6920/Logan's a Jerk!

Logan's a Jerk!
Date of Scene:	16 March 2019
Location:	Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Blink meets Logan and he's not that big of a jerk.
Cast of Characters:	Blink, Wolverine

---

Blink has posed:
Blink has been about the school off and on for the last two or three days. Enough that her scent can be found in a couple of places. Today it leads to the garage, and then out back of the school.

She's back in her normal uniform, which is what she's worn the vast majority of the time that Clarice has been seen in the halls. She's gotten a few pieces of cardboard and drawn targets on them, and has them placed in various spots around an empty area of yard.

At her feet is a bucket of tennis balls, and she has a tennis racket in hand as well. She picks up a ball and hits it hard with the racket, sending it rocketing off.

Blink quickly opens a portal in front of the ball, and at the same time another opens near to one of the targets. The tennis ball flies through the portal in front of it, and out the portal by the target. The ball impacts the cardboard, but over near the edge, outside of the circle drawn on it.

Blink frowns and closes the two portals and then tries again. Hitting a ball the same direction, teleporting it to the same target, this time it is only about 6 inches from hitting the bullseye. That one gets a smile. She hits a ball a different direction, teleporting it to a different cardboard target. From the number of balls on the ground around the targets, she's been at it for a little bit at least.

Wolverine has posed:
    Some might find it disconcerting. To find themselves no longer alone and having little warning as to it. To think they're left with their solitude as they're focusing on something just for themselves only for another voice to intrude upon them. In this case it's a rough voice, low and rumbly coupled with a tone of mild admonishment to it that might be a difficult read. But the words are clear.
    "Keep flashin' around with yer powers s'agood way ta give Summers an aneurysm."
    At a glance she'll see him. Garbed lightly for the tail end of Winter with the blue jeans, the red flannel jacket, the brown work boots. There's an axe over his shoulder and an uprooted stump under one arm. A stump that makes a loud /thud/ as he sets it down against the back of the garage wall near the other split wood.

Blink has posed:
Blink gives a little jump, definitely not having seemed to note the man's approach. She does manage to get her teleportal open in time to keep the tennis ball from sailing off into the distance, though her aim is off. The ball completely misses, going bouncing off across the lawn.

The purple-haired mutant gives a slight frown that seems directed internally that a mere voice was able to throw her aim off. She turns to look towards the source then. It takes Blink a second to remember the words themselves. "I figured this would be out of the way of everyone," she says, her body language and scent both becoming uncertain. "Sorry, did I mess up?" she asks, glancing around to see if anyone else is coming out to speak to her about it.

Wolverine has posed:
    "Kinda, yeah." Logan says as easily as that, looking off in the direction of the tennis ball bouncing along the lawn. Then he turns his eyes back upon the young woman and she probably gets the sense he's gauging her, taking her measure. Though nothing in his features offers her insight into what judgement he reaches.
    "Got decent defenses and all, but all it takes is one crumb bum with a drone ta go all kamikaze at the right time." He flares his fingers on the handle of that axe dismissively as if it doesn't really concern him. But then he sets that axe down next to the pile of wood.
    "Ta be fair though, Summers ain't exactly innocent of that in his own right." He gestures with a nod towards the mansion, "In any case, you wanna practice we got rooms under the mansion. Knock yerself out."

Blink has posed:
The young woman's expression turns into a small wince as Logan confirms Blink's mistake. "Thank you for telling me. I'll speak to Princess Lorna to find out what else I should know. And I'll see if someone can show me to the practice rooms," she tells Logan with a quick nod of her head.

Blink begins scurrying about the yard, picking up the tennis balls and quickly returning them to the bucket. She brings over an armful, dumping them in, then starts picking them up in another direction, one that brings her nearer to Logan. "Sir, are you one of the teachers?" the Asian young woman asks Logan as she retrieves more of her tennis ball attack simulations.

She peeks at him as she does, getting a better look at the burly man. Once the balls are back in the bucket, she begins taking down her makeshift targets next.

Wolverine has posed:
    "Princess Lorna." He'll repeat that from her once, and she can probably catch the small 'heh' that comes from him a moment after that. His eyes widen slightly and he shakes his head, but then starts to step around to the back of the garage just to shoulder open the back door.
    Logan'll disappear within for a moment, but then reemerges with a length of twine for some reason, but he sets it down on that tree stump for now. It's then that she'll be able to ask her question.
    It's a question that earns her an eyes askance glance then a small nod, hand lifting as if trying to wave her off that line of questioning. But his answer is open. "Yeah, faculty rather. As for a teacher m'more like the last resort when they need a sub." Not exactly truthful, but then again not too far off the case.

