Waking up in an unfamiliar room, Rogue looked around, disoriented for a moment, trying to remember where she was before the memories of the day before it all came rushing back. The Thieves Guild. The murders. Angry assassins. Flopping back onto the bed, Rogue flung an arm over her eyes and let out a low groan. Logan was going to kill her. She hadn't even been in New Orleans for twenty-four hours and was already neck-deep in the Swamp Rat's family drama again.
Sitting back up, Rogue ran her fingers through her hair. She needed to leave. This wasn't her business, and it would probably get her into trouble if not killed. Not to mention she couldn't trust Jean-Luc, the Thieves, hell, even Gambit as far as she could throw them. Except she really didn't like the idea of leaving the Thieves vulnerable to more attacks if there was something she could do. Despite herself, they were just so likable…most of them, anyway. She felt Remy's psyche grinning in the back of her mind and quickly ended that line of thought.
Flinging back the covers, Rogue decided all that nonsense could wait until she was adequately caffeinated.
Slipping on socks, Rogue's eyes caught Remy's shirt still lying innocently over the armchair. Like hell, she was wearing that down to breakfast.
Aw, Cher, you wound dis Cajun. Remy said it looked good on ya, purred Remy.
Can it Swamp Rat, Rogue snarled back. Remy's psyche grinned wider but mercifully fell silent. Yeah, there was no way Rogue was facing another moment of today without coffee. Changing into her long-sleeved shirt from yesterday, Rogue headed back out the door in search of the breakfast room Mercy had pointed out during Rogue's tour of the house last night.
Stepping out of her room, the smell of bacon and coffee filled the hallway. Downstairs, she found Henri sitting at the kitchen table reading on a tablet and Tante Mattie at the stove with a cast iron skillet full of bacon. Henri was already dressed in cargo pants, boots, and a gray t-shirt. He glanced up when Rogue entered.
"Morning. How'd ya sleep?"
"Not bad. I slept through the night."
Suddenly a cup of coffee appeared in front of Rogue, already made. The mug had a picture of an alligator on the side and said, 'Careful I Bite.' Rogue turned to see Tante giving her a smile before nudging the mug at her, "Here, Child. I imagine you're the type that needs it first thing in the morning."
With a grateful smile, Rogue took the mug and took a sip. It was perfect. Just the right balance of strong coffee and cream with a hint of sugar. Quirking a brow, Rogue looked up at Tante Mattie, who was already back at her stove with her back to the room.
Swinging her eyes towards Henri, the man gave a slight shrug and ignored her questioning look, "C'est bon, non?"
Rogue nodded slowly as Henri continued to look at her innocently before she changed the subject, "Where is everyone this morning?"
Henri glanced at the clock. "Mon frere is probably finishing up in the gym. He's gonna be training the apprentices after dat. Pere is in his office. We got a meeting with the Runner's Guild dis morning, so he's probably going over a few things. And Mercy said something about needing to catalog some jewels that had come in."
Rogue blinked, "Oh."
Henri eyed her for a moment before grinning, "Did I shock you with what I said, Petite?"
"No, not with what you said, anyway. I'm more surprised you said anything at all," Rogue reassured the man in front of her, not wanting to give Henri any reason to believe that she couldn't be trusted with the Thieves Guild's secrets. Pausing, she muttered under her breath, "Your brother usually isn't so direct."
Henri barked out a laugh and shook his head, "Mais, he's just like Pere dat way. Those deux can talk in circles all day long. Sometimes they do it just to get a rise out of folks. But, non, I don't think I need to worry about telling you where people are dis morning."
"You're part of the family," added Tante from across the kitchen.
Rogue finished her breakfast and left shortly after that, heading for the training hall. She wasn't sure what she thought about Tante Mattie telling her she was part of the family.
In the daylight, Rogue could see that the property was much larger than she had originally thought. According to Henri, the main house sat at the center of the property along with the carriage house. The boat house and dock she had seen last night were located on the west side of the house, a ways off.
From the main house, the training hall sat towards the rear of the property, about a quarter mile away.
There was a secondary driveway that split off from the main entrance and swung past the training hall towards the Bunkhouse and a second garage. Apparently, the name Bunkhouse was a bit of a misnomer. According to Henri, any Thief could stay at any Guild Hall if they were working or traveling to or from a job. As such, the Bunkhouse could easily sleep twenty-five people at any given time.
The entire property was wooded, with the exception of a cleared area around the main house. Rogue imagined the thick swampland vegetation probably provided good cover from anyone trying to map the property from overhead. Only the area around the main house was cleared.
Keeps intruders from finding cover in a firefight, Logan noted.
Rogue was once again struck by the thought that this place was a fortress.
Rogue carefully stuck to the path between the main house and the training hall. Henri had warned her before leaving the kitchen that numerous tripwires and traps were spread across the property. The Thieves knew how to avoid them, but any intruder wouldn't be so lucky.
"After all," Henri had told her, grinning like a fool, "We wouldn't want to have to cut you down if you were hanging upside down from a tree by your foot."
