Wednesday afternoon: Jamie and Rahne hedging around

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Rahne, out for a run, finds Jamie stressing about an important decision, and because she is quite possibly the most patient person at the mansion short of Professor Xavier himself, lets him ramble at her until he feels better.



Rahne had gone for a long run, partly because she felt the need to stretch out after the indoor work and partly because she liked to keep on top of the ever-changing scents that were to be found on the Mansion grounds. She was on her way back, moving at an easy lope and thinking over the various things she'd smelled, when she caught a different scent -- this one sweaty, agitated, and all mixed with broken plants. She angled off down a different route and soon came up on Jamie tackling that particularly vigorous holly-hedge that kept trying to eat the path.

"Morning," she said, shifting and bending a straggly branch out of the way with a fur-shielded hand.

Jamie startled slightly, one hand flickering to his jeans pocket as he turned around. "Oh, hey, Rahne. How's it going? I swear, the way the weather's been lately, this thing is gonna crawl in through the windows one of these days and show up for class."

"I'd not be too surprised at that," she said, grinning. "I'm all right...." She waved a hand and added, "Just sniffing about the grounds, seeing what's new. How are you?"

Jamie gave her a wry grin. "Okay, nice subtle reminder that you probably smelled me half a mile away." He put down the clippers and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I dunno, I'm probably just being dumb. Terrified about screwing up something I've got no earthly reason to think is actually going to go wrong."

Rahne shook her head a little and leaned against a tree that had so far not been overtaken by the holly. "Well, I admit I could tell ye were agitated, but I'm entirely lost as to what you're talking about."

"Heh, well, I'm being cryptic, that was bound to happen. And I guess I don't mind you knowing . . . just don't spread it around, huh?" He dug a small velvet box out of his pants pocket. "I'm gonna ask Kitty to marry me. If, y'know, I can figure out how without totally falling all over myself. Or losing the ring. I'm terrified she'll find it by accident if I leave it in my room somewhere, but I can't carry it around without worrying I'm going to drop it somewhere . . ." He ducked his head. "You'll tell me if I start muttering and hissing and referring to myself in the third person, won't you?"

"I'll let ye know." Rahne smiled. "I can see what ye mean about not having any reason to think it'll go wrong, though."

"Yeah." Jamie sighed helplessly. "I'm not nervous about her turning me down. I mean, I know people are, a lot, at least on TV, but I'm really not. I just . . . I want to give her this moment, you know? Something she can look back on in twenty years. And I swear, I'm going to trip and throw the ring down an open manhole or something."

Rahne snorted. "Jamie, you're not that uncoordinated."

"Agh. I told you I was being dumb." Jamie grinned and stowed the ring box carefully back in his pocket. "But, y'know, I've never actually proposed to anybody before, so how am I supposed to know? All kinds of ways it could go wrong."

"Choose a sound surface," Rahne suggested seriously. "No, er, obstacles or treacherous gaps. But I'm sure ye'll do fine."

"Well, I was thinking maybe at a restaurant--but then I had this idea of doing it at midnight, right between our anniversary and her birthday, and it'd be kind of suspicious if we stayed at a restaurant that long, so I thought maybe the treehouse, but then I could drop the ring . . ." Jamie checked himself. "You can, y'know, stop me if the ramble gets annoying."

"No, no, that's fine." Rahne looked thoughtful. "Not that I've any better idea, mind."

"Well, I could just use the excuse to weatherproof the place a little better," Jamie said thoughtfully. "It could use it. Caulk in the seams, and maybe replace the trap door, it's getting kinda warped . . . then even if I do drop the ring I'd just have to look inside the treehouse for it. I dreamed last night it ended up in a squirrel's nest next to the acorns."

"What, not a magpie's? Couldna hurt, though...."

"No, it was definitely a squirrel. No clue why it was wearing an orange ninja suit, though." He shook his head. "Probably not important. You think I should stop worrying so much, huh?"

"Ye might." Rahne smiled. "I'm sure ye'll make it a fine memory."

"I'll surely try," Jamie murmured, his gaze fixed on some interior vista. "The best I can manage."

"It'll have you in it," Rahne said. "I expect that will do it."