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Chapter Seven
Of A Simple Favor:
On March 8th 2002, Rogue sat at lunch with Risty. Rogue knew she wasn't feeling well. Risty was quiet, so quiet compared to her normal behavior. It was- she felt bad. She did, but also she kept having to remind herself the reason why she was sitting next to her mother in the middle of the school day. Because Mystique had targeted her, specifically her, to befriend and use, and spy on the X-Men.
If her mother hadn't put her in this position, she wouldn't've had to ask for help to disarm her. Ultimately, this was on her. She didn't need to feel bad about defending herself, right?
Since that question wasn't going anywhere, Rogue kept quiet herself and they ate their lunches in silence. Though, she noticed Risty wasn't actually eating anything.
"Hey," Kitty called out as she walked over and sat down with them. "Risty, you okay?" she asked.
"I'm alright," Risty answered, as she forced a smile.
"I was totally worried," Kitty said.
"I appreciate your concern but I'm fine," Risty said.
"What happened?" Kitty asked.
"None-" she started to say before she stopped herself. "I'm having a bad day and I'd rather not talk about the specifics," she said instead, clearly forcing herself to be civil.
"Oh, no wonder you took off to the bathroom. I totally have Midol, if you, like, need it," Kitty offered.
"That's not why I-" Risty said while she was visibly annoyed.
"Kitty, thanks, I know you're just trying to be thoughtful but back off, okay? She ain't in the mood to talk," Rogue said. "She ain't even talking to me. We're just sitting here," she said.
"Hmm, okay," Kitty said before she stood. "See you later, I guess," she said before leaving.
"I don't know how you stand sharing a room with that girl," Risty said.
"Kitty means well, but she's happy all the time and doesn't know how to turn it off. She's just young, ya know," she said.
"You're young and you've never been that irritating in your life," Risty said dryly. Rogue snorted as she processed the compliment.
"I'm pretty sure my moms might have something else to say about that," she said, keeping her voice casual.
"I'm sure you were a delightful child," Risty said.
"Yeah, okay," she said, rolling her eyes. "I used to drive 'em crazy. Running around the woods, ruining my dresses, jumping off ropes into the lake," she said.
"You were adventurous and I bet they loved that about you," Risty said.
"If that's really how Raven felt, then I wish she would've jumped in with me- not yell at me all the time about getting dirty," she said.
"I'm sure she wishes she had," Risty said softly. Rogue let out a sigh as she watched Risty out of the corner of her eye.
"Do ya think she wishes she didn't try to kill me?" she asked.
"What?" Risty asked, shocked, turning to look at Rogue.
"She tried to kill me," Rogue repeated as she watched Risty blink several times.
"When?" she asked her, her voice laced with concern and confusion.
"She lied and manipulated me, like she always does, and when I caught her in that lie, she threw a boulder at me," Rogue explained dryly as she studied Risty's reaction.
"That- that's horrible. But are you sure she was trying to kill you?" she asked.
"Risty, really?" she asked, annoyed. "Yeah, I dodged the thing. But just 'cause it didn't kill me doesn't mean she didn't try. And she can claim that wasn't her intention, all she wants, but if I had just stood there and done nothing, I'd be dead. So, yeah, it counts. That's why I don't live with her anymore. How could I after that?" she finished.
"I'm so sorry that happened to you," Risty said.
"I just- I just wish that she would be honest with me, ya know. It didn't have to be like that. She didn't have to lie to me. I just want her to come up to me, and say, here I am, I'm sorry about everything. And I'll try not ta suck so much in the future. Maybe then I could have an actual relationship with her, ya know?" she asked, finally looking over at Risty.
"Right," she said.
Rogue turned back to her lunch and picked up her apple. 'Come on,' she thought. 'I just gave you the best opening ya ever gonna get. Tell me you're you and maybe we-' she thought as she glanced over at Risty. She grabbed her water and was taking a small sip. Rogue saw the pensive look on her face, she was thinking about it. 'Come on. Just tell me,' she thought.
"That really is horrible, Rogue. I'm sorry you had to go through that," Risty said.
Rogue waited a moment, waiting for her to continue, waited for her to take the chance she was giving her and-
Nothing. She wasn't saying anything else. She wasn't going to say anything else.
"Me too," Rogue said bitterly.
On March 10th, 2002, around 11 am in the morning, Magneto dialed the institute's number. He sat at his work desk, which had a number of items scattered across it. Using his powers, he held the cellular device to his ear, leaving his hands free. He held his image inducer in one hand and a soldering iron in the other, as he worked on reprogramming it with attentional settings for his younger self. Clothing options mostly. He wasn't sure how often he would need to utilize his disguise, but better to be prepared.
"Xavier Institute, Kitty speaking," Shadowcat said.
"Hello, Kitty," he said slowly, placing his accent on each word. "Is Rogue available?" he asked.
"Hi Max. Yeah, totally. I just, like, have to find her, okay?" she said.
