The More You Drink...(Rogue)

[remy]

...the more you pay.

The problem with Bayville was that it was too perfect. The small little town where high school stars showed up in the papers holding their trophies and standing next to mayor. The Cajun knew why Magneto kept them around here, because of the Xavier kids, but sometimes Remy wondered why he listened. Half-way through his less then entertaining night he had gone off in search of some seedy bar where he could take the regulars for all they had, but he had no such luck. Instead he found a small pool hall. It was no surprise that it seemed to cater to everyone, or else it would likely go out of business. A group of high school students stood leaning around the pool table, trying to act older then they were, another group off in the corner throwing poorly aimed darts at a board on the wall, and yet another sitting around a table, talking in hushed voices. There was no fear of underage drinking in public as it seemed that there was always someone around who knew the minor's parents, and threatened to call home.

Scattered amongst the 'rebel' teens were people that fit more into Remy's group. A couple men sitting at a fairly small bar watching ESPN, while others, like Remy, sat around a table, throwing laminated cards around. "Lady Luck, she be on my side t'night, non?" One by one, Remy placed his cards on the table, the four aces mocking the other players. This had been going on all night, and they had accused Remy of cheating too many times to count, yet they still continued to play, hoping their luck would turn and they could go home to their wives proudly. But there was no such luck for anyone at the table except Remy LeBeau. If he couldn't be in New Orleans, or even Atlantic City, he'd bring the fun to Bayville.

It only took a few more hands before the other men began to walk away, already having lost too much. The alcohol the men had consumed worked well in Remy's favor as each hand got easier to win, though now he was left with virtually no one to play with. Leaning forward, he gathered up his newest winnings, making sure to leave a generous tip out for the bartender who had put up with them the whole time.

[Rogue]

Ok, now normally she wasn't one to get stir crazy. But really... too much perfection at once was too much to handle. All this pressure of being with the X-men... the rules, the other people and... oh god, the training. Rogue just needed some air. Some space. Someplace where she could just be alone for a little while. So she... took an unxecused leave of absence just for the night, and prayed nobody would notice or come looking for her.

The local dive was a place she'd at least grown used to from her short time with the rest of the Brotherhood. Luckily, they weren't there right that second, giving her some much needed peace and quiet. So long as she didn't order any alcohol and nobody actually asked her age. The white streaks made people think twice. 'Sides, ain't a school night or anything, and Ah ain't the only teen in the bar the Southerner thought to herself.

Rogue looked up from her seat by the pool table to notice an older... well, not that much older but definitely older than herself... man with quite a pretty penny's worth of cash on the table and a deck of cards. Rogue did find him intriguing, figuring he was only some sort of a cardshark. But as her eyes accidentally met his, she quickly snapped her head back to the pool table, before realizing nobody was playing anymore. Well damn...

Her eyes looked back to his and she blushed a little, waiting for him to make the next move.

[remy]

Stacking the money together, Remy folded it up and put it in his pocket inside this trench coat. It certainly wasn't the kind of money he was used to playing with, but what could he expect from a place like this? Bayville wasn't home to any serious businessmen or lawyers, not like New York. On second thought, Remy really should have gone there, no matter what Magneto would say when he got back.

Quickly finishing off the amber liquid in his glass, Remy stood as the taste of the bourbon lingered for a small moment. He had noticed the girl, but what mattered more was that he recognized her. She was one of Xavier's students, and a new addition to his special team it seemed. What was more intriguing was that she was from his neck of the woods. Remy always made sure to read up on his foes before engaging them in any manner. Any advance knowledge tipped the scales in his favor every time.

Walking over to the younger girl, Remy stopped a fair distance away from her, looking down at her through dark sunglasses before he grabbed a seat and sat down. "Somet'in' catch ya eye? Or someone?" Flashing her that trademark grin that seemed to hold it's own power over women, Remy's eyes glanced over the young girl, studying her. "Tres interestin' hair color. Looks nice."

[Rogue]

Rogue's pulse quickened as the man she was looking at before came over. Rogue, admittedly, was nervous. She had no idea who this guy was or what he was up to. 'Course, this was all her fault from oggling him the way she was before. Maybe she'd be ok if he didn't turn out to be some sort of creep.

