PI LOG: Summoning Duties -- Kess, Remy, and Rogue
Kess' visit to a certain Cajun turns into a successful summoning session for the same Cajun's girlfriend. The birdgirl gives Rogue some much-appreciated summer clothing, and Remy degrades the entire situation into tomfoolery and then hushed contemplation.
Remy's Apartment -- Greenwood Properties
It has been a long day, but Kess has been meaning to do this for a while. The sun is just heading down into the horizon when she arrives on Remy's fire escape. She's dressed in black pants and a red sweater, her usual satchel slung crosswise over her body to rest at her hip. It bulges, today. She lands lightly and folds her wings in close before hopping down closer to the window, and then raps on it lightly with her knuckles. She tries not to peer in /too/ much, because that's almost an invasion of privacy, but when she flies past personal windows all the time, she's not too picky about it.
Remy keeps the window open and the sash pulled up mostly because as many of his friends arrive this way as by the door. It's Jolie whose attention is drawn first, however--she'll pop up from beneath the level of the window to plant both paws against it and bark at Kess in three short, happy bursts of sound, her tail wagging behind her. She's looking more and more like a full grown dog every day. Remy appears from the bedroom wing only moments later, dressed in cutoff shorts and a tshirt that reads 'M*A*S*H 4077' across the chest. His first order of business is to get Jolie coralled, and then he's reaching out to open the windo and offer Kess a hand through, his grin broad. "Kess-bird!"
Kess smiles at the dog and crouches to offer a hand through, and an ear-ruffle. Jolie knows her, so she's not too afraid of being bitten. "Hey, Remy," she greets warmly, taking his hand more as an excuse for contact than because she /needs/ it to get through the window. Feathers rustle softly as she gets herself standing properly in his apartment, and then she gives his hand a squeeze. "Just thought I'd drop by. How're you doing?"
"Mostly up." Remy replies, warmly, even as Jolie dances around the pair's feet, giddy at the attention. Either Kess is recognized, or the shepherd is the worst guard dog ever. "Like 'lways, tryin to keep m'self outta trouble an' never quite succeedin'. Worried Deadpool's gonna take 'xception to me 'gain an' come try an' bust my face in. 'Gain."
Kess's expression falters at the mention of Deadpool and she gives Remy a concerned look. "He's still giving you trouble? Why?" She's going to have to have words with him, it seems. A hand will go to the dog's head for ear-ruffling if that head stays in range long enough.
Remy waggles his free hand through the air, carelessly. "Nonon, not real recently. But, see, not too long 'go I caugh' him tryin' to dump some poor homme off de side of a buildin'. Ended up roughin' him up a l'il. Me, I t'ink we's tit for tat now, but I can't never tell what's goin' on in dat head of his. Don' worry 'bout it." The injury that hides at the side of Gambit's head today has nothing at all to do with Wade Wilson.
Kess's head tilts to the side as she considers her friend, and then she gives his hand a little shake. "Well, I worry anyway," she tells him with a rueful smile. It's just how she is! A wing shifts and curls around Remy's back lightly. "How's Rogue doing? Is *she* managing to stay out of trouble?"
The Cajun grins, lifting his fingers to idly preen at Kess' wing, if she'll let him, responding to her familiar touch with touch of his own. "Manages it better dan I do, far as I know, but mebbe dat's b'cause she's invulnerable. Still workin' down at Ogori's, an' dey seem to like havin' her dere."
Ooo, that's nice, and the preening makes Kess's wing curl more securely around Remy. She likes that; so few people are allowed and fewer actually /do/ it. "I keep meaning to drop in there. I have some stuff for her-" she pats her satchel- "-so I was kinda hoping to catch her. Two birds with one stone, y'know?"
Standing almost directly in front of the open window to the Cajun's apartment, Remy and Kess are quite clearly visible to the outside world, Jolie just close enough to dance about and still garner scritches. With all the care Kess herself taught him, Gambit is preening a wing that the birdgirl has curled around him, smoothing feathers back into their proper order expertly. His eyes are more on the satchel she has just gestured to than the wing, however, eyebrows lifting curiously. "Well, I ain't 'lways up on her work schedule. She's prob'ly at Ogori's now. Whatcha got in dere?"
Kess's expression melts towards a quiet grin as the fingers of one hand tap on the fastening of her satchel. "Some things I was making for her. I don't think it'd be fair to let you peek, though." That's up to Rogue! And she has her suspicions about the likelihood of Remy peeking if she left it here. "I do have a favour that I was going to ask you." She likes the preening and leans into it a little bit. So nice to have someone else do that for her.
Speaking of the devil... It's just about now that a shadow flickers over the fire escape, and it's followed shortly by Rogue, descending through the air to land outside Remy's window. "'Loooo," she calls amiably, pausing with a hand on the sill. "Anybody home?"
Remy looks up, almost startled, to look over the edge of Kess' wing at Rogue, before the grin is breaking out over his face. "I oughta keep you 'round," He says, aside, to the birdgirl, as he smooths the last of the feathers back in place and takes a step back to greet Rogue herself. "If she's gonna show up ev'ry time you summon her. We was jus' talkin' 'bout you." This last, to Rogue, as the puppy tries to climb up Rogue's leg for attention as soon as it's inside the window.
