The lines were clearly drawn that morning between each of the yawn-stifling, still pajama-clad Xmen who clamored into the briefing room’s massive steel interior. All kept unusually quiet.... not to mention half-comatose due to the early hour. The sides taken in the underlying, yet still unspoken matter were made even more apparent by the odd seating arrangement each mutant subcontiously place themselves in.Those lines set a usually tightly-knitted team on one of two sides of the ‘matter’, and at the moment- on one of two sides of the room.
To the right, you had the runners for the “Anti-Kid-Lebeau” team, (which tended to outnumber the latter). An unusually solemn Rogue sat huffily in her chair, arms crossed over her Smurfs nightgown, her eyes forming narrow, angry slits, open and willing to shoot dirty looks at whoever was readily available. To her left sat Jean Grey, mournfully minus her husband who usually stood at her side- the late, great Xmen leader, Scott Summers, AKA Cyclops. Next to Jean, sat the non-morning-person goddess herself, Marrow, looking ready to kill anyone who made move to address her directly. And to top off the group of silent protesters stood both the young and regally snotty Kitty Pryde, flanked by Warren Worthington, with his usually primped angel-esque wings muffed up from a sound night’s sleep.
For Logan, the Xman best known as the feral Wolverine, it took so much self control to hide the toothy grin that treatened to impose itself upon his usual stone-faced grimace, he was practically in pain. He sat in his green plaid boxers with his bare feet hiked up on the briefing room table, slumped comfortably in his chair, and his hands laced over his broad abdomen. Logan stifled a smirk as he came to a somewhat obvious realization. He, as usual, was part of the minority. Sure, it was a self-inflicted pain in the ass, that much he’d expected, but he refused to budge from the “pro-Kid-Lebeau” stance he’s chosen. Besides, he had quite the posse to back him up in the matter- each perched along side him to the left of the largely empty, but seemingly over-crowded room. In the chair to his left, Kurt Wanger, the Xmen known as Nightcrawler, sat indian style, milking the steaming mug of coffee he crattled between both of his three-fingered hands. The elegantly beautiful Orroro Munroe stood a few inches behind Logan, quietly consulting with her blue-furred counterpart Hank McCoy. Besides Kurt’s‘s occasional coffee-slurp, The two of them made the only noise in the entire room.
Then, of course, there was Wolverine’s own little pride and joy, Jubilee, perched in the chair next to him, yawning widely with her head resting on his burly shoulder. The tired teen, siding with his opinion as usual, had become his ‘adopted daughter’ over the years, and more recent, a very close friend to the riotous little girl who remained the core of that day’s controversy. Logan’s close-knit relationship with Jubilee was no doubt the reason he’s sided in the matter the way he had. He loved the girl with everything he had in him, and would do anything for her, as would she for him. It was a unique relationship, the type known by very few out there, and one Logan had never seen himself having ever been bestowed. He’d said it multiple times and still stood by the notion; Jubilee was the protector of all the good that lay in the depths of his soul. As little as he’d ever felt he’d had to offer to the world, she had brought it all out in him. The more he’d thought it over during the past couple of days the more he knew he couldn’t imagine the reaction he’d have if someone were to try and tear that relationship apart, dismissing it as of little importance compared to “bigger issues at hand”. He’d be lost..... that is, after he’d killed whoever had put he act into play.
He, however, had seen this whole confrontation coming from a mile away.
Remy Lebeau’d managed to spawn a curiosity-filled, trouble prone kid, and upon her self-imposition into the lives of the Xmansion’s local residents, a good 75% of the X Team took a good Ass-chafing from Gambit’s little revelation. As fate would have it, Cheyenne was as much of a wildcard prankster as Logan’s own Jubilee- and most of his teammates wanted the kid history- really quick.
The notion made to get rid of the girl, however, made for one pissed-off Wolverine. There wasn’t any way in hell Logan would stand by that kind of complete bullshit..... He’s seen the attachment that Gambit had conjured up over the kid, and lord knew Cheyenne loved him to death.
Point being- If his fellow teammates planned to kick the kid out on her ass all the way to the Massachusetts Academy, they were going to have to get through him first. |
