IHOP and Nate Flops

November 26, 2017:

Darcy shows up to the X-mansion and offers to take Lorna, Marcos and Nate to IHOP

X-mansion, IHOP

Characters

NPCs: None.

Mentions: Pietro Maximoff, Wanda Maximoff, Tony Stark, Spiderman

Plot:

Mood Music: [*\# None.]


Fade In…

The start of the winter holiday season. For the American born and raised Darcy Lewis, this is the best time of year. The food is better at work, even if the Christmas music is annoying before she's had her weekend of turkey and cranberry sauce. Now that that feast is done (read: Darcy is still happily pigging out on leftovers), the SHIELD agent has stopped by Xavier's for some intel gathering.

This is delicate work for Darcy has to glean delicate and potentially personal information from the denizens of the school without letting any of them in on what she's doing, the kind of intel she's after, the reason she's after it, nor to whom she'll be reporting back in with said information. Admittedly, Darcy tends to collect this kind of intelligence year round, but as soon as the Fat Man himself makes it into frame at the end of the Macy's Day Parade, Darcy's infromation gathering need goes into over drive.

Pushing into the door and pausing to dust a bit of snow free, Darcy makes her way in with a call of Hello? Anyone home? Her scarf unwinds from her neck and the beanie is tugged free from her head.

*

Lorna was there, again, it seemed she was spending too damn much time at the mansion these days. But Marcos had brought her anyways, the migraine that her half-sibling had left her with after prying through her head was the worse she'd ever experienced in her life. She sighed over a bowl of oatmeal, looking downright morose as she loked at it. Still, she was feeling better now that she'd been checked over.

Small mercies that she was better now. Her mood was still foul and possibly, had worsened.

It didn't help that Marcos had left to go handle a job for the detective agency earlier than she'd been willing to get up. So she was alone for breakfast.

A glance was spared for the entry way as Darcy called out, and in bare feet, Lorna made her way over. She wore a pair of boxers covered in little suns, with sunglasses, and an oversized black shirt. Clearly, she had robbed her boyfriend of his clothes again. "Darcy?" She held the oatmeal bowl in hand.

*

"Morning beautiful sunshine. I love the boxers. How ya doing this morning, and who's ass am I kicking today?" Darcy bubbles happily, reading the morning grump and just running full tilt with it. As usual. Coat shrugged free, this she hangs with her scarf and her beanie on the hooks by the door, before moving over to peer into the oatmeal bowl.

"oooh, Quaker. Apples and cinnamon?" she asks, switching topics without really seeming to notice and in that way that not-morning-persons want to kill her for.

*

Lorna shivered from the chill and stepped back from the doorway and the threat of cold to head back toward the warmth of the kitchen. "I dunno, the list is long and I haven't finished my coffee yet." She scowled, and sat back down on the chair she'd had before. Assuming that Darcy likely was going to follow her regardless. The green haired mutant grumped her way to picking up her mug and sipped at it carefully.

"Tell me your holiday went better'n mine? I got to deal with the 'I want babies' talk from my boyfriend." Her eyes rolled and her scowl deepened.

*

Of course Darcy follows. She's a big puppy some days. The door was closed behind herself. The warmth of the kitchen siren-called her, and Darcy moved to make herself some coffee.

"Well, I'll take the top three. Or the middle three. Or the top middle and then bottom ones for three totoal. But right now, three's my limit," Darcy ambles about with her words as she stirs in more cream and sugar than should be healthy for a person to consume in a single sitting.

"My holiday was a snoozefest. Other than running into a booty call I hadn't seen in a while," Darcy says of her brief re-encounter with Rey for the Day whom she still is unaware is a Norse Trickster God.

"Which has way fewer entanglements than a BF giving the babies talk," she adds as she leans to the counter to deliver a very Peanut's Lucy Doctor is In line: "Wanna rant about it?"

She paraphrased. Sue her.

*

Ranting about her beloved boyfriend, who's heart was too big and had way too persuasive a look that could make a kid give up their candy (in her own biased opinion); was safe. It didn't go into the Demon Bear where she'd been tormented, didn't go into her half-siblings and how that had ended. The list was a mile long of the trouble she'd gotten into since she'd last seen Darcy, but boyfriend rants were something that wouldn't piss her off or cause trouble either way.

