1963-09-01 - Music Night at Harry's
Summary: Harry's Hideout allows for many to meet, hang out and discuss life.
Related: None
Theme Song: None
piotr dazzler kitty binx rory 


It is approaching dinnertime at Harry's Hideaway, and that means two things:

The bar is rapidly filling with regulars, and the employees are preparing the stage for the evening's live music.

Piotr Rasputin is not the evening's live music. The massive Russian is a regular, however, and that is probably obvious by the quietly concerned murmuring exchanged between a pair of waitresses when he enters Harry's, graciously holding the door open for Kitty before following her inside. The big man's face and arms are home to an assortment of healing cuts and bruises, including one very noticable bandage across the bridge of his nose.

The waitress who meets them just inside with a pair of menus in hand gives him a worried look. "What the hell happened to you, Pete?"

"Nothing to worry about," Piotr assures her, one of his hands quickly finding Kitty's shoulder. "A booth, please."

*

While trying to make a name for herself, Dazzler isn't picky about what venues she'll preform, and while Harry's Hideaway is no Cafe Wha? like her debut performance, she happily took the booking when it was offered. She walks in wearing a rather dazzling sleeveless white beaded dress with a stand-away collar, the dress bedazzled with reflective bits of mirror woven in the beading. Her electric guitar is slung from a strap over her back as she makes her way to the stage, where they just finish setting everything up, she goes to connect to the speaker, and strums a quick little test which casuses a reverberating plucked G string about the locale.

*

Kitty Pryde hasn't looked worse for wear for some time. The circles around her eyes have darkened, her skin has paled (although it flushes at the waitress's remark), and Piotr can feel a tremble underneath his hand. Yet she's been oddly even-keeled. The fact that she's avoided eye contact wit Piotr for the better part of the day likely has something to do with it. "The music is good," she observes quietly, remembering her remark only a day earlier about its ability to keep patrons long-term.

In a strange bid to feel normal, she's wearing the dress Jean had loaned her and she hadn't yet returned — a silent homage to someone she hasn't seen for a week. Her posture looks oddly defeated with her shoulders hanging a stitch lower than usual. A gracious smile that doesn't meet her eyes pulls her face upwards into what can only be described as broken joy.

There's another mirthless tug of her lips as she's guided to the booth and glances over the menu, holding it up as she scans each of the items in turn. Her hazel eyes are transfixed upon it. Her lips purse, "What are you going to get?"

*

Another day, another visit to Harry's Hideaway. Binx isn't exactly a regular. Not yet, anyway. But he's begun frequenting the place recently. Adjusting the bowtie that he's wearing today, he smiles at one of the waitresses. "Hello hello! I'll just, you know, the bar." He waves toward the bar absently. At the bar, he waves down the bartender and smiles widely. "One orange juice please!"

Yes, he's a strange man, ordering a juice at a bar. But he's Binx, the guy with the juice. It's what he does. Taking a seat on a stool, he starts to look around, as he does, his attention being drawn, briefly, to the stage.

*

Piotr's hand gives Kitty's shoulder a light, reassuring squeeze before he withdraws it and slides into the booth across from her. At her note about the music, he twists in place enough to look towards the stage and cracks a smile. "Not the usual band. But that is good, it is nice to hear more variety," he muses, turning back to her.

He doesn't even look at his menu. Piotr just folds his hands and rests them on the table, watching his dining companion with a small, worried furrow of his brow. "…hamburger, probably. Fries. I am a cheap date," he notes, forcing some lightness into his voice.

*

With everything set and the stage left bare with the exception of Dazzler, she turns for the mic, and offers a very brief, "I'm Dazzler, my act is music and light, please enjoy your evening," and with that simple introduction she starts playing some note. Her music weaving long clashing tones, played with thin soft touches on the string. It creates the feeling of a flow, and yet true to her words, Dazzler doesn't sing out any lyrics to accompany her song. So far, aside from the rather unique direction there's nothing otherwise unusual about her performance.

*

There's a small frown that follows the scanning of the menu, trying to decipher what exactly Kitty intends to eat. Piotr does, however, earn the faintest flicker of a smile at his order. "Nothing wrong with Old Faithful~" she virtually sings, although her heart isn't exactly in the comment. There's a pause, tilt of her head, and the menu is snapped closed. "I think I'll do the same," she notes with a lift of her eyebrows. Eye contact remains evasive.

