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Familial Support; Afternoon Before the Big Event
Topic Started: May 26 2012, 04:52 PM (726 Views)
Polaris
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Asparagus Lass
X-Factor - Admin
Scott was obviously in complete denial about his lack of negotiation skills, or the need for them. But if he wanted the damned cue ball back, he was going to have to start growing some.

"My negotiation skills?" Scott shot back. "You're the one bullying me." If this kept up, her eyes were going to roll out of her head and onto the floor, like the stupid cue ball had tried to do. But, still, Lorna gave them another roll, because that bullshit definitely deserved.

"Right. I'm bullying you by withholding a pool ball. I'm sure that's against the Geneva convention or something." When the hell, exactly, had they both reverted to being ten years old in this, the green haired woman wondered, still holding the pool ball just out of Scott's reach. Hell, if she was going to revert to being a juvenile, she might as well make the best of it.

"Besides," he added. "I didn't expect to have to negotiate. It's a game. It has rules. Real ones, even." Lorna debated pointing out to him that, in fact, it was from him that she'd learned if the rules didn't work, change them so you could win. Alright, so that'd mostly applied to fights, but there wasn't that damned much difference here. It absolutely still applied.

However, Polaris decided getting into that really might give the groom-to-be an aneurysm, which she'd rather avoid.

Instead, Lorna tried to help him hone his lacking negotiation skills by offering him an opening to make it worth her while. Since, you know, she still had the cue ball, no matter what his rules might say about whose turn it was.

"You avoid my telling Jean that you intentionally stressed me out today?" He offered, voice innocent, arms crossed after giving her the once over. Oooooh, so he wanted to play dirty, did he? There was just one pretty damned important thing he was forgetting in there.

"You still suck, Summers," Lorna answered, which wasn't the actual point, but still bore pointing out anyway. "And Jean's still a telepath. "Do that, and I'll have her pull the truth out of my brain so fast. Including the vibrating and making Alex flip out and lose his mind."

Which he hadn't been all that damned far from anyway, but Scott had still been the one to push that red button. Lorna arched an eyebrow, giving him a smug look. Despite the fact that they'd somehow regressed to being ten and Jean was suddenly filling the position of 'Mom'. Possibly it was official. They'd both totally lost their damned minds in the course of the day.
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Cyclops
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The real Slim Shady
X-Men
"You still suck, Summers," Lorna answered, which wasn't the actual point, but still bore pointing out anyway.

Scott shrugged a little in response. It wasn't his fault; his sister-in-law had asked him to make it worth her while. And very few things were worth more than avoiding Jean's wrath. Especially this past week or so.

He would know. It was amazing how ugly an incredibly small disagreement could get in mere minutes when both people involved were nearing the ends of their emotional ropes.

"And Jean's still a telepath. Do that, and I'll have her pull the truth out of my brain so fast. Including the vibrating and making Alex flip out and lose his mind." Lorna informed him, giving him a smug look.

And still not giving him the cue ball. Okay, Scott knew he'd wanted to stretch this out a little, but this was getting ridiculous.

Actually, now that he thought about it, this whole thing was ridiculous. When, exactly, had they regressed to being children? And when had Jean become the unwitting neutral arbiter of this playground dispute?

A role she wouldn't really play, anyway. Because Scott was not wasting her time today, of all days, with stupid crap like childhood cheating scandals. Shit, she was busy as hell.

And Scott was playing pool-ball keep-away with one of her bridesmaids. That probably wasn't helping. He dropped his attitude and gave Lorna a considering look, "Speaking of, how long is this break of yours supposed to last, exactly? Because she'll kill us both if I've messed up her preparations."
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Polaris
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Well, hell. Scott was just shrugging at her, which took all the fun out of tell him he sucked. But Lorna still had the cue ball, and he was not getting it until he came up with something better than a shrug.

Or a threat to tell Jean she was stressing him out. Especially considering Jeannie was still a telepath, could pull the truth right out of their heads, and Scott already had stressing himself out down to a damned art form.

So maybe they were just at a stalemate of some sort. Or he'd get fed up and attempt to blast her and the ball she was using as a lure into the wall. Probably not, the green haired woman decided, but also not out of the realm of possibility at the moment.

They already had somehow regressed down to about ten, after all. Any fucking thing was possible at this point. But it was still better than watching Scott vibrate in place and attempt to liquefy his own brain with Cyclopean loop logic.

