5563/Brisket Night!

Brisket Night!
Date of Scene:	13 March 2021
Location:	Dining Hall
Synopsis:	Friday Brisket happens at Xavier's. Everyone comes to eat and to meet the new kid. Plans are made to do this again.
Cast of Characters:	Kassandra Pagonis, Xi'An Coy Manh, Henry McCoy, Quentin Quire, Rogue, Jubilation Lee, Logan Howlett, Kitty Pryde, Jean Grey, James Proudstar

---

Kassandra Pagonis has posed:
Sixteen hours.

That's how long Kassandra manned the smoker in the backyard. From about 8pm until a little past lunch, the dark-haired woman was steadily adjusting, feeding, wrapping, and doing all sorts of things to several extremely tough chunks of meat to make them quivering, soft chunks of meat, ready to be sliced and served to hungry students. Beef ribs, brisket, baby-back ribs, and some marinated beef tenderloin given to her by Xi'an at some point were set in serving dishes, ready to be doled out. Well, not the beef tenderloin stuff - that was Xi'an's, and you don't just give someone's meat away.

Xi'An Coy Manh has posed:
Shan comes in at the appointed hour bearing a small clear plastic bin that is full of... romaine lettuce leaves. Washed, crisp, apparently top quality. She also has the intent expression that Kassandra has likely seen with many people. "Kassandra, this is astounding of you to do and I am so glad that you were willing to throw that in for me," Shan says as she draws closer. "I'd like to share a little with you."

"Here, pass me a knife and I can slice this up for you if you're not still - - did you work in a restaurant?" says Shan, briefly thunderstruck by the sheer scale of the visible operation. "I hadn't had a chance to make something like this in years since there was never enough demand." What is the secret of this enigmatic tenderloin!? (Kassandra could probably guess from the pungent smell of the marinade that it involved some kind of fish sauce.)

Kassandra Pagonis has posed:
     There are several side dishes being set up that were provided by Henry McCoy, as well as a few others, but those are out of the way of the carving station. "Oh, you're welcome. I had just enough room on the smoker. There may be a little contact here and there but I was careful to not hit it with anything but what you put on it. It smells /really/ good."

     The tray with the beef tenderloin is opened and a pair of tongs is brought into play, the whole thing lifted out and laid on the board, the pan full of all sorts of lovely juices for dipping. A carving knife and fork are laid down, handle facing towards Shan for her to pick up, Kassandra watching curiously. She's guessing thin. Paper thin, even, to get wrapped in the lettuce leaves. "No, no restaurant. Just weekends with my dad. I kind of picked it up and the whole process is very relaxing, even though it takes many hours and a lot of work. I smell like smoke...and that's a good thing, I think."

Xi'An Coy Manh has posed:
"Perfect," says Shan, circulating to wash her hands and then obtain knife and fork. She begins slicing up her appointed tenderloin, and Kassandra's guess is essentially right, although the slices may be a smidge thicker than she expected. They would definitely be chopstick-friendly, even if this may not be her plan.

"... more than I thought... it's strange to have meat be so cheap," she half-thinks aloud. Her eyebrows lift as she says, "Ah! How active a process is it? I suppose from your description you must be in and out of the thing throughout - this is already tremendously succulent, too, I can tell."

Henry McCoy has posed:
After the wonderful, relaxing morning and early afternoon - Henry had busied himself with making cornbread. Trays and trays of cornbread. Once all were settled, the trays were shuttled over to the dining room. He breathes in deeply, enjoying all the aromas of the food provided. "A feast. And this will happen every Friday? I will need to work out more." The Beast chuckles.

"You were smoking something as well, then?" He asks of Shan, offering a wave and smile to Kass.

Kassandra Pagonis has posed:
"She just asked for some space on the smoker." Kassandra says from her side of the table, watching Shan slice her meat a little thicker than lunchmeat. Shabu-shabu thickness, she'd say. Something thick enough to give some chew but not too thick as to slip out of chopsticks if they're soaked in sauce. "It's all her recipe. I just kept the temperature steady and pulled it off the heat when she said to." A glance to shan. "Six hours looks about right."

One would never have considered Beast a cook, and cornbread, despite its simplicity, takes a little...okay, a lot of effort to pull off right without using a mix. Getting it fluffy with the cracked tops, but moist, with the crumbly, buttery goodness, is hard, and from what Kassandra can tell, Henry pulled it off splendidly. "I hope people come and eat. I mean...." she scans the tables. "I like me some food, but all this is a lot for just us three."

