<Carol> It had finally arrived! Carol had been starting to worry that it'd come when they'd already left and they'd have to come all the way back from Maine to get it. Now she was looking over her SHIELD issue trailer to make sure they hadn't scratched the paintwork on anything on the way there because she knew she'd get the blame for it.
<Carol> The fact it would probably never see the inside of a SHIELD facility again (except maybe in a scrapyard) was not the point. Checks completed, she started to load it up with supplies and things to make it theirs for the holidays.
<Hope> Nosey as ever, Hope made her way to see Carol's special delivery. She came up upon the mack monstrosity and blinked. "Woooooow. Danvers?" Where was she anyway?
<Carol> "Yeah?" Her voice came from the depths of the vehicle and a window opened, through which she poked her head. "What's up?"
<Hope> "I wanted to see what you got!" Hope announced, heading to the door of the vehicle. "Can I come in?"
<Carol> "Sure, just don't break anything..." She sat down on the bed to put pillow cases on the pillows. Yankees.
<Hope> "Does that really have to be said?" she asked, letting herself into the camper.
<Carol> "I like to say it just for legal reasons." She glanced up and gave Hope a smile, "Really, if anyone breaks anything, it'll be me."
<Hope> She smirked back at Carol. "Understatement of the year. Wooooow, this is nice!" Hope looked around at the place, taking it all in. "Way too many buttons."
<Carol> "It does everything," Carol informed her, "It's not that complicated, they're all in sections." She pointed at the manual that lay on top of the kitchen's small counter. "I figure, if we're going to be hanging out in here for a while, we need to do it properly, right?"
<Hope> "Well, fair enough." Her technical mind took over as she began to examine each little detail. "Where are you guys going anyway?"
<Carol> "We're going to visit Cess's family for the actual day... because I can't spend that long with mine. And then we're going to find somewhere with sun and sand and cocktails for the rest of the break." Something she'd needed for months.
<Hope> "Nice! Too bad I won't fit in a suitcase," she laughed. "I definitely get to see Tony, but other than that... don't really have plans."
<Carol> "Thought of spending time with Sebastian? You guys are close, right? And, the way I hear it, Jess has this problem with inviting in strays..." She finished making up the bed and started opening boxes of snacks to put in the cupboards.
<Hope> Hope made a face. "Kind of surprised she hasn't asked me to move in there too. Yeah uh... he mentioned doing something, but haven't heard for sure what."
<Carol> "Then you should definitely give him a call... no one should be alone at Christmas. It sucks." One box down, several more to go... oooh this one had the booze in it.
<Hope> "I can't wait to see how Chris gets through security this year. Is that terrible of me? I mean, of course he's getting in. It's not like he really wouldn't... but it might be... funny to watch the agents squirm."
<Carol> Carol raised an eyebrow, "He's going with you to see Tony? Damn, now I kind of wish I'd been assigned to your security just so I can see that."
<Hope> Hope laughed and nodded, "I know, right? I should probably warn Tony.... but yeah. They will be picking me up."
<Carol> "You have to send me pictures, okay?" She put most of the bottles away but kept one out and pulled down a couple of glasses. "Apparently, Cessily's family are huggers. I may need sanity breaks."
<Hope> She made a face instantly at that revelation. "Ew. You need more scotch for sure."
<Carol> "I'm hoping they'll notice my discomfort and stop doing it, I mean... Cess had to get her niceness from somewhere, right?" She cracked the seal and poured two glasses, setting the bottle down and offering one of the glasses to Hope.
<Hope> Hope took her glass with a thanks, sipping it carefully. Delicious. "You see... people don't stop when they notice you are uncomfortable. They do it more."
<Carol> Carol shook her head, "Not nice people, they're good that way."
<Hope> "Maybe I haven't met any nice people then. Let me know how it works out. I can't imagine Cess with anything but a super sweet family." Hope kept inspecting the camper. "People really take these camping?"
<Carol> "Well traditionally... not these ones. These are for field ops but the guys at transport know that they should just not question me when I ask for stuff. It doesn't end well for them."
<Hope> Laughing, Hope nodded. "I need to get to that status. Don't question me, just do it. Or I toss you through a wall!
<Carol> "Borrow my powers more, they'll pick it up fast."
<Hope> She laughed harder, nodding. "I'll have to do that. Though I like most of the agents. Stan is a dick and a half though."
<Carol> "Well you like them because you don't have to make them do things that they'll fail at and then deal with the consequences. Having my job is a pain in the ass." She flopped down onto the bed.
<Hope> "That's true," Hope sat down in a nearby chair. "I know you're job is tough... but I'm kind of glad you're here."
<Carol> Carol raised an eyebrow at her then looked down at the scotch. Either the kid was a lightweight (unlikely in a Stark) or she was serious. "You're like the first person to actually say that to me."
<Hope> She took another careful sip, choosing her words carefully. She smirked a bit. "Well... when you need a break from all the stress of your normal job? Come hang out with me. I know Drake will enjoy the break. We went up to Alaska while Chris was... gone. None of this fancy crap. We lived off the land."
<Carol> Carol smiled, "Sounds like fun... I wish it was as simple as just picking up and going but, honestly, I feel like this place will fall down if I'm not here... I keep wondering about the wisdom of going away for the holidays."
<Hope> "It'll be fine. You know, we survived without SHIELD before. You should be able to take a vacation. Maybe you will go a whole day without throwing somebody through a wall when you get back!" She grinned over at Carol.
<Carol> "Well I don't know about that... I've always had kind of a short fuse. There used to be one person that could make me stop and think before I started punching but I don't have that buffer anymore."
<Hope> "Who was that?" Hope tired to ask carefully.
<Carol> She sighed, looking down at her scotch, "My brother, Steven... He was killed earlier this year... My fault."
<Hope> Hope took another drink of her scotch. Seemed everyone attracted death in this place. "Im sorry."
<Carol> She shook her head, "He knew what he was getting involved in... I shouldn't have let him... he was more like a best friend than a brother - he was Air Force too. My dad thinks I gave him the idea... but actually it was the other way around."
<Hope> She nodded, listening and swirling the liquid in her glass. "Yeah... death kind of stalks the people around here."
<Carol> "Yeah... I noticed... but at least it wasn't a pointless death. He helped us get Danger back from OsCorp... I wish I'd had time to say thanks."
<Hope> "Little consolation, but I'm sure he knew." OsCorp... Osborn needed to die. She took a sip, glaring a bit. Preferably a horrible death. With fire.
<Carol> "Yeah... I know he did... but it's like... if I'd known that was going to be our last conversation I probably would have allowed more time..."
<Hope> "That's why some people are so adamant about crap like I love yous. You never know it's your last conversation." She took a longer drink that time.
<Carol> "Yeah... but some people just aren't ready to say stuff like that."
<Hope> "True enough." She still didn't like the word. "But yeah.... you never know."
<Carol> "Yeah... I hate that. How do we have so many mutants in here and not a single precog?"
<Hope> "We used to... long time ago. The one power I couldn't use. It was weird." She laughed a little.
<Carol> "Really? Damn that's weird," she drained her glass and reached for the bottle and a top-up, "Wanna try my powers out while I'm here?"
