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It's been a fair amount of time with a fair amount of nothing. Well, that's not completely true. After his conversation with Lorna, Julian has been working hard on trying to use his family's resources to some personal benefit. This has mostly precluded him from school beyond ignoring lessons and training, and more distraughtly his consistent series of one night stands have dried up. So when a call came to meet him, he tried not to sound over-eager. Knowing where her dorm is, his sleek crimson car pulls up outside with a dull rumble. He hits the horn a single time, mostly because it's super loud and he enjoys asserting dominance and wealth to the world at large.
*
Lorna was surprisingly chipper sounding on the phone, more so than perhaps Julian had been expecting. Still, when he appears she bounds down the steps that lead to the circle outside her dorm. A brilliantly colored purple dress of a flashy material accompanied by rather glaringly pink and blue floral pattern was the newest addition to her wardrobe. Still, chilly out, she a new winter jacket and matching scarf and hat followed.
Still, she'd even sprung for heels. This Lorna, it would appear had an interest in dressing up. She waved her hand as she came to a halt outside his car, the door popping open without a sound as she slipped inside.
"Julian! How are you? It's been so long. Oh, I'm all excited to get out and do something!" She chirped, all sunny smiles.
*
Julian doesn't know Lorna super well. One date and some blushful flirting isn't a very intense cornerstone just yet, after all. He was happy she seemed eager to meet him, primarily. Although the moment she comes into sight, Julian's blinking a touch. "Eh?" he wonders, as she slips in and pulls the door shut. "That's… where'd you get that outfit?" He has an eye for fashion, and it doesn't seem particularly cheap. The Lorna he can imagine would waste money on a good book, but not to stand out like that. "I mean… you look good…" He's not yet put the car into gear to drive off, yet.
*
A giggle and a grin follow his question as she leans forward to peck him gently on the cheek. "Thank you." She flushed and then folded her hands on her lap, wiggling with unrestrained energy.
"I went shopping! It was so much fun getting out and doing whatever. And the weather is getting nice! It's so nice, isn't it? I can't wait for Spring to get here fully. I'm so sick of snow." She sighed, and leaned back in her seat, the leather creaking.
"So I was thinking, we should totally go dancing or something sometime. What do you think?"
*
Julian jumps at that, rubbing his cheek where he just got kissed. What? Why's this feel so weird? "I… yeah, I promised there'd be dancing next time, didn't I?" he wonders, adjusting the rear view mirror and then turning to look back at Lorna more intensely. But she said 'sometime'. Not 'You owe me a dance'. Maybe she's just eager to get out and is giving him a choice. "Who'd you go shopping with?" The car finally revs to life, and he begins thrumming down the streets, although he's maneuvering with more care than he generally reserves, distracted.
*
A shrug and Lorna practically bounced in her seat, a happy clap following. "Oh yes! Dancing will be so much fun. I've been listening to the Beatles lately, they're so cute!" She glanced at Julian and it was clear that she was partly teasing him, partly honest with her praise.
"Might have been listening to the record on repeat a bit." She flushed sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head. "What have you been up to?"
*
Julian continues driving along. The bouncing seems odd to him, as does the comment on the Beatles. Yet the flush and head-rub put him more at ease, and he settles with a shrug into the chair. He doesn't know Lorna. Maybe this is how she really is. It's not a stretch to say Julian bullied her into a date. Did he make her feel all meek, and now she's able to let loose…? That should be a good thing, then! "I've been working on that thing we talked about. Making progress. I wish it didn't have to be so hush-hush. But I know my parents well enough how to phrase demands in a way that they feel worse saying no than just doing it."
*
Lorna seemed to fall somewhat silent, and less hyper as he spoke, calming somewhat long enough to listen. Then she beamed, "I'm so happy for you Julian. Even if you have to be quiet, you're doing something that you believe in and is worth while. That's wonderful." She turned her gaze to the view outside the window, her attention flitting like a bird's almost with excitement at every little detail.
