Asgard! Finding Paige!

[x-snowflake.livejournal.com]

Illyana shares some much-needed info about Paige, and they decide to pursue it. Also, people still think Alison's a witch.



With a tired shrug, Alison looked outside again. It was raining and cold and as though to demonstrate how evil the weather felt, a boom of thunder nearly rolled over the area, leaving a faint trembling in its wake. Alison looked at Illyana again and raised an eyebrow, as though 'by all means, lead the way'.

Crossing her arms over her stomach, Illyana sighed. "Right," she said, defeated. She actually would have preferred the rain, but she had a feeling Alison was not quite so inclined to either get soaked or hit by lightning. She spotted a slightly quieter corner, where an empty table waited as hospitably as a table could wait, and, with a gesture, went for it.

Alison followed, not feeling charitable towards any who would fondle, ogle or otherwise annoy her - the message was actually passed quickly enough. Someone reaching out to pinch Illyana's behind found himself drinking his soup through his nose suddenly, helped along by a hand behind the head. His fellow tablemates' guffaws kept him far too busy swearing retribution to actually contemplate finding out who had done that to him exactly.

Should have brought Gorgeous in. That would have solved things in no time. Stomp 'em all. Bleah. Another unwise soul discovered that having a thumb jabbed just so under one's shoulderblade was a rather excrutiating experience, and decided that he'd just nurse his mead nicely once his vision stopped doubling everything in sight.

With a long sigh Alison plopped down on the table before Illyana, leaning her chin on one hand to just not think for a while, just a little bit.

Ugh. If Asgardian men were anything like Earth men, Illyana was confining herself to the school when they got back. "Tired, huh?" she said quietly, leaning back in her chair and rubbing her face. A month or two ago she'd have winced at her tense muscles, because she had let herself get soft; now she just chalked it up to life on the road (well, the worn path) and motioned to the barmaid that drink was required. Looking at Alison, a lot of drink. "Get some food, some -- well, they call it ale, but I think science would prove them wrong -- whatever. You'll feel better." It was her best shot at kindness, and the only thing she could think of to say to someone who looked so patently exhausted.

A peaceful smile answered her, Alison taking a careful sip of the mead that had been brought to them - it was far safer than any water, she had discovered, which was best found while on the trail if one wanted some.

-I just went. For you.-

Tracking down rumours, Alison had discovered, was a nightmarish proposition on this world. No matter what you found, the next moment there was something to contradict it entirely. Disheartening was the right word. Just bodily going to a place to confirm something had been the best way, and finding Illyana had taken her five tries actually, hunting down and disproving one story after another. Maybe going to the source for this other student (Marie-Ange? Jubilee? Paige?) would actually be more succesful a proposition.

Damn this woman and her logic. Illyana felt something very strange -- probably guilt, she thought irritably -- rise in her chest, suppressed brutally a moment later. "Right," she said quietly, instead, swallowing her initial reaction to snap at the older woman -- beside the fact that Alison couldn't snap back without some effort, taking most of the fun out of it, she was tired. "But I think I might have a way of finding out who it is and where they are -- kind of." She looked up at Alison inscrutably. "It's a magic thing. Involves finding a lake. We can do it my way, which will at least give us an identity and a location if it works, or we can do it yours. Up to you."

-We can do both. Lake, then go.-

The soup was good and the backgroung hubbub of the meadhall a pleasant drone in the background, and really Alison felt at peace with the world just then. A possible lead on another student, the food was apparently just what she'd needed to perk up and even if she couldn't talk and still understood the local language imperfectly although she certainly managed by now - and she wasn't alone anymore.

-You doing okay?-

As the interrogation point wavered in the air however, someone just had to ruin her good mood.

Illyana fell off her chair, avoiding the knife that buried itself between her mead and her soup. "Watch it," she shouted, more to Alison than to the guy who'd just tried to push her one step closer to julienne fries. Goddamn Asgardians. Like Miss Blaire could even light a candle with magic -- and yet! None of the bastards noticed that she was the one they ought to be after. Even if they were after her. But peripherally, that was the point.

She scrambled to her feet, ducking the business end of a blade by about a quarter of an inch; instead of going for her Soulsword, she kneed one of the offenders in the groin and pushed him into the wall, pouring her still-hot bowl of soup on him for good measure. That left her without an opponent, panting and searching for a safe way out as one man went for Miss Blaire.

The sword whirred about an inch away from her nose as she threw herself back with a soundless cry of annoyance. Does it have to sound like a great big freaking buzzaw? Alison reflected to herself, mouthing something very very rude at the man, ducking under his guard while he took one of those really long swings to get some momentum and planted her foot with all her strength right on the instep of his, even as she curled her arm up to crack her elbow under his chin with all her strength. His head snapped back with an oh so satisfying sound and he staggered back, the now dead weight of the sword taking him a few steps further as he tried to gather his sense.

The step in follow through that Alison took likely saved her from getting her head literally chopped off, judging by the gust of wind in the vicinity of the back of her neck. She took a deep breath and then paused, eyes going wide.

It was awfully cold back there, all of a sudden. And her head felt... lighter.

