Dr. Lorna Dane

x-men muse. geophysicist. magnetic abilities. sideblog of ᴛʜᴇᴠᴀʀɪᴀɴᴛᴠᴀᴜʟᴛ.

[plasmablasts]

Emma Frost requested as many X-Men at her damned function as possible and Alex was one anxious man. There weren't many perks of attending a function that had a dress code, Alex for one always thought he looked like an awkward penguin whenever he wore black tie. He never knew how to stand, how to converse, when it was appropriate to eat or sip alcohol, the most he could do was hug a wall and try not to explode in a burst of plasma, it was a charade, a game of pretend so people didn't know he didn't fit in at all.

All the negatives were enough to made him dread that night, but the one singular positive was Lorna in a dress and, yeah, maybe they didn't have time to dillydally, but he couldn't stop himself from kissing her just a little. Alex didn't anticipate for the kiss to go on longer, but he wasn't complaining as he met her enthusiasm with equal amounts of his own, arms wrapping snug around her, flush against his chest, uncaring if she wrinkled his tux.

His heart was racing, a steady thrum matching her own as he met every movement of her lips, chasing her embrace and enjoying the sweet satisfaction of their bodies slotting together perfectly. She was familiar, safe, the home where he sheltered his heart, the woman he trusted most in their cruel world. The years may have come and gone and yet that never changed, Lorna was always going to be that person, his person. It was a fact that could make him bounce in glee, perhaps even stick his leg up mid-kiss like they did in the movies.

He was the luckiest man in the world.

Soaking up her warmth, his cheeks pink, smile and gaze gentle for her as he allows their heads to rest together. " Sorry for distracting you, I know we're on a schedule, but you just look so beautiful. I had to kiss you. " His tone is soft, affectionate, and he makes a note to brush their noses together again. " You'll save a dance for me tonight? I think I'm starting to see why some people like these sort of things. You're going to turn so many heads tonight. "

[magneticfaultlines]

a hum of laughter escaped her lips, her nose scrunching as he brushed his against hers once more. alex had always possessed an uncanny ability to make her feel human. despite all of her faults and flaws, he saw who she was underneath it all, and more importantly, he helped her see it, too. lorna stole one more kiss before allowing a little space to grow between them, though she never fully stepped away. instead, her thumb came up to brush the remnants of her lip gloss from his bottom lip.

"if you weren't going to do it, i was," she replied with a grin, brows lifting. "i know you hate dressing up, but you look great in a tux." one hand flattened the side of his shirt where she'd grabbed hold of him moments earlier, smoothing away the slight wrinkles she'd undoubtedly caused before both palms settled comfortably against his chest. "and for the record, yours is the only head i'm interested in turning."

she wasn't particularly looking forward to the evening. she had no issue with emma frost herself, but these kinds of functions always seemed to revolve around mutant politics and propaganda - another opportunity to prove mutants and humans could coexist peacefully. lorna believed in that wholeheartedly, but those same gatherings inevitably attracted the loudest opposition. those who believed mutantkind was superior, and those who believed they had no right to exist at all. it was exhausting to stand in the middle of both extremes, and if she let herself dwell on every possible outcome, she knew her mind would spiral before the night had even begun.

instead, she focused on what was right in front of her. her hands drifted up to straighten his tie, smoothing it carefully before letting out a quiet breath. she had no doubt alex could tell the anxiety was beginning to creep its way up her spine like an old friend, but she also knew that the moment she wanted to leave, he would leave with her. that thought alone settled something fluttering in her chest. one hand instinctively found his, her fingers interlacing with his own to ground herself.

"the sooner we get there, the sooner we can survive an evening of pretending we belong with people who voluntarily attend black tie events." her thumb brushed absentmindedly over his knuckles as she smiled up at him. "think everyone's actually going to behave themselves?" the query came with a quiet laugh, though it was equal parts joke and nerves. "or should we start taking bets on who starts the first argument?"

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[divinetenebris]

"i have been told that the context of my family may help for others to understand." thor was also a good person. strength and resolve, but also kindness. something unlike their shared parent in odin. "mortals are just as good; i have met many who have been just as good as my brother or my friends and then some. worry not."

she nodded. lorna dane. angela could remember that. had she heard of a 'dane' before? maybe? "the pleasure is all mine, lorna." she gave her a smile, something small but there. not quite big enough to crinkle the entirely white eyes. "yes. heven. it is a realm further beyond where it is you exist. the tenth realm of nine." a confusing point, she knew, but it was the truth. "you are from earth then?"

[magneticfaultlines]

lorna's brows knit together ever so slightly at the explanation. the tenth realm of nine. it sounded like the kind of paradox hank would happily spend an afternoon trying to untangle on a whiteboard while she quietly excused herself halfway through. she wondered if there were any laws of physics involved in such a concept.

"that clears everything up," she stated flatly, though despite herself, the corner of her mouth tugged upward. "i'll admit, i've met enough gods at this point that i've stopped trying to keep score, and yet i still find myself perplexed every time." she gave a once over at the other, still quite baffled despite having seen mutants of all sorts in her life.

"california," lorna answered before she could think clearly. "which...is on earth." she gave a slight laugh. "most of the time." she added, though brows knitted as she couldn't drop the concept of heven. "is there a way to...explain that? does it only exist sometimes? is it...more of a hypothetical than a reality?"

