10401/Questions and Thoughts

Questions and Thoughts
Date of Scene:	11 December 2019
Location:	Lorna's Room (North Halls); Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Blink goes to talk with Lorna about a few things related to Genosha and the X-Men.
Cast of Characters:	Polaris, Blink

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Polaris has posed:
Lorna had been trying to balance her work life in Genosha with her royal duties and her more personal life... and her ties to the X-men. Mostly Roberto, as she'd pulled away from X-men duties and responsibilities. The Princess was pushing herself again when she was barely there emotionally, it was difficult with the time changes for her to maintain the same level of dedication that was expected of her everywhere she wanted to be.

Though she'd unofficially moved out of the school and into Roberto's Manhattan apartment, she hadn't fully moved out, and took the time to clear her head for a while. Short though that while might be.

Lorna sat on her bed, playing some video or other detailing the news from Genosha off her phone as she flicked through other various emails and messages that were sent her way.

Blink has posed:
When called on duty so as to serve as bodyguard Blink is always present but then..., she has been absent in other times. Perhaps needing her own space and time. Spending so much time here at Xavier's school has certainly been making her consider a few things, musing her thoughts over conversations had some time ago.

She had decided to come talk with Lorna, perhaps for advice and so, after enough procrastination, she finally does so.

A knock is heard on the door and then the familiar voice, "Hey, it's me. You in today?"

Polaris has posed:
The door swung open under Lorna's direction, a simple wave of her hand and it opened up to the former Master Suite of the Mansion. It seemed oddly fitting that Lorna had ended up with the suite, given that a few short years after moving in she had become a Princess of an island nation. It was almost as if the Professor had expected something from her.

Either way, Clarice found the green haired woman reclined on the bed and she clicked her phone off after a moment's pause, setting it down and bumping along to the side immediately after. "Hey, what's up?"

Blink has posed:
"Saves having a butler at your whim and service to open your doors.." Blink murmurs when the door opens like that, tone clearly playful. It might even had been creepy were they not at Xavier's. No ghosts here! (Probably.) She makes her way in, dressed in just a pair of jeans and a shirt, the long jacket over it.

"Hello, Lorna." Then a genuine smile for her friend, she closing the door behind her. "I am good, checking on you. It's been a little time since we have met and all that." casual talk, too casual perhaps, which most likely means she hasn't something she wants to talk with the Princess.

Polaris has posed:
Lorna sat on the edge of the bed and smiled weakly, "Yeah it does make life easier that way, so long as the metal on the door knobs is actually magnetic.." She drawled and shrugged once, as she got up to properly greet her friend and bodyguard. She gestured to the mini-fridge she kept on hand in her room here.

"Can I get you anything to drink? Soda? Tea? Water?" She smiled and reached down to grab herself a bottle of water. She was bundled up in a thick sweater, clearly too used to the tropics of Genosha to bare the winter of New York without thick layers of cloth.

"I hope I haven't been causing you too much trouble, bouncing between Genosha and New York as much as I have..."

Blink has posed:
"Water." Clarice replies, stepping close to the fridge to pick one up herself. She pops open the bottle to take a drink, "Just came back from Genosha." perhaps it explains the more sparse clothing. There's always that question about the jet lag though. Maybe she developped an internal clock of her own.

She moves to sit down on one edge of the bed, maybe having already gone past the point of having to ask for permission, "And there's no trouble, no matter how others may try to create them." a crooked grin coming up to her lips, perhaps recalling their meeting with Emma Frost. She runs one hand through her purple hair, thoughtful, then asks. "After you move to New York, have you thought about your next step?"

Polaris has posed:
Lorna laughed softly about people causing trouble and grinned as she sat on the bed beside Clarice and sipped at her water herself, she set it aside after a moment however and grimaced at the comment about her moving to New York. "I'm not really moving there full time you know. I still have duties to Genosha. I have the Council and my father that require me on the island more often than not. I can't skip out on those duties, even if it's just as Princess and heir. There are still expectations... even if I end up spending the night at Roberto's.." And Magneto definitely did not approve of the dating at all. He had raged, and now referred to Roberto Da Costa as 'that man'.

