Who: Kurt Wagner and Aragorn. What: Kurt almost breaks a Ranger. Where: Town. When: Thursday, March 5. Warnings: Low. Status: Closed | Completed Gdoc.
Kurt was bored. He hated being bored more than almost anything. Well, more than anything in Madison Valley, at least. So, in order to cure himself of said boredom, he was teleporting about town, seeing if there was anyone or anything worth his interest. He was off school, and off work until later that evening. So he had to do something other than sit at home and pester Raven.
Pestering Raven didn’t always turn out all that great.
He hadn’t been paying much attention to what he was doing, which was bad on his part. He knew he needed to pay attention while he was teleporting from place to place. Which was proven just a moment later, when he very nearly teleported directly on top of a dark haired man.
“Oh! I’m sorry!” he said. “I wasn’t paying attention.”
--
Aragorn jumped back, his hand going to the sword at his waist. He wasn’t sure at first whether or not he was under attack, so his immediate reaction was to defend himself against whatever had appeared nearly on top of him.
Which appeared to be...a blue person. Who was apologizing to him. He took another step back, but dropped his hand from his sword hilt, recognizing a bit too late that he wasn’t actually in danger. It was a strange situation, to be sure, but nobody was trying to kill him.
“All is well,” he said to the blue-man. “Nobody is injured.” He stared at him. He wasn’t trying to be rude, but in all he’d seen in his over eighty years, not one person had been blue.
“You - you welcomed me when I arrived. How did you just...appear here?”
***
He took a step back when Aragorn’s hand went to his sword. He understood the reaction. It was a little disconcerting to have a blue teenager teleport right in front of you. Or, rather, nearly on top of you. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he said softly, before he noticed Aragorn’s hand move away from the sword.
Kurt nodded in response to Aragorn’s words, “Yes, I did. My name is Kurt Wagner. I am a mutant, and I can teleport. Which also explains why I am blue as well.” He understood that Aragorn was likely wondering about the color of his skin, so he decided to just come out and say it so Aragorn wouldn’t feel awkward if he had any questions about it.
“I also have a tail, and I can blend in well with the shadows and such.” His tail flicked slightly as he mentioned the appendage.
“How are you liking Madison Valley?” he asked. “Other than being almost teleported on?”
--
He was a strange creature, there was no doubt about that. One of the strangest that Aragorn had ever seen - if not the strangest. But in truth, that meant nothing about what kind of person he was, and Aragorn felt a bit guilty for reacting as he had.
“Forgive me, I was alone, then you were there, and it was a little...distressing. I am Argaron, son of Arathorn, a Ranger and heir to the throne of Gondor.” He probably understood little if any of that, but Aragorn had just gotten used to introducing himself that way and he wasn’t going to stop now that he had.
“I do not need to know,” he said simply. “You do not seem an evil creature, and that is the most important thing.”
***
He shook his head slightly, “I do not blame you whatsoever. I would have reacted the same way.” Kurt did understand why Aragorn had reacted the way he had. If someone had nearly teleported on top of Kurt, he would have panicked. And Kurt was accustomed to blue people who could teleport, as he was one.
“It is nice to meet you, Aragorn, son of Arathorn,” he said, smiling a bit. “How do you like it here? It must be different from your home. Are you adjusting well? Besides, you know, me?”
He nodded, “I am not an evil creature. I am a part of a group called the X-Men, we try to work against evil. I may look a bit demonic, but I am the opposite of that. I promise.”
Kurt offered Aragorn a small smile. He was trying not to break Aragorn more than he already had. “I’m sorry. I know I have a lot of questions.”
***
“I - it has been a challenge,” he admitted. “This place is different from everything I know and there is very little that is familiar to me. The language, the technology, the entertainment - all is so very different. I feel like I don’t belong here, but I don’t think Madison Valley cares about that at all. I have been reading - the network, magazines, books from the library - but such things cannot teach me about a world that I do not know.”
He shook his head, looking at the ground for a long while.
“I am glad to hear that you fight for good. That is what I do back home. I do not know how our war will turn out. It seems hopeless sometimes. But that is when you know that you must fight the hardest.”
***
He nodded a bit at Aragorn’s words. “I completely understand,” he told the man. “There are times I did not feel like I belonged in the world I lived in, before. There were very few mutants who were constantly blue, like myself. I felt kind of like an outsider.” He shrugged a bit at this. “I am sure you will find it decent enough here, though. In time. It is likely just going to take some time to adjust. You seem like the adaptable sort, though, so I have no doubt you will find it well enough here in time.”
At least, he hoped. He didn’t want Aragorn to constantly feel out of place here. That would be horrible. “Is there anything I can do to help you adjust?” he asked. “Do you have any friends from home here? I found that friends from home made it easier to adjust to life here.”
