Angel and Rogue (Backdated)

[x-firestar.livejournal.com]

Angel and Rogue meet in the boathouse, and in the course of the conversation Angel gets a unicorn. Backdated to November 9.



Blue was easily one of her favourite colours, she thought to herself as she worked on an abstract piece. The clarity of the blue, along with the subtle nuance of yellow, was exactly what she was going for.

She found abstracts both appealing and frustrating in its potential. After so many portraits and landscapes,it was fun to let loose.

Rogue was so engrossed with her painting that she didn't even notice Angel stepping out of the darkroom


"Oh, pretty!"

Normally Angel knew not to bother an artist at work, it could be very distracting. But she'd been in the dark room for hours, and the blue and yellow being the first thing she saw when she came out had been a nice surprise. So the words had slipped out.

"Sorry!" She apologized quickly, realizing her mistake. "I didn't mean to distract you, I'm sorry."

Rogue jumped a little, her brush leaving more paint intended. Tilting her head, she looked around until she found a white to smudge into the mistake. "It's okay," she assured Angel. "No harm done, sugar. I was wonderin' when you'd get outta there. You've been there for ages. Did you finish what you're workin' on?"

"I wish," Angel groaned, dropping onto the couch in a dramatic way. "It's my final project for my seminar class, for some reason I thought an in-depth analysis of photography and its advancement through the ages was a good idea. I've still got five rolls to develop from the nineties but my eyes needed sunlight."

Rogue chuckled sympathetically. "I remember those days. Didn't get into art until college, and I always wondered how they were gonna mark something so subjective." She put down her brush and got up. "Want me to make you a coffee? Or do you want some help?"

"Oh I'm good on both notes," Angel said with a bright grin. "Downed two pots of coffee before I went in-" Straight from the pot, Lorna hadn't been too impressed, "and honestly it's something I gotta do on my own. I mean, it's fun, I got my hands on a camera from like, the nineteen-fifties, that was a blast to work with. Photography just has a long history."

Nodding, Rogue reached up and stood on her toes, stretching her arms behind her back‎. "Sure does. I'm fascinated by that stuff, all those old pictures." She gave a little laugh. "Went threw a kinda goth pha‎se, and was obsessed with those death pictures. Looking back, it's sad that those were the only way people could remember their loved ones, but at the time, all I could think was how metal of them."

Angel laughed a bit at that. "Photography's magical, even if it is sad sometimes. If you're ever interested you can join me in the dark room. Company's always nice." It was too dark in there sometimes. Angel was used to it, but it was still oppressive.

"I'll take ya up on that one day." Rogue sat back down and picked her brush again. "Want a picture? I can draw you however you'd like. You'd look lovely as a unicorn."

"Ooooooh, a unicorn!" Angel said excitedly, grinning. "I don't want to take you away from what you're doing though. Bad enough I messed you up already."

Rogue was already preparing an easel, and mixing her paints. "Best damn unicorn ever," she said. "Watercolours. Pastels. I bet there's even some glitter. And you didn't mess me up, it was meant to be." She gasped. "Don't tell me you're not a hippy photographer. All artists have to believe in serendipity, kismet, fate, whatever."

Angel laughed at that, straightening up and crossing her legs under herself. "Whatever will be will be," she said with a grin, flashing Rogue a peace sign. "I don't know if I believe in fate per say though."

"Oh?" She picked up her brush, and started a black background. "I don't believe in fate like how the Secret works. Send good feelings out into the world and get it back. Bullcrap." Rogue shook her head. "Y'all still gotta work for it,but realize when ya should give up. No sense going up shit creek with one paddle."

Angel thumbed at her camera, head tilted as she thought. "I think...some things are meant to happen. Like us being mutants. Yeah, okay, it's science, but I think it's fate too. Like, there are no mutants in my family, and yet I have an active X-Gene. If that's not fate I don't know what is. So yeah, I think some things are meant to happen, but what we do with those things that happen is up to us."

