8247/Garage Shenanigans

Garage Shenanigans
Date of Scene:	15 October 2021
Location:	Garage / Stables
Synopsis:	Rogue, Jean, and Roxxi feed carrots to the horses and discuss the meaning of Bronies.
Cast of Characters:	Roxxi Smith, Rogue, Jean Grey

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Roxxi Smith has posed:
     By this point, Roxxi has pretty much been all over the Mansion grounds. That is, except for the stables. The large animals housed within both frightened and fascinated the young woman. So it wasn't unusual to find her loitering near the wooden doors that separated the garage from stables.
     At the moment, Roxxi stood at the doors that lead into the school. She wore faded red hair in twin buns and dressed in her standard attire. With a bit of a running start, she launched into a complicated sequence of handsprings, layouts, and backflips until she arrived at the far wooden doors. She stood, staring at the wooden doors, expression set into deep contemplation with Muffins tucked securely through a belt loop of trousers.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue had invited Jean out to dinner earlier to gab at the woman. Remy was MIA again and she was swearing him off, allegedly. That needed to be talked about as did a status update with Jean's parents. Especially their living situation. Rogue got to drive, so Jean got to pick the restaurant....!

Now, the red Ford Ranger is on its way home. Its pulling up the drive way now with the headlights shining on the garage as Roxxi performs her acrobatics. One of the doors starts to open up and the truck pulls inside. The classic rock music within the cab turns off and after a second Rogue opens her driver side door.

"But seriously. I think we could rebuild their house in no time... We could track down that builder Mutant. Remember her? From Emma's hotel project in Bush?" She asks with a grin as she gets out of the truck.

Her eyes dart over to Roxxi and she grins at the young woman. "On the Rox." Rogue calls out. "What's happenin'?" She asks as she closes her truck door and walks around to the front of it.

Jean Grey has posed:
Once the familiar red pickup pulls to a stop, it's a moment before the passenger side of the cab opens and Jean steps out, heeled boot first. Although the weather is still often warm in the afternoons (even with fall in swing and Halloween fast approaching), she's in more autumnal fashion, with one of her signature dark green turtlenecks, skirt, leggings, and those afforementioned tall heel boots. Clearly, the two are mid chitchat, familiar and friendly, as she continues on with whatever they were talking about.

"Mmm, I don't know about all of that. You know how my parents are. This is all- even if they've known about me for years, it's new to them, to have to really -face- these things head first the way they did. Sarah's been handling it a bit better, I think, but I could always share a little more with her." She shakes her head. "I could probably put the house back together myself if I put my mind to it, but I think the sight of that might well give dad another heart attack." Her tone is light, although what of the subject leaks through does hint at the somewhat more serious story behind it all.

"But maybe just a few of us could go up some weekend, pitch in a little. You flying around carrying truckloads, they could handle, at least." She smiles faintly. "And either way, its nice you coming up. It's always been a little tricky introducing my friends, but you two really seem to get on."

She's also distracted enough with most of this talk that she doesn't really register the student until she's fully out of the truck, has slammed the door closed behind her, and come round to the front of the vehicle, when Rogue's greeting alerts her and her attention snaps back. "Oh, hello!"

Roxxi Smith has posed:
     Roxxi turns away from the wooden doors of the stables as the sound of rock music fills the stables. She watches as the women exit the vehicle, grinning widely. At Rogue's greeting, Roxxi's expression shifted briefly. She pulled out her cell and tapped furiously into the small device. "That's a great idea, Marie, thanks!"
     The remaining bit of Jean's conversation with Rogue doesn't transfer to the teen. She finishes up her typing to shove the phone into her pocket. At the other woman's greeting, she looks up, smiling at both. "Oh, hi!" She says brightly. She motions absently to the closed doors behind her. "I was just thinking about visiting the horses." She explains.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue is wearing black slim fit denim jeans with black boots similar in style to Jean's roughly but only going up to her mid shins. Her top is a simple dark green tank with her leather jacket worn over her arms, and a choker of black leather around her throat. She stops at the front of the truck and puts a black gloved hand on Jean's arm. She smiles at her.

"I just wanna help them get back t'normal. I mean they don't even gotta be there while the construction is goin' on. We can do that thing where we just pull a bus outta the way and surprise'em when its all said'n done." She states then showing the redhead a grin.