Kess blinks at the window and folds her wing back out of Remy's way. The feathered limbs flip tightly to her back and she's a little shy as she smiles at Rogue. She doesn't know if Remy's girlfriend minds the whole wing-wrap thing. "Hey," she offers by way of greeting. Jolie's antics earn a brief, amused grin. That's so sweet.
Rogue laughs, bending to ruffle between Jolie's ears and along her neck. "Well, hello t'you too, girl," she says, and then grins up at Remy and Kess. "An' hello, stranger. Ain't seen you in a while, Kess, how you been?"
Jolie seems overjoyed at the attention, as always--now she has three people to dance between! If Remy ought to feel guilty for being caught in the act of preening, he doesn't seem to know it, only grinning brightly up at Rogue. "Kess her says she got some t'ings f'you but she won' let me peek. Lucky you came 'long or I mighta had to look on my own."
Kess gives Rogue a little shrug, relaxing into a warmer smile. "Not so bad. Up and down, y'know. Thought I'd drop by and catch up. How're you?" She gives Remy a sideways glance and shakes her head, amused. "I finished those things for you," she adds to Rogue, by way of explanation.
Things? Rogue looks blank for a moment or two, then--"Oh!" and she laughs. "Ah'd 'bout forgotten that," she admits. "Ah'm sorry, sugah, Ah shoulda checked back in with you 'fore now."
Remy's eyebrows slip a little higher along his forehead, as he looks between the two women. They aren't going to tell him what's in the bag, are they.
"It's okay," Kess assures Rogue with a little shake of her head. She flips the satchel open and plastic rustles as she fumbles around in there. She glances sideways at Remy and tries not to grin too much. "Things have been kinda busy lately." She pulls out a bag, neatly folded over the thick wad of what's inside, and offers it over to Rogue. "I'm sure you'll find out soon enough," she gives to Remy, feeling sorry for him.
Maybe Rogue feels a little sorry for Remy herself, or maybe she's just too pleased with the idea of her new things to bother with keeping secrets. Either way, the Cajun's curiosity will soon be assuaged; Rogue is already unfolding the bag to peek inside.
Yay, she's unwrapping it! Remy sidles behind Rogue to peek over her shoulder, ultimately curious even if he does have his suspicions what's in there. If she lets him, he'll even lean his chin on the top of her head, grinning to himself.
Kess shifts back a step and crouches to try to distract Jolie with ruffles. She watches Rogue with a curious tilt of her head, a smile lurking around her mouth. Inside the bag are garments of two distinct colours: dark red and deep green. In between the two is a folded wad of the nearly-transparent fabric, which will unfurl into a long-sleeved dress. The dark red garment is a somewhat smaller and less modest dress, intended to be worn under the first dress. The dark green is a tight-fitting shirt, its long sleeves missing shoulders and sections down the outer lines of the arms and sides, though more of the semi-there fabric covers over the exposed skin.
Rogue's grin broadens into a bright, pleased smile. "Perfect!" she declares, shaking out the red dress to hold it up against herself and admire. "An' just in time for th'warm weather, too." A quick turn serves more to flutter the fabric than to really show it off.
"Hey!" Remy says, straightening up to beam at Rogue. "Mebbe you act'lly get *tan* dis year." He reaches around, with careful but snitching fingers, trying to pick up the transparent dress just to give it a good looking-over. Curiousity, cat.
Lucky for Remy, the dress is unlikely to kill him, unless he manages to throttle himself with it. Kess rises and straightens the lie of her satchel, smiling brightly when the pair both seem pleased with the clothing. "Just let me know if any of it needs altering. I remember you said one time that you wanted something lighter for the summer." Rogue could wear a bikini under the overdress! If she wanted. The transparent fabric is heavier than it looks, which still isn't /that/ heavy, and feels a bit like soapy water against the skin.
"You think?" Rogue teases Remy, but she's too pleased with the new things to keep it up for long. "Ah'll let you know," she promises Kess, "but it looks great. You're a miracle-worker, sugah." She drapes the red dress over her forearm the better to shake out the green shirt and give it the same treatment.
Remy's grin goes lopsideded, as he holds the transulcent dress by its shoulders and seems to consider it on Rogue as he might a piece of clothing that *isn't* see-through. "F'a woman who can fly, you got a wide definition of 'miracle'." He teases right back, as if it might distract Rogue from the idea that he's probably envisioning her naked.
Kess nods at Rogue and grins at Remy, and then glances off to the side as she tries not to blush too much. It's almost getting to the point where she should leave them to... do whatever they want to with the clothing. "Thanks," she offers to the other woman, for the praise. "I'm glad you like them. Would... would you two mind if I took a picture of you?" Her hand rests on her satchel, waiting for the okay.
"Well," Rogue drawls easily, "Ah certainly don't mind... provided Remy wipes that *smirk* offa his face." She swats at the Cajun to punctuate the words, well aware of what it is he's probably imagining.
Gambit responds by ducking, holding the dress up between himself and Rogue as if it might protect him. "What smirk? I was born wit' dis face!" He probably was, knowing the Cajun. Sheepishly, Remy offers the dress. "Can use de bedroom 'f you wan'. Promise I won' peek."
Kess is trying not to think about what Remy's thinking and she ducks her head as she fumbles with her bag to take out her polariod camera. "Well, I'd like you to look as natural as possible," she tells them with a little, sneaking smile. They have to look like themselves! Smirks and all. "You don't have to get changed if you don't /want/. I just... I'm trying to get pictures of people." She shrugs lightly and fiddles with the camera.
