14771/Kitty drops by after getting a text...

Kitty drops by after getting a text...
Date of Scene:	25 April 2023
Location:	Warren's Penthouse
Synopsis:	And the golden question mark over Warrens head disappeared as Kitty's quest log gained a new entry!
Cast of Characters:	Kitty Pryde, Warren Worthington

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Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde was at work at Stark Industries when her phone's text notification beeped. Leaning forward scrutinizing the giant monitor, she finished tracing through the complex code before letting herself be drawn by the distraction. "Why aren't you making the connections between this input," she murmurs to herself, talking to the Artificial Intelligence that she's been working on. She's not quite sure the intended use for it yet, but there's enough there she can at least suspect it might have some ties to Tony's Iron Man Armor or some other similar system.

She leans back and sighs, shaking her head and reruns the simulation. Finally she pulls out the phone of her own design and crafting and checks the message. She can't prevent a small smile as she sees it is from Warren. She reads aloud, "Hey KP, wanted to meet up. You game? Tonight, tomorrow, flexible. Got something to show you from R&D and I miss your face. -WW3"

A female voice comes from speakers on her computer. "How do you know if the message is really about showing you something from R&D, versus because he misses your face?"

Kitty looks up, forgetting she had the microphone inputs to the AI on. "Well, that's a very intuitive question. It would involve understanding the context and history of interaction. His own speech patterns. Probably making some intuitive guesses based on exact phrasing. In short I don't know for sure. Though that he took the time to say he missed my face means it probably had some importance."

The AI voice responds, "Thank you. I shall prioritize some time to developing a model for understanding human nuance."

Kitty gives the computer a grin and then shuts off the microphone. Going to have to come up with a name for the AI soon, though that'll no doubt be Pepper's call.

Kitty taps a text back:

> I'm at work at the Tower. Could stop by after work instead of going back to Westchester?

Warren Worthington has posed:
< How do I send you a VTOL again? Does Tony have his own ATC or do I route through LaGuardia. Dont say LaGuardia, that place is like a 3rd world country. -WW3

Angel looked at his phone, then the massive pile of his Fathers old papers stacked on the long glass surface of the table, then his laptop, then the small velvet covered box, then back to his phone. "Should I just go pick her up?" he narrowed his eyes, "Its a lot faster but uh, kinda sets the tone doesn't it Warren. She's a big girl."

An Alexa like voice piped up. "Hello. Warren. Do you need something."

"No I was talking to myself." he murmored.

< Should I just come get you myself? -WW3

With an amused look Warren winced and waited.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty gets back to debugging, making a few changes and then firing up the compiler for them. She rises, stretching a bit after having been in the chair at her desk for awhile. Her phone beeps again and she checks it. She smiles and taps a message back with a speed that would make other millennials jealous.

> I'll stop by after work. I could use the exercise. See you then!

She pockets her phone and goes to grab herself a cup of tea that should last her for the time remaining before the work day is done.

When it is done, she heads out Stark Tower, one a stream of people who look like ants if viewed from the height of Warren's penthouse. If not by Warren, that angelic guy has some good vision.

Kitty makes her way down the sidewalk, moving quickly. She gets a wolf whistle from some construction workers, which makes her smile though she waits until she's past them to let it show. She's wearing boots that go up to about her knees, and tights, with a sweater dress that fits nicely to her figure. She's gone without a coat today, the weather being nicer as Spring is making itself felt on New York City.

It doesn't take her too long to reach One Madison Park. She smiles and greets the doorman by name and goes in. The security at the desk give a warm smile. "Always good to see you back in the building, Kitty," one of the guards tells her, opening the express elevator for her. "I'll let Mr. Worthington know you're on your way up."

"Thanks," Kitty says, giving them both a smile and wave. "And no, the Yankees are not winning it this year, so don't even think about commenting on Judge," she says with a grin. "Go Cubs!" she calls out as the elevator doors close to whisk her to the top floor, the only place that elevator opens out to.

Warren Worthington has posed:
"Sorry I gotta go. Yes. She's here now." he glanced to Kitty, he had risen from the table to greet her and moved with his cell in his palm and earbuds whistling. "I know, she's your favorite. You want to tell her yourself, she's right here. Ok. Yes. Yes. No....love you. Ok, bye. Bye. Ok I'm hanging up." even still, this was effortless and he reached out a hand to welcome Kitty, take her coat or bag and usher her into the room properly.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
The chime sounds the arrival of the express elevator. Kitty steps out into the room, glancing about as she always does for signs of changes. Though that glance quickly gives way as her eyes fall on Warren. "Warren," she says brightly, moving over to give him a quick hug if he allows her. She slips her purse from her shoulder, letting him find a place to set it.

Her eyes sweep over him. "I keep coming up here expecting to see you with a paunch," she says, a hand making a beer belly gesture to her own stomach. "I mean if I was the head boss, it would be bon-bons and cabernet all day long," she teases. Of course she wouldn't do that, the girl is a workout fiend of late. Her eyes shine as she looks the winged mutant over. "You look good," she says, eyes shining softly up at the taller man. "So this evening wasn't a bad time then I guess?" she asks.

