Disclaimer: All characters depicted in this story are eighteen years of age or older. Any sexual content involves only consenting adults. This is a work of fiction.
A Marvelous Devil.
Chapter 54: Hidden Hands.
Dante Andromalius.
I knew greed. And I knew myself well enough to admit that my current plan was entirely driven by it.
At the same time, it was clear that I shouldn’t leave a cosmic threat of this magnitude in the hands of these mortals.
They weren’t incompetent. I had said I respected Ororo, and that was the truth. The same could be said for the rest of the room. Even Scott, though it still amazed me how he could walk normally with such a stick up his ass.
What they fought for was admirable. And they did their best.
But they were utterly unprepared to deal with a situation of this scale.
The Phoenix Force.
It had been thousands of years since I dealt with an avatar of the bird, and even longer since I had dealt with the entity itself. But I was one of the most knowledgeable beings in the cosmos regarding the firebird. I was also one of the few non-hosts to ever visit the White Hot Room and walk out in one piece.
…The Phoenix could be a menace when she wanted to.
I certainly got along with her better than Odin, considering how their relationship ended. What she ever saw in that one-eyed hypocrite was beyond me, but to each their own.
The point was, the situation inside this mansion was still salvageable, if only barely.
I could already see the signs of corruption. It didn’t help that this Jean Grey appeared to be the perfect host for the primordial force of life. But the worst part? She was almost as responsible for this impending disaster as the idiots who had been messing around inside her head.
The fact that so many of them were doing that was almost comical, even if it was absurd.
I could count at least five different signatures inside her head. She was really wanted by some groups.
"Right," I sat back down, staring down the room with a glare that demanded silence. "You will sit. You will listen. And we will be civil. Am I understood?"
My cosmic power flared. I let the weight of my soul press against their instincts until their submission was guaranteed.
The mutants gulped, nodding in assent.
"Good." I turned my attention entirely to the redhead. "You. Time bomb. Stop trying to hide behind those shields. I can see right through them, and I need to see how far gone you are."
Jean flinched. She opened her mouth to lie, but I simply stared harder, peeling back her mental defenses with brute force.
Her shoulders slumped in defeat, her soul practically suffocating under an insane amount of fear.
"I’ve been... overwhelmed," Jean confessed, her voice trembling. "My emotions are amplified to a level I have never felt before. It is so chaotic that I have been isolating myself to avoid hurting anyone. My power is impossible to control now."
"Not that I ever had much control over it to begin with," she finished in a hollow whisper.
"Jean, why didn't you say anything?" Ororo asked, genuinely distraught. "We would have done everything in our power to help you. When did this start?"
Scott moved in his seat anxiously, his obsession with his teammate radiating off him to an unhealthy level.
"Right," I rolled my eyes at the headmistress. "Your help would be entirely useless, Ororo. Look at her."
I pointed a finger at Jean.
"She knows exactly what is causing it," I stated coldly. "Don't you, Jean? You hear the whispers from her, right?"
"I don’t know what you are talking about," Jean responded blankly.
Her expression was a perfect mask, but her soul was screaming in panic.
"Woman, I am the only entity on this planet capable of fixing you without you going psycho and killing a couple billion people," I sighed, feeling my patience reach its limits. "Stop acting like a martyr. While you’re at fault, you aren’t the only one who fucked up."
The room went dead silent. Scott took a threatening step forward, but I ignored him.
"The oldest block of them all belongs to Xavier," I explained to the room, watching the horror bloom on Ororo's face. Curiously, she didn’t exactly look shocked.
"But your previous headmaster didn't act alone. I can see your psionic energy woven into those defenses, Jean. You knew he placed blocks in your mind, and because you blindly trusted your beloved teacher, you subconsciously reinforced them."
I leaned forward, locking my eyes onto hers. "Do you want to know about the rest of them?"
Their reactions were mixed, to say the least. But the one who exploded the hardest, as expected, was Jean herself.
Good thing I had been mapping out the grounds as she made her way here with Kurt. I had picked up the lifeforces of everyone present and tethered a small portion of the Dark Force to each of them.
Including the irritating, but curious mutant who was constantly slipping from my memory.
As soon as I realized she was going to act out, the Dark Force sprang from the shadows of every living being inside the institute and teleported them a few kilometers away.
As for me? I decided to start seeding the idea of my importance to the redhead. Tanking the Phoenix's might was not fun even for someone like me. But Jean wasn’t the complete avatar yet.
Everything around me vaporized as Jean screamed in rage.
