◆ P O L A R I S !

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Victor did that.” There’s no saying in what Doom was thinking of doing or banning these days; all Reed knew was that his old classmate still had that superiority complex and egotistic nature that could very much be his end. But he’s running his own country now so who’s to say it wasn’t working either. “Laying low for a while. I’m teaching at the academy so I get to have free rein over the labs. Well, as much free rein as I have considering they,” he said as he pointed at the robots behind him with his thumb, “are everywhere I go. I’m beginning to think Victor put more of his robots with me than the rest of the population.”

“free is probably the last word i’d use to describe anything in this place, but i get what you’re saying.” lorna nodded in understanding. he was making do with what he could, it was all any of them could do. “that wouldn’t surprise me, though. there are a few people that he seems to fixate on more than others, you’re probably number one on that list.” she knew some of the basics, that they went back far before any of this mess ever happened. as a few thoughts hit her, lorna let out a small hum, lowering her voice just a notch to avoid being overheard by the doombots. “maybe that’s something we could use against him, when the time is right.”

stephen wasn’t one for parties unless they were based around himself. unfortunately for him and the entirety of the forced residents of this hellscape, it wasn’t about him, but rather about… doom. the one good and shiny thing was tony was out of the doomgeons and there was what appeared to be free food and beverages. plus stephen could dress up as gandalf. the only actual noteworthy fictional sorcerer in his book. turning sharply, he accidentally hit someone with his walking stick and grimaced before shoving a piece of cheese in his mouth, “i’m so sorry, i have to get used to using this thing, are you alright?”

“hey don’t worry about it –” she started, primarily having plans to keep to the buffet table and avoid drawing attention to herself. “a few bruises would probably only help the costume.” lorna had been pulling off a lara croft costume – unfortunately, no one would give her real guns, so she had some water guns strapped to her. “at least the food is decent.” she commented with a small shrug, finding it easy to presume stephen wasn’t exactly thrilled to be at the party either. the upside for her? the chance to scope the place out and see if there was anything they could use against the dictator. “what do you think the point of all this is? is the party just to stroke the guys ego?”

“fair enough,“ erik responded giving her a raised brow and a smirk before returning to his duty of counting the beer cases. “how self-sustaining is this place do you think? where is he getting all of these ingredients? well, possibly magic he has stolen from others…” he mostly spoke to himself as he tapped the pen to his lips, turning to face lorna. “now you are sounding like me, the things i would enjoy doing to him if i had my abilities, but do not worry, i haven’t grown soft, i am simply biding my time.” he sighed, before giving her a solid nod. “it would seem our best option, yes.”

“magic sounds like the most likely answer – even if this place had natural resources, they wouldn’t last long with all the people.” she mused before pausing. “but nothing about this really makes sense, the physics of this place floating in space where earth used to be. it’s not even logical.” not that it was a surprise, nothing seemed to make sense anymore and lorna wasn’t even sure what they were supposed to do from here. “i’ll pass on the bonding time over thoughts of murder, but i get it.” she took a quick drink of the glass she’d poured – at least the one benefit of working at a bar. “i want to know why the dampeners don’t affect him too. i used to be able to overpower suppression collars – if i can get close to a dampener, maybe.”

Lorna was right, in this place, nonsense was definitely an understatement. “I suppose I’ll just have to stock up on black hair dye.” she replied, teasingly. “Maybe I’ll dye my hair a different colors depending on the day.” She was trying to joke, but in reality, she found this so stupid. “Doom does seem like an overgrown child trying to rule a country.” And that felt lik an insult to children.”He’s full of himself and has ego the size of… well, what Texas used to be.” she slid a teacup over to Lorna, glad she was visiting her in her home. Least she had a flat now, and clothes. “We should send him a box of glitter- no return address. put a bottle of red dye in it- maybe red glitter too.” Jean normally wasn’t one for pranks, but that was before she ended up here. She couldn’t use her powers and it made her annoyed enough to want to poke the proverbial bear. “See if he gets mad enough to ban glitter.” 

