xp_logs | Marie and Ororo fail to do lunch

Lately, Ororo's been eating lunch in the Conservatory, between classes. Not so much because her schedule is tight, as because she figures she needs to be, well, findable. So she sits her desk, reading student essays, trying to remember to eat the occasional bite of chicken-salad sandwich.

"Hey there." Marie leans on the doorway, hands in pockets, looking rather underslept. "Wanna go for a ride?" Her tone is slightly teasing and she winks at Storm mischeviously.

Storm glances up and grins, grabbing her keys off the desk. "Through your world, hm? Sounds good." She glances at the desk, doing a half-hearted job of putting all her papers in a stack. "Want half of a chicken-salad sandwich? You look like you need food."

"Sure." Marie comes over and scoops the sandwich off of the plate. "Starving today for some reason... possibly due to the vigorous not-eating I did yesterday. Come on," she says with a sigh, "it's not like the papers are going to mutiny if you don't stack them right. Live a little. Don't stack."

Storm holds up her hands in self-defense. "Yes, ma'am." She tosses Marie the keys and heads towards the door. "Speaking of favors, may I ask you a favor?"

Marie catches the keys and spins them around her forefinger. "You certainly may, darlin'," she says in her best drawl. She takes a bite of sandwich and follows Storm to the door.

She turns around backwards, easily navigating the hall from conservatory to garage without looking, the better to concentrate on her student. "It's Kitty, actually. You're my best Lit student, and she -- tries hard, but it's not her thing. Help her out?"

"Mmph." Marie nods, mouth full. When she can speak again, she asks, "Anything in particular we need to work on?"

Turning around, Storm opens the door to the garage and heads inside. "Just -- try to get her thinking of books as more than computer code. She's got a good mind for analysis; I don't know why she's so resistant to /using/ it."

"Ah... yeah, I noticed that." Marie follows her in. "Literature's all emotional, though. That's kind of hard to tangle with at times. I'll see what I can do, maybe we can work on something together. Which vehicle did you have in mind, oh tempestuous teacher of mine?"

Storm jerks a thumb at the rather muddy black Ford F-150 truck. "Mine. I think Scott would kill me if we used his. You want to drive?"

"Yeah. It'll keep my mind off of the words coming out of my mouth." She pops the last of the sandwich, which disappeared rather quickly, into her mouth and opens Storm's door for her before walking around to the other side and getting in.

Storm hauls herself into the cab and settles into the seat. "We don't have to talk about it, you know. I just thought you probably deserved an explanation."

Marie buckles up and starts the truck, pushing the button to open the garage door. "Explanation?" she asks, adjusting the seat and rear view mirrors.

"Logan mentioned what happened with you two." Storm frowns and rubs at the back of her neck. "First off -- I know the answer to this one, but are you all /right/?"

"That would be a resounding 'no', since I'm on an honesty kick today." Marie backs out of the garage and turns the truck around.
Storm nods, trying hard not to frown. "Good -- the honesty, not the not okay. Anything I can do to help?"

"Anywhere you want to go?" Marie asks, avoiding the question for the moment. "Or are we just going to drive? Me, I don't have anywhere I want to be right now."

"Well, you seemed pretty hungry, but I suppose drive-through is as good as sit-down. Or carryout. We could go see the lake." Storm doesn't push it.

"Just thirsty now." She aims the truck towards the opening gates. "Drive through and lake. Good for me. As for the helping, I don't know. I'm trying like hell not to be fucked up about this but it's hard."

"Right. My treat, as long as you don't want Burger King." She stretches her feet out and sighs. "You're allowed to be fucked up, you know. Everyone else here seems to be going that route."

"No on the Burger King and no on the fucked-up." She shakes her head. "I don't have a lot to give, me. Being not-fucked-up is my secret mutant power, and I'm trying to practice it. Besides, people have enough on their plate without me breaking down. It's been a little more than I can take this last week, that's all."

Storm sighs and nods. "I know. I'm just sorry that I helped add to it. You know..." She spares a glance over at Marie, "... if it helps, I think you've been handling everything really well. You've got your grown-up points, as far as I'm concerned."

