xp_logs | Kurt and Scott, Monday afternoon (Reply)

Scott comes to have a word with Kurt about his Wall o' Stalking. It goes to some unexpected places.

Kurt had returned to the mansion as soon as he felt recovered enough to teleport, seemingly none the worse for wear now the unexpected fatigue had worn off. He was sitting on his couch, now, magazine in hands, idly leafing through it without particular interest.

A knock came at the door. "Kurt, you in?" came Scott's voice.

"I am", he called back, putting the magazine aside with a kind of wary relief - he knew Scott had seen his room, after all. "The door is open."

"Did you like the gift?" Scott asked as he came in. "They were stupidly slow to deliver. You wouldn't think an Errol Flynn box set would be in that much demand."

"Scott", he answered in mock-chagrin. "Surely you are not defaming the popularity of the great Errol Flynn. I liked it very much, thank you."

"I understand the appeal, I just don't think it's particularly broad," Scott protested good-humoredly as he sat down across from Kurt.

"Perhaps, then, I will have to make you watch them with me. To demonstrate that they will appeal to you too." There was, fairly obviously, a subject being danced around here, and Kurt had always been a skilful dancer.

Scott figured he'd given Kurt enough time to say something. Especially given where they were sitting. "I might take you up on that," he said. "So... what's with the wall'o'stalking?"

"It is not stalking", Kurt said defensively. "I have not gone near the man, nor do I intend to."

Scott raised an eyebrow. "Kurt, you're trying to construct his public appearance schedule."

"Not only that", was the quiet response. "Though I will admit I wish to know what sort of appearances he makes. What kind of man he is, and seems to be..."

"There were easier ways to do a lot of this, you know," Scott said. "Rather than working on your own. I think that's what bothered me, about seeing this." He gestured at the wall. "Not necessarily that you were doing this, but that you were doing this, and you've barely mentioned Baron Wagner where I could hear it since that mission."

Kurt swallowed, eyes darting to the wall and back again. "It was my business. I did not start intending it to turn into... what it is. But I wanted to know more."

"This kind of reminds me of how Nathan went about finding out more about his family," Scott said, a bit unfairly, "and we all know how that turned out."

"Except that Nathan's father", Kurt retorted flatly, "did not try to kill him on their first meeting. And it does not seem to have ever been in question whether Nathan's father raped his mother."

Missing my point, Kurt. Although if he was thinking that way, this probably explained the secrecy. "Do you know that?" he asked Kurt, knowing the other man would know he was referring to the second comment. "Or do you just suspect?"

"I suspected. She has never told me how such a man came to father her child... but I no longer think that is the way things happened." His tail flicked up to the wall behind him and, without looking, Kurt plucked down a particular clipping, older than many of the others. "He called her Raven. They look happy, no?" The woman wasn't Mystique in her natural form, but the name Raven Darkholme was there in the caption.

Scott looked at the picture. "They don't look unhappy," he said, "but pictures can be deceiving. Is this the sort of thing you want to know?" he asked, looking up at Kurt. "More about the two of them and their relationship? Combing through clippings and the like isn't going to get you that."

"It is the closest I will ever come to knowing, I think", was the soft response. "Mystique will not tell me, and the Baron... well, I cannot exactly ask."

"Actually, you can ask," Scott said, the coolness in his voice not directed at Kurt. "You've got enough leverage to force him to give you an answer. What do you think it would do to his political career if it became known that he fathered a child on a member of Magneto's Brotherhood?"

"And believe me, I have thought of it." The bitterness in his face was almost shocking, from him, but the next moment it was gone. "For that, and to force him to end his activities against Elpis' colleagues there. But it is not a step to be taken lightly."

"Kurt, in your place, I'd do it. You don't owe him anything, and the threat would probably be enough to get him to cough up at least some information."

"I suppose not." There was a pause then, determinedly casually, "He has children, you know."

"Another reason for him not to want knowledge of you to become public." Scott resisted the impulse to shake his head. Since when did he advocate blackmail? "Throw in what happened in Berlin, what he tried to do to you, and you really could destroy him. I know you wouldn't-" Kurt wasn't that type. "-but still."

"I wanted to", Kurt admitted. "For a time. It would have been easy - one call to Amanda, and I could have had it done. Perhaps you are right - the threat might achieve far more than the act."

"The only worry might be what he could do to retaliate," Scott said. "I would want to know, in your place, if he knew about your family in Germany. We're not particularly vulnerable here, but they're a different story."

Kurt's face turned grim. "They are not defenceless, even in comparison. But... more vulnerable, yes, you are right. I would have to make it clear what will happen if he touches them." That was one circumstance where he wouldn't hesitate to destroy the man.

"One way or the other, Kurt, this-" He gestured at the wall again. "-isn't going to give you the answers you really want." Scott paused. "Think about talking to Charles. He might be able to help you fill in the gaps on the political side of things, at least. And you could always ask your sister to help you ferret out his dirty laundry."

That got a wintry smile. "I am quite sure he has no shortage of it. I will ask them."

Well, mission accomplished. He was pretty much positive that Kurt wasn't plotting anything dire, and the other man had decided to start consulting other resources for help. Although Ororo was going to laugh at him for going ahead like this, after he'd been the one to counsel delicacy.

"Good," Scott said briskly, rising. "Now, I need to go tell my wife she does have plans for New Year's."

"Was it really ever in any doubt?"

Scott snorted softly. "It's been kind of an eventful week."