7th Card Dealt [Action/Voice]

[kineticcajun]

[Just as the afternoon is winding down today, Gambit is waking up. In the middle of the woods. With the damned journal right next to him. Only as far as he can tell, it's the middle of the night, which is weird, because he can't hear any crickets or anything. But it's pitch dark out, in any case.

Which is also weird, because he should be able to see just fine in the dark, but that's another matter entirely.

He spends a while feeling around in the dark, trying to figure out a sense of direction (moss grows on the north side of trees, right?) before he ultimately figures, screw it, the enclosure is only so big, walking far enough in one direction will eventually lead him somewhere. The sooner he can find his way back to his apartment, the better. Everything hurts, up to and including his pride, but being stuck with nothing but a bunch of lunatic scientists for a couple weeks did little for his comfort levels in this place.

A couple hours and several bumps into trees later, he admits defeat. Whatever direction he's walking in (south...?), he's not getting anywhere except into more tree trunks. He's lost. And the fact that he can't see a damned thing is creeping up into a growing sense of panic. But now isn't the time to freak out. He can ride through this. He's been through worse.

But just this once, he's going to have to eat his big LeBeau Sense of Pride. Out comes the journal.]

[Voice]

Alright, alright. Y'all didn't move the village in the las' couple weeks, did you? Don't seem like it's where I left it.

Comments

[Voice]

[fleurdesel]

Rems-

[Low, rough, and relieved. Back from wherever he'd been taken. From whatever they'd done to him. And her laid low still. Not as bad as it once was, but ordered to bedrest all the same.]

You are back?

[Voice]

[kineticcajun]

[Adele. Now there's a voice he's relieved to hear. Whatever's going on, she's at least a voice of reason. ...Even if that voice is sounding a little off.]

Back somewhere. Whole lotta trees. Pretty sure that means Luceti.

[Voice]

[fleurdesel]

I wasn't certain you would be returned to the enclosure. Many...many have left, while you were away.

[A frightening amount have. It disturbs her, longstanding members of the community, known and unknown to her leaving or being taken. Better that they return home but. How certain are they that those that leave go home?]

...Merde. The forest. Have you any idea where in the forest? Near the lakes, the river?

[Voice]

[kineticcajun]

Non. I can hear a river, but I'm not sure what way I'm facin'. S'on the left.

[Nope. Not worried about the lack of light. It's just an experiment. The lights are out. There's an easy fix.]

...Who all left?

[Voice]

[averybadfeeling]

"I'm afraid we're still right where we were, at least in relation to the rest of the enclosure. Can you see anything?"

[Because Obi-Wan can't help him without a landmark, can he?]

[Voice]

[kineticcajun]

Not a t'ing. When'd they turn out all the lights?

[Obi-Wan you are not the joking sort don't you dare joke about the lights actually being on.]

[Voice]

[averybadfeeling]

[In fact, Obi-Wan is the joking sort, but his response is dead serious.]

"... Gambit, it's the late afternoon. Still more than enough light to navigate by..."

[... He had a distinctly bad feeling about this.]

"... have you tried to illuminate your surroundings with that little exploding trick of yours?"

[Voice] 1/2

[kineticcajun]

[Bad joke, Obi-Wan. Terrible joke. Not laughing at all here.

But there's still a pause as he tests that. He's getting a bad feeling as well, and he's almost afraid to find out.

In the background, there's a sizzle and soft explosion as he charges a leaf.]

[Voice]

[kineticcajun]

[And then, very low:] Merde.

[touchofrogue]

[...well, this should be good. And you don't quite sound like yourself.

Have a gentle line.]

Depends where ya thought you left it.

[Welcome back. I was worried.]

[kineticcajun]

[Yeah, that's because he's steadily getting more and more unsettled. But he still tries to match that cool tone.]

Li'l south of the hot springs, non? Not too many other places it coulda gotten to.

[touchofrogue]

Unless it grew legs an' walked while you were away.

[Pause a beat.]

Which it didn't.

[Private]

[She can't stand it any longer.]

You hurt?

[What did they do to you?]

[Private]

[kineticcajun]

[Rogue, don't you go showing concern, he's not ready for that. There's a little bit of a pause as he wonders if she's set up a filter on this, decides that she's not only bright enough to do that but that she might have even set it up the moment she decided to say anything to him, and then he caves.]

Non. Leas' not too bad. Jus' a li'l banged up. Prob'ly only bruises.

[Yep, totally nothing to worry about. Completely confident tone here.] Nothin' this ol' Cajun can't handle.

voice

[thelittlemacthatcould]

Huh? Whaddya mean? [The village seemed pretty normal to him while he was jogging about in his manly pink hoodie and sweatpants, but maybe he missed an important detail.]

voice

[kineticcajun]

I mean I ain't findin' it, garçon. Not like I don't know the way there.

voice

[thelittlemacthatcould]

Oh... [Wut.] So... y'lost, but... not really?

voice

[kineticcajun]

Guess that's one way of puttin' it.

[Don't call him lost, man, he totally can find his way back. But he needs some kind of landmark.]

[Voice]

[snikting]

I thought I smelled a rat around here.

[Voice]

[kineticcajun]

Well, if it ain't the wolverine. [He doesn't have to be able to see the little preview window to know that voice. And beneath the show of bravado here, there's a definite sense of doom that he was nearly run through on those claws the last he saw this guy, and this time, he won't see anything coming.

But his tone is still perfectly sunny and off-handed.]

An' here I thought there was only one person 'round here callin' me "Swamp Rat." My mistake. Mus' be catchin' on.

[Voice]

[snikting]

[Bub, he'd be glad to follow up on that too.]

Seems fitting to me. So what's your game here, cajun?

[Voice]

[kineticcajun]

Ain't no game to have in a place like this. [Solid truth. And he doubts Wolverine will believe it for an instant. So it goes.]

Unless you count lendin' out my talents to anyone needin' a sofa to go boom.

voice;

[phasingthrough]

We just built a whole other village in another place, but then we forgot the most important thing: people, so we all moved here.

voice;

[kineticcajun]

[Kitty, he never thought he'd be so glad to hear from you. Because that sarcasm has drawn out a much-needed laugh.]

I knew somethin' like that'd eventually happen. Expanded onto the treehouse village, didn't you?

voice;

[phasingthrough]

Had too. These thugs were going to attack us. Totally tricked them though.

Where did you disappear to? [Honestly, she really could've used his banter to get over Kurt being sent back home. Nothing better than to release your angry than yell at a maybe bad guy.]

voice;

[kineticcajun]

Malnosso decided it was time for a vacation for me. All expenses paid. [Sarcasm. It is the answer to everything.] Don' be too jealous, chaton, the beach here is nicer.