2019-03-29 - Bar Associations

Summary:

A night out with friends, and all the weird interpersonal stuff that that entails.

Log Info:

Storyteller: None
Date: Sat Mar 30 12:29:00 2019
Location: Marie's Crisis

Related Logs

None

Theme Song

None

douglas-ramseyjean-greylorna-daneroguescott-summersstarfirezatanna-zatara

So. A few days had passed. After all, Scott didn't want to seem too eager. Also, he had to cool off and just generally work himself back up to taking another shot at this. Truth was, he felt strangely guilty for not knowing who Zatanna Zatara was. In those few days, he had taken the time to watch some videos. Youtube clips, mostly. And after doing a bit of "research", and deciding that enough time had passed that he wouldn't look too eager or something, he doesn't call. He texts.

8pm. Meet me at 6424 14th Ave?

Followed promptly by:

This is Scott, btw. Summers. Pizza guy. Ice skates.

And now, Scott is sitting outside of the pizza joint, straddling a vintage Indian Chief motorcycle, circa 1945. Candy apple red, with cream white accents and black and chrome highlights. A nice restoration, but one that's still obviously in progress, judging by the duct tape on the seat, and a few pieces that show their age, despite the best care.

Scott himself is in a similar state. He looks like he's dressed up. Plaid shirt, in shades of blue, green, and yellow on white, buttoned up to the collar, which is, in turn, buttoned down neatly. A thin red tie adding a splash of contrast down his chest. The front is tucked in to a pair of dark navy denim pants, with pristine red and white Chucks peeking out underneath them. The ensemble is offset by the weathered and road worn brown leather jacket he's wearing, with red racing stripes around his arms and across the chest. His hair is mussed from wearing the helmet that is now resting on the seat behind him, and his face is adorned with those fully enclosed, ruby lensed glasses that he had been wearing when last he met Zatanna.

Zatanna is an easy person to look up, on a surface level. Searching for her on YouTube will produce not only her own channel, but the appearance on SNL's Weekend Update that she'd hinted at when she met Scott, doing magic tricks to synch with jokes about politicians. She has an Instagram, a Twitter, an official fan page on Facebook, and two specials for Netflix, with a third one supposedly slated for 2020. Her presence in all of this media doesn't seem terribly different from the woman Scott met at the ice rink. Charming, quick-witted, glamorous, able to pull her top hat down in such a way that it makes it look like her head is disappearing into it completely…

Scott sends his texts, and then there's a three minute wait. The response from Zatanna arrives in three parts, back to back to back:

Knew who it was lol

It's a date

(winky emoji)

Zatanna arrives after Scott. She's punctual, but not early. She's kitted out all in black, with a black peacoat, black boots, black fishnets (visible on the tops of her calves, between coat ending and boots beginning), and a black knit cap that keeps her hair back out of her face. She looks much more normal than her feather-decorated skating outfit, but 'normal' remains a purely relative term.

"Hey there!" she says when she spots him, raising a hand in a wave and breaking into a grin. "I'm so glad you texted!"

Scott spots her as soon as she arrives. It's hard to miss that. As soon as his rose-tinted gaze falls on her, he feels his breath catch in his chest, caught there for a moment by the sudden appearance of a lump the size of a tennis ball in his throat. Even at her "normal", she's stunning. He, on the other hand, looks more "high school science teacher chic", when it comes down to it. He feels his palms already getting sweaty.

"Easy, Scott," he mutters quietly to himself as she spots him and waves. He casts a bright smile, lifting a hand in return as he slips off of the bike and pockets the keys. "It's just pizza. You promised her before…"

Striding towards her with long strides, he pushes both hands into the pockets of his jacket, and breathes in a deep, steady breath. "Hey… Yeah. Sorry I took so long. It's been a busy week…"

He stands still for a moment, not certain what else to say, before he sort of snaps his attention to the building they stand outside of. "Oh. Right. So, uh…"

His head cock in the direction of the door.

"You played your cards right last time, and I'm a man of my word, so… I figured I'd let you in on the secret. Best pizza in town. Hope you brought your appetite."

Zatanna is all smiles. She seems benignly amused by his awkwardness. Her own hands are in her pockets, also. She stands across from him, and doesn't go for the hug, or the handshake, because he doesn't. "I always play my cards right," Zatanna says, her smile broadening into a grin.

Zee looks in through the window, then back at Scott, still keeping that expression like she might giggle at any moment. Not in a mean way. Like she's already having fun, before they've even walked in. "If they can cook, I can eat. But remember, Scott. You say this is the best… I'm gonna trust you on that one." She takes hand out of her pocket and wags a finger, teasingly. "If it's not the BEST…"

Her smile, and the amusement in her expression, in general, makes Scott feel even more self-conscious. But somehow, in a weird sort of paradox, also makes him feel… a little more at ease. As if, if nothing else, this could just wind up being a fun encounter. The quip about the cards has him sort of bob his head with a lopsided smirk, before he says, "Yeah. I guess that's to be expected of a magician. Sleight of hand and all that. We should make a rule right now. You never challenge me to poker, and I never challenge you to a game of pool."

One might think, by the shifting of Scott's brows, that he might have winked behind those reflective glasses.

"Oh. Your trust isn't going to be misplaced," he says with an assured tone of voice, as he side steps towards the door and reaches out to pull it open so that she might pass through the entry before him. Though he does sort of give a start and freeze, before one brow quirks up and he asks, "But now I'm curious. If it's not the best, then what?"

Zatanna enters when Scott holds the door, murmuring a polite "thank you" as she passes. When he asks his question, she takes her knit cap off and shakes her hair gently, before looking back over her shoulder. She shook her hair into perfect styling. "We're in the city that never sleeps, Scott. If this isn't the best, then we keep looking." She winks, and then seems to look around for a server to seat them. Even if that isn't the system, she appears to be used to it as a default.

Again, he feels that lump in his throat appear so suddenly, as it seems like her hair shake is some sort of slow motion Pantene commercial happening in real life. A sharp breath is drawn in between his teeth and held captive in his lungs as he follows in behind her, letting the door swing closed. As she looks back at him, he looks away, off to one side and nods his head. Inwardly, he's kind of cursing himself for bringing her to the best pizza in town right off the bat. It could be a fun night going on a pizza crawl.

"Dammit. I should have taken you to the gas station first, then," he remarks, as he places a hand against her lower back. This definitely is not the kind of place where a host/ess seats you. Instead, Scott just leads her to one of the black and red tables nearby and pulls out a seat for her to claim.

"Oh? To show me the best unleaded in town?" Zatanna asks. She doesn't seem averse to being led, as far as this scenario goes. At the table, she unbuttons her coat and shrugs it off, draping it on the back of the chair before she sits down. "Thanks. You're so polite," she grins.

Zee is wearing a black dress that's not so fancy as to be for gala occasions, but just fancy enough to catch attention. She's also wearing fishnets with the dress, but that was hardly a secret. Her jewelry seems to have little charms strung on it, but nothing about that seems terribly occult-ish on first glance. "Any recommendations?" she asks, reaching for one of those menus with the plastic screen that's half come off. "I'd hate to get the worst best pizza."

"Sorry. Is that bad?" Scott asks, suddenly very aware that doing things like holding the door and pulling out the chair could be read very wrong in the dating scene today. He really, really sucks at this. As he turns away from her to circle to the other side of the table, he mouths a very stern curse at himself, and rolls his eyes.

"Well, the classic is just pepperoni, but it's all good here. I prefer the Neapolitan, personally," he replies, as he's shrugging off his leather jacket and draping it over the back of the chair. His sleeves are rolled up to his elbows, fastened into place by straps that button to keep them secured and pulled up. Again, very everyman. His whole outfit looks like it came from Kohl's. Quite a contrast to her, really. Enough so that all the eyes drawn to her are going to immediately notice how out of place he seems seated across from her.

"So… I have to admit… I watched some of your videos. You're really good, though… I guess I have no real sort of context for what you do, to be fair," he says, trying to strike up conversation. After a moment, he adds, "You have a really strong charisma, though. Good show presence."