Quentin Quire has posed:
Quentin Quire makes his way in, wearing a sleeveless tank top in tangerine and lime with the words TOP ME DADDY imprinted on the front. His multi-colored hair is pulled up into a topknot with the sides of his heads shaved as he takes a long draw on a vape pen and finds a spare bit of counter space to plop himself down on.

"Hola, muchachos and muchachettes. Somebody apparently slaughtered an entire cow family and decided to eat them together all at once. It's kind of sick, but I'm impressed."

Xi'An Coy Manh has posed:
"I'm planning to eat most of this over the course of the week," Shan tells Kassandra, having reserved about a third of the tenderloin for, presumably, other applications. "But here now when it's hot and fresh - Hello!" she calls to Henry. "Here, hold on, try this."

Shan puts the cutlery down and asks Kassandra, "Pass me some little dipper things. Cups. Rami... you know what I mean." After more hand-rinsing, Shan produces a bottle of golden-clear sauce with Vietnamese writing on it and futzes apart her own sliced meat. Once things are in order, she wraps several slices up in a lettuce leaf and dips it in sauce, raising it up just in time to answer Quentin with an audible "crunch."

Kassandra Pagonis has posed:
     Little dipper things...oh, ramekins! Kassandra ducks down in one of the cabinets, rummages around and, voila! Little round dipping dish thingies! "I'm guessing we put some of the drippings into these, or do you have sauce somewhere on you?" Whre she manages to hide a sauce bottle will be surprising! Also, as the one who actually did all the cooking of this herd of cows (techically three, if you count two briskets per cow, plus one and a half pigs for their ribs), Kassandra looks pleased with the meat production. It smells really good in her opinion, although some vegans might consider this evil and disgusting, but they're vegan, so they're weak, so their opinions don't count.

"By sick you mean delicious, right? 'cause I spent sixteen hours makin' this....so...yeah. You want some brisket?" The new kid made meat for the house!

Henry McCoy has posed:
A grin to Kass, the man nodding. "Oh, I recall - just wasn't certain as to what she was working on." A wink, the big man finding a seat after collecting up a plate. His nostrils flare, scenting the spices in Shan's delicacy. "That smells great." He offers over to her with a nod. "Ramikans?" He guesses on the word.

Cornbread! He starts fixing himself a healthy plate - happy to sample just about everything. "Welcome, Quentin. Come to enjoy the food?" He asks, looking over to the newcomer.

Rogue has posed:
Obviously the scents of a BBQ around the school's exterior has the smell of the food all over the property, and obviously this would attract just about every person living at the school w wasn't pre-disposed for other reasons tonight.

Rogue smelled the food from the frontyard on her way back from town. She'd parked her truck in the garage and made her way through the school with some grocery bags hanging at her sides. Her sunglasses on, her leather bomber jacket on, and blue jeans with a red sweater under the jacket. She drops the bags off i nthe kitchen, riases her sunglasses up to her white haired brow, and makes her way in to the dining room. She looks around, taking in ... all of it.

"Well hell. this is a nice change'a pace." the Belle says to those within ear shot of her.

Kassandra Pagonis has posed:
It's one of the things that generally attract people, but the fact that Texas BBQ normally doesn't show up anywhere this far north on any kind of regular basis means that if Xavier's needed to hold a fundraiser for some reason, this would be the way to do it assuming Kassandra could keep up with the demand. Moving to the cutting station once Shan has cleared out, one of the briskets gets pulled out, jiggling like it's made of jello, almost. Meaty, delicious jello.

"Ain't half bad, huh?" Kassandra looks up at the newly-arrived woman with the white streak in her hair. Someone she's only seen in passing a few times in the hall. "You want any? Got brisket, beef ribs, some baby back ribs, and unfortunately, Shan's beef stufy is reserved for her lunches for the rest of the week." She slices off one of the burnt ends - the best part, in her opinion - and sets it aside for the special people.

Quentin Quire has posed:
Quentin Quire grins, "I mean sick as in demented and delicious. They're not mutually exclusive. If we allowed ethical concerns to begin to affect what we ate, half of us would starve and it wouldn't even be the good half that probably deserve it," he sighs.