Her head turns towards the musician, and her eyebrows lift with recognition. "I know her," she remarks before offering, "well, we met once." Which isn't exactly the same thing. A very small lift of Kitty's fingers demonstrate a vague wave towards Dazzler, not entirely sure if the other woman will remember her rather graceful fall in Central Park. Kitty definitely hasn't forgot.

As her gaze continues to scan the room, it lands on the man with the juice, and she tilts her head before glancing back towards Piotr, "I also know him." Pause. "By which I mean we met once." She offers an awkward shrug of her shoulders.

Kitty takes a brief mental checklist as to how her date is going.
1) Dress nice for date… CHECK!
2) Smile politely at date… CHECK!
3) Talk awkwardly about everything except the thing you should actually be talking about… CHECK!
4) Talk about the weather…

"It sure is a pretty day."

*

"Oh! Music!" Binx smiles widely in his own, goofy yet genuine way. He likes music. He's musical himself. But not professionally musical. He has an admiration for those who play music in a more professional manner. He sips on his juice, glancing around the room once more. It's only then does he think he recognize a face in one of the booths. Didn't he just meet her recently? The young woman with the tired eyes? And she's with a friend! Should he say hello? Maybe. Maybe not. It could be a date, in which case it would be very rude to interrupt.

But he has an idea. Placing his juice on the, he grabs something from one of his pockets and holds his hand behind his back for a moment, so nobody can see what's going on. When he brings his hand back to the front of him, there are two white lilies in it. He stands and approaches the Piotr and Kitty's table. "Lilies for the couple?" He says with a little smile.

*

"Well, she is very good," Piotr tells Kitty, the small smile still on his face as he casts another, longer look to where Dazzler is upon the stage. It is plain, though, that he has noticed her refusal to meet his eyes and is troubled by it. "And the weather is very nice. Yes."

Piotr brings his attention back just in time for Binx to reach the table. He blinks twice, surprised, and gives Kitty a brief look of question before giving the man a smile. "Ah… sure. Why not. Thank you."

*

When Dazzler happens to spot Kitty giving her a bit of a wave, she inclines her head, not able to offer much more while on stage. The intricate sounds she's weaving are very different in nature than the songs currently popular on the record stores. But as she moves about the stage, the light reflecting off her dress starts to behave a little oddly. It doesn't just shine, flicker, or temporarily blind, instead it seems to take on a life of it's own. At first it's a strand of light that seems to surf across the strings of her guitar, but soon it expands, and the effect is not unlike a dancing rainbow following Dazzler's music.

*

The lilies are accepted with a faint smile and vague lift of Kitty's eyebrows. Her cheeks hue a faint pink as she accepts the lovely white lilies. The expression that crosses her features might be akin to seeing her brain melt as she watches the perfectly pure, undeniably chaste white lilies enter her grasp. Her face reddens further with the undeniably humiliating knowledge that the Professor has seen each and every one of her thoughts, memories, and emotions. She makes a note to get to Temple before the week's end; it's almost been a year.

After a couple of beats wherein Kitty's mind implode, she manages a lopsided smirk for the man with the flowers, "How's it going, Scarecrow?" She extends the smile, but it still never meets her eyes.

She points towards the florist and then back towards Piotr. "Pete, this is Binx. Or," her eyebrows draw together nearly puzzled, "Binxy?" she nods to confirm this point. "Binx, this is my boyfriend, Piotr." And in that introduction, she steals a glance at Piotr's blue eyes only to look away seconds later. She blinks hard and swears that someone must be cutting onions somewhere.

She lifts a hand to rub her eyes, flecking away whatever must've blown in there when they were outside.

It's then that she catches Dazzler's head nod and she actually grins. "She's very good," she notes about the musician.

*

Glancing back at the music briefly, Binx can't help but smile at the way the colours move. So pretty! But his attention is brough back to Kitty and Piotr, though he's still listening to the music as he does so. "«It's my pleasure.»" He says to Piotr in Russian, grinning at the young man. Looking to Kitty, concern flashes across his face for a brief moment.

"Oh, I'm just constantly looking for that darned brain of mine. You haven't found a brain I could use, have you?" He smiles softly. "But more importantly, how are the two of you?" He clears his throat, extending a hand to Piotr. "Binx, or Binxy. Either works." He nods a little. "«It's nice to meet you, Piotr.»" He adds, speaking in Russian once more.

