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ax_main2019-07-22 05:24 pm
ax_colossus) wrote in ax_main2019-07-22 05:24 pm
Entry tags:
Illyana and Piotr - Backdated
The Rasputins reunite.
Piotr! You made it!" Nora shifted directions as she bounded out of the classroom to throw herself at him, grinning happily as she wrapped her arms around him in a hug.
Piotr returned the hug. "Did you enjoy your cla-"
"Can't stick around, sorry," she said. "I gotta go catch up with Jester. I'll meet you in the cafeteria for dinner, okay?"
"Oh. Ah. I understand," Piotr said, swallowing nervously. "I will see you then."
Nora drew back and caught his hand in hers, giving it a squeeze. Her perky chatter switched to quiet, calm confidence as she said, "You got this."
"Thank you, Nora," Piotr said softly.
Nora giggled and rose up on her tiptoes so she could tap his nose with her finger. "Boop." Turning from him, she skipped down the hall and out of sight.
Piotr drew in a breath and stepped inside the classroom. He recognized Illyana immediately. She looked the same as in the pictures, but a part of him thought he'd have known her no matter what. So this was his sister. Right here in the same room. He recalled the conversation he'd had with Ororo. His worries and doubts were still there. He hadn't banished a single one in coming here. But he'd made peace with them, and the only thing to do now was move forward.
"Hi," he said, giving her a small wave and a nervous smile. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me."
"Not a problem." Illyana offered a slight smile, wondering (not for the first time since she'd gotten his email) just why some new student at the school would want to see her. At the time, she'd half figured it was another magic user who'd heard of her from Caleb or Loki and was using having information for her as an excuse, but she didn't detect any kind of magic around him. She slung her dance bag over her shoulder, her eyebrows climbing expectantly. "You wanted to tell me something, you said?"
"Yes. I have a lot to tell you." Piotr glanced at some nearby chairs. "Would it be okay if we sat down?
"Sure." Illyana walked over to the chairs and sat down on one, slipping her bag back off her shoulder and setting it down on the floor beside her. Her forehead furrowed. "I've gotta admit, you've got me curious now. I can't think what someone I don't know would have to tell me." Or why said someone looked vaguely familiar, like someone she'd seen on TV or something. It was weird.
Piotr turned a chair to face Illyana and eased himself into it. "Then I suppose I should start by explaining who I am," he said. "My full name is Piotr Nikolaievich Rasputin. I grew up in the Ust-Ordynsky Collective near Lake Baikal in Siberia. Four years ago military agents found out I am a mutant and came for me. They captured me and took me away from my family. My mother. My father. And my sister."
Illyana frowned. "I don't understa-" She broke off and looked at him, closely. "I had a brother named Piotr Nikolievich, in the Ust-Ordynsky Collective near Lake Baikal. I don't really remember, but I remember my parents talking about him. He disappeared about then," she admitted slowly. "But he would have been a lot older than you. You've gotta be what, about thirteen? Fourteen?" Younger than her, at any rate. Even her time in Limbo didn't explain the gap.
"The doctors here say I am sixteen," Piotr answered, maybe a bit defensively. He knew he was still just a kid, but she didn't have to rub it in like that. "Perhaps a little younger. I understand how strange that must sound. The people who took me did not believe it was 'efficient,' to allow me to sleep. They put me in a stasis pod when they had no use for me."
"It doesn't sound that strange." Illyana offered another crooked smile. "Considering I should be ten, and I'm...well, the closest guess is sixteen or seventeen. Time in another dimension," she added by way of explanation, then let her smile fade. "The Russian military, you said? What did they want you for?"
Piotr's lips thinned and he lowered his eyes. "They wanted me for my mutant abilities. Every day was a new experiment. Another attempt to reprogram my mind. Whatever they could think of to turn me into their perfect soldier." He lifted his eyes back up to Illyana's. "I have heard something like this has happened to many students here."
Illyana wrinkled her nose, but nodded. "Yeah, quite a few. Not the military, but same goal. Tommy - a friend of mine - was one of the first students here, he escaped one of the facilities. We took the rest down a year or so ago." She frowned. "Did X-Force get you out?" Because okay, she wasn't really part of the team, but she did speak Russian and had more combat training than pretty much anyone here. It would've made sense if they'd asked her to come along.
