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Tuck a knife with my heart up my sleeve
Who; Illyana+ OTA
What; After a little canon update
Where; Market, Graveyard, Arena
When;6/24 initially, 6/25 and further after
Warnings; Will update when needed
A. {Closed to Waver} To Need to Use a Door...
B. {OTA} You got me thinking that I was too mean (Arena)
C. {OTA} I just fuck things up, if you noticed (Market/Graveyard)
What; After a little canon update
Where; Market, Graveyard, Arena
When;6/24 initially, 6/25 and further after
Warnings; Will update when needed
A. {Closed to Waver} To Need to Use a Door...
Illyana did not like the idea of having to ask for help and yet that was where she was right now. The only thing that was worse than having to ask for assistance was having to use the door to do so. Normal boring people used doors, not Illyana, certainly not Magik. It was awful. Demeaning. Terrible. Yet, she had to do it. After all she had two options here: ask the imps to help as they had previously offered or get help elsewhere. She'd already rejected the imps assistance and she was not going to give them the satisfaction of going to them now. That left the first option as the only real option in her mind, as unfortunate as it was.
At the end of the day the most important thought was getting this device off of her without something going terribly wrong. Now that she was back in this place she could recall the time she had died and that wasn't something she wanted to experience. Not with everything else going on in her mind. Which...was quite a lot the more she thought about it. Much more. She'd had such a strong plan when she'd gotten Scott's permission to leave, such high ideals, and yet now that she was here everything seemed more...complicated. Her mind felt blurry, mixing with the memories of the lessons she'd learned here, the progress she'd made, and the place she'd been back home. A dark place where she'd come to accept that her brother was never going to understand. No, if she wished for him to understand her she'd need to act. And to act she...
She shook her head. No. First things first. Removing this device. Then perhaps she could think.
It took her too long to actually get to Waver's place (which left her even more frustrated) and then she stopped in front of the door and did the unthinkable: she knocked. She knocked and she waited.
This was awful. He was never going to let her live this down.
B. {OTA} You got me thinking that I was too mean (Arena)
[ Magik had been freed. Unleashed for the first time in months and she needed to stretch her legs. Both metaphorically and magically (or magickally, the clearly correct way) and so she went to the Arena. Her mind was a mess of the memories from here and the newer memories from her home. Anger, frustration, confusion, and bitterness all swirled in her mind like a hurricane. Emotional hurricane's from broken people needed a release somehow and so she fought. For most fights she relied on her soulword and her teleportation skills. For some though she brought out the magic, using blasts of energy and even an illusion here and there. She was fierce and brutal, lethal in the way she cut her foes down.
But there were lulls between matches and you might catch her during those lulls. Perhaps getting water or answering a question or two about where she learned to fight (her answer is Hell each time). She might even be looking for a snack or two. Say hi if you dare. ]
C. {OTA} I just fuck things up, if you noticed (Market/Graveyard)
[ Illyana eventually took her winnings to the Market to make a few purchases. She still had the clothes she'd worn on, though they were splattered with blood and other...even less pleasant things. She was currently wandering through the stalls, picking up random things and then putting them back down as if her mind were only partially paying attention to what she was doing. If she forgot to pay for an item, well, she'd eventually acknowledge someone calling her on it. Or a shopkeeper chasing her down. Or perhaps even the guards being called.
Eventually she finds herself standing outside the graveyard, a wash of emotions overtaking her as she remembered various meetings she'd had her. Those meetings overlapped with the times she'd spent over the graves of those she'd lost back home. Of her own grave. Of the darkness inside of her and the soot black soul she now thought tainted everything about her. She lingered at the entrance as if she were almost afraid to simply walk in. ]
A. Waver's so proud of her for being brave enough to use a door >>
As it was, the mage was even less in the mood for company than usual these days.
If only because a weird constant in his week was missing. Anyone who had gotten to know Waver well enough knew that even the smallest change could throw him off to the point that he somehow got even more prickly than usual. This week’s problem being: He hadn’t seen Illyana in a while.
