Due to the fact that she hadbeen brought to the manshion instead of going there herself, she had to hitch a few rides to end up in the city again... Not that she had a car of her own to start with. There was no chance in hell that she would speak though but that was alright. A thumb and a few times of pointing seemed ot be all that she had needed to get where she wanted to go... Well, more like needed to go.
It was only after the fifth night of nightmares and sleep-loss that she found herself being tormented by her addiction to the cage fights. It was a sad thougth but it was true... she needed to fight. She needed to be hurt and to hurt in return. she needed fresh pain to push away the old so that her past horrors would leave her alone enough to grant her at least a little rest without threat of her waking up from images of abuse and with wounds opened up all over her body.
As she now walked down the many alleyways that led to the one of the places she knew of that hosted the illigal and dangeorus sport, she paused, stifling an unwanted yawn, her body trembling from it non the less. Trade knew that there must have been pretty dark circles under her eyes carried upon bags and that she was probably paled to top it off. Anyone who saw her now would think that she was worn to the last thread or weak... That would be her advantage though. If her opponent thought she was weaker than she really was, they'd make mistakes.. lots of them. Fatal mistakes that would have her be the one walking away with the prize of life and money.
The thought about telling Logan where she was going didn't even cross her mind, her not being at all used to anyone caring about her or the concept of anyone worrying about her. Anyway, had the thougth about checking in with him crossed her mind, she most likely would have gone against doing such a thing now that his son had been found. That slightest of substitution in the spot of caring she had stepped in while Conner was missing was again filled by it's rightful owner. Logan had no reason to care anymore. And he was surely busy. Having been on her own for so long, Trade just left without thinking of letting anyone know where she was heading to.
She took a last turn and squinted slightly at the warehouses that stood along the docks. By the looks of things, there was a fight being held in the usual abandoned warehouse. She could tell by the way the gaurd was standing so close to the wall to listen in on the results of the matches and by the way the othet gaurds were seeming on edge... Trade made her way over to them. There was of course an entry fee that she paid with a wad of money.
There was always a price to be paid to go in on the fights and the handful of cash she gave always covered that price. She didn't care about the fact that they'd be getting extra, she would be walking out with a lot more than that she had just spent... Anyway, she didn't care about money. She was there for the fight. They looked her up and down though even after she paid. But then, after givign a comment about it being her funeral, she was allowed to pass by and into the building itself. She didn't listen to them though. They'd be eating their words soon enough.
A broom handle came whirring through the air and towards her face. Trade's eye snapped open and she realized that while waiting her turn and leaning against the wall, she had dozed off. How could she!? How coudl she have let herself nod off like that even for the split second!? Disgusted by herself, she pushed herself up from against the wall and walked to the cage. It had been her ebing called up that had woken her.
As she stepped into the fighting area, she looked at her opponent. He was a monster of a man, standing at about 6'5" and obviously a steroid addict by the bulk. That wasn't a really good thing at all if she had a need to take him down quickly. The drugs would have him pumpped and make it harder for him to be taken down. A sinking feeling came... Nerves?! She was nearvous!?! She hadn't been nervous since she was a beginner! The distraction caused her to be unable to avoid the fist to the stomach that sent her flying against one of the chain linked walls of the cage. She recovered quickly though, slashing the guy across the face before jumpping back to try to finish getting her breath back.
It was a rough fight, by far not coming close to breaking her record speed in a match. It seemed to take forever to take the guy down but she managed to. panting, she pried her knife out from his hand, him having managed to grab it up after having slammed her around about a dozen times to make her drop it. There were bones broken, that was something she couldn't send away and get away with with how badly he had roughed her up. She had practically been used as a baseball bat at one point, being hit against the cage over and over till she managed to send a break to his forearm and make it look like he lost grip of her.
She could feel the blood running down her arms, legs, and part of her face from where the chain links had cut flesh upon impact but she didn't let that bother her as her previous opponent was dragged out of the cage and her new one stepped in. As the new opponent stepped in, Trade looked through the walls of the cage and at the people, a it of a habit she had picked up. But upon seeing a familure face, she hesitated.
TBC- Logan
Edited by: zirasharia at: 11/9/05 2:33 am
Coming after Lorilli probably wasn’t the best idea he had ever had but it still felt better than just sitting at home waiting to see if she turned up again. And if so in what condition. Anyhow he had to admit that he was worried about her. Sure she could just have decided to take a stroll round town, in which case he was overreacting big time but somehow it didn’t feel like that. He just didn’t have her down as the type to suddenly feel they needed a run in the park. Though he’d have been more than happy to be proved wrong on that score.
Logan sighed as he urged a little more speed out of his motorbike, heading towards the one place he hoped she wouldn’t be and yet the fist place he felt he had to look for her. The docks! Ever since security has buzzed him to say she’d headed out Wolverine’s thoughts had been drawn inevitably to that place. Maybe if he’d acted sooner he could have stopped her but then who was he to interfere with the way she wanted to run her life. He wasn’t her father after all.
But he was Connor’s. And one of the things that had come between him and his son in the past had been Logan’s tendency to take off at a moments notice without an explanation. So this time he had stayed and explained, telling Connor as much as he was free to tell about the troubled girl that he had met and the promise he had made to her. Not to let her down while he could still move. A promise he intended to keep no matter what it cost him. And since not being there when he was most needed was yet another thing that his son had reproached him for all too often his arguments hadn’t fallen on deaf ears as Connor had given his blessing to the enterprise.
So, with his sons approval ringing in his ears, he had set out, losing Lorilli’s scent annoyingly soon as it joined that of a passing car. And that he was forced to admit made her trail hard even for him to follow, as her means of transport crossed those of the other vehicles on the busier roads. So now it was back to navigating by instinct and he didn’t like where his instincts were taking him. But he had no other choice. That was one of the fundamental rules of tracking. If you lost your prey then you went back to its previous haunts. No matter how unpleasant they might be.
And lets face it this dump of a place was unpleasant in the extreme. The atmosphere of the cage fight was every bit as bad as he remembered it, a foul mixture of blood, sweat and the kind of unsavoury desire to watch people get hurt that seemed to generate a smell all of its own. Logan clamped his cigar firmly between his teeth taking solace in its own noxious cloud as he forced his way through the excited crowd, easily staring down all those who thought his height made him an easy target. It wasn’t even amusing anymore to see their faces pale as they looked into predators eyes. He didn’t have time for that. Not tonight. Tonight he was there for Lorilli and instead he found Trade
She wasn’t just in the crowd she was in the ring. But then a part of him had always known that she would be. And it wasn’t just the sexual tension that ran through the spectators as they watched an attractive young girl get pummelled by a man twice her size. No it was something in himself that responded to this masochistic need in her. The part of him that said he deserved to be punished for being what he was. Different! Not just a mutant but an animal! A killer!
