14002/How'd it Feel to Dance With Yourself

How'd it Feel to Dance With Yourself
Date of Scene:	30 January 2023
Location:	Recreation Room
Synopsis:	Rogue and Jamie discuss having many minds in the mind.
Cast of Characters:	Jamie Madrox, Rogue

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Jamie Madrox has posed:
It's been a few days since Rogue's birthday party. Jamie has not been seen at the Mansion, perhaps lying low for fear of retribution for the chaos that his Rogue-ish birthday trick/gift unleashed. But all good things must come to an end, and so too does the Manion's Jamie-Free period.

He made his way back in without ceremony, just a long single Jamie, and camped out at a spot off to the side. Figuring it is always good to know the temperature around the place before he just wanders its halls. It is not fun being forcibly ejected from the Mansion.

Rogue has posed:
As Jamie just stands around in the rec room, a few people pass by outside of it after a few minutes. One of whom is Rogue herself. She catches a glimpse of him just standing in there though, and suddenly stops, with one hand slapping on the doorframe. She parts ways with the other two she was walking with with a passing few words, then appears around the edge of the hallway doors.

"Maaaddrox...." She says in her naturally huskiy hued tone of voice. A smile shows on her visage as she walks toward him, dressed casually in a grey pullover hoodie with the X-school branding on the front, a pair of blue jeans and some leather boots that end just past her ankles.

"How ya doin?" She asks him, her hands inside the front pockets of the hoodie. "Did your friends all come back okay?" She has to ask of him, of course!

Jamie Madrox has posed:
Usually, hearing his name called initiates a fight or flight response, and it still may, but at least for the moment Jamie is remaining much where he is. "Well if it isn't the recent birthday girl herself," he replies, offering a smile towards Rogue as she heads over in his direction.

"I'm doing just fine, and yeah, all of me came back as they should." He flashes a grin and runs a hand through his hair. Despite being indoors, he is still wearing that trademark brown trenchcoat over a pair of a jeans and a dark navy blue turtleneck. "The better question is what happened with all of the YOUs that were running around." He glances around for a moment, as if checking to see if any others were still lingering around somewhere. "I admit I was not entirely sure how it would work, other than creating them. So I am really curious how that was." A pause. "And if you enjoyed yourself as fully as I hope that you did."

Rogue has posed:
The Belle just stands there observing him as he responds to her. She does glance to the left across the room toward the seating area where kids are usually playing video games, but they're all outside this afternoon for a mandatory exercise period.

"After the party eased up, we just went up t'my room an' watched old movies." She says, plurally referring to herself and her dupes. "We were gettin' pretty sloshed though, so we had to stay in the room, as t'not make a fool of ourselves in fronta any'a the kids." She adds with a little grin. "After I passed out, I dunno what happened. By the time I woke up again, they were all gone. Kinda sad, really... Feels like a buncha new people, new friends, just up'n died on me after just a few hours'a fun with'em."

A reserved smile is shown for his sake then as she lightly rocks forward and back on her booted feet. "Was a good time though... Who knew I was so fun t'hang out with, huh?"

Jamie Madrox has posed:
Thinking for a moment on Rogue's statements, Jamie nods, the smile fading at least a little bit. "Yeah. You kind of get used to that, after a while. Having friends to hang with that just...well, go away. Not really die, but just aren't there." He taps the side of his head. "Although some of it is still there, what they did, what they learned, what they felt. So you get to see an appreciation for yourself from outside, which is...something." He sighs for a moment, perhaps letting a small trace of actual feeling show through despite the usual veneer of his lackadaisacal demeanor.

"Do you still remember everything each of your yous did? Or did that not come back to you? For me, I usually pull it all back, and assimilate all of the experiences, but I figured, with you, if the power faded before they did...who knows?"

He watches her move, eyes slowly going back and forth as well. "I always figured you would be fun to hang out with. Certainly seemed that way at the party."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue is just gently nodding to what he's saying about his own experiences with his mutation. The last part has her flash him a grin then.

