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Post by Countess on Aug 29, 2024 23:53:43 GMT
It has been four days, seven hours, twenty three minutes, and fourteen seconds since Rogue found out Remy had left her. What exactly was she to expect? She had pushed him away. This is what she wanted. Or did she want to see if he could... really be by her side without being with her? It is an old song and dance, they play it on repeat, but now... Rogue just feels tired. Lonely. Damn, she's so done with feeling like this. Just another disappointment, just another person running from her, just another reason to keep everyone at more than arm's length.
Rogue sinks deeper into the sofa in the Staff Room, it was the nearest place she could go after class. She isn't sure how she held it together all day, her heart breaking further and further with every step Remy took to get away from her... Rogue reaches into one of her pockets, the one closest to her heart, and pulls out the only thing he left for her... a card. The Queen of Hearts. She pulls off one of her gloves, needing to feel it, needing to feel the closest thing she has to him...
Rogue has a tear run down her cheek, and she wipes it away. It isn't a rushed thing, just softly letting it happen... then putting it away. This is better, she tells herself. It will always and forever be better than the alternative. For a moment, she looks at her hand, bare. A weapon, according to so many metrics, and her only way to connect with others, truly connect.
Rogue puts her glove back on, heart emptying just a little more. Better this way. Better than killing him. Better than killing the only man she will love as fierce as Remy. It will hurt for a little while, but soon it will go from drowning to just overwhelming, from there it will fade to a manageable ache. She will always have that summer in New Orleans... it will tide her over.
Death cannot come soon enough.
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Post by Beriadan on Aug 30, 2024 11:51:53 GMT
The skies over the mansion rumbled with the sound of thunder. Strange, considering it was blue skies, and the forecast didn't mention any threat of storms. Something was approaching the school, at some considerable speed. A stream of purple across the sky, which promptly hit a tall oak and proceeded to crash with a resonating thud into the grounds outside the staff room.
"Ah, blue bollocking fuck!"
The dust cloud settled around Betsy Braddock, rubbing her head to nurse her pride more than any injuries. She looked back at the tree, as the trunk creaked and splintered, falling with a crash to the floor.
"Who planted that fucking thing... that wasn't there last time I was here!"
She dusted herself off, put her hands on her hips and looked towards the mansion with a smile. It had been a long, long time since Betsy had stepped foot on these grounds. Doctor Fate had been right though. The journey here had taken a few hours, but for her it really was nothing at all.
"It hasn't changed at all. It's been bloody yonks, but it's still the same old place. I wonder whose still kicking about?"
Of course Charles amd Emma both knew of her impending arrival, after a brief telepathic conversation, but the others? Betsy grinned, pleased with herself. If there was still some of the old gang here, then they were going to be in for a surprise.
She tucked her hands into the pockets of her jacket (a thick flight jacket, which she appreciated when the cold winds of the Atlantic went right through her telekinetic barrier) and strode towards the mansion with a spring in her step.
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Post by Countess on Aug 31, 2024 19:57:13 GMT
It was the sound of a loud crash that pulls her out of her melancholic reverie over her lost love. Rogue moves to the window, quickly swinging it open to get a good look around. When colorful swears follow the thud... she has an idea of who just arrived. A smile overcomes her, her woes forgotten, for now.
"Sugah, that tree has been here longer than us!," Rogue calls out to her longtime friend, Betsy. She had always looked up to her like an older sister, or maybe a foul-mouthed aunt. With a shake of her head, Rogue gently lifts up off the ground, opting to fly through the window down to Betsy. The window is left open, forgotten for a moment.
As she drifts down to Betsy, she does a check of her clothes- she's wearing a short sleeve blouse for teaching, so her gloves are long and up to just below her armpit. They are leather, a rich chestnut color meant to go well with her mustard yellow turtleneck blouse. Usually, she would wear her bomber jacket over this, but it was left up in the staff room. She has high waisted jeans, tight on her skin even though skinny jeans had gone out years ago. High top converse, higher socks... Rogue is well and truly covered from the neck down.
For the best.
"Betsy! What brings y'all up here? In the area?" she says, beaming a bit. "Aren't you pretty as a peach! How long has it been?"
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Post by Beriadan on Sept 1, 2024 10:57:42 GMT
Betsy looked up as she crossed the lawn, hearing a familiar and unmistakable voice call out from the mansion. She grinned as she put a hand to her forehead, shading her eyes to see the owner of the Southern accent.
