8988/Social Studies and Future Forebodings

Social Studies and Future Forebodings
Date of Scene:	28 August 2019
Location:	Main Foyer - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Kitty, James Proudstar and Roberto discuss school starting, and then help Lorna deal with worries spawned by tales from a time-traveler.
Cast of Characters:	Shadowcat, Warpath, Sunspot, Polaris

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Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty comes downstairs, having texted James that she has pulled out some of the previous teacher's lesson plans in case he wants to make use of them, and that she can hand them off to him down in the foyer if it's convenient. She comes down the stairs, lugging the folders of paper and grumbling, "Seriously, it's 2027. Who keeps their stuff on PAPER anymore?"

Lockheed is riding on her shoulder, the small purple dragon nudging her. "Yeah, I know," Kitty says, giving words to Lockheed's nudge. "Not everyone is as digital as me. But really, even the textbooks are digital now. Mostly," she tells Lockheed.

For the record, the dragon just wanted a cheesy poof.

Warpath has posed:
"Careful what you wish for," James says with a faint smirk, standing outside his assigned classroom as he speaks with two students. They sound, for the attentive, to be discussing Apache fighting tactics and how they might overcome then. The freshly minted teacher's exceptionally sharp ears catch Kitty's rant about the wonders of digital teaching, prompting him to shoo said students away. He hooks a thumb down the hall and says, "Go on. You've got places to be."

This whole 'teacher' thing is still taking getting used to for James. He's an experienced storyteller, that going with the whole shaman title, but what he's far better accustomed to is the warrior trade. Taking his college degree into proper academia is an entirely new path.

James lifts a hand to Kitty, both identifying himself and signaling his presence to her. "Don't knock paper. It'll still be there once the batteries are dead," his commentary asserts. He tilts his head to the side, cracking his neck, and tries to take on that proper teacher posture. Still generally looks out of place. "You wanted to hand off the lesson plan? I appreciate it, not that they won't get a more direct education from me. My own approach."

Sunspot has posed:
"Batteries will be unnecessary soon," comes another voice from the hallways behind. Although James likely had sensed him coming. "It is now possible to send the energy along the wireless signals. I am afraid paper books will become decoration in years, and all the way stone tablets went within a century."

Roberto Da Coasta is sharply dressed, as usual since he returned from Brazil. Expensive business suits even at Xaviers, since he spends most of his time dealing with business problems. Even now, he is typing instructions for his corporate minions on his Starkphone.

"Good to see you, Jimmy," he adds, raising his eyes to the taller mutant and smiling faintly. "Somehow I know you, of all the Hellions, would be the first ending up staffing here." Well, except for Emma Frost. But that was a major SURPRISE.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty walks over to the MUCH larger Apache man, offering over the papers. "Take what you want from them, leave the rest. Professor is pretty trusting about curriculum, though does want the kids prepared if they go on to college," she tells him. After all, plenty of the students don't end up becoming New Mutants or X-men.

She passes the paper over, while the dragon rides shotgun still on her shoulder. "If you have any questions... ah... I haven't taught either so, ask Storm, Hank, Scott, or one of the others," she says with a grin. "Though as I'm around I can try to help if there are any issues with students."

Kitty works at Stark Industries during the day, so is only working part-time at the school. Though working from home affords her more opportunity to pop over to deal with school issues. She grins as Roberto comes out. "Hey, I keep missing your X-Corp meetings. But I'm here if you need me. I know Doug's handling infrastructure, can't get better than that," she says, moving over to give Roberto a quick side-hug of greeting.

Warpath has posed:
James Proudstar takes the papers from Kitty and flips through them with his thumb. Surely, he couldn't have read the contents that quickly, so maybe it was just a quick glance at the amount of content. "Professor doesn't need to worry. They'll know what they need to know," he assures her. "If I can, I'll fit in Apache battle tactics. No better way to understand Native American culture than to live it." He's joking. One hopes, anyway.

"Roberto," James says by way of greeting, though without Kitty's addition of a side-hug. He shakes his head, sending his black mane swaying left to right with the gesture. "Hellion no longer. Actually, I've got ... new priorities here, at Xavier's. It's a whole new life to learn, but I'll take the challenge over having no direction."

Back to Kitty. He thinks to nod and add, "Appreciate the directions to the right people, and the offer of help. Hopefully, what I learned training as a shaman will translate as well as hoped into teaching."

Sunspot has posed:
"He does," confirms Roberto, responding to Kitty's hug with Latino skill. "And went overboard, the office in Mutant Town is going to have better gear than the mansion. Good thing Betsy pitched in or I would be yelled by my own financial department. On the other hand it is likely going to strongly impress investors." He grins, "you should come visit us, beautiful."

