13339/Knock Knock. Hey Rogue

Knock Knock. Hey Rogue
Date of Scene:	20 May 2021
Location:	Rogue's Room (North Halls), Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Scott comes over to give Rogue some birthday love. He is terrible at it.
Cast of Characters:	Cyclops, Rogue

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Cyclops has posed:
There is a *knock* on the door from outside as Scott stands in the hallway. He is dressed in his slacks and a button down shirt, along with a tie. It's a school day and as usual, he is professionally groomed for a workday.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue is in her room, and more so has likely decided that her presence for the day is not needed. Anywhere. So when there's a solid *knock* on her door, she gives a slight groan and then moves to go and open it only enough to peer through seeing Scott standing there. A blink, and she opens the door wide enough so he can step through, backing away to give him room. "Morning Scott. ...Did I miss a meeting or something?"

Cyclops has posed:
"No, you didn't miss a meeting." Scott says as he steps into her room, giving a glance around for a brief moment before he looks back to her. He gives as clear of his throat, then lifts up an envelope to her. "I just wanted to say happy birthday and to bring you a gift. Don't worry, I am not going to broadcast it to everyone else, but I made sure that everyone on my team's birthday is on my phone so it alerts me. It's been a rough year, figured I'd try and help give you a good day."

Rogue has posed:
At least her room is tidy enough for company. Not like she has random visitors or something, so it's just her and her books. As Scott explains the reason behind his visit, Rogue's expression softens a bit and she reaches to take the envelope from him. "Oh. Well that's awful kind of you, Scott. Ya didn't have to do anything special though." She pauses, even though she sort of seems to covet the envelope a bit. "I was maybe thinking of havin' a little shindig later though. Twenty-five seems to be a decent age to celebrate maybe..." Another pause. "Thanks. This is awful kind of you."

Cyclops has posed:
"I hope that you have a good day with your friends then. A birthday is special. Take the day off, no training, no DR, no worries. Just go out and enjoy yourself and breathe for a bit. I tend to spend my birthday at the garage, working on a car with loud rock music and a few beers." Scott gives a glance around her room for a brief moment, then offers her an actual smile on his face. "How are you doing by the way? Everything okay?"

Rogue has posed:
"Let's face it Scott, all mah friends are here. I was likely goin' to send you all a text later if I managed to feel like celebratin'..." Rogue confesses and then moves over to her desk, placing the envelope there without opening it yet. "I was also thinkin' of just stayin' in, or goin' for a fly around. I dunno. It's just...any other day for me." Still, she forces a smile and at his last question she shrugs. "M'okay, yeah. Things are fine. How about with you and Jean?"

Cyclops has posed:
"Things are fine, as fine as they can be for us. We have a few things to knock off a checklist. Talk to Ro', talk to Hank, talk to Warren. Get ready for Prom and Graduation. Start working on a speech." Scott says as he meanders around the room curiously. "You found Rosie? How is she doing?"

Rogue has posed:
Rogue chuckles. "Seems like a lot of talkin'..." Which would likely drive herself crazy, even though she did a few rounds yesterday. "She seems better now." She offers. "Her biggest concern was that we'd be disappointed in her. To the point of even killin' her because she messed up in using her powers." Rogue taps on her desk then, and Scott will mostly find books - mystery, murder, some erotica types - strewn on her bed or a table. "I talked to 'Ro yesterday morning, but she..didn't remember a lot. Then I talked to Rosie and told her a bit about myself, and assured her ain't a one of us gonna be that mad. Then I talked to Jeremy. I did a lot of talkin' yesterday." She finally opens the envelope, to peek at it, and maybe distract herself.

Cyclops has posed:
"Of course. We do need to talk to her though, and hear her side of the story and have a conversation about powers, but the girl survived and is okay. This is just why we need to reinforce how important it is that we use our powers carefully and learn control. She could benefit from extra Danger Room practice, but she needs counseling, that's for sure. Jean and I have been talking about hiring a specialist for the school." Scott says as he furrows his brows. "X-Men are not designed for this, nor is most of our faculty. We have some of us in roles as a counselor, such as Kitty, but I think we need someone professional to speak with special cases like her."

Rogue has posed:
"I think that'd be a good thing. Especially for a lot of these kids who come here scared right off the bat. Like that Lucas kid. Or Gray." Handful of others maybe but Rogue wasn't going to name them outloud. "Not for nothin' but I also urged Rosie to talk to Hank a bit more. I'm sure he could help her with her powers...since they're technically science based." A pause then. "I'm also wonderin' about this man who found Rosie. She described him as white skinned, jewel in his forehead, black cape. Was tryin' to convince her he couldn't be harmed by her powers." She taps the desk a few times. "Truth be told, I'd met him once, and I know he can't be harmed by mine."

Cyclops has posed:
"Sinister." Scott says with a visible frown upon his face. "He also goes by Nathanial Essex. He is in our files. He is a geneticist and has tried to clone mutants before, mostly Morlocks. He's a twisted individual. He has an obsession with my family tree for some reason." He gives a pause for a moment, then squints his eyes. "I guess I should send Alex a text. That may line up with what happened earlier. Great." He says with a loud sigh. "He's a powerful mutant, possibly hundreds of years old."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue doesn't say anything for a moment or so after Scott finishes talking. A breath taken in as she processes what's said about the man. "He didn't seem so bad..." That's the rub though isn't it? "Anyway...that's about everything recently so far. Aside from me gifting Jeremy with a kitten a couple days ago. Found him, the kitten, abandoned in Hell's Kitchen when I went to go visit Dagger." She finally seems to genuinely smile. "Might get a kitten for Lucas. You shoulda seen how his face lit up, he seemed like a whole different kid when he saw the little fluff ball. I know some people keep pets as like..support animals. Might be an idea..." Rubbing the back of her head then, she adds, "Though prolly not the best one.. Ain't tryin' to turn the school into a zoo or nothin'..."

