13226/Confrontation in the Woods

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Confrontation in the Woods
Date of Scene: 08 May 2021
Location: 1407 Greymalkin Lane - Breakstone
Synopsis: Fate brings Vitali and Zhao back together. Unexpected arrivals came upon the scene, bloodshed occurred, and then the sweet bliss of unconsciousness.
Cast of Characters: Vitali Svyatoslav, Nightingale, SpyderByte, Colossus, Rogue, Beast, Xiang Zhao, Pixie




Vitali Svyatoslav has posed:
It's early evening, and the daylight is just starting to fade. It's fairly quiet, in amongst the trees of the woods. It's been a nice day, weather wise, and there are a few clouds that drift in lazy fashion across the sky. There's a bit of birdsong that drifts through the trees and some other typical sounds of various wildlife rummaging for their dinner. In one of the lower branches of one of the trees, an eagle is perched. She ruffles her feathers and clicks her beak, her gaze held on the underbrush. She tilts her head to one side, then clicks her beak again.

The spot of underbrush that she watches rustles, the leaves moving a little bit, trembling on their stems. What makes them tremble is the passage of the snow leopard below them. The snow leopard has had better days, simply from the sight of him. There's a limp that favours his back right leg, only a bit of weight being put to it. The fur of the snow leopard is a bit matted in a couple of places, a bit of mud here and there in his coat as well. He steps quietly out of the underbrush, then lowers his nose to sniff a little bit at the floor of the woods. Slowly, his tail swishes a little bit behind him, and he chuffs his breath.

Nightingale has posed:
     "It's a long shot, but if Soraya is there, we've got a pretty good chance at finding Vitali before things get much worse." Shannon's put on some thicker, flannel-lined jeans, sturdy black boots, and added a plain emerald green sweatshirt over a simple white t-shirt beneath. It's clear that she was not keen on at least eagle claws reaching her too easily. She glances over at Rogue, brows lined with worry as she paces, remembering well that this is her mission and she's taking point. "So what the sitrep, Chief?"

SpyderByte has posed:
Having tagged along, Jeremy is here as the 'eyes' of the group as he is currently pulling up a satellite overhead view by ghost relaying through his tablet. He pinch and zooms in over the aerial overhead as he slips a headpiece into his ear.

<< I'm good to go. >>

Colossus has posed:
Colossus is fully armored up and in costume, his metal skin gleaming as he walks along. He's here to be back-up muscle and to help subdue the cat in question should he be too far gone and try to attack anybody. It's unlikely that Piotr can be hurt by those claws, even if they are magic.

He pushes ahead a little bit, putting himself out in front just in case.

Rogue has posed:
"Well, we surely don't wanna frighten either of them. Jeremy's got eyes from above better'n I could, you can likely spot the...you said it was an eagle companion?" Rogue looks over to Shannon as she asks that question. Rogue's in a black and silver body suit with her trademark yellow gloves on, and has given up the rest of her clothing affair for the sake of comfort in her movements. "Colossus..." Well he's already taken front point so there's that. "I don't think we're going to be in any kind of danger unless we're not the only ones lookin' for him. Slow and steady for now..."

Beast has posed:
Henry McCoy does occasionally believe in coincidences. Today would be one, as he actually has no idea who Vitali is, or the eagle companion being mentioned. He simply read the news reports and had a day off, after the latest out in the badlands of South Dakota; a day to decompress. So, this is more like a field trip for the Big Blue, wearing some light body armour incase of surprise porcupines and the like, he's otherwise running on instinct. On all fours, Beast has been out here for a while just tracking the scent, which doesn't quite smell right, likely for a number of reasons. He might have eyes on the leopard by now, but for his part, it isn't a rescue so much as a moment of wonder, downwind and with a small sketchbook in hand.

Xiang Zhao has posed:
From the other side of the woods, another has entered. Far away from Xavier's mansion. This one slips through the woods without leaving much traces of himself, but there are signs. A broken twig here, a footprint there. Xiang Zhao is in a hurry and is moving with haste and not taking particular care in where he's going. Only that he's going. He seems to know exactly where he's going. And he's heading straight for the old camp that he shared with Vitali, more often than not.

