10314/What If

What If
Date of Scene:	04 December 2019
Location:	Chinese Food Restaurant, Two Bridges
Synopsis:	Drake and Marie meet for dinner, and wind up talking about her powers and the possibility to suppress them.
Cast of Characters:	Volt, Rogue

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Volt has posed:
Drake Riley didn't have a phone for a long time. But now that things have started to take a genuine turn, he's integrating a bit more into society; becoming a person again. And that not only includes more clothing - such as the fashionably sensible parka, t-shirt, and cargos he wears now - but also what most consider daily necessities. Like that aforementioned phone.

Which was just used to invite a girl he'd met earlier to join him for Chinese. Through careful folding of an envelope he'd received from her earlier, he'd managed to keep the lipstick phone number from smudging beyond legibility. It was a simple text he sent her; introducing himself, reminding her she intended to critique his attire, then offering to have her do so at his current location in Chinatown.

He's currently seated at a corner table, parka still worn, and scanning over the menu. Not so long ago, actually eating out like this was basically impossible. Life sure can change in a hurry.

Rogue has posed:
For whatever reason, the twenty year old Rogue has acquired three cars and one van in her two decades on this planet and only two of those vehicles were purchased with money she'd earned. The others hand been acquired as a gift and... after a mission with the covert operations paramilitary mutant team she is apart of, hush hush, very important stuff.

Today, Rogue chooses the dark green Bentley - which was the car gifted to her by a wealthy woman she'd saved when she was young and naive enough to actually accept such a gift - and thusly it pulls into a spot not far from the chosen restaurant that she'd been invited to meet the young man from the mall at.

Moments later and she's passing in through the front door, wearing her dark charcoal colored Navy Peacoat and a light soft wool beanie on the crown of her head, holding her white and brown hair down around the sides of her face. Its fairly cold outside, so she's pretty bundled up; though its also pretty normal for her if you know her. Speaking to the employee at the front of the store, Rogue is all smiles, appears happy and cheerful.

She's directed to where Drake is seated and starts across the room toward him. Once at his table, she lets her smile persist. "Someone's lookin' sharp t'night." She says in that sassy sultry southern style of hers as she moves to sit across from him and start to remove her jacket off of the dark maroon colored sweater she wears beneath it. "Hows things, Mistah? Lookin' like they're on the up'n up?"

Volt has posed:
Drake Riley immediately stands when she enters his peripheral, as that's the polite thing to do. And she's met with all smiles, as well. When she sits, he takes a second to remove his parka and hang it on the back of the chair, before joining her.

"Well, I'm meeting a classy lady. Gotta dress for it, don'cha know." His smile takes a cheeky tilt before he simply nods. "And things /are/ on the up'n'up. Thought I'd see how things are going with you, too, though." He glances aside to the window, noting the new vehicle parked alongside the restaurant. "That one yours?"

Rogue has posed:
His manners and politeness certainly do go noted and they keep Rogue amused, impressed and smiling because its the kind of stuff you don't see much of outside of the movies. Or so she's come to think at least. At his question of the car outside, once seated herself, she glances over to it and then exhales a light and little breathy laugh, that seems more than a little loaded.

"Yeah, thats mine." She says back to him. "Quite a story behind it too. Helped some rich telepathic woman who was freakin' out in public stop herself from makin' a bigger mistake." She doesn't say how she stopped her, but she hasn't explained her mutation to Drake up to this point either. "Once it was all said'n done, she tracked me down days later and gave me the car as a thank you. I shouldn't have taken it, but damn if I didn't want a car back then." A grin is on Rogue's red hued lips now, mischievous in nature. "I was eighteen, it was fancy and green - which is my favorite color ya see - so I just said 'Sure!'."

Rogue's left hand reaches up then to pull her hat off of her head, which drags some of her white bangs with it across her face. "Classic 'save a lady, get a car' story I guess."

