16611/Jingle Jangle.

Jingle Jangle.
Date of Scene:	18 December 2023
Location:	Back Yard
Synopsis:	Rogue and Dazzler have a bit of banter out on the lawn behind the school garage. Rogue is painting a Christmas sleigh, Jeepers is being Jeepers, Alison is planning how best to schmooz the Headmistress! A typical day at the Mutant School.
Cast of Characters:	Rogue, Alison Blaire

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Rogue has posed:
Behind the garage of Xaviers School, Rogue has recently arrived with the fancy old fashioned Santa Sleigh from the neighbors yard. This time of year, Rogue usually grabs it for holiday festivities reasons, typically involving taking students around in flying sleigh rides. But... every year it takes a fair amount of work to get it cleaned up, fixed up and ready for action again. This is what the Southern Belle is doing right now...

Dressed in a old hoodie with the sleeves pushed up, Rogue has a number of cleaning supplies, and a couple small buckets of paint scattered around the sleigh. Old jeans and boots make up the rest of her outfit as she has just finished wiping the sleigh down, and is currently using some sanding tools to prepare it for a fresh coat of pretty colors to bring it up to speed for the upcoming holiday crap!

With her phone playing some music, Rogue is crouched down beside the sleigh, her tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth as she rubs rubs rubs the sanding tool along the outside of the sleigh's surface, chipping off old paint flakes in all directions as she works.

Around the sleigh, and the young woman, a yellow lab dog is running in circles throwing a toy football up in the air, only to have it fall to the ground where it rolls away, with the dog summarily chasing after it again to reclaim it in his slobbery maw!

It is early evening, sun going down in an hour or so, with a cool temperature of around 35 to 40 degrees outside right now.

Alison Blaire has posed:
Alison 'Dazzler' Blaire might not be the queen of festive spirit, certainly not when someone else is renowned for their annual sleigh rides, and making sure her antique sleigh is in working order. But she's willing to admit that she is not, in fact, a total grinch either. Which is why she's bobbing her head with a pair of wireless earbuds in, bouncing her way about the manor grounds and absorbing sound, only to convert it to light moments later with a snap of fingers or clap.

Astute observers will notice three things. One, the bursts of light are subdued, like she's trying to find a balance between 'Too dim to be worth the effort' and 'This is my LAZER'. Something suitable for a show without risking audience safety. Second, those bursts of light are alternating between red, green, and a shining white that keeps flickering towards silver like she's trying to get it just right. And third... those bursts of light are being summoned to the beat of Jingle Bells.

She is only marginally dressed above 'Sleigh maintenance woman' levels herself, in that her hoodie (surplus from a previous tour, now a total collectors item) looks nearly brand new, and her snug pale jeans are only frayed in the most artfully tailored ways.

And as Alison's impromptu light show reaches the back yard, her eyes widen, eyebrows shoot up... and she's whistling out for that good boy, "C'mere! You can't fetch your own ball! That's breakin' the rules!"

She's a little busy for a moment then, head shaking to dislodge earbuds, catch them, and pocket them before the goodest of boys reacts while she's also waving, "Roooogue! Oh my /god/ do you paint that thing new EVERY year?!"

Rogue has posed:
It goes without saying that when Jeepers catches sight of the light show coming from the Popstar that the dog, clutching his neon green and yellow football in his mouth, starts bounding over toward her with his tail going a million miles a minute! The football is squeaked rapidly in his jaws as he arrives at where Dazzler is whilst removing those earbuds, and he jams the football at her expectantly, as if he's been waiting for someone who'd pay attention to him unlike Rogue!

The yellow lab is just a ball of energy, shaking and hopping around Alison's feet.

The question that Alison asks causes Rogue to drop her right knee to the soft grass, and a look to be given over her shoulder. She recognized the voice without looking, but she looked anyway. A grin shows on her facial features, her brown and white hair tied back behind her head. "Not every year... I'll do touch up work if it is bad, but this time... the whole thing is just ready for it. Been like, four years I think since we did a full body paint on it. I was nineteen back then, bout to turn twenty four. So, been a bit, I guess. time flies, or somethin'" She notes, with a pause given to her work to rest on both knees now beside the sleigh. She adjusts her sanding tool, pulling the worn out paper off of it, and slipping a fresh length of sand paper on to the tool.

"How you doin', Sunshine?" She asks Alison, casting a smile over to the other woman from her kneeling spot, as Jeepers does as Jeepers do.

Alison Blaire has posed:
Probably, some tabloid photographer somewhere would have a field day being able to sell pictures of Dazzler doing something so basic, so VERY NON-HIP as playing fetch with Jeepers. But that's why Alison only plays fetch with Jeepers at the mansion, where she's got full faith one telepath or another would melt that tabloid photographer's brain into pudding.