The clothing he wears today is muted in color, the outer robe being a plain, pale blue, the inner a deeper blue with shiny cloth. Perhaps surprisingly, those robes don't impede his movements at all. At this point, he's not terribly far from his destination. As usual, he has a fan in his right hand. What is somewhat unusual is that the fan is closed, and his left hand is not at the small of his back..

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn had scouted ahead, getting a good aerial view of the forest, hoping to scan the place before they lose too much light. She returns some time later, landing lightly on the ground to join the group. "Wow, I guess he must be blending in pretty well with his surroundings..I did see a few broken twigs over that way though.."

She gestures in a particular direction, glancing at Shannon, "So, you know him better than any of us probably, anything in particular about him we should know about?" she was not aware he's a shapeshifter.

Vitali Svyatoslav has posed:
Once upon a time, a number of weeks ago, there had been a camp here. It had been a camp where the Siberian had stayed for a while. And he had erased all traces of the camp when he had left it, then. There is a small possibility that he's aware of it on some level of his consciousness, but it's not the dominant part of him and hasn't been for a number of days. The snow leopard chuffs another breath, dark brown eyes flicking over the space. He's a large snow leopard, at least three feet tall at the shoulder. He's tired and he's hungry, and he should be hunting, but that... that's a thing that hasn't worked too well for him, recently. Even before he had been hit by the car. It's been too long since he's eaten... he should find something, soon.

Soraya easily wings from one tree to another that's further beyond, landing on a low branch and flipping her wings to her back. She clicks her beak, her attention turning readily towards the snow leopard who limps a step forward into the space amongst the trees where the camp had been. She's been doing what she can to help, but... her efforts are limited in scope. She is just an eagle, after all. The snow leopard flickers his ears, catching hints of sounds drifting on the air. He takes another step before he stops, the toes of his injured hind foot barely touching the ground.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon nods. "Not necessarily spot the eagle, miss Rogue. But over a few visits to the campsite, there was time to build enough of a rapport with her where I'm hopeful that she might still recognize my whistle. Could be our best shot at finding Vitali before this goes much farther. Though my guess is also that he could be headed for the old campsite, as a remembered safe place."

     Looking over to Pixie, she tilts her head. "Generally he's not given to violence. You remember that time we were in the junkyard and ran into a healer and the old man with him? Vitali was the healer. He's no more given to lashing out than I am." Here, though, she purses her lips, crossing her arms and giving a little flick of her wings. "In his right mind, that is. But by the look of things on those news reports, he's been in snow leopard form for some days now, so that could be affecting things. Just... I wouldn't dust short of a last resort."

     With that, she tilts her head up, letting out a sharp whistle, starting low for a few seconds, jumping an octave higher in pitch, then dropping again--by all rights, it sounds very much like a bos'un's whistle from seafaring days of yore. She waits a few seconds, then lets the shrill call ring out again. "Come on, Soraya... if there was ever a time for you to be around it'd be now..."

SpyderByte has posed:
As he follows after the group, Jeremy squints his eyes down at his tablet as it gives a few glitchy flickers along the glass. He taps it a few times, then gives a look around as he squints his eyes from behind his glasses. That was weird. He listens to the others talk about birds and leoptards, letting out a soft breath in his throat.

<< I am not getting anything so far, but I'm finding some interference. Is that normal? What is it they were doing here? >>

Colossus has posed:
Colossus keeps his place out front, nodding to Rogue, "I know, we are not here to hurt anyone. I am here to make sure he does not hurt any of you," he says. "Even well-intentioned, if he is out of control of himself in some way, then he may not be able to stop himself from reacting instinctively. I will do my best not to harm him. Hopefully it will not come to that and the rest of you will be able to find a way to help him peacefully," he says. He walks carefully, knowing his massive frame isn't exactly built for stealth.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue glances to Shannon and gives a nod of her head before looking over to Pixie as she joins them. "Well let's hope we can get eyes on him before too long. I dunno if a one of us can see in the dark..." She lets Shannon move forward, so that the woman can make that whistling call to prove the friendliness of the group. "Colossus, I'd like you to stay behind the girls, just keep 'em safe." Then she looks to Jeremy. "Somethin' not workin' for ya, Jer?" Asking this with a tilt of her head. "Only campers I ever saw were deeper in the woods and a lot more north. So I dunno about them which Shannon speaks of." A pause. "Eyes open though. Don't need to be ambushed or attacked any which way."

