8233/Walkin' in The Woods

Walkin' in The Woods
Date of Scene:	09 July 2019
Location:	The woods near Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Kurt and Wolfsbane run into eachtoehr in the woods, and encounter their own inner demons.
Cast of Characters:	Nightcrawler, Wolfsbane

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Nightcrawler has posed:
    Never one for the woods in general, Kurt's always been a burbs or city sort with the way he's lived, and so he'd decided to spend some time in nature, possibly to get a better idea of what others in his life find in the appeal, it's not a bad thing, really. Granted there's more pokey things for his feet to encounter, but plenty to swing and jump from.
    There's no music player, blue-tooth speaker, or otherwise with him, Kurt is attempting to just soak in nature, walking on all fours since he's concealed from prying eyes, and frankly it's more comfortable.

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane was not with Kurt, but she did come to to the park after catching his scent leading away from Xavier's. Why not use it as an impromptu tracking exercise? She decides to go as a wolf, nose briefly to the ground before she follows it away from the grounds. The place is not /too/ far, but neither is it just around the corner either. Good exercise.

Upon finding that scent stronger, getting her to the park itself, pinpointing where he went from there was much easier, the scent much fresher. Now it's time for a little game of Surprise the Elf. All she'd have to do is get in the right spot first.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Surprise the elf, how mean - but Kurt's not really paying attention for predatory beasts, more intent on moving along - stopping to check out a bug, or a few flowers, resisting the urge to hum to himself and just let nature do the talking.
    He's content, and oblivious, right up to when he lets himself roll and tumble down a brief embankment, turning to his side at the end and letting himself slide into a shall gulley filled with moss and settle back, laughing and staring up at the tree canopy.

Wolfsbane has posed:
If Wolfsbane is feeling playful, chalk it up as a positive thing. While she's opened up a little since getting to know Kurt better, there's still been a lot of her kept under wraps, even as she's grown older and more experienced. The Sentinel mess has hardened her in ways, but it's also left her closing in on herself in others.

Now she tracks him, silent as can be, that also an important part of stealth and stalking. Right as she lowers herself and seems about to leap from a side he isn't aware of..he rolls down and just seems to be enjoying himself. Did he guess she was there? Was it coincidence? Her head angles toward one side in confusion, but she does not yet show herself. Sniff, sniff.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    If he knew she was there, he's a great conman. Kurt sits up after a moment, picking leaves out of his hair and some stubborn threads of grass from his fuzz before he stands up, and looks like he's trying to decide his next direction. It's easy to wander when you can teleport home, are you ever truly lost?
    He apparently decides to walk, pausing when he catches sight of a clearing in the woods, and actually sets to picking at wildflowers, daisies, some peony, even a bit of wild lavender, gathering and arranging as he moves from plant to plant.

Wolfsbane has posed:
Given a second chance, and one that doesn't have any trees right around them, Wolfsbane strikes. As Kurt is bending over or crouching to get those flowers, the wolf charges. There's no pounce. It's more of a shoulder-check into his side, meant to clip more than completely bowl over as she passes and whirls around to face him, body language attentive.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Blinking, stumble stepping, Kurt wheels and blinks as he's charged, he still as the flowers, but drops briefly into a crouch, eyes widening as he sees the wolf. He pauses, blinks, and half-grins as he studies the colors and patterns.
    "Rahne, that you my darling?" smile broadening as he watches her, tail flicking back and forth - after all... it might not be and he might suddenly need to run.

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane responds by dropping down to roll back and forth in some grass and flowers. Not the most dignified thing to do, but it fits for a wolf and there are still lingering questions about how much of that side truly influences her when she's like this. It may be for show, but perhaps there's a deeper connection than what was originally believed. Once she's done, there's a fair amount of loose stuff mixed in with the fur, but a good deal gets shaken out shortly thereafter as she chuffs at him.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Laughing at the antics, Kurt kneels and holds his arms out, "Well come here. I'll scritch you behind the ear, unless you change enough to give me a proper hug ja?" chuckling still he lifts the bouquet, winking. "I was getting these for you, no better time to give than now eh?" he tips her a wink.

