Summary:Caden drops in to deliver information Log Info:Storyteller: None |
Related LogsTheme SongNone |
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It should be a lazy Friday night at the Rasputin / Kurita Residence. Should. The truth is, it's far from it.
Not long ago, one of the faucets in the kitchen sprung a leak, sending Keiko Kurita scrambling for her toolkit. "Elena! Get some towels so we can soak up this water. Rapido Estrella. I'm trying to fix this."
The door is open and anyone approaching the house will hear that.
"Da Mama. I'm trying to get them!"
The phone had been tried, and a message left. That should have worked. Contacting Illyana with another phone message didn't seem to get any forward momentum either. And to be fair, the information on the thumb-drive could be useful. And might well be time sensitive too. Right? So it makes sense to run it over to the spooky haunted house where Piotr and Keiko and Elena live.
If so then why did Keiko approach the place with such trepidation. He appeared in the doorway and rapped his knuckles on the door-jam, peeking inside and calling out, "Hello?"
Caden Pryde had been there once before for a fine dinner, and then he was a bit more dressed up. Right now, though, he was more informal. Grey gym shorts with white sneakers adorned his legs, and he wore a black sweatshirt over what was probably a plain white t-shirt. So he didn't exactly cut a dashing silhouette as he stepped another foot into the foyer.
"Piotr? Illyana…" Then a pause as he lifted his voice, "Keiko?" What was their kids' name? Dang. He should know this.
He should. It had just been bellowed by Keiko not a few minutes before. The house isn't that spooky, really - though it does have a … personality.
"Elena. Get the door. That sounds like Tetya's friend." the mongrel latin accent is still there even though Keiko has spent years in Limbo.
A dark haired moppet appears at the door, carrying towels in her arms. "It is Mama." She calls back, making Caden wait there a moment like only a child can.
"Let him, pequena, Tetya's not here and Papa is still away."
"Come in. Mama's in the kitchen." Elena holds the door open and guides Caden in. As he moves through the living room to the kitchen he might notice several things. The WAND jacket slung over the back of the couch, the readers strewn across the coffee table.
"Caden. Come in. I won't be long, I think." Keiko says as she applies the wrench to the faucet. She's wet, her hair dripping down her back. "Elena, use the towels to soak the water…"
The smile Caden gives to Elena is the typical one you see on adults' faces who normally don't deal with kids outside of a student teacher situation. That sort of not knowing the dealio look where he sort of smiles and raises a hand, waves, but the kid… the kid most likely knows this guy isn't entirely comfortable. "Hey Elena."
But when he hears Keiko's voice he calls out, "Hi, Keiko…" He steps a liiiittle into the room. A little further. "I was just bringing this drive for… one of you guys." Not knowing exactly how much hand she might have in things. "I'll leave it on this table!"
And in some realities he might have ditched and run. But in this one ashe steps further into the room, then the kitchen. He sees what she's dealing with and decides to get over himself.
"Hey, need a hand?" He moves over, footsteps quiet as he then takes up a place nearby.
"Hang on… this won't…. take …. long…" Keiko's leaning on the wrench by the time Caden gets in there. The water no longer fountaining out. On the ground is her toolkit with an assortment of old washers and parts, things that look like they match the house but are no longer made.
"Here…" Elena shoves a towel into Cadens hand before bending to wipe water from the floor - like only a child can do.
"Uh… I'm … good. I think. Just need to clear up here … " Shoving her hair back, she looks at the youth. "Why are you here?"
The towel is taken and he'll kneel down to start soaking up water, pushing the fabric around on the wet floor with both hands, not minding that his shorts are getting a bit wet around the knees. He answers her as he works, sparing a gesture over his shoulder as he murmurs, "I brought over some more information on the particle, the gweilou?" Or what the Russians had called it.
He gets the towel good and sopping wet, then rises up to twist it into the sink, arms tensing as he grimaces and lets the water sluice out. Unless, of course, the sink isn't set to accept water. Then he'll find another receptacle. Probably by following Elena.