<Hope> "Well not in your trailer, that's for sure. I'm sooo not the one going to break it."
<Carol> "You can't fly around in here anyway, there's not enough room... and you should totally get used to flying at mach speeds and loading up on energy then I can take you to the moon."
<Hope> "That sounds... kind of... awesome!" Hope grinned and finished her drink.
<Carol> "It is totally awesome." She didn't refill her glass, instead putting the lid back on and getting to her feet. "I can finish putting stuff away later."
<Hope> "Let's go for a flight!" Hope was on her feet and headed out the door.
<Carol> "Just yell if you can't keep up," Carol followed her out, making sure to lock the door of the trailer so no one could sneak in and break stuff or... modify it.
<Hope> "Sure thing!" Hope tapped into her powers.
<Carol> Carol's clothes swapped to her slightly more weather proof SHIELD uniform rather than the jeans and sweater she was wearing and she lifted into the air. "Oh... you might want to leave your phone... my powers have this habit of frying them. I generate EM energy..."
<Hope> She made a face, but set her phone down. "Well... at least I have a babysitter with me, right?" she grinned.
<Carol> "You do, and I'm totally more qualified than Bobby... and sexier." She grinned.
<Hope> She made another face at her. "Ew. I'm not judging that contest. Because ew on two counts."
<Carol> Carol laughed, "I have boobs, 'I win' button." Carol looked around, "Land or sea?"
<Hope> "But... I don't like boobs?" Hope tried to argue. "Uhhh let's stick to sea? I can at least swim if I fall."
<Carol> "You don't have to like them to admit they look better." She set off toward the coast.
<Hope> "But if I don't like them, why would they look better?" Hope argued, trying to gain her balance as she few.
<Carol> "Something about aesthetics and curves," Carol flew a series of loops, picking up speed and slowing down so that Hope could follow and get a better feel for her powers.
<Hope> She caught up a bit, growing comfortable with the power. "I should have used these sooner!"
<Carol> "My powers are awesome, I love them... except for the phone killing part. I could live without that... but then I wouldn't have anything to tell Fury when I willfully ignore his calls in favour of dinner."
<Hope> "Well that's a handy excuse! I wonder if I can get away with that... Oops sorry, I was using Carol's powers and fried my phone!"
<Carol> "You should totally do that, no one can prove otherwise... and you get a new phone."
<Hope> "Score! Not that I couldn't get one anyway, but score!" Hope grinned and did a loop.
<Carol> Carol gradually picked up the pace and soon they were over water. She flew low, sending up walls of water either side of her from the rush of air.
<Hope> That looked awesome! Hope lowered her level to follow her. When was the last time she had flown? She shoved the thought aside. It was too great of a day for that.
<Carol> Carol laughed, dipping under the surface briefly before popping back out again quite a distance ahead. "Temperature and pressure immune, we could dive right down to the bottom if you want."
<Hope> "Not yet... I haven't used your powers enough. Afraid I couldn't hold it. But I'll practice with them more. Then we can!" She grinned and sped up, diving just a bit below, and right back up. "Wooo!"
<Carol> "Yeah, when I get back you can practise all you want, God knows I need excuses to blow off steam."
<Hope> "Sounds awesome! I need more practice at being indestructible." She did another loop, quite enjoying those.
<Carol> "Being indestructible is great... but what's better is this," She whipped out her finger-gun and fired a blast of energy at Hope. Only a small one because she remembered what it felt like the first time she absorbed a burst of energy. It stung.
<Hope> "Hey!" Hope yelped, firing back.
<Carol> Being far more experienced, Carol easily dodged, "Hey yourself! Careful with those, your reserves won't be as high as mine."
<Hope> "That's pretty cool," Hope grinned. "I'm a terrific shot. Now I can shoot things!"
<Carol> "Shooting stuff with energy is very rewarding," Carol nodded sagely, "Almost like using the force. One day I hope to channel it into actual shapes, because that would be badass."
<Hope> "That would be badass! If you figure that one out, you have to share."
<Carol> "I will, I promise... but only if you promise to have a lightsabre battle with me."
<Hope> "Is that even a question!? Duh!"
<Carol> "Awesome! You know, I don't know why Bobby complains so much. This is easy."
<Hope> "Because he's a big whiner," Hope pointed out. "Well... and I really resisted him being there at first."
<Carol> "I think he just hates it because he's not used to being told what to do. Some people just aren't cut out to follow orders... I see that a lot."
<Hope> "I also haven't snuck off from you and caused you to get reamed," she pointed out.
<Carol> "No... but, if I did go somewhere with you, I'd probably spend less time looking at my phone and more time doing my job so you wouldn't be able to sneak off.... also Fury has learned that yelling at me gets him nowhere except to new office furniture."
<Hope> "Oooo I bet the does that when he wants to redecorate now," Hope laughed. She felt like she should stand up for Bobby. "Ehhh, he's fine. I kind of promised not to sneak off again. Wasn't ever really his fault anyway."
<Carol> "Well it's probably better to stay with your security with all the crazy Sentinels out there... they say it's a bug in the software but I don't agree... and neither does Pietro and he's spent more time going over their programming than anyone."
<Hope> "I think they are specifically programmed to attack me," she grumbled. "And yeah. That kind of sealed the deal."
<Carol> "If I didn't know which wires to pull out to shut them down, I'd think twice before leaving the school these days. In the new Semester, I'm thinking of rotating in a class on what to do if you're in the area and one of those things goes whack-a-mutant crazy."
<Hope> "Probably a good idea. I've watched Bobby kill two of them. I might be able to mimic it... if he's around."
<Carol> "Pietro's thinking of buying another one for further study as the other one is being used as a host body right now. I think I'll let him, we need to know as much as possible about how they tick.... but maybe test it somewhere away from the student population."
<Hope> "Just send me to the mall. I'm sure one will attack. Then you can get it for free."
<Carol> She laughed, "They're no good to us in pieces, which is unfortunate because that's how I like my Sentinels."
<Hope> "Fair point. I prefer them in pieces too. Let's get him a sentinal then. He's got the brains and patience to figure out a weakness."
<Carol> "He does... and we have to keep it away from Broo because he seriously doesn't need any more distractions." She realised belatedly that she was still wet from her dip in the ocean so she used her powers to generate heat to dry herself off.
<Hope> "Make Tony buy you a shiny new sentinal for Christmas," she laughed.
<Carol> "I think you'd have better luck than I would there... although, given your track record, he might not go for that."
<Hope> "You're kidding right? I just go swipe the card."
<Carol> She laughed, "Stealing money from a mutant-friendly President to buy a mutant killing machine... I love the irony."
<Hope> "Hey, it's not stealing. It's my money. When he dies."
<Carol> She laughed again, shaking her head, "I'm sure he'd see the funny side. Come on, let's head back before you drain your batteries."
<Hope> Hope did a flip to turn and head back. "Good idea... don't have stamina built up yet."
<Carol> "When I get back from vacation, I'll show you how to load up on energy so you can go really fast. It's the best thing ever."
<Hope> "Yes!" Hope laughed. "I love going fast!"
