13761/Two nerds and a cool guy.

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Two nerds and a cool guy.
Date of Scene: 06 January 2023
Location: Main Foyer
Synopsis: We had tea!
Cast of Characters: Betsy Braddock, Alexander Aaron, Ororo Munroe




Betsy Braddock has posed:
"And that finishes the grand tour!"

As they finished the loop, through the main portions of the school, they found themselves back at the foyer. She had even taken him down to the basement areas that were open to students. Not those that were reserved for the X-Men because that was beyond what she should probably be sharing. Although, in truth, it wasn't like he didn't already know about this place. He'd visited before, knew the nature of it. And he knew that Betsy was a member of the X-Men so it wasn't really difficult to put the rest together.

It was later in the night when they had arrived, thus no students really up and about. Which was probably for the best as they would ask a lot of questions.

"What do you think?"

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    There was definite curiousity on the features of the young man, his pale eyes had wandered hither and thither, to and fro. He had visited here exactly once some time ago when there had been a wild battle and one of the X-people had been injured while fighting alongside the Amazons and other various Greeks. But he had never been inside.
    Though when Elizabeth had offered to show him around the mansion's interior he was curious for sure so he jumped at the chance. And it was a nice tour, they walked through the halls making sure not to disturb anyone. He was told nice little tidbits of insight and small anecdotes about the home of the X-Men, but then at the end when she asked him what he thought he turned back to her and his eyebrows rose.
    "Well, you sold me, I'll buy it." Though his lip twisted slightly as he maintained that deadpan tone of voice. "But really it's very nice. Large. But with so many people living here I guess it has to be."

Ororo Munroe has posed:
Not many around except for the Teacher on night duty. The sort of rotating job that suits the teachers who like to read, which are most of them with a few notable exceptions. Ororo fits the norm, making regular night raids on the kitchen and library, delighting in the midnight snacks and the quiet.

Hands in the pockets of her silky hoodie, she stops in the doorway leading from the kitchen.

"Evening, Ms. Braddock. What have you managed to sell to your visitor?"

Betsy Braddock has posed:
Betsy blinked at the response from Alexander then started to respond only to hear that voice from nearby. She turned toward Ororo and smiled. "Ms. Munroe. It appears I sold him the house. Though technically, that wasn't the intention," she offered in her defense. The accent was British but with a hint of something else, which those in the know could recognize as Japanese. But it wasn't distinct and could just be thought to be some local flair to the British.

"This is Ororo Munroe, one of the instructors here," she offered to Alexander in explanation. Then she glanced back to Ororo. "And this is Alexander Aaron, a friend of mine. I needed to pick up a few things so he came along for the ride. I wanted to show him Xavier's, though he visited briefly in the past." Very briefly.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    "Miss Munroe." Alexander extended his hand toward her and his curiously pale hazel eyes met her gaze. His smile was easily given and he seemed entirely at ease for the moment as he confides. "At first I was doubtful about the place, but really it looks like a good fixer upper."
    His lip twitches as he looks back over at Psylocke. Should Storm shake his hand she'll find his handshake brief and business-like, three precise shakes and then done as he steps back.
    Taking up a place beside the telepathic ninja, he gives a nod. "I was here some time ago when the Themyscirans brought Monet back when she was injured during a battle." So at the least she knows that he's... not uninitiated to the craziness that surrounds some groups of people these days.

Ororo Munroe has posed:
"Congratulations!" the word lightly accented with a lilt typical among Eastern Africans. There are no boundaries for the students of Xavier's, mutant gifts being found all over the world. She extends her hand to take his, her grip, warm and firm, harmonizing with his shake.

Ororo breaks into a smile which reaches her pale eyes, striking in the dark mahogany of her face. "Then you both will benefit. I'm happy to hear it. And, you know Ms. Monet? One of our precious assets."

Betsy Braddock has posed:
Which actually led to a question Betsy realized. "Do you know her?" she asked curiously, looking back to Alexander. "Or more you knew the Themyscirans?"

Being that he was part of that Greek pantheon. Not something she was going to be telling Ororo, or anyone else for that matter. That was his tale to share if he ever wanted to. After all, Diana was his aunt. So she couldn't really push saying that he was related to them either.

