Nonexistant Reflections (Open)

[Shadowcat]

Katherine Pryde walked softly upon the lush grass that grew within a small park in New York City, surrounded by several buildings that seemed to push heaven upward. Most people would take a seat on the wooden bench were there was an absence of people sitting, yet, Kitty found it to be more comfortable to drop herself onto the grass. It felt as if she hadn't gotten out in a while. She needed to take a breath of fresh air, and she knew she would love a break in the park. Children passed her on the concrete path to the left of her, laughing and screaming, letting out loud exclamations and happy replies. It seemed only yesterday that life was that easy. But yesterday seemed so far away.

You sound like you had participated in the war, Kat. The young woman frowned while she lay comfortably on the grass. There was a moment every so often when contemplating that she wished she would have stepped up like a real X-Man would and fight. But she didn't. She packed her bags and headed home. Kitty found herself autonomously pulling out grass from beneath her, making muffled popping sounds. Everyone had changed. No one seems to have the same glow as they did before the war. An image of Peter appeared in her mind, making her smile slightly, only to remember him staring with slightly pained eyes. His smiles were sincere, yet they held a melancholy air. She missed him. She missed everyone.

And that wasn't it all, Shadowcat reminded herself as she dropped her brow. She was the last to know that the head of the school, the school that brought her refuge, training, and complete happiness had left the world. Happy or sad, it didn't matter to Kitty; all that did was the fact that he was gone. Forever. Growling slightly in her throat, she recalled the conversation from a previous engagement with other X-Men. They had told Kitty that they wanted her to find out another way. Sure, she was angry then, but she realized that she would have taken it lighter had she heard it from someone she respected.

"I don't understand!!" Kitty screamed aloud to the park, sending birds perched in the trees flying into the bright, midday sky. Peoples' gazes immediately set on her, only to leave Kitty to fake a smile and wave awkwardly before they continued on their business. How can I bring them back?

[beacon]

“That will be four dollars, miss,” the man behind the snack cart declared as he handed Mackenzie a bottle of water.

Eyes widened in complete and utter surprise, Mackenzie’s jaw dropped slightly. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she muttered as she dug into her pocket and pulled out a small wad of cash and pulled off four ones. “It might not be safer, but it would sure as hell be cheaper if I just stuck my head in the duck pond,” Mack declared as she snatched the bottle of water from the man and dropped the wrinkled money upon his little snack cart.

Turning on her heel, she started off down the partially deserted park path, her sneaker-clad feet barely making a sound upon the concrete. Her sour mood was instantly lifted when a small boy ran past her, tugging along his mother as he clutched a kite in his other hand. For the first time in a very long time, she was seeing life as it should be: simple and peaceful. Twisting the top off of her bottle of water, Mack took a long sip before replacing the cap and wiping nonexistent water off of her chin with the back of her hand.

The park had been one of the few that seemed to have been untouched by the war. Vaguely, she suspected that a few areas had been completely restored afterwards, but to the naked human eye, it appeared untouched in every manner. Some places, she knew, did not fare quite so well. There were a number of places across the globe that had been eviscerated, completely wiped off of the face of the earth. Sure, things could always be rebuilt, but it was often the sentimental reasons that held people back.

Mack could only assume that she was not the only person to walk away from the war feeling torn in different directions. On one hand, she was proud of the time that she had served for her country, protecting the people that she called her own. Yet, on the other she could not help but wonder if the carnage and chaos that had been left in their wake had been worth it. They had saved their country and the rest of the world from extinction, but had they saved themselves?

Lost in thought, she jumped when someone nearby shouted “I don’t understand!!” Alarmed and poised to react to the worst of scenarios, she whipped her head to the right and let her eyes roam over the area quickly. People seemed to be focused on a lone figure upon the grass, and it took her a full minute to recognize the figure. Intrigued, she quickly crossed the distance between them, stopping just a few feet away from the young woman that had screamed just moments before.

