.08 stop all the clocks

[touchofrogue]

Who: Rogue and anyone who likes!
Broadcast: Yes, text, first part
Action: Yes, second part!
When: Today

[In the weeks since Rogue woke up from her coma, she found that: a) dealing with atrophied muscles really sucked, but she at least had her feet underneath her again; b) they were on a planet with space invaders and going down there chronically endangered every single native and she hated it; c) ...so many people were gone.

It hurt. It hurt enough to drive her to public communication. She writes:]

Okay, so for those of ya who've been at this for a while... I'm comin' up on eight years in one of these interdimensional sewer stops, an' I know we're supposed ta be stay positive but sometimes... positive just doesn't cut it. Here, in no particular order, are my top five reasons for why these places are the worst. Feel free to share your own.

5. Even when something changes, nothing ever changes.
4. Old faces are new faces.
3. The absolute boredom only spiced with moments of sheer terror.
2. Explainin' the same old 'stuckness' ta every new face.
1.

[Everybody leaves. She can't quite bring herself to write that down, though, and so temporarily abandons the post to get back on the Iskaulit and train. She heads to the gym to do very basic strength training exercises over and over and over again. At least she's gotten so she can do this on her own, but Rogue is still far from satisfied with her progress.

Much later, she'll be at Nami's bar, ordering some food and, finally, checking the journal to see if she has any responses to her list.]

Comments

[touchofrogue]

[That was so unexpectedly sweet. Rogue felt her eyes heat and she had to close them, taking in a deep breath through her nose and slowly exhaling through her mouth before she looked over at him with a very small smile.] Don't go home before I do?

[cajunspice]

[Oh, oh Rogue. His heart went out to her, but he kept a smile up, carrying through that role that he knew made it easier for them both to deal with. He raised a hand and put an X over his chest.] Cross m' crooked heart. [Not that either of them had control over it, but he would try as much was within his powers to make sure that didn't happen.]

[touchofrogue]

[And on that note, while she was asking for impossible things over which neither of them had control, Rogue continued recklessly on.] An' when ya do go home, don't be a stranger. Come on out of that bayou an' drop by the X-Men sometime. Sure, the winters are colder, but we don't have any gators.

[She didn't want to lose his friendship. And she didn't want him to lose himself. He might not know it, he might not believe it of himself, but she knew he had it in him to be one of the good guys. He'd probably like it a lot better than he knew.]

[cajunspice]

[Remy's smile slipped with that comment, he adjusting himself in his seat before hesitantly speaking.] That be why I don't wanna leave here. I miss m' family, bein' home, workin'... but I don't wanna forget this. What we went through in Luceti, people who ain't here 'nymore 'nd what history I had with them. [His gaze focusing more on her.] Ya.

[So much for cheering her up.]

[touchofrogue]

[It was okay; he didn't have to cheer her up. Sometimes all that could really be done was to listen and walk through an experience with someone. And she was glad that at least, well, she wasn't crazy, and he was willing to be this honest with her.

Her entire expression softened.]

...well. Ain't a universe I've heard of where we ain't friends. I ain't much of a believer in fate, but it's hard ta believe our universe would be the sad exception.

[cajunspice]

Yeah... [His tone sounded a little off still, thinking back to what Kitty had said about them in her world. How 'he' had up and left after Rogue had chosen Magneto over him. Maybe friends wasn't always an option.

Yet he pushed through it, forcing a smile in place that wasn't entirely fake, still a hint of something real mixed in with it.] Ya know back in Luceti, with the library havin' stuff from other worlds... I may have stumbled 'cross some books from 'nother universe on, well, not just us, everyone from our world I guess, just in a different settin'.

[touchofrogue]

[Oh, those. Yeah, she'd seen those too. But she was curious where he was going with this, especially since he didn't sound quite himself.] Yeah? Comics or book-books?

[cajunspice]

The comics, there were... 'nterestin', if ya call someone able to lay out parts of ya life for others to read ''neterestin'' [A touch more of his normal smirk as he shrugged a shoulder, pausing to sip at his drink.] Am I really that much of a brat?

[touchofrogue]

[A hint of her own smirk as she decided to take the bait... for now.] Depends. Are ya referrin' ta the ones where ya talked in third person?

[cajunspice]

Oh mon Dieu, that was... that was bad. [Remy raised a hand to scrub his palm over his face, giving his head a shake as he did and sighed, but still manage to give a smile at it all.] If he ever makes it here he deserves to be teased relentlessly for that.

[touchofrogue]

[A little dryly:] I'll leave ya to that.

[Since, well. She'd picked up a few things from the comics as well, even though she hadn't read them read them, and she wasn't she wanted to deal with all.. that.]

[cajunspice]

[Remy lifted his brows at her tone, moving one leg far enough to prod her foot with the tip of his shoe.] What's up with that tone? Worried the Fleet would self destruct with two of me here or something?

[touchofrogue]

Shoot, your ratings would go through the roof. [Dodging that question and taking a sip of her drink.] I don't even wanna think 'bout the fanfiction.

[cajunspice]

[Don't think he didn't notice that, missy... but Remy let that drop for now.] 'nd people say I got a dirty mind.

[touchofrogue]

[A wink and a bit of a smirk.] 'cause ya make it obvious.

[cajunspice]

[Remy just grins back at her, not denying it one bit.]

[touchofrogue]

[Still smiling a little, Rogue shook her head at him. She returned her attention to the salad in front of her but found she'd lost her appetite. She took another bite and then lightly pushed the plate away.

...there was still that pie, but. Hmm.]