Instead, though, Scott suddenly gave up his quest to re-secure his possession of the cue ball in favor of giving her a considering look. Lorna sighed inwardly, knowing what was likely coming. "Speaking of, how long is this break of yours supposed to last, exactly? Because she'll kill us both if I've messed up her preparations."

Yep. There it was. Damn, but she hated being an adult sometimes.

With an outward sigh this time, Lorna relented, floating the pool ball over to him where he could pluck it out of the air. "Party pooper," she accused with an affectionate smirk. "But yeah, probably not quite this long. I should get back to helping with the folding and ribboning and helping make sure nobody explodes before tomorrow."

Including her, Jeannie, Ororo, the florist or the caterer.

Smirk morphing to a crooked grin, she waved toward the table. "So go ahead, Summers. Finish it off so I can go back and contemplate my defeat while we finish out the table arrangements."
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Cyclops
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Faced with the reality of she and Scott messing with Jean's wedding preparations - a risk he was sure neither of them wanted to take, for a multitude of reasons - Lorna sighed. Then she caved, floating the cue ball back to where he stood, and he plucked it out of the air.

He wondered what it said about him that he considered floating recreation equipment perfectly normal.

"Party pooper," she accused with an affectionate smirk.

"You wouldn't know what to do with me, otherwise," he pointed out. It was true. In fact, Scott suspected that even seeing him playing pool at all - let alone with his regression - would probably confuse some of those less familiar with him.

"But yeah, probably not quite this long. I should get back to helping with the folding and ribboning and helping make sure nobody explodes before tomorrow."

Well, at least if Lorna was assigned to preventing explosions - which, honestly, sounded like a flaw in planning - Scott hadn't kept her from her job. Technically. Though he hadn't been going to explode, really. Just...work himself into an impressive migraine.

He'd be drinking later. That would undoubtedly fix the problem.

Still, the point stood. Lorna had stuff she should be doing, important things like keeping unsuspecting contractors from Jean's wrath, and he was keeping from doing them.

"I'm sure Jean appreciates the help," Scott observed.

Smirk morphing to a crooked grin, she waved toward the table. "So go ahead, Summers. Finish it off so I can go back and contemplate my defeat while we finish out the table arrangements."

"If you insist," he shrugged. He scouted his shot, before lining it up. "Last words, Dane?"
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Polaris
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Scott? Absolutely the damned party pooper here.

"You wouldn't know what to do with me, otherwise," he pointed out and Lorna went ahead and rolled her eyes, since they'd gotten into a pattern of some kind now. Though, really, he was probably right, sad as that was.

God forbid Scott Summers relax and actually have a good time. The fucking world might just explode.

Speak of...

Chances were, she really should be getting back to Jean and the wedding related minute' that were destined to probably drive them all batshit crazy before tomorrow. She wouldn't dream of leaving her almost-sister-in-law to swim through that all on her own, or even with just Ororo, Misty, and Sarra. If they were all going to live through this, it would have to be a joint effort.

"I'm sure Jean appreciates the help," Scott observed as she reluctantly released her hostage cue ball to let Scott go ahead and finish her off. Since there wasn't any real doubt that's exactly what he was going to do.

"I'd have done it regardless, you know that, Scott," Lorna replied with a casual shrug and a genuine smile, as opposed to the more frequently seen smirk she usually wore. "Hell, I wouldn't missed it, honestly."

Which was kind of unbelievably, but absolutely true, regardless of any prior aggravation or aggravation yet to come (of which she was sure there was at least some laying in fucking wait for them all). It was Scott and Jean's wedding. Nothing would've stopped her from helping, or from being there.

Now he needed to go ahead and finish beating her ass so she could get back to it.

"If you insist," he shrugged. He scouted his shot, before lining it up. "Last words, Dane?" Oh, god, there was an opening wide enough to drive a semi though. Must. Resist. Temptation.

"Yeah," she grinned very, very wickedly in the direction of her soon-to-be-brother-in-law, "but I probably shouldn't say things like that the day before your wedding. Consider it an early gift." Rolling her eyes at him again, she poked in his direction gently with the big end of her pool cue. "Shoot, Summers, and put me out of my misery. I'm starting to think you just like torturing me."
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Cyclops
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"I'd have done it regardless, you know that, Scott," Lorna replied with a casual shrug and a genuine smile, as opposed to the more frequently seen smirk she usually wore. "Hell, I wouldn't missed it, honestly."

