Hellfire Gala: Getting Out of Dodge

[Alison Blaire]

"Yes, I saw it," Alison said with a very significant frown as she looked at Sasha. "I might have to have a talk with him if this keeps up. You did nothing to provoke him, so that was totally uncalled for. And if I have to, I'll pull Emma and Scott into that talk. If you are both on this team, then he has to get over whatever the heck is bothering him."

Alison started tapping her foot on the sidewalk to keep from exploding. What Craig did was wrong.

"Is he even an X-Man? He hangs out with that pirate guy all the time. And that really does sound weird. Pirates in the 21st century? Someone will think I'm ca-ray-zay," she said as she twirled her finger in a circular motion next to her temple. "And if someone who is one of our teleporters isn't out here soon, I may ask to hitch a ride on that SHIELD Helicarrier. Too bad I can't fly. That would be super handy right now. Anyway, was Craig always so easy to get upset? He must have been a nightmare to work for!"

[Sasha Sadovsky]

''I wish someone filmed Mr. Dragotti threatening me. Proof of his cruelty,'' Sasha said. He began to frown behind his mask. ''I know Mr. Dragotti was one of us until he was with that pirate. I don't know if he is still with the X-Men. Then again, we saw demons tonight. Maybe Mr. Dragotti being with a pirate isn't so strange.'' Sasha's frown remained.

''I am unable to fly as well.'' He heard Alison's question. ''Mr. Dragotti was almost always enraged. It was most likely because he killed his wife by mistake a few years ago. We all probably suffered. It doesn't give us the right to cause others to suffer. My father turned me into a walking nightmare and my mother died. I don't go around tormenting others!''

Sasha continued to frown. ''To be fair, Reynard and I were sometimes naughty. We wrecked his house during our physical fights. We locked him out of the house and threw his underwear out the window. That was a prank. Reynard and I would sometimes hear our employer crying at night. Most likely from his wife's death. Mr. Dragotti smiled and grinned very rarely.''

[Alison Blaire]

"Look, everyone gets into tussles and plays pranks," Alison said as she smiled as Sasha and put her hand on his shoulder. "Wolverine and Beast get into it sometimes, and nobody plays pranks like Gambit. Because of what we do, I think we all blow off steam in ways that some might think are weird. So I can see why you and Reynard would mix it up or play a prank on Craig. Your job sounded pretty stressful."

Ali then thought about what Sasha said about Craig's wife and how she died. "It amazes me sometimes at how many mutants have had their powers hurt the people they love. The mystics, too, I guess. No wonder the non-powered world gets scared of us. But it doesn't give them or other mutants the right to hurt us in return. I'm just sorry Craig gets on your case like that. Maybe if he talked to someone on the medical team he could get past it?"

Dazzler looked at her watch and frowned again, wondering if that odd guy in the bow tie was going to come back and bug her and Sasha before the X-Men finally took their leave of this disaster. "I have no idea who that guy was, but the fact he so fanboy about Morgan Le Fay freaked me out! Now watch. Emma and Scott will get all 'Let's have a Danger Room session at 5 a.m.' or something. Have you done a lot of training in the Danger Room, Sasha?"

[Sasha Sadovsky]

Sasha grinned after Alison touched his shoulder. He tilted his head after she said how Wolverine and Beast liked playing pranks. ''Wolverine doesn't seem like the type to play pranks. He seems so gruff. At least based on what little I see of him.'' He rolled his eyes.

''My tasks stressed me out every now and then. I always refused to harm children during hits. I was never thrilled with harming women as well, but children were not ones I enjoyed harming or killing.'' Sasha frowned after Alison mentioned Craig getting on his case.

''I can sympathize with Craig losing his wife. I know what it's like to lose someone I cherish. I try not to be as nasty as Craig,'' Sasha said. He glanced at the bow tie and suit-clad man. ''Hopefully that man won't bother us.'' His eyes widened at the thought of entering the Danger Room during early hours.