Blink has posed:
The young woman gets a cross between a thoughtful look and a small frown at the reaction to Lorna's title. She doesn't say anything though, just gathers up the cardboard targets. "I'm Clarice," she offers to him as she brings the stack of cardboard over to her bucket and the old dingy looking tennis racket that looks like could have been left in the garage for the last ten years gathering dust.

"Though people also call me Blink," she tells him. Clarice looks back towards the school, the beautiful castle-like structure. As her gaze swings back to Logan, she tilts her head a little bit. Clarice tucks some stray hairs behind her ear, which reveals them in her hair enough to see they have pointed tips, of the live long and prosper variety. "What's the twine for?" she asks him curiously.

Wolverine has posed:
    "Ta tie stuff," He tells her in that ever unhelpful way. But she'll see him moving around that tree stump marking some of the roots with small loops as he steps around it. But he looks up for a moment to give her a nod. "Clarice." He straightens up after making a few knots then dusts his hands off and says to her sidelong. "Logan."
    That said he scritches the stubble on the side of his jaw with a fingertip and looks thoughtful, then he turns and gives Blink his full attention, taking a seat on the level part of the stump and affixing her with his steady gaze.
    "Yer part of the folks from Genosha and all. How's that goin' over there?"

Blink has posed:
The green irises follow Logan as he begins marking the roots and as he makes the introduction. "Logan," she say softly, as if that name catches her attention a little bit. Her mouth drops open for just a second before she shuts it. "You get upset if people take your beer. Laura's fath-" she says, before changing what she was going to say. "Laura's... relative," Clarice finishes after restarting.

Though none of that seemed sufficient for the mouth falling open momentarily. "Yes, I'm security for Princess Lorna. Security, and to help her move about more easily," Clarice tells him. "Genosha is good. Our people are making a real home there since Magneto freed us," Clarice says, her voice warming as she goes. "People don't stare and say things there, just for being a mutant," says the young woman who stands out as she walks down any street in the States. "Though, people are worried about what is going on around the rest of the world."

Wolverine has posed:
    "Yeah, easy ta close off and hope things don't go South in yer own lil corner of the world." Logan withdraws a cigar from the inner pocket of his jacket as well as a lighter. He flickers one to life with a flare of fire then applies it to the end of the other, taking a few drags on it and letting a few puffs free as he makes sure it's set to go. The lighter is pocketed back.
    "Resta us gotta live in the world warts n'all." An old argument he's had with others from Genosha perhaps, or just his sentiment freely shared. Another once over is given then he murmurs, "Laura's elder, mebbe." Perhaps a suggestion as what to call him, or something that at least fits without too sharp connotation.
    "But so that's what I'm known for. Beer greed."

Blink has posed:
Blink's body language has at times given signs of being a little uncertain, or showing signs of being unfamiliar with things. Her back straightens and her shoulders square though as the green eyes focus more sharply on Logan. "You think people in Genosha haven't known 'warts'? You think you have it harsh here, but mutants in Genosha just put their heads down or something? Do you have any idea what it was like!?" she says, her voice rising particularly at the end.

Clarice turns away, hands clenching at her sides before she makes herself loosen them. She looks chagrined though, now that she's stopped talking. The tension is still there though, so maybe just upset at herself that she lost control enough to raise her voice like that. She clears her throat. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't make a scene," she says softly, not looking towards him.

Wolverine has posed:
    "No," Logan sys to her levelly, eyes meeting hers as he sits there with the cigar in the corner of his mouth. She has no idea how he perceives the world, what he can see and sense of her. No idea that the steady thundering of her heart is loud to him, that the racing pulse of her anger and ire is something he can perceive along with the subtle shift in scent.
    "I don't know what it's like. Why don't ya tell me?" He asks that of her even as he looks at her with that steady gaze, something deep in his eyes. Something that most might consider threatening, the old hint of the wild that connects with the instinct of mankind. The instinct that speaks to them of things with long teeth out in the shadows beyond the circle of light provided a campfire. A primal thing.
    But though that hint of the past might be in the man himself, there's no malice in him in that moment. He simply looks at her, asks her question, and waits to see if she'll answer it.

Blink has posed:
Blink looks over her shoulder at Logan, looking like she's trying to keep her expression composed. Though there's a hardness to her eyes. At first. She seemed to expect to see... what? Something else. Condescension or a belittling expression or... something that Clarice doesn't see in Logan's demeanor.

