2012-12-21 Living it up at Warren's

Despite the fact that he's required to spend Christmas at home, Warren is going to stay at his penthouse for as long as possible. That usually means he's showing up at the house on Christmas eve. Seeing that he still has a few days, he's making any and all excuses to stay in the city. This time, it's because he claims that he has work to do. Now, he might actually have work, but the flat-screen television is on and Warren is lounging on the couch, his laptop in his lap and some take-out from down the street on the coffee table in front of him.
The door opens softly and a familiar dark haired, spectacled man comes through the door. "Nice to see you in your native habitat, Warren," Scott Summers says with a smile. "How are you?"
Warren glances over as the door to the penthouse opens, "Did you bribe the doorman to key you up?" but he's grinning and setting the laptop aside. "You've never been here before?" Standing, he moves to bring the take-out cartons over to the open kitchen counter, "Want any Thai food? It's really good..."
"If I told you how I got past security, you might change it for next time." Scott looks around, "Honestly, I can't say that I recall being up here." Scott waves off the Thai, "No thanks; I appreciate it."
Warren's eyes narrow some, "You know...there's a reason why they're there...and I also have a phone." He finally puts some of the food on a plate and takes up the chopsticks again, "You want anything to drink? To what do I owe this surprise visit?"
"I'll have whatever you're having," Scott says with an upwards nod. He begins to take off his coat. "Well, as you might know I have been out of commission for a bit. I'm just trying to get reacquainted with everyone. See where they're at and how they're doing."
"One water coming up them," Warren fills up a glass and sets it down for whenever Scott is ready. "Oh, your coat. I'm sorry..." he moves over to take the coat and hang it in a coat closet by the door, "Really?" There's a brief pause, "Why this turnaround? Last time we talked...well, that didn't seem to be a priority."
"Well..." Scott says and nods, giving his jacket to Warren. "I think...last time." He pauses, choosing his words carefully. "I think there was a mixture of the whole thing with Jean...and then I felt like there was kind of a bit of a rivalry between us. In retrospect...It shouldn't have been that way."
Warren takes the jacket and hangs it up before gesturing for Scott to join him in the kitchen. "Scott..." he returns to his seat and his food, "Despite the fact that I tried almost every single way to get Jean to notice me, she's made it perfectly clear that she doesn't even want me at the school, much less date me. Any rivalry is in your head."
"Well," Scott says as he makes his way to the kitchen. He leans against the counter and gives a wry smile. "She didn't take too well to me either. So, it just proves the point. It was probably in my head. This is my way of saying sorry."
Warren scrutinizes a peapod in his chopsticks as he listens to Scott. It's popped into his mouth and chewed before he offers, "Apology accepted. Mostly because I'm sick of all the fighting going on and all the ego-bruising and if it means I have to step up and brush it off, so be it." The 'shy, uncertain' Warren seems to be shoved away into a corner somewhere. If he needs to be haughty and arrogant to keep from being hurt again, so be it.
"Well, I appreciate it," Scott says before pursing his lips. "How's everything going? Both for you and at the Mansion?"
"Well, I spent a month in a coma and then about a month rehabbing back to normal. I'm getting ready to reinstate myself into my father's company and preparing to be a guest-lecturer at the Mansion at Logan's and Piotr's request. I haven't been to the mansion much, mostly because I don't want my psyche to be blasted because I'm not wanted there right now."
"Well, I spent a month in a coma and then about a month rehabbing back to normal. I'm getting ready to reinstate myself into my father's company and preparing to be a guest-lecturer at the Mansion at Logan's and Piotr's request. I haven't been to the mansion much, mostly because I don't want my psyche to be blasted because I'm not wanted there right now." Warren pokes some more at the Thai food, "So probably not so different from when we last talked."
"A coma?" Scott says with a raised eyebrow. "Not wanted? Warren, I'm not really sure what you're talking about. I know I probably should, but could you tell me what happened?"
"You don't remember? After I stopped wearing the braces and came out as a mutant, Jean told me that I shouldn't come to the mansion for fear of endangering the others...especially the students. She didn't even want to be seen talking to me in public...she mind-woogied an entire cafe so they wouldn't see her talking to me,." Warren continues to eat, speaking matter-of-factly. "That was before the coma. I was caught between two...powered folks fighting over an artifact at a Museum opening. I tried helping out some other hostages, got blasted by something and the next thing I know I'm waking up attached to monitoring machines and a month has passed."
"I'm sorry she treated you like that. I'm...confused." Scott shakes his head and looks at Warren. "I'm glad you're doing better."