"My real mother is a mutant," Rogue blurted out. "Kurt's mother and mine. My biological family. Out of my adoptive family, I was the only mutant.‎ It may have been shitty luck, but if it wasn't for that, I'd never have met Logan or wound up here at the Mansion. Course, " she added, still working on the background, "alternate Rogue might've lived a happy life in Mississippi, with everyone jus' scared of her. I wanted to be a teacher, isn't that funny? And now I live in a school."

"I knew about that," Angel told her with a gentle smile. It had been in some old X-Men files, one of those details that had stood out. "Sometimes genetics is just genetics. But hey that can still be fate. You ended up in a family that eventually put you in a position to end up here. So the cycle still works somewhere."

"Exactly. Que sera, sera." Now that the background was done, she started mixing her golds and yellows. She had decided that oils would work better than watercolours and had extracted her palette. "How'd you end up here, if you don't mind me askin'."

Angel was distracted for a moment as she watched Rogue work. "Oh. Uh...blew up my mother's car. No casualties. Parental types called Xavier's because as much as they love me the threat of me randomly exploding was...not safe, and Guthrie the First came to collect me."

There was a rhythm that occurred ‎ as she moved her brush in the paint was calming. She loved oil painting,tending to use a more water based so that it would be dry in a few days rather than a few weeks. Putting down the palette, she got a few rags out and her assortment of brushes. "That's rough," she said. "I always wondered why there's no mutant reality show. 'My First Time'. I'd love to see who they'd cast as me."

"Give it time." Angel laughed. "I'm sure someone will come up with it eventually. Hmmmmm." She pressed her lips thin as she examined Rogue, thinking. "I don't remember her name right now, but there's this actress who plays on a vampire show...you kind of look like her."

"I've heard that before. Can't remember her name either, so she must not be that important." Finally picking up a board brush, she began with a dark yellow, lightened up slightly by a thick white. It was important to start with the body of the unicorn, and then add the accents. "Out of all the reality tv out there, what do you think would be the best for mutants? I mean, I'd win hands down on Survivor or Wipeout."

The redhead's eyes lit up as she watched Rogue work. "Uh, there's this show, I've seen commercials for it before it's called Naked and Afraid and basically you're put out in the middle of nowhere...well, naked. Not really too keen on that, but I'd pretty much survive any weather condition and I can make my own fire so you know...vote in my favor there."

"I'd take you on that," she answered, laughing. "I haven't seen that show yet. Why would someone want to be naked and afraid? I definitely couldn't do that show. It'd be more like "naked and then murdered' or something. Deadly skin. I have the most useless mutant power."

"I think they pay them absurd amounts of money or something. Who knows." Angel laughed. "Nah man, you've got a pretty nifty power. I mean, inconvenient at times for sure, but you can borrow mutations. So many possibilities."

Rogue nodded. "That's one way to look at it.". The form of the unicorn was slowly coming to shape. "Sometimes, I can even take on their physical appearance. Eye colour, random stuff like that.". She picked up a larger fan brush and started spreading the colours out. "And memories. That's the weird part. After I absorbed Logan, I wanted nothing more to smoke a cigar and speak in Japanese."

"Bleck." Angel made a face at that. "I mean, speaking Japanese is cool and if you actually got some Japanese from him then awesome but I don't recommend taking up cigars. Gross."

"They grow on you," she admitted. "Sometimes, I still find myself reaching for a stogie, enjoying that first smell.". She closed her eyes and smiled. "Heaven. Especially if you're watching a game of hockey. There's gotta be something you enjoy that makes others go Bleck...peanut butter and pickle sandwiches? unsweetened tea?"

"Well yeah but I mean I've got a steel stomach." Angel made a face. "I dunno, something about cigars. I had a grandfather who smoked cigars when I was kid, the smell always kind of made me gag."

"Did you like your grandfather?"‎

"Well yeah. I mean, I think I did. Honestly I was three when he died, all I really remember was that he smell like cigars and he had a beard that tickled. But I assume I liked him."

