LOG: (Lorna, Marius) Dinner

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Lorna's just trying to cook dinner. Instead, she gets an unexpected freeloader visitor.




Had anyone asked -- or rather, had they asked and Marius been in a position to answer -- he would have maintained that his current investigation of the school was purely a matter of research. After all, getting accustomed to the wolf-body was potentially important practice for future instances of dealing with borrowed powers, he had to learn to adjust in case of potentially drastic changes, etc. The fact that it was actually fun had nothing to do with it whatsoever.

It wasn't so much the enhanced senses -- feeding on Kyle after returning from Seattle had made the change less surprising than it would have been. No, it was something about the shape itself. Something about four legs, a wagging tail, and a set of jaws that could crunch bone conferred a remarkable sense of freedom . . . and given Marius' normal opinion of restrictions, that was saying something.

At the moment, Marius was indulging his curiousity by investigating areas he normally wouldn't (at least, not without the appropriate excuse), such as the staff quarters. Or rather, the hallway. Even if Marius had been suicidal enough to investigate the rooms themselves, he was currently disadvantaged when it came to operating complex machinery. Like doorknobs.

At the moment, however, he had more important things to worry about -- like investigating a very fascinating set of smells emanating from one of the suites. The wolf-senses told him it was cooking. His considerably more advanced human palate identified it as good cooking. Filet mignon for a certainty, with undercurrents of pleasant things like kale, garlic, rosemary . . . and at that point Marius realized he was drooling, which felt even less pleasant with a mouth that projected several inches from the rest of his face.

Standing outside the door, Marius momentarily considered the fact that whoever was doing the cooking might be less than pleased by a surprise visit from a student whose first month at the school had been marked by sporadic attacks on its residents. It would be understandably off-putting -- and that was without the temporary lycanthropy.

Then again, he was curious and getting hungry -- two deal-breakers when it came to the question of making a nuisance of himself. That seemed to decide it.

Heaving himself onto his hindlegs, Marius scratched at the door with one paw and whined theatrically. Sometimes, he reflected, an utter lack of shame made life so much easier.

It opened under his paws a few moments later and a tall green haired woman squeaked in surprise as he tumbled back to all fours. She stumbled back from the door and stared hard at him, her eyes wide. "Um...student or pet?" she asked finally, her voice casual and breezy belying the surprise in her face.

Marius looked at her quizically, head cocked to one side. It occurred to him the conversation was going to be a bit one-sided. Still, he did have a fairly obvious means of identifying himself. Half-turning to get the right angle, he looked over his shoulder and lifted what was normally his right hand to display to ring of teeth embedded in the center of his pawpad.

She bent to inspect it then sighed. "Student. You must be Marius. I'm Lorna. What brings you up here? Looking for someone and just scratched at the wrong door?" She glanced at her watch as she spoke then back at the small suite kitchen.

Pleased to be recognized, especially without the "ick" that frequently accompanied that particular kind of introduction, Marius sat in front of her door and licked his lips, tail thudding hopefully. Then, as much for love of pressing his luck as for emphasis, he sat up and begged. Pathetically.

There were several seconds of stunned silence then she started to laugh. Helplessly almost, with her doubled over and her arms around her waist. The sound was edging toward hysterical when she reigned it in and stood giggling. "I can't believe you're begging me for scraps."

Marius dropped from the beg and lowered his belly to the floor, resting his head on his forepaws to ensure the ensuing Sad Puppy Eyes and piteous whimpering would achieve maximum effect. His one regret was that he could gain no control over his tail, which by this point was wagging so furiously his entire back half was rocking.

She continued to giggle though she tried in vain to stop. "You know, there are easier ways to get food. How do you know I have anything to spare?" But she rolled her eyes and gestured for him to follow her. "Don't shed on my carpet. I just vaccuumed."

Needing no further invitation, Marius sprang to his feet and trotted past her, amused to note the top of his head came nearly to her elbow. As one accustomed to being tall, it was difficult to judge relative height now that everyone's face was "up".

He scanned the room as Lorna closed the door behind them. It was a large suite, larger than the students' single rooms, and the decor had a more distinctive style to it than the suite he shared with Forge, Kyle and Jay. There seemed to be a lack of personal items, though -- which struck him as odd, because he would have thought that whoever had taken the time to personalize their suite this way would have taken the time to add a few human touches.

"You're kind of thin, aren't you?" she observed after a moment. Her voice was amused. "I mean, not that I know what wolves are supposed to look like but Rahne never looks this skeletal. Is that why you're begging? Or am I just being suckered?" In the kitchen, her movements became a bit more brisk, more business-like than her casual stroll, checking on various pots, pans and bowls.

Marius, who had trailed her as far as the edge of the kitchen, responded with a cheerful bark. Oh, yes, it was indeed good cooking. The sparseness evident in the rest of the suite was definitely lacking in the kitchenette -- every possible space was occupied by a well-organized inventory of spices, utensils and cookware that Marius suspected was either professional-grade or only just short of it. Nothing was haphazard or amateur about the scene, not even the sink full of neatly-stacked used cooking implements. He was duly impressed.

Cautiously, Marius ventured a few paces into the kitchen area, stopping well away from where Lorna was working. He didn't feel inclined to touch anything, but he was curious about the contents of the pots and didn't want to annoy her if she took issue with the hygiene of having a wolf so close to her cooking. He settled for raising himself onto his hind legs to get a better look.