Keiko steps back to give Caden access to the sink, bending to help her daughter finish the task. "Get the wash basket, estrella. We'll put the towels in it."
"Si Mama. When will Papa be home?" She asks as she toddles off.
There's no thank you from Keiko as Caden works. He might be used to that type of behaviour though.
"The Gweilou? Particle? What do you mean?" She's not heard of anything called that. Clearly he's been doing research though.
"Do you want vodka?" Or a drink. He could probably ask for something else but Russian house. Vodka it is.
Elena returns with a washing basket that she sets of the floor. "Put the towel in there, I'll put the wash on later."
Once the towel's wrung out he'll soak up some more, kneeling down in front of Keiko and pushing the fabric around, getting most of it up as he spares a nod towards Elena but this time couched with a smile. He straightens up, rising… much taller than Keiko though not as tall as Piotr of course.
The towel makes a small splat as it's tossed in and he leans back against the counter and nods to her, arms folding over his chest, "That particle that seemed to react to abilities that Koa brought over? I've been digging into that some."
But then he waves off the offer of a drink, "But I'm fine, thanks. I figured I'd just stop by for a second and deliver that. Tried to call up Illyana, but she's sometimes incommunicado." No judgment there.
"Are you doing okay? Is there anything I can do or get you?" He gestures with a nod towards the door, offering to run some errands if needs be.
Keiko is tiny, in stature and build but somehow that doesn't make seem … less. It might be the ink that covers her arms and torso. Or the brand that's visible on her stomach. Or … it might be the slitted eyes that are so like a cats or a lizards.
"Oh. That. Koa didn't tell me the name but we went looking for information in Limbo yesterday. I think … it was yesterday. Time moves differently there."
Not getting an answer about vodka, the peruvian takes the bottle from the freezer and pours tumblers full, shoving one in Cadens direction.
She doesn't seem to think to ask if he's old enough.
"Illyana is often uncontactable." She agrees as Elena tugs at her pants. "I don't know when Papa will be home, estrella. Come, you were doing some colouring weren't you?" Effortlessly, she scoops the girl up and gestures for Caden to follow her to the lounge.
His question gets the strangest of looks - it's not like she's going admit to a weakness. "I am well. Busy. I started with WAND this week."
In the lounge, Elena wriggles to get free and takes up the pencils and paper that are on the other side of the table, settling down as Keiko takes a seat. "And Mama is practicing her reading …" she announces. Traitor.
"What did you find? Can I ask?"
The chestnut brown-haired youth's lips part as if about to protest but then all of a sudden he has a tumbler of vodka in his hand. It would be rude now that it's poured so he takes a deep breath, perhaps seeming a little worn and ragged as he does so. But then a small 'heh' slips from him and he nods, "Thank you."
That said he lifts it to his lips and takes a sip. Then widens his eyes a little. But after that he holds it as he keeps to his place, leaning against the counter until Keiko steps out of the kitchen carrying the wiggleworm Elena.
Caden half-smiles to Elena, "That's good of her, you should practice your reading too." His tone curves up at the end, affecting a small hint of child-like speech for the kid.
Following after he says now to Keiko, "Just more of the details, metrics that might be important. Locations and coordinates of experimentations. Might be nothing, but data is data." He offers that comment as he moves over to where he left the thumb-drive, picks it up and extends it towards her. "If you could be so kind as to get that to one of them? I'd appreciate it."
Caden, Keiko and Elena are in the lounge room, sitting. Elena is drawing, Keiko and Caden are drinking vodka talking. There's a basket with wet towels in the kitchen and it looks like a faucet had sprung a leak again.
On the back on the couch is a WAND jacket - Keiko sized. On the coffee table, readers and a folder with a WAND logo.
