16321/A Brew with a Kat and a Fish.

A Brew with a Kat and a Fish.
Date of Scene:	30 May 2024
Location:	Sailor Pub and Bar, Mutant Town
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Wolverine, Shadowcat

---

Wolverine has posed:
Logan sits at booth with beer in front of him, imported, and a plate of fried fied, he's somewhat happy. It's chasing a feeling that may never come. The inclusion of a meal helps, but it's a quiet night to him. One away from the school, the memories they bring and anything remoately close to that. It's comforting.

Logan leans back in the booth. He'll bring the bottle to his lips and take the next pull. The familiar liquid runs down his throat. A very brief burn follows. And he sets the drink down. All in all, a quiet night. However, sometimes people follow Logan. Others know how to track him, if they're brave enough.

Shadowcat has posed:
"Kitty, have you checked on Logan recently?"

"Define recently."

"A couple of us are worried about him."

"About _Logan_?"

"I just... thought you should know. "

...

That was a few days ago.

And, it's true. It has been a... while, I guess, since I talked to him.

I've been so occupied with my thesis, and then there's Illyana...

Don't even get me started on Poitr.

But, tonight's the night. I'm setting everything side, and I'm going to go find out what's going on. I _might_ even try enjoy myself in the process of cheering Logan up. Or... whatever I'm supposed to be doing.

...

Oh, Kitty's brave enough, alright. And when you're a tech-wiz with a pet dragon, it's not like Mutant Town is far enough to hide. Especially when you're just sitting in a booth, blowing off some steam, rather than... you know, hiding out in some safe house because depression is a thing.

There's that already working in her favor, at least.

Impressively enough, somebody actually holds the door for her as she steps in, and she gives them a cherry word of thanks before turning her attention to the room's occupants. Her hands are tucked into her leather jacket, and her crop top today has an 8-bit sword on the front along with the words, 'It's dangerous to go alone. Take this.'

Logan's old enough to remember The Legend of Zelda, right?

"Room for one more?" Kitty asks when she shows up at Logan's booth, but she actually waits for an answer instead of just inserting herself in his space, this time. Maybe she's feeling some kinda way, too. Or maybe she's just working on respecting boundaries a little more.

Wolverine has posed:
Logan remembers the steam engine and when Link was briefly a gas station mascot. He notices Kitty come in before she approaches the booth. "Figured you'd just sit down," and he waits for Kitty to sit down.

He'll gesture for her to sit. "What brings you here besides me?" and then he takes another beer. The eyes close, "Hear about the breakup? I'm single," and he uses that as an explantion for: "How are you," "how have you been," and "why are you here" rolled into one.

"Where have you been? What brings ya back?" he'll ask and then gesture to a menu tucked at the side of the table against the wall. 'I'm buying," in case she wanted a drink or anything. Ocean blue eyes take in her attire. Logan's simple jeans and a black flannel shirt with touches of gray. It's functional not fashionable.

Shadowcat has posed:
"I'm feeling cute. Thought I might try something new."

A hint of a smile quirks Kitty's lips as she slides into the booth and crosses her legs.

"I heard they have good onion rings." So, nothing besides Logan, then.

"Yikes. No. I guess I missed the town meeting because apparently _everyone_ knows more about what's going on than I do, these days."

She plucks the menu out of its holder, but it seems to interest her less than the man across from her. She keeps peering over the top of it at him.

"Oxford. Back and forth. Then there was a tech conference Stark put on in San Francisco and Oscorp did one in Beijing. Some cyber-security stuff, mostly AI and drone tech."

After a few seconds, the menu goes down to the table in front of her and she crosses her arms across her stomach.

"So what happened?" Back on the breakup.

Wolverine has posed:
"Looks good," Logan says honestly to the attire. Those ocean blue eyes focus on the menu, but he notices Kitty's eyes peeking here. There.

"Got something ya wanna say, say it," Logan's just bluntly honest on that one.

"I always heard Oscorp was a little slimey, what was it like workin' there?" Logan knows a thing, or two, about slimy employers. too much time in Madripoor.

Then there's the million dolalr question.

A heavy sigh slips past his lips, "She wanted something else, wit' someone else. I ain't gonna force someone to be wit' me if they don't want me," to Logan, it's just that simple.

"I deserve better."

Shadowcat has posed:
"Back at'cha, Fuzzy."

She's smiling, and that look in her eyes is pure affection -- the kind of steadfast adoration that's so hard to come by most people don't realize they've never had anyone in their lives like that.

"It was just contract stuff. Gotta keep up with the times and be able to afford my ramen, you know?"

But her smile has thinned, and it's obviously a brush-off so she can focus on the _real_ topic of conversation.

