2013.09.25 - A Bond Of Friendship

"... and for whatever reason, when we finally got everyone away from the projects, we found Laura still sitting and staring at a big plush bear. So when we were leaving, I just went ahead and bought it for her. All in all, aside from the manlovespony thing, which you and I need to put a filter in for and all sort of -other- things, it's not a bad start. That new consortium student, though, the one staying at the institute so that she can take classes at the university? She just up and demanded access to the main code." 
Shrugging helplessly, Doug admits, "So I shared them with her." 
Reaching out to pat 'Lassie', the large purple metallic Spider-slayer as it curls its long tentacle-like neck around its body and peers at Lockheed, Doug points a finger at Kitty. "Stop laughing there. You should have seen Monet's face. 'Social filters, Mr. Ramsey'." The last four words were said in a flat, almost contemptuous monotone. 
The figure seated at her desk is one Kitty Pryde. Currently; she's dressed in a fashionable, if very professional, outfit of black and white pin-striped suitness. It begins with a cut suit top that sits in perfectly at the small of her waist, buttoned up with three tiny gold buttons that have a small 'x' situated in the middle of each button. A white silk shirt can be seen beneath the jacket, with its simple square neckline. A pencil skirt of the same pin-striped fabric hugs in close to her legs, coming down in a respectful placement to about her knees, where a pair of hose can be found beneath, and a simple pair of black pumps located on her feet. Kitty's normal necklace hangs at her throat, and her normally impossibly untamed hair has been held in check at the nape of her neck into a very austere (if a bit poofy) bun.
And. She's laughing. Full bellied. The sound is a chortling *snigger* *laugh* *cough* *snigger* that has created tears to stream down her cheeks. When she /finally/ gets hold of herself, her shoes are swiftly kicked off with a simple flick of her feet. "Oh Doug." She finally gets out. "I'm sorry that's.. that's.." And then Kitty's sniggering again, taking in deep breaths in order to cease the giggles.
"Seriously. I can't imagine what this person would want with the main code, but we will have to put in some filters. Some very strict filters."
Lockheed, for his part, has adventured as close as he dares (which isn't too close) to Lassie, his snout slightly blowing smoke outwards in his confusion (and slight bit fear) at what he sees.
"That's what I'm wondering too. She wanted to learn hacking and security programs for some reason too, so I'm wondering if she's trying to hide something somewhere on a network. Oh, yeah, the opera Betsy and I took Warren to went pretty well. Although it -was- like pulling teeth, but Warren seems inclined to give it a try. He's holding a pro-mutant rally, so maybe he thought about it...?" Shrugging, the young mutant reaches out to pat Lassie. "Hey Lockheed, what do you think of your new roommate? Lassie's been good, right?" Grinning, Doug continues. "Logan's still grumbling at me about Lassie, but I figure having her around gives us a chance to learn how to do our own. Maybe at least it'll give us a lead towards those Sentinels..." 
Picking up one of at least a dozen Hello Kitty dolls on Rachel's bed, Doug drapes it on top of Lassie. "By the way, thanks for letting me keep her here." 
 
And at that moment, the door swings open, and Rachel Summers takes half a step inside the room before she pulls up short at the sight that greets her.
For a couple of seconds the tall redhead doesn't say anything, as her eyes move to Doug, who gets a quizzically lifted eyebrow, to his metal 'pet', which gets a look of incredulity, followed by a shake of her head, to Kitty, whose appearance doesn't seem to do much to reduce Rachel's surprise. For her part, Rachel looks more than a bit tired - which might explain why she wasn't scanning ahead for surprises before she opened the door - and is a bit more rumpled than she usually appears, dressed in jeans, boots, and a red top, with a battered rucksack slung over one shoulder.
Finally, Rachel's surprised expression fades as a smirk starts to take hold on her lips. "You rented my room!" She accuses Kitty, pointing a finger unerringly at Lassie without turning her head. "To Doug's science project! That wasn't the deal!" Her smirk becomes a bit more pronounced as she makes a great play of looking over Kitty's outfit and hairstyle again. "Then again, how long have I been gone?" She asks, suspiciously, then gives in and grins. "Hi."
 
