Authors Note: This story is one of two stories that is a joint effort between myself and all the other players of My RPG, X-Men: Take Two. The game was put into story format to give more people a chance to see what the game is like and possibly decided to check it out. I hope you enjoy the story, and hope to see you on the board.
Illyana's eyes flew open. It was dawn. There didn't have to be a disturbance, and, unless she had worked, or played, to exhaustion, she was always up at dawn.
She rolled out of bed and dressed in a mini-skirt that barely reached her mid-thigh and a tube top that barely managed to be decent. A quick spell gave her hair a slight wave as if she had crimped it, and as an afterthought (even in June the forest was chilly in the early morning) she pulled on a long sweater that fell just past where the skirt ended.
After a quick scrutiny of herself, she decided she was ready to greet the day. A stepping disk appeared beneath her feet and she fell gracefully through it.
She landed on top of the boulder that concealed the cave entrance, and settled down, facing east, in a mostly laying position to watch the sun come up.
One thing I really did miss in Limbo, she thought, is a good sunrise that doesn't rely on my mood.
She watched as the sun began peeking over the horizon, stretched out fully on the rock, and locked her hands behind her head.
Illyana sighed as the sun came fully into the sky. She stood, knocking loose a few small pieces of the boulder that cascaded noisily down the side of the rock, and stretched, reaching over her head so that the sweater rose to even with her skirt.
Her stretching done, and the sun now warming the area, she removed the sweater completely and stood, simply raising her face to the sun.
'ello, luv, a voice sounded in her head. Was jus' wonderin' if yer might 'elp me get in 'ere?
Illyana slowly lowered her face from the sun's brilliance. She glanced down to see a boy, an eyebrow arching in question.
"And who are you?" she asked flirtatiously. After all...it was never too early to get started.
The boy raised an eyebrow in answer and sent her a telepathic grin. Name's Jono. Some bloke told me ter be 'ere today an' 'ere I am, he replied, spreading his arms.
She shot him a half smile, "You're a 'path," she said, jumping down from the boulder to land gracefully in front of Jono. "Let me guess... big mysterious guy with a bucket on his head gave you a pretty story and told you to come here if you were interested?" Her smile turned slightly mocking...the new recruits never got the whole story.
Jono looked at her, his brown eyes mocking. Nah, I ain' a 'path, he replied. 's jus' yer imagination.
He moved away from the bike and rolled his shoulders, his leather jacket creaking with the movement. An' yeah, th' guy 'ad a bucket on 'is 'ead. No story though, jus' said if I wanted a place ter crash then ter come 'ere.
Illyana laughed harshly. "You know even less then most of the newbies he brings around." She started walking deeper into the forest and gestured for him to follow her. "Let's get your bike in the garage," she threw back over her shoulder. "Then I'll take you inside."
Jono shrugged and strapped the guitar case to the bike, slinging the duffle on his shoulder and pushed the bike.
Rogue sat crossed legged on the floor of the cave that served the lair as a garage, tossing a wrench from hand to hand and staring at a motorcycle she'd been detailing. Her auburn hair was pulled into a ponytail with her long white bangs falling over her face. She wore a pair of faded, ripped jeans and an old tank top that revealed a good deal of her stomach, gloves and sweatshirt laying in a pile out of reach of the grease and oil that stained her pale skin. Bouncing slightly to the loud music that was playing in the corner, she clicked her teeth and continued to just stare at the motorcycle, trying to figure out what to do next.
Illyana entered the cave and waved to Rogue. "What got you up so early?" she asked, "And what the hell was so important you'd risk Mag's wrath to get back in at this hour?"
Jono pushed his bike into the garage and busied himself with sorting it out after its long ride. The guitar case sat on the floor as he pulled a cloth out of his duffle and quickly wiped the bike down. When he finished he turned to look at the two girls.
Rogue grinned and stood, stretching her arms over her head. Her tank top rode up a little further on her pale stomach. "Nightmares got meh up around midnight." She shrugged slightly, her arms falling down to her sides. "'nd ah wasn't plannin' on tryin' ta get back in for 'nother few hours." Leaning over the seat of the bike, she nodded towards Jono. "Who's the new guy?"
"Hope you didn't plan on getting in until lunch." Illyana laughed, not the harsh mocking laugh she had given earlier, but still not a true laugh of joy. "Not sure who the newbie is. Name's Jono, and he's a 'path... probably got more to him, but that's all I know so far. Taking him on a tour...but not 'till after breakfast." She turned to smirk at Jono. "Gambit's probably taking advantage of my delay and cooking already." She turned back to Rogue before offering, "You wanna hitch a ride in with us?"
At the mention of breakfast, Jono blinked and looked at the blond. Do me a favour, luv, drop me off in a room so I can ge' settled in? he asked. Don' eat breakfast.