Rogue shakes her head, laughing a little. "F'you're wantin' nat'ral, we'll save th'new clothes for a little later." She does take the dress back from Remy, to fold it and the other garments back up and slide them back into their bag, for the time being.
"I'll stay *put*," Remy says, his lopsided smile fading a little in terms of lechery to go a bit rueful instead, "But pictures of me don' always turn out right. De eyes." He gestures with one hand across the eyes in question, vaguely.
"Your eyes are nice," Kess says with a little denying shake of her head. Lots of people have red eyes in photos anyway! She gives them both a smile and lifts the camera, peeking over it, then through it, waiting until they seem at least a little composed before she asks, "Ready?"
"I t'ink dey're nice too," Remy says, grinning as Rogue loops her arm around him. "But sometimes de red don' show. Or sometimes it's all red. Dunno why." Carefully, he drapes his own arm over her shoulder, looking for a long moment like he might be considering doing something to her cheek. In the end, however, he restrains--which is probably best for his state of consciousness.
Kess hasn't ever seen the effect that Rogue's power has first-hand, so she's not too worried as she snaps a picture of the couple. The camera spits out the square of shiny paper with a quiet whirr. She smiles fondly at the pose and will take another picture if they hold still long enough. "That's great. Thanks." The developing photos are flapped against the air from one hand.
"Don't even think about it," Rogue scolds Remy the moment the second picture has been safely snapped. "'Less you *wanna* fall over." Then again, doesn't he always seem to?
Now she's gone and made it a challange. They're on step 'two', right? "'Lways fallin' over." Remy tells her, his voice bright, before he's indeed leaning in and trying to plant the quickest of raspberries against Rogue's cheek. The worst she'll be flooded with is his boyish sense of triumph, the overwhelming mischevious urge that often takes him over, and just an echo of pain from the head-injury he has so far done very well to hide.
Kess gives the pair a curious look, watching only absently as Remy goes in for his kiss. She's not going to stare! She puts the camera back in her bag while they do that, glances at the photos, then slips them away as well. At least they didn't ask what she wanted them for.
Rogue's reaction is, in any case, immediate; she jerks away, smacking at Remy with an open hand. "You idiot!" she accuses, and into her Mississippi drawl has crept a certain lilt not unlike Remy's own accent. "What *is* it with you an' livin' on th' edge?"
The little lingering fingers of lightheadedness only encouarge him more, and Remy grins at Rogue, blaisely unrepentant. "Don't go nowhere stayin' in de middle," he claims, even as he's dancing away from her flailing hand. He'll let her bleed out the little bits of him that she's taken before he tries to get close again.
Kess blinks and watches the altercation with a note of puzzlement. She knows about Rogue's power, but she doesn't know /all/ of the implications. "Maybe I should have made your armour out of rubber, so you bounce when you fall down," she notes lightly, though there is a trace of concern underlying her tone. Look after yourself! She worries. Then she adds apologetically, "I should get going."
Rogue eyes Remy sternly before turning back towards Kess. "You take care, sugah - do Ah owe you anything for these?" She lifts the bag containing the new clothes by way of illustrating her meaning.
"Den I'd never get anywhere!" Remy says to Kess, tossing his hands playfully in the air. He is not at all feeling scolded. "I'd slip once an' jus' bounce all over de place. Non, merci, like de armor de way it is. I don' need to be testin' out for no human bouncy-ball competition."
"You could keep Jimmie company," Kess points out to Remy with a little grin. She looks to Rogue and shakes her head. "Don't worry about it now. Come by the store and we can work something out." She reaches a wing over to ruffle the Cajun's hair with the tip of it and goes to climb out of the window. "I'll see you guys soon, I hope?"
Rogue nods cheerfully. "No problem. Ah'll drop by th'store a l'il later this week, when Ah get th'time. An' thanks, honey. Tell Kurt Ah said hi when y'see him."
"Will do. You're welcome!" Kess casts the pair of them a smile and a wave back through the window, and then hops over the railing of the fire escape to take to the air.
Kess earns herself a bright wave before Remy is turning to face the proverbial music laid before him by Rogue. His grin is still broad and shameless, even as he seems to search her eyes for evidence of black or glow. Hiiiiii.
Rogue folds her arms over her chest and eyes Remy as sternly as she can manage, an effect spoiled slightly by the tendency of her mouth to quirk up at the corner. "Ah oughta knock you on your ass, boy."
"But y'ain't gonna, are ya?" Remy asks, cheekily as he dares, and he punctuates the question by bouncing on the balls of his feet. "See, dis's why I keep gettin' away wit' t'ings. Nobody never does not'in' 'bout it." Apparently, Gambit is feeling particularly pushy towards the edge.
Rogue pauses a moment, and then rolls her eyes, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Guess Ah just can't bring myself t'mess up that pretty face," she drawls. "'Course, you push your luck *too* far an' Ah might change my mind 'bout that."
Remy's eyebrows spike, even as his expression goes longer, insufferingly sly. "Ma chere, de day I push my luck too far, you ain't gonna *need* to worry 'bout messin' up my pretty face." And then, continuing one quite as if he hasn't just made a dark and almost maudlin allusion, "You hungry?"