"Bloody hell! I know that voice. Aren't you a sight for sore eyes!"
Betsy was running across to meet Rogue, coming to a stop a few feet away. Wide smiles, eyes alive with excitement. She paused before moving forward, instead placing a hand on her hip as she looked the other woman up and down.
"It's been way too bloody long! I think it was before I became Captain Britain, even. And that's why I'm here, Rogue, honestly. I think we are in dire need of a catch-up. But first, do you have any tea? I'm absolutely gasping. I know Xavier has a stash of the real stuff somewhere..."
Betsy paused again, looking slightly hesitant as she gave Rogue a shy smile.
"Are... are we hugging? Can you... is it something you're comfortable doing these days?"
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Post by Countess on Sept 1, 2024 18:26:40 GMT
Rogue checks herself again, just in case, making sure all of her skin is appropriately covered. Over the years, she's perfected hugs, made sure to only slightly awkwardly angle her face away or have it rest on clothing. She opens her arms.
"Come in, sugah, the water's fine," she teases, then envelops Betsy in a tight hug. Rogue hadn't known how much she needed this. In her pocket, she can feel the edges of the card...
"Yeah, I am sure we can scrounge up somthin... I won't be makin any of my sweet tea for you, don't worry a lick," she says, laughing. The last time she had done that, she was sure Betsy was going to kill her, then essentially the entirety of the South. "But you haven't had any of my Georgia Peach Sweet Tea, I'm just sayin..." she says, laughing as she loops her arm in hers and begins the walk up into the mansion proper.
"Anyone else you fixin to say hi to?" Rogue asks, thinking she could give her a grand tour instead of wallowing. Once that is over... then she can wallow with Betsy. Ice Cream and sappy movies are a given, of course. Poor girl, she doesn't know her whole night is already planned out.
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Post by Beriadan on Sept 1, 2024 19:17:22 GMT
Betsy didn't waste any time in giving Rogue a squeezing bear hug, lifting her old friend off the ground in the process. It felt like years of tension were being wrung out by the embrace. Kent had been right. She needed her friends as much as her allies.
"I don't mind sweet tea at all! In fact, I'd love to try yours. But a trip like that really takes it out of a girl. I'd take the plane, if it wasn't for the screaming kids. Oh, and the food is bloody atrocious!"
Arm in arm, they crossed the lawns towards the mansion. Betsy truly was astounded at how much hadn't changed. Sure, the students now watching them with awe and interest weren't the same, but she could see the faces of her and the others in them. The only difference was now they stood on the other side.
"I'm happy to say hi to anyone of the old lot whose still hanging around. But don't worry about that, I've got a few days of "leave" to take. Brian's promised to keep an eye on everything for me... so don't feel like you can get away from me so soon, hun!"
Betsy pressed her shoulder into Rogue with a playful move, laughing with glee. It was as if her worries could be forgotten. The mantle, the Otherworld, the Werewolves of London... a few days of being Betsy.
"So tell me, how the bloody hell are you, Rogue? I heard on the grapevine that you're teaching now! That honestly makes me so proud. All the work I put into mentoring you really paid off!"
Betsy grinned cheekily, but inwardly she had swelled with pride when she heard what her friend was doing. Rogue's first years had been shaky at best, but Betsy was glad she had come into her own.
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Post by Countess on Sept 1, 2024 19:43:30 GMT
Rogue nods, bumping her shoulder against Betsy's. "I'll get you somethin proper, then somethin not so proper," she says, winking. "I got a touch of bourbon to really make that tea sweet," she says, winking. For a time, she's really, actually happy. It is a distraction, but... at least it is real.
Rogue just about dies of happiness when Betsy reveals she will be here for a while longer than a night. Everyone will be happy to see her- old friends are always welcome. "Well, then lets get this party started, Betsy!" she says, laughing through the nose.
"Yeah, I got a handful of classes now, all teachin languages. Looks like all those years of suckin people dry paid off! I know more languages than a possom has joeys," she says, giggling about it.
The laughter fades, though, as she tries to think of how to explain... how she is. "I... Remy left," she says, and her eyes mist over. It is still so fresh. There are kids around, though, and they don't need to see her like this. "I kept pushin, and he finally... stopped bein okay with bein pushed," she says, sighing, looking high up to stave off the tears.
