xp_logs | Kurt and Marie, Wednesday night on the roof

Kurt and Marie happen to be on the roof at the same time, and talk on several important subjects, including what happened in Chicago.

The clear, cool night was the perfect weather in Marie's mind for an evening flight. The school had emptied out somewhat with kids going home for Thanksgiving, but it had still been too crowded to let her think straight. Heading back to the flyer's platform, she let out a deep breath as she landed. She almost didn't notice the dark shadow until it moved. "Evening Kurt."

He hadn't been consciously using that aspect of his powers, but sometimes it happened whether he called the shadows or not. He looked up and smiled at her, slightly. "Hello, Marie."

"You mind a bit of company?" she asked. "Ah'm not quite ready to go back inside." Because then Ah'll have to finish gettin' ready to go back to Meridian.

"Not at all", he assured her. "But do not let me stop you flying, if that was what you wanted."

She smiled back at him. "No, Ah think Ah'm ready for a rest. Not that Ah'm ever tired of flying." Marie sat next to him, drawing her knees to her chest. "So what's your first week as Kurt Sefton been like? Any different?" She hoped she wasn't prying too much, but she'd been curious ever since he'd announced it.

He didn't consider it prying at all. "It has been... somewhat different. It was a step, of sorts, I hope in the right way."

"A step towards what?" she said, then blushed, hoping the dark would hide the rosy color of her cheeks.

His night vision was good, but if he saw, he didn't say anything. "Towards a change. To the place where I need to be."

Hopefully a place where you don't let women like Mystique escape, regardless of their relation to you. "Maybe you will now feel less bound to your past," she all but whispered. She was less angry at Kurt now, her own trouble with her family opening her eyes wider than they'd been before - but she was still angry at his choice in the situation. "Ah hope it helps they way you want it to," she said sincerely.

"At the very least", Kurt said quietly, "it will give me a connection to my sister that is there for anyone to see. And... yes, perhaps a way to cut some ties." He hesitated before continuing, "Though I think some things would not change, if the circumstances were the same."

She looked away, holding her knees more tightly. Would she feel the same about her birth mom when...if she ever found out who she was? "Everyone makes the choices they feel are best," she said softly and not at all convincingly.

"I do not say I would always make the same choice", he said quietly, looking out over the grounds. "But Marie... I did not do what I did only because she gave birth to me."

"Mmm..." she said, not trusting her voice to be steady. Then why? The unspoken question hung in the air, almost a tangible thing.

"Because she did not have to come to me, when I was looking for her", Kurt answered it, not needing to hear it spoken. "Because when she had, she could have left me at any time or worse, could have given me to the Brotherhood. And she did neither. I owed her that one thing in return. Once only."

"You owed her a debt for that? For acting decently?" Marie shook her head. "Years of despicable actions and this once she seems to act with more than herself or the furthering of Erik's cause in mind and for that she earned her freedom?"

"I know what she has done, Marie", Kurt said evenly. "But there was a debt, and she earned, once, what she gave once to me. It does not mean I would do the same in different circumstances... though I do not think I will be given the chance either way."

Marie wanted to rise to her feet and leap off the platform, to feel the cool night air rush against her as she flew...but something stopped her. "So you didn't hold her past against her, just judged her based on what she was doin' right then?" she asked, her voice losing it's accusatory tone.

"In this instance, yes." He shrugged slightly. "Understand, Marie... she risked capture to help me, when she had no real way to know that it was not an elaborate trap."

"A trap? It woulda been the worst ever laid one," she said with a somewhat exasperated sigh. “But Ah…well, y’ know, what Ah think doesn’t rightly matter does it?”

"It does matter", Kurt contradicted. "But I cannot say it would have changed what I did. I knew what you would think, after all."

"You did," she said sadly before lapsing into silence again. "It's not my place to judge. Ah've made choices other people wouldn't understand, we all have. But...Ah dunno Kurt. This is different."

He nodded slowly, looking away from her. "I hope you will be able to forgive me. But if you cannot... then it is understood."

"Ah don't know yet," Marie admitted. "Ah want to Kurt. For the longest time Ah..." she stopped and bit her lip. "Ah admired you so much. All you did for me, all Ah saw you do for the team. Ah sometimes forget that we're all human."

Kurt smiled sadly. "Marie, Amanda may have called me St. Kurt, before she decided "Blue" suited me better, but I have never been one. For all I may have tried to live up to it."

Marie thought about his words. "That musta been hard huh, all of us expecting you to live up to the impossible."

"It was nothing I did not bring on myself, I know", he said quietly. "I would not have expected you to drive me any less hard than I drove myself."

"Doesn't make it right," she replied.

"Perhaps", he said with a faint smile. "But I do not think it is a mistake that will be made again." Not after what happened.

"It's a lesson we all could learn," Marie said. How many of us think we should be perfect when it isn't possible? Purposefully changing the subject, she turned to face Kurt. "Y' know we should have some sort of ceremony for you and Amanda." She ducked her head. "It's a silly idea, right?"

That made the smile more real, after a moment's startlement. "It is not a silly idea at all. You should put it to her, if you see her before I do."

"Ah will," Marie said. "When Ah get back from home, Ah bet Ah'll need something fun to plan."

"Then I will see you when you do get back. When are you going?"

"Tomorrow morning," she said softly. "Just for the day."

"I will be here when you get back", he promised. "If you want to talk again."