Small Break (cont'd)

[logan]

(obviously continued from "A small break")

Logan tipped back the rest of his beer, and considered the question. “My story? Not much to know. Hell, not much I know. I got tangled with the X-Men a few times, and now they won't let me go. Before that, bar fights and Canadian wilderness. Before that...” He shrugged.

Cracking a peanut open, and popped it in his mouth.

“How about you? Usually just wander around until you can find the nearest zombie and giant plant infested battleground?”

[conduit]

She smiled. He hadn't told her shit, but maybe it was too sensitive a question.

She caught the waitress and set another beer in front of Logan, leaning forward on her elbows as she finished her first.

"I've spent the last seven years on a reservation after killing a dozen of my friends under an electrical tower after Homecoming." She took another drink, and set it down, fixing him with a rather direct look.

"You're telling me you don't remember much or are you just hedging?"

[logan]

He raised a brow, but uncapped the beer and took another drink. It took a lot to get Logan drunk. A lot.

“I don't hedge. I'm telling you prior to seventeen years ago, it's as if I don't exist. Part of a government experiment... left me a bit forgetful.”

He picked up his cigar and stuffed it between his teeth. “You vanished for seven years. Was that the last time you'd seen your brother?”

[conduit]

She was getting to like this. She wondered how far they'd be able to go.

"No. Last time I saw him, I was five years old. I think that would make him..."

Rayen counted on her fingers.

"...fourteen. And I'm twenty three now. So it's been a while."

She ashed her cigarette.

"So what's the first thing you DO remember?"

[logan]

Logan nodded at her response, and at her question. It was a natural progression for the conversation... It had been a while since he'd played twenty questions. Logan wasn't much of a conversationalist, and he knew it – but he wasn't rude enough to ignore someone he'd taken out to beer, either.

“I remember pulling myself up out of a tank of liquid, covered in wires. Think I killed a few scientists, and ran out into the woods. It was cold as hell. They didn't exactly have me in a jacket in that tank.”

He leaned back, an opposition to her leaning forward, but not as if to escape. It just looked more comfortable.

“Why'd you not see him for so long?”

[conduit]

Her eyes widened. "No shit. You weren't kidding."

It took Rayen a second to absorb what he'd said. "People do some fucked up things to mutants, don't they." She shuddered.

"My brother?" She shrugged. "Still trying to work that one out. From what I've pieced together, our father thought that when I electrocuted Bandero, that it was somehow Bandero's fault- you know, being the older of the two of us and all. So he kicked him out and had him beat up for trying to get near me. Or so Bandero -says-." She pointed her cigarette a bit, then took a drag.

"So how did you go from being a science experiment to being a normal guy? I mean... did you even know WHAT you were?"

[logan]

Logan imagined Forge getting pounded on by some heavy, and did his best not to grin. Besides, she'd fried the kid back then too. She must've learned a lot of control in her day. Well, at least he hoped she had.

“I dunno... your brother's a dick, yeah, but I don't think he'd lie about something like that.” He said, finishing off beer numero dos. Setting it on the table with a slight clack, he held up his finger to grab a third.

“A normal guy?” He did chuckle at that. “Well, I knew I was different. I knew I healed up awful quick, and I knew I had the claws. My amnesia was a lot like whatcha see in the movies... I could still talk and understand basic stuff. Like Drivin'. I basically drove around, trying to figure that out. Couldn't find the answers I was lookin' for, or even the lab I'd come from.”

He eyed her as the waitress put another couple beers down.

“Okay, so why would your father throw him out over that? I mean, wasn't it him that got hurt? Seems like an extreme move.”

[conduit]

She nodded, and finished her second, having to take a long drink to get it down. Rayen wasn't going to let him think she was a lightweight, even if her face was starting to tingle.

"Dad... good old Dad. He's likely one of the... most pathetic, mean spirited men I've ever met. Rotten. To the center of his heart." She tapped over hers, frowning a bit. "Cold. Vicious. It's not that he beat us, but just... manipulative. I'm not sure why he even kept us kids around."

"Bandero didn't want to be what Dad wanted to make out of him, so he treated him like shit." She shrugged. "I think he took it out on Bandero because my mother was still married to him when the accident happened. I'm guessing she said something. I don't really remember, she left shortly thereafter."

"So how exactly did you get hooked up with the X-Men again?"

[logan]

Logan watched her put down the second beer, and then watched as the dark memory surfaced about good ole' dad. He sounded like someone Logan would actually like to get to question number three with.

