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It's a lovely October evening, the sun slowly sinking down over the trees behind the mansion, light playing over the grounds. The weather is cool, a chill breeze wending up from the south and sending red and yellow leaves bouncing in its wake. A young woman sits beneath a tree not so far from the mansion, blonde hair gleaming in the sun, eyes closed and turned toward the light. Her face is pretty, her lips curved in a smile. She wears a white cardigan sweater against the breeze, an ankle-length skirt in tones of tan and brown. Illyana Rasputina is clearly enjoying this quiet autumn evening.
Bobby is wearing jeans, sneakers and a white t-shirt. Stepping out onto the patio, he has a bottle of beer held loosely in one hand. Glancing around, he starts for one of the chairs when he spots someone under a tree not far away. A moment later, he recognizes Illyana and gives her a nod. "Hey Yana."
In another world, Illyana was Clarice Ferguson's best friend. Perhaps more, but that was never brought up. Dressed in a simple knit sweater of pink that stands out further against her pink skin and a pair of capris, the young woman is trying her best to fit it, with her magenta hair pulled back into a ponytail as she approaches, just to stop a little short as Bobby comes over. "Hey." she greets the two quietly. "How is?"
Xi'an comes over from out of the mansion. The Vietnamese girl looks like she's in a pretty good mood, and when she sees some of her former teammates, she approaches, throwing a wave. "Hi, everyone!"
Kitty pushes her hair away from her face, and glances around the familiar grounds of the institute. She smiles, a bit ruefully at the realization that she is back on the grounds she knows so well. She scans the grounds, not looking for anything in particular, but she finds something none the less. Or rather she finds someone. Someone she has been missing. "Illyana!" She calls, as she jogs over to the tree.
Julie is, after cleaning up after her mostly-for-younger students shop class, and her own, taking in some of the air by the garage's rear doors, given it's a nice evening and the winter's bound to come. The glow of a smoke flares under her hand as she becomes aware some others seem to have the same idea about the night air, shrugs up a leather jacket, and wanders on out to see who's about. Her own beer's in a can, when she looks on out into the dark. It's Bobby she runs across first, on the patio, pausing with a locally-accented "Hey," by way of greeting. Letting her eyes adjust, perhaps.
Illyana turns her eyes away from the sun before opening them — she simply doesn't want to blind herself. Her eyes travel from Bobby to Clarice, all the way around to all of the new arrivals, and her smile blooms, sweet and full of delight, as she rises to her feet. "Dobroe vyecher," she says cheerfully, smoothing her skirt and greeting all and sundry with waves. She moves to meet Kitty — it's been too long since she saw her best friend — and catches her in a hug, even plants a kiss on the brunette's cheek. "It is a lovely evening, no?" she asks in her thick, Russian accent. "And so good to share with friends."
When Illyana gets up and starts her greetings, Clarice slows her steps a moment and her frown is obvious as she bites on her bottom lip. She wasn't trying to cast a spell. She was.. the sound of other voices snaps her out of her thoughts and the girl's attention lifts when she sees Xi'an and offers the Asian woman a smile, waiting for her to catch up. "I didn't know you knew Illyana. I should have figured. Other classes. Would you introduce me?" she asks her quietly, since well, she only briefly met Bobby and Julie and Kitty - are sorta unknowns.
At least that's how the pink-hued mutant is going to play it.
Bobby leans a shoulder against one of the trees that was planted at the edge of the patio to provide shade. "Hey." he returns to Julie. Reaching into a pocket, he pulls out a doobie which he places between his lips and lights it with a Zippo. Taking a drag, he holds it for a minute before blowing out a cloud of smoke. "Speaking of sharing, anyone want a toke? I made a run into Tijuana on the way back. A little old but it's some good shit."
Xi'an smiles. "What's everyone doing tonight?" She approaches closer, walking over nearer to Clarice. "Illyana, Bobby and I were teammates together. And it is a pretty nice night so far."
