2012-11-07 Three Of A Kind

It is not often that Rogue allows herself to spread her proverbial wings but this afternoon just screamed out 'take to the air', encouraging her to take to the skies and fly. Her initial intention was to stay close to home but as soon as the enjoyment started to kick in that plan was thrown to the winds and her travel plans changed, bringing her to Metropolis for the first time. As she flies she keeps just high enough to escape casual observation from the pedestrians below while trying to keep low enough to be able to enjoy the sights as she moves above them.
After his rehabilitation, Warren has pretty much gone back to his usual level of activity. He hasn't gone back to moping and hiding though. Maybe the time spent in the coma...or the time recuperating from it made him decide that he was going to start handling things in a different way. He set up a meeting with some investors in Metropolis, despite the fact that he was an open Mutant in these delicate times, and went off to a business meeting...without his father's knowledge.
Rogue is not alone in the skies. Ororo Munroe arrived in the city late last night in order to interview two prospective students living in Metropolis. Getting from one child's home to the other, then back to her hotel took extensive use of the city's public transit system, which is itself not a bad thing... unless one is as claustrophobic as Storm. Finding a place quiet enough to let the winds carry her off the ground, she does just that, letting out an audible sigh of relief... and failing to notice the Southern Belle flying right over head.
It feels so... strange. Normally she's the only one in the air without the use of an airplane or similar vehicle, the ability to fly by one's own power not exactly what she'd consider to be common. But here she is and then Warren is caught sight of, his own path followed quickly as if by instinct. She doesn't catch enough of his facial details just yet to figure out who he is but she's trying to see if he is someone she might know or not, her attentiveness on him making her fly right past Ororo almost, the other woman not yet noticed at the same time she doesn't yet see Rogue.
Warren is pretty easy to spot; he's the guy with the big, white wings. He's probably getting stares and scowls, but at this point, he's ignoring them as he walks along the sidewalk with his bluetooth in his ear. It seems that he's diving headfirst back into the Business World -- if no one is going to care that he's a mutant, he's not going to wonder about them.
Of course, he wasn't expecting to see another familiar face up in the skies with another flier not too far behind. Blue eyes watch the two as they fly overhead...maybe Metropolis is used to it?
Ororo's eyes widen slightly in surprise upon spotting Warren- and even more so when his gaze makes her turn her head to see Rogue. It takes her a few minutes to find somewhere unseen to set herself back down, then another few to catch back up to Warren on foot. "Warren," she says warmly upon doing so, immediately linking her arm with his, and ignoring the nasty looks from other people- and perhaps casting a few right back at them. "I... suspect we've caught someone else's attention," she muses in a quieter voice as she fusses with an intricately dyed fabric scarf.
The one who has been following from above comes to a landing a few yards away, causing a few people to scatter out of fear that something is about to happen. Imagine their surprise when Rogue breaks into a wide smile and actually waves. So much for a fight. "Hi, y'all. Ah'm sorry if Ah'm intrudin' but Ah noticed..." Warren is looked at directly as she blushes. "You kinda stand out in a crowd," she murmurs, sounding embarrassed at herself. Ororo is noticed now and the lady's given a wave, Rogue's smile broadening. "Ah can leave if Ah'm jus' gonna be a pest or somethin'."
Warren looks over as Ororo links her arm in his, "I didn't realize people flew all about Metropolis. Maybe I should move here...fit in better." As the other woman lands not far away, he smiles back and approaches with Ororo if she allows, "You're not intruding. I just didn't expect to see so many people flying about this city. Is that a usual thing?"
"I'm not sure about here," Ororo starts to say. "I simply... needed to-" she stops, as Rogue approaches. "It's fine. It's hardly every day one gets to meet another with /that/ particular ability in common," she assures the young woman. She relaxes, a little, glad that this isn't going to become one of those 'meet another superpowered type and immediately attack each other before realizing you're on the same side' sort of things.
"Ah ain't never been here mahself so Ah don't know how common it is," Rogue says while reaching up, brushing an errant strand of white hair from her face. The others are considered before she adds quietly, "Ah know there are other heroes here but Ah couldn't even begin to guess how many of 'em fly like we do." She takes the hand she just ran through her hair and offers it to Ororo first, her manners on full display. "Mah name's Rogue. It's very nice to meet you." Once the handshake with the other woman is completed the hand gets offered to Warren.