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane considers what to do with this, and rather than shifting or doing the 'scritch' thing right away, she approaches and gets up on her hind legs to plant her front paws on Kurt's shoulders, snuffling at the bouquet and probably dislodging a few of the flowers. It's the thought that counts? A sneeze shakes a few more loose. Oops.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Blinks as she plants her paws on him and chuckling as she snuffs the flowers, the Bavarian gives her a hug all the same, adding a scritch along her back as well. "Seems like you've had a good day then eh?" Kurt smiles, and lets himself fall back on his rump, careful of his tail.
    "I'll pick more, don't worry." running his hands through her fur if she stays nearby, looking out over the forest that he can perceive. She may be comfortable like this, especially in the surroundings, and he's accepted she likes to be like this when she can. He rarely feels comfortable in his own fuzzy blue skin, no cause to make her feel the same if he can help it.
    "It's good seeing you off the grounds as well, thought I'd come out in the woods, try to understand why you like it out here - starting to see the appeal."

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane accepts the hug and scritch, tail dancing briefly before she comes back down to all fours and rests her haunches against the clearing floor. A bit of the hands roaming over her is allowed before she inches back and, after looking around, morphs into a more familiar furred form, one hand against the ground.

"I just caught yuir scent, decided tae follow it, then I thought I'd try tae have a wee bit o' fun," she explains. "Sorry if I surprised ye." Even if he expresses some pleasure at seeing her seeming to enjoy herself, she starts out apologetically with him. "It is nice oot here," she agrees.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Leaning in to plant a kiss on her cheek, Kurt offers her the bouquet as what remains, "Well I'm glad you had some fun tracking and hip checking me. Next time I'm sure I'll try running and see how far I get before you drag me down eh?" giving a little nuzzle. "I wasn't sure at first of the fur patterning, otherwise I would've right off the bat."
    He looks at her, smile and gaze adoring as he just sits with that dopey sort of grin on his face. "It is nice too, I should start coming out here more often." laying back in the grass, one arm pillowing his head as he stares up through the clearing.

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane smiles at the quick kiss, then she ends up holding the makeshift bouquet in one hand. "I dinna think wolves really pounce, but th' thought crossed muh mind," she explains. "But I dinna think ye really want me thinking o' ye as any kind o' prey, either." The nuzzle comes as something that makes her pause, then she returns it briefly.

"It's a nice park. It has some quiet areas, a' least," the wolfen woman agrees, rubbing the back of her neck after pushing some hair back. "Anything new wi' ye?"

Nightcrawler has posed:
    "I'm acting as a mutant consultant for SHIELD... was at a birthday party for Captain America..." he shrugs where he lays and Kurt turns his golden gaze on her, "I think I met honest to heaven Angels as well... which is how I ended up in Shield." brow knitting together. Unconsciously his hand moves to gently rub her back from where he lay, watching her with that same smile on his features, tail flicking back and forth.
    "They're good people... like this werewolf... and I think a skin-changer is the name who turns into a coyote, in central park. It's been an odd week I guess."

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane reacts to all of this with expressions that range from blank to disbelieving to confused. "Ye met angels, an' a werewolf, an' a coyote, an' ye're involved wi' SHIELD," she repeats, ticking the things off on a few fingers before she just shakes her head. "If I didna know th' things I do, I'd say ye were dreaming. Even wi' me knowing whit I do, tha's..a lot for a week, let alone a' all." Yes, this is a fair amount of information to process all at once.

Nightcrawler has posed:
Kurt Wagner bobs his head, "It was, it was a lot to take in... Though the angels part was the week before, I was in shock, or I would have said something earlier." looking up at the sky again, reaching to take one of her hands in his big clumsy paw and give it a little squeeze.
    "They made the cake with beer to. It was delicious."

Wolfsbane has posed:
"Oh, th' week before," Wolfsbane repeats, a sniff of some sort of amusement following. "Like, wi' wings an' everything?" she wonders, for as strange and potentially frightening as it is to think of angels coming back to Earth, ones that are definitely different from Warren Worthington for example, she can only rub the back of her neck further.

"I dinna know about any..skin-changing coyote, but I remember people worrying about me because someone was going around hunting werewolves, so I'm no' sure tha's good news right noo either," she murmurs. "Is it ever gaunae be safe tae go oot again?"

