1380/Magnet Siblings: Checking In

Magnet Siblings: Checking In
Date of Scene:	26 April 2020
Location:	Master Bedroom: Lorna Dane's
Synopsis:	Pietro finds Lorna in an emotional spiral and tries his best to pick up the pieces.
Cast of Characters:	Lorna Dane, Pietro Maximoff

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Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna had progressively tried to ignore the spiraling of her mental state. But panic attacks, and emotional breakdowns took their toll eventually. And while she wouldn't admit it to anyone.. she was finding it harder and harder to function. After a complete panic attack in Genosha with Scott.. where Fabian walked in.. She'd taken a portal back to the Mansion and holed up in her room and steadfastly refused to leave. Nor answer her phone.

A worrying thing to be sure, but she'd had enough with emails and messages and endless phone calls.

The blinds were drawn, the door was shut, and Lorna had dyed her hair black, ripped out her hair extensions, and was now sulking in the shadow of her closet. A mountain of clothes surrounding her as she had tried and failed to separate which ones she wanted to bring with her to Genosha.. and now just sat there staring at them and struggling to hold back her tears.

Pietro Maximoff has posed:
    It had been some time since Pietro has done his brotherly duties and checked up on Lorna. Granted, it wasn't all that terribly long ago, but in Pietro's skewed sense of time, it might has well been years since he has last seen his youngest sister. And so, he finds himself approaching the Xavier School once more.

    After giving a couple of students a scare when he actually stopped to ask for Lorna, Pietro managed to determine that Lorna was in her room. And, because the elder Maximoff was never one to be indirect, Pietro walked (well, for him) to the residents' wing. His method of finding Lorna is rather straightforward...just knocking on each door until he finds her. Granted, it earned him a couple surprised stares, but what did he care about that?

Lorna Dane has posed:
Well, eventually, Pietro found the right door. And had it been literally anyone else, Lorna likely would've just refused to answer and had they persisted, told them to go away. However, she could sense her brother's presence in the magnetic fields and knew immediately who it was that had come to check up on her.

The door creaked open as she stood and came over to it, poking her head out into the hallway. She squinted faintly at the brighter light of the hall, and huffed a breath. Her make-up a smeared stain that showed she'd been crying, and her hair tangled about her face. And most noticeably dyed black.

"Pietro? What are you doing?" She mumbled, keeping her frame braced against the door and blocking his line of sight into her room.

Pietro Maximoff has posed:
    The answer is simple and direct. "Looking for you." Those brillant blue eyes shift, noticeably taking in the hair color and the tear-stained cheeks. "I had intended on checking on your well-being." The eyes then shift, looking away as Pietro's stance softens, looking...almost defeated. "Apparently, I am too late, once again." And, just for a moment and only a moment, Pietro looks about ready to cry himself.

    But, like most things to do with the speedster, the moment is fleeting. The defeated, sad expression is immediately replaced with his usual passive mein. Yet, the next question is given with a somewhat concerned tone, even if the older brother's expression doesn't reflect it. "Did you want to talk about it?"

    No pressing the issue. No prodding as to what 'it' is. Just, offering to listen. It would seem that Pietro is no stranger to bouts of depression himself.

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna shuffled forward, and more or less pressed her face against her brother's shoulder, resting her head against it and heaving a long, drawn sigh. Her whole frame would just lean on him for a long while in silence. Her shoulders rose and fell as she inhaled and exhaled in a shuddering manner, trying to not cry again. "Yeaah.." Her voice trembled ever so slightly, and was higher in pitch and tone than it should have been.

Slowly, she would lift her head up, and push her hair back from her face. "I.. it's... today is a bad day." She mumbled.

Pietro Maximoff has posed:
    As Lorna leans her head upon his shoulder, Pietro does something that is very unexpected of him. He initiates a hug himself...unbidden. Though, it is a rather light embrace, really only a hand on the back of Lorna's head and the other placed in the middle of her back. Just enough for Lorna to feel the weight of his hands.

    The embrace, such as it is, breaks as Lorna lifts up her head, with Pietro's hands dropping to his side. That passive expression also breaks, allowing Lorna to see Pietro's true expression. One of deep concern and empathy. It is quite apparent that Pietro knows exactly how Lorna might feel. Her remark is answered with a single word, spoken in such a tone that it is obvious that Lorna's brother knows just how bad the day was.

    "Yeah..."

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna turned and made her way back into her room, the door creaking open and shut behind them as they entered the room. It was dark, and she had to step over a closet's worth of clothes that lay scattered on the floor. She plopped down on the edge of her bed and she exhaled a heavy sigh, just burying her face in her hands. "I.. I lost it in Genosha today. I just... I couldn't cope with it all. Scott was telling me that Hydra is likely to attack again.. and that the Magistrates are moving once more, likely to attack us.. and I just.. and.." She shook her head.