Kitty smiles and returns Illyana's hug "It's a very nice evening. Even better now that I spotted you. What are you doing out here?" Kitty doesn't seem to notice the others gathered right away. She statles a bit when Bobby offers a toke. She wrinkles her nose a bit as she responds to him "No thanks."
Julie holds up a hand toard Bobby, "Thanks, I'm all set, though," Waggles her beer. "Best for me not to mix em, know what I mean?" She's pretty studious about minding her intoxicants, possibly for more reasons than being notably car-crazy. "Looks like a bit of a crowd's turning up: Josh brought some more of these out last night but it was just us and this new girl Ruth, and I got some more in the cooler for Halloween, maybe we ought to bring some."
Illyana blinks at Bobby's offer of the cigarette, takes a step back and away, but remains polite. "Ah, no, spacibo. I do not…" She stops a moment, mumbles a few words to herself — Russian — before continuing. "I do not smoke. But thank you." She stays close to Kitty, but at Xi'an's question she says, "I was just enjoying the sunset and the cool weather. It reminds me of Ust-Ordinskiy in the fall. Like home."
Of course, it is just about this moment when a bright light flashes around the corner of the building, and Illyana strolls around with several shopping bags clutched in her hands. "Hey, folks. Kitty! Been ages!" she announces. "How's ev…"
Dead stop. This Illyana, clad in the more normal combination of a flannel shirt — yellow and black checked — and blue jeans, stares at her doppelganger, eyes going large, and confused, and her face darkening as her brows draw downward.
"What the Hell is going on here?!" she demands.
Leaning in to speak quietly to Xi'an for a moment, Clarice was about to ask something, when there's a second Illyana.
So now we have Sweet Illyana.
And now we have Country Illyana.
It must be a Monday at the Institute.
The young woman's brows knit and then shakes her head suddenly. "This isn't right." she says quietly, reaching behind her for a quiver.. that isn't there. This is what she gets for letting her guard down. "Karma.. can you tell if they're really Illyana?"
"Know exactly what you mean.' Bobby tells Julie before taking a swig from his beer and following it with a smaller drag. No cigarette this; the smell is distinctly not tobacco. "Suit yourself." he agrees easily. More of him. He's about to take another when he hears Illyana speak up. From behind him. "You've got to be joking." he complains. "First a future future refugee then an alternate dimension refugee and now… a duplicate Yana?. And he's not even stoned yet.
The Vietnamese girl looks from Illy to Yana, and frowns, as she tries to figure it out. "I'm going to guess there's something stepping-disky going on here." It wouldn't be the first time that Illyana's stepping disks have made for some weirdness. Xi'an says "You two should probably both give us where and when you're from."
Kitty blinks very hard at the two Illyanas. *This* was why she had left in the first place. "What's going on here?" She asks, looking pointedly at the new Illyana, before glancing around the now assembled crowd. She squares her shoulders and moves to stand between the Illyanas, "I'm happy to see my friend, but this is a little ridiculous." So much for a life less wierd Kitty thinks absently.
Julie hrms. Glances between two Illyanas, then says to Bobby, "On second thought, we could maybe all use some of that in a sec. All this coming in and out of nowhere… don't ask me, but it's a pretty freaky nowhere." She leaves that at commentary, for now, just tugs with a finger tentatively at something in a jacket pocket. Then raises her beer can a bit toward Another Illyana in greeting. Cause, who knows, maybe this happens all the time, indeed.
The Illyana in white, the one closest to Kitty before the latter inserts herself between the two of them, stares at her duplicate over Kitty's shoulder now. She looks confused, but not scared, not terribly upset. At Xi'an's question she blinks, looks at the Vietnamese woman. "Xi'an, I am from here, from now. You know me." Notably, she looks a little younger than the other — no more than a few years difference between the two.
"If you're that new kid, Ben, get my face off your face before I drop you into Limbo. This is seriously not cool," says the plaid-clad Illyana. "I'm me. I've been here for months, Xi'an. I do not wear white. I do not smile that much." She stalks forward. "Kitty, I love you, but excuse me," she says, stepping past her to get in her own face. "Who. Are. You?" she demands.
