The Meaning of Colors - Chapter 1 - Arrival
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A lone figure in a dark purple cloak almost as dark as a moonless night walked up toward the Xavier Mansion with a suitcase and two big dufflebags.
It walked up towards the main entrance, where it triggered Cerebra.
A red light flashed and beckoned the figure at the side of the gate.
It approached it as Cerebra began speaking electronically.
"Welcome to Xavier's School for Gifted Children. I am sorry to inform you but we are currently closed-"
"Codeword: Blackbird"
Cerebra stopped mid-sentence and the red light blinked.
"Password?"
"Pantherea."
The light blinked.
"Welcome to Xavier's School for Gifted Children. Due to security reasons a representative shall verify your identity."
Then the red light blinked in and out at regular intervals.
A few moments later, Professor Xavier blinked onto the screen above the red light.
"Good evening. I apologize, we were expecting you tomorrow."
The cloaked figure shifted slightly.
"The apologizes are mine, I should of called ahead, but I had run out of money..."
Xavier blinked in understanding.
"Not to worry, my friend. You are always welcomed here. Cerebra, open the gates."
"Order Acknowledged. Opening Main Gates."
The gates creaked open as the figure looked at it.
"Thank you Xavier. You are a true friend."
Xavier smiled.
"I am beyond a doubt you are tired, and meeting me will only keep you up longer. So instead I shall send someone else to escort you to your room."
The gates clanged open.
The figure's hood moved into the light just enough to show a flash of white.
"Or could that just be your laziness talking so you can go back to sleep?"
Xavier chuckled but stopped when the figure stopped smiling.
"How will I ever repay you?-"
Xavier shook his head.
"This is your home now, you will make friends, and hopefully we will become your family."
The figure showed a warm smile.
"Thank you Xavier. Then I will see you tomorrow."
Xavier smiled back.
"Tomorrow. Until then, rest well."
Then the screen blinked out.
The figure moved towards the gates and through them, dissappearing into the darkness as the gates closed behind it.
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Logan was up.
He had another one of his nightmares and had come downstairs to the kitchen to soothe his nerves with a cold beer.
He relaxed slightly as the golden liquid worked it's magic on him.
The nightmare was one of the worse ones, where he always got a horrible headache afterwards.
He shook his head to try to clear his mind and drank another mouthful.
He was tired but the worst part of the nightmares was that he could never go back to sleep even though he was dead tired.
He scowled.
A beep perked his ears and he turned his head towards the modem in the kitchen.
"Logan."
He went toward the screen, drinking another mouthful.
"Chuck?"
"Our newest addition to our school has arrived early."
Logan paused at taking another gulp before finishing the entire bottle.
"Tha hell? You mean they're here, NOW?"
Xavier nodded.
"Since you are awake. Would you be so kind as to escort them to their room?"
Logan scowled.
"What am I now, a frickin' tour guide?"
Xavier remained silent.
Logan threw the bottle into the recycling can.
"Where?"
"Main Entrance. Thank you Logan."
Logan left and the screen blinked out.
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The figure went up to the staircase, dropping the suitcase, it continued all the way up the stairs until it dropped it's two duffles at the top.
Then it went back down to grab the suitcase.
Halfway back, the door opened with a loud click and creak.
The figure shifted slightly but didn't stop until it had it's suitcase.
Then with both hands on it, proceeded up the stairs.
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Logan opened the door and saw two dufflebags on the floor.
As he ambled his way toward the bags, he noticed the cloaked figure at the foot of the stairs, attempting to carry the suitcase.
He sniffed the air and then sighed.
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It was slow going for the figure, and it frowned.
All of a sudden it saw a flash of black and reacted instinctively.
Dropping the suitcase, one hand guided the black flash away from it and the other hand pointed two fingers, posed at the threat's neck.
Logan blinked.
"Tha hell? I'm just tryin' to help ya."
The figure retreated immediately.
"I am sorry. I must be more tired then I thought. I am not used to being sneaked up on."
Logan raised an eyebrow but said nothing as he continued to grab the suitcase and carry it up the stairs with one hand. At the top he grabbed one duffle and went inside.
The figure silently followed and grabbed the remaining bag.
It entered the foyai and after closing the doors, followed Logan up the stairs.
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Logan scowled.
Sniffing the air outside, he had smelled chocolate and lotus blossoms.
It was a woman.
He sighed because as a guy watching that pitiful attempt, he knew what he had to do.
So as any gentleman would of done, he had went down to help her.