He glances back to Dazzler and the performance. "I quite like her style of music. It's not what I'm used to hearing, but it has a quality to it that I can't quite put my finger on…but that I rather do like. And the colours! I don't know how, but those colours really speak to me!"

*

The patrons paying attention to Dazzler's show seem enthralled by the way the lights begin to play over the guitar — they appear to either assume it is some kind of equipment doing the deed or simply don't mind the possibility that it isn't. Harry's is not that far from the Institute, after all. It is not the weirdest example of powers that they would have seen. Not by a long shot.

Piotr's attention is drawn back to Kitty and Binx when he is introduced, an odd flicker of relief crossing his face before he extends a hand towards Binx, whose words have him sitting up straighter and smiling more naturally than he has all evening. "«The pleasure is mine. The flowers are lovely,»" he notes warmly, happy to reach out for the offered shake in one of his own massive, scratched-up hands. "Thank you, Binx."

When he glances over to Kitty, the edges of that smile soften and he purses his lips, thinking. "…I will go order us some drinks," Piotr decides, reaching across the table to briefly touch the back of one of Kitty's hands before he shifts to stand. "«If you are a friend of Katya's, you are welcome to join us. It is no intrusion. And I think she needs a friend who is not me, even for a moment.»"

*

Dazzler has gone on record stating there's elaborate lighting technology in her shows, but then it's unlikely any here at Harry's really read about her debut show earlier this month. So each are left to make up their own minds, but it is a captivating sight that's hard to look away from. As Dazzler's music continues to unfurl in it's slow lazy pace, the light seem to snake around her dress, the mirror beading offering a prism like effect that spreads little by little a bit farther from the stage.

*

There's a faint chuckle at the thought of missing brains followed by a small nod, "Well we'll have to find the wizard to get you your brain. Only to learn you had it all along~" the nearly sing-song voice brings another stitch of a smile. Piotr's touch draws a sharp crease in Kitty's forehead followed by a small nod of appreciation. "Thanks," she says softly to the ordered drinks.

With Piotr retreating, albeit temporarily, she lifts her chin to study the near-stranger once again before pinching the bridge of her nose. "Things… have been better." She pinches harder. Her eyes flit towards Piotr and then back to Binx. There's a long pregnant pause as she sits there, just letting his appearance sink in. "…I'm…" her jaw tightens, and weirdly a single word finds its way into her vocabulary, one that she really hasn't used much before, "…defective." There's a faint flush of her cheeks and her eyes cast downwards. "A monster."

*

Smiling and offering a nod at Piotr, Binx takes a seat on the same side Piotr, scooting in. He chuckles, shaking his head. "Very true. I'll have had my brain the entire time, and it will have been the journey that was important the entire time!" He laughs softly, waving down the waitress to get him his juice, and a second juice for good measure. As he orders, he glances toward Dazzler again, smiling at her performance. It really is good!

Binx frowns at Kitty, tilting his head slightly. "I doubt very much you're defective. And I doubt even more that you're a monster." He tells her softly, gently. "I've met many people in my life. And you want to know something I've learned? The monsters never truly realy that they're monsters. If you think you're a monster, you're really not." He hopes this is a comfort. "As for defective? Sometimes we've got things that block us from being who we really are. It's not being defective as much as it is learning to affectively deal with whatever it is that's causing that block."

He clears his throat and reaches into his inside jacket pocket. Producing a card, he slides it over to Kitty. The card reads, 'Dr. Robert M. Binx, MD, Family Medicine-Psychiatry', along with an address and a phone number. "If you really have these feelings, and need someone to talk to, I'm around."

*

So focused on her music, Dazzler has no clue about the worrisome things that Kitty is saying, on a different chance, maybe Dazzler would have had some words for her. For now, she is swayed by her own music, the light seemingly weaving in with the notes, creating some abstract shapes that flow from one color to the next in a somewhat swirly effect.

*

ROLL: Kitty +rolls 1d2 for a result of: 2

*

Still not quite sure why the word defective came so quickly to mind, she issues the Doctor a faint shrug of her shoulders. "So your name is Robert," pause. "I knew no mother in her right mind would name their son, Binx." A tired smile wears over her features. The card is accepted and slid further in front of her. "I…" she blushes again before casting her gaze downwards. "I'll think about it." A glance is given towards the performer and then one back towards Piotr before she admits to Binx, "I threw him out a window yesterday. He didn't stop me. I couldn't do anything about it. I couldn't stop myself. It was…" she swallows hard.