<Carol> "Me too... let's see how fast we can go on the way back," she picked up the pace again and gestured for Hope to go ahead of her - she had to make sure she didn't let the first daughter splatter herself on some rocks somewhere. That'd be no fun at all.
Christmas 2017: Cessily and Carol
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Christmas 2017: Cessily and Carol
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Quicksilver: Howisshe?Isshealright?Imusetspeakwithmysisteratonce.
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Re: Christmas 2017: Cessily and Carol
<Cessily> "I think I'm finally getting the hang of this thing," Cessily said many hours into their journey, while wrestling the steering wheel of the steel monstrosity crawling up the road. In the rear-view mirror, the line of cars trailing behind them grew longer and longer.
<Cessily> "Hey Carol, did you-" she trailed off when she looked over her shoulder, a smile appearing on her lips instead.
<Carol> Carol had fallen asleep pretty much as soon as they were out of the city traffic and on the highway. She'd clearly needed the break from the constant threat of explosions and streaming news services in her ears with comments on the latest Sentinel 'mishaps'. The voice made her stir though and she stretched slowly, blinking her eyes open. "... Where are we?"
<Cessily> "Almost there, sleepyhead," Cessily replied, greeting Carol with a bright grin. Thanks to her stretchy powers, driving and giving her girlfriend a wakeup kiss at the same time was almost no problem. "Whoops!" She giggled and bit her lip as she jerked the wheel to get the trailer back under control.
<Cessily> "You must have been tired," she said. "You slept for almost the entire trip."
<Carol> "... I feel like I should be surprised we're still in one piece," she pushed a hand through her hair, sitting up and leaning to give Cessily a kiss instead. "I am overworked and underappreciated, of course I'm tired." She straightened up a little more in her seat, finger combing her hair. "Is it just me or does New England all just look the same?"
<Cessily> "Only if you're not from here." Cessily explained. "Once you've lived here for a while, you get an eye for the subtle complexity of the landscape, and you would have noticed that this wooded hill looks totally different than the previous four wooded hills we've been over."
<Cessily> She turned her head and smiled at Carol. "I swear I didn't start imagining things because I saw nothing but trees during my childhood. Occasionally I also saw rocks, or even a lake."
<Carol> "I was asleep for the other four wooded hills, in fairness..." she glanced back through the window. "But now your rock collection makes perfect sense...." she gave Cess a grin.
<Cessily> Cessily giggled. "When we're there, I can show you my collection of pinecone puppets I made as a kid. After my nana fed us, of course. We won't be going anywhere before we've had enough of whatever she's making tonight."
<Carol> "I'm sure I'll do whatever you want after some good food, it's like alcohol." She looked out of the window at all the houses, wondering about how many mutants there were behind those doors, how many mutant-haters. She had to stop looking at the world that way.
<Cessily> "Whatever I want?" Cessily raised an eyebrow at Carol as she turned the car and trailer off the main road and up the forested path. "Now I really hope grandma made her sweetrolls."
<Carol> She laughed, Cessily's comment successfully pulling her out of her dark thoughts, "Why do I feel like I just agreed to something I might regret?"
<Cessily> Cessily joined the laughing while their ride rumbled up the forest path. "Hey, when did we ever do something that you ended up regretting?"
<Carol> "... There's a first time for everything. I'm still worried about all this hugging you say your family does."
<Cessily> "Don't worry, they're usually well behaved around strangers," Cessily replied. "But if they're not, don't hesitate to shoo them."
<Carol> "I can't do that! That's totally rude!" she protested, "I'm trying to make a good impression," she paused, "They're not Sox fans, right?"
<Cessily> "Uhm, not really, no..." Cessily put on a thoughtful face. "But on a second thought, maybe try to steer clear of that topic at the dinner table." The silver woman's features relaxed and she gave Carol a smile. "Stop worrying already. They'll like you. I know they will."
<Carol> "I hope so... it'd really suck if two families hated me..." she wrikled her nose, settling back in her seat.
<Cessily> "Well, you and me are different in a lot of ways, so... yeah, I think they should like you right away," Cessily said, a shrewd smirk on her lips. "Seriously, though, I've never seen my grandparents not be cool with anyone I brought along during break."
<Carol> She nodded, "Okay... are we nearly there? Because I need to know how much time I have to freak out...."
<Cessily> "You have about..." Cessily steered their vehicle around the gentle curve, a wood and brick house coming into view down the road. "From here to the driveway."
<Carol> Not good! She groaned and sank lower in her seat so that her nose was somewhere level with the bottom of the window.
<Cessily> Cessily looked very focused while she tried to navigate the caravan past the large flower pots next to the driveway. "I know I can make it this time," she muttered to herself, tongue tucked into the corner of her mouth as she peered into the outside mirror.
<Carol> "If you're having trouble on the turns I could just... pick us up?" This was a good distraction.
<Cessily> "No worries, I got this," she assured the other woman, then made a face when a screeching sound came from outside. "See? Told you I'd make it." The front bumper nudged a tree log, before Cessily put the car into parking and gave her girlfriend a grin. "And all without a scratch."
<Carol> Carol raised an eyebrow at her, doubting that from the sounds outside. "Well... they're probably not expecting to see this thing again so I'm sure they won't mind if it gets a bit scratched..."
<Cessily> "When I first came here after getting my driver's licence, I almost demolished the tool shed, so this is a definite improvement." Cessily had barely switched off the engine and began to unstrap herself, when the front door opened and an older couple came out to greet them.
<Carol> Ack! Relatives! Carol hid again. She was so not ready for this.
<Cessily> Both wore their greyed hair long, hers loose, his in a ponytail. Their smiles grew wider when they spotted the shiny girl behind the wheel. "Nana! Pa!" Cessily basically bolted out of the car and into the arms of her grandparents, leaving Carol hidden in the car.
<Carol> Carol knew she was being ridiculous but she flattened herself across the seats to reach Cessily's door and pulled it closed then shifted back along to her side and peeked out at the bottom corner of the window. It was safe in there. No one expected anything of her yet.
<Cessily> After extracting herself from her grandparents hugs, Cessily turned around to the car. "Come, you haven't met my new..." She was trying to figure out where Carol had gone, only to spot peeking out from behind cover. "My new shy kitten, apparently."
<Carol> And they were looking her way now. She should get out of the trailer... or duck... she needed scotch. Chewing her lip, she straightened up in her seat and gave a small embarrassed wave before she opened the door, "Hi..."
<Cessily> "Carol, I would like you to meet my-" But her grandma was already underway to corner the blonde young woman. "Oh, you must be Carol." She reached out to take Carol's hands in her own. "So wonderful to meet you. Cessy told us about you."
<Carol> "Oh... she did?" She wondered what had been said, hopefully not that she had a fondness for punching people. "Uh... not all bad I hope....."
<Cessily> "Not at all." The older woman smiled. "Even though I wonder why she never told us how pretty you are, dear. Oh my, where are my manners!? My name is Grace, and the old smelly hippie back there is my husband, Charlie."
<Carol> "It's a miracle she remembered to say I'm a girl - I spend most of my life in a uniform..." she offered a smile in return.
<Cessily> Cessily's grandfather was about to shake Carol's hand when he stopped and hit her with a suspicious look. "Uniform?" The old guy leaned back towards his granddaughter. "Why didn't you tell me she's a cop?"
