โจโพโจ ๏ผฒ๏ผฏ๏ผง๏ผต๏ผฅ โฆโฝโฆ Level 2 | โ | Meister | Traditionalist | Explorer | 200/200 Spirit
โจโพโจRogue and Chance walked into a town that was several miles outside of Death City to begin their new mission. The Nevada Sun was hanging oppressively over the coal mines. Dozens of coal miners left their small homes, picked up their shovels, and walked toward the mines together. As Rogue walked through the mining town they would hear singing from grizzled voices filled with coal dust and black phlegm clogging their voices. "Some people say a man's mad outta mud. A poor man's made outta muscle and blood. Muscle and blood and skin and bones. A mind that's weak and a back that's strong. Ya load sixteen tons and what d'ya get? Another day older and deeper in debt. Saint Peter doncha call me 'cause I can't go. I owe my soul to the company store." The group of men sang in unison as if it was a daily routine, their work song. They all walked into the mines together to begin their shifts as rows of other men walked out with their paystubs. The group filed into the company store to get their groceries and necessities.
โจโพโจSmoke and coal dust were darkening the sky from the many mines near the town. The town had a dirty wooden sign saying "Boulderton, Nevada" to indicate the name of the company-owned town. It was unclear what company owned it but it obviously involved coal and oil. "Alright Chance. What I said to you and Death may have been a bit of a stretch. I'm not too sure if there's a Kishin egg 'round these parts. There might be, but I don't know. What I do know about Boulderton is that it's the most brutal of the company towns. I think the air quality and housing speak for themselves." Rogue looked around at the poor conditions. He knew that there had to be some area for a company manager in the town to keep things under wraps. "Sheesh, it's even worse than I thought. My old plan for giving these folks a hand is out the window now. I don't know what I can do now." Rogue sighed as he felt stumped. It was as if all he could do to help anyone was to protect them from a murderous Kishin. But surely Boulderton was doing enough on its own to erode the human soul day in and day out. He wondered if Chance had any insights.
Chance frowned at what Rogue explained. If there were no kishin eggs, it was unethical for them to be there as students. However, they didn't know that for sure. A little detective work never killed anyone, but the two of them would be a little of their league to detect a kishin egg without more leads. "Ah don' think we could inspire an uprisin'," he murmured, partially joking and partially serious, as he was unsure just how radical Rogue was or how far Rogue was willing to take his ideals. "Ah wish we could offer 'em a better life en Death City." He coughed from the polluted air, feeling like his head was stuffy. "Geez. At this rate, ah might need t' transform t' avoid all thuh stuff en thuh air..." He coughed again and looked around at their grim surroundings. "Should we bother sum uh thuh people here, y'reckon?"
ephemeral ozymandias
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Posted: Sun Dec 26, 2021 4:45 pm
โจโพโจ ๏ผฒ๏ผฏ๏ผง๏ผต๏ผฅ โฆโฝโฆ Level 2 | โ | Meister | Traditionalist | Explorer | 200/200 Spirit
โจโพโจSo Rogue was considering starting an uprising. Unfortunately, Chance seemed opposed to the idea. "Yuh, imagine living in it." Rogue noted in reference to Chance's remarks about the pollution. He walked and talked with Chance through the town as he suggested speaking to a local. The two were already getting looks and seemed to stick out like a sore thumb. "Maybe, but this is a lot more smoke than normal for a small minin' town like this." Rogue considered talking to more people and investigating as he walked toward the smoke. He only really expected to find out that the coal mines were not up to code. It would not surprise him that the company would skirt the regulations to make money. He found an opening in the mine shaft where the thick smoke seemed to be coming from. "Why aren't there any workers over here when there's so much smoke coming out of the mine?" Rogue wondered out loud as he stared at the smoke. He shrugged before opening the door and lowering himself into the mineshaft. "Hold your breath, Chance!" Rogue had no reservations about poking around the dangerous mineshaft to get to the bottom of this. He grabbed Chance's hand and moved quickly before finding a magical rune in the center of a coal deposit. "This...doesn't look normal for a coal mine." He knelt down and examined the magic circle more closely. "Is this...magic? Is there a witch 'round here? Why?" Rogue wondered aloud.
