Illyana

A smirk formed at the corner of Zatanna’s lips. Illyana was right. She was looking at the sketches that Illyana was discarding not like practice lines that she was sure others saw them as – but as works of art. Snapshots of a different time for both of them. A history in the form of pictures. And who were they if they didn’t have their history? What was their future if they didn’t have a past? And with a hand on her stomach, running over the curve that had formed in the past months, that worry she had felt was mixed with excitement and wonder. A new adventure just around the corner. “Maybe,” Zatanna offered with a shrug, forcing herself to look away from the sketches. “But I figure that’s my job, isn’t it? Offer world advice and hold onto every scrap of paper you ever sketched on?”

The book was thrown into a pile that looked like garbage. To either be thrown out or left behind and Zatanna wasted no time in picking it up. “Get clip in bangs. You can take them out if you get board and avoid that awkward growing out phase that happens with blunt bangs.”

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Illyana smiled slightly. “If you were going to keep every piece of paper I sketched on there would be almost nothing else in this house” if there was a pen, marker or pencil in her hand and something to draw on around, chances are Illyana sketched on it. “Not to mention all the jeans I drew on when I got bored in class” she spent maybe half or more of her time in class drawing on the legs of pants if she’d run out of paper. “I don’t think I had a single pair of jeans that I hadn’t drawn on back then.”

“I could always just use magic to grow them out faster” Illyana joked, well... she was mostly joking. “Or just stay in Limbo while they grow out, though if I stay there that long-” she sighed before turning away from the mirror and back to Zatanna. “I’m not sure I’d come back.”

@ruleroflimbo sent 25﹕ an  urgent  text

[📱to Yana ] I need help [📱to Yana ] I can’t– [DELETED] [📱to Yana ] kind of having trouble stayi– [DELETED] [📱to Yana ] I was at Bo’s and went to walk through the wall and walked /into/ something instead [📱to Yana ] I don’t know what it is but I can’t get back out of it [📱to Yana ] can you port in? [📱to Yana ] it’s a little cramped but I think there’s room [📱to Yana ] please try? I texted Simon and Jean but [📱to Yana ] but nothing, sorry, it’s okay, I’m okay I just need some help please :)

(✉️ ➡️ goat legs + group): coward. […] (✉️ ➡️ goat legs + group): [UNSENT] i’m surprised i stuck around an extra hour, then (✉️ ➡️ goat legs + group): well, that does clear some things up (✉️ ➡️ goat legs + group): still not sure where i ended up (✉️ ➡️ goat legs + group): minnesota, maybe? (✉️ ➡️ goat legs + group): i wonder whose uber account i used

(✉️ ➡️ goat legs + group): did i ditch you?  (✉️ ➡️ goat legs + group): drunk me is always ditching people. (✉️ ➡️ goat legs + group): [UNSENT] oh, great. jade was there. so i /definitely/ ditched you, then.

"What, never seen a demon before?"  Illyana questioned as she pulled her sword out of the now very dead demon on the ground. She realized most people weren't used to seeing demons. There had been an alien invasion so people weren't often surprised by them anymore but demons on earth still wasn't a very common occurrence. She changed back from her demon form, making her sword disappear as she turned to face Colleen. "Demons are very common where I grew up."

(✉️ ➡️ goat legs + group): wait did we get drunk together or was this an independent venture?

Illyana quickly turned towards Maddie and sure enough there was a demon right behind her. She used her magic to send the creature a few feet backwards and away from Maddie. "Well they definitely know we're here now" they being the four demons she could sense in the abandoned building. There had been an influx of demons on earth lately and Illyana had no idea why, she'd need to look into it once she'd dealt with the most pressing concerns of so many demons on earth. "Last chance to back out and leave" Illyana told Maddie with a slight grin as she summoned her soulsword, providing some much needed light into the place.

Illyana always claimed to be something other. There were barriers in her mind that protected her from becoming too close for comfort, that separated her by her own intention from the people around her because she felt she was too dangerous to be loved. (Jean had learned long ago that whether you felt that or not, people would love you regardless. It only mattered how you treated them before things got bad – at least in her experience. It made life a lot easier for everyone involved.) “DO you regret it?” Jean asked. It was a valid question, and from her history, she hoped Illyana would know there was no judgement attached to it. There were several sacrifices Jean had made that she wasn’t entirely convinced she would repeat the second time around. “When you look back … was there any other way?”

