18310/Jean Grey Retirement Party

Jean Grey Retirement Party
Date of Scene:	19 June 2024
Location:	Club Highline
Synopsis:	Friends gather to celebrate Jean Grey's retirement as headmistress! Much to Jean's disappointment, the cake isn't lemon.
Cast of Characters:	Jubilation Lee, Emma Frost, Betsy Braddock, Scott Summers, Jean Grey, Rogue, Marie-Ange Colbert, Noriko Ashida, Kwannon, Mary Bromfield

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Jubilation Lee has posed:
The vibrant scene common at the Club Highline has been transformed for a semi-private party. A suspiciously pale man works the door, inviting in anyone who mentions the name of the guest of honor. Upon entering, the pulsating beats of a live DJ on a sleek stage immediately draw guests towards the heart of the venue. Dynamic lighting casts vivid hues across the walls, illuminating the energetic crowd gathered around the spacious dance floor where guests can dance and enjoy the music. A long banner made of pink paper extends over the dance floor, flanked by clusters of silver balloons. The banner makes it obvious what everyone's here to celebrate: JEAN GREY: A LIFE WELL-LIVED.

Adjacent to the dance floor, a long table is adorned with an array of gourmet delights, from sushi rolls and tapas to artisanal cheeses and desserts. The table is meticulously arranged, catering to every culinary desire with small plates that invite guests to indulge throughout the evening.

The bar area is sure to be a hub of activity, manned by skilled bartenders whose nametags identify them as mixologists. Guests can order signature cocktails, beers, and even some top-shelf spirits.

In a corner of the club, a designated area is set up for guest to deposit their presents, adding a touch of anticipation and celebration to the air. An unexpected twist can be found in the opposite corner. A vintage Crocodile Mile slip-and-slide stretches across the floor, slick with soapy water, offering an exhilarating diversion from the dance beats. Laughter rings out as party-goers take turns racing down the slide, adding a playful charm to this exclusive affair. A little table near the Mile's splashpool is kept stocked with towels.

Emma Frost has posed:
It's her party and she'll cry if she wants to.. Emma Frost has come for the retirement of Jean Grey from her position. Emma considers her teammate a friend and is here to show her support and appreciation. Emma goes to glance about at those present while she arrives, going to put a small wrapped box that seems heavy to the area that presents are being deposited at.

Upon seeing the display of balloons and banner she goes to let out a quiet laugh of appreciation, looking over to see if the one that put ti up is present, to whih she would give an approving smile. "Rather festive."

Betsy Braddock has posed:
Betsy was an on-again off-again resident at the manor, but she always considered Jean a teammate, and more importantly a friend. So of course she's here, setting a long slender box wrapped in shiny purple wrapping paper on the gifts table. Spotting Emma, she grins slightly and makes her way over towards the blonde, nodding in greeting. "Hello, haven't had any trouble with your sister lately?"

Considering what Betsy did to said sister the /last/ time they met, it's not entirely a silly question.

Scott Summers has posed:
Polo? Check. Slacks? Check. Loafers? Check. Ruby quartz shades? Double check. Scott Summers enters into Club Highline with an expression that's somewhere between his usual stoicism and long-suffering. While it's difficult to confirm if he groaned on account of the thumping music, the expression that he wears certainly suggests the possibility of it. Tonight is a special night though and it shouldn't be ruined by Scott's misgivings about the venue. Tonight is for Jean.

His gift in hand and tucked beneath an arm, it presses in against his side as he navigates the nightclub and makes his way toward the corner table and gradually growing hoard of gifts. Scott carefully places his own, adjusting others around it to create a more secure position. Then he pauses, staring at the arrangement of gifts. The curse of Scott Summers becomes real and alive. He immediately recognizes at least seventeen different ways that a single bump might send multiple - or even all, in some cases - of the gifts tumbling and potentially breaking upon the floor.

Scott lets out a sigh and begins arranging the gifts, doing his best to ensure the most precise assembly of stability for the gift table.

Jean Grey has posed:
Jean is here! But the question is: Does she know what she's in for?

And the answer is: sort of. Technically, Jubilee did decide on her own she was going to do this, and even told Jean. She just... didn't really communicate any further details after the fact. Cake was discussed, but given the scope of things, her assumption had probably been something on the usual scale of Jubilee-organized school events like the talent shows. That is to say, something moderately crappy (sorry, 'low budget') held in the rec room or auditorium! She is not aware of a rented venue or anything of the sort.

However, enjoying a night out at a nice club does require a few things, like being dressed for the occasion, so a little bit of trickery has been applied. Jean knows she's going out, because Rogue has invited her to go out. This is pretty normal, considering they are getting married at SOME point. She dons her classic red party dress (you know the one), heels, some jewelry, and they set out for their night of fun...

...only for Jean to arrive and see, well, THIS. She looks up at the sign. "That makes it sound like I'm dying." Still, with a laugh, she quickly looks around and takes in both everything that has been arranged for the party AND the gathering of people who have arrived to-date. And of course, although she has smiles for everyone, her first instinct, after sparing a 'you tricked me!' look to Rogue, is to seek out Jubilee.

"This is, wow, I didn't expect anything like this. It's amazing. Thank you." And from there, just more generally: "Really, thank you everyone. This is so nice." And she means it. She looks a little overwhelmed, all told!

Rogue has posed:
Three years ago, Emma had worked with Rogue to setup a way to control her mutation's absorption effect. Shortly after discovering the method, Jean had taken over helping Rogue develop it, and from there she'd become a more 'normal' person throughout the school, being a little less scary to accidentally bump in to. But, it had its drawbacks, and as such, Rogue has begun to experience ever increasingly powerful headaches, the longer she puts the mental block up within her mind via the little technique of a hand gesture emma had dreamed up on that first training session in the Danger Room those years back.

What does this have to do with anything here? Well, Rogue had told Jean they were going dancing, and that she didn't want to flip the switch on the mental block until they got to the club. Thus, Rogue was wearing a light long coat over her dress. Generally for colder months, the coat kept her attire a nice secret up until the arrival, and shortly there-after, when Jean finds what the party is truely for... the great secret that it was... she's let smiling to the redhead. "Surprise." The Belle had said, not putting too much oomph behind it, because, well... yeah, not that big of a secret!