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[masterrofmagnetism]

He would disregard the off handed comment about being unable to choose. Life often offered very few choices to anyone. A fact she would eventually come to learn once she had experienced more of it.

It wasn’t the time for a lecture nor was it the right moment to offer her wisdom that she was not ready to hear. Perhaps with time and effort, Lorna would be more open to what he had to say. Unless she took after her brother, who he often considered had been born completely deaf.

At least it seemed as though she was rather talented at channeling all the negative feelings and thoughts swirling around inside of her. A visual representation of her inner self, projected outwards.

He could feel her energy as though it were his own. Every hair on his body standing on end as if pulled outwards by a static electricity that typically couldn’t be seen. The very ground beneath his feet was vibrating. His ears ringing from a sound he wasn’t capable of actually hearing.

By the time it was over, he was smiling. Small and barely there. If she blinked, she would miss it.

“That was easier than I thought it would be.”

His own subtle way of complimenting her before he stepped past.

“Hurry now. Our ride is waiting.”

He waited in the threshold of the gaping hole, gazing at her from over his shoulder for a moment more than was necessary, as he waited for her to catch up once more.

He would not be foolish enough to lose track of her again. Especially not after witnessing just how formidable she could be.

[magneticfaultlines]

lorna stood still for a moment, her gaze fixed on the fractured remains of the wall of metal she'd torn apart. jagged sheets of steel curled and crumpled like paper where they'd once reinforced the walls, bolts and twisted rebar hanging suspended in the air before, one by one, they clattered back to the floor. the ringing in her ears faded, replaced by the sound of her own breathing.

she hadn't expected it to feel so good. not the destruction itself, but the release. for the first time since they'd dragged her into this place, the pressure beneath her skin had quieted. the constant ache of holding everything in had eased, if only for a moment. it never lasted, though. part of her wondered if that was what drove her father to act in the way he did. nothing would ever satisfy the humming of iron beneath their very veins.

his words drew her attention, gaze looking over to him. "pehaps you shouldn't underestimate me," she muttered, her hand flexed at her side, fingers still trembling with the remnants of exertion.

she followed after him, her eyes drifted toward the waiting transport before flicking back to him. "i've still got every intention of being difficult, you know." despite the warning, she didn't lag behind this time with hesitation. "so, should i expect to see any familiar faces, or have you made a whole new group of friends?"

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[magneticfaultlines]

@plasmablasts ( alex summers ) sent lorna a VERY romantic 💋

a small gasp of surprise escaped lorna as alex's lips met hers, the familiar, comforting warmth of him melting away whatever lingering moment of hesitation remained before her mind caught up with what was already happening. the smile that had been resting on her lips only deepened into the kiss, soft and steady.

soft tongue lightly brushed his bottom lip, savoring the sweet taste of him as one hand rose to caress his face. her thumb traced slowly along his jaw, feeling each patch of stubble beneath her fingertips one by one as she leaned closer, deepening the kiss by pressing herself further against him.

her other hand found its way to his waist, fingers bunching into the soft cotton of his shirt. the fabric offered a small reprieve from the heat that began to rise beneath her skin. though still, it did little to steady the quickening beat of her heart, which undoubtedly, he could feel too, especially the more her fingers at his waist brushed against warm skin.

she broke away momentarily, though not entirely as she still rested her forehead gently against his own, nose gently brushing against his own. her hand still rested gently on his face. "alex," she murmured breathlessly against his lips.

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[masterrofmagnetism]

It wasn’t a lie.

There had always been a place reserved for her. The time had just never been right for her to take it.

She had her own life. Her own hopes and dreams. Her own goals. A whole mess of things that he refused to get in the way of.

He would have preferred for her to make the choice when circumstances were more ideal and matters were less pressing. But life often had a way of giving people a little nudge in the direction they were meant to be travelling in, at times when they strayed just a touch too far from the path.

“My dear”, he offered the smallest of smiles himself. One that made it seem as though they were looking in the mirror for just a moment. “The government is always looking for me. I have places where we can be safe. The woods is not one of them. But how does the jungle suit your fancy?”

As though fate was listening to them and refused to make anything easy for the familial pair, an emergency blast door slammed down in front of them, obscuring the path that connected the holding cells to the rest of the facility.

He waited for her to step up beside him, before turning his head to meet her gaze. His tone of voice far too casual considering the position they were currently in.

“Would you like to do the honours?”

[magneticfaultlines]

lorna didn’t answer him right away. her gaze stayed fixed on the falling blast door, the metallic slam echoing through the corridor. she exhaled through her nose, a faint, short, humorless breath. anytime she felt resistance toward the man before her, it seemed the world was determined to force her to work with him.

“if only i got to pick the jungle,” she muttered, finally glancing at him out of the corner of her green-speckled eyes. there was a beat of silence, the facility alarms still blaring, though a metallic hum was slowly rising to fill the air beneath them.

her glowing emerald eyes sharpened, the air around her shifting in that subtle way it always did when she stopped holding back, especially when there was no other option but to force her way through. she could practically feel the steel and iron responding all around her, as if all that time the collar had suppressed her powers had only been holding back something just waiting to break free.

the air around her swirled green, the sound of metal twisting and crushing filling the corridor as the blast door buckled under invisible pressure. lorna didn’t just lift it: she annihilated it. with a sharp push of her arms, the shattered remains tore apart and collapsed to the ground, revealing the exit beyond.

she turned to her father, almost looking for some sort of sign of approval, immediately cursing herself for even letting the thought surface. lorna was slightly breathless from the exertion, and nodded toward the opening. “age before beauty.”

