2827/The Great Outdoors

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The Great Outdoors
Date of Scene: 08 August 2020
Location: Wilderness Campsites
Synopsis: Bobby, Julio, and Lorna go for a bike ride... and Creed shows up.
Cast of Characters: Julio Richter, Lorna Dane, Bobby Drake, Victor Creed




Julio Richter has posed:
The upstate summer afternoon has been warm but pleasantly breezy, which means the outdoors beckoned to those inside Xavier's School, and loaner mountain bikes on racks in the garage offered a perfect way to explore the grounds. There are many mapped trails that crisscross the woods, and even more happenstance wilderness paths cleared by rainwater or wildlife.

Julio Richter has been out here quite a bit, of course, but as he has grown into his abilities he has gotten a little bit more reckless, disregarding the maps and not bothering to plan, just trusting to his senses to guide him through the woods. Today he's aiming to take his aqua Bianchi all the way to the cliffs that he has heard ring part of Spuyten Duyvil Cove, and has brought Bobby and Lorna along for the trip.

The two of them, of course, have alternative means to get around, but the physical challenge of wrestling their bikes over the hilly trails is (at least for the time being) all part of the fun. Julio is pretty much stuck on the ground regardless, so he alone is fully committed to the bike.

Lorna Dane has posed:
A metal framed bike in Lorna's hands was cheating in the extreme, it didn't weigh her down and in fact, she hardly broke a sweat as she only //sometimes// pedaled properly. Her hands glowed faintly now and then, giving her a boost up an incline and slowing her to a comfortable rate as she went down hill.

Why over work herself in the warm summer sun if she didn't //have// to for training?

Still, it was something normal. And as Bobby had heard her complain before, she missed the snatches of normal she could grab for herself here and there. They were rare and hard to come by. So an afternoon out with friends in the woods on bikes? It was something that didn't involve responsibility or duty or anything like that. It would do nicely.

She wore a simple black T-shirt, and pair of jean cut off shorts. Metal jewelry clinging to her fingers and wrists, and it was perhaps the most dressed down she'd been for a while. "So I might have convinced Namor to not go around demanding X-men show up to help Atlantis.. I might not, but I did get him to agree that I can have a retinue whenever I go. I am a Queen after all. So if we wanted a trip we can go.." She offered, drifting along on the magnetic currents without wasting a breath on actually biking. "Granted... Atlantis might be facing some serious danger and need our help..."

Bobby Drake has posed:
"Hey, I'm fine with helping Atlantis if they need help," Bobby says. "I was fine with going down with the others and helping to clean up their artifacts and help them with their mysteries, too. Just, you know, it's a little cooler if it's more of a request and less a demand with the vague threat of not being let /go/ until the job is done." He grins a little crookedly over at Lorna.

He seems comfortable riding along on the bike, but he can also just create himself a ramp of ice to let the bike slide along it, too, if he feels so inclined. He doesn't, though, at least not for now. Staying cool isn't an issue for him. He's his own portable air conditioning unit that travels with him as they go over the hills and through the woods.

Julio Richter has posed:
Julio accelerates down an incline at a moderate pace, brakes clicking occasionally as they disengage from bleeding off speed. The path they're on isn't especially treacherous, but there are enough bumps and tree roots that letting yourself go /too/ quickly can be a ticket to a painful spill. Plus, it's no fun if you get too far away from the group and lose the thread of conversation.

"I'm not sure Atlantis again is a good idea for me, at least in the city," he says hesitantly, doing a quick, shallow sine-curve to avoid a loose stone. "I am happy to help, but my powers would have big, big effects, so it's better if there are not people there to be hurt."

He reaches the nadir of the curve in the path and has to start pedaling harder to continue, but the rise is gentle and his momentum is decent, so he has no difficulty continuing, "Some weird stuff happened in Limbo the other day, and I think I should be more careful about that." He twists around to flash a grin at Bobby. "Even if they do ask nicely this time."

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna nodded, "I did try to uhm.. get to that point. I don't think it sunk in." She slowed her pace around a root, bumping up and over it as she used her powers to stabilize herself. "But it sounds like there's something big going on down there. He said that what he asked Doug to translate deals with some nasty old thing that was sealed away.. and he thinks its not anymore. So I dunno what powers would be the most useful for fighting an undersea evil thing that ancient Kings fought and nearly lost to.." She shrugged, glancing to Bobby briefly.

