Chapter Text
Logan’s been counting down the minutes until he can leave ever since he stepped through the doors into this… whatever this is. The hall’s clearly been rearranged for the night, the various displays and desks likely carted off into a backroom somewhere. A temporary stage has been laid out, and Hugo and Cooper are already tuning up. There are a few handfuls of balloons and streamers hung artfully from the upstairs railings, and strewn less artfully near the sideboard laden with the Blue Moon’s typical refreshments.
Given what everyone's been saying around town, he thought this would end up looking a bit like lipstick on a pig. Thankfully, they hadn't asked for his opinion, so it actually looks halfway decent. Still not something he'd call Sandrock, but the town's not the same as the one he left. For one, the town he left could have fit in City Hall with room to breathe.
The crowd shifts and changes like the desert sands, and as more people flow in, Logan shifts further away from the door, toward a corner they haven't yet filled. A cluster of brightly-colored figures pause between him and the main doors for a while; as they move away the door slides open just far enough to admit Fang. The doc’s wearing a raven-black mask and deep navy robes like the ones he usually wears. X's head twists in sharp jerks back and forth across the room, but the bird is silent for once. Fang squares his shoulders and takes a step forward just as a swath of bodies sweep along toward him. He jumps back, then shakes his head and ducks out.
Frankly, Logan’s jealous. If he could do the same, he’d already be back on patrol. Sandrock can keep its parties; he doesn’t need them. Unfortunately, Trudy made it very clear that he had to stay at least a couple of hours. He sets Andy up with a plate from the sideboard, making sure the boy doesn’t have too many sweets this early, before retiring to lean against the wall.
Standing here, surrounded by lights and decorations and people, he doesn’t feel like himself. It doesn’t help that half the clothes are Howlett’s—not that he had any other choice, with money as tight as it is—and the mask limits his peripheral vision just as he feared it would. At least Pablo let him wear a hat, though understandably not his normal one, and the new cape hides the holster he was allowed to bring. He just has to tell himself it could be worse, and get through the night.
About an hour in, Arvio makes his grand entrance, slamming the double doors open and posing between them. Unfortunately for him, few people seem to notice, or to share his opinion that this is a big deal. The music drowns out any words the shopkeeper says, and the doors have been rattling noisily all night from the wind that's picked up outside. Logan stifles a laugh when he sees Arvio look back behind him, as if he’s thinking about trying a second time.
Instead, the man flounces awkwardly towards the refreshment table, the silken feathers that adorn his mask dancing wildly every step of the way. The golden cloth of the costume is a bit much, in Logan’s opinion at least, but it sure does draw the eye. If the man had wanted to be the flashiest thing in the room, he’d certainly accomplished it.
He can’t believe Justice missed this shindig. He'd have swapped places with the sheriff in a heartbeat. Anyone dramatic enough to name themself Justice as soon as they hit deputy belongs at this party significantly more than he does. He’d take a long patrol on the outskirts any day—or night—over being trapped here.
At least while he’s here, he can keep a close eye on Andy. Light knows the kid'll get up to mischief without a watchful eye on him. Until now, he’s just played with Jasmine and Pebbles, running around as kids do, but it seems he’s finally coming back toward Logan.
"Tuckered out already?" Logan asks as the kid slumps against the wall beside him.
"Course not!" Andy replies, but he still doesn't move from where he is. He looks up at Logan, uncharacteristically quiet.
Logan crouches down beside him. "What is it?"
Andy fidgets anxiously, before blurting out, "HowdoIaskJasminetodance."
"Run that by me again?"
"How do I ask Jasmine to dance!" he hisses urgently.
Logan looks at the kid. Shit. He’s a little young for this, ain't he? Then again, if that’s what everyone else is doing, it makes sense. When did his pa teach him? Must have been about this age.
He catches sight of feathers bobbing out on the dance floor. Arvio is repeatedly trying to cut in on the builder’s dance, but so far it looks like Lucy hasn’t wanted to change partners. The man’s doggedly persistent, but Logan worries for his partner's toes. The man clearly hasn’t practiced dancing in the lifts he’d tried to subtly strap to his feet.
Andy follows his gaze. "Oh, that's how ya do it!"
Logan shoots that down immediately. "No. That’s exactly what not to do."
