4433/It's Christmas, ya Idiots

It's Christmas, ya Idiots
Date of Scene:	19 December 2020
Location:	Apartment 01 (Above Music Center)
Synopsis:	Remy and Rogue share a bit of gift giving together at Remy's place. Mostly SFW!
Cast of Characters:	Remy LeBeau, Rogue

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Remy LeBeau has posed:
Remy isn't the biggest Christmas guy that's ever come along. Growing up it just wasn't a huge part of his childhood, from orphanages to Thieves Guild. It did mean there were a lot of easy scores on the streets of New Orleans, but that rarely translated to much when he got back to wherever he was staying that night.

As he's gotten older it hasn't taken on much more meaning either. Over the last year or two, however, he's cared a little more. If only because he's been around kids at the mansion and Rogue in specific. She does care about Christmas and, by extension, he cares more than he might would otherwise.

So in his apartment there's a little tree. One of those store bought ones that's maybe three foot high, remanded to a corner of his livingroom by the television. There's even a few gifts beneath it, most of which are for Rogue, a couple for friends at the mansion. So that nobody can say that he /doesn't/ care... even if he pretends not to care at all.

In pajama pants, a t-shirt, and socks, he's watching whatever happens to be on television. Probably something related to the Hollidays, but he's only paying cursory attention as he absently shifts cards around his fingers in his left hand, the right busy dealing with some drink: Spiced cinnemon rum in warm apple cider.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue grew up, her first six years, on a Hippie commune and though her parents did have some Christmas stuff those 6 years, they celebrated the the more cliche aspects of the holiday and less of the Christianity elements of it. Gifts, Santa, that sort of stuff. At her aunt's house though, it was a different. From 6 to 14, Rogue attended Church on Christmas day, and many times leading up to it. She hated Church, hated dressing up and hated sitting still in a 'pew' while some weird guy yelled about religious stuff at the front of the room.

With Mystique, Christmas was basically nothing, and by that point Rogue was full on 'goth' and didn't care anyway, because not caring is totally goth awesome!

By the time she made it to Xavier's, the spirit of that place... brought back her desire for what she knew with her mother and father.

Gift giving, the cliche elements of Christmas. Santa, Eggnog, the Music... the Movies...

So with Remy watching tv, Rogue is on her knees by the tree and she's wrapping more gifts up that she'd bought for the guys at Music Center. They were here friends, and she wanted to give them all at least something.

Dressed in sleeping-clothing herself, baggy pants and a baggy top, Rogue has her reindeer hat on that she got out of the garage at Xavier's yesterday.

She puts a gift under the tree-- expecting to hand them out at the party they were going to have here tomorrow night for those guys -- and then sits up and back on to the edge of the sofa beside Remy.

"God, I think i'm finally done buyin' stuff..." She softly says, her green eyes on the tv now.

Remy LeBeau has posed:
Would it be out of the realm of possibility that every gift under the tree from Remy was in some way stolen or won in a card game? Probably not. Almost certainly not... it's very rare that he spends money on anything... rarer that he actually HAS money TO spend. As quickly as he gets it, it disappears, but he certainly doesn't want for anything. All part of the lifestyle he leads, how he can get away it, and make it looks so damned easy in the process.

Sipping his drink, he glances over at Rogue rocking up to sit on the edge of the couch with an easy grin and a hand laying down on her shoulder. Practiced easy, careful where bareskin touches, as fluid as brushing his teeth.

"You only been shopping since last Christmas, mon cherie." Teasing, quiet, mug held out over her shoulder so she can have a drink. "We get to open one already? You know I hate waiting." He's only asked a million times already.

He'll probably ask another million before next Friday.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue had her summer job at the car-hop that helped gain her some money, and since she doesn't pay rent at the school... she's had a lot of cash to spend. One thing about Rogue too, a lot of people would assume she's bad with money, or just 'dumb in general' because she's a southern girl and a bit of a flirty party-type. But in truth, she's very financially responsible, and has quite a nest egg saved up.

She looks over at Remy and offers him a grin before she reaches for one of the gifts, leaning forward and down to grab one up. Her hands aren't gloved, because she was wrapping... which is not really easy with gloves on. So she hands him the gift carefully. "I suppose." She says. "Ya got quite a haul, between here and the school. Quite a lotta fans at the school you got, ya know." She says, smiling at him. "And not just the gigglin' school girls."

