BIOGRAPHY - Page 4
After her admission to Chamber, coupled with the obvious unresolved trauma of her kidnapping, Bling was sent to the school counselor, Husk. Bling didn't feel she actually needed therapy and was resistant, though she did confess that the latest incident with Emplate had made her feel weak. She couldn't understand why she had froze and that she should have already gotten over what had happened to her. Bling reiterated she wanted to be an X-Man; her powers were similar to Emma Frost's and that alone made her perfect for it. Husk suggested that's why she had been paired with her. Husk at one point had been a trainee X-Man and she too felt that ambition but had lost herself in her powers and, in an attempt not to feel weak, had not been honest when she needed help.
Enroute back to the school, Bling and Jubilee were caught in a sinkhole eventually stumbling upon Emplate's lair. Bodies of mutants were strewn across a disused subway cart. Bling found herself hyperventilating and had a panic attack and had to exit. Jubilee reassured Bling that Emplate wasn't there and that her reaction was okay and normal, giving the two a chance to re-establish their past bond. Jubilee sent Bling on ahead with a survivor they found at the scene. A rescue party had been sent for them too, among them Mercury, which gave Bling a chance to flirt with her again. [Generation X (2nd series) #8-9]
Back at the school, Bling had another session with Husk and was decidedly more open. She confessed that the reason she had come to the school was really to try and fit in again. After she became a mutant, people kept staring at her. She just wanted to feel normal. The goal of becoming an X-Man seemed like a “normal” choice for in this environment, which was why she was striving for it. If she were honest with herself, what happened with Emplate showed her how dangerous it was and, if she didn't have a physical mutation and could blend in, she didn't know if she would have any interest in becoming an X-Man. Husk said this was a great step for Roxie. She was finally being honest with herself and could now figure out what it was she really wanted.
The session was cut short due to another attack by Emplate. When seeing him again, Roxanne started to experience another panic attack and was whisked away from the scene by Husk and Chamber. [Generation X (1st series) #85] Chamber ran back to the fight and eventually so too did Husk. Bling was found by her classmates and had a realization that, if they didn't defeat Emplate, he would just pick them all off one by one. Emplate's ravenous nature got the better of him and he fed on Hindsight, a mutant with tactile emphatic psychometric abilities. This caused a telepathic connection with every new victim, which gave the students an opening. Despite her fear, Bling offered to stay and fight Emplate, while the others escaped and tried to get help. [Generation X (1st series) #86] Bling bought the class enough time for Jubilee and Kid Omega to enter the fray.
Brute force alone wasn't enough to defeat Emplate. Most of the students in her class did not have any combat abilities, so Bling jumped back in the fight and touched Monet, who still possessed the psychometric powers. Emplate had been avoiding feeding, as he was afraid he would lose possession of Monet if she was exposed to too many other people’s memories/feelings. The rest of Monet's former teammates followed Bling's lead, all touching her. The connection to these others with whom Monet shared history jolted her free from Emplate's control. Without a host, he vanished.
Seeing Emplate beaten and with her breakthrough in therapy, Bling got the courage to do the one thing she was most afraid to do, visit home. Her friends threw her a surprise leaving party, despite the fact she was only going to be gone a short time, making it clear she really had been accepted. The goal she set for herself while home was to try to get comfortable around humans again. Further, she decided to stick out the therapy with Husk, as it had already been helpful. [Generation X (1st series) #87]
[Note: Bling attended the party holding Mercury's hand, so presumably they started dating off-panel at some point after the events of X-Men (4th series) #12.]