Unpleasantness Behind Us (PG-13)

Blade pulled up on his motorcycle in front of Mel's Parking Lot. A small Parking space. With a cigarette hanging from his mouth. Gavin sat there for a moment to clear his mind and mentally prepare for whatever waited for him inside, since his last visit hadn't been the best, before dismounting the motorcycle. He stepped a few feet away from the motorcycle only halfway through the cigarette trying to savor the moment before he is suddenly interrupted and forced to extinguish the cigarette. He would rather lay it down and let it burn out on its own and save the cigarette for later though. Either way it didn't matter since the cigarette losses its favor and never tastes the same way again. He didn't even remember if Mel's let smokers in.

Finished with the cigarette, he grabbed his travel bag and swung the gear over his shoulder then slowly walked over to the doorway that lead inside the dinner. He walked down to the counter and sat down on a bench. Taking a moment to observe the surroundings and listen to interesting conversation and noises. So far, everything appeared to be fine. No one had yelled at him. He dropped the bag on the floor next to him.

He called for the waitress and waited for her to come. He simply hoped no unpleasantness would come today. A cold beer would taste extremely good. But there was no booze at Mel's. Which was just great.

Last edited by Gavin Cooper on Wed Jun 05, 2013 2:01 pm; edited 1 time in total

Natasha had started working at Mel's diner for extra money. It also helped her practice her english. She was restocking the front cabinets with lemon slices and other things needed when the man sat at the counter. She was dressed in work uniform but she hated it. It was ugly.

She walked up to the counter with her notepad. She started to speak in russian and had to correct herself. " Sorry. Name is Natasha. I help you today. What you like? Our special is burger and season fries." She spoke with a thick russian accent as she set his menu down.

Gavin looked around Mel's. It still seemed normal. Not too many changes since his last visit. Except the new waiter. Russian one. She seemed hot though. "Hey, no worries kid. Just get me the burger and the fries, and a soda or something." Said Blade, tapping his fingers on the counter. He looked over at the waitress and took of his sunglasses. "If you go fast I'll give ya a tip kiddo." The girl could have a Russian accent, but Blade wasn't the best at English. He himself had a bit of a Jamaican accent. But he wasn't around saying things like "ma Maan" or "gi'mme da weed." He was a normal American citizen with a slight accent. Like many other Americans. He, however, was a mutant.

Natasha took a little longer than most waitresses to write down his order. She was still getting used to writing in english. She tried to work as fast as she could though. She turned in his order slip to the kitchen and got him a coke. She returned with his drink and set it on the counter while almost spilling it. She grabbed a rag and quickly wiped it up. " I am not kid. I am 19 years old. excuse bag english. I am...not from around here." She meant it in more ways than one. Jason Andrews had brought her back from the past. She was originally one of charles xavier's students. " They need waitress. Other waitress dissapear."

"Well you're ten years younger than me. So you a kid." Said Gavin, looking at the spilled coke. He let out a comforting smile towards the girl, and grabbed the coke. "Well, you're doing a good job. Just get me the burger and you'l be set. Understood hunny?" Asked Blade. He didn't want to cause commotion, and the kid did indeed seem nice. Gavin took a sip from his coke, finally wetting his lips after all that time driving his bike dry. "Ah that's good!"

Natasha nodded shyly and stepped away from the counter. She waited by the drop off window for the kitchen for his food. It was a slow day at Mel's luckily. Otherwise Natasha would be running tables. She stood there humming a lullaby from her village in Siberia until his food was ready.

She brought his food over and set it down alot more gracefully than she did with his coke. " You need anything. Let Natasha know." She said and smiled for the first time in a while. She was still embarrassed about her accent and her horrible english but the guy was being nice about it.

She took an energy bar from her waitressing apron and nibbled on it. Mel was a nice old man and worked with his waiters and waitresses when they had special needs. He allowed Natasha to have her energy bars and sodas.

