“Blacklisted myself by choice. I've been like this since before governments and corps could buy their own supersoldiers in bulk. Got ‘recruited’ into just about every war there was back in the 1900’s, willing or not. Mostly not. Got fucking sick of being used. Then Charles Xavier found me.”

He doesn't know how familiar she is with rumors of ‘back in the day.’ But, if she recognizes any name from the mutant era, it would be Xavier's, the face of the whole movement. There was a time when being in his inner circle would've been enough to show just how trustworthy you really were. Of course, nowadays, anyone could claim it and there would be no way to prove them false.

“Worked with him. Outlived him. Ended up a ronin again. Didn't want to wait around and see which government agency was gonna tranquilize me and keep me in a cage next without a team on my side, so I disappeared just like all the other mutants. Been traveling since the early 2000s, keeping my distance from the NUSA.”

He skips over the details- the past few decades are predominantly a blur of empty bottles and bar fights.

“Felt like time to do something with my life again. But, I don't wanna work for just anybody. I wanna work for someone who's got their shit together like Chuck did. I heard this is where I should be.”

" LOGAN. right. for the sake of making you sound like less of a risk to wager on, we'll call it retirement instead of blacklisting by choice -- once the word blacklist is involved there really isn't a by choice that doesn't sound like complete bullshit, so retirement it is. " and even that didn't sound completely believable in the context he had put forth, though maybe that was just rogue's own desires peaking through : because once she retired ( IF she ever chose to do so ) she would never step foot in the city again, so the concept of un-retiring came across as both completely foreign and completely foolish .

Which brings him to the next point- he's got nothing he wants to spend money on. He's already got a mattress for the floor and a mostly functional fridge that came already installed in the dirt cheap apartment he's been staying in.

He's even got a couple extra sets of clothing so that he can go into important meetings like this one without smelling like death. Anything more than just enough for rent, food, and gas is just going to be a pretty number on an ATM receipt.

The life he lives is easiest when he can pick up and leave town without having to go home and pack first. He's got no desire to accumulate more crap.

But, he has enough sense to know that the truth sounds like a load of bullshit, and that he's already pushing his luck with all the other bullshit.

“Doesn't seem like I'm really in a position to demand a premium. You're still on the fence about hiring me at all-” a generous way to phrase it, “You're not about to pay a premium for a guy you don't know and can't trust.”

a mixture of scenarios and dialogue for nighttime shenanigans. tw for mentions of alcohol, substance usage, and suggestive themes.

( SCENARIOS )

[ BUZZ ] - our muses are drinking and / or getting high on a rooftop.

[ CAMP ] - our muses are camping in the woods, telling ghost stories by the fire, when they suddenly hear something scary.

[ CONCERT ] - our muses attend a major pop star's concert and fan out.

[ DANCE ] - our muses go out clubbing and start dancing up on each other.

[ DIM ] - our muses make cocktails and slow dance in a dimly lit kitchen at 11pm.

[ DINER ] - our muses decide to hit up a diner at midnight and order breakfast.

[ DRINK ] - our muses meet up for drinks at a lowkey bar.

[ DRIVE ] - our muses are on a late night road trip and have to make a pit stop somewhere questionable.

[ EMPTY ] - our muses explore an abandoned building and almost get caught by [pick: security / squatters / other explorers / something else].

[ FRESH ] - our muses decide to sit outside one of their homes for fresh air and a meaningful conversation at 1am.

[ GAME ] - our muses stay up until 4am playing video games in the living room.

[ GRAVE ] - our muses explore a cemetery / graveyard and find something spooky.

[ HAUNT ] - our muses explore a location that is notoriously haunted and have a paranormal encounter.

[ HIDE ] - our muses are hiding out together in [pick: the attic / the bathroom / a closet / the garage / somewhere else] at a party they didn't want to attend.

[ HIKE ] - our muses are hiking along a new trail and find something interesting / odd after getting lost.

[ MASK ] - our muses attend a masquerade (or some other masked event) and unknowingly become dance partners.

[ PLAY ] - our muses have fun at a playground at 1am.

[ RITUAL ] - our muses conduct a [pick: cult-like / pagan / satanic / spell] ritual deep in the middle of a forest.

[ ROOM ] - our muses are deliriously sprawled out in one of their bedrooms at 5am after talking all night.

[ SHINE ] - our muses are laying on a blanket in the grass and stargazing.

[ SHORE ] - our muses attend a bonfire party on the beach and wind up talking and walking along the shore until sunrise.

[ SNACK ] - our muses make a 1am snack run to the nearest corner store / gas station.

[ SNEAK ] - our muses are caught sneaking in or out somewhere (alternate: sender may catch receiver, or vice versa).

[ STUDY ] - our muses spend the evening [pick: studying / training] and accidentally get locked in the [pick: grounds / gym / library / school].

