Aim Log - Not Finished - To be Finished in Thread...
Who: Storm, Gambit When: During the time of Mutant Massacre but not in it... Where: Cairo, Illinois What: Storm gets found by one Gambit...
The young girl had just broken out of the grasp of the Nanny, and she didn't know why that woman was after her, or what she had wanted from her, but she was running. Running for her life, in a place she didn't know where she was going in. She looked behind her and when she realized she had ran far enough away from the facility she had been in she slowed a bit panting. She didn't know who she was, where she was, and why she was there. She wondered what Achmed was thinking giving her to that woman. Hadn't she been doing a good job for him? She felt abandoned, lonely, and scared.
She eventually found a little cubby hole and crawled into it just as she started to cry, and rain started to fall. She supposed she would just have to make it on her own in this new place. She didn't even know where she was at which was Cairo, Illinois, which would only go to confuse the little girl even further if people just choose to tell her that she was in Cairo. As that was where she had been before she had found herself in that dreadful tiny cell that other woman had her in. However what the young girl wouldn't know was that Cairo, Egypt, was a bit different from the Cairo, Illinois she was at right now. She slept a little, her tummy growling, she would have to steal some food tomorrow, but for now she just wanted to hide.
She wondered the city for a few days before she was found out by one Shadow King, as she tried to break into his house to steal some gem from him. She was almost about to get away with it until suddenly she was caught, again, for the man had set her up to catch her. He had been after her for years, well... Maybe not in her current size or age... Again, but that was here nor there, she was still the old Wind Rider that he knew way back when.
Gambit, was watching the very same house, one little kid was robbing. He watched her as she gained entry into the building, wondered who she’d been taught by, she seemed to have a bit of talent going on, still he’d had his eye on the very same gem as she. He had a buying, who had approached him about getting it a few days ago, and that was what he was going to do. He had no clue the kid was going in to do the same thing as he himself was intending, but there again Gambit, never did anything without first vetting the place he was going to rob for a few days, sometimes a few weeks, just depended on what kind of activity he got to witness. He lit up a cigarette, and kept himself out of sight, lurking in the shadows, which was pretty much one of the things he was damn good at.
The cigarette was nearly all smoked, and the kid had not re-emerged, should he be worried? No, kept whispering around in his head, not his problem if a little wet between the ears thief was sent on in there and got themselves caught, but he was already moving, his long floor length trench coat sweeping against the ground as he walked. Gambit had a particular style of walk about him, he was almost predatory but with an inner grace that drew most peoples eyes towards him. He was lean and muscular which made for an almost cat like grace about the way he moved, he was however soon scaling the outer walls of the building and gaining entrance upon the floor above the one the girl entered.
Keeping his wits about him, he listened intently, got a feeling that there were people moving around in the room just next to the one he’d got himself into, and leant against the wall in a nimble move, ear pressed firmly up against it to see what he could hear.
The voices were muffled but the gem was mentioned, Gambit, sighed, and shook his head, "y’should a’ignored da petite Gambit," he whispered to himself, and was then charging up the wall that kept him from whatever was going on behind it, backed off, and broke into an extremely light hearted laugh considering a wall just exploded, and popped his head into the hole he’d made.
"S’only yo’friendly neighbour’ood Cajun, go’ any chicken?" He chimed out in a playful kind of voice, and went about using his unique street fighting skills on the heavies that were made to watch the child.
The young girl's eyes grew wide as their was a loud boom, and a hole was made in the wall of the room she was being held in. The distraction was just enough for the one that was nearest her to look up and not be as diligent with his watch on her which got her stumping on that man's foot, and then jumping up sort of flipping in the air to kick him in the nuts. He was dropped down onto the ground left to do whatever the older boy was going to do with him. However, the little girl was not going to stick around and see what more was going to be done to the boy, or the men. She had failed in this attempt, and while she was pleased that the boy had seemed to serve as a distraction for her departure she wasn't sticking around to say thank you.
She survived by her wits, and her wits at that moment told her to run, she was running toward the window where it got slammed open and she was jumping, calling for the winds to help her. For once they seemed to bend to her will and hug around light winds lifting the girl and talking her gently to the ground. She was off and running the minute she landed. The gem forgotten, she would get money some other way, but she was in no way going to become a prisoner again to anyone else.
A block or so from the house she stopped running, wondered briefly what would have to the young man, but didn't last long, she had only herself to take care of now. She couldn't be thinking about young men that blew holes into walls, and fought like a lean lion. However she had before she had left the house got a glimpse of dark auburn colored haired boy, with the blue eyes, and handsome features. That would not leave her memory for a good long time even if most her other memories except for brief ones from Cairo with Achmed had left her. She walked now slowly, feeling slightly bad about leaving him behind, but then really she was only a little girl with limited experience with whatever connection she seemed to have with her Goddess Mother Earth. He was bigger, stronger, and probably already got himself out, and if she would have known he was after the Gem too, probably would have thought with her Gem, too, but she didn't.
She was hungry, she needed money, so she went to her spot she went to to pickpocket for the night. It was a well trafficked area where people seemed to swarm too, and lifting wallets seemed to be easy enough. One day she had lifted enough wallets to make about two hundred dollars, however that was dwindling a she could never really find a good place to stay as she was always being questioned about where her parents were. It was frustrating for her and so she went to her little wood box she had found and made her little shelter at night with only another fifty dollars to add to the only one hundred dollars she still had. It was enough, but when you were young, and always felt hungry, cold, thirsty, and tired, even a thousand dollars wouldn't still seem enough. She started crying again, and the sky mimicked her tears as rain starting to fall around her.
