xp_logs | You don't forget that

x-storm.livejournal.com posting in

xp_logs

x_storm,

x_dazzler and

x_rogue go to collect

x_marrow. It goes astonishingly well and is highly social, proving the fact that the X-Women are infinitely more well-adjusted than the men. ;)

In a small safe-house in New York, Sarah sits alone in the corner of a back room, not-so-discreetly pulling bones from her body and throwing them at the opposite wall.
They hit with a satisfying thud, just loud enough to silence the whispers in the other rooms.
As they enter the shelter, Alison looks around while Ororo steps forward, wondering at the odd quality of the silence in the place.
Rogue has her hands in her pockets and is looking around her with only mild interest as they enter, mostly marking the doors and windows.
It's hard to resist the temptation to make the "darts" go awry, but Storm manages. And here she was worried about how to /find/ this girl. "Excuse me. Are you Sarah?"
Barely refraining from wrinkling her nose at something on the floor, Alison steps around it carefully, keeping a neutral expression on her face. She looks at who the little group's de-facto leader is talking to.
Sarah looks up, trying to hide her startled expression behind a scowl. She takes another bone from her arm. "Yeah. You here to kick me out?"
Rogue leans against the wall, watching back down the way they came, listening to the conversation.
Storm is Not Impressed but, she tries to hide it and look... well, at least friendly. "Not as such. But we would like to take you somewhere more -- welcoming."
Alison keeps her neutral expression, but can't help but wonder if Sarah will be all that thrilled with the welcoming. And tries not to stare at the pile of bones.
Sarah watches them carefully, moves the bone from one hand to the other. She can feel another bone growing from her back, pushing against her already tattered t-shirt. "Oh yeah? Where's that?"
Storm glances around at the others in the shelter and frowns slightly. "I'd rather not say where we can be overheard. If you'd like to discuss it, how about I take you to dinner? Somewhere /public/," she explains, "so you don't have to worry about us dragging you off kicking and screaming."
Alison represses a smile, thinking some of the others sent out on other mission might very well have dragged her off kicking and screaming, public place or no...
Sarah frowns. "I could handle myself against a few uplanders...." The bone forming under her shirt finally rips through, and she pulls it out, dropping it to the floor. She stands slowly. "I almost died a few days ago. How do I know I can trust you?"
Storm glances at the bone on the floor, then replies calmly, "You can't. Not yet, anyway. And I wouldn't presume to ask you. Trust has to be earned. But bring that, if you think it would help."
Alison raises an eyebrow at that, staring briefly at the newest bone Sarah has pulled out, thinking it's not like she needs to carry them around with a ready source at hand apparently - but refrains from saying anything out loud.
Sarah shakes her head, kicking the bone to the corner she had just left. "I've got more where that came from." Stepping forward, she shrugs. "I suppose nothing can be as bad as this is."
Rogue snorts at that. "Don't count on it," she says dryly. "But where we're from isn't one of those places."
Storm shrugs and turns to head for the door. "If you really want to leave large hunks of your DNA lying around, be my guest. Do you like Mexican?"
Rogue gestures for the other women to precede her out of the shelter.
Alison perks up at the thought of leaving, no doubt, and follows Storm out.
Sarah nods, and takes one final look at the room before following the women out.
It doesn't take long for them to find a halfway decent Mexican place that's open; this is New York, and there's a restaurant on every corner.
While they're perusing menus, Storm starts off the introductions. "My name is Ororo Munroe, but call me Storm. I'm a teacher at a school for the Gifted." The capital G is audible. She glances over at Alison, letting her junior teammate make her own introduction.
With a somewhat wry grin, Alison complies. "Alison Blaire. I'll be teaching music and vocals next term at the school." She nods at Sarah.
Rogue musters up a smile and offers Sarah her gloved hand. "Marie D'Ancato. Rogue. Student and general disturber of the peace. Nice to meet you."
Alison chuckles as she looks up from the menu. "Think twice before you play pool with her, and don't let the innocent 'I'll give you first shot' act fool you."
Rogue looks at Alison with wide eyes and says with a heavy southern drawl, "Why, Alison... whatevah are you implying about mah charactah?"
"So.. you're taking me to a school? For the...gifted?" She's pretty sure that's just a nice way of saying "freaks", but she knows better than to say that here. She smiles a little. "And I assume you all know who I am... Sarah. They used to call me Marrow. Nice to meet you all."
