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Lorna had been in quite a state on her own for the past month or so since her father left. Sure, she had the townhouse to herself, but her nightmares were such she'd ripped out pipes from the walls and fried every piece of electronics in the house. Sometime the whole block lost power when it was particularly bad. That was only when she slept however. Her waking moments were filled with a self set mission of patrolling Mutant Town for trouble making baseline humans out for thrills. That or hoping to catch some would be labcoats out for picking up mutant kids for their next experiment.
Whatever it was, she was determined to be there and to ignore the piteous mental state she'd been living with.
Her once fashionable wardrobe had been abandoned for some rough fitting jeans, boots and a leather jacket. She looked more like a greaser out of the '50s than anything. Her green hair a lightning rod for intolerance outside of the bounds of Mutant Town, even if it was a proud mark she now refused to hide.
At that exact moment? She's busy stringing up a few boys that thought she'd make an easy target by their belt clasps. They had been hooked through the street lamp by their belt loops and Lorna was busy snarling curses up at them. Her hands held out stretched as she concentrated her magnetic powers in keeping the young men pinned above the street.
*
<Well. Somehow I didn't expect to see that when I got back.> a familiar, husky female voice says in your mind. <Remind me to show you some proper rope work later…I'm sure you could do the same with metal cabling for use as restraints. Or…well, for other things, perhaps.> There's an almost cheerful wickeness to the last.
<When you're done, however…I'd really like to hear how you've been doing, Lorna. Perhaps some coffee? I'm at the coffeeshop a block down from you currently. I have a table. And it would be nice to have someone to keep other people from trying to sit down in the open seat with me constantly.>
*
The mental voice was met with a snap of irritation. The green haired mutant coming to despise the idea of anyone coming near her mind. Even if it was Emma. There were a great many reasons Lorna had dropped out of Xavier's, and the idea of anyone— even those that cared about her, seeing into her head now brought nothing but irritation. There was a passing notion that she needed to steal her father's proto-type helmet and be damned about the consequences.
Still, the street lamp curled around the boy's more firmly and she stalked off—leaving them to hang there with a glare aimed in their direction. Doubtlessly the police would very much like information about Lorna these days. Especially given how many reports from scared humans had been coming in the last few weeks.
Still, Lorna entered the coffee shop, moving to slide into the empty seat that Emma had spoken of. Her hair was cropped shorter than it had once been, and of course, her dreadful fashion sense had changed since Emma had seen her last. Never mind the seething anger, rage and hatred that now boiled in her mind and in her chest. It was new and something she'd nursed slowly to herself rather than giving into the torrent of depression that sapped her strength and left her a tearful mess.
"Hello Miss Frost. I'm shocked you came down here. I mean, they have plastic on their seats here." She drawled, her hands smoothing over the table and dragging her nails over it lightly. They were painted a green to match her hair.
*
Sitting across from the green-haired girl, Emma is dressed down herself, in a practically non-scandalous cable knit sweater and jeans, though it's low cut to make up for it. She sips from her chai as you sit down, then just looks at you. "They have decent chai and thai tea, so I'm forgiving of their horrible decor sense." Her gaze softens after a moment. She can't help but feel that swirl of dark emotions boiling off the girl across from her, as she sets the cup back down. Those sharp blue eyes meet Lorna's, watching her for a moment, then soften slowly. "…oh Lorna. What's happened?" she says softly. "I thought you would be happy when I came back…"
*
Lorna arched a brow, "Nothing happened, Miss Frost. I'm just same crazy, off my rocker, crazy mutant as always." She leaned back in her chair, her posture terrible. Emma had had to lecture Lorna about that in the past, when Lorna was in school still. Having dropped out of the Institute with no intention to return and complete her college education, Lorna saw no point in trying to keep that up.
Her father, no matter his reasons, she felt had abandoned her. Her sister and her had gotten into an argument, and Wanda had told her that she was not her sister so long as Lorna remained the angry little ball of green that she was these days. All of this flickered over her mind and was buried just as quickly. It was hard not to think about what was really bothering her when there was a telepath in the room. Especially when that telepath was Emma or Charles.
"As you can see, I'm still alive and in one piece. I'm peachy keen." She forced a flash of her teeth in a mockery of a smile. "So you can go on back to see the Professor and the school without worrying."
*
There's an almost automatic. "Don't slouch, dear." that Emma bites back on, staying silent as she just listens. And though admittedly delaying her return to the mansion, and, well, facing certain things (and people) there hasn't quite lost its appeal for her just yet, there's a reason she came to Mutant Town first.
And she's sitting across from her, and obviously in pain, no matter how much she's denying it outwardly.
"I'll go when I want." she responds. "When I've checked on more important things first." Which, obliquely, is her way of saying "I was worried about you so I cam here first." Not that Emma is very good at saying such things outoud. She crosses her legs, tilting her headslightly, before her nostrils flare just a bit, before she sips again, daintily, from her coffee cup.
