4335/An X-Mas Carol

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An X-Mas Carol
Date of Scene: 07 December 2020
Location: Quiet Neighborhood: Salem Center
Synopsis: One house successfully caroled before the great snowball massacre of Salem Center.
Cast of Characters: Jean Grey, Kitty Pryde, Rogue, Noriko Ashida, Henry McCoy, Jubilation Lee, Simon Lasker




Jean Grey has posed:
It's a holly, jolly, X-Men X-Mas eve!

The night's event starts in the Mansion lobby; there is sheet music to hand out, as well as snacks (cookies!) and hot cider so that people can store up a bit of energy for the night's excursion. In the case of the cider, Jean is bringing along a few thermoses as well, because of course she is! There's still snow on the ground, so everyone is advised to bundle up, and the headmistress herself is in a puffy green parka, scarf with various holiday iconography, red skirt and hat with the appropriate white fluff trim (she probably has a whole lady Santa outfit on under the coat!), black thermal tights and snow boots.

When everyone is warm, fueled, and ready, the group makes their way out into the snowy eve.

Xavier's is part of the meandering outskirts of Salem Center, the quiet streets that make up most of the area. While there are only a few houses near the mansion itself, after making it down the long, winding road they eventually come upon the town residential proper, streets lined with quaint Victorian and Tudor-style houses. These upper middle class homes, with their snowy driveways, occasional Christmas lights, plastic reindeers, and other decorations are the target for the caroling operation!

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde is dressed up in a warm turtleneck and a winter jacket. She's got long johns beneath her jeans for an extra layer of warmth, and gloves covering her hands. Lockheed is with her, his image inducer in the form of a dog since a cat probably would be far less likely to be taken caroling. Kitty's holding him in her arms rather than him resting on her shoulder, for appearances sake.

"I'm glad to see everyone together," Kitty says with a big grin. "Nice to have so many people still around the school," she adds. Since a number of students left to be with their families.

Kitty nibbles on a cookie as they move through the snowy streets towards the houses. "If anyone gets really cold, Lockheed has a way of warming people up. Though you may get singed," she offers.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue is readying herself up in her room and bounding down the stairs of the main foyer to catch up with the crew of carolers. Wearing a sweater under her charcoal colored pea-coat, she has a wool beanie on her head holding her two-toned hair down around her head, white bangs framing her face. A big smile is on that face too as her leather boots slap down on the floor while she rushes toward the others. "I'm ready!" The southern belle announces, reaching for one of the thermoses of hot beverages, her gloved hands wrapping around it as she raises it up for a tasting sip.

"We gotta be back by 9 or so, that's when the Professah is readin' the Night Before Christmas. Which is... my favorite part'a this stuff, 'side from the presents." She lets out a dorky little laugh there-after.

Rogue hip-bumps Kitty and grins over at her. "I don't want t'be set on fire."

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Noriko has made some origami elf ears and a rainbow colored curly ribbon Santa beard.  For good measure, or possibly because of /someone/ she looks like someone confetti-ed her tracksuit with glitter.  She's wearing some cheap five dollar shades with hot green stems.  And, apparently the rest of her outfit calls for breakaway track pants and zippered matching jacket.  RACING STRIPES!

Tonight though, Noriko's actually wearing some mittens!  They have been hopelessly stretched over her gauntlets with middling success.  She hops up and down, antsy as per usual.

Henry McCoy has posed:
Dressed in Dickens-Period clothing, Henry is all about the season. He's got on a caroller's tophat as well, complete with a sprig of mistletoe in the band. Cheeky Beast! He's in good spirits, all smiles and laughter tonight. He has a cookie in hand, munching away as they head towards their first stop. A nod is given to Kitty and Rogue. "Charles always does such a good job with that story..." He grins.

"First time carolling with us, Noriko?" He asks, chuckling at her enthusiasm and outift.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    The sounds of chaos in adjacent hallways spells trouble. A chorus of HEYs and WATCH-ITs and WHAT-THEs echo through the Mansion's walls. And then, almost out of thin air, Jubilation Lee rolls into the group, super casual, on the wheels of her heelie sneakers. She comes to a perfect stop, her body frozen in place, directly next to Noriko. "Sup..." she says before Bewitching her nose a little, causing her 80s-era sunglasses to fall from her forehead and into position.

