Knock Out's laughter trails after her to the kitchen, his hearing having no problem picking up her words. His frame felt light and pleasantly relaxed, and Rogue's good-humored reply has him settled that things are balanced between them again. It was such a contrast from her disjointed, unnerving vacancy during the incident leading up to Cerebro's opening — as if the two states couldn't exist in the same space.

His fuel tank pings him sullenly, cycling on empty volume; he ignores it. He knows he's pinning his hopes on the two potential mine locations in more western states, but he's otherwise out of options. If the scanner didn't yield anything...

Well, he'd cross that bridge if it came.