xp_logs | Nathan and Ororo, Thursday (Reply)

Elpis slips back into the mansion rather quietly, all things considered. Nathan goes looking for Ororo - and gets hugged. More than once.

Nathan stopped at the top of the stairs, taking a deep breath of the warm, damp, fragrant air of the greenhouse. Growing things, he thought tiredly. Not a smell they'd come across in Smichov. He walked slowly down the rows of flower boxes, looking around for Ororo.

He found the white-haired woman kneeling in front of a particularly sorry-looking plant, frowning apologetically as she fussed with the stake supporting its steam. She looked up at the sound of footsteps, her expression changing to one of surprise and then joy. "Nathan!" she exclaimed, standing hastily and looking him up and down before flinging her arms around him. "You are back!"

"... good to see you too," he mumbled, a bit surprised by the hug. He hugged back somewhat awkwardly. "What did you do to the plant?"

"I pruned it," 'Ro replied, stepping back after a long moment. "Perhaps a bit overzealously, I see in hindsight. But that does not matter... when did you return? How is everyone? How are you?"

"Flew back this morning," Nathan said after a moment, his eyes straying away from hers. "Moira's plane is on its own schedule and all. The others are... okay, not unpacking, because we didn't bring any luggage back. Settling back in?"

"And you?" she pressed, taking his forearm and leading him towards a nearby bench. "Tired, I am sure, but... I know you have faced a lot in the past few days."

"It's been a long week," Nathan said after a moment, sinking down on the bench beside her. "I won't lie to you." His voice wasn't so much dispassionate as flat, and in the bright morning sunlight, the gray in his hair seemed more visible. Or just more. "I don't know what else to say. We did what we could. Helped some people."

"That is all that needs said," Ororo murmured. "I am sure you did just that. I hope that now you are back you will take some time for yourself; as long as you need."

There was a spark of something in his gray eyes as he looked sideways at her, but the emotion was unreadable. "I don't intend to work flat out, or let Rahne or Angelo, but I don't think a vacation is in the cards just yet. I'm sure you can empathize with that." He looked back out at the flowers, his jaw tightening slightly. "Sleep, though... there's an idea."

"A very good one. I must warn you, it is very likely that many of the students will wish to talk to you about what happened... unfortunately, there were only so many answers we could offer them at the time." Ororo frowned, still unable to come to terms with her own inability to help more. "Of course, what you wish to tell them is up to you, but they will ask."

It actually provoked a smile - a real smile, although there was a slightly sardonic edge to it as it faded. "I found a few minutes to catch up on the journals. I thought perhaps I might make a post later, giving some of the details. Offering to give more if anyone wanted to come to talk to me." He gave a laugh that was half-sigh. "And yeah, I know there were some fairly angry students and I may be inviting problems. But frankly, I'm less concerned with that than I am with making sure that the truth's known." He looked sideways at her, his gray eyes clear and serious. "Here and everywhere else. There's no reason to hold any of the details back, and every reason to make sure this settles into the collective memory in a way that bears some resemblance to what actually happened."

This earned him another spontaneous hug - was it possible that Ororo was just a little bit starved for physical affection? "Thank you, Nathan. For speaking to the students and for everything else you have done. You are setting a very good example for them all, despite what they may choose to believe. I hope in time they come to realize that."

"You're flattering me again. Quit that." He didn't actually mind the hug. He sighed a little and returned it, a bit awkwardly again. "I need to make some phone calls. Oh, and stop in and have some tea with Charles. Get some other matters sorted out." He didn't elaborate; Ororo didn't need to know all the gorey details.

"I am sure he will be glad to see you. I am just glad you are back... well, and that things have calmed enough so that you could come back." She smiled, returning to her side of the bench and sticking her hands under her thighs.

"I'm glad to be home, too." Nathan took a deep breath and hauled himself up off the bench, smiling slightly down at her. "Standing offer goes for you, too, you know," he said. "To hear what really went on. When you want to."

"Get some sleep first, and I may take you up on that," Ororo said warmly. "Thank you, Nathan."