Bullshit! His friends had made him realise that long ago even if it lay dormant in his psyche, waiting, always waiting for a sign of weakness that he refused to give it. Logan forced himself to watch the scene that unfolded before his reluctant eyes. Lorilli was taking a beating that much was obvious. Though she gave as good as she got. But then her courage had never been in doubt had it? Just her wisdom! Still without her mutant powers she would have been lost and even with them the combat left her bruised and bloodied. But triumphant! If you could call it that!
She was hurt. Everyone could see that, but unlike the others in the crowd Logan wasn’t betting on how long it would take her to fall or trying to arrange to take her home after the combat. Unconscious or not! He was only trying to hold back his emotions, concentrating on not simply turning this assembly into the blood bath he so desperately wanted it to be. That was something that would have made him feel better but it wasn’t the actions of Connors father Nor was it the best thing for Lorilli.
Still he had to do something and he didn’t know what that something was It would have been far too easy just to rush forward and cut through the bars that bound her with his adamantine claws. Except that these bars weren’t only physical. The real cage lay in her head and only she could fight her way out of that. Then her eyes turned and met his, and as they filled with indecision suddenly everything became clear. As her next opponent stepped fresh and unhurt into the ring Logan pushed his way forwards, elbowing al those who stood in his path aside to reach the ringside and a place where he could talk to the lost girl in the ring.
“You’ve got two choices” he said, taking care not to use any of the names she had entrusted him with .This was her choice! Trade or Lorilli! And he knew he would take either of them home no matter what happened.
“I can carve us a way out of here, and believe me nothing would give me greater pleasure, or you can fight. But if you fight it must be because you want to. Not because these goons are expecting you to. And you must give it your heart and soul. You know that. Cos if you don’t you’re going down.! And I only hope there will be enough pieces left for me to pick up afterwards. Because I’m sure as hell not leaving you here alone! I promised you that, didn’t I “
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 explain desire.
Re: The Docks
She went from looking at her new opponent to looking at Logan- who was at the moment, elbowing his way through the crowd to come towards the cage. There were plenty of disagreements and threats but in the end, the spectators were spineless and their words were empty. As he came up close to the cage, Lorili gave a side-step towards him. She had been hesitant though, her having a flashback of when she had done the same thing when Cortez had moved up to the cage to tell her something. Trade shook her head, clearing the image from her mind.
“You’ve got two choices... I can carve us a way out of here, and believe me nothing would give me greater pleasure, or you can fight. But if you fight it must be because you want to. Not because these goons are expecting you to. And you must give it your heart and soul. You know that. Cos if you don’t you’re going down.! And I only hope there will be enough pieces left for me to pick up afterwards. Because I’m sure as hell not leaving you here alone! I promised you that, didn’t I?" She listened to him say, ignoring the demands for the fight to begin and the taunting her new opponent was doing.
She found that her throat was burning and that she was about to cry but forced the emotions away and made her body obey her when she refused to let it cry or show weakness like that. The fact that he had come had already done something to her. But his words carved into the shell she had put around herself. So he did still care.... He still was keeping up to the person she had thought he as. The one person deserving of her trust and feelings. It was almost overwhealming but she managed to push that back also... Although she did hold her breath a moment to make her heart slow down.
Trade realized now what had caused her nervousness earlier. It was because a new element had been thrown into her life. Before, she had nothing to lose. She had only abuse and anger and frustration. She had only violence in her mind, in her surroundings, in her everything. She hadn't had the element of true care. No one who she had to worry about worrying about her. No one who would care if she were to get hurt or killed. No one that she had cared about... No one she trusted and let herself open to. That fear had come from her inner worries. The worry of not being able to return home.
Home. She was going to go home tonight. She was going to walk out of this warehouse with Logan and go home. Lorili wasn't alone anymore. She didn't wish for death anymore. She had Logan. Suddenly, Trade didn't feel she could fight anymore. She lost the heart for it for the first time. It wasn't fear that came to her this time, it was something else. Something she didn't have a name for. Despite the uproar it caused, Trade gave a gesture to tell the people to let her out. They wouldn't let her.
She didn't want to have to do this but at the same time, she figured this would be her last fight. Trade cast a look over to where Logan was then. There was a killer's gleam there but something else also. She turned her gaze back to her opponent just in time to see him charge at her and she reacted with practiced speed. This would be the last time, she told herself... The last time she'd be in a place like this, the last time she'd play this illigal and deadly sport... And she was going to make her retirement one that would last her.
No one would think that a person of her age, gender, and size could be so vicious. It was violent, violent enough to get the spectators to shut up some as they watched. She was letting it out. Letting out what she had only been venting gradually. For a couple of those bloody minutes, she lost herself and when she came back, her opponent was on the ground and unmoving. Prying her gaze away from the body, she began to walk out. She was done for the night. Even though her body was trembling, she still held the air around her of her being able to fight if she had to. She eyed everyone but when it came to Logan, she couldn't look at him...
She had never had a time when she specifically didn't want to let anyone see her like she had been just a few moments ago. That time came now though. It was over and done with though... She'd never go back to that again, she told herself. His coming here and his being, well... him, it made her want the cage even less than she had before. To the point where it was disgusting her. Her knife, it was gripped in her hand tightly and she couldn't let it go even if she wanted to. By some stroke of luck, she was allowed to leave. Maybe it was something that had happened in the minutes she had blanked out on, she didn't know. She only knew that they weren't going to make her go in again.
Trade walked until she was standing close to Logan even though she still couldn't look up at him. She wondered if he was upset with her somewhere inside of him. Either way, she planned on explaining to him later about why he had tracked her down in a place like that. Right now though, she just wanted to get out of there and it showed in her posture.
Slowly, she let herself look up as his words repeated in her head. He was always looking out for her since they had first met. He had come to her rescue again when she had thought there would be none. Trade couldn't understand but at the same time, she could and that confused her. For the first time she felt like hugging someone but she held back, still not ready for contact like that even if she thought he would let her do such a thing.
"I'd............ I'd like to go home please..." She whispered out so faintly she was sure that he's be the only one to hear her.
Re: The Docks
Logan could tell that his words had affected her though he didn’t know whether he should be glad of that or not On the one hand it meant that he had got through to Lorilli but on the other…… This was no place for the gentler side of her nature. Here only Trade could survive. If she fought that was. Though by the looks of things she’d had her fill of fighting at least for that night!
