A "phase" at a time

[Kitty Pryde]

Kitty was once again in the danger room. She had been here many days before trying to perfect her phasing. It seemed that it would start off fine, but when she moved on to harder tasks or those that demanded more concentration she would freeze. Leaning against the wall solid once more, she looked across the room at the set of obstacles she had before her. The first few were simple and those that she regularly used to just warm up. But the thicker the object the more concentration it took and the quicker she would have to move through it. Though she could phase through anything, she still had to breathe. This is what posed a problem for her.

Over the past few months since the battle at Alcatraz, Kitty had been working harder to perfect her phasing. True she could bring an object or even a person with her, but she was not quite sure of her total limits. This bothered her as she watched those around her seeming to master their powers much quicker than she did. She still phased in her sleep sometimes, and just the other morning her hand had phased through the pitcher of juice sitting on the table.

Pushing away from the wall once again she set about her task. She started at a run getting up a bit of momentum before running through first a few walls before heading for the mound to one side of the room, which looked like a hill. Barreling through as quickly as she could she pushed forward even when it felt like she wouldn’t make it all the way through. There had been many times in the recent past that she had almost made it, but never all the way. She always ran out of momentum before she could make it. Feeling the burn start to come on, the feeling that she would have to breathe again soon, she push one last bit finally making it through to the other side.

Out of breathe, but proud of herself for not giving up she slumped against one of the walls. She heaved a sigh catching her breath once again. The rest was needed. She had been pushing herself hard the past few days. Closing her eyes for a moment she suddenly fell backward landing on the ground, the wall now through her midsection.


She frowned. This was a problem she had been having more and more recently. If she spaced out too much she would phase without even trying. This worried her a bit. Before she would have to think before she was able to phase, but now it was happening at the oddest times.

She pushed herself up once again resting against the wall for a moment. Her thought swam, but more than anything she wanted to perfect her power. She stood at the sound of someone else entering. She turned to the section of the wall that had slid up and waited for the person to walk through. She was glad that it was now and not when she was laying flat on her back with a wall through her stomach.

[Bobby Drake]

As Bobby enters the Danger Room he's surprised to see it already in use. Geez, aren't there security interlocks on this thing? A guy could get killed walking into a session in progress! Of course, he hadn't actually bothered to check the indicator light, which was incredibly stupid of him, so maybe it's best if he just lets the whole subject drop.

Besides, he realizes after a moment, it's just an obstacle course... nothing live. So maybe the interlocks are just cleverer than he'd expected. He spots Kitty's heat-signature before he actually sees her standing near one of the walls, and waves awkwardly. "Oh, um... hey, Kitty. Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt your session."

He stands a bit awkwardly in the doorway, not sure if he should go in further or back out. Things with Kitty have been kinda awkward since they went ice-skating by the fountain, which seems like a lifetime ago now... or, well, to be honest, Bobby's been awkward, and Marie started giving him dirty looks whenever she came up in conversation. Feels like he hasn't said more than "hello" to her since then, which isn't fair at all.

He steps all the way in and the wall closes behind him. "I keep meaning to tell you, though, I heard about that stunt you pulled with Juggernaut back on the Island... that was slick! Wish I'd seen it." It occurs to him then that idle chatting in the Danger Room probably isn't the best plan, and he gestures around the obstacle course. "So... what're you working on?"

[Kitty Pryde]

Kitty watched as Bobby entered the room. She was a bit out of breathe still but quickly regained her composure as he showed himself. She push a few stay strands of hair from her face looking at the course before letting her eyes fall on him again. "Working on my phasing. The larger objects are a bit harder to make it all the way through, but I'm getting closer." She said giving him a small smile.

She moved a bit closer to him making it easier to talk now that he was directly in front of her. No one knew about the problems she had been having recently, and though she wanted to share with him she knew it might not be the best idea. He had seemed to be avoiding her recently, though she didn't know why.

"So, where have you been? I don;t see you around as much now." She finally said looking up into his eyes. She was not a tall girl and most of the others around her were taller. It made her look vulnerable at times, which came in handy, but at the moment it was more of a hindrance considering he was standing right in front of her. "If you want the room, its your. I'm done anyway." She said a bit dejected.

[Bobby Drake]

> "The larger objects are a bit harder to make it all the way through, but I'm getting closer."

"That's great, Kitty... yay, steady progress! So what's the hangup... is it some kind of new phasing thing I'd need three PhD's and blue fur to understand, or just a matter of holding your breath for longer?"

> "So, where have you been? I don't see you around as much now."

Bobby nods, feeling even guiltier about avoiding her. She's the only X-Man younger than he is, he should be helping her get acclimated and stuff. Instead he left her to flounder after the funerals.

Not that she seems to mind... hell, she seems to be getting along better than he is, but that isn't the point.