"Gambit, yo’ a fool," did go tripping out of his mouth, when he caught sight of the child running off, ah well, if he was her age, he’d be doing the same thing. He pretty much was peeved with himself for acting ‘out of character’ though strictly speaking it wasn’t. You can dress up the street rat, you can make yourself look like anything but, only at the end of the day, that was what you were, what you were always going to be, and Gambit, pretty much seemed to make a habit out of getting other such but younger versions of himself out of trouble. Normally not at a whole lot of cost to himself thankfully, this time? Well, he’d have to figure that out. The owner of the gem already alerted to the fact someone was after it, didn’t make it that much easier of a task to swipe it, and whilst blowing things up, was something Gambit did quite often, he didn’t tend to do it, whilst on a job.
However, after all the men in the room were out cold, he was making his way about the building thus far no more company had arrived, which didn’t make a whole lot of sense to the Cajun, as you got something you know somebody else wants, and you have a whole lot of thugs in one little room, with one little girl in it, well you’d think there’d be a few more of them hanging around. There wasn’t however, he got down on the level he knew the gem would be kept, or rather had been kept in a safe, and found the room. Slipping inside, he was kind of surprised to just see it lying out on top of the desk in the room, so it was resting on the velvet bag he assumed it was normally kept in, but … ah well ‘c'est la vie‘, and all that kind of stuff. The gem was soon picked up and inside of a hidden pocket in the trench coat. And Gambit was soon out of the window, though it was an extremely suspicious Gambit. He had the gem though, which was all he wanted and thoughts about people leaving valuable objects out where anyone could steal them, soon left his mind.
He got to the street once more and made his way to a bar, made a phone call and wanted for someone to arrive and collect the gem. They came, he had twenty five grand credited to an offshore account, which he’d made sure was in there before he’d handed over the stone, and with that, business was concluded.
Strolling out of the bar, he just meandered around, not having anywhere particular to go at the moment, but maybe he’d find some excitement down in cardboard city central. A name he kind of gave to where a whole lot of people hung out, Gambit was after all multi-talented. He got down there and was not really miles away from where the strange little white haired girl had herself entombed. Only people didn’t talk, didn’t mix there less someone came along and made them. Gambit, well he came, he talked and at times he entertained, tonight he was in the mood to do a bit of entertaining, and he honestly couldn’t quite figure out, why in any other city across the world, except for New Orleans, the street folk didn’t tend to hang with one another more. Didn’t make a lot of sense to him, but oh well, he was down there now.
"Anyone sittin’ on in dem boxes, dat wan’ a come on ou’ an’ ‘ave dem selves a bi’ of fun?" He said in a very playful voice, and said it loudly enough that he knew he’d get someone’s attention. A woman, mid thirties, kicked out with nowhere to go, popped her head out of her relative hiding place, soon the head of what looked like a six year old boy and a four year old girl followed her.
Gambit squat down and waved to the children, whilst grinning at the woman, "don’ look so scared cher, Gambit, only ‘ere to practice some of ‘is magic tricks is all."
The young girl was down a bit more but the accent, and deep baritone voice got her attention. She had cried herself to sleep a good few hours ago, but now that voice and accent rang in her head. She slowly sat up in her little wooden box. The rain having subsided hours ago when she had stopped crying when she fell asleep. She rubbed little fists in her eyes, smiled, wondering if it could be the same young man. She poked her head out really only able to see the side of his face which was being hidden by dark colored curtains of hair, which in the bad light of the alley was hard to tell if it was red or not. She inched out though when magic tricks hit her ears, and she creeped along toward him, and the woman and other younger children staying a bit in the shadows.
She eventually got to about a foot away from where the woman's box was and stopped, cocking her head watching what the older boy was doing. Her eyes got wide when a little boy picked a card out and then the other boy put it back and somehow found it again, from the shadows was heard a gasp. She then jumped, as she realized she was probably going to get made to be the little girl that had left him behind. She felt like running again, but when he was seen fully by her again, well she seemed to be planted in her spot. He was so handsome, she couldn't breath, she could speak, and at that moment she couldn't move, she was frozen into place staring into his face.
Gambit, was pretty quick when he wanted to be, but only when he wanted to be. It was something that would annoy a good few people, and would endear him to others, so he soon was lifting his head and looking over in her direction. His eyes were covered by dark glasses, but still he seemed to see real fine out of them. "Ah look," he said, grinning down at the other two smaller children, "y’jus’ go’ lucky petites, dere be Gambit’s assistan’ fo’ da nigh’ ya wanna see a kitten appear from nowhere?" He said in a sing song almost addictive kind of voice, the little children nodded their heads and looked over at Ororo, with large pleading eyes. They couldn’t really make the other girl out, just knew there must be someone there.