For his part he was prouder then watching her turn her back on the violence than he would have been if she had defeated a thousand opponents. Cage fighting was easy in one way. All it took was an overriding need to either dish out or receive punishment. Or a desperate need for money! And that he knew Trade didn’t have. No this was about self worth. You only begged for hurt like this when you felt you deserved it. That you had nothing else to offer but the destructive force that lay within you, eating at your soul. It was like a disease or a drug and just as hard to fight. A damned sight harder than the opponent you had in front of you and in the end capable of inflicting far more damage. But she did it all the same and with a certain grace. Even if the public didn’t appreciate the gesture!
He hadn’t really thought that they would. This crowd had paid to see blood and they weren’t going to let someone like Trade off the hook so easily. A young pretty girl going up against some hulking brute….they may have bet on her winning but deep inside they were waiting to see her fall. Sex and violence combined. What sadistically minded red blooded pervert could resist? So he wasn’t surprised when they refused to open the cage….. and for the moment his immediate attention was too focused on the girl to do much about it. Though he soooo wanted to!
But that wasn’t what was going to keep Trade alive in the immediate future He could see her looking towards him, perhaps for approval and all he could offer was a warning that her opponent was far from having given up the fight.. And not even verbal one at that! Only a glance that said “look out”… but one that she understood all the same! And she had decided that wanted to live!
Logan didn’t even need to look at the carnage taking place in the cage They were alike Trade and him, and he knew exactly what he would have been doing at that precise point in time. As for him he had other things to deal with. Hey he said turning to the bouncers that were closing in around him. “You really don’t want to do that otherwise you might just end up like the guy in the cage.” He could sense their uneasiness as if the situation was rapidly slipping out of their control. Which of course it was.”“What you want to do he went on steadily “is back away and let the lady out of the cage. Otherwise…..”
There was the characteristic sound as claws cut through flesh, sending the thugs rapidly searching for their weapons. “And I wouldn’t do that either” Wolverine continued casually, his obvious conviction making them hesitate. ….. I can take you down before you even get off a shot. And these could cut through those bars like they weren’t even there His claws caught the light reflecting it back into the suddenly unsure faces of the guards. Besides… The silence that was settling over the crowd only added weight to his words.. “I’m not all that sure your public is ready for what she can hand out! So open the damned cage and we’ll be going And you will all still be alive. Which works for me! ”
Apparently it worked for them as well. By the time Trade had turned from the body of her opponent the doors were already opening under Logan’s watchful eye. He made sure they kept a respectful distance around them as she stepped from the cage into his protection though he did sheathe his claws, knowing as they did that they were all to easily recalled if he needed them.
Trade moved unsteadily looking into his eyes only at the last moment "I'd............ I'd like to go home please..." The danger was still all around them but the scarcely audible words were as clear as a shout of triumph to his ears. “Sounds good to me kid “he said easily, defying anyone to stop them with a glance that spoke of smouldering violence barely checked. Strangely enough they took the hint, moving back to let them both make their way through a suitably subdued crowd.
Even Logan had begun to think they might get out without a fight when suddenly there was someone in his face. And he wasn’t alone. The guy looked like an ex fighter, the scar on his cheek speaking of past violence, and the grey in his hair of years of tough survival. The suit looked slightly out of plac though. Logan only wore suits to weddings and funerals and this sure as hell wasn’t a wedding. Still if the stranger had mellowed with age he hadn’t lost any of his street savvy.
The guys who accompanied him were big. But then you could have argued that almost anyone was big by Logan’s standards. He on the other hand had long since learned that height didn’t apply where he was concerned. Only the killer instinct really counted and he saw more than enough of that in the eyes of the men who now faced him. Ah well. he hadn’t really expected their luck to hold. And to be honest he had some steam that needed to be let of. If these guys wanted to try to stop him taking Lorrili home then that was fine by him. He just hoped they topped up on their life insurance that was all.
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 explain desire.
Re: The Docks“Sounds good to me kid “ This would be the third time she felt like crying but she kept the tears and emotion out of sight. She had done enough crying in her life and didn't feel she would ever let herself shed another drop. Trade only gave a nod and as the people actually moved out of their way, she began walking.
Suddenly, she stopped even before the man stepped in front of Logan. Her heart skipped a beat and she instinctively took a step back, her hand shakily moving to her side where her blade lay. Her whole body, which had been trembling from pain and tiredness now shook even more as anger and slight panic came to give her their unwanted company. Her eye locked on those dark blackish-brown eyes that belonged to the one and only Cortez. That beloned to the man who had brought her into the life of cage-fighting in the first place.
His multi-gray hair was slicked back like he always wore it when doing business, his lips were locked in the almost perminant frown he held, and his hands were curled slightly as if he were ready to ball up a fist and raise it at any moment. It was as if he couldn't ever change, him looking exactly like the way he had looked when she had left him almost. All except for his scar which seemed to dig deeper and deeper into his skin over the years. The scar that curved from his cheek to his ear.
Cortez was angry. She could tell by the violence she saw in his body language. He wanted to strike out at someone. Possably strike her but his eyes were locked on Logan right now. She could practically see what he was going to say before the words even slipped out. "You're not going anywhere with her. It's nice of you to have scraped her up from whatever alley she had been hiding in for the time I've lost her for but, I'll be taking her back now. Next time, I'll just have to brand my property in case it gets lost again." He stated, his voice as harsh as ever, words seeming to just leap out at her and grab her.
She averted her gaze out of habit and now eyed the two pit-bull like men that accompanied Cortez. They looked almost like the one she had just defeated, only a little older and possably a bit stronger. They were watching her closely, their gazes challenging her. Their challenge made her instinctively glare back, her body already trying to shed the wounds it held to prepare her for the possable fight that may be coming.
"Trade!" Cortez snapped out as if calling a disobediant child for a lashing. Her breath quickened for a moment and eye widened slightly as she looked at the man who had been like an owner to her in the past. "Get your @ss over here." He practically hissed out between gritted teeth. She froze. "You dare go run off and find a new trainer!? You ungreatful little b*tch! You're going to catch hell when I get my hands on you." He threatened.
Her heart was hammering so quickly now and she could hear the beating in her ears. It wasn't fear of him though..... No, it was fear of herself. Fear of what she felt rising up in her. "You're not coming? You're a hell of a lot more loyal to that scruff-ball than to me. But that's going to change." Her ex-trainer said. He then looked at Logan. "You should have never taken her in." Cortez stated before snapping his fingers to command the two men beside him to attack. She had figured he would send his 'property' out to attack before attacking on his own. Cortez rarely let anyone see him fight since he got into the training.
