Who: Clarice, Illyana and Kitty What: Relaxing in London When: After Cerberus, before the Reaper stuff Where: London Status: Complete Rating: PG-13 for some flirting and Illyana being a little dark.
No more adventures would be great, Kitty thought. For a whole week. Just a week. That would be nice! She was very glad to be back at the house. Graymalkin was nice, but she didn’t want to spend too much time up there.
Clarice came into the kitchen, and grabbed a beer out of the fridge.
Illyana was flopped on the couch, waving a hand as she hummed and wrote down notes on a song, and glancing at the two. “You two are quiet. Is very scary.”
Kitty gave her a smile. “A little over the whole idea of noise.”
Clarice snorted and opened her beer. For the moment she appeared very logan-like. It made Kitty laugh.
Illyana sighed and snapped her tail in a lashing movement, levitating a beer out of the fridge to her hand, where her tail pulled off the top. “Perhaps quiet fun is the name of the game, then.” She nodded.
Kitty rolled her eyes, and resumed digging into her cereal. She gave Clarice a smirk.
The pink girl sauntered over to Illyana and hugged her. “Maybe. I don’t know.” She was feeling a little off today. A little useless, a little bored, but glad for being bored.
Illyana arched eyebrows at both and poked Clarice. She nodded. “We could go wandering?” The two of them both looked and sounded down and Illyana didn’t like that. BUt she had no idea what to do about it. People were not her strong point.
Clarice smiled. "That sounds good. Haven't been sleeping well. I could use the fresh air."
"Maybe. Wandering where?" kitty asked, playing with her spoon.
“The open air market, the farmer and flea market in London, I have pictures and coordinates.” She smiled at Clarice and Kitty. “It could be fun!”
That perked Kitty up immediately. “London sounds awesome!”
“I guess we’re going to London,” Clarice said, with a laugh. “Let us get dressed.”
“No hanky panky in London,” Kitty said, jokingly. She didn’t really mind. She was heavily attracted to someone but she didn’t know where that was going, so she wasn’t going to be jealous that people that weren’t her was getting hanky panky.
“Not talking about Hanky Panky. Talking about dragging you two out to actually breathe new air and just have fun. Now get dressed or you get dragged out as is.” Illyana nodded and winked.
Clarice portaled into her room to change. She checked the weather and dressed lightly. Kitty had to run into her room the old fashioned way, but she still managed to dress quicker. She didn’t need to check the weather. She knew it changed every five minutes anyway, so she dressed lightly and took a light coat just in case.
Illyana slipped into sexy underthings and a sundress, and grabbed a jacket and shoes, then waited, having planned ahead, and having her stuff waiting behind where she sat. She grinned. She hoped the two of them would enjoy the day out.
“Ready.” Kitty stretched as she walked into the living room, giving Illyana a grin. She loved sundresses. They were fun. Not her kind of thing to wear, but they were fun to admire.
Even if Clarice looked momentarily distracted. “Ohm..uhm...”
Illyana chuckled and kissed Clarice. “Can I drive this time? I’ve been practicing.” A silvery disk slowly formed on the floor. “I found the perfect place to start. But you should bring us home!” She grinned and bounced, rather aware of what that did in the sundress.
“That’s okay.” Clarice covered Kitty’s eyes and stepped into the disk.
The brunette laughed, her accent shifting a little as she got into British mode. She’d spend so much time there that it was really easy to adopt the accent. And a lot of fun. “Lets just go!”
Illyana laughed then stepped in and then the disk swept over them and they were standing next to a vacant storefront, mostly shielded from others on the street by the hedges to either side. The sun was still crawling up one side of the sky, here, and fog lurked in one direction, even as a gentle breeze ruffled their hair and Illyana’s dress.
The sounds of other people came to them as Illyana led the way out of the little nook and pointed. Just a few blocks away was the open air market. “There it be!”
Kitty rubbed her hands and then started to jog towards it. The familiar smells and sounds of London, combined with the open air market brought tears to her eyes. For the first time in awhile she felt like she belonged somewhere, and the rest of the world was far away.
Clarice slipped her arm around Illyana and leaned her head on her shoulder. “This was a good idea.”
“I hope so. Come on. Let’s keep up. Hopefully Kitty remembers something that she likes here.” Ilyana nodded. “I have always wanted to come here a lot. But it was not on the way where I was going. With the Cancer and all. Now, with you, and the Dreams, I can.” She nodded.
She walked after Kitty with her arm around Clarice, smiling. No matter what else, this was a good start.