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[magneticfaultlines]

@legacywebs liked your starter call !! · · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·

"well, he ain't moving."

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[magneticfaultlines]

@plasmablasts liked your starter call !! · · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·

"and i look him right in the eye, and i smile."

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[sleepyokai]

Logan caught the brief, passing direction of her gaze when he pulled up the chair, an amused glint touching his eyes for a split second before it faded behind his usual gruff exterior. He wasn't some oblivious kid; he knew exactly what kind of imposing, wide-shouldered frame he carried, and the tight white tank top didn't do much to hide the thickly corded muscle earned from decades of pulling logs and surviving trenches. He didn't call her out on it, missing any need to make her uncomfortable when they were just settling into an easy pace, but a faint, almost invisible trace of a smirk touched the corner of his mouth as he reached across the table. His large hand closed around the untouched mug she'd set out, the heat radiating through the porcelain as he lifted it to his lips. He took a long and deep swallow of the black liquid, welcoming the bitter burn of it against his throat, far preferring it to the sugary, light blend she was working on.

"Lumberjackin' is just the warm-up, Dane," he grunted, setting the mug back down on the wooden surface with a soft thud, his voice a little smoother now that the highway dust had been thoroughly washed out of his throat. "Out in the Yukon, if you aren't movin' three-ton pines or haulin' your own frame in winter supply blocks, the cold just snaps you in half." He leaned his large forearms back onto the top of the chair, his eyes tracking the slight splotch of coffee on her Fleetwood Mac shirt with an amused, silent scoff before shifting up to meet her gaze. "I think the Canadian pine is permanently baked into my skin at this point."

He listened without interrupting as she broke down the current state of the mansion, a sympathetic rumble crawling in his chest when she mentioned the kids. He could practically see it--------- the chaotic explosion of mutant puberty that Xavier so stubbornly tried to organize into a structured curriculum. "Yeah, well, the kids bein' convinced they can take on the world or that the world is endin' because of 'em... that part never changes," Logan muttered, reaching for his coffee again and taking another slow sip. "Better you teaching 'em how to manage those fields than lettin' 'em find out the hard way." His expression warmed just a bit, a rare touch of genuine camaraderie showing through his weathered features. "And don't go sellin' yourself short on the mentoring gig. Chuck might be an idealistic old goat, but he isn't blind. If he says you're good for these kids, it's because you are. They need to see someone who knows how to handle the noise without lettin' it break 'em."

His thick brows furrowed slightly, however, as her words shifted toward the Professor's recent behavior, his mind instantly turning over the implications of Xavier being unusually scarce. He stared down into the black depths of his mug, the relaxed air in the kitchen shifting into something more focused and pointed. It wasn't like the old man to fade into the background, especially not within the walls of his own school, unless there was a storm brewing on the horizon that he was trying to keep the residents from spotting.

"No, he didn't tell me a damn thing," Logan admitted as he thought back to their brief encounter in the wilderness. "Just gave me the usual speech about responsibility, finding a purpose, and how the school could use a combat instructor who knows how the real world operates. But he looked tired, Lorna. More than usual." He shifted his stance, the wood of the chair groaning slightly under his bulk as he leaned in closer to the island. "Lately, even out in the brush, I've been pickin' up stray radio broadcasts and catchin' old news reports whenever I rolled through a border town. The talkin' heads on the television are gettin' louder again. Some new mutant registration subcommittee formin' in Washington, a couple of unexplained skirmishes near the industrial borders up north, and the usual anti-mutant rhetoric startin' to creep back into the evenin' press. I figured Chuck was just keepin' his eyes on the political theater, but if he's bein' scarce around here, he might be trackin' somethin' a lot closer to home."

He looked back up at her, studying the faint traces of green in her hair, recognizing the subtle signs of a woman who kept herself moving specifically so she wouldn't have to face the quiet. He knew that exact lifestyle; he'd spent the last several months doing the exact same thing across thousands of miles of empty forest. "Whatever it is, he's keepin' the lid on it tight," Logan added, taking one final gulp of his coffee and setting the empty mug down completely. "Which means we just do the jobs he brought us back here for and keep our eyes open. Speakin' of which... when do I get to see these wild animals I'm supposed to be whip-cracking into shape tomorrow?"

[magneticfaultlines]

lorna silently was grateful he chose not to openly tease her about her remark, too much anyways. “snap in half, huh?” the corner of her mouth twitched upward as she lifted her mug again. “unless pines are made of metal these days, i think you’d have to count me as a goner up there.” though her lithe frame was clearly toned, a natural product of daily training, she couldn’t quite imagine having to survive in that kind of frigid temperature. her green speckled gaze flicked briefly toward his shoulders again before she caught herself and looked down into her coffee instead. “though the isolation is tempting sometimes.” she’d never blame the man before her for retreating to the wilderness. as much as lorna had built a relatively normal life for herself, the gifts they were given often made things inherently abnormal - whether it was the way people perceived them, or simply the reality of also being human and slipping up time to time, in her case.

his answer about charles pulled some of the amusement from her expression, the corner of her mouth softening instead of lifting. she stared into the swirl of cream and coffee in her mug for a moment longer than necessary before taking another small sip and setting it back down against the counter with a quiet clank. “yeah…you’re right.” lorna conceded. there were few things where she didn’t at least maintain a facade of confidence, but being a mentor, being an example to others, was one of the things she still struggled to see herself as anything other than an imposter.

