She's Got a Ticket to Ride

[Katana]

Walking into the library, Katana took a moment to breath in the smell of the books. She had never spent much time with books before coming to Xavier and likely would not have started reading here had it not been for tragically losing all her friends. First Guardian and Elixir, whom she had barely started to get to know, had died in Limbo, and then Jumper had almost died after the foolish run away attempt she had led, and was withdrawn from the school by his parents. Katana had turned to the books to cope with this and with her social isolation. It also helped that most of the other students didn't spend a great deal of time in the library, so she could always find a quiet corner in which to read, and also to write.

She had started with some trashy romance novels, but eventually had worked her way into fantasy books and even some literature. Well, Nightcrawler had really directed her to the literature and without his prodding she would not have tried to read it. The books were too thick and daunting. About a month ago she had started to try to write her own stories. She had a few short stories and some poems, but the main thing was a novel she was trying to write. She kept rewriting the first couple chapters though so there was not much, but at least in her mind the first chapters were getting good. While she had wanted to show it to Nightcrawler to see what he thought, she had been too afraid. She worried he would laugh at her.

She had it in her hands now, having gotten it when she got her uniform. Ok, maybe he will laugh, but if I show it to him at least he'll know that I trust him a lot. He'll know that he means a lot to me as my friend and teacher, and that at least some of what he's taught me has sunk in. Won't he?, she asked herself. Ms. Frost said it was her idea. That means Nightcrawler didn't kick me off his team. He was mad at me this morning sure, but he's been mad at me before. It doesn't mean he hates me.

Turning a corner in the stacks, Katana finally spied Nightcrawler and trembling slowly she approached her teacher and said, "Hi...I am sorry. Really sorry about this morning. I know you probably won't believe it but I have taken a lot of what you have taught me to heart. I've been trying...not enough, I realize, but a lot more than before. And I'm going to keep trying....Ms. Frost wants to move me to another team. Well she is moving me to another team. I know she's probably told you. I don't want to go, but she thinks it is best. I kind of hope you can still mentor me and be my friend. But I understand if you don't want to because I've blown so many chances."

Taking a deep breath she put the uniform down in front of him with the couple chapters of her story on top of it. "Here's my uniform. On top of it is just some chapters from a story I've been writing. It's not great stuff but you said to try to find something I was passionate about and work on it. To try to do something. That's what I've been trying. If you want you can look at it," she said as tears quietly rolled down her face.

[Nightcrawler]

Looking up into the eyes of Leah Okami, Kurt saw the pain she was holding in. It hurt him too, to know he had failed to help her. "I vill enjoy reading it." Kurt said rising out of his chair and walking forward to reach out for his former team member.

"Yes, Emma let me know you'd be svitching teams. It's not zhe end of zhe vorld..." he saw her eyes welling up with tears and pulled her into a hug "It's not zhe end of our friendship eizher." He broke the hug and held her at arms length stooping down to get a look at her eyes.

"Zhis is a good zhing, und I vill still be your teacher und your friend." a warm toothy grin lit his features as he let the girl know the reality of her situation. "It is not because of anysing ozher zhan it being vhat is best for you, zhis is a school und it only makes sense for you to have a better chance to learn if you are less frustrated, less encumbered by zhe rapier tongues of others."

He stood up straight again and nodded at her saying "You must grow thicker skin. Look at me, It took me a great deal of time to be comfortable enough viss myself to venture forth into zhe vorld, but I am not going to let somevon's opinion...their vords...vound me. To keep it in fencing terms, don't let zheir rapier tongues foil you, eh?" he chuckled a little and then regaining his composure said

"O.K. zhat vas not so funny...but zhis will be good for you I think. Go on now, Colossus is expecting you I'm sure. I vill read your story und tell you vhat I think." he patted her on her shoulders gently "I'm proud of you for being brave enough to face a day, now make me proud und embrace zhis change my friend."

[Katana]

Leah's tears came faster as Nightcrawler held her. It's going to be OK. she thought, happily, he doesn't hate me. She had half expected him to angrily tell her to go away and was greatly surprised when he told her he would enjoy reading her work and gave her a big hug. For the past few months Nightcrawler had been more than a teacher and friend to her. He had been a surrogate father, and given her experience with her own father in Leah's warped mind that meant she both loved him and was terribly afraid he would do something awful to her if she didn't push him away. Only now, was that fear finally giving way to reality. Thus, when he said the change of teams would be good for her she did not, as she would have in the past, think that this meant the hug was fake and that he really disliked her. She knew he, like Ms. Frost, had her best interest at heart.

