipping a beat she steps in to Jimmy's side to give him a one-armed hug of greeting. Not quite the energetic bundle of excitement she usually was, but it *was* late. She'd also grown a bit since she'd last seen Jimmy. "Welcome back, bro."

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    The one-armed hug is returned as best he can with the arm holding the canvas bag, giving her a small pat-thump on the shoulder.
    "Ah man," Jimmy's left eye widens slightly as he hears the time, the eyebrow quirking as he realizes the time. Then he shakes his head, "I'm gonna..." He starts to walk again, but it doesn't take him away, more just up the sidewalk a bit and closer to the stables. But he has that body language of lingering and standing, intending to talk and chat.
    "I'm gonna have ta hire folks to handle some of the stuff at Sif's ranch," His gaze distances as his thoughts wander for a moment. His mind temporarily lost to the demon of statistics and logistics. Another shake of his head as it's clear he doesn't want to think about it.
    He then looks at Gabby anew and says, "Did you grow a bit?" He lifts his chin a little, "Yer lookin' slightly less munchkinesque."

Ororo Munroe has posed:
Watching them both with an affable smile, "Are you heading to the Stables? Short of calling up some warmth we could walk you to them?" She takes a few steps in that direction before stopping to ask, "Have you ever thought of having one or two of the older students to help during the holidays? Or do you think there would be too much mischief."

She squints, smiling at Gabby after Jimmy's observation, "I guess you've been away long enough to notice. We should have a place to mark student's heights. Maybe on a door jamb in the kitchen."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
The fact that it was noticed garners a rather proud grin from Gabby. Her shoulders roll back to square standing a bit straighter in spite of the cold. "Yeah, a couple of inches. I think I'm maxed out on my height though. I'm actually a bit taller than Laura right now." She pauses to look down to one hand, twisting it around to regard the back of it. "Kind of wonder if it's because I don't have the metal stunting my growth."

Whatever the reason, she was okay with the height increase at least. A single nod is given in agreement with Ororo's remark. "Yeah we can walk to the stables if you want to throw that in there." The mug of whip-cream covered coffee is raised for a sip and quick lick of her upper lip to get rid of the foam. "Yeah, I'm trying to be here a bit more with the holidays. Plus 'work' has stabilized a bit with the team I'm helping run."

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    "Ooh, she's gonna be mad," Jimmy says with a wry grin to Gabby about her being taller than Laura. He starts to mosey a little more down the sidewalk but keeps lingering.
    He answers Storm then, "I took Rhona down there once, she gave the horses some good exercise. But the place needs more constant supervision since she got all..." His brow furrows a little but he doesn't finish that train of thought, instead gives it a small detour. "Since things went sorta crazy."
    But then he nods about heading to the stables as Storm and Gabby suggest it, gesturing with one arm in that direction. "Yah, just lemme drop this stuff off there, then I'm gonna grab a shower and crash."

Ororo Munroe has posed:
The night hides Ororo's frown when he doesn't finish his sentence - she no doubt being Lady Sif of Asgard. "Aaah, we've had some news regarding Thor. It's a terrible loss for us all. I hope things return to normal for you both soon."

A few steps further she adds, "Rhona was a good choice. I wish I could offer help but..." she shrugs, arms still crossed. She lets them loose and gestures toward the stable. "We'll walk you down. I'll catch you up on our latest doings unless you've heard of what happened to the community in Japan?"

Gabby Kinney has posed:
"She'll get over it," Gabby assures. Honestly she wasn't sure Laura would be upset, but it would be amusing none the less. Starting down that path she tips her head listening to the talk of the ranch, of Rhona, of... The more Ororo talks the more she begins to frown.

"I know I've been focused in other areas lately, but... What about Thor an Japan? I've worked with one of Thor's brothers but haven't seen him in awhile." Her forehead furrows in a frown which she tries to hide by taking another sip of her coffee. "Seems I've missed a lot myself."