Gambit of course knew the children’s mother would not appreciate him giving her children a kitten, another mouth to feed, one of which she would try too, because the little cat would give her children pleasure and keep them in their hiding place whilst she was out trying to scrimp and get money for more important things. However, just a kitten would not be all they’d get. Gambit always had money to give away, he didn’t necessarily give it away all too willingly but when he came across certain situations, then he was eager to pass his good luck onto others. This kind of situation, got him in the heart, a mother who actually stayed with her kids, instead of kicking them out, and leaving them to whatever the streets would make of them. Of course, one could say that she’d have been more better advised if she’d handed them into the local authorities to take care of, but that kind of fact never did go walking into Gambit’s head.
When the little white headed girl, didn’t come out of the shadows right away, Gambit pulled himself up from where he’d been squatting, and said, "she kinda scared, Gambit, go fetch ‘er on out, oui?" The little ones nodded, and the woman smiled whilst she too tried to figure out who was hiding there. As thus far the young Cajun had not done anything to lead her to assume he was one of ‘those’ types one had to be careful of.
Walking over to Ororo, he dipped his head to the side and gazed into her face, "y’ gonna come on over petite an’ ‘elp out some, y’do an’ Gambit make sure y’’ave a nice ‘ot drink and somet’in’ good to eat befo’ da nigh’ is over."
Ororo blinked up at the tall young man, and sort of still stared in a sort of awed way really. The little she had seen of him while she made her get away just a few hours before didn't do the young gent any justice. Finally after a good two seconds of silence she whispered, "What else to I have to do?" As she was thinking there had to be a catch, she had, had other men offer her such things, perverts that liked young girls said one thing but wanted something entirely different.
She had only fell for it twice the first day she was out in the city, and both times didn't end well, one man was lightly shocked as little bolts had come from her fingers. How she had done it she didn't know she just knew she had been praying to the Mother Goddess of the Earth, and asking for protection. Thinking she wanted to hurt him, to shock him away from her, as he had started to touch her in weird ways, when all he said he had wanted was her to read to an old man.
The old man had been in the park, and hadn't seemed to care much about the fact he was trying to feel up a little eleven to twelve year old in public. However, really to come to his defense a bit he wasn't that stupid the bench he was sitting at was in a secluded part of the park. The other man had spotted the young beauty with unusual white hair, blue eyes and the deep cocoa skin. He knew he had to have her, but it was obvious that she was a street urchin. He told her he would give her some food, if she just kept him company while he ate his dinner, however under the table he had tried to touch her too. So to say she wasn't very trusting of men at this point was being rather vague, she really didn't trust many.
"Y’ don’ ‘ave t’do not’in’ else bu’ t’come on over dere, petite," he grinned, realizing, he was being seen as the old creepy guy here. Something he was not really used to being, but hey, he could kind of remember acting in a similar way, but there again, he’d been well and truly a street kid, so you had back up, and you pretty much worked out if they could pay enough for what they seemed to be after too. "Me I tell y’wha’, I give y’dis," taking off a watch he had on, so it was a very expensive watch, but it was one he’d stolen earlier in the day. "Den, when da magic trick she be finished, if’n ya don’ wanna come along wit’ me, ya don’ ‘ave too, Gambit can come bring ya’ back somet’in’ mebbe," looking over at the woman and her children, "come back wit’ enough fo’ all of ya, dat sound fair?"
No one had ever got away with the kind of stuff that Ororo had had done to her as far as Gambit was concerned, but there again he was a ‘belonging’ of the thieves guild, so therefore sold and paid for. Perverts, if they were seen near kids that belonged to someone, kind of ended up dead and with body parts missing. Gambit could feel the little kitten, moving around in his coat, luckily enough it was huge and bulky enough that it could hide pretty much a full size adult cat, if he ever felt the urge to shove one inside it. Standard outfit really for any of the guild he belonged too, which made one wonder why they actually let him keep it when they banished him.
"If’n ya don’ come on over, dem lil ones day gonna be real upset petite," he let out in a sad little voice, which was followed by a soft sigh as he once more looked over his shoulder towards the other children.
Ororo blinked at him again and slowly walked forward out of the shadows. That is after she took the watch and fastened it onto her wrist. It was a little loose just small enough on the last buckle to stay on her hand without slipping off, however still slid up and down her tiny arm. As she moved out more into the the light and where the others could see her she whispered, "Can I keep it?" Meaning the watch, as for her it was something to remember the handsome young man by. She had no clue the young man would take a liking to her and want to keep her with him. Which when she would find this out would make her very happy.
She stepped to where the young man was standing and did a cheeky little bow. "I am ready to be your assistant now, Mr Magician." She said in a sort of cute little stage voice. She then looked at him, as if to ask okay... 'what now?'
Gambit just gave her a smile in reply to her question, he’d have to figure out how much he could get for it on the streets, before he answered that one with either a yes or no, "I dunno petite, you keep it, till I’m sayin’ I wan’ it back sound fair?" He said as they walked back towards the others. As they walked he wondered about the little girl, seemed to him, she was a bit too innocent to have been out on the streets very long by herself, ignoring with that sentiment, just how she’d managed to sneak into the building earlier in the evening. Maybe people that lived in homes, with parents were still brought up to be thieves? Well he really didn’t know, and was not going to spend all too long wondering about it either. He did intend to ask her some stuff about herself, even if in a vague way. As he’d never answer anyone’s questions out right, so he hardly expected anyone else too either.
"Now, ya’ gotta get on over dere, so da lil ones can be watching," he chuckled out, and strolled over closer to where he’d originally been.
