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

[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.

[snikting]

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing happened on the mission. I ain't hurt. That's all you need to know."

[calmbeforethe]

Ah. She was beginning to understand, now. But still.

"Then why the spectacle? I'm sorry if you did not appreciate the gesture, but did you have to make such a show of it?" It wasn't often that Ororo was hurt, but now was beginning to be one of those moments.

[snikting]

"I didn't want a show at all." He wanted to come back, be frustrated, but resume life as usual in Luceti. He'd take his frustration out on the Dome and life would go on.

And then there was cake. "If I wanted some kind of celebration, I'd have let you know."

[calmbeforethe]

"Yes, of course. I can understand that. I'm sorry," she repeated contritely. "I suppose we got a little carried away. We hadn't even been aware it was your birthday at all, until it was made known to us. It was something of an impulse decision on my part, to surprise you with a celebration...

So if you need to take your anger out on anyone, Logan, it would have to be me. Please, don't get mad at the students."

[snikting]

Finally, he looked back at her. To his credit, he wasn't growling or snarling. Just stern and a tad impatient.

"I told you this ain't got anything to do with you. That includes the students."

[calmbeforethe]

She crossed her arms. "Well, I am apologizing anyway, since clearly it bothered you enough not to come back last night in favor of trying to get yourself drunk."

And the look on her face should tell him what she thought of that.

[snikting]

He finally turned around. Now he was angry. Her face could say whatever it wanted, because at the moment, what she thought of him didn't matter.

"Is that all you think it is, 'Ro? That I'm pissed 'cause my big secret was exposed?"

[calmbeforethe]

"Well, what else would I think? I am not telling you to share your deepest secrets with the rest of the class, Logan. I just want to understand. And perhaps help you, if you will let me."

[snikting]

"You can't help. Not with this. Not even the Professor could. There's parts of my life I don't remember. But there's parts I do. An' the parts I do aren't all that pretty."

[calmbeforethe]

"Our past helps shape who we are today, no matter how unappealing they are."

"But that doesn't mean they are not painful to talk about, or think about," She sighs contritely.

"I am sorry for prying, Logan."

[snikting]

"Who I shaped up to be ain't exactly somethin' to be happy about."

Sure, she'd object to that. So he cut her off before she could. "Just don't take it personal."

[calmbeforethe]

To that, Ororo just nods. She knew a closed door when she saw one. Didn't mean she'd try to open a window again later, but for now she'd back off.

A moment later, she thinks to ask another question. "- Have you had anything to eat yet, Logan?" She was in the middle of breakfast when he arrived, after all.

[snikting]

As a matter of fact, he was starving. He wasn't confident he wanted to sit down to breakfast, though. But after a moment of internal debate, he shook his head.

"Actually, I'm starving. We got any thing decent around here?"

[calmbeforethe]

"I believe we still have some of that bacon you like." It wasn't her preference, and she was content with the grapefruit she was about to have for breakfast, but she wasn't averse to making some bacon and eggs for him.

[snikting]

"... well, if you're offerin' bacon, that's something I can get behind." The way to a man's heart was with meat. Medically this also meant that by getting to his heart too often, you'd clog his arteries and kill him. But that wasn't a concern for Logan.

[calmbeforethe]

She turns back towards the kitchen. At least he wasn't locking himself up in his room.

"I have the coffee on, already. Join me for breakfast?"

[snikting]

He exhaled some frustration before nodding.

"Sure. I could use some of that."