Grabbing a few tissues from her night stand, Kitty idly blows her nose, making a loud sound as she does so. It is /so/ unladylike, given the outfit she's currently in. But. Well. That is just Kitty. A couple sniffs later, and Kitty's at least not sniggering any more, taking what Doug has to say seriously. With a flick of her wrist, the used tissues get tossed into her trash bin, as she /starts/ to begin, just before Rachel enters. "Rachel's busy in Genosha, and I hardly see her or any of them - heck, I'm not sure what's even going on over there. There's too much of a risk for cell phone communication to be hijacked. We should see about making some really secure cell phones - something that will allow me to just chatter aimlessly to Rachel, without worry of some technopath picking it up... maybe use some of the Shi'.." And Doug's spared Kitty's techno-babble as the door to Kitty and Rachel's room swings open and the red-head doth appear, as though called from the very Gods themselves.
The only thing that Kitty can get out afterwards is a surprised. "Rachel!" Followed by the brunette rising upwards to clasp Rachel on the shoulder, "Gosh it's great to see you." She begins, before her eyes flicker towards Lassie then back to Rachel. "And well, we didn't really have any room, and he doesn't eat much, or cause much in the way of clutter.. by the way, if you find any thing untoward under your bed, I found that Lockheed had been keeping his stolen twinkies and cupcakes under there." 
As for Lockheed, he lets out a snort to Doug, proceeding to lift himself upwards and land with *womph* on top of Rachel's bed, giving Lassie a good once over, again, circling the Spider-Hunter with much curiosity, and less fear. 
As for Monet and everything else..? Kitty flickers her gaze to Doug afterwards, offering that 'hey we'll talk more later'.
Doug's eyes widen. "Aw man, what's wrong with me? I forgot to tell you about..." he begins, before Rachel storms in and declares herself home. 
As Kitty proceeds to explain the situation with the room, Doug quickly hops off the bed, pulling the sheets flat, and dusting off the assorted variety of food crumbs the best he could. "Here you go, good as new," he comments, grabbing the various Hello Kitty dolls that had been tossed onto the floor and putting them back onto Rachel's bed. 
Various mouthless dolls stare back at Rachel now, all bright and perky, matched by Doug's wide smile. "Welcome back, Ray."
Fatigue seems to darken the green of Rachel's eyes, but it doesn't dim her grin as Kitty comes over to greet her, but she does cock her head curiously as Kitty just claps her on the shoulder. "Hey, don't want to crease the new suit?" Rachel says teasingly, then there's a thump as her rucksack hits the floor, and Kitty's being pulled into a quick, tight hug whether she wants to be or not.
Releasing her friend almost as quickly as she grabbed her, Rachel follows Kitty's gaze back to Lassie, a dubious expression on her face as she takes in the over-large... thing, and then she glances sharply back at Kitty, before turning a mock-frown on Lockheed. "You're in on it too, huh?" She accuses him, before taking a couple of quick steps toward her bed - and around the metal obstruction - to give him a swift scratch by way of greeting.
Dragon appeased, Rachel's gaze lifts to meet Doug's, and her smile is a bit more restrained than it was with Kitty. She still remembers their somewhat disastrous 'chat' from a while ago, and isn't quite sure of her welcome from the linguist. His smile reassures her, though, and her eyes sweep past him to the array of Hello Kitty dolls staring... at... her... "Those things are creepy." She says with conviction, then her eyes flick back to Doug. "Hi Doug. How long's the story?" She asks, waving at Lassie.
 
