Summary:Xavier's Angel and Demon Queen meet up on the grounds. The former gets a download on the Missing Kids (tm). Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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Spring has come to Westchester, with the first green on all ;the previously bare trees and overhead a clear blue sky with a few puffy little clouds. A clear blue sky with what, at first glance, one might take for a large bird soaring high above. But as that "bird" starts spiraling down it becomes possible to note that it is both the wrong shape and entirely too large for any bird one might expect to see in New York.
When he judges that he's lost enough altitude the soaring ANgel goes into a steep dive, then pulls up at the last moment, the snap of his opening wings load as he comes in for a landing. He's smiling, and obviously in a good mood.
With both Kitty and Piotr staying at the mansion, Illyana has a lot of reason to come up to visit from where she's staying with Doug in Mutant Town. It helps that she has an instant commute time.
A glowing circle that Warren would recognize snaps into being a short distance away and the blonde teleporter steps out. While Illyana and Warren were both at Xavier's at the same time, he was about four years older than she was so they didn't have a lot of interaction. She and her classmates graduated high school last year. Now, she looks older than Warren.
Dressed in her familiar heavy metal motif, Illyana pauses as the stepping disk winks out behind her to watch Warren land. While Warren's likely used to the attention of women, Illyana's always watched him with a bit too much intensity. It's not a secret to those she went to school with she spent time in what she calls a hell realm, and those she's teleported have caught glimpses of it.
After a moment a smirk curves Illyana's lips, though it looks like the equivilent of putting on your polite smile. "If it isn't the pretty Angel." The mocking lilt to her tone would be familiar too. There's a few reasons Illyana didn't have a ton of friends.
Warren catches the mocking tone but just rolls his eyes at it. He gives a lslight bow, wings spreading for a moment in counterbalance as he moves. He's really much more graceful when the wings are free to do that. He says without mockery apparent in his tone, "At your service." As he rises from his little bow with a smile. It's been some time since he saw the younger(?) Rasputin and allthough he has heard some of the circumstances, it is still shocking to see the changes in her. His eyes linger for a moment and then he forces them to her face. He seems genuine as he says, "Good to see you, Illyana."
Illyana Rasputina wrinkles her nose a bit in mild annoyance. It's an odd expression on her, one suited to someone much, much younger. It almost makes her look… cute. If you can ignore those chilly, pale blue eyes. "For someone with feathers, you manage to be surprisingly unruffled too damned often." She complains. Because the demon sorceress *likes* to wind people up, and he's not rising to her bait.
Like so many, Illyana's eyes linger on his bright white wings. Her reasons for doing so might not be so common, however. Shifting her gaze back to Warren's face, her smirk is a bit more natural this time with that teasing, amused edge. The woman very rarely actually *smiles*. "Are you now? At my service." There's a wicked glint that touches her eyes. "I could think of so many things to do with you…"
Warren can't help but smile at the comment about ruffled feathers. Somewhat ironically, the next thing she says does manage to ruffle him a bit. "You know, I'm not sure if that was a flirt or a threat? Or possibly both?" He runs one hand through that bblond mane of his, straightening it from the windtossed mess his flight left it.
"It can't be both?" Illyana asks with a low chuckle before finally moving again, closing the distance between where he landed and she arrived. "Needed to get out and stretch your wings?" Almost surprisingly, there's no teasing or mocking to that question. "Or you run into trouble and looking for help?" Definitely no censure in that statement. This is where X-Men come when they need backup.
When she was younger, Illyana was often called angelic. Some of that lingered into her teen years, but the coldness in her eyes tended to stop those comparisons.
Whereas Warren still gets called that by people (mostly women) who haven't seen the wings.
He nods at her first question, "Fortunately just out for a flight and thought I'd head up Westchester way. I try to keep in touch with what's going on around this place, Even if I'm not here full time any more." There's a great deal of affection in his voice as he refers to the Institute. He meeets those cold eyes, but only for a few moments before he glances away, not quite as unflappable as he wishes to appear.
"Glad to hear that things are well, then." Illyana's manner is sincere. Despite the way she tends to needle people, she seems to honestly wish them the best and will help when needed or asked. It's an odd dichotomy that not all of her fellow Xavier alumns understand about her.
Her mouth turns down into a small frown. "I've had a few run-ins around some children being kidnapped. A number of them mutants. I haven't managed to figure out the best way to hit the two groups involved yet." But when she does, she's likely to put out the word to the X-Men for help. One though leads to another and the frown curves up into one of those small, faint smiles she has so rarely. "Piotr's back at the school."
Warren frow at the news of kidnapped children, mutant or otherwise. He can only imagine that would be a particular sore point for Illyana. He seems about to say something on that point when the conversation makes a sudden turn. He smiles, "Oh, he is? I hadn't heard." He seems genuinely pleased by news of the big Russian's return.
