13291/The Grease Monkey

The Grease Monkey
Date of Scene:	16 May 2021
Location:	Garage - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Rogue and Scott talk about the last few nights and get back on the same page.
Cast of Characters:	Cyclops, Rogue

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Cyclops has posed:
On the weekends, Scott still finds his way back at the school, as if he can't stay away for too long. He is currently elbows deep in the engine of a Mustang that he is putting back together. He gives a few more cranks of a wrench, then makes his way for the bench to put the tool away with a clank. He folds the toolbox up, then puts it back into place.

Today, he is dressed in a pair of jeans and a snug black shirt. His hands are filthy and he has a smudge upon his cheek. The radio is playing some 80's rock at a low volume, just something to keep his mind occupied.

Rogue has posed:
Weekends are touchy for Rogue. She's either pages deep in a book in her room, or flying around the grounds. This afternoon, she's coming into the garage to check on her car - likely on the back end of knowing there's someone who roams the school and likes to /take/ cars. Just as she's reached her baby, she hears the clanking of tool to box and her attention is drawn up and over to a Scott.

"Hey boss man." It's offered gently as she ignores her car and heads closer to where Scott is. She's got a black body suit on, and over that are cut off shorts, a tee shirt that reads Fueled by Sweet Tea, white gloves and tennis shoes.

Cyclops has posed:
Taking the rag out of his back pocket, Scott wipes his hands off with a few wrings about his fingers. He glances upwards at the voice, giving her a nod. "Hey, Anna." He says as he straightens up, placing the rag back into his pocket. "Coming out here to take one of the cars out for a spin? I'd suggest the Jeep. I just tuned it up and filled it. Nice night also for the top to be down."

Rogue has posed:
"Was thinking about it. Though ya know if I take anything out for a spin it'll be my own ride..." Rogue offers with a smirk. Hands shove into the pockets of her shorts after a minute and she takes a breath. "Hey, since you're here, and it's been eatin' on my mind...I just wanna say m'sorry for the other morning." This and then she holds up a hand. "I don't wanna get much more into it. Just want to own up to bein' a jerk, and apologize." Then she gives him a bit of an upnod, "Whatcha workin' on anyhow?"

Cyclops has posed:
"It's fine. I didn't hold it against you and I forgot about it by the time I got home." Scott says as he clears his throat. "Teammates and friends disagree sometimes and it's fine. Gave me some stuff to chew on and maybe Alex wasn't completely wrong, but he definitely isn't right either." He folds his arms over his chest, leaning back against the toolbench. "I was putting a belt into that engine. Took me a few hours but I finally finished up. I'll check to see if it runs in the morning."

Rogue has posed:
"You were right though. I do know better. For plenty of reasons." Rogue states this and then shrugs. "Hank put a lot into perspective, and either way...I'd like to think I understand views a bit better. Grew a little, ya know?" She offers a smile and then raises a brow. "Belts can be a pain in the ass to put on, yeah? What's makin' ya wait until mornin'? Just too tired to go out for a joy ride now?" Asking this as she shifts to gently fold arms against her chest while they talk.

Cyclops has posed:
"I got to put a few more parts back in there first before she will rev up and I don't want to waste anymore time on it tonight. I've been at it for five hours and I'm sure Jean will want to go home at some point tonight." Scott says as he brushes his arm across his brow. "And I have a busy day to plan for tomorrow. I'm meeting with SHIELD in regards to that Farm problem. I already spoken with them, and I invited them to interview Lucas. They have gave me assurances that they will track down them down and resolve it. Widow owed me a favor."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue nods a little. "Sounds about right, yeah. A car project is never a waste of time, Summers. Unless you're being forced to do it, but I reckon you're just trying to pass time." This much and she grins before listening as he offers up how he's contacted SHIELD. "Ah. Well. I'm sure that'll get the jobs done nicely enough and we won't hear about them much anymore. I do hope those other kids are found, and if I'm needed for anything to help out - I'm down." Long shot at this point but she figures it best to say. "Well, s'pose I should let you get to meetin' up with Jean and headin' out yeah?"

Cyclops has posed:
"SHIELD has their ways. After speaking with Lucas this morning, it appears that AIM is behind this, and that is over our paygrade, for the moment. By putting SHIELD on this, it will give us a line of info into hopefully these guy's movements. I want to know how deep this goes and they can do a better job of finding out than us. I made it really clear to them that I want more support for mutants in general. So, we have a future meeting to talk about that as well." Scott says as drops his arms to sway at his sides for a moment. "And of course I'd want you involved. Alex also, if he can pull his head out of his ass for at least ten minutes at a time. I always have a plan. Just got to trust the system."

