(no subject)

[la_belle_rogue]

[She's been mostly out since she was brought back to the Barge. She's had moments of fitfulness, which were caused by pain and vivid nightmares. But now the worst, as they say, was over. She was fully awake at last, but she wasn't getting out of the infirmary any time soon.]

Comments

[deadliestviper]

[It's the first time Beatrix has been in the infirmary since her coma -- she hates the place, the medical atmosphere brings back memories she'd rather not revisit. But one can't ignore a port like that, nor the damage it does on one's friends, so she's given into sentiment.

When she approaches Rogue it's with a small, tentative smile, laying a paper crane down on her bedside table.]

You're awake.

[la_belle_rogue]

Seem ta be.

[Her drawl is a lot more hoarse than usual, and the livid bruising and deep chafed cuts were evidence of the cause. She smiled tiredly but genuinely at the paper crane. It reminded her of Logan. He didn't make things like that but the art style was all Japan, and that's where she made the connection. It was comforting.]

Everythin' back ta normal? As normal goes 'round here anyway.

[deadliestviper]

[Once she's put the crane down she picks up the pitcher of water on the table and pours a glass, offering it to Rogue without saying a word about her injuries. There's no comfort to be had in bringing them up.]

I don't know about that. Everyone's still pretty shaken up from all the craziness. At least, I am. [Not that you'd know it; at first glance she's composed and cool as ever, hiding her concern well.] But I've been in the art room folding these. Not up to a thousand yet, but soon enough.

[la_belle_rogue]

[She takes the glass gratefully. Her hands are as banged up as the rest of her. Nasty ligature marks on her wrists from where her wrists had been bound and she'd struggled. They were deep. She'd struggled a lot.

She drinks slowly. It hurts to swallow, but it feels good too. She'd down the glass if she could.]

Pretty ambitious project. [It's a sentiment of admiration. It takes time and focus to do that sort of thing.]

[deadliestviper]

[Waiting by as she drinks, Beatrix takes in the other woman's wounds, from the gouges on her wrists to the ring of deep bruises around her throat. There's a flare of anger, searing inside her like ice on bare skin, and she adds it to the cold fury all this has already woken in her.

None of it shows, though, and she reaches to take the glass away once Rogue is finished.]

Not really. They say if one folds a thousand paper cranes, one's wish will come true. [She gives a wry little half-smile and shrug.] Some of the others on board tried to party the worry away. I'm not that type.

[wecanavenge]

[Beyond making certain that Rogue got to the infirmary to be tended to, Erik has kept his distance, mostly to deal with his own exhaustion. Now that he feels more alive, he stops by. Seeing her awake when he enters, he pauses, then waves his hand to pull a chair up to her bedside.]

I had a thought, [he says as he folds himself into the seat,] Couldn't you just borrow Creed's healing factor, and take care of your injuries?

[la_belle_rogue]

[When he came in she smiled, genuinely glad to see him. She pushed herself up a little on the bed to talk to him.]

Ah could, but that'd depend on if he's got enough of it ta do me any good, and if Ah could stand ta be near him long enough ta do it.

[She's had enough of touching or being touched by Victor Creed for a long, long while.]

[wecanavenge]

[He shrugs lightly, treating the whole thing lightly without being dismissive. It's how he's dealt with trauma for decades.] I didn't say he had to be conscious for it.

[But she has a point, and if he's sick, it's not really worth it. So he crosses his legs and offers her a small smile.]

How are you feeling?

[la_belle_rogue]

[That got a wider, amused smile out of her. She was perfectly fine with acting like this was no big deal.]

A little run down, but Ah've been worse.

[That's probably not as comforting as she intended it to be.]

[burnmythoughts]

[Jean has managed to sit on the edge of her bed. Her hands tremble where they clutch the sheets, and she can feel her wounds twisting and straining, but she's just tired of laying down.

That's when she sees that Rogue's awake, too. Her smile is sad, but warm.]

We should start a club.

[la_belle_rogue]

[She casts a wry, regretful smile over at Jean. Of course Creed had gone after her too. She was one of the few who could potentially have shut him down right off. But the crash had put them all in a vulnerable position. If only they'd known.]

Ah think we already joined it, darlin'. They called it the X-Men.

[burnmythoughts]

[The laughter hurts, but it feels good, too.]

I never got torn up this bad at home. On the other hand, I was almost eaten by a dinosaur.

[la_belle_rogue]

[Never gotten this torn up? Lord, this Jean was young.]

Oh yeah, that's always a good time.

[Yes, Rogue was attacked by a T-Rex before.]

