xp_logs | Log: Remy/Lorna

Remy and Lorna meet for lunch. Not surprisingly, things are all over the map for the pair of them.

Remy flicked the wet hair out of his eyes. He hadn't gotten five steps out of the Centre before the rain started. He hobbled under the awning for a moment, shaking the rain from his coat before going through the door. He was greeted by a small woman just through the doorway, who tut'ed at him and demanded to help him out of his wet coat.

His eyes adjusted to the dim light, and Lorna's green hair was easy to pick out. Shifting the cane, Remy threaded through the tables and took the seat across from her. "Bonjour, chere. Remy parked his ark outside."

By contrast to Remy's sodden state, Lorna was carefully polished and business-like--a pinstripe suit jacket with soft pink blouse under it and matching pinstripe skirt. Her hair was down, swept away from her face with a couple of combs. She'd chewed her lipstick off at some point, only the faintest trace of it smudged her upper lip, hardly darker than the skin. She smiled when she saw him. "Isn't the rain great? I'll never get used to all the weather on the East Coast."

"Remy be happier 'bout it if it wasn't directly on my head." He kissed the back of her hand in greeting and settled back into the chair. The waiter had already left menus on the table, but he ignored it under his hands. "You look beautiful."

She smiled, pleased. "Thanks. Had to be proper and stuff today. Sorry we had to eat so late." She gave his hand a quick squeeze before pulling hers back to lift her water glass. "So, Germany, huh? Some research you must be doing for that think tank of yours." Her tone was calm but she quirked a brow at him with some worry and there was no way he'd missed her quick but thorough once over for new and entertaining injuries.

"We found out dat dere are worse people den I used to be wandering around." Remy's eye flashed dark for a minute, the good one deepening to a crimson. His gave his head a shake, as if to dispel the thought. "But it's all settled now. Maybe in a few years, I'll think 'bout visiting Germany again."

He gave her that crooked smile, finally seeming to shrug off some of the blackness around him. "Didn't get time to go shopping for you."

"I don't expect presents. Besides, what would you get me in Germany, a beer stein?" Lorna sipped her water and set it back down. She pushed her hair back over her shoulder. "I didn't realize your new job was going to require you to chase after Nazis and retrieve former students from terrible fates. That is, if I'm reading between the lines correctly."

"Dat's not exactly what Wisdom hired me for, but it's not outside of de job description." Remy finally picked up the menu, leafing through it. "Although, hurting Nazis is sort of a bonus. You can hit dem as much as you want, and you never feel bad."

"I know someone who'd agree," Lorna said quietly then turned her attention to the menu as well. "What are you thinking of ordering?"

"Good question." Remy made a point of ignoring her sudden change in tone. He was pretty sure her reference was to Magneto, but didn't want to find out. Better that she knew who he was, and give her the chance to leave. He flipped through the menu quickly. "What did you have in mind?"

"I was going to ask for the waitress's recommendation. What's the point of going out if you're not going to try the best thing on the menu, right?" She shook off the feelings that had drifted over her shoulder like cobwebs.

"I don't see you on here." Remy grinned, and ducked his head as she rolled her eyes. "It was just a joke, chere."

The waitress buzzed around, and Remy finally settled on the veal, ordering a bottle of red wine along with it.

Lorna requested the chef's choice and stuck to her water. "It's constantly amazes me that you manage to make the cheesiest lines sound charming at the exact same time. Where do you even learn that kind of skill? Is it a secondary mutation or something?"

"Non. It was a class over three years. If you want, I can do de same in Hindi or Italian." Remy took a swallow from his water glass, waiting for the wine to arrive.

Lorna blinked, "Wow, there are classes in that? Geez." She tilted her head to the side. "Though that really does explain why all the guys from our brother school because that kind of smarmy charming over the summer. I just figured it was hormones. And possibly aftershave."