"You're asking if being polite to a woman is bad?" Zee raises her eyebrows and her smile brightens again like she's holding in laughter. Still grinning, she shakes her head. "Trust me. It's not bad. In fact, it's so not bad, that some women would even call it good."

"Relax," Zee says in a lower, softer tone of voice as Scott seats himself. "We're having fun. You don't have to walk on eggshells around me." Her gaze lingers for a moment, then dips back to the menu.

"Context?" Zatanna looks up, and adopts a thoughtful expression for a moment. "Well, every magician has their own thing, so as far as I think, the only context you really need is whether or not it's entertaining. So in that context, I hope I succeeded." She smiles. "And oh, thank you. I've been doing this stuff since I was a little kid. If I can't handle a stage after twenty-two years, then I need to find a new line of work."

He can't help but smile, even if it is only because he feels foolish all over again. He shrugs his broad shoulders, and holds his hands out in a helpless gesture. "I'm… Listen, I'm going to level with you. My life has kind of been… Restrictive. I don't… I haven't… I haven't had many opportunities to socialize much, with the exception of the people that I've been around since we were all kids in school together. Private boarding school. It's a very small group, really. And that's been my entire life. I only get out to see the world every so often, and more often than not, it's on a business trip or aid mission."

He pauses and takes a breath.

"I've only had a few experiences dating, and most of my romantic interests have been focused on a girl I grew up with that may only just be because she was the only girl I had regular contact with. So…"

This time, he offers a soft, almost sad smile, and quietly, he finishes, "Sorry if I'm awkward. I'm just really nervous. I like you. You're… charming. And you make me feel like I have to be on my toes. It's not a bad thing. I kinda dig it."

With that out of the way, Scott leans back in his seat and claps his hands together, rubbing his palms as he releases a deep sigh between lips pursed into an O.

"Twenty-two years? That's a long time. I mean, even starting as a kid. How old are you, anyway? I mean, if you don't mind me asking. I know it's supposed to not be polite to ask stuff like that."

"It's not, but you also just shared a LOT with me, so I think I can reciprocate," Zatanna says, her smile more muted and knowing. She didn't smile through Scott's confessions about his upbringing and his nervousness and so forth. She looked downright sympathetic.

"I'm twenty-seven. Twenty-eight in October. And I started as part of my dad's show when I was five. He'd do stuff like make me disappear, or hold his hat or his jacket or, you know, basic stuff that I didn't have to DO anything for." Zatanna shrugs, and laughs. "So I grew up on stage, pretty much literally. Though I wasn't doing half the stuff I do now. Just… assisting. Though when I was seventeen I finally got to do the one where I'm chained up in the tank of water and have to escape. That was like, bigger than my birthday party. Actually, it might have been AT my birthday party…"

Scott does smile as Zatanna shares her own confessions. He nods, and despite the shades that cover his eyes, it's clear that he's focused and intently listening, nodding to show understanding and leaning forward with his elbows on the table.

"So, kind of following in your father's footsteps. I can appreciate that. It sounds like you had a really fun life. Exciting, if nothing else. I imagine it must have had its fair share of difficulties, though. Growing up in a spotlight like that…"

His face turns down as he looks at the surface of the table. "My parents passed when I was young. We were in a plane crash. My mother strapped a parachute on me, and then belted my little brother to me and pushed us out of the plane. They didn't make it. I learned to fly, though. Just like my dad. Well… maybe not as good as my dad, but I'm working on it. He was a world class ace pilot, though, so they're some pretty big shoes to fill. Oh, and uh… I'm twenty-five."

About that time a server comes over. Young guy, wearing a red shirt and black apron and tired eyes. Scott orders a classic coke and a single giant slice of pepperoni, before both men look to Zee for her order.

Zatanna's expression returns to the sympathetic. She does have that stage-ready charisma, even when one-on-one in a pizza place. In fact, up close and in person it might be even more powerful than seen through a TV or a phone screen. She doesn't get a chance to reply before it's time to order.

"Oh! Oh, um, the… six-cheese." Zatanna treads off the beaten path of Scott's pepperoni recommendation, clearly, going for the specialty slice that has garlic sauce and ricotta applied via ice cream scoop. "And a Diet Coke. Thanks."

Once he's gone, Zatanna gets a chance to reply to Scott: "That was… timing, huh?" she says, making a kind of rueful grin. "But no, no, really, I'm sorry that you went through that. My childhood was fun, yeah, but my mom was gone before I could even form memories of her. So like, sad, weird, and fun, the ultimate combo."

Scott adopts a sidelong grin as Zee orders the six cheese. That does sound like a good choice, and it's one thing he always does want to try on the menu, but everytime he gets here, the siren call of the pepperoni catches him. He thinks it's a smell thing. Once he's here, the smell of it fills his nose and makes him crave it. But, the server nods his affirmation, repeats the orders for their confirmation,a dn then wanders off with a promise to bring their drinks out to them shortly.

Once he's gone, and Zee addresses him about his past, he just lifts one hand up from the table in a gesture indicating that she needn't apologize for his past. His brows knit together, forming a crinkle just over the bridge of his nose and his soft, full lips pull into a slight frown. Instinctively, his hand reaches across the table, threatening to rest on hers, but stopping just short to rest flat on the surface.

"It's hard. I know. But, at the very least, you can say that you had a childhood well colored by experience, and tasted almost everything that life has to offer. I know, from experience, that that's a really small consolation, but… Hey, we gotta hang on to something, right?"

Zatanna nods once, and then smiles. It's like she flipped a switch in herself. She doesn't even have to force it, so much as just… change modes. "I know I turned out pretty cool, yeah," she says with a laugh.

"It's… you know, it is what it is, right? It's such a dumb saying, but… it is what it is about the saying, too." Zatanna laughs again, and then shakes her head. "Thank you, Scott. For opening up like that. It's… gutsy." She has to think about what she wants to say next, for a moment. "I know a lot of guys who are all about trying to present the most unflappable exterior, nothing ever bothers them, everything's always great, whatever, blah blah blah, and you know it's such bullshit. You just… went for honesty, right out of the gate. That's impressive. I'm not, like, saying that in a teasing way or anything, it's really, honestly impressive."

Scott's grin returns when she mentions that she turned out pretty cool. He even lets slip a soft chuckle when she comments on the turn of phrase. Because it is just that. It is what it is. He even quietly retorts, "It be like that sometimes…"

And then she's laying out the compliments. He can feel a tingling in his scalp and feels like he's shrinking in his seat, but it's oddly comforting while also triggering that reflex within himself that makes his palms sweaty and color to flood his face with warmth. For a moment, he's confused as he hears the sound of the ocean waves, but then realizes it's just the racing of his pulse heard through his inner ear. He has to look away, casting his ruby-lensed stare out the window onto the street outside, as if the passing foot traffic holds some deep and meaningful message for him.

"There's a time for people to put on their game face, and present to the world this image of perfection. Then there's times where the best strategy is to roll over and expose your throat. It just depends on what your goals are."

A pause.

"Or something like that. I just think that if I'm trying to d-…do this… then it doesn't really do me any good to pretend to be something I'm not, right? If someone is going to be interested, I want them to be interested in the real me. Otherwise, what's the point?"

"It definitely spares you the trouble of me finding out you're not something you claim to be and getting mad at you about it," Zatanna replies with a grin. "So you are so far ahead of the curve on that that you would not even believe."

She looks like she might have more to say, but it'll have to wait: the slices arrive, along with their attendant cokes. Zatanna eyes her slice, and looks at Scott with a pursed smile. "Here goes nothing," she says, as she dabs at the pizza with a napkin that is rapidly turning orange. Six cheeses does that. "Moment of truth, the best pizza in NYC, according to one Scott Summers…"

That comment seems to set something off in Scott. Instantly, his spine straightens, his shoulders squaring, and a reserved tension settles in to his features. He leans back away from the table, leaving his hands flat, palms down on it as he opens his mouth to speak.

And the pizza arrives.

