06-26-2004, 09:27 PM
Peter was about to respond to Victoria's remarks, but Rogue beat him to it. He as he watched the young lady release her anger and frustration the pieces to her mystery slowly began to fall in place.
"So, judging from her outbursts, this Marie must have unwittingly caused some kind of accident that has left her with those physical alterations as well as memories of her horrible act that, apparently, are still very fresh in her mind."
It was as much information as Peter needed and wanted to know. The exact details of the event were irrelevant to him.
"We haven't even been assigned our first mission and we're already off to a great start."
He let out a deep sigh, trying to ease his frustration of the situation.
"Ms. Victoria."
Peter's eyes were still on Rogue as he sent his message to the young telepath. Telepathic communication was something he had not been used to, but during his time with Victoria, he had gotten a feel for it.
"I know what you're thinking. I know it can be agrivating to deal with this. I have had to deal with this many times before. People so consumed by guilt and self pity can be trying at times and the easiest thing to do would be to ignore them or rebuke them for their actions. But scolding her isn't going to help her and will just cause her to be that more difficult to deal with later. She is obviously very frightened, but she came here for our help. She took a great risk in coming with Dr. Strange for the soul hope that a group of strangers may be able help her through this, since it appears that many on her world have already declined. You agreeded by coming here that you would help Dr. Stephen Strange in his quest to aid those in need, but that also includes you teammates. We can not just choose who we want to help and who we don't feel like helping. We have a responsibility to help all and we can't ignore that. Don't let your grief and your loss make you so cold that you would so easily turn your back on one who so desperately requires aid. Do not become that which you hate."
He hoped that she would not think that he was angry with her or that he was against her. His goal was not to anger her, but to regain the caring Victoria that had often tried to help him and not the one who would let her annoyance get the better of her. Peter crouched down infront of the still crying Rogue, looking at her for a moment before speaking.
"We're not here to judge you Ms. Marie. We're here to help, but we can't do that until you help yourself. I don't know what you've done and I don't need to know. Whatever it was, you haven't forigiven yourself for it. You're still letting the memory haunt you, control you. I'm not telling you to forget what happened. You need to remember, but you need to come to terms with it as well. You made a mistake, and from the look of things it was a big one, and I know you think that you've comitted the worse possible act ever. I know you think that such a horror can never be forgiven. But you're wrong. You need to realize that until you come to terms with this demon in your past, until you regain control, then you'll be stuck like this. The healing will never come, and the despair will get worse. You've made the mistake, it can't be changed. Whatever you did can't be altered, nor would it help if it was. What you need to do now is learn from it. You need to learn how to overcome this, and how to make sure you don't repeat yourself."
He paused a moment to let what he was saying sink in.
"They say that happiness is a choice, Ms. Marie. The same goes for sadness. It's not your inability to come to terms with this that's making you like this. You are. You don't want to forgive yourself for your actions. You don't want to move on. Whether you realize it or not, you are choosing to be sad, to be depressed and distraught. And until you choose otherwise, until you choose and really make an effort to get a handle on this, then we can't help you any more than you can."
"So, judging from her outbursts, this Marie must have unwittingly caused some kind of accident that has left her with those physical alterations as well as memories of her horrible act that, apparently, are still very fresh in her mind."
It was as much information as Peter needed and wanted to know. The exact details of the event were irrelevant to him.
"We haven't even been assigned our first mission and we're already off to a great start."
He let out a deep sigh, trying to ease his frustration of the situation.
"Ms. Victoria."
Peter's eyes were still on Rogue as he sent his message to the young telepath. Telepathic communication was something he had not been used to, but during his time with Victoria, he had gotten a feel for it.
"I know what you're thinking. I know it can be agrivating to deal with this. I have had to deal with this many times before. People so consumed by guilt and self pity can be trying at times and the easiest thing to do would be to ignore them or rebuke them for their actions. But scolding her isn't going to help her and will just cause her to be that more difficult to deal with later. She is obviously very frightened, but she came here for our help. She took a great risk in coming with Dr. Strange for the soul hope that a group of strangers may be able help her through this, since it appears that many on her world have already declined. You agreeded by coming here that you would help Dr. Stephen Strange in his quest to aid those in need, but that also includes you teammates. We can not just choose who we want to help and who we don't feel like helping. We have a responsibility to help all and we can't ignore that. Don't let your grief and your loss make you so cold that you would so easily turn your back on one who so desperately requires aid. Do not become that which you hate."
He hoped that she would not think that he was angry with her or that he was against her. His goal was not to anger her, but to regain the caring Victoria that had often tried to help him and not the one who would let her annoyance get the better of her. Peter crouched down infront of the still crying Rogue, looking at her for a moment before speaking.
"We're not here to judge you Ms. Marie. We're here to help, but we can't do that until you help yourself. I don't know what you've done and I don't need to know. Whatever it was, you haven't forigiven yourself for it. You're still letting the memory haunt you, control you. I'm not telling you to forget what happened. You need to remember, but you need to come to terms with it as well. You made a mistake, and from the look of things it was a big one, and I know you think that you've comitted the worse possible act ever. I know you think that such a horror can never be forgiven. But you're wrong. You need to realize that until you come to terms with this demon in your past, until you regain control, then you'll be stuck like this. The healing will never come, and the despair will get worse. You've made the mistake, it can't be changed. Whatever you did can't be altered, nor would it help if it was. What you need to do now is learn from it. You need to learn how to overcome this, and how to make sure you don't repeat yourself."
He paused a moment to let what he was saying sink in.
"They say that happiness is a choice, Ms. Marie. The same goes for sadness. It's not your inability to come to terms with this that's making you like this. You are. You don't want to forgive yourself for your actions. You don't want to move on. Whether you realize it or not, you are choosing to be sad, to be depressed and distraught. And until you choose otherwise, until you choose and really make an effort to get a handle on this, then we can't help you any more than you can."