Warren takes the offered hand and gives it a firm shake, "I'm not a hero. Just a guy with wings." He smiles his best charming smile as he says that, "And I'm the one who has been walking." Even if it's not how he got here from New York. "More of us seem to be showing ourselves despite the lobbying for legislation against us. The endurance and hope of the human spirit will prevail, I guess."
Storm takes the woman's hand in both her own and clasps it for a moment between them in a gentle, but friendly shake. "Ororo. And... I don't think hero is really quite the word for me either," she admits. "I admit I was only in the sky tonight for selfish reasons," she says, with a faint smile. "There are some nights one simply has to feel... free."
THe smile she recieves from Warren helps put Rogue at ease as does Ororo's welcoming nature, everything about how they are helping to make her feel a little less awkward. "Ah can't say anythin' about flying for selfish reasons," she manages to get out before a fit of the giggles settles in, the sound of which gets her to roll her eyes at herself. "Ah'm jus' glad Ah ain't the only one who likes to do that jus' for the sake of doin' so." The laughter subsides as does the heat to her cheeks, thankfully doing so quickly. Means the others won't have her dying of embarrassment on them. "Not that Ah like lables," she continues after a second, "but what do you consider yourselves to be if y'all aint heroes?"
Warren lets the two women sort of talk as he watches them both. Sometimes a man just needs to stand aside. When Rogue asks the direct question he turns his eyes on her to answer, a proud set to his chin, "Mutants. Heroes wear spandex and go around in bright colors." He's wearing a business suit, albeit impeccably cut.
Ororo thinks about that, and tilts her head a bit to Warren. "I was going to say 'people,' but I suppose, with things going the way they are," she frowns a touch. "There are those who might disagree. Identifying as both is important. Mutant. Person." She pauses for a moment to stare down a man trying to take a picture of Warren on his phone. Evidently, /icy glares/ are as powerful as displays of her actual powers, because he soon hurries off, looking like an admonished child.
The photographer's given a glare from Rogue as well although her own probably isn't quite as cold as Ororo's was. Would probably help if hers wasn't given to the guy until after he turned around to leave. Oh well. "Ah'm one too. Ah mean a mutant." Pause. "Not that Ah look like one." Truly, there's nothing odd about her to hint to her being different. Not even her hair screams 'mutant' as it looks like she just attempted to be trendy or relive the old punk rock days from the 1980s. "So how do things treat y'all? Ah know people ain't happy with anyone who is different..."
Warren didn't even notice the photographer...or maybe he just ignored it. When Rogue mentions that she's also a mutant but 'doesn't look it', his lips twist before he glances briefly to Ororo. His answer is really given for both, "No one seems to care. I thought they might, but...they really don't. It's why I often wonder what all this fuss is about."
"Racism is, generally, more subtle than expected, I find," Ororo says. "It's far easier to imagine someone screaming slurs and throwing stones and assume that's all one has to fear in that regard, than to face the more subtle, constant presence of oppressive ideals. Hatred is still there, and dangerous. But I think it's also losing its power. There is progress."
"Ah don't get it mahself," she says in agreement with Warren, Rogue pausing only to stick out her tongue although when she speaks again it's to both of them, not just the winged man. "Ah am thinkin' that everythin' will calm down soon," she says wishfully although... well, her expression does not match her tone so maybe she doesn't quite believe things are on the downswing. "But Ah guess there's no sense in worrying about it until it's time. Otherwise we'll jus' make ourselves all paranoid."
Warren continues to look between the two, "I think most people really don't care, Ororo. Some may shout and shout loudly, but there aren't many people really listening to them. I don't think people actually realize that. I suppose I should be happy for their ambivalence because it means that I and my friends don't get harassed."
Ororo goes silent for a moment when a tinny-sounding little tune starts playing from her coat pocket. "Ah, I'm sorry," she apologizes as she takes a cell phone out and makes a concerned face at the number. One of the students she'd just visited. "I... think this may be important," she says, and excuses herself to take the call.
"Harassment is not fair no matter who ya are," Rogue says before Ororo has to excuse herself, the manner in which she does getting the belle to boggle slightly. "Hmmm. Ah do hope everythin is a'ight," she adds, mostly spoken to herself despite how there's no effort made to keep her voice down. There's nothing she can do in the way of offering help however and she reaches up to rub sheepishly at her neck.
Warren glances over to Ororo as she takes the call before he looks back to Rogue, "She's a teacher. I'm sure everything is fine..." but they're in the middle of Metropolis and some subjects can be delicate. "Harassment isn't fair or right, but a lot of people do it out of fear, ignorance, or just plain stupidity. They want to get a rise out of you. If you don't give it to them, most of the time they just walk away."