<Cessily> Cessily just smiled kindly. "Because I told you what she did, remember...?"
<Carol> Carol raised an eyebrow, "I'm not a cop... I'm a pilot."
<Cessily> "Oh good, because I forgot to cover the greenhouse in the back," Charlie said and shook Carol's hand. "I don't like flying, myself. My feet always fall asleep when I have to sit still for too long, you know?"
<Carol> "Well it's not for everyone..." she admitted, "And... I'm on vacation. So you don't have to worry about anything illegal you may or may not be growing in your back yard."
<Cessily> "Wow, you have a firm handshake for a pilot," Cessily's grandfather said and cringed. "Well, obviously she works out a lot," her grandma helpfully provided. "You're not just born with thighs like these."
<Cessily> Behind their backs, their granddaughter put on an apologetic smile.
<Carol> Carol laughed, looking down at her legs, "Thanks?"
<Cessily> "When you two are done embarrassing my girlfriend, do you mind giving her back?" Cessily laughed and moved in to shield Carol from her grandparents. "It's been a long trip and I'm sure she wants to get refreshed first."
<Cessily> "Oh, of course, sweetie," Grace said, patting Carol's hand before letting go of her. "Charlie, help them with their bags please, will you?"
<Carol> Carol nodded, even though she was fine, "You can interrogate me later, I promise..." she chewed her lip, "You don't have to get them... they can just stay in there."
<Cessily> Cessily's grandfather turned towards the car with a confused look on his face. "Then how are you going to get to your stuff? Do you want to get changed in the car? Because I really can't recommend that."
<Cessily> "We'll get them later, pop, no worries." Cessily smiled and stood next to Carol. "We're big girls."
<Carol> "If I had to, I could carry the whole trailer inside so don't worry about it," Carol waved a hand dismissively.
<Cessily> Charlie looked even more puzzled than before. "Okay, just say something before you do that, because I don't think it'll fit in the living room before I move some stuff."
<Cessily> Cessily stifled a giggle. "It's okay, just forget it. Let's all go inside, okay? I could really do with-"
<Cessily> "One hot chocolate with whipped cream, coming right up," Grace interrupted her granddaughter, before turning to Carol. "And for you, dear?"
<Carol> "Hot chocolate sounds great actually," she gave the woman a smile.
<Cessily> "Two hot chocolates with cream and extra sprinkles." Grace gave the two young women a kind smile. "Come on inside then. This is not the kind of weather to stand around inside when you can sit by the fireplace instead."
<Carol> Carol took Cessily's hand so they could go inside, leaning to mutter into her ear, "Do they know the cold doesn't bother either of us?"
<Cessily> "I tried to explain to them that they don't have to worry about me catching a cold, and they still drown me in woolly socks and sweaters every time I stop by - and I'm obviously made of metal." She gave her girlfriend a sympathetic smile. "So I wouldn't even try in your case."
<Carol> Carol laughed, "Well maybe when they want to put that fire out because it's too hot in the room, they'll ask why."
<Cessily> Cessily grinned in turn and leaned against Carol. "No worries, if you get too hot, I know where I'll drag you to cool off."
<Carol> She grinned too, "I don't get too hot... but I can make excuses for sure."
<Cessily> They followed Cessily's grandmother inside, through the cosy living room and into the rustic kitchen, where cushioned benches lined the windows and a fire crackled inside the old stone oven. "Take off whatever you like and get comfortable," Grace said. "I'll get you your chocolates."
<Cessily> "I can get you girls some fuzzy slippers if you like," her grandfather offered.
<Carol> Carol laughed, "I don't think I can pull those off. I'm fine shoe-less." She plopped down onto one of the benches and bent to unzip her boots, flipping her hair over her shoulder to get it out of the way.
<Cessily> Cessily flopped down next to Carol and laughed. "We're not kids any more, Pa." She shape-shifted her feet out of her boots and put them up on the opposing chair.
<Cessily> "So, did you kids have a good trip?" Her grandma asked, and even though Cessily couldn't see it, she knew she was grinning to herself.
<Carol> Carol narrowed her eyes at Cessily, "Show off." She narrowly avoided catching her hair in the zip on her other boot as she pulled it down. "You'd have to ask Cess about the trip... I kinda slept the whole way here."
<Cessily> "It was mostly... calm," Cessily said, after exchanging a look with Carol. "I took the scenic route so I could see more of the landscape and Carol could sleep a little longer."
<Carol> "What she means is 'it was nice and quiet because Carol wasn't yelling at everyone else on the road'..."
<Cessily> "I might have something to help you be more relaxed on the way back, if you like," Cessily's grandpa offered.
<Carol> Carol laughed and shook her head, "It wouldn't work - I'm toxin resistant. It's kind of a pain in the ass."
<Cessily> Charlie made a pained face. "Ouch." And even her grandma turned around to pass on her condolences. "Oh I'm so sorry to hear that, dear. How can you make it through work like that?"
<Carol> "I have a lot of scotch." Carol nodded sagely.
<Cessily> "But never for long," Cessily added with a giggle.
<Cessily> "Well, whatever helps you," Grace said as she put two tall mugs on the table in front of them. The fluffy whipped cream on top was covered in chocolate sprinkles. "Now I hope you won't be resistant to this.."
<Carol> "God no, I love chocolate... I swear, if it wasn't for my powers you could probably roll me around by now." She picked up the hot chocolate and took a sip, eyeing the bit of cream that got stuck on the end of her nose.
<Cessily> Cessily giggled. "You got something there," she said, reaching out to gently wipe her finger over Carol's nose, before licking it clean. Then she gave her grandma a big grin. "Thank you, that's just what we needed now."
<Carol> Carol giggled, "When I was a kid I could have totally got that with my tongue." She rubbed the end of her nose distractedly, "Think I might need a spoon now though."
<Cessily> "Well, if anything else fails, I'm sure I could get it with my tongue." Cessily grinned, before hiding her face behind the small mountain of cream.
<Carol> Carol laughed again, blushing a little and giving Cessily a shove.
<Cessily> "See, I told you we don't need a second bed for Cessy's friend," her grandmother said, and Cessily would have blushed like her girlfriend had she been able to.
<Carol> Carol hid behind her own hot chocolate at that comment, widening her eyes at Cessily.
<Cessily> "Why can't you at least pretend to have any shame?" Cessily pleaded at the same time as she laughed about her grandparents.
<Cessily> "Aw, come on, sweetie, don't be such a prude," her grandmother replied. "You sound like your mother."
<Cessily> "I extra put on pants before going out to greet you." Her grandfather added.
<Carol> "Oh my God..." Carol had to put the mug down to hide her face.
<Cessily> Cessily could only quietly mouth 'I'm so sorry' to Carol. "And we really appreciate that," she said with a strained grin. "And promise to do the same while we're here."
<Cessily> "But you don't have to," Grace replied, seemingly surprised this was even a question.
<Carol> There were some mental images you could never unsee. "I'm gonna go ahead and say pants would make me feel more comfortable..."