Marie gives her a wan smile. "You and Logan... so *not* an issue, by the way. The details of that, I did not need, but I'll cope. You're not adding to it, really." She sighs and focusses on the road. "Stryker's antics were bad. Logan being dead and John setting people on fire, that was bad. John in my head with all his issues, also bad. Being around Erik, very bad in the trying not to throw up way. Jean dying, very extremely horribly bad in a hole in the heart way. Bobby and Logan and their stuff... that was... " She shakes her head. "You know, I think I could have lived without seeing all that from *both* their points of view."

Just as she's gearing up to be wry and sympathetic and otherwise cool and empathetic, all the composure gets knocked right out of Storm. "... wait, what? Bobby and Logan -- /what/?"

"Yeah." Her voice is tight. "That was about what I said, only more with the emphasis on the "kill me now" after it... hang on." She slows down. "Fuck... you didn't." She pulls over and puts her forehead on the steering wheel. "I'm sorry," she says, her voice muffed and teary. "I wasn't thinking... I thought he'd tell you, with you and him being all... god, I don't know anything."

"Oh." It takes a while for Storm to put all the pieces together -- the likely bits about /who/ was doing /what/ to /whom/ and /when/ and, most importantly, how this effects her. And Marie. And... she reaches out and very gently puts an arm around the girl's shoulders, prying her off the steering wheel and pulling her into a careful but tight hug. "Oh, honey, /you/ don't have anything to be sorry for. I... spirits above and below. This takes the /cake/ for fucked up."

"I'm sorry, I just... I mean... I figured... " she tries to get her words together, her tears soaking into Storm's shoulder. "You and Logan, that's just... nice, I guess," she manages to say. "I like you. I worry about him. I would never be upset about that. I thought... I'm sorry... I thought you knew. And I just wanted to talk to someone about it so bad, and I thought you knew, I did..." She breaks down again into sobs.

Storm strokes her hair carefully, just letting her cry herself out. "It's all right. It's /all right/, Marie. I'll deal, and this will all get worked out... somehow. And right now, talking is probably a good idea, just so I don't... get the wrong idea." Which is the understatement of the year, since she'd like to be running a full interrogation right now, but -- it can wait. For Logan.

"I'm sorry." Marie fumbles in her pocket for some tissues. "I... I wouldn't have said anything... oh, god, he's going to be so mad at me. I just wish I were dead," she says, her voice shaking. "I know that's terrible and angsty of me to say, but I do. I just... I don't have anything left, you know? And he's going to be so mad and he's all I have... "

"Don't say that. Just -- don't say that." Storm takes a deep breath and tries to recenter her thoughts. Breathe in calm, breathe out anger. "You are his /family/. He said so, straight out. Honey, Logan /loves you/. You're the only person he does love, I think, and he's not going to get mad at you for falling victim to his own fuck-up." Well, all right, maybe not all the anger is out, yet. "... if you don't want me to tell him, I won't. As long as -- shit."

"I don't know why he does," she says softly. "If you... I don't care if you tell him. I hate secrets. I'd rather he got mad at me and left than live waiting for it. I already do. I just... I can't fix this, you know? Bobby, John, him... I can't fix any of it. And it's not about me. It never is. I just have to live with it." She wipes her nose and takes a deep breath, trying to stop crying. "And it hurts. Because... so many reasons..."

Storm reaches up and rubs at her own eyes. "If he gets mad at you for this, I will personally kick his ass." Cough. "In a gentle, loving, concerned friend way. ... and I know it hurts. I'm sorry, honey, I'm /so sorry/."

"The not-telling hurts on top of everything. And the being alone. And being sent away from people." Marie leans back in her seat, tears still falling down her face at intervals. "I'm trying to deal, y'know. I am, I really am. I mean, why should people having sex be my problem? It's not about me and never will be, probably." She takes a breath. "I'm so not okay it's not funny," she says with a little laugh. "Man. I am so fucked up. This is gonna be one of those long-term, deep-seated fucked-ups, too, the kind that bites me on the ass when I'm not expecting it. Wow. This is me, not being okay. I'm really sorry."

Storm opens the glove comparment and fumbles around, eventually coming up with a travel pack of Kleenex. "The not-telling is... completely pathetic, you're right. But -- no, honey, this *is* your problem. Don't try and talk yourself out of a stake in your own life, okay? Because no matter what's going on with the two of them, they /both/ owed you a hell of a lot more than that. /I/ owed you more than this." She reaches out and gives one gloved hand a squeeze. "If we apologized for being fucked up, we'd never do anything else."

