Tweak

InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Your Momma!"

Username: 
Password:    
Remember Me
  • Create Account
  • IJ Login
  • OpenID Login
Search by : 
  • View
    • Create Account
    • IJ Login
    • OpenID Login
  • Journal
    • Post
    • Edit Entries
    • Customize Journal
    • Comment Settings
    • Recent Comments
    • Manage Tags
  • Account
    • Manage Account
    • Viewing Options
    • Manage Profile
    • Manage Notifications
    • Manage Pictures
    • Manage Schools
    • Account Status
  • Friends
    • Edit Friends
    • Edit Custom Groups
    • Friends Filter
    • Nudge Friends
    • Invite
    • Create RSS Feed
  • Asylums
    • Post
    • Asylum Invitations
    • Manage Asylums
    • Create Asylum
  • Site
    • Support
    • Upgrade Account
    • FAQs
    • Search By Location
    • Search By Interest
    • Search Randomly

Andy Gallagher is not the droid you're looking for ([info]brain_ninja) wrote in [info]vas_captio_rpg,
@ 2009-07-18 01:33:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:!complete, andy gallagher, day 16, illyana rasputin, location: carnival

Day Sixteen - Morning
Who: Andy Gallagher and OTA
What: Andy finds his van
Where: In the carnival
When: Day 16; 10am or so
Rating: PG-13 (language maybe)
Status: Complete



After the day he'd had yesterday, Andy slept like a log. His body was tired, his mind was tired, and he was completely and totally drained. He'd awoken that morning with Elliot in his arms and a mouthful of her hair - well, not really, but it was the principal of it; a stiff neck, an aching back, and something jabbing into his side as he rolled away from Elliot to stretch. With an angry, half-awake mutterance, he'd reached underneath himself and extracted the culprit before sitting up. It had felt like a set of keys...because it had been. His keys. Andy's face had fallen into that of a kicked puppy expression; they were messing with him again. Sighing, he'd tucked Elliot's hair behind her ear to get it out of her face and woke her just enough to let her know he was going to head up to the gas station to grab them breakfast and he'd be right back.

The hoodie he'd been wearing was slung over his shoulder as Andy headed up the road toward the carnival that he'd cut through to go the shorter way to the gas station. It was hot as hell, not that he was complaining. It just hadn't registered until he'd gotten out under the cloudless sky where the sun was shining brightly. So brightly, even, that he extracted from the pocket the aviators Sam had given him the morning they'd found the body hanging from the clock tower. Slipping them on, he made his way into the carnival, almost enjoying the feel of his car keys jabbing into his leg from inside his jeans pocket. Almost...because they were still only the keys and that was just mean, he thought.

Just as Andy came around from behind the tea cups ride to cross the street and nab some munchies, he stopped dead in his tracks. No fucking way! "Ohhh! Oh, baby!" he cooed loudly, making a break for it and all but slamming himself up against the warrior princess painted on the side of his van. "Oh shit, Maggie, I missed the hell out of you!"

For a few moments, Andy just stood there, leaned against the van, only barely refraining from actually kissing Maggie, Queen of the Polar Bears (as he'd dubbed her) painted on the side. Finally, realizing all over again that he had the keys, Andy pulled them out of his pocket and moved over, jamming them into the keyhole. Taking a deep breath and thinking to himself, Please God..., he turned the key. The lock popped up with a low thunk and Andy's eyes widened. "Are you serious?! Oh fuck yeah! YES!" he shouted, extracting the keys and pulling the door open, hopping in to settle into the driver's seat and putting the keys into the ignition to try his luck again.

The engine roared to life and Andy's lips parted as he let out a sigh of relief. "...I think I just came," he laughed to himself, running his hands lovingly over the steering wheel and dashboard. The radio was silent and Andy looked over at the display, confused. The current track was over and the two-second silence at the beginning of the next song was counting back. -0:02, -0:01, 0:00---

"Before you slip into unconsciousness,
I'd like to have another kiss.
Another flashing chance at bliss,
Another kiss, another kiss..."


"Shit, I missed you, Jim," Andy said quietly, leaning over the passenger seat and feeling around for his stash. Hell yeah, right where he left it. Suddenly, Andy's eyes grew wide and he threw the door open again, jumping back out and heading around to the back of the van to open that door. The disco ball still hung, the books and blankets and pillows were strewn haphazardly around on the mattress...and then his eyes fell on Moby Dick, still filled appropriately with water. "Nope. Now I just came," he said to himself, snatching up the massive bong and slamming the door shut behind himself again as he made his way back to the driver's seat.

The Doors blared from his speakers as Andy turned back the key to keep from wasting the half tank of gas he still had left in the tank. And Andy?

Smoke filled the van, pouring out the driver's side window he'd rolled down as the telltale sound of bubbles and suction in the base of the bong filled his ears. Shit, he had missed that more than he'd really realized until he heard it again. Between the first couple of hits, he'd scribbled a note in his journal. Fuck the church and fuck those pews. Andy was sleepin' right where he wanted to be. In his own bed, in his own home; in the back of the motherfucking van. Because, the way Andy figured it, he deserved to after yesterday. Hell yeah he did.



(Post a new comment)


[info]ex_darkchyld899
2009-07-19 07:33 pm UTC (link)
After parting company with the two boys, Illyana decided to wander around on the periphery of the town. She wasn't sure of exactly where she was yet, and wasn't sure if the place was friendly to mutants or not. Even though she didn't have an obvious mutation, it was still safer to keep away from masses of people until she had a better awareness of what was going on. She passed through a derelict carnival, which was more than a little creepy. She smirked at the idea of a demonic sorceress being creeped out by a run-down carnival. Good one, 'Yana. Let the odd atmosphere get to you.

As she walked, she noticed some odd smoke ahead of her. Training kicked into gear, and she headed toward it, hoping it wasn't something bad, and there wasn't someone in trouble. Wherever she was, she was still a New Mutant, and she couldn't just let a potential problem go. S'ym would revel in that way too much, besides. It had an odd smell to it, she noticed as she got closer.

She rounded a corner and saw a brightly-painted van, smoke pouring out of the driver's side window. Now, she was concerned. That couldn't be good. "Hey," she called, jogging toward the van. "Anyone in there? Are you hurt or anything?" Illyana got right up to the door, covering her mouth and nose with her hand. The smoke smelled really weird. Maybe something in the engine had caught fire? Or something inside the van itself. She coughed and peered through the smoke. "Anyone hurt in there?" she called again.

(Reply to this) (Thread)


[info]brain_ninja
2009-07-19 08:02 pm UTC (link)
Coughing and choking slightly on the smoke, Andy leaned his head back as the CD came to an end and he turned the key back in the ignition so as not to waste the battery. Maybe tonight, he'd start it up again and listen to the CD from the beginning or see if he could find a radio station in wherever they were, but until then, he could wait. The Crystal Ship playing over and over in his head would be good enough because it was fresh in his memory. That'd do for now.

The sound of a female's voice interrupted his zen moment as he exhaled the smoke and he carefully set the bong down in the passenger seat, waving his hands around to help it dissipate. A snort issued itself as he tried not to laugh. She was worried he was hurt, whoever she was. Interesting that someone other than Sam, Lexie, and Elliot would give a shit, he thought, and he cleared his throat. "Look out," he said gently, hand on the door handle. "I'm gonna come out and I don't wanna bean you with the door," he added by way of explaining the command.

Pushing the door open, Andy hopped down out of the van and leaned against the side, head pleasantly swimming in spite of the fact that his stash of weed wasn't quite as strong as the stash he'd acquired here. "I'm fine, by the way, but thanks for the concern," he said with a smile and then he held out his hand. "Andy Gallagher."