She's kidding. Of course. Really.

Ball is recovered from DROOLY MOUTH without a hint of concern from the pop star, as she spends a few seconds holding it above Jeepers's head, lifting it up when he tries to chomp it anew. She even does a couple fakeout throws because SHE'S SECRETLY EVIL.

But not so evil to not send that football flying a good distance for Jeepers to recover as Alison moves towards Rogue... not /too/ far of course. Not because she's afraid of Rogue poking her and 'borrowing' her skills for karaoke, but because a returning Jeepers at ballistic golden lab fetch speeds seems like something to keep from getting /too/ close to an antique sleigh. She grins back, only for her brow to furrow slightly, "Oh my god, has it been that long?" She mock recoils and heaves out a sigh, just in time for Jeepers to run in and her to reach down to reclaim the mall and FLING it away. "Oh, you know how it is. Trying to find my next inspiration for an album, or like... the motivation to do a tour or a guest spot on a sitcom or..." She trails off and shrugs with a lopsided grin, "Thinking about giving up the pop star game to become an upstate music teacher? I dunno. I guess I'm doing alright. How're you? I mean, aside from bringing on the Christmas cheer like a champ?"

Rogue has posed:
Jeepers runs off like a yellow bolt of lightning after the ball, the tags on his leather collar jingling and jangling as he goes at top speeds! In his mind he probably pictures himself to be a jet fighter, or a firetruck on the way to a five alarm fire. In reality, he's just a fuzzy butt with no pants. Either way, the ball is being brought back toward Alison post-haste at high speeds!

Rogue gets the new paper afixed to the tool, and straightens up on her knees beside the sleigh. She goes back to finishing up the foot railing she was working on diligently while listening to Alison's words with a growing grin showing off amusement at them.

She pauses to look over and up at the other woman several steps away. "I was watchin' people fight over Dazzler or Swifty the other night on social media. The debates get pretty rough, ya know. I think if ya gave up the life'a singin' like ya do, that people might storm the proverbial castle just to haul you back to stage. so ya better get that muse inside'a your head goin' in overdrive. Your ravenous fans await, Missy." She tells the other in that playful southern style that only a Mississippi Belle could pull off.

With her focus back on the sligh now, Rogue reaches inside it to the floor to pull a bunch of junk out of it. "I think somethin' was livin' in here all year. I bet it's back over at the neighbors barn, wonderin' where their home went..." she says while brushing all the leaves and sticks out of the interior of the sleigh's passenger compartment. "I like seein' the kids havin' fun at Christmas time. So I'd tell ya t'make some Christmas music, but I know that's not fashionable anymore, and t'be honest... no slant toward your immense talent, but nothin' beats the old world holiday music anyway."

She pauses then, and looks back over to Alison as Jeepers runs around the woman frantically trying to absorb all her energy - much like Rogue might too!

"I bet you'd do a hell of a light show for a Holiday party though.. You an' Jubes. Got the best festivity mutations outta any'a us..."

Her hands go back to the sanding tool and she finishes up the railing with a few more determined strokes of the grainy paper upon the classically designed carriage.

Alison Blaire has posed:
Alison groans softly and shakes her head slowly, "I swear... I mean, I guess people fighting over us is better than that 'Have you ever seen them in the same place at the same time?' thing from last year... by a bit. A tiny bit. A teeny tiny bit."

Jeepers gets another toss of the ball as Alison rolls her eyes and huffs out softly. "Yeahhh, I dunno, maybe I'll like... do a punk inspired album again. Gotta do at least one before I'm too old and it becomes /cringe/." Her lips quirk thoughtfully... she can think of one buzzcut dark haired sourpuss Twitter-junkie around the mansion who'd probably have a snarky comment about how she's already old.

She shakes her head slowly and sighs out, "Poor li'l woodchuck or something sitting around right now all 'Where's my house? I had a snack in there!' Poor li'l guy." She clicks her tongue in mock distress and then laughs softly. "Oh! We /could/. I mean, I was just going to sing some carols... you know, maybe we bribe Ororo to freeze the lake over nice and level for skating, we get some cocoa... all that stuff."