"We were rescued by a friend of the family," Piotr said. "His name was Alexander." He shook his head sadly. "His last words were for us to come here. That this was the only place we would be safe."
"It's safe enough," Illyana acknowledged. "Better than most places, anyway. You said we? Who are you with?" She offered a sheepish smile and shrugged. "I'm not big on the journal intros, sorry."
"We have only been here less than a week," Piotr said, dismissing the apology with a small wave. "Her name is Nora. We helped each other survive. She is my best friend and the strongest person I know." A soft, fond smile came over his face. "I am sure you have met her. She just started this dance class today."
"Oh yeah, the newbie. She seems..." Annoying. Hyper. Kind of ADHD. "Nice," Illyana finished instead. No point starting things off with her brother (damn it, she had a brother? by dissing his BFF.
"They took her when they took me," Piotr explained, face sobering. "But there is something else you must know. The pods did not just freeze us in time. They also confused our minds and erased pieces of our lives." He met Illyana's eyes directly. "Every memory I have of you has been taken away from me."
"Well, at least we're on an even footing?" Illyana tried to joke. "I mean, I really don't remember you either. But there probably wasn't all that much to remember, anyway. I was just a munchkin." She sobered and shrugged. "That sucks, though. The not remembering stuff part." Or...well, it didn't sound all that bad, really. There were a lot of things she wished she didn't remember. She'd just want to be able to pick and choose.
Piotr nodded. "I was very surprised when I found out who you are. Perhaps this is a new chance for us to get to know each other."
"How did you find out?" she asked, then paused and grimaced. "Caleb's friends, right? I wondered what was up with the Q&A. But yeah. I'm good with that if you are."
"Jester and Nott did tell me some things," Piotr confessed with a slight frown. Perhaps their conversation with her hadn't gone as well as they'd implied. "But TJ is the one who let me know you were here. She is a good friend and used to know a different version of us. That is how she knew we were related." He gave Illyana a faint smile. "Although with our names, I am sure it was not long before others figured it out as well."
"Probably not," Illyana admitted, "though I have to admit, I really didn't think anything of it. I mean, it's not like we're the only two Rasputins in all of Russia." She tilted her head and looked at him curiously. "TJ's Billy and Tommy's kind-of-sister, right? The blue girl with the tail? I've never really talked to her."
Piotr nodded. He wasn't used to associating her by her connection to people he'd never met, but they had come up in a few of their conversations. Perhaps someday he would meet them as well. "She said the same of you," he said. He paused then, lips tilting into a lopsided smile. "But she called you my kid sister. It seems that now you are my big sister."
Illyana chuckled and shrugged. "Weird, huh? But weirder stuff than that has happened around here. Tommy and Billy found out they were time displaced soul twins, I still think they've got the top spot. Especially when you throw in the dimensionally displaced half sister."
"This is true," Piotr said. "Fortunately, I have had plenty of experience as the little brother. You have been here since the school started, yes? How did you become a student? What has it been like for you?"
"It's been..." Illyana paused, trying to think of the best way to answer. "It's been a challenge, I guess? But I haven't been here since it started, not really. I mean, I was here nearly when it opened, but...I was gone for about a year. I left and joined the Brotherhood." She said the last part confidently, almost daring him to challenge her choice. There were things she regretted, yes - but joining the Brotherhood itself wasn't one of them.
Piotr acknowledged that with a slow nod. So, it was more than just friendship she'd shared with the people in those photos Jester and Nott had shown him. "I know very little about the Brotherhood," he admitted. "I am, after all, about four years behind on current events." He'd heard a few things, and Nott's description had been interesting, to say the least, but he'd caught that note of defiance in Illyana's answer and now he wanted to hear what she had to say about them.
"Well, the most recent thing to know is that they overthrew the government of Genosha a few months ago." Illyana smiled crookedly and shrugged. "I kinda missed out on that, but I really wish I hadn't, especially since the government of Genosha tried to grab me just a few days before. Before that? They took on the Friends of Humanity and helped shut down the Right. They're...kinda like X-Force. Except they do more. And worry less about public opinion." And yeah, she still kinda figured they had the right idea.
The government of Genosha had tried to grab her? Piotr stiffened slightly, frowning. Did she realize just how alarming that sounded to someone who had live through an experience like that? The only person he'd ever heard speak in such a casual, matter-of-fact tone that manner was Nora. Perhaps his two sisters coped with traumatic experiences in similar ways.