Trade tensed, she knew Logan could more than take care of himself but she didn't want him to have to kill tonight. She didn't ever want to pull anyone else into this kind of mess, not wanting them to have to go through the motions she had to go through. No one should have to kill for her, she wasn't worth it.
Re: The Docks
Even if Trade hadn’t tensed he would have suspected who the guy was. Not that he himself had ever needed an agent. No he had been stupid enough to get himself into this underworld all by himself. There were images of the cage burned into his brain for as far back as he could remember…. Though it had to be admitted that his memories were anything but reliable! Yet it seemed that there were many many times that he had stepped into the ring. All that violence and pain behind him imagined or otherwise! All of it flooding back as he looked at the man who confronted them.
. "You're not going anywhere with her. It's nice of you to have scraped her up from whatever alley she had been hiding in for the time I've lost her for but, I'll be taking her back now. Arrogent and sure of himself or more likely of the power of the bodyguards who flanked him he looked down at Logan obviously expecting him to simply stand aside and let him take Trade back as if she was a pet dog who had wandered away . Next time, I'll just have to brand my property in case it gets lost again.
Anyone who knew Logan would have realised what was now inevitably going to happen and started looking for cover. He had gone very still, anger at what had been said forcing the claws out through the skin, though his hands still hung seemingly inoffensive at his sides only the light where it caught on the gleaming metal betraying their deadly potential.
"Trade! Get your @ss over here." Logan waited, half expecting Lorilli’s to step forward in some kind of instinctive reaction to the conditioning she had been put through at this man’s hands but it didn’t come. A slow grin spread over Wolverine’s face as she stood her ground. She really was making a break with her old life and he was only glad that he was here to help her do it. "You dare go run off and find a new trainer!? You ungreatful little b*tch! You're going to catch hell when I get my hands on you." Threats and insults. This guy really knew how to make himself popular. It was going to feel so good smashing the still handsome face to pulp. And it was going to feel good really soon.
Lorilli’s refusal to come obediently to heel was starting to get on the other mans nerves that much was easy to see. "You're not coming? He growled astonishedly “You're a hell of a lot more loyal to that scruff-ball than to me. But that's going to change.” The eyes flickered from Trade to look at Logan as he made his move “You should have never taken her in."
It came as no surprise that he sent his goons in to do the dirty work for him. Logan never even glanced at them as they started forward. “We need to get something’s straight here Pops” he said casually placing himself between the men and the girl ..” Firstly Trade doesn’t belong to anyone, never has done never will do. Secondly I’m her friend not her trainer. And thirdly the name’s not scruffball…….its Wolverine. Used to do some cage fighting myself in the past……”His stance changed in an instant from nonchalance to battle readiness ,a fighters stance cool and deadly leaving those who looked on wondering how they had ever thought he was small.
Whispers went round as his name was heard.Wolverine! There had been a fighter of that name, a legend of the ring, but that was so long ago. Twenty , thirty years…..this man couldn’t be him. He was way too young and yet…..Everything about him said that he spoke the truth. “Never lost a bout” he added with a grin,keeping his eyes fixed on Cortez though he was intimately aware of the bodyguard’s position. He didn’t underestimate them, not for a moment. They were trainer killers and they wouldn’t hesitate to take him down. He just knew he was better.
Logan drew his hands up now, showing off the claws, feeling the tension grow in his adversaries as they realised what they were up against. If the mere threat of the adamantine blades could have stopped the thugs he’d have played that card to the hilt and walked out without violence but that was never going to happen. So instead he sheathed them, hearing the gasp of surprise from the crowd as he did so.” Never had to use those to win either. Just these” The hands were fists now, held ready before him “And believe me I’m better now than I ever was then”
They moved in surprisingly fast for men their size but Logan was faster. Bones laced with the strongest metal known to man crashed into them, one punch breaking ribs another cutting off wind as it landed in the stomach. Relentless, never giving either one of them time to recover, he dodged and struck; the crowd turning the area around them into its own ring voices raised in encouragement and excitement as the men fought. And all the time Logan kept them from Trade. Making it look easy. Though anyone with a knowledge of fighting would realise that it couldn’t have been. You had to be very good to do what he was doing. You had to be a legend.
It was almost like a lesson on how things should be done. Want to know how to hurt someone? Ok here’s how. He could have taken them down fast but that wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted to show Cortez who he was and what he was capable of. He wanted Cortez to know fear. Just as Trade must have known fear when he sent her into the cage. Because whatever happened when this fight was over one thing was sure. Cortez was next.
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 explain desire.
Re: The Docks
Lorili had seen the way Logan's body had tensed upon him hearing Cortez's statement about him needing to brand his property and even she almost stepped back as the claws slid out, piercing through the skin on the back of Logan's hands. She noticed that some of the people who had been watching become more anxious and a couple of them reaching for weapons that lay hidden in their jackets and in the backs of their pants. Revieling oneself as a mutant in a place like this was never a good idea, even if it were Wolverine. As Cortez continued to speak, she had paid half attention to him and half to Logan and the people around them. Lorili didn't know what to expect now and it made her feel a little helpless.
“We need to get something’s straight here Pops” Logan stated, stepping to separate her from the two men as they started to move toward her after Cortez's signal for attack. She looked at Logan, wondering what he was about to say. "Firstly Trade doesn’t belong to anyone, never has done never will do. Secondly I’m her friend not her trainer. And thirdly the name’s not scruffball…….its Wolverine. Used to do some cage fighting myself in the past……” He had said he was her friend. It was the first time someone had said that about her.
She heard the whispered that sounded through the crowd at his name and saw that more people were reaching for their weapons. For a moment, she wondered why there was hesitation when they seemed to want to cause him harm so badl then common sense came to her; They were a bunch of blood-thirsty people. They wanted to see a fight before they killed him... Or rather tried to kill him. As she heard the sound of metal on bone again, she looked to see Logan had sheathed his claws and heard a murmer go through the people watching.
"Never had to use those to win either. Just these... And believe me I’m better now than I ever was then” Not even a breath after he finished speaking, Cortez's men attacked only to find themselves recieving a beating from Logan. He was fighting them. Not to protect himself, not just to be fighting them but to protect her.... The crowd became excited, making bets and yelling different taunts to both the men and to Logan. All the time he was fighting, he was keeping himself between her and them which was something she knew was not an easy task to do even though he was making it look simple.