"Oh I can't wait for it to get warmer. Hey, I heard that the ice cream shops are gonna start opening up again. I can't wait for ice cream. Maybe we could find some after we go dancing. Do you like ice cream Julian? What's your favorite flavor? I think I like chocolate the most, but I dunno. I like it all." She sighed, wistfully a bit.
*
Julian keeps up his smile a bit, nodding his head. "Well, you made me believe in it, I guess. I mean, it's something I wanted to do. Kinda tried once. But. Yeah." A slight hint of flush to that, scratching at his cheek. "Huh? Ice cream parlors aren't all that seasonal, but I imagine they… don't get a lot of business in winter…" His brow furrows. "Where'd you grow up, anyway? I don't think we've talked a whole lot about ourselves. You said…" Fingers snap. Adopted, that's right. He's kind of jealous. If his family was a bunch of powerful mutants, he'd be a lot happier. "Was it in NYC?" The car turns into the parking lot of a popular dance club. It's a touch early by a couple hours, but still no premium parking.
*
Lorna blinked and then flushed faintly, "Upstate. I got adopted by a couple from Upstate New York. Super nice, not exactly the most well off, but they love me." She smiled, and it was a gentler sort. "They took in a baby from Poland with green hair, so there's that." She shrugged and dragged a hand through decidedly brown hair.
"I came down to the city for college, I didn't want to stop at high school. My grades were pretty good, but I mean.. besides the Frost Institute, there weren't many places willing to let a girl into the science department."
*
Yeah, this sounds familiar. Now Julian feels a little guilty. "Right, they—" he begins, but then goes silent when Lorna continues to talk. "…right. You told me all that on our first date." Almost verbatim, although not condensed in such a manner. The car is put into park, and he slips out once the engine cuts off to stand up with a stretch. He'd go around to help Lorna out, but she likes opening the door with her powers anyway, so to each their own.
*
A shrug follows, and Lorna actually lets him open the door. Shocking.
Still she gets out with a little hop and a grin, "So, how good are you at dancing Julian?" She made to try to hook her arm with his, a happy little swing in her step as she looked up at him with a flush and a grin.
"So, hey have you been watching anything cool on TV lately?" She needled, nudging him with an elbow.
*
Julian loiters around for a few seconds before blinking to walk around and pull open the door. "Sorry." The door is pushed shut after, not bothering to lock it and stuffing keys into his pocket. And then Lorna's on his arm, which Fundamental Julian has absolutely no problems with. "I'm kinda silly, to be honest. Beverly Hillbillies is my favorite. But Bonanza and Gunsmoke're pretty great, too. That Gillian's Island show coming out later this year looks like it might be funny, too. But I imagine they'll just get off the island pretty fast, so I'm not keeping my hopes up." His stride is fairly brisk, and they would be pushing into the club in short order.
*
Lorna beamed brightly at him, nodding along as he spoke of the various shows and led her into the club. There was a spring in her step already and her heels clicked as she walked. "Oh, yeah. That sounds totally groovy, but have you heard about W-ILD? Totally far out there. You should give it a watch sometime." She broke off as they entered the club and she squealed in delight, clutching at his arm.
"I've never actually had anyone to dance with at one of these Julian! Thank you so much for bringing me!"
*
Julian rolls this around in his head. W-ILD? Not to his recollection. He is not very big on the media as a rule, trying to ignore the Mutant drama through ignorance, and consuming a few guilty pleasure shows during common downtimes. "What's W-ILD about…?" Inside it's about as classic 60's as you can get. A big dance floor, a lot of people mingling outside it on raised areas, and a bar to the left and right. A couple bouncers are there, but don't bother carding anyone; the drinking age is so young anyway, it's easy to turn a blind eye. "Well… what's your favorite dance?" he challenges.
*
Lorna tosses her hair back as she shrugs, "Oh a little of this a little of that, you know. But it totally hires mutants. Pretty cool, huh?" She beamed and then as they wandered the club her eyes went wide and she beamed again.
