Logan and Sarah: Offers Fairly Made

[x-marrow.livejournal.com]

Backdated to forever ago (well a couple of weeks anyway), Logan starts sparring with Sarah again, much to Sarah's delight. There's some discussion on how best to take down somebody who needs to be stopped and, after it's all over, Sarah needs a very cold shower.




Logan, after another quick check-in with Remy, knocked on the door of the room Marrow - Sarah - had claimed as her own. "So I hear this is where the wild things are." he told the door with amusement as he waited for her to answer.

"Oh my God. Someone with a sense of humour!" Sarah pulled the door open, smiling widely. She liked Logan. Especially when he came with promises to spar with her. She especially liked sparring with Logan. "I'm going to stuff you under my bed, and pull you out when the house gets pissy."

Logan quirked an eyebrow at that and then waggled them at her. "Naughty monster." he said with a grin. "Seriously, though. Got a few? I'll indulge that unseemly bloodlust of yours after, if you want." he told her.

"You sure know how to sweet talk a girl Logan." She flopped back down onto the edge of the bed, grabbing her shoes from just underneath the bedskirt. "What can I do for you?"
Logan rolled his eyes and leaned against her doorframe while inspecting her. "Look healthy enough." he said critically. "Got a little deal for you. I hear you're bored. Looking for something to do, someone to hone your edge on. I'm volunteering."

Sarah looked up from tying her shoe. "And I'm accepting. Is that it?" What? Was he expecting her to argue?

"Nope." he said cheerfully. "Because it's important you know _why_." he said, then paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. "Because you're the safety valve, kid. We got folks here - Gambit. Wolverine. Maybe some others - who walk a fine line. That line ever gets crossed, we're gonna need someone to make sure they go down quickly before someone else pays a price they shouldn't have to pay. You hear me?"

She leaned forward, considering what he was saying. "So I'm learning to take you down in case you go crazy. More crazy. The not endearing kind." She paused again, shrugging. "Okay."

Logan nodded. "Good deal. Get changed out, let's go hit the gym." he said. "And just think of it this way - maybe you'll get to stick a knife in your bestest friend in the whole wide world." he grinned. "Spicy Cajun blood."

"And justified too. Hell, I'd be a hero or something." She grabbed for her other shoe, glancing back up at Logan. "Not that I really want to be a hero to any of them. I'd just like to not be the bad guy for considering something he's practically begging me to do."

Logan shrugged. "Since when do you give a shit what they think? Or is the Monster finally coming around to the value of a little human contact now and then?" he asked teasingly.

Sarah's reaction was serious. "I'm told life goes more smoothly when not everybody thinks you're a murderer. I'm willing to try it." She sighed heavily, pushing herself off of the bed. "No more beatings, unless it's consensual. Or if they deserve it."

Logan nodded, suddenly just as serious as she was. "A lesson I still have trouble with myself. I have this nasty little habit of survival and telling people just what I think. Tends to piss folks off." he grinned. "Now I want to see if you've picked up any new tricks since the last time I saw you."

"Tricks, possibly. But I've got scars now. All the shit I've done, and it took organ farming to give me my first scars." Sarah pulled her hair back into a tight ponytail, standing in front of him. "Can we fight now?"

"You want it that bad, eh?" he said with a grin. "Lead on. Let's go see what you got, kid."

Sarah has a habit of bouncing right before a good spar, and this time was no exception. Just before the mat room, she turned, bony hands snagging on the waistband of her sweatpants. "So you're not gonna hold back right? I mean, I'll never learn if you're not willing to beat the hell out of me."

"Kid, the only holding back I'm going to do is that I won't kill you." he said with a happy grin. Oh, he was going to _need_ this. And, luckily for him, he'd brought a change of clothes so he didn't have to go home bloody.

Sarah smiled back just as brightly, pulling a bone dagger from just below her collarbone. She barely waited till they had entered the room to lash out at him, the bone aimed at the shoulder closest to her. "Let's get to it then."

Logan didn't contest her stab - instead, he pivoted on one foot out of the path of the swing and then reached for her to "help" her forward into the room - ideally off her feet and at a amusing rate of speed.

Sarah tumbled onto the mats, sprawled out for a split second before recovering her footing. She watched him move intently for a moment before grabbing a rather large bone club from her back. Maybe if she kept her distance, she might not end up playing acrobat the whole time.

Logan just grinned at her and make a "Kamere!" gesture with his hand. His claws were, for the moment, sheathed. "C'mon, kid. You think Gambit would have fallen for such an obvious strike? You can't ever go off-balance when you're fighting someone like him. Ever. He's faster and more agile than you'll ever be. You have to be smarter than he is. Craftier."

"More annoying?" Sarah continued to stand back, tossing a carefully aimed bone knife at Logan's head, followed quickly by another one pulled from her hip. "I don't imagine if he was Gambit again, I'd have to goad him into attacking me."

"You never know. Guilt can be a powerful thing." He let the bone-knife at his head hit and deflect off his adamantium skull while he sidestepped the other one. Then he advanced forward quickly, aiming a very quick and very nasty punch right at her solar plexus.

Sarah turned to dodge, and his punch impacted on her side, cracking the thin bone armour beginning to form. Oooh. That would bruise. Arming herself with a bone dagger from her shoulder, she threw herself at his closest shoulder. "Isn't that what made Gambit so special? He felt no guilt."

"You should really try taking the blinders off and understanding the man." he said. "You might be surprised." Logan twisted with her dive and pushed her at the floor. "Stop leaving your feet." he told her roughly.

"Wait. Aren't we doing this so I can kill him later?" Sarah grabbed the bone that had fallen on the mat beside her, pushing herself back up off the floor. "Trying to understand him seems pretty fucking pointless."

"You'd think so, but you'd be wrong. How else can you fight a man - really _fight_ him - if you don't know a damned thing about him?" he asked. "Think about it. You think that the bitter gutter-punk that was hell-bent on revenge for her family's murder fights the same way that the medical-experimentee with a Mexican fucktoy fights?"

Sarah circled just out of reach again, the bone in her hand still gripped tightly. "And the old man with the metal claws-- how does he fight?" She feinted another charge, instead throwing her bone knife at him while he dodged. Another bone club from her hip took its place, and she swung it at his head.

Logan blocked the club coming at his head with one forearm, and the other hand popped claws before driving deep into her abdomen.

"Like that." he told her softly and withdrew his strike, stepping back to let her fall while her body struggled to heal the damage he'd done. "We're done here for now."

That he had actually -stabbed- her stunned Sarah for a moment. No one had ever gone that far during a sparring match with her before. Finally, she pushed herself back up, nearly bubbling over with glee. "See you next week then?"

Logan couldn't help but laugh at the girl's tenacity. "You're one sick little girl, you know that?" he commented. "Work on your defense - your ability to heal won't save you all the time." he said. "You seem to like taking beatings..." and boy, did she ever! Logan thought he was going to go have to scrub his nose out with bleach and she was seriously going to need to change her shorts at this rate "... even when they're not necessary. Defense, Sarah. You need to work on defense. So yeah, see you next week." Chuckling to himself, he left the Gym to Sarah and walked away.

Strange girl, that one. Still, she had spirit, and spirit counted for a lot.