|
  |
Lorna sighed as she exhaled a breath in the crisp winter air. She leaned back against the stonework masonry that made up a semi-circle around the plaza. Snow dotted the area, but in the sunlight it was at least, not bitter. She hugged her books close, a backpack slung over her shoulder. Brown hair tumbling down her back and peaking out of a wool knitted hat. A winter jacket of a cheery purple and matching gloves, would've clashed against the yellow winter boots in any other era, but looked the height of fashion for now.
Students came and went as the hour chimed, many going to class.
Lorna had just gotten out of her science class, her first day back on campus. The young woman looked pleased to simply be outside, despite the winter season.
*
Lorna is not proverbially alone for long; another student is also between classes, although his inspiration to go to another one is constantly in question. Unless she's paying an awful lot of attention, a pair of hands would slap down to either side of Lorna on the stone seat. "Hey!" Julian offers, voice friendly but abrupt. He'd immediately stand up straight, grinning devilishly. Dressed a bit light for the weather, but otherwise his carefully tended physique might be missed on people. And why else would he bother? "Don't think we met yet… I'm a new transfer here."
*
The young woman was not paying particular attention and when hands slapped down on either side of her against the stone she jumped. Her eyebrows shot upwards and she clapped a hand over her lips to muffle a yelp of surprise. "Oh!" She flushed, biting her lower lip as she glanced up at him, green eyes wide and guileless.
"Ah, uhm, er.." She blinked repeatedly up at him, eyelashes fluttering.
"Uh Hello." She pushed her hair back from her face, cheeks pink. "Nice to meet you.. uhm..?" She tilted her head to the side.
*
There seems to be a genuine laugh from the taller boy, offering his most dazzling of smiles. "You're cute." He shifts forward with a somewhat forward comfort to settle himself adjacent on the stone seat, closer than an absolute stranger might normally. "My name's Julian Keller. A pleasure." Playfully, he makes to take Lorna's hand and brush the back of it with his lips. "You been going here long…? I don't even know where half the buildings are, still…!"
*
A spluttering noise escaped Lorna, and her blush deepened as he took up her hand to press a playful kiss against her knuckles. She seemed unable to speak for a solid minute before she coughed, taking her hand back and curling it up against her chest. "Uh.. uhm.. I'm Lorna.." She squeaked, then coughed to clear her throat.
"Lorna Dane." She added, glancing down at her lap. "Er.. I.. I've been doing.. I mean going here for.. uh.. a.. a semester." She blinked repeatedly at Julian.
"I'm just a freshman."
*
Another small laugh leaves Julian, leaning forward to rest his forearms on his knees and focus his attention fully on Lorna. Whether she's shy or not. "Nothing wrong with that. I'm only one year higher. …I'm, umm. Not making you uncomfortable, am I?" Expression shifting to apologetic, beginning to shuffle as if to stand up and leave.
*
Lorna rubbed the bridge of her nose, biting her lower lip. "No! I-er.. I.." Her features remained lightly flushed with a dusting of pink. Her brows lifting upwards as she glanced around and back.
"I'm just not exactly used to.. to.." She glanced down at her lap, shifting her backpack on her shoulder. "Uh.. being.."
A glanced was aimed his way and she exhaled a breath, shrugging. "What I mean to say, is that I'm not exactly used to anyone being .. well, um.. quite so err.. forward I guess."
*
Julian's eyes remain locked upon Lorna. He's got a rather intense gaze to him, to say the least. A sort of confidence and exubrance that is rare to have period, let alone with a near total stranger. "Forward… forward how?" he wonders, drumming fingers on his knees. "I'm a pretty straightforward guy. If I see someone I want to talk to, I go up and talk. Life's short, and the horizon's bleak. I don't like to waste any time, you know?"
*
Lorna blinked, once, twice and a third time in his direction. "I'm not used to being flirted with. Gosh!" She turned red and glanced away, back at her hands that she curled up on her lap.
Then she snuck a side eyed glance in his direction, peaking at him from beneath a curtain of brown hair. "Sorry. I.. I.. er.. if you're not trying.. to do that. I mean. I'm.. not .. I'm not very good at this. Sorry. I've been inside. A lot. Recently. Only been around my family. Kinda hard .. to.. to get back into things around others. You know?" Her brows climbed higher and she pushed her hair back behind her ear.
