4950/We Got No Troubles Life Is The Bubbles Under The Sea

We Got No Troubles Life Is The Bubbles Under The Sea
Date of Scene:	31 January 2021
Location:	Fathom
Synopsis:	Jean, Rogue, Paige, Tabitha, Kitty and Warren go out for dinner to the fancy undersea Fathom restaurant in Happy Harbor. It went about as crazily as you'd expect.
Cast of Characters:	Kitty Pryde, Paige Guthrie, Warren Worthington, Tabitha Smith, Rogue, Jean Grey

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Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty and Warren had been at the school, and a discussion about interesting places to eat in the city had turned into a lively discussion with accompanying internet searches. And a name that emerged from the discussions that caught people's interest was Fathom, the underwater restaurant in Happy Harbor that had become a favorite for visitors to Staten Island.

A trip down to the restaurant sounded like a good idea. Particularly with the news that Warren was likely going to fund the meal for those who went! (Sorry Warren!)

The end result being the group of six arriving for the dinner hour. They move up to the hostess stand, where Kitty smiles at the woman. "Yes, party of six for dinner," she says.

The woman looks at Kitty and says, "Do you have a reservation?"

Kitty replies, "No, but-"

The hostess gives Kitty a smile which looks warm enough but you can tell she's given it so many times before. "I'm afraid it will be at least a two hour wait. If you like we can get your number and text you when a table is available?"

Kitty just turns to Warren, motioning him forward as she tags in the heavy hitter when it comes to getting a table in a chic New York eatery.

Paige Guthrie has posed:
Tapping away at her phone is Paige, who is dressed in a floral printed dress that hits at the knees, as well as a pair of black boots that is somewhat fashionable that she found at a discount clothing store. They aren't hokey at all!

"Ah' bet ah' can get us a reservation on that Yelp App thingy. Lemmie find th' place." She scrolls her finger along the glass, then wrinkles up her nose. "Oh. This place is way too fancy ta' be on here."

With a glance to Tabby, her shoulders lift upwards, then watches as Kitty nudges Warren forward. She gives a grin to her friend, dropping her voice.

"Ah bet he goes: 'Do you know who I am?' Ah' always wanted to see that in action."

Warren Worthington has posed:
Warren is hard to miss. Ever since going public with his mutant status the billionaire rarely hides his wings except for specific reasons. This isn't one of them. As Kitty tag teams him in Warren steps forward to the hostess and flashes that smile of his.

"Hi...Shannon. My name's Warren Worthington, and I am pretty sure there is a mistake. We should have a reservation for six on there, probably at one of the tables by the windows so we can see the fishes..." Warren reaches into his pocket and produces a money clip, slipping a couple of bills off the roll and sliding them over. "Right?"

Shannon blinks. It could be the wings, or the name, or the generous 'tip? he slid over but she nods. ?Oh...yes...of course! Me Worthington! Right this Way, we have a table all set up. Please, follow me!"

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Tabitha Smith wears a frilly red skirt that shimmers and wobbles all over amusedly when she walks because the frills are laced with beads, and a loose sweater hangs on her shoulders, so she's trying for the new trashy fashion record.

"Can't we just go to the Italian Basket? Or maybe the Food World?" she asks, trying her luck with the trashy restaurants too. She slides next to Paige and says, "Look up the Italian Basket and see if we can slide in," she suggests and grins when Paige suggests Warren step in and get all gangster. After Warren flashes the cash, Tabitha elbow nudges Paige and smiles, "Okay nevermind. I forgot we had a regular Al Pacino over here. You know, if anything goes wrong, maybe he'll make em swim with dah fishes," she says in her best stupid Italian accent.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue took her own vehicle to get here because she has plans later tonight in Manhattan. These plans are related to a party that she's attending. Her attire this evening is associated to this very same party.

Pale white makeup adorns Rogue's face, her lips are painted in a dark violet and her eyes are lined in an equally dark shade of the same color. Around her neck she's wearing a black leather collar with silver spikes. A small green tanktop is over her upper body with a baggy sheer see-thru top thrown on over that. Her lower body is covered over by a black leather mini skirt, and fishnet stockings worn beneath it that encase her legs, at least so far as going down to her knees where tall black leather boots cover the rest of her legs to her feet.

Over it all, the Belle is wearing a black leather motorcycle jacket. She looks, like a prostitute, it's true. But at least it's all nice and new clothing!

Her eyes look around the joint, as she just chews on a piece of minty gum she'd popped in to her mouth prior to jumping in to the truck she drove to join everyone else for dinner.

"Nice place." She quietly comments in her smoky voice.

Jean Grey has posed:
While Jean is not quite ROGUE levels of 'digging through dumpsters for her usual meals'-poor, where the mere mention free food is motivation enough to get her out someplace... it doesn't hurt! But really, it's the promise of a nice night out with several of her best friends, old and new, that pulls her away from her desk. That, and the desperate need for any excuse to get away from said desk!