The reach for her hand reveals it's actually a little shaky right now. No comment is made about the beer cake, but it's no secret she wouldn't like something like that.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Head coming up at how she's trembling Kurt blinks and looks to her. "Wings and all, ja... and then he gave off this light and... I saw... and I passed out." sitting up and using hand and tail to pull himself over and wrap himself around Rahne in a three limbed hug.
    "Hey now, my darling... I think I know the one hunting werewolves - she came to Mutant Town and told her it was off limits to her hunts... Some leather clad woman who apparently thinks she's on some great mission." Kurt shakes his head and attempts to kiss Rahne's cheek and nuzzle there again.
    "I've got you Rahne, and I swear I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe, I'll claw through hell itself to do so." there's a moment where the words come, where one might hesitate - but if there was ever anything the Bavarian had in overabundance it was commitment, and conviction and that rings in his voice as he snugs close, trying to offer comfort.

Wolfsbane has posed:
"As long as..as th' angel was there tae protect or help, I suppose it's good, but if ye passed oot..." Wolfsbane still sounds worried about this, /feels/ worried as well. But, Kurt seems all right now. The embrace draws her in, her playful mood now gone. It's not that she /means/ to angst, but sometimes it just happens. She worries often.

But then, there's a low growl. "Mutant Town ha' better be off limits tae her, whoever she is. If she ever comes for me, I'll take a piece o' her wi' me if I'm tae go oot for good." Those moods are shifting today, from fun and whimsical to nervous and apprehensive, to borderline aggressive. "I know ye will," she adds, "But I canna be weak. I've hid too much. I've even been thinking o' moving tae Mutant Town tae try tae do more for people like us."

Nightcrawler has posed:
    "I've been thinking about it too, maybe we should get an apartment eh?" one of his feet comes up and with it on one side and his hand on the other he tries to get her back into that good mood... how? Tickling. It could work, he hasn't tried it before. Going for the ribs as he does.
    "Nothing to worry about though, leather biker-ladies or otherwise. Come. We're out here, we're free, we're fine, it's beautiful out... well it was, you're here. You're beautiful, it's just pretty out here compared to you." he gives a toothy grin and a wink.

Schmoozecrawler.

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane shakes her head. "Sorry, I'm no' ready tae think about an apartment wi' anyone else yet." If things don't work out for some reason, then what? "Maybe a few people sharing a place, though. Our own rooms, something like tha'." Easier to deal with people occasionally coming and going in that case. "But as much as I dinna like th' noisy, smelly city streets, an' I love being around things like this," she gestures toward the trees and open nature, "I dinna feel like I'm making much o' a difference in th' school. I'm not cut oot for trying tae lead th' younger students, Kurt. I've go' enough problems o' muh own tae deal wi'."

As for the tickling, she deftly avoids it, slipping free. Not a good time for that, and she gives him a look that suggests not to press that matter. "Sorry, no' right noo. But since we're talking about things, tell me about th' others ye met? Was there anything about them tha' stood oot?"

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Blinking and looking a touch wounded now, Kurt frowns. "Which ones?" brow knitting as he watches her, sitting up in his customary crouch, hands on the ground between his feet.
    "And if you've enough problems, why not let me help you Rahne?" brows knitting as he purses his lips. Watching her as he re-settles himself. "I mean... you don't have to go at things alone you know."

Wolfsbane has posed:
"Th' others ye said ye met. The werewolf an'..th' coyote," Wolfsbane answers. Yes, there's an interest in learning more about them. She remains looking apologetic about shying away from the tickling, but things have grown more serious in her mind, the playful nature faded for now.

She tries to explain, "I'm not meaning doing things alone. I thought when ye said we should get an apartment, ye meant like, just for us." Did she read it right, or misinterpret and assume? She remains seated, busying herself with shifting a few of the things in the bouquet around a bit.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    "Well, even then - something two bedroom would have been fine... But I suppose that's quick..." Kurt frowns deeper, "In essence it would have been for us, but I..." shaking his head, he looks back at her and fixes up his face as he always has when he is warring with himself, especially when the voice in his head is a mirror of all those who've called him out on being careless, thoughtless. Older voices come through, and then the self loathing starts to tease its' fingers through the cracks. Why would she? She can look human without tech. She can be in both worlds. When it comes down to it, he's a pretender. A liar.
    Freak. Clinging to another's coattails again. Go back to your hole, freak.
    It goes through his head in the time it takes for him to blink, but he keeps his face fixed, offering her the smile. "The one is a woman, I think she said she was Lacota, or Souix... I forget, I was busy eating cookies and finding out she was a skin-changer. The other, werewolf, or wulfen... I don't know if you'd call him the same. Red hair, young, I think he said he hunts monsters or something." he looks down at his hands, and lifts them to dangle between his knees, profiled rather than displaying their wrongness compared to Rahne's "He was like you, but I don't think he was a werewolf the way you're a wulfen... The coyote woman - she just goes from woman to coyote, I don't know how. She went behind a tree."