    Strangely, Jubilee has gotten fussed up for this occasion. She's wearing a yellow wool peacoat, buttoned up, with the hem of a black skirt just making it past the bottom of the coat, ending halfway down her thighs. For the chilly air, Jubes wears black tights.

Jean Grey has posed:
"Don't worry," Jean reassures Rogue as she comes barelling after to join them, along with a couple other late arrivals. "I wouldn't miss it. Its tradition." And for her, one she's been doing since she was young enough to still believe in Santa!

... maybe Rogue still does. Shh, no one spoil it!

--

Once they've reached the street, it is time to begin the caroling! The first stop is a nice looking house with plenty of lights, reindeer, and even an inflatable Santa: all signs that this is a friendly address full of Christmas spirit. As it happens, given that this is a yearly event, Jean knows some of the families, and she's organized their route to start on a high note. Who knows what the rest of the night will bring.

Making their way up the driveway and in front of the house, Jean stops and turns back to face everyone else, gesturing for the group to line up in vague chorus-y fashion. The music they were handed started in order, although no doubt some of the students have shuffled it, so she reminds them that they're starting easy:

"First one's Jingle Bells!" Do they even need the sheets for that?!

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde hip bumps Rogue back as they depart. She grins at the sight of Beast in his top hat. "I'm totally swooning inside, Hank," she tells him, going over to slide an arm around him and give him a tight side hug before letting him go. Lockheed sways his tail back and forth. He's in the shape of a basset hound, it looks like the tail is slowly wagging.

Noriko is given a grin. "And no finishing the song in 2.5 seconds," she teases the Asian student. Then she greets Jubilee as she comes rolling in. "Hey Jubi. Merry Christmas," she says.

As they arrive at the first house for caroling, and Jean lines them up, Kitty tells the rest, "Ok, remember, the big finish is kick, turn, kick, kick, head flip, kick, turn," she says, doing a chorus line rendition like they were the Rockettes. "Or, are we waiting for the second house for that?" she says with a teasing grin.

Rogue has posed:
Upon arrival, Rogue reaches in to her jacket to pull out her Reindeer Horns hat to slide it on over her beanie cap. Looking Extra Festive now she grins over at the others, her hands going in to her pockets to hold her coat closed over her Christmas sweater she's wearing underneath her jacket. She glances over at Beast and his top hat. "I really shoulda gone that far retro myself... Regrets." She adds before waiting for their singing to start. "They're totally gonna call the cops on us, Jean." She tells the Headmistress, giving her a big smile before clearing her throat. "Is this the Batman version'a the song? If not, can it be?"

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"You guys made me come last year."  Noriko was not in the festive spirit then for sure.  And by 'you guys,' she must mean the teachers.  "But I was bored," which seems to be the impetus for pretty much everything for the speedster.  Learning, not learning (over and over again, cough, mischief), and so on and so forth, but it's not like it'd be the first time she tries to manage the damage to her cool rep that might be damaged by her goofy, over the top enthusiasm.  "I like your outfit.  Super cool."

Noriko looks Jubilee up and down, eyebrows raised.  "What's with the skirt?-I mean-it looks good," she adds quickly, her pacing giving it away rather than seeming like a continuous and non-awkward comment LIKE SHE PLANNED IN HER HEAD.

"I can't sing in canon a little faster?" Noriko pouts at Kitty.

On their way, Noriko keeps her velocity at human rates, feeling like an introvert getting drained from a party.  "I'm not kicking," she says flatly.  Those attitudes seem to shift on a dime.

Simon Lasker has posed:
Simon Lasker remembers all the Christmases past and notes that he always thought of it as boring and a little bit embarrassing, but that was when it felt like there were infinite opportunities to be with the people he cared about. These days when people are so busy, he has to take the time that he gets.
Pyro shuffles his feet awkwardly as he follows the others out into cold.
"I am willing to sing, but I draw the line at dancing."
Images of stumbling around fill his head. By the time he reaches their caroling spot he is already wishing he had worn something warmer than a leather jacket and jeans. He would just warm himself up, but the humans always react poorly when they see him bring out the flame, and he wasn't about to be the reason that his REAL family had their night ruined.

