13679/Arms Proliferation

Arms Proliferation
Date of Scene:	29 December 2022
Location:	Breakstone Lake
Synopsis:	Jimmy Hudson prepares for snow war with the aid of Ororo.
Cast of Characters:	Ororo Munroe, Jimmy Hudson

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Ororo Munroe has posed:
Ororo didn't need to call on her powers to transform the lake. Hard winter has set in early. The trees are laced with a rime of frost; the ice on the lake is a deep blue color from a succession of nights well below zero. High snow banks the edge of the lake where a path cut through it leads to a bench made of ice and packed snow - a perfect spot for putting on skates.

Seated on the ice bench, the queen of storms finishes lacing her skates then looks up at the cold winter sky bright with dthe ancient light of stars. She steps out on to the ice and glides to the middle before turning to look back.

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    Ever since the snow started to fall there's been an arms race at Xavier's.
    It's not talked about much, and some might not take it as seriously as the Phy Ed teacher who has embarked on a path of mutually assured destruction. He did not start this cold war, but he did have every intention of finishing it. Or at least coming out a good bit ahead. Which if folks knew that was his goal they might well understand the evil smile on his lips as he can be seen near the lake, choosing his snow carefully, and putting each snowball through its required paces to be crafted into a true weapon of winter.
    Of course all bets were off if Bobby Drake started in on the war. Still.
    All of this would explain why Storm might see the profile of the young man known as James Hudson across the lake. He's standing under the old oak near the boat dock, kneeling on one knee and with a cooler beside him. He's carefully, oh so carefully packing snow balls. Dipping them a bit in a tub of icy water and then stacking them perfectly in that cooler. Each one a masterpiece of slush ball composition.
    Of course he does find himself momentarily distracted when he sees an Ororo has joined him across the lake.

Ororo Munroe has posed:
It was the faint sound of snowballs being packed into what she presumes is a cooler that made her stop and look back. The profile of the industrious man is familiar. She leaves her solitary jaunt to the center of the lake at speed. The sharp sound of metal on ice heralding her approach. Immune to the cold, the tall woman wears black tights and a jacket falling to just below her hips to give her free range of motion. A jaunty red scarf around her neck sets off her white hair, recently cut into a classic bob framing her fine jaw.

Throwing ice into the air, she comes to a theatrical stop near Jimmy, who she watches for a moment before archly asking.

"Now, why would you need a cooler of snowballs, Professor Hudson?"

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    "Preservation of firepower, my good Miss Munroe." Jimmy replies with that easy smile on his lips as he sits up a little. His breath steams a bit as he exhales, still packing this particular snowball in his hand, tightening it up and then dipping it in the water careful only to get the tip of his thumb and forefinger wet. Then he tilts his head to look over at her.
    "You see, snow comes and goes, but a snowball maintains its value throughout the seasons." He tells her with just as an affected tone as he rown, his eyebrow quirking as he explains as if she were one of his history students.
    His smile curves wry, "Unless I can convince you into a suitable enough alliance to provide me with suitable ammunition in the future. But likely the price you ask of me might be terribly steep." Though she could indeed provide snow upon demand.

Ororo Munroe has posed:
"This bodes badly for some unsuspecting soul or souls. I don't put it past you to ambush your targets."

She skates in closer to observe his method and huffs a cloudy laugh, "Water bath? Are you intent on murder?"

Mischief informs her smile when she proposes, "I could harden those for you. If you'd like, so they'll keep their shape better."

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    "Just enough for that little crackle of surprise and that slight sting of impact." Jimmy apparently has some decent skillz where it comes to the proper application of suitable snowpower. He keeps on packing for now, but when she offers to become his accomplice he smiles, "Nah, don't go to all that trouble."
    Then he tilts his head, "Though if you were so inclined you'd be welcome to help me fill the cooler. More hands make the work go faster." He lightly pushes the cooler a little to the side so it'd be more accessible to her if she seemed so inclined.
    "On a sidenote, hadn't seen you around for a good bit of time. What's been occupying you of late, Miss Munroe?"

Ororo Munroe has posed:
After a look down at her skates, Ororo glides to the edge of the ice. Picking her way through the choppy ice at the edge she then wades through the deeper snow to join him. She kneels on the other side of the cooler then leans to find some untouched snow and begins to pack it.

"Just where are you going to keep these from melting, Mr. Hudson? Are you thinking of a summer or winter campaign?"

Ororo may be a weather master but lacks some of Jimmy's proficiency at snowball making. She observes him for a moment before making her first snowball larger. Lips pursed she blows gently on it, coating it in a skin of ice to preserve its shape.

"Africa. Home and visiting. It's a good bit warmer there though still winter."

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    When Jimmy sees Ororo making that hop and then sojourn toward him he drops what he's doing and instantly walks over with a small rushed trio of steps, offering his arm to her to make sure she doesn't fall as she clomps and stomps in her ice skates toward him. Then once they're back at the cooler her settles into his kneeling posture again.
    "I was figuring keep them available just in case of contingencies. But there's been some rumblings in the school body about a snowball fight coming up. I just like to be ready." He smiles a little.
    "Oh back home." His eyebrows rise then he murmurs, "I always wonder how differently I'd live life if I had a good travel power. Would I jaunt the globe or still be a homebody."

Ororo Munroe has posed:
Smiling faintly at Jimmy's gentlemanly rush to help her, she doesn't protest and accepts the arm offered to her and settles contentedly in place.

She admires her second snowball balanced on the palm of her hand before adding it to the growing pile in the container. While packing a new snowball, she nods thoughtfully at his observation, "You strike me as a homebody though I couldn't say why. I don't know a lot about where you came from Mr. Hudson. Did you travel much before coming to the school? In another life, I would have never left Harlem, or the streets of Alexandria."

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    The young man kept on packing and dipping and storing. He had a good rhythm of it for now, though he took time to slow his process and showed it to Ororo when she showed curiousity, in case she wanted to perfect her technique.
    "Well in comparison to most of my family I'm definitely more of a homebody. Though when I was growin' up home was a good hundred and twenty acres in Texas." Then his brow raised, "Or 40 up North." He gestured a little, "I didn't travel much though before fate sent me wanderin' this direction. Did the whole after college year of travel thing but ended up spendin' a good bit of my time in the UK and France."
    A small shrug is given as he smiles. "Lately though I've been further afield more than ever before."

Ororo Munroe has posed:
They find a companionable rhythm to their weapon making. Ororo stops occasionally to admire his handiwork and perfect her own.

"Do you know, I've never travelled for the sake of traveling?" She stops, frowning down at a half-made snowball in one hand. "I sometimes feel that the winds of fate have pushed me from continent to continent. The X-men will do that to you," she replies wryly. "We should have a poster: See the world while saving mankind. Or some such."

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    Jimmy half-smirks, "Travel the world, meet interesting people, and blast them with lightning."
    He packs another snowball then starts to count how many he has inside doing a little quick arithmetic as he holds out a finger and moves his lips a little while he figures it out. "Alright, 8 more. Then we're set."
    Shifting his posture a little, the snow crunches under his boot while he continues to load up. "I'm sorry if I interrupted your ice-skating. Mighty kind of you to help me in my perfidious efforts n'all." His smile is thankful, then he nods. "I'll take this back and see if I can wrangle up my ice skates and join you for a bit if you're alright with that."
    And as he says that he gives her another nod and that smile broadens. "But for now, we're almost done. Just need to write 'Rogue' on the side of each snowball is all."