29 February

Forbidden. -v. 1. a past participle of forbid -adj. 2. not allowed; prohibited 3. Physics. involving a change in quantum numbers that is not permitted by the selection rules

Rogue stared down at her fingers tapping the table. She came into the kitchen for food, but nothing struck her fancy, so she sat down until inspiration hit her. Ororo occupied another chair two seats down, eyes cast into a book within one hand. Rogue watched her out of the corner of her eye, struck into awkward silence. Periodically, Ororo took a bite of her sandwich, chewing slowly and silently as she read.

Rogue took her chance when Ororo's blue eyes darted into her direction, even though she swiftly reverted her attention back to her book.

"'Roro?" Rogue asked in a small voice.

Immediately, the book sat on the table, a small leaflet placed between the pages as a bookmark. "Yes, child?"

Rogue shrunk further at Ororo's language, despite its commonality within Ororo's speech. Getting called a child made her feel crummy in ways she couldn't articulate. "Ah … how do Ah know when a telepath's readin' mah mind?"

Ororo bit her lip before exhaling and drawing them into a line. "You do not know, in most cases."

Rogue turned her eyes down again. "Oh. Do they, like, always know what's goin' on in our heads?"

She could feel Ororo's bright blue eyes boring into her. Asking questions her words did not. Dissecting her and judging her. "No," she answered firmly. "Reading into another's mind is strictly taboo."

Rogue looked up again, her line of sight askew of Ororo. Strictly taboo worked in her favor. She didn't need Jean or Betsy or even Xavier delving into the turmoil within her brain. "Is that why Betsy said she didn't need ta be a telepath ta know how I was feelin' … " - she swallowed – "'bout Remy?"

"You thought that Betsy read your mind?" Ororo asked.

Rogue nodded, feeling much like a little child.

"From what I understand, reading our thoughts and talking within our minds are two different skills within telepathy," Ororo explained. "I would think Betsy said she did not need to be a telepath because your feelings were projected well enough that anyone that spent time with you knew how you felt. I do not think most telepaths need to actively shut out others' thoughts, such as Jean does. I think most telepaths must actively scan for what you are thinking. Uncovering anything deeper, such as memories, would require more active invasion."

"Which is forbidden."

"Taboo," Ororo corrected.

Rogue processed through another question before putting words to it. "So can telepaths take over yer body with their minds?"

Ororo breathed in deeply again, coming up with an appropriate answer. That meant it wasn't a flat no, then. "Most telepaths are not so powerful that they can alter your mind, let alone take control of your body with their mind," Ororo answered. "The only telepath that I have heard of stopping someone physically with his mind is our Professor Xavier. That does not mean another does not exist, but a telepath so powerful is exceedingly rare."

"How do you think Ah can protect myself against a telepath? Say, like, Betsy?" She seemed like the least powerful of the three that resided in the mansion.

"Betsy can physically stop someone with her psionic power," Ororo said, almost by way of warning. "She has the ability to physically manifest her power into a knife that temporarily disables her opponent. Her mental power is extremely specialized." She rubbed her fingers absently across the tabletop. "Protecting yourself against Betsy requires physical space."

Rogue frowned. Maybe Betsy wasn't the weakest telepath. "Then like Jean?" Ororo and Jean both mentioned that Jean required specialized training to shut others' thoughts out. Rogue didn't think she had to worry about Jean discovering the sources of her problems simply because she tried so hard to keep others' business their own business and not her own.

"Shutting out telepaths like Jean requires active vigilance and training. It is possible, but I do not think we need to add it to your training. In the times we have come across mental opponents as X-Men, our telepaths on the teams have come to our aid. I do not think it is worth your time and energy, especially at this time."

"But – our team. We don't have a telepath?"

"No," Ororo agreed. A smile slowly crept across her face. "We have Banshee."

Rogue blinked. "Oh." She wasn't really sure what that meant.