Keiko gives Caden as slightly flat look. "Details, I see. Koa and I … we found some books in Illyana's library what we found is strange. It said something about anchoring an enchantment to living beings but used as a punishment sometimes - feeding to traitors and captive to it."
The peruvian sighs and pulls her legs under her. "The Nightfall had stories of something similar but they were ancient and not used by the time they took me." She rolls her eyes at Elena, given Caden another look "She reads better than I do but yes, she should. Hank has set her up a program."
Arms folding over his chest, Caden tilts his head to the side and listens to Keiko, "Whatever it is," He offers up, "It looks like major bad news and I'd like to help more…" He tilts his head the other way, almost looking like a curious labrador retriever, "Thing is I think I've exhausted this line of inquiry. My crawlers are coming back with nothing to show for it, or false negatives."
He takes a deep breath then shakes his head, "Anyways. That's all I was wanting to bother you with. I don't mean to take up too much of your time." And as he says that he stifles a small yawn, shaking his head as the day seems to weigh a touch heavily upon him.
"You sure there isn't anything I can do? Any errand I can run or the like?" Since he is ever so helpful.
"Keep looking. Cross reference, I think that's the right word, your searches with the Nightfall." Does Caden even know what she's talking about? Keiko's certainly assumed that he does.
"If I bleed on a Nightfall talisman, I can detect a network of something here on Earth. Not phased like Stelae. We'll go looking, Koa and me. I'm not sure it will give us anything but more questions."
Pushing her hair back again, Keiko looks as Caden yawns "Maybe you should go and sleep…" beat "Is everything alright? You aren't bothering me and unless you want to read this WAND manual and tell me what it says, I think we're ok. Unless… "
She glances at Elena "Did you finish the ice cream, pequena?" Elena nods solemnly "I did, Mama…"
Someone has her Mothers and Aunts tastes.
"I…" Caden listens as she explains bout Nightfall, and talismans, and a network of Stelae and he sort of watches her blankly for a little bit. His smile comes nervously as he rubs the back of his neck thoughtfully. Then, apologetically he offers, "M'sorry, I don't know those things you're mentioning. But I mean, I can add them in to the pulls. Nightfall? Stelae."
He makes a mental note in regards to them and things for a time before, "Nah, been… nah I'm fine. Will be fine." The young Mr. Pryde grins a little and shrugs a bit.
Though Elena joins in on the conversation and he smiles, "Ok you guys want me to grab some more ice cream? I think I can manage that much at least." He digs into the pockets of his shorts and jangles out the keys to his borrowed car.
There's the soft whisper of bare feet as Illyana comes down from upstairs where the bedrooms are. The usually black-clad woman is in a pair of pale shorts and tank top with blonde hair slightly mussed and the blinkblinkblinking of someone just waking up.
Illyana doesn't tend to sleep much. As in, she'll go days without. But eventually it catches up with her. Her head comes up as she hears Caden's voice and pauses, blinking at peering at him.
Well. Now who's having odd dreams?
"No. We'll go out in a bit and grab some. It'll do us good to get out, won't it estrella?" Keiko doesn't know when Piotr will be home and lately she's been burning the candle at … all points along it.
"Stelae. We told you that, yes? The pillars that have just appeared around New York. Where we found that fragment. They're not in phase with this dimension… " She shakes her head and shrugs a little. "I'm just a soldier, I don't understand most of this. Point at me something and let me hit it with my staff or set my spirits on it. That's what I'm good at. And skinning demons who annoy me."
"The Nightfall are the cult who took me as a child. I was about Elena's age when they did. The tattooes … are they're doing. The revere a splinter lord called Plokta as did I, till Illyana claimed me." That's got to freak the youth out, right?
The peruvian stills though as Illyana comes down the stairs. Without turning to look "Hello Illyana. Did you want vodka?" How did she know she was there?
