Memories
Très Tora
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"Someone sedate her!"
"We don't have anything to sedate her with!"
"I. Am. Going. To. Kill. Scott."
"Can't we just, I don't know, let her get it out?"
"Get it out? She'd kill Scott!"
"Good point."
"What's wrong? Dragon?"
"Emma Frost."
Tora lunged forwards, her eyes glowing silver. Hank pulled her back before she got to Emma.
"After Scott, you're next."
"Who told her?"
Sheepishly, Logan raised a hand.
"And you didn't tell her what Jean said to Scott when she died?"
"She ran off before I got around to it."
"What did she say? What did my sister say?"
"Live Scott. All I ever did was die on you."
Tora sniffed the air but was apparently satisfied. At any rate, she stopped struggling.
"I'm still not talking to Scott."
"I think I understand that."
"And Ms Frost, this doesn't mean we're friends."
"Of course, Mrs Logan. Friendship requires a bond of trust. You don't trust me to be a good guy, I don't trust you not to have a repeat of your breakdown where you may have killed the late Mrs Grey-Summers."
There was silence and then Tora burst out laughing.
"Emma Frost. As imperturbable as ever."
"Tora Logan. As uninhibited as ever."
"I do have limits. I just chose to ignore them in your gracious presence."
Logan and most of the other staff just looked blankly as the two women smiled at each other. Hank tried to grab Tora when she jumped up but didn't drag her off when she leant over and pressed her cheeks to Emma's in quick succession.
"I think you may grow on me White Queen."
"And you on me. I must say though, fluffy bunnies?"
"Etana told me about Monty Python. She then strapped a power inhibitor around my neck and made me sit through the Holy Grail."
"Etana did that? Wait. Monty Python?"
"Yes. And the Goodies and the Goons and the Comic Strip. She said the British at least have satire down to a tee and the use of understatement in certain comedy acts made them all the funnier."
"She said we weren't funny?"
"No. She said she preferred British humour. Yes, Minister and so on. I think it was her distrust of authority. And I found the Discworld books in her apartment."
"Discworld?"
"I did say she was full of surprises. She also had Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. All the books. And the film. And the TV series. And the radio series."
"Are we talking about the same person here?"
"Tall, black fur and wings, tail, over three thousand years old? Yes, we're talking about the same person."
"She didn't strike me as the sort to-"
"Tell me about it."
And suddenly they were smiling slightly at each other. Hank looked at Logan who shrugged. Sometimes, Tora was rather unpredictable. This was one of those times.
"But Ms Frost, I feel I have to ask."
"Yes?"
"Don't you ever get cold?"
The White Queen couldn't hold it in any longer and started giggling. Tora soon joined in and Hank started to scan her to see if she had any brain damage. In the end he concluded that she must be feeling ambivalent towards Emma and was willing to forgive. When Scott turned up however, her eyes flashed silver.
"I haven't forgotten or forgiven yet Scott."
Cyclops simply nodded and hurried off. He had a feeling Tora probably could kill him with a rabbit. At least she wasn't trying to strangle Emma.
Jean sighed.
"I suppose they were sort of going to end up friends. Both rather sarcastic, both with a darkish streak and then they were both totally devoted to the students at the school."
"Opposites attract huh?"
"No, not exactly."
Tora was walking in the corridor, discussing the finer points of the English language with Emma. They were having an argument about the lack of gender made it easier to learn when Scott went past. To most people, the two women didn't react. Looking closer however, Emma's glance at him was clear, as was Tora's clenched fists. White Queen glanced at the woman she was beginning to think of as…not a friend, but an ally.
"Why are you still angry at him, but not angry with me?"
"Because… It's complicated. You fell in love with him, which wasn't your fault. I've fallen in love with someone without even realizing it for heaven's sake. It's not all bad. Even Etana…"
She trailed off as if she realized she had said too much.
"What do you mean you fell in love without realizing it?"
"I didn't understand love. I split things into emotions and physical. There was no wish for physicality. Just an emotion towards Logan I couldn't comprehend. I didn't mention it until he kissed me. And that's when I realized there had been physical side effects as well. It was complicated."
"And Etana?"
"That is private between me and Discus-Boy. Suffice to say, he was cut up at the news of her death and allowed his guard to drop, confirming my suspicions. But let's get back to you and Scott. Scott swore to be faithful to Jean. You made no such promise. And even when you told him you loved him, Scott could still have refused you. Heavens knows, Jean used to refuse Logan all the time. But no, Scott let himself be tempted and didn't resist. That's why I feel that he was to blame. If you'd forced yourself on him, messed with his mind, then yes, I would probably hate you. But he made that decision of his own free choice. Look, like I said, it's complicated."
"I wonder how many people see the logic you possess."
"Tell me about it. I have claws and enhanced senses. I'm not supposed to be smart, or one of the best covert operatives in the world."
"And you're not supposed to be the avatar to the Phoenix Force's sister. An honour normally reserved for a telepath."
