Nolan and Shinobi | Kitty's Sweet Sixteen
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ax_mainNolan and Shinobi enjoy a little aside at Kitty's birthday extravaganza. Apparently, even roommates need to catch up, occasionally.
Shinobi was just coming off another round of karaoke when he spied Nolan lingering in the periphery. As Nolan tended to do, despite he'd all but made this part possible. Making Kitty the youngest CTO in ... well, ever, as far as the young Shaw heir could determine. Then again, he'd adopted much the same tactic at Shaun's birthday celebration at his very own beach house, so perhaps this was simply the way he coped with an exuberant party environment when he felt obliged to put in an appearance.
Burgundy suit only slightly awry from his previous efforts, Shinobi adjusted his black-and-neon-blue tie over his burnt orange shirt and headed in the direction of his friend. Perhaps not his oldest, but arguably his closest. It was a fairly select group, to begin with.
"You know," he said teasingly, "it's probably not good form for the CEO to attend the birthday party of his company's CTO like this ... particularly given just how thoroughly I intend to enjoy myself tonight. The gossip columns will have a lot to talk about tomorrow."
"It would be very bad form for me to miss Kitty's birthday party," Nolan replied, a small smile playing on his lips. "And unless you've sneaked gossip columnists in, we're safe from anything but their wild conjectures. Business as usual."
Besides, it wasn't as if Shinobi going wild hadn't been a common occurrence in Nolan's nightlife, at least before Xavier's. Some things were a lot less frequent these days. But as it was, Nolan had no issue attending Kitty's party; he had a feeling that if he actually did, Shinobi would be the first to try to stamp it out.
"You really oughtn't place temptation before me like that, Nolan," Shinobi said, smirking wryly. "You know how much I love being at the center of a media circus. And sneaking--I adore a good sneak." He wouldn't do that to Kitty, of course, but he felt it was important to let them know not to take his current, relatively good behavior for granted. There was no guessing when he might begin to backslide.
"But this is about Kitty, and the school," Nolan remarked easily. Shinobi might think that he needed to remind Nolan what he might do, but Nolan in his turn felt like reminding his best friend that he trusted him to know when things mattered too much for his usual antics. Shinobi liked to pretend that he was a much worse person than he actually was. He glanced in the direction of the stage, lips curving into a slight smile. "And you wouldn't risk ruining an evening with such good karaoke."
"I do love karaoke," he admitted ruefully. "Probably even more than sneaking and circuses. Okay, we'll chalk this one up to a win for Nolan on the basis of your superior grasp of my extremely superficial psychology and move on." Shinobi searched the room with an inquiring expression, finally asking, "Is Shaun escorting you this evening? I haven't bumped into him yet, and I'm dying to get his opinion of my ensemble for the evening."
"He'll love it," Nolan stated with amused confidence. "And yes, he's... over there," he nodded in the direction where Shaun stood, chatting with another student. "I'm sure he'll end up on stage as well, at some point." Nolan said so very fondly, for all that he would stay far from the karaoke machine himself.
"Better still, the two of you could do a duet," Shinobi suggested enthusiastically, clapping his hands at the thought. "I recommend 'Ebony and Ivory', personally, but I'm sure anything you perform together will bring the house down." It was horrible to tease Nolan this way, he knew, but he doubted rather seriously it would fail to just roll off the shoulders of his immaculately-tailored polo shirts.
The song suggestion actually left Nolan unable to find anything to say for a couple of seconds, before he pursed his lips with an impressed nod. "That is exactly the sort of remark I'm not going to dignify with an answer." Never mind that Shinobi knew perfectly well that Nolan was as likely to step on stage as he was to give a tell-all interview to The Advocate. It was not completely unthinkable, but it was highly improbable. "What will your next number be?"
"Oh, I don't know," Shinobi replied breezily, waving a hand through the air. "I suppose it depends on what manages to inspire me between now and then." His dark eyes had been scanning the room as though seeking sources for said inspiration, at that point, but they kept returning to one figure, in particular. A lean, dark-haired, familiar figure, presently enjoying the company of one of Xavier's on-again, off-again associates. Vex. "Could be anything, really. I thrive on spontaneity."
Nolan followed Shinobi's gaze, and held back a wider smile as he turned back to his friend. "The invitation stands, by the way. A weekend in the Hamptons, just the four of us? Early May, perhaps, before the season officially starts."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Shinobi sniffed. "I remain invincibly and singularly single, to all intents and purposes. There isn't anyone I could possibly prevail upon to put up with me for an entire weekend, even in the charming environs of the Hamptons."
"Other than me, I hope you mean," Nolan pointed out dryly. He had before, and would again. "I'm throwing a party, by the way. Proper Hamptons, this time. Two weeks after Memorial Day." He would let the Graysons have that one; there was no use fighting a lost battle, and fighting with Victoria on that level was pointless. No, all he wanted was to reassert his status in the Hamptons, and introduce some select students to Hamptons parties. "I hope you'll be able to make it."