Lips parting in a small 'ah' of understanding, Caden nods to her and murmurs, "No I hadn't heard of either before now. But hm, that might help me with the digging if I can use those as other information vectors. Plokta, hm." Already the wheels are turning for the young X-Man as he taps a fingertip to his lps thoughtfully.
Then there's a small double-take as he murmurs, "Wait, claimed you?"
But then he lifts his eyes across the way and espies Illyana. His brow knits then he gives a nod followed by an exhalation along with a smile as he offers, "Hey, Illy." See, nothing untoward here. He clears his throat a little and gestures, "I was just stopping by, delivering some more data." Since that is a normal thing to do.
Towards Keiko he nods, "It's good vodka." Yes, since he knows bad from good. He takes another sip.
The offer of vodka gets a hand waved. "Coffee." Even though coffee wasn't offered, and is something that takes some making, she says it like it's on the table of options.
The blonde's path veers off so she can pass by Elena, ruffling the child's hair lightly before moving over to join Caden and Keiko. "Keiko and Koa are usually the ones neck-deep in the magical problems with me." She doesn't say that she's in neck-deep with them, even if they do most of the legwork.
Illyana doesn't ruffle Caden's hair, but she does touch his shoulder lightly, a fingertip lifting to slide against his throat before she sits down with a sigh and scrubs at her eyes. The not-sleeping thing has been a habit since Caden first met her. A lot of folks at Xavier's surmised her 'bitchiness' came from lack of sleep.
The coffee gets a look from the peruvian but she nods and uncurls from the couch. It takes a few moments before she returns with a cup, the vodka bottle and a spare tumbler. Just in case.
Elena hugs Illyana leg as the blonde ruffles her hair. "Tetya, see …" she holds up a drawing. "It is you and Papa… yes …" She might have Piotrs skill from the look of it.
"Claimed me yes…." Keiko says quite innocently, touching the black leather collar with silvery pink lines that runs through it. The collar that has melded with her skin. "I no longer worship Plokta because of it."
Clear as mud. Truly.
"Magical problems. We are making slow ground, Illyana. We think there's an answer keyed to the Nightfall and my … blood."
Which is interesting.
As Illyana passes by, Caden smiles to her a little, and can't help but blush even a little more. He shifts his grip twice on his cup of vodka and then turns to sit back leaning against the wall there all non-chalant because really, that's just how he is. Caden's a cool guy.
Toward Keiko he nods and ahems, "I see, understandable really." He does not see. But he does not press either and so he takes another drink of vodka. Since really it's the vodka that's causing his features to colour. He takes another sip before speaking.
"Well, I suppose I don't need the big picture really. I just need more avenues to pursue." He grins over at Keiko and says, "And you've given me some, so." There's a pause and then he adds in a weak voice. "Yay."
Illyana Rasputina gives a small huff of amusement at Caden. But not the blushing, though that gets a slow smirk.
"The big picture is the most important part." Illyana disagrees. "It lets you make connections and bridge knowledge gaps instead of just being a wizbang data retrieval service.
The blonde wipes her hand down her face and then accepts the coffee doctored with cream and sugar from Keiko. "You like stories, Caden. And you probably haven't heard Keiko's own Heroes Journey."
Leaning back in her chair, Illyana sips at her coffee but doesn't wait for Keiko to start. Keiko is liable to give a bullet pointed 'just the facts, ma'am' version. "Plokta is Splinter Lord. Nebulous being of phenomenal power in his own realm. Nightfall is a cult that worshipped him in exchange for power, like Keiko's tattoos. Nightfall grows its numbers by kidnapping children. At some point, our friend here decided to leave."
Now Illyana does look to Keiko, because the Peruvian hasn't been particularly talkabive about those intervening years.
"Illyana is right." Keiko agrees "I can't fix this house if I just look at the taps. Knowing the house, her nature, helps me do a better job." The house has a personality for Keiko, that much is clear. "It's the same with most things. I wouldn't try to learn a new fighting style, without seeing the end result first."