"I don’t speak wolf but I hope that wasn't that I'm getting suckered or you'll just get salad out of me." She stopped and tapped her foot while she looked at the food she'd already prepared then gave him a sharp look. "Okay, serious question. I know Rahne doesn't mind raw meat every now and then but are you going to want something cooked?"

Marius dropped back to all fours, head tilted. His first impulse was for something prepared, but it occurred to him that anything fancy might not be such a good idea with his current digestive tract. In addition, his intention hadn't been to complicate her dinner plans. Though he spared the dishes already cooking a look punctuated by a lick of the lips, he turned squarely towards the as-yet unprepared ingredients and offered another bark to indicate his willingness to sacrifice.

"Good choice." She laughed and went to the steaks that were still sitting out. She extracted one and gave him a considering look. "You have no hands. If I give you this whole, are you going to make a mess?"

"Errrrmm." Given that Marius' experience in this state had yet to extend to eating, he wasn't quite sure how to answer that. He did recall some difficulty the first time he'd used Rahne's powers, but then, he'd been stuck at a weird transitional stage at that point and had required some time rediscovering just where his mouth started.

Lorna made a face. "Right. I'll cut this up then. I'm telling you, if you're suckering me here, I'm so going to find a way to make your life harder. You spend a lot of time in the medlab, right? I'll tell Moira to freeze instruments for you." She wielded a butcher's knife as she spoke, the blade flashing shockingly quickly which she hacked the steak into easily swallowed ribbons. She scooped them onto a plate and with a shrug, set it on the ground at her feet. "Sorry, I don't think I can figure out a way to have you eat at the table."

The warning was met with a few unconcerned thumps of his tail. Marius raised his head in a wide, wolfish grin before bending over the offered plate. He automatically sniffed the contents, then wondered why -- he was going to eat it anyway. Then again, the muzzle obstructed his view of the food directly under his nose, so the scent at least gave him an idea of where to aim. Experimentally, Marius pulled back his lips to take a piece of meat with his incisors, which went well enough until his attempt to draw the hunk further into his mouth only succeeded in dropping it back onto the plate. Marius, who had been expecting to close his teeth on something a bit more substantial than air, issued a startled noise that sounded distinctly like the canine version of "Huh?"

She burst into gales of laughter again, leaning against the counter to keep from falling over. "Try tilting your head back, that's what Rahne does when she's gulping things down."

Sparing Lorna a brief look of wounded dignity, Marius dipped his head and tried again, this time trying Lorna's suggestion. Meat firmly in teeth, he jerked his head back just before opening his jaws to add backward momentum to his dental efforts. It worked better, though his aim was slightly off and he ended up with a section of steak protruding from the side of his mouth, but at least he had a firm grip on it now. Another snap brought it properly into his mouth, and in a few short moments it was gone.

Beaming at his success, Marius turned to Lorna and favored her with a bark of happy gratitude before starting on the rest. The muzzle took some getting used to, but it was a hell of a lot easier than trying to navigate the smaller one of his transitional state with a fork had been.

Lorna giggled again, obviously unconcerned about his wounded pride and got herself a cup of coffee then started cleaning up the kitchen while he ate. She was keeping an eye on him because the moment he finished she turned and smiled at him. "Is that better? You should ask Rahne for some pointers if you're planning to spend a lot of time as a wolf."

Marius licked specks of blood from his nose, his tail supplying a contented thud. Not being able to talk meant no obligation to point out the distinct lack of planning that had contributed to the situation, and that was fine with him. And anyway, if Lorna was any indication, the combination of wagging tail and enforced pantomime was proving deadly.

Feeling he should contribute somehow, Marius carefully took the empty plate in his mouth, carried it to the counter, and kicked himself onto his hind legs so he could place it next to the sink. He dropped back to the floor and looked up at her, his tail now beating a leisurely tattoo against the side of a cabinet.

"Thanks," Lorna said dryly and dumped it in with the rest of the dishes. Unlike most people, Lorna's wash cycle apparently had three parts. Right now the dishes all rested in a faintly odd smelling purple liquid. "You owe me a steak you know. Filet mignon doesn't grow on trees. Because it's cow."

Marius inclined his head in an approximation of a nod. "Wuff," he responded solemnly, fully intending to follow through. It looked like that butcher's shop would be getting regular business. After Lorna's generous offering, the idea was beginning to sound increasingly appealing.

Aware that he was probably in the way, Marius moved back towards the living room. On his way past her he gave Lorna's arm a brief, appreciative nudge with his head, whiskers twitching as they brushed her skin.

"Yeah, yeah, you're welcome. You'd better come back and introduce yourself properly when you're not all wolfed out you know." She patted his head absently then washed her hands just as absently. "Just because I'm used to feeding random strays doesn't mean that I don't want a face to go with the ravenous scarfing."

Marius' tail wagged in reply, finding no reason whatsoever to avoid another encounter with a woman who had just fed him and scratched him behind the ears.

In a way, he was relieved that he'd met her as a wolf. Not just for the food or the contact, but because, in truth, the same thing that had made the introduction unnecessary had also left him at a loss to approach her. After all he'd heard and read, what could he have said to her, You wouldn't remember me, but you were one of the first mutants I ever saw because my first day out of isolation was the same day you and Forge were rescued from Magneto?

But this was easy. No awkward conversation, no need to disturb painful memories. And now the next time they met, there would be no need for either.