2013.09.04 - Welcome Back! ...I'm leaving.

The conversation between Kitty and Marcus really didn't last -too- long. Kitty wasn't so rude as to keep Rachel waiting for hours. No. It was just a short, brief, getting to know you event that transpired in about a half hours time; before Kitty (complete with Marcus' telephone number and him /hers/) skipped out to the parking garage, there to meet up with the red-head. 
"Thanks for that." Kitty began, as she tossed her backpack into the trunk of the car Rachel brought, before dropping ever so gracefully into the front seat - only to be immediately pounced by a purple dragon, that found Kitty's lap much more appealing than the back seat.
A scritch or two is given, before Kitty lets out a soft sigh. "So that was the guy that I saved from the bank heist." She begins, not that Rachel NEEDS to be updated but it's only polite. 
A pause, a goofy grin, before Kitty's gaze flickers towards Rachel, sensing, or perhaps just noticing that the red-head has a lot to say and didn't get much said through the texts. "So - I have a funny feeling, two weeks away a lot has happened. Your texts were brief, if anything - so you want to spill?"
 
Oh sure, it only /felt/ like hours for the redhead, who was missing out on Kitty chatting up Marcus... or Marcus chatting up Kitty... whatever was going on, Rachel was missing out on it, and she didn't consider that remotely fair, even if it had been her idea to play the good friend and leave the two of them alone together. Half the reason that Rachel would prefer to be eavesdropping is because Kitty's possible romantic entanglements are a good antidote to her concerns over the upcoming Genosha mission. The other half is the grumpy purple dragon sitting behind her, offering the occasional rumble of displeasure at having his reunion with Kitty interrupted. "Hush, you." Rachel tells him, fixing him with a look via the rear view mirror. "It's for the greater good."
Rachel's grateful when Kitty finally returns to mollify the dragon, and with a twist of the key has the engine running and is backing out of the parking space while Kitty tickles the dragon. No, she didn't change out of her heels for the drive home, why do you ask? "No problem." Rachel says as she maneuvers, then heads for the exit of the garage. She becomes a bit more conversational as they turn out onto the road. "Kinda guessed." Rachel says, eyes flickering across to Kitty with a bit of a smirk. "/Please/ tell me you got his number, or at least a surname this time!" It's said in jest, but even in that brief moment of contact it's apparent that there's something lurking behind Rachel's eyes.
And Kitty, of course, picks up on it. "Hey. I thought I was the mind reader." Rachel says rather more softly and soberly, looking ahead at the road and tapping her fingers on the steering wheel as she wonders how to begin. "I'm glad you're back, Kitty." She says finally. "Because pretty soon, I'm not going to be." She smiles, but it's more of an effort this time. "Don't rent out my half of the room." As an attempt at levity it's a bit flat. "The situation in Genosha is... not good. It looks like Magneto's making a play for the whole island." That doesn't begin to explain things, but how do you distill everything that was said at the briefing into a few sentences? "I stumbled into an intelligence-gathering operation the team had going..." The 'team' being Jean and Shift, but who's counting? Rachel shrugs. "And... we've got to do something, Kitty. There's going to be a small team... they need me. I'm going."
 
As the dragon lets out soft 'cooo' sounds, now that Kitty is there, and is tickling his stomach - the mutant phaser is left to situate herself as best she can in the confines of the seat. To the first, Kitty's swift to state, "Of /course/ I got digits, and a last name! Peet!" Which for some reason fills Kitty with a sense of giggles, though that fades just as quick, as Rachel's mood turns more somber - even if the redhead is trying to keep things light.
Quietly, Kitty listens to everything that Rachel has to say, digesting the information, what is spoken and more importantly what /isn't/ spoken. Her fingers idly tickle Lockheed, having missed the dragon as much as he missed her, though mostly it's on instinct to do something, rather than just sit there.
Finally, her jumble of thoughts shift to important things, like questions, as Kitty offers a quiet, "Who's 'we'." To begin with. That's important. Who's on this team that is going to combat Genosha. The second..? Well, that has more thoughts churning about. "Ray. Be careful. I realize that something needs to be done, that Genosha can not fall to a mutant who's power defies definition... But.." And Kitty's voice trails off, as she ponders her choice of words. "Just.. be careful." 
 