But when she looks back up, there's a tightness to her eyes that is the small tell of the anger starting to flood through her, putting a lie to the calmness in her voice as she asks. "…and where is your father?" Because if Erik is -responsible- for allowing this to happen…there will be words had, and not polite ones used.
*
Lorna arched a green eyebrow upwards at Emma's curt response about going where she wanted and checking on things. But she didn't call the telepath on it. She knew Emma was chilly, to put it gently. It used to bother her, Lorna had been a hugger. Had being the key word. The once gentle magnokinetic now seemed to have become as cold as iron that she manipulated.
And just as brittle when it was worried away by rust.
The question about where her father was had her closing her eyes briefly as she stretched her senses out to where he might be. He was as loud as the magnetic north pole in her senses. Though she had no idea on the exact where she reached up a hand and pointed vaguely east. "That way. I dunno where is. He has his demons to face. I think it's more Nazis to kill. I honestly don't care what he does or doesn't do." He'd abandoned her again, breaking another promise to be in her life. It hurt just as surely as one could expect from a young girl that had previously looked up to her father like he hung the stars. And that hurt was turning bitter and toward another level of anger..
"He left in the middle of the night a few weeks ago. Left a note saying the townhouse was mine with a bank account."
*
There's a definitely faint tic by Emma's eye for a moment at that. She bites down her first response, then her second, those cyan eyes remaining on the young woman across from her as she sets the cup back down again, the soft 'click' of ceramic against the plate under it audible in the fairly quiet shop.
Then, without a word, Emma gets up, then steps over to the other side of the table, before she leans down. Then reaches out, and - slightly hesistantly - she slides her arms around Lorna and squeezes her gently. Her throat works quietly, before she whispers by the girl's ear. "I'm sorry. I should have been here."
Even ice queens can melt, apparently…under the right circumstances. Or perhaps her time away has worn away at that icy reserve, a little bit. Enough that she can unbend in a moment where someone in need of comfort.
*
Lorna looked distinctly uncomfortable at the show of emotion from Emma. It was a sad kind of irony, that while Emma might've soften, warmed even.. Lorna was busily forging herself into a new steel-like coldness. Stiff and unforgiving and forged in the fires of her hatred and anger at the world. Abandonment issues and self loathing had blanketed her mind in a combination of nightmares from the torment she'd suffered at the hands of men in labcoats.
"Why are you apologizing, Miss Frost? There's nothing to be sorry for. I don't need anyone anymore. You taught me to self-reliant. I am now. And I'm sick to death with being sorry." She murmured softly.
*
"Because I should have stayed here, instead of leaving. Because I shouldn't have expected your father would know anything about raising a daughter." She straightens, then sits again, looking a uncomfortable herself at the crack in her facade as she shores it up with precise diction and another sip from her chai to cover it, until she feels suitably back behind her normal emotional armor. "I wanted you to be self-reliant, Lorna." she says, her eyes flicking back to Lorna's green. "I never said you had to be alone, even if you don't need anyone to help you."
She raises a brow. "…and what do you have to be sorry about?" she adds. "What's happened that's your fault?" She slips fairly easily into counselor mode, her questions carefully probing, encouraging, as she waits for the younger woman's answer.
*
Lorna shrugged, "It doesn't matter. No one else stayed. I'm just not worth hanging for, it's cool. I'm used to it. It's why I'd rather be alone." She smiled and leaned back in her chair. She hated being alone. Hated hearing the creak of the house and not having anyone else around to talk to. But at the same time? The green haired mutant could no longer trust others, rely on others. No longer wanted to deal with others if it could be helped. She was more of the snarl and throw them into the air first then ask questions.
Now, she was bitter, and cold and angry. The question about what she had to be sorry for had her snorting lightly as she crossed her arms. Her feet propping up against the cross-bar under the table that held up the supprt. "Oh I dunno, everything and nothing. I'm not sorry about any of it." She was, and desperately wanted forgiveness, but now? Now she was no longer willing to admit that out loud.
She had been told by so very many friends, family and the alike that she was rude, and angry and even crazy. Enough that she'd given up on trying to argue anything else.
*
There's a soft *tictic* against the table, as one of Emma's perfectly manicured nails taps the hard surface. She can feel it…everything Lorna is feeling, not saying, even not probing into her mind for the details. The lie to the words being said, perhaps one she even believes. The despair. The pain. The anger. "…I should not have left you with him." she says, quietly. Steadily. A statement of fact. She'd trusted Erik…and obviously that trust was misplaced, but she has no interest in offering excuses about why she left. She did. This happened. She will accept those consequences have happened, even if she refuses to accept the result as permanent, or right.
"Lie to yourself, honey. But don't lie to a telepath." Those eyes are more intense now, flashing a bit. "…how -dare- he…" she begins, then cuts it off, before taking a deep breath, then letting it out, controlling the temper boiling beneath that ice surface.
"Lorna…look at me. I should have been here. You are worth hanging for. And you should not have been left alone." The words come in a smooth, steady flow. A statement of fact, rather than argument. "And thought I was gone, I'm here now. And I'm not leaving you." As if she could allow such a thing. Lorna is one of HER students. HERS. Even if she was part of Xavier's school, she was the one who found her, and recruited her to her academy, long before she joined Xavier's students. And while she's not quick to show it all of the time, she has always had a fierce protective streak for any students in her care.