He floats a few baby back ribs to himself, making it easier to keep his fingers clean by not using them at all, a napkin hovering close at hand to wipe his mouth in the aftermath of the biting. "Please, never for a moment think I'm moralizing at you. I'm a relativist in the extreme, outside of the fact that I'm always on my own side. What's best for me is always what's best as far as I'm concerned."

Xi'An Coy Manh has posed:
Shan finishes her bite of the improvised beef wrap, and then gestures with it towards Quentin and his shirt. "Is that a brand name or a request?" she asks him, raising her eyebrows as she asks, albeit lightly. She then raises the wrap to say, "I'm putting most of this away, the rest is there, free for the taking!" (It was marinated in fish sauce, lime juice and a smidge of chili paste with lemongrass. The dippy things are more fish sauce with chili.)

"It's WILD," Shan tells the incoming Rogue. "Kassandra, does the entire process work if we turn out to be unable to overcome all this hot beef? I mean, we're early, so I have faith in the student body. But some possibilities can't be ruled out."

Kassandra Pagonis has posed:
"I think it's a simple phrase that's loaded sexual innuendo, Shan. Somethin' to freak out th' squares." Kassandra's accent slips in as she slices the brisket thin, but not pastrami thin. Thin as a #2 pencil. The fatter stuff gets cut thicker, turned, the juice oozing out of the meat in the best way.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue is still just arriving and settling in to the aftermath of a BBQ that's seemingly been going on for awhile while she was in town all day dealing with taking kids to appointments...

"Don't mind if I do." The southern girl says with a grin to the offered food. She steps over to where the plates and utensils are to take off her gloves, stuff them in to her jacket pocket and start to get herself an array of options.

"God this smells amazin'." She adds, filling up a plate and moving to where she can find a selection of drinks, only to snatch one up. "Finally a meal choice that reminds me of my roots." She states with a grin on her way to a place to sit now.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    In the distant halls of the mansion, chaos and discord is being sowed. Vague sounds of complaining students, books falling to the ground, and general disarray start to get louder and louder. Finally, the thick doors of the dining hall part and swing inward to reveal...

    JUBILATION LEE.

    The young mutant skates in on the wheels of her Heely sneakers -- basically they're sneakers when they need to be and skates when she wants them to be. She rolls right up to the gathering and turns in a semi-circle to stop. After adjusting her shades, she slaps a rigid ruler-like object -- one filled with flashy colors and patterns -- against her wrist. It conforms to her wrist, revealing itself to be a snap bracelet.

    "You're telling me, Marie!" she exclaims, lowering her shades to grin at Rogue. "I swear, my nose is going to love me for the rest of my life!"

Quentin Quire has posed:
Quentin Quire smiles, "It's interesting. The phrase is only offensive if you understand it, but, if you're knowledgeable enough of the terms to understand it, you're hardly an innocent. You could show this to someone with no knowledge of sexual slang and they'd shrug and have no idea what it meant, so whenever anyone acts shocked by it, it's a clue that they're a hypocrite because, of course, they wouldn't know what it means otherwise."

"Also, sometimes I call Ruth Daddy, but that's just between her and me, don't tell her I told you, quid pro quo and all that."

Logan Howlett has posed:
Hearing the voices from the hallway, Logan peaks around the corner, and looks to see who might be causing the ruckus in the dining hall. Trying to to make a sound, he stays quiet and "ninja" like in order to take a reckoning on who might be there. You know. Just in case.

Henry McCoy has posed:
Tying a bib around his neck, Henry starts digging into the food. Sauce be damned! "Kassandra, this is Rogue and Quentin. Kassandra is newly enrolled." He explains to those who have joined. A chuckle. "And that's Jubilee." He offers a wave, before using his claws to delicately pick up a rib. "Dig in, everyone. Enjoy the meal. Don't mind the extra calesthenics tomorrow morning." The Beast teases.

Clearly, this is a wonderful day. BBQ, cornbread - and friends around a table. This is the life for Henry.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty is making her way through the hallways when Lockheed suddenly perks his head up and looks back the other way. The Jewish girl glances over at him. "What is it?" she asks him quietly, sensing the dragon's excitement.

