6 - [Action]

[snikting]

The mission was a bust. Logan was steamed. Sure, the nature hike in and around the jungle had been fine. The soldiers weren't a bad bunch, either. He made some friends from the other enclosures, as well. But they had one skirmish. One. Damn. Skirmish. The soldiers picked them off with their guns before they even got close enough for Logan to join the fray. That had been his entire week. Patrol duty. For nothing. When they gave him his orders to head back to Luceti, he punched a hole in the nearest tree. Which is why when he got into Luceti, all he had to show for his trip was a blood-stained but completely healed right hand.

In the X-House, he ends up greeted by birthday well wishes from his teammates. A birthday announced by some meddlesome kid. It was a day he'd never shared with his team because it didn't have any kind of associations he could be happy about. If he'd been mad before, he's livid now. He'd been nearly forgotten the occasion, except for that lingering instinct of awaiting Sabertooth to ambush him in the jungle at any moment. Hell, he'd have been glad if he did. The fight would've done him good. So upon seeing cake and ice cream waiting for him, Logan snarls, turns right around, and leaves. His intent is to go into the bar, order as much booze as he can, and then go sit somewhere quiet and drink as much as he can.

When he's got enough booze in him, he decides to get some action of his own. Which is why he spends the twilight hours in the forest, searching out that wolf god everyone's talked about before. He figures either she'll give him some satisfaction of drawing out his primal instincts or, at the very least, give him one hell of a fight.

But eventually, as the morning hours settle in, he writes a short note in the journals he won't be answering. But his nose has made one conclusion.

[Written]

the wolf god is long gone

((ooc: To sum it up, Logan will arrive at home, be steamed at the birthday shenanigans, and make himself scarce. He'll make a very brief stop at the bar before confining himself to the top of Building 1 to drink his way through a twenty-four pack of booze. After that, he'll be in the forest and unstable, tracking down an elusive scent.

He won't respond to the journal.))

Comments

[calmbeforethe]

If she was honest, Ororo had been afraid that something like this would happen. It's part of why she decided a small and simple affair would be best. After all, wasn't it a good thing that, thanks to Billy, they now had a part of Logan's past?

Still, even if some part of her thought this might happen, she wasn't expecting a reaction this extreme. And it was for that reason that she decided to wait up for him, hoping to explain herself and perhaps reach some sort of understanding behind Logan's behavior. She made herself comfortable in the sitting room of House 16 with a pot of tea and a pocketbook to help her pass the time, knowing it would be a while before he finally made his way back.

[snikting]

She'd be waiting a long time. He slept in the woods, cold as it was, until he dragged himself into a New Feather station to keep himself bundled and warm. He'd be due for a serious cold if his healing factor didn't kick the crap out of any attempt at him getting sick. Regardless, he looks haggard when he returns to the house the next day. Around eleven in the morning. He's there only for one purpose. Just to get some food. He figured the house would be mostly abandoned by then.

[calmbeforethe]

Well, she eventually figured he wouldn't be coming back that evening, so she turned in a little late. Which meant she was, in turn, starting the next morning late as well. So she's in the kitchen having a late breakfast when he finally decides to drag himself back, having a cup of coffee for once.

[snikting]

He muttered something under his breath when he spotted her at home. Instead of going for food, he just gave her a look, then carried on directly towards his room. There were always a few boxes of junk food scattered around the room. It would be good enough, along with a decent place to sleep.

[calmbeforethe]

Ororo rolls her eyes heavenward before she gets up, leaving her coffee on the table in favor of following him to his room. She had been prepared to handle this patiently twelve hours ago. Now, she was just frustrated with his behavior.

"Do you mean to carry on acting like a child for the rest of the day, Logan? Or can we speak about whatever this is like adults, now?"

[snikting]

He stopped, but he didn't look back.

"Ororo? Don't. Just leave me be."

[calmbeforethe]

"I will not! I've left you alone for over twelve hours already." She huffed, but gentled her voice: "Can we not talk about this?"

[snikting]

"I'm not interested in talking. This ain't any of your business."

[calmbeforethe]

"After the stunt you pulled last night, I think it very well may be." She frowned. "What happened, Logan? Did the mission go badly? Were you hurt?" He looked unhurt, but that didn't mean anything at all.

[herotypical]

She and the hulking glowerer of a man have never got along, but Buffy takes pride in her job. Such pride. So when Logan walks in, the bartender grabs a dark-glassed bottle of Alexander Keith's and dropped it gently on the bar's counter. What? The guy seemed to prefer the Canadian beers, and while Good Spirits had never reliable had one brewer in all the time, they seemed instead to have a new Canuck brand every few weeks. This week? It's Keith's.

[snikting]

The fact that she knew his preference was just another problem with this place. Even the bartender, who didn't even like him, knew exactly what to set out for him. He was a damn regular. Like some local yokel from the farm down the street.

He scowled and fixed her with a nasty look. "Forget the bottle, Summers. I'm here for a case."

He was headed towards the storage behind the counter.

[herotypical]

She remembered the last time she'd tried to impose her will on the man. And she remembered that bar brawl he'd gotten into. And, even still, she moved to put herself between him and the back room.

"You mean...you're here to ask nicely for a case."

[snikting]

He snarled. "Get out of the way. I'm in no mood to play nice today."

He continued to approach until there was less than a foot between them.

[herotypical]

She glanced upwards.

"...As if you have the sole patent on non-nice moods. What gives your mood any more right not to not play nice than mine, huh?"

[snikting]

"Because I ain't concerned with property damage."

The threat had an obvious meaning. But he'd restrained himself from popping out his claws just yet.

[herotypical]

Ugh. Property damage. Yes, it was absolutely one of her pet peeves. This showed in the hardening of her jaw and the wrinkling of her nose. But an even greater pet peeve was letting stoic bullies have their way. And so: "You've been around this place long enough to realize that property damage ain't much of a big deal, here. A temporary headache, at best."

After all, certain integral parts of the bar had indeed mended themselves after this same brute's oh-so-rude brawl the other week.

[snikting]

"Then I'll put it this way, simple, since you seem to have trouble listening. Either you let me through now or I carve a new door way instead."

There was the claws. They slid out, all at once, as he leveled his threat at the wall.

[wildbluevagner]

Kurt was confused and bothered by Logan's reaction. Can't he just accept a warm welcome and a small birthday celebration like a normal person?

It's risky, but Kurt insists on going out to try to find him. He soon bamfs outside Good Spirits, which seems like a good place to start looking, and he enters.

[snikting]

By then, Logan had his case of beer and had left Buffy Summers behind. He was still in no good mood. When he heard the familiar sound of Kurt's teleportation, he growled.

"Kid. If you've got any sense, you'll go right back home."

[wildbluevagner]

Kurt stood his ground, with just a moment of hesitance. Then he tried to advance towards his lost teacher.

"What? I - I've got as much a right to be here as anyone else. I just don't get it. Can't you let yourself feel happy for once?"

[snikting]

Logan growled.

"Is that what you think it is, Elf? That I don't let myself be happy?"

[wildbluevagner]

"I don't know what the problem is. We just wanted to celebrate your birthday and welcome you back. And - and that's how you respond."

[snikting]

"I didn't ask for any kind of birthday celebration, kid. But if you want to know the problem? It's me."

[wildbluevagner]

"What do you mean?" He asked, uncertainly.

[snikting]

"I'm not a nice person. I ain't friendly and cuddly. All I'm good for is fighting and keeping you kids alive. That's it. You go expecting anything else and you're just going to get disappointed."