Yeah, Illyana's not really a fan of kids being kidnapped. Especially by splinter lords who want to do nefarious mystical things with them. Seeing Warren's frown, the blonde woman nods. "If I have someone to go after, instead of random interdimensional portals springing up, I'll let you know." She assures him.
Illyana and Warren are out on the grounds, the Angel having recently landed and the demoness having arrived shortly after. Illyana's in her usual heavy metal reject attire and the pair are standing together and talking.
"I guess when I wasn't responding to any calls or letters and whatnot, he got worried so came back." Illyana notes of Piotr's recent return to Xavier's. Piotr of course had good reason to be worried, given Illyana had been kidnapped again by Belasco but given her propensity to disappear and be unresponsive, most just figured she was off doing… whatever Illyana does.
Can Illyana just summon brother at will? Probably. But today is just a coincidence. Walking with Kitty, Piotr is explaining to her. "WAND picked up the Freeman boy this morning. I went alone so that noone else would be involved in the dropoff. Since I am already known to SHIELD, it was not as much of a risk." he explains, before he offers a slight smile, and his subject changes.
"I spoke with Jean last night. I will be helping her with a project. Some sketches that she needs to have done. It will be good to use my hands again." he offers to Kitty before noticing his sister. "Snezhinka." he greets warmly, though a pause not to interrupt her conversation.
Warren frowns again. Random interdimensional portals just doesn't sound like good news, particularly for the kids involved. He nods, "If you need backup on this I'm sure I'm not the only X-Man who would gladly help." He turns at the sound of a deep voice, chuckling slightly at the coincidental timing. He gives a wave towards Piotr and Kitty. "Your sister was just telling me that you were back. It's good to see you."
Kitty Pryde has been seen spending a lot of time with Piotr since her return. Far more than they used to before she got her high school degree and departed for the UK. She walks alongside of him, shining a soft smile to him as he speaks of the arrangements for the Freeman family. "Good, probably something they are better suited for," she agrees. It required members of the X-men standing guard, given the kid could be tracked by his tattoos.
The mention of the sketches causes Kitty's face to light up. "Oh good! I'm glad she has something that you could work with her on," the brunette says, smiling and reaching over to give Piotr's hand a squeeze. "So I've been thinking. With the accreditation here at the Institute, maybe I'd-" she says, before looking up and seeing Illyana and Warren are there as the pair walk in. "Warren!" Kitty says, flashing him a big smile and moving over to offer the man a hug. "Good to see you again!" she says. Illyana is given a warm smile too, but then it hasn't been a year or two since she last saw Piotr's sister.
Hearing Piotr, Illyana turns towards her brother and best friend. They're not hard to find, given Piotr's size even when he's not all shiny. The blonde woman leans in towards Warren and says in a low tone that could be missed by the couple: "Ohhhh yeah. And Kitty's back. And they worked out that thing." C'mon, was there anyone that *didn't* know about Kitty's crush on Piotr? Illyana's gaze shifts to Warren and she smirks again. "I hope you're not prone to diabetes." Because the couple can be… sweet.
Catching Piotr's comment about the Freeman kid, Illyana nods. "Good. One less thing on our plate, then." She blows out a breath. "I still need to see about those magical tattoos. I spoke with the WAND agent the other night but…" Shadows move behind her pale eyes and she shakes her head. "Something came up."
The squeeze to his hand is returned, but when Kitty changes the subject, he's left in the lurch on what she was about to say. "It is good to see you again, Warren." The brunette gets in the hug before he offers a hand to the winged wonder. "You have come across another issue?" he asks Illyana curiously as he turns his attention to his little sister.
Warren tries not to chuckle at Illyana's comment as he takes her meaning. He manages to cover it with a broad smile at Kitty's greeting and takes a moment to properly return her hug. "Good to see you too, Kitty." He pulls back from the hug and takes a moment to nod to Piort, "Likewis." When the twisting conversation veers back towars serious business Warren falls quiet. Hearing about the involvement of WAND, an organiazation he is only minorly familiar with, he doesn't add to the conversation, just listens for the moment.
Kitty Pryde frees up from the hug of the winged mutant, and moves over to give Illyana a quick one of greeting. "I was just starting to tell Pete, I'm thinking about maybe doing my Ph.D here instead of down at NYU," Kitty says to her bestie. "Considering it at least. I'll try to make up my mind soon, don't want you having to hang onto that room waiting on me," she says.
The mention of something else coming up causes Kitty to put on a more serious face. "Uh oh, what happened this time?" Kitty asks the blond-haired sorceress.
Let's all admit the obvious: Illyana isn't a hugger. But Piotr and Kitty can generally be assured of a warm welcome despite that. The blonde even manages to make it not look awkward as she returns Kitty's hug.