She pauses again, then says softly. "Do you want to tell me what happened? We can go somewhere else if this is too public. I'd like to see how you're…getting along." By herself. As a teen girl with no one to play pick up after her. Ugh, she can imagine -that- by itself might require a hazmat team, or at least a maid service. Luckily she has one on call, and she makes a note to do just that. "Either your house, or I've rented a condo not far from here."
*
Lorna frowned faintly as Emma told her to lie to herself, she was only partly aware of what she was doing. To cover up the pain, to ignore instead of over coming with it. She'd never had to deal with so much trauma as she had in the last few months. The empty, yawning depression that had crushed her had only annoyed others, or so she'd convinced herself.
"Talking doesn't do anything Miss Frost. I appreciate the thought, but I don't need it. I want to be left alone." She murmured softly, pushing herself to stand and push off the table.
"I like to be alone. It means no one can disapoint me anymore. It's refreshing. I don't have to give a shit about what others think about me." But there was the lonliness, and that was gaping like a wound she refused to acknowledge. A green eyebrow shot upwards. "You rented a condo around Mutant Town? Geeze. Color me shocked."
*
"You say it, but you believe it." Emma says, standing herself. "And that all depends who you're talking to, doesn't it?" She steps over, saying more firmly. "Come. Talk to me for a bit, catch me up on what's been happening. I trust you to tell me things straight, rather than hedge. It's something I've always liked about you." Okay, she's bullying…just a tad…but she can already sense she's going to -have- to push to get Lorna to open up a bit. And…she's a bit worried about the depth of that depression she feels. She mostly just doesn't want to leave her alone, without at least trying to lance that black pit of despair and anger and pain. "And yes, Mutant Town. I needed a place that's off where people will expect, just in case. It pays to have a fallback, both for myself and anyone I might want to put up for a bit." Because calling the mansion home is…weird? Still.
"I promise not to poke in your head for the duration, unless you give me permission. I'll be good." She holds up a hand, crossing her fingers. "Girlscout's honor."
*
Lorna rolled her eyes, yes honest to god rolled her eyes at Miss Emma Frost's words. That had never happened before. Lorna had always had the utmost respect for Emma and had always desperately craved the older woman's approval just as much as she had her father's. But it seemed, that too, had been damaged with her mental state.
"I dunno what you want me to say, Miss Frost. I'm crazy? I enjoy stringing humans that come into Mutant Town looking for some 'muties' to torment? I don't believe in the Professor's dream that mutants and humans can ever co-exist? I believe my father was right. That we have to stand and fight if we want to be respected in this world. Enough of us have died for daring to live. Only, my father isn't doing enough because he's trapped in his past hunting down Nazis that killed the rest of my family." She shrugged, arching a brow.
"That or he's off to track down the group that kidnapped me before and screwed around with my head. But I doubt that. That would require him to give a shit about someone besides himself." Oh there was the anger. The resentment. The lashing out of feeling abandoned.
"I think I'm done talking. But thanks for the offer. It's very kind of you to pick me as your pity project."
*
"No, because you're not crazy. Good on you for stringing them up. WE should talk about that dream and reality, and your father's 'stand and fight' bullshit only accomplished something if you stick around to fight for what's important." Emma snaps, an edge of her anger finally leaking out in her voice. She steps in close, her eyes steady on Lorna's. "And you are NOT a pity project." she bites out. "You are not a project, period. I don't -do- pity projects." she says, distain in her voice. "I find people who are worthwhile, and I teach them to be even better." She raises a finger, poking the center of Lorna's chest at her breastbone. "And I was NOT wrong about you, no matter who else has let you believe otherwise. I saw something in you Lorna. I am not abandoning that girl, and I am not abandoning you." She sniffs, lowering the finger. "So get used to it."
*
Lorna managed to look vaguely disbelieving of Emma's determination. A green eyebrow arching upwards as she considered the telepath for several beats before she shrugged. "Raven and the Brotherhood were full of shit. My father is too wrapped up in his own head to do anything that matters and the Professor and everyone in Westchester is too idealistic to actually do anything beyond damage control. I lived with all of them at one point or another. And I know after having lived here, that it doesn't matter at all. It's all bullshit." She'd swore! It was unheard of from one Lorna Dane.. but it seemed as if that too had eroded with her mental state.
Gone was the kindly and caring green haired mutant. All that was left was her cold anger, hot hatred and wallowing sadness that she tried to forget about.
"So thanks for caring Miss Frost, but there's not a whole hell of a lot that you can do for me. Like I said. I appreciate the thought." She would believe Emma when the woman managed to stay in her life for longer than a few weeks. The thought bubbled up in her mind and faded. Lorna had never been good at hiding her emotions, much less her thoughts.
That hadn't changed.