Shinobi waved the distinction away; Nolan was always the exception, and especially so on that point. "Miss a party? Me? It's like you hardly know me at all, old boy. Of course I'll be there. I can't leave you to take wry jabs at the idle rich all by yourself, could I? Besides, there are some pastimes that should never be undertaken solo."
"Oh, I have no intentions of going solo," Nolan assured Shinobi with a smile. "You won't be the only Xavier's student on the guest list." There was Shaun, of course, and Kitty, if she wanted, but less evidently... "I have to watch Felix at work with Hamptonites. It'll be a thing of beauty."
That earned Nolan a curious look. "What's a Felix? New friend?"
Nolan frowned briefly; he could have sworn he had mentioned Felix to Shinobi. "You know, Felix. My 'disciple'?" His dry tone made it clear that he was quoting someone else (namely, Shaun). He looked around until he spotted the shock of red hair and the deep blue of Felix's sweater, and inclined his head in that direction. "Felix."
"Sou ka," Shinobi hummed tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Disciple, hmm?" And, now that Nolan mentioned it, perhaps he had heard the name around their room a time or two. He just hadn't assigned it any special priority. Perhaps it was time to reevaluate that assessment. "You don't seem like the type to take on a protege. I assume he must be more than typically interesting, then."
"He likes paisley," Nolan replied, lips turning up slightly at the corners. "And he might be more clever than the two of us put together." There was a reason Nolan wanted to see him at work in a Hamptons party.
"What a fascinating prospect. And what does the internet have to say about your waifish Junior Nolan?" Shinobi was familiar enough with his friend's proclivities by that point to take for granted he'd run his usual background check, especially if the two were on friendly terms.
"Oh, the usual speculations," Nolan replied dismissively, misunderstanding Shinobi's question. It was just as relevant, so it did not occur to him that Shinobi might have meant something else. "He is perhaps even more private than me, however, so I'll have to step up my handling of the press when we next do something public."
"I could do something more overtly scandalous than usual next time we're out," Shinobi offered. "You know, make a big, sparkly distraction of myself to keep the public eye turned away from you and your apprentice. I do like being a spectacle."
Nolan smiled at his friend. "You know I'll never stop you from going big and sparkly, but you're hardly going to be around every time we go out." He did, however, appreciate the offer, and the spirit in which it was offered. That was why his smile was decidedly less dry, and more frank, than they usually were.
"Well, not with that attitude," the younger Shaw huffed, but then offered a shrug. "But you know how to get in touch with me if you ever find yourself in need of something conspicuous and socially inappropriate. It's the least I can do, after all."
"I'll remember the offer," Nolan vowed to his friend, genuine and grateful, before his tone slipped back into its usual soft-spoken snark. "And maybe you can remember the offer of a getaway."
Shinobi was just coming off another round of karaoke when he spied Nolan lingering in the periphery. As Nolan tended to do, despite he'd all but made this part possible. Making Kitty the youngest CTO in ... well, ever, as far as the young Shaw heir could determine. Then again, he'd adopted much the same tactic at Shaun's birthday celebration at his very own beach house, so perhaps this was simply the way he coped with an exuberant party environment when he felt obliged to put in an appearance.
Burgundy suit only slightly awry from his previous efforts, Shinobi adjusted his black-and-neon-blue tie over his burnt orange shirt and headed in the direction of his friend. Perhaps not his oldest, but arguably his closest. It was a fairly select group, to begin with.
"You know," he said teasingly, "it's probably not good form for the CEO to attend the birthday party of his company's CTO like this ... particularly given just how thoroughly I intend to enjoy myself tonight. The gossip columns will have a lot to talk about tomorrow."
"It would be very bad form for me to miss Kitty's birthday party," Nolan replied, a small smile playing on his lips. "And unless you've sneaked gossip columnists in, we're safe from anything but their wild conjectures. Business as usual."
Besides, it wasn't as if Shinobi going wild hadn't been a common occurrence in Nolan's nightlife, at least before Xavier's. Some things were a lot less frequent these days. But as it was, Nolan had no issue attending Kitty's party; he had a feeling that if he actually did, Shinobi would be the first to try to stamp it out.
"You really oughtn't place temptation before me like that, Nolan," Shinobi said, smirking wryly. "You know how much I love being at the center of a media circus. And sneaking--I adore a good sneak." He wouldn't do that to Kitty, of course, but he felt it was important to let them know not to take his current, relatively good behavior for granted. There was no guessing when he might begin to backslide.
"But this is about Kitty, and the school," Nolan remarked easily. Shinobi might think that he needed to remind Nolan what he might do, but Nolan in his turn felt like reminding his best friend that he trusted him to know when things mattered too much for his usual antics. Shinobi liked to pretend that he was a much worse person than he actually was. He glanced in the direction of the stage, lips curving into a slight smile. "And you wouldn't risk ruining an evening with such good karaoke."
"I do love karaoke," he admitted ruefully. "Probably even more than sneaking and circuses. Okay, we'll chalk this one up to a win for Nolan on the basis of your superior grasp of my extremely superficial psychology and move on." Shinobi searched the room with an inquiring expression, finally asking, "Is Shaun escorting you this evening? I haven't bumped into him yet, and I'm dying to get his opinion of my ensemble for the evening."
