X-men: The Zen Chronicles (Redheadstemper)

[redheadstemper]

Kel frowned at the two teens who had dragged her to the mall. "Okay, I get the idea of getting her a nice dress for a nice date, and getting me along because I know what she'd like, but I thought I told you not to go overboard, Piotr." She affected a thoughtful expression, then continued, "you know what, I'll give her the dress we pick out as a Christmas present. But you've got to stop grabbing the ones without any sleeves, Kitty, it is winter. And a shawl doesn't help enough when you were raised on the coast in a much warmer place," she forestalled Kitty's next argument.

"Okay, then we have to have a look over here, then. She doesn't like pink, I know that much, and I really can't see her in frills like that, so how about this one?"

They continued on like that before they settled on one that they thought Faye would like, and would suit her colouration and figure. Piotr was, to no one's surprise, rather useless, and when he tried to pay for the expensive dress, Kel bumped him out of the way. "I said this was going to be a Christmas present, so I'm gonna pay for it."


After Kel had driven them back to the mansion, Kitty turned to Piotr. "Right, now, we can't book the date until she wakes up, but let's call up and warn them. That way, they won't be surprised, and they'll make sure there's aan appropriate table among the ones they save for non-bookings. Not that they save a lot of those, but there's one or two a night. You'd best check with Dr Grey about when's the earliest and latest she'll wake up, so we can give them a time frame. I think you should give her a week before you ask her, and then maybe a week before the date." With that, Kitty ran off to look at her makeup collection. A lot of it she had already used, so she couldn't let Faye use it, but she might have some unopened ones to suit ...  

[Hikari_Mamo]

Piotr frowned a little. At least he got to sneak a pair of shoes in as well without Kel noticing. Yes, he was less than useless picking out the dress and shoes but he did notice the colour of both the shoes and the dress. He just hoped Faye liked high heels. Urgh why was shopping so hard? "I will go to Professor Grey and check on Faye." He said with a blush. He wouldn't admit that he missed Faye to anyone but Xavier since he could get into peoples heads anyway.  

[redheadstemper]

Over the next week, Piotr tried to subtly question other teens - and the adults - about romantic gestures. By the increasingly annoyed responses, he didn't reach his goal of subtle, but he did get a few pointers on how to ask her, how to act, and what kind of presents were appropriate in the lead up to a first date. Most of the girls cooed over his sketch, and told him that it was a good idea.

Dr Grey's insistence that he not spend more than three hours a day in the infirmary had given him time to finish the sketch, get it framed, and save his plant from dying from neglect.

What he wasn't aware of, was the betting pool starting up among the teachers over how and when he would ask Faye on the date. The student's pool was focused on her response. There was only one taker on the 'turns him down embarrassingly' category. There was also a side pool on when she would wake up.

Finally, Kitty cornered him. "Look, you can't plan this down to the last word, you've got to say it naturally. The music at the Firefly is always romantic, and you just have to ask them for a couple of candles. Don't think I didn't notice you slipping those shoes in, and you're lucky they don't have much of a heel. I've never seen Faye in heels, so smaller is best, but you matched the colour quite well. Now get caught up on your homework, do another sketch, anything, just stop constantly asking the same damn questions. You're lucky that the gossips you've spoken to are on your side and can keep their mouths shut when they want to, so those who can't don't know, since otherwise Faye would know within an hour of waking up!" Finally finishing her rant, Kitty left Collossus to think things over.  

[Hikari_Mamo]

Jean and Hank continued to maintain Faye's life signs. Her voice was getting stronger. That was good. And Piotr wasn't hanging around as much. "Mmmrm~" They stopped suddenly.

"Was that?" Hank asked turning his eyes to a slowly moving Faye. "Quick summon Piotr!" He said shaking Jean and rushing over to see if there was anything he could do to help wake her up. Yes, he knew about the betting and had put in that Piotr would crash and burn on his attempts to ask Faye out. But at the same time he hoped the boy would get a yes.  

[redheadstemper]

Summoning Piotr the first time Faye appeared to be waking was a waste of time. The second time, they didn't have to summon him, as it was during the three hours Piotr was permitted a day before Jean kicked him out.

Jean and Hank had agreed not to call him until she was awake enough to speak, after that, since this was quite common in patients waking from a coma - waking slightly, then sinking back into unconsciousness - not a full coma, but not properly sleeping. Jean called it a healing trance, especially in Logan and those who had borrowed or copied his powers - Faye and Rogue, so far.

