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It's another of those evenings, the sun just overhead and a smattering of clouds in the sky. The nice little white painted two story home that Erik purchased for himself is bustling with activity as it goes about the process of righting itself for a visit from family. Erik is behind today, so outside there's a paintbrush appling a second coat to the home in broad strokes being overseen by the man himself. He is squinting slightly, looking up at the second story windows. Right now it seems Erik is dressed in a turtleneck sweater and matching slacks whcih means he's been relaxing for the day. This doesn't mean that his house isn't busy cleaning itself and the pot on the stove isn't stirring. Just perks of the trae.
Lorna had come down from the school at the phone call from her father, of course, she'd stopped and grabbed a gift of bread from a nice local bakery for dinner. She practically bounced as she pulled up to the drive way and got out of the car. Her hair was pushed back from her face with a teal colored headband that matched her floral printed dress. With a swing in her step, she came up to her father.
"Hey tata!" She called, coming up to give him a tight hug. One where it was clear she wasn't in a hurry to let go of too quickly. She'd had a hard time as of late. Having her father around? He was the biggest magnetic security blanket ever.
Crystal has become something of a nomad of late. One day she's at the Institute, helping with affairs there, and the next she's at Avengers Mansion, making sure that everything is in order for the new team. Another day will find her in Attilan, reporting to the Council on the world outside their borders or discussing just what a mutant is and why they're not bad news. So pretending to a simple life in the suburbs is just one more place to call home now. Lockjaw is a little less normal than Lorna's car, though, fading into view with Crystal on the front lawn.
Erik hugs Lorna tightly against him, shifting her weight from left to right. He takes a deep breath and then holds it for a second, his gaze dancing between the people surrounding him. He takes a deep breth and cradles his daughter for a time as Crystal is coming into view. Eventually, however, he sets Lorna down.
"One moment, corcezka." Then Erik starts toward Crystal with long, purposeful strides, his intense blue-eyed gaze set on her face as he approaces. There aren't any words; she's just coming into view. Instead he times it so that he can draw Crystal toward him and pull her into a long kiss. Several seconds at least. Enough to function as a proper greeting. "I've been away too long."
Lorna seemed perfectly content to allow her father the embrace, because she wanted it just as much. A magnetic pull started up, their polarities were opposite and as such, were always able to feel the pull toward one another. She grinned as he stepped back and she noticed that Crystal arrived. She politely stepped back as her father set her down and went to his lady.
Of course then they were kissing, and she averted gaze as the two met. And instead turned her focus toward the bushes that touched up the paint on the outside of the house. A squint, and she shifted her grip on the bag with the bread she'd picked up.
Crystal isn't entirely surprised by Erik's approach, but the depth of the kiss is something of a surprise to her. One hand rises to curve against his cheek, the other wrapping behind his neck as she bends up toward him, pulling herself closer to meld into the kiss. "You have," she agrees afterwards, voice just a little bit hoarse before she laughs. "And I think we're making your daughter uncomfortable." She pulls him close for another, more circumspect kiss, then drops back down onto her heels and steps back. "Good evening, Lorna," she calls over.
"Priorities, darling," Erik responds to her note about the kiss with a faint smile, mostly around his eyes. He keeps his hand against her shoulders for a moment, keeping Crystal close to him, andthen retuns the second kiss gently before turning away and back toward Lorna as she studies the house. Behind him the painbrush skews across the front of the house and Erik is left scowling.
"Another coat," the man surmises, shaking his head as he starts forward. "Lorna, do you think you would be able to handle the painting?" Erik asks as he passes her on is way toward the house. "Though it is no matter. Dinner is nearly done. I imagine there's quite a bit for us all to discuss tonight…" Then he glances back at Crystal and adds, "It's likely been quite eventful. I'm glad you made it."
Lorna glanced up from her focus on the paint brush. "I could keep it going, but I'm not so sure about my ability to know when it needs more paint. At least, not if I'm inside." She mumbled, scratching the back of her neck as her gaze returned to Crystal and her father. She fidgeted once and shrugged, "Also I brought some olive bread from the bakery. It's pretty good." She held out the bag in offering to her father and then following him inside.
"I might have to leave earlier though after dinner than I expected to.. uh.. I've been invited to go see a movie later tonight.. actually."
"That boy you were talking about?" Crystal smiles faintly to Lorna, as Lockjaw shimmers away back to the institute. "Or are you trying out another one?" she teases, linking arms with Erik to head back to the house. "I'm glad I could make it as well," she murmurs, pressing her cheek against his arm for just a moment as she walks.
The door opens for Erik and Crystal, meanwhing they are able to stay arm in arm as they enter. "That is the hard part, Lorna. You could always have the brush check in with you every ten minutes ago." IT seems that Erik finds this idea faintly amusing as the smile quirks across the corners of his lips. It's like a full-on grin for most people, really. He squeezes Crystal's arm gently.
