Scott, Marius: Reassessment
Feb. 24th, 2024 10:31 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsRealizing he'll be around for a while, Marius connects with Scott to re-audition for the team. Conversation turns to their (least) favorite turncoat.
"Well," Marius said as he toweled the sweat from the nape of his neck, "if there's a bright side to be found in having spent the last few months in preparation for an act of mass murder it's that at least it's left me in field-ready condition, should the need so arise. And, of course, all the combat."
A small smile curled up the corner of Scott's lips as he leaned back in his seat, "I don't anyone would have expected that to be turned around on them like that, talk about finding a silver lining." Dark eyes flicked down to the clipboard on his lap for a moment before he nodded, "You're not wrong though, you're probably in the best shape and training level you've ever been."
"So it would seem, though I'm still reluctant to trust the bloodwork. For the marrow fix alone to have stayed when all the rest Akkaba did went -- seems a bit too pat, you know? I can't help but wait for the other shoe to drop." The younger man slung the towel over his shoulder and brushed the damp curls from his eyes with a free hand. "At any rate, if I'm to be here for a bit I might as well make myself useful. Ah . . . if you think the team would be comfortable with my presence after my little Horseman incident, that is."
A hand reached up to run through Scott's hair for a moment, the gesture an unconscious gesture as the X-Man considered the man in front of him levelley. The silence only stretched for a moment or two before he leaned back in his chair, shoulders relaxing a little. "Honestly, we've all had a brush with the darkside now and then, even those who haven't gone dark have clashed before, we'd be hard placed to field a team if we didn't forgive. Although...cookies, I recommend fresh cookies as an apology."
Marius flashed him a grin. "Ah, but you see, I've already done my grand apology tour. Spirits seemed quite well-received, although I confess my choice of gift might have been more reflective of my own state of mind." In an unconscious mirror of Scott, the younger man leaned back in his chair and set his hands against his thighs. The grin faded. "A man less secure than myself might confess to a certain amount of relief the strength of the team was in Avignon, but I'm given to understand I wasn't the only Xavier's alum who made an appearance that day."
A small smile tugged at the corner of Scott's lips as he inclined his head at Marius, "It does tend to be that our friends and allies turn out to be our most dangerous enemies in the end doesn't it? Wade...well he never seems to change no matter which side he's fighting for. If I'm completely honest, I'm glad we weren't the ones who had to face you. It's...harder knowing the person you're fighting and their knowing you. If we went head to head you'd know my tricks and I'd know yours. That never ends up well."
"Not necessarily. Kyle, for example, used it to great effect, although I cannot claim he emerged unscathed for his troubles. Given my previous efforts on your ocular reconstruction it's just as well I hadn't the opportunity to ruin it." Particularly since the catalysing incident had given Marius a model of how the man might be similarly disabled in future: a beam of concussive force fired directly back at him, like shooting a sniper through his own scope.
Marius carefully redirected the energy being spent on this intrusive thought to plucking at the cuff of one glove.
"At any rate, surely you've enough such challenges now that Laurie's joined the roster of recurring villains," he continued. He flicked his amber eyes back to Scott's. "That was one bit of news Kyle did keep me abreast of."
Scott tilted his head back, dark eyes staring at the lights in the ceiling for a moment, a sigh escaping him, "That was...always a danger with her. I always hoped that Laurie would step away and choose a different path but it can be difficult. For some of us our powers are a temptation, a pull to act in ways we might not be proud of, even without that added issue of people messing with our heads." A hand reached up to run through his hair, "It's not gonna be fun running into her again."
There was a pop. Marius was cracking his knuckles, the gesture slow and deliberate.
"I understand her motivations perfectly. After all, I've been in a similar spot. It is for that very reason I feel quite comfortable denying her even the faintest shred of sympathy." Marius turned his attention from his hands to Scott. When their gaze met his eyes were hard. "Next time she appears just let me run a mutation with a bit of distance to it. I'll see it sorted."
The X-Man's gaze slowly dropped down, his eyes meeting Marius' without a shred of sympathy or compassion showing in them. "When she shows up again then you can have mine if you think you can sort it one way or the other."
