kineticcajun | Appointments

[She can offer all she likes, but he's too damn stubborn to accept that shoulder for support. Instead, he just follows the advice in an attempt not to slip around so much. These boots are awesome, but they're not really made for ice.

Hey, look, he managed to move with the slide without overcorrecting his balance!]

T'ink this's the best I'm gonna get 'til I find some snow boots.

There are rubber caps, extra soles that you stretch and put over your normal shoes that are covered in spirals of metal to give you more of a grip on the snow. It may be simpler to do that for the winter months. [No, she doesn't applaud Remy's slide and save at all, Adele just keeps walking down the path, correcting herself as she goes.]

Maybe. [Almost slip.] Merde. [So, so glad it isn't too much further to the Battle Dome. He hates snow. So much. He's almost glad he's getting hauled out of it for this damn mission.]

Or maybe I should take a crack at hibernatin' through 'til spring.

[Adele's quick to reach out for Gambit's elbow in an attempt to steady him. Honestly, she was right here and the right height, there as no reason not to use her as a brace while they walked.] And leave the rest of the village bereft of your fine company? What would we do with ourselves?

[~~But mooooom you're embarrassing him!~~ Frowning, but trying to focus on keeping his footing so that he can prove he doesn't need help, he gives a soft snort of amusement.]

Ah, you gotta point, can't do that. Dis village ain't got enough charm goin' on wit'out me.

[~~Take the help that's offered or you get no dessert!~~ Adele keeps her hand on his elbow, just to keep him from slipping. Even if it would probably take them both down.]

And if you left I would have to be your substitute, and I am a terrible charmer. I only won my husband because he couldn't speak French and had no idea what I was failing to say to him.

[He grins despite himself.]

Usually works better when they got no idea what you're sayin'. Don't seem to work as much otherwise. [And Belladonna laughed at him a few times. At least Rogue just yells at him to shut up.] But maybe I oughta give you some pointers anyway in case of hibernation.

[Or getting killed on this mission or something. Totally the best thing to joke around about, what are you talking about.]

[Not much farther to the Dome. They'll be warm and stable soon enough. She thinks.]

I can no longer appear to have some measure of dignity by swearing in French here. Everything is translated. [She snorts.] So that trick is lost to me.

...I do not think I would mind it. Perhaps it would help me make more friends here, yes?

[He'd be trying to charge the soles of his boots if he wasn't so sure that the slightest power fluctuation would blow his feet off. Instead, he's just focusing on balance.]

Could be. But I hate t'break it to you, this ol' Cajun's better at makin' enemies than friends.

You are a prince of thieves, yes? It is to be expected. [And there it is, the Dome fully in view through the snow and the wind.]

Besides. If you make an enemy, their enemies in turn would consider you a friend. Or an ally.

[Battle Dome, you are the most beautiful building he has ever seen right now.]

Sometimes. [It's how he ended up working with the Xavier kids a few times even when working for Magneto. But it never lasts. He gives a small frown.] Allies are a bit easier t'come by here, at leas'.

We've one large common enemy Remy. Everyone has something against our jailer. [Somber for a moment but she pushes through the last of the snow to walk up the stairs to the Battle Dome's doors.]

Ain't that the truth. [He trudges up the stairs as well, shakes the snow off his shoulders, and pushes through the doors. Ahh, glorious lack of snow. He grins back at her, already starting to cheer up just being out of the elements.]

Want your pack of cards now or you wantin' to wait 'til I got the targets set up?

Now, if you do not mind. [She takes some time to tap the packed snow off of her feet and brush it off of her coat, folding it over and setting it aside once they reach whatever room it is Gambit leads her to.] Better to get a feel for their weight and balance, such as it is, early, yes?

That it is. [He pulls a fresh pack of cards from one pocket and hands it over to her. The plastic has been removed, but that's about it. Once she's taken the cards, he'll get to punching in a fairly basic target practice range on the console.] These cards, they got a good balance to 'em. Guess I oughta count myself lucky they got better than jus' the cheap stuff here.

