2837/The Trouble with Kings

The Trouble with Kings
Date of Scene:	08 August 2020
Location:	Sag Harbor, Long Island
Synopsis:	Namor, Gabby, and Lorna take a drive to the UN and discuss the King's current troubles.
Cast of Characters:	Namor, Lorna Dane, Gabby Kinney

---

Namor has posed:
"Moooom! This suuuuucks!"

"Stop yelling, Jack. Everyone's looking."

Havens Beach in Sag Harbor somewhat lives up to its name. 'Hidden' behind a residential area, it doesn't draw nearly as many crowds as the far more popular beaches in the Hamptons nearby. Calm, sparsely populated, and enjoyed primarily by locals and those in the know, it offers a bit of a refuge for folks just looking to enjoy a sunny afternoon on the sand without all the bother of massive crowds.

Still, not everyone's a fan if the loud complaining is anything to go by. A perfect nuclear family: brother and sister, mother and father claim a quiet portion of the coast with towels, folding chairs, and umbrellas. The boy disparages their choice of vacation, the girl forms a sandcastle while humming contentedly. The mother attempts to calm the brother, then sighs and turns to her husband in frustration. "Cut in any time, John... John? John!"

The father has a very good reason for ignoring his wife and son, in his defense. He watches open-mouthed along with half a dozen other beachgoers as the water begins to boil and split, seemingly of its own accord. Another man, somewhat rotund and baring splotchy patches of sunscreen on his face slowly stands from a folding chair and removes his sunglasses while mouthing the words, 'What the fu-'

*SPLOOSH!*

Suddenly dolphins begin leaping to and fro above the widening gap in the shoreline, flipping and dancing as if putting on a show. Maybe they're meant to distract and captivate, because no sooner have they caught everyone's attention than a man appears in the split in the water, gleaming golden trident in hand. He wears nothing more than a pair of form-fitting gray leggings of an unusual material, a circlet of gold resting on his mid-length, dark, wet hair. He steps from the ocean as if he walks a red carpet, his head tilting left and right, scanning the vacationers with a faintly disapproving look as he rises from the depths and steps bare feet onto the sand, pausing long enough to plant the butt of his trident in the ground beside him.

A long moment of silence stretches as the sea at his back begins to slowly flow back into itself, returning to it's pre-biblical state. The man pays it no heed, but he does point to 'John' and frowns. "You there!" A pause as everyone on the beach holds their breath.

"Is this not the United Nations?"

Lorna Dane has posed:
The drive out and through the countryside had been... interesting to say the least. But Lorna had a license and magnetic powers to gently keep Gabby's driving under the bounds of 'safe enough'. She didn't do more than offer advice when asked, and never once tensed up or shouted, or grabbed at the car in support. She merely kicked back and relaxed, or at least seemed to. While Gabby drove, Lorna practiced stretching out her powers and nudging their car, and others on the road safely about.

But after a few hours it was well past time for lunch, and a sub shop by the beach had been in order... and well, since they were so close to the beach.. why not go to the beach? It wasn't the same tropical environment as Genosha, but it was a fairly decently maintained beach. The rocks and shells made up most of the sand, leaving it considerably more prickly under foot than the tropical white sands of other beaches.

The two mutants had barely had time to sit down, spread out a blanket and unroll the massive amount of onions, foot long subs, and over sized cups of soda.. than the sea began to act up. As people started to shout, Lorna looked up, her green eyed gaze narrowing over the rim of her large sunglasses before she spotted who it was on the other end. Namor.

A sigh followed, and she dropped her sandwich, pushing herself up to stand, and kicking off her flip flops. "I'll be right back Gabby." She offered, going straight up to the Sea King without preamble. "I feel like I can't go to beaches without running into you anymore." She drawled as she approached, side stepping a few humans on her way.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Best. Day. EVER. Gabby was thrilled that Lorna had agreed to help her get her license, even moreso when she actually followed through on the driving lessons. Of course Gabby had her own knowlege of vehicles if not so much in the way of experience. There was more than a few times she tried taking corners at speeds that might end with them plasterd to the concrete barriers as she attempted a drift turn, or some other stupid driving stunt that she'd either heard of or seen done at one point or another. It didn't take her long to realize that it wasn't HER pulling out of them entirely but likely Lorna.