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Illyana always distanced herself from people, even Jean who was the only telepath she kept her shield down for. Even Katya who she’d shared a room and grew up with. The distance was less with them but it was still there, and while Illyana had tried to remove the distance some part of her was afraid to do it. There were several reasons for that but in the end it always seemed to come back to Limbo and Belasco. Belasco had taught her that love was conditional, that it could so easily be taken away and while she tried so hard not to believe that... she hadn’t quite managed to unlearn that yet.

Illyana’s armor barely had time to cover her upper body before she was thrown through a wall and halfway through the one across the room on the other side. She managed to semi land on her feet, catching herself with one hand on the floor, narrowly dodging the pieces of ceiling that came crashing down from the impact. She slowly got to her feet, the armor had fortunately protected her from any major injuries but she could hear the giant monster who’d thrown her through the wall approaching. Fortunately he wasn’t as fast as someone being thrown through the air. Jade teleported in beside her and rushed over to Illyana. “I’m fine” Illy told her before Jade could say anything. 

“Did it anywhere in this spell you wanted to try mention big and ugly who’s apparently resistant to my magic?” Illyana asked, straightening up as the footsteps of the demon grew closer. “No, but I told you pronunciation was important” Jade replied. “And I told you Latin was not my forte” she preferred Demonic Script or Russian when it came to her spells. “Evidently“ Jade commented as the monster became visible through the hole in the wall. Which he stepped through and proceeded to tear down more of the wall. “I can send it back but you’ll have to buy me some time.” Illyana sighed.

“Buy you some time, sure... no problem” Illyana muttered as she shifted into her demon form and allowed the Eldritch armor to cover the rest of her body. “He’s only two feet taller than me with a battle axe the same size as me” she was talking to herself as Jade had moved a few feet away to begin the spell to send the demon back. The mutant summoned her sword and charged him, he might be resistant to her magic but she could still use her sword and the enhanced strength from her armor. How long she’d be able to hold him back she wasn’t sure, hopefully long enough for Jade to finish the spell to send him back though. 

He was stronger than her so Illyana had to use her superior agility in order to avoid any direct hits. She was doing pretty well in avoiding his attacks until he managed to hit her with the side of his axe and once again send her flying, this time through the rest of the wall which had broken her fall earlier. He then turned his attention towards Jade, who was still in the process of sending him back. She tried to hurry with the spell as the demon approached her but it wasn’t fast enough and soon he was in range to swing his axe down towards her.

(✉️ ➡️ ALL CONTACTS): this is a mass text. (✉️ ➡️ ALL CONTACTS): does anyone know where i am.

@ruleroflimbo

[📱to yana ] pirates or ninjas? [📱to yana ] this is really important, Yana, an age-old debate [📱to yana ] the fate of the universe could very well hang on this one determination [📱to yana ] choose wisely

Jean had stopped jumping up from the sofa, hands raised and telekinetic shield formed, long ago. Perhaps it was a dangerous thing to become so complacent (comfortable, Scott had corrected in the early morning, a small smile on his face as he reached for her hand lying in bed. You’re comfortable) but it wasn’t something that she could battle. Besides, her true fear – the Shi’ar coming for her – wouldn’t be averted simply because she reacted in a split second. They’d already proven they had insurmountable odds on their side. “You still owe me a Venmo for that,” Jean muttered, taking another bite out of her pizza as she lowered her feet from where they’d been resting on the coffee table. Illyana’s question made her raise an eyebrow in the younger woman’s direction, pizza momentarily forgotten. “It wasn’t enough,” she said, slowly, leaning forward in her chair, “but why now?” What had changed in that time to make Illyana willing to let someone in?

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“Venmo?” Illyana asked, a confused frown on her face, though she quickly shook it off, it wasn’t what she was here for. “Fair question I suppose” she’d never been too forthcoming about Limbo or anything to do with the dimension, but it was mostly because people didn’t ask, not like Jean had. She had been unsure about Jean coming along for this though. Everything she created in Limbo was corrupted by dark magic, she’d never figured out how to restore the lands in the dimension so that wouldn’t happen. She wasn’t sure she wanted Jean to see that, but after what Jean had done to help Illyana against Belasco, giving her some answers to the questions she’d asked about the dimension was the least she could do. “You asked about Limbo and it’s easier to show you, and the new citadel has been built so I figure now is a good time as any” she shrugged. “You don’t have to but if you’re still curious...” she trailed off as she opened a stepping disk to take them to Limbo.