"But it sounds like if we don't help out it could get nasty, for more than just Atlantis." She sighed heavily, shaking her head to push her hair back from her face as she glanced ahead to Julio as he spoke of Limbo.

"That it's you're not allowed to leave New York, everytime you do craziness happens, Julio."

Victor Creed has posed:
Through the trees, some of the campsites and one of the buildings is more visible - Logan's cabin is one of the features that is out amidst the wilderness area. There's a sign of 'NO VISITORS' plainly placed outside of the cabin, though it currently has a dead animal of some kind draped on the sign like an eerie warning. No visitors must be /serious/, or one will be a disemboweled rabbit? Something like that. Harsh message.

However, directly in the path comes a different monster than Logan; Creed is about as subtle as a bear when he's out in the open. He's massive and predatory - and while yes, bikes can evade him and stay on the same path, they might have to get a little bit close to not drive into the woods. He's just moving at a relaxed saunter down the path at the moment, though he will look with his sharp, amber-gold eyes at the approaching bikeriders. He can hear them, of course.

Bobby Drake has posed:
"Not sure exactly what abilities one uses to fight elder gods but I'm pretty sure that shooting them in the head will work. Doesn't beheading usually work on pretty much anything? Though I guess if it's just a giant pair of disembodied eyes that might not work. Maybe a really big needle in the eye? You could totally launch a knitting needle at it, right?" Bobby rambles a little bit as they ramble on down the path through the trees. Yeah, sure, it's a serious topic but this is his coping mechanism.

He isn't entirely paying attention where they're going, and so somehow he misses both the fact that they're near Logan's cabin and that there's a big hulking figure in the middle of the road. He has to course-correct very quickly when he suddenly looks up and sees Creed and nearly does wobble off straight into a tree with a sort of strangled yelp.

Julio Richter has posed:
"Illyana was trying to explain it to me -- she says I might have awakened a kinda scary Aztec god when I first--" Julio's response is cut off as he slams on his brakes, hard enough that the bike slaloms a bit to the side and skids in the dirt, before coming to a halt about a meter from Creed. He looks up at the unfamiliar man's face, his expression blank of recognition and even a little bit defiant.

"You lost, chiquitito?" he asks. Ah, the folly of youth. He turns to follow Bobby's yelp, calling out, "You OK?" with obvious concern.

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna snorted a laugh at Bobby, shaking her head. "We are not sure it's an elder god, geeze, Bobby. Why'd you have to go for the worst case scenario here?" She rolled her eyes, and laughed softly as she continued to pedal along the path, guided via her powers more than actual physical effort.

"I was hoping more maybe we could freeze it in a massive chunk and then smash it." She teased, and anything else broke off as she spotted Creed up the path. Her bike ground to a halt, and her feet slammed against the dirt of the path.

"Back it up Julio.." She lifted a hand as she swung her leg over the side of the bike.

"Creed, what are you doing out here again?" She arched a brow upward, "Because Logan isn't around right now.."

Victor Creed has posed:
Creed doesn't rise immediately to the insult of being called 'small'. Mostly since it just doesn't make any sense to even register, like calling a skinny guy fat. Just makes the person that says it look stupid, to Creed's view, so he ignores Julio entirely, no deign to respond to his attempt to pick a fight. Creed does scratch his chin and neck a little, which reveals that his talons and forearms do have dried blood on them.

"I noticed," Victor observes, his voice a thick tangle of growl and brass. He hasn't stopped moving, which means he's going to saunter past Julio towards Lorna. "I left him a message," shrugs the feral man. He's dressed in a mix of green-gray military wear, entirely suitable for melting into the brush if he had chosen to do that. "It's private."

A grin is flashed, which shows most of the long teeth that gave him his titles. El Tigre, for Julio, maybe. His eyes slide from Lorna to the nearly-crashed Bobby, without much particular emotion either way, other than to take it in as having happened. Victor isn't being directly aggressive, just looking. For the time being.

Bobby Drake has posed:
Bobby Drake didn't /actually/ crash. He just /almost/ crashed before eventually skidding to a stop past Creed. He turns around to face the others and watches Creed and Lorna. There's a slight narrowing of his eyes as he notices the blood, and says, "The dead thing hanging off the sign? Very festive," somewhat dryly. He glances over toward Julio and gives him a little grin. "I'm fine," he reassures him, because he is, near-collision with the tree and all.