Volt has posed:
Drake Riley tilts his head slightly to the side as she tells her interesting, but vague, story. How did she stop her? Did she beat up a lady and get a car for it? That couldn't be it. "A part of me thinks it's okay to take something like that. Because sometimes, people are really grateful and /need/ to show it. And the only way they can is by giving you something. It's like.. okay," he leans back in his chair, "Think of it like the old days. Sparta, Athens, all that. People couldn't return the favor for what a hero would do for'em. But they'd give'em gifts. Hero didn't do it for gifts, but they'd take the gift to acknowledge the gratitude."

After a beat, he shrugs his shoulders. "That's how I see it."

Leaning forward again, Drake glimpses to the menu - then back at her. "Green's your favorite color, huh?," he asks, eyebrows lifting in a deliberate attempt to draw attention to his eyes.

Rogue has posed:
In Rogue's situation, she doesn't rush to tell people what her perceived plight is with her mutation. Not that she's ashamed of it, but she doesn't really like to see people's reaction to suddenly being afraid of her - at least in some capacity she's seen it on people's faces many times. But there definitely are hints that something is up with her, after all its cold outside but its warm in here and she hasn't taken her gloves off yet.

At his words she considers quietly while she reaches out for a glass of water that she presumes had been brought for her. "If it had been a SUV or somethin' maybe I woulda donated it to a children's hspital or some place that could use it, I dunno... doesn't seem like they'd need a car like that one out there though. I'm sure I'll get rid of it soon, I got way too many of them now anyhow."

After she sips her drink her hands drop back into her lap and she grins at the last question he asks, gently nodding her head two small times to it. "It is." She responds. "I grew up in Mississippi'n when I was with my folks they didn't have much, so I spent a lotta time outside. By the time... I lost them, I moved in with my aunt who had a real nice farm house, but I prefer bein' outside in the grassy fields more than inside on a computer or whatever. One'a the few kids these days that didn't grow up with a phone in their hands neither. So... it was sunny days and playin' around in the fields for me. Thus green'n yellow are my favorite shades." Her playful hint of a grin remains.

"Corny, I know. Ah well though. They make me happier, so I'm stickin' with'em." Her right hand comes up then to sweep some of her white bangs out of her face, another very unusual trait all her own, definitely a uniquely strange girl here!

"What about you? Growin' up in California, yeah? Surf boards and beach parties?" She inquires in good humor.

Volt has posed:
"'I'm corny', says the farmgirl," teases Drake.

He doesn't ask about her parents. He doesn't ask about when her powers manifested. These are things she'll volunteer, or are better left discussed away from other people. He certainly isn't spilling his beans here. But he has the advantage in really looking like a normal guy.

"Somehow the country life seems to suit you. Beaches, though... those were my natural habitat. My medicine. I could surf, sort'a, but didn't get into it as much. But my fields were more the inner-city. Running with a rough crowd, doing things I shouldn't've. Know what I mean?"

Rogue has posed:
"So corny." Rogue affirms with another little nod and a flashed grin. When their server arrives, she takes a moment to look at the menu and picks out a nice dish, nothing too wild, just some simple and classic Chinese food options. She then hands the menu off and once the server is away again she regards Drake once more.

"Yeah, I know that kinda stuff all too well." She tells him. "I ran away from my Aunt's place when I was fourteen. Fell in with a rough crowd myself. Real rough." Mystique is probably beyond rough, in what she could be called. "Did a lotta things I regret. But after a couple'a years, I split off from'em and set out on my own. Which... was only goin' worse and worse. Thankfully some'a the folks from Xavier's found me though, and brought me in when I was eighteen, and now... here I am. Havin' Chinese food with a sharply dressed young man who Sorta Surfed." A big smile is shown then, corny on-point. "Not so bad, I'd say if'n ya asked me."

She nods at him then. "I do like your new duds though, they look all kinds'a dapper on ya."

Volt has posed:
Drake Riley quickly orders fried rice with vegetable lo mein. And he's totally having American pop to go with it. Take that, staying-in-shape.

After the waiter leaves, he refocuses on the girl across from him, listens, and shoots her a wink. "Glad ya approve of this one." Ultimately more bland than his other outfit, he thinks, but eh! If she likes it, he's down with it. "You talk about being eighteen as if it were /ages/ ago," he mentions. "You're not that old. Heck, /I'm/ eighteen."