She also reaches across the table and sets her hand on his, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"You do," she agrees softly, her voice filled with conviction. "And you will find better. Sometimes, things fall apart so better things can fall together."

Suddenly there's a waiter standing at the end of the table. "Can I get you anything?"

Kitty doesn't move her hand. "I'll have... what are these? One of these." She nods at Logan's beer. "And an order of onion rings."

"Comin' right up," says the waiter, who turns around to walk off, leaving Kitty's attention focused on Logan again.

Wolverine has posed:
Logan notices that look and he wants to call her out on it. However, he holds off for now. It does make him wonder.

A nod comes from him when talks of drones come forward. "As long as ya didn't make death machines," Logan grunts as he knows Kitty probably read the contrasts right.

A few moments later, her hand rests atop of his own. He doesn't move it away. "Offerin' yerself as tribute?" he asks, half joking. The timing of her response is suspect though.

"Two orders of onion rings," he amends.

"I'm basic when it comes to American fish. Complex when ya talk the East. This ain't the East," so he's fine with fish, batter, beer and some kind of frying means. So, as long as it's not too complicated, Logan will enjoy any choices.

Shadowcat has posed:
She can feel the weight of his gaze, and the hint of curiosity in his eyes makes her want to smile. He's not pressing, which she appreciates, but she can tell he's wondering.

That's Logan, always noticing more than he lets on.

"Death machines? Not on my watch," she says, her voice light but firm. "Just trying to stay on the cutting edge without cutting anyone in half."

She watches as he adds another order of onion rings, and she can't help but feel a little thrill at the normalcy of it all. Here they are, two mutants with enough baggage to fill a freight train, ordering beer and onion rings like regular folks. It's nice. More than nice, really.

It's grounding.

"You're not that desperate," she teases, her thumb rubbing small circles on the back of his hand. "And you deserve more than a consolation prize, Logan. You know that, right?"

The waiter comes back at that point and set down the beer.

Kitty pulls her hand back and lifts it in toast. "To better things to come," she says, her eyes meeting his with a hopeful spark.

Wolverine has posed:
"Don't sell yerself short. Ya got plenty to offer. Ya wouldn't be a consolation prize, nor third place, second or anythin' else lower," Logan says to her. He's not sure if this is disinterest or self-depreciation. Either way, he tries to make sure she's okay. That her own self-gaze is something positive.

"I'm thinkin' clearly n' ya would be slummin' it, not me," he chuckles a bit and then he'll snag his beer before raising it. "Better times n' so ya can see yerself as gold," Logan says honestly and nods.

Shadowcat has posed:
There's a moment where Kitty actually seems... speechless. Right before Logan returns that toast. She'd blinked a couple of times as she held that bottle aloft, lips gaping a bit, but it was short lived -- his voice snapped her out of it.

Still giving herself a few seconds to process as she takes a drink, savoring the cool, slightly bitter taste.

When she lowers it again, she has her eyes narrowed across the table, a smile threatening to tug at her lips. "First of all, _you_ are not slummin' for anyone. So you can cut that out. Second..."

She shifts a bit in the booth, folding her hands on her side of the table and allowing a bit more of that grin to creep out in playful challenge.

"Logan, are you hitting on me?"

It wouldn't be this... whatever it is... if it wasn't Logan. Funny? Absurd?

...Intriguing?

She also likely wouldn't be as forward and playful if it wasn't Logan. Their relationship had evolved a lot over the years. He'd been her mentor, something like a father figure, and then she'd grown up. She treated him more like an equal, now, but that didn't mean she didn't respect the hell out of him.

Even if he was grumpy.

Wolverine has posed:
Logan's quiet as Kitty gains her voice for a moment.

"I was bein' honest. Yer a catch,"and he notices how that grin catches creepy traits.

"I could ask ya the same 'bout better opportunities," he knows Kitty phrased it better. "That was me bein' honest. Flirtin' would be, I didn't get a look at ya leavin' the place ya, but I'm sure the back looks as amazin' as the front," and then he raises a brow to Kitty.

"I ain't takin' back my words and I can get worse," Logan warns and he'll take another drink of the beer.

"Yer turn." Althoug he's not sure if it's for answering questions or to be bluntly honest.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty's lips purse, failing to hide the smile that still lingers at his first words. Logan really _can_ be sentimental. When he wants to be.

But it's laughter, unbridled and as genuine and warm as a clear summer day, that bubbles up from Kitty's lips at Logan's attempt at 'flirting.' It's loud and sincere enough to probably draw a nearby eye, and it warms her eyes even more.

"I don't know if I'm more mortified or intrigued," she teases after his suggestion that he could get even worse.

But then it's 'her turn.' Her turn for honesty. But that's not how she's going to interpret it. Not right away, anyway.

