Who Rogue & Raven What: Revealing of Secrets When: After Rogue's dreams Where: their house then shopping Rating: R, Language.
Rogue had returned home after a couple days to clear her head. She sat in the kitchen, nibbling idly on a piece of jerky she’d made, a whirlwind of thoughts in her head. In fact for the first time in a long time Rogue looked truly lost. She didn’t know what to believe in. Although the random bursts of touchy-badness really weren’t helping. That poor Starbucks barista hadn’t had a clue what hit her. (neither did Rogue, really) but she was faded now. So at least her head was quiet again. But she looked oh so confused. It was not a good look on the southern girl’s face.
Raven decided to spare the poor girl a shock by walking in the way she’d been the past few days - blue and naked - and instead walked in like her normal self. She looked at the girl, then walked to the fridge, took out a beer, and offered it. “You look like you need this.”
She set the jerky aside and carefully took the proffered bottle. She avoided her friend’s fingers with all the care of someone a little scared of what might happen. So far it’d been random at best. She had no desire to test it, though. Not now. “Thanks. Sorry for taking a few days and disappearin’” she looked up at Raven with a tiny smile. Had she walked in Blue, Rogue probably would have fallen off the stool and had a bit of a panic. It’d have been funny, at least.
Raven noticed, and took a mental note of that. She wasn’t ready to have her thoughts stolen, though watching Rogue deal with shapeshifting would be funny. Another day, perhaps. “They can be a huge shock. What did you..dream up to?”
Watching Rogue deal with that would be hilarious. Although no fun for poor Rogue. Who was having enough troubles dealing with the whole shebang as it was. “Well. I dreamt about someone who very much reminds me of you.” she said honestly as she popped open the beer and took a drink. “I was under her care and another woman’s because I had run away from home.” she began explaining as she stared at the beer, pausing to take another drink.
“Did they treat you well?” Mystique asked, curious to know Rogue’s opinion of that. She knew she hadn’t always been the best mother figure, and there was a part of her that would kill for a do-over. She didn’t have to worry about the future of the species here, did she?
"For the most part... for a spell anyways." She said with a touch of sadness in her voice. "But ah had all my emotions twisted and turned into anger. Ah got used.... and ah went willingly." Her lips pressed into a frown.
“Those people can be very manipulative,” Raven admitted. “Though I’m sure they had good reasons, for it.” Reasons she wasn’t sure about, herself, but she’d been so willing to do anything for Irene, and anything to stop the future Irene had forseen.
"Ah suppose. .. but it led me to take part in awful things. Activities that bordered on terrorism in a sense. " She looked up at her. "But the dreams? Not the worst part. ..."
“What’s the worse part, Rogue?” She opened her own beer, taking a seat at the table to look at her. She gave her the full focus of her attention, and her eyes flashed yellow.
Rogue took a long draw off the beer before looking up at Raven. “Ah touched someone, the barista at Starbucks when ah went to get a coffee.” she frowned a touch. “And ah don’t know what happened but she ended up in mah head, like ah’d taken something from her and ah don’t even know. it makes no sense.” she frowned, brows furrowing as she stared at the wall.
“Is she okay? Did she even notice?”
Raven crossed her legs, leaning back, and continued to listen. Watching these powers develop slowly was interesting. There was so much they could use it for, if Rogue could control it.
"Ah don't think she noticed. She looked a little tired but she shrugged it off like it was because of the long day. .. " She canted her head. "You don't seem surprised. ...."
“I’m just thinking of how useful that could be, but it must be so confusing to you,” Raven replied, a grin toying with the corners of her mouth. “But I’ve read enough on the net to know strange things happen. They’ve happened to me, too.”
"Useful?! How? " She didn't trust that grin. Not in the least. She tilted her head to look at Raven warily. She knew her well enough to know she was thinking about something. "Oh? What kind of things? "
“Information is worth a fortune, remember? Safe combinations, account codes, black mail…” Raven waved a hand. “And with my own talents we can get into just about anywhere. I’d like to target Stark Industries at some point. There are people wanting to pay a mint for his technology.”
Rogue listened quietly. She nodded after the first part then frowned after the second. "That sounds awfully dangerous. But you avoided my third question." She said eyeing Raven carefully.
She looked up at Rogue, then sighed. “New talents. Strange dreams. They’ve accelerated since my..friend left.” She missed Alice. They could have done so much together. She knew what sort of person Alice had been, and that was a very dark path she could have gone down.
"Ah see." She said quietly as she looked at her friend. "What kind of talents? " She asked curiously.
“Oh just a little thing here and there,” Raven replied, rising to her feet. Her skin rippled, like waves on the water, and then she was the spitting image of Gin. Another ripple, and she was herself again. “I’m all of me, only better.”
Rogues eyes went wide. Bottle of beer set down and she had to brace herself on the stool. "Holy fuck." She finally said, a slight panic in her voice. "Wait does that mean... " She trailed off swallowing.
Mystique had one her patented toothy sort of shit-eating grin. “We share dreams.” The grin faded. “I’m going to do terrible things, but I’m not that person. I’m better than her. I need you to understand that."
Rogue sat in silence for a minute. "Well. .. this is a bit. .. wow" it almost threw her off balance. "At least. .. this time you're upfront about it. " She said slowly before taking a breath. "Upfront about using me too, oui?" She looked up and held Her gaze.