Piotr considered the rest of what she'd said about the Brotherhood. "And what do they mean to you?" he asked. "What has your experience with them been?"
Illyana didn't answer immediately, dropping her eyes from his as she tried to decide what to say. After what had happened in Genosha, all she could think was that they were Pyro's team, but...they'd been more than that. A lot more. "Family," she said quietly. "They were family. Where no one judged, and everyone just...expected you to be who you were. Even when Pyro and I broke up the first time, no one expected me to leave. I was...part of it all."
"That is what family should be," Piotr said with a soft smile. "It is what Nora and I have. I am glad you had it with them." And perhaps, as they grew to know each other, they might have it with each other someday.
"I'm glad you have it, too." Illyana smiled back, then felt self-conscious and shrugged. "So, what's your mutant thing?" she asked, changing the subject.
Piotr shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I change into a different body. It is like this," he gestured in front of himself slightly. "But larger, and made of metal. May I ask yours?"
Illyana shifted uncomfortably in hers, unconsciously mimicking his reaction. "Demon sorceress," she admitted. "Mostly manifests itself here as teleportation."
Teleportation sounded neither demonic nor like sorcery, but she had said that was only here. "I am guessing it is different in the other dimension?" he said. "It is called Limbo, yes? That is what TJ said."
He'd definitely done his homework, hadn't he? "It's called Limbo," Illyana confirmed, dodging the implied question regarding her magic. "I call stepping disks to take me there and back. If I direct them right, they can bring me "back" to wherever I want to go, whenever." She smiled, a little. "I'm pretty decent with where, but when is sometimes a problem. If you ever don't see me for a few days, don't worry too much. Odds are I skipped them."
"That sounds like it could be..." dangerous "...confusing," Piotr said. "Do you have a way to know 'when' you are when you get there?"
"I do if I can get cell phone coverage." Illyana smiled crookedly. "It automatically updates date and time when it syncs with some kind of global clock? Kitty explained it, but I don't really get it."
Piotr smiled. "I met Kitty yesterday. I think she understands many things other people do not get. She is very smart."
"She's a total genius," Illyana confirmed with a nod, as always happy to hear her best friend getting the praise she deserved. "She was my roommate when I first got here, and I swear I'd have flunked out of summer school without her help, assuming I hadn't already died of culture shock. She graduated, though," she wrinkled her nose at that, "so I'm in with Vex now. Who's also awesome, but...not Kitty." She sighed and shrugged. "Who are you rooming with?"
"Molly," Piotr said. "In room 203. Gilmore used to be his roommate before he, too, graduated."
"I know Gilmore. I know who Molly is - he's kind of hard to miss? But I've never talked to him," she admitted. "Do you like him?"
"We get along very well," Piotr replied easily. "I know that he misses his former roommate, but I am hopeful that in time we will also become friends." His lips quirked into a smile. "We have already found one thing we have in common. I enjoy sketching him and he enjoys being sketched."
"You draw, then? That's cool." Illyana smiled back. "Wish I had talent like that."
Piotr nodded, his smile growing a hair. "I have something I drew for you, actually," he said. He reached down to unclasp his shoulder pack and withdrew his sketchbook from it. He opened it and pulled out a sheet of paper, handing it to her. It bore an image drawn in colored pencil. A snowy wooded landscape featuring a bridge crossing a gentle creek. The focus of the sketch, however, was on the little flakes of snow drifting down from the sky. "There is one thing I still seem to remember," Piotr said, lifting his eyes back to Illyana. "Whenever I hear your name I think of snow."
Illyana smiled softly as she looked at the picture. "Papa used to say you always called me your little snowflake. I'm not sure why, but...maybe that's why?"
"I think it must be," Piotr said. As before, when Jester had spoken that word, it rang too true for him to think it could be anything else. "And it is a nice thing to call you, I think." Why he'd called her that was a mystery to him as well. He would have been... Eight when she was born? Who could say what he was thinking at that age? But it did feel right. "But what about you? What things do you like?"
"Me?" Illyana paused, not entirely sure how to answer. Somehow, practicing magic spells didn't seem like it would be the right answer, even if it was true. "I don't know. Nothing special, I guess? I mean," she held up the picture, "I can't do anything like this."
