New Guy!, Dom and Rogue - February 2008

[Rogue]

Rogue liked winter. Well, except for the snow. The cold, though, was good. Winter was the one time of year when people didn't give her strange looks because she was all bundled up. In fact, it was the time of year when she could give other people strange looks for being too bundled up. Especially in the city, when you could just tell that half of the people there were tourists from warmer places. It was like they weren't expecting it to be cold, either. And of course, everyone who had any kind of store at all knew full well that just by putting some of those cheap-ass stretchy gloves toward the front of the store, they'd make more money than usual off of the dumbasses. It was sad, but hilarious at the same time.

She leaned on the horn of her car as an idiot crossed in front of her, apparently not at all worried that she was going to hit him. It was a good thing that the street was relatively crowded, or she would have been very tempted to just go for it. People really were fucking morons. Rogue pulled into a parking space in front of the building that the new guy was in and hopped out of the car, glancing up at the window of his apartment and then heading up to the front door. Raven had given her a key to the front door of the building so she didn't have to use the whole intercom thing, and soon she was walking up the stairs to the apartment, uncoiling the scarf from her neck as she walked.

Apparently, the new guy had passed whatever the fuck the test was to get to move into the warehouse. Rogue really had no idea what the criteria was, and she didn't particularly care, since she wasn't ever going to have to pass a test like that. She'd seen him doing... something. She wasn't really sure what exactly it was, but it'd made things shake and fall and that was pretty awesome. Raven and Irene and Magneto must have agreed, because there she was, showing up unannounced at his door to take him back to the warehouse. She tucked the scarf under her arm, then reached to knock on the door a few times.

[Avalanche]

This year's winter had actually been one of the most pleasant Dominic could ever remember experiencing. There hadn't been any bastard foster father bitching about the cost of presents, any whiny 'siblings' to deal with, no-one looking at him with pity and offering to take him somewhere for a nice hot cup of soup. He'd felt some concern at going back out on the streets at what was always the worst time of the year, but staying any longer with the X-Men would have sent Dom absolutely mad.

Actually, leaving had turned out to be the best decision he'd made since... well, since leaving his last set of foster parents. When they'd approached him, he'd been skeptical, but after a while (and a few incidences of happily letting his destructive side go wild), the young man had come to trust that the Brotherhood was for real. That they weren't just a bunch of kids pretending to be badass. That they actually wanted to do shit with their powers, not just make friends with the flatscans.

People were assholes. The X-Men were so idealistic that it made him want to throw shit.

But thankfully, he didn't have to listen to all their bull about doing the right thing and controlling himself and whatever else they'd been rambling about anymore. He could just sit around, in the nice, warm apartment the Brotherhood had put him up in, watching TV and drinking coffee and enjoying some time to himself. But even though he'd spent a lot of time alone in his almost-twenty years, and he knew that being alone greatly reduced the chances of being pissed off at someone's stupidity, Dom did miss people sometimes. Not all the time, and not enough today to make him excited about someone knocking at his door, but at least he didn't yell at them to fuck off. Taking his feet off the coffee table, he got up slowly to answer the door.

The hair looked familiar. She might have been one of the Brotherhood, but then she might not have. He hadn't been introduced to many of them, yet, and definitely hadn't been expecting any of them to show up on his (OK, their, but his at the moment, since he was the one staying there) doorstep. Raising an eyebrow, he simply said, "Yeah?"

[Rogue]

She didn't really have to wait that long before she heard footsteps on the other side of the door, followed by the knob turning. Next thing she knew, he was standing there. He looked a lot taller up close, but then again most people did. She wasn't sure if he'd seen her or recognized her or anything, so she gave him a chance to say something first.

"Yeah?" Yeah. She had no idea whether or not he knew who she was. Really wouldn't be surprised if he didn't have a clue, though, seeing as though the only time she'd seen him, she'd been wearing her uniform and... well, she couldn't remember if her hair had been pulled up or not but if it was, she totally understood the not recognizing because hair really made you look different and Jesus Christ, she was rambling in her own head. That was never a good sign, and she forced a smile and moved on.

"Destiny and Mystique sent me." Hopefully that would be enough for him to realize who she was at least with. Her parents were good like that. The kind of names that you could drop. 'Course it wasn't exactly a good idea to go wandering around the city and shouting that you were with them, but when it actually mattered, it was cool to be able to say it and have someone react. Of course, sometimes folks reacted negatively but then she got to do stuff like yell at them for talking about her mother. And even that was fun.

"Can I come in?" She raised an eyebrow, glancing beyond him into the apartment. It looked... pretty damn tidy, considering the fact that the guy was there by himself. That was good. She didn't really know why it was good other than the fact that she enjoyed not sitting around in other people's messes, but that was enough. The last guy who they'd put up in an apartment had trashed the place before taking off. Hadn't even stuck around long enough for her to get to see him but Raven had made her clean up the mess in the apartment after she'd decided to skip out on a training session that Raven had decided they needed to have. It'd been an honest mistake, but she'd been punished anyway and it was good to know that even if that happened again, she wouldn't have much work to do.