That might make more sense to Caden, when she thinks on it. She also knows how important it is to feel a part of something.
"Mine is not a Heroes Journey." The peruvian shakes her head. She doesn't talk about those years. Not even to Piotr. Though Koa and Illyana might have got more from her there.
"Plokta is the giver of mere wishers. Those who trade their souls are given their hearts desire. We … us children … were taken to form his army and depending on our … what's that work? Attitude?" She means aptitude "Depended on what we did. Me. I was stubborn, so they made me master the spirits of the creatures they marked with me."
That much everyone knows. "After I ran, I found my way here … and discovered not long ago they were active here. That's how I met Koa. Then Illyana. Then Piotr."
There's a glance to Illyana. "I'm no hero. Just a soldier who wants to make amends."
As Illyana speaks, Caden watches her and nods though he does look back towards Keiko, "If you would that would probably help." He's not going to deny the Russian woman's sentiment about needing the larger picture since really… she's right. So he takes another small sip of vodka and spares just long enough to eyeball it as if some sort of alien face had appeared in the bottom of the glass, more surprised at the efficacy of it than anything else though.
Given some notes by Illy he hrms and looks after back to Keiko to listen on her relaying that story of hers in her own inimitable way. A small 'ah', soft, comes from him as she mentions the spirits and markings. Then he nods.
"There are worse reasons for trying to do the right thing, Keiko."
Illyana Rasputina snorts softly, pointing at Keiko with the hand that holds her coffee mug. "*That*, is why we don't let you tell your own story." She chides before looking back to Caden. "Plokta and the Nightfall *were* making a push here. If you look back through some of the school's records, some of the kids that were going missing were mutants, and so some of the X-Men were working to take them on."
Illyana give a short laugh, then. "I even got a visit from the Batman, looking for my help on the problem." Another sip of her coffee. "So, guess he's not really a myth."
Circling back to the story, she continues. "While various hero-types were looking to stop the Nightfall here, that's like treating the symptoms, not the disease. They still had Plokta feeding them power and support. We had to break that. So. Using Koa's ability as a magical battery, and Keiko's connection to Plokta, we pulled a con on a third Splinter Lord that had a bone to pick with Plokta to use his power to strike a blow at the Giver of Mere Wishes and make it look like Nightfall had betrayed him."
Illyana watches Keiko over the rim of her cup as she drinks to see how the Peruvian will spin her part in that particular endeavor.
"It was the right thing to do, Illyana." Keiko murmurs, looking down at her lap, discomfitted. She shakes her head trying to move the focus from her. She'd survived for so long by being unseen.
Elena puts down her drawing and crawls into her mothers lap, resting her head against the peruvians chest. Keiko's arms close about her as kisses the girls head. It's the most affection anyone has seen Keiko give … ever.
"They were. I saw the signs and asked Koa to help me." That's how all this started really. Illyana's explanation has her touching that collar again. "That's when Illyana claimed me. Gave me this collar so she didn't have to funnel all her power through me. " Poor, poor Caden. "But she's right. She used me to connect the third Splinter Lord to Plokta. I didn't do much except lay there … as the power ran through me."
"Illyana was the one who took the bigger risk, by imitating one Plokta's minions. If it had failed…" They all would have … well, there are worse things than death.
Caden takes sweet comfort in his dear friend booze as he listens to the retelling of events now from Illyana's perspective. His features are a touch flushed, but he is managing well, looking back and forth between the young women and nodding at points when they impart a piece of information. He tilts his head and hrms, "One sec."
After a moment he digs into his left pocket and pulls out his phone, just swiping it to life with one thumb and he starts to actually make notes on things, even holding up a hand and asking, "How do you spell Plokta?" Just in case there are any hidden letters there.
But he records the important information, the names, their relations to each other. Koa as a batter is also interesting. Also a small note, 'Batman=real, yay' and he goes on for a time.