Whoever she was, she was pretty. She looked young, though, he thought. Probably jailbait. Of all the fucking things to turn his good luck around again, friggen jailbait. That figured.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]ex_darkchyld899
2009-07-20 02:04 am UTC (link)
Illyana took a couple of steps backward as she heard a male voice from inside the van. She watched, thumbs tucked into the pockets of her jeans, as the young man jumped out and proceeded to prop up his van. He was a few years older than she was, by the look of things - maybe Sam's age or, and her heart wrenched to think of it, Piotr's age.

"What's with all the smoke?" she asked as he protested that he was fine. "Engine didn't catch fire, did it?" When he offered his hand, Illyana took a step forward and took it, giving it a good, firm shake. "Illyana Rasputin," she said, offering a brief smile. "You live around here?" Perhaps he could help her figure out where the hell she was and how she'd gotten here.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]brain_ninja
2009-07-20 04:25 pm UTC (link)
Smirking, Andy shook his head. "Nah, it was me," he replied, waving a hand in front of his face as some of the now slowly dissipating smoke crept out of the window of the van and hung in the air between the two of them. "I take it you don't smoke," he went on with a bit of a shrug.

Andy cleared his throat and nodded, shaking her hand when she took his. "Illyana...damn, that's kind of a cool ass name. I've never heard it before," he said thoughtfully. His smile faded then, when she asked whether he lived around here.

Eyes moving downward, he sighed. "I do now..." he said quietly before looking back up at her. "You must be new, huh? Did you wake up here this morning or, like, yesterday?" he guessed.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]ex_darkchyld899
2009-07-20 04:58 pm UTC (link)
Him? Ah, smoker. Odd-smelling smoke, but Illyana decided not to comment on the nature of it. She had a feeling she didn't want to know. "Nope," she said, shrugging in response. "Not that I care if other people do," she continued, not wanting to insult anyone quite so early in the morning. "It's just not my thing."

She smiled at the compliment. "Thanks. It's Russian. In case the surname didn't give it away." So far, she was liking the conversation. It seemed so refreshingly normal, and that was a rare thing for her to deal with.

Then, he talked about this place, and the mood seemed to shift. Illyana stiffened unconsciously at his now. She wasn't sure she liked the implication. She nodded in response to his first question. "This morning, with a couple of guys, out in the woods. Is that typical, I take it?" That really didn't bode well. Maybe she should have gone with her first instinct and teleported out of the area. Then again, if there was some sort of problem here, well, who better than a mutant-sorceress to figure it all out and fix it? Assuming people wanted help, of course. "So, what's the deal with this place?" she asked, shaking herself from her thoughts and turning her attention back to Andy.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]brain_ninja
2009-07-21 03:11 am UTC (link)
At Illyana's response, Andy smiled and gave her a shrug of nonchalance. "Hey, to each their own; I'm not big on peer pressure," he replied. "So, I'm not gonna try and talk you into it or anything, promise," he laughed. ...and laughed a little more because his head was swimming and he felt good today.

"Russian?" he asked, pulling a face as he nodded his approval. "Cool. It's pretty," he added. She went on to say that she'd awakened here that morning with a couple of guys and Andy nodded his understanding. "Yeah, pretty much. Usually we come in pairs and groups of three or whatever," he agreed. "I'm sorry to say...you're not going anywhere. We're still trying to figure a way out of this bitch. I think we gave up on figuring out why we were picked, so that's kinda all I got for ya..." he said sympathetically.

Andy wished, for the first time since the first day, that he could ask whether she had the mind thing. He wanted so badly for there to be one concrete reason that the people in this place were chosen to be put here. Without a reason, when it came to who the unlucky "chosen" ones were, Andy was fast losing hope that they were there for anything other than experimentation and that alone; that the choice of subjects was random and there was no one thing that could be pinpointed as to how they could escape.

"What's the deal?" he asked, taking a deep breath and letting it out. The pleasant lightheadedness faded and Andy sobered almost instantly, thinking back on the previous day as he raised a hand to run it through his hair. He wanted to tell her to open her journal and ask there, because that Shannon chick almost seemed to take some kind of sick pleasure in explaining that everyone here was essentially fucked. "I don't really like being the bearer of bad news," he prefaced and then paused, deciding to leave it at that. Maybe she wouldn't ask for the rest. Maybe he wouldn't have to be.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]ex_darkchyld899
2009-07-21 12:08 pm UTC (link)
The fact that her morning experience was typical really didn't sit well with Illyana. Who had the time or power to kidnap people and dump them in the woods, and for what reason? Because Illyana knew it wasn't any sort of teleport gone bad. She couldn't use her stepping discs if she was unconscious, and she wouldn't have chosen to go to the woods. She scowled at Andy's declaration that she wasn't going anywhere. "Why not?" she asked. "What's keeping people here?"

The fact that Andy seemed to not want to talk about the place only made her unease grow. If it was that bad.... She bit her lip, debating over whether to drop her "nice normal girl" act and just teleport out of this weird place. She could make a stepping disc big enough for Andy and his van, and then come back and try and help the others. It would blow cover badly, and Magneto would kill her for that, but maybe just for one person. She didn't have to tell anyone else who she was, just do a snatch and grab sort of thing, and be gone before the other people here noticed her.

"Can I trust you to keep a secret?" she asked at last, stepping just a little closer to Andy. Oh, Magneto was so going to kill her for this. "Like, not freak out or anything?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]brain_ninja
2009-07-21 04:52 pm UTC (link)
Andy wasn't surprised when Illyana's response to his nonchalantly bad news was a scowl. Truthfully, he felt a little badly about even saying that much. Somehow he'd gotten it in his head that it was everybody else's job to do the telling, because everybody else were the ones trying to get out. Andy was resigned. Didn't mean that he liked this place, because he sure as hell didn't, but it also didn't mean he was going to work his ass off to achieve disappointment, either. If everybody else wanted to, that was their thing.

"That would be the glass wall," Andy replied with a frown, squinting reflexively as he looked over his shoulder toward the tree line back behind the carnival. "A giant glass wall surrounding the whole premises...if you believe the rumors and you're too lazy to look for yourself, anyway," he said. Andy hadn't seen the wall, himself, but he'd heard plenty about it and if Sam was inclined to believe it, that was good enough for Andy. "Unbreakable," he added biting back a nearly reflexive "they say," wanting to keep from sounding too much like he was passing on some urban legend or something.

Raising his eyebrows, Andy pushed off the side of the van and stood up straighter as she moved closer. Whoa now; don't stand so close to me...seriously, I don't think I'll look good in orange, pretty girl... he thought to himself. He let out a huff and grinned.

"Man, what is it with chicks telling me secrets here?" he joked. First Sarah, then sort of Lexie (okay, she hadn't told him a secret, but he'd promised not to tell that she'd had a break down), Elliot - if not telling about the encounter in the church starring Hot Docs Gone Wild counted - and now this Illyana girl. Oh shit...he was the nice guy. "I'm keeping plenty; your secret's safe with me, too," he replied. "And...as for freaking out, after yesterday, good effing luck trying to say anything that would freak me out. I think you're probably safe."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]ex_darkchyld899
2009-07-21 05:16 pm UTC (link)
"Unbreakable glass wall?" Illyana repeated, raising an eyebrow. That was it? Seriously? Clearly, no one in this town was a teleporter, because if they were, no one would still be hanging around. Piece of cake, as far as she was concerned.

Andy's word was good enough for Illyana, at least for now. If he freaked out after what she was about to do, well, she could always use a spell to make him forget, like she did to Stevie Hunter years ago. Wouldn't be the best thing to do, but Illyana hadn't been the good moral girl for years now, not since Belasco had stolen 3/5 of her soul. She smirked at his next words. "Don't say I didn't warn you," she said, stepping back another pace.

It was easy to summon a stepping disc, even here. So very, very easy. Her bond with Limbo grew stronger every day, whether she liked it or not. She'd just teleport back home, explain what had happened, then pop back and start getting people out of the crazy glass cage. She sank into her little extra-dimensional disc, offering a wave as she did so.

