6294/Couch Holding Down

Couch Holding Down
Date of Scene:	27 January 2019
Location:	Salem Center
Synopsis:	Bobby and Lorna try to mend their friendship and end up getting an unexpected third wheel.
Cast of Characters:	Iceman, Polaris, Cyclops

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Iceman has posed:
Last night, Bobby blew it. And he knows he blew it. Even the best of intentions tends to blow up in his face. Of course, go ahead and put that on his tombstone as his epitath.

'He had good intentions.'

Sitting at one end of the plush couches, Bobby's curled up against it. He has a blanket pulled around him and he has a book open that he's reading over at the moment.

Though to keep white noise going and perhaps to prevent him from going to sleep, he has the TV on, and its set to some Sci-Fi flick from the 1950s. Don't ask him the title, he probably doesn't know.

Polaris has posed:
A creak on the floor boards followed, and Lorna walked into the room. She was dressed, and well awake, almost even chipper as she walked. She was on her phone, chatting away with someone in a rapid fire manner. A pint of chocolate ice cream was held in one hand and a spoon floated along beside her. Her boots were high heeled and they clicked against the floor as she walked, strong and attention getting.

Her steps slowed as she caught sight of the TV on, and she blinked, her gaze swinging around to land on Bobby's blanket wrapped figure on the couch. She tilted her head, arching a brow as she considered him. "I'll have to call you back. No, no. It's fine. No, it's not serious. Yeah, no." She laughed at whoever was on the other end of the phone happened to say. Her lips curling into a smirk.

"I'll call you later. Yeah. Bye." She hung up, tucking away her phone as she made her way over to the couch, grabbing up the spoon with a twirl of her finger tips.

"Most people don't try to read a book with the TV on."

Iceman has posed:
Hearing the clack of boots on wood did get Bobby's attention. He just didn't bother to look up, especially when he heard the voice. It made him cringe slightly internally, but he steels himself as he hears the end of the conversation and Lorna's approach.

On the screen of the TV, there's a guy dressed in very bad wolf makeup trying to chase after a girl, who would probably be screaming her head off if Bobby didn't have it set to mute.

His attention lifts from the book - a math book, he's studying up - to Lorna and he chuckles. "Had to catch up on my work. Been so busy with.." he hand waves absently, "..with everything that I fell behind. I heard we took out the fake Rogue last night." comes the response, before his attention returns to Lorna. "You alright?"

Polaris has posed:
A shrug and Lorna shifted her weight on her heels, her hips swaying from side to side in consideration as she ran her gaze over Bobby's figure, down to the book and back. She quirked an eyebrow upward, and spooned out a lump of chocolate ice cream onto her spoon. "Why wouldn't I be?" She paused and reached up a hand to comb green locks backward. The bruises from where she'd been hit up side the head from the rock on the previous mission were healing at least. Nothing further had happened in the tangle after the Imposter-Rogue.

"I mean, sure I'm technically concussed, but it's not that bad I guess. Staying off my phone or staring at the sun and all."

Iceman has posed:
"Well, besides taking a rock upside the head?" Bobby asks, a smirk rising up slightly, but it's tinged with concern. "Staying off your phone, huh. I guess you were talking to a ghost a moment ago?" he asks her teasingly. But he's moving to sit up more formally, giving her room if she wants to take a seat.

"So, how are you?" Yes, he just asked that question, and it's lame, but he's trying to find a starting point.

Polaris has posed:
A dusty hint of rose colored Lorna's cheeks and she shook her head, "Not staring at the screen. Talking on the phone is entirely different I'll have you know." She drawled, and dipped her spoon back into the pint of chocolate ice cream. "The concussion chart that they gave me said to avoid looking at screens or trying to read. So, it's a good thing I'm not working on school work anymore." She shrugged and avoided looking directly at Bobby as he asked how she was. She took another bite of ice cream before she held out the spoon toward him.

"Well I'm not hiding out on a couch with a math book alone trying to be responsible. So there's that..?"