"Thank you," he said, wincing at himself. He was attempting to sound French but knew that some German annunciations were slipping in. Not that Shadowcat could point out the nuances in his accent, but Charles might, had he been the one to pick up the phone.
"Hey, Rogue, Max is on the phone for you," Shadowcat said in a teasing way.
"Thanks, Kitty," Rogue said dryly.
"Oh, who's Max?" he heard Charles ask.
"He's Rogue's friend from France, who, like, takes her on romantic dinner dates. But he's totally just a friend, right?" Shadowcat answered for her, giggling towards the end.
"Really?" Charles asked intrigued as he heard Rogue groan. "And what's his full name, please?" he asked.
"It's Max Eisenhardt," Rogue answered.
"That sounds more German than French," Charles commented.
"That's 'cause he is German," Rogue said.
"But you totally said-" Shadowcat objected.
"No, Kitty, you said he was from France. I said he spoke French. I didn't have another quarter on me and I needed to talk to him before the line went dead," she said, annoyed.
"Geez, touchy much? You could've just told me," Shadowcat said.
"And you're doing it again. Can I have the phone, so I can talk to my friend, please?" she asked.
"Oh my god, here," Shadowcat said.
"Thank you," she said, she said annoyed. "Attends une seconde, Max," she commented smoothly in French. He understood she was most likely granting them some privacy. Charles' interest was concerning. He knew it would be and he needed to deal with that straight away. He continued to tinker with the watch as he waited. He could hear her walking, a door opening and then closing.
"Bonjour," she said about a minute and a half later.
"Bonjour," he replied with a slight chuckle in his voice. "How did Charles look?" he asked.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"When you left the room, what was Charles' demeanor?" he asked.
"Hmm, normal, I think," she said.
"Did he look as though he wished to ask you further questions?" he asked.
"Yeah, definitely, but I didn't give him the chance," she said.
"How are your mental defenses?" he asked.
"I have no idea," she said bluntly.
"We need to address that. Today if possible," he dictated. "I should have thought of this in the hotel," he muttered, mostly to himself, before he shook his head. Better late than never. "Can you slip away this afternoon?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm free but no one has any plans to go anywhere. Where would we meet?" she asked.
"I still have the car. I'll pick you up," he said.
"From the institute?" she asked.
"Precisely," he said.
"Okay, small problem. We ain't allowed to have non-mutants come over unscheduled. Prof'll say I should've planned better," she told him.
"Then I suppose, you'll have, truthfully, inform them I am, in fact, a mutant," he smiled
"And what are your powers?" she asked, with a slight smile in her voice.
He thought about it a moment before he chuckled to himself. "I can turn invisible," he said. She responded with a short but loud laugh.
"That shouldn't've been so funny," she said as he chuckled. He considered his joke a moment as he listened to her chuckle.
"Should Charles attempt to read my mind, that would provide a reasonable explanation as to why he's unable to," he realized.
"Like you've got some kinda natural defense or something, linked to your powers?" she asked.
"Indeed. It could also account for why Cerebro didn't locate my manifestation," he finished the thought.
"We ain't actually gonna say any of that, right? I really don't wanna outright lie to 'em," she said.
"I know Charles. He'll never admit to his attempt. He'll speak with his staff and they'll draw their own conclusions. But that will be the extent of it," he said.
"You know, he might try to recruit you," she pointed out.
"I'll politely decline, should it come to that," he said.
"Ya promise?" she asked tentatively. He looked up from his work, placing the inducer and his tool on the workbench.
"Rogue," he said as he took the phone into his hand. "I have no intention of abusing our relationship to gather information of any kind about the X-Men. You have my word," he said.
"Okay, thanks- I just- I needed to hear you say it," she said.
"The fact of the matter is, I don't need you for that. If I want to spy on Charles, I'll, simply, do it myself," he said.
"Why is that strangely comforting?" she asked him.
"Risty Wilde," he answered promptly, knowing they would need to discuss her at some point.
"Yeah," she sighed.
Rogue's reaction to how he handled the situation was… concerning. He hadn't considered that she would still have his senses, or how prolific she had become in wielding them. He was honestly impressed with the girl.
He'd felt her panicking and once he had come upon the classroom, though her heart was racing, nothing else about her physical demeanor suggested she was ill at ease. And the way she had calmed herself down. He had no idea what her thought process had been, but once she as looked at him, the sense of calm he had seen in her expression. The question remained, after having some time to digest what he had done, how did she feel about it now?
"Are you alright, my dear?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she said with a slight melancholy in her tone. "I just- wish-"
"Yes?" he asked, sitting forward in his seat, preparing himself for whatever was to come next.
"I wish she'd made better choices, ya know?" she asked.
'Meaning she has no quarrel with my choices?' he asked himself as he considered how to probe further.
"Hey, hmm, there's no chance Prof gonna recognize ya, right?" she asked.
"Highly doubtful," he said, sitting back in his seat. "I met him in my forties. My hair was already white. I looked significantly different," he told her.
"And Logan? Like your smell?" she asked.
"I've thought of that, already, dear," he said as he picked up a body of cologne.
