1

X-23 muttered as she stormed down the hall. Only Kitty was so very empathetic to actually risk taking the brunt of her annoyed ire. It probably helped that she was uniquely able to phase through adimantinum claws; a mixture of CQC, Krav Maga and Combat Sambo Spetznaz; and a surprising array of enemy personnel devices that the darker skinned girl managed to cobble together out of whatever was left laying around unguarded during any free time she was allotted.

"What's the matter?", Kitty asked her. "And don't say 'nothing'. We help each other around here."

"No you don't.", X-23 snapped. "Sorry. Not all of you."

"Well, like, I'll try if you want.", she offered.

X-23 crossed her arms and scowled. "And I you won't judge me over what you've said is my own business."

"Scouts honor.", Kitty beamed.

Then frowned. "Wait. What do you mean, 'your business'? I don't you should be harming anyone or that I should be helping you with that. There's better ways/"

The other girl scoffed and dismayed with a wave of her hand. "Don't worry. I don't have an intention of hurting him."

Then she frowned. "At least I don't think so."

"Him?", Kitty prompted.

X-23 shuffled. "Fine. I have a date on Saturday. And/"

"That's great!", Kitty beamed. "We have to get your look ready."

X-23 visibly relaxed. "Thank you! I've heard a girl is supposed to go over her appearance before a date but I couldn't get anyone to help me."

"I don't believe that.", Kitty declared. And then at the other girl's expression of exasperation. "Like, did you ask Jean? She's usually an expert at this sort of thing from hanging out with Duncan and the cheerleaders."

"I started with Jean!", X-23 exclaimed. "But it's always 'ew' and then followed by her faking the Professor's 'let me think in your head with a hand on your shoulder'-not-advice voice trying to talk me out of it."

"But didn't Jean want you to socialize more the most?", Kitty objected.

"Right? You see my frustration.", X-23 agreed. "And she shouldn't be one to be objecting to how someone looks."

"What?", Kitty asked. "Well, she is very pretty. Maybe she was thinking/"

"No she wasn't.", X-23 interrupted. "The girl nearly ovulates whenever Cyclops is in the room. And he will never have an objective opinion of what she looks like because of his eyes. The best she can do is implant a thought of herself in his head and that's going be uglier than she actually is because every espionage agency knows women judge their own appearance much harsher than those around them."

Kitty stayed silent a moment. "I see your point. Does your date look...have an appearance she wouldn't appreciate?"

"Oh, yes.", X-23 assured. "He doesn't look healthy at all. He isn't bulky like an alpha male or have concise features like the manipulative at all."

Kitty stayed silent.

"But there's other things too. His smell doesn't make me want to kill him like yours does."

"My what?", Kitty asked.

X-23 skipped over it. "And he is physically fit, or at least to any standard I'd need out of him. And his respiratory system has a soothing rhythm rather than the cacophony yours is doing right now."

"My what?", Kitty asked, anew.

The other girl placed her hand on the bottom of her sternum. "Bub-bub-bump-bump-bub-bump. It's like you're annoyed at something."

"I'm not annoyed.", and annoyed Kitty Pryde denied.

"His just acclimates to his surroundings nearly automatically.", X-23 explained.

Kitty nodded as she thought she had found something she could actually understand. "He's a real, cool guy, huh?"

The other girl snapped her fingers. "Exactly. You get it."

"Alright, that gives us something to work with.", Kitty stated. "But you said he looks kind of sickly. If he's self conscious about his looks, you're going to have to take that into account. Not everyone accepts on the first time that a girl can appreciate a face full of fur...er...beard. Beard. Put still, how pasty white is he?"

"He's not white.", X-23 said.

"Ohmigosh, I'm sorry.", Kitty apologized hastily. "I mean, I'm not like, sorry he's not white. I mean, good for you. Not that it matters. I mean, it...er...can? Maybe?"

"He's yellow.", the black haired girl informed.

This brought Kitty to a complete standstill. On one hand she knew two pertinent pieces of information: X-23 was basically a clone of Mr. Logan with a copy of his X chromosone swapped with his Y to get the process to work, and that every time she overheard one of the teachers talk about Mr. Logan's past loves it was usually some Asian name- Itsu, Atsuko, Mariko, Yukio or Yuriko or something, etc. Which gave Jubilee some ideas that Kitty thought would be pretty creepy in reverse. In other other hand, Kitty also thought that it probably wasn't a good way to try to charm an Asian by calling him yellow.

"You know, like jaundice of the liver?", X-23 prompted.

Oh! "Oh!", Kitty exhaled a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"Alright. Given that: You know how you have this whole intimidating vibe and this guy doesn't set that off for you. Maybe you should go with that. Not wear your usual leather and military gear style. Something softer. That'll show him that you dressed up for the date without, like, letting him know you dressed up for the date."

X-23 furrowed her brow. "Why would I want to keep dressing up for a date secret, if the goal is to spend enough effort to get him into a relationship? How would he know I spent the effort if I don't hide it from him?"

"Oh, girl, you have so much to learn."

2

Kitty relaxed on her bed. She had a fun time helping X-23 get a plan for Saturday. A lot of people said the girl was like a drill sargeant before a war. But X-23 listened carefully to her advice. She was methodical and took into account the potential effectiveness of any outfit. And filled with great advice like "No plan survives contact with a date." X-23 was really breaking away from her super-weapon conditioning.

What broke up the peace was Rogue, even more surly than usual. "What's with you?", Kitty inquired.

"Oh, ya wanna get me stahted huh?", Rogue declared. "This first time, THE FIRST TIME, I ask for any help about a date that I have...After having to listen to all of you go in circles and holding patterns that you can just keep to until you feel like cowboy'n up. After all I've had to deal with from all of you. I ask for help, this one time! And it's all 'Are you sure, Rogue?' 'Is it the careful thing, Rogue?' 'You know the example and X-man should set, right, Rogue?'"

Rogue flopped on her bed in their shared room. "Like I don't know how serious my mutation is. I'm the frickin' expert in mutations, as many of you people's ah got rattlin' around in mah head. And Jean wants to think I haven't thought about it. She can read my mind and still think I'm not worried sick about whether or not ah'm doing the right thing!"

Kitty rolled over and looked at her. "You know what'll cheer you up. Picking out your outfit."