ArchivedLogs:Terrible

Terrible
Dramatis Personae Kai, Logan, Rogue
In Absentia	2013-04-10 Kai meets some more Xavier's residents.
Location <XS> Back Porch
The back patio is a restful place to sit and relax, in most weather. Ample seating comes in the form of umbrella'd deck chairs and a cushioned porch swing, and the neighboring gardens attract butterflies and hummingbirds to make the viewing pleasant. The hot tub is usually open for use, though in snowy weather the transition in and out is a shivery one! It has been a rainy day, in Westchester. Intermittent showers have left the day cool and gloomy, a feeling that's beginning to fade as the evening creeps into night. Even now, there is the patter of rain on the leaves of the nearby trees, and the gurgle of water in the gutters. It's a gentle, persistent sort of rain that soaks the ground, and leaves the sharp tang of its taste in the air. It's a good night to be inside. And technically, since it's not long before lights-out, that's where Kai should be. Instead, he is sitting in the swing, legs folded up tailor-fashion so that he swings free. Dressed in sweat pants and a hooded jacket over his Xavier's sweatshirt, he has a paperback ('Henry and Ribsy' by Beverly Cleary) in his hands and a thick hard-covered book with DICTIONARY FOR YOUNG READERS along its spine. Not that he's paying attention to either of them. Instead, he has his head tipped up, watching the rain with a small smile on his face. Every so often, he takes a deep breath, holding it for a long moment before he exhales slowly. There are soft, slow footsteps that bring a Rogue into the raining evening air on the porch. She inhales deeply, eyes focusing out into the rain catching light from the windows of the mansion, split second splinters of light in the darkness of early night. She's in an over-sized gray hoodie with loosely fitting yoga pants in a similar shade. Sneakers signal the sneaking ability of her steps, though she's not aiming specifically for stealth. Auburn hair is a darker spill against the hood as she turns her head, taking in the young man on the swing. "Hey there. Hope Ah'm not botherin'." There's a bag over her shoulder, just a small canvas tote that she sets down as she sinks down in a chair not terribly close to the swing. "Don't think we've met proper, though Ah've seen your face. Ah'm Rogue." "Don't worry, kid," says a voice from the opposite side of the porch. Logan appears there, leaning against the wall, a smouldering cigar in his teeth. He has jeans on, with boots, belt, shirt and leather jacket. "She doesn't bite--" he glances at Rogue with a smirk. "Ya don't, do ya?" The man pushes off the wall and saunters his way toward the two students, his eyes shifting from one to the other while he continues to puff on his cigar. "You're that dragon-kid, aren't ya?" he asks Kai. Being forward, much? "I'm Logan." Rogue gets another smile. "An' I think we've already met, huh?" The appearance of other people seems to break whatever trance Kai was in, and he blinks, glancing guiltily at Rogue when she speaks. "It is not a bother," he says, slowly, taking in the girl and her tote with careful consideration. "Rogue..." he echoes, and nods, jerking his head in Logan's direction when the man speaks. His eyes widen as he's identified, and then he's coloring in the dim light. Slender fingers curl a bit tightly around the edges of his paperback, twitching nervously. "Yes," he says, ducking his head. "I am Kai. You are Mister Logan, yes?" He offers a small smile, seemingly pleased he's recalled this fact. Rogue stills, her eyes going to that side of the porch. She missed the glow of his cigar. /Shit/. She doesn't want to see Logan right now. Truth is, she's not sure she wants to see much of anyone right now. "Dragon-kid. Should Ah just call you claw-man?" She sasses, lashing out and in her teenaged moodiness doesn't realize she just gave Logan the map to the lay of 'Rogue emotion land' by biting his head off. "And Ah might bite, if asked nice." She's a little grumbly, taking a bottle of soda from her bag to sip on, and stare out at the rain. Logans furry eyebrows shoot up at Rogue's outburst and he removes the cigar from his mouth to frown at her - just a little. "If it ya happier, yeah," he retorts with a snort. Exasperated a bit, the man half-turns to address Kai, then shoots Rogue another FTW? glance (complete with arched eyebrow) before sticking the cigar back in his mouth. "Just Logan's fine, kid," he says to Kai. "Are ya settlin' in alright? You have any problems, just ask. After the sh--ah, stuff--you've been through..." He frowns again, this time at himself. "Yeah," he adds a second later. "Probably wanna better name than... Dragonkid. Rogue's good with names..." He shrugs and returns to puffing on his cigar, glowering quietly. Kai's brow furrows at Rogue's sass, and he frowns as he tries to puzzle out the context. "Claw-man?" he asks, his nose wrinkling slightly. "I do not think He would care for that name. Foom is enough." Then he's offering a 'but aren't you sweet for suggesting it' sort of smile. The paperback is closed, absently, and the boy leans back, looking up at Logan. "Everyone is very