Warren Worthington has posed:
Warren watched her a long moment, eyes shinning pridefully to look at the young woman, to hear her speak, to watch the way she commanded her environment and so its occupants. He was a character in her story, and while that might have prey-ed upon his ego, in this moment he was just proud of her. Grateful for the time they had shared as lovers and continued as friends.

"Its always a bad time and always the right time. I've gotten to the point where I just make time when I need to." he glanced around as if the penthouse itself was his life and his taskmaster. "None of its going to wait around for me, that much is certain." after the embrace he took her hand, twirled her easily letting the skirt fan out slightly and sent her into a soft cushion at the corner of the couch in the sunken space that comprised the main conversation area of the living room. "Something to eat? Something to drink?" he asked, striding confidently toward the bar and snatching up the suspiciously small box from the table on his way.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
"Oh, some red wine would make you my savior," Kitty tells him. "As interesting working with AI can be, it's also kind of like talking to a child all day," she says, letting out a breath but grinning as she does. And she knows Warren has the best wine. She developed a bit of a taste for it during their time together. Though Kitty had frequently gone to lengths to make sure Warren always knew her interest in him had nothing do with his wealth, letting him spoil her with a glass of wine after work was always a treasured moment.

"How are things with the company?" she asks him. "Managing to keep the board happy?" Kitty asks as she makes herself comfortable there on the soft couch. "As if they ever are truly happy. Wait, seriously, is that mentioned somewhere in the requirements. Seeking Board members for Fortune 100 company. Taciturn disposition a must. Relocation expenses provided."

Warren Worthington has posed:
Warren picked up from where she left off, "Have conveniant self rightious indignation about shareholder value when it suits my purposes..." he waited a beat and added, "...will travel." with impeccable timing. He moved forward, flexing his wings out and then back in again, restablishing their perch in folds across his back, handing her a generous glass of Chateau Lafite. "And now this." he said softly, handing her the suspiciously small velvet box, blue enough to be almost black. Not terribly heavy, easily concealed in the palm when required.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde's eyes go to his wings as he flutters them. There's a soft, private smile as if she's remembering something, though the offer of the wine glass pulls Kitty Pryde out of her thoughts readily enough.

"Oh, this looks perfect," she says, inhaling the wine's bouquet briefly before taking a sip of it. "See, now if this was more readily available, the amount of day-drinking in the city would go immensely," she comments.

As Warren sports the small velvet box, offering it forth, Kitty looks at it in surprise. A soft smile spreads across her face and she looks back up to the blue of Warren's eyes. "And what's this?" she asks. She's also told he doesn't need to give her gifts. Yet when Warren has done so anyway, she's never held back her appreciation, not robbing him of that warm feeling from knowing what he does is appreciate by her.

Kitty takes it slowly, glancing back up to Warren. "I'd say if a spring coiled snake is going to jump out at me when I hope it," she says teasingly, "But then you aren't Bobby Drake are you?" She opens it slowly to see what's inside.

Warren Worthington has posed:
Within the confines of the small container, Kitty finds a massive diamond engagement ring. The stone catches the light immediately and sparkles menacingly at the young woman, the platinum setting showing signs of wear in the soft metal where it had rubbed against even softer skin for decades, but no signs of tarnish. The logo on the silky white interior was old, the name no longer rang a bell, a designer long lost to time and history.

Warren watched her as she took her first look at his Grandmother's engagement ring, he wanted something from Kitty which he hadn't yet explained; but in the moment he was entertaining another curiosity, a dishonest moment that still had some teeth behind it, and some value in her reaction. "If was Bobby Drake, youd be sucking on a 1200 dollar popsicle." he said without thinking, his voice sounding distant as if concealing an entirely different inner monologue, but surely he meant the wine?

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde's eyes widen a little bit when she opens the box and sees the ring inside. "Warren, it's beautiful," she says. "It looks like it's something with some history behind it?" she asks, looking up at him.

The young woman looks back down at it again, looking to see if there's any inscription inside of it. There is probably a little bit of uncertainty, the style of the ring suggestive of the use it is usually put to, and she and Warren not having been together for coming up on a year and a half now.

She breaks out in a quiet laugh at the comment about Bobby. Some of her practical joke wars with Bobby are the things of legend among the current enrollees at the school. Though she's not the kind to make fun of him behind his back. No, Kitty will make note of any quips she's said about him, and be sure to tell Bobby later.

Warren Worthington has posed:
Warren Worthington explained, "Ruth Worthington's ring, Kathryn's mother. My grandmother. While we were dating I had it take out of storage. Now I say storage its important that I explain that it was shielded storage." he offered, coming in to sit beside her companionably and also gaze at the beautiful peice of jewelry. He lowered his voice apologetically, "Its a bit awkward but I was thinking about us in much longer terms at the time." he paused as if giving that moment its due, despite wanting to move on with his explanation. "Well, for whatever reason the timing wasn't right so I put it in the vault at the office, and also shielded, but not in the same way. Well for, well its got to be a few years now. For years now, Simon Benfeck. You remember Simon, he'd been harrasing management about a signal that was messing with his work. They had asked him to compensate around it after a cursory investigation."