Iceman has posed:
Bobby eyes the ice cream, as if not sure she's trying to taunt him with it or offer it to him. He doesn't know which option to go with. He finally decides to glance aside to Lorna and then the spoon as he moved to close the book. "Just needed to catch up on some things. And you know.. clear my head."

Finally, as he has the book closed, he rests his hands on top of it. "I've been a total pain to you, Lorna. And I hurt you. And that was never my intention." he admits with a sigh of breath. "I just saw you for the first time in a long time, and a whole lot of feelings came rushing in, and I let it all overwhelm me."

"For what it's worth, I know you're nothing like your father. You're awesome, and smart.. and you're good. Really good for Genosha. And I was being a selfish ass."

Polaris has posed:
A shrug and Lorna held out the pint of chocolate out to Bobby in silence as he spoke and closed his book. "Yeah, well I wasn't much help." She offered dryly, "I'm just a crazy bitch, I know. Comes with the powers." She leaned back on the couch, crossing her legs beneath her as she fell silent for a long moment, trying to puzzle over her feelings on the subject on how she felt these days.

A sigh escaped her and she shook her head, "For what it's worth, your fears aren't that far off the mark. Most people feel that way, or want me to be like him. Two extremes, and both of them based off who my father is." She grimaced and pushed her hair back from her features, curls falling through her fingers and springing back around her ears as she moved.

Iceman has posed:
"Lorna Dane, one thing.. two things you are not are crazy or a bitch." Bobby sits up at that as if she had just kicked him. "Look, we may never figure this out and things may always be awkward, but dammit, Lorna - you are spectacular. You are brilliant. And you are far braver than I'll ever be. And that probably scares me the most. You're willing to take those chances that I probably never will." he admits.

He turns to face her fully. "You really must have a concussion to wonder if I'd ever think that of you." Noticing the bruise more properly now, he reaches up, cooling his hand to hover it over the wound, not directly touching her. "Look at all you've done. You've helped bring Genosha into the light. You have stepped up to lead - even standing up to your father if you need to. You're something special, Lorna." And he's so not worthy of her.

"I'm gonna get in some fresh air, you want to come with?"

Polaris has posed:
A roll of her eyes followed and Lorna slowly shook her head, "Bobby, I'm not--" She trailed off, heaving a sigh as Bobby reached out with a chilled hand to her bruises. Her eyes fluttered shut and she tilted her head slightly toward the chill. It was comforting against the dull throb of her head. It was there, dull and demanding when she actually bothered to think about it.

Self pity wasn't something she wanted to deal with though, and as Bobby offered to go out she nodded.

"Yeah.. sure. Lets get out of here."

Iceman has posed:
It took some time for Lorna and Bobby to get ready, but they finally got an Uber ride to the park. He's got a couple of pair of ice skates to take advantage of the frozen pond. "You ever been ice skating?" he asks Lorna. They're not terribly close together - but they are in proximity of each other, and not yelling - so that's a start, right?

"I usually use the lake at the school, but with everything that's happened, I didn't think you would want tongues wagging about the whole 'are they or aren't they' thing. And I just want to spend some time with a friend, you know?"

Polaris has posed:
A shrug and shake of her head followed. Awkward? Yes. Things had been awkward between the two of them, but Lorna was doing her best to try to smooth things out. At least, Bobby still wanted to be friends, which was a start. And doubtlessly, if they didn't figure things out, Scott would start lecturing them and demanding they do team exercises to work their problems out and it would be even //worse//.

"No, not really. I mean I tried when I was a kid, fell on my back and bruised my tail bone so bad I couldn't sit for like a week." She made a face and glanced to the ice skates that Bobby held. "Though now I can fly, so falling over is less likely to happen."

Cyclops has posed:
    The park isn't full of other people, but there are others on the ice with skates on their feet. Children, elderly, and all between. There's not really any figures that stand out and yet, there's a girl with long orange red hair that almost looks like a cape of fire off her head, but she is simply skating in the small crowd, alone. There is a PA system playing soft calm classical music allowing for the mood to be more relaxed and inviting.

