One Night To Be Confused

[eloquentnovelist]

What the actual fuck?

It was like a nightmare... A really bad nightmare. Cause the invasion of the house wasn't bad enough... But then she had seen Piotr in action, shirtless... She was certain it was a dream. But then the men in the guns had shown up, along with a man who made Logan freeze where he stood.

They had escaped with Iceman and Pyro, only to drive through the night all the way to Bobby's house. She loved long trips on the road but this was not the road trip it could have been. How do you relax and enjoy the sights when half of your classmates are missing, possibly in custody of mad scientists and military men? And without communication between the staff, Logan was a little fidgety at the idea of being in charge for three ripe and hormonal teens.

So then the silver lining of being at the Drake house becomes a complete and utter disaster. Cops show up. Not one or two cars. All the cop cars the small town probably had to offer. 

How about that part where Logan got a bullet in his head for a good thirty seconds? Well if she wasn't traumatized yet, she had been from that moment on. What ever happened to being a normal teenager? She wasn't even. Teenage mutant ninja anything because she wasn't being trained to be a warrior. She was just Rogue, a quiet and so sweat shy student who mostly hung out with Bobby and his social circle.

And Bobby was there with her... Until she fell out of the plane. So much for not having a fear of heights...

It couldn't get any worse.

Enter the man who almost cost her her life...

Rogue recollected the details of the last twenty four hours. Never a dull moment....

Her tent had been set up but honestly, she was never going to get to sleep. With all the events and chaos and anxiety of the situation, anyone would have thought Rogue would do a ninety degree angle face plant into her sleeping bag.

Instead, she wandered around the camp, bare footed and bare handed since it seemed everyone else was asleep for the night...

(Tag: Magneto)

[Erik Lehnsherr]

Magneto had not expected to be working so closely with the X-Men. But it seemed that they had united under a common enemy and threat, and that fact hardly surprised him. Especially since that threat was a human. Time and time again, humans had proved to be a danger to mutants, and Magneto often returned that favor. But right now, there was a great deal at stake. Magneto had to admit that he was concerned for his friend, more so because of what he was planning to do once they arrived at the Lake and unfortunately, it was not everything he had told the others. It was not so much as a rescue for Charles, as it would be for bringing a final end to the homo sapien race. But if everything went according to his plans, then mutants could finally live without persecution. Mutants could finally be free, which was all Erik had ever wanted. Sleep eluded him tonight as he was going over every contingency of the plan. He was after all, a strategist and very meticulous in the details of his plans.

As he stood in the darkness, he saw a figure in the not so far distance. A very familiar figure at that. Rogue. A young mutant who he had targeted not too long ago. She possessed a rather remarkable ability, and one he had hoped to use to his advantage. It had been nothing personal against her. Her sacrifice would have forever been remembered for the greater cause. Yet once again, Charles' team failed to recognize that and thwarted his plan. Now it seemed that they would be working together, for the time being anyway. He quietly approached her, taking notice of the fact that she didn't have any shoes on. Approaching her silently from behind, he spoke to make his presence known. "Trouble sleeping?" He questioned, wondering if she was looking for someone or just couldn't sleep. "And where are your shoes, my dear? It can be quite dangerous walking around the woods with no protection on your feet." A friendly piece of advice. For right now, there was no need to be anything less than amicable with her or the others. Though he knew it would not be reciprocated. The others tended to hold grudges. 

[eloquentnovelist]

The tensions in the air were thicker than the humidity. She could practically drown in them. On one side of the camp, she could hear Logan and Jean talking. Bobby was most likely helping to set up the rest of the tents from the Blackbird, and Nightcrawler was keeping to himself. She didn't care where Mystique and Magneto were. They had history. Important history. Rogue knew she was safe with Logan and Bobby not too far off.

It was rare for the group to be in the middle of nowhere without a bunch of other students running around. It was an opportunity to feel the grass on her skin, the plant life brush her calves while she wandered without anyone being too close to touch her. Everyone was preoccupied with the escape turned mission at hand. It was hard to sleep or get any sort of rest when she knew there was nothing to contribute to the group or the cause. She didn't fly, she wasn't strong like Logan, or have elemental powers like Storm and Pyro and Bobby. She was just kind of there...