That didn't stop her from trying to perfect it to where Lorna wouldn't step in, though. No doubt somewhere along the line there's a few confused police officers wondering what happened to their radar when CLEARLY it looked like that car was driving recklessly, but thankfully none had attempted pursuit. Now it was lunch and she'd already torn into a packet of potato chips to stuff her face while the rest is set out on the picnic blanket. She was a growing girl and needed her calories.

"Woah. Doesn't this sort of thing happen before a tsunami?" Gabby reasons while staring at the ocean wondering if they ought to run, or at least get some floaties to help out. Then someone steps out that Lorna rises up to greet causing her to 'ah' softly. Perhaps THIS was the rumored Prince of Atlantis she'd heard Lorna talk about.

Stay there. Ftt. As if.

While Lorna greets Namor, she's shadowing behind her only to pause and lean to the side to peer around at Namor with a sweeping gaze from head to foot. "Gonna introduce me to Abslantis there, Lorna?" A single potato chip is plucked up to crunch on as she waits curiously.

Namor has posed:
Namor, KING of Atlantis, turns his gaze from John who is very nervously shaking his head in silence, and fixes it on Lorna as she approaches. For a moment, the disapproving scowl is dislodged and replaced first with shock, then surprise, then mild bemusement as he registers the Queen of Genosha's presence. "What are you doing here?" he asks, ignoring the beachgoers taking advantage of the distraction to scamper in various directions, some even leaving their belongings behind. "I was looking for the United Nations," he declares as he casts a look around the area, letting disapproval creep back into his expression and tone, "I was told it was a regal place where the representatives of the Surface World met to discuss matters of global importance." Apparently Sag Harbor doesn't live up to his expectations of Turtle Bay, but one can hardly blame Long Island for that.

Then he's being addressed -- or referred to, at least -- by another human positioned just behind Lorna. A smaller human. One who has called him 'Abslantis.' Namor looks down to Gabby with a raised eyebrow, then slowly leans to the side to see around Lorna and get a better look at her, unintentionally mirroring the girl's stance. "You didn't tell me you had a child, Lorna," Namor claims, looking from Gabby to the Queen and back again, "What is its name?"

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna arched a brow as she eyed Namor up and down, noting the pomp and presence of the circlet upon his brow. "What am I doing here? I was having lunch." She gestured behind her and up the beach to where their various food stuff laid out abandoned now. "And the United Nations isn't on a beach out this way... Where do you get your information from? If you wanted to go there, I'd have helped." She shook her head, and as Gabby spoke she glanced down at the younger mutant and promptly made to gently nudge her with her hip.

"Gabby, this is King Namor." She might have stressed the King a bit as she spoke, a gentle chiding of 'Not Abslantis' in her tone though she didn't say it outright. Her focus shifted back to Namor though as he asked ... about //her// child? She blinked, and seemed shocked that anyone would think she was a mom. Much less of Gabby. "What? No. She's not my kid. I'm twenty-two. Not.. no. She's sixteen. She's a friend. Her name is Gabby." Then she remembered some of her previous conversations with Namor and promptly crossed her arms. Her weight shifting back on her heels.

"What are you calling me a liar when I said you were my first relationship?" Her tone taking on a considerable level of annoyance, an edge of irritation coloring her voice.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Ooh, he's got sass. Gabby grins back toward Namor when he mirrors her posture, and she waggles her fingers at him by way of greeting when he speaks again to Lorna. She's already turning a few things over in her head about how to respond even though her eyes shift to everyone dashing off leaving the already mostly empty beach far emptier. "Darn, I wanted to ask that girl about her sandcastle," she mumbles more to herself than anyone else.

The distraction is momentary though: Lorna's upset. The potato chips are forgotten entirely as she reaches out to place a hand gently at Lorna's elbow while taking a step to the side to stand beside her as opposed to behind her. "Hey, hey. There's such things as adoption. Or cloning like in my case, but he might not have meant it that way, you know," she points out quietly to Lorna. Then before there's a response, she flashes a grin toward Namor hoping to sooth things a bit more.

"Hi! Nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you. Do you always not wear a shirt? I mean I get the swimming thing but seems a bit show offy otherwise."

