Gambit (![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} diable_blanc) wrote in ![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small} avengers_logs,@ 2021-05-14 18:23:00 |
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| Entry tags: | -complete, remy lebeau, rogue |
Who: Rogue, Remy
What: flying and pizza
When: this week.
Warnings/Notes: after Carol poofed from the universe.
Rogue slipped out of the Tower after the sunset, her hair tied back in a ponytail. She was dressed in dark greys, but covered neck to toe. She headed to central Park, moving easily through the crowd.
Once there she found a quiet section where no one was around. One long look around, she grinned and took a running step then jumped into the air. She didn't like the voice of the woman in her head but she didn't mind the ability to fly.
She came back down a few minutes later, breathing heavy, lashes and hair dusted with a hint of quickly melting frost. She hadn't thought of how cold it was up there in the sky.
Remy knew his job from SInister was to follow Rogue, and that's what he was doing when she went out for her walk: following her. He gathered she'd probably come back to her starting point so she didn't appear suspicious to anyone living in the tower, much less all those security checkpoints.
That's why he found the nearest park bench and sat down, one arm draped over the back of it, casually waiting until she landed. When she did, he let out a long low whistle and gave her a bright smile.
"Lookin' good, cher," he said in a lazy drawl. "Looks like you gotta 'nother skill under your belt."
Rogue jumped about ten feet, and spun to find him, she snarled her annoyance. "Damn it, swamp rat. Do you ever leave me alone?"
"Hard to, you're just so magnetic dat I'm drawn to you." He said it with a laugh while standing up. "You know my job. I ain't about to up and quit. Not yet, at least. Could've swore dat Danvers lady went missin'...."
He strolled toward her and leaned in with a smile, sounding sly as a fox as he asked, "Or did ya hide de body after you drained her dry?"
"Ah ain't magnetic, nice try." She snarled as she dusted her pants off. Green eyes staring at him with contempt. "Ah don't know a thing about what yer suggesting."
"Beg to differ." He shrugged, still not put off by how much she groused at him. In fact, it only made her prettier. "Blonde, pretty, could fly through the air. Saw her drinkin' with Tony Stark a time or two. Disappeared, like many of those who say dey're from another universe tend to do. Ring any bells, mon cheri?"
Remy pointed upward, to where she was flying around, a smile on his face that could make a nun want to punch it off his lips.
She pushed red and white strands back, much had come loose while she'd been flying. She was annoyed by him. But she did like his company not that she'd ever admit that. Over the year he'd grown on her.
But right now she wanted to punch him in the face. "Non, ain't got a clue. Met her once. Tough lady. Would be hard to catch off guard, ah think"
"Den where'd you learn how to fly?" he wondered aloud, looking at her curiously. He liked her company too, and was open about it. Remy was anything but shy, especially when it came to being flirtatious. He did it without being too pushy though
Rogue grit her teeth. "Fine." She rolled her shoulders back, tossing her ponytail. "Maybe it was that Danvers girl. Ain't givin' you more than that though." She licked her lips and sighed. "You don't really want to know more"
He eyed her for a long moment, smiling all the while.
"Guess I don't. Not like it matters much. Everyone in de tower thinks she's poofed out of existence anyway. Like it's something normal. You could probably get away with that alot more den they realize."
He didn't know what sort of effect that might have on Rogue though. He knew enough that she had other people running around in her brain, but he didn't see any outward signs that she was turning into someone else or struggling with it. Probably something she kept to herself, in private.
"I am famished," he said, changing tack. If anything was amiss, it would show up sooner or later. And he knew that Sinister would only try to take advantage of it. He offered her his arm. "Would you care to accompany me for a sandwich?"
Rogue eyed him. She'd spent a week hiding after Carol. The woman had been hard to tamp down. She was still loud but she wasn't in danger. Not right now anyway.
Hopefully not at all.
She sighed softly. "Are you?" She smirked softly. "Why would ah join you?"
"I dunno. You gotta eat, don't ya?" He looked like his usual laid back, let the good times roll self. At least on the outside. On the inside, her disappearing for that long was a big sign that something was up. It might be a good idea to make sure she was ok, because there was no telling what sort of twisted things Sinister had her doing. "I know I can't find a good po' boy up here. But it's still hard to say no to a sandwich, no matter what it comes from."
Rogue snorted, "ain't gonna get a good po'boy this far north ever. Ain't gonna get good anything southern. They try but they don't get it right." She sighed then reluctantly took his arm. "Fine. You can feed me."
"It would be an honor." He grinned and walked with her on his arm to the nearest deli in that part of Tribeca. The deli was a busy place with lots of Italian fare. Once they walked in, Remy breathed in deep and had to admit, "They might not do southern food right, but they sure know how to whip up some mean pizza."