[Avalanche]

"Destiny and Mystique sent me." For a moment, Dom looked at the girl with eyes narrowed, wanting to be sure. The hair did look familiar, and not just anyone could drop those names... He lowered his eyebrow, giving her a decisive nod and relaxing the tense hold he'd had on that part of him that unleashed his powers. He couldn't have done much defensively without putting himself in danger, but he probably could have distracted her long enough to take off. Still, it was a good thing he didn't have to.

"Can I come in?"

"Sure." Nodding again, he stepped back and opened the door the whole way, then followed her gaze into the apartment. It wasn't as tidy as it could have been, probably - a few dirty dishes here and there, and he knew that the bedroom had a messy pile around his backpack - but it wasn't that bad. He wasn't really in the habit of leaving a mess everywhere he went; he'd had a basic level of neatness drilled into him at more than one foster home.

Wandering over to the couch, he scooped up his coffee cup and pressed the 'mute' button for the TV. "I just made coffee, all the stuff is still out if you want one," he offered, for the sake of politeness. Not enough politeness to offer to make one for her, she might have noted. But it wasn't nothing. Leaning against the back of the couch, Dom hooked his left thumb into his pocket and looked the girl up and down.

She was cute, he noted, and he wondered for a moment who she was and what she did. And why she'd come: 'Destiny and Mystique sent me' could mean anything. Probably they wanted him for some job or another again, but Dom had no way of knowing until he was told. Since he wasn't really the type to waste time worrying about possibilities when he could just ask, he did, saying, "So, what's up?"

[Rogue]

She wasn't really sure if the guy believed her or not at first, but it didn't really matter. Even if he decided that she was a liar and slammed the door in her face, she could just unlock it and invite herself in. That was one of the perks of having keys to places. Thankfully, though, he opened the door the rest of the way for her and stepped out of the way. She stepped in, smiling her thanks and looking around the room some more. Nope, it was definitely better than the last time.

"I just made coffee, all the stuff is still out if you want one," he offered, for the sake of politeness.

"No, thanks," she replied, smiling as she shook her head. She walked farther into the room, raising an eyebrow slightly as he looked at her. She returned the look, deciding that it was a good thing that they seemed to be recruiting not Blob and Toad-looking people. She really had nothing against them as people... well, mostly. But they really weren't that attractive. Not that sitting around thinking about how hot the other people who lived there was a really productive way to spend her day, but still. It did help. Deciding that checking him out for longer than a couple of seconds was damn creepy, she turned to examine the books on the bookshelf. Still mostly just the same random books to make the apartment not look completely empty, but she did notice that someone had slipped a few new titles in.

"So, what's up?" She turned, remembering that she wasn't just there to poke through the shit in the apartment. Right, she needed to get him to go with her.

"Oh, yeah. Uh, you passed the test or waiting period or whatever." She really hadn't meant to make it sound so casual or dismissive or anything. It'd just come out that way. "I'm supposed to take you to the base."

"I'm Rogue, by the way." She nodded, slipping her hands in her coat pockets. "I dunno if you saw me before, I was there last week. That warehouse... thing. Your name's Dominic, right?"

[Avalanche]

She refused the offer of coffee, and for a few moments the two mutants just looked at each other, Dom at least quietly appraising. She was cute, yeah, but the more important issue at hand was why she'd been sent. So he asked. "So, what's up?"

"Oh, yeah. Uh, you passed the test or waiting period or whatever. I'm supposed to take you to the base."

"Oh." His chin tilted upward in a half-nod of acknowledgement, but Dom didn't really know what to say to that. He'd figured that they might just leave him here forever, since he'd stayed with the X-Men for a while; he just hoped that the base, wherever it was, didn't have the same rules and whatever as Xavier's had.

"I'm Rogue, by the way." She nodded, slipping her hands in her coat pockets. "I dunno if you saw me before, I was there last week. That warehouse... thing. Your name's Dominic, right?"

"Yeah." He wasn't exactly being verbose. "Or Avalanche, I guess." He'd chosen that name for himself on the premise that 'Earthquake' was too fucking corny. With a shrug he said, "But most people call me Dom." Usually he got called Dominic when he was in trouble, or when he was being introduced to a new family (usually either a result of or a precursor to being in trouble).

Gesturing to the bedroom with his coffee cup, he asked, "Want me to get my stuff?" And, after a few moments of tapping his thumb against the side of it, asked, "So how long have you been, you know, doing this?" A vague question, but even if this was a Brotherhood-provided apartment there was no guarantee that they were safe to say as much.

[Rogue]

The guy didn't seem all that excited about getting to go to the warehouse, and she figured that that was probably partially because she'd failed at making it sound exciting. She probably should have smiled or something. Maybe used jazzhands. Oh, well. Moving on. She slipped her hands into her pockets and introduced herself, pointing out that there was a chance that he'd already seen her even though they hadn't officially met.