“I could use it. I really could. I’ve started having the nightmares again. The same ones, just...repeating, all over again.” She shrugged her shoulder. Maybe she’d talk about it on the network sometime. Not everything. But a lot of it. It wasn’t good to keep it all inside.
Kitty was bouncing from stall to stall, a little like an unleashed tornado. “Shit.” she stopped and pulled out her phone. “Hey guys, give me a sec and I can set our cards to transfer from dollars to pounds.”
“I’m sorry. I have not had my worst nightmares for some time, but I remember them vividly. I hope yours go away again.” SHe hugged Clarice hard and kissed her cheek, before chuckling at the Kitty antics.
“Really? This is good. I had forgotten about that.” Illyana blushed and facepalmed. She was still new to traveling like this. Back in the dream world, she had not done it a lot, and here, she was just stretching her wings.
“I’d really like that.” Clarice didn’t mind seeing her dream friends again. Despite everything, there were times she felt so alone - there was no one else who experienced the things she experienced. Not that anyone else’s experiences were less valid.
“Okay I’m good. We’ll just use my card and you guys can pay me back.” She’d just not tell them the exchange rate, so they would end up saving money.
Illyana gave Kitty a big hug for that, and grinned. “Lets explore! Time to see all the things! With our very own Kittyguide.” She nodded.
Grinning, Kitty nodded. She took their hands and started to lead them through the market, pointing out what was a good deal and what was cool, and what wasn’t.
Clarice let herself be dragged along, sharing a grin with Illyana.
Illyana gripped Kitty’s hand and grinned over at Clarice, listening to Kitty and oohing at things. She laughed when she saw a complete series collection of Magnum P.I., and eyed Kitty. “Remember when we were googoo about him in the other universe?”
“Yeah.” She looked at it and snerked. “At least it’s on dvd. I wouldn’t be surprised to find some old VHS collections in a place like this.”
“What’s VHS,” Clarice joked.
Illyana laughed, then chuckled as she glanced around. “Some of the tapes we had at the mansion were worn out by the time we finished watching them. Silly materials.” She stroked Clarice’s hip with one hand. smiling over at her as she peered at the tables. One held pretty fabric that she hmmed at, stroking it. And another sharp little daggers and knives of kinds, and she hmmed louder at those.
Kitty looked the knives over, and wrinkled her nose. “Cheap crap made to look like really...hello what’s this..” She picked up a Japanese tanto style dagger, with what felt like a bone handle, intricately carved. She unsheathed it, testing the sharpness and then sucking her thumb. “Still cheap crap, but pretty cheap crap.” She looked at the vendor and started t negotiate.
Because this wasn’t cheap crap, but she wasn’t going to let on that she knew it was real.
Clarice turned away from the show to look through some stalls herself. She didn’t see anything she liked, herself.
Illyana peered around, and sidled up to Clarice, stroking a hand along her hip. “How are you?” Her voice was soft. She liked getting out, but she wanted Clarice to enjoy this too.
“I’m feeling better,” Clarice said, voice nearly as soft. She nuzzled her cheeks a little bit. “It’s nice to get out. I see why she likes this city. I’d prefer something a little more tropic though.” There were times that she missed Miami.
“We should go there, next, somewhere more scenic? I want to do things with you. Get away from Orange County and just be us, you know?” She smiled and stroked Clarice’s arm, soft reassuring touches. “Maybe see if we can cause a little trouble, have a little fun, in weird cities all over?”
Each stroke was more and more reassuring. “I’d like that. You know I haven’t been to Miami since I was a kid? I’d like to start there. I think the Florida sun is always in your blood, even if you’ve been gone a long time.”
“Then we should do that. Any place that makes you happy like that is a place I want to know.” She also was pondering something new. She and Clarice were teleporters, and could, well, could live anywhere and go anywhere when they worked. So what would prevent them from living elsewhere? Hmmm.
“I just hope my glasses aren’t that rose colored.” She grinned at her lover. “Miami could be a cesspool by now!”
“If it is, we can do other things. Go other places. Together, we can do anything, love.” Illyana kissed her then, thoroughly, but not too long. Just enough to put all her emotion into it. She waved a hand around then. “Come on. We can wander some more then find a British pub to try the food in!”
Kitty walked up, looking smug with herself as she slipped the Tanto into the waistband of her pants. "Did someone say pub? I know just the one, too. Once we're done wandering."
"Just tell us where and we'll get you there." Clarice threaded her arm through Illyana's.
“Da.” She snagged Kitty’s arm in her own and smiled. “We shall be the three musletears, yes?” Okay, she was still behind on a few things. She rarely made those mistakes these days.
