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Crystal has a lot of demands on her time, but sometimes she just needs to take a little bit of time for herself. Right now, that means she's gone for a walk in the park, wearing a pair of shorts and a button-down, short-sleeved shirt in deference to the summer heat. She's made it to one of the more tree-covered paths deep in the park, enjoying the relatively clean air here.
Lorna really, really needed to chat with Crystal. And had spent the better part of the afternoon loking for the older woman. Her green hair was pushed back from her face with a headband, and a matching teal sundress belted in white completed the look. At least she hadn't stepped off the school grounds in those horrid short shorts.
After running around and up and down, she felt somewhat hopeful she'd find Miss Crystal, and it would seem luck was on her side as she practically jogged to catch up with the other woman down the path from her. "Miss Crystal!" She called, nearly breathless as she finally slowed her step.
Crystal turns toward the call, brows rising when she sees Lorna come running. "Lorna," she says slowly, leaning over to get a look around the girl. "I hope this isn't some sort of emergency? I mean, it's all right if it is, but…" She trails off, smile faint. "Sorry. Is everything all right?"
Lorna bent double to catch her breath, holding up a finger in a sign of pleading for her to not be panting for air. "It's not an emergency … yet?" She cocked a brow upwards, and straightened, pushing her hair back and straightening her headband. "There's this boy who's been taking me out, his name is Kaleb and Maximus used him to get some kind of a weapon out of some ruins and it can disentigrate people an-nd I don't know. Oh it's bad." She bit her lower lip.
"And he totally crashed my date last night and ruined it." There came the burst of tears that followed all the drama the young girl had carried around with her all day.
"Lorna, I say this with all the love I can muster." Crystal takes a deep breath through her nose, letting it out slowly as she reaches to set her hands on the girl's shoulders. "You just said that a madman was in possession of a weapon that could disintegrate people, and then you started crying about your date being interrupted. I need you to adjust your priorities, slow down, and focus for a minute." Her gaze is steady, a firmness there that's usually softened by empathy. "What do you know about this weapon and where it came from?"
Lorna flushed, biting her lower lip. "I only just found out yesterday." She mumbled, and looked down at her hands. She fidgeted, and shook her head. "I don't know what it can do or not beyond what Kaleb told me. Maximus used him and some other mutants to go to this .. this weird temple? I don't know. Kaleb drew a picture of it," And she tried to describe it, really she did.
"Kaleb said that he had no idea that it was a weapon until Maximus said something about it. And that he had no idea that Maximus was horrible until I told him Maximus messed with my head."
"What size and shape is it? How is it used? How did your friend and his friends come into contact with Maximus in the first place? Where was it? How did they get there?" Crystal lists the questions at an even, steady pace. "And of course he didn't know Maximus was…Maximus. He doesn't wear a sign saying 'Mad King' to warn everyone."
Lorna rubbed her eyes and shook her head wordlessly, "I don't know. Kaleb didn't tell me. He's .. he's really closed off Miss Crystal. And just getting him to admit to me that Maximus was using him was terribly difficult. He thought I was lying at first." She bit her lower lip, exhaling a shaky breath.
"And there have been werewolves and people being bitten and I've been trying to help rescue mutants with Remy.. I just.. it's too much. I came as soon as I could." She clapped the heel of her palms against her temples.
"I just know that Maximus took Kaleb and a few other mutants with him to this temple. Kaleb knows where it is and how to get there again I think." She paused, and smacked her forehead, digging into the shoulder bag she wore, taking out a journal and flipping through pages until she finally found the picture she sought. Then she held out the picture to Crystal. "See? He drew it."
"All right. We'll…discuss how to better balance the things in your life at another time," Crystal says with a brief, wry smile, giving the girl's shoulders a squeeze. "But." She leans over to get a look at the temple, nodding once. "The good news is, Maximus rarely acts suddenly. He makes a plan, he sets all of the pieces into play, and then he makes his move. So I doubt that anyone is in immediate danger. That said, obviously I need to take a closer look at my cousin's recent activities. Is your friend all right?"
Lorna sagged under the gentle squeeze on her shoulder, looking instantly more relieved with Crystal's words. The green haired mutant had been running around for a good amount of time trying to find her. Now at least, she seemed to breath some what easier, given the older woman's words. "Yeah Kaleb is fine." Her brows furrowed and she bit her lower lip.
"Maximus just kept trying to make me angry at the dinner, baiting me and stuff." She shook her head, "I told him to stop lying.. but well.. that was a moot point." She toed the ground, "I'll ask Kaleb, but he wanted to talk to Tata." A wince.
"It's not that I've told Kaleb who he is, but I think it's kinda obvious when he's seen my powers in action."
"He's Maximus. Baiting people is his main hobby," Crystal drawls, dry. "Try not to react, and he may eventually grow bored, though given how many times you have, I think you may be becoming his favorite target at this point," she sighs, letting her hands fall and taking a step back. "Lorna, your father is not going to eat the boy. There's not need to act as if it's a threat."
Lorna looked miserable at Crystal's mention that she was Maximus' favorite target. That most assuredly, did not sit well with the young mutant and she pursed her lips and looked down at her feet. "I tried." She mumbled and then glanced back up at Crystal as she mentioned her father not eating Kaleb and wrinkled her nose.