Beast has posed:
Henry McCoy pulls his pencil from behind his ear, starts over the page from his hiding place. Never one to admit how much he actually lets the animal in him out to play, it's inevitably out of sight and out of (everyone but his own) mind. A quick sketch of the scene, the magnificent, if injured predator and then, he siiiiiiiiilently folds away the book, for later detailing and frowns, lifting his head, turning, sniffing the wind juuuuuuuust a little bit. And then, his ear twitches also, looking away to the distant, but encroaching, sound of footfalls and voices and that whistle.

Ohhhh dear. 'Is that...?' he mouths to himself, backs silently away on the balls of his feet, inching backwards and rather blithely climbs the nearest tree that doesn't have an eagle in it, to get better eyeballs. 'Yep,' well, this is a bit awkward, you aren't dressed for a field mission and you're not wanting to spook the spookytooth. He looks away though, searching for something else and the smell of incoming sandalwood.

Xiang Zhao has posed:
Xiang Zhao is under the same sort of time constraints the group is. It's going to get dark soon, and he can't see in the dark either. As he gets nearer the camp, Xiang slows down to a swift walk. Partially to catch his breath some, and partially to be able to listen. For.. anything, really. But mostly for signs that the one he's seeking is here. "Soraya!" This may well been the loudest Zhao has been, since he arrived in this region of the world. It's certainly the loudest word those who know him have ever heard from him.

Xiang continues walking, slowing to be a bit more wary as he steps foot into the camp itself. His eyes don't stop moving, scanning the area, looking for.. well. Anything. And then his eyes alight on the snow leopard, on the opoosite side of the camp from him. Zhao freezes in place for a moment, then steps forward, walking toward the cat. His steps are calm. He doesn't fear the leopard. "Ah'Tali. Duibuqi.."

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn blinks at Shannon and nods. "Oh..Right, I remember." she'd met Vitali and Xiang Zhao maybe only once or twice and didn't know them that well, but they both seemed kind and gentle. "Oh, that's the eagle, right? Sooraya? Um, I thought I had seen an eagle while I was flying around.."

She nods and follows after the others, peering this way and that, trying to move quietly, "Although..If we're in a big group, won't we startle the leopard? Maybe we should split up? cover more ground?"

Vitali Svyatoslav has posed:
The eagle tilts her head to one side, listening as the whistle reaches her ears. She clicks her beak, turns her gaze and her attention back to the snow leopard and makes a soft call to him. He lifts his dark gaze to her before chuffing a breath through his nose, and he settles his rump (the non-injured side) to the forest floor. Soraya clicks her beak again, and then she lets out a shriek before she launches herself from the low branch. She wings amongst the trees, lifting up to be above the trees as she flies in the direction of the familiar whistle. In the direction of Shannon.

The snow leopard shifts slightly, easing himself down to the ground. He yawns widely, the gesture one of long and sharp fangs, and then he licks his nose. His nose wiggles a little bit, and then he lets his mouth hang open a small amount, chuffing air through his mouth to better scent the air. His dark eyes half close, and for a moment -- for just a brief little moment as a whisper of the sandalwood scent reaches him -- there's something that tickles at what little is left of his humanity. He gives his head a small shake, and then he lowers his nose to lick one of his front paws, once.

And then there's another voice to call for Soraya's attention, and she gives a shriek from where she flies. Now what?! She wings her way in a circle, and then she angles her flight towards where she'd heard her name. Towards where Zhao walks. That voice, she knows. She can't communicate with him, but from the amount of time that Vitali spent with Zhao, she knows him.

And then... then there's Zhao, stepping into the space where that camp had once been. The snow leopard's dark gaze turns in the Chinaman's direction even as he wearily scrambles to come to his paws again. He limps a step towards the underbrush, his ears perking towards the man before they flick back. The ferality of the feline form he's in is dominant in his mind, overriding the sense of recognition that his small sense of humanity has to offer up. There's a low growl that comes from him, lips lifting back to reveal his fangs.

SpyderByte has posed:
<< Yes, something is playing with my tablet. Not sure what it is. >>

Jeremy says to Rogue, then freezes at the sight and rumblings of the wild animal. The Goth slowly takes a few steps back, then tucks himself away behind Rogue as he squints his eyes, clutching the device to his chest.