"See don’ told ya I ‘ad me an assistant ‘idin’ in da shadows non?" He laughed out in a truly light hearted manner to the small children, who quickly nodded their heads and turned looking up at their mother, moving a little closer to her. She smiled, she hadn’t smiled in a long time, and this … well it was entertaining even if nothing else, and whilst the poor woman had more than enough on her mind to worry about, apart from her two little children, she had nothing to smile for.
Lifting both his hands, he beckoned for Ororo to come closer, and went about elaborately pulling up the loose fitting sleeves of his coat. "See not’in’ up eit’er of dese," grinning in what could only be described as a purely innocent way, how he managed that god alone knew and how he still as he got older managed to do it, and get people to fall for it, well still only god knew.
Ororo watched, and listened to gambit, she smiled at him. She liked him, and in an odd way trusted him. He seemed honest, well at least for what she thought was a street kid too. Though, she could be wrong on that one. She probably seemed more innocent then most street kids because she really didn't have that much done to her. When she had been a street urchin in the streets of Cairo, Egypt she had been taught to steel, sneak into places, and pick locks, but was pretty much treated well as long as she pulled her weight, which at that time she had more then done, being one of Achmed finest pupils. However, this time around well there was no Achmed, or any other kids really that she could rely on it was just her. While she was learning from the school of hard knocks completely on her own, she was remaining to keep some of that innocence even if she had run into a few bad people. Also, she really hadn't been out and about too long before Gambit had happened on her.
Ororo moved closer to him, and then watched carefully for some kind of clue to what she was supposed to do. She was sure she would know when the time came, even though she had just met the young man. She smiled up at him wondering what would happen next and what it was she would be doing.
Gambit, was just trying to really bring the young girl into things, bring her even if only for this night into the company of a few people that were not going to want anything from her, or to use or abuse her. Of course he tended to think everywhere worked in ways similar to New Orleans, without the protection of the guild. Therefore, he was pretty world weary, he did get more than used to the kind of people that would be pulling a huge front, as not everyone that seemed to be merely a mother alone with her children actually were such.
"Y’jus’ gotta stand dere," he said with a laugh following his words, he tended to use his voice a whole lot, changing the tone, the way he expressed himself with friendly and warm emotions, as Remy hid his eyes as often as he could. He messed around for a few moments, seeming to pull out, silver coins from behind her ears, or off of her nose, which were obviously not there before, but the smaller children found this fascinating and giggled in glee when they realized he was just tossing these coins around, and basically in their direction. Which was done purposely, whilst he kept muttering about not being able to find the little girl hidden beneath all this silver glittering stuff.
When that was done though, he turned around and got himself standing behind Ororo, the mother’s face looking up, a slight frown on her face as she’d gathered all the coins from the children. Whilst she didn’t think this young man was up to something, she was not sure she wanted her children keeping the money, just in case there was going to be some kind of catch.
The catch was soon going to be coming, and as he lifted his hands, seeming to swirl them around, in an exaggerated way, before stooping down slipping his arms around Ororo, but very loosely. "Y’need t’ lift bot’ yo’ arms petite an’ ‘ave y’’ands held out."
Both his hands grasping at one another, like they were trying to bat the other off, slowly they fell apart, and a tiny little kitten plopped onto Ororo’s hands as she lifted them.
"Dis lil kittie, t’inks ‘e needs an ‘ome." Gambit chimed out, looking over at the small children who’s eyes had opened wide, wondering where it had came from, as children as small as they, were untainted with the modern world and still believed that magic was real. Their mother however, was not so innocent, but now the damn man had basically said the kitten was theirs, there was very little she could do about it.
"An’ Gambit, be t’inkin’ dat someone needs dis," which got him moving and going to their mother, knowing the woman was building on angry, but he dropped something into her hand, out of sight of either of the smaller children or Ororo. There were tears in her eyes, but she didn’t seem to be sad, as she and the thief whispered. The little children going to Ororo to pet the kitten.
Ororo was fascinated by what he had been doing even if he more or less was seeing it better then what the other little ones were seeing it. Still it fascinated her, and she watched him closely picking up the things he did, the way he moved his hands. She figured it couldn't hurt to learn something while she was 'helping' the young man. She liked the way he seemed to be giving away his money, although she wasn't sure if she would be able to do that. However, she was becoming warmer to him.
She smiled as she lifted up her hands and soon a kitten was dropped into her hands. "OOOO...How cute!" She smiled as the little ones came to pet the kitty. "Aren't you lucky." She said smiling at the to younger children. It was a smoky grey kitten with huge blue eyes, and looked more fur then body. she thought it was the cutest thing as it squirmed in her hand.
She watched as the young man walked up to the woman and started to talk to her, and it looked like hand her something but she couldn't tell what. She wondered what he had given her, as the little family looked like they could hardly take care of themselves let alone another little being such as this kitten. "What'chha going to call it?" asked Ororo of the little boy, and girl.
They boy looked at his sister and said, "Bruno!!" But the little girl put her hands on her hips and said, "That's a boy's name. We don't even know if it is a boy or a girl. How about Smokey? That could be for a girl or a boy." She nodded. The boy frowned for a minute, and reached out to take the kitten from the Ororo, "Okay, I like that name." He smiled as he cuddled the kitten to his face.