He gives a few flaps of his wings, and Kitty says, "Ok ok, I'm going." She turns around heads down that way, eventually emerging into the dining hall. The delicious aromas that Lockheed picked up become noticeable to Kitty at that point. "Oh. Oh my," she says, glancing around and smiling. She pulls out her phone and tabs out a message. Then takes a picture of the food spread and sends the message off.

Kassandra Pagonis has posed:
     The cafeteria smells wonderful, thanks to all the brisket. Kassandra, the student who did all this, is standing back behind the serving table, slicing brisket. One wrapped package of ribs is set in the back with the note 'for Mr. Logan' written on a note card in sharpie - apparently someone heard that keeping the short, short-fused Canadian happy with offerings of nicely smoked meat. "Nice t' meet all y'all." Yes, she uses 'y'all' correctly in a sentence. She's definitely a southern girl! "Come get some. I'm down one brisket and a few beef ribs, but that's plenty to keep feedin' folk."

Kitty and Lockheed get a wave with a fork-holding hand when she catches sight of them, Kassandra ducking down for a beef rib for Lockheed that she set aside because really, who woudln't want to see a tiny dragon munching on a rib in both cute little talons?

Xi'An Coy Manh has posed:
Shan takes another bite out of her lettuce and glances at Kassandra with an 'is that so' kind of expression. (Inwardly, she adjusts Kassandra's implicit position on the 'Rahne to Roberto' continuum of certain matters, several notches towards Roberto.)

"That brings you to the ethics of consent," Shan says back to Quentin. "Especially if you're disclosing things about other people. On the other hand, it IS starting conversation!" She shuffles over a bit away from the Meat Distribution station to pack up her own pre-made meat, leaving out the lettuce in proximity to the sliced Vietnamese-seasoned tenderloin for public delictation. She also casts a covetous eye at the cornbread, before sensing something and throwing up a V-sign in the general direction of Kitty's photography. ("Are you skating?" she asks Jubilee. "On the hardwood??")

Rogue has posed:
Rogue is looking up at Jubilee when she rolls in to the room, casting the brightly shining girl a big smile. "Were you slappin' people with that thing?" She asks. "Cause that's the fun thing t'do with those bracelets." She notes of the snap bracelet. "My mother had a whole box'a those things when I was little. I can remember smackin' them up my arms and wearin'em like sleeves."

Rogue takes a drink of her tea and glances back to Kass then. "Welcome t'the school. You should set aside a plate t'take to the Professah. He'll want some'a this once he's done doin' whatever it is he's up to."

A look is given to the arriving Kitty and Logan, a smile to follow it from Rogue before she glances over at Hank and grins at him. "Try not t'eat too much, Hank. You'll have heart burn all night." She teases the Doctor.

Logan Howlett has posed:
Logan sniffs. Sees the spread, and sniffs again. Fully moving from around the corner, Logan moves forward, and says, "Huh. Food. Smells...alright." His eyes find Henry, and a slight nod lets the man know he heard him. "Enjoy the meal huh? Well."

Without looking at the new arrival, Logan picks up the plate marked "'for Mr. Logan" . Then his eyes land on her. Was that a touch of thankfulness in his eyes for the nice touch?

"Welcome to the school Kassandra. All the good stuff. Yadda, yadda. If you need anything, ask..." Sniff. "...Kitty. She's around here too." Using his empty hand, he thumbs towards the new arrival. "Yeah. her."

"Any beer?" Logan looks around for something to wash the food down and settles near Rogue. "Hey kid."

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "Slapping people, Marie?" Jubilee repeats. "Me? I wouldn't think of it!" She grins and holds her wrist out for inspection. "A birthday present," she explains proudly, rotating her wrist in the air a little bit so Rogue can get a better look at it. For what amounts to be a couple bucks worth of metal and fabric, she sure is proud of it.

    When Xi'an questions about her skating, Jubilee stands just a little bit taller, as though doing so was an example of her best behavior. "Of course not!" she beams. "These are sneakers." She lifts her foot to show they are, indeed, sneakers. Heely's are sneaky like that. Whatever wheels they might have had a moment ago...are gone, having retreated back into the shoe.

    Jubilation /walks/ over to Kassandra and her display and smiles at the new student. "Welcome!" she exclaims with a big, toothy smile. "I'm Jubilation." Without even a pause, a plate has found its way into the mutant's hand. No worries. No hesitation. "Kassandra, was it?" She glances at Hank -- she's sure he said Kassandra, right?