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    They started that stroll down toward the stables and Jimmy looks to them both sidelong as he walks, still toting that saddle and that sack. He looks to Gabby, "I dunno about Japan, Gabs. But..." He looks at Ororo and nods, "Thor, somethin' went down and..."
    He takes a breath and grimaces a little, "Sif thinks he might be dead. Or somethin' bad happened. So she's got... ya know, her hands full." Which might explain why he's been tending to her ranch and the eight horses there.
    He heads down that walk toward the stables, his pace easy as he goes, "But what happened in Japan, Ororo?"

Ororo Munroe has posed:
"Did either of you ever visit the community off the coast of Hokkaido? Nikashibetsu? Small and isolated which both the community and the Japanese government liked. The Japanese don't deal well with people who are "odd".

Her previous frown deepens. "They are gone. We went to investigate when they didn't answer pings from us."

Ororo stops, blocking their path, "Magneto was taken into what we -think- is some sort of spatial anomaly." She turns to resume the walk, head bowed in thought, "We nearly had our asses handed to us by a robotic nano-Snake that was hunting people like us. Jean and others were hurt." She places a hand over her midriff.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney purses her lips together tightly as she learns of Thor possibly dying. "That might explain why I've not seen Balder in awhile." The thought wasn't a comforting one. She'd have to try to follow up to check on them. Even if he was a 'god' that didn't mean she couldn't make sure he was doing all right with the situation.

Then Ororo starts to explain. It only earns a small shake of her head in response. "Never been to Japan." It was on 'the list' but it was a long list, and she'd only just turned eighteen a bit ago. "Rip in space. Sounds like that'd be up Hope or Rachel's alley if they're around at all."

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    "No haven't been there. That sounds like very bad news." Jimmy says as they reach the stables and he pulls open the left-handed door of those double doors. A few steps carry him inside as he finally divests himself of his burdens, leaving the saddle and the sack on the table. He checks a small list that hangs form a clipboard on the wall, but then turns the lights back out leaving just those nightlights left on for the horses.
    Back out into the night he emerges with the two X-gals and he looks between them. "Last I heard though we were semi on edge about Magneto? Or did that change?" Since there had been rumblings a dog's age ago.
    They start to head on back toward the house, the small halos of light on the sidewalk illuminating their path as they move. He then grabs his keys out of his pocket and remembers to lock the SUV in the garage.

Ororo Munroe has posed:
Ororo is silent for a moment, nodding at his words. "That hasn't changed. You know," she looks at Jimmy's profile, "he was trying to protect us. He's hardly predictable. His powers...go to his head. So you never know. It was Jean's call that he was with us."

Her steps slow as she looks up into the night sky. "It's not going to clear. It might snow, you know." With no apparent connection to her previous words, she adds, "Tell Sif, I'm sorry for her loss. I seldom see her. I don't know Thor well but think highly of him."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney shakes her head a little bit over it all, not sure exactly how to take it all. "I'll check up with his brother, too. I don't know. I doubt my team could help any in that aspect, but..." She just rolls her shoulders some. Ororo's remark of the snow causes her to glance up, and take a tentative sniff of the chill air. She wasn't good enough yet that she could determine the weather by smell alone. It was a good chance to practice a bit if Ororo was judging snow.

"I dunno. Magneto's... Magneto. He always wanted to protect mutants to begin with, just in a different way than the Prof. I mean, if Mystique has changed her tune and folks have given her a chance, hard to not do the same for others."

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    Jimmy straightens up as they get to that door leading into the mansion. He pulls it open and holds it for the young women to precede him on inside, "Yeah, I'll... I'll tell Sif that." He murmurs with a nod.
    When Gabby starts to walk by he half-heartedly chases her with a wave of his baseball cap as if shooing her inside then he murmurs, "You have a team now? That's kinda crazy. What's that all about?"
    He asks that as they wander into the kitchen and he steps over toward the cabinets, "Thinkin' of makin' some cocoa. Mebbe with some vodka." His lip twists, "You guys in?"

Ororo Munroe has posed:
Holding a finger in the air, Ororo smiles, saying quietly so her voice doesn't carry, "Count me in."

She heads toward the kitchen, saying, "I'd like to hear about your team, too, Gabby."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney scoots inside at the sweep of ball cap in her direction with a little jog down the hall. Into the warmer air of the school she goes with a quiet laugh at the remark. "Ah, it's a long story," she begins with a vague grin. "Maybe when I'm more awake."