Julio Richter has posed:
The face didn't mean anything, but the name seems to when Lorna utters it. Julio's eyes snap back to Creed and widen slightly; he gives a sort of stammering, "O--ohhhhhhhhhhh," as the things he's heard about the man click into place.

As Creed strides past him, Julio backs out of his way, a shifting green aura shuddering into place around him. He backs away at an angle, not taking his eyes off the interloper and sidestepping to keep himself physically between him and Bobby. His bike wobbles on its kickstand where he left it; it's expendable, as only a loaner can be.

"Cool. Fine. We're all fine, here, now," he answers Bobby. Once he's in range, he's going to try to grab his hand and move the both of them a little closer to Lorna. Not aggressive now is great; if sudden aggression happens, he wants to be close enough to do something about it.

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna glanced briefly at Bobby and back to Creed, keeping her position next to her bike with both hands locked around the handlebars. "Thank you for your help on Genosha," She offered, her back straight and her voice as carefully even as she could manage. Sure it was doubtlessly not an altruistic reasoning for Creed, but she'd give it to him regardless.

It was good that Creed wasn't aggressive, but that was likely due in part to Logan not being home. Still, what Logan had said previous still bothered her enough that she stepped forward slightly. "There anything else we can help you with, Creed? Or are you on your way out?"

Victor Creed has posed:
"I can be more festive," Victor offers in deadpan towards Bobby. "Want to adorn the door? Maybe a wreath of dismembered parts?" That was partially towards Julio, though, just to sort of push at them verbally. For... fun.

Really just that. There's an /edge/ to it, a cold place that comes from the depths of someone that is, in fact, a mass-murderer and does not really feel much of anything about it other than a possibility of a game. Victor can be unsettling; he's got a vibe of a dark, twisted thing, and has no ability to hide it. Not really.

Still, Victor lifts his head, gaze again coming back to Lorna, allowing her to pull most of his attention. He does slow to stop in front of her when she steps forward, calculating. It has a similar calculation to an animal deciding on the trajectory of a pounce, but he doesn't move. "Told you I was gonna help," Creed states. "Nah. I'm leavin'. Logan'll ... get back t' me." Grin.

Bobby Drake has posed:
When Julio grabs his hand, Bobby doesn't move from where he is. He just stands there, his eyes on Creed, watching him and his interaction with Lorna. The comment about being more festive only gets an even look in return. But he does perhaps position himself a little bit between Creed and Julio this time. He watches as Creed approaches Lorna, and Julio can likely feel the slight temperature drop around Bobby since he's currently holding onto him. Still, he doesn't move, much like one faced with a dangerous predator.

Julio Richter has posed:
Julio is mostly a smart kid, honest. He only lived long enough to get to Xavier's by being resourceful and cautious and avoiding unnecessary danger. Still, the past few months have been full of upheaval, and he's starting to feel things about this place and these people that are making him protective and proud, in a way he hasn't been in years. In his quieter moments, he is starting to question the attitudes he has carried toward himself, his life, and his future.

This is /not/ a quieter moment. "Dismembered parts?" he asks, cocking his head to one side and thinking back to what he heard about Creed's last visit. "You're the expert on those, I guess."

Look: Julio is mostly a smart kid, I swear.

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna wasn't going to let her guard down around Creed, not for a second as she watched him. Sure he was pretty passive right now, but that could change. She had seen the worst of his feral rage in his fight with Logan and she did not want to see it again either. Not here, not now.

"I'm sure Logan will get the message, it's hard to miss as it is." She offered, and shifted subtly, making sure that she was between Bobby and Julio and Creed. She at least could make a forcefield. Not that she was sure she could make one faster than the murderous man in front of her could attack.. if he chose to do so.

As Julio spoke though, she took her eyes off Victor for a moment, her gaze swinging back toward the young mutant behind her with a pursing of her lips and warning in her eyes.

Victor Creed has posed:
"If you want to fight, we'll do it," Victor says, then, directly to Julio, tongue curling out against the side of his upper lip, hooked against one of his long fangs. It's cheerful, pleasant.

"You want to /start/ it, I'll finish it," continues the feral mutant. He stretches his shoulders, and, much in the same way Logan does, unsheaths claws.