“Only sexier,” Kitty agreed, wrapping her arm around Illyana’s shoulder and squeezing. She kissed her cheek. “I saw this booth I think you’ll like. They have all these old russian looking nick nacks. Dunno if they’re real.”
Illyana’s eyebrows rose and she nodded. “We should look then. Could be something we can use around the house. Or nothing. Some things imported are always trash.” Illyana shook her head. “BUt lead on and I will follow, oh Shadowy Kitty Cat.”
“But sometimes you find a real treasure,” she replied, patting the knife, before turning to saunter towards the booth she’d noticed earlier.
Clarice rolled her eyes. “Maybe we’ll find something cheesy to gift to people.”
Illyana nodded, and glanced aside, voice soft again. “As long as we all have fun, and enjoy this time, I don’t care if we find nothing. Sometimes, that’s all that matters, being a family.” She kissed Clarice and then strolled after Kitty, letting her hips sway with every ounce of sexy she could muster.
Clarice paused long enough to watch, then followed, grinning to herself, with that sort of look of woman who was so happy to be with a woman as hot as that. “Well, we are a family.”
“Da.” Illyana peered at the table, hmming as she let her eyes slide along the items there, mostly junk, until she found a teal Russian style shawl and lifted it and laid it over Clarice’s shoulders, eyes warm. “Da, indeed.” The shawl added a sheer sexiness to the shoulders of Illyana’s fiance and She smirked. “What do you think, Kitty?”
“That’s beautiful! And complementary.” Kitty gave them a thumbs up. “At least you’re not Green, Clarice.”
“God, that would be even worse to accessorize.”
Illyana smiled. “BIngo. We’ll take it.” She moved to the table and haggled the woman in a fast paced mixture of Russian and English. She finally paid, and nodded as she turned to Clarice. “Perfect.” She was happy to have found something for her fiance. Now as long as the pub was good this would all be perfect.
“Okay, I think I’m ready to hit that pub,” Kitty said. She gave Illyana the address, and stepped closer. “They have amazing food, too. I’m starving!”
Clarice fingered the shawl, then nuzzled it.
Illyana touched them both and smile softly as she looked at them, the silvery light of the stepping disk strong as it formed around them. And they it swept over them and they vanished, and reappeared outside the pub, Illyana pushing herself to make the silvery light muted as they stepped from it. Thankfully, people were busy and no one noticed more people arriving. Until they were striding toward the pub. There might have been a few whistles then.
Kitty threw a little swank into her walked, and led the way in. It smelled the way she remembered it, and looked about the same. It was reassuring. She grabbed them a corner booth and slid into the middle of one side, leaving the other side to the couple. Clarice slid in first.
Illyana followed suit, her walk emphasizing how the sun dress accentuated her hips and her chest, and her smile warm but not encouraging any approaches. She settled in across from Kitty and next to Clarice, settling with a satisfied hmmm, as her arm around around her. “So are pubs like restaurants where you order from a menu?”
“Kind of. Basically it’s like a bar back home, but ...British. So you have drinks, and bar food. British bar food, with his a lot different than bar food back home.” Kitty rubbed her hands together. “I look forward to that.”
“I hope I like it.” Clarice leaned into Illyana.
“If all else fails, fish and chips.”
“Fish and chips sounds really good, actually. I’m starving!” Illyana snuggled Clarice and grinned at Kitty bouncy. “What’s the best British beer?” Oh dear. Illyana might just be aiming for drunkness!
Kitty squinted at them. “Maybe we need a designated porter.”
Clarice laughed. “Only if you let us bring some home.”
“That could be good! Drink a little here, take the rest home for later consumption while we watch silly movies and monster movies.” Illyana would like that, yes.
Kitty sighed happily. British pub, new ninja weapon, and two of her best friends in the world. Today couldn’t get much better. She’d really needed this. “I love you guys.”
Clarice snorted. “I’ll be writing down how much you both drink so I can catch up.”
“Love you too Kittybutt.” Illyana grinned, then poked Clarice. “Love you muchly, mine.” And she nodded, eyes bright. “I want pub food and pub drinks with my family. You two are the best.” Her soon to be wife and her best friend. She was lucky.
Kitty raised her hand to flag someone down. “Let me order.” And she slipped into a more local accent, which wasn’t that hard to do. She’d practically assimilated in both worlds the times she’d lived here.
Clarice rolled her eyes, and giggled.
Illyana chuckled as Kitty ordered in a Brit accent and winked at Clarice, poking her lightly, just under her breasts. “No giggles.” BUt she stuck her tongue out at her anyway, bouncing. This was fun.
In the light of the pub, Illyana’s sundress was definitely even more emphasizing of her chest, something Illyana knew and ignored.
