Back at the Hotel Wundagore

[house-of-mystiq.livejournal.com]

"That's right. Count backwards from ten Ms. Lensherr."

The leather pouch is rolled flat on the surface of the bed. Each vial within is carefully hand labeled in an archaic German script.

Raven sits on the bed next to the green haired woman, gently holding one hand. She's wearing a maternal face with a faint hint of an Eastern European background. She unties the tournaquet from Lorna's upper arm and gives the girl's hand a gentle pat.

A stone knife sits behind Raven's back, out of the girl's sight. The room is suspiciously bare of any form of metal.

Comments

[exiles-2h.livejournal.com]

"Wha--" She takes a deep breath and tries to sit up. "Where--Daddy? Daddy?"

[house-of-mystiq.livejournal.com]

"Your father is fine, Lorna. Can I call you Lorna?"

The matronly face smiles down at her. Something about the room smells antiseptic, but it doesn't look like a hospital.

[exiles-2h.livejournal.com]

"Yes," she says, automatically courteous to someone older. "Where am I? This isn't--what--?" She frowns, trying to feel for the lines of magnetic force that have always been around her....

[house-of-mystiq.livejournal.com]

"There was a little fuss at your reception. We have you some place safe, dear."

[exiles-2h.livejournal.com]

"Oh." She settles back, raising a hand to her temple, massaging it carefully. "Is ... do you work with the ... the Darkholmes?"

[house-of-mystiq.livejournal.com]

A brief look of surprise flashes across Raven's face before the maternal smile is locked back into place.

"Yes. Ms. Darkholme is very concerned with your safety...and your future wellbeing."

[spidey2099.livejournal.com]

There's a figure clinging to the far wall.

Masked. No eyes visible.

Playing with a sharp talon on the end of his finger, idly.

"We work for someone more important," he says, his voice a growl, lowered from its normal pitch.

[exiles-2h.livejournal.com]

She shrinks back against the bed. "What--who--" Her jaw firms. "I don't know who you are, or who you work for, but when my father finds out--"

[house-of-mystiq.livejournal.com]

She squeezes the young woman's hand again. "Your father is a great man. I have the utmost respect for him."

Which explains the complete absence of metal in the room.

"...quite unlike my feelings towards the Summers..."

[spidey2099.livejournal.com]

The talons on the masked man's fingers just tap together gently. A quiet, steady rhythm.

Letting Raven do her thing.

[exiles-2h.livejournal.com]

"The Summers?" repeats Lorna, her hand still in the mysterious woman's grasp. "I know they're not--not nice, but ... Alex is different," she finishes weakly. "He's kind to me, and he's lonely...."

[house-of-mystiq.livejournal.com]

"Lonely," she repeats. That can be useful if they need to discuss this with the boy. "But you're not a social worker, dear. Open up."

She pulls out a glass thermometer. The middle is filled with something dark blue, clearly not mercury. There's a slightly bitter scent in the air as she carefully wipes down the end. The swab never touches her own fingertips.

"Keep this in your mouth for three minutes."

[exiles-2h.livejournal.com]

Obediently, Lorna opens her mouth for the thermometer to rest under her tongue.

[house-of-mystiq.livejournal.com]

Raven smiles.

"You don't want to be a Summers. You're a nice girl, with a good future ahead of her."

The thermometer tastes a little like menthol and has a slight tingling effect under the tongue.

Raven stares into her eyes and slowly repeats, "You don't want to be a Summers."

[exiles-2h.livejournal.com]

Lorna's jaw drops. "Well, duh!" The thermometer tumbles out. "But I have to marry him. Daddy said it would help bring peace. Alex isn't so bad. He said all he'd ask for is for us to try and be friends."

[spidey2099.livejournal.com]

"Daddy's wrong about the peace," comes that low gravel again.

"It'll end your world."

[exiles-2h.livejournal.com]

"What? Why?"

[spidey2099.livejournal.com]

Another tap of the talons.

"It involes a hell of a lot of quantum physics."

[exiles-2h.livejournal.com]

"You are not making any sense," declares Lorna firmly. Appealing to what she hopes is the better sense of the mysterious thermometer-giving woman, she turns to Mystique. "Please tell me he's the cranky guy here who no one likes because he's always a pain in the tuchus."

[house-of-mystiq.livejournal.com]

"You're right." A corner of her mouth quirks into a smile. "Sadly, so is he."

[exiles-2h.livejournal.com]

"Buh-but...." Lorna is still bewildered. "Wait, he said quantum physics. Is this about me and Alex having a child who'll become the next Hitler or something like that?"

[house-of-mystiq.livejournal.com]

"No. If that was the case, we already would've killed you." She keeps up that sweet smile, giving the girl's hand a maternal squeeze. "Or him. It really wouldn't matter."

[exiles-2h.livejournal.com]

"Oh. Um. Thank you. For not killing us." Her expression clears a little to something blander. "So ... what're you going to do to me? And Alex?"

[house-of-mystiq.livejournal.com]

"For you, some hair dye and a plane ticket will suffice. I was thinking of castrating the boy."

[exiles-2h.livejournal.com]

"Hey, no. No!" She sits upright and tries to swing her legs over the edge of the bed. "Don't do that to him. He's kind. Just--just get him away from his family. Please. He's so scared of what they'll do to him. I can tell. Please help him."