She leans forward then to pick up her glass of eggnog, spiked of course, because it's not like Remy's not going to give her alcohol!

The gift is wrapped in green and silver wrapping paper with little Rudolph's dancing around on it and a big silver bow! It says 'To Remy, with all the hot lovins' and a little heart drawn beside it.

Remy LeBeau has posed:
By the look on his face, he really hadn't expected her to bend on this gift business, but it's only there a half second before desolving into his usual smirking cool hand Luke expression. "Well... I..." did not expect that. Obviously he knows he's got a few fans at the Mansion, at least that's what people keep saying anyways. Not that any of them have made it obvious by messaging him to see if he wants to do anything, OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT...

A-holes.

Accepting the gift, he turns it over in his hands a few-times, then sets it down on the couch beside him to whip around Rogue with typical easy to grab one for her from beneath his small tree. The wrapping job is... spotty, at best, so he clearly did it himself. Too much tape, ends twisted rather than smooth.

Looks like a preschoolers homemade ornament.

Held out to her. Not very big at all.

"Dere ya go." Said as he plops back down, sips his drink, and grabs up the gift she'd given him to start unwrapping.

Rogue has posed:
Over near the doorway into the bedroom, Jeepers dog bed is laying on the floor and the young yellow lab is chewing on a dog treat he'd been given to keep him occupied and happy. He takes a moment to look over at the two on the sofa when Gambit had leaned forward, and Rogue had offered Gambit a present...

Probably wondering if it was food for him, but when he sees it's just the humans doing boring human stuff, he goes back to his treat.

Rogue grins big at the man beside her as he moves to get her a gift too. "I can wait..." She says in a sassy voice over at him, though she accepts it and moves to put her gloves on that were draped over the arm of the sofa.

"Unlike you, I got patience, in deep supply." She teases, her chin up in that defiant expression she loves to give to act soooo tough.

A big grin is shown to the wrapping paper, expecting nothing less than that, but it's endearing in its own way! She moves to carefully open it, not that it's too hard! Popping the tape and pealing it carefully open, rather than ripping in to it like one might expect from the normally destructive Belle.

When Gambit opens his up though, he'll find a wool scarf and a matching hat, with a deck of nudie cards inside the hat, because of course! It's not his main gift, you don't get that before Christmas.

Remy LeBeau has posed:
Rogue's teasing is rewarded with a smirk, red/black eyes rolling at being so HARSHLY judged, no matter how cute she might have looked doing so. The fact that she's legitimately that tough aside, it's still clearly met with affection from the most mysterious of the X-Men! So says he, anyways.

The wrapping is torn at, the scarf partially wrapped around his neck, and hat laid on his head so that he can get to the meat and potatos of the nudie cards. Rolling them in the same fashion he had been the other set around his fingers with a street magicians dexterity.

"Is dis safe for missions if we get dat bit Disneyplus deal for our own series?" Joking, leaning back, and watching her unwrapped the little box. Inside which is an actual homemade ornament. it's hard to tell exactly what it's suppose to be, but it /could/ be a raindeer, possibly even Rudolph by the big red thing at the snout section. "I made it myself." He informs her helpfully, well aware that it looks like he found it in some gargage sell.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue looks up at him to see him wearing the nice and soft warm wrappings. "Needed t'give ya those since we saw ya trudgin' off inta the forest like a man on a mission t'freeze t'death." She says at him, clearly hoping he'll wear something not angled toward style-points only, apparently.

Her eyes go back to her lap then to continue opening the gift he'd given her and when she sees it a grin spreads across her pale pink painted lips. As he explains that he made it himself she nods her head softly a few times. "I can tell." She says, looking over at him. "And I absolutely love it too." She says in a sincere tone before she slips off of the sofa again.

Next, the Belle starts to knee-shimmy across the ground to the small tree where she's quick to reach her arms up and grab a faux-branch that has space on it. She spends a few seconds dangling the ornament between a bright yellow, and bright red glowing Christmas tree lights.