"Oh! Well I know a couple of things, like the Twist, the Mashed Potato, and Oooh, I loved the Monster Mash back a few years ago. I still love the song, it's great for Halloween." She glanced around. "Kinda corny for a place like this though. This place is really pretty fancy looking. I dunno, anything really formal. You know? I mean, I went to Prom on my own, so it's kinda fun dancing with the girls and all.. but like, I dunno anything else."
*
Julian widens his eyes, and then glances around. "Don't talk about them out here like that." he whispers, sounding surprised. Saying that word can get you hit by an ignorant rage-stick, after all. Mutants, that is. Still, that's strange. Is it some progressive show? Now he's going to have to check it out. At least Peppy-Lorna mixed with Awkward-Lorna he's beginning to get used to. "Let's start out slow, then." He heads over to the person running the music, asks a few questions, then slips him some money. When he returns, a simple song plays. A slow dance; reaching out to touch either hip and just do a lazy sway. "We'll start here. The prom dance you missed out on. I don't know why. I bet all the guys wanted to ask, but you were too shy!"
*
A flush and Lorna clapped her hands against her cheeks as Julian darted away. Her teeth biting her lower lip as she awkwardly stood there until he returned. A small giggle escaped her, her cheeks hot as he starts to lead her in a slow, and easy sway. "I don't know about that! I mean, I totally would've danced. That is. I would have danced." She flushed, grinning still.
"And thank you, Julian. That's really nice of you to get the band to play something like this." She mumbled, ducking her head as she gently swayed side to side in her heels, holding onto him for just as much balance as anything else.
*
Julian gives a little shrug. It would have been a popular hit a few years ago, the sort likely to be played during a prom's slow dance. He just goes along with Lorna's motions, not getting any closer or doing any moves of his own accord, although content to reciprocate. "I'm kinda out of touch, though… I'd like to help—y'know. People out. Anything going on?"
*
A smile and a nod follows as she glances up at him, and perhaps between one step and the next scoots a little closer to a more comfortable distance that isn't strictly platonic. "Mmm, I know. That's why I like you Julian. Deep down you're a really swell guy. The kind that cares. Just took a bit to get you to realize that." She joked, partly, still her voice was warm and sweet.
"And I dunno, there's a lot going on out there. I can hardly keep up with it all. You know? I just.. I'm just happy to get out and do normal things."
*
There's absolutely no attempt to pull back. Julian isn't remotely shy about personal space. To what degree he's the opposite he's tried carefully to reign in and keep secret, honestly. "Eh. I think you're giving me too much credit… you don't know me very well…" Eyes glance skywards, and it's clear his refusal of the compliment isn't from being bashful. "But… yeah? With your family, that makes sense. I guess. Although you're really cagey about me meeting any of them. Do you really think I'll make that bad an impression? I'm a powerful mutant from a rich family. What higher bar do you need!"
*
A giggle followed by a sigh as Lorna quirked a brow upwards as she eyed him. "Well, they're super over protective of me. My nephews are pretty relaxed.. most of the time. They're twins. Billy is more like me.. and Tommy, well he's a bit more of a trouble maker. And my older sister is very much over protective. She won't let me drink given my powers, not that I want to.. but yeah. And she's kinda married. Sorta. It's complicated." A shrug.
"Then I also have an older brother, and he's like Tommy but older. Also when I first met him.. okay, never mind that. It was awkward. And well, my father is my father. He showed up in Mutant Town when I was volunteering, drove all the way out from Westchester, to check up on me, because I was late calling home."
*
The lazy dance continues, fingers idly tracing up and down Lorna's sides. He's mostly relaxed, now. The strange, sharp disconnect upon first meeting the girl's pretty much faded away. "Well, don't be smothered. But also don't be ignored like me. Haha, we're on the opposite ends of the spectrum. We ought just meet in the middle, eh…?"
*
Lorna relaxes against Julian, and ultimately rests her head against his shoulder. She sighed, and a soft giggle escaped her. "Well I guess that's totally fair. I love 'em even though I only found them in the past, gosh year? It seems like they've always been in my life now that they're there. It's strange, but I love it." She beamed again.