Rogue, in her long light grey coat, waved to the others who were in attendance tonight, offering them little waves, and sweet smiles. With her two-toned hair tied back and brushed smooth, and a healthy amount of dusky hued makeup on her face, the Belle had a sultry air about her general presence.

She stepped toward the gift table, and pulled out a little box, that was set upon it, before she turned back to the party at-large, and drew in a deep breath through her nose, causing her shoulders to rise up inside her coat.

"Present time." She stated, raising her hands up to her coat, slipping the large black buttons through their little slits along the coat lapel. With it slipped open, she whips the coat off.

Revealing herself to be in a French Maid outfit. Short skirt, black and white, frills along the edges, a low scooped neckline, and a feather duster hung at her hip. 'Mighty Maid' embroidered upon the right side of her white smock draped down her lap, Rogue held a smile, as she gave a light curtsy to the gathered party goers, specifically toward the redhead herself.

"In your service tonight, Miss Grey. As per your original hirin' suggestin' for me." The southerner states, before speaking something else in full French, to accompany the outfit she's adorned within, somewhat adorned within anyway.

With a flick of her index finger upon a little strip of cloth she'd pulled from her smock, Rogue slips her Mighty Maid hat upon her head, situating its limbs within her perfectly swept-back hair.

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
Marie-Ange Colbert has been many things and travelled many places over her short life, but one of the most important times of her life was as a student of the Xavier's, and for the majority of that time, the Headmistress was none other than the very same Jean Grey who's being honored today. So no, she was not going to miss this.

She's dressed up for the occasion; a fairly conservative maroon dress, black heels, and her hair tied up in a milkmaid braid to keep the unruly red locks from going where she doesn't want to.

Once she's inside, the very first thing she does is make her way over to the gift table to deposit the small, wrapped box she carries to the growing dragon's hoard -- though upon noticing Scott moving /all/ the gift boxes around, she stops short of putting it on the table. "Should I perhaps hand this to you instead, Monsieur Summers?" Her tone indicates juuuuust the slightest bit of teasing. It's mostly a sincere question.

She /does/ spy the woman of the hour -- but opts not to go to her right away. One doesn't have to be precognative to know that Jean's likely to be mobbed now that she's made her entrance.

Emma Frost has posed:
Betsy gets a smile from Emma, "For the moment, no, though I do hope to lobotomize her at some point. Family affairs are family affairs after all. Some things must be dealt within them after all." Emma's issues with her siblings were quite, quite murderous. She would go to watch over at Rogue then as she would turn to the.. Not birthday girl that had come in with wrapping..

And then her lips would twitch upwards in a broad, broad smile like the Cheshire cat while she would hold back a laugh.

"The festivities have commenced." This spoken quietly over as she would turn to observe things. "And I believe we know who has given her the bbest present here." A proud, subtle smile is given over to Rogue as Emma does move over to Marie-Ange's side as the girl would come in.

Betsy Braddock has posed:
Betsy lets out a soft laugh at Rogue's 'reveal', then shakes her head slightly, grinning at Emma's reply to her. "Well, let me know if there's something you need help with there." She watches Emma wander off, and changes direction herself, drifting over towards the table of gifts. She doesn't say anything directly to Scott just yet, instead contenting herself with watching him pile things into the optimal configuration. Though eventually, she can't quite resist and asks, "Scott... you played a lot of Tetris as a child, didn't you?" Her lips are curved slightly as her tone is decidedly playful, as she's taking the night to relax among friends and colleagues.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
Despite her supernatural nature, Jubilee radiates a contagious joy. She laughs freely, her laughter mixing with the beat of the music, creating an atmosphere of fun that follows her. She moves through the dance floor with fluid grace, her body swaying to the rhythm of the music. She mingles effortlessly with the other club-goers on the dance floor, sharing smiles and witty banter as if she's known them for years.

Finally, she emerges at the edge of the floor in time to greet the guest of honor. Jubilee is not wearing her usually bright colors. The centerpiece of her outfit is a sleek, black corset intricately detailed with a bright pink trim. It hugs her slender frame, accentuating her curves and adding a little adult elegance to her vibe. For her lower half, Jubes went with a pleated skirt with a pink, black, and silver tartan pattern, black tights, and a pair of knee-high black boots with clunky heels and plenty of buckles and laces.

To accessories, Jubes sports a variety of jewelery. Hoop earings, multiple rings, and even a statement necklace with a pendant in the shape of a bat. Her makeup provides a stark contrast to her pale skin. Bold, black winglets extend from the outer corners of her eyes, emphasizing her easten features. A smokey eye shadow palette blends shades of deep charcoal and shimmering gunmetal to create a gradient that intensifies towards the outer corners. Black mascara lengthens her lashes, adding a little bit of a flirtacious edge. For her lips, Jubilee chose a deep, vevety shade of burgundy matte lipstick.

"Happy birthday!" she announces as she emerges, throwing both of her hands into the air in a v-for-victory pose as she reaches Rogue and Jean. She's all fangs and smiles, clearly proud of her handiwork this time. Plus, she looks awesome.

A fist is extended for Rogue to boop, perhaps to congratulate her on a job well done in getting Jean over here for this!

Scott Summers has posed:
For a moment Rogue is there, collecting a gift from the table. Then she's off to deliver it to Jean. Which means that halfway through his effort of organizing the table? The setup required for maximum stability is suddenly unraveled. Scott's head turns and watches after Rogue as she slips away, taking note of the dress and then Jean. He waves, a touch distracted, as his ruby quartz shades direct themselves back to the stacks of gifts. The arrival of Marie-Ange near his elbow results in a quiet, distracted sound from Cyclops, "Hm? Oh," he then sidesteps, gesturing vaguely at the table as though he hadn't just been channeling his inner Monk to ensure that a bump to the table didn't send multiple gifts falling like dominoes.

"Sorry," he offers to Marie-Ange with a nod that can surely be described as distracted, "here, I'll take it," he offers as his hands extend. He's clearly of the mind right now that doing himself is the safest option.

Then it's toward Betsy that Scott looks, his eyebrows dancing higher and visible above the lenses of his ruby quartz sunglasses, "Hm? Tetris?" His own question is left to linger, but he gestures vaguely toward the table, "Gifts go here it looks like". It's clear that Scott's not trying to draw attention to himself or his activity. He's playing it casual. Probably poorly. He's not manning the gift table or anything.