He seems to snap his attention up to the young man as he settles their paper plates and those red plastic cups with the chipped texture to them, full of soda and ice. Scott just flashes a momentary polite smile and gives a nod of his head before the server wanders back off again.

When Scott turns his attention back to Zee, she's dabbing the grease off her pizza and is about to take a bite when he just says:

"I'm a mutant."

Zatanna does have to stop mid-about-to-bite when Scott drop maybe the biggest bombshell of all. She doesn't seem especially shocked, though. Really, it seems like she's pausing just to not be rude. She takes a second, still holding her slice, and nods subtly.

"Magic is real," Zatanna replies, calmly, and then has a bite of her pizza like the most normal person in the world.

Scott sits there, silent and still, his brows creased and his nostrils flared, waiting for the whole place to come falling down around him. He's so very certain of that. Absolute destruction follows in his wake, doesn't it?

And then she just says… that.

For a long time, Scott just remains there, watching her as she takes a bite of her pizza. He watches her start to chew. And, after a few tense moments, he takes up his own, and takes a small bite. Speaking around a half mouthful, he asks, "So… how is it? I told you so, right?"

Zatanna is still chewing, but as she reaches for her drink, she gives a big thumbs up.

Friday night means it's busy anywhere in New York City. The college students out looking for a good time, the young professionals burning off the steam of a long week at work, and the long-time locals all seeking out their favorite haunts. For the young college crowd, this place is a popular spot to have some good, clean fun. Which is why Jean sent out an invite to some of her former classmates, telling them they should come out for a good time. She even included Zee in the invites.

She got here early, which is the only reason she actually has a small group of chairs far enough from the stage to be able to hear yourself talk, but close enough to see the show and hear the music clearly. She hasn't really gotten into the drinks yet, sipping on a soda while putting out a quiet suggestion that these chairs are already occupied. Useful telepath trick, that.

Even though he's working remotely, Doug had to pop into the Triskelion for a bit today, which is why he's in his work attire. But he seems very cheerful, as he approaches, one hand lifted in a greeting, before he glances up to the stage.

"Hi Jean… what's the show tonight?" He asks.

It's not long after that Scott Summers comes walking in. He looks fairly everyman, as opposed to Doug's salaryman chic thing. A light grey denim jacket over a black Henley t-shirt that clings to his upper body snug enough to give a fairly solid idea of his build, but not look like he's squeezed himself into a shirt that's two sizes too small to show off. A pair of black jeans that have sufficiently faded over time, and a pair of black boots that have been worn enough that they're mottled with cracked streaks of faded, natural brown along the toes and seams.

"Dougie!" Scotts deep, but soothingly smooth voice calls out from behind the young blonde man, and as Scott approaches the pair of fellow mutants, he clasps Doug on the shoulder, giving a firm squeeze and pat combo maneuver, before sliding past him and crossing behind Jean, where he leans in and over and presses a firm, but chaste kiss to the top of her head. He greets her more warmly, perhaps, with a simple, "Hey there, Jean."

Circling around, Scott will end up at an empty seat at the table, and shrugs off his jacket, draping it over the back of the chair and claiming the seat as his own. "Oh. I uh… Invited a friend. She could use a bit of culture, and Disney showtunes? I think she might be all about that. Potential recruit for the school. Hope no one minds."

Speaking of! It's not long after Scott's arrival that said newcomer walks into the bar. She's definitely a looker objectively, with a flaming mass of red hair with improbable volume and skin such a healthy shade of ruddy orange it almost looks unnatural. Her outfit is simple, a black crop-top with elbow sleeves and a neckline worn below her shoulders, exposing her collarbone. The matching frilly skirt is adorned with large pink chrysanthemums and black pumps complete the ensemble. It's still a little *off* to the discerning eye— notably no jewelry or pocket purse.

She also stops right in the middle of the flow of traffic, heedless of people trying to get past her, until she spots Scott. "Friend Scott!" she cries, voice carrying easily. "Hello!" She heads directly towards him with a light, almost floating gait despite her considerable height.

"Hey, Doug," Jean smiles easily as the young man approaches, making sure he's got room at a chair. "Showtunes and Disney, best of all possible worlds," she answers him with a playful waggle of her brows. "I mean, at least everyone knows the words, right?" As Scott arrives, she raises a hand to wave him over, slipping an arm around his waist at his greeting. "Hey. Yeah, sure, the more the merrier," she replies, brows rising when she sees just who the more is. "Oh, it's Kori. From…Malta, right?" she asks with a sidelong glance toward Scott and a wry smile that suggests she knows very well that's not a true statement, but is willing to play along with it. "Hey Kori," she waves to the girl. "Good to see you again. Glad you seem to be settling in."

Doug looks up at Starfire, and grins. "She is really something, isn't she? Can you imagine the world she must've come from?" He scratches the back of his neck, and then gives a faint grin at Scott. "Long time, no see." He settles into his seat, and still looks like the cat that ate the canary - he's having a good Doug Day, apparently.

"Is this karaoke or are we just watching the revue?"

"Kory," Scott replies, lifting a hand and waving to the giant tangerine Amazon, straightening his spine so that he… looks taller than he already is, because he's damnably tall. Twisting his wrist, he turns his wave of greeting into one gesturing to join them at the table. Flicking a glance to Jean, Scott gives a nod of his head. "Right. From Malta. It's a very exotic place."

Giving Doug another grin, and a faint nod of his head, Scott notes the cheer Doug seems to be in. That's good. He's used to Doug seeming more nervous and taciturn. "It's good to see you looking alive, Doug. Was worried that your day job would have you a constant ball of frayed nerves. How's things been. At the office, that is. We haven't really had much time to talk about that kind of thing."

Kori's smile somehow gets even bigger when she spots the other X-men congregating. "Oh joy! Other friends!" she cheers. "Hello, other friends! It is so good to see all of you again!"

Attacks of opportunity go in order of proximity; Doug's closest and so Kori reaches to sweep him up in a hug. She's a thorough sort of hugger and mercifully at least isn't going to crack anyone's back. "Hello, friend Doug! I am pleased to see you again!" Scott's next target, and since Jean's *right there*, she just goes for a twofer. It's a strange combination of socially careful movement and brimming enthusiasm that at least keeps Kori from knocking anyone over, but is *awfully* hard to evade.

Also, she seems to really mean it: she's happy to see everyone. She's just… super huggy. And doesn't seem to understand the 'personal space' thing. "I am so grateful to receive the invitations from you!" she tells Scott and Jean. "I was hoping something interesting would happen tonight, and then it did! What fortune!"

Zatanna isn't a stranger to this bar, as it turns out. She made sure to mention that to Jean when replying to her text. She's a stage performer, after all, and even though her thing isn't singing or dancing, like tends to attract like when it comes to choice of watering holes.

"Hey, gang," the Lady Legend of Legerdemain says. it's like she appeared out of nowhere from behind the group. She's wearing what might be a casual outfit, on a spectrum that starts at 'flashy' and ends at 'Oscar Night.' A form-fitting black dress, tall black heels, black choker, black tiny purse, black fishnet tights… Not quite 'just hanging out with pals' attire, unless you're Zatanna Zatara. If that's the case, it is totally 'just hanging out with pals' attire. Even her jewelry has black stones set in it. "Hope I haven't missed much," she says, giving Scott a huge from behind and looking over at Kory while doing so. "Oh, hey, Malta, right?"

"Well it's not really karaoke in that no one has to sign up for songs and go up on stage, but there's still a lot of singing along," Jean grins to Doug. "So it should be a good time any- oh!" She laughs as Kori includes her in the hug, returning it in kind. Luckily, being a telepath means her definitions of personal space and boundaries are sometimes…flexible anyhow. What's a hug compared to an accidental brain-dive, after all? "Good to see you too," she chuckles once she breaks free, just in time to catch Zee's arrival and suddenly feel a bit frumpy in her coed chic jeans and sweater. "Hey, Zee, glad you could make it."

