[ closed ] what if cinderella had to save herself?

[theycalledmeacurse]

CHARACTERS: Avior: Rogue, Bakugo, Peter, Joshua, Elliot, Kate
WHERE: The Red Coast (Barracks)
WHEN: Early Day :038
SUMMARY: Rogue sends out an FYI to her broodmates.
WARNINGS: Talk of violence/injuries; will update as needed.



[ It's early. The sun's barely come into the sky, but she's been up for hours, sleep an elusive creature thanks to the pain in her neck and the fear of what form her nightmares would take after the previous night's events. She's been working hard to keep her shields up, wanting to be sure her broodmates wouldn't be disturbed by the emotional aftermath of the ordeal, but it hasn't been easy and—

They need to know. It feels right to tell them, a roundabout way of taking care of them by warning them of her state, and she doesn't have the strength to question it right then. So instead she opens her mind a little, reaching out to all of them slowly, making sure she has a hold on each of those threads before gently sending along the message from where she sits curled up in a corner of one of their small buildings. Her smooth southern drawl comes through even in her mental voice. ]

( I'm sorry to bother you all so early, but something happened last night I think you should all know about. I had— a physical altercation with Bucky, and I'm a bit worse for wear from it. I'm gonna try and keep it to myself as much as I can, but I thought you should know in case I slip up. )

[ And then, to Kate specifically— ]

( It's nice to have you with us, by the way, sugar. I'm awful sorry we have to meet like this, though. )

Comments

[theycalledmeacurse]

[ Truth be told, Rogue is also usually the sort to bottle things up and avoid dealing with whatever it is. Living with a telepath taught her that it only works when her shields are at full strength, which they most certainly are not at that moment. So instead of risking being a burden to her team later on, she'll address the matter—

And then go about avoiding it afterward. ]

( I'm a little bruised and it hurts to talk, but I'll be alright. I've been through worse than this. Thank you for asking, sugar. )

[ There's genuine gratitude there, and affection for someone who feels like a part of her soul now. ]

[whereabout]

[ Gratitude and affection are - well, he shies straight back from any of that, because clearly that just means she doesn't know him well enough yet, if she hasn't realized he's not worth wasting them on.

But there's one more pressing question here. ]

( Was the situation satisfactorily resolved? )

[ By which he really means - do we need to worry about this happening again? Does he gotta shank a dude? ]

[theycalledmeacurse]

[ Oh Joshua, just you wait. When she knows you better, she'll practically drown you in affection. And no, there's no getting out of it. ]

( I don't think it's very likely to happen again. )

[ And if it does, she'll be prepared for it. ]

[whereabout]

[ Just don't die like his last big sister and all will be cool.

He's willing to trust her assessment, though - it feels sincere, and it's a fair bit easier to judge intent given their entire circumstance here. ]

( Just...keep us informed, okay? Even if he didn't mean to do it - that just makes it even more important for us to intervene if we have to.

He'd probably prefer it that way, too. )

[ He doesn't know Bucky, but he still feels confidence in saying so. He does know what it's like for your control to be in something (someone) else's hands entirely. ]

[theycalledmeacurse]

[ She's not going anywhere anytime soon, sugar. ]

( I will. And you're right, I'm sure that's what he'd prefer. Thank you, sugar. )

[ Not all of their brood have taken this news so well, or handled it with such pragmatism. She appreciates Joshua's way of looking at things. ]