Her eyes dart back to Roxxi then, "Yeah?" Rogue asks as she walks toward the stable doors and pulls the dark wood door open on its sliding hinges to the left. "All ya'll horses sleepin' in there?" The Belle calls out to the three horses in their stalls. (Used to be four. Jubilee killed one!)

She then looks to Roxxi. "You know how t'ride one?" She asks her then. She motions to Jean then. "You're talkin' to the two best horse riders in the school. I'm a bit better than her, but she's all right." She says in her smoky voice with a grin toward Jean.

Jean Grey has posed:
"Well that's true..." Jean is forced to admit. "There's no reason we have to make a show of it." Even if the bus suggestion is literally out of a home makeover TV show. "Although part of me, well, I want to show them a little bit, you know? Just not everything, all of it, all at once. Because... I guess maybe I have always kept things a little too separate? And maybe that's as bad as the other way around."

However, Roxxi's mention of the horses (and its predictable effect on Rogue) provides some fortunate relief from the more serious topic, a happy chance of pace. "Well, if they were, they're probably not any more," she calls along in a lightly sarcastic echoe of Rogue's inquiry into the stables, following a few steps after her toward the stable doors. After which, she promptly clarifies: "She's exaggerating a bit. I've learned, but really only since being at the school. And Rogue, despite her very best cowgirl affectations, grew up in a swamp."

Smirky-smirk!

Teasing aside, she glances in, to check on the animals, and back to Roxxi. "But absolutely, if you're interested in learning, you can take lessons. It's one of those nice privileges of having, well, everything that the Xavier estate does, the grounds, lake, and everything else. That you students get to, well, experience some things you might not growing up and going to school in the city." Or various much less nice places.

Roxxi Smith has posed:
     As Rogue opens the door, Roxxi sidles back a bit. Still, she peeks in around the other woman. Once it becomes obvious the horses aren't running rampant throughout the bar, Roxxi takes another step closer, peering in. The question about sleeping inspires all sorts of images. How //do// horses sleep?
     Too invested in the horses, Roxxi pays little attention to the rest of the conversation between the other two women. She does, however, respond to the question of riding. She turns around, looking over her shoulder at Rogue and Jean, eyes as round and large as dinner plates. "No, I've never even touched a horse! Is it true that Jubilation ate one? How do they sleep? Does it hurt for them to have a saddle on?" The rapid fire barrage of questions ended with the teen peering into the stables once more.

Rogue has posed:
At the side of the now open Stable doors, Rogue smirks back at Jean. "Har har." She says of the swamps. "I spent like seven years at my Aunt's farm. The swamp part... was before that... with my parents..." She mutters under her breath.

A look to Roxxi with her rapid fire questions has Rogue grinning, cept for the Jubilee part. "She just... sliced one on its neck a bit. Didn't eat it, exactly..." She tries to explain as she walks in and flips the sconce lights on that pop on between each horse stall with a nice soft yellow illumination cast through the stable.

"They sleep standin' up, some do lay down though, but it's kinda rare." She walks over to the blonde Bay horse that has a white and pink blanket thrown over her back, as some of the Senior girls are the ones who are assigned to take care of the horses. "This is Buttercup. She's the pretty princess of the group." Rogue introduces Roxxi before glancing back at Jean.

"We need to get a fourth one again... the empty stall is kinda sad." She points out next. "Here." Rogue then says to Roxxi as she steps over to some of the horse treats. She opens up a small fridge and pulls a carrot out of a bag, then offers it to Roxxi after shutting the door. "We can teach ya t'ride though, yeah. It's all about havin' cool fun around here! Definitely not... eatin' horses..."

Jean Grey has posed:
Jean, despite any correction to her slanderous characterization, looks very pleased with herself as she trails along inside. The two obviously have their fun.

As the other woman walks to oen of the stable bays, she continues along on the other side, checking on the pair of other horses. And quite in contrast with how she's willing to poke a little at her friend, when the conversation turns to Jubilee and the recent 'incident,' she's very quick to speak up to mitigate things as best she can. Rogue even gets a bit of the over-the-shoulder glare as she goes into more detail about what happened. "It wasn't on purpose, either. She didn't really have control over what she was doing. The rest of them should be safe, after that." It's clearly a bit of a sore point, not just the incident itself, but how it's perceived in the aftemath.

Yet, unfailingly, her attention is brought back to the empty stable, and she moves to it after the others. "Yeah, I've been thinking about it. We could probably check around some of the local farms, or even call a rescue? Plenty of working animals that might enjoy a quiet retirement giving kids occasional rides, I'm sure." People underestimate how farm-heavy the state is, once you outside of the city! Which dovetails back to one of Roxxi's original questions: "They really don't mind it, assuming they're big enough and you're not putting too much weight on them."