A glance is given towards the menu and then one back towards the door. "I… don't feel much like eating." It's then that she slides out of the booth. A squeeze is given to Binx's shoulder as she passes. A pause is given at the bar, and she stops to speak to Piotr for a few beats, "I…" she manages a very weak smile, "I…" she dreams up a million excuses in the span of ten seconds, but knowing that he'll see through each of them, she simply settles on, "…need to go home. Please. Stay. Listen. The music is good." There's another weak smile as she turns on her heel to retreat through the wall — completely neglecting to use the door.

*

Kitty has disconnected.

*

"All my friends started calling me Binx and Binxy." Binx explains. "Sometimes I just seem to forget to call myself by my given name." He chuckles softly, shrugging. There's a glance between the card and Kitty. He nods. "Please do consider it. Having someone to talk to can be a great help. There's no judgement on my part. Believe me."

He listens intently to her words, describing what happened. "He seems to be all right now, though. If he bore ill will, you wouldn't be on a date now!" He says softly. "But the reasons behind you did what you did, we can always talk about them. We can figure out why you did that." He tells her, looking concerned. When she makes to leave, he doesn't stop her. He just nods and smile softly. "Really, do consider coming to see me. I'd like to help, if I can."

He watches her say her goodby to Piotr, blinking as she seems to just disappear through a wall. Sure, it's no more crazy than what he's able to do, but it's certainly unexpected. Taking a deep breath in and letting it out slowly, he starts to drink his newly arrived juices as he watches the musical performance.

*

When Piotr returns to the booth with a mug of coffee in one hand and a hot cocoa in the other, he is greeted by… Kitty preparing to leave. His brow creases and he looks very much like he wants to protest but, after a very long moment, he simply nods his head once and offers her a very small, resigned smile. "…as you wish. I will bring your food home with me," he promises. His eyes follow her when she exits via wall, with a very slight wince.

«August has not been a kind month to her,» Piotr informs Binx in a low rumble, his posture and expression now plainly tired. Clearly, the large, wounded man is more worried about Kitty than he is his own damage. He thinks a moment, glancing between the two drinks in his hands, before he takes a few quick steps to the stage. He raises the mug of cocoa a bit, offers Dazzler a quick smile, and gently sets it on a clear patch of stage where she won't manage to kick it over. No sense letting it go to waste.

*

One thing Dazzler certainly didn't expect is a tip in the form of a drink, she smiles at Piotr's offering, a strand of colorful light seems to move towards Piotr, though it fades into a haze inches from actually touching him. Dazzler will certainly enjoy her drink once she finishes her act, she'll have to try and meet with Piotr and ask about Kitty, seems like she left far too suddenly.

*

"«I'm sorry to hear that. She seems like such a wonderful young woman, and life just seems to be treating her poorly.»" Binx tsks and shakes his head. "«But you seem to care for her. Which is important.»" He pauses for a moment. "«Although you seem to be in somewhat poor shape yourself.»" He motions to the cuts and scrapes and bandage on the nose. He pauses and sips on his drinks as Piotr takes his extra drink to give to Dazzler, taking time to watch more of her performance.

*

Piotr certainly isn't bothered by the up-close-and-personal light show. It actually gets a genuine smile out of him. He offers Dazzler a polite bow of his head, not wanting to interrupt her performance, and drifts back to where he left Binx.

"I am fine," Piotr assures him in english, waving the concern away as he slides back into the booth, though he now sits where Kitty had been before she left. He sets the coffee down and loosely curls both hands around the mug with a small, pensive furrow to his brow. "Katya is in far more dire straits than I. I have been trying, but after yesterday, it…" He trails off, mouth twisting to one side as he rumbles unhappily. "…I am not longer enough."

*

With some of the younger people at Harry's approaching the stage after seeing what happened when Piotr did, Dazzler now entertains them, with little tendrils of light that nearly touch them before fading, the music shifting in tone to something a bit less deep, a bit more optimistic.

*

"How do they do those tricks with the lights?" Binx murmurs in awe. "It's absolutely amazing!" He shakes his head, almost not believing his eyes, despite what's there for him to see. "Just amazing." He repeats, before turning his attention back to Piotr.

"Are you sure?" He asks with a raised eyebrow. "I mean…I'm sure you had someone check it all out." He clears his throat. "«I know I'm but a stranger, but if there's anything I can do to help, I'd like to.»" He offers to Piotr, the concern evident across his face.