The agreement came to nothing, as her control on her powers slipped when she noticed the monitors indicating Faye was close to waking, broadcasting she's waking up! over the entire school. Professor Xavier responded with you need to get back to reinstating your control again, once Faye is recovered. We cannot afford slip ups like this very often, Jean.


Piotr came rushing in, and Jean was tearing a strip off him for hovering too much, when it happened. "- and furthermore, Faye is not one to appreciate you sitting there like an abandoned puppy. She doesn't like being mother henned, and even if she was awake right now, you couldn't see her for all the tests we would have to do to make sure she's both healthy and herself."

Piotr started to retort, "How do you-" before he was interrupted.

"Ah! She bit me!" Jean and Piotr turned to see Hank, standing over Faye, who was biting his hand. Then they watched, dumfounded, as she rolled to her feet and dashed out the door.  

[Hikari_Mamo]

Words. Muffled, loud and aggravating. Even when sleeping that was all Faye could hear. Bickering, whispering. Loud clanking. She gave a mild moan to try and tell them to shut up, she did this several time, but it brought nothing. During her attempts to finish sleeping she felt as if someone was getting close to her, prodding the crook of her elbow then a pinch. In a flash she was up her teeth sinking into the attacker's arm. She saw blue fur and blue blood spring from the wound before she heard the attacker cry out: "Ah! She Bit me!" She let the attacker go thrusting the needle from her elbow and bolted from the bed and the room. The IV unit ripped from her hand but she didn't care. She just needed to get out!

The tube she'd gotten into was not as scary as she thought it would be. Escape! That's all she could think of. Escape.

"Hey Faye you're ah-" Some random guy said to her but she ran past him and others without saying a word. Just kept running. She burst through wooden double doors out over the back porch, over the back porch railing and across the court yard into the grassy back yard. She could feel her muscles protesting at the sudden use of them after so long asleep but she couldn't stop. She had to get away.  

[redheadstemper]

As Piotr chased after his ... girlfriend? ... who was bolting through the mansion, he ran into several boys who were leaning over, staring at everything Faye's hospital gown didn't cover. He also had blankets, sheets, and articles of clothing shoved and thrown at him, often with comments of "this'll help" and "it's cold out there!" The boys, even those not watching her, were less helpful, with comments along the lines of "go get her, tiger!"

Piotr thought they were probably lucky that she'd dashed through one of the dorm hallways. Then he saw Faye take a turn through one of the doors to the courtyard, which then led to the outer grounds. Following her, he forgot about the railing and jumped late, tripping over the railing and falling face first onto the paved courtyard. Luckily, he was holding so many items intended for Faye that he was able to get up with no significant injury and continue after her.


Kel looked up when she heard shouting back at the mansion. She was in the middle of the laborious process of potting the more fragile plants to move them to a greenhouse for winter. Then she saw Faye running across the lawn, clothed only in a short hospital gown, open, as most such are, at the back. What the hell is going on? She thought, before deciding on a course of action. She started raising walls of earth, deliberately making them thick and soft, beside and in front of Faye. As she saw Faye ram into one, she closed off the wall, so that Faye wouldn't run off again. It also had the effect of stopping the boys from seeing things Faye wouldn't like them seeing.  

[Hikari_Mamo]

What is this? Faye thought eyes wide as she tried to find a way out. She growled and clawed at the walls. Panic threatened to overwhelm her and she didn't know why. She whimpered and looked around trying to find a way out. After a moment she went to her knees panting and trying to think her way out of this. She turned to the one spot that wasn't closed and was about to head for it when she noticed a pile of furs rushing toward her. She gave a cry and tried to flee again but the only viable way out was being taken up by the threatening furs coming toward her. She kept clawing at the back wall pressing herself up to the wall panting hard giving little mews squeezing her eyes shut waiting for the furs to finish her.


"Okay! Those people who'd bet that she'd wake up today! Claim your prize!" One of the older teens called with a smile. The group sighed in disappointed but several kids and teens did pick correctly and split the prize pool for when she'd wake up between them. Two of them got extra prizes because they guessed she'd run from the professors in her gown outside. But that was neither here nor there.  

[redheadstemper]

Logan looked up from where he was watching Kel when he heard the shouts, and had to laugh at Faye. She was doing the exact same thing as he'd done the first time he woke up here ... except she didn't stop for clothes. Smothering the laughter, he started towards the earthen enclosure his woman was building to ensure Faye didn't run away, slowing down in surprise when he saw Piotr running towards Faye, weighed down by various clothes. I don't think he knows that there's fancy underwear on the front of that pile.