<Cessily> "Speaking of, would you like to get changed before dinner?" Her grandmother asked. "We thought we'd put you two in Cessily's old room. It has a bathroom."
<Cessily> "There's a tub," Cessily added, brandishing her cream moustache as she grinned at Carol.
<Carol> "I, uh...." Carol demonstrated her quick change ability, switching into her Air Force uniform because she kept that in reserve for the discounts on coffee.
<Cessily> "No, Carol wait, don't-" Cessily was too late.
<Cessily> "Whoa, how did you do that!?" Her grandfather gawked at the uniformed woman on his kitchen bench.
<Cessily> "Hey, why are you wearing a uniform?" His expression changed from confused to concerned. "Didn't you say you were on vacation?"
<Carol> "I am on vacation... but I like to keep it in reserve because it gets me free stuff and cheap coffee. I can't be awake without coffee," She gave him a grin, switching back. "I prefer pants. That uniform means I have to wear a skirt... and heels."
<Cessily> Her grandfather seemed unconvinced, so Cessily intervened. "Pa, we've been over this, remember? She's one of the good guys."
<Cessily> "Listen to your granddaughter, Charlie," Grace said. "I told you the girl is not a fascist."
<Carol> "God no, I'm a democrat... my dad hates it," she laughed. "I have a long-standing feud of pettiness with my dad."
<Cessily> Cessily's grandfather squinted and gave their guest a scrutinising look. "Well, I don't like the democrats much either, but you seem all right in my book," he said with a crooked smile.
<Cessily> "Besides, if our Cessy here likes her, we know the young lady has her heart in the right place," her grandmother added, putting down a plate with brownies in front of Carol. "Though she could do with a little more meat on her bones."
<Carol> Carol laughed, "If you saw how I eat you would totally not say that. I can't do anything about my weight - my powers keep my fitness level pretty constant. As for my heart being in the right place... I've stopped wanting to get transfered away from that mental asylum of a school... but I still think they're all in exactly the right place."
<Cessily> Cessily giggled. "That won't keep her from trying, though," she told Carol as she grabbed a brownie for herself. "She's been trying to fatten me up ever since I turned into metal. I'm not complaining, though."
<Cessily> "And neither will you once you've tried one, dear," Grace said, pushing the plate towards Carol. "So you're a coworker of our granddaughter, yes?"
<Carol> Carol nodded, taking a brownie in case they ended up in her lap next, "Yeah... technically some sort of boss but you never get anywhere when you tell them to do anything. I already learned that. So I just watch and clean up the mess and try really hard to keep them out of trouble - it's the students mostly, the staff have at least some brains..." well most of them.
<Cessily> "Huh, so apparently Cessily was right about that place," Charlie commented with a look at his wife.
<Cessily> "Of course I was," the silver girl insisted. "I told you I can't get high any more."
<Cessily> "Well, you have to excuse us, but you sounded pretty trippy whenever you called to tell us of your school," Grace replied calmly. "Not that we judge you, child. Your father and I experimented quite avidly when we were in college."
<Carol> "The whole place is trippy," Carol nodded sagely, "Most of the SHIELD presence is gone now though... there's just me and a handful of security... plus the roofing team that'll show up when the weather clears to fix the hole. I patched it but it's only temporary."
<Cessily> "I don't know, that sounds quite exciting to me," Grace said, while she and Charlie sat down at the table with their granddaughter and her girlfriend.
<Cessily> "Oh yes, it's amazing," Cessily chimed in, her smile fading for a moment. "Well, most of the time." She gave Carol a sideways smile. "I wouldn't exchange it for any other job in the world, though."
<Carol> Carol returned the the smile, at least Cessily got to choose. "The rest of the time it's an amazing pain in the ass."
<Cessily> "That's where I and my private counselling come into play," Cessily said, leaning close to wrap her arm around Carol's waist and press a kiss to her cheek.
<Carol> Carol smiled and leaned against her, "She gives me ample excuse to leave the building for a while and go into the city where I can rant about all the stupid things I have to deal with every day until I feel better... and then we get all the junkfood we can carry."
<Cessily> "Aw, that's lovely," Grace said with an adoring tilt of her head. "That's the same reason I married Charlie."
<Cessily> "I also have to carry the heavy stuff," Charlie added dryly.
<Cessily> "That's Carol's job, too." Cessily giggled.
<Carol> Carol nodded, "I'm really good at heavy stuff."
<Cessily> "And for giving me a quick airlift down to New York to visit the museum," Cessily added, snuggling up to Carol's arm.
<Cessily> Charlie returned the look of his wife until he sighed. "Fine, I'll take flying lessons then."
<Carol> Carol laughed, "Don't forget that other place I took you when I had to call in a favour to borrow a camera from NASA... what was it called again...?" Carol tapped her chin with a finger, pretending to think.
<Cessily> "Oh right!" Cessily grinned. "I remember we had an incredible view from up there. And anyone looking up with a telescope would have seen something incredible, too."
<Cessily> After a moment of thinking, her grandfather decided to ask for clarification. "You two had sex on the moon?"
<Carol> Carol face-palmed. Nothing got past those two.
<Cessily> Cessily grinned. "If you don't believe us, I took pictures. We can look at them together after dinner."
<Carol> Carol wondered if she should further clarify that they didn't take picture of the sex part but decided to stuff a brownie in her mouth to save her the trouble of fielding that question if it came up.
<Cessily> "Sure, if Carol is fine with it," Grace said with a smile at the munching woman.
<Cessily> Cessily gave her grandparents a look. "It's just the moon," she clarified. "We're all wearing spacesuits."
<Cessily> "Ah, that's okay." Charlie waved it off. "The pictures of our trip to Mexico will be exciting enough."
<Carol> "The moon and the view from space.... also I totally wasn't wearing a space suit. Those things are not flattering at all."
<Cessily> "Don't worry, honey, I took plenty of good shots that make you look imposing." Cessily gave Carol a smile. "Clark Kent doesn't even need to bother change into his suit compared to you."
<Carol> "Well I would hope I'm a better badass than Superman... he cheats anyway - he's an alien."
<Cessily> "Who knows, maybe mutants come from space, too." Cessily's grin vanished in the foam crow floating on her hot chocolate.
<Cessily> "I think your mother would disagree, honey," Grace said.
<Cessily> "I don't know, wouldn't be surprised if her husband turned out to be an alien," Charlie replied.
<Carol> Carol thought about this, "Dad's an alien... Yeah I could totally see that."
<Cessily> "Yeah, that would explain a lot," Cessily agreed.
<Cessily> Cessily's grandmother chuckled. "So, when you girls are finished, Cess can take you up to your room. I'm sure she's eager to show you where you're going to sleep." She smiled at the two of them. "Unless you wanna go for a roll before dinner, then I'll wait before putting in the roast."
<Cessily> The silver girl smiled at her girlfriend. "What do you say, Carol?"
<Carol> "This is like being back in a barracks somewhere..." she muttered to herself, shaking her head. "I think we need to get all our crap from the trailer anyway...."
<Cessily> "I can lend you a couple hands," Cessily offered, sprouting them as she finished up her hot drink.
<Carol> Carol laughed, "That would be awesome." She finished off her own drink and reached for her boots to put them back on again then thought better of it, "I can manage without boots... damned zips."