The man before her, who had regained his balanced, stopped in midswing on his own this time. With a suddenly terrified look on his face, he started scrambling backwards, waving in warning at his friend.

Light exploded in the room. This was getting to be a habit.

-------------------

Illyana and Alison find Paige at the Valkyrie fortress.


Breaking in had been easy. Surprisingly so - then again, it made sense. People tended to avoidthose who carried the dead away and well, odds were high that if any of the locals had been in on the plan, the words "insane" as well as "suicidal" would have cropped up, soon followed by said local taking off at the highest speed possible to avoid being drafted in the little mission.

Back pressed to the wall Alison waited until the two women, dressed in leathers and wearing the oddest fashion accessories walked by, chatting softly to each other. She turned her head to glance at Illyana, just checking on her partner and not at all making sure the girl hadn't run off on her own. Nooo. Not that.

Illyana raised an eyebrow at Alison, indicating that they ought to get this over with. This would have been much easier if the X-Men rejects hadn't put up the bloody wards 'round the place, effectively curtailing any attempt to teleport. But no -- instead, here they were, sneaking around like a couple of ninjas in one of those inane television shows, because nobody ever did things the easy way, did they.

Stupid bloody place, Asgard. Had a lot in common with Earth, really. "Let's go," she mouthed, glancing over her own shoulder to make sure she wasn't about to be decapitated.

Alison nodded and looked down in her hand, eyeing the thingamabob tracker that Illyana had whipped up to lead them to Paige, once they were inside. It kept twitching nervously now and then, as though picking up several possibilities at random moments, but usually settled into a clear enough heading for her to navigate through the fortress, keeping to the shadows and small narrow hallways until they reached a long corridor, lines with several doors and a few flickering torches.

The tracker was almost quivering as the proximity and it seemed clear enough that Paige was inside - Alison pushed the door open lightly but refrained from peeking inside just yet, making certain there was no one in the hallway before summoning up enough light to see in the darkened room without waking up the occupant.

It seemed that even Alison's fine abilities at not waking others were not quite matched for Paige uncanny ability to wake at even the beat of a butterflys wings."For the last time, Sigrdrifa, I'm fine! I do not need anything to drink, or to eat, or a bard to come in and sing and I especially do not need one of the dead to enter. tain. me." Paige started, slowing down to a halt as she caught sight of the face in her door. It was an easy mistake to make; Sigrdrifa and Alison did look an awful lot alike, at least in the dark."Say something so I know you're not another dream."

Oh, she just hadto say that, didn't she? Alison made an effort not to quite literally facepalm and instead stuck her tongue out at Paige before sidling inside the room, pausing only a moment before reaching out and yanking Illyana in as well. She shut the door silently and then grinned impishly at Paige, doing a small curtsy in a "ta daaa!" sort of way.

Paige tilted her head, looking vaguely amused."Oh, there's another way to prove it. I would never in my wildest dreams come up with Illyana joining you to rescue me," she said, sitting up in the bed."Nothing to you of course, Yana.You just don't happen to be tall, dark and male."

She wasn't short, but that hardly bore arguing about. "Three of my best attributes," Illyana murmured coolly instead, taking in her surroundings with equal parts interest and wariness. She smiled at Paige and decided the best path out of this place was bluntness. "So anyway, Miss Blaire can't talk -- she got herself cursed, but don't let her fool you into thinking she's harmless -- and we're here to rescue you from the Valkyries. Even if you don't want it."

Of course she wasn't harmless. Alison rolled her eyes at that and nearly bapped Illyana upside the head but refrained, walking towards Paige calmly. They only had so much time before someone figured out something was going on and they had to actually get out now, which would be the hardest part of everything.

"Alison can't talk," Paige repeated, staring at Illyana."Normally I'd be shouting Hallelujah or something equal to it but I suppose it's not really the time."Smiling apologetically at Alison, Paige slipped out of bed and just refrained from squeezing her in a tight hug. She wasn't sure if they had the time, especially if she burst into tears about now. "Well. I don't need much rescuing, but if you insist. However, I do need to get dressed."

"Good plan," Illyana said, leaning against the doorframe. "Try and hurry. I'm not up for getting the hell beaten out of me tonight, which will inevitably happen if we get caught."

Alison ignored the quipping and made a beeline for Paige - she was getting a quick hug in before anything else, and if anyone tried to beat them up there'd be hell to pay. So there.

"I seriously doubt- oof!"Paige suddenly found herself with an Alison wrapped around her and smiled, returning the hug fiercely, her nose in Alison's throat."Missed you too, Lee," she said with a final squeeze before dislodging herself of the older woman."Except now I have to go put on some clothes.Quickly, even, for the cranky one over there."Smiling, Paige picked up her clothes and was kind enough to move to a corner, back towards them, as she changed.

Illyana shifted irritably, all too aware of the danger they were currently facing; since when was common sense crankiness? These people . . . "Let's just leave before they find us, and I promise that you can hug and share all you want after, okay?"

Alison, mildly amused at Paige's body shyness turned around, wagging a finger at Illyana before making a face at her. Miss Crankypants.Paige was soon ready, taking only a few more seconds to write a very short note and place it on her bed, making certain it was well within sight, before following her two 'rescuers' out into the dark hallways.