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Despite things being treacherous for obvious mutants, it wasn't going to keep Kurt inside. It's a beautiful autumn day and he's never been one to actually hide so it's time to get a coffee. He doesn't have too much, but it's enough for a coffee and possibly a bit of breakfast. Stepping into the corner diner all the way on the Upper West Side, he glances around briefly before taking an empty seat at the counter.
There are stares. Definitely stares. And even a few whispers. He pretends to ignore them as he peruses the menu.
*
Lorna had always walked a fine line between accepting herself (green hair dyed brown), and accepting her powers (Emma Frost had ripped off that particular bandage). Especially with treatment of mutants in the news as of late, even those in New York City. Still, the young woman fit the part of an 'All American girl' perfectly, and she drew no stares as a result.
Brown hair pulled back into a high ponytail, a scarf dangling from around her neck and a jacket with the Frost Institute's logo emblazoned on the back; she was the perfect typical college student.
While the dinning hall on campus was always open, Lorna considered it a treat to get off campus and enjoy the weathershe didn't have any classes today. With the morning sun trickling over sidewalks without a cloud in the sky, Lorna found herself at this particular cafe by random luck or choice. So as she entered, and placed her order it took her a moment to figure out why there was a string of whispers around herthat were not aimed her way.
Then her gaze fell on the mutant that was oh so obvious and her brows climbed minutely before, schooling her features she bravely made her way over to him. "Uhm," Bravely, totally bravely, "Excuse me? Is this seat taken?" She gestured to the stool next to him at the counter.
*
Nightcrawler gives a little start and looks at the woman asking for a seat. Yellow eyes glance about to note whatever free seats there may be in the cafe but he then offers a bright smile (sharp teeth and all), "Nein, you are welcome to sit here." He may have been in the US for six months now, but his German accent is still strong.
The menu is then set down as he waits for service amid the whispering and stares. "Really," he comments lightly to the brown-haired student, "You would think that they have not seen a German before."
*
Lorna sat, and even if she did wince a bit at the sharp toothed smile, she sat. As if it was some kind of personal challenge she was taking up—for whatever reason. She likely couldn't articulate it if she'd been asked. Still, she picked up the menu, turning it over this way and that while she snuck a side long glance over the blue skinned man.
At his joke she laughed, a smile spreading out over her lips as she turned around to properly face him. "Well, there are plenty of people that still remember the war with Germany here." She offered up with a shrug, "Granted it's not like in Europe, but you know.." She tapped the menu against the top of the counter.
"Are you visiting or are you living here?" She asked, eyeing the menu for a brief moment before ordering a hot tea and bagel.
*
Nightcrawler doesn't seem to get the opportunity to order. Even as Lorna's is taken, the waitress moves right past Kurt as if there was something much more urgent she needed to do. There's a brief frown from the blue-skinned mutant before he looks back to Lorna, seemingly more than happy to strike up the conversation, "Ja, I remember it. I was there during that time." He seems like he might be old enough although age may be difficult to tell.
"Parts of Europe are not so bad. Not as bad as here, I think." That said, he looks back over at the waitress who glares at him a moment before turning away all together. "I live here now. It was time for a change." And he thought America might be better.
*
Lorna shifted around, leaning forward as if suddenly excited by a thought that had occured to her. "Really? You were there?" Her brows shot upwards and she clasped her hands on her lap, smoothing out her skirt.
"Sorry, you see I just found out that I'm actually Polish—I was apparently from there, just after the war. So I want to know more. Have you ever been to Poland?" Then she paused, noting the frowning waitress and her smile slipped some.
"Uhm, did you want something? Mister…?" She trailed off, tilting her head to the side.
*
"Ja," Kurt looks to his arms briefly before the excitement in the woman's voice has him glancing back. There's some confusion in his expression before he nods, "Ahh. Nein, Poland was closed still for the Circus I was with. I would have liked to go though…maybe it would have been good to bring some happiness. You want to know more about the War?" He's not entirely sure that's the best thing to be discussing in the cafe but then again…hmm.
He pitches his voice to carry a little as he offers, "I do not know how much I would be able to tell you as I was taken and captured whe I was a young child by the Nazis." Don't judge a book.
At the question, his smile returns, "I am Kurt. Und while I would, I think this is a fight I need to fight. But thank you."