[She accepts the pack with a nod and thumbs it open, tugging the cards out to feel the weight of the whole deck.] Substandard cards make it difficult to throw. In medical school we would...I do not know what it is called, but you throw cards to make them land in the hat. If you didn't, you drank.

Me an' my brother used to play that game. [He grins.] An' then Henri got sick'a losin'.

[Type, type. Done. He's tossed in a few more difficult targets if she picks it up quickly as well as for himself to aim at, and taps the console as a signal that it's done.]

There. [And he'll even be all dramatic and give a bow, gesturing towards the training room.] After you.

...Henri? [She'd forgotten entirely about his brother's name. Hearing it made her distant for a moment, a little sad, a little worn. Someone she'd never see again. A beat later she's back to herself and shuffling the cards in uncertain hands. Adele enters the training room, eying the targets. Tossing a card down into a hat is one thing, but acting against gravity is a completely different animal.] Thank you.

[Gambit starts shuffling as well, eyes on his cards rather than on Adele. His family relationships haven't exactly been too sturdy.] Oui. Henri. He's an idiot.

[His tone is a little hollow on that, but he still tries to brush right past it. His shuffling is probably the only hint that he's a little agitated, but then again, it's also usually a sign of boredom, so it may not be so clear.]

But my idiot brother ain't important right now. We gotta teach you some throwin' techniques, non?

No it is just. My youngest sibling. His name is Henri as well, though he is a little less of an idiot. [She chuckles and runs her fingers over the edges of her cards.] While I am not the most skilled at this, spent an evening walking him through it before he went to the university.

...[Enough about siblings.]

A demonstration would be the best way to start, yes?

[Huh. He almost laughs. Friend named Remy, and now a brother named Henri. He's not sure he wants to know if she has a Tante Mattie as well, that might be a little too uncanny. With a shake of his head to clear that thought, he takes one card from his deck with a practiced, fluid motion.]

I t'ink you're right, doc. A demonstration oughta help a bit. The motion's real quick, though - an' it's all in the wrist.

[He'll hold the card steady for a moment so she can get a good idea of how to balance it - and also to remind himself that no, we are not charging the card this time - and then with a flick of the wrist, he throws the card straight through the center of a target hoop.]

[Adele isn't oblivious to how strange this all was for both of them and lets the subject pass without any further commentary. Instead she focuses on the motion of Gambit's wrist, frowning a little as she tries, and fails, to catch all the nuances therein.

She mimics the gesture without throwing the card a few times, gauging how it should feel before standing and taking aim. Eyes narrow, she flicks her wrist and releases, sending the card spinning out for roughly three feet then curving sharply to the right as it spins down to the ground.]

Not too bad, not too bad.

[He steps over, picks up her card, and hands it back to her.]

Ain't exactly somethin' you pick up overnight, but you off to a good start.

Acting against gravity is different than working with it. [She takes the card with a nod and tries again, keeping her wrist straight at the release. Not as fast or as accurate as Remy's but this time it flies straight enough to clip the bottom of the ring.]

An' you're still off to a good start.

[That was damn good for a second try, in fact. And since clipping the ring was enough to bend the card past the point that it will fly right, he'll make it his own target practice for cleanup. His card hits it dead center and blows up with it.]

The trick to it is stayin' relaxed. Try not to t'ink too much or you'll jus' psyche yourself out.

[Action] Feb. 4th

[Action] Feb. 4th

[Action] Feb. 4th

[Action] Feb. 4th

[Action] Feb. 4th

[Action] Feb. 4th

[Action] Feb. 4th

[Action] Feb. 4th

[Action] Feb. 4th

[Action] Feb. 4th

[Action] Feb. 4th

[Action] Feb. 4th

[Action] Feb. 4th

[Action] Feb. 4th

[Action] Feb. 4th

[Action] Feb. 4th

[Action] Feb. 4th

[Action] Feb. 4th

[Action] Feb. 4th

[Action] Feb. 4th

[Action] Feb. 4th

[Action] Feb. 4th

[Action] Feb. 4th

[Action] Feb. 4th

[Action] Feb. 4th