Only too happy to be drawn into a hug, Kitty returns it with fervor, stepping back to allow Rachel access to Lassie as well as her bed. Hopping up to sit onto the edge of her desk, Kitty offers an impish grin to Rachel, then back to Doug. Only to let out a curious. "Forgot to tell me about..?" Kitty's head tilts to one side as she asks the question, legs now crossed at her ankles, dangling down from her desk to idly rap against the side of the wooden structure.
Lockheed, for his part, is only too happy to be scritched, and leaves Lassie's side to find a nice perch around Rachel's shoulders, his tail wrapping about her neck, and his own neck nuzzling under her chin to show his happiness at her being home. Of course, not long afterwards, the purple dragon once again finds himself flitting off to land not far from Lassie, offering the huge thing his full and undivided attention. 
Kitty lets out a quiet sigh afterwards, fingers finding themselves placed on each side of her, as her gaze flickers from Rachel to Doug and back again. 
Running a hand through his hair awkwardly, Doug grins at Rachel. "Short version: Something came to try and kill Spider-Man, I reprogrammed it verbally, and now it's hanging around. Say hi to Rachel, Lassie." 
"Hi Rachel," the Spider-Slayer says in a flat mechanical monotone. "Friend?" 
"Yes, friend," Doug confirms, looking back at Rachel as the Spider-Slayer returns its unblinking red-eyed stare back towards Lockheed. "Don't worry about it, Lockheed, Lassie's not going to eat anything. I... hell, Kitty, we need to figure out what Lassie's running on. It'd be useful... oh. Oh, right, Theora. Uh, I set up a special partition for communicating with our cell phones. There's an application on the Genosha group's phones that hooks up with a program on our Internet 3.0 setup, and then we can talk from there with all kinds of security lockdown and stuff. It's... well, I mean, you know me and Max headroom..." 
Rachel tilts her head as Doug offers his explanation, looking a bit surprised (again) and even a little impressed. "Nice trick, and you even got a souvenir!" Either things really are OK between her and Doug now, or... no, she's going to assume things are OK and not go poking around in his head. She's spent too much time doing that lately, and she's tired of it. When Doug introduces her, she looks from Lassie to Doug and back again, asking, "Does he need to sniff my hand, or something?" Evidently not, as the Spider-Slayer proceeds to greet her. Doug gets a quick look, along the lines of 'laugh-and-I-kill-you', before Rachel drops to one knee to address Lassie directly. "Hi Lassie. Friend, unless you sell my stuff while I'm away. Or..." And she looks at Lockheed, who (intentionally, she'd swear) misinterprets that reproving look as an invitation and arrives on her shoulders. She gives a bit of a sigh, but absently pets the dragon anyway. "Or leave anything /else/ under my bed."
Standing up again, automatically steadying the dragon with one hand as he nuzzles her, Rachel's smile turns a bit soft and un-Rachel-like at the contact. "So I'm not so bad after all, hey?" She asks him quietly, while Doug fills in Kitty and she tries to listen with half an ear. She probably wouldn't have understood if she was giving the linguist her full attention, honestly. "Max Headroom?" She asks, coming in on the end of the conversation and looking utterly baffled.
"Max Headroom," Doug confirms. "It's a tv show that started in Britian around... what was it, the 80s? Anyway, you'll see for yourself - check Theora on your phone, and..." 
And Doug's phone rings.
Eyes light up as he does a quick check of who called. "If you'll excuse me, I've got to answer this one." 
Quickly standing up, the young blond hustles out in a hurry. Whoever called, it certainly had his attention...
 
"Yes." Kitty responds, "I do know - Doug." And the mystery of Max Headroom will have to be told to Rachel another time. "You -could- have told me that earlier." Would have saved Kitty some time in agonizing over 'I want to chat with Rachel but can't'! Still, the brunette's only too happy that something like that /does/ exist, as she hops down from the desk, her bare feet not making a single sound as they land on the plush carpet. When Doug makes his quick exit, she offers Rachel a mischievous grin. "Betsy." Is all Kitty offers, and at least she waits until Doug exits before she offers the telling name.
Still, with a shoo, Kitty idly gestures Lassie to make his exit, "Here, stay right there." And the droid obeys Kitty without question, moving to deposit its large self towards the back of the room, where he'll at least be out of the way. 
Turning to face the mirror, Kitty begins to remove the bun that's at the base of her neck. "So how long are you getting to stay? Hopefully a bit. And.." With the last, Kitty turns around, offering Rachel a stern expression. "...how are things?"
 
