Logan, Paige and early morning meetups
Jan. 25th, 2004 02:00 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsEarly Saturday morning.
Paige came down the stairs still putting up her hair into a pony tail. Like everything she did it was a clean motion and almost without thought; yank, twist, pull. The elastic was black and covered and she looped it around her hair three times as she bounded down the last few steps. It was still somewhat dark outside, she noticed as she looked out the windows as she walked, but that had hardly stopped her before. The attack might have stopped one of her morning runs, but it certainly wasn't going to continue to do so. Besides, she had slept two nights in a row and that was a record. That made it all okay.
Logan shook snow from his shoulders and boots, then walked in the mansion's front door, closing it behind him. He felt balanced and /aware/ and looked up, knowing Paige was there.
Paige looked startled for a moment before figuring out who it was. It seemed there were some other "crazy people" in the school, as her roomies, all of them, had called her. She waited half a moment before realizing that the silence wasn't going to break itself. Paige gave him a nervous smile and propped her foot up on the shoe shelf, retying her sneakers. "Good morning."
"Morning," he said, his voice sounding almost unnervingly peaceful, coming from the resident animal. He stepped away from the door, in case she was headed straight out, but didn't turn away and walk for the stairs yet. He knew she'd been a roommate of Marie's and didn't want to be outright rude.
"You're up earlier than I am. That's quite the accomplishment, sir," Paige observed politely, double-knotting one shoe before switching to the other. The fact that he had paused at all made some part of her smile inside.
"Thank you, I think," he muttered, shrugging one shoulder. "Every morning. Must be comin' back late, though, to run into somebody." He didn't wear a watch, so it was impossible for him to know the precise time while outdoors; he tended to rely on the position of the sun to tell him.
Paige smiled, straightening. "You're welcome," she said, because it's the natural thing to say and there's a part of her that would like Mr. Logan to think of her as worthy of a thought. "We must just miss each other then. I don't think I'm all that early." Paige checked her watch that was just a little bit too big for her wrist to be sure. "No, not that early."
He turned and glanced out a window. "I'm late." He faced her again. "Must've been that last deer," he offered, as a somewhat vague explanation.
"Of course," Paige replied. She blinked twice. This was not doing much for her nervousness around him. "That last deer. Pesky."
He grinned, realising exactly what she was thinking. "Eh," he said, shrugging, "Just took longer'n I expected." The grin hadn't faded. "They're pretty scarce in the dead of winter, couldn't pass it up."
The grin caught her by surprise and she scowled for a blink of an eye before trying a grin of her own. "I think you're teasing me, Mr. Logan. Or trying to make this especially difficult for me, I'm not sure which yet."
He laughed out loud. "Maybe I am, at that. Never said I was killin' the deer, kid. Just that a deer's what held me up."
Paige held up her hands in surrender, trying very hard not to giggle. "Pardon my almost assumption, sir. I never know what to expect up here. It's best to try and be open to just about everything."
He shook his head, offering a smile. "You're okay, kid. I'm not offended. 'specially since I didn't exactly make it clear what I was doin'."
"I... thank you, sir." Trying not to blush any, Paige looked away then back again, still smiling. It was going to be very difficult to ask what she'd wanted to earlier, now. If she could at all. "It would never be my intention to offend you. Well, so far, it would never be my intention to offend you, anyway. Which is so far so good in my books."
He laughed quietly. "'s this goin' somewhere, kid, or are you just nervous?"
Paige had to laugh outloud now, trying to keep it quiet with a hand. There were people sleeping after all. "Sorry. I swear, I'm not usually this twelve-years-old. It's about your private defense... lessons."
"What about 'em?" he asked, shrugging one shoulder. He was unconcerned. His training sessions with Sarah had been authorised by Xavier and if someone wanted to object to his training sessions with Marie, they knew where to shove it. Unless /she/ wanted to train? But that didn't seem likely.
"It's just... I'm sorry, I'm going to have to be rude again, but I'm worried about Sarah. And her remarks as of late. Mostly concerning your lessons." She doesn't back up any but she certainly feels like she should, if just a little. "I know I shouldn't be, you're a professor here for a reason, but she is my roommate after all, former or otherwise, and she's an idiot when it comes to some things. Death, blood and gore being one of them if you'd like to put them in categories."
He raised an eyebrow. "Seems a little over-anxious to get to the killin', but she's kinda got the blood and gore part covered on her own, what with the bones and all." He waited for more of an explanation.
