Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I making any money from the X-Men
characters. Thank you to Corrinth for the use of her character Dr. Ilehana
Xavier. I do own Blaze, and appreciate authors not using her without
asking.
A/N: Reviews always welcome!
Scene 20
"It's locked." Nightcrawler stated as he tried the door handle to Blaze's room with a three-fingered hand.
"No problem." Replied Gambit, reaching out with a single finger, intending to blow the door open. From somewhere a hand grabbed him, and then nothingness was around him. Before he could cry out, his feet were on solid ground again and he could breathe. Nightcrawler grinned at him.
"I know."
"How can you do that without seein' where you is goin'?" Remy asked in awe.
"I can't, normally, unless I have been the place many times before. Else I may end up in a wall..." Kurt shrugged and went to switch on the light in the room.
"You spent much time in Blaze's room eh Ami?" Gambit couldn't keep the jealous snipe from his voice. Kurt was eager to clarify things.
"We mediate, she and I and sometimes Storm. We are friends." The light came on like a dagger to Gambit's eyes, a sword-blow to his chest. The room could not have been more Blaze's. The bed was unmade, pointless junk, books and writing implements were scattered everywhere and the curtains billowed in the wind from the open window. Lost in some obscure memory he couldn't quite place Gambit jumped as Nightcrawler slammed the open window shut.
"A bit chilly in here, you think?"
"Yeah." Gambit took a breath. "What we lookin' for?"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The limo pulled up in front of a palace-like residence at about eleven pm. The stylish, twisting steps to the front door were ice-covered and treacherous, until Blaze raised a hand, issuing tiny dancing fireballs to melt the frozen water. There was no way she was going to try walking up those steps in these stupid shoes whilst it was icy.
Inside everything was warm, welcoming and well lit. When Storm complimented Garthen on such a lovely house, he came over all coy and blamed his wonderful housekeeper.
"You're not married, Garthen?" Blaze inquired with all the tack of a raging inferno. "I'm sure you were wearing a ring."
"My wife died." Garthen offered apologetically. "Three years ago." He sighed.
"We're sorry," Storm gave Blaze a look that would make hell freeze over. "We didn't mean to pry."
"Of course not." Garthen issued his charming smile again. "Please, make yourselves at home..."
"Garthen!" A shrill shriek like the accelerated crunch of a glacier came rushing down the stairs, followed by an Asian girl dressed head to foot in shades of blue. "You're back! Did you bring them?"
"Storm, Blaze," Garthen smiled at his newest guests as the Asian girl approached to swing on his arm like she owned him, or he owned her. "May I have the pleasure of introducing Tsunami? Sun, this is Blaze and Storm."
"Can I see your rings? Please? See, here's mine, it's a sapphire..."
"Please forgive Tsunami," a new female voice like the sedate grumble of before a landslide sounded from a nearby doorway. "She's a little... bubbly." Garthen smiled at the newcomer before introducing her.
"And this is Gaia, whose ring-stone is an emerald. Now, if you don't mind ladies, I will leave you to get acquainted." And with that he departed.
"Let me guess," Blaze asked Tsunami, who was a good five inches shorter than the red-head, with big blue-green eyes and short-cropped, spiky dark hair that framed her elfin face. "You have water-type powers?"
"No," Tsunami giggled, "I am water." With a ripple of almost, but not quite, visible power, the Asian young woman became transparent blue and fluidic. It lasted only a second or two, before she was as solid as before and sweating from the effort. "Well, almost. I'm practicing though."
"What do you know about the rings?" Gaia ignored Tsunami impassively. Storm could only liken their relationship to siblings, with Tsunami obviously the younger. Clearly they had both been here some time. "Or the Amentha?" Gaia was obviously of Mexican origins, tall and slender with long, brown hair worked in plaits, and there was a greenish tint to her skin tone. The sombre look to her pointed to someone who took their time to consider and think about things. Whereas Tsunami would rush headlong into anything, Gaia would not be so easily caught out. Graciously Gaia indicated that they go into a nearby drawing room and sit down. Blaze and Storm exchanged glances before agreeing.
"I am afraid we don't know anything, really." Storm admitted, "We would appreciate anything you can tell us."
"I'm sorry, we don't know anything either." Tsunami looked quite sorrowful. "Garthen won't tell us hardly anything, said it would be better if we waited for you two."
"How long have you been here?" Storm asked.
"Now that you ask, I'm not really sure..." Gaia winced as if trying to remember. "Once Tsunami got here, there didn't seem any point in leaving, so I stopped worrying about it. And now you are both here, maybe at last we will get some answers..."