Roxxi Smith has posed:
     Roxxi stayed glued to the door frame, listening to and watching Rogue intently. She smiles brightly at Buttercup from the safety of said door frame. However, when it becomes obvious Rogue intents a more 'up close' interaction, Roxxi starts plucking nervously at the argyle sock hanging from her belt loop.
     "Oh..." She frets a moment, looking from proffered carrot to horse and back again. Roxxi hesitates until she pulls Muffins from his belt loop and slides him onto her left hand. "Muffins, do you want to give Buttercup a carrot?" The teen asks. After a brief and rather one-sided conversation, Roxxi heads for Rogue and reaches to take the carrot with her Puppet-free hand. "Muffins is too scared, but I will do it!"
     As the two women explain the circumstances around Rogue and the unlucky fourth horse, Roxxi can only nod. "Poor horse." She says with a contradicting mix of sympathy and indifference. Sh*t happens, as Roxxi knows well. No sense crying over spilled mi- er, equine blood.

Rogue has posed:
"Sergeant was a bit of a bitey horse." Rogue admits, which probably won't help Roxxi settle in with them knowing that that is something they are capable of. "He didn't like t'get touched for very long. But these three are all real nice." She says of the ones still here amongst the living. The other two are still sleeping in their stalls.

Rogue's eyes are on Roxxi and Muffins as the figure out the situation and how they're gonna approach it. It makes the Belle grin as she glances toward Jean. "Sockheed is a bit shy, it seems." She tells the HEadmistress, using her nickname for the sock puppet friend of Roxxi's.

Rogue leans back against the empty horse stall then and puts her hands in her jacket pockets. "I'd be happy t'go help find a new replacement though. I like the idea of bringin' a work horse here t'give them a nice place to spend the rest of their years. But we'll have t'make sure its not another bitey one." Rogue watches as Buttercup just happily interacts with Roxxi, especially when a treat is involved. The horse is big and intimidating for anyone who is new to being around one, but its generally pretty fun too, especially when they snag food out of your hand!

"Whenever, and if ever ya feel up for learnin t'ride one, Rox. Just let me know. Otherwise ya can just care for'em too. Some'a the senior girls run a horse club for that very purpose. They like t'bring in the younger ones to interact with'em too." She says before pulling her phone out of her pocket to check her messages. Swipe swipe swipe!

Jean Grey has posed:
"Right? It seems like a nice way to handle it, since it isn't like we're looking for racehorses or anything. I'll make some calls around then, and if we can find one, you can go check things out, Miss Cowgirl, and if they'd be a good fit, the temperment and all of that, handle the transport and everything else." The latter of which is... basically Rogue's normal job description, anyway. But doing it with a horse is a little more special than the average runs to the grocery store and Home Depot!

After spending a few moments looking in on the empty stall and thinking over this apparent plan, Jean turns around back to watch how things go with Roxxi and the horse, smiling somewhat faintly as she watches. "Just go slow and easy with it, and you'll be alright. Buttercup's a sweetheart." Everyone likes the princess horse!

Finally, once Roxxi has gotten into the task, Jean goes over to switch places at the fridge, grabbing a couple more of the carrots which she takes over to the other side of the stable where the other two horses have naturally been alerted to everything going on and are watching with a certain interest. Like any good school teacher, Jean knows that if you're going to bring treats, it should be enough for the whole class!

Roxxi Smith has posed:
     With the carrot held out before her, a bit tremulously, Roxxi stepped towards Buttercup. She thrust the carrot gingerly towards the awaiting mare until the horse's rubbery lips grasped the vegetable and began to munch down. Roxxi laughed gleefully as she watched bits of orange splinters fall from Buttercup's muzzle. She turned on her heel, eyeing the other two women. "Can I give the other two a carrot?" Even as the words are out of her mouth though, Jean seems already on it. Roxxi turns back to Buttercup, giggling as those velvety, rubbery lips are reaching out again, snuffling over her hands for more carrot.
     "I don't know about riding..." She says tentatively. "Maybe just helping to take care of them for now?"