While it wasn’t weird to think she had gotten busy or found someone else to annoy… It was worrying him that he hadn’t even run into her around the academy that week… Not that he went looking! That would imply he was worried about her! She was annoying and pushed his buttons, and her imps were little nuisances!
Except he did go looking, and had found no trace of her… Eventually he had to face the fact that he wasn’t going to find her, and either she’d been sent home or something had happened in this unpredictable world. If it was the former, he’d have to accept that and move on (because he was so good at that). If it was the latter… Well, then he was going to have to wait and hope for the right clue to figure out what.
Until then, he had eventually stopped wandering the halls of the academy and returned to his workshop. That was where he stayed, for the most part, aside from the odd time he had to run out and grab some supplies or a change of clothes at his apartment.
Today he seemed to actually be working on something at his counter, rather than slacking off and reading or playing video games. A bowl set over a burner with a reddish liquid in it. It was hard to say what it was, but he was watching it with folded arms and an overly stern expression when the silence was interrupted by a knock on the door.
A brow rose slightly in question, he wasn’t expecting Ren to stop by anytime soon and the teen was really the only person who knocked out of the few people who knew to find him here… Lowering his arms he moved around the counter and over to the door, internally dreading the idea that something else had happened. He really wasn’t in the mood for more bad news or weird situations he could do little about.
“Wasn't expecting you today-” Waver started to say, only to stop and stare at who was standing at his door. Someone who had stated on more than one occasion that doors were not for her. Illyana. He tilted his head to one side, the wrinkle in his brow furrowing as he studied the woman who before now had been missing. There were definitely some changes here, the device for one.
All of that aside, for a brief moment, there’s a visible relaxing of his scowl and something relieved in his eyes. Like he’d been… worried? It was gone as fast as it had appeared, though, and his tone was blunt as he greeted her. “Thought you didn’t use doors. Trying it out to see how the rest of us live, are we?”
she had to try okay
The leader of the X-Men had imprisoned her in this for her transgressions (which she hardly blamed him for) and then he'd put this device on her. Allegedly if she tried to teleport it'd blow up. Allegedly her brother also had a trigger for a shock if she went out of line or death if she went too far. Though, the idea that her brother would ever do that to his snowflake was utterly laughable. How well did Scott actually know his fellow X-Men if he thought that her mentally unstable brother would be capable of harming his precious little sister? Not well at all if you asked her.
Even worse considering she was there by choice. Had she wanted to leave the X-Brig she could have. But she didn't want to. If she left, it'd just prove she was exactly what they thought. Then she'd never have the life she thought she might want; the chance she felt she needed. So, she'd allowed them to think she was imprisoned, that she was being controlled and potentially safe. Here it was different, there was no reason to try but she also wasn't entirely certain how removing it would go.
She tilted her head. "I could see about removing it myself. If I blow up, it'll be on you though." A tiny smirk tugged at her lips as she turned to leave, knowing full well that he more than likely wouldn't just let her walk away after saying that.
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Refusing to dwell on that for now, his thoughts turned back to what she said. ‘Either knock or test if this still works.’ huh… So she couldn’t teleport. Knocking was not by choice so much as needed. Something that limited, if not outright blocking her ability? He opened his mouth to invite her in and ask for the specifics when she continued to expand on what it could potentially do as she turned to walk away. So it wasn’t too hard to form a more solid theory on the device and what it could do.
Of course, he didn’t really have time to consider that further as a small spark of something between panic and annoyance crossed his face at her mock attempt at walking away and the smirk clearly showing she knew what she was doing. The frustrated huff that escaped him was followed by pulling the door open more widely and a gesture for her to get inside. “Oh, for the love of…!! Stop messing around and get inside already. Let me have a look.” He responded and turned away, expecting her to follow. Muttering something about people being smart with him, Waver moved to the counter momentarily to turn off the burner so he could focus on… whatever the hell he had to do to get that thing off. Belatedly, he added, “And I expect more of an explanation afterward.”