Which sees them all at this curious restaurant, a new dining experience for Jean. While it's not exactly true to say she doesn't get out much (she takes the Blackbird some very exotic places), it's true that she doesn't have as much time for the kind of dazzling social life that someone like Warren lives. Back when they were students, on the other hand... oh the parties! But they're grownups now (well, SOME of them), and so she's in fairly grownup attire, a strapless cocktail dress a few shades shorter than the one from the gala- also it's not green, for once! Turns out she can do the little black dress look just fine.

"Ah, the Worthington magic," Jean declares, as he steps forward to sort of a table. "It never fails." Indoor voice: "And it's -slightly- more ethical than mind controlling the poor dear." What? SHE'D DO IT. Jean ain't got time for a two hour wait!

As Rogue joins them, she can't help but show a bit of surprise at her attire. "Uh, this is new. We didn't catch you in the middle of something, did we?" Her expression is definitely pure 'I am going to make you tell me allll about this.'

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty is wearing a black pair of slacks and a snug fitting turtleneck which is black slashed with silver. She slips a hand into the crook of Warren's arm as they head for the table. "As much as Ellie might complain about corporate capitalists and everything, I think she'd have been impressed," Kitty whispers over to Warren with a grin.

She moves over to take a seat, eyes on Rogue as she comes over to the table. That's probably the case for much of the restaurant though, at least while she's walking. Kitty considers her outfit and then asks Rogue, "Is Wayne Brady going to have to ch-"

Kitty's phone rings and she pulls it out, sending it to voicemail after checking who it was, and putting it into vibrate mode. "So, this place is supposed to have a great menu," she says. Kitty flashes a smile over to Paige and Tabitha. "Glad you two were able to make it." Jean gets a smile from her old friend as well. After, Kitty turns to glance out the huge window, now that they are over a dozen feet underwater, with fish swimming all around outside. No doubt they probably bait the area to make sure the customers have a lot to see.

Paige Guthrie has posed:
"Thank yah' so much for inviting us ta' come along. It sure means a lot. Team bonding and all." Paige has been filled with nothing but pride since Scott offered her a spot on the training team to work towards her goal. If anything, it has made her drive even hungrier to improve and work harder.

As she takes a seat, she gives an amused look to Tabitha. "Mister Worthington is so cool. Maybe one day we'll be able t'walk into a fancy place like this and get hooked up. Maybe even Italian Basket." She teases her friend a bit with a bump of the shoulder. Taking a look around at their environment, her eyes widen.

"Wow, is this what rich people do all the time? Go to places like this? Ah' think some of the entrees on here is more than my Ma's mortgage."

Warren Worthington has posed:
Nodding his thanks to Shannon, Warren follows to the table and proceeds to pull out the seats for his dinner companions, because that is how he was raised.

"Ok, dinner is on me, so feel free to order whatever you want from the menu."

Rogue's outfit for the evening causes a bit of a double take, but he covers with a smile, "And for those of you with ID, it's a three drink maximum."

After making sure the ladies are all sat, Warren takes his seat next to Kitty, "So, what looks good?"

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Tabitha Smith sits in a leather seat next to Paige and seems impressed by the decor, "Yeah, they do, Paige. You know, Warren could totally buy 3 or 4 Italian Baskets," she tells Paige amusedly. She smiles wider as Warren offers to pay, "Dang, so gentlemenily," she notes and grabs the menu.

She elbow nudges Paige again and says, "Hey, I guess they won't have chili dogs or Tuna Casarole?" she tells her amusedly and then hrms as she ....glances at the drinks menu, "Dang it anyway, these guys know my real age..." she mutters in her quiet, undercover voice to Paige.

"Oh hey, do you think the crab cake with the fancy ass sauce is any good?" she wonders.

Rogue has posed:
Once she's gotten her eye-full of the place, Goth Rogue looks over to Tabitha and Paige and flashes a grin. "Guthrie, Tabbycat. Good t'see ya came along." She notes to them before Jean draws her attention. A quick glance down at herself, then a grinning-look back up to the Headmistress.

"I hate my parents. I crave attention. The world sucks. Down with the establishment. So on'n'so forth." She states with a smirk. "Not really new for me. Ya shoulda seen me back in my mid teens. I rocked this stuff all the damn time." She shoots out an exhale and walks when Kitty and Warren lead them on.

The draw of the fishies garners Rogue's stare for a bit, before they arrive at their table. She takes a moment to pull her jacket off and drape it over the back of the chair she's claiming.

Some old guy, having dinner with his old wife, looks over at the Belle in her unusual attire. Rogue looks back at him and wiggles wave of gloved fingers his way before she sits down wit a huff.

"Thanks, War-war." She tells the buyer-of-the-night, reaching for the menu and instantly looking for the most expensive dish on the roster.

Jean Grey has posed:
"Well, I definitely wouldn't know," Jean answers Paige's question about the lifestyle of the rich and famous. "But judging from what glimpses I've gotten hanging around with Warren all these years... pretty much. I think between him, Charles, and now Miss Frost, we're going to end up spoiling you lot!"

