16639/Three Years Later

Three Years Later
Date of Scene:	21 December 2023
Location:	Xavier's School Front Yard
Synopsis:	Kitty tries to surprise Warren with a Christmas present, but he's ready with his own gift.
Cast of Characters:	Kitty Pryde, Warren Worthington

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Kitty Pryde has posed:
The snowfall over the last two days had added up. Even if it alternated between heavy squalls and lighter snow, it fell near constantly, not giving the plows a lot of time to get caught up before it was time to retrace the routes they'd already done.

It made driving Warren's luxury sports car down the highway a little bit of an adventure, staying in the lines other cars had made through the slush ahead of him. Heading to Xavier's School for Gift Youngers, after there had been a text from Kitty Pryde.

> Someone requires your presence on the grounds on the west side of the school after you get done at the office.

She hadn't responded back to any texts he'd sent her. So by the time he finally reached the school's gates, the sun already down and more thick flakes drifting down from the sky, there wasn't much to do but park at the mansion and then walk, or fly, over to the aforementioned section of the grounds.

When Warren makes it around the corner, there's only one figure there. A bit plumply rounded, one skinny arm bent to rest a hand on a hip, while the other is tucked around a present, wrapped in deep blue with a silver ribbon and bow. The snowman just waits patiently for Warren. Because lacking a magic hat like from the song, the snowman is pretty immobile.

Warren Worthington has posed:
Warren Worthington steps out of the car and straightens his coat. He's warm-blooded enough that he can take a chill, but his windbreaker is designer, lined with cashmere including an oversized collar that rises a bit to frame his throat. His wings expand outwards from it, stretching as he gets out of the car, but then drawing back again to keep warm against the weather.

Warren strips his driving gloves only to put on a different pair of gloves, sliding them on for fashionable warmth as he leans in to examine the snowman and his cargo.

-I'd rather give my attention to you. But I'll take what I can get- he texts back.

"Bobby, if you're here and you make this snowman attack me, I'm going to unpay your student debt!"

Kitty Pryde has posed:
No sign of any ice-themed mutants after Warren's declaration. The snowman just stands like a silent delivery person, bearing the present, which Warren might note has a little sticker on it stating that it's a gift to Warren from Kitty.

Upon opening the box, Warren finds a scarf. It's a nice one, burgundy, and very soft. Something else is in the box, almost falling out when he pulls the scarf out, but he's able to snatch it out of the air.

It's a card confirming a reservation for a mountainside chalet at Whistler Blackcomb Ski resort outside of Vancouver. There's a little inset picture showing the picturesque town lit up at night.

https://i.imgur.com/rlNQRnC.jpg

As Warren is reading the card, Kitty's voice can be heard saying, "So this is a day early." When he looks up, Kitty is stepping out of the snowman, having waited phased inside of it. She's wearing a leather jacket and gloves and a scarf. And her face shines a bright, loving smile at Warren.

"It was three years ago tomorrow, that you gave me the necklace," Kitty says, reaching up to brush her fingers over the necklace with the Star of David pendant on it that Warren had given her. He'd come to deliver presents to those at the school. "That was the day I kind of wondered. At feeling some chemistry and... well. You know the rest," she says, looking down and giving a warm, shy smile.

Warren Worthington has posed:
Warren Worthington drapes the scarf carefully around his neck, folding it just so, the way a fashion model would, so one spread end of it displays across his left breast in an artful splash. Thing he's been taught his whole life, as a matter of course, that he does now without thinking. The rich truly are a different breed, in many ways.

Well, some of them.

"I remain very pleased you like it so well. I was afraid it might be too simple," he says.

"This looks amazing. I've skiied in a lot of places, but never there. It's certainly picturesque. I imagine the hot cocoa is delicious and likely spiked," he says.

He reaches into the pocket of his jacket and draws out an envelope, embossed with the Worthington seal to close it. "I know I missed Hanukkah, but I have the excuse of being among the gentliest of Gentiles. But I think mine and yours might be an interesting intersection," he says.

For, when she opens, will discover reservations and a pamphlet for a highly exclusive Caribbean tropical resort. https://imgur.com/a/gF7tJPa
5r"Mine isn't until New Year's, however. I wanted to give you time to shop."

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde goes up on her toes to brush a soft kiss to Warren's cheek, smiling and smoothing the scarf unnecessarily. "I have always wanted to go. I figured it would be a nice thing to treat you on now I'm gainfully employed again," she says warmly.

