ArchivedLogs:Night-Owl Nibblies

Night-Owl Nibblies
Night-Owl Nibblies
Dramatis Personae Logan & Rogue
In Absentia	30 January 2013 Rogue, feeling the need for some space, sneaks out of the mansion and into treehouse to read and enjoy some snacks. Logan finds her there, expresses his concern - and steals a chocolate bar.
Location <XS> - Treehouse
It's fairly late in the evening, past curfew to be almost certain. But sill there is a Rogue that is slipping down the hall and out one of the doors. She's in her cloak, with her duffel bag in hand, it bumps the door as she steps outside. She closes the door again, before she's doing her best to avoid any windows that have lights on and someone that might catch her slipping away. She climbs up into the treehouse, duffle slung down so she can get out of the way if the door and close as much of the cold night out as possible. She starts to unpack her bag, tugging the snacks and drink she had on top first, tucking them in a corner. Then the sleeping bag is unrolled, and the belle gets arranged with a flashlight, her book, and a pillow. It's chilly, but between the sleeping bag and her cloak, she'll be cozy enough. Not all is still in the house - mansion, rather - of Charles Xavier; mutants who prefer the dark are out and about, as are those who still prefer the daylight but find the odd nighttime snack too appealing to ignore. There are also those who have the misfortune of being unable to sleep, despite whatever preference they might have. Few however, are outside. The woods are mostly quiet; the waters of the lake (where it is not frozen) gossip about in quiet conversation with each other, and nightly birds perch in the tree branches and on the mansion roof, eyeing the world below with impassive expressions. Then of course, there's Logan - tracksuit pants and singlet as usual (does he have no other clothes??) - perching on the corner of the mansion roof. He rests upon his haunches like a crouching gargoyle - barely moving a muscle - but movement in the nearby treehouse (and an all-too-familiar scent as well) draws his attention. With a muted, curious smirk on his grizzled face, he creeps along the mansion roof until he is level with the treehouse... and peers inside. That's when he knocks a tile off the roof by accident. Rogue is happily ensconsed within, one glove off so she can start on the carrot sticks she brought for a snack. Flashlight and a book, one earbud in her left ear. She's a content, happy young belle. She's alone, or so she thinks, enjoying some quiet time away from the mansion, even if not very far away at all.. In fact, she's close enough that when the tile comes loose, the noise makes her look up from the page she had been engrossed in. Startled, but not scared, already reaching for the flashlight with her gloved hand to use it for a weapon... "Logan?! What tha hell are ya doin'?" "Shit, kid!--" the feral mutant exclaims with a hand suddenly raised to protect his night-attuned eyes from the light as it passes over his face. "You tryin' to blind me??" He paws at his eyes for a moment, growling and grumbling under his breath. "I was just--" he tries to explain with some agitation. "--checkin' the perimeter. What's your excuse?" The keen-eyed man peers across the gap between roof and tree (and treehouse) at the girl within, blinking while his eyes readjust to the night again. "Ah was just havin' a quiet evening, alone, out here. Ya know, some late night snacks, a good book, some music... Somewhere not my room.." Rogue shrugs. "Ah wasn't gonna leave grounds or anything, but sometimes a girl wants a change of scenery. Ah get a little restless, Ah come out here. It helps." Logan snorts. Then he leaps - without warning - from the roof into the nearest tree-branch that is likely to hold his weight. Crouching down again, he holds onto a branch with one hand, while the other rests on his knee. "Can't argue with that," is all he says. There is a pause. Logan's nostrils flare. "Did you say food?" he asks with a degree of hope. Rogue sighs. "Yes. Carrot sticks, some chips, a clementine, a turkey sandwich, a couple bottles of water, and a chocolate bar. Come on in, if you're comin'. You're fixin' the roof, though." *Snort!