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Logan hauled in a few trout earlier today and has spent the last hour or so out behind the cabin cleaning the fish. The guts get disposed of, tossed out to feed the scavengers and sure to make a meal for some opossums and maybe a raccoon or two.
He brings the filets in on a piece of damp cloth, laying them on the counter in the kitchen before he goes to wash up, using the industrial soap liberally to try and wipe the smell from his hands. With a sniffer like his, you need good soap, "All yours, darlin'. Should be enough fer us both, although I won't complain if you just gimme all of it," he winks.
"That's actually more than enough.." Jean comments, her nose wrinkling as she finishes up the last of the baked dish to place into the oven at a low heat. The smell was atrocious, but it was something to get used to, even if she's only fished once and cheated the rest of her time nearthe lake. It's been a busy few days, most of the kids came near with their problems, Charles has been gone and left her mostly in charge. Who knows what else was going out in the world, but she really was itching to stretch her proverbial limbs and join the fight.
"There's hardly any time to relax now a days. I almost want to take most of the staff or those who are in the X-Men on a flight around the world with the Blackbird. What do you think?"
Logan had kept himself at arm's length from a lot of that stuff. The kids are just that, kids, and he doesn't pretend to be one of them and they don't approach him in the same way they do Jean. He likes it that way.
"I think that sounds awful damn expensive, but I ain't the one payin' fer the jet fuel. Got a particular reason you're hankerin' to do some travel or just feelin' hemmed in around the place?"
"Charles can afford it." She says nothing else, just allowing the sounds of her banging around the kitchen to be heard for the moment, then lighting the fires of the stove to get the oils hot while she prepares the fish. "I think I'm feeling a bit shut in. Those last few missions we were in when we were in Iceland were a demoralizing bust. I still.." She quiets then, rolling up her sleeves as she seasons the fish. "..nothing."
She clears her throat and finishes up with her seasoning, then places the fish into the pan to give it a good fry. Garnish was next, though she doesn't move for it, allowing her TK to take the knife and cut it into lovely pieces that she can sautee and add to a different flame. "We need a win. It seems like all mutants do is just get kidnapped so that we can be experimented on. I'm starting to think that we train people to survive kidnapping situations so that they can return home normal so we don't have to deal with it. You know?"
Logan draws a cigar from the box by his recliner, one of the better ones instead of the greasy, cheap cigars that he wastes on the regular, "School exists cause mutants got it hard, darlin'. It's a refuge," he says. "I know what ya mean, though. Seems like we're under siege nine days outta ten and the tenth day ain't exactly a picnic neither," he says.
"I get the feelin' you ain't exactly plannin' to go skinny dippin' in the tropics. Not that I'd complain if ya did. I like a nice swim," he grins.
"A refuge yes, but sometimes I fail to see how we are helping if we can't teach them to stay out of trouble." She shrugs then, "Maybe its because I didn't have a childhood myself, though I doubt that anyone would actually appreciate the childhood that I've had. We've had. Or the many lives we've suffered through in a week.. or month, how ever long we were up there." She glances up towards the ceiling, then moves to the fridge to open it to retrieve a beer. A beer which was soon floated to Logan while she continues to work.
She does offer up a little smirk which went unseen, then shrugs. "Skinny dipping is more of your thing." She says as a joke. "But no, maybe some good will mission, like rebuilding things. Fixing stuff for people. Feeding the poor, that sort of thing." Or kicking some ass, but she doesn't say that.
Logan seems to have recovered better from their experiences aboard ship. Perhaps because he's had an extra long lifetime already to provide an additional buffer, the grounding of a hundred plus years in the flesh to make it easier to push those ephemera into the space of memory. Plus his memory's never exactly been stellar to being with.
"You need to learn to have more fun," he says simply. "More to life than building shit and feeding the poor. And fightin'," he says. "I know it just make syou feel guilty, but you gotta let go sometime. Tryin' to hold it all in's only gonna make things worse," he says.
"But I don't deny gettin' outta here's probably a good call. Everybody gets stir crazy starin' at the walls too long."