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde grins as Lockheed readily accepts the beef rib once the pair walk over to where the food is at. "Wow, this looks great," she says, turning that resulting smile on Kasssandra. "Were you the cook?" she asks.

Kitty leans down a little nearer to the cornbread to get a whiff of the warm bread's aroma. "Mmm. Logan you'd better stay back. I might be diving into a food bin shortly," she tells him, flashing a grin over towards the man who has been friend and mentor to her over the years.

"Any special occasion, or just dinner?" Kitty asks. She spots Jubilee and grins over to her. "Hey Jubes, you'll never guess who Scruffles picked to live with," she says.

Rogue and Shan get smiles, and a gesture that could be interpreted to be, just a second, as Kitty starts to get some of the food on a plate.

Henry McCoy has posed:
HEAVEN. Henry is in Heaven! He's got a rib between two claws and a bib around his neck to catch any dripping sauce. "There's beer in the fridge, Logan - just in the kitchen." He assures, grinning as more and more arrive to the scent of the wonderful food. Nom nom nom!

A chuckle to Rogue, a shake of his head. "I am sure that I will sop up enough of the acids with the cornbread."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue is taking a sip from her glass of tea when Logan sits down nearby. She looks over at him when he gives her that customary greeting to her. She gives him a grin back. "Well hello there, Strange'ah." She says back in her own customary greeting for the Wolverine. "Been stayin' outta trouble, I hope?" She asks in that sassy additional question for him.

And then Jubes' wrist is in her face and showing off that sweet bling. "I love it." Rogue says with a grin. "Now I'm gonna have t'go look'em up online and see how many I can get for myself. You trend setter." The Belle smiles over at Jubes, then back to the others.

"This beats the usual Friday tradition of 'cereal night', Right Kit?" Rogue says to Kitty then.

Kassandra Pagonis has posed:
So many people! Kassandra can't help but be a little...okay, a lot proud of being able to draw so many people in with her cooking, and the whole thing about this not being cafeteria food is probably one of the bigger things. Mr. Logan gets a smile and a bob of her head and, when the plate is unwrapped, stacks of baby back ribs are laid there, sauced and spiced and cooked just so. "You're welcome, Mr. Logan. It was suggested that I be sure you get a plate. No beer, unless root is your speed." It probably isn't, but she offers.

Rogue gets a smile and a nod, starting to make the professor a plate with a little bit of everything - not enough to overwhelm, but definitely enough to give him tastes so he can better direct what to get next time this happens. Oh, she's doing it again. People are happy and she's feeding folk and it's like being back home watching and listening to everyone eat happily. "Sweet tea's in the blue pitcher." She suggests, looking over as a brightly-colored Chinese woman with slap bracelets and shoes that are definetely NOT heelys comes over and introduces herself. "Yeah, Kassandra. New kid. New student. Made BBQ for everyone. Probably going to do it next month, too." she says with a grin, turning to Kitty and Lockheed.

Lots of turning going on!

"Yeah, I was. Warren bought me a pit and I thought I'd share the wealth, a little. Taste of home. Henry made the corn bread and the sides. I just did the meat." She takes credit where credit is due, giving credit to the people who need them. "No special occasion. Just...." She flushes a little. "Family dinner, s'all."

Logan Howlett has posed:
In between bites, Logan looks over at Kassandra. "Mmm. Not bad kid. Not bad. Always staying outta trouble." Licking his fingers, Logan grabs his drink, some pop named "Fanta" and gulps it down. "Ugh. Needs something stronger."

Stepping back from Kitty, Logan hurumphs, and looks first at the "dragon" who might just be giving him the eye, and then the girl. "I would never stand between you and the grub, Kat. Ah know better." Logan grins. "You and Jubes are crazy."

Looking up at the sound of "beer" from Hank, Logan taps his forehead in a salute with his rib smeared fingers, and says, "Thanks."

Little did he know, he might have left sauce behind...

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde grins at being called crazy by Logan. Lockheed is already nibbling away, prompting Kitty to tell him, "Go over to a table, or you're going to get that all over my shoulder!"

The dragon flies over to land next to Rogue and dig into the rib. Kitty gets some of the brisket, and a beef rib or two for herself. And some of the cornbread. "Thanks Kassandra, this is great. And you too Hank," she adds as she hears he made the sides.