He wants to comment on the Xavier thing, but they started to touch on it before. His experience with them was starkly negative in contrast.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue's gloved hands come up again from her lap to rest them on the edge of the table over one another. She has to laugh softly at his comment about how she phrases her timeline and years. "Yeah, I guess I do..." She mutters. "Hey, I turn twenty one next month! So its... its like... like almost another life time ago!" A smirk is shown then to the so very much younger man across from her.

"I think its just cause I've... been through a lot, like every year feels sorta like a new chapter and a twenty-one chapter book is a pretty sizable book, ya know?" A light shake of her head is offered after that, and she glances away toward a group of people standing up from their table and putting their coats on. Another sip of her water is taken.

When she looks back at him she sets the glass down again, knowing full well that topics about Xavier's make him uncomfortable she doesn't bring it up. "So with the new clothes, new phone'n all, that mean you got a good plan goin' for yourself? Last time we talked ya seemed a bit morose, not a lot, but maybe a little... Now ya seem a bit more upbeat. Which is great!"

Volt has posed:
"So then this is, what, you getting your cougar on?," teases Drake in counter. "Really though, I get it. Everything from... I dunno, thirteen or so, and onwards? Kind'a the same way. I don't know how old I was when things started happening with me."

On to brighter subjects!

"Anyway, you're right. It's the difference between being uncertain about things, and feeling more... I dunno, settled? Like you finally have a chance to breathe, without thinking /so/ much that you're gonna be out on the street in a week?" He rolls his shoulders, not quite a shrug, not entirely relaxed. "It's taking some getting used-to, but it's like there's finally a good direction to be going in. I know that's /crazy/ vague."

Rogue has posed:
A light laugh comes from the so much older girl. "I don't think there's -that- much age difference t'warrant a qualifier for this like -that- one. Maybe some day I'll earn that though... kinda seems fun then. Fourty year old me huntin' on folks in their early twenties." She's all grins now again, teasing of course, which she loves to do.

She goes on to just gently nod her head to his reference to when things started 'happening' for him, she knows all about that with the school she comes from the mutant sphere she's fully immersed inside of.

"I understand." Rogue says then and follows it up with a little laugh once more. "Hell, most'a what folks like us do has t'be spoken in vague. But I'm glad for ya. Thats the thing, if ya make enough good contacts - by bein' a good person - then you'll never have'ta worry about bein' left out in the cold again. Least thats how I feel. I feel like I've not gotta worry about that like I once did before. Spendin' nights findin' places t'sleep where I thought I would go un noticed or un... ya know, harassed." Both of her hands come up then to stroke her white bangs back so the strands are tucked behind her ears.

"I'm at that safe comfort level now, and I think it'll be good the rest'a my years. Hope you've gotten there now too. Ya seem t'deserve it, after all." Another soft smile is shown then to him.

Volt has posed:
"Aw, c'mon. You're gettin' sweet on me," coos Drake playfully, his head canting in return. "I've done my share of awful back then. Never like... supervillain awful, but awful enough. Even after I came out here to New York for a little bit. But that was for a reason. A dumb reason, even if it panned out, but.."

He crinkles his nose. "I /hope/ what I have now is more like a permanent thing. I dunno if it will be, but if it isn't, I'm confident it'll at least open doors. I'm finally doing what I wanted to. Maybe not from the very start, but what I grew into. Again, totally vague. But..."

His head turns slightly, giving the girl across from him a curious squint.

"...something tells me you get where I'm coming from."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue grins and glances away when he mentions the 'sweet' part. She looks back at him and slowly nods a couple times again. "A'course I am. Its in my very nature." She says in a sassy sort of way. "But t'be honest, I'm at a point in my life where I'm not really lookin' for serious things. Too tired'a bein' treated badly. Just lookin' for fun, ya know? Happiness. Positive emotions." She reaches for her drink again and shakes her head side to side. "Sick'a bein' gamed with. Toyed with." She sips from it and settles the glass down once more.