"But you ain't here to hear about my... troubles. What about you? How you been?"
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Post by Beriadan on Sept 2, 2024 11:06:21 GMT
Betsy felt a pang of pain and guilt at Rogue's reveal. It made Kent's words hit home even harder. By focusing so much on being Captain Britain, she hadn't just hurt herself, but those who she was supposed to be close with. She gave Rogue's arm a tight squeeze as she saw her trying to hold her composure.
"Shit. Well you can tell me all about it when we get somewhere a bit more private, and you show me where the bourbon is."
Nobody wants to be seen with weakness, especially not a teacher surrounded by her students. Betsy knows how much emotion one can hold back before cracking, but once the cracks begin to show...
"I've been... good. Okay. Well, kind of... fine. Overwhelmed? Definitely feeling the pressure of being Captain Britain."
Betsy took a deep breath, trying to focus herself. It was okay to let other people know of what she was going through... right? Right. Rogue was one of her oldest and dearest, after all.
"Honestly, it's a struggle, and there never seems to be an end in sight! Also it's so... political. Like I know being an X-men had it's challenges, but... god. Some of these bloody arseholes holding court in the Otherworld really get to me. Sometimes I just want to strangle the lot of them!"
Betsy laughed, a tad nervously but with some relief. It felt good to talk about it.
"There's one right royal bitch called Satyrn... she's got it out for me something fierce, just because she wanted Brian in the role and not me. Can you believe that? Like, love, it's the 21st century, women can take up the ancient and magical mantles to defend the multiverse as well, you know."
She grinned at Rogue, hoping that her emotional spillage was taking the other girl's mind from her own problems. Remy. What a bastard! Probably. Betsy needed to gauge how angry she was going to be at him from how Rogue felt. Perhaps a few glasses of bourbon would let her release her inner rage a bit.
"Oh, and Brian had a kid! I forgot, I'm now Auntie Betsy. Or I will be, when she can talk. A half-fae, too, or I guess that makes her three quarters, or like fifty sixty-forths or some stupid fraction. I've got loads of photos of her too, which you are going to have to suffer through!"
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Post by Countess on Sept 2, 2024 13:04:26 GMT
Rogue nods, knowing she wants to talk about it, but still not sure if she can open the wound without really well and truly opening all of it. Everything with Remy has always been a tangled knot of love and frustration and hurt and joy. Can't really sort it all out without touching on it all. Her hand goes back to that pocket, feeling the outline of the card. It was all he left, but it was the only thing he had to leave for her to understand. He left his heart here. Her.
Rogue, in equal parts, hopes that he moves on... and that he doesn't. One side is her love for him, knowing he deserves better than her. The other side is her selfishness, she she knows it is.
"You? Overwhelmed?" Rogue says, taking the lifeline out of her head where it is offered. "Is that anythin like Captain America?" Rogue teases. "Think they would allow lil ole me to be Captain Mississippi?" she says, now laughing, trying to get Betsy to, too.
"Tell me about the Otherworld, I don't really think I got a good grasp on it all," she says, screwin up her face to something confused. "Like- I get it is kinda a train station of sorts... or is it more a customs?" she asks, trying to grasp it a bit better. Multiverse stuff never really went well with her paradigm, but she's trying.
"Oh, sugah, I remember Brian..." Rogue says, finally taking her hand off that card to fan herself comically. "If he weren't your brother, and not too old for me, whew, I would have shown him real Southern Hospitality," she jokes, putting an inflection on the words to make a crude innuendo. He's safe to talk about like that- he's got a family he ain't leavin. "Good for him, hun," she adds, getting gentler.
"Tell me more about this Satyrn. When we rollin up? I could use a good throw down," she asks, just as they get to the kitchen. She starts rummaging around, looking for that secret bottle of bourbon.
