Library Conversations (rp for cyke_out)

[a_sloane]

The library was quickly becoming a favorite place, which disconcerted Arvin Sloane to some degree. He hated being predictable. Still. It reminded him of Zurich, not of Los Angeles, which he found preferable, and yet had an atmosphere of its own. The mysterious Charles Xavier, who had come and gone before Sloane moved into the mansion, must have created it, and it was entertaining and challenging to identify hidden doors, books that didn't belong, which one one but an avid reader would notice, and sometimes just to enjoy the quiet.

Sloane had forgotten how teenagers could be. He had missed both Sydney's and Nadia's teenage years, and there had been no reason to involve himself with others. Sometimes he thought teaching them was being locked up with ten to fifteen versions of Marshall Flinkman and Julian Sark; they were either over eager, or sullen and unsubtly sarkastic. Irina, he remembered, had taught when playing Laura Bristow, and she had raised Sark. Clearly, she was even stronger than Sloane had always thought her to be.

So here he was, retreating in the library, looking forward to working on his idea for infiltrating and invading first the Sentinel outside and then SHIELD which was supposed to be a surprise gift for his, well, hosts, when realizing this time, he wasn't alone. There was already someone in the library. Scott Summers. Looking somewhat harrassed himself.

Comments

[a-sloane.livejournal.com]

Sloane is experienced enough not to ask "Cloning Thor?!?" , but he does think of Allison Doren and wonders whether Thor is a code name for someone superhero who has been doubled the way Sloane had created a double for Sydney's friend Francie.

Mostly, though, he's impressed Scott picked up the reference. The occasional frustrating thing about CIA and terrorist organizations alike was that they tended to be hideously undereducated these days.

"Odin traded one of his eyes for wisdom, which I suppose makes us both blind in some regards and seeing in others," he says, referring to the equally one eyed Cyclops of Greek myth. "But I'm glad you approve."

He doesn't mention that Odin did choose to make Loki his blood brother and chose trickery and deceit with it, on quite a lot of occasions; Scott does know his myths, after all, and besides, what he says next is amusing and touching at the same time. No prices for guessing Marvel Girl was a lost love.

"I might have been an adult when I met my late wife," Sloane says, and remembers Emily, and that day in Washington, "but there was running into a pole involved nonetheless. Laughter is one of the better beginnings of a relationship, in my experience."

Then he gets asked about Logan. His expression loses its wistfulness, conjured up by the memory of Emily and young love - for someone who used to be on the Most Wanted List, Sloane can be surprisingly sentimental at times - but retains the amusement. It isn't even feigned, though there is something edgy in it.

"Ah, yes. Quite an interesting encounter. He offered" - one can here the quotes in the phrase coming up now - "'best buddy' terms, but I think we came to an agreement that it was a bit too early for that and a leisurely pace was far more suitable."

[cyke-out.livejournal.com]

"I'm just glad you didn't pick Odysseus. It's hard to yell in a combat situation, for one thing. And between the two of us it would be bad precedent."

That was the kind of thing that passed for a joke when Scott said it. He suspected, though, that the comparison wasn't inapt. What were the words used to describe that traveller -- silver-tongued? Circumspect? He could almost hear the Professor's words in his head -- In today's idiom, one might read 'circumspect' as 'devious'. Yeah, Scott thought back at his mentor. You're one to talk.

It wasn't an actual conversation, Scott was fairly sure. With Xavier back on the planet, he couldn't always tell.

Considering Sloane's response to Logan, Scott knew he wasn't getting the full story of that meeting, but he was curious. "What impression did he make on you? Be honest. Wolverine is such a fixture in our little world, it's a little hard to imagine how he comes across -- meeting him for the first time."

[a-sloane.livejournal.com]

"There is that," Sloane agreed regarding the Odysseus matter, and skipped the "Nemo" joke (as Odysseus called himself "Nobody" when with Cyclops) as too obvious.

"I thought he came across as very protective and completely devoted to the people here," Sloane said when asked about Wolverine, and he's quite serious and completely truthful for a change, "and as someone who should never be sent on an investigation or any kind of mission requiring subtlety without a partner to balance him. As opposed to a direct combat situation, where he'd excel on his own."

He leaned back against the window, watching Scott. There is the danger of appearing presumptious, but then again, Scott did ask, and while a lifetime of deception is so ingrained that it sometimes comes without any necessity, Sloane is trying to make a new start here. Besides, if he had asked a new agent for his opinion on a valued member of the team, he wouldn't have cared for some respectful stammering of praise.

[cyke-out.livejournal.com]

Scott listened, nodded, was silent for a moment, then repeated, "Should never be sent. I'm kind of flattered, actually, that you think, just because I'm supposed to be in charge, I can stop him from doing whatever he wants to do."

This was partly a joke, but only partly, and it occurred to him that Sloane might not think much of self- deprecation, coming from a leader. In any case, he suspected Sloane of underestimating Logan -- and he also figured, if that were the case, it would be because Logan wanted him to.

"You're right about field work, though. For all his lone-wolf schtick, Logan's had a lot of success working with partners. You've met one of his favorites already. Miss Pryde," he added, glancing at Sloane to see what kind of reaction that got. A guy who could underestimate Wolverine probably hadn't thought twice about Kitty. "Logan and I have worked together a time or two, of course --"

Scott turned his back and walked to the window, not wanting to betray any unease. Still, Sloane might suspect the subject was making him nervous. Scott weighed the pros and cons, and decided to tell him what he would eventually hear repeated as gossip, if he hadn't all ready.

"Logan and I have always had a complicated relationship --" Looking back now, Scott continued. "He was in love with my wife."

[a-sloane.livejournal.com]

Sloane had actually been impressed by Kitty during their brief encounter; he would have hired her in a heartbeat. But then, Sloane is slightly biased towards female agents, especially if they are brunettes with anger inside; not that he would admit this. On a more conscious basis, he thinks that Kitty Pryde's ability could be extremely useful for dealing with the Sentinel outside, but that's something to bring up at a later point.

"I can see why they'd make an amazing team," is all he says out loud, regarding the Kitty and Logan matter, and then learns more about the emotional complications chez Xavier's. Which induces another memory he pushes away. Jack reviving him after putting him through that execution; punishment for a 25 years old affair. And the irony was that it hadn't been Irina he had been in love with.

Present, now: focus. Scott tells him this rather personal information why? It probably isn't the world's best kept secret, but still. Well. It certainly makes Logan look more complicated, not just the relationship, which is worth considering. Hm.

He doesn't ask "and did your wife love him?" or "how did that make you feel?". These kind of questions strike him as too intrusive and reminiscent of Judy Barnett, and despite having been fond of Judy beyond playing a game, Sloane has no intention to ever give in to anything that sounds like therapy, no matter whether as the patient or the therapist. What he does say is, sounding completely matter-of-fact:

"There are worse complications."

Which says something about the complications in Sloane's own emotional life, but he wouldn't care for that comment, either, and point out he was merely being factual. Presumably Logan did not kill the late Mrs. Grey-Summers, either because of a directive of the organization he works for or because he thinks she is planning on killing her daughter.