Rogue has posed:
Rogue stuffs her phone back in to her jacket pocket after not replying to any of the messages she got sent. She looks up to see Roxxi getting along with Butters and then turning to ask about more carrots for the other two. This, of course, has Rogue smiling at Jean already having them ready. "Shadow and Cinamon are the other two. cina is the girl. She's super friendly too. Shadow is a bit cold at first but he'll warm up the more ya feed him." She says with her smile held.

"I'll tell the girls t'send ya an invite to their Horsey Club meetins then, Rox." Rogue adds before looking back to Jean.

"I know a place with a lotta horses, and a lotta cute cowboys workin' at it. That's the place we should go check out. I see'em ridin' them out in the fields quite a lot. I think they're the rodeo types, the kind that travel around to'em, ya know? The successful kind, unlike most'a the cowboy types back where I'm from." She grins at the Headmistress then. "But yeah, we gotta get another boy t'keep the gender balance in this place, or poor Shadow might lose his mind, I reckon." She reckons, full on cowgirl! Deal with it!

Jean Grey has posed:
Although Jean is quick on the draw with grabbing a couple more for the other horses, actually delivering them is a little bit more of a task, nor is she in any particular rush at the later hour with no school business to buzz around and handle. Plus, while she's holding out one carrot for Cinnamon, the horse takes her sweet time gingerly nibbling on it, leaving Jean just to stand and wait for her to finish. And they call Buttercup the princess! Regardless, she has time, and where Roxxi has quickly finished up with the other horse, she gestures her over with her other (also carrot-filled!) hand. "You can do the last one."

Which is the intimidating Shadow! But if they're going to make friends, it seems like this is a good a way to start as any.

"It definitely sounds like it's something you might enjoy," she tacks on to Rogue's suggestion about the club.

Naturally, in the meanwhile, Rogue has gone off on a fantastical tangent. "What? Cowboys? A rodeo? Figures you would," she adds, with an almost snorted laugh. "Though I think I'll stick to the sweet old farm animals for now. The last thing we need is some super spirited competition animal." Plus those are probably a lot of money, and as vaguely rich as all their benefactors seem to be, Jean is their Lady of the Pereptual Budget and runs a tight ship.

As for the gender imbalance in the club? She has a theory. "Probably because most of our students still come from the city. If you don't grow up around them, they're kind of a fantastic thing, and they don't get marketed to boys the same way." Pause. "Well, other than those weird brony types."

This conversation has rapidly gone off the rails!

Roxxi Smith has posed:
     Roxxi absently listens to the talk of the other two women. She doesn't absorb it so much as just let their companionship settle about her like a comfortable blanket. She continues to grin at Buttercup, teasingly tickling her fingers at those grasping, carrot-seeking lips. She does turn to nod at Rogue though, at joining the horse club. "That would be great! Thanks!!"
     Before anyone can succumb to her exuberance, Jean offers the third carrot. Skipping over, Muffins still worn on her left hand, Roxxi takes the carrot with a chipper, "thanks!" She then heads for the cold-hearted Shadow. The teen tentatively offers the veg with her right hand.
     Not even looking over her shoulder, Roxxi asks, "What's a brony?"

Rogue has posed:
Rogue leans against the empty stall door on her forearms then as she watches Jean and Roxxi. She is observing Roxxi finish up with Buttercup and then move on to Shadow... which will be interesting... But! Jean's words take a second to settle in to Rogue's mind before she looks over at her with Cinamon. "Wait, what?" Rogue asks, then laughs softly. "No, I meant the gender imbalance in here. Two mares and a bronnie Shadow. He needs another guy friend, or we'll have a stable full of unsettled horses in here." Another light laugh escapes the Belle then.

"But you're not wrong, technically, about the Horse Club either.... Hambone wanted t'join them, but that's just cause he thought he'd get in good with all the girls." She says with a grin then as her eyes go back to Roxxi.

Roxxi gets Shadow's attention but he just kinda whuffs and clomps his hooves on the floor of his stall. It doesn't seem like he wants the carrot, until Roxxi looks away then he'll snatch it from her!

Jean Grey has posed:
Roxxi's question gets a first somewhat gaping-mouthed, intarticulate attempt at a reply before Jean finally manages to put some words together: "What? It's- ah, well- er... It's a little hard to explain. I guess a subculture that... well there was this cartoon... you know maybe you should ask one of the other students." This is not in the teacher's handbook!