She hoped.

"Yeah," A sip of her coffee followed. "We were out with Scott and all. Someone told me not to get knocked up. I said there's no way in hell I want kids. Marcos got all upset. We had the 'talk' when we got home. And ugh.. that boy. He looked as if I'd kicked his puppy or something. Geeze. Like I have time or money for a kid."

*

Boyfriend rants are usually safe. Unless the rant turns into reasons to dump his ass, which while not safe coul dbe healthy. Darcy sips at her coffee as Lorna rants.

"There are plenty of kids that need homes, if he's that keen right now. It'd be hard to push through righ tnow though. Not married, male. They'll try to peg him a pedophile. No idea why they don't peg girls for the same. Fucking double standards." Coffee.

"He at least see your side of the story?" Darcy asks, the name Marcos getting filed away for later. In case she needs to misuse SHIELD access to track his ass down to kick later.

*

Lorna sighed and dragged a hand through her hair, shooting Darcy a look. "Of course he understood it. He was sad, and heart broken and I told him.. maybe when finances are better. Like we actually have our own things. And you know, not have a sword hanging over our heads with constant trouble and the rise in anti-mutant shit." She scowled, and looked down at her coffee to sip at it carefully.

"He agreed, of course. Even if he was sad." She grimaced, and reached for her oatmeal that was slowly cooling. "He .. he was kicked out by his dad when he was thirteen. He had brothers and sisters he left behind and it's always… he's always wanted a family. And I can't give him that beyond myself. He's fine with waiting.. but honestly? I don't think I'll ever be … comfortable with the idea. You know? I wanted kids. When I was younger. A 'someday' thing… but the older I get.. I just.. ugh.."

*

Darcy listens, sipping her coffee and letting Lorna talk herself around it.

"Yeah. I know, but aint using anti-mutant crap as a reason not to giving those haters power of you?" Darcy asks when Lorna groans at somedays. That Marcos was kicked out and had to leave his family isn't lost on the human. But for the moment, it's not poked at. For the moment, Dracy deals with the political bullshit of the anti-mutant movement. It's one of the reasons she loves this place so much, one of the reasons she so easily fell in love with it when…

It was a long time ago. She let him go beacause she loved him. If he comes back, it was meant to be. If he doesn't, Darcy will be content if he's happy and whole and has found himself again. Even if that self can no longer include her.

"What makes you uneasy with the idea of having kids?" Not that Darcy's tone makes it sound like Lorna's a freak of a woman for not wanting any. In her early thirties herself, Darcy gets it. For herself, the idea of having kids isn't uncomfortable, it's impractical. Like Lorna, finances are tight, though as a government employee Darcy's fairly sure she could manage healthcare expenses and the like. The real reason is that it hasn't ever really come up for her. Too many booty calls, not enough real relationships. Not since the one she let go anyway.

*

Lorna downed the rest of her coffee, before waving over to the coffee pot and floating it over to her waiting hand. She poured herself another cup and held it up in silent offering to Darcy before she either set it down or poured another cup. She sighed heavily, dragging her hand through her hair again with a grimace. Green eyes lifted and she shot Darcy a look.

"How can I raise a kid if that mutant registration shit passes? There's no way in hell I would ever register." She spat, and swallowed a lump of anger that caught in her throat.

She sighed softly, looking down at her cup between both hands. "..Whatever child I have would have too .. too much of a target painted on their back simply because of my family.. I can't do that to a kid."

*

Pot floated in offering, Darcy holds out her mug for a warm up. The residual sugar sludged at the bottom is enough to sweeten the new infusion.

"Of course you're not going to fucking register. Cause if you have to, I have to. Fucking mutant. Aren't we all mutants some how some way. Politicians are fucking stupid. And I'm sayign this while sitting on a political science degree. This really, when all is said and done, isn't any different from interracial marriages and LGBTQ." Darcy sips her coffee again.

"you know I've got your back, right? Kid, no kid."