Piotr smiled gently. "I am sure there an amazing talent inside of you, even if you have not yet discovered it," he said. "But that is not what I meant. What is your favorite music? What do you like to eat? What kind of movies do you enjoy?" His expression grew bemused, the humor directed entirely at himself. "I am curious to know what kind of person my big sister is."
Illyana laughed awkwardly. "Okay, the big sister thing? Feels weird. I mean, I've got a newbie - or I had, I guess - and it's kinda the same? But it's not, at the same time." She shrugged and turned the subject to his questions. "I like Riverdale and American Horror Story . And Game of Thrones - or I did, I mean, it's over now, and the ending kinda sucked, but I'm hoping for a spin-off. Loved the Hunger Games movies. I like my dance classes with Stevie," she smiled, a little more confidently, "and I don't totally suck, which is more than I can say for any of my other classes. Is that the kind of stuff you want to know?"
"I think so," Piotr said. "We can save more of that for later if you like." This probably wasn't the best place or situation for that conversation anyway. Maybe they could go out for coffee or something. "And I understand. It is weird for me too. How about we leave it at just brother and sister?" His brows knit together in confusion then. "...I do not understand what a new bee is." She'd used that expression once before and he was still no closer to figuring it out.
"Newbie," Illyana corrected. "It's...it's a Brotherhood thing. When you join the Brotherhood, someone takes responsibility for getting you settled in and stuff. Kinda like a big brother or sister. If you have any questions or problems, you go to them. I was Pietro's newbie," she smiled at the memory, "and Nico was mine."
"I see," Piotr said, nodding. "May I ask what they have been doing since they overthrew the government of Genosha?"
"Making Genosha a safe place for mutants? I'm not really up on the details. I'm not there," Illyana pointed out.
That said a lot, really, and Piotr gave her an apologetic look. "Okay," he said. He let out a sigh and pressed his lips together. "So, what is next?" he asked. He shook his head at his own foolishness. "I have been thinking so much of what to say in this moment, and have forgotten to consider what to do after it."
"You're asking me?" Except he was, wasn't he? And she might not have any experience with older/younger brothers coming back from the dead, but she'd been at the school twice now and she had a newbie. That probably put her a step up from him on knowing what to do, at least. She took a deep breath. "Okay. So...first off, we go get something to eat. Because talking is easier over food. And then you show me where your room is and vice versa. And then...well, we take it from there. Okay?"
"I like this plan," Piotr said. He would have to send Nora a text letting her know he might be able to join her for dinner after all, but he knew she would understand. He wondered what was being served today, mostly by reflex, and then remembered what Illyana had said about avoiding the cafeteria. "Ah... where do you suggest we go to eat?" he asked, looking sheepish. "I have not really left the school grounds since we arrived."
"Are you comfortable leaving the school grounds?" Illyana asked. "Otherwise, I'd go with the kitchen. It's probably not real busy." If it was, now that she knew what the technicolor munchkins were up to, they could always hit the cafeteria.
Piotr quirked an eyebrow and took a deep breath. "If you are sure that it is safe, then yes," he said, looking at her with trusting eyes. "I am very curious to see what is out there."
"It's safe," Illyana assured him. Or, y'know, safe enough. She paused a moment, then suggested, "We can take the bus if you want. Or I can just pop us there. Your choice."
A bus. Piotr tensed slightly as he pictured it in his mind. Packed in a confined space, surrounded by people he didn't know while he was taken some place he'd never been. He looked at Illyana and said, "I think this time I would be more comfortable if you took us."
Of course he would. Illyana forced a smile and nodded. "Give me about twenty minutes to hop in the shower and change, ok?" She gestured at her dance apparel. "Not really McDonalds ready."
Piotr nodded. "That sounds good to me," he said. He needed to take care of a few things himself, and the extra time might help ease his nerves about the bus suggestion. He'd given the answer in haste, but a bus ride would give them more time to talk and a chance for him to observe the city a little. He wondered if she'd be offended if he told her he'd changed his mind. "Where should I wait for you?"
"Down in the front hallway?" Illyana suggested. "We can 'port out from there." Maybe she could suggest he close his eyes so he wouldn't get dizzy. It had worked before.
"I will be there," Piotr said with a smile. He rose to his feet and the smile softened. "I am happy to have finally met you, Illyana."