A/N: Reviews always welcome!
Scene 20
"It's locked." Nightcrawler stated as he tried the door handle to Blaze's room with a three-fingered hand.
"No problem." Replied Gambit, reaching out with a single finger, intending to blow the door open. From somewhere a hand grabbed him, and then nothingness was around him. Before he could cry out, his feet were on solid ground again and he could breathe. Nightcrawler grinned at him.
"I know."
"How can you do that without seein' where you is goin'?" Remy asked in awe.
"I can't, normally, unless I have been the place many times before. Else I may end up in a wall..." Kurt shrugged and went to switch on the light in the room.
"You spent much time in Blaze's room eh Ami?" Gambit couldn't keep the jealous snipe from his voice. Kurt was eager to clarify things.
"We mediate, she and I and sometimes Storm. We are friends." The light came on like a dagger to Gambit's eyes, a sword-blow to his chest. The room could not have been more Blaze's. The bed was unmade, pointless junk, books and writing implements were scattered everywhere and the curtains billowed in the wind from the open window. Lost in some obscure memory he couldn't quite place Gambit jumped as Nightcrawler slammed the open window shut.
"A bit chilly in here, you think?"
"Yeah." Gambit took a breath. "What we lookin' for?"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The limo pulled up in front of a palace-like residence at about eleven pm. The stylish, twisting steps to the front door were ice-covered and treacherous, until Blaze raised a hand, issuing tiny dancing fireballs to melt the frozen water. There was no way she was going to try walking up those steps in these stupid shoes whilst it was icy.
Inside everything was warm, welcoming and well lit. When Storm complimented Garthen on such a lovely house, he came over all coy and blamed his wonderful housekeeper.
"You're not married, Garthen?" Blaze inquired with all the tack of a raging inferno. "I'm sure you were wearing a ring."
"My wife died." Garthen offered apologetically. "Three years ago." He sighed.
"We're sorry," Storm gave Blaze a look that would make hell freeze over. "We didn't mean to pry."
"Of course not." Garthen issued his charming smile again. "Please, make yourselves at home..."
"Garthen!" A shrill shriek like the accelerated crunch of a glacier came rushing down the stairs, followed by an Asian girl dressed head to foot in shades of blue. "You're back! Did you bring them?"
"Storm, Blaze," Garthen smiled at his newest guests as the Asian girl approached to swing on his arm like she owned him, or he owned her. "May I have the pleasure of introducing Tsunami? Sun, this is Blaze and Storm."
"Can I see your rings? Please? See, here's mine, it's a sapphire..."
"Please forgive Tsunami," a new female voice like the sedate grumble of before a landslide sounded from a nearby doorway. "She's a little... bubbly." Garthen smiled at the newcomer before introducing her.
"And this is Gaia, whose ring-stone is an emerald. Now, if you don't mind ladies, I will leave you to get acquainted." And with that he departed.
"Let me guess," Blaze asked Tsunami, who was a good five inches shorter than the red-head, with big blue-green eyes and short-cropped, spiky dark hair that framed her elfin face. "You have water-type powers?"
"No," Tsunami giggled, "I am water." With a ripple of almost, but not quite, visible power, the Asian young woman became transparent blue and fluidic. It lasted only a second or two, before she was as solid as before and sweating from the effort. "Well, almost. I'm practicing though."
"What do you know about the rings?" Gaia ignored Tsunami impassively. Storm could only liken their relationship to siblings, with Tsunami obviously the younger. Clearly they had both been here some time. "Or the Amentha?" Gaia was obviously of Mexican origins, tall and slender with long, brown hair worked in plaits, and there was a greenish tint to her skin tone. The sombre look to her pointed to someone who took their time to consider and think about things. Whereas Tsunami would rush headlong into anything, Gaia would not be so easily caught out. Graciously Gaia indicated that they go into a nearby drawing room and sit down. Blaze and Storm exchanged glances before agreeing.
"I am afraid we don't know anything, really." Storm admitted, "We would appreciate anything you can tell us."
"I'm sorry, we don't know anything either." Tsunami looked quite sorrowful. "Garthen won't tell us hardly anything, said it would be better if we waited for you two."
"How long have you been here?" Storm asked.
"Now that you ask, I'm not really sure..." Gaia winced as if trying to remember. "Once Tsunami got here, there didn't seem any point in leaving, so I stopped worrying about it. And now you are both here, maybe at last we will get some answers..."