fateandfortune | Just two vampires, traveling the galaxy... [For Todd the Wraith]

Todd nodded and picked up his gloves before they headed back to his chambers, a little the worse for wear than when they went in. He walked slow so that she wasn't left behind hobbling along in the dim corridors.

Bloody, sore and even the Wraith was sweating a bit from the spar, he started the water to fill the tub for a much needed bath upon their return. After setting the bar of soap and towels beside the edge he came back out. "You can get in first." he invited, working to undo the decorative knots and thin braids in his hair.

The tub was plenty big enough for them not be near each other, so her VIP treatment was over.

Rogue was proud of herself that she only paused for a moment at his words, watching him work on his hair with a hesitant expression. After his explanation of no one bathing alone, she'd figured this would come up eventually during their time together - he was nothing if not practical, and this was the only practical way to go about things.

Not that she was entirely comfortable with it, but a bath sounded completely amazing, water was scarce on the ship, and it wasn't as if he was going to try anything. Todd had been nothing short of a gentleman with her, aside from trying to kill her to save himself and kicking her ass in the arena. But she understood the reason for the former and she'd asked for the latter, so really, perfect gentleman. Besides, touching her skin would kill him. So she ignored the seething protests of certain other less gentlemanly types in her mind and started the awkward process of undressing while limping.

Rogue considered it another moment for a bit of personal pride that she didn't fall over while favoring her injured knee, and she put everything into the cleaner before the pain worsened too much. Being on the run and at war had meant that propriety had gone right out the window with things like movie theaters and hot showers, so she actually wasn't that bothered by being naked in Todd's presence. She'd been proud of her body once, of the way her muscles had toned from training, of her set of curves that Remy had complimented to high heavens. She pulled up that old confidence now as she lowered herself into the sunken tub, ignoring how prominent her ribs had become as food became scarce, and not looking at the scars from the battles when Logan hadn't been on hand to heal her. A short knife wound along her left hip, about three inches long. A burn on her right shoulder, the patch of scar tissue large and glossy and in the distinctive shape of a hand. A bullet wound on her right thigh. All signs that she was a survivor, Erik reminded her, and she smiled slightly at the sentiment.

Her knee screamed in pain at the sudden heat put upon the swelling tissue. She should really be icing it, but the hot water would eventually help with the pain, so it wasn't the worst thing for the injury. She just hoped eventually came really damn soon.

While she settled into the tub, he undressed, running his fingers over the bridge of his nose a couple times. Wraith weren't exactly vanity-driven species, compared to humans anyway, but even he had some pride in his appearance.

Satisfied his nose had not healed into a crooked mess, Todd tossed the last of his clothing on the bed and joined her, though first went over to the closet and pulled out an old jar he had.

If they could be any more physically opposite, it was in their scars. She had several, he had none. Even after his years of imprisonment, several good feedings had healed all that up after he returned, leaving not a single sign of physical evidence. Mental, well, those scars would never completely heal, and he'd be forever bitter that Sheppard got to kill Acastus Koyla before he got his hands on him. He did have another tattoo though, along his right scapula. A bunch of weird V's, but upon closer inspection, was actually a flock of simple-illustrated birds. A line of blunt ridges also followed his spine, a remnant of the iratus ancestor no doubt.

Walking by her, he set the jar down at her end of the tub. "Rub that into your knee. It'll help with the pain and speed up healing" he said. "Wraith use it on torn fingers." He added before she could ask. Sometimes an over-enthusiastic wraith might rip out a claw while feeding or in a fight. They grew back but the pain was like the worst hangnail you could imagine.

Finally, he joined her at his end of the tub, settling into the hot water with an escaped audible noise in the back of his throat.

Rogue had glanced up when he'd set the jar down and gotten a very clear view of both the similarities and differences between their species. Humanoid, yes, but the ridges she glimpsed along his spine appeared to be another link to an insect-like influence on Wraith genetics.

Trying not to stare at him or worry over the distance between them (which would never be enough for his safety in her opinion), she picked up the jar, opening it and examining the salve within. Not the most pleasant smell, but those were generally the most effective remedies.

"Thank you," she said to him, indicating the jar she held. "Your nose is okay? I thought you'd block me again, or I wouldn't have gone for your face."

The wraith chuckled a bit at that, "Just my pride." He rested his elbows on the edge of the tub, letting his clawed fingers dangle in the water.

