2013.10.11 - A Date It Is

Standing before the door to one Piotr Rasputin's room is - well. One Kitty Pryde. Her face is contorted in an expression of 'should I' or 'shouldn't I'? That biting of her lower lip, nervous hazel eyes scanning the wood door for any inspiration, and fluttering of her heart in a most undignified manner. /Why/ must it quicken so annoyingly? It isn't like Kitty's some school girl miss! She's a professor now! She's a teacher! She's a member of the X-Men and has been for a long time. She's.. She's standing before Piotr's room, looking like a complete idiot by not just /knocking/. 
It's been a few days now since Piotr returned to the mansion, the first actual day was spent separated from everyone and recovering from a really bad hang-over. Then there's being a professor, and helping, and well. Also getting up the courage to come see how Piotr's /doing/. This, of course, is where Kitty is now. Obviously she doesn't have any ulterior motives involved, right? No one would think it odd that she's standing outside his room, gazing at the unyielding wooden door as though it's the most horrific thing since the Brood!
...right?
A nervous glance down the hallway reveals no one is about, so that much at least, is good. 
Setting her chin, Kitty's hand lifts upwards, her fingers balled into a fist, as she takes a step forward, and almost knocks that time! Her hand in mid-raise before she just can't quite do it ....
Inside Piotr's room, on the other side of that unyielding wooden door, one would find a completely different scene than is presented in the hallway. Instead of a neat and clean corridor, Piotr's room is a bit out of sorts at the moment - though, really, that's to be expected as he's still moving back in. There's not a *lot* of personal belongings that he's brought back with him, but there's enough to make a small mess as he's gone about filling up drawers and closets again, with a few outfits draped over the back of one chair, a partially-emptied duffle bag still unpacked on the floor at the foot of the bed, and a rather large crate in the other corner of the room, opened and also partially emptied. This crate is perhaps the largest source of the disorder, as it had been left here when Peter was away, and he's recently started to unearth it's contents since returning - a rather large assortment of drawing pads, brushes, paints, colored charcoals and other varied and sundry art supplies. In fact, nearby to the crate an easel has already been set up, with a large white canvas upon it. And on the canvas? The beginning sketches of a portrait featuring one very specific brown-haired girl who happens to be standing just on the other side of the door.
There's no painter at the canvas right now, however, and in fact, the biggest difference between the interior of Piotr's room and the hallway outside it is that there's someone actually in the hallway - but Piotr's room is at the moment uninhabited. Even if Kitty had mustered up the courage to knock - she wouldn't find an answer! That's because the room's occupant is just now making his way down the very same hallway that she's in, rounding the corner to find the girl standing there in front of his room, hand poised as if to knock. He pauses some steps away as he catches sight of her, a surprised, slightly bashful, but very pleased smile lighting upon his square-jawed features. He's got a glass of water in one hand, his other hand scratching at the back of his neck idly, and despite the initial hitch in his step, and one might notice a little more bounce in his gait as he continues on towards the girl, instead of the rather hum-drum moseying he had been employing before.
"Katya!" Piotr greets happily, his Russian-accented baritone echoing slightly across the otherwise empty hallway. "I hope you haven't been waiting for me long, I just went down to the kitchen for a glass of water." The tall mutant glances briefly at the aforementioned glass in his hand then, a bit of a chagrined expression meeting his features as he realizes he pretty much just stated the plainly obvious. "How are you feeling? I heard that you... were a little under the weather," he adds delicately, having heard of the girl's troubles recovering from her night of drinking, but electing not to actually come out and say the words 'hung over' as he's more concerned about her actual welfare than he's worried about teasing her.
 
