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"A cocktail for me, and an orange juice... for her."
At a nearby bar, Roger ordered a drink for himself and a juice for Jean Grey. The two sat side by side at the bar.
Since Jean was not yet of legal drinking age, American law prohibits drinking before the age of twenty-one, Roger naturally wouldn't order alcohol for the young Phoenix.
Jean Grey didn't mind. Her mind was in turmoil, tangled like a ball of string, unable to sort through her thoughts, and she didn't have the energy to care about what she was drinking.
The bartender, following Roger's instructions, served the drinks. He shot Roger a curious glance as he handed over the cocktail and the juice.
Most people come to bars for alcohol. Seeing someone bring a minor into a bar and order juice was a first for the bartender.
If Jean hadn't looked so composed and unafraid, the bartender might have suspected Roger was trying to abduct her and called the police.
Ignoring the bartender's look, Roger took a sip of his cocktail, then pondered for a while before finding a topic to address with Jean Grey:
"Actually, Charles may have made mistakes, but he really did have your best interests at heart."
"..."
Jean didn't respond. She held her glass of orange juice in both hands, turning the cool glass absentmindedly.
After a moment's thought, Roger continued speaking to her:
"Besides, Charles is practically family to you, isn't he? You've lived at the Academy for so long that he's probably closer than any relative you have."
"But he lied to me," Jean said quietly.
In her mind, Charles had disrespected her by locking away her memories without her permission. To her, it was the same as lying.
Because Charles had promised not to tamper with her memories.
He had promised.
Not just to Wolverine, Logan, but to her as well. Yet now, Charles had broken that promise.
Roger ruffled his hair, looking at Jean with a troubled expression.
Then, with a deep sigh, he said to Jean:
"...Alright, I'll admit it. I'm not good at persuasion. My task is to bring you back, but I have no idea how to convince you. So... Jean, can you just tell me what I need to do to make you go back?"
"...I don't want to go back," Jean replied stubbornly.
Roger was at a loss.
Feeling a headache coming on, Roger took a sip of his cocktail. However, after tasting it, he frowned even more deeply.
Roger wasn't fond of alcohol; he didn't like the taste. When he ordered the cocktail earlier, it was just because he thought it would look out of place not to order a drink in a bar, and he wanted to try something new.
But after tasting it, he realized he'd made a mistake. He should have just ordered juice like Jean.
With a sigh, Roger set the cocktail aside and called the bartender over again:
"Do you have any cola?"
Bartender: "Sir, this is a bar."
"Yes, I know. So, do you have cola?"
...Are you kidding me?
The bartender considered calling the police again.
But when Roger pulled out a hundred-dollar bill from his pocket, the bartender closed his mouth and poured Roger a glass of iced cola.
Roger, having come to this world from another, naturally didn't have any money.
But Charles had plenty.
As a reward for helping defeat Apocalypse upon his arrival, Roger had asked Charles for a significant sum to cover his daily expenses.
So, all the cash Roger had on him was courtesy of the X Academy, and he had no qualms about spending it.
Seeing Roger switch from a cocktail to cola, Jean Grey couldn't help but ask curiously:
"You don't drink?"
"It's not that I can't drink, I just don't like it. Don't you think alcohol tastes strange?"
"Pfft..."
Jean Grey couldn't hold back her laughter.
Roger looked like an "Old man with a confused expression."
He didn't see what was so funny about it.
Seeing Roger's puzzled expression, Jean explained:
"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. It's just... I heard you were strong, that Scott's brother couldn't even scratch you, and yet... you don't like to drink."
"Being strong has nothing to do with liking alcohol," Roger said helplessly, not understanding when strength and drinking ability became linked.
Besides, it wasn't that Roger couldn't drink, he'd had plenty of drinks during social events back in the world of The Boys. But that was in the past.
Shaking his head, feeling the conversation veering off course, Roger tried to steer it back on track and asked Jean Grey:
"Let's set aside my preferences for alcohol. What's your plan now?"
