A Moment Between (Open)

[Anna Marie "Rogue"]

Rogue had about two hours until her next class. They tried to go light during the summers, but ethics was one of those classes that should be available to all at any time. It was mandatory during the school year, an elective in the summer months. She'd just ended up in a bit of an odd conversation with a student about the possible ramifications of being ethical against someone without ethics. It was hard to explain to kids sometimes that it's not a disadvantage. They saw rules as restraints and those who don't follow them as not having anything holding them back. She'd had to explain that without retraints people can spiral out of control, that rules are there for a reason. It was strange to be the one saying those words, Rogue had never been the BEST with rules and she'd certainly been in her share of situations where she'd bent them to win. Sometimes she wondered if she was the right person to be teaching that class. But every time she came to the same conclusion; better her than Emma Frost. Frost had offered to teach the class, but that wasn't happening on Rogue's watch, no sir.

Presently, she made her way into the staff rec room and collapsed dramatically onto the couch, sprawling out across its length in a less than lady-like manner. She didn't care. Nobody was there to fuss about her feet being on the couch anyhow.

She let out a big old sigh and let her muscles relax. After a bit maybe she'd get herself some coffee, for now, she ws glad just to be lying down.

[Dr. Henry "Beast" McCoy]

"My dear, it might be best to look around before you collapse on the couch like that."

Dr. Henry "Beast" McCoy looked up from where he sat across the way, letting out a jovial chuckle. He put his crossword puzzle down on the coffee table and tucked his glasses into his coat pocket.

"A bit ironic for an ethics professor to have such positioning, no?"

Beast looked across the way at Rogue with a smirk. Rogue was like a daughter to Beast. He'd known her for many years, and he had a soft spot in his heart for the troubled Southern woman. They had both struggled to fit in over their lives, and both have battled with their powers at one point or another.

Beast rose from his seat and made his way to the coffee machine. "Would you care for some coffee, Rogue?"

[Anna Marie "Rogue"]

Rogue propped herself up a little to notice the blue gentleman sitting the chair. How had she not noticed Hank before? Eh, she was distracted.

"Sorry, Hank, dunno how Ah missed ya." She shrugged. "I ain't the etiquette professor, ain't nothin unethical 'bout my position. Y'might wanna revisit yer definition of irony." She grinned cheekily and stretched her arms out and yawned. "Coffee sounds great, thanks. Milk an' two sugahs, please?"

She was glad it was Beast there and not someone she didn't care for much. She could use some good company and Beast was some of the best company to have in the mansion. Always something clever and usually funny to add, always appropriate to the discussion, she felt like he gave her a bit of class she'd never have, which was fine too. And he looked out for her, she knew that. Hank was one of the members of the X Men that really made it feel like a family.

"Whatchya workin' on?"

[/blockquote]

[Kurt "Nightcrawler" Wagner]

*BAMF* Nightcrawler entered near the fridge "good afternoon mine friends, how gos your day?" he said as he reached for the bottled water. he had just finished tutoring Shade on the finer points of teleportation and stealth and was eager for a break.

[Dr. Henry "Beast" McCoy]

Beast laughed in response to Rogue's comment. She always had something sharp and witty to say in reply to most anyone. A fine trait.

Beast fixed two cups of coffee, one black and one milk with two sugars. He didn't bother to look up when he heard the familiar sound of Nightcrawler's teleportation, or 'bamf', as it was commonly known.

"Ah, guten tag, Kurt. Mein label ist gut." He greeted in Nightcrawler's native tongue. He laughed and then placed one cup of steaming coffee on the table near Rogue. He returned to his seat and sipped quietly at the drink.

"As for what I am working on, Rogue, nothing too fascinating at the moment. Just a simple crossword." He explained. "I had been working with Miss Richards earlier, however."

[Anna Marie "Rogue"]

"Afternoon, Kurt," Rogue greeted her old friend and unofficial foster brother casually. When Beast put her coffee on the table near her, she used her legs to propel herself into an upright seated position. She leaned forward to grab her coffee and shifted on the couch to kind of curl into the corcer of it, one arm propped up on the arm of the couch.

She listened to Beast answer her question with his usual eloquence as she blew lightly over the rim of her mug. Always had a way with words, Hank. At the mention of Kat Richards, Rogue inclined her head to one side. "Oh yeah, what'chyall workin' on now?" It was always something. If it weren't Beast being the person in question, she'd find the whole thing a little on the wrong side, making a girl your lab rat that way. But she knew he treated her like a person, even if occasionally all he saw was an abnormal brain on certain days. At least she wasn't being experimented on in some cruel and unusual way like some mutant kids. She was safe here, with the X Men.

[/blockquote]

[Kurt "Nightcrawler" Wagner]

"das ist gut zu hören, heir Hank" Kurt responded, Kurt did so enjoy speaking with in his native tongue with hank, it made him feel at home again as well as any conversation with him was sure to stimulate the mind.

at this point he turned to away from the refrigerator and saw Rogue "vell you look exhausted, tough class?"

