16733/More than a Spot of Tea

More than a Spot of Tea
Date of Scene:	01 January 2024
Location:	Main Foyer
Synopsis:	Olivia stops by Xavier's school and has a great conversation with Rogue and Kitora. She even sneakily does the dishes to help out!
Cast of Characters:	Olivia Gaudin, Rogue, Kitora Alua

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Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    Olivia Gaudin has had a really crazy past day. She delivered her best ever performance. The first time her critics were just pouring on the praise and saying that she and her costar have finally gotten in perfect synch. Then she met Queen Lorna Dane. And talked about kids over dinner with her. She may try to buy their table and take it home!

    But she's back at Xavier's school today, and feeling oddly positive about her whole condition. Sure, she still has a blow hole, and she has all sorts of issues with noise, but she's not alone.

    Which is why she is here. Just wanting to swing by at a place where she can fit in, no hat, no braid, and breathe easy. Through a blowhole.

Rogue has posed:
Being that Xaviers School is a building filled with around 85 kids of varying ages, it has a fair amount of security. Olivia has a guest pass though, and is certainly ushered in when she comes to visit. What she finds is the school is in pre-New Years mode, with most people in cliques around the property. It'd been a long day, but it was winding down with a number of students in the main hall where the Christmas party had been held. Currently, now, it's back in its standard form looking more like the great hall from Harry Potter, where students sit together eating dinner.

Rogue is coming out of the double doors from that hall, dressed in denim coveralls with a dark green sweater on beneath it, and some simple sneakers on her feet, black gloves on her hands, much more dressed-down from the party.

She pauses in the hallway entrance to the foyer, and waves. "Heya, Missy. Olivia, right? You movin' in here?" She jokingly asks in her thick Mississippi Belle accent, her hands going to the pockets of her black coveralls.

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    Olivia can hear Rogue approach. She can. But just because you hear people moving doesn't mean you expect them to talk to you! She is a bit startled, turning with a gentle laugh.

    "Hello, and yes, I'm Olivia. Oh, moving in? I rather think I'm a bit too old, although considering the quality of the facility if I could and not raise my rent it would pretty hard to resist the offer."

    She needs to focus for a moment. And then it happens. Sigh. She locks onto Rogue's heartbeat, so she'll be hearing that through the whole conversation.

    "Darn. It happened again. You know, I thought at my age my body was done with changes a while ago. At least the ones other than back pain and arthritis down the line." She pauses. "I apologize, I don't think we had a proper introduction. Is it Rogue?"

    She has been positively bombarded with names lately. She is usually good at this, too.

Rogue has posed:
While Olivia speaks, Rogue saunters closer, meandering toward the Christmas tree in the main foyer that rests across from the main stairs. She stops beside it, with its lights softly illuminating her right side, her gloved hands stuffed in to the front pockets of those black denim coveralls.

What the other woman says has the Belle showing a light smile, her hair tied back in a ponytail, but the white bangs frame her face in a stark contraast of hues.

"Rogue is a nick name my Aunt gave me not long before I stopped livin' at her house back in Mississippi." She quietly explains. "Anna-marie is my actual name, though Marie is fine too. Rogue is fun though, and most do call me that around here. Course, I'm in my second year as a full blown teacher now, so Miss Marie is my professional name..." She flashes a grin, and lightly shakes her head.

"Pick your poison, I suppose." She finally states, as she sways side to side where she stands, idly keeping motion while watching Olivia.

"How ya been? Feelin' alright?" She asks. "Would you like some coffee or somethin? We got a well stocked kitchen."

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    "It is quite a nickname! I think Anna-marie sounds great, though. So I will stick with that. You can call me Liv. That's my friends do." Olivia will take a few steps to say with Anna-marie, looking over the tree. "What do you teach?" she asks curiously. She sizes the other woman up, "I'm going to guess... something with literature?" Liv laughs softly at herself, curious just how far off she is.

    "Oh, and I am feeling okay. The headache isn't as bad now that the blow hole is, I guess, healed? I try to breathe with it when I'm alone. It feels better. And frankly, the thing is incredible when I'm singing. A pity I can't use it in concert."

Rogue has posed:
A glance is given to the tall Christmas tree that sits on the western corner of the foyer near the hallway entrance to the west wing of the mansion. A few ornaments are mechanical, one of which has a little train going around a ball with a snowman in the middle. When she looks back to Olivia, she nods her head a single time. "Liv. Got it." She responds. "I'd introduce you to Iara, but she's been out of town for awhile. She's an aquatic Mutant, has a tank downstairs she called home when livin' here." The Belle explains, before she motions back toward the hallway to the west. "Kitchen is this way." She says, turning to walk in that direction past the kids in the main hall eating dinner.