She follows after the group and joins them in finding seats at the table, although her gaze remains fixated on Rogue most of the time, as if studying a rare, newly-discovered specimen of some forgotten species. It really looks like this has her thrown off! And Rogue's deadpan recitation of stereotypical teen Gothdrama doesn't seem like it fully convinces her either. "I... are you doing performance art?"

Now, probably, she could figure this all out with her powers... but that's an invasion of privacy and also not HALF as much fun. So she sits, smooths her dress, and continues to stare. Well, at least until the collective attention of the group turns outward to the water. "It's an interesting sort of ambience, for sure. Although I don't know that we're exactly known for the most exotic sea life around here."

When the menus come around, they prove another distraction from the weird display. "Anything you recommend, Mr. Moneybags?" she wonders at the presumed veteran diner in their bunch.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
A warm smile is given as her chair is pulled out for her as Kitty takes her seat. "Actually if Ellie was here... I'd love to see her reaction. I can't decide if she'd love it or feel you were stealing her shtick," Kitty tells Rogue. "Going out somewhere after, I take it?" she asks.

Kitty picks up the menu and looks it over. She grins and nods in agreement with Tabitha. "At least 3 or 4," she tells the other girl. "Mmm, this looks fantastic," she says of the menu. She does follow Jean's gaze over to Warren to see if he has a recommendation.

Before the waiter comes by, Kitty looks to Warren. "Maybe a bottle of wine for the less age-fortunate?" she suggests. Such as herself. As if figuring they could probably manage that with the meal more likely than ordering drinks individually.

Paige Guthrie has posed:
"Hi Rogue! Nice outfit." Paige says with a smile on her face, giving a lift of her brows upwards curiously. "Ya'look like you're ready t' join a biker gang, or .. be the leader of one. That's cool. Ah' wish ah' could pull off something daring like that."

As she flips through the menu, her eyes continue to widen at the prices. They go from double digits to three and she starts to look a tad nervous. She rakes the back of her neck with her fingers for a moment before glancing over to Tabitha.

"Ah'm pretty sure everything here is good. Ah'm kinda scared now. Ah ain't ever seen something for two hundred dollars before on a menu. Do they bring it out on a truck or something? That sounds like a lot of food."

She gives Jean a quick smile, brushing some blonde back behind her ear. "Ah'm not used t' being spoiled. It's so different from Kentucky."

Warren Worthington has posed:
Glancing over at Jean, Warren shrugs a shoulder with a grin. "This is my first time to this particular establishment, Red. I have no idea, though rule of thumb would be try the most expensive thing. They don't likely make many of it so it will always be fresh. Specials tend to be overstocked and they need to move it before it goes bad. Really though, if you see something that tickles you fancy, go for it. At worst we send to back and order something else."

Warren looks over to Kitty and nods, "Wine is an excellent idea. I'll get a few bottles for the table. A couple reds and a couple whites."

As the waiter comes over to drop off water, bread, and take drink orders Warren does just that and orders wine for the table.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Tabitha Smith reaches out and puts up the STOP sign as Rogue greets them, "Wait wait, rock it a little more, Rogue. Work it....! And theeeeeeen sit down," she grins and chuckles at her own joke.

"Since 'War-War' is buying, I should get two of these fancy ass crab cakes, don't you think?" she asks as she leans toward Paige, pointing at the menu price for a dinner with ONE crab cake "Or maybe they can grill up some of these goldfish here. I'll take a basket of em," she states amusedly, "And tartar sauce." She doesn't say anything as the adults order a mess of wine and crap for the table.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue moves to cross her legs at the knees when she feels her skirt shift against her left hip. "Ugh." She mutters. "The damn zippe'ah on this skirt won't stay zipped." The Belle mutters, which draws another look from that old dude at the table beside theirs!

Re-zipping, Rogue looks between Jean and Kitty and grins at them faintly. "Negasonic is legit, I'm a fraud. I always refused t'cut my hair any shorter than shoulder-length. Was too afraid." Her eyes roam over the menu. "And yeah, there's a party t'night, the theme is Dark Times. So yeah, here I am."

Once she decides what she wants she waits her turn and places the order, along with a drink, but she has to fish her ID out of her coat on her chair... which of course causes her skirt to do that thing again, which of course gets another groan.

Fixed, again!

Green eyes back up, Rogue sits back in her chair and sweeps her white bangs back out of her face. She grins over at Paige, whilst dropping her hands in to her lap. "Just do it, no regrets. That's what I say. Right, Tabby? You got my back on this, I'm of it." AFter showing a grin upon dark purple lips, Rogue's eyes shoot up to look at a colorful fish swimming by. "Oooo, Nemo."

Jean Grey has posed:
"You know Paige, you might be surprised. Go a little further north of the school, and it starts getting pretty rural. Lot of farms in upstate New York," Jean points out. "Lots of cows. It's just that the city is a bit crazy, and it basically just attracts... everything. Money. Talent. Supervillains. Take your pick."