"Well, I had an epiphany and put myself onto reduced duty after completing my big project, so I'm working remotely and on-call." Doug says. "I had to go into the office today but I - ooOOooOooof!" He's 5'9". She's 6'4. She pulls him right off his feet and spins him around. "Nice to see you too!" Doug says, breathless, before he's freed from that hug and drops back down to sit in his chair. He straightens his glasses. "I'm re-orienting on what really matters." Then he murmurs, "…Disney showtunes."

There had been a text from Jean that Rogue hadn't seen right away. She'd gone back to the mansion, soaking in a hot bath after work with a cold beer, doing the things she does to girlify herself after a long week working in coveralls and grease. She'd said she'd try to make it out.

She will open the door, coming in from the street and stepping aside to stay out of the flow of traffic while looking for a familiar red head. She'd debated a half dozen times about coming, before she'd simply decided to take uncertainty and chuck it in the eff it bucket. Black heeled boots, snug dark jeans, and a devil red satin cami that matched her chosen lipstick. Hair is loose and a little wild, and there's several pairs of earrings in each of her ears, and a broad silver ring on her finger to complete her 'girl going out look'. She'll head to get a drink, before she will go on seeking Jean, or she can just… « Mean Jean, where you at? Do you need a beverage? »

Kori practically lifts Scott out of his seat and sweeps him up into a two-fold hug with Jean. She might feel the way every muscle and sinew in Scott's form instantly tenses up to steely rigidity for a moment, but he slides one arm around her, almost doing a hover hand thing for a full three seconds where he's not certain if he should return the embrace or not. However, he does eventually relent, letting his arm close around Kori's side, and patting her on the back as he's nearly smooshed. "Yeah… Not a problem, Kor…"

Why did he think this was a good idea again?

Just as he's released by the stunning alien Princess, Scott is still taking a few steps back to regain his small personal bubble, but is immediately drawn up into the arms of the raven haired Mistress of Magic, Zatanna. He has a bit of a start, before he peers over his shoulder with those ruby lensed glasses. A small smile arcs the corners of his lips and he leans back against her just a bit. Not enough to tip her balance on those heels, though. Placing one hand over hers on his stomach, Scott says, "Hey. You're just in time. We're all just showing up. You know… someday I might just not look like a completely underdressed slob when we meet up."

Turning his attention back to Doug, Scott moves to pull out a seat beside himself for Zee, as he speaks, "Reduced duty? Must be nice, buddy. I'd love to have a gig like that. Let me have reduced duty of dealing with the kids. I could use it."

Lorna Dane was, at the time she received the message from Jean (which she was probably on the recipient list for due to a generalized sentiment from people that the surly magnet should "be made to go outside more and make friends, seriously"), doing possibly the most glamorous thing a girl can be doing on a Friday night: laying flat on her back on her bed at the school, reading Reddit (r/aww) on her phone.

Really, the message just interrupts her roll. "Ugh," she says, "is this part of my sensitivity training — " Which is about when she loses her grip on her phone and it lands on her face. "…Fine." She's clearly not getting anything else productive done at that point.

A little while later, Lorna makes a rare appearance at the gathering of X and Others, sauntering her way in wrapped up in her usual metal-studded leathers and black jeans. Her green eyes twitch towards the bar, but she actually heads towards the table where everyone else is at first, for once. "Hey," she says. "…wait, is this karaoke?" Lorna looks deeply suspicious, not committing to sitting down yet. "I'm not doing karaoke."

Kori beams enthusiastically at Zatanna. "Hello, friend Zatanna! I will give of you the hugs as well, as soon as friends Jean and Scott are no longer doing the embracings of you," she assures Zatanna, quite sincerely.

Starfire turns in place, fingers interlacing ahead of her thighs, and beams that same enthusiastic smile (that lacks anything remotely resembling careful deliberation) at the newcomers to the group. "Hello, friends all," she says, in that same slightly-too-loud voice. "I am Kori Anderson! I am very happy to make of you the acquaintancings!"

When Scott comments on maybe someday not looking like a completely underdressed slob relative to one Z. Zatara, Zatanna squeezes him around the midsection gently (much more gently than Kori) and kisses him on the cheek. "I'll just up my game to stay that many steps ahead of you," she teases.

"Go gentle on me, I'm about to go on tour and my insurance will flip out if I get hurt," Zatanna teases Kori, before offering herself up for a hug. Afterward, she thanks Scott and takes the seat offered to her. "What are we drinking? What are we singing?"

«Oh, thank god. Just a small one. Like a cider? Scott's…girlfriend…is here looking like a million bucks and…» Jean's mental contact with Rogue fades off into a jumbled static for a moment until she tucks everything away again. « Back wall, west side, » she adds, shooting an image of where the group is standing. « Follow the tall redhead. »

"Hey, Lorna, glad you could make it," she greets the other girl, a little surprise in her voice but a smile flashing all the same. "Don't worry, it's not karaoke, no one has to sing on stage. There are performers. But, you know. It gets loud, so if you happened to sing along, no one would need to know," she winks, smile crooked. "Rogue's on her way in," she adds to the other mutants. "And my roommate is pretty understanding if people need to crash, so. Have a good time, people."

"Well, I can't be out all night. I have to feed Hercules. And, eh. Heh." Doug shrugs. "Just don't want to be out too late." He laces his fingers together, and then murmurs "I'm a little bit rusty on my disney numbers." He looks over to Scott and then says "That, Scott, is because I have the skills to pay the bills. But having said that, I was hoping to devote a little bit more time to the school. I don't think I can serve two masters enough to take on a squad of kids, but I could do *something* with them."

Rogue will pause in her ordering. She will order herself a double bourborn neat, and a beer. « You sure all you want is a cider? Nothing harder? Because if she is here, I am staying for /one/ drink, and I promise nothing else. And you always look pretty, Jean. Why do you think I resent you so often?» There's that ring of truth - Rogue thinks of herself as the ugly duckling, especially next to Jean when Rogue is often so…not girlified. She will wait on Jean's possible revision of her drink order, before she'll also order an extra shot of bourbon. She'll down that before she will turn to walk away from the bar.

The arrival of Lorna Dane (since Rogue is still at the bar and Scott hasn't yet seen her) has Scott glancing in her direction, and then looking back to Zee, before doing a double take. "Is… is that? Lorna? Oh my God. Lorna. I don't even know what to say! How'd you escape the clutches of that mind controlling supervillain disguised as a phone?"

Jean, thankfully, has Lorna covered on the no, it's not karaoke thing, so Scott lets Lorna off the hook with his light ribbing, before he glances back to Zee and shakes his head with a smirk. "I… honestly believe you mean that, too. As for drinks? Maybe we should start off with a round of Liquid Panty Droppers for everyone? Seems like a fun way to start the night."

Inwardly, he immediately winces as his gaze slowly turns behind those reflective glasses to fall upon Starfire. He had forgotten how she can be, and he just fed her gold, didn't he?

Oh good! Doug provides an easy distraction! "We'd love to have you back, even if only as a temp or sub. You could maybe do a once a week course. Whatever you feel comfortable with."

Lorna slips Jean an equally-crooked sort of small smile at the greeting. If Jean's skimming, there's a brief sense of appreciation off Lorna for the welcome, dispelling some of the nervousness she felt walking cold into a gathering of what she still, too often, thinks of as "normal people, compared to her." Jean's like a warm lamp light; you can't help but gravitate towards it.

"Fat chance of that," she declares, when Jean implies she could probably get away with some secret singing, drumming her fingers along the table's surface once. "I'd hear /myself/, and I sing like a bunch of metal filings grinding together."

Scott's ribbing gets a wider grin. "I don't know," she drawls in answer. "It was hard, getting away. It was about as unlikely an event as Scott Summers growing a sense of humor. I'm real impressed, Scott."

Jean's addition about her "understanding roommate" gets a grin to crack on the green-haired mutant's face. "Is that how it is? In that case." And Lorna about-faces to head to the bar herself. Fortunately, this causes her to miss the Panty Droppers line. She manages to stick with a beer for today, though she does shoot Rogue's bourbon a rather appreciative look.

