Tag I'm It (A Snowflake on Ice Vignette)

Author's note: Have been doing some X-23 reading lately (Graphic novels were on sale in the discount bin, $3). Interesting variation of a rather repeated theme. Then I got to thinking about the story line where Laura is dealing with a demon pursuing her in her dreams on Utopia and her ongoing concerns about being human and having a soul.

This clicked on a little Snowflake on Ice vignette I had been toying with writing. Turned out to be longer story then the usual vignette so I wrote it as a separate document.

Part 1: Musings of games past

Illyana was done doing one of her workouts in her cell.

For the last two hours she had done various exercises, jogged in place, and had danced to various songs; not that she had much room to dance. She was currently sitting on her bunk mediating, and wishing for a hot shower (hmmm shower); moist towelets so just did not cut it.

It went without saying that she was bored . Bored, bored, bored. Meditation was just not working for her at the moment. She found her mind dwelling on activities she missed.

Scaring the ninjas, now that was fun. So easy to startle.

Watching the stars. She missed the night sky.

Dancing for hours on end. Momentarily forgetting, or at least pretending to forget.

A good game of tag.

Yea, she kind of missed the games of tag. Those had been fun.

Part 2: A pair of night owls

Laura didn't like Illyana.

No great mystery as to why.

First there had been the trauma the X-Kidletts had suffered in Limbo when Belasco had pulled them all in. Laura had not particularly enjoyed being killed, impaled, and otherwise abused.

Then of course Illyana had abused Megan and Anole, not to mention the others.

Lastly it would be an understatement that Illyana tended to rub many people the wrong way.

It had begun one late night in Utopia. Laura tended to be a night owl and liked to prowl about. This inevitability brought her into contact with Illyana, another night owl. Once or twice Illyana had tried that let's startle the ninjas game she liked to play but didn't find any real satisfaction with Laura. Laura, like Logan, used all of her senses to assess her surroundings so Illyana never managed to startle her.

It was way past most night owls bedtimes, when Laura found Illyana relaxing in one of the small lounges. She was in a leather chair looking east towards the golden gate. Laura could smell the sharp ting of tea (Russian) and Illyana's soft drowsily emanations.

Illyana's prior attempts to startle Laura had annoyed her. Time for a little payback.

Laura crept up behind Illyana as only Laura knew how. Well... ok more than a few folks at Utopia could have crept up just as good but that's beside the point. This is a story about Laura, not Wolverine, Betty, Warpath, or any other fighting skill mutant.

She had oh so slowly unsheathed one blade on each hand, then had stabbed the back of the chair with both hands Her intent was that the blades pass on either side of Illyana's head. Well that was her intent. What she did end up stabbing was an empty chair as she smelled Illyana's scent abruptly vanish just as she stabbed.

Then as she pulled her hands back from the chair she sensed a small object being hurled at her from behind her. She slashed backwards to find that she had now cut a small ball in two. Laura sniffed, no sign of Illyana. She picked up the two halves of the ball. It was one of those foam stress balls you squeeze, but this one had a cartoon of Illyana's head on it with big grinning teeth and two fingers held up in a V symbol. It was one of those little Asian caricature drawings that are so populate in the Japanese and Korean communities.

Suddenly Laura smelled Illyana's scent, scented with the sharp tones of disdain, dismissal, and... mischief, just as another ball lightly bounced off of Laura's head.

"Tag you're it". Was all that Illyana said before she vanished again.

Part 2: A game of tag

That was how the nightly games developed.

Laura would stalk Illyana and try to locate her. Illyana would inevitably vanish just at the moment of contact denying Laura the ability to cry tag. Just as inevitably a ball would come sailing of nowhere to bounce off of Laura while Illyana's scent lingering on the air with the whiff of mockery. Illyana's face on the ball was now sporting a word balloon (Tag you're (still) it).

Laura found it... frustrating. She also found it rather fun in the way a cat likes the bird that keeps getting away. Makes you just try harder the next time.

One night Laura located Illyana lying down on a roof on one of the high cylinder shaped towers that were in the center of Utopia. Illyana was apparently star watching. Laura wasn't quite sure how to approach from such a disadvantaged point, then she smelled the tea, Russian tea again.

Laura noticed that it was in a tea urn this time and there were two cups. Illyana was lying down on a towel on the roof. There was a second empty towel next to her. Laura recognized that this was some form of an invitation.

Social interaction was always somewhat of a quandary for Laura, but this did not look that complex. She accepted in that she walked over and sat down on the towel and poured herself a cup of tea. Illyana said nothing, just occasionally sipped some tea and watched the stars. It was an odd little interaction, not a word said, but Illyana's scent no longer held distain and mockery. Mischief was still there, along with some other faint emotions Laura could not identify.