[Dr. Henry "Beast" McCoy]

Beast nodded in reply to Nightcrawler. Beast always enjoyed his company, as he was a good friend and it gave him the opportunity to practice his German.

"I've been monitoring Miss Richards' brain activities when paired with individuals who are emotionally closed off not by any sort of mutant ability, but by personal intention." He explained. "Like young Geo. He is a very stoic and stable boy, and is, excuse the pun, often himself like the earth."

He took another sip of his coffee and explained further.

"It seems that Miss Richards has difficulty reading those emotions when the person has deliberately put up walls to seal off their emotions from others. I'm sure she'll be able to bypass them one day, but for that, she'll need to learn better control of her powers."

[Anna Marie "Rogue"]

"You could say that," she told Kurt before listening to Beast's description of his latest research on Kat Richards. She nodded, thinking about the implications.

"She told me once that her power was like telepathy but with feelings instead'a thoughts. Guess she was right. Ah mean, it's like how a telepath can hear thoughts, yeah? But 'less they're real powerful y'c'n hide things from 'em, right?" She sipped her coffe. "But that Geo kid, her teammate, right? S'good she's got someone she can't read too easy. Y'think it works the other way too? Like, c'n she project onto him, or d'those walls block all the parts'a her Empathy?"

She knew Kat had concerns about her relationships with people because of her empathy. It was interesting how much the entire staff seemed interested in and involved with the Misfit Squad in some way or another. They were one of the more successful squads even if they all had odd starts and were a late-formed squad. They all had something, as much as the Professor seemed concerned about Kat and as much as she was seriously getting concerned about Sin and Shade's attitude towards her class.

[/blockquote]

[Kurt "Nightcrawler" Wagner]

Nightcrawler left the fridge and sat adjacent to rogue "I to haff often vondered about kat. not so much vor her empazy ability but more so for her skills in magic." Perhaps she vould like to meet mine sista. "She seems to be of sound morals but ze Winding Way holds many challenges for ze users of ze mystical arts, un many lose zer way. If she loses her vay her combined mysticism und empathy could be a real sreat."

"Rouge she is in your ethics class, yes? vat do you sink of her as far as her commitment to remaining or ze side of righteousness?"

[Dr. Henry "Beast" McCoy]

Beast listened to each of his colleagues intently, nodding his head frequently as he was known to do. He canted his head slightly as he thought upon Rogue's last statement.

"I would suppose it does. Emotional walls built by personal intention are some of the hardest to break. We have all seen that with Wolverine." Beast explained. "I would imagine that's one of the reasons why the Professor deemed it right to place them both as leaders of the Misfits." He chuckled heartily. "Almost as if, they represent the yin and yang."

Beast then turned to Nightcrawler. "Ah, ethics. A fine subject." Beast held a finger into the air. "As the great Bertrand Russell said 'Ethics is in origin the art of recommending to others the sacrifices required for cooperation with oneself.' Quite apropos to Miss Richards I'd say." Beast smiled, slightly. "I would not doubt her dedication to righteousness, Nightcrawler, but rather her dedication to herself."

[Anna Marie "Rogue"]

"Ah wouldn't worry none, Kurt," Rogue shrugged. She wondered why he was so concerned, enough to seemingly interrupt Hank's musings to voice it. "She's a good kid, don't like hurtin' nobody. She's a critical thinker'n all but I don't think she'd go bad fer nothin'. Hank's got a point about her doubtin' herself, but she works hard fer everyone else. The rest'll come in time, I think." She paused, sipped her coffee and sighed. "Not so sure about certain friends'a hers sometimes, though....Savage scares me sometimes, Ah ain't gonna lie. It's like havin' a little female Magneto in mah class...when she talks at all anymore. S'like, she figured ah don't like much the way she thinks so she don't share no more, but her take on situational ethics is a bit...offputtin." She shook her head. She knew Sin was too loyal to the other Misfits to really go changing teams, but that wasn't the only way an x-man could go wrong. She gave a short huff of a sarcastic laugh. "She still ain't as bad as Kendrcik, though he's a little better behaved without that old teammate of his around to try'n impress." Malcom "Spite" Kendrick was, as far as Rogue could figure, a hopeless case. The only thing they could do was keep him from graduating to X-Man and try to keep him from running off and starting some sort of mini Brotherhood of his own. Keep him here, keep him trying. Fuck anything Emma said about his potential, that boy was dangerous if she ever saw it. And she'd seen plenty.

[Kurt "Nightcrawler" Wagner]

Kurt listened to his to colleges responses in turn and responded..

"fair enough, however I vould not vurry to much about Angel. She is a troubled child und struggles with ze multiple moralities that make up her powers. It vill take time but she vill over come it und be stronger for her trials."