Rogue's ever-present sense of self-recrimination kicked into full drive at that. This was Loki. He never said something without a purpose. He'd never hinted at an inadequacy with her before, but now... now all she heard was a comparison where she was coming up short to something she wasn't even sure she knew he was comparing her to - to when she was free? What was he talking about?

...he'd said she was beautiful when the psyches took control was that it, was that possibly it, was it again about her power?

Her heart squeezed hard in preparation for the pain everyone had told her was coming and she had believed was worth the risk to face. Despite herself, Rogue held on to him a little tighter.

"Loki? I don't know what you're saying." She looked at him, eyes a little wide with a shadow of wary pain in them, "Are you tryin' to tell me something?"