In high school, kids always said for every flaw you have, be sure to read a book. If you're flawed, you might as well be smart. Still in the middle of high school, Rogue really couldn't consider herself much smarter than common sense. She was no science wiz, mathematician, botanist, or chemist. She was just trying to get through high school and learn how to have any benefit to her powers. The worst part about it? Trying to stay positive. She had to if she believed she was going to get control of it. Would her relationship with Iceman be in vain? She didn't know. Bobby had to believe though... If he was in it, then he had hope. More than she did.

She had been stroking a fern with her fingertips, the rough texture of the plant sliding between her fingertips when she heard his voice. Rogue straightened up. He was alone, without the protection of his oversized blue bulldog. Magneto was pretty delusional but even she knew he wasn't dumb enough to strike at her in the middle of the woods. It would break the shaky alliance between the factions. Unfortunately, they all needed each other. The more of them that worked together, the better chance they had to succeed in rescuing their comrades. "Ah can't get the feeling of flyin' out of mah head." Releasing the fern, Rogue turned and faced him, still keeping a comfortable distance on account of her exposed flesh.

"Nature doesn't need protection from me. It's why ah love it. Mah feet are just fine." She would rather feel something than nothing at all. "An' why are ya being nice? You tried to kill me a while back... Oh ah swear tah god, if this is Mystique playin' a joke, ah swear ah will slap her somethin' fierce."

Rogue crossed her arms, clearly unamused at the idea that someone was playing a trick on her.

[Erik Lehnsherr]

She firstly spoke of the feeling of flying. Was she referring to when they were in the plane, about the crash the aircraft? Mangeto had stopped it before it got to that point, but it was rather unimpressive that they couldn't properly pilot their jet. She then spoke of how nature did not need protection from her, part of the reason that she enjoyed embracing it. He was aware that many may sympathize with her powers, but Magneto was not one of them. He found her abilities rather incredible. He never believed that any mutant's powers were a weakness or a burden. It was how they were used that mattered. It was her next question that caused him to remain silent on her previous statements; her question of why he was being nice. He gave a slight smile as she suggested that he was Mystique, and even making a threat if it were her. He knew that his radiant, azure companion enjoyed playing tricks on others every now and then, but this was not one of those moments. "I assure you that I am who I appear to be," he told her. He never lied, he never saw the purpose of it. Even during the time he had captured Rogue and she asked him if he was going to kill her, he had answered with an honest 'yes'. That was far less cruel than giving her false hope that she would survive his plans for her. Which brought him back to her question.

"It was nothing personal," he told her, sincerity in his words. He was not going to apologize for what he had done -- or attempted to do. For he would do it again if given the chance, and would know how to be successful this time. "You were a valuable asset to the plan. There will always be casualties in war, and your sacrifice would have been made for the greater good. One life to save many." He paused for a moment, knowing that his views were not accepted by the X-Men. It was what had always separated Charles and Erik: their conflicting ideologies and politics. "I do not expect you to understand my dear," he told her, his voice not harsh but rather, quite calm and almost gentle. "Perhaps when you have lived as long as I, and have witnessed as much as I have, you will come to understand." Understand what he was trying to do. How he was trying to save the world from the eradication of mutants. And realize that the only way this could be achieved, was by the destruction of humankind.

[eloquentnovelist]

Rogue tilted her head, eyeing the man suspiciously before deciding to believe he was who he said he was. He arms fell to her sides and though him being Magneto didn't make it better or less awkward of a situation, at least she wasn't being lied to. Or played. Rogue looked past him, wondering if Bobby or John were around so she could draw their attention. No such luck...

Her pride wouldn't allow her to call for help. So she stayed and braved the conversation... Or whatever the hell he wanted.

Nothing personal? She wouldn't even dignify that with a response. Instead, her eyes darkened with a glare like she was ready to lunge at him. She had always been called a hot head. Right now, she didn't have the luxury of getting hot. There was a shaky alliance holding right now, one that her school mates and teachers depended on. Magneto could easily remove himself and Mystique from the equation and then all intel would go along with them. They would be going into the base blindly.