She seems to reconsider and then grins... grins with /maybe/ a bit of a dangerous glint in her eye. "Oh! But New Years Eve..."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue stands back up to her feet, her old sneakers from two summers ago smooshing grass as she steps over to her little makeshift workbench. She has a big smile on her face as she listens to Alison, and is keeping a side-eye on her dog to make sure he doesn't overly get out of conduct, as he is prone to do when he gets super excited. "I like the sound'a gettin' the lake frozen over earlier than usual. I'm a sucka for ice skatin' and hot chocolate." She states while popping the cap off one of the small containeres of red paint. Using the stirring stick, she tests it out a bit before settling the can down on the table once more, with a hand reaching for one of her slection of brushes. "I'll make sure ta have the sleigh back where I found it for Mistah Woodchuck too, once we're done scarin' the kids with super fast sleigh rides."

With a grin sent toward Ali, Rogue stepped back to the wagon, and once more lowered down to her knees beside it. Using her brush she dabs at the paint can held in her left hand, then actively begins to swipe the sled's side with the red paint, coating it anew.

"You get to be the one t'ask Ororo for favors for weather though. I think I've worn my welcome out with that. I can see her eyes go distant, as I think she's dreamin' a shootin' me off like Dorothy down a tornado."

A quick side glance is given to the singer, along with a sweet smile. "But if you manage it, I'll buy the cocoa." She offers, her green eyes tracing back to her project.

Jeepers continues to try to initiate more play with his toy, like any dog he seems to have an endless wellspring of puppy energy even headed toward his 4th year.

"Been up to anything fun lately?' She also adds in a inquiry of the local celebrity.

Alison Blaire has posed:
Alison seems /pretty/ confident Jeepers is gonna behave himself. Or at least, not be too much to handle, even if he insists she throw the ball more and more quickly. She bobs her head with a crooked grin, "Yeah, I mean, I dunno what it is, I'm not a huge fan of winter, but... it's got its charms once you've got hot chocolate and pristine snow." She tilts her head and hums, "Guess my grinchyness about winter is less... Grinchy, and more just... as winter goes on I get tired of it being dark. Also eventually there's enough like... slush and stuff that instead of pure white snow it's all kinda grey and brown and icky?"

She huffs out a breath and rolls her eyes, "Oh, Ororo'll totally snow us up if I ask her nice. Because I'm really charming and sweet, and not at all because I'll slip her a fifty."

Eyes glint as she hums out, "Oh, c'mon, if Ororo flings you to Oz in a tornado, it'll just be so we can all tag along and beat up some witches and stuff. Just bring her a new plant for her loft if you tick her off and I bet she'll be sweet as can be. I'm sure she likes you!"

She shakes her head with a little laugh, "No! I haven't been up to much of anything. Kinda... lurking around my studio in the basement, bugging our resident grumpypants...." She glances around conspiratorially, "Don't tell Negasonic I called her grumpypants. I like my studio non-exploded."

Rogue has posed:
An open laugh comes from the Belle as she strokes the wet paint across the faded and freshly sanded exterior of the sleigh. "Grumpy Pants is a title that could be applied to a number'a folks around here. Had me runnin' down a list'a possible faces for such a name. But, Ellie does fit the bill. Not that I'd ever say it to her either. Tough as I might be, I don't wanna get blown from here to Florida." She says with a big smile cast over toward Alison.

Shifting knees, Rogue leans primarily on her left now, with her right up in the air, poking through the hole in the denim material, that dangerous skin!

"You're a Summah child anywho. So it's not surprisin' that the colors'a winter start to wear on your spirit. Honestly, I figure it's mildly shockin' you're here at all, and not livin' it up on some tropical beach right now." She states in a playful way for the talented singer. She continues to stroke the bristles of her brush across the old wooden sleigh, occasionally dabbing it back in to the can to reload on the crimson hued color.

"I prefer warm weather too, but... I dunno, there is a picturesque beauty to a fresh fallen blanket of snow too. I really enjoy bein' here when those days happen." She sends a smirk over to the other woman then. "I don't like flyin' in it though. Freezin my bajits off is not ideal for me. But at least I can wear full clothin' and not freak people out by bein' scandalously dressed to avoid the heat'a summah."

Jeepers pauses in his play when he spots two squirrels in the trees nearby. He seems to go rigid from nose to tail, as he eyes the squirrels with a deathly seriousness...
"And be careful urgin' me to go pester Stormah." Rogue warns. "Cause I'm still pretty sure she'll zap me if I test her too much. Askin' for warm weather one day ta go swimmin' in the middle'a Winter, then ice skatin' a day later."

Alison Blaire has posed:
Alison grins crookedly and narrows her eyes, "Well, we /need/ a good amount of grumpypants..es? Is that the plural? But c'mon, we gotta counterbalance your good cheer and warmth! Balance is important and you are a ray of sunshine!"

She sighs and huffs out as she kneels down to take a break from throwing the ball for Jeepers to give him a thorough, intense RUFFLING on his next return. "Yeah, I'm definitely more of a summer, beach, tanning out on a yacht in the riviera gal."