lorna ran a hand through her hair, shifting it over one shoulder. it was still slightly damp from her shower just hours ago, a small reminder of how little sleep she’d gotten. “it feels strange,” she admitted after a moment. “how long everyone’s been gone, i mean.” one shoulder rose and fell in a small shrug. “i know that’s always kind of been the x-men way, so to speak. disappear for weeks or months, show back up bruised and bleeding, save the world, repeat. but this just feels different somehow.”

her fingers tapped absently against the marble countertop between them. as much as she was enjoying the casual conversation - someone to commiserate with who she felt had some semblance of understanding - she also needed to get this off her chest. “for a while i just assumed he was buried in cerebro.” she gave a small snort. “if he had the option to live in that room full time, i’m pretty sure he would. man probably dreams in psychic feedback and government surveillance reports.” of course, deep down, she was grateful for it. it was how he was able to get through to her, after all.

for a moment she hesitated, debating whether she should even say it out loud, especially after logan admitted what he’d witnessed and what he’d been told: the professor needing a combat instructor, the exhaustion, the heightened media frenzy over mutants. “but…” her brows knit together slightly, not quite looking at him directly. “a few weeks ago i was in his office looking for something i definitely wasn’t supposed to be looking for.” there wasn’t even a hint of guilt in her voice. “and i saw files on his desk. classified, maybe. reports. all labeled with something called sentinels.” the name sat heavy in her mouth despite how little she actually knew about it. “i didn’t get a good look before hank walked in and i remembered self-preservation was a valuable life skill.” an air of laughter escaped her.

lorna didn’t want to think much of what she saw, of what governments and news stations tried to paint public opinion of them as. deep down she knew all of that animosity simply brought out the one group she wished to not see come out of their hiding hole. it lingered at the edge of her thoughts anyway, uninvited, like her father and the brotherhood always did when things started to feel too tense between humans and mutants.

she leaned back slightly against the stool, folding her arms loosely across herself, one hand fidgeting at the bracelet on her wrist. “between that, the professor acting like a ghost in his own school, and now him dragging you back here out of the yukon?” she shook her head. “i don’t know. maybe i’m paranoid.” a beat. “actually, no. scratch that. i know i’m paranoid, t’s kind of my brand.” a small grin returned to her face then. “ah, i think they’ll let us know if they’re really concerned. i’ve been trying to act business as usual.”

her head tilted toward the clock on the oven before she looked back at him. she reached for the coffee pot and topped off his mug again. “kids are up at seven for breakfast, training starts at eight. just enough time to get a decent nap in, if you can.” the casual tone returned, now mostly by force of will. lorna knew how quickly she could spiral if she let herself sit too long in a thought like that. it only made her silently more grateful that logan was there, now. “i think there’s a pizza in the freezer, it might be expired, or i can make a mean grilled cheese....hank was always the better cook, but i don’t plan to wake the beast unless you want to for a decent meal."

[masterrofmagnetism]

Her lack of memory was slightly concerning. A fact that was likely written all over his face as he paused in his steps and cast a glance over his shoulder in her direction.

Was it the minds natural way of dealing with trauma or had her memories been strategically wiped clean? Had she been force fed drugs that would help to dampen her abilities and subsequently cloud her mind enough to the point where she wouldn’t be coherent enough to use them? How long would the effects last?

The possibilities were endless and he could only guess based on experience and the knowledge he had about the tactics often employed by the opposition.

He would not voice it however. All of the details could be worked out in time. In a moment when it was more appropriate. Instead he chose to focus on their primary concern. Their escape route and what they planned to do afterwards.

“I fear wherever you call home may not be the safest place for you now. There is always room for one more. Room for you. There always has been.”

[magneticfaultlines]

lorna almost missed the look that crossed his face when she admitted she couldn't remember. she had spent enough of her life watching people react to her to recognize concern when she saw it, even when it was buried beneath restraint and carefully chosen words. it unsettled her more than she cared to admit.

her gaze shifted away from him and toward the ruined corridor ahead instead, boots crunching over shattered concrete and twisted metal as the facility seemed to collapse around them. "safe hasn't really been my thing for a while."

the words came out drier than she intended, but the exhaustion beneath them was harder to disguise. she had spent so long building a life around contingencies and exits and making herself difficult to find that she wasn't entirely sure what she was supposed to do now that someone had found her anyway.

then he said it: there is always room for one more. room for you. there always has been.

for a moment, she forgot about the alarms. forgot about the bodies they were stepping around and the metal vibrating faintly beneath her feet in answer to both of them. her jaw tightened slightly. because room for one more was one thing. room for you was something else entirely.

lorna let out a quiet breath through her nose, her eyes remaining fixed glaringly ahead rather than on him. "wow, what a time for a family reunion, huh?" the sarcasm was laced through every syllable. a beat passed before the corner of her mouth pulled upward into something that half resembled a smile, though it was wry and fleeting.

"you know, the annoying part is..." she shook her head slightly. "...i think i actually believe you." her expression settled after a moment, at this point, no matter how resistant she felt towards his offer, she had little choice other than to accept.

"so...what exactly did i just agree to?" she asked, finally glancing over at him again. "because i have a feeling this isn't the part where we disappear into the woods and pretend the government isn't going to come looking for us."

