20041/It's The Super Bowl

It's The Super Bowl
Date of Scene:	10 February 2025
Location:	X-Lounge
Synopsis:	Some of the X-men catch the end of the Super Bowl together.
Cast of Characters:	Henry McCoy, Kitty Pryde, Scott Summers

---

Henry McCoy has posed:
The big TV in the lounge was ideal for a lot of things. And one of those things was watching the Big Game on the stupidly large TV. So Hank had it on, watching Philly relatively humiliate Kansas City. Since his belovedly Godsforsaken Bears weren't in it, he was mostly passively listening to the game while he was poking at a tablet, doing some math and working on something esoteric and deeply, deeply nerdy. For some reason the rest of the inhabitants weren't too keen on watching the game with him. Probably because his sports fandom ranged from interested to deeply rabid.

There were also snacks.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
At some point not too long ago, the Blackbird had returned to the base, landing on a remote underground runway and taxiing into the distant hangars. The sounds of someone in the locker rooms might have been caught by particularly sensitive ears. The sound of a locker door swinging open. Shoes dropping on the floor. The patter of shower drops on tile. A little bit of humming, and finally a locker door swinging shut.

Kitty Pryde emerges from the locker room not long after. Her hair is still damp, hanging loose about her shoulders to dry, and she's still patting it with a towel. She has on a Dazzler concert shirt, the tee clinging to her a bit as it was pulled on before she'd completely dried. A pair of spandex shorts fits her lower body snuggly, and she has some slip on shoes on her feet.

"So, did we get a good game this year? We've had a run of them lately," she says as she makes her way into the room to see who is watching the game, the sounds of which she caught as she was leaving the locker room.

Scott Summers has posed:
Scott's there at least. Even if many others didn't show up for the game, he did. He didn't show up sporting either team's colors, even if the Chief's might be more his style by his reckoning from behind his ruby quartz shades. He's been fairly vocally supportive of the Eagles though, regardless of any genuine interest in the team. A few sensible chuckles here and there following yet another sack of the Chief's QB. A few comments impressed by the Eagle's QB's last ditch running game and control in the pocket. It's been a blowout for the most part, but one that Scott's been having fun with judging by the few cheers and laughs.

He doesn't look toward Hank while the game's in its last few moments with unironically a Philly cheesesteak sandwich in hand, "The game's been pretty good despite the score gap".

The arrival of Kitty finds Scott's attention diverting to her for a moment, then to the screen, then to Hank, and finally back to Kitty, "I was just telling Henry that the game has been fun to watch, despite a pretty big gap in the score. The halftime show was," he pauses for a moment and shrugs a little, "underwhelming, I suppose".

Henry McCoy has posed:
Hank looked up. "Slim!" he said with an honest smile on his face. "This game has been very interesting, in a display of dominance sort of way." he told Scott agreeably. "And your choice of meal is prescient." he noted with approval, then he set aside his tablet - showing math that was distressingly high in Greek - to set out to reload on snacks. "Kate!" he told the slightly soggy Shadowcat. "Welcome back! The Iggles are making the Chiefs look terribad." he said cheerfully.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde makes her way over to join the two senior members of the team at the better viewing angle of the TV screen. "Wow, that's truly a beatdown," she agrees. "Hambone's lucky I had to tell him I couldn't make bets with students. He wanted to take the Chiefs," she says.

She shines a smile at both men, and then her eyes alight on the cheesesteak. "Ooo, any more of those around?" she says hopefully. "I had to run the Blackbird up to Maine and check in on that family we relocated up there after they were getting targeted by extremists out on Long Island. Forgot to grab dinner before I left."

Kitty presses the towel against her hair a few times to dry it a bit more. "You know, they should just have Alison do the halftime show EVERY year. Then we wouldn't be disappointed with it so often."

Speaking of Dazzler, the camera cuts away from the blow out to show a few famous people up in the stands. And the camera zooms in on Alison sitting in a box with a pair of other celebrities. "Oh, she's at the game, lucky dog!" Kitty exclaims.

Scott Summers has posed:
"It's been interesting that the perception going in was that the Chiefs are Goliath and the Eagles are David," Scott's expression begins to drift toward something resembling amusement. He clamps down on it however and his usual stoic nature settles securely back into place, "it quickly turned into a reverse underdog story. There have been moments that felt like the Eagles were playing a much younger, less experienced team".

He shrugs again and takes a bite from his sandwich, casting an amuse glance toward Hank but without glancing to the side. He chews it down, swallows, and gives his mouth a little wipe with a napkin. From behind that napkin he comments back at her with a small cant of his head to one side, "Too much of a good thing can get tiring though. Variety's the spice of life as they say". He then glances back to the television when Dazzler appears and Kitty calls it out, then earns a faint smile from Scott at the serendipitous showing. To that he comments, "I looked into how much tickets are in the nosebleeds just for the fun of it. Not on my salary," he comments with a chuckle.