"In my case, it was a Major from the diplomatic core. Short blonde hair. Terrifying woman." Remy passed the menu along to the waiter, who tucked it neatly under one arm while opening the wine. He held out the first glass to Remy, who pointed it over to Lorna instead.

Lorna sampled the wine then nodded approvingly, letting the waiter pour for them both. She settled her hand on her chin and smiled across the table. "You never know what you're going to find comes in handy, I guess. Things you learn for one reason can be turned to another purpose. Shakespeare would be proud, there is nothing good or bad on this earth but thinking makes it so."

"Don't know dat one, I'm afraid." Remy toyed with the stem of his glass, swirling the liquid slightly. "Although, it's turning out to be de theme. It's been a long time since I was anything but a weapon; some kind of, well, thing that got dropped into de middle of a situation like a bomb to do all kinds of damage."

He tapped the cane where it rested against his chair. "Now, dat's not an option. I figured dat would be de end of any usefulness dat I had left. Turns out dat might not be de case. I can't give you de details, but in our last op, de kids did good. Hell, we did good, and dats even on de stick."

Lorna's smile widened, "I'm glad. I know you've been worried for a long time that you wouldn't be able to turn your life to something that wasn't, well, Gambit. It's...well, I guess the best I can compare for myself is Malice," she rubbed at her neck, a habit she'd never quite broken. "She turned my powers to such awful ends but...I can use that control. I can do things without becoming her." Some days it was easier to believe that than others. She said it so that she could one day make it something she believed without reservation.

"I hope dat's de truth, neh?" Remy finally took a sip of the wine, savouring the deep undertones. "Tante once said dat de only reason she didn't end me when I crossed her in in de bayou de first time was dat Gambit had been created; built intentionally. I think about dat a lot. Dis time, am I going to go down dat same road? I know dat de monster is still inside, but is he really me?"

"It's all a part of you. But it's not the stronger part. You aren't Gambit." And, she firmly believed, he would know where the line was drawn. Wouldn't give in to the temptation to do evil in good's name. "I've always known that, in spite of what you tried to tell me."

"Yes, but you also attracted to me, which is a sure sign of your own terrible judgements 'bout people. You credibility is shot, chere." Remy said, taking another sip.

Lorna tossed her hair and raised her glass and an eyebrow, "I'll have you know I am a marvelous judge of character. You're just cranky because I refused to buy into your 'oh, I'm such a bad man' schtick. I saw your marshmallowy centre, LeBeau. You were nice to me and you didn't have to be."

"I was probably just trying to sleep wit' you at de time." Remy didn't mention that it was only half a joke. He had been almost two different people during his first stint at the school. Half had been acting like Gambit; destablizing things, causing chaos. The other half didn't know what to do, stuck between wanting to run and wanting to fit in.

She shook her head, grinning, "If you were, you did a poor job of it. Don't worry. I won't gloat too much about being right."

"Have you been taking a course on 'insufferable' while I was working? De one dat Summers teaches?" Remy said, only mostly kidding. He was glad to see her smile. Too often their meetings had been tense and strained; both of them trying to figure out how not to upset the other. He was about to say something else when the waiter appeared with their meals.

Lorna laughed and sat back, eager to see what the chef had graced her with. The waiter was efficient and quiet, topping off their wineglasses before vanishing again. "I've always been insufferable. You just never noticed before because you were too busy failing to get me to sleep with you."

"Dat's right. Remind me 'bout dat." He took a large bite of his veal piccata, using the meat to sop up the lemon garlic sauce around it. "How 'bout you, chere? What's going on in de school dese days?"

Lorna shrugged, "Only the usual. I hesitate to say that it's been quiet since that inevitably leads to horrible things but it has mostly. Forge's book was published and we met a couple avid fans...if you want to call Toad and Mystique that. Luckily they didn't start any trouble but I'm sure you can imagine that I was pretty wiped after that."