"Yeah. I still got memories from them at the party. It is kinda weird... but, then again, I've been dealin' with my mutation for a decade now, an' it always feeds me people's memories when I absorb them too. Those never really go away, even if the power itself does.... Like, your dupes smoochin my cheeks gave me some glimpses in to their memories too. Like the three of you schemin' the plan prior to attack..."

She grins again then before stepping over to the counter, taking her hands from the hoodie and setting them on the corner of the marbile countertop of the island counter.

"It was a good time though. I mean, as far as mutations go, you got a good one there, I'd say." She says that last bit a little quiter and chases the words with another smile. "So good gift."

Jamie Madrox has posed:
There is at least something of a flush to Jamie's cheeks at the notion that Rogue had access to his memories during the scheming phase. There /may/ have been a bit more enjoyment at the idea of gift delivery via smooch than just gift delivery alone, but certainly Rogue is no stranger to such things.

"I hadn't really thought about that. In a way, you've got more minds floating around in there than I do. At least for me, it's all me's, and I generally think alike about most things. Just have different experiences, and ..."

He trails off for a bit in thought, glancing at her hands, and then back to her face. He sighs softly. "Yeah. I can't really argue. Mine is low on negative side effects, and..." He nods to her again. "I'm glad you enjoyed it," he says quietly, deciding to navigate away from the waters of Rogue's own mutation, be they troubled waters or not.

Rogue has posed:
A half smirk is shown from the Mississippi Belle then at some of what he says. "This is why I was thrilled t'find the brain people that this school offers. The Professah, Jean... Hell even Emma. They sorted me out pretty good up in my mind. They've even been findin' methods t'help me sort it all myself. So touchin' people, absorbin' them, it's not quite as detrimental t'my well bein' as it used t'be..." She says. "In fact, I can control it, so long as I'm not afraid or angry. That's what allowed you t'get past my blocker. You startled me." She says with a grin.

"But yeah, good times. Probably for the best that the five of'em that I summoned didn't stick around too much longa either.... I might have ruined this whole place with my inevitable antics if they had." She can't help but show another grin then as she walks down the island counter now and reaches for one of the bowls of fruit. She plcusk out a grape and tosses it in to her mouth then.

Jamie Madrox has posed:
"Yeah. Same here. For a while, I would lose myself in my own mind, or my minds, when they came in, and ..." Jamie trails off again, nodding in agreement with Rogue. "There were times when I would really take in the bad things that happened to my duplicates, and it would impact me, and I know that morally it /should/, but they are gone, and I am not, and so I have a /lot/ of survivor's guilt."

He arches an eyebrow at the mention of control and her blocker. "Well, I'm glad I startled you, then. I didn't realize that you could control it now. That's great." He smiles, seeming to relax a bit. "Good thing I didn't make you angry or afraid, though. Startled was just fine." He returns the grin.

He trails along with her, and decides to claim a grape of his own as well. "Or, go with me on this, you totally should have. Just cut loose, and had a good time." He shrugs. "You are entitled to have some fun too, you know. You don't /always/ have to be responsible and all."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue leans down on the counter's edge with her forearms crosed in front of her now, her left leg extended out behind her a bit as she leans her left hip against one of the bar stools beside her. She takes another grape after he does and chews on it while mulling over his words. Her green eyes look down at the fruit, and when they bounce back up at him she laughs softly, and shakes her head side to side. "Oh, we had a good time, don't worry. Don't worry one bit about that." She has to say with a little flashed grin before she glances to her right toward the rec room doors, and then looks back over at him across the counter.

"But that does remind me of like the talk'a multiverses'n such. How there are... other realities, happenin at the same time as this one. All loaded up with different versions'a us. Some say that when we dream at night, we're gettin' distorted glimpses of ourselves in different realities, but you? You get those glimpses of that all in this one reality. I get that now, more than I did before... an' yeah, if some'a my dupes went down in a bad way, I'd definitely be feelin' that on my mind for awhile..."

Jamie Madrox has posed:
    Jamie probably spends a /bit/ too much time studying Rogue's motions there, distracted from the fruit in the bowl as she shifts and then takes up another grape. That grin somehow makes his cheeks turn just a tad bit again, as he shakes his head. "I am not sure I want to know, as I am pretty sure my imagination is having enough of a field day with that." He returns the grin and reaches out to snag a grape for himself. "For some reason, all my me's ever did when we got together was talk about the state of our lives."