“Got ambushed by some furball in the north. Got knocked on my ass, and picked up by the X-men. Helped them out with a few problems, involving a friend of mine I met up there... in exchange, Xavier said he'd give me info on my past. He was a helluva psychic. The leather gets more comfortable as you wear it.”

He sipped at his third, though was rapidly going through it.

“So you stayed with pops until homecoming, when you had the accident... why the reservation?”

[conduit]

Rayen looked at him, smoke drifting from her lips for a second.

"What makes you say it was an accident?"

[logan]

Logan raised his eyebrows, beer to his lips. Setting it down, he shrugged.

"Bein' polite, actually. I didn't really assume either way... though if'n I had to guess, I'd say you don't much strike me as the killin' a dozen people for kicks type. You had a hard time wastin' Zombie-man in Baltimore."

His look didn't waver, and he was casual and matter of fact about the subject. In fact, Logan was usually casual about most everything.

[conduit]

Rayen met his eyes for a bit longer, not really wanting to break the gaze. There was something about him...

Or maybe it was just the beer. She took another drink.

"It was an accident. I didn't know what happened really. Other than when I fried Bandero as a kid, I wasn't aware of anything odd about me." She shrugs.

"The reservation was a place I could go to, no more, no less. Mohanes, my Dad's uncle, he lives there and I'd visited since I was little. He took me in and we worked together to control my abilites. I didn't leave the place the whole time. Too afraid."

[logan]

Logan nodded, making a half frown and drinking again. This girl had had the kind of history few mutants had: The worst possible scenario. Not only was her power a danger to others, she'd actually hurt and killed people she loved… sounded a lot like, Rogue, actually.

"Seems like you've got a lot of it under control. We took the trip in that chopper and didn't plummet, so that's one for ya. So what made you finally leave?"

"Well... I was twenty three, things have gotten hot on the mutant issue. I couldn't stay there forever. And back when I was a kid, Xavier got in touch and invited me to the school. I never accepted. But I thought it might still be there, so I came to check it out."

She grinned. "The rest is history. Recent history really, I just showed up a few days ago. But you knew that." She hiccuped a bit.

"So what's your take on the Brotherhood?"

Logan half-smiled, both at her answer, question, and the hiccup. She was kicking them back with him, and probably didn't realize that it took a God-awful amount of booze to get Logan wasted.

He didn't comment on the Xavier thing, for no reason other than it was an issue of the past, completely.

"At first I thought the Brotherhood was onto something, with the way humans treated mutants… then I realized their leader, Magneto, was full of himself. New guy leadin' em was a kid at the school a year ago. Kind of emotionally unstable. And after Baltimore… well, I don't think they're out to prove anything anymore, just cause death and chaos."

He shrugged.

"Not that I'm a top-notch good school boy or anything, but there's a line. Fucker's crossed it."

"It still seems pretty unreal, doesn't it?" She slowed down a bit, leaving her beer for another cigarette. "I mean..." she exhaled, shaking her head. "It's like super heroes or something. No one seems to see how messed up that is." Rayen chuckled, brushing hair out of her face.

For a second, the conversation slowed. She sat back, looking around them, not uncomfortable, but maybe unable to voice what was going through her mind. Nodding a little, she looked back at him, and half smiled.

He actually chuckled at that. "No one notices? Everyone runs around with fake names. Names that sound like the name's of drinks served in upscale bars… the Nightcrawler, the Storm, the Iceman. Fortunately for me, I've had years to get over the surreality. Don't worry, it fades after a bit."

He called for another beer, and popped it and drank slowly once more.

"You considering the leather yet?"

"The leather?" She realized what he meant, and laughed. "Oh. Well, I haven't been asked really, but I'm not sure. I really do appreciate what everyone's doing, and I want to be with my brother... but I don't think I should commit myself to something I'm not sure I can follow up on. You know?"

She took a drink and thought a moment. "There was something, when I got that zombie guy." Frowning a bit, Rayen looked down, then back up at him. "I knew I was doing something right, but it didn't make it any easier. Killing someone." Shuddering, she finished her third beer in one swallow.

"Some people have it comin, darlin'" he said, putting the cigar to his mouth. "Not sayin' we should just execute people, but in that circumstance, we didn't have much choice. You did the right thing…"

He took another drink, letting the silence between them sit for a moment.

"I'm invitin' ya to join the superhero team, if ya want.You have the brass to get it done, and the ass to make it look good."

Rayen laughed, unsure how else to respond. Blushing, she grinned. "Oh come on. Storm's not enough woman for you?" She chuckled.

