So my phone is being weird and it's not letting me answer reviews on it anymore. o.O

So, instead, I'm back to responding to reviewers at the end of each chapter :)

Please enjoy

Glaring Decipher

Chapter Five:

The next two days passed quickly for Magneto. The meals with Charles' students and staff were pleasant enough. And of course, those group activities gave him the excuse to remind Rogue that they were in the same room as each other. The first time, he had turned the rings on her fingers, was during dinner Thursday night. He had to keep himself from laughing as she dropped her fork. The girl had waited a few minute before she chose to glare at him: her eyes narrowed in anger. He had just shrugged at her: knowing the smirk, although not on his face, must have shown in his eyes. It still made him smile thinking about it.

After that dinner, Rogue had started to avoid him. If they happened to be in the same room, they were surrounded by many others. He managed to catch her gaze every now and then, but the girl worked to avoid his eyes. She had taken to staying in the common room or her own bedroom, most of Thursday and Friday, during her free time.

Of course, he would have liked to speak with her alone again but he could afford to take his time. Given that Rogue was determined to keep him at the institute, if only to know where he was and what he was doing, there was no rush. It was simply a matter of forcing her to engage him in conversation and he already had a plan to do just that.

"Good afternoon, everyone," he said addressing his class. It was Saturday at noon. "Does anyone have any questions before we start today's lesson?" he asked. As he expected, no one raised their hands. The class as a whole seemed to grasp the core differences between tactics and strategy. They were ready to move on. "Today's topic is traps one can fall into while devising or enacting a strategy and how best to avoid them," he told them. His eyes met Rogue's as she glared at him: her eyes narrowed in anger. Already she knew, this lesson was for her. "Can anyone venture what one of those traps might be?" he asked the class. He watched Rogue raise her hand as she let out an angry sigh. "Yes, Rogue?" he asked.

"There are times," she said angrily, "when an enemy can utilize a tactic to try and flutter their opposition," her voice becoming less angry, more controlled. "These tactics are meant to distract you from your own goals. Forcing you to do something you weren't planning to, in order to maneuver you into a weakened state," she answered dryly.

"Such as?" Magneto asked. Her eyes widened as she paused. She looked away from him.

"Like at the school," she said a few moment later as she made eye contact again. "There are a lot of people who would rather we weren't there. They taunt us, call us names, antagonize us, in order to get a reaction. Their goal is to force us to use our powers and give Kelly the excuse he's been waiting for to expel as many of us as possible," she answered. The answer surprised him and a great deal of the class.

"And how does one avoid falling into this trap?" he asked her.

"But remembering something very important," she started to say. "These people if they tried, to attack any of us outright, we would be able to defend ourselves, without using our powers. They would be the one's getting in trouble. The fact that they have to force our hand, without putting themselves in danger, means that they aren't willing to risk their own place at the school," she said. She had a point. Since, she wasn't forcing the issue, he had no plans to give Charles cause to kick him out.

"They have to play by a certain rule set or they lose more than their willing. Since they ain't, all we have to do is take a deep breath, avoid eye contact," Rogue said dryly as she stared directly into his eyes, "and walk away. Because at the end of the day, taunting is the only thing they can do," she said strongly. He watched her smile as she moved her hand to scratch her face. Did she just give him the middle finger?

"And if you're really good," Rogue continued, "You're able to slip in, just one taunt of your own. It's small, only lasts a second. And the punk who tried messing with you, is asking himself all confused like 'did she just flip me the bird?'" she asked with a smirk before the whole class laughed. He couldn't help but smile. "And then both of you knowthey failed," she said with conviction as she kept his gaze. "You're still here, in control of yourself, doing what you gotta do. And no one is gonna force you to do something you don't wanna," she finished strongly.

Rogue broke his gaze a moment later as the class broke out into clapping and cheering. She looked confused as she glanced around.

"Go, Rogue," a few of the students cheered. Rogue glanced around as her face flushed with embarrassment.

"Very well said," Magneto commented as he joined in the clapping. "Really," he added as she met his gaze. He watched her take a deep breath as she broke eye contact: taking her own advice.

"I-I was just answering the question," Rogue muttered.

"I think we both know, you did quite a bit more than that," Magneto commented as they made eye contact again. He watched her let out a sigh before she smiled.