Chance grew more critical of the pollution as Rogue suggested it was far too much for a mining town to normally create. He was no expert on working towns like this nor on mining itself. Still, if this was excessive, that suggested something far more sinister. He followed Rogue as they went through the mineshaft, though he felt pretty miserable about maneuvering through it in his human form. "Ah never seen nothin' like dat," Chance said in between coughs.
"Ah reckon we gunna have uh big problem on our hands if we don' git outta 'ere, pardner." His eyes teared up as he broke into a coughing fit. "Ah think we oughta go t' thuh corporation instead uh tryin' t' fix things down 'ere. Maybe they can turn it off up there." He had no idea why magic would be down here or what kind of witch would benefit from a corporation like this. Witches didn't tend to manipulate the human realm since there wasn't much they needed from it besides some kishin eggs.
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Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2021 9:05 am
โจโพโจ ๏ผฒ๏ผฏ๏ผง๏ผต๏ผฅ โฆโฝโฆ Level 2 | โ | Meister | Traditionalist | Explorer | 200/200 Spirit
โจโพโจRogue started coughing when he took a breath. The dark and smoky dungeon was drab and plainly miserable. When Chance suggested that they ask the company to turn it off he just shook his head. "Why in tarnation would they do that? If it's a part of their operations then why'd they hafta listen to us?" Rogue had a better idea as he charged a beam of light into his hand and backed up. He unleashed it on the rune and destroyed it with a single strike before it blasted outward in a magical explosion. The smoke stopped immediately but the mine began to shake. When the mineshaft collapsed in from the explosion he turned back to Chance. Earth began to fall on Chance before Rogue scooped him up into his arms. "Let's scram!" Rogue began running up the mineshaft as fast as he could with Chance in his arms. He jumped from rock to rock as the earth continued to rumble and collapse. They jumped out at the last second back onto the surface before the entire mine caved in. "Whew, that sure was close." He put Chance down as he realized that he was covered in coal dust from being down there. He looked up to see that much of the smoke had cleared up.
โจโพโจSuddenly, a cackle could be heard coming out of nowhere. A green magic circle appeared in front of them as a witch stepped through the portal. "And two little flies fall into the spider's web..." The magic circle was a conduit to Arcana that closed behind her. "That was yer magic circle I'm guessing?" This was the first time that Rogue had ever met a witch and she certainly looked the part. "You catch on quick for a hick, my name is Arcadia. But what you've done is property damage. My magic is completely authorized for experimentation on this town. My chemical solutions are a product of complicated magical alchemy so I asked that you not destroy any of my other circles from now on." Arcadia was a grandiose witch who spoke with a threatening tone. Rogue was immediately angered by her arrangement with the company. "The company lets you experiment on their workers?! Why?!" Arcadia answered immediately. "The chemicals make the workers stronger and more obedient. How else can the Bellamy Corporation be the wealthiest company in oil, gas, and coal? I get to experiment on live subjects for my alchemical research and the company gets to enslave their miners. Do you hicks get it now?" Arcadia laid it out as green fire began to encircle the three of them, preventing escape. "Bellamy corporation?" Rogue looked to Chance with a worried face.
Chance rolled his eyes at what Rogue said. "Thuh same way the las' boss 'listened' t' us," he said with exasperation at Rogue's confusion. Why was Rogue suddenly opposed to using force? It would be safer to turn off the smoke and stuff from the corporation - and destroy whatever mechanism was keeping it all running - than to try and destroy each little smoke bomb or whatever. He figured getting to the head of the operation would be the best way to go about it.
He flinched backwards as Rogue aimed at the magical rune, concerned that it would explode or something, but it didn't. He was grateful it didn't explode in their face, but he felt far less excitable as a witch appeared. "Magic can' be authorized! Lord Death forbids it! Yew mus' think we're still wet behind the ears, but yew ain't gettin' rid uh us that easy!" His blood ran cold as the witch dropped the name of his father's company.
His father was decisive and clever, putting him above the competition for decades, but this was too much. He couldn't believe his father would stoop so low as to invite magical intervention for increased production. It was morale, not magic, that made the company's production so impressive. That was what he'd been told for years, anyways, and he wasn't ready to let one witch lady deter him. "Yer wrong!" He cried out, transforming into a pistol to shoot at her.