The shockwave hit me harder than Serafall did during our brief fight inside the sealed zone. I could feel my skin starting to blister as she tried to unmake me. The room didn’t fare as well.
Or the mansion as a whole.
A fiery avatar tried to form behind her, but her connection with the bird was too strained to settle.
Standing still, I observed how much work it would take to fix her problem.
And thankfully, it wasn’t that bad. Yet.
My demonic power tried to fight her psionic energy, but it was batted away as if it were nothing. No, my cosmic power was my main defense against something of this magnitude.
Good thing I moved the rest away, because I doubted many would have survived. Including Tandy if she hadn’t protected herself, and even then, it wouldn’t have been pretty.
Hell… This was the worst amount of pain I felt on this life. Top 5 in both.
My cosmic power fought to keep me tethered to reality and rebuilding my body while Jean tried to unmake me. It wasn't fun.
Jean floated in front of me, her eyes hot white. The Phoenix did her best to finish the connection before it sputtered out.
"I can help you," I said calmly. "I can guide you to become the best version of yourself, and I will teach you how to truly control your power."
Jean screamed once more.
I sighed.
Stepping forward, I walked right through the second blast. The conceptual weight of her power burned my clothes to cinders in a second.
With anyone else, I would have beaten them to show the difference between us. But I knew enough about Jean to realize that path wouldn’t work nearly as well as understanding.
"You didn’t know better." My hand fell on her shoulder. "And no one can blame you for falling for the beliefs of others. You did nothing wrong; you’re just young and a bit stupid."
Yes. Understanding didn’t mean I wouldn’t be blunt. She deserved to know how she fucked up.
Jean’s eyes traveled across my body, and I bit back a snort, seeing her focus immediately on my abs.
Before her gaze could go lower, I snapped my fingers and manifested another set of clothes.
"Tsk, my eyes are up here, Red," I grinned.
The amplified embarrassment was enough to cut through her apoplectic rage.
Her eyes widened in alarm as she looked around at the destruction she had caused.
Then she started crying. I could see the sheer heartache in her soul at the sight of the ruins of her home.
"Calm down, I’ll fix it, my dear. Do you feel better after letting go a bit? Enough to have our talk? I will bring back the rest if you feel you are in control," I asked softly.
"They’re fine?" she asked brokenly.
Nodding, I smiled. "But of course. I know how important they are to you."
And wasn’t that a problem for me?
"Do you feel better?" I repeated calmly.
Jean nodded, sniffling against my shirt as I offered her a hug.
"Good," I patted her back, grinning over her shoulder.
Later.
Fixing the destruction Jean caused took a fair bit of time, but after I was done, I brought everyone back inside.
Piotr was sent by Ororo to calm the rest of the residents, but the core group was present to continue the conversation that would determine Jean’s fate.
She wasn’t enthused to have some of the younger ones present, but she stayed calm.
Venting it out earlier served a purpose. I could be callous most of the time, but I knew what I was doing.
Most of the time, at least.
"Right," I clapped amiably. "Since things are calmer and I doubt there will be a repetition of Jean’s previous outbursts, I suppose we can find out about the others at fault before I start explaining what’s happening. Sounds good?"
Ororo shot Jean a look, but it wasn’t reproachful. It was worried, with a hint of understanding.
"Right," she nodded. "How will you find out about the rest?"
"By looking at her soul, of course," I grinned, glancing at Jean, who sat next to Tandy. "Unless she prefers I don’t, I suppose."
"Just get it done," she murmured.
My eyes shone as I subconsciously pumped a bit more power than usual. I wanted to find out why on earth, and how, so many different people were messing around inside her head.
Especially when one of the best telepaths on the planet was her freaking teacher.
Minutes passed, and my frown deepened.
Fucking hell… what was wrong with Jean’s life?
"Okay, good or bad news first?" I winced to make it seem worse than it truly was.
Jean swallowed thickly. "Bad news."
Tandy put her hand on Jean's shoulder after sending me a knowing look.
I was getting sloppy if my light could see right through me.
"You’re one unlucky mortal," I snorted. "You already know the two biggest problems: Xavier’s seals and you strengthening them. The other two are a bit different, even if one is quite… ugly."
"Stop speaking in riddles," Scott grunted.
Ignoring him completely, I motioned to Tandy. She sighed, summoning the same bottle of wine we had given Uatu.
She poured the redhead half a cup, and I cleared my throat. Tandy’s eyes widened as they filled with even more pity. Then she poured the rest until the glass was almost overflowing.
