2012-11-28: A Chilly Cheering Up

Bobby Drake hasn't been seen around the mansion lately. First there was some relationship issues that put him in a pretty down and mopey mood and then he got a call from home. His parents had been in a car wreck and his mother asked him to come home and help take care of a few things. Reluctantly, Bobby agreed. But now that things are settled back home, Bobby Drake is coming back to the manor.

It's pretty late when Bobby arrives, stepping into the atrium with a duffle bag over one shoulder and a computer bag on the other. He still doesn't look like his usual joking cheerful self but he's back. "Well at least the place didn't burn down while I was away..."

"Oh, it actually did, but we managed to reconstruct it before your homecomming," says an accented voice with just a /hint/ of mirth. Wait, Storm just made a joke? Yes. Storm just made a joke. "It is good to see you back, Robert. How are you?" The poor guy barely gets time to drop his bags before he's pulled into a hug by the statuesque woman.

The joke makes Bobby blink, a smile tugging on the corners of his mouth. "Someone hire Speedy N Cheap construction? Do we have to worry about the mansion being made about styrofoam?" he jokes back, pulling some of his usual self up. He only manages to drop the duffle bag before he's hugged, returning it with one arm. "I'm better now that I'm back here."

"And we're all the better for having you back," she says. "Would you like help with some of this? I was just on my way out for a bit of a walk, but I can certainly lend a hand." She's not exactly /dressed/ to be outside, wearing a silk dressing gown and matching nightdress, but since when has that ever stopped her?

"I know you all would be lost without me," Bobby replies with a smirk. "Naw, this stuff's not heavy. Just clothes and my computer," he says. "Mind if I join ya on your walk? Maybe you can fill me in on everything I missed," he offers. "And I'm dreading getting back to my office and seeing just what my classes were up to with the sub."

"Horribly, horribly lost," she agrees. "And of course, I'd love the company," she says. "And I don't think I heard any explosions from your class room, so there is at least that," she tells him.

"No explosions? Oh no, that's the opposite of what should be happening!" Bobby jokes, setting his computer back down with his duffle. He puts a quick ice cage around them. There's a moment to smile, Bobby not having used his powers much while he was away to avoid upsetting his father and starting fights. "I'm going to have to get these kids so caught up."

"Yes, I'm sure the lack of explosions in the math classes is truly setting the students back months in their studies," she says, sounding amused. She lifts an eyebrow at the ice cage, remembers things said about the Drakes, then offers. "Would you prefer something a little more exciting than a walk? Something a little less limited by gravity, perhaps?" she suggests.

Bobby shakes his head. "That's it, pop quizzes for them all," Bobby declares with a nod. He's in a much better mood since Ororo started talking to him. The suggestion makes Bobby arch both brows. "Well, if you're offering the sky is much more fun than the ground."

Ororo smiles, and leads Bobby outside with her. She doesn't bother putting on shoes, stepping out onto the frozen ground in her bare feet, without seeming to mind the cold at all (since, well, she /doesn't/). "Would you prefer the wind lift you, or would you like to try to keep up with your ramps?" she asks, as she summons wind to twist around her, and eventually lift her into the air.

Bobby follows along, icing himself over as they go. "Hey, I've gotten a lot faster with my slides," Bobby replies, smirking. He watches Ororo start to lift into the air and starts to form one of his slides to follow after her. It's one of his newer slides that breaks apart shortly after he passes over it instead of leaving a bit icy hazard on the lawn.

Storm grins, and lets the wind carry her, not simply through force, but by creating thermal updrafts and other tricks that allow her to practically dance on air, soaring in swooping curves about the school grounds, clearly making her flight path extra-complex to challenge Bobby's ability to follow her.

Bobby grins as he follows along. He can't pull of the exact tricks Storm does but he pulls off curves, quick corkscrew slides, and even pulls off a loop just to show off. Apparently the time he spent in California before initially returning to the X-men wasn't spent being lazy. And if he's being honest, it's the best his mood's been in weeks.

Storm may not be as skilled at it as the fuzzy blue elf, but she is quite capable of lifting the spirits of a friend. "It's good to see you smile, Robert," she says, slowing down to 'float' alongside him. "Hopefully we'll be seeing you this cheerful more often than not in the near future." Forming an ice tower to stand on, Bobby rubs the back of his head. Smiling still, he shrugs. "We'll see how things go. The past few weeks have kind of sucked."

Another hug from the weather-witch. "You know there are plenty of people here who will do what we can to make sure things improve," she tells him, before drifting away a few feet. "Race you to the lake and back?" she suggests.

Bobby Drake returns the hug with both arms this time. That's much easier when he doesn't have any bags to carry. "I know, I know...it's just that some things that were going on here were part of what had me like that," he says. When the suggestion is made, he smirks. "Oh, you're on." Storm sails off towards the lake, white hair trailing behind her like so much water vapour.