Cyclops has posed:
"Of course he doesn't seem bad. He's had hundreds of years to perfect the social game. He's charming, wily, manipulative. He has a way of getting into people's heads." Scott looks visibly frustrated as he rubs at his face, then the back of his neck as he gives a shake of his head. "Fuck." He used a bad word! "Mm. Yeah. Um.. Kittens." He trails off. "I need to speak with Lucas as well. Shield is coming by today to interview him." He says as he lets out a heavy breath, then straightens up. Inside the evelope is a birthday card, and on the front of it, it reads: 'Of All The People In The World, I hate You The Least. Happy Birthday!' Inside the card is a hundred dollar gift card to one of her favorite stores to shop at.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue doesn't say anything more on Sinister. If she's going to deal with the man, then she'll do it on her own time, and not let anyone know about it. The swear that slips from Scott's mouth causes her to raise a brow again. "Such language!" She jokes and then gives a nod of her head. "Ah, is that today too? Well... if people are going to be busy...maybe I'll just stick to stayin' in my room. Ain't like I got any real plans anyway.." The gift card is looked at, gains a smile, and then she puts everything back into the envelope and then sticks the envelope into a desk drawer. "So that's everything then."

Cyclops has posed:
"You haven't been tortured by this guy, Anna. You don't know what he's done. Read the files. If you see him, I need to know. I need to know if he's talked to any of the team. He's just as bad as Apocalypse. While Apocalypse may want to tear the world down with his strong survive mentality, but Sinister wants to rip people apart and fool around with their guts and turn them into mindless slaves." Scott rubs his brow a few times. "After Shield leaves, we'll make sure that we celebrate your birthday proper. Can go to Harry's and have some drinks and bring a cake over."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue bites on her lower lip a bit and then shakes her head. "He...he wants...he offered to help me try and figure out why I can't control my powers..." She confesses. "I've been heavily considerin' his offer." There's a pause. Then she changes subjects again. "Suppose that sounds like a plan. Goin' to Harry's. But you ain't gotta do all that hooplah. We could just all show up and have a good time. No need for extra fussin'."

Cyclops has posed:
"No. Absolutely not. Do not.. Anna. No." Scott says as he throws his hands upwards. "He'll help himself. Maybe turn you into a zombie, or clone five of you and dress them up like Barbie dolls. He's a twisted sick piece of shit." There is a heavy mutter under his breath. "Feel like I need to send an email to everyone and tell them to not talk to that jackass." He takes a few seconds to think, then slips his phone out of his pocket and taps along the glass, his shoulders slumping. "I'm sorry if you think we're failing you. I know.. that this is hard for you. I get it."

Rogue has posed:
"I...what?" Rogue blinks and glances over to Scott after a moment, shaking her head some. "Don't put words in my mouth, Scott Summers. I ain't ever said any of you were failing me..." She takes a breath and walks over to one of her windows, leaning against the outline a moment. "If anything...I feel like I've failed myself. Entirely. And the more I've been goin' over my past for whatever reason recently...the more I'm comin' to believe it." She lowers her head a little to stare at the floor. "Reckon I'm a danger to myself and others, and this place is just where I can stay so I don't hurt no one. And then I remember I hurt a student...cause my powers just go...and ain't nothin' able to stop them."

Cyclops has posed:
"The fact that you're willing to talk to Mister Sinister makes me feel like we're failing you. You don't have to say it. I understand that Charles sold you a vacation package he can't come through on. He said the same thing to me. That one day I'd be able to take these glasses off and see color again and not hurt someone. People like us don't have easy powers to simply control. There's no switch. It's either we are stuck with it and we suck it up, or we keep trying and trying until we're exhausted from trying. I don't want you to give up. Out of everyone on my team, you're the one I am rooting for the hardest. I just feel that I need to say that more." Scott says as he tilts his chin upwards. "You aren't failing at anything."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue shakes her head a little, still staring out the window. "Charles gave me a little hope, but he also gave me a second chance. I've got some powers that are worth their weight in gold...but the main one. My /actual/ power..." She shrugs. "It ain't worth hashin' over. I appreciate the words, Scott. I'll try to keep them in mind." There's a breath. "But you ain't me, Summers. I got a whole list of reasons makes me a failure."

Cyclops has posed:
"It's your birthday, Anna. No more talk about that." Scott says firmly to her. "You're not a failure, you're a valued member of my family and my team. Today is a day for you to celebrate with your friends and to have a good time." He reaches out and pats her on the shoulder firmly.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue sighs, then nods her head. "Fine. No more talk about that." The hand patting her shoulder gains a smile. "I'm glad to be such, Summers. Please don't think otherwise. It's just been a long week...should text a few people to meet up later." A smirk. "I suppose I'll take a cake too."

Cyclops has posed:
"Good, I'm sure Shannon has already baked one." Scott says, then turns as he heads for the door. "I have a few things to do, but if you invite me to go out, I'll join. If I dno't hear from you, I understand." He teases over his shoulder. "No one wants the boss around."