Gavin looked over the counter at the waitress. A young russian girl in America. Wouldn't seem right to threat her bad. He watched as she brought his hamburger and set it down. She seemed calmer. This time, nothing was spilled. "Well thanks. And since I know your name, sounds good if I tell you mine. Blade." Gavin was hoping she hand't heard about him. All of the human trash deaths that had happened because of him, gave him enough renown. Enough for his liking. If the girl didn't know him, he'd be less tensed up. Much less tensed up.

He picked up his burger, and took a huge bite of it. He was great in terms of eating. The burger wouldn't know what hit it. He watched curiously as Natasha ate an energy bar. From beneath his bites and sips, he was able to make a full sentence. "Hey Natasha, does Mel let you eat that here?" He asked curiously, taking another bite from his burger.

Natasha checked on the old men that were sitting at the counter a few seats away from blade. She refilled their coffee and brough them ketsup for their fries before coming back to Blade. She smiled again. " Your name blade. I fight with a blade." She giggled softly and reached out. She gently touched blade on the shoulder and she thought for a moment before letting go. " I see. you one as well. Natasha is mutant too. Mel does not know. Mel lets natasha have these because natasha uses... alot of energy. Natasha could get very sick." She smirked and for a fraction of a second her hands glowed a faint pink like gambit.

Gavin was interested. Natasha knew he was a mutant. He was rather pleased he didn't have to pretend he wasn't one of his kind. "Oh...you're also a mutant. What a nice surprise." Whispered Gavin. "You could get sick huh? You got a condition that binds you to eat things like that? I got a condition too, so you can trust me with these kinds of things." He was extremely fascinated with her hands. They looked like LeBeau's hands. He had met Rémy in more then one occasion. Gambit was always up to no good. He was reminded of a time where he and Rémy actually teamed up, to fight X-Cutioner. They succeed. Later, Blade learned Gambit had joined the X-Men. He was quite young, and wanted to join too. But then, Gambit disappeared. Along with many other X-Men. Gav never heard of LeBeau again. He did miss the old times, where both of them would go around, doing mischief. "Rémy..." He said, in a soft whisper.

Natasha ate a few more bites of the energy bar. " I- use my own energy. To fuel power. i burn up too many calories. hypoglecemic. natasha go into coma. Natasha die." She left blade for a few moments to go and cash a couple of customers out and then returned to him and refreshened his drink. " Natasha remember Remy. Before things go bad." Natasha looked like a kid but she was from the past. She had known Remy as well as the other Xmen. She felt lonely without them.

"...Before things go bad." Gavin stuttered in his words. Who was this kid? Her face was familiar to Gavin. Not that much, but he was reminded of a young girl who was also with the X-Men. By the time Charles was killed, they were probably the same age. But this girl couldn't be her. It had been ten years. This girl would now be as old as he was. And for her looks, Natasha wasn't twenty nine years old. "Did you knew Rémy Natasha? Were you...with the X-Men ten years ago?" Asked Blade, full of curiosity.

Natasha hesitated to answer. She chewed her lip while she thought it over then nodded. " Yes, Natasha was at xavier's school. Remy was friend. He was to teach Natasha better english. N-....Natasha was left alone at school after explosion. Had to hide from setinels. Mr Andrews bring Natasha from past to save Wolf lady's young one." She grabbed a rag from the sink and started to wipe the counters down as tears started to form. She missed me Papa, mama, her brother. All of her friends from the school were gone.

As it had many times before, and would many times after; the door of Mel's Diner swung open, allowing entry to another customer.
This lady was something of a head-turner, however. A somewhat tall woman, with an earthy skintone and snow-white hair stepped inside. Her ice chip blue eyes looked around the diner while her hands went to straighten her summer-style dress. The long, flowing material patterned with pale blue flowers that matched her eye color was not only flattering, but showed much of her long, atheletic legs. Oro knew she wasn't exactly a spring chicken, but that didn't mean she had to look like a grandmother, either.

Spotting a familiar shock of very blonde hair and a pale face to match, she smiled and slowly walked over to the counter Natasha was engaged in polishing. She hadn't noticed the girl's troubled face until she stopped just on the other side. She glanced to the man sitting nearby, giving a polite smile before looking back to the blonde waitress, seeming concerned.
"Natasha? Is everything alright?"