"I teach Poetry. So you're on the mark. Gonna do some French courses this comin' semester too, see how well that does. Might make it a second permanent course next fall."

She glances toward Olivia. "So you're a stage performer? Have you met Alison Blair yet? She's often around here somewhere..."

Kitora Alua has posed:
Kitora Alua yawns as she enters into the foyer, her footsteps sounding... from an odd angle. From above. Kitora tends to walk on the ceilings - wearing just socks to not leave shoe-prints up there. It's easier to navigate without pushing by people - then she sees Anna-Marie with... someone she doesn't recognize. "Oh hi there!" she calls, 'ascending' towards the floor and spins around to land on her feet. "Hello, Miss Marie! I hope you don't mind me dropping in. just heading towards the kitchen..." She then turns to face Olivia. Kitora is glowing bright red - but as she takes a deep breath, the glow fades and she looks relatively normal. "I'm Kitora!"

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    Olivia follows Anna-marie to the kitchen. "Oh wow, thank goodness. Someone else who can understand this. I wonder if she echolocate, too. If she has any training for me I'd pathetically grateful. Honest. Every time a neighbor slams their fridge I feel like I'm going to faint."

    The mention of French perks her ears up. Her accent isn't what it was, but she says the following in French, "I can speak French. I don't get to use it very often. If you ever want to just exercise that part of you brain, give me a ring. I would appreciate it."

    Back in English, then! "Yes, I am. Oh, my. Alison Blair? You know, that would be amazing, but I'm not quite that level of fame yet." A pause. "Wait, she might be here sometime?" Mental note: get the best picture she can for an autograph and never, ever leave it behind!

    But then Kitora appears. Like magic. Olivia cannot help herself, though. She has to go for the lame joke, "Dancing on the ceiling... this place is incredible." She needs a moment to shake that off.

    She nods her head politely to Kitora. "Hi Kitora! I'm Olivia. It's a pleasure to meet you." She extends a hand politely. "That's quite the talent you have there."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue pauses when Kitora arrives, she upnods at the college student. "Whats up, Kit?" She asks of her, as her green eyes go back toward Olivia. She offers the woman a reserved smile, and a light nod. In French, fluid and sounding as natural as her native languagd. "I'll remember that." She says with a sweet expression added.

Heading toward the kitchen now, Rogue steps inside it, the aftermath of the dinner tonight still visibly out and waiting to be put to wash and basin. Rogue strides toward the counter loaded with a plethora of food and drink options. "Dig in." She notes to Olivia, or Kitora too.

Rogue grabs herself a bottle of sweet tea from the six pack sitting amongst the other wide array of drinks. "We had a New Years celebration, so things are a bit crazier than usual here. Winding down from the holidays is a chore all its own."

Standing beside the counter, Rogue opens her sweet tea bottle and takes a sip from it. When she lowers it, she eyes Olivia again. "I take it you've come t'see if anyone can help ya with the problems you've been facin'?" She asks the visitor.

Kitora Alua has posed:
Kitora Alua simply piles up her plate with some of everything. Kitora's appetite is LEGENDARY and a side-effect of her mutant nature. She does her duty in the kitchen too. She just purrrsr happily as she digs in, eating very fast as she glances at Olivia. "You a student here?" she asks after clearing her mouth before shoveling in - table manners don't really matter when she eats like a horse....

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    Olivia does not need to be asked twice. She's hungry. Honestly ravenous. The night was amazing, but keeping up with a four year old high on sugar is a lot for her after a very long day.

    "Thank you! I am pretty hungry, honestly. I bet your New Years is so fun! Mine was great. Got my niece to myself, and..." She pauses, not wanting to sound like she's bragging. "I got to meet Queen Lorna Dane of Genosha. She actually came to see our performance! Then we went out to eat. I... it was awesome."

    Kit's question makes Liv smile. "I get that a lot. I'm not a student, though honestly, I do need help learning. It's just hard to figure out how to use this stuff. Everything is so noisy, sometimes I can't sleep for hours. Other times it's just focused on something. When I talk to people I start tracking their heartbeats in my head. And it's not just the simple pulse, I hear all of it. Loud and clear."

    she sighs.

    "You have a great appetite there, miss. Reminds me of my first year in college."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue's primary focus is on the visitor, but she does notice Kitora at the table going ham on that ham. It causes Rogue to set down her drink, and idly reach over for a clump of napkins that she walks over to Kitora to set beside her with a small smile. The kitchen is moderately well lit at the moment, with its lights on 'medium' setting, giving the fancy room a nice ambient glow.

