Coffee break.
Continued from 'Actions and Consequences' in the Outer grounds.
..........
They did end up in the kitchen Well Logan and Shalimar anyway. Crystal and Amber on the other hand had not so much been lost along the way as found a new chaperone, one infinitely more suited to explaining the intricacies of the Institution and helping the girls settle in than Wolverine considered himself to be. Though that wasn’t the main reason he had dropped them off at Scott’s office. Sometimes instincts proved as useful as psychology when it came to reading people and Logan’s seldom let him down. So he had grasped the depth of desperation that lurked in Crystal’s eyes as she spoke of her desire to find a place where her sister might find help. She didn’t need a friendly chat and some coffee. That would come later.
What she needed right there and then was someone to tell her she had made the right choice coming here. And Scott and Jean were way more reassuring at that kind of thing than he was. Especially since the younger girl seemed to pick up on emotions and god only knew that he had enough of them to go round and not always the easiest ones to deal with. So he had smiled kindly and offered to take them to someone who could answer any questions they might have and been rewarded by a marginal drop in tension on Crystal’s part which was the best he could hope for really given the circumstances.
Sure he had hung around long enough to make the basic introductions, watching Cyclops calming presence take effect soothing raw nerves with his quiet efficiency. Scott Summers! Mr Reliable. He could be one first class pain in the ass but still Logan had to admit at times like this he did come in pretty handy
Especially since it left him free to deal with Shalimar! That too had been clear, her need to talk, to share what was going on in her life with someone who might just possibly understand where she was coming from. Someone who shared her instincts and also had the very dubious pleasure of knowing her psychotic bastard of a father! Someone like him for example.
Which was why they were now sitting in the thankfully empty kitchen with the smell of fresh coffee just beginning to percolate its way into the air and what Logan hoped was a sympathetic look on his face. “Ok kid” he said gruffly Spill it. “What’s that’s no good son of a bitch done this time!” .
There's just somethin' wild inside me pullin' me to do things I don't understand.
I can't figure it. It's like tryin' to explai
“Ok kid.Spill it! What’s that’s no good son of a bitch done this time!”
Shalimar took a few moments to get herself comfortable. As she made her way over to the fridge she pulled out a soda, Coffee she wasnt into too much, at least unflavored but she would down half a pot in the morning to wake her up but as this time she felt like she needed something with flavor and cold.
"Well...."
The Blonde feral said as she walked up to the counter and sat down putting the soda in front of her.
"Sabertooth sort of ran into me.....I dont know if he was trying to find me or not but we ran into each other. I was shopping downtown in a bookstore and he found me. We had a short rather unpleasant conversation and I let my temper get the best of me which attracked some unwanted attention."
She said taking a pause to pop the top off her soda and take a sip. "He decided to leave me to the wolves sorta speak and I couldnt control my temper and the alien connected with me lashed out to protect me. It was then when I found the two sisters and together we got out of the jam and made our way here."
Re: Coffee break.
For a moment he thought she might not answer. Then again he wasn’t really the talkative type himself so he couldn’t hold that against her. Still it didn’t do any good to keep this kind of shit bottled up in you. Especially if you had a temper like theirs!
So Logan waited till Shalimar collected her thoughts…. and a drink at the same time, wishing there was a cold beer lurking in the fridge for him, knowing that there wasn’t. Leaving beer where students could get their hands on it was an sure fire recipe for disaster. Even if he had to admit that stickers with ‘Wolverine’s! Hands off or else’ did tend to be most effective where most things were concerned. Alcohol though… well that was just pushing temptation a bit too far!
So wisely the beers stayed upstairs, which meant that you never had one on hand when you could use one. Like every time the name Sabertooth came up for example. As it was surely going to do now! Providing Shalimar ever got round to starting the conversation that was. Though it did seem that she might. "Well...." she said sitting herself down beside him……
Be careful what you wish for! How many times had Hank told him that. Well he supposed he had wished for Shalimar to open up. But now, when she actually did her words raised more questions than they answered. "Sabertooth sort of ran into me.....” Well that was crap for a start. Sabertooth would have caught her scent long before he ever got close even if she hadn’t picked up on his But then she wasn’t used to living every day of her life on the edge, every sense alert for the slightest danger. Like he and Creed were. No if Victor had met his daughter it was because he wanted to. Even if his reasons for doing so were probably as twisted as the rest of him.
