aterat | Lets Make a Deal

Entry tags:

Lets Make a Deal

Who; Illyana || OTA
What; Crystals!
Where; City | Network | anywhere??
When; Any point during event
Warnings; Will update if any come up.

A. OTA | City in the evening/night

To say that Illyana was unhappy about the current situation was almost the understatement of the century. The worst part was that she wasn't even sure what she found more irritating: the idea of her own memories being out there for someone to find or being forced to see the memories of other people. Both had their own set of problems that ultimately led to her disappearing to her own dimension far more often than not lately. Which was starting to lead to it's own unique Limbo-centric problems. Perhaps there was something to be said for it being a bad idea to just hide away from complicated emotions.

Perhaps.

Or perhaps not. It still seemed like the most viable option to her. Unfortunately, she had to come back eventually. That didn't mean she had to seek out people though. In fact, she was practically going out of her way to try to avoid them. She wasn't alone though, a few of her imps were there with her.

"If you find any crystal with a memory of mine, bring it back at once," she said sharply to one. "And if I find out you looked too long at one it'll be recorder concert for eternity. No breaks." With that she pulled the hood of her coat up and went back towards her own building.

B. Network | Audio

[ Illyana's voice is curt and cuts right to the point without any pause. ] If you find a crystal that has anything to do with me, I'll send an imp to retrieve it. Look at it too much at your own peril. I can tell you the last person to peer into my memories found herself regretting it. [ Does she sound...proud of that...? Maybe. It was kind of funny. ]

People only see things if I want them to. That is how this works. [ And how dare this place not respect that she's a sorceress supreme. It's just rude. ] What's the point of being
a sorceress supreme of a realm if you don't have perks and protections? [ There is no point really. It's pretty awful in general. ]

I'll gladly return any I found to their owners and we can all agree it did not happen. Isn't that a generous and fair deal?

C. Other

Anything specific you'd like to do? Feel free to do it! I'm game for anything.

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Jacob was actively trying to find Illyana when he spotted one of her imps hoping towards the colored building, a crystal clasped tightly within his claws. He didn't know a lot of details about her current residence but he knew that her imps would bring him to her. He wasn't a lucky person but today he found his target, walking along the sidewalk.

"Illyana!" He called her name and jogged over, hoping that she wouldn't be too pissed at him. He understood where she was coming from but he didn't know how sensitive she was to this sort of thing. She appeared to care a lot more than he did but after their previous conversations he was hesitant to lie to her.

"I have something for you and wanted you to know that I accidentally looked at it." He stopped a few feet in front of her and bowed. "I'm sorry that I saw it but I wanted to return it to you anyway." Jacob also valued his friendship with Illyana. "If you'd like some knowledge in return I can give it to you."

He didn't want their friendship to feel out of balance. It was better if they held information over each other, even if Jacob didn't really care if she spread his memories around.

[He had an advantage with these crystals: when he touched things, it was exactly how he saw things on them, only it was easier to separate his mind from the memory.

It wasn't difficult to know whose it had been.]

Maybe I don't want to do business with your henchmen, love.

You'll hurt their feelings saying things like that.

That imp was going to be in trouble. Maybe not now, but soon it would face her wrath for not being more careful with leading someone back to her. It's tail was tucked in between it's legs making it pretty obvious that it knew that too. What punishment would await it? Would it be more recorder practice of that horrible song? Or would it be even worse than that? Would she force him to learn country music songs? Another had received that as his punishment and that was truly a chilling thought.

She let out a sigh that she made absolutely no attempt at hiding as she looked over to Jacob. "You should have given it to Belphegor rather than following him." Did she even want to ask what he'd seen? Not particularly. It would come up though, she knew there would be no escaping that. Unless she just teleported away right this instant. Truthfully the thought crossed her mind. Was this truly part of trying to be a real girl with a real soul? How dreadful.

"I would decline your deal. Unfortunately for us both I believe I already found something of yours."

Would they prefer "servants"?

Subjects.

Fine. I'd rather not deal with your subjects, love.

What do you have against them?

Nothing, really, save that their recorder's a little flat.

...I'd just rather speak with you directly, or have I not earned that priviledge?

Edited 2022-01-30 22:08 (UTC)

"Don't give him a hard time." Jacob was entirely human but he had spent a great deal of his live living with those who were quicker, stronger and quieter than him. He couldn't do much in a fight but he was decent at staying out of the way and following those who had keen senses. Even if the little Imp had tried to shake him, it wouldn't have taken much effort for Jacob to pick up the trail and continue his search. "You can be pissed at me."