Rogue was reasonably sure that the Thieves didn't use tree snares – they were probably far more high-tech than that – but she wasn't going to risk it. Lord knows the Swamp Rat would never let her live it down if she got caught and he had to come cut her down.
Actually, scratch that…she'd gnaw off her own leg first.
Normally Rogue wouldn't have minded the short walk. The morning was warm but not uncomfortable yet – it would probably be unbearable later in the day – and her long sleeves and pants weren't causing too much discomfort. However, the humidity was another thing altogether. She was grateful when she entered the training hall and air conditioning.
As the door to the training hall closed behind Rogue, several thieves stopped to stare at her before renewing their conversations. Rogue got the impression she was the hottest topic for gossip right now. Nothing new there, she scoffed.
Rogue crossed the gym heading to where Remy was speaking to five younger teens. Three boys and two girls. All the teens looked like they were between fourteen and fifteen years old. Rogue figured they must be the apprentices.
Remy was demonstrating grips and how to break them. Curious, Rogue leaned against a nearby wall watching Remy explain each hold, having the teens practice on him until they got it right. About half an hour later, he let the group break up to practice among themselves.
"Bonjour Cher." Remy stepped over to greet her.
"Morning Cajun."
"How'd ya sleep?"
"Not bad. What are you training them in?" Rogue gestured to the group with a nod of her head.
"Grabs. Holds. Grapplin' and scrapin'. All dat fun stuff."
"Not a lot of rules, then?"
"Non, most of their fighting will be on the streets. Dere's no rules dere."
Rogue agreed with that. Her memories from Logan and her training from Mystique proved how vicious things could get in the real world. It was one of the few things she disagreed with the Professor and Scott about. The moral high ground was great and all, but in a real fight, it could result in you ending up dead.
"They're pretty good, especially that blonde guy. Wasn't he at dinner last night?" Rogue asked.
"That's Etienne, mon cousin. Theo's younger brother. He should be good. Henri, Theo, Emil, and I have been training him most of his life." Remy glanced at the boy in question.
"And by training him most of his life, do you mean picking on him as a kid?" Rogue smirked, rolling her eyes toward the Cajun standing next to her.
Remy grinned, not looking the least bit abashed, "Mais ouais, he had to toughen up somehow. But, if it makes you feel better, I normally was de one stickin' up for him."
Etienne's attention slipped for a moment, and he went down hard. The boy Etienne was grappling with landed a sucker punch to the gut before rolling back to his feet. Rogue could hear Etienne gasp in pain from across the room, but Etienne managed to get back on his feet, facing his opponent before the other boy got in another shot.
"Tough fight," Rogue commented mildly.
"Tough world." Remy replied, matching her tone, "Better he learns in here dat not paying attention can cost you, rather than in a real fight."
Rogue's eyes drifted to one of the girls who was sparring with the third boy. She was good and clearly a fast learner. Her holds were almost perfect despite Remy teaching them to the group only a few minutes ago. "Who's that?"
"Yvonne."
"She's good," Rogue said, leaving the statement hanging.
"But?" Remy prodded.
"She's a good fighter," Rogue acknowledged, "but if she can't get the guy down, it doesn't matter. Fighting against a larger opponent is tiring. She needs to be able to get her opponent down fast, or else all they have to do is outlast her."
Remy watched Rogue momentarily before calling over his shoulder, catching the girl's and several other nearby thieves' attention, "Yvonne. Come here, fille. There's someone I want you to meet."
Yvonne and the boy broke off from their fight and walked over to the pair. Remy quickly did the introductions, "Dis here is Rogue. I think she may be able to help you with a few things."
Yvonne popped a hand on her hip, frowning, "Why do you think that? I don't have any powers to learn."
"Because," Remy announced loudly enough for the room to hear, "Rogue beat Julien, Gris-Gris, and Fifolet in a fight…unarmed."
Technically she hadn't been unarmed during the fight at the jazz club, but Rogue kept her mouth shut as the effect was almost immediate. Both teens were suddenly looking at her with new eyes. At the same time, the conversations in the room paused before picking up again, faster this time.
Rogue rolled her eyes and mentally made a note to beat Gambit with his own Bo-staff. She was definitely the hottest topic for gossip now.
"What do you think I need to know?" Yvonne asked, turning to Rogue.
"You're a good fighter Sugah. But you need to get your opponent down faster, or they'll just have to wait for you to tire yourself out. Ya got good flexibility. I can show you how to use it as leverage," Rogue offered. Yvonne nodded eagerly at that.
Over the next hour, Rogue showed Yvonne how to use her flexibility and speed to dodge attacks letting her opponent tire themselves out before moving in close with fast, well-placed blows to the ears, eyes, and nose to incapacitate her opponent.
"If you can get them with a knee to the outside of the thigh, both of their legs will give out, giving you time to run or attack depending on the situation," Rogue laughed, helping Yvonne to her feet, "When in doubt, there's always the old kick to the groin, too. Bonus points if you're wearing heels or steel-toe boots."