Jean Grey has posed:
When Jubilee meets them, of course, the very first thing that happens is (perhaps to her great chagrin): she gets a big old hug (the second in as many weeks? what kind of trend are they setting here?). "Well played, you two."

After that, well, she has now gotten wind of Scott playing tetris at the gift table, which reveals another fact of the party planning: Jubilee did not discuss gifts. Because if she had, it's fairly certain Jean would have veto'd it. But as they say, it's better to ask forgiveness than permission. Jean can hardly make a fuss about it now! Well, she can make a LITTLE bit of a fuss, standing there and looking just slightly flustered. "You really shouldn't have," she declares, briefly eying Jubilee, before cracking back to a full bright smile. "But since you did... well, I may as well enjoy-"

And then it's Rogue who presents the first present (wordplay!), with that dramatic sweeping off of her coat. It was awful strange how she'd kept herself so bundled up, but now everything becomes clear. Jean definitely stares for a moment, before cracking a laugh. "Well, if I'd known this was an option I'd never have encouraged you to be a teacher." To answer the French? "Ooh la-la!"

However, even if it's officially gift-time for Rogue, for Jean the priority after this is making proper rounds among the party guests, although perhaps the two tasks may end up running into each other. With Betsy coming over to join Scott and Marie-Ange at the table (and maybe Emma too?), it's easy to intercept the lot of them first. "Hi! I'd say 'I'm glad you all could make it' except I didn't even know... so maybe 'I'm really happy you're all here' is better?" She weighs the options aloud, and then nods, as if she's made up her mind. "I think that works. But really, it's just so nice to see everyone. I've known some of you since I was a student myself, and most of you as long as you've been at the school. So it really means a lot."

That is threatening to get speech-y, so she pulls it back a little, and instead, after considering it a moment, just opens her arms: Hugs for anyone who wants them, it seems! Also: "I'm only slightly terrified to imagine what Emma got me."

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would give a distant nod to Betsy, "Yes, thank you. But another time. We're here to celebrate Jean's retirement. No sense in bringing up family issues here." she would look over at the others in amusement, a relaxed smile over on her face. She would go to smile over at Jubilee and then go to telepathically send to the girl <<Amazing work darling. You've definitely outdone yourself here. I'm extremely proud of you. You have every right to be prideful with your accomplishments>> Jubilee is given a smile, whether or not it's responded to or noticed.

As Jean and Rogue go up to interact, she would laugh quietly and then go over towards Jean to return the hug. "Well dear, you can live dangerously and see it for yourself or you can throw it into a volcano. I thought that it was something appropriate, however." And maybe not even traumatizing!

Betsy Braddock has posed:
Betsy grins, "Well, I definitely wanted to be here for this, Jean, though I'm sorry that you elected to step aside." She gives the redhead a firm hug, then releases her before looking over at Jubilee. "Looking very sharp, Jubilation. And great work planning all of this." She looks like she's about to say something more to Scott, her gaze lingering over in his direction, but he got a bit busy before she could properly explain Tetris to him.

Well, the night is young, and video games from the Eighties never die. Besides, there's still a Tetris console in the Arcade at the mansion...

Rogue has posed:
Rogue's emerald green eyes remained on Jean, throughout the redhead's response to her dress reveal. She'd kept a reserved smile on her own smoky red colored lips, before she simply replied to Jean via a bend of her knees-- adorned in black stockings-- out from beneath the frilly white hem of her skirt. She reaches for her feather duster, and is in the process of feather dusting the edge of the table, when Jubilee appears, with an offered fist for bumping. Rogue grins, dusts the top of Jubilee's fist a few quick times, then dabs her oldest friend here within the school's community. "Nice job on a venue outside of the damn mansion this time." She said quietly over the music, hopefully loud enough to carry to the Vampire's ears.

Rogue was quick to shoot everyone else a small smile, before something caught her eye.

Since she was a little kid, Rogue had impulse control issues when she was excited, and as such... they suddenly flare up.

She runs.

Right past Emma, grazing her right hand through Emma's hair over the top of her head, just to say 'hi' to the pretty blonde. But the Belle is gone before she can get a response!

Anyone who may follow her actions, will see her frilly maid skirt bouncing about her thighs, as she darts right on toward, the Crocodile Mile.

And she doesn't hold back. With a graceful jump, lunge, the Southern Belle in the French Mighty Maid attire, splashes down at the start of the mile, her body quickly taken by the flow of water across slippery surface! Her dress is instantly drenched in the cold fresh water, as she spins around, off of her stomach, and on to her back, a squeal coming out of her lips that intermingles with the beats of the music blasting through the club's speakers!

A louder squeal from Rogue bursts from her lungs, as her body hits the ramp at the end, and is catapulted right through the air, legs and arms flailing within her dress, as she splashes down in to the bain of cold water, sending a blossom of waves in all directions!

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
Marie can't help but giggle, shaking her head even as she places the box into Scott's waiting hands. "Non, nothing to apologize for!" she tells the man, smiling. "With as many presents as our esteemed Headmistress is likely to get, you are surely preventing an avalanche." Mine, nobody would likely get hurt in the avalanche of gifts, but some /things/ might break, which would be sad.

Emma gets a bright smile as she walks over, and a quick hug offered. "Madame Frost! It is good to see you as always. I am glad you were able to sneak out to attend!" Because business life is busy-ness life. It's just a fact of life.

As Jean comes over, you'd better believe Marie's going to take her up on the offer of a hug. "Congratulations, Madame Grey! You've worked hard for this moment, and I am grateful to have learned so much from you." Because she's definitely one of those who's known Jean for as long as the French girl's been at the school!

Noriko Ashida has posed:
It looks as though Noriko was late for a reason.  She might have had a hair appointment, and she might have had to drive the truck back and forth to this appointment, and she might have had to account for things like traffic or time to travel, and well she didn't really do all of those very well.  She's wearing a dark purple blazer modified for her gauntlets with a monochrome glittery sleeveless shell underneath, black velvet pants, and a pair of matte black kicks that borrow some of their styling from oxfords, but the soul is a stormy blue.  She wears no jewelry except her engagement ring around a ball-chain necklace it is always around.  Noriko's makeup is pretty subtle, save for the purple lipstick lighter than her blazer which compliments her hair color.

