Log: Scott and Rahne

[x-rahne.livejournal.com]

Set early this morning. Scott is out for a jog; Rahne is not-really-studying by the lake. Saturday exams, blah. ;)



On the shore of the lake at Xavier's, there was a wolf.

There was also a thick textbook, spread open on a double-folded beach towel to protect it from moisture on the ground, and a notepad and pen sitting on one page.The wolf was not reading it, which under most circumstances would perhaps have been unremarkable.

Rahne supposed it was possible that she ought to be studying. This was why she had brought the textbook. Another review never hurt. On the other hand, she had done well in her courses during the semester, and anything that hadn't stuck after lessons, homework, and further review was not likely to stick better if she stressed over it now.

Besides, there were pretty little silvery fish jumping around the shallows, dancing with the early morning sunbeams. If she put her head down close to the grass she could see rainbows in the splash.

One ear twitched and swiveled around at the sound of footsteps, and she sat up to look around.

It was warm out, for this early in the morning, and Scott was glad to be wearing a short-sleeved shirt, approaching the end of her run. She slowed, spotting the wolf, and waved, changing direction to head off and join Rahne.

"Nice morning, isn't it?"

Rahne stood up to stretch wolf-style, which looked like a bow, and changed back to human. "Beautiful. If ye put your head right down there are rainbows when the fish jump."

Scott smiled and did a few stretches, reasoning that she'd pretty much done her usual run. "You stop to notice these things more than the rest of us, I think. We could all take notes."

"Study break." Rahne waved at her books. "As I have no, ah, hard-to-explain discrepancies with my student ID, I have an exam this afternoon."

"So, would you have preferred the excuse of temporarily being male?" Scott teased. "Or are you pretty much prepared for the exam..."

"No, I'm thinking I'd rather take the exam." Rahne smiled. "Canna say I ever wanted to try being male, and really I thought getting stuck in an unexpected shape once was more than enough. All... most of ye seem to be taking it fairly well, though."

"I didn't at first," Scott said quite candidly. "And I mean, at least I just switched genders. I can't imagine what it must have been like to suddenly find yourself a wolf."

"Confusing. Too many feet. And my head hurt, although that was more cause than effect. I'm not sure if I'd have been any less upset about suddenly being a boy or not, at the time, though at least I'd have been able to talk." She hesitated. "I'd never heard of metamorphs then. I had a general idea there were people whose mutations hurt them at Muir Island, and I'd heard a bit in the news about the X-Men and about Magneto and so on, but turning into a wolf.... I was not thinking 'mutant.' I was thinking 'demon' or 'werewolf' and afraid I would attack someone without wanting to." She hadn't mentioned this much, since she'd arrived. Shrieking when Kurt turned off the image inducer had been awful enough; for a while she'd assumed that believing demons existed would be met with a sort of scientific scorn, and after varieties of them started showing up (and Amanda mentioned knowing an actual werewolf who couldn't control his transformations or his behavior when transformed), she had felt it would sound foolish for other reasons.

Scott just listened, nodding after a moment when she stopped. "No wonder you like the work with Elpis so much, when so much of it's educating people on the issues, clearing up misconceptions..."

"True. Ye have some people who are worried by what they do know about mutants, and some where it's more what they don't." She flexed one hand, a light coating of fur showing up and then fading away. "Anyhow, aside from the bit where I tripped over the extra feet and stubbed my nose, the sheer... physical weirdness actually took a little while to sink in. Fur, paws, different senses... the tail was pretty strange too." She looked up, tilting her head. "Seems a bit odd to ask you what it's like being a woman considering I'm used to it, but what's it like if you're not?"

Scott gave the question some serious thought. "Strange," she said finally, "but I think that's mostly the size difference. This body moves differently, too, but I got the hang of it after a day or so, and it's not like my powers are too physically tied. So I'm not having the sorts of problems Pietro is, for example..."

Rahne blinked, her mind going initially to a set of problems that did not seem directly powers-related. She hadn't said anything when he dropped by, though she'd gotten an odd look for leaving painkillers next to the drink, but hormones, emotions, and pain all tended to come through in scent. Granted, with Pietro it was pretty subtle and somewhat lye-tinged -- you could tell his hygiene habits were influenced by long-term deception of Sabretooth and extra-tough skin. Then she connected it to the scrapes and balance problems. "Ah, no. Looked like ye were running just fine." Something struck her, and she sat up a bit more, eyes glinting. "Not the sort Logan's having either?"

Scott managed not to growl at the mention of Logan's name. It was a close thing. She smiled very slightly instead. "Well, what I said about physicality... I would imagine he's undergoing much more of an adjustment." She needed a gold star for being that neutral about it, she really did.

That was not so much an amused smile as an 'I would like to bite someone but am too polite' smile. Which was not terribly surprising, all things considered. Rahne briefly debated the wisdom of it -- Logan had taught her some useful things, but on the other hand, knowingly flirting with someone who was taken ranked poorly enough in her evaluation to justify a little sniping. "I overheard complaints about being weak, off balance, and too short," she said blandly. Well, some had been not so much overheard as posted on Doug's journal, but still. "I'm also guessing this had something to do with coming home the other night smelling as if he'd not been drinking beer so much as swimming in it."

Scott blinked, her mouth twitching suspiciously. "Enhanced senses must be... a trip, sometimes, I've always thought. Lets you pick up on all kinds of things." Rahne had always struck her as someone who picked up on a lot more than she generally said. A rare personality trait around here, and one Scott had always appreciated.

Rahne regarded that expression more sanguinely. "Aye. 'Tis useful most of the time, though a few of them I'm not so sure I wanted to know. In a very limited way I'd call it a bit like telepathy: ye pick up things most people do not think they're broadcasting."

"But without some of telepathy's drawbacks," Scott said. "I imagine it's very useful, in meetings and the like." She rotated one wrist idly, rubbing at it. "I have to admit, I'll be glad when we're all back to normal. It's been an interesting week-" And in ways that Scott wasn't about to share with Rahne, in the name of avoiding mutual embarassment. "-but I'll be glad to feel more like myself."

"Exactly. Not as versatile either, but fascinating as it might be I'm not sure I'd want the headaches of telepathy." Literal or figurative. "I think everybody will be just as glad when this wears off." There were a few people she wasn't altogether sure about, but she doubted they'd mind, either.

"Not hard to take this in stride, once the shock wore off - although I will confess that Jean did not manage to talk me into a dress for my chaperoning duties at the prom. Apparently I have limits." In some ways, not so much in others. Scott grinned a bit helplessly, tucking hair behind one ear. "Jean and I agreed that we were going to stop saying 'It can't get any weirder than this'. Like daring the universe."

"Have you been saying that?" Rahne replied, laughing. "Yes, please stop."

Scott raised her hand. "I do solemnly swear that I will no longer tempt fate."

"Good," Rahne said. "Otherwise, next time it'll be... I think the consensus is aliens." She grinned. "Given that it's here... avian aliens. With an intricate pecking order and a glorious intergalactic empress who has come across the stars to declare her adoration and desire for her soulmate, Professor Xavier."