She takes the envelope when he pulls it out, smile growing even warmer as he gives it to her. Kitty pulls off a glove and opens it to see the pamphlet inside. "Ooo. So after a few days in the cold, we can jet off to a nice tropical beach," she says. She looks up from it to flash a beautiful smile at Warren, and then slips her arms about his waist as she goes up on toes to brush a little kiss to his lips this time.

"I have a fire going in my room. And a few choices of warm beverages. Lockheed is probably lying in the fire keeping it nice and toasty," she says of the little dragon who swims in lava on those rare occasions he has the opportunity. "Do you want to head up?" she asks, offering her hand.

Warren Worthington has posed:
Warren Worthington reaches down and removes his gloves, carefully tucking them away, so that it's his hand in hers proper when he reaches down to take her hand in his. "A little ying and yang, yes. Like going from a sauna into an ice bath. Only reversed, I suppose. At any rate, we'll start out in heavy coats and end up in swimsuits," he says.

"A nice warm beverage by the fire seems just the thing to me. Nothing wrong with starting the holiday a little early. It's all kind of guesswork anyway, isn't it?" he grins.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
After surprising Warren in the yard with the snowman, the pair head into the school, losing their coats and gloves and heading up to her room. The fireplace is going, warming the room, while Lockheed is lying what would for a human be uncomfortably close to the fire. He looks up, happy to see Warren. By now Warren might have started picking up such things from the little empathic dragon, if perhaps not as much as Kitty who he has taken to the most.

There's a pot of hot chocolate on a heating coil. Kitty motions Warren to one of the seats before the fireplace while she goes to pour them cups of it. "How many marshmallows?" she asks him as she makes his cup. She added a bunch for herself.

Warren Worthington has posed:
Warren Worthington bends at the knees, offering his hand in greeting. Not quite a pet, although his hand is open to the nudge if it's wanted. He's aware that Lockheed is more than a mere animal, if there was any such thing to begin with. He tried to be respectful. They were brothers in wings, after all.

He gets up and takes the offered seat and sits back. He's wearing white cashmere, a heavy turtleneck akin to the one worn by Chris Evans in KNIVES OUT. His feathered wings, gathered close, bristle just a bit above his shoulders as he smiles. "Four, I think. Sometimes too sweet is a good thing."

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Lockheed nudges back against Warren's hand. Definitely more than an animal, but accepting of affection in the way that humans offer it to him, and giving it back in kind. He never flambeed Warren when he and Kitty broke up, so the dragon is a bud without doubt.

Kitty is in a pair of tights and a dark grey sweater that fits her form nicely. She adds the marshmallows to Warren's cup and then brings it over to him. She takes a seat in the other chair while they are both handling their cups, but rests a foot on his leg just above the knee. "I'll look forward to the trips," she says of the gifts they exchanged, one tropical themed and the other skiing on Whistler. "An excuse for me to go spend a little more of that signing bonus from Stark on some new ski clothing."

Warren Worthington has posed:
Warren Worthington gently unlaces and undoes each of Kitty's boots in turn, giving her socked feet a squeeze and leaving one resting on his knee. Their size difference is noticeable, with her petite and him long-limbed and tall.

"What does Tony give out for new signees these days? I admit I was a little overgenerous with Doug when I hired him on. But the more mutants we have living great lives, the better an advertisement it is for us being productive members of society. I just realized I'm not sure if he publicly acknowledges his X gene. I'll have to ask him. I wouldn't want to disclose him without his permission," he sighs.

"I won't mind helping you spend some of Tony's money, though. He's got too much of it, which is a way of saying he has more than me."

Kitty Pryde has posed:
"I'm not sure if he does either," Kitty says thoughtfully. "He's been gone for awhile now. I'm glad he's back. Maybe we could get him to come skiing with us?" she says, coming up with the idea offhand.

Kitty tells Warren what the bonus was. "Though it was really all Pepper. She tracked me back after I fixed some code in the New York power authority that was keeping that Stark green energy project from interfacing fully with the power grid. Rogue had apparently used the VM I had used, to watch 'Hot Fuzz' off a streaming service," she says, shaking her head and chuckling. "Or else I'd have gotten away with it!" She makes the little swinging fist gesture, like one of the bad guys from Scooby Doo. If it wasn't for that tech company and their AI too.

KItty sips her hot chocolate. "Well, it's -my- money now. But Lord knows you've treated me enough," she says, rubbing Warren's leg gently with her foot.