*
A small deflating happens and Lorna sighs briefly, picking up her mug of tea as it was set out before her without looking at her or Kurt. She pursed her lips, twisting back toward the counter to wrap her hands around the warmed mug.
"Yeah.." She sighed heavily, "I was apparently a war-baby. Just found out like in the past two weeks. No one really wants to talk about it, and like.. statistics and books from the library are just dry history facts. I just.. I want to /know/ something more, you know?" Her brows pinched as she looked toward Kurt.
"I just know that I was born from Poland and shipped over here to be adopted while I was a baby. No idea beyond that.. there's just nothing." She grimaced, her nose wrinkling up as he mentions fighting his own fight in regards to the service at the cafe. And her voice lowers faintly.
"Everyone has been on edge lately since things happened with the Hellmouth and apparently there's been even /more/ tensions and riots than before with mutant town. I dunno, exactly.. It's been all over the news."
*
"If you were born of Jewish or Roma parents, then there may be nothing else to find. Many papers were destroyed so that there would be no trace of us once they destroyed all those who were…all those who were different." Kurt still keeps his voice pitched so maybe others in the cafe can hear…and maybe feel a little ashamed of themselves. Maybe. It's a hope.
"It is not just Mutant Town, I am afraid," is said before the waitress plunks a coffee down in front of him. Maybe she felt guilty?
*
A small fidget follows and Lorna shrugs weakly, "I dunno who my parents were at all, I dunno if they were just Polish or anything." She heaved a sigh, a grimace pulling at her lips. "There's a possibility I might find out more, but it's a slim one." She shrugged, looking down at her tea. Bravery in speaking to Kurt did not mean that looking at him wasn't jarring to her still, but she at least edged a shaky smile toward him as the waitress sets down the cup of coffee.
"Yeah, the news is just depressing to watch these days. Mutant town is just.. the closest.." She winced faintly, and sipped at her tea.
*
"Can you please pass the cream und sugar?" is asked of Lorna. The waitress gets another charming smile before he looks back to the younger woman. Nothing is said for a moment but then he offers, "If it is so close und you do not like what is happening, you can do something about it. We all can." Maybe that's why he chose to sit in a cafe in a part of town that doesn't know him and just dare someone to say anything about him not being allowed there. Maybe he's enacting his own little sit-ins.
*
Lorna passed the cream and sugar down his way, before picking up her tea once more and quietly sipping at it for a long moment in thought. Her green eyes flickering down at the counter top as she set the mug down again with a soft click. A sigh falls from her lips and she sags slightly. "I dunno what to do.. I'm not exactly brave.. and it frightens me.. the things that people do. I'm not particularly good at anything that could help anything.." She mumbled.
A hand rising to push some stray strands of dyed brown hair back from her eyes. "I just.. I'm not even sure what I /could/ do.."
*
"Danke," is offered quietly as he prepares a very sweet, light coffee. Yellow eyes glance a little sideways at her and he offers a gentle smile, "You have already started, do you know? By sitting down next to me und talking to me. It was a very brave thing that you did. It is the thing with being brave…once you start, it is not hard to keep going. It may seem a very small thing to you, but it is not to me. Und maybe someone will see what you did und not be afraid."
*
The corners of her lips turn upwards at that and Lorna shifts around on her stool again, recrossing her legs as she moved. "You think so?" Her brows lifted and she canted her head to the side as she spoke.
"I'll be honest, I was a little worried you might have been related to the thing in Central park at first, but seeing as you're out in the daylight I figured it was a safe bet you weren't." She sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck as she spoke and offered another small grin.
"And I'm dealing with my own 'issues'.. so I dunno if I'm brave or not, exactly." She turned back to her tea, tapping a finger against the mug.
*
Nightcrawler gives a nod, "I know so." When she mentions the thing in Central Park he gives a sigh but continues to listen. "I like the daylight und I like the night. But I am not a demon." A thumb then goes to the neck of his shirt and pulls out a gold chain with a simple cross pendant on it. Demons don't tend to wear religious items. "Everyone is dealing with their own issues, Fraulein. But being able to move past them is a good start."
*
Lorna scoots closer to look at the simple cross pendant and a faint smile pulls at her lips once again. "Yeah… I mean, I wouldn't have sat down next to you if I thought so. I mean, there were /things/… I got attacked at night and it was really scary. So I wanted to.. well, I wanted to prove to myself that I didn't /have/ to be so jumpy and what not.."