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Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2021 4:38 pm
โจโพโจ ๏ผฒ๏ผฏ๏ผง๏ผต๏ผฅ โฆโฝโฆ Level 2 | โ | Meister | Traditionalist | Explorer | 190/200 Spirit
โจโพโจRogue caught Chance when he transformed and noticed that he was quick on the trigger. When the bullet flew toward the Witch she created a shield of green flames to stop it. "You fools! This operation is far more than you could possibly comprehend! Say goodnight!" Suddenly, she snapped both of her fingers as the green fire ring around them created a massive explosion as she teleported away into Arcana to safety through a magic circle. "No!" Rogue and Chance in his gun form would suddenly explode into red smoke as the fiery explosion overwhelmed them. This just created a mirage, however, and the plume of smoke allowed them to drift away to safety. When they rematerialized from the smoke, Chance would see an image of Rogue being blown up and scorched in the green fire but this was a mirage. "Dun' worry, that's just a new trick I came up with." Rogue let Chance know in case he saw the mirage behind them and allowed Chance a moment to transform back. Rogue was glad that he came up with a new technique for a last-minute escape like this. Otherwise him and Chance would have ended up as green ash.
โจโพโจ"Let's git goin' and figure out what's happenin' out here." He knew that they had to get to the bottom of this. He started running with Chance once the flames died down. Rogue wanted to scream quickly because he knew that the explosion would cause unwanted attention. Once they made it back into town and away from the commotion as authorities were dispatched to investigate the explosion, he turned to Chance. "You doin' okay?" He had a sneaking suspicion that the witch was telling the truth but he did not want to be insensitive, this did implicate Chance's family, after all. Rogue and Chance walked into the company store to hide from the scene outside. Rogue noticed the "Bellamy Corporation" signs plastered throughout the store and just rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. He was willing to talk this through with his partner but he was worried about Chance's reaction nonetheless.
๐ ๐ข๐ณ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฒ โจ Shattered Image | Level 1 | Tier 1 | Spirit Rogue performs this technique before colliding with an enemy spell or technique. Rogue's body as well as the weapon he is holding seemingly die and explode into a cloud of crimson smoke. The smoke then flies away and rematerializes into Rogue and his weapon up to ten feet away. This technique can only be performed twice per battle.
Chance thought the two of them were goners, but Rogue acted quickly and utilized a mirage that provided them cover as his Meister fled. Chance transformed back once they had a moment, chewing on Rogue's explanation about the technique he'd never seen before. He wasn't sure when Rogue had found the time to train it, but it was something he tucked away for later: he needed to improve by developing new tricks, too, if he wanted to keep up while protecting his Meister. "Those illusions seem t' git more and more real..."
Chance considered Rogue's question in uncharacteristic silence. He weighed everything they'd witnessed. "Ah won' believe mah father approved al' dis 'til ah can talk t' him, but... regardless if it was him or some lackey who invited uh witch t' mess wit' these people, it's uh problem we oughta solve. We gotta help these people. Ah can talk to mah father later." He took his hat off and inspected the inside of it as he thought. He was a Bellamy, but he was a DWMA student, too. He had no idea if his loyalty would be conflicted - he didn't even know if his father had been involved in the decision to approve the witch's intervention - but he wasn't willing to let the anxiety of it all weigh him down. He had to stick out of his own head and keep his eyes on the prize. The two of them had a mission at hand.
"Ah will follow yer lead, pardner. What can we do fer these people?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2022 6:44 pm
โจโพโจ ๏ผฒ๏ผฏ๏ผง๏ผต๏ผฅ โฆโฝโฆ Level 2 | โ | Meister | Traditionalist | Explorer | 200 Spirit
โจโพโจRogue was getting more and more nervous as he awaited Chance's response. He was worried that Chance would lose his nerve now that his family's company was implicated. He knew that his partner had a tendency to snarl at anything that insulted his parents. Not to mention Chance's difficulty understanding the impoverished conditions in Death City. He was worried that he would have to find a new partner and waited with bated breath as Chance explained himself.
โจโพโจHe became more worried when Chance said that he would not believe his father's involvement. But then, unexpectedly, Chance affirmed his commitment to helping the Bellamy Corporation's miners. He felt hopeful when Chance loyally agreed to help him. "You'd do that?" Rogue smiled joyfully as he considered what all Chance might be giving up. "Even if it hurts yer family's business, you'd still help these people you don' know?" The Meister was almost thinking out loud as he gave his pleasantly surprised utterances. It was not that Rogue cynically doubted Chance so much as he was surprised that he was willing to help a bunch of people he did not know over his own family. That was against human nature and Rogue would not have blamed him if he wanted to sit out the mission. Although they would have had to go their separate ways because of Rogue's personal goals.