<< .. I have pepper spray .. >>

Colossus has posed:
Colossus does as Rogue asks, stepping back a bit to provide shielding for Shannon and Meggan especially. "Sounds like something is ahead," he says. He keeps himself as ready as he can, his broad shoulders hunched a bit. He still hopes it will all have a peaceful resolution. Goodness knows they've brought enough personnel, most villains would probably cower on their own at this assembly of talent.

Nightingale has posed:
     Looking over to Jeremy, Shannon's eyebrows loft. "Tech glitching out on you, Jer? They weren't doing anything here but minding their own business. But, I suspect we're not the only ones looking for Vitali." She rubs her temples a little bit. "Means Zhao's fairly close by. Tech and him don't agree very well. Pepper spray won't help...."

     Shannon's voice trails off, her brows furrowing. Zhao was close by. But, so was that growling. And that growling could only be one thing.

     Taking a deep breath, she actually stepped forward a bit. "Zhao? Vitali?" she calls out, hoping that at least one familiar voice would do some good. And then... she waits.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue steps forward, even past Shannon and Pixie, looking to the two and upnodding towards Colossus. "Get behind Colossus." It's not a question, it's more like an order. "Jeremy, I don't think pepper spray's a good idea for this." Then her attention goes forward. "If the leopard decides to strike, it's me and Colossus that can take the beating..." Explaining herself at least before she takes a few more steps forward. Her eyes go to the snow leopard that's hunched back, growling, like it's defending territory and itself - and it has every right to do so. Her green gaze goes to Zhao then, because she can see the man now, and then she looks back to the snow leopard. Her hands go up in a sort of mock surrender as she offers, "We're not here to harm, just to help. If you need or want." That much more offered and she keeps her stance between her and her team and the man and large cat.

Beast has posed:
Henry McCoy's eyes flit to those arriving in the waning light of day and with the growl, to the leopard down there, doing what leopards do. Intervene? He observes, doing a quick calculation of the situation at hand, then presses closer into the bough of the tree he's sheltering on. If it comes to it, surprise Blue Square from on high, can be a useful thing.

Xiang Zhao has posed:
The shriek that Soraya lets out initially brings Zhao's eyes, very briefly, to her. They fall quickly back to the snow leopard. The limped step does not escape the Chinaman's attention, and an almost agonized look crosses his features, but is gone almost as swiftly as it had come. He steps after the cat with no hesitation at all. Xiang lifts his left hand, as though he is cupping something within it. Then flips his hand and shoves it toward the cat. The growl is entirely ignored, as is the snarl revealing fangs.

From his hand expands a faintly glowing web of golden light. It whirls toward the leopard even as it opens up to easily twice his size. It lands in a half dome, surrounding Vitali, preventing him from escaping. The moment the net is in place, Zhao is moving forward with a quick pace, moving toward the cat and the net. "Here, Shannon," he calls out, though he doesn't look away from the leopard just on the other side of the magical net from him. He kneels beside the net, still facing the cat. His lips move, so he must be whispering something, but it's so low that none without enhanced hearing would be able to make out what he's saying.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn blinks and slows down as a number of things happen. "Oh no.." she whispers, eyes widened, "Umm, do ya think he remembers his humanity at all? Should I try some low level dust? Maybe calm him down?"

But she does step back, letting Colossus and Rogue take the lead, not acting just yet, waiting to hear what the more experienced members decide the best course of action.

Then of course Xiang attempts to capture him in a net and she freezes, watching Vitali now with a frown. Oh..He's wounded. "Hey, it should be okay now I think, Shan!"

Vitali Svyatoslav has posed:
The eagle easily glides in Zhao's direction, and she gives another shriek even as she dips below the level of the tree's height once again. It doesn't take her long to weave her way amongst the trees in order to reach one of those that's near the spot where that camp used to be. She lands easily on one of the lower branches, taking a moment to fold her wings in against her body, and she clicks her beak, tilting her head to one side to eye Zhao and watch him.