[ SUMMON ] - our muses play with a ouija board (or similar tool) at 3am and get scared by themselves or something worse.

[ SWEAT ] - our muses are laying in bed together post-coitus.

[ SWIM ] - our muses sneak into the community pool for a late night swim.

[ VENUE ] - our muses drink and get rowdy at a rock show in a small venue.

[ WALK ] - our muses take a late night stroll around the neighborhood / town / city.

[ WET ] - our muses skinny dip in a lake / pond once the sun starts to go down.

( DIALOGUE )

❛ it's hard to see the stars in the city. ❜

❛ can you spot any constellations? ❜

❛ can i get you a drink? ❜

❛ i'm so tired, but i can't sleep… ❜

❛ it's too late for that. ❜

❛ this is gonna require an all-nighter. ❜

❛ how is it already two in the morning? ❜

❛ gonna grab a midnight snack. you want something? ❜

❛ can i take you home? ❜

❛ did you hear that? ❜

❛ i can't see shit. ❜

❛ why do hauntings never seem to happen during the day? ❜

❛ first one to fall asleep has to buy breakfast in the morning. ❜

❛ are you still awake? ❜

❛ are you okay? it sounded like you were having a bad dream. ❜

❛ well, you seemed like you were having a good dream… was it about me? ❜

❛ hey! no falling asleep on me! you better wake up! ❜

❛ what do you think about when you're falling asleep? ❜

❛ shh! keep your voice down! ❜

❛ please tell me you see that too… ❜

❛ i think we're being followed… ❜

❛ who the fuck are you?! why are you following me?! ❜

❛ why the hell are you up so late? ❜

❛ getting into some late night mischief? … yeah, me neither. ❜

❛ can you stay up with me, please? i just need some company… ❜

❛ don't turn on the light! ❜

❛ could you at least turn on a light or something? ❜

❛ who cares? it's not like anyone can see us. ❜

❛ this place is freakier at night… ❜

caretaker.

i'll  stay  until  you  fall  asleep.

you're  not  a  burden.  not  to  me.

you  don't  have  to  act  tough  with  me.

let  me  help.

if  you  need  to  cry,  i'll  look  the  other  way.

you  don't  have  to  talk.

let  me  handle  it,  just  for  a  minute.

rest,  i'll  watch  over  you.

i  don't  care  if  you  think  you're  fine.  i'm  staying.

deep  breaths.

just  lean  on  me.

you're  safe  now,  okay?  just  breathe.

i  know  it  hurts.  i'll  sit  here  as  long  as  it  takes.

i'm  not  leaving  until  i  know  you're  okay.

you  don't  need  to  hide.

let  me  take  care  of  you  this  time.

shh.  i'm  right  here.

you  don't  have  to  put  on  a  smile  for  me.

i  don't  think  less  of  you.

i'll  be  here  when  you  wake  up.

you're  allowed  to  lean  on  me.  that's  what  i'm  here  for.

you  don't  have  to  be  okay.

scoot  over,  i'm  not  letting  you  sleep  alone.

your  hair's  a  mess.  let  me  brush  it.

don't  apologize.

cared  for.

i'm  tired,  that's  all.

please  don't  go.

i  don't  know  what  i  need.

you  didn't  need  to  come.

you  shouldn't  have  to  see  me  like  this.

i  hate  feeling  like  this.

i  was  trying  to  push  through.  i  think  i  made  it  worse.

this  is  so  embarrassing.

can  you  just...  stay  a  little  longer?

i  didn't  think  anyone  would  notice...

i'm  not  safe  in  my  own  head  right  now.

why  are  you  being  so  gentle  with  me?

i  don't  want  you  to  fix  me.

today's  just...  one  of  the  harder  days.

i  didn't  know  i  needed  to  hear  that.

can  you  stay?  after  i  fall  asleep?

sorry.  i  didn't  mean  to  flinch.

i  don't  always  know  what's  going  to  help.

this  is  the  nicest  anyone’s  been  to  me  all  week.

i'm  sorry.  i  know  i'm  a  lot.

i  don't  even  know  why  i'm  crying...

i  think  i'm  broken.

you  didn't  have  to  do  all  this  for  me.

i  don't  want  to  be  a  burden.

“He's dead?” He asks skeptically. Maybe he's paranoid, but nothing good ever comes from letting your guard down, “Or he's licking his wounds, gonna come back and finish the job?”

"No, he's off somewhere....slowly being eaten from the inside out."

The calm with which she delivers, as if she were simply discussing the weather, was not out of the norm for some morticians (a little black humor here and there never killed anyone...yet)

However, to bestow the intruder with false hope...to believe he'd escape consequence and only until it was too late, would the damage have been done.

It's hard to gauge how old she is. Given her abilities, looks could be decieving. But, her cockiness gives him the impression that she's still young. She's won some battles and convinced herself that she'll win all of them.