xp_logs | Log: Remy/Ororo

Remy and Ororo share their idea of a home improvement project.

She supposed the fern had been the last straw. There hadn't been any outward sign, no words of chastisement, but she had observed the subtle sigh as Remy had entered the bathroom to see yet another fringed shoot perched on the windowsill, stretching towards the thin winter light. The apartment was crowded with plants - succulents, annuals, robust, glossy-leaved specimens and their more delicate relatives - and though each addition had made her feel more and more at home she could understand how it might make less florally-inclined people feel like their personal space was being overtaken by a potted and pruned jungle.

"M'penzi," she said thoughtfully over pad thai that evening, her bare feet tucked under his thigh as they sat together on the sofa. "The roof of the building - is it earmarked for anything?"

"Not dat I know of." He turned the page of the newspaper he was reading, aware of how utterly normal and domestic a scene they made right now. "Why? You decided dat you want a helicopter for Christmas?"

"I had not, though now that you mention it," she said with a grin. "It might save on taxi fare." She still couldn't stomach the subway, even after all this time in the city. "But no. I was thinking there might be space for a garden up there - I think perhaps some of these plants might be happier outdoors."

"Will dey grow up dere?" Remy may have been born in the verdant green of New Orleans and the surrounding bayou, but he'd lived most of his life between major cities, and had as much knowledge about gardening as he did about astrophysics.

"Not all of them. But it will mean an excuse to buy ones that will, and it will be a nice project to set up. If it would be all right." Her voice was light, but he knew her well enough to know she was actually quite invested in the idea - she wouldn't have brought it up otherwise.

"Other den roof access from de other buildings and de odd bit of nude sun bathing, I think de roof is pretty much clear." Remy paused and peered at her over the top of the paper. "Dis is going to mean carpentry, isn't it?"

"Isn't it every man's dream to look competent with power tools in front of a grateful wife?" she asked with a sweet-as-honey smile.

"Rarely do my dreams about you involve power tools. Or clothes."

***

And that was what led one of the world's most feared assassins to this, Remy considered as he took a sip from his paper cup of coffee from the nearby deli. Thick railway ties, stacks of pressure treated lumber, and his wife sporting a tool belt, earnestly explaining her design to him. Somewhere, there's a counter-intelligence agent being checked into a mental asylum for suggesting this scenario.

"So, what, we start on de raised beds?"

"Yes, I think so," she said with a nod, still staring at the assembled parts and pieces as if trying to fit them all together in her mind. "You will need to begin the actual construction while I lay out the thermoplastic sheeting - I have an idea where I wish it to go but until I actually see it..."

"I knew I should have bribed Cain to come up for de weekend." Remy murmured as he unfolded the printed sheets of her design and started to lay out the boards he needed. Of the many skills he possessed, home improvements were not amoungst them, and he'd deferred to Ororo's judgement as she spent hours on the computer, working out her ideas. Having a project that was just for them (although would be enjoyed by others) was a nice change, and even when he didn't have anything to contribute, he enjoyed sharing a coffee while she had excitedly explained her plans.

"I am not sure if our refrigerator is big enough for all the beer that would have required," she replied, taking a moment away from sizing up the area to wrap her arms around him from behind and nuzzle his neck.

"Dat's why my plan was to send Jubilee and Cammie somewhere horrible on a job and steal dere fridges." He joked, leaning back into the embrace and sliding a hand over hers.

"So devious, so practical. But I think in the end the overall plan would be more complicated and involved than just doing it ourselves, mm?"

"Overly complicated and involved is what I do. Even on de job description." He mimed reading an ad. "Wanted; International Man of Mystery and Horrible Bastard. Job Requirements: Overly Complicated and Involved Plan Design. What can I do when it's right dere, chere?"

"Hm, I thought for sure I had advertised for someone who looked good in plaid flannel and was good with his hands... does that mean I should be expecting someone else to show up and help with this project?"

"I hope not. Remy would feel bad tossing dem off de roof. For at least two or three minutes, in any case." He reversed his grip on her wrist, and pulled her around face to face with him. "'side, Remy thought dat you could be de one in de plaid flannel."

Her expression was amused as she leaned in to place a light kiss on his lips. "And cut-off jeans? That could probably be arranged, though I draw the line at pigtails."