Part 3: An odd form of ?friendship?

The nightly games of tag continued off and on each week. The little time outs as it were also continued. As yet not a single word had been spoken. Laura found it odd to think of herself as the verbal one, but she was the first to say anything.

It was star watching again, this time with a full moon as well, while a fog bank slowly obscured half of the sky. Instead of tea there was a strawberry ice cream container and two bowls.

"Why do you never say anything?" Laura had asked out after eating a scoop.

She smelled the faint smell of amusement and... something else she could still not name. "Aren't people always talking at you all the time?" was Illyana's reply.

"Yes" was Laura's reply.

"Same with me. Thought it would be nice to have some quiet for once".

"You are very odd" was Laura's direct statement. Again the smell of amusement, stronger this time.

"Yep" was Illyana's response as she also ate some ice cream.

Part 4: Tag

Enhanced senses always made social interactions both difficult and far more revealing then the other party intended. Laura could have a detailed conversation, as it were, sometimes with Logan without ever speaking a word. All just body language and scent.

Laura found her interactions with Illyana, while not as detailed as Logan, and Illyana never showed any real ability to scent emotions, to be in a similar category.

The game of tag had evolved into occasional hand to hand combat. Laura would strike and pounce. Illyana would dodge and teleport. Yet still that annoying ball would bounce off of Laura's head (tag you're (still) it).

Once after a rather intense set of hand to hand training Laura had made an offhand comment about two soulless ones fighting.

Illyana had not reacted well to the comment. Her smell had been harsh, angry.

"The endless blather mortals have about their possession or non possession of a soul is tiresome to those truly lacking one. Must I steal it from you and wave it in front of your face"?

Laura found the comment annoying. She had been trying to connect and now felt rebuffed. Laura's demonish dreams had been getting worse. Laura had actual started sleeping outside due to her concerns on how she might react while sleeping. She had felt like Illyana might have been someone she might actually be able to talk to about them (after all, was she not a demon herself).

"I fear I lack one, why does that offend you so"?

"Because everybody on this island has one. Oh so bright and shiny. Each and every one taunting me every day. Even the ones that are as stained as yours".

Again somehow that ball bounced off of Laura's head, Illyana then made that little hand waving sign, that one that says come at me. Again the hand to hand combat of pounce and dodge.

Maybe it happened because Laura was upset, maybe it was because Illyana was upset. The game had always involved Laura's claws. Illyana had become one of the few people that Laura would practice with claws extended. Laura stabbed with her right hand and Illyana did not teleport it time.

Illyana collapsed like a sack of wet sand. Laura knew exactly where her blades had gone. Right blade thought the heart, left blade right thought the spine. A killing and disabling strike.

Illyana coughed up a bloody bubble, whispered a few words and was still. Laura heard her heart stop.

"Tag I'm it". Those were the words.

Laura froze. She had killed oh so many times, sometimes those she had cared about. But this had been so sudden.

There was a flash of light and Illyana was gone. Than Laura felt a hand on her right shoulder and smelled Illyana behind her.

"Nice move there. I got sloppy, slow. Sorry about that".

Laura spun and stared at Illyana. She was unhurt but her uniform was bloody, right where she had been stabbed.

"You're unhurt" was Laura's questioning statement.

"Takes more then that to kill a hell lord, or the various hells would be really empty".

"Magic" was Laura's conclusion.

"Magik" Illyana agreed.

"I like you Laura. You're sweet". Literally the first time anybody had ever said that to Laura.

"I am not sweet".

Illyana just smiled. "Laura remember one thing".

"What".

"You've just met the first person who would trade lives with you in an instant".

With that Illyana vanished leaving Laura to ponder Illyana's words and the source of those words.

Part 5: Ruminations

Yes, the games of tag had been fun.

Plus, it had allowed her to deal with that oh so annoying demon who had had the gall to actually sniff around her home and think that he could pouch Laura without Illyana noticing.

Illyana had been playing a long and subtle game that had resulted in the destruction of the elder gods and the reclaiming of her soul. She had had to refrain from just squashing the demon due to her larger game.

But the similarities of Laura's experiences with Illyana's had been a bit too noticeable for Illyana to ignore. She had decided to play a second game about souls with Laura, one that would help plant the subconscious belief that Laura really did have one (after all she did, mortals oh so easily fooled themselves into thinking they did not). The little blood ritual had sealed it, although there had been a bit more blood then Illyana had planned (shards that girl is fast).

Hmm, after she got out of this cell she needed to pay a certain demon a brief visit to... talk. Well, not much talking on her part was planned. Needed to remind the infernal community about staying clear and examples worked oh so nice. Lethal examples.

But she really did miss those games of tag.