Then he nods to the Native American mutant, "this is where a better future is born. And we need all the warriors to defend the school, and all the men of honor to teach the children. You will do well here."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty grins towards Roberto and tells him of the offer to visit, "I definitely will. And I'll have to find something that can be improved to bust Doug's chops. Though I'll try to avoid anything expensive he'd /actually/ try to do," Kitty says with a soft grin to Roberto.

The brown-haired girl's gaze swings back towards James. "Well, some battle tactics are ok, but hopefully not the focus of the class," she says with a small grin to him. "Have you had a chance to catch Sam or Rahne lately? I think Rahne's been spending more time in Mutant Town of late," she says, looking to Roberto to see if he can confirm that point.

Warpath has posed:
James Proudstar appears vaguely amused by Roberto's commentary on his usefulness at the school. "Flattery gets you nowhere," he says in response to the lot of it. "Still, I've sworn to instruct and to protect. They'll learn, and anyone who tries to hurt them gets taken down." The warrior does indeed sound serious enough about that much, but he's been watching over the younger students since he was pretending at being a third time collegian.

"I'd feel more comfortable with teaching a physical class," admits Proudstar. "My degrees caught up with me, though. I guess I'll have to limit what I'd usually teach." A sideways nod of his head is offered to Kitty on that point. The question on Sam and Rahne is met with a negatory gesture. "Neither, but I've had my head down and my face in the books up until the offers were made to me. I expect everybody'll be seeing more of me now."

A bit grimly, James notes, "I certainly see more of them. Hear them all, too. The heart of this place is chaos on the senses. Or, my senses, at least."

Sunspot has posed:
"Last I knew Rahne was going to work as bouncer in the Evolutions club," comments Roberto. "Her enhanced senses make her well-suited to spot trouble, and I think she could use some... ah, interaction with diverse people. Even if they are New Yorkers."

Kind of New Yorkers, since Mutant Town mutants come from all the East Coast and even beyond. They and the tourists are the bulk of the usual Evolutions crowd.

"Sam would know for sure, it is his place," adds Roberto. "They are still here much time. Of course Sam is going to graduate into the core team. He is the best. And... Dani just got back from some Asgardian business. I am sure she will want to see you too, Jimmy."

Polaris has posed:
Lorna had fun off after her conversation with Cable and Roberto the previous day, something within her had snapped at the proclamations of the future and she had not handled it well. She had taken off without looking back at Roberto, and hadn't said a word. Nor had she answered her phone, her email, or anything that people usually used to get into contact with her.

The green haired mutant entered through the front doors, looking haunted and out of sorts. Her hair was uncombed and she still wore the white, now stained, T-shirt and slacks Roberto had seen her in the other day. Suffice to say, the woman was not doing well. She paused at the sight of the small gathering in the foyer, waving the door shut behind her with a pulse of magnetic power. Her green eyes flickering between each one. But she didn't say anything either as she simply stood there. Awkwardly.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty is talking to James and Roberto at the base of the stairs, and James has a stack of folders in hand. Lockheed is riding shotgun on Kitty's shoulder. She tells James, "Well, I know you had mentioned wanting to be around the school to protect the kids. Which I get, and admire. But I'd also suggest... if you're going to teach? Then teach. I mean, commit to it. It's real, not a cover. The kids deserve to have a teacher invested in their education to the same degree as we want them to be invested in it."

Kitty gives James' shoulder a pat as she smiles at him warmly. "I'm sure you'll do great. I know I've heard so much good about you from the others about your school days," she says, not having had a lot of opportunity to know him personally except in the most recent months.

Lorna's arrival gets a surprised look from Kitty. She glances to Roberto to see if he knows what is up with the Genoshan royal. "Lorna, are you ok?" she asks, her voice showing concern. Lockheed gives a little flap of his wings, taking flight and circling around Lorna for a moment before landing on her shoulder and nudging her cheek gently, as if the empathic little dragon is concerned at what he senses too.

Warpath has posed:
James Proudstar almost looks insulted for a brief moment, but he recovers on that note quickly enough. Pride intact. "I was raised to teach, just in a different way. My word was given that I'd teach the students, and I keep my word," he emphasizes to Kitty. "They'll learn by the books, but they'll also learn in the ways I was taught. By the end, they'll get a more diverse education than what this offers." The tall man indicatively waves the stack of curriculum papers he holds.

