Riding

[conduit]

"Been waitin' all morning."

He had? How fabulous was that. Rayen beamed like a schoolgirl at an NSync concert, following quickly after Logan.

"Have you done much exploring around the area? It looks absolutely gorgeous. And we're practically in the middle of nowhere..."

Logan had the nicest body... his shoulders were so wide, it made him look powerful, and he'd certainly proved that in Baltimore. Remembering how he'd put his arm around her and held her hand up, urging her to electrocute that zombie guy... she shivered, then made a mental note to thank him for that later.

[logan]

Sliding onto the bike, and revving it to life, Logan was once again confronted by the irresistibly good feeling of her body pressed against his. Looking back at her, a smirk on his face, he suddenly felt a slight tinge of guilt for not having a helmet for her. He'd survive any accident, but her...

She was a big girl, and made big girl choices. Besides, Logan was a helluva driver. He didn't know where or when he'd picked up the skill, but it was true.

“Actually not a whole lot of it.” he answered, to her question of his exploring the area. “I've not been around enough to really get a feel for the land... but I guess it's time to do just that.”

He sped the bike off down the road, just after checking to see if she was secured.

They drove through the small nearby town, getting looks from the locals, but again nothing to suggest resentment. They went through the scarcely populated out-of-town, and then were finally free to fully explore the winding roads of the forest.

They could've easily gotten lost in the beauty of the land, with tall, lush trees, gorgeous undergrowth and green almost-mountains all around them. The ride was tranquil, the serenity of nature a palpable force in the old wood.

[conduit]

Rayen held tightly onto him, watching the scenery fly by. She remembered what he'd told her about leaning into the turns, but that was easier said than done when doing so meant getting closer to the asphalt spinning by you like sandpaper on a treadmill.

She wanted to ask him a hundred questions, ones he wasn't likely to answer. She wanted to know about every day that he'd lived from the moment he woke up, how he had felt, what he'd done to survive. Looking up at his hair blowing in the wind, she wondered if he'd ever been scared. Surely losing your memories had to be terrifying. He just seemed... invincible. But she knew that wasn't the case.

There was so much to him, so much he had seen. It made her feel terribly simple and young. Maybe she was, both even. But he didn't seem to mind.

Gripping him tightly as they made a sudden turn, she laughed, wind pulling her long hair back behind them like a banner.

[logan]

After a while of scenic driving, Logan finally pulled the bike off the road and into a small trail that led at an upward angle along a mountainside. It wasn't very steep, but the incline was noticeable, and the bike seemed to handle the off-road travel just fine. A few minutes of this, however, and he had to stop it altogether.



They were in a forest of tall trees, the bed nearly devoid of underbrush, making it not only beautiful but easy to navigate. All of it sloped at a gentle angle, save for a few spots that heavily reached to the crest of the mount.



He turned the bike off, and let her get off before him. Finding a good spot to roll it, he took a look up the slope and grinned. "There's some really great stuff up there, though it's a hike. You up for it?"



Truth be told his earlier memories of post-lab escape were very feral. He'd wondered the wilderness, surviving on his hunter's instincts. It was likely due to this he had an affinity for the wild. When he'd said he hadn't become familiar with the territory, he meant it literally. He'd explored some, but to Logan, familiarity was intimacy. When he knew the territory's ins and outs, then he'd claim himself familiar. He was a natural woodsman.



That said, being in the wood with Rayen made him feel the best he'd felt in quite a long time. It was like two of the closest feelings he'd ever experienced.

[conduit]

Rayen looked in the direction he indicated, and grinned. She'd spent her share of time in the wilderness, and the tribe's sacred ground was up a mountain that the older men and women on the reservation had to be carried up to. Climbing was familiar to her- this little slope was nothing.

"You bet." She nodded, and leaned over to jerk the laces on her hiking boots. It occurred to her she hadn't brought any other shoes to Xavier's. Good thing, too.

Heading up the hill, she looked back at him. "I had a feeling you were the outdoorsy type."