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"Of course, I can answer any question you have." Whether or not it'd be an honest answer would be up to the her at the moment to decide. Here and now she realized it seemed like there were several different variations of herself floating around in her mind all vying to take the lead at any given moment. So the truth would come from whichever one had the helm. Or perhaps more accurately, just on a whim. He was more likely to get it though given her...fondness for him. It was only a small bit of fondness though, that much she'd insist.
"I'm not even entirely sure if the wiring still works here or not. It's allegedly triggered by me teleporting, connected to some sort of sensor back home. Then Piotr and a few others have devices on them to trigger it if they feel they need to." Perhaps, being here and thus cut off from the sensors, meant that it wouldn't actually detonate. She wasn't too keen on trying though.
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Her agreement to answer his questions was enough for now. After all, he was used to dealing with people who tried to feed him half truths or outright lies. The answers would be scrutinized when she gave them, and he’d decide whether he bought it or not. “Good, first let’s have a look at your new accessory.” The mage turned back and gesture to the device.
Once she began explaining what she knew and suspected about it, he frowned more deeply (somehow). He knew that name for one, Piotr, that was her damn brother. It left a sour taste in his mouth to think that someone Illyana had described as caring about her so much was put in charge of something that could blow her up.
At least they didn’t have to worry about someone else triggering it in her sudden absence, since presumably no one noticed they were gone from their own worlds. So one less thing to worry about… But then there were the other possibilities. “Given how cut off we are, it’s possible it wouldn’t work here, but… Better safe than sorry. For all we know, teleporting and it not being able to reach the sensor in the first place might mess with it.” That’s not comforting, but Waver never could shut up. “Do we know what needs to be done for an outside party to remove it, or should I be worried that tampering with it could result in triggering it as well?”
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She lifted her hands up so he could get a decent look at the entire device. It was strapped around her with metal clamps around her chest with wires that ran to thick metal shackles on her wrist. A metal collar rounded the entire thing out, clamped around her neck, much to her frustration. The wires were actually strangely exposed, which might be beneficial to trying to remove it actually. At his question she shrugged.
"I'm not entirely certain. The imps seemed to think they could get me out safely." If they could do it then...
"It was put on via a locking mechanism in the back. It's all one piece. Disabling the wires somehow might be safest. Maybe we could use your soup." She was just joking. Mostly.
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Waver got a closer look at it, grumbling lightly as he got an idea of how it was all connected and put together. Could they have designed something more uncomfortable looking to wear? Considering what it was made to do, it seemed needlessly cumbersome to the mage. Then again, he didn’t know much about how technology and magic melded in Illyana’s world. “No offense to the imps.” Actually, his tone suggests maybe a little offense… He hadn’t forgotten his kitchen at the apartment yet. “But I’m not sure how I feel about trusting their opinion on the matter without getting a better look myself.”
“Turn around and let me have a look at the locking mechanism so I can get an idea of how it works and if it’s as easy to release as they suggest.” Illyana was at least lucky it was Waver and not another mage from his world. The older generation seemed to abhor modern technology aside from maybe the odd one or two. They wouldn’t know the first thing about what to do. “My soup- Sure let’s dump some liquid on some electrical wiring. That won’t potentially go terribly for you.” He responded with a huff, spoken as someone who’s been electrocuted a time or two before now.
The memory is fresh enough and still a point of uncertainty for him that Waver isn’t keen to do that to Illyana… no matter how much her teasing annoys him.
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"They wouldn't take offense. They like you, remember? They want to be like you!" Made sense that one of her clearest memories would be of the imps in his kitchen wearing his clothes, being his Jr. It made sense because it meant that he'd be bothered and that was clearly always a bonus to everything. "Smart to not trust their opinions though. At least you can learn small things." Unlike some of the other people who had found themselves around her imps. Those people had somehow found ways to like them, to even encourage them. There was something slightly funny about that particular memory though. This place really hadn't been that bad come to think of it.
