In The Kitchen...The Mighty Kitchen....

[Sasha Sadovsky]

Sasha gasped and was startled after he heard a voice. He turned his head before he noticed Cynara. He nodded at her. ''My apologies. You startled me for a moment, Cynara. I'm Sasha,'' he said. Sasha tilted his head in interest.

''A water wielder? Interesting! Can you manipulate water nearby or are you able to create it? You actually came across Mr. Dragotti? He wasn't rude to you, was he? You should have literally soaked his head!''

Sasha began to tilt his head in curiosity after he saw Angelina. ''It's nice to come across you, Angelina.'' His eyes widened in interest after Angelina revealed she liked ice cream. He folded his arms after Quentin threw a towel at Cynara. Sasha shook his head in a disapproving way. ''What flavor of ice cream do I like? Chocolate! What ice cream flavors do you enjoy?''  

[Nereid]

"I'm not exactly sure of what I can do with my power," Cynara said sheepishly to Sasha as Quentin started to laugh loudly. "Some of us," she replied as she glared back at Quire, "were not used to using our powers much when we got got to the school." Cynara sighed deeply and tried to push the annoying, pink-haired telepath from her mind. "My apologies for letting him get to me. I saw Mr. Dragotti once in the Danger Room with Ms. Frost. My sheer presence in the room terrified him, so I had to leave. He talked to her more than he addressed me, and perhaps it is better that way?"

"That was before I got here," Angie said as she thought about the ice cream they might have in the freezer. "I love chocolate, and I love dulce de leche and Cherry Garcia. And I am so happy to be back in America. No offense, Cy, but I am a Cali girl born and bred."

"Angie's family comes from...which place was it again?" Cynara asked as Angie laughed.

"Colma, so I'm a local," Angie beamed, "but get back to Sasha's question."

"Sorry," Cynara said softly as she looked at Sasha. "I can control water, but I cannot create water where there is none. I have only been able to move it a bit with any great amount of control, but Storm and Iceman think that, one day, maybe, I could be able to call water from many locations at once and help in fire or drought areas. But that is going to take practice."
 

[Dryad]

"And you are going to ace it!" Angie said as she looked up at Cynara. "She worries all the time about this stuff."

"As if you don't," Cynara replied as Angie looked at the clock on the wall to see how much time had passed since Megan put in the order.

"No, I worry I'll get stuck phased into a tree. I like trees. I don't want to be a tree! And no funny comments from you, Quire! Not everyone can do that mind stuff and make psionic tanks or hammers or whatever it is you're dreaming up at the moment! Some of us like the simpler, less harmful things in life!"

Angie jumped as she felt something touch her leg. "Huh? A cat?"

"He belongs to Faith Priest," Theresa said as Angie picked up the orange and white tabby. "His name is Hickory."

"Oh. You aren't a student then! You're just hungry!" Angie beamed as she looked around for a bowl and some food for Hickory. ""Is anyone allergic to cats? I can take him to another room...Sasha, is he bothering you?"
 

[Sasha Sadovsky]

Sasha heard Cynara as she mentioned being near Mr. Dragotti. He laughed in a soft tone. ''A terrified Mr. Dragotti,'' he said. Sasha faced Angie after she revealed she liked chocolate ice cream. ''We have something else in common besides having powers, Angie,'' he said. He turned to Cynara.

''You are unable to create water when it isn't present? I see. I am certain you will be able to summon water from many locations soon, Cynara.'' His eyes widened as soon as he saw a cat.

Sasha saw Angie again. He shook his head. ''No. The cat isn't bothering me at all.'' He laughed another time.

''Reynard, my fellow mobster, was TERRIFIED of cats even though he had the power to turn into a feline at random times. He would have shrieked and maybe sobbed at the sight of Hickory.''

[Dryad]

Angie chuckled as she found the food for Hickory and put some in the bowl, setting it on the floor out of the area where people had to walk. "That Mr. Dragotti sounds like he's a real, how would my nana say it? Hmmm..."

"Your grandmother would mutter something in Italian before going back to making dinner," Cynara said as Angie laughed loudly. "Her grandmother is the best cook. I love her lasagna."

"And Sasha, you know a guy who turns into a cat but is afraid of cats?" Angie asked Sasha as the thought of anyone turning into an animal still mystified her. "That must be really, really weird for him. Anyhoo, Cy, why don't you show Sasha what you can do?" Angie had also found a water bowl for Hickory, but she set it on the counter after she filled it. "Show old Pinky Pie Quire over there what you can do."