The speedster's gauntlets are bulky and an ugly contrast to the rest of Noriko's outfit, but unless the theme had been mechs, that was going to be a given.  Feeling mildly self conscious about it and how late she is, Noriko sprints past the gift table to leave behind a bag and joins Jubilation, coming out of her velocity with a shocked look as she sees Rogue's outfit.  This might be why the kiss to Jubilation's cheek is heavily delayed.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
Instead of leaning into the typical Jubilee bullshit she's so famous for, Jubilation simply returns Jean's hug and holds her there long enough to get some words out.

"Of course I should have, did, and would do again," she whispers. "Thank you for everything. Really. Go have fun. I can show you how if you're not sure."

Jubes gives Jean a parting squeeze before giving Rogue's outfit a quick visual inspection. It seems to bother her. "Damn it," she complains. "You look good." When Noriko comes over and remains visibly affected by the outfit, Jubilee reaches up and gently turns Nori's face away from the French Maid outfit. She frowns.

Jubilee shakes her head before pushing off so she can roll away on her Heely sneakers....

... Except she's not wearing any. Despite her supernatural balance and grace, Jubilee stumbles forward, expecting wheels where she instead found normal boot. After a quick recovery, Jubilee finds her way to mingle with some of the notable guests.

"Be proud of someone else," Jubilee tells Emma as she dances past her.

"Thanks, Betsy!" Jubes greets, a stark contrast to the treatment Emma got.

"M-A, glad you could make it!"

"Scott," Jubes greets. After some hesitation about it, she lifts her hand and wonders. "Dance?"

Scott Summers has posed:
"Yes, exactly," Scott offers back in answer to Marie-Ange's comment. He's preventing a catastrophe. He's doing X-Men business. Even if he's not. The gift is accepted and soon it's placed onto the table, likely in what Scott has sectioned off as a brief staging area.

He's distracted from his efforts when Jean Grey arrives, resulting in Cyclops turning back quickly to face her voice and ultimately the woman herself. He offers a soft smile back at her and the offered hug is received and returned, a friendly pat of the back delivered twice before he withdraws. "Jean," he says warmly and his smile lingers still, "it's good to see you again". Hadn't they just saw one another a day or two ago?

Then Jubilee's approaching and extending. The question results in Scott's eyebrows rising up with obvious confusion. His name and accompanied a moment later by a question. Scott's chin shifts, directing his shielded eyes toward the table and the disarray that its been left in as a result of his being midway through organizing it. "Mm," Scott seems to be gearing up for a big, fat refusal. A glance is cast from the table, to Jean, and then finally toward Jubilation. He nods once and carried upon a soft, subtle sigh is an answer, "Sure, let's dance, Jubilee."

Emma Frost has posed:
And therever is the rapidly roaming Rogue. Emma is rather surprised over at the headpat, and it gets an honest laugh out of her that's obvious to anyone paying the slightest attention. "I wasn't aware we were on that level of good terms. Thank you dear." It's wonderful to see Rogue so happy. And that the lessons Jean had picked up with Rogue on controlling her powers had gone along so well.

Marie-Ange's presence gets a smile and a quick return of the hug as it was given. Jubilee gets a small, proud nod at her and at Noriko. The girl has grown up so much. Emma looks wistful for a few moments before returning her attention fully to things going on.

"A proper celebration, an ending of one journey, and a transition to the next one . I hope you plan to fully enjoy your retirement."

Jean Grey has posed:
"It isn't that I plan to leave the school behind or anything," Jean reassures Betsy, as she squeezes her back. "I just thought that, well, there are plenty of people every bit as qualified as me, and it's time someone else could maybe give it a go. And there are things I'll be able to do, when my schedule isn't quite so heavy with administrative minutiae. It gives me some flexibility to be more proactive, to be out dealing with the big problems in the world. But I'll still be here, looking out foreveryone as best as I can."

Next up, whatever Emma tells Jean as the two of them embrace, she looks relieved. At first. She gets a nice long hug in before they break apart, and then Jean stops and blinks, hands still on the other woman's shoulders. Perhaps some of the conversation is happening telepathically, as the two are very comfortable in that mode of communication, but as clarity slowly comes, Jean's expression grows a little more shocked, eyes going wide, and she switches back verbal. "-wait, you mean the whole thing? Not just a trip?!"

It seems her instinct to fear the unparalleled power of Emma's gifts was not unfounded. The reaction definitely speaks to more than another kinky outfit or set of underwear...

"That is, wow, I don't even know what to begin to say." Starting to turn back toward Rogue, she's apparently intending to share some detail or explanation of what's just transpired. Except, nope, Rogue is off to the slip and slide. It's not much of a surprise, really, although it does make Jean shake her head. "She got all fancied up like that and it lasted about... I wanna say fifteen seconds before she managed to make a complete mess of it. What's the phrase, 'you can dress her up, but you can't take her out?'" This is what she has to put up with on a daily basis!

It's fiiiiine.

Besides, Jean still has plenty to do, turning to Marie-Ange as she replaces Emma and giving her an equally tight squeeze. "I'm gonna get sappy now, because I don't think I can quite get across how much I've enjoyed watching all of you grow up. You really do make me insanely proud, every day. Doubly so when you're beating up jerkass alien bird ladies and dinosaurs." Ah, memories.

"I see you Nori!" she calls as the speedster goes zooming by. "I'm gonna catch up with you eventually." Dubious!

Scott is last. But far from least. He doesn't just get the hug: she tiptoes up (ok, this is hard in heels and he's quite tall, but also: she can fly?) to reach far enough to give him a peck on the cheek. "Don't be a dork," she chides him, for his greeting. "And thanks for being here. Now go dance!"

Betsy Braddock has posed:
Betsy smiles a little to herself, as she places a subtle call mentally to someone that, well, there's only one person she could reach this easily telepathically. And that's her "twin."

<< Kwannon, I'm going to have to leave the party... if you want to step in for me and have some fun, I wouldn't mind. Try not to totally ruin my reputation though. >> She teases a little bit in those thoughts, as she does the ninja thing and just slips out of view. Apparently she has other things she has to take care of, sadly, and the party would have to wait... plus, well, Kwannon deserves to have a good party too. She also makes a point to outline what Betsy said or did in the party proper for the twin, to help the deception.

