Chapter 7. The second joke.Rogue was walking down the street of Bayville. It was Sunday morning and she decided to have a walk before her breakfast. The sun was shining brightly and Rogue didn’t care if it was creepy for the world around her to see the Goth smiling. After her talk with Kitty Rogue had a lot on her mind and fresh air was the best way to sort out this kind of things.
“Hey, girly!” she heard someone calling after her. She turned around to see three middle-aged men approaching her. “Would you like to have some fun with us?” Her glare gave them the straight answer, but they didn’t want to give up so fast. “You should be more hostile to alder age,” they were already five steps from her. “I think we should teach you how to behave yourself.” Rogue was in her defending stance ready to kick their asses when she heard other footsteps behind her. She turned around but it was too late to dodge the hit on her head. She lost her balance and fell to the ground but still was conscious and was trying to get up.
‘I’m so gonna teach you a lesson!’ she thought hearing their laughing. But by the moment she got up from the ground and was standing as steady as she could at that moment all of her attackers were lying unconscious.
“What tha hell…” she thought looking around and struggling with dizziness.
“Are you Ok,
cherie?” Rogue shocked turned around to see another middle-aged man talking with familiar Cajun accent. He had long blond hair made in ponytail, big blew eyes full of concern and long worn out coat – that’s all she could notice before she blacked out.
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ooooOooOOOooOoooo
“You’re in N’ York?!” shouted Remy in the telephone. “When did you get here? Why didn’t you tell moi? Where are you now? I’ll come…”
“There is no need to right now, mon fils. Let’s meet dis evenin’ at the restaurant. I’m a little busy at the moment.”
“Oh… ok. Remy’ll meet you there. Bye.”
“Bye.”
Beep…beep…beep…
‘Mon pere is in N’York. He must be came to look for Her. I must do somet’ing and fast!’ With that thought Remy left the Acolyte base looking for someone particular.
ooooOooOOOooOoooo
Jean-Luc hang up the phone and took more ice from the fridge of his temporal apartment and left kitchen for the living room.
“Here some more ice,” he handed little bag of ice cubes to the girl sitting on the sofa.
“Thanks.” Rogue put ice to her head.
“Does it hurt?”
“Nat as much as half an hour ago,” she answered with a smile.
Now Jean-Luc could take a better look at a girl he saved this morning. When he saw those drunken bastards hitting on her he felt disgusted, but when they attacked her he couldn’t just keep standing aside. No one dares to hit a woman. That was one of his first rules he learned in his childhood. When the girl lost her consciousness her decided to bring her here and take a look at her wound on her head. She woke up not far from the building he stayed and it took him a lot of effort to convince her to let him check up her wound.
Flashback
“I’m a mutant!” she shouted at him like it would be the end of discussion. “Aren’t you disappointed thaht you helped to a freak?” She was holding onto the wall of the building trying not to fall.
‘How cruel could the world be for those who were not like THEM?’
“And moi name is Jean-Luc,” he said giving her a hand. She stared at him in absolute shock and confusion in “You-gonna-be-kidding-me!”-way. But after few moments she took his hand and let him lead her to his place.
End of Flashback
“You much more beau without dat t’ing on your face, you know dat?”
“This way is safer.” She answered putting ice in the plate on the table.
“Because of your powers?”
“Yep. Could we change the subject?”
“Sorry,” he really felt sorry for the girl. What horrible things could make her block herself from the others by her facade and to talk about it like weather. “Would you like some coffee?”
“Nah. Thanks. But Ah think Ah should go home and have a breakfast.”
“You’re hungry? I have not’in’ at home but we could go to café and have a lunch dere.”
“You saved me and now you asking me out on a lunch? Are you a fairy god-mother or something? It must be me who’ll ask you to the café telling ‘thank you’ all the way there and back!” ‘She has a good sense of humor,’ thought Jean-Luc.
“But since you are not asking…”
ooooOooOOOooOoooo
“So who are you?” Rogue asked taking the first bite of her tiramisu after lunch in little old-fashioned restraint. They took seats at the corner of the room.
“What do you mean?”
“Ah know just a few people who can work that fast, but your technique is different. You’re more… Ah don’t know… silence?”
Jean-Luc shocked stared at Rogue. She knows what she is talking about. When those men approached her, he saw her ready to kick their asses. And he felt she could. But he couldn’t tell her about his life for her own safe.