"Have any of you heard of someone calling himself Mister Sinister?"
They all shook their heads.
"I suggest you start drinking, my dear," I warned Jean, whose eyes had gone wide, ignoring everything else but the fruity smell coming from the cup. "Don’t worry, I will make sure you don’t get drunk even if you'll hate me for it later."
Hesitantly, she took a sip, then another. And another.
I grinned watching the scene until she had finished the wine, which earned another burst of embarrassment.
"He’s… something. I don’t know if he’s a mutant or what, but he seems quite sure of himself that you…" I looked to the side, towards Scott. "And that brat's bloodline would create something he needs."
"He likes to monologue," I shrugged, seeing their blank looks.
"But Scott is only a friend," Jean gaped at me.
...The girl went straight for the jugular.
I, very politely, didn’t laugh out loud. Even Ororo’s lips twitched, though she hid it masterfully. Kurt wasn’t that good at hiding his reaction, going into a coughing fit to mask his snickers at Scott’s pain.
"I don’t think this person cares about your decision." I grimaced. "He has been messing with your head for years. Since you were a child. There’s no easy way to say this, but it appears that your bloodlines…"
I looked at the two of them. "Have been directly nudged in a direction to bring both of you together."
The disgust and anger were present but thankfully muted on Jean’s part.
Scott’s reaction was the same, and I didn’t fault him. It looked like he was questioning whether everything he thought he knew was real.
"I’m not sure if he has been in your head, Scott, but I can look for it if you want me to."
He didn’t respond, staring at the floor for a long moment.
"Tandy, give the man a cup, too," I sighed. "Hell, give one to each of us. They’re going to need it."
Tandy chuckled tiredly, nodded, and got to work.
Minutes later, everyone had a cup, including Kurt, who looked like he wasn’t going to risk it.
"Dude, your dad wanted to be called Satan." I rolled my eyes. "You won’t go to hell just for drinking some wine."
"My dad is WHO?!" he screamed in alarm. "Wait, you know my dad?! Is he your boss?!"
I snorted in disgust.
"Your dad is a pathetic imitation of what I am," I rolled my eyes. "We can talk more about it later, for a fair price, of course. But I think these two have had enough time to wonder about their lives."
He looked unconvinced but nodded, ignoring his existential dread and focusing on his friends. He truly was a Christian through and through.
"Right. That was the bad news," I smiled a bit, earning a wary chuckle from Jean. "The other two presences in your head are a bit easier to explain. There’s someone messing with your head, but it has barely started. From somewhere called Hellfire? He’s a mutant, but it’s a pathetic attempt compared to the rest of the entities."
"Emma’s group," Ororo hissed. "Oh, I can’t wait to see her next time."
"She was also mentioned in those moments," I added calmly. "If it helps, they’re doing this without her knowledge. Someone called the Black King ordered this… Mastermind to do the deed."
"Shaw," Scott sneered. "This breaks our alliance, Professor. I told you we shouldn’t have trusted Frost."
"Our alliance is with Massachusetts," Jean said softly. "Not Hellfire. I don’t like Emma, but it sounds like she doesn’t know."
"And the fifth one?" Jean asked nervously, though she already knew the answer.
"The Phoenix Force, my dear. One of the strongest entities in the cosmos."
Jean slumped in her seat after downing the second cup. Tandy was already refilling it.
"I hoped I was wrong," Jean sighed.
"So she has spoken to you," I nodded. "In your dreams? What has she said?"
"That’s the problem; I don’t know. There’s something blocking me from hearing it. Is that why you see me like I’m about to explode?"
Nodding unashamedly, I laughed softly. "Because if nothing changes, you will, my dear. The Phoenix Force is a cosmic entity, something beyond your mortal understanding. It’s not something you fight against; she is a pillar of reality and has the power of one."
"Then what am I supposed to do?!" Jean screamed, standing up and glaring at me. "Just accept that I should be killed? What about what I want? What about my dreams?!"
She broke down crying. Tandy hugged the redhead, exactly as I hoped she would.
My light cooed against Jean’s ear, her light leaving her body to soothe Jean’s.
"Not necessarily," I shook my head gently. "That’s where I come in, Jean. The Phoenix is not an evil entity, but it has chosen you as its avatar. The blocks Xavier put in strained that connection. The changes you made? That was basically slapping her in the face."
"I never asked for any of this!" she shouted against Tandy’s chest, her voice muffled.
"If life cared for what each of us asked, it would have killed itself, Jean," I replied calmly.
Tandy shot me a scolding look, but I ignored it.