It is perhaps just as well that Rogue doesn't quite get Remy's meaning. She eyes him dubiously for some moments, brows lifting, before finally she grins and lets her folded arms drop. "Ah could eat," she allows good-naturedly. "What you got in mind?"
"I don' know, I was gonna heat somet'in' up. 'Les *you* got somet'in' in mind." Remy gestures over his shoulder towards the kitchen. "'Course if you wan' somet'in' like a seven-course dinner wit' caviar, migh' take me a while."
Rogue rolls her eyes again, this time much more humorously. "Seven courses - what kinda appetite you think Ah got, boy? Don't worry, sugah, Ah think Ah can live without caviar this time." And she gives him a quick wink in case he didn't already know that the 'this time' was a joke.
Remy grins lopsidedly, taking a step backwards towards the kitchen. He's about to tell Rogue that his bank account thanks her, when he discovers that Jolie has chosen Exactly Behind Him to sleep, and there's a long theatrical moment where he pinwheels, trying to regain his balance without stepping on the dog. He manages not to actually fall over, but it's a close thing.
Rogue shouldn't laugh, really. She should be nice. And yet... somehow, she can't help it. "Smooth, sugah," she says, trying unsucessfully to hide her giggling behind a gloved hand. "Real smooth. For a guy who's s'posed t'be all agile an' shit, why is it you seem t'fall over so much?"
"Karma." Remy surls, staring at his very confused puppy for a long moment before turning back to the kitchen. "I coul' make sandwiches? Or soup. Or I got some stew I made coupla nights 'go dat I coul' put t'rough de oven." Jolie scuffles backwards away from Gambit, as if she's afraid that he's going to step on her again.
"Whatever you got, darlin'," Rogue says easily, and bends to offer poor Jolie a pat. "An' speakin' of fallin' over," she adds more wryly, "you wanna tell me how it is you managed t'whack your head this time?" No, that hint she absorbed didn't escape her completely.
Remy pauses, to look over his shoulder at Rogue with a flash of a guilty grin. "Stew it is, den. An' Kyrie did dat to me. Tried to t'rough me overboard!" Of course, she succeeded--much more than she meant to--but Gambit doesn't elaborate on that as he roots in the fridge for the tupperware container.
Rogue's brows lift, and after a brief ruffling of Jolie's ears she straightens up to trail after Remy into the kitchen and wonder, "Now, why'd she wanna go an' do a thing like that?" There's a trace of irony in Rogue's tone that suggests she can believe Remy provoked Kyrie into it.
"I called her a girl. Shoved me righ' over de rail." Remy says, dragging a pot down to put on the stove with his free hand. "Me bein' de agile guy I am, bounced off de hull on de way down." He's--yet again--lucky to be alive.
"Jesus, Remy." Rogue's voice is a little exasperated, a little humorous, but there's some real concern there too, now. That's closer than is comfortable for her, even if she's only hearing about it well after the fact. "You ain't even gotta be *tryin'* t'push your luck, do you?"
Remy shakes his head, gently, and in that motion the hair splays funny, reveals where there has been gauze taped to his skull, over the site of injury. "Nope, it pushes itself. Where's de poin' in walkin' anyt'in' else but de line, if I can' be on safe groun' even in de middle of de road?" So he mixes metaphors a little; Remy's meaning is still relatively clear in his mind, but he flickers a glance to Rogue to make sure she follows.
To that, Rogue can only laugh, and she moves across the kitchen to wrap her arms around Remy's waist and lean her cheek against the back of his shoulder in a sudden gesture of affection. "One of these days you're gonna scare me into a heart attack," she accuses fondly, "an' then you'll be sorry."
"Hey, mos' of dese I ain't even tryin'. Life jus' picks on me. You wanna take dat up wit' it, I don' mind." Remy pours the stew into the pot carefully, scraping the excess out with a wooden spoon before he shifts, trying to twist in Rogue's arms enough to sling one of his own arms around her, the slyness in his expression unable to completely hide his affection. "Don' you be goin' an' havin' no heart attacks on me, chere. Don' t'ink nobody'd be able to do much in de way of bloodwork on you."
Rogue leans contentedly against Remy's side, not much concerned with the fact that she's leaving him with only one hand with which to prepare the food. "Since you ask so nice," she drawls, eyes lidding, "Ah guess Ah better stay healthy."
Remy is managing to prepare the food with one hand very well, possibly because it only really requires stirring every once and a while. "Yeah," He says, eyes slipping off of her face back to the stew, "Didn' like de Martian Deat' Flu firs' time 'round." Nor the circumstances surrounding it. For a long moment, the Cajun is lost in thought.
"Mmm-hmm," Rogue agrees. "Ah didn't enjoy it too much myself. Don't mean t'be doin' that again."
"Les' not. I don' particularly wanna go back to wakin' up screamin', neit'er." All in all, those were bad times. Remy gives his head a little shake as if to clear it--which really only emphasizes, now, how long his hair is getting. It's nearly to his shoulders, now, when he doesn't have it pulled out of the way. "So how's 'bout we bot' stay healt'y an' sane, so we can keep de ot'er dat way?"
"Sounds good t'me." Rogue extricates one of her arms from around Remy, in order to reach up and ruffle the ends of his hair. "Ah'll promise f'you will." Not, of course, that it was either of their choice to begin with.