The second Illyana, the one in plaid, also has a much milder accent.
Okay. Second Illyana? That's the Illyana that Clarice knows and loves. Well. Sorta. Dimensional displacement is a total pain in the ass. The young woman steps closer, in front of Karma, in case this gets messy. "We need a better way to figure this out. Bobby, put them both on ice if you have to."
Bobby crushes the glowing ember of his joint with two finger then slips it into a pocket as he looks between the two Illyanas. "Well, it's true I don't think I've ever seen Illyana wear a cardigan sweater before. At least, not recently." Reaching up to run a hand over his hair, he studies the two girls. "Logan could scent it if one were an impostor. The Prof could tell from their mind. Others have their own ways of telling people apart. It would be stupid to send in someone to impersonate one of us." he muses, mostly to himself. "Especially since Yana has abilities no one can duplicate. Not easily. Both of you, summon a disc please. And your soulsword." Then looking to the Illyana in white, he asks "What year is it?"
Xi'an considers both Illyanas, and frowns. "I think you're both you, Yana. Just different time yous, or different dimension yous. Make nice, till we figure out what's going on." She's ready to act if she feels the need, concentrating as she prepares to use her powers if she must.
Kitty is very confused, she had not thought of it, but now that it's been pointed out, she can't unsee it. The Illyana she saw under the tree does seem… different. But they both seem like Illyana. She decides to add to the litmus test "Those are all great ways to test I suppose - but let me add another." Kitty squares off so that she is looking at both versions of Illyana as she says "Why did I leave?"
Julie hrms, there, glances back to Bobby, then to Presumably-Regular Illy, then the other one. "I guess I better summon a few more beers in case this takes a while, though." Because hospitality's a good fallback. She walks back toward a '56 Nomad in cameo colors parked by the garage, and wiggles a finger to pop the tailgate open. There, she'll fish out a six-pack of beer from a cooler, and casually amble back. Cause… weirdness like this could take a while.
"I am Illyana Nikolaevna Rasputin," Illyana-in-white tells her counterpart. "Who are you?"
Plaid-yana backs off a step, looks at Bobby, looks at Kitty. Looks back at Bobby. "If you try to ice me, I will teleport you to the Sahara, Drake." She does, however, gesture. A portal appears and disappears. Her sword appears in her hand, then vanishes again. And, practically at the same moment as her double, she says, "You left to work on your education," in answer to Kitty's question, and then glares at the other in frustration. "The Prof can't break through my mental shields," she notes. "I've got the strongest shields around here. If you can't remember that, Bobby, maybe you're the imposter."
The other Illyana, the one in white, summons a portal after a moment, but looks decidedly confused by the sword. "I do not have such a thing," she says. "You are not me!" To Bobby she says, "It is… ah… dyevatnadsat shestdesyat chetirye…"
Illyana-in-plaid translates, "She says it's 1964. Which it is. I'll also point out that I speak way better English."
"So. We know who the commie mutant traitor is now." Clarice rumbles softly, the young woman remaining quietly in front of the others in a protective stance as a flare of green energy forms just off of her hand. "Any place special you want this one sent, Yana? I don't think I can quite hit Limbo from here."
Bobby can't keep track of who has what in this menagerie! Especially since he was away for a year. But when the Illyana in white fails to produce a soulsword and doesn't even seem to know what one is, he nods in satisfaction. "Alternate universe like Clarice here. Illyana" he says to the one in white, "Were you kidnapped as a young girl and taught magic?" Rhetorical question. "So how do we get her back to her world?" he asks his Illyana.
Xi'an's eyes glow pink, suddenly, as she reaches out with her power towards the white-clad Illyana, seizing control. Now that she's present in the other woman's mind, she starts to look about, to find out what the truth of the matter is.
Kitty does her best to protect the Illyana-in-white. She might not be *her* Illyana, but until she proves to be a threat she's unwilling to let any harm come to her. "Okay, so it's nice to see the wierd never ends." She looks at the pink skinned girl - she thinks she has seen her before, if only briefly, and states in a voice that is slightly strained for calm "Hold that thought. I want to know what's going on before we send anyone packing."
