Part 16 ^_^
"*Fi*nally," said Scott, waving the 'phone at Kurt. "Do you have any
idea how worried everyone is?"
Kurt just took the handset from him and said, "Jawohl?" Pause. "Ja,
Ich tat es. Wir brachen oben."
"We have to talk," said Scott.
Kurt waved him off. "Selbstverstandlich erinnerte mich ich. Ich legte
kaum einen Finger auf sie. Oder noch etwas, irgendein. Ja, kenne ich Sie
kann erklaren, wenn ich liege. Ich liege nie, sowieso. Ja. Ich weiss.
Morgen? Moglicherweise der Tag nachher? Ich Verpflichtungen haben..."
The more he listened to the 'phone, the more depressed he got. "Ich
*weiss*, Jimi."
"You *know* I hate it when you talk on the 'phone in another
language," said Scott. "Who the heck is Jimaine? Should we trust her?
What do we know about her? What does she know about us? Talk to me."
"Clappe," Kurt ordered. "Was? Ah. Nicht kann ich diesen Nickname
verwenden? *Ich* immer gemocht ihm... okay."
"Rrrr!" Scott looked to Kitty. "Do *you* know anything about this?"
Kitty just shrugged. Scott stormed downstairs and picked up one of the
extensions and a notebook.
The minute he picked up, he heard, "Wir wurden Tauschensprachen
verbessern - Geliebten - jemand, das innen hort."
Then they just started speaking gibberish.
Hand over the receiver, Scott hissed, "Goddamnit... Hey! Rogue. You
absorbed Kurt, so you'd know all the languages *he* knows, right?"
"Kinda," said Rogue. "What's up?"
"I need to know what's going on between him and this girl Jimaine.
They're speaking some language I've never heard before. Please? I have
to know what's up."
Rogue sighed and took the handset from Scott. The only reason she was
doing this was that Scott had said 'please'. The echo of Kurt, deep in
her mind, was kicking up a ruckus about other people's privacy and his
in particular.
_You never hear anything good about yourself when you eavesdrop,_ he
said.
Rogue told him to go play with himself. More or less, and focussed on
his knowledge.
They were speaking a Romani dialect, the one from Kurt's home area. By
the time she managed to focus on understanding, she was sure she'd
missed half the point.
"[...remember what you owe me,]" said the girl, presumably Jimaine.
"[Of course I do. How could I forget? It haunts me every night. I see
it in my dreams. Every night.]" Kurt's mode of speech was very meek.
Submissive. Like a child talking to an honoured elder. "[I'll remember
my promise. Always.]"
"[Good. Because I have the power, now. I have the means to punish you
if you attempt to renegotiate. Or go back on your word. I can curse you
with your worst nightmares made flesh.]"
"[Lover? Most of my nightmares *were* flesh.]"
_What the--?_ Rogue nearly missed the rest of the conversation.
"[Insolence won't be tolerated, lover,]" said Jimaine. "[I'll let this
one slide, but you'd best mind your manners with me.]"
"[I'm sorry, lover. I shouldn't have spoken at all.]"
"[Quite right. I shall see you the day after tomorrow. Monday. We
shall spend time together in school. And you will not look at any other
woman but me.]"
Sigh. "[As you wish. Lover.]"
"[Good boy.]" {click}
Kurt hung up, too, and so did Rogue.
"*Well*?" said Scott.
"It's weird," summarised Rogue. "They're callin' each other 'lover',
but they may as well be sayin' 'master' and 'slave'."
Scott's eyebrows shot up. "*Huh*?"
"Jimaine's holdin' somethin' over Kurt's head," Rogue told him. "I
don't know what it is, I didn't hear that part. All I know is he made a
promise and she means to see him keep it."
"I'm guessing it's something pretty major."
"I got that, too," she said. Inside her head, the echo of Kurt was
begging and pleading with her not to tell. Especially about the
nightmares that made zero sense to *her*.
"What?" said Evan. "Did I hear you right?"