"If you're willing to come, yes." Storm spares a wry grin for the antics of her two subordinates, then nods. "Pleased to meet you. Go ahead and order whatever you want; I have an expense account. So -- any questions?"
Alison's eyes glow - not literally - at the mention of expense account, and she points out a few items on the menu to Rogue with glee.
Rogue grins at her. "Hmm. No calories if it's on the expense account..."
Sarah nods, and looks at Storm carefully. "How did you find me?"
"I didn't. Our headmaster, Professor Xavier did." She runs a finger down the laminated menu and frowns. "It's a bit complicated. I can explain somewhere more private. It isn't something that others can easily replicate."
Sarah nods. "I understand." It doesn't help her uneasiness though. She takes a sip of her water, and drums her fingers softly against the table.
Rogue offers a menu to Sarah. "Here. Go for it."
Storm takes a sip of water, then tries unsuccessfully to flag down a waitress. "Anything else?"
Sarah takes the menu from Rogue, and mumbles her thanks. She looks at it, and then over it to Storm. "So if I go with you all, can I leave? I mean, I don't have to stay at this school all the time, do I?"
"No," the white-haired woman affirms, "we're a school, not a prison. Although we aren't a boarding house, either. ... if you don't mind my asking, how old are you?"
Alison smiles brightly at a waiter in another zone, upping up the ante by waggling her fingers at him. She shrugs and then winks shamelessly at the man as Rogue gives her a look. "Hey - I'm hungry."
Rogue rolls her eyes. "Yeah, yeah..." she says, shaking her head. "Sure."
"Seventeen, I think." she says, "At least, that's what my papers say. It's been a while since I stopped keeping track."
Storm nods, letting Alison order for her -- they've been out to dinner enough times before she knows the score. "So, still a minor. It's fairly straightforward..."
"We stand -in loco parentis- for you, or we will. On weeknights, you're free to go into town, but there's a curfew. Ten, for students your age."
"On weekends, you can go pretty much anywhere, including the city, and stay overnight, as long as you let someone know where you're going."
"The priviledge can be revoked, but isn't, generally." Let's just not mention John Allerdyce, shall we?
Alison raises an eyebrow at that, but managed to refrain from being cheeky and pointing out Ororo just did.
Sarah orders, and takes another sip of her water. "Are any of the other students....Morlocks?" There's a hint of desperation in her voice that she can't quite mask.
Alison smiles at the hapless waiter some more, ignoring the waitress' scowls as she glares at the scene from further away.
"Mm-hmm." Storm nods, pointedly ignoring the waiter. "Artie. He's about six. Cute little boy, has a blue tongue, doesn't talk. Have you ever met him?"
She blinks in surprise.. "Artie? But how..." she trails off, trying to decide whether she wants to hug them all, or cry in relief. Another Morlock!
"It's a long story." Storm can't help but grin. "But he's with us, and he's..." She starts to say 'being taken very good care of', then corrects herself. "Possibly the best-loved kid in the whole school, except maybe for Illyana."
"He's a cutie," Alison contributes quietly.
Sarah smiles sadly, and then shakes her head. "But now I /can't/ go with you... I can't lead it back to Artie. Whatever attacked me, can't find out there are more survivors."
Alison slides a look towards Ororo, and waits for her response rather than say anything.
A white eyebrow quirks up, and Storm carefully takes a sip of her water. "Big headache, about five minutes before everyone else around you got one?"
She nods slowly. "I was in the Morlock tunnels when it happened. It wasn't just me?"
Alison shakes her head. "Everyone got hit by that one." (D)
"And it /will not/ be happening again." Storm doesn't elaborate, but her voice makes her conviction crystal clear. "We can explain the details later."
"I'm sure Artie would be very happy to see you," Alison says.
"Well, I thought....nevermind. I suppose there went all my excuses." Sarah smiles, and shrugs. She looks at Alison. "I don't know about that...he was only a baby last time I saw him."
"Then you can come see how he's grown up," Storm comments, smiling back. "I guess I should at least make you the standard offer - if you don't want to come, we'll help you as best we can to get somewhere safe, wherever you want to go. But we'd really like to have you join us."
Alison grins wryly. "He's gotten awful good at the sticking-his-tongue out thing. And even if he doesn't remember you much - sounds like you remember him quite a bit."
"The Morlocks were my family. You don't forget that." Sarah says, sipping her water.
Storm's grin widens. "Family, hm? Trust me. You're going to fit right in with us."

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From:

x-kitten.livejournal.com

the X-Women are infinitely more well-adjusted than the men

Of course we are. :D

*sticks issues in a box and sits on it* "nothing to see here... move along, move along."