milliways_bar | (no subject)

Entry tags:

elle,
x-23

(no subject)

When Elle pulls herself up to the bar tonight, she's once again greeted with a book. This time, however, the book has a yellow post-it note attached to the cover, with the following scrawled across it:

I AM NOT A WEAPON.

"Yeah, yeah," she grumbles, pulling the book over and peeling off the note, so that she can start to twist it between her fingers.

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X approaches Elle a moment or two later, gaze flicking from Elle to the book, to the note being twisted in the other woman's hand.

And then --

"You are okay?"

Elle looks up from her process in of demolishing the note.

"Your hair is short."

"There was a mission."

Beat.

"I was burned."

That doesn't get an especially pleased look.

"But you're okay now?"

"Yes," X says.

"I heal."

Beat.

"And Elixir got rid of the Legacy virus."

Because X got infected. Oops.

"Like... he destroyed it?"

Or... whatever?

"He boosted my immune system," X says.

"Again."

It is useful.

... and she's feeling less and less okay with this.

"I don't know what that means."

Edited 2009-08-23 03:18 (UTC)

"My healing factor was not strong enough to destroy it."

Beat.

"Before. Elixir made it better. And then he passed out."

Elle doesn't say anything. But she doesn't look too happy with this.

"Is it all gone now?"

"Yes," X says, sounding very certain.

"And we have obtained a sample for Hank to study, too."

That's... not entirely unfamiliar.

"So it's still... there?"

"Yes."

X is not exactly pleased about it.

"And there is more than one strain. We did not get them all."

Beat.

"But I will not get it again."

"You know for sure?"

She does make an effort to not sound dubious.

"I will not get poisoned again, either."

Beat.

"Elixir is good at improving biological systems."

Fortunately he only uses his powers for good. Now.

Well. Elle is definitely okay with this.

She's about to ask what that had to do with getting burned, but then, instead -

"You'll have to get the last strain?"

"It would be more efficient."

Beat.

"But I do not know if we have the manpower."

Elle gives a vague sort of nod.

But with the promise that X can't be infected again, her interest has waned somewhat.

"Does your hair take a while to grow back?"

She has healing! It's totally relevant to... something....

"No," X says.

Beat.

"It is why I keep it long."

After a certain point it pretty much stops growing. Thank God.

"Okay."

And then, without asking, Elle reaches over to touch the ends of X's short hair. It's not like she'll be able to later!

Because it's X, she doesn't try to mess her hair up in the process.

X does not jerk away.

Or look startled.

Because it is Elle, and this is what she does.

Edited 2009-08-23 04:51 (UTC)

It doesn't take her too long to move her hand away again, in any case.

And as ... not happy as she's been about this story, Elle still points out, "You came back."

"Yes," X says.

"I always come back."

This is true, too.

So far.

Then, carefully, she bumps Elle's shoulder with her own.

Elle returns it, mimicking X's movement exactly.

Then, as she flattens out the note still crumpled in her left hand, "Are you okay in here, too?"

"Yes," X says, after a moment of consideration.

"There has not been any trouble."

Beat.

"You are still waiting for Bela?"