Percy and Illyana
Sep. 12th, 2017 06:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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ax_mainProfessor Xavier comes to Greyskull Keep with Illyana to convince Percy to come to the school.
Percy eyed the girl that the man calling himself Professor Xavier had left him with. He’d stepped out, he’d said, to take a call, but Percy had the sneaking suspicion that his intention had been for the two of them to talk. She was pretty and blonde and looked like she’d stepped out of the scenes of one of those teen dramas Whitney had loved so much. He could see why Xavier would bring her along. She looked normal, and trustworthy enough if one wasn’t as paranoid as person as Percy was on any given day.
“So, you attend this school he mentioned?” Percy finally asked. He stood tall and straight-backed, dignified for a dirty teenager in wrinkled clothes. Many of his questions had already been answered: Why they were here, how they knew about him, how they found him… They’d been good answers, compelling even, but he was still unconvinced. Psychic teachers and secret schools for special children seemed all too good to be true, to be honest.
"Well, classes just started, but yeah, I'm enrolled." Illyana shrugged, still a little confused as to why the Prof had brought her along to pick this guy up. Granted, it was easy transportation - but so was Clarice. She was half convinced he'd asked just to get a look at Limbo for himself.
On the other hand, that wasn't Percy's fault, and the guy was pretty cute. "It's not half bad, as schools go," she offered, adding a crooked smile which was hopefully reassuring. "Way better than most of the ones you see on tv. And most of the students are cool.”
Percy arched an eyebrow. “Most?”
"Most." Illyana grinned a little. "I'm pissed off at someone right now; he doesn't qualify as cool.”
God, Illyana even reminded him of Whitney. “Fair,” Percy said. “What did the unfortunate fool do to wind up on your bad side?”
Illyana wrinkled her nose. "Long story, ending with him comparing me to American Horror Story. I wasn't impressed." Her grin returned and she shrugged. "I mean, good show? But unfair comparison, really."
“I’ve not seen it, but, if the title is anything to go by, I think I can safely say it was an unwise move on his part. Who was he? If I come to this school of yours, I’m going to need to know who to avoid.” If being the operative word. Percy still wasn’t convinced.
"Tommy. And he's okay, mostly, he's just a moron." Illyana shrugged, then raised her eyebrows. "If? You'd rather stay here?”
Percy shrugged. “Sometimes the gutter is the better option, even if it’s the less desirable. You have to admit that it’s a bit strange. You both just show up and tell me about this school for people just like me. Very few people even know I’m living here and none of them sent you.”
Illyana considered that for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, I can see that. I mean, I took him up on it? But I was a total mess, and you seem to have it pretty together."
Percy glanced down at himself, then at his living conditions. “That’s debatable.”
"Well, kinda," Illyana admitted, glancing around. Because yeah, okay, together might be an overstatement. "But you're not curled up in a ball or anything. It's something?”
“Thank heavens for small victories,” Percy said dryly. There probably was a time he would have been curled up in a ball were it not for Vox Machina.
Illyana snorted a laugh. "Well, what do you want me to say, here? I'm trying for optimistic, but honestly, I'm not that good at it.”
Neither was Percy. “What is it that you can do anyway? What’s your mutation?”
"Teleporter. That's why the Prof brought me, I'm guessing - saved him airfare." Illyana smiled crookedly and shrugged. "It obviously wasn't for my awesome recruitment skills. What about you? Some kind of shadow thing, I think he said?”
This professor really did know everything, didn’t he? “I shapeshift into a shadow creature. I’m far more interested in your mutation at the moment, though. How does it work?”
Why did everyone always have to ask that? "Short version? I call a disk that takes me to another dimension, then another one that takes me where I want to go. Mostly." She grinned, just a little. "It's kinda a work in progress.”
Percy was tempted to say he’d attend the school just to see Illyana’s mutation first hand. It sounded fascinating. “Most mutations are if I understand correctly. That is, of course, unless you mostly end up eight thousand meters below sea level,” he joked.
"Not so far," Illyana replied, grinning. "But I've been known to lose entire afternoons here and there. And once repeated a morning. Though at least I got to eat the breakfast I'd skipped the first time around.”
Percy eyed Illyana at that. “You’re fucking with me, aren’t you?” he asked, more curious than offended.
"About breakfast?" Illyana grinned a bit more, then shook her head. "Anyway, no, I'm serious. I don't exactly having timing down to a science yet. Or location, but I'm getting better with that.”
If Percy’s curiosity of Illyana’s mutation hadn’t already been piqued the addition of time-travel would have done the trick. “That’s what school is for, isn’t it?”
"Pretty much," Illyana admitted. She cocked her head. "Doesn't sound too awful?”
Percy considered his options. He hadn’t heard from Vax or Vex since they'd left. His letters had gone unanswered and there was no sign of them, or the rest of Vox Machina, returning anytime soon. It would not be long before it was winter either, and he was not looking forward to spending it alone in Greyskull Keep. Then, of course, there was his mutation… He needed to learn how to control it. “No, it doesn’t,” he agreed.
Illyana grinned. "What do you know, I actually didn't scare you off."
“I’m not that easy to scare off,” Percy replied, returning the grin. “Let me get my things, and then we can go.”
"Want some help?" Illyana asked, her grin turning decidedly mischievous. "And since you don't scare easily, I can probably mention that you might see demons at the teleport stopover point. Just be warned."
Percy picked up his bag. “Thank you, but no. I’m ready.” When you were homeless, you tended to travel light. “Bring on the demons.”
"Just remember, you asked for it." Illyana grinned, and waved for him to follow her in the direction the Professor'd headed off. He had to be off the phone by now, right?
“I’d never forget.” Percy shouldered his bag and followed after Illyana. He stopped when he reached the door, taking one last look back at the place that had been his home for so long now, and then turned away, going out the door.