"I'm being really awkward. I promise I'm not always like this. Or that I babble. Okay. I do sometimes. A lot of the time.. But not quite so badly."
*
That causes another laugh from Julian. "Oh… wow! You think I'm flirting? …maybe a little. I did call you cute. But just BARELY, I assure!" He reaches out to give a gentle pat to her shoulder. "I didn't mean to intimidate you though. Really. …I'm not saying I won't decide to flirt with you, though. That's not a promise I can make." The following seems to cause him to pay a bit more attention, and his expression hardens a touch as eyes finally cast over the rest of the school and fingers interplay roughly. "I know that. My family's ashamed of me, personally. That I'm… part of the 'Mutant Problem'. Always been a problem child, you know? They're rich, have a business, but my older brother's heir. I'm just… around. Be seen and not heard, that sort of deal. …might have rebelled against that a touch much, to be honest. Really though, babble away. Doesn't bother me, any!"
*
Lorna turned to face him fully as he spoke and patted her shoulder, her blush cooling as she listened. Sympathy flashed in her gaze and she found herself leaning forward slightly as she shifted on the stones.
"Oh!" She pressed a hand to her lips again, "Oh.. I'm.. I'm so sorry. About.. about how your family treated you. That's terrible Julian." Her brows furrowed, and she grimaced lightly. "I.. I guess I've been pretty lucky. I learn that more and more every day it seems." She glanced down.
"My adoptive parents just wanted me to hide my powers." She mumbled, shrugging. "And dye my hair, but they were scared that someone might tease me or hurt me because of it. They still love me though." She reached up to twist her brown locks between her fingers at the base of her neck.
"And my biological family … well, I guess they're all mutants. I don't suppose there's a single one that isn't now that I think of it.."
*
"They are probably right." Julian states, softly. He bumps his knuckles together, glancing down at the floor. "If they are mutants, too, they know what this world is like. …you're lucky. You seem really sweet. You wouldn't have ended up that way with normal parents. Or if you were exposed to the world like it really is. I'm not saying not to go out, find yourself, and explore the world… just, y'know. Cherish what you had until now." A sigh leaves him. He honestly didn't approach Lorna to flirt with her, primarily. He's interested in meeting other mutants for the first time, and perhaps the flirting would also work. But finding some common ground in parents wasn't what he expected. "Anyway… Ms. Dane. Do you have a lot of friends? I don't. We should be friends."
*
Sheepishly Lorna scratched beneath the wooly hat that covered the top of her head. "My adoptive parents are normal. They're just.. well, they adopted a baby straight out of Poland after the war. Green hair included. They've got big hearts. I think it hurt them to get the phone call that I found my birth father." She shrugged weakly, and glanced down at her lap again.
"But they still love me. Even if don't exactly know what to do with me in regards to my powers." She smiled and glanced back toward him.
"And trust me, I have an inkling about what other mutants go through. I know I'm lucky. It's why I volunteer down in Mutant Town from time to time. They need it." She sighed softly, glancing around at the school. "Miss Frost has been supportive in my coomunity service efforts there at least."
At his mentioning not having many friends she blinked, and then brightened, "Of course we can be friends, silly." She flashed him a toothy grin. "I don't know if I have what people would consider 'a lot of friends' but I have some."
*
"Mmm." Julian mumbles. He doesn't talk about Mutant Town. His journey down there didn't end well in the slightest, and he's not bothered going back since. His fist thumps lightly into the palm of his hand. "Green hair, huh? I'd like to see that. A shame you have to hide it." If only she lived a few decades in the future! "…Lorna. That sounds familiar…" Lorna. Lorna. He suddenly blinks open his eyes. "Oh! Yeah! Emma said your father was really scary. Is that true?" Another mild snicker. "Wanna go off somewhere alone and show off what we got, though? I've never really seen another Mutant in action…"
*
Lorna's eyes lifted as she pulled a strand of perfectly brown hair before her. "Not gonna happen anytime soon. My older sister spelled it to stay this way." She flashed a grin in his direction, gauging his reaction to her saying 'spell'.
Then she continued onwards without much of a pause, her eyebrows shooting upwards. "My father.. scary? Well.." She trailed off, "Did you watch the news a few months back? During the attack by those ice er Frost giants or whatever that attacked the city? My father was the one in the armor fighting them. He's Magneto." She grinned, "So if you're not scared of him from that? I mean.. well.. he has chased off quite a few people. And a few people call him scary.. But I don't think he is."