So, there's a little wiggle in her seat, another narrowing of her eyes, a focusing of her attention -- which is all just her way of stalling while she comes up with something clever.

"Hey Logan," she says in an overly exaggerated husky voice, "is your skeleton made of adamantium, or are you just happy to see me?"

She tries to keep a straight face.

She does.

She just can't.

Her smile is infectious.

Just then, the waiter arrives with two orders of onion rings, which he sets down in front of each of them.

"Thanks," Kitty offers, reaching for the ketchup. "So. My turn," she acknowledges her intentional misinterpretation. "I wasn't hitting on you. You're hurt, and I was reminding you that there are still people who love you. I'm not going to pounce on you just for the opportunity to screw up our relationship by being your rebound girl."

Pile of ketchup accomplished, she picks up an onion ring.

"That being said..." Dip. Dip. Dip. "...it's not like I've never thought about it before. You and me. I mean..."

Her eyes dip down to his shoulders and back up again. It's not much, but it's enough to make a point. He's hot.

"... and it's not like I'm in a relationship. I've pretty much decided that I'm just going to be single for the rest of my life. I've come to terms with it. Accepted it."

Finally, she bites that onion ring, snapping off a clean chunk with her teeth and chewing, politely, with her mouth closed as she watches him.

Wolverine has posed:
A smirk pulls at his lips as she talks about skeletons. "And ya thought my claws were long n' dangerous," he tries to keep the cheesy adamantium puns going. God, that was bad. Like as bad as those lines that talk about falling out of the sky. "Good voice by the by."

Logan does the same thing to his own onion rings. Catching that glance, he'll lean back and make a show of where his gaze is. Right over that 8-bit shirt, eyeing it similarly.

"If anythin' happened, ya wouldn't be a rebound. I'm still a little sad, but I got to stab people recently. That helped," Logan smirks again. It was a good way to let out so very pent up rage. Plus, it got to help out a museum!

"I ain't in one n' I can't say I haven't been curious of a few things in the same area," Logan points out honestly and he works on the onion ring now. "Ya deserve someone that makes yer heart sing. Someone that will make ya happy just by showin' up," Logan believes everyone deserves that.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty ends up having to cover her mouth just before she _actually_ snorts. Yeah. That was bad.

"Thanks. It's the voice I normally use at bars. That must be why I'm so wildly popular." Sarcasm. _Heavy_ sarcasm.

She doesn't miss the way his gaze drops, but it only makes her smile more. Turn about _is_ fair play, after all. And this is Logan we're talking about. If they can't good-naturedly objectify each other, who can?

"Sorry I missed it," she muses, dipping the rest of that onion ring and taking another drink from her beer as she listens.

"Yeah, but you've gotta give something a fair chance... put in the work to find out if it does or doesn't. You can't just... for instance... sit and eat onion rings while speculating wildly about something that you've never tried."

Beat.

"For instance."

Another little grin as she takes another bite.

Wolverine has posed:
"Ya should actually use it more, you'd be more popular," Logan's not exactly joking. He just knows she wouldn't. Maybe for a special someone in private. That he could see.

"Yer here, it's what matters," Logan takes another dab of the onion ring. Then he brings it to his lips, taking a bite.

"Tell me what ya actually mean kitty." Logan knows that the phrases could be vague. Or they could be intentional. "What ya -really- mean," and he'll point toward her heart.

This means he wants what comes from the actual source, or center of the being.

"And if ya keep lookin' at me like that' I'm gonna wonder if you'll think 'bout those kinda thoughts again," he comments, not in a bad way. IT's half serious, half joking.

"What should I try, Kat?" he asks her, Logan leans back and keeps those ocean blue eyes level on Kitty.

He's not going to go anywhere until she answers him. Also, this means he won't eat until she does, too.

Shadowcat has posed:
Sometimes, you don't even realize you're flirting until it's pointed out to you. Sometimes a thing seems so absurd because you've never looked at it the right way before.

Sometimes, you reach a crossroads.

And you have to make a choice.

Kitty swallows the bite, chases it down with another swig of beer while watching Logan. She's many things, but she's always been more direct with Logan than she has anyone else. He deserved that. He deserved that not to change, no matter what happened.

_What should I try, Kat?_

The question slithers down her spine, making her heart beat a little faster. It sobered her expression, wiped the smile from her lips, sapped the humor from her eyes. She couldn't afford to look like she was joking.

She wasn't joking.

It wasn't funny.

Just the thought of her next word gave her butterflies that she wasn't entirely sure she was comfortable with.

The next word could change everything -- could spoil something beautiful, a true friendship, that had been a lifetime in the making. Or it user in a whole new era of happiness that she'd never known before.

It was a gamble.

It was always a gamble.

She just wished the stakes weren't so high.

"Me."