Gavin understood how Natasha felt. Actually, he had no idea of how living in a different era so suddenly was, but he did meet death. And boy was she a bitch. "I knew I had seen you before. Boy, last time I saw you, I was nineteen. I'm twenty nine now. So strange seeing you so young compared to me now." And Jason brought her from the past? How interesting... Gavin thought. "Well we should...-Natasha? Is everything alright?" Blade was interrupted by that woman. Whom he was also familiarized with. Gambit had talked about some of the X-Men. Logan, Jean, Scott, Storm. And mostly Rogue. Man, he did not let Rogue go. But that woman...did indeed look like storm. The hair color was what really made everything clear. Although she had shorter hair now, that was definitively Storm. But, was she brought from the past too? "She's certainly not alright." Said Gavin, noticing Natasha's face. "Miss...please tend to the girl. I believe you'd be able to show more womanly love then myself."

Natasha continued wiping counters until she heard Storm's voice. Her head whipped around and she let out an excited squeal. " Storm!" She ran around the counter and hugged Storm tightly. Storm was the first familiar face she had seen in so long. " Natasha thought you were dead! after the school exploded and everyone was gone... I had no where to go. stayed in the ruins hiding from setinels until Mr Andrews came." Natasha started to speak in russian on accident and her hands were starting to glow from her excited state.

At finding she interrupted the man sitting nearby, Oro gave a small smile of embaressment, which was broken by the man's comment of lending some maternal support. He certainly didn't look like the gentle, caring sort. It made her laugh. No, a guy like him wouldn't exactly be packing around Kleenex for a lonely teenage girl. More like swords and guns for the things that make the girls cry.
Storm got the sense that perhaps the stranger recognised her, but she was past caring about it any longer.
Her identity was made public long ago, and if news began to travel that some of the original X-Men were back; all the better. Perhaps then, more would begin to return.

As Natasha came around the counter, Storm hugged the girl tightly and sighed.
"I'm sorry I left you! I left everyone, after the attack happened. It took me a long time to get over that! But I'm so glad to see you here and now, when I can try and help make things right again. Charles isn't with us, but we can keep trying to live out his dream.. and keep our little family together."

Okay, Gavin stop thinking. This IS Storm. Natasha just said it herself. Now try to talk for crying out loud. Blade thought, deep within his head. He didn't move nor speak, as Natasha and Ororo spoke to each other. Hey dumbass, are you just gonna stand there looking at girls? Seriously say something. Thought Gavin again. He was alone with his thoughts, but with two girls by his side. "I..I...so you're Storm huh? Nice to meet you...I'm Blade." Gavin spoke, offering his hand for a hand shake with the woman. His guns were well hidden, but the movement he did, exposed a bit of one of his katanas. But he wasn't worried. "Also, don't be so loud about Charles. There could be mutant haters here. We never know where those guys lurk around." Gav nodded at Natasha. The girl at least seemed to be happier. Much happier. She had a reason too. If one of the last sons was alive, Blade would jump with happiness. Not customary of him, but the situation would call for it.

Natasha sniffled and loosened her grip on Storm. Her russian slowly went back to english. " Everyone is dead. Even Mr Xavier. Natasha has been very lonely. Please dont leave again. Other students. They laugh and call me names. Like communist and soviet comrade." She grabbed a napkin from the napkin holder on the counter and dried her eyes. She felt stupid for crying in front of Storm.

Releasing Natasha and taking Blade's hand, she gave a confident, friendly shake.
"I heard it was bad." She sighed in response to the man's latter statement about mutant-haters. If they really wanted to try something here in the restaurant, she would be surprised, but certainly oblige them.
Frowning a little as Natasha spoke of other X-students making fun of her, Storm patted the girl on the back comfortingly.
"If it happens again, come and tell me. I'll set them straight. I'm here to help, and I'm not leaving again."
Ororo sounded very assuring of this. Obviously, she had come back from 'being dead' for a reason.
She took a slow step, and sat in the seat next to Blade.
"I wanted to see how this waitressing thing was working out for you," Storm went back to smiling. "and stop in for some lunch. Does this place serve salad?"