And deep down inside Shalimar probably knew that as well for she went on “I don’t know if he was trying to find me or not but we ran into each other. . I was shopping downtown in a bookstore and he found me. We had a short rather unpleasant conversation and I let my temper get the best of me which attracted some unwanted attention."*I bet it did* Logan thought to himself ,not needing her to fill in the details. They were both past masters of understatement where their rage was concerned. It didn’t have to slip off the leash for very long to do one hell of a lot of harm.
*I wonder what kind of mess we’ll have to clear up this time* Logan asked himself *Always providing they trace her back to the Institute that is.* Damage control! Over the years Charles and Jean had almost raised it to an art form, a little charm and diplomacy, the ready offer of discrete financial assistance in rebuilding whatever had been wrecked. And if all else failed a touch of mind control to make the pill pass a little easier! They could do it if they had to. It was just nice not to have to.
Shalimar opened the soda finally and drank a little before continuing with her explanation. "He decided to leave me to the wolves sorta speak” Logan growled slightly, a low sound deep in his throat as he pictured the scene. *Typical bloody Sabertooth.* It was just like him to come in cause havoc and then leave other people to deal with it. Even if the one left in trouble was your own flesh and blood!
That must have hurt Shalimar. To be sacrificed like that on a whim. So he wasn’t at all surprised when she told him “ and I couldnt control my temper” No up until that point her story didn’t make for easy listening though at least it made sense. But all that was about to change with her next words “ and the alien connected with me lashed out to protect me.”
Logan almost dropped his cigar. What had she just said? Surely he couldn’t have heard her correctly. And yet… there had been something he had seen on that first night she had come back to the Institute. Some dark shadow that he had put down to a trick of th light and his own stress. Though his instincts had cried out that it was something else.
Part of his mind registered the fact that she was still talking , casually explaining how she had met Crystal and Amber, continuing her phrase as if she hadnt just dropped a major bombshell on him. ."Whoah! Wait up Shalimar!” he said, confusion and concern equally present in his voice. “Did you just tell me there’s an alien connected to you? I think you may have to run that one past me again!
There's just somethin' wild inside me pullin' me to do things I don't understand.
I can't figure it. It's like tryin' to explai
."Whoah! Wait up Shalimar! Did you just tell me there’s an alien connected to you? I think you may have to run that one past me again!"
No surprise there as far as the response went if the conversation had been with anyone else she might have been called a nutjob! But on the grounds of the Xavier institute, crazy, uniqueness, and every word in between was fairly common here. It was unusual when there wasnt something out of left field. Shalimar just smiled for a moment as she thought about the best response to Logans obvious shock. She had always found that with Logan and his family it took a lot to really make them say wow in surprise. His daughter Madison had met her Alien symbiote first hand in fights but as for Logan the next few moments would pave the way for how the rest of the conversation went.
"Well Logan its hard to explain but lets put it one way did you ever hear of a guy called Brock ? Well her got bonded to one of these things and had gone on to call himself Venom or something like that. Well another student and I were in a training session and had a bit of a accident. The other student was fine but this thing got bonded to me as a result. So hope Im not too intimidating in this form...."
Before Logan could even respond Shalimars clothes started to melt away as a fiery colored blob started to slide up her body. The physical change was almost immediate as her body became much leaner ascenting her athletic body. the tips of her fingers were replaced by razor sharp claws.As the alien symbiote rounded her shoulder up to her neck Shalimar could feel the aliens mind being fused with hers. As the symbiote covering her her smile was left with a row of sharp teeth with a long snake like tongue, her hair had become medusa like tendrils which seem to twist around as though her hair was blowing through wind.
