xp_logs | Haroun and Rahne: Random social moment.

Haroun and Rahne catch up with each other once they both stop moving. Set shortly before Haroun's visit to Paul. (And assuming they didn't tell Rahne exactly what condition Paul actually ended up in, I think.)

Haroun sat in a very overstuffed easy chair, a heating pad plugged in to give some relief to his aching back, and with a lamp standing nearby angled to give the best possible light for reading. A bottle of water sat on the floor at his feet.

Rahne had been taken off Shiro-watch and suitably contaminated long enough ago that she had slept, eaten, and seen Lorna exercise her territorial claim on the kitchen. She wandered into the room with her nose in a book of fairy tales and curled up in the next chair over before looking up and actually realizing who occupied the other. "Oh! Hi. Yuir room's still breathable again, I hope?"

Haroun took his nose out of his book and beamed at Rahne. "It is, thanks to you. I've been meaning to talk to you, I haven't had time to see how you have been since I went back to Morocco. Please, sit down, if you have a few moments, and humor a very sore old man." he said with a grin.

She slid a bookmark in and grinned back. "I've been pretty well, mostly.... Managed not to forget everything about helping in the medlab over Asgard, which," the smile gave way to a slight grimace, "seems to be fortunate, considering it's been a wee bit busy since."

Haroun nodded. "Less explosions, more bad things happening to good people." he said sagely. "And if I'm not mistaken I think you've _grown_ since the last time I saw you. I don't remember you being that tall." he mused. "And I'm glad you're still helping out down in Medical."

"So am I." The agreement sounded oddly thoughtful. "...I might have grown. And I'm pretty sure I'm in better shape."

"You look like you've definitely filled out some." he said with a charming smile. "Not quite so much the little blushing werewolfette I remember."

Rahne glanced down at her book for a second. "Well... I still blush too easily, maybe." She looked up again. "How have ye been, aside from catching planes? I willna ask _what_ ye've been doing; I've somehow got the feeling some of it ye canna tell me."
x
Haroun grinned. "And you'd be right. Overall, though, I've been on the side of the angels. Had a disagreement with the government of Morocco about my activities, and they not quite politely asked me to leave. So here I am as an X-Man and as a teacher."

"Well, 'tis good to see ye again, in spite of the reason. I think I didna say that earlier."

"It is good to see you too, kiddo." he said affectionately. "I understand you got to spend some time with the Norse Gods?" he asked politely. "If you want to talk about it, or just a shoulder to cry on..." he offered.

"Aye, apparently Loki got annoyed about the mission in Iceland -- ye barely missed it, I think? -- and decided to borrow the population of the baseball field. I think I cried about it enough already, though," she said ruefully. "I... had a good time there -- better than quite a few of the others. Didna actually meet any of the Aesir in person, though. Ye'd want... let's see, Marie-Ange met Odin and Sif, but apparently not Thor, and Manuel met Loki, and Illyana met Hel."

Haroun nodded. "Impressive." he said quietly. "I'm not sure I would have done well in Asgard. Surely not as well as you, or some of the others."

"Well... I would hardly have expected to beforehand, myself," Rahne pointed out. "I was... fortunate, or blessed, or possibly Loki thought 'twould be funny to set me down near a pack of wolves. Their prince rescued me from a giant."

"Their prince?" he asked with a smile. "Sounds like you got lucky indeed."

So much for not blushing. "He was very nice. And they taught me to hunt."

"Seems he was more to you than just a savior and a packmate." he said, seeing right through Rahne's blushes. "Good for you."

"Aye, he was. It... wasna exactly easy to leave," she admitted quietly. But easier to talk about it this time.

"I imagine it wasn't. But I'm sure there will be someone on this dimension and your actual species for you." he said with a grin. "You'll do well. You have a good head on your shoulders. And anyone who thinks otherwise gets to deal with me." he said with a twinkle in his eye.

"Thanks." She chuckled a bit. "....Though I hope I'll be able to manage by arguing the point myself, mostly. "

Haroun nodded. "I'm just offering moral support." he clarified. "You're a smart girl, I'm sure you can handle it."

"I'll be trying, anyway." She studied him briefly. "Actually... what have ye been up to *since* getting back here? Since I havena been seeing ye much, and I suppose there's a chance that's classified too but maybe not as much of one."

