Kate took a seat with a few tender treats from the buffet table, people watching as always.  She glared at Gladiator once or twice when his back was turned, still annoyed at an encounter they'd had some years back.<em>The man thinks he's SO perfect.</em>Smiling suddenly again, she remembered the ending of that encounter.  She'd been dating Franklin Richards at the time, and one of her sweater memories of the last year of their romance involved Franklin's manipulation of the arrogant alien's costume.<br/><br/>She noted that Vanessa seemed not to recognize her, and smiled to herself.  The girl had not been one of her best students, letting her abilities replace actual tactical thinking.  She'd been in her class a few years back, and had declined to join the X-men.<em>I did wear rather old fashioned clothing back then.</em>Kate mused.<em>The glasses I was wearing then... and I think my hair was usually in a bun.</em><br/><br/>She grimaced slightly, remembering her mood back then.<em>One bad relationship after another.  You'd think I was afraid to let myself be a woman anymore.</em>Focusing on the excellent canapes, she resumed her people watching, her mood picking up again quickly in the party atmosphere.