"If we're lucky, maybe dat Sabretooth has finally decided after getting dropped off de dam dat he wants another job." Remy took another bite and chewed thoughtfully. "You know dat I've spent almost eighteen months trying to find out anything 'bout dat Mystique and still nothing? De best dat I found out is dat she's likely American. Dat's it."

"She likes Mexican food," responded Lorna absently, poking at her chicken. Even the mention of Sabretooth had her going pale and quiet. "Both she and he do. Toad will eat anything."

"One of dese days we going to find dem, chere. Remy think dat I might hit him wit' a truck again. I enjoyed dat." Remy took her hand, stilling the sudden lackluster interest in the food. He ran his thumb over the back of her hand, trying to provide some kind of mental link away from her Malice days. "We'll get dem."

Her hand tightened on his but she didn't speak. Sabretooth was a subject she wouldn't go near. Couldn't go near. She swallowed hard, "Let's just finish lunch, okay?"

Years of training in seduction and manipulation, and he still couldn't get through a lunch without making the woman he wanted to reach the edge of tears. "Oui. I'm sorry, chere. Remy didn't mean to bring it up." Or more honestly, Remy didn't bother to think before opening his big mouth.

She shook her head. "No. It's fine. Let's just...not talk about that anymore. There's nothing to talk about. I don't know anything helpful, I'm sorry." Her hand slipped out of his and sought her wineglass instead. Get over it, Dane, she thought angrily at herself.

"So, how is everything?" The waiter appeared suddenly and ironically at the table. Remy was actually glad of the interruption.

"Bien. It's very good." Remy responded, taking over while Lorna switched from his hand to her glass. He listened blankly to dessert suggestions, knowing that she wouldn't likely order one, and he was even less interested. Finally, after another few pointless empty pleasantries, the waiter departed, and Remy quietly finished the remains of his meal.

Lorna finished her wine, feeling the heady rush of it though she'd only had a single glass. She sighed and rested her chin on her palm. "Is he bringing the check?" she asked softly.

"I think so. Remy guessed and figured dat you'd skip dessert." He fished about in his pocket for his credit card, not worrying about putting this one on Frost's bill. At this point, he'd earned a mediocre red and an excellent veal piccata. "Look, I know what went on last week isn't what you planned but..." He paused, nervousness obvious in the way his fingers searched the table for distractions. "But, uh, is what you said we are what you really want?"

She blinked at him slowly, green eyes clouded and bemused. "Do I want..." She sat up, folding her arms on the table. "I suppose I want to figure out what we are. We've never tried to define it. What is this? Just...or something more than just or..."

"Dere is no way dat I'm getting out of dis without sounding like some bad teen movie character, is dere?' Remy laughed, using that to cover his nervousness, along with a swallow of wine. "Are we dating?"

Lorna blushed faintly, "I guess so. I mean, dinner and lunch and drinks and...it all sort of seems like dating, right?" She supposed so anyway. It had been a long time since she'd dated anyone...being with Alex wasn't really dating after so long. They just sort of existed together, more part of living than something that required effort.

"Either dat or I'm just pumping you for information." It was out of his mouth before he knew it, and against all logic, Remy LeBeau actually blushed. "I mean, not dat I'm saying dat we were-- I meant dat in de normal job, you, uh... Remy going to go find a sharp knife in de kitchen and kill himself. You get de check."

Her jaw dropped slightly then she began to giggle. "I think we need to go now. Because I can only think of so many responses to that and not a single one of them should be uttered while we're in a restaurant."

"I'm going to pretend dat dey all sexual and dirty, and not dat I'm a twit." Remy counted out some bills and left them on the table. He picked up his cane and struggled to his feet. "Dere was a point when I was cool, you know."

"When was that?" she asked cheerfully, getting up and going to his side, taking his arm in a gesture that could just as easily be friendly as supporting or intimate. "1998?"

"We must be dating. Already I want something very bad to happen to you." Remy tucked her arm in close as he limped out of the restaurant. Her hands on his arm, feet walking next to his, was all the answer that he needed for now.