*Chapter 12*
~Black Fox~
Things were not going well. First, it had taken hours to get their rooms at the Black Fox due to the language barrier. Next, after they had gotten settled Logan and Jean had set out to find Xavier's French friend. What they found was that he had left town and wouldn't be back for several months. So their potential source of information and aid was out of the picture leaving them alone and with nothing. And the language difference remained a major problem. They couldn't learn anything if they couldn't understand the locals. It had been nearly two weeks since they had arrived and they were no closer to the Scrolls than they were before. Now they were up the creek without a paddle so to speak. To say they were frustrated would be a serious understatement.
Jean, however, tried to look on the bright side of things. For the moment they were staying in one place with no moving around planned in the near future. This was the perfect opportunity to get Bobby alone for her little talk. So far she had either been too busy or too tired to take advantage of the situation. Now she was ready to go through with it, she just had to get him alone for a little while. The red-headed psychic brushed off her dress after breakfast and approached Logan to set things up.
"Good morning Logan." She greeted cheerfully.
"What do you want Jean." The feral replied blandly.
"What make you thing I want anything?" Jean inquired innocently, pulling her face into a pout.
"Because you never say 'good morning' to me twice." He answered.
"Oh, I said good morning already? Silly me." She returned, rather embarrassed at her slip-up. "Well you caught me anyway. There is something that I would like."
"Tell me what and why and I'll see what I can do." Logan said.
"I was hoping that I could be paired with Bobby today because I would like to have a little private discussion with him." Jean explained. This surprised the Cursed man; it was several moments before he spoke.
"What do want to talk about with him?" He asked suspiciously.
"Kitty." Jean said.
"I'm not so sure that's a good idea." Logan replied slowly.
"Well why not?" Jean demanded.
"There is a reason she keeps turning him down. Several reasons probably. The more you try to set her up with him the more she's going to fight it. It's the way she is. If she isn't open to the idea in the first place she isn't likely to change her mind about it." Logan answered.
"I know there are reasons, she listed them for me. And I know she will fight it, but I still want to try this and help poor Bobby out." Jean countered.
"She may have listed out some of the reasons she has but I don't think she revealed all of them." Logan replied.
"What makes you say that?" She asked curiously.
"When I watch those two go at it I get the feeling that she's hiding something from him, from all of us. I don't know why I feel that way, maybe it's the way she looks just after he gives up for a moment, or maybe it's something else. But I'm sure there's more to it than you think." Logan warned.
"That may be." Jean reluctantly admitted. "But I still want to try and do this. Kitty seems so lonely sometimes and I want to help her. She claims to have no interest in courting but maybe she is just afraid of getting hurt. I know that Bobby will never do that and he has strong interest in her. If she truly gave him a chance they would be wonderful together. So would you please put me with Bobby today?" Jean begged, un-wavered by Logan's warnings.
"Alright, fine. Since I can't change your mind about this and I agree with certain parts of your argument I'll do it." Logan grumbled. He hated giving in like this, but he also hated it when Kitty got that sad, lost look on her face. If letting Jean have her way this time helped erase that look from her face it would be worth it.
"Thank you very much Logan." Jean chirped happily. No, she wasn't just happy, she was ecstatic. Finally she had her chance to play match-maker for her two friends. Despite the problems with their quest this would make it all worthwhile. Now all she had to do was get him to listen and see how things went from there. As the psychic prepared to go out her mind was immersed in plans for the futures of her young friends. Yes, things are definitely looking up!
***
"This is so stupid." Bobby whined. "Why are we out here if we can't even understand what the people are saying? What's the point?" He groused; studying the scuff marks his boots left in the dirt. They were standing at the edge of the same market they had passed through on their first day in Paris hoping to stumble across some clue or rumor that might help. Jean sighed and shook her head; this was going to be more difficult than she had thought it would be. Bobby really needed her help because right now he was hopeless.
"Bobby, why don't we talk about something else?" Jean suggested.