"You changed your technique up today, do you learn such from those you've absorbed?" he asked "Or were you taught it?

"Both," she answered, turning a bit of her focus to her knee as she probed at it with her fingers, checking the current state of swelling. "I've studied dozens of fighting styles, first to stay useful in the field and then to help with teaching the kids. With the X-Men, we never knew what we'd be up against, some of the other mutants had abilities that meant we had to get pretty creative to stop them."

She winced a little at a particular tender spot and hoped the salve he'd given her would do as promised. Without some sort of treatment, her knee would probably be the size of a tennis ball in a few hours.

"What I used today was called Savate, or French kickboxing," she continued explaining. "It was what Remy used, the man I mentioned earlier. He taught me a bit, but having him in my head makes the movement come out more naturally. It's that way with most anyone up here who's loud enough and willing to share." She couldn't pull knowledge or skill know-how from the people in her head, but sometimes they could offer it to her just the same.

"Stop prodding it" he advised

It was a strange and fascinating ability she had. She took life, retained it, and used it, but in a way completely different from that of Wraith. When one fed upon a human, they only took their years and strength. They kept no consciousnesses in their heads, nor learned any new fighting techniques.

Todd leaned over and plucked the bar of soap up from the edge and lathered his hands to begin washing up.

The salve started to work on her injured knee, soothing the pain and the redness was disappearing as well.

"Instead of sparring tomorrow I'll bring a drone back here to try out your power on it." he said.

She did stop prodding her knee, but with a hint of a petulant look on her face. She knew how to handle wounds, thank you very much. Not everyone was able to heal broken bones within an hour, some of them had to deal with the damage and pain for months. It hadn't always been as bad for Rogue though, admittedly - whenever she'd been injured and Logan had been around, he'd practically forced her into absorbing enough of his healing abilities to set her on the mend. It had ensured she'd spent years with a craving for open spaces and a nice cold beer, as well as a good brawl every now and then.

Rogue acknowledged Todd's words with a nod. "Can I ask... Why are you helping me like this?" She glanced over at him, then looked back down at her section of the water. "I appreciate it, please don't think I don't. But I'm not Wraith, and you don't really know me. Even with that, you've gone out of your way so many times, letting me share your room, taking care of me, trusting me. I just wonder why?"

She worried a little over asking the question, one that had been at the back of her mind for days. And she hoped that he wasn't offended, that he truly comprehended how grateful she was for everything he'd done. As she learned more about his species, it became increasingly apparent how unique their arrangement was, and she'd just like to understand it a little better is all.

"I have a debt to pay to you." he answered. "While you might not have saved my life intentionally, it's still something I will repay."

He dipped his feeding arm under the water, the heat of it feeling good on the slit in his palm.

"And you're from a different dimension." he pointed out "Almost as different from humans as Wraith are, but just the same as well. I enjoy hearing about it. The good, and bad."

Cupping his hand, he rinsed the suds off his chest and then held out the soap bar to her. She had to get used to the possibility that she would touch others.

A debt to repay, and something of interest. He really was so very like Erik, it was a little comforting to have something familiar like that in her life again. Especially since he reasons made sense, she could understand them without having reason to doubt his motives. It had been a long time since she'd met someone like that.

Rogue held her breath as she reached out and took the soap from him, careful of where she placed her fingers. It was difficult with the soap being slippery, and she flinched when a fingertip touched his and a quick jolt of that sparking electric energy shot up her right arm.

"Shit," she muttered quietly, shifting the soap to her left hand, flexing her right and shaking it a little. "It stings a little, like live electricity," she explained, lathering up the soap as he had done and rubbing the suds along her arm and shoulder, over the burn scar, trying to soothe away that tingling sensation.

He was more surprised by her outburst at first, but then realized...

"I felt nothing that time" he said honestly. Just her finger. No shock, no pain, not even that annoying tingle.

It was too much to hope that things were changing already. Perhaps her ability still didn't know what to make of Todd, whether to attack him, warn him, or, in this case it seemed, turn in on itself.

That sent the boys chattering in her mind. Erik, Remy, Logan, Charles, a half dozen others. All of them at once, going on about the possibilities, arguing with each other over whether she should go through with this training or whether it would do more harm than good.