Lorili watched as the two men were showing definate signs of falling soon and for a moment, held her breath. She couldn't explain it. The next thing she knew it, she had moved to block Logan from Cortez, her taking a slightly defensive posture while at the same time seeming confused and conflicted. Trade didn't understand what she was doing. She didn't understand why she was guarding him as she had been trained to do in the past. The past was just that, the past! She didn't understand why she found herself still being a slave to his training. He had hurt her, he had betrayed her trues, he had used her as a tool to get money and for entertainment.... Why was she protecting him and unable to pull free of old habits? "Atta girl..." His voice cut through her thoughts for a moment.
Because..... Because once, he had taken her in... even though he was a cruddy bastard in the end. She stumbled a couple of steps away from him only to fall into a sit, her legs folded to one side. Her hands rose to hold both sides of her head. "What the hell's wrong with you!? You're not supposed to back away once you stand between me and the enemy." His tone was harsh. "Stand back up and finish off your... friend" He sneered. "Get up!" He shouted in a tone that she couldn't help but to flinch from. She pushed herself up to her feet.
For a moment, she just stood there. Trade was breathing a little heavily and the sweat on her body was making her open wounds burn. She refused to hurt Logan... He was her only friend. Her eyes went to Cortez and when she saw the rage rising in his eyes, she felt fear. She felt like she had shrank down to the size of a six year old and about as weak as one. She tried not to show it though, clenching her fists although she was cringing slightly. <Why does he effect me like this? I've been against bigger and badder opponents, why am I feeling so nervous about him?> She wondered.
"Come here!" He shouted, shooting his hand out to try to grab her. Trade.. Lorili....moved back, her hand graspping the knife and swiftly stabbing him in the arm before she backed away some more. A yell of a mixture of outrage, shock, anger, and pain came from him. Slight panic came to her and she dropped her knife. She caught it before it hit the ground but then, as she looked up, she saw a hard-knuckled fist of Cortez heading right for her head and wasn't sure if she'd be able to block it in time.
Re: The Docks
The guys had had enough It was time to put them down. After all apart form being goons they hadn’t really done anything to upset him. Not like Cortez. No, he had made Logan angry and that was never a sensible thing to do. It didn’t take long to finish the bodyguards off now that he had decided to do so. A couple of well directed punches and they were out for the night. And probably glad to be.
Now he stood over their prone bodies making sure they weren’t about to get up again before turning toward the trainer with a smile. He wasn’t sure that the crowd wouldn’t interfere, that all depended on how many friends the guy had amongst it. *Shouldn’t be a problem then should it* Logan thought to himself as he moved forward. ”Someone as charming as he is probably doesn’t have a friend in the world let alone here”.
But he was wrong. There was at least one person ready to stand in his way. Trade! Her eyes were full of confusion but the old instincts had kicked in this time, driving her to take up her position in front of the man who thought of himself as her master. Logan stopped, his hands falling to his side, waiting to see what she was going to do, knowing in any case that he would never fight her. No she was already fighting herself and that was something she had to do alone.
"Atta girl..." The mans voice was triumphant making Logan’s hand curl once more into a fist as he imagined himself ramming it into the mans sly face. It had its effect on Trade as well though visibly not the one he had intended. Logan watched in concern as she slumped to the floor holding her head in her hands as if its weight was suddenly too much to bear. But then it was full of memories wasn’t it and they could weigh you down like nothing else.
"What the hell's wrong with you!? You're not supposed to back away once you stand between me and the enemy." Logan actually considered launching himself over the seated girl so great was his desire to shut the guy up once and for all but he held himself back although a low growl escaped from his throat. He might have been prepared to take a chance with his own safety but he wasn’t going to put Trade in danger with any unconsidered action. "Stand back up and finish off your... friend"*Come on Lorilli* Logan urged silently *Open your eyes. See what he is and what you are.So much better than this place and these people. Understand that you don’t need him.*
"Get up!" The order seemed to strike a cord pulling her unsteadily to her feet. Logan hated to see her like that, frightened and confused, unwilling to hurt him yet unable to walk away. The slightest word or movement on either side could tip the precarious balance of her emotions so Logan gave her none merely standing, waiting for her to find her own strength as he prayed she would. Cortez was neither as patient nor as understanding and that was his mistake.
"Come here!" If he hadn’t moved he might have been alright but he did, making a cruel grab for the girl. She reacted swiftly the knife slashing out to catch him on the arm causing him to retreat with a cry that was as much indignation as pain. Then the knife was falling and Cortez was moving , anger clear in his face as his hand drew back to hit her. Logan saw Trade catch her knife but too late to protect herself.
* Some people just don’t get it do they* he thought as he intervened. People always talked of how tough Wolverine was. They seemed to overlook his speed. He was between them even as the fist descended, catching it in his hand , human bone making fierce and painful contact with adamantine as he wrapped his fingers around it and squeezed.
“What part of ‘shes my friend’ are you having difficulty with exactly” he asked sweetly.
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 explain desire.
Re: The Docks
Upon punching into the palm of Wolverine, the man seemed to want to draw his hand back in pain but Logan had already wrapped his fingers around Cortez's fist. As he squeezed, Cortez seemed to be trying to keep a straight face even when the buckling of the bones in his hand could be heard in a series of cracks. The man was glaring at Logan, anger and a bit of fear in his eyes. It was evident in his bodylanguage that he wasn't sure if Logan was a man he could beat.
Lorili stayed in the position she had been in, her having been trying to brace herself for the hit that was expected then having been caught off gaurd as Logan seemed to just appear between them. And not only that, he had caught the punch with his hand. She had seen people move fast before but even that fact didn't help her not to be surprised at his speed of movement. Trade hadn't thought there would be any result from Cortez's swing other than contact and pain so it took her a moment to recover.
She had laughed inwardly and bitterly when she had heard on more than one occasion where someone said there was a guardian angel for everyone. In the past, she had thought that if there was one for her, it must have abandoned her. Or that it must have just never shown up... But now... Now as she looked at Logan who was protecting her yet again, she got another thought in her mind. She didn't have a guardian angel because in the end, she didn't need one. She just needed her 'Guardian Wolvi' to come.
He had come just at the right time too. Not just right now when defending her against Cortez, not when he had come to this cage-fighting, not when he had come about her in the coffe shop... He had come at the right time in her life before she could have made the decision that would have made her fall into a deeper hell than she had thought she already was in.
Just when that sand-grain of hope she had had about not everyone being evil had been about to be blown away, he had come to salvage it and help it become a little island. She didn't mind admitting that she trusted him with her life and sanity. He deserved her trust... Unlike that man who he had in his grip right then.
But.... But she couldn't help but to care about the man somehow... It might have hd to do with the training.. Or maybe because he had been the only father-figure she really had that she could remember. She couldn't remember what her real father looked like anymore. Every time she tried to, she would see Cortez's face plastered over his in the mental photo. That was why she couldn't let him be killed even if he had hurt her so much. Because deep inside, she felt like she needed to protect him.