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[divinetenebris]

"if you say so."

angela wasn't offended by the other's tone or words. just confused. or merely something more akin to hesitant. some sort of combination of that. "your apology is not necessary though. i am not hurt at all," the tall woman replied.

"i do not believe so. if we have, i've forgotten. angela hevendottir. sister to thor. it is a pleasure," large, muscular hand out.

[magneticfaultlines]

lorna let out a quiet exhale through her lips, something between amusement and relief. "good. i'd hate to start off on the wrong foot."

her attention shifted to the offered hand, then back to angela's face at the introduction. "thor's sister," she repeated, eyebrows lifting slightly as she accepted the handshake. "that's one way to make an introduction memorable. feeling a bit mortal, all of a sudden."

it made sense why the other seemed...otherworldly. not as if they couldn't fit in, but every feature seemed entirely perfect. "lorna dane," she offered in return, the corner of her mouth tugging upward faintly. "it's nice to meet you, angela, so you're from, like, an entire other realm, then?"

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[magneticfaultlines]

@plasmablasts asked: 06. wraps their arms around the other from behind and rests their head on the others shoulder.

the hour was early, too early. dawn only just beginning to break along the horizon visible through the kitchen window, soft hues of orange and gold slowly spilling across the sky and creeping into the room. sleep had eluded lorna yet again, as it so often seemed to lately, and eventually she had admitted defeat. there was only so long she could stare at the ceiling before frustration outweighed the hope of getting any rest.

and so she had wandered into the kitchen instead, seeking comfort in routine, and caffeine, if nothing else. the smell of fresh coffee slowly began to wake her senses as it brewed, warm and familiar in a way that made the quiet feel less empty. even so, she could still feel exhaustion settled heavily across her shoulders, woven into her muscles and lingering stubbornly behind her eyes.

she didn't hear him approach until his arms were already around her. for the briefest moment she startled, only for recognition to settle almost immediately afterward. alex.

without needing to fully see him, lorna relaxed back into his embrace. instinctive and easy as it had always been, tilting her head just enough for it to rest lightly against his as his chin found her shoulder.

"hey you," she murmured softly. one hand remained curled loosely around the handle of the coffee mug sitting in front of her as she turned her head slightly, enough to catch a better look at him without quite breaking the circle of his arms around her waist.

"i didn't think i was being that noisy, was i?" she asked, the edge of amusement threading through the lingering exhaustion in her voice.

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[deephex]

@magneticfaultlines ⊹ lyric based sc. ⊹ randomised song

❝ you're  the  queen  of  the  superficial  and  how  long  before  you  tell  the  truth? ❞

[magneticfaultlines]

lorna’s gaze doesn’t immediately rise to meet the others. there’s a stillness to her first - like she’s deciding whether the words are even worth the air they took to say, or if she can maintain control over the strange pool of emotion that washed over her. when she does look up, it’s slow, deliberate, her speckled brown and green eyes catching light like fractured glass.

“superficial,” she repeats softly, almost amused, as if testing the taste of it on her tongue. “is that what you think this is?” a faint tilt of her head follows, the metal in the room humming ever so slightly in response to her mood, as if she tilted the world itself on it's axis without realizing. “if you mistake control for performance. that’s your problem, not mine.”

her attention sharpens then, lorna always wore her emotions on her face, like her armor, only seeing one side of questions that usually painted her in a particular light. “tell the truth.?” lorna exhales through her nose, a quiet, controlled breath. “people usually ask that when they’ve already decided they won’t like what they hear.” a pause, measured and intentional. the air tightens again, faint vibrations threading through anything metallic nearby. her fingers come to her temples to calm herself. "what...what are you asking me?"

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[masterrofmagnetism]

The formality and brevity of his conversation was not altered, as they made their way through the corridors that had already been cleared. His mind was all focus and directive, as they stepped over bodies and fallen debris heading back the way he had come. Treading right through his path of destruction, while the earth itself vibrated beneath her feet with the energy they both knew how to harness.

“Enough.”

Realizing moments later that Lorna was likely looking for reassurance, he pushed himself to elaborate.

“It is often best to work with a small team. Less room for mistakes. It is only myself and handful of people that I trust. We were not expecting to add another.

How did you allow yourself to be captured?”

He would not be more invasive than he needed to, despite the fact he had some questions of his own. If she agreed to accompany him to their current base of operations, there would be more than enough time and opportunity to ask them.

[magneticfaultlines]

the answer came quickly enough that, for a moment, lorna almost regretted asking the question at all.

of course it was enough. she wasn't entirely sure what answer she had been looking for in the first place. reassurance, maybe. confirmation that she wasn't simply another obligation he'd collected on his way out. the thought irritated her more than it should have.

though, his explanation followed a moment later, and some of the tension in her shoulders eased despite herself, it seemed as though he were...trying.

"right." she glanced away briefly, stepping over a twisted section of metal that had once been part of a security door. "less room for people to screw things up that way." she rephrased, there was something strangely familiar about the logic of it.

his question, however, caught her off guard, and lorna's jaw tightened almost immediately. "i don't remember."

that was the answer. in truth, she did not. if she were being honest, she had been foolish, let her guard down too much, thought she was off anyone's radar enough to finally relax. she inhaled as they continued to navigate the rubble and chaos. "i suppose i can't go back home, though. so if there's room for me, i'll take it." for now.