"Hey dont be alarmed Im not gonna hurt ya Logan but this is my my other we're called Scream."
Re: Coffee break.
OOC..... emmm I looked up logans involvement with Venom on the web and this is what came up.... looks like this will be more interesting than either of us suspected
.......................................
"Well Logan its hard to explain but lets put it one way did you ever hear of a guy called Brock? Well he got bonded to one of these things and had gone on to call himself Venom or something like that……
Heard of him! He had fought the guy. Or the thing that damned symbiont had turned Brock into! How the hell had Shalimar got mixed up with something like that anyway? A dominating alien life form with its own agenda and the very real ability to take over your mind and use your body like some joy rider would use a car! Had she, like Logan himself, been the victim of government experimentation? And if so how many others were out there carrying similar parasites?
In the end though it turned out that the source was closer to home, and that was even more worrying than anything he had imagined. She told him readily enough, making it sound mundane, some every day run of the mill occurance rather than the insidious form of possession Logan knew it to be. Well another student and I were in a training session and had a bit of a accident. A bit of an accident! What? Like breaking a nail! Or tripping on the stairs? Was this calm acceptance even Shalimar’s or was he hearing the voice of whatever creature it was that now resided within her.
“The other student was fine” she told him blithely “but this thing got bonded to me as a result. So hope I’m not too intimidating in this form...." Even knowing what to expect he couldn’t help pushing back from the table, his claws extending automatically, ready to lash out if this thing tried to crawl its way anywhere near him.
The result was as horrifying as he remembered, the young girl swallowed up to become a demonic shape with nothing human left to recognise in it. As Brock had been. As Logan had been!
"Hey dont be alarmed I’m not gonna hurt ya Logan” Shalimar said, her own voice pushing itself out of the deformed mouth, tongue flickering serpent like as she spoke. “ but this is my… my other we're called Scream." And there it was! The one word that summed it all up! We! Oh he remembered what that felt like all right. Having someone else, something else right up there in your head with you! Though in his case the alien had dominated him from the word go, crushing down his drug weakened personality till he was left little more than a prisoner in his own body. Hell it had had to, for there was no way on earth he’d have let it stay in him if it hadn’t.
“What am I supposed to say Shal?” he asked her bitterly “ Pleased to meet you? I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for that to happen.” He shook his head, cynically “You want to know if I’ve seen something like that before. Well yeah kid I have. In fact you could say, been there, done that! Even worn the frigging alien tee shirt!”
Anger was burning now in Wolverine’s eyes. It wasn’t directed at Shalimar though. Instead it was the anger of painful memories and past wrongs. Of manipulation piled on manipulation. Of being used time and time again for other peoples aims.
“That’s not some little playmate you’ve got there. Not some sort of exotic and useful pet. Hell you’re lucky to be still alive.Logan told her. Chalk that one up to your constitution. Because that’s all that saved me when the government stuck one of those things inside me and sat back to watch the fireworks! God knows how many of us they tried it on. I was a little too busy being tied down and sedated to keep count. But only two of us were breathing at the end. Now does that sound like good odds to you?”
There's just somethin' wild inside me pullin' me to do things I don't understand.
I can't figure it. It's like tryin' to explai
Re: Coffee break.
“What am I supposed to say Shal?” he asked her bitterly “ Pleased to meet you? I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for that to happen.You want to know if I’ve seen something like that before. Well yeah kid I have. In fact you could say, been there, done that! Even worn the frigging alien tee shirt!”
Shalimar listen to Logans worry would be a understatement she didnt know that he had tangled with symbiotes before but she could see in his eyes that this situation did bring up some uneasy memories to say the least.
“That’s not some little playmate you’ve got there. Not some sort of exotic and useful pet. Hell you’re lucky to be still alive.Logan told her. Chalk that one up to your constitution. Because that’s all that saved me when the government stuck one of those things inside me and sat back to watch the fireworks! God knows how many of us they tried it on. I was a little too busy being tied down and sedated to keep count. But only two of us were breathing at the end. Now does that sound like good odds to you?”