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Post by metapanda on Sept 2, 2024 20:08:11 GMT
Kurt's long sleeve shirt felt good as the breeze drifted into his room through the open window. Today felt like any other day at the mansion. Except the fact that Remy had left. Kurt didn't know what to do about that. Kurt knew how much his sister and Remy loved each other, but the two were so melodramatic about the whole affair. It seemed they preferred to suffer than embrace each other in the ways that they could and simply be happy. It confused Kurt to no end. Why would anyone want to suffer? God had made this paradise of a world for them to be happy, yet people made choices that lead to their own suffering and for others around them to suffer as well. Kurt felt the ground shake, glancing around he thought to himself, "Hä?" A soft bamf filled the air as he appeared in a puff of smoke on top of the mansion. He glanced around trying to find the source of the impact, but didn't see anything. A couple more jumps later and he saw the impact at the tree. He sighed, looking to some of the gathered students and said in a thick German accent, "Can someone please fix that before Frau Frost sees the damage done to the campus. She just had this place fixed a week ago." Kurt disappeared in a puff of smoke reappearing next to the tree, and glancing around to see if could see where the source of the impact might have gone. He doubted any of the students were under threat since there wasn't more destruction and carnage in the area. Not to mention, with a mansion practically bursting at the seems with Telepaths, someone would have been sounding the alarm if there was a threat. Kurt noticed Anna and another familiar person in the kitchen. He disappeared in another puff of smoke, appearing between Anna and Betsy beaming. He pulled them both in for a tight hug and said, Was is happening? Did you cause that commotion outside Betsy. You know how Frau Frost gets about repairing the school grounds." He pronounced the was more like vas. His softly glowing yellow eyes, met his sister's eyes, appraising her current mood as he continued to smile. There was a warmth about Kurt there was absolutely infectious. English translations: " Hä?" = "Huh?"
Frau = Ms.
Was = What |
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Post by Beriadan on Sept 5, 2024 17:15:13 GMT
Betsy snorted at Rogue's interpretation. Captain America... she wished. If only it was so clear-cut! Captain Britain was... something she hadn't even got her head around yet. She wondered if Brian had figured it out. It wasn't as if she had been able to get a proper hand-over from him while Enchantress was trying to take his power from him. "Ah, it's... it's not exactly something I can easily describe. Otherworld is like... imagine layering a cake. But like... in all directions. And parts of it aren't cake, they're the opposite of cake. Then you slap that on top of Britain, and..."Betsy paused, then shrugged. She couldn't do it. It was far too complex a thing to conceive of in a single thought. Border control... kind of? A station... well, they did get some strange passengers in from other realms, that was true.
"That's a wank analogy. Sorry, students around! That's a bad analogy. It's King's Cross station. Your idea was far better than mine! King's Cross station, and sometimes a train rolls in with a version of Captain Britain from a universe where everyone is a dinosaur. No joke!"Betsy laughed. The Captain Britain Corps were a whole other thing. It was part of what scared her. She was part of something far grander than she could ever imagine, and Betsy still saw herself as a young kid at heart. "It's... Captain Britain is like a tethering point. If it goes, then the Otherworld and this world would become a real fucking mess, let me tell you. Sorry - a real bloody mess!"As Rogue began to fan herself, Betsy made a vomiting noise. "Rogue, that's absolutely disgusting. He's my brother! I don't want to know!"Betsy clamped her hands over her ears and stuck out her tongue. Absolutely vile. Brian wasn't even that attractive! Well, aesthetically, sure, but not... Betsy shook it out of her mind. Gross. She didn't have a chance to speak about Saturnyne. There was a familiar noise, a whooshing in the air, and... "Kurt!"Betsy grabbed the blue man in a tight bear hug to lift him off the ground. "How the fuck are you? Whoops, sorry, students! How the hell are you, mate? It's been a hot minute since Enchantress, right? Hey, weren't you growing a beard?" |
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Post by Countess on Sept 5, 2024 22:15:31 GMT
Just like when they were younger, Betsy knows the exact moment she loses Rogue. Her eyes glaze over just a bit, she starts to nod her head as if she is listening, and her lips open a fraction. It is hard for most people to know it, but her friends? They can spot it a mile away. When Betsy laughs, Rogue mirrors it, cluing back in. It isn't out of disinterest- she just truly doesn't understand it. The cake analogy really only made that worse.
"Found somethin else!" Rogue says, brandishing a cheap Canadian Whiskey. Logan won't mind her raiding his stash, right? Well, she sure hopes not. Not like he would do anything but grumble at her, go on a solo soul searching adventure while everyone else saves the world, then come back a somewhat changed man. Somewhat. If she had a nickel... She puts the bottle back, just in case, and resumes her search for the bourbon. She files away his hiding spot for later.