She carries her plate over, setting it where Lockheed is at, and then going to get herself a Mountain Dew.

Xi'An Coy Manh has posed:
Shan collects a half-sized piece of cornbread which she holds in the palm of her hand while moving to the periphery of Mt. Brisket and its savory foothills. She also takes a moment to look at Jubilee's shoes for a moment, then back up, squinting one eye in a mime of suspicion.

"You are from Texas originally? I thought barbecue was usually more... sauce, ish," Shan says to Rogue, before taking a slow, appreciative bite out of the cornbread.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "New student... And new kid?" Jubilee stares, glances over at Hank for an explanation, and then back to Kass. "...What were you before?" She lowers her sunglasses and then broadens her smile. "I'm just kidding. Welcome! This place is the /best/... How are you liking it?"

    Jubilee wastes no time -- she starts piling her plate high and wide... perhaps even beyond what would be considered polite. One piece of cornbread is jammed on top. And then...she hesitates. Yes, another. And another. And another. A second plate is put on top, covering it all up. It seems that this is a to-go order.

    Jubes smiles back at Rogue and shrugs her shoulders. "I think it's pretty fetch," she adds, totally enamored with her snap bracelet. The rest of the sentence is mouthed silently: 'Nori gave it to me.' She nods her head at Rogue and bites down to contain her growing smile.

    Shan gets a sweet smile from the mutant, but it's not long before Kitty commands her full attention. The cat. Who did the cat choose?! Jubilee's eyes rise in surprise. "Is it /me/?" she nearly shouts, leaning towards Kitty Pryde. "Did Scruffles pick me?" She cants her head back and pulls a fist down towards her waist in that universal 'YESSSS!' gesture.

Henry McCoy has posed:
"Er... Logan..." Henry motions to his forehead. Never leave a bro hanging! Then it's back to the ribs and brisket for the Beast. A smile and a nod to Kass, then Kitty and any who thanked him. "Absolutely my pleasure. I got the honor of being near the smoker earlier today - Kass was kind enough to let me hang out while she was hard at work tending to the meat." A sage nod.

"Eat, eat. Dear lord, eat." A glance to Jubilee, eyeing her two plates. "For Nori?" He wonders.

Rogue has posed:
When Lockheed lands on the table beside her to enjoy his own meal, the Belle looks over to the dragon and leans over toward him to whisper something to him in French. She'd been teaching Lockheed French for the beter part of a couple years now, and he'd picked up on quite a bit of it! She finishes her little speech to him and offers him a bit of the cornbread before she leans back from the dragon and grins back to Jubilee.

Kassandra Pagonis has posed:
Shan really, really doesn't want to get into the dynamics of Barbeque with Kassandra. It breaks down to Kansas, Memphis, Carolina, and Texas, the style that's being served now, and sauce....sauce is necessary if the meat isn't seasoned right, cooked too much, not rested enough, or anything that doesn't make it taste right. Sauce helps bad bbq become better, basically.

From behind the serving line, Kassandra passes out BBQ, getting a new brisket out and slicing it, passing it out too, the cookies at the end getting set aside because honey, done right those are the best part and that's for mommy. And once everyone who's come through has some? Only then does Kassandra make her plate, getting a little of everything, some of Henry's corn bread, a Coke in a glass bottle and emerges from behind the serving line. "I like this place fine." she says to Jubilee, looking around for a place to sit. "Hell of a lot better'n where I came from." She looks down at the plate, then back to Jubilee. "here." she says, passing one of the 'cookies' over to the woman. "Share that with whoever you're gonna share all that with."

Logan Howlett has posed:
"Eh...? Oh." Logan takes Hank's hint, and scrubs his forehead. And misses the sauce located there. With a grunt, Logan then heads towards the kitchen, and the aforementioned brewski. Disappearing for a few moments, the distinct sound of a beer can opening reaches everyone's ears, and then a" bsssst" sound signifies that Logan has finished off his first beer.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde grins over to Jubilee, answering the Asian girl before starting on her food. "No, though I'm sure he'd enjoy some scritches and petting from you. I set him down and he kind of made the rounds of people in the Rec Room," Kitty tells Jubilee.

"And he ended up trotting over to Scott. And he... oh hell, let's just show you," Kitty says. She gets up and comes over, pulling out her phone. By now she's got Rogue's video loaded into it, and plays it for Jubilee.