The joys of secrets in lives.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    "I know Monet," Alexander confides and seems more amused about the ideas of secrets and the weirdness in their lives. "I do not know Miss Munroe." He tells them with that casual calm. He steps to the side and then toward Ororo. He smiles to her, then looks past her into the kitchen and points it out. "Oh hey. A kitchen."
    Which leads him into going inside because where there's a kitchen there is food. And in this case likely free food. He says, however, to them both. "I've had the pleasure of speaking with Monet and she's..." He spares a glance toward Ororo. "She's very precious. Yes."
    Then his head bobs, "And yes, my father has a history with the Themyscirans. And Diana is technically my aunt. In some ways."

Ororo Munroe has posed:
Ororo has no idea about what is behind the current she feels move between the two. With Betsy's gifts it could be anything. The smile remains in her eyes as she watches the two of them.

Stepping back she tacitly invites him into the kitchen where there are several professional double door refrigerators and a 16-eye stove topped by a wide hood with a row ovens beneath it. Pots and pans hanging from the ceiling glint as she snaps on the lights.

"Can we get you something to eat? We can make sandwiches, have cookies and milk or coffee. Omelettes. There is always something on hand. A lot of the faculty and students have high calorie needs so we do our best to feed them."

Rounding the long table that fronts the stoves, she waves her hand to the chairs that are pushed under it. "Take a seat. So you are technically Ms. Prince's nephew? Now that is a distinguished lineage, indeed."

Betsy Braddock has posed:
Betsy follows them into the kitchen and immediately is moving toward a cabinet. There she opens it to display quite a few things but one of which was quite a range of teas. "Or tea, of course. Can't be without tea." She glanced over to Alexander to see if that might tickle his fancy even as she was taking out the one she wanted.

Then she pulled down a mug from another cabinet for herself and she would do the same for either of them if they wanted to indulge as well.

At mention of his lineage, she did give a glance to the pair of them and waited to see how he chose to explain it, if he did at all.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    "Thank you, Miss Munroe. You are very kind." Alexander says this as he takes a seat at one of those spots near the breakfast bar, settling onto one of the stools nearby so they can chat amiably. "Very kind to cook me something to eat. Such a nice thing for someone to do."
    And as Alexander says that he very pointedly looks across the way and meets Betsy's violet eyes, grinning a little bit.
    But then he turns his attention back. "Yes, though depending on which story you believe about her origin well..." It becomes convoluted.
    "But tea would be lovely this time of night. I'm not hugely hungry." His eyes slip toward Elizabeth as if seeing if she might want something as he quirks an eyebrow curiously.

Ororo Munroe has posed:
"Well, that's certainly within the realm of the possible." Ororo diplomatically doesn't press for a definitive run down of his parents, keeping her suspicions to herself. There is nothing run-of-the-mill about the young man.

"We have every kind of tea imaginable - Oolong, Assam, Darjeeling, Earl Grey, Rooibos and camomile. As she reels off the tea on hand, she takes an electric kettle from a shelf and fills it at the big metal sink across the room, plugs it in and sets it to boil.

"Ms. Braddock would you get a teapot and cups from the cabinet. Do you take milk or lemon, Mr. Aaron?"

Betsy Braddock has posed:
Three for tea.

Betsy gave a nod to the request and quickly pulled out the teapot along with the three cups, and their matching saucers because propriety, bringing them over to the table. She could've used a tray to make it one trip but the water had to heat so it wasn't a huge rush.

Then she moved back to that array of teas and selected the Earl Grey for herself. At the curious glance about hunger from Alexander, she gave a little shake of her head. They head eaten earlier in the evening and that was holding her over quite well. Though there was a hint of a smirk on her face as she gave him an arched brow look then went back to digging out anything else they might be needing for their tea service.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    His eyes glimmer with a touch of wickedness as he asks, "No sweetened?" Knowing what a cardinal sin such a thing is to say in front of a Brit from the Sceptred Isle. But then he looks back to Elizabeth and nods with a sad smile, "Well I suppose I'll have to settle for Darjeeling." Then those eyes slip back toward Ororo, "But thank you, I appreciate the hospitality you both show your guests."
    That said he tilts his head, "Are you part of the more action oriented aspect of the Xavier social club, Miss Munroe?" He looks toward Betsy briefly perhaps likely expecting to hear either some admonishment for the question or acceptance, likely given to his thoughts. But he then lifts his chin. "I know that Elizabeth at times partakes."