"Yeah." He wasn't exactly being verbose. "Or Avalanche, I guess." She smiled at that a little bit. She never really knew how people picked their codenames. Sometimes they made sense. Pyro, Blob and Toad all made sense. Avalanche made sense. Destiny ma... okay, they usually made sense. But Mystique really had nothing to do with her powers or the way she looked or anything. And she'd heard some other weird ones, too. Of course, hers could probably be tossed into that category of weird ones, but it wasn't really a codename, because it was the name that she used all the time. It was a nickname. "Want me to get my stuff?"

"Yeah, that'd be good," she replied, turning back to the bookshelf and plucking one of the new titles from it's spot among the other books. Maybe she'd take it back and read it. They would never know that it was missing. She opened it up, glancing at the first page.

"So how long have you been, you know, doing this?" Frowning, she looked up at him. Doing what? Reading? Wait, no. That was stupid. Not reading. Probably the whole Brotherhood thing. She shrugged, moving over to the couch and plopping down.

"Years. And years. I mean, I guess since I got my powers, more or less. It's kinda a family business deal for me." She shrugged slightly, looking up at him. She really couldn't put a number on the years that she'd been actually doing what they'd recruited him to do. It had sort of blurred in with regular family stuff. Technically she'd probably been at least an accessory to a few different things since before she actually manifested. Oh, well. Whatever. "How about you? You been doing this kind of thing long?"

[Avalanche]

"Years. And years. I mean, I guess since I got my powers, more or less. It's kinda a family business deal for me." She shrugged slightly, looking up at him. "How about you? You been doing this kind of thing long?"

Leaving the door wide open, Dom thought about his answer and then called out from the bedroom. "This kind of thing? Not long. Not even a year. But the wall-shaking thing I've been doing..." he calculated it in his head as he shoved everything messily into his backpack, "three and a half years." That sounded right; it had taken him a while to build up to extortion, and petty theft assisted by his powers hardly seemed 'Brotherhood' scale. "Give or take."

It only took a few minutes before Dom was striding out, backpack slung over one shoulder and the bedroom only a little rumpled to give any evidence of recent occupation. Aside from a few dirty dishes and a still partly-damp towel, the whole place hardly showed any sign of his stay. He'd learned to make his presence inconspicuous pretty easily, and that included from a space as well as from other people's awareness.

"So what do you do? Powers-wise, I mean," Dominic asked, as he leaned over to turn the TV off. "I couldn't exactly tell from the warehouse thing." He'd been able to work out what a few of the Brotherhood did from watching them, but Rogue wasn't one of them. Of course, it was possible that she hadn't been using her powers, just as easily as them being something totally non-visible. He was interested in what other mutants could do, though; they were such a varied group that it was actually amazing.

"Should I clean the place up?" he asked, dropping his bag lightly to the floor and peeking at what Rogue was reading. The books weren't something Dom had paid much attention to; as a kid he'd always tried to avoid anything that might result in bullying. Old habits died hard, apparently.

[Rogue]

"This kind of thing? Not long. Not even a year. But the wall-shaking thing I've been doing..." She glanced over at the open bedroom door, leaning back against the couch. "three and a half years. Give or take."

"That's pretty cool," she replied, nodding despite the fact that he couldn't see her from inside the room. She continued to leaf through the book, skimming most of the first chapter. It looked interesting, at least. As Dom came back out into the main room and moved toward the television, she pulled herself back up to her feet, closing the book.

"So what do you do? Powers-wise, I mean," Dominic asked, as he leaned over to turn the TV off. "I couldn't exactly tell from the warehouse thing."

"They're kinda hard to tell from a distance," she replied, smiling slightly. Of course, they were also kinda hard to explain and kinda weird to begin with. "I absorb people's memories and powers. Basically." She held up a gloved hand. "Just gotta touch them." That was the simple version, without the added bits about not being able to turn it off and getting voices in her head and knocking people out. It would do for the time being.

"Should I clean the place up?" Rogue glanced around again, frowning as she considered the question. She really didn't know who came in to clean things when she wasn't told to do it as a punishment, but she knew that someone was bound to be in there sometime soon, cleaning.

"Nah," she decided, shaking her head. "They'll send someone. You ready to go?" She wasn't trying to rush the guy, but there was no sense sticking around the apartment when they could go back to the infinitely cooler warehouse.

[Avalanche]

"They're kinda hard to tell from a distance," she replied, smiling slightly. Of course, they were also kinda hard to explain and kinda weird to begin with. "I absorb people's memories and powers. Basically." She held up a gloved hand. "Just gotta touch them."

"Wow," he said, eyebrows raised. Dominic was genuinely impressed with that. Mutants had an incredible diversity of powers, and Rogue could have any one of them with a touch. "That's pretty impressive."