He looked to her and the rock, and back to her "So they did and everything was fine, well Simon retired recently. They went about dismantling some of his long term work that he never finished, and one thing lead to another, they rediscovered this signal, and pinned it down. Some king of analog thing, they called it a carrier wave. Said it might have data riding on it, but if it did, it was highly encrypted. They gave me this..." he said offering her a thumb drive, "...which has all the information you need to, I suppose, tune in to the signal. Its a bit convoluded, but something you guys over in Starks group probably handle all the time."

Kitty Pryde has posed:
The conversation didn't at all end up going where Kitty had wondered if it would. Which made sense it didn't, though a girl could probably be excused if her mind had leapt that direction, wondering.

"So the ring is the source of it?" she says curiously, looking back down at it. Many of the X-men know that look. Give Kitty a puzzle of some sort, particularly technological, and it's like giving a dog a bone. She takes the thumb drive that he offers over, though eyes going back to the ring first.

She pulls her phone out and slides open a cover, allowing her to insert the thumb drive into the phone. She pulls up the information, giving it a cursory look to get an idea of it. "Any idea the why of it? I mean were they involved in... in anything that this would make sense with?" she asks, lifting her eyes to Warren's again.

Warren Worthington has posed:
"I dont know too much about Ruth, she is sadly no longer with us, as you know my mother Kathryn is also no longer with us. My father and Ruth famously did not get along, but then my father and everyone famously did not get along. Now, oddly enough, Sable, Burt's ex wife, whom I was just on the phone with she knew Ruth because her mother and Ruth had been in the Waves together. Some sort of Navy thing for women, before they let women in the Navy. And I think Ruth was a radio operator, at least thats what I could get out of Sable between her asking about you." He and Sable had developed a mother son relationship over the years since Burt was tried and convicted for poisoning Kathryn. When it comes to the Worthingtons and family intrigue, you do need to keep up or you will get easily lost.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde would indeed get lost were it not for some foreknowledge picked up gradually over time. Though even as it is, she has to pull her attention away from the contents of the thumb drive to not lose the thread of it all.

"Hmm. Maybe some kind of Office of Strategic Services thing?" Kitty wonders aloud. "Maybe something that Steve Rogers or Peggy Carter might have some awareness of, if so. Though, I mean best to try to figure it out ourselves before bringing anyone else in."

She looks back up to Warren, a hand moving over and resting on his side. "Have you let your people have a look at it? Or is this something you want to keep on the download from the company until you know what's going on with it?" Kitty asks.

Warren Worthington has posed:
Warren touched her hand gently just for emphasis, "This feels private to me. If I can call in a favor for old times sake, I'd like for you to handle it. This is between us for now." he paused, and then offered. "For all that life offers we spend most of eternity dead and gone, and for all that wealth offers you cannot take it with you." he wet his lips and met her eyes with his, then snapped a finger lightly at the rim of her glass to make it sing, "All that remains is how we remember her. That is worth protecting."

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty's head nods as if she understand, and was even probably guessing that was the case for Warren. "Sure, I can take a look at it. If you're ok with Beast or Forge or the like getting involved, might poke them depending on how it goes? Or if you'd rather not even them, can wait and see how it goes," she suggests.

The young woman takes another sip of the wine and then sets the glass back on the coffee table. She carefully closes the box back again. "Probably not a bad idea to get it under shielding again. I'll do that before it taking it home," she says.

Home being the school. She was living there before getting a call from Pepper Potts asking if Kitty knew anything about the NYC power grid's computers being hacked and code inserted that fixed problems stopping a Stark green energy initiative benefiting MutantTown from going online. And she'd have gotten away with it too if Rogue hadn't used the VM slice Kitty had used to watch "Hot Fuzz" from a streaming service without Kitty knowing.

Kitty's protestations of obliviousness didn't stop a job offer from being offered. During which she's commuted from the school, or worked remotedly, while also still working a day a week still as a guidance counselor.

"So, any plans to stop by soon?" she asks. "Any new flavors of ice cream coming out that you need tested?" she asks with a grin. Warren bringing Worthington Industries new flavors is always a hit.

Warren Worthington has posed:
Warren leaned back on an elbow, smearing a smile into his palm. He looked at the young woman with lidded eyes, holding her in place and then abruptly wagging his head vaguely toward the kitchen where she would indeed find a new Earl Grey and lemon based icecream that very few people had on earth had yet sampled.

When and if she stood, he grabbed her and tugged her to him, until they where face to face and gleamed a quiet smile into hers. The palacial penhouse became a tiny space, only big enough for two people.

"Thank you. I can always count on you." and then he released her to the cold decadence of ice-cream. Eat your heart out, Bobby Drake.