Rogue grinned, nodding slightly and turning off her music. Grabbing her sweatshirt and gloves, she turned back to Illyana. "Ah don't get breakfast 'less ah hitch a ride," she laughed softly. "Or get the courage ta wake Mags up..."
Illyana smirked, "You'll meet the rest of the team faster at breakfast then in a room. Whether you eat or not." A glowing yellow disk appeared beneath their feet and Illyana let all of them fall through. She landed gracefully on her feet, not even bothering to watch the new boy stumble the way most people did when "stepped" for the first time. Rogue landed easily, tied her sweatshirt around her waist, put on her gloves and grabbed a plate, careful not to touch anyone, and Jono caught himself and moved away from the blond.
"Hey cutties!" she called playing with Northstar's elf-ears, the boy twitched away from her, not only was she a girl...but he hated people messing with is ears, as she smiled flirtatiously at Gambit. Grabbing a plate, she introduced the guys to Jono, who shook his head and leaned against a wall.
Nodding to the new guy, Remy said to Illyana, "A' soon a' yo're done eatin', yo' ge' t' star' cookin'. Wa' gonna stop 'til 'e showed up," he said, motioning to Jean-Paul. He started watching the eggs and bacon cook, not that they really needed much watching.
Illyana smiled, "'course, but what do I get for my trouble?" she teased, not quite willing to let him simply draw into a shell.
Jean-Paul rolled his eyes, "You'll wanna keep an eye on her," he warned Jono, talking about Illyana, "She has a tendency to flirt...non-stop with any male she comes across. Think the verdict's still out on whether or not she's a tease though." He turned to Rouge. "Unless you know something I don't..."
Rogue rolled her eyes and turned towards Jean-Paul, leaning against the edge of the table she sat at and crossing her arms. "Why do ya'll assume Illyana 'nd ah know anythang 'bout each other?" she arched an eyebrow at him. "We don't exactlah 'girl talk' 'nd ah haven't absorbed her for months." Laughing, she took a bite of eggs and nodded towards him. "Ah still might know more 'an you, though, sugah. Not that ah'm tellin'."
Jono shrugged at Jean-Paul and discreetly looked him over. Don' bovver me, mate. He replied, not moving from the wall. So long as she can take it back.
Remy turned to look at Illyana. "Anyt'in' yo' wan', yo' know dat... bu' I' done fo' now." He threw the spatula at her, grabbed a plate and leaned against a wall to eat. That was the only reason he had gotten up after all.
Illyana smiled evilly. "That's a dangerous thing to say," she warned Gambit as she took his place at the stove, "and of course YOU wouldn't know Northstar..." she teased, "You won't give me the time of day."
Jean-Paul didn't even blink at the reference to his sexuality, he never tried to hide it after all, "You're absolutely right, you are as far from my type as a person can get." He finished his food and put the plate in the dishwasher. "See you all later," he said with a wave.
Rogue rolled her eyes at her teammates antics, standing and making her way behind the counter. Kneeling, she searched for a cloth, waving it triumphantly as she stood again. Pulling her gloves off with her teeth, she attempted to remove some of the grease from her arms. "Gawddamn ah need a new hobbah," she muttered to herself under her breath, voice muffled by the gloves in her mouth.
Seeing Jean-Paul leave the room, Jono cocked his head to one side and looked at the others. Anyone willin' ter show me ter a room? He asked. Only it'd be nice ter 'ave somewhere ter put me stuff.
Still eating, Remy unhelpfully offered, "Jus' star' openin' doors. I' i' look' empty, i' prob'ly is."
Illyana rolled her eyes. "Sure thing." she said and a disk appeared beneath his feet, "won't be much in there... but you can do what you want with it. I'll find you this afternoon and take you to Mags." She pulled the last of the bacon off the stove and turned off the burners. No sense cooking if everyone was done...
Rogue arched an eyebrow at her teammates, grinning slightly. "Ten ta one he runs inta Wolverine or Magneto," she continued to rub a spot of grease. "If ya need meh... ah'll be taking a shower." She left the room, still trying fruitlessly to get grease off her skin.
Remy got up to put away his dishes. "Yo' coul' try t' be nicer t' people," he observed. "An' someone nee's t' g' shoppin'."
"I am nice." Illyana said smiling flirtatiously, "I can be the nicest person in this dimension... if I like you enough." She didn't bother to hide the suggestion in her comment, but then she never did.
"Well, since yo' never have tol' m' whether yo' d' like m'..." He didn't hide his teasing.
Illyana smirked, "If I didn't like you you'd have ended up in Limbo for some of the stunts you've pulled." She told him thinking about the number of times he'd come to wake her up when she'd slept late and Mag's had called a meeting... the way she slept that meant there wasn't much of her he hadn't seen
Remy grinned. "Well, I ne'er go' de impression dat yo' minded..." he pointed out. Since he never really got punished for it, he had kept trying to walk in on her whenever he could.
