InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "*blush*"

Theresa O'Rourke Cassidy (shockingsoprano) wrote in no_good_deed,
@ 2010-12-20 16:49:00

Entry tags:

complete, old pc: colossus, old pc: siryn, shadowcat

Oh Tannenbaum...
Who: Terry, Kitty, Piotr ~~and Wade?~~
What: Time to get a Christmas tree!
When: 12/14 - Christmas is getting near!
Where: A nearby tree farm (~~located behind the mansion grounds?~~)
Rating: PG-13 (R if Wade gets involved.)

"Aah..." Terry's entire body clenched up, and her back arched as she caught her breath. She brought her mouth to her face, trying to cover her mouth before letting out a breathless outburst.

She threw her body forward, letting out a violent sneeze. She sniffed, and tried not to rub her nose too much...she knew that any friction against her pale Irish skin would result in her having a glowing red snout that would make Rudolph impersonators envious.

"Ugh...figures I'd come down with something just before the holidays..." She muttered to herself. She fastened her coat up to the top button, not allowing any cool air to sneak in and chill her throat. The last thing she needed was a sore throat or a head cold. Otherwise there'd be no progress reviving what abilities she ever had - and she knew her father would be subjecting her to "therapy"...

Which reminded her, she needed to stop by Miss Frost's office to see if they had New Year's plans...

Not one to be too easily distracted, Terry turned to her holiday cheer cohorts, and started to rub her gloved hands together. "Armed and ready?"

(Read comments) - (Post a new comment)

shadowenpointe
2010-12-21 04:50 pm UTC (link)

Kitty was bundled up as well, though her attention was not on her cold-ridden roomie or their big Russian co-conspirator. She was looking skyward with a puzzled expression on her face. "I have a sudden urge to burst out in song," she admitted dreamily. And because Kitty was the type to give into her odd impulses more often than not, she started to sing.

"Iiiiiiiii'm dreaming....of a whiiiiiiiiiite Christmas..." That was about as far as she got, though, before giggles took her over. She was the one who'd grabbed the ax from the shed and she imagined it would be a fairly amusing sight to see someone her size, singing to the sky with an ax slung over her shoulder. "Okay," she admitted when she could talk through her laughter, "I seriously do not know what's wrong with me today."

Perhaps it was the lack of stress from school and teaching? Maybe it was holiday giddiness? Either way, Kitty felt a lot less tense than she had in a long time. She finally looked at Theresa and stuck out her bottom lip. "I'm sorry you're sick, Terry. Of all the times, right?"

Looking up at Piotr, she grinned as widely as she could. "Let's go chop down a tree before she sneezes herself into oblivion."

(Reply to this) (Thread)

steelreserve
2010-12-21 05:33 pm UTC (link)

"Boodzdah rova." The big guy replied, turning to glance at Terry to make sure there was only one sneeze on the way, and not a train of three or four that some people were prone to. He also expected that, as many times he'd said it for as many people in the house who had colds, others would recognize a Russian response to a sneeze without thinking too much on it by now.

"Spirit of the holiday." Pete was happy to offer as an excuse for Kitty's mood. He himself wasn't a super Christmas fanatic, but he liked watching other people get excited for it, and snow was pretty great. Besides, it was hard to not really get at least a little in the mood when you had an army of little kids freaking out over it. "You can pretty much use that to justify anything this time of the year."

When Kitty chirped at him, he laughed. "Let's just hope it's the weather or a cold, and not from some sort of shiny new tree allergy she's developing. Wouldn't want her sneezing all over everyone's presents on Christmas morning." He turned back to Terry, eying her purposefully, though there was amusement in his eyes. "You hear that? You're not allowed to be sick on Christmas."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

shockingsoprano
2010-12-21 05:48 pm UTC (link)

Terry shrugged with embarrassment as the other two accompanying her rested their eyes on her. Like a turtle, the lower half of her face sunk into the layers of scarf around her neck, and she blushed. "I'll try." She figured getting out of the mansion to 'blow the stink off of her' would maybe give her a second wind, but once the cold, dry air hit her face, she was beginning to have second thoughts.

She lifted a mitten'ed hand, and waved the crew forward. She looked to Kitty, her voice muffled behind her scarf. "Do you know exactly where this tree farm is?"

She took a wide step to the side when she realized she was standing behind Kitty. That axe seemed to dwarf the girl, and Terry didn't want to be anywhere within firing range if that axe happened to tip over...

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

shadowenpointe
2010-12-21 07:03 pm UTC (link)

"Spirit of the holidays," Kitty repeated gleefully. "That, or maybe too much eggnog." Not that she'd ever truly admit to drinking too much eggnog. She was supposed to be a responsible adult, after all. With a great sigh, she began leading the way from the mansion to her purported "tree farm," taking note of the wide berth Theresa gave her. "I do know exactly where this tree farm is." She gave Theresa a sideways look. "Are you afraid of me, Terry?" The idea seemed to amuse her.