Rogue never liked to trust people that she was forced to. "Ah realize you're holding a code of honor to the highest of your regards. Ah wish ah could be as blind. Maybe life would be easier for me. Maybe ah would be just as miserable. Genocide never proved anything, other than hate kills. And death fuels more hate. When does the cycle stop? Maybe when all of us are dead." Rogue turned and kept on walking.

Sure, she was angry with him, but she also remembered a time in her life when things felt so hopeless. Even then, she hadn't turned her aggression on people who were different from her. What had he gone through that fueled so much hatred? He had grown up in the Jewish Ghetto, seen death first hand. Her voice softened a bit at her next question. "Ya've seen hatred at it's worst... Why would ya wanna follow in those footsteps?"

[Erik Lehnsherr]

Erik watched and listened to her intently. His lips tilted upwards in an ever so slight smile upon hearing her words. Charles had trained her well. For she spouted the same ideologies and views that he had. Erik supposed this is what made 'X-Men'. Just as his own beliefs were what convinced mutants to join the Brotherhood. Still, it was rather amusing to hear her speak of such things. A young woman, experiencing life for such a limited amount of time. And yet here she was, attempting to engage in a conversation with him about politics. How precious. He would humor her. "My dear girl, do not speak of genocide when your knowledge of what it truly entails is so limited." His voice was not harsh, but rather, held the same tone he had been conversing with her in thus far. "It is far more complex than mere hatred." The hatred had built but that was not what had initially sparked Magneto's role in this war between mutants and humans. It had been about retaliation. But he had learned the difficult way that waiting for humans to attack and acting in response was not enough. Mutants had to also take a stand. And so over the years, his hatred had built. However, as he said, his actions were not just based on hatred for humans.

"It is about fighting against persecution and oppression." Magneto had experienced it once during the concentration camps, and he would not let mutants be gathered like cattle to be executed. "Do you know the history of mutants?" He asked, not sounding overly condescending, but genuinely wondering how skewed the student's learning was of what happened in the past for mutants; of all the suffering they endured. It had to be somewhat skewed if they believed what they did. "Perhaps you should delve into the past of mutants to discover how many of our kind were murdered and tortured at the hands of humans. Then speak to me of genocide and hate." Innocence in young minds was an interesting thing. He feared Charles was sheltered these children from experiencing the dark truths of the world. But alas, it was not Erik's place to convince him otherwise. The two of them had been in disagreement ever since Cuba. Nothing would change that. "If you are able to accept the suffering of mutants and not feel outraged by it, or feel the need to take action against it, then that is your own decision. As long as you can justify your inaction and maintain a clear conscience." Erik could easily justify his own actions because he had years of history and incidents to support him. Charles had his own hopes and optimism, things that were clearly reflected in the students he was educating.

[eloquentnovelist]

Oh Erik... That was cute...

It was the silence before a storm. Her brow visibly twitched at his statement. It was one thing to call her own experience small and young... But when she was speaking of his experience, the one that HE forcibly put into her own head, that's when she let the fires burn. "Why, what could ya ever be talkin' about? Mah experience is tha same as yours, Erik. Don't you remember?" Rogue kept her gaze focused on him, and approached slowly, unflinching of the bark and pebbles that hurt her feet with every step she took. It was him that took hold of her temples and wouldn't let her go. It was him that made her see the ghetto through his eyes, watch the death around him, the gas that leaked from the chambers, smell the stench of death... It was because of him that Rogue would never get a tattoo. Needles scared the devil out of her. "214782. Remember tha things ah see when ya force yourself on mah mind before you insult my experience. It's your experience ah speak of, Erik." Rogue wasn't a child. She walked like one, looked like one, but after absorbing him and Logan, she had matured quickly. With the touch of her skin, Erik had practically stolen her youth. There was no coming back from the Nazi ghettos.

"Fighting against oppression and persecution is peachy fuckin' keen." Rogue shrugged. "Personally, ah think Ghandi did a better job. Had more style too." God she hated his mutant terrorist uniform. He may have had finesse in his plans, but he lacked some serious style. By the way he walked around so high and mighty with something up his rear, she expected at least a little class. "What about the pasts of mutants? Children of the atomic bomb, as ah once recalled it being told in a lecture. Maybe you expect little children to get into a debate they know nothin' about but had ya even taken a second to get tah know me before letting me loose in your little box, ya would have known that ah'm not a child and ah certainly don't debate like one."

