X-23

Of course Laura was calm about this. Gabby expected nothing else. And she wasn’t going to make a massive deal out of it. Laura came and went, as much as Gabby didn’t always like it. She wished Laura would let her come with her more often. Or wouldn’t leave so often. Gabby had lost enough sisters. “I know but can’t you just send me a text like once a month or something?” she groaned. It did help, knowing that she was the first one Laura had come to find. “How’d you know I’d be here?”

“Seco–Second note? No? What second note?” Gabby had only found one. “Laura….” 

Laura was trying to work on her communication skills, she was trying really hard to reach out to family and friends but it was hard. She was raised to be a solitary monster, someone who only came out when it was time to kill. But she had gotten better, or so she thought. “I know, I’m sorry Gab’s.” It wasn’t often she apologized, but when she did she really meant it. “I talked to your girlfriend. I like her.” She said casually, taking another bite of pizza.

Oh, oops. “I thought I saw someone.” Laura looked down, no longer hungry. The mutant was having issues with her vision, issues seeing people who she shouldn’t be seeing. “I thought I saw Sutter.” Her creator was a terrible man, a man who treated her like an animal. “But i couldn’t have... I killed him, Gabby.” Maybe her conscience was catching up with her.

Sharon had heard rustling in the kitchen and though it was James and Tali coming home early. Tali had demanded they go to the park and stomped around until James eventually caved and — well, Sharon had thought she had at least an hour before they’d be back. “Couldn’t even let me get one episode in, could you two?” She joked from the other room, coming towards the kitchen with a drink in hand. But what she saw wasn’t her family. It was a young woman, looking like she had been through it, eating some of the pizza that had been left out after dinner.

“Should I order another?” Sharon asked, pointing to the nearly empty box. She didn’t move any closer to the woman in her kitchen, she didn’t look like she was there to start a fight, but Sharon still kept her distance.

Laura stopped chewing when she heard the woman's voice from the other room, and as soon as she walked in she begin casually chewing again. Usually she didn’t sneak into places she didn’t know, but she was starving right now and this seemed as good as any other time. It probably helped she wasn’t into her uniform, and instead had on clothes that were covered in slashes and burns. Probably made her seem less threatening, especially sitting criss cross on top of the table. But in this city you could never assume someone was good. 

“That would be good.” She took another bite, letting her eyes roam around the room. “This kitchen is nice.” Small talk, she told herself. Didn’t people like that?

Gabby was excited. Moving in with Olivia was finally happening after she’d asked her on Genosha. Before Magneto interrupted. Turned out even with not a lot of stuff, moving was tiring, and… well… neither Olivia nor Gabby had many kitchen skills anyway. So pizza it was. Multiple large pizzas, because Gabby had the appetite of a teenage boy hitting a growth spurt. She was coming back for another slice when she heard someone in the kitchen. Unafraid of any burglar, she walked in only to stop in the doorway in shock.

“Laura?! What the hell?!” Gabby was elated to see her sister, but annoyed too. Laura had been gone for two months without so much as a word other than the first note she’d left. Gabby had started to worry. “How long have you been back? And you didn’t call? Or text even?”

Laura was mid bite when Gabby finally walked in. She had heard her coming, but was surprised at the exclamation- well, she really wasn't surprised. It had been a while since she contacted her sister. The mutant looked at her calmly, giving an awkward smile in return.

“Hey.” Finally she took another bite, and listened to her talk. “You know how much I hate that thing.” Nodding towards the piece of metal that was hanging off the ledge of the counter opposite her, nearly about to tumblr off and onto the floor. It was more annoying than anything, and she really didn’t know how to work it despite having had it for so long. “I got back a couple hours ago, thought you’d be the first I said hi to.” Maybe that would calm her down, knowing she was the first Laura wanted to see, but it was only hopeful. “Did you find my second note?

//

It had been a good night at the card table, and Remy was savoring the rush of winning as he headed back to his apartment. Once he entered, however, he quickly could tell something was amiss. It did not look like anything was missing, and the cats seemed fine. But he was on guard nonetheless, especially once he heard a faint noise from the kitchen. Taking a card out of his pocket, he quietly made his way to the kitchen.

Inside, he did indeed find an intruder, but not one who was cause for alarm. “Laura,” Remy said, shaking his head as he put his card away, “I know I always said you could drop in any time, but I kinda thought you’d at least knock ‘fore you came on in. At least I woulda left out somet'ing better t’ eat dan dat pizza.” Noticing that the cats had now come to peer into the kitchen as well, he chastised them too. “Some guards you are, garçons! Jus’ gon’ let anyone walk in here, huh?” Laura had been gone for a while, and while he was glad to see her, he wondered what she had been up to in the meantime. “Hope you didn’t jus’ come back t’ try an’ see if you could get one over on ol’ Remy by sneakin’ in here.”

Laura felt comfort being here, being in the home of Remy. He was a very close friend, and she didn’t have very many she trusted so wholeheartedly. Maybe it was just fun sneaking in so easily, but she really did have the type of skills that made it easy. That, and she had been here so many times before. When she heard him finally walking over, she crossed her legs and leaned on them, continuing to nibble on the pizza in her hand.

The girl clicked her tongue at him before taking another bite of pizza. “I hate knocking. It’s boring.” She replied simply. Everything looked the same and Remy didn’t seem different of course, but what did she expect? It had only been two months of her traveling and going on her little quest. She glanced at the cats and gave a chuckle before finishing her slice of pizza. ‘Well, I did enjoy how easy it was, but it would be more fun if it were challenging.” The mutant hummed playfully, letting two claws on one hand come out to stab a second piece. 

She effortless climbed in through a window and grabbed a piece of pizza that was randomly sitting on a table in a box. Her eyes scanned around, noticing someone finally catch sight of her as they walked into the room as she simply stood there, eating.