"I will be the gentle!" Kori promises Zatanna. She moves with an excruciating care to hug Zatanna, picking her up, hugging her very carefully, and then setting the magicienne back down on her stylish heels. "There! I would not wish for you to be 'the injured' by my greeting."

She stays comfortably (well, for her) close to Zatanna, Scott, and Jean unless the sorceress and Scott move to a common center of gravity again. "What are the Liquid Panty Droppers, friend Scott?" she inquires of him, quizzically. "Is that an evaporative for clothing items? It would save me much money to not have to wash so many things at the mat of laundro."

Zatanna can't help but be a ham: she even kicks her feet a little when Kori picks her up, solely for effect. But now she's safely seated and looks up at Scott with that look she likes to give him where she's almost certainly on the VERGE of laughing, and only barely holding it back. "Sounds good, Scott," she says. "A round of Liquid Panty Droppers for everyone else, and a Liquid Nothing Dropper for me." She says it with a straight face, and follows it with a few seconds of uninterrupted eye contact with Scott's sunglasses. Then she grins: "So, you going to introduce me to your friends, or do I need to start mentally calling people stuff like 'Bowtie' and 'Greenie'—?"

« Definitely cider, » Jean assures Rogue. « Anything more than that and there's way too many people in here to let my shields get weak. » Apparently Scott isn't the only one who's paranoid about not having control over their powers. "I will pass on the liquid panty droppers," she laughs to the offer, shaking her head. "Way too many people in here, by the time everyone's singing along I've practically got a contact high already." That's her story and she's sticking to it.

"How is Hercules, by the way?" she asks Doug, smile crooked. "I've been thinking about the school too. I met someone recently who gave me a fresh look on things. And graduation in just a couple months, so…" she trails off.

"…Just a coke for me." Doug says, holding up one hand to wave away the salacious drink. "Oh, he's fine. One of Illyana's imps tried to eat him but he bit it, and now they're all afraid of him, so it's cool." Doug gives a cheery little smile. "'Bowtie', 'Nerd', 'Specs', 'Anthony Michael Hall', I've heard them all. My *name* is Doug. And I know who you are, Zatanna Zatara. I saw you do that cane trick that fooled Penn and Teller. I figured it out, but I have a cheat — and I know that you *didn't* use any magic to do it, so… top hat off to you."

« All right. » Rogue disapproves! «But jeeze, you're always telling me I need to believe in my control and all. » That, at least, is a tease. Because as Rogue comes into view, it's clear she's not terrified of her control slipping tonight, the way that satiny camisole dips low fore and aft, spagetti straps leaving a lot of skin bare. "One cider, miss." She will drawl, sliding the drink in front of Jean, before she'll set her drinks down for a moment. Green eyes will glance at Doug, blowing a kiss with a wink, a smile at Kori the stranger, before she'll give Scott a glance and then let her gaze flit over Zatanna. "I saw Lorna on her way to the bar, Jeannie, Good job."

"Rumors of my sense of humor are greatly exaggerrated, by the way. Don't let the act fool you," Scott quips back in an aside-like fashion to Lorna, and just by the subtle ticks of the muscles around his brow and cheek, one might actually think that behind the ruby glasses, Scott might have tossed the emerald haired magnetic personality a wink. "Right now I'm simply wearing a very well tailored human suit."

Of course, Kori chimes in on the panty droppers. At least it's not as bad as he had expected. No questions about his intent on "sexual congress" or commentary about his "enthusiasm". He actually has to breathe a sigh of relief. "No, Kori, it's just the name of a drink. We like to name our drinks with silly names for no good reason."

Scott is just turning his attention back to Zee as she's trying not to laugh and then she mentions… that. Tha-thump. Scott's face goes slack. The blood leaves it entirely, leaving his flesh looking pale, while almost instantly his brow is dotted with sweat. His lips part as his jaw falls slack. "Wha-"

He swallows his own spittle, and is sent into a fit of coughing into the pit of his elbow while his face turns from ashen white to beet red in a matter of moments. There's a vein in his temple that is visible suddenly. He lifts one finger, indicating one moment as he tries to regain his composure. This is what Rogue walks up to.

After a few moments, he's reeled it in, simply doing that closed lip throat clearing, as he grips his stomach and breathes in deep, leaning his head to one side as if trying to pop his neck. Releasing a heavy sigh, he says, "Ah… Right. So then… That's Doug. Doug's cool. You know Jean, and Kory, and… Lorna ducked over to the bar just then. That's Greenie. And this…"

Scott gestures to Rogue with one hand. "This is Rogue. Rogue, this is Zee. And this is Kori."

Scott will turn his attention, then to Jean, as one eyebrow lifts up inquizitively. "Did I hear you say you met someone?"

"I'll be on my guard for when your cunning disguise drops," Lorna drawls in return to Scott, though the corner of her mouth quirks upward in amusement, in answer to that presumed wink. Well, maybe it's not so bad to come out of her corner once in a while.

Nonetheless, Lorna seems to become a little uncomfortable with the eyes and attention after a while. When she was a girl, eyes and attention usually meant bullying and hatred soon to come after, and there's still that deep urge in her to run and protect herself before she gets hurt again. Much as the past year or two have gradually taught her to relax, that the X-crowd is safe, sometimes those old instincts come back. She disguises it well enough as a duck towards the bar, at the least, getting herself a beer to steady her nerves and returning shortly.

Now, Lorna was /just/ thinking about normal people compared to her, and then she really gets an eyeful of Starfire and the whole 'acquaintancings' thing. "Oh," she says. "Uh, nice to meet you." She sliiides into a seat at the table, holding her beer like a lifeline, realizing that in fact she's come back in time for the rounds of introductions. The mutants around the table she mostly knows, but she nods to Zatanna and Kori at the official introductions. "Lorna Dane," she says dryly. "Though people DO like 'Greenie.' Can't imagine why."

"It is nice to meeting of you as well!" Kori reassures Lorna. She has no trace of accent, but there's something about her syntax and timing that's just … off. Like she learned English from a book. "Perhaps they like 'Greenie' because it matches your hair?" she offers with a helpful tone that'd be servile if it wasn't so very sincere.

Kori glances from Scott to Zee and gives Zatanna's outfit a baffled look. Then the other women, from Lorna to Jean and back. She looks like she's processing Scott's beverage innuendo despite his admoniition that it has no purpose.

"Oh! I get it!" she cries out a few beats later, and points at Zatanna. "You are drinking the 'Liquid Nothing Dropper' because you are not wearing of the panties!" she declares, and bounces on her feet twice as she deduces it. "Oh that is very much the funny!" Her squealing giggle is accompanied by a hearty laugh and applause. "Because panties are lacy and colorful, you see! And yours are neither of those things!" She's still speaking at about Volume 8.

"I will also have a Liquid Nothing Dropper," the orange-skinned girl advises the others. "I too am not wearing the panties!" She hauls up the hem of her skirt to demonstrate.

No one panic. She's wearing grey bike shorts under the skirt. "The shorts of shortness are much more comfortable than the panties," she announces, and lets the skirt drop loose again. "And a very nice woman named Georgina loudly told me I should wearing of the shorts because 'I should not be flashing my junk around'," she quotes, carefully. "And then I remembered that the trunk is the keeping for the junk, and deduced she meant…" she glances around. "My butt," she whispers in a tone that'd be conspiratorial if it was about fifty perecent quieter. She flicks the skirt to lay flat again. The hem would be brief on anyone else but Kori's wearing the waist at least an inch higher than it's intended to sit.

And on that note Rogue walks up. "Hello, friend Rogue! I am Kori Anderson," she announces, laying a palm on her chest. "Welcome!" She throws her arms open with a beaming smile and advances with a hug armed and ready to snap on the southern Belle.

Zatanna reaches over to shake Doug's hand. "Doug, nice to meet you. I loved that cane trick! I never do it anymore. I should. But also, uh, don't give away the secret, okay? The last thing I need is the guild on my ass." She grins, and winks. She has the kind of grin that plays well with just about anybody. Good genes? Natural charisma? MAGIC? Who can say?

