Ashes to ashes, we all fall down
[tm_mystique used with permission which was easy, since its like me. :P]
Rogue can't stand winter. She hates snow, the icicles, the frigid air. You'd think she'd enjoy that time of year, it makes the appearance of gloves on her hands or the fact that she's clothed from head to toe not as noticeable. No one thinks much of a young woman wearing gloves in the middle of February. It's when the frost begins to melt and the world once again blooms that people notice the oddity of her style. But that's her favorite time of year, when the world begins anew. Its why she couldn't stand Russia. The summer ended too early and all they were left with was a blanket of snow and darkness. Its why Erik sent them to that little island off Texas for their next base. She knows she was the reason behind that choice and she loved him dearly for remembering her feelings on the seasons.
Rachel and Sinister are somewhere else, as is Isobel, leaving Rogue alone in the house. She doesn't want to be here. Can't stand the normalcy they exude, the simple touches, the glances between all three. They're a family. She's lost hers and it hurts to see her best friend so happy. It hurts even more when she realizes how selfish she's being.
She can't think here. Nothing is coming together. She's not finding anything. No hint of any of them anywhere. Even Finn doesn't like this place. He hisses at Sinister and hides under the bed when any of the others enter her room. Not even Rogue's gentle cooing can get him to emerge until they leave.
Rogue's losing herself in these walls and trying not to let it show. Her barriers are shrinking, the nightmares becoming more vivid, intertwining with all the memories in her head. It takes all her energy not to let Rachel or Sinister notice and that's the problem. Her focus should be on her family, on breaking them out, but instead its on pretending to be as normal as she possibly can be.
This isn't working. None of it. Logan hasn't found anything. None of Sinister's contacts have worked. She can't just keep sitting here blindly waiting for the key to it all to just suddenly drop into her lap. She has to do something, she just isn't sure exactly what that something is.
Finn jumps off her lap, hairs raising along his back as he looks at the door before scurrying under the bed. Rogue doesn't hear their voices, only the slightest movement outside her door. She blinks and moves quick, teleporting out to the hallway, ready to sucker punch her attacker.
"Momma?" Rogue pulls back just in time. "What the hell're ya doin' here?"
Raven for her credit doesn't even blink. "Nice to see you as well, baby," she drawls, rising to her full height. "Isobel gave me the code long ago." An answer to Rogue's unspoken question as she pushes open the bedroom door. "This is the bird's room."
"She's got a name, Momma, an' ya know what it is." Rogue's snapping and that's never a good thing. This woman has always been able to rile her up entirely too easily. "Whaddaya want?" Because if Mystique's here then there is definitely an ulterior motive.
Raven doesn't answer right away, glances around the room and then under the bed, smiling as the little beast hisses at her. "Charming." She reaches under and grabs the animal by the scruff of his neck, pulling him out and strokes his head. The cat begins purring in moments. She has always had a way with animals. How else could anyone explain the existence of Graydon?
"Ya haven't answered my question, mother." She's glaring now, arms crossed and that pouting that only Mystique ever brings out in her. Its embarrassing how easy it is.
Raven raises an eyebrow and sets the kitten down on the bed. "A mother can't simply want to see her baby girl?" She laughs as her daughter snorts and picks up the kitten, cradling him entirely too lovingly. She doesn't like the way Rogue is holding onto the little beast as if its the only thing grounding her. She watches the girl, knowing she has to choose her words wisely or Rogue will shut her out. Again. It's rather annoying how often her little girl pushes her aside for all these makeshift families. Her loyalty should belong to Raven, not these fools. At least she left the spandex cult.
"You have found nothing. No trace of any of them, no mention of any resources needed to contain your ill-fated lover." Raven already knows she is right from the way Rogue shifts the kitten in her arms, holding on a little tighter, just as she'd done with her teddy bears as a child. "And you waste your time away in this humble abode. Charming."