<Cessily> "Yeah, who needs shoes, anyway?" Cessily giggled as she already skipped off towards the door.
<Cessily> "Hey Carol, did you-" she trailed off when she looked over her shoulder, a smile appearing on her lips instead.
<Carol> Carol had fallen asleep pretty much as soon as they were out of the city traffic and on the highway. She'd clearly needed the break from the constant threat of explosions and streaming news services in her ears with comments on the latest Sentinel 'mishaps'. The voice made her stir though and she stretched slowly, blinking her eyes open. "... Where are we?"
<Cessily> "Almost there, sleepyhead," Cessily replied, greeting Carol with a bright grin. Thanks to her stretchy powers, driving and giving her girlfriend a wakeup kiss at the same time was almost no problem. "Whoops!" She giggled and bit her lip as she jerked the wheel to get the trailer back under control.
<Cessily> "You must have been tired," she said. "You slept for almost the entire trip."
<Carol> "... I feel like I should be surprised we're still in one piece," she pushed a hand through her hair, sitting up and leaning to give Cessily a kiss instead. "I am overworked and underappreciated, of course I'm tired." She straightened up a little more in her seat, finger combing her hair. "Is it just me or does New England all just look the same?"
<Cessily> "Only if you're not from here." Cessily explained. "Once you've lived here for a while, you get an eye for the subtle complexity of the landscape, and you would have noticed that this wooded hill looks totally different than the previous four wooded hills we've been over."
<Cessily> She turned her head and smiled at Carol. "I swear I didn't start imagining things because I saw nothing but trees during my childhood. Occasionally I also saw rocks, or even a lake."
<Carol> "I was asleep for the other four wooded hills, in fairness..." she glanced back through the window. "But now your rock collection makes perfect sense...." she gave Cess a grin.
<Cessily> Cessily giggled. "When we're there, I can show you my collection of pinecone puppets I made as a kid. After my nana fed us, of course. We won't be going anywhere before we've had enough of whatever she's making tonight."
<Carol> "I'm sure I'll do whatever you want after some good food, it's like alcohol." She looked out of the window at all the houses, wondering about how many mutants there were behind those doors, how many mutant-haters. She had to stop looking at the world that way.
<Cessily> "Whatever I want?" Cessily raised an eyebrow at Carol as she turned the car and trailer off the main road and up the forested path. "Now I really hope grandma made her sweetrolls."
<Carol> She laughed, Cessily's comment successfully pulling her out of her dark thoughts, "Why do I feel like I just agreed to something I might regret?"
<Cessily> Cessily joined the laughing while their ride rumbled up the forest path. "Hey, when did we ever do something that you ended up regretting?"
<Carol> "... There's a first time for everything. I'm still worried about all this hugging you say your family does."
<Cessily> "Don't worry, they're usually well behaved around strangers," Cessily replied. "But if they're not, don't hesitate to shoo them."
<Carol> "I can't do that! That's totally rude!" she protested, "I'm trying to make a good impression," she paused, "They're not Sox fans, right?"
<Cessily> "Uhm, not really, no..." Cessily put on a thoughtful face. "But on a second thought, maybe try to steer clear of that topic at the dinner table." The silver woman's features relaxed and she gave Carol a smile. "Stop worrying already. They'll like you. I know they will."
<Carol> "I hope so... it'd really suck if two families hated me..." she wrikled her nose, settling back in her seat.
<Cessily> "Well, you and me are different in a lot of ways, so... yeah, I think they should like you right away," Cessily said, a shrewd smirk on her lips. "Seriously, though, I've never seen my grandparents not be cool with anyone I brought along during break."
<Carol> She nodded, "Okay... are we nearly there? Because I need to know how much time I have to freak out...."
<Cessily> "You have about..." Cessily steered their vehicle around the gentle curve, a wood and brick house coming into view down the road. "From here to the driveway."
<Carol> Not good! She groaned and sank lower in her seat so that her nose was somewhere level with the bottom of the window.
<Cessily> Cessily looked very focused while she tried to navigate the caravan past the large flower pots next to the driveway. "I know I can make it this time," she muttered to herself, tongue tucked into the corner of her mouth as she peered into the outside mirror.
<Carol> "If you're having trouble on the turns I could just... pick us up?" This was a good distraction.
<Cessily> "No worries, I got this," she assured the other woman, then made a face when a screeching sound came from outside. "See? Told you I'd make it." The front bumper nudged a tree log, before Cessily put the car into parking and gave her girlfriend a grin. "And all without a scratch."
<Carol> Carol raised an eyebrow at her, doubting that from the sounds outside. "Well... they're probably not expecting to see this thing again so I'm sure they won't mind if it gets a bit scratched..."
<Cessily> "When I first came here after getting my driver's licence, I almost demolished the tool shed, so this is a definite improvement." Cessily had barely switched off the engine and began to unstrap herself, when the front door opened and an older couple came out to greet them.
<Carol> Ack! Relatives! Carol hid again. She was so not ready for this.
<Cessily> Both wore their greyed hair long, hers loose, his in a ponytail. Their smiles grew wider when they spotted the shiny girl behind the wheel. "Nana! Pa!" Cessily basically bolted out of the car and into the arms of her grandparents, leaving Carol hidden in the car.
<Carol> Carol knew she was being ridiculous but she flattened herself across the seats to reach Cessily's door and pulled it closed then shifted back along to her side and peeked out at the bottom corner of the window. It was safe in there. No one expected anything of her yet.
<Cessily> After extracting herself from her grandparents hugs, Cessily turned around to the car. "Come, you haven't met my new..." She was trying to figure out where Carol had gone, only to spot peeking out from behind cover. "My new shy kitten, apparently."
<Carol> And they were looking her way now. She should get out of the trailer... or duck... she needed scotch. Chewing her lip, she straightened up in her seat and gave a small embarrassed wave before she opened the door, "Hi..."
<Cessily> "Carol, I would like you to meet my-" But her grandma was already underway to corner the blonde young woman. "Oh, you must be Carol." She reached out to take Carol's hands in her own. "So wonderful to meet you. Cessy told us about you."
<Carol> "Oh... she did?" She wondered what had been said, hopefully not that she had a fondness for punching people. "Uh... not all bad I hope....."
<Cessily> "Not at all." The older woman smiled. "Even though I wonder why she never told us how pretty you are, dear. Oh my, where are my manners!? My name is Grace, and the old smelly hippie back there is my husband, Charlie."
<Carol> "It's a miracle she remembered to say I'm a girl - I spend most of my life in a uniform..." she offered a smile in return.
<Cessily> Cessily's grandfather was about to shake Carol's hand when he stopped and hit her with a suspicious look. "Uniform?" The old guy leaned back towards his granddaughter. "Why didn't you tell me she's a cop?"
<Cessily> Cessily just smiled kindly. "Because I told you what she did, remember...?"
<Carol> Carol raised an eyebrow, "I'm not a cop... I'm a pilot."
<Cessily> "Oh good, because I forgot to cover the greenhouse in the back," Charlie said and shook Carol's hand. "I don't like flying, myself. My feet always fall asleep when I have to sit still for too long, you know?"