"Oh god, how bad are you gonna smell?" she groaned and he chuckled.
"No worse than a frat house, I suspect," he answered, and she responded by laughing. "See you in an hour, then?" he asked.
"Yup," she said.
On March 10th, 2002, around 12 pm, Rogue stood outside the Institute as she watched Magneto's car pull through the gates. She was outside because inside the main lobby, Prof, Logan, Ororo, and Mr. McCoy were lingering. Magneto was right. Once she had told them Max was a mutant, the Professor had excused himself, used Cerebro (The flickering of the lights in the Institute had given that away), and then called a staff meeting. Now, they were all in the lobby, talking in hushed voices.
This had been a bad idea. Yes, Magneto was fairly confident but she wasn't. And if he did recognize him, what was she going to do? Oh, god, what was Magneto going to do?
Maybe she could just get in the car and they could take off before Prof had a chance to talk to him?
'That could work,' she thought as Magneto pulled up in front of the entrance and stopped the car. She heard the doors opening behind her as she walked forward towards the car, however, she found the door was locked. When she peered inside, she saw him gesture with his hand, telling her to stay where she was. She went to look him in the eyes but found he was wearing sunglasses and couldn't make eye contact. She took a step back as she saw him exiting the vehicle.
"Good afternoon," the Professor said as Magneto walked around the car and Rogue got a good look at his outfit. She noticed his face first which had stubble as if he hadn't shaved. He was wearing sunglasses and a grey flat cap. His long hair was pulled back behind the cap but with the addition of the black stubble and sunglasses, he didn't look anything like Pietro. She scanned down to see he was wearing blue jeans, a black turtle neck shirt, and a brown leather jacket. He looked young and relaxed and-
Okay, maybe this was going to work after all.
"Hello," Magneto said, feigning an accent, which sounded more German this time than French.
"I'm Charles Xavier," the Professor said as he came up to Magneto and offered his hand.
"I know," Magneto said with a smile as he shook his hand.
"Ahh, of course, Rogue must've explained," the Professor dismissed easily.
"You have a lovely school," Magneto said, bypassing confirming the comment.
"Thank you very much," the Professor said. "These are a few of my instructors, Logan, Ororo, and Hank," he said. Each introduction was followed by a handshake. Logan sniffed the air and had a disgusted look on his face as Magneto politely nodded and smiled in response to each greeting. "What brings you to Bayville?" he asked.
"Visting with old friends," Magneto answered smoothly.
"And perhaps, making some new ones," the Professor suggested with a smile.
"Time will tell," Magneto replied with a smile.
"I don't intend to pry, however, may I ask what your mutant ability is?" the Professor said. "Rogue said she'd prefer for you to answer that question yourself or not at all," he said.
"Rogue is very considerate of others privacy and I am grateful. While I'll appreciate how open your students can be with each other. I'm certain you understand a mutant's reluctance to reveal details outside of the safety of walls such as these," he said, laying on the German accent a little thick.
"Of course, Max," the Professor said. "We value and protect our privacy above all else. Your secrets are safe with us."
"That is good to hear," Magneto said as he clapped his hands together and shook them in a grateful gesture. "To answer your question, I think, I will show you," he said before Rogue watched him disappear.
"Oh," the Professor said, he seemed pleasantly surprised at the display. Rogue keep her eyes on the refragment of light as Magneto walked up to the front of the car.
"Where did he go?" Storm asked.
"He's right over there," Rogue answered, pointing directly at him.
"How do you know?" the Professor asked.
"I, too, would like to understand how you keep spotting me," Magneto said as he reappeared, casually leaning up against the car. She walked forward, folding her arms over her chest.
"Max," she said as she got directly in front of him. "They're your powers, sugar. So, you ain't gonna get any help from me," she said before cocking her head. "You're a smart man, I'm sure you'll figure it out… eventually, she said.
"And until then?" he asked with a grin.
"You'll just have ta be patience," she smiled before she held her head up straight. "Because I am literally never telling you," she said as he started to chuckle. "I would rather take this secret to my grave than give you the satisfaction," she said, he threw his head back as his chuckling turned into laughter. "Oh, and I'm hungry, so you're taking me out to lunch," she told him. She watched him raise an eyebrow as he regained his composure. He nodded as she watched him consider their options.
"German food this time?" he asked.
"Schnitzel?" she asked, the idea coming to mind.
"Oh, schnitzel," he repeated, clearly pleased at the prospect. "Oui," he confirmed.
"Yes," she exclaimed as he stepped out of her way. She opened the car door, finding it open this time, as she watched him round the car towards the driver's seat. "See y'all later," she said turning back to look at the Professor.
"Have fun, Rogue," the Professor said. "And Max, you're welcome to join us for dinner, should you like. It's served at seven in the evening, usually," he said.
"Your hospitality is appreciated," Magneto said before entering the car. She also entered the car and promptly put on her seatbelt, eager to leave before they pulled out a spare uniform. She waved at her instructors as Magneto pulled away from the institute.