With a shake of his head, he dropped his bag to the ground and asked, "Should I clean the place up?" It wasn't much of a job, because Dom wasn't really in the habit of making much of a mark on the places he stayed.

"Nah," she decided, shaking her head. "They'll send someone. You ready to go?"

"Sure." With a shrug, he picked his bag up again, slinging it over his right shoulder again. "We got a long trip?" He took one last look around the apartment; he hadn't been there long, but it was as long as he'd stayed with some families. He couldn't say he was going to miss it, though; it had only ever been temporary accommodation. And now he was moving on, to somewhere better.

"Anything I should know before we get there?"

[Rogue]

"Wow," he said, eyebrows raised. "That's pretty impressive."

"Guess so," she replied, shrugging. Put like that, it was maybe impressive. Mostly, it was annoying. It would have been more impressive if she could actually keep any of the powers. That would be pretty awesome, actually. But it didn't work that way, and as soon as she got totally used to using something, it usually went away and just left her with poison skin and another voice in her head. But she wasn't there to dwell on how shitty her powers were.

She decided that there was a good chance that someone else was coming in to clean the apartment, and there really wasn't much of a mess in the place, anyway. He really didn't need to clean up at all. Besides, there were more exciting things that needed to happen, like getting him over to the warehouse.

"Sure. We got a long trip?" Shaking her head, she started heading toward the door, tugging the scarf out of her pocket and slinging it around her neck. She slid the book into the pocket and reached for the doorknob.

"Not really. It's in the city. So it depends on traffic." Traffic had been pretty good on the way there, and hopefully it wouldn't suck on the way back to the warehouse.

"Anything I should know before we get there?" Pulling the door open, she smiled. She could definitely think of more than a few things that he probably needed to know before he got there. Some if it was stuff that she was actually supposed to tell him about, some of it was her own personal opinions.

"I'll tell you when we get in the car," she replied, nodding. Raven probably wouldn't like her telling him too much out in the hallways of the building. She held the door open for him, trying to think of something else that they could talk about that didn't involve... well, what they did. "So, you from around here? Or somewhere else?"

[Avalanche]

When Rogue asked if he was ready to go, Dom shrugged and picked up his bag. "Sure. We got a long trip?" He took one last look at what had been a pretty good temporary home. Temporary was the key word, though; he'd never expected to be staying there forever. Still, it was pretty good as far as places he'd stayed over the years went.

"Not really. It's in the city. So it depends on traffic."

In the city? Interesting. Somehow he'd been expecting like a secret island lair or something. Stupid. With a nod, Dom asked, "Anything I should know before we get there?" Don't feed the laser sharks, maybe?

"I'll tell you when we get in the car," she replied, nodding."So, you from around here? Or somewhere else?"

Re-settling his backpack, to make it more comfortable, Dominic headed out into the hall and waited for Rogue to lock the door. "Sorta," he said, then elaborated, "I moved around a lot as a kid. Foster care." As if that explained it all. Two words to sum up his entire childhood. Actually, it might have been a decent summary for people who had experienced the system, but for general use it wasn't so great. "But I have spent a lot of time in New York."

Keeping pace with Rogue, Dom waited for a sign as to which car was hers. After a moment he said, keeping the small talk going, "I'm guessing from the accent that you didn't grow up around here."

[Rogue]

The new guy seemed nice enough. Not that they really picked people based on how nice they were. Actually... she could think of quite a few people she'd met over the years who had probably been picked because they were such assholes. But it was definitely good to have some people around that she could talk to without worrying that they were immediately going to slaughter her if she said the wrong thing. He seemed just fine with making casual conversation, and she was going to have to remind herself that there was also business stuff to discuss before they got to the warehouse.

"Sorta," Dom replied as she pulled the door shut behind them and locked the door, turning to head back down the stairs. "I moved around a lot as a kid. Foster care." She nodded, smiling slightly. It was gonna be hard to not ask for more detail about that. She was always really fascinated with other people's stories about stuff like that. She knew for a fact that she didn't like other people knowing that part of her life so she tried not to actually ask. But it didn't stop her from wondering. "But I have spent a lot of time in New York."

"New York's a pretty cool place," she replied, nodding toward her car as they moved down the front stairs of the building. She did like it. The chaotic nature of the place, sidewalks jammed with people who often had no idea where they were going, the crowds so full of people that you could almost completely be alone in them, with nobody giving you a second glance, the stories. So many people had so many amazingly different stories. Of all the cities she'd lived in, she was pretty sure that New York was her favorite.

"I'm guessing from the accent that you didn't grow up around here." She glanced up at him, unlocking the car with the remote on the key chain and nodding.

"Good guess. Mississippi originally. Followed by a lot of moving around, too." Pulling the door open, she slid into the driver's seat and tugged the door closed again, turning to add to her statement. "Lived here for a while now, though."