“the sad thing is – i know that was a joke, but it’s really not a bad idea. to have back up colors, i mean. there’s no telling what’s going to be banned every day, hell, a law can start at breakfast and change by dinner.” it was ridiculous and if it did affect them on such an extreme level, it could even be amusing. but there was no mistaking that this was a dictatorship, and nothing bothered lorna like an inability to fight back. lorna let out a deep breath as she thought it over, taking the tea cup gratefully. she couldn’t deny being grateful to be back in a place with normal beverages again. the suggestion made her nearly choke on her drink as she held in a laugh. “well really, it makes sense. if he wants to rule like a child, we can stoop down to that level too, don’t you think?” she nodded in agreement – almost positive they would get glitter banned. “just have to be careful that it can’t be linked back to us – no fingerprints or loose strands of hair.”

“no, the one they just took. i’m concerned it may be someone we know.” he can’t say for sure if it was safe for everyone out here these days or not, but reed wasn’t willing to take the risk just yet—even if he knew how to deal with victor and his ego. besides, he can’t risk being thrown in the dungeons at the moment; not when he had johnny to take care of. “if i know anything about victor, his robots might have cameras recording everything. best to avoid them whenever you can, miss dane.”

“isn’t just about everyone being arrested these days with laws changing every twenty minutes? i’m waiting for breathing to be banned.” lorna sighed - unsure what exactly awaited anyone that was arrested. how bad were the doomgeuns? what exactly is in a pit of doom? she couldn’t risk finding out, though. “avoiding them is exactly what i plan to do. at least until we all figure out how to get our powers back, then i’m tossing the robocops from hell into the sun. what’s your plan in all of this?”

“nonsense might be an understatement, jean.” lorna sighed with a lack of amusement. no amount of available hot showers was worth living in a dictatorship – especially when that dictator had moods that changed more often than those of her six year old daughter. “i just heard we’re banning the color red today, can’t say i’m really sure what that means for your hair.” she glanced to the other woman, sympathizing but also grateful it wasn’t green being outlawed. “you know how little kids sometimes insist on having to drink out of the blue cup and will have some sort of demon-possessed meltdown if you try to give them a different one? that’s what i’m thinking of right now.”

she didn’t think it was possible that a place could make her miss the dinosaurs, but here she was. at least dinosaurs didn’t outlaw colors on a whim. lorna had to be careful, though, if only for her daughters sake. “whose? the robots? sorry – doombots?” she clarified with a quirk of her brow. the doombots were making rounds, ensuring no one was wearing red. “i can’t use my powers like i normally could, but i can still tell when a metal robot is coming up on me.”

“the only things i’m liking about any of this are the hot showers and alcohol.” lorna shot back, though any venom in her words weren’t truly meant for her time-displaced father. at least, not at the moment. it wasn’t a coincidence that they found themselves working at the same bar, either. no, another gift from their new ruler, doctor doom. father-daughter time. she’d never missed ruling her own island until that moment. “i should be able to toss that man into the sun, you know.” thankfully, there wasn’t really anyone else around the bar to overhear. barely noticeable shimmers of green laced her fingertips as she was just able to move the metal stirrer in her drink. “we have to play along for now though, don’t we?”

“polaris,“ he stated - forming the word around in his mouth and mind, finding it to be extremely fitting for his child. there wasn’t much to deny on his part, he was still angry, still unwilling to accept that this woman before him, this thirty year old woman was his child. his little girl, the one he had to leave behind in safety for fear of her life. he’d doomed her from the start, just by being who he was - and it wasn’t her fault, it was never her fault. inhaling sharply, erik reached up and ran a hand through his hair, grasping at the ends and pulling out of frustration before ultimately giving a defeated sigh.

she had his will, his strength, and damning of all, his anger and wrath. “if you are as you say you are, then you are still my daughter - maybe not exclusively mine, but you’re still of my blood.” he stated, making it clear and firm that he wanted to be involved with her life. “i do not know what i’ve done or what i will do - the you i know is but a child, but seeing as how you react to me, how you look upon me with not love but disdain is all i need to know that i’ve ruined a large part of your life.” he finally conceded, accepting that he’d hurt her in horrible ways. “let me see this helmet, i may need to use it,” he paused and smirked at her, “i can tolerate the helmet hair. much favorable over having your mind controlled.” he insisted before stepping back and away from lorna, giving her her space and breathing room. “i do imagine you have questions, as i know that i do - i’ll answer them as truthfully as i possibly can, yes?” he still wasn’t entirely handling the whole verging of realities thing, but he trying. “no, it was not by choice, but i am here now  and i will do what i need to ,to get out. i am a survivor lorna, i will prevail.”

her lips pressed together, hundreds of words and arguments, being contained and swallowed back behind them. she’d always been able to separate the lingering pain of abandonment from the older version of her father – to look past it – knowing that time changed people. the erik lehnsherr in front of her didn’t yet have the benefit of doubt that time provided, and lorna found it much more difficult to get around. in conflict, his immediate reaction to her, pain of his own she swore she could see, made her pause and soften just a little. “well, yeah – for whatever that’s worth, i guess.” she intended more venom in her words but failed to muster it, instead found them hinted with nervousness.