"I know how to have fun.." Jean says blankly, staring towards Logan before turning back towards the fish and other foods that were made before hand. "..granted I don't drink but I can cut the rug a little bit with a funky dance." Jean was weird, so weird and yet so comfortable arounnd Logan that she does actually -try- to cut a rug. Her flailing limbs which turn to tucked elbows, swaying and twisting of her hips nearly make her look broke. But she was laughing a little, her knees going crooked as she wiggles her head to add in a few hops!
She stops just in time to carefully flip the fish, then gets back to dancing, not because she was demonstrating, but just because. "I'm not guilty, I just feel that I'm better put to use by fighting."
Logan grins, "Drinkin' might make that dancin' a little bit better. Or maybe that's on my end," he says a little teasingly. "I know you know how, you just don't allow yerself to do it much. Maybe it's not guilt so much as…responsibility," he says. "You got that duty thing like lotsa soldiers get. Cap'n America, more'n most,' he says.
He puffs on his cigar and comes in to help, adding a little extra seasoning to the fish because he likes it spicy. "Don't worry so m uch about what the best use is. Figure out whatcha wanna do first an' foremost," he says.
Jean wrinkles her nose a little bit, the dancing slowing as she turns to lean upon the counter. Out of all of that, she felt a compliment in there somewhere..
"You really think so? You really think I'm like Captain America?" Her cheeks turn red, and her shoulders lift, which makes her turn to the stove again to lower the heat, and soon she's dancing around the kitchen with slight finesse to get the plates ready to begin to place the steaming food upon it. "Mind getting the table ready?" She asks, dinner was almost served!
"That's another thing too. I do at least want to link what X-Men we have up with SHIELD. To expand and give a little aid where we can. I'd like to be transparent, but not overly so. I feel like we're stomping on their grounds a bit and we could use some of their expertise."
Logan waits a moment before answering, watching as she fusses around the kitchen. He does as she asks, setting out the plates. THe silverware isn't exactly properly placed, just kind of dropped there be used, but he at least put a napkin down underneath.
"You're more like 'im than anybody I know," he says. "Naturally good - yeah, I know, you got yer darkside, but that ain't where yer heart is an' it ain't never gonna be," he says, holding up a hand against interruption. "You believe in doin' the right thing, even at personal cost. Not only believe in it, but do it by instinct, got it in the way ya breathe," he says. "That's a rare thing, lemme tell ya, darlin'."
"As for SHIELD, I can put some feelers out that way. I'm still technically on the payroll, even if it's a bit under the counter,' he says. "I know a few agents well, Peggy most of all, although she'll always do what she's supposed to regardless o' old friends," he says.
Man. It was clear there was some reverence there, Jean felt like being compared to the American Hero was an honor and the biggest compliment she's ever received. Sure, she was pretty enough, nice enough, a slightly decent cook (at least Logan hadn't died yet), but.. hearing that? It almost just made her want to do more good. It was like a high, saving people without regard for herself, doing well, doing better, being better and being -good-, even though her name wasn't put out there..
"I see it in some of our people, you know? Like.. Kaleb. Even though he calls himself an asshole constantly, you just -know- that guy has that good bone in his body. He can cuss and swear and do whatever. He's a good kid. And Warren. No matter what he's been through, and he's angry. Still good. And Scarlett?" She shakes her head. "Sister is a wildchild, she'd rather give someone a flower than punch them. We got some wholesome people in us.." The hot pan was taken up, the side dishes plated first. "And I'd really like to meet with them all, but I'm afraid of what they'd say and how they'd say it."
Logan walks up and puts a hand softly on Jean's shoulder, "I dunno about all the details, but I know one thing they'd all so: I'm with you," he says. "All these weirdos and freaks around here, the one thing almost all o' us got in common is we'd follow you into hell, Jean Grey. Ain't you figured that out yet?" he says.
Logan, of course, once nearly did that in the literal sense. Not that anybody but the two of them know about it.
"Fish is startin' to smell good. With Chuck off dealing with his own shit, you're the leader of the X-men, Jean. Don't doubt it. Cause ain't none of us doubtin' you," he says.