Good grief. It shouldn't be this difficult to just knock on someone's door and ask them how they're doing. If they're feeling well. If they'd like to go to the movies with her. If Rachel weren't in Genosha, she'd be giving Kitty heck for this. It's just a good thing that Lockheed was left behind, as well. Can you even imagine the dragon's teasing at Kitty's hesitance. Or for that matter /Doug'/s!? The hand that is lifted to knock lowers down, and is about to lift up again - when there's a deep, pleasant, baritone voice that comes from the hallway. 
"Piotr!" That voice belongs to Kitty, as she spins about on her heels, and looks - for all intents and purposes, completely flushed and embarrassed. She's /so/ flustered, that she can only stammer out several words strung together in a row.
"WasJustWondering." 
"How'sThingsGoing."
"WasJustGoingToKnock.."
"Water'sGood."
And perhaps a few other phrases about how is he doing (in repeat), and then, Kitty manages to get some measure of control over her string of thought and consciousness to actually say. "Oh! Oh.." And it's then that the flush to her cheeks, the one that was building through the string of nonsense, and getting caught being a coward? That one. That increases in magnitude until she's sure that her entire skin is going to burn off and reveal nothing but muscle beneath. 
"I. Yeah. Guess I'm not able to pack away very many. I was really sick." Is Kitty's answer, a soft chortle escaping her lips, as her shoulders shake with the emotion, finally just easing back into the non-freak-out, everything-is-okay, perfectly normal state that she should be in. 
Stepping to one side of the door way, Kitty allows Piotr to open it upwards, as she continues. "I was just making sure that everything was going okay, moving in and all. If you found your old things, and if you happened to need any help? Did you get the chance to meet Rachel, by the way? She's my new roomie, really awesome friend. I'll have to tell you about her."
 
As he moves closer to Kitty, Piotr seems equal parts confused and amused by the girl's stammers and sputters, though truth be told he is nearly just as flustered himself, even if he doesn't show it much outwardly. Though, a discerning eye may notice the slight coloring of his cheeks amidst the happy smile on his features, and bit of a fidgety motion as he shuffles his glass of water from one hand to the other, the ice clinking against the sides of the glass as he does so. The girl's string of words is met with a growing smile that partially hides the pink hue of Piotr's features, and as she giggles about her inability to hold much liquor, Peter chuckles softly in response, his own eyes twinkling. "It is not such a bad thing to admit," he tells her, finding the girl's confession quite endearing. "But I'm glad you're feeling better now."
He moves to open the door then, as Kitty steps to one side, allowing entrance to his room before he also moves back away to allow the girl to head on in before him, gentleman that he is. Perhaps if he had his wits about him a little more than he does right now, he'd recall the half-started portrait of Kitty that's on clear display within the room, but Piotr's focused too much on the real deal at the moment, instead. "Come on in," he invites, before answering Kitty's last question first. "I've not met Rachel yet, nyet." The comment is matched with a slight shake of Piotr's head, and he realizes that there are a number of new faces around the grounds that he has yet to meet. It seems like things are always changing around the mansion, and it's hard to keep up even when one is living here - let alone when they're not. "Though, I will have to, now. Anyone that you describe as an awesome friend is certainly worthy of knowing." Piotr smiles again then, and starts to answer the rest of Kitty's inquiries. "I am settling in well enough, though. All of my things were as I left them, I was quite happy to find. Even all of my art..." his voice starts to trail off then, as he suddenly remembers the incomplete artwork that will be quite visible to Kitty as she clears the entryway of the room. "...supplies..."
And yes, there it is, nearly in the center of the room, Piotr's easel, with the broad white canvas upon it and a roughed-in sketch of a portrait mapped out across the otherwise blank space. Even though the portrait is clearly in it's early stages, the features of the girl are unmistakable - it's Kitty Pryde herself, half-turned towars the viewer and boasting a trade-mark smile of cheerfulness and exuberance. Even as rough as it is, Piotr's managed to capture the girl's zeal and the intelligent, compassionate spark behind her eyes, framed by the long, curly ringlets of her chestnut hair. Piotr pauses in the doorway as he looks between the easel and Kitty herself, a full rosy red flaming upwards to his cheeks as he swallows with a single, noisy, gulp. "I.. ah... Oh mal'chik..." he mutters under his breath in Russian then, before managing an embarrassed, hopeful smile at the girl.
 