"He'll love it," Nolan stated with amused confidence. "And yes, he's... over there," he nodded in the direction where Shaun stood, chatting with another student. "I'm sure he'll end up on stage as well, at some point." Nolan said so very fondly, for all that he would stay far from the karaoke machine himself.
"Better still, the two of you could do a duet," Shinobi suggested enthusiastically, clapping his hands at the thought. "I recommend 'Ebony and Ivory', personally, but I'm sure anything you perform together will bring the house down." It was horrible to tease Nolan this way, he knew, but he doubted rather seriously it would fail to just roll off the shoulders of his immaculately-tailored polo shirts.
The song suggestion actually left Nolan unable to find anything to say for a couple of seconds, before he pursed his lips with an impressed nod. "That is exactly the sort of remark I'm not going to dignify with an answer." Never mind that Shinobi knew perfectly well that Nolan was as likely to step on stage as he was to give a tell-all interview to The Advocate. It was not completely unthinkable, but it was highly improbable. "What will your next number be?"
"Oh, I don't know," Shinobi replied breezily, waving a hand through the air. "I suppose it depends on what manages to inspire me between now and then." His dark eyes had been scanning the room as though seeking sources for said inspiration, at that point, but they kept returning to one figure, in particular. A lean, dark-haired, familiar figure, presently enjoying the company of one of Xavier's on-again, off-again associates. Vex. "Could be anything, really. I thrive on spontaneity."
Nolan followed Shinobi's gaze, and held back a wider smile as he turned back to his friend. "The invitation stands, by the way. A weekend in the Hamptons, just the four of us? Early May, perhaps, before the season officially starts."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Shinobi sniffed. "I remain invincibly and singularly single, to all intents and purposes. There isn't anyone I could possibly prevail upon to put up with me for an entire weekend, even in the charming environs of the Hamptons."
"Other than me, I hope you mean," Nolan pointed out dryly. He had before, and would again. "I'm throwing a party, by the way. Proper Hamptons, this time. Two weeks after Memorial Day." He would let the Graysons have that one; there was no use fighting a lost battle, and fighting with Victoria on that level was pointless. No, all he wanted was to reassert his status in the Hamptons, and introduce some select students to Hamptons parties. "I hope you'll be able to make it."
Shinobi waved the distinction away; Nolan was always the exception, and especially so on that point. "Miss a party? Me? It's like you hardly know me at all, old boy. Of course I'll be there. I can't leave you to take wry jabs at the idle rich all by yourself, could I? Besides, there are some pastimes that should never be undertaken solo."
"Oh, I have no intentions of going solo," Nolan assured Shinobi with a smile. "You won't be the only Xavier's student on the guest list." There was Shaun, of course, and Kitty, if she wanted, but less evidently... "I have to watch Felix at work with Hamptonites. It'll be a thing of beauty."
That earned Nolan a curious look. "What's a Felix? New friend?"
Nolan frowned briefly; he could have sworn he had mentioned Felix to Shinobi. "You know, Felix. My 'disciple'?" His dry tone made it clear that he was quoting someone else (namely, Shaun). He looked around until he spotted the shock of red hair and the deep blue of Felix's sweater, and inclined his head in that direction. "Felix."
"Sou ka," Shinobi hummed tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Disciple, hmm?" And, now that Nolan mentioned it, perhaps he had heard the name around their room a time or two. He just hadn't assigned it any special priority. Perhaps it was time to reevaluate that assessment. "You don't seem like the type to take on a protege. I assume he must be more than typically interesting, then."
"He likes paisley," Nolan replied, lips turning up slightly at the corners. "And he might be more clever than the two of us put together." There was a reason Nolan wanted to see him at work in a Hamptons party.
"What a fascinating prospect. And what does the internet have to say about your waifish Junior Nolan?" Shinobi was familiar enough with his friend's proclivities by that point to take for granted he'd run his usual background check, especially if the two were on friendly terms.
"Oh, the usual speculations," Nolan replied dismissively, misunderstanding Shinobi's question. It was just as relevant, so it did not occur to him that Shinobi might have meant something else. "He is perhaps even more private than me, however, so I'll have to step up my handling of the press when we next do something public."
"I could do something more overtly scandalous than usual next time we're out," Shinobi offered. "You know, make a big, sparkly distraction of myself to keep the public eye turned away from you and your apprentice. I do like being a spectacle."
Nolan smiled at his friend. "You know I'll never stop you from going big and sparkly, but you're hardly going to be around every time we go out." He did, however, appreciate the offer, and the spirit in which it was offered. That was why his smile was decidedly less dry, and more frank, than they usually were.
"Well, not with that attitude," the younger Shaw huffed, but then offered a shrug. "But you know how to get in touch with me if you ever find yourself in need of something conspicuous and socially inappropriate. It's the least I can do, after all."
"I'll remember the offer," Nolan vowed to his friend, genuine and grateful, before his tone slipped back into its usual soft-spoken snark. "And maybe you can remember the offer of a getaway."