*

Lorna rolled her eyes and sipped at her coffee. "I know, and I know everyone here would fight it too. But fuck, Darcy. I can't help but sit here and be pissed about it. And there's no way in hell I know, a kid between me and Marcos wouldn't end up a mutant. I mean, yeah technically.. it could happen.. But it's just.." She dragged a hand through her hair.

"I don't feel like it's right for me to be a mother. I don't.. how the hell would I keep a kid alive? Safe? What kind of shitty maternal instincts I've got are .. well, yeah." She shook her head, she gestured at herself. "My family is seriously messed up.. How can I ever have a kid?"

*

"Be pissed about it. But pissed is way different from chicken-shit, and using anti-mutant movement as a reason is, in my unasked for opinion, fucking chickenshit. And so what if kid's a mutant or a non-mutant or a toaster. Kid woul dbe yours and if you don't love that kid I'm gonna punch you in the face myself," Darcy threatens while bolstering at the same time. It's an odd concotion that only Darcy can manage somedays. As Lorna goes on a what would i know about family since mine is shitty, Darcy holds up a finger.

"Answer me these: Picture the kids here. Picture someone trying to come after them, hurt them. No thinkinging: what's your knee-jerk?"

*

Lorna shot Darcy a flat look over her coffee. Her hand clutching the mug hard enough that her knuckles creaked. Further argument about the first point ends with Darcy's raised finger. Lorna looked utterly annoyed with the question. "I would kill them." She muttered and her voice was colder than it had been a few moments ago. She swallowed a thick lump that stuck in her throat.

Green eyes averted and she scowled. "I can't have a family, of my blood, Darcy. You know who my father is. How can I continue that? Look at the Brotherhood. Look at the people he's killed. I already have to keep my head down as it is. If I have a kid.." Her lips twisted and she set the mug down with a hard clip against the table.

*

"If you have a kid then you get the the choice to break the cycle," Darcy finishes the sentence for Lorna, her tone soft now that she's made her point that keeping a child safe isn't a matter of Lorna not able or not willing.

*

Lorna's expression crumbled a bit, "My father has abandoned every single one of his kids. Two of whom are now.." She hissed softly, "The people in my family aren't good people Darcy. Be it circumstance or just who they are. I don't fucking know. But I know it scares the ever living shit out of me to think about having one. To think about the fact that I could be a terrible parent.." She scowled again and reached for her coffee to down the rest of it.

"I would never be around, Darcy. I get into trouble. I fight. Regardless of being part of the X-men or not.."

*

Darcy lowers her mug gently to the countertop to reach out to rest a hand on Lorna's shoulder.

"Persaonlly? That the thought scares the shit out of you means you're going ot be fantastic. You know what you don't like and what you want to avoid, and so you'll fight to keep that from happening. As for the getting in troble and fighting… what difference, really, is there between all that and a soldier, hm? They deploy for months on end, get into trouble, fight…" Darcy's quiet a moment.

"You may never feel ready, and that's okay. There's nothing wrong with not feeling ready. Just be clear as to why you don't feel ready. Anti-mutant is a cop out. You having a shit-ass family-" Because Darcy is still unaware of the Pietro/Wanda/Lorna relationship. "-is a cop out. You aren't them. That sort of asshattery is a choice, not a genetic calling. Never around, again, a choice. So, ready, not ready, that's fine. The rest, honestly?" Darcy shakes her head: chicken shit.

"Dibs on spoiling the lot of you rotten if I'm alive when you get there," Darcy states, collecting her mug and offering it up in a toast before slurping.

*

+MEET: Eclipse has arrived via +meet.

*

Lorna exhaled a breath over her coffee, and finished it off before pouring herself another mug. "See, that just pisses me off. People keep telling me that because I'm scared that everything is going to be better. That because I'm scared of becoming like my father, I'm not going to be and so I'm better, or different. That because I'm scared of having kids and being a shit mother means I'll be a good one. It's always the same bull." She shook her head and rubbed her eyes.

"I don't like it as far as advice or reassurance goes."

*

Pulling her hand from Lorna's shoulder, Darcy collects her mug with a hand.

