The next day found the senior class of mutant high gathered in a close knot in the training room looking equal parts excited and nervous. The reason for their nervousness was perfectly clear - Logan leaned causally against the wall opposite the small group smoking a cigar and silently contemplating the assembled teens. The longer he spent in silent perusal the more nervous the teens became. All but one that is.
Marie recognized the tactic Logan was employing it was similar to the distain he showed opponents in the cage. In this case he was using his reputation among the students - aloof, deadly, short tempered - and letting them his silence psych them out. Undaunted Marie just smiled at him, prepared to wait him out. Finally, he spoke.
“So Xavier wants ya to now how to defend yourselves. But more than that I’m here to teach you how to *survive*. I’m here to teach you how to keep yourselves together long enough to keep you alive no matter what you are up against, be it FOH, brotherhood, government, whoever, by doing whatever it takes - powers, hand to hand, weapons, or just good, old-fashioned, running away. You’re gonna be trainin’ with me three times a week and I expect you to be here on time and ready to go.” His gaze swept the room, “Any questions?”
The group was silent after this sobering speech with none of the usual whispers or giggles. Logan gave a satisfied nod before he continued. “Today I’m gonna be fighting ya each one on one to see where you are at.”
Horrified faces met this pronouncement and Bobby practically passed out when Logan barked, “Drake - you’re first.”
It was a massacre. It was meant to be. Bobby didn’t last five seconds before Logan had him pinned to the floor and feeling absurdly grateful just to be alive. Kitty was to scared to even move, let alone phase out of the way, when Logan charged her. St. John was the first to try and bring his mutation into play but didn’t so much as get his lighter open before he was disarmed and shoved face first into the mat. Jubilee, whether from nervousness or design, actually shot a burst of her ‘sparklies’ at Logan who mearly dodged out of the way. Seeing what she had done to the feral mutant stalking toward her she gave a startled squeak and promptly surrendered.
Soon only Marie was left and she rose calmly to stand opposite Logan on the practice mats. Looking him straight in the eye she deliberately peeled off her gloves one by one baring the lethal bare skin of her hands. Her classmates sucked in a surprised breath at the sight of all that pale deadly skin and quickly looked to Logan for his reaction. To their surprise he was actually grinning at the bold move.
“Anything else ya wanna take off kid?” he asked with a smirk. Getting only a smile in return he asked, “Ready?”
Instead of getting a nod in return like all the rest had done, Marie did something else entirely, she ran.
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