“you don’t –” she sighed, “if you know me at all in your time, you’ve already done it.” lorna knew the truth of the plane crash that had killed her mother and step-father, and knew it was her father’s only known experience with her in childhood, to take her from there to her aunt, to leave her there. “but you didn’t ruin my life, you can’t ruin something you were never a part of.” it wasn’t really fair, on some level, she understood why it happened the way it did – but the scars it left behind didn’t want to listen to logic.

the request for his helmet made her think a moment – it was her own only protection in the event of a telepathic enemy but it wasn’t hers. she’d been keeping it but helmet hair aside, it was too heavy on her head. “follow me, it’s where i’ve been staying.” granted, she wasn’t staying there alone but that was an entire other conversation. lorna moved in the direction, her head nodding in acknowledgement to his words. “good, i have no problem doing the same, i’m not really one to sugarcoat things.” she agreed, letting herself think over where to start in the questions. “has anyone ever told you that you’re a bit dramatic?” not the place to start. “did you show up here alone?” better, more logical. “what do you want to ask?”

“no - i am sorry, whatever it was, it was very real - we asgardians, sometimes we communicate through sleep, my father was good at it.“ thor paused, was - not is - odin was dead, he’d committed himself to the universe, given up, a god no more. it was silly of him to even momentarily believe that the waking dream was real - loki was very much alive after all, so why did he continue to feel as if at any given moment something he could do would endanger lorna and dawn.

turning his gaze, he looked over towards the wall where he’d scorched it with his storm and let out a shaky sigh. that’s why. closing his eyes, he hung his head and gently reached out his hand to lorna - asking her wordlessly for forgiveness and comfort. “a walk?” he asked, almost echoing her words before opening his eyes back up and turning to look at her, a small hopeful smile on his lips. “yes, a walk would do me much good - thank you,” he answered, almost too formal, too polite. and yet, he meant it genuinely.

when he placed the hand of his into hers, he grasped a hold of it as if he was taking a hold of his life itself before pulling himself out of the bed and glancing towards dawn. “she is a heavy sleeper, she would make a wonderful warrior,” he stated, smiling still as he turned to lorna, “but my axe is not hers and she shall never wield it, instead she can have another - i’ll make her one of her own, smaller - sharper - ” he paused and gave it some thought, “ - duller.” as they walked out of their makeshift home, thor took to gazing at the stars, finding ways to avoid the conversation despite knowing he would need to speak it.

“do you have nightmares?“

“okay, it’s okay – just, give yourself a minute, alright?” her concern was clear, laced with hints of confusion. lorna knew things worked differently for him – for asgardians, for gods – and while anything could be possible, she suspected she only needed to give him time to sort it out for himself. her hand gripped his the moment he’d allowed, firm but gentle. a large part of her wanted to pull him to her, to wrap her arms around him and hold him close and will his troubles away. but that was only a band aid. of course, there was still time for that, but she wanted help him clear his head first. 

instead, as they moved to the door, her thumb brushed lightly over his wrist as a reminder that she was there and wasn’t going anywhere. lorna glanced to dawn just before they moved outside, her lips tugging into a soft smile as he spoke of her. “she would – and she’d love that. i want her to learn... to fight and how to protect herself.” she paused, a deep breath filling her lungs. “i just want her to live in a world where she doesn’t have to, unfortunately things aren’t ever really what we want them to be. – and she can work her way up to the sharper.”

it was a small side conversation, lorna knew they couldn’t continue on it too long – but she didn’t want to pressure him to discuss something before he was ready. his question made her pause, lips pressing together before she nodded. “all the time, most of it i’m sure you could already get a decent idea for.” he knew of what had happened on genosha, he’d seen the ghosts, and the idea of what her involvement there was. there were other blips of her history, things that just hadn’t come up in conversation yet, but she’d discuss anything if it eased his comfort. “you know i’d tell you anything you want to know, but we didn’t come out here to talk about my nightmares.”