She squeezed her eyes shut tight, leaning forward and bowing her head, dark and light hair swinging into the water. It was so damn loud. "Would you all just shut up already?" she murmured, pressing her wet right hand to the side of her head. "You're giving me a headache."

The chattering ceased at that, the few insistent ones being shepherded back to the darker corners of her mind by the trio who always looked after her. But within the brief chaos, there had been something mentioned that might actually have merit. Glancing quickly over at Todd and then away again, she asked, "How different is the DNA of Wraith from that of humans?"

Todd watched as she struggled with herself. What was it like to have the...personalities?...of so many within you? Another reason why she ought not opt for a planet of her own. But that was her choice, should all else fail.

"I believe Doctor Beckett said that we may walk and talk like you, but we're far closer genetically to something called the iratus bug. Or rather its ancestor." he answered. "Why? Has one of those within you thought of something?"

She'd been right about the insect influence on their appearance, at least. Some people would find it unsettling, but Rogue had spent half her life surrounded by people with scales and fur and tails. It was just another day at the office for her.

Resuming her scrubbing, she didn't looking at Todd as she explained what had come up in the impromptu think tank of voices in her head. "When I absorb someone with a physical mutation, I sometimes take on that mutation for a while, in some form at least. I've sprouted blue fur before, had my skin turn bright pink, that sort of thing. When I absorbed the Kree, though, I changed at the genetic level. It didn't last for long, but... it happened."

She returned the soap to the tray and took an audibly deep breath. "They wonder if that's happening now. If that's why my powers are behaving abnormally."

She wasn't sure how she felt about the idea, but it was a very real possibility, especially with the impending training. If she touched one of his species for long enough, or enough of them for a cumulative amount, how much might she change?

Edited 2015-11-28 04:10 (UTC)

Now he was more intrigued and ready to start with the drone...but it would have to wait.

"Perhaps." he agreed, then asked, "What were these...Kree, like?"

Either she was changing, or her body was trying to defend itself against a predator. After all, he'd attacked and fed upon her almost on sight.

He wondered if her ability would even work on the drone now that he thought of it. It had no consciousness beyond instinct and no personality to absorb. A drone was one of the basest of animals in that regard. Less-than really. And she said her power had no effect on animals.

If it didn't work...then this meant he'd have to continue being the test subject. He couldn't ask any of his crew to and she trusted him far more than the others, which, in the end, is what this might all be about.

"Physically, they were almost identical to humans," she answered, testing her injured knee by bending it slightly. The salve had really done amazing work, all that left was a lingering ache instead of the violent throbbing from before. "Except for blue skin. Some of them have pink skin, but the one I touched was blue, from the ruling class. They were in our part of the galaxy for territory negotiations with the Shi'ar."

Leaning back against the side of the tub, she finally looked at him full-on. "Their home world had a denser gravity than Earth, so compared to humans, they're incredibly strong and resilient. That's what changed in me. It lasted about a month because of how long I'd touched him."

It had been the strangest and most exhilarating month of her life. And one of the most devastating periods afterward when the adaptations faded and she was just normal Rogue again, only superpowered when she stole the abilities of others.

Soon the ache would disappear too, it was supposed to work on Wraith after all...but then again it might be expired not as good as used to be in its effectiveness.

The commander listened as she elaborated on this other species, claws swirling in the water again. Another reason why wraith liked bathing together, the ability to be open and speak to one another honestly without the up-tightness that came with being on the bridge or trying to keep up standards with the lowest underlings.

Todd considered the situation that Rogue had fallen into. Short-lived strength and the disappointment following it. Like a drug high he supposed.

"I wonder if that'll happen again." he said aloud. The drones might be puppets, but they were still Wraith.

Rogue shook her head slightly and sighed. "I don't know," she said, the uncertainty of everything weighing heavily upon her. "Charles thought that if I'd had enough exposure to the Kree, the change might have been permanent. But I never had the chance to find out, there was just the one occasion and I only touched him to help pilot his ship."

And what a thrill that had been. Rogue loved flying, the intricacies of planes and ships calling to her just like the wind called to Storm. Ever since Alkali Lake, she'd been one of the go-to pilots for the X-Men, and had gotten to go up in all kinds of planes, even fighter jets once while undercover. She'd scared Remy half to death once with a barrel roll and it was still one of her fondest memories.

"Will you tell me a bit more about Wraith abilities?" she asked, hoping more information might prepare her for what could possibly lay ahead if Charles was right.