Namor has posed:
The Atlantean King simply shrugs at Lorna as he straightens, weathering her irritation with hardly a blip, "It is common practice for Royals and Nobles in Atlantis to adopt promising young children into their bloodline, especially if they don't yet have an heir." When Gabby herself begins to offer him a defense, his lips quirk as he fights to restrain a faint grin from appearing, ultimately managing to maintain his very kingly, detached expression. He waits until she's finished, tacking on at the end with a faintly risen eyebrow: "You should know me better than that. If I had meant to call you a liar, I would have said so openly. I do not dance around my words." Finally he allows the regal bearing to fade as he offers her a slight wink, then turns to Gabby without waiting to see what exact effect the gesture would have on the annoyed Queen.

"One does not become known as 'Abslantis' by wearing shirts," Namor tells her directly, amusement creeping into his words while he offers her a faint smile. "Besides, traditional Atlantean clothing is far less restrictive than you Air Breathers tend to wear," he claims, eyes casting about at all the vacationers who have fled to a safe distance and are now mostly watching the exchange through their phones' cameras. "Except when you come to the sea, it seems," he adds as an afterthought, eyeing the many bikinis and swim trunks amongst the small crowd.

He straightens and looks about, addressing both Lorna and Gabby as he asks: "This is not the United Nations, then?" He looks to Lorna, then shakes his head easily before continuing to look around the area. "I did not think I needed help, but it is hard to remember where you Surface Worlders put all your things. I don't know how you navigate up here." The last isn't so much an admission of ignorance as a disparaging comment, one that seems to roll from his tongue effortlessly.

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna's mercurial annoyance faded just as fast as it had arrived, and she glanced down at Gabby's outstretched hand on her elbow and sighed. She reached up with her other hand to rub her temples, and sighed. "Sorry, I've been a little stressed and didn't realize.." She mumbled, a small twitch of her lips followed at his wink, the smile slowly coming back to life on her features as she shook her head. "But no, I don't have a ward. And I would have told you.." She murmured.

Her focus shifted back to Gabby and Namor's interactions, amusement clearly painted on her expression. "When we come to the sea, we're typically here to swim, so the same reasoning exists. Less drag in the water." She added, but as Namor spoke of having issues finding the United Nations building she nodded. "Well, you're in luck, I actually have a car with me today and I didn't portal around. We have room and can take you, if Gabby doesn't mind us cutting our lunch on the beach short that is.."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
"Mmmmm okay point," Gabby has to admit in response to not getting that nickname otherwise. "It gets cold up here a lot though so clothes are usually good for that. Swimming though, yeah, that's different." Not that she had her own suit on. No, she hadn't been expecting a beachside picnic but that wasn't going to stop her either.

Then plans changed apparently.

"ROAD TRIP!" Gabby woops with arms throw in the air, accidentally sending some of her potato chips scattering on the beach. It would make some seagulls very happy no doubt. "I get to drive!" Okay. Maybe that was the real reason of the excitement as she had been the one driving prior. That may not be the best idea though given her current skill of driving. Maybe that's why Lorna was so on edge.

Namor has posed:
"A car?" Namor asks, aghast. He knew what they were, of course. He was ignorant of the details of surface worlder life, but he's been more or less active on the surface world since the last time Nazism was big. That said, when you can /walk/ faster than the top speed of your average consumer model automobile, cars became an exceptionally laborious way to travel. Not to mention traffic. The King seems just about to explain all this in much less polite tones when Gabby suddenly explodes with energy, wooping and demanding the right to pilot the surface worlder craft. Stuck with his mouth partially open, Namor glances between the younger mutant and the Queen of Genosha with an expression that very much looks like he wants to refuse, but...

The King is brusque, proud, and harsh, but he's not heartless. Gabby's enthusiasm saps at his own reluctance to spend the next hour or so traveling painfully slowly to his destination and ultimately he relents. "Very well, let us take your... car," he offers to Lorna, spinning his Trident with a flourish to lay it across his shoulders, hooking his wrists along the haft while he waits to be led to their chosen method of conveyance.