Henry McCoy has posed:
Giving the others a dramatic bow, Henry doffs his hat before returning it to his head with a tap to the top. "One must be in the spirit, to pass it on to those who listen." He says, tapping his nose. "I am glad you all could make it out, it is quite a lovely night for spreading goodwill." Henry chuckles. He watches Kitty, nodding. "Got it. Just one flip?"

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Yeah, Jubilee tried to look nice, SO WHAT. The stubborn refusal to ditch her heelie sneakers, though, did put a bit of a damper on the outfit, but... que sera sera. "Looking good, Hank!" she says with a grin, throwing a thumbs-up his way. She skates around him a couple of times before rolling past the collection of cookies to swipe two cookies. Jubilee's path brings her past Kitty Pride, who is given a "Merry Christmas!" in return -- Jubes brings both cookies together, out in front of her, and separates them in a flourish as she says the words.

    Jubes picks up some speed, weaving in and out of the kids praddling on, going by Rogue and Jean Grey in a hurry.

    "Rogue, lookin' sharp!" she calls out as she zips past.

    "Opening with Jingle Bells?" Jubilee questions as she blurs past Jean Grey. "A bold play! You're saying it only gets better from there?"

    Jubilee skates past Nori and holds out a cookie with her name on it (not really, unless her name was a bunch of brown dots), just ready for the speedster to take!

    "What do you mean?" she demands, orbiting her roommate a couple of times as her outfit comes into question. Jubes takes a defiant bite of her own cookie. "What's wrong with it?" she demands, her mouth full of cookie bits.

Jean Grey has posed:
"Get over to the line!" Jean tells Jubilee with a laugh as she comes buzzing by on her skates, before she finally seems to have things as much in order as she's going to get them. "And a-one, two, three, four: Dashing through the snow..."

With the group lined up (more or less: it seems like the older students are even harder to wrangle than the younger ones!), Jean leads them into the familiar tune. She sings loud and clearly herself, as much for the sake of getting everyone into the song and onto the melody by method of example as anything else. The whole thing is a bit like herding cats, but it's part of the fun, and she'll make things jolly by force of will if she must!

"Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the way..."

They do not, in fact, get the cops called on them. Not yet at least. As it turns out, this is a 'friendly' house, and before they're too far along, an older couple has come to front door, opening it and standing in the warmth to watch and listen.

"Jingle Bells, Batman smells!" sing several of the youngsters, and Jean turns a half-embarassed, laughing smile toward the homeowners.

...AND SOMEWHERE IN THE DARKNESS, BATMAN WATCHES.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty sings along joyously, and with volume. She's not a horrible singer, but it's also not something she's going to go professional in ever. She grins, cheeks red and rosy from the cold nip in the air, her breath making a mist as she sings along.

She loops arms with Rogue, leaning against her as they sing, the other arm holding Lockheed who just sits there looking like a content basset hound with his holographic disguise on. The empathic dragon not really much of a speaker, let alone singer.

As the couple comes out, Kitty grins and does her best to wave at them without dropping her apparent pet.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue is more than happy to play along with this kind of classical fun outing, she's from a part of the country that's happy to hold to old traditions after all! Of course there are distractions, like the littlest kids that came with them who are wanting to start a snow ball fight, or Jubilee just rolling past her and complimenting her like a cameo appearance in a movie. Jubes gets a grin of course, before Rogue looks over to Pyro. "Let the Christmas spirit fill your soul." She says at him, widening her eyes playfully before looking ahead as people starting to sing. She joins in as she links arms with Kitty and raises her other up to wave at the people in the house while they sing to them!

Of course, she's singing the Batman smells version with the kids in front of her too...

Noriko Ashida has posed:
COOKIES!  Noriko /finally/ notices and tries to make grabs while retaining a human like velocity.  Her timing is horrible.  She keeps whiffing it just out of reach too.  Then Jubes is just flaunting her cookies!  Eating them right there!  And all that little skating around, going /faster/ than her.

"I-I just meant you look good!"  Noriko smiles awkwardly, her eyes betraying her hopes and doubts that she recovered from whatever just happened.  "Nothing wrong with it," she says with a shrug, trying too hard to not open herself up to a ribbing.  Thankfully, Jean saves her (she thinks) by starting the song.  But is anyone really /safe/ from Jubes?