"That and if someone sits at a counter it likely means that they don't mind random conversations with strangers. It's not like you sat in the back alone and scowled at everyone either. I used to work as a diner girl for a few months, so I got used to knowing those things.."
*
"Are you all right?" is asked when she says she was attacked. Kurt glances quickly over her to make sure that there's no blood or bandages on the girl. "I am glad I did not scare you away then. I am also not very good at scowling und if I want to be by myself, I would not go out to a place like this for it." It's far easier to brood on the top of a church or large skyscraper and feel alone and moody.
*
A faint, if not strained laugh escaped her and Lorna nods, rubbing the back of her neck again briefly. "Yeah, I'm okay. I was pretty shook up and had to spend the night in a hospital for observation.. and I'm pretty sure the guy.. thing.. I dunno, I'm pretty sure he's still out there. He /looked/ pretty normal, and then suddenly he very much wasn't." She made a 'v' with her fingers like fangs and made a motion like they were biting down.
"But I scared /him/ off, I guess.. and I'm okay. Just a bit jumpy." She smiled weakly, another sigh escaping her.
"So yeah, I'll admit, wanting to chat with you was a little selfish of me."
*
Nightcrawler shrugs, "Not selfish," he corrects. "Brave." Remember? They just spoke about this. His tongue runs over his own pointy teeth and he seems to consider things to say. "I don't like biting people. It's not very nice, so you do not need to worry about that with me." He might have even made a joke about it, but not when all eyes (and ears) are on them.
*
Another smile, this time with a small exhalation of an amused breath, not quite a laugh but close. "Brave. Right. Sorry, I'm not used to thinking that way." She mumbled, a hand rising to fidget with a strand of hair from her ponytail. Twisting the lock of hair around and around her finger.
"And before you tell me to stop apologizing, I want you to be aware I will likely apologize for apologizing if that is the case.. because I constantly do that and I'm just awkward." She added, her eyes angled down at her tea as she bit her lower lip. "I knocked over a coat rack the other day at Macy's. So clumsy too.. As I said I'm so not used to being /brave/ by any means.."
*
"That's it, though. Trying to change how we all think." Kurt is speaking in generalities, but this girl may be understanding. All it takes is one…and then she can help another. And they can help another…and it becomes a ripple effect. "At least you do not have a tail," he offers cheerfully.
*
The comment about the tail? /That/ had Lorna laughing again, at just the moment she had picked up her tea and sipped at it. She snorted, making a mess and hurriedly reached for a napkin to clean her face and the counter. She flushed pink, a small giggle escaping her again.
"Sorry!" She coughed, and tried to sip at the remains of her tea to soothe the burn at the back of her throat. Snorted tea hurt.
"No, I don't have a tail." She rubbed at her eyes, "There is that at least."
*
Nightcrawler also offers over a napkin as that was pretty much his fault. But he's also grinning. "It's ok. Are you ok?" He doesn't tell her not to apologize since she told him she would just keep apologizing. "It is not so bad now. We are used to each other…" and he might be teasing a little, regarding the tail.
*
Lorna coughed again, but patted dry the counter top with his help and she smiled again. "Yeah, just hot tea isn't so nice the wrong way." She laughed again, a light chiming thing as she set the crumbled up napkins aside. No sense in making it harder for the serving staff. She well knew what it was like to clean up after people.
"What's it like? The tail? Like.. is it like a hand? Do you have to like think about it for it to move or does it like.. just do whatever?" She paused and then turned pink again. "Wait, that's terrible rude of me! You don't have to answer that at all.."
*
There is a tilt of his head as he thinks for a moment but then Kurt shrugs, "I have had it all my life und it is a part of me. I suppose it is asking what is your hand or your foot like? Or your ear or your nose? Something that just -is-. Maybe if I did not have it before, I would be able to answer. It is -me-."
*
A small nod follows, Lorna's brow scrunching up as she tries to imagine in failed. But then again, she had spent most of her life rejecting her own mutations; having been long since blessed with the ability to ignore them as she wanted. Green hair and the ability to manipulate metal were by far easier to ignore and cover up than blue skin and a tail allowed.
"I guess that makes sense. I dunno, I have ears but I certainly can't wiggle them or anything…"
*
Nightcrawler actually looks like he's trying to wiggle his own ears before he offers, "Neither can I. But could you explain what having ears is like?" He doesn't seem put off by the question though, even as some of the stares are fading away. He hasn't done anything but talk to a woman and drink coffee. Some are willing to grumble and just let it go.
