Scott and Logan in the locker room, Sunday evening

[x-cyclops.livejournal.com]

Scott and Logan cross paths in the locker room after bringing Kyle back. Scott is cranky. Logan is being productive-minded. Have these two switched places?


He was so going to hate the world in the morning. Scott pulled his locker door open, peering in for a sweatshirt to match the sweatpants he'd found before getting into the shower. He reached out with one arm, then winced and lowered it again, giving it an assessing look. There were already bruises rising on his bicep. Not nearly as spectacular as the ones on his lower chest, but if he wasn't functionally the one-armed man in the morning, he'd be terribly surprised. A good soak was probably indicated.

Logan, of course, didn't have a mark on him. But he was sporting a good bit of blood on the sides of his head - specifically his ears -as well as a great deal of sweat that needed soaked away. So off to the industrial-strength showers it was. He peeled off his uniform without the slightest shred of modesty. "Good fight today." he said conversationally as he changed out.

Scott grumbled something in response and sat down on the bench, breathing a bit raggedly. He should probably go down to the infirmary and let Amelia take a look at his ribs. Maybe in a minute. "You and Cain have fun?" he asked, raising his voice a little automatically, even though Logan would probably hear him just fine over the shower.

"One helluva show. Should buy the DVD." he said with amusement, finally completely stark naked. He wandered into the showering area and started one going, waiting for the water to get closer to his liking before getting things started properly.

"I met one of the fighters in the back. He had four arms," Scott said dourly. "Four very large arms." He pulled the sweatshirt on gingerly. "So, any opinion on just why Kyle might have been dumb enough to get himself involved in this in the first place?"

"At a guess? Young, dumb, full of himself, and looking to make a buck at something he thought he was good at. And he is good at it - rough and untaught, but with a helluva potential." Logan said, then stepped into the shower to wash the sweat and blood away.

"Great. So let's teach him how to be more polished at it, and then he can be more efficient at being stupid." Uncharitable. Definitely uncharitable. Scott shook his head irritably.

Logan growled slightly at that. "Maybe if he was getting what he needed here he wouldn't feel the need to go make a buck and feel like a big man out there." he said, just as uncharitably.

"Oh? Tell me, what aren't we giving him that he needs? The opportunity to beat people up for fun and a quick buck?"

"How about a little self-confidence? A little self-respect?" Logan snapped back, soaking himself under the spray of the shower. "It's seductive, when you can get something just based on you and nothing else. Bet you a buck they got some girl to pay him some attention, make him feel like a big man. Maybe even got him laid." Logan said nonchalantly. "Kid doesn't know any better."

"You can't give someone self-respect," Scott snapped back. He really ought to get up and go find Amelia. But he was tired, and the bench was nice. "You're probably right. And he's just a dumb kid..."

"They're all dumb kids. That's our job, to teach them something before they can get themselves killed or something." he said cheerfully. "And no, you can't, but you can show them how to find it without getting taken for a ride by sleazy promoters. They're all sleazy, by the way. Every single last one of 'em."

Logan was making sense. Am I sure Four-Arms didn't hit me in the head? "Point," Scott conceded tiredly, the heat gone from his voice. "It's been a while since we've had to go rescue a kid. I was starting to hope those days were behind us."

"World's still a dangerous place and always will be." Logan said confidently, trying to wash the blood and sweat out of his ears. "I'll talk to the pup. Get his take on things, bring him around. He's got heart and spirt, he's just ... misguided. Listening to his gut and his raw feelings and not his brain."

"Let me know how that goes." Clearly, he should have been paying better attention to Kyle for a while now. Delinquent headmaster. Scott closed his eyes, and thought again about getting up. "You're the expert. That's kind of scary."

Logan just laughed at that. "Jealous?" he smirked. "Kid's salvagable. I know it. He just needs a firm hand."

"He doesn't need to be salvaged, Logan. He just needs to learn better." Scott opened his eyes again and concentrated on getting up. "I was serious about letting me know how it goes," he said over his shoulder as he turned towards the doors. "I don't expect you to pass on confidences, but if you're going to be... the point person here, you've got to keep us informed."

Logan nodded. "May need to get a little strict with the kid. He's got a lot of energy and nowhere to put it. Typical kid made worse by his mutation." he thought out loud. "Gotta grind him down, work it off. Then teach him to think before acting."

"Just don't do any permanent damage," Scott said, and proceeded to walk into the doorframe. "... ow. Screw this," he muttered, shifting several inches to his left. "I need a nap." He hadn't wound up sleeping at all last night.

Logan bit back a chuckle before it could turn into a full-bore laugh. "Get some racktime, Summers. Mansion'll still be here when you wake up."

"You never know."