CHAPTER 7
AN: That thing called "life" and "a job" has decided to kick my "ass" as of late. Sorry.
"That is the end of your life, Remy Lebeau! If I do nothing else, I shall."
Popping a strawberry into her open mouth, Remy smiled lazily at the fuming goddess. "You shall.have to finish de berry before talking again?" Leaning back on his hands, he waited for Ororo to calm down long enough to swallow the fruit lodged in her mouth.
Eyes wide with shock, then narrowed in irritation, Ororo quickly swallowed the small berry and removed the leaves. "How dare you do this to me! I have responsibilities! I have people looking to me for guidance!"
"You also have a lot of cleavage showing, know that?"
Furious, Ororo screamed her frustration as she quickly worked to button the thin shirt covering her rather revealing chemise. Fingers refusing to work due to them shaking in frustration, Ororo yelled again and yanked off the overshirt altogether, throwing it a few feet away onto the damp grass. "I used to walk around naked, Remy. Why would a little cleavage bother me?" she replied, convinced she had gotten the better of him.
"Why you not do that no more?" Sitting forward, Remy leaned closer, sitting himself beside her.
"Do what, Remy?" she replied, exasperated.
"Be naked. I got here too late to see you walk around de mansion naked all de time. Don' I get a fair view?"
Rolling her eyes, Ororo stood and started walking away. "Goodbye, Gambit."
"Non, non. Come back here, Stormy. I didn't mean to make you leave." He said this as he relaxed back on his hands, giving him an even more arrogant pose.
Without turning around, she called out, "Do not use that ridiculous nickname!" Pausing for an answer that she did not receive, she came back to the spread out blanket and sat next to Remy once more. It seemed no matter how furious she got with him, she always forgave him and came back. It was even more infuriating now that she thought about it.
"Why must I always bend to your whims, Remy LeBeau?"
Gambit grinned cheekily. "'Cause of my dimples. You know you can't resist, Stormy."
Storm rolled her eyes and lay back, staring at the clouds. A comfortable silence accompanied the pair as they let the stresses of their lives float away with the white puffy clouds. Finally, after Ororo had closed her eyes, Remy leaned forward again, questioningly. "Aren't you supposed to be teachin' today?"
Without opening her eyes, or moving her lips any more than necessary, she murmured an unintelligible reply.
"Guess dat mean yes."
Another murmur sounded affirmative before trailing off. A few moments later, Remy looked over to see Ororo's chest rise and fall rhythmically. "Stormy? Stormy? Guess she be sleepin'." A small smile crept on his face as he finally got to see his padnat relaxed. Digging in his coat pocket, he pulled out a small cell phone. After setting the alarm feature, he laid it down next to Ororo and left to let her sleep.
After a startling awakening to the shrill tones of Handel's Messiah being played through a cell phone, Ororo rubbed her eyes, realized that Remy had let her sleep, and then looked down at the time.
"Blast! I was supposed to meet my pupil fifteen minutes ago!" Hurriedly grabbing her things (and her discarded overshirt), she summoned a strong wind and accelerated back to the lower-level classrooms.
After throwing open the door, she was surprised to see nothing but a small, golden-furred monkey perched on a chair. The monkey cocked its head at her, as if trying to study who this intruder was. It softly screeched, and dashed to the back of the room, into a closet. Ororo stepped forward, unsure of what to do. "Hello?" she called out, hesitantly.
The monkey poked its head back out, and then waved. Ororo took a half-step back in shock - did the monkey understand English? Chittering in a high- pitched tone, the small primate climbed to the top of a bookcase before smiling. Smiling?
"I-I have come to see Nina? Do you know where she is?" asked Ororo.
Pursing its lips, the monkey appeared to think for a bit before opening its mouth wide and singing "Oh..the monkey wraps his tail around the flagpole, to see his asshole!"
Startled, Ororo stepped toward the bawdily singing monkey, and then took a closer look. The monkey's eyes kept darting back toward the closet that it had come from earlier, as if reassuring itself that something was still in its proper position.
