Kitty charged into the mansion, slamming the door behind her. She fumed over what Jubilee had said about Rogue. How could she say all of that? she wondered, she doesn't even know Rogue. Although Kitty had friends and seemed like a normal teenager, she knew exactly what Rogue had gone through ever since her own childhood and beginning of junior high. She had been ridiculed for her expertise in computers, already evident at a young age. No matter how hard she tried, she was never able to find a friend who would look past all of that and see her for that kind, quiet girl that she was. She had even attempted to hide her talents and act below her intelligence to try to be accepted. Nonetheless, that didn't work and she was leading a miserable life. As one could imagine, Xavier's school was a godsend for her, being able to live with people who knew exactly what she had endured. Here, she didn't have to be afraid to hide her intellect, nor did she have to do anything to be respected.
Turning the doorknob, she entered her room and saw the person who had previously been on her mind, Rogue. She was currently sitting in front of a chessboard, the pieces in the various places throughout the game board. Without even glancing at her roommate, the chess master asked, "New student arrived?"
The question was so curt and direct, it caught Kitty slightly off guard. "Yeah," she answered, surprised, "How'd you know?"
"Ah could see ya guys down in the garden."
"Oh, right." How can I be so dumb? Of course she can see us from the window in our room. "Well," Kitty said, trying to brighten up the mood in the room, "I guess I'll work on my computer." There was no answer from her roommate. "Ok, yeah," she said, fumbling with her laptop as well as with her words, "um…I'll just leave you alone now…" Silence, again.
Kitty pursed her lips as she began to write an email to her parents. On occasion, she couldn't believe that she would actually stand up for Rogue. I mean, she's so…cold, rude even. In a way, Jubilee's right, I don't know how I put up with her.
Rogue, herself, made it perfectly clear that she didn't want anyone's pity, nor did she want their friendship. Kitty had often wondered about her. There was so little that anyone knew about her, including her real name. Her past was shrouded away in mystery, only leaving speculation and skepticism. Who was she? Could they trust her? Was she spying on them?
Rogue, even as isolated as she made herself, slowly managed to gain everyone's trust. At times, she could be especially ill tempered, but that was just her personality. She didn't bother you if you didn't bother her. It was an on going circle. And even though she could be cranky and lonely, she would be the one of the first to jump in and defend someone. There were many a time when the older students began to pick on Jamie, she would step in and threaten to beat them to a pulp if they didn't stop.
Perhaps that was the reason why Kitty would stick up for her; Rogue would intervene when she wanted to. And in a way, Kitty admired her independence. Rogue didn't have many friends because she didn't want any friends. Then again, it could be her attitude that turned everyone off. But it could also be that she's acting like that so no one would even bother to talk to her. Sometimes, Kitty just wanted to reach over to Rogue and beg her not to waste her life by just sitting in the corner of her room, only she knew that she would never have the courage to do that.
Rogue turned to the direction of her roommate, only to see Kitty staring at her. "What are ya lookin' at?"
"Oh! Sorry. I was just, uh…just…"
"Forget about it."
"No!" Kitty scrambled as she tried to explain herself, "I was…um, thinking about you?" she said sheepishly.
"Great!" Rogue's voice was full of fake enthusiasm, "Didn't know Ah had an admirer."
"You don't understand! It's not like that…" her voice began to falter, as she realized Rogue had turned back to her chess game, tuned out to what she was saying, "Never mind…" she mumbled.
"Ah know what you're trying ta say," Rogue said, eyes never leaving the game board, "and Ah'm still listening."
"It never seems like it."
"It's amazing how you can look so occupied after being invisible tah the world for so long. You'd think that you'd be begging for attention, but ya don't. Ya just accept it," Rogue's head turned to face Kitty, "That's how it's always been for meh. Accept it and move on."
"Don't you even care what people have to say to you?"
Rogue shrugged. "Not really. Most of it's just a bunch of bullshit. It's not worth mah tahme." Seeing the hurt look on Kitty's face she sighed and added, "Ah said most of it is bullshit, not all. Ah swear, ya get hurt too easily."
"I know…I can't help it."
"Well, get used ta it," Rogue had now stood up and began to walk towards the door, "People aren't going ta pamper you for the rest of your life. Grow some sort of backbone." She paused at the door. "Pushing Bobby into the pond was a good start. It shows initiative."