“Let’s just say, it’s my job to be unnoticed.”
“Ok. Ah got it. No more questions about this topic.” She said looking around the crowded room. Instinctively she set her chair more farther from the people and closer to the wall. “How long are you in New York?”
“You just keep catching me off guard. How did you guess?”
“Simple. It’s difficult for you to orient yourself in town for time being,” she started acting like Sherlock Holms and then added. ”And your bags are still packed in the living room.” And they bough burst out laughing.
“I came here to take care of some things.” He frowned a little.
“Do you have some problems?”
“It’s more just misunderstanding, don’t worry.” He took a bite of his cake.
“Misunderstanding about what?”
“Hmm…” Jean-Luc thought about a moment. “Fine. Let me tell you one story, and then I wish to hear what you think about it.”
“Shoot.”
“Dis story is about two Kingdoms. Dey were de bitterest enemies to each other for many centuries. And after a long time the King of one of the Kingdoms, let’s say named… “He thought for a moment and looked at his cup of coffee.”Cappuccino.” he smiled at Rogue and the girl smiled back. She was listening to him attentively and Jean-Luc couldn’t believe that he was so simply telling his problems to someone he met a couple of hours ago. “He wanted to stop this senseless war. No one even could tell the reasons where this hatred came from. But people of each Kingdom lived in fear not t’ live t’ see de next day. Every day someone died. And den de King of Cappuccino Kingdom decided dat may be de marriage between Prince of Cappuccino Kingdom and Princess of… Espresso Kingdom would bring peace between dese Kingdoms and stop de bloody war. Not being sure about his decision he went to someone who could answer every question. The prophetess lived in deep forest. And when de King came to her she said dat she knew what he came for, and dat she would answer tree any questions. And he asked her his questions and got answers and they were…”
Flashback
“What can save de Guild of T’ieves?”
“The marriage between your son and his beloved princess will save your Guild and not only.”
“If my son marries de daughter of de leader of Assassins stop de war?”
“The war can be stopped if only bough Guilds want peace.”
“Will de marriage between Belladonna and Remy stop de war between de Guilds?”
“Yes, the war between the Guilds will be stopped.”
End of Flashback
“Well, Ah think that this “prophetess” is a clever woman.” Rogue said after she considered the story.
“What do you mean?”
“Let’s start from the last question. The King asked: ‘Will de marriage between Princess and Prince stop the war between the Kingdoms?’ and she said that the war between the Kingdoms really will be stopped, but the King lost one important detail. After the marriage they’ll become one big Kingdom. So the war between the Kingdoms will be stopped but who said that it won’t develop into a war inside the New Kingdom?”
“You are right… who said?..” Jean-Luc shocked looked at the girl sitting in front of him.
“The second question: ‘If my son marries the daughter of the King of another Kingdom stop de war?’, and she says that ‘the war can be stopped if only bough Kingdoms wanted peace’, but if bough Kingdoms wanted peace there would be no need for such sacrifice. The war would stop only if everybody wanted peace. But it still continuous, so not everybody wants it to stop. And the last question: ‘What can save my Kingdom?’”
“Yes, but her answer was ‘the marriage between your son and his beloved princess…’”
“Ok, but who said that there is only one princess? And by the way she must be loved by him.” Jean-Luc stunned looked at Rogue.
“How could I miss this?” he frowned and didn’t notice that he said this words out loud.
“Sometimes people hear only what they want to hear.” Rogue answered taking another bite of her dessert. This girl so easily saw what he – the Head of the Thieves’ Guild – missed. Maybe it’s truth? After so long fighting and leading the Guild he became blind?
The waitress passed by their table and Rogue instinctively moved from the passageway.
“Are you uncomfortable?” Jean-Luc asked. Rogue looked at him and then on her hands.
“It’s just my ‘skin condition’,” she answered nervously. “If Ah won’t be careful someone can get hurt.”
“I’m sorry,” so that’s why she wears gloves.
“It’s not your fault,” she answered calmly. “Ah’ve got used to it.”