Recalling Nina's personality-split powers, Ororo discreetly aimed a puff of wind to open the closet door and reveal a small girl hidden behind the coats. "Why, hello there Nina."
The girl peered out, looking a tad frightened at the tall woman standing before her. Her dark hair was matted down from being in the cramped closet, and the chalk dust floating around the room had seemed to settle on her dark skin. "H.Hi?"
Crouching with a soft groan, Ororo met the girl at eye level to better acquaint herself. "I am Ororo, called Storm at times. You are Nina, is that correct?" The girl nodded slowly. "Good. And this is your friend," Ororo indicated the monkey, "what is his name?"
Not looking up, Nina mumbled, "I call 'im Gold."
"Gold? Ah, well that is a cute name." Nina seemed to brighten at the approval. "Now, can you tell me about your special gift?"
Shuffling her feet, Nina looked harder at a crack at the ground. "Well, I can make him be me, but only kinda. He's still a monkey, you know." Nina looked up at Ororo, waiting for her to understand. After all, everyone knows that adults require extra-long explanations for basic things. "And I can only do it if I can see 'em. If I can't, he's himself again. Well, he always was himself, but sometimes he's me, you know?"
Ororo wasn't entirely clear on all of this, but nodded her head anyway to encourage the child to open up further. "And I can do it with other animals, but Gold's the easiest."
"Do you think that's because you've known him for so long?"
"I dunno. He just kinda came to me one day while my dad and I were at the zoo."
Ororo raised an eyebrow. "And how did he break his cage?"
Hunching down, Nina kicked at some imaginary dirt. "I kinda made him me a bit and had him pick the lock."
If it had been any other student, Ororo would have reprimanded them for the display of breaking the law. However, as Nina had just come here, Ororo decided to reign in her chiding instincts for a bit. "Have you made any other animals break free?"
"Naw. Just Gold here. He seemed like he wanted to be free. The others seemed kinda happy to be getting regular meals and a clean space and all that." Nina then shrugged, dismissing the last statement. "Gold here seemed different, that's all."
Ororo wondered for a moment if the girl's perceptiveness was far more than anticipated. "Have you ever tried using your gifts on another person?" she asked with a bit of hesitation. After all, the responsibility factor would drastically increase if they had a young female who could take over anyone on their hands.
Nina looked down sheepishly. "Yeah. But it didn't work. I tried it on my dad when he was going to ground me, but all I did was make him scratch his head." Nina pondered again, and a hint of confusion entered her eyes. "I also tried it on that guy you call Wolverine, 'cause he seems kinda like an animal," she said thoughtfully.
"Oh, really? And what happened, Nina?"
"Well," she shifted her weight, "I started taking over a bit, and one word drove me back out." Nina nodded forcefully. "A funny word, too. Not what I was expecting."
Ororo raised an eyebrow. "And what would that word be?"
Nina scrunched up her face in displeasure. "Beer."
Try as she might, Ororo couldn't completely stifle her laughter. "Well, Nina, I think you'll find that with Logan, beer counteracts most rational thoughts."
AN2: And beer counteracts any complaints about how late this is, right? *ducks* Don't complain, have a cold one! Coming up, Taina chooses a name (or least thinks she does), Scott corners Ororo about some new training ideas, and Logan appears. Possibly with beer.
Rhapsody: I've decided to make "Nina" a more fleshed out character. Since I've decided that Taina (or she decided for me) was going to be Jean's groupie, I needed one for Storm.
Viral: Yeah, unfortunately, Useless would have to be MY name. *g*
Whinetoa: "The Muse," eh? Maybe. And yeah, you can't tell Remy off. Especially if he knows your weaknesses.
Silverblade: Thanks!
P-Chan21: There's enough romance stories out there, done by better writers than me. I'm actually thoroughly happy not writing them, as all I can think of are contrived plots. Bleh. I'll leave the talent to those with it. *g*
AN: That thing called "life" and "a job" has decided to kick my "ass" as of late. Sorry.