Now, whether or not Kwannon /does/ that is up to her.

Emma Frost has posed:
There's a smile over from Emma that's sent back to Jean over thier embrace, and Emma looks rather smug over with it as the two would chat back and forth mentally as Jean would look in at her with surprise. Emma seems rather pleased over with herself over while turning her head to the side, chuckling.

<<What do you get for the woman that can make everything? Clothes clearly aren't an issue, and art isn't the same. So I thought of something that no one else could quite match.>> Yes, Emma looks very pleased over with herself over and quite smug. She had found something that the other woman did not have and couldn't so readily replicate. That inspired fear in showing what she could ever so casually do.

"And happy retirement, dear. As much as simply handing over administrative things can be and still be working full time."

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Noriko can feel someone applying force and direction to her face, but it doesn't move until she allows it to.  Luckily for Noriko, that is imperceptibly quick.  She still looks like a confused dog, her mouth slightly opening and then closing into a pout.  Luckily Emma gives nods, and although Noriko often throws shade Emma's way, she is relieved to up-nod politely in brief acknowledgement before walking after Jubilation.

It's especially frustrating how much time she has had to spend in realtime today, and Noriko isn't as good at following Jubilation with all of these rapidly moving distractions while slowing herself down.  To anyone looking on, she looks like a normal person who has lost someone in a crowd.  It's just one of those things that isn't thought about, but it isn't often a speedster does this.  In one of these twists, she answers Jean, "NEVER!"

Then Noriko spots Jubes! asking Scott to dance.  Noriko does a complete 180 and starts scanning for food.  What's that?!  Long table.  FILLED TO THE BRIM.  So that's where Noriko goes.

Kwannon has posed:
Kwannon She gets the call and doesn't see an issue; using that hand ninja magic helps her come to her twin's aid and quickly slip into the same outfit .

     She nods when she gets the info dump and smiles at the warning.oO I promise nothing Oo. She sends it back telepathically, but she will do her best to keep her twin happy.

     so 10 maybe 15 min later out she slips from the same shadow .. Since most of the X-men are unaware that Betsy's twin has shown up, this should be fun.

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary wasn't an X-Man, but she had worked with them before in her heroic alter ego, plus she's living with Marie-Ange, so she was going to be here as Marie's and-one. Though she didn't have the French Maid oufit, she did have a very nice blue dress that shimmered and sparkled, showing off the fact that she did not, in fact, have the figure one associated with professional gamers.

And she makes a beeline for Marie-Ange, giving her a quick hug and kiss on the cheek, "Hey! Hope I didn't miss much, that stream took longer than I planned. Did I miss anything?" Her eyes flicker around the party, catching the tail end of Rogue diving through the Crocodile Slide and laughing at the display.

Rogue has posed:
Mighty Maid made good use of the large pool of ice cold water. It had been a hot day outside, and if one really wondered why she had just done what she'd done, a large part of it was... the coat laying on the floor beside the gift table. She'd worn the damn thing the whole way here, and she'd been hot as hell inside it.

But now? She's floating upon the surface of the water, exhaling a sigh of joyful contentment. But, there's only so long you can lay on your back in the water of a Crocodile Mile's pool, before it gets weird. As such, with a bit of agility on display, the Belle rises up to her heeled shoed feet, within the water. Rivulets of said cold fluid run off of her attire, that is arguably a bit more scandalous in shape and form upon her, than it had been prior to her use of the slip-n'slide's ultimate feature of use.

Standing within the pool, shedding water all around her, Rogue steps off its edge, to find a stack of towels neatly setup beside it. She plucks one up, and begins to dab at her face, carefully touching the water running down her facial features, while fluttering her lashes to clear the droplets from over her eyes themselves.

When she finishes, she sets the towel down again.

She walks away from the pool's edge, her heels clicking upon the floor, as water continues to fall around her feet. The very wet Southern Belle ends up beside a table with food and drinks, her hand reaching for a rather fruity iced beverage.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
Jubes can hear Scott's sigh, however soft or subtle it might be. She can hear heartbeats. Her expression sours in an instant and she pulls her hand back. "Jeez, I thought maybe you might wanna not be stuck being the Presentham Palace guard all night," she complains. Jubes shrugs her shoulders and frowns up at him. "Food's over there," she adds, jerking her thumb in the direction of the food table, before boot-clunking away!

Jubilation does a little dance-twirl as she passes the Crocodile Mile splash pool. "The judges give it a 9.2," she tells Rogue as she passes by on a path towards the bar. Jubilation sets herself up on one of the stools and leans across the bar.

"A bloodier mary, please," she orders, giving the 'mixologist' a furtive look. The unusual drink combined with that look is enough to surprise the man, who responds by looking for something very, very specific behind the bar.

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
"I too am glad that I could make it, Jubilee! You did a most remarkable job in preparing for tonight." Marie offers to Jubilee, flashing the other girl a bright smile. She knows who's hand was wielding that neon gel pen.

During the hug, Jean gets a laugh and a bright grin. "We have a lot to live up to. Large handprints to fill." Pause. "...and better to be beating up those dinosaurs than becoming them, oui?" ...because Marie distinctly remembers /those/ days. She much prefers squaring up against them.

Then Mary's here! Marie returns the hug and kiss to her beloved in kind, giggling and shaking her head. "You are not too late yet. Though I fear you did miss the... ah... opening of at least one present." There's another grin, and a nod over in the direction of the thoroughly drenched Mighty Maid.

Jean Grey has posed:
Having done more or less all of the required official greeting and hugging, Jean is free to be a bit more, well, free! And party!

She takes a breath, abandons the gift table for now (masterfully stacked and arranged, it should be safe to stand on its own), and heads in the direction Rogue went. Certainly, she's not paying enough attention to register the ninja-swap as it happens. Ninjas are tricky like that, and there's a whole lot of nonsense going on.

Emma, since things are getting chaotic, gets her reply telepathically. It's far easier to multitask like that. << Well, it's VERY generous. Maybe too generous. But uh, I'll figure something out. And until then, it definitely seems like a nice option for a vacation. >>

As Mary comes to meet with Marie (say that five times fast), it's basically a 'coming and going' scenario, one arriving as she's departing. And while she doesn't know the Marvels too well, the young woman has made a few appearances, at holidays and even on that same dino-adventure, so Jean knows her well enough to say hello. "Hi, uh, other-Mary, right?" She grins. "Welcome to this chaotic celebration of my apparently imminent demise. Grab a bite, and enjoy yourself!" That's a greeting!