"I *said*," said Kurt, "You and Amanda would make a good couple. We've
broken up, and she needs someone to keep her company."
"K-man? You okay? You're looking a little -" _suicidal_ "- listless.
Did you have dinner, yet?"
"I'm not hungry," Kurt whispered. "Just - consider Amanda, ja? I'd
hate for her to rebound with some jerk I don't know."
"As opposed to a jerk you *do* know, right?" Evan grinned.
The joke didn't seem to reach Kurt. "Be nice to her, hey? Treat her
like a Lady."
This was a Kurt that Evan had never seen before. This was Kurt
depressed and serious. This was Kurt looking into his own grave. "Yo, K-
man. If you need to get it off your chest... I'll listen."
"Danke. Nein. I can handle this on my own."
"Don't do anything stupid? Please?" Evan begged. "I've seen that look
before, dude. Last time I saw it, the guy jumped off a building."
Kurt cracked a smile. "I'd probably bounce," he said. "Sorgen Sie sich
nicht... I'll be fine."
Ororo and Logan were waiting for him when he got back to his room.
"Word is you ain't been eatin', Elf."
He sighed. "I'm not hungry."
"Hungry or not, you need to eat," said Ororo. "We all know your
metabolism is pitched higher than average. Your body simply won't put up
with a lack of food."
Logan raised a tray cover. There were several plates of his favourite
foods. "You got two choices, Elf. Eat on your own, or get fed."
Just the smell made his stomach rumble. _Traitor._
Ororo gently guided him to the stool by his dresser, and carefully
pressed the cutlery into his hands. "We know something's bothering you,
Kurt. We just want you to look after yourself and, when you're ready,
you can talk to us."
Kurt picked at his food. "What's the point of talking? None of us can
do anything about it. It's hopeless."
"Ain't no such thing, Elf," said Logan. "Talk. It'll help."
Kurt spent a long moment studying him. "You wouldn't even understand
the beginning of it," he said. _I barely understand it, myself..._
"*Fi*nally," said Scott, waving the 'phone at Kurt. "Do you have any
idea how worried everyone is?"
Kurt just took the handset from him and said, "Jawohl?" Pause. "Ja,
Ich tat es. Wir brachen oben."
"We have to talk," said Scott.
Kurt waved him off. "Selbstverstandlich erinnerte mich ich. Ich legte
kaum einen Finger auf sie. Oder noch etwas, irgendein. Ja, kenne ich Sie
kann erklaren, wenn ich liege. Ich liege nie, sowieso. Ja. Ich weiss.
Morgen? Moglicherweise der Tag nachher? Ich Verpflichtungen haben..."
The more he listened to the 'phone, the more depressed he got. "Ich
*weiss*, Jimi."
"You *know* I hate it when you talk on the 'phone in another
language," said Scott. "Who the heck is Jimaine? Should we trust her?
What do we know about her? What does she know about us? Talk to me."
"Clappe," Kurt ordered. "Was? Ah. Nicht kann ich diesen Nickname
verwenden? *Ich* immer gemocht ihm... okay."
"Rrrr!" Scott looked to Kitty. "Do *you* know anything about this?"
Kitty just shrugged. Scott stormed downstairs and picked up one of the
extensions and a notebook.
The minute he picked up, he heard, "Wir wurden Tauschensprachen
verbessern - Geliebten - jemand, das innen hort."
Then they just started speaking gibberish.
Hand over the receiver, Scott hissed, "Goddamnit... Hey! Rogue. You
absorbed Kurt, so you'd know all the languages *he* knows, right?"
"Kinda," said Rogue. "What's up?"
"I need to know what's going on between him and this girl Jimaine.
They're speaking some language I've never heard before. Please? I have
to know what's up."
Rogue sighed and took the handset from Scott. The only reason she was
doing this was that Scott had said 'please'. The echo of Kurt, deep in
her mind, was kicking up a ruckus about other people's privacy and his
in particular.