The large feline's ears flicker, moving forward towards Zhao, then one of them turns to the side towards the other voices. The snow leopard shifts a little bit, uncertain, trying not to put much weight on that injured leg. He can't really run, or at least not very far before he'd end up stumbling and falling. His tail flicks behind him, one side and then to the other, the end of it twitching a bit more. His lips pull back a bit further, the growl deepening as his ears lay back, and he hisses as he half hunkers down against the ground.

And then he's caught, so swiftly, so suddenly. He should know something about this, it's happened before, but... the human part of him is too small, the ferality of the cat too much. He half darts forward, pushing his head against the net and yowling, then struggling a bit more in earnest. He grabs a mouthful of the golden strands, pulling them, and at the same time lifting one of his front paws to push at them, his claws (and teeth) digging in and cutting through them, eventually. The effort makes him stumble back, and as Zhao whispers to him, his dark gaze turns to the Chinaman. He blinks and blinks again, then shakes his head a little bit, lifts one of his front paws to paw at his head a bit as he gives a mrowl that sounds pained, his breathing quick and heavy. He writhes within the net, as though some battle is being fought and waged and either won or lost within him. And he half flops to one of his sides, his dark gaze upon Zhao. And there is the light of recognition within his eyes, and he makes a soft whimper. He reaches out one of his front paws, through the hole that he'd made in the net, reaching towards Zhao.

It takes a long moment before there's anything that happens, then. There's a soft light that rises up around him, swirling shades of green that pass from head to tail of him, much like the aurora borealis would appear. And where there had been a snow leopard, there is instead a man. To those who know him, Vitali is recognizable (he's also dressed, wearing a pair of black steel-toed boots, black jeans, and a dark green turtleneck with long sleeves), though he looks the worse for wear much as the feline form had done. He's paler than he should be. He murmurs something, and then his lashes flicker and close.

SpyderByte has posed:
As he watches, Jeremy is making sure he's hidden behind one of the stronger members of the team. It's most likely going to be Rogue. He clutches his iPad against his chest as he stares openly with his dark eyes. He can feel his connection to technology come in and out, which causes him some concern as he glances down at the machinet, hen back towards the others. He inches back away a bit farther, scooting along.

When the leoptard changes into a man, he gives a few blinks of surprise, then lifts a hand upwards to wave shyly from behind Rogue.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue watches as the leopard changes into a man and then she tilts her head one way and then the other. The moment of eyes flickering from opened to closed is noted and then she takes one more step forward. "Is there anything we can do to help him? I can send someone to get some food and water." Even from just looking at the now-man he seems to be a bit on the malnourished side. Otherwise she waits, to see if Zhao says anything in response, and maybe to see if Beast falls out of the tree he's hiding in.

Beast has posed:
Fall out? No. Do a forward sommersault and land on all fours in a transfer of momentum landing? Yes. "Both of you are bleeding," he informs, directing the words at Xiang and Vitali. He straightens up, picking up a stick and uses it to gather a lot of cobwebs from the underbrush, proffering the webby end out to both men. "I didn't bring any bandages beyond a few bandaids, I'm afraid. If you use the web, it'll help the cuts clot quickly. Also, hello Rogue. Jeremy. Others."

Xiang Zhao has posed:
There's a wince as the net is bitten through in one place, then another as it's sliced by razor sharp claws, accompanied by a soft whimper of sound. Zhao doesn't move from where he'd knelt, though. He stays where he is, and holds that net together until what he's done has some effect. He winces worse at the sight of the cat writhing within the net. That's much worse than the damage to his net.

Just as the cat reaches a paw through the net, it discintigrates into sparkles of light and power, then dissipates as though it never were. He reaches his hand toward that paw even as it reaches for him. He catches the paw even as it turns to a hand, and just in time as the leopard turned man passes out.

Xiang eases Vitali down, then looks to the blue fuzzy guy. He nods once, but doesn't get any more out than that before he slumps sideways, half over Vitali. Unconscious.

Vitali Svyatoslav has posed:
There was, at least, a moment of relief and comfort that he knew before surrendering to the darkness of unconsciousness, granted simply by the touch of Zhao's hand to his own. There's only so much that clothes can do to hide the state of a person's physical well being. Or lack of it, in this case. The braid of his black hair is frayed, dishevelled and a bit tangled. There are smudges of dirt on both his skin and his clothes. His skin is paler than it should be, and his dark eyes stay closed. Vitali lives, and he breathes, but for right now, at least, he remains unconscious to the world. There's some colour to his cheeks, but it's from a fever that he's been trying to fight rather than being a more healthy sign. He hasn't the energy within himself to rouse from the darkness that's claimed him.