It's especially dumb, he realizes, since he'd started avoiding Kitty because of Marie, and given what's gone on since that's actually almost funny. Except it reminds him that he's going to have to tell Marie about those, um, goings-on, sooner or later, which isn't funny at all. Probably sooner, since after Josh's little outburst half the Mansion probably knows, and the only thing that will get him into more trouble than her finding out, is her finding out from someone else.

Anyway, the point is he's supposed to be helping. Whether his help is needed or not. Or at least being friendly.

"Yeah... sorry about that. I've been... going through some stuff, is all." He rubs the back of his neck nervously, looking around the room, and changes the subject.

"Hey... I just thought of something. What would happen if you brought an air-tank with you when you phase? Like, SCUBA gear or something? Could you use it while you were phasing?"

[Kitty Pryde]

Kitty watched him a bit nervously. When he asked about the actual aspect of phasing she perked up a bit. Though at times she still didn't understand it herself, she knew the general aspect. "Well if its just a wall or something its not that hard. But when I go through something a lot thicker like a hill or something I have to hold my breathe. Try running full speed without being able to breathe at all." She said giving him an example.

When he began to talk about being busy and having things he had to deal with she felt a bit guilty. She was sure she didn't help the subject at all. Marie had seemed distant right after the incident on the fountain. She liked Bobby, but didn't want to cause him any trouble to begin with. "I'm sure you've been busy. We all have it seems." She sounded a bit downtrodden to herself and knew it was because she spent so little time with anyone else. Anymore she would rather avoid most so as to not give away her current problem with her phasing. In all actuality she was worried that she would phase one of these days and not be able to become tangible again.

She lifted her eyes to him once more when he asked about the oxygen tank. "I'm not sure if that would work. And it would slow me down quite a bit." Thinking about it for a few moments she finally spoke again. "Actually I'm sure ti wouldn't work. It would not phase out with me I would phase through it most likely. Taking someone with me is once thing, its a bit harder to take an object without just phasing through it all together."

[Bobby Drake]

Bobby looks puzzled at her comment about the tank. "Really? I would think, if your clothes phase with you...?" He shrugs. "Well, it's your power, you should know. So it's like deep-sea diving or something, you just have to get good at holding your breath for a long time? That makes sense, I guess."

Then her tone of voice actually penetrates his self-absorbed funk and he looks more concerned. "You sure that's it? You sound... I dunno. Down. Feel like getting some ice cream or something? I wasn't planning on working anything in particular, I just come down here a lot when I've got nothing better to do."

(( OOC: blech. sorry it's lame. working on the rhythm here. ))

[Kitty Pryde]

Kitty looked up at him again meeting his eyes. "Sure we can get some ice cream. I'm done here. Like you I come down here when I just need to get away and have something to distract me." She was glad that he wanted to spend some time with her. So few actually acknowledged her these days that it was hard to not feel as invisible as she did when she phased.

She gave him a halfhearted smile trying to look normal again, though she definitely didn't feel normal. It was hard to explain to others how she felt about what was going on with her powers, and she didn't want to burden anyone. Though at times it did feel as if she was the invisible one in the group.

Walking out of the danger room she slipped her practice suit off to reveal her green tank top and shorts. It was what she usually wore when practicing. That way she didn't truly have to change if there was something else going on. "Ready whenever you are."

[Bobby Drake]

Bobby watches the Danger Room shut itself off behind Kitty, grabs his clothes back out of his locker and slips them back on over his uniform trunks, and meets her back out in the hallway. He still isn't sure what's bugging her, but decides not to press the issue.

"So," he asks her as they walk down the hallway, "have you met the new headmaster yet? Word is he's a telepath like the Professor is -- was, I mean. Guess that means we'll be doing a bunch more recruiting now." He shrugs. "Truth is I barely know who's here now, y'know? Hard to keep track of the names and the faces, let alone the mutations. No wonder the team isn't doing anything, everyone's too busy running the school."

It occurs to Bobby, not for the first time, that it's possible the X-Men are going on missions but he's been enough of a screwup lately that Storm just isn't inviting him. So he watches Kitty's face carefully to see what it reveals as he adds "How about you? What've you been working on lately, besides training?"

[Kitty Pryde]

Kitty turned to him as they walked. Talking about the new Headmaster and all the new recruits that had shown up made her think back to the past few weeks. "Well I haven't met him yet, but I keep pretty busy most of the time. You know stuff going on and most of the new kids seem to be in their own little world anyway."

A sympathetic smile came across her face as he talked about people being busy and asking what she had been up to. "I'm been doing my own thing actually. been out a bit away from the school. Just stuff." She had been busy with her problems and with a few things she was working on for the team. With so few actually talking to her at the moment she was truly the invisible one in their group. It still surprised her that Bobby had finally decided to talk to her.

"So what kind of stuff have you been doing? I don't see many of our old group around. Hows Rogue?" Kitty asked trying to get a good conversation started. It had been so long since she had actually talk to anyone in depth that she was a bit rusty.