He was right, she didn't mind...then again she didn't mind much, "And that's your proof that I like you." She told him laughing. She gathered up the remaining plates on the table and put them in the dishwasher. On her way out the door she stopped to press a teasingly brief kiss to Gambit's lips, then headed for a Shower.
Illyana stripped and turned on all the showerheads on the far wall. She waited for the room to fill with steam then stepped under the nearly scalding water. She let her head fall back as the water hit her face and ran down her body. All the residents knew that once she got in the shower it would be over an hour before she got out...especially since the hot springs that fed the water kept it hot all the time.
Illyana turned away from the wall. Her head was thrown back, exposing the long column of her neck, and her eyes closed as the steaming water ran down her back. She ran her fingers through her hair, rinsing out the shampoo before reaching for the conditioner without opening her eyes.
Remy walked in, off in his own world and started stripping. He threw his clothes on the floor where they wouldn't get wet and then he walked over to a shower, walking through the wall of water, before realizing that someone was there. They hadn't just left all the water running. He stopped dead. "Yo' wan' m' t' leave?"
Illyana chuckled, working the conditioner into her hair. "It's not like I'm shy. Take your shower, I won't stop you." She put her head back under the flow of the water, bending backwards slightly, sending little rivers streaming down her skin.
"Non, yo' def'ni'ly ar'n't shy..."
"Disappointed?" She asked, looking at him from under eyes mostly closed to keep the water out. He'd seen her before...but this was the first time she'd seen him...and she defiantly wasn't disappointed.
"Dat yo'r no' shy? Non. Dat yo'r a tease? M'be." He wasn't shy by any definition of the word and if she wasn't to check him out, she was more than welcome.
Illyana laughed, "I am as far from a tease as they come." she told him, now openly looking at him as she lowered her face from the spray. Her hair fell in forward over her shoulders and partially in front of her face. "I never make an offer I don't intend to keep...you just never accept." she looked him in the eyes for a moment before grabbing a bar of soap and turning toward the spray, lathering her body.
"Ne'er ge' a chance t' 'ccept... yo' alway' run 'way, o' dere somet'in' el'e t' d'," he complained, continuing his shower.
Illyana chuckled, "I may not be shy, but even I'm not gonna stick around in a place like the kitchen or entertainment room that's public domain. It might embarrass someone." She put down the soap and turned slowly under the water, rinsing away the slippery film. She stopped facing Gambit, "Normally the point is for you to follow me." She couldn't believe she had to explain this... it had seemed so obvious.
Remy smirked at her, and regretted it the moment he saw her. "Li'e now?" he asked innocently.
Illyana smiled, "Bathrooms not exactly public domain." She said, stepping forward and grabbing his hand. Without looking away from his face she brought his hand to her mouth and lightly bit his fingertip.
Remy groaned and pulled her against him. She wasn't going to get away this time. "Las' chance t' back ou'," he warned her.
Illyana smirked as she stepped away from the Cajun and back under the water, "Now was that so hard?" she teased.
Remy smirked back at her. "Well, I hope i' wa' 'ard 'nough," he answered, not referring to the act itself.
Illyana laughed, "Smart ass." she said simply, turning off most of the showerheads. She blew him a kiss before stepping out of the shower area of the bathroom and grabbing her clothes. She took her time putting on a short strapless black dress with red flames that didn't even reach mid thigh
Remy laughed as he followed her to where he dropped his clothes. "T'ough' de show wa' b'fore de party?" he asked, drying off and also getting dressed.
Illyana gave him a crooked smile, "What show?" she joked, using a towel to dry her hair.
Remy laughed and rolled his eyes at her. "Yo'r righ'... I shoul'n' consider dat a show. I've see' much bette'." He finished dressing and making himself presentable.
Illyana frowned and threw the wet towel at him, before stepping out of the room. Once in her room, she let herself fall back on her bed. She'd been feeling so good...then he'd gone and ruined it. She groaned as she buried her head under the pillow, muttering loudly about men and insults. After several minutes of beating her pillow, without thinking, she threw a vase of flowers against the far wall. It shattered on contact and set the wall to humming.
This had never happened before... no guy had ever been as aloof and standoffish as her after sex. She threw the book that was on her nightstand and was satisfied at the gong like sound the wall made. It was the only wall in the base she had found that was thin enough to resonate when hit, and she was lucky enough to have it to throw things at. What room was on the other side of it she couldn't remember...most of the time she simply stepped around the base and didn't have to remember what was next to what. So she continued to throw things, releasing her annoyance and making a racket... maybe there wasn't even anyone in the other room...
Remy opened Illyana's door without bothering to knock, "Yo' done, o' shoul' I wai' ou'side?"