"Why not?" The kid looks up at him, frowning and petulant.
"You always gotta ask first. You can’t just force yourself on anyone."
If there was anything Howlett had been clear on when it came to behaving like a gentleman, it was courtesy. The man had always taken pride in being more than just a common ruffian with a gun, in being an actual pillar of the community. To that end, he’d always done his damnedest to make sure Sandrock lived up to some sort of standard, preventing them from becoming just a bunch of squabbling busybodies.
For once, thinking about his pa doesn’t cause that ache in his chest to flare. It's still there, of course, but it hurts more like an old wound in a storm than a fresh break. Maybe Vivi's onto something. If he just thinks about the good times, it ain't as bad.
"Then how do I?" The whine breaks him out of his thoughts. He can’t help but smile as Andy pouts.
"Well, first ya gotta know how to dance." He stands, taking Andy’s hands in his own. "Here, jus’ step back and forth with me." It’s a simple two-step, but that’s what he’d first learned as well. Andy seems to get a hold of it pretty quickly, but just before he can let go a voice sounds behind him.
"I didn’t know you could dance."
He turns to find the builder watching him with a smile as he shows his son the simple step. "My pa and Miss Vivi made sure I learnt somethin' a mite fancy. They wanted me to be something other than a savage when I grew up." Some amusement colors his tone, but he shrugs at her. "You can be the judge of how that went."
Andy interrupts the budding conversation with a tug on Logan's sleeve. "Logan! How d'ya ask a girl to dance?"
Logan arches an eyebrow. "You just gotta ask real politely. Use them manners I know are knockin' 'round in there somewhere."
Andy nods and turns to Lucy, puffing out his chest. "Lucy, please may I—can you—aw, dangit! Can you dance with me?" He’s looking up at the builder with big eyes. "I wanna practice ‘fore I ask Jasmine."
Lucy smiles fondly at Andy. "Alright, let's get you some practice then. Gotta make sure you’re up to snuff for Jaz, right?"
"Right!"
Logan relaxes against the wall, watching as the two move about the floor. Arvio tries, again, to cut in, but Andy doesn’t let him. Logan rolls his eyes. Clearly, the man thinks it’s more dramatic to cut in than to ask.
The dance floor is fairly busy. Owen and Jane are spinning about the floor like nobody else exists. Logan’s never seen him so taken with someone, though a sinking feeling reminds him he has missed almost four years of his friends' lives. Maybe Owen’s changed. Maybe that doesn’t even mean anything to him.
Owen's not the only one, of course. Jasmine's half-grown, Burgess is a damn minister, and Sandrock's got not one, but two builders in town. He passes people every day that he's never talked to, people he ain't sure live in town or are just here for a visit. He supposes they're there to try to fill the gaps left by people Logan knew. People like Email, and Theodore. The town's changed and grown; he's changed, too.
He tears his thoughts from that downward spiral. If he wants to have any chance of fitting back into town, even if he can’t quite make himself the same shape as the hole he left, he’ll need to stop that.
He keeps scanning across the room, taking in a thousand little details, just like he would on a hunt. There’s more tourists here than he’d have expected, brightly colored bunches flocking together like birds. None have so much as a knife between them, just tittering at the edges of the hall. A fair few are staring at him, but that ain’t nothing new.
Pablo is blatantly moping in the corner, staring out across the crowd as if any minute someone new will appear. His shoulders are slumped in an exaggerated posture of defeat. Nearby, Jasmine motions animatedly to Trudy while they watch Andy out on the dance floor.
A sudden movement catches his attention: a red-faced Jensen has stumbled into Owen. The shorter man bounces off, knocked to the ground by the innkeeper's bulk. The conductor has had, perhaps, a bit too much punch.
He lets his eyes track back across the floor. In a darkened corner near the back, two tourists have started an intense argument. Neither are armed, so he lets his gaze wander.
Andy is still energetically dancing with Lucy, his face alight with delight. Again, Arvio tries to cut in, but Andy doesn’t do much more than stick his tongue out at the man. The shopkeeper huffs, almost tripping as he storms off dramatically.
Unsuur steps forward to help an upset Jensen to his feet, getting the older man to sling his arm across his shoulders. Heidi and Amirah are walking over to talk to Pablo, but even from here it's plain that he's in a sour mood.
