9749/Drinking By The Fire

Drinking By The Fire
Date of Scene:	21 January 2022
Location:	Wilderness Campsites
Synopsis:	Kitty and James drink and commiserate over happenings of late.
Cast of Characters:	Kitty Pryde, James Proudstar

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Kitty Pryde has posed:
The campsite was the furthest away from everything, as if the person who selected it was looking to avoid others. The light from the campfire was mostly hidden then, except where it reflected on the tree branches higher up. And the smell of wood smoke was largely dissipated long before it would be likely to reach anyone's nose.

Well, if the person only had normal senses anyway.

Kitty Pryde sat before the fire, a blanket beneath her so she's not sitting in the snow. A pair of warm tights and a thick sweater are supplemented by a jacket and a knit cap. She sits with her knees steepled and arms resting on them as she stares into the fire.

The bottle of whiskey nearby is picked up, Kitty tipping it to pour some into a cup. Then a dash of Coke is added to the glass. She sips it slowly, eyes returning to the fire.

Behind her is a small tent, suitable for two or three people at most. The sleeping bag visible inside suggests she plans to stay the night out here. No sign of Lockheed either. The dragon had climbed to his feet when she gathered her things and began to head out. But a quiet, "No, I think maybe I just need to be alone tonight," given to her best friend was enough for the empathic space dragon to stay put.

James Proudstar has posed:
James Proudstar moves silently through the trees. He smelled her during his own reverie, though his was looking into the blackest depths of the lake, and the facets of a ring. He blinks, the fire, the booze, the sadness, he takes it all in and the teenage gamesmanship, the team ninja versus team apache competitiveness as he stalks closer. But in the end kindness wins out, he steps on a stick and it makes a loud snap, then a pause, "I could hunt him down. Make it slow?" The voice is quietly pitched but carries with that usual dry humor which is Jim's trademark. it also has the ring of truth.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde doesn't look up at first, though she does quiet, rueful smile at the offer. "Nah. Not his fault. Not anyone's fault," she says, swirling her whiskey and coke in the glass and looking down into its depths. "So much easier when you can blame and be all righteous, isn't it?" she comments, before finally turning to confirm if it is who she thinks.

In the dark, lit only by the moon above and the bit of firelight to make it to him, the size of the man identifies him as James Proudstar more than being able to recognize his face. "At least I got s'mores," she comments. The makings for the campfire treat are sitting nearby as well on a corner of the blanket she's on.

James Proudstar has posed:
James Proudstar nods, slowly as he moves closer, "Yeah, Kitten. It was easier when we were younger, too. I can't even be righteous, knew what she was." He smiles and sits down half on and half off the blanket, shakes his head. He looks at the bottle and pulls an unopened bottle of Kentucky bourbon from a jacket pocket and a tiny, okay it's regular size Jim's just gigantic, baggie filled with dark chocolatey goodness, "Yep, whiskey and chocolate broken heart medicine for sure." Jim has no coke and opens the bottle offering you a toast before he takes a long swig, "I found a bag of Dani's special brownies in the bottom of a moving box."

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde gives a small gesture back with her cup at the toast, before taking another slow sip from it. There's probably the sense she's been drinking it for awhile, just in the lack of expressiveness she normally has. Maybe a slight bit in her speech as well.

"I'm sorry," she tells him, eyes going to James for a few seconds before looking back to the fire. A slow breath is drawn in and then let out with a sigh. "How much of that do you have to drink to do any good, anyway?" she asks quietly, eying his bottle.

James Proudstar has posed:
James Proudstar burps quietly, "Sorry, well, the other two were a good start. This one I'm starting to feel." Jim giggles, then sits up looking around for where the sound came from. He blinks, "How many is that for you?" He sighs, and holds the ring up to the light, "Never give your commitmentphobic girlfriend a promise ring, no matter how good the idea seems." Jim closes his eyes and shakes his head. He is dressed like usual, raw denim jeans, long sleeve tee, workboots and a ski style jacket. Jim shifts, slipping his legs around you and his body behind you. He is big and solid and incredibly warm and smells amazing. He's not touching you, but his body is all around you suddenly His knees steepled outside of yours, mirroring you. His hands on his knees. "I'm sorry, you have to be freezing."