"It was nice to see you around, Miss Frost. But I have to get on patrol around the edges of Mutant Town. I'm sure the cops have already come and gone to save the stupid baselines that I strung up on the lamp posts."
*
Emma's lips twitch. "It's not 'bullshit'…" she responds, the word flowing off her lips easily enough, considering her current restrained temper. "It's not easy though. And I don't agree with Charles, or your father, or Raven completely because of that. All of them see one path, when there are many that could be taken." She shakes her head. "I've been there too. Surely you've hear people whispering about me at the mansion, when you were there. I was many things before I was headmistress of an academy, or a temporary fixture at Xavier's school."
Her gaze is steady now. "No. I'm not going to leave your life." she says, fairly shamelessly picking up the powerful thought. "Though it's legitimate that you'd be afraid of it, when you've been treated so shabbily." Her eyes narrow. "I should never have left. Obviously things have gone to hell the moment I stepped out of town for a while. I'd hoped that at least you…" She trails off, then lets out a deeper huff of air. "…Lorna." she says, switching tactics. "I understand, better than most people, why you're suspicious of me. I accept it. I don't expect you to trust me blindly, I taught you better. All I'm asking is for you to…meet me halfway. I'm not going to judge you. I'm not going to call you crazy, but I -will- damned well call ou out for being rude. All I'm asking is for you to tell me what's happened. I'm not demanding so much, am I? If it's all bullshit, especially." Because she knows well from her own work that sometimes…the first step is just getting the other person talking. She's just never been one to be extraordinarily patient about waiting for someone to talk on their own.
*
Laura is eating a sausage with one hand ,her dark eyes thougthful as they scan the edge of the street. She saunters casually with the food in hand, watching her surroundings with the casual nonchalance of someone who feels safe but is nevertheless ready for danger at any given moment. She is utterly insouciant about the fact the sausage she is eating is, in fact, stolen. It isn't like the person she took it from is going to catch up to her, after all. As she comes closer the young woman sniffs the air and pauses in midstride. Now, *that's* familiar… She shrugs and takes another enormous bite, making a face as she does. Sauerkraut.
*
Anger. It flared hot and struck Lorna thunderously strong at Emma's words. "You want to know what's wrong? I had a mental break down that left me without friends, without family, and without anyone that I cared about! I screamed that I was sorry and I was told that I was too messed up to be around. That I wasn't safe to be around because I hurt people. I open my damned mouth and get accused of not caring about anyone or anything but myself! That my wanting to help my people is fake. That I don't know what I'm talking about. Because my torment at the hands of a few whacked out labcoats wasn't anything compared to my father. Compared to what my sister and brother dealt with at Nazi hands. That what I went through was nothing by comparison and therefore I shouldn't be pissed off or sad about it. That it gives me no right to give a damn!" She snarled, her hands at her sides curling into fists.
The heat reached her cheeks as her skin reddened and the front door to the cafe bent inwards. The tables and chairs curled and screeched with metal. It was clear that her control had eroded along with her anger and she was barely keeping it together enough to not bring down the buildings supports. She had grown immensely in power.. but her emotions had taken control.
*
As the electromagnetic wave sweeps out, the tall blonde doesn't back off an inch. She waits until that last almost shouted word finishes echoing. But oddly…no one responds to the sudden twisting of the door, or the chairs….even the person who misses theirs as it suddenly zips out from underneath them, simply getting up and finding another, as the people there without a word get up and find new tables, as Emma's mind directs them away from noticing almost reflexively. No one even looks over inside the coffeehouse…though she's not extending the effect beyond.
"Yes. That -is- wrong." Emma says after a moment, having gone so very, very still as she clamps down on her own emotions. "It is -brutally- wrong. It is -painfully- wrong. -All- of that is wrong, if that's what people have been telling you." She quiets for a moment, then leans in towards Lorna. "And I -damn- well want you to know it. They had no -right- to do that to you…" she hisses. "To ignore you, or belittle your pain, or treat you as a stranger because you hurt their tender little feelings…" she bites out. "When they should have paid attention. When your -father- should have paid attention, or your supposed friends, or Xavier or any of them.
Emma reaches out to grip Lorna's shoulders, breathing out. "…pull in your control." she says, falling back into instructor mode, as her sharp-tongued words become more even. "Focus on me. Just like when I found you, remember? When you first were learning. What did I tell you?" she says, trying to remind the other girl.
*
Laura had just decided on following her nose past the shop and over to the furry man nearby who is selling some kind of meat on a stick when the cacophony inside of the shop begins. She pauses with only the ball of her left foot on the ground and arches a brow, slowly turning her head in the direction of the sound.
Laura glances down at her right hand and then shoves the rest of the sausage into her mouth all at once. She drops the paper tray it was on on the ground aslowly makes her way toward the door. Laura reaches for the handle only to find that it has been twisted into something which more resembles a prestzel. Discretely, Adamantium claws slip out and slice through the twisted metal to allow the porta to swing freely.
The young woman spends a moment surveying the people inside, her eyes casting between Emma, Lorna, and then the completely oblivious crowd of people surrounding them. Something isn't right here. She resolves to watch and see what it is.
