A Beautiful World

Disclaimer: I don't own Rahne and probably won't make money from Tina :)

(note the title is taken from the name of a DEVO song by the same title and has been on my mind a lot. You can see the video here: I hope you enjoy this as I think it's the first fan fiction I have written that is non erotic so I'm unsure of how I did.)

Rahne did not like Valentines Day, and there were many reasons for it. The main one was how it forced her to think of the past. Her life as an adventurer in the family of X had pretty much regulated her life and how she lived it. For example at the moment her and the X-Factor group were in New Orleans, not because any of them WANTED to be there of course, but rather because there had been news of a mutant terrorist who had threatened to sink the city. So the X-Factor crew were sent at the request of the government to do everything in their power to prevent that.

Currently the team had decided to "investigate" the area around the hotel the government had set up lodging in for them. Not surprisingly it was in the more festive areas of the city. This corner of the world is where the people who live for Mardis Gras every year come to live. There was a small circus there as well as a side show and a small set of renaissance type dwellings. Here book binders, wood workers and gypsys set up and lived as best they could. Guido had wanted to come down to look at the "freak show" which Rahne tried to remind him was called a side show now, but he wasn't listening. She saw him off and shook her head when the man running the show asked if he would like to join. She did giggle to herself when Guido started talking about all the possible names they could come up with for him. This moment was interrupted by a single phrase "You know you should laugh more often, it's cute."

Rahne looked up and turned her head toward the sound of the voice. What she found was a brunette lady, fairly dark complected dressed in what she assumed was gypsy garb and thanked God that being stuck in her transient form meant no one could see her blush under her fur. "Thanks" she managed to say before trying very quickly to find ANY other direction to go in. Before she could the gypsy managed to catch her again, "Would you like a free fortune?"

Rahne turned and looked at the sign over the tent the lady was sitting in front of. "Lady Morgana's Mystical Tent". Rahne smiled and asked, somewhat sarcastically "Is it a law that every fortune teller be named Morgana?"

The lady chuckled, "Not really but somehow I doubt the name Tina would draw the same crowd. So its the part I play during the day. Now then Wolfsbane you never did answer my question."

Rahne froze dead. While her current state did make her a bit more obvious (making her wonder if it was her current condition that prompted the government to settle them here) no one had ever called her by her code name before. "Where did you hear that name?" she asked as calmly as she could.

Tina just laughed. "Look around you. This is where the freaks live, both born freaks and those like me who find it more accepting. Do you honestly think that we wouldn't know of, and follow, the most active members of our "family"? Like it or not mutants are just the stage after the freak show attractions. We hear gossip from other traveling shows that sometimes come through. It keep us up to date. Now will you stop skirting the question? I don't bite."

"Aye but I do." Rahne snapped, her eyes going wide as her furry had slapped over her mouth. Tina for her part started laughing and sunk to the ground. "I'm sure you do." she giggled before calming herself, her smirk still there though. "Thanks I needed that. Come on inside, it's about to rain."

Rahne was about to ask her how she knew that but Tina had already gone into her tent leaving a very befuddled Rahne to wonder what to do. Then she felt it, a rain drop. this was followed by another, and several more. Turning behind her she saw Guido and the side show ringmaster duck into his tent and sighed going into Tina's tent figuring it was better than getting soaked.

"How did you know about the rain?" Rahne asked as she made her way inside the tent. Tina motioned to the floor of the tent where a radio was sitting. "I heard the weather report earlier say there was a odd system moving in and that rain was likely." Rahne sighed and Tina looked over to her, "Is that why your here? Is some brainchild going to try and flood us?"

Rahne narrowed her eyes. "How much do you know?" Tina smiled "Nothing you don't tell me. It honestly didn't take much deducing. When we heard you guys had arrived we started keeping an ear to the news. The freak weather along with your appearance seemed to point to the obvious solution that our town is under attack by someone with the gift of either weather or water control, which since New Orleans is under sea level would suggest someone is trying to flood the town."

Rahne thought about this. It sounded ridiculous that someone could deduce that much on her own but then again with the connections Tina has she could come to it she supposed. Rahne sat down on a stool in Tina's tent while Tina fiddled with the tape deck on her radio popping in a tape and hitting play before sitting down on another stool. Rahne looked over and listened to the music for a moment before looking back outside. It wasn't raining too hard, just enough to drive people inside. No thunder or lightning, just slow, steady rain. "How do you do it? Tell fortunes I mean?"

Tina looked up and smiled. "Any number of ways. I have a Tarot deck in the box over there. I also have the typical crystal ball, which between you and me is the worst because I have to literally make up everything on the fly."

Rahne looked at her quizicaly. "You mean your not a psychic?"

Tina shook her head. "No, I got into this when I came down for Mardis Gras one year and seemed to do well. After Mardis Gras people kept coming, not many but enough to get me by so I stayed. Most people seem to like having their palm read it seems."

Rahne nodded. "Well that way is out." she held up her hand which was covered with fur. Tina looked at it and moved a hand cautiously to it. "It's OK you can touch it. I get that with kids a lot, wanting to know if it's real."

Tina got up and moved her stool closer to Rahne and took Rahne's hand in hers. She let the palm of her hand brush over the tip and turned over her hand where the lines would be. "Well your hand wouldn't be the hardest I've ever had to read. When the rain let's up and you back to pick up your friend from the side show ask him about the human ape." She continued to look at Rahne's had and suppresed a frown as she heard the rain start to let up. Before Rahne could say anything Tina moved her head letting the palm of Rahne's hand brush over her cheek. Rahne blinked and pulled her hand back "What are ye doing!" Tina looked at her, "What no one has ever done that before? That is surprising."

Rahne was about to correct her on that even going so far as to open her mouth to correct her and then stopped. Tina of course caught on. "Ah so someone has done that before. I must admit I would love to hear all the gossip about what lead to that moment, and even more curious about what happened after. Unfortunately it looks like your big friend there is out of the side show tent and making his way here. do me a favor though before you leave?"

Rahne wasn't sure what to say but since Tina hadn't done anything to warrent her not coming back she nodded.

"Before you leave come back here so we can finish our chat. I would like to get to know you better." Rahne smiled a little hesitantly. "Are ye sure you want to listen to me ramble on? Won't I scare away the customers?"

Tina chuckled. "Nah. If you do I'll just tell them that the wolf woman wanted a reading and I couldn't say now. Besides I think if they had a lovely lady like you willing to sit and talk to them they wouldn't mind either."

Rahne opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by Guido. "Rahne? I just got a call from Alex saying they need us on the double."

Rahne nodded and turned to go. As she did she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Take this, it will help cheer you up. You can return it when you come back." Tina smiled and kissed her on the cheek. "Go get them tiger." she winked and Rahne was sure everyone for five miles could see how bright she was blushing.

Guido and Rahne made their way back to their team mates, with him teasing her about having a cute girlfriend. Rahne just shook her head and looked back to see Tina and waved as she went to try and make sure that the town would still be around, so she could figure out what Tina saw in her. She thought back to the lyrics she had picked up from the music in the tent about it being a beautiful world for everyone but the singer and it made her smile. Maybe that was Tina's gift, being able to see the beauty in the freaks that others couldn't. Maybe she would find the beauty in herself.