It had taken a few days of adjusting, but finally Rogue was starting to settle into her new surroundings. The city had a different feel to it than any other she'd been to before, a low pulse with darkness and far, at times, that was almost tangible. There was no talk of mutants on the television, no mention of them in the newspapers. Of course, there was nothing about the vampires and demons and other creatures that she knew existed in this place, either.
Due to her significant lack of an ability to really defend herself, or perhaps because her only defense was to force skin on skin contact long enough to get away, she hadn't ventured out much at night. Usually if she left the small room she'd been staying in, it was during the daylight hours and she was back long before the sun had set.
Today, however, that wasn't the case.
Evening had arrived before Rogue had realized it was quite so late. Heading back to her room, however, wasn't as easy at it should be. She'd somehow gotten turned around, the streets all starting to look the same as she'd wandered them and drank in the sights of the city. And as the sun continued to slide lower in the sky, and dusk began to firmly settle, she had to resist the urge to move her casual walk to a far more brisk pace. She didn't want to run through the streets like some frightened little girl, but she sure didn't want to come face to face with a group of vampires either.
The thought of the creatures made her glance over her shoulder if only to reassure herself that nothing was there. It was of course at that moment that she managed to smack directly into a hard, well-toned chest. With a muffled grunt she stumbled back half a step, her face turning toward the person so quickly that her long, silvery-white tresses that shaped her face flung about for a second before settling. Already there was an apology on her lips, a flush slowly rising up her cheeks.