The Blonde feral didnt say anything at first as Logan got out all his anger and concern about the symbiote and to be truthful she didnt blame him after all he had shared with her in the past few moments. She wanted to diffuse the situation or at lease ease the tension. She just closed her eyes as the symbiote shifted off her body from her living costume to a set of clothes her blonde hair becoming streaked with orange and red more fitting of the alien half of her. She found a seat and looked up at Logan, her mouth opening as she started to speak.
"Logan I cant blame you for being concerned, angry, all the emotions your feeling and if Im responsable Im sorry I didnt mean to bring that out in you. I didnt ask for this but it happened....however I knew a little bit bout the aliens before me and my brother went on the run. I am in control though but something is different that I know. Usually as you said they try to take over there hosts but in my case its unique. Every moment Im bonded to it the alien is melding with my body even to a molecular level. The more it happens the more my appearence changes and the more It happens the more Im in control. I lost it in the store because my stress was past its peak and I lost it. Ive learned since then. When its finished and it shouldnt be long the whole double consciousness thing will be nonexistant."
She then got up and walked over towards Logan.
"If I said I wasnt worried though Id be lying, I am afraid Logan more then you know but I know in my heart itll be ok."
Re: Coffee break.
OOC.. Hmmm I am really letting Logan be Logan in this thread.. which is great for me.... BUT .... If it screws you up in any way let me know and ill be happy to edit.... For me his concern stems in a large part from the concern he feels for Shalimar. as well as his reaftion to the symbiont... but i sooo dont want his reaction to pose a problem for your char development sooo ....read... reflect... and let me know.... I can edit round mostly anything... gosh I sound soo complacent... must the the wine..... anyhow.... let me know what you think
..
He had told her. He had taken this sick memory out of his mind, where it had lain festering for so many years, and shared it with the daughter of his sworn enemy. And if she didn’t gloat, as her father surely would have, still she didn’t get it. Though strangely enough the symbiont did seem to retreat before her emotions and that in itself was a revelation.
"Logan I cant blame you for being concerned angry, ,” she said “all the emotions your feeling and if Im responsable Im sorry I didn’t mean to bring that out in you.” Logan struggled to regain control, unwilling to let his own emotions rule him as the alien beings had in the past. Though if this was the same on some levels, on others it was profoundly different! These feelings of hatred and violence may have been unwelcome here and now, directed against this girl, but at least they were, in the end, justified and above all his own. Still , in spite of all the odds ,h e pulled himself into some sort of composure as Shalimar continued
I didn’t ask for this but it happened.... Shit ! How many times could he have said that? Too many for comfort that was sure. Lets start with bonding adamantium to his bones and go on from there! All the times he had been used. All the times his will had been stripped from him, despite his efforts. But this was different. This alien bonding hadn’t been the result of some twisted experiment in some secret government base. This had happened here, at Xavier’s where the students were supposed to be safe! And that was something he wasn’t ready to accept even if Shalimar seemed to be.
Already she was going on as if words could make this better. ‘however I knew a little bit bout the aliens before me and my brother went on the run. I am in control though” she stated, obviously believing what she said though he didn’t Fooling herself as she went on“ but something is different that I know. Usually as you said they try to take over their hosts but in my case its unique.”
Was this what Brock had thought? That he was somehow in the driving seat even as he careered over the edge into hell? That he was unique? The only one able to survive the bonding and walk away unscathed? Somehow Logan doubted that. You didn’t go from fat cynical reporter to unlikely super powered menace without noticing that something was going on. Shalimar on the other hand….. She had already been powerful. Hell even if he hadn’t fought her father enough times to know that , the session in the danger room had more than proved her growing abilities.
And yet she didn’t seem strong enough to draw back! To fully realise what she was saying! “ Every moment Im bonded to it the alien is melding with my body even to a molecular level. The more it happens the more my appearence changes and the more It happens the more Im in control.”