Iceman has posed:
"Have you ever had to sit through one of Scott's team building exercises? Snooze-fest!" Bobby offers with a quip of a smile towards her. "There was one time, he tried to have us all have matching tooth brushes so that we could share in oral hygeine together. Floss, not just a dance from the early 2010s." he smirks, not entirely letting on if he's teasing or not.

Taking a seat on the side of the pond, he moves to put on his skates. "Try not to float too much, people may catch on, after all, you'll already be pretty enough on the ice." He points out to her as he ties down his boots and waits for Lorna to be readh before offering a be-mittened hand to her. "I'll lead. I promise I won't let you fall."

The redhead is noted, but it doesn't seem to be a real fire, so he's not saying anything yet, just watching her go. "She's really good." he notes to Lorna, gesturing to the stranger on the ice.

Polaris has posed:
Lorna shucked off her winter boots with a wave of her hand, buckles unlacing under her subtle flick of her wrist and she shot Bobby a look. "What, is it illegal to use my powers in public these days?" She challenged, arching a thin eyebrow of green. Still, she put on her skates with care and managed to keep from floating out and out. She was a cheat when it came to balance, but she did know how to be sneaky about it.

"And yes, remember I've been gone for a year Bobby, not forever. I have been through several team building exercises." She teased back as she took his mittened hand with her own gloved one. A glance followed side long to spot the girl with brilliant colored hair and a smirk crossed her features.

"I could ask her out for you? Tell her you're not an axe murderer? That's important you know, girls take that seriously."

Cyclops has posed:
    There's a couple easily in their seventies as they have silver hair with a huge puff to hers and a delicately combed look to his, and they're holding hands with a smile and a glow to their faces as soft as when they were star crossed teenagers. It's sweet really.

    There's a child with a hockey stick and she's chasing after her older brother trying to knock him over with the stick but he's skating circles around her a smile on both their faces.

    The girl with firey hair sits down on a bench not long after Bobby and Lorna get on the ice and she starts to untie her skates off her feet. Seems like she's done.

    Past Lorna skates another couple, these two wearing a letterman with red and white colors, young and handsy, kissing boldly in public like they're the only ones around.

Iceman has posed:
"You know, I may be dumb, but even I know not to ask your ex to play wingman." Bobby says with a slight smirk as he takes Lorna onto the ice, the two of them starting a lazy circuit near the snowbank in case she takes a fall.

The girl in the fire hair retreats, drawing a glance from Bobby, then a shrug as he turns his attention back to Lorna. "But you probably don't ever see snow in Genosha." he points out to her as the couple skates by and he winces for just a moment, before shaking it off. It'd be so easy to make a little bump in the ice for them to trip over.

But Bobby's not that mean.

Polaris has posed:
A snort of laughter escaped Lorna as she glided with what looked like entirely skilled grace... but was entirely based on her own magnetic powers, pushing her along and ensuring that she wouldn't topple over more than her grip on Bobby's hand. "What, I count as an ex already? Wow, I'm honored." She drawled, her voice dry as she skated along, green eyes focused on the distance between the edge of the pond and where they sped along. The other couples barely registering to her mind's eye.

"There's snow sometimes on the mountain tops. But that's about it. No snow on the rest of the island. Not really." She shrugged lightly, the cool air whipping her green curls about her face beneath her wool knit hat.

"Or ice skating.."

Cyclops has posed:
    The girl stands up and walks away from the park and off down the sidewalk, wholy unremarkable.

    The old couple continues to be sweet and cute in that elderly way.

    The young twenties couple are still off in their own hormonal land of bliss and selfishness.

    The kids skate and swipe at each other while laughing uproarously.

    From the park in walks a man with brown hair and brown eyes, and a rather cool looking sweater, in that it doesn't look like it would warm him very much. In fact, he's wearing the same outfit as Bobby, even down to the ice skates, he walks to the edge of the ice and then starts to skate around, opposite side of the pond as Bobby is guiding Lorna on.