"That is the end of your life, Remy Lebeau! If I do nothing else, I shall."
Popping a strawberry into her open mouth, Remy smiled lazily at the fuming goddess. "You shall.have to finish de berry before talking again?" Leaning back on his hands, he waited for Ororo to calm down long enough to swallow the fruit lodged in her mouth.
Eyes wide with shock, then narrowed in irritation, Ororo quickly swallowed the small berry and removed the leaves. "How dare you do this to me! I have responsibilities! I have people looking to me for guidance!"
"You also have a lot of cleavage showing, know that?"
Furious, Ororo screamed her frustration as she quickly worked to button the thin shirt covering her rather revealing chemise. Fingers refusing to work due to them shaking in frustration, Ororo yelled again and yanked off the overshirt altogether, throwing it a few feet away onto the damp grass. "I used to walk around naked, Remy. Why would a little cleavage bother me?" she replied, convinced she had gotten the better of him.
"Why you not do that no more?" Sitting forward, Remy leaned closer, sitting himself beside her.
"Do what, Remy?" she replied, exasperated.
"Be naked. I got here too late to see you walk around de mansion naked all de time. Don' I get a fair view?"
Rolling her eyes, Ororo stood and started walking away. "Goodbye, Gambit."
"Non, non. Come back here, Stormy. I didn't mean to make you leave." He said this as he relaxed back on his hands, giving him an even more arrogant pose.
Without turning around, she called out, "Do not use that ridiculous nickname!" Pausing for an answer that she did not receive, she came back to the spread out blanket and sat next to Remy once more. It seemed no matter how furious she got with him, she always forgave him and came back. It was even more infuriating now that she thought about it.
"Why must I always bend to your whims, Remy LeBeau?"
Gambit grinned cheekily. "'Cause of my dimples. You know you can't resist, Stormy."
Storm rolled her eyes and lay back, staring at the clouds. A comfortable silence accompanied the pair as they let the stresses of their lives float away with the white puffy clouds. Finally, after Ororo had closed her eyes, Remy leaned forward again, questioningly. "Aren't you supposed to be teachin' today?"
Without opening her eyes, or moving her lips any more than necessary, she murmured an unintelligible reply.
"Guess dat mean yes."
Another murmur sounded affirmative before trailing off. A few moments later, Remy looked over to see Ororo's chest rise and fall rhythmically. "Stormy? Stormy? Guess she be sleepin'." A small smile crept on his face as he finally got to see his padnat relaxed. Digging in his coat pocket, he pulled out a small cell phone. After setting the alarm feature, he laid it down next to Ororo and left to let her sleep.
After a startling awakening to the shrill tones of Handel's Messiah being played through a cell phone, Ororo rubbed her eyes, realized that Remy had let her sleep, and then looked down at the time.
"Blast! I was supposed to meet my pupil fifteen minutes ago!" Hurriedly grabbing her things (and her discarded overshirt), she summoned a strong wind and accelerated back to the lower-level classrooms.
After throwing open the door, she was surprised to see nothing but a small, golden-furred monkey perched on a chair. The monkey cocked its head at her, as if trying to study who this intruder was. It softly screeched, and dashed to the back of the room, into a closet. Ororo stepped forward, unsure of what to do. "Hello?" she called out, hesitantly.
The monkey poked its head back out, and then waved. Ororo took a half-step back in shock - did the monkey understand English? Chittering in a high- pitched tone, the small primate climbed to the top of a bookcase before smiling. Smiling?
"I-I have come to see Nina? Do you know where she is?" asked Ororo.
Pursing its lips, the monkey appeared to think for a bit before opening its mouth wide and singing "Oh..the monkey wraps his tail around the flagpole, to see his asshole!"
Startled, Ororo stepped toward the bawdily singing monkey, and then took a closer look. The monkey's eyes kept darting back toward the closet that it had come from earlier, as if reassuring itself that something was still in its proper position.