A pause finally, as she considered him. "Well I'm done with my classes for the day. We could go to the training room and I could show you a few things I guess…"
*
The word spell doesn't seem to register as particularly unusual. Maybe he imagines it's some kind of lingo, instead of literal. "Oh? Haha! He was badass. So he's a mutant, eh? Wow, cool." Looks like he's the opposite of scared, really. "I'd love to meet him some time!" With his innuendo flying over Lorna's head, Julian picks himself up and reaches out to help the small girl up. "Sure. Let's hit it." His next class isn't THAT important.
*
A grin flashed over her lips again, "Really? Sure, if he's ever around when you are." She shrugged, "He's always pretty busy. He lives in Westchester too, so he only tends to pop by when he has time. Though I see him on the weekends it's kinda our training day. We have the same powers you know. So it's really just the coolest thing."
His offered hand has her taking it and standing up with an easy going attitude that spoke of just how much his innuendo went over her head. "Have you been over to the training hall that Miss Frost has set up?"
*
"Oh? Like… telekinesis? I got telekinesis, too!" Well, not exactly. He didn't pick up on what precisely Magneto was doing. Sure looked a hell of a lot like the same thing. "Nope. It'll be my first time, so be gentle." He'd move to take the lead, but… has no idea which way to go. She'll have to take point.
*
A laugh at that, "No, no, not telekinesis. Magnokinesis, or rather the manipulation of the magnetic field around objects. A bit different. Anything that has a magnetic field, or produces some form of magnetism. So ferromagnetic things. Like iron, nickel, cobalt, some other alloys." She tugged him in the correct direction.
"Also technically, a bunch of other things 'cause Magnetism is one of the major forces of the universe. In theory, I guess, I can do it all. I haven't really had a chance to try it. But I can draw on electricity for a boost. And I can levitate, using the Earth's magnetic field. 'Cause the Earth you see, has a ton of iron in it's crust. Though I have to go against gravity.." She mused.
She was babbling, but this time in a chatty way. She clearly was more than happy to talk about what she'd learned to someone at least.
*
"Magnokinesis? That's the same thing! It has kinesis!" Julian attempts to argue. He doesn't really know a whole lot about magnetics, really. Other than what sticks to a fridge. He follows along obediently. "I… see." is offered, as the list goes on and on. "I think about things, then they float." …that appears to be the end of his own explanation. Although he's leaving out a major aspect!
*
Lorna tugged him along to a large brick building, bumping the door open with her hip as she held it open for him, not using her powers just yet. There were regular students that attended the Institute after all. She led him down a polished corridor which was the standard for the school, which at the height of modern sensibilities. Down a set of stairs and to a door that required keys, but opened with a wave of her hand. A light flickering on as the door swung open.
She laughed back at him as he spoke about his powers. "No, it's different. If something isn't one of those metals or some alloy based on it, I can't move it. It's dead to my senses estentially. Though, most things these days have something that's metal in them. I mean, even things like zippers or clasps or buttons do. Belts, keys, necklaces. All tend to have metal in them. Also pipes and cars… support beams.." She shrugged as she gestured to the open court before them.
"Training room! It doubles as it looks like a basket ball court. Just for special student's use really."
*
Julian follows behind, thumbs in his pockets. The little gesture to open the door makes him widen his eyes a touch, but otherwise he offers no further comment until they are in the training area proper. "So you could make my pants fall down if you were annoyed at me…? Good to know." He attempts to shut the door, but might be plain incapable of it. "I don't suppose there's gigantic things I can use. …my power's kinda, umm. Hard on light things."
*
Lorna had another wave of her hand, the door shutting behind them, showing off? Maybe a little. But by comparison to her father it was nothing. This was all in her line of sight after all, easy, one at a time, simple manipulations. At least to her.
A giggle following his words, "Actually yes. I've pants'ed a few guys that wouldn't leave me alone. I can throw you by them too. Dunno how far, I haven't exactly tested that part. But I could so long as the fabric didn't rip." She shrugged and moved off to a side room off the main one, drawing open a sliding door with another gesture.
Then she nodded to various training dummies, and other work out equipment and other assorted things that had been set aside for training. Under her command, a stool, with metal clasps, floated out and into the main room.
"Yep. All kinds of things. What do you want?"
