Cue the Fireworks (Angel, Polaris)

[lorna]

Hmm, she was almost disappointed when the staff collapsed upon itself and disappeared. Not that she couldn't sense it, she could feel the metal in his pocket and pieces of it elsewhere on his body. While things didn't just magnetically attach themselves to her any longer, she'd gained a bit more control then that over the last half dozen years or so, she still could sense the metal in things and could actually see the magnetic waves in everything around them. It just added a new sense of identity to things, and people as well, sometimes.

However, at the moment, she found herself lying a bit awkwardly in Gambit's arms. Although the position itself wasn't uncomfortable, the situation was. If this had been any other time in her life, she would have relished this moment, and have taken it as far as they were willing to go. In a way, a part of her wanted to give in to his charms and manners. However, the mission was important and she couldn't be losing her head now when there were important matters to attend to.

Like finding Professor Xavier and getting the hell off this rock.

That he was attempting to seduce her, in a way, wasn't lost on Lorna. While it hadn't happened all that often in her life, it had happened a time or two. Especially when she was still a rather young and wide eyed girl just beginning college and the boys had taken an interest. Still, to say she was unaffected by the hand that was caressing her hair or the side of her face would have been a bald faced lie. And Lorna sucked at lying.

“You are the devil, you know that?” she asked him, having an idea that he already knew that very much so and likely enjoyed it. Did she really believe in devils and such? Not in the traditional way. However, she was teammates with both a blue furred demon who very much resembled a devil as well as an angel who was as charming and gracious as the angels of lore.

She considered playing his game for about two seconds. Sure, she might make him lose his concentration but she had a feeling she'd only be digging her own grave where this one was concerned. No matter how much experience she had in “playing” with the opposite sex, he exuded sex appeal and that meant he was so very much out of her league. If anything, he'd probably get a good laugh. No, that strategy wasn't going to help matters any.

Green eyes tried to look away from him but she was caught, like a butterfly in his web and she could do nothing but admire just how beautiful he was. He was completely exploiting her major weakness, the one that had caused Magneto to craft his ever present helmet and she didn't even notice his fingers moving to remove the comm-link. Not that it wasn't really functioning properly anyway and all she'd been able to get out of it was static.

Jean had left her, the base was wired so that she couldn't get any messages in or out, had no idea what was going on outside and didn't even know if Warren had been hurt or not. And oddly, she couldn't really find it in her to care all that much at that moment. All that mattered was the man whose arms she was in.

[wildcard]

"You are the devil"

The words echoed through his head on a cascade of memories. It was a title he had long since held, though not usually spoken in English. Le Diable Blanc; the white devil. The words brought to mind an entire history, a life story of the man who held his prey in a gentle embrace. From the orphaned child to the favored son of Jean-Luc LeBeau; people had referred to him as a devil since birth and it became a point a pride to upkeep the reputation.

That roguish smile grew bigger from her comment turning his cheeks upwards as the corners of his lips rose. "And you, cher, are like an angel of divine beauty." As he spoke his hand removed the comm-link from her ear, allowing it to disappear from sight by sliding down his sleeve. It was the only object he could spot that might be of some value to the woman at the moment. Perhaps she valued it enough to attempt to retrieve it should she try to escape and realize it was missing. People tended not to like being isolated, Remy though, always found that when he worked alone was when he was most effective.

Removing that comm-link, breaking her communications with the others, brought a certain satisfaction to the thief. From when he had first spotted her use of the device he had wanted it for his own. Not that it was particularly valuable, but simply because of how it may impact the woman he held. It was one less way for their encounter to be interrupted and proved his mastery of the subtle arts. To remove something from a person's ear without their notice was a feat few could mimic proving his superiority in stealing.

Everything was back under control, back where he wanted it to be. There should be no further outside interference and little reason for the woman to attempt to wiggle away. Everything was falling into place and all he had to do was continue to distract the woman. To keep her curiosity from blooming into a desire to leave the small room they still inhabited in favor of venturing deeper. Remy was looking down at the woman in his arms, the lambent light from the open door graced her face and got caught in her emerald eyes causing a feint sparkle. His face was so close to hers that when she spoke, he could feel the warm breaths wash across him and almost taste her lips.

Gambit started to lower his head slowly towards hers. What harm could a small kiss cause? It appeared that he was in total control and a kiss couldn't hurt... could it? The truth was it had in the past. A simple kiss had determined his fate long ago, leading to exile from his home town. A kiss could be more troublesome than expected, but the Cajun found something he desired and, as was the way of the thief, he was ready to take it.