As he sat down next to her and began talking, Rogue quickly folded her hands on her lap. Didn't want any incidental touching going on, she didn't want to incapacitate the guy. Not for being polite anyway.

"Maybe Ah was... an' thanks. Ah get that a lot..." Rogue said, answering both statements in one fell swoop, looking down and away from him again in nervousness. She paused a second, noticing something about the way he talked sounded like... well, like home. Her old home anyway. "You ain't from around here either, are ya?" she asked, wondering exactly where he was from.

[remy]

The girl with the killer touch, or so he had heard. None of the Acolytes seemed very willing to have tested it out, but Magneto had his sources and if that's what they said, then it was more then likely true. Seemed a shame though, for such a pretty girl to have that burden. But this was exactly the reason that Remy did his research before any movements, otherwise he may have likely touched the girl, and that would be no good. Being unconscious was not his idea of fun.

Red eyes burned slightly behind the dark lenses as his grin turned into a smirk, nodding his head. "Oui, was it dat obvious? I'm a bit more of a gator guy den a crocodile in de sewers kind o' guy." The tales of alligators in the bayous was all too vivid a memory for the Cajun, though he had never been harmed by them, he had read the papers growing up. Leaning back in the chair, his eyes locked onto hers, though she likely wouldn't know, other then the feeling of being watched that some people could pick up on. She was slightly uncomfortable, though Remy wouldn't blame her, having just met him.

"Born an' raised in New Awlins. Figured dis was de closest place t' home 'round here." Gesturing to the building around him, Remy's tone made it clear that he wasn't too impressed with it. "What 'bout ya? I'm guessin' ya didn't pick up ya speech from movies."

[Rogue]

Swamp rat, huh? Rogue thought to herself. Well, that wasn't so far from home, compared to where she was right then. And he was right. This bar she was in did kind of remind her of Mississippi. Emphasis on kind of.

"No, though that would be some trick, huh?" Rogue replied, giving a small smile and putting her hands on her elbows in a slightly defensive position. Already she was talking more than she normally would be, and while she wanted to feel comfortable... well... after all she'd been through she couldn't feel at ease with anyone so quickly.

"Ah'm a Jackson gal myself. Born an' raised," Rogue said. Well, that wasn't entirely true, but she'd spent so much of her life there it sure felt like it. Besides, without knowing who her real parents were she had to go off of Irene and what she could remember.

"So... Ah saw you were quite the card player tonight. Ah didn't see what you were playin' though. Guess the game didn't last very long..." Rogue said, another small smile shining through the otherwise gloomy persona. The Southerner played a little cards, but she wasn't the best in the world. And probably wouldn't stand a chance to this mysterious card shark, or whatever he was.

[remy]

Normally Remy strayed from the underage crowd, especially the girls, and for obvious reasons, but this one was different. It was more then her alliance with the X-Men that captivated him, she was a little reminder of home. New Orleans got a lot of tourists throughout the years, but Remy always took a liking to the southern visitors. The ones who wanted a vacation, but didn't want to stray too far. Southern people always seemed to understand each other, whereas the locals here tended to give Remy odd looks whenever he did something that to him, was normal.

"Not a bad place, visited dere once o' twice." Remy had gone all over the world it felt like, but no place excited him more then New Orleans. It was a city full of every kind of fun imaginable, and when Carnival rolled around, you couldn't ask for a better place to live. "Don' get dat small town feel 'round here, even in Bayville." Of course New Orleans wasn't really considered a small town, but the locals all knew each other, too well at times. The heads of the crime families had the run of the city, and the locals rarely even questioned anymore.

"Poker, what else?" His favorite game when in the company of other card players. Withdrawing a deck of cards, Remy began to pass the cards from one hand to the other until he caught the whole deck in one hand, shuffling it one-handed. "Guess ya could say cards are my thing. But so is Lady Luck, she be on my side whenever I need her. Even t' jus' pick up some extra cash. How 'bout ya? What is it ya take a likin' t'?"

"By de way, de name's Remy."

[Rogue]

Rogue blushed very slightly as Remy introduced himself. God, was she starting to sink to her roommates level, flirting with every cute guy who she saw? Now, Rogue didn't normally flirt with a lot of guys... and this was just one guy. And after all, what was the harm in a little conversation? It's not like they could do anything serious or romantic, not without one of them ending up comatose.