“Kitty?” she murmured softly as she slowly lowered herself onto the grass across from the girl, keeping a bit of a comfortable distance between them. The girl looked far older than her years, and Mack’s heart clenched in her chest. It seemed that no one was left unscathed by the war. “It’s good to see you again,” she murmured, adding ’Safe and well' mentally.


[OOC: Sorry it’s kind of long. =/ ]

[Shadowcat]

ooc| Oh no, it's all good! :D

Though Kitty wasn't particularly paying much attention, if she had known that one of her friends were in the park, she would have been a little more discreet with her obvious issues dealing with the war. When Mackenzie approached the young woman and called her name quietly, Kitty immediately turned her attention to the green-eyed woman.

"It's good to see you again."

Shadowcat automatically smiled at Mackenzie's greeting. Many things wanted to escape from Kitty's mind, but it would only end up in a garbled mess of thoughts and emotions. In the depths of Kitty's heart, she had to admit that company was always needed when she found herself in a depressed state of mind. "Yeah," Kitty began as she dropped the limp grass that was clenched in her fists. "It's good to see you too."

Finding herself leaning forward, Kitty opened her mouth to speak, wanting to ask mainly about the war, and how Mackenzie was affected, how her friends were affected, how everyone made out alright. But Kitty held her tongue and pulled herself back from the eager position she was in. From condensing her questions, Shadowcat asked Beacon with a quiet voice, "How are things?" She stared to the woman in front of her with curious hazel eyes. There has been so much she had missed, and hopefully Mack would be kind enough to fill her in.

[beacon]

A genuine smile found its way to Mack's lips as she inhaled slowly and met Kitty's somewhat curious gaze. It felt like ages since the two had been face to face, and it made her feel a bit sad and lonely. In all honesty, Mackenzie had very little contact with any of her friends during the war, as she had been moved in and out of the fourteenth regiment into the second and back before they'd pulled her for journalism purposes. Granted, she'd often complied and did whatever she'd been ordered, regardless of where they wanted her.

"I'm good, I think," Mackenzie found herself answering quietly. At odds with her own conscience, she found herself hoping that Kitty had been spared the brutalness of the war, that she had not been forced to serve. "Things could be better, but I'll survive."

It was a trait that she'd learned from a young age from her brothers. Things couldn't always be perfect, but one had to know when to pick up the pieces and toss them out and when to pick up the pieces and pull out the duct tape. Mackenzie could only hope that she had enough duct tape to fix all of the open wounds that were left in her own life.

Shaking her head to clear away her enigmatic thoughts, she found her green eyes searching Kitty's face for a sign of what had happened to the other X-Men. She'd heard, of course, about both Charles and Jean, but feared that in her recent leave that she had not learned of more terrible news. But, how could she ask Kitty if any other horror had struck so close to home?

"How- How are you?" she asked quietly, her lips thinned in thought. "I haven't been back to the Institute yet. I- I've been putting it off," she murmured, suddenly very ashamed for not feeling strong enough to face the place without the Professor there.

[Shadowcat]

Kitty Pryde found herself picking at the ground below her. She wanted to converse with Mackenzie, of course, but she felt as if it was incredibly awkward. It sounded as if both of them were missing something and their friendliness was forced. Kitty hunched her shoulders slightly in worry as she awaited the reply. She wanted to postpone Mack's response, in case it was something Kitty wasn't ready to hear. What if the young woman was to be completely blunt with her curiosity and fill it's emptiness with malicious details and gruesome images? Would she really do that? Kitty asked herself, rolling her eyes inwardly, making a note on how she should really be prepared for anything, even if Beacon felt Kitty was prepared or not.

But when Mackenzie replied positively, Katherine let out a sigh in relief. Though the woman's words were slightly laced with a melancholy milieu, it still told Kitty that Mack's mind was still strong as it usually was, if not stronger. It struck her that Mackenzie was always the one who knew how to sift things through. Don't worry about this, focus on that, it'll be okay as long as you...