Cortez seemed to catch the look of her weakness when he had glared over at her for a moment ot see what she was doing upon seeing her stand fully. "What are you going to do now? Kill me?" He sneered at Wolverine. He caught the slight flinch from Trade out of his perepheal vision and grinned inwardly. "You kill me and it'll kill her, you should know that." He stated
Yes, it was a bit of a cowardly move on his part to bring the girl's mental unstability into it but it was the matter of self preservation. One of the most strongest instincts a person had. "It'll drive her off the edge if she knew that the man who took her in was killed because of her." Cortez stated with almost a sadistic glint in his eyes. "You saw how she stood to protect me. If she hadn't gotten me angry then I wouldn't have had to get rough. The b*tch knows that." He commented.
"Do you really think that she'll let you kill someone who took her nothing-self and made her into something? Turned a piece of unwanted trash into something of worth?" He said, always in his harsh tones. Cortez knew he was manipulating her with every word.
Trade gave a small swallow. He was right. He had taken her in and changed her into something of worth to someone. He had changed her froma nobody to a name that was known in at least three states in the line of the illegal fights. Had it been wrong of her to have left him like that after he had done so much for her? After he had fed her, clothed her, and trained her?.. Did he have a right to be so harsh to her after she had just run out on him?
She felt sick, like she was going to throw up and like she was going to fall down at the same time. Most of it had to do with her injuries but some of it had to do with what was going on right there. Confusion about what to do would have been an understatement. Her loyalty was a flaw here and the way she had been so out of touch with her feelings was also a flaw... He rloyalty was being stretch in two directions and she didn't know which one to follow.
Logan had been there for her to protect her but Cortez had been there in the past to take her in and mold her into what she was now..... What was she now? She didn't even know. Cortez had saved her but at the same time he had warped her! Her mind was twisted in so many ways she didn't even know what she wanted anymore. He had something to do with that.
Her good eye burned while her blind one throbbed, adding even more anxiety to her. Her free hand moved to the blind eye, palm pressing against it to try to stop the discomfort that was causing her to not be able to focus. She wanted it to be gone! This was no time for it to be distracting her! A sudden yell from Cortez came and she focused her eye from where the vision had been blurred and realized she had been staring at him. Then, as she saw blood coursing down from one of his eyes, she gave a gasp and jumpped from being startled.
As she felt her abilities trying to break loose form her control again, she clenched her jaw tightly, fighting against it. She wasn't going to let it happen. She wasn't going to let all of her injuries be sent to Cortez! One of them had slipped and due to how hard she had been thinking about her own eye, it must have landed on his. Trade could feel her heart thundering in her chest in panic. She knew she couldn't let herself use her abilities again or she might lose control of them so she couldn't take his ruined eye.
She had to get away... Even though this was a matter that needed to be resolved, she couldn't resolve it now. Not with how her abilities were starting to slip. Lorili had to get away or risk unleashing a small storm of injuries on everyone around her. She had to run away.... But... But she couldn't leave Logan there, not knowing what he was or was not going to do. She knew he could protect himself she was just worried about what would happen if he got angry. What would happen to others.
There was no time for that now, she could feel her powers surging and trying to break free of her hold. Praying that Logan would spare the man, she regretfully retreated, bardging through to the exit then stumbling out of the warehouse. The guards weren't there on the other side. She didn't think on why right then, only grabbing onto the doorway as her powers took over and released her of her injuries.
She was once again, intact but the same couldn't be said for the doorway, wall or the ground. Trade felt tired beyond words now and it took all of her will to make herself turn around and look at Logan pleadingly. She wanted him to let Cortez go. She couldn't bear to see the bastard get hurt any more. All she wanted now was to get away from this place of violence. The events of that night ws making her want to become a pacifist.
Re: Re: The Docks
It was amazing how much satisfaction the sound of breaking bones could bring and Wolverine savoured each crack. Admittedly that probably wasn’t the most charitable reaction a man could have and it probably didn’t go very far towards making him a knight in shining armour but Logan didn’t care. Right now it felt good and he was going with the flow. Though he wasn’t letting the flow carry him too far away. Cortez merited this pain In fact he deserved a hell of a lot more and Logan would have been more than willing to give him it if it hadn’t been for Trade. Sure he had saved her from the punch but that didn’t mean that she couldn’t still be hurt.
She had scrambled to her feet now a wavering figure on the edge of Logan’s vision, her face showing confusion and loss as he glanced over at her. Cortez too seemed to grasp her predicament "What are you going to do now? Kill me?"Don’t tempt me Logan thought angrily though he saw how the cruel jeer affected Trade. This man knew her too well he knew all the right buttons to press to make her doubt herself.
. "You kill me and it'll kill her, you should know that." Logan snarled back at him knowing all the same that what he said was true There was a bond between Cortez and Trade a twisted ugly bond but one that couldn’t be denied. . "It'll drive her off the edge if she knew that the man who took her in was killed because of her."
Even through the pain in his hand he found the ability to take pleasure in Trade’s anguish and Logan’s corresponding helplessness. Wolverine wanted nothing more than to wrap his hands round Cortez’s throat and cut the evil words off once and for all, tearing him out of Trade’s life once and for all But he couldn’t do that. He saw that clearly. If he did that the deed would always be there hanging between them. Every time Trade looked at him she would see Cortez and that would eat into them both till it drove them apart. And Trade needed him at the moment. More than he needed to kill her tormentor.
"You saw how she stood to protect me. If she hadn't gotten me angry then I wouldn't have had to get rough. The b*tch knows that." Though if the guy went on like this it was going to be a close run thing! It was the classic abuse syndrome , even Logan knew that. Making the victim feel that everything was their fault, that they had only been hurt because in some way they had asked to be. It made Logan sick to his stomach but still he held back
"Do you really think that she'll let you kill someone who took her nothing-self and made her into something? Turned a piece of unwanted trash into something of worth?" Ok That was it Enough was enough. He was Wolverine not a bloody saint and there were some things he just wasn’t going to put up with. Like hearing Trade called trash.
He was just considering which of Cortez’s teeth to knock out first when suddenly the man cried out blood spilling from his eye as he looked in fear towards where Trade was standing. Logan’s face clouded in concern for the girl , knowing what had happened and worried as to how it would affect her. He didn’t give a @#%$ about Cortez. As far a he was concerned she could make him relive every damned thing he’d ever pout her through and Logan would consider it only justice. Hell, he’d even stand by and applaud while she did it but maybe she wouldn’t feel that way.
