Drastic by melancholic
Disclaimer: I wish I may, I wish I might… be granted possession of the X-Men without a fight!
[AN: Squee, I'm here, and I'm actually updating! So sue me for being a slacker with Limelight; it would be nice if you guys checked that out, too. Hah, I'm plugging myself in my own fic… how pathetic am I? ;) Thanks to all those who read and/or reviewed – you still get the aforementioned chocolate Kisses just for doing so! Some of you were almost right on target when you guessed the mystery Acolyte was Bella Donna; actually, I intended her to be just that, but another idea popped into my mind and I think I'll just have other uses for Bella. evil, manic laughter echoes in the background But yeah, I'll just go with the flow for this currently plot-less story; if I'm lucky, I'd work this out properly. glances around nervously Okay, I'll quit blabbering now…]
Chapter Two: Wildcard
When she first set foot in the Institute along with the man called Magneto murmuring words of comfort to ease her nervousness, Marie-Ange Colbert certainly didn't expect a lot of extraordinary things to happen. She thought he had seen and heard everything when, back in her hometown of Lyons, France, she was born into a family of Assassins that had a gypsy heritage, discovered her powers of being able to render the images on her mother's tarot cards more or less alive, materializing and being her companions longer than she could remember, and basically living with the fact that her powers were both mystical and genetically advanced, in a sense of her being a mutant. She settled into living a hunky-dory life, training as a member of the Paris branch of the Assassins' Guild, trying to gain acceptance from people who knew of her mutation, and spending summers arguing over the hottest boy in the city with her cousin, Bella Donna Boudreaux.
Merely two weeks ago, Marie-Ange recalled an attack that made the French tabloids. It was about a riot that rose in Tibet, something highly incredulous and laughable to normal people, but to a girl who could communicate with tarot card images, well, it was easy to believe. It turned out that a five-millennia-old entity named the Apocalypse was on the rampage, hoping to make humanity bow down to him. While her parents raised indifferent eyebrows at this information, Marie-Ange devoured it, frightened and relieved that there were other people like her out there. Because the last time she checked, she was the only mutant living on the shores of the French mainland.
Days later, she ran down the stairs of their home, hoping to meet with her mother about her prom dress; even if she was a mutant, she still knew how to try and live normally, of course! She was stunned to learn of a white-haired man speaking with her parents, with Marie-Ange hearing distinct traces of words like "connections with your Guild", and "willing to help with honing your daughter's gifts" from the odd dialogue. Obviously, as an astonished Marie would later conclude, the purpose of the elderly man's visit had to be about her, for the most part. Her suspicions were confirmed when her parents asked her into the den, with plastic smiles on their faces and tries of sweet talk tumbling from their lips. After the entire tête-à-tête exchange, Marie-Ange wasn't annoyed with her parents' attempts in sending an experienced Assassin into battle with the greatest mutant history had ever seen. Oh, no… she was livid; grabbing her tarot cards and instantly calling their real-life counterparts to the scene. The Emperor, Hierophant, and Strength cards were some of her companions who defended her without question; they were probably the strongest and most reliable cards Marie-Ange had in her deck. The tension was thick; a rebellious Marie-Ange's expression was reduced to utter confusion when another lady, who had been accompanying the man who introduced himself as Erik Magnus, spoke up and interrupted the picture:
"Child, I see your potential in clairvoyance, especially with these cards in your hands." Agatha Harkness had said, her gray eyes gleaming with interest.
That remark had changed Marie-Ange's outlook on the entire "training with Monsieur Magnus' team" radically, to say the least.
Whether or not her parents were reluctant in their decision, or even if Marie-Ange's qualms that Magneto [as she heard was Erik Magnus' moniker] bribed them were true, she had an eerie kind of fascination with the possibility of her tarot cards helping her in predicting the future. Yes, either her gypsy legacy was making itself present, or she was becoming more and more mutated. Wonderful, she had thought, half-sullenly and excitedly. Before she knew was happening, she was whisked on a plane that was off to some American neighborhood named Bayville, joining a group of mutants where she would be the only female member. She wrinkled her nose at the name, what was it again? Oh yes, the Acolytes. It sounded like a bunch of Catholic children preparing to be altar boys, and inasmuch as Marie respected religion, she really couldn't imagine herself whetting her skills with people who gave off the first impression that they were sacristans. But, as she would see, it wasn't going to be that bad.