Ororo smiled at them, patted their heads, and started to go toward her own box, thinking the show was over. She wasn't really thinking that the young man was going to take her to get any food or drink, and yah she still wore his watch, but he had said she could keep it until such time that he wanted it back. Well, he knew where she stayed basically he could get it when he wanted to. However, a part of her hoped that maybe he was true about wanting to take her to get some food, but that would be wishful thinking, wouldn't it?
Gambit, even then had his finger in all kind of pies, one of which was the mutant underground ran out of Chicago, another was the new but growing independent thieves guild, of which the young thief was, in a long round about way, the spokesman for. He’d given the woman a large amount of money, and was talking over with her, just what was expected of her. Yes, unfortunately nothing ever came without any strings attached, however the strings that Gambit was busily attaching were strings of his own devising. She needed to find somewhere to live for herself and her children, she needed to make sure they went to school, and that they stayed off the streets. Something which due to the amount of money he’d given her would be possible, of course he’d find ways of helping her as far as explaining things in a not quite so legal way as far as the IRS and other such peoples were concerned.
The woman, realizing that the ‘small print’ even if it were all word by mouth, was more than worthwhile, agreed. The young Cajun assured her she need never repay the money, as the payment was keeping her children in a place they would be safe, of course in these day and ages ‘safe’ was relative. Only most places were safer than living on the streets.
Realizing the little white haired girl had wandered off once more, he lifted his brows in a playful way as he turned and looked at the children, "dat girl, she be da death of poor old Gambit, and ‘ere I was t’inkin’ yo’ Momma gonna be takin’ us all down da street to some place warmer fo’da nigh’." As he had managed with the aid of his mutant abilities talked the woman, into taking the little lost waif into her family too.
He walked away from the young family and drew alongside of Ororo’s box, stooping down he looked inside, "is dat any way t’be actin’ lil Stormcloud, ou’ ya’ come, we gonna be ‘avin’ ourselves treated t’ somet’in’ real nice."
Reaching his arm out, his hand entering the front of her box, but not reaching in too far, because that would be invading her privacy as far as he was concerned.
Ororo laughed with the little Stormcloud comment, though why he was calling her that she wasn't sure. She swatted at his hand playfully, and poked her head out. "Why you call me Stormcloud?" She knew she had some thing over the weather as it wasn't hard to understand even when young that when you cried the clouds above you also started to cry, and the winds would sometimes do her bidding, but not always. She was really just like she was when she first started to figure out her abilities again.
She eventually came out fully, and stood before him, white hair shinning in the moon light and big blue eyes looking out of a face that she would eventually grow into those eyes. "I didn't think you would really be willing to do anything for me." She shrugged. She then hung her head, "Seeing as I was the one who left you behind earlier tonight. Sorry about that... I was scared, and ...." She stopped and ground a little foot around in the pavement. "Well... I didn't know what to do to help you anyway..." She finally got to moving blue eyes onto his framed eyes. "Why do you where sunglasses at night, Mr?" She finally got to asking, as she cocked her head at him.
Gambit, laughed and pretended to fall backwards, swaying on the heels of his feet, before he pulled himself up right, "callin’ out wha’ I see petite, go’ da fluffy cloud fo’ ya ‘air, and den, dem stormy blue eyes." Which probably only made sense to Gambit, but hell he was sticking too it. Though he’d soon shorten the name to ‘Stormy’. Looking down at her as she walked out of her place, he listened, and listened with the ears of someone that had done all the same things, at one point or another in his life.
Sighing, but playfully, "y’done ask a lo’ of question’s fo’ such a lil girl." Which meant he was not going to answer any of the others, or get into a conversation as to why he came back, or if he thought she should have helped out. Thing was, on the streets no matter what, and no matter how close you were to someone else, you were taught to always put your own safety first. If you got caught trying to protect someone else, then you couldn’t go about getting them back.
Though he did look down at her as he began to walk back towards the little family, "I tell y’why I wear dese t’in’s if’n ya promise not to ask no more questions," which he wasn’t being all too serious about, as he lifted one of his hands up to his lips, and said, "shhhh," and then whispered, "Gambit be a vampire, so gotta be wearin’ dem, so da vampire ‘unters dey can’ find ‘im." Then he just grinned a cat like grin and carried on walking. Thing was, if you were an imaginative little child, due to how pale he actually looked, and how she’d seen him moving earlier, it would not be that hard to see the young Cajun as such, and of course if his shades were removed, well the whole vampire thing would make as much sense as anything else.
There were not a lot of adults, young or old around that were mutants any longer due to the amount that were taken and ‘processed’ by the sentinels. So whilst in days long past people were used to seeing many different kind of mutants, these days? Most children had not seen any whatsoever.
Ororo smiled, and nodded her head at the explanation of why he called her Stormcloud it made some sort of since to her. She sort of frowned when he said she couldn't ask too many more, but him saying he was a vampire got her trying to pull her collar up around her neck. "Don't bit me... My blood is ermmm... Nasty..." She looked at him suspiciously now. "You don't eat little girls, do you?" She didn't budge any further after he said that, as well she didn't want her blood sucked out of her. Those other people could go with him, but she wasn't going to be used or some suckfest by some while handsome, but deadly vampire.