That much good has been heard about him, here of all places, prompts a clipped chuckle he doesn't quite manage to stop. "They must be very forgiving, past conflicts considered. I guess that's the way of things here. I never did get to see the day to day of the school well. Just whatever was past the knife's edge, so to speak."

When Kitty's attention drifts off to Lorna, so too does the Apache's. He allows for them to interact and half turns for his classroom, though he pauses to address Roberto. "We should get a drink later," he offers. No time like the present to be diplomatic among foes turned friends.

Sunspot has posed:
Roberto glances at Lorna too, and frowns deeply at the young woman's sorry appearance. He was there when Cable made some vague warnings about the future, which he noted but has not reflected upon. Apparently Lorna took them much more seriously.

"Polaris... Lorna," he greets. "You look as if you could use some rest. Or a drink," he heard James offer, and he replies with a nod to the taller man.

Polaris has posed:
Lorna mechanically reached up as Lockheed circled about her and landed on her shoulder, her hands making to help stabilize the dragon on her thin framed shoulders. She blinked, faintly, as if realizing just how bad off she looked and her green eyed gaze swung to Kitty. "I'm fine." She rasped, and cleared her throat, her gaze flickering toward James and then to Roberto in turn.

Her lips twitched faintly, "You only call me Polaris when I manage to get you angry. Ms. Dane when you're being polite... huh.. I must look pretty bad if you're using my first name.." She muttered, and glanced down at herself. Her lips pursed together, frowning.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde's expression at the talk of a drink between the two men seems to suggest she's in favor of it, though Lorna's state holds the most of Kitty's attention. "You do seem a little stretched," Kitty says diplomatically. "Are you doing ok? I haven't seen the news lately. Has something else happened with your father? Or something else?" she asks Lorna in a gentle tone.

Lockheed continues to perch there, giving the kind of of support that can only be obtained from a shoulder-dragon. A few students come down the hallway, engrossed in their discussion of some new viral youtube video and barely even noticing the alumni and staff there as they hurry on past and out the door into the sunny day.

Warpath has posed:
James Proudstar briefly lifts a large hand to pat Roberto once upon the shoulder, assuming he's permitted. A drink is a good start toward better things, and hopefully leaving behind the less favorable aspects of his history with the school. "Maybe tonight. We'll see. I have a lot to go over and figure out," he says, looking vaguely annoyed as he again lifts up the stack of papers. "There's an old man's curriculum I have to make interesting. If I'm going to teach, it's not going to be dull."

The half turned man doesn't know what's going on with Lorna, and in that respect, he doesn't intrude. "Kitty," says James, attempting to grab her attention for a moment. He almost hesitates, but manages to come up with considerate words. "Thanks for bringing down the papers, and for offering your help." Enough of that! He begins to turn in total for the classroom.

Sunspot has posed:
Roberto arches an eyebrow at Lorna's analysis, did he do that? He has to watch himself. God forbid becoming easier to read. "Actually, I have yet to master what passes for politeness in New York, even after years," he offers with a self-deprecating smile.

But she looks pretty bad. So he glances at James for another quick nod as farewell, and walks to meet the green-haired princess. "Want to talk about it?" He offers. "Cable said something that hit you hard, didn't he?"

Polaris has posed:
Lorna averted her gaze from James' departing figure, not really knowing the man enough to care to be seen in her rather pitiable state. She shifted her bare feet on the cool floor of the foyer, her attention half between Kitty, and Lockheed, and Roberto in turn. She kept her hands about the dragon, half in supporting his weight, but also in some distracted need to touch something alive and there.

"I.. uhm.. I.. Needed to be away.." She mumbled out in response to Kitty's gentle questions, "To think.." She added after a beat, swallowing a lump that formed at the back of her throat. As Roberto approached, her attention returned to him.

A brittle laugh escaped her, and she glanced back to Lockheed on her shoulder, mindful to not shrug the dragon off. "I don't think talking about it is going to help any."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde gives a wave goodbye to James as he heads off. Her attention quickly comes back to Lorna and Roberto then. "Cable?" she asks, glancing between the pair. "From the future? Is he here again?" she inquires, glancing back forth to read reactions as much as looking for an answer.

Kitty reaches over to rest her hand lightly on Lorna's arm. In the moment, empathy is easy to come by for the young woman who heard of the future death of one Piotr Rasputin from a time-traveler. "Talking about it usually doesn't hurt. Especially when it looks like it's already occupying your mind," Kitty says. "How about we hit your room, you grab a quick shower to feel better, and we'll make some coffee or tea and settle in and talk?" she asks, looking to Roberto to see what he thinks.

