The reaction was the same every year in the mansion. There was always that one person who'd never seen it happen before, and had to make some kind of statement, a question, a kind of intrusion. It felt almost invasive to Illyana, but as always, she never let it show.
"What the eff," Quentin Quire said, staring at her.
It was kind of a leer, really, as if he'd never seen skin before, particularly on her. Illyana had worn her share of revealing costumes in her day, which had been her way of trying to disguise herself and avoid attention. She liked to show skin to show how fearless she was while simultaneously hiding in a crowd of people who also liked to show skin.
"Haven't you ever seen a Halloween costume before?" Illyana said, affecting a bored tone.
"Well, yes," he stammered. "But… on the plebeians. The kids. Not on… not on you."
She smirked, and while she didn't quite pose for him, she stretched just a little. Not to get his attention so much as to assert dominance. She didn't care about any attraction he might have, but wanted him to know exactly who had power in this conversation.
Illyana was dressed in a witch's outfit. Not even a particularly good one. She had a pointed hat, flowing robes made from stretchy, black material that was so cheap the owner of a sweatshop must've wept for joy upon seeing it, and an old straw broom held under the crook of her arm. The front was artfully slashed up the middle and parted to either side to reveal her abdomen. A new addition. Rarely had her costumes in the past artfully displayed herself like her uniforms did, but Leah had recently admitted to being enamoured with her abdomen.
"Is there a problem with wearing a costume?" Illyana asked, arching an eyebrow.
"It's what kids do," he blurted, as if his pink hair and trying-too-hard fashion were any different.
"Perhaps some of us like acting like children, even if it's just for one night a year," she said with a bored shrug.
"Isn't the witch thing a little on the nose, though? Isn't this supposed to be the night where you can be anyone else?"
"Ah, but now I am the kind of witch that can turn people into toads when they irritate her, instead of exile them to Limbo."
He snorted. "As if you could—"
Illyana made a quick gesture, uttered a few arcane words, and channeled magical energy from a nearby ley line. There was a poof, complete with purple smoke, and suddenly, Quentin Quire, Omega level mutant and general pain in the ass, was a frog.
His clothes and glasses fell to the floor, no longer supported by his frame. The frog ribbited at her, likely in some kind of annoyed tone. She wasn't sure. She didn't speak frog, and had no intention of learning.
Instead, she went through his pants pocket and liberated his wallet. She checked it, and sure enough, the little nuisance was loaded with cash. She pocketed the wallet, and then shoved the rest of his outfit under a nearby table, out of sight. The frog hopped indignantly in a circle around her.
"You're right," Illyana said to the frog as she picked him up. "I can't leave you here unattended. Who knows what kind of trouble you'd get into."
She had just set him on her shoulder and cast a stasis spell on him to keep him from blindly hopping off to freedom when Rachel entered the room.
"Have you seen Quire?" she asked. "He was supposed to be running a Danger Room scenario tonight with Jubilee's class."
"With any luck, he's croaked," Illyana said.
Rachel gave her a suspicious look, and then got that far away look telepaths sometimes did when they were trying to read your mind. Apparently Rachel had forgotten that Illyana was resistant to such invasions.
"Was there anything else?" Illyana asked as dismissively as possible.
"Just… if you see him, tell him to go to the Danger Room."
"I'll try. I've heard he's the type to toad the line."
"Tow," Rachel said, as if correcting her.
"Da," Illyana said, emphasizing an overly thick Russian accent. "My English is not always so good."
"Well, if you'd like, I can telepathically—"
"No. That is quite all right."
Rachel hesitated, as if unsure how to react to the sudden firmness in Illyana's voice. She bowed her head in a quick nod and turned and left. Illyana made a face at her back, before looking at Quentin. "Some people have no appreciation for puns. Personally, I find them ribbiting."
Frog Quentin gave her a look that spoke volumes of how unimpressed he was, so Illyana made a mental note to add another hour to the spell's duration. She wouldn't tell him, of course. That would be fair, and among the many things Illyana had been accused of being over the years, fair had never once come up.
"You'll be my familiar for the night," Illyana said. "I was missing a piece for my costume, and you're just the bit to complete it."
Quentin blinked at her in a rapid series. It took her a minute to realize he was cursing her out in Morse code.
"Now, don't be a pond scumbag. We both know you love to hop into trouble where you can. If you could Kermit to being a good student, I'm sure stuff like this wouldn't happen to you."
Illyana smiled to herself. Was there any way for this night to get better?
And then the doorbell rang, and when she opened it, there was Leah. She was dressed not in her usual green gown, but in the flowing black robes of a Sith, complete with a red lightsaber. The beam looked very authentic, more than likely conjured from magic.
