Chapter 4: Settling In

After a bit more negotiating and half-truths told as explanations, they agreed Jaina's first priority was completing the repairs on the Falcon, just in case. Then, if no one came looking for them and they hadn't been called home, Jaina and Ben would stay on at the school. And, in the meantime, Jaina promised to "earn her keep" by teaching them what she could about bits of technology they could easily integrate into their lives and going on missions with the adults. The group adjourned nearly an hour after they'd met, with the mutants excusing themselves and heading to bed for the night.

Ororo had shown her to the room prepared for her, and Jaina thanked her before closing the door behind the retreating older woman. Jaina surveyed the room with a critical eye. The furnishings were fine and comfortable looking, though not as rich as the furnished apartments on Coruscant. She was somewhat amused to find C-3PO standing stiffly in one dimly lit corner, still powered down. Her amusement was replaced by gratitude when she noticed not only her weapons belt but also a couple sets of clothes laying on the bed. Someone had been kind enough to loan her a change of clothes to use until she could salvage her own from the Falcon instead of rummaging round the ship when they towed her in.

She pulled a pair of trousers made from a thick, tough material and a soft black shirt off the bed along with undergarments and headed for the open door off to the left, what she assumed was the fresher, and she was right. It took a few moments to find the linens and figure out which controls worked what, but the bottles of soaps, shampoos, lotions, and potions were what gave her trouble. Although the local's language was almost indiscernible from Basic, their alphabet was utterly foreign. She had to depend on her sense of smell and touch to determine the purpose of the concoctions, but she eventually emerged from the fresher in the unusual clothes and smelling slightly fruity from the cleansers.

Jaina barely recognized herself as she surveyed her appearance in the mirror. Her dark hair, still damp and clinging to her face in places, was familiar, but it still seemed too short. It had grown considerably since she'd had it shaved due to quarantine procedures several months back, almost reaching her shoulders, but she still expected it to reach well past her waist, straight and unlayered. Instead, it was short enough for the natural waves she'd inherited from her father to show through, and the ends curled this way and that, making the natural layers all the more evident. Then, there were the clothes. She'd never given much regard to her appearance, usually opting for a flight suit and Jedi robes. The black top clung to her curves as did the trousers, making her feel slightly uncomfortable in her own skin. She tugged at the waistband, trying to bring them higher over her hips, but it appeared they were meant to sit low.

Feeling restless, Jaina decided to explore the school. She sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her boots back on. Their tops slid easily under the flared ankles. Habit led her hands to her weapons belt, and she strapped it on, feeling the comforting weight of both her lightsaber and blaster. She glanced at the droid only for a moment before deciding it would be best to leave him powered down until the morning. The last days left her with pent up energy that begged to be released. She needed to move, not listen to the prattling of a paranoid protocol droid. Not to mention, she wouldn't be able to move at more than a crawl with him shuffling behind.

After the meeting, Logan had made his way back to the kitchen. News like that made a man's thoughts turn to drinking. Too bad it was late enough to make heading out to one of the local watering holes barely worth the time. He could use something a mite stronger than beer, and Xavior wasn't in the habit of keeping strong liquor around with a mansion full of teenagers. But, he figured he'd make the best of it and grabbed another beer out of the fridge.

Half an hour and three beers later, movement in the hall and a whiff of citrus caught his attention. Logan took a tentative sniff and found a familiar scent under the shampoo's smell.

"Lost darlin'?" he asked from his seat in the darkened kitchen.

"Can't sleep, Mr. Logan?" she answered, never giving any sign she was even the slightest bit surprised as she stepped forward to lean against the door jam.

"Don't sleep much," he agreed, taking a lazy sip of his beer. She sure didn't look like a military type, that's for sure. Even with the gun strapped to her hip. Eighteen, barely grown, and here she was up way past her bedtime, pretending to be a grown up. Logan motioned toward her holster with his bottle. "You ain't gotta wear those round here."

She looked down at herself, seeming for all the world not to know what he was talking about, and wore a sheepish grin when she looked back up.

"Habit," she chuckled. "Doesn't pay to be far from a weapon these days."

"Yeah, well," Logan snorted, "we mutants tend not to think about it much." He raised one hand and let his claws slip forward where she could see them, and was impressed when she didn't flinch. "Our weapons are kinda built in."

"Impressive," she answered. "Jedi are much the same, but we've found weapons help compensate for our minuscule numbers."

"How minuscule?"

"Less than a hundred last time I heard," Jaina answered, heavy sadness lacing her voice. Logan could almost see her attention shift before she spoke again. "Strange thing about being in a trance for hours," she changed the subject. "They leave you feeling amped once you get to moving again. There a workout area around here?"