Eventually she finds Rogue, not still in the water, but going for a drink, and still dripping. "You know, I was going to ask you to dance first, but now you're all wet. Hmm." She looks around, almost like she's up to something. Maybe she is up to something.

Scott Summers has posed:
"I sighed because I decided to relax for a change," Scott calls after Jubilation well after she's already turned and started away following her refusal to dance. There's another sigh. This time it's not because Scott's decided to relax for a change. It's because that brief moment of respite that he's finally permitted himself swiftly has the rug pulled out from under it.

Now defeated, Scott turns away and back to the table. There's unfinished business to see to.

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary smiles warmly at Jean, "Well, thanks Ms. Grey, I'm Mary Bromfield. And I wouldn't miss it. Wish I could have gotten here with Marie but there's just some things I had to take care of. Though, you know, if you need someone to teach about computers I could always do some part-time work..." She grins a bit, "Commuting up from the city doesn't take me too long at all."

She then looks over at Rogue, then back at Marie with an impish grin, "Thinking about the slip-and-slide?" Mainly because she's pretty sure Marie is /not/, and she has to tease a little bit.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue has found a platter of fruits and cheeses, knowing full well that Jubilee knows how to get the best snacks for a party, even if she can't partake in them any longer. She's biting from a small piece of cheddar, and indulging in another sip of her drink when Jean appears beside her. Her verdent hued eyes sweep over to Jean's matching own, and she flashes her a grin with a upturn of the corners of her lips. She leans toward Jean, speaking lowly, but loud enough to carry over the music. "Dry me off, with that brain thing you do." She says, her naturally sultry voice carrying a flirty undertone, before she moves past it, and nods toward the Crocodile Mile. "Or join me. It's a nice reprieve from that heat out there..."

Rogue had noticed Jubilee stepping away from Scott, and she lastly offers a nod over Jean's left shoulder. "or go grab the Eagle Scout, give him somethin' to do. He's a bit out numbered here. Doesn't have any men t'chat cars with, or talk about sports, an' sports balls..."

Her knowing smile return, as she lets her eyes move toward Marie, and Mary. They both get a smile as well, along with a little wave of her hand holding her little square of cheddar cheese, that has a daintsy bite out of one corner.

Her drink is given another sip, as she indulges next in... another taste of this delicious cheese. "Jubilee! You did good with the snacks!" Rogue calls out, making SURE her voice carries over to where the Vampire DORL awaits her Bloodier Mary drink. Look out Bromfield, you might be the source of that drink!)

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Noriko is trying to locate Jubilation without looking in Rogue's direction when she's the one making all of the wild commotion, the loads of water droplets going everywhere.  She's getting out.  Noriko's eyes bulge a fraction of a moment before she starts piling things on her plate indiscriminately, though her eyes are stuck to her plate and the unsteady mound she is creating.

Then Noriko retreats to a corner with her plate.  It's safe over here.

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
Marie's response to Mary is first a gasp with wide eyes... then an impish look crosses over her features, green eyes shining. "Do you think I would not, mon amour?" the French girl asks. The cards miiiight have suggested a dress that wouldn't fall apart with a little water, and honestly? She's not above causing a little mischief of her own and following the lead of one of her teachers.

"What do you think, Madame Carlyle?" she calls over to the woman with a bright smile of her own, "...should we all take a turn on the Mile, in honor of Madame Grey's service to our school?"

Yes. She said 'all'. Let the peer pressure begin. One of us, one of us.

Kwannon has posed:
(not) Betsy walks over to Scott. " So about that Tetris? " She asks as she looks him over " Am I not good enough for you to ask for a dance? " She asks looking him over with those violet eye's of hers.

     She turns in her little back dress that is too tight for her own good, moving far more fluid than she should be able to, showing off her ninja skills .

     she grabs a drink and waits to see if scott will take the bait .


https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DpupRxXUcAAF53g?format=jpg&name=large

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary grins, "What, you, doing /that/? Well, you wouldn't have when we first started dating..." She laughs softly, "But I'm fine either way, I wouldn't mind taking a slide down the Crocodile. Though if this /is/ a turn down the Mile, it'd be bad form if the guest of honor didn't do it as well." Which might not be what Jean was expecting, but well... that's the danger of a retirement party!

Jean Grey has posed:
Apparently, Rogue reads minds too. Without the telepathy! Or she just knows Jean very well, as she immediately calculates the intent behind that pointed 'Hmm'.

"I'm trying to figure out if I can do it safely without, you know, disintegrating your clothes." That would be bad! Well. It would be bad in public. It's also not entirely clear if this is an actual risk, or just a bit of self-deprecating Phoenix humor. "I do want to take a dip, but I should get SOME use out this dress before I get all soaking wet, too! Why is that always step one for you?!"

However, when Rogue directs her attention back toward Scott, Jean turns back. No doubt she'd seen him going off after Jubilee and assumed it would work out. Perhaps that was an incredibly overly optimistic miscalculation on her part! But now... "Oh, I thought he'd grabbed- Alright. You: try not to get any MORE soaking wet, 'cause I'm going back for you, missy!"

And with that, she turns to go out stalking again. Perhaps, she overhears some plotting for HER to get soaked in the background: "I'll go last!" Maybe she's just putting it off and hoping people will forget.

Eventually, though, she'll locate Scott again. She barely even -asks- him to dance: "It's my party, so I say you're coming with me, slim! Let's shake it!"

Jubilation Lee has posed:
Jubilee spins around on her bar stool clutching a 'bloodier mary.' No Bromfields were harmed in the making of it. Jubes recognized one of the bartenders-called-mixologists as a local vampire's familiar and ordered something that's not on the regular menu. It's a glass full of a thick, red liquid sourced from a really, really drunk guy, slightly warmed, with a drop of tobasco added. As soon as Jubilee takes a gulp of it, she closes her eyes and smiles. Her hair seems to get a little bit softer, a touch shinier. A blush returns to her cheeks.