A series of groans behind Rogue told her that they had gathered a crowd as the males in the room winced in phantom pains. Searching the crowd, she found Remy leaning against the wall, a smirk on his face.
Yvonne thanked Rogue, and the crowd that had formed began to disperse. Pushing off the wall and walking over, Remy gave her a real smile, "Ya good at dis."
Rogue could feel her face heating up. The truth was she had been having a lot of fun. "I guess some of what Logan has been saying was bound to wear off eventually." She replied, shrugging off the compliment.
Reaching out, Remy stopped her from turning away, "Non. You are good at dis Rogue. Yvonne can be hardheaded as they come, and she's got a chip on her shoulder a mile wide. You got through to her."
Rogue warmed at the praise, and a bit of giddiness started to bubble up. Which she quickly stomped on. No way she was going to act like a schoolgirl whose crush had just complimented her. Even if that's what's happening, a voice that sounded suspiciously like Kitty added. Pulling herself together, Rogue offered the man in front of her a small smile, "Thanks Sugah."
"Remy! Dere you are," Theo came trotting up to the pair. "De Runners are here. Jean-Luc wants you in the meeting." Remy's eyes flicked to Rogue, and he started to open his mouth in apology.
"It's fine," she waved them off. "I'm going to find some more coffee and the library."
"I'll come find you later, Cher."
Stepping into the library, fresh cup of coffee in hand, Rogue paused, seeing Etienne glaring out of the window. Following his gaze, Rogue saw Yvonne sitting with a handsome man in his early twenties. At the sound of her setting down her coffee, Etienne startled and whirled around to face her, his face flushing red before trying to copy the same blasé smirk Remy was always wearing.
Rogue suppressed a smile. Suddenly, she had a feeling she knew why Etienne kept getting distracted earlier this morning during training. Ignoring the elephant in the room, Rogue glanced out the window at the pair that were now smiling at each other. "Who's that?" she asked.
"That's Colt," Etienne replied shortly.
"Who?"
"He's de second-in-command for the Runners Guild. He would have been the Guildmaster, except his uncle, Liam Breaux, was killed when he was eleven, and someone else took over," Etienne explained.
"Seems like he and Yvonne know each other," Rogue observed glancing at Etienne out of the corner of her eye.
"I guess so," Etienne groused, apparently giving up on the cool, unaffected look he was trying for earlier and going back to glaring out the window at the two. Rogue stepped up next to him, looking out the window again.
"I was under the impression that Yvonne is fifteen." Rogue's eyes slid toward Etienne before asking, "How old is he?"
"Twenty-two."
"Seems a little old to be talking to her."
"I know," Etienne exploded, "I mean, it's weird, right? Dere's no reason a guy that old should be talking to her, but Yvonne doesn't seem to think so."
Rogue bit back another smile, now entirely certain Etienne had a crush on Yvonne. A wave of homesickness hit her as she thought about the younger mutants who were so similar to the boy in front of her. Shaking it off, she replied, "Maybe she doesn't see it that way Sugah or maybe it's not what you think it is."
"I don't think nothing," Etienne blustered.
"Mmhmm."
"We're friends, that's all. I just think it's creepy that he's hanging out with her with how old he is."
"Rogue! There ya are, Sha!" Mercy entered the room. "Remy said you were going out. Do you have anything to wear tonight?"
"No." Rogue said slowly before asking, "Also, how do you know about that?"
"Oh, the walls have ears," Mercy waved an airy hand at Rogue, "I got a few things that might fit you. Why don't you come up to my room and take a look?"
Rogue had a sinking feeling that she had just met her roommate's doppelganger but turned to follow the blonde woman anyway. Not like she had planned for a multiday visit with Remy's family. Pausing at the door, Rogue turned back to Etienne.
"It is odd." Rogue allowed, "But maybe she's only talking to him because she doesn't think there's anyone else she can talk to." Etienne stayed silent, "Of course, if Yvonne did have someone else to talk to, maybe she wouldn't talk to him so much."
Etienne smiled a bit at that, "Thanks."
Walking down the hall with Mercy, Rogue turned to the blonde beside her, "Does Etienne have a crush on Yvonne?"
Mercy snorted hard before shaking her head in exasperation, "Oui, that poor boy is head over heels for her. Smooth as burlap dat one."
"Does the rest of the house know?"
"Oh yeah."
"Poor kid."
XOXOXOXOX
Next Chapter: Remy and Rogue have their date and finally get to talk.
Author's Headcanon: In the comics, Gris-Gris and Fifolet are members of the Assassins Guild under Belladonna after Julien's death, with Gris-Gris serving as Belladonna's second. It makes sense that both members would have been trusted by Julien as well when he was alive.
During the X-Men Evolution 'Cajun Spice' episode, we briefly see three men, including a man with long dark hair and a black man, grab Rogue and Gambit from behind as Julien prepares to fight Gambit. I think this was X-Men: Evolution's nod to the characters.
Fun Fact: Rogue's tip to Yvonne about using a knee strike to the outside of the leg is a real self-defense move. It disables the peroneal nerve causing the leg to collapse giving you time to get away.