Percy eyed the girl that the man calling himself Professor Xavier had left him with. He’d stepped out, he’d said, to take a call, but Percy had the sneaking suspicion that his intention had been for the two of them to talk. She was pretty and blonde and looked like she’d stepped out of the scenes of one of those teen dramas Whitney had loved so much. He could see why Xavier would bring her along. She looked normal, and trustworthy enough if one wasn’t as paranoid as person as Percy was on any given day.
“So, you attend this school he mentioned?” Percy finally asked. He stood tall and straight-backed, dignified for a dirty teenager in wrinkled clothes. Many of his questions had already been answered: Why they were here, how they knew about him, how they found him… They’d been good answers, compelling even, but he was still unconvinced. Psychic teachers and secret schools for special children seemed all too good to be true, to be honest.
"Well, classes just started, but yeah, I'm enrolled." Illyana shrugged, still a little confused as to why the Prof had brought her along to pick this guy up. Granted, it was easy transportation - but so was Clarice. She was half convinced he'd asked just to get a look at Limbo for himself.
On the other hand, that wasn't Percy's fault, and the guy was pretty cute. "It's not half bad, as schools go," she offered, adding a crooked smile which was hopefully reassuring. "Way better than most of the ones you see on tv. And most of the students are cool.”
Percy arched an eyebrow. “Most?”
"Most." Illyana grinned a little. "I'm pissed off at someone right now; he doesn't qualify as cool.”
God, Illyana even reminded him of Whitney. “Fair,” Percy said. “What did the unfortunate fool do to wind up on your bad side?”
Illyana wrinkled her nose. "Long story, ending with him comparing me to American Horror Story. I wasn't impressed." Her grin returned and she shrugged. "I mean, good show? But unfair comparison, really."
“I’ve not seen it, but, if the title is anything to go by, I think I can safely say it was an unwise move on his part. Who was he? If I come to this school of yours, I’m going to need to know who to avoid.” If being the operative word. Percy still wasn’t convinced.
"Tommy. And he's okay, mostly, he's just a moron." Illyana shrugged, then raised her eyebrows. "If? You'd rather stay here?”
Percy shrugged. “Sometimes the gutter is the better option, even if it’s the less desirable. You have to admit that it’s a bit strange. You both just show up and tell me about this school for people just like me. Very few people even know I’m living here and none of them sent you.”
Illyana considered that for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, I can see that. I mean, I took him up on it? But I was a total mess, and you seem to have it pretty together."
Percy glanced down at himself, then at his living conditions. “That’s debatable.”
"Well, kinda," Illyana admitted, glancing around. Because yeah, okay, together might be an overstatement. "But you're not curled up in a ball or anything. It's something?”
“Thank heavens for small victories,” Percy said dryly. There probably was a time he would have been curled up in a ball were it not for Vox Machina.
Illyana snorted a laugh. "Well, what do you want me to say, here? I'm trying for optimistic, but honestly, I'm not that good at it.”
Neither was Percy. “What is it that you can do anyway? What’s your mutation?”
"Teleporter. That's why the Prof brought me, I'm guessing - saved him airfare." Illyana smiled crookedly and shrugged. "It obviously wasn't for my awesome recruitment skills. What about you? Some kind of shadow thing, I think he said?”
This professor really did know everything, didn’t he? “I shapeshift into a shadow creature. I’m far more interested in your mutation at the moment, though. How does it work?”
Why did everyone always have to ask that? "Short version? I call a disk that takes me to another dimension, then another one that takes me where I want to go. Mostly." She grinned, just a little. "It's kinda a work in progress.”
Percy was tempted to say he’d attend the school just to see Illyana’s mutation first hand. It sounded fascinating. “Most mutations are if I understand correctly. That is, of course, unless you mostly end up eight thousand meters below sea level,” he joked.
"Not so far," Illyana replied, grinning. "But I've been known to lose entire afternoons here and there. And once repeated a morning. Though at least I got to eat the breakfast I'd skipped the first time around.”
Percy eyed Illyana at that. “You’re fucking with me, aren’t you?” he asked, more curious than offended.
"About breakfast?" Illyana grinned a bit more, then shook her head. "Anyway, no, I'm serious. I don't exactly having timing down to a science yet. Or location, but I'm getting better with that.”
If Percy’s curiosity of Illyana’s mutation hadn’t already been piqued the addition of time-travel would have done the trick. “That’s what school is for, isn’t it?”
"Pretty much," Illyana admitted. She cocked her head. "Doesn't sound too awful?”
Percy considered his options. He hadn’t heard from Vax or Vex since they'd left. His letters had gone unanswered and there was no sign of them, or the rest of Vox Machina, returning anytime soon. It would not be long before it was winter either, and he was not looking forward to spending it alone in Greyskull Keep. Then, of course, there was his mutation… He needed to learn how to control it. “No, it doesn’t,” he agreed.
Illyana grinned. "What do you know, I actually didn't scare you off."
“I’m not that easy to scare off,” Percy replied, returning the grin. “Let me get my things, and then we can go.”
"Want some help?" Illyana asked, her grin turning decidedly mischievous. "And since you don't scare easily, I can probably mention that you might see demons at the teleport stopover point. Just be warned."
Percy picked up his bag. “Thank you, but no. I’m ready.” When you were homeless, you tended to travel light. “Bring on the demons.”
"Just remember, you asked for it." Illyana grinned, and waved for him to follow her in the direction the Professor'd headed off. He had to be off the phone by now, right?
“I’d never forget.” Percy shouldered his bag and followed after Illyana. He stopped when he reached the door, taking one last look back at the place that had been his home for so long now, and then turned away, going out the door.
