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From a room off the Xavier's foyer, where students frequently gather, as Illyana and her classmates once did, to watch television and listen to the radio, three young mutants scamper, casting worried looks over their shoulders. They had been watching The Munsters when Illyana Rasputin burst in and demanded that they leave. Few students will stay in the face of Illyana's demands. She scares them — generally intentionally, because keeping them afraid of her makes them easier to manipulate.
The truth is, though, that Illyana's radio broke when Dick Clark announced that the Beatles 'I Feel Fine' had been dropped to number 4 on the top 40, and Illyana might have thrown it out the window. She raced downstairs, though, because she wanted to hear the end of the program. So, soon after the students retreat, the sounds of the Searchers performing 'Love Potion Number Nine' can be heard coming from the room. Followed by a snort of disgust from Illyana. "This. This displaced the Beatles. People are idiots."
Yeah…see, Roberto was already headed towards that room, so when he hears Illyana making demands and scared students running away from her, he sighs then. The billionaire put his hands in his pockets as he entered the room. "Knock knock." But then again…SUnspot was one of the very few mutants who wasn't afraid of Illyana…even though she's a total hell lord and may be able to send his soul there if he dies…oh the rumors he's heard!
Regardless, he greets the beautiful woman with a smile. "Mind one more with you?" he asks, walking into the room to stand right next to her. "Heard about the beatles…and this shit is garbage." he says upon listening to this new song and band.
"There are two more songs to go," Illyana replies, staring intently at the radio. "This isn't the worst song, but it's not the Beatles." She pauses. "Admittedly, 'I Feel Fine' isn't their best." She doesn't actually try, generally, to scare her former classmates, or the other X-Men. Those people don't scare easily, most of them, and if they're going to be scared it's usually a consequence of her nature, not anything she does to them. "But seriously, if 'Downtown' is number one…" She doesn't finish the threat, because it would likely amount to nothing.
Though Dick Clark has received more than one burning bag of demon crap in his mailbox.
'Berto put a hand on Illyana's shoulder, practically -feeling- how annoyed she was. "Clearly the times are changing. I love the beatles, so I feel your pain." he smiles to her softly before removing his hand from her shoulder (unless she prefer him to keep it there). But regardless, he laughs a moment. "Yeah….it's not. but eh, maybe the next one will be good?" a grin then as he leans against one of the walls. "So, aside from this, how you doin'?" he says pretty nonchalantly as per the usual.
Illyana has never been touchy-feely. When the hand goes to her shoulder she stiffens, but forces herself not to look at the hand, or demand it be removed. "I prefer the Beach Boys. But they don't have anything new enough for the top 40." The song fades out on a final jangly chord, and a commercial comes on. She clearly relaxes when the hand is removed.
"I'm fine, 'Berto," she replies, finally looking back toward the Brazilian. "Been busy putting down coups in Limbo, all that sort of thing. You?"
Bobby smiles softly to Illyana, nodding a few times. "Eh….never really got into Beach Boys. but hey, everyone has their thing right?" he smiles softly with a shrug. He hated seeing Illy uncomfortable…but regardless, he nods softly at her words. "ah, sounds like fun. I wouldn't know." after all, he's just a living match. In terms of importance, Illyana wins hands down. "Just finishing up deals with my company, making sure everything's going nice and smoothly. Otherwise? making sure my computer classes here are going swell." he smiles softly to her. "So…do you ever just relax? or are you always putting down coup's?"
"You are from Brazil," the blonde observes. "I am from Russia. You grew up with sun and sand and women in skimpy clothing and music in the streets." She takes a step back, places a hand over her heart and says, solemnly, "I grew up with dreary Siberia, tractors and pigs, winters that last six months and bring enough snow to bury a mountain. And then demons. To you, the things the Beach Boys sing are simply part of life. To me, they are a promise of something better."
And then she holds up a hand. The commercial is over. Dick Clark is introducing the next song — The Righteous Brothers, 'You've Lost that Loving Feeling'. Illyana sighs, but shrugs. It could be worse.
'Berto nods. "Rio de Janeiro specifically, but yeah." he smiles to her softly as she keeps speaking…yeah, he wasn't exactly a fan of the skimpy clothing, but hey, it was life! and the place was -hot-. so in a way, it was a necessity. Regardless, he doesn't show challenge to her, standing up straight as he took a step forward. "Whoa, I didn't mean to offend you know? I was just saying that it doesn't connect with me. Good thing it connects for you…everyone needs hope. Otherwise…" he sighs then…he's seen what despair does to people and just shakes his head. he looks like he's about to speak again. "so..I was wondering if-" he gets cut off by Yana lifting a hand as a good song starts playing. "oh..Righteous Brothers. I like this song."