*
"Well, if you ever wanna try out something new with me, you know who I am now." Following behind, he glances into the sliding area, looking for something fitting. The heaviest one possible, regardless of dimensions. "I dunno… a car is too small… but not by a lot…"
*
Her brows climbed higher, "I've lifted a car before. And stopped one. Actually, I've yet to figure out what my limits actually are. I mean my t-my father," She flushed, catching herself on the Polish term she usually used for her father.
"He took me around the world with him to this war-zone I guess? We helped overthrow a King. Anyways, I was flying, kinda sorta. And crushed this giant machine he had up. It had to be like a mile away at least!" She beamed.
"Okay, so my father actually boosted my powers that time. But still." She laughed and shrugged lightly.
*
"The biggest thing I ever lifted was an empty boxcar…" He doesn't explain how many times he had to try. There's still a fading cut on his face from that little outburst. "Sounds like a good way to bond, though! So, what'd you recommend for me, then?"
*
A shrug, and Lorna moved to peel off her winter coat, gloves and scarf finally. She wore a button up blouse of eye blinding patterns and colors, and a high waisted pair of pants the color that her hair must be. Then she was tossing her hair over her shoulders, angling her hands downwards toward the Earth, and after a moment's pause lifted herself up into the air a foot or so.
"Well, control is always the hardest for me. To not pull out nails and things when I levitate. And controlling where I go. I can go up pretty easy. Backwards and forwards are easy enough to start.. It's just kinda difficult to change directions in the air. How about you?"
*
Watching this display, and looking a little surprised at the louder expression of clothing than he'd have thought from the girl, Julian extends his hands. It's a rather more flashy affair, as his eyes suddenly glow green. He shimmers emerald and then lifts up as well, a very light humming noise emanating from him. "Air's simple. No issues." He swishes left, right, up and down quick enough to get disoriented. "But control. Yeah. That's a rough one for me… I'm kinda always at full throttle, you know?"
*
Lorna shifts slightly, a hand rising and facing upwards to anchor herself from the metal in the building's roof as well as the floor. "Nice." She grinned, and then lowered herself back down.
"Yeah the smaller things are harder for me. But I'm getting better at it. Nothing like what my father can do. He can manipulate a paperclip in the other room without looking at it and change its shape to whatever he wants. Me?" She rolled her eyes. "I still gotta see it. Though, I know it's there. I just rely too much on sight I guess. Also no good at tiny things like that yet."
A glance was spared towards him again and then around. A pause followed and she lifted herself up into the air again, this time higher. "Hmmm, we could play tag? Or something. That could be fun in the air."
*
"I need to see it, yeah… and be gentle…" Julian tilts his head to the side at that, and then grins widely. "Tag would be fun. As long as you understand you're gonna lose!" He waggles his fingers challengingly from his spot in the air, gently bobbing up and down as he tries to maintain a light touch.
*
A laugh, and Lorna lifted herself up toward the roof, one hand pointed downwards as the other was directed upwards. She bounced along, bobbing as she sped backwards. "You'll have to catch me first." She flashed another toothy grin, her hair flying up around her in a halo of brown curls.
Yet she over compensated with her speed, and ended up catching herself against the far wall. An oof escaping her as she slowed her approach to a gentle bump. Still, she herself was a magnet, and stuck to the wall much like a magnet to the fridge.
"Oh bother."
*
Well, when it comes to aerial speed, Julian has the technical ability down. He suddenly thrums, glowing brightly green before kicking off the floor with a burst of displaced air. He rockets towards Lorna as she reaches the wall to struggle, accelerating to dozens of miles per hour in a heartbeat. With the intention of placing a hand to either side of the wall she's haplessly stuck herself to, if she doesn't otherwise wriggle free yet again. "What's the winner get…?"
*
A flush crosses Lorna's cheeks as he flies straight at her, and with a look of concentration, rather than moving herself; she gently pushes against the metal on his person. A hand held out before him as she laughed at his question.
"Well it's tag. There's no winner." She shook her head, and letting go of her grip on the magnetic field, pushed off the wall.
Another giggle escaping her as she floated along toward the opposite wall. "It's not that type of game."
*
The sudden jostle of metal surprises Julian a bit. He doesn't have much on him; mostly in his pants and wrist, although his telekinetics were not moving him at the time. "What fun is a game you can't win?" he challenges, shifting back in her direction. "How about this… if you can catch me within 60 seconds, then YOU win. Otherwise…" A thumb jerks towards his chest. "I do."