Illyana found herself smiling. It felt weird on her face. Not the kind of smirk she usually wore. A genuine smile. And for a second, she immediately wondered what was going to go wrong, what was going to ruin this.
"Easy," Leah said, holding her hand. "Just breathe, Yana."
Breathe? Oh, she was hyperventilating. When had that become a thing? She'd never had a panic attack that obvious before.
Illyana managed to pull herself together, and made sure to check every corner of the front foyer to make sure no one else had seen. Leah's expression was nothing if not supportive. If anyone was allowed to see Illyana like this, it was Leah. The same could not be said about Quire.
She stared at him from his perch on her shoulder and growled, "You say a word of this to anyone, and you'll be Pepe for the rest of your life."
"Is that… is that actually a student?" Leah asked.
"Yeah. Leah, meet Quentin Quire. Quentin Quire, this is Leah of Hel. He got uppity with me, so now he's a frog."
"What did he say?" Leah asked, her eyes narrowing.
"Nothing too bad. I may have overreacted, but if I change him back now, he learns nothing."
"What did he say?" Leah said, her voice more firm.
Illyana rolled her eyes. "He just made a disparaging remark about my costume. It's not a big deal. You don't need to be my knight in shining armor."
"Me? A knight?" Leah laughed. "Never. No. I am dark and vengeful and petty and possessive. You are mine, Illyana Rasputin, just as much as I am yours. You've bound me more tightly to yourself than your own soul."
"I keep my soul on the outside, so that's not actually that hard."
"Take the compliment. So what terrible thing did he have to say about your lovely costume?"
Leah stared openly at Illyana's abs, and her hands twitched. Illyana could tell she wanted to run her fingers along them.
"He said I was being too much of myself," Illyana said. "And implied I should want to be someone else for the night."
That dark look returned to Leah's eyes. "Are you sure being turned into a frog is enough of a punishment?"
"I've also been subjecting him to puns."
Leah rolled her eyes. "I have done evil in my time, served the Queen of the Dead and made friends with the God of Lies and Evil himself, but I never would have imagined myself stooping so low as to partner myself with someone who secretly loves puns. I sometimes wonder what I did to so annoy the Norns for them to decree this to be my destiny."
Illyana pouted. "Don't fate me for my love of puns."
Leah groaned.
"If anything, it's a sign that what we have is real. I'd never show this side of myself to just anyone. Now come here and kismet me."
Leah made an audible sigh, but it was followed up by an immediate smile as she leaned in to plant a rough and very thorough kiss on Illyana.
"So, what are our plans?" Leah asked. "I've never actually participated in a Halloween party before. Or any Halloween activities. I know there is tricking and treating. I'm particularly looking forward to the treat portion of the night."
Illyana blushed slightly at that – dammit, that was becoming an all-too-frequent occurrence lately – and said, "We're going to meet Dani and Shan at the club. They're both bringing their dates. Berto was supposed to come, but he got tied up in whatever Avengers nonsense he's up to these days, which means that Sam won't be joining us either. Doug might drop in later. I made him promise no more Monty Python quotes this year, though."
"What is a … Monty Python?"
"It's better that you don't ask."
"So, it's just your New Mutants friends tonight?"
"It should be. Why?"
Leah had that tone in her voice. That slight hint of not-quite-there jealousy.
"Nothing," Leah said.
Illyana gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Kitty's just a friend. You're going to have to accept that she's in my life, and always will be."
"I've accepted it long ago. It doesn't necessarily mean I enjoy it. But I can live with it."
"Good."
"It's why I took the liberty of inviting her."
"You what?"
Leah burst out laughing. "Your face. Oh, it's so delightful right now. That, by the way, was the trick part of Halloween."
Illyana scowled. "I'll get you back for that."
"Promises, promises."
As with all of these parties, there were far too many people. Too many bodies in too small a space dancing badly to music that Illyana normally hated. But tonight was Halloween. Tonight was the night where she could pretend to be someone else, and no one thought the wiser.
So with Leah in her arms and Quentin Quire in toad – that one was never going to get old for her – they hit the dance floor. Dani and Shan joined them with their dates. Mary-the-Waitress, Shan's date, was every bit as bubbly as Illyana remembered her, while Nate Grey was every bit the fetish-model-park-hobo that he always was.
Nate had been last year's dunce who'd questioned Illyana on her love of Halloween, and had spent the majority of the evening with a minor hex that made him see the world upside down. He'd only gotten off so light because of Dani.