[lorna]

She kept getting this weird sensation that something wasn't quite right but Lorna was finding it really hard to figure out what at that moment. She felt like she was in a daze and that everything around her had completely ceased to exist or had just faded away. All that mattered was the red eyed man who was still holding her in a rather odd dancer's position.

She smiled when he called her an angel of divine beauty. At any other time in her life, she would argue with him. Lorna truly found it rather difficult to accept that her oddly colored hair did little more then detract from any beauty she might have as she'd always found it to be a nuisance. For a girl who'd had very little self esteem growing up, the easter egg hair had always hit her pretty hard, especially once her powers manifested she wasn't able to dye it and have the dye stick.

Right about now, though, he could tell her that Elvis was God and she'd likely believe him. The ironic part of it all was that realistically, she was one of the most powerful people within the actual X-Men group. She had the potential to be nearly as powerful as Magneto should she have chosen to train her powers religiously and her raw power alone was incredibly destructive. But she'd been afraid of it for so long that she'd always shied away from training and then she'd been compared to Magneto and that hadn't helped her one little bit.

Right now, though, she was putty in this man's hands.

She always had enjoyed beautiful men and he certainly fit the bill. Not to mention his accent. God, that was incredibly sexy and whether it was intentional or not, she really didn't care. The comm-link went missing without her batting one dark eyelash. Instead, she was completely fixated on his eyes, their almost hypnotic gaze burning into her own. She wanted to look away, afraid that he'd be able to see deep into her soul like a telepath could but she couldn't. Hell, she couldn't even blink.

His face inched closer to her own and her heart rate sped up. He was so close now, all she could sense around her, all she could smell, was him and it was intoxicating to say the least. The usual scent of ozone that filled the air when she used her powers was gone, completely dissipated as she'd laid them dormant for several moments now. As it was, she highly doubted she could control them very well at the moment anyhow. She was much too distracted by the pretty face above her own.

One hand reached up stroked his cheek, almost begging him to finish closing the distance, the fingertips tracing the outline of his face and hair. Then it happened. Her eyes fluttered closed as his lips touched her own and any number of people could have come crashing through the open doorway or the wall and she wouldn't have paid them a single bit of attention.

[wildcard]

Remy slowly raised the woman up from the dipped position, returning her to her feet. His gaze was filled with nothing but satisfaction. He had the winning hand but in cards, it best to try not to reveal that. No, the goal was much different than simply showing you were the best. You had to string the opponent along so that in the end, they realize the hard way that you had the upper hand the entire game. "Beauté angélique, there is only magic here. Nothin' to be 'fraid of. Your professa will be just fine so let us relax and enjoy de moment." He couldn't be sure if mentioning the professor was a bad idea, or if reassuring her not to worry combined with the hypnotic charm would have her play further into his hands. Either way, the woman appeared to be so enthralled that the worries of the task at hand had faded with a simple yet captivating kiss.

Remy began to reclaim the small distance that was made by raising Lorna to her feet after his attempt to keep lulling her into complacency and to continue to ignore the faint echoes of gunshots from outside which were undoubtedly the work of Domino. Remy didn't know much about that woman, but she seemed to be a firecracker who loved her guns and mischief, both similar and so very different from himself. Remy was known to do the unexpected on occasion but preferred the use of wit, charisma, and cards over guns. Lorna had summarized it well when she called him a devil. Remy enjoyed all women but found a particular satisfaction in seducing the demure.

Remy raised a well trained hand, placing it on her waist. The next move was hers, it was odd for the thief to relinquish control but he knew one of the best ways to get a person to commit to something was to make them think it was their idea to begin with. If Lorna tried to continue the tango, Remy could call himself the winner.

[lorna]

The kiss had been quick, fleeting and terribly unfulfilling for the green haired mutant. He'd stirred a longing inside her, a desire that she'd never allowed to surface so early after meeting someone and never, ever on a mission. Especially when it was directed toward the “enemy”. Of course, those thoughts didn't really register in her charmed mind and all she could think of was holding this man closer and making him kiss her for real this time.

As he pulled her back to her feet, she felt herself waver slightly, the weight being put on her legs after so long in the strange position not at all welcoming. When he attempted to create some distance between them, she tried to reach for him to pull him close again. It was such an odd, greedy feeling that she'd never known before but she wanted to gather him up close and keep him there, constantly touching him the whole time.