*
A frown crosses Lorna's lips, her brows furrowing as she glanced back toward him over her shoulder. Brown hair whipping over her features and around her in her magnetic bubble. "What, you mean you don't want to for the sake of training or the thrill of just being able to use your powers around another mutant without worry?" She tilted her head to the side, her arms held out around her to stablize herself.
"Isn't that the point of all this?" She gestures around them, and quirks a smile in his direction. "Besides if I wanted to, I could hold you outside of my magnetic field and you'd never touch me."
*
"I'm just trying to make it more interesting." Julian offers, hovering a few meters away from Lorna. "It's still good training. Just… y'know. With stakes. In a real situation, there's always stakes, right?" Although he does wrinkle his brow at the latter. "But I thought you could only affect like, metals? Only thing magnetic about me is my personality!"
*
A snort, then more laughter as Lorna floats along in the air. "Yeah, and you also have iron in your blood, which is part of ferromagnetism. Also, the Earth's magnetic field is what keeps out the sun's radiation from killing us all. So, really? I bet my magnetic field can do lots too. I mean, it can stop bullets at least." She shrugs, tossing her hands up into the air around her.
"It's not like I've had a chance to test it beyond that." She flashed him a grin.
"And you want stakes? Please. Okay. Fine. What do you want if you win?"
*
"…please don't try to grab my blood." Julian asks in a somewhat comically lame voice, suddenly feeling much more vulnerable than before. Still, he rolls his arms around in a slow circle and cracks his neck. "Okay. If I win, we go out to dinner together." He then leans forward, eyes wide. "Not as friends. A /date./" From the look of smug confidence, he already thinks he is victorious!
*
A blink, then a second one, and Lorna grins. "Okay. Okay. I won't try to grab your blood. I don't know if I actually could. But I mean, it's a theory. Also that most people's brains work on some electromagnetic field too.. I dunno. I can't sense that much so I'm not going to try. Promise." She holds up her hands as she speaks, but then he continues and a flush crosses her cheeks.
His request seems to catch her off guard so much that she drops a few feet in the air before she catches herself with a squeak. "W-wait what? A date? For real? I mean.. what? We're .. you hardly know me!" White teeth snake out to bite at her lower lip and she fidgets, in the air.
Then she awkwardly laughs, "I mean.. a date? Seriously? With me?" Her voice climbed higher at that last question, as if unable to picture anyone wanting a date with her.
"I.. I mean, you .. you're serious.." She coughed, blinking repeatedly as she glanced his way. "Uh.. okay.. sure.. I guess?" Her eyebrows climbed higher. "Are you sure? That.. I mean do you really want one I mean.. with me."
*
Julian looks even MORE uncomfortable when she speaks of his brain. There's magnetics in that area, too?! She's a far cry above just making magnets stick to refrigerators, for sure! "Well, what do you think the point of a date is? To get to know someone!" he offers, matter of factly. Although her continued stammering just causes him to snort once more, rubbing his hands together as his glowing levitation continues unabated. "Yeah. Why not? There something you not telling me so I shouldn't?" Somehow, this amuses Julian. He always went for the attractive girls, a mutual fling, little complications beyond that. But something about teasing Lorna is so… fun! "What do you want if YOU win?"
*
Another blink, "No one wants dates with me. I mean seriously.." She muttered, her cheeks still hot as she stared at him and adjusted her elevation. "Sides that I mean.. I mean.. we're mutants. So that's not the problem. But like my family is seriously.. I mean, really seriously.. I told you about my father. But you don't know how strange it gets. Seriously. I've got nephews my age. My older sister is uh.. well, many wouldn't consider her exactly welcoming either." She mumbled.
"Also her guy. Yeah.." She trailed off, "Also my nephews. Seriously.. uhm.." She bit her lower lip.
Then his question came about what she'd want and she furrowed her brow. "Uhm.. Er.. I dunno?"
*
"…so what? I don't know your family. And I don't really care. You're the first person I ran into in the institute." Plus, Emma explicitly told him to avoid her. That might add to it, admittedly. "You can just not say anything to them! You're your old woman now, right? But if you don't want to, I'll change my prize. …still, you gotta say yours, first."
*
A shrug follows, "I'm weird though.. No one wants to date me.." She mumbled, her cheeks pink as she glanced down at her hands. "I mean seriously.." She shrugs, pushing her hair back from her face as she glanced toward him.