And that's when things started going wrong. She hadn't intended to stay in Limbo more than she had to, but as soon as she felt the pull that said "Limbo," she felt herself wrenched away. It didn't even register to her eyes before she found herself back on solid ground again. And decidedly not where she'd intended to be.

"What the...?!" she exclaimed, blinking at the solid wall of glass in front of her. She could tell it was there because of the distortion of the scenery beyond it. Tentatively, she lifted a hand and placed it against the glass, as if to prove to herself it really was there. "No way," she said, shaking her head. This time, she wouldn't get stuck. With a low growl of frustration, she summoned another stepping disc, focusing her energy on the copse of trees she could see through the glass. Yet again, she felt the odd twist and pull, and she ended up still on the side of the glass she'd been on, only a few feet down from where she'd been before. Glancing back where she'd been, she could still see the mist from her breath on the glass.

"Okay, seriously not funny," she said. Again and again, she tried to get past the barrier, but each time she was thwarted. It made no sense. She couldn't feel any magickal barriers surrounding the glass, but she could not get past it. It was like Dallas, just like Dallas. She sank to her knees, summoning another stepping disc as she did so, and brought herself back to Andy. By the time she felt the ground underneath her again, the tears had begun falling.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]brain_ninja
2009-07-23 03:36 am UTC (link)
Illyana's response to the glass wall wasn't really the one that he was expecting to hear. He'd thought she would have asked whether he was sure it was unbreakable or was he sure there was a wall at all. "Yep," was all he could come up with for a response to the question. Somehow he didn't think repeating it for a third time wouldn't help anything.

This time, Andy raised an eyebrow at what Illyana was saying. "Warn me?" he laughed. This oughta be good. Twice as good 'cause I'm baked, he thought to himself, amused as she stepped back. And then his eyebrows raised higher as she sank into a foreign object and waved at him, disappearing before his eyes.

"What...the fuck?" he gaped. Suddenly, Andy wondered just how long he'd been in Cold Oak. He'd been in Vas Captio for over two weeks, if he wasn't mistaken, but he had no frame of time for Cold Oak...and if he'd been in there as long as that Ava chick had been, according to Sam that day, then maybe his weed had gone bad. Did weed go bad? And if it did, would a bad stash lead to hallucinations? He shook his head and blinked.

And then a few moments later, Illyana reappeared in tears. "Whoa, hey..." he said quickly, dropping down to his knees in front of her and touching her shoulder gingerly. "Hey, what's wrong? You okay?" he asked, brow knitting with concern. For the moment, her disappearing-reappearing act was forgotten; he'd get back to that in a minute.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]ex_darkchyld899
2009-07-23 02:51 pm UTC (link)
Illyana flinched at first, feeling Andy's hand on her shoulder. But he was asking what was wrong, and in the same tone of voice that her friends would when she had problems, and before she even realized what she was doing, she flung her arms around him, crying in earnest.

"Dallas," she managed through her sobs. "Like Dallas couldn't get through to Dallas couldn't save Piotr couldn't help anyone Doug's dead couldn't help Piotr's dead can't do anything." All this was said in a rush, strung together in one breath she'd managed to draw before the sobbing continued.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]brain_ninja
2009-07-25 05:50 am UTC (link)
Andy was taken aback slightly when Illyana threw her arms around him and really started to cry. He could barely make out what she was saying in between sobs as she blurted out names and places. Dallas. He caught that. So, okay, good. She was from Texas. He knew where Dallas was. Andy filed that away in his memory and hugged her back, rubbing her back slowly.

"Relax, okay? Breathe," he told her quietly. "It's okay, you're all right, right?" he asked. "Hey, listen...calm down, okay?"

He felt kind of badly trying to tell her to calm down when he knew how it felt to be overwhelmed with negative emotions in such a way that he couldn't control the things coming out of his mouth. It hurt to be that downtrodden, but he couldn't really help her if he couldn't understand what she was saying. That was his only saving grace against the guilt he felt creeping in as he tried to tell her things were going to be all right even when he knew that he was lying through his teeth. Especially knew it after yesterday.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]ex_darkchyld899
2009-07-25 06:08 pm UTC (link)
She knew she should calm down. Her thoughts were racing, circling around and around, but she knew she had to pull herself together. But it felt so good to just be a little girl, to be able to lose it, and not in a bad way, to just break down and let someone else take care of her, just for a moment.

When Andy asked if she was alright, she managed a nod. She squeezed him more tightly, and did her best to take a few deep breaths. "Sorry," she mumbled, hiccuping at the end of the word from trying to cry, breathe, and speak all at the same time. "Sorry, 'm not usually like this."

No, usually she'd have gone completely demonic and started laying waste to everything around her if she were this upset. The fact that everyone here was as helpless as she kept her from flipping out completely. The anger and lashing out would come later, when she was alone, probably.

"That's not just glass," she finally managed. She pulled away from Andy just a little, enough to look him in the eyes and wipe at her own. She sniffed, and wiped her nose on her arm in a very unladylike manner. "The wall, it's there, but it's not just glass."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]brain_ninja
2009-07-26 09:24 pm UTC (link)
Andy's brow furrowed sympathetically when Illyana squeezed him harder and he felt her hiccup as she tried to catch her breath. He went on rubbing her back and moved to stroke her hair the way he had Elliot the night before. Funny, he thought, how he was fast becoming the shoulder to cry on for so many women and yet he still felt, on the whole, pretty lonely in a crowded place.

"Don't worry about it," he told her in a low voice when she tried to apologize for her behavior. She hadn't any reason to be sorry, so far as Andy could tell; he just needed to be able to understand her if he wanted to even try to help.

Finally, she had calmed enough that he could understand her and he looked confused as she pulled back to look at him and wipe her eyes. Andy took no notice of the way she wiped her nose on her arm, probably because it was something he did constantly when necessary. She said that the wall was there but it wasn't just glass and Andy's brow knit again.
"What do you mean it's not just glass? How do you know?" he tried. It didn't make a lot of sense to him that she could know just by looking at it. At least that would make a pretty decent segueway to asking her how in the hell she disappeared and reappered like that.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]ex_darkchyld899
2009-07-27 01:03 am UTC (link)
Illyana sniffed again and rubbed at her eyes as she sat back on her haunches. Talking was helping. Andy was helping. "It's not just glass," she repeated. "There's something else either woven through or around it, some sort of barrier. Whether it's magickal or scientific, I don't know. But," she took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "it's keeping me here. I can't teleport out. And something here's acting like a magnet on my stepping discs. I can't make them work like usual." Best to not mention Limbo right now, she figured. Admitting her mutant powers was iffy enough - let's not add in the demonic sorceress bit, right?

She looked Andy dead in the eye. "I'm what you'd call a mutant," she said matter-of-factly. She'd teleported right in front of him, there was no point in denying it to his face. "That means I've got a twist in my DNA that lets me do things regular people can't. It works in different ways for different people, the mutation. For me, it means I make those stepping discs and can use them to go from one place to another without walking."

Illyana clasped her hands in front of her, then unclasped them and reached up to rub at the back of her neck. Well, that was that. Secret out. She watched Andy carefully, trying to gauge his reaction. She really hoped she wouldn't have to use any sort of memory spell on him, but she would, if she had to. Safety first.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]brain_ninja
2009-07-27 04:53 pm UTC (link)
As Illyana calmed and went on, Andy sat back on his heels and listened. He wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to say about that. So that thing that had appeared was, she said, a stepping disc. Used for...teleportation. She went on to say that she was what would be called a mutant and there was something different about her DNA that let her do things most people couldn't. Andy knew that feeling. "I prefer the term 'freak,' personally," he interjected. "Mutant sounds so...Chernobyl," he added.

