xp_logs | Scott & Wade | Monday Afternoon (backdated)

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Wade stops by Scott's office to discuss Artie.

Wade checked to make sure he had the right office, then knocked on the doorframe as he poked his head inside.

Scott looked up from his desk, "Wade? Come on in." He waved Wade towards one of the chairs in the office. "What's up?" he asked.

Walking inside, Wade took a chair, sat back, and gave Scott a bland smile. "Not a whole lot. I wanted to talk to you about Artie, though."

"Artie?" Scott raised an eyebrow. He put down his pen and leaned back in his chair. "Go on, how can I help?" he asked.

"I heard you read him the riot act and assigned his punishment for that stunt he pulled the other night in the city," Wade said, expression still friendly, tone even.

"Ah", Scott templed his fingers, "yeah I did" he confirmed cautiously.

"What do you know about his history in the tunnels? From what he's said, he didn't remember much of it until recently," Wade said, the fingertips of one hand tapping a silent rendition of 'Back In Black' against the arm of the chair.

"You mean his time with the Morlocks?" Scott inquired. "I know he grew up there, and had some bad experiences there recently." he supplied.

"So you know he thinks of the Morlocks as his family?"

"He told me as much." Scott lowered his hands and sighed. "I was just planning on reading him the riot act and letting him go with that, god knows I know the importance of family. That was my plan at least until he said that he thought it would be a good idea for some innocents to head up the tunnels and run into the Remnant's of Gene Nation." Scott shook his head, "That was just a step too far."

Wade nodded and made a show of considering that, his fingers still occupied with AC/DC, and then said, "So you told a seventeen year old kid he was a serious threat to his family's safety and well-being." He paused, brows rising, and then continued, "I don't disagree that what he did was dangerous and I certainly think he needed the punishment, but did you consider the impact your words might have on him? I'm no expert in child psychology, dude, but I'm pretty sure you managed to piss him off and alienate him from you, so whatever message you were trying to get across got lost in translation."

Scott grimaced, "You may be right Wade, but I'll be honest. He could very easily have gotten the Morlocks in big trouble. If people even suspected mutants still lived down there it'll get real bad real fast. I get that he was caring for his family, but he has to be aware of the wider picture, " Scott trailed off. "What happened to him?" he asked scrubbing his face, "He may hate me now, but even thinking about risking innocents ... that's crossing a line the Artie I know would never even consider."

Snorting softly, Wade said, "What, you expected him to stay fifteen forever? Kids grow up. And when they remember the kinds of things Artie's apparently remembered, they don't stay sweet-tempered." He said this as though he had a real idea about what he was saying. Mostly, he was going off personal experience. "Kid's been going down there for long enough, I think he's probably pretty good at keeping his movements hidden - he got caught coming out of the tunnels and frankly, it was a lucky find on the cop's part. So he wasn't acting as intelligently as you might like, but he wasn't being completely stupid, either."

Wade considered the younger man for a long moment, then said, "If he asks, I'm going to help him figure out a better way to get down there. He hasn't yet, but I'm not going to tell him he can't see his family - I will help him in whatever way possible to make sure he doesn't needlessly endanger them. So I figured I should let you know. I'm not trying to undermine you and whatever authority you have here, but I'm also not going to let that kid get caught again because he's angry, distracted, and gets careless."

Scott nodded, "I offered him the same; someone to go with him and make sure he doesn't get into trouble. I don't think he heard me though, so if you want to that would be a weight of my mind. Believe me, the last thing I want is to stop Artie from meeting his family. I just want him to be safe and aware of the repercussions of his actions.." He stopped and thought for a second, "If you could talk to him? I'm really worried about him and his atitude" Scott admitted.

Standing up, Wade said, "He and I talk plenty in the gym, Summers. But telling him he's got a bad attitude isn't going to fix it. So maybe reevaluate your expectations for him if you want to try and repair the friendship you two had. He's not fifteen anymore. He's not going to quietly do what you tell him to do." Because being a teenager sucked. Wade remembered that well and he'd had longer to forget it than Scott. Turning toward the door, he gave the younger man an almost mocking half-salute.

Scott watched Wade leave the office. Looking back at his desk, he shook his head and got up and walked to the window. Staring through the glass he stood and stared out of the window, alone with his thoughts.