"Ah was taught to be a fighter," Rogue confesses, mentioning that as casually as some people mention the weather or the color of their socks. She's referring to her time spent in the Brotherhood, not that Warren will know that, a part of her past she has been trying to move past and managing to do so albeit a lot slower than she hoped to. "Ah'm jus' as guilty of the same kinda behavior. But Ah'm trying to get over that now."
"Now, I didn't say let them walk all over you," Warren's smile is a little wry at that, "Believe me, that isn't going to do anything but make you feel bad. But it helps if you know what battles to really fight. Not all of them are worth it, if you ask me. Took me a while to learn that lesson..."
"Ya jus' need to find the line, which is kind of hard." Rogue smiles and shakes her head. "Ah got a long way to go before Ah can say Ah got it all figured out. But maybe someday Ah'll be able to say Ah know how to handle people who are haters without resorting to knockin' 'em out."
Warren lifts a shoulder, his wings flaring slightly to compensate for the brief change in balance, "Some need to be knocked out, but some can be taught. It might take a while, but...look. I thought there would be this huge deal when I announced that I was a mutant and revealed my wings. It really wasn't. It's sort of why I'm surprised that there's all of a sudden this big Registration argument. It felt sudden...it felt...like someone is trying to rile folks up. I don't really get it."
Rogue has seen some of the tension where the subject of the Registration goes first hand, having witnessed some unpleasantness in New York City, it being something she's a bit angry about even now. "Ah jus' hope we can stop it all before it comes crashin' down around us," she eventually says, the emotion she feels barely creeping up in her voice now.
And Warren has only encountered ambivalence in New York City. "I hope we can too. I hope that enough people see reason that it will get voted down, but...I'm afraid of those who are fighting back showing greater power. If they show that they can just mow over others...it's not going to help the cause."
A hand slips into her pocket and she pulls out her phone. Rogue about to offer her contact information to Warren if he would like it. "Reason is like common sense," she grumbles before taking to smiling helplessly, the smile shifting to a sad little grin. "But maybe there'll be more of us than 'em and we can put this dog to rest."
Warren smirks, "There's also the issue of using valuable tax dollars to build the...camps they're proposing. They'd have to be able to create something that can hold us...and from those that I know, it's going to be almost impossible. It certainly couldn't be done quickly and then we'll just be fighting back if that's what it comes down to."
Ah yeah. The camps. Kind of a throwback to when the Jewish and Japanese people were put into camps, isn't it? The mere thought gets her to frown deeply when she thinks about that, a thought that chills Rogue clear down to her bones. "Ah doubt they'll get that kinda fundin'," she says although there's worry to be heard. It's like she believes that they will be able to. What will happen then?
"They won't. That's the thing. The people won't want to be taxed and they won't want to have to pay for it. The corporations...I don't think they'll want to get entangled and it's going to be far more than any one entity could ever afford." Warren says this with an air of certainty, as if he's actually tried to cost the project out. "Also, how would they be able to tell for most people? You don't look it, as you said...and neither does Ororo. If they're judging on appearance, it goes back to racism which will always cause alarm."
"They couldn't put people who don't look like one in 'em... unless..." Rogue's eyes go wide suddenly and then she winces, looking like something cause her a sudden bout of pain. "They could test people, though. Make everyone give some blood or something, couldn't they?" She doesn't really trust the government and it's starting to show more and more. "Ah don't even want to think about it. Just... it makes mah blood feel icy. Like someone pushed me into a frozen lake."
Warren shakes his head, "In theory, sure, but in practice? Do you really think they're going to get however many billions of people to consent to a blood test to see if they should be shoved into a camp? There are so many holes to their argument it's not even funny."
Warren makes a lot of sense, there. And it's a good thing he does as it helps put Rogue at ease, some. "Yer right. Ah'm sorry. Ah don't mean to be so paranoid. Ah just don't want to see such hateful jerks win." Rogue takes a slow, deep breath in only to wind up exhaling it in what can only be described as a sigh. "Oh... Ah was gonna ask. Would ya like to trade phone numbers or something?"
And that question gets a grin. He does nod and reach into a pocket to pull out his own phone, "Sure, I'd be happy to exchange phone numbers. I'm usually in New York, but..." he glances over his shoulder to indicate his wings, "I can get most places fairly easily."
FTB
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