Mistakes have been made.  The sharks will circle!  But for now, Noriko pretends she's singing, just opening and closing her mouth, not even following the words.

Then she looks over her shoulder, sure she heard a cape snap in the wind and the sound of boots hitting the pavement, though maybe the POW! and WHAMMO! sounds were just in her head?

Henry McCoy has posed:
Theatricality, it is what Henry lives for! He makes a show of singing, filling in the lower tones with his deep baritone voice. He still can't hide the chuckles at the antics of the students, shaking his head good-naturedly as the hijinks ensue. His motions are straight out of A Christmas Carol - acting the carolling role to a T.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilee gives Nori a funny look. A look that screams -- why am I still holding this cookie? She stops skating, puttering to a halt next to her roommate. She tilts the cookie in her direction, holding it very very very still. "Why are you acting so weird?" she whispers, leaning towards Noriko so she can be heard above the singing.

    Jubes turns to face the house and flaps her mouth a few times to appear like she's participating. After engaging in pretend caroling for a few moments, Jubilee turns to Nori again. "Are you alright?" she whispers, leaning in again to listen for an answer.

    Off in the distance, a baby blue van -- OH KAY PLUMBING & HEATING -- circles the neighborhood slowly...

Jean Grey has posed:
"Jingle Bells" goes well enough, improvised lyrics and all. They (well, let's be honest, Hank) even get a round of applause at the end. And given that they've got a friendly audience and aren't being chased off, Jean has them stick around to do a couple more, with such hits as "Here Comes Santa Claus" and "Frosty the Snow Man." Obviously, they're sticking to the rather more non-relgious, seasonal fare. Also, easy and fun ones for kids. Most kids aren't really that into 10th century Dukes of Bohemia.

But part of the fun of the caroling spirit is seeing new places, annoying new neighbors. The show must go on, and so they must go! Jean takes a moment to go up to the door and say some brief hellos and thank-yous, before making her way back down the drive, grinning as she passes the group. "That was really great, everyone." When she reaches the street, she turns to look on toward their future destinations.

"Alright, next!" And... that's where it started going down hill!

The walk down the road takes them past a dark house (no point singin' if no one's home!) and eventually to another. It has white lights up, but nothing more. Such stark minimalism bodes ill for the brave carolers! But they must face their fate!

"Ok, how about Holly, Jolly Christmas? It should be on the back of the second sheet." So organized!

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty flips the sheet over and finds the lyrics, though only needing them for one or two spots where she'd just kind of mumble along for not remembering the exact words in those places. She scoops up some snow and packs it into a snowball, but a loosely formed one so it doesn't hurt too much when she waits for Rogue to not be looking and then tosses it at her upper back.

She's looking all sweet and innocent another direction after throwing it, and starts singing the song. "Have a holly jolly Christmas, it's the best time of the year... I don't know if there'll be snow, but have a cup of cheer!"

Simon Lasker has posed:
Simon Lasker tails off when he realizes that this is a lot more informal a carolling event than he was expecting. He doesn't know why he was expecting a somber outing from the X-Men, but he is glad it isn't that. Naturally he pipes up again with the version that makes fun of the vigilante. The singing also has the nice side benefit of warming him up and making up for the additional sweater and scarf that he didn't bring.
Pyro also notices the way that something is going on among the students. He hopes that everything is allright.
He has considerably more trouble with the other carols that he didn't sing a million times as a little kid. At this point he is more interested in what looks like a snowball fight in the making, so he kneels down to build up his arsenal.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue is up on the porch with Jean to greet the people and speak to them a bit before they all move on to the next. As she's going she's got her eyes down on the music sheet. So naturally when Kitty throws a snow ball at her upper back, it hits her right in the face!

"What the hell!?" Rogue says now, looking up with a wet face and her eyes glaring at Kitty! "I'm gonna get ya back for that one, Prydeful." She warns her friend as she walks past some of the others to catch up with Jean and Hank. At Hank, Rogue grins. "Can I wear the top hat for a song or two?" She asks him as they make their way past the darkened house. "I bet they went to see their even richer family members for Christmas..." She idly comments.

