Riding

[conduit]

Rayen laughed. "Are you serious?" Handing him the lighter, she walked a little closer.

Maybe it was better if they scrapped what had been said and moved on.

"My great uncle taught me about the spirits. There are spirits for all things. Spirits of air, and water, fire... even electricity. And there are spirits of animals too. Bear, eagle, cougar, snake... all things have a spirit. It's not like gods exactly, which even to me sounds a bit lame." She looked around, her eyes tilting up to the sky above the trees.

"But if you believe that all things are connected, particularly Earth things, things that only it has made... then it is easy to see how they have their own spirits." She looked at him.

"You have your own spirit, you know. They call you the Wolverine for a reason, don't they?"

[logan]

"Just because it's not a God doesn't mean it's silly." He said, taking the light, and puffing on his cigar. "They both sound just as… I dunno, up to the believer. That's to say that I don't really know what side to take on em'. You believe what your Great Uncle said, and I know you're a pretty smart girl – in the kinda smarts that matter."

He looked back down the hill, thinking for a moment.

"Seems you wouldn't believe in something without experiencing it first hand in some way. So if you say it, I can believe it. As for me, they did call me Wolverine – it was on the dog tags I was wearin' when left Alkali Lake. Only thing I was wearin', actually. You sayin' its probably my totem animal?"

The idea didn't sound that far fetched, actually, considering what Logan knew of the mammal wolverine.

[conduit]

She smiled a bit. It was subdued. "Maybe so. But it's not up to me."

"I guess what I'm saying is, it doesn't really matter if the spirits exist or not. When I speak of Thunderbird, I speak of my family, my people. And I feel there is -something- out there greater than us." She shrugged a little, and looked up the hill with a sigh.

"Shall we?"

[logan]

The only worse thing than messing up a good thing is not knowing exactly how you’ve done so. Logan was a simple man, not particularly creative though apt to have spurts of invention. He didn’t exactly think five steps ahead, but he was particularly good at picking the correct two steps ahead. Yet here he was, unsure of how to fix what definitely seemed broken… or at least bent.

He took to the hike, saying nothing but still offering her a small smile. The hill had become steeper in places, testing their climbing skills but not pressing them. They managed fair to get to the point Logan had assured her would be worth the trouble…

And it was. The view of the valley below was spectacular. Trees formed a blanket throughout it, and a decent sized body of water lay comfortably in the center of it. It had the sort of geography to make one think it could’ve been a meteor strike long ago, yet it seemed so full of life that destruction could not have possibly existed in its history.

Allowing her to take in the site, he motioned to a small log which had been neatly carved into a seat. It looked something similar to a bench… it was a curiosity as to whether or not he’d done the carving.

“Ray,” he said, finally choosing a short name for her, “I’m sorry.” The words sounded strange coming from him, unused, dusty. “I didn’t mean to step on your toes. What you said about family, about people, I think I can really understand. I feel that way about the X-Men. About Xavier’s school… I feel connected to them, in a way that’s… well, bigger than myself. I think I feel the same way about being out here.”

Again he seemed to struggle for the words, which existed for sentences he normally never uttered. He scratched the back of his head, thinking.

“Never much put stock in faith, of one kind or another. Not exactly a religious fella… so I guess I never really gave it much thought… but I have been thinking since we’ve been up here.”

He looked at her, his face the measure of curiosity. It was clear that this line of thought was an unusual foray for the man from nowhere.

[conduit]

Wow.

It was worth the hike. The view was amazing, trees in every direction like green fur on the body of the earth. Sometimes her desire to fly was so strong she felt she could go leaping off the edge of a precipice and just... float. Something always kept her feet down though.

Then Logan began to speak. She listened, watching his eyes, his facial expressions. He was opening up without being vulnerable. It was admirable, and made her feel safe. He could talk about these things without breaking down. Rayen just didn't think she had it in her to fight until a man like Logan cracked. It would be his choice if she knew anything about him at all.

And here he was, making an effort to share in return. She smiled softly.

"I don't think of it as faith or religion. It's something different than that. I don't have tenets I follow or a church I attend. In fact I've never really talked about these things with people other than my great uncle. It's just a way of seeing the world." And I want you to see it through my eyes, she added to herself.

It seemed a bit early to be saying things like that out loud.

[logan]

He nodded thoughtfully, and leaned back against a tree, legs stretched out in front of him. He patted the log next to him, and looked at her.

“An outlook. Sounds like you’re givin’ the world around you the importance I think it’s supposed to have. I think we’re supposed to respect nature, respect our surroundings… seems wise to me. I mean….” He gestured out into the valley. “How in the hell can you not look at this and think that it’s real. That it’s great, and it deserves all the respect you got.”