Remy grins, through the hair that always seems to fall Right In Front of his eyes, and his expression finally shades back to something much more like his usual impishness. "Now *dat*, chere, is a promise I can put m'self b'hind." And, more importantly, can put some measure of honesty and meaning to it, as much as it *is* out of his power.
Finis!
Remy's Apartment -- Greenwood Properties
It has been a long day, but Kess has been meaning to do this for a while. The sun is just heading down into the horizon when she arrives on Remy's fire escape. She's dressed in black pants and a red sweater, her usual satchel slung crosswise over her body to rest at her hip. It bulges, today. She lands lightly and folds her wings in close before hopping down closer to the window, and then raps on it lightly with her knuckles. She tries not to peer in /too/ much, because that's almost an invasion of privacy, but when she flies past personal windows all the time, she's not too picky about it.
Remy keeps the window open and the sash pulled up mostly because as many of his friends arrive this way as by the door. It's Jolie whose attention is drawn first, however--she'll pop up from beneath the level of the window to plant both paws against it and bark at Kess in three short, happy bursts of sound, her tail wagging behind her. She's looking more and more like a full grown dog every day. Remy appears from the bedroom wing only moments later, dressed in cutoff shorts and a tshirt that reads 'M*A*S*H 4077' across the chest. His first order of business is to get Jolie coralled, and then he's reaching out to open the windo and offer Kess a hand through, his grin broad. "Kess-bird!"
Kess smiles at the dog and crouches to offer a hand through, and an ear-ruffle. Jolie knows her, so she's not too afraid of being bitten. "Hey, Remy," she greets warmly, taking his hand more as an excuse for contact than because she /needs/ it to get through the window. Feathers rustle softly as she gets herself standing properly in his apartment, and then she gives his hand a squeeze. "Just thought I'd drop by. How're you doing?"
"Mostly up." Remy replies, warmly, even as Jolie dances around the pair's feet, giddy at the attention. Either Kess is recognized, or the shepherd is the worst guard dog ever. "Like 'lways, tryin to keep m'self outta trouble an' never quite succeedin'. Worried Deadpool's gonna take 'xception to me 'gain an' come try an' bust my face in. 'Gain."
Kess's expression falters at the mention of Deadpool and she gives Remy a concerned look. "He's still giving you trouble? Why?" She's going to have to have words with him, it seems. A hand will go to the dog's head for ear-ruffling if that head stays in range long enough.
Remy waggles his free hand through the air, carelessly. "Nonon, not real recently. But, see, not too long 'go I caugh' him tryin' to dump some poor homme off de side of a buildin'. Ended up roughin' him up a l'il. Me, I t'ink we's tit for tat now, but I can't never tell what's goin' on in dat head of his. Don' worry 'bout it." The injury that hides at the side of Gambit's head today has nothing at all to do with Wade Wilson.
Kess's head tilts to the side as she considers her friend, and then she gives his hand a little shake. "Well, I worry anyway," she tells him with a rueful smile. It's just how she is! A wing shifts and curls around Remy's back lightly. "How's Rogue doing? Is *she* managing to stay out of trouble?"
The Cajun grins, lifting his fingers to idly preen at Kess' wing, if she'll let him, responding to her familiar touch with touch of his own. "Manages it better dan I do, far as I know, but mebbe dat's b'cause she's invulnerable. Still workin' down at Ogori's, an' dey seem to like havin' her dere."
Ooo, that's nice, and the preening makes Kess's wing curl more securely around Remy. She likes that; so few people are allowed and fewer actually /do/ it. "I keep meaning to drop in there. I have some stuff for her-" she pats her satchel- "-so I was kinda hoping to catch her. Two birds with one stone, y'know?"
Standing almost directly in front of the open window to the Cajun's apartment, Remy and Kess are quite clearly visible to the outside world, Jolie just close enough to dance about and still garner scritches. With all the care Kess herself taught him, Gambit is preening a wing that the birdgirl has curled around him, smoothing feathers back into their proper order expertly. His eyes are more on the satchel she has just gestured to than the wing, however, eyebrows lifting curiously. "Well, I ain't 'lways up on her work schedule. She's prob'ly at Ogori's now. Whatcha got in dere?"
Kess's expression melts towards a quiet grin as the fingers of one hand tap on the fastening of her satchel. "Some things I was making for her. I don't think it'd be fair to let you peek, though." That's up to Rogue! And she has her suspicions about the likelihood of Remy peeking if she left it here. "I do have a favour that I was going to ask you." She likes the preening and leans into it a little bit. So nice to have someone else do that for her.
Speaking of the devil... It's just about now that a shadow flickers over the fire escape, and it's followed shortly by Rogue, descending through the air to land outside Remy's window. "'Loooo," she calls amiably, pausing with a hand on the sill. "Anybody home?"
Remy looks up, almost startled, to look over the edge of Kess' wing at Rogue, before the grin is breaking out over his face. "I oughta keep you 'round," He says, aside, to the birdgirl, as he smooths the last of the feathers back in place and takes a step back to greet Rogue herself. "If she's gonna show up ev'ry time you summon her. We was jus' talkin' 'bout you." This last, to Rogue, as the puppy tries to climb up Rogue's leg for attention as soon as it's inside the window.
Kess blinks at the window and folds her wing back out of Remy's way. The feathered limbs flip tightly to her back and she's a little shy as she smiles at Rogue. She doesn't know if Remy's girlfriend minds the whole wing-wrap thing. "Hey," she offers by way of greeting. Jolie's antics earn a brief, amused grin. That's so sweet.
