[ Action, Voice ] Seven of Diamonds

[touchofrogue]

[Rogue has spent this entire experiment week completely unaffected. If she were the kind of person inclined to use blackmail, that would be just peachy. Instead, after figuring out the theme, she's gone from resigned to amused to bitter in the blink of an eye. Kind of the Malnosso to remind her that fairy tales and happily ever afters just aren'

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[Action]

[kineticcajun]

[With everything else happening this week, the thorn forest isn't much of a surprise. After all, it's been a full week of stuff out of kid's movies, so why not a massive tangle of thorns? It's familiar, but Gambit can't really put his finger on it

[Action]

[touchofrogue]

[There is no answer, although Rogue's music is playing softly in the background. It's a solemn Gregorian chant, one that is a prelude to a sick guitar solo, but the chant is also several minutes long. And somehow, between the course of yesterday and... now, the Item Shop seems to have acquired a thick layer of dust.

There's not a hint of movement anywhere. In the very back of the room, just peeking out from the shelves, where the workbench is, a green-gloved hand peeks out palm up, as if in supplication.]

[Action] 1/2

[kineticcajun]

[Seriously where did she get this music from Moving carefully, Gambit edges a little further into the shop, eyes scanning for movement. The dust is definitely a new addition. Faint memory is starting to stir. All of it is terribly familiar...

Partially relying on the glow from his cards and partially relying on keen vision in the dark (when did it even get this dark anyway?), he slowly makes his way back toward where he can see her hand peeking out.]

[Action]

[kineticcajun]

[Once he reaches the back of the room, he lets the charge fall from the cards.]

Ah. La Belle au bois dormant.

[Yeah, he gets it now. And he scratches behind one ear thoughtfully, more or less musing to himself.]

...Gonna be a tricky one, ain't it, chere.

[Action]

[touchofrogue]

[Rogue, naturally, has no response to that. But the glint of light from the window on the spindle of that spinning wheel seems to agree. She lays there, twisted into an uncomfortable position, on her side but with both shoulders against the floor, her head lolling at an uncomfortable angle. Some hair yet covers her face, so it's not immediately apparent that she's lost her make-up.

...be careful about that dress too, Gambit. There is a slim line of skin uncovered by her gloves on her shoulders.]

[Action]

[kineticcajun]

[All those uncomfortable angles spur Gambit into kneeling down beside her, very carefully trying to shift her without either a) causing any discomfort or b) brushing any bare skin. He's only got two uncovered fingers from his own gloves, but he already knows from experience that those are all the opening necessary.

And now it dawns on him that her make-up is gone. It's just as good a look on her, too.

...Now is not the time to be reflecting on these things, LeBeau. Think. If this is the Sleeping Beauty thing playing out, it isn't going to be as easy as just kissing her. At least not if he doesn't want to hit the dusty floor for it. Not that he doesn't have his suspicions that she'd try to knock him out for it even if her mutation didn't first.

After a moment, an idea dawns on him, but he's skeptical. The classics are very particular on this, aren't they?]

Well... guess we'll see if dis works, non?

[And he'll just press a kiss to her forehead. Or, more accurately, to the bangs covering her forehead. Somehow, he has his doubts

[Action]

[touchofrogue]

[She shifts when he moves her without resistance, although it may cause the silk to wrinkle. The dress is a very thin material, and if that's where he touches her, he'll feel her warmth right through it. It's reassuring, in a way - at least she's not dead. But the thinness of that clinging material presents other dangers; the floor is cold, and though Rogue is warm she's not nearly as warm as she should be. She must have been laying there for some time.

If Remy is very careful to kiss only her bangs, he'll suffer no ill effects. Her powers won't activate through her hair any more than they'll activate through her wings, another fact he might discern depending on how he moves her. And when he kisses, her face remains completely impassive, smooth and unaffected, lost in dreams.

As he pulls back, she takes a deep breath and seems to fall further asleep, as if the Fairy Tale was saying 'You call that true love's kiss? Ha!']

[Action]

[kineticcajun]

[Point taken, oh all-powerful Fairy Tale. Remy heaves a sigh of his own. This is definitely going to be tricky. He's not sure how much a fairy tale can really drain on the actual person - or even how long this all is going to last - but in any case, that dropping body temperature is a valid cause for concern

[Action]

[touchofrogue]

[The coat wrapping is a good idea for more than one reason. It warms her up, yes, but it also covers the dangerous amounts of bare skin on her upper arms and chest. Her head lolls against his shoulder, her eyes tighten for a moment, as if in refusal or pain, before the enchanted sleep steals the worry away and Rogue curls further into him, towards the new source of warmth.

Gambit's progress to the doorway is unimpeded, but once he opens it he'll find that - unfortunately - most of the thorns have grown back. In fact, they seem to stretch towards the two of them, growing more quickly, now that he's actually made an appearance with their prisoner in his arms.