Iceman has posed:
Bobby is keeping his eyes on their surroundings, that is before Lorna spoke up and he nearly trips on himself. "I feel like I should just live with my foot in my mouth when it comes to all this, Lorna." he admits with a frown, glancing down in a moment of self-depreciation. "I didn't mean it like that, I just.. I'm not sure how to call it. I mean.. I never.." he shrugs his shoulders. "Nevermind, it's nothing." he finally allows.

His attention turns back to his partner and that smile snaps back into place as if it never left. "You're either a terrible liar and did practice ice skating, or.."

His voice lowers in a playful rejoiner, "...maybe she's born with it, maybe it's magnetic powers."

There's no notice from Bobby of his doppleganger yet, instead his attention drawn back to Lorna and his attempt at an awkward apology distracting him for a moment.

Polaris has posed:
Lorna shot Bobby a look, her expression sardonic as she watched him fumble for the right words, "Geeze Bobby, chill out. I'm giving you a hard time." She teased, pun and all. Her voice was dry and filled with humor, a sort of sarcastic and levelled tone. It was practiced, but she managed it without a hitch in her voice. Bobby was going through his own troubles, as Jubilee had point out. It was better to let him figure it out.

Still, it was easier to push her feelings out of the way as Bobby leaned in to whisper and she laughed lightly, grinning.

"Yes, I am cheating! It's so I don't end up on my ass Bobby." She continued to rely on her powers rather than actually trying to learn how to skate. It was better than fumbling all over the pond and crashing into people. As of yet, she hadn't noticed anyone else.. or cared to.

Cyclops has posed:
    The figure will mimic Bobby in every way, while on the opposite side of the pond, his hands holding up an invisible figure awkwardly with hover hand visible even against the non-figure next to him. He's skating at the same speed and with the same proficiency, mimicing the confused romantic young man.

    The couples don't seem to be bothered by the skating mutants, but the kids do notice the clonely Bobby, "Hey mister, what're you doing?" Asks the little girl, but she doesn't get an answer, or even an acknowledgement.

Iceman has posed:
Bobby pauses for a moment as they make another round. "Okay. Deal. I'll stop trying so hard to figure this out and just spend some time with you... if you let me buy the hot choclate." And before she can say no, he slips his hand from hers, leaving Lorna free on the ice as he skates to the side to head over to get their drinks.

Polaris has posed:
A tilt of her head followed as Bobby skated off with the promise of hot chocolate. She didn't particularly enjoy the thought of the sweet beverage. Not after the last time Bobby promised her hot chocolate which had led to an argument. "Bobby! No marshmellows!" She shouted after him, slowing her pace to a halt at the edge of the loop they'd made and holding her hands out at her sides, her fingers twitching as she adjusted her magnetic grip on the metal of her skates.

Her gaze swung around and slowly came to note the kids crowded around a figure opposite of where she stood. Her eyebrows furrowed and she frowned, skating toward the figure.

Cyclops has posed:
    Not long after Bobby has skated away, Bobby slides up closer to the middle of the pond, meeting Lorna about half way. He doesn't actually say anything to Lorna, but blinks once, slowly before he turns around and starts to try to skate off away from the princess.

Polaris has posed:
A frown marred Lorna's lips, her eyebrows furrowing as she stared at the Bobby mimic. "Bobby?" She called, not taking her gaze off the imposter before she skated forward, not willing to let the thing skate off to where ever it wanted. Granted, they were on a pond. Most normal people couldn't just go where ever they wanted on ice skates... But if it was like the thing that had looked like Rogue.. then it might have Bobby's powers anyway.. Right?

Either way, the green haired woman took off, her hands twitching to guide her skates this way and that to ensure she skated forward faster than she'd otherwise dare.

Cyclops has posed:
    Bobby's back kept getting further and further away from Lorna, as he pushed his skates harder and harder. He reaches the end of the pond quickly but doesn't slow down, even seems like he's getting faster. Bobby doesn't want to talk. He wants to run, skate, as fast as he can and he heads for the nearby treeline incredibly fast.

Iceman has posed:
Meanwhile, over at the coffee stand, Bobby is in a frown. "...okay, so I can't order a hot chocolate, what can I order?"