<Carol> "Well it's not for everyone..." she admitted, "And... I'm on vacation. So you don't have to worry about anything illegal you may or may not be growing in your back yard."
<Cessily> "Wow, you have a firm handshake for a pilot," Cessily's grandfather said and cringed. "Well, obviously she works out a lot," her grandma helpfully provided. "You're not just born with thighs like these."
<Cessily> Behind their backs, their granddaughter put on an apologetic smile.
<Carol> Carol laughed, looking down at her legs, "Thanks?"
<Cessily> "When you two are done embarrassing my girlfriend, do you mind giving her back?" Cessily laughed and moved in to shield Carol from her grandparents. "It's been a long trip and I'm sure she wants to get refreshed first."
<Cessily> "Oh, of course, sweetie," Grace said, patting Carol's hand before letting go of her. "Charlie, help them with their bags please, will you?"
<Carol> Carol nodded, even though she was fine, "You can interrogate me later, I promise..." she chewed her lip, "You don't have to get them... they can just stay in there."
<Cessily> Cessily's grandfather turned towards the car with a confused look on his face. "Then how are you going to get to your stuff? Do you want to get changed in the car? Because I really can't recommend that."
<Cessily> "We'll get them later, pop, no worries." Cessily smiled and stood next to Carol. "We're big girls."
<Carol> "If I had to, I could carry the whole trailer inside so don't worry about it," Carol waved a hand dismissively.
<Cessily> Charlie looked even more puzzled than before. "Okay, just say something before you do that, because I don't think it'll fit in the living room before I move some stuff."
<Cessily> Cessily stifled a giggle. "It's okay, just forget it. Let's all go inside, okay? I could really do with-"
<Cessily> "One hot chocolate with whipped cream, coming right up," Grace interrupted her granddaughter, before turning to Carol. "And for you, dear?"
<Carol> "Hot chocolate sounds great actually," she gave the woman a smile.
<Cessily> "Two hot chocolates with cream and extra sprinkles." Grace gave the two young women a kind smile. "Come on inside then. This is not the kind of weather to stand around inside when you can sit by the fireplace instead."
<Carol> Carol took Cessily's hand so they could go inside, leaning to mutter into her ear, "Do they know the cold doesn't bother either of us?"
<Cessily> "I tried to explain to them that they don't have to worry about me catching a cold, and they still drown me in woolly socks and sweaters every time I stop by - and I'm obviously made of metal." She gave her girlfriend a sympathetic smile. "So I wouldn't even try in your case."
<Carol> Carol laughed, "Well maybe when they want to put that fire out because it's too hot in the room, they'll ask why."
<Cessily> Cessily grinned in turn and leaned against Carol. "No worries, if you get too hot, I know where I'll drag you to cool off."
<Carol> She grinned too, "I don't get too hot... but I can make excuses for sure."
<Cessily> They followed Cessily's grandmother inside, through the cosy living room and into the rustic kitchen, where cushioned benches lined the windows and a fire crackled inside the old stone oven. "Take off whatever you like and get comfortable," Grace said. "I'll get you your chocolates."
<Cessily> "I can get you girls some fuzzy slippers if you like," her grandfather offered.
<Carol> Carol laughed, "I don't think I can pull those off. I'm fine shoe-less." She plopped down onto one of the benches and bent to unzip her boots, flipping her hair over her shoulder to get it out of the way.
<Cessily> Cessily flopped down next to Carol and laughed. "We're not kids any more, Pa." She shape-shifted her feet out of her boots and put them up on the opposing chair.
<Cessily> "So, did you kids have a good trip?" Her grandma asked, and even though Cessily couldn't see it, she knew she was grinning to herself.
<Carol> Carol narrowed her eyes at Cessily, "Show off." She narrowly avoided catching her hair in the zip on her other boot as she pulled it down. "You'd have to ask Cess about the trip... I kinda slept the whole way here."
<Cessily> "It was mostly... calm," Cessily said, after exchanging a look with Carol. "I took the scenic route so I could see more of the landscape and Carol could sleep a little longer."
<Carol> "What she means is 'it was nice and quiet because Carol wasn't yelling at everyone else on the road'..."
<Cessily> "I might have something to help you be more relaxed on the way back, if you like," Cessily's grandpa offered.
<Carol> Carol laughed and shook her head, "It wouldn't work - I'm toxin resistant. It's kind of a pain in the ass."
<Cessily> Charlie made a pained face. "Ouch." And even her grandma turned around to pass on her condolences. "Oh I'm so sorry to hear that, dear. How can you make it through work like that?"
<Carol> "I have a lot of scotch." Carol nodded sagely.
<Cessily> "But never for long," Cessily added with a giggle.
<Cessily> "Well, whatever helps you," Grace said as she put two tall mugs on the table in front of them. The fluffy whipped cream on top was covered in chocolate sprinkles. "Now I hope you won't be resistant to this.."
<Carol> "God no, I love chocolate... I swear, if it wasn't for my powers you could probably roll me around by now." She picked up the hot chocolate and took a sip, eyeing the bit of cream that got stuck on the end of her nose.
<Cessily> Cessily giggled. "You got something there," she said, reaching out to gently wipe her finger over Carol's nose, before licking it clean. Then she gave her grandma a big grin. "Thank you, that's just what we needed now."
<Carol> Carol giggled, "When I was a kid I could have totally got that with my tongue." She rubbed the end of her nose distractedly, "Think I might need a spoon now though."
<Cessily> "Well, if anything else fails, I'm sure I could get it with my tongue." Cessily grinned, before hiding her face behind the small mountain of cream.
<Carol> Carol laughed again, blushing a little and giving Cessily a shove.
<Cessily> "See, I told you we don't need a second bed for Cessy's friend," her grandmother said, and Cessily would have blushed like her girlfriend had she been able to.
<Carol> Carol hid behind her own hot chocolate at that comment, widening her eyes at Cessily.
<Cessily> "Why can't you at least pretend to have any shame?" Cessily pleaded at the same time as she laughed about her grandparents.
<Cessily> "Aw, come on, sweetie, don't be such a prude," her grandmother replied. "You sound like your mother."
<Cessily> "I extra put on pants before going out to greet you." Her grandfather added.
<Carol> "Oh my God..." Carol had to put the mug down to hide her face.
<Cessily> Cessily could only quietly mouth 'I'm so sorry' to Carol. "And we really appreciate that," she said with a strained grin. "And promise to do the same while we're here."
<Cessily> "But you don't have to," Grace replied, seemingly surprised this was even a question.
<Carol> There were some mental images you could never unsee. "I'm gonna go ahead and say pants would make me feel more comfortable..."
<Cessily> "Speaking of, would you like to get changed before dinner?" Her grandmother asked. "We thought we'd put you two in Cessily's old room. It has a bathroom."
<Cessily> "There's a tub," Cessily added, brandishing her cream moustache as she grinned at Carol.
<Carol> "I, uh...." Carol demonstrated her quick change ability, switching into her Air Force uniform because she kept that in reserve for the discounts on coffee.
<Cessily> "No, Carol wait, don't-" Cessily was too late.
<Cessily> "Whoa, how did you do that!?" Her grandfather gawked at the uniformed woman on his kitchen bench.