And now he was questioning her loyalty to her own kind. "If ah was as shallow as ya perceive me tah be, then ah wouldn't be supportin' mutants. Ya'll have always been the ones who try tah kill me. Seems more trouble comes from us than the humans." Oh how she wanted to really give him a piece of her mind and slap his teeth out. He probably would have wet his Depends adult diaper. "Good thing ah'm deeper than a puddle."

[Erik Lehnsherr]

She spoke of how they shared the same experience, and nothing could be further from the truth. Just because one held the memories of another, did not mean they shared an equal experience. And if she believed that, then she was more naive than he had assumed her to be. "Do not equate your few seconds of exposure, to my years of enduring the experience." It was a foolish thing to do. It was just as Charles would never presume to state that he had experienced everything Erik had, just because he had gotten inside his head. Moments and years were incomparable. Perhaps years ago, had she spouted off his number as if she was using it as ammo against him, he would have been more angry at the insensitive gesture. Speaking his number as if it was nothing; throwing it in his face just because she could . . . well, it only further proved that she knew nothing of it's impact. She understood nothing of persecution and how a person's soul could be ripped from them in the midst of genocide. No. To her, it was not about the magnitude of what he and millions of others had endured. It was about her wanting to prove that she knew what it was like. Teenagers. Always trying to prove they were right and all knowing.

It made him almost want to turn from the conversation, but again, he was not so easily fazed by a young girl. Compared to all that he had been through, her words were nothing. She would not hold that power over him, to be able to strike a nerve. He had perfected his skills in being guarded and composed and Rogue of all people was not about to break that. Her vernacular, defensiveness, and sarcasm reflected her youth and lacking sophistication. It wasn't until she spoke of supporting mutants, that he refrained from a scoff. He was far too dignified for that kind of reaction, but it did not mean he did not consider it. "My dear girl, you remain sheltered in a mansion, protected from outside threats with little exposure to the horrors of this world. How could you possibly be supporting mutants who are in need?" The X-Men were far more concerned about protecting humans, or those within their own grouping. "What could you possibly understand of the world that you ran away from?" He knew a little about her as well. She was a runaway, fearful of her powers, hiding inside her safe haven that Charles provided her and the others.

"You have a very limited scope of understanding of society. For even now, you fixate on the fact that I was the one who tried to kill you. Yet what do you think would have happened to you had you stayed with your family? Do you believe they would have embraced you? That they would not have feared you? That they would not have rejected you?" If she believed that she could be given adequate support, then surely she would not have left. There were so many others like her as well; young mutants who feared their gifts rather than embrace them. And why? Because humans considered it unnatural? Their inability to accept it was what caused the endangerment of their race. "Humans have always been the ones to make the first strike. Your failure to realize that is precisely why I am telling you to delve deep into the history of our kind." And recognize that humans had started this war, yet they seemed to be the ones who were considered the victims of it. Quite ironic how that worked. He supposed he should not be humoring her with this conversation, but it was rather interesting and even amusing to a certain extent. This was how the X-Men were breeding their future generation. If that was so, then Erik weeped for the future of Charles' faction of mutants.

[eloquentnovelist]

Rogue figured that he would judge just what she felt. Just because she wasn't physically put through the trauma, didn't mean it didn't leave scars. For Rogue to touch someone, absorb someone, was so painful. It was like having your insides ripped from you, only to be messily stuffed back in and while the wound was still tender, having it poked and prodded like she was a piece of cattle. The emotional pain... It was all there. For weeks, Rogue was flooded with melancholy at the deaths of the camps... She had the rage, but it wasn't hers. It was his. That was the hardest part... Separating him from herself... Separating other psyches from herself... Of course he wouldn't understand. Why bother arguing. She was a child to him and there was no convincing him otherwise. His narrowmindedness was not her fault. It wasn't her job to fix it. Magneto could say whatever he damn well pleased. But that didn't mean he wouldn't get a rise out of her... Sure she had matured plenty since their last encounter, but Rogue still refused to be talked down to. And with his tone, she was ready to sink her claws right into him and pull like a wildcat.

