Log: Clarice and Ororo

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After thinking about what Shiro said yesterday Clarice goes to Ororo for confession and advice. Not only is Storm understanding and sympathetic, but she likes Clarice's trainee uniform designs too. Although she could probably do without Clarice being codenamed Tinky Winky



Clarice stood outside Storm's greenhouse trying to psych herself into going in to talk to her. So far she's been pacing for nearly 5 minutes and hadn't yet actually made it through the door. At the rate she was going, she probably never would and she was pretty sure that that was okay with her.

Just then, the glass-paneled door opened and Ororo stepped into the doorway, blinking with surprise at the girl pacing in front of her. "Clarice, good afternoon."

Clarice gulped, whirling around to face the older woman, "Oh, hey Storm," she said hoping that she sounded casual and not like she was completely scared of what fate had decided should happen. "Sup?"

"Very little, I was merely finishing up in the greenhouse," 'Ro said, gesturing with one hand to the plants behind her. "Would you like to come in? Everyone is welcome, of course."

"Sure," Clarice rubbed the back of her neck and followed Ms. Munroe into the greenhouse. She rarely went there, plants were not something that she particularly cared about and there were other places to go if she wanted solitude. Despite the array of colors and smells, she didn't notice any other them. "Um. so..." her nervousness was almost palpable, "I cut off a guys hand and Shiro's mad at me," she blurted out as soon as they were seated. That wasn't how she had imagined she'd start this conversation.

Ororo's only reaction to this was to raise her eyebrows slightly as she settled down on one of the benches along the side of the greenhouse. "When did this happen, Clarice?"

"In Japan," she had the decency to be embarassed at least, "We got in a fight with the ninjas. I was exhausted and could barely teleport and I needed to get rid of a bunch of ninjas quickly. So I teleported this one guys hand a little ways away and told him to go fetch. It worked. They left."

"I see." Nodding slowly, Ororo folded her hands in her lap. "That is certainly an interesting way of dealing with the situation."

Clarice shrugged and wouldn't quite meet Storm's eyes, "Doctors should have been able to reattach it with little or no mobility loss. I was very careful," her EMT training had come in handy that night, "It was the best I could come up with at the time. I couldn't attack and dream of winning against ninjas, Shiro was being held at bay and Mariko was dying. I wasn't going to let us die with her when I could prevent it."

"Yes, of course not. What's done is done, Clarice, and you do not have to justify yourself to me." Ororo's expression was sympathetic. "It sounds like it was a situation far out of your control."

Understanding? Sympathy? No yelling or condemnation? Not that yelling was Ms. Munroe's style, but still, "Tell that to Shiro!" she cried, the burden of guilt lifted, "He says I fucked up! He says I should have found another way! HE says that as an X-Man I'm his responsibility," she spat the word as if it tasted bad.

Ororo's hand found Clarice's shoulder, resting there gently. "It is true that the leathers sometimes make one feel as if they are responsible for the entire world's well-being," she said softly. "But that does not mean that you are not capable of taking care of yourself."

"...He thinks I'm not worthy of leathers. He was mocking my codename. He hates that I'm going to be an X-Man. And I hate that the one person I want to be happy for me...isn't." Clarice sniffed and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "I just...Wolverine and Cable have done worse than I could dream of. I've read mission reports. And I'm the one condemned?"

"No one is condemning you, Clarice. I am sure Shiro is worried for your well-being, and it is possible that he is expressing that in a less than productive manner. It is not easy to watch the ones we care about go into danger. I am sure he only wishes to protect you, even if you do not need that protection."

Sighing, she nodded, unconviced. "Well, now you know anyways."

"Yes. Thank you for telling me, Clarice," Ororo said, squeezing the girl's shoulder. "Though I cannot force Shiro to change his mind, know that Cyclops and I both think you will make an excellent addition to the X-Men, with time and training."

"And I get to be Tinky Winky?" sometimes, for all that Clarice had matured, she could still be a child.

"Do you want to be Tinky Winky?" Ororo asked, one eyebrow climbing higher.

"Can you imagine Logan having to say 'Tinky Winky'?" Clarice asked with a mischevious gleam in her eye, "And besides, I didn't suggest it. I think Jim did."

"Yes... I have yet to thank him for that," 'Ro said dryly. "But yes, if you like that can be your name."

"Rock on!" Clarice cheered, hugging Storm tightly and jumped up back to her normal, spastic self. "Thanks!"

"You're welcome," Ororo said, smiling in spite of herself. "Oh, and Clarice?"

She turned around as she was leaving, "Yeah?"

"I saw your designs for the trainee uniforms. They're... very good."

"Really? You like them? Cool!" as much as Clarice liked her designs she was always shocked when other people did as well.

"Yes, I do. I'll have Dani speak with our suppliers about trying the design, if you're finished with it."

"Well...are there any changes other people want to make? 'Cause I could totally tweak them for individual style. Y'know, uniformed individuality," internally she was jumping for joy.

'Ro smiled, standing up as well. "Why don't you ask the other trainees and let me know? The sooner you do, the sooner you can see your work full-scale."

"Woohoo!" Clarice did a little happy dance and ran out of the greenhouse to get to work. She had trainees to poll.