Remy's hand came to a rest on her waist and she was resting her own against his chest, looking up at him. There was nothing in her eyes that indicated she even remembered, or cared, about why she was there in the first place. All of her thoughts were on him alone and in a bold move that was definitely not exactly normal for her, she coyly said, “I was hoping for something a bit more...explosive, Gambit.”

That was when she felt the presence of another inside her mind but Lorna ignored it, choosing to not care at all what was being said. However, the voice was persistent, annoying and continued to nag at her.

He's playing you again, Lorna, Jean told her, her own amusement at Lorna's latest predicament very obvious.

No, she insisted the way a two year old child might when he wanted something and his mother took it away. He likes me, he called me beautiful. Go away, Jean.

Of course he said that to you. He wants you to forget about the Professor and he's somehow muddling your mind so he can distract you, Jean told her, the amusement ending. She knew exactly how badly Lorna was going to take this and for once, she hoped the girl wouldn't hold back.

Lorna blinked, realization as to what was happening dawning on her rapidly through Jean's words. Of course this wasn't real. Of course he didn't want her. He was just trying to keep her out of the mission. Every insecurity that ever plagued her resurfaced and in that moment, she reacted.

She cried out, “No,” and pushed him away from her at the same time. “Oh my god, what did you do to me?” she added, her voice almost in agony. It was then that the sounds from outside the room came to her There was gunfire. That was bad. So bad. And she was in here with him.

“Did you think this was a joke? That you'd been given the easy assignment of trying to seduce the green haired freak? What were going to do, have us get it on right here, on that desk perhaps? I was wrong. You aren't the devil, you're a lying swamp rat,” she said to him, her anger evident not only in her words but the fact that green electricity now crackled around her.

[wildcard]

Lorna's coy comment gave him the lead he needed. She was very much preoccupied now, exactly as the shark wanted. This woman was dangling in his web, suspended far from the gravity of her mission and responsibilities. Gambit looked to add to his advantage, thickening the illusion she was wrapped in that made up his web of lies. The smooth tones of the Cajun's voice rolled out in response, "Den we make those fireworks." Remy didn't ask, it was a demand. Just as he would step forward to take an object of desire, Remy approached the woman ready to steal from her what he wanted. She was entangled. Helpless.

Gambit took approached closer, demanding what he wanted most at that moment, her intimacy. Their lips were only inches away. Leaning in to greet them once again, Le Diable Blanc was met with Lorna's sweet perfume. With his balance off set, awaiting for the tender touch, the emerald angel gave him a hard shove to the chest sending him falling backwards. In an attempt to retain his balance, Gambit planted a hand before he contacted the ground, mitigating the momentum by smoothly redirecting it. The action caused him to retreat from the woman with a stylish flip but sent his metal bo staff clanging across the floor as it slipped from his inverted pocket. Remy emerged from the stunt, his expression remained unchanged, claiming that action to be part of his plan all along as if the shrewd card player had expected it, had been prepared, and ultimately used it to his advantage; the total culmination of quick thinking and arrogance.

The crackle of electricity contributed to the ambient light which filtered in through the collapsed door from the neighboring room. Lorna's angry words provided thunder to accompany the jade glow of her lightning, finally disrupting the Cajun's stoic complexion. It was an unexpected turn of events that caused a single brow to elevate. Few could break free from his charms once ensnared without outside help. The telepath. Remy had always held contempt for those with power of the mind but his natural resistance to telepathy added just one more chip on his shoulder. Telepathic resistance, though, was something this woman didn't share.

The Cajun was almost in disbelief, surprised at the tidal wave caused by the ripple of her telepathic partner. It was only moments before that Lorna had been so demure yet passionate. Now, she had flipped to an unbridled anger which rivaled that of her father. The foremost preference of the thief was subtlety, relying primarily on charm, stealth and misdirection. Explosions, though, were an excellent 'plan b'.

Remy had already analyzed the situation. Polaris was assisted by a telepath which broke his charms. Twice. His own bo staff lay on the floor between them serving as the most accessible metal for the woman and he was expecting her to manipulate that first. Even as he spoke, attempting to calm the troubled waters and emotional riptides, Gambit was preparing for the worst. With a slide of his hand, three small throwing spikes were wrapped in his fingerless black leather gloves. He hoped that she was so clouded by anger that he could add the metal slivers into the magnetic pull that may surround the staff. Should she draw them closer to her body, those spikes, when charged, would act as three miniature mortars. Throwing spikes were just one facet of his arsenal, an option that ranked far below deceit as it'd be a shame to hurt her.