At his talk of what he has now she nods once at him then. "Yes, well... if its a good thing, what ya got now? Then all ya gotta worry about is enjoyin' it. Ride it like a good wave, yeah?" She grins a little then, surfer lingo. "And yeah... I get what ya mean. People like us are worried about stuff, especially after the past year or so of havin' such public-enemies roamin' around lookin' for trouble." Sentinels of course.

"As far as stuff goes though, things are all right right now, I'd say though. So live it up. Thats my plan." She smiles then as their food arrives, which makes her sit up in her chair and back to watch it get settled across the table for them.

Volt has posed:
Drake Riley squints a little, despite the smile. No, that's not quite what he meant. It's okay. He won't correct her. There's no properly subtle way of doing it.

The food arrives, and Drake lifts the chopsticks with clean expertise, like a good little West Coast middle-class native. He fiddles around in the noodles while stealing glances across to her. "So you've been kicked around the relationship circus, huh? I kind'a know how that is. Not a lot, or anything. I've had like, one girlfriend."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue avoids chopsticks, they don't go well with gloves. She grabs for the metal utensils instead and glances up at him while she sorts her food out on her plate. "I don't wanna make it sound like I've had a buncha torrid love affairs. Only one serious. But... he never made much sense. Sometimes was reliable and fun, other times he was just not around and distant. I finally got sick of it and said it was over. But yeah, there's more t'what I mean by that."

She finally gives in and raises her non-fork holding hand up, gloved with her fingers wiggling a little. "I can't touch people." She tells him then. "Not without these on. In fact, if you put a hand on my face right now, skin t'skin, you'd be on your butt in a matter'a seconds. Out cold, not dead, but mostly dead... and I'd--" Slowly she shakes her head right to left. "I'd have your memories, your personality, your gifts'n abilities... even your skills and quirks. All... inside'a me. LIke I sucked'em right outta your body, inta mine."

Rogue flashes him a pensive smile then. "That sorta limitation doesn't lead'a girl inta a lot've relationships, ya know? Most folks avoid me with a wide walkin' berth when they find out about that part'a me." She glances down at her food then, forking at it.

Volt has posed:
Drake Riley has neatly lifted a bundle of noodles and popped them into his mouth when she raises her hand to twiddle the fingers. He pauses to stare, uncertain. She gives her explanation, and he slowly sucks the noodles in, in as sympathetic a manner one might imagine.

"That's.. wow," he says quietly, first at a loss. "Like, really? All skin contact? No way to... suppress it? Pull it back? Nothing?"

Rogue has posed:
Rogue glances away to their open side from the booth/table they're at and she notes the table that the people had left from beside them is still open so they have some measure of privacy. She then looks back up at him and shows a soft smirk. "I mean, there are some ways to suppress it. T'suppress all mutations. Like the collars'n such. But those are challengin' t'get and they're not exactly stylish." She keeps her smirk after that sentence before glancing down again at her food.

"But yeah, no skin contact. Hair, fingernails, teeth..." She huffs out a little laugh at that part. "Those are all fine. Its just the skin." She looks back up at him then. "Its like a highway from your mind, inta mine, and I take it all."

After a little pause she adds. "Creepy, I know. Trust me, its not comfortable... for either individual involved. Brings a life'a isolation, sorta." She then takes a forkful of her own food up to sample.

Volt has posed:
"Oh. Okay. Everything's fine, then. Just plant a kiss right on the teeth," jokes Drake, a touch sardonic. But it isn't without continued sympathy. The chopsticks are lowered, and he leans in a little closer to her. "The collars? What's that about?," he asks. Nope. His time with the Xavier people didn't involve collars, nor has he been connected to the wider world long enough to've picked that up.

Rogue has posed:
That would make sense and Rogue hadn't really considered it, part of being 20 years old still, not quite got the where-with-all to think about things like that... or at least in her case it would seem. Not that the collars are some kind of huge secret, just rare...