"Not terribly much." he said with a smile. "I put the plane down without killing everyone, and I'm going to be teaching Arabic and Flight."

"I thought --" She paused, then shook her head. "Never mind. I've been trying not to slip and forget it's only been a month since the end of July. Ye'd think the weather would do it. ...I'm glad ye were there, for the plane. Sorry ye strained your back, obviously, but glad ye were there."

"As am I. We got lucky, all things considered." he said. "It could have been much worse. And I don't envy Charles the repair bill." he said ruefully. "Glad _I'm_ not writing the checks."

"I'm not too sure I even want to know what it _is_."

"What, the repair bill? All in, we're looking at somewhere in the neighborhood of a few million for the engine, the control surfaces, and the stealth plating along the bottom. Might be still more, it depends on whether or not we can salvage the landing struts." he said.

Rahne blinked. "...Och."

"Something like that, yes. I believe I was a bit more colorful. If I can get help, and if we can lower the radioact levels of the outer skin of the plane, we can save some significant cash by using Nathan as a telekinetic hoist." he said with some amusement. "If I can recruit Shiro and Paul, it will go even quicker as we can replace more of the damaged plating at the same time than I can alone."

"I expect ye might have to wait a wee bit for them," Rahne said thoughtfully, "but then I suppose ye'll be having to wait a bit for yourself too."
x
"Exactly. But compared to saving lives, the dollar cost really doesn't matter. We brought everyone home, and I understand that everyone's expected to pull through. _That's_ all that matters." he said quietly. "It's why I'm here. Saving lives."

"Everyone should, aye. And I'm very thankful."

"I thought you might be. You keeping up with your nursing skills?" he said with a grin. "Never know when you might need to stitch somebody up late at night. Again." he said with a shake of his head. "I still have trouble conceiving of how stupid I was being back then. I let everything get to me too much."

"I never quite understood what ye were thinking in the first place, there, honestly."

"In all honesty, I'm not sure I _was_ thinking. As some of the kids might put it, Sarah gets up my nose in the _worst_ way." admitted Haroun. "Probably because we're somewhat alike in some areas. We've both had families and close friends murdered while we couldn't do anything about it." he said softly. "But she's just so _dumb_ about it, it drives me nuts. Drove me nuts. I'm trying to not let it get to me anymore."

"...Well, I understood fighting with her, or wanting to sometimes anyway. 'Twas not going to Dr. McCoy that puzzled me." Rahne frowned. "I wish she'd... I doona ken. She worries me sometimes."

Haroun shook his head. "Stubborn pride, not thinking clearly, and letting my emotions rule over me. That tends to happen, I don't have many healthy outlets for my passions." he said with a straight face. "I like to think I cope better now."

"Well. I hope so." Rahne, being Rahne, managed to miss any possible innuendo entirely, but smiled. "Ye did have me worried."
x Jetstream: "I had you worried?" said Haroun with a surprised look. "I'll be fine. I'm a survivor, I pull through." He tapped his leg briefly to emphasize his point. "You're gonna be OK?"

"Well, I meant then more than now, but aye. And I'm fine," she added with a slightly puzzled look, then teasingly, "_I've_ managed not to get hurt lately. ...Mind that's because I've mostly been out of the way when anything dangerous was going on."

"Smart girl." he said approvingly. "I don't recommend trying to support multi-ton aircraft on your back. It _hurts_."

"I doona think there'd be much point in my _trying_, somehow," she said drily. "Deer and dogs I can handle. When it comes to falling jets I think I'm not much use until maybe afterward. --So I suppose I should ask, do ye need anything?"

"I'm fine. Unless you've spontaneously developed a healing power or you have some really good cyberwear tucked into your back pocket, I think I'll be OK the way I am." he said with a smile. "Back hurts like anything, but I'm tapped out on pain meds for the next few hours. My biologicals can be delicate, I don't want to overstress them."

Rahne nodded. "And Lorna's cooking something mysterious, but it looked like taking a while. If ye want a snack or something later, though, I can go looking."

"I won't say no to comfort food." he grinned. "Anyway, I should go hobble downstairs, see how Paul is doing. I'll catch up with you later, OK?"

"And Lorna's food is always comforting." Rahne grinned back. "See you then."