It shows the tiny brown tabby kitten climbing up Scott's clothing while he just stares at it. All the way up until it was clinging to Scott's chest. The two have a stare down and then finally Scott breaks out in a smile and takes Scruffles in hand, petting him.

Jean Grey has posed:
It may be a little late to make it down for dinner, but that is not unheard of for Jean. In fact, sometimes she eats at her desk, workaholic that she is. In this case, she just makes it down a bit late, her industrious work-ethic interrupted by the annoyance of a rumbling belly. It's the kind of thing that can be weirdly distracting! So down she comes, passing through the mansion and toward the kitchen via the dining hall. She probably doesn't expect to find a large communal feast in progress, and instead slip into the kitchen to grab something.

But it is what she finds!

"Oh. What's all this?" she wonders, mostly in surprise. Maybe a bit impressed, too, as there's clearly a lot of food out! Soon she's making her way around, finger-waving a few hellos, mentally sending a few others (it's easier and doesn't require anyone to say hello back with food in their mouths!) but she draws up short when she sees the video being played. "Oh, is that?!" She's seen it. BUT SHE WILL WATCH AGAIN. "Kitty, you know, I think this is- well, it's a wonderful idea. He won't say it, but it's just the kind of thing Scott needs, to soften him up a little." The plot is revealed!

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    Jubes rolls one shoulder at Hank. "Who?" she answers, leaving it at that. She smiles and then tilts her head towards Kass, reaching out to take the cookie. "Oh, no, it's all for me," she lies before stuffing the cookie into her mouth. "Welmmpcommmfe to Xammppviemppss!" she tries, crumbs piling out of her mouth.

    "Awwhph!" Another spray of cookie crumbs -- this time right onto Kitty's phone screen -- as Jubilee stares at the cat making friends with Scott.

Kassandra Pagonis has posed:
"Brisket." Kassandra says helpfully to the red-haired woman who just made an appearance. "I made it. Henry did the sides. I think...." She looks over at the serving table. "It looks like there's still a whole brisket left. We can get you a to-go plate if you want. I can slice some ." She takes a bit of the cornbread, sticks a chunk of brisket in the middle, and takes a bite, critically evaluating her brisket. Little too much salt. Still...good stuff.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Lockheed looks over at Rogue's plate, as if perhaps he's spying where the second course is going to come from after he's done with that big beefy rib. He's making his way through it pretty quickly.

Kitty adjusts the phone, holding it so both Jean and Jubilee can see it. "I wish I could claim the credit," Kitty says at Jean's comment about softening Scott. She laughs and brushes the cookie crumbs away. She designed her phone to take a lot worse than cookies. "I mean I'd have been up for doing that. But Scruffles just picked him. So it was all the kitten, maybe with a little nudge from the Big Guy upstairs," she tells the redheaded X-man.

When the video finishes, she pockets the phone and then goes back to her seat. "I'm famished," she says, digging in finally.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
    "Maybe he'll start grading on a curve..." Jubes mutters, swallowing the cookie finally. "We can only hope, right..." She grins up at Kitty and takes a breath. Jubilation uses her hands to press the plates together, keeping the mountains of food she took safe for the totally-not-skating journey back to the girls dorm. "You should totally come by some time!" she offers to Kass with a smile. "Look for the room with the door-knocker." Her head tilts in Jean's direction and she shrugs, as if doing so explains why her room has a door-knocker on it at all.

    "Okay...So... Gotta go, uh, eat all this food...by myself!" Jubes smiles and tilts her head forward so her sunglasses fall back down onto her nose. "The room with the door knocker!" she calls out over her shoulder before she walks towards the door.... And then pushes off to allow her Heely's sneakers to become skates again!

Jean Grey has posed:
"That's what he said too," Jean acknowledges, now with confirmation on the whole thing. "He's never really been much of a pet person but he is now, and I quote, 'A Scruffles person.'" She does her best Scott voice, for this. "Still, Kitty, you brought him to the mansion, so I'm giving you a portion of the credit whether you like it or not." Headmistress privilege. "And they're surprisingly good together."