Rogue snorted. "Sure don't. Hard to believe there's room for all these people in one place," she replied, considering the size of Bayville wasn't too much bigger than her old town. But everything and everyone was packed so tight together. It just felt different.

"Ah'm Rogue, Nice t' meet ya... sugah..." she replied, giving another small, slightly nervous, slightly flustered smile. "An' you better not laugh when Ah tell ya... 'Cause as much fun as poker is, Ah play rummy... gin rummy. Poker's way too much chance for me, Ah like a little bit more strategy. Plus Ah can't bluff mah way out of a paper bag," Rogue replied, laughing a little and nervously pushing her snow white bangs out of her face.

[remy]

As Remy shuffled the cards, his muscles actually relaxed rather then tightened. Shuffling cards was like his drug at times, his hands always itching to do something, the cards were just a good outlet. Sitting here, talking with the girl, Remy was aware of the stray glances they received, knowing that it must look slightly inappropriate. Most people had just seen him drinking, so they knew he was a bit on the older side. But rumors were what spiced up life in Bayville, having nothing better to do, the residents did love their gossip.

"Rogue? Has a certain ring t' it dat 'Jessica' jus' don' have." That smile again, it was always present in some form on Remy's face when he was talking to a lady. Especially when that lady was the 'enemy', which just served to make things more interesting. "If ya gonna pull off de mysterious, one-word name, ya gon' need t' finish de outfit. Sunglasses maybe?"

"But life is full o' chance, non? No risk, no reward. All dat stuff. Besides, de more ya try t' hide that ever so faint blush, de better ya poker face gets." Life had always been a big poker game to Remy, weighing everything against what he had to lose. Upping the ante when things were in his favor. He was a gambler to the core. "An' old friend o' mine from back home used t' swear up an' down dat if ya jus' listen t' de cards, ya gon' win all de right hands. Now, if ya ask me, ol' Dan was crazy as they come. But he was a good friend."

[Rogue]

Rogue blushed again. "Nah, between the pale skin and the clothes, sunglasses might make me look like Ah got some sorta aversion t' light," she explained. She got teased a bit about being a vampire and a zombie back in Jackson, and she heard all sorts of whispers at Bayville high. 'Course, didn't help that she was reading Dracula and a bunch of other horror novels. And it wasn't like she could explain to anyone that the way she looked was because of a mutation in her DNA which made her absorb anyone she touched now could she?

Rogue quickly turned away, a little taken aback at the mention of the blush. Was it that obvious that she was blushing? Who was she kidding, of course it was. The southern belle was terrible at faking anything, especially her emotions.

"No offense, but it sounds like your friend might've had a little too much of the whisky bottle that night," Rogue blurted out. Quickly lowering her head at her first show of her true spunk, Rogue recoiled back into her little shell. She couldn't get too comfortable after all. "Or, y'know, maybe he knew somethin' we don't..."

[remy]

"Or might jus' complete de outfit." If this was any other place, with any other girl, Remy would have put his own sunglasses on her, but he really couldn't. The last thing he needed was to fight off a bunch of humans, or to experience Rogue's power first-hand. Something about being exposed as a mutant, then being left unconscious just didn't sound like fun.

For a second, Remy was slightly taken back by her comment about Dan, though it didn't show on his face. The perfect poker face since he could hold cards properly, Remy had always been in control of his emotions. "Dat is likely true, but one couldn't deny his luck with de cards. He folded most o' those hands though, but no one could ever truly figure him out. But when Carnival rolled 'round, he took those tourist fo' all dey were worth."

Leaning forward when she looked down, Remy moved his face into her view. "Nervous?" Her small actions didn't go unnoticed by Remy, and it told him a lot about her. Things that weren't in Magneto's files. Whether it was his personality, or his age, or just him being a person, she seemed nervous. Though their small talk seemed to help a bit. "If I make ya nervous, I can be on my way."

[Rogue]

Stupid, stupid, stupid Rogue cursed mentally. God, if she got any more brash people would probably stop talking to her altogether. It was a wonder this guy was talking to her at all. "Really? Well, Ah guess Ah oughta take that back then. Sorry..." she apologized, squeezing her hand on her arm just a little bit tighter.

