xp_logs | Nathan and Cain, Monday night

Nathan and Cain grab a beer and do some catching up following the events of the weekend.

Nathan came through the door, noting the moderate crowd - well, it was about that time of the evening, he supposed - before he went over to join Cain at the usual table. "Sorry I'm late," he said, sinking down in the chair. "Rachel took exception to the concept of 'bath' tonight and tried to strangle me with the shower curtain."

"Crazy kid," Cain drawled, leaning back in the booth, both large feet kicked up on a chair as he slowly sampled his beer. "You could always just do that water floating trick on her, you know."

"And risk her being able to duplicate it the next time she throws a tantrum?" Nathan shook his head, then smiled briefly as one of the waitresses set a beer down in front of him. "Of course, Moira walked into the bathroom and went 'Rachel.' and she calmed right down."

Laughing, Cain shook his head. "We might be able to toss cars around and crack mountains, but you don't mess with your wife when she's got that voice going, believe you me."

He took another long drink, belching quietly into his fist. "Guess I owe you an explanation after leaving you behind like that."

Glass halfway to his lips, Nathan paused. "Well," he conceded, his lips twitching briefly, "I'm not pissed or anything. Wouldn't mind knowing what did happen, though."

Cain took a deep breath, setting his beer aside and resting his hands on the table. "Remember how you had them ghosts in your head for so long? I kinda had something similar - just happened to show up knocking on the door."

Nathan's eyes widened just a little. "... really."

"Left a little note on the lake. This... thing that's been around all these years. Got loose when Alison busted up that rock in my chest, wanted to come back for what he figured was his. Gave me a choice, either give it back or just wait until I destroyed everything." Cain took a long pull on the beer, draining his mug with a sigh. "Didn't really see where I had much of a choice."

Nathan tilted his head to the side for a moment, staring off at the far wall of the bar as he tried to sort through the implications. "That's... okay, so all the little bits and pieces make more sense now. Plus, well, whatever the thing was that was screwing up the astral plane last week..."

Nodding, Cain refilled his mug. "Yep. Of course, Wanda and Angie decided it was a bad idea for just me and Sammy to go head off. Took 'em all back to where it started, out in that jungle. Bastard tried to double cross me, but I had a backup plan." He took a long drink and laughed. "I tell you, she may be a scary little devil girl, but Illyana? Good ace to have up your sleeve."

Nathan's eyes narrowed suddenly, if in amusement, and he looked across the table, focusing on Cain again. "Scott would be giving you compliments for unconventional thinking if he were here, you know."

"And how about that, he ain't!" Cain laughed, slapping his hand on the table. "I go away for one weekend, and Fearless Leader takes an actual vacation. It'll be good for him. Guy's earned it."

"He and Jean'll both be better off for the time away." And didn't he wish he could likewise kidnap Moira (and Rachel) somewhere remote and warm... "So you went back to where it started," Nathan said after another moment, more slowly. "Back to Vietnam."

"Full circle," Cain said contemplatively, tracing circles in the condensation on the table top.

"Kind of envious," Nathan said after a moment, then shook his head. "Or maybe not. I'm glad you got the chance to do that, though. Whatever the circumstances."

Cain downed the rest of his beer, then looked up mischievously at Nate. "Hey," he said in a whisper. "Want to see something really cool?"

Nathan raised an eyebrow. "Yessss," he said slowly, clearly suspicious.

Setting his beer down, Cain got up and walked up for the back door of the bar, motioning for Nathan to follow.

Opening the door and walking out to the unused barbecue area behind Harry's, Cain looked back and forth. "Been trying this a bit. Looks like I came out with a little... something after the whole deal."

Nathan closed the door behind them. "I don't get the sense that you're talking about your average Vietnamese souvenir... whatever they sell for souvenirs in Vietnam."

Taking a deep breath, Cain set his feet and held his hands out in front of him. Closing them into fists, he tried to focus his mind on the anger he'd felt in the battle with Cyttorak. As it had then, he felt the white-hot fire run through his veins, then emerge, wrapping around his limbs and climbing up his body, solidifying into the solid black armor, boots enclosing his feet, bracers and wristbands wrapping around his massive forearms. In less than a second, Cain was standing before Nathan, garbed in the armor and helmet of the invulnerable Juggernaut.

"Pretty cool, huh?" came Cain's voice from inside the helmet.

"... damn." Now he had some sense of how people had felt seeing him with his exoskeleton for the first time. "Cain, you've got a powers stunt," he said suddenly, grinning a bit crookedly. "And a pretty spectacular one."

Lifting his hands to the helmet, Cain lifted it and smiled as the armor faded away to ash in the wind, leaving him as he was before. "There were these... people ain't an accurate word. The thing in my head, same as the thing in Wanda, they're part of something. And they left me with this. Ain't tied to nothing but me anymore. I'm my own man finally."

He chuckled at that, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking up to the sky. "Finally."

Nathan's smile turned more reflective. "So when I ask you in a year how it feels, are you going to be able to give me a more coherent answer than I gave you?" he teased, sitting down on one of the benches.

Cain thought about that for a moment, then smiled widely. "So long as we're both around to ask, I'll say it's worth it."

Still smiling, Nathan tilted his head again, regarding Cain. "Your new fancy armor will blend in better than my big fiery bird. No fair.""

Cain laughed one more time, clapping Nathan on the shoulder and opening the door to the bar. "That's because us old folks have style, youngster."

"Color-coordinated, even. It's a nice touch." Cain's mood was infectious. "And you realize, by the way," he said as they settled back into the booth, "that your speech has let you in for all kinds of bad jokes about your age. I'm not sure if they've started yet, but they will."

"Yeah, someone left the Senior Citizen's menu from Denny's on my door this morning," Cain explained with a shrug. "Figure once a few of them get tossed in the lake, they'll respect us old folks."

"I haven't tossed anyone in the lake for ages. I'm beginning to feel deprived. And I mean, look at how well Angelo turned out. Lake-tossing may have a salutary effect," Nathan joked, picking his beer back up. "I say we go and offer our services to Ororo while she's minding the store this month."

"Deal," Cain chimed, clinking his mug against Nathan's. "About time we got things back on track."