Rogue laughs, bending to ruffle between Jolie's ears and along her neck. "Well, hello t'you too, girl," she says, and then grins up at Remy and Kess. "An' hello, stranger. Ain't seen you in a while, Kess, how you been?"
Jolie seems overjoyed at the attention, as always--now she has three people to dance between! If Remy ought to feel guilty for being caught in the act of preening, he doesn't seem to know it, only grinning brightly up at Rogue. "Kess her says she got some t'ings f'you but she won' let me peek. Lucky you came 'long or I mighta had to look on my own."
Kess gives Rogue a little shrug, relaxing into a warmer smile. "Not so bad. Up and down, y'know. Thought I'd drop by and catch up. How're you?" She gives Remy a sideways glance and shakes her head, amused. "I finished those things for you," she adds to Rogue, by way of explanation.
Things? Rogue looks blank for a moment or two, then--"Oh!" and she laughs. "Ah'd 'bout forgotten that," she admits. "Ah'm sorry, sugah, Ah shoulda checked back in with you 'fore now."
Remy's eyebrows slip a little higher along his forehead, as he looks between the two women. They aren't going to tell him what's in the bag, are they.
"It's okay," Kess assures Rogue with a little shake of her head. She flips the satchel open and plastic rustles as she fumbles around in there. She glances sideways at Remy and tries not to grin too much. "Things have been kinda busy lately." She pulls out a bag, neatly folded over the thick wad of what's inside, and offers it over to Rogue. "I'm sure you'll find out soon enough," she gives to Remy, feeling sorry for him.
Maybe Rogue feels a little sorry for Remy herself, or maybe she's just too pleased with the idea of her new things to bother with keeping secrets. Either way, the Cajun's curiosity will soon be assuaged; Rogue is already unfolding the bag to peek inside.
Yay, she's unwrapping it! Remy sidles behind Rogue to peek over her shoulder, ultimately curious even if he does have his suspicions what's in there. If she lets him, he'll even lean his chin on the top of her head, grinning to himself.
Kess shifts back a step and crouches to try to distract Jolie with ruffles. She watches Rogue with a curious tilt of her head, a smile lurking around her mouth. Inside the bag are garments of two distinct colours: dark red and deep green. In between the two is a folded wad of the nearly-transparent fabric, which will unfurl into a long-sleeved dress. The dark red garment is a somewhat smaller and less modest dress, intended to be worn under the first dress. The dark green is a tight-fitting shirt, its long sleeves missing shoulders and sections down the outer lines of the arms and sides, though more of the semi-there fabric covers over the exposed skin.
Rogue's grin broadens into a bright, pleased smile. "Perfect!" she declares, shaking out the red dress to hold it up against herself and admire. "An' just in time for th'warm weather, too." A quick turn serves more to flutter the fabric than to really show it off.
"Hey!" Remy says, straightening up to beam at Rogue. "Mebbe you act'lly get *tan* dis year." He reaches around, with careful but snitching fingers, trying to pick up the transparent dress just to give it a good looking-over. Curiousity, cat.
Lucky for Remy, the dress is unlikely to kill him, unless he manages to throttle himself with it. Kess rises and straightens the lie of her satchel, smiling brightly when the pair both seem pleased with the clothing. "Just let me know if any of it needs altering. I remember you said one time that you wanted something lighter for the summer." Rogue could wear a bikini under the overdress! If she wanted. The transparent fabric is heavier than it looks, which still isn't /that/ heavy, and feels a bit like soapy water against the skin.
"You think?" Rogue teases Remy, but she's too pleased with the new things to keep it up for long. "Ah'll let you know," she promises Kess, "but it looks great. You're a miracle-worker, sugah." She drapes the red dress over her forearm the better to shake out the green shirt and give it the same treatment.
Remy's grin goes lopsideded, as he holds the transulcent dress by its shoulders and seems to consider it on Rogue as he might a piece of clothing that *isn't* see-through. "F'a woman who can fly, you got a wide definition of 'miracle'." He teases right back, as if it might distract Rogue from the idea that he's probably envisioning her naked.
Kess nods at Rogue and grins at Remy, and then glances off to the side as she tries not to blush too much. It's almost getting to the point where she should leave them to... do whatever they want to with the clothing. "Thanks," she offers to the other woman, for the praise. "I'm glad you like them. Would... would you two mind if I took a picture of you?" Her hand rests on her satchel, waiting for the okay.
"Well," Rogue drawls easily, "Ah certainly don't mind... provided Remy wipes that *smirk* offa his face." She swats at the Cajun to punctuate the words, well aware of what it is he's probably imagining.
Gambit responds by ducking, holding the dress up between himself and Rogue as if it might protect him. "What smirk? I was born wit' dis face!" He probably was, knowing the Cajun. Sheepishly, Remy offers the dress. "Can use de bedroom 'f you wan'. Promise I won' peek."
Kess is trying not to think about what Remy's thinking and she ducks her head as she fumbles with her bag to take out her polariod camera. "Well, I'd like you to look as natural as possible," she tells them with a little, sneaking smile. They have to look like themselves! Smirks and all. "You don't have to get changed if you don't /want/. I just... I'm trying to get pictures of people." She shrugs lightly and fiddles with the camera.