Careful. It will be easy for those thorns to catch on silk. And once they do they might not let go.]

[Action]

[kineticcajun]

[This fairy tale has it out for him, doesn't it.

Thankfully, he's still got clear enough access to his pockets that he can pull a few cards free and flick them into the tangle of thorns to clear most of the path. He'd be fast enough to dart through from there on his own, but carrying Rogue means slowing down a bit from his usual speed.

Not that he doesn't have a plan. His arms are bare without his coat, but that makes it easier to knock an elbow into oncoming vines to charge them and knock them back. They're definitely scratching his arms up pretty badly, but he'll live.

The silk may be a little singed at the edges after this charge, but Gambit is still managing to break free with Rogue in tow.]

[Action]

[touchofrogue]

[Of course the fairy tale doesn't have it out for him. It's not even cackling gleefully at the scratches on his arms. But it may be thoroughly disappointed that this particular prince is breaking all the rules. You're not supposed to carry the princess away to safety, you're supposed to kiss her and wake her up so that everything can go back to normal!

Ooooh, and that is a good idea, isn't it. Kissing her, the fairy tale means. Just look at her, all asleep and desperate for the one thing that can save her - your kiss. And it's not as if you don't want to. Don't those lips look like they were made for kissing?

Why wait? Go on. Kiss her now.]

[Action]

[kineticcajun]

[Stop trying to tempt him, fairy tale, he knows what happens if you kiss Rogue. Heck, she knocked him flat with one once already. The fact that he knows this should really make it easier to resist the pull of the fairy tale, but once they're clear of the thorns, he still finds himself slowing to a stop and glancing down at her.

Common sense and past experience have a brief tussle against attraction and the fairy tale. The fairy tale has a point, it's not as if he doesn't want to. But then again, passing out and leaving her to wake up after hitting the pavement with him doesn't match the Happily Ever After, either.

You're gonna have to wait until he gets her to the tunnels, fairy tale. Even though it's getting a lot harder to resist its pull the further he goes from the Item Shop. Shaking his head, he just keeps on his way.

Thankfully, it isn't too far from the tunnel entrance.]

[Action]

[touchofrogue]

[You leave the Fairy Tale to speculate on your stamina, Remy LeBeau, as it continues to bend all its remarkable strength of compulsion at you. It's nothing personal, you see. It's just that this is not the way the story goes. They should already be on their way to their happily ever after, and the Fairy Tale does not appreciate the delay.

It's already done its utmost to make Rogue as appealing as possible, as it understands appealing, and the prince's restraint is quite frustrating. It would throw a dragon at you in recompense - at least that is a delay it understands - but sadly lacks the resources

[Action]

[kineticcajun]

[If the fairy tale was wagering on three and a half strides into the tunnel before he figures "Hey, good enough", it would be right. He finds himself drawn towards Rogue on his own; the ridiculous amount of pressure coming in from the fairy tale's nagging doesn't help.

To Remy's credit, he does at least kneel to set her back down first. She will probably not be too thrilled about this, and dropping her after all this would just be very bad.

Even though he can't quite bring himself to let go of her fully. The Princely mindset taking steady control is making him less than inclined to let her out of his arms just yet.

You want true love's kiss, fairy tale? You got it. This one should rank well enough for the storybook ending. Eat your heart out, Prince Charming.]

[Action]

[touchofrogue]

[Not letting completely go of her is a very good call, considering she'd likely just collapse without his support. For once, Rogue is completely in his hands.

Her lips are soft and warm, and slack with sleep. The fairy tale sticks around just long enough to decide - yes, this kiss is acceptable - before Rogue slowly begins to return to consciousness.

The first thing she's aware of is the pressure on her lips. She must be dreaming, because there's no incoming rush of psyche, no hint of pain along with that thrill-inducing sensation.

She wonders, vaguely, whose memory this is. It feels as though she's leaning against someone taller, and there's a distinctly masculine sense in this kiss, so at least she's the girl in this particular stolen memory. As soon as she opens up her eyes and knows who it is, the whole thing will be ruined and she'll be forced to live through it until she can shake herself out of sleep or dream. And it's such a nice kiss, the only kind she'll ever get to enjoy

[Action]

[kineticcajun]

[Well. He wasn't really expecting the enthusiastic response there. Not that he's complaining -- quite the opposite, in fact. He draws out the kiss a bit longer, pulling her in a bit closer against him.

But alas, air will always become an issue eventually.

With a twinge of regret, he breaks the kiss, gently brushing her bangs back and away from her eyes. Still not open. Fairy tale, you'd better not have just been pulling his chain with her returning that kiss.]

Rise an' shine, Sleepin' Beauty.