xp_logs | Log: Rahne, Nathan, evening of the 11th (Reply)

Rahne brings aspirin.

Rahne tapped gingerly on Nathan's door. It wasn't quite closed, though, and swung a bit further open. She shrugged and called softly, "Hi. If I promise not to kick anybody, may I come in?"

Sprawled on the couch, Nathan chuckled softly and sat up - if slowly. The headache was much better, but he was still feeling last night's little adventure. "You can come in if you want to kick someone, even."

Rahne put her head around the door. "Well, I'm not planning on it, really. You never did tell me who." She came up to the couch and offered him a glass of water and two aspirin. "'Tisn't willowbark tea, but at least a cousin?"

He smiled at her. "Wonderful girl. You've saved me having to go hunting for more - I finished off the bottle earlier," he confessed a bit sheepishly, patting the spot on the couch beside him. "As for who... I honestly don't remember now. It's all starting to get very blurry."

She sat down, laughing a little. "It sounded rather chaotic to begin with."

"Ohhh, it was," Nathan said with a snort, downing the aspirin with a sip of water. "One of those extremely funky Stupid Psi Tricks, apparently."

"I had one of the brownies," Rahne informed him, "under careful observation by Dr. McCoy in case of chocolate overdose. What happened?"

"I was showing Angie a new meditative exercise. Between the chocolate, how much stronger my telepathy's gotten, and the nature of her powers - " There, that was nicely vague. " - we wound up linked in a very odd way. Sharing each other's precognition."

"...And apparently really, really entertained by it at the time."

"I'm not sure what the euphoria was about," Nathan said bemusedly, then smiled. "But yeah, it was pretty funny at the time."

"*I* have a prediction," Rahne said in a serious tone, with just a small twitch at the corners of her mouth.

"Oh?"

"Somebody is going to be inspired to give ye silly hats. Maybe Alex, too."

Nathan rolled his eyes. "I don't know where that came from," he laughed. "It was disturbing. Mine looked like some kind of bizarre helmet. And the cape!"

Rahne giggled. "Costume party?"

"Some sort of really significant to the timeline costume party, possibly." He took another sip of the water, giving her a thoughtful look. "How are you? Haven't had much chance to talk to you since I got back..."

"I'm fine. I, er, actually had a quiet holiday, so I think I'm more rested than most."

"Moira and I had a very nice holiday," Nathan said wistfully, "until New Year's."

"I got the impression something... bad had happened then," Rahne said hesitantly. "Nobody's quite said what."

Nathan fell silent, sipping at his water again. "Moira's ex-husband showed up," he said with a sigh. "Caused... quite a bit of trouble." He couldn't tell her all of it. Could he? It wasn't that he didn't think she could handle it, it was just...

"Oh dear." Rahne couldn't help a fleeting thought to the effect that it didn't seem as if it should have taken quite that many super-powered guests to handle the Lady Moira's ex-husband, but then, perhaps she'd gotten the wrong impression of the type of fight.

Nathan winced a bit. "He had... a mutant with him," he said. "A reality-warper."

"...Oh dear." Maybe she hadn't been wrong about the fight. And wait-- "Er... wasn't... Lady Moira's... son...."

Nathan reached out and laid a hand over hers, nodding silently. "It's very complicated," he murmured, a shadow crossing his face. "And it was--is, very hard on her."

"I'm sorry." Very quietly. She made a note to fix something Lady Moira liked to eat. Not that this was that unusual, but it was about all she could think of.

"She's going to be all right." The words were calm, but firm. She would be all right. "I know she's not about to protest if you decide you want to spend some extra time with her, though." He smiled gently. "You are one of her very favorite people, after all."

Rahne did not snort. It wasn't polite. "I can try."

"I was... really glad you weren't there," Nathan said after a moment, more quietly. "One less person I care about caught in the middle of it all."

"...At least those who were in the middle of it made it out, aye?"

"There is that." He reached up, sliding an arm around her shoulders for a moment in a half-hug. "But that's why I've been so out of sorts since I got back." Well, that and the episode with Selene, which he wasn't telling Rahne about.

She shivered a little. "I canna blame ye."

Nathan fell silent, his expression pensive. "It could have been much," he said more briskly. "We all got out of it, like you said. I really ought to stop dwelling."

Rahne looked up at him in some confusion at the sudden shift. She certainly couldn't blame him for being upset; it sounded awful -- but it wasn't as if she was going to argue with him over not dwelling. "Er... I suppose?"

Nice repression. Happy repression. He ought to give it a biscuit. "So," he said, "you're getting the joy of my teaching skills this term."

Rahne did not feel she was keeping up with the change in conversational direction. "Er... aye. Yuir history class."

"I'll try to make it more than names and dates. No need to bore people..." She was looking a little perplexed at the conversation, and he smiled a bit weakly. "Sorry, kiddo. Still a little out of it, really."

"Nae reason to apologize.... Do ye want me to let ye rest?"
cablewriter: "No -- stay?" He gave her a slightly steadier smile. "Tell me how your break was, back at home? What you think of your courses so far this term, any further designs on the local deer?"

"The holiday was quiet... the courses should be interesting...." Rahne smiled back a little. "I should ask Kyle if he wants to come chase a deer. He sounded interested before."

"I think that would be a very good idea," Nathan said. "Good for him, especially." He made a mental note to email Ani, get her to get in touch with Kyle on a more regular basis.

"It should be fun. He'll probably catch on quicker than I did."

"You don't give yourself enough credit," Nathan said, and yawned widely, all of a sudden. "Gah... sorry. Didn't mean to do that in your face..."

"'Tis all right. But maybe I really should let ye sleep...."

"Maybe," he admitted a bit reluctantly, smiling. "I could probably use some real sleep, as opposed to the addled unconsciousness of last night."

Rahne stood up, smiling a little. "Sleep well." A pause. "...Those were really good brownies."