For a moment, Andy looked back at her thoughtfully. Jake had super strength. Sam and Ava had visions. Lily could stop hearts with nothing more than a touch. Webber and Andy himself could control minds. Illyana, apparently, could teleport. Huh. "You know about the Yellow-Eyed Man?" he tried, tone more curious than accusatory; more thoughtful than forceful.

Having Sam around was okay, except that he was never really around, preferring to spend time with Shannon - for which, after seeing her on the monitors, Andy couldn't blame him - and Lexie and Elliot were nice, but they didn't really know him. They didn't know what he could do and he wouldn't tell. They were normal, every day - gorgeous - women, but he wasn't going to burden them with the knowledge that he was a freak of nature. He actually liked having them around and he wasn't going to jeopardize it by being honest.

Illyana, though...she would know how he felt. She would know what it was like to be different. He gave her a small smile. "If it makes you feel better, I'm a freak, too. I can't do that, but..." his voice trailed off and he shrugged sheepishly.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]ex_darkchyld899
2009-07-27 05:46 pm UTC (link)
She wasn't quite sure how to take Andy's preference of term. So often, she'd been called freak as an insult. But the way he said it, it made it sound like he was used to using it, but not in a bad way. Illyana wasn't immediately sure what to make of that. He wasn't getting upset or hurling insults; that was good. He wasn't running away in fear; that was better. No, he was looking at her, like he was sizing her up. She stared back, waiting for him to make the next move. That would determine how she reacted.

"Yellow-eyed man?" Illyana said. Honestly, she knew a few of those, but the only one that invaded her thoughts at the moment was Belasco. She stiffened. Maybe that's why he was being so nice to her. Maybe he worked for Belasco, and this was all some sort of ploy to trap her and catch her off guard. She frowned. "Demon?" she asked, her voice going hard. She wasn't sure how much more to give away than that. If he did work for Belasco, or knew of the demon, that would be enough.

Then, he smiled, and told her that he was a mutant as well. Freak, he'd said, but in Illyana's mind, they were synonymous. The flash of anger she'd felt dissipated, to be replaced with curiosity. Maybe he hadn't meant Belasco after all. Maybe the Yellow-Eyed Man was some famous mutant where he was from. She was just too worked-up today, seeing trouble at every turn. "You too?" she said, leaning forward. "What're the odds of that?" she asked, a smile finally rising to her lips. She folded her arms. "So, what do you do?" she asked.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]brain_ninja
2009-07-28 04:26 am UTC (link)
The way that Illyana stiffened upon mention of the Yellow-Eyed Man was not lost on Andy. If he hadn't already been convinced that she was one of them, he was convinced now. "Yeah..." he said slowly, drawing the word out as he reached up and scratched the back of his head in a nervous tick. "I'm still kinda trying to wrap my head around that bit. The whole demons are real thing. But, that's what Sam said, and I guess he knows that stuff or whatever," he replied with a shrug and another sheepish grin.

She suddenly looked a lot less like she felt threatened and a lot more like she was curious about him. That was better, he thought. The last thing he wanted was to get his ass handed to him by some girl, especially one that looked barely legal. "Yeah, well..." he said with a smirk. "It's not usually something I wanna talk about, but I figure you'll keep from judging me based on what I've already seen," he replied with a wink.

Illyana crossed her arms and asked him what he could do. With a grin, Andy shifted himself and got to his feet, holding a hand out to her as he nodded toward the van. "Not to be all creepy but I'd rather sit on the mattress in the back than on my own feet on a dirt road if we're gonna talk freak," he joked. "And...I can control minds." He paused and then shook his head, holding up his other hand defensively. "Oh, but don't worry; I don't think it works on other freaks. Well, except the pictures, I can still do those on Sam, so I can probably still do 'em on you, but I promise I won't."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]ex_darkchyld899
2009-07-28 12:51 pm UTC (link)
"Oh, they're real, all right," Illyana said, the bitterness and hurt creeping back into her voice. "Real, and nasty, and...." She cut herself off before she went further in her diatribe. She was afraid if she talked for too long about their 'merits', she'd let something slip that would end up freaking Andy out, and she really, really didn't want to mess up what looked like it could be a decent friendship.

She understood all too well about not wanting to talk about powers, and the consequences of doing so with the wrong sort of people. She remembered Reverend Stryker and his people, and what they'd almost done. "I might end up judging you," she smirked, "but not on that score. Depends on what you do with them. Robbing banks? Definitely not a good use of powers. Taking down bank robbers? Much better option." The smirk turned into a grin. "Unless, of course, the bank's screwing you over, right?" Magneto would definitely not approve of the joke, but his approval didn't really matter here, did it?

Illyana took Andy's hand and let him help her to her feet. "Not creepy, practical," she told him. "Talking about this sort of stuff out in the open isn't the best idea I've ever had." When he said he could control minds, her eyes widened. He was like Shan, then? Possession? But then he said it didn't work on other mutants - freaks - and she forced herself to relax and let him help her into the van. "What do you mean exactly by 'control minds'?" she asked, settling herself down on the mattress. "Like, possession, or suggestion, or...?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]brain_ninja
2009-07-28 05:00 pm UTC (link)
Nodding, Andy set his jaw as Illyana's voice changed, sounding upset and bitter when she agreed that demons were real. He was still trying to absorb that; he'd seen one with his own eyes and still he was having trouble letting it really sink in. Demons were not only real, he reminded himself, but they were the reason he was the way he was. They were the reason Webber had been the way he was. Demons made Webber into a killer; made Andy into a freak. Andy said nothing in response to Illyana's quick mood change.

His smile returned, though, when she teased that she wouldn't judge him because of his power, but because of what he did with it. "How about getting free coffee and sending away debt collectors?" he asked, smirking back at her. "Is that somewhere in the middle?" He didn't want to offer up that he'd used it to save Tracy's life; to save Martha's. He didn't want to offer up that he'd used it to help provide food for the people in this place or that he'd insinuated he would use it to protect rations for Sam. None of those things were things that he was proud of, because none of them had mattered, in the end.

Pulling Illyana to her feet, Andy then let go of her hand and climbed into the back of his van, laying back and lacing his hands behind his head, staring up at the disco ball. "Well, try to keep the 'practical' part in mind once you see," he joked. He knew that the back of his van looked like a love nest. Once upon a time, that had been what it was meant to be, even if it hadn't ever come to fruition. Andy had just been too lazy to change it and had gotten used to it; even comfortable with it. He didn't see any reason to change now since it had looked like this for years, now.

"Possession? Like the Exorcist you mean? Nah. I mean, like, suggestion, yeah. If I want you - not you, but you know what I mean? - to jump up and down, you will. If I want your car, you'll give it to me," he explained. If I want you to kill yourself, you will, was the thought that crept into his mind against his will and he refused to vocalize. Doing so would make it real and even if he would never do it, just saying it would make him feel too connected to Webber for his own taste.

(Reply to this) (Parent)


[info]ex_darkchyld899
2009-07-28 09:33 pm UTC (link)
"I suppose free coffee and getting rid of debt collectors is a good use of powers," Illyana said, teasing back in her voice. "Just as long as it's good coffee." Magneto wouldn't approve, but Andy wasn't one of his students. And seriously, it was no worse than Rahne using hers to play frisbee, or Illyana herself using hers to get from her room to the classroom so she wouldn't be late.

The van wasn't so bad. Lila Cheney's pad, that was a love nest. Illyana didn't like to think about that, since she didn't want to picture Sam and Lila doing anything of that sort. This? Looked like a good hang out, in her opinion. "It's cozy," she said, giving the back of the van a once-over. "I take it you crash here a lot."