This is exactly what Rachel hadn't wanted to tell Kitty about, at least not yet. Not because she doesn't want her room-mate, her good friend, to know what she's signed up for, but because said room-mate has just gotten back from a much-enjoyed (to judge from the texts and pictures, at any rate!) and much-needed vacation, and Rachel didn't want to bring her right back down to Earth by loading mutant politics onto her shoulders as soon as she got off the plane.
Guess that didn't work.
Rachel keeps her eyes set straight ahead as Kitty's silent in the passenger seat. She's been far from eloquent, it's hardly surprising Kitty's having to untangle her words. As she senses Kitty's about to speak, Rachel's knuckles whiten a little as her grip on the steering wheel tightens, but when Kitty leads with a question, rather than 'are you insane?', Rachel relaxes again. "We is, well, me, obviously." Rachel says, an edge of relief in her voice driving the lightness of her reply. "And careful? Hey, you know me. But I'll do my best." By the end of that, she sounds more like she's promising than teasing.
"As for the rest of the team? Jocelyn... she's good, Kitty. I put her up against bad guys, aircraft, a Sentinel... she didn't even flinch." Rachel pauses a bit after that, but then shrugs and plunges on. "Jamie Madrox. At least, a bit of him, if not the original." Things only get trickier from there. "Nate Grey, too. My kinda sorta brother, I guess. I don't know if you've ever met him. And... Hope." Rachel's voice alone shows how conflicted she is about including that name. "But only because she'd go alone if we didn't take her, and this way I can keep an eye on her." The concern for the younger redhead is clear in her voice. "And at least she listens to Shift. Who was undercover the whole time... and which I /might/ have wrecked." Yes, Rachel deliberately put him last. "Which is good, since he's in charge. And apparently so am I." Rachel shakes her head at her own words. "Wish me luck?" She asks hopefully.
 
Jocelyn. Kitty approves - the girl is not only capable and confident, but has a great head on her shoulders. Jamie Madrox - old school X-type, been around for a while, definitely needed. Another Grey? How many of them are there out there.. still. If he's anything like Rachel, powerful is an understatement. Hope - well. Kitty pauses at that, and scowls inwardly. She's just a kid - but if it's either join up or she'll go on her own, definitely better to have the girl with Rachel as her guardian. In all, Kitty's about to state, 'sounds good who's the leader' when Rachel just opens up her mouth and explains ... that question before Kitty can even barely think it. 
A beat. A pause. And Kitty's eyes narrow towards the dashboard as her hand lifts from Lockheed to bury onto her leg, there squeezing tightly. "Shift?" She finally states, trying to keep her voice neutral. "The one that tortured those guys? Maybe. You better start at the beginning there, Red." And Kitty does her best not to be judgement. If Rachel approves, then Kitty will approve. She just needs to know Rachel's reason for approving. So, with a breath to calm her emotions, Kitty's gaze flickers towards Rachel, waiting that response.
 
And there it is. Something had been gnawing at Kitty even before Rachel's stunt during their encounter with Isaac. Something that was still lurking behind Kitty's eyes even after their frank conversation in the skies over Westchester. Rachel could have plucked it from Kitty's brain, perhaps should have, rather than let it fester for this long. But she didn't, trusting Kitty to talk to her if she needed to, or to work through whatever the issue was on her own if she couldn't bring herself to do so.
But now it's out in the open, and the accusation isn't leveled solely at Shift, either. Rachel was there, as Kitty undoubtedly knows, which means she considers her an accessory to torture, and perhaps an active participant.
Rachel's blood runs cold. This is not anything that she expected. This isn't an insult that would spark her red-headed temper, this is much worse. Rachel's grip on the steering wheel is white-knuckled again. "Kitty." Rachel quietly. "I've done some terrible things. Things that keep me... that've kept YOU awake at night." There's no change in the motion of the car, Rachel's driving on complete autopilot. "I'm already damned for that. There's nothing I can do about it." She shakes her head, sadly. "And I don't see the world quite the same way as you, because of it."
Rachel reaches ahead with her telekinesis, substituting for her vision as she turns her head to look straight at Kitty. "But I didn't torture anyone, and neither did Shift. What we did wasn't pleasant, but it wasn't torture. Look." Fire eclipses the green of Rachel's eyes, just for a moment, and her memory of the interrogation replays before Kitty's eyes. Rachel doesn't leave anything out, just presents the bare facts. That done, she looks ahead once more. "I don't think Shift's any kind of Angel, Kitty, but then neither am I. And sometimes the good guys need people like us." Her hands tighten on the wheel again, reflexively. "That's what I tell myself, anyway. That's why I'm doing this."
 
Memory dump! All before that moment, Kitty sat ever so silent. Her fingers idly scritched the content dragon in her lap. She listened to everything that Rachel had to say; and just let it process. She isn't so naive as to not understand the difference, but in Kitty's mind - the end does not justify the means. Though that is a conversation for another time. Rachel damns herself because of her past, rather than letting that past go, to move forward to the brighter future that does exist. Kitty's done some dark things in her time, but she's moved past those, and became a stronger person because of it. Dwelling so solely upon the damnation without the thought of hope, and forgiveness, again - thoughts that darken Kitty's mind, as she silently pondered how best to go about expressing her view point. 
And then.
Memory dump.
All of the events that transpired where jostled into Kitty's thoughts, carefully for certain, slowly - of course. And with the ease of a brilliant telepath - yet, Kitty's still left to process everything that transpired and see things from a completely different view point than what she thought had transpired. Dark. Yes. Torture? Not.. quite so bad as others lead her to believe. Kitty still doesn't APPROVE of what they did, but it isn't quite as torturous as what she thought.
It takes a really long time for Kitty to fully process the information, when she does, her voice does not hold judgement, nor does it hold acceptance. It's a tone that strays the line between attempting to be neutral, and wanting to express her opinion. 
"Sometimes the good guys also need people that know the difference between accepting the past, and moving forward, and continuing to damn yourself by never allowing yourself forgiveness." Kitty lets out a quiet sigh then, one hand lifting off of Lockheed to run splayed through her curls. "You're a good person, Rachel, don't ever forget that. The only person that damns you, is your own soul, and one day you need to forgive yourself and move forward. If that means going to Genosha to stop a mad-man, then I wish you the best." And Kitty means her words as she shifts slightly. "Just don't allow the darkness to consume you entirely."
 