Kitty Pryde has posed:
"It is pretty cold," Kitty comments. The fire helps but only really takes the worst of the nip out of the air. She looks down at her glass again, giving it a swirl. "Oh, first bottle. I'm a bit of a lightweight really. Though we drank wine with dinner, or just a glass at night," she says. Those memories cause her head to droop a little bit, eyes down on the glass again.

She slides back just a little bit, finding James behind her, and leans back against his comforting bulk. "Just tired of feeling the... the hurt inside, you know?" she says quietly. "Figured maybe this would help. For a bit. And didn't want the students to see me drunk. And I don't know. Maybe the cold is some kind of... penance or something," she tells him quietly.

James Proudstar has posed:
James Proudstar smiles and nods, "Yeah, I hear that." He sighs, "Sorry, didn't mean to bring that up." Jim chuckles, "You are an inspiration to us all Counselor Pryde. Sometimes you just want to feel something else, just not feel bad for a while. "Hey, you didn't do anything wrong, you don't deserve penance ot anything. Jim slips his arms around your waist and gives you an affectionate hug from behind. "You're amazing." Jim laughs easily, "I had such a crush on you when we were 15. You were so intense and smart and it was so hot." He blinks, "Oh."

Kitty Pryde has posed:
For all that she came out here to be alone, having someone else there isn't a bad thing. Maybe, especially, that it's someone who is going through what she is. Who knows what it is to feel the eyes of your friends on you, concerned, while you just want to not think or be reminded.

She reaches back a hand, up to the taller man's face to touch his cheek briefly. Her hands are cold, sitting out here as long as she has been. After the soft touch, she relaxes again, hand going back to her cup and taking a sip. "I would have still been head over heels for Piotr then I'm sure," she says with a faint smile, though with just a touch of ruefulness given how that never worked out. "I always did kind of get drawn to older men, didn't I? Which made things about impossible back then."

After a moment Kitty turns to give James a smile. "Thank you," she tells him.

James Proudstar has posed:
James Proudstar laughs and smiles back looking into her eyes. He cups her hand, warming it, "Yeah, it was a little embarassing realizing that I was not the big strong guy you were talking about." He shakes his head, "And X-Babies kind of stung. But it was nice being partnered in dance class." James pause, "And I have a thing for problem blondes." He looks down at her in the fire light and leans in to kiss her gently on the lips.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty gets a sheepish look, as she often does when the X-Babies comment comes back up. She's apologized for it too many times to count, but also knows her friends have moved on from it now it's years in the past. But still feels regret for the hot-tempered comment.

"It was, you're light on your feet," Kitty says about dance class, "But dancing with tall guys is also-"

Her words are cut off by the unexpected kiss. After a few moment she sinks into it and kisses him back. After the painful feelings inside, feeling something else is welcome.

James Proudstar has posed:
James Proudstar is slow and steady, he eases Kittys body closer as his lips stay on hers. He takes his time, his lips and mouth move sensuously, direct but not aggressive. His hands slide over her body, playfully he leans back and lets the kiss continue. He enjoys it and pursues it and lets it linger. Jim looks up at her with a grin when it's finally over, his breathing is slow and deep, "Sorry, that had been a lot of years coming." He brushes a stray strand of her hair out of her face.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Her lips are soft against his, kissing him back gently until the kiss ends. She draws a deeper breath and lets it out. "It's ok. It was kind of nice," she says, gently patting his arm. She turns bit again, her back to his chest, but leans back against him, not breaking contact or pulling away after the kiss.