He paused and then winced. "Though I guess that doesn't work with my point. I followed him because I value you friendship and after talking about being honest, I wanted to be honest with you."

Jacob was curious about what memory Illyana might have seen but he wasn't worried. If anything, it made this exchange easier. "Do you want to talk or are you really into locking yourself in your room?"

Is it? Good. That's even more painful.

[ A pause and a sigh. ] As you wish. Where should I meet you?

"You shouldn't defend them. It sets a precedence." Next think you know they'll be expecting equal treatment and to not have everything blamed on them. That just sounds terrible.

"How...sentimental." Well, at least he wasn't being a hypocrite. That should count for something shouldn't it? Probably. Though, to her it really just came off as a bit frustrating. It was even more frustrating to be called on just locking herself in her room.

"It's a nice room." So there. He wasn't going to let it go though, she knew people like this and she knew he wasn't entirely in the wrong to not let it go. They should talk. It was what a real girl would do and she had said she wanted to at least pretend to be one. Of course that was before she realized how complicated and confusing it was.

"Talk then."

For us or for them?

[He pauses for a moment.]

How about the cemetery? [It was a suitably goth place to meet up, and she seemed to like it there.]

Perhaps both.

[ She let out a weird little laugh. ]

Interesting choice. I'll be there soon.

Who doesn't like hanging out in a graveyard? I just got a new coat. I should break it in proper.

action;

[And with that, he headed off toward the cemetery, because he figured she'd just teleport there so he'd immediately be late.]

[ The cemetery was a place she was familiar enough with that teleporting there was second nature. When she arrived she had the hood of a heavy black cloak pulled up over her head. It was cold enough out that she was hopeful it would avoid suspicion. The amount of time she'd recently spent in Limbo had left her with horns that weren't fading away quite as quickly as she'd like. Nobody needed to know that though, certainly not him. ]

You take forever to walk places.

He saw a lot of himself in Illyana. It wasn't that they were particularly similar or had matching personalities but the things she did reminded him of when he'd been rescued from his captivity. He had been closed off from the world and from those who had wanted to help him. After everything that he'd done, after all of his obsessions had come to light... he knew that he was a monster.

Even now. He couldn't deny his darkness and he stopped trying to. He just pretend it wasn't there.

He felt hallow.

It was possible that he was projecting these feelings onto her but after what he had seen. It was hard not to. He didn't remember Illyana ever talking about herself like she was human.

Jacob inhaled and exhaled slowly before speaking. "I saw you take a soul and... I recognized the feeling that you felt at that time. That's all. I didn't think-" He breathed again and continued. "I didn't think I knew anyone who knew what that emptiness was like." Even after everything he's done to recover, he found it difficult to feel any emotion with great intensity. Everything was dulled.

She cast her eyes down and the seconds began to pile up as a cold silence gripped ahold of her. What was there to say to that? There was no defending what she'd done. Some tried to. Sam was especially fond of defending it. She bit down on her lower lip. She missed Sam. What a strange feeling. He'd defend it. They all had in their own way. It became a matter of the original New Mutants against the newer mutants. Had she had all of the pieces of her soul back together then she may have found it flattering. As it stood though, she couldn't help but think it just showed naivety. Blind loyalty.

It was odd though. Even back then she'd felt a swelling of appreciation towards them. Appreciation that mixed dangerously with hints of resentment. Emotions were far too complicated.

And now it was all being brought back up again, except this time there was no Sam to stand between her and what happened. There was no Piotr to step in for her and insist that she was his Snowflake and anyone that spoke about what happened in Limbo would answer to him. There was just her. Her standing with her eyes cast down refusing to even consider looking up at Jacob.

"Ah, Pixie," she said quietly. "I needed it and she was more than willing to give a piece up." Her words were flat, as if she were just reciting a fact. "I didn't have one of my own at the time and it was making reclaiming Limbo...difficult." And that had been all that had mattered to her: victory over Belasco. She swallowed and finally cast a glance over to him.

"Have you lost your soul before? Or just had pieces chipped away?" Too few people understood the fragility of a soul. They thought that Satan showed up with a contract and poof, that was it, your soul was gone. It was easier to think of it that way. The truth, in her mind at least, was that a soul was a delicate thing. Deals and excessive use of the black arts were hardly the only way that a soul could be tainted.