Well, at least Doug /tries/ to explain - even if the explanation leaves Rachel looking no less baffled. Still, she dutifully reaches for her phone, thinking perhaps she'll figure out what on Earth he's on about if she plays along - and then he's leaving hastily, with a suspiciously pleased expression on his face...
For a moment or two, Rachel frowns at the door Doug disappeared through, tempted again to reach out with her telepathy, but Kitty's single word makes that unnecessary. Rachel looks over her shoulder with an amused look. "OK, that one I /can/ understand." Rachel returns, equally mischievous, and then watches as Kitty orders Lassie around imperiously. "Shame that doesn't work with you, isn't it Lockheed?" She says sweetly to the dragon, tickling him under his chin idly as she says the words.
While Kitty de-buns, there's a pair of quiet thuds as Rachel removes her boots, and then a muffled thump as she sprawls onto her back on her bed. At least she remembered to remove Lockheed from around her neck first. Sighing with pleasure at lying on a decent bed for a change, Rachel looks up at the ceiling for a moment or two and just enjoys being 'home'. Kitty's question, though, makes her grimace and push herself up on her elbows. "I'm not sure yet, but probably not all that long." She answers honestly. "We're not close to being done in Genosha, but," She shrugs. "Something came up that Shift needs to deal with before it becomes a problem, and I tagged along." Rachel smirks, "I should probably be in Brooklyn with him right now, but I wasn't going to be this close and not drop in on you."
Rachel flops back down and looks at the ceiling again with a quiet groan as Kitty asks her question, probably dodging the stern look. "Things are... OK. We're all fine, and sometimes I even feel like we're achieving something." From her tone, it's clear that sometimes she doesn't, too. Although that doesn't include Jocelyn and her remarkable run of luck, if you can call it that... "You probably don't want the details." Rachel suggests, then adds, "But I haven't hurt anyone, and I haven't /gotten/ anyone hurt." That's slightly defensive, and Rachel rolls her head around to look at Kitty. "Sorry." She says, and means it. Remembering her last conversation with Jocelyn, Rachel smiles again. "You look the part. Is it working?" She inquires, with a bit of a teasing tone in her voice.
 
Attempting to run a brush through the tangled mass of curls only results in it getting half way looking decent, before Kitty just gives up and flops down onto the edge of her own bed, listening quietly to everything Rachel has to say - and picking up everything she /isn't/ saying too. There's a lot left /unsaid/ versus /said/ in her statements, which leaves Kitty to ponder if she should call Rachel out on it - or just let it go. Deciding to let it go, Kitty mutely nods, occasionally bobbing her head - and /would/ have responded about 'hey' when Rachel immediately apologizes after the slander. 
Left to only offer a twist of her lips into a smirk, Kitty collects Lockheed up from where he's landed on her bed, and idly deposits him onto her lap, there the dragon happily turns over to have his belly scritched, while Kitty takes in a deep breath and goes with the simple comment. "If you mean, does looking the part of the professor give me any lee-way in dealing with the kids. The answer is - would it have you? No. No it doesn't do much to impress them, but it helps at least with some confidence issues." 
A dry grin parts Kitty's mouth, before a shake of her head, later and she shifts her legs upwards, the skirt shoved over her knees a bit more as she curls her legs underneath her, tossing Lockheed off of her lap in the process, as the disgruntled dragon nestles onto the bed besides Kitty instead. "Surprisingly enough no one has even /noticed/ that I'm wearing the more 'professional' attire, versus jeans and t-shirts. Which makes me think that I could go out in a full tuxedo and wouldn't get a blink otherwise." Which is slightly disappointing to Kitty, though it's at least some common ground to talk about, while she processes Rachel's words.
Finally, Kitty lets out a low breath. "Well, I'm glad you haven't gotten hurt." She begins, "Though I have to say you look tired, and from the way you're enjoying the mattress, I'd recon you haven't had a good nights sleep in awhile. Seriously; Rachel. Be careful. Don't let this drag on to the point where it's just one day of war after another, without stopping. The last thing any of you need, is to fight endlessly, and never have a stop." Though Kitty shrugs helplessly at that, letting out a soft. "Anyway. What was that about you can understand?" There's a quirk of Kitty's brows upwards, as she offers Rachel that 'spill it girl'.
 