"Well, you can get a mocha chocolate chip frappucino and order it as a latte, and without the mocha, and it would be about the same thing?"

"It would just be chocolate and hot milk right?"

"Well. Yes."

"Then a hot chocolate?!"

"No sir, we don't have hot chocolate."

A long-suffering sigh comes from Bobby, before he waves his hand. "Okay, give me the mocha thingie without the mocha and whipped cream."

"It doesn't come with whipped cream."

"I'll pay extra!"

Polaris has posed:
A purse of her lips followed and Lorna slowed her own magnetic flight over the ice, her hands stretched out before her as she watched the silent Bobby skate away to the tree line. Her lips twisted and a look of determination crossed her features and she pulled on the Bobby's skates, trying to drag him back to her over the ice and not allow him to flee to the tree line and over the pond.

"Oh no, no, no. Get back here." She muttered under her breath.

Cyclops has posed:
    There's a brief resistance to Lorna's magnetic tug, but suddenly the skates come all too easily. Far too easily. Moments pass before Lorna gets the metal parts of the ice skates in her hands, and some of the sole of the shoe still attached to the top. Seems the Bobby cut them from his feet likely with ice or some method to remove the blades. He's that desperate to escape from the X-men.

Iceman has posed:
Returning to the pond with the two drinks in a carrier, Bobby had even bought sugar cookies made like snowmen to share. Just to find the green-haired woman gone. He looks around in confusion, before flagging down the amorous couple. "Hey! Did you see where my friend went?" he asks, "Really cute, pale skin, green hair?"

Polaris has posed:
A scowl followed as the skates came flying off to her grip and Lorna cursed, once more dashing off after the imposter Bobby with a burst of her magnetic powers. She no longer seemed concerned about hiding what she was doing or how. She flew, lifting off the ground as she threw the skates down in disgust. Her movements were magnetically fast and chased after the silent Bobby, now sans ice skates.

Should she have found Bobby and told him about the imposter? Probably. Did she stop to do that? No.

Cyclops has posed:
    Bobby quickly breeched the treeline and with a pair of ice formed skates on the bottoms of his soleless shoes, Bobby is fast. The speed of the iceman is incredible as he tears through the forrest as if on rails. He's trying to make a quick get away when suddenly he stops on a dime and ducks down behind a tree, hopefully out of sight and able to escape from Lorna's pursuit.

    The girl opens her eyes and an unseen squeeze gets her boyfriend to look back towards the voice behind his shoulder, "Look man, I don't know who you're talking about, that red head went that away." He says, pointing in the exact opposite direction that Lorna went in.

Iceman has posed:
"No, not the redhead, the greenhead. You aren't colorblind at least!" Bobby says, looking around wildly, before spotting fresh tracks in the snow. And that seems to be a direction at least as he turns, finding the old couple. "Here!"

He shoves the drinks and cookies into their hands and takes off after the others, icing his feet to be able to glide along the snow with the speed of a figure skater.

Polaris has posed:
Lorna flew down fast and quick, kicking up snow as she went. As she crossed into the tree line she quickly lost sight of the imposter Bobby in the densely grown thicket of trees. She slowed, not sure if she had over shot or under shot her flight to chase down the thing. She dropped from her floating in the magnetic fields to the ground, her hands held carefully at her sides as she stepped cautiously around, peering from tree to tree. All around her was snow and the ice covered tree trunks around her.

She cursed, slowly turning and twisting to try to find the imposter again.

Cyclops has posed:
    The fake Bobby doesn't say a word, he remains silent, motionless and completely undetectable, or so he aims to be.

Iceman has posed:
Heading into the woods, Bobby Prime ices up entirely, not sure of what trouble that Lorna may have gotten herself into now. "Lorna?" he calls out between the trees as he moves along, trying to make his way through the winding woods. His own footfalls are silent as he glides over the ice.