Marie-Ange's forest-green eyes glimmered playfully as she listened attentively to someone she wasn't expecting to meet again, but was delighted she had: Remy LeBeau, or Gambit, as he liked to be called. She reminisced clearly about the time when they were introduced in Paris a few years back, she had seen Bella Donna clinging possessively on his arm, her blue eyes flashing dangerously at her if Marie-Ange dared to make a move to engage Remy in unnecessary conversation. It was in the Cajun's nature to be flirtatious, and he was dropping her a few searching glances that had made Marie-Ange fluster with delight. They busied in casual, but pleasant conversation, and Marie couldn't help her amusement at Belle's furious glares, apparently jealous at the attention that Remy was showering on anybody other herself. Marie had a little of a crush on him, as guilty as it seemed, and her smile broadened when, before the training session began, she saw a familiar figure enter the basement in Magneto's associate's manor.
"Remy!" She had greeted enthusiastically, her voice sparkling in connection with her eyes.
"Chérie, how've ya been? Ya look mo' belle [beautiful] than ever!" Remy exclaimed in equal surprise, pleased that his new teammate would turn out to be an old acquaintance of his. Even as he returned her welcoming gaze, noting how attractive she'd grown over the last three years, Remy kept an eye out for Rogue, whose arrival he was anticipating. He couldn't wait to introduce Marie-Ange to her; surely, they'd be fast friends, since they were both feisty and… and… well, he was just positive they'd get along! When Remy was right, nothing came to along to correct him from his visions.
But since it appeared that he was too engrossed in pleasantries with his newly found old friend, Remy couldn't be any more wrong than the picture that Rogue saw through her angry eyes.
x
Rogue tore her gaze away from the joyful little couple, unable to have the drive to think normally without trying to keep herself from being overwhelmed by jealousy. Okay, so it was a friendly little chat… But friendly girls didn't laugh like that redheaded companion Remy resigned himself with, oh no… Never in Rogue's life did she hear a voiced tinged with a French accent that shook her nerves [well, unless you counted Remy's drawl]… and all logic was shoved aside when she fumed, never thinking about the innocent possibilities of old acquaintances, or people who accidentally bumped each other on the street without an apology offered to the victim, and then they'd, prompt recognition, demand harshly for one… Rogue's brow was tightly knitted in an unpleasant scowl; and as an outlet of her unexpected and senseless anger, she turned around and expressed her contempt by taking Colossus' metal form into her fists, repeatedly punching a wall and, with a roughly satisfied huff, glared at the now cracked wall with the same intensity as she did with Remy and the girl, if not more.
Kitty, on the other hand, had been watching Tabitha flirt with Pietro, who in turn tried to charm Jean, who clung on to Scott's arm for dear life, hoping to escape the crazy circle of petty, puppy love desire that they were in. Lance was talking to Blob about something regarding his great move of smacking a fist against Colossus, especially when he learned of the fact that the Tin Man was glaring at him and Kitty during their smooch. Kitty giggled at all of her observations, intent on revealing to her worried parents how greatly the team was handling the Apocalypse predicament.
Now, when Kitty stole a glance at her roommate, whose fists seemed to be damaging more and more of the Danger Room's equipment [money certainly wasn't an issue, but Kitty took the Professor's advice to heart when he told them to maximize the use of the facilities before the replacement time came], shooting identical glowers at Remy and… oh yeah, it was Marie-Ange Colbert; they had talked briefly when Colossus, in obvious hopes of getting to speak with Kitty, introduced his new teammate to her. Marie-Ange shared a brief but witty story about how she codenamed herself as "Tarot", right after her powers, which suited her greatly, Kitty judged. She also realized, with some amusement as she headed towards her evidently steamed friend, how funny and aptly the pair of Marie-Ange and Remy made sense. He was the Gambit - she, the Tarot. Both were connected to playing cards, except quite differently; both were French, or at least it sounded that way… and they both shared a wildcard appearance, sans the pun, of course. They were wildcards in a sense, for Marie-Ange, was exotic, and Remy, because he, as much as it would make Lance jealous to hear, was ruggedly appealing. What a pair…
…Wait, that wasn't right. Why wasn't Remy talking to Rogue, or made any sign that he noticed her?
Kitty, with a baffled look stretched on her face, warily approached the volatile Rogue that stood near her corner, chest heaving as she continued her glaring contest with the pair.