Rogue can't look at her, simply sits on the bed and tries not to show any emotion. "I'm doin' everythin' I can," she mutters, and lets Finn go. Doesn't deserve the comfort of her kitten. That was a lie. She wasn't doing everything she possibly could but she'd promised Logan she wouldn't be rash, promised Sinister she wouldn't do anything to cause Rachel to react hastily.
She honestly doesn't know what to do. This was never her forte, never her strong point. She's not skilled at secrets and lies and discerning the truth through documents and what isn't being said. There had to be something out there in reports, some mention of a structure being built to contain Magneto. He couldn't be held in a simple cell, not if they truly wished to keep him. Her mind immediately goes to death, that would be the government's easiest solution. The quickest. Simply inject him with a toxin and let him die. That would end the threat in moments. But surely the government would have said something, would have leaked to the world that the greatest mutant threat was dead.
Rogue feels the panic rising in the back of her head and takes a deep breath, forcing herself to remain calm. She will not breakdown in front of Mystique. "If'n ya have a reason ta be here just spit it out."
"You look in the wrong avenues. The government documents will not lead you to the damn megalomaniac." Raven smiles at Rogue's glare, she can't reel in all her remarks. "Look beyond the memos and documents you've obtained. Shipping information. What compounds can keep Erik's power at bay? Look for large sums of those being purchased or shipped. Or a large amount of small shipments made over months. They do not wish him found, baby. They covered their tracks well."
She reaches out to brush Rogue's hair back and sighs when the girl flinches away. Raven can remember when Rogue would lean into her touch, when she was the only person the girl truly loved.
"Thank you for the information." Rogue stands and moves away, silently berating herself for not thinking of something so simple. She keeps her back to Mystique, doesn't have the strength for this conversation to continue. There are too many unspoken wounds lingering between the two of them.
Luckily Raven understands that and doesn't push. That would only cause Rogue to shut down even more. "I will be in Isobel's apartment if you have need of me." A kind of olive branch. She knows her daughter will understand. Raven lays a hand on the girl's arm and then slinks back the way she'd come in.
Rogue waits until she's certain Mystique is gone and then pulls out the laptop, ready to begin this new avenue of investigation. Maybe, hopefully, it would reveal something.
Rogue can't stand winter. She hates snow, the icicles, the frigid air. You'd think she'd enjoy that time of year, it makes the appearance of gloves on her hands or the fact that she's clothed from head to toe not as noticeable. No one thinks much of a young woman wearing gloves in the middle of February. It's when the frost begins to melt and the world once again blooms that people notice the oddity of her style. But that's her favorite time of year, when the world begins anew. Its why she couldn't stand Russia. The summer ended too early and all they were left with was a blanket of snow and darkness. Its why Erik sent them to that little island off Texas for their next base. She knows she was the reason behind that choice and she loved him dearly for remembering her feelings on the seasons.
Rachel and Sinister are somewhere else, as is Isobel, leaving Rogue alone in the house. She doesn't want to be here. Can't stand the normalcy they exude, the simple touches, the glances between all three. They're a family. She's lost hers and it hurts to see her best friend so happy. It hurts even more when she realizes how selfish she's being.
She can't think here. Nothing is coming together. She's not finding anything. No hint of any of them anywhere. Even Finn doesn't like this place. He hisses at Sinister and hides under the bed when any of the others enter her room. Not even Rogue's gentle cooing can get him to emerge until they leave.
Rogue's losing herself in these walls and trying not to let it show. Her barriers are shrinking, the nightmares becoming more vivid, intertwining with all the memories in her head. It takes all her energy not to let Rachel or Sinister notice and that's the problem. Her focus should be on her family, on breaking them out, but instead its on pretending to be as normal as she possibly can be.
This isn't working. None of it. Logan hasn't found anything. None of Sinister's contacts have worked. She can't just keep sitting here blindly waiting for the key to it all to just suddenly drop into her lap. She has to do something, she just isn't sure exactly what that something is.
Finn jumps off her lap, hairs raising along his back as he looks at the door before scurrying under the bed. Rogue doesn't hear their voices, only the slightest movement outside her door. She blinks and moves quick, teleporting out to the hallway, ready to sucker punch her attacker.
