video/action : open!

[passingthrough]

Who: Kitty Pryde + everyone
Broadcast: Network
Action: Iskaulit: Dance studio
When: New Year’s Eve (slightly backdated)

[Not long ago she’d been considering the best way to handle Winn’s birthday now that he’s gone and all. She considered enlisting a close friend or two to be on duty for support or distractions or just barricading herself in her room and feeling it and dealing with that. In the end she went with booze. Lots and lots of booze.

When she turns the feed on she’s lying down on a series of three chairs, holding the communicator above her head.]

Did I ever tell you about the time I was in Marina—the underwater prison place—and this tiny alien or robot or possibly dog man thing took over and made it rain fruit punch and then made us dance in a dance marathon and if we didn’t he was going to put us in a room with a moose. And I’m not drunk! [She laughs like she just said something very funny.]

No, no, I mean I am drunk but it’s also true. It was a very strange place. Did you know you had to get a wristband if you wanted to have sex with someone? Yeah. It was like being at a bar and wanting drink. [Speaking of wanting to drink. She looks around for her bottle and then lifts herself up enough to achieve drinking.] Oh! And then it was like enforced monogamy where you could only be with your band partner.

Wristband. Not like music band. You didn’t have to have sex with the person you played the flute with. [More laughing.]

What was I…? Oh, yeah, do you know I haven’t kissed anyone in moooonths? Yeah. Like May. May 10th. [Winn disappeared May 11.] In the prison you couldn’t do that because every two months—if they were months—they would send out these mistletoe robots that would make you kiss someone or lots of someones. Usually lots of someones. They had shrinking forcefields and confetti. I had to kiss a guy without lips once. Did I mention it was a weird place?

Comments

[passingthrough]

[She reaches out to steady herself on his shoulders and moves in closer so he can do his thing. Once she's up, she'll slide in so her head is on his shoulder and her arms are draped around his neck, more or less holding on.]

I used to ride my husband like this sometimes. Did you know I had a husband? That sounds so strange now. [Paying almost no mind to his puns. So cruel!]

[goldenglasses]

That was Piotr, right? [Between the calibrations, what he was directly told, and what he had picked up along the way Vash had heard of him.] The metal guy? [Who apparently killed you.] Were you drunk then too?

[Vash has had a lot of practice carrying drunk women (and the occasional male if they'd allow it) home to their beds on his back. His steps towards the shuttle he used to get here are steady and smooth.]

[passingthrough]

When? [The alcohol is strong in this one.] Oh, oh, no. It was just fun. I liked how strong and powerful he was. It made me feel safe when nothing else did. [Nuzzling her face against his neck just a bit.]

You know, until he killed me with it.

[goldenglasses]

[The voice in his head telling him to stop her nuzzling and the other telling him that would just make a bigger deal of the situation and to leave it alone start to have a very loud shouting match that makes it hard to focus. In the end the voice saying to do nothing wins at the moment.]

I'm so sorry, Kitty. There isn't much worse in the world then being betrayed like that by someone you loved. [There is a chance it was a 'putting out of misery' move as Vash didn't have the full context yet. Vash doesn't believe in mercy killing either way.]

[passingthrough]

[He should really look into all these voices in his head. Luckily for him and the voices she stills herself once she's comfortable.]

No, there isn't. [Definitely not a mercy killing. It wasn't exactly intentional murder either, but she's not ready to call it an accident even if that's closer to the truth. He just didn't care about anything but his objective. Not even her.]

Your brother? [She remembers things too.]

[goldenglasses]

[She may feel the way his muscles tense almost instinctively at the mention of his brother. But his tone is light and dismissive when he speaks.] Yeah, well, you know what they say. You can't choose your family. Right?

[And when did this get to be about him? He doesn't want this to be about him. Okay, so he never wants things to be about him anyway, but that's not the point!]

So drink a lot of water and go straight to bed when we get back?

[passingthrough]

[She does her best to turn holding on into hugging when she feels him tense.] Sometimes you can. Not the ones you're born with, but family doesn't have to stop there. [She lost all her biological family. But the X-Men became her family. Her shipmates are family now.]

You know I can't do both of those at the same time, right?

[goldenglasses]

Yeah, I know. I got some good "family" waiting for me back home. [As long as time really doesn't move forward while they're hear and Knives hasn't killed everyone yet.]