She sits back on her heels then and looks at the ornament for a moment before she looks back at him. A grin on her lips now before her eyes dart down to the nudie cards. She smirks. "Figure the more naked ladies I give ya t'look at, the less you'll go try t'find yourself." She says back at him as she turns then to just drape her left arm on to the sofa, and lean against it, propping her head up in her hand with her reindeer ears jiggling a bit on the fuzzy hat she's got on.

Remy LeBeau has posed:
One card slides out from the deck, flicking down between his pinky and ring finger while the rest of the cards slide together against the inside curve of his thumb. Twisting that solitary card up with a flick to see which of the lovelies he'd acquired totally at random. It's a passing glance, red eyes around the sides at Rogue kneeling infront of the tree placing the homemade ornament he'd given her with a smirk in stubble.

"Dat's not fair at all. I'm sure you get more dem ladies than I do, ye no?" Shuffling the card back in with the rest so the whole deck can be set down on the table beside his heel resting on the top. "Getting chased around da school with dem grabby hands-" Which he pantomimes at her, "-cus people always trying touch what dey aint allowed to touch."

Still grinning, he leans back with his drink and cocks his head off to the side watching her. Tongue running along the back of his teeth, clicking against them thoughtfully. "I love da hat and scarf. Going to make me look like one of dem hipsters though. Den I really be pulling in all da trim."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue's attention dips for a moment back to the movie on television, watching the Christmas movie while she listens to Remy's response. She's quick to bounce her eyes back over to him where she gives him a saucy grin and a shake of her head. "You're the worst." She chides the man.

"If I wanted more people droolin' over me, I'd upload on my Instagram more. Or do the bounce-bounce videos on Tiktok. Make myself a million damn dollars." She moves to sit up again and crawl back on to the sofa where she curls up and leans back against the back of it now, always afraid to curl up directly against him because of her 'condition'.

She does have her eyes on him though, as she usually does when they're around each other. "I hate t'break it t'ya, but you're already a hipster." She says at him with a grin as she glances down at the cards, then back up at him.

"And I doubt Jean'll let ya have those cards on missions. Less ya ask her real nice." She snickers at herself then. "Scott? He'll just straight up never let ya. No matter how nice ya ask."

Remy LeBeau has posed:
"I keep suggesting that you take advantage of this Tiking Toking thing you keep talking about all da time." Remy knows exactly what Tiktok is and is only pretending to be a million years old. He's 22. He knows more about popculture and social media then he will EVER admit because as much as he pretends otherwise and denies it profusely, he's a huge fucking hipster.

A hipster who lays his arms along the back of the couch near Rogue's shoulders without actually touching them. He's universally fearless, but he's also not stupid. While he'd adore to just relax with her like normal people who are doing whatever it is they do, because that's hard to define, it will /actually/ kill him.

So all those judgy people can stick it in their ass.

"Dis is why I follow da age old belief of: It is better to say sorry den ask permissions." Adjusting so he's half turned towards her side, chin resting on his palm. "If I don't tell dem I bring naked lady cards, dey never know.. and if dey DO know, I just say oops, I never thought you mind since dey explode after I use them and why on earth would it matter what da cards I use dat are going to explode look like /before/ dey explode.." Waving his hand.

"Jean appreciate da humor, Scott has probably never laughed, ultimately though, I also don't care what he say."

"So... better to say sorry den ask permission."

Rogue has posed:
"I've thought about it." Rogue admits about Tiktok and doing questionable things on it to gain 'internet fame'. "But then I remind myself that I'm livin'-- and maybe workin' someday --at a school, and I get that tingly sensation in the back'a my head that tells me 'This is probably a bad idea and will bite ya in the bite someday'. So I stop myself."

She frowns for a second then as she raises a hand up to brush her white bangs out of her face that the reindeer hat wasn't holding back properly enough.

She grins at his rundown of Jean and Scott. "Jean's got a wild side, ya just gotta dig at it some t'get it out. She's got a lotta pressure on her, and its what makes her all... ya know... stiff like she is. Scott? It just comes natural t'him. He actually likes it that way. There's a big difference there, if ya look close enough t'see it."

Her eyes glance down at the deck, and since she's got her gloves on now she reaches her hand out to take one of the cards. "Better not explode all'a these. One of'em is me." She says with a grin given back up to him. "It's a custom set. Been waitin' t'see if you'd notice that..."