Listening intently to Nightcrawler's advice about not taking the other student's words to heart and stifling a chuckle at the pun that even her teacher admitted was not terribly funny, Katana replied softly after the teacher had finished by telling her to make him proud. "It was pretty funny, just didn't seem the right moment to laugh. Thank you so much...this means an awful lot to me. I will make you proud and I hear what you are saying about a thick skin. See you soon!" She then gave her former team leader one more quick hug, turned around and left for the garden.

[Frostbite]

Lorelai headed straight to the library after leaving the garden, finishing the swap by taking care of the rest of what she needed to get done. How convenient it was, that Nightcrawler would be in the first place she had thought to begin looking in had Katana not said anything. She soon found Nightcrawler sitting at one of the tables where a uniform was as well as a pile of papers right about where Katana had said he would be. Guess luck is on my side today, aside from the little hindrance in Gym class. Ah, well, it helped me figure things out so I guess it wasn't so bad. Now I’m on a new team and everything. Aha.

The smirk she had leaving the garden was the same as it was now as she approached the Paragons team leader, her arms crossed over her chest. A seat away from him, she leaned a little against the table and then spoke. "Hey there Nightcrawler. You probably already know, but I'm your newest team member since Katana and I switched. Miss Frost said I needed to pick up a new uniform, so here I am," she said, uncrossing her arms and opening them slightly as if to say 'Ta da!'

Lorelai knew Nightcrawler was cool; all the teachers were, really, so the switch to the Paragons probably wouldn't be so bad. Not much would change in that aspect she thought, since it was only just a different team. She had to hold back a laugh as she wondered what the student body would think of this after eating up how she helped Rumble. This day was truly enlightening. I'm like an icy girl version of Buddha or something, all enlightened and shit. Ah how nice it is to see the way things should be, she thought contently.

[Nightcrawler]

"Yes, I have heard...and just like that- with a flourish of your arms you are mine to look after?" Kurt stood up and looked at her as she was there before him. "Well then let me see what I have got to work with. Turn about and raise your arms to the sides, so I might take a guess on your uniform size."

He looked to see what she would do and how she would behave. If she thought it was a joke or if she was over eager, these would tell him where her mindset was with regard to this change. He body language as she had initially approached was a bit disconcerting. With her arms crossed as they were she was hiding something, or protecting herself in some way. He wondered what she had to be worried about.

"Hmmm and you are oh maybe five foot seven, five-eight.. about what a hundred and forty, one-fifty maybe?" Kurt was no tailor, but he had been sizing up the children for their uniforms for a long time. "Yes I think we'll have just the size for you. Pardon please, I'll return in a minute or two."

With a ~BaMF~ he was gone. The smell of brimstone, what most would now a days call sulfur, and a cloud of dark vapor remaining. It had just about dissipated when another ~BaMF~ erupted through the fabric of the atmosphere and Nightcrawler was again present. "Here you are liebshen, I hope it is comfortable. Many times what we wish for is not what we get. As they say 'the grass is always greener', and so very green is the color of this uniform- yet is it truly greener? Well, only time will answer that for you Lorelai."

He grinned and said "Welcome to the team child, practice is three days a week unless otherwise noted. Tomorrow after Iceman's class will be your first one as a Paragon. I don't want you to worry it will not be strenuous, so you can do your utmost in Iceman's class. O.K.?" He held out the new uniform to her. It was still wrapped in plastic, so she would know it was all hers.

[Frostbite]

Lorelai smirked and indulged Nightcrawler by turning once, raising her arms lazily as she turned around somewhat slowly. "Yep, simple as that," she replied with a short laugh and raised an eyebrow as he rather accurately sized her up. She didn't answer and leaned against the table again when she could smell the sulfurous smell of the BAMF aftereffect, getting another strong whiff of it when he BAMFed back. Her face contorted into a slightly disgusted expression in between, but the smirk came back when she saw the new uniform in Nightcrawler's hands. A new uniform for a new start. Very good.

Lorelai smirked at her new team leader, nodding slightly at him. "Thanks," she said, and looked at him, her eyebrow raised at him again. Oh don't tell me he's trying to make me rethink this whole thing. He better not. freak that, I got what I wanted. I'm away from Dipshits One and Two, and I'm on a team better suited for how I am now, and that's that. And like I told myself earlier, my birthday will be a wonderful thing so I can move up and shit. I wonder which one I'll get moved to, she thought as Nightcrawler welcomed her to the team.

She took the offered uniform and looked at it. "Good. I'll be there, and yessir!" she said, her face turning slightly amused as she mock saluted him. "I'll kick ass then, promise," she added smirking again, raising the uniform a bit as if raising a glass to toast, and then literally bowed out to turn to leave seeing as it seemed he didn't have anything more to say, nor did she have any questions for him to answer. "See you tomorrow at practice, or at dinner tonight, whatever one," Lorelai said with a shrug, starting to walk away.