She paused for a moment, dragging things on for a few seconds before turning around. Was the wait because she didn't want to immediately follow his request? Yes. She was. Once turned around he'd probably see that all in all it wasn't too difficult of a mechanism to unlock. It was smaller on the back and seemingly held together by large metal clamps rather than anything similar to a lock. Cutting the wires might be a solution or melting the clasps somehow. "It's rigged to trigger automatically if I travel to Limbo." Which was really the biggest annoyance she had. How could she run for everything if she couldn't find anywhere to hide?
"It couldn't go worse than some of the alternatives." She tilts her head. "Have you had it happen?"
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The groan that escaped him was both dramatic and sincere at the reminder of ‘Jr’ and their desire to be like him. “Don’t remind me, I still need to replace some of my wardrobe from ‘Jr’s’ tomfoolery.” He responded with a roll of his eyes. It was still one of the most absurd memories he had to date. Which was saying something, considering what a few of his students got up to.
The mage frowned at her comment about not trusting the creature’s opinions as he went back to focusing on the device. “I do have some common sense.” Though how much common sense is debatable and depends on what he’s up to, really. He’s just better at covering his tracks than his students… most of the time.
The mage almost asked what the holdup was, only to pause awkwardly when she finally did turn around. Careful of her hair, he got a look at the mechanism with a small hum of concentration. It was simplistic beyond the rest of the devices design. “Consider me surprised. The imps aren’t exactly wrong after all. I don’t think it’ll be hard to disable and take off, probably just needs a couple wires cut.” Which he should have something around here that would do.
Waver barely restrained a roll of his eyes at the statement. “Maybe not, but I’d still rather us get through this with as little injury as possible. Just give me a moment.” He commented over his shoulder again as he moved back to his counter and dug through a drawer. Her question gets a shrug and a vague response. “Not like this, but I’ve had some experience with being struck by things that give a bit of a shock.” A ‘bit of a shock’ was an understatement, but Waver was more focused on Illyana’s situation at the moment.
Retrieving a small pair of wire-cutters he used for projects, he tugged on his pair of gloves just to be on the safe side before he returned and double checked the wiring. Once he felt a little more confident in his choice, he held up the wire-cutters. “Cross your fingers.” He added in a wry tone before he got to work and watched for signs of something bad about to happen.
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Oh, but that got a laugh out of her. The memories of the Jr came back sharply and brought a sly grin, with only a tiny hint of evil in it. Only a tiny one though! It's definitely not that it was a pleasant memory because she was also remembering the look on his face. Which...actually made her chuckle. "The look on your face when he came out..." Priceless.
"Only some?" Now probably wasn't the time but oh well. "I'll let them know you said they were right. I'm sure they'll be even more interested in you. Jr's admiration for his hero will only grow." The sarcasm in her tone was palpable. "Shocking that you have that experience." Also laced with sarcasm.
"I don't believe in trying for luck. But lets see what happens." Which, thankfully, would end up being nothing aside from the device falling off once he'd cut the wires.
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“Enough to not want to accidentally shock someone else.” He muttered, as he set to clipping the wires carefully. After nothing happened when he clipped the first wire, Waver gained a little confidence in what he was doing and moved on to the next with a little less apprehension. That said, there was a very dramatic roll of his eyes, even if she couldn’t see it, at her comment. “Ha. Ha.” He offered sarcastically in return. “Enough with the jokes, I’m concentrating.” He added grumpily, though the words didn’t have much bite.
Probably smart to not rely on luck entirely, but Waver couldn’t deny that both good and bad luck had a hand in things now and again. That aside, he felt some of the lingering tension fade as the device deactivated and dropped. “Alright, that should do it.” He set the wire-cutters down on an end table and gestured to a chair.