"It was too much, and he asked me to keep father's Acolyte's in check.. and I-I don't know what I'm doing! He got on me about being a leader, a-and reading books!" Her voice shook, as her hands did and her gaze focused on somewhere distant.

"And I just want to leave it all. I want to run away and just.. not.. I don't want any of this.. I don't know what to do."

Pietro Maximoff has posed:
    There might be a bit of careful stepping as Pietro navigates the floor. A toe here, a heel there, until he finds a section of floor that is relatively free for him to occupy. And...once he gets to a comfortable spot, he remains there. No twitching, no idly inspecting the room. No. This time, Lorna gets her brother's full undivided attention.

    And...when Lorna exclaims she doesn't know what to do, Pietro offers a simple answer. "You ask for help." It is rather abrupt, but that is Pietro's style. He doesn't pull any punches. "I know about those zealots that are following you around now...and I can imagine the pressures that you must be feeling. You are not alone in this." Pietro remains still, those eyes of his upon Lorna's. "You have Wanda. And you have me. If you need us, we will answer."

    Yes, Pietro is answering for Wanda. And no, Pietro is not wrong.

Lorna Dane has posed:
Pietro's simple answer earned a violent response in terms of reaction time. Lorna suddenly burst into tears, sobbing with a heart wrenching gasp, her arms curling in tightly around herself as she inhaled as if she was running short of air. Her slight frame shook, and her buried her face in her hands. "I-I'm s-so scared. I-I'm going.. going to fail." She choked out, breathing hard as she curled ever inward into herself, drawing up her legs, and hunching her shoulders.

"If .. If I fail.. people die." She whimpered, and shook her head, her eyes screwing shut as memories of her freezing up on Genosha during the fall ran over her again and again. She had froze. People had reached for her, screaming, the Sentinel's condemnation echoing all around her as blast after blast turned mutants all around her into nothing more than ashes and bones. Buildings burned.

And she had done nothing. And Scott had pushed, and pushed. Why did she pick Hammer Bay to rebuild? Why did she put the X-men base among the survivors? Why didn't she pick a more defensible position? Why.. why.. why..

And a million other voices echoed in her head, the same death cries from her two weeks of carrying the last words of all Genoshans trapped in a magnetic bubble of her own making.

She sobbed, and her body twisted to the side as she completely broke down for the first time since she'd been pulled from the wreckage. Pietro hadn't seen her like this. Wanda hadn't seen her like this. She'd tried //so// hard avoid it. To be //functional//.

Pietro Maximoff has posed:
    Lorna, of course, has seen how quick Pietro can be. There is usually a blur of motion if one really watches carefully. And yet, somehow he seemed even faster. One moment, he was just standing there, listening patiently. And then, nearly the same time that Lorna breaks down, somehow Pietro is just *there*...on the bed, his arms wrapped around her. The gesture was nearly instantaneous, as if it was something he has many times before...just never with Lorna. If the pressure was light before, it was most certainly felt now.

    And then there is the voice. No hint of harshness or the usual emotionless inflection. There isn't a sense of 'him', of Father, in the tone. This softness...this concern. It is so rare from Pietro for anyone else except for maybe Wanda. But, Lorna is family, too...and damn it, she needs him.

    And so, Pietro steps up.

    "That fear. It is natural. It is good. I would be worried if you was not scared. It means that you do have the best intentions." A hand reaches up, fingertips brushing aside black locks of hair as Pietro continues, that voice still pitched low and caring. "And yes, you are right. If we fail, people may die." Wait...he said 'we'. Not 'you' but a collective 'we'. "But...we won't. I refuse to fail. And Wanda...she will do whatever in her power to ensure that we succeed." Again, speaking for their other sister. And again, Pietro is right. Wanda will do whatever she can.

    And now, with Lorna twisted upon the bed? She is pulled into Pietro's lap, as he falls silent. His eyes close, as he just sits in silence, not judging...but just there, providing what strength he can.

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna hadn't actually, truly had a chance to grieve. A chance to sob and cry until her throat was raw and sore. She'd been silent. She'd been angry. She had been shut down and numb. But not once since her rescue from the rubble had she allowed herself to cry. To process what she'd been through. So when Pietro was there, and when he was smoothing his hands through her hair.. it didn't immediately stop her tears. If at all possible she latched onto him and simply sobbed all the more for it.

But eventually her tears did run out, and she was left shuddering, and gasping for breath. Her hand clutching at whatever she could, and doubtlessly leaving a tear-stained mess on Pietro's clothes for it. Her breathing was a short, hyperventilating mess, and she fell into coughing and splutters in between it all.

