9481/Unpacking

Unpacking
Date of Scene:	06 January 2022
Location:	Kitty's Room
Synopsis:	Kitty moves back to the mansion, and Rogue is there to be a good, bad influence.
Cast of Characters:	Kitty Pryde, Rogue

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Kitty Pryde has posed:
The door to Kitty Pryde's room in the mansion has been closed for the majority of the last eight or nine months. When she was staying there, she frequently kept it open while there to let others know that they were welcome to stop by.

Though she'd been living mostly in New York City for most of the previous year, only staying nights at the mansion when her schedule made it more convenient. So the sight of the door open and light streaming out into the hall, as it is tonight, is a less frequent occurrence.

Within the room, a fire is going in the fireplace. The windows outside show the snow-covered grounds of the school. A fresh snowfall makes a fluffy topping for the branches of the trees.

About four moving boxes sit in the room. One is on the bed and open. Kitty is there, pulling out some computer equipment and setting it aside on a desk until she can take it down into the X-men's base. The door to her closet is open, and another box set closer by has some of her clothes in it, looking as if she has made a start of moving them back into the closet.

Lockheed is curled up on his purple pillow near to the fire. Just watching her.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue is moving down the hallway wearing a green and black plaid pajama set. Her two toned hair is tied in to pigtails that hang down the front of her chest as she walks past the open bedroom door, then stops and leans back. "Hambone. I swear to god if you're goin through Kitty's Underpants drawer aga--" She stops when she sees Kitty.

Now Rogue takes a step back and steps in to the room. "Oh, hey. What the hell... is goin' on..." She sees the bags, she sees The Heed, and then looks back to Kitty.

"What happened?" Rogue asks now, expecting to hear bad news now, and her youthful features showing a look of concerns.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde is wearing a pair of fuzzy fleece sweatpants and a heavy t-shirt that proclaims the Chicago Cubs as the World Series Champions of 2016. The shirt is faded and frayed just enough that it's clear it's a favorite of hers. It's also one of Kitty's comfort outfits, which Rogue might recognize.

The brunette looks up from the box. A smile comes to her face at the sight of Rogue, though it is a little more subdued than the girl's generally cheerful demeanor would have generated. "Hey Rogue," she says, giving a little come hither motion of her head to let Rogue know she's welcome in the room.

Kitty pulls a circuit board out of the box and moves it over to the pile on the desk. "Just getting my stuff moved back in," she says, keeping her eyes away from Rogue and on the computer equipment while she talks. She waits a second or two before turning back to Rogue, the smile that she brings up is just a little forced. "Feel like a run into Salem Center tomorrow? I know it's cold for ice cream, but I should probably visit Ernesto at the Baskin Robbins. He's going to pretend he doesn't recognize me to punish me for not being by more, I'm sure," she says.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue instantly starts to walk toward the bed where she tucks one leg up and under herself as she sits down upon it. She rests her hands on her lap then as she stares at the other. "Of course." She says of the trip to Salem Center. "I don't mind ice cream in the wintah none bit anyhow." She says with a little quick smile before she looks at the tech stuff, then back at Kitty.

"So like.... Where's Warren?" She has to ask then.

"Did somethin' happen? Do I need t'fly over there and start pushin' all his stuff around, stompin' on it and such?" She inquires with a nervous expression as to the answer.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
At the question, Kitty looks like she has to take a moment of thought before answering. Though her expression after as she sighs makes it seem it was meant more for comedic effect than anything. "Nah. He didn't do anything wrong," she says in a resigned tone, and looking down. Her hands come together fidgeting with each other for a moment.

"We just, have been having issues. His company needs so much of his time. And there's, you know, the usual issues people have because of age differences. Though somehow they seem to have hit us a bit worse than I'd have thought," she says with another quiet sigh.

Kitty looks back up and over to Rogue, expression one of someone trying to put their best face on it. "We've kind of felt the tension for awhile. Though feelings haven't changed I don't think, for either of us, we're both seeing how much the other is stressed out by it all. And, you know, we figured, maybe it was best if we take a break and... well. And I don't know. That might be it. If not... we'll just, it'll have to wait and see. But we're not. Waiting, I mean," she says somberly.

Lockheed gets up, the empathic dragon giving a stretch and then flapping his wings to loft him over to the girl whose emotions he feels the most strongly. She catches him and cradles him against her chest, putting his head.

"So, um," Kitty says, clearing her throat. "How are things around here?"

Rogue has posed:
All of this is listened to, Lockheed is watched when he flies over to the girl, and Rogue just reacts by putting on her black gloves out of a pocket on the chest of her pajama top. She then raises her hands up. "Bring it in." She says to the other girl. "Hug time." She demands calmly while sitting on the edge of the bed. When, and if Kitty does, Rogue holds on to her, and rubs her back, after a second she'll say. "Get your butt outta my face, Dragon." Before laughing softly and leaning back again then.