The question of a sandwich and Kitty's not having taken the opportunity to have a meal on the return trip or arrival following her mission earns a glance to the plate that he holds. He shrugs and places the sandwich down onto it, then offers it out to Kitty with a small shrug, "You can have the rest of that if you don't mind?"

Henry McCoy has posed:
Hank, sadly cheesesteak-less, had to make do with a gooey nacho dip and a pile of chips to dunk it into. And considering who and what he was it was an open guess if he'd use his feet to feed himself while his hands worked on whatever was on the tablet. "I means, it's no 46-10 but it's still looking pretty lopsided." he told Kate with a small grin.

Any chance he got to reference their beloved Bears was, in his estimation, to be seized and acted upon.

"I also checked into ticket prices. Pricey, but I could have afforded them. Alas, far too much to do here to justify a jaunt to the Big Easy." he said with only a slightly sad look.

Doctor McCoy burn the candles at both ends and in the middle? Nonsense. Surely you jest.

"Slim, are you turning the game into a tactical exercise or am I misjudging the look behind the visor?" he asked Scott.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde definitely got the reference to the '85 Bears win over the Patriots there, as Henry gets a quick grin from her. "A trip to New Orleans would be amazing," Kitty says, "Maybe for Mardi Gras? Haven't been there in a couple of years now."

As Scott offers over the sandwich, Kitty does the polite thing and says, "Are you sure, I don't want to deprive you of your own meal." She's also pretty obviously hungry from the glance she gives the sammie, and if Scott doesn't change his mind, will quite happily take it with a, "Thank you," and a little side-hug for Scott if allowed.

"Have either of you been to a Super Bowl before?" Kitty inquires. "I've made it to a World Series is all when it comes to championships. And just the one Cub game."

Scott Summers has posed:
"I might be," Scott answers back at Hank regarding his own tactical applications being viewed into the game. He then references one of the early rushes that resulted in a touchdown, perhaps showing just that, "The first touchdown of the game? That push through the endzone had the hallmarks of a shield wall. The offensive line was being pressed forward by those behind, breaking the defensive line with sheer physical power and weight. It all looks so complex in motion, but when you really analyze that maneuver? It's nothing new. We've been using that strategy alone for a couple thousand years at least."

The offer of the sandwich though? That seems an easy one for Scott. He places it back to the plate and the plate itself is offered over to Kitty with a lopsided smile, along with a little shrug to allow her uncertainty to roll off his back, "Take it, really. I've been snacking, munching, and eating all afternoon into the evening. I'm stuffed!"

The plate is abandoned to Kitty's care and the question of attending a Super Bowl earns a shake of his Scott's head, "I can't say that I have. Or a World Series. I should try to make one someday. A Mardi Gras, too."

Henry McCoy has posed:
Hank shook his head. "Probably not a good idea for me. Mardi Gras, I mean. And Kate, no matter how many times you mention it, I still feel betrayed and shocked. A Cubs fan? Seriously? The Godsforsaken Chicago Cubs? You wound me to the _quick_. I had you pegged as a woman of sophistication and taste, and yet to cheer for those clowns? Pshaw. I bite my thumb at thee!" he said, and then did just that before returning to his seat and his tablet full of equations. And, sure enough, the prehensile feet were on chip duty while he held the tablet with one hand and poked at it insistently with another.

"And Slim, perhaps the children are due for another Summers Speial based around ancient infantry tactics? Might be amusing to see them try to construct a shield wall." he said with a musing look of amusement that Slim would recognize well from the old days together as students.

Mischief may be afoot!

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde takes up the responsibility of seeing the Philly cheesesteak to a good home. In her belly. She takes a bite, licking some of the melty cheese of the corner of her lips afterwards. "Oh, did they score the first one on a Tush Push?" Kitty asks, before correcting herself. "Or, since it was probably Philly, a 'Brotherly Shove'?" she amends.

She just grins at Hank's umbrage over whether she favors Chicago's north or south side when it comes to baseball, flashing the look at him as she takes another bite. "Nothing beats a game at Wrigley from the bleachers," she tells Hank, emphasizing her point with a little gesture of the sandwich.

Looking back to Scott, Kitty says, "Oh, you definitely need to go to Mardi Gras. And the visor would fit in even, wouldn't have to wear your glasses if you didn't want to," Kitty says. "I know a girl there who usually can get invites to some of the different Krewe parties, and other parties people throw, too. On top of hanging out on Bourbon Street. I think this definitely needs to be a trip!"

