xp_logs | Kitty spots Betsy and there is both charging and hugging

Kitty looked up from her textbook at the flicker of motion she thought she had seen out the window. Someone walking up the path... Something... purple...? Purple! "Betsy!" Kitty was out of her seat and through the wall like a shot. "Betsy! You're back! Are you really back? Betsy!"

No faster than she turned to the sound of her name did she feel hands wrap around her waist. Betsy smiled down at the head of brown curls tucked firmly into her chest. "It's good to see you too, Kit," Betsy said softly.

Kitty hugged her tight, then stepped back. "Hi," she said. "Are you really back? As in back back? Or..." Betsy looked good. Life away from the Mansion had obviously suited her, and the thought crossed Kitty's mind that it might have suited her a little too well.

"Yes, I'm back. Let me get a good look at you," she said, pulling back and taking in the subtle changes in Kitty's stance. She jokingly held up the young girl's chin, holding her face up to some intense inspection before sighing inwardly. Even while she was at the school, she'd missed so much, but there was time to still change that. "And while I was gone, you've gone and grown up on me. That was absolutely unfair of you, you know."

"Oh, sure, cause I grew so much in a month..." Kitty said, although she couldn't keep the pleased grin off her face. "How was your trip? Where did you go?" Now that Kitty's theory on people who went away forever to come back was once more validated, it was permissable to talk about the going away bit.

"A lot can happen in a month, Kit," Betsy said, continuing with her walk, and stopping briefly for Kitty to join her. "Well, I went home for a bit..." she paused briefly. "...and afterward, decidedly did some globe-hopping for some much needed stress relief. How's it been for you lot, as of late?"

"How was England? And globe-hopping sounds good. Things for me have been..." She shrugged. "Well, a lot of the usual, plus some other stuff. Amanda went away and came back with a little girl she has apparently adopted. I think that's the biggest news here at school."

Noticing the slump of the young girl's shoulders, Betsy slowed down her walk a bit. "I don't mean to pry, Kit, but other stuff sounds a bit more complicated than you're letting on." She wrapped her arm around Kitty right shoulder and squeezed. "Not that I'm not interested with what Amanda been going through, but do you want to talk about it?"

That got Betsy another shrug. "Oh, I don't know. Mostly just family stuff. Told my mom that Jamie and I were going to NYU next term and while she's ok with it, it seems maybe she's less ok with him than I'd thought."

"It's not because he's a mutant," Betsy asked, disbelievingly. When Kitty remained quiet for a moment, Betsy continued. "Is it?"

"Hmmm?" Kitty blinked. "Oh, no. That would be pretty hypocritcal, even for her. But, while she didn't come out and say I shouldn't be dating a goy it was real clear that I shouldn't be thinking about settling down with one. She said something to the effect that at a school in New York at least I wouldn't have any trouble finding a nice Jewish boy."

"Oh, dear. That" Betsy exhaled loudly, unsure of how to continue. "Was not what I was expecting." Betsy privately wondered, how could someone accept their child for all her gifts and abilities, and yet could still hold onto such archaic belief structures? "I'm truly sorry to hear that."

"Truth to tell, it wasn't something I had been expecting, either. And I've got no idea if this is just my mom or if dad has an opinion, too, cause I haven't talked to him. Tried calling him a couple times, but he's never home and hasn't called back, and the one coworker of his I got ahold of told me 'Congrats about NYU, and don't worry about your dad'." She shrugged. "My family is nuts."

"Who's isn't?" Betsy said, offhandedly, giving Kitty another reassuring squeeze. Thinking of what she left

behind back home, Betsy felt a tinge of sadness rush through her, but let it go. There's was nothing she could do about it now. "Come on, Kit" Betsy encouraged. "They'll come around. I'm sure of it."

"Hope you're right," Kitty said, leaning into the hug. "And so I'm mainly doing the holding-pattern thing, and working on finishing my classes and so on. Cause, you know, whatever happens, happens."

"And until then, the rest of us will be here to make sure we keep your nerves good and frayed, alright?" Betsy chided. "We wouldn't be family, if we didn't."

"The family we chose for ourselves," Kitty agreed with a smile. "Thank you. And thank you for coming back, and the telescope, and everything."

"You shouldn't thank me for coming back just yet," Betsy said with a grin. "I'll probably do something that rubs your the wrong way soon enough. It's in my nature, but you're welcome." They started back toward the school once again, as Betsy had planned on seeing a few people before the next set of classes started. "Come on, I need to head back and find Alison and if you'll help me avoid the school, I'll think up something fun we can do together. Deal?"

"Yeah, but to do it you'll have to be here, so that works for me." Kitty grinned. "Avoiding the school and finding Al we can do. Hell, if you know where she is we can take the Kitty express anywhere in the Mansion. Although I'll get yelled at if you're going to have me take you down to the team levels." Which didn't mean she wouldn't do it, if it were needed, but it probably wasn't.

Betsy looked up at the school looming before them, searching for someone as her eyes roamed the building before finally stopping on a window, definitely above the ground fllor. "She's definitely not anywhere we can't get to her, Kit. And if you're willing, I'd really love to plan a sneak attack just this once."

Kitty grinned and offered Betsy her hand. "Going in through the wall sneaky enough for you?"