"Momma?" Rogue pulls back just in time. "What the hell're ya doin' here?"
Raven for her credit doesn't even blink. "Nice to see you as well, baby," she drawls, rising to her full height. "Isobel gave me the code long ago." An answer to Rogue's unspoken question as she pushes open the bedroom door. "This is the bird's room."
"She's got a name, Momma, an' ya know what it is." Rogue's snapping and that's never a good thing. This woman has always been able to rile her up entirely too easily. "Whaddaya want?" Because if Mystique's here then there is definitely an ulterior motive.
Raven doesn't answer right away, glances around the room and then under the bed, smiling as the little beast hisses at her. "Charming." She reaches under and grabs the animal by the scruff of his neck, pulling him out and strokes his head. The cat begins purring in moments. She has always had a way with animals. How else could anyone explain the existence of Graydon?
"Ya haven't answered my question, mother." She's glaring now, arms crossed and that pouting that only Mystique ever brings out in her. Its embarrassing how easy it is.
Raven raises an eyebrow and sets the kitten down on the bed. "A mother can't simply want to see her baby girl?" She laughs as her daughter snorts and picks up the kitten, cradling him entirely too lovingly. She doesn't like the way Rogue is holding onto the little beast as if its the only thing grounding her. She watches the girl, knowing she has to choose her words wisely or Rogue will shut her out. Again. It's rather annoying how often her little girl pushes her aside for all these makeshift families. Her loyalty should belong to Raven, not these fools. At least she left the spandex cult.
"You have found nothing. No trace of any of them, no mention of any resources needed to contain your ill-fated lover." Raven already knows she is right from the way Rogue shifts the kitten in her arms, holding on a little tighter, just as she'd done with her teddy bears as a child. "And you waste your time away in this humble abode. Charming."
Rogue can't look at her, simply sits on the bed and tries not to show any emotion. "I'm doin' everythin' I can," she mutters, and lets Finn go. Doesn't deserve the comfort of her kitten. That was a lie. She wasn't doing everything she possibly could but she'd promised Logan she wouldn't be rash, promised Sinister she wouldn't do anything to cause Rachel to react hastily.
She honestly doesn't know what to do. This was never her forte, never her strong point. She's not skilled at secrets and lies and discerning the truth through documents and what isn't being said. There had to be something out there in reports, some mention of a structure being built to contain Magneto. He couldn't be held in a simple cell, not if they truly wished to keep him. Her mind immediately goes to death, that would be the government's easiest solution. The quickest. Simply inject him with a toxin and let him die. That would end the threat in moments. But surely the government would have said something, would have leaked to the world that the greatest mutant threat was dead.
Rogue feels the panic rising in the back of her head and takes a deep breath, forcing herself to remain calm. She will not breakdown in front of Mystique. "If'n ya have a reason ta be here just spit it out."
"You look in the wrong avenues. The government documents will not lead you to the damn megalomaniac." Raven smiles at Rogue's glare, she can't reel in all her remarks. "Look beyond the memos and documents you've obtained. Shipping information. What compounds can keep Erik's power at bay? Look for large sums of those being purchased or shipped. Or a large amount of small shipments made over months. They do not wish him found, baby. They covered their tracks well."
She reaches out to brush Rogue's hair back and sighs when the girl flinches away. Raven can remember when Rogue would lean into her touch, when she was the only person the girl truly loved.
"Thank you for the information." Rogue stands and moves away, silently berating herself for not thinking of something so simple. She keeps her back to Mystique, doesn't have the strength for this conversation to continue. There are too many unspoken wounds lingering between the two of them.
Luckily Raven understands that and doesn't push. That would only cause Rogue to shut down even more. "I will be in Isobel's apartment if you have need of me." A kind of olive branch. She knows her daughter will understand. Raven lays a hand on the girl's arm and then slinks back the way she'd come in.
Rogue waits until she's certain Mystique is gone and then pulls out the laptop, ready to begin this new avenue of investigation. Maybe, hopefully, it would reveal something.