Warren's 'just order the most of thing' suggestion is... well, it's a very Warren suggestion. But it doesn't quite seem to sort out her uncertainty, especially since she can assume that is what Rogue is getting. And Jean's one of those weird people with a strange compulsion to try and make sure everyone orders different things. Variety! "I think wine's a fine idea," she does pipe up to agree with Kitty. Evidently, half the party being technically underage doesn't bother her in this instance. There's a big difference to students sneaking booze around school and having a glass of wine with a meal at a fine restaurant. Foodwise, she finally decides on one of the tasting courses, because what goes with indecision like variety?

"Ooooh, a party?" Now Jean is curious. Though, with a quick side glance, she teases her friend: "Stop flirting, you're going to give that guy a heart attack."

Kitty Pryde has posed:
"Dark Times?" Kitty repeats of the theme. "Are you sure you won't show up and everyone else are wearing priest robes, Spanish Inquisition outfits and peasant robes?" Kitty teases. More seriously she tells ROgue, "Cool, hope it's a fun one."

Warren ordering the wine garners a smile from Kitty, and soon the sommelier is there, offering Warren the cork and pouring him a first glass to give his approval if he does, before pouring for the rest of the table.

Kitty leans over towards Paige. "Get something you think sounds good. Sometime when your Mom comes out to visit, maybe we can come back with her and Sam," Kitty suggests.

A nod of agreement is given to Jean's comment. "Plus we've got the horses at the school, and the student gardens," she says. "I know Sam used to love working with both of them before he went off to the academy."

Kitty then follow the glance over to the other table, looking discretely. "Probably going to get the guy's wife lucky tonight, at this pace," Kitty says quietly before laughing and grinning to Rogue.

Paige Guthrie has posed:
"Ah' get that. It's just a bit different being in a place like this ah' suppose. Stick me in th' DR and put me up against bad guys and ah'm obviously awesome. But stick me in a dress and put me in front of a menu like this and ah' sorta get all lost in mah' head."

Paige is flipping back and forth through the pages, trying her best to not just stick with the free bread on the table. She bites on her bottom lip, glancing to Tabitha, then back to the menu with a sigh. After another minute of hemming and hawing, she finally decides to land on a sirloin and lobster dish. Surf n' Turf for the Red Lobster crowd.

Wine? Her brows lift upwards, giving a grin to the others, not refusing 'that' type of offer. It's not as if she and Sam weren't sneaking Moonshine off when they were younger.

She looks over towards the man staring at the table, then back to Rogue with a soft laugh. "Or in trouble with his wife."

Warren Worthington has posed:
Giving his nod for the wine, Warren waits till the sommelier pours the glasses and raises his, in a little gesture. "To good friends."

Warren orders a lobster frittata with caviar and a 4oz Kobe steak for his dinner, closing the menu and setting it to the side, "Maybe both. He might start out in trouble, but end up in 'trouble'," Warren says with a grin. "Either way, best of luck to him ."

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Tabitha Smith orders two of the crab cakes and tells the waitress to FLOP them onto one plate like pancakes, "Yeah, and you've got tartar sauce right? Slop some of that on there too. Yeah, just throw it on," she says, "They're...blue crab cakes, so they must be good," she states after the waitress leaves, smiling because she's secure in her logic. She ooos and ahhhs like she's at a stadium as Paige orders the magical surf n' turf.

"Oh Rogue, check it out, I like my hair short. I've worn my hair short for a while, actually. I had it long a few years ago then I got it hacked off. You should cut yours, you'd look totally hot," she says. She smiles at Jean and Warren then smirks back at this Rogue lady, "I didn't hear about no party, dang," she comments, as if she's the phone book for parties. She pushes her empty little wine glass into place, making sure it's in the correct spot to get filled up, at least hoping for some booze in the restaurant, if not at a party.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue sends a glance over to the couple to her left at their own table, offering the man a smile as the wife's back is still turned to her. She then looks back to Jean, then Kitty, then Tabitha, then Warre, then the table!

"I ain't flirtin'. Guy looks like a banker or something. How is that excitin' for me? I need /thrills/ ya'll." She looks up again at everyone. "Besides. Marriage is a weird concept at its very foundation. If'n they chose t'put themselves in it, then they chose t'deal with all the pitfalls there-in. Ain't my damn problem." She says gruff-like, her arms folding over her stomach as she leans back in her chair with her legs crossed.

At least until the wine is poured and offered. This gets her to reach out and accepts a glass to sip from it. "Ya'll are welcome t'come to the thing if ya want. Dark Times is pretty open ended, and I doubt anyone's really deep enough, intellect wise, t'go where Miss Pryde there went with it. Just say you're from a Boardin' School theme. Those things are laced with dark undertones, right?"

She grins and looks to Tabitha then specifically. "You look great with the short style. I like my long flowin' locks. Especially when I get down from flyin', and they're all wind-swept..." She tips her chin back, raises a hand up to run it over the side of her hair, self petting herself!

More wine sipping then though.