***
“I do,” he said, and there was a soft smile attached to the words. “My friend and comrade Legolas of Mirkwood is here. He has made things much easier for me. He has been here far longer than I have and has been able to explain things to me in terms that I can more easily understand.” He was grateful not just for Legolas’ friendship, but for his patience and the many things he had explained to him since he got here. He would have been far more lost without him.
There were, however, many people he missed desperately. The rest of the Fellowship, of course - Gimli, Gandalf, Sam and Frodo, even Merry and Pippin. And above all, Arwen, his beloved and the love of his life. There was a hole in his heart because they weren’t here. But he had known loneliness before and he would do the best that he could here. There was nothing else to be done.
“In my world, there are very many different sorts of people. But a blue person who can teleport is very different to me. But it is a talent I desperately wish that I had. It could make the difference in the war I am fighting.”
***
“You are handling a blue person quite well, honestly. Most people wonder if I am some sort of demon or something.” He had even been expected to fight a mutant with wings back home. A sort of angel-demon thing. Luckily Raven had come at the most opportune time. He would always be grateful to her because of that.
“I do not believe I have met Legolas of MIrkwood before. I may have seen him around, though. Tall, with long blonde hair?” he asked. He may not have met everyone in Madison Valley, but he at least had an idea of who was who. That was something, at least.
“I am glad you know someone from home. That is always helpful. My mother is here, along with some friends from home. It made things so much easier, having them here.”
***
“Well, I can’t exactly say that it’s something I’m used to. To be honest, it is a bit strange to me. But many things in the world are strange, and I have seen many of them.”
He nodded as Kurt described Legolas. “He is an Elf. A prince. The son of one of the last Elven Kings in Middle Earth. There was a time when their people outnumbered Men, but the age of elves is ending. It is...bittersweet.”
He paused, then smiled.
“Perhaps you would like to get a coffee with me?” He would have asked him for a pint, but he wasn’t entirely sure that he was old enough.
***
“He is a prince?” Kurt repeated. “I didn’t know there was any royalty in Madison Valley.” Because yes, he considered Elven princes to be royalty as well. Just because Legolas was an Elf from a place Kurt had never heard of didn’t make him less of royalty. “I would very much like to meet this Legolas,” he decided.
He considered Aragorn’s offer, and nodded slightly. “I would like to get a coffee, yes,” he said, smiling slightly. And no, Kurt wouldn’t be old enough to legally drink. Or else he would have accepted him on that offer, had he offered.
“There is a coffee shop just a few blocks down,” he informed the man. He would have taken him to Starbucks, but he had a feeling Aragorn would appreciate the smaller coffee shop better. And he decided that they should walk to the coffee shop as well, seeing as he didn’t think Aragorn would like teleportation very much.
***
Aragorn nodded, deciding not to tell him of his own royal status at the morning. He didn’t want to hurt his mind that much. Aragorn knew first hand how much this place could be to take in. “I am sure he would like to meet you as well,” he said. Legolas was friendly and rather outgoing and he was quite certain that he would enjoy meeting new people.
“Ah, that sounds very nice. And our beverages shall be on me. There are really so many more things to eat and drink here than we had back home. Every time I go into an inn or a tavern or a cafe...it is like an adventure just reading through the menu.”
***
“Ah, yes,” he said, smiling slightly. “There are lots of different options here. Even more so than the time I am from. I come from almost 40 years in the past, and there were not nearly as many options as there are now.” He knew that other people have arrived in Madison Valley from even more in the past. He adjusted well, he thought. At least it wasn’t too terribly different of a world for Kurt.
“We’re going to a small coffee shop,” he told Aragorn, as they started in the direction. “There is a Starbucks closer, but their drinks are… confusing, even to me.” Why make a small called a tall? That was just weird. Name things the appropriate sizes, Starbucks. No one wants that business.
“Thank you for the drinks.”
--
“It is my pleasure,” he smiled. Their conversation had been interesting, and he wished to continue it, but sitting somewhere with a drink sounded far more pleasant. This young man seemed kind, even if he was different, and Aragorn knew the importance of having allies of all sorts. He knew the importance far better than he wished he did.
“Come then, and we will continue our conversation. There is still much I would like to learn about this place and I hope, perhaps, you can help me with that.”
***
Kurt would gladly be an ally of sorts to Aragorn. He liked the man, and he would very much enjoy continuing their conversation. Doing so with a cup of coffee was a wonderful idea indeed. He was rather fond of coffee. He knew he likely shouldn't drink much of it, but he did like it.
"I would be more than glad to help you as much as you need," he said with a grin. "I am always willing to help." He was the helpful sort. When he wasn't breaking people, that is.