Summary:Illyana and Sam share talk and she fesses up about the claims she makes on people and what they mean to her. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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So Mikhail's awakening and meeting the rest of the household had been… tense. Illyana doesn't blame Sam for taking the first opportunity to make a break for it. After entertaining Elena for a bit, they sent her back inside to her parents. Illyana took Elena's 'one hour' seriously.
Closing the door behind Elena, she turns back to Sam as she blows out a breath. "Well. Things continue to seem tense in there." She mutters. Stepping back down over to him she looks up at the taller blonde. "You wanna go somewhere or sneak back upstairs?" Because Illyana can do that. "We should put in a roof access hatch, huh?" For his flying.
Sam grins, "Upstairs should be fine. I wouldn't want your brothers to think I was kidnapping you," he says, mostly teasing. Mostly.
He hops up the stairs a few at a time, "A roof hatch would probably be helpful, although, honestly, I hope I won't have to directly take off from home too often. If we're having attacks or trouble around the place that frequently, we really should think about movin', you know? There is such a thing as too much excitement. Well. Of that kind, anyway."
A stepping disk opens in front of the door so the pair can bypass the Talking going on downstairs. Downsides to that open floorplan. There's hardly a glimpse of Limbo the following stepping disk is so close, putting them back on Earth in her bedroom. Her very sparse bedroom. Setting her hands on her hips she hmms, looking around. "I need some furniture."
Illyana nods as Sam talks about all the trouble recently. "I honestly didn't think it would be this, hmmm. Active. Things were pretty quiet when I lived at Doug's, and most of the crazy hasn't even come from the dimensional weak spot!"
Sam Guthrie nods, "I think a decent amount of it has. Some of the rest has come from Limbo. And some of the rest from your family. I know that you can't always help the kind of crazy your family drags along, although…admittedly, my family ain't done any world jumpin'. That I know of. But I ain't the only mutant in the family either. So…be prepared in case a bunch of superpowered rednecks show up at the door sometime."
Illyana Rasputina chuckles at that image. "Isn't there like, a couple dozen of you?" She jokes, moving over to sit on her bed since really, it's the only real furniture in the room. One of the lumps of her bedding moves as she does so, and she looks over at it. Leaning over she swats the lump, and it moves along beneath the covers and off the side of the bed. "I swear, I need a spraybottle or something to keep them off my bed."
Looking back at Sam she purses her lips. "So… Work read you the riot act?" But like he said, he's still employed, so that's something.
Sam Guthrie grins, "Just one dozen, thank you," he says. "Well, I mean. If you only count siblings. Cousins and uncles and whatnot, that…does tend to add up to quite a passel, now that you mention it," he says.
He shooks his head, "Not too bad. They knew my obligations when I signed up, understood I might on occasion have a bit of an outside adventure or two. They probably just didn't expect it to be so soon or quite so exotic."
"At least the amount of time we were gone on this side wasn't too bad." It does make for some weirdness for them, of course. Illyana tilts her head to the side a bit as she looks at him. "You mentioned mandated therapy twice a week?" She's not a big fan of that mostly because of the 'mandated' part. But then, that's why she doesn't have a job herself. She doesn't take orders well.
Sam Guthrie nods, "Just basic counseling. They want to make sure I don't have PTSD or any lingering personality damage. It's probably also to make sure that I'm not now being possessed by a demon or something. Behavior monitoring in the form of medical treatment," he says. He really is a clever one, much as he comes off like a hick on first acquaintance. "Mostly I'm just supposed to talk about if anything's botherin' me."
Illyana Rasputina leans back against her headboard and can't help but smirk when he mentions being possessed by a demon. Just because he might think about her fairly often doesn't count, right? The last bit has her expression softening a bit. "And *is* anything bothering you?"
He crawls up onto the bed and moves to lay next to her, putting his head on her shoulder where she leans back against the headboard, "Surprisingly: not really. I mean…things did seem to escalate a little quickly in us going from living just the two of us to a full house full of squabbling mutant Russians. I kind of hoped for a little more private time with you," he grins. "But I'm very used to having a house full of people."
"I guess the only thing that bothers me a little isn't my business."