"Ah, right." Rogue had smiled at his 'kiss the teeth' comment but she'd raised her drink up for another sip. "Suppression collars. Some anti-mutant task forces, or well funded companies have them. They lock them in around your throat and it sends some kinda... ya know... science stuff through your body that counters your mutation. I heard they don't work on -everyone- but they do work on a broad range'a subjects."

'Subjects' she notes she sounds like Hank saying that.

"But yeah, I had one on me before. It definitely worked. Powered me down t'just a regular ol' gal from Mississippi. No wild'n crazy side effects or special secrets." She states with a lopsided grin then.

Volt has posed:
Drake Riley looks thoughtful at that, lips pursing. On its face, it sounds very bad. It's a conflicted feeling with that. He really doesn't like the idea that someone could just shut his powers down. But really, given everything, the number of people who even know he's a mutant is very minimal. And when things really get underway, will anyone actually know he's anything other than a superpowered human?

That's a mental tangent for another time.

"Tell me you went totally nuts," he says suddenly, putting on a small, but boyishly wry grin. "If you're gonna be stuck with your powers suppressed, you had to make use of it, right?"

Rogue has posed:
Rogue's been through it all before, dealing with these revelations of how the mutants are treated in this world... she's had a front row seat of it since she was fourteen, on to today. From Mystique's part in it all, to the X-Men's in-depth part in it as well. She's as learned and 'in the know' as they come, for the most part.

At his verbal response to her, Rogue has to smile, then laugh. Its a bashful sort've expression though, due to the insinuated nature of it. "I had my fun." Rogue says in response after a moment before she smiles at him. "I mean, a'course I did. Gotta take your shots while ya have'em, right? I mean for all I know, it could be like Haley's Comet and ya won't see it again for another eighty years." She pauses then and glances down once more.

"One can hope its not that far away though." She states while stabbing at her food on the plate again with the fork. "But yeah, now ya see why I got the gloves on'n such. Plus, ya can probably imagine how most folks see it as a 'lost cause' to even bother with me."

This, she shows him a smirk to. "Anyway... I'm rambling. Feels like I'm ramblin'..."

Volt has posed:
Drake Riley grins more widely at her, encouraging the verbal indulgence. But it fades as she continues, until she smirks at him. He just responds with a half-shrug.

The chopsticks maneuver around the noodles to gather some together, considering her. She's obviously been through a lot, and with a power like that - potent, to be sure, but extremely isolating - he isn't sure how he'd feel about it. Whether or not he'd even want to keep it, if it meant sacrificing being with someone. But then, that's what she has to deal with on the daily.

The noodles pop into his mouth. A second later, he's looking back up at her. "Technology's a hell of a thing," he says suddenly. "I bet someone somewhere, some.. pro-.. /us/.. individual, might be able to reverse engineer one of those collars and make like a ring for ya. With a toggle. An on-off switch. Wouldn't /that/ be ballin'?"

Rogue has posed:
When their waiter stops by to ask if they'd like anything, Rogue asks for some more water softly before she looks back to Drake and offers him a soft smile. "I had one." She replies after she gets her fresh water and the waiter walks off again.

"I was engaged t'be married once. One'a the weddin' gifts I got was a bracelet that used that kinda tech... just simplified, down t'just a simple strip'a light gray plastic... like stuff. I'd put it on and hold the power button and it'd blink and be on and workin'. Had a four hour charge and took sixteen t'get back t'full power. But... sadly, it stopped holdin' a charge and I just didn't ever go back t'the guy who made it for me. I didn't wanna pester him about it."

She shrugs her shoulders inside of her green sweater. "It just seemed like something I shouldn't do, I dunno. Plus, some people kinda freaked me out about it. Tellin' me things like 'You know that thing might be doing long term damage to you that you don't even know about.'" And this makes her grimace.

After another sip of drink she exhales. "So yeah, its in a drawer in my room now. Maybe someday I'll get another shot at somethin' like that, that doesn't have t'be plugged into a wall." She laughs softly then. "This is my life. I accept it..."

Volt has posed:
Drake Riley perks immediately when she mentions she had something like that. Questions immediately flood in, but he holds them back, anxious to hear the explanation. So she's been engaged. Obviously she isn't now. And people spooked her by raining on her parade. Douches!