She listened to Andy explain his powers, trying to compare his explanation to how the people she knew used their powers. It sounded more like the Professor than Shan. Shan took over completely, essentially becoming a pilot for the person she possessed. "So, you talk inside people's minds to get them to do stuff?" she said, hoping she was on the right track. If she was, it was likely that, even if Andy's power could work on mutants, it wouldn't work on her. The Professor couldn't get inside her mind, and neither could that witch Emma Frost. Shan was the only one, to her knowledge, who could, because she didn't invade the mind so much as shove it aside. "Sounds like my first teacher, Professor Xavier. He could talk inside people's minds, give them suggestions and all. He didn't use the suggestion part, but he liked to talk telepathically with people when he could." It had frustrated him quite a bit that he couldn't do that to Illyana. There were just too many things she didn't want people seeing to risk letting him have enough leeway for that sort of communication.

(Reply to this) (Thread)


[info]brain_ninja
2009-07-29 04:11 am UTC (link)
Grinning slightly, Andy shrugged. "Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's gross; I never really know until I get it," he pointed out with a wink. He was a little surprised at Illyana's reaction to the state of the back of his van, if he was entirely honest, but he just smiled. "Actually...I live here. Well, I did until I showed up here but I just found this here like ten or twenty minutes before you showed up," he admitted. "Missed her like hell though, let me tell ya," he added with as proud smile as he patted the side wall affectionately with one hand before lacing it with the other hand behind his head again.

As Illyana tried to clarify what Andy meant, he listened and then nodded. "Yeah, basically. I just tell people stuff and they do it. Or they agree. Or they give me shit," he replied with a shrug. "Depends on what I want at any given time. Oh, I can send pictures into your mind's eye, too, but that's not as useful," he added and then paused. "Except for there was this one guy back home; total dick. So I send him these pictures, right? Gay porn, all hours of the day." With a laugh, Andy found himself amused with it all over again. Sam, Ava, Jake, and Lily hadn't thought it was funny, but maybe Illyana would. "You should've seen his face," he finished, laughing.

When his laughter finally faded, he lolled his head to the side and looked up at her. "So, hey, on the plus side I feel a lot less like a perv, since you look at least five years younger than we are," he said with a grin. He wasn't going to hit on her or anything, but he felt a lot better about thinking she was totally bangin' hot knowing that she was one of them and Sam had said they were all twenty-three. He'd thought for sure she was jailbait.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]ex_darkchyld899
2009-07-29 04:47 pm UTC (link)
When Andy said he'd lived in the van, Illyana took another look around the place. She could see that. It looked lived-in. He seemed to be okay with the circumstance, so she wasn't going to say anything. She knew, though, that if she'd ever entertained the idea of living in a van, Piotr would have found a way to make sure she never left the school. "Must be nice having home brought to you," she said, smiling. She shifted on the mattress, leaning back against the other wall of the van.

"But you don't, like, force them out of their own minds," she continued, listening to Andy's clarification. Way more like Xavier than Shan. Good. And when he mentioned the pictures, that definitely made him more like Xavier. She blinked, eyes widening, as he told his story about the jerk. "You did what?" she said, trying to sound affronted at the idea. It didn't work, though, because the giggling made it hard to finish her words. The other New Mutants would be horrified, Rahne especially. Dani might be amused at the joke, but she'd never let on in public. Illyana, though, found it hilarious. Blame the demonic side with the sick sense of humor. "You really shouldn't do that," she said, although she wasn't sure how clear the words were through her laughter.

Illyana raised an eyebrow at the age comment. "How old are you?" she asked, taking a deep breath to calm herself back down. He couldn't be more than, what, twenty-one? "And how old do you think I am?" Kitty had always said people would peg her for older than she was. Her best friend was jealous about that. No one would think Kitty was actually 17, no matter how she protested. The poor girl just looked young. Whereas people had thought Illyana was sixteen or seventeen when she was just 14, freshly back from Limbo. Oh, if they only knew how old she really was, they'd flip.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]brain_ninja
2009-07-30 03:43 am UTC (link)
Andy watched as Illyana gave the van another once-over and made herself comfortable. It was kind of nice to see someone other than Tracy just making themselves at home in the back. Later, he hoped he'd see Elliot do the same, but in the mean time, this was nice. "Yeah, like you wouldn't fucking believe," he replied honestly.

With a shake of his head, Andy stretched his legs out. "Nah, I'm not that good. I'd be too lazy to bother with the thing at all if it took that kind of effort," he admitted with a lopsided grin. While Illyana tried to sound offended by what he'd said about the gay porn, the laughter gave her away and he continued to laugh along with her. "Come on, it's fucking hilarious; don't pretend like it isn't," he replied.

Letting out a huff, Andy raised his eyebrows in return. "Twenty three. You're twenty-three, too, right?" Then, he paused. "Or twenty-two, since that's when the mind thing activates or whatever, Sam said," he replied. Lily, Jake, Sam, Ava, and Andy had all been 23. Webber, before Andy had killed him, had been 23, too. They were all the same age, so the only way she could be any other age was if she was older - not likely, if he was judging by her looks - or if she'd come from a different point in time and she was from a year ago.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]ex_darkchyld899
2009-07-30 07:51 pm UTC (link)
She wasn't too off in her assessment. And, like she always told Kitty, it was better to be mistaken for younger than older. Illyana shook her head. "You flatter," she said, smirking. "I'm 18." She frowned as Andy explained about the ages for his powers kicking in. "That late?" she said, leaning forward. "According to the Professor, mutation kicks in a puberty, or not too long afterward. Mine kicked in when I was 13, right after...." She cut herself off, not wanting to explain about Limbo if she didn't have to. "Well, right around when most of my classmates' powers did, although Sam was 16 or so, so he was a late bloomer." Maybe that's why his blasting was so hard to control.

She regarded Andy carefully, curious now as to why he and his friend had their start so late. "This might sound crazy," she said, "but, what year is it at home? Maybe the genetics change over generations, or something." Dr. MacTaggart might be able to figure this stuff out, but Illyana had little clue about science.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]brain_ninja
2009-07-31 03:23 am UTC (link)
When Illyana suggested that he was flattering her and said that her real age was eighteen, Andy was more inclined to furrow his brow with confusion than smirk back at her. That didn't make any sense; Sam had said they were all the same age and that they'd all gotten their powers when they turned twenty-two. She wasn't even twenty, yet...

"That late?" he asked just before she went on to explain that she'd been told that it kicked in during puberty and-- "Wait, Professor?" he asked. Maybe she'd said it before and he'd missed it, but...she had a teacher for it? Andy'd had to figure his shit out on his own.

Shaking his head, Andy smiled finally. "Nah, that doesn't sound crazy; my bad, I forgot. We're all from different times. It's 2007 where I come from. You?" he asked. Maybe she was onto something. Maybe if she was from later on, the Psychics had evolved. That would explain everything when it came to their differences in ages.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]ex_darkchyld899
2009-08-01 03:26 am UTC (link)
Now it was Illyana's turn to look confused. Clearly, however Andy's mutation worked was a little different than her own. "Yeah, Professor," she said, trying to explain herself a little more clearly. "Professor Charles Xavier. He used to run our school, train us all in responsible use of our powers. Till he had to leave suddenly...problem his with his girlfriend." If he was this confused about mutation, she didn't want to introduce aliens on top of everything else. "So now his...friend...runs the place while he's gone. We call him Magneto." Illyana smirked, knowing it would probably sound like a stupid name to Andy. "He goes by Eric Xavier to most outsiders, though."

