Rebuff

Meta: summer 2025; while Chuck is on her sabbatical
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Logan sighs, whacks the side of his computer.
The machine whines, but churns the code for Lightcap's newest exoskeleton control software.
He huffs, shoots the computer Look—
It squeals in protest.
—snags his tablet from under a tipsy mountain of paperwork.
Jack grumps past on his way to the CAD station, mumbling about grad students and hormones.
Logan snickers, scans his email.
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Subject: Ranger bushido
From: collocott@mojodojo.com.au
To: lp_jones@cmu.edu
Cc: macrossan@mojodojo.com.au
Ranger Jones,
My fellow martial arts instructor and I saw footage of your combat demonstration with Rangers Becket and Mori at Carnegie Mellon and are very impressed with your fighting style.
Where  did you get your martial arts training, aside from the Jaeger Academy and Shatterdomes?
Regards,
Blossom Collocott
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Logan glows smugly, puts his feet up on his desk.
Papers flutter to the floor.
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Subject: RE: Ranger bushido
From: lp_jones@cmu.edu
To: collocott@mojodojo.com.au
The Shaolin stuff I picked up from a couple of novices. The rest is self-taught.
(ps. not a Ranger anymore)
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Logan drops the tablet on an empty spot, scoops up and stacks the avalanche.
""Is something on fire?"" hollers Jackson.
Logan sniffs.
Melting plastic.
His computer emits a defeated, smoky wheeze as its drive shudders to a stop.
""Did you just fry /another computer?""
Logan growls, yanks the plug from the back.
""What is that? The third one this summer?""
Pushes to his feet, grabs up and wings one of Chuck's alphabet blocks across the lab—
""/Ow!""
—smirks, flops into his chair, grabs the tablet, spots the new message.
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Subject: RE: Ranger bushido
From: collocott@mojodojo.com.au
To: lp_jones@cmu.edu
Cc: macrossan@mojodojo.com.au
Self-taught? Wow.
Would you be willing to teach us?
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He frowns. Fills out an expense form for the fourth computer of the semester. Taps his foot, types a response.
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Subject: RE: Ranger bushido
From: lp_jones@cmu.edu
To: collocott@mojodojo.com.au
Nope. I'm not a teacher.
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A /beep before he can shut down his email.
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Subject: RE: Ranger bushido
From: macrossan@mojodojo.com.au
To: lp_jones@cmu.edu
Cc: collocott@mojodojo.com.au
And I'm, what, chopped liver?
CAn't be arsed to hit reply all?
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Logan rolls his eyes.
Another /beep.
He frowns.
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Subject: RE: Ranger bushido
From: collocott@mojodojo.com.au
To: lp_jones@cmu.edu
Cc: macrossan@mojodojo.com.au
So you're a teaching assistant who doesn't teach.
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Huffs, types.
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Subject: RE: Ranger bushido
From: lp_jones@cmu.edu
To: macrossan@mojodojo.com.au
Cc: collocott@mojodojo.com.au
My most heartfelt apologies. I did not mean to offend, Mx Liver.
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Subject: RE: Ranger bushido
From: collocott@mojodojo.com.au
To: lp_jones@cmu.edu
Cc: macrossan@mojodojo.com.au
I assist a teacher. I don't teach.
.
Tosses—
/beep.
—pouts, opens his email. Again.
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Subject: RE: Ranger bushido
From: macrossan@mojodojo.com.au
To: lp_jones@cmu.edu
Cc: collocott@mojodojo.com.au
You are ruining several of my favourite fantasies with your insistence on being an ass.
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Logan snorts.
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Subject: RE: Ranger bushido
From: lp_jones@cmu.edu
To: macrossan@mojodojo.com.au
Cc: collocott@mojodojo.com.au
Good.
Shoo.
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Drums his fingers against the tablet's edges.
Aaaaaand ....
/beep.
Logan smugs, opens the message.
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Subject: RE: Ranger bushido
From: macrossan@mojodojo.com.au
To: lp_jones@cmu.edu
Cc: collocott@mojodojo.com.au
Also, Shaolin novices: pics or it didn't happen!
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He blinks, very deliberately shuts down his email, the tablet, and drops it on his desk. Flips the sign on his monitor to 'Nope' and slouches out of the door, out of the building, and melts into the campus, then the city.
Category:Work in Progress
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Category:Logan
Category:Carnegie Mellon (setting)
Category:Bubbles
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Category:Chuck D's alphabet blocks
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Category:Caitlin is a professor
Category:Grad students are a flirty bunch
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