"Well... s'not like there's a return address, right?," he jokes dryly about her acceptance. "But still. I dunno. How long's it been? Tech might've grown even more, and-.." He pauses himself and leans back in his chair, sullen. "Sorry, it's really none of my business. I just don't like that you have to /accept/ life instead of getting to really love it." An impish smile is soon sent her way. "Not that I'm a straight-up world-travelled Cassanova who could gush on about anything you're missing, mind you."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue dabs at her lips with her napkin then and settles it back down onto the table in front of her. She has to smile at his reaction and retraction of questions, then glances down and shakes her head. "Nah, you're right. Its been a... couple years now. Maybe there is a solution t'it. I'd have t'go seek out the man who made it. He's extremely smart, just really busy and I haven't felt like botheirn' him. Barely ever talk t'him anymore in fact."

"I get by though. I mean, I make do." She then says before she looks up from her meal and smiles lightly. "I used t'be pretty angry about it - and everything else in life - even embracin' the 'Goth' look. Ya know, dark clothes and silly makeup. Grew outta that though when I left those thugs I'd shacked up with. Once I was out on my own, I just kinda had t'learn t'fend for myself and get over my anger or die from it."

There's a short pause before she continues. "I met a mutant once, actually IN California. He had a trailer setup on a remote part'a the beach, out where nobody ever went. He had... well... two heads and his skin was all dark gray and craggily like a rock. I was scared t'death of'im when I first saw him. Just ya know, how people are... Ended up talkin' to him. He offered me food'n a place to rest before I moved on. But yeah, he told me he wasn't mad about his mutation, that it in fact was entirely fine with him, he said it gave him four eyes to see the sunsets with."

Rogue briefly points her fork at Drake. "That kinda positive outlook on life is... well, it should stick with ya."

Volt has posed:
"His lemonade runneth over," muses Drake, not at all touching on how garrish and horrific that mutation sounds to him. He's pretty darn happy with what he wound up having. He doesn't want to nay-say, however. After all, stubborn positivity is what got him through the last few months of his homeless cycle recently.

He continues eating, though he's clearly studying her closely. Finally, he pauses to say it, "I'd have to see ya in the goth clothes. Just hard to imagine."

Rogue has posed:
A smile is flashed to him for a moment before she finishes the last of her meal off and then takes another sip from her water. When its deposited once more onto the table she lets her hands go down to her lap. She pulls her gloves off and raises her bare hands up now to the edge of the table to rub her palms together, taking a moment of reprieve from the feeling of the gloves inside this well warmed restaurant.

"I still have some'a them. I wore some for a Goth-themed party this past summe'ah, in fact." She states back with a little smirk. "Not really my thing anymore, but I do look pretty bangin' in them if I say so myself, ya know?" She shows a grin then to him.

"This place is pretty good, will have t'come back here sometime." She glances away at some customers coming in the place then before she looks back at him and smiles a warm expression at him. "We did all right with our mutations. Thats something we gotta be thankful for, yeah? Thats the kinda stuff I tell myself anyhow..."

Volt has posed:
"Mm. Well. I did," states Drake with a teasing uptilt of his chin. "I mean, if you look as good as you say you do, your mutation is basically the most unfair thing ever for a guy." With a snicker, he quickly finishes off the rice and lo mein so as to better focus on what's being said.

"I think it's good that you're okay with things the way they are. But," he begins, the humor decreasing in his voice, "I think you might be protecting yourself from disappointment, too. Maybe. I'm not Dr. Phil, so grain o' salt. Just, maybe it'd be okay to look into that ring again. To at least have that window open, in case you want a change. Even if just for a bit, so you don't have to be so..."

He glances to her hands, then back up to her face.

"...cautious."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue laughs lightly at the first part of what Drake says about it being an unfair thing. "I've had women tell me similar things too, so its probably just a tease t'whomever is interested." She says that off-handedly though.