She puffs out a breath and hums out, "But yeah, Ellie's a solid grump. Once in a generation, really..." She whistles out low and casual, "Which probably means when she realizes her potential she's going to be like... one hell of a leader or something. She's got conviction and drive. Also, you know, that youthful ability to zero in on the most devastating possible snarky comments."

She perks her eyebrows up and snorts helplessly, "Oh, yeah, I guess that makes sense! I mean, flying and... not being immune to the temperature and all! I guess I'm just used to seeing Ororo all 'Look, I've summoned up a thunderstorm and also it doesn't bother me even a bit.' and all."

Alison slowwwwwly wraps arms around Jeepers as he tenses and locks on the squirrels, hissing out softly, "Nowww now... don't you go chasin' those poor li'l fuzzbutts! Squirrels deserve a nice Christmas vacation too, drooly." She eyes Rogue again and snickers, "Wait... do we have an indoor pool? We should get one. Find some way to like.. count a jacuzzi as an educational expe... wait! Jean! Doesn't Jean have a Jacuzzi? Oh god, did Sentinels explode it?!"

Rogue has posed:
Jeepers is all serious business as Alison speaks to him, but her words do eventually break the spell that the squirrels have over him, and he spins his snout around to give her cheek a big slurp right up the side of her face. Doggy trap! With his jovial nature returned, he's back to grabbing his toy and shaking his tail rapidly!

Rogue is meanwhile laughing softly again. She shakes her head gently as her verdent hued eyes focus on painting that wagon good! "Sentinels didn't." She says, dipping the brush again in the can. "But a helicopter ... incident... did lead to its destruction." She notes as she raises up a bit to paint around the top edge of the sleigh now, working her way to the back of it, her knees wiggling her across the grass as she goes. "But! We repaired it. Got a new model. So yeah, Jean has a hell of a tub up in her room. I'm sure she'd let you use it if you wanted." Rogue states, casting another grin toward Alison.

At the back of the sleigh now, Rogue adjusts her sleeves on her hoodie, pushing them up to her elbows before she picks up her brush again to stroke it across the smoothed wooden slats. "And, I think you could count the Danger room as an indoor pool. I mean, I've used it to lay out on beaches, and swim in endless oceans before. May not be 'real' in the conventional sense, but shit if it ain't enough to convince me that some technology is a god damn gift from God himself." She laughs softly once more, then upnods once toward Alison. "the pool outside has a jacuzzi beside it too, if you're brave enough for freezing temps outside, but bubblin heat dips inside it. The contrast is pretty great... course ya run the risk of annoyin kids comin' by. But it's got a bit more privacy than the pool itself... what with the ledges around it." Clearly Rogue has thought about all the best relaxation techniques on offer here at Xaviers School.

The squirrels chitter up in the trees, chasing each other, eliciting a pair of barks from Jeepers who ain't having none of that on his property!

Alison Blaire has posed:
Ali's too cool to let out a startled yelp when Jeepers spins about to slobber up her cheek! That must be... a squirrel! One of the squirrels did that yelp and made it /sound/ like it came from her! And she gets her revenge via ENERGETIC EAR RUFFLES and grumbled nonsense noises just for the good boy.

Alison gasps sharply, eyes widening, locking on Rogue, "Nooo... really? A helicopter? Damn helicopter..." She heaves out a truly regretful sigh and then perks right back up, nearly bouncing on her heels, "Ohhhh! A /new/ model? I mean, I can ask /really/ really nicely. Will. Will ask really nicely. Because you do not invite yourself to a telepath's jacuzzi without asking!" She nods solemnly, biting her lower lip hard, which really just makes it so obvious how she's fighting not to grin.

And then she's eying that sleigh and giving an appreciative whistle, "Jeeze, you can paint sleighs /and/ classic cars, and you can fly AND sweettalk a weather goddess into getting you beach weather in winter. You're pretty awesome, belle o' the ball!"

Eyes drift towards the pool area as she hums, "I mean, once there's good snow coverage, I just have to make sure it's after like... curfew? The students have curfew right? Hot tub, cold vodka, snowballs to throw at kids breaking curfew... I can make that work! I bet I could even convince some mischievous friends to join in!" Eyes narrow at Rogue, clearly considering just how mischievous the southern belle is. At least until she looks down at Jeepers, "Y'know, buddy, if you keep barking at them they're gonna tell Doreen next time she's around."