“But isn’t dere any way…”
“No,” she answered strictly. “Well, maybe there is, but… it’s complicated…” Rogue looked at her gloves. “It happened two years ago and since then Ah couldn’t stop it. Ah have people who trying to help me. But it doesn’t work. It doesn’t help.” Rogue looked at Jean-Luc’s eyes. Her emeralds fool of tears. “And when Ah gave up, prepared myself for being always alone, not able to hug, kiss, touch, Ah met someone who could give me all this. And now… Ah’m so confused!” Rogue hid her eyes with her gloved hands. Tears were running down her cheeks.
Jean-Luc took one of her hands in his one.
“It’s ok, everythin’ will be fine. You are not supposed to be alone. And since you met dis guy it wasn’t fortuity. Maybe he is de one made for you?” he joked trying to cheer her up. It helped.
“Then it must be the greatest joke of Life (A/N: mwahaha!!!), because the guy, made for me, it the most arrogant asshole Ah’ve ever met!”
“Dat reminds me of moi son.” Jean-Luc told handing to Rogue his handkerchief.
“You have a son?” the girl said taking off her gloves to clean her face with handkerchief.
“I have two sons,” he answered proudly. But his smile flinched when he something caught his eye on her hand. “What a beautiful ring you are hiding ander your glove,” he said looking at the shining red diamond.
Rogue looked at the ring and bad thoughts came back to her.
“This is one more strange story of my freaky life.”
“So you are married?” he mastered his shocked expression and into her eyes looking for any reaction. Now he wasn’t just Jean-Luc, but also the Head of the Guild. So she is Marie. This girl. The first person he met in this city. How could that be? There, in N’Orleans he imagined silly girl looking for fun. But the real Marie was quite different. His question saddened her eyes.
“Yeah… sort of.”
“Sort of???” the man stared at her.
“Ah was drunk. Ah’ve never drunk before, but that night was the worst night in a long time. And Ah was stupid enough to gulp so much alcohol that Ah didn’t remember anything after that. And then, Ah find out thaht Ah’m married and have no idea who is my husband and where he is. And when Ah remember…” she blushed and hid her eyes in her hands. ”Oh God, Ah’ll never drink again!” Her hid tomato-colored face didn’t let her see a huge smirk on Jean-Luc’s face before he again wore on his mask.
“And you didn’t try to look for him? This ring looks pretty old,”’17th sentury!’he thought to himself. ”Dere must be name or somet’in’.” He thought she would’ve guessed to look.
“Ah don’t know.” She answered laying her hands on the table. “Ah can’t take it off. It’s like stuck.”
“Que?” Jean-Luc couldn’t believe his eares. ‘Dis can’t be…’
“Ah’ve tried everything. But the more Ah try,” she touched the ring. ”The more stubborn it seems. Like it doesn’t let go.”
Jean-Luc was speechless. The Ring has chosen her, just like his son. And the more he was talking to Marie the more he was convinced how lucky Remy was to pick up of all brainless girls in the club such a treasure.
“Why do you t’ink dat he is asshole?” the man asked. From now on he’ll do everything in his power for her and his son to be together. Maybe this will pay some part of his mistakes in the past, which he made to his younger son.
Rogue looked at him confused. ‘What does he implying?’
“Since the moment Ah met him, he’d never even tried to show his good side. He thinks that he’ll get everything he wants, but that’s not truth. He thinks only about himself! And he so pisses me off!”
‘Dat really looks like Remy,’ Jean-Luc thought.
“And you learnt it all at your meeting there?”
“No, we… accidentally met later… twice.”
‘And he didn’t tell moi?? I’m gonna have a talk with that boy today!’
“You must give him another chance.”
“What???” Rogue stared at (unknown to her) her father-in-low.
“I mean, anyt’in’ happens. Maybe he didn’t have a chance to show you his good side. I can bet dat you don’t show your real self - like now - almost to anybody. Maybe he is not such a bad guy after all.”
Rogue confused looked at her hands. ‘Maybe he is right?’
Reeeeeng!...
“Oh my God! Ah’ve totally forgot!” Rogue took her phone from her pocket. “It’s Kitty. Ah must go, sorry.”
“I understand, don’t worry. I hope we shall meet again?”
“Ah hope so. It was e pleasure to meet you, and thanks for your help. Bye!”
Jean-Luc watched as Rogue run out of the restraint an answered the phone. Remy had no idea what a treasure he found.
A/N: Hope you like it. Sorry, it took so long. I LOVE YOURE REVIEWS!
@темы:
фанф,
X-men: Evolution,
Люди Икс: Эволюция,
The Jokes of Life