"It means you're gonna fight not to be. But yeah, okay. I suck at advice. But my point about you leeting anyone at them still stands," she adds. A sip of coffee is given, green eyes behind her thick framed galsses watching as Lorna rubs her eyes.

"You know what? Fuck it all right now. You're hte only one to know what's right for you and when. Sorry I tried to butt in. You can keep ranting though, and I'll shut my fucking face by finding something to stuff it with."

*

When everyone started to be active and fully functioning human beings, Marcos was not feeling it today. When he fell asleep, he fell asleep hard. Thus when he finally awakened to find Lorna not beside him, he got the idea he was apparently being lazy today.

Walking down the stairs with a lightly groggy and tired step, but he manages to keep awake pretty good somehow. Thus does he make a straight Beeline for the cafeteria to see if he can still snag breakfast.

He wore a flannel T-shirt, his blue jeans, tenneshoes, and a jean jacket. The clothes of legends! But then he finds Lorna talking to a lady he doesn't know. So he decides to crash the party.

"good morning…." he says tiredly, teaching for a seat right by Lorna "mind if I join?"

*

Lorna threw up a hand, "It's too damn early to get into this right now Darcy. Three cups of coffee or not. And it's not your fault. I just … I'm a hot mess. Sorry." She muttered and then there was Marcos. She was shaking her head. Her posture lessening in intensity as she watched him come over.

"Darcy, this is Marcos Diaz, my boyfriend. Marcos, this is Darcy. She works for SHIELD and is a decent drinking buddy I guess." She murmured, teasing light in her voice. Even as she continued to sip at her coffee. A bit of oatmeal still left cold and congealed at her side.

*

"No apology needed, Hotmess," Darcy says, taking it all in stride without a heartbeat's pause. Hearing the new person, Darcy looks over at him, taking in his attire with a smirk of her lips. That his appearance had Lorna relaxing by fractions was sign enough as to who this might be. The inotroduction clenches it. Darcy pushes off the counter to offer a hand out.

"I'm the best drinking buddy since I'm okay with any meaning for hte letters DD. Nice to meet you Marcos. We were gorl-talking about you, but you're here now, so we'll be good and quit for now. Next topic for when you leave, though, is going to be size and stamina. Wanna take us out for IHOP? I made a gloop of LSD's oatmeal. You fly, I'll buy. Had some hazard pay come in at work, finally, so I have a bit extra."

*

Marcos gives Darcy a small smile and extends his hand to give hers a firm handshake as he sits down. "Nice to meet you Darcy." Internal screaming. Someone who could totally wreck his world, even though he's left the Cartel behind. Sucks having a shitty past. "Hope I'm not interrupting a private talk? But if you don't mind a third drinking partner, you know I'm always game to drink you under the table." A playful wink to his girlfriend then.
Though his attention falls on Darcy. Definitely not going to ask what her version of DD is, but he smiles. "Ah, girl talks. Always a fun time. Though I do love IHOP…." he ponders. "I'm good for what you ladies want for food. I'm simple." He laughs.

*

Lorna set her mug aside to lean over to give Marcos a kiss on the cheek after he'd shook Darcy's hand. "Darcy isn't here working, are you Darcy? She comes here on her time off. She's been cleared security wise and what not. Otherwise she couldn't be here." She murmured softly to Marcos, she knew why he might be internally freaking out.

Still, Darcy's words had her glancing down at her PJs.. clothes and his boxers, and back. "I need to get dressed, and geeze Darcy, crude much? But yeah.. sure, IHOP sounds fine."

*

"Not for SHIELD at any rate. Today, I've got a bigger mission to see to. And I'm not telling what it is. Don't want to lose my Little Helper Status and end up on the Naughty List, after all," Darcy retorts, hand coming back to collect her drink for another slurp.

"Occassionally," she says with a sagenod, not at all bothered by being called crude.

"Fuck yes. Endless pancakes!!!" Darcy singssongs (badly), doing a little shimmy-dance. "Come on, Greenie. Pull some pants on over your boytoy's underoos and let's go. I've borrowed a car, got a full tank of gas, and a mountain of bacno with y name on it!"