Rogue has posed:
Finishing the crimson slats off, Rogue stands up and delivers the brush and can back to the table. She gathers up another can, which she pops open as she had the first one. this one being a festive green hue. A new brush is picked up, and the Belle is on her way back to the sleigh again. She grins over at Alison. "Pros an' cons between the two jacuzzi options. Jean's is more private, but only seats three, I think... maybe four dependin' on how cramped ya wanna be. The one by the pool is outside, but seats like freakin' eight, comfortably. Been a hot minute since I used it in cold weather, but it is pretty fun to do. An' yeah, you'd wanna do it around ten or eleven at night. all the kids should be in bed by then. Keeps them from makin' it weird by starin' at you in a bathin' suit." She speaks from personal experience, clearly.

As she crouches down to start applying the green paint to the sleigh's trim, she grins yet still. "If you got some kinda plan formin' though, just let me know if there's room for a southern Bumpkin, an' I'll join in." She declares, indicating just how mischievous she is afterall. "Course if I'm there, people would probably want the spacious outdoorsy option." Nevermind she has limited control over her touch power, people still get nervous, as they should...

Jeepers runs a full lap around Alison then, before he saunters over to one of Ororo's cultivated hedges, and hikes his leg to do what dogs do. He's a classy fella!

"You should see Kurt's pirate programs in the Danger room some time though. He gets all the little details right, down to nerdy levels. Course..." She strokes the new green paint brush up the front curving slant of the sleigh, leaving a smooth trail of glistening green paint in the bristle's wake. "Then you gotta deal with pirate shit. But at least the skimpy dresses are kinda fun."

Alison Blaire has posed:
Ali snickers and rolls her eyes playfully, giving Jeepers a few more pats, "Hey! I'm a pop star, I'm well versed in fitting people in a hot tub like trying to fit college kids in a phone booth." She nods solemnly and grins crookedly, "Yeahhhh, I think I get enough staring at me in swimsuits for promo shoots and stuff. So Jean's sounds like it's edging out the win. I mean, that or I pull out the couch and the minifridge in my studio, replace 'em with a tub..." She pauses for a long moment, "And then someone splashes water onto the mixer board and we all get electrocuted..."

Tongue clicks and she shakes her head swiftly, "Nah, not worth the risk. Pool jacuzzi or Jean's place it is. I'll just have to be /really/ nice when I ask her!" She perks her eyebrows and hums out, "Okay! I'm sold. Totally gonna sneak in on his pirate shenanigans sometime."

Alison gives out a low, slow whistle as she eyes that line of green paint... it's important to acknowledge masterful painting! ...She's just not going to volunteer to help is all!

Rogue has posed:
Rogue had tried to recruit a few people for this project, all of which had told her 'Sure, I'll be out there as soon as I can.' and none of which had shown up yet. She didn't expect the help. Didn't matter though, because this is what she liked to do with her free time. Way better than playing video games or sitting around on one's ass inside!

Standing up now, she's leaning over the edge of the sleigh to paint green across the edges of the passenger area, trying not to touch the wet paint, but bumps are inevitable. She's grinning as she listens to Alison. "Well, if you wanna hit her up, I think she said she'd be in the faculty staff hall, doin' up the last work before Christmas vacation starts." Which would be this week.

She spares a glance over at her. "Just get a bottle of wine, and invite her along. she'll bite immediately. If not? Come and let me know, I'll find out why she's being a Grumpy Pants." Rogue tells her, showing a big grin then before she steps back to admire her work. "Okay, well ... that's one side, I think." She notes, before leaning down to get a spot she'd missed in the nook of the trim's angles.

"Jeeps, why don't you go inside with Alison too, so as not to bump in to this thing while it's dryin'." She speaks to her dog, as if he can understand her!

Hearing her say his name though, and the dog is already on his way toward the sleigh to jump up inside it! Oh god!

Alison Blaire has posed:
Alison snorts softly and grins, "Oh! I can do wine bribery. In fact, you'd be shocked how often pop rivalries are settled by wine bribery. And hot tubs if they're /serious/." She whistles nonchalantly, "And I'm sure Jean doesn't /actually/ bite... right? Riiiight?"

Jeepers gets more little scritches and pets and ruffles, mostly to keep him from being focused on the squirrels. Doreen's gonna owe Ali for this, looking out for her... tiny four legged bushy tailed peeps as it were.

Alison gives Jeepers another ruffle, "Okay! Me and Jeeps are gonna go hit up my SUPER SECRET wine stash, and I'll practice my sweet talk plan for convincing Jean to let me lounge about in her private oasis. Don't get too much paint on yourself! Only a proper festive amount!"

Alison's definitely not going to let on that her super secret wine stash is just the full sized fridge down in her studio. ...It's also her secret chinese leftover stash most days.