A glance is sent back to the stragglers. "Keep up, ya'll! Before the serial killer in this neighborhood-- whose definitely keepin tabs on us from behind the bushes --nabs one'a ya!"

Back up with Jean, Rogue looks at her music sheet again and whips off snow from Kitty's snowball. "Holly Jolly Christmas, for youuuu." She leans toward Jean then. "Can we sing that one where the guy tries to liquor up the lady an' get'er t'sleep over?" She asks, teasingly of course! "Baby it's coooold outside!" She adds in a singy-songy tone!

Noriko Ashida has posed:
Noriko just slaps the cookie out of Jubes' hand with all the exageration of a cartoon, and it falls into a patch of snow, which /then/ she retrieves.  A shrug and she pops the whole thing into her mouth.  Filthy animal.

"Nothing," only it is mangled by the mouthful of cookie with no liquids to save Nori.  "Digesting at this speed..."  Total outright lie.  She pretends at indigestion while she keeps munching on a cookie.  Sometimes fast thoughts aren't good ideas.  She wipes her gauntlet off on her track pants.

"I just didn't know you owned a skirt," Noriko finally explains, unable to explain why she's so flustered.  "Shhh, or Jean will make us share with the class," she whisperwhisperwhispers during a poorly timed pause in the singing.

Along the way to the next house while in the shadows, Noriko uses small bursts of speed to start building up an arsenal of snowballs for Jubilee, handing them off one by one way too fast to keep up.  When Jean calls for the next song on some sheet Noriko can half remember because she was half paying attention.  She fumbles her sheets with those fuzzy, now wet, mittens.  The sheets are getting soggy.

So she wings it, making up her own lyrics where she can't remember like, "cup of beer!"  Noriko subtly flicks a snowball up in the air while they are singing, letting it fall where it may.  THE SKY IS FALLING!

Henry McCoy has posed:
The tophat is pulled from his head, and set atop Rogue's as per her request. "But of course!" He offers, chuckling. "It looks good on you, Rogue." The Beast winks. Following along at the leader's behest, he ambles along, always having a joke or good-natured teasing for the others with him. He's quite a bit more in control right now - perhaps it is the season?

As Holly Jolly Christmas is requested, he belts into the song - no need for pages! His voice does an admirable job of paying tribute to Burl Ives.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubilee gives Nori another look of caution, concern, as the cookie gets knocked to the ground. Normally, she'd catch anything she threw, dozens at a time, but this was one single solitary cookie. "Nori!" she whispers. "This is a CHOCOLATE CHIP cookie -- the QUEEN of all cookies. Not some pretender, like oatmeal raisin! Show it some respect!"

    And there's the skirt again. "Yeah, so?" she whispers. "It's not like...." Forget this. Once Jingle Bells is over, Jubes skates ahead of the group and then spins around to skate on back, twirling around in front of everyone, the skirt in question spreading out as she spins. "Hey! Is that JUBILATION LEE skating around in the street!? Why, it sure is! And lookie there! She owns a skirt! Better lock those doors, folks! It's pandemonium out there!" she shouts into the night. Jubes lowers her sunglasses -- her unnecessary sunglasses -- and gives everyone a *look* and then skates on back to her spot next to Nori. "Happy?" she whispers.

    And so then the roommates would proceed, now lingering in the back of the ranks, in the shadows -- and Jubilee would start to find herself clutching too many snowballs. Her eyes go wide, hidden behind her sunglasses. "Nori!" she hisses. "Nori! NO! I know that, like, section thirty eight, sub paragraph whatever of the roommate contract says that I do all your throwing...But...I can't...No....FINE!" She sighs. Fine. Right as Hank starts to belt, the legally obligated Jubilee begins HURLING snowballs in all sorts of directions. At Hank. Rogue. Kitty. Simon. The nameless rank and file of kids. Even Jean. She throws and throws and throws. She has to.