Illyana Rasputina leans her head back against his, eyes half-closing in contentment as she leans back against him. "True. Really was… not expecting that. I would have gone with a larger house." That's mostly a joke.
"It doesn't help that Piotr and Keiko are in a relationship that they're apparently having trouble with?" As previously stated, Illyana's not good at relationships. She can't even figure out 'normal' ones! "I can always get us out of here if you need some space though. And I do have another house." And by house she means a castle.
She turns to look at him, nudging with an elbow. "If it bothers you, then it's your business. Spill."
He takes her hand in his, bringing it up and kissing the knuckles gently, "I'm not saying we have to move or changing anything. Just saying it takes adjustment. And yeah, if we get too overwhelmed, we can always give them some space for a bit, if it comes to that," he says.
At the last, he purses his lips for a moment, "Seems like they're already training their kid to be a fighter. And…I mean, it's not like kids getting karate lessons or doing T-ball…I just hope they give her a chance to be a kid, too, y'know? Like I said, none o' my business."
There's a faint smile as he kisses her hand, and she squeezes his lightly. His concern gets a shake of her head. "You know, even after all of this, you have the best grasp of 'normal', right?" Illyana points out.
"Keiko was raised in a cult. She had a few years on the run and then got stuck in Limbo which is like… I dunno, Lord of the Flies dialed up to eleven or something." Her knowledge of Limbo is better than her knowledge of classic literature. "*I* grew up there and Piotr's been living that for the better part of a decade. You're right. She needs a chance to be a kid. Something that is hard for some of us to see. Especially Keiko and I."
Sam Guthrie nods, "I get that. You both show that there's danger to be had, even at that young age. Especially if you got power. Especially if you got potential," he says.
"But part of the way to keep somebody in the light, to help them endure the dark times, is by showing them the light. By givin' 'em happy memories and times. Thinking about my ma and pa, my brothers and sisters, got me through some of the dark times when I was first in the X-men. Just like you helped me get through the dark times in the dream realm."
"That danger was because someone took us, and no one could get us back." While Illyana doesn't blame anyone for not being *able* to get her, the way she sees it if she or Keiko hadn't been in those situations for so long, maybe things would have been better.
"We've got more resources than most to be able to prevent that. So maybe we need to work on fighting that other battle. The one where they don't know how to live in the world they want to be in." It's a bit of an admission, on Illyana's part. That she doesn't know where she should be. What she should be doing. As though that weren't fairly evident.
"And I agree with you. You need that happy memory to help you get through the dark times." For Illyana in Limbo, it was Piotr. It was why she tried to give Keiko that memory of being loved. That she was one of his happy thoughts in the dream realm gets a chuckle and she tugs him down to lay across her lap so she can stroke his hair. "I'm a poor choice for someone's light."
He lays his head down as she urges. His hair is recently trimmed on the side is just a bit spiky and fuzzy, just above his ears. "You kept me lit up well enough. I don't need you to be too bright. This way, I get to keep ya to myself a little bit," he says.
"We should do things. Like, normal things. Go to amusement parks. Go camping. Museums. That sorta thing. Field trips. Hell, just sit around the TV and watch a football game or watch Jeopardy. Ain't a one of you had anything like a regular life."
"You gonna be our guide?" Illyana's tone is amused, but it's *true*. Even having been a mutant since his late teens and all the crazy that tends to bring into your life, Sam's soundly rooted in Normal Life. It's one of the things that keeps him on such an even keel when stuff gets crazy.
Illyana's fingers tease that short hair on the side of his head, drawing looping circles about his ear. Just enjoying touching him, really. He can tell she's gotten distracted when it takes her a bit to respond to the rest of his words. "I watch movies?" She offers. And people. Usually with coffee. That's usually her extent of interaction with the rest of the 'normal' world.
He nods, "You do, although I'm betting there are a lot you've missed, over the years. I don't seem to remember you coming along on a lot of Xavier's movie nights down at Salem Center. Admittedly, the theater there was a bit…rustic," he says.
"Do we have Netflix? Because we should definitely get that. We can start giving you a chance to catch up on some of the essentials. Let's start simple: you've seen Ghostbusters, right?"