Remy LeBeau has posed:
Remy rolls the card he'd pulled out up between his fingers to show her, "Dis one, yeah." Smirk on his face, the card disappears... JUST like a street magician. Because someone else suspects things besides just Remy. It just seemed like the biggest takeaway and should be addressed first, because there's a lot going on here.

Like the mention of teaching positions and Rogue doing questionable stuff on the internet.

"You mean like dat EMT who with da Onlyfans?" Not even a hint of judgement.

He celebrates that kind of stuff as it turns out.

"Dis is my thoughts on da whole thing and you can take it for what it worth... What ya do to enjoy your life has little to say about what you can contribute to students at the school." Simple, abridged version. "I feel like people put way too much emphasis on da intricacies of someones personal life for anyone to be comfortable in a work place environment... Besides dat, imagine the hysteria dat comes wit someone pointing out dey saw you showing your boobs on tiktok and judgementally assuming dat your entire existance revolves around showing your boobs on da internet.. Especially in a world where we already be judged by the color of our eyes or da fact we have mutated genes..."

His fingers blossom out from the side of his head, lips smacking like a bomb exploding.

"The concept is mind boggling in a deep way dat I cannot even begin to address without going into full dictation on the concept of freedom of artistic expression... Suffice dat if you want to do /anything/ and you t'ink doing dem t'ings would be enjoyable to you, dere is /no/ reason you shouldn't do dem."

With that said. "Yeah, Jean look like a closet freak." Because only he could get away with saying that unironically and without sounding like he's judging her or her ability to lead in the slightest. Because he's not.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue watches his fancy insta-knowing which one of the cards is the one she's featured on, then sees it just completely vanish which makes her smirk. She's impressed by his card tricks, but that kind of sleight of hand is completely off her radar, so it's pretty easy TO be impressed by it. "Never t'be seen again." She says with a little grin.

As he starts to unload his wisdom on being a free spirit, Rogue's head leans back against the sofa, the reindeer hat moving a bit as one of the plush-ears is smooshed against the sofa cushion.

When he finishes and makes his quip about Jean, she flashes a grin and then just focuses on his speech. "Ya convinced me." She says. "I'm gonna make millions by showin' off my super fit boday." She says that last worth with an emphasis to her southern accent's natural tones.

Whether she's being serious or not, is another matter!

"You gonna go Christmas carolin' with us?" She asks him. "It was my idea. I saw it on one'a these movies." She motions her hand at the tv. "Thought we should bring that back t'this mean mean ass world." There's a light grin from her then. "Maybe we'll get shot at, or somethin' too. Cause ya know... mean mean ass world."

Remy LeBeau has posed:
Insta-knowing seems a little excessive.

How would someone talking about showing their hooters on TikTok not give another person who enjoys seeing them naked a deck of cards that doesn't contain at least one card of them naked?

Remy is no fool!

He's also keeping that card close.

They can't touch, afterall.

A smirk spreads through the dark stubble, fingers curling into a loose fist upon which his temple can lean near to where Rogue is also leaning against the couch. "Soon we be getting stopped in da street and you be signing weird printed out photos of your hot bah-dey for young pubescent boys and girls. A role-model if you ask ol Remy." Wiggling his fingers at her playfully.

"Yeah, I come. I stand in da back complaining about how Christmas has become a cash grab for corperated America to push product on da consumer through advanced marketing strategies geared at children and under previlaged." Because every group needs one of those. He's probably joking though, he secretly gets into the hollidays when only she's watching.

"So long I don't have to do no singing."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue grins, then laughs at the talk of signing autographs for young people who admire her body. She raises her right arm up and flexes it jokingly. "Mighty Woman by day. Naughty Woman by night." She says with a grin and a play on the name that the media gave her earlier this past summer.

Her hand drops back down to slap againt the outside of her thigh then before she looks over at Jeepers who's up out of his bed and going in to the kitchen, with the sound of slurpslurpslurpslurp soon to follow from his water dish, that... followed by one of those 'dog gag' sounds as he cough-hacks. Dogs.