Jean Grey has posed:
With students coming from so many different backgrounds, there's always going to be some culture clash, some difficulty adapting," Jean muses, still obviously reflecting on Paige's difficulties. "But if you think about it, it's a great opportunity to expand your horizons a bit. And there's no one here who's going to judge you for it. Think of it like a Danger Room session for social graces, even. A chance to put on a dress, get out, and flex your fancy. I think that was part of the idea behind the gala, too." Well, maybe it was Jean's idea behind putting Emma in charge of it. Emma probably just did as Emma does!

Once they've got wine at the table, that's sure to be a bit of a relaxing factor too, and she's quick to get a sip as quickly as her glass is poured. Wine makes everything easier! Sip sip. "Banker's better than 'overly friendly father you'll have to see at parent-teacher conference night,' at least," she shoots back at Rogue, apparently referencing some incident that is better left in only hazy detail for the rest of the table!

"So these 'Dark Times,' is it just some rave or dance thing? Or are you legit in a weird cult now? It kind of has the sound of some Hellfire Club wannabes." And yet Jean seems just a little toooooo curious. "The night's young, after all. And a little black dress works anywhere." Also, she can molecularly transmute the material of her clothing, if you wanna get TECHNICAL about things. Magical girl transformation sequence, go!

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde flashes a smile over to Paige. "You look killer when you're dressed up though. Just need to own it and work it," Kitty says with a laugh. "I should introduce you to Janet. Van Dyne that is. I have a contract at her company. And seriously, she'll have you walking like a runway model in a couple of minutes," Kitty adds.

Kitty places an order, one of the Japanese sushi dishes. "This kind of looks like something I had in Japan. Which I never got the name of. Or... ah, paid for. It was when I stowed away unexpectedly and... well I was hungry," she says, blushing slightly. "Anyway, I hope it turns out to be the same thing. I've always wondered what it was."

She looks back around the table. "Hey, dad was a banker, go easy on the occupation!" she tells Rogue. Kitty looks over to Jean then. "Jean, by the way. I know I said I might have more time since the contract at Fisk Enterprises ended and I just have the other. I might not be able to be around more though. I'm going to be staying in the city a lot more, but I'll still come up on the days I said I would."

Paige Guthrie has posed:
"You're right, Miss Grey. Ah' could think of this as a training scenario." Paige says with a chuckle as she straightens up a bit in the chair.

The idea of being introduced to the famous Janet Van Dyne catches her attention. Her brows lift up higher into her blonde bangs. "You really think so? Ah' dunno, that dress ah' got cost me ah' lot of money from working mah' summer jobs at th' diner. Thank you very much. Means ah' lot. Ah' just wanna fit in best ah' can and not look like a bumpkin."

Taking the wine, she gives a small sip from her glass, then places it to her left side of the plate, favoring her ambidextery.

From here, she begins to drink in the rest of the conversation, following along with the other topics.

Warren Worthington has posed:
"As a member of said Hellfire Club...more power to the wannabes, Jean." Warren chortles as he sips at his wine, "I inherited my membership from my dad, and god knows I do NOT want to know what he was doing there. I don't tend to go, even though I am on the 'list'.

The talk about Dark Times does hold his interest though, "I'd think about going, but something tells me that if I showed up it would ruin the whole vibe. Angel in the darkness."

Warren looks to Kitty as she mentions staying in the city more, and flits his eyes over to Jean for a brief second before finding his wine very interesting.

"If your ever in the city, I have guest rooms. Always welcome to crash there if you ever need" he says to the table.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Tabitha Smith elbows Paige and nods with a grin in agreement with Kitty, "Yeah, you can work it and get paid!" she says about being a model. She then inclines her neck and spies on this banker everybody keeps talking about, but quickly gets distracted as the waitress starts filling up her glass with some magical wine.

Tabitha makes makes a repeated motion with her hand, so the waitress keeps on filling that glass way past the proper amount. Tabitha grins wickedly at the tall glass of wine as if she's getting away with something and snickers, nudging Paige cause she thinks it's so funny. She sips some of it.

"I had a cheese cracker membership once---was pretty cool," she states trashily after Warren's comments.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue's eyes go up to Jean's, then over to Warren's. She looks mildly surprised.

"It's at the Hellfire Club." She tells them both, regarding Jean again. "Did ya pluck that outta my head?"

She's never heard of the place until tonight. Clearly.

"Is it nice?" She's now asking Warren specifically, raising her glass up for another sip. "If it's a cult, like indoctrination, now I'm even more interested in attendin' this things." The glass is lowered back to her lap and she grins at Jean again.

"Let me know if ya need any help with those parents, some time, I'll set'em straight."

To Tabitha, Rogue narrows her eyes. "What's that?" She asks. "Like a cheese and cracker of the month club?"

Jean Grey has posed:
"There's definitely a lot of networking opportunities," Jean goes on, continuing on this train of thought about student social graces after Kitty throws Janet into the mix. "Another advantage of the city bringing people together, and the connections the school can help you build. With the support system you have, its just a matter of deciding what you want to do, and pursuing it, really." Looking from Paige to Tabitha, she extends this to a more generalized pep-talk.