[Jagger, on the other hand, liked walking places. It was so much better than taking a cab for things like getting one's thoughts in order and deciding if this conversation was even a great idea.

Ultimately, he decided during his walk that he was in this, and once that happened, it was for keeps. Jagger wasn't a man who let people near often, but once he did, he kept them close, only with Illyana, it was something like hugging a cactus at times. He didn't mind.

He hadn't been lying about having a new coat, either. It was long, heavy wool, black, and double-breasted with shining silver buttons down the front. While outwardly, it was just a warm coat to keep the snow at bay. Internally, he felt kind of cool.

He stepped through the gates to the cemetery with his gloved hands shoved deep into the coat's warm pockets and did his model best not to jump when she spoke. He was almost successful.]

I like walking places, love. Gives me time to think.

Is that what you tell yourself? [ Though, she knew he probably meant it. He seemed to like to do think far too much for his own good. One day it was most certainly going to get him into trouble. Then again she couldn't help but wonder if that wasn't what he was after. Perhaps he liked trouble. It would explain why he spent so much time speaking to her. ]

And what do you think about on your walk?

Edited 2022-02-19 09:30 (UTC)

Jacob nodded his head to let Illyanna know that he understood and was accepting her words at face value. He had been in many situations where people had to sacrifice to win. He understood the need and cost to achieving goals and found her explanation reasonable without knowing the full situation.

"Pieces. Probably." He shrugged. "I can't really see my soul but I probably have one. I think souls grow back over time, with healing and sometimes magic. My sister can create souls and give them to people or animals... or objects. So I assume if I didn't have one she'd let me know." He really didn't understand it.

"It's hard to explain to someone what's it like to feel nothing." He hadn't hated the feeling. He still didn't hate it. He didn't have any feeling about it.

"Everyone has one," she tilted her head. "I could see yours if I wanted to look." But she didn't particularly want to look. She let out a bitter sounding brief chuckle and shook her head.

"How quaint that souls can heal or grow back in your world. They don't in my own." It'd have made her life easier she imagined. Or perhaps it'd have made it harder considering all the things she ended up having to do. "Anyone with the magical knowledge in my world can take a soul and use it for other things. Very few hold that knowledge though." Which was for the best most likely.

"Especially when they believe you should be feeling something. Or when you know you should be feeling something and yet...don't." Usually she wouldn't have offered so much, but he could relate and that was...nice. Strangely nice. Though, that didn't change the fact that her tone sounded a bit hesitant and confused as she spoke.

"Yeah." Jacob agreed softly. He had talked about a lot of his trama but not about the lack of remorse of feeling he had felt at that time. Even now, there were moments where there was nothing. It was weird to talk about but only because he didn't know if there was a way to vocalize the experience.

He shook his head. "Don't look. That doesn't sound like it'd be pleasant for you." He knew that his soul was missing pieces and he didn't really want the confirmation. It was easier to think that it was fine.

"But yeah. I sometimes... pretend." He shrugged again, uncertain of how to go on. This was super awkward. "Like, I act nice because I know I'm not." His family wanted him to be healthy and okay, so he tried his best to stop their nagging. "I don't care. If that makes sense." There were things he cared about now but it was difficult for him and sometimes he felt nothing at all when he knew he should.

"It'd be less pleasant for you than me. If I wanted to, I could even take a piece. I created a sword from what was left of mien once upon a time. What do you think you'd make?" It was easier to act sinister and play up things with questions like that than it was to really think about the feelings that came along with the topic.

"Someone once asked me if the return of a soul meant I was a real girl again. All I could tell her was that at the very least I could pretend it did." Which wasn't something she was exceptionally pleased to admit to. She wrapped her arms around herself self-consciously. "It makes sense. You know what's expected of you, so you offer that. Sometimes only because it's how you know you should act." Her shoulders slumped slightly, this was definitely awkward to discuss. "It was easier not to care."

And everyone who'll listen. [He responded without skipping a beat. Their banter was starting to become comfortable, at least for him. He wondered if it was the same for her.]

It depends on the day. Like today? I was thinking about how I was heading to a cemetery to meet a girl, how that sounded pretty goth, and how it was pretty fortunate I'd gotten a new coat to match.

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Page 1 of 3

Lets Make a Deal

City in the Night

B. Network

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