"I've been kind of all over the place, mentally," she says softly as she leans her head against the much larger man's chest. "I don't even feel like clobbering anything as a release. Which, probably says I'm more messed up inside than I want to admit," she tells him with a sigh.

James Proudstar has posed:
James Proudstar listens and runs his hands over her back and down her body, caressing and massaging her softly. The ice broken his touches are more casual. "Yeah." He sighs, "You know its bad when the danger room isn't strewn with parts. I wonder how normal people deal with it? Part of me wants to sleep, part of me wants to cry, part of me wants... " I went for a run yesterday and realized I was 10 miles down her trail before I caught myself." He sighs and kisses the back of Kitty's neck, "Don't let me do that... Sorry, that's on me."

Kitty Pryde has posed:
The flames flicker along the small logs of the campfire, the warm light making the rest of the night seem darker as it is held back at bay. With James there to lean against, it's warmer than it was before. Kitty rests her hand on one of James' legs that are to either side of her as she sits in the middle of them. "Yes, the little things like that sometimes are what home the most," she says with a sigh.

"Though we hadn't been able to see each other much of late, which was part of the problem," she says, sighing. "I suppose maybe it helped prepare me a little bit. Tiny blessings though I have trouble really thinking of it that way."

She picks up her glass and takes a long drink, the alcohol warming her belly before she sets the glass aside again. "I always thought you and Dani would get together," she comments to James with a small smile. "Didn't think you were interested in me."

James Proudstar has posed:
James Proudstar shakes his head and takes a long draught of the bourbon. Jim lifts himself up on his elbows after setting the bottle aside. His body is wrapped around hers in way that allows full the most contact. "Yeah, I thought things were going well. Was a little blindsided, I mean I knew who she was, that I was pushing it but we seemed okay." He shakes his head and then turns to face her with a laugh. "You thought the two indigenous kids would hook up? Really, Kate?" Jim laughs and looks at her again, kissing her again, "Well, I'm not sure I was her type, honestly. I wasn't trying to advertise my interest. I mean I was the kid who csme here with murder on his mind. Talk about perma black sheep and you were the golden child, full X-Men with the teams trust, Logan and Storm were super protective, smart, pretty, perfect ballerina. You left to go to Oxford... and I'm the handyman. Why volunteer your interest when you know your out of your weight class?"

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde can't help a quiet laugh, if more subdued than it normally would be. "Not that, just, I don't know, you seemed like you'd both be good together. In sort of the way that I always imagined Scott and Jean would get together because they both sort of... you know, they step forward and lead. Have that same kind of mindset."

She picks up her glass again, taking a little sip, and then holding it up for James to have some. "Oh stop you're going to make me blush," she says. "But life was much better once you guys got here. It was tough when I first started, being the youngest student by far. You all were a big part of Xavier's turning into a home and not just a school," she tells him, finding James' hand with hers to squeeze.

James Proudstar has posed:
James Proudstar nods slowly, considering, "I see what you mean, yeah bit I always kind of felt that connection with Illyana, but she seems happy." Jim shrugs and twines his fingers with yours, easily, "Well, it was easier having you as the groundbreaker, showing us the ropes. But, thank you and you're welcome. I get its tough being on the outside. I was trying to fit in, it was hard but when you opened that door and invited me to movie night." Jim shrugs and. takes the proffered drink. "My world changed... so, thank you for that. Also, fuck, your ass in tights, thanks you for that too." Jim shakes his head, and laughs. "Amazing."

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde laughs and shakes her head at the comment, and gives James a swat on his leg. "I came out here to be alone tonight. But glad you came by," she tells him. Kitty relaxes back against the larger man, her hand moving to rest around his own that encircles her waist. The rest of the night is spent in their cups, talking about old times, talking about what they are both going through. The flames flicker, fed new logs, and at one point chocolate, marshmallow and graham cracker treats are made. Not that they go great with whiskey, but they kind of don't go badly with whiskey either.