2007? That was nearly twenty years after Illyana's own time. She blinked and leaned forward. "1989," she said, frowning slightly. "Maybe mutation starts kicking in later with your generation?" she suggested. Although, she seemed to remember Dr. MacTaggart saying it would start developing earlier, as the onset of puberty came earlier. But, even respected geneticists could be wrong in their analysis, right? "And you've never heard of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters? Or...," she swallowed, not sure she wanted the answer to this one, "maybe the Massachusetts Academy?" The idea that maybe that witch's school superseded the Professor's was not a happy thought.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]brain_ninja
2009-08-05 01:31 am UTC (link)
Andy stared back at Illyana, gaping. "Seriously?" he asked, incredulously. "You fucking got a teacher? That's bullshit, I had to learn all by myself!" he whined at her. While he played it off like he was kidding, the truth of the matter was, it kind of irked him. It wasn't fair. Maybe if Webber had had a teacher, he wouldn't have gone so crazy and killed all those people. Maybe if Lily had had a teacher, she would have learned to be able to touch people - her girlfriend, maybe - without stopping their hearts. Maybe Sam wouldn't have had such horrible visions; maybe he'd have been able to learn to control what he could see. Most importantly, maybe Andy wouldn't have felt like such a freak of nature if he'd had someone who understood and had been able to teach him to harness it.

"1989," he mused thoughtfully, raising an eyebrow at her. Then, he laughed. "Fuck me, you're eighteen in the year when I turn six. That's so messed up." Mainly, Andy needed to laugh about it; he could see that Illyana looked troubled by the fact that her mutation - her word, not his - had developed earlier than his when she was from the past and he was from the present. Or, rather, her future. He could understand. It probably would've explained a lot more had he been from the past and she been from the future, because as she'd suggested before, there could've been evolution from generation to generation. This sounded more like a de-evolution of sorts. Not at all comforting, nor did it explain anything.

Andy's heart sank. Maybe Illyana wasn't one of them, after all. Maybe she was like Luna and wasn't a freak at all. Maybe she just had mad skills or something. That was kind of interesting; a chick with mad skills that didn't include - or, rather, didn't focus on - giving head or being a fucking cunt. Illyana was cool as hell though. Andy liked her already. Even if they weren't the same ilk, she'd make a good friend, he could already tell. Like Elliot...except, she'd understand who he was and what he was, because on some level...Illyana was, too.

"Uh uh," he replied, furrowing his brow slightly and shaking his head. "Can't say I've heard of that. It'd have been fuckin' nice though. Having someone show me how to do my shit would've made life a hell of a lot easier and less confusing..." he admitted quietly, running a hand through his hair.

Andy stretched his arms over his head and looked up at her from where he was laying. "So, first day here and you meet a freak like me...with a mattress in the back of his van...and you had no qualms about climbing right on in. That's ballsy, Illyana; you're a total bad ass," he complimented, smirking.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]ex_darkchyld899
2009-08-05 02:06 am UTC (link)
Illyana laughed at Andy's outburst. "Not everyone was as lucky as me," she said, reaching out to pat him on the shoulder. "Kitty's mentor, Logan, he had to figure it all out himself. And he did okay with it. And the Professor didn't have a mentor when he was younger, from what I understand. He had to do it all on his own." She smiled. "That's part of why he made the school, so other mutants wouldn't have to go through what he did. And since the Professor's powers sound a lot like yours, I'm sure you'll be fine. He turned out okay, after all." She tried to imagine what it would be like to have to deal with her mutation all on her own. It probably wouldn't be pretty. She'd get frustrated, and end up in Limbo too often, and end up back in Belasco's thrall. Definitely not good.

"I could be your baby-sitter," Illyana laughed. It was messed up indeed. So much for looking him up when she got home, then. Although, then she could bring little Andy to the school and get him help with his powers, so maybe that'd be okay. "You'd make me watch all those cartoons with the fighting turtles or the skateboarding dinosaur, or something." She couldn't even imagine what Andy had looked like at age six. Probably a bit chubbier, with the same wide grin. And way shorter.

It bothered her, though, that he hadn't heard of either Xavier's or Frost's schools. What did that mean about the future, that both schools were missing? Closed? What happened to the mutants? Had everyone had to go deep underground, so that new mutants weren't being helped much at all? "There aren't giant robots hanging around in the future, are there? Red and purple robots that hunt people like us?" The thought that the Sentinels could have taken them all out was disturbing, and she shivered as she entertained it.

She smirked in reply at the compliment. "I'd like to think I can handle myself," she said, folding her arms across her chest. "And that I've got a pretty good eye for character. You didn't seem like one of the types of boys my brother was so concerned about." And just like that, her face fell. Thinking of Piotr, who probably would have said something about Andy - at least about his "little snowflake" climbing so readily into the back of Andy's van - brought a fresh wave of tears to her eyes. "Crap," she muttered, wiping at them. "There goes my bad ass-ness, right?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]brain_ninja
2009-08-10 12:30 am UTC (link)
Frowning slightly, Andy listened as Illyana went on to explain why the school existed and how there were some mutants, as she called them, who'd had to learn on their own like Andy had. "Okay, but..." he said slowly, brow furrowed, "if you're from the '80s, then how come the schools aren't still around?" he asked. That was weird, he thought. It really would've been nice to attend one, even if really, he'd have been way too old to be in school by the time he'd attained the mind thing.

Illyana's joke about being able to have been his babysitter made Andy laugh in spite of it. "That's...so not right," he replied with a smirk. "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, fuck yeah; they were awesome back in the day!" Andy wasn't sure what she was talking about with skateboarding dinosaurs, but then he hadn't been allowed to watch an awful lot of TV in those days, so he'd gotten to pick a show or two that were his favorites and those were the only ones he'd been allowed to watch. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Thundercats had been it.

The question Illyana posed wiped the nostalgic smile right back off Andy's face. He shook his head. "Robots? Nah, babe, just in the movies," he replied. He thought, though, that it was interesting that she said the robots were after "people like them." Andy looked back at her pensively. "What do robots want with a bunch of freaks created by demons? That doesn't really make any sense, you know?" His brow furrowed as he looked back at her, studying her face. The more she talked, the more he wondered if there actually wasn't a "people like us" so much as he and Illyana had similar levels of fucked up going on inside them, but they weren't from the same ilk after all. Too many things didn't quite add up. He didn't remember that stuff from back when he was a kid, but then again would he have noticed? He'd have noticed purple and red robots, right?

His smile ghosted back over his lips for a moment when she said that she could handle herself. Andy had no doubt at all that she could. Then, a moment later, right after complimenting his character in a roundabout way, she was in tears again, complaining that her badassery had been compromised by them. Andy gave her a sympethetic look and put a casual arm around her shoulders. "Hey, it's okay. I won't tell," he teased gently, nudging her shoulder with his own and giving her a small smile. "D'you mind me asking what...?" his voice trailed off. God that was rude; asking her what was making her cry. He shook his head, then. She'd say if she wanted him to know; otherwise it was none of his damn business and he knew it.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]ex_darkchyld899
2009-08-10 06:27 pm UTC (link)
Even without using his powers, Andy was a mind-reader, echoing her thoughts aloud. "I wish I knew," Illyana said. "Maybe they went underground, or something. Or they were attacked by people who hate mutants." Again, an image of Reverend Stryker flitted through her mind. She hadn't even developed her mutant powers when he'd attacked, and his people had very nearly killed her because of her friendship with Kitty and because she was Piotr's sister.

When Andy laughed about her being his baby-sitter, Illyana couldn't help but laugh too. It was ridiculous. It'd be sort of like what she'd gone through, only in reverse. Kitty had been baby-sitting her one day, and rooming with her, younger than her, the next. When she finally made it home and managed to look up her new friend, he'd have no idea who she was or what she was talking about. Completely messed up.

As he talked about the lack of Sentinels, Illyana frowned. How could he have never at least seen them in the news? Was the program junked in favor of something less intrusive into the lives of "normal" people? And then he said "freaks created by demons". So...did that mean he wasn't actually a mutant? Had Belasco started up again in her absence and gone after other innocents, giving them arcane powers in exchange for pieces of their souls? Or was it a different demon entirely? Whether mutant or "demon-created freak," Illyana certainly could sympathize with him. Thanks to Belasco, she was both, and her mutation had gotten messed up, bonded to Limbo in some twisted way which forced her to make a pit stop every time she wanted to teleport.