โจโพโจ"Well alright then, let's git to work." Rogue walked out of the company store and headed to the other sources of smoke. The company was still investigating the original explosion so Rogue and Chance would walk the opposite direction toward a different source of hypnotic smoke. It was essentially the only other big smokestack that seemed to maintain control over the area. "I think if we destroy this other one then it'll go a long way to helpin' these folks. We must do it at all costs. There can only be a discussion after the workers are freed of control." Rogue was resolute in his determination. He refused to negotiate on this while the workers were enslaved. Rogue and Chance walked up to the other mineshaft but were stopped when the magic circle opened up. The Witch stepped through and closed the portal as a portly man in a business suit stepped out of the mine. He wore a bolo tie and a cowboy hat with aviator sunglasses and stood beside the witch. "Arcadia 'ere tells me that y'all were the ones who caused that big explosion over there." He had a thick Texan accent as he crossed his arms and stared at the Meister and Weapon. "Y'all may think you're the big heroes here, but nah, yer just breakin' the law. This here smoke ain't illegal but property damage and trespassin' sure are!" He became increasingly enraged as he spoke and stomped his foot in tarnation. "And who are you?" Rogue asked as he glared at the businessman. "Me? I'm Edwin Hunt and I manage this here mine for the Bellamy Corporation. And I ain't lettin' y'all destroy our business. Who do y'all think yew are for doing what you've done?" He looked at Rogue and Chance before Arcadia spoke up. "Whoever they are, they're too dangerous to be kept alive. I didn't expect them to survive the magic I threw at them. I won't be making that mistake again." Arcadia filled her hands with green fire as Edwin motioned for her to stay her hand for now. Nonetheless, both were prepared for hostilities.
Chance felt better about his decision based on Rogue's happy reaction. His Meister's positive reaction was improving Chance's confidence and making it easier to see this through. Their soul energies were feeding off of each other. "An entire town is more import'nt den mah father likin' me," he stated. Not that he was looking forward to making amends with his father who already didn't know he was a member of the DWMA, but it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission to take down the witchcraft surrounding the place.
The witch and Hunt were before them, and Chance grit his teeth as he saw their stubborn resolve. "Ah don' believe fer one second dis smoke ain't a hazard! Yer cuttin' corners and hurtin' yer workers! And fer what? Yer business deserves t' be destroyed if it's hurting people!" He jutted a thumb at his chest as Hunt asked who they were. "We're heroes fer thuh people! And we ain' gunna let yew abuse them no more!" He transformed into a weapon for Rogue to wield.
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Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2022 10:53 am
โจโพโจ ๏ผฒ๏ผฏ๏ผง๏ผต๏ผฅ โฆโฝโฆ Level 2 | โ | Meister | Traditionalist | Explorer | 190/200 Spirit
โจโพโจRogue felt his heart swell when he heard Chance affirm that helping out regular people was more important than his father's possible greed. His words stuck with Rogue even during their standoff with the Witch and Hunt, the witchhunt, if you will. For once, Rogue felt like Chance was fully on the same page as him. When Chance stood up against him, Rogue agreed whole-heartedly. "Yeah!" I shouted in support as I watched Chance transform. The revolver landed in his hand as he began to open fire on the green fireballs. Rogue's soul wavelength was being fired in its rose color in the shape of bullets from Chance. The bullets pierced through the magic and struck the murderous Witch in the chest. She collapsed to the ground before Hunt walked into the center of the desert with his own iron on his hip. "Enough! How 'bout we settle this like the ole west? Let's git to a quickdraw duel." Hunt shouted as he walked toward Rogue and Chance and away from the warehouse.