“I prefer to think of it as mutual using. You didn’t start out so innocent either.” Helpful Mystique was being helpful. “I wanted you to remember. Then I can talk the others into accepting me as more than that bitch they hate. She had reasons. They don’t matter here.”
Rogue nodded slowly. She knew, at least from her dreams, Mystique could be a manipulative bitch. But she'd see what came of it this time. "Fair enough. Ain't no saint here. Ah know this. We'll see how it goes this time. Give it a fair shot. " She said with a half smile.
Mystique rippled again, to her ‘normal’ self and she held out her hand. “A fair shot. Neither saints, or sinners, but something in between.”
She ran her nails through her hair before gingerly reaching out to take Raven’s hand. Wary because she had no idea of her power was gonna pop in or not. She had no idea. And it was terrifying. “Works. We’ll figure it out as we go.”
Mystique became Raven again and she grinned, squeezing Rogue’s hand. “Why don’t we forget about dreams. Or even scams, right now.” She knew she needed to earn Rogue’s trust again. She knew she’d need to keep earning it, but she had to try. Not just for her plans, either. Raven wouldn’t admit it, but she really did look at Rogue as a daughter figure.
When nothing happened she breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn’t ready for that to happen all the time. Not yet, anyways. She squeezed in return, softly. “That is a good plan. Ah can’t escape them at night but for now? Ah like that plan.” she tilted her head at her. She didn’t trust her as far as she could throw her, at least not entirely. She trusted her enough but with all the memories and dreams and crazy shit, she was more wary than she started.
'Wary' was probably the absolutely best way to deal with Mystique, especially with that grin on her face. It was like she was planning something. But then, Raven was always planning something. "We're probably going to need to buy you some kind of body condom."
She laughed softly. “Well ain’t that a depressin’ thought. Guess dis means ah should find a little fun while ah still can, eh?” she asked with a shake of her head. The thought of… well never being able to touch anyone was really depressing. “Ah think we’ll avoid the full body condom and get me some nice gloves and long sleeved shirts and the like. Less awkward, more stylish.” Rogue knew not to lay her entire trust in Raven. The woman was conniving, devious and manipulative. But it was strangely comforting to know she wasn’t totally off her rocker.
“At least we’re going into winter.’ Raven retrieved her purse. “Stylish is expensive, but I think we can make you look really good, and we’ve got the money to spare.” She grinned, and nodded for the door. This was fun, and maybe she could pretend she hadn’t hit on Rogue not that long ago.
“Although this is Winter here in California, at least it won’t be too cold.” she smiled faintly. Nope she’d probably never be able to pretend she hadn’t hit on Rogue. Rogue was still thinking about it here and there with new flavors of ick thrown in (god, mom? wtf.) “That’s good cause Ah’m no fashionista.” she was a plaid and jeans girl. This was gonna be awkward fun. She pushed to her feet and nodded. “Alright. Then.”
“And I’ll show you a few of my tricks.” She winked and dragged her out of the apartment and down to where her car was waiting. She had put the top of in anticipation of the weather.
Rogue side eyed her at that note, wondering just what she meant with some kind of tricks but she left it alone as she got dragged out of the house and to the car. She slipped inside with took a deep breath. “You know ah suck at shopping, right?” she said with a smile.
“Consider it another training.” Raven started the car, which rumbled to life. It wasn’t the most expensive convertible out there, but it had been one of her recent splurges. And it was red, of course.
She nodded. “Alright then.” she sighed a bit, this was going to be an interesting day. “Where are we headed?” she asked curiously. She liked the car, but she really liked the bike she’d gotten her hands on, too.
“Macy’s, first. We’ll see what they have. We should get you some scarfs too.” Raven looked over at her. “They’d compliment you, look stylish, and be comfortable.”
Macy’s. Lordy. That was expensive enough to start. She smiled softly. “Alright. Ah like scarves. They’re rather useful and warm.” she grinned, knowing she was looking at them for more than comfort, but she was trying to avoid the idea that they would be utterly necessary.
Mystique smiled broadly. “That’s the way to think of it, Rogue. We should be lucky it’s just us, and not Irene too.” She hid the pang of longing in her voice almost well enough. “Gives us a chance without her seeing everything. Wrongly.”
Rogue winced. She heard the longing. But she smiled after. "Indeed. We are lucky. Things did not go so well then. Perhaps this time things will be different. " She hoped so anyways. That life had been full of anger and hate.
“Yeah...I don’t mind gaining the shifting, I could do without spending a couple hundred years either hiding or fighting.” Raven made a face. “I wasn’t lying when I said I saw the Revolution.”
"Ah bet that's kinda fun and useful. " She noted with a smile. "Now that ah know things ah believe you. " She gave Raven a quiet smile one that promised a real attempt to make this place different. Hopeful.
Well, Raven didn’t want to disappoint Rogue. Not with a look on that face, so she decided to keep the manipulation to a minimum. But life wasn’t fun if she couldn’t fuck with people. So that would still happen.
“George Washington was fantastic in bed.”
Rogue laughed. “Some how ah’m not sure if’n ah believe you or not!” she smiled, though, and relaxed back. Things felt … almost normal. Even if she knew she was going to lose it later in private, too much weird shit for one week was bound to leave her twitchy.