Cynara looked at Angie and shook her head. "You just had to use a My Little Pony reference, didn't you? Now I'll have nightmares about a horse with Quire's face and pink hair."

"Sorry. The neighbor across the street from us back home has a daughter who is a Pony fanatic," Angie replied as she waited for Cynara to use her powers.

[Nereid]

"Quire's probably watching to see if I flood the room," Cynara said to Angie and Sasha as she looked at the bowl and concentrated on its contents. The water started to move slightly, but with a little effort, a tiny water spout formed in the bowl. It swirled and danced a bit before Cynara decided to let the water return to rest. "That's the end of my parlor tricks so far."

"You know, you'll probably be able to suck the water out of living things before you're done," Quentin said as Cynara's eyes grew wide. "Leave them all shriveled up and dead."

"Or, Mr. Grotesque, I could use my powers to help make places in deserts come to life," Cynara added as she glared at Quire. "I know we have to train for the worst case scenarios in life. Storm has reminded me of that quite often. But she has always been gracious enough to temper that sort of talk with more uplifting thoughts."

Cynara looked back at Sasha and smiled. "There is one power I wish I had. It might come in handy one day. I'd love to be able to communicate with sea life.  Sasha, what are your powers, and are there any others you wish you could have?"

[Sasha Sadovsky]

''I muttered worse names for Mr. Dragotti under my breath before,'' Sasha said as he smiled. He began to tilt his head. ''Lasagna?'' Sasha faced Angie until he nodded. ''Yes. Reynard was able to transform into a cat at random. He was never happy about it.''

Sasha tilted his head another time. ''My Little Pony? Never heard of it,'' he said. He focused on Cynara. His eyes widened after he saw a tiny water spout. ''Interesting power,'' Sasha said. He noticed Cynara again.

Sasha looked to one side after Cynara's questions. How could he reveal his abilities without hurting his companions? ''Are you familiar with the Gorgons? They were able to turn people to stone if their victims made eye contact. My power is similar. I can weaken others if I focus on them and they focus on me.''

Sasha touched his mask until he removed it very slowly. ''Don't make eye contact with me,'' he said.

He revealed skeletal teeth and blue eyes. ''If I focus on someone, I can drain their energy. That was how I protected myself after my father disfigured me during my childhood.'' He placed his mask over his face.

''Before I forget, I am not immune to my power. Like Medusa, my power can be used to defeat me. Other than dreading my appearance, I avoid mirrors due to them hurting me if I see my unmasked face. If my enemy's will is strong, my ability won't work on him or her.''

A frown materialized on what was left of Sasha's face. ''Any other power I wish I could have?'' He continued to frown. ''The ability to revive the dead. I would revive my deceased mother. If Mr. Dragotti wasn't so cruel, I could bring his wife back from her grave.'' 

[Nereid]

Cynara averted her eyes when Sasha lifted his mask and told the group about his powers. As he lowered his mask, Cynara turned her gaze back to him. "Yes, we are both familiar with stories about the Gorgon," she replied as she nodded toward Angie. "One of our favorite classes back at our school in London was Greek mythology."

"Not being able to look at yourself in a mirror because of your powers must be really, really hard," Angie added as she, too, looked back at Sasha. "And I'm sorry about your mother. I know if I lost my mom, I'd be freaking out all the time."

"We both would, and I'm sorry as well for your loss, Sasha," Cynara said softly as she tried not to think about losing her own mother as well. "I can understand why you'd want to bring her back."  She wiped a tear from her eye as she tried to put a smile back on her face. "And I'm sorry if I caused you pain with my silly question. I didn't mean to do that."

   

[Sasha Sadovsky]

Sasha tilted his head out of interest after Cynara revealed studying Greek mythology in London. ''Greek mythology? Interesting. Which Greek myths did you enjoy the most?''

Sasha turned to Angie. ''At least I can see myself in a mirror if I wear my mask.'' He smiled behind his facial disguise. ''No. No. You didn't cause me pain with your question.'' 

[Nereid]

Cynara breathed a sigh of relief when Sasha said he was not upset by her question. "I'm glad I didn't upset you. I'm not always the most assured in my wording, and I stumble when it comes to social graces. Now, about mythology, hmm..." Cynara said as she thought about the myths she and Angie studied in their class back in England. "Persephone's story was one we did a term paper on. That was an interesting one to dig into."