SpyderByte has posed:
As the two men slump upon each other, Jeremy just slowly blinks a few times, then glances over to Rogue and Beast. He rubs the back of his neck for a moment, then clears his throat.

<< So .. this was a thing. I'll get food and water .. and clothes .. >>

He taps along the surface of his tablet once it appears to have stabalized, sending out a message to one of his teammates, most likely Ted, to gather the belongings, then starts off back towards home as he lets GPS guide his movements.

<< Bye. >>

Rogue has posed:
Rogue glances back to Jeremy and gives the technophile a nod of her head. "Take it to one of the cabins! Let me know via comms which one you went to.." Then she looks over to Beast who has decided to make his presence known, which causes her to jump, but then she places hand over heart and shakes her head. "Lord have mercy, Hank, you could give a proper person a heart attack like that..." Then she smiles, sort of, before it turns into a quick frown as she looks to their two unconscious companions. "We can't just leave them here... but I don't rightly think we should take them into the school. D'you think taking them to one of the cabins on the lake - one that ain't bein' used - would be okay?"

Beast has posed:
"Yes, they need shelter and I rather need to tend to their injuries... I haven't got a comm, can you please tell Jeremy to have my medpack sent over, also?" Beast looks apologetic in a cheeky kind of way, then gestures to the less injured individual. "This asian fellow, can you fly him to the cabin and come back when you're done? I need to stabilize the scandinavian fellow." -- zipping out of his light armour, beast strips off the T-shirt he had underneath and replaces the vest, simply using the cotton (albeit covered in Beast cooties) to make some bandage lengths. "I think some broad spectrum antibiotic is also in order, don't you?" this to VItali mostly, as he checks the man's pulse, temperature and level of hydration with a fingernail press and skin pinch.

Nightingale has posed:
     With the worst of the danger past, and Vitali returned to himself, Shannon gives Rogue and Dr. McCoy a bit of a plaintive look. "Please, let me see if there's anything I can do?" Her feathers ruffle, and her wings start to flare out behind her, her brows furrowed with worry and concern.

Vitali Svyatoslav has posed:
From the tree where she had been perched, Soraya gives a soft shriek of sound, her beak clicking, her feathers slicked close to her body. She half spreads her wings, paces along the branch, clicks her beak again, and then drops from the branch before catching herself on her wings in order to glide over to where Vitali lays. She lands behind him, flips her wings to her back, and then hops closer to use her beak to grab a lock of his hair and tug on it a little bit. She leans in against the back of his neck, a feathery warm presence there.

The Siberian man doesn't respond to the efforts of the eagle, the darkness of unconsciousness keeping him. He is equally unaware of the efforts and the words of others, though with Soraya here and watching, it's likely that he'll hear in full about them once he is awake and aware.

Rogue has posed:
"Beast and I are going to get them to a cabin near the lake, get them fed and patched up. Get Vitali clothed." Rogue offers to Shannon. "You can try to see if the eagle will trust you to follow us. I don't know if it understands what's going on, or that we're trying to help her handler..." Rogue offers this before glancing to Beast and then she nods. <<Jeremy. Remember clothes, food, and one of Dr. McCoy's medkits to a cabin. Let me know which one. I'm coming in with the asian man.>> She speaks over comms and then steps forward. "I can fly him and come back, that's not an issue. Perhaps it's best if we fly them both." She glances to Shannon then. "Could you carry Vitali?"

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon looks at Vitali, then at Soraya, and nods. "It's the upper limit of what I can carry in the air so far, but I've been improving. As long as we take it slow and steady we should be okay." She glances over each of them, pursing her lips for a moment or two. "I'll sure feel better once these two are settled and recovering."

     Kneeling down by Vitali, she coos softly to Soraya, making soft, gentle little clicking sounds. "It's just me, Soraya. I need to move your person to get him to help. Fly with us?" If Soraya does not object, she scoops up Vitali, cradling him as gently as she can. With minor effort, she takes off into the air with him, following Rogue back to the cabins without further use of her gifts.