"And you'll sing a different tune if you ever meet my nephew Tommy. I've teased him too much to get off scott free from his return teasing." She wagged a finger in Julian's direction and then promptly crossed her arms.
"But.. I don't know what I want!"
*
"I like weird!" Julian immediately replies. "Let us flunk the first date before you reject me, at least… besides, I have to win!" Julian crosses his arms, tilting his head towards Lorna. "C'mon, anything. I can make it happen. I'm rich, I'm cute, and I'm wild. The world's my oyster."
*
Lorna throws her hands up, "I dunno. Seriously! I.. gah. I can't think." She flushed again, crossing her arms before she wobbled and caught herself, arms flung out around her again.
"You got me all flustered and now I can't think. I dunno. I'm .. I don't need anything." She mumbled, glancing back to him with a roll of her eyes. Then she was pushing upwards into the air, lifting up until she bumped into the ceiling of the training hall. She decidedly tried not to look down. That whole heights thing was still new to her.
"I've got nothing, sorry Julian."
*
"Nothing, huh?" Julian states, sounding more suspicious than anything else. He floats down a bit, peering up towards Lorna instead, hands resting on his hips. "It doesn't have to be WITH me. Just something I can help with. C'mon. Otherwise we can't have a contest!"
*
A blink and Lorna shrugs, "I dunno! I'm bad at these things. I don't work well under pressure. Gosh. I just wanted to play a game of tag." She rolled her eyes, huffing a breath as she floated along the top of the training hall.
One hand pushed against the ceiling and she bounced a few feet lower. "So complicated. I don't have anything that needs anything. Seriously! I'm good." She wrinkled her nose in thought. "There's really nothing that I want."
*
"…alright." Julian states after a few moments, nodding his head in agreement. "Just a game of tag, then." Fingers flex a few times, and he seems to better limber himself up within the air. "Well, come at me when you wanna start, then…!"
*
A laugh at that, and Lorna eyes him from her position in the air. "Alright then!" She shot back, arching a brow.
Then with a look of concentration she sent herself flying after him at a decent clip. Her hands out stretched on either side of her to balance her flight, or levitation such as it was. Even if she wobbled slightly when she tried to turn.
"I guess that means the date's out?" She called after him. Trying to not simply reach out with her magnetism and grab hold of him.
*
It isn't very hard for Julian to keep ahead of Lorna. He's got a much easier to use method of flying, and one of the few things he legitimately practiced was flying. Who wouldn't? As long as he doesn't jerk himself around too forcefully, it's easy as pie. She seems to corner him, before he drops down and whirls away quick enough to disorient him. "Oh? If you wanted the date, too, why didn't you just say that was your reward, also…?"
*
Lorna over compensates in trying to catch him, and plummets to the ground. With a clomp of boots on the training room floor she lands and then jumps upwards after him with a hard push on the floor. There's a creak of metal in the room around her, nails and supports shifting without being pulled up and free yet.
The hoped for question doesn't seem to throw him off in the least, and Lorna huffs in irritation. The more she pulled on her powers, the more focused and intent her path of flight grows as she stops over thinking what she's doing.
Her banter breaks off, and she swings herself up and after him, a determined spark lighting in her green eyes. A hand reaches out as she tries to chase after him and snag a tap on his person.
*
Oh? It seems that Lorna's getting faster in her direct approaches. But in terms of zipping around at 90 degree angles suddenly, Julian still has the advantage. Yet that's beginning to give him a REALLY disorienting headache, given he has no protection from that sort of thing. There's a bit of a smirk on his face all the same, an almost smugness that he will prevail.
All of that changes quick. Julian doesn't have a lot of metal on himself; primarily his zipper and the button on his pants. Unsurprisingly, that's the easiest place to quickly grab. What Lorna might not have expected is the sheer force behind his propolsion. Essentially he is in the eye of a telekinetic storm, hurtling him around with far more force than is needed at safe speeds. She clings, and then suddenly she's trying to stop multiple tons of force. The result is pretty much as one would think.
His fly and button are ripped off, trailing fabric behind. Julian's eyes go wide, and he reaches down to grasp his pants before they fall. "H-HEY!! WHAT THE HECK?!" Probably a good thing she didn't try to grab his blood instead… but he's definitely frozen for the moment.