"What's foster care like?" She stuck the key in the ignition, then reached for her seatbelt. She was genuinely curious, since she'd never had to go through that whole process. In fact, she was pretty sure that if the government had had any say in it, she'd have been sent right on back home to her dad. Elaborating so hopefully he wouldn't be as offended by the question, she half-smiled. "I'm just curious, 'cause I'm adopted but I never really had to do the foster care thing and it always looks like it sucks when you see it on TV. You don't really have to answer if you don't want to. I'm just talking. You can change the subject."

[Avalanche]

"Good guess. Mississippi originally. Followed by a lot of moving around, too." Dominic's actions mirrored Rogue's; they sat in the car almost simultaneously. "Lived here for a while now, though." He nodded, pulling on his seatbelt. It wasn't in his nature to follow rules just for the sake of following rules, but now that he was in the mutant terrorism game, Dom had decided that staying inconspicuous was definitely the best course of action. He was actually pretty good at staying unnoticed; the key was to fit in with people's expectations of normality. Normal people followed most of the rules without questioning them.

"What's foster care like?" She stuck the key in the ignition, then reached for her seatbelt. "I'm just curious, 'cause I'm adopted but I never really had to do the foster care thing and it always looks like it sucks when you see it on TV. You don't really have to answer if you don't want to. I'm just talking. You can change the subject."

While she spoke, Dom shoved his backpack between his feet and thought about how to answer. "It's all good," he said, then decided to keep his answer short and sweet. "Sometimes it sucks. Sometimes it's not so bad. There were a couple of good families and there were some really shitty families." He shrugged. "It isn't just like TV." He was interested to hear that Rogue was adopted, having always imagined it would be just like staying with a foster family - only forever. Or whatever. So whether it sucked or not would depend on the family.

He shrugged again, deciding to just ask. "You're adopted? What was that like?" He used the past tense because he could only imagine that she, like he, had left her family before eventually joining the Brotherhood. There was no way for him to know that Rogue's family were the Brotherhood.

"So. Base? What do I need to know?" He asked, once the family origins talk had concluded. That stuff was interesting, yeah, and he might even like to sit down with her some other time and chat about it, but right now it was important for Dom to know what he needed to for getting along and staying alive. Rogue had alluded to some stuff she had to tell him, and he wanted to make sure that she did before they arrived.

[Rogue]

"It's all good," Dominic thankfully replied. Sometimes, Rogue had the tendency to ask the questions that she wanted to, without really stopping to think that maybe they would make the person being asked uncomfortable. Asking questions like whether or not foster parents were like the one from Angels in the Outfield or more like the ones on Law and Order was probably one of those things that most folks didn't really want to talk about.

"Sometimes it sucks. Sometimes it's not so bad. There were a couple of good families and there were some really shitty families. It isn't just like TV." She shook her head sadly.

"TV lied to me again." She smiled after that, turning the key in the ignition and glancing at the side mirror. She really hated having to pull out of parking spots in the city. Nobody ever wanted to let you go.

"You're adopted? What was that like?" She looked over at him for a second before realizing that there was a break in the traffic passing by and pulling out into the lane.

"It's great. I mean, I've lived with them for... ten years? Still haven't had the urge to run away or nothing." Not that she usually got urges like that. She'd gotten one when she was in Mississippi, but that had been for a perfectly legitimate reason. Her mom was gone and her aunt was a bitch who thought that she was a burden. Her dad just stopped caring about anything. What other choice did she have?

"So. Base? What do I need to know?" Nodding as she turned a corner, she tried to figure out where the best place to start would be.

"Well, it's not... not a batcave or anything nearly as awesome. It looks like shit from the outside, but it's a lot better inside. We're gonna have to go to the security room first and get you all set up so you don't get shot or something when your hand doesn't work for the scanner." That was easy enough to do. "I guess the main things you need to know is stuff that's pretty much common sense. Don't tell people where it is, don't be all obvious and carrying huge stuff in. It's a warehouse, so as long as you use the loading dock for big shit, nobody really notices. There's a few people there now. Some of them are assholes. There's a big hairy guy with cat eyes and claws. Don't piss him off." Actually... she hadn't seen Sabretooth for a few days. Maybe he wasn't really living there anymore. Whatever. He'd be back eventually.

"I'll give you the tour when we get there." She couldn't really remember what else she was supposed to tell him, but she knew that it'd come to her eventually. Hopefully before they got all the way across town.

[Avalanche]

Smiling at her joke about TV, Dom asked, "You're adopted? What was that like?" He had no way of knowing that the past tense was incorrect, but her words soon enlightened him. To his incorrectness, not to the fact that the Brotherhood was her family for real.

"It's great. I mean, I've lived with them for... ten years? Still haven't had the urge to run away or nothing."

"Oh, so they're - you still live with them?" He still hadn't quite got his head around the situation; it would really be best for both of them if she just told him about her parents.