<Cessily> "Hey, why are you wearing a uniform?" His expression changed from confused to concerned. "Didn't you say you were on vacation?"
<Carol> "I am on vacation... but I like to keep it in reserve because it gets me free stuff and cheap coffee. I can't be awake without coffee," She gave him a grin, switching back. "I prefer pants. That uniform means I have to wear a skirt... and heels."
<Cessily> Her grandfather seemed unconvinced, so Cessily intervened. "Pa, we've been over this, remember? She's one of the good guys."
<Cessily> "Listen to your granddaughter, Charlie," Grace said. "I told you the girl is not a fascist."
<Carol> "God no, I'm a democrat... my dad hates it," she laughed. "I have a long-standing feud of pettiness with my dad."
<Cessily> Cessily's grandfather squinted and gave their guest a scrutinising look. "Well, I don't like the democrats much either, but you seem all right in my book," he said with a crooked smile.
<Cessily> "Besides, if our Cessy here likes her, we know the young lady has her heart in the right place," her grandmother added, putting down a plate with brownies in front of Carol. "Though she could do with a little more meat on her bones."
<Carol> Carol laughed, "If you saw how I eat you would totally not say that. I can't do anything about my weight - my powers keep my fitness level pretty constant. As for my heart being in the right place... I've stopped wanting to get transfered away from that mental asylum of a school... but I still think they're all in exactly the right place."
<Cessily> Cessily giggled. "That won't keep her from trying, though," she told Carol as she grabbed a brownie for herself. "She's been trying to fatten me up ever since I turned into metal. I'm not complaining, though."
<Cessily> "And neither will you once you've tried one, dear," Grace said, pushing the plate towards Carol. "So you're a coworker of our granddaughter, yes?"
<Carol> Carol nodded, taking a brownie in case they ended up in her lap next, "Yeah... technically some sort of boss but you never get anywhere when you tell them to do anything. I already learned that. So I just watch and clean up the mess and try really hard to keep them out of trouble - it's the students mostly, the staff have at least some brains..." well most of them.
<Cessily> "Huh, so apparently Cessily was right about that place," Charlie commented with a look at his wife.
<Cessily> "Of course I was," the silver girl insisted. "I told you I can't get high any more."
<Cessily> "Well, you have to excuse us, but you sounded pretty trippy whenever you called to tell us of your school," Grace replied calmly. "Not that we judge you, child. Your father and I experimented quite avidly when we were in college."
<Carol> "The whole place is trippy," Carol nodded sagely, "Most of the SHIELD presence is gone now though... there's just me and a handful of security... plus the roofing team that'll show up when the weather clears to fix the hole. I patched it but it's only temporary."
<Cessily> "I don't know, that sounds quite exciting to me," Grace said, while she and Charlie sat down at the table with their granddaughter and her girlfriend.
<Cessily> "Oh yes, it's amazing," Cessily chimed in, her smile fading for a moment. "Well, most of the time." She gave Carol a sideways smile. "I wouldn't exchange it for any other job in the world, though."
<Carol> Carol returned the the smile, at least Cessily got to choose. "The rest of the time it's an amazing pain in the ass."
<Cessily> "That's where I and my private counselling come into play," Cessily said, leaning close to wrap her arm around Carol's waist and press a kiss to her cheek.
<Carol> Carol smiled and leaned against her, "She gives me ample excuse to leave the building for a while and go into the city where I can rant about all the stupid things I have to deal with every day until I feel better... and then we get all the junkfood we can carry."
<Cessily> "Aw, that's lovely," Grace said with an adoring tilt of her head. "That's the same reason I married Charlie."
<Cessily> "I also have to carry the heavy stuff," Charlie added dryly.
<Cessily> "That's Carol's job, too." Cessily giggled.
<Carol> Carol nodded, "I'm really good at heavy stuff."
<Cessily> "And for giving me a quick airlift down to New York to visit the museum," Cessily added, snuggling up to Carol's arm.
<Cessily> Charlie returned the look of his wife until he sighed. "Fine, I'll take flying lessons then."
<Carol> Carol laughed, "Don't forget that other place I took you when I had to call in a favour to borrow a camera from NASA... what was it called again...?" Carol tapped her chin with a finger, pretending to think.
<Cessily> "Oh right!" Cessily grinned. "I remember we had an incredible view from up there. And anyone looking up with a telescope would have seen something incredible, too."
<Cessily> After a moment of thinking, her grandfather decided to ask for clarification. "You two had sex on the moon?"
<Carol> Carol face-palmed. Nothing got past those two.
<Cessily> Cessily grinned. "If you don't believe us, I took pictures. We can look at them together after dinner."
<Carol> Carol wondered if she should further clarify that they didn't take picture of the sex part but decided to stuff a brownie in her mouth to save her the trouble of fielding that question if it came up.
<Cessily> "Sure, if Carol is fine with it," Grace said with a smile at the munching woman.
<Cessily> Cessily gave her grandparents a look. "It's just the moon," she clarified. "We're all wearing spacesuits."
<Cessily> "Ah, that's okay." Charlie waved it off. "The pictures of our trip to Mexico will be exciting enough."
<Carol> "The moon and the view from space.... also I totally wasn't wearing a space suit. Those things are not flattering at all."
<Cessily> "Don't worry, honey, I took plenty of good shots that make you look imposing." Cessily gave Carol a smile. "Clark Kent doesn't even need to bother change into his suit compared to you."
<Carol> "Well I would hope I'm a better badass than Superman... he cheats anyway - he's an alien."
<Cessily> "Who knows, maybe mutants come from space, too." Cessily's grin vanished in the foam crow floating on her hot chocolate.
<Cessily> "I think your mother would disagree, honey," Grace said.
<Cessily> "I don't know, wouldn't be surprised if her husband turned out to be an alien," Charlie replied.
<Carol> Carol thought about this, "Dad's an alien... Yeah I could totally see that."
<Cessily> "Yeah, that would explain a lot," Cessily agreed.
<Cessily> Cessily's grandmother chuckled. "So, when you girls are finished, Cess can take you up to your room. I'm sure she's eager to show you where you're going to sleep." She smiled at the two of them. "Unless you wanna go for a roll before dinner, then I'll wait before putting in the roast."
<Cessily> The silver girl smiled at her girlfriend. "What do you say, Carol?"
<Carol> "This is like being back in a barracks somewhere..." she muttered to herself, shaking her head. "I think we need to get all our crap from the trailer anyway...."
<Cessily> "I can lend you a couple hands," Cessily offered, sprouting them as she finished up her hot drink.
<Carol> Carol laughed, "That would be awesome." She finished off her own drink and reached for her boots to put them back on again then thought better of it, "I can manage without boots... damned zips."
<Cessily> "Yeah, who needs shoes, anyway?" Cessily giggled as she already skipped off towards the door.
![quicksilver :quicksilver](./images/smilies/quicksilver.gif)
Quicksilver: Howisshe?Isshealright?Imusetspeakwithmysisteratonce.
Hawkeye: What is that noise?
IronMan: That is the noise Pietro makes right before he's tossed out of the airlock. ~ Avengers: The Children's Crusade #6