Clarice found herself a little distracted by the bouncing. She smiled dumbly.
Kitty smirked, and leaned forward on her hands and gazed at them both. “You two are so cute, you know that?”
Illyana leaned forward as well. smirking, her cleavage noticeably more enhanced by doing so, and noticeably more revealed, close up, to Kitty and Clarice. “Da. We are, and so are you.”
She nodded. “I am glad I got this idea from Carlos. He came in the shop the other day.”
“Yeah? How did that happen?” Kitty asked, grabbing for her ale when it arrived. A pint, a genuine pint! Her kingdom for a pint...
Clarice squashed a flare of jealousy at Illyana flirting. It didn’t really bother her. Much.
Illyana snuggled Clarice close, and smiled. She sipped her ale and mmmmed. “This is good.” She kissed Clarice’s cheek softly. She might flirt lightly with Kitty, but never intentionally more than the smile and flash kind. She was, and always would be, Clarice’s girl.
“Told you.” Kitty puffed out her chest proudly. “The food is even better, promise!” She sat back, then waited until Clarice was taking a sip before adding. “So when do I get to be the best man?”
Clarice started coughing.
Illyana hmmed, then chuckled. “Soon, likely.” She glanced sidelong at Clarice. “If someone finds a ring.” She smirked wider.
And groped Clarice’s thigh under the table.
With her tail.
“I’mlooking!” Clarice patted her chest and then wiped her face, her legs opening a little under the table. She closed them just as quickly, shooting a warning look at Illyana. It wasn’t much of a warning look, to be honest.
Part of Kitty wished she’d known what it was like to be married longer than a day, but had been one of the best days of her life. She was oddly grateful the bad things had happened after midnight. Her wedding day itself wouldn’t be forever tainted.
That tail stroked inquisitively as Illyana smiled to both of them. “Da. But it will happen. Then we can work on making the whole world sick of our cuteness.” She nodded.
“I think we already are. Buuuuut I also think there needs to be more cuteness to combat the ugliness of everything that’s been happening.” Which might be part of the reason she started developing a crush on Rikku but she’d been not letting herself consider that for a bit now.
Clarice shivered a little, hiding her face behind her own drink and fogging the glass a little it as she did so.
“Cuteness is good.” Illyana snuggled Clarice close and downed more of her drink, grinning as she maybe spilled a little itsy bit on Clarice’s shirt. A little small amount.
"Yana..." Clarice whined, and then pulled Illyana's head in. "Lick that off!"
It was Kitty's turn to choke!
Illyana didn’t hesitate, and her tongue slid out, across her shirt, and maybe into her cleavage, even as her tail slid up to stroke between Clarice’s legs, teasingly. She smirked as she did it, her falling forward dress completely affording a clear view of her breasts to both Kitty and Clarice now.
Clarice caught Illyana’s tail and stroked the tip lightly as she put her arm around the woman. She watched Kitty’s eyes dart between the two of them and smirked.
Illyana shuddered at that stroking and the tail tip stroked in her hands lightly, even as Illyana’s tongue found her skin again and slid across it, softly, followed by teeth, wondering if this shirt opened enough to reach those nipples and...
A man cleared his throat as he set food down on the table. "Here you go, ladies. Before you start getting indecent. At least do it closer to the window so I can lure more people in." He winked, and then walked away while Kitty sank into her chair, hiding.
Illyana hmmed and glanced toward the window then up at Clarice with an upraised eyebrow. How bold was Clarice feeling today? BUt then she snaked out her tail from Clarice’s grasp and snagged a sausage surreptitiously.
Kitty smacked her fist into her chest to clear her throat, then grabbed for her fish. “Oh man. This is the best sort of shenanigans.”
Clarice followed Illyana’s gaze, then looked steadfastly at her food and nommed. She darted her eyes.
Illyana smirked, and settled back, quite aware her sundress neck was still lower than it had been as she started to eat, enjoying this. THis was fun!
“Next Shenanigans are your responsibility.” She nodded firmly, glancing at Kitty.
“Oh, I have some ideas already,” Kitty threatened. Or perhaps that was a promise. She popped a chip into her mouth and said casually. “The ladies room was pretty sanitary last time I was here...”
Ilyana chuckled. "Oh really?" She smirked at both of them. "Sounds like fun."
“You’ll just have to wait. I have to make plans.”
“Oh,” Clarice said, laughing. “She has to make plans. I’m terrified.”
Illyana squinted at Kitty, then hmmmed. “Not sure whether terrified of just hungry.” She nabbed and downed some fish and hmmed. “Possibly both.”