No, it's not a 'snickt' and then they're there. It's a sloooooow process, as retracted talons eeeeeeease out, each several inches, and flecked with the dried blood.

Creed upnods a little to Lorna, then, in a suggestion of 'move'. "Wasn't /gonna/ stay. Kids want to pick fights, I'll stick around for fun, though," Creed informs Lorna slyly. He's INVITED. She can contain Julio or... well.

"Even let him hit me first, before I give him experience in dismemberment to chew on." Cause Victor is a nice guy. So nice. And not just bark. He's started to circle to the side, quiet in the brush. Because, well, tiger.

Bobby Drake has posed:
"Julio, no.." Bobby says, gripping Julio's hand tightly and trying to pull him back, now, as soon as those words leave his lips. "Nobody's hitting anyone first," he says, firmly. Whether Julio actually heads him or not is another thing, but Bobby's instantly translucent, going ice cold with a slight crackling sound in the air and a faint mist coming off of him as he takes on that ice form. With his considerable strength, he gives Julio another tug and says, "Let's go."

Julio Richter has posed:
A snarky attitude is all well and good when everyone's just talking. But as those talons come sliding out... Well, it's probably unfair to say that Julio's courage fails him. It just fully sinks in what a dumbass thing he did by talking shit to this creature.

The green aura surrounding him sharpens into toothy spikes and glowing traceries; they surround him, as if outlining an invisible shape around him. It won't break Bobby's icy grip, but he'll find the hand he's holding surrounded by something much larger, with a texture like stone. The form flows over Julio's head from behind, first like a hood, then shutting in a jagged line like the teeth of a caiman snapping shut.

He takes in Lorna's glance and Bobby's insistent words, and his voice quavers, but doesn't crack, as he says, "Not here to pick a fight." He lets Bobby pull him a few steps back, then that territorial instinct surfaces for a second and he asks, "Still, just checking: you don't fly, do you?"

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna didn't budge as she kept her position, not even a flinch or a single physical movement as her eyes returned to Creed to watch him. Her head tilted up a little, ignoring the upnod that encouraged her to move. She didn't summon her powers to her fingertips, she simply remained as she was, where she was. "Julio, stand down. Bobby take him back to the Mansion please." She didn't glance back at them.

"No need, Creed, you were heading out, right?" She shifted only as he started to circle toward the side, moving as she let go of the bike, which stood ramrod straight where she'd left it without the kickstand. One didn't let a predator get to your back or flank you, after all. But neither did she make an aggressive movements. Her hands remained at her sides.

"Want me to walk you out? Get a beer? Tell me all about how you saved Clarice all those years ago?"

Victor Creed has posed:
Creed grins a little at Julio, starting to perk up. Ooh, fun. He's continuing to circle, relaxing into what this might become. Julio is continuing to /engage/!

"Do you sleep?" purrs the big cat, instead, in response. "Might not want to," he adds. Does Victor torture people? Yes. Most of what he does with Logan involves that to some degree.

"No /need/, Lorna. Don't think you'd believe I'm a fucking hero anyway," he laughs darkly. He flares his eyes just a little at Julio, and slips back off into the trees. Might be creepy, at his bulk, that he can do that. Lorna can still track him via the metal he's carrying; he isn't sticking around for now, or is going to do a larger loop.

Bobby Drake has posed:
Bobby keeps a very careful eye on Creed as he continues to circle, but when he starts to meld toward the trees, that doesn't seem to settle him. He can't track him the way that Lorna can. He releases Julio, though, and grabs the handlebars of his bike. He then says to Julio, "Come on... let's head back. We can come back out and do this ride another day." The look he shoots him is serious, not his usual joking around at all, though it might be a little more difficult to read on his translucent features. He's not shifting out of ice form, at least not yet, not while Creed is still out there and not that far away.

Julio Richter has posed:
Julio doesn't relax when Creed moves out of sight, either. His abilities give him a certain situational awareness from vibrations traveling in the ground, but if anything, it only reinforces how eerily stealthy the bestial mutant is to note how quickly he vanishes off of that sense, as well.

His bike is sitting in the trail, five seconds' walk away, but even when Bobby lets go of his hand, he hesitates to get it. It sits there, unmoving, like bait to get him to go farther into the woods. Finally, he clenches his jaw and walks over to it, flips the kickstand up, and hauls it around to face away from the direction in which Creed disappeared.