"A movie, mmm. Which boy is this?" the russet haired mutant asks of Lorna, arching a brow as he does. Crystal gets a knowing glance as Erik adds "Don't let me keep you, of course. The bread smells lovely, corra." He leans his head slightly to sniff at the bread in front of him and nods slowly. "I'll slice it to go with dinner."
"It's not Remy, but uh it's Kaleb Miller. You haven't met him yet tata. Though uh he wants to meet you. He's uh, yeaaaah, I told you about him before Crystal. Uncle Charlie has already cleared him to go to the school. He's got a twin who might be going to.." She bit her lower lip, tilting her head in thought as she considered what exactly she should tell her father about Kellan and Vic and how much to say about Vic existing.
She made her way over to the table, sitting down after her father took the bread. "Kaleb has the power over sound waves, but it's been damaging his ears and stuff. Scott said he might be able to help."
"Wait, Remy?" Crystal starts to arch a brow, but before she can say anything else, Lockjaw appears back in the yard. "Oh, Randac," she sighs. "I'll be right back, I promise. Or I'll call. Don't wait for me." She claims another kiss, then jogs back toward the dog.
"Kaleb Miller? And he wants to meet me? Hmm. There's a change," Erik muses as he sets the bread out on the table. He cuts it by hand in the traditional way, even while the food is plating itself and being laid out on the table. "Tell me about him, corra? If he's been cleared for the school then it should be interesting. His twin is going to what, pray tell?" Erik pauses for a second and then adds, "SHould I cbe considered about both?What is the other boy's name? …Is it a boy, for that matter?"
Lorna colored at Crystal's words before the woman quickly left, offering a wave toward her before Lorna snagged a piece of bread. "Umm Kaleb is very pro-mutant. His father doesn't know he or his brother are mutants. His twin brother Kellan wants to go to the school too. He's a telepath and can make clones. He's dating Vic.." Lorna paused, and glanced over her father.
", Tata, Wanda made uh another boy with Doctor Strange… so uh technically he's uh Billy and Tommy's brother.. uh so yeah.." She coughed, glancing down at her food and pushing her fork around.
"I don't get it, but that's magic I guess.."
"They- what?" Erik blinks at this but then he nods his head a coupel of times. "Very well," he agrees, taking a deep breath as he does. "And he's dating this Kellan fellow. Hm. I shall have to meet them both. And Vic, for that matter." He shakes his head slowly, tilting his head to the left while he considers the girl in front of him. "Interesting. I think I'd like to meet Kaleb as well. Dinner again? Unless you have a venue you would prefer… The school, perhaps?"
Lorna fidgeted, picking at her food and biting her lower lip. "Uh… I dunno. I'll… I'll ask Kaleb." She chewed her lower lip, and glanced back up to him after a moment.
"Uh.. he kind of sorta see you as a hero for mutants.." She bit into a forkful of food, taking a moment to pause. "Uh.. and erm… He wants to talk to you about Maximus.. uh I told Crystal about it already.. but uh… Maximus used Kaleb to get some kind of a weapon.. He didn't know Maximus was horrible.. and uh yeah.. He told me after.. uh Maximus showed up at… at one of our dates.."
Erik's features go cold again and he nods very slowly. A deep breath is taken, held, and then exhaled with a similar amount of care. "Maximus again," the man murmurs, shaking his head slowly as he does so. "I should have dealt with him more firmly the last time he was causing troublefor you." He pauses for a moment then, tilting his head slightly as he considers what to say nex.t "I'll have to pay him another visit. But first I should speak to Kaleb as soon as possible." Behind him the food has just finisehd platting. Erik takes the bread he cut and lays two pieces onto each plate. "Let's eat, corra, and then we can see what we ough to do about this problem."
Lorna deflated slightly, holding in a sigh. She knew bringing up Maximus was a good way to ruin her father's good mood, but she saw little way to get around it. Especially since Kaleb had told her the Inhuman had a weapon of some kind.. it had to be shared. Her lips thinned and she grabbed bread and nibbled it. "Kaleb said he knows where the temple was that the weapon was at. He wanted to speak with you and Crystal about it, but I wasn't sure when you'd be around again.." She trailed off.
"Kaleb didn't know tata.. he swore to me that he didn't.." She grimaced, but then let the conversation die. It was dinner time and her father was a good cook.
"Maximus has a way of getting into people's heads. More than one, in fact. I have no doubt your Kaleb thought he was doing what was right. I do need to meet him as soon as possible, of course." So saying the man then takes a deep breath yet again. Calm. Calm is for the best. he starts into his food and lets the conversation die as well. There is plenty to be eaten since there's a third plate left unused.