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna laughed softly at Gabby's utter excitement, and she pulled out her phone to start punching in directions to the UN headquarters in New York. She smirked at Namor's reaction about a car, and she couldn't contain her amusement entirely either. "It's going to be about a two hour drive with traffic it looks like." She walked back toward their blanket, pausing to lean toward Namor.

"If it gets bad I'll just fly the car there. Promise." She reached out a hand to briefly touch his arm as she did so, and only paused again to pack up their abandoned sandwiches and shake out the blanket of sand. So much for lunch. A sigh followed, and she put her flip flops back on as they made to leave the beach behind and the gawking humans with it. She was sure that the internet tabloids would be all over her and how she knew the Sea King within the hour. Oh well.

It would be interesting seeing the trident tucked into the back. The car itself was indeed a convertible, but of an older boxy variety. Lorna had a thing for antique and vintage cars, the steel was far better than the fiberglass material many modern versions bore. She plopped the lunches in the passenger seat, the doors swinging open all under her hands as she settled in. She paused, and then glanced at Namor. "Do you want me in the back with you?"

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby bounds back toward the car pausing to throw her chip bag away in a designated bin for that reason. She might be carefree but she at least knew not to litter. The keys to he car are fished out of her pocket before she practically launches herself into the driver seat quite obviously excited and unaware of the apparent lack of enthusiasm from the others.

Settling carefully in though she does all the checks she needs: Checks the mirrors, checks around her, and then once her passengers are settled? She peels out with a squeal of spinning tires where the sand had made it hard to grip. It causes a swerve, and then she swings the wheel back around to straighten them out as she sets off at a steady pace. "Just tell me where to go! Why are we going to the UN anyway? I might still be on some lists somewhere," she reasons with a frown. "Or my sisters might."

Namor has posed:
Namor has only a grunt for Lorna when she leans towards him and assures him that she'll fly them the rest of the way if necessary. He's not entirely sure what was supposed to get bad, though. Surely Gabby was an accredited and capable pilot if she was responsible for conveying two monarchs to their destination. Undoubtedly.

As they approach the car, the King abruptly stops walking and simply starts to float, lifting himself up and over to settle in the backseat without bothering to climb over seats or any of the usual annoyance of getting into a convertible. The design was quite familiar, actually. The first time he interacted with cars in any great number they were often open-topped, though they also usually had an assortment of angry humans shooting at him as well. As is his habit, Namor spreads his presence out when he takes his seat, planting the butt of the trident into the floor of the backseat, his posture best described as 'arrogantly royal.' When Lorna offers to find a seat in the back with him, he flashes her a grin, then looks to Gabby before he shrugs and nods to what's left of the backseat. "Very well," he concludes, "It would make this journey somewhat more enjoyable, at least."

When the younger mutant peels out of the parking spot, swerving and jerking across the road until she settles into something resembling a straight line, Namor sways easily with the motion, but otherwise seems not to notice the reckless driving. Instead he calls up an answer, his voice accustomed to being heard over the sounds of battle and making easy work of the air rushing past the open convertible: "There are matters of state I must address with your human governments. Things they must be made aware of."

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna settled in the back, not floating her way back there, but clambering up and over the seat before they pulled out onto the road. She settled beside him, moving to steal one of his hands with her own and give it a squeeze. Her other hand dug out her cell phone, and with a flick of her wrist, sent it floating up front where it magnetized to the dashboard. The directions there for Gabby, but also so Lorna might keep an eye on it too.

Then she set her powers to managing the stability of the car and ensuring that Gabby's driving was given proper supervision--there would be no crashing into anything today. Her gaze glowed faintly from her usage of her powers, though most of that was hidden behind her sunglasses as she settled back in the seat. Even if she didn't tell Namor to buckle up, she did.

"We don't have to stay there Gabby, I'm sure Namor can handle himself once we get him there." Or cause an international incident. It really wasn't her place to stop him from doing that if he wanted to though..

Gabby Kinney has posed:
"It's okay. I mean, if my sisters are on lists then they weren't very good assasins," Gabby reasons with a shrug. "Besides most of them are dead anyway." Well. Other than one or two. She hums to herself tapping fingers on the steering wheel completely enjoying herself. In spite of the harrowing pull out onto the main road she actually does behave herself with driving this time. There were more passengers in the car. Ones she could eavesdrop on while they were being lovey dovey, potentially.