"I liked the one about Atalanta and her apples,"  Angie replied as she looked back at the clock. "I'm going to go hunting for apples if that food isn't delivered soon."

"It will get here," Cynara said as she tried to get Angie not to think about the food. "OK, what other myths did we like? Our first teacher, at times, made it all sound like a sordid soap opera. But then she left...and the second teacher did not tend toward the overly sexed up portrayals and did more comparisons to other world myths."

"Oh yeah, that first teacher was a real trip. My mom said all the time back then," Angie added as she stuck out her tongue toward the side of her mouth. "All the guys loved her, but she was, uhm, well..."

"Let's not worry about her anymore," Cynara said as she rolled her eyes. "Back to what we were discussing. Sasha, you're Russian, correct? Did you have any Russian myths you heard as a child? My mother read me a lot of fairy tales as a child, and my father read the Greek myths to me."

[Sasha Sadovsky]

''Persephone? Persephone. Persephone. Wasn't she the girl Hades kidnapped and allowed her to stay in the Underworld with him for a certain amount of months? '' Sasha's stomach growled until he groaned. ''I'm with you. I'll help you hunt for apples if our food doesn't arrive soon!'' He nodded after Cynara's question about him being Russian.

''I know all about Baba Yaga. She was a witch who lived in a house that had chicken legs. Sometimes she steals children and eats them. Before I attacked my father, he informed me about Baba Yaga. He threatened me with her if I was naughty. He said how Baba Yaga would appear and steal me in order to devour me if I didn't behave.''

[Deleted]

"Oh, that is a terrible story!" Rahne Sinclair said as she came into the kitchen followed by several students carrying boxes and bags of food. "Sasha, I would have gone crazy hearing that as a child. No one should frighten children with tales like that!"

"You said it! I'd have had nightmares every single night!" Angie replied as she ran to take out the containers with the Chinese food first. "Sasha, I think this is what you and Ali ordered. Dig in!"

"You guys ordered enough to feed an army, and the MacFeorais clan isn't even here!" Rahne said with a wink before she turned to see Deadpool eying Quentin Quire. "And no food fights you two!"

 

[Sasha Sadovsky]

Sasha smiled as soon as Rahne appeared. ''Rahne!'' he exclaimed in a happy tone. His grin stretched from ear to ear after he saw students with boxes and bags of food. His stomach growled for a split second. Sasha looked a bit sheepish behind his mask. ''Sorry for the noise,'' he muttered under his breath.

Sasha frowned after Rahne's comment about children not being frightened with such tales as Baba Yaga. ''Father was a different man after his wife died.'' He smiled another time. ''Let's eat!'' he exclaimed.

After lifting his mask so that only his mouth showed, Sasha opened a container. He took a fork before he tasted his food. ''Very good food,'' he said in a tone indicating approval. He glanced at everyone in the kitchen. ''Many thanks for the food!'' Sasha said. A thoughtful expression formed on his face.

''Perhaps our meals are rewards for every past battle we went through,'' Sasha said to everyone. He enjoyed every bite. ''Hopefully there will be plenty of leftovers for all of us.'' Sasha took a bit of rice before he ate it. ''Even mere white rice tastes good.'' He vaguely remembered ordering Chinese food during his days as Mr. Dragotti's button man.  

[Deleted]

Rahne helped hand out plates and silverware to everyone in the kitchen as several people started to dig into their dinner choices. "Yes, that restaurant has very good food. Monet gave it a glowing review, and she is a very fussy eater. Her tastes tend to run to the very high end, so giving anything less than Per Se a good review is likely a miracle."

"Per Se?" Angie asked as she opened a packet of duck sauce and emptied the contents in a bowl.

"A fancy restaurant at the Time Warner Center in New York," Rahne replied as she sat down near Ali and Sasha. "I'm sure we'll have plenty of leftovers, Sasha," she added as she looked over her shoulder at Deadpool. "Wade can't eat all this food! Can you, Wade?"

Wolfsbane looked around to see if Multiple Man had made it to the kitchen yet. "Jamie is supposed to meet me down here. I better save some of this General Tso's chicken for him. Sasha, I hope you are right about the food being our reward after all the battles we are involved in. And I hope we aren't involved in another again for a bit. I think we could all use a break, don't you?"