Kitty watched her walk out of the room and go off to wherever she was going. She couldn't help but sigh and think, She's right. But I am assertive—just when I want to be. Chuckling about the previous incident, she turned to finish her email, but forgot about one thing… Oh shit! She slapped her forehead, I forgot all about Remy and the stupid tour. Slamming her laptop shut, she rushed out of her room, trying to think of an excuse for her erratic behavior.
~*~
Rogue began walking down the hallway when she bumped into Jean Grey, resident red head. "Oh, hey Rogue," she greeted her warmly, with a smile that never faded, "what are you up to?"
"Ah've got table duty in five minutes."
"Yuck," Jean wrinkled her nose, "that's never fun."
"Is anything here fun?"
Before Jean had a chance to respond, Kitty ran by, nearly tripping and falling down the stairs in the process. "What's the rush?"
"I left the new kid outside when I was supposed to show him around," she yelled back, disappearing behind through the doorway at the bottom of the stairs.
"New kid?" Jean asked Rogue curiously, "He's here already?"
"Yeah, Ah think he arrived today."
"Really? What can he do?"
Rogue shrugged. "Ah don't know. Guess we'll find out." She pointed to the glass door, letting the two of them see a group of people coming towards them.
"…sorry I ran out like that. I just had a momentary mental breakdown or something. If you want to, I could still show you around…" Kitty was apologizing, like usual, trying to explain herself.
"Non," he shook his head, "It's okay. I t'ink I can find m' way around here."
"Are you sure? I mean, I don't want you to get lost or…"
"Kitty!" Jubilee said loudly, clearly exasperated, "He said he was ok. Don't start to spaz again. Geez, just get the point already."
"Well," she began uncertainly, "if you say so…" Her attention was diverted to two of her classmates, who were looking quite curiously at the cluster of people in the room. "Oh, and before I forget, Remy, this is Jean Grey," Jean gave a smile and a wave, "and Rogue." Rogue gave a short nod as acknowledgment. "Guys, this is Remy LeBeau."
"Bonjour. Nice t' meet both of y'." He bowed slightly to the two of them, causing his shaggy hair to fall over his face. Through his hair, he observed them closely, just like he had to everyone else he had met. The girl on the right was, to say the least, beautiful. Her long, ruby colored hair flowed down and around her shoulders, perfectly tressed. Her smile lit up her face, which, was flawless, not a pimple or blemish in sight. The girl on the right was almost the exact opposite. In place of a smile was a frown, a frown only deepened by the glower of her piercing green eyes. It didn't help that her eyes were outlined with eyeliner, only intensifying her glare.
"Oh, are you French?" Jean asked, noticing the greeting and accent.
As Remy was about to reply, Rogue beat him to it. "Naw," she began, "It sounds Cajun. N'awlins, raht?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Oui. An' would dat be a southern accent?"
"Yeah," she said, nodding, "Mississippi."
"Okay," Jubilee jumped in, "Could we please stop comparing accents and do something more interesting?"
"How 'bout a poker game?" Remy pulled out the deck of cards that he always kept in his pocket.
Jean immediately grinned, "Yes, let's."
Everyone groaned while she looked around innocently. "What? Is it my fault that I always kick your asses at poker?"
This peaked Remy's interest. "Y' good at playin'?"
Still grinning broadly, she answered, "It's the whole reason why I'm here."
"Really?" both of his eyebrows were raised. Hey, I'm always up to the challenge. "Five card draw, deuces wild…"
Rogue, not in the mood for a card game and remembering that she had come down for a reason, began to head towards the cabinet drawers. Pulling out about a dozen plates, she wandered into the eating area, setting up for that night's dinner.
~*~
By the end of dinner, Remy had gotten to know the rest of the little group he met a little better. Jubilee had informed him that most of the people ate when they wanted to, as to not disturb them on whatever they happened to be doing. Actually, he preferred meeting with a small group of people as opposed to a huge mass of people. This way, it was easier to understand the different persons he was meeting with, being able to pay attention to their actions, the way they presented themselves, their way of speaking.