It's more Namor's remarks that have her risking a glance over her shoulder before realizing she could just peek into the rear view mirror. Oops. "Yeah? What sorta things? Like missing subs or unexploded water mines? Pollution? Dolphins are learning how to play poker and getting addicted to PokerStars.com?"

Namor has posed:
Getting thrown from a crashing car wasn't much to the King anyway, so there wouldn't have been much point in him buckling up. He laces his fingers with Lorna's when she offers her hand, but otherwise limits the 'lovey dovey' stuff in the presence of Gabby. "The representatives don't particularly intimidate me," the King assures the pair when mention is made of them leaving him to handle his own affairs, "They will hear my warning or they won't. It is merely a consideration towards them so I don't have to spend the next few months explaining that I am not attacking them. I would hate to have to go through the trouble of wiping them out if they decide to act on their misguided beliefs." Even as he casually mentions the possibility of war between Atlantis and the Surface, the Emperor of the Deep turns and glances out the side to regard an SUV going the other way. "Where are the tanks your people are so fond of? I remember destroying quite a few the last time I fought openly with your governments. They were everywhere, then." He cranes his neck and looks behind them, then leans towards Lorna to look past the front seat and the road ahead.

His search is interrupted as Gabby asks for more details on the warning he's bringing to the UN, his gaze flicking from Lorna to the younger girl. "You don't know?" He looks to the Queen again, "Have you not told them, yet? We must act quickly. Is the girl not combat capable?" It seems unlikely if her sisters are assassins.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby merely grins at that mention of being combat capable. The rest was listened to of course: Having to do what needs to be done. Assuming they might consider it an act of war. Something with the oceans most likely. Of course she's already envisioning dolphins and sharks in cammo but that was neither here nor there.

"Oh, tanks are usually kept on military bases unless they're convoying elsewhere, or in a war zone. The continental US hasn't been a warzone in like... I dunno, a hundred? Two? When was the Civil War? ... Then again they didn't have tanks back then so nevermind," Gabby muses with a shake of her head.

"I'm combat capable, but most try to keep me out of it due to my age. I mean, I appreciate they're looking out for me, but I can help, too."

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna was mostly focused on ensuring the car or the other cars on the road weren't an issue. Her senses were flared wide, and she was barely paying any attention to the conversation happening around her. It was only as Namor pointedly looked her way and asked about tanks that she blinked, and returned some focus to the conversation around her.

"What?" Gabby's explanation would do. Her voice remained distracted as she kept most of her focus on the road. And any possible speed traps that might be off to the sides. At least stop lights wouldn't be an issue for them, nor radar... Having a magnokinetic on the road was really cheating.

His other questions, about her having asked the X-men for recruits earned another, more focused glance as she drew herself back to the car. More than before. She shifted in the backseat, to look up at him. "I put in a report in the base, but there have been other threats that have taken people away right now. We're dealing with something from Limbo. I don't entirely know the issues going on, but Julio mentioned it last night. We don't have several hundred combat ready mutants. We have a handful." Some of the most powerful the world had ever seen, but still. She sat up, and her hand reached out as she returned to her electromagnetic focus, and whatever it was she nudged? Well.. it wasn't an issue either way.

Namor has posed:
Namor just nods and files away the information on the readiness and general location of the tanks he was looking for when Gabby gives it. It was a mere curiosity really. He had half expected the Surface Worlders to base their future transportation technology on the war machines considering how much they favored them. However, much like Lorna pulling herself out of her magnetic manipulations of the road and the car, he pulls himself out of his thoughts and flicks another glance between the Queen and the young mutant. "If you are capable of fighting, then you will be needed. Perhaps I will test your strength myself and, if you are not found lacking, ensure you are brought along to deal with the threat."