Polaris has posed:
Lorna lifted her weight off the skates, trying and failing to find the imposter Bobby there with sight. She heaved a sigh, shaking her head as she nearly jumped at Bobby's words. "Bobby? Is that you?" She called, her lips twisting as she whirled about, putting her back to a tree, thick and old. She kept her hands up defensively, ready to blast whatever jumped out of the woods at her.

The imposter hadn't spoken to her before, but who knew.. it might be a trap.

"Bobby there's another mimic." She called, hesitant. If it was the real Bobby, he had to be prepared for the imposter one.. right?

Iceman has posed:
Hearing Lorna, Bobby tries to find her, though when she mentions imposter - he goes silent. He doesn't want him being tracked or trying to find Lorna. As he moves along the trees, he brings his hands to his sides as he moves past a corpse of trees and finds himself with his back to Lorna, looking around towards where he was trying to follow tracks - but there's only one set now - hers.

Polaris has posed:
Lorna stared, watching his ice form back into the copse of trees where she stood with her back to the tree. "Bobby?" She whispered, her hands held out before her. A green glow emanating from her finger tips as she tried to be prepared for an attack. She wasn't entirely sure what she could do if it was the imposter. She could fly, she could blast it with an electro-magnetic burst.. But...

She //really// hoped she didn't have to try that.

Iceman has posed:
Hearing the whisper, Bobby stands there for a moment, before his hands start to grow with ice, forming and solidifying. He hasn't turned his attention to Lorna yet, instead he seems to be looking up into the trees for something. Maybe he didn't hear her - maybe he's not Bobby.

Polaris has posed:
Lorna floated a bit higher into the air, her hands held out defensively before her, her coat scraped against the icy bits of bark on the tree and she watched Bobby in ice form before her. "Bobby, if you don't say something in the next thirty seconds I'm blasting you back into the ice pond. Tell me why you're not the imposter." She called, her voice a sharp, low, command as she ripped the metal from her skates off and held the blades up before her in the air.

A threat and a defensive motion all at the same time.

Iceman has posed:
Say something, Bobby!

There's several seconds that pass as Bobby tries to figure out exactly what it is that he can say that will prove that he's not the imposter. There's a lot of things that are common knowledge between the pair. Finally he makes a decision.

"You're a really good kisser."

How's that?

Polaris has posed:
Lorna turned red and dropped to the ground abruptly at Bobby's words. Her hands falling at her sides as she exhaled roughly, "I am not, and that was like //one// kiss." She muttered, directing the blades of her skates back to her foot, her lips twisting into a grimace as she replaced the skate to her boots without falling over. She exhaled a huff of breath, her shoulders falling.

"That thing was just like you Bobby, it came up to me.. and didn't say anything and then took off."

Iceman has posed:
"You mean it was awkward, didn't know what it was doing and really wanted to kiss you?" Bobby asks with a lift of his brow as he moves over to where Lorna's slumped and he lowers to his own knees, his ice facing back into his human form. "You alright?" he asks her finally.

Polaris has posed:
A grim twist of her lips masked the smile that tried to bloom into life on her expression at Bobby's joke and she shook her head as she reattached her second ice skate to her boot once more with a twist of her fingers. "It blinked at me and took off, so yeah sure." She rolled her eyes, her gaze swinging around the grove of trees. "We need to alert everyone else that there's another mimic around and that it looks like you. These things are targeting us for some reason, first Rogue, now you." She shook her head, straightening as she floated her weight above the snow with care.

"It was there.. who knows how long. Dressed just like you were."

Iceman has posed:
There's a nod from Bobby before he smirks. "Hey, at least this one won't be anywhere near the trouble that Rogue's was." he points out as he gets back to his feet to turn and start to trod back. "Come on, I'll call us an Uber to get a ride back. You spotted it, you get to file the report."

Polaris has posed:
A dramatic sigh pulled from Lorna's lips as she made to float back to the pond, at least until she was back in sight of the humans and had to make herself look as if she fit in. "I think it might be worse, we're in the middle of Winter, Bobby. Think about it. It could fit in almost anywhere." She shook her head as Bobby added that she'd have to file the report since she saw the mimic-Bobby-imposter. She frowned.

"Ugh. I hate reports."