She stood stock still where she was, she was half way tempted to yell to the other, 'Run!!! He is a vampire!!' But was he playing with her, or serious. Well if he didn't answer her question, and if she did go with him he got into the all fangy stuff she would just run away? Maybe try to summon on the Mother Goddess of Earth and shock him? She didn't know, and she rubbed the side of her face in thought. She then got moving as it was free food, and she didn't have that much money left. She ran to catch up to the older male, and said, "You wouldn't hurt me would you? I am your little Stormcloud...." Of course she had just asked more questions which she wasn't supposed to have done, but well she was a little girl, and a precocious one at that.
Turning his head slightly and looking down at her, he grinned once more, "non, y’be real safe, Gambit only likes to feed on fat miserable rich old people," saying with it, with such sincerity it had to be true. It in actual fact was not far from the truth, not that he was actually a vampire, but he did tend to like sucking off the fat rich folk, and not necessarily meaning fat literally. Gambit of course still needed to broach the subject of maybe ‘Stormcloud’ staying with the little family. The mother seemed to be a good honest woman, but until he could figure out where the little girl came from, and if placing her with them would not cause them any harm, well he’d not rush things. He’d find the woman wherever she went, which could be construed as kind of creepy, but if people realized just how many thieves there were out there, they’d be even more frightened.
"Why don’ you run along wit’ dem ot’er lil kids, and see if’n da t’ree of ya’s can work ou’ wha’ it is you’d all like to eat non?" He asked with a teasing lilt to his voice, as they were once more close to the little group.
Not that Gambit was trying to get rid of her or anything, but in the end you learnt more about people, in the way they dealt with others. He hadn’t figured the white haired little enigma out quite yet. She had skills, that were above average, for a child that could be a runaway, she didn’t know enough of the streets from what he’d seen to be a true street kid. She had manners, something that any good con man would make sure a kid in his ‘troop’ would know, but she had them to a degree they were not false, and she was too little to be able to con someone who’d be conning people pretty much ever since he learnt how to speak. Nope there was something he was missing and he was not even nearly sure he’d ever figure it out.
It would be hard to figure his little Stormcloud out, as really she was a mixture of natural things from a woman that had lived for at least twenty-five years up to know. However, she was trapped in a young girls body again, with that girls attitude, few of her memories, but otherwise didn't remember much about what had happened to her, or where she belonged.
The only things Ororo knew was that she had escaped from some small holding chamber, and left unconscious some woman, that she had a feeling meant her harm but she wasn't sure why. She hadn't stayed to find out either, she had taken off running, and never looked back. Now she had been getting by on things that just came naturally from how well trained she had been by Achmed in Egypt. She didn't even remember anything about her being a Goddess, or being a leader of the X-men. Just that she had been with Achmed, and then somehow ended up here in some crazy woman's place.
She ran off toward the children. She played with the kitten for a while, holding a string for it to play with that the kids had found, and basically just let the two younger ones decide what they wanted to eat. She wasn't picky, she'd eat anything as long as it was cooked, smelled good, and was placed in front of her. She smiled as the two started to argue, and said, "Pick a number from one to fifteen." To each, deciding which number even or odd would be whatever the other child wanted as they were arguing about what food to eat. The little boy wanted to go to Macks Bar B Q, and the little girl wanted Nu Diner. She didn't know what either of they were, but she did wait for their numbers.
Finally after a little while each child thought up a number, and since both couldn't count past ten the little boy picked ten, and the little girl picked four. The number she had been thinking was twelve, so she figured the boy was closest too it and even, so said, "Sorry, your brother wins." The little boy promptly hopped up and down and ran to his mother. :"Mommy Mommy remember that Restaurant we went to right before daddy left? Well thats where we are going!!!" Now this might have hurt the mother a bit as that was the last time the whole family had been to before her husband had been killed in a senseless drive-by. And she looked down at her son's bright eyes knowing he didn't know how much that hurt her, and said, "Great, Samuel." She then looked at Gambit with sad eyes, but then when she turned them back to her children who now were both playing around her feet, bouncing about excitedly.
Ororo however, had went back to playing with the kitten after she had broken up the arguing, and had made everyone happy. Or at least the two little ones. It just went to go to show how used she was to just being on her own. She had been on her own since she was five as far as she could remember, and while she worked well in a group situation, she much rather be by herself, as she didn't trust other very much. So once again she was just thinking that they would leave her behind, so she was going to entertain herself. She really didn't get that anyone would really want her around. Especially some woman that already had two kids to take care of, and even more so some lone young man that she had already deserted once herself. So why would he pick up some spoiled kid, in his mind?
Well Gambit, was the ‘Prince of thieves’ he’d been brought up on the streets and he’d been brought up rough, he’d been beaten, and abused but he’d been taught, until you were big enough to do it someone else, that was to be your lot in life. Only thing was, he’d got friendly with the daughter of the leader of the assassins guild, and they didn’t treat their young ones in quite the same way. Gambit had been a dutiful child, or seemed to be such, but what he was, was highly intelligent and cunning. He’d been led to believe he was the foretelling of an ancient prophecy, and he’d gone about finding out as much about it as he could. He’d got himself trained alongside his first love, and well wife Belladonna. He’d been a master thief of the likes never seen before by the age of ten, and a master assassin at the age of twelve.
His mutation was not limited merely to his obsidian and blood red eyes, and he was already more than an accomplished conman by the age of eight, which was how he managed to get himself in so tight with Belladonna, whilst making the girl, who was merely several months older than himself that he was deeply in love with her. He’d also began to formulate a plan for when he did take over the thieves guild. Of course he had not planned on being banished from New Orleans at the age of eighteen, or that an angry Belladonna would send hordes of her trained assassins after him either. Still, he still believed that if you treated street kids with respect, and you protected them, then in the end they would be more loyal and more profitable as they grew older and could make their own decisions as to whether they wanted to join any particular guild or not.