Illyana Rasputina looks down at him and gives him a 'yeah right' look. "I tend to avoid anything that's horror or supernatural." She admits. "Fantasy is… usually out too. Sci-Fi I'm good with. Comedy…" Although she often misses the joke.
"Uh, I don't know if we have cable." Because Netflix is a cable channel, right? C'mon, the woman can barely use her phone. Fail Millennial. "Or is that a euphemism for sex? Because that sounds familiar…" That's a serious question. Sadly.
As to not having gone on many of the Xavier trips? She grimaces slightly. "People don't like me under the *best* circumstances. Stick a bunch of them around me in tight quarters and I'm not usually at my best."
He leans up and quickly steals a kiss from her lips, cupping the back of her head for a moment and lingering, "I don't bother with euphemisms," he grins.
"I always liked you. You'd have been fine. They were mostly just afraid of you. You know what gets rid of fear? Familiarity."
Illyana Rasputina's eyes drift closed as he kisses her, and when he lies back down she follows after him to nip at his bottom lip and take another kiss. His answer gets a chuckle. "Good. Us demons, we like direct." Which is a joke, but at the same time true.
That he's always liked her just gets a shake of her head and a smile. "I never got that. I mean, c'mon. Even with your heart-of-gold background, I could be a cold bitch some days." She closes one eye as she quirks a brow, giving him a comically dubious look. "You think I should expose people to me more, or me to people?"
Sam Guthrie shrugs, "You had good reason to be," he says. "If someone's got a lotta anger, if they're closed off like that, my mama always told me that usually means they're hurtin'. Ain't no use gettin' mad back at 'em. You gotta be extra nice to 'em. That way, maybe, someday, they won't be mad at you, at least, even if they're still mad at the world. And you can maybe help 'em with the rest," he says.
"I think a little of both. Although some exposure I'm going to keep to myself," he teases, play-peeking up her shirt.
It might be a little odd, seeing her out of the all-black attire she usually affects. His teasing gets a soft snort of amusement and she pushes him out of her lap so she can crawl over and lie on top of him. "Mind in the gutter." She teases him even as her own hand pulls his shirt free of his pants so she can slide a hand up beneath it to rest over his belly.
The bit about being 'extra nice' gets a slightly pained look. "I… have a lot of trouble with that." She admits. "When I see someone angry I want to wind them up more. Hurting, I want to twist the knife." That she doesn't, all the time, is by sheer willpower.
"I know you do. First few times I tried bein' nice to you, I think I just got foul language back," he says. "Took a while before you realized I meant it. That I wasn't just playin' bein' nice to you."
Illyana's smirk is a bit distracted. "One of the first things I learned about humans is how rarely they say what they mean. It's like they don't even realize how much of what they say is a lie."
He's not pushing himself on her, just…enjoying the intimacy. The simple act of touching, contact. Part of being together. It feels nice. It's been a long time since he's had it. He's not sure she ever has. He wants that for them both.
"I don't think they do, always. It can be hard to see the world the way it really is. Even harder to see yourself."
"So how'd we get you, Guthrie? Secondary mutation?" The laughter that she doesn't usually give into lightens her voice. But then something else comes to her, and washes it away.
"Piotr was, maybe *is* still, upset with me. Because I claimed Keiko." Something that Sam likely has no idea about, and without anything more, might be very confusing.
Sam Guthrie kisses the top of her head and nuzzles into her golden hair, exhaling a soft sigh of contentment as she sprawls atop him.
"I had to learn how to handle people, early. How to keep the peace," he says. At the last, he raises an eyebrow, "I ain't sure exactly what ya mean by that. Claimed her how?"
"I put a collar on her and told her I'm her god now." She's got that 'wry and yet not joking' tone again. For most people, she would have left it at that. Left them to sputter and perhaps rail her for being evil. But with some effort, she elaborates. "Keiko was raised in a cult to worship the splinter lord, Plokta. Even though she ran from the 'church', she still venerated the 'god'. While she was willing to be used to strike at him to stop Nightfall, the cult, she couldn't break that conditioning. So, that's one reason."