Not all are, however, and there are still a few lingering glares and murmurs.
*
Lorna's gaze swung round briefly at the continued muttered words and angry glares in the cafe, and she chewed her lower lip—turning her gaze back. "That's fair," A pause, "So does it move on its own, or do you move it?" She tilted her head to the side, eyeing him briefly.
"Now that I think of it, I'm gonna always wonder if my cat was hitting me on purpose with her tail or not. If so, she was /such/ a terrible cat. But I guess all cats are.." She flushed, and laughed. "And now I'm babbling."
*
Nightcrawler blinks a moment but then grins, asking, "Does your arm move on its own or do you move it?" It seems the thing to ask in answer to her own question. "Cats are something else, I think. They are their own creatures. I have never had someone say I reminded them of a cat. That is new. Thank you?" It might be a compliment, it might not…but he'll take it as one. Many people tend to like cats…
*
Lorna fidgets and finishes off her tea. "Well, no.." She paused, and then flushed pink once more. "I didn't mean to compare you to a cat! I like cats though, but uh.. I just.. I dunno. Tails?" She offered lamely.
"Sorry, sorry, that's just wrong." She rubbed a hand over her hair and reached back into her purse to pay for her tea. "I'm Lorna by the way.." She grinned weakly, a sheepish sort of smile on her lips as she looked back to him.
*
"It is good to meet you, Lorna. I'm Kurt," even though he gave his name before. This time, however, he offers a three-fingered hand to the younger woman…maybe it's offered in another chance for her to show her bravery.
*
Lorna stood up, a smile still on her features as Kurt reintroduces himself and offers a hand. Perhaps just having talked to the man had eased the oddity of his presence, or had soothed whatever doubts Lorna had had away. For when he extended his hand, she didn't pause, and her smile only widened briefly.
"It was a pleasure to talk to you, Kurt. Thank you for putting up with my babbling." She shook his hand, and it wasn't entirely imagined that a few whispers traveled around the cafe and frowns followed.
*
"It was good to talk to you too, Lorna. I hope you can find your answers about Poland. I wish you luck in that search." He also begins to dig out some coins to pay for his coffee and to leave a decent tip. Catching more flies with honey seems to be his goal when it comes to dealing with those who seem uncertain about him.
Only when Lorna has separated herself from him do a couple of men step forward as if to stop Kurt from leaving.
*
Lorna's easy smile and light foot steps halt before she gets to the door and notes the scraping of chairs against the tile floor. Her gaze swinging back to Kurt, falls on the men that had taken up the space where she had stood just moments before. She freezes, blinking in muted confusion, her brow pinched as she stare at the men.
A sinking feeling in the bottom of her stomach forms as her green eyes travel from man to man, and her hands tighten on the strap of her purse slung over her shoulder. She bit her lower lip, not leaving the cafe, but unsure as to what else she /could/ do.
*
Nightcrawler can see Lorna pause and look back at him and he merely gives her a grin and a wink. The two men don't seem to like that and start in with, "What right do you think you have being in here?" and "This place ain't for muties," insulting things like that.
Kurt merely waits, patiently, for them to give him a pause before he points out, "Do you two think it is a good thing to be saying such things to a Holocaust Survivor?" Yes, he -will- play that card. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. In this case, it doesn't.
"Maybe they should have killed folks like you," is stated, causing Kurt's expression to go from a smile to a frown. He looks around at the rest of the cafe patrons before he levels his gaze on the two men. "I think you should look somewhere else for a fight. I do not want these people hurt by your stupidity." He gives another wink to Lorna before he bamfs out in a swirl of Brimstone-scented smoke that seems to expand right into the two men's faces. Oops.
*
Whatever Lorna was expecting to have happen, Kurt poofing out existence in front of the men in a swirl of brimstone and smoke was hardly it. She gasped, clapping her hands over her lips as she stared wide eyed. As the other patrons of the cafe stand up, or look around this way and that, and a murmur takes up over the crowd, Lorna pushes the door open to the outside and leaves.
Her hands running over her eyes and into her hair as she stood bewildered on the sidewalk. The sun still beaming down all around her and the scent of fall lay heavy on the air.
"Don't get upset, don't get upset." She muttered under her breath, inhaling and exhaling slowly as she glanced around.