Roberto didn't approve of Magneto's regime in Genosha, nor of the monarchy and Lorna's part in it.. their relationship was complicated to say the least..

Blink has posed:
Blink doesn't seem the type to sip. She chugs that water down thirstily. Exploring means she is most likely always drinking her gallons of water. Those bright green eyes stay on Lorna, watching her expressions, nodding slowly. She understands that well, now Magneto can be difficult to deal with, and the expectations he has of everyone, "It's not easy to accept what we do, what we are. But it also doesn't mean that supporting Genosha, being part of it, is all we are. We can be more, can't we?" the tone of that last question almost as if she was asking to both she and Lorna.

"I have all these powers and sometimes I don't think I am using them in a very productive manner."

Polaris has posed:
Lorna inclined her head, " I get that, I really do. But.." She sighed, grimacing and biting her lower lip, "I dunno. I have a duty to the crown, to Genosha... to the mutants that need a safe place to live and grow.. If I don't do these things, who will? Certainly not my siblings. They want nothing to do with my father. And I can't blame them entirely for that either.. but mutants //need// a place to call home, don't we?" She grimaced, and looked to Clarice.

"I was with the X-men here straight out of high school, I thought I might be doing something to make the world better.. but it felt like a never ending hamster wheel that never solved anything, not truly. My work in Genosha makes me feel that way though.. So I can't abandon it. Even if I think using my powers there is a waste of time.."

Blink has posed:
Oh, she is a believer alright, so that question makes Clarice bob her head without hesitation. "We do, and that's what we are doing in Genosha. Making it so we -can- have a safe place, where the past won't happen again. Whatever it takes." that last part her tone grows a bit harder but then again.., her past is no secret to Lorna.

When the conversation turns to the X-men she creases her brows, lips pursed in thought, "I didn't mean that I don't feel productive doing what I do in Genosha, or with you, just that .., there could be more." then a moment of silence before she finally continues, "I was talking with Rogue a while back, she was talking about being out there, helping people. Being a hero, you know? Or trying to, at least. It mirrored some of my thoughts, but you are putting a few things in a perspective that I hadn't really considered.. Do you really think the X-men can't be part of our solution?"

Polaris has posed:
Lorna exhaled a breath, her lips pursed together, "I don't think that the X-men is the only way to help other mutants, what we do here is important ... but it's flawed. A drop in the bucket of helping mutants compared to the global reach of Genosha. I.. I don't think my father's way is entirely productive, the Brotherhood or whatever he was up to before.. I didn't and don't support that.. but it did give us Genosha. It gave us a starting point." She reached up and ran her fingers through her hair.

"It just doesn't feel enough to me. It never does. Our people suffer and die every day for who they are.. and there are constant threats. I believe that we do need people like the X-men, heroes.. like the Avengers.. But I don't think its all we have. And it no longer feels like enough to me. Not after I've worked for so long and hard to help Genosha. Our people need more than a handful of heroes to stem the tide of hatred against us."

Blink has posed:
"I was a part of the Brotherhood." Blink says, not really one to hide things from Lorna, taking the final gulp from her bottle of water and then resting her elbows on her knees, "Not in those early, early days, but close to the end. Yes, it was violent but ..." she trails off. Can she really justify what they did? Not really, even if she wasn't one of those active, deadly members like her mentor Sabretooth. "... no, those weren't good things."

Eyes stay on the ground a moment, thoughtful, listening to Lorna's words before finally replying, "We need a society. To belong somewhere. Though in the same way I think one person can make a difference, like you do, or your father. That handful of heroes too."

"You are still part of the X-men, aren't you?"

Polaris has posed:
Lorna inclined her head, "I know, and so were Wanda and Pietro, and I don't hold what they did against them. Nor you. You did what you felt was right at the time, and while I didn't always agree with the methods... I can't argue with the results that what the Brotherhood and my father did... well, like I said. We have Genosha now." She exhaled a breath.

"Now we have to face the consequences of the world either hating and fearing us for what happened. Few people will deal with my father in the international community. They're only willing to speak with me, or promise alliances with me." She reached up and pressed the heel of her hand against her forehead.