*

Marcos smiles to Lorna after she kisses his cheek, blushing just slightly like a dork as his hand set itself on hers to hold. "Just a little in the crude side, but I'm not gonna ask." A small, but no less friendly smile then. Though he does give Lorna a once over. "I mean, people walk into Walmart like that, but eh." He says teasingly. "We'll wait for you."

Though he does take a deeeeep breath when He's called Lorna's boy toy, he stays good natured "Eh, I prefer boyfriend, but yeah, endless pancakes." He smiles

*

Lorna grinned at Marco's blush and couldn't help but give his hand a squeeze as he snagged her own. "I know I don't have to tell you to behave, and I know it's pointless to ask Darcy to. I'll be back soon. And because we're not going to Walmart.. I'm gonna get dressed like an actual person." She winked at Marcos and slipped her hand free from his to go on up the steps to the room they'd used the night before.

Man she really needed to start leaving things here and at the apartment at the rate they were going between the two…

*

Pointless to ask Darcy to behave? Darcy smiles with so much innocence that it's impossible to believe she is even remotely so.

"Aw! Does this mean we don't get to see your ass in a bright pink thong?" Darcy calls out, leaning so her voice follows Lorna. She chuckles, knowing she won't get a response (yet!). Her coffee is drunk from again, and she looks at Marcos with a smile.

"For the reals. If it bugs you, I can tone it down. A little. I'm glad you prefer boyfriend. Says a bit about you. Maybe."

*

Marcos just shakes his head a bit as Darcy teases Lorna even as she walks off, earning a small chuckle from Marcos the boyfriend. Though when she offers to tone it down if it bugs Marcos, he just shakes his head lightly. "Just be yourself. It's nice to be fun every now and then." he offers her a warm smile. "So, have you and Lorna been friends long?" he asks curiously.

Though he presently doesn't have anything to drink, he simply clasps his hands together as he speaks and acquaintences himself with Darcy. He -definately- leaves SHIELD out of the talk as much as he can though.

*

"Not a huge amount of time, no. But she's badass," Dracy says as she holds up her mug and points at it, offering wordlessly to pour him a mug of his own.

"And since I'm a firm believer in 'show me who your friends are and I"ll show you the kind of person you are', I tend to surround myself with badasses. You? I know I've been out of it lately, but she didn't mention you last time we hung out."

*

Marcos nods a few times. "Heh, so the saying goes. Lorna really is. She has a tough shell, but when she shows you how she really is, she's one of the most loving people you'll ever meet." He smiles warmly then, though when Darcy offers him something to drink, he nods lightly. "Oh, yes please." he says politely.

When a mug is given to him, he sips it lightly, humming in approval at the taste.

"Me? Oh, we've been dating for a little over a year now. We met though, what seems like forever ago. I was in a tough spot, as was she, and we helped each other out. Been together ever since." he smiles then.

*

"I'm changing her name. She is now …something I 'll think of in a mintue. Creamfilled little nugget," Darcy rambles half to herself as Marcos confirms what Darcy had been thinking all the long. She smiles at the way the coffee is accpeted, giving a nod with the same aplumb as a waitress would.

"Damn. I haven't known her that long. Dude… I'm sorry. She hasn't said word one about you. I'm totally takin ghtat as she still was getting to know me. Means that her not mentioning you is 100% on me and not at all on eithe rof you. I'm happy for you. She clearly thinks the world of ya."

*

Marcos just kinda laughs when she calls Lorna a creamfilled little nugget. "Okay okay…" he chuckles a bit more before taking another sip of the delicious liquid that lies unmoving in his mug. He rubs at his right eye a moment, after all, fifteen minutes ago he was sound asleep. But Darcy was doing a good job waking him up.

"Heh, it's alright. You don't have to apologize, Lorna's always been slow to trust others, she keeps to the vest pretty much always when not around those she already considers her friends. But she's fantastic." he says perhaps in that dreamy kind of way. "I'm happy to hear that…I think the world of her. Best thing that ever happened to me, in my own humble opinion." he gives Darcy a warm little smile.