* "First the gym; now the roof..." Logan mutters morosely under his breath. "Chocolate bar," is all he says regarding the food - and a moment later he moves from branch to branch until he finds himself inside the treehouse-- --which creaks the moment he is inside. "Aww, shit--" he laments with a growl. "Not this too!" "Sit down and be still for a moment or two. Ah am sure you weigh more than most the kids around here, but it should be fine. An' you can only have half my chocolate bar." Rogue sounds almost a little pouty about the chocolate. She must really care for the Canuck, to share that! So the Canuck is feeling nice tonight - and only takes half the chocolate bar. Munching quietly - and keeping very, very still - he looks outside into the woods below, and the school grounds. "How off--" he swallows. "How often do you come out 'ere? Alone in a treehouse is better 'n being alone in a dorm?" His eyes focus on Rogue's, narrowed slightly and curious. Then he munches on the rest of his chocolate bar. Rogue keeps quiet about having her solitude interrupted and her chocolate halved. "A fair bit. Too cold to just go hang out with my sleeping bag in the woods or by the lake, so this has to do. Ah don't always come out here to spend the night or anythin'. " A shoulder hitches up, then drops as she bites at chocolate. "Yes, it's better." She answers him, meeting his eyes directly. "In the dorm, I'm alone in my room, but that's it. There's always someone right there. Little more space between me and the next body out here. Usually." "Fair enough." Logan appears to have no trouble relating. At the risk of potentially creaking the treehouse again, he shifts position to something more comfortable, and leans back against the wooden wall. "Made any friends in the students?" he asks, whilst letting out a sigh and looking upward for a few brief moments. "Tell me about 'em." "Some. Right now Ah'm trying to get to know Rasa better. Sometimes it's okay, but sometimes Ah just feel... older." Rogue shrugs, finishing off her half of the chocolate bar. "Some of them are all right.. " The belle goes into brief description about some of the other students she feels are friends. "I'm outta touch." Logan's admission precedes a frustrated growl; he flexes his fingers, rubbing his knuckles pensively. "I gotta hit the city, track some stuff down - the Professor's help didn't turn out so helpful. Now he wants me to find out some things on my own. It's all bullshit." Suddenly, in an attempt to change topic, he asks: "What're ya readin'? Twilight? Mills 'n Boon? Fifty Shades o' Somethin'...?" Rogue watches him a long moment. "Ah'm sorry. If Ah can help it all.. ya know all ya have to do is say, right?" It's quiet, that offer, but Logan can tell she means it. She feels for him, but then again, she has had a taste, a very special window into what it is like for him. But then Rogue gives him a look that clearly tells him his suggestions are way off, and well... are insulting. "Ah'm re-reading 1984, by Orwell. We were reading it in school when.. when my powers showed up. Ah didn't finish it, so Ah am now." Logan holds up his hands defensively. "Hey, sorry alright. My bad. I got no clue what kids these days are reading. So you got more taste than most--what the hell is 1984?" Logan clearly is not a 'reader' or 'book-lover', and shrugs his shoulders as if to demonstrate (and dismiss) his ignorance. Outside the treehouse, the occasional hoot of an owl or two can be heard. A few lights, visible in the windows of the mansion, come on as other students go looking for interesting things to do. The kitchen light is one of the first to switch on, and stay on. Shadows can be seen, even from the treehouse, moving about inside the building. Someone is stealing snacks. Yes, the night is in full swing now. "It's... well, it's hard to explain. It's centered on a guy named Winston Smith. He lives in this totalitarian society. Everywhere you go, there are huge vid screens, that pump out propaganda. Even in his own house, his television... and through all these screens and televisions.. the government can watch. It's where the sayin' "Big Brother is Watching' comes from. Ah can't tell you everything, Ah haven't finished it yet. It's good, though." Rogue marks her page, setting the book aside. " So how is settlin' in going?" "I broke the gym." There you have it - Logan's description of how he is settling into 'life as an X-man' boils down to a single accident. Then he shrugs. "'S not so bad - no one's tryin' to kill me, yet. That's new. Not as quiet as I thought - I don't do... quiet." With a certain degree of care, Logan rises to his feet and ducks out of the treehouse, and onto a branch. He looks back at Rogue, smirking. "Don't stay out here too long, kid. If ya need me... just yell." Then he leaps from the branch - an action that sets the tree and treehouse swaying a bit - and lands neatly on the roof. He doesn't stop moving until he is through an open window and back inside the mansion. END TRANSMISSION