_You never hear anything good about yourself when you eavesdrop,_ he
said.
Rogue told him to go play with himself. More or less, and focussed on
his knowledge.
They were speaking a Romani dialect, the one from Kurt's home area. By
the time she managed to focus on understanding, she was sure she'd
missed half the point.
"[...remember what you owe me,]" said the girl, presumably Jimaine.
"[Of course I do. How could I forget? It haunts me every night. I see
it in my dreams. Every night.]" Kurt's mode of speech was very meek.
Submissive. Like a child talking to an honoured elder. "[I'll remember
my promise. Always.]"
"[Good. Because I have the power, now. I have the means to punish you
if you attempt to renegotiate. Or go back on your word. I can curse you
with your worst nightmares made flesh.]"
"[Lover? Most of my nightmares *were* flesh.]"
_What the--?_ Rogue nearly missed the rest of the conversation.
"[Insolence won't be tolerated, lover,]" said Jimaine. "[I'll let this
one slide, but you'd best mind your manners with me.]"
"[I'm sorry, lover. I shouldn't have spoken at all.]"
"[Quite right. I shall see you the day after tomorrow. Monday. We
shall spend time together in school. And you will not look at any other
woman but me.]"
Sigh. "[As you wish. Lover.]"
"[Good boy.]" {click}
Kurt hung up, too, and so did Rogue.
"*Well*?" said Scott.
"It's weird," summarised Rogue. "They're callin' each other 'lover',
but they may as well be sayin' 'master' and 'slave'."
Scott's eyebrows shot up. "*Huh*?"
"Jimaine's holdin' somethin' over Kurt's head," Rogue told him. "I
don't know what it is, I didn't hear that part. All I know is he made a
promise and she means to see him keep it."
"I'm guessing it's something pretty major."
"I got that, too," she said. Inside her head, the echo of Kurt was
begging and pleading with her not to tell. Especially about the
nightmares that made zero sense to *her*.
"What?" said Evan. "Did I hear you right?"
"I *said*," said Kurt, "You and Amanda would make a good couple. We've
broken up, and she needs someone to keep her company."
"K-man? You okay? You're looking a little -" _suicidal_ "- listless.
Did you have dinner, yet?"
"I'm not hungry," Kurt whispered. "Just - consider Amanda, ja? I'd
hate for her to rebound with some jerk I don't know."
"As opposed to a jerk you *do* know, right?" Evan grinned.
The joke didn't seem to reach Kurt. "Be nice to her, hey? Treat her
like a Lady."
This was a Kurt that Evan had never seen before. This was Kurt
depressed and serious. This was Kurt looking into his own grave. "Yo, K-
man. If you need to get it off your chest... I'll listen."
"Danke. Nein. I can handle this on my own."
"Don't do anything stupid? Please?" Evan begged. "I've seen that look
before, dude. Last time I saw it, the guy jumped off a building."
Kurt cracked a smile. "I'd probably bounce," he said. "Sorgen Sie sich
nicht... I'll be fine."
Ororo and Logan were waiting for him when he got back to his room.
"Word is you ain't been eatin', Elf."
He sighed. "I'm not hungry."
"Hungry or not, you need to eat," said Ororo. "We all know your
metabolism is pitched higher than average. Your body simply won't put up
with a lack of food."
Logan raised a tray cover. There were several plates of his favourite
foods. "You got two choices, Elf. Eat on your own, or get fed."
Just the smell made his stomach rumble. _Traitor._
Ororo gently guided him to the stool by his dresser, and carefully
pressed the cutlery into his hands. "We know something's bothering you,
Kurt. We just want you to look after yourself and, when you're ready,
you can talk to us."
Kurt picked at his food. "What's the point of talking? None of us can
do anything about it. It's hopeless."
"Ain't no such thing, Elf," said Logan. "Talk. It'll help."
Kurt spent a long moment studying him. "You wouldn't even understand
the beginning of it," he said. _I barely understand it, myself..._