Even taken as truth it was horrifying. And Logan was far from believing that it was the truth. Stunned ,he listened to her go on. “ I lost it in the store because my stress was past its peak and I lost it. I’ve learned since then. When its finished and it shouldn’t be long the whole double consciousness thing will be nonexistent."
“Well that’s just great”. he said, his disbelief clearly heard in his voice. “So let me get this straight…. You’re going to let yourself become….. less than human …. Have yourself change from an attractive girl into some sort of …. alien shark monster… when other mutants and most humans would give their eye teeth just to look like you because….. ?”
Logan shook his head in disbelief “Hmm that’s where my logic, such as it is kinda fails! Because you’re weak?
Give me a break, you’re as strong as I am. So show me one thing you have to gain from this so called relationship! Because even if I was naïve enough to believe that you could actually come out on top personality wise… I sure as hell wouldn’t want to spend my life infested by some alien parasite for no good reason” .......
Re: Coffee break.
“Well that’s just great.So let me get this straight…. You’re going to let yourself become….. less than human …. Have yourself change from an attractive girl into some sort of …. alien shark monster… when other mutants and most humans would give their eye teeth just to look like you because….. ? “Hmm that’s where my logic, such as it is kinda fails! Because you’re weak?
Give me a break, you’re as strong as I am. So show me one thing you have to gain from this so called relationship! Because even if I was naïve enough to believe that you could actually come out on top personality wise… I sure as hell wouldn’t want to spend my life infested by some alien parasite for no good reason” .......
Shalimar took in every bit Logan said and let it sink in till she could find the right words to respond with. You didnt half to have super keen sences to realize that he was very rattled by what had happened to her and more specifically what the alien could to to her or those around her. As Logan stood there waiting the words finally came to the Blonde haired feral.
"Logan Im not going to pretend like I have all the anwsers because I dont but I can at least offer what I know and feel. The first thing you mentioned was me transforming into some hideous shark monster and all that well that is partly true because when Im in that mode I do look that way but Its not a perminant thing I mean your still going to see this blonde haired feral in all beauty but in battle is where it changes and thats the different....you know more than anybody battle isnt beautiful."
"Naive or not the truth is I am in as much control as I can be at times its not easy but yet here I am and I havent gone all looney alien girl on you. Even if you think these things are nothing but evil thats not the case its all about who they are with that they end up adopting personality traits from. I mean you look at some of the other people that have come into contact with these things most of em have been a little unstable to say the least......I may have my dads anger but Im strong enough to control it and that is a big part of it. I may be a little to overprotective of those I care about and that is reflected but you understand that need to be just a little more protective at times."
"This is a situation where I can take something that has been used in the wrong ways and take a different path and use it in the right I know you dont like this by any means but please your one of the few people that even gave me a second look and see past my family history now Im just asking to give me a chance....Ill do whatever it takes but just trust me."
she then sat back and waited to see how Logan would react.
Re: Coffee break.
Sometimes you didn’t have to have super senses to know that Shalimar was a Creed. No, to be strictly fair he would have to say, that she was a feral. The same stubbornness that he saw reflected now in her face he had seen so many times in his own mirror or, looking back at him from the eyes of his children. He had more or less expected to confront it from the moment he had opened his mouth. What he hadn’t expected however was that she might just find some way to make him respect it. But somehow she did.
"Logan I’m not going to pretend like I have all the answers because I don’t but I can at least offer what I know and feel.” It wasn’t the outright rejection he had been waiting for, the instinctive defence mechanism that made you lash out at those around you and yet it still paid homage to the instincts that ruled their lives whether they liked it or not. At the very least it made him stop and listen and that in itself was no mean feat. .
The first thing you mentioned was me transforming into some hideous shark monster and all that well that is partly true because when Im in that mode I do look that way but Its not a perminant thing” Not for now it wasn’t. Though he wasn’t holding out any hopes for the long term! Though Shalimar certainly seemed to be doing just that. “ I mean your still going to see this blonde haired feral in all beauty but in battle is where it changes and thats the different....you know more than anybody battle isnt beautiful."