Jubilee, for instance, was a person who loved to talk; there was no doubt in that. She would always make her opinion clear and open, not really caring what another person may think. In actuality, she contradicted the whole saying of "Think before you speak". Or maybe it was "Think before you act". I dunno… He also noted that she, whenever not eating a meal, had a piece of gum in her mouth, smacking it loudly and incessantly, annoying the hell out of him. Underneath her very loud personality, she was actually really afraid. Afraid that she would lose all her friends, afraid that she would do something wrong and everyone would then turn their backs on her. It was during a strange conversation about the Bible that Remy noticed this. Her eyes had begun darting around, realizing no one was talking to her, that she was no longer the center of attention. Her face had grown cold and sour after having nothing to talk about. But once the conversation turned back to something she could relate to, her mouth wouldn't shut. Interesting…a need for attention…
Kurt, on the other hand, was almost the opposite of Jubilee. He was always composed, but knew when to relax. On some occasions, he was a playful goofball, doing silly tricks and telling really corny jokes. But he too had something behind his lighthearted grin. For Kurt, it seemed like it pained him to talk about his gift for composing and playing music, almost like it was a burden, something he didn't want. One thing Kurt refused to talk about was his childhood, which he still hid from everyone, not saying a word about it.
On a lighter note, Rahne, Sam, Bobby, and Jean seemed like the best adjusted of the group. Most of them came from well to do families, grew up in a nice neighborhood, had good relationships with their parents and siblings, stuff like that.
Rahne seemed like a person who was on the defensive, even if you weren't even criticizing her. Despite her fun loving personality, she could be incredibly edgy. If you say one thing or do something that didn't she didn't agree with, it could send her spiraling into a bad mood and make you Public Enemy Number One. But it appears to only be for a bit. This was particularly evident when Bobby had slipped a piece of ice down her shirt. Sure, she was mad at him and was cranky for the rest of the dinner, but by the end of dinner, she had seemed to have forgotten all about it, going back to her cheerful self.
Next would be Bobby. Playing practical jokes and acting like a teenage boy was basically all he enjoyed doing. Beside Rahne's ice incident, there was the annoying of Kitty, scaring Jean by tossing a dead bug at her, and saran wrapping the toilet, which had Sam at Bobby's tail. All of this happened in the two to two and a half hours Remy had been with them. As far as he could tell, Bobby didn't really seem to have any problems with anyone, nor did he hide anything from anyone, all of which intrigued him even more.
Sam was the easiest to interpret, being the All American boy you'd always hear about. Blond, blue eyes, football player, courteous…he was everything of that stereotype. Remy was able to detect a slight bit of homesickness, yearning for his home in Kentucky. During dinner, he had learned that Sam especially missed his little sister, Paige, whom he was incredibly close to. Remy could relate to that. Right now, he was missing New Orleans like nothing else.
If Sam was the All American boy, Jean was the girl next door. His first impression of her was that she was a beautiful, naïve redhead. In truth, she was extremely sharp and quick, all of which was evident in their little poker game. I knew I was good, but she… Jean had easily beaten him in all rounds. She had an uncanny ability to zero in on when he was bluffing. Remy knew that he had even cheated during the last couple rounds, but nonetheless, she was still able to beat him. After their game, his respect for her grew immensely.
Kitty was definitely the shyest of them all. It was amusing to watch her turn different shades of pink and red whenever everyone began to tease her playfully. In the beginning, Remy just thought of her as an eager little girl, not really worth to know. But from the time he first met her till now, she showed that she was quite intelligent and a worthy opponent. She made it clear that she was to be taken seriously and a force to be reckoned with when she shoved Bobby into the pool.
The only person he couldn't get a good read on was Rogue. During the whole dinner, she kept to herself, only speaking when she wanted to tell someone to shut up. The scowl on her face would always stay there, never once to be replaced by a smile or even a smirk. It was like she had something against the whole world, wanting everyone to be unhappy like she was. He sensed some tension between she and Jean, which, he guessed, made sense. They were everything the other person wasn't.
"Would y' like help wit' dat, chere?" he asked, seeing Rogue clean up after everyone. He wasn't the dish washing type, but if it let him see her behavior…
"No, Ah'm all raht." She began reaching for Sam's plate.
"Let m' get dat f'r y'," he said, grabbing the plate and handing to her.
"Ah said, Ah'm FAHNE!" she growled, yanking the plate from his hand before stomping off.
"Get used to that," Jubilee said, while looking at her nails, "That's how she always is."
Hmm…looks like it's going to be harder than I thought. Don't worry chere, we'll be the best of friends, because I know you won't be able to resist this Cajun…
~*~
Did you like the interpretation of each character? Or did you find it boring? What'd you think of this chapter? Please review.