"I am not offended. Just explaining why I like the group," Illyana replies. "The Righteous Brothers are not bad. They're not the Beatles or the Beach Boys. But they're not bad," she concedes. "Wondering if…?" Her brow rises as she looks back to Berto, waiting for him to continue.
'Berto seems to offer Illyana al ight smile, before he laughs a bit. "Heh, they're not the best, your right. But I like them for when I want to relax or fall asleep. Kudos to them." he says with a shrug though when Illyana questions what he was gonna say, he blushes a moment before he rubs the back of his stylishly messy black hair. "Bah, it's nothing. Probably a silly question anyway." he smiles nervously.
Illyana studies Roberto for a long moment and almost covers her face with her hand. She can see what's going on already. She went through this with Xi'an six months ago. "'Berto," she says, not precisely gently, because gentle isn't Illyana's nature, but not unkindly, "I don't date."
'Berto seems to turn bright pink when she reads him like a bloody Edgar Allen Poe book. "Whoa whoa…man, turning me down hard when I haven't even said anything? Harsh." of course, he says this in good humor. "aaand how can I change your mind?" he says flirtateously with a smile to her. "Or will I be banished to hell?"
"I'm not going to banish you to hell for asking, but this is something I decided a long time ago," she replies, her face set, little emotion showing, hard to read. "What I went through in Limbo was too horrible for me to ever get close to a person that way. And it would not be fair to you to…"
She stops abruptly as the song ends, and Dick Clark is back. He natters on for a few moments, and under her breath Illyana says 'Get to the point!' And then 'Downtown' is playing. Petula Clark. Illyana knows the song well enough, and feels that Petula Clark is a whiny idiot. She reaches for the radio dial and snaps it quickly to the side. Even a touch more torque would probably have broken it off. Internally she makes a note to have S'ym save his feces for a certain radio host.
"I am learning to detect the signs," she says, not finishing whatever she had been going to say before. "One of our classmates told me they had feelings for me a few months ago, and I had to tell them that as much as I cared for them, nothing was going to happen. So here is what I will tell you, Roberto: you are my friend, but that is all we can be. I am too broken inside to be a girlfriend or a lover. Please, take what I can offer and don't ask for more."
Roberto puts his thumbs in his pockets as he listens to her speak in depth on the Why in the ?Why you turning me down?'. Though he patiently waits when she cuts herself off to go grunt at the radio while turning the channel.
Well…least he knows why Yana doesn't get a whole lot of dates. "Well then…" he takes a small breath. He really liked her, so he takes a deep breath. "Alright, but you realize I'm not exactly an unbroken plate either right? Given, I?m not a hell Lord, not will I ever be. So, how about one date. Just one, and I won't bother you about it again." Perhaps a last ditch effort to change her mind.
if he was goin' down, he'll go down swinging!
Illyana regards Roberto for a long moment. If he had any idea. He lost his girlfriend, yes. His father is scum, yes. She…
"No, 'Berto," she says calmly. "I can't. I can't offer you that much hope. It would be pointless. Ask our friends to do something. I will join you. But not a date. I do not date."
'Berto seems to sigh a moment then. Least you tried kid. Don't mean he's gonna give up…but alas, that's quite a hit. "Alright." He lifts his hands up like 'okay you win' "but let's hangout sometime Alright? Even if it's…just friends."
The corner of her mouth twists upward, a wry sort of smile. "Sure," she says. "Just as friends." Knowing, of course, that it's probably not going to help him get over feelings he might have for her. And knowing, too, that he will try to press his suit again. And she will try to be as gentle in letting him down. Blunt, but not deliberately cruel.
'Berto smiles big and warm to Yana…Perhaps warm enough to be infectious to even Illyana. "Alright!" He says with a small laugh as he turns on his heel. "We'll walk the boardwalk!" He says as he walks boardwalk, looking her right in the eyes with a bright warmth.
Illyana's a cool one. She's smiling already, for all that it's not a particularly joyous smile. That's all Roberto's going to get this evening. She does not like being put in a position where she has to hurt people she cares about — but she'd hurt them more if she said yes. "Atlantic City, then?" she says with a raised brow. "We'll do the town."
Bobby smiles "works for me! We'll have fun on our totally not date!" He teases her before he turns and heads out!