*

A waitress comes with two plates that are home to a burger and fries a piece, looking vaguely perplexed as she slides one onto the table in front of Piotr. "Where did..?"

"She was not feeling well," Piotr explains quickly, offering an apologetic smile. "Can you put that in a box, please? I will bring it to her."

"Poor dear. I'll have it for you up front," she nods, flashing a smile. She waits log enough to see if Binx would like more than just juice before she departs.

Piotr (carefully) runs a hand over his face, closing his eyes for a moment to just focus on the music. It's helping him stay on an even keel, particularly now that the mood is shifting. "I am…. mm. This, I have seen a doctor for," he assures Binx, gesturing to his face to indicate the healing cuts.

*

After having played a few more sets, Dazzler finally takes a bow and slips the guitar back over her back, "I'll be taking a brief break," she announces on the mic as all the lights fade away, "I'll be doing another performance in an hour, thank you." She takes the drink left for her by Piotr, raising it in his direction, as she heads over towards his table, "hey there, that was very sweet of you to offer. Never been tipped a drink during a show before."

*

"I'll have another juice, please." Binx does indeed order more from the waitress, turning back to Piotr for the time being. "I'm sorry. You've come here to have a good time and I'm just bringing the mood down!" He rolls his eyes at himself. "So, Piotr, how long have you been in America?" His tone has changed to be more upbeat. "It's not often I get to practice my Russian with people outside my family, or the Russian butcher that I frequent." He pauses as Dazzler approaches them, givine her a smile.

*

"Nonsense. We brought that mood with us, you simply got swept up into it," Piotr tells Binx with a wry smile, reaching for the bottle of ketchup. Fries require it. "It has been two years, I think? Nearly three?" he says thoughtfully, one blue eye squinting as he tries to recall. A shrug and, once he has some ketchup on his plate, he goes immediately after his fries, gesturing to them in silent invitation. "I do not get to speak it often, either. It would be nice to have more opportunity."

He does, however, stop as soon as Dazzler approaches. Piotr offers her a broad smile, lifting his brows. "Truly? I find that hard to believe. Surely it will not be the last," he says confidently. "…though I do not know how many will use cocoa."

*

"It's a nice gesture," Dazzler says as she takes a sip, "mmmm," she savors the sweetness, "it's a good cocoa too." She looks towards Binx for a moment, "hope you enjoyed the show, first time I'm performing here at Harry's, wasn't sure if it would be a good crowd for my gig."

*

Kitty has connected.

*

Kitty leaves, heading towards Westchester County [O].

*

Kitty has left.

*

Waving his hand dismissively, Binx shakes his head. "It's a bad habit of mine to enquire about people's lives. Probably because of what I do for a living." He shakes his head.

He smiles at Dazzler, nodding. "Oh, I quite enjoyed it! You're really talented. Not to mention the light show! I don't know how you did it, but I'm an instant fan!"

*

"You are welcome to join us, if you like?" Piotr tells Dazzler, glancing briefly to Binx even as he scoots further into the booth, just in case. Of the two men, he takes up far more room in the booth, yet he seems to feel no need to force Binx to share his side.

"I do not think it is a bad habit. What do you do?" Piotr asks Binx, tilting his head curiously as he gathers up his burger in his hands. Unlike Kitty, he did not get a business card, after all. Yet.

*

"It's technology, and the dress," Dazzler says to Binx with a wink, and from up close, he could see all the little mirrors interwoven with sequins which make the dress quite flashy, and it might cause some weird affects with light play. Then again, anyone with better than average understanding might find the tech explanation a flimsy one. For the time being it's been working for Dazzler. "Thank you for the kind words, it's what I like to hear."

Dazzler shakes her head at Piotr's offer, "I'm sorry, but I only got an hour off before I have to do another set, I have some things to look after, but thanks for the drink. I'm Dazzler, by the way," she repeats her introduction from the stage, "I saw that girl you were with, hope she's okay…"

*

Moving over as well, in case Dazzler decides to join, Binx smiles widely. "Amazing! Simply amazing!" He shakes his head, still in apparent awe. "Well, it's quite the show! I'd definitely like to see more of it, that's for certain!" He says cheerfully.

Digging into his inside pocket again, he pulls out another card, pushing it across the table to Piotr. Once again, it will show his name, 'Dr. Robert M. Binx', that he's a family doctor and psychiatrist, as well as an address and phone number.

