[snuggle up real close everyone]

[cephalon]

Who: The fair crew and visitors of the Windrose
Action: Aboard the Windrose
When: May

[It's a mingle! Make friendly everyone~]

Comments

[passingthrough]

Gardening? Are you trying to grow your own pizza tree too? [She and Winn have this ongoing joke about a pizza tree which, obviously grows fully formed pizza.]

[grandstanding]

That might be a bit... advanced.

[passingthrough]

And yet so worthwhile. What are you up to? Or do you just like reading about it?

[grandstanding]

It's a follow up to something I did briefly in Kyriakos. I doubt I'll be gardening here. [Everyone else seems to have that well in hand, and there's no compulsion for him to future-proof his loved ones against starvation. Yet.] In any case, I didn't come here for book club.

[He opens the bag, and pulls out the prize: a steel claw set, one for each hand.]

[passingthrough]

Oooh. Shiny. [She reaches out.] Erik, thank you again for all this. [She looks really grateful. Touched even.]

[grandstanding]

[He smiles at that. While it started just as something to do, something to strengthen a connection he had a head start with, he has enjoyed it for its own sake.] You're welcome. If I ever lose something down the side of a cabinet, you can repay the favour and phase it out for me.

[passingthrough]

[Consider that connection strengthened. Strange how many of the mutants she trusts most here are ones who don't consider themselves X-Men back in their homes. Or two anyway.] I would love to. I'm also great for hiding things in walls, getting ships into bottles, and bringing up topics that make people uncomfortable.

[grandstanding]

That last one can't be a power, surely.

[passingthrough]

I'm not so sure. What I do know is that I'm exceptionally good at it.

[grandstanding]

I don't think you've quite made me uncomfortable yet. [Maybe she needs to level up first.] Other than the first day, but most everyone managed it then.

[passingthrough]

Well that's something at least. I'm sure I've left some details out that could swing back toward uncomfortable though.

[grandstanding]

Don't take it as a challenge.

[passingthrough]

[Smiling as she silently crosses her heart. No bringing up his children or Rogue.]

It's usually more that it comes out without me realizing how that might affect someone from a different world with a different life and different relationships. Or just forgetting what a mess my reality is compared to 95% of other realities. Which can swing either way. Sometimes I act like other people's homes are perfect when of course they aren't.

[grandstanding]

[He nods, understanding that to some extent.] It's cultural differences on a massive scale.

[passingthrough]

Yeah. So much culture shock in the prison. I'm largely adjusted, but also not completely. Kurt would still be where I was way back then.

[grandstanding]

It wasn't quite the same where I was. Given people only remembered bits and pieces of their lives, the confusion was... equal opportunity.

[The number of times he'd seen something that was nonsensical in someone else's memory was surely matched by how confusing his own seemed to them.]

[passingthrough]

I'm trying to decide if that's a good thing. I guess so, but also...wide-scale head fuckery.

[grandstanding]

[That actually gets a laugh out of him. Kitty has no idea.]

Yes, it was indeed.

[passingthrough]

At least you can laugh about it now? [Literally.] I think I've been lucky in my abductions. [She doesn't like thinking about Erik or Hank or Charles for that matter in that place.] Hank told me a little more about some of the things that happen. [Look at her playing so well with Hank and even calling him Hank instead of growling out "McCoy."]

[grandstanding]

[He does make note of it, and is privately glad things are on a more even keel now. Hearing that Hank has talked about the past, though... he has to wonder.]

Did he really. [None of them are particularly fond of discussing what happened, but Erik would also believe Hank has the fewest hangups about it.]

[passingthrough]

I'm sure I have plenty of character flaws, but none of them really include lies or tall tales. We've had some talks. Kind of not how I saw that going with us, but he's not the Henry McCoy from my world.

[grandstanding]

It's always good to hear. I was just wondering what he'd told you.

[passingthrough]

He talked about the time he died and how some of the games have to end in death.

[grandstanding]

[Erik doesn't look remotely surprised at the mention of Hank's death. Or even bothered.]

So, the heavy things. You really are getting along.

[passingthrough]

Mutants have funny ways of bonding, don't we? [She's pretty sure this goes beyond mutants, but still.] I told him that I die back home too. A few seconds after I was pulled out for all the prison fun.