ax_main | Shen and Illyana | Backdated to 10/25

Shen catches Illyana after class to check on her.

Shen could not help but glance back at Illyana as they went to grab their seats in Ethics class. She was distracted by wanting to go and talk to her at the end of the class, her fight with Tamara still heavy on her mind, but after the Professor called her out over not paying enough attention, she redirected her focus on the topic at hand.

The class seemed to drag by, though.

Finally, though, it was over, and Shen quickly grabbed her notes, told Jeanne-Marie there was someone she wanted to talk to, and hurried into the hallway after Illyana.

"Hey," she told her as she fell in stride beside her, wings settling after her quick jog to catch up with her. She went on quickly, before Illyana could assume that Shen wanted to yell at her, too. "Kitty told me a bit about what happened. How are you doing?"

Illyana'd tensed at the initial greeting, having grabbed up her stuff and made her way out of the classroom as quickly as she could, just as she'd been doing the rest of the week. She blinked, though, when she realized it was Shen, and what she was saying. "I'm okay," she replied just a little apprehensively, wondering if Shen'd misunderstood something Kitty had said. "Kitty and Billy were the ones who got hurt. I'm fine."

"Fine," Shen echoed, and gave her a small smile. "So, that thing everybody says when they're not really, right?"

"Pretty much." Illyana quirked a smile back and shrugged. It was accurate, and she had to admit, she probably didn't look alright, so there was no point in denying it. "I'm not hurt, how's that?"

"It's something," Shen agreed with a nod. "Something awesome." She meant it. And something they owed to Kitty and Billy being freaking heroes. Illyana would know that better than anyone, and Shen didn't want to get sidetracked, so she wasn't going to say so just yet. "I just - I heard Tamara yelling at you the other day." The whole dorm had probably heard it. "I don't agree with her, and I'm sorry that happened. I just - wanted you to know, not everybody thinks like her."

Illyana blinked, taken aback by the unexpected show of support. "I...thanks. I appreciate that." She shrugged and continued walking. "She wasn't wrong, though, even if she didn't have any idea what she was yelling about. Ultimately, it was my fault. I shouldn't have taken them along."

"Then you'd be dead, or - worse, I guess," Shen pointed out. "And they'd be way worse off." They would all be.

"Probably not dead. Belasco wants me alive, after all. But I'm pretty sure the only one who'd actually be worse off is me," Illyana observed.

"I don't know about that," Shen replied with confidence. "I'd break a limb ten times over rather than lose my friend, and they're freaking heroes. They'd be worse off." She didn't have to ask them to know they would agree; they'd proven it already.

"They were nearly dead heroes." Illyana looked over at Shen. "If Billy hadn't managed to wake me right when he did? He'd be dead. Kitty...knowing Belasco, she'd have been best off if he'd killed her too, but he probably wouldn't have. He'd have played with her, instead. I should never have taken them there."

Shen frowned. "Well. Clearly you agree with Tam, even if I don't." She did not sound happy about it. At all.

Illyana made a face, but shrugged. And said nothing for a few, long moments. "I've lost people there before. People...people I really cared about. I don't want that to happen again." Not to Billy. Definitely not to Kitty. And it had been way, way too close.

"Then take more people with you, if there has to be a next time," Shen replied without missing a beat. "Strength in number - it's not just a saying. If you pick the right people, anyway."

"That's what Pyro said," Illyana observed, not committing herself one way or the other. Going alone still sounded like the safest bet, to her. If there wasn't anyone else there, there wouldn't be anyone Belasco could use against her.

Shen couldn't completely hide the small frown at Illyana's first words, but it wasn't as if she knew the guy. Maybe he was all right. Eileen had been. "They seem like a pretty tight-knit team. " It wasn't surprising that he would think that way, too.

"They are." Illyana didn't miss Shen's frown, and while she might have otherwise elaborated, she decided to just leave it there. One more person who had issues with her dating Pyro, apparently. She was a little surprised, though, considering Shen had come to the Brotherhood's party. Maybe she'd just wanted to check it out.

"Then he'd know the value of teamwork, of people having your back," Shen stated.

"He's in favor, yeah." Illyana sighed. "Did Kitty put you up to making sure I didn't go back on my own? Because if she did, you can tell her I already promised Pyro I wouldn't. The only time I've been back was to get out of the hallway, and I didn't even stay long enough to look around."

"Kitty didn't put me up to anything," Shen shook her head. "I wanted to check in on you - even before I heard that shouting match."

"Why?" Illyana eyed her curiously. "I mean, not that I don't appreciate it, but you really don't know me."

"I know Kitty," Shen replied simply. She thought Illyana might understand that, given how close the two girls seemed.

"A lot of people know Kitty," Illyana pointed out. "Most of them are scowling at me. And no one other than Jeanne-Marie has asked me anything."

"A lot of people are idiots, and Jeanne-Marie's the best," Shen replied without missing a beat. It was true, and she could have kept that truth quiet but, eh. "I trust Kitty."

"So do I." Sure, she'd made a mistake about the whole tracker thing, but she'd long since forgiven her that.

"So I trust that you're worth checking in on," Shen brought it home with a small smile. It really was that simple.

Illyana gave Shen a skeptical look, her eyebrows rising, but then smiled, just a little. "Just like that, huh?"

"Just like that," Shen agreed with another small smile. But don't be too happy, I'm a bitch with impossibly high standards for friendship. Her smile faltered, but she covered with a bigger one. "Kitty's that awesome, what can I say." That was 100% true.

"Well, I'm not going to argue that." Illyana smiled a little brighter, herself.

Shen chuckled, and poked fun at both of them with, "We can totally agree on something. Anyway. We should hang out more, all three of us. And Jeanne-Marie, too."

"Yeah. That could be cool," Illyana replied, still feeling a little as if she'd stumbled into the Twilight Zone. She smiled, though. Because hey, there were at least a couple of people who apparently didn't hate her. It was more than she'd expected.