Sunspot has posed:
"You never know until you try," adds Roberto to Kitty's advice. "And yes, he said he is from the future. He talked like... well, it was odd. Assuming too much, and no consideration. Man needs some diplomacy lessons, I suppose."

Kitty seems to have Lorna's back, though. And if the green-haired woman is going for a shower he better find someone else to do. And then his cell beeps. There we go.

"I have to take this one," he says apologetically. "Go with Kitty, please. She has the right idea. I'll talk to you later."

Polaris has posed:
Lorna pursed her lips together, "Yeah.. Cable." She muttered, and gently petted Lockheed's head, shifting forward on her feet to pass him back to Kitty if the dragon chose to go. She bit back a sigh, her green eyed gaze shifting toward Roberto as he told her to go with Kitty and to listen to Kitty's advice. Her gaze swung low, as if inspecting her chipped pedicure, and the crusted mud that caked her feet from her time spent outside.

"I have to clean up regardless.." She muttered.

Polaris has posed:
Lorna exited her bathroom, in clean clothes, it had taken some time to truly clean herself up. A night spent outside mindlessly walking in circles as she tried to piece through the news of the future and the issues of the present had taken its toll. The young magnokinetic hadn't handled news quite so badly since she'd found out that her father was Magneto. That she'd been lied to by her adoptive parents, and that everything she'd assumed up until that point was a lie.

Her life was a fragile construct, and while it was easy to say what she thought others considered about her... to hear of possible futures where her worst fears happened was the tipping point.

Lorna's green hair hung in damp tangles as she shuffled into her master suite, and promptly sunk into the great pillowy softness that was her bed. She sat there, silent, for a long moment, just staring at some not to distant point. Lost in her thoughts.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde bids Roberto goodbye and then follows along with Lorna after taking Lockheed back. The dragon settles across the back of her shoulders, wrapped about her neck with little legs clutching it to hold on. Once they reached Lorna's room, Kitty pulled out her phone and settled into a chair to wait while Lorna took a shower, and hopefully gained some energy and refreshment from it.

Kitty looks up as Lorna returns. That distant stare doesn't seem to bode well. "You know, people from the future are not necessarily OUR future. We know this is the case with Rachel. There were some glaring differences between her world and ours that were easy to pick out."

She rises to move over to sit on the side of the bed. "What was it he said?" she asks.

Polaris has posed:
Lorna drew her legs up, wrapping her arms around her knees as she drew them close to her chest. She exhaled a breath, squeezing her eyes shut. She reached up and pinched the bridge of her nose as Kitty spoke and settled in beside her on the bed. "When I found out that my father was Magneto it wrecked me for months. I couldn't function. I kept thinking that I have the same powers as him. What instability.. what he does.. what if that's me? What if that's my future? What if I'll end up just like him?" She whispered, turning green eyes on Kitty.

"The more I learned from him, the more I spoke to him.. the more I realized we have the exact same issues. His powers work the same. We both have a direct connection to the magnetic fields. It runs through my brain, Kitty. I'm not just bipolar, I am tied to poles themselves. I am a pole, just like my father is." She muttered, and looked away from Kitty as she spoke.

"I have had to be medicated, go to therapy since I was a kid. And it wasn't until my powers happened that I realized why none of that worked." Her voice was low and soft, and she felt her hands curling and uncurling as she spoke. Her nails curling against the fabric of her loose fitting pants.

"Cable told me that in many futures he'd seen.. I either slaughter millions of people, and I'm a shell of who I am.. Broken.. Or that I live to be a hero. That what I do will never be forgotten.." She swallowed a lump at the back her throat.

"And I just.. I keep thinking, how can anyone risk keeping me alive with those as the stakes?"

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty makes a loud raspberry sound that is no doubt intended to try to help snap Lorna out of it. "So you have the capacity for good or evil. Sounds like you're human to me. And you have a mutant power that means you can do great things either way. There isn't even anything there that you, I, and everyone else didn't already know," Kitty says.

She reaches over and rests her hand on Lorna's shoulder. "I don't know what futures he has seen, and I don't know what lives those other Lorna Danes lived. But I know the one that you've lived. I've seen you care about mutants and humans alike. I've seen you take on the cares of a nation and try to lead them when just a few years ago, you were considered too young here to buy a six-pack of beer. I don't know about those other Lornas that Cable has seen. But I know the only Lorna that we have here. And I trust your heart. I trust your heart and I trust /you/ greatly."

Kitty makes a gesture with her hands as if pushing the rest of the matter away. "Don't spend your time fretting about what you might have become. It's enough for any of us to worry about what we DO become."