Recalling Nina's personality-split powers, Ororo discreetly aimed a puff of wind to open the closet door and reveal a small girl hidden behind the coats. "Why, hello there Nina."
The girl peered out, looking a tad frightened at the tall woman standing before her. Her dark hair was matted down from being in the cramped closet, and the chalk dust floating around the room had seemed to settle on her dark skin. "H.Hi?"
Crouching with a soft groan, Ororo met the girl at eye level to better acquaint herself. "I am Ororo, called Storm at times. You are Nina, is that correct?" The girl nodded slowly. "Good. And this is your friend," Ororo indicated the monkey, "what is his name?"
Not looking up, Nina mumbled, "I call 'im Gold."
"Gold? Ah, well that is a cute name." Nina seemed to brighten at the approval. "Now, can you tell me about your special gift?"
Shuffling her feet, Nina looked harder at a crack at the ground. "Well, I can make him be me, but only kinda. He's still a monkey, you know." Nina looked up at Ororo, waiting for her to understand. After all, everyone knows that adults require extra-long explanations for basic things. "And I can only do it if I can see 'em. If I can't, he's himself again. Well, he always was himself, but sometimes he's me, you know?"
Ororo wasn't entirely clear on all of this, but nodded her head anyway to encourage the child to open up further. "And I can do it with other animals, but Gold's the easiest."
"Do you think that's because you've known him for so long?"
"I dunno. He just kinda came to me one day while my dad and I were at the zoo."
Ororo raised an eyebrow. "And how did he break his cage?"
Hunching down, Nina kicked at some imaginary dirt. "I kinda made him me a bit and had him pick the lock."
If it had been any other student, Ororo would have reprimanded them for the display of breaking the law. However, as Nina had just come here, Ororo decided to reign in her chiding instincts for a bit. "Have you made any other animals break free?"
"Naw. Just Gold here. He seemed like he wanted to be free. The others seemed kinda happy to be getting regular meals and a clean space and all that." Nina then shrugged, dismissing the last statement. "Gold here seemed different, that's all."
Ororo wondered for a moment if the girl's perceptiveness was far more than anticipated. "Have you ever tried using your gifts on another person?" she asked with a bit of hesitation. After all, the responsibility factor would drastically increase if they had a young female who could take over anyone on their hands.
Nina looked down sheepishly. "Yeah. But it didn't work. I tried it on my dad when he was going to ground me, but all I did was make him scratch his head." Nina pondered again, and a hint of confusion entered her eyes. "I also tried it on that guy you call Wolverine, 'cause he seems kinda like an animal," she said thoughtfully.
"Oh, really? And what happened, Nina?"
"Well," she shifted her weight, "I started taking over a bit, and one word drove me back out." Nina nodded forcefully. "A funny word, too. Not what I was expecting."
Ororo raised an eyebrow. "And what would that word be?"
Nina scrunched up her face in displeasure. "Beer."
Try as she might, Ororo couldn't completely stifle her laughter. "Well, Nina, I think you'll find that with Logan, beer counteracts most rational thoughts."
AN2: And beer counteracts any complaints about how late this is, right? *ducks* Don't complain, have a cold one! Coming up, Taina chooses a name (or least thinks she does), Scott corners Ororo about some new training ideas, and Logan appears. Possibly with beer.
Rhapsody: I've decided to make "Nina" a more fleshed out character. Since I've decided that Taina (or she decided for me) was going to be Jean's groupie, I needed one for Storm.
Viral: Yeah, unfortunately, Useless would have to be MY name. *g*
Whinetoa: "The Muse," eh? Maybe. And yeah, you can't tell Remy off. Especially if he knows your weaknesses.
Silverblade: Thanks!
P-Chan21: There's enough romance stories out there, done by better writers than me. I'm actually thoroughly happy not writing them, as all I can think of are contrived plots. Bleh. I'll leave the talent to those with it. *g*