Rogue gave a little nod. "Sometimes we associate smells with memories. That's why I asked. Cigars are definitely an acquired taste. I like them better than cigarettes or pot though."

"I dunno, I guess I'm just of the opinion that I smoke enough without any outside help," she gave a small smirk at that.

It took Rogue a minute to get it, but when she did, she laughed heartily. "Y'all have a good ‎attitude, y'know? Full of sunshine and lollipops and all that. Have you always been like that?"

Angel laughed. "Pretty much, yeah. The way I see it you can look at the world two ways -- you can be constantly bitter and unhappy or you can see the best in everything and try to make things better. And honestly the second one makes everyone happier."

"I wish I had that attitude. I tend to hold grudges and boy, am I ever quick to anger sometimes.‎" She smoothed out a line, and picked up a small flat headed chisel to add texture. "Must be the southern, hey? All that heat, jus' makes us crazy. I try to count to ten, but when a person's bothered me, well. That's that."

"Hey, that's not horrible either," Angel said as she watched the picture come together. "Sometimes a grudge is good. I mean, as long as you don't let it poison you. But it's a reminder. Hey, this person screwed me before. Let's not be so quick to trust them."

"Seriously, is that your mutant power? The ability to turn everything into a positive."‎. Rogue was only mostly joking. "Cause next time I get into trouble, i'm calling you! Best spin doctor, this part o' New York."

"Oh that's not a mutation," Angel said with a wink. "That's natural born talent."

"Either way, still amazin'‎." Now was the fun part. The unicorn was clearly outlined, so it was time to start putting in the details. Mixing a dark blue, almost black, she dipped a brush into the mixture, and slowly started to put in the details. "You lead the New Mutants right? How's that going?"

"I don't know if I lead them so much as I try to keep them out of trouble - I'm not good at either." Angel laughed. "It's going well though. They're dropping like flies though, people keep leaving."

"Teenagers, am I right?" her tongue peeked out of her lips while she tried to concentrate. "Is it just me or is it more like people jus' ain't comin' here like they used to? I know the Professor has been real particular about who comes here but yah... just a thought." She straightened up and stretched her neck side to side. "Course, it also seems like there's more ‎mutants than before in general." A pause. "I'm not really sure what i'm tryin' to say, actually. Paintin gets mah brain all scrambled sometimes."

"No, I get it. A couple years ago we had a huge group of New Mutants. Now it's like...I mean, they graduate, obviously, and that makes sense. But people aren't really coming anymore. But I mean, that might be a good thing too. Some kids come here because they need help controlling their powers, but some of them end up here because it's dangerous for them to stay home or their parents don't accept them. So in that way maybe having less students is good thing. It means their parents aren't booting them out of the house."

"All good points." The flame unicorn was almost complete. Mixing a few colours for the accenting, she ‎focused hard, and almost forgot Angel was in the room. Another ten minutes passed in near silence before Rogue finally looked up, proud of herself.

"Et voila! A unicorn befitting a firestar. Whaddaya think?"

Angel sat patiently, waiting. Her eyes lit up when she saw the finally product. "Pretty! It shall hang in a museum next to the Mona Lisa someday."

Rogue snorted. "Hardly. But I'm glad you like it." Standing up, she bent down to touch her toes, wincing a little. "Sure can't sit for hours like I used to," she teased. "This'll have to hang here for at least a week or so. I use those newer oil paints so it don't take months to fully cure, but still." She looked out the window and sighed. "And now the sun's gone. Spent the whole day paintin' and missed it again." Rogue snapped her fingers and grinned. "Darn, eh? Although I have to say, I'm super hungry now. What say we go and get some grub?"

"Hey it's better than wasting the day in the Danger room or something." Angel giggled as she stood, stretching. "But hey, food! Totally just said the magic words there." She grabbed Rogue's sleeve, dragging her out like a child. "Let's go!"