"It's good to meet you, too." She smiled back and shrugged. "See you in twenty minutes," she promised as she summoned up a stepping disk and disappeared.
Piotr! You made it!" Nora shifted directions as she bounded out of the classroom to throw herself at him, grinning happily as she wrapped her arms around him in a hug.
Piotr returned the hug. "Did you enjoy your cla-"
"Can't stick around, sorry," she said. "I gotta go catch up with Jester. I'll meet you in the cafeteria for dinner, okay?"
"Oh. Ah. I understand," Piotr said, swallowing nervously. "I will see you then."
Nora drew back and caught his hand in hers, giving it a squeeze. Her perky chatter switched to quiet, calm confidence as she said, "You got this."
"Thank you, Nora," Piotr said softly.
Nora giggled and rose up on her tiptoes so she could tap his nose with her finger. "Boop." Turning from him, she skipped down the hall and out of sight.
Piotr drew in a breath and stepped inside the classroom. He recognized Illyana immediately. She looked the same as in the pictures, but a part of him thought he'd have known her no matter what. So this was his sister. Right here in the same room. He recalled the conversation he'd had with Ororo. His worries and doubts were still there. He hadn't banished a single one in coming here. But he'd made peace with them, and the only thing to do now was move forward.
"Hi," he said, giving her a small wave and a nervous smile. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me."
"Not a problem." Illyana offered a slight smile, wondering (not for the first time since she'd gotten his email) just why some new student at the school would want to see her. At the time, she'd half figured it was another magic user who'd heard of her from Caleb or Loki and was using having information for her as an excuse, but she didn't detect any kind of magic around him. She slung her dance bag over her shoulder, her eyebrows climbing expectantly. "You wanted to tell me something, you said?"
"Yes. I have a lot to tell you." Piotr glanced at some nearby chairs. "Would it be okay if we sat down?
"Sure." Illyana walked over to the chairs and sat down on one, slipping her bag back off her shoulder and setting it down on the floor beside her. Her forehead furrowed. "I've gotta admit, you've got me curious now. I can't think what someone I don't know would have to tell me." Or why said someone looked vaguely familiar, like someone she'd seen on TV or something. It was weird.
Piotr turned a chair to face Illyana and eased himself into it. "Then I suppose I should start by explaining who I am," he said. "My full name is Piotr Nikolaievich Rasputin. I grew up in the Ust-Ordynsky Collective near Lake Baikal in Siberia. Four years ago military agents found out I am a mutant and came for me. They captured me and took me away from my family. My mother. My father. And my sister."
Illyana frowned. "I don't understa-" She broke off and looked at him, closely. "I had a brother named Piotr Nikolievich, in the Ust-Ordynsky Collective near Lake Baikal. I don't really remember, but I remember my parents talking about him. He disappeared about then," she admitted slowly. "But he would have been a lot older than you. You've gotta be what, about thirteen? Fourteen?" Younger than her, at any rate. Even her time in Limbo didn't explain the gap.
"The doctors here say I am sixteen," Piotr answered, maybe a bit defensively. He knew he was still just a kid, but she didn't have to rub it in like that. "Perhaps a little younger. I understand how strange that must sound. The people who took me did not believe it was 'efficient,' to allow me to sleep. They put me in a stasis pod when they had no use for me."
"It doesn't sound that strange." Illyana offered another crooked smile. "Considering I should be ten, and I'm...well, the closest guess is sixteen or seventeen. Time in another dimension," she added by way of explanation, then let her smile fade. "The Russian military, you said? What did they want you for?"
Piotr's lips thinned and he lowered his eyes. "They wanted me for my mutant abilities. Every day was a new experiment. Another attempt to reprogram my mind. Whatever they could think of to turn me into their perfect soldier." He lifted his eyes back up to Illyana's. "I have heard something like this has happened to many students here."
Illyana wrinkled her nose, but nodded. "Yeah, quite a few. Not the military, but same goal. Tommy - a friend of mine - was one of the first students here, he escaped one of the facilities. We took the rest down a year or so ago." She frowned. "Did X-Force get you out?" Because okay, she wasn't really part of the team, but she did speak Russian and had more combat training than pretty much anyone here. It would've made sense if they'd asked her to come along.
"We were rescued by a friend of the family," Piotr said. "His name was Alexander." He shook his head sadly. "His last words were for us to come here. That this was the only place we would be safe."