    

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane can look normal, but she chooses not to. That in and of itself ought to say something. In a world where looking like a freak brings added danger with it, she doesn't hide that part of her unless she really has to. She's trying to read his body language, causing her to frown in return. "Kurt..were ye already thinking o' Mutant Town, or did ye mention th' apartment because I brought it up?" She's seeking honesty here, not judging..hopefully. "It's all right if tha's th' case. I'm just curious. I'm no' even sure whit I want tae do yet, just that I think I need tae do more than I have."

The news shared about the others he met gets absorbed with a brief nod as she rubs an elbow at her side. "Another monster hunter?" she questions, brows scrunching closer together. The red hair sends a brow upward, along with the mention that he's young. "Did he seem..in control?" The coyote one is secondary, just a nod following what he says of her.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    "I'm in mutant town all the time, I was figuring I should get a place there." Kurt admits, "I was staying in the mansion to keep closer to you..." he shrugs a little, "I guess that's stupid though, ja? When it only takes me a couple minutes to get from Mutant Town to the Mansion... Not thinking again. Now I just look clingy n'desperate, no?" Well aren't you? You're roadside trash Kurt. Freak at the church. Freak at the SHIELD party. Now you're bringing this one down with you, aren't you? She should've dumped you in the well nearby, not the ditch. The last unbidden thought converts his face into a mask.
    "The werewolf, his name was Oz... he seemed very in control. Knew exactly what he was doing." He relays the information automatically, watching her reactions. "You'd probably like him."

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane consider this, and it leaves her to say quietly, "Oh. I guess I didna realize ye were already doing things around there. But ye were staying here for me?" She gives him a somewhat shy look at that. "I think it makes ye look like ye care whit happens tae me, Kurt. I'm sure ye've had a number o' people interested in ye." What is she supposed to say to that?

She isn't sure, so the wolfen woman rises to pace the clearing. Fortunately there's nobody around, making it safe for them. "Oz?" she repeats, nodding briefly to the explanation that he seems sane enough. Who would she have to compare that to? "I would?" Like him?

Nightcrawler has posed:
    "Well, I don't care if people were interested in me. I thought I was with you?" shock, mixed with whatever the scents his demons plague him with as all of his thoughts shift to blue, and red, and yellow eyes. A wish to hate, but a need to forgive.
    "Yes, his name is Oz." he frowns so deep that you would think he'd cut his chin off for how far the corners of his mouth drops. "He cracks wise... so I guess that's why he and I got along while chatting. But he's smart, and he knows what he's doing... So yeah, you would."

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane must not be explaining herself well, for she reads the things coming off of him in a very bad way, hands raising defensively. "I'm sorry. I just meant in general, tha' ye've probably had a lot o' people ye could have chosen tae spend time wi', so it means a lot tha' ye like me tha' way."

For now, she simply shuts up about anything else, eyes finding the ground.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Brows up, still crouched, watching her pace around, Kurt frowns, and makes little cough to try and get her gaze, standing up awkwardly for his tail and the way it makes him slouch.
    "Hey?" Kurt murmurs, knowing her ears will catch it and he raises his arms up and out, inviting her in again, tail flicking about nervously. 'Idiot, you think she'll come near those?' he actually flinches, and for a moment he looks at his hands, and then back to her as his next thought makes him flinch again, as if he'd been cut. 'can't even look like someone like her. Outcast. That's what Logan called you. Then he felt sorry for you and changed it to Elf. They feel sorry for you. Pity friend Kurt. Pity. Date. Kurt.' he lets out a slow breath before he clenches his mouth shut, silently pleading to forces above him for quiet in his head, for a minute - that's all. Just a minute.

