Ch.2 Wayward Wonderings
Rogue lay in an untidy sprawl upon her bed, one arm thrown over her eyes as she groaned. Her uniform clung in that uncomfortable, sticky 'I just got my butt whupped by Logan' way, but she lacked motivation to drag her tired self to the bathroom. So, she remained where she was for now, and allowed her exhausted muscles some respite.
"Gettin' better, Stripes," He had said, "But you got more to learn." It was Logan's way: encourage with cold douses of reality.
She chuckled as she remembered his words. The sound pleasant if more than a bit tired. Gritty eyelids closed as she licked her lips to free them of the salty residue. Rogue wanted nothing more than to sleep uniform and all, but she forced herself to remain awake. The bathroom would be free soon and she needed to soak out the soreness.
'Back ta school tomorrah,' She thought with a grimace. None of the Xavier kids were looking forward to their return ever since the word about mutants had become common knowledge. She scowled underneath her arm. 'Yeah, thahnks ta' Magneto n' his toadies.'
A familiar flutter and a seeping warmth accompanied the thought. Any time she thought of Magneto, a pair of hellfire eyes burned in her mind. She groaned in a sound of pure distress as she banged her head against the soft mattress. 'Not again! It's been a month for cryin' out loud!'
"Why can' Ah stop thinkin' 'bout him?" She asked the fan spinning quietly above her. She never reacted this way to the teasing flirts at the Institute. She would just roll her eyes and grin. Of course she knew it wouldn't go any further. 'Wait mahbe that's it. Ah think 'bout him cuz Ah know it won' matta if Ah knock him out.'
It made sense. The only time she'd run into him was during a fight. He was safe to think on, to wonder about, and she didn't feel that safety with the boys here. And he had such lovely eyes. She grinned thinking about that intense gaze. The way his eyes had beckoned and repelled her. The way they had asked her to know more, and dared her to try and find out at the same time.
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fipt...fipt...fipt………fipt…fipt…fipt…
"Ya mind, mate? That's a bi' annoyin'." Allerdyce bestowed a comical look at his teammate when Gambit looked up with a smirk, and the restless motion of the card between his fingers stopped.
"Remy bored homme, can' help it none."
Fipt..fipt..fipt……fip…"ARRRGGG," Just as Allerdyce clicked open his Zippo, Magneto entered. Under his leader's withering gaze, St. John slipped the lighter back in his pocket.
"Pyro, you and Gambit will be keeping an eye on X-men," He tossed a folder to each man, "Collosus, you and Sabertooth will accompany me." With that the man known as Magneto exited the room with the latter two behind him.
Gambit opened the folder. One brow arched. School? He flipped through noting each of the X-men that attended Bayville High with a smirk. He stopped at one page in particular. At the top, clipped to the edge, a picture of girl, Rogue. She sat at the base of a tree, looking off into the distance with her chin resting on one gloved hand. Her flesh covered except for her face, which was lined with dark make-up contrasting with her pale flesh. He grinned. It was a dangerous expression: that of hunter who just found the perfect prey.
"Dis might not b' s' bad eh homme?" Allerdyce shot him a quizzical look until he noticed just what had caught his teammate's attention.
"Ye jus' can't resist th' Shelias, eh mate?" A sly grin lined the flame jockey's face. "But even tha' one be outta yer league." Gambit snorted.
"Non, 'sides it be a good way t' pass de time." He said nothing else to Pyro as he went back to his room and fell unceremoniously on his bed. Those eyes bore into the picture as if he looked upon her and not just an image. He'd thought about her in passing often enough to be intrigued. She couldn't touch, not anymore anyway. Intelligence on the girl said she tended to keep to herself, and had no serious relationships.
Gossip from the Brotherhood told a deeper tale. She refused to date even the ones she lived with. Gambit thought part of it was her mutation, but he doubted that was all. And she only trusted the one called Logan. Opening up to no one, Rogue was an enigma even to Magneto and that man had some resources at his disposal. Gambit liked puzzles, especially pretty ones. Again that dangerous light flickered in those demonic eyes.
''Til we meet again, Cher."
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