"It's safe enough," Illyana acknowledged. "Better than most places, anyway. You said we? Who are you with?" She offered a sheepish smile and shrugged. "I'm not big on the journal intros, sorry."
"We have only been here less than a week," Piotr said, dismissing the apology with a small wave. "Her name is Nora. We helped each other survive. She is my best friend and the strongest person I know." A soft, fond smile came over his face. "I am sure you have met her. She just started this dance class today."
"Oh yeah, the newbie. She seems..." Annoying. Hyper. Kind of ADHD. "Nice," Illyana finished instead. No point starting things off with her brother (damn it, she had a brother? by dissing his BFF.
"They took her when they took me," Piotr explained, face sobering. "But there is something else you must know. The pods did not just freeze us in time. They also confused our minds and erased pieces of our lives." He met Illyana's eyes directly. "Every memory I have of you has been taken away from me."
"Well, at least we're on an even footing?" Illyana tried to joke. "I mean, I really don't remember you either. But there probably wasn't all that much to remember, anyway. I was just a munchkin." She sobered and shrugged. "That sucks, though. The not remembering stuff part." Or...well, it didn't sound all that bad, really. There were a lot of things she wished she didn't remember. She'd just want to be able to pick and choose.
Piotr nodded. "I was very surprised when I found out who you are. Perhaps this is a new chance for us to get to know each other."
"How did you find out?" she asked, then paused and grimaced. "Caleb's friends, right? I wondered what was up with the Q&A. But yeah. I'm good with that if you are."
"Jester and Nott did tell me some things," Piotr confessed with a slight frown. Perhaps their conversation with her hadn't gone as well as they'd implied. "But TJ is the one who let me know you were here. She is a good friend and used to know a different version of us. That is how she knew we were related." He gave Illyana a faint smile. "Although with our names, I am sure it was not long before others figured it out as well."
"Probably not," Illyana admitted, "though I have to admit, I really didn't think anything of it. I mean, it's not like we're the only two Rasputins in all of Russia." She tilted her head and looked at him curiously. "TJ's Billy and Tommy's kind-of-sister, right? The blue girl with the tail? I've never really talked to her."
Piotr nodded. He wasn't used to associating her by her connection to people he'd never met, but they had come up in a few of their conversations. Perhaps someday he would meet them as well. "She said the same of you," he said. He paused then, lips tilting into a lopsided smile. "But she called you my kid sister. It seems that now you are my big sister."
Illyana chuckled and shrugged. "Weird, huh? But weirder stuff than that has happened around here. Tommy and Billy found out they were time displaced soul twins, I still think they've got the top spot. Especially when you throw in the dimensionally displaced half sister."
"This is true," Piotr said. "Fortunately, I have had plenty of experience as the little brother. You have been here since the school started, yes? How did you become a student? What has it been like for you?"
"It's been..." Illyana paused, trying to think of the best way to answer. "It's been a challenge, I guess? But I haven't been here since it started, not really. I mean, I was here nearly when it opened, but...I was gone for about a year. I left and joined the Brotherhood." She said the last part confidently, almost daring him to challenge her choice. There were things she regretted, yes - but joining the Brotherhood itself wasn't one of them.
Piotr acknowledged that with a slow nod. So, it was more than just friendship she'd shared with the people in those photos Jester and Nott had shown him. "I know very little about the Brotherhood," he admitted. "I am, after all, about four years behind on current events." He'd heard a few things, and Nott's description had been interesting, to say the least, but he'd caught that note of defiance in Illyana's answer and now he wanted to hear what she had to say about them.
"Well, the most recent thing to know is that they overthrew the government of Genosha a few months ago." Illyana smiled crookedly and shrugged. "I kinda missed out on that, but I really wish I hadn't, especially since the government of Genosha tried to grab me just a few days before. Before that? They took on the Friends of Humanity and helped shut down the Right. They're...kinda like X-Force. Except they do more. And worry less about public opinion." And yeah, she still kinda figured they had the right idea.
The government of Genosha had tried to grab her? Piotr stiffened slightly, frowning. Did she realize just how alarming that sounded to someone who had live through an experience like that? The only person he'd ever heard speak in such a casual, matter-of-fact tone that manner was Nora. Perhaps his two sisters coped with traumatic experiences in similar ways.