"Alright," Bobby sighed. "Why did you want to be paired with me? Are you trying to set Kitty up with Piotr or something?" Iceman joked sarcastically.
"No, I wanted to be paired with you so that we could talk in private." Jean seriously answered.
"Oh, so what do you want to talk to me about?" He asked; his curiosity was piqued by this answer.
"I want to talk about Kitty with you." Jean replied.
"Great, you're going to tell me to leave her alone aren't you." Bobby sighed, looking somewhat melancholic.
"Actually no, that's not what I'm going to say." Jean said, surprising the young man. "I want to help you out with her."
"Are you serious?" Bobby asked incredulously.
"Yes I am quite serious. You are in need of some help and I intend to give it to you." She confirmed. When Bobby remained speechless Jean continued. "First, Kitty does not appreciate your flirting with every pretty girl in sight. Not to mention it is quite rude to do so unless you have no wish to court anyone seriously. Since you appear quite serious to me you should stop any flirting unless it is with her. And it might keep you out of trouble for a while."
"Second, she does not appreciate your immature behavior. Your childish pranks and bragging do not impress her in the least. In fact such behavior makes you less desirable all around. Most women prefer a man who knows when to be serious and when to have fun. You don't know how to do this so I suggest you learn quickly. It is a life skill and more people will respect you if you learn when certain things are appropriate or not. This will also help keep you out of trouble for some time."
"And finally, whatever you do, don't get her mad or annoyed. When she becomes upset with you back off and give her space, don't make things worse. Wait for an hour or so before you try again and remember to be patient. When she's calm try and make intelligent conversation. You're very good at story-telling, Kitty even said so herself, so why don't you try telling her a few. And, I'll say it again, be patient. It will take a long time for her old impressions of you to wear away, but if you stick with it and don't give up then I think you have a good chance of winning her over." Jean finished.
Bobby looked quite overwhelmed by all this information he had been bombarded with. But he also had been listening and would take Jean's good advice to heart. He would remember this and give it a try. He hadn't been able to win her before, maybe these hints would give him the edge he needed to win her heart like she won his.
***
Wolverine was being watched. They all had been watched since they had first arrived in Paris. Logan was perfectly aware of the eyes scrutinizing him but gave no sign of his awareness. Instead he calmly sipped his beer, a rarity around these parts, and waited for an opportunity. He was going to catch this man and find out why he was spying on them. Perhaps this man could help them somehow, or maybe he out to get them for some reason. All sorts of possibilities buzzed around the feral man's head while he outwardly remained calm, even bored.
The Cursed man finished his drink, paid his bill, and left the smoke filled tavern to return to the Black Fox. His observer followed discreetly. Logan ambled down the narrow city roads searching for a chance at his mysterious pursuer. He did not have long to wait. Barely a few streets away from the abandoned tavern Logan noticed a side alley that could easily conceal him, allowing for the possibility of getting behind the stranger. It worked like a charm. The Frenchman in a long, dark coat paused at the alley, looked around a bit, then gave up and started to leave. Wolverine was behind him so fast the other man didn't have a second to react.
"Well what do we have here? A spy perhaps?" Logan growled threateningly. "For your sake I hope you aren't because I detest spies." He emphasized his point by popping his claws on his right hand and lightly pricking the stranger with them.
"Remy no spy." The man hurriedly replied. "He just curious is all. Foreigners are not common here. Remy just wondered what you all doing here is all. Thieves honor." That last part was a mistake.
"So you're a thief." Wolverine snarled, pricking Remy again.
"Yes, Remy a thief. But he is no ordinary thief. Maybe Remy can help you mon ami." The French thief offered.
"Can you get some information?" Logan questioned.
"Oui, Remy can do that. For a price." Remy replied.
"Of course. I'll consider it. For now I would appreciate it if you would stop watching us. It bothers me." Logan half growled.
"Yes, Remy will." The Frenchman promised. Logan released the thief and continued on his way without a backward glance. The thief could be useful, if he could be trusted.