14

Remy had convinced Rogue to order some food which made Theo's job easier. The pair had been talking, none stop, about Rogue and comparing what she preferred now to what she used to like. The more they talked about little things that made Rogue who she was (or used to be), the more things just seemed to ease between them. Rogue found herself happy and relaxing as she felt like Remy was sticking to his word and opening up about the little things he knew about her. His game of comparing the old version of herself to the new one also kept things interesting. Only a few things seemed to change.

"Yes, ah like shoppin'," Rogue said.

"Non, don't believe it. De Rogue I remember would rather stick pins in her eyes then be dragged 'round a bunch'a pink stores by her amies," Remy said.

"Ah'm tellin' ya, ah had fun today when ah went shoppin with Merci!" Rogue insisted.

"Dieu, Merci really did'a number on y' head," Remy replied back.

"I heard that!" Merci called out from a few booths away "What y' sayin' 'bout moi LeBeau, " she questioned.

"He likes the dress ya picked out for meh is what he's sayin'," Rogue covered for Remy.

Remy just chuckled at her. Especially since she sent Merci off into a tale about said dress she was wearing.

Other thieves had come to try and interrupt them, such as Etienne. When Etienne had come over, moving to take a seat right opposite Rogue, they stopped talking about Rogue's past and she tried to come up with something to get rid of Etienne.

"Don't ya owe meh a drink?" she asked, hoping he'd leave to fetch her one.

"Well, dat what I be here t' claim y for," Etienne had said, his smirk growing. "T'ink yeux rouge had y' t' himself long enough, non?"

After saying this, his eyes went straight to Remy, staring at him expectingly.

"Well, when y' ain't providin', what else can la dame do?" Remy said, resting his head on his hand as he stared Etienne down.

Rogue glanced between both men, wondering what she was missing.

"An' look at that, y' still show up empty handed," Remy said, indicating to Etienne's free hands.

"Ain't one t' harceler une femme when she be needin' a little space," Etienne responded.

He then reached out, taking Rogue's gloved hand in one of his.

"So, how's 'bout it princesse? Y' up for givin' dis homme y' attention for un temp?" he asked.

Rogue felt the colour fade from her cheeks. Her mouth opened and closed, feeling rather trapped. She most certainly didn't want to leave Remy and go off with Etienne. She tried to think of something and fast.

"If ya comin' back with drinks, ah'd definitely consider it," she said.

Etienne smiled at her, but she could tell it was forced.

"Sure t'ing," he said, placing a kiss on her hand and standing. "Be right back t' free y' from le diable."

With that, Etienne took off, leaving Rogue and Remy alone for a short time.

"Since when did y' deux 'come so close?" Remy asked, folding his arms over his chest.

Rogue raised her eyebrow at Remy who refused to look at her. He looked almost like a sulking child which had her a little confused.

"He's just bein' friendly," Rogue said. "Although, didn't half choose a bad time," she said, huffing as she placed her head on her hand.

"So y' be wantin' t' spend time wit' him?" Remy said, his hot gaze now turning on her.

Rogue's eyebrow rose at him.

"What? Ah ain't aloud to socialise with others now?" Rogue asked.

"Non," Remy said, "Y' just never been de type t' hang out wit' dat écume."

Rogue snorted at that.

"Well, if ya ain't noticed, ah'm not completely the same. Ya got a problem with that, tough!" Rogue said, turning away from Remy and folding her own arms.

Remy found himself rolling his eyes at the irony of how little she had changed.

"Never said it be une probleme," Remy replied.

"No? Well ya sure makin' it one," Rogue said.

"Dat 'cause I know Eti's character an' I ain't puttin' it past him t' have another reason why he be singlin' y' out," Remy said.

"Well, if ya ain't noticed," Rogue snapped, turning her fiery gaze back on him. "Y'all have plenty'a ulterior motives when it comes down ta meh! Why should Eti be any different?" she asked, placing her head back on her hand and glancing away, feeling quite disheartened by her current situation.

Remy's frown deepened having a softer touch to it.

"Just want y' t' be with people who ain't gonna use y'," Remy explained gently, not liking Rogue's dig at him, but understanding her point. "Doubt Eti's motives be as pure."