Paige closed her eyes and sighed. It was somewhat irritating when people didn't understand her. She opened her eyes and tried not to gesture at him. "I'm worried about Sarah and the talk she's been making about her sessions with you. Now is where you encourage me that the training sessions involve a whole lot less shedding of blood than she is making them out to. Or that you're not encouraging her when things don't agree with you you must kill them attitude. Both would be good. Any time now, sir."
He laughed again. Probably not the best time for it, but he did it anyway. "She's not been doin' nothin' more violent'n throwin' knives at a target on the wall. And I'm not doin' any kinda philosophisin' at her. 's not my job."
"Fine," Paige drawled out, before realizing she was doing it and clipping herself short. "I guess that's all I can ask from you, isn't it, sir? Encouraging as it's going to get?" She grinned a little, cheeky thing.
He shrugged. "I'm not tellin' her to kill people, but I'm showin' her how to keep herself safe with what she's got. We're not livin' in a safe world, here, kiddo." He glanced at the stairs, then looked back at Paige. He was suddenly a lot more agreeable. "Look. She's learnin' to focus, to balance herself. She just got excited 'cause she heard what Marie was up to."
Paige nodded slowly, understanding. When he was done she smiled at him, a warm, bright sort of smile. "Thank you. See, that wasn't so hard." Paige stretched her hands over her head, pulling something taut in her back before letting go. "Well, I should probably go out before I get myself totally cooled down without even running a step. Not to mention you probably have things to do. Sir."
He nodded, then turned and headed toward the hall to get to the back stairs. "Enjoy your run."
"I will," she replied before pausing and looking over her shoulder. "Oh, and sir? Do you think I could borrow you for a little bit one of these days? Sarah's a darling and very good at beating me up but I'm not sure who else I could get to help me learn to use the... sharper side of my mutation."
He turned back toward her, eyebrow already raised. "Sure. D'you wanna do it privately, or," and he snorted here, "did you wanna join the party we've got goin' in Advanced Self-Defense? I don't mind, either way."
Paige laughed. "Well, since you've just sold me so well on Advanced Self-Defense let's try both and see if I need it. It /would/ be nice for the tutor to finally be tutored, I must admit."
He grinned. "Let's start light, then. I'll see you Tuesday and Thursday mornin's, just after your run, down in the Fencin' Hall." He turned to go. "And in class, o'course."
"Of course," she answered, amused. "Thank you kindly, Mr Logan. I'll try to resist showing up with actual bells on." Paige waved at him, a wave he couldn't really see, and made her way out the door.
Paige came down the stairs still putting up her hair into a pony tail. Like everything she did it was a clean motion and almost without thought; yank, twist, pull. The elastic was black and covered and she looped it around her hair three times as she bounded down the last few steps. It was still somewhat dark outside, she noticed as she looked out the windows as she walked, but that had hardly stopped her before. The attack might have stopped one of her morning runs, but it certainly wasn't going to continue to do so. Besides, she had slept two nights in a row and that was a record. That made it all okay.
Logan shook snow from his shoulders and boots, then walked in the mansion's front door, closing it behind him. He felt balanced and /aware/ and looked up, knowing Paige was there.
Paige looked startled for a moment before figuring out who it was. It seemed there were some other "crazy people" in the school, as her roomies, all of them, had called her. She waited half a moment before realizing that the silence wasn't going to break itself. Paige gave him a nervous smile and propped her foot up on the shoe shelf, retying her sneakers. "Good morning."
"Morning," he said, his voice sounding almost unnervingly peaceful, coming from the resident animal. He stepped away from the door, in case she was headed straight out, but didn't turn away and walk for the stairs yet. He knew she'd been a roommate of Marie's and didn't want to be outright rude.
"You're up earlier than I am. That's quite the accomplishment, sir," Paige observed politely, double-knotting one shoe before switching to the other. The fact that he had paused at all made some part of her smile inside.
"Thank you, I think," he muttered, shrugging one shoulder. "Every morning. Must be comin' back late, though, to run into somebody." He didn't wear a watch, so it was impossible for him to know the precise time while outdoors; he tended to rely on the position of the sun to tell him.
Paige smiled, straightening. "You're welcome," she said, because it's the natural thing to say and there's a part of her that would like Mr. Logan to think of her as worthy of a thought. "We must just miss each other then. I don't think I'm all that early." Paige checked her watch that was just a little bit too big for her wrist to be sure. "No, not that early."
He turned and glanced out a window. "I'm late." He faced her again. "Must've been that last deer," he offered, as a somewhat vague explanation.
"Of course," Paige replied. She blinked twice. This was not doing much for her nervousness around him. "That last deer. Pesky."
He grinned, realising exactly what she was thinking. "Eh," he said, shrugging, "Just took longer'n I expected." The grin hadn't faded. "They're pretty scarce in the dead of winter, couldn't pass it up."
