"What's, like, wrong, Rogue?", Kitty asked over the communal breakfast table.
Rogue tried to look at the naked girl but quickly turned away. Of course Kitty was fully dressed in front of everyone as they ate before school. But her memory from her brother was still too vibrant from her dream the previous night. "Nothing. Just a power side effect."
"Ooh, I'm sorry.", the other girl sympathized. Kitty reached out in comfort and then stopped midway, realizing. She awkwardly withdrew her hand.
"Schwester, are you going to finish that?", Kurt asked, hanging from the over head lighting by the tail in all of his fuzzy blue glory.
Rogue snapped. "Get down here, ya tree hoppin' 'gator bait." Kurt teleported nearly in front of her and onto her plate. She pulled her food away and pointed at Kitty. "Not 'here' down here. Over there." Kurt pouted but bamfed to the other side of the table where he nuzzled Kitty briefly while his tail attempted to steal from her plate, unsuccessfully as it turned intangible.
"Put some more sulfur and brimstone on breakfast, see what happens." Ray threatened.
"We do not use that language, child.", Storm scolded, lightning obscuring the blue of her eyes. "Ever."
Rogue groggily blinked at her and realized what she just said. The girl slapped both hands over her mouth. "Omigod, I am so sorry Ms. Munroe. It just slipped out because Kurt was hanging upside down and I was all discombobulated. But you're right and I apologize."
Ororo's eyes returned to their...well, not normal, but usual blue. "And what would happen at Bayville if someone snapped at you with/"
"I uhndastand, Ms. Munroe.", Rogue repeated. "I mean it. I'll try harder."
Jamie leaned into Rhane. "I know Rogue is from the Confederacy but why is Ms. Munroe acting like Rogue just dropped the n-word?" The Scottish girl shrugged.
"Because she did, twice.", X-23 explained. "The whole region has created a vernacular unto itself for belittling, and therefore disenfranchisng, slaves and their descendants. The term "tree-hopping" and any reference to being voluntarily in a tree is declaring a person to not be a person but a lesser form of primate. The term "alligator bait" is in reference to the use of the enslaved and their infant children being used to bait alligators."
Rogue glared at her from over the now silent table. X-23 innocently returned the eye contact. "I've done the required reading for Social Studies like you suggested."
Rhane hesitantly asked, "You said voluntary regarding the trees, lass."
X-23 nodded. "Involuntary in the reference moves it to a threat of extra-judicial murder, as death by hanging using local flora is the preferred method by domestic terrorists still operating in the region."
Rhane leaned toward X-23. "Is there anything in the South that doesn't refer to the people enslaved there in the diminutive?"
X-23 nodded. "Of course, there's..." The girl paused. She started to speak again but then stopped. "um...Cannonball?"
The boy waved his fork between himself and his sister. "Oh, we're from Kentucky."
"Kentucky was a slave state.", X-23 reminded.
Sam looked to Paige. "But it wasn't in the Confederacy? Right?", the girl offered.
"Well, no.", X-23 admitted.
The siblings relaxed. "Cool. Gotta get to school. See ya." before running off to empty their still partially filled plates.
"Anyway.", Rhane continued. "But Kurt is German. Why refer to him like that? Because he's blue?"
"Mah mama's blue!", Rogue lashed out.
X-23 munched away. "That I haven't figured out yet. It's some sort of social pecking order attack of putting people down by grouping them with the most put down of society. Like how people will call us 'freak', turn around and call X-gene negative person 'freak', realize what they've done, and then call us 'gene-freak'."
Rogue smashed her fork down on her plate and strode away. Why she just ought to steal X-23's boyfriend and that would get her as frustrated as Rogue was. She could even use the memories that obviously must have come from X-23 to seduce Todd, even if he could not touch her. She felt a twinge, like it was a damn shame since those memories of Todd's affections were very pleasant memories. Nearly...sacred in their own way, and shouldn't be weaponized.
"Laura, we don't use that type of language.", Ms. Munroe reminded.
"Well, we don't.", X-23 agreed. "But we're mutants."