Kitty pulled her gaze up to Mackenzie. She must have known about the deaths, of course. She was in the war. And when she spoke about how she hadn't visited Xavier's Institute, a gloss of understanding veiled Kitty's eyes as she nodded gently. "I would have put it off too." Kitty muttered honestly, staring past the red head to the trees several feet behind her. She had learned about the death of Charles and Jean by someone she could barely stand. And she knew that if Kitty could have avoided it, she would have. With a sigh, Kitty continued with a smile and a humorous quirk in her voice, "Plus, no reason to go know, seeing as how the White Bitch has returned to her castle." She said bitterly as she rolled her eyes and rubbed her temples. "I can't even be near that chick!

[beacon]

Stifling a grin, Mackenzie managed to at least give Kitty a serious glance before laughter erupted from deep down inside of her. Chuckling madly, she felt torn between hugging Kitty and throwing her hands over her own face and sobbing. It took a number of long moments before she could regain her emotions and pull them under her own control. After taking a few short breaths, she found herself glancing down at the patch of grass between herself and Kitty.

“I can’t exactly blame you for that one, I don’t think.” Mack hadn’t heard anything of Emma, nor of anyone else in the 2nd regiment besides Xavier and Jean. While she was relieved that the woman had survived the war, she was empathetic to Kitty’s feelings toward Emma Frost. While at the Institute, Mack had barely managed to stand the woman, so she could perfectly understand what Kitty was going through. “Oh, how wondrous,” she muttered, feeling sullen at the thought of returning only to be belittled by the White Queen[/b].

While Mack was tempted to ask the younger woman what else she had learned since the war, she honestly feared that the girl would share news that she would prefer not to hear. But, at the same time, she was certain that Kitty appeared distraught for a particular reason. She was the first person from her ’old life’ that Mackenzie had come across, and she wasn’t willing to part ways just yet.

Brushing her fingers along her jean-clad legs, she slowly let her gaze trail back up to Kitty’s. “Kitty, tell me that you didn’t serve,” Mack pleaded, her eyes searching the younger woman’s face for an answer that she did not want to see. While she was privy to some classified information because of her rather unique position, Mackenzie was in no way sure that she knew anymore than the next person. “I’m sorry, I have no right to ask if you were involved. I- I just worry.”

If the girl had already been back to the Mansion, then that meant that she already knew of Charles and Jean. But, had she spoken to the others? Were the others okay?


[OOC: Sorry it’s a little bleh.]

[Shadowcat]

ooc| It's perfectly fine!! And I hope mine isn't too short. -_-;;

Once Mackenzie began to laugh, Kitty's smile widened along with hers, and the both of them shared a fit of laughter for a few moments. It was sincere-- real. Kitty Pryde felt relieved that the two of them were there, connecting in such a supportive way. She felt great knowing that Mack knew where she was coming from dealing with the pompous woman. The young woman responded to Mackenzie with another laugh, nodding excitedly. Though as quickly as the content scene appeared, it soon ended.

Once the laughs died off, Kitty smiled happily and stared at the tree behind the fellow comrade. Her gaze switched focus and zoned in on Mackenzie with her hazel orbs. Kitty opened her mouth to push in more conversation, but Mack interjected with an honest request. Kitty soaked in the woman's words and blinked for a moment. Had she served in the war? Of course not. From the tone of Mack's voice, it sounded as if it were in Kitty's best interest that she hadn't. "I didn't serve, no." Taking a small, brown hair-tie around Kitty's left wrist, she slipped it off and began to tie up her thick brown hair into a ponytail. With curious eyes glancing up at Beacon, Shadowcat raised her chin in question as she asked, "Why, was it that bad?" After tugging twice on the bunch of hair to tighten her hair's position, she smiled to Mackenzie, very flattered that she would worry about her like that. Like many, she felt warm when she was told she was in someone's mind in times of hardship.

But when Kitty really looked into the emerald orbs Mack held, she saw serious concern. "Is-" She gazed around suscpiciously and turned back to Mack. "Is everything all right with you? What's happened??"

[beacon]

[OOC: Oh! It’s perfect. =) I just tend to not know when to shush.]