And now, Andy was acting like Piotr, which only made it worse. He was being all sympathetic and sweet, just like her brother would whenever she was upset. And he was sort-of asking what was wrong. She leaned into him, still wiping at her eyes. "I was thinking of my brother," she said, really hoping she didn't sound quite as teary as she thought she did. "My big brother Piotr. Right before I woke up here, something happened in Dallas. He and his team were trying to help; it was on the news and all. They ran inside this big building, and...." She trailed off, taking a deep breath and blinking hard to clear the tears. "It just blew. The whole building. Live TV, national coverage. I saw it at school when we got back...." She couldn't quite talk about the Ani-Mator and Doug on top of all that. "I tried to go to Dallas to see if I could help, but I couldn't. There was a barrier, like the one here. It's part of why I freaked out earlier. Just reminded me of what happened a few days ago."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]brain_ninja
2009-08-10 10:42 pm UTC (link)
Illyana's given reason for the possibility as to why the schools weren't still around in his time were less than satisfying to him. "Dude, why are you even announcing that you've got the powers? I keep that shit seriously on the down-low," he replied, brow furrowed in confusion. He couldn't understand why she - or anyone else, for that matter - would make it known who or what they were, when they were a freak. Of course there would be people who hated them; Sam and Dean had hated Andy until they'd found out it had been Webber causing all the destruction that whole time. It wasn't like he could blame them, really.

His frown only deeped and brow knit further when she said nothing of the fact that he hadn't seen any robots of any kind. Whatever that was about, he'd have to ask later, because the smaller blonde seemed upset and while girls and tears were one of the few combinations that could and did make Andy infinitely uncomfortable, he was good at covering that up in favor of trying to make them smile again. Laughter had always been Andy's line of defense and it was only reflexive for him to try and use it on others to help them feel better. Anything that would get a girl to stop crying, after all, was a very, very good thing in Andy's opinion.

So, when she leaned against him, he hugged her a little tighter and kept his mouth shut, letting her speak. His frown became sympathetic as she answered his only half-asked question. "Shit..." he breathed. He didn't know what else to say. What was he supposed to say to a girl who's big brother just died; who she'd watched die and hadn't been able to help? Andy had his own demons when it came to dead siblings, but Illyana didn't seem to be at fault. At least, she didn't paint the picture that way. She was clearly grieving still and the wound was still fresh and open. Andy was officially out of his league on this one, so, he rubbed her arm absently with one hand in hopes of offering some sort of silent comfort. "I'm sorry," he finally managed after a long pause. And then, after another short one, added, "my brother died, too. A few months ago." He chose not to explain how or why.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]ex_darkchyld899
2009-08-11 07:01 pm UTC (link)
"We don't exactly go broadcasting it," Illyana said. "Most people just think we're a super-exclusive prep school. But people know about mutants, and lots of people are really uptight about it. There are all sorts of anti-mutant groups, some of them even sanctioned by the government." Which was funny, given that the government also had openly serving mutants on the payrolls. "If we've gotta go out and use our powers, we have code names and wear costumes so people can't ID us." It was stupid. The Fantastic Four could walk around using powers all day long, and everyone loved them. The New Mutants tried the same thing, and the pitchforks came out. Just because they were born with it, whereas the Fantastic Four had "an accident." Thanks, hypocritical society. Just, thanks. She knew exactly why Andy would kept knowledge of his powers to himself.

Illyana offered him a smile at his sympathy. "Thanks," she said, actually meaning it. She'd managed to pull herself more or less together during the long pause in conversation. When he mentioned his own brother, she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a friendly hug in return. "I'm sorry," she said, echoing his statement. "That's a crappy thing to have in common, isn't it?" she said. Lame joke.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]brain_ninja
2009-08-12 09:35 pm UTC (link)
As Illyana explained that it wasn't that the freaks from her time had outed themselves, Andy listened, looking up at her and shifting himself into a more comfortable position. "Okay, but...how do the anti-mutant groups know you exist if you don't broadcast it? Why do they even know you're anything other than a regular, run of the mill girl?" he pressed, because it didn't make sense to him if people like her kept their powers to themselves--oh. They went out and used their powers.

"Well, scratch that, then. Why don't you just, you know...not?" he asked. After all, he had powers, sort of, and he only used them when he really wanted something he couldn't otherwise have. And...Sam had powers, but nobody would've known it if Sam hadn't told them. The same went, Andy supposed, for Ava and Lily, at least; their powers had been fairly easy to hide as long as they didn't tell - and, in Lily's case, so long as she didn't touch anyone.

"You're welcome," he replied offering her a small smile back. When she wrapped her arms around him to return his hug, Andy nodded slightly against her. "Yeah...crappy," he agreed quietly and awkwardly. In all honesty, he was glad that Webber was dead. Andy just didn't like the fact that Webber was dead because Andy had killed him. That was still a jagged pill to swallow.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]ex_darkchyld899
2009-08-14 10:45 pm UTC (link)
"We're trying to help people," Illyana said in answer to Andy's question. He had a point, she supposed. If they didn't use their powers in public, they wouldn't get attacked. But, how many people would have suffered instead. "There are mutants who have no problem using their powers for horrible things, who try to hurt people with their powers." She shrugged. "We try to stop them. And not just mutants, but anyone who tries to hurt humanity." She paused a moment. "Well, we're not supposed to do all that stuff. We're still in school. Piotr and his friends, they were the ones doing most of that stuff. Called themselves the X-Men." She smiled, thinking of how proud she'd been of her big brother for helping so many people. Of course, it had gotten him killed in the end, but that didn't make what he'd done any less important.

"We were gonna take over, whether Magneto liked it or not," she continued. "In their memory. Someone's gotta try to protect the world, right? I mean, we know there are people out there who want to use their powers badly." She frowned as she thought of the White Queen and the Hellfire Club. "So, we've just got to. Even if it means...we might end up dead ourselves." Doug's face floated in front of her mind's eye, and she shook her head. She'd cried too much today. She was not going to do it again.

"Super crappy," she said, squeezing Andy. She read his awkwardness as sadness, maybe a bit of detachment. It's how she'd felt for the last few days, when she wasn't railing at the injustices of the world or plotting revenge on whoever had made the barrier around Dallas. "But, we keep going, right?" she said, as much for her own benefit as Andy's. "The world doesn't stop because of something bad happening. And moping won't get us out of this crazy place." Not that she was any good at problem-solving - that was usually Dani's forte - but dwelling would do neither of them any good, and she didn't like to be a bummer to a potential friend.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]brain_ninja
2009-08-18 02:10 am UTC (link)
Andy paused for a moment, pulling a face and then nodded his approval. Fair enough, if she was trying to help people, even if it did seem to get her into situations it sounded like she'd prefer to avoid. Andy had only used his power to help someone once before here - Andy figured here didn't count - and it had backfired on him, as well. Well, twice, but for all he knew, Dean had never gotten the pictures of Sam and the bell to try to find them. He hadn't shown up by the time Andy had passed out with his head on the table and then he'd awoken here to meet a Dean that didn't even know who he was. "You're a better woman than I am man, I s'pose, then," he finally said after a moment of silence. "All of you. I only ever tried to help somebody once and then she wouldn't even look at me ever again..." The fact that he'd been able to get into Tracy's head like that after whatever the hell Webber had made her do ahd scared her too much to trust him. If not for the fact that it had saved her life, Andy wouldn't have done it at all, but that didn't seem to matter to her. He'd have wished to take it back except he'd rather Tracy alive and afraid of him than dead for not having known he could do it.

"X-Men...I kinda like the sound of that, honestly. Beats 'mutants' or 'freaks,' I think. Kinda has a nice ring to it, too, honestly," Andy said thoughtfully, giving her a small smile. He listened to her speak and took it all in. Illyana sounded like one bad ass chick, not to mention the fact that, whether she realized it or not, she was making herself and her friends sound like some sort of super hero group. That was pretty damn cool in Andy's book.