[Bobby Drake]

> I'm been doing my own thing actually. been out a bit away from the school. Just stuff.

Bobby pauses for a second at the evasive answer. Are the X-Men avoiding him? Or is he being ridiculous? "Mm," he replies noncommitally. "X-man stuff? Or personal stuff?"

> "So what kind of stuff have you been doing? I don't see many of our old group around. Hows Rogue?"

He shrugs. "Mostly I've been combat training with Logan, and running a bunch of Danger Room sims... you wouldn't believe what Ororo threw at me and Josh the other day, it was seriously fu-- um, seriously twisted. I haven't seen much of Marie since I got out of the infirmary, though." Bobby doesn't elaborate, assuming the story of how he got hospitalized when Marie's powers came rushing back has made it all across the Institute by now.

He rubs his neck nervously and adds, tentatively, "And, um... I saw John the other day."

[Kitty Pryde]

"Just stuff really. Nothing to big or anything." Kitty said pushing her hair from her face. Her problems with her phasing had taken its toll at one point and she had left the school for a short period of time, not that she expected him to have noticed.

When he mentioned seeing John she looked at him raising an eyebrow. John had been gone for awhile now, and though he crossed her mind from time to time she didn't expect to see him anytime soon. "Fight or just talked?" She had to ask. Seeing him was one thing, a talk without a fight breaking out would be another.

When she had left the institute she had considered tracking John down for a bit. They had a very short thing over Christmas once and she still thought of him often. It gnawed at her that they were on opposite times sometimes.

[Bobby Drake]

> "Just stuff really. Nothing too big or anything."
Bobby sighs at the continued evasion, quite sure by now that whatever she's been up to he's not supposed to know about it, which is all his own guilt needs to convince him the X-Men are edging him out. And he can't blame them, really.

"Yeah, fine. I don't need to know, I get it, it's cool. You might want to put in a good word for Josh with 'roro, though... he deserves it and y'all need the backup."

> "Fight or just talked?"

Bobby blinks, not really sure how to respond to that for a second, then settles on the incomplete truth. "Fight."

[Kitty Pryde]

"Its not that your not suppose to know or anything. Just a lot of it is personal. You know, my own problems. As for Josh I have said a few things. But the way it seems half the time most are to secretive. I was thinking that they would have something for us as a group. You know, me you and Josh. Maybe a few others." Kitty said just saying things that were coming off the top of her head.

The incident with John and Bobby was another thing altogether though. They had all been at school together before John left. It was bad that they were on opposite sides now. She much rather preferred when he was just the brooding guy who skulked around the mansion. In a way she missed him.

"I guess he really is on the other side. Its sad though, he may have his issues but I still wish he was around." Now she was opening up a bit. The past few months had taken its toll on her that was for sure. She second guessed herself constantly and at time she didn't feel as if she belonged.

[Bobby Drake]

> "Just a lot of it is personal. You know, my own problems."

Bobby misses a step or two at that, then recovers. Right. Because not everything is about you, Drake. He nods. "Yeah, I hear that. Sorry, didn't mean to, y'know..." he trails off as it occurs to him he's not entirely sure what he's apologizing for.

> "the way it seems half the time most are too secretive."

He nods again, more emphatically this time. "Yeah? I thought it was just me they were hiding stuff from. Heck, half the time Ororo and Wolverine seem like they've got their own little private telepathic hookup going on, which actually maybe they do." He shrugs. "Though, I dunno. I guess if I were them I'd be pretty twitchy too, what with half the team dead and everything."

> "I guess he really is on the other side. Its sad though, he may have his issues but I still wish he was around."

Bobby blinks, surprised. "You do? Heh. I'd thought I was the only one." He winces as that admission comes out of his mouth, and bites back on the desire to ask her how she'd feel if he did come back. Which is never going to happen, anyway. He adds hastily "But, yeah. Magneto's in operation again, and it looks like John's part of the new Brotherhood."

And I really have to talk to Sheppard about that. Tomorrow, maybe.

[Kitty Pryde]

Kitty shrugged. "We all have our problems and issues Bobby. I don't know whats going on with the rest of the team, but you're not the only on being left out of the loop. Its almost like they are scared to send up out or take us along anymore. Though I think we've proven out worth many times." She said looking over at him. She honestly thought that, and it couldn't be based on her new problem. No one knew that she was having trouble with her phasing.

She stopped looking at him as she leaned against the wall. Before she knew it her arm slipped through the wall and she tried to recover without him seeing what had happened. Instead she quickly changed the subject. "John may have gotten on my nerves at times and stuff, but he was still one of us. He was close to our age and we all spent time together. Regardless of how much of a pain he was, I still miss him and the fact that he's gone."

It was true. Though they had their rough patches and run ins, she still missed him at times. He was unique in his own way and his attitude just added to it. Yeah he was a jerk a lot of the time, but not all the time. And he was interesting to have around.