✦ ∘ ◦ ⚡ ◦ ∘ ⟡ ∘ ◦ ✦ ◦ ∘ ⟡ ∘ ◦ ⚡ ◦ ∘ ✦ ✦ ∘ ◦ ⚡ ◦ ∘ ⟡ ∘ ◦ ✦ ◦ ∘ ⟡ ∘ ◦ ⚡ ◦ ∘ ✦

[masterrofmagnetism]

He had been expecting some amount of hesitance. Thoughts and emotions didn’t simply disappear in the face of danger and desperation. If the girl was anything like he was, she likely harboured a whole mess of them. Words and accusations and inquiries that would burn her throat and sour her palate to hold back.

From the little bit he did know about her, he was banking on the notion that her intelligence would be able to override her emotions. That she would understand the necessity and be able to make a logical choice.

His bloodline was messy and tainted. Some would even call it cursed. But it knew very well how to survive and survive it would.

He slowed his pace just enough to make it easier for her to catch up with him, while every single one of his senses remained on high alert.

“Outside.”

A fatherly answer, if he had ever heard one; pointing out the obvious before pausing for just a moment.

“We have an aircraft waiting. You are free to go wherever you desire, but I would suggest that you board it. There are not many safe places left in this world for us. It would be wise to lay low for a while.”

Navigating the sterile, industrial corridors was a much more difficult feat in the shadows of the crimson hued emergency lighting system. The alarm seemed to grow louder the more it was allowed to screech. If only his helmet was also able to filter that out as well. Perhaps it would be easier to concentrate.

“How long have you been here?”

[magneticfaultlines]

outside.

lorna almost laughed. for a moment, she wasn't sure if it was irritation or disbelief that sparked the near-reaction. maybe both. after everything that had happened, after all these years, that was what he gave her. outside.

her jaw tightened, but she kept pace beside him through the corridor. the crimson emergency lights cast everything in bright shades of red, jarring, stretching shadows across the walls and turning the facility into something almost unreal. the alarms seemed louder now than they had before, each pulse rattling through the structure around them. she decided to focus her sights on the way out. outside. lorna could not fathom why that response was so aggravating.

"a month. maybe 6 weeks. i'm not sure." she answered, voice slightly clipped and to the point. while her mind swam with a thousand other questions, she knew she had to set that aside, for now. they passed by several scientists and staff members amongst the halls, some barely recognizable anymore. lorna might be considered dangerous, but she clearly wasn't the most dangerous.

"this is a pretty big place." she stated after another few moments, a turn down one hall and then another. "how many do you have with you?"

✦ ∘ ◦ ⚡ ◦ ∘ ⟡ ∘ ◦ ✦ ◦ ∘ ⟡ ∘ ◦ ⚡ ◦ ∘ ✦ ✦ ∘ ◦ ⚡ ◦ ∘ ⟡ ∘ ◦ ✦ ◦ ∘ ⟡ ∘ ◦ ⚡ ◦ ∘ ✦

[sleepyokai]

He let out a rough grunt that was half-sigh and half-chuckle, the tension in his broad shoulders easing just a bit as Lorna Dane finished tracking down those last few steps on her own two feet. There was a specific kind of comfort in being around people who didn't flinch when he walked into a room looking like he'd just dragged himself out of a shallow grave, and Lorna, with all her scientific erratic energy and potential to bend the very building around them, had never been the type to swoon over a little road grit. His thick brows twitched upward as he shifted his stance, his worn engineer boots creaking against the floorboards while his eyes------ tired but focused under that grizzled forehead------ took her in with a relaxed, appreciative nod. She looked exactly like the mansion always demanded its residents look, carrying that familiar, bright focus that told him her mind was probably already working at a hundred miles an hour.

"Four days, actually, if you're countin' the hours I spent fixin' a blown gasket outside of Thunder Bay," Logan muttered in a gravelly rumble that sounded like it'd been dragged through a rock quarry. He reached up, running a thickly calloused hand over the silver-threaded fuzz along his jaw, the rough friction making a dry rasping sound in the vestibule. "And the smell is a delicate blend of Canadian pine, premium unleaded, and a complete lack of givin' a damn, Dane." He let his hand drop back down, hooking his thumb into the belt loop of his grease-stained jeans, bulky frame practically swallowing the space at the bottom of the stairs. Even caked in dirt, there was an undeniable presence to him; the sheer width of his chest and the rippling muscle under his plaid flannel shirt made it clear that the wilderness hadn't softened him one bit, even if the crinkles around his eyes looked a little deeper than they had the last time he'd flown the coop.

He leaned one shoulder against the oak banister, looking down at her with a faint, wry quirk of his mouth that passed for a smile on a face as roughened as his. "Didn't expect to find you guardin' the staircase, though. I guess Chuck knows exactly which strings to pull when he wants to drag the stray dogs back in." He paused, his gaze moving over the subtle shift of her posture, recognizing the shared understanding of what it meant to be tethered to this place by a telepathic old man's stubborn optimism. "So, what's the verdict? You actually stickin' around to teach these kids, or you just hidin' out between research gigs like the rest of us?"

Before she could offer up an answer, Logan held up a thick, oil-smudged hand to cut her off, shaking his head as a fresh wave of exhaustion finally caught up to his bones. "Actually, don't answer that just yet, because if I don't hit a shower in the next five minutes, I'm gonna start growin' moss." He pushed off the banister, gesturing toward the upper floors with a jerk of his chin, though he lingered for a second longer just to finish the thought. "Give me twenty minutes and meet me down in the kitchen after?"