How was Mackenzie to explain to someone that had not witnessed the sights that war held exactly how it had effected her in every manner of her life? “I am relieved to hear that you did not bear witness to some of the things that I have heard about, let alone witnessed firsthand,” she admitted, her sullen mood barely lightened by the beautiful atmosphere that surrounded their conversation. She felt as though the two were separated from the rest of the world as they sat there upon the grass, their words a simple exchange that cost more than she was willing to admit. “Kitty, wars are never pretty,” Mack murmured, her hands clenching in her lap.

As if to clear her own mind, she slowly lifted the bottle of water and took a long and calming sip before replacing the lid and placing the bottle between her legs quickly. But, even after the sip of water, her mouth felt parched and achy. Still, she thought that perhaps Kitty needed to hear about the things that had happened just as much as Mackenzie needed to talk about them.

“Everyone always glorifies war, you know? They show you the snippets on television where the soldiers are marching off in a straight line, their heads held high and their backs straight with pride. Sure, they show the chaos, but they don’t show everything.” For a moment, she was once again lost in battle, flying through the air with her com-link shrieking every minute or two. Below, she watched as other Untouchables plowed through armed men and women alike, leaving trails of blood and human waste. “There was a lot that went on behind the scenes that most people will never be able to recover from. Not only were we fighting against supers, Kitty, but we were fighting against them.”

As if to accentuate the word, she glanced around and motioned with her eyes to the people that littered the park, that strolled along the path that was just a mere few feet from where they were sitting. “Every time I pass a normal person, I find myself wondering if I ever would have considered fighting for my country if I wasn’t different, you know?”

Then, biting her tongue, Mackenzie let out a sigh and let her gaze drop to her lap. Part of her felt that it wasn’t fair to burden Kitty with her thoughts, but the rest of her felt as though there were few other people that could honestly understand. Save for those that had served and seen the carnage like her.

[Shadowcat]

Katherine Pryde, with her hazel eyes absorbing the despair veiled over Mackenzie's face, listened quietly. Deep inside, she hoped the she could handle her friend's words of world-ruining scenes and ever-ensnaring dreams. Kitty had to be strong. Not just for Mackenzie, but for every other person who sacrificed anything from a limb to a departed state of mind. Her eyes dropped to see her arms flex and her hands grip one another, as if she were restraining her thoughts from escaping and haunting anyone else.

As Mackenzie spoke about war, Kitty nodded understandingly. Of course war was glorified. It's constantly just fluffing the pillow, so to speak, but in the end, it will always be flattened. No one would join war if it didn't make them a hero, right? Shadowcat pulled her gaze up to Mackenzie's face, watching her intently, analyzing anything she could. Or they go to war because it was right. Her brows fell in a sad expression. She wanted to console her friend as she spoke in spite of the horrible occurrences. Kitty wanted to heal her. But no one can erase such imprints.

"...But we were fighting against them."

As Beacon looked around the park to depict what she had meant by the word, Kitty followed suit, only seeing children, mothers pushing kids on a swing set, a jogger pass by. Them. The ordinary people. Kitty imagined the battle scene with the warriors wielding large weaponry, while they shot at anything that moved. Kitty was in no place to be prejudiced, but sometimes it felt the normal human beings were bored. So bored, that they'll initiate a war simply to amuse them, despite those who could be lost. It's all about making a name for themselves.

Yet, she needed to take into consideration that mutants were fighting against mutants as well. It wasn't a simple fight against capabilities, it was a complicated fight with complicated reasoning, right? Only Kitty could hope. Unnecessary violence was definitely a pet peeve. Autonomously, Kitty found herself pulling at the small Star of David hanging around her neck.

Once Mackenzie explained her current thoughts-- about her decisions-- Kitty shook her head abruptly, causing her high ponytail to shake with her head. "No! You chose to go for the good of the country. Sure, I mean, you fought against the same kind of people, but its not the same people. Catch my drift?" Kitty moved her hands around, like she usually does in speech. "These people are the ones that needed you to go out there!" She held her hand out, palm breathing in sunlight, gesturing to the simple pedestrians in sight. "And whether they say it or not, they are grateful." Kitty nodded, hoping that her words phased Mackenzie in some way. She tried to lend a good word or two. All she could see now if there was a glimmer of hope reflected in Mack's emerald eyes.