'Just about' anybody, it should be made clear, not 'absolutely' anybody — because next Zatanna gives Rogue a little wave, "Heya," and then turns to give the same to Lorna. They're kind of out of reach. Zatanna is about to say something when Kori points at her. Her grin turns into… well, still a grin, but almost a frozen one like when people are standing on TV next to Kanye West going off-script to call out the President. You know, one of those normal situations. Zatanna listens to Kori's entire account, and then purses her lips and nods, and flashes Kori an 'OK' hand sign. Then Rogue is within hug range, so Zatanna is free to lean over to Jean and aside, "I honestly can't tell if I want to avoid Malta for the rest of my life, or take EVERY vacation there."

« Yeah, you're gonna wanna use that control, » Jean notes to Rogue, a shimmer of humor in the words. « The redhead's a hugger. » "Thanks," she adds out loud as Rogue delivers the cider, taking a sip with a grateful sigh. "And don't congratulate me, she's the one who decided to come out. Be nice and maybe she'll do it again," she teases, taking another drink.

She nods at Scott's question. "Yeah, just someone I've happened to run into a couple of times. Someone like us, though I haven't gotten the whole story yet. Actually, I need to talk to the professor about him, because he needs some help with a memory issue, but we were talking and I got to thinking that while teaching maybe isn't really my calling, the school could probably use a counselor. And I could keep working on a graduate degree while getting experience there."

Then again, if she wants to be any sort of counselor, Kori is clearly the best preparation for any of it. To her credit, she only chokes on her drink a little bit, just once. And Kori may notice an odd resistance in the air for just a moment when she starts to lift her skirt as Jean prepares to save her from herself, only to realize nope, it's all…well, maybe not good, but at least okay. "You are not wrong, Kori," she says after a cough, smile flickering. "I've got a feeling," she asides to Zee, amused, "That she's pretty one of a kind."

Doug puts his hand over his eyes, but peeps between his fingers, with a little smile on his face. He's only human.

He responds to Rogue's wink with a wide grin, and then takes off his bowtie and loosens his collar. It goes into a pocket, and he strokes his chin. "I also have a possible student for the school, but I'm going to have to arm-wrestle with a notoriously hard-headed SHIELD agent over his destiny. But the school has the best powers trainers in the world."

Then Doug rubs his chin and says, "The tonal inflections of her accent are very interesting. I've never… hm." He thinks about it, and then says, "There's a lot of throaty vowels in your language based on the way you talk… so I suppose you'd say that the kid I'm talking about is a Bamgo— no… Bumgorf?" He snaps his fingers. "That sounds right."

At the talk of no panties, Rogue will sip her beer, brows drawing together as Kori flips up her skirt. "We do associate with the most interestin' people." Rogue will murmur aside towards Jean. But she will look at Scott, one eyebrow hitching up when he's introducing her, something about it making her feel a little itchy - which is never a good thing for the belle.

Her hand will come up in a 'stop gesture' before Kori can latch on. "Hi! Nice to meet you, sunshine. While hugs are nice, I'm not always safe to hug, okay?" She will look up into those glowy green eyes. "Keep that in mind, but this time.. go for it." There may be a sigh or resignation. Rogue is not in the habit of letting strangers hug her on first meeting, after all, especially not with all the skin she's showing tonight being bare and potentially dangerous.

Scott gives another brief glance in Lorna's direction as she returns, and offers a faint knowing nod of his head. Most of the people sitting around this table deal with feeling out of place and anxious when out and about with the normies. Jean with her mental shields, Lorna with her green hair making her stand out, Rogue with her deadly touch, and Scott with his constant sunglasses. It may take some time, but with the style trends these days, Scott hopes that Lorna will at least start to realize that no one is staring over green hair anymore. There are at least three other women in here with green hair. One with teal. Five with varying shades of blue. A few purples, lavenders, and silvers just for good measure. But that kind of comfort doesn't come easy, he knows.

And then there's Kori. Again. And much like Zee, Scott just stares like he's witnessed something that is both awful and wondrous at the same time. Like seeing the face of Cthulhu. He doesn't speak or anything up until the precise moment that Kori is proclaiming that she's not wearing panties and starts to lift up her skirt.

SCREEEEEECH-CLAK!

Scott's seat is shoved back and topples to the floor as he lunges upright and halfway dives across the table, his open hand lashing out to try to grab the hem of Kori's skirt as she lifts it. "KORI NO!!!"

Too late, however, Scott quickly turns his head to avoid seeing anything untoward, and from the way his lips are pulled back to expose his teeth like he was suddenly rendered in Liefeld, it's clear as day that he's wincing his eyes as tight as they will shut while he impotently flails his open hand in front of Kori's skirt to frantically gesture for her to lower it. But no panic comes, and Kori explains that she's wearing shorts. His hand falls still, though still hovering there, extended, and he slowly peeks open one eye to look.

And then he slumps back into his seat. Defeated.

Casting his attention back on to Jean, Scott tilts his head to one side. "Someone you've just… bumped into. Multiple times. That just happens to be like us. Out here in the world."

Scott folds his arms across his chest, his lips quirking to one side, and his brows coming crashing down over the frames of his shades, creating a crinkle just above the bridge of his nose.

"Seems a little convenient for a coincidence, to me. I don't need to remind you that we need to be careful, Jean. We have… you know…"

There he is. The Scott Summers that the kids see. That is out there on the field. The stern one with the crimson lensed stare that still feels disapproving even when you can't see his eyes. It fades, after a moment, and he pats Zee on the thigh before he stands up, "Alright. So, I got three Panty Droppers right now. Doug and Jeanie are definitely a pass, but Lorna? Rogue? You'll both love 'em. Going once? Going twice?"

Scott finger-snaps-into-fingergunning at the bar, and then starts to head that way.

Lorna nods to the new faces in answer to the waves, a little reserved, as the introductions finish. She isn't aware of the brief sidebar conversation between Jean and Rogue about her actually coming out for once, which is probably for the best, as she's known to be quite ornery… especially when caught in the act of 'not being cantankerous, for once.' Scott's brief, understanding nod helps with her awkwardness, and she slips him a quarter of a brief smile… but truth be told, it's not just the green hair which makes Lorna feel so alien, at times.

Though /speaking of aliens/, she is very handily distracted from her thoughts by Starfire. There is a distinct pause from Lorna. "…Yeah," she manages after a moment, pushing a hand through the mentioned masses of green rippling from her head. She wears it a lot more boldly these days. "It's probably the hair."

More silence follows from Lorna, as Starfire slowly processes her way through the innuendo… very loudly. When Starfire's attention turns away a moment later, and the Almost Wardrobe Malfunction happens, Lorna sort of looks around at the gathered women, a bit uncertainly. (Scott is very busy panicking at the moment.) "Is Malta some kinda land of… I dunno, 'stating the obvious?'" she wonders, her voice low.

Of course, then Lorna realizes where exactly Starfire is going and what she's about to do. "Uh," she says, and suddenly there's a faint hum of magnetic pressure. All the metal in their immediate radius attains a slight sense of energy as it responds, briefly feeling almost alive. It's pure nervous reflex, not unlike the reaction of a dog putting its hackles up.

The situation seems to defuse a moment later, and the magnetic flicker passes. Lorna looks a little embarrassed for it, becoming suddenly absorbed in her drink. Scott's offer of something even stronger is eagerly grasped. She really shouldn't, but — what the hell. "Yeah, bring me one of those," she says, draining the rest of her beer at a go. "I got my pregaming out of the way."

Scott gets a curious look as he rushes into Kori's personal space, and she doesn't make any effort to check him as he fusses with her skirt. "No skirt?" she asks, confused. "But the internet said it was a 'the cute outfit' for this occassion." Her chin uplifts in reaction to the sudden magnetic field. "And does anyone else sense a change in magnetic polarization? My teeth itch," she announces, and rubs her index finger in her mouth with a frown.