"Ah don't need to run away from the world to know it's horrible and scary. Ah have you for that." She had just as much to fear from the humans as she did from other mutants. Magneto was the reason The Professor was captive. He was the reason the school was raided, and her classmates were behind bars somewhere like animals. She just didn't discriminate. If you tried to hurt her or her friends, Rogue would come out and bite, regardless if you were human or mutant. Behave yourself, and Rogue would reward that behavior with southern charm and a kind smile.

"Look, Ah'm away that there isn't a place for me anywhere. Mutants come after me, humans come after me. Mah own parents would have turned me in if ah didn't leave, and when a did leave ya tried to send Sabretooth to pick me up, a scared little mutant girl who didn't know how tah fight back." His point came across loud and clear, and then some. Rogue didn't stand for either side like she should have. Rogue stood for her friends and the people who took her in, kept her safe. Rogue stood for good people. That was the bottom line.

"Maybe, but ya can't just wipe out an entire race and not expect dire consequences. Nature has a balance. Ya gotta let that work itself out or we're just gonna ruin the planet." Fuck, hadn't Erik seen Jurassic Park? Completely removing or reintroducing a species into the wild came with hazards and a million unexpected negative consequences. It was unbalancing a global ecosystem... Politics or not, removing a species off the planet in a matter of days was just... Stupid... For a man of great experience and age, he was blind.

[Erik Lehnsherr]

She spoke of how she didn't need to run away from the world to know of how horrible and scary it was. But had she not already run from the world because of it horrors? She had run away from her life of seeming normality to find a safe place for her to reside. "Tell me, what is it that makes this world so horrible and scary?" He asked, somewhat rhetorically though he would also welcome an answer from her. "You can not possibly tell me that it is mutants such as I who fill this world with horrors. That every time you step outside the comfort of the school, you fear my or other unfamiliar mutant's presence. I doubt you would give me that much credit or power," he said with partial teasing, though with truth. "No my dear. You ran from your normal life and found comfort in the company of other mutants. The real threat that fills this world with horrors, is humans. As you said, even your own parents would have betrayed you because of the powers you possess. The only solace, safety and peace your mind can find, is when you are with mutants." Her selective group of mutants. It was not mutants who made this world a terrorizing place, is was humans. And the only ones who believed other wise, were homo sapiens.

"Besides look at us now. I doubt you hold any fear for me in this moment, for our two sides have united against a common threat. You and the X-Men fight to protect humans, yet right now, you have allied yourself with The Brotherhood to fight against them. For it is once again a human that has threatened our race." Even the X-Men had conceded to that, otherwise they never would have even considered creating a truce with Erik. "It may be best you re-evaluate the source of what makes this world, as you put it, a horrible and scary place. You will find that more times than not, it is humans." And that was what Magneto was fighting against. He did not fight against mutants; he did not seek out the school and attempt to destroy it. It was the X-Men who time and time again thwarted his plans not to protect mutants, but to protect humans. There was a strong betrayal in that, but Magneto did not dwell in the past. What was done, was done. He had learned to expect the X-Men's interference, for he knew Charles would not let humans be harmed. A focus that he and Charles had always radically disagreed on.

She then spoke of how he could not wipe out an entire race and not expect consequences. How adorable. She was lecturing him on the balance of the world. "I truly wonder what exactly they are teaching you at that school," he commented, though hardly surprised that Charles would have a curriculum that sheltered the students from learning anything that revealed mutant superiority. "So allow me to give you a lesson in the balance of nature," he began to say, revealing a bit of a condescending tone in his voice. She was young, naive. And she deserved to be talked to in such a manner. "There is already a strong imbalance." There was no balance at all in society. It was mutants who were the future. Which was why humans strove to fight against them; they feared extinction. They feared being overpowered. They just did not realize how imbalanced the power between mutants and humans truly were. For look at all the powers mutants possessed that humans could not fathom. "Besides, you are appealing to the wrong person of race." Meaning him. "For it has always been humans who hold the desire and obsessive need of wiping out mutants in their entirety. Stryker is merely one of the many who have tried." Erik fought against extinction for mutantkind; humans were the ones who kept trying to cause this terrible fate upon their race.