It was an observation that stopped him in his tracks, one he was sorry she was able to make for it spoke of experiences that someone her age shouldn’t have had to go through. And yet all the same one he couldn’t deny. Things did change in battle. People, even those not possessed by some alien life form could transform into monsters. Sometimes they had too. Sometimes it was the only way to survive. And Logan was the last person to be able to deny that.
Shalimar had gone through a lot. Especially recently with the loss of her brother a wound that was still fresh and bleeding. And while he didn’t want her to use this parasite as a crutch emotional or otherwise he could still understand the overwhelming temptation to do so. Even so he would have torn it from her if he hadn’t found her rational. Foolhardy perhaps. But still herself! A point she seemed eager to convince him of.
"Naive or not” she told him “the truth is I am in as much control as I can be at times its not easy but yet here I am and I havent gone all looney alien girl on you.” ‘Hey Sha’ he wanted to say. ‘Sometimes with people like us its hard to say where the loony leaves off and the alien begins.’ God knows he had enough problems simply controlling his own impulses. And he didn’t think that, given her heritage things were all that much easier for Shalimar. And yet she now had this extra burden to bear. Trying to sift through the mess of whose thoughts were whose and exactly where the need to kill came from! Everything Logan knew about these beings cried out to him to stop this before it started. But still her voice compelled him to listen.
“Even if you think these things are nothing but evil thats not the case” He had lived with one of these things inside him Didn’t she understand that. He had been controlled by it; He had even killed to meet its needs. So why was he still listening?
Its all about who they are with that they end up adopting personality traits from. I mean you look at some of the other people that have come into contact with these things most of em have been a little unstable to say the least......
Logan gasped. Was that what it was? Had it actually been his underlying lust for blood that had actually been the driving force in the unwilling experiment he had been submitted to? It hadn’t felt like that at the time. It had felt like having his needs and desires caged, walked over , or even worse harnessed for someone elses goals as they had been so many times in the past. But this didn’t seem to be what Shalimar was experiencing . At least not at the moment And that weakened any argument he could throw at her considerably.
I may have my dads anger” she went on earnestly “but Im strong enough to control it and that is a big part of it. I may be a little to overprotective of those I care about and that is reflected but you understand that need to be just a little more protective at times."
He had to admit that she was pushing all the right buttons as far as he was concerned. This need to protect her own wasn’t something she had inherited from her father. In all the years Logan had known him Sabertooth had never seemed to have been concerned with saving anything other than his own skin. It as one of the differences in attitude that had led Creed’s lifelong enemy to take an interest in his cast off children! No matter how ironic situation that might have seemed! And that was ultimately what kept him silent as Shalimar went on
"This is a situation where I can take something that has been used in the wrong ways and take a different path and use it in the right” I know you don’t like this by any means but please your one of the few people that even gave me a second look and see past my family history now I’m just asking to give me a chance....Ill do whatever it takes but just trust me."
She was wrong. This thing would take her under and destroy her as it had so many in the past. He knew it with that gut feeling that seldom lied. He had more years experience under his belt than she could imagine and a more intimate knowledge of the creature she was dealing with at its worst than he ever wanted her to have. But that didn’t mean he had the right to stop her. Even if she had been his daughter!
For she had somehow invoked the one right that he couldn’t challenge! The right to make her own mistakes! And the mere fact that she had done so here and now, when she was old enough to understand all that he had said and all the responsibility that would fall on her shoulders , mean that she was also old enough to accept the consequences of her actions should things go wrong. It was a rite of passage that every mutant born with the power to kill had gone through. And like it or not Logan couldn’t deny her the right to it now.
“ Shal” he said quietly, all anger now transformed into a more controlled concern. “Believe me when I tell you that there are more people here who see you for who you are rather than whose daughter you might be. But that isn’t an issue here.”