The idea of sneeze soaked gifts had Kitty making a face. "That's pretty much the grossest mental picture I've had all day. Thanks for that, Pete." She turned to walk backwards so she could look at her friends. "You guys, I don't know what to get for Logan. I had all my shopping done until he showed up. Now I'm like...what the heck do I get him, you know?"

The tree farm was actually just the woods behind the mansion. It was a thick forest that would hardly be offended if they took one meager little tree to brighten things up. Sobering some, she turned around and hefted the axe onto her other shoulder. "I hope Ororo is home soon." She really wanted to be able to go home for at least a few days, but didn't feel comfortable leaving with the headmistress gone. It didn't matter that others were there. She felt like it was part of her job to stay and make sure things were kosher until Ororo was home.

She pointed to the treeline in the distance, revealing the tree farm to her friends. "Why go pay thirty bucks for a tree that will be dead in two weeks when we have a perfectly good free forest right behind our home? Besides, this way we know that we got the best pick." Stopping, Kitty dropped the axe and turned to Piotr. "Okay, I give up. It's too heavy for me."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

steelreserve
2010-12-21 07:54 pm UTC (link)

"Glad to be of service." Pete replied with another laugh, though it was slightly sheepish as he glanced down, swinging one leg over a particularly large branch that had fallen from one of the trees above. He had half a mind to pick it up and toss it somewhere else, but he doubted anyone would be coming along this way again other than them. "Careful."

He thought for a moment about Kitty's lament before chiming in. "Well, he likes beer and cigars, doesn't he? I mean, he travels a lot so I don't know if he'd want anything big, or something he'd have to bring a long with him. I'm sure you could find a place that sells some nice liquor and tobacco." He didn't know much about either one, so his brain instantly went to the internet, which he was pretty darned sure had everything. "Do you know some of the areas he's been to? Maybe you could find something from a place he likes."

He'd been waiting for the axe to get handed to him at some point, grinning a little at Kitty as he took it from her with one hand. "Next year we should try and see if we can get a permit, if they actually let you around here. Though that might cost just as much as paying for a tree at a tree farm. Besides, helping small businesses and all that. Power to the economy."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

shockingsoprano
2010-12-21 08:04 pm UTC (link)

Terry watched quietly as Kitty and Pete whimsically conversed. She concentrated on their words, doing what she could to take her mind off of the cold threatening to creep into her bones at any given moment. She may have been from Ireland, but she never could get accustomed to the cooler temperatures.

She closed her eyes, listening to the chatter of the two in front of her accompanied by the snow crunching beneath their feet. Without realizing it, her steps began to match Kitty's - although her footing was not nearly as dainty as the sprite-like girl with chestnut tresses. Terry shoved her hands into her coat pocket in further attempts to remain warm. Why had she agreed to come along when she hated the cold so much?

Oh, right. Blow the stink off. she tilted her head back and tried to take a deep breath through her nose, but instead of a sweeping, clear breath, it was riddled with sniffles and punctuated with another sneeze. She pulled out a hand and quickly slapped it over her nose, looking bashfully ahead to the others in hopes that they wouldn't turn around to witness her otherwise snotty contribution to their conversation.

"I'll do my best to get better..." She finally responded, and cracked a smile as she rubbed her nose try. She held her nose a bit longer in order to prevent the cold from nipping it red. "Perhaps when we get back, we can make some spiced cider or something?"

Upon mention of Logan, Terry chimed in uneasily. "H...he likes Jack Daniels."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

shadowenpointe
2010-12-21 09:44 pm UTC (link)

With her hands now free, Kitty climbed easily up the large branch, balancing herself onto of it like a gymnast on a balance beam for a minute while she waited to Theresa to catch up. "Permit, schmermit," she answered, raising her hands above her head and doing a tight pirouette before jumping down to the ground on the other side. "I get what you're saying, though. It is good to help out the smaller businesses."

She looked at Theresa now, biting on a smirk when the other girl rubbed her nose. It wasn't that Theresa being sick was amusing. She was just so cute when she was all sniffy and stuffy. "He does like JD. And cigars." She slowed in her pace so that she walked beside her roommate now, hands in her pockets. Cigars would be a good gift, and maybe something to remind him of his time in Japan. He'd said it was enjoyable and since Logan had so few things he would put under that category in his life, maybe it would be the perfect gift. "Thanks, guys. Good suggestions."

