RP for skids_sally: It's Always Cold in Siberia
The Rasputin family home was not far from lake Baikal, in the south of Siberia. For almost half the year, the average temperature is below zero degrees. Illyana knew this - she had grown up there after all - but somehow the weather is still a bit of a shock
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It was peaceful and she had always liked that part. It reminded her of a Robert Frost poem but she couldn't be sure which one.
Sally glanced at the small house, vaguely reminded of where she'd grown up, before looking at Illyana. "Well, do you want to get the hard part out of the way first or save it for later? Cause I'm up for either. Snow or meeting your parents. But can you tell me how to say 'it's nice to meet you' in Russian?"
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She smiled across at Alexandra before glancing around the kitchen. "Can you also tell her that she has a very nice home?" People liked to be complimented on their homes, right? It was small but quaint and there was definitely a warmth to it that was welcoming.
Sally was beginning to realize that she hadn't met many of her friends families and she wasn't quite sure what the proper etiquette was.
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"She says thank you. She also says that you are too thin. Please excuse her - she, much like my brothers, seems to think a woman must have huge childbirthing hips. And apparently should be married by age 25."
Illyana snorted. She'd almost forgotten how Old Country her parents really were.
She finished her tea and stood, speaking rapidly to her mother. It felt good to speak Russian again, even if it WAS only to argue with her mom.
She looked at Sally. "We should go outside if we want to have any fun. Mother says dinner will be in a few hours, so we will come back then."
She did not hug her mother before tramping outside into the snow, and once outside she let out a huge sigh.
"She drives me crazy," Illyana said, kicking the snow. "But she is a good woman. Did you want to go sledding? I bet our old sled is still in the barn."
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She followed Illyana towards the barn and kept trying to loop her scarf in the best way to shield herself from the snow.
"And I think parents are supposed to drive us crazy. Means they love us or something. At least that's what it seems like on tv." She tried to be sneaky as she scooped up snow. She had promised to hit her friend with a snowball.
"You have the same blue eyes. You and your mom. And I'm not even close to 25 so I have years to go before I'm married and having babies...does she expect you to get married or is it different cause you're a witch?"
Sally aimed the snowball to hit Illyana as soon as she was done asking her questions. Maybe it would distract her from teleporting out of the way.
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She sputtered and gaped for a second. "Ohhh, you!" she said, grinning. She yanked open the barn door and went inside, rummaging around while at the same time trying not to let any of the animals wander out, before popping back out with an old wood and iron toboggan. At one point it had been painted red, but now was a washed-out looking rose colour.
She grabbed Sally's hand and at the same point summoned a stepping disk, so when they next blinked the girls were standing on top of a huge hill overlooking the lake.
"Witches are not expected to marry," Illyana said as she set the sled down. "And if they do it is expected the affair will be short lived and end in sorrow. I feel badly for my mother - she always wanted grandchildren. After Mikhail died, it fell to Piotr to have children, but of course he was a gay. That broke her heart a little."
She sighed and snugged her cap down further on her head. "YOU get to steer this thing."
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This couldn't be that difficult though, right? It was a child's toy...
"So witches don't have families?" She sat down in the front and pulled on her hat, making sure it fit over her ears. "You don't talk about Mikhail as much as you do Peter. How old were you when he died? You were all mutants, right?"
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She sighed against Sally's back.
"Piotr would have made a good father. Life just never works like it should, does it? Now are you ready to go? This hill is very steep."
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Somehow she managed to get the toboggan to start moving and once it did the thing did not seem like it wanted to stop. They careened down the hill and Sally let out a happy scream as they neared a mess of trees, swerving the sled away just in time.
Her cheeks were a rosy color by the time they came to a halt and she clapped her hands, looking at Illyana over her shoulder. "Oh we so need to do that again. That is much better than a cardboard sled."
She was on her feet in seconds and offered a hand to help Illyana up. "And no, life doesn't work out like we think it should and he still could make a good father. He's not dead."
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"If I ever brought him back, I think John would hate me," she said, debating if they should trudge up the hill. She decided why bother? Have all the fun, none of the work. She teleported both of them back to the top of the hill, this time taking the lead position on the sled.
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"Because of Jean-Paul?" She frowned, contemplating the mess that might create. Because it would definitely be a mess. "I think he'd get over it. Your family shouldn't have to suffer just so...they don't have another problem of the week. If their love is strong enough they'll get through it." Or become a foursome. "But you don't know where he is, yeah?"
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In the fairy stories, the prince always saves the princess. Illyana isn't sure when exactly the prince is supposed to save the evil witch.
"Hang on tight," she says, and pushes off. The toboggan sped down the slope with sickening speed, rushing towards the trees. Instead of veering, Illyana extended her arms out, laughing even as Sally's grip on her tightened.
The teleported through the trees, losing none of their momentum, finally skidding to a halt some time later along the flat ground.
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"And close is good. You didn't use to feel close at all." She let go of Illyana and leaned back, looking out the snow. There was just so much of it. "I think he'd be proud of you being an X-Man."
She looked back at Illyana, scrunching her nose against the cold. "Do your parents know about that?"
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She looked back at the house that grew smaller the further that they walked and wondered how the Rasputins dealt with having all their children lost to the world.
"We should go home."
And then simply because she could Sally scooped up more snow and plopped it onto Illyana's head.
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Yes, it was time to go home... because it wasn't here, not anymore.
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