Looking up he tilts his head sidelong towards Keiko. Illyana, collar, claimed. That's not really noted he swipes that back and deletes. "Sounds like you guys have been through a lot together." He looks over at Illyana and for a moment there's a hint of that warmth from back in school, hearing about her helping others. Of course it's helping others in hell and damnation. Still.
Illyana Rasputina shifts so she can stretch out her legs, putting them in Caden's lap, looking over at Elena in Keiko's lap and one of those rare, real smiles of hers surfaces.
As Keiko finishes her part of the retelling, Illyana takes over, pale gaze on Keiko. "No, you didn't have to do much." The blonde adds in a murmur. "Just suffer more than a human mind can take. Go into it knowing the odds of getting out alive are slim. And manage to not panic."
Illyana looks back over to Caden. "I chose to stack the odds in favor of her getting out of it alive. I linked Koa with Keiko, so he could share some of her burden in the hopes it would keep her from burning up from the power. I used a pair of collars with traces of Limbo's Promethium, so I could avoid placing spells directly on *them*." Because that's just opening them up to Limbo's corruption.
"It worked. Everyone made it out alive." Illyana sets aside her mug, opting to follow it up with vodka. Everyone has their breakfast of choice. "But there were… side effects."
While Illyana doesn't outright say the words, certainly her version of the story carries praise for the small Peruvian.
If Keiko notices the smile she doesn't show it. But it's clear to anyone who watches she's not just protective of the child, there's true affection there. Caden won't understand why that brings a smile but it's an important part of the spirit callers growth.
There's a nod "My spirits fought me when the spell was cast. They tried to tear me apart from the inside." There's faint scars all over the peruvian, many looking like claw marks and bites - that might explain them. "But … anytime Koa hurts, I feel it. Anytime I hurt, he does. And … it's why Illyana's demons took me to be Piotrs consort."
"I don't know how to spell Plokta." she admits. "As it sounds?"
"We spent seven years in Limbo together, Elena came from that. We didn't know if we'd ever get back or if Illyana would be found. When Koa came for us, he … " She sighs, shifting carefully to show her back and silvery tattoo of an imp that covers it - neck to hip. "I bound an Limbo demon to me."
She is more Illyana's than any might know.
Not seeming to mind, Caden rests a hand on Illyana's legs, as if making sure they don't fall off if the earth suddenly shifted gears or lost orbit. He does listen to her fairly openly, nodding, "Tell me more about Promethium?" He asks as he also makes a note of that. It's almost just like Chemistry class, since he always had his nose dug into his spiral notebook scribbling away taking down most everything the teacher said.
As Keiko finishes describing what they went through, Caden sits up a little more comfortably and crosses a leg over the other, discombobulating Illyana's legs a little but needs must. He frowns and looks to them both, his own thoughts turned a little inward at how it is a lot to absorb. "It sounds like you made a lot of hard decisions to be able to make it here this far."
A look to Illy and he says, "And you're dealing with the hand you've been dealt."
Illyana Rasputina gives Caden a thin smile. This one's more in line with her sardonic nature. "Just trying to do what I figure good people do." Because Illyana doesn't feel that pull to doing what's Right. Her own impulse likely would have been to just stay in Limbo. Deal with her own problems.
But Piotr wouldn't have just stood by, and he's long been her guiding star. She just does it with a bit more conscious effort than most people.
Besides, she has a particular annoyance with those that kidnap children.
Illyana's toes wiggle in Caden's lap, pinching him lightly as she curls them in towards the ball of her foot. "Promethium is…" Illyana frowns a bit as she mulls over how to explain. "It is like the sun is to the Earth. The source of life and power made manifest into metal. The source of it is what is called the Heart of Limbo. An intricate lock to the prison of the Great Old Ones."
"I … I just want to make up for the evil I did." Keiko answers quietly, turning back and settling Elena against her again, legs tucked up under her. Take the collar, the brand and the tattooes and she'd look quite normal, really.