She's released when he turns back to the others and focuses again on Rogue. Boisterous as Kori is, she respects body language (when she understands it, anyway). Rogue's posture and speech register as uncomfortable even to the sometimes ignorant alien woman. Kori stops sharply at the outthrust palm and hugs her fingers against her sternum. Green eyes blink twice with owlish alarm. "Oh! Yes, the meeting of you is nice as well," she tells Rogue reflexively. "I do not mean to be the rudeness! I certainly do not wish anyone to be injured by a hug. I am sure that would make of you 'the sadness'," she tells Rogue. She extends her arm with a handshake at the end, elbow stiffly formal, and offers a thoroughly pompous handshake she takes quite seriously.

And then Doug says 'Bumgorf' and Kori's *gone*. Heels, skirt, shorts and all, the towering redhead is abruptly leaning waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay into Doug's personal space, eyes wide and staring into his face from a half an inch away. "Did you say … *bumgorf*?" she asks him with a whisper that'd be dramatic if she knew how loud she was talking. She leaaans over him, looming like a Creamsicle henge. "Do you know what a bumgorf *is*, friend Doug? Or did you just make up a word that I have no idea of knowing because I do not know any alien languages, because why would I? I am from Malta," she reminds him.

Zatanna's earrings respond to Lorna's magnetic manipulation. The rest of her jewelry stays put, but just the earrings go sideways for a second, and Zatanna reacts as anyone might when that happens. "Wh…" Then the moment passes and her ears settle. By that point, Scott is gone, and Zatanna is left alone at the mercy of Scott's Friends. While Kori interrogates Doug about, what, some town in Germany or something, Zatanna just leans on her own million dollar smile. "So, uh… all this before we've even really started drinking in earnest, huh?" she asks the Mutant Lady Gang who currently hold her life in their hands. Maybe.

Despite her own emotional awkwardness, Jean spares a moment of quiet encouragement and calm for Lorna when the metal around them starts to vibrate, just a reassuring brush of her mind. "Yes, Scott, I'm familiar with the things that can happen," she drawls as Scott goes all business. "But I'm reasonably certain that between the two of us, the professor and I can handle anything that might come up."

For example, a very tall, possibly upset woman with unknown powers. There's a knowing sort of glance toward Rogue, and then: "Hey Kori," she calls over gently, coaxing. "It's okay, you know. Whatever the situation is. We're not going to judge you or tell anyone. You can just…be you with us." She gestures around the group, smile faint. "We're not exactly in a position to judge, after all."

"Well I mean I — I picked up some of the inflection off the way you talked, the way you shape your syllables and the way you structure your sentences you refer to a lot of general abstracts as specific concretes, for instance, and then I mentally reconstructed your native language… uh, Maltese, in my head. It's kind of what I do." Doug says, looking up at Starfire.

"I'm the Mutant Master of Language. Or as Illyana's been calling me, Language Lad."

"No thanks, Scott. I think I should stick to straight liquor." There's a snark and a sass with the southern drawl, before she will lift her double of bourbon to toss back. There will be a sidelong look as Kori gets a little too close to Doug after shaking hands with the belle herself.

There's a chuckle aside to Jean, a bitter curve of her lips. "And you know, if you and the Prof need back up, you /do/ have your very own death squad in me." Rogue makes fun of herself, another sip of beer, eyes on Zee for a long moment. "I think I need more bourbon. I'm not nearly drunk enough to sing alongs and playin' nice." But there's the flash of a brilliant smile, before she will turn on a heel and head for the bar, giving herself a talk the whole way there.

With the final count on the order of Panty Droppers, Scott is at the bar, leaning his side against it as he waits for the tender to work their magic. Of course, he does get a few scoffing, sidelong stares for being the guy wearing the wrap around sunglasses indoors at night. And without the comfort of being around anyone he knows, Scott feels more than a little self-conscious. He lowers his face, reaching up to knead at the back of his neck, and just gives the bartender a quick, "Hey, man, the night's not gonna last forever, and I gotta get these panties dropped, so can we get the ball rollin'?"

A beat.

"I mean figuratively! Not in the Cosby kind of way."

Flashing the bartender a cheeky grin, Scott's head sort of bobs from side to side cockily as he adds, "If I was trying that I'd be ordering Jello shots."

Which only gets him a roll of the eyes and a shake of the head. You win some, you lose some.

The reactions of uncertainy from Starfire and Zatanna just make Lorna more embarrassed, if possible. "Yeah… that was me," she says, pushing a hand through her hair. Several green locks flop back into her face afterwards, and she blows them away, irritated. But her irritation fades palpably when Jean extends her that moment of psychic calm. The jagged-steel edges of Lorna's cagey mind soften and settle back down, and again there's that sense of gratitude brushing back in answer. "Sorry."

Things still seem a bit tense between Starfire and Doug, and stuff is getting said that starts to make Lorna think that the redhead is Definitely Not From Here, but she stays circumspect.

Well, other than this: "Yeah, we're all weird here, more weirdness isn't really that unusual," Lorna mumbles into her finished beer, wishing it weren't quite so finished right now. She looks furtively towards Scott to try to discern his progress on getting the drinks. The prognosis seems bad.

"Oh! Well that is sensible then," Kori congratulates Doug. She leans back out of his personal space with her beatific smile fixed in place again. "It is very much the language of Malta. Which I speak. As I am Maltan," she tells Doug.

She looks to Jean and nods appreciatively. "Yes, I know you will not do the judging," she assurs the other redhead. "I have been instructed that none of the residents of Xavier's Institute are qualified justices of the peace. If you ever find yourself supervising the apellate courts, however, I shall rest easy knowing I have friends viewing me favorably as part of a tribunal!"

Zatanna can feel the look Rogue gives her. She'd have to be almost willfully dense not to. But she acts like she doesn't, and really, she does a pretty good job of it. Hecklers can't stop the show, after all, and this isn't even at that level yet. "Oh, weird is usual for me," Zee replies to Lorna with a grin. "Weird is my entire life, in fact. But there's the weird you're USED to, and…" She spreads her hands, and then laughs.

Jean's lips twitch at Kori's response. "Right, well. No worries on that account, I don't think I'll be running for office any time soon." As long as she isn't going to beat up Doug, the exact details of where she's from aren't really important. "So. What's everyone's favorite Disney movie?" she asks in a sharp change of subject, grinning around the table. "I really like Moana, personally. And not just because Lin-Manuel Miranda music, although that is a big plus."

Doug's phone beeps, and he takes it out and looks at it. "Oh geez." He says, "I have to go. I'm getting some stuff delivered, it's a surprise for Illyana—" He pockets his phone and then waves. "And I have to move fast if I want to surprise her, because that woman gets into *everything*. It's nice to meet all of you, I'll be by the school soon… but for right now, I gotta go!"

Starfire says, "G'nite Doug!"

"Why bother with the booze, Scott? I mean… really." Rogue will come up behind him with her drawl, putting her empty glass on the bar. "Panty dropper? Chick drinks?" She will flash her smile at the bartender. "Another double bourbon, please, to distract me, bartender?" She will move to put more money on the bar. She still has half a beer for a chaser, she just needs more hard liquor, the sooner the better. She turns her head, watching Doug rush off. "The super tall one is…interesting."

"Well," Scott says, as he straightens up and looks over to Rogue, "I suggest fruity girly drinks because I know that Jean, when she's drinking, prefers those. And they taste good, so…"

He gives a casual shrug of his shoulders. About that time, the tender is finishing up with the excessively fruity cocktails, which Scott will snatch up, two in each hand, held carefully between his fingers. "Plus I don't feel that I need to prove my masculinity by only drinking scotch from a dirty glass with a chaser of gravel and nails, or anything. I like a good smooth whiskey as much as the next guy. It's just not the only thing I like."

Casting his gaze back across the room in the direction of the group, he says, "Kori's a lost soul. She'll do well at the school, I think. Learning how to, if not control, at least hide her powers better than she does."

The bartender makes short work of Rogue's bourbon, and Scott waits for it to be poured before he starts the trek back to the table. "And she can learn to… generally just blend in better. But, she's got a lot of spirit. She fixates on certain things a bit too much, though."

As they near the table, Scott drops Lorna's drink off in front of her where she has, inevitably, started swiping down on the screen of her phone. One is deposited in front of Kori, and the next in front of Zee, before Scott finally uses the toe of his boot to lift his chair back into an upright position so that he can sit back down with his own drink.