Natasha nodded quickly and went back behind the counter. She pulled out a menu and sat it in front of storm. " Mel's serve many salad. Chicken, shrimp, cob, chef, ceasar, fruit. Let Natasha know and it will be ready in... how do they say... um... Jiffy?" She smiled nervously, hoping she made a joke and didnt just sound stupid trying to speak english. " Can i get something to drink?"

Eyes widening slightly at the menu and the list Natasha rolled out with, 'Ro was daunted for a moment.
"Woooow. There's so many choices." She looked over the menu. "Not that it's a bad thing. You have some of it memorized already!" Looking back to Natasha with a smile, she answered "Chef salad and a coffee, please."

Living overseas in Egypt had been hard, but nothing compared to her childhood and teenage years. Back here in New York City, Storm could enjoy some of the conveniences of modernized society.
She hadn't even realized that sitting here in a diner, and taking a few minutes to sip a coffee might be a nice idea..
but now Ororo felt as though she had missed it while she sat waiting for her order, absorbed in the sounds and smells of the diner. Sighing like someone with a great weight on their shoulders, Ororo rolled her head to one side, closing her eyes and rubbing her neck, completely forgetting her surroundings for a moment.

Natasha went back in the kitchen to make Storm's salad. Since it didnt need to be cooked it was a job for the waitresses. Natasha was feeling happier already knowing that at least one person she knew was back. She brought storm her salad and went back for the coffee. She filled up a few other customer's cups before she returned with her coffee. " Natasha off work soon. Any news on wolf girl?"

After a healthy amount of sugar went into her coffee, and she had a satisfying sip of it, Storm shook her head sullenly.
"We haven't heard anything yet. It would be nice if 'Howlett' wasn't busy doing.. whatever he does. He could track her down in ten minutes if he wanted to." Rolling her eyes at the notion as she thought of Wolverine, his odd sort of kinship with the girl, and his particular talent for sniffing things out when he really put his determination to it. Recalling the warning from Gavin, she only used Logan's alias, hoping Natasha would catch on.
"If I knew her, I would have a better idea where to look." Unfortunately, Miss Faelith was under the impression Storm was at the Institute to rule with an iron fist and quash all the fun out of being a teenager.
She had gone to the likely places, flying over the hiking trails and any other spot she considered a wolf might like to hide, but there was nothing.
"We'll find her soon." Ororo assured, trying to make herself believe it.

Gavin heard the conversation between the two ladies. He was intrigued. A member of the X-Men had gone missing? And who was this Howlett? For the features Storm mentioned, he sure reminded him of Wolverine. Could it be? Since Ororo was back, maybe Logan was as well. "So, The Xavier institute is missing someone? I may be able to help...who are we talking about exactly? A student, or a professor?" Asked Gavin, trying to be discrete. Treating Xavier's Institute as a normal school, not to lift any suspicions. If Howlett was a code name for Logan, then Storm didn't want to let out his real name. Gavin had done the same, but with Xavier's School.

The door opened and bell rang, Peter nearly tripped over his own feet. "...yeah, you too, asshole!" shouted Peter as he walked in and door closed behind him. Weird how almost every time he came to Loika's place of work, there was some sort of conflict before he entered the building. Damn humans, can't freaking drive, thought Peter as he looked around. Where was Loika? Peter has been coming to this place almost every day and he still haven't seen her. He'll have to pay a visit to Brotherhood leader and demand from him what Peter should have had few weeks ago. Walking up to the counter, Peter spotted some random worker. "Have you seen Loika anywhere?"
"Who?" asked the boy around nineteen years old.
"Loika, you know...skinny, bossy, self-pampered girl?" said Peter.
"I don't know who you are talking about."
"OK, whatever...forget I asked." said Peter as he walked away from the counter. "Fucking idiot works here and doesn't even know who comes and goes every day."