"Like, why isn't Remy with you?" Kitty inquired, confusion easily readable in her expression.
Rogue didn't even hear her teammate's question; she was too preoccupied with calming herself down, suppressing the urge to rush beside the pair and give them individual jabs, but she then wondered how she'd go without explaining her blatantly out-of-the-blue actions, which even her mind could spawn no explanation for her sudden and intense envy. But she was momentarily spared from her own internal war because she felt a hand slip through her arm; Kitty's mutation, signaling her presences and stubbornness. Oh, so there was someone speaking to her; she'd thought it was another hopeless echo from one of her psyches trying to knock sense in her. But by the exasperated, yet excited air radiating from her, Rogue knew that Kitty was going to attempt to do just that [bring back her logical side, that is].
"Ah… what did yah say again?" Rogue replied, quite distractedly and sheepishly, too.
"I said, like, you're giving Remy that death glare reserved for like, enemies," Kitty noted aloud, causing Rogue to rip her eyes from the laughing pair.
"Nice o' yah ta notice," Rogue mumbled, annoyed at how adept Kitty was at perceiving things. Heck, if she could only read Kitty's laptop journal…
"Rogue, what is like, wrong with you? They're coming our way and you're like, not even reacting!" Kitty let out, confused all the more when she remembered that she didn't even know why Rogue seemed to be envious of… Marie-Ange! Wait, it all made sense now… Kitty smiled triumphantly, increasing the annoyance of her friend. It clicked – as much as Rogue hated to admit it [also as much as she hated to see Kitty being right, or to taste her muffins…], maybe she didn't like Remy, but the attention she received from him, and all his fawning after her must've grown somewhere onto Rogue… and of course she wasn't used to seeing Remy do that with someone else! But through Kitty's eyes, it all seemed innocent. But to quote Rogue in a false observation, she had said, "Kitty, what do yah know, right?" Kitty smirked; she was so pleased with her revelation that she didn't even register Tabitha making a move on Lance…
Rogue froze; she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. The new Acolyte, whom she had heard Remy call "Tarot", [what kind of a codename was that, anyway?] was giggling; she had her arm on Remy's waist in a way that irked Rogue. Her slightly reddish locks were tucked neatly behind her ears; and her eyes gave of the kind of composure and aura that Rogue's could never achieve. And in addition to that, she looked positively exotic, Rogue noted sarcastically. Of course Remy would automatically divert his attention elsewhere. She was a fool; now was the only time that she admitted that to herself.
Remy, for his part, let his eyes blaze with concern as he saw Rogue's stony expression, which was audibly directed at him. Puzzlement grew as his forehead creased, with him pulling away from Tarot, and he ran towards the girl he pursued, worry clear in his eyes. What had made his Rogue so angry? If it were something anyone did, Remy would beat them to a pulp; surely, Rogue would let him do that…
Kitty giggled at the scene, noting its utmost hilarity. Remy leaving a beautiful girl for Rogue, Rogue not noticing, Marie-Ange looking the slightest bit jealous, but acting like she didn't care… she'd definitely have to stop writing journal entries full of Lance for a change, because of this!
"Rogue? Cherie?" Remy ran to her side; she kept still and tried to ignore him, but inside, she was weakening… in the knees, especially.
"Don't yah have anotha girl waitin' fo' yah?" Rogue retorted hotly, crossing her arms over her chest.
Remy, for his part, stared blankly for a moment. He put two and two together, realizing that there had to be an explanation for Rogue's suddenly frosty behavior, Kitty's stifling of her giggles, and Marie-Ange's utter perplexity.
"Chere… are ya jealous o' her?" Remy quirked an eyebrow, daring to hope. This wasn't possible…
Rogue's rock-hard expression melted into embarrassment; she looked down at the floor, the instinct of fleeing coming instantly to mind. She couldn't string together a coherent thought; so she did what a Rogue in an unexpected moment of distress would do: She turned around, immediately grabbed her giggly roommate, and sprinted out of the Danger Room.
x
Rogue pinned Kitty to the wall, whose reddening expression was the cause of either the pressure of Rogue's strength pinching her arms, or the laughter that she couldn't contain. Rogue's raging blush almost surpassed Kitty's - but it was definitely hard to concentrate on the shade of your cheeks when you were going to make sure that your roommate wouldn't squeal about anything you deemed too embarrassing, yes…
"Rogue!!! Like, that hurts, you know…" Kitty squirmed, her words barely sensible as they were muffled by her mirth.
