Chapter Text
“What!? Why?”
She really hadn't meant to sound so shrill. She had simply never been particularly good at controlling her emotions and, right now, her primary emotion was annoyance.
Polaris's full lips pursed out as Storm looked down at her. “Don't I have a say in the matter?”
“Of course you do, Lorna. It is a request. Not an order.” Ororo replied smoothly, clarifying. “As I said, I have formally requested you for my team. To be honest, I believed that you may have been growing bored now that you have returned to the Mansion but, if you are content in your days then by all means, decline me and know that I will bear you no ill on the issue.”
This richly worded and entirely accurate explanation gave Polaris a moment of pause. She was growing bored, having been filling up her days with reading and pacing the Mansion and its grounds restlessly. Something that Storm had no doubt noted.
What was bothering Polaris was that Storm's team was full of people whom where very close to one another. Lorna had always felt like an outsider, even in rooms full of people who were supposed to be her family. The idea of joining a roster of best-friends made Lorna's stomach feel like it was made of lead.
She had no words to explain this that didn't, in her opinion, make her sound needy and pathetic, however. So she simply shrugged and looked back to her book.
“I am running out of things to read so, I guess.”
“Wonderful.” Ororo smiled as if Polaris' rapid switch from annoyance to apathy wasn't vaguely insulting.
“Are we doing the matching uniforms thing, or can I just... whatever?”
“Whatever you feel comfortable being seen in.” Storm said, excusing herself to tell the others on the team the good news.
At least, Storm hoped it was good news. Whether Lorna's addition to the Gold team proved a benefit or a detriment possibly remained to be seen.
Nightcrawler, Colossus and Shadowcat certainly considered it a boon when Storm found them in the common room and informed them of the addition.
“Sehr gut . A second power house to aid yourself can only be a strategic advantage.” Kurt observed lightly.
“I don't believe I've ever actually been on a team with Polaris before.” Kitty noted.
“Hmm, I wonder how long I should wait before bringing up the possibility of a reverse fast-ball special” Colossus mused, earning laughter from the others. Storm moved on, although something in the back of her mind kept causing her to replay the conversation as she went in search of Iceman and Cannonball.
Nightcrawler's reply was bothering her but, for the moment, she couldn't quite put her finger on why.
Bobby and Sam were enjoying a friendly game of pool in the downstairs den. They were being cheered on by Roberto Dacosta and Henry McCoy, who were alternating between that and a football game on the television.
Storm hadn't known the Blue team was in residence but greeted her friends easily all the same.
“Good evening Gentleman. And Hank.” Storm teased. She was still playfully bitter that he had managed to snag both Rogue and Psylocke whilst already having recruited Gambit for his team before she had even had the chance to ask.
A mistake she had not repeated with Polaris.
“Nards to you too, my dear.” Beast rumbled, amused.
“Miss Storm.” Sam, unfailingly polite, as always, made sure to acknowledge her greeting before turning back to play a particularly difficult shot that he had been lining up for the better part of 30 minutes. Despite Bobby's inept fumbling with a pool cue doing several things to thwart him.
“I just came to let Bobby and Sam know that Lorna has joined the Gold Team, effective immediately.”
“You mountebank! I wanted her for Blue.”
“What was that delightful phrase you rewarded me with after acquiring Rogue for Blue side, Henry?” Storm asked, one white eyebrow arched imperiously but a smile on her lips.
“Probably you-snooze-you-lose.” Sunspot quipped, shooting a lazy grin at Beast.
“Sounds accurate.” Beast grumbled. He had genuinely thought that Lorna would been an excellent addition to the Blue team, which currently lacked a power house. Psylocke's telekinesis was strong and Gambit's kinetic abilities incredibly useful but Lorna could topple buildings.
It was hard to argue with that kind of firepower. Still, he was nothing if not a gracious loser and wished Storm well as she made her leave of the quartet.
“We should go out for drinks.” Iceman commented with ill-amusement as Sam sank 3 pool balls in rapid succession, including the black, and bringing the game to an end with Bobby's defeat. It was his 3rd in a row and he didn't feel like losing a 4th to the younger mutant.
“Capital idea!” Beast enthused, then caught note of the time. “Let me check my samples and I will rendezvous with you all anon.”
“We won't see him for the rest of the evening.” Iceman observed as the massive blue mutant exited the room.
“I, actually, have a date.” Sunspot bragged, standing with a stretch.
“I hope she has fleas.” Bobby retorted without a lick of malice. He and Sam walked to the main common room where their team-mates had last been seen and found almost a full cadre of their fellows in various degrees of lounging and chatting.
The only absent members of either team were Polaris and Psylocke.
Sam, seeing that politeness would get them nowhere with so many conversations going on at once, cupped his hands around his mouth and announced loudly.
“BEER!!”
“Where?” Rachel asked, looking up from playing cards with Kitty.
“At the pub. We're going to get a couple. Who's in?” Bobby answered.
“Moi!” Jubilee stood up happily and when several disapproving faces turned in her direction the vampire looked mildly offended. “What? You'll need a DD, won't you?”
Those interested quickly separated themselves from those who did not, making the choice of transportation easier to decide upon and it was quickly agreed that Jubilee would drive one of the school Jeeps.
“Did someone invite Polaris?” Nightcrawler asked, glancing around and seeing the familiar green tresses were absent from the room as the others located jackets, shoes and gloves to head out into the cool Fall evening.
“Did she need one?” Iceman snorted. Of all of them he was the only one not pleased to have his ex-girlfriend, who was often known to be censorious of him, on the team.
“You've known her how long, and know her so little?” Kurt scolded, teleporting quickly in a puff of smoke.
Kurt would have considered it rude to leave anyone out of a social gathering but it seemed particularly egregious when the person being left out was known to have bouts of anxiety and insecurity. Nightcrawler could not imagine that Polaris' sometimes unstable emotional health would be benefited by such an obvious slight.
A quick knock on the door yielded Kurt a less than even toned;
“What!”
Leaving Kurt to appreciate Sam's momentary wisdom.
“Beer!” the blue, furred mutant replied and was rewarded when the sound of hurried footsteps sounded behind the door which was rapidly thrown open.
“Where?”
“At the pub. A bunch of us are going, would you care to join us?”
“Uh... who is us?” Polaris asked skeptically.
When Nightcrawler named almost the entirety of the Gold team, minus Storm who simply did not enjoy crowded, smoky, loud environments, Lorna thought it would be rather poor form of her to beg off.
Although she counted all of the members on the team as friends, if Lorna was honest, she was closer to friendly acquaintances with them. Most of whom, she had never been on a team with for any length of time. Perhaps a mission here, or there, when it was a world ending kind of emergency.
“Why not?” Polaris gave a falsely confident smile, grabbing for the hoodie on the back of her computer chair clumsily.