 

[Sasha Sadovsky]

''How fussy is Monet when it comes to food?'' Sasha asked. He glanced at Wolfsbane. ''We all deserve rest and relaxation.'' Sasha looked thoughtful. ''Mr. Dragotti sometimes rewarded me with Chinese food if I behaved. Then again, he literally treated me like a kid. To be fair, sometimes I acted like a kid if I bickered with Reynard.''

[Deleted]

"Monet, bless her heart, grew up in a very wealthy family, so she measures everything by what she knew as a child," Rahne said to Sasha as she turned to see more people entering the kitchen. "She is used to exotic foods, I guess, so things like fast food are not exactly what she likes to eat. Jubilee drives her crazy by dragging her to all sorts of odd little fast food and mom and pop places. Where is Jubilee anyway?"

"I saw her going back out with Abbey Pryde and Ryder Priest," Angie said as she handed the bowl of duck sauce to Victor and Santo. "I think they were going out to get coffee or head to the movies."

"Thanks, Angie," Rahne replied as she smiled at Sasha. "And I know you and Reynard had your moments, Sasha. I would say that many of us have had similar moments in our days here with the X-Men. People working so closely together can be very hard indeed. We can all get a little crazy."

"Sasha, would you like some of this salad," Cynara said as she passed a container to Sasha. "Oh, and here's some rice. How did all the rice end up on one end of the counter?"

"And...what's in this container?" Rahne asked as she popped it open. "Oh! Sasha, did you get everything you ordered? This looks like it might be your orange chicken. Or was there more than one order for it?"

[Sasha Sadovsky]

Sasha glanced at the new arrivals. He turned to Rahne. ''How does Monet react when Jubilee tries to take her to fast food places?''

Sasha rolled his eyes at the mention of Reynard. He lost count of the number of times Reynard kicked his leg, struck him, etc.

The ex-button man turned to Cynara after the latter offered salad. ''Thanks,'' he said to her before he took the bowl. He placed a bit of salad on his plate. Sasha began to put the bowl in the center of the table. He took a bit of rice. His eyes widened in wonder at the sight of orange chicken.

Sasha looked sheepish. ''To tell the truth, I don't remember everything I ordered.'' He dumped some orange chicken on his plate. The container was placed in the center of the table in case anyone desired orange chicken. Sasha ate a piece until he rolled his eyes out of pleasure. ''The orange chicken is very good.''

[Deleted]

"Monet usually rolls her eyes and starts to drag Jubilee somewhere else, but Jubilee usually wins out in the end...at least about what she wants to eat!" Rahne replied as Victor came over with some egg rolls. "Oh, thank you, Victor!" she said as she took one out of the container before he set it on the table. "Monet would then go somewhere she wanted to go, so they both get what they wanted in the end. They met when they both attended that school Emma ran in the Berkshires. The Massachusetts Academy."

"Yeah, me da was the headmaster there," Theresa said as she grabbed a slice of pizza. "That seems like a century ago. That lot was a crazy bunch. Jono and Paige. Monet. Jubilee. Everett and Angelo...I miss those two."

"Everett died during a bombing at the school, and Angelo died when the Purifiers attacked the Westchester mansion a few years ago," Rahne said as she sighed and hung her head for a moment. "Sasha, you're right. We do need to use these times as a well deserved reward for all that we go through," she added as she tried not to think about everyone she knew who had left this life much too soon. "After dinner we should check out the home theater system they put in the rec room and really take a nice break. I just hope we can all agree on a movie. Sasha, what sorts of films do you like?"

 

[Sasha Sadovsky]

''Don't get between Jubilee and food?'' Sasha muttered. He smiled at the thought of Jubilee scowling when not exactly getting her way. ''At least Monet got to go to whichever restaurant she liked. That's good to know,'' he said. Sasha noticed Victor near egg rolls. He began to nod at him.

Sasha frowned after he heard about Everett and Angelo. ''I'm sorry to hear about the fates of Angelo and Everett. Perhaps they are in better places now.'' Sasha finished the chicken before he glanced at Rahne. ''I'll see any kind of movie except horror ones and Italian operas. Mr. Dragotti punished me by having me sit through eighteen hour operas.'' 

[Alison Blaire]

OOC: Pinch hitting as Dazzler once more...Karen

IC:

"I remember you mentioning those opera marathons," Ali said to Sasha and Rahne as she took a sip of her drink. "Eighteen hours is more than anyone should have to endure. Then again, I think Hank and Emma like opera, so maybe they'd actually enjoy it. I can't sit still that long!"