Rogue shakes her head, laughing a little. "F'you're wantin' nat'ral, we'll save th'new clothes for a little later." She does take the dress back from Remy, to fold it and the other garments back up and slide them back into their bag, for the time being.
"I'll stay *put*," Remy says, his lopsided smile fading a little in terms of lechery to go a bit rueful instead, "But pictures of me don' always turn out right. De eyes." He gestures with one hand across the eyes in question, vaguely.
"Your eyes are nice," Kess says with a little denying shake of her head. Lots of people have red eyes in photos anyway! She gives them both a smile and lifts the camera, peeking over it, then through it, waiting until they seem at least a little composed before she asks, "Ready?"
"I t'ink dey're nice too," Remy says, grinning as Rogue loops her arm around him. "But sometimes de red don' show. Or sometimes it's all red. Dunno why." Carefully, he drapes his own arm over her shoulder, looking for a long moment like he might be considering doing something to her cheek. In the end, however, he restrains--which is probably best for his state of consciousness.
Kess hasn't ever seen the effect that Rogue's power has first-hand, so she's not too worried as she snaps a picture of the couple. The camera spits out the square of shiny paper with a quiet whirr. She smiles fondly at the pose and will take another picture if they hold still long enough. "That's great. Thanks." The developing photos are flapped against the air from one hand.
"Don't even think about it," Rogue scolds Remy the moment the second picture has been safely snapped. "'Less you *wanna* fall over." Then again, doesn't he always seem to?
Now she's gone and made it a challange. They're on step 'two', right? "'Lways fallin' over." Remy tells her, his voice bright, before he's indeed leaning in and trying to plant the quickest of raspberries against Rogue's cheek. The worst she'll be flooded with is his boyish sense of triumph, the overwhelming mischevious urge that often takes him over, and just an echo of pain from the head-injury he has so far done very well to hide.
Kess gives the pair a curious look, watching only absently as Remy goes in for his kiss. She's not going to stare! She puts the camera back in her bag while they do that, glances at the photos, then slips them away as well. At least they didn't ask what she wanted them for.
Rogue's reaction is, in any case, immediate; she jerks away, smacking at Remy with an open hand. "You idiot!" she accuses, and into her Mississippi drawl has crept a certain lilt not unlike Remy's own accent. "What *is* it with you an' livin' on th' edge?"
The little lingering fingers of lightheadedness only encouarge him more, and Remy grins at Rogue, blaisely unrepentant. "Don't go nowhere stayin' in de middle," he claims, even as he's dancing away from her flailing hand. He'll let her bleed out the little bits of him that she's taken before he tries to get close again.
Kess blinks and watches the altercation with a note of puzzlement. She knows about Rogue's power, but she doesn't know /all/ of the implications. "Maybe I should have made your armour out of rubber, so you bounce when you fall down," she notes lightly, though there is a trace of concern underlying her tone. Look after yourself! She worries. Then she adds apologetically, "I should get going."
Rogue eyes Remy sternly before turning back towards Kess. "You take care, sugah - do Ah owe you anything for these?" She lifts the bag containing the new clothes by way of illustrating her meaning.
"Den I'd never get anywhere!" Remy says to Kess, tossing his hands playfully in the air. He is not at all feeling scolded. "I'd slip once an' jus' bounce all over de place. Non, merci, like de armor de way it is. I don' need to be testin' out for no human bouncy-ball competition."
"You could keep Jimmie company," Kess points out to Remy with a little grin. She looks to Rogue and shakes her head. "Don't worry about it now. Come by the store and we can work something out." She reaches a wing over to ruffle the Cajun's hair with the tip of it and goes to climb out of the window. "I'll see you guys soon, I hope?"
Rogue nods cheerfully. "No problem. Ah'll drop by th'store a l'il later this week, when Ah get th'time. An' thanks, honey. Tell Kurt Ah said hi when y'see him."
"Will do. You're welcome!" Kess casts the pair of them a smile and a wave back through the window, and then hops over the railing of the fire escape to take to the air.
Kess earns herself a bright wave before Remy is turning to face the proverbial music laid before him by Rogue. His grin is still broad and shameless, even as he seems to search her eyes for evidence of black or glow. Hiiiiii.
Rogue folds her arms over her chest and eyes Remy as sternly as she can manage, an effect spoiled slightly by the tendency of her mouth to quirk up at the corner. "Ah oughta knock you on your ass, boy."
"But y'ain't gonna, are ya?" Remy asks, cheekily as he dares, and he punctuates the question by bouncing on the balls of his feet. "See, dis's why I keep gettin' away wit' t'ings. Nobody never does not'in' 'bout it." Apparently, Gambit is feeling particularly pushy towards the edge.
Rogue pauses a moment, and then rolls her eyes, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Guess Ah just can't bring myself t'mess up that pretty face," she drawls. "'Course, you push your luck *too* far an' Ah might change my mind 'bout that."
Remy's eyebrows spike, even as his expression goes longer, insufferingly sly. "Ma chere, de day I push my luck too far, you ain't gonna *need* to worry 'bout messin' up my pretty face." And then, continuing one quite as if he hasn't just made a dark and almost maudlin allusion, "You hungry?"
It is perhaps just as well that Rogue doesn't quite get Remy's meaning. She eyes him dubiously for some moments, brows lifting, before finally she grins and lets her folded arms drop. "Ah could eat," she allows good-naturedly. "What you got in mind?"