โจโพโจThe man that Rogue and Chance were facing off with spent most of his life shooting his revolver and rifles. While he was portly he was a good shot. Rogue put Chance in his holster on his right hip before walking into the center. They stood in the desert between the mine and the town, staring each other down. Rogue slowly moved his hand over to the handle of the revolver. He felt his adrenaline pumping as he stared at the man across the sand. Hunt was lightning fast as he drew his revolver slightly before Rogue. When Hunt fired his shot, Rogue used his left hand to draw a mirror of spirit energy. This blocked the gunshot as Rogue manipulated the light to create the illusion of the bullet being fired back at Hunt. "Cheater!" Hunt yelled as he jumped away from the fake bullet. Rogue smirked as he opened fire and struck the coal baron several times. He collapsed to the ground as Rogue blew away the gunsmoke from Chance's barrel. "Sometimes ya need ta cheat to do what's right." This was the first time that Rogue ever explained in Chance's presence the reason that he used illusions and deception in combat so often despite his heroic ideals. Rogue walked toward the mine and fired six shots into the massive magic circle. The smoke cleared and the town was finally freed of the corrupting magical pollution.
โจโพโจRogue would release Chance and allow him to transform back. Hunt's soul was revealed to be a red Kishin egg, likely from misdeeds that Rogue and Chance did not know of. Rogue gave the soul to Chance to eat before walking back to Boulderton. With the smoke gone, he watched as the workers and families seemed to return to their senses. They all gathered in the town square as Rogue spoke up. "Listen up y'all! We discovered that the manager of this town was usin' a Witch to fill the town with magical smoke to control y'all. I suspect this has been goin' on for years. Do whatever y'all think is right but I think it's fair for y'all to demand fair wages and compensation for what you've been through in Boulderton!" The workers of Boulderton shouted in agreement as they threw down their pickaxes and refused to work until they were paid with real money and given compensation for their injuries from the company. Ambulances arrived to collect the bodies and treat any injuries.
โจโพโจRogue and Chance would stick around for a few more hours to help with community organizing. Since the workers were back to their senses, they were able to make calls to the company. The local media began congregating in Boulderton to raise awareness for the outrageous abuse that had been taking place in the town for so long. As the media trucks began filling in, Rogue turned to Chance. "I reckon now's a good time to scoot." Rogue had no interest in getting too much attention from this. Boulderton seemed to be on the road to recovery now so he had no reason to stay and seek fame or glory.
โจโพโจThe Sun was setting as Rogue and Chance walked the road back to Death City. The road was quiet and empty once they walked far enough away from Boulderton. In no time at all, the two got to enjoy the empty country road under the stars. The whole time, Rogue's mind was racing and there was no doubt that Chance could tell. What Chance was willing to sacrifice to help him stop the greed that was consuming Boulderton was inspiring. He suddenly stopped walking and turned to Chance, remembering their briefly shared memories of the cave. With no hesitation, Rogue leaned in and hungrily kissed Chance. He wrapped his arms around his partner and resonated with him as he felt an eruption of emotions consume him. Their kissing was perfectly paired with Rogue's soul beating like a heart against Chance's soul. He finally stopped kissing him and just held him close with their faces and souls still connected. "I'm in love with you." Rogue gasped out the words and felt tears roll down his cheeks as he held Chance tightly. Rogue's explorer soul explored his passion without hesitation and did what felt right. He was connected enough with his partner to know that he felt the same way.
๐ ๐ข๐ณ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฒ โจ The Looking Glass | Level 1 | Tier 1 | Spirit Rogue extends one index finger to "draw" a circle in front of him. This forms a mirror of spirit energy that is highly reflective of what is in front of it. An enemy technique or spell that is incoming will be blocked by the mirror as an energy shield. However, the mirror creates a mirage of the enemy technique being reflected back at them. In reality, the technique or spell is simply blocked if this technique is as strong as the enemy technique. This illusion will even reflect an image of the enemy using a weapon. ๐ ๐ข๐ณ๐จ๐ต๐ค ๐ค๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ค๐ข๐ณ๐ฒโโโโโ โจ Technique Name | Level | Tier | Resource Description here. โฏ Perk Name โฏ [ Description here. ]
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Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2022 1:41 pm
Emotions ran high as Rogue shot at the witch and stopped her. He felt so empowered as the two of them worked in unison. He was overwhelmed by Rogue's resolve and heroic ideals, which fed into Chance's own budding heroism and loyalty to the working people of the town. It was like naturally resonating without forcing a soul resonance, and it made their fighting synchronous and unstoppable. He was only nervous as Hunt spoke of a shoot-off, since he could tell the man was mighty experienced with firearms. However, Rogue was prepared for it and this confidence kept Chance's eyes on the prize. Thankfully, Rogue also had some tricks up his sleeves, and his quick thinking allowed the two of them to down Hunt quickly.