[eloquentnovelist]

Rogue had left her home to protect people. No matter where she went, she would see horrors from humans and mutants alike. But it seemed every time she was almost dying, Erik and his people had something to do with it. Rogue let Magneto's question sink in and instead of shoot off in a snippy tone, she answered him seriously with a calm demeanor. "Honestly? People who think their race is better than the others. If they're so blind, they're capable of anythin'." Wars started over these things. Lives were lost because someone thought their god was superior to another, one race was better, or because only one sexuality should exist in the world. She had seen in many instances, that people would stop at nothing to wipe out what the felt was inferior. Rogue disagreed with a lot of things... But she had never intended to wipe that thing out... There was a thing called tolerance and no one was above it. Everything served a purpose in nature's balance.

"Oh but ah do... Just cause ah fear that ya might come back for me one night, doesn't mean ah live mah life with mah tail tucked between mah legs. If ya come for me to finish what ya started, then ah'll fight you. Ah've seen the horrors in your past and ah see you following in that same path. What's scarier is that you're repeating the history that was befallen on you and your family. And ya can't even see it." Rogue wasn't going to make excuses for humans but they feared mutants for a reason. Just as any animal would fear another large predator, that large predator has a responsibly to show that it was no threat if it didn't want a fight. If you acted like an aggressor, you would be treated as such. Word got around about a free bad mutants and now the rest of their species was paying for it, along with her friend, Jubilee. "Ah have no problem hurting humans if they come for the people ah love. But ah won't associate the rest of the human race with men like William Stryker."

From his mocking tone, Rogue understood he did not take her seriously at all. She was a child in his eyes and always would be. This walk in the forest was not turning out as productive as she had hoped. She wanted to cool off, relax and wander for a bit... Instead, she had pretentious old men telling her that everything she knew was wrong... She should have stuck with Bobby and John the whole time... Maybe it wasn't too late to help them set up the camp... "There is no imbalance in nature. The earth prospers with both species. Ya wipe out humans and this world will grow wild without many to cultivate it. Mother Nature just might swallow us if we're the only ones left... Oh hell, what am ah arguing ya for? Ah'm just a stupid teenager to ya. Ya don't care what ah have to say. Hell, ah bet ya just plan on kidnapping me again and finishing what ya started last time. Do ya actually have anything productive to say in this or should ah just head back now? We have a big day comin' up and ah think both of us would rather sleep than look at each other's faces."

[Erik Lehnsherr]

Blind. That was certainly an interesting choice of words. For those who were blind were the ones who refused to acknowledge the struggles mutant faced in society. Those who were blind, were the ones who did nothing to help others; they merely stayed within their own realm of comfort and safety, ignoring everything around them because they believed it had nothing directly to do with them. So it was indeed a rather hypocritical choice of words, for the ones who were blind, were the ones who believed in inaction. She then went on to speak about him finishing her off and what not. Her words of fighting him forced him to refrain from laughing or scoffing at the ridiculous statement. "My dear, the fact that you believe such a thing, demonstrates your lack of comprehension for all I have said thus far." She should not flatter herself so much. He had sought to capture her because she was integral for his plan at the time. He had absolutely no interest in her, nor would waste his time 'finishing what he started'. He only acted out of necessity. The fact that she did not understand that, well . . . there was nothing he could do other than attempt to explain to her. Though her following words regarding him repeating history was what really caused her ignorance to shine through. Ignorance. Yes. That was an excellent word for it.

Had he been a less controlled man, he would have lashed out at her for speaking so insensitively about him and his family. But he was very in control of his emotions and mind. It was actually disappointing if anything, that someone who had potential such as her, was so arrogant; that she believed just because she had caught glimpses of his life, she thought she understood everything. She felt it had given her the right to callously throw out these kinds of statements. He pitied anyone else she spoke to with such a lack of empathy. "Do you know what genocide actually is?" They had used the term before, but he was starting to think that she had on idea of it's true meaning. Then again, only those who had actually endured it fully comprehended the magnitude of the term. "If you did then you would not have made such an ignorant statement." It was humans who had a tendency to repeat history. The genocide was taking place against mutants and just because there were those who opposed it -- those such as him -- they were given the blame. "Where do you see me rounding up humans like cattle for slaughter?" That was not what he did. That was what humans did to mutants. He did not search out humans every day to go on a murdering spree. It was, and always had been, about retaliation. Humans make the first attack, Magneto reacts. It seemed that the only X-Man capable and intelligent enough to actually see that, was Charles. Though that of course did not mean he was accepting of his methods or how he retaliated.