[logan]

Logan looked up as she began to take to the hike easily, and was completely content on staying behind her, watching her go up first. When she turned to talk to him, he had to flick his eyes back to her face as quickly as possible. If she saw him staring, he didn’t really care – that was simply not in his nature – but he did know it was rude to do so.

“Outdoorsy.” He repeated, and chuckled. “Sounds right.”

He took to the hike next to her, enjoying the route for its undisturbed beauty.

“One of the first things I ever recall was wonderin’ through the wild. Think I must’ve been there a year, surviving on just the land… not sure about who I was before the blank, but I know a lot about how to survive an’ get around out here.”

[conduit]

She raised her eyebrows, whistling. "An entire year. That's amazing." Sighing, she took a deep breath of the air. "I'd love that." And she would. Being out in the wildnerness, entirely dependent on one's own skill to survive... it sounded heavenly. Of course she'd not likely have half the chance he did. Regeneration helped, she was sure.

"I mean, I'm sure it wasn't exactly by choice, but... do you ever miss it?"

[logan]

“All the time… hell, I spent the last six months mostly in the wood. I generally take any chance I can to live out here.”

He looked over at her and smiled. He knew there was something about her he liked, and her being a solitary, natural person was likely a key to that. That she seemed to get on with the idea of being outside of civilization was an immense draw with him.

“You get out into the wild much?”

[conduit]

"I used to. The reservation has a great deal of open land to it, mostly because we don't really get a lot of people choosing to live there anymore. Could also be that my father hasn't found a casino to land on it." The last was said with distinct annoyance, but she shook it off.

"I've gone a few days, a week. On my two vision quests I was alone a bit longer, but not by much. Living out there I did a lot of exploring though, day trips and the like." She laughed a bit. "Most people would find that strange, you know. Guess I'm lucky I ran into you." She smiled.

[logan]

He smiled, but left any reaction to the last statement unsaid. Time in the wilderness was nothing strange, even if it was uncommon. As philosophic as Logan ever got would be to think that it was strange that people didn't go to the wilderness enough. That they'd forgotten their roots.



"You ever find anything?" He asked, almost out of the blue, a couple minutes later. "On the vision quest?"

[conduit]

Rayen looked at him. Both her quests had been profound experiences that had forever changed her as a person. She wanted to tell him that somehow, but wasn't sure he'd be interested.

Her voice softened a bit as she spoke of it, obviously communicating the gravity of the subject. "I did, actually. On the first, my camp was struck by lightning." She smiled a bit, hoping he didn't think her completely insane. "They aren't all about woogie and magic, you know. There's a lot of science to the way we believe." She wasn't sure why, but it was important to her that he not only accept what she was saying, but understand it.

It wasn't likely, he seemed to blow it all off. But that was okay too. It seemed people either ate it up and decided you were a shaman just for having some native blood, or wrote you off as some drum-beating crazy living on government land. She couldn't win with them, and wasn't convinced she could with Logan either.

[logan]

It took Logan a second to register the emotion on her face, and his own features seemed to soften. A little. He held up a hand and cocked his head, as if to pacify any resistance that would inevitably be waiting to follow the sentiment about science.

“Hold on, darlin’.” He said. “I ain’t questioning your intelligence, it’s just that I’m…”

He struggled a minute to try to find the right words, then, as usual, just went with his first instinct.

“It’s just that I’m a bit lost. If a vision quest could help me piece together my past, why wouldn’t I take the opportunity?”

[conduit]

Rayen blinked. Well that was a step she didn't expect him to take. Was he saying he didn't believe it would work for him, or that he'd consider it if she thought she would?

Mohanes had these sorts of answers. She was still pretty lost herself, and had no idea how to respond. Laughing softly at their awkward banter, she thought a moment longer before responding.

"You quest to find something within yourself. I am unsure you would find the linear sort of memories you're thinking of. Most people go to find their totem, or.. to receive some sign."

Logan had this way of making her feel as if he thought the whole thing was bullshit. She decided just to shut up about it. Let him pick the topic, if he thought he was so great.

[logan]

Logan thought about what she said for a moment, and half-shrugged. He had to take a second to scale a steeper part of the climb, her right behind. She handled the landscape remarkably well, he noted.