Absently, he counts the exits—doors clogged by bodies, windows obscured by drapes—before returning to surveying the scene before him. The deputy is helping Jensen out the door, taking the older man home before he makes a fool of himself. Or at least, makes more of a fool of himself than he already did. Logan ain’t about to let a drop of that drink touch his lips, not in front of so many strangers.
One of the delegates near the refreshment table is pointing him out to another portly gentleman. Both are swaying slightly, entertained and inebriated. He keeps them in the corner of his eye, in case that changes. Heidi’s walking with a purpose toward the dance floor.
When the song ends, Andy skips off to talk to Jasmine. Lucy smiles back at Logan, and he tips his hat to her for dancing with Andy. She ambles back in his direction until Heidi catches her by the arm and says something to her, the look of a secret plain on her face.
Grace wanders over from the depths of the party, breaching his bubble of solitude. So far, any tourist that has taken a look at him has scurried off before getting too close. "I see you’re doing a lot of socializing over here."
Logan sighs. "I already told Trudy I’m jus’ here for Andy. I’m not a prop for tourists to dance with or photograph." He watches the delegates move from the refreshment table back toward a long, cushioned bench. The portly gentleman waves a hand as he sits, looking a mite peaked.
"How about a dance with a friend, then?"
Pablo's got a look of resignation etched into him that Logan's not familiar with as he and Lucy amble back out onto the floor. He's saying something to her, very clearly in a dour mood; her expression is soft and sympathetic as they start to move with the other dancers. "Sorry. Ain’t feelin’ it tonight."
Grace doesn’t have the expectations the rest of the town does. She doesn’t make him feel like he’s constantly trying to squeeze inside the ill-fitting skin of his past self, the happy-go-lucky hunter with a quick temper. He doesn’t know how to be that man any more. These past few years have changed him, burdened him with guilt on his shoulders and blood on his hands.
But if he steps onto that floor, that’s all anyone will want to see. A dance with Grace ain't worth watching the town’s heart break as they realize, yet again, that he’s a different man. Nor is it worth his own pain as he watches them forget that fact, only to be shocked again the next time he has to do something ugly.
Grace turns away from him, staring out into the dance floor. He follows her gaze to the center of the floor where Arvio's cut in on Pablo, finally getting himself that dance he wanted. Lucy doesn’t look terribly happy, though. She looks like she’s trying to pull as far away as possible as Arvio yanks her around the floor. And if he ain’t mistaken, that's more a grimace than a smile…
He doesn’t even realize he’s taken a step forward until Grace steps out in front of him.
"Whoa there, yakboy. You really going out there without a partner?" she asks teasingly. "Do you even know how to do a Lucien waltz?"
He gives her a deadpan stare before briefly sweeping his hat over his heart and extending his other hand. "Ma’am, may I have this dance?"
She takes his hand, replying in a similar deadpan, "What a gentleman."
As they head out to the floor she turns. "Did you just ma’am me?" she asks in a harsh whisper. "How old do you think I am?!"
He chuckles as he pulls her into the starting position for the dance. That’s a game he’d learned long ago not to play. Besides, with her job, who could really say? "Old enough for a proper send-off?"
Grace just rolls her eyes at him. She's endured more than enough of his over-the-top bravado while he played up being a bandit. To Andy’s immense displeasure, Grace is leaving for Atara in the morning, and their little gang will be down to just the two of them and Lucy.
It's been years since he cut a rug like this, but like throwing a knife, it's something his body remembers for him. He lets his attention pass over the rest of the room as his feet take them smoothly across the floor. The two arguing tourists in the back have moved on to a rather intimate embrace, almost completely hidden by the shadows clinging to the corner.
"I didn't expect you to actually know any formal dances," Grace comments quietly, pulling his attention back.
“Formal dancin’? You sayin’ this ain’t jus’ a barnyard hoedown?” he says with a grin, deliberately thickening his accent to the point of absurdity. Her glare is worth the pain of her pointed shoe stomped on his foot.
Logan maneuvers them carefully through the swirling dancers. As they approach Arvio and Lucy, Logan hears part of the absolute river of nonsense pouring out of the man's mouth. He announces, "Oh, Mysterious Beauty, would that I could steal you away from beneath the watchful eyes of this town!"