As Logan touches her shoulder, she reaches up to lay her hand on hers, even shifting just a touch to lightly kiss his thumb. "I know that. I don't like knowing that, though." She admits, then finally steps away. Once everything was plated and settled, she gestures towards the chair for him to sit, then works about getting herself a glass of milk to go along with her dinner.
"Have I ever told you that I don't like to lead?" She asks. "I feel a bit mean when I try to give orders.." Once that was said, she flops down upon her own chair with her glass of milk, drinking that instead of touching her own dinner.
Logan looks at the kiss on his thumb for a moment and takes a moment to brush her hair with his hand, tucking the red locks behind her ear before he goes to take his own seat.
He grabs himself a beer while she enjoys the milk, wrinkling his nose at pairing dairy and seafood. "Better you than me, darlin'," he says, sitting down. "Leadin' is usually somethin' gets thrust upon ya. Most o' the folks that wanna lead got no business doin' it. Too interested in power, too invested in bein' over other people. The best leaders are like you - you do it because you're a good example, cause when trouble hits, people look your way and wanna see what yer gonna do. Cause they trust you."
Dairy goes with everything! And with that said, she lifts her glass up in the form of a toast as he wrinkles his nose. "Aside from nearly going batshit crazy most of the time.." Jean muses, then finally takes a sip of her milk. She was clearly nursing it to avoid eating, which she'll get too soon enough. Plus, there was cake in the oven, one might would rather have that more than the fish and veggies on the plate.
"You know more than anyone that I.. we.." She lightly taps her chest. "..we can't be trusted. You've seen first hand that we will destroy everything in our path no matter what the consequences are just to build something to her liking." She shakes her head. "Like, what'll happen when I lose control? What'll happen if I decide to say.. screw it. Lets blow the Earth and find another place to live. Like some random planet in the cosmos where everything is just new."
Logan shakes his head, "I ain't talkin' 'bout her, though. I'm talkin' about you. I know she's in there and you gotta deal with her, but you, Jean Grey, are better than her. Whatever power she's got, you're the one who's worth a damn and you're the one I…care about," he says.
He takes a long drink of his beer. "I know it's a burden on ya, I ain't sayin' it's not. But you gotta live your life, not hers. Cause that's what she wants anyway. If she does like you say, then you'll beat her. I know you will. Nuff said," he says.
Jean nods solemnly, attempting to smile but she just couldn't. It was true that she had a hold on the Phoenix, and letting her out to play was something of a treat to a child for being good. But eventually, she knows, it wouldn't be enough. "You're right." She states. "I guess it's time to start doing what I want and dream instead of letting this hold me back." She lifts her glass again, then finally picks up her fork and knife, cutting things into pieces before she eats. "So.. what say you. Let's go to Japan."
Logan almost chokes on his beer, "Japan?!?" he says. To say he's got a lot of history in Japan is something of an understatement. Just setting foot on Japanese soil again is likely to set off a few ripple effects the second he's spotted.
"If you want," he says. "I got a lot of old friends in Japan. And a lot of old enemies. Some of 'em are the same people," he says.
Jean looks surprised! Though she shouldn't.. mainly because of Akihiro.. but.. she was still surprised! "I.. uh.. maybe we can go to China then? China! China is a good place, no enemies there, right?" Right? She was looking hopeful. Sort of. Totally up to him though!
Logan grins, "I don't mind Japan. Just preparin' you that there are probably some places we won't be able to go unless ya feel like gettin' shot at," he says.
"China's pretty, although a lot of it's crazy wild, even more than Canada,' he says and thinks for a long moment, "How 'bout Hong Kong? Best o' China, but still run by the Brits in case things get too hot and I gotta pull the SHIELD card."
She quietly contemplates this, then slightly nods. "Hong Kong it is! Now, lets eat up. I want to train to work out some energy. I feel like I haven't done that in a while."
Logan grins and digs into his food, "I'm gonna build up energy my favorite way, too: gonna listen to Robert Johnson records and drink a shitload o' whiskey. We all work out our own ways," he says.