Rogue was miffed; Kitty could've easily phased through her, but she was too caught up in making fun of her… sighing, and unusually admitting defeat, Rogue loosened her grip on Kitty, who paused from laughing in surprise. There was a moment of silence between the two, and Rogue ran ideas for revenge in her head. Wait, there needn't be revenge, she could taste something else at work; something she would regret, but in the end, it would be satisfying…
Rogue inhaled deeply, which confused and amused a chuckling Kitty.
"Kit…" Rogue seriously began, obviously meaning some business.
"Yeah?" She managed to gasp out, clutching her now aching stomach. Man, all that laughing wasn't healthy – she'd have to find a way of framing Kurt for her expected farts later…
Rogue breathed in again, believing that this jealousy was driving her insane to a point where she wasn't doing Rogue-like anymore; it was stupid, and pathetic, but what could she do? So what if it was happening too fast? She needed to have Remy's eyes on her, and only her…
"Um… could Ah go shoppin' with yah tomorrow?" Rogue mumbled quickly, clamping her hands immediately over her ears. Oh gosh, things definitely weren't going to be good…
[AN: grins Sorry if it was a bit short; I'm working on other fics, too. It's hectic to keep switching MsWord windows over and over, you know… Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed that. Now, I twisted Tarot's history a bit; I made up the Assassins' Guild thing and her connection with Bella Donna. I could say I owe some of that inspiration to Krac, whose fic Wild Horses is great. Read it, I command of you! And please don't hate Tarot – she's one of the best, under-appreciated Marvel characters out there. Thought it would be a nice, refreshing breather from Bella Donna if I put her here. Anyway, as promised, the Chocolate Kisses to all of you who read and/or reviewed!
Hmm, I wonder what's with Psylocke and Remy…
Star-of-Chaos: Wow, you're almost always the first to review new fics and/or added chapters to nearly everyone in this side of the fanficcin' world! eyes radiate with admiration Yup, Rogue's jealous – and that's not a good thing. Thanks for taking time out to guess!
Twilight Suzuka: Thanks! And here it is – your wish is my command. :)
LoneWolf422: I appreciate your insanity – and thanks for calling me evil. =D Hmm, I'm now pondering the possibilities of Remy falling in love with an electric, yellow mousy Pokémon, but maybe that's just me.
Ishandahalf: Hey, I'm glad that I have the ability to infuriate you; it's good that my writing may trigger reactions from people. Jump in on the bandwagon – we can kill my mystery Acolyte together! Believe it or not, I love torturing myself… Bella Donna isn't so bad in this sense; she's a character I love to hate. Frustration, jealousy, and embarrassment are one of the main feelings I've got in store for this, and I aim to please. Rogue and Remy will get their act together gradually, but I'm not saying for how long that will be. ;)
Amelia: Dementedness all the way, yeah! I'm happy that my summary with a seemingly misplaced word attracted you to my fic. I'm sorry to say that is pre-intended to be a Romy story; though I do agree with you on a note with the "Girl hates boy, Boy keeps trying, girl figures out she likes boy, girl and boy get together" plotline observation in most Remy/Rogue fics; but I guess it's a mixture that people don't readily get tired of. But I will promise to try and make this a little bit out of the ordinary, with Rogue showing that she indeed likes Remy. Whoops, I just let one of my plot bunnies out of the cage there! I hope you continue reading, anyway. :)
MeowzKatz: That's my plan: to make my fic decidedly different from other Romy fics. burps Yummy cookie there – did it come from Ms. Scarlet in the library with the candlestick, too? =P Thanks for the review!
Peace215: I liked reading your review over and over – I appreciate the props about my writing, and that I proved you wrong. See what dementia does? points at her own mental hospital room I myself just recently escaped. ;) When will Remy learn? Soon enough, I say. Merci beaucoup for reviewing!
Lady Farevay: My ponytail's been in gear, you know. I just needed to take time and flap the hair properly. ;) Thanks so much for the compliment – that was the point I had, in trying to make things more different this time. Just keep on reading and see if it stays that way. =D
All right, as always… 'til the next chapter or fic, then! Adieu; don't forget to review!]