"I have to watch everything I do. I can't run around and be part of a secret hero team like the X-men and not have people question it. What's the Princess of Genosha doing with the X-men? How are they tied together? What's that mean for Genosha? For the X-men? I have to be careful about how that will reflect on our people." She grimaced, and glanced toward Clarice.

"I'm too well known to get into serious antics and break laws to do the right thing anymore. Even if yes.. I am part of the X-men still. Technically.."

Blink has posed:
Being the rather carefree spirit with, admittedly, very little responsibilities until becoming a bodyguard to Lorna makes Blink watch the Royal in a new light. She knew the Title limited her, but not that those shackles ran so deep, "It's a lot to put on your shoulders, it is true. But as you said before, who else will do it? Though don't you think it could also bring you to a good light? Working with the X-Men?" she questions, lips jerked to the side in thought, one hand raking through her purple hair.

"Knowing that the Princess of Genosha doesn't only battle in the negotiation meetings but also out there?" then an exhale, a pause, and finally, "I am asking all this because these last few days I had been considering joining the X-Men." eyes on Lorna to watch her reaction.

Polaris has posed:
Lorna exhaled a breath and let her hands fall away, a faint smile on her lips. "Oh, yes.. for some things, it's publically very fitting that I go and help out. But there's plenty of things the X-men do that are technically illegal in the name of helping mutants. It just depends on what it is and how the mission is going.. which can end badly at the drop of a hat. I have to be careful though regardless."

A pause followed as Clarice spoke of joining the X-men and Lorna's smile widened, "Good for you, I'm sure they would love to have you here and I'm sure you'll make a great addition to the team." She reached out for the other mutant, making to pat her shoulder lightly, if allowed. "You were wasted playing my bodyguard. I'm boring."

Blink has posed:
"Well, the Brotherhood still exists." Blink notes, thoughtful. "And sometimes they still go out..., it's not good publicity for Genosha either but..." The pat on her shoulder isn't refused, in fact she smiling faintly at it. Then a shake of her head. "I don't want to stop with my duties to Genosha, and to you. It's more about wanting to help and since we do spend a lot of time here I thought I should give something back..." then a small shrug of her shoulders, but then her usual crooked grin comes to her expression, she waggling a finger. "You are not getting rid of me that easily!"

Polaris has posed:
Lorna's lips pursed briefly, the Brotherhood was still around, yes.. but they'd been quiet. Without her father of Mystique actively taking the reigns of power things had... well, thing hadn't quite gotten as bad as they had been years before. Which was all well and good, but also gave Lorna pause. Still, Blink's words earned a grin and a laugh from the green haired mutant.

"Aww, darnit, and here I was hoping I'd get a bodyguard that couldn't keep up with me." She teased, and shook her head. "You'll fit in here just fine. And Roberto and I are both part of the team here, even if I'm not spending as much time physically here in the Mansion as I used to." She mused.

"Let me know if you ever need anything Clarice in terms of help here, training or anything. I'll do whatever I can to help."

Blink has posed:
"I can read right through you it seems..." But the teasing on Clarice's tone mirrors Lorna's and she smiles then, more openly, at least that she seems to accept that she can be a part of the team, not dragged by her less honorable time with the Brotherhood. She gets up to her feet, hands brushing over her the front of her pants in a telltale anxious gesture, exhaling softly. "Thank you for the talk, and the confidence boost. We should get some training going soon, yes. It's been a while since I had a good workout. Vicky is busy all the time." but we won't tell Sabretooth we just called him Vicky.

A step forward and then she rests one hand on Lorna's shoulder if she allows it, saying. "I will be going for now, take care, we will talk again soon."

Polaris has posed:
Lorna smiled up at Clarice as the other mutant climbed off the bed and stood. She arched a brow, and as her friend settled a hand on her shoulder, Lorna allowed it, only faintly shrugging the other in response. "I'll be about, and I'll shoot you a text if I need a portal taxi back to the island, yeah? I've gotta deal with the Council sometime again. They're constantly pestering me about things.." She heaved a sigh, but remained smiling.

"We can spar anytime and get some training in for sure."