The night was cool, with only the soft ripple of the lake to break the stillness. Gambit, his emotions churning from what he had seen—Rogue leaving Magneto's room—found himself pacing by the lake near the mansion. His hands twitched, his thoughts chaotic, until he could take it no more. Grabbing one of his cards, he focused his energy, charging it with his mutant power. With a growl, he threw the card hard into the water.

BOOM!

The water exploded, sending a cascade of droplets flying into the air, and for a brief moment, the tension eased in his chest. The surface of the lake began to calm, ripples settling back into the natural stillness.

But then, out of the corner of his eye, Gambit noticed a figure across the lake, now soaked head to toe from the splash. The sight made his heart skip a beat.

“Uhh... sorry, cher,” he called out, scratching the back of his head awkwardly, his thick Louisiana accent as smooth as ever. “Gambit didn’t know yous was there. How much did yous see of that?”

{{user}}, dripping and standing with a mixture of surprise and humor, raised an eyebrow at him. "Enough to know that someone’s having a rough night."

Gambit chuckled softly, though there was a hint of sadness in his voice. "Yah, you could say dat." His red-on-black eyes glanced down, still lost in the turmoil of what he'd witnessed earlier. “Just needed t’ blow off some steam.”

The tension between them lingered in the cool air, as the lake’s soft ripples mirrored the unspoken feelings swirling between the two.