"Stuff here is stupid as usual. You know how it goes. Teenagers everywhere, bein' teenagers." She grins lightly. "Jean'll be happy t'see you around though. She considers you one'a the saner residents'a this place." The Belle says with a light grin. "Finally someone can fix the wifi around here too. IT's totally ass."

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty moves over, as Rogue knew she would, and sinks into her best friend's hug. There are the sounds of a few sniffles as any tears she's kept back make it nearer to the surface, but are still held at bay. Though she hugs Rogue back tight before letting up and wiping one hand at an eye that glistens a bit more than before.

"Yeah, it'll be good to see everyone more," Kitty says, the words true if delivered more somberly than normal. "I'm not sure if that's good to be one of the saner people," she adds, finally giving a quiet chuckle about it. "I am going to take a break from work in the city as well. Just, not sure how long. Maybe look for another contract later, or, maybe go back there again, I don't know. I... this isn't a good time for me to make plans really."

Lockheed gives Rogue a little head butt on her chin, though it's more like getting a free rub than it is trying to impact her. "And happy to help with the wifi," Kitty says with another quiet chuckle. "I should pop over to see the Carmichael's too. Have you stolen their sled this year, or still planning on the sleigh ride for later?" she asks.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue reaches a hand up to boop the Dragon on his snoot. She then grins and looks back to Kitty. She nods her head softly at the first bits, then shakes her head at the last. "I never got around t'stealin' it this year... er borrowin' it. Suppose I still could, but... not as fun without Christmas, and all, as a backdrop, ya know? The magic is over for another year." She grins lightly for a couple seconds.

"But yeah. We should check in on them, give them some pies or whatever. I don't think their kids ever come up from the city t'see'em. Which is a crime. Wish I had grandparents t'visit durin' the Holidays... Buncha jackasses."

Rogue bites her bottom lip for a second before she flashes another smile. "Ya wanna get part time jobs at the Bowlin' Alley or somethin' stupid and youthful? Before we're old an' grey?"

Kitty Pryde has posed:
It's Kitty's turn to slip an arm around Rogue and gently rub her back for a few seconds. As if a reminder of the family that Rogue does have there.

Kitty steps away then, giving a quiet laugh about working at the bowling alley. "I don't know, that's an idea," she agrees. "Maybe Ernesto will apprentice me? Though I'd end up fat if I was working there, always sampling the product," Kitty says of the ice cream.

She moves over, leaving the unpacking to sit, and settles in one of the pair of chairs before the fireplace. She motions to the other to Rogue if she wants to take a seat. Lockheed gives a few flaps and moves over to land close by the fire, curling up just in front of it where a human would find it uncomfortably hot. But then he's been known to lie in the flames themselves.

But it's horrible about tracking ash around the room after.

"So what's up with you? Anything exciting been going on? You still seeing that degenerate gambler or do you have a line of guys waiting and taking the next number?" Kitty asks with a teasing grin towards her friend who has a way with men.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue stands up from the bed and walks over to the chair. She glances at the fire, then at the Dragon as he settles in in front of it. It reminds her of a few years ago, which has her smile quickly. She looks back to Kitty then, that last question making her laugh softly. "Yeah. The Gambler is still around... doin' what he does." She grins again as her legs come up to cross on the edge of the chair. "That's not t'say I don't got a whole line'a suitors waitin' though." She of course has to say in that deep southern tone of hers. "What with my online presence gettin' so much attention lately. Mighty Woman'n all. All my adorin' fans just can't wait for a new saucy photo t'get put up on my Insta, ya see."

She';s incorrigible.

She then purses her lips and shakes her head. "Yeah, don't work at the ice cream place. Thuat's just a deep dive inta sin right there. You could look inta the Hospital maybe... lord knows all their tech needs t'be workin' better than anythin' else."

Kitty Pryde has posed:
"I wouldn't mind getting into Stark or somewhere like that," Kitty says as she lounges in the chair. She swings a leg over the arm and slouches back in it, hands resting on her belly. "JVD is actually pretty high tech for a fashion house. I mean, Janet's personal setup is beyond anything I'd have expected somewhere like that. But still, it's not quite the same as somewhere doing R&D in technology itself," Kitty muses.

She lets out a laugh. "Though spa day with Janet, while rare, probably made up for it to some amount." Her foot bobs as Kitty seems to relax a bit more than she's probably let herself. "I don't know, I'll figure something out later. For now I just... ah... I don't even know. Getting drunk sounds far better than it usually does, to be honest," she says self-consciously.