*

"Piotr," comes the larger of the two Russians' reply, and he quickly shifts the burger to one hand so that he can offer the other to Dazzler for a shake. "Katya? She… she will be fine," he says, forcing a smile that he hopes is reassuring. "She is having a… a rough patch. It will get better. I will tell her you asked after her."

With a curious tilt of his head, Piotr reaches over to draw the card across the table so he can scoop it up and inspect it. Without any hesitation, he shifts to carefully tuck the card into his pocket. He is definitely keeping that.

*

Rory arrives from Westchester County.

*

Rory has arrived.

*

"Thank you, Piotr, do tell her, I need to get going for now," Dazzler says, as she takes the cup with her to give to a waitress on her way to the back room to get ready for her later set.

*

Dazzler has disconnected.

*

Bowing his head slightly toward Dazzler, Binx smiles. "It's been a pleasure. I look forward to seeing more of your performance!" He tells her, before looking back to Piotr. "«So, what were we talking about?»" He tilts his head slightly. "Oh, yes. I guess there isn't much chance to speak Russian here, is there? Perhaps more in the city, but even so! You're a long way from home! Mind if I ask what brought you to America?"

*

Once Dazzler has departed, Piotr turns his focus back to Binx and cracks an odd smile. "There is opportunity, but places where it is comfortable are… mmh. Short in supply." He shrugs helplessly, and thinks about it for a moment, glancing around Harry's. These people know him, and Binx strikes him as Good People, so… why not. "«It was no longer safe at home,»" he explains, suddenly looking tired as he reverts to Russian. "«I was offered an opportunity to attend school here and thought it would be a better life.»"

*

The door to Harry's opens, and a young man cautiously walks into the hangout. He's shorter than average, and sort of peeks his head in to glance around, first. A bit later, he walks the rest of the way in, looking around and examining all the people, decor, and food he sees. He's been around the Xavier School for a week now, but mostly keeps to himself and doesn't always engage with the other residents. The name Rory comes to mind, for those that are at the school regularly.

*

"Yes, I suppose that's true. Though I'm sure my grandparents would say that you must find the comfortable opportunities. For finding such opportunities is «the Russian way!»" Binx ends the sentence in Russian, chuckling. Listening to Piotr's story, he nods along. "«I'm sorry to hear that your home was no longer safe, but I'm glad you were able to get an opportunity to get out, and be safe.»" He responds, taking a long sip of his juice.

*

Ah, the Russian way. That gets a genuine laugh out of Piotr, his blue eyes twinkling. "«It has been up and down, but I would not change any of it. …well. Some of it,»" he grudgingly allows, glancing off to the side… which, conveniently, allows him to see Rory coming inside. Brightening, he raises a hand to wave to him from the booth he and Binx are splitting.

*

Rory sees the wave and peers at the Rusian gentlemen. He recognizes Piotr, at least and cautiously makes his way over to the booth. The noises of Harry's make him look in the direction of any sudden sound, but Rory does make it to the booth, standing in front of Piotr and Binx. "H'lo," he says quietly in a strong Scottish brogue.

*

Smiling and nodding in sympathy, Binx has heard stories of the old country from his grandparents, and knows that it's exactly the easiest of places to be from. He offers a nod to Rory. "A friend of yours?" He says to Piotr, changing back to English and his regular, American accent. He looks between Rory and Piotr for a moment.

*

For a moment, Piotr looks a touch envious by Binx's accent — or, rather, the lack thereof. He's never been able to shake his own, try though he might. Still, once Rory has approached, he offers him a warm smile and gestures to a free bit of bench. "A new classmate. It is… Rory, yes?" he asks, raising his eyebrows in a hopeful expression. "Would you like to join us? I will not be able to finish my fries on my own." Given his size, that seems… unlikely. But he does also seem entirely prepared to share the food on his plate.

*

"Aye," Rory says to Piotr. After a moment, he sits on the free spot on the bench. "Rory Sinclair. I've only been at the school for a week. Doctor MacTaggart brought me here." He leans over to look at the offered fries, sniffing at them, "Fries? D'you mean chips?" he looks over at Piotr in curiousity.

*

"Rory it is!" Binx smiles. "I'm Robert Binx. You can call me Binx." He says cheerfully. "It seems like this school of yours takes students from many different countries, if it's got a Russian and a Scotsman!" He notes, quite curious about the school now. "Is it some sort of boarding school?" He asks as he sips on his juice.