    The talk of alternate realities, though, gets a nod from Jamie. "I can be the ultimate experiment in nature vs nurture, even if I am a bit late for it. I'm mostly matured..." He seems to almost anticipate the smirk from Rogue. "/Mostly/." He grins. "But yeah, it's..." He shrugs. "They might seem like dispensible people, and in some ways they are, but they are still /me/." He chuckles. "But the two that you absorbed, they made a noble sacrifice." A pause. "Don't worry, they didn't die, I just reabsorbed them." Flashing another grin. "I couldn't go without actually letting myself /feel/ the glories of that smooch."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue is looking down again as Jamie tries to deal with the aftermath of what she'd insinuated there. It's just part of what she does though, she likes to get under people's skin like that. She's a flirt, with just about everyone. She does glance up again as she takes another grape off the stem and pops it in her mouth. After she swallows it down though she does exhale lightly, raise one gloved hand up to prop her chin upon it, her fingertips tapping against the top of her right cheek just beneath her green eye. "I guess you could also say that when you re-up the dupes, and then make new ones, you're kinda regeneratin' them in a way, so they don't really ever die... in that regard." She huffs then. "Very complicated, your mutation. I still don't understand how they show up with clothes. I was worried mine wouldn't when I first summoned the first two." She says with a little laugh chasing her words there.

"But I guess it's kinda like you're just copyin' the state you're in when they show up, and when they go, what was summoned with'em goes too... Pretty trippy."

She reaches for another grape then and plucks it free from the bushel of its bretheren. "And yeah, we got a bit more creative, my dupes'n I." She says with another little grin before tossing the grape up in the air and tilting her head back to catch it in her mouth.

Jamie Madrox has posed:
It is one thing to know that Rogue is a flirt, it is another entirely to be front and center to it. It is nearly distracting enough to keep Jamie from fully focusing on the philosophy of his duplicates as she presents it. "In a way," he says, although he does not sound particularly convinced. "When they come out, they are exactly as I am at the time, so in a way, yes. While the me that learned how to craft bonsai trees may not ever come back on his own once I absorbed him, every me that comes out has that aspect of him in them, so in a way, I guess all of my mes are immortal?" He tilts his head, nodding slowly. Until the idea of multiple Rogues showing up sans attire is popped into his head. Luckily it is followed by a laugh, and so he echoes it, pushing that visual from his mind. Hoping there are no telepaths quite nearby.

Jamie waits for Rogue to pluck a grape before he goes in with his own fingers. Or tries to, anyway. Whatever focus he has is lost at that grin. Creative Rogue dupes, indeed. There is no snarky response forthcoming from Jamie about THAT one.

Rogue has posed:
After catching that tossed grape in her mouth, Rogue enjoys it too. She's standing upright again, with her fingertips resting on the countertop, and her gaze returning to him. She grins again at his expression. "Right, right... Well. I just wanted t'check in with ya, let ya know it ended well too. No disasters. No dupes goin' on some kinda Thelma an' Louise ride across the country..." How does she even know about that movie? It's like 30 years old. Well... she's absorbed people older than 30...

She taps her fingers against the polished countertop and then turns back the way she'd come. "Next time ya wanna share your mutation, just ask though, huh, Sugah?" She tells him as she starts walking back toward the double door entrance to the rec room, giving him another one of those flirty smiles as she's on her way out now.

Jamie Madrox has posed:
    Jamie is able to pull himself back into focus and he nods. "Yeah, glad to hear it ended well. I figured it would, although there was always the chance of an ever-increasing spiral of bad ideas from one Rogue to another, but I had a feeling the more reasonable side of you would win out." He takes a slight step back from the counter as she straightens, although hardly necessary.

    "Uh, yeah, I will, sorry," he says a bit sheepishly. "I suppose I wasn't really thinking about that, but I was afraid you'd say no because you thought it'd be hurting me, and it really wasn't, so..." He sighs. "But you're right. I'll ask next time." He returns the smile as he stands there watching her depart.