"Yeah," Logan smiled and finished off his drink before easing off the stool. He chunked the bottle in the waste bin on his way to the door. She never moved, even when came within inches of her before stopping, merely looking up to meet his eyes. There weren't many times Logan remembered almost towering over a full-grown woman, but Jaina was tiny. She couldn't be more than five foot two, and looked like she'd weigh no more than 120 soaking wet. Logan knew he wasn't a large man, but he was used to others being somewhat intimidated by his gruff manner and rough looks. Jaina's apparent disconcern was interesting.

"I could use a workout myself."

Jaina pushed away from the jam and raised herself to her full height without hurry to do so. "Lead the way."

Jaina nodded in approval as she entered the danger room. Logan had set the gymnasium program to run. This girl talked like she had some power, and he could almost feel it, sense it in the way she moved. He wanted to find out what she was made of first hand, and that meant one thing for him – sparing.

"Do you have any other powers?" she asked, turning to face him as she unlatched her weapon's belt. "Other than fast healing and the claws?"

"Enhanced senses," he answered. She just nodded and laid her weapons off to the side. "And you?" he asked in return. "You never said what your powers were."

"Same as most Jedi," she answered as she turned to face him again. "Abilities vary, but every Jedi has enhanced reflexes and a sixth sense that allows us to feel fluctuations in the Force around us. With training, aptitude, and sufficient concentration, other abilities are possible. Enhanced healing, speed, strength, senses, a degree of telepathy, telekenisis, and precognition." She shrugged, sauntering backwards toward the open sparing area. "All depends on your family line and your dedication to learning."

"I didn't ask about Jedi abilities," Logan answered, following her. "I asked about yours."

Jaina chuckled, a wry grin spreading over her lips before she spread her arms to her side. "Isn't that what you're here to find out?" she asked. "I rather got the impression you wanted to experience them first hand."

"Guess that settles the bit about you bein' a mind reader then."

"Don't need to be," she answered.

"What about your weapons?" he asked, nodding toward her discarded holster. "Don't ya want 'em?"

"Doesn't seem fair," Jaina answered. "The blaster wouldn't tell you anything, and I'm pretty sure my lightsaber'd cut through your claws."

"Adamantium's indestructible."

"You really want to test that?" she asked. Her eyebrows raised in inquiry. "Besides, lightsabers don't have stun settings. It's too easy to seriously hurt someone to employ them in practice with another biological being."

"Hand to hand then," Wolverine concluded, flexing his fingers and not quite fighting the wicked smile coming to his expression.

"Hand to hand," she agreed.

Wolverine threw a right hook toward her jaw before she'd finished speaking, deciding to test these enhanced reflexes she was talking about. Jaina seemed to disappear a split second before the blow would have landed and reappeared to the right of his fist. She grasped his wrist and pulled with his own momentum while moving further around his side. She'd released his wrist and landed a blow to the back of his shoulder and knee before he could react, sending him face first onto the floor. More than a little stunned by his sudden meeting with the mat, it took Logan a split second longer than normal to recover. He turned to find Jaina several feet away, standing relaxed and waiting for his next move. Wolverine pushed up from the floor and rushed her in one motion. His arms began to close around her as she vaulted upwards and somersaulted over his head.

Better prepared this time, Wolverine dropped, kicking his leg back and rotating to knock her feet out from under her. He connected with her right ankle, and sent her pitching forward onto the mat. Seeing Jaina coil herself to recover, Logan got to his feet, meeting her face to face just in time to catch a punch to his solar plexus. He grunted as he absorbed the blow and jabbed toward her ribs. Jaina caught his wrist again and once again used his own momentum to pull him off balance as she lashed out with a solid kick right at his hip joint. Wolverine's eyes grew wide in shock as his leg went numb for a split second, causing the knee to jerk, but he recovered before the deadened limb fell out from under him.

Frustration had built up inside him to the point of anger, and unbenounced to him, Wolverine's claws escaped as he attempted another punch to Jaina's ribs. His horror didn't have time to register before the diminutive brunette dodged the claws by millimeters, and Logan suddenly found himself in midair, a pressure against his eardrums like a low rumbling just outside even his range of hearing. Gravity regained control as time seemed to return, and Wolverine hit the ground hard.

Logan sucked in a rough draft of air after being winded by the impact and shook his head, trying to clear the ringing from his ears. The girl could pack a wallop! He looked up to find her standing several feet away, where he'd been a moment before.

"You okay?" she asked.

Logan grunted his acknowledgement and pushed himself from the floor. His back and legs protested the movement after being jarred, but they complied nonetheless. A barely auditable growl escaped his throat as he realized the girl was actually smirking at him, now standing with her hands planted on her hips.

"I thought we agreed," she drawled. "No weapons."

A feral grin spread across Wolverine's face, recognizing the renewed challenge. He retracted his claws as he made his way back to the mats. Interesting evening indeed.