Which also means she can't really complain about Kitty's changing schedule. "Oh, its fine. I do hope our graduates find their own lives, rather than hanging around the school forever." There's a meaningful sideglance at Rogue. "And here we've got two of them doing it together. Can I really complain?" Aw. But, naturally she has a bit of ribbing in store for her old classmate, especially as he looks down into his wine: "Even if Warren did skip a couple classes worth of students to find one he liked."

However, Rogue's admission is a bit of a record-skip moment, and draws Jean's attention back with a snap. She's well aware of Warren's familial ties, but Rogue gussying herself up in her Goth best to hang out there is a bit of a surprise. "No, it was just a guess- the collars sort of fit their aesthetic. You really do have to be careful around those people, you know. Remember what they did-" And there's a meaningful look from her to Kitty and back.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde sees Warren's sudden, deep interest in wine, and for once it's her that gets to quirk the tiny smile instead of having the color in her cheeks. "We... well, we were keeping it kind of quiet at first, but, well, yeah," she says, and she gets a warmer smile and reaches over to rest her hand in Warren's for a moment. "I don't think it's a secret at this point. But yes. He's making me very happy," Kitty says.

She doesn't go on further than that, just has that smile. Though it slips a bit as she realizes it's the Hellfire Club. "Rogue. Really, you maybe shouldn't go," she says. "There's no telling what might happen. And I don't mean that in a party sense," she says.

Kitty clears her throat a bit, just as the food arrives. Each plate set down before everyone. "Oh look octopus!" Kitty says. THen, "No no, not on a plate, the window," she says. Sure enough there's a large octopus swimming along, gliding through the water seemingly past the window.

"How are your crab cakes, Tabitha? Those look good."

Paige Guthrie has posed:
Once her food arrives, Paige slips her phone out and takes a picture of it, then sends a text of it to Sam and Jay for a bit of bragging. "Wow." She breathes out at the sight of it. So fancy. She nods her head to Jean with a grin. "Well, now that Mister Summers has me in the training program, I'll be focusing on that after graduation and attending one of the local Universities. Ah' got accepted into Harvard and MIT but ah'm gonna pass on it for now." She takes her knife in her hand expertly and slices into the steak as she holds the other end down with the fork. Meat, she knows. Farm life and all.

"Ah'm gonna study Computer Engineering. Doctor McCoy said he's gonna continue mentoring me and help me out when he can so that ah' can continue to have th' top grades. Ah'm pretty excited all and all." She elbows Tabtiha back with an amused look, then takes another sip of her wine.

The topic of the Hellfire Club gains her interest as she looks from Kitty's concern, then back to Rogue. "Hellfire Club? Is that like .. ah..." She pauses, looking uncomfortable. ".. Is that for devil worshippers? Like ah' Satanist cult?" Rogue's soul is at stake here!

Warren Worthington has posed:
"Hey! I had my sights set on this redhead back in the day, but she had this thing for my best friend..." Warren laughs, leaning back to sip at his wine. "Just turns out I just had to wait." He glances over at Kitty and smiles to her, giving her hand a squeeze as her hand touches his.

Rogue's revelation that the party is at the Hellfire Club also causes Warren to look to the gothed out woman. "Seriously, I can't tell you not to go...but don't go. It's not a good place. Who invited you? Usually admittance is invite or members only."

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Tabitha Smith grins at Rogue, "Oh you'd love it, Rogue. It's /way/ better than the Hellfire Club. Way better! You get a whole BOX full of crackers and cheeses and those salami log thingies---every month---! Does the Hellfire Club send you sweet ass boxes of food like that? Yeah, I don't think so," she tells her.

"Hey wait, you're gonna pass on Harvard? Are you nuts?" she asks Paige with a smirk, but then raises her hand and flags down the waitress again, "Hey yeah, top me off will ya?" she says, but the waitress looks confused and frowns, having never heard that suggestion before. Tabitha motions to the wine glass and the waitress adds more, "Yeah, top my friend off too," she suggests, pointing to Paige's glass. She thinks it's so funny and chuckles.

She mostly ignores Jean's comments about "career" and "connections", although comments, "I should design the next cool-ass care-package thing," she says as she forks her expensive dinner into the pool of cheap tartar sauce on her plate, "Yeah, pretty awesome---oh how about a crab care package? You want some crabs every month?" she asks Kitty somewhat amusedly.

Rogue has posed:
As the others PRATTLE ON, Rogue reaches in to her black leather jacket on her chair and pulls out her phone. Flipping it around in her dark green gloved hands, she brings it upright and-- oop, nope, still upside down --she flips it over one last time, THEN turns the screen on with a swipe-y-push.

After a second of futzing with her phone, she pulls up the e-mail that was foraded to her by apparently a member of the Hellfire club, she shows it to Jean since Jean is seated closest to her with Hellfire knowledge.

The email has the plans about the party, and a layout of appropriate attire options to base one's apparel on for the night.