Warren shrugs, the wings rustling at the movement...they haven't been hidden by the braces since his public announcement. "That apology is also accepted. I don't know why she thought that way. It's not the way to teach these kids to be proud and strong in who they are. What good will they be if they're always in fear and hating that they're mutants?"
"It certainly seems peculiar," Scott says shaking his head. "I'll have to ask her about this and see what she has to say." Scott looks back up to him, "In any event, it's good that you're coming back to speak at the school."
"Well, Piotr played to my ego," Warren grins, "And Logan...well, you can't just buy kids nice clothes and tell them they have to dress that way in order to be taken seriously. Not everyone's style works with Brooks Brothers." The way he says the design name, his style doesn't work with it either.
Scott chuckles, "Between the both of them they don't find a lot of people who disagree with them. I'm glad they reached out to you." After a brief pause, he asks, "What are your hopes for the team?"
Warren chokes on a vegetable but manages to dislodge it after a short coughing spell. "The team? Right now, there is no team, Scott. Beast has left, Sam has left, Piotr's in the Justice League...most of us don't feel like we're a part of anything. Kurt and I work well together because we're some of the few who actually talk to each other. There's a lot of work that needs to be done if we want to be a team again. It's not like when there was the five of us thrown together."
Scott nods, "Well that's why I'm here." His head tilts. "Call it an olive branch."
Warren doesn't immedately accept or refuse the gesture. Instead, he eats, looking at the food on his plate and in his chopsticks. Finally, not looking up yet, he starts, "I know I'm not the most powerful of us. I know I'm not the strongest and I can't teleport or shoot beams from various parts of my body. If I'm on the team, I want to be on the team. Not ignored, not overlooked, and not forgotten. If I'm not wanted on the team, I want to be told. I don't want to have to wonder." He's doing his best to try and keep that less self-confident Warren hidden, but it's still not easy yet.
Scott nods, "I'm telling you right now, Warren. We want you and need you. Things are getting pretty bad out there with the Brotherhood and all of the normal attacks on mutant life. We need to get the team back together."
"See, and that
"See, and that's kind of funny because I walk out with these big-ass wings of mine, and no one cares. I don't get threats, I don't get things thrown at me...maybe they whisper and stare, but that's it." Warren looks up at Scott now, "I have to wonder if a lot of the issues are of our own making."
"That might be here in New York, Warren," Scott replies, folding his arms across his chest. "What about all of those dead people in the Ukraine?"
"And you would really be taking me to the Ukraine, Scott? When you have people like Piotr, Logan, Kurt, yourself, Ororo? If it's too cold, I can't fly high or far because I'll freeze. It's not like I have wing-warmers." Warren counters right back. "Look. All I'm saying is I know I have limitations when it comes to the team. Any team. I'm good at being a public Face for mutants and I'm very happy to help that way too. If you want to work on the team, however, it needs to be more than just calling people up and saying 'Hey, we need you to help'. I mean, if I got that call, you know I would, but...it doesn't feel much like a team right now."
"Well, Warren, it's my job to make sure that your in positions where your talents can be succesful. If that doesn't happen, that's really my fault, not yours." Scott nods, "I know it doesn't feel like a team. That's what I'm going to work to change. We'll see how it goes."
Warren nods, "And I appreciate that you're trying. I'll be at the Mansion more, so if you need me for training or whatever, I can be there. If I get a call to help out, I'll be there. I miss the team that we were, but it's good that we've grown." Finishing off what was on his plate, he pops the last peapod into his mouth, "I look forward to helping in any way I can."
"Sounds great, Warren. It'll be nice to see more of you. And it was good to see you tonight." He tilts his head to the doorway. "I should get going. Piotr and I were talking about meeting for dinner and going out to see about some ladies. You interested in coming with?"
Glancing to the door after Scott, Warren then looks back, his brows creased in slight confusion, "Wait...Piotr is going to try and hook you up with women? Real women and not drag queens?"
"Ironic, isn't it?" Scott grins.
Scott chuckles, "Well I can't guarantee anything, but I'll definitely give you a call." Scott looks for his coat. "I'll call you soon. Maybe training might be a good idea."
Warren snorts lightly, "Well, if the bar is too small, both Piotr and I won't fit together." He gets up to go get Scott's coat from the closet, "I'll be at the Mansion at least once or twice a week once the next semester starts up. We'll see how the one-off classes go."
"I'm sure they'll go great." Scott gives Warren a good slap on the side of the shoulder and takes his coat. "Have a good night, old friend."
"Next time, Scott...call or stop by the concierge desk. Really. Because I'd rather not be evicted because I have folks sneaking past security. If you really need to come in without being seen, give me a call or show up on the balcony." Warren smirks and goes to get the door.
"Fair enough," Scott reaches out to shake Warren's hand and departs a little less stealthily this time.
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