Polaris has posed:
Lorna's lower lip trembled at Kitty's words, and at her friend's touch, her eyes swam with tears that finally burst forward with a strangled sounding sob escaping from her lips. She pressed her hands over her eyes, as if to staunch the sounds coming from her as well as the tears. But she couldn't stop, not as she sucked in gasping breaths of air, and just seemed to let out all the pent up rage, frustration, heart ache, and fear that had tangled inside her for the past few weeks.

Between her gasps, everything came tumbling out in a rush.

"I can't be Queen of Genosha and live up to everyone's expectations of me. I'm going to mess up and people are relying on me. People might die because of my choices. Because of what I do, or don't do. And everyone is just watching to see what I'll do Kitty. I can't handle this. I can't be a Queen or.. or something more on top of all of this. I can't. I can barely take care of myself. I'm a mess." She sobbed out, wiping her eyes and nose on the back of her sleeves.

"I can't do all of this, and what if I do slip up Kitty? What if I do become like my father? How am I going to know if my manic polar flip isn't really just who I am?"

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde slides her arms around Lorna as the tears are let loose. If allowed she holds Lorna close, fingers brushing her hair reassuringly for a few seconds. Kitty doesn't say anything at first. Just lets Lorna vent and let the emotion pour out that she's been holding inside.

"Lorna, I trust that your best judgment and intentions are going to come to far better than other people. You didn't spend your childhood as Erik did in the midst of what was literally one of the most evil regimes in history. And even with how extreme it made him, there's still good in him. You don't have the weights pulling you down that he has had," Kitty tells her friend.

Kitty leans her head over where she can look into Lorna's eyes. "I know you. You're strong. If you think you are the best to lead your people, you will. If you think there's someone better, you would turn to them. Just because the UN turned Genosha over to Erik doesn't mean the nation has to be a hereditary monarchy, anyway. Maybe what you're destined to do is to help get a nation ready to become a democracy. Have you considered that?"

Polaris has posed:
Lorna allowed Kitty's touch, and leaned into it, her tears only subsiding partly as she sniffled and listened to her friend as Kitty tried to comfort her and calm the green haired woman down. A shaky inhalation followed by a cough, and a sniffle was the only response for a time as Lorna swallowed back another burst of tears that closed up her throat and welled in her eyes. She hated crying, hated being seen while crying most of all..

But Kitty was a friend, and a good friend at that. And everything had built up for far too long.

"I don't know if democracy is the best for Genosha, and I don't know if I'm what's best for Genosha either. I'm so scared Kitty of making the wrong choices. That if I don't do everything right, when I have a chance, I might leave something behind that hurts our people. I don't want people to look back at what I say, or do, as the start of something wrong with Genosha. I don't want them to use what I do against future generations. I just keep reading everything about governments throughout history and how badly they failed their people.." She shook her head, combing her hands through her hair and shoving it back from her face.

"How do I give people freedom but protect them from a strong man with powers influencing them with powers, or words.. how do I prevent the factions in Genosha from taking over and splitting everything up? How do I keep Genosha safe from the outside threats without infringing on my people's freedom?" Her eyebrows shot upward.

"People in Genosha.. some of them worship my father. If I change too quickly they'll try to overthrow me in an instant. Others hate him. I just.." She squeezed her eyes shut.

"Everyone keeps telling me how much better I'll be, how much better Genosha will be and how I have to change everything. How I have to act, or think, or believe.. and I just I can't do it all, Kitty. I can't."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty nods slowly and says, "We're twenty-year olds, we don't have all the answers. But I trust that you're a good person who is going to make the best decision that you can, Lorna. Don't worry about tales of the future that you have no control over. He's told you that you can be great or you can be bad. So just focus on being great. It's all anyone can do," Kitty says.

She looks down at her hands. "Look... Rachel told me how people that I loved died in her world. It'd be really easy to spend all of my time trying to prevent it. And for all I know, trying to prevent something could be what causes it. Her world isn't our world, just like if Cable saw multiple futures, they can't all be ours, if /any/ of them even are. In the end? We're not different, we still have to just make our decisions the best that we can. And you need to take some time to relax, to have fun, and to laugh. Because being in a sound state of mind is going to help you make those good decisions."

Kitty hugs Lorna tight and kisses the top of her head. "I love you like a sister, and I trust you. So do others around here. Trust yourself as much as we do," she says.

And they don't need to say any more about it for awhile. Kitty will just stay with Lorna and remind her that she has people in her life who will always support her and help her through times like this.