"So. Base? What do I need to know?" He asked, once the family conversation was done with. Blue eyes kept flicking up, checking the road and their surroundings, more for interests' sake than anything else. Dominic wasn't exactly the international espionage type, he wasn't trying to memorise the route or anything. He was intrigued by the idea of the Brotherhood having a base right here in the city, but wasn't thirsting for all of the exact details at that very moment or anything.

"Well, it's not... not a batcave or anything nearly as awesome. It looks like shit from the outside, but it's a lot better inside. We're gonna have to go to the security room first and get you all set up so you don't get shot or something when your hand doesn't work for the scanner." Dom nodded. Scanner? "I guess the main things you need to know is stuff that's pretty much common sense. Don't tell people where it is, don't be all obvious and carrying huge stuff in. It's a warehouse, so as long as you use the loading dock for big shit, nobody really notices. There's a few people there now. Some of them are assholes. There's a big hairy guy with cat eyes and claws. Don't piss him off."

It'd probably be safest to try to not piss anyone off, although that wasn't always Dom's forte. He could be quiet, though. Sorta. Maybe being quiet, at least for the first few days, would be a good idea. "Don't piss off the hairy guy, check." Unless he pisses me off first. He shrugged to himself.

"I'll give you the tour when we get there."

He nodded again. "Cool." There wasn't really much more he needed to say about that; he'd know everything he needed to when they got to base and she showed him around. "So," Dom said, scratching his ear. "Do many people expect a batcave?" He didn't really know what he'd expected. Hell, it might live up to him yet, anyway.

[Rogue]

"Oh, so they're - you still live with them?" She glanced over at him, frowning slightly before she realized that it might not have been quite as obvious as she thought it was.

"Destiny and Mystique," she clarified with a nod. Yep, definitely still living with them. And actually, he would be living with them soon too. "They adopted me when I was eight."

The conversation shifted then to the base, and she explained what she could remember, idly wondering as she did if he was going to think that he had to act all different around her because her parents were who they were. On the one hand, it was definitely awesome having them as parents but she didn't like that sometimes the others acted weird around her. Like she was going to narc them out or something if they did stuff in her presence. It didn't happen too often, thanks to the general attitudes that most of the others there had, but she'd definitely sensed it a couple of times.

"Don't piss off the hairy guy, check." She nodded. Pissing off the hairy guy was a bad idea, unless you liked having really long nails jammed into your gut. She got the feeling that some people around the place didn't particularly care about pissing Creed off, but they were mostly folks who couldn't get hurt like that. Plus Raven. But Raven had known Creed for a while or something, so that was different.

"Cool." She nodded. Cool. "So," Dom said, scratching his ear. "Do many people expect a batcave?" She smiled a little bit, frowning in thought.

"You know, I'm not sure." She tried to think of what other people'd said when they had first arrived, but was coming up completely blank. "You're the first person that they've sent me to get."

"I think Raven usually does it. But I asked and I guess they figured it'd be hard for me to fuck this up." Shrugging, she leaned back slightly in her seat as they reached another stoplight. Maybe it would be a good idea to let him know that she wasn't some kind of mama's girl. Just so he didn't think that he needed to watch what he said around her. "You don't have to watch what you say around me or anything because I'm their kid." She glanced over at him briefly and nodded. "I mean, I'm not, like... I don't tell them everything. Shit, there's tons of stuff they don't know about me."

She probably didn't need to go there.

"I don't know if you would, but you don't gotta treat me different because of it or anything." Maybe it was an unnecessary preemptive strike, but whatever. She just wanted to make sure he knew.

[Avalanche]

"Destiny and Mystique," she clarified with a nod. "They adopted me when I was eight."

"Oh! Ohhh, that makes a lot more sense now," Dom said with a nod, smiling at his own denseness. Only - Destiny and Mystique were here parents? He couldn't decide if that was cool or really weird. Also, two chicks! Only Destiny was pretty old. And how did that work, anyway?

He decided to just leave it and asked about the base, instead. Rogue's advice included not telling people where it was (duh) and not pissing off the hairy guy who hung around sometimes. "...check."

"I'll give you the tour when we get there." Rogue told him.

"Cool." There wasn't really much more he needed to say about that; he'd know everything he needed to when they got to base and she showed him around. "So," Dom said, scratching his ear. "Do many people expect a batcave?" The question referred to something she'd said earlier.

"You know, I'm not sure. You're the first person that they've sent me to get."

"Oh. Cool," Dom said again, not really sure what else to say. He'd probably be having a very different conversation with someone else, but that wasn't necessarily a good thing. Rogue was easy enough to talk to; they had some stuff in common that had made it interesting so far anyway.

"I think Raven usually does it. But I asked and I guess they figured it'd be hard for me to fuck this up."

He laughed, not entirely sure if that was insulting or not.

"You don't have to watch what you say around me or anything because I'm their kid." She glanced over at him briefly and nodded. "I mean, I'm not, like... I don't tell them everything. Shit, there's tons of stuff they don't know about me."

