xp_logs | (no subject)

Ororo nurses a lingering headache, and inflicts an equally wicked one on poor Scott.

Thank the goddess it's Sunday. Sunday meant that there were no classes to teach, and most administrative duties could be taken care of in the privacy and comfort of her own suite. The headache that Ororo was currently suffering through made her quite appreciative of that fact. She had been cleared rather quickly by the med team and advised to rest, but of course there was always something to do. Still, she was sitting on a comfortable chair instead of in front of her desk at the office, and could rest whenever she needed. That would have to be good enough for her recovery.

Scott's head poked around the half-open door. "And you call me a workaholic," he said with a frown, spotting her. "Is this really anything that couldn't have waited until tomorrow?" he asked, coming in.

"Probably not," Ororo replied with a shrug, pausing in her examination of a column-filled page. "But the more I do today, the less I do tomorrow... theoretically."

Scott sat down in the chair across from hers. "You could have let me do it, you know, and gotten a little well-deserved rest." She looked tired, and a little cross in the way Ororo had when she was in discomfort, but not overtly so.

Ororo shook her head, though the movement left waves of discomfort echoing through her head and neck. "I slept late today," she replied, pursing her lips. "And I was nearly finished here for now."

"Stubborn," Scott chided her, but there was no heat in his voice. He slouched a little in the chair, watching her. "Wish I could have been out there with you all last night."

"If I were you, I'd be thankful that I wasn't," Ororo said dryly. "I think those of us that were are feeling the worse for it today."

Scott made a face at her, if only for a moment. "You know what I mean. Although I suppose one of us needed to be in the Situation Room, and the one of us who isn't entirely fit for close-quarters fighting just yet was probably the best choice." His voice turned more brisk as he went on. "The evacuation went flawlessly."

Ororo's expression softened a little; she understood Scott's desire to participate, to be part of the team instead of the one on the outside. "I'm glad. As much as we don't want these situations to occur, it's still good to know that we're prepared and able to deal with them well."

"I find it a little disturbing that we've moved up from demons to Elder Gods, though. And do I want to know why, when I asked Nathan what happened when you broke down the boathouse door, he laughed madly and said I didn't want to know?"

"Oh, well..." Ororo smirked in spite of herself and shook her head. "You probably don't. And Cain probably doesn't want you to, either. Or Wanda, either..." She looked up, a playful gleam in her eyes.

Scott covered his face with his hands. "Oh dear God. Okay. Not even letting the brain go there, seriously. I think I'll just repeat 'stranger things have happened' several thousand times and hope it sinks in..."

"What do you think I meant when I said you should be glad you weren't there? I wasn't talking about the fight."

Scott realized, all at once, that he was laughing. He probably shouldn't be. Really, none of this was funny, and the whole week hadn't been particularly amusing at all, but... no, he was definitely laughing.

"Go on, mock my pain," Ororo said, glad that Scott was able to see the humor in the situation despite all that had gone on that week. She smiled, settling back in her seat and rearranging her legs underneath her.

It took Scott a minute or two to be able to breathe again, let alone talk. "You. Evil sense of humor, you always have..."

"Nothing I could make up would ever be able to compare to the truth," Ororo asserted, grinning. "The headache was almost worth the look on Cain's face..."

"Oh... oh, that hurts, make the mental images go awaaaaay...." He was struggling to hold back the laughter again. "So bad. So very, very bad."

With a chuckle, Ororo pushed the papers back on the table. "All right, I'll stop tormenting you. But just know, Nathan was trying to spare you the mental anguish when he told you that you didn't want to know."

"I'll know to listen the next time." He gave Ororo a more serious look. "Do you need a day or two off? To nurse the headache?"

"No. I'm fine. Really. Feeling better already." Ororo's expression was light enough, though Scott could tell her head still ached. "Just the result of a usual Saturday night here, right?"

Scott leaned forward a little, his gaze lingering on her intently for a moment. "All right," he said finally, quietly, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "And note, I'm taking your word for it."

"Thank you." Ororo smiled, sliding her legs out from under her. "I was planning on going to plant some saplings out where I fought. The trees took the brunt of the abuse. Would you like to come with me?"

Scott glanced at the window, then back at her with a smile. "Yeah," he said, "I would. It's a gorgeous afternoon out there and I think we could both use the fresh air."

With a nod, Ororo smiled. "Yes. And if we happen to see Cain along the way... try to keep a straight face, please."