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 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.