Lucy catches his eye as soon as she can see him around Arvio's mess of gray feathers. Beneath her polished blue porcelain mask, she's wearing a desperate look he’s only seen on trapped animals, namely the ones considering gnawing off a limb to escape.
Around them, the rest of the town seems content to just watch the show, unwilling to do anything about it. Maybe they think it's all theatrics. Maybe it is. Grace raises an eyebrow at him. He takes a breath.
And steps up.
"Mind if I cut in?" Logan offers his hand, and Lucy seizes it like the lifeline it is. Grace seamlessly transitions to dancing with Arvio, even as he squawks indignantly. Logan pulls them away effortlessly, navigating them to the other side of the dance floor with surprising skill.
Lucy smiles weakly. "Thanks for the rescue."
Logan snorts. "Looked like you were gettin' mighty uncomfortable out there. Man’s gotta know when a girl ain’t interested." He flashes a self-deprecating smile. "Too bad the sheriff ain't here, he'd put a stop to this. Guess you'll have to settle for an outlaw."
It’s the first time she’s ever seen him actually smile, at least without a mask in the way. It’s like the sun rising over the desert, a golden light changing everything. No one would blame her for going a little weak in the knees. That grin is as illegal as he used to be.
"Former outlaw," she manages, mouth dry.
His smile softens. "Right, right. Former outlaw."
She drifts closer to him, far closer than she’d been with Arvio, so that she can hear him better. The party's gotten noisier, and unlike Arvio, she's actually interested in what he has to say.
Beside them, Rocky twirls Krystal around, a grin on his face as she laughs in delight. Pebbles is off on the sideline with Trudy, clapping excitedly as his parents spin about the dance floor in a simple but elegant foxtrot. For all his brutish strength, Rocky's not bad on his feet.
"We could do that, too, if ya like," Logan offers, following her gaze. There’s still the hint of a smile on his lips. When she nods, he pulls her in closer, explaining a couple different steps in a low rumble. It doesn’t take her long to understand at least the basics as he leads her through a few quick examples, though it helps that he is exceptionally patient with her stumbling.
The next song starts slowly, Hugo building up an underlying melody that Cooper latches onto and weaves seamlessly around. Logan catches her eye, inclining his head in silent question. She tightens her grip on his hand, setting the other gingerly on his shoulder, and they start to move.
His hands are warm and certain against her: one firmly gripping her own, and one high on her back, the pressure changing as he prompts when and where to move. Occasionally his booted feet nudge hers slightly, just enough to correct her steps.
Arvio appears in the corner of her eye, question already poised on his lips, but Logan sweeps her away with a flourish, spinning her around as they traverse the floor. A slight push against her hand prompts her to roll out away from him, the skirt of her aquamarine dress flaring as the shimmering fabric catches the light. A light tug brings her spinning back until she’s pressed up against him, his arm pinning her against his broad chest.
“Doin’ alright?” he whispers in her ear as they still for a beat. His eyes gleam as he takes in her bright smile. The room could catch fire around them and she wouldn’t notice, too caught up in the moment. He spins her around under his arm, resetting their position so that his hand is snug against the small of her back. The dark leather collar of his cape is soft beneath her fingers.
Her cheeks hurt from smiling. She can't remember the last time she’d had so much fun. As the song builds to a crescendo, he dips her almost to the floor, knocking a comb askew as her hair brushes against the wooden floorboards.
All too soon, the song ends, leaving her out of breath and pressed tightly up against him. His pale eyes shine as he meets her stare, an unvoiced question hanging gossamer-fine between them.
The crowd starts to clap, shattering the bubble of the moment. She passes people she doesn't recognize, catching snatches and murmurs—moving performance—masterful—flawless—from beneath bright paper masks. What little she can see of Logan’s cheeks are pink. He averts his gaze as he tucks her under his arm, slipping them both through the crowd and back to the edge of the room.
She rests against the wall beside him. There’s no way she’ll top that tonight. "Vivi taught you all that?" she asks, astonished.
Logan looks to the side, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, there ain’t that much to do in a town this small. Pa said I couldn’t jus’ train all the time, but dancin’ is a bit like fightin’ so… I learned." The pink flush erupts like a sunrise across his cheeks.
