Cards and Claws

An Unlikely Partnership

After playing a couple more rounds of poker, LeBeau told Wolf about a motel close by where they could stay the night. Wolf didn't like the "they" part, but she couldn't figure out how to get rid of the annoying red-eyed Cajun just yet. So she swallowed her annoyance and let him lead her there.

"Room for two, please, mon ami," LeBeau said to the manager of the motel. He held up two gloves fingers as he leaned against the front desk.

"Two beds or one?" the manager asked.

LeBeau shot Wolf a cheeky look. Wolf gave it back with a glare that said, "Don't you dare."

LeBeau got the message. "Two."

The manager handed LeBeau a key. "Room ten, on the left. Enjoy your stay."

"Thank ya, mon ami." He gave the manager a nod, then motioned for Wolf to follow. "Come on, chere."

"Please stop calling me that," Wolf grumbled as she followed him to the room.

"What do ya prefer? Petite fille?"

"What?"

He chuckled. "Never mind. It doesn't suit ya."

A moment of silence, then, "This is it," Wolf said, stopping in front of a door. It had a faded brass 10 hanging on it. LeBeau stuck the key into the slot, then opened the door.

"Oh, cripes," Wolf said, clapping her hand over her mouth. "It stinks in here."

"I agree with ya on dat, mon ami," LeBeau said. He sniffed, then gagged. "Just don't breathe through your nose, huh?"

"Easier said than done."

The room itself didn't seem too bad, if you could just get past the smell. The beds were neat, the walls were clean, and the floor was vacuumed. It was one of the nicer motel rooms Wolf had seen since coming north.

"If it weren't so blasted cold outside, I would open the window," Wolf said as she plopped onto the bed further from the door.

"I don't think openin' de window would change things, chere," LeBeau said. He took off his trench coat and gloves, then laid them on the other bed. He straightened the hem of his deep purple T-shirt, then dusted off his black pants, even though there was nothing wrong with them.

Wolf sighed. Then she slid her black canvas backpack off her shoulders and began to rummage through it.

When LeBeau found out that Wolf was using her poker money to buy food, he refused to keep any of the winnings. He'd given it all back to her, then promised to pay for the motel room. Wolf didn't like the charity, but Remy wouldn't let her give any back. His Cajun head was too thick for that. But he hadn't been able to stop her from buying them both dinner: gas station snack food.

"Hungry?" she asked as she grabbed a pack of potato chips. She tossed them to LeBeau.

"Many thanks, ma chérie," he said, his accent thickening around the last two words.

Wolf grabbed took another chip pack from her bag and opened it. "So," she said around a mouthful of chips, "what did you do down in New Orleans? Play poker all the time?"

He shrugged one shoulder. "Somethin' like dat. Like ya did back at dat bar, I had ta play games so I could eat. I was a N'awlins street rat."

"I'm sorry." Wolf felt like there was something more to his story, but she didn't press him.

"How about you?"

"I wasn't an orphan. I grew up in a subdivision just outside New York City. I left after I found out I was a mutant. My parents didn't want me."

"Dat's a shame. I ain't been around ya dat long, and I can tell you're a good kid. Can't see why anyone wouldn't want ya."

"Shut up, LeBeau."

He laughed. "What's your power?"

"Healing and super senses, mainly. But the other part of my power is part of the reason I'm here." She balled her left hand into a fist. Taking a deep breath, she unsheathed the three metal claws from her hands. The nine-inch blades gleamed in the room's dim light. Wolf tried not to think about the pain they brought. "My bones are also metal, before you ask."

LeBeau widened his eyes. "Does dat hurt?"

"No, LeBeau, it actually feels good." She gave him a sarcastic look. "They're freakin' metal claws coming out of my freakin' skin! Yes, it hurts!" Then she sighed. "Sorry. I didn't mean to yell. What's your power?"

To answer, he took a chip from his bag, then held it between his index finger and thumb. His fingertips began to glow a magenta hue, then the light migrated to the chip. He tossed the chip into the air, and it exploded the moment it left his fingers. "I charge stuff with energy, and da stuff explodes."

"Can you charge anything?"

"Yeah, but de bigger de object, de more energy it takes from me. Dat's why I carry dese around." He reached into his trench coat pocket and pulled out an unopened pack of playing cards. "I usually charge dese, since they're small and easy ta use."

"Smart."

"I can, uh, also charm people."

Wolf furrowed her brow. "Explain."

"As long as ya ain't aware, I can persuade ya into doin' whatever I want ya ta do. But when ya know I'm sweet-talking ya, it doesn't work. Dat's de catch. Keeps my power in check, I guess."

"Why do you think it didn't work on me back in the bar? You could've persuaded me into showing you my cards, or you could've just taken the money and left."

"I didn't use it against ya, petite. I ain't dat heartless. I wanted ta give ya a fair shot at beatin' me. Been too long since I had a good opponent in poker."

Wolf didn't know what to say to that. She stood up, crumpled her empty chip bag in her hand, then pointed to LeBeau's. "You done with that?"

He handed her the bag, and she threw both of them away. Then she sat down on the bed and kicked her boots off. Even though the room was cold, she shrugged her leather jacket off, too.

"I don't know about you, Remy, but I'm tired," she said, crawling under the heavy blankets. She still didn't feel warm enough. She shivered a little, but she hoped LeBeau didn't see it. She rolled to her side, facing away from the Cajun.

"Good night, chere," he said. Then he stepped closer to her bed. Wolf looked up just in time to see him lay his trench coat over her shivering body.

"Maybe dis will help, non?" he asked, a small smile on his face. "Can't have ya catching a cold now, can we?"

If she hadn't been so tired, she would've thrown the trench coat across the room and yelled at LeBeau. But she was far too drained to put up a fight. She just closed her eyes and let out a sigh.

Tomorrow, LeBeau. Just wait until tomorrow.