"One, I'm a reverse telepath. No one can get in but I can talk to the other versions of myself. Two, if you want Dragon, you can have it. If you don't object to having spiteful remarks made about your relationship with Scott."
"I detect a certain dislike of me from Dragon."
"Hold on a sec. I'm giving it control of my larynx and tongue."
"Ms Frost. A pleasure to be sure. Have you finished torturing the spirit of my sister? Or will I have to-"
"Sorry. It's quite outspoken at times…"
Emma gaped. Tora's voice hadn't changed but the tone had. There had been a deep-rooted hatred in Dragon's words while Tora had a slightly friendly tone when addressing her. Not to mention Tora's slight accent, not quite strong enough to pin her down as a French-speaker, but enough to make it obvious she wasn't American and Dragon's thick accent that Emma couldn't quite place. When that happened, a shiver had went up White Queen's spine.
"Don't let that thing take control anywhere near me."
"Of course, ma amie."
"Did you mean that?"
"What?"
"Ma amie?"
"What do you think Emma?"
"You meant it?"
"Of course."
Smiling at the slightly shocked look on her companions face, Tora walked halfway down the corridor before turning back.
"We're X-Men. We look out for our own and protect them. We are team-mates and colleagues but firstly we are friends before we are X-Men. Compris?"
Emma tilted her head forward.
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For trusting me."
"Who said anything about trust Emma? I don't trust you. I'm just friends with you."
"I thought friendship implied trust."
"We'll get there Emma. We'll get there."
"They did end up as friends, didn't they?"
"Of course. What with the whole splitting of the X-Men, sometimes they needed two people with half an ounce of sense between them to act as liaisons. They met up a lot in order to share information and so Logan sometimes had a halfway decent telepath."
"WHAT! Charles, you can't be serious."
"I hate to go against you Professor, but Dragon is right."
"I'm sorry but my mind is made up. You and Tora have been at each other's throats ever since her return. I can't get into Tora's mind to give you some telepathic meeting ground. So I'm sending you to an official physiatrist to work out your differences."
"Please Charles. If they want to go into my childhood, what am I supposed to say?"
"The physiatrist happens to know that I run the X-Men. Therefore, she will be ready for almost anything you tell her."
"Professor, this is a bad idea."
"Nonsense. The two of you must work out your differences."
He hovered out, leaving Tora sitting looking blankly at the wall and Scott swearing under his breath.
Phoenix and Death both burst into fits of giggles.
"They sent them to a shrink?"
"Unfortunately, yes."
"Unfortunate for who?"
"So, Scott and Tora. I am Dr Reese. According to my friend, the two of you are not speaking and refuse to be courteous to one another when previously you were amiable. Can you tell me why? Tora, would you like to go first?"
"I plead the Fifth."
The physiatrist gave Tora a look that just said 'Oh %$£'.
"Scott?"
"Tora was a friend, a close friend of my wife. She, Tora, went…away… for a month. When she returned, my wife had died after I…I"
"After you were caught cheating on her."
"Scott?"
"Er…that was pretty much it."
"Why didn't Tora know your wife had died?"
"I imagine being dead at the time would be the reason."
Dr Reese's mouth fell open.
"You were…dead. In a coma?"
"No. Dead. Kaput. Torn apart atom by atom."
"Can you tell me what being dead was like?"
"Boring. I was in a freezing library, piecing my body back together."
"Er…"
"Of course, death for me is different from death for almost everyone else."
"Could you tell me why?"
"Well, it's a long story. You see, Dr Doom decided to use me to end the world. A cosmic entity by the name of Dragon helped me out and sort of decided to stay. Well, after a while I had a minor…breakdown and tried to end the universe. I committed suicide and found myself in a big Gothic library and was told I couldn't die as Dragon, an immortal, had linked itself with my mind and soul. However, my body was a different matter altogether. So… that's how I ended up piecing my body back together in a freezing library."
Dr Reese made a note then looked back up.
"I feel you may need to come back on your own Ms Logan."
"Dragon, can you show our friend here that I'm telling the truth?"
The dragon flared around her and gazed at the unfortunate physiatrist.
I greet you Doctor. I am Dragon, water and life renewed. I also deal with knowledge, as my sister deals with thought. It's complicated. Will you believe me?
"Er…"
It is of no matter. I must say, I will be reading your biography later. I do apologise for leading to your nervous breakdown.
Scott snorted. Tora turned and frowned.
"Scott?"
"Tora, have you been teaching a cosmic entity your personal branch of sarcasm?"
I like sarcasm. And satire. Although Tora's sense of humour may be rubbing off on me.
Tora blinked then burst out laughing.
"Sorry Slim. It's just a little annoying to come back and find out your best friend died and her husband had been cheating on her with an ex-villain."
"I feel pretty bad about that. Are you talking to me again?"
"What do you think idiot?"
"You're talking to me?"
"Well, in Jubilee's words, duh."
"Dr Reese, it seems you have done your job very well. Thank you."
"Mmmm-urrr."
Phoenix and Death started laughing.
"That is very like her I must admit."
"Très Tora, oui?"
"Yes, very Tora."