Ororo Munroe has posed:
Ororo who has no telepathic powers, hers being solely in the natural world, decides that there is more than just a seller-buyer relationship behind them. She glances between the two and smiles faintly to herself. Then, pulls down a sugar bowl from a nearby shelf and silver tongs from a drawer. A quick foray to one of the fridges produces a small pitcher of milk. "I'll join you with the Darjeeling. We have a good one, no teabags only loose tea."

The question and its phrasing amuse her and she laughs lightly, eyes flitting to Betty. "She does rather, doesn't she? Partake, I mean. I suppose you could say that, Mr. Aaron." On a long inhale, her eyebrows raised high in amusement, she asks, "How would you describe how I 'partake' Ms. Braddock?"

Betsy Braddock has posed:
He managed to hit that button. When he mentions 'sweet tea', there is a cut of violet eyes his direction and a narrowing of her gaze. He might have been in for it had they not been in polite company. She doesn't even berate him mentally. Yet.

The phrasing on the question from Alexander about 'partaking' has her trying not to laugh. But when Ororo does, she gives in and giggles faintly. Especially when Ororo points out that she does indeed partake. "It keeps life interesting, no?" she asks in return.

But the final has her considering a moment. "With wisdom beyond your years and a high amount of control." Since Ororo's powers and her mental state were so linked, it was a state the other woman had learned to maintain unlike most people Betsy knew.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    The young man's lips part in a silent 'ah' as he nods, accepting the words given him, still smiling a little with that calm way of his. He remains settled in his seat, but draws one of is legs up into his lap like something akin to a yoga pose as he looks between the two of the, open curiousity in his eyes.
    "That's good then," He looks over toward Betsy and says, "I met Elizabeth while I was working for SHIELD." His eyebrows raise and she likely gets the sense that he's about to tell that story, abridged though it may be.
    "I work for SHIELD, though not in the most glamorous of roles. I was on guard duty and tacitly sent to maintain an eye on Ms. Braddock while she delivered some information. Then his eyebrows climb. "And the _whole_ time I stood there, she teased me mercilessly in the most rude manner." He says this so matter-of-factly even as he chastens Psylocke by pointing at her slightly and while biting his lower lip, as if so very disappointed in her behaviour.

Ororo Munroe has posed:
Internally, Ororo says bingo when he describes the teasing and uses her first name. His biting his lip seals it. "SHIELD then? Well, then I wonder how you partake, Mr. Aaron? Not everyone can be glamorous when they begin. They often recruit people with a wide range of talents. To be more clear about mine, they are weather related."

The boiling kettle snaps off and she turns to bring it to the table. All the steps necessary for making good tea are followed. Both teapots are warmed and then the water which has cooled slightly is poured over the tea leaves carefully measured into each.

While they steep, "Ms. Braddock, do you intend to buy another house or will you be moving into quarters here in the school?"

Betsy Braddock has posed:
"Oh! Yes, I did meet him at SHIELD." Betsy seems to have remembered something and she pulls out her phone, quickly using her code to open it because--considering the whole body swap thing in her history--she wasn't going to be stuck with facial or fingerprint recognition. It just seemed the safer bet. "I have pictures!" Which Alexander may have forgotten or he would probably not have brought it up.

As she scrolled through images, she answered Ororo's question though. "I still have a room here. Just came by to pick up a few things. I'm considering picking up a new place in the city." Which meant New York City and she presumed they all knew it. "Something with a bit more room. You should help me find something fitting," she suggested to the other woman.

