Summary:What hasn't gone wrong in Illyana's absence? Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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.~{:--------------:}~.
Keiko had left messages for Illyana to the extent of we need to talk but catching the blonde, or catching herself, has proven problematic for the last week or so. It's the way things go, both women are busy, after all all.
Keiko's home today. There's a hole in the back wall of the house that needed patching. Rebuilding more like it. It's roughly Piotr sized for anyone who looks at. The problem with this repair is sourcing materials that are the rough age of the house - anything newer tends to be destroyed or damaged without reason. So Keiko, is mending the bricks that she can and patching the wall to her best ability.
It's not a bad job she's doing, given everything.
Letting out a long breath, the small peruvian puts down her trowel and stretches, easing the muscles in her back a little before taking up her water flask and drinking. It must be about midday, she thinks - the suns certainly warm enough for that.
With the sun up high in the sky, it's easy to miss the flare of light that signals Illyana's stepping disks opening. It's not as easy for someone like Keiko, so sensitive to magic (and especially Illyana's magic) not to notice when the blonde steps into the large, open space of the first floor.
Head down, she's frowning at her phone, poking and shaking it a bit as she ambles over to set it on the charging station in the kitchen. Which is when she notices Keiko and the Piotr-sized hole. One brow arches. "Lover's spat?" She guesses, her tone dry.
The black leather on black leather is an easy indicator she's spent a lot of time in Limbo recently. Her eyes are outlined in dark shadow that makes the pale blue look like ice.
Keiko doesn't miss Illyana's arrival. Not with the way her tattooes prickle and the collar at her throat behaves. "Hello Illyana." The small woman says, taking another drink and watching the blonde. "Not this time." There's the hint of a smile at the dry comment. "He didn't tell me what made this happen but if I'm right, it's got something to do with a demon that's bugging him."
A demon bugging Piotr? Keiko's very matter of fact about it as she watches the blondes reaction to that. Not overly demonstrative, or prone to shown her feelings, Keiko looks worried. Which should set of alarm bells for Illyana.
"Do you want food? There's leftovers." beat "I'm glad your here. I … need help."
Oh uh.
Illyana Rasputina's brow furrows at that news. "A demon is bothering him?" A glance back to the wall. It would take a pretty puissant demon to do that, and most of those that Illyana has running around are… not. She doesn't let the big ones out of Limbo because they're damned dangerous. "Did this demon have a Name?" If Keiko doesn't know, she'll follow up with her brother, but Keiko might know if said demon has put in a few appearances. That it's in the house is annoying as well, but it's hard to keep out Limbo's demons and NOT keep out Illyana herself.
"Food would be good." When does Illyana turn down food? She starts to move around the counter and into the kitchen with it's dining table when Keiko adds on that last bit. It gives the blonde pause. Even before her time in Limbo, Keiko wasn't prone to asking for help. After?
Illyana turns the full of her attention on the smaller Peruvian. "What do you need?"
"From what I can work out, it was in the yard and annoyed Piotr enough to make him go through the wall… " Keiko says slowly. "I don't know the name, but it's green and horse faced. It appeared in the park the other day when we took Elena down there - it's trying to get him to do something."
Illyana might guess what that is and judging by the sour look on Keiko's face, Piotr isn't talking about it.
"Let me wash up and I'll do that." It takes a few moments for Keiko to scrub her hands and set out plates, collecting plates and containers of leftovers from the fridge. "I don't know what these are but they're tasty. Piotr and Mikhail cooked." Which is a good thing - the peruvian burns toast with great regularity.
"It's Koa." she starts slowly, feeling the weight of Illyana's gaze on her. "He's in trouble. I … know what was done to him when he was killed. By the same demon that's bothering Piotr." That can't be good. In anyway. "And before you ask, I've spoken to Koa and told him I'm telling you about all of this."
Illyana Rasputina is frowning. Never a good sign. Because that means it's something she needs to take seriously, and that often means things can get deadly.
When Keiko offers to make up a plate for her, Illyana moves to sit down at the table. It gives her time to drum the surface with her fingertips in an outward sign of her agitation. She doesn't know this green horse-faced demon, which is even more concerning.
That Koa is the topic has her sitting back then, and there's a flicker of a smirk as Keiko makes it explicit she's spoken to Koa. "You hardly need his position, unless there's been jockying for position I wasn't expecting from you two." The smirk doesn't last. Instead she just gestures with a hand for Keiko to continue.
"Jockeying for position?" that gets a blank look from Keiko. It hasn't even crossed her mind that that might be a thing. "The demon, it's tormenting Piotr with harming me. Telling Piotr it will corrupt me faster and I'll make a good pet." That should tell Illyana heaps. That it's after Piotr for a specific reason.