Beyond Logan, Arvio appears around a poplar post, searching for something. Lucy presses a little further into the wall, and Logan’s eyes dart behind him. "He still at it?" He shifts just enough that Arvio can’t see past him. "Here’s hopin’ he learns to take a hint."
She frowns, lifting her feet up one at a time to shake them out. Her shoes are cute, but after the last few hours they’re really starting to pinch. "It doesn’t really matter. I think I’m done with dancing for the night."
Logan’s gaze is soft, even obscured as it is by his mask. The deep, earthen brown and matte finish lend a warm contrast to his pale eyes. "Need to put your feet up?" He jerks his chin at an unoccupied couch a dozen or so feet away. When she hesitates, he holds out an arm with a wry smirk. "Come on, let an ol' monster hunter protect you from the overgrown cock-a-doodle-doom."
He's the picture of the perfect gentleman, escorting her on his arm across the room and waiting for her to settle in before he takes up a position between her and three-quarters of the rest of the room. It isn’t the most comfortable seat, but it lets her rest her aching feet and right now that’s heavenly. She sighs in bliss as she curls them underneath her.
"Why even wear 'em if this is what happens?" Logan asks over his shoulder, lip quirked.
She rolls her eyes. "Wasn't my choice. I had to fight Pablo just to keep them this short. I'm just glad I had something in my closet; I hate trying to dance in a new dress." She cranes her neck to keep looking up at him. "Are you going to dance anymore?"
Logan shakes his head. "Naw. Ain't feelin’ it."
Lucy frowns. He's going to try that on her after that spectacle? "You sure looked like you were having a good time."
He sighs, watching the rest of the room as if he expects Duvos to attack again at any moment. "The others don’t know how to act ‘round me yet. They keep pushin’ and lookin’ for someone I ain’t no more. Someone I don’t know how to be again."
The tales she's heard from the townsfolk have never quite matched up with what she knows of him, but she never guessed it might affect him so deeply. "For what it's worth, I like this version of you."
Logan scoffs quietly. Beneath the shadow of his hat she can just barely make out a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Well, you'd be the first."
"Can you sit down or something?" He gives her a funny look, so she adds, "I’m craning my neck here to look at you. You’re too damn tall."
He laughs, but obliges, sitting gingerly on the other side of the loveseat. "Better?"
Before she can reply, the next song starts. Hugo’s piano sings out alone as Cooper steps off the stage to dance with Mabel. "Aww, that’s sweet that Hugo keeps performing so Cooper can dance."
Logan hums in agreement. "They did that even before Rhonda passed. Easier back when the band was bigger, but they keep the tradition goin'."
"Bigger?" Lucy looks over at Logan, surprised. Most of the other locals have been tight-lipped, reluctant to speak about the past while Logan was still at large, a stain on its memory. Even now that he’s back, she hasn’t learned much. Logan himself doesn't seem to have any such qualms about the town's history.
He leans toward her, the better to be heard over the music. "Back when I was a kid there was five of 'em. A couple left, one died. Got caught in a sandstorm one night an’ they never found him."
Lucy shudders. It’s just another reminder of how important the Little Woods are. Someday, those trees will protect Sandrock from the worst of the storms, but it’ll be years until then. They've freed the town from so much of what had crippled its growth, but real safety will take a lot more work.
A thought strikes her, and she asks, "Where’s Andy?"
Logan’s eyes scan the crowd, locating his son with the speed and precision of a hunter. "Gettin’ into trouble," he grumbles. He stands up just as Lucy catches sight of Andy, too. "I’d best go deal with it." He tips his hat to her before he leaves, taking off to stop Andy from sneaking yet another of Vivi's cookies into his already full hands.
Unfortunately, as soon as the monster hunter is out of earshot, Arvio descends like a dark cloud, cutting off any escape.
"Oh, most beautiful and mysterious lady, would you be so kind as to grace this stranger with a dance?" he asks, flourishing his cape. It doesn’t billow like he clearly wants it to, and he flashes a glare at it.
Lucy sighs. Everyone else is having a great time, and she doesn’t want to ruin it by making a scene. Some folks are already starting to stare. "I think I’m done, but thank you for asking this time, Arvio."