Rogue just looks back to Remy with a smile on her lips. "Cynicism about Christmas aside." She agrees with him about it, most everyone does though! "We're pretty luck, you'n me. Gotta be thankful for that. We've both had it rough--" She doesn't really know shit about his backstory, she just is assuming here. "--But hey, now we're livin' a dream, far as I'm concerned." He may or may not agree with her on that one!

Remy LeBeau has posed:
"Dem little kids will come at you with their lunch money making it rain." Remy slaps off imaginary dollar bills at her when her arm comes up in that fashion, then picks up speed when her palm slaps against her thigh as if this is some how more exciting. "Dere we go, slap dat thigh." Imaginary dollars, for, Rogue.

His arm settles back down, trailing a glance after Jeepers disappearing into the kitchen, then to Rogue when there's the doggy gagging hacks. "He okay? I got dat expensive shit you say to buy for his digestion." Compared to Jeepers, Remy's kitten is far less attention seeking.

At least until she wants attention.

Because cat.

Name of Little BooGati.

Because Remy thinks he's funny.

"I guess dats true." It isn't that he's hiding his past, so much as he doesn't think it's all that exciting. Anyone who lives something doesn't see how exciting something actually is that they lived. Where he may have done all kinds of things that leypersons would agree was pretty adventurous, to Remy, it's just living.

"Could be spending time with less good company all da time. Sometimes I feel like dey dont really want me at da school though... not dat I blame dem, ye no." He doesn't. Probably wouldn't want him around kids either.

Rogue has posed:
A few seconds later and Jeeps is walking back out of the kitchen and back over to his bed where he grabs one of the toys on it and just starts to shake it to death!

"He's fiiiine." Rogue says. "He just DRINKS TOO FAST!" She shouts over at the dog who looks up and carries the toy over to her to put it on her leg which instantly gets her pantleg wet with doggie water dish drool.

This earns a whine from the Belle who feels the wetness on her pantlet and pulls it out from under the animal. She takes his toy and tosses it away, which has him running for it thinking 'Best day EVER!' and will only encourage him to do it again and again.

Rogue's eyes go back to Remy and she stares at him for a few seconds. "Everybody there likes ya. Some of'em may not trust ya, but they're still hopin' for the best from ya." She says bluntly with a grin. "Your actions will dictate all'a that though, and you've been nothin' but charmin', far as I've seen anyhow."

Remy LeBeau has posed:
"What I done to earn distrust, though?" Remy doesn't sound upset because he's actually not upset. More curious, genuinely so. "What bit of evidence has anyone at da school got dat I am even remotely untrustworthy? Seem like a fair question if dey going to hold me to dese standards I am unaware of, dat dey at least make me aware of da standards in da first place."

Hands up, then down against the back of the couch. Watching Jeeps run off after the thrown toy, Remy already knows this is going to go on for at least another hour before the pupper gets tired and settles back down. "Dis is why I have a cat. Only comes around for five minutes to get her head scratched, den fucks off to do her own t'ing." Wiggling his fingers towards his bedroom where BooGati is laying, not on the bed they got her, but on his dirty clothes.

Rogue has posed:
Of course, Jeeps does come to get more of Rogue's sweet attention, as he always does with her. And of course, she takes the toy and throws it again, making hims skitter-slide across the kitchen floor where he thuds in to the closed door.

"You got me this dog, ya know." Rogue chides the Cajun back. Though he knows for darn sure that she's not a cat person, even if she thinks Boo is cute as all can be.

Her eyes are on him again while Jeeps does Jeeps stuff, and she smirks softly. "I think it's just cause I brought ya in, ya know? I've told them all about my past, they know me like an open book. I don't think Jean, nor the Professah have dug around inside'a your head, have they? So they don't know much about ya."

In truth, he might suspect she's trying to pry info out of him, as she has here and there over the past two years they've known each other.

Remy LeBeau has posed:
"I know." That he got her the dog. Remy could tell she wanted him, even if she hadn't outright said as much, so he does what Remy's do and got it for her. He's even doing his very best to get along with Jeeps! Reaching out to scratch the puppers head when he comes in for more sweet Rogue attention.

All very lazily, without pressure, to form a bond with Rogue's best pal.