Kitty licked her lips, and nibbled on a chip. “Yes, plans. Plans of a ridiculous and classified nature.”
“Ridiculous?” Clarice glanced at Illyana. “Maybe we should be scared.”
“Oh you should so be scared.”
Illyana sighed. “I am too bouncy to be scared.” She grinned and stuck his tongue out at Kitty, and licked cream off her nose while she was at it. She settled back and snuggled Clarice. “Wheee, plans!”
Clarice just knew she was going to be paranoid for a bit, but if possible, it was a good sort of paranoid. The paranoid of potential pranks and good times. And knowing Kitty, the potential for both was high.
That definitely was the good kind. Illyana groped Clarice’s ass firmly, however, just to make sure she had her attention, and that her love was not thinking too darkly. She poked Kitty lightly with her tail. “So, how long do we wait for these plans?”
Kitty grabbed for the tail with a light giggle. “I need to get them in place. Couple days? Today is your day to plan for us Illyana, after all.”
“Wait, what? Me, plan?” Illyana blinked at the other two. “I was supposed to have a plan? Why didn’t anyone tell me?”
Kitty giggled. “Yes, you were supposed to have a plan. Get out, goof off, and have fun, right?” Then she threw a chip at Illyana!
Illyana snapped her fingers and the chip changed, mid-air, to a small butterfly, with vivid purple coloration that hovered startled for a moment, then flapped for the door. “Oh, well, okay.” She snapped her fingers again and the man sitting next to the piano down the way blinked, then started playing “Hello, Dolly.”
“That’s beautiful,” Clarice said, then she rolled her eyes as the man started to play the piano. “That’s just cruel.”
“She excels at being just the right sort of cruel. You should make him play yankee doodle dandy.”
Illyana snerked. “He likes playing the piano, and showing off. He’s already convinced himself he is responsible for this. And likes it.” Illyana chuckled and twitched her fingers as he finished. He started in one a new song, a british patriotic one, and soon many in the pub were singing along. The waitress, when she got to them with renewals for their drinks, had unbuttoned a few more buttons than before.
Illyana nodded as her eyes glowed for a moment. Her look and voice were almost alien for a moment. “I made sure no one will be harmed. Some idiots with bad intentions intended to drug and hurt some people here. Now they wont, and those here will have a good evening.” She smiled, then, shrugging off the look and smiling to both.
Kitty eyed her friend a little worriedly. She didn’t like the idea of messing with people so much, even if it was mostly harmless, and even if she joked around a bit. “Don’t push it too far. There’s a big difference between stopping something, and pushing too hard.”
Illyana nodded. “I know. I’m not changing anyone’s minds. just shifting them. The bad guys now have forgotten their bad intentions, and are simply having fun. Everyone else is bolder, but have not lost their inhibitions. simply more confident.” She quirked an eyebrow at both of them. “I do not brainwash people. Just nudge them, if they are headed in a bad way. Most of the people here were looking for fights of darkness tonight. I can’t save everyone, but I can help these people tonight.” She nodded firmly.
“I suppose,” Kitty said, sitting back and not looking entirely satisfied. She glanced at Clarice curiously, but the pink woman was leaning against Illyana with her eyes closed, as though she wasn’t really paying much attention to the conversation.
Illyana quirked an eyebrow, and muttered something in old Russian. Some people’s children. She wiggled fingers, and the happiness, and the music, slowly came to a stop. People, unaware they had been doing anything different, went back to their normal habits, and Illyana snuggled Clarice close, stroking her hair.
Kitty chuckled, unsure what Illyana had said, but glad that things were back to normal. There was a certain level of uncomfortable she’d been feeling just then.
“So....best pub? Or Best Pub?”
Illyana smirked. “Good pub. Best pub I have ever been in, so far. There should be more.” Illyana had noted her uncomfortable and decided she would simply avoid letting Kitty seeing who she truly was from now on. Some people, like Kitty and Piotr both, could not deal with it.
“Best pub you’ll ever be in,” Kitty corrected. “At least until I find a better one.” She gave her friends a smile. She was still a little worried about Illyana, but there wasn’t anything to do right now.
Clarice, meanwhile, was deeply in denial. It wouldn’t take much of a leap from that, to her own being puppetted. She simply reasoned it was a different sort of thing. It had to be.
Illyana would have rolled her eyes had she known what Clarice was thinking. It was a huge and long path from one to the other, and clear thinking would make it clear. But then, she was also not the nice girl people often thought she was. She liked Kitty, and thought of her as her best friend. She loved Clarice, and admired her. But she was not a nice person, and anyone who thought that, well, they were sheerly mistaken.