Rogue has posed:
"I trust the system a lot more now than I did a couple days ago. Hank gave me a peek into the window. I dunno how far all the rabbit holes go, Scott, but I'll follow you down them to the end. You and the rest of the X-Men." Rogue takes a breath. "I lost sight of that a bit, s'my own fault. But I can admit that, pull my head outta my ass, and amend it ya know?" She smiles. "S'long as there's no hard feelings. Water under the bridge. Whatever sappy ass saying you wanna give it..." A pause, and then she just shrugs.

Cyclops has posed:
"It's fine. We all get emotional when it comes to kids. I may put this mask on a picture perfect put together field leader, but I have my own issues under the surface that I battle with. I just have to know that there is a line at all times that we can't cross over. Self-defense and flat out murder are two different things in my opinion. And if Havok decided to blast one of those jackasses into a wall and they didn't get back up from it, do you really think I'd reprimand him, or you for that matter?" Scott says with a soft chuff under his breath. "Shit happens in battle, but I've never chewed anyone out for what happens during a fire fight. Besides, we were going into a skirmish with Juggernaut. I couldn't just say go ahead and cut loose with him around. I needed to see if he could work well within a team and not just run rampant. It was more about making sure /we/ weren't put at risk."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue nods. "When I met up with Alex later that night...after talking to Hank about some stuff...my eyes got opened a little more. So I get it. When we're saving kids, defending ourselves and each other against those who oppose us... the heat of the battle can bring on a lot of different outcomes. Sometimes we can get away without doing much harm, sometimes we can't. I've been on both sides of that fence. I know you and others have too.." She pauses a moment. "Seeing Alex ready to lay waste to some racist asshole in a bar... that's a bit different. I tried to get him to see that...but...I might have just pissed him off more..." She shifts to rub her hand against the back of her neck. "You do a lot for the team, and you've been doing it long enough, I'm sure you can calculate risks and shit at the drop of a hat. It's up to us to trust that judgment and follow it to the best of our ability... but if shit goes south...no. I don't see you reprimandin' any of us if we have to do whatever it takes to survive." She smirks. "S'pose that's the difference between being a damn good leader like you are, and bein' someone who's still got lessons ta learn, y'know?"

Cyclops has posed:
"You're a leader also, Anna. Just gotta trust yourself. I'm a different type of leader. I lead with my mind, others lead with their gut. I look at all the angles on the battlefield and I try to make a judgement call based upon risk versus reward. We could have killed them all, but then what information would we have got from them? SHIELD now has at least thirty people to interview. We'll find something and we'll go after it and I have decided to reactivate Victor Creed." Scott says with a nod of his head. "Because that's how serious I am taking this. I went into that mission expecting us to save the kids, instead we came up mostly empty outside of capturing grunts and taking down their base. People like them, have a dozen more. So, now I am going to take a stronger stance. Gloves are off." His brows lift upwards. "What happened at this bar?"

Rogue has posed:
Rogue raises a brow and then almost shakes her head. Leader? Her? She could almost laugh at that...though she did keep Juggernaut calm when he first came to the mansion. And she's been keeping students and staff safe when sudden issues come up. Pfft. That's just doing the right thing! Still, she listens, and she nods with a smirk. "Well, hopefully we'll get some good leads, save the kids, and get rid of these farms for good." That's the last she'll comment before Scott asks about the bar. "I wasn't there for all of it. But apparently Sam, Alexis and Alex were at a bar celebratin'. Some guy was there, had a patch on his jacket that said all freaks must die. Guess Alex and them took a bit of offense to it. I dunno who started the fight, but when I walked in, Alexis had damn near snapped a guy's bone in half, and Alex was gettin' ready to blast someone else. I got Sam and Alexis to leave the bar...I /may/ have dragged Alex out of the bar by his arm and sunk some words down his throat. Then I got Sam and Alexis back while Alex took off...again."

Cyclops has posed:
Scott Summers pinches his brow at the story, letting out a heavy breath. "Okay, got it. I'll speak to Sam and Alexis later and get their side and hear what happened. Alcohol and emotions aren't a good mix, especially when it comes right after a fight." He wipes his hands off on the front of his pants, giving a look over towards his Mustang. "I suppose I should get Jean and head home. I can already feel her pinging the back of my mind, wanting to know why my stress levels just increased."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue bites her lower lip and scuffs her toe against the ground. "I wouldn't of even known, but a friend of mine in Mutant Town texted me about Alex actin' stupid. Wouldn't go too hard on Alexis and Sam, I really think it was all in self defense..." The comment about Jean poking Scott due to his stress levels has Rogue wincing. "Sorry to lay that on ya... I'm just... I dunno... Should maybe learn to leave some things alone?" Finally she smiles. "Anyway. Go, get home, rest up... m'sure the school'll still be here in the morning."

Cyclops has posed:
"I'm glad you told me. I need to know stuff like this. You never know what type of damage control we may have to make when it comes to the school." Scott says as he shifts his jaw, then nods his head. "Thanks for touching base with me. If you need me for anything, my phone will be on." He walks past her, patting her on the shoulder as he goes before he opens the door to the garage to step through.