Simon Lasker has posed:
Simon Lasker decides that given that they are moving on, and that he doesnt have the power to make his snowballs bounce along behind him like , now would be the moment to use them. He lets one loose into the center of the crowd of his compatriots without really looking at who it is going to hit, and lets loose the cry that everyone who has been responsible for children fears.
"Snowball fight!"
Naturally he doesn't want to let the one snowball be lonely, so he sends the rest of its friends off to join it. He wants to win this fight so naturally he makes sure that the rest of them don't go Jean's way. It might be cowardly, but all's fair in love and snowball war.
After getting hit by Jubilee, he realizes that this calls for a retaliatory strike, so he starts attempting a barrage of snowballs after her as fast as he can make them.
"you will live to regret this!".

Jean Grey has posed:
As far as Jean is concerned, the fact that they make it through even one house and set of songs before things break down into a snowball fight is the REAL Christmas miracle! And possibly a school record.

It's just about inevitable, really, and while the Headmistress doesn't start arming herself as everyone else escalates, she can't help but sense the impending snowy violence, the hostile (well, ok, mischievious) intentions that surround her from every side! These thoughts fill her mind and she... shakes her head and laughs.

"Oh by golly have a holly jolly Christmas <SNICKER> This year!" Laughs, even as she tries to make it through the lyrics. It's a bad sign when the conductor of this crazed chorus can't even keep a straight face!

Still, Jean DOES try and keep it together, bravely singing on as if blissfully unaware of what is happening around her. She's not, but she pretends! Though she has loosened up a little bit, grinning at Rogue as she joins and slinging an arm around her safely jacketed waist as she sings: "Oh, ho the mistletoe... Hung where you can seeeeee! Somebody waits for you... Kiss her once for meeeeee!"

When they get to the end, and she suggests everyone's favorite seasonal dubious consent classic, she makes a face. "No, but how about-"

And it's just then that the door to the house open and an old lady in a bathrobe comes out. "YOU KIDS ARE MAKIN' A RACKET! And what are these songs? I've never heard em! If you're gonna sing, you should be singing in honor of baby Jesus!"

The fact that she comes out right as Simon yells 'Snowball fight' might turn out VERY BADLY.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty sees the snowball fly, and scoops up another handful of snow, loosely packing it before throwing it back at Simon Lasker. Lockheed's standing there in the snow, looking at the singing snowballers like they are crazy. Though since he appears to be a basset hound he just looks like a lazy, lazy dog.

Kitty picks up another handful of snow, packs it and then moves over behind Beast. She tries to grab hold of his shoulder and hold the snowball in imitation of a gun to his head. "Ok, everyone empty your pockets or Charles Dickens gets it!" she threatens.

Which is when the old lady comes out to chastise them. Kitty drops the snowball, ending the threat to Beast getting snow in his fur. "Jinkies, it's the fuzz," she whispers, but loud enough Hank at least will hear it."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue now has three hats on her head, and a grin on her lips toward Beast. "Just this one house, then it's back t'you, Doctah McCoy." She says in a sassy tone back at him while she adjusts the many different hats atop her head. Another look is sent back toward Jubilee doing her shouting in the street, which gets a grin and a headshake. "The cops are definitely gonna be 'woop woopin' us within the next twenty minutes..." She trails off there and glances down at the sheet of music.

Joining Jean in the song, her left arm goes back around the Headmistress' back to support her and Hank (and the good little students who aren't giant troublemakers!)

Of course it only lasts so long before their own people start to assault them with snowballs, and *thud thud thud* Rogue keeps singing while getting hit. She only stops when the old lady comes out and shouts at them.

"Lissen here, ya old biddy!" Rogue shouts back out of reflex, but catches herself and grimaces. "Crap..." A look is given over to Jean. "Well, we tried." She tells her friend with a grin.

Noriko Ashida has posed:
"I respectfully ate it," Noriko insists, "After I put it in its place.  The chocolate chip cookie has too much hubris."  She shovels up some powdery snow into her mouth, then runs in a little circle and stops to swallow the snow she melted, washing down the cookie.

If Noriko did not have that beard on, or the origami elf ears, maybe the flush of her skin would be more obvious when Jubes twirls around announcing she owns a skirt.  When Jubes ends up back next to her.  "Yeah.  So happy," she says flatly and smashes (lightly bc metal gauntlets - ow) a powdery snowball right above Jubes' peacoat like an expert.