"Xavier's is cleared to do Doctorate level classes? I didn't even know they were doing Grad level." Illyana notes absently. Her demeanor changes though as everyone focuses on what was supposed to be a throw-away line and she looks a bit uncomfortable. And trying not to. Given she grew up around demons, where every weakness is pounced on, it's *not* something that usually happens. "No, not… not like that. It was really more personal."
If it were just Warren, she probably wouldn't say anything. But Piotr and Kitty? Her gaze moves between the pair and then she exhales with some annoyance. "Researching Plotka, one of the guys behind the kidnappings it came up that he had dealings with Belasco. Belasco gave him information on the tattoo magic and Plotka gave him…" She scowls then and shakes her head. "It doesn't matter."
Warren glances away, feeling a bit out of place as Illyana mentions Belasco. He knows so little of what she went through. But he looks to Kitty, "I didn't know you were going for a PHD. Guess we'll have to get used to calling you Dr. Pryde at some point. It's offered with a smile.
Illyana's response gives Kitty pause. "No? But I was talking to… and I thought they said… but maybe the didn't mean," Kitty says, her thoughts leaping ahead of her words enough that she trails off again and again to jump ahead to catch the two back up.
Kitty's lips purse in a sour expression and she grumbles. "Well, I guess I need to go confirm either way," she says. "Thank you for the heads up, Yana," Kitty says. She smiles over to Warren and says, "Oh I don't know that I could ever get used to that. People have been making up their own nicknames for me for so long, if someone was formal with me I'd probably not know who they were talking to," she quips.
The light-hearted tone slips though at the mention of Belasco. "If you need any help there," Kitty offers, not asking Illyana for further details after she trails off this time.
Illyana Rasputina crosses her arms in front of her, shoulders rising a bit. It's a defensive posture that the usually-agressive blonde doesn't often affect. She shakes her head, almost too quietly. "It's fine. It's nothing. Just… the topic came up and it isn't one I like to talk about." The sorceress tends to be pretty close-lipped about her time as a prisoner in Limbo. Both historically and more recently when Belasco hauled her back last summer. While generalities of Illyana's past are fairly common knowledge at Xavier's, there's the sense that Illyana only let that out so she wasn't seen as some 'woman of mystery' that people wanted to 'dig deeper' into.
The comment from Warren about 'Dr. Pryde' has Illyana latching onto that thread of conversation, forcing a smirk as she looks at her best friend. "We could always call you 'Dr. Kitty'. But I bet some of the students would come up with something else to call you behind your back." At least until Piotr overheard it.
Warren looks to Illyana. Her comment got a brief smirk from him, one he couldn't suppress despite his best intentions. He shakes his head and comments, "Oh, they'll come up with a few names I'm sure, but only the really nasty ones will actually use them. he looks to Ilyana for a moment, and considers his net question, "So about these missing kids… Anything I should know and be on the lookout for?
Clearly, Illyana's comment has Kitty speechless. As Warren can't help but smirk, Illyana gives him one of his toothy grins that seems more predatory than anything friendly. "There's always a couple." She points out. "And that's all it takes."
The blonde woman's amusement easily slips away as Warren asks after the kids. "The short version is that two groups are each after kids for their own reasons. Both are backed by Splinter Lords. The first is Plotka." Illyana ticks off on one of her fingers. "He has a cult called the Nightfall. They apparently kidnaps kids and induct them into their cult. They're the ones with the magic tattoos. Getting them is part of the brainwashing to worship him as their god. The second is Sifror." She ticks off the second finger. "He's after *specific* kids. Thirteen of them. It looks like Plotka's minions have been grabbing up some of the ones that Sifror wants, so they've been butting heads. Now Sifror's looking for these kids for a specific power play. Plotka… It might just be his general expanding of his base of power." Poor Warren. He might have gotten more than he wanted to know.
Warren scratches his head for a moment, still unclear what a Splinter Lord is, but pretty sure it's a bad thing. Especially if one of them had dealings with Belasco. He shakes his head, "I hadn't even heard about any abductions, but then again I've been a bit out of the loop with things, for a variety of reasons." He shakes his head, "But you know I'll do whatever I can to help if you need the backup. Not that I'm a powerhouse like your brother, but I do have my uses from time to time." He gives a sad little smile with that statement.
Illyana Rasputina's brow furrows, and she frowns. She doesn't usually frown because she's upset, it tends to be when she's thinking about something. She starts to say something. Then stops. A glance at Piotr where he's been distracted by one of the younger students who has come up to the gentle giant and then she frowns harder at Warren.
"You… might be able to. But it might carry some risk. Not just to life and limb." Which X-Men tend to take in stride. She pushes out a long exhale through her nose, mouth set in a grim line. "I need to check on something." If it carries the danger she thinks, Illyana's going to want to be able to be honest and lay it out there for Warren to say yea or nay to.
Without any sort of goodbye, she raises a hand upwards and a stepping disk appears to swallow her up. Just like that, she's gone. Likely leaving as many questions as answers.