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

[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...

[goldenglasses]

[Vash had started to turn to leave in order to find a bottle of water and pain killers to leave near her bed. Planning on just leaving her on her own after that.

Now he hesitates. Frozen with his back towards Kitty for the moment. Eyes gazing up at the ceiling as if he can find an answer up there somewhere.

He had never been good at helping people though loss. He can hardly help himself with dealing with the grief. Milly's gut wrenching sobs still echo in his head at night and he knows he can't just stand quietly outside hoping Meryl can take care of it this time.

With a soft sigh he turns back towards Kitty.] I'm sorry that he's not here with you now. I know he would be if he had the choice.

[passingthrough]

[Her eyes blink open slowly.] I know. [She scoots back a little more, making room for him to sit, but making no attempt to sit up.] He wouldn't want me to be sad like this. But that just makes me miss him more.

[goldenglasses]

[He shifts his weight on his feet, but doesn't move to sit just yet. Remembering that surprise kiss and unsure how much Kitty might have sobered up since then.

He knows he's not the one she wants to be with her in this room right now. Yet, he's also aware of that lonely ache that says anyone is better than being alone.

Finally he moves to sit down on the bed. Closer to the end near her feet to be safe.] I know. It's okay to miss him and it's okay to be sad sometimes, but only if you don't allow it to consume your life.

[passingthrough]

[She's still pretty drunk. It's more of a mood shift.] What life? Reality star? Prisoner? Missing person? [It's been a long time since she felt much control over her life, or at least much illusion of control.

When she was very young it felt like she had a future full of possibilies. And then she got her powers and lost her parents and life became about survival, not living. Then she was trapped in a virtual reality prison that called itself a prison and one that calls itself a fleet and claims to be real. In her time in both she's bounced around from trying to continue some sort of mission of surival and protection to feeling like she might have a future again through sheer power of will.]

[goldenglasses]

Your life as Kitty Pride. [He says it forcibly. Trying to get his point home.] Those other labels don't matter. Those are just where you are at the moment. They are not you.

[passingthrough]

[She can sense you spelling Pryde wrong in her head, Vash.]

Who am I? [Daughter, genius, dancer, tech nerd, teammate, assassin, freedom fighter, gene traitor, teacher, failure, experiment, defense force leader, crewmate, pilot, engineer, captain, girlfriend, almost fiance, single.]

[goldenglasses]

[No! His auto correct is spelling it wrong!]

You are Kitty Pryde. You are a Co-Captain of a ship full of some remarkable people. You are the type of person who will put someone else before yourself. You will do everything you can to keep your friends and loved ones safe and happy. You are an X- man. You are an amazing dancer. You are a good person who misses someone terribly right now. And your ticket to the future is open and blank. The future that you have is wide open for you to be anything else you want to be.