The food remains the other item of interest, as she walks around the table an takes in the aroma, sidestepping a potentially fast-moving Jubilee on her way out. She makes note that even Lockheed is eating exceptionally well. "You made all-" Aha. A look over at Hank, and grin, before she looks back. "Well, it smells delicious," she tells Kassandra. "A small plate to take back would be great, thanks. It's just been one of those nights." There's a pause of a few beats, and she wonders, "Kassandra, right?" Obviously, she's seen the files. Also, she doesn't really need to ask. But it's how normal people talk.

Kassandra Pagonis has posed:
     Leaving her plate where it is, Kassandra hops up and makes her way over to the tables, getting one of those clamshell things and starting to fill it. She's already got one for the Professor set up, so making another for Jean is fairly easy. "Made the meat. Warren was really nice and got the house a smoker so I thought I'd...um...take advantage of it, y'know?" She grins, her dimples appearing for a second, nodding. "Y..yes. Kassandra. or Kassie. Or Miss Pagonis, as the teacher called me a day ago, which was super weird to hear." She blinks, shrugging slightly while she fills the plate. "And thank you. I just wanted something from back home up here and figured that if I'm gonna do one, might as well do enough for everyone."

Henry McCoy has posed:
The Beast cleans off what was on his plate, full and happy. He dabs at his lips and face to make sure that he's all clean and fresh! Leaning back in the chair, he laces fingers behind his head, looking pleased as can be. A nod to Kitty, his grin cheesy. "I had fun making the cornbread and sides." The man chuckles. "Felt only right, what with the feast of meats."

He offers a wave to Jean too. "Jean, you've met Kassandra, yes?" He looks betwen the two.

James Proudstar has posed:
James Proudstar slips through the door casually, with a smile. He waves to each individual and begins to graze from what remains.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde has settled into eating. She'll take some of the credit Jean offers once the other woman knows Kitty's role in the adoption of the kitten. "Kassandra, you did an amazing job. And Hank, this cornbread? Tre magnifique," she tells him.

Lockheed seems to concur. He gets another beef rib, happily gnawing the meat off the bone. Kitty sips her Mountain Dew occasionally. "Going to have to pull Doug's head out of whatever project he's into and get him up here," she says.

Kitty waves to James as he comes in. "All sorts of delicious food. Better grab it before it runs out," she says with a grin towards James.

Jean Grey has posed:
"Well, not properly before this, but now I have," Jean answers Hank. "It's nice to meet you, Kassandra. I'm Jean. Or 'Doctor Grey,' if we're in class, hmm?" But apparently there's no call for formality in the current setting, with the whole feast laid out. "Warren's always good for fancy toys," she admits with a laugh, her expression somewhere between grateful and assumedly exasperated with this newest sign of his eternal habbit of conspicuous spending. Between him and Charles, the students are pretty well spoiled!

While Kassie messes with a plate, she finally makes it all the way around the table, to the kitchen door, where she briefly disappears, though not long, returning and standing at the door frame moments later.

Kassandra Pagonis has posed:
Kassandra Pagonis emerges with Jean's plate, closing it and putting it down where she can get it, the girl going back around to finish her dinner. On the list shortly after that is a shower with hair washing and then sleep until she wakes up in the morning. "I'm thinking about doing this monthly." she says to no-one in particular, watching everyone eat and enjoy the food. "So I hope y'all like brisket."

James Proudstar has posed:
James Proudstar nods graciously, "Thanks. It all looks delicious."James hair is back to its normal length and any sign of the shark attack is gone. He fixes a plate. And heads over to the table finding a place near the teachers, "Can you smoke shark? Theres a lot left."

Jean Grey has posed:
"Thanks," Jean offers Kassandra. "If you want to cook more often, feel free. Considering how many students we have to feed, there's a whole schedule and rotation to the main meals, but the kitchen usally has the spare space - well, except for holidays. Should have seen us on Thanksgiving." Apart from getting her meal-to-go, she waits on something from there in the door. It's not quite clear what, until eventually... "Ah, there we go." The mystery is solved when a steaming cup floats through the air to arrive in her hand. Tea? Hot cocoa? She always has some kind of warm drink on cool nights.

Starting back around the table, James' question causes her eyebrows to raise slightly. "I- well, I assume you can." That's probably a report she still needs to read. The work never ends.

Kassandra Pagonis has posed:
     "I'll start planning for the next one, then." Kassandra says with a grin, more to herself than anyone, looking to those she knows...all the new faces to learn. And for the first time in a long, long time, she feels like she belongs.