She turns back around to face him. "We didn't have to deal with people frowning at us or saying mean things. Because we were slaves. Doing everything we were told, or suffering the consequences. Where girls grew up not remembering their parents faces. Where we lived in shacks and ate whatever they deigned to share, while those in power had lives of luxury," Clarice says. Her tone is hard, though it's not as directed at Logan this time.

"Until Magneto came. Until his family came, and the Brotherhood. And they broke the collars and chains and let us be free. And Princess Lorna is a fine person who selflessly cares for mutants and devotes her life to helping them. The day they told me I was going to get to help see to her safety, was one of the proudest days of my life," Clarice says firmly. "And she's not hiding in Genosha. She's out here trying to deal with the problems the rest of the world is facing, not just our island."

Wolverine has posed:
    "Ya make a good point," Logan says as he remains curiously motionless. Just keeping that same posture leaning forwards on the seat, hands with fingers interlaced and his forearms resting on his knees. His expression stays level and even, conceding little and granting nothing.
    "Nobody's gonna say Magneto didn't do right, puttin' an end to what was goin' on." He tilts his head slightly, "S'what comes after that's always the kicker." He lets his gaze slip from her over towards the mansion proper, then back.
    "Lorna's doin' right tryin' ta keep one foot in the world. But isolationism. Segregation. Ain't exactly Xavier's dream." A slow blink as he watches, "Then again Erik always did have a hard time seein' eye ta eye with Charles."

Blink has posed:
A little more of the emotion seems to drain away from Clarice as Logan's agreement leaves little for it to butt up against to keep itself going. "It's not easy, what's been thrust upon them," Clarice says quietly. She looks down, a little of a gentler nature returning. Her expression returning to something more demure, Clarice says, "He's threatened to go to war, if need be, to keep mutants safe. At home, and here. It isn't his desire though. But he's seen what can happen to an entire people when this kind of... racism and bigotry, go unchallenged."

The young woman brushes some hair back to tuck it behind the points of an ear. "And, we're working together. Your school, and Genosha, to deal with these Sentinels," she says. She glances up towards the sky, as if mentioning them might somehow bring one overhead.

Wolverine has posed:
    "Yup, we are." Logan says, for indeed all of this is true. "But ya can't exactly fight racism and bigotry with yer own dose of it." That having been said he seems to feel that's enough, holding a hand up as if conceding the point.
    It does give him a moment to consider her and for him to shift the topic as he murmurs, "That's a nifty trick." He gestures with a nod towards the tennis balls, the targets. "If you need to the danger room might be useful." For her to hone her craft.
    Another scritch to his chin and he murmurs, "Though with the Sentinels and their nullification beams... some folks have been working on scenarios on how to handle combat without powers."

Blink has posed:
Blink's hands move to clasp her fingers lightly in front of her. The young Asian woman walks over a little closer to Logan. "Thank you," she tells him after the initial compliment on her use of her power. "It takes a little work, getting the aim right. I wonder if one of their beams would nullify their own weapons, even," Blink says. "Though, I'm guessing probably not if they are just machines.

She looks thoughtful at the mention of fighting without powers. "I've had some training, though it isn't something I normally do very often," Clarice admits quietly. The young woman's head tilts to the side a little bit as she gives Logan a quizzical look. "What's the 'danger room'?" she asks him curiously.

Wolverine has posed:
    A small grunt is given, "Sorta a gym. But more elaborate." He doesn't give away the secrets of the X-Men entirely, not quite yet of course. He pushes himself up and off the tree stump, taking a long drag on his cigar and then letting a small plume of smoke slip from him as he speaks. "Go talk ta Cyke. He'll get ya set up unless he has some reason he doesn't want ya runnin' around it."
    He slips his hands into his pockets and starts to walk in the general direction of the mansion proper, his back to her after a few steps lead him up along that sidewalk. "Seeya 'round, Clarice."

Blink has posed:
"Oh, that would be nice if I could use," Clarice agrees as she gets the explanation. And, it seems, not realizing if the explanation falls short of the whole of it. "You're a little gentler than I expected," Clarice says as he starts walking off. "Thank you. For the talk," she tells him.

Clarice glances back up at the sky and then picks up the tennis ball bucket, racket, and her targets, and begins hurrying back up towards the garage to stow them. Danger room. She could use a good jog. She'll have to find this Cyke person.