"...I don't want to go back," Jean repeated.
If it weren't for the half-empty juice glass in Jean's hands, Roger might have thought he was stuck in a time loop.
"I know you don't want to go back, but you must have somewhere else to go, right? Where can you go now if you leave the Academy?"
Roger pressed on.
Jean was essentially adopted by Charles. After her mother passed away and her father disowned her, the Mutant Academy had become her home, and Charles was like a father figure to her.
Now that she didn't want to return to the Academy, and her father didn't want her back because of past events, it left her without a place to go.
That's why Roger asked this question.
As expected, Jean fell into a long silence over this.
Roger took another sip of his cola, just about to say something, when Jean suddenly spoke:
"Why don't I go with you?"
"????"
Roger almost spat out his cola.
"Excuse me? Are you serious?!"
"I don't really have anywhere else to go..."
Jean lowered her head, looking like an abandoned puppy.
Roger was momentarily speechless because, in that instant, he seriously considered whether he should take Jean Grey with him.
After all, Jean Grey was incredibly powerful.
In the Marvel universe, the Phoenix is one of the strongest entities, rivaling even the Scarlet Witch Wanda and Captain Marvel Carol as a contender for the title of the strongest female superhero in the universe.
Although this version of Jean Grey hadn't yet unlocked the Phoenix Force, her current powers were enough to place her at the peak of mutant abilities, Apocalypse himself couldn't defeat her.
Roger himself couldn't guarantee that his invulnerable body could withstand Jean's telekinesis, nor was he eager to test whether her powers could break through his defenses.
Having Jean Grey by his side would provide a significant security boost for future travels across worlds. No matter what challenges they faced, he'd be sure of a safe retreat.
But Roger quickly dismissed this idea, focusing on the downsides of bringing Jean along.
First, Jean was still an untrained, young mutant, and a minor at that. After crossing into different worlds, Roger would have to look after her.
Second, she was a girl, and Roger was a man. Spending long periods together could lead to various inconveniences.
Lastly...
Taking Jean with him might be exactly what Charles wanted.
Charles had made it clear, he wanted Roger to look after Jean, to prepare her to lead mutants and to carve out a new future for mutants in other worlds.
That was Charles' intention.
And while Jean might not see things that way now, there was no guarantee that in the future, she wouldn't seek out a new world where mutants could thrive.
What would Roger do then? He couldn't very well abandon Jean in some unknown world, right?
After considering all of this, Roger told Jean:
"You're making impulsive decisions right now. You should think it over for a few more days. I'll find you a place to stay nearby tonight, and I'll let Charles know."
"Don't tell him."
Jean looked up at Roger and said:
"I don't want him to know where I am."
"...Teenage rebellion, huh."
Roger sighed again, feeling like he'd sighed more in one day than he had all year.
But even if Jean didn't want to go back, Charles would still know her location.
Jean didn't yet have the power to block Charles from reading her thoughts; Charles likely knew where she was and simply chose not to intrude on her mind.
With that in mind, Roger decided to go along with Jean's wishes and stood up, saying:
"Alright, I'll get you a room at a nearby hotel. Take some time to calm down before making any decisions."
Dealing with rebellious kids requires a gentle touch, especially with those who are usually obedient but can be incredibly stubborn at crucial moments.
In such cases, it's better to go along with their wishes and let them cool down. Given time, they'll start to see things more clearly.
And the key is, after a while, Jean would realize that it's tough to survive without money. Unless she truly planned to become self-sufficient, she would eventually return to the Academy.
Roger was 100% sure of that.
How did he know?
Because before his first world-crossing, Roger had been rebellious too. He'd even run away from home. But in the end... after running out of money and going hungry for a few days, he returned home to face his parents' wrath.
It was this "glorious past" that made Roger so certain Jean would eventually return to the Academy.
...
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