#pryde;thread

Kate was in a particularly sour mood. Natasha had given her the go ahead to meet behind the scenes of the Killiseum, but she never expected to use it at all. Let alone so soon. During her important meeting with a client, her attention was hyper fixated on the battle taking place beneath their private booth. Not due to wondering the outcome, only curious how long her best friend would toy with the three fighters pitted against her. She was almost certain after the two made eye contact that the fight became much closer. After that her gaze turned into a glare.

Lockheed practically danced on her shoulders as the pair waited on their favorite battle contestant to exit. Though with folded arms and a scowl on her face, outsiders would not think Kate thought favorably of the other. The fact that the small dragon took flight meant he had caught sight of the familiar blonde hair before she did. Approaching her battle worn friend Kate stifled the joy she felt at seeing Lockheed excitedly circling her. “You know, I’ve fought demons with you. I have a hard time thinking that those three would be a challenge for you,” her head turned as her tone skewed slightly accusatory. She would be lying if she said Illyana didn’t have a way of getting under her skin easier than anyone else.

It had been far too long since she returned home. Or this version of home in the new world. The quiet council had been especially, well, quiet lately. Something she wouldn’t complain about. It meant less bureaucracy and more travel.

It was impossible to miss the distinct look of Mutopia’s protector waiting to greet her. “Sheriff!” Kate shouted loud enough to cause her crew to grow silent a moment.

Leaping from the Marauder onto the dock below she began to approach the other. Before they could get too close, Kate pulled the cutlass from her side and held it drawn out towards her. She had missed this.

“It’s good to see you again Betsy,” the crew laughed off the tension and returned to unloading their goods.

Kate needed to clear her head. She hadn’t been back to Doomstadt long and already she had her fill of unwanted confrontations. It seemed only natural to turn to her friend that always seemed to have his head clear of thoughts, Johnny Storm. Now she found herself walking through the dimly lit entryway to Club Doom. The flashing lights and sounds of the crowd hit with the drop of the beat nearly loud enough to cause her stomach to sink. “Is this just a normal day in the life of Johnny Storm,” she leaned up to Johnny’s ear and spoke at a higher volume to compensate for the noise in the room.

Countless gorgeous men and women passed by, several giving glances that she could not discern as being for her or Johnny. The chaos, the music, the people. Kate could see the appeal of such a place. She still expected that her attempts to cease her overthinking would be in vain, but if there was a location that could do it, it was Club Doom.

Kate was both flattered and irritated that she was still able to blend in with the classroom full of students. She raised her hand up from the back row of seats to draw in the teacher’s attention. “Professor is a good look on you,” she couldn’t hide her smile despite her best efforts. It wasn’t often she returned to Xavier’s Institute aside from the occasional call of business. Now her intentions were to meet with the headmaster, but not before making the rounds to those she held dear.

“Know. Your. Mutants.” Kate had a captive audience of non mutants for the first time in a while. “We are all…” her mind trailed off to several members of her team, “mostly all there to protect lives. But it helps us when you stay calm and know who can best get you out of a given situation. I can phase you through walls, Wolverine breaks things. Nightcrawler can teleport you away, Wolverine breaks things.” Attending support groups wasn’t her usual, but Kate had agreed to give a small presentation from one Captain to another. It was one of the few chances she had to make a positive impression on humans that didn’t immediately require saving. She would never say no to that. It was also important for her to take perspective on the other side from time to time.

Lockheed had shifted speed several blocks back, now gliding like a dragon on a mission. Kate did her best to keep up. Even accidentally shorting out several cell phones of pedestrians she chose to phase through rather than run around.

Suddenly his trajectory changed to sky upwards to the roof of a multistory apartment building. “Oh come on,” exasperated she dove into the alleyway. Pushing hard off the nearest garbage bin, she managed to wrap her fingers around the bottom rung of the fire escape. Her muscles tensed as she pulled herself upwards. All her time in the danger room had paid off apparently as she felt the burn in her arms. As her feet met with the ladder her timing quickened until she was running up flight after flight.

With one final leap Kate found herself landing atop the roof. Not to her surprise, Lockheed was not chasing a villain, but a friend. Her small purple friend was sitting on the ledge squawking at a nearby red and blue spandex clad figure. “Spider-Man,” her breathing was still a little labored as she offered a greeting.

The dock drew closer as the deck hands leapt across, guiding the boat snug up against it to tie off. The crew’s exhaustion was as clear as Kate’s own. Her hand rubbed at the nape of her neck. She felt as though she was standing for hours on end despite trading off duties throughout the journey across the Doomlantic Ocean. After a brief moment thanking her deck hands she assured them the payments would be transferred after she received the funds from Doom himself. The more precious cargo, she took the liberty of unloading herself.

Her worn leather couch had never felt more comfortable than sinking into it after a trip. ‘Emma’ her thoughts focused in on the telepath. A phone call would surely suffice, but it held a subtlety that seemed it would not appeal to the White Queen’s grandiose nature. Not to mention there was little chance she would actually set foot in as quaint an apartment as hers.

‘Remind me again that weeks stuck at sea are better than being banished to the Deadlands’ a land bad enough even Doom didn’t want it renamed after him. Kate had not experienced seasickness before, but the trip had driven her to the brink. It only took two days on the ocean before she made the mental note to bring more than a single book and dice. By the forth day Lockheed was the only company she cared to keep. The seventh day the Marauder reached it’s destination, fortunately before a mutiny could truly start brewing.