Compounding her somewhat flustered state as she tries to figure out to explain this bizarre internet subculture and its strange connection to the afforementioned marketting of pretty horses to young girls, Rogue makes it clear she's totally misinterpreted the whole thing, and the woman blinks owlishly a moment or two. "Oh! I thought you meant-" She laughs, and shakes her head. "Is it really that big of a problem?" And here it is reinforced that really she isn't much of a farm girl, as she initially protested. "Doesn't that kind of thing tend to happen in nature, a few males with a large number of females? I wouldn't think it'd be a problem, or maybe they'd be happier like that..." She glances speculatively between where Roxxi is working on feeding Shadow (or being robbed by him!) and the other two occupied stalls.

"Right, yeah. Just that the club is mostly girls. Sort of odd, but maybe not. Or you'd think at least-" Jean cannot help but smile at the attempted exploits of Hambone. Poor kid never catches a break! "-right. That after a while, some would join just for that. But I guess there's more of them that want to do auto-shop or something."

Roxxi Smith has posed:
     Roxxi dutifully holds that carrot aloft, face skewing as Shadow staunchly refuses her best attempts to entice him. She's not overly concerned with the gender dynamics of the Horse Club, though she does pipe in to say, "I'll ask if Dash wants to join..." Though at the mention of Dash, she looks Shadow over estimatingly. "Maybe the 4th horse could be one of those beer horses, you know, the big-big ones, so Dash can ride too?"
     At the point Jean stammers and searches for words, Roxxi looks over her shoulder, allowing Shadow to 'steal' the carrot. She eyes Jean and her discomfiture, before adding with a laugh, "Is that like asking 'where do babies come from?' Because my third foster father had that same reaction."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue pushes off the stall door then and walks over to Buttercup to reach out and stroke the front of her nose with a gloved hand while the other two talk from their places with the other two horses. "This is the best conversation I've ever seen ya get yourself stuck in." Rogue says playfully to Jean with a grin sent to the redhead. She lowers her hand down to the wooden stall door of Butters' stall before looking to Roxxi. "Clydesdale." She says of the 'Beer Horse' before glancing to Jean. "We toured the Budweiser factory in St. Louis back in July when we went there for Remy's birthday...." She draws in a breath then and just exhales as she changes subject a bit. "They're pricy too, I think, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone has some around here. The NYPD has some stabled around here, I bet. For parades, I think I seen'em used anyhow."

"Well we better let these tired horsies get their sleep, or they'll get all long in the face." Har har. "Come on, lets go see what's goin' on inside. If Dash wants in the Club too, just lemme know and we'll get her name on the list too."

Rogue heads for the door back in to the garage then and pauses at the exit of it. "Speakin' a beer though, isn't there an Oktoberfest this weekend in town?" She asks, because, mmm beer!

Jean Grey has posed:
"Uh, sort of? It's partly- it's just weird. You may as well just google it." Alas, Jean abdicates her solemn duty as an educator in explaining this odd corner of internet oddity. But isn't that how kids learn everything these days? Why should anyone have to answer awkward things about bird-on-bee action? And who came up with that anyway? It's not even interspecies- it's interphylum!

Back to horse talk. "You do see them around, sometimes, especially on some of the older farms, or yeah, for parades and things. A lot of the little historic towns on the Hudson have stuff like that. I remember my dad taking me to see one... I think the local fire department had kept one of their old horse-drawn engines preserved and they brought it out for Christmas or somethin?" The recollection of such an old memory might be vague, but the image of those big horses is one that stands out among the hazier details. "No idea about finding one to adopt, though. It does seem like they'd be rarer. But I can try searching around."

Settled on the idea of the adoption, in whatever form it takes, and with their current selection all fed their treats, Jean's happy to turn and start back for the door when Rogue encourages them to leave the animals be. Horrible joke and all (which does earn a rather overdramatic eye-rolling).

As for BEER? "Here in Salem? Maybe they do a small one, although they've got some real big festivals if you go upstate a bit. We could make a road trip of it." Well, as long as they don't try and come back!

Roxxi Smith has posed:
     It takes a moment for Roxxi's overly literal mind to grasp the funny behind Rogue's dad joke. "Oh, because they have long faces!" She laughs as she heads out of the stables and towards the house.
     Muffins, by now, gets stripped from Roxxi's hand and strung back through his belt loop. Roxxi then digs her phone back out and walks as she types. Like most folks her age, she's mastered the art of walking, and being on the cell simultaneously. "b-r-o-n-y." She spells out quietly to herself, as she does indeed, google it.
     Roxxi looks up only briefly from her Google Fu, to pipe in curiously, "Road Trip?"