"Yeah. I guess you're right." She squeezes Storm's hand back. "That means a lot, you know. Thanks. I don't know what else to say. Did you still want to go for a drive? I wasn't planning to go all emotional on you... I was kind of going to have a go at a rational analysis of the situation, but I didn't quite make it."

Storm laughs and holds out the Kleenex with her free hand, not letting go of Marie. "It's up to you. I'm pretty good at rational analyses, but..." She glances through the rearview at the mansion, "this might be the best time and place for going emotional." A realization hits her, and she frowns, but bites her tongue.

Marie takes the kleenex and wipes at her eyes, looking up to catch Storm's expression. "What?" She frowns too. "You don't have to say, but if you want to go back, I could get someone else to hang out with me..."

Storm shakes her head, forcing herself to smile. "No, no -- it's not you. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. I just... Charles."

"What about him?" Marie looks worried. "He's okay, right? No... side-effects or anything from what happened last week?"

Storm shakes her head. "No, no -- not that. Or, well... that might explain." She sighs and rubs at her neck. "I just damn well hope he didn't know. Usually... well. He's good about privacy, but he's always known, when things like this happen. But after last week... well. Who knows."

"Oh." Marie's eyes get very wide. "Oh, I'm sorry... I... " She looks stricken.

Storm shakes her head, expression dropping back into her frown of concern. "No, no. Hell, don't be sorry for /me/, anyway. ... he can't have known. He couldn't have, because the Charles I know wouldn't have let something like this happen." One sharp shake of her head clears it, and she puts /that/ idea to rest. "So. ... rational analysis, or a hug?"

"Hug, please," Marie says sheepishly. "I'm too tired for analysis. Can I take a rain check?"

Storm reaches out and hugs Marie, /hard/. "Fair enough." She closes her eyes and settles her chin on top of the girl's head. "... although, you know, for that rain check? I think maybe there's someone you should meet, eventually."

Marie hugs her back tightly. "Oh? You handing me off to someone else?"

"Like hell." She chuckles and shakes her head. "But Sage does that kind of thing better than anyone I know, and maybe you might want to brush up on psychic defense /before/ Emma's class, hrm? I know /I/ don't trust blonde, beautiful and bitchy to go rummaging around in /my/ skull."

"Besides -- it sounds like you could stand for a short vacation from Angst Central."

"I'd love that," she says. "So much... just... I'd rather not be around for the fallout." She touches her cheek where it was cut the day before. "I think I'd like to stay out of the way for a while, so I don't get hurt more than I have to... who's Sage?"

Storm grins and reaches over to tap the steering wheel. "You still thirsty, first off? Dehydration is not a good thing." One white eyebrow quirks out. "Fallout? In /my/ house? No. I don't think so. Fall-in, maybe, no fall-out. Sage... is an old friend. One of us, but not part of the school. Anything more I should /probably/ get permission to tell you, but she's a telepath, among other things. Not blonde, thank god. And she's about the least angsty person I know."

Marie starts driving again. "Yeah. Very thirsty now. Crying always takes it out of me. A friend of yours, and not-blonde... those are recommendations enough for me. Not angsty is a huge bonus. God knows, I could use a big dose of that right now. And I want some chai, for some insane reason. What do you think?"

"I think Lucy's in town makes it, now. Turn right off of Greymalkin, its two blocks down mainstreet." Storm grins faintly. "I /also/ think you're excused from my classes for the next week, if you want to be. It's not like you need to be there, anyway."

Marie grins at her. "I kinda like your class, but I could use the break." She follows Storm's directions. "Your friend wouldn't mind me visiting?"

"Mm-mm." Storm shakes her head, pausing momentarily to wave at a few of the more friendly Salem Center residents. "As long as we figure out when she's not busy. Don't tell her I said this, but I think she likes being a secret mediative influence on the student body. The anti-Emma."

Marie giggles. "Well, nature's all about balance, right?" she says with a smile. "Let me know when and where I can go and I'm there." She parks in front of Lucy's. "I really appreciate this." She's suddenly serious. "Really. It means a lot to me that I can talk to you."

Storm reaches over and unlocks the door. "Honey, you have no idea. Ever wonder why I don't make the weather perfect all the time?" She slides out and stretches her arms over her head. "Thank you. It means a lot that you trust me enough to do so."