"It's not that, gosh, I know tata wouldn't!" She colored and exhaled a huff of a breath. "It's just that I thought maybe if I didn't come out and straight away tell him that my father is Magneto," She dropped her voice, "Then maybe he wouldn't take off running like all the other boys have." She muttered.
"Doesn't really matter, but Kaleb wants to meet him, but I dunno where my father even is."
"If he's the sort of boy who goes running when he finds out who your father is, is he really the sort of boy you want to be with anyhow?" Crystal asks, arching a brow as she turns and starts down the path once more, tilting her head in invitation to follow. "Your father is a difficult man, Lorna, but he's your father. And there's much about him to admire. And a boy who gives up that easily certainly isn't worth the trouble, in my opinion."
Lorna grimaced, Crystal's words went in the face of what Teddy and Billy had given her, of course the advice of two boys of her own age likely wasn't the best. "I'm pretty sure Kaleb and him would get along," She offered softly, rubbing the back of her head. "Kaleb is sorta.. really pro-mutant. I swear some of the things he says reminds me of what tata has said." She wrinkled her nose again.
"Also have to tell him that Wanda magicked another kid.."
"Sort of really pro-mutant sounds like tempted toward the Brotherhood to me, Lorna," Crystal looks over, arching a brow. "Your father is a good man, but I would caution you against choosing a boy just because he reminds you of your father. He isn't perfect." And well she knows it, from the number of times she's pulled him back from the brink. The last, though, gets a blink. "Lorna, you say these things as if they're going to make sense, but I think you know that they don't."
Lorna grimaced, and dragged her hands over her face. "Sorry, I'm really sorry Miss Crystal. I forget who knows what and not, and ugh." She made a face, her shoulders rising and falling with a heavy breath. "Just.. just ignore it. It doesn't matter." She grumbled, "Sorry." She fell silent then, looking vaguely morose. She'd been spending so much time around the same people that it became difficult for her to remember who didn't follow all the absurdities in her family tree.
"And Kaleb doesn't have my temper. He's a lot calmer." Emotionally stunted? Most assuredly. "And the Professor already went into his head and checked him out. He said that Kaleb could come over to the school whenever."
"And most of the Brotherhood were at the mansion at one point as well. Just be careful," Crystal advises, letting out a slow breath. "I'm sorry, I know it seems as though I'm being short right now, there's just rather a lot to be dealt with. The school, the avengers, my own family."
Now it was Lorna's turn to reach for Crystal's arm and link her own through. She flashed Crystal a faint smile, "It's okay. I know. I mean, out of the former Brotherhood like.. there's Josh, and Remy, and Daire I think might've been involved and a few others that recently came over to the mansion. I'll be careful, but I trust the Professor to know if there's something horrible about someone." She shrugged and exhaled a breath.
"And you've got a lot of reasons to be short Miss Crystal, I wish I had more to help out information wise.." She mumbled.
Crystal shakes her head, waving a hand. "It's all right. I'm sure there's some reason for it, or something else going on. Maximus may be mad, but there's usually some method or art to his madness. It's rarely simply wanton destruction. I just want you to learn how to focus when you're confronted with something you're unsure of, rather than panic or freeze."
A sheepish look crossed her features, "I'm trying. Promise. I started combat training." She offered Crystal another glance and a weak smile. "I'll ask Kaleb, or maybe try to get him to come see you instead? Then you could ask him yourself." She looked hopeful at that possibility, and bit her lower lip in thought.
"I mean, it's important to get as many details as we can right? Maybe something will make sense to you."
"Or I'll simply go and speak with Maximus," Crystal smiles ruefully as she walks. "He may be difficult, he may be mad, but he is family, and family deserves a chance. Regardless of what they may have done in the past."
A nod followed, "Yeah." A pause as she considered Crystal, there was a question there, one that had been on the tip of her tongue for a long while but she seemed to hold it in and shook her head. "Or you could do that." She bit her lower lip.
"I got to wear one of the dresses you helped me pick out last time we went shopping at least?" She looked somewhat hopeful at that, "The pretty white one that had the groovy belt." It was much more formal than Lorna had owned previously, but she had in fact worn it when Maximus had shown at least.
"Well, I'm glad for that," Crystal laughs, patting Lorna's hand over her arm. "Now, if we can just get you a date with someone who's polite, well-mannered, and not afraid of your father, we might even be able to call it progress. If you can get it uninterrupted it might be even more impressive."
A smile at that, and Lorna laughed softly, "Honestly, I think Wanda scares boys more than tata does. But that's what big sisters are for, right?" She shrugged, "So ammendment, not scared of most of my family, and polite, and well-mannered.." She blinked and tilted her head. "I dunno how easy that'll be."
"Oh well. I've really got more than enough to worry about."
"Ah, and now you begin to understand," Crystal chuckles, wrapping an arm around Lorna's shoulders for a brief hug. "Thank you for letting me know about Maximus. I will look into it and handle what may need to be handled. You just focus on everything else in your life. Everything will work out."
Lorna grinned, leaning against Crystal as she wrapped her in a one armed hug. She nodded, seeming to well and truly calm down. "You're welcome, and thanks Miss Crystal." She returned the gesture of a quick hug.