[surfaceshine]

[By the time Dean had found out about any of this, he'd been too late to everything and - he admits to himself, anyway, if not aloud - he wouldn't have gone anyway. Creed had been moving too fast, topping all their expectations - or maybe ducking under them? - for what he was capable of, and Dean had lost track of the line between the dots. By the end, knowing it was only a matter of time before the Barge was back up and everything went back to a much more viable state of affairs, he'd chosen to stand his ground at his own metaphorical dot and hold the line the only way he knew how.

Doesn't make him feel any better about not at least trying.

Neither does doing his best in the infirmary after the fact. He likes to be proactive, not reactive, but the Barge in particular forces his hand. He's still there, though, and not letting any of it through. The crooked smirk he gives her when he sees she's alert is sealed up tight and perfect, and he immediately shifts course from restocking one of the emergency carts to walk over instead, gauze rolls still in his hands and voice warm.]

Hey, darlin'. I was beginning to wonder if your alarm clock needed batteries or something.

[la_belle_rogue]

[For all the awful she'd been through during that port, she was ready to smile. And his being confident and casual about things helped her do the same. So her smile was just as warm.]

Just catchin' up is all. Ah had a bout of four days worth of insomnia.

[Four days. She'd counted every minute of it.]

[surfaceshine]

[That is exactly the reason he does this. That and it's so much easier than actually dealing with anything going on behind his eyes; if he ignores it long enough, it goes away.

Though he does flinch at the reminder, masking it by looking down at the chair to set down the gauze in his hands, still smiling broadly.]

Yeah, well, you don't need the beauty sleep. You comfortable for now?

[la_belle_rogue]

Sweet talker. [She knows she looks like the wreck she is, but it's still nice to hear otherwise.]

Hospital beds are the worst, but Ah'll manage. [Everything hurts, Dean, but no, it's the bed that's the problem. Honest.]

Spam

[wedonot]

[Charles comes in to see Rogue a day or so after they got back from port and approaches a little cautiously, not sure if she's sleeping or not. It's habit now not to reach out to people telepathically without getting explicit permission, so he doesn't think to try it to check on her.

He smiles when he sees she's awake and walks over to her bedside.]

How are you feeling?

Spam

[la_belle_rogue]

Kinda wrecked, but that'll pass.

[She's keeping her tone easy as she can with her extremely soar throat, making light of the situation. She smiles back at him.]

How've ya been?

Spam

[wedonot]

I've been better. [There's no use lying about it- he looks tired, and he's been spending a lot of time in here trying to help, so it hasn't exactly been the best of days. But it's certainly not the worst things have ever been, either.]

If it's too much trouble to talk, we can talk up here- [He taps his temple] If you want.

[It's just a suggestion. He doesn't know her well enough yet to know if she'd be open to it or not.]

Spam

[la_belle_rogue]

[She shakes her head at the offer.]

Ah'd just end up talkin' out loud anyway. It's just what Ah'm used ta from back home. This is fine, unless ya'd rather... [She taps her head, perhaps a little teasingly.]

[routemistress]

[It's nearly a full day before Iris can make herself stop avoiding Rogue; when she does, it's almost by stealth. Iris is normally someone you can see coming a long way off, but she's so shut down and subdued right now she could almost be mistaken for someone else. She pulls a chair up to sit by Rogue's bedside, and says nothing for a long moment; then she looks up.]

I'm sorry. I tried. I did.

[la_belle_rogue]

[Rogue could tell when she was being avoided, and figured Iris would come by when she was up to it. And from the way the other woman looks, she didn't seem up to doing this quite yet anyway. Poor Iris.]

Ah know. It's not yer fault. [Rogue reaches out and lays her hand over Iris'. It didn't matter that she was one of the many Creed had put in the Infirmary, Iris had suffered just as much.]

[routemistress]

[Iris flinches; being told that is salt in a wound, wellmeant or not. She squeezes Rogue's hand and the reserves of walled-up guilt and rage writhe briefly in her mind; then she slams the gate back down hard and she's quiet again, once more vague, glassy and diminished.]

That's probably true. It were still me responsibility and I still failed it. Asking 'ow you're doing's a daft question. What can I do, love? 'Ow can I 'elp?

[la_belle_rogue]

[There was little sense in telling Iris not to beat herself up, not to feel responsible, because if their situations were reversed, Rogue knew she'd feel the same way. Sometimes things happened and no matter how much people forgive you, it just makes you feel worse.]

Once Ah'm up an' runnin' again, gimme fifteen minutes with him. [She's absolutely calm and even when she says it. There's certainly rage and fear inside her where Creed was concerned, but the only way that wouldn't get worse was if she got on an even keel with him.] Maybe twenty.