Warren Worthington has posed:
Warren Worthington smiles, "Maybe. He's been doing good work, I should give him a chance to come and relax,' he says.

He squeezes her foot again, a practiced touch. They're comfortable with each other, a result of long companionship, on whatever various levels they've had. Change is always a constant in their lives. Why should this be any different?

"I like spoiling you, though. If you're rich, suddenly I'm not nearly as cool and special," he says, his voice obviously teasing. "You might find some beautiful poor to take vacations with you.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde finishes her hot chocolate, or at least, has enough of it that she sets the cup aside, and then rises from her chair to move over to Warren. Giving him time to adjust his mug out of the way so it doesn't spill as she sits down sideway in his lap.

The crackles merrily, shedding light and warmth on the otherwise dark room. Lockheed has laid his head down and is snoozing on the warm bricks. Outside the wind is blowing freshly fallen snow past the windows.

"You'd absolutely be just as special," Kitty tells Warren, and rests her head on his shoulder, snuggling up gently against him. "You know how hard I worked to make sure you know my interest in you wasn't about your money," she protests with a laugh and gives him a little poke.

Warren Worthington has posed:
Warren Worthington slides his arm around her, his wings still and close, a feather momentarily brushing the side of her neck as she settles in.

"I know. I have never had to argue with someone so much about wanting to pay for things. I understand the desire for independence - I was never fully disowned by my father, but I took the risk he might, on multiple occasions. I suppose I could've found work. A model, perhaps. Perhaps I could've taken up golf. I don't think my wings would be an unfair advantage."

He's mostly joking, obviously, but he does sometimes wonder what he would have become, what would have happened, if he had lost his fortune, if he'd been forced to live by his wits and capabilities alone.

"You happen to be very special, too."

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde contentedly snuggles there in the man's arms. "I just... I knew how many women chase you and, well, even throw themselves at you. I knew that you knew I wasn't like that. But I had to show you, just the same. You know?"

Kitty looks up into Warren's blue eyes, and then gives a soft, embarrassed smile. "I know, it's silly. Just, I needed to," she says. And then leans over to brush a gentle kiss to Warren's lips before returning her head to his shoulder.

"So what exactly is Doug working on, anyway?" she asks. "I haven't had much chance to catch up with him since he got home."

Warren Worthington has posed:
Warren Worthington nods, "I know," he says. "I never thought you were, though, not for a second. Nobody knows better than the rich men girls date for money that those girls are dating him for money. They pretend not to know. They take the increasingly much younger than them women - and I'm not judging, I get it - but when a seventy year old film director introduces me to his twenty five year old wife, I think he knows that she doesn't really love him for his lovely reminiscences about the 1970s and maybe, just maybe, a little more for the number of digits in his bank account."

"But hasn't that always been the way?"

He folds his hands together, "I'm having Doug do a full status report on the state of the company. Trace where all the money goes, see where there's waste, where there's corruption. See how many laws we're breaking, because of course we are. He's just better suited to analyze these things than I am and I think he can use his ability to see the way things fit together to help me make one hell of a company. And probably do some good along the way."

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty slides her hand over to lace her fingers with Warren's. "Yes, she is using him for his money. And, well, he's using her for his money too. If that's what makes him happy, I suppose there's nothing wrong with it. I'm not judging either. Long as you realize I care far more about the man, than the man in the penthouse," she says, hugging him a little tighter with her free arm.

She listens to Warren's description of what Doug is doing at Worthington Industries. "That sounds like a great use for him. I imagine he is going to uncover any number of things that will save you money. And head off legal problems or bad press." She's become familiar enough with the huge corporations to know there's always going to be some lines crossed even if they try not to.

Warren Worthington has posed:
Warren Worthington smiles, "I do genuinely want to get rid of corruption and stop my company from doing crimes. Not just to avoid legal complications. I did listen to some of those lessons of the Professors, believe it or not. Even if they're a little hard to say with a straight face - I can't pull off the stentorian thing, I just sound like I'm doing a bad play."

"I wonder how many mutants with intellectual mutations slip through the cracks. Physical ability and difference like mine is easy to see. Doug's abilities could've gone entirely untapped. How many mutants don't even know they're mutants? And if we tell them, are we just putting them in danger?"

He shakes his head, "Dear me, the hot cocoa apparently makes me philosophical. And here I thought we were here more for the carnal than the ethereal..."