He had money burning holes through his pockets, thanks to pawning off one of the Faberge eggs on his last trip down to his old contacts in the Thieves Guild. Sure, he was banned from New Orleans, but that didn't mean he didn't have a few friends left that owed him some favors. It also didn't mean he didn't sneak back home and lay low, now and then.
"Pick out anything you want. You want a pizza? It'd be my pleasure. If you want diamonds, I will steal you a tiara from de Tower of London."
That was not a boast. He really would do it.
"Pizza would be fine." She said before side-eying him. "What the fuck would ah do with a tiara? Ain't no damn princess." She rolled her eyes and stepped up to order. She liked New York pizza, and ordered a few slices of sausage and cheese, humming thoughtfully.
For a moment she looked utterly relaxed, food did that. She loved the smell of a good deli.
That made him laugh, and he followed suit, a sandwich chock full of Italian meats, cheese, and pickled peppers. He winked at the girl taking his order and casually mentioned what looked good, and she snuck some mac and cheese on the side. Which was not rung up when he paid for their food and drinks.
Being a gentleman, he carried the tray. "Ladies choice on where we sit."
Rogue rolled her eyes even harder as he got free food. She picked a table where her back was to the wall, she could see the exits and she was out of the reach of most people passing by.
She sat down, pulling her gloves off so she could eat without getting them messy
Where she sat said a lot about her, and he wasn't afraid to put his back to the door. If anyone came in trying to get them, he knew he could get away. It wasn't boastful or over confident. He just knew he was able to hop around like a greased crack rabbit when he needed to
When the gloves came off, he knew to let her take her pizza first. Handing her the plate or the drink might spook her. Plus, he had a few secrets to keep that a good long touch might inadvertently reveal.
Not that he ever minded playing with fire.
"After you. Must be hungry after flying around like dat."
Sitting with her back to the wall meant she didn't run the risk of being bumped into, either. That went a long way to calming her nerves. Public spaces still were nerve wracking.
She took her plate and drink, then sat back, taking a bite of pizza before she flipped him off.
He smiled like he found that charming, taking his food and drink, sliding the tray to one side with a fingertip. It still took care not to charge it up so the slightest nudge caused it to explode, but it was a lot easier than it used to be, before Sinister removed part of his brain. Everything inanimate that he touched used to go boom.
"I pick the most charming ladies to lunch with," he crooned, taking a big bite of sandwich and chewing slowly. With his mouth closed. He might be from down south, but he's no heathen.
She ate like she was starving, which she was in a way. She'd expended a lot more energy than she'd expected to and now she needed to refuel. Dark eyes watched him lazily. "You really keep close, don't you?" she rolled her eyes, she could feel his attention on the days she was just wandering the Tower. It was almost annoying.
Remy shrugged like this was nothing.
"Just part of many services dat I offer. For de right price."
He may have been observing, but he also kept his distance. He knew when to push, and when to back off. He didn't do things without thinking them through.
She rolled her eyes. "Ain't payin' you nothin' for anythin'" she finished off the first slice, washing it down with her drink. She rolled a shoulder, working out a kink that had settled into place. Her joints ached from landing, she was still trying to figure out how not to land so damn hard. She hated the learning curve on these things.
Good thing he was undeterred. He might be under orders, but he liked Rogue too.
Sure, she was under Sinister's thumb. But he caught glimpses of something more than just a minion doing bad deeds for someone else's agenda. What he saw, he liked. And a large part of him wanted to save her from Sinister's dissection table.
He noticed that and, between bites of sandwich, told her, "You're done landin' too hard. You gotta ease into it slow-like. Kinda like you're putting down de landing gear before actually touching down."
She raked her hand through her hair, pulling the ponytail out as she stared at him across the table. Her stare could level most people, she was not loving how much focus he gave her. But she also, maybe, didn't mind as much as she had originally. She knew that her life was on the edge. If Sinister wanted her on the table so he could pick her apart, he'd do it. She'd be able to struggle but she'd lose. She always had.
except that one time and she'd regretted it.
"Ain't nearly as easy as it looks." she said lazily, "Ain't flyin' none, regular like. Ain't ever been on a plane while ah was awake, anyway." she shrugged a bit, she didn't really care, much, not really. Not her.
"You wanna go on one? I can show you." It might be fun, even if his plane looked like it belonged in the bayou. Which it did. He didn't keep it on the Tower rooftop. Not enough room to rattle around on take offs and landings, but it was great feeling all the drafts, and he still felt like it was a major prize.
Only because he won it in a card game, and not because of the way it looked.
The way it looked was like it was held together with bubble gum and duct tape.
"I'll even let you try landing. It'd be like you're gettin' your pilot's license."
Rogue lifted on brow nearly into her hairline. "Ain't sure ah trust you with anythin' like that." she said as she started in on the next slice of pizza, eyes watching him as she ate. She didn't know what to make of him. She snorted lightly at him as she swallowed her bite, "aint sure ah trust you with anything that means ah get to play with something like that, neither."
