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ax_mainIllyana gives Kitty a very unexpected gift at her birthday party, and makes her the new Mother of Dragons.
Kitty leaned against the counter, sipping at a glass of champagne as she looked around the party, smiling softly at the lights and sounds and the sight of her friends enjoying themselves. It was the perfect sweet sixteen, in her opinion, despite her mother's protests. And she really hoped her mom didn't know what she'd set up here. There were at least four different things Kitty could spot out of the corner of her eye alone that her mom wouldn't approve of.
"Well, don't you look sophisticated?" Illyana teased as she walked up to Kitty, gift bag in hand. "Does that come with hitting sixteen? Or just with the wine glass?" She, she had to admit, didn't look sophisticated at all in her off the shoulder black top and jeans, but she really hadn't been sure what to wear. That was okay, though. It wasn't like it was her birthday, anyway.
Kitty wasn't that sophisticated, or at least she didn't think so, but she did enjoy the faerie-light feel of the green patterned dress she had on - the way her hair was done in beachy waves and her bare feet caressed the stone of the kitchen floor. Reaching out, she swiped another glass of champagne off of the counter and offered it out to Yana with a smile. "Just the glass."
"Awww. I was hoping I'd be able to pull it off next month." Illyana smiled and took the glass, and held out the gift bag in its stead. "Happy Birthday, Pryde."
"You didn't have to do this," Kitty sighed, setting her glass aside as she took the bag.
"Oh, don't worry, I didn't go buy anything." Illyana paused, then grinned just a little. "Or steal it. Or at least, not from anyone who'll miss it."
"Yeah, see, it's that last phrase that worries me," Kitty pointed out, setting the bag down in front of her.
Illyana rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't get you a birthday present you had to worry about," she pointed out.
Kitty smiled and leaned over to kiss her cheek before turning to slowly open the bag, slipping her hand inside. The shape her fingers brushed against was not one she expected at all, and she found herself gently groping, caressing what she thought might be an oval stone with her fingertips, giving her friend a inquisitive look.
"Be careful with it," Illyana cautioned, with a smug look because she'd obviously piqued Kitty's curiosity. "I'm not sure how breakable it is."
Eyes widening, Kitty reached in with a second hand, gently cupping the stone to pull it from all the crinkly wrapping. "You're not sure? How can you not be sure??"
"Because I don't go around smashing eggs for no good reason?" Illyana grinned. "Besides, it's tricky to get hold of them. The dragons guard their nests really well."
Kitty pulled the blue and purple egg from the wrapping, and just... stared. First at the egg part, then at Yana's assertion about dragons. Kitty had to take a few slow breaths before she asked, "Yana. Am I holding a dragon egg?"
"Well, it definitely wasn't laid by a chicken," Illyana pointed out, her grin turning decidedly smug.
Kitty felt her breathing pick up as she held the egg out in front of her, fingers trembling a little. "Oh my god, Yana, I am holding a dragon egg!"
Illyana laughed and nodded, glad that Kitty was apparently pleased by the gift. "Yep. If you want to just keep it an egg, it's cool - if you want it to hatch eventually, you should probably keep it warm."
"Hatch?" Kitty breathed, turning to stare at Yana. "Like, Mother of Dragons hatch?"
"Well, I'm not sure you really have to pluck them out of a fire and everything." Illyana grinned. "But yeah, hatch. It'd be a pretty dumb present if you were just supposed to make big omelets out of it."
Kitty just stared at Yana. "Oh my god, what am I going to do with a dragon?? The Professor is going to kill me." And yet, she was hugging the egg to her chest as though she might not ever let it go.
"Hey, gotta be honest - I have no idea how long it's going to take it to hatch. It could be years from now." Illyana shrugged and gave her an apologetic look. "I mean, hopefully not? But if it is, at least you won't have to worry about the Professor killing you. So there's that."
Laughing, Kitty gently put the egg back into the bag, then turned to hug her friend. "Thank you. It's amazing. Crazy, but amazing."
"Well, you seemed to really like them," Illyana said self-consciously, hugging Kitty back. "And I figured, what's the point of being a sorceress if you can't do something cool with it once in a while." She grinned. "But if it eats anyone's dog, I accept no responsibility."
Kitty laughed again and kissed her cheek before pulling away. "I'll put up a sign."
"Dragon crossing - enter at your own risk?" Illyana laughed and looked around the apartment. "Somehow, it doesn't seem like it'd go with the decor."
"You do realize I don't actually live here, right? I think I've slept in the bed a total of five times or something," KItty pointed out.