He had seen that her powers had never really been that easy to control and at the moment Logan was pretty sure that it was her subconscious that was inflicting the damage. Which in itself was a good sign from where he was standing. Cortez may have succeeded in clouding her mind but her heart had no difficulty knowing what it wanted and it wanted to be free of him. It wanted to stop being a victim and learn to live. And it seemed that it didn’t want to kill.
He could hear her make her hurried exit, the crowd doing little to stop her, no doubt remembering the way she had fought in the cage. Logan smiled. That made things easier. Now there was only himself to get out of the dive and he was pretty sure there was no one around who would stop him doing that. Not if they wanted to go home in one piece that was. Wolverine gazed at Cortez, taking in the red blood filled eye with satisfaction. “You never did an unselfish thing in your life” he said savagely. “If you took Trade in its because you saw right off what she was. Strong , clever and worth ten of you any day. Just remind yourself of that every time you look in the mirror.”
He pushed the man away throwing him back into the arms of the waiting crowd and spun around. “Had a little business with him” he said raising his voice so that it could be heard above the noise.” But now it’s done. So Trade and I will be leaving, unless any of you have any objections?" The look on his face said that he didn’t mind if they did, his stance said he was ready to take them all on if they wanted it that way.
There was a moment’s hesitation as the bolder elements took in the scene. After all he was only one man. What could he do against them all. But their eyes inevitably came back to the battered forms of the two guards, remembering the ease with which he had taken them apart and slowly the crowd parted to let him pass. “Wise decision” Logan said as he made his way to where Lorilli was waiting, never dropping his guard for a second just in case someone decided to be a hero after all.
As he neared her her the damage to the ground and the surrounding building brought a whistle of admiration to his lips “@#%$ kid !” The words were playful but caring, trying to take some of the drama out of the situation though his eyes still showed his concern.” Don’t know what that door ever did to you but you certainly kicked its ass!”
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 explain desire.
Re: Re: The Docks
She heard his footsteps approaching and at the low whistle, turned her head to look at him. “@#%$ kid !... Don’t know what that door ever did to you but you certainly kicked its ass!” At his attempt to lighten the situation she gave the smallest of smiles even though she looked like she felt like crying. She lowered her arms from where they had been crossed over her shoulders, from where she had been trying to hold herself. She felt a bit cold, not because ti was cool out but because of the stress... But she didn't want to show that to him. She didn't want to show him that she was so weak.
"Sorry about that...... I guess old habits die hard and trouble follows after." She whispered out. Her throat of course protested but she paid that no mind. It would just have to get used to it. She had finally found someone who she actually had a desire to speak to and it would just have to get used to that... And who knew, maybe even one day, she would talk to more people... That was later though, she didn't want to think that far ahead. "Sorry that you had to get involved in that mess. I didn't think you'd come..... but I'm glad you did.." She finished, looking down a little for a moment before lookign back at him.
It was amazing how much someone could change in such a short time. She hadn't even thought that she would change like that. Lorili had thought she would remain as the Trade she had pushed herself to become to protect herself forever. It was frightening to be like this. She felt vounerable but at the same time, she was being unshackled from the chains of her past.
"Conner... You were with him... Why did you leave to come here? You were looking for your son so hard and I'm nothing, why did you come after me? I know we're friends but he's blood." She spoke softly but her confusion was clear. She obviously didn't understand the concept of what a real friend was. She also didn't seem to think she was of any worth to anyone... At the same time, there was shame there. Shame of him having to have seen her the way she had been in the cage.
At least he got a hint of a smile and under the circumstances he could scarcely have hoped for more. Lorilli was looking fragile but intact. Which probably explained what had happened to the unsuspecting door. "Sorry about that...... I guess old habits die hard and trouble follows after." Logan gave an understanding chuckle. He was hardly the one to be judgemental when it came to things like that. And lets face it trouble had hung on his shadow for as long as he could remember even when he didn’t go looking for it.
Lorilli shivered a little though she tried hard to hide it. She would have succeeded too if he had normal senses. Or if he hadn’t already been looking for signs of shock As it was he tucked the information away for future reference and glared at the bouncers who had been foolish enough to stick around. Strangely enough they took the hint and moved inside. Which was probably the smartest thing they had done in their entire lives!
"Sorry that you had to get involved in that mess Lorilli added. I didn't think you'd come..... but I'm glad you did.." Logan sighed. Finally he had managed to be in the right place at the right time. Just for once he hadn’t screwed things up. It was ironic he had to admit. He had tried so hard to be there over the years for his kids and yet it always seemed that he had let them down just when they had needed them the most. Yet where Lorilli was concerned he seemed to be doing ok. Maybe it was a sign, as if he had turned some sort of metaphysical corner. He certainly hoped it was. God only knew he could do with some sort of reassurance that he was going to be able to pull things together.
"Conner... You were with him... Why did you leave to come here? There was confusion and surprise in her voice, as if the fact that he had promised to be there for her counted for nothing. I didn't think you'd come..... she had said . Wolverine knew he should have been concentrated on her problems but it hurt all the same.Even though he knew what she had been through and the trust issues she was facing. This was his own emotional baggage that he was trailing after and he knew it That didn’t make it any easier to deal ,with only easier to hide
You were looking for your son so hard and I'm nothing, Those words cut into him dragging him out of his own pain and into hers. “Why did you come after me? I know we're friends but he's blood." He recognised the shame in her eyes, a legacy from Cortez that he wasn’t about to forget. “Yeah he is” Logan replied “ That’s why he’s cool with me being here. And even if he wasn’t….. Hell Lorilli I said Id be here for you .And I meant it.
He hadn’t bothered picking up a jacket before he left but he was wearing his characteristic checked shirt. This he now took off and wrapped around her shoulders, exposing the tee shirt beneath. You’ll be cold on my bike he said simply But at least this time you’ll be awake on the journey home.Or...
He grinned suddenly, looking exactly like Connor in that moment. I know a good place to grab a cup of coffee not far from here. Visions of their first meeting flooded through his brain as he was sure they did through Lorilli’s” If they’ll let us through the door that is.”
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 explain desire.
Re: The Docks
Lorili hadn't meant to hurt Logan with her words and had she known they would have hurt him, she wouldn't have said them. Had she known that they had hurt them, she would have appologized. But he hid it and hid it well so she was unaware of the stinging she had caused him. She had only kept herself from expecting him to follow her because she didn't feel anyone would watch out fo rher as he did. She had thought that he would be too pre-occupied by his son to even know she had left...