*
Lorna flies passed him with a shocked look pulling at her lips as the metal around him fleis off. She squeals as she tumbles over and ends up catching herself several yards away. She yanked back her powers as she realized what she'd done. "Sorry! Gah! I'm so sorry. Gosh. Sorry Julian!" She turned red, clapping her hands over her eyes.
*
The damage is done! The metal falls to the ground below, Julian still forced to hold it up to keep his decency. "Wow… that was low!" He starts to laugh after that, before shooting over. Reaching out with a hand to tap Lorna on the back firmly. "Tag." he offers, moving to dart away afterwards. "I guess I never said that was illegal, did I?"
*
Lorna was still busy getting over her flush when he came up and tapped her lightly on her back. She squeaked, twisting around after him again. "I said I was sorry! I didn't mean to!" She gaped in his direction.
"And ugh. No stop. Let me fix your button at least so you don't have to fly around holding up your pants." She lowered herself down to the floor, and directed the button to his jeans up and toward him rather than flying after him herself.
"Time out!"
*
"Bah. I'm fine. What's the worst that could happen?" Julian throws up his arms while saying this, causing his pants to thump down past his knees. White boxers covered in hearts. "…whoops." He reaches down to pull them back into place. But at least he's standing still for now, appearing to honor the time out!
*
Lorna floated upwards, and as his pants dropped to his knees she turned red, averting her eyes as she swept the backing to the button of his pants upwards. Another gesture had the button and backing floating over to him and their proper place in his pants as he pulled the jeans back up.
"Gosh. I am so sorry Julian. I didn't mean to. I just.. gah. I'm sorry." She mumbled, once the button clicked back into place she levitated awkwardly.
"I just got a bit too competitive I guess."
*
Looking down, the button is put in place. Of course it ripped free of the fabric, and the zipper's still gone, so without a Mutant with some manner of sewing power handy he's fairly out of luck for now. "Naw, never say that. There's no such thing as too competitive… I guess I'll call this your win. I can't continue without chasing you pantsless, and we haven't even had that first date yet."
*
A laugh, light and cheery as Lorna clapped her hands over her lips. "I keep pantsing people. I really don't mean to. Well okay. Once or twice I did. But not this time. I swear." She turned red again as he spoke of chasing her without his pants.
A squeak followed and she glanced away from him. "I didn't really win. You're the better flyer. I'm still learning I mean.. gosh. It's hard for me to get complete control over it. I guess. I dunn. I mean.." She bit her lower lip and fidgeted.
"Sorry."
*
"You did fine. Although I'd have one. That's why I tried to trick you into a date… oh, well." He lets out a long sigh, stuffing his torn button into a pocket and keeping the fly mostly pinched closed with two fingers. "Listen, the day I am mad at a girl for taking my pants off is the day I am no longer the person I want to be. Don't worry about it!"
*
His comments made the blush on her cheeks spread and she giggled, glancing up at him from beneath brown locks of hair. "If you're sure. Still. Sorry about your pants." She bit her lower lip.
"Also totally sneaky of you to try to do that with the game. Gosh. Just ask a girl out next time. Much less work. I mean. I still dunno why anyone would want to go on a date with me. But I mean.. I guess. I won't say no. I just … My family is very protective.."
*
Settling down to land on the floor, Julian looks over towards Lorna once more. "Outside your family, give me one reason you think I wouldn't want to." he challenges, expression stern. As much as he can be while keeping his fly closed, anyway.
*
Lorna lowers herself to the floor without incident, exhaling a breath through her nose slowly as she glanced at him side long. "I mean.. I'm me? I'm awkward. And I'm a total nerd. I babble. And you hardly know me. Also you said you were rich. I'm so not. I'm only going here 'cause Miss Frost offered me a full ride. I mean.. I'm not interesting at all. Like I wouldn't have gotten that full ride without my powers I think." She winced.
"Like.. why would anyone actually want to go on a date with me? I've never been on a date before.."
*
"Wow…" Julian looks down to the floor and then back towards Lorna, eyes wide. "Wow. You're right. I—I don't know what went over me. I mean, we're from two different worlds. And you ruined my pants!" He almost drops them again gesturing in the air, turning while shaking his head and beginning to walk towards the door. "You can't even picture yourself on a date with me, either… jeez!" Once he reaches the doorway, he snaps his fingers and points towards Lorna. "I'll pick you up at 8. Wear something nice." And then, poof! He's gone.