Like he knows that she's prying... if gently.. into his past. His tongue runs across his top lip, bottom lip curling over his teeth as he leans lazily against his own turned fist. "What dey find if they go digging anyways?" Nonchallant shrug, "I grow up in da street.. I run with thieves for as long as I remember. Not a lot to know. Not like I hiding anything, anyways, ye no?" He's just not throwing it around like favors at a party.

"If something /you/ want to know, I tell you. Just don't see da point of airing dirty laundry around people who already make up dere minds."

Rogue has posed:
Jeepers desire to continue fetch has been ended by his desire to eat some of his food out of the bowl in the kitchen now. Which means the two on the sofa are left alone for the time being.

Rogue just stares at Remy, but sits up some on the sofa to curl her legs up and folds her arms under her chest. He's telling her to ask, so she asks! "What made ya come up t'New York anyway then?" She asks him. "I know what got me out here. I was-- Well, the X-Men brought me after they found me headed toward a group'a people that probably weren't mutant-lovin' folks at all. I was probably walkin' inta a trap up there in the great white North. Maybe a dodged a bullet."

Her eyes drifted over to the tv, then back toward Remy. "But why you'd leave Louisiana? As good of a thief as you seem t'be, what with your mutation, your skillful hands--" She grins now while talking. "Those devilish good lucks, that ya got in spades... Seems t'me you'd be runnin' that town. But here you are, on a sofa watchin' Jack Frost with a soon-ta-be internet-famous pair'a jugs." She teases.

"Seems odd, is all." She adds, eyes back on him.

Remy LeBeau has posed:
That is a very specific question. Asked in a very specific way.

Remy doesn't say anything, not for longer than almost anyone engaged in a conversation would find comfortable. Long enough that it's so obvious that he's considering whether he wants to answer it with the truth or to lie... which is a pretty good sign where he's concerned, since he can lie so effortlessly.

Where she wins him over is how excited she seems to be.

Excited that he might actually answer or just allows her to ask?

It's not clear, but she seems excited and that's hard for him to just LIE to.

His hand comes up to brush his index finger beneath his nose, hand turns to run down his jaw. Partly he's grinning, but whatever he's about to say is pretty serious by the rest of his expression. "I running away, mon cherie. Group down dere... dey don't take kindly to me leaving. Not wanting to be part of dere guild anymore, so dey run me out of New Orleans... say I ever come back, t'ings not so good."

Red eyes bounce slightly, gauging her reaction.

"Come here to New York to find an old friend.. Morlocks, live down in da sewers, ye no. Some dem friends from old days. I come here to find dem."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue's eyes are, of course, on the side of his face as he's talking and sharing some of it. She's smart though, and after he shares that little bit she just looks away to the television again before she lets a pregnant pause linger between their words. When she looks back though she continues.

"I'll go with ya back there." She tells him. "The wouldn't know what t'do with themselves if I was with ya, helpin' make sure everythin' was all safe'n good." She flashes him a grin. "They even try anythin' on ya, and there I am, protectin' ya'n shit. Like a super hero movie, except the girl aint' the damsel." She leans in and pokes his ribs with a gloved finger.

"You're the damsel." She's teasing him, as she does.

A quick shake of her head then. "I'm just playin', sorta. I mean, if ya ever do want help with any of it. Ya just gotta ask. Or even just findin' your sewer friends." She's /sorta/ teasing there too. 'sewer friends' and all.

"Beyond that, thanks for sharin'. I'll leave it at that for now." Her tone is soft and quiet with that finisher.

Remy LeBeau has posed:
Remy releases a sigh. It's not like he thought she'd be unreceptive to his sharing, or even what he shared. They haven't exactly lead story book lives in the mansion... but it's a lot for him. "Dere aint no reason for me to go back dere." He assures her, not to disuade her very generous offer to accompany him and protect him. This has him grinning and flicking a finger out to expertly brush hair from her face without actually touching her.

"But if I ever do, I make sure you have ticket to come along... maybe we get lucky and TSA will do body search on you. Dat be a rather amusing turn of events for dere very intrusive behavior." Humor to distract!

His hand goes to her leg, covered in her pajama pants, and squeeze. "I may not be very open book with everybody, mon cherie, but I be as open as I can be with you. If you want to help me find sewer friends, dat be good. See a little of da world I come from.. Maybe den you trust me." Now he's joking too.

Smirking just so as he pats her thigh.