So when I say I can't stop you, because I’m not your”.. He wouldn’t say the word ‘Father’ Though it was there hanging ambiguous and problematic between them. He was damned though if he was going to rub it in her face that this conversation shouldn’t have been taking place between the two of them but rather between her and Sabertooth. When after all it wasn’t her fault that it wasn’t! Still his mind skittered to a linguistically safer alternative Even if he knew deep down that neither of them would be deceived.
.. . family, don’t take that as a slight It’s just the truth. You’re taking a risk here that I wouldn’t want any of my kids to take, that’s for sure. But….
If Shalimar would have to live with the responsibility of accepting this alien partnership then he would ultimately have to live with the responsibility of letting her go ahead with it. “While I still think your wrong about this whole thing I have to respect your instincts. Once in a while everyone has to go with their gut feelings. Especially ferals like us. And…
It wasn’t his place to say it and yet … if he didn’t who would. Sabertooth? Apparently not from what he had seen of her encounter with her father. And given all the @#%$ that had hit the fan in the past few days he knew that she needed to hear it………… “Any father should be proud of a daughter who had the courage to take a chance like this. Even if he might he said with a still concerned smile Ultimately have doubts about their intelligence”
There's just somethin' wild inside me pullin' me to do things I don't understand.
I can't figure it. It's like tryin' to explai
Re: Coffee break.“ Shal Believe me when I tell you that there are more people here who see you for who you are rather than whose daughter you might be. But that isn’t an issue here.”
But that was part of the issue wasnt it ? The man who she was talking to his kids really didnt like her especially his daughter and made frequent comments about her father in the past. Not that it bothered her Madison was talking about her father but the comparison bothered her tremendously. Her father was a psychotic killer something she wasnt yet it seemed like at least somewhat the blood of her fathers victims was on her hands.
"So when I say I can stop you, because I’m not your..
.. . family, don’t take that as a slight It’s just the truth. You’re taking a risk here that I wouldn’t want any of my kids to take, that’s for sure. But….While I still think your wrong about this whole thing I have to respect your instincts. Once in a while everyone has to go with their gut feelings. Especially ferals like us. And…
Although for the moment she didnt show it Shalimar's depression had started to fade. She knew Logan was a teacher and it was his job to at least try and show some attention to the students of the school but with Shalimar she was a very good judge of character and could see through all the acting bull....when it was being fed to her but she could easily see the words coming out of Logan's mouth were genuine.
“Any father should be proud of a daughter who had the courage to take a chance like this. Even if he might he said with a still concerned smile Ultimately have doubts about their intelligence”
This comment brought a smile to Shalimar's face then a well needed laugh as she got what Logan was saying. Her laugh subsided but the smile was still there as the Blonde haired feral responded.
"Logan I feel like I need to say this first off thank you......I know it takes a lot to understand and to tell you the truth if I was in your position I dont know if I would have reacted at all the way you just did but with all thats happened It really does help my spirit to be around someone who does care in there own way." She said without warning she gently hugged him staying there for a moment then realizing from past experiences hugs did make Logan uncomfortable she let go still maintaining eye contact.
"To be honest Logan your the closiest thing I have to a father.....what I mean is Ive never had someone sit down and talk to me on a even level and not say something like your a monster or your worthless until now and it means more to me then you will ever know."
Re: Coffee break.
He was getting soft. Oh sure the others might smile and call it mellowing but that was just crap. And dangerous crap at that! It was the whole business with Connor that had brought it to a head, he was certain, though the process had started years ago when he had first held his son in his arms and realised that from then on in he had to be more than just a protector. He had to be a father.
Not that he had made a successful go of it despite all his efforts. In the end the need to keep his kids safe had backfired time after time until they ironically ended up firmly convinced that he didn’t give a damn about anything that happened to them, when in fact nothing could be further from the truth. It was clearly a major failing, the inability to know when to keep them close and when to let them go their own way and Logan was pretty damned sure that he was getting it all wrong once again, here and now, with this girl who wasn’t his daughter but who sure as hell needed someone to look out for her. And it was just her bad luck that somehow, unbelievable as it may have seemed, he had become the one most likely too.