nice, here," he says, his smile a little watery. "It is very strange, though. I have never been in a place like this. Your country's leader must be very generous, to give it to you." Rogue just bares her teeth at Logan. "If it wouldn't just heal up in a heartbeat, maybe." She must be in fine fettle this evening, at least when it comes to temper and Logan. She laughs softly, eyes shifting to Kai, her expression softening. "Claw man was meant for the overgrown galoot with the cigar, honey. Foom? Sure. Ah can remember that." She snorts at the idea over everyone being nice. "The President didn't give it to us. The Professor comes from old money, as far as Ah know." "Something like that, yeah," Logan agrees - referring to Rogue's last comment. "You're welcome to stay as long as ya like, anyway." He gives Kai a brief nod. Before the man can say anything else, his cellphone buzzes inside his jeans pocket. Grumbling, he takes it out, holds it up in a gestural apology and walks a few feet away. "I gotta take this," he says to the two students. "We'll talk later." That last comment is for Rogue. "OK, go ahead," he says into the cell' and wanders down the porch, listening carefully. Kai nods at the explanation from Rogue, and he smiles. "Everyone here /has/ been nice," he insists. "Ivan gave me books, and Peter..." he wrinkles his nose. "Well, some of those who came here with me are not so nice," he admits. "But they have reasons." He looks a bit sad, at that, and blinks up at Logan when his phone goes off, watching it intently until the older man walks away. Then he's turning back to Rogue, his brow furrowing deeply. "Old money?" he repeats, jutting out his lower lip. "He has kept it for a long time? He must be very important to the pres..i..dent, to have such luxury." "Right." Rogue says to Logan, a bitter skepticism in her tone before she's pulling out an apple to bite into. It's shortly after that, dark eyes focus on Kai and she hurries chewing to swallow hard. "Oh, honey... most people here are real nice... Ah'm just...Ah'm cranky. Ah apologize. Just havin' trouble with my powers." There's a hint of a smile. "Old money means it came from his grandfather's grandfather. On through the family. The economic and political structures here are... different." Kai frowns, and pulls the dictionary into his lap. "Please, how do you spell 'cranky'?" he asks, flipping the book open. "Is it with K?" He turns a few pages, squinting at them in the low light. Then he looks up, the new concept sidetracking his purpose. "I did not know that," he says in a quiet voice. "He is a very generous man." The pages continue to turn, although more slowly, delicately. "What are your powers?" he asks, then, looking up. "Are they dangerous?" Rogue smiles quietly. "Cranky is with a C. C-r-a-n-k-y." The belle tries to be helpful. "The Professor is amazing." Her voice is soft, sincere, as she looks out towards the night again. "Yes, they're dangerous. Ah'm dangerous. An' he still lets me stay here." She's still a moment, silent but for another bite of apple for another. She turns to look back at him, "Ah can steal other mutants' powers. An' their life force. Ah can kill...just by touchin' with my skin." Kai listens as he looks up the word, tracing the definition with a finger as he reads it. Then he's frowning. "You do not look cross," he says, tilting his head as he regards the girl. "Or dangerous." He smiles a little thinly. "But I do not look dangerous, either." He lifts a thin shoulder, closing the book. "Do you keep them forever?" he asks about mutant powers, his gaze thoughtful. "I have killed many," he admits in almost a whisper. "And hurt others." He exhales slowly, and lifts his eyebrows symapthetically. "It is a terrible ability." "Looks can be deceiving, can't they." Rogue responds with a level voice. "Ah.. no. Ah hurt, maybe kill...and Ah don't even keep what Ah took of their powers...sometimes keep some memories. It can hurt. Inside my head." She confesses. "It is terrible. And Ah can't even hug someone and be comforted...not safely. Most wouldn't dare." Kai is quiet for a long moment. "You would like a hug?" he asks, his expression a little sad. Rogue ducks her head, letting her hair come forward to try to hide her face. There's another long moment of quiet, and perhaps Kai will hear the shaking exhale from the southern belle. "Sometimes. Doesn't everyone?" Kai considers that, chewing on his lower lip. "I do not remember ever having one, so I do not know." Rogue can't stop the jerk of her head as she looks up, one eye hidden behind white as she looks at the young boy on the swing. There's an unchecked spill of moisture from at least the visible eye. "Oh sugar. We need to work on that. But not with me. Ah.. Ah'm not the best hugger around, not with my...issues. But.. you'll learn about hugs. They're ..amazing. " Her voice gets thicker, as she gets choked up. "Ah..Ah can't talk anymore, right now. Ah... Ah'm sorry, Kai. Ah'll make it up to you." She's scrambling to her feet, hood pulled up in rush that pushes hair into her face as Rogue almost tumbles off the porch out into the rain and the night. She'll be gone in moments, leaving just the sounds of wind and rain.