As per usual for the King, the news of something that doesn't affect Atlantis doesn't seem to really capture his interest. In fact, he practically scoffs at the idea of something more pressing arising than what he himself is facing down. To his credit though, he doesn't voice the opinion aloud. "A handful alongside the full might of the Atlantean army will have to do, then," he murmurs before he looks at their young driver in the rearview mirror, focusing the full intensity of his royal gaze her way. "There is an ancient threat awakening in the bowels of the Earth. It claims the deepest parts of the ocean and has driven before it an endless swarm of ravenous monsters straight from the nightmares of Atlantean babes. In a matter of weeks or even days, Atlantis' cities will be under attack. Shortly after that, I imagine your own cities will face the horde and storms unlike anything you've ever seen before. We must defeat this monster before drowns the entire world in blood, and I fear Atlantis' might alone will not be enough." See? Just a simple courtesy warning for the diplomats.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney considers that a long moment or two from peeking in the rearview. "Okay, yeah, that's bad. We should be done with the Limbo sitch anyway soon. I mean we're just getting Julian's soul back. His dad sold it when he was a baby. He's a powerful mutant too." Julian not his dad. "I mostly do melee fighting or I'm good with a gun. Not that they let me use one," she adds with a thoughtful sniff of the air.

"I don't feel pain and I heal. I got claws. And yeah sounds like you need help fighting either way," she agrees with a solemn nod. "I'm in!"

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna glanced briefly up as Namor spoke, but she'd heard the threats and the terrible news of what might come to pass. He didn't need to convince her. She already was aware of it, and sure.. it didn't look good on her part to be found having lunch on the beach, but ... what else could she do? She'd written up a report, but for now it was time to wait for the others to be around to get the details.

Her focus remained on the road though. "There are several powerful mutants that will come, I know they will." She paused, and blinked, "I don't think we've done a lot of training in underwater simulations." She hmmm'ed.

"I can also reach out to the Avengers if you want."

Namor has posed:
"I'll approach Rogers," Namor informs Lorna, looking off to the side to watch some cars speed past, "We have a history." A history that /is/ history, but he doesn't go into the particulars. Honestly, there's a fair chance he doesn't need to. It's not exactly a secret where the two know each other. "I'll speak to Richards as well. Undoubtedly he'll have some sort of ridiculous piece of technology that I'm sure will come in handy," he claims, rolling his shoulders once before he settles more comfortably into the seat, looking very relaxed for a man speaking of potential oncoming doom.

He waves a hand dismissively at Gabby in the rearview mirror, assuring her with an almost lazy confidence: "I will see you suitably armed. Atlantis' weapons are far more potent than your average human handgun. You will be made as effective as you can be made."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
"I've done freefalling in the air, and a zero G training. Kinda sorta like swimming in the last one," Gabby points out with a shrug. "Main issue is the breathing. Think that's the only thing that migt *actually* kill me if I don't get air, but they make SCUBA for that." Yep. And other things. Namor's suggestion of arming her gets a quiet, yet totally enthusiastic, "Sweeeet."

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna exhaled a breath, as she glanced back to Namor and then the road again, even if she didn't have to actively nudge the car right now as Gabby seemed to handle the country road back to the city with ease. "Of course you have history, you and Logan know everyone, I swear." She paused, and tried to figure out just how many people she knew had lived through World War II and she wrinkled her nose.

"How old are you actually?" She finally just blurted out, glancing back to Namor and arching an eyebrow upward. Sure it wasn't pertinent to the conversation about threats and monsters and who might help them.. but still.

Namor has posed:
The Atlantean King who looks like he's only just crested thirty turns and looks at Lorna with a raised eyebrow at her blurted question. He considers her for a moment, then cracks a faint smile as he offers: "Ninety-nine years old," he claims utterly serious. Then he looks to Gabby again and nods once, easily. "I have something to take care of your breathing problem, too. Bring me your strength, and I'll see to it that you can fight as effectively as possible against these creatures, you have my word." Namor's word is binding, too. He'd sooner cut off a hand than go back on it.

Speaking of excruciating pain, he glances around the area they're in, realizes they've barely made any progress and sighs. Realizing that he can no longer stand the pace they're travelling at, he sets his trident down against the seat and tells the other two occupants briefly in passing: "Hold on."

Without so much as a breath of hesitation, he launches himself smoothly from the convertible's back seat and swoops down to fly alongside the car. Then, with a nearly unmatched grace and speed, he simply plucks the vehicle from the road, getting beneath it as easily as one might heft a cardboard box and starts to fly upwards into the sky, turning their course directly towards the city in the distance and their ultimate destination.