"Yeah, that sounds like trouble, for sure." Rogue notes back to Olicia, as she returns to gather up her drink. "I'm not sure who might offer advice for that, but I'd imagine someone could. If you could get in with Doctah McCoy, he might be your best bet for insight. He sure helped me a lot when I first got here 5 or..." She trails off. "God, nearly six years ago now." She states, contemplating the passage of time for a moment.

When she looks back to Olivia, she grins at her. "How is Lorna doin'? Has she had that kid yet? Haven't seen her since... gosh, like September?"

Kitora Alua has posed:
Kitora Alua nods in satisfaction at the napkins and swallows. "Yeah - I have to eat a lot. I put in my time in the kitchen to make sure people hvae good food as well..." She mmmmmms softly. "Doctor McCoy is an incredible man." She sighs happily. "They've been very helpful in my time here. I graduated the high school here and still live here it'sj ust comfortable. I don't have to pretend to be what I'm not... I can dance on the ceilings as I wish..."

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    Of course Anna-marie knows Lorna. All the incredible people know each other. Lorna did know Dr. Grey, so that does make sense.

    "The Queen invited me to Genosha, as well. To get some help there. But, not to discount all the help I need, the real thing I want is to just be safe and not worry for a little while. After the incident at the theatre I have been terrified that someone will figure this out about me and decide to come hunting at the show again. They made it to my dressing room."

    But the question of the kid makes Olivia super excited! "She had triplets! Triplets! I cannot imagine how wonderful that must be." So yes, she loves kids, babies, all manner of critters that require a lot of looking after and cleanup. "You should definitely check in with her. She is so nice. I felt like I was talking to a dear friend in no time." She laughs at herself and explains, "I normally am not the best with important people."

    She directs her attention back to Kitora and smiles. "That is honestly amazing! Is it fun? I mean being upside down. I am curious how this all works, what each of us can do. It feels so new. And it is wonderful to have a place to just feel like I can be whatever this new me happens to be."

Rogue has posed:
Another sip of her room temperature tea is had, as Rogue listens to Olivia explain a bit. The part about Lorna has her raise her eyebrows up, clearly news to her that the Genoshan royal had triplets. "We kinda run in different circles, if ya can believe that." Rogue says lightly with a little grin, "but I'll definitely try an' get her a well wish soon."

The Belle glances in Kit's direction, but looks back to Olivia soon there-after. "Why are people chasin' after ya?" She asks. "You seem as sweet as a peach pie t'me, can't imagine why anyone would want t'harm ya."

Rogue motions to the platters of food, and snacks. "Dig in too, eat some. Ya look like ya could stand to put on a few pounds too." She says, a smile sent to Olivia again, with Rogue leaning against the granite countertop of the kitchen's central island.

Kitora Alua has posed:
Kitora Alua smiles. "Well..." she states for Olivia's question. "I can arrange it if you wish. The main thing is that it's not just being upside down - it's my personal gravity pointing a different directino. If you noticed, my hair wasn't hanging off my head when inverted. AI can bring you with me - I can even fly pretty fast..." She th en glances over. " Genosha, huh/ How are they doing ovoer there? I've never got around to visiting... maybe I can help with cleanup or whatnot..." She finishes her huge plate in record time, wiping her mouth afterwards.

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    Olivia nods. "I can imagine. I don't usually run into royalty either." But it happened once, so that obviously is exciting to her! New friends are always welcome. Especially those who she can just trust to get into her little secret.

    "Well, they weren't after me. My understudy was the target at the Gershwin. But to help her, I kind of revealed myself. Not that they could have told anyone." On account of Flatline doing what Flatline does to anyone she is irritated by. "Just the idea that she was secretly a mutant trying to take over our show, or cast some kind of mind control on the audience was all they needed, I guess. I'm just a woman, you understand. I don't want that kind of trouble. But the truth is, I have that kind of trouble now. I didn't pick this situation, but I am a mutant."

    She pauses. She has to think about how that felt for a bit. And uses the food to buy her some time to ponder that.

    "So that means you can walk anywhere? Like if you went to space, could you have gravity in orbit?" That would be amazingly helpful. "Does it work on others, then?" Liv already sees amazing possibilities!

    "Now, um, as I was saying. I am a mutant. These problems are my problems. I know what I probably should do, but I'm rather scared to make it public."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue glances toard Kit, but doesn't speak to the college student for the moment. Instead she regards Olivia again, who does have an air about her of someone who seems like they need help, but aren't even sure what kind of help they need. Rogue senses this, and just yields a warm smile to try and help with a bit of kindness, if nothing else.