[beacon]

[OOC: Sorry it's a bit short and sloppy. I'm in a bit of a hurry...]

This girl never ceases to amaze me, Mackenzie decided as she found herself almost smiling. She’d never expected Kitty to so easily understand the things that she herself had a huge problem dealing with. But, she was grateful for her understanding and willingness to listen to her, so grateful that she felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from her chest.

“Thanks,” she murmured as she sucked in a slow and deep breath. “I really needed to hear that, Kitty. To hear someone remind me why I went in the first place.” Calmly petting the grass beside her, Mackenzie let her thoughts mull over the few things that she knew about Kitty. The girl was one of the youngest considered to be an X-Man (or woman) and yet had the capacity to be invincible. Briefly, she wondered what it had been like for Kitty to simply not serve, regardless of the fact that she had not been old enough at the time, and probably still wasn’t now, she added to herself, to enlist. “What did you do then? You didn’t enlist and the School was shut down for awhile...Where did you go?”

Perhaps it wasn’t any of her business, but Mack wanted to be sure that Kitty had been taken care of while the rest of her friends and teammates had been off and out of the picture. She felt a bit protective over the younger girl, and knew that most of the others did as well. Kitty, in a strange way, was family. Just like everyone else.

“You know, I haven’t heard anything about the others,” she finally admitted, glumly. “Do you - er, have you heard anything about anyone else?” she asked quickly.

[Shadowcat]

Smiling wide and showing her bright teeth, Kitty Pryde saw a hint of relief lace itself around Mackenzie's frame. She sighed happily. It was good to see Mackenzie feel somewhat better by talking. Kitty had to admit, she was a great listener; she was hoping she was just as great of an advice giver. Though it was a somewhat bold action, Kitty leaned over her folded legs and placed her hand gently on Mack's shoulder and smiled to her assuredly. "Sometimes one needs a little reminding."

Once Beacon asked where Kitty had went during the war, her smile weakened. She imagined the house-- exactly the way it had been since she left to the school. Her mother had small wrinkles under her eyes and smiled the same way she always had. "I went home." She muttered quietly. It wasn't fun. At the beginning, Emma Frost simply erased her mother's memory of any danger Kitty had been in. But once she returned home, Mommy wasn't so welcoming. Her mother ordered her to never see any of those 'human misfits' ever again, and that they were giving her a bad impression on how regular people should act. Of course, Kitty replied with how she wasn't a regular person-- things simply got worse-- and Kitty eventually left the house near the end of the war to stay in a hotel with the little cash she had.

"The others!" Kitty Pryde said quickly, happy that the subject was changed. "Well, I've only seen Scott, Cain, and..." Kitty trailed off as she whispered the last name under her breath. She lightly touched her lips and smiled at Mackenzie with a hue of pink spread across her cheeks, thick as butter.

[beacon]

Grinning like a school girl, Mackenzie fought the urge to wag her brows in Kitty's direction. A bit of pink crept across the girl's cheeks in an obvious sign of blushing, something that Mack was very familiar with herself. All fair girls had to deal with it at some time or another.

But, she didn't comment on the fact, immediately. "Good, that's good to hear," she let out a short sigh of relief. Of course, she wasn't too sure she wanted to venture back to the School knowing that Emma was around. The two rarely got along, but Mack imagined that Emma rarely got along with anyone that didn't have three knees.

"What's wrong, bad trip home?" she inquired, slightly curious about how a trip home had affected Katherine. After all, as far as Mack knew, everyone at the School was considered to be her family, and presumably Kitty's. She knew virtually nothing about Kitty's real family, but could only assume that they were good, nice people, if Kitty's good nature was any indication. "You know, I haven't been to see my family in about two years. I should probably drop in on them sometime and hassle my brothers."

Momentarily, she cast her eyes upward and tried to gauge what time it was by merely looking at the sun's position in the sky. "So, when are you going to tell 'im, Kitty?" she asked, yawning.