*
Breathe. Breathe. In. Out. In. Hold. Exhale. Emma had dealt with Lorna being overly emotional before. The only difference now was that the young mutant had the ability to destroy buildings at the supports and knock around tanks. Before it had only been paperclips. But the same lessons had been instilled in her mind. The same calming lessons that Emma had first taught her when Lorna had found out her parents weren't her parents. When she'd found out that they had lied to her all these years..
The metal shivered, dancing for a moment in the air before it came crashing down to earth with a sudden clang. Lorna shuddered a breath, her shoulders held high and tense, her hands curled into tight fists as she struggled to reign in her temper and her powers along with it. It was growing harder and harder to do each day. The negative emotions had been what she was drawing on so often these days. It was only natural for her powers to react so violently, defensively even.
Emma had poked a spot, with accuracy that only telepaths had. And the results were clear as day.
Her eyes slipped shut and the green haired mutant found stillness. It was then that she noted the familiar mixture of adamantium in the doorway. Her senses already spread out wide and at full alert. Green eyes snapped open and settled on Laura. Her lips parted and then shut. What could she possibly say?
*
"…good." Emma says, soothingly, as the metal falls in a clatter of sound. "Very good. You haven't forgotten." Her tone suggests she expected nothing less…and she doesn't say anything about the damage. The coffee here wasn't THAT good, anyway.
However, when Lorna turns to look at the girl at the door, Emma's gaze goes to the other girl as well, then sharpens as she focuses on her. She can feel this is someone Lorna knows, from her reactions. That's all that keeps Emma from immediately adding Laura to her sphere of 'ignore the magnokinetic' she has going.
"….perhaps we should step outside to the park across the way. And you can introduce me to your…friend?" Emma says, lowering her hands from Lorna's shoulders, her eyes flicking back to her from Laura.
*
"Alright," Laura replies slowly, looking between the two women in front of her. Then she nods once and turns to wlak back toward the door. Shetakes a deep breath as she moves, the one concession she make to her own uncertainty about the situation.
"I will meet you there." Laura pauses and then reachesq out a hand otward one of the oblviious patrons before thinking better of it, shrugging, and continuing to walk. Just like that she exits the shop once more, this time with her destination being the park that is situationed nearby. Once she reaches the park Laura quickly situations herself cross-legged on the grass.
AT some point in the interim Laura acquired some roasted meat on a wooden skewer. No one seems to have noticed at least.
*
Lorna didn't respond to the compliment about remembering how to calm herself. It was there, like an old muscle that she'd ignored. Alone and panicked she hadn't had the ability nor the desire to want to calm herself. It took that reminder, firm and unrelenting to grasp for that control once more. She blinked, still shuddering with rough inhales and exhales as Emma spoke about going to the park.
Mechnically, Lorna went, walking as if in an exhausted daze. She'd go back to the cafe later and fix the destruction she'd wrought.. later..
Still, they arrived without incident to the park. And Lorna collapsed down to sit bonelessly, by Laura. The stick of meeting going unquestioned. Laura was always hungry. It was natural.
Just as much as the green haired mutant was now exhausted from giving into the anger that had fueled the explosion of her powers.
*
There's the basic problem of the parkbench…plenty of room to sit, but not to face the person you're talking to. Luckily, there's a statue right by said bench of some famous terrier of some sort, so Emma just perches on the stone base, then nods to Laura, to give Lorna a moment. "I'm Emma Frost. A pleasure." she says, retreating back to her usual faint haughtiness before someone she doesn't know as well. Though she's certaining listening to Laura, so to speak, mentally, especially emotions here. Her eyes don't flick to Lorna…she can sense her after all. And right now, she's giving her a moment to recover from what was obviously a bit of a breakthrough for her in terms of needing to get emotions out.
*
Laura's emotions are simple enough to itnerpret. Casual wariness, vague curiosity, concern for her friend. It's all there. SHe might behave dismissively toward Emma- for example, the girl doesn't bother to introduce herself- but she isn't actually ignoring the woman by any means.Far from it, in fact. Still, the introduction goes largely unacknowledged in favour of Laura turning her wide eyes onto Lorna and studying her features for a moment.
For a second Laura bites her bottom lip but rather than acutally verbalize she holds out a hand. It contains a stick of meat.
*
The green haired mutant only vaugely noticed the silence between Laura and Emma after Emma's introduction. Her head hung slightly forward, and she reached up to comb her fingers through her mussed locks. The magnetic fields that had been lifting and dropping metal always tangled the green tresses to the point that Lorna had given up trying to keep up with her long hair.
Still, the silent offer of a stick of meat had Lorna cracking a tired smile toward Laura. Their friendship had never been about talking or sharing overly. Just that steady, silent support for one another. The implication that the other mutant was willing to even offer the meat was a feat in and of itself and Lorna took it with all the care of being offered a scepter of gold.