Hence really his own cavalier attitude as far as money went, Remy didn’t need for anything, but he had no need for money either. Sure he had lots of it, but he put it to good use, not that those he swindled out of it would probably agree mind you. What he realized was, if you didn’t steal from those that already had more than they could possibly need, and then hand that what you stole back to those in more need than yourself, you became nothing more than the fat rich person that sat in their house, and looked down on all others. That was never and would never be the person that Remy wanted to be.
He’d been watching the interaction with the children, and was well aware that Stormcloud probably didn’t fit the little girl, she was far more the peacekeeper, but still the whole Storm thing suited her, he didn’t know just how well it suited her as of yet mind you.
"Stormy!" He called out, "ya’ t’ink y’kin pick up dat ca’ we be goin’ now petite." Wandering away from the woman and out onto the street, he should have lifted a car before he’d came down there, he realized. As no cabs came down this part of the city, but oh well, no one was hanging around. So he looked over at the woman and nodded his head, thus letting her know it was safe for the children to all make their way from the enclosed area.
Ororo looked up at Gambit and smiled, but had a little look of 'Are you sure?' in her eyes, but sort of said something different then what the smile was trying to say. She then took the string, picked up the kitten, and stuck it in her shirt. It squirmed a bit and made her laugh some as its fur tickled her skin. Finally, the kitten started to settle down curl up and go to sleep in her shirt. She then ran along, and walked next to Gambit rather then the woman and her kids. "Gambit? Is that your real name? Or a like nick name or maybe even a secret agent type vampire name?" She was talking excitedly to him, while the woman and her kids were talking to each other on their side.
It seemed like the idea that Gambit might be able to have the little girl with the other family might not work. As she didn't see herself as part of them, nor really a part of him either, but more so with him then the family. A family seemed like too much or something. She would probably keep running away if he left her with them. Not because she didn't like them or anything , but simply because she wouldn't think it were right her being with them as family. She would soon be on the street again, and on her own.
Eventually the little boy asked for their kitten back, so she got it out of her shirt and handed it to the little boy. Ororo smiled at them. "You take good care of that little guy, okay?" she said as if she wasn't going to be around after they ate together. The woman frowned slightly and looked over at Gambit, then back at the little girl. "Why, darlin'" she said, "You are going to be staying with us." She smiled down at her, and now it was Ororo's turn to frown. "I am? But I don't want to impose on you, and you've got enough to worry about anyway. It's nice of you to want to do such, but yeah.... I can go it on my own." She then smiled a semi-confident smile at the older women. "Your just a child, you need someone to take care of you." The woman protested. Ororo looked up at Gambit. "That okay, Gambit will protect me. He is a vampire, and he will bite any fat rich people that try to bug me. Right Gambit?" She smiled some more up to Gambit.
Now she was really wishful thinking, as she really did want to go off with Gambit, but knew that he probably wouldn't do such. However, her eyes did plead with him as they looked up at him. Blue eyes that looked unsure, but hopeful that he would really let this lady take her with her.
Silly or not, Gambit had already got the feeling that families, even loving ones, were not going to be the place one little girl felt she needed to be. He didn’t get the whole loner type vibe from the child, but there was something about her, something that whilst he’d been thinking she’d be safer with the little family, he knew if he really thought about it, deep, deep down, she’d never have gone with them. So at her words, he managed to scoop her up as if she were a six year old, and sit her over his shoulders.
"Oui, she gonna be Gambit’s day time protect eh Stormy?" Tilting his head back slightly so he could glance up at her, but the short time she’d been hauled up on his shoulders, it would not have been too hard for her to peer down and see the red glow beneath the dark shades.
He noticeably after hauling her on up there, didn’t keep a hand upon her. So she could have jumped off, back flipped away, whatever. He was hoping she’d stay put, as now he got the distinct impression she didn’t want to be part of the little family, there was no strict need to stay with them, or at least until after they got to a safer part of town. Which even if slowly they were getting closer too. Close enough that there were cars, and in amongst the cars, there were cabs. Of which Gambit flagged one down.
"Ya’ wanna go wit’ dem Stormy, or ya gonna do some more wanderin’ wit’ Gambit?" As he figured he’d need to find somewhere to eat, as that was why the child was with him, and then if he could talk her into it, he’d find some kind of over night stop, only not his normally favoured kind of places. Gambit kind of thought a five star hotel was going to be more than a little over the top for the child.
Ororo was quite happy to be hoisted on his shoulders. She was starting to get more then a bit enamored with him. She did see the red of his eyes, and unfortunately for him he was probably going to have the little girl thinking he really was a real life legendary vampire for a good long time. Little hands got to wind around his long hair on his head, and she looked quite happy to be with him. She felt so high, and could see so much more better up on his shoulders. "Yeah, I could zap any intruders that come to your lair while you sleep in you coffin way deep underground." Yeah... to say he had got the little girl's imagination going was an understatement.