Illyana rounded on the intruder, hurling a thick leather bound volume at him. She realized too late who it was and that he could easily disintegrate the book... and she needed it, it was a one of a kind she hadn't finished translating. "I've got plenty of places I'd like to make you wait." she said coolly, none of the annoyance, which she and worked into full blown anger, she felt showing in her voice, "And simply outside sounds FAR to nice."
Remy caught the book and smirked. "Yo' know, I don' know wha' I di', bu' I doubt dat yo' nee' t' be mad a' me fo' i'."
Illyana glared at the Cajun, "I never said I was mad. And I defiantly never said it was at you." She was being a bitch...she knew she was being a bitch, but she was a demoness... what did he expect? She muttered a spell to summon another book, and promptly threw it at the wall. Of corse she WAS mad at him... but how was she supposed to explain that she was mad because he hadn't responded to her the way every other guy she'd slept with had?
Remy grinned. "I'd know i' yo' were mad. An' yo' been mad evah since yo' lef' de bat'room." He threw her book back at her. "Wha' I don' know i' why yo' mad."
Illyana ignored the book and got slowly to her feet, a sardonic smirk played across her lips and flames danced in her eyes. "You really wanna know why I'm mad?" she asked, finally settling on what she would say...something true enough it would get past his empathy but not enough for him to know the full story. "You were a let down Gambit." she said simply, putting all the chill she could into her voice. He didn't have to know it wasn't the act that was the let down but the period after, she'd let him think he hadn't measured up to what she'd expected.
Remy's eyes widened slightly, then he smirked at her. "Yo' don' b'lieve dat," he said confidently.
Illyana saw his eyes go wide and ignored the smirk, "You know I do," she said, purposely taunting him. She'd told the truth, he was a let down, just in his response to her after not in the act, but his empathy wouldn't tell him that much... just that what she said was true.
"Non, yo' don' really b'lieve dat," Remy said, advancing on Illyana still smirking.
Illyana simply shook her head a small, almost flirty, smile gracing her lips again. "You really have problems accepting facts don't you?" It had started as a way to save face, but it was doing wonders for getting rid of her anger, so she continued to bait him, wondering how long it would be before she managed to wipe the smirk off his face.
As soon as Remy was about a foot from Illyana, he stopped. "I t'ink yo' jus' don' wan' t' a'mit yo' liked i'."
"Didn't say I didn't like it." She corrected him, "I said you were a let down, as in not what I expected. Just because I liked it doesn't mean you measure up." She'd hit a nerve earlier...she just had to find it again…and press harder. She had the advantage, he wanted to know what was wrong and she could put enough truth in what she said to keep him on edge.
Remy smirked some more. "S' yo' were let down an' li'ed i'?"
Illyana resisted the urge to hit him...just barely. "You are such a smart ass," she ground out between her teeth; flopping back down on the bed, "Just because I enjoyed the act don't mean YOU weren't a let down." she snapped anger bubbling up again. Does he have to make everything a joke? She thought fuming, as her eyes scanned for something else to throw.
Remy took the hint and started to take this more seriously. "How wa' I a le' down?" He followed her to her bed and sat down.
Illyana laughed harshly, "I am so not having this conversation." she said before muttering a spell under her breath making all the items she had thrown snap back to their proper places. She'd lost the edge... he actually wanted an explanation, how was she supposed to explain that the problem was he hadn't decided she was a goddess and he would never let her go? Yeah...that'll go over well... she thought bitterly, I'm pissed at you because you aren't just like all the other guys I've shagged...
"Why no'?" he asked. "Wha' di' or di'n' I d'?"
Illyana rolled her eyes, this was almost comical, first he tried to deny it...then he got obsessive over what it was he'd done wrong. "Don't worry about it." She said throwing a pillow over her face, she could so not explain this away... and, "Where the hell is everyone else?" she asked as the thought hit her.
Remy sighed and shrugged. "Out?" he guessed.
"'rea'" Illyana said, her voice muffled and distorted by the pillow, "Ev'r' b'dy else 's gon an' I'm boa' ou' 'f m' m'nd." She sighed heavily as she clasped the pillow closer to her face, considering screaming.
"Well, I coul' 'elp wit' dat," Remy pointed out. He paused. "Bu' I'd hate t' disappoin' yo' 'gain." He got up from the bed and started to leave.
Illyana smirked into the pillow and raised it just high enough off her face to allow her to speak clearly. "Can't disappoint me if I know what to expect." she pointed out, "Disappointments only come once. So unless that wasn't a normal level performance..." she trailed off. Let him take it where he would, she'd thrown her barb.
Remy sighed and left. Illyana threw her pillow at the wall as the door closed behind Gambit, she'd find a way to get back at him. No one treated her like she was just another girl... no one.
AN: To se the board this came from check out my web page.