"Well," Marius said as he toweled the sweat from the nape of his neck, "if there's a bright side to be found in having spent the last few months in preparation for an act of mass murder it's that at least it's left me in field-ready condition, should the need so arise. And, of course, all the combat."
A small smile curled up the corner of Scott's lips as he leaned back in his seat, "I don't anyone would have expected that to be turned around on them like that, talk about finding a silver lining." Dark eyes flicked down to the clipboard on his lap for a moment before he nodded, "You're not wrong though, you're probably in the best shape and training level you've ever been."
"So it would seem, though I'm still reluctant to trust the bloodwork. For the marrow fix alone to have stayed when all the rest Akkaba did went -- seems a bit too pat, you know? I can't help but wait for the other shoe to drop." The younger man slung the towel over his shoulder and brushed the damp curls from his eyes with a free hand. "At any rate, if I'm to be here for a bit I might as well make myself useful. Ah . . . if you think the team would be comfortable with my presence after my little Horseman incident, that is."
A hand reached up to run through Scott's hair for a moment, the gesture an unconscious gesture as the X-Man considered the man in front of him levelley. The silence only stretched for a moment or two before he leaned back in his chair, shoulders relaxing a little. "Honestly, we've all had a brush with the darkside now and then, even those who haven't gone dark have clashed before, we'd be hard placed to field a team if we didn't forgive. Although...cookies, I recommend fresh cookies as an apology."
Marius flashed him a grin. "Ah, but you see, I've already done my grand apology tour. Spirits seemed quite well-received, although I confess my choice of gift might have been more reflective of my own state of mind." In an unconscious mirror of Scott, the younger man leaned back in his chair and set his hands against his thighs. The grin faded. "A man less secure than myself might confess to a certain amount of relief the strength of the team was in Avignon, but I'm given to understand I wasn't the only Xavier's alum who made an appearance that day."
A small smile tugged at the corner of Scott's lips as he inclined his head at Marius, "It does tend to be that our friends and allies turn out to be our most dangerous enemies in the end doesn't it? Wade...well he never seems to change no matter which side he's fighting for. If I'm completely honest, I'm glad we weren't the ones who had to face you. It's...harder knowing the person you're fighting and their knowing you. If we went head to head you'd know my tricks and I'd know yours. That never ends up well."
"Not necessarily. Kyle, for example, used it to great effect, although I cannot claim he emerged unscathed for his troubles. Given my previous efforts on your ocular reconstruction it's just as well I hadn't the opportunity to ruin it." Particularly since the catalysing incident had given Marius a model of how the man might be similarly disabled in future: a beam of concussive force fired directly back at him, like shooting a sniper through his own scope.
Marius carefully redirected the energy being spent on this intrusive thought to plucking at the cuff of one glove.
"At any rate, surely you've enough such challenges now that Laurie's joined the roster of recurring villains," he continued. He flicked his amber eyes back to Scott's. "That was one bit of news Kyle did keep me abreast of."
Scott tilted his head back, dark eyes staring at the lights in the ceiling for a moment, a sigh escaping him, "That was...always a danger with her. I always hoped that Laurie would step away and choose a different path but it can be difficult. For some of us our powers are a temptation, a pull to act in ways we might not be proud of, even without that added issue of people messing with our heads." A hand reached up to run through his hair, "It's not gonna be fun running into her again."
There was a pop. Marius was cracking his knuckles, the gesture slow and deliberate.
"I understand her motivations perfectly. After all, I've been in a similar spot. It is for that very reason I feel quite comfortable denying her even the faintest shred of sympathy." Marius turned his attention from his hands to Scott. When their gaze met his eyes were hard. "Next time she appears just let me run a mutation with a bit of distance to it. I'll see it sorted."
The X-Man's gaze slowly dropped down, his eyes meeting Marius' without a shred of sympathy or compassion showing in them. "When she shows up again then you can have mine if you think you can sort it one way or the other."
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Date: 2024-02-25 09:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-02-28 05:21 am (UTC)In an unconscious mirror of Scott, the younger man leaned back in his chair and set his hands against his thighs. The grin faded.
Scott tilted his head back, dark eyes staring at the lights in the ceiling for a moment.
These, and a whole handful more, really help illustrate this scene as it plays out and helps underscore the tension of deciding how to best deal with an enemy target.