The she turned scooted over next to Ororo and showed her the camera front. The first image was of a man in a SHIELD uniform wearing a mirrored visored helmet. Basically, one could tell nothing about the person other than their height and possibly their build a little despite the body armor. The second was her standing next to him, as people often posed with the guards at the palace in London. But then there was one of her making a kissy face as though about to kiss the side of the visor. All while he stood there in the same pose.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    The mystery is solved as Alexander's eyebrows rise and then his eyes slowly close. One corner of his face sort of scrunches up pained as he murmurs, "Ah." Then he breathes in through his teeth, "I forgot you had pictures."
    Which, indeed she did.
    And there in all his black armored, closed visored, stern stormtrooper glory he was. And he clearly was presenting as dour of a visage as could be given considering the utter lack of identifying characteristics. He could just as easily have been a robot in those images.
    "But you see, she was acting in what one could consider a very unprofessional manner." He gave a single firm nod.
    Then he answered Ororo's questions to a degree finally, "As for my partaking I often do not indulge in the glamorous work. Usually my end of the job is... taking inventory. Or standing guard." Which, was not really a lie. Though assuredly wasn't the entirety of the story.

Ororo Munroe has posed:
Leaning forward, Ororo looks at the picture, her gaze moving between it and Alexander's face, comparing the storm trooper to the handsome man sitting across from her, mouth pursed in a vain attempt not to smile.

"Why Ms.Braddock, what a tease! Suppose he had been like our Mr. Wade? You had taken his internal measure and liked that well enough to tease him?" Storm judges the tea to be ready and lifts the pot with a questioning look at Alexander, "Shall I?"

As she pours, she again diplomatically does not press him. Though not a telepath, she has a good nose for the unusual and he has that smell.

Betsy Braddock has posed:
"In my defense, I was kept in that building for well over an hour when all it should have taken was me handing over the drive from my brother." For she had been on a mission for Brian in her visit to SHIELD. It wasn't a place she generally frequented. "Thus? I was bored."

She put the phone away and moved back to her seat to settle in for her tea. "As for Alexander, he was being very matter-of-fact but hints of humor and sarcasm came through while we were speaking. They had psi dampeners in place because of course they did." She rolled her eyes slightly at the audacity of an espionage organization trying to protect secrets! "But I opted to treat him like one of the Queen's Guard and see if I could get a rise out of him. In the end, he escorted me out when business was complete and took off his helmet. Being he was actually pretty in addition to being amusing, I asked him to dinner. And here we are."

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    The young man answers, "Please," As he nods toward his cup. He smiles toward Storm, then shoots that same smile back toward Elizabeth as he remains settled at the seat, his hands upon the leg he has drawn into his lap.
    Once she has poured for him he smiles toward Ororo in that sort of pained smile look that a man gets when he endures the trials and tribulations of being set upon by the whimsy of a soul as given to flight as a Braddock's. And when she finishes her last sentence he repeats one single word.
    "Pretty." As if it were some dire admonishment.
    He sips his tea and looks sidelong toward her, "I have no idea how you inferred my humor, since my voice was electronically modulated." Then he looks back toward Ororo, "But, to be fair, she did. I was being a touch sarcastic at points."

Ororo Munroe has posed:
"Something, I will risk saying is not unusual for you?"

She serves Psylocke then herself, topping her tea with milk and two lumps of sugar. Habits from her childhood.

"And a good spot to be in. Ms. Braddock was lucky enough to catch us while the school is nearly empty for Christmas break. We sometimes work with SHIELD though I get the impression they wish the school was under their control and not a separate entity."

Betsy Braddock has posed:
"I believe SHIELD would like to have us as resources mainly. But we tend to be the types who don't play well with others." Not simply because they were mutants. It was more because of their personality types in the groups. The idea of Scott butting heads with some of the people of SHIELD as somewhat amusing though.

"I'll go grab my things quickly. We still have a long drive back to town and after the tea, we should head out."

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    Alexander takes that as the hint it is and lifts his tea up to take a good few swallows. But then he smiles and gives Ororo a small toast in thanks for the tea. "Delicious, Miss Munroe, take care. Was a pleasure to meet you."
    And as he says that he slips off the stool, smiles again, then quickly moves to follow in Elizabeth's wake.