A small, wan smile crossed Andy's face and he gave Illyana a gentle squeeze back. "We keep going," he agreed. It wasn't pretty and it wasn't easy, but it was the truth. It was, honestly, all they could do. Moping might not get them out, but Andy kept trying to tell himself that if he just kept on truckin', eventually they'd let him go. It seemed like too much to hope for, but it was something, and that kept him waking up every morning, so he was clinging to it.

Letting out a sigh, Andy gave Illyana another quick squeeze. "I just realized that you were probably on your way somewhere and I got you steered off course," he thought aloud, looking over at her. "Shit, I'm sorry. Where were you headed? I could give you a ride if you want," he offered. If she was headed to the gas station, he'd just walk her there, but if she wanted to go further across town, maybe he could shave some time off her commute, if she wanted.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]ex_darkchyld899
2009-08-18 02:42 am UTC (link)
"There's lots of people that don't like the fact that we help them," Illyana said, trying to explain further. "My brother's friend Kurt's been attacked by mobs for helping people before. Granted, he's blue and fuzzy and has a tail, but still. And we get it too. Doesn't matter to us." She looked at Andy. "But that doesn't make us better. That's like saying you're better because you've got your driver's license and can give people rides and I can't yet." She shrugged, not sure she was explaining it properly. Not everyone should feel they had to be like the X-Men, even if they did have powers. There was nothing wrong with living your life like everyone else. She was jealous, in a way, of the fact that he seemed to do just that. It wasn't something she could do.

"It's a bit narcissistic," she said when he commented on the team name. "The X is for Professor Xavier, since he's the one that brought us all together." She smirked, then adopted a deep voice with an aristocratic air about it, pressing the fingers of her left hand to her temple, and stretching her right hand out, as if reaching for something. "To me, my X-Men," she intoned. But she couldn't hold a straight face and the impression was ruined by a burst of giggles.

When she was able to get hold of herself again, she shifted in her seat a little. "I was sort of exploring," she said. "I haven't seen much of the town yet, so I was trying to get a feel for how it's laid out."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]brain_ninja
2009-08-23 06:01 pm UTC (link)
It didn't really make sense to Andy why people wouldn't want Illyana and her friends to help, but then again, it didn't make sense to Andy why Tracy couldn't just see past the fact that he'd controlled her mind and consider the fact that he'd done it to save her life. A lot of things, really, didn't make sense to Andy, but he didn't really see any point in trying to make her explain even more when there was probably nothing more to explain. "Blue and fuzzy with a tail? That's kinda conspicuous, yeah," Andy replied with a small smirk he couldn't hide, even when he tried to. Her analogy, though, Andy felt was off. "Nah, that's two different things. You don't have a license, so it's not an even playing field. More accurately it'd be like saying I was better because I have the mind thing and I do something with my power that you don't with yours," he pointed out. "In either case, you're still the better person. You use your power to help people...I use mine to get out of paying bills and to force assholes to watch gay porn all hours of the day," he said with a shrug.

Andy's smile widened and he laughed along with her as she went on in a deeper voice, as if to mock herself along with her friends. He leaned back against the side of the van as she shifted. Illyana said she was exploring to get a feel for the layout of the land. He nodded his understanding. "If it's any help, this chick Cheryl made a map a few days into the first chunk of us waking up here. It's in the beginning of the journal if you flip way back. It's actually pretty damn accurate, so it might be of use while you explore, I'd think," he offered. Andy wasn't really in the mood to go with her so it took a little will power to bite back the reflexive urge to ask if she wanted company. If he was honest, he was ready to get back to Moby Dick and Jim Morrison, but he wasn't going to tell her that.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]ex_darkchyld899
2009-08-25 10:15 pm UTC (link)
"That's justice," Illyana said, referring to the comments about making assholes watch porn all day. "Society won't punish them for being jerks, so you get to do it. It's just a more local scale than what I do." She smirked. "And even if I could do that, I'd never get away with it. Magneto would have my hide." She could just see his face, red and trembling with barely controlled anger. It was enough to set her giggling again.

"A map? Awesome," she said, flipping through the new book. It was only a few pages in, and it looked pretty accurate to what she'd seen so far. "Thanks," she said, grinning at Andy. She stretched as best she could in a van, and leaned forward. "I'm gonna continue my explorations, if that's okay," she said, offering up her hand for him to shake. "I want to see what this prison has to offer. I'll see you later?" She wondered if he'd offer to walk with her. Part of her, if she was honest, sort of wanted to be by herself, so she could make sure she had herself under control again before she ran into anyone else. The last thing she needed was to freak out at something and have her fellow inmates find out about her horns and tail and lack of soul.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]brain_ninja
2009-08-25 10:59 pm UTC (link)
"Justice," he repeated more than asked with a snort of amusement. "Yeah, okay, maybe..." he agreed reluctantly. Maybe watching gay porn was a fair punishment for being a dick. He could've done worse, but he hadn't. Getting to laugh at the look on the guy's face had been plenty good enough for Andy. He didn't want to think about what he'd have done had he been more like Webber, so he simply didn't think about it. "Guess that's one advantage of learning my shit by myself; nobody to tell me no," he added. Though, again, if they'd had someone to teach them, maybe Webber wouldn't have been so fucked up and focused on killing people just because they'd separated he and Andy at birth or because he'd seen them as a threat to his awkward, barely-there relationship with Andy.

With a nod, Andy smiled. "Yeah, she asked around for help and stuff, and I think that Shannon girl who writes on practically every other page helped her put it together; corrected what was wrong and what not - you can kinda see the changes if you look hard enough. So yeah it's pretty accurate, definitely," he replied. "And no problem. Just spread the word and pay it forward," he added with a small smile.

He gave a bit of a bitter laugh when she said she wanted to see what the prison had to offer and he reached out to take her hand, giving it a firm shake. "Not much, I can assure you, but have a blast. I'll definitely see you 'round. This is where I'll be. If the van moves, I'm movin' with it, is all," he explained. "Plus," he said, tapping one finger on her book. "You know where to find me otherwise if you need anything or just wanna hang out with a fellow freak of nature," he offered.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]ex_darkchyld899
2009-09-02 02:19 am UTC (link)
Illyana squinted at the page with the map and sure enough, she could see faint marks where lines had been previously. She nodded, satisfied that the map was at least as accurate as she was likely to get in this place. She tucked her book into her pocket as she shook Andy's hand, grinning at him.

"It's good to meet you, really," she said. "If I've gotta be stuck here, at least there's someone here who understands certain things as well." She slid out of the van, then turned back to Andy. "And I'll definitely come and hang out again. Thank you." Not just for the offer of friendship, but for not freaking out at the panic attack of half an hour earlier. With a wave and a smirk, Illyana turned back toward the town. There were some buildings on the map that she hadn't seen at the other end of the town....

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]brain_ninja
2009-09-02 09:25 pm UTC (link)
Taking Illyana's hand and shaking it firmly, Andy nodded and smiled. "Good to meet you too, peaches," he replied. "Really. I'm totally with you on that," he said, immediately thinking of Sam and the way it felt knowing that there was another someone just like him here who understood what it was like to be a freak. Now, it seemed, there would be two people who understood. One was good, but two would be better.

He watched as she slid out of the van and turned back to him, telling him that she'd come back and hang out. He smiled again and nodded. "Awesome. You know where to find me," he replied. He waved back at her in return and then she turned to walk away and Andy waited until she was out of sight before climbing out of the back of the van himself, moving back to the front seat, and lighting up the bong again. Finally, something better than a joint. This day was going to be awesome.

(Reply to this) (Parent)



Home | Site Map | Manage Account | TOS | Privacy | Support | FAQs