It's then that Rogue's eyes look up to Kitty first, a grin showing. "What could any'a those nerds do t'me?" She arrogantly says, whilst the food arrives and people get their plates sorted, a glance given to this Oct-o-pus.

From the tentacle monster, Rogue looks to Paige and shows her a light smirk at her question. "Nah, it's probably a sex thing. I think that's what they're gettin' at. Everything in this city is rooted in some kinda damn debauchery. Even S'Barro's has a dungeon in it, I bet..."

Jean Grey has posed:
The seriousness of the Hellfire situation does sort of dominate Jean's attention, even if the other chatter is what she'd rather be focused on. This isn't supposed to be a work thing. "Name aside, they're not really- but honestly? It's close enough, Paige. Its an exclusive social club, but some of the people behind it, at the deepest levels, are very bad folks." She neither confirms or denies the KINKY SEX aspect.

"A few of them are mutants, with a very different idea of what their gifts mean, as well." While she's explaning this, she accepts Rogue's phone to take a look. "They captured Kitty, who can become untouchable. They subdued Emma when she stopped going along. So I wouldn't be so sure they couldn't hurt you," she tells Rogue, seriously. "But honestly... maybe this is an opportunity. You're dressed up, you may as well go- but a couple of us are definitely coming along."

And then she hands the phone back. END OF SHOP TALK.

"Wow, this looks delicious," she declares, eying her meal, which is... well, its a small portion of fish, not sushi-ish like Kitty was looking at, but a mix where they've cooked it in some French style. Mostly its an excuse to talk about something else.

"It actually sounds like you have things worked out pretty well," she tells Paige, getting back to the boring-to-Tabitha inspirational teacher stuff. "If your only problem is wearing fancy dresses, I think you're in a good place." Also, she eyerolls at Warren a bit. "Oh please. It was only because I was the only girl there. You -all- had crushes." Beat. "Except maybe Bobby."

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty looks over at Rogue, also serious. "They could bring in... Emma II and zap your brain. They could put a collar on you before you know what they are doing. They could gas you. Do I need to make a list?" Kitty says, keeping her voice way down. "They were killing mutants for their powers, AM. And Nori and I were next on the list."

she leans back in her chair. She's rattled, that much is obvious. And anyone at the table who didn't know the source of Kitty's ongoing mistrust of Emma Frost, probably has more insight into it now.

It takes Kitty a few moments to get past the topic enough to try to her food. Even then she stirs at it on her plate for a bit. Finally she takes takes a bite of it. "It's pretty close. I think. It was quite a few years ago," she says of the food. "Anyone want to try it? Yes it is raw fish."

Paige Guthrie has posed:
Blinking her eyes, Paige looks horrified at these revelations. "Wait? So .. this is a sex club that is killin' mutants?" She gives her head a shake, trying to contain her thoughts. "Yah' definitely shouldn't go! This is terrible." She squeezes the knife in her hand a bit tighter, feeling her knuckles bleed before she relaxes her hand and puts it down safely next to her plate.

She looks over at Jean for a moment, then back to Rogue. She takes a longer sip of her wine once it's refilled, killing half the glass, then leans back to stare at her food, having lost her appetite.

Warren Worthington has posed:
Warren frowns, looking from Jean to Rogue and back before he sighs, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "I'll make a call, get you on the list Jean. Who else?"

The angel's eyes shift over to Paige,"No Harvard? But that is my alma matter," he says sadly. "I'll take it that also means you aren't going to be interning at WI? That's a shame, but still hit me up about that portfolio."

He glances to Kitty, reaching down to pat her hand comfortingly as he turns back to look at the table. "Let's table that talk for now and just enjoy dinner. We can discuss more about it after."

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Tabitha Smith smirks a bit and looks at Paige, "I heard it's a fancy ass sex party club. Probably elitist jerks or something. Dunno why you'd wanna party with jerks," she shrugs, eating some more of her crab cakes plural. She takes a long long long sip from her wine glass.

Paige Guthrie has posed:
"Psh." Paige mutters to Tabitha, shrugging her shoulders upwards. "Harvard isn't all that big of a deal." Until Warren says it's his alma matar. She clears her throat. "Well, ah' mean.. ah' wanted to join the team and work with you, so, staying local just makes things way easier. Ah' don't got to go to the most fancy and expensive place ta' get my degree." She picks up her utensils again and slices into her steak, mixing it up with some mashed potatos.

She lets out a slow sigh, growing quiet from here out as she listens to the others talk about Rogue's decision and to hopefully learn more about this club. ".. I'd go also to add another layer of protection. As an Omni-Morph, ah' can at least change up mah' appearance some. Brown hair, brown eyes, whatever."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue narrows her eyes in Kitty's direction after taking another sip of wine. "That's who did that stuff t'ya?" She asks. "I thought it was..." She doesn't finish that thought, it doesn't really matter. She looks to Jean next, who says she's joining her for the party, then to Warren who's making the arrangement, but also says to let the topic settle for now. Which leaves the Belle quiet for a moment while she just contemplates it all. Her phone on her lap now, after being handed back to her, she glances down at it when it buzzes with a notification.