"Of course," Dom said mildly.

"I don't know if you would, but you don't gotta treat me different because of it or anything."

"Shit, no-one tells their parents everything," he said, shrugging one shoulder. "Don't worry about it." He couldn't actually say whether he'd watch what he said around her or not, well more than he already was anyway. Being the new guy, Dom was trying to be a bit careful for now. Not that it was exactly easy for him to bite his tongue most of the time.

"So you not being able to fuck this up too badly, is that saying something good or bad about me?" He asked.

[Rogue]

"Oh! Ohhh, that makes a lot more sense now," Dom said with a nod, smiling at his own denseness. Rogue grinned as she glanced over at him. Yeah. Maybe she should have started with that when the whole adoption thing had come up. Probably would have saved some time.

She went on to explain some of the basics of the base, hopefully remembering all of the important points. If she forgot something, she could always just fill in the blanks once they got there. Really, all he needed to know about at first was that it was secret and he needed to use his hand to get in and all that. That and not pissing off Creed.

She was glad that he laughed at her little joke about her parents figuring that she was competent enough to handle something as simple as picking him up and taking him to the base, but she still felt the need to reassure him that she wasn't a narc. Sure, she was the bosses' kid, but she definitely wasn't the kind of kid who went running to tell them everything.

"Shit, no-one tells their parents everything," he said, shrugging one shoulder. "Don't worry about it."

"'Kay, I won't." And it was just that simple. Hopefully he'd remember he'd told her that. She didn't like the idea of people not being as friendly with her as they otherwise would be just because of her parents.

"So you not being able to fuck this up too badly, is that saying something good or bad about me?" Smiling, she looked sideways at him, considering the question for a moment.

"Let's say good." Nodding, she decided that that was the right answer. "Think it's probably more about them... I went through some stuff like, a year and a half ago." Stuff was vague enough for right then. If he asked, she'd probably tell him about it, but he didn't need to hear about Weapon X just out of the blue without any choice in the matter. Especially since she usually liked to just pretend it had never happened. "For a while, they didn't let me do anything, 'cause I was all kinds of messed up. I'm better now. I mean, not crazy or nothing. But it's still nice knowing that they think I'm not gonna fuck things up, you know?"

Maybe he didn't. It was stupid, anyway, and she shrugged again. She wanted their approval, and it was definitely a good feeling knowing that they were trusting her with things again. Even if they had been for a while. Escorting someone to the warehouse for the first time was kinda a big deal, even if it wasn't really.

[Avalanche]

"Let's say good." Dominic's nod mirrored Rogue's. Yeah, that sounded better than the alternative, anyway. "Think it's probably more about them... I went through some stuff like, a year and a half ago." He nodded again. Gee, mutants having something fucked up going on in their lives, how unusual. "For a while, they didn't let me do anything, 'cause I was all kinds of messed up. I'm better now. I mean, not crazy or nothing. But it's still nice knowing that they think I'm not gonna fuck things up, you know?"

"Yeah. I know what you mean." Except that she was telling him that she'd been crazy. Wasn't now, but had been. He didn't really know what else to say about that without possibly starting some shit. Hell, staying quiet was probably going to start some shit, too. Knowing what to do in social situations wasn't really Dom's forte. He played with his seatbelt for a little while, scratching one fingernail over the woven fabric and listening to the sound it made.

Finally, it happened again. "So what happened? I mean, if you don't mind telling me." Did crazy-making shit happen often in the Brotherhood? He supposed it was likely, considering who they were. "You don't have to or anything. I'm just wondering if there's anything I should be worried about. Trouble at the warehouse or whatever." He could defend himself, but had a bad habit of bringing down buildings when he did it. It'd be good to know whether that was likely to happen or not.

[Rogue]

It really was good, knowing that they seemed to think that she was recovered enough to do something like introduce a newbie to the place. She certainly thought that she was pretty much completely better from it. There were still nightmares, and sometimes she woke up after them and it took her a few moments to realize that she was actually in her own room and not in a cell, but overall she was doing a pretty good job of ignoring the whole thing. Having other people's memories and thoughts helped to cover it up, too. Actually, that was kinda helpful with everything that she wanted to forget.

"So what happened? I mean, if you don't mind telling me." She shrugged as she looked over at him. "You don't have to or anything. I'm just wondering if there's anything I should be worried about. Trouble at the warehouse or whatever."

"Weren't at the warehouse," she informed him with a nod as she gripped the steering wheel a little bit tighter. "I got kidnapped by a group that called themselves Weapon X and they threw me in a cell then tortured me and made me do shit for them for a year." There. That was a nice, factual retelling of the whole thing. As long as she kept it relatively vague (for the time being, at least) and didn't think too long and hard about everything that they'd done, it would be okay.

"Got rescued," she added, "obviously." Stopping the car at the next light, she pushed her sleeve up and held her arm out. "Got a shitty tattoo out of the whole deal, too. Plus a pretty badass scar and all kinds of mental problems."