"Well, that's what you get for calling on me," she told him with a smile. He couldn't help but laugh at that.

"I'm afraid, my dear, I can't help myself," Magneto commented.

"No shit," she mouthed to him before she smirked. He smirked at that as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Now settle down," he ordered the class. Within a moment they did. "I'll be the first to admit, that is a tough act to follow," he said while looking around the class. "But," he said while he made eye contact again, "as the professor here, I think I'm obligated to try," he said with smile. He watched Rogue scratched her cheek with her middle finger again. "Alright," he said as he turned to the board: hiding his smirk from the class. "Another trap is when one fails to recognize or understand events and changing conditions in the competitive environment," he said. "There can be an instance where you have devised a strategy. You have set your course of action and now it is just a matter of enacting your plan. But in the time that passing between planning your strategy and enacting it, new information comes to light. The trap you can find yourself in is, stubbornly holding to your original plan and, failing to act upon the new information at your disposal," he asked. There was no doubt in his mind that the girl would understand his hidden meaning.

"Mr. Lensherr?" Rogue asked. "But what if the competitive environment changes again? And the new found information turns out to only be a temporary change?" Rogue asked. She wanted to know how long he planned to stay at the institute. It was a fair question. "In that case, wouldn't it be more appropriate to stick to the original plan, rather than continually switch strategies?" she asked.

"I suppose, in that instances, it would depend on how long it took for the competitive environment to alter itself," he answered.

"Meaning?" Rogue asked.

"If the change would take place in say a week or a month, than yes keeping to the original plan would be more appropriate. However, if the change could last months or years even, than it would be vital to adapt with each change," he answered her. He personally planned to stay at Charles' for quite time, assuming no group of human bigots forced his hand. The world was surprisingly peaceful for mutants in the wake of Apocalypse. There didn't seem to be any large anti-mutant coalitional gaining power and he hoped another generation of mutants might be educated and trained before violence broke out.

"Do you think that's realistic? In the world we live in; do you really think it could take years for the competitive environment to change?" Rogue asked him. Was she asking him- He needed to talk to her alone.

'I, sincerely, hope so,' he thought to himself as he met her gaze again. "The world as it is today, even, I'm finding myself capable of optimism. Anything is possible," he told her. He watched the look in her eyes soften as she smiled in response. "We need to move on from this trap, but please feel free to stay after class if you would like to continue this train of thought," he told her.

"Maybe," she told him thoughtfully. He turned his back to the board as he picked up the marker.

"Moving on, then," he started to say with a smile. He could work with 'maybe.'


Thank you so much for reading! Hope you all enjoyed it! Please let me know? I know the chapters are shorter than you all are to used to me writing. But it's helping with the creativity of this fic so much! Plus, really fast updates! Hope you all enjoy!


Jahunta4974: Thank you! I'm really glad that you're enjoying the fic! I got your PM about Taunting and I AM going to answer you, but I need like an hour to sit there and address all of your questions. You asked a lot! I will get to it this week. Thank you for that and your reviews! I am so happy you enjoy my work this much. It's such a joy to write when you have people who keep telling to go on

I might switch point of views in this story, but not for a while. The mystery is what does or doesn't Rogue know and how will or won't she react. Switching to her point of view will take some, if not all, or that away. So, I'm going to hold back for now. ;) I really hope you enjoy this chapter too. Please let me know?

NCISprobie: Hey! I love that you and I are reviewing each other's chapters each time! Thank you!

Okay, to answer your question: the shorter chapters REALLY are working for me. I used to have this rule about 4000 words or more. The chapter didn't feel like a real chapter unless it hit that mark. Like not enough had happened. And often that would delay posting new chapters. 4000+ words takes a while to edit! Especially when you're as prone to tiny mistakes as I am ;p Also, different story, different rules. In this one Magneto is watching EVERYTHING Rogue is doing, and the slightest action or reaction from her could potentially tell him A LOT. So, the shorter chapters feel more complete: like not as much needs to happen and I can have a single conversation be the whole chapter Thanks again for your support and I really hope you continue to enjoy where the story goes

Sissiewest: I'm so glad you're enjoying it! Captivating is exactly what I'm going for! I'm so happy it's hitting that mark. Really hope you enjoy this update as well!