"Well, I'd guess they'd have breaks," Rahne said as she looked over at Sasha. "They had intermissions, didn't they?"

"They'd have to for the singers. I don't care if you've been classically trained. That is a really long time to do anything that involved," Ali added as she drummed her fingers on the table for a minute. "What to watch. Hmmm. I agree on no horror movies, Sasha. A comedy would be nice. We can check the DVDs and the things we have on iTunes later."

"And don't forget Netflix!" Angie said as she went to get some more food. "They put some of those silly British comedies on last week. Mr. Bean and stuff like that."

"Ghostbusters is funny, but everyone has probably seen it a million times," Ali noted as she looked around the room. "Sasha, what's your favorite movie? Maybe we have it."

 

[Sasha Sadovsky]

Sasha began to smile at Alison. ''Mr. Dragotti's opera punishment probably won't do anything to Hank and Emma. I don't remember intermissions,'' he said. He tilted his head after the question about his favorite movie. ''I am fond of the Anastasia cartoon movie. Is that film available?''

[Alison Blaire]

"If we can't find it right away in the rec room, I know who has it," Ali said to Sasha as she looked at Rahne and laughed. "Hayley's daughters love all those princess-type movies, so I'm betting they have a copy."

"I know for sure they have Frozen," Pixie said as she rolled her eyes. "They sing Let It Go a lot! I half expect to see Olaf the snowman dancing in the hallway one day!"

"Anyway, I'm pretty sure they have Anastasia, so it could be down here or in their room. I have tea party cred, so I can go grab it later," Ali added as Rahne gave her an odd look. "Yes, tea party cred. I went to their room one day and played dress-up with them when Hayley ad Rachel were out doing something."

"Is that the day you had the glow-in-the-dark polish on your nails?" Siryn asked as Dazzler nodded in reply. "That stuff was bright!"

"And very hard to get off my nails," Ali added as she shook her head. "Anastasia is a good movie."

"If you like that kind of movie," Quentin chimed in as Ali shot him a dirty look. "What did I say?"

"We are not watching any of that art house stuff you supposedly watch, Quentin. People staring at lint in a jar is not my idea of a great movie. And you are free to watch what you want in a different room anyway."

Ali smiled at Sasha as she thought about that weird movie Quire watched the last time they had a movie night. "OK, maybe it wasn't lint in a jar, but it was weird. He makes the hipsters in Brooklyn look lame. Anyway, we should have Anastasia. Do you like it because it's about Russia, Sasha?"

 

[Sasha Sadovsky]

''Hayley's daughters?'' Sasha muttered. He began to glance at Pixie. ''I heard of Frozen. It seems like it could be a fun movie.'' He faced Dazzler before he tilted his head. ''Glow-in-the dark nail polish? Seems interesting,'' he said.

Sasha proceeded to smile. ''Anastasia being about Russia is part of the reason why I like it a whole lot. The drawings and colors are beautiful. The bat is funny. Rasputin seems a bit terrifying at times.'' Sasha shuddered for a few seconds.

[Alison Blaire]

"Oh sorry," Ali said as she realized Sasha likely had not met Hayley MacFeorais or her Terror Twins, Annaliese and Brigid. "Here," she said as she pulled out her iPhone and thumbed to a set of pictures of that tea party. "Annaliese and Brigid are twins, and they can be super sweet or super crazy. Then again, they're only five. Right now anyway, they are the youngest students at the school..."

"What school? We haven't had classes in weeks!" Quentin shouted as Santo nudged him to be quiet. "Then again, I could teach better classes in my sleep."

"Sure you can," Dazzler said as she rolled her eyes. "Back to the movie. I agree, Sasha. Rasputin is a pretty scary guy. I'm glad I never met the real one!"

"Somebody here likely has," Quentin said as he butted into the conversation yet again. "If he's in the movie, I'll watch it!"

"And he'll cheer on Rasputin at every turn," Ali said to Sasha as she shook her head. "When you're finished with dinner, do you want to go with me to find that ice cream, or would you rather make popcorn? Then we can go find the DVD."

[Sasha Sadovsky]

Sasha smiled at the picture of a tea party. ''What adorable girls,'' he said in a very honest tone. He shuddered at the mention of the real Rasputin. ''I would never want to come across the actual Rasputin. Baba Yaga is a mythological character, but she is still terrifying.'' He turned to Alison. ''Maybe we can have both ice cream and popcorn.''