"You signed it in blood.  Not my fault you were so hardcore," Noriko pauses in her super speedy snowball making to say and shrug.  "I mean I /told/ you I'd accept invisible ink, but noooo."  Noriko ducks a snowball.  "Remind me to show you my new X-mas gadget."  She beams.  "We just need to arm it."

"BABY JESUS!" Noriko joyously yells as if it was a rallying war cry.  PANDEMONIUM!

Henry McCoy has posed:
Snowballs? HE LIVES FOR THIS! Years of the Danger Room has put him in peak condition! Henry dive, duck, dodges and dips around the incoming volley of snowballs - all while singing the whole time. Show off! He may, or may not, even have a simulation in said Danger Room for dodging thrown objects while singing. One will never know.

As Jubilee gives her outrageous pronouncments, he's chuckling in the song. You can't help the infectious laughter - the man having a bell of a good time. As he's taken hostage by Kitty, he holds his hands up, acting the role. Then the old woman makes a ruckus, and he's doubling over in laughter.

Simon Lasker has posed:
Simon Lasker raises his snowball as he turns to kitty. He mimes trying to 'shoot' around the 'hostage'.
"Put down the snowball and step away from the hostage! You haven't snowballed anyone yet. You can still walk away from this dry."
He attempts to mimic the way human cops talk in these sorts of situations. That is when the old lady makes herself known and all the joy runs out of his face.
"This isn't going to end well"
He knows how these sorts of things go and, he is worried. In his next experience, because there is a mutant present, the next thing that happens is the cops get called, and then come the choppers and swat and he is getting on the ground with his hands behind his head. He looks away from Hank and Kitty and looks at the old lady, expecting her to run back into the house with eyes full of panic.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "You take that back! You take that back right now, Nori!" Jubes hisses. "I will not sit idly by while you besmirch the good name of the Chocolate Chip cookie. It's always been there for you -- whenever you needed it!"

    When the snowball is crushed against her coat, Jubilee peers down at the matted snow stuck in the wool. "Friendly fire!" she exclaims, almost shocked that it happened. Jubilee's attention shifts away from her roommate and finally catches sight of the pandemonium they have unleashed.

    "When they write the history books, it's going to go... Gettysburg, Omaha Beach, Salem Center..." Jubilee says to Noriko, grinning at her as she ducks under a snowball. She throws a couple more, this time one or two at the old lady, and then drops the rest of the ones she's carrying. "...What's the gadget?" she asks, her eyebrows rising with interest. "And why do we have to arm it?" A dumb question. Of course it needs to be armed.

Jean Grey has posed:
Suddenly, it's no longer a caroling trip, it's the snowpocalypse! The snowballgeddon!

Simon and Jubilee are the major initial aggressors (even if Kitty REALLY started it), but soon it becomes pretty much an all-out thing. And hanging arm-in-arm with Rogue (and facing the wrong way), it's hard for Jean to dodge much of anything. Several wet thumps and resultant snowy explosions burst off the back of her puffy jacket, dusting her hair.

...which just ends up matching the red and white of her Santa hat. So festive! Jean gives a laughing shriek from all the wet and cold and promptly breaks away from Rogue so she can go running for some cover, or at least a snow pile to arm herself.

Somehow, the old lady is amazingly not hit with any herself. But nonetheless, the people she's trying to lecture about baby Jesus are totally ignoring her, and worse, having fun and -laughing- while they ignore her. Such insolence! "Now, now you listen to me! I oughta-"

What was that about no one aiming for her? Maybe it's one of the other younger students who doesn't have quite the sense of decorum about 'civillians,' but it doesn't take long before a few snowballs start flying at the house. They mostly miss the woman, but make audible thumps as they hit the paneling of the house, but a couple stray near the door and she makes a screech before shutting it: "Hooligans!"

Which makes Jean say something VERY professional: "Run for it!"

Unlike Simon, though, she's laughing, and as the redhead begins her retreat, she stops by him and reaches out a hand. "C'mon, it'll be fine. They're just snowballs, and we do this ever year. Miss Finemore's just an old grinch."

His fear is valid, to be sure, but tonight, the worst doesn't come to pass. Everyone is covered in snow, the music sheets are wet or lost, and they only really managed one house, but still- it's a GOOD night. The night, as the Professor will regale them when they're back in the warmth of the Mansion, before Christmas.