Zatanna touches Scott's arm when he drops her drink off in front of her. She's not going heavy on the PDA's, because, well, it'd be incredibly rude, among other things. But the ones that she does deploy are hard to miss, and easy to read into.

"My favorite? This is gonna sound completely cliche, I'm sure, but Fantasia." Zatanna shrugs gently, and stage-whispers to Scott, "Favorite Disney movies." She addresses the group to explain, "I didn't get to watch a lot of movies as a kid. But that one was one of the ones I got to see, and… it stuck with me! Maybe for obvious reasons, I dunno."

"I don't know, I think that's the least cliche answer I've heard," Jean smiles wryly back at Zee, lifting one shoulder in a shrug. "Most people forget that was even a movie, and it's not usually a favorite. Although I hate to tell you, but you're probably not going to hear music from that one here," she teases, taking another sip of her drink as Scott and Rogue return to the table. "Plenty of Little Mermaid, though. Man. Talk about a terrible message, right? Change everything about yourself and literally give up your voice for a man."

For lack of anything better to do, Kori seats herself at the table with Jean and Zatanna. She rests her hands in her lap with a posture that could have come out of an Emily Post chapter, one ankle hooked behind the other and that polite smile fixed on her face. The drinks are dropped off and she collects hers when the others do, thanking Scott profusely for bringing it to her. Uncertain of the protocol, Kori elects to simply hold the drink for the moment while the virtues of Disney films are discussed.

"What are Disney movies?" she inquires with an eager interest in the topic at hand.

"I disagree, Jeannie. All considered, I'll agree on cliche. That would be like you liking Little Mermaid or Brave because the protaganist princess is a redhead." Rogue will lean against the edge of the table, rolling her glass between her hands. She will sip bourbon, pondering. "I've never particularly been enraptured with any one movie, now that I think about it. Mulan I liked, until I realized that they totally romanticized the hell out of it. The real Mulan was even more badass, and didn't have the hots for some cute General boy. But then again, I guess I never saw any of the princesses I could identify with." Rogue is nothing if not blunt. "Animated movies, Kori. Lots of singing and improbable situations." She will toss back the rest of her bourbon, and sip at beer.

"Oh. Wow," Scott says, looking to Zee when she proclaims her favorite Disney movie. He gives her a brief once over, and says, "I mean, it makes sense, but I'd have surely pegged you for a Hunchback girl. And for the record, Hellfire is perhaps the absolute best musical composition of any Disney movie. Though Hunchback isn't my favorite. Wreck-It Ralph is my jam."

There's a pause, and Scott actually looks a bit pensive for a long moment.

"I can empathize, you know? A guy who has one defining trait. He breaks stuff. It's the only thing he's good at. And people despise him for it. At best, they treat him with contempt and derision. But he wants to be something more. Be something better. He wants to attain something that will show the people around him that he's worthy of their respect as a human being, too."

Scott flashes a smirk in Jean's direction, and remarks, "The Little Mermaid isn't all bad. Sure, it's heavy handed, but there is something to be said about the willingness to make sacrifices for the ones you love, or the life you want to live. There's nobility in that."

Scott turns his attention then, to Kori, and nods in agreement with Rogue. "We're speaking about mostly cartoon movies with fairy tales and other such tales. Lots of singing, like Rogue said. They're good. Some are even great. Some hit you in the feels. And are you just going to hold that, or are you actually going to drink it?"

Zatanna gives a what-can-I-say shrug and a smile to Rogue's assessment. She refrains from telling the table about her attempt to animate a broom herself and exactly how long it got her grounded and also exactly how much property damage it caused to the family home. "Aw. That's sweet, Scott," she says, sounding sincere enough about it.

"I feel like you would love Disney movies, Kori, and I hereby volunteer to binge-watch them with you." Jean raises her bottle in a salute to Kori, smile crooked. "A lot of fairy tales, stories for children. Some of them have some useful messages, a lot of them have some potentially damaging ones, but they're culturally significant in that they're a shared experience for a lot of people, so they create touchstones that people can share. A shorthand of experience." Yep, someone's been in college. That understanding roommate is probably an English major or something.

"Hunchback had good music but was not a story that needed to be made into a cartoon for kids," she shakes her head with a laugh. "I like Moana, though. It's got some balance to it. Someone who's willing to do what needs to be done but still has her own dreams. Isn't miserable with her life because it isn't her dream, but does what she can to make it happen."

Scott gets a dry look and a smirk. "Hey, Ralph figured out how to let people see what else he could do. Eventually."

Kori gives Jean a look of profound gratitude for her relatively concise and clear summary. "That is very kind of you, friend Jean!" she tells her fellow redhead. Scott chivvies Kori for not drinking her beverage. She eyes it, takes a sip, then gulps it down with a few swallows and sets the glass aside, nodding gratefully at Scott.

"Friend Jean, I would enjoy the bingeing of the movies with you. I was on the Twitters and people told me about the show of the 'Cloud Atlas' and I binged all seven seasons last weekend, streamed from a pirate ship!" Clearly she means she 'pirated' the unreleased seventh season. Her face falls. "But then I found out that I cannot do 'pizza delivery' if I do not arrive for the work on Monday, and then when I tried to tell my supervisor how important the ending to the last season was to the narrative, I was dismissed from my duties."

She brightens. "I would binge the Cloud Atlas with you, friend Jean! I think you'll find the ending very intruiguing!"

Someone stop her before she ruins the series finale!

Rogue levels a look at Scott. "Right. Because the actual story it was based on gave Ariel horrible pain in her legs, and she ended up as sea foam. Great narrative." So Rogue's a secret reader, let someone just try to make something of it. She will polish off her beer, and give a stretch. "Well, I'll make you guys all sorts of snacks, if you do that. But for now, I'm going to head out. I was up super early this morning for work to finish a rebuild, so I don't want to still be out in the city when the booze hits."

When Kori takes up her drink and downs it in one go, Scott just looks at her curiously. Did she even taste that? Still, he shrugs his broad shoulders, and then lifts up his own glass, drinking down the citrusy sweet concoction. Quickly finishing it, leaving nothing but little fruity remnants trapped between cubes of ice, he settles the glass back on the table. "Moana's good, yeah. And the music is incredible, of course. Hunchback as a movie? Yeah, maybe not for kids. I think it directs kids in a wrong way, too. The clear leads of the movie were Esmerelda and Phoebus, with Quasimodo playing support to their love story. In the end, it teaches kids to be kind to the friendly person who is different, because, bruh… that weird mutant dude isn't ever gonna be a threat to steal your girl, but he'll play a good wingman and save your girl from the Purifiers if things get real."

There's a sardonic smile that plays on Scott's face at that, but he shrugs again and eases back into his chair.

When Rogue looks at him, Scott turns his attention back on her. She gives the explanation about the original fable, and Scott just quirks a brow upwards. "Yeah. Sure. But that story isn't the story that's accompanied by a lobster singing Under The Sea, so…"

He holds his hands out to either side in a helpless gesture. "Have a good night, Rogue."

Zatanna gives Rogue a wave and what looks like a smile full of genuine good cheer. "Nice meeting you," she says. Is she trying to be gracious, or is she twisting some kind of knife? Only the telepath at the table would know for sure, and it'd be an invasion of privacy to look without asking, according to the LAW.

As if on cue, the pianos start warming up and one of them is ready to belt out Under the Sea. Jean laughs, the corners of her eyes crinkling with humor, and takes a long drink. "I'll catch you over the weekend, Rogue," she waves after the other mutant, gesturing Kori toward the music. "This is one of the songs from the Little Mermaid. She desperately wants to leave the water for the world outside, but this character is trying to tell her how things are alredy pretty great where she's at."

And then people in the bar start to sing along, and the joy and cheer in the place bring a flush to Jean's cheeks. She wasn't lying about the contact high - this sort of thing is good medicine for an empath. It isn't long before she's joining in and singing along, egging the others into singing too.

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