Rogue waggles her eyebrows at Betsy, but lets the brother thing lie. No need to tell her that she was not the only one holding a small flame for Brian. Not as much as the inferno she has for- fuck, he always just... slips into her mind. Always. Rogue finds her smaller bottle of Maker's Mark, pops the top off, grabs a couple mugs, and puts a generous amount of it into them. She steals a sip for good measure.
"Don't worry. It's goin to a good caus-" Rogue starts to say, then is interrupted by her brother appearing out of nowhere. Well- that is what he usually does. She lets herself get pulled into the hug. but quickly disengages. Hate for an accident. "Look who decided to slum it up with us, Kurt," she says, a hand on her hip, all sass. She has put a respectful distance between them all.
It is better this way... it is better this way... it is better this way....
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Post by metapanda on Sept 7, 2024 2:23:24 GMT
Kurt felt Betsy turn the tides on him, grappling him in a bear hug with shocking strength. With a puff of smoke and a soft bamf Kurt vanished from Betsy’s arms. Kurt smirked at Rogue, glancing around at the immaculate mansion they called home before saying,"Mein sister, if this is the slums, then the beauty of Heaven must be beyond what we could possibly begin to imagine." Despite the playful and mischievousness apparent in his eyes, there was a piercing look in Kurt's eyes as he studied Rogue and Betsy, as if he was looking at their very souls bared before him. Kurt leaned forward onto the kitchen counter, resting his head on his hands, sighing at the mention of the brief growth of a beard. His tail flicked through the air like a snake about to strike as he said,"Unfortunately, I have been participating in the old Roman Catholic rites and customs for so long that it has become a habit to keep myself clean shaven. I only started growing the beard during Enchantress's rampage because I was to busy acting as transport and medical evac. Perhaps, I should grow it out again." He began to grin mischievously as he added,"Women did seem to enjoy the beard though," as he gave Betsy a playful wink. He hadn't seriously considered growing a beard in a long time. Perhaps it was time for a change up. Keeping it shaved with the fur was becoming quiet the nuisance.
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Post by Beriadan on Sept 7, 2024 20:05:39 GMT
Betsy pouted as Kurt teleported from her grip, but she clapped her hands together as a bottle of Logan's depression whiskey was recovered. She took it from Rogue before she could decide against it, unscrewing the lid and giving it a deep sniff. Wincing, Betsy turned to Kurt again.
"Don't listen to her! This place is a palace!"
His wink made her blush slightly. Gosh. Blue as he was, it wasn't like he wasn't attractive. Betsy took a swig of the whiskey, offering it to Rogue, passing the wink to her. She hadn't missed her friend's reluctance to avoid contact. Betsy didn't want to make her uncomfortable by forcing anything on her.
"I'll take the fall, darling. Don't worry. Drink up, it's a celebration! Or should we go somewhere a bit more private, away from all those young people?"
Betsy turned slightly to Kurt, with a smirk.
"We're doing a girlie night. Make-up, pajamas, copious amounts of booze. Are you too Catholic to join us, you little scoundrel?"
Then Betsy lunged, throwing herself at Kurt to try and grapple him in another bear hug.
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Post by Countess on Sept 12, 2024 22:22:39 GMT
Rogue rolls her eyes at Kurt's smirk, not putting up much of a fight when Betsy takes Logan's whiskey. "It is home, I will give it that," she says, a cloud overcoming her briefly, and she does everything she can to avoid her brother's gaze. How much of a home could it be without Remy? Idly, her hand goes to her breast pocket once more, feeling the corners of the card. It... soothes her. As much as it can. He's gone, at least. Safe... from her. He can find love out there. She knows the way he flirts, the way he can flit from person to person. If she is his one true love... then the world is far crueler than she cares to admit.
"I am so sorry about what I said about Brian," Rogue says, gagging a little as she sees Betsy blush. "I am sorry, I will never say anything about your brother again, please, please stop looking at my brother like that," she continues, bending into the bit. She takes the whiskey, taking a long swig. It takes more for her, after all.
"I say we go to my rooms. Nice, private, I've got a fridge with a little freezers.... with ice cream," Rogue says, pulling out of the kitchen fridge a jug of what could only be sweet tea. It is- peach, to be exact. "Join us, make sure we don't do anything stupid," Rogue says, giving Kurt a rather knowing look. "Don't let me call Remy."
"Of course, Logan is out... we could raid his actual stash," Rogue says, immediately suggesting something stupid.
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