True to his word, Logan skipped over the main living areas entirely, practically burning through a steaming stream of water that left the bathroom smelling like soap and wet leather before he finally reappeared looking somewhat human again. When he made his way down the back stairwell toward the kitchen, the bulky, imposing form he cast was still there, though he had swapped the filthy road gear for a clean, tightly fitted white tank top that stretched precariously across the expansive breadth of his chest and the corded muscle of his arms. He wore a pair of faded denim jeans and a simple brown leather belt, his damp hair pushed straight back from his forehead, exposing the rugged symmetry of a face that was so much better to look at in a rough, weather-beaten sort of way. He padded into the kitchen in a pair of clean wool socks, already scanning the countertops for a coffee pot or a stray bottle of beer as he caught sight of Lorna again. "Alright, Dane," he grunted, pulling out a chair and turning it around to sit straddle-style, his large forearms resting against the backrest. "I'm clean, I'm mostly civilized, and I'm starvin'. Spill it------- what's been happening around this joint since I left?"

[magneticfaultlines]

lorna opened her mouth to answer him before his hand went up, along with her brows. after he spoke, however, she pressed her lips together in a smile, containing a small air of laughter before nodded her head. "yeah, yeah. deal." she stated before they parted ways and she trotted down the hallway and to the kitchen.

--

she had, admittedly, spent at least a portion of those twenty minutes debating whether or not she should have told him where the coffee was and saved herself the trouble of waiting. for once she could feel the weight of sleepiness begin to make it's way through her body. ultimately, she ended up staying. despite her earlier teasing, there was something reassuring about seeing a familiar face return to the mansion. especially the one who always seem to come and go as she did.

by the time he finally wandered into the kitchen, she had claimed one of the stools at the island. a mug rested comfortably between both hands, the coffee inside considerably lighter than a true cup of coffee should be. before her sat a second mug, darker and untouched, waiting. at least, she assumed he took his black. the intrusive thought of putting engine oil in his mug crossed her mind given the figure that arrived some twenty minutes ago, but she gave a light laugh to herself and shrugged it off.

her eyes immediately lifted to him, setting the porcelain mug before her with a small clank upon the counter. he certainly cleaned up nice, and certainly smelled a hundred times better than before. "well, i'd say now you smell like canadian pine." she quipped, followed by a soft grin.

one leg crossed over the other, her flannel pajama pants a stark contrast to anything resembling the professionalism of a teacher at this school. of course, she didn't much care right now as she didn't intend on running into any students, hopefully. her cropped tee, a bleach-washed gray color with a fleetwood mac logo printed on it, already had the slight splotch of spilled coffee on it, a result of her impatient nature rather than clumsiness.

she watched as he sat before her, not entirely meaning to momentarily gawk at his arms, but raising her mug in a gesture of toasting before taking a small sip of the liquid within. "christ logan, what kind of lumberjacking workout routine have you gotten into." it was a half-joke, half...attempting to brush off the previous moment of staring.

lorna was relieved he asked a question she could answer without covering herself with some bad joke, again. "well, the students are still students," she said with a soft sigh. "which means they're equal parts brilliant, raging with hormones, and convinced they're either completely invincible or personally responsible for every problem on earth. i spent two weeks helping a kid learn how to manipulate electromagnetic fields without frying every electronic device within a hundred-foot radius." the corner of her mouth twitched. "which, admittedly, was a little nostalgic."

hand lifted to tuck several loose strands of hair behind her ear. dark brown mixed with faint traces of green caught the kitchen light. years ago, her aunt had insisted she keep it dyed. these days the habit lingered more out of familiarity than necessity, though some part of her still found comfort in the disguise.

"i've mostly been splitting my time between research and mentoring. charles keeps insisting i'm good at it." she shrugged, clearly not quite believing that. "the rest of the team is gone a lot, some half-retired, i think. i imagine that's why he called you to come, but i don't ask professor a lot questions. he's been strangely, more absent than usual though."

that thought lingered longer than she expected. her lips pressed briefly to one side as she considered it, as though she'd only just noticed it herself.

then again, that wasn't entirely surprising. lorna had always been good at finding something to occupy her mind before it could drift somewhere dangerous. research, field work, mentoring, volunteering for problems that weren't technically hers to solve - anything that kept her moving. anything that kept her from sitting still long enough for doubt, guilt, or old mistakes to start clawing their way back to the surface. as a result, it wasn't uncommon for her to miss things that didn't immediately demand her attention.

"he tell you anything?"

[sleepyokai]

Muse: Logan Howlett / Wolverine [ Mid-40s (Appearance), Mutant/Weapon X Veteran. ] Plot: After months of living off the grid in the Canadian wilderness, Logan is tracked down by Charles Xavier, who convinces him to return to the X-Mansion to serve as a combat instructor and advisor for the school. Weary of the isolation but deeply wary of his own violent nature, Logan agrees to the position to find a sense of purpose. open to anyone.