With a slight, and almost playful rolling of her eyes, Kitty has to laugh. "I really didn't intend on getting that hung-over." She admits, her tone filled with amusement at herself, and the situation she found herself in. "Still, I had a great time. Well, I mean not the day -after-, of course, cause that really was wretched, and yuck. But. It was really great catching up with you." A pause, a beat. "And getting to know Kwabena better, too." She offers, not really meant to be an after thought, as she really /did/ enjoy talking to Kwabena too! It was.. well, Kitty just shushes her thoughts then, waiting until Piotr has opened the door, and then heads on in.
Naturally, Kitty's curiosity, much like a cat's, is turned to view the contents of the room. To see how well Piotr has settled in, if he's got enough stuff to stay for some time, if he's going to need any help, and so on. As a result, Kitty's eyes roam about the room as she takes a few steps in, taking note of the clothing, the items, the easel with the portrait of..
Whether Piotr may notice it, or not, but Kitty's fallen silent as she draws towards the portrait, before a wide grin spreads itself over her face, especially at Piotr's comment at the last. "Oh boy! Heck with that, that's an oh girl! Your art has always amazed me, Piotr." Kitty offers, turning her gaze onto Piotr, a wide, impish grin on her features. "Heck - look at me, I even look good on canvas!" And the twinkle to Kitty's hazel orbs continues to intensify as she links her hands behind her back, offering that mischievous gleam to Piotr. "It's good to see you painting, heck, it's good to see you here!" She continues, hands still linked behind her back, as Kitty shuffles her feet together. 
One hand finally unlinks to push aside a strand of her chestnut curls, pushing it behind her ear as she continues. "But, yes. Rachel. She and Kwabena are working together with Jocelyn - another X-Man, very sweet, very intelligent girl - with a few others that I'm not as familiar with, to try and help the free people of Genosha from becoming victim to Magneto's rhetoric and manipulations." Kitty lets out a soft sigh, her face contorting into a scowl for a moment, before lifting into a smile once more. "Worrisome, really. Anyway, Rachel, along with Doug, are really the only b. f. f.'s that I have." 
"So." Kitty pauses, and mauls down on her bottom lip, as her head tilts towards the canvas. "Will I get to see it, when it's done?"
 
As Kitty scans the room - and more importantly, the canvas - Piotr's expression is caught in anticipation. How will she react? Will she recognize it? Will she get freaked out by the fact that he hasn't even been here a handful days again, and his first effort of brush on canvas is none other than her? Will she like it? Will she hate it? Will she -- But all of these questions, even as quickly as they zip through Piotr's dark-haired head, are thankfully answered with Kitty's delightful, spritely, impish way that she has about her. The grin that she has is infectious, and Piotr can't help but smile in return, though he does shake his head in a slightly depreciative manner as he responds. "It does not do you justice," he confesses. "You look much better in person." His cheeks flush up then, and he's quick to add, "I mean, I was only starting from memory, and..." Another pause, as he sets his jaw and purses his lips, taking a moment to collect thoughts so that he doesn't trip over his words. "It's good to be here, Katya. And it's good to see you, too. I missed it here, when I was away. And I missed you, too."
His voice is soft as he says the words, though they are spoken very truthfully. He moves towards the canvas then, picking up the brush that is on the small table nearby the easel to make small additions to the artwork, idly working on it as he looks between the burgeoning painting and Kitty. His fingers are deft and nimble as he manipulates the brush, a stark counterpoint to the man's otherwise broad and bulky frame. "It sounds like there any many new people that I will have to meet," he starts, before a bit of a shadow crosses over his features at the mention of Magneto. "I have read in the news about what he is doing - I hope that they are not getting in over their heads. But," he matches Kitty's smile, offering an encouraging one of his one. "They are X-Men, nyet? In that alone, I am sure they will be fine."
Kitty's last comment elicits another thoughtful look from Piotr, and he draws the brush back away from the canvas as he regards the girl. "If you would like, yes," he finally states, nodding and smiling once more. "Perhaps I can convince you to model for me, so that I can be certain to make it just right," he offers then, only the smallest hint of hesitance to his voice as he makes the suggestion - perhaps fearful of how the request may sound. "I mean, if you can spare time from your 'B-F-Fs'," he teases lightly. The notion of a Best-Friend-Forever is not something that's foreign to Piotr, but as the topic is raised he suddenly becomes aware that he's never really had such a thing himself. He's called many of the X-Men close friends, to be sure, but he hasn't had that same sort of camaraderie that Kurt and Logan have shared, for example. Perhaps, he thinks, that's something that he can change - that he may be able to form such a deeper connection with certain individuals now that he's back here amongst his friends. His expression softens as he continues to regard Kitty, knowing that she is such a friend that he would like to have a closer relationship with, and he clears his throat as he realizes that he is staring at her. More than is necessary for the painting, at any rate. 
 