He wanted to tell her again that he really had a desire to try the vision quest. That with all the things he’s seen in the past few years, a vision quest seemed the least surreal, and that he secretly hoped it would help him find answers to questions he’d had all of his known life.

But then again, it probably wasn’t the best time to say that. He’d have to save the vision quest conversation for another day, when the remnants of their argument weren’t fresh in the air.

[conduit]

Rayen kept standing, smiling a bit more. She finished her cigarette, watching the sunlight on the lake in the distance. Suddenly the quiet between them wasn't as thick, and she fell to enjoying the sound of the breeze and the birds and his smoky exhales.

"We should go camping. You know, at some point when the world's not about to end."

[logan]

Logan noticed the tension release too. Out here, with this view, it was difficult to hang onto negative energy. It's one of the few places that he'd discovered with that kind of power… sharing it with Rayen, someone he knew could completely understand that, was great.



He let the minutes drift by lazily, and felt very relaxed. "Camping sounds like a good plan. Maybe take a couple weeks and explore the state? Hell, a couple days sounds good to me. Out in the wild, with you? Can't imagine anything finer, really."

[conduit]

Rayen looked down, blushing a bit. She wasn't sure what to say. It felt comfortable, what he'd said, but at the same time it came to her that it had only been a number of days and two kisses. Already they were talking about spending long amounts of time together.

"How is it a guy like you hasn't been snagged by some hot X-woman yet?" She grinned, moving to sit on the bench near him.

[logan]

“Patience” he said with a grin, “on my part.”

The wind blew his smoke off in a trail over the valley, and he watched it wind it’s way into nothingness.

“I know what I want, and I usually keep going for it. I generally don’t take anything but what I want... It’s a character flaw.”

There. That certainly beat saying that he had been tied up over a married woman for the past three years, didn't it? Probably best to leave it enigmatic, direct, and flirtatious.

"What about you? You've got the looks to be in the movies, yer tough, smart... how is you've managed to elude captivity for so long?"

[conduit]

She laughed, couldn't help it. He had a way of putting her at ease.

"Um... seclusion, that helps..." She smiled, looking over at him before lighting a cigarette.

How to explain this one.

"I've dated... a little. Nothing much. Was with a guy for a year or so but he wanted to leave the Res and I wasn't ready. Can't blame him really." She shrugged, ashing over her knee.

Rayen looked out over the trees again, quiet for another long moment.

"I didn't expect to find anyone that was interested in me."

[logan]

“I'd keep with the flattery, but I think you get the idea. I can't imagine what it is you find so unappealing about yourself. You're probably the most qualified date I've ever come across... “

He stopped there, leaving the compliment hanging there. Logan didn't like to over-compliment anyone, as he thought it made him out to look too lippy. So he moved on with the subject.

“I think it's likely you that didn't want any of those guys.” He looked sidelong at her. “Take a guy tough as nails to hold you down, I'm sure. You follow your heart above your head, and above anyone else's idealism, too.”

[conduit]

She laughed, listening to him say he wasn't going to compliment her and then go about doing exactly that.

Standing, Rayen put out her cigarette and stepped to him. There was a long pause as her fingers hooked into the pocket of his jeans and she pulled herself closer.

"You know it occurs to me... I'm real curious to know what kissing you is like when I'm not half drunk." She leaned in, touching the tips of their noses together as she grinned.

"So are you 'tough as nails'.... Wolverine?"

[logan]

He let his cigar hit the soft dirt, clear of any brush, and slid a hand along her waist until it wrapped around to the small of her back. He held her gaze, locked as if attempting to read her mind through her dark eyes.

“Oh, I dunno,” he said, a devilish smile revealing a bit of pointed teeth. “I think I got nails beat, sweetheart.”

He let their lips touch, hungry passion now subdued with security, still permeating his every move yet without the desperate tension from the first time. No, this kiss had at least a modicum of control to it. A semi-careful pacing, akin to someone who takes a long and tender bite from their favorite food.

His arm was immovable around her, he other gliding up her back to press just below her neckline.

[conduit]

Rayen leaned into him, slipping an arm around his neck and being easily pulled into his arms. Kissing back with the same slow, restrained manner, she tugging at his pocket, pressing her hip to his.

Breaking the kiss, she opened her eyes again. "Figure we can waste an hour or two more. What do you think?" She smiled slowly, falling back into the kiss.

[logan]

It was euphoric, a completely wonderful sensation that Logan had been all but denied his entire known life... and here he was, passionate about it.

Between kisses, he murmured: "What do you mean, waste?"

It was answer enough.

(end scene)