She leaned down and whispered in his ear, "Did you just feed recently? Cause your eyes are blood red..." She said it so he could only hear it, as she had the idea now that maybe he had the sunglasses on so no one would see his unusual eyes, and try to kill him or spike him or whatever it was they did to vampires. Which was really pretty much what he had eluded to earlier, but she hadn't been really that into believing it whole heartedly then but now... Well.. she could be more into believing it.
They continued on toward the more busier part of the city, and he was hailing them a cab or maybe the family? She wasn't sure, but she had made herself quite comfy folding her arms on his head and laying her chin on his arms. "Yeah... I stay with Gambit." She smiled at the woman. "You have enough mouths to feed.... I can make it on my own." She looked over his head and into his shaded eyes. And then said softly to him, "I don't really want BBQ anyway." She scrunched up her nose a bit, and then planted an upside down kiss on his forehead. "Your handsome you know that?" Then she cocked her head still looking at him upside down, and then frowned as she was thinking. "I guess that makes since. Vampires were supposed to be very pretty, or handsome. Better for them to get there VIICCCTTIIIIMMM..." She said trying to make the word victim sound scary and curling her little fingers into claw like configuration, and snapping her teeth together. "May I see your fangs?" she asked.
His coffin. Well if he were in New Orleans, or correction if they were in New Orleans, he could have fed that little idea, and they most definitely would have been going underground, but here in Cairo, Illinois such things were not quite so easy to get a hold of. If he’d thought he’d have a child attached to him, that believed in one of his many tales, well he may well have spent some time earlier making it so that the story held a bit more water, when the sun did alight the skies once more. Unfortunately, here? Yes there were not a lot of Gothic designers making beds out of coffins.
"Oui," he whispered back, in pretty much the same tone of voice, playing along with her really, "jus’ befo’ I come an’ find ya wit’ my super vampire senses, petite." Sounding very serious, or at least as serious as he could. He’d have said he fed on the men in the house, but felt that was a little too close to reality for his liking. Not that Remy had really ‘fed’ on them, but he did have a knack of draining various amounts of kinetic energy from those around him. When he was not using the ability, it still managed to suck small amounts of the energy from all those around him, just as now it would be draining tiny amounts from Ororo, for the mother and her children, not enough to harm them or put them in any kind of risk, but enough that if they all stayed continuously in his company that after a few days they’d be suffering with headaches and a sense of being weakened which would not be explained. So, in a lot of ways, Gambit was not that far different from a vampire, he just didn’t have to do the ‘icky’ blood sucking stuff.
When the cab stopped the young woman didn’t look all that happy about leaving the young girl with Gambit, but felt that the younger man had a good heart and meant no ill to the child. So after a last pitched attempt at trying to lure Ororo, into the cab, she finally pulled herself in alongside her children, and she, children, kitten and cab disappeared into the night.
As the cab pulled away, Gambit laughed, "well of course petite, if’n us vampires we wasn’t pretty, y’t’ink even da old rich fa’ peoples be lettin’ us bite dem?" Beginning up the street, "and I din’ t’ink ya looked like a barbeque type eit’er," he teased, though strictly speaking he had not been thinking about that, further up where they were walking, was a place where they sold spicy chicken, not as spicy as Gambit had a taste for, but it was good and it was cheap and you got a lot for very little. Also, they had near on anything else anyone could imagine, well okay maybe not everything, but a good lot of things that you wouldn’t expect on offer.
She had her elbows on his head, and had her chin in her hands. "So where are we going to go now?" She smiled and said, "I know a place around the corner there that you can pickpocket from a lot of rich people." She said, proving that she did understand a bit more then he would have thought about what he was really meaning, and now leading him to believe that maybe she just like to have her mind lingering in that he was a Vampire then anything else. "I made two hundred over there once... OOO OOO... We have to go back... I left my money in my little cubby hole..." She looked down into his face with a little pathetic look. "It's one hundred and fifty dollars...."
She was still hanging over his head looking pathetically at him. "I am sorry Gambie... I didn't mean to forget, I just got excited, but we can't leave it behind, its.. Its ... MONEY!!!" She almost screeched. She didn't know that he had tons of it, nor did she know that her one hundred and fifty was nothing compared to what he scammed people out of, however, it meant a lot to her because it was what she had got from her pick pocketing. "Pleaseeee..."
We jus’ goin’ on up da road a bi’ getting’ somet’ing to ea’ remembah?" He said in a playful way, "tonight’ I don’ t’ink Gambit need to steal no more," not that he ever really got tired of doing just that but he had more than enough, and well when she came out talking about her money, he couldn’t help but to grin a little wider. "Don’ ya ever ge’ tired of goin’ back petite? Can’ ya leave da’ be’ind fo’ someone else t’fin’ dey probably be needin’ it more dan you righ’ at da moment."
He’d picked up she was nimble and now she’d outwardly spoken of picking pockets without any need of him as far as needling it along was concerned, he’d show her a whole lot of tricks she wouldn’t have came across before. Not that her hands were big enough just yet to pull them off but it was never too young to watch, to see how an expert did them, and then find your own way and own style of making each little trick work the best for yourself. It was how thieves had taught others since the beginning of time and it probably be the way they still taught others, until mankind existed no more.
If she really, persisted about the money then he’d take her back there after he’d got her something to eat, and well something for himself too. Try to see how she took to the notion, that nothing ever really belonged to anyone, and whatever we had it was just ours for a short time, till it was ready to be passed on to someone else.