"Hey if you want me to pose, just ask!" Kitty offers, though the expression she offers to Piotr is not exactly 'professional model' in its quality. For her mouth poofs out to a puffy pout, her eyelashes flutter wildly, and she tries her best to look cross-eyed. The expression doesn't last too long, however, before Kitty's giggling in her infectious quality, the 'beautiful' face melting away with her laughter. 
Leaning up against the door frame, Kitty decides she's not sure what to make of Piotr's compliments, so she doesn't. She just lets it skim along, as she chatters. "Oh yeah, they keep me /soooooooooo/ busy. Though really, Doug is working on this awesome project of his. Tron meets Max Headroom in a three-'d' Internet environment. It's actually really, really fascinating. I'm looking forward to trying it out again."
With a wrinkle to her nose, Kitty's gaze flickers to the time band on her wrist, before offering a sigh. "Anyway, I need to head off and get things ready for my classes tomorrow." Straightening from where she was leaning against the door, Kitty's upper teeth clamp over her lower lip a moment, before stating curiously, "And then it's the weekend, and there's this insane, stupid, doesn't have any plot, it's just Grindhouse fun - Machete Kills that opens. Ah, anyway. If you'd like to go, we can catch up, have dinner, I can tell you -all- about the goings on at the mansion. So.. is it a date?" There's a hopeful glint to Kitty's eyes as she asks the last question, trying /not/ to seem too hopeful, but still - she /did/ just ask Piotr out for a date. To watch of all things, Machete Kills. Ah well. That's Kitty for you.
 
"I thought I did just ask," Piotr responds to Kitty's missive on posing for him, though her over-the-top pout and crossing of eyes elicits a rueful shake of the Russian's head. So typically Katya, he thinks! But this is one of the reasons that he finds her so fascinating, as he never quite knows what to expect from her. That, and she always seems to have a way of making certain that Piotr just doesn't take himself too seriously, which is no easy feat. "But... I am not sure if I can quite capture that look so well as you manage it," he continues with a broad grin to match Kitty's fit of giggles. In spite of himself, he finds it so easy to be relaxed and at ease around her.
Still, there is much that he does not share with Kitty, and he's reminded of that fact with her casual remarks of 'Tron' and 'Max Headroom', one of which he's not certain he's ever heard of, and the other which he only has a very passing knowledge. "Max... who?" he echoes, confused, before he catches himself. "Nevermind, I'm not sure I want to know. Especially if it means that Doug would rope me into as well." His face screws up into a mock display of concern, as while he and Doug have never been at odds with each other, the two have also never truly been quite on the same page either. Just two very different individuals, with very different sets of interests and perspectives on life. There are certain aspects about Doug which Piotr confesses he finds threatening, but for the moment, he shoves those concerns aside and focuses instead on the person in front of him. A girl who just, sort of out of nowhere, asked him out on a date this weekend.
The invite sneaks up on him enough that Piotr almost misses it. In fact, he's starting to wrinkle his nose at the mention of 'Machete Kills' - he's seen the trailer, and really, it's not a type of movie that Piotr really thought he'd have much interest in - but just then, at the first wrinkle of his brow, he learns it's not just 'Machete Kills'. It's Machete Kills with Kitty, and dinner, and catching up with her. Suddenly, Piotr thinks that this movie may actually not be such a bad piece of cinematic work after all. Why, it could be quite enjoyable! The almost-but-not-quite realized expression of 'Yuck, Machete Kills' turns suddenly instead into an excited 'Whoah, Machete Kills!' gleam of anticipation. "That sounds wonderful, Katya!" Piotr states definitively, smiling wide at her. "I would very much like that, to spend the evening with you. Dinner, movie, and catching up." He nods, the happy look still defining his features as he makes it official. "A date it is."
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