Wolfsbane has posed:
"Hmm?" For a moment, as she looks up, Wolfsbane holds a more youthful, vulnerable expression, like she's allowed someone to learn of a secret and possibly been wounded by it. But, the arms are out, the offer made, and while she sports no tail right now - not difficult to imagine the place it might be in, though - she can easily read his body language, probably guess at what's going through his head. They both have demons to deal with yet, some similar, some not so much. Quietly, she slips in closer.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    When she moves closer Kurt attempts to close the rest of the distance and, if she'll let him, wrap her up in his arms again. He's not a large man, even with the muscle tone, he's slim, small, no one could call him big, and right now he looks downright fragile as he attempts to get reassurance.

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane's head is still able to rest against his shoulder, arms more around his midsection. "Are we broken, Kurt?" she wonders. There's a lot of stuff going through both of their minds. Neither of them are normal. They may never be able to truly /be/ normal. Nothing else is said or asked right now, but she surely feels like she's done something wrong with this today.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Holding tight, Kurt rests his face against her shoulder a moment, and gives a long shivering breath as he loops his arm tight. "Maybe." tail wrapping around them both. "We might be..." he takes another breath and stands with her, feeling like a bundle of sticks.

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane holds one of her own, nodding against him as she probably suspected as much. Both vulnerable, both feeling certain things that leave them in suspicious moods, or questioning ones full of self-doubt and second-guessing. "When ye feel like this, whit do ye like tae do tae get through it?" she asks.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    "Sometimes I pray... sometimes I work myself till I can't think in the danger room... sometimes I go drink wit Logan..." Kurt's eyes closed, taking comfort where he can. "Sometimes I go where no one but someone like Charles, or Jean, can find me and I stay there until I feel like I deserve to come out." not a healthy method, the last... but he's a teleporter, how many people can stop him?

Wolfsbane has posed:
"An' I dinna much feel like praying right noo, or going tae th' Danger Room." He already knows Wolfsbane doesn't drink, though she probably has some hiding spots that nobody knows about. "I also dinna really want tae be alone right noo. Are ye hungry? We could go eat something, an' maybe just hide in a movie theater for a while."

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Giving it a moment's thought, Kurt nods and gives her another squeeze. "I'd like that, dinner and a movie." voices start to rise and he actively shuts them out of his head by drawing back, planting his hands on Rahne's shoulders and leaning in to press a kiss on her lips.

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane inches into said squeeze, and whatever is going through Kurt's mind right now is not something she's privy to. all she's aware of is the touch of lips to hers, which is returned with a brief press back, mouth remaining closed. "Whit are ye in th' mood tae eat?" she wonders, looking up from where her hands rest at his sides.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    At the slight return peck, Kurt nods, brow creasing. "Right now comfort food? Big greasy burger, chili fries, milk shakes..." he shrugs, "Pizza..." he frowns again, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. I didn't mean to make you more uncomfortable, liebling..." attempting to draw back.

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane touches his arm. "Kurt..I may no' know a lot about relationships, but sometimes people just need tae, um, be quiet an' let things be without saying too much. Right noo, we should go eat a lot o' food an' spend a few hours in a dark place, just having a good time. I think we both need it." She reaches up to touch his nose afterward. "Deal?" She's not quite sure why he's being so suddenly lacking in confidence, but they will have to do something about that. "Mabye we can go shopping for something as well."

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Nose wrinkling as he gets booped, Kurt smiles. "Yeah... a lot of food and a movie..." he goes quiet, per what she'd just said, opting to go quiet, and giving a sort of lopsided shrug to the notion of shopping, opting to speak at last. "If you'd like to, we can do that too."
    He starts to offer her his hand again, but he relents and tucks both of his behind his back, folding them there and moving to fall in step with her once she starts to move.

Wolfsbane has posed:
"We'll figure it oot. Now come on, ye mopey elf. I like ye more when ye smile," Wolfsbane chides lightly, her mood starting to swing back around toward something more cheery whether it's authentic or forced. She's going to /try/ to have a good time, and see if she can't help Kurt's mood improve as well. "Come here wi' tha'," she adds, reaching around to claim a hand and drag him along if she has to. Further talk of werewolves and coyotes and angels and moving to Mutant Town can go on hold.