"Yeah, good snacks, good snacks," Jubes mutters, giving Rogue a little frown. The Bloodier Mary has already started working its magic. The base ingredient came from a really, really, really drunk guy.

"Hey!" she says to Noriko, glaring a little. Jubilee gestures in Rogue's direction with an imprecise gesture using her filled glass. She takes another gulp. A really, really, really drunk guy who was paid for his donation and given a single cookie.

After gesturing at Rogue, Jubilee makes another gesture at her own outfit, still glaring at Noriko, as if all of this should make perfect sense. Again, a really, really, really drunk guy who probably already donated too much that day.

"Wellllll....?"

Not making much sense, Jubes.

Scott Summers has posed:
The faux Betsy is given a moment of thoughtful consideration as she seems to distract Scott from his consideration of the table. He doesn't set the latest gift to be stacked down, but instead watches Kwannon from behind his ruby quartz lenses. "I'm not sure you," he begins and judging by the furrow of his brow, he's definitely squinting. Then there's a Jean approaching and declaring that he's about to be her dance partner. It's not the first time that they've danced of course. Though in this instance Scott had just come to peace with not dancing. He doesn't groan, nor does he sigh again because such a lesson has already been learned.

Scott has the time to wave apologetically at Kwanetsy before he comments her way, "The guest of honor wants a dance, so I've got to give her a dance. It's her party after all". Then Scott reaches out in a bid to claim Jean's hand and take her off to get their dancing in like the old days. A couple young kids enjoying a little slice of irresponsibility and freedom. Or at least some of those drudged up memories would have him believe.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Finally Jubes comes back into view when she calls Noriko out on a glancing look in Rogue's direction.  Noriko at first looks relieved to see Jubilation, and then suddenly mortified when she puts two and two together.  She feels like she's already standing in her own grave, so she blurry shuffles over to Jubilee, her eyes sticking to the vampire like a magnet even as she ends up alongside her in an, unfortunately, perpetually sober state.

"I've been looking for you.  Why did you run off from me?"  Then Noriko spots the Bloodier Mary.  "Oh."  That thing that does nothing for her but everyone else partakes in.  No, not the Bloodier part.  The alcohol.  Nori picks up one of the sushi hand rolls she has as part of the foundation of her Jenga food mound.  It's got scallops, lobster, and crab with spicy mayo.

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
Marie giggles, "Non, I would not have when we first started dating, but thanks to the many wonderful people in my life," Most of which are in this room, right now! "I believe I am ready. In fact..."

The French girl daintily kicks off her heels, gives Mary another quick kiss on the cheek... and makes a dash for the Crocodile Mile. Thanks to having one of her own at home, she's well-acquainted with how to perform the sacred ritual. She decides to up the ante a bit, rolling into the dive with a move she'd learned from the Black Panther, shrieking with a mixture of glee, reckless abandon and OHGOSHTHATSCOLD as she goes along, and eventually lands past the 'jaws' of the Crocodile (read: the decorated vinyl flap) and in the pool.

Yes, she's soaked, yes, it's not the most ladylike thing to do at a special party for someone important to her at a classy place. But did she have fun?

Yes. Yes she did. Next contestant!

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary laughs, then kicks off her blue heels and follows after Marie. She runs up to the start, then does an improvised move of her own that she picked up from having done this /far/ too much at the Vasquez household, shouting a triumphant battle-cry as she slides down the length and through the jaws of the Crocodile to go *SPLASH* into the pool!

She's soaked and looks positively gleeful as she snatches Marie, giving her a firm and very damp hug as she laughs, "Love you. That was amazing." Her dress is soaked, and clinging very tightly, and she doesn't seem to care one bit.

Kwannon has posed:
Kwannon She watches Scott get pulled off. " Drat," She says to herself before watching the two run into the slide and, well, have fun, and she gives her a small smile . she wanders towards the food tables mostly to see if thiers anything to nibble.

     She smells something and looks toward Jubes.. she frowns and makes a note to grill her twin about that later. Okay, maybe she will probe a bit because she's curious.

     She will pick a mix of British and Japanese nibbles cause of sushi.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
"Yeah?" Jubes says, frowning at the speedster from across her glass. She takes another sizable gulp. "Were you looking for me down Rogue's outfit?" J'accuse! She raises both of her eyebrows and then rolls both eyes they're associated with. She takes another sip from her glass. Liquid courage!

Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to----

"Oh, what the hecky....?" Jubilee cries out. She looks over and spots a group of Club Highline employees gathered around a red velvet cake. They're wheeling it out from the back. Jubes hisses and makes her way over to them right away. After a little discussion, Jubilee starts plucking each of the birthday candles off of the cake one by one.

"Well, were you?!" Jubilee has returned to Noriko and resumed giving her a hard time. After glaring at her for a few seconds, Jubes turns her head and announces, "Hey look, a cake! Don't worry, everyone, it's not lemon!"

Jubilee laughs a little to herself and takes another sip from her glass. Lemon. Ha.

Jean Grey has posed:
The simple fact of it is, there's no one in the room that's known Jean longer than Scott. It's just shy of half her life, now, that she's been with the X-Men, and he's been there from the beginning. So, even if he may sometimes appear aloof or standoffish to others, Jean basically barrels right past that stuff, acting almost as if she's talking to a different person than the one everyone else is seeing. And maybe she is.

"That's right!" she declares, as he concedes to her guest of honor authoirty. "That's how this works. But don't act like you weren't standing there calculating the best time to ask me, otherwise, thinking it over and over." Is it true? Well, Jean DOES read minds. But then again, she also clearly enjoys playing off that hard exterior by being a bit more flirty and teasing herself.

With his hand in hers, she leads the way to the center floor, waiting for whatever prior song to end and the next to come. It would be easy for this, likewise, to descend to something sappy, but that won't be the case. Jean wants some energy, and whether there's been coordination with the DJ or she just takes some telepathic license, there's soon a thrumming bassline beneath the voice of some pop songstress, lyrics the typical 'light up the night' or 'burn up the dancefloor' affair. It's a little on the nose, but hey.

Tonight? They're gonna dance like they're teenagers again.

---

And when they're done, and Jean is pushing a little bit of hair out of her face that had sweat its way stuck, she spots a surprise waiting for them. "Look! There's cake! C'mon."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue just beamed a closed-mouth smile toward Jean, nodding her head a few times. "You know where t'find me, Sugah." She says, using the affectionate term for a rare time upon that of Jean. She raises her eyes up toward Scott, and her drink to go with it, since she's claiming credit for sending the fiery one his way.