"Right," Chance thought aloud after Rogue's explanation, "we can't play by thuh rules if thuh rules are lettin' people like Hunt git 'way wit' hurtin' others. We hafta work outside uh them if we want t' git rid uh such abusive villains." The rationale made perfect sense to him. He knew Rogue acted fairly in the grand scheme of things because he helped right the inequality of the boss' power over his workers. Chance remembered learning about labor unions in his private academy until his tutor was fired and they switched to topics like the poor abusing handouts.
Chance stood proudly beside Rogue as the two worked on organizing the community. This time, Chance was proactive and supportive and kind, unlike his more ignorant attempts at mutual aid while he was under detention. He got to know some life stories of the workers while helping them organize, plan, and help each other. He froze at the sign of media trucks, suddenly remembering his name, his family, his place. Rogue's words shook him out of it and the two of them split quickly. Chance was sure to secure his cowboy hat on his head, knowing his father would never recognize him in this get-up. "Why, that was fun."
The duo made their way back to Death City with a self-satisfied silence settling over them. All of their work today had aligned their minds, bodies, and souls independently and together. They were resonating perfectly, and Chance could passively feel his connection with Rogue as the two walked. "Ah really like what we accomplished today. Yew and ah did a lot t' help them people. Ah get what yew were talkin' 'bout all those times... we really can make uh difference fer the workers-" he was cut off suddenly as Rogue surged forward to kiss him. He was surprised, but the surprise melted away under Rogue's warmth and he felt himself returning the kiss with just as much eager energy as Rogue was showing him. The two were closely intertwined in the embrace as they kissed, their souls passively melting into each other. He felt like he was dreaming when Rogue confessed his feelings. "Ah had no idea yew felt thuh same way..." He pulled Rogue back in for another kiss, letting his hand comb through Rogue's hair and cautiously avoid the eyepatch strap.
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Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2022 2:24 pm
โจโพโจ ๏ผฒ๏ผฏ๏ผง๏ผต๏ผฅ โฆโฝโฆ Level 2 | โ | Meister | Traditionalist | Explorer | 200 Spirit
โจโพโจHe felt his heart beating out of his chest as Chance kissed him back. They hugged even tighter as Rogue gave Chance all of the passion that he could. The tenderness that he felt from Chance was not something that he had ever experienced. The world was cold and cruel to him and led to the coarsening of his heart. He was unsure if he could even feel something like this but it was all awakened when Chance revealed his true potential for helping people. "I want you to know how much you mean to me, Chance." He smiled as they separated from their kiss. He held Chance's face in his hands and kept him close. "I knew the whole time. But I was worried that we weren't on the same path because we disagreed a lot. But today...I just really admire who you've become. I'm sorry if I ever made you feel like I didn't want you 'round. The truth is, I didn't know how to handle what I felt. You've gotten rid o' all my doubts. You're the perfect partner for me and I never want you to go." The romantic hero poured his heart out as he felt their souls binding together in an intimate and permanent way. It had been so long, but he felt like he could finally fully be in alignment with his partner. Rogue felt himself getting choked up as he felt Chance's soul warming and comforting him. The young rebel had felt so little of that love and acceptance in his life and this was the first time that he felt he could open up. Rogue got the sense that Chance felt that he was meeting a new Rogue that he had been holding back this whole time out of fear. "There's so much we can do to help folks just like we did today. I'm so excited for it." Rogue smiled again as he allowed his thumbs to stroke Chance's cheekbones.
Chance's heart was pounding as Rogue openly confessed how much Chance meant to him. He grew up without ever hearing anything validating, and it made everything he'd ever done seem worth it to be so valuable to his partner. He melted into Rogue's touch and sighed contentedly as Rogue continued to say sweet nothings. He was surprised Rogue knew the whole time because he thought he'd been really discreet, but he was grateful Rogue waited anyways. If they had rushed into things earlier, Chance would have felt Rogue's statements about his father were even more damaging.
"Ah think we can dew anything we want to. Ah have never felt as complete as when we're fightin' together. Resonance with yew feels so natural." Chance was glad his own warmth could warm up Rogue's icy demeanor, while Rogue's gritty world view helped ground Chance. He was glad that Rogue felt confident in their relationship, their love, and their heroism. All of those things were important to Chance. "Things are gunna be even better now."