"You were born, and the Phoenix decided you were the next host. A particularly perfect one, I might add. Just so you get an idea, one of her hosts had a son with Odin, the All-Father. Do you know what that means? This is not something you fight against. The bird chose you, and your only survival is adapting."
She pulled back from Tandy, wiping her eyes. The fear was still there, but my bluntness had sparked a bit of defiance.
"How?" Jean demanded. "You said yourself, it's a cosmic entity. How am I supposed to adapt to something that big?"
"By stopping the idiotic practice of trying to cage it." I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. "Charles Xavier looked at a primordial force and tried to lock it in a box. Quite an arrogant man, that one. And stupid, I might add."
"But that’s a mortal when they meet something infinitely greater than them, so I can’t exactly fault him even if I should punt him into the stratosphere for his cheek. The difference is that I know what I’m doing, and I have met the Phoenix before. I can teach you to be in control."
Scott crossed his arms. "Just like that?"
"I can untangle the mess inside her head," I stated, keeping my eyes locked on Jean. "I can burn away Sinister's programming. I can sever the Hellfire connections without leaving a trace. And I can teach you how to properly channel the Phoenix so your mind is not consumed by its inhumane thoughts."
They were desperate, and I was holding the only rope in the abyss.
Jean swallowed hard. "And why would you do that?"
My grin widened. I truly loved doing business with mortals who understood the rules.
"Apart from not having a bomb explode on the planet I’m currently residing in? A single favor," I answered. "When the time comes, and you have reached the apex of your potential, I will ask for your assistance for something I need. You simply answer my call when I require your help."
If everything worked as I intended, I wouldn’t need to call that favor ever. And I would have all eternity to enjoy the fruits of my current effort.
I wondered how Mephisto would react when I fell down into his realm with the Phoenix avatar standing behind my back.
"Jean, don't," Scott stepped toward her. "You can't trust a demon’s words. We can find another way."
I chuckled, standing up and grinning at him.
"You are welcome to try, Scott," I mocked gently. "But remember the reality of your situation. The saint that was supposed to help her was the one that caused her to become a time bomb."
Scott clenched his jaw. He wanted to argue, but he had no counterargument. This was why demons who lied were idiots. The truth worked much, much better.
"You don't need to answer right now," I told Jean, offering her a reassuring smile. "Think about it. Or watch me making deals over the next few hours to see how I work."
I turned my attention to Ororo. She had remained quiet, observing the exchange with sharp eyes.
"Now," I clapped my hands together. "To give Jean some time to think and prepare mentally for me healing Xavier, why don’t we move to the second reason I came here?"
Ororo frowned. "And what would that be?"
"To make deals, of course," I grinned like a shark. "Would be a shame to call myself a demon if I didn’t attempt to corrupt some of your kids from under your nose, no?"
Tandy giggled at that, then explained to Ororo that it was in good faith and that I wouldn’t take advantage of the brats.
Hearing my light mocking my demonhood, claiming I was a pretty shitty demon because I loved to be fair, made me mentally note that I should wrap her in bindings and throw her in Akeno’s way.
Then I realized that Tandy would probably enjoy that ‘punishment’.
Ah… to hell with it. So would I.
Later that night.
I had to admit; I hadn’t expected to get this many boons before coming here.
Mutants were really a varied bunch, and while things had been tense at the start, once they saw I was being genuine and fair, more and more decided to give it a go.
I was being cheap with my prices, but it served a very important purpose.
My first deal came from someone no one inside the institute expected.
Why? Because they didn’t even remember he existed.
Forget-Me-Not. A pitiful mortal who received a gift too strong and too limited for his own good. But I felt a sense of kinship with him because it resembled my clan trait to an absurd degree.
Everyone had gathered in the courtyard in case there was another ‘emergency,’ as they were calling Jean’s previous outburst. We walked out there, and Ororo took the time to make it clear that things were under control and that there wouldn’t be any other events like that.
Which only helped me, in truth. There was something that almost always happened when you were so much stronger than the rest in one place. Very mortal emotions, in fact.
Fear and distrust.
And that’s exactly what Ororo’s words ignited in some of the students who shot nervous glances Jean’s way.
Ororo didn’t mean to do that, obviously. I could see the genuine fondness she had for the redhead. But there was a reason she wasn’t the real leader of the place. She didn’t have the manipulative touch required to handle a crowd. That was more Xavier’s style, from what I understood.
But returning to my first victim. Xavi wanted his power gone, and I was more than glad to accept such an offer. I wasn’t taking advantage of him, since I bothered to offer an alternative and give him a switch.