"C'est vrai? I just do what come natural. Bel ange, no harm in a simple kiss... 'Cept maybe fallin' head over heels." Gambit began a cautious approach to the woman to possibly lure her back into the trance and provide a better angle to execute his scheme, should the need arise. Half of Remy's reply was truth, something he had developed a habit of doing. Honest men always tell the truth, and liars can always be counted on to deceive. Remy LeBeau mixed both so one never could tell if a statement was the truth or a lie which perpetuated the shroud of mystery that consumed him. He was a true deceiver, a poker player of the best kind who knew that the bluff was only one side of the coin. The truth was, Remy had never thought of their interaction as a joke. No, love was not to be joked of; it was a game to be played and he was the King of Hearts. It would be a lie, however, to say that he hadn't considered putting that desk, hidden beneath the naturally dim room, to creative use.

[lorna]

Lorna couldn't figure out if she was more angry or hurt. Ironically enough, she shouldn't have even cared enough for his deception to have hurt her but she'd always been extra sensitive to people who mocked her and that was what she thought Remy was doing. It never crossed her mind that he'd been making things up as they went along. In her mind, Cable had put him up to this because he had some point to prove to her, just like he'd done before at the park. She hated that man so much in that very moment and if she actually did manage to get to him, she was going to do something she knew she'd regret.

She could feel Jean still there but the other woman was quiet for now, just watching. Really, there wasn't much else she could have done with her body still back in New York. But keeping her mind focused was all that Lorna needed from her. Actually, even if the telepath left, it was unlikely he'd be able to do it to her again. At least, that was what she hoped.

Lorna wasn't one to show off her powers. When she used them they generated such an obvious aura that she'd learned to just simply to use them proactively to keep herself hidden amongst the crowd. Her hair had always been like a huge neon sign that drew attention to the girl who'd always just wanted to fit in and not be different. It was the source of her insecurities and while she could deny it and claim it was merely dyed, she knew the truth and hated it.

The energy crackled around her and if he'd told her at that moment that she was like her “father”, he would have been trying to outrun lightning. She still hadn't accepted Magneto's place in her life and as far as she was concerned, only a couple of people even knew it anyway. Gambit, in her mind, shouldn't have been one but he worked for Cable and she wouldn't have put it past that man to inform them of exactly who she was.

She didn't miss the bo staff clattering across the floor. It would have been impossible to and again, she felt herself drawn to the weapon. So easily she could grasp onto the metal that was contained in it and use it against the man who was trying his hardest to prevent her from rescuing the Professor. It was obvious that the others outside had their hands full and at the moment, there was nothing she could do to help them. Yes, she could cause the metal of the building to move and escape that way but it might bring the roof down on the place as the entire thing was not made of metal. There were still people inside and as angry as she was, she wasn't going to potentially kill anyone.

But she still had to get rid of him long enough to leave this room and get further into the small fortress.

Without even looking in the direction of the bo staff, she grasped onto it and hurled it in his direction, holding it up in front of him with her powers as if she might be threatening him with a sharp object. “Where is the Professor?” she demanded.

[wildcard]

His dance partner had taken a different approach than he had hoped. Rather than drawing the metal towards herself, she was much more aggressive than he had anticipated; a strange twist in what he had perceived to be her character. The bo staff instead cut through the air as it was coerced into a missile by Lorna's invisible hand. His own staff plummeting towards him with such speed was to be expected, but the power contained behind it was impressive. The handsome Cajun's face temporarily showed surprise, a rare emotion that appeared to be more akin to amusement. Gambit liked being kept on his toes. It kept things interesting, refreshing.

Gambit's eyed the threatening staff before returning his gaze to the woman who was controlling it, that instigating grin returning. "Hmph. An' here I thought I lost that." Gambit's voice was nonchalant, but he realized that the situation was rapidly degenerating from a flirtatious fanfare into what could potentially turn violent; a situation which would be hard on the both of them. Her repeated mention of this professor showed her focus that may be enough to resist falling back into his smooth charms. Gambit didn't really have an answer to her questions, at least not one that he was willing to share. People hired him because they knew he would get the job done without the burden of questions. Discretion was worth a lot of money in his business. "I know no professors, cher. But if you lookin' for some private lessons... I would love to help."

Gambit started to reach towards his staff, wanting to pluck it from the air with one gloved hand. "Da world ain't black and white, ange. Mostly jus black... But I seen no captives. Maybe dis professor want to be here? Everyone deserve a lil fun and freedom, ange. You stay wit me and deir will be plenty o' both."