He believed her. Actually, Scott suspected that Alex and Lorna would have come down on the mansion pissed as hell is they hadn't been asked to be involved. Even if his brother's involvement was somewhat more toned down - in deference to both his and Scott's low thresholds for wedding-related stress.

Still, though, he did appreciate their being there.

Having scouted the shot that he knew would win him their game - which, really, had been the only possible outcome all along - Scott offered Lorna the opportunity to say some last words. Since she'd had plenty of words to say all along, it seemed.

"Yeah," she grinned very, very wickedly in the direction of her soon-to-be-brother-in-law, "but I probably shouldn't say things like that the day before your wedding. Consider it an early gift."

Scott huffed a little, amused. Yeah. His virgin ears. Those were something clearly worth protecting. It wasn't as though he'd spent years living around military men. Or in foster homes. Or in....well, at any rate, he highly doubted there was any use of profanity or innuendo that would shock him.

"I think Jean would prefer something on the registry," he offered helpfully. Besides, if no one used it then the hours of torture involved in having a fucking registry would be utterly wasted.

"Shoot, Summers, and put me out of my misery. I'm starting to think you just like torturing me."

"Me?" He asked innocently. He gestured with his cue. "Corner pocket."

A flick of the wrist, a bank of the cue ball of one of the walls, and in the eight-ball went. Not his best game, Scott had to admit, but still. Given his intentional missteps, and the one unintentional one that was no sitting at the edge of his consciousness bugging him, it could have been worse.

"Alright, Dane. Thanks for the game. And if Jean asks where the hell you've been, tell her its your fault," Scott said as he returned his cue to where it belonged. He, unlike Lorna, would not be going upstairs to help because both he and Jean recognized that such an attempt would only end badly.

But, as he'd learned, walking around by himself was currently ending badly as well.

So running and the gym it would be.
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Polaris
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Hell, it was definitely the truth. Scott and Jean's wedding? She wouldn't have missed it for anything. Neither would Alex, for all his grumpy-ass, wedding related hide-and-seek, random flipping out and general annoyance and irritation at, apparently, the very existence of all things marriage ceremony related.

Including that poignant-as-fuck best man speech.

And, as further token of her affection, Lorna decided she wouldn't even take advantage of that opening Scott had left. The one the size of the damned grand canyon. That in itself he should consider an early wedding gift.

Because resisting temptation like that was fucking hard

Unsurprisingly, though, Scott was unimpressed with her restraint, letting out a skeptically amused huff. "I think Jean would prefer something on the registry," he offered helpfully and it was Lorna's turn to snort, and roll her eyes.

"I think Jean would prefer a good Cabernet and a weekend at a spa." And so would she. Maybe that was something she should keep in mind for sometime after Scott and Jean got back. They hadn't done a 'girls weekend' in...god it'd been forever. Sometime back in college, maybe?

Time files, she supposed, when you're wrapped in spandex and fighting for your life every other day.

Speaking of, it was time Scott took the damned shot, put her out of her misery, so she could jump back into the wedding details. Her time limit on playing hooky was probably dwindling swiftly away at this point, as much fun as tormenting Scott was.

"Me?" He asked innocently. He gestured with his cue. "Corner pocket." So, of course, that's exactly where it went. Asshole. Lorna was sure just playing pool at all when you were Scott Summers was some sort of cheating.

"Alright, Dane. Thanks for the game. And if Jean asks where the hell you've been, tell her its your fault," Scott said as he returned his cue to where it belonged. With an overly-dramatic sigh, Lorna followed suit, returning her own cue to the rack and giving Scott a mock-sour look.

"Sure, throw me right into the breech, why don't you, Summers." The look morphed into a fond smile as she went over and planted a friendly peck on his cheek. "But just this once, I'll do it for you, but I don't think Jean'll be quite ready to vaporize me just yet for extended absence." Still, she wasn't willing to push her luck too much, and she didn't want to leave Jeannie to fend off the insanity all on her own. If they went down to the crazy, they'd go down together, fighting every step of the way.

"And don't go back to the damned vibrating, huh?" Lorna threw over her shoulder as she headed out the door and back upstairs, bracing herself to wade back into the fray. Spa. Sometime soon. Definitely.

[end, I believe]
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