But he didn’t want that. And I didn’t blame him.
Being forgotten by everyone must have been an agonizing existence.
I took his power. Completely.
It meshed absurdly well with mine, and I had plans for it going back to when I first realized his existence during my evacuation of the institute.
He was so glad about finally being remembered that he didn’t notice how pleased I was.
And that opened the door for all the other deals I made.
A boy called Beak got a normal human body in exchange for his power. Did I have a use for it? Absolutely not. It was the lamest power I had ever seen in my life. But, as I said, everything I did, I did for a reason.
It made me look good in the eyes of the other mutants. Especially Jean, who truly cared about her kind.
Then came a girl called Rahne, another pitiful mortal with a sob story. I had already forgotten the details, but she wanted a ‘leash’ on her power.
Aptly put, because she could now turn into a wolf at will. Her payment? A snapshot of her mutation.
I imagined an army filled with monsters from the sealed zone, modified to match her genetics, would be quite interesting. Maybe… if I remembered.
Another interesting girl came later. Jubilee. Her power was fascinating, but she had terrible control over it. Something that was really common in this group, from what little I had seen.
That didn’t paint a very competent picture of Xavier, but in her defense, many of these mutants were relatively new to this.
After her came a very irritating boy who thought I could be manipulated. Quire, or something. I turned him down because fuck self-absorbed brats.
That wasn’t the whole truth; his power wasn’t that interesting to me. But more importantly, he was a little shit. I made an enemy today, but again, that was done for a reason. He would hang himself on his own ambition a little faster than it would have happened if I hadn’t appeared today thanks to his jealousy against the rest of the lucky ones. And I would look good when the time came, since I hadn’t been the one giving him the rope.
Many more came. Some were interesting; others were just charity cases to make myself look good.
One who didn’t approach, and I hated that, was the boy they called Iceman.
He wasn’t interested in trading his power or even changing it. But damn… I wanted it. I wanted to get my hands on all that potential he was squandering.
He could do much, much better.
I filed it away for later, because it was too good to pass up. I also knew I couldn’t ruin my image by aggressively seeking him out.
And that brought me to the present, when a young mutant approached me with a pep in her step.
"Heya! I’m Kitty!" she greeted my light and me.
I ignored the chuckle that escaped Ororo’s lips.
"Are you really a demon? Like, actually, Bible demon?" she asked curiously. "Why are you helping us? Not that I’m not happy, but it’s suspicious. Are you going to take Jean’s soul? Because if you try, I will phase inside your body and turn solid."
She was adorable. She said it jokingly, but I knew it was a real threat.
"Yes, genuinely a demon," I said, grinning as I spread my wings.
I ignored her shocked gasp and focused on her power.
What a marvel. She also had a staggering amount of untapped potential.
"I’m doing it because it amuses me, and it’s not like I’m not getting something out of it," I said, shrugging and sending her a smile that turned teasing as I glanced at Jean, who had been watching my deal-making with interest. "And from what I know, redheads don’t have souls, my dear."
Kitty let out a loud snort at that, then covered her face and sent an apologetic look Jean’s way.
The redhead held her glare for a beat before cracking a smile and rolling her eyes.
"That joke got boring after the two hundredth time, Mister Demon."
I chuckled.
"Now, your soul, on the other hand?" I licked my lips absurdly to tease the girl, who shivered and hid behind Ororo.
"Dante," Ororo groaned.
Heh. She had that teacher tone down to a science.
"I’m joking." I rolled my eyes. "But if you want to do something more, my dear, feel free to seek me out. You have an amazing ability, and I’m curious how far you can take it."
Kitty narrowed her eyes at me and glanced at Tandy.
"Is this like a BDSM thing?" she asked in a mock whisper. "Cause I might be interested if that's the case."
Rolling my eyes, I waved as she grinned my way before leaving the group.
I meant what I said, even if she didn’t take it seriously.
Meh… something for later.
Surprisingly, she returned a minute later with someone else, depositing her on the seat like a sack of potatoes. It was clear the new girl hadn’t wanted to come.
I also clocked that she wouldn’t like it if I used my soul sight on her, so I turned it off.
"What’s wrong with you?" I asked calmly.
"Don't you know?" She lifted an eyebrow. "You didn't ask questions with the rest."
"I didn’t think you’d like it, so we’re doing things the slow way." I shrugged.
She stared at me flatly.
What a bundle of issues this girl was.
