6966/Lorna's Check In

Lorna's Check In
Date of Scene:	16 July 2021
Location:	Cafeteria and Bar
Synopsis:	Lorna checks up on Clarice - who tries to act like everything is fiiiiine, really.
Cast of Characters:	Clarice Ferguson, Lorna Dane

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Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Homework and cognac. That's a thing, right?
    Well, it seems to be at the moment, anyways. Rather than being seated at the bar, Clarice has is at one of the tables in the bar, a tablet in front of her, and a glass of cognac beside it. The bottle also rests on the table, cap off at the moment, as the young mutant scrolls slowly through the information on her tablet's screen. Her lips move slowly and silently as she reads, a look of concentration on her features.
    Likely, the cognac isn't making her task any easier, but who doesn't enjoy a challenge now and then?

Lorna Dane has posed:
It was harder to get around without Clarice by her side as she so often was, but there were other teleporters that could do a similar job. It would do until Clarice was better. Lorna had come up to visit and check on her naturally. When there was no answer at her quarters that meant she was likely somewhere like the cafeteria, or here. Carefully hiding her concerned expression, Lorna joins her at the table just by pulling a seat out to sink into with one leg swinging up crossing over the other. "Really now, Clarice, if you wanted time off you should have just *told* me," she teases lightly.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Lorna," Clarice remarks in some surprise, looking up from her datapad and towards her Queen's features. "I, uh... I've been fighting against time off for a while. Fate had another plan in mind," she remarks - her smile a little tight. She felt naked, and not quite herself without her ability to teleport - but she was doing her best to keep that supressed, or at least out of sight.
    "Should we get another glass for you?" she invites, nodding her head towards the bottle of cognac.

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna Dane reaches out to clap her hand over Clarice's shoulder in a friendly way. "I know you have, you work very hard. Maybe this is a sign that you need to take some time to rest more often. There's no sense in getting burnt out," she points out. The offer of a drink is met with a shake of her head. "No, I've still got quite a bit to do to day. I should keep a clear head. More seriously, though..." Here she pauses to fix a small frowning glance on her friend. "How are you doing? Really?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Ah, well, I'm getting towards the end of my day..." Maybe not surprising, with the Asteroid being locked in place above Genosha. Clarice takes another sip from her cognac - perhaps to deliberately give herself more time to formulate a response to that question.
    "I'm alright," she finally says quietly. "I mean - it's gonna get better. I just need to be patient. I just feel... A little more anxious - almost trapped - knowing I can't blink away whenever I want. But it's not that bad as long as I'm somewhere I feel safe."
    It was when she'd gone down to Bushwick that it'd gotten particularly nerve-wracking.

Lorna Dane has posed:
"I can understand that. There have been times I've either been unable to use my abilities or somewhere that they aren't so... Prolific," Lorna explains with a small gesture. "Honestly being in Genosha after what father did, it was quite frustrating. Nothing to work with. I felt so off balance. There was no metal to feel around for." Dropping her hand again she can only offer a helpless shrug. "If I can do anything to help, let me know. You've always been there supporting me. I can only hope to repay the favor somehow."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I'll be alright," Clarice repeats. Is she trying to convince Lorna - or herself? "I mean - it was pretty bad for a while there. I couldn't stop opening portals, or close them again, and that wasn't safe for anyone, so... So we resorted to a collar for a bit." Something that Clarice had sworn she'd never tolerate again. "If Mister Creed hadn't been right there - I don't know that I would have let them do it," she admits quietly.

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna Dane didn't know this factoid and so she finds herself staring, nah, glaring with a clear look of outrage at the very thought of putting one of those on anyone. She starts to speak, then stops. A deep breath is taken and held till she can gather her thoughts. Its let out in a rush a moment later, "Fuck. I'm so sorry Clarice." Then, even to her surprise, she adds, "At least he was there. If you had to have that damn thing on again, I trust him to make sure you weren't doing it against your will."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice lets out a quiet, bitter laugh. "Honestly? It was a little against my will, but I wasn't quite myself - between the concussion, and having my brain... scrambled, somehow. And it was necessary - until we could find a way to keep the portals shut down." Reaching into her pocket she pulls out a little canister of pills and gives them a little shake. "These are doing the trick for now."
    The little canister contains some anti-seizure medicine, strangely enough.
    "And with Mister Creed and Mystique both telling me we didn't have another option..." She shrugs her shoulder helplessly. "I mean, what if I'd opened a portal to space? Or to an active volcano?"

Lorna Dane has posed:
"That's quite possible. Unfortunately." Lorna glances at the bottle displayed with a solemn nod as she considers the possible rammifications. "... Are using the portals perhaps... is it giving you any mental difficulties? I mean," a faint gesture to the bottle. "If using them means you're becoming epileptic or something similar, I worry how it might effect you in the long run. I know the Brotherhood likely has doctors but have you considered allowing Dr. McCoy to examine you? He is a leading expert in the field of genetics."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Oh, no, it's- it's nothing like that," Clarice says hurried. "It's just- the mutant that got me, he disrupts your ability to use your powers by inducing seizures," she explains. "At least, that's how it was explained to me. The medicine keeps my seizures at bay, but it also messes with my ability to safely access and control the portals. For now." She presses her lips together for a moment before asking uncertainly, "You think McCoy might have a different solution, though?"
    Because she's all for fixing it //now// rather than later."

Lorna Dane has posed:
"I think it wouldn't hurt to have multiple views on what might best help you, Clarice. Perhaps he has run across something similar before or at least heard of such an instance though," Lorna reasons with a faint smile. "Though it may just be you have to wait out the effects of this attack against you if it was created by another mutant. Which is frustrating in it's own right." Sighing quietly she pushes to her feet. "I do have a few matters to attend to as I said, but please, once you get some rest and if you feel up to let me know. I'll be happy to go with you to see Dr. McCoy if you'd like."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I mean..." Clarice presses her lips together thoughtfully. "I guess a second opinion wouldn't hurt." Robert had offered as well, but how well did she really know him? "And I can always trust the X-Men, right?" she adds, tapping her fingers on the table thoughtfully.
    As Lorna says she has more work to get to, a guilty look crosses her features before she adds regretfully, "I'm sorry if being out of commission's adding to your load."

Lorna Dane has posed:
Lorna Dane clucks her tongue just a little at the apology. "It's not. It's having a sudden influx of new mutants that have a whole slew of PTSD issues that is," she points out with a wink. "Nothing we're not used to but I do want to ensure they can settle comfortably and find some peace now that they're at Genosha." She's about to turn away before she pauses again to add, "You all did a wonderful job rescuing them. Thank you."