Fraudulentus Persona Risty
By Princess Alexandria
Rogue stood in the shadow of the tree and watched her. The sounds of the others playing on the basketball court easily drifted this far, but it wasn't close. Risty seemed so tired looking as she laid out in the sun, almost as if she really would fall asleep any moment. Rogue took in her pale skin, and her circles under her eyes. She took in the firm body and the purple nail polish on her toes.
It all felt so confusing. Rogue's eyebrows drew together as she tried to grasp the missing piece to the puzzle. There was just something unMystiquelike about Risty. Rogue wasn't having any luck giving words to that quality.
Risty didn't seem to notice her, which Rogue was thankful for. She hadn't intended to run into the girl here. Rogue had just been seeking a quiet place to sit, away from the strange looks her teammates sometimes gave her and the loud games they played.
"You could sit down luv." Risty's voice startled Rogue out of her deep thoughts and Rogue's eyes widened in shock at being caught. She looked up quickly to see Risty staring right at her hiding space. "I won't bite. Promise."
"Ah, um…" Rogue felt a flush of embarrassment cover her face and damned it. "was looking for a place to be alone."
"Oh." One small sound, but it seemed to carry Risty's feeling of pain and abandonment well. It made Rogue's heart ache to hear that. Why couldn't this be simple? Normal? Rogue really didn't know what to do with her feelings.
"I heard you last night." Rogue spoke softly. "Are you okay?" She risked taking a step out into the sunlight and watched as Risty's shoulders slumped a bit.
"You know how it is luv." Risty looked away and Rogue found herself moving to kneel on the ground next to the girl. She did know how it was, and it bothered her. Risty's voice became little more than a barely heard whisper. "I miss you."
"You lied." Rogue's voice was just as quiet as she stared at Risty's profile. This wasn't even what the girl looked like.
"I…" Risty turned to face her. "I can't remember that. All I remember is this…" Risty's arm waved to take in her own form. "And I do love you. I remember feeling a connection to you even that first day. I remember lunches off campus, and talks in the bathroom at school." Rogue watched a tear travel down Risty's cheek as the girl spoke so passionately and yet so quietly. "I remember parties, and movies… but most of all I remember you. You were the only real thing in my life Rogue, and you left me." Risty gave her searching look before turning away. It didn't look like she saw what she wanted to. "I've been wanting to tell you that for a week, but I never saw you."
It felt like Rogue's heart would just stop from the pain she felt. Her hands shook a little and a loud squeal from the basketball court made her flinch. This was Mystique, but talking to Risty, knowing Risty, it was too hard to believe. Rogue stayed quiet as she fought with herself. If this were just Risty things would be different, but it wasn't.
"Alright then." Risty's voice cracked and it hurt Rogue even more to hear that. "Guess it really is over luv." Risty stared at her and Rogue felt like backing away so she wouldn't have to see the pain she caused. Rogue had to tell herself that this wasn't her fault that Risty was a liar, but it felt like such a weak excuse at the moment. "I hate her too." Risty spoke and Rogue couldn't believe what she was listening to. "She stole my life, and I'll never have it back. I guess there isn't always a way."
Rogue reached out to touch Risty's arm. She couldn't walk away with the girl hurting like this. "Risty…" Her words trailed off uselessly. She couldn't help but notice how Risty seemed to refer to Mystique as someone else. She'd heard Risty did that, but this was the first time she saw it, and it seemed so genuine. It would be so easy to just let herself believe that it was someone else. Someone that lived in Risty's mind, but wasn't her. Like the memories that Rogue pulled from other people. "Risty… Ah… Ah missed you."
Those words drew Risty's eyes to her quickly and Rogue felt tears run down her own cheeks. "Ah can't stop thinking about you. Ah don't know what to do." Risty scrambled onto her knees and moved to pull Rogue closer. Rogue tenses at the amount of flesh Risty's outfit showed, but Risty was careful to only touch where Rogue was covered.
"Oh luv…" Risty seemed to be holding Rogue so tightly. Rogue hesitantly wrapped her own arms around Risty. "We'll find a way luv. There has to be a way."
Rogue knew there were a lot of reasons to stay away, but she relaxed into Risty's hug and let herself feel loved, if only for now.
Risty didn't want to let go, but she did. When Rogue pulled back she stared into Rogue's eyes and could still see the doubt there. "I don't even remember…" She tried to make it clear that Rogue wasn't being with Mystique. "I'm just Risty now."
"What happens when you do remember?" Those few words exposed their shared fear. What would happen?
"Won't matter luv." Risty smiled at Rogue, desperate to believe it herself, but she felt something that told her it would matter. "I don't plan on remembering."
"What?" Rogue stared at Risty like she couldn't believe that, so Risty just stared back.
"She sounds like a miserable person luv, why would I want to remember that?"
"But…" Rogue's voice trailed off. Once again someone couldn't give her a reason. Risty was pretty sure no one would be able to.
"I'm starting over luv." Risty reached out to carefully caress Rogue's hair. "It really is better this way."
Ororo woke up again with her heart pounding, and it took only a second to identify a familiar scream. By the time she had her robe and opened her door she was sure that this nightly routine was going to wear her down if it went on much longer. Already she felt exhausted long before bedtime.
A figure walking down the hall drew her attention and Ororo didn't step out of her room as she watched Rogue open Risty's door. The screaming stopped shortly after that. Ororo felt a bit conflicted as she closed her own door and let the girls have their privacy. It looked like the girls were on their way to getting back together, but should they really allow that? Mystique was probably old enough to be the girl's mother. Ororo sighed as she hung her robe back up on its hook. But Risty was just a teenager, not even a year older than Rogue.
This wasn't going to be an easy answer, and Ororo decided to let Charles know about the new development in the morning and let him decide.