"Dat's fine. I think I prefer you hair loose. Maybe get you one of dem straw hats?" If there was one word which well described their relationship, it would be 'distracting'. Most of their activities as a couple ended up having a delay of several hours worked into the middle. "Although, we could always hire some contractors and come up to supervise later. Much later."

She gave a reluctant groan and pulled away slightly. "No, no contractors. We can do this ourselves, I am sure of it."

"Remy afraid dat you say dat." LeBeau said, but it was with a smile. It was important to her, which made it important to him. "Alright, back to de beds." It took a moment to disentangle, and then he was back at it, weighting Ororo's design down with bricks so it didn't blow away. It was cool on the apartment, and growing steadily colder, but they hadn't seen any snow yet, which allowed them to build the foundations of her garden now, and then plant it in the spring.

Remy started on the wood frames, flicking his thumb over the head of the hammer before each strike, leaving just the flat end glowing faintly purple. When he struck the nail, it went in like it had been delivered from a nail gun; a small application of his charging powers.

Meanwhile, Ororo spread out the slick plastic sheeting over the pebbled surface of the roof; normally it would need to be weighted down as well but the area around it was suspiciously clear of breezes or annoying gusts that might disturb it as she dragged it this way and that. Eventually she was pleased with the layout and joined Remy at the ties, helping him to shove them into position before the final nails were driven home.

They worked quickly and efficiently, the bones of the garden slowly taking shape around them. Despite his earlier grousing, Remy did know his way around a hammer; a year of bondage at to voodoo queen forced a certain level of handiness.

"You know, if dis keeps up, we're going to have to worry about developers trying to buy dis place and turn it into condos."

"Hah," Ororo said, perching on the edge of one of the planters and sipping from a water bottle. "If that happens we will just have to set Cammie on them - she'll make quick work of that proposal."

"Dat's one of my worries." Remy's tone turned serious for a moment. "Dere was a... confrontation in London wit' her. I don't know if she really grasps what de job means. Which is fair, I suppose. She's barely an adult. But- I'm worried if we're getting dem into de field wit' de skills to survive."

"Well, there hardly exists a finishing school for spies and assassins," she reasoned, pressing her lips together thoughtfully. "And there's a good reason for that - some of these skills can't be taught, only learned, often in the field."

"Dat's true. De other side though- I worry whether or not getting them to dat level as hard and as fast as we have to means dat we're risking turning dem into what we're supposed to be fighting." Remy shook his head. "I know, Remy said a hundred times dat dis job is for broken people. But dere's a fine line between dat and monsters. Look at MA. When I met her, she was a high religious Catholic virgin and a dedicated pacifist. Now, if I told her dat I needed her to get gangraped by de New York Giants in order to stab de last one on her to death for a job, de only question she'd have is what lip gloss I think she should wear. It sounds naive, but people who do what we do have to believe in dat. Wisdom was good at making dat real for dem. I don't know if I am."

"They trust you, m'penzi," Ororo said gently. "The reason they follow your word is not because you are pushing them to become monsters but because they trust that the decisions you are making, the things you are asking them to do are the right things. Perhaps they do not understand them as deeply as you do, from as many angles, but they are learning. From you."

"Too well, maybe?" Remy shook his head, looking down at the hammer. "I know dat you believe in me, chere, but sometimes, it feels like Gambit isn't as far away as I like to think he is. When dey took you in Genosha... dere's was a line dat worried me how easy it would have been to cross. If it's hard for me to resist, wit' de memories of twenty years in my head to say its a bad idea, what's in going to be for de people I'm training?"

"The trust must go both ways," she told him, the breeze caressing his hair almost as if she was sitting beside him. "You must trust that they will make the right choice when it is put to them. I know you worry, and you are right to, but truly: is there any one of them you do not trust to stay on the right side of the line?"

"Non. But- I suppose being de cautionary tale colours my concerns a bit." Ororo always did have a way of putting things into perspective. He lined up another piece of wood and drove in a nail. "This was all a lot easier when my job was just to yell at dem in de field. Or steal things wit' you. Maybe we need a holiday? Go somewhere nice, look at fancy pieces in museums, steal dem after a nice dinner?"

"Any time, _mpenzi_. You know that. Especially in the winter."