''No. I don't think I practiced a whole lot in the Danger Room. Hopefully we won't enter the Danger Room during very early mornings. Scott and Emma should understand about everyone requiring quite a bit of rest after recent events. Maybe Emma and Scott will slumber for a long time.'' Sasha shrugged very slowly. ''We should all rest.''

[Alison Blaire]

Ali had never thought exactly what Sasha's job might entail, but she was very happy that he would never hurt a child and hated to hurt women as well. "I'd never want to hurt a child. They are innocents used as pawns way too often in this world. I'm glad you were able to join the X-Men, Sasha, so you don't have to worry about things like that anymore."

As Dazzler thought about the Danger Room, she prayed Sasha was right about Scott and Emma being a bit more sympathetic after this terrible evening was over. "I think we could all sleep for a week after this one. Maybe Scott and Emma will be too busy figuring out how Sean Cassidy came back from the dead to worry about the Danger Room? I just hope this battle isn't the topic of the evening news broadcasts for weeks and weeks. Living it is one thing. Reliving it over and over again is another."

Before she continued talking with Sasha, Ali looked up and saw some men and women in dark battle suits flying overhead on feathery wings. "Oh, they must be those Shadowhunter people the mystics talk about all the time. They're related to the angelic warhost of Heaven or something. I guess they came in to finish off the demons. Fine by me!"
 

[Pixie]

Megan had been at the so-called youth party, but it was a huge bore. The band stunk, and then all the kids got ushered out when the building was under attack. Some Hellfire guards had kept her and some of her friends from going back to help the X-Men, and she was royally pissed.

"I am going to screa..." she started to say as she turned a corner around a building across the street from the Hellfire Mansion when she saw Alison and Sasha. "Oh! Thank God! You guys are OK!"

Megan ran over and hugged Alison and Sasha and then saw the guy in the bow tie staring at them. "Who let Matt Smith come to the party?" she asked as the guy started to point to himself. "Yes, you. You look like the guy who used to play Doctor Who. What next? Amy Pond will come tripping out of the police car, right?"

Pixie tried to not stare at the man and turned back to Sasha and Ali. "You want to head home? I'd be more than happy to get us there."

[Sasha Sadovsky]

''That's good that you would never wish to harm a kid,'' Sasha said to Alison. He beamed behind his disguise for a second. ''I am happy I joined the X-Men as well.'' He tilted his head in confusion after the mention of Sean Cassidy. ''How did Sean Cassidy return from the dead? How did he die?'' Sasha inquired.

Eyes were rolled again. ''The media never knows when to let go. One topic and the media covers it for weeks,'' Sasha said. He proceeded to shrug. ''We could always not watch television.'' He viewed dark battle suit-clad people flying. ''Hopefully these Shadowhunters will defeat the rest of the demons.''

His eyes widened at the sight of Pixie appearing.

''Pixie!'' Sasha exclaimed. He didn't mind being hugged by Pixie. He noticed the man before he turned to Pixie. Sasha grinned at the idea of returning home. ''Thank you for the offer to take us home. I wish to return home as soon as possible.''

[Pixie]

Pixie smiled as Sasha talked about wanting to go home. "Oh thank you! I am so over this stupid party and the armed guards and the demons and..."

Megan looked up and saw the armor-clad flying squad and made a funny face. "Oh! I saw one of those guys bugging Naomi Madison before. He was not exactly mutant-friendly. Maybe we better leave now..."

Pixie motioned for Dazzler and Sasha to come stand by her. "Sihal Novarum Chinoth!" she yelled as one of her pink stepping disks appeared, and the trio vanished in the pink glow.

TBC Sasha, Dazzler & Pixie in the Graymalkin Industries forum 
After the Hellfire Gala: Back home again

TBC Alastair Blackwell here for the moment

[Sasha Sadovsky]

Sasha could not wait to get home. ''I've had enough of parties for one evening,'' he sighed. He approached Pixie. He vanished with her.

TBC - Sasha in After the Hellfire Gala Back Home Again