A whimper followed and her frame slowly eased from the tension bound position it had been as she unwound from the panic that had seized her so surely and suddenly. "It is?" She finally got out, coughing again as she inhaled.

Pietro Maximoff has posed:
    "It is" echoes Pietro. He had remained still, allowing Lorna to actually mourn, because if anyone deserved the chance to do so, it was her. And he remains still now, even with a slowly-growing dampness upon his shirt. And yet, he doesn't complain. No...he just lets it happen.

    And then, he follows up on his own words. "Of course it is good to feel fear. It reminds us that we are not infallible. That we are not perfect, as much as we like to believe we are." That...might be more intended for himself, rather than anyone else. "It keeps us humble...mindful of who we are and, more importantly, what we must do. If we are not afraid...then we are foolish."

    Then, with that, those blue eyes open and direct themselves to meet Lorna's own. "And we? We are not fools, Lorna."

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna sniffled, and reached up to rub at her red rimmed eyes, smearing black remains of eyeliner and eyeshadow even further down her face and onto her knuckles. She coughed again, into her hands, as a few more hot tears trickled down her cheeks again. She blinked a few more times, trying and failing to cast the wetness entirely from her eyes.

"I.." She swallowed and her throat rasped as she did so, and she reached up to rub her nose on the back of her sleeves. Not the most hygenic thing to do, but it was practical given this instance. "I just.. feel ... like I've already.. failed." She breathed, hiccuping now, as her breathing slowly evened out from short gasps and her body caught up with her short spasms of panic.

Pietro Maximoff has posed:
    Those few more tears that fell did not escape for long, as the elder brother's finger reaches up to wipe away the few that did manage to fall. Surprisingly gentle, the fingertip is barely felt, and pulled away in time to allow for the slighly unsanitary swipe across the nose with a sleeve. Of course, the fingertips, damp with tears, just wipe themselves upon the wet patch upon Pietro's shirt, so hygene is the least of Pietro's concern at the moment.

    The locks of white hair flutter slightly as Pietro shakes his head to Lorna's commentary. "No. You have not already failed. If you feel that way, then it is not you who has failed...but everyone else around you, who are supposed to help support you." There is a fleeting look of disgust, as Pietro adds. "Myself included." And, it becomes apparent that disgust was directed at himself. He still blames himself, it seems, for not being able to help. "No, you have not failed. You are here, gaining support for Genosha. And you are working to rebuild. As long as you keep moving forward, you cannot fail."

    There is a pause...then a frown as Pietro considers a point to himself. "If someone ever tells you that you have failed, then tell me. I will set the record straight." Which...might end up with a high-speed punch to the face of whoever would dare to say that, knowing Pietro.

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna sniffled again, and distractedly rubbed at her pink-tinged nose as she listened to Pietro. She blinked her gaze still damp even as Pietro wiped away each tear as they fell. Her head bowed, black hair spilling into her features as she sniffled again. "I tried to.. to.. do what everyone wanted me to do." She whispered, and a few more tears trickled down her cheeks.

"I thought ... at least.." Her voice was raw and she brittle at the edges still.

And now? Now she wasn't so sure, she was being yanked in so many directions. Be strong. Command. Be kind. Be gentle. Be patient. Be the Queen everyone needs. Be the X-men hero that people need you to be. Be diplomatic. Be political. Be a leader. Be a strategist. All of it. Over and over again.. it had beaten her down and left the crumbled young woman that Pietro held together now.

"A-and I just.." It was all too much, and she exhaled a slow breath through her nose. Pietro's words about setting the record straight however, earned a watery smile that pulled at the corners of her lips and trembled.

Pietro Maximoff has posed:
    There is that gesture of acknowledgement....the slight tip of the head....the slight smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. Because Pietro knows he is guilty of telling Lorna what to do, as well. The fingers seek out to claim the newfound tears, as Pietro falls back to his gentle demeanor, picking his next words carefully.

    After a few minutes of consideration, Pietro speaks. "There is only one person that truly matters. One person that you should listen to when deciding what to do." With that, he extends a finger and, in a somewhat child-like manner, taps Lorna on the nose. "You. Do what Lorna wants to do." The finger withdraws. "If you don't know what you want to do, you can always ask for advice. But, ultimately, the only person that matters to you should be yourself." Then, it is Pietro's turn to offer a wry little smile. "Don't let anyone steer you away from yourself. Not even me."

    Then, with a finality that faintly echoes of their father's demeanor, Pietro reaches over to tap Lorna again. This time, upon her shoulder. "You can be whatever you want. but, most of all, be Lorna."