Piotr considered the rest of what she'd said about the Brotherhood. "And what do they mean to you?" he asked. "What has your experience with them been?"
Illyana didn't answer immediately, dropping her eyes from his as she tried to decide what to say. After what had happened in Genosha, all she could think was that they were Pyro's team, but...they'd been more than that. A lot more. "Family," she said quietly. "They were family. Where no one judged, and everyone just...expected you to be who you were. Even when Pyro and I broke up the first time, no one expected me to leave. I was...part of it all."
"That is what family should be," Piotr said with a soft smile. "It is what Nora and I have. I am glad you had it with them." And perhaps, as they grew to know each other, they might have it with each other someday.
"I'm glad you have it, too." Illyana smiled back, then felt self-conscious and shrugged. "So, what's your mutant thing?" she asked, changing the subject.
Piotr shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I change into a different body. It is like this," he gestured in front of himself slightly. "But larger, and made of metal. May I ask yours?"
Illyana shifted uncomfortably in hers, unconsciously mimicking his reaction. "Demon sorceress," she admitted. "Mostly manifests itself here as teleportation."
Teleportation sounded neither demonic nor like sorcery, but she had said that was only here. "I am guessing it is different in the other dimension?" he said. "It is called Limbo, yes? That is what TJ said."
He'd definitely done his homework, hadn't he? "It's called Limbo," Illyana confirmed, dodging the implied question regarding her magic. "I call stepping disks to take me there and back. If I direct them right, they can bring me "back" to wherever I want to go, whenever." She smiled, a little. "I'm pretty decent with where, but when is sometimes a problem. If you ever don't see me for a few days, don't worry too much. Odds are I skipped them."
"That sounds like it could be..." dangerous "...confusing," Piotr said. "Do you have a way to know 'when' you are when you get there?"
"I do if I can get cell phone coverage." Illyana smiled crookedly. "It automatically updates date and time when it syncs with some kind of global clock? Kitty explained it, but I don't really get it."
Piotr smiled. "I met Kitty yesterday. I think she understands many things other people do not get. She is very smart."
"She's a total genius," Illyana confirmed with a nod, as always happy to hear her best friend getting the praise she deserved. "She was my roommate when I first got here, and I swear I'd have flunked out of summer school without her help, assuming I hadn't already died of culture shock. She graduated, though," she wrinkled her nose at that, "so I'm in with Vex now. Who's also awesome, but...not Kitty." She sighed and shrugged. "Who are you rooming with?"
"Molly," Piotr said. "In room 203. Gilmore used to be his roommate before he, too, graduated."
"I know Gilmore. I know who Molly is - he's kind of hard to miss? But I've never talked to him," she admitted. "Do you like him?"
"We get along very well," Piotr replied easily. "I know that he misses his former roommate, but I am hopeful that in time we will also become friends." His lips quirked into a smile. "We have already found one thing we have in common. I enjoy sketching him and he enjoys being sketched."
"You draw, then? That's cool." Illyana smiled back. "Wish I had talent like that."
Piotr nodded, his smile growing a hair. "I have something I drew for you, actually," he said. He reached down to unclasp his shoulder pack and withdrew his sketchbook from it. He opened it and pulled out a sheet of paper, handing it to her. It bore an image drawn in colored pencil. A snowy wooded landscape featuring a bridge crossing a gentle creek. The focus of the sketch, however, was on the little flakes of snow drifting down from the sky. "There is one thing I still seem to remember," Piotr said, lifting his eyes back to Illyana. "Whenever I hear your name I think of snow."
Illyana smiled softly as she looked at the picture. "Papa used to say you always called me your little snowflake. I'm not sure why, but...maybe that's why?"
"I think it must be," Piotr said. As before, when Jester had spoken that word, it rang too true for him to think it could be anything else. "And it is a nice thing to call you, I think." Why he'd called her that was a mystery to him as well. He would have been... Eight when she was born? Who could say what he was thinking at that age? But it did feel right. "But what about you? What things do you like?"
"Me?" Illyana paused, not entirely sure how to answer. Somehow, practicing magic spells didn't seem like it would be the right answer, even if it was true. "I don't know. Nothing special, I guess? I mean," she held up the picture, "I can't do anything like this."