"You may not want to associate Stryker with the rest of the human race, but society is not based around what you want. There are facts and truths, and then there is what you choose to see." He supposed he should not be surprised that she saw only what she wished. Media tended to portray it that way; victimizing poor humans, and making him and other mutants the villain. He had just held the hope that the future generation would be more intelligent; that they would not let media create such a bias in them. But that was Magneto's mistake, to believe that these particular young mutants were capable of seeing beyond what humans told them. Pity. "The difference is that I am not so selective about who I choose to protect." She spoke of how she would only hurt humans if they came after her loved ones, which was quite a selfish mentality indeed. Magneto did not pick and choose who he protected in that sense. He was striving to protect their entire race, not just a select few who he personally knew. He gave an ever so slight smirk of amusement when she confidently said that there was no imbalance in nature, and then came up with some odd theory about how if humans were wiped out, the world would grow wild.

Humans had and always had been the ones to destroy the earth and those within it. They were the future. Mutants were the superior race and he did not doubt that they would flourish in the absence of humans. That was after all why humans were so determined to rid the world of them. "I never once called you stupid," he told her, using the exact word she had since it was not a word he tended to use. It lacked sophistication. It was not words offered to be kind, but rather, a truthful statement. "But when you say ignorant statements such as I am going to finish you off, or tell another you are going to fight them, or even act as if you know what it is to endure years of genocide, then yes. It makes me rather doubtful of your intelligence and understanding of the world." He paused for a moment, his voice nor harsh, but as calm as it always tended to be. "Some advice, do not speak before you think. And do not be so hostile and presumptuous in what you say. Be mindful of your words and the meaning behind them. Your powers prevent you from being able to make physical contact with others, but your words will soon further isolate you if you are not careful." He may be able to handle her ignorance and naivety, but others may not. So he was merely offering her some advice that he doubted she would ever take, but felt the need to make it regardless. Besides, he had no hatred toward her. As he had said before, his attempt to 'kill her' had been nothing personal.

[eloquentnovelist]

Rogue was very unamused. In fact, she believed she was ready for bed. If she had known that listening to Magneto talk would have put her to sleep, she would have done it hours ago. At least the man was good for something besides mutant terrorism. Then again, Rogue tried to see the better part of people. The Professor had to have seen something good in Erik in the past or present. Maybe it was still there. He would have been able to see it more clearly than her. If Magneto was really such a bad guy, why would The Professor still visit him while he was jailed? The idea that Erik was actually a big softie on the inside actually made her smile out of nowhere. That's how she would view him from now on, as a big softie. Much like the saying, the ocean is made of tears of sharks who are misunderstood and just want to cuddle, maybe that's what there really was to Erik. Due to the time of night, Rogue wouldn't push his views any further.

"Oh ah know what genocide is. There's this class they offer at school. You might have heard of it, it's called 'history'." Her tone wasn't rude at all. Just flat out amusement. It was hard to think of Magneto as a bad guy now that her perception of him changed. The man liked to argue. Good for him. But regardless on her views of him, she would still strike like a viper if he ever saw it necessary to come for her or the people she loved. "Ya might not be doing it now, but ah have seen patterns of escalation since ah came to know of your existence. First you came for one human and then all of them at Liberty Island. If there was a way for you to target all humans in one mass attack, ah'm sure you would. Don't deny it." She had seen how eager he was to target the attendees at the summit that one fateful night she earned her white streaks. Had he been more powerful, had she been even remotely stronger, he would have taken all of New York.

Rogue's brow furrowed now. Where a few moments ago, she was frustrated with their debate, now everything just rolled right off of her. It was just talk at this point. There was nothing to gain by letting Erik get a rise from her. "Maybe ya should be more selective. Some of those mutants are just gonna challenge you for power, just like humans do to each other. Physically we may have superior genes, but mentally we're just as equivalent." There were humans smarter than her, and humans dumber than he.