"You have this amazingly awesome apartment and you don't live here?" Illyana stared at her for a moment, then shrugged. "Though I guess that's fair. I have an amazingly awesome tower and I don't live there. Though part of that's because if I threw a party there, hardly anyone would come."
"Sure they would. And anyway, I live at the school because all of my, well, most of my friends live there," Kitty told her.
"Yeah. Believe it or not, I actually miss it sometimes." Illyana grimaced, then shrugged it off and smiled crookedly. "And no, they wouldn't. I mean, the Brotherhood would? And you and Tommy. Vex wants someone else to be able to 'port out, just in case, and the only one who can that I know of is Cal, and he won't go back. And if Vex won't go, none of her other friends will either. And, well, Billy has issues with Limbo still, I think."
"Can you blame him, really?" Kitty sighed softly, taking a sip of her drink. "It even makes me a little itchy, but I know it's your domain. Don't worry. The others will come around."
"Maybe. It really doesn't matter," Illyana countered with a not-entirely-heartfelt shrug. "But no, I don't blame Billy. Or anyone else, really." She grinned, a little. "Hell, I'd rather come to your apartment."
Kitty tilted her head. "I can have a key made for you. You can crash here whenever you get a little tired of the boys' club at the Brotherhood?"
"Hey, there are other girls," Illyana protested with a laugh. "Not many, but a couple." She sobered and offered a tentative smile. "Anyway, I appreciate the offer? But the apartment's not the big draw, really. I just miss you." Her smile tilted. "And everyone else, sometimes."
Expression softening, Kitty leaned against her friend's shoulder. "I miss you too."
"We seriously need to get together more often," Illyana acknowledged, snaking her arm around Kitty's waist and leaning into her in turn.
"Or you could come back," Kitty murmured hopefully.
"I really don't think I could talk Pyro into living here," Illyana replied apologetically. "Hell, I don't think I could even talk Nico into it, and it'd be pretty shitty to abandon my newbie."
"I know, I know," Kitty tossed back the rest of her drink. "I had to ask."
"I know." Illyana gave her an apologetic look and followed her example, tossing back the rest of her drink. And then offered a crooked smile. "I'm here now, though. Should we hit the dance floor? Before Shinobi starts singing again?"
Kitty just laughed and took her hand, though she hung the gift bag over one arm, not wanting to let it out of her sight until she'd found a good hiding place for it. "Absolutely."
Kitty leaned against the counter, sipping at a glass of champagne as she looked around the party, smiling softly at the lights and sounds and the sight of her friends enjoying themselves. It was the perfect sweet sixteen, in her opinion, despite her mother's protests. And she really hoped her mom didn't know what she'd set up here. There were at least four different things Kitty could spot out of the corner of her eye alone that her mom wouldn't approve of.
"Well, don't you look sophisticated?" Illyana teased as she walked up to Kitty, gift bag in hand. "Does that come with hitting sixteen? Or just with the wine glass?" She, she had to admit, didn't look sophisticated at all in her off the shoulder black top and jeans, but she really hadn't been sure what to wear. That was okay, though. It wasn't like it was her birthday, anyway.
Kitty wasn't that sophisticated, or at least she didn't think so, but she did enjoy the faerie-light feel of the green patterned dress she had on - the way her hair was done in beachy waves and her bare feet caressed the stone of the kitchen floor. Reaching out, she swiped another glass of champagne off of the counter and offered it out to Yana with a smile. "Just the glass."
"Awww. I was hoping I'd be able to pull it off next month." Illyana smiled and took the glass, and held out the gift bag in its stead. "Happy Birthday, Pryde."
"You didn't have to do this," Kitty sighed, setting her glass aside as she took the bag.
"Oh, don't worry, I didn't go buy anything." Illyana paused, then grinned just a little. "Or steal it. Or at least, not from anyone who'll miss it."
"Yeah, see, it's that last phrase that worries me," Kitty pointed out, setting the bag down in front of her.
Illyana rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't get you a birthday present you had to worry about," she pointed out.
Kitty smiled and leaned over to kiss her cheek before turning to slowly open the bag, slipping her hand inside. The shape her fingers brushed against was not one she expected at all, and she found herself gently groping, caressing what she thought might be an oval stone with her fingertips, giving her friend a inquisitive look.
"Be careful with it," Illyana cautioned, with a smug look because she'd obviously piqued Kitty's curiosity. "I'm not sure how breakable it is."
Eyes widening, Kitty reached in with a second hand, gently cupping the stone to pull it from all the crinkly wrapping. "You're not sure? How can you not be sure??"