*

"Don't blame her at all. She's had it rough," Darcy quips, refilling her cup before adding way more sugar than she likely should before going for the milk and turning her coffee almost as pale as she is.

"Im gonna agree with you there, Lover Boy. Because you got it so bad righ tnow."

*

Marcos nods a few times at Darcy "Yeah…she really has. I think she's doing much better than when we first met though. Though with this new Brotherhood business starting up again, she's been having a bad time. Understandably so."

Though when he hears that he has it so bad right now, he chuckles faintly. "Oh? Here I thought I was the luckiest guy in the world. Why do I have it bad? She didn't tell you what my favorite song was did she?" he chuckles a bit. his song choices weren't bad at all, it's just something he said just to break the ice.

*

"Yeah. Everyone on both sides need to chill the fuck out and get the hell over themselves," Darcy retorts about the Brotherhood and teh MRA. Work has been getting busier because of it.

"Oh, you are lucky, bro. You also have it so bad. You go smooshy face dreamy goo goo eyed just hearing her name. You're like the fucking hyenas in Lion King: Mufasa! Mufasa Mufasa MUFASA!!" Beat, sip of coffee. "Favorite song talk after dick and stamina talk. That's the rules."

*

Marcos nods a few times. "Yeah…it's just all gotten crazy. Opinions on Mutants have never been real good amongst the wide masses." he sighs, being a mutant right now was a hard thing at best. Though he does seem to grin when Darcy teases him.

"I do love that movie by the way. But I love Lorna. I'll get dreamy eyed and look like a dork anyday." he says confidently. Because he was in love, and he is a dork. "Woah that kind of talks….I feel like I interrupted at a good time…" he laughs.

*

Darcy watches the sigh, that sound of resigned to be hated for what one is, in Marcos's throat. Annoying, but only thing to do is to keep on keeping on. She's happy the grin returned at the movie quote.

"You totally did. But that's okay. We'll forgive you. This time, but don't let it happen again, okay?" she says sounding so so very serious.

*

Lorna returned, her green hair tied back in a messy bun, her typical leather jacket, jeans and boots clomped down the steps towards them. "Well you're both alive. Bravo. Let's go?"

"Did we want to ask if anyone else wants to join us, or is it just gonna be us? I bet someone else is awake and around."

*

Marcos just smiles softly at Darcy "Heh, happy to be forgiven. I'll try to refrain myself from the fawning." he offers a small chuckle then, before his eyes fall upon Lorna once more, the warmest smile offered to his girlfriend.

"You look great. I'm alive as I can be I think, but if you like, we can see if anyone else wants to tag along on our IHOP run."

*

"Sure are. I pulled every trick in the book, but there was no shaking him, Luce. Sorry, gurlfrenn. I tried, btu I think you stuck with him," Dracy quips are Lorna returns. Darcy pushses up from the counter, holding out a hand to take Marcos' mug while her other collects her own and Lorna's forgotten dirties to take to the sick for a quick washing before they go.

"I'm gravy with that. Ya'll go round up the troops whiel I get my dishpan hands going. SUV I'm in can hold six. Ten if we're willing to get cozy. But only one Jamie, so tell him he keeps the rest of himself contained or I swear to jesus I will taze them in lots," Darcy threatens without bite.

*

+MEET: Nate Grey has arrived via +meet.

*

Lorna leaned over to give Macros a kiss on the cheek, "I'm okay with being stuck with him." She bumped him lightly with her hip and glanced back to Darcy with an arch of her brow.

"I dunno if Jamie is around. I haven't seen him for a while, actually.."

*

Marcos smiles at Lorna when she kisses him on the cheek once more, and bumped her back right after she bumped him just to be playful. Though when Jamie is mentioned, he laughs a bit "I haven't seen him around either. Maybe he found a special someone to run off with?" he shrugs though at that uncertainty.

"I'm okay with being stuck with you too by the way. Wouldn't have it any other way." Marcos's hand reaches for Lorna's to take hold of. THough his attention goes to Darcy. "Thank you by the way for taking care of that. I think you're SUV will do pretty well."

*

Chuckling, Darcy rolls her eyes as she washes the 'breakfast'dishes that Lorna ended up not using because Darcy happened and the oatmeal turned cold and disgusting.