Before…. before Michele..he would simply have fought her to a standstill and ripped this alien thing out of her whether she liked it or not, trusting his instincts rather than hers, not caring what she thought of him afterwards as long as he saved her in the short term. God it was still what he wanted to do today, even if he had tried to see things her way. And yet instead he had offered her platitudes and a forced understanding though it was based on a recognition of her courage and independence that was true and real, and dangerous! Dangerous for her. Maybe even for those around her. And that sat heavy on his stomach no matter how much he wished it didn’t.
"Logan” Shalimar said softly her smile now fully returned, masking the other being who looked out at him from behind those bright eyes<. “I feel like I need to say this first off. Thank you......”Kid Logan thought with a sigh I sure hope those thanks are justified. And that they still will be five years down the road. Though I’m not holding my breath on that one.“I know it takes a lot to understand, Shalimar told him and to tell you the truth if I was in your position, I don’t know if I would have reacted at all the way you just did but with all that’s happened It really does help my spirit to be around someone who does care in their own way." Damn it all caring wasn’t the problem. He could care along with the best of them. It didn’t mean @#%$ if in the end the people you cared about got hurt because you hadn’t said or done the right thing. If you hadn’t been there when they needed yo………. What the hell!!
Logan froze as Shalimar closed her arms around him affectionately, the unexpected gesture provoking the inevitable awkward reaction. He wasn’t the huggable type. There was nothing soft and fuzzy about him that made people want to get this close. Not without a knife in their hand that was. No any hugging Logan did he instigated and god knows, with the kids grown, it had been a long, long time since that had happened. Now here he was up close and personal not only with another human being but also with the parasite she carried, a parasite who had apparently infected her through contact with another student. God he had to find out how that had happened and keep it from happening again. Before the whole school became a breeding ground for these things.
But firstly he had to hide the fact that the mere idea of being this close to one of the aliens sent all his senses into a battle readiness that could explode into violence at the slightest sign of motion on its part Because that wasn’t what Shalimar needed just now. She needed acceptance and support. She needed him to stand by her not shy away. And so he endured, her action leaving him , apart from tense, also confused, embarrassed, strangely touched All in all he was glad that it didn’t last long even if what came next did little to ease his emotional turmoil.
"To be honest Logan your the closest thing I have to a father.....” Shalimar announced leaving him even more dumbstruck than before, wondering if he had heard her correctly , yet knowing that he had. When had this happened? How had this happened? How could it have happened? A Creed….Sabertoothe’s flesh and blood….looking to him in this way? It was unthinkable on so many levels.And yet strangely inevitable on so many others.
Besides this wasn’t just a Creed.. This was Shalimar.. an individual.. distinct from her father in every way and ten times the human being he ever would be. And, in all the world, who else could understand her as he did? Who else knew the savage rage that was always there, waiting to get out, despite her more gentle nature or could interpret the insidious, subtle voice that would call to her in the night, speaking of friendship and sharing when all it really wanted was domination and control.
“ what I mean is” Shalimar continued, “ I’ve never had someone sit down and talk to me on a even level and not say something like your a monster or your worthless until now and it means more to me then you will ever know." Logan cleared his throat, as always thrown off balance by overt shows of emotion, even if his very awkwardness in such situations spoke volumes about his own feelings. Whoa kid“ he started gruffly “ Don’t get mushy on me now. I’m just glad you felt that you could talk to me about this and emm… that is.. if you ever need someone to discuss things with…. then.. Ill be here. And yes… Ill tell you the truth. Even if sometimes it may not be what you want to hear.
“And be warned” His voice left no doubt that he meant every word of what he now told her. “If I ever look at you and see someone else looking back then I’m coming in to get you.Whatever that takes Just make sure your alien buddy understands that as well as you do and maybe we’ll all come through this alive.
There's just somethin' wild inside me pullin' me to do things I don't understand.
I can't figure it. It's like tryin' to explai
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