"Food's good, far as stuff from the ocean goes anyway." She's from Mississippi! Her glass is held up for the waiter when they check in. "Top me off." She adds, since it's the way of things.

Jean Grey has posed:
"Thanks. That'll be a help," Jean tells Warren, but otherwise, it seems they've had a meeting of the minds as goes tabling the talk for now. It's pretty hard to enjoy one's weird French-Japanese seafood while talking about people being collared, gassed or brain-scrambled.

"They've got non-seafood," she feels she has to point out to Rogue, who is daring to complain at the super fancy fixings! "My tasting menu's got... beef bavette I think it was, on one of the later courses? I don't even know what that is, but it's probably not from the ocean." See? Even Jean falls short on the froofies of froo froo city fashionable living. Also, since Kitty is offering a bite and she's happy to be non-fancy and make this family style: "I'll trade you a bite of mine if you want!"

And this is the story of how Warren never invited them out again.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde just gives Rogue a nod back in confirmation without going into it more. "Oh yes," Kitty says to Jean then, the two swapping amuse bouche-sized tastings of their dishes with each other. Kitty takes a bit of it and lets out a heavenly sigh. "Well, the recommendations on the place certainly weren't wrong," she says of the restaurant.

"I really like the ocean window too," she comments. "It's very soothing just sitting here and seeing the fish swim around," Kitty says. She leans towards the window a little bit, peeking left and right. "No Aquaman around today though," she says, resting back in her chair normally.

Kitty is with Rogue in getting her wineglass topped off. A little buzz from the liquid will serve her well after the earlier topic.

Warren Worthington has posed:
Warren nods to Jean, wiping his mouth again with a napkin as he rises from the table. "I'll go take care of it.". He leans over and give Kitty a peck on the cheek, "I'll be back in a moment. I'll take care of the check while I am up."

Warren makes his way towards the front of the restaurant to take care of things. Moments later, an entire 6 tier chocolate cake is brought to the table, and the wait staff gathers around Rogue to embarrassingly sing 'Happy Birthday'

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Tabitha Smith blinks speechlessly at the six-tier chocolate cake, and joins in on the celebrating and singing for Rogue. She just peers at the chocolate cake endlessly, "Wow..." she finally says, "Happy Birthday Rogue."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue's eyes are on whatever food she ordered as she has a grin on her purple lips to what Jean said to her. "If I ordered something non-seafood related, then ya'll woulda dog-piled on me for being 'that southern hick who can't eat outside her safe space'." She takes a forkfull of her food then and chews on it. "Besides, I can't ju---"

And then the music and cake thing happens.

Rogue goes perfectly still, like she'd just realized a predator was hunting her in the woods. She holds perfectly still like that throughout the song, up to the arrival of the cake in to her peripheral vision.

When the singing stops, she summons up a smile and sits up.

*ziiiip*

"Ugh." Rogue reaches down to fix her skirt.

"Thanks, ya'll. That was beautiful." Nevermind everyone looking at her when her skirt just unzipped down her left hip and thigh. FORGET ABOUT IT.

"Mmmmm, chocolate!" She smirks AT KITTY.

Jean Grey has posed:
Happily doing her little trade with Kitty, Jean gives a rather enthusiastic 'mmm' when she finishes her taste. "Oh, I can see why you've been on a quest to find this again. Our restaurant guide really has outdone himself, hmm?" Plenty of praise to go around for Warren, before he slips off to attend to the check and his SECRET business. Meanwhile, another laugh. "They should hire him for promotional events." Aquaman that is. Then again, when you're as fancy a place as this one, you probably don't have to resort to those kind of stunts.

"No we wouldn't!" she turns to tell Rogue, although on this count, Rogue has her number: there would have been some ribbing, at least. "And besides, don't you eat a whole bunch of catfish where you're from? Seafood, riverfood. That's basically the same thing!" Yet this Rogue teasing is interrupted by... more Rogue hazing, as the surprise second birthday rolls in.

Of course, Jean sings! And then it is official cake-time.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty flashes a big smile at Warren as Rogue's surprise birthday cake is delivered, with a full restaurant wait staff to serenade her. Of course it draws the eyes of everyone in the restaurant, while Kitty just grins from ear to ear during it.

After, they return to their duties and the cake gets distributed, and the restaurant go back to eating. Kitty finishes up her plate and then starts in on a bit of the chocolate cake. "Woah is this good. And moist. I think I'm never going to make a cake again after tasting what they should be like," she says. Truly, she shouldn't have been baking cakes in the first place. Total kitchen disaster.

The small group of mutants finish up their meals and dessert, as others about the restaurant finish and depart. The older gentlemen at the table next to them rises, helping his wife to her feet and into her jacket. He says something to her and then walks over slowly to the group's table.

He leans down to Rogue and slips a business card over onto the table in front of her. Then he straightens and walks back to his wife.

"What was that?" she asks him.

"Just telling her happy birthday," he says, hand on her lower back as they depart.