"I don't know how I absorbed the Promethium but I have." Illyana explains what it is. "There's only a certain amount, that's right isn't it?" What she hasn't said and possibly won't is just how all this is corrupting her.
There's a look to Illyana at the mention of the lock. "A lock that many would like to open …" How much has she told Caden. Keiko knows this is priveleged information.
The last few notes are transcribed and Caden nods toward Illyana as he shifts to the side a little to more easily look at them both, though he does shift his hand down to cover her feet when she starts getting all mischievous. "Hm, so very important, and very impactful." He gives her toe a pinch in silent reprisal, but then looks over at Keiko.
As she holds the child and mentions what she had done in the past, Caden's moved to offer a gentle smile and tell her quietly, "I think you are doing that right now." With Elena, and her efforts to help others.
Then she mentions others seeking to prey upon the prison of the Old Ones and he nods and murmurs, "We've run into our fair share of people that want to just destroy whatever they can't control." A glance is spared to Illyana to see if she agrees with his sentiment.
Illyana Rasputina tilts her head in a nod to Caden. "We have. But that's not what Keiko meant."
The blonde draws a deep breath before letting it out. "When I was just a child and Belasco had me, he wooed me with the story of my 'great destiny'. He merged my essence, my soul, with the Heart as a way to open that lock and free the Great Old Ones. And he's not alone in wanting their release." That Koa has apparently become mixed up in that is a story however, for another day.
Keiko doesn't smile. She hasn't since she came back from Limbo even while she was there. There's no joy for the spirit caller but it seems she might have found some … peace. "I joined WAND. I want to make more of a difference." Koa had argued with her about it. Piotr … isn't happy. Yet, Keiko is very, very stubborn.
"The story is for Illyana to share but someone wants that lock and they'll do anything to get it. Including using us to get to her. However, the stelae, the thing you're working on? It's all related."
Caden's eyebrows rise as his eyes widen and he says faintly, "Oh." But then he looks at Illyana with renewed curiousity, "Oh!" As if some things make sense now or are falling into plac. He frowns them and takes a deep breath. "Is there any way that can be undone? Or that you can shift the burden to another?"
He turns pale greenish eyes upon Keiko and he nods at the WAND comment, is feelings on the matter of them likely know. But he is starting to warm to them. As a concept. Perhaps. He does reply to the last few words she says, however. "Well it's nice then to now have some perspective."
"And…" He looks thoughtful for a time before looking back to them, "A few more vectors to pursue for information."
"I'm not a huge fan of SHIELD." Illyana admits. Mostly, that's because they keep assigning people in her life to remote, classified assignments. It's getting annoying. "But WAND has, so far, been helpful. Getting new IDs for various reasons for myself, Keiko, Elena, Piotr, Mikhail…" Some of them being older than they should be. Or lacking ID and being from other countries. Or y'know, they didn't exist before. "Also, more concerned with the big-picture sort of thing, like saving the world over who controls what."
As to undoing what's been done to Illyana? The blonde shakes her head. "Nothing I've found." She's incentivized to look into it again though, to see how to break Koa free from however he's somehow been bound to the Heart.
Keiko dips her head at Illyana's comment. It might be telling that Keiko hadn't *asked* anyone if she could do this. She'd told Piotr, not too long ago, that being claimed by Illyana had given her more freedom than she'd experienced in her life.
In a way that's so very true. She'd felt free to make this decision on her own.
"We're looking and I won't let anything happen to my family." the peruvian says quietly, shifting again to put her feet on the ground. With practiced ease she stands, holding Elena close - the child has dozed off. "I'm going to put her to bed and then clean up the mess in the kitchen. I thought I might ask Hank if he wants to go out with us tomorrow. Maybe Elena would like Coney Island. You're…." It's a shy look she casts to the pair sitting there "… welcome to join us, if you want."
She leaves them both sitting there. Keiko recognises when people want to be alone together.