"Our abilities?" he asked, cocking his head. "I suppose. Well, we can heal quickly as you already know. Wraith live extraordinarily long lives, in fact so long as we can feed there's potentially no limit how long..." Of course this was before the gene therapy. It was still unclear of their longevity would be affected.

"Wraith can also see in the dark and pick up on heat signatures...We have the combined strength of many humans..."

Rogue nodded as he spoke, her eyes roaming over his face, studying the features that would account for the abilities he spoke of. His eyes were so similar and yet so very different from her own. Would her eyes change if she gained Wraith abilities? Would her skin?

She hoped not. She felt enough of a stranger in a strange land - if she changed physically, there was no way the people of Atlantis would help her, or any other humans in this dimensions. But there was no way to know if it would happen until they tried.

Something occurred to her. "Do the drones need to feed on humans as well to survive?" If she was risking changes to her own genetic code, she didn't want to chance that part of her changing. She had no desire to have to feed on humans, to be any more of a vampire than she already was.

"Yes, they do" he replied honestly. "So far they have not taken to the gene therapy. It's been awhile since we last contacted Atlantis and we left three drones with them to try and get the therapy to work on them, so perhaps Doctors Keller and Beckett will have fixed it. If not, as they starve we will have to put them into hibernation and only use in battle with dart ships."

Todd thought about what she was connecting the dots over.

"You believe that by absorbing a drone, like the Kree, you will take on wraith characteristics?"

"There's a very real possibility of it, yes," she answered, a hint of frustration seeping into the words. "But it's hard to know. When I've touched you, I haven't received any thoughts or even echoes of your psyche, just energy. Maybe that's all I will get. Or maybe my strength will change like with the Kree, and my vision. Or even..."

She looked up at the ceiling, feeling suddenly helpless, everything in her future seeming to hang on circumstances that were beyond her control. "If there's even a chance that I might develop the genetic need to feed on humans like the Wraith, then I don't think I can take that risk. Being accepted by Atlantis is my only good option, and those odds are already stacked against me. I doubt they would help me if I became more Wraith than human in that regard, and it's not like I can stay here. Eventually your new Queen will take her position and my guess is she won't want another woman in her territory, even if you did extend the invitation. There isn't anywhere else for me to go."

She was enough of a pariah among humans without mucking up her genetics even further. Enhanced strength and eyesight, those changes might be accepted as part of her general oddities, but actually feeding on humans to survive? No way.

"My queen to be is your age equivalent of twelve. It'll be some years before she is ready to take a throne...and there is...a possibility that she might reject me as her commander."

If there was anything that he'd learned in his plus ten millennial, it was that nothing was guaranteed. And while nine years may seem like nothing in the life of an old wraith, situations changed like the wind as of late, and he could be dead long before he even got the chance to meet his possible mate.

And there was more.

Queens rarely got to choose their mates. If a commander was killed, the one who killed him took his place. She could reject him, true, but this was rarely the case as a dead commander meant he'd outlived his usefulness and his murderer was far superior.

However, when a female was ready to strike out on her own, she had the luxury of choosing whomever she wanted. Commanders without queens were the first to be considered of course but he'd known males of the lowliest of ranks chosen over war-decorated commanders. For he'd been that lowly male once.

"Very well, we'll hold off on this little..." No, not experiment... "Therapy. until after Atlantis." he said. No use letting her fly into a panic when this was all about NOT panicking.

Edited 2015-11-29 04:50 (UTC)

It was an experiment, but she appreciated his not using the actual word. It was kind of him, and again spoke to the quality of his character.

"Thank you," she said softly, a tension that she hadn't noticed before easing out of her. "And for what it's worth, this young Queen is an idiot if she doesn't choose you. I would, if I were in her position."

True, she knew next to nothing about the dynamic between a Queen and Commander, but a partnership of leaders like that needed trust at its core, regardless of anything else. Especially when the future of a species was at stake, and when that future would impact the rest of the galaxy. And Todd was someone she trusted implicitly.

"Oh?" he asked, unable to help but smile at that, "And why is that?" he asked

Queens-to-be looked for something beyond a good record or a well-run hive, and physical appearance rarely had anything to do with the choice. Compatibility of the mind was priority on the list.

But he heard Rogue out all the same on why.

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Excuse me while I die from the awesome.

<3

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