"Thanks Laura." She flashed the young woman a tired smile as she nibbled at the edge of the meat stick. Her green eyes flickering back to Emma Frost briefly. "Laura's a friend I met when I was hanging out around Central Park a while back. She's got.." The same skeletal structure as Logan and Daken and how badly that freaked Lorna out? How Laura had once mentioned that men in labcoats weren't to be trusted and understood Lorna's own issues so much because of her own expierence? Not that they'd talked all that much. But still. Lorna knew vaugely what had to be done to have adamantium on one's bones. It wasn't pleasant from what she'd heard.
*
The offer to Lorna does get some points on Emma's side of things. And she has a name - Laura. Not someone she recognizes, but then, there are a lot of mutants in Mutant Town. She hmmms as Lorna trails off rather than explaining, then nods slightly. "Well. Nice to meet you Laura. Especially if you've been taking care of Lorna a bit while she's been on her own." She crosses her legs absently, leaning back on her hands. From what she's seen, Lorna has badly been in need of a friend.
She quiets for a moment, then sighs. "You need to let this out Lorna. It's not healthy for you. It's affecting your control, but more than that, it's poisonous. Talking can help. If not to me…" She motions to Laura. "Perhaps to her."
*
Laura blinks, arching a brow at the suggestion that she talk about anything. She casts her gaze briefly between Emma and Lorna, then shrugs once. Afterward the girl gives a nod and scoots back on the bench. She is short henough her legs dangle slightly when she's all the way back. The girl rests herh ands on her knees, watching as Lorna eats the stick of meat she'd handed over to her. She screws up her mouth into something like a thoughtful frown and then shifts her weight slightly, first left then right.
"What happened?" Laura finally asks.
*
Lorna grimaced as she shot Emma a glance, and bit back a frown. "I am fine. I just had a slip. It's nothing." She grumbled, continuing to nibble at the edges of the meat. It was something to get her energy up at least. Her focus returned to Laura and Lorna forced another smile. "See? I'm fine. I don't do that whole talking thing anymore."
A mental voice of someone that had long since contorted with her own depressive, self loathing scolded her to shut up and listen. To stop being selfish and making everything about her. She closed her eyes, when she was tired it was always worse.
She wasn't entirely sure how she was going to handle patroling the outskirts of Mutant Town tonight. Maybe she'd have a beer or two to chase away those mental demons. It made using her powers chancy..
Better not to think on that too much in Emma's presence either.
*
Julie is just coming out of the Eight Ball, shrugging on a leather jacket, and glancing up and down the street. She takes a diagonal across the street toward a mildly-hopped up, if slightly timeworn little old Studebaker pickup truck, before glancing up and down the street, as a bit of an afterthought, perhaps. She hrms, takes a polished clutch bearing out of her pocket, and just holds it in her hand, waving it around and hrming. She decides to take a little walk, stuffing her hands in her pockets, looking around for someone, perhaps.
*
Emma lets out an unladylike snort. "What did I say about trying to snow me, honey?" she says, frowning at Lorna. "If there's anyone here who accurately is going to know exactly how you feel, it's going to be me. Both from experience and…other things." she says, deciding not to bring up precisely what she can do with Laura quite yet. "It's -not- nothing. And obviously not talking is part of the issue. You're not letting these things out, and holding them in only amplifies them over time."
The icy blonde shakes her head slightly. "At least talk to someone you trust? If not me, then her. I understand if you don't trust me right now." she says, her voice steady. "I left. And I wasn't here when you needed someone. That's my fault." She leans forwards "It's unhealthy. And being self-reliant does not mean you never reach out for help when you might need it. Only that you don't depend on others for knowing what you need or getting things done." She glances over at Julie, taking in the jacket as the girl walks their way, idly reaching out with her powers, in case she needs to turn her away. Or just make her not notice the trio.
*
Lorna's lips twisted, the mental thought of 'I don't trust anyone' was quite clear no matter how hard she tried to squelch it down. She grimaced and finished off the meat stick, and twisted around to chuck the little wooden bit into the trash can behind her.
Lorna rubbed her face with an irritated sigh dragging from her lips as she pushed herself up to stand. "Talking it out doesn't work, Miss Frost. I tried that. It just makes me angry and I destroy stuff. Okay? It doesn't 'get out' or anything. It just makes things worse. Okay? Okay. I'm.. I'm going. I've gotta do.. things. Walk. Patrol. Whatever." She muttered, waving a hand. Just as stubborn as her father, if not more so.
"It was nice to see you again."
*
Julie seems to perhaps catch the glance, but Lorna's hair and the lady in white do stand out a bit. She gives a broad wave, then, and hops onto and over an old iron fence into the park, and coming toward the group, her usual smile a bit tentative in case she's interrupting something. Decides, maybe that's an OK idea anyway, and says, "Hey, Lorna. Ms. Frost, how's it going?" Her accent's local, and for mutant noses, she smells somewhat of automobiles. "Hope I'm not barging in on something."
*
"That depends who you talk to. It helps if they give a damn." Emma says, a bit tartly, then glances over as Julie calls out, before sending to Lorna. <And don't think I'm going to let you go in this. We will have this discussion again.> she promises, in this Sword of Damocles sort of 'we will talk' sort of way.