Then Remy moved in closer, instantly making Rogue draw away a little. Sure, he was still far enough away but the power-stealing mutant didn't want to take any chances doing anything to this guy. Not for simply talking to her. That one word question was making her nervous. She swallowed hard. "That obvious huh?" Rogue croaked, trying to keep what composure she had.

"Don't flatter yourself too much there, Remy. You fluster me plenty, but... Ah dunno... Ah guess Ah just really ain't used t' talkin' t' people Ah don't know all that well. 'Specially when Ah think they're flirting with me..." she explained. God Rogue hoped Remy was flirting. That would be extremely embarassing if he didn't intend any of their conversation to be romantic.

[remy]

Rogue really did seem to be all over at once. One minute she was commenting on people she didn't even though, rude by most standards, and the next she was apologizing. If Remy didn't know any better, he'd suspect multiple personalities. "Don' be apologizin', it's okay." So this was what it was like to be around normal teenagers, not teenagers raised to steal and kill. It certainly was interesting.

At her sudden words, Remy dramatically pressed a hand to his chest. "Ya wound me mon chere. Like twistin' a knife right in my heart." Truth be told, Remy wasn't used to being turned down by anyone, though he also wasn't completely serious with Rogue either. She was a nice girl, but that was the problem, she was still a girl. Even Remy had his limitations on how far he'd push it, or at least, he thought he did.

"If I remember correctly, it was you who first looked at me. I jus' simply walked over an' asked a question." Remy had done more then that he knew, but he didn't really need to admit to anything more. He could have walked away at the beginning, but he didn't want to. She was intriguing, and he wanted to know just what it was that made her tick. "So a river rat who plays rummy an' has a mysterious name. How'd ya wind up here?"

[Rogue]

She gave a small smile. "Your ego will recover, Remy, Ah'm sure," she teased in response to his mocking heart injury. "'Sides, Ah didn't say nothin' about not likin' you, sugah. Ah told ya, just ain't used t' the flirtin'..." She sighed, wondering if she had really blown it with her own insecurities.

And now she was about to blow it by having to be vague. The southerner couldn't exactly just casually mention that she was here because she was tricked by her shape-shifting principal to come to Bayville because she was a unique mutant and now was with a team of other mutants who were trying to unite humanity. Religion, politics, and mutant powers were thing to never ever ever discuss on a first date.

"Ah could ask the same of a poker-playin' swamp rat, now couldn't Ah?" Rogue asked, raising an eyebrow. "Ah got moved here 'cause of mah school. Ma thought this would be a better place for me." This was all true of coures. Irene had recommended she come here, and that was a lot of the reason for coming to Bayville in the first place.

"What's your excuse then?" she asked, folding her arms.

[remy]

"An' what do ya know 'bout my ego? Been watchin' me dat long? Gotta tell ya, it get's a man's hopes up." She certainly was an odd one, but Remy couldn't exactly say he didn't like it. He had married a cold-blooded assassin. Talking to Rogue was nothing short of normal compared to that. "Maybe a change o' outfit fix dat flirtin' problem? Red maybe? Looks good with green eyes."

Leaning back in the chair, letting it wobble a bit on two legs, Remy nodded slightly at her reason for coming to New York, though he had a bit of a hard time beliving that Bayville High was a better school then anything back home. "Ya know what dey say 'bout answerin' a question with a question, right? Somet'in' 'bout a guilty conscious?" Of course she'd ask about his reason for being in New York, it was only natural. People like them just didn't up and move to New York, where it snowed far too much, and was full of people who looked down their noses at southerners.

Letting the chair fall to all fours, Remy's mind worked quickly to come up with a suitable answer. Something about killing his brother-in-law and being exiled just didn't seem like a good answer. "Broke so many hearts I jus' got run out o' town." For a moment, Remy's eyes actually glowed red as he thought back on that night. A horrible end to a wonderful day, one that would live in his mind for the rest of his life. "Did a bit o' travellin', doin' odd jobs fo' people. Finally found a long-term job here and jus' decided t' stay. 'Sides, my boss, he don' take no fo' an answer."