Memories
Prophecy
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"Jean-Paul!"
The man turned.
"Oui?"
They slipped into their native language with some relief. Tora looked worried.
"Jean-Paul, these people won't take no for an answer and insist I go to this charity function. And they also insist I bring someone and by someone they mean 'someone who won't be totally inappropriate at a charity ball' and so I instantly thought of you."
"Why don't you take Logan?"
"Yawning through the speeches is classed as inappropriate. So is threatening to snikt people."
"Why not Beast?"
"Hank's busy with a big experiment and also has his own invite. Apparently, he can get out of it."
"Bobby?"
"I happen to know that Deathbird is going to ask him out on a date that night. Why don't you want to come?"
"You do know what people will say when you turn up with me?"
"Who cares? Look, I appreciate if you don't want to come but I need some intelligent conversation."
Jean-Paul rolled his eyes. Then smiled.
"Of course. Will anyone else there speak French?"
"Northstar, it's the high and mighty of the New York social pyramid. What do you think?"
"I think we can talk in privacy."
She nodded. Then raised a hand.
"Tomorrow night? Half-six? Formal dress. I hate formal…"
"Tora, Tora, Tora. She's always been like that. You know, she tried to turn up for my wedding in jeans and a t-shirt? I still haven't forgiven her for that."
Jean-Paul grinned as Tora stepped out into the light, a scowl on her face. She hated dresses, despite this one being one Emma had chosen carefully, a deep aqua blue and designed to make even Tora look vaguely ladylike.
"Jean-Paul, if you dare compliment me on how I look, I swear I shall punch you. In fact, I shall punch the first person who mentions how I look, no matter who they are."
Northstar smirked.
"Please speak to Tony Stark first."
She raised an eyebrow at him and he shrugged.
"Hitting Tony Stark is always considered acceptable. Especially if you're female."
A tiny smile twitch Tora's mouth and then she got into the car. As soon as she entered, her shoes were off and she was cursing quietly.
"I thought heels only hurt if you wore them too long?"
Tora sighed.
"Yeah. Well. Try and force adamantium bones into those toes and all you get is agony. I hate whoever gave me these."
They looked at each other for a moment then laughed. After that they sat in silence, not because they had nothing to say but because they didn't have to say it. Silence was better than the argument that would occur if the conversation got onto politics or X-Men or anything either was touchy about. The car pulled up and Jean-Paul went to open the door then froze.
"There are cameras out there. Lots of them."
She held out a hand.
"Well, I'm relying on you to make sure we only appear as a blur on the photos."
Northstar bowed, almost mockingly.
"My fair lady, take my hand."
She grasped his wrist firmly, there was a rush of air and then they were standing in the cloakroom, brushing off the slight layer of dust that accumulated at that speed. Tora nodded.
"I must use the Jean-Paul method of transport more often. It's so simple."
Northstar scoffed.
"I wasn't even going fast. But it was the slowest speed at which we wouldn't show up on the cameras. Also, the fastest most normal people can go without being turned into a vertical pancake and messing up my air tunnel."
"A person is turned into a 'vertical pancake' and all you worry about is your wind tunnel being messed up?"
They looked at each other then burst out laughing again. Linking arms, they sauntered into the party and immediately made themselves scarce. Both were rather controversial. Tora's activities with the Avengers were usually a little more destructive than usual superheroics. Also, her disappearing act for a month, the reasons behind which weren't mentioned, had sparked all sorts of rumours. In the end, they were standing in a corner, pointedly ignoring everyone else and talking softly in fast, fluent French. A man approached them and Jean-Paul felt Tora stiffen, her back straighten.
"Why are the little mutants hiding in the corner? Too ashamed to show their faces?"
Tora wrinkled her nose.
"You've drunk too much. I can smell it on you."
"The pretty little Avenger. They call you the New Avengers' Thor, did you know that?"
"I did."
"But you aren't anything like him. He's a god. You're just a piece of genetic filth."
"Please desist with the insults, I may die of boredom. I've heard them all before."
"And your companion. Is there a reason a woman like you can't get a decent man to bring her to these things?"
Jean-Paul winced. Tora could take insults as well as she could give them. But she was always touchy about insults directed at others.
"Instead you bring a gay skier who got his medals taken off him for using his powers to cheat and –urk!"
Everyone turned to see Tora standing there, hand tight around the man's throat, lifting him off the floor.
"Do you know how easily the human vertebrae can be snapped? Don't move your head. It's surprisingly easy. Now listen to me. You've been expounding your unwanted views on Jean-Paul and I, so now it's my turn. Jean-Paul has never used his powers to win a competition, nor would he as he would find that boring and frankly unsatisfactory. Also, I really hate people insulting my friends. So if you want to live this night out, I expect an apology. Now!"
Jean-Paul placed a warning hand on Tora's arm.
"Tora, you can put him down. I've had worse. Tora."
She snarled slightly. Feral personality reverting to dominant. All the school staff had been taught to recognise the warning signs, mainly in relation to Logan. But Tora? She rarely forgot herself but every now and then the X-Men were reminded that the stately and graceful Dragon was only a veneer over the sarcastic, wild and dangerous Tigress. Tora was a feral at heart and one who had reason to mistrust humanity. Her head moved forward.
"It's the people like you who have destroyed my family. Logan, Laura, Curt and me. All the victims of the ones like you who see us as sub-human. We who have so little lose so much for 'science' and 'defence'. What can a child do against an army? That's what I was trained to do…"
Her hand loosened and then she staggered back, clutching her head.
"Laman! Harsta nam korash!"
Then her hands moved to her stomach and she stared up, eyes glowing silver.
"The Father is returning. The Son is coming home. The Daughter shall heal her Father. And all shall be lost."
Then she fell into Northstar's arms and he began to force his way through the crowds.
"There's nothing to see here! She's just had an episode! Don't worry, there's nothing to panic about. Precognition always takes a lot out of her. Please let us through. We'll need to get her rehydrated and she'll need a rest…" All lies but he needed to get her out before she said something else, something worse. Like…
"The Avengers shall attack those who seek only life. War shall come to Earth. A war that belongs in the far regions of space. All because those who Avenge take it upon themselves to steal."
…Like that. Brilliant, she'd just implicated the Avengers. Could tonight get any worse?
"And One of the Three shall be the one to destroy the Avengers. What Is, What Was or What Will Be. One shall destroy the Avengers. And one shall give them life. The Third shall remain aloof."
How did you shut her up when she was like this? Why wasn't this an X-Man training program? Shutting up creepy prophetic cosmic entity inhabiting body of close friend. It sounded like it should be a training program.
"And all shall be lost. The Man of Iron shall force together what cannot be and all will fall unless the Lodestone embraces her power. All shall burn into darkness. All shall die. Unless the Lodestone accepts her fate."
And then Tora's eyes cleared and she started cursing.
"I hate it when it does that!"
"Oh, I loved it when she did that!"
"What, came out with startlingly accurate prophecies or when she started having arguments with herself about use of vocal chords?"