There was a part of Waver that wondered if she’d just teleport away at this point rather than actually give him answers, but he was hoping she’d be a woman of her word here. “Now that you’re not at risk of blowing up, you want to tell me what happened and how you ended up with that? I’m guessing it was one of those situations where you were sent back to your world temporarily, given I haven’t seen you around in the last week.” He added with a frown. The mage has ideas, of course, but he’d rather hear what happened from her.
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She rolled her shoulders and dramatically stretched her freshly freed arms out, relishing in the freedom. Then, without any sort of warning a disc opened up around her and with the smell of brimstone she disappeared. After a full minute she came back and smirked. "Seems to be working perfectly." Was she hopeful that he'd thought she'd really left permanently? Of course. Probably made obvious by the expectant look on her face, as if she was trying hard to catch even a glimpse of a reaction from him. At least she hadn't changed that much in her time back in her own world.
"Only a week? It's been a few months for me." Not that she actually sounded surprised or bothered. "Pocket dimensions, right?" she shook her head. "At least it wasn't a few years there and a day here. Been there, done that. I'd hate to pull the same act twice." Not that it'd be quite the same. There was nothing quite like going from a six year old straight to being a teenager.
"I told you about the Elder gods, right? The ones that stole my soul and ruined my life?"
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When Illyana did exactly what Waver had hoped she wouldn’t, he stood there with a frown and let out a long sigh of resignation at the fact that he’d probably not get those answers after all. “Had a feeling she’d do that.” He muttered to himself as he turned to back to his bowl of soup and the burner to get it going again. Really, it wasn’t like he could blame her. In her shoes, and with her capabilities, he’d probably do the same if he didn’t want to talk about something unpleasant.
But then she suddenly popped back in again and proved his prior guess wrong! Having not expected it (when honestly he should have), the mage jumped and knocked the soup right off the burner and it spilled across his countertop with a rather high yelp in his surprise. Grabbing a rag that he kept to clean up small messes on his workspace, he returned her infuriating smirk with a very impressive frown of his own as he wiped up the soup. “I guess that means you’re back to being allergic to knocking on a damn door, then?” He griped lightly, tossing the rag aside once the soup was mostly cleaned up.
“That’s about how long it’s been since I’ve seen you, so I’d say that’s accurate.” He responded with a small shrug. The ‘because I couldn’t find you’ went unsaid, naturally. The difference in the passage of time between this world and their own was odd and inconsistent. But she was right. It wasn’t exactly surprising. Pocket dimensions were like that. The time passing in one didn’t equate to the same in another world. Her question gets his attention though, the wrinkle between his brow deepening a bit as he recalled what she’d said. “I do remember that, yes. So this has something to do with the aftermath of that, then? You mentioned your team wasn’t happy with you about how you went about dealing with that.”
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c; Jagger's life has just gotten sad at this point
He saw her when he rounded the corner, and moved to call out to her until he saw her clothes. He approached more cautiously, not sure what state of mind she might be in.]
Hello, love. It's been a while.
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Only a few months for me.
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[It hadn't been that long, but while his mind was swirling with questions about what had happened in that time, where she'd been, what she'd seen, he also saw she meant to run, and that was the last thing he wanted. He raised a hand to still her attempt, even as she responded rather than running.]
It wasn't that long here.
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Guess there wasn't enough time to miss me.
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[His brow lowered slightly at her expression, and that the implication.]
I came this way from work every night, hoping to find you. I checked by your apartment, I kept the Tell Phone open to see if you showed up.
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Why?
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[the last time he lost her. Yeah, he did feel that way about it, losing her. That was...something to realize.]
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[And she shouldn't have to be used to it. ]
I did, and...why? Who did that to you?
[And what the hell is Cyttorak? But he'll ask that later.]
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Scott did. It's my punishment.
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[He frowned.]
Punishment for what?
[Though there weren't many things that deserved that sort of punishment.]
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Lying to everyone and hiding my true motives. Freeing Legion and setting him loose on the Elder Gods. [ Then she waved a hand nonchalantly ] There's probably other things that Scott didn't like that he's added on.
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