Shadowcrest had warned her in its own way long before Illyana packed her bags. Subtle changes to the decorations that had been Illyana’s favorites. The art on the walls changing to something new, the position of the furniture shifting. Zatanna, when it was happening, didn’t know what she was being warned about though. She figured it was responding to the life change that Zatanna was in the middle of sharing with the world. But the house was reacting to a different member of the family. It had always been better at reading intentions than Zatanna had. She stood in the doorway, A nervous hand on her stomach, still waiting to feel that fluttering she had read about online as she watched in silence as Illyana packed her things.

It had come without warning, in her mind. Even with the house screaming at her that things had shifted. But Illyana hadn’t mentioned wanting to leave. Let alone that she had found a place and was gone. (She was happy for her, Illyana was an adult, and these were the best years of her life — she shouldn’t be wasting them in this dusty house.) “A lot happened since you drew those,” Zatanna reminded. “Art is an experience, a journey. Some people keep diaries, you kept art.”

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Illyana continued to flip through the sketchbook until she came to the last drawing. It was unfinished, not the only unfinished drawing in this particular sketchbook but unlike the others this one had a hard line going through most of the drawing. She’d been working on this specific drawing when she had a feeling which caused a reaction that had her hand moving unwilling across the page. Not long after she had, along with Katya, investigated what had caused the feeling, which in the end had resulted in Illyana’s death. “I think maybe you’re reading a little too much into meaningless sketches” she commented as she traced the lines of the drawing for a second. They were of course more than meaningless sketches, it was her way of expressing herself and her feelings when she couldn’t use words to do it, but Illyana would deny they were anything more.

Ikaris listened to the girl’s explanation and it made sense though the last time he checked, the ruler of Limbo wasn’t a young girl. “Belasco finally retired?” That seemed unlikely and he wasn’t completely convinced either. When her eyes began glowing, Ikaris smirked. “Is that a threat?” He took a step forward as well, his eyes glowing golden as he did. Even semi-retirement didn’t get rid of his occasional urge to throw things around so maybe he was being a bit too suspicious for the wrong reasons. 

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“You know of my father- adoptive father?” Illyana questioned, maybe the power she was sensing from here wasn’t just from the Limbo artifact. “Belasco is dead, besides he has not ruled Limbo for over a decade” not since she took the throne from him and forced him to flee Limbo. “Only if it needs to be” she answered, changing into her demon for as she took a step closer to him. She then summoned her soulsword and the Eldritch armor appeared with it, covering her left arm.

“Forgive me, but you don’t look old enough to be a medieval English maiden so I am not quite convinced this belongs to you.” Of course, he, out of anyone, knew how age and appearances could be deceiving, but he would know of her if she was an immortal and he had no idea who she was. “Now that you’ve confirmed it’s dangerous, however, I definitely can’t let you leave with this.” He put the object back down and closed the box, pretty much challenging her to take it from him. 

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“You’re right, I’m not but this object doesn’t originate from Earth, it’s from a dimension called Limbo, also known as Otherplace” Illyana explained, she could use her powers to take it from him but she’d only do that as a last resort. “I am the current ruler of Limbo meaning it belongs to me” the fact that it had been so long on Earth and no one had gotten hurt was a miracle, she supposed she had the fact that it was buried to thank for that. “It’s dangerous as long as it stays on earth, I’m here to take it back to where it belongs” her eyes now glowing white as she took a step towards him. “It’s in the best interest of everyone if you give it to me.”

“I suppose a thief wouldn’t be much of a ‘door person’,” Ikaris mused. Why else would she randomly teleport into his department if she wasn’t here to take something? He looked down at the object and shrugged. “They found it at some dig of a medieval English burial site,” he explained. He picked up the object and began looking at the various markings. “It’s definitely not human in nature so I assume it’s exactly what you’re looking for? What does it do? Hopefully nothing dangerous or else I definitely cannot hand it over to you.”

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“Not a thief” Illyana replied as she looked around the place. She could sense a power in the room and she wasn’t entirely sure it was all from the artifact. “After all, I can’t steal that which belongs to me now can I?” She said, looking at him and the statue in his hand. “You and whoever else has touched it is lucky it’s dormant right now” because it was dangerous and it had no business being on earth. “I’d suggest you give it to me before someone activates it, by accident or on purpose.”