Linking her arm with Theresa's she smiled encouragingly. "Spiced cider it is, my love. Let's hack down one of these suckers and head back." She looked at the trees appreciatively. "In the spring when the ground thaws enough, I promise to come back and plant a seedling. What is taken shall be returned." With a shrug of her shoulder she added, "It's only right."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

steelreserve
2010-12-22 04:55 am UTC (link)

"This is reminding me that I should really figure out what I should get for my mother." Pete mused idly before clearing his throat a little, moving in quickly to explain a little better. "Not that my mother is interested in liquor or cigars. I...don't think. Just the idea of Christmas shopping for parental figures." He stopped talking, at least long enough to get the mental image of his mother with a giant cigar hanging out of the side of her mouth out of his head.

"Mmm, spiced cider sounds fantastic." He could almost taste it, smell it. It was probably a good idea to think about warm, delicious things when it was so cold outside anyway. "I think the people who run the tree farm do that sort of thing, but we could definitely plant one on the school grounds. Maybe we could get something special. Something we don't already have."

There was a notable difference in landscape when they crossed into the tree farm, and Pete could see the roof of the small seller's kiosk a bit ahead. "Do you guys want to pick one out while I go pay?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

shockingsoprano
2010-12-22 02:59 pm UTC (link)

Terry smiled at Kitty, and nodded, tugging lightly at her elbow. "Let's find a big one." She said below her breath. She wasn't going to admit it, but it was always impressive watching Pete carry impossibly large things - and it was half of the reason she came along. Was that so wrong?

"Spiced cider is definitely on the menu, then!" Terry called to Pete. "I think we still have the stuff to make it with in the kitchen, right?"

At the mention of planting trees on the school ground, Terry's imagination began to reel. "What sorts of things would grow well on the campus, I wonder?" She mused to Kitty, kicking snow out of their path as they wandered in through the trees. "...maybe it's juvenile of me, but fruit trees are always my favorite..." She sniffed a bit as her words started to sound a little stuffy.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

shadowenpointe
2010-12-22 05:18 pm UTC (link)

"One of the things I gave my mom last year was a scrapbook. Moms love them. If you want me to help you make one, Pete, I'd be more than happy to." It wasn't as though she had much else to do at the moment anyway. Maybe a project would help pass the time. And then the thought dawned on her to make one for Ororo as well. She'd appreciate a more tangible way to remember some of the best times at Xavier's.

She heard Terry's muttering since she was so close to her, but didn't quite make the connection between the words and the meaning. She grinned, though, looking over the trees. "I always loved going over to friends' during this time of year. At my house we never did the tree thing, but I could stare for hours at the trees in other people's houses. There's something about them that is just so pretty." Her eyes landed on a nice big blue spruce that was full and had a thick trunk. It was a little tall, but anything smaller wouldn't look right inside the mansion. She pointed and looked at Pete. "How about that one?"

Putting her hands back in her pockets, Kitty took a step back to get the full effect of the tree. It was beautiful and would smell amazing once it was inside. Somehow she knew as soon as the three was up, people would be coming out of the woodwork to help decorate it. She was looking forward to it.

"Um, Pete..." Kitty bit on a smirk as she looked up at her tall friend. "That's just a shed. When I said tree farm...I actually meant just the woods behind the mansion." There was an urge to pat his head like a cute little puppy, but she refrained. "If you want to pay someone, though, I'll take your money."

Terry's comment about fruit trees made her shrug her shoulders. "I don't see why not. Although it might be a little too rough for a fruit tree here."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

steelreserve
2010-12-22 08:07 pm UTC (link)

"I'm pretty sure we do." Pete looked thoughtful for a second, as if he was mentally going through the stock in the kitchen, but he really couldn't recall whether or not the cider supply had been depleted yet. It wasn't really something he paid much attention to. "If not I don't mind making a run to the store." There were a few other things he could nab while he was out and about anyway.

"Wait, what?" When it dawned on him exactly what was going he wasn't nearly as amused as apparently Kitty was, releasing a sigh as he turned to glance at the girls. "So, you tricked me for workhorse usage in your cheeky, illegal shenanigans?" That did explain why they hadn't bothered using the road, or a truck. Still, being ordered around by two girls he was fond of for his assets was expected. This wasn't. "I'm not okay with this, guys. If you want you can pick out the tree and I'll send someone up with a flatbed and you guys can haul it back that way, but this isn't what I was told we were doing."