Julie notes certain rising tension, looks between various faces. Actually pipes up a bit. "OK! How bout we cool it a bit and figure this out? I didn't hear nothing about how being from another, ah, world, is supposed to mean everyone flips out or something." She glances to Clarice after saying that, having heard some of the story. Glancing to the nearest Illyana, asks, "So, is this something that happens sometimes or what?" But she comes bearing beer.
"Wait!" says Illyana-in-White when Clarice threatens to teleport her away. "I am no…" She trails off as Xi'an enters her mind, eyes going blank, the pink light from Xi'an's countenance shining from hers in turn.
Illyana-in-Plaid is starting to comprehend that, no, this is no impostor, but she's not entirely certain she's other-dimensional, either. Because Limbo. Limbo operates with its own rules — and sometimes it seems those rules are that there are no rules. "We don't need to send her anywhere," she says. "I think she's harmless. She's just…" She winces as she sees her double go under. "I'm pretty sure she thinks she belongs here. And maybe she does." To Julie, "This hasn't happened to me before. Somebody's gotten up to trouble. But it's not one of us."
"Something from your Limbo?" Clarice asks, snapping the energy out of existance as Illyana tells her to calm. She settles on the balls of her feet, the tension still evident within the woman, but for now, she's letting cooler heads prevail.
Illyana-in-White speaks, but it's with Xi'an's voice, her eyes a solid pink to match Karma's. "She's not hostile. She's an Illyana who was rescued quick and early from Limbo. She's a new student where she's from. White magic only." With that, the pink glow fades from both women's eyes as she releases Yana-white.
"She doesn't belong here." Bobby contradicts. "Which isn't to say that she can't be here, if there's a reason for it. But she does have friends and family who are now missing her so we should figure out how to get her home."
Kitty turns to the Illyana-in-white "Actually, I think it's your call." She then turns to Illyana-in-plaid and shrugs "It does seem only fair. I wouldn't want to put any version of you through more turmoil than needed."
Julie eys the X'ian voice, "Well, I guess we better figure this out, then. Sounds like she'd just as soon get back to her usual, too." She waves a hand around in the air. "Maybe she's got part of the story, even." Sets said beers down and starts offering them around. "I get the feeling I won't pick up on much of what you could say to each other, but the rest of us are here anyway," she says to the Illyana presently in charge of her own faculties.
"You're assuming she comes from another dimension, Bobby," says Illyana-in-Plaid, reaching out to steady Illyana-in-White as Karma releases her. "But she doesn't. Limbo doesn't cling to a single timeline — they exist simultaneously. A person can treat time in Limbo as another dimension that can be traversed like length and width and depth. You just need to find the right disk." She heaves a breath, worry showing in the divot between her eyebrows. "Somebody took her out of Limbo before she could be hurt, and damaged, like me. She -is- me."
Illyana-in-White looks horrified as she hears what Illyana-in-Plaid is saying. She lapses into Russian, but pauses when Kitty speaks to her. "Please," she says helplessly. "I want to go home."
"Home isn't there right now," Illyana-in-Plaid says. "I'm sorry, kid. We'll do what we can… but right now, you're better off with us." To the others she says, "We need to distinguish between the two of us for now. Can we agree, she's White Magik, I'm…" She pauses. "Grey Magik?" she continues, with a wrinkled nose. She doesn't particularly like the name, but easier than calling them Illyana 1 and Illyana 2 like something out of Dr. Seuss.
There's a little frown that comes from Clarice. She grips her hands together, and looks towards the two Illyanas, and then back to Xi'an for a moment before considering the group. "…remember how I got here?" she asks quietly. "When I was sent through a portal by.. well, Illyana? What.." she frowns. "What if this Illyana -" a gesture to white Illyana, "- was the Illyana she was trying to send me to when this Illyana intercepted me. Does that mean that.. there could still be other portals." With infinite Illyanas. And possibly infinite Blinks.