"So, when I say I don't want you to meet them per say, it's mostly, well I've teased Tommy so much about his girl. And my sister is.. very.. very uhm intense. And I don't particularly look forward to her brand of ribbing."
*
"I can take a ribbing with the best of them." Julian snorts out, chest puffing out. "And give them. Anyway, don't worry about it…" He reaches out to ruffle your hair a little. "If you think what we have gets serious enough to meet families, can worry about it then." Although he can only imagine the hellstorm a 'common' girl will bring the Keller family, on the off chance she's never outed as a mutant. Shudder. The dance finally teeters off, and then a much more quick, upbeat one comes on. "Bet you can't dance as well as me." he challenges.
*
Another laugh as Lorna grins up at him and he ruffles her hair, which she immediately tries to straighten after. Then she was leaning back and away, trying to awkwardly dance. At least she had a good amount of enthusiasm for it. The lack of skills in dancing at least, with her efforts, looked cute if nothing else.
"Yeah well, at least I'm cuter than you are." She giggled as she tried to keep up with him.
*
Well, Julian is a good dancer, actually. Clubs like these are where he goes to impress girls, after all. When you have a rather terrible topical personality, a proper ladies' man learns how to disguise that as much as possible. For whatever reason, Lorna doesn't bring that out in him, generally. Perhaps because he met her as a mutant, instead of a female. He'd like to think he's not so shallow that such is the entire reason, but at least it's kept his less appealing sides well-hidden thus far. "Sorry. I'm WAY cuter." He slides backwards, catching the attention of a nearby girl. A dazzling smile follows, and she blushes before turning away. Turning back, eyebrows lift. "Can you do THAT to someone?"
*
Another burst of giggle as Lorna caught her breath, clapping a hand over her lips as she shook her head as she watched Julian make another nearby girl blush. "Well no! Don't be silly, I can't make girls blush by looking at them." She teased right back, grinning from ear to ear as she loosened up and stopped looking so awkward in her attempts to dance.
A small fumble followed as she got perhaps, a little too excited, and nearly tripped over her toes. "Don't say anything," She warned, wagging a finger in his direction.
*
"Ugh! You know what I meant! Although…" Julian then dances sideways a little, catching the attention of a male. He makes an alluring expression, and there's open surprise and muted disgust. The mutant quickly dances back. "Crap. That didn't work. Uh, don't try to do better than that with a guy." The stumble only causes a laugh, as a new dance comes in. This one's built around a corny 'theme' motion, although Julian hardly seems to mind miming it along with the others on the floor as needed.
*
Lorna laughed again, hugging her sides as she watched Julian and tried to keep up with his dancing. At least as the song turned to the cornier song, she grew more confident and seemed to relax more and more. Even as that song ended and the next picked up, she seemed content to keep dancing and lightly teasing Julian every so often. Blushing at equal turns.
Finally, after a few more songs she cried the need to rest, taking up a chair and falling back with a pant of breath and a stitch in her side. "Ah, I don't think I've ever danced that much."
*
Julian settles heavily into a seat as well, breath coming quick. He's got a lot of sweat, but at least lately he's been working on cardio. Show muscles might draw the ladies with a flex, but he's not near the pinnacle of human ability in the least. "I have." he teases. "You need to work on your endurance… What do you want to drink?" He motions for a waitress, getting himself a Sex on the Beach, or it's equivalent if it doesn't exist yet. Too lazy to google!
*
A breathless laugh as Lorna wiped her brow and tossed her hair back over her shoulders, "Yeah, I know. Trust me, I know. Miss Frost is always having me do extra laps!" She grinned and leaned back, her hands settling on her lap.
"Hmmm, I'll drink whatever. I don't care, I'm just thirsty."
*
Holding up a second finger, Julian grins as the waitress wanders off, resting his forearms on the table and slicking back his hair with a long exhale. "Well, you need it." he declares, yet again. Cheeks puff out for a moment, as if miming extra weight.