Piotr smiled gently. "I am sure there an amazing talent inside of you, even if you have not yet discovered it," he said. "But that is not what I meant. What is your favorite music? What do you like to eat? What kind of movies do you enjoy?" His expression grew bemused, the humor directed entirely at himself. "I am curious to know what kind of person my big sister is."
Illyana laughed awkwardly. "Okay, the big sister thing? Feels weird. I mean, I've got a newbie - or I had, I guess - and it's kinda the same? But it's not, at the same time." She shrugged and turned the subject to his questions. "I like Riverdale and American Horror Story . And Game of Thrones - or I did, I mean, it's over now, and the ending kinda sucked, but I'm hoping for a spin-off. Loved the Hunger Games movies. I like my dance classes with Stevie," she smiled, a little more confidently, "and I don't totally suck, which is more than I can say for any of my other classes. Is that the kind of stuff you want to know?"
"I think so," Piotr said. "We can save more of that for later if you like." This probably wasn't the best place or situation for that conversation anyway. Maybe they could go out for coffee or something. "And I understand. It is weird for me too. How about we leave it at just brother and sister?" His brows knit together in confusion then. "...I do not understand what a new bee is." She'd used that expression once before and he was still no closer to figuring it out.
"Newbie," Illyana corrected. "It's...it's a Brotherhood thing. When you join the Brotherhood, someone takes responsibility for getting you settled in and stuff. Kinda like a big brother or sister. If you have any questions or problems, you go to them. I was Pietro's newbie," she smiled at the memory, "and Nico was mine."
"I see," Piotr said, nodding. "May I ask what they have been doing since they overthrew the government of Genosha?"
"Making Genosha a safe place for mutants? I'm not really up on the details. I'm not there," Illyana pointed out.
That said a lot, really, and Piotr gave her an apologetic look. "Okay," he said. He let out a sigh and pressed his lips together. "So, what is next?" he asked. He shook his head at his own foolishness. "I have been thinking so much of what to say in this moment, and have forgotten to consider what to do after it."
"You're asking me?" Except he was, wasn't he? And she might not have any experience with older/younger brothers coming back from the dead, but she'd been at the school twice now and she had a newbie. That probably put her a step up from him on knowing what to do, at least. She took a deep breath. "Okay. So...first off, we go get something to eat. Because talking is easier over food. And then you show me where your room is and vice versa. And then...well, we take it from there. Okay?"
"I like this plan," Piotr said. He would have to send Nora a text letting her know he might be able to join her for dinner after all, but he knew she would understand. He wondered what was being served today, mostly by reflex, and then remembered what Illyana had said about avoiding the cafeteria. "Ah... where do you suggest we go to eat?" he asked, looking sheepish. "I have not really left the school grounds since we arrived."
"Are you comfortable leaving the school grounds?" Illyana asked. "Otherwise, I'd go with the kitchen. It's probably not real busy." If it was, now that she knew what the technicolor munchkins were up to, they could always hit the cafeteria.
Piotr quirked an eyebrow and took a deep breath. "If you are sure that it is safe, then yes," he said, looking at her with trusting eyes. "I am very curious to see what is out there."
"It's safe," Illyana assured him. Or, y'know, safe enough. She paused a moment, then suggested, "We can take the bus if you want. Or I can just pop us there. Your choice."
A bus. Piotr tensed slightly as he pictured it in his mind. Packed in a confined space, surrounded by people he didn't know while he was taken some place he'd never been. He looked at Illyana and said, "I think this time I would be more comfortable if you took us."
Of course he would. Illyana forced a smile and nodded. "Give me about twenty minutes to hop in the shower and change, ok?" She gestured at her dance apparel. "Not really McDonalds ready."
Piotr nodded. "That sounds good to me," he said. He needed to take care of a few things himself, and the extra time might help ease his nerves about the bus suggestion. He'd given the answer in haste, but a bus ride would give them more time to talk and a chance for him to observe the city a little. He wondered if she'd be offended if he told her he'd changed his mind. "Where should I wait for you?"
"Down in the front hallway?" Illyana suggested. "We can 'port out from there." Maybe she could suggest he close his eyes so he wouldn't get dizzy. It had worked before.
"I will be there," Piotr said with a smile. He rose to his feet and the smile softened. "I am happy to have finally met you, Illyana."
"It's good to meet you, too." She smiled back and shrugged. "See you in twenty minutes," she promised as she summoned up a stepping disk and disappeared.
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