[OOC: MWAHAHAHAAHA!]

[Shadowcat]

ooc| D< Oh, and sorry it's so short, paying for internet is a suck...

After Kitty's obvious remark, she immediately wanted to suck in all the words she had just said and erase it from memory. Her hands crept up to her own cheeks, where she attempted to hide the heat. As Kitty sighed, Mackenzie continued to speak.

"What's wrong, bad trip home?"

Kitty Pryde merely shrugged in response. It wasn't her place to analyze what exactly went on. It was just like a regular teenage daughter and a mother going at it, when the daughter can phase through walls and probably has a higher IQ than her mother. It was hard, but nothing out of the ordinary. Every family had that, where the kid would slam the door and hide her face in the pillow, right? Kitty frowned. She pulled her sight up to Mackenzie's green eyes. Her remark about her own family made Kitty's frown disappear. She really knew how to lighten the mood, especially since Kitty was known to draw back into her mind and think... And think...

"So, when are you going to tell 'im, Kitty?"

"Tell him?" Her eyes widened, but she played it back and bit her tongue. "Tell who?" She grinned slightly, turning back to the grass and attempted to hide the knowledge from her expression.

[beacon]

Mack wasn't sure whether or not she should call Kitty on the obvious slip, but decided that the blush that crept up the girl's neck was almost worth laughing about. She remembered that feeling; that bubbling sensation that could cause a girl to bite her lip and turn away. It was a good feeling, and she had no intention of mocking it.

"Tell him?" Kitty had asked. "Tell who?".

Surely Kitty didn't think her that oblivious, or did she? Either way, Mack knew exactly who he was, and still managed to find it somewhat funny. After all, the man was as oblivious as a tree when it came to certain matters. She had no doubt in her mind that it would take someone prodding him with a large stick to get him to move in the proper direction.

Grinning, she merely continued to stare at the slightly cloudy sky. "Him?" she murmured in reply, a playful lilt in her voice. "Why, I do believe that he has a name, Kitty, a name I'm sure you're quite fond of." Slowly, she sat up and glanced over at the girl, hoping to make sure that she wasn't being rude when she grinned. "Oh, come on. He's a nice guy, if you go for the big and strapping type." She wagged her eyebrows suggestively before placing her hands in her lap.

Still, it was good to know that Emma, Scott, Cain, and of course Piotr, whose name Kitty could not bring herself to say louder than a whisper, were all well.


[OOC: Heh. >_>]

[Shadowcat]

The lightheaded feeling of affection made Kitty Pryde the most uncomfortable young woman in New York. It gave her cold goosebumps. Yet, it was nice to be able to play around with Mackenzie on the fragile subject. She was such a kind, understanding woman. She knew how to support someone. Mack also asked for support, as well. It made Kitty feel important, and it made her feel better when things weren't going so well. Kitty finally felt a content feeling, despite all the negativity that forced itself upon the innocent people of the city.

Mackenzie continued to poke fun at Shadowcat's love interest, and her face merely coated another shade of red as she laughed. Kitty waved her arms around to quiet her as the man's name lingered on both of the womans' lips. She felt herself leaning in with a wide grin on her face, and she hid her bright red face within her palms. Kitty's fit of laughter grew as Mackenzie spoke about Piotr being the 'big and strapping type', and soon dubious glances were shot in the park at the poor girl suffering painful sides from the embarrassing, romantically inclined, funny conversation. Some would assume she thought the situation was taken way too hilarious for it's content, and Kitty would agree; however, the only way to let out these constrained feelings for Piotr was to laugh, and to laugh loudly.

With a sigh an a tear to wipe from the eye, Kitty stared happily into Mack's green eyes with a thankful expression. "That was funny..." She drabbled, holding back slight giggles that jumped around in her throat. After a lingering moment of silence, she broke it by placing some of her hands behind her right ear. "So, did you hear about the War Memorial?" She asked quietly as she wondered if bringing it up would be an okay thing to do.

ooc| Sorry it's so sucky. Bargh.