"I'm full of surprises. I have been flyin' since I was twelve years old."
He was holding the sandwich between his hands, not dropping a single ingredient out from between the bread. It was like the sandwich wasn't immune to the charm of his thieving fingers.
Besides that, he was certain that he heard about that Carol lady being a pilot. It was almost like he was calling her not-really-a-bluff when he said, "I bet you'd get de hang of it real quick."
She wasn't giving away any more info than she had to. Survival mode. Her lips pursed.
"Ah might" she did allow with a shrug. She didn't like giving anything else up but she kept walking into it. She narrowed her eyes at him and took another bite.
His eyes narrowed but only because they were crinkled up at the corners as he grinned at her.
"You're welcome to," he said. He might be a terrible flirt, but he still thought of himself as a gentleman. Albeit a gentleman that would try to steal something of worth, as well as a few hearts along the way. "Just let me know when."
He looked down at the pizza she was nomming on.
"You gonna need a few more slices of dat," he teased, taking another bite and expecting to get his shin kicked. Hopefully not hard enough to break it.
He got the kick. It was pretty hard, too.her eyes narrowed even further as she finished the slice and dried her hands on a napkin.
"Shut your mouth, swamp rat" she let out a frustrated breath as she leaned back to finish her drink off. He was right, she could have eaten a whole large pizza on her own.
But she'd not admit that.
Remy winced and barely nudged her leg with his foot in return.
"I love your terms of endearment for me, my dainty river rat," he joked, although his shin was still burning from the impact. "Head on up and get some more."
He flipped a few bills onto the table.
Rogue snorted at him. "Ain't need anymore and ah ain't your anything. Dainty or not."
"I stand corrected," Remy replied, holding up both hands. "Forgive me for oversteppin'."
Rogue sat back, arms folding over her chest. "Why do ah ever agree to go anywhere with you?"
"Boredom," he said, sitting back like he was draped over his chair rather than sitting on it. "Wild guess."
"Ugh." She sighed at him, "Death would be more pleasant." She said lazily as she looked up at the ceiling.
"Would it? Dat seems like a shame." He shrugged a shoulder. "We're all gonna die. Why rush at it? Have fun before den."
She rolled her eyes at him, "do ah look like the fun kind?" She smirked at him.
"Under all dat sass? Sure do."
Rogue blinked at him, head tilting at him. "How delusional are you?"
"Naw, just painfully optimistic." As in the type of optimistic that could get painful in the long run. Not that it ever stopped him. "Where're you going after dis?"
She smiled, "Home. Bed. Maybe a shower first." She said lazily, "Why?"
Remy's eyes lit up at both of those things. "Welp. You know where I am if you get bored."
He couldn't guarantee he'd be in his rooms, though. He might be testing for blind spots in the tower. He hadn't found many yet, but it didn't mean he wouldn't. Stark sure was paranoid though.
She rolled her eyes at that, "don't get that shine to your eyes. You look pleased at the idea." She would not be doing either one.
She'd be finding a spot to work on her fighting that she picked up from Carol. There were a lot of new skills.
The look on Rogue's face said she was lying through her teeth.
"Or maybe you sound a lil' disaapointed," he teased as he piled their stuff up on the tray, and left a large tip. He winked at her as he stood up, well out of the way of her kicky foot. "I am available for cuddling while you sleep."
Rogue got to her feet, pulling her gloves on. "Ah will kill you. And ah wouldn't even be upset about it."
"Oh, I've done plenty," was his reply, sounding cheerful outwardly, which is all that counted. "If I go, I've had tons of fun. So dat's ok. You gonna fly back?"
"No. Ah am going to walk back like a normal person. Christ, you're something else ain't you? Why the fuck would ah do that? Ain't want Stark seeing that."
"I didn't mean it like you were gonna go knocking on his penthouse window, or land at de front door," he said with a laugh, shaking his head. "Just thought you might want some time figuring out your new stuff. Alone."
"Ain't doing that near there." She swept out onto the street. Someone ducked around another person then knocked into her.
She jumped sideways, looking vaguely panicked, even though she hadn't touched skin.
Having been following her, Remy quickly slipped between them with a smile. "Whoops. Sorry 'no it dat."
"Look out, why doncha?" gruffed the man that ran into her. He was dressed in work clothes, a hardhat hanging off the fingers of one hand. He was going into the deli to get lunch before heading back to a construction site.
"Sure will. Dis is my bad, I distracted her."
"Whatever, ya hick," the man scoffed, going inside.
Crisis averted - for now - Remy turned toward her and asked, "Y'all right?"
She breathed in through her nose, letting it out slowly. "Ah hate the city." She said lowly, gloved fingers pulling her hoodie up against her neck.
Her eyes, for a brief moment, looked pained then she wiped it away argh a shake of her head.
"Its an acquired taste," he agreed. He'd rather be on the outskirts of New Orleans, personally. "We all good, cher. Let's get back to de tower."