He sensed her agitation, though. Obviously he’d misunderstood the point of a vision quest, though apparently had done so in such a way as to step on her toes. Maybe she thought he wasn’t deep enough to go on the quest. Perhaps it was best to leave the subject be for a bit… but that’s generally not how Logan operated.

He turned to her at the top, slightly agitated himself. “Didn’t mean ta ruffle yer feathers, darlin’. You don’t think I can do it, eh? Go on a vision quest. Or don’t think I’ll get what I’m lookin’ for?”

Seemed odd to think he could glean no answers from such a thing, when she would – twice.

[conduit]

She crossed her arms. She knew he likely didn't mean to be a total asshole about it, but well... he'd definitely "ruffled her feathers".

"If you look down your nose at it, dismiss it, yeah." She nodded a little defiantly. "I don't think you could do it. You have to be open to the experience. If you think it's a load of shit, then all you're doing is sitting in the forest smoking weeds and thinking."

Damn him. It's not like he'd insulted her or anything, but you'd think he'd give her a wide berth, being attracted to her and all. Or was he really just that rough around the edges? Maybe she mistook his love for the outdoors as some inate understanding of it. How could you not feel as if there were something intangible around you when surrounded by the flawlessness of nature?

[logan]

He looked at her, narrowing his eyes. "You think I see it as a load of shit?"



He didn't quite now how to respond for that. He considered his response to her pretty far evident to the contrary, but maybe he'd somehow not gotten the point across. Logan did have a way of pissing people off.



He thought it was because he was too clear on the things he said.



He turned and walked up the trail a moment more, clearly done with the conversation. Then he paused, and turned back around. It seemed impossible to simply avoid the argument, he was too far ingrained in his idealism of absolute confrontation until victory or defeat was clear.



"If I didn't think there was somethin' to it, why the hell would I want to give it a shot? Don't think that just 'cause I'm not Native American I assume it's all hocus pocus."

[conduit]

Rayen had backed away a bit as he came back to her, intimidated. She held up her hands a bit, as if that was going to do a thing if he decided to... dear god, fight her?

"Calm down." She said, not wanting to show fear but definitely shaken by his approach.

Man. This had gotten way out of hand. Rayen watched him carefully, staying at a bit of a distance. It took her a moment to gather her thoughts enough to speak.

"I didn't say anything about that." She frowned a bit. No one had ever accused her of being racist before. "I'm half Japanese, you know, so it would be a bit hypocritical of me to think that way."

Wanting to sit and think but not wanting to put her guard down, she pulled out a cigarette and lit it. UNable to find anything to say that wasn't going to make the situation worse, she just looked at him, irritated and a little confused.

[logan]

Logan eyed her, unsure of what to think. He’d clearly startled her, maybe even made her feel a bit assaulted. She looked genuinely spooked, like he’d really attack her or something.

He knew he had that affect on people – some X-factor that made him always look like he was about to claw you in the face, and that generally put people on edge. Another of his charming personality quirks.

He frowned, a small gesture told in the lines of his face.

“I am calm, Rayen.” He said, pausing a couple steps from her. “I’m not jacked up or nothin’, if that’s what you’re thinking. Totally calm.”

Who was he trying to convince?

“So if not the race issue, what else? I never said I thought your beliefs were shit. Think I’m not deep enough to the ceremony?”

[conduit]

She shook her head. "No. But the comment about my intelligence? I mean... does someone have to be stupid to believe the way I believe? And besides the fact, you haven't even ASKED what I believe in the first place."

"I think," she began, trying to resolve the strange tension between them, "That you'd find something really important. IF you were capable of shrugging off your cynicism."

[logan]

He sighed, which inevitably sounded like a growl, and drew his small stump of a cigar. “Can I get another light?”

“I said I wasn’t questionin’ your intelligence. I was getting’ the impression you thought I was too stupid to believe… whatever it is you do. Never got to ask what exactly that entailed before ya got to the defense on me. What makes you think I’m a cynic?”

Logan had always considered himself a positive guy, actually. The idea that he’d be cynical had never actually occurred to him.