"Because I don't go around smashing eggs for no good reason?" Illyana grinned. "Besides, it's tricky to get hold of them. The dragons guard their nests really well."
Kitty pulled the blue and purple egg from the wrapping, and just... stared. First at the egg part, then at Yana's assertion about dragons. Kitty had to take a few slow breaths before she asked, "Yana. Am I holding a dragon egg?"
"Well, it definitely wasn't laid by a chicken," Illyana pointed out, her grin turning decidedly smug.
Kitty felt her breathing pick up as she held the egg out in front of her, fingers trembling a little. "Oh my god, Yana, I am holding a dragon egg!"
Illyana laughed and nodded, glad that Kitty was apparently pleased by the gift. "Yep. If you want to just keep it an egg, it's cool - if you want it to hatch eventually, you should probably keep it warm."
"Hatch?" Kitty breathed, turning to stare at Yana. "Like, Mother of Dragons hatch?"
"Well, I'm not sure you really have to pluck them out of a fire and everything." Illyana grinned. "But yeah, hatch. It'd be a pretty dumb present if you were just supposed to make big omelets out of it."
Kitty just stared at Yana. "Oh my god, what am I going to do with a dragon?? The Professor is going to kill me." And yet, she was hugging the egg to her chest as though she might not ever let it go.
"Hey, gotta be honest - I have no idea how long it's going to take it to hatch. It could be years from now." Illyana shrugged and gave her an apologetic look. "I mean, hopefully not? But if it is, at least you won't have to worry about the Professor killing you. So there's that."
Laughing, Kitty gently put the egg back into the bag, then turned to hug her friend. "Thank you. It's amazing. Crazy, but amazing."
"Well, you seemed to really like them," Illyana said self-consciously, hugging Kitty back. "And I figured, what's the point of being a sorceress if you can't do something cool with it once in a while." She grinned. "But if it eats anyone's dog, I accept no responsibility."
Kitty laughed again and kissed her cheek before pulling away. "I'll put up a sign."
"Dragon crossing - enter at your own risk?" Illyana laughed and looked around the apartment. "Somehow, it doesn't seem like it'd go with the decor."
"You do realize I don't actually live here, right? I think I've slept in the bed a total of five times or something," KItty pointed out.
"You have this amazingly awesome apartment and you don't live here?" Illyana stared at her for a moment, then shrugged. "Though I guess that's fair. I have an amazingly awesome tower and I don't live there. Though part of that's because if I threw a party there, hardly anyone would come."
"Sure they would. And anyway, I live at the school because all of my, well, most of my friends live there," Kitty told her.
"Yeah. Believe it or not, I actually miss it sometimes." Illyana grimaced, then shrugged it off and smiled crookedly. "And no, they wouldn't. I mean, the Brotherhood would? And you and Tommy. Vex wants someone else to be able to 'port out, just in case, and the only one who can that I know of is Cal, and he won't go back. And if Vex won't go, none of her other friends will either. And, well, Billy has issues with Limbo still, I think."
"Can you blame him, really?" Kitty sighed softly, taking a sip of her drink. "It even makes me a little itchy, but I know it's your domain. Don't worry. The others will come around."
"Maybe. It really doesn't matter," Illyana countered with a not-entirely-heartfelt shrug. "But no, I don't blame Billy. Or anyone else, really." She grinned, a little. "Hell, I'd rather come to your apartment."
Kitty tilted her head. "I can have a key made for you. You can crash here whenever you get a little tired of the boys' club at the Brotherhood?"
"Hey, there are other girls," Illyana protested with a laugh. "Not many, but a couple." She sobered and offered a tentative smile. "Anyway, I appreciate the offer? But the apartment's not the big draw, really. I just miss you." Her smile tilted. "And everyone else, sometimes."
Expression softening, Kitty leaned against her friend's shoulder. "I miss you too."
"We seriously need to get together more often," Illyana acknowledged, snaking her arm around Kitty's waist and leaning into her in turn.
"Or you could come back," Kitty murmured hopefully.
"I really don't think I could talk Pyro into living here," Illyana replied apologetically. "Hell, I don't think I could even talk Nico into it, and it'd be pretty shitty to abandon my newbie."
"I know, I know," Kitty tossed back the rest of her drink. "I had to ask."
"I know." Illyana gave her an apologetic look and followed her example, tossing back the rest of her drink. And then offered a crooked smile. "I'm here now, though. Should we hit the dance floor? Before Shinobi starts singing again?"
Kitty just laughed and took her hand, though she hung the gift bag over one arm, not wanting to let it out of her sight until she'd found a good hiding place for it. "Absolutely."