there he was again, in the battlegrounds of sakovia. the ultrons were everywhere. he was doing his best to destroy all of the ones he can get to quick enough (which is obviously very fast). but there are still too many of them. there are still civilians that need to be rescued, need to be saved. an array of bullets is making its way through the city, just the way he’d died before. he sees the kid and clint and makes a run for it, he can’t let them die. he can’t let them get hurt. he manages to move them out of the way without getting hit himself. he thinks they’re safe until he feels a piece of him dying. wanda. he runs to her but it’s too late. he missed her in the cascade of bullets flying towards the city. 

he wakes up screaming, his heart pounding faster than normal out his chest. he looks around the room before realizing he’s in a bed. he gets out the bed and speeds to the kitchen, rushing past someone as he stands behind a counter. “oh sorry, did i scare you?” he asks while searching for something to drink.

the night had taken an unexpected turn, nightmares seemed to creep into everyone’s mind, turning dangerous. lorna had a quick solution for herself – don’t sleep. she’d seen enough freddy krueger movies to deduce that. at least, she hoped it would keep her focused enough to figure out what was going on and what they could do to fix it. this is what took her to searching the shelters for any remaining hopes of coffee, even though she was sure it was likely the first product they ran out of here. her body stilled as she scrounged through the cabinets, looking in the direction of where she’d seen a blur from the corner of her eye.

“no, don’t worry about it, just got me off guard.” her lips pressed together in contemplation. she’d grown close to wanda, but she was only aware of who pietro was and their relation, and that he’d returned. “i was just looking for coffee, although i’d probably settle for just eating the coffee bean at this point.” she mused before turning to face him more. “i’m lorna.”

—————————————— ( @ofpolariis )

lying in their handmade bed that thor had labored over creating, the asgardian found himself happily asleep with his arm around lorna while her head laid upon his chest. dawn was in the corner of the room in her own bed fast asleep, giving thor the luxury to finally relax. however, it wasn’t long before a darkness began to creep into his conscious and thor found himself plunged into the ruins of asgard.

wading through a field of dead asgardians, thor’s heart broke with each step - he knew these people, he’d grown up with them, loved them as his own, and now they were all gone. turning, he found the scenery surrounding him had changed from the outside of the city to the inside of the palace. lying scattered on the gilded floors were his family, his mother, his brother, even his sister - all but save for his father. “no…” he whispered, rushing his way to loki and kneeling down beside him reaching to touch his face.

“kings do not weep for the dead so openly,“ hesitance made thor sober up quickly, his back straightening as he turned to see his father upon his throne looking down upon him with a disappointing glance. “i am no king no more,“ thor responded defiantly as he walked towards his father. “and it is not weak to show emotion, father.“

a tsk left the all-father’s lips as he turned his profile to his son. “you were never a king, i should have noticed that sooner,” he replied before waving a hand to dismiss him. “you allowed all of this to happen, thor - all of these deaths, my people are on you - even your poor brother, it’s your fault.”

“no,“ thor gave his rebuttal - in his physical form outside the dream he squeezed his arm dangerously tight around lorna, jerking from his reaction to his father - “yes, it is you my boy who did this to asgard, it is you !!“

“NO“ thor shouted as he awoke a scattering of lightning spread from him causing him to redirect it in a split second towards the wall furthest away from lorna and dawn. “i must go,“ he didn’t look to lorna despite knowing she was awake. “or else i’ll be your death too. my father is right, it is me.“

her nightmares had become familiar to her, an unwelcome party to her nightly routine – but persistent nonetheless. occasionally, she’d see glimpses of mental hospitals pushing drugs into her system, experimentations, jail – but she’d always end up in the same place. the massacred land of genosha. tonight felt different though, it felt as real as the day it’d happened but the faces changed, her friends and family, the only people she had left. yet, before she could dwell further into it, her mind pulled back, beginning to stir away from the deep sleep.

on a normal night, thor’s grip around her was one of comfort – maintaining a feeling of warmth and safety when she restlessly awoke from her nightmares. tonight, lorna quickly felt the difference. something was wrong, and the tightening grip began to forced her into a wakefulness before her mind would’ve otherwise allowed. part of her was grateful for it, but primarily her concern quickly shifted.