"Well if ya ain't noticed," Rogue said, turning her attention back on Remy. "Ah'm tryna get rid of him so y' can get on with explainin' mah past to meh, but it's turnin' out to be harder than swattin' a fly away when it comes ta that boy."

"Dat what y' want chérie," Remy said, raising his eyes to hers with a pleased smile to match his rather proud smirk. "Then I'll make it happen."

Rogue kept a hold of Remy's eyes, wondering what they were trying to tell her. Even though they weren't the interesting ebony and crimson eyes she'd become quite fond of, she still found his eyes too interesting to look away. It was strange. They were mesmerising in their own way. In their own, beautiful way. The question about their relationship was definitely burning on the tip of her tongue as he held her gaze for just as long, but she couldn't bring herself to speak the question.

Rogue was the first to glance away as she spotted Etienne approaching past Remy.

Just before Etienne made it fully back to their booth, Emil was up and blocking his path.

"Homme, what y' doin'!" Emil demanded to know. "We be havin' our arses handed t' us over here! Get y' backside back t' it already."

Rogue scrunched her eyebrows up in confusion, and then climbed up to glance over the booths to see a couple of thieves sat around playing some kind of game. They looked to be chuckling and discussing things while keeping a close eye on what was happening between Etienne and Emil. Rogue wondered about that but sat herself back down.

"Désolé Emil, but can't keep de princesse waitin'," Etienne said, moving to pass Emil.

Emil stepped into Etienne's path again, wrapping his arm around his neck.

"Eti! Y' can't 'bandon us now! They be whippin' us. Come on, we need dat brain'a yours," Emil said.

"Sounds like ya high in demand," Rogue said, seeing an opening before her. She did feel a bit cruel in what she was about to do, but she still feared not getting answers out of Remy "Don'tcha worry 'bout meh. Ah don't mind waitin' while ya go long an' be the hero."

"See? De belle princesse agrees!" Emil exclaimed. "She be fine where she is," he continued, taking the tray of drinks from Etienne's hands and slipping it on Remy and Rogue's table. "Now let's go!"

With that, Emil dragged a reluctant Etienne away who looked massively irritated.

Remy took the drinks off the tray placing Rogue's wine in front of her. He had found her choice of drinks tonight to be rather interesting and he was hoping for a positive result.

"Am ah missin' somethin'?" Rogue asked, having risen in her seat again to see Etienne and Emil breaking out into what seemed to be a small argument. All of it in French.

"T'ink we both be," Remy explained, glancing behind them himself with a displeased frown. "But let's not worry 'bout those fous now."

Remy lifted his drink and Rogue took hers to lift it. They tapped their glasses together and drank, Remy said: "Now, where were we?"

"Ah don't know. Think it was somethin' ta do with shoppin'," Rogue said, trying to remember. Then, a question came to mind. "Who was ah shoppin' with before Merci?" Rogue asked.

"Y' remember me askin' y' 'bout a valley girl before?" Remy asked her.

"Yeah, with brown hair," Rogue filled in for him.

"She be known as Katherine Pride, but people call her Kitty," Remy explained.

"Oh," Rogue said. Not quite sure what to say. She expected an image or something to come to mind about this girl she used to go shopping with, but nothing came. It was a little disheartening.

"Not ringin' any bells?" Remy asked her.

Rogue shuck her head for no.

"So, was ah close ta her? Ah'm guessin' she's one'a these people waitin' for meh back home with, erm, Badger?" Rogue asked.

Remy smiled at his own comedy.

"Oui, she probably be just as worried. Can't say you two be too close from what I know, but friends, for sure." Remy said.

"From what you know, huh?" Rogue asked, tilting her head to the side.

Remy shrugged his shoulders.

"Can't tell y' what I dun't know chérie," Remy said.

Rogue nodded her head.

"Ah get that, but…" she trailed off.

"But?" Remy questioned.

"Well, from what you know, what was she like?" Rogue asked, returning her full attention to Remy.

xxxxx

French Translations

Non - No
Amies -Friends
Dieu - God
Yeux rouge - Red Eyes
La dame - The Lady
Harceler une femme Harass the Woman
Princesse - Princess
Homme - Man
Un temp - A Time
Le diable - The Devil
Deux - Two
Écume - Scum
Une probleme - A Problem
Désolé - Sorry
Fous - Fools