*
Lorna bent double, laughing as she shook her head as she elbowed him gently. "Hey!" She pokes his puffed out cheek. Still giggling. "I so am not fat!" She rolled her eyes at him and leaned back in her chair after a moment, folding her legs.
"But on a serious note, thanks for taking me out Julian. I was feeling sooo cooped up and I just had to get out and about!"
*
Julian looks far from convinced, but two drinks are set down. Alcoholic! Then again, Lorna said she didn't care, so he's taking a gamble while sipping at his own. "It's fun." he says finally, after a long consideration. Although there's a mild sense of confliction on his face, all the same. "What's making you so antsy, though?"
*
The drink got a faint look, a curious look even, and Lorna paused before she reached out and took it promptly with both hands and sip at it cautiously. A surprised look crossed her face, as if she'd never tried the drink before, and then she continued to sip at it experimentally. It took a long moment for her to register Julian's question about why she was antsy.
"Huh? What? Oh! Nothing! I just wanted to get out! Do things! Experience life, you know?"
*
The drinking causes Julian to frown. Lorna wouldn't even try wine before. Even in this very conversation, she stated how her family member made her promise not to drink. Wrong… wrong… he's trying to ignore it, but things feel wrong. What was her family's names… Tommy? Billy? Neither ring a bell off the top of his head. "Is everything alright?" he suddenly asks, leaning forward. "You… why… why're you acting so wild now?"
*
A pause and Lorna glanced back to him, her eyes widening slightly, and her eyebrows climbing upwards. "What? Is it bad for me to realize how utterly short life is and want to actually do something with mine? I feel like everything is so short Julian. That it's all slipping away. I just want to enjoy it. And I'm trying something new. Something I didn't think I would like.. I feel safe with you enough to do that." She paused, inhaling a breath as she glanced at him.
"Is that so bad?"
*
"I…" Julian begins to say, biting his lip again. He wishes he knew her better. He really does. Why? So he would know if his gut's wrong? That's what he tells himself. "No…" he agrees, then. "It's not bad… I'm the last person in the world who should be telling you not to follow your impulses. But…"
*
Lorna shot him a look, set the drink down and patted her skirts as she rose from the chair beside him. "But?" She arched a brow and glanced around and then back, "I'm going to find the Lady's room Julian, I'll be back. Okay?" Her brow furrowed as she spoke and then turned abruptly and sought out said powder room with a sharp click of her heels.
*
Guilt splashes across Julian's face. "Wait. Wait!" He gets up a brief moment after, discarding the drink to pad after. He begins knocking on the door to it, biting his lip. "I'm sorry, okay?! I'm just… I dunno!! I thought I knew you. You surprised me a bit, is all!"
*
The lady's room door opens to reveal a Lorna that looks decidedly more unwell than when he saw her last. "Julian, I-" She looked sickly, pale and sweaty, and as she seems to struggle for a moment with saying something, her jaw falls to the floor. Literally. The image of Lorna before him seems to melt a slow and sickening sight as she drops before him with a muffled scream into a pile of goo. Her hands out stretched toward him before she dissolved into a pile of flesh colored goo.
The only thing left being the expensive clothes and shoes.
*
The only reason Julian pushes open the door is because he knows that she's the only one in there. To hell with the glares of other people. "Lorn" And then she seems sick. "What… what's wr" Oh. Oh god. He stumbles backwards, grasping his head. Green energy begins to crackle across him, and people scatter in a panic. "Lorna!!" Grasping the door, he rips it off in an explosion of telekinetic energy, inadvertently hitting someone in the side as he drops to his knees near her puddle.
"LORNA!! OH, GOD!! WHAT HAPPENED! Agh…. AGGGH!!" He brings up his fists and slams down. A nova of his emotionally charged powers ERUPTS out. The room is annihilated, spraying ceiling and walls in all directions. In short order the police are coming. Five people injured, two seriously. But Julian…? He's nowhere to be seen.