"I don' know, I was gonna heat somet'in' up. 'Les *you* got somet'in' in mind." Remy gestures over his shoulder towards the kitchen. "'Course if you wan' somet'in' like a seven-course dinner wit' caviar, migh' take me a while."
Rogue rolls her eyes again, this time much more humorously. "Seven courses - what kinda appetite you think Ah got, boy? Don't worry, sugah, Ah think Ah can live without caviar this time." And she gives him a quick wink in case he didn't already know that the 'this time' was a joke.
Remy grins lopsidedly, taking a step backwards towards the kitchen. He's about to tell Rogue that his bank account thanks her, when he discovers that Jolie has chosen Exactly Behind Him to sleep, and there's a long theatrical moment where he pinwheels, trying to regain his balance without stepping on the dog. He manages not to actually fall over, but it's a close thing.
Rogue shouldn't laugh, really. She should be nice. And yet... somehow, she can't help it. "Smooth, sugah," she says, trying unsucessfully to hide her giggling behind a gloved hand. "Real smooth. For a guy who's s'posed t'be all agile an' shit, why is it you seem t'fall over so much?"
"Karma." Remy surls, staring at his very confused puppy for a long moment before turning back to the kitchen. "I coul' make sandwiches? Or soup. Or I got some stew I made coupla nights 'go dat I coul' put t'rough de oven." Jolie scuffles backwards away from Gambit, as if she's afraid that he's going to step on her again.
"Whatever you got, darlin'," Rogue says easily, and bends to offer poor Jolie a pat. "An' speakin' of fallin' over," she adds more wryly, "you wanna tell me how it is you managed t'whack your head this time?" No, that hint she absorbed didn't escape her completely.
Remy pauses, to look over his shoulder at Rogue with a flash of a guilty grin. "Stew it is, den. An' Kyrie did dat to me. Tried to t'rough me overboard!" Of course, she succeeded--much more than she meant to--but Gambit doesn't elaborate on that as he roots in the fridge for the tupperware container.
Rogue's brows lift, and after a brief ruffling of Jolie's ears she straightens up to trail after Remy into the kitchen and wonder, "Now, why'd she wanna go an' do a thing like that?" There's a trace of irony in Rogue's tone that suggests she can believe Remy provoked Kyrie into it.
"I called her a girl. Shoved me righ' over de rail." Remy says, dragging a pot down to put on the stove with his free hand. "Me bein' de agile guy I am, bounced off de hull on de way down." He's--yet again--lucky to be alive.
"Jesus, Remy." Rogue's voice is a little exasperated, a little humorous, but there's some real concern there too, now. That's closer than is comfortable for her, even if she's only hearing about it well after the fact. "You ain't even gotta be *tryin'* t'push your luck, do you?"
Remy shakes his head, gently, and in that motion the hair splays funny, reveals where there has been gauze taped to his skull, over the site of injury. "Nope, it pushes itself. Where's de poin' in walkin' anyt'in' else but de line, if I can' be on safe groun' even in de middle of de road?" So he mixes metaphors a little; Remy's meaning is still relatively clear in his mind, but he flickers a glance to Rogue to make sure she follows.
To that, Rogue can only laugh, and she moves across the kitchen to wrap her arms around Remy's waist and lean her cheek against the back of his shoulder in a sudden gesture of affection. "One of these days you're gonna scare me into a heart attack," she accuses fondly, "an' then you'll be sorry."
"Hey, mos' of dese I ain't even tryin'. Life jus' picks on me. You wanna take dat up wit' it, I don' mind." Remy pours the stew into the pot carefully, scraping the excess out with a wooden spoon before he shifts, trying to twist in Rogue's arms enough to sling one of his own arms around her, the slyness in his expression unable to completely hide his affection. "Don' you be goin' an' havin' no heart attacks on me, chere. Don' t'ink nobody'd be able to do much in de way of bloodwork on you."
Rogue leans contentedly against Remy's side, not much concerned with the fact that she's leaving him with only one hand with which to prepare the food. "Since you ask so nice," she drawls, eyes lidding, "Ah guess Ah better stay healthy."
Remy is managing to prepare the food with one hand very well, possibly because it only really requires stirring every once and a while. "Yeah," He says, eyes slipping off of her face back to the stew, "Didn' like de Martian Deat' Flu firs' time 'round." Nor the circumstances surrounding it. For a long moment, the Cajun is lost in thought.
"Mmm-hmm," Rogue agrees. "Ah didn't enjoy it too much myself. Don't mean t'be doin' that again."
"Les' not. I don' particularly wanna go back to wakin' up screamin', neit'er." All in all, those were bad times. Remy gives his head a little shake as if to clear it--which really only emphasizes, now, how long his hair is getting. It's nearly to his shoulders, now, when he doesn't have it pulled out of the way. "So how's 'bout we bot' stay healt'y an' sane, so we can keep de ot'er dat way?"
"Sounds good t'me." Rogue extricates one of her arms from around Remy, in order to reach up and ruffle the ends of his hair. "Ah'll promise f'you will." Not, of course, that it was either of their choice to begin with.
Remy grins, through the hair that always seems to fall Right In Front of his eyes, and his expression finally shades back to something much more like his usual impishness. "Now *dat*, chere, is a promise I can put m'self b'hind." And, more importantly, can put some measure of honesty and meaning to it, as much as it *is* out of his power.
Finis!