Xi'an suggests "You can be Yana, she can be Illy. Or one of you can be Nicole." Americanization of her middle name. "But I can't think of anyone better to help her than you."
Bobby looks from one Illyana to the other then digs the doobie out of his pocket again to light up. "We're now way, way out of my depth." he says. "I can manage to understand other dimensions. But once you start playing with time, I have no idea what the hell you're talking about so I'll just be over here and smoke. Let me know if you need something cold."
Kitty pinches the bridge of her nose, shaking her head as she comes to terms with what Illyana-in-plaid is saying. The helpless tone Illyana-in-white is pleading in tugs at her heartstrings. She turns to Illyana-in-white "It's going to be okay. I think. Weird, but okay. At the end of all this you will be home." wherever home ends up being, Kitty doesn't add aloud. She then turns to the pink skinned mutant (apparently from another dimention) "It's always possible that there are an infinite number of any of us. Best to just worry about the ones that are here for now." She finally turns back to Illyana-in-plaid "So, uh, Hi! Long time no see, huh?" She trys a smile, but it feels flat.
Julie laughs a bit to Bobby, pointing back to the car, where she left the tailgate open. "Well, what's in the cooler there, maybe. Grab anything you like for yourself." Well, the ice could be pretty much cold water by now. Things happen. She does pause to think a moment after what Clarice says. "So, maybe you was supposed to go where, ah, visiting Illyana's from, but instead you got here, and for some reason that meant visiting Illyana ends up here, too?" Smiles a bit to new Illyana. Shrugs. "I dunno how many dimensions I'm in," she says, "But welcome to this one for now."
"I will not subject any me to the name 'Illy'," says Illyana-in-Plaid. The wrinkled nose from Illyana-in-White suggests she feels much the same about the nickname. The native Illyana casts a wry smile at Kitty. "Too long," she agrees, "but you know how it is. It never rains, but it pours. Would you mind taking care of her for now?" she continues. "I think I need to do some studying in Limbo, try to figure out where her timeline diverged from mine. Assuming I'm not entirely wrong. I feel like it's going to be a long night."
Illyana-in-White seems to appreciate the idea of sticking with Kitty. She does nod her appreciation to Julie, gives a little smile. "I know you," she offers. It's something. This place isn't alien to her, the people aren't strangers. But clearly she is not the same person they know.
Illyana-in-Plaid nods slightly as Illyana-in-White moves closer to Kitty once more, and then moves toward Bobby, dropping her voice to a low register. "Please keep that crap out of the sight of students," she says. "This is still a school." But that's all she's saying on the subject. She backs off. "Clarice, teleport my stuff to my room, maybe?" she asks. "I'm going to go back to Limbo. I'll be back soon." Pause. "Hopefully."
Xi'an nods. "In either case, it looks like we don't have anything to /worry/ about. And you two will probably have a lot to catch up on. I'm going to head on back inside. Good luck!"
"Sure." Clarice mentions, "But I'm going to go pumpkin after that." she points out as she starts to send Illyana's stuff off in small puffs of green. Her aim at doing it is pretty accurate before she's turning to head off as well.
Kitty puts an arm around Illyana-in-white "Of course I will look after her." she says to Illyana-in-plaid before turning her full attention to Illyana-in-white. "Let's go grab a bite to eat and maybe you can tell me about what's been going on in your neck of the woods." She smiles before she adds "And I will tell you all about the taco truck that *was* in central park." She moves to steer Illyana-in-white inside.
Julie smirks a bit to new-Illy. Maybe doesn't need to know.
Illyana-in-White heads off with Kitty, waving to the others as they go. She looks upset, worried, scared — but still innocent. She is innocent.
Illyana-in-Plaid could hate her for that.
She utters a heavy sigh. "If this is what I believe, watch out," she says. "People don't enter Limbo intentionally without some dark purpose. And it might revolve around her." With this, a disk appears, and she steps into it, vanishing in a moment.
The sun has set now. Darkness has settled over the school. And settled heavily in the heart of Illyana Rasputina.