"Means more for the rest of us," she quips, not specifying more of what will be had with the lack of Jamie's. Water turned off, Darcy dries her hands on a towel before smiling at Marcos and moving to grab her keys.

"My pleasure. I'm totally going to expense this as a business lunch though. Liason taking you out to eat for like morale boosting and bullshit. It'll help my Christmas check look better," she quips brightly, headed for the hallway leading tot he front door.

*

Lorna shrugged lightly as she followed along after Darcy out the door. Clearly she as doing better than the night before. Her boots clipped on the flooring as they walked and her hand in Marcos' lighting up the area with rainbow lights swirling around and around them.

A glance was spared at the SUV and she grinned. "Gee Darcy, are you kidnapping us for IHOP or what?" Her head tilted at the side as she laughed softly, even if the idea of climbing into any black SUV was mildly awkward feeling. Even if it was Darcy.

*

At the door is Nate, just heading out himself, really. "Hey guys," he greets, offering the trio a lopsided smile. "Good to see you again, Darcy. How are things in the law folks?" He has no idea how SHIELD would have reacted to the lightning coup Scott managed in Genosha. Can Darcy even talk about it?

"Are you going to New York? I was heading there. To check people in Mutant Town again. Because…" he shrugs. Another Brotherhood-caused riot. Which he missed for a minute, too. He needs to see if the folks are alright.

*

Marcos smiles to Lorna as their hands together make that beautiful aurora borealis light. Though when he sees the color and nature of the SUV, Marcos can't help but laugh and come to the same conclusion as Lorna. "I mean, it's a cool ride, but it does look a little suspicious Darcy." he says of course with all the teasing in the world.

Though when he sees Nate, he offers a smile. "Yeah, we're just goin' out to IHOP. Want to tag along?"

*

"No shit I'm fuckign kidnapping you for pancakes," Darcy retorts on a snicker. Key fob makes the car beeboop unlocked. She turns a grin on Nate.

"Sure are. You've got shotgun so that Lovebirds over there can mack in the backseat," she tells him, not having spotted the light show between the two, Lorna and Marcos. Unless hse did and just isn't reacting because that shit's like a waking gay pride flag.. .Mutie pride flag? Yes. Darcy will have to sneak a pic of it and post that shit to her Facebook Wall: Mutant Pride Flag. Not a rainbow, but a pair of hands, held together in comfort and love and acceptance, with a gorgoues aurora rippling about them. Fucking GIF that shit and make it viral. This is going to happen.

"Work car. I get to expense gas costs when I drive up to visit, and if a giant magically summon rock lobster totals it, I don't have to pay insurance," she explains of the car. "Plus, bullet proof. Because reasons. Hop in."

*

Lorna got into the car with a wave of her free hand opening the door and she climbed in with a soft smile on her face. "Well I'll be sure to be busy making out back here then. Since you know, you gave me permission." She grinned.

"So, looks like it's just gonna be us heading to IHOP.." She murmured, her gaze returning to Nate. "You missed all the chaos you know the other night. I really could've used more back up. It got pretty bad.." She offered softly. "Then again, you missed dealing with the cops and Stark and company."

*

"Oh, SHIELD car? I have heard some of those can fly!" Nate is probably not being serious. But he is not going to say no to free pancakes either. Mutant Town can wait an hour or two. He settles shotgun, then responds to Lorna.

"Yes. I should have stayed. I just… I just remember Pietro from before the Omega Shift. It is painful to see him turned into a Brotherhood fanatic," and he really shouldn't talk about it with Darcy here. "I would have liked to meet Iron Man again, though. He was great when we fought Apocalypse."

*

"Yeah. I'm not certified to pilot shit. I never get the flying cars," Darcy laments, lips still grinning as she pulls herself into the driver's seat and buckles in, waiting for everyone to get in and get settled. Of course, that's when Nate pulls the emotional knife, and Darcy turns way too much focus on adjusted already set for her mirrors.

Pietro…. a fanatic…. He left to refind himself after Apocalypse turned him into a fanatic… only to come back as a….