Rachel shakes her head with a disappointed look when Kitty reveals that her shopping trip hasn't yielded the desired results. "Kids. What can you do?" She asks lightly, then a thought hits her and she looks intrigued. "Any interest from the Staff Room?" She asks, clearly hopeful for gossip. "If not, maybe you should have Marcus pick you up straight after school..." She suggests, so innocently that it's obviously anything but.
The mention of a tuxedo makes Rachel laugh, and she finally drags herself off the comfortable bed and up to a sitting position, tailor-style, facing Kitty. "Not a tux." She says after a moment's thought, eyes bright with mischief and a sneaky grin on her lips. "Evening gown. Definitely. If I knew I'd be here a while I'd have to give Marcus a nudge. THAT would work, or everyone around here is DEAD." Rachel chuckles to herself, clearly amused by the whole situation, probably more than it deserves in reality, but laughs (other than Shift's mock-kidnapping) haven't been much on offer for her lately, so she's making the most of it...
...before Kitty turns the conversation back towards something more serious. Rachel pulls a face and nods in immediate agreement. "We're living under the radar. Think low end and then go lower. A lot lower. Decent beds aren't an option." Rachel sounds like she could go on about that at some length, which given how decent beds didn't really figure in her life before moving in here is telling. She goes to interrupt Kitty as the brunette pulls her back on track, but gives up and lets her speak, Rachel's smile fading a bit as she does. "Doug's expression." She answers first, a bit more soberly than she might otherwise. She hesitates, then switches back to Genosha. "And I won't. But Jocelyn's in deep, and between that and Nate questioning why we're even there..." Rachel sighs. "I can't leave. Not for long. Maybe after the elections...?" It's a tenuous suggestion, and Rachel shrugs, before remembering something.
Her eyes meet Kitty's again, and there's a flicker of fire amongst the green. << I didn't really understand half of what Doug said. >> She speaks directly into Kitty's mind. << But it sounds like he's built us a super-phone. In which case I guess we don't need my idea. >> Rachel's mental tone is rueful, but also a bit hesitant. << But then I guess you might not want me in your mind all the time, anyway... >>
 
Hn. Is Kitty's first words to everything about Genosha. Sleeping on hard beds, in places where bedbugs are the least of your worries..? Yeah. Kitty's glad she's teaching students, versus out -there-. Not that she's ever been squeamish about things, but really, in Kitty's mind, there are better ways to fight against a despot, but - she's sure Shift and Rachel know what is for the best. At least there, Kitty trusts in her friend, and thus can only offer a sympathetic, "Can you at least bring back with you some good hot food, smuggle in ..?" The question is left open, as Kitty shifts a bit on the bed, her fingers idly pushing the skirt about her knees down a bit more, both legs curled beneath her, one hand at her side, keeping her upright and not toppling over by the precarious position.
At the mention of Marcus, then, or at least Kitty's sudden realization that Rachel's referring to /Marcus/, the brunette's head snaps upwards, hazel eyes narrowing in on Rachel. With a snort, she offers a dismissive. "Haven't spoken to him in a few days." As though that situation has come and gone, "Though as far as him picking me up; I think it'd be the other way around, poor guy can barely afford his meals." 
"Still." Kitty lets out a quiet sigh, "I've been so busy here, I haven't really pushed out the multitude of phone calls myself." So Kitty assumes it just goes both ways. Regardless, her eyes shift towards Rachel at the idea of her showing up in an evening gown, leaving her to let out a quiet laugh. "Oh yes, one of those fancy, formal things you see on the stars during reward ceremonies, complete with revealing neckline and a slit up the thigh to nearly there." Kitty's laughing then, at the sight, and at the idea that no one would notice. "If I did that, I still bet I would only get a 'nice dress what is the occasion'?" 
Finally, Kitty's thoughts are interrupted by Rachel's own telepathy, and Kitty's gaze once again narrows ever so slightly upon Rachel. << What? Like - a psionic bond? Our thoughts connected? I wouldn't mind, in the least. Especially if it'll mean getting to pester you at odd intervals /and/, for that matter, getting the scoop on such things like - what's going on between you and Shift. Or yeah, what's happening in Genosha. <<
 