"Miss Bottero. You're far from the mansion today." she says, a bit neutrally. Still a bit irritable about how Lorna's been treated, or more precisely, abandoned apparently by those at the mansion who should have been looking after her. "Were you looking for Lorna?"
*
It wasn't particularly anyone's fault that Lorna had slipped through the cracks. The green haired mutant had very carefully set it up that way. She had told her father she was taking a semester off. She'd quietly moved out of the mansion, telling others that she was moving in with her father for a while. A careful telepath could've caught on when Magneto left and Lorna's intentions to leave permanently.. but then again. She had avoided Charles and Emma hadn't been there.
It was only now that Emma was back that anyone had even been able to pin down the green haired mutant to get anything out of her.
Even so, Lorna grimaced, and offered a vague wave toward Julie. "No, I was just leaving. Nice to see you around Diz." She offered, forced a smile and made to stalk off. A wrinkle of her nose the only outward sign that Emma's words had had an impact on her. Though she at least didn't mentally grumble. She knew better.
*
Julie nods, "Just heard she was still in town, I kinda help some of the neighborhood kids with a bit of schooling around here. Got talking to this big guy Leonard, says he's some kind of shrink looking for the Hulk. Mentioned you might be on patrol after some of the trouble around here lately, guess he wants to talk to youse, Lorna, for whatever reason." Sighs a bit, though, looking a bit saddened she's off again so quick. "Anyhow, why don't you give a call some time. They got me filling in at Uncle Sal's some this weekend, and I'll be… maybe staying in town."
*
Emma regards Julie intently for a moment, not leaving her perch on the edge of the statue platform she's sitting on. "Have you been checking in on Lorna, Miss Bottero? She seems in need of some friends." An understatement, coming from the telepath who is now well aware just how depressed and possibly self-destructive Lorna is becoming. "I understand she left the school for a time, but I assumed that someone was checking on a student living off campus."
*
Julie shrugs a little. "Yeah, I figure she could. She's a lot closer to some others, really, I don't always hear where she's at. She had a real hard time just lately, guessed she might be off with Kaleb somewhere. Guess she knows i'd just try and cheer her up or something, but she ain't called."
*
Laura watches as Lorna departs and frosn faintly. Her eyews drop toward the gorund in front of her but she doesn't say anything. Julie is examined briefly ut Laura stays silent, as is her way. She chooses to instead tear a hunk of meat off of the skewer she is holding using her teth. Food is always ap riority, and a good excuse to avoid speaking.
*
Emma voice sharpen. "No. She apparently is not. As far as I can tell, she's convinced herself no one cares. Not to mention she's been living all this time…" She shakes her head sharply, getting to her feet. "Perhaps -you- should call her, if she's not contacting you the other way. And who exactly is this Kaleb?" she says with a frown.
Her eyes shift to Laura. Another person she doesn't know, but she can't tell if her silence is simply shyness or a laconic nature. But after that, well…she is suddenly quite intent on finding out if anyone else is having similar issues. At least partially out of guilt…she trusted her students to Xavier, and then left for a while…and the first one she meets on returning has severe emotional trauma.
She is less than pleased.
"Laura, are you a student with Miss Bottero as well?" She'd use her last name too, but she doesn't know it…though she's very much considering probing around at this rate.
*
Julie nods her head, there. "She didn't leave a number, but there's been some pretty-traumatizing stuff this year. Kaleb's her boyfriend, he got taken by these… Well, some group of rich people been abducting mutants and experimenting on them. They was …selling her to some other group, I guess, when we rescued her. Haven't heard much from them since; maybe Lorna's Dad messed em up that bad, but I bet it ain't that easy." She let's Laura speak for herself, that way, at least if inclined.
*
Laura listens patiently as Julie and Emma converse, finishing off her meat skewer and then tossing the stick into the grass beside her. She rubs her greasy fingerso n her jeans and settles back against the beach, her feet still swaying where they can't quite touch the ground in front of her.
Finally all eyes are on Laura and she watches for a second to confirm they are expecting her to take the next word. Soshe answers Emma's question directly, "No." Apparently Laura thinsk that's sufficient as a response because it takes her a moment to elaborate. Finally she adds, "I do not attend any classes. The Professor invited me to visit."
*
Emma's gaze sharpens again. Kidnapping? There's a brief surge of guilt before she fights it down, none of it showing on her face. "And how long ago was this?" she asks, before turning her attention back to Laura. "Ah…so you live here, in Mutant Town?" Her eyes flick down Laura's clothes, looking for signs of neglect…it wouldn't be the first time she founds a mutant teen living on the streets, doing whatever they needed to survive. Though she doesn't get that impression at all from this girl. She's far too quietly confident.
*
Julie nods, she seems… rather peeved at the mysterious abductors, herself, but she seems to keep a lid on that in her own way. "Been a couple months. I been, just, ah, working on some school transportation after that last one, in case we need that." She glances back toward Laura, goes for a little extra gregariousness, "Well, I hope maybe you turn up more often, then. They call me Dizzy. Well, except teachers, mostly, but that's school for ya."