The grin caught her by surprise and she scowled for a blink of an eye before trying a grin of her own. "I think you're teasing me, Mr. Logan. Or trying to make this especially difficult for me, I'm not sure which yet."
He laughed out loud. "Maybe I am, at that. Never said I was killin' the deer, kid. Just that a deer's what held me up."
Paige held up her hands in surrender, trying very hard not to giggle. "Pardon my almost assumption, sir. I never know what to expect up here. It's best to try and be open to just about everything."
He shook his head, offering a smile. "You're okay, kid. I'm not offended. 'specially since I didn't exactly make it clear what I was doin'."
"I... thank you, sir." Trying not to blush any, Paige looked away then back again, still smiling. It was going to be very difficult to ask what she'd wanted to earlier, now. If she could at all. "It would never be my intention to offend you. Well, so far, it would never be my intention to offend you, anyway. Which is so far so good in my books."
He laughed quietly. "'s this goin' somewhere, kid, or are you just nervous?"
Paige had to laugh outloud now, trying to keep it quiet with a hand. There were people sleeping after all. "Sorry. I swear, I'm not usually this twelve-years-old. It's about your private defense... lessons."
"What about 'em?" he asked, shrugging one shoulder. He was unconcerned. His training sessions with Sarah had been authorised by Xavier and if someone wanted to object to his training sessions with Marie, they knew where to shove it. Unless /she/ wanted to train? But that didn't seem likely.
"It's just... I'm sorry, I'm going to have to be rude again, but I'm worried about Sarah. And her remarks as of late. Mostly concerning your lessons." She doesn't back up any but she certainly feels like she should, if just a little. "I know I shouldn't be, you're a professor here for a reason, but she is my roommate after all, former or otherwise, and she's an idiot when it comes to some things. Death, blood and gore being one of them if you'd like to put them in categories."
He raised an eyebrow. "Seems a little over-anxious to get to the killin', but she's kinda got the blood and gore part covered on her own, what with the bones and all." He waited for more of an explanation.
Paige closed her eyes and sighed. It was somewhat irritating when people didn't understand her. She opened her eyes and tried not to gesture at him. "I'm worried about Sarah and the talk she's been making about her sessions with you. Now is where you encourage me that the training sessions involve a whole lot less shedding of blood than she is making them out to. Or that you're not encouraging her when things don't agree with you you must kill them attitude. Both would be good. Any time now, sir."
He laughed again. Probably not the best time for it, but he did it anyway. "She's not been doin' nothin' more violent'n throwin' knives at a target on the wall. And I'm not doin' any kinda philosophisin' at her. 's not my job."
"Fine," Paige drawled out, before realizing she was doing it and clipping herself short. "I guess that's all I can ask from you, isn't it, sir? Encouraging as it's going to get?" She grinned a little, cheeky thing.
He shrugged. "I'm not tellin' her to kill people, but I'm showin' her how to keep herself safe with what she's got. We're not livin' in a safe world, here, kiddo." He glanced at the stairs, then looked back at Paige. He was suddenly a lot more agreeable. "Look. She's learnin' to focus, to balance herself. She just got excited 'cause she heard what Marie was up to."
Paige nodded slowly, understanding. When he was done she smiled at him, a warm, bright sort of smile. "Thank you. See, that wasn't so hard." Paige stretched her hands over her head, pulling something taut in her back before letting go. "Well, I should probably go out before I get myself totally cooled down without even running a step. Not to mention you probably have things to do. Sir."
He nodded, then turned and headed toward the hall to get to the back stairs. "Enjoy your run."
"I will," she replied before pausing and looking over her shoulder. "Oh, and sir? Do you think I could borrow you for a little bit one of these days? Sarah's a darling and very good at beating me up but I'm not sure who else I could get to help me learn to use the... sharper side of my mutation."
He turned back toward her, eyebrow already raised. "Sure. D'you wanna do it privately, or," and he snorted here, "did you wanna join the party we've got goin' in Advanced Self-Defense? I don't mind, either way."
Paige laughed. "Well, since you've just sold me so well on Advanced Self-Defense let's try both and see if I need it. It /would/ be nice for the tutor to finally be tutored, I must admit."
He grinned. "Let's start light, then. I'll see you Tuesday and Thursday mornin's, just after your run, down in the Fencin' Hall." He turned to go. "And in class, o'course."
"Of course," she answered, amused. "Thank you kindly, Mr Logan. I'll try to resist showing up with actual bells on." Paige waved at him, a wave he couldn't really see, and made her way out the door.
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