As she stands there, still dripping in her soaked maid's uniform, the Belle enjoys another nibble of cheese, before the cries from Mary draw her green eyes upon the woman now partaking in the slide.

She's all beaming smile once more, as she watches the end result, equally saluting Mary, when the newly soaked party goer emerges from the watery experience.

"Wooo!" Rogue quickly calls out, her slim pointed chin angled up, showing off a fair measure of mirth within her mind at seeing another brave soul take a ride down the Mile.

As an employee walks past her with a push mop, drying the floor from her drippings, Rogue shoots him a sweet expression too, when he locks eyes with her. "Apologies.," she quietly tells him. "I just had to get to the snacks after my dip."

But in truth, he was on hand for this very purpose, since such a Mile of watery pleasure is not a normal offering within the club.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Noriko opens her mouth to reply, but is interrupted by the Happy Birthday misunderstanding.  Momentarily saved, but by that quartet?  "Ugh."  She looks over at the bar and the little line and sighs, then JUMPS at Jubilee's renewed interrogation.

"No.  I was looking /through/ it.  Like everyone else does when someone suddenly jumps into a 'Mile with hardly anything on," Noriko grumbles at Jubilee before stuffing her mouth with another hand roll as Jubilation announces the cake.

"It was just there; I didn't mean to.  I really was looking for you."  Noriko sighs when she hears herself.

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
Marie's still in the pool when Mary gets there, so there's a bit of a collision... but that just leads to the (French) redhead erupting into a fresh spree of giggling as she hugs her brunette back. "I love you too. Never thought you would do this in such a place, oui?" she asks, giggling some more as she rolls -- sideways, this time -- out of the Mile and starts up to her feet to get properly toweled off, making sure to grab an extra for her date, as well.

"Would you care for some cake?" she asks, while passing over the extra towel. "Jubilation says it is not lemon." She points out, before pausing and adding, "...unless it is a lie, as you have told me cakes often are."

Mary Bromfield has posed:
Mary laughs, "Well, that cake doesn't look to be a lie, unless someone is planning to jump out of it..." She pauses, taking the towel as she passes a sidelong glance to Jubilee, "Um, there's not anyone jumping out of that cake, is there?" Because, well, she's not /that/ familiar with these folks, but considering her previous encounters with them...

Well, best not to take chances about things like that.

Scott Summers has posed:
At some point Scott sends a nod toward Rogue and the lift of her drink that's sent his way. He finally smiles, fully. Such an uncommon expression is rarely a thing long-lived. The does fade quickly enough, but that's largely to ensure that he's focusing his attention into the dance with Jean. One of his oldest - if not the oldest - friends. To think them old would be truly inaccurate. Thus the pair are able to groove to the music, step to the beats, and simply enjoy one another's company once again. Throughout the dancing Scott's sure to smile more, though they're often smaller and likely intended exclusively for Jean.

Scott's brown hair is damp and tousled, though the smile seems to have become more consistent and, at times, persistent. Though the call of cake is made and Scott allows his hand to slip free, thus releasing Jean back to her pursuits. Not that she was ever a captive.

He watches after her from behind the ruby quartz lenses, his expression gradually diminishing back to his usual stern countenance. A nod or two is given, likely to his own thoughts. Then Scott turns to slip away after one long, last look after Jean.

Kwannon has posed:
Kwannon Lifts an eyebrow in the direction of Jubilation she blinks a few times but keeps the info to herself as she moves about . She starts to mucn on the various goodies they are very good snacks and that cake looks yummy too

Jubilation Lee has posed:
"/Before/...." Jubilee insists, glaring at Noriko. She takes another sip from her glass, swaying a little where she stands. She'd say more but the vampire gets sidetracked by a weird feeling. "...Someone's watching me...." Kwannon.

Jubes glares at Nori. "And it's not you!" she adds, really dragging this stupid thing out as long as she can. "Rogue's over there if you wanna try your luck." Her frown is almost permanent now. Another sip from her glass renews her irritation.

She turns.

"I dunno," Jubilee tells Mary. "It's not supposed to, but it wasn't supposed to have candles on it, either. These guys are kinda phoning it in..." She uses her half-empty glass to gesture towards the Club Highline employees handling the cake. Her words are loose, suggesting that whatever's in her glass is impairing her a little bit.

"I wonder if we can get him to go down the Crocodile Mile," Jubilee mutters before taking another sip, watching Scott recover from his dance. Her tone resembles a rich person wondering how much money it might take to get a poor person to do something for her amusement. It's not good. Brooding. Noriko's wandering eyes have sent her down a dark path tonight.

Jean Grey has posed:
And now there's cake! It is of a flavor, and has possibly been stolen from someone's birthday party.

But none of this matters! Jean seems convinced she has every right to this cake, and approaches it boldly with Scott in tow until they're relatively close. And as is often the case, it falls upon the guest of honor to make the first cut, and let no one forget that as much as she is a master of mentalism, Jean is also mean in the kitchen! With a slice and a dice, one of the rich, dark red-brown pieces is cut free with swift perfection, and then a little melodramatically held aloft!

Of course, it's not Jean's job to cut ALL the cake, but between the honest-to-goodness ninja and few others, one can hardly imagine it's going to be more than a few seconds before it gets diced into pieces. Plates get handed out and all around, including, in a moment of shocking upset, Jean appearing beside Noriko to hand her one. "Gotcha."

A few minutes pass as everyone gets their cake and eats it too, with Jean making her way back around to Rogue as she nibbles from her paper plate, ending up with just a little smear of icing at the corner of her mouth to wipe away before she's finally done.

"I just want to thank you all again, for coming. And now..." The party may not be over, and no one has to go home, but there's one big moment left. Taking Rogue's hand in hers, and looking back over her shoulder at Scott in a way that is -definitely- challenging, she turns and begins a sprint toward the Crocodile Mile. She makes it half way before losing one of her heels, kicks off the other, and then jumps, hidding the water SLIDE and skidding down the way toward the 'jaws' at the end with a tremendous squeal. There's a splash on the far side.

...only to 'arise' from the water with her hands aloft! She did the thing!