“thor –” she mumbled against his side, sleep still in her voice. before she could gently warn him of how tight his grip had become, lorna found herself on her back in the makeshift bed as he jolted awake in a flash of lightning, her arm quickly covering her eyes out of reflex. it took her a moment for her brain to catch up, now alarmingly awake, she was able to process his words. “–no.” it wasn’t a question, and her tone didn’t leave much room for debate. she pushed herself up on her arms, gaze flickering to dawn to ensure she’d managed to sleep through it. “your father? thor... whatever it was, it wasn’t real, just stop a minute.”

her hand lingered over his arm a moment, but she feared he’d pull away, reject whatever they’d been building here. instead, lorna slid from the bed, bare feet hitting the cool ground below as she stood, offering her hand out to him. “can we go for a walk, first? tell me about it.”

being connected to and aware of other realities could be a good thing at times, but one reality in particular had always given her fear. this version of herself had uttered a mere three words and taken powers from an entire population of people. and she’d had a nightmare of just that – no more mutants. those words escaped her lips. a surge of power erupts aroudn her and she wakes, not realizing at first it was a nightmare. and the fact that she was donning the same dress from the nightmare – a long scarlet dress with a gold trim along the top and then running down the center of the dress – only confused her more, and made her believe that she had actually done it. panicking, she hurried out of her room and downstairs, where she finds another person. “do you – do you have powers?” she asks them. it’s out of the blue, and the panic is clear on her face. “do you still have them? please tell me you–,” she stops abruptly, her voice shaking with fear that she’d done something horrible.

lorna’s nightmares never changed, not really. she always saw death. the sentinels would come and she would fail to stop them – she’d see families die, people that looked to her. she would always see it because it’d happened, and that was something she couldn’t escape, only live with the best she could. something was different this time though, and her dream contorted to one where those she still had left, her family and friends that she cared about, were lost in the attack. waking up left her with a twist in her gut, nearly leaving her physically ill. only when she saw wanda rush towards her did she feel a tinge of relief – at least she was alive. momentarily confused by the question, she placed a hand on her arm in effort to calm her. “wanda, are you okay?” she asked before raising her opposite hand in response, magnetic green energy laced around her fingers. “i still have them. whats going on? did something happen to your powers?”

bougainvillaea: would your muse consider themselves as blunt, or do they beat around the bush instead?

lorna has a tendency to view the world with a blunt realism. she knows it’s imperfect and unfair, she’s witnessed it and been subjected to it, and expresses that bluntness in return. to sugarcoat the truth or beat around the bush, she feels, is more cruel than speaking the truth, regardless of if it hurts at first.

frost blue: does your muse enjoy the snow and cold? or are they the type to enjoy summer more?

she’ll enjoy either weather for about a week before growing tired of it. lorna most prefers the in between weather, the spring when everything feels fresh and clean, the smell of earth after the rain. fall when there’s just enough chill in the air and leaves begin to change color. those are the times she most prefers.

mallow: what sorts of things might remind your muse of those close to them? any scents, objects, sounds?

malachite: has your muse ever done anything that they winded up feeling incredibly guilty for in the end?

yes. lorna spent most of her youth – right to her mid twenties – being led and heavily influenced by her anger, rage driven at the world for treating her differently and being unsafe for her kind. her aggression led her to making many decisions she now regrets, including casualties that were caught in the crossfire when she tried to take out those guilty of terrible things. she deeply feared the world that she was bringing her daughter into and acted out, though all she ever wanted was a safe place for them to live. realizing that there was a line she didn’t want to cross, lorna tries every day to control her anger and consider the consequences before acting and set a better influence for dawn. admittedly, she still isn’t perfect and with the right provocation, is still prone to acts of violence.

honey: when your muse loves someone (whether it be romantic, platonic, or familial love), how do they show it?

actions speak louder than words, as far as lorna is concerned. she’s never been the best at articulating exactly how she feels – though she tries the best she can for those she cares about, but the extent of her caring can be seen in how she acts. she’s quick to defend and fight for people, but just as quick to subside her temperamental demeanor to be softer with someone she loves – particularly with her family and romantic relationships. she wants to take care of them, however is needed.

olive: is your muse prone to feeling envious of others? if yes, what is it that they typically feel envious over?