Arvio presses the back of his hand against his forehead, bending back dramatically. "Oh, you have seen through my mask to the humble shopkeeper beneath! Only your keen eyes could have pierced the veil of Light!" He falls dramatically to one knee. "Please, I beg of you! Just one dance?"
Lucy's tired plaster smile turns to a grimace as Arvio grows in volume. More people have turned to stare, a few whispering to each other, but no one seems to be interested in intervening. Her feet have only just started to recover, and the last thing she wants is to be trapped out there again. "I’m sorry, Arvio, but I’m too tired."
He shoots to his feet, bowing with a flourish. "Then allow me to fetch you a drink! Surely its restorative properties will refresh you for another dance!" He takes off before she can get another word in edgewise.
Lucy sighs. Now she just has to get out of here before he comes back. As she starts to stand up, Logan walks back out of the crowd, a yawning Andy in tow.
He quirks a lip. "Can’t leave you alone for a second before yer already back in trouble." The teasing tone takes the bite out of the statement. Lucy doesn't comment on the fact that she’s hardly alone. Even though the evening is winding down, more than half the town is still here. Logan is still the only one who's stepped in so far.
She rolls her eyes back at him. "You know me, trouble magnet. First it was bandits, now it's dance partners." The pain in her feet has mostly vanished, but she can’t stop the wince when she steps forward.
He nods at her, shifting his eyes toward where Arvio is getting punch. "Need help gettin’ out ‘fore he comes back?" Andy’s eyes brighten up at the prospect of subterfuge. "We were jus’ headin’ out."
"Yeah, think it’s best I duck out. I can only take so much purple prose," she says with a grimace. Arvio's exultations could hardly be called poetry. Her ears had been tortured even more than her feet before Logan had managed to spirit her away.
Logan chuckles. "Right, well, we can walk you home."
Normally she’d refuse—her workshop is hardly that far—but she can’t deny the appeal of having a living Arvio repellent all the way home after the night she’s had. She steps into his shadow, and together they walk out into the night.
Despite it being early summer, it’s chillier than usual for the time of year. Clouds are scattered across the starry sky, dappled with the faint light of the setting moon. Like Lucy, Logan and Andy have already removed their masks; in the moonlight both they and the town look softer. The desert sun so often bleaches Sandrock to stark contrast and vivid detail, but in this light the town looks picturesque. She can’t make out the faint scars and patches from the Duvos Occupation, even though she knows where to look.
Andy chatters the whole way to the workshop, narrating the events of the dance with breathless excitement, heedless of the fact that he keeps being interrupted by yawns. Along the way, she watches Pablo exchange a subdued wave with Wei, who’s still outside finishing up some work. As the barber turns to walk back toward his house and shop, Lucy sees his face twist into a frown.
All he wanted to talk about during their brief dance was her boss, who had backed out at the last minute for an undisclosed reason. Pablo was crushed, but that didn't deter him from telling her all about it: the mask he'd made especially with Wei's penchant for pinstripes in mind; the veritable eloquence with which he'd convinced Wei to attend; and the devastation he'd suffered when, not an hour before the dance was due to start, Wei had told him he would regretfully be unable to.
She catches Wei still staring after Pablo, accidentally hammering his thumb in his inattention. His swears echo softly out in the night as he shakes his stinging hand out and then holds the offending digit tightly in his other hand.
Lucy manages to keep it together until they’re out of sight, but afterward, she can't help but stop and laugh. Logan looks askance at her.
"What’s so funny?"
She motions back to where Wei and Pablo had been, tears of mirth prickling in her eyes. "Light, they’re both idiots," she gasps. "Did you see them?"
The corner of Logan’s mouth quirks with amusement. "I’m sure they’ll figure it out eventually."
When they approach the Blue Moon, Lucy waves him off. Arvio hasn’t reappeared, and there’s no reason for him to walk her all the way across the tracks. Logan doesn’t push, departing with another tip of his hat, hoisting a sleepy Andy up onto one arm. When she finally reaches her yard, she sighs with relief. She's had a great night, but between Arvio's weird dramatic displays and the lateness of the hour, she's glad to put it firmly into her memory and leave it there.
Tomorrow, things will be back to normal.