Magic Box | Wednesday

[gospel_of_oblivion]

Illyana had made a Decision. Possibly the first decision she'd ever been able to make for herself, without extenuating circumstances factoring in, regarding her future.

She was still in Fandom. At least until Fall. Without classes-classes, she was commuting back-and-forth to Earth-18133 for her magic lessons multiple times a week, but for now? Fandom it was.

She had the door propped open, and had summoned some lesser demons from Limbo to help her clean the shop from top-to-bottom for a proper spring cleaning.

The Magic Box was open, and your Sorcerer is In. Mind the goblins running around with brooms.

Comments

[amitragic]

And here was Ulysses, with lunch, again. Possibly to keep proving he was continuing to function.

Which included the very wary looks at --

"Okay what are those?"

[gospel_of_oblivion]

"Lesser demons and goblins," Illyana said matter-of-factly, making grabby hands at lunch. "Essentially harmless. They like being useful, don't you, boys?"

A chorus of 'yes, boss!' and 'we love you, boss!' and similar sentiments answered her, before the horde turned their collective attention to Uly.

"Ooooo.... is he lunch, Boss?"

[amitragic]

Ulysses did not actually make a noise, but he very much looked like he wanted to yelp at the -- demon things all looking at him like that.

"No," he said, "no, no no, nope, I am not." A beat. "Illy?"

Back him up, here!

[gospel_of_oblivion]

Ugh.

"We've had this discussion," she said firmly, addressing her tiny adoring army. "People are friends. They are not for eating, torturing, or anything else Wicked."

Illyana made a shoo-ing motion with her hand, as magic curled around her fingers. "Begone," she commanded, and all of them vanished with a POP of smoke, taking their tiny cleaning supplies with them.

"Sorry," she said, looking apologetic. "I let them chase a gremlin earlier, and it got them a bit riled-up."

[amitragic]

Ulysses pulled an offended face, largely to shakily cover for how unsettled he'd been just a second ago.

"Do I look like a gremlin?"

He was holding out her moddable lunch now, though. At least.

[gospel_of_oblivion]

"Not to me, but lesser demons aren't the brightest creatures in the hells," Illyana said, grabbing her lunch. "Great for cleaning floors, not so good at learning new concepts like, 'don't be Evil.'"

[amitragic]

"Yeah, I can... totally see how that would be an, uh, issue."

No he could not. Kind of. Whatever.

He was digging into his own bag, now. "Just, don't let them eat me. Okay?"

[gospel_of_oblivion]

"Never," she promised. "Ulys are off the menu for all demons."

Honestly, Illyana would splatter anyone who tried to hurt him without blinking.

"And you? Are a lifesaver for this," she continued, waving her lunch at him. "Like, technically I think I could still use the school cafeteria since I'm a recent grad who's still in the dorms? But that would be weird."

[amitragic]

"I know, right?" said a guy who had definitely spent all of his grad summer eating at the cafeteria.

... And who went kind of quiet, after that. Just, a few things were now occurring to him.

[gospel_of_oblivion]

"You just went quiet, and not for eating," Illy pointed out, gleefully digging into her fries. "What's up?"

[amitragic]

Oh god he was going to have to be honest here, wasn't he?

... Definitely now that he couldn't come up with anything else to say, anyway.

"Nothing, I just," he tried. "I mean. You, like, graduated."

[gospel_of_oblivion]

"Right? It's so weird," Illyana said, making a face. "It doesn't feel like I've been here long enough to graduate, but I'm done. I have a real diploma and everything."

"Strange made noises about college, but... I just don't want to. Is that weird? I have no idea what I'd major in."

[amitragic]

"Well, uh... Take it from someone who's been through college already." He shrugged. It looked kind of awkward. "Can be kinda pointless, whatever you major in. I mean -- look at me, right? I got through college thinking I was gonna go to LA and be an actor, but I already gave that up almost as soon as I got to LA."

He was rambling, he was aware.

(He'd take it, though, as a cover for whatever lowkey panic was brewing over the idea that she was probably going to leave.

And leave him, specifically.)

[gospel_of_oblivion]

"Yeah, but see, you have a real, tangible, talent that college helped you hone," Illyana said, pointing at him. "You'd be an amazing actor if you really wanted. I'm just weird, and that's not a major."

[ooc: dammit dw stop eating my notifs]

[amitragic]

"... Yeah none of the actual casting directors agreed with you."

Which had made that whole thing so soul-crushing that he was back to just doing whatever bullshit job to get by, yes.

"Point is: not really that big of a deal if you just don't go." A beat. "At least, like. Right away."

[gospel_of_oblivion]

"Then they're stupid," Illyana decided, putting down her food indignantly.
"You're possibly the most emotionally aware person I've ever met. If you were any more empathic, you'd probably get tested for mutant powers. If they don't know how to use that to their advantage, it's their loss."

Sorry, Uly. Protective Illyana: Activated.

"I guess maybe I could major in literature? I like books. But I dunno. I just want a break first. Like, find out who I am, when I'm not trying to please yet another set of teachers."

[amitragic]

Ulysses was pretty sure she was talking about someone else. Or maybe just that that she needed to meet more emotionally aware people. But, it seemed like a bad call to object to someone complimenting you so aggressively, so...

"Exactly," he said. "Seems smarter to me than just, like, rushing into whatever."

(Said a man who had seemed to make 'rushing into whatever' his life's theme in recent years.)