*
Laura shrugs at the question from Emma, tilting her head as she does so. "I live nearby," shereplies simply. Laura's clothing issturdy but also somewhat worn. Jacket, older jeans that are slightly faded, t-shirt. Shecould be on the street. There are moderately wlel sewn gashes in her sleeves that some apparently attempted to patch incorreclty. Dark eyes shift to Julie and she studies the woman for a moment. "X-23," she replies slowly. "Is what they usually call me. I might - visit more frequently. Have you seen Logan arounnd the school recently…?"
*
Emma Frost says, "@emit
That draws a raised brow from Emma. "…X-23?" she says slowly, frowning. An experimental number? Surely not one of these mutants being kidnapped and rescued, she hopes. She'd like to think they at least took her to one of the safehouses she knows Xavier has around the city. "I need to visit myself." she muses. "Soon." Because she's putting it off a bit and she realizes that. "I've things to deal with out here, first." She tilts her head. "Logan?" she says curiously.
"
*
That draws a raised brow from Emma. "…X-23?" she says slowly, frowning. An experimental number? Surely not one of these mutants being kidnapped and rescued, she hopes. She'd like to think they at least took her to one of the safehouses she knows Xavier has around the city. "I need to visit myself." she muses. "Soon." Because she's putting it off a bit and she realizes that. "I've things to deal with out here, first." She tilts her head. "Logan?" she says curiously.
*
Julie ahs. Eyebrows rise a bit at the unusual name. "Ah, yeah, he's around, been keeping to himself maybe more than usual, I guess." She does glance over to Emma, there, too. She hrms. "I guess I could say you was asking after him? So's you know, someone was around a few months ago, asked if I knew a girl by that name. I kinda figured him for some gumshoe type at best, so's I wouldn't have said anything if I knew you, but so's you know."
*
"…No, it's okay. I can go see him tomorrow," Laura respondss quietly to Julie's statement regarding Logan, using what is thus far the longest string of words she has put together. She licks her lips briefly, shifting her weight left and then right, her expression one of careful thought. She seems to be settling in comfortably, right to the point where Julie mentions someone asking after her. Laura's eyes widen slightly and she slowly looks between Emma and Julie, then back. "A couple months ago?" She asks then, tilting her head to the left as she does. "…Alright." She tenses slightly and then comes to her feet. "I'll visit the school tomorrow," the girl states plainly as she makes to leave.
*
Emma considers. "…someone is looking for you, Laura?" she says slowly. "Would you feel better if you had an escort there, tomorrow? If I must visit, I wouldn't mind accompanying you to speak to Professor XAvier…or others." she allows. "If nothing else, I can give you a ride there."
*
Julie nods. "Well, that sounds good. I might just go back tomorrow for a while, if I need a drive, too. I guess it depends, but hey. Maybe I'll seeya."
*
Laura turns back long enough to give Julie a quick nod, then adjusts her attention to settle on Emma. "No. No rides," she states simply, shaking her head as she does. It looks like Laura is about to say more but then she turns on her heel and quickly strides toward the entrance of the park. She'll be out of sight in a few seocnds if she isnt' stopped.
*
Emma doesn't stop Laura, sensing her unease. Well, perhaps that was a bit too much of an offer from a stranger, admittedly. She sighs, then peers at Julie. "If you wish, I can…though I thought you had your own car these days?" she asks curiously.
*
Julie nods. "Oh, yeah, sure do. Actually got one of the school cars in town, this week, still breaking in the new mills on the things, …pretty brand new, may as well do that right. You can thank Warren for the brand new part; I just been doing some extra setting em up." She points at the little tow truck across the way. "I usually bring one of the shop trucks when I come here, they don't stand out so much, and I gotta go mind the pumps a while after this." Looks where Laura goes. "Guess she's a bit skittish, too, wouldn't be the first." She looks up toward Emma again, "Anyway, good to see you back around, too," she says, though, well, really, Emma's a bit intimidating. "Kinda hope Lorna's getting through her thing, maybe we can make sure to send a little extra help around any given night, if she's patrolling for more trouble."
*
"Please do." Emma says firmly. "She needs to be reminded that her friends care about her. I'll talk to her more. When she's had time to calm down a bit." she says softly, then frowns fter Laura. Hmm. Part of the reason she actually purchased a condo here was to give a place for young mutants to shelter off the street…but she's not sure if Laura needs that or not yet. With a faint sigh, she nods to Julie. "I'll let you get back to what you were dong then, Miss Bottero. But I'll see you at the school too, I'm sure." She smiles thinly. "I'll be along tomorrow, if not before."
With an idle wave, she saunters towards the opposite end of the park from where Laura left. "Have a good day."
*
Julie nods, glancing around, then, with a little salute for Emma as she goes. "Seeya later, then, Ms. Frost," she says, and heads toward the little tow truck, and firing that up shortly thereafter.