It's his final act of defiance, for this encounter, that he hops on the bike with his back to the woods, all the while instinctively steeling himself for an attack. He doesn't let his magical armor drop, even though the thickness of it is like a space suit hindering his control of the bike.

The sternness in both Bobby and Lorna's voices doesn't escape him, not for a moment, and he steels himself to get thoroughly yelled at when they get back to the school.

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna doesn't climb back onto her bike or move for a long while, not until she senses the knife Creed carries moving well away from them. Only then does the tension leak from her shoulders and she waves her hand to direct the bike to float along side her as she walked over toward Bobby and Julio. "Yeah.. he's gone for now. Let's head back." Her voice was soft, gentle and careful. Worry staining her expression as she pursed her lips.

A glance was spared for the direction of Logan's cabin and she exhaled a breath. As she walked she glanced between Julio and Bobby, her eyebrows pinched. "See if we can't get Laura out here to track his scent again. See where he's coming and going from.. if he left any other surprises out here.. Don't want the kids to stumble over something nasty.."

Bobby Drake has posed:
Bobby makes his way over and gets his bike. It's only when Lorna says that he's left the area that Bobby drops his icy form. Not that he couldn't ride the bike while in it. But, instead, he walks alongside Lorna, walking the bike instead of riding it for the time being. He nods when she suggests that they get Laura out there to try to figure out where he's coming and going from, and to check and make sure there aren't any other decorative pieces left hanging around in the woods nearer the mansion.

He's silent though, for a little while, as they just walk along the path. He's still not relaxed, a tension wound through his shoulders and his expression somewhat set as they go.

Julio Richter has posed:
Julio lets the armor dissipate, but it takes him a solid 45 seconds after Bobby shifts back to his skin. Even then, he only manages it with a line of silent self-recrimination: 'Oh, you're real brave when being brave puts everyone at risk, but now you're scared and won't stop hiding in your stupid-looking cartoon lizard armor? Great, Julio. What a /hero/.'

Shortly after the armor does come down, he hops off his bike, grimaces, and says, "That all makes sense. You can yell at me, now." Might as well pull the band-aid off and externalize it, rather than stewing privately.

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna exhaled a breath as she glanced at Bobby, walking alongside in silence without filling it in as the trio made their way back toward the school. The chirp of bugs and the streaming sunshine through the leaves looked menacing now, even if she knew that Creed was long since gone. It was always a shake up to be reminded of the outside world while on the grounds.

Julio's words earned a glance, and a twist of her lips. "I'm not going to yell at you, Julio. I'm not your mom. Not your teacher. Not your field leader." She shook her head and sighed softly.

"But you know what you did, and you know what might've happened. That's enough. I've got a craptastic temper too. It's landed me in plenty of trouble over the years."

Bobby Drake has posed:
Bobby glances over toward Lorna, particularly when she mentions her temper. He's seen Lorna go nuclear, far beyond mere temper, and he can't help but smile just a little bit at that, despite himself. Then he turns his attention back to the path ahead of them. He takes in a deep breath and then lets it out slowly before saying, "I'm not going to yell at you."

But there's no more to it than that. He doesn't explain any further, or claim that he has any kind of a temper. If anything, it's his wise-cracking that is more likely to get him in trouble, or pranking someone.

Julio Richter has posed:
Being told he isn't going to get yelled at doesn't seem to make Julio feel better; if anything, he hunches more steeply over his handlebars as they keep trudging toward the school.

"I don't know what happened, or if temper is the right word for it," he says, feeling like a kid talking to a confessional screen again. "When I was on the run, I was angry all the time, but I didn't fight. It was easy not to fight. I ran away and hated people but I never did... that." He shakes his head, helpless to even describe what came over him. "It was like I wasn't thinking about surviving, I just wanted to show him I wasn't afraid. Like that's important instead of stupid."

So, to clarify: if they're not going to yell at him, he will yell at himself. He was raised Catholic. He can probably do this all day.

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna met Bobby's look, know exactly what he meant by it and she shrugged once. Another glance was passed back to Julio, concern etched on her features as she watched him deflate further and further. She nodded at his explanation, pushing her bike along with a wave of her hand still as she considered.

"In the Jewish faith there's a belief that there are two parts to an apology. One you must say you're sorry and mean it truly. Then you must carry out action to prove that you are sorry. That you meant it." She glanced to Julio again.