Rachel's tendency to be impulsive is a flaw she's going to need to address, and soon. She dropped her memories into Kitty's mind without asking Kitty's permission, and did so heedless of the potential consequences. In Rachel's own mind, Kitty's already seen her at her worst, so there are very few secrets that are worth hiding from the brunette. The interrogation she participated in doesn't even rate.
And yet, for all Rachel says she's aware that she looks at the world differently than Kitty does, it doesn't enter her head that just because she doesn't consider her recent actions comparable to what she did as a Hound, Kitty might have a different opinion. This time she gets away with it. Next time she may not.
Rachel keeps driving with Kitty as her silent passenger, not attempting to reopen the conversation, apparently content to drive all the way back to the Institute in silence if that's what Kitty wants - though it's all a front. Rachel might be convinced of the necessity of what she's done, but what Kitty thinks about that does matter to her - and Kitty's words, when she finally breaks the silence, illustrate how far apart they are in some ways. But still, Rachel listens.
"Maybe." Rachel says the word, but clearly doesn't believe it, and her lips twist in a self-mocking smile. "Maybe one day when I remember exactly what I need to forgive myself /for/." She doesn't look around yet, still staring straight ahead. "I have to." She confesses. "When I didn't know what was at stake, I could ignore it, but now? I have to at least try." She snorts, suddenly, as a thought occurs to her. "I guess I'm more like Hope than I realised." Now she does look around, and the smile she shows Kitty is honest and grateful. "Thanks. And I won't. I /am/ coming back. Enjoy having the room to yourself while it lasts."
 
Turning her gaze onto Rachel, Kitty offers her own crooked grin in return. "You better, roomie. Who else am I going to talk about boys with! Doug? Ugh!" That wry grin spreads just a bit more, before the seriousness of the situation causes Kitty to falter a bit afterwards. Her fingers continue to run splayed through her curls, sending the chocolate strands to bound haphazardly about her shoulders with the motion. 
The difference between Kitty and Rachel is a mile wide, and yet - perhaps that is what makes them such good friends. They're not a like. They're different. They're individuals. They're not competing with each other for the same things, they approach each and every situation with a different perspective, a unique outlook. It's what makes them good friends, as well as team-mates, and that is something that Kitty is going to miss when Rachel's away.
Lockheed has gotten bored by this point, of tickling and of the conversation, as he lifts upwards and flies towards the back seat, there to draw out his small gameboy and begin playing, his claws and paws working over the controls as easily as one might see a child do so.
This leaves Kitty to plant her hands in her lap and pause for the briefest of moments, before stating quietly. "In some ways I wish I could be there with you, and the fact I'm not asking to go isn't because of you, or anything like that. I want to get this across. It's because I feel like I belong at the mansion, helping the kids - and because I promised a very good friend of mine that I would do so, and I intend to do so. Though just so you know, Red. If you need me, if I can be of any help - I'll be on the plane that next second and heading down there for you and your team."
 
Rachel's response to the mention of Doug is swift. "If you do, check his facts before you take his advice." There's a certain ominous undercurrent to Rachel's retort. She's in no doubt who cried 'torture' to Kitty. There really is only one suspect, after all. A certain linguist should probably be grateful that Rachel's going to be in another country for a while.
Kitty's more serious words, however, also provoke a reaction from Rachel, and this time it's a firm, almost violent shake of her head. "Kitty... I didn't ask because whatever happens, whether we win or lose, it'll all be for nothing if the school's not still there to come back to. With you here, I know it will be." And because that was overly serious, Rachel adds, "And no, I don't want to trade. The kids are all yours." But then it's back to seriousness. "But thanks, Kitty. I'll try /not/ to need you. But thanks."
Rachel sighs, relaxing into the well-padded car seat and flexing her fingers. Her death-grip in the steering wheel's made them cramp up a bit. "It's not like I'm leaving tonight." Rachel suggests in a speculative tone. "And I think I can manage /one/ night off before I go." She grins over at Kitty. "What do you say? Too jet-lagged to go out?"
 
Kitty's response is to just laugh. "Okay but you're buying drinks. My credit card is maxxed out from my cruise!" And she's not kidding, those drinks get spendy! Still, Kitty's jibe pauses a moment, before she insists with a quiet. "Though in all seriousness, Rachel. If you need me, if something happens - whatever. Give me a call, it's what friends /and/ team-mates do." The statement is short, and sweet, but insistent and sincere. 
As Xavier's appears in the distance, Kitty's grin widens, it's always good to go on vacation, but coming home again..? There's nothing like it. "And hey, if you did buy me a pair of those heels, Red. I might take you up on wearing them." 
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