Of course, he didn't expect being attacked. Years of taking care of himself had given him a permenant stride that other people could not pick up on until it was too late. Most of the time he didn't mean it, others, especially during combat, he did purposely.
Still, this woman had managed to avoid him, even though he was just reaching for her suitcase. In terms of combat, even if he was reaching for her, he had a guess it would have still turned out the same way.
So now, here he was, with a aching headache, humoring Chuck by playing tour guide to a woman he was just recently attacked by even though he was trying to HELP her.
And he wasn't going to get any sleep tonight.
His scowl deepened.
Tonight was definatey NOT his night.
They finally reached a door in the east wing on the third floor.
Opening the door, Logan went inside to drop off the woman's stuff and went back outside.
"This here is the east wing, staff's wing. Second floor's the guys, third's the girls."
He indicated this by thumbing behind him.
"Since yer staff, you have yer own room and bathroom. Breakfast's at 8, dining room's in the west wing on the first floor. If that ain't yer style, kitchen's directly below ya'."
He crossed his arms, scowling.
"Any questions?"
The woman looked at the inside of the room and then back at him.
It was then Logan noticed, that for once, this woman was shorter then him, even if it was only an inch or two.
"May I thank you by helping you?"
Logan raised an eyebrow.
The figure mearly lowered her hood.
She was Asian, her hair perfectly straight, with dark chocolate eyes that seem to bore into him.
She raised her hand to touch his head and he flinched away.
She paused, arm still in the air.
"I do not mean any harm. It seems you are agitated, I assume partly because of my earlier reaction. But mostly because, it seems as though you have a bad headache."
Logan stared at her.
She moved her hand slightly foward, pausing again to see if he flinched away again.
When he did not, she put her fingertips to his temple and closed her eyes.
Slowly, Logan felt a warm pressence touch him coming from her fingers.
As he closed his eyes, he felt it surround his head, encasing it in what he felt like a warm, soft blanket.
The headache slowly dissappeared, the throbbing first and then the actual pain, leaving him with a clear, relaxed mind.
He unconciously lowered his arms, relaxing as the warm pressence relaxed him.
It even dissapated a knot of muscles at the back of his head that even he did not know about until the warm pressence had massaged it gone.
He sighed.
His head had never felt so at ease before.
Then the fingers were gone and he felt a tinge of dissapointment when they dissappeared.
He opened his eyes.
"Tha hell?"
He said it more to himself at the surprise of the dissapointed feeling then to the woman but she took it as if he was asking her.
"I am sorry, was it not satisfactory? You had a pretty bad headache, I thought I had gotten it all out..."
The woman gripped her hands anxietiously.
Logan blinked back to earth.
"No, uh... Damn..."
He sighed and the woman looked up.
"I mean, no, it was great. I've... I've never felt so relaxed before, that's why."
The Asian woman smiled and raised her hand up.
"My name is Amy Kim."
Logan brought his own up and shook it firmly but gently.
He couldn't help but notice her hands were still warm with whatever the heck she had put on him.
"Logan. My combat name's Wolverine."
Amy smiled again.
"I guess we've learned something of each other today."
Logan remained silent.
Amy clasped her hands in front of her.
"Since I don't like being sneaked up upon and you liked my "massage", how about a deal?"
Logan blinked and she continued.
"If you stop sneaking up on me, I'll calm your mind whenever you have a headache. Ok?"
Logan blinked again in surprise.
"Uh, sure, but I don't actually mean to sneak up on people, it's just how I am."
Amy mearly smiled, undeterred.
"It's ok, all you have to do is think of my "massage" when you approach me and I'll be able to tell that you're there."
Logan raised an eyebrow and she raised her hand again.
"Do we have a deal?"
This time, Logan smirked. He shook her hand again, feeling it's warmth.
"Ya, we do."
She took a step toward the room as Logan began heading toward the stairs.
"Oh um, Mr. Wolverine?"
Logan stopped and shifted sideways.
"Logan's fine."
This time, Amy gave a shy smile.
"Ok Logan. If you happen to have another nightmare, feel free to wake me up. I will gladly help you."
With that, Amy muttered a good night and closed her door at a slightly surprised Wolverine.
Logan looked at the door for another moment before shaking his head and heading back to his room.
He could care less how she knew about that.
He yawned.
Right now, he was going to grab some Zzz.
He smirked.
He could get used to this.
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First fic for X-men!
I'm sorry if I didn't manage to portray Logan correctly and I have even less of an idea how to write him speaking.
So please feel free to write any criticisms or advice so I can improve future chapters!
Thank you! Please R&R! ^^V