"If you're upset with yourself, apologize, and do better. Next time, be aware of it, and try your best to work around it. Even if only a little." She murmured, stepping lightly over a root.

"And trust me Julio.. I've been there before. Not the same, but similar."

Bobby Drake has posed:
"You wanted to stand up for yourself, and at the same time, you wanted to be protective of us. And part of that is puffing up your feathers and looking big so that the thing that wants to eat you doesn't. It's not really that unnatural a reaction," Bobby says as they walk along. He shifts over closer to Julio and gently nudges his shoulder.

"You scared me a little bit," he admits. Probably part of what was keeping him quiet and not joining in the conversation right away. "I was afraid he was going to hurt you. And.. not because I don't think you're strong or capable of taking care of yourself. But he's.." Scary. He's fucking scary.

Julio Richter has posed:
At the shoudler bump from Bobby, Julio gives a laugh so mirthless and rueful that it doesn't even part his lips. It just rocks his head and puffs out through his nostrils. "That's -- si. I think that's just what I was thinking," he answers Bobby. "And I get it. You were scared I would get hurt because I am a squishy skin person, no speed or healing or any of that. Just magic lines I don't really understand that took over my brain one time. Lo entiendo."

Then he looks over at Lorna, taking in what she says about apologies. "So... I'm sorry I scared you. And I'm sorry I put you in danger. That was the opposite of what I wanted to do," he continues. "I just hate that he's here threatening people I care about. And... bien. You already said that part."

He sighs, looking down at his handlebars, and reaches out to take Bobby's hand: a physical gesture of apology when his words fail.

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna shrugged, falling silent as she let Bobby do most of the talking. He summed up things rather well, Bobby always was good at that, talking. Listening. She offered him a small smile as she glanced around the wooded path and back to the two guys by her. "I know, it's over. We'll do better." Her expression warmed as her smile widened.

"I have been there. Bobby saw it. I dunno how much you paid attention to the news a few months ago, Julio. But I did some bad things when I was scared and I wanted to protect people. It could've been even worse.. But Bobby, and others did what they could to protect me from myself where they could too. We're here for you."

Bobby Drake has posed:
"We all make mistakes," Bobby says as he slips his fingers between Julio's, giving his hand a squeeze. "And we're all going to be in danger a lot. That's kind of the nature of our lives. But we're going to run into a lot of danger that we have to face, that's going to come at us without us doing anything to provoke it. So, the less that we can make for ourselves, the better. There's going to be plenty of times that we're all going to be up to our necks in it."

He lifts Julio's hand and presses a kiss to the back of it before lowering it again. "Don't beat yourself up too hard about it. Instead," he nods toward Lorna, "Like she said. You've made your apology for the bit you know wasn't the best choice. You'll do better next time. And we're all okay. That's what matters."

Julio Richter has posed:
"Thank you, Lorna," Julio says quietly, returning her smile. "I ... I do need people like you. Both of you." He gives Bobby's hand a gentle squeeze. "I'm very lucky to have people who will guide me, and just tolerate me, supongo, when I'm being an idiot. Which I will try to let happen less often." He takes a deep breath, and admits, "I know what it's like to do very bad things, and I don't think my reasons were half as good as yours."

His somber mood lifts a bit, even into genuine laughter, when Bobby gently suggests he not go around manufacturing danger for himself. "You make a very good point," he admits, shaking his head. "I haven't been out of trouble for more than five minutes for the past, hm, four years? Maybe I saw the nice relaxing bike ride and didn't know what to do with myself. You're right, though. I'll do better next time."

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna shrugged once, falling silent as she walked, listening. She kept an eye out though, her senses peeled for anything else that might surprise them along their route back. But it was calm. Quiet. A sunny afternoon just like before. A pity they couldn't return to their relaxing afternoon again though.

"Try not to judge yourself and your actions against mine, Julio. That was not my intention. And we're very different people. For one, your boyfriend is hella nicer than mine." A paused. "Not that I think I can use 'boyfriend' in regards to my situation.." She joked lightly, and shrugged again.

"As far as trouble goes? You're not alone. That's something everyone here is far too used to. We promise to not hold it against you either."

Julio Richter has posed:
Julio snorts, looks over at Lorna, and waggles his free hand as he teases, "Enh. I've been kidnapped by worse."