"So that's it? Just... get an invite from one of you and it's cool with everyone else?"

Logan smiled, a real heart-felt smile. There was something about how she responded to things. It was tough and not all at the same time. There was a fire in there, an energy like that she controlled, yet at the same time there was a frailty that was completely attractive. Were Logan more of a thinking man, he'd note that he always ended up falling for that combination.

"'Ro?" he shook his head. "Nah, hard to look at her as more than just a comrade. She's a looker, sure, but she's all that's left of the old team. I think she and I share a deal of the responsibility on it now… as much as I don't like to be saddled with it. If I said you were in, she'd listen."

He looked at her long once more, and shrugged. "No rush, though. I'm happy to keep you on the back of my bike for a bit more. Wouldn't want you getting' your own super-wheels or anything just yet."

Rayen raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah, you think so?" Shaking her head, she leaned forward on her arms and gave him a cool, flirtatious look. "Between you and my brother, I'll be on training wheels for the rest of my days."

He put his cigar out, and finished off his beer. He returned her cool look with one of his own, somehow not at all odd on his haggard face.

"Don't worry, I'm sure I can come up with a few placed I'd prefer to you be."

She nodded slowly, even if her mind was reeling. It wasn't just the beer. Getting up, she tossed a few bills on the table. He'd likely mind that she paid, but he'd get over it.

Putting out her cigarette, she tucked her wallet into her back pocket. "You good to ride?"

Logan looked at the wad of bills, and wanted to argue – but he figured she knew he'd feel that way, and had a pre-planned counter, which would only lead nowhere. Shrugging, he figured he'd just pick up the next tab, and stood with her, pocketing the rest of his Cigar.

"Yep. The healing factor keeps me sober 'til I drink a keg or so." He smirked, "Back to the mansion?"

Rayen laughed, elbowing him in the arm as she passed to head out the door. "Lucky you huh?"

Stretching as they got back out on the sidewalk, she realized they'd been there for a few hours. It was nice to lose track of time after counting every minute her brother failed to wake up. "Yeah I suppose we should head back. You should take me for a ride soon though, there seems to be a lot of good highway around here."

She turned to him, smiling easily. He was remarkably easy to be around.

Logan grinned as she elbowed him, the contact, even so light, left a tingle. Maybe it was the charge inert in her, left from the channeling. He doubted it.

"There is a lot of good highway." He said, as he turned around and smiled at him. He took one step to many, and ended up closer to her than normal courtesy would allow. Still, he found it difficult to back up. "I could take you across the states if you wanted. It's a helluva road trip." He adjusted his volume for the closeness, and the last part almost sounded like a whisper

His breath smelled like beer and cigar smoke. She liked that. The rest of him smelled... fantastic, still. She could feel his breath on her face. And she was a little too buzzed to stop herself.

Holding her palms against his torso, she stood on her toes to press her mouth to his. The second their lips touched she realized she'd likely made a mistake. This was Wolverine, an X-Man, likely three times her age or more by what the others had told her. She was a stupid kid. But damn... how could she help herself?

You don't get called Wolverine by being docile, and at times it was difficult for Logan to stay as passive as society would deem so. Often, he threw convention to the wind and did whatever the hell he felt like… this time she made the first move, so all bets were off. Sensuality and romance were part of Logan, sure, as was his deep rooted sense of honor… but more than that, he really was a beast.

He pressed into the kiss hungrily, grabbing the back of her head and pulling her in as he did so. He took the kiss, and gave it also, but all the exchange was a furious passion. His other hand wrapped around her waist, pulling the two of them as close as possible.

Beer, stress, animal instinct… he wasn't thinking about the why, he was barely thinking at all.

Rayen moaned, barely audible as he took her breath away. Pressing her back against the front wall of the bar, Logan seemed to want no distance between them. She wasn't arguing. Her nails dragged down his chest, pulling his shirt into her fist as they did their best to consume one another. She stopped rationalizing, nearly lifted off her feet by desire.

Her teeth scraped his bottom lip as she pulled back and broke the kiss, their eyes opening and lingering in silence. Until the bar door opened and someone walked past, eyes discreetly down.

Rayen broke into a smile. "Damn."

Logan grinned himself, pointed teeth showing beneath his lips. He still had an arm around her waist, but slowly it loosened its clinging hold. He looked at her, considering innumerous possibilities, and chuckled lightly.

She looked like a dream made flesh, perfect skin, perfect hair, those incredible eyes… it had been a long time since Logan felt this way, in a shared fashion.

"Damn right." He said simply.