"Wouldn't recommend it," she finished with a decisive nod as the light changed. It had taken so much longer than it should have for her to just get used to being able to go across the hall to a private bathroom to shower whenever she wanted. She hadn't even been able to sleep in her bed at first, either. It was too soft. Rogue was better, though. Completely. Mostly. Enough.

[Avalanche]

"Weren't at the warehouse," she informed him with a nod as she gripped the steering wheel a little bit tighter. "I got kidnapped by a group that called themselves Weapon X and they threw me in a cell then tortured me and made me do shit for them for a year."

Frowning, Dominic nodded. The fuck was Weapon X? He'd never heard of them, but then he supposed that sort of group wouldn't exactly go around advertising their presence. Kidnapping and torturing mutants? Shit. How the hell did people justify that sort of thing? It went beyond just fear and hatred of the unknown, especially if they'd had her for a whole year and made her 'do shit'. He didn't bother asking what exactly they'd made her do. He didn't think he wanted to know.

"Got rescued," she added, "obviously." Stopping the car at the next light, she pushed her sleeve up and held her arm out. "Got a shitty tattoo out of the whole deal, too. Plus a pretty badass scar and all kinds of mental problems."

He wondered who had rescued her, and if they'd shut the fuckers down or not. Something like that? He'd bring the place down around their heads even if it killed him.

"Wouldn't recommend it," she finished with a decisive nod.

"I'll keep that in mind," he told her, tone slightly dry. "That is a shitty tattoo," Dom commented. "Ever thought about getting it covered?" He'd thought about getting a tattoo a few times, but that sort of thing made you recognisable. Gave them something to write in their reports, a 'distinctive feature'. He'd never liked the idea of that; he liked it even less now.

[Rogue]

For the longest time, it had been hard to even think about Weapon X. She'd had nightmares. Constantly, even when she was awake. Her mind would drift and she'd think that she was in the hallway at Weapon X, instead of walking to or from her bedroom. It had taken weeks for her to be able to sleep on a soft bed again, after nearly a year of being on a hard metal bunk night after night. None of her clothes had fit and even though everything was familiar, it was also so incredibly foreign. After a while, though, she forced herself to start talking about it. Telling her parents what had happened and what they'd done to her.

It still wasn't exactly easy to talk about. Especially if she went into much detail, but she could recount the experience as a whole with a certain detachedness. Some stories, like how she'd managed to get the scar on her back, she could tell in a similar fashion, just by not going into too much detail. She still hadn't told Pyro that part of the reason it looked so badly healed was because they kept on re-opening it. He just knew the reason for it's being there in the first place and that was enough.

"I'll keep that in mind," he told her, tone slightly dry. She looked over at him and nodded, forcing a small smile. "That is a shitty tattoo," Dom commented. Rogue snorted at that. It really, really was. "Ever thought about getting it covered?"

"Yeah," she replied, turning down a slightly less crowded street. "I've got tons of ideas for it, actually. One goes all the way up to my shoulder and partway down my back, to cover the scar, too. But I don't know if I'd actually go through with it."

"Easy enough to pick me out of a lineup with my hair, you know? I think Mystique would flip a shit if I actually did it. I already gotta cover this one up with makeup sometimes, depending on what we're doing." She shrugged. It wasn't really a big deal, anyway. Except for the part where it sorta was and she was still way too aware of its presence and the sight of it sometimes made her want to barf. But she could ignore all of that. Really.

[Avalanche]

"Yeah," she replied, turning down a slightly less crowded street. "I've got tons of ideas for it, actually. One goes all the way up to my shoulder and partway down my back, to cover the scar, too. But I don't know if I'd actually go through with it."

"That would be sweet." Chicks with tattoos were hot. Especially full sleeves. There had been this one chick he knew, years back, who had both arms done and was just smoking hot. For a moment, Dominic's mind meandered away from the present; he found himself wondering what had happened to her in the end. Probably he'd never know. Rogue's voice brought his attention back to where it belonged.

"Easy enough to pick me out of a lineup with my hair, you know? I think Mystique would flip a shit if I actually did it. I already gotta cover this one up with makeup sometimes, depending on what we're doing."

Nodding his agreement, Dom said, "Yeah, definitely don't need anything else to recognise you by." She was just a little bit distinctive with the hair and all. "I'm guessing they can't remove it, then?" Because that would be a lot easier and would get rid of a distinguishing feature. Or at least he imagined it would. But Dom wasn't exactly an expert on tattoos and laser removal and all that shit. He thought that cover-ups were easier to do, or cheaper or something, because why else would so many people get them? But he wasn't really sure.

"You often get pulled into lineups, then?" He asked, referring to her earlier comment. He was smiling crookedly, because he didn't think so, but a part of him was curious about the relative risks of membership. The Brotherhood didn't exactly have a recruitment pamphlet he could consult.