Kel caught up to him, slowing when she caught sight of Piotr, and neither could hold in the laughter at the sight of Piotr's fall. It was rather obvious, once you looked back at where he came from, as there were clothes and underwear scattered, and kids surrounding them laughing their arses off. Since it was just after a railing, there was really only one conclusion.


In the upper levels of the mansion, another bet was being paid. "You really should have known better, Charles. With the amount of times Logan's been touching her lately, there was really no way she'd react differently."

"Yes, I suppose, I was just a bit caught up in the fact that ... oh, there it is, Faye's own mind seems to be coming to the fore ... and isn't that an embarrassing thing to say right before you come to your senses?"  

[Hikari_Mamo]

Felicity stared at the felled man in front of her and without warning felt her cheeks warm and a smile creep onto her lips. She vaguely knew who he was but at the same time. . . what were all these things he threw at her? He spoke to someone unseen before approaching her carefully. Why would she hurt this funny person? He climbed over the fence she couldn't seem to get over and palms up said. "I mean you no harm Felicity. Look! I bring you offerings of peace."

Felicity's eyes went to the articles of clothing and cloth then back at him. She looked him up and down then nodded. "All right, I accept your marriage proposal." She said then reached down to scratch herself.

After recovering from his fall, Piotr got up and got a good look at Faye. "I got this guys." He said smiling. He climbed over the barrier, partially ignoring the sexy green gauze teddy he knew was there and would look wonderful on Faye, and palms up tried to look as non threatening as possible. He assured her that he was not going to harm her and that he brought peace offerings. Then she made her comment and scratched between her legs. Piotr's face went a dark shade of red before the blood rushed down to his pants and he stood shocked unable to say anything.  

[redheadstemper]

Kel and Logan gradually stopped laughing and looked up again, to see Piotr rooted in place and Faye looking horrified. Then the Professor projected a though to Kel. 'You should probably make some walls so that she can get covered up properly. And the walls don't need to be thick, now that she's back to herself.'

'So who won those pools I'm not supposed to know about, while I'm doing this?'

'Well, Storm won a side bet with me on how she'd react once she woke, Scott got the timing closest, and, of course, the pools on the date aren't complete yet. The children's pool on her waking has fifteen winners, and Bill and Kate got an extra share each for predicting the way she acted. Which will have her embarrassed for days to come. The gossips will have enough to do that they won't pick up on the date plans, luckily.'

Kel snorted at that, and continued on to where the two teens were just starting to move again, both blushing.  

[Hikari_Mamo]

"H-H-Here!" Piotr squealed shoving some clothes at Faye who put them on without speaking. She kept the gown on until she pulled on the bra then took it off. She had no idea about any of it. A sigh escaped her lips as she finished up. "Okay I'm done lets go." She said simply with a smile. "I'm starving is there anything left at the canteen to eat?"  

[redheadstemper]

After escorting Faye to the kitchen, Kel and Logan pulled Piotr into the hall for a chat.

"You need to get that stunned mullet look off ya face, mate. The only way you'll get the question out is to get that out of your mind, so let's start working on that, eh?"


Several minutes later, Kel decided he was as ready as he was going to get that day, and pushed him towards the kitchen door before walkin ten metres down the hall to speak to the teen running the date pool.

"Put me down for her punching you in the face, in the reaction table."  

[Hikari_Mamo]

Faye hardly noticed that Piotr hadn't joined her in the dining hall. She just grabbed a tray and piled several plates full of food and drink and dessert and sat at a table glaring at those who dare stare at her in anyway shape or form. The place was quiet save for the sounds of cutlery. Until Piotr entered the dining hall. Then the sounds stopped.

Piotr, feeling very self conscious attained some food for himself and sat next to Faye. They ate in silence for long moments as he seemed to war with himself on what to talk about. "Will you go out with me?" Piotr asked just as Faye was sipping on her drink. Her mouthful was spat out as she heard his question. The hall erupted with voices.

"Who had him asking today?"

"Who had her spitting out food or drink?" Faye stood up and punched the guy in the face.

"Who had she'd punch that guy in the face?"  

[redheadstemper]

"Who had she'll punch him in the face?"

Kel walked over to the kid who'd taken over her friend's role.

"Yeah, that'd be me. Really, yelling about that, so close to the kitchen, he shoulda seen that coming. 'Specially since I made that bet."

After the girl paid out her share, Kel split the cash and gave half to Faye. "So, you want to go answer the question, or do you need to think about it? There's bets running all the way up to you never saying yes, soyou can't really wait to piss almost everyone off. And, you know, if you've got an answer, you might not want to leave ya bloke hanging too long" Kel finished with a significant glance behind Faye.