*

Piotr looks slightly puzzled by Rory's question before the gears in his head go click. "Oh! Of course. Yes." Too many different countries' worth of names to keep track of. Without asking, he turns his plate so that the pile of fries are facing Rory and gestures in invitation. "Doctor MacTaggart is very kind. You are in very good company," he notes, smiling lopsidedly.

His eyes drift back to Binx and, for a moment, Piotr hesitates. It's always tricky to navigate discussing the school without discussing the school. "More or less," he replies, looking a touch apologetic.

*

With the Fries=Chips question settled, Rory smiles wide. "I like chips. Thank ye." He's about to start gong to town on the offered food, when he looks around the table. "D' they no have vinegar for the chips? I mean, fries?" He looks at Piotr expectantly and tries one of the fries as is.

*

"More or less? Which is it? More or less?" Binx chuckles. "Sorry, it's just a silly, not so funny joke, from my school days." He stretches slightly. "I've never been to a boarding school, though I've been told that they have their merits, certainly." He says with a little smile. "Vinegar?" He shrugs, looking at Rory. "I'm sure they might have some, if we ask?" He looks around, flagging down a waitress, asking for said vinegar.

*

The waitress probably seems less surprised by a request for malt vinegar than one might expect in a place with the decor Harry's has. Before she leaves to retrieve one, though, she offers Rory a cheerful smile. "Anything to drink for you? Need a menu?"

Piotr smiles crookedly at Binx and shrugs helplessly. "I cannot complain. I would not have the friends I do without it." He would probably also not have taken a header through a window yesterday, but you take the bad with the good.

*

Rory smiles a bit at the waitress, shifting in his seat. "Oh! Ummm…a Coke would be grand, thank ye." While the drink and malt vinegar are fetched, Rory quietly contemplates the fries with salt only, nibbling on them as the other two men talk.

*

"Friends are important! Very important. I have a few good friends I met in school as well." Binx nods a little. "I learned a lot when I was in school. And not just about eventually becoming a doctor." He says thoughtfully. "I also learned…" Placing his hands in his pockets briefly, he pulls them out after a second with two fully formed flowers, one rose and one daffodil. "It's not much, but it's the only uh…only magic trick I ever seemed to learn."

*

That actually seems to do a lot to put Piotr at ease. He eyes the flowers with a slowly growing smile, glancing briefly to Rory. "It is a good magic trick," he notes in a light tone. "Have you shown it to Katya? She would like it, I think."

*

Shaking his head, Binx shrugs. "Haven't had the chance to yet, really. We've only just recently met, Kitty and I." He explains. "But I'll be sure to show her the next time we meet! It's not really much to talk about, but it's a neat little trick." He sips his juice, shrugging again.

*

"It might cheer her up. We have had too little in the way of 'neat little tricks' these last few weeks," Piotr notes in a wry voice, bringing his mug up for a sip with a very slight grimace. The coffee he's drinking had been intended for Kitty; he gave away his cocoa. "She needs a distraction. Someone to talk to." He pauses and amends, "Someone besides me. Especially now." He makes a bit of a face.

*

By the time the waitress has arrive with the malt vinegar and the Coke, Rory's already finished off what's left of the fries. He smiles shyly at the woman and says, "Thank ye." After a sip of the Coke, Rory looks up at Piotr and asks, "What…what do ye do at th' school, sir? Are ye a teacher there?"

*

"Oh, no, no. Just a student," Piotr tells Rory with a warm smile, looking a touch sheepish. "My education was not so good before I came here, so I am still catching up. And it is just Piotr," he adds, inclining his head slightly.

*

"Well, I'm always around to offer neat tricks and listening ear! I'm rather good at both, really." Binx offers with a smile. "I offered her a card of mine as well. Hopefully she'll give me a call and we can have a chat." He says softly, shrugging. He turns his attention back to the school talk, however. "It sounds like a good school, this place. Especially if it will offer education to slightly older students who haven't had the best of education before joining!"

*

Rory takes another drink of his Coke. He's still slightly hunched, like he's going to curl up in a ball at any moment. "Aye," he says after a bit. "I think livin' at a school will be grand. I ne'er got much of an education. So, perhaps a bit of school will be good for me, yeah?"

*

Piotr makes a rumbling noise in agreement with Rory. "It will be difficult at first, but we are all there to help," he says with a smile. "Do not be afraid to ask. I still go to the professor for help every so often." The way he says it, 'the professor' is clearly a specific individual, not a generic title for a given class' instructor.