Illyana and Leah danced ballroom style about the room, floating in the air above the crowd to music that was most definitely not suited to it, laughing and twirling about. They illuminated the room with magical sparks, and ceased the incessant strobe lights. Leah summoned Elvish musicians to perform for them, and because it was New York and Halloween besides, the normal folk accepted it as if it happened all the time.
The group claimed a booth, and ordered drinks, and while Illyana had none for herself, she enjoyed watching everyone else imbibe. She couldn't afford to lose control, but she liked to see other people drink.
At first, they tried to talk, but even with the more sedate Elvish music, it was difficult to hear one another until Leah cast a spell, and their table was sequestered away from the noise. Illyana made a mental note to ask her to teach her that one later, assuming they weren't distracted by other things.
"It's good to see you with someone," Dani said.
"It's good to be with someone," Illyana said in response, holding Leah's hand.
Shan leaned in. "I have to admit, when Yana told me that she was in a relationship, I was expecting an actual demon."
"Alas," Leah said, "she got a goddess, as she deserves."
Dani and Shan exchanged a confused look, and then Dani's face lit up in recognition. "You're that Leah? I thought you looked familiar. I have some Asgardian connections of my own. Aren't you normally… younger?"
"Yes, and no. It's a long story. Isn't our dear Illyana normally younger, as well?"
"Good point," Dani said. "I can't believe it. Yana, you've actually found a girlfriend who is somehow on par with your age range."
"I wouldn't quite put it that way," Leah said. "I have no idea how long I was trapped in a parallel dimension by Loki."
Illyana snorted. "And I have no idea how long I was trapped in Limbo. Multiple times."
"Well, for what it's worth, I approve," Dani said.
"You're not worried about my connections to Hela?" Leah asked.
"I have connections to Hela," Dani said with a shrug. "It doesn't make me a bad person, no more than it should you. Besides, didn't you help liberate Hel from her alongside Angela?"
"I did," Leah said, a self-satisfied smile coming on her face. "Good times were had by all. Except Hela, but then, I've given her enough over several lives. I bow to no one but my own whims now."
"That sounds ominous."
"For now, my whims are Illyana, so I bow to her."
As if to demonstrate, Leah stood and curtsied. Illyana had no idea if she was being mocked or not. When Leah sat back down, Illyana stood in turn and did an elaborate bow.
"And as reigning Queen of Limbo, I only recognize the authority of a handmaiden," she said.
"Is that still a thing?" Shan asked.
"You should set up a democracy," Dani agreed. "Set up elections and give power to the demonic hordes. They can't do worse than they already are."
It was at that point that Doug, dressed in a suit of beat up plate mail, swept in and plunked himself down in a seat across from Illyana, "Strange women hovering over fiery pits stabbing people with Soulswords is no basis for a system of government! Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not some farcical demonic ceremony."
Oh no. Doug was in full Monty Python mode. Illyana looked at Leah imploringly for help.
"Don't look at me," Leah said. "They're your friends."
Doug, his face positively alight, continued, "You can't expect to wield supreme executive power just 'cause some demonic tart has a bigger sword!"
Illyana buried her face in her hands.
"I mean," Doug continued, "if I went around saying I was an emperor because some infernal bint had lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away!"
She reached for him in a strangling motion.
"Ah! Now we see the violence inherent in the system!" he cried, as Dani and Shan both laughed. "Help, help! I'm being repressed!"
"This is my punishment for all the puns, isn't it?" Illyana groaned. "You set this up ahead of time."
"Absolutely," Leah said, her smile wide and her eyes dancing with glee.
"Wait," Dani asked. "Illyana likes puns?"
Eventually, Illyana's socializing limit hit its ceiling. Her friends knew the signs, and respected her decision to bow out before the night was finished. With Leah and Quentin in toad – she would never let that joke die – they returned to the mansion.
Quire was sent to the Danger Room, as per Rachel's earlier request. Illyana was even considerate enough to turn him back human before activating it, too. Of course, she didn't give him his clothes back. In addition to fairness, no one had ever once accused Illyana Rasputin of being nice.
"Well," Leah said once they were alone and in Illyana's room. "Tonight was fun."
Illyana stripped her shirt off, and gave Leah a meaningful look. "Who said the night was over?"
Leah's breath caught in surprise, a momentary stutter in her normally calm demeanour. They'd never progressed far in this avenue of their relationship. They both had their own issues.
"Are you sure?" Leah asked.
"People say Halloween is a night to be someone else." Illyana pointedly looked at the clock on her wall as it ticked past midnight. "I'm ready to be myself with you."
Leah wrapped Illyana up in her arms, hugging her close. "That's all I ever wanted."