You could lay in bed while drinking from a water bottle. I didn't say sleep. I said bed!

[passingthrough]

None here? [He may not like to open up about himself but she likes prying up the edges. It's probably partially the challenge, but it's also how she relates to what she has seen.]

I could drown. Do you want me to drown, Vash?

[goldenglasses]

No way! Have you seen my crew? Ugh! I have this alcoholic Co-Captain. Always bossing me around. Telling me what to do! They are the absolute worst! Beyond obnoxious and loud. I just can't stand it! How could I consider someone like that family?

[And just in case she's too drunk to figure out he's joking.] Yeah, I think his name is Vash or something. I dunno. I didn't bother to learn it.

[passingthrough]

I don't know... I think I like that guy. [And to help show her sincerity she kisses his neck. It's not intended to be as intimate as it may come off, but his cheek was too hard to reach and she isn't thinking so deeply about these things at the moment.]

[goldenglasses]

[Combined with the kiss from earlier and knowing how drunk she is Vash doesn't find the kiss as comforting as she probably intended.]

Ah! There's our shuttle! [He shouts and half jumps into a brisk run. A distraction tactic. If she's trying not to throw up then she can't kiss him again! He's a genius!

Okay, he may get vomited on, but that's a sacrifice he's willing to make.]

[passingthrough]

Wheeeeeeee! [She breaks into laughter. You're lucky she has a strong stomach from occasionally needing to eat trash food back home! Or unlucky? But she's not trying to kiss him. She'd probably end up biting him like this.]

[goldenglasses]

[Vash laughs and is happy she's still having fun. In a short time he gets them to the shuttle and sets her down in the passenger seat.] Can you strap yourself in? Or are you too drunk for that?

[passingthrough]

And let you cop a feel? [Yes, because clearly he is the one making the moves here.] Please. I can do it.

[goldenglasses]

[Vash holds his hands up in mock surrender with a smile. Leaving her for a moment to close up the shuttle and get ready for launch. Coming back to be sure she's properly strapped in before taking off.]

[passingthrough]

[She hadn't actually bothered to put it on but when he stops to check she rolls her eyes and grabs for it.] Oh my god, Vash. We're in a space shuttle. How helpful is a seat belt going to be if we crash anyway?

[goldenglasses]

Because when I stop going at light speed to land in the Twin Roses and you being drunk I for see you falling onto the floor and bumping your head.

Or at worse trying to phase through to avoid a head bump and phasing too far so you wind up in space.

You know. Something like that. [Said in such a deadpan voice that parents tired of their children not following their wise advice would be proud of.]

[passingthrough]

I hope you're a better pilot than a you are a fortune teller. [She gets everything snapped into place and waves him on before her head rolls back, feeling so suddenly exhausted.]

[goldenglasses]

Luckily for you, I am! [Satisfied she won't fall out during the rude her slides into the pilot seat and points them in the direction of home. It shouldn't take them too long to get there.]

[passingthrough]

[She's already nodded off to sleep by the time the shuttle lands. The question is do you find this more or less helpful?]

[goldenglasses]

[Vash sighs with a smile once he gets up out of his own seat.] And this is why I wanted you to strap in. [Muttered in amusement under his breath. Trying not to wake her. Carefully he reaches over to remove those said straps. As he does this he tries to stay hyper aware of how asleep she seems to be. He understands that she's live a long time in an unsafe environment where falling asleep can often mean waking up swinging.

If she stays asleep he'll carefully try to pick her up in a way that supports her head to carry her to the captain's room.]

[passingthrough]

[He's wise to watch out for that, but since alcohol is playing a part in her sleep and she has a lot of distance from that time in her life, and she felt safe with him when she fell asleep she doesn't jar awake. Instead, she just slumps forward toward him once released, ready for pick up!]

[goldenglasses]

[Carefully he rests her head on his shoulder so he can slide his arms under her bottom and across her back before he lifts her up. He holds her close and doesn't struggle at all with her weight. He moves gracefully through the ship and eventually they'll make it to her bedroom.]

Alright, here we go. [Gently he lays her down onto her bed. If she's still asleep he'll even take her shoes off for her.]

[passingthrough]

[Once her shoes come off she does curl up a little, closer to consciousness as she murmurs softly.] Winn...