When he speaks the rest and glances at her bare hands now she raises them up just a little to stretch her fingers and give them a little sweeping wiggle before closing them up again and setting her palms down against ht eedge of the table.

"I know, you're right... I probably should look inta it." She replies. "I mean... I know Tony Stark and he knows me... I even thought about asking him when I was livin' in their place up on the east side. But, I just didn't wanna be a nuisance. Ya know? The guy's got his own problems, he's got people houndin' him all the time. I didn't wanna be another one'a those... people, just comin' t'him with their problem stories."

For a moment, Rogue bites her bottom lip and slowly shakes her head. "There's other options to a'course, but yeah. Its something I'll think about. Maybe I'll meet someone else who's super smart and has a lot of resources, who could craft up something like a 'ring'. That'd be better than a bracelet or a necklace, thats for darn sure. But yeah, it was nice t'have when I was at NYU, wasn't as worried about bumpin' inta people and droppin'em out cold, and that place is packed at peak hours."

Volt has posed:
"Rogue." Drake pauses. "Marie. You're a person who's scared to touch people. For good reason, yeah, but.. Tony Stark's a hero, right? It's a hero's job to help people in need. I think he, or anyone with the ability, would probably love to do something for you. If not just for you, for everyone else around you. You can't be expected to live the rest of your life on guard forever. Heck, you can't account for someone snagging ya at a Christmas party under the mistletoe. That's coming up, right? Good people help good people. And I think," he grins, "/probably/... you're a good person."

"Besides, you bat those lashes at'em and use that honeyed drawl, I'd say any guy would do just about whatever ya want."

Drake takes a sip of his drink, then adds, "I don't want you considering losing your powers completely. If that's what you were thinking. There's gotta be a middle road."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue looks up at him when he speaks her nickname, then her real name. She there-by realizes he's trying to connect to tell her some impactful stuff and when he does just that it makes a big smile blossom on her lips, and her youthfully pretty face lights up. "You're a sweetheart." She tells the younger one across from her. "All'a that..." She motions at him. "Very charmin' and... some real wisdom in there too that I'll have t'think about. Who knows, maybe I'll seek out Miste'ah Stark after all. Hopefully he remembers me if I do."

"But you're right, that kinda tech takes it all away while you're wearin' it. I don't remember what all I told ya I can do, but... its fairly extensive, and without it, well sometimes its a bit of a shocker for me. Feelin' pain, bein' unable t'lift things that I have no earthly business bein' able t'lift. Hell, flyin' around wherever I want, whenever I want. Its... sometimes when I had the bracelet on I forgot I couldn't do that stuff anymore."

This gets a slow grin to roll across her visage. "Least I never stepped in front've a train while wearin' it. Or a bus or somethin'. The Professah... Xavier that is... said maybe I'd learn t'control it someday if I kept practicin' with it. But its a hard power t'practice with, ya know? Because it almost instantly hurts the other person involved. So, yeah, not real sure how t'flex that muscle. Don't think he is either as not many suggestions were thrown out for me other than 'Be patient, Marie.'"

Volt has posed:
Drake Riley's smile softens a little. "C'mon, now. Gonna make a guy blush," he plays it off. It really is heartwarming to be spoken of so charitably, though. It's likely the nicest thing someone's said of him since coming to New York. She's /definitely/ not a big city native.

"Well, I've maybe got an idea. I'm not a science guy, so this is really just me spitballing. But if you can get a version of the ring that doesn't suppress /all/ of it, but just /most/ of it, you won't be so dangerous. You can practice. Or do like I did, and... okay, bear with me, but learn what less power /feels/ like, then try to make that happen on your own. I dunno how it'd work for you, but that's how I learned to get myself under control. To not be, uh... lethal. Outright. I learned what staying in safe ranges felt like."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue raises her hands up just a little so that she start to put her gloves back on, waving her fingers and hands to slip them back inside. "That seems like a logical thing t'me." She tells him. "We got this guy at the school who has a really strong healin' power. I've touched him before and he was out for a few minutes, but came back from it. Maybe at a reduced power he could..." She laughs after thinking about it. "I don't know, let me just put a hand on his and just drain'im slowly... That sounds so damn odd when ya say it outloud though."