"Well, you've come to the right house for unsolicited advice. Ya hang around here enough, and you'll have about a hundred different wildly crazy perspectives comin' at ya. I'm sure someone can offer a suggestion that will help you find a bit'a peace again." She says, her drink brought back up to her lips where she indulges in another sip.

Rogue moves down the counter then toward the plate of cookies. She gathers one of the white chocolate macademia nut cookies up, and raises it up for a bite.

"If nothin' else, if ya come around a bunch, we might just put ya t'work, and that alone should take your mind off the troubles in the city. If ya want /my/ advice too? That city is where all the trouble is found... I can name a dozen times I went there, and trouble followed me home. One'a those times it even came with a Cajun accent." She states, grinning softly.

Kitora Alua has posed:
Kitora Alua smiles softly. "Yeah, I'm pretty mobile... though space has an issue. I have a life-support aura but... I don't wnat to risk how long I could maintain it if I had to tax it to the limits in space... I'd be terrified of weakening and dying... I'd definitely want a spacesuit. But I sometimes sit at the bottom of the lake a mile that-a-way to meditate. It's peaeful there and the fish even like me." She then murmurs, "I just wish I kn ew what to do with myself - I'd love to join one of those hero groups. I think I have a lot to offer..."

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    "I appreciate the advice. I need friendly faces and kind words. The best medicines known to humanity. At least that's what my mother always tells me." Olivia smiles at Anna-marie and laughs at the suggestion of work. "Well, I think right now you could probably use a dishwasher and food storage expert. I am pretty good at those things! I also love baking and of course, music. I enjoy teaching others to find their voice or play an instrument. Honestly, you drop me off in front of a piano and I tend to just play until someone asks me to stop."

    When the city is brought up, Olivia smiles impishly. "Now that is sounding like my father. He rented me a place back home in Metropolis and started begging me to come back home. Like I want to take the loop in and out of work every day! I'd be exhausted. But New York is my home. That's where my alma mater is, where my second home is at the theatre, where my peers in the arts are, and yes, sadly, where the critics are, too." She laughs at herself. "I guess I caught the spirit. Nobody keeps our city down. Nobody."

    Kit's words draw Olivia's attention. She listens intently. She's far more focused on this, it seems. "Well, how do you see yourself in a team like that? Can you go to Metropolis? I know the Titans are there. They have a huge group and that big tower." She did not ever hang out there looking for autographs. Nope. Not her.

Rogue has posed:
The Mississippi magnolia continues to nibble on her tasty cookie, whilst the other two speak. She gently nods her head to what Olivia says, a glance given toward Kitora when she mentions hero teams. But ultimately, Rogue just smiles softly. "Well, at least you got a spirit on ya that seems tough. That's a good start." She admits, motioning toward the door on the far wall beside the archway in to the dining room. "The basement has Dazzler's music studio in it. If ya dig musical instruments, we might be able to let ya play around some in Alison's recording area. She's generally cool with it, so long as it's not students with their grubby hands."

marie cracks a grin then, glancing toward the dishes strewn across the counter. "And yeah, I should get started on cleanin' up in here since it is my night for it. But I need t'go check on the kids still in the dining hall."

She caps her drink bottle, and glides it over toward her phone where it rests beside a small leather bag.

with a heavy inahel, and long exhale, rogue starts plodding toward the hallway. "If ya'll are still here when I get back, ya can help me pick up." She says with a grin, "I know that'll make ya clear out fast though..." She says, headed for the hallway again.

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    The thought of getting to see Alison's studio is enough to get Olivia to fluster. "Oh my god, I.. I couldn't do that, though. Not without her around. It's like.." So yes, she is a -fan-. To the surprise of nobody. "I would love to look, but you know, touching anything would just freak me out."

    One does not need telepathy to know that her thoughts are something like, 'oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my gooooooddd!'

    "I honestly feel like I've gone beyond the looking glass lately. The surreal and the wonderful and well, the rest. But honestly, I am so lucky." But not lazy. She waits for Anna-marie to get out of earshot and turns to Kit. "I'm going to start washing. I may need help finding stuff, though. With a bit of luck, I can get a bunch of this done before she gets back."

    In no time flat, she's at work, washing away. Is there a dishwasher she should be using? Oh well. Old fashioned girl! And she sings. Cause Liv always sings.

    "And someday, I know it'll all turn out
    And I'll work to work it out
    Promise you kid, I'll give so much than I get
    I just haven't met you yet"

    She's having fun, basically, and maybe getting a few curious kids to peek in and see who the new voice is.