It shouldn't surprise Sam that Illyana had more than one. She can turn manipulation into an artform. "I… have trouble empathizing with people I don't have a strong connection to. That aren't 'mine' in some way. If I don't have that connection, they tend to be expendable." And when you're playing chess with another splinter lord, death is one of the nicer ways to be taken off the board. "My magic corrupts. It's why even though I'm really powerful in Limbo, I don't like, wave a hand and heal people. I put the collar on her to both mark her as mine in my head and hers, and to give me a focus for my magic that would hopefully keep my corruption off of her." But then, well Limbo. So much for that.
Sam Guthrie listens quietly, "Well. I'm not sure what answer I expected. Wasn't that. But I don't know if I expected it to be different either," he says.
"Seems like you had good reason to do what you did. Which don't make it not complicated, for you and for her and for the people around you. Generally speakin', I ain't the type to believe people can be 'owned', not really. Just goes against my principles as an American, y'understand. Freedom ringin', all men created equal, all that. But you're not…" he sighs, "If whatever you're doin' works for you, works for her, protects you both, helps you with your magic…that all seems a good. So where does your brother come into it? I get that his relationship with her seems to be…thorny."
"Believe me, I know." Illyana observes with a chuckle as he points out he doesn't believe someone can own another. "Even my Russian brother's right there with you." There's a pause, and when she speaks her tone is wry and a bit sad. "Probably not a great time to point out I consider you're mine too, hmm?" Perhaps better than doing so *later*.
"He sees it as she can't be his if she belongs to me and.. yeah. It hasn't helped whatever their relationship is, which seems more Klingon Battle Mating than anything else." The blonde shakes her head. "I need to talk to Keiko. I haven't had a good chance to since things went down with Siffror. Yes, I see myself as the top of the heap and those that I claim are mine. But… I'm trying not to make it like their my pets. They're mine because they mean something to me. It's messy. I know."
Sam Guthrie leans up and kisses her again, very gently, "Hey, I am yours. You're mine, too. Don't think otherwise. That ain't exactly the same thing, though," he says.
"Seems to me he must believe it at least a little, if he thinks you got a prior claim. After all, if you can't own her, then whatever you guys had shouldn't really matter, right? Unless it's got feelings behind it. And even then, like you said, that's just…messy. Most folks are messy. Me included. I know I seem pretty simple and I guess I am in most ways. But it don't mean that things can't feel…complicated."
Illyana Rasputina's eyes close as he kisses her again, her lips parting and giving a wanting/pouty sound as he keeps it gentle and brief. Her lips curve in a small smile though, so she's not really all that upset. Her hand comes to rest over the center of his chest, level with his heart, feeling the beat of it there. "I think I warned you, that I wasn't likely to let you go. But then, I've considered you mine for a long time. Just sort of a different level." Her eyes twinkle a bit at that. As her friend, as someone she would let make the call to go into dangerous territory, he was already hers and never knew it. If it's chains, hers seem pretty light.
Sliding a bit more serious she looks down at where her hand is on his chest. "Even if we decide… this isn't going to work out for whatever reason. I'm still going to consider you mine. To protect. To support."
As to if she 'owns' Keiko? She lifts her gaze to meet his again. "If I Fall. I might see things a bit more literally. But if that happens, I suppose we have much bigger problems."
He nods, "I don't think that's going to be a problem. But I'm an optimist, as you've noted," he says, laying his hand over hers where it measures the beat of his heart.
"I don't want you to Fall, but I'm pretty good at catching and pretty good at flying. So if you start to feel things getting a little shaky, you let me know and I'll see if I can help keep you aloft. However I can," he says.
He cradles her cheek with one hand and this time the kiss he gives her is longer and more lingering and definitely not as gentle or sweet, a hint of hunger in it marked with affection. "I don't want you to let me go, Illyana. Pretty sure I belonged to you for longer than I knew."
"You are. And if the stint in the dream realm didn't manage to beat it out of you, well, I think it's terminal." Illyana jokes with a small laugh, her fingers twining with his and holding on tight.
"I should tell you. Later. About… me. I tried not telling people, because I didn't want them to hurt for things they can't do anything to change. But then when shit happens they just end up blindsided. Maybe if I tell you, then it'll help." About the Elder Gods and the Heart and how Belasco merged her soul with it.