Rachel shakes her head with a disappointed expression. "Not really. We need to take a pretty roundabout route. And travel light." The discarded rucksack gets a nod for emphasis, and the bag does look pretty well stuffed already. After a moment Rachel smiles, though. "But I can still get a couple of decent meals while I'm /here/..." Rachel's eyes sparkle a bit, she's already planning on raiding the fridge, and anything else she can find. It might even be worth getting off this bed for.
Rachel looks startled by Kitty's reaction to her teasing over Marcus, but she's quick to pick up on what it means, and nods slowly with a bit of a quiet 'hmm' to herself as she files that away. "See what I get for being away? I miss all the important stuff." She says, trying to cover any awkwardness between them, and shrugs. "I know, I know, my own fault." She sounds rueful again, though this time it's more or less an act.
Rachel leans her arms on her knees and nods vigorously as Kitty describes pretty much exactly the kind of dress that she was teasing about before, the shakes her head with a heavy sigh. "Then everyone around here IS dead and I've got another reason to come back." Rachel declares, her eyes bright with her schemes, though she doesn't elaborate on that one. She'll have time on the trip back to Genosha to work on refinements, after all.
Rachel doesn't break eye contact with Kitty as the other woman questions her, and Rachel's gone rather still, as if she's forgotten about her physical body while she maintains the connection to Kitty's mind. << Pretty much? >> Rachel replies, almost on top of Kitty's thoughts, clearly a bit unsettled by what Kitty's reaction might be - after all, friends or not, they've had some differences of opinion in the recent past, and, also, Kitty's SEEN what's inside Rachel's head... Rachel almost misses the penultimate item on Kitty's list of benefits. << What? Me and Shift? Seriously? >> Rachel's ruffled feathers would be more convincing if there weren't images flickering in her mind (and across the link) of her laughing as she runs beside Shift as he drags her through the alleyways of Hammer Bay, or the feeling of trying not to laugh when he tells her that her cover is as his kidnappee... << There's nothing going on between me and Shift. >> Rachel says a bit sniffily. << But he's more fun than his reputation lets on. >> She finally allows.
Rachel goes quiet for a moment, just looking at Kitty - seeming to look right /through/ her. When she speaks again, it's carefully, as if she wants to be sure Kitty knows what she's signing up for. << I can reach Jean from Genosha. Or, we can reach eachother. But she's a powerful telepath in her own right. Reaching you, at least without lighting up the astral plane like a bonfire? That I can't do. Not as a one off. But if you're willing, I can link us while I'm here, and then I /will/ be able to reach you. And you'll be able to reach me. >>
Rachel lets that hang for a moment, then shifts, uncrossing her legs and sliding off the bed. Walking silently over to stand in front of Kitty, she raises her hands, then hesitates before she touches Kitty's temples. "Sure you want to do this?" She asks aloud, giving Kitty time to object before she continues. "Then get comfortable and close your eyes."
Rachel's fingertips brush Kitty's temples, and her green eyes disappear in flame.
 
>> I am quite sure. << Is Kitty's response, and besides - there is a part of Kitty that's surprised this already doesn't exist. While Rachel may not remember it, nor may it even /be/ the Rachel that Kitty remembers - years and years ago, when Kitty was but a child of fourteen, she traded places with her older self. The psionic bond that Rachel and 'Kate' had transferred through to Kitty, enabling Kitty to see the future that existed, the pain and tragedy and though her future body may have been unconscious, Kitty could feel it all through that bond. That connection that Kitty has always felt to Rachel, the bond of friendship - it's always seemed in Kitty's mind that the connection is, and should have already been established at that time.
So, she simply sits still, a slight bob of her head given - and then - Rachel's eyes disappear into flame, and the feeling in Kitty's mind is - not so different. It isn't uncomfortable. It isn't invasive. It isn't weird. And for Rachel, it's going to be accomplished far easier than she might ever even imagine - as though perhaps there is a left over reminder of a past or perhaps future that is yet to come.
>> You know. << Is Kitty's response a few minutes afterwards, a dry bit of emotion filter through, >> I think we should go out, have fun, drink until we're sick, and find two guys to dance with. Forget about Marcus, and anything else..<< There's a mixture of mischief in that. >> And just have fun. Whatcha say, roomie..? << And regardless of what Rachel may say, Kitty's darting upwards to move to get ready. Sleep is for the weak, after all.
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