As to Koa, Keiko thinks as she sets out the plates. Nothing needs heating, it seems. "When Witchfire ran him through, the demon took him to Limbo and replaced his heart." She lets that sit for a bit, raising her eyes to look at Illyana before adding, bluntly "… with a demon heart, while performing a ritual."
*How* Keiko knows this and is so sure of herself, is a good question. What else is clear is that the *good* news is going to keep on coming.
Illyana Rasputina tilts her head over as Keiko asks that question. "It's a common enough thing amongst demons. Who is dominant to whom. Technically, making you mine puts you in that hierarchy." But most of the demons that either of them have run into haven't wanted to try their luck.
That this demon is elbows-deep in all of this has Illyana narrowing her eyes. She's sure it's warded itself to Hell and back, so finding it is likely to be a pain but…
Illyana stands up suddenly, the chair falling over to hit the floor with a *crack*. "WHAT?!" The temperature of the room drops noticeably as Illyana's eyes blaze white. "And he didn't think to *mention* this?" Not that she's had a lot of time for him to bring it up…
That's not likely to happen between Keiko and Koa - at least not for a long time, yet. "Oh. Not between him and me. When I was in Limbo …" she lets that thought drop. She was harrassed and harried regularly. It's one reason she became so much harder. The journey back to 'human' hasn't been easy.
As the chair falls and Illyana's eyes blaze, Keiko stills, dropping her catslitted eyes to the table. She's not challenging the Demon Queen but she will confront her. "He didn't know. I had to tell him. I was shown what happened by … a magi, I think. Her name was Kalani." Does Illyana remember the 'dance instructor' from M-Town?
"That's not all though and if you're going to be mad, be made over this. He's tormented by Nightmare, every night. *Those* are the dreams he's been trying to protect from."
Keiko still does not looking at Illyana but the blonde can hear the pain in her voice when she speaks on it. "Kalani showed me some of those dreams too."
Illyana Rasputina makes a sound that's a mix of snarl and growl, and there is the flicker of her horns as she leans her closed fists into the table. She's definitely got the fangs. "And you're sure this 'Kalani' isn't someone sent to plant information?" It's not normally how a demon works, but it *is* something Belasco might try and the former ruler of Limbo should never be counted out. Illyana doesn't recall the very brief meeting with the woman in M-Town. Unless Illyana has an emotional connection to someone, they tend to be faceless and forgettable to her.
The news about Nightmare has her drawing up short again. "Nightmare? Why is he involve d in this?"
"I am and if you can, you can sift through my memories and see yourself." Keiko shakes her head as she raises it, eyes finally meeting Illyanas. They're brown - at least for the moment. "I don't have the ability to do anything more than doubt, Illyana but she *seemed* genuine and my collar …"
The peruvians fingers touch the black leather that's melded to her skin. "It goes off every night. Every time Koa is in trouble, I feel it." And she's hopeless to stop what's happening. "As to the heart? She might have but WAND said there was something hinky about his tests after that incident. He's healed remarkably quickly, even his arm, and … there were the words that the column spoke in Ry'leh."
There's nothing conclusive about any of it, but the evidence certainly stacks up.
"Nightmare is trying to get to us through Koa. Or you. Or something. Koa won't break though and he's paying that price. I want to kill Nightmare, Illyana."
Illyana Rasputina blows out a breath through her nose, her eyes still white with power and as she worries her lower lip the fangs are still there as well. It speaks to how agitated she is, that the latter still shows. She usually tries to keep her demonic traits hidden away. "I'll have to speak to him then, won't I?" Odds are, she's not going to be happy he's been so stoic. She's already got one of those in her life, and hardly needs another.
That the little murderbug wants to kill Nightmare gets a short, bitter laugh. "Keep it on your Christmas list. It's not likely to happen any time soon. And if you did manage to kill him somehow, is that really what you want to be? Lady of Nightmares?" One of the 'prizes' of taking down a Splinter Lord. Taking over their 'portfolio'.
"You should, yes." Keiko answers quietly, rising quietly to pick up the chair that Illyana had knocked over. Does Illyana scare her? She might, it's hard to say but Keiko's never really been one to show fear - so there's that. "He's been using his Astral form to stop the pain and I think that's affecting him too. Like when I … let me demon out."
Illyana's demonic features don't get a second look as the chair is placed by her.
"I have a key to his house now, I don't have to break windows to get in, and will check on him." The short bitter laugh has Keiko's eyes flash yellow for a fraction of a second "I know I can't, Illyana but he's hurting Koa because of us and I want to hurt him in return." She's nowhere near the match of the Splinter Lord, Keio's just a soldier but that doesn't make her less murderous at all.
"What are we going to do?" There's Ry'leh, the Heart, the heart and the Nightmare.
"I suppose I should *also* tell you of the pillar that appeared the other day. It's out of phase with this dimension and the markings look like those from the lifeless realms."
The Peruvian sighs. "Let me find the vodka. I think we're going to need it."
And they had hoped things would settle down.