With her gloves back on she just places her hands down on the table palm-down and smiles over at him. "Guess we gotta get a ring or somethin' made before its even really worth talkin' about no less. One that would adjust its suppression strength too, for that matter."

A breath is drawn in then between her lips causing her shoulders to rise a little before she exhales sharply and they drop again. "Let me know if ya run inta any super smart science types out there, in your own adventures. I'm guessin' a guy like you is gonna end up in some pretty intense situations, if you keep your own trainin' up too, yeah?"

Volt has posed:
Drake Riley tilts his head slowly, not really following her at first. But then he lets out a quick laugh. "I'm sure you won't have a hard time finding a guy willing to let you hold his hand for a while," he winks. "But'chyeah. Get a ring. Then we'll circle back to this and... go from there."

The mention of running into super smart science types gets a pause and dip of his chin. "Well.. okay, cards on the table, I've been there. Kind'a living there now. But that can be a topic for somewhere less, uh..." He glances around. Sure, they have a little nook. He's just very cautious. Returning his gaze to Rogue, he continues, "And I do know one smart person, but I don't think he's the type who invents things. Didn't seem that sort. And I might be the first of... /our/ kind... that he's ever really had to work with."

Rogue has posed:
The first part there makes Rogue grin and respond with a simple. "Maybe not, who's t'say really." But the rest of what Drake then says draws her attention a little more seriously as she hears that. "Those are... mysterious words there, Miste'ah." She tells him, a light smile having returned to her lips then. "I understand about secrecy though, so we won't press on that here."

Her eyes glance over to the waiter who starts toward them again with the check. "Wanna walk around for a bit, enjoy the city? Or do ya gotta rush off to your new mysterious life?" With her gloves back on, Rogue is fishing around in her coat for her money presumably to pay for her half of the meal, not wanting to presume otherwise and come off as some kind of presumer!

Volt has posed:
Presumptions are unnecessary, as Drake had been waiting for the bill to arrive! He snaps it up like a cobra! A card is quickly added to the tray, and he sends the waiter on his way. But there are a couple fortune cookies now added to their table. Drake selects one and smushes it in the packaging, causing the bag to *POP* loudly enough to get the next table over to jump.

"Heheh.."

Whilst extracting the paper slip from the crumbled cookie and packaging remnants, he refocuses on Marie. "I could go for a walk. It'll be nice to just sort'a relax. Been doing a lot've work and stuff this past week - gotta take the moments when they come."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue has to stop herself then from paying for her half and she just grins at him and deflates a little. "So there are still some chivalrous men left in this world." She quips back at him as she watches him open up that fortune cookie. She grins and moves to just place her jacket in her lap before she does the same with her own.

"Havne't had one'a these in awhile..."

She pops it open and cracks the cookie, then takes a second to read the slip inside of it. She reads it out loud. "You will conquer obstacles to achieve success." This causes her to look up and over at him. A grin spreads over her lips. "Story'a my damn life." She then says in that saucy southern voice of hers.

Rogue moves to stand up then and start to put her jacket on. "Manhattan this time'a year is a great place t'stroll through. Parts've it anyway. The Christmas stuff is just... well, t'me its as relaxin' as a place can get. Its just beautiful, really."

Volt has posed:
Drake Riley lifts the scrap of paper, but pauses to look back at her when she recites hers. "It's nice when a fortune actually /sounds/ like a fortune. But then, they sound like they could apply just about anything. Guess that's how fortunes work..."

His gaze lowers to the scrap.

"'You may be hungry soon: order a takeout now.' Cheeky bas-"

The waiter returns! Drake quickly gets to his feet to take back his card, leave a tip, and collect his parka. After tugging it on, he smiles back at Marie. "This might be the first time I actually /see/ it. After being here more than a year." He leads on to the front door to tug it open for her. "So tonight, you'n I get to just relax. A day off from the... everything else." It's vague, but he's sincere. Things will be kept light and enjoyable, teasing and playful.