Scott Summers has posed:
"You know? That's not a bad idea," Scott answers first at the mention of having the students construct a shield wall. However he pivots, piggy-backing off of Hank's suggestion, "the shield wall's a good idea, but capture the flag could teach them teamwork and tactics, too. They might just have more fun with that, too". He seems to nod along with this idea and sends a small smile Hank's way, "Good idea, Henry. I like where your head's at."

Then it's back to Kitty that his attention goes. He seems to be staying out of the Chicago-based baseball rivalry, but does hone in on the possibility of a trip to Bourbon Street and Mardi Gras, "That's not a bad idea though. If time allows, maybe I'll try to get a few people to make a weekend of it. Things are busy right now though and," he shrugs a little, his head rocking slightly to one side to exaggerate the shrug, "there's a lot on our plate these days. Speaking of which, Henry, have you had an opportunity to look into that object that Cortez dropped off?"

Henry McCoy has posed:
"It's on my to-do." he said with a slight sigh. "One day of amusement and rest. Just one. Then, my Fearless Leader, I shall re-apply my proboscis to the rotating wheel most diligently." he promised. "And the analysis of the captured objects is high on said to-do list. Which reminds me, I need to pin down Nori-san and offer her her new gauntlets." he said around a mouthful of gooey nacho dip goodness. "She asked me for something a little easier to wear and that would do a better job of buffering her gifts and I was only too happy to comply."

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty seems happy to get Scott onboard with the idea of a New Orleans trip. Not the first time she's tried to get the staid leader to let down his proverbial hair. And there are few places better for that, than 'Nawlins, LA'.

Another bite of the sandwich is taken, Kitty giving a soft, "mmm" of appreciation. The sandwich is delicious, and made even more so by her hunger. "Oh? Cortez?" she says, apparently not having heard about said object. But the way she wrinkles her nose slightly is enough to say what she thinks about the individual in question.

She leaves them to discuss that topic though as she takes another bite of her - Scott's - sandwich, and takes a look back to the TV to catch up on the happenings. "Well, I guess they can say they kept trying," she says as the Chiefs manage to close the gap. Very slightly.

Scott Summers has posed:
"There's something to be said for not giving up, even when the writing's on the wall," Scott agrees with a stoic nod of his head. Kitty's left to the sandwich and Henry to his tablet. Scott pushes himself up from the sofa that he's adopted and has himself a good, long stretch that sends him up on his toes. "The writing's on the wall though, so I'm going to call it a night. I want to get some reading in before it gets too late".

The talk of Cortez does at least stop his departure. At least momentarily. "Cortez stopped by with some goons. It was peaceful, but I'm still suspicious. He delivered a couple items that could enhance the abilities of the mutant possessing it. He said it was like having a sliver of his power in hand". He pauses with a glance toward Henry and then back to Kitty, "Naturally, I don't trust it. I asked Logan to bring them down to the lab and not to touch them without first having Henry inspect them".

He gives a slight shrug that may very well indicate how well the latter half of that instruction to Logan may have been followed. "They're waiting for Henry's inspection though. I'd suggest getting Logan to give a little testimonial on how his test run of them went, along with giving them a thorough review yourself, doctor."

Henry McCoy has posed:
"Enhancing me will probably just make me stronger, faster, and likely smarter. You, Kate, are to go nowhere near them. I'd hate to have to work out how to pull an intangible friend from the center of the Earth." he said, sternly and yet not. He then sighed. "Game's over and thus a Beast's work resumes. You'll have that report soon, Slim. Along with a threat analysis, since I know how much you love those." he said with a ghost of a grin. So he stood up, took the pad with one hand, his nachos with the other, and then glanced back at the TV.

So much for R&R, Henry. Work calls!

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde gives a visible little shiver at the mention of Cortez's power enhancements, and herself. "I don't even go as far as I feel capable of, for fear of what might happen," she says with a quick shake of her head that signals her agreement with Henry that she not go near the device. If she even trusts it to work how the member of the Brotherhood says.

She finishes the last bite of the sandwich, grabbing a napkin to wipe her fingers on. "Thank you for the sandwich, Scott. I might have to watch the replay of the game later, see how it got so one-sided."

Kitty grabs the plate to take to the kitchen, smiling to both men. "Night, guy," she says, giving them both a little wave before heading out.

Scott Summers has posed:
A nod is given to both Henry and Kitty. The pair begin to move on, beating him to the punch of departing. For a moment Scott watches after them. He considers Kitty while she steps off to the kitchen to deliver the dish and lets out a long, low breath. His lips purse when his attention drifts back to Beast, making off with his nachos and tablet. The television's shut off with the press of a button and Scott's left alone. He chuckles to himself, all by his lonesome.

With the mess. Scott begins picking up the few dishes left behind, the cups and cans, or the bottles in the case of some. It's not a big mess, but it's one that needs tidying. Scott's going to do it.

Maybe he should just walk away as fast as possible next time.