He looks over the booth again and smiles a touch more tiredly at Binx. "I am going to encourage her to call," Piotr murmurs. "I do not know if she will be resistant, but… well. I am going to encourage her."

*

"'The professor'?" It's in Binx's inquisitive nature to ask. He likes to learn! "It's good to be supportive of each other. I think it's important that everyone gets the proper support that they require." He says, happy to hear that this school is offers the collaborative help that students need.

He nods to Piotr. "Of course, she can only talk to me if she really wants to. But if she needs the help, or just someone to listen…well, I'm always around. And if money's the issue, let's just say it's a non-issue. I do some free counselling work." He explains.

*

Rory nods to Piotr. "Aye. The Professor seems grand. I'll talk to him when I need to. I suppose I'm just not used to living here, yeah? This pub…this would hold all th' people of my village back in Scotland. An' then there's New York! MIllions of people, they say. I didn't there there were that many people in th' whole world!"

*

"The city can be very intimidating," Piotr says to Rory with a very sympathetic nod. "I still am not comfortable in some parts of it. Everything is just so…" He falls quiet as he searches for the right word, gesturing awkwardly with both hands. He's at a loss.

He is also immediately distracted by Binx again. That question should be safe enough. "Ah, yes. The headmaster, I should say," Piotr notes, correcting himself. "But he prefers 'professor.' Charles Xavier. Very good man," he murmurs, reaching for a napkin.

*

"Yes, New York is quite big, isn't it? Even growing up, my family and I never really went down to the 'Big Apple' all too often. I grew up upstate. Went to New York for college, though." Binx shakes his head. "I was amazed. And I got lost more times than I'd care to admit!" He says with a chuckle.

"Charles Xavier…Charles Xavier…" Binx narrows his eyes for a moment, furrowing his brow in thought. "I know that name. I've heard is somewhere before. Is he…does he…has he done research of any kind, do you know?"

*

Rory knows a bit about Xavier and Moria as wll as their research. But he just stays silent, sipping on his Coke nd trying to be inconspicuous.

*

"It all goes very much over my head," Piotr tells Binx, and that is certainly true enough. With a sheepish expression, he begins shifting to slide out of the booth, patting the spot he's vacating to invite Rory to take it over more fully. "But I should return home and make sure Katya eats. And if she does not call you…" He hesitates briefly before smiling at Binx. "…I probably will. If that is okay?"

*

"Well, it's a name I might very well have to check out! It sounds so very familiar!" Binx hums for a moment, thinking. Eventually he shakes his head. "Anyway, yes. Of course! Make sure she eats. And gets some sleep. If she continues to have trouble sleeping, I have a couple of options, that don't require medication, that might help." He mentions. Unless medication was requested, then he might consider it. "Of course! Feel free to call me any time, whether or not she decides to talk to me as well. I'm more than happy to talk. To anyone." He says with a wide, encouraging smile.

*

As Piotr gets up to leave, Rory slides out to follow him. "I should probably get back to th' School as well. I'll go with you, Piotr." Yup. Piotr fed the stray, now he's got a friend for life.

*

"If you are sure," Piotr says to Rory. "Did you get enough to eat?" Because Piotr has a reputation as the Institute's Big Brother/Mother Hen to maintain. This, naturally, involves making sure his classmates are eating enough.

He gives Binx a rather relieved smile at this news and nods once, quick to offer him a hand for another shake. "Spasiba, Binx. I will not let it wait too long," Piotr promises.

*

"Pozhaluysta." Binx responds in kind, holding out his own hand, and shaking Rory's. "Have a good evening, you two. And I hope to hear from you soon." He adds the last part to Piotr. If he can, he really does wish to help.

*

Rory shakes Binx's hand when offered, smiling a bit. As he follows Piotr out of Harry's, Rory thinks upon the question of having enough to eat. "I don't know, to be honest. Maybe a hamburger? I've never had a hamburger before. Heard they were amazing, though."

*

"Never? We will get you one to go," Piotr assures Rory with a certain air of authority to his voice, one of his massive hands coming to rest between the young man's shoulders as he guides him towards the bar. He needs to pick up the boxed meal for Kitty on their way out, anyway. "With more chips. There is malt vinegar at the mansion." He sincerely doubts Moira would tolerate a kitchen without it.

*

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