He offered the axe back to Kitty. "While you're out here I'll see if we have cider left. I assume that I'll have time to run to the store before you guys get back."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	shockingsoprano 2010-12-22 08:12 pm UTC (link)
	Theresa's eyes widened, and she turned to Kitty. "You mean this wasn't a tree farm?" She looked to Pete with wide eyes. "What happens if it isn't a tree farm?" She took a step away from Kitty apprehensively. She wasn't sure if she wanted to be in the line of fire if the girl chose to swing it at any nearby tree...it looked unwieldy. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

shadowenpointe
2010-12-22 08:41 pm UTC (link)

"Wait, illegal? What do you mean?" There's a saying that the most intelligent people can sometimes be the dumbest. Kitty hadn't even thought to check with laws or anything that Pete would be thorough enough to know about. She'd never been on any tree expeditions for the years previous, and she just assumed. Apparently she assumed the wrong thing. "I don't know," she answered Terry, eyes wide as well. "Pete, I seriously didn't know it was illegal. I just figured...sorry." She felt bad about tricking him, especially when she didn't know the trick was illegal.

She took the axe, letting the head rest on the ground while she held onto the handle. Why was this such a dilemma? She didn't have a desire to break the law, but there was something primal about cutting down a tree, dragging it through the snow and displaying your hard work. Standing there, Kitty pouted. "Well...that sucks. I mean, the mansion needs a tree, but breaking the law is kinda not in line with what we're supposed to believe in. Damn morals."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

steelreserve
2010-12-22 09:01 pm UTC (link)

"Five minutes ago we were talking about seeing if we could get permits to cut down a tree next year. Why tell us we were going to a tree farm in the first place?" Pete raised a hand, rubbing with his thumb and forefinger at the bridge of his nose, trying to not get any more annoyed than he was. He tried to trick his brain to just absorb the idea that it was a genuine mistake and sighed before replying. "Okay, we'll head back and just go to a farm. An actual farm. I'll pay, we'll bring the tree back, decorate it, and start looking into permits for next year so we don't run into this problem again."

He reached a hand out in a silent offer to take the axe again, knowing it had been too heavy for Kitty a few minutes earlier. "Most places don't cut their trees down until after they're picked out anyway, and a lot of them will let you do it yourself. We'll still get to lug an axe around and watch me drag giant foliage all over the place. I think I know one that has does apple picking some seasons too. They'll probably have fresh cider, caramel apples, that sort of thing."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

shockingsoprano
2010-12-22 09:17 pm UTC (link)

Terry looked to Kitty with raised eyebrows, and shrugged wordlessly. She had no idea where the closest 'tree farm' was - she thought they were going to one. The decongestants she had taken that morning were making her loopy enough as is.

"Look. Whatever we decide to do, we need to get a tree stat." Terry didn't quite understand why cutting down a tree amidst a place so plentiful - especially if it was Institute property - would be illegal, but she never looked into American law, and had no patience to learn now. "Cutting down the tree is - no offense, Pete - just a tip of the iceberg. Decorating is going to be a chore, and you know how the students like to put things off to the last minute."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

shadowenpointe
2010-12-23 03:54 pm UTC (link)

"I don't know," Kitty replied to Pete in a tone that could have been whining. She felt pretty dumb at the moment and wanted to make it so he wasn't annoyed with her. She didn't like people being unhappy with her at all. It just didn't sit right. "Okay, let's go to a real farm and get a tree. Legally. Then when we get back you guys can put it up and I'll make the spiced cider." She nodded at Terry's words about the students, then bit her lip in thought. "Maybe I better make a bunch of it."

It was a given that once people knew there was a tree that needed decorating there would be a flood of people wherever the three was put. She could make enough cider and maybe even some popcorn to go around. It would be fun. "I'll take pictures and add them to the scrapbook I decided to make for Ro. Whee, this will be fun!"

With the decision made, she happily handed over the axe, then grabbed pete's free arm to pull him down more to her level and kiss his cheek. "I really am sorry, pete. Despite my joy at teasing and pulling jokes on others, you know I'd never trick someone into doing something illegal on purpose, right?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

steelreserve
2010-12-23 06:21 pm UTC (link)

Pete realized Kitty was trying and offered her a small smile, patting her shoulder lightly after he'd taken the axe. "It's alright. I'm sorry if I was harsh about it, but it would kind of look bad if we got into trouble. I know you meant well."

At the mention of all the kids that would likely drop by to decorate, he laughed a bit. "Yeah, we should definitely pick up more while we're out. Maybe doughnuts too. Cider and powdered doughnuts go well together." He looked thoughtful at that, his words turning into more of a mutter as he neared the end of his statement, as if the gears in his head were taking over. He seemed to realize he was zoning out and snapped back to reality a second later. "But yeah, I know a place we can go. And, like I said, I'm pretty sure they do the cider thing too."

He started to step back in the direction of the school, the axe hanging easily from the hand farthest from the girls. "I want to point out in advance that I'm horrible at decoration. If you guys want to order me around for planting the high stuff where you want it I'm absolutely game, but if we leave me in charge of any on my own it's going to be a disaster."

(Reply to this) (Parent)

(Read comments) -