"Let’s see what I can do for you. Why did Kitty bring you here?"
"Not like the rest haven’t tried," she sighed. "I’m cursed. I haven’t touched anyone in years… ever since I almost killed my ex. That’s why I wear gloves."
She explained the rest of her power. How she absorbed everything that made you, you. Power, memories, sometimes even more.
I found myself genuinely curious about the limits of such an ability. What kind of things could she hold?
Looking at Tandy, I got an idea.
"Babe, care to try it out?" I asked curiously.
Tandy had been watching the girl with sadness. She perked up as soon as I spoke, nodding eagerly, knowing that we could fix anything that went wrong.
"Try her," I told the girl. "Don’t worry, it will be fine."
She hesitated long enough that I thought she would refuse. Then she took off her glove and poked Tandy with a single finger.
Tandy’s light bled into her, slowly but continuously. Seeing Tandy’s discomfort was a surprise, but my light didn’t move. In fact, she got even closer to the poor mutant while revitalizing her own body.
Tandy hugged her.
And the girl broke into an absolute sob that left me slightly uncomfortable as she tried to squeeze the life out of my light.
Surprisingly, Tandy’s demonic power followed the light. And the girl continued soaking it all in.
That settled it. It wasn’t just Jean who presented an opportunity for me. This girl alone would have made the whole trip worth it.
"I have one more test I want to make," I said seriously. "I will even pay you a million dollars for the attempt because I don’t know what will happen. I can assure you that you’re not dying on me, though."
Kitty was already vibrating with excitement next to her, but she didn’t push too hard.
"Also, what’s your name? I can’t keep calling you 'girl' in my mind."
"Rogue," she said hesitantly. "And will you really pay me? A million, just to try?"
"Seriously," I nodded tightly, fighting to keep my sheer excitement from showing.
"Fine."
I let the barest thread of cosmic power loose. Nothing significant compared to what I currently possessed.
But if I tried to put this inside a normal person? They wouldn’t react well most of the time.
Rogue? She fucking welcomed it. It filled her slowly, but safely, completely at home inside her body.
She felt the sheer weight of the energy, her eyes going wide in shock as she stared at her hands.
"What is this?" she asked, standing up quickly.
"Cosmic Power, Rogue. Congratulations, you just made yourself one of the most valuable humans on the planet," I added, genuinely shocked despite my usual arrogant act.
I wanted her.
"What is your deepest desire, my dear? What do you truly want?"
"I… I never thought of that. I want to say I want to be normal, to be able to touch people," she murmured. "But that can’t be it, right?"
"You have been deprived of something precious, Rogue. It’s understandable that you’re confused," I nodded calmly. "I can give you a switch if you’d like."
"Really? And in return?" she asked hesitantly.
"A chance."
Kitty’s eyes narrowed at that; so did Ororo’s.
"A chance at what, Mister Demon?" Kitty asked after a moment, looking worried for her friend.
"I want her to join Jean’s training under me. Even if Jean doesn’t agree, I want to teach you how to properly use your power."
Tandy sent me a knowing look, but she didn’t seem against it. She hadn’t let go of the girl.
"Is it really that big of a deal?" Rogue asked in confusion.
I stayed silent, letting her mull over the offer.
After a moment, she shrugged and nodded.
As I opened my mouth, a contract formed in the air between us. "Read it. Everything should be there, but if you want to add a clause, feel free, and we can go over it later. Take your time, Rogue."
I turned to Tandy.
"Be a dear and keep her company?"
My light grinned and pulled the goth mutant up. "Why don’t you show me the mansion? I want to see where the x-men train!"
Rogue, despite her doubts, smiled. I noticed her tightly grasping Tandy’s hand as she was pulled away by my blonde. Kitty sent me another warning look, but it held no heat as she followed the pair.
She even mouthed a ‘thank you’ before disappearing.
"What are your intentions, Dante?" Ororo asked after a moment. "She’s still my student."
"Nothing heinous, my dear." I rolled my eyes at her distrust. "Have I not proved myself enough already? You have no idea how cheap my fares have been today. I mean your kind no harm."
"And that’s the only reason why I have allowed this to go on as far as it has," Ororo grunted.
"What about the Professor?" Jean asked after a moment. "What will your price be for healing him?"
"And Hank," Ororo added in a hurry.
I stood up after seeing that no one new was approaching our seats and adjusted my cuffs. "For that? Just ripping the idiot a new asshole should be payment enough."
I was looking forward to it. And having him explain his reasons directly to Jean.
That should be the final nail in the coffin.