It wasn't strange for Logan to pull back up to the Westchester estate, even if he spent months at a time craving the silence of the Canadian brush just to keep the noise in his skull down to a dull roar. The wilderness was his default, but Charles Xavier's school was the closest thing to a permanent home he had left on this earth, mostly because the walls were packed with kids who understood what it meant to have a body that felt more like a weapon than a gift. His own mutation made him more beast than man on the bad days, stretching his lifespan out across centuries until the sheer volume of names, faces, and trenches he'd left behind became a crowded museum of nightmares that usually warned him to keep moving before he ruined the scenery. However, he was standing in the foyer anyway because the old man had asked him to come home and teach, and a request from Xavier was one of the only debts Logan actually honored without a fight, even if trying to live up to the Professor's ideals felt like wearing clothes three sizes too small. He'd rolled the midnight-blue Harley-Davidson Fat Boy into the garage, killed the ignition, and walked right through the grand main entrance, tracking wet pine needles and the thick, greasy stench of motor oil across the floorboards without a single shred of apology. He looked like hell and knew he smelled worse, fully intending to bypass the entire household to find a hot shower and burn the road grime off his skin, but the abrupt figure waiting by the stairs cut his stride short. Logan stopped dead, grizzled jaw clenching as he stared at the one person he hadn't prepared himself to face so soon, his hand instinctively dropping toward his jacket pocket before his gruff voice cracked the quiet room. "Yeah. Look, I didn't think… hell, didn't think you'd still be kickin' around this place."

[magneticfaultlines]

lorna had sensed him long before the front doors opened, not necessarily by his actual presence, but by the means in which he approached the school.

the motorcycle had announced itself through the estate's drive, the vibrations reverberating like a ripple through water. a ripple she felt through every cell in her body. it was familiar enough that she recognized it without much effort. the engine, the steel, the distinct metallic signature moving steadily up the drive. by the time the sound itself finally reached the mansion, she was already slowly making her way toward the main entrance. lorna had a suspicion of who it was, but her curiosity got the better of her.

she hadn't been back at the mansion very long. in truth, lorna seemed to navigate life in a constant state of emotional and scientific chaos, where one day she was out in the field researching geomagnetic signatures and the next she found herself relying on a friendly telepath, or xavier himself, to help quiet the doubt and chatter that occasionally filled her mind. it was often how she ended up back here: conducting research in her own time, mentoring students in return for charles' kindness, and pretending she hadn't accidentally made the school her home again.

the entrance quickly filled with the smell of someone who had clearly spent a long time on the road - sweat, grime, and the faintest scent of steel filling the air about him. that, combined with the dirt and mud now smeared across what had once been polished wood flooring, painted a fairly complete picture.

her brown hues, speckled with the slightest flecks of green, assessed him from her stance at the bottom of the stairs, hand still on the railing as though she hadn't entirely decided whether she was about to say hello, or simply turn around and head back to her rooms. after the briefest silences, however, a faint smile pulled at the corners of her mouth. "seems we all find our way back here, somehow."

lorna wasn't sure what brought the wolverine himself back, but she figured it was also xavier's doing. she finally descended the last few steps, her right foot meeting the ground floor before the left followed. a few more steps carried her forward, though she still left several paces between them.

"you look terrible, and smell worse." there was undoubtedly an amused tone to her words, but not dishonesty. "so what, did you drive for like, three days straight?"

[masterrofmagnetism]

The facility had not been a handpicked target. Merely one of several that were being systemically breached and dismantled. Mutant brothers and sisters being held and treated like beasts. Locked up like criminals whose only crime was daring to exist in a world where anything different was frightening.

There was nothing special about it.

Concrete structures with steel bones. Fitted with aluminum light fixtures and metal studs. Guarded by men and women with metal weapons that fired iron projectiles. A fortress easily weaponized by one who had the power to rip its insides out.

Floor by floor prisoners were liberated and enemies were felled. A long overdue clean up that was nearly complete.

The sensation was unmistakable. One he had felt before. A pull reminiscent of the one that came right from the earth. In the red hue of the emergency lighting system, the man known as Magneto froze.

How had he not known?

Leaving the others to finish the job, he followed the pull. Stepping over bodies and freezing bullets only to reverse their trajectories. An invisible shield that would keep him safe and the same force that had released her from her collar.

He would have wrenched the door of her cell right off its hinges, if she hadn’t beat him to it. The young woman nearly collided with him as she sprang forward into the hallway.

There was a brief moment of hesitation while the screeching of the alarm droned inside his ear drums. There was no time for a proper greeting. No room for formalities.

“We do not have much time. Enough blood has been spilled for one day. Come now. This way.”

If she was smart, she would follow as he turned on his heels and walked quickly back the way he had come.

[magneticfaultlines]

for the briefest of moments, lorna froze. any words that might have left her lips caught in the back of her throat, practically choking her. it was rare for the woman who always had something to say, more often than not when she shouldn't, to suddenly fall silent.

she could feel his power practically reverberating through his presence, just as surely as he could feel hers. had he come here because of her? it was a strange thought, one she quickly shoved into the deepest corners of her mind.

his voice cut through the blare of the alarms, demanding her attention without entirely meaning to. lorna hesitated for only a moment, feeling her fists clench and unclench at her sides. whether it was anger or some other complicated emotion she couldn't quite name, she wasn't sure. when he turned to leave, she had little time to decide whether she intended to follow.

magnets of the same pole repelled each other, and for a moment her feet seemed reluctant to move, as though physically incapable of following him while some unseen force pushed her away. then one foot stepped forward, and then the other, until she found herself only a few paces behind him.

her lips pressed into a firm line, an attempt to keep herself from chewing on the inside of her cheek, a habit she had mostly outgrown. these days, she usually acted on whatever impulse she was trying to suppress.

"where are we going?" she asked.

a stupid question, really. did it matter? she was free. she didn't have to follow him after this. and yet, she already suspected that she would.