Erik seemed to have all the answers for himself and Rogue just couldn't change that. The Professor was much more adequate at debating with Magneto than she was, so she would leave that to him. Shrugging, she said "Well then, ah guess we're gonna have to settle to agree to disagree." Rogue was just about to turn so she could head back to camp and round up Bobby to get some rest with her, but Magneto had more to say. To which she turned back to him and nodded. "Ah'll consider your advice. Thank you, Erik." Advice was advice, whether it was good or bad, she had the option to listen or not listen. So Rogue would file it away for another day or restless night.

[Erik Lehnsherr]

She spoke of knowing what genocide was . . . through academic studies. Well, there it was. Her knowledge of it was through text books, not experience -- despite the fact that she claimed to have experience it when he had allowed her to absorb his powers. But the only way to really experience it, is by being present. Perhaps that day would come, where mutants would face a genocide similar to the Holocaust. It was what he fought against, yet the others did not understand because they were so firmly sheltered in their safe haven. He did not expect them to see nor understand the horrors of this world. "My dear, do not presume to know about me and my methods," he told her calmly. It was not a defensive tone. But for someone to seemingly understand how he executed his plans, what his motives and intentions were . . . well, it was just all very foolish and uneducated of them. The only X-Man who came even close, was Charles. And she was certainly not equivalent to him. No one was. The ironic thing was, her statement did hold some truth to her. If he had the opportunity to target all humans in one mass attack . . . he would. And he was going to. For Mystique and himself had a rather different plan than that of the X-Men.

Though he obviously wasn't going to make any mention of this to her. He was not that reckless with his strategies. The fact that she believed humans and mutants were intellectually equivalent was precisely why he could not have this conversation with her. For mutants to think that humans were remotely equal to them was just, a betrayal to mutantkind! "Yes. Agree to disagree." The first thing they could technically agree on. "For that is what makes you suitable for the team you will soon be formally on." For she didn't appear to be an X-Man yet. She lacked the form fitting uniform that they all seemed to love. "And one more thing," he said, realizing that she was readying to depart from his presence. "Never believe that you are anything but superior with your remarkable and exceptional powers." For while they seemed to have just gotten in a debate, he still thought her powers to be incredible. And he would give mutants the deserved praise for their abilities for despite what their views were, every mutant's powers were phenomenal. And was exactly what set them above humans.

[eloquentnovelist]

Rogue had nothing left to say to Magneto. He wouldn't bend. He was much too set in his ways to bend. Right now, all she wanted was to go get her friends and get back to life at the mansion. Where was Piotr? He was helping the students and she hadn't seen him since... And Jubilee... Rogue was worried sick for her friends. She prayed internally that they were alright. Forget sleeping in her own tent tonight. With so Magneto and Mystique around, Rogue wanted to go stay with Bobby and sleep beside him. It would be dangerous but she would let him make that call... After absorbing him at his parents house, he probably would say it was a bad idea...

She wouldn't know until she tried.

Rogue turned away when Magneto started speaking again...

She stopped in her stride and let the words sink in. At that moment, she couldn't help but wonder if the man had some point. Sure her gift was a curse to her, but it was still a gift. God had chosen her to bare it. It made her special. Before her power came to light, there was nothing special about her. Hell, even her white streak came from her powers and from Magneto. Everything that happened was a part of her, regardless of if she was fond of her past or not.

Erik was a part of her. Logan and Bobby were a part of her. Maybe it was why she was so stubborn yet compassionate. Maybe they were the reason she had so much fight in her. She blinked and let the words repeat in her head before slowly turning to look at Magneto once more.

"Ah'll remember that... Thank you." 

Rogue wasn't the only one who treated her gifts with fear. Everyone else viewed it as an obstacle to be overcome. Erik might have been the first person to speak of it in a positive light... Even though she really wanted to slap him silly earlier for all the things he had done... Rogue couldn't help but feel just a bit of fondness for the old man.

Without another word, Rogue continued forward and made her way to the camp to find Bobby. The sooner she found him, the sooner she would turn in for the night.