Darcy bites down on the very tip of her tongue, hard as she can manage without looking too much like she's bititng the tip of her tongue, in an effort to keep herself from cussing or punching the steering wheel or slamming the car back into Park and getting out to say fuck it all. Really, it's the only thing keeping her from breaking down into tears of anger and frustration over it. Somehow, she keeps most of the want to mist over from her eyes as she peers into the rearview to back the car up and out of the garage.

Empathy anyone? Sensative to the subtle shifts the human pulse creates? Darcy is NOT HAPPY. it's a very sudden dark thing that has her in a sudden silence.

*

Lorna leaned over the seat from the back, making to swing a hand not too lightly at Nate's shoulder. She'd been very very careful to say Pietro's name and dance around the topic the whole time so far. And he went and did it anyways. "Yeah well, Stark seemed to have enough help. He showed up and everyone left. Spiderman webbed some cop's face and no one stopped Marcos and I as a result. Really didn't want to get arrested." She scowled lightly. Her eyes turning back toward Darcy.

"If you want to fly, we can fly, just say the word and any car can fly."

*

Foot on mouth, Nate. He sighs, and reaches to squeeze Darcy's shoulder briefly. Yep, he deserved that swing. Doubly so because he is an empath. But most everyone is feeling like shit since the bear visit. Misery upon loss and angst. Welcome to the X-Men. Business as usual.

He sighs. "Darcy's car. If it flies you gotta let me make a mindlink so she gets to driv… pilot it."

*

The squeeze to her shoulder gets an agressive and unpleasant flick of her hand. It's a brief flash of emotional contact that reveals the depth of loss she's holding back with sheer willpower that she's fighting not to give in to the oblivion hopelessness can grant. Foot in mouth, indeed.

"You want to the car to fly, just fucking make it fly. Otherwise, I'm driving, and you both are shutting the fuck up about it," she fairly growls. She hadn't seen the reports from Mutant Town yet. She's been caught up in inventory audits. The news was hitting her hard and fast and she needed tiem to process. Especially given the conversation from earlier, about family and settling down. She'd been there, on the verge of it. Her knuckles are white on the steering wheel, heart hammering harshly, as she drives toward New York and the IHOP that wasn't one of the ones she went to before it all - not one of the ones he and she might have gotten kicked out of for eating too many endless pancakes.

*

Lorna left the car alone, looking morosely in the back of the car as she watched Darcy like a hawk up front. Or as well as she could from the back seat. She didn't say anything further as the woman drove. The tension in the car slowly building in her shoulders. But she wasn't going to be the one to break the mood. She sucked at that.

*

Family and settling down seems the wrong thing to talk about in the House of X. Nate considers conversation pieces but gets a fairly long list of depressing stuff. Genosha? He is returning to the place he died. Mutant hatred increasing again, same old, same old. Relationships never working - except Lorna and Marcos. Lucky pair they are. Tension can be cut with a knife. "Many pancakes are needed," he murmurs.

*

Darcy noticed that her mood shift was ruining everything, so she focuses on driving, getting to IHOP without anyone dying, and then as she gets out of the vehicle, refinding her gives-no-fucks. She's smiling again by the time everyone's out andt ehSUV beeps locked behind them.

To the empathy, the smile is a brave facade. Dracy will fake it till she feels it.

"Alright. Breakfast on the boss." she quips, voice almost light again.

*

Lorna signed softly as she got out of the SUV with a clomp of her feet on the pavement. She was used to being in a bad mood, and it was a struggle for her to think of something lighter to share. "I'm thinking of having a girls night, Darcy." She burst out, she really hasn't. But it was something harmless, right?

"Just us ladies, booze, nail polish, hair, facials.. Angry rock music.. A few horror movies maybe." She arched a green eyebrow upwards, making for the IHOP door and holding it open for the others.

*

Nate chuckles at Lorna's idea letting both women get inside first. "I'll get the coffee. Or whatever you need. You two pick a table, okay?" Pause, "er… a table from which we can see all the entrances in the shop would be good," he adds, trying not to sound too paranoid. Or maybe it is not paranoia if they are after you. "Give me ten."

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