The truth was, she hadn't wanted him to come. Him coming only meant that she made a bigger mistake than she had thought in going to the fight. She had a weak spot now where she used to have none. That weak spot being Logan. His coming to help her again made him become more important to her than she wanted anyone to be. “Yeah he is...That’s why he’s cool with me being here. And even if he wasn’t….. Hell Lorilli I said Id be here for you .And I meant it." Logan said in reply to her comment. He had said that and he had kept his word....
She was silent as he took off his checked shirt and placed it over her shoulders. After, she looked at him. Even though she had gotten over the anger, she still wondered what compelled him to be so kind to her. People didn't just give other people the shirt off their own back. "You’ll be cold on my bike he said simply But at least this time you’ll be awake on the journey home.Or... I know a good place to grab a cup of coffee not far from here. If they’ll let us through the door that is.” He told her.
A small soundless chuckle came from her and memories floated up of that first day. It didn't seem so bad now as it did before. "I think we gave them a pretty strange first apearance. I doubt they'll let us back in... I wouldn't mind some of your famous hot chocolate though... Maybe a little sit-down with you, Conner, and myself..?" She spoke softly. She paused, looking down at the short that he had put on her and then back at him. "Are you sure you're not going to get cold? I know you're tough and all but..." She had to admit, the warmth of the shirt was welcomed but she didn't want him to get cold just because of her.
Re: The Docks
He liked it when she laughed. He liked it even better when she laughed at times like this. Though he had to admit he’d have preferred it if times like this didn’t seem to keep happening to her. Maybe now they wouldn’t. Tonight she had come looking for this pain, driven by whatever strange needs her harsh life had bred in her. But she had also walked away, hopefully for good. And if she did slip back, which he prayed to god she wouldn’t, well that happened too. Some pages were harder to turn than others and this one was pretty heavy. He’d be there anyway just in case she needed a helping hand along the way. One with a few sharp claws in it.
"I think we gave them a pretty strange first appearance. I doubt they'll let us back in... He grinned himself then ,remembering their first meeting. She had been so wary and silent. Now her voice was still a little rough from lack of practice but the words came easier at least with him and the look of loathing had faded. And that was all good from where he was standing.” I wouldn't mind some of your famous hot chocolate though...”
His smile widened at her suggestion. He had been worried that she would pull away, ashamed by her actions in the cage, or rather by the fact that he had seen that lethal side of her nature. It was a measure of how far they had come that she didn’t, trusting him not to judge her. Knowing probably that he harboured the same violence inside himself.
Now instead of growing distant she took a step closer, one that he hadn’t been sure she was ready to make. Maybe a little sit-down with you, Conner, and myself..?" Now that was a surprise. Would she speak to his son too? That would be a major breakthrough.
He wondered what they would think of each other, this usually shy girl and his troubled offspring. They would have to meet sometime and he had to admit he hadn’t been sure how to get them together, concerned as to how Trade would have reacted to an invitation. But now she herself had made the suggestion and all he had to do was smile and nod his agreement. Which he did readily and enthusiastically.
"Are you sure you're not going to get cold? I know you're tough and all but..." Now it was his turn to laugh,loudly and freely. “Hell kid” he said affectionately . “After all the years I spent years in Alaska, spring in NY is a piece of cake. But that doesn’t mean that chocolate doesn’t sound good to me too. And I doubt Connor would refuse one either However I must warn you we have a full house at the moment. ”
It was true The girls had both come back to help their brother through this difficult time and there was also Chris to be reckoned with an unexpected addition to the family who Logan suspected was finding himself a little out of his depth. Got Madison and Arisa back at the apartment. They don’t want to let Conner out of their sight right now. Plus Conner sort of picked himself up a little brother on his journey so … What’s say we phone ahead and see who's still awake. Unless you feel like meeting the whole clan all at the same time that is. And even I have to admit that can be a bit of a shock to the system.
So saying stepped slightly away from the still curious glances of the bouncers and activated the com badge he had strapped to his right wrist.Enterering his sons code he spoke briefly to his son learning that the other family members had gone to bed and that he on the other hand was willing to await their arrival.
"Looks like it will be just us and Conner after all" he told Trade with a smile. Everyone else has called it a night. So chocolate and home it is. Sure sounds like a good plan to me.
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 explain desire.
Re: The Docks
His smile... it had become bigger at her suggestion of hot chocolate. Evidently he was pleased at her response. She was glad. It was a hell of a lot better to see him smiling than upset or worried. When he laughed at her question about the shirt, she found herself smiling a little. Had it been anyone else, they would have found her reaction very different. Had it been anyone else, she would have taken it as them making fun of her or insulting her in some way and she would have most likely thrown the shirt off and either fought them or left them standing there... But it wasn't. It was Logan and for some reason, she doubted he would taunt her.
“Hell kid” She could hear what she thought was affection in his tone. But why was it there? Why was he caring in the first place? Those were questions she doubted would ever really be answered. “After all the years I spent years in Alaska, spring in NY is a piece of cake. But that doesn’t mean that chocolate doesn’t sound good to me too. And I doubt Connor would refuse one either".
"However I must warn you we have a full house at the moment.... Got Madison and Arisa back at the apartment. They don’t want to let Conner out of their sight right now. Plus Conner sort of picked himself up a little brother on his journey so … What’s say we phone ahead and see who's still awake. Unless you feel like meeting the whole clan all at the same time that is. And even I have to admit that can be a bit of a shock to the system."She tensed some and shook her head a little, knowing that she wouldn't be able to handle many more people than just the addition of Conner.
As Logan moved some away from the bouncers that were being nosey and talked to his wrist, Trade waited. At the same time, she watched the bouncers to make sure they weren't up to anything. "Looks like it will be just us and Conner after all... Everyone else has called it a night. So chocolate and home it is. Sure sounds like a good plan to me." A small soundless sigh of relief came from her and a faint smile followed. That was a good thing that there wouldn't be too many there. She needed to take introductions to people slowly and a little at a time.
Going home, making hot chocolate, and sharing it with otheres.. There was a thought that never had crossed her mind in the to do list before. Had someone told her that something like that would be said to her in her future back a year or so, she would have thought they were either insane or had a death wish for bringing it up to her. But now, it almost seemed like something that should be in her life. Almost... but not quite... She still didn't feel deserving of any of this. She was still trapped in the frame of mind where she looked at herself as Cortez had helpped her learn to look at herself.
She looked down a little. With so many thoughts going through her head, she was starting to feel like backing down from the offer... She couldn't bring herself to let herself get cold feet though. She wouldn't let Logan down again tonight. Her having done the foolishness of leaving for this fight had been enough of disappointing him, she thought.
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