Rogue has posed:
A smile is given at the talk of JVD and what went on down south. She does shake her head a little though before laughing at the last part. "We gotta get that fancy New York City crap outta your mind. Now you're in the fancy Westchester rural area. So shape up, missy." She chides, playfully. Her eyes glance toward the door, then back to Kitty. "I got some rum in my room still from Christmas. Gambit and I did some drinkin', ya see. Goes great with the egg nog, if you're still in the mood for such stuff."

Her right hand comes up to toy with one of her braided pigtails. "You could always just ask Jean if she needs another hand around the school too. Though I dunno if you'd prefer workin' away from it, so you can... ya know. Meet someone new, maybe." Rogue says with a grin now.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty gives a wry smile. "My luck meeting guys around here hasn't been the best, has it?" she says. Then seems to immediately regret the words. "Actually, only been great guys, I shouldn't say that. Not their fault if things just didn't work. Because I was too young or... ah, too young and the concerns of the employees of a multi-billion dollar business depending on you," she says, giving an exasperated sigh and letting out a puff of hair to dislodge a stray wisp of hair that snuck out her ponytail to dangle down on her forehead.

"I might take a short break from the guidance counseling too, for that matter," she says. Kitty's kept up with the job, just part time while she was living in New York. "Still, I don't know, getting away isn't a bad idea either. Maybe go stay with Colleen for a little bit. Go back to Deerfield and see mom. Go check on my dad. Worried about having him in the country still," she says.

Kitty grins over to Rogue. "And that bottle of rum sounds wonderful. We can find something to mix it with if you're not up for egg nog with it."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue lifts one knee up as her other leg goes back down to drop foot on the floor. "We should take a group to Deerfield. See this mythical place of Deers and Fields. There's gotta be somethin' cool t'get inta there, trouble wise." She grins again. "I didn't even get a chance t'flirt with your dad either..."

Her pigtail is released, tossed over her shoulder as she leans forward in the chair. "I'm always up for more egg nog. That stuff is the absolute best, plus we made it ourselves this year. It's so God darn good." Rogue sits on the edge of the chair now, both feet on the floor. "I think ya need t'shake things up, Kitty Pryde. Some day you're gonna be runnin' places like those stuffy assholes nosed up at you from. You'll be firin' their asses no less. But in the now? I think ya need t'live, t'party, and t'be young for once."

It's possible Rogue is a bad influence!

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty's smile is a little bit of a sad one. "That's kind of what Warren's been telling me. That I'm spending the years I should be that, waiting in a penthouse for him to come home. Which granted, isn't the worst way to spend time. But, not why I'm with him either," she says with a sigh, looking down. "Was with him," she corrects, eyes drifting away and inside churning in a way that causes Lockheed to lift his head to check on her.

"So, right," Kitty says, pushing those thoughts away. "Rum good. Party good. Dancing good. Talking like an orc without verbs. Apparently also good," she says. "Maybe we can find some late night clubs in the city, once it gets back to normal? Or, well hell, we have an airplane. Anywhere really?" Kitty suggests. "I haven't been out dancing in a club like that in awhile. We hit one in Greece on the trip, but that's been the last time," she says, speaking of a few months back when they rented a yacht for a vacation.

"See, I just need the right friend to corrupt me," Kitty says with a grin.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue laughs at this as she starts to stand up. "Well." She says. "In your absence, my corruption focus has moved primarily on t'Jean. I felt like a challenge, ya see." She grins teasingly at Kitty. "So, if ya wanna take the jet somewhere, and go clubbin', lets just seek her out and drag her along too, yeah? She needs our kinda influence."

Rogue stops at the door, then looks back at the dragon. "Come on, you. I got a whole drawer full'a Cheesey Poofs waitin' for ya too. While your girl an' I get our drink on. And maybe watch this Boba Fett show." She reaches up to pinch her shirt and fan herself.

"My golly, that is a sexy old man playin' that character..." She says with a sultry tone.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty climbs to her feet and laughs. "Rogue. Watching Star Wars. On her OWN," Kitty says. "Figures it takes an older man to get you interested. And yeah, you're NEVER meeting dad now," Kitty teases.

She looks back at her boxes. "Let me get this stuff put away so I have a clear path to a bed to pass out in without stubbing a toe, and we can go see what trouble we can get up to," she agrees. There wasn't a whole lot to move back. Not like she has a whole house, just clothes and a few other possessions.

Kitty moves over, resting a hand on Rogue's shoulder. "Thanks AM. Means a lot, seeing you," she says, putting her best smile on the turmoil she's still feeling inside.