Archersitting [Lorna]

"Daddy, I'm fine!" Kate shot back, frustrated. She was trying to keep her temper in check but she knew that her voice was louder than it needed to be. Her father was completely overreacting to her kidnapping. She was home safe and sound! It was over!

Having 'allowed' herself to be kidnapped by those second rate thugs had been embarrassing and a blow to her ego but that was the worst of it. She hadn't been injured and came out of it completely unscathed thanks to a supposedly dead former Captain America. Though if it meant she would get to see Bucky more often, Kate had no problems getting herself caught again oh, once a week. Maybe twice.

"This time!" Her father, Derek Bishop, responded forcefully, "I should have hired someone to watch out for you and your sister long ago. Especially after..." Her father trailed off and he didn't seem to know how to finish the sentence. They didn't talk about when she was assaulted in the park and Kate had always been fine with it though he had no idea the lengths she had gone through to keep herself safe after that. "You need to be protected. Someone came after you trying to get to me. I should have realized that was a possibility."

"This is ridiculous! I don't need to be watched!" Kate shot back again, throwing her hands up, "I don't want someone in my business all the time!"

Her father's voice became quiet when he spoke again. He shook his head, "It doesn't matter Katie. It's done. You're going to have someone on you at all times now."

"But-"

"Or at least until we can figure out who was behind your kidnapping this time. Either way I'll feel better knowing you are protected." Oh sure. Now he suddenly decided to care and take an interest in something that wasn't his bank account.

The doorbell rang cutting off any other protests Kate might have made and she turned to storm out of the room.

"Kate where are you going?" Her father demanded.

"To answer the door!" She called back just needing an excuse to get a way from him so she didn't do something violent or say something she might regret.

"We have people for that."

Kate spun around before she left the living room, "Maybe you don't know how to open a door without help, but I do." Servants were yet another pointless expense that Kate would never understand. If your house was so big you didn't have time to maintain it on your own than it was too big.

Arriving at the front door still furious with her father, Kate yanked the door open, "What?"

Lorna had actually volunteered for babysitting duty, if you can imagine. Honestly, she'd done it for selfish reasons at the heart. Two minutes after Jamie and Alex announced that someone was needed for the job, Monet and Theresa were ready to spill blood. Once the two stopped bouncing the job between one another with escalating sarcastic remarks and agreed that Rahne was the right one to watch the Derek Bishop's daughter, she had brought up the issue of "Why does it have to be a woman? Why don't one of the boys bite the bullet?"

As far as Polaris was concerned, hanging out with a rich teenage girl, even if she was the epitome of snotty heiress, was a merciful trade for having to stay around the rest of X-Factor's team. Alex had tried to get her out of it after she volunteered - though, Lorna thought that he was likely being kind for just as selfish a reason as she had offered herself up - with the excuse that she was one of their heaviest hitters. Polaris countered that there really was no one better to pull guard duty than the member of the team who could erect field of magnetic force.

That's what brought Lorna to the Bishop's door. She wore her latest fashion statement, a violet trench-coat-inspired outfit, hair bound in a ponytail at the back of her scalp. She had a bag over her elbow, and took a moment to fit a pleasant look on her face before she rang. Polaris didn't want to think of herself as a stereotypical thinker, but she was a little surprised that a butler or maid didn't answer the door to the Bishop's residence. Rather, a young woman a foot or so shorter than Lorna answered, glaring venomously up at her.

"You're Kate, I take it?" she asked after the sharp excuse for a 'hello'. Lorna quirked a brow, then smiled grimly. "Well, this is just going to be a blast, isn't it?" Polaris teetered inwardly for a moment. Maybe she should have stuck it out in Monet's presence after all. Hurry up and find the creep, Alex, Lorna thought.

Kate stared blankly at the woman outside the door for a few beats too long, her brain unable to process anything but her irritation with her father and at the situation she found herself in. When she finally was able to blink herself back into the moment she relaxed her tense stance and loosened her death grip on the door. “I, yes- sorry.” She stammered out.

Now that she thought on it, she’d expected to find one of her father’s associates or maybe a rogue sales person that had jumped the gate. Really she had expected any number of people to be on the other side of the door. What she had not expected was the green-haired mutant. “You’re… Polaris.” Kate commented uncertainly after a moment.

That was the only green-haired person she could think of off the top of her head. Well… there was that Madame Hydra but she really hoped that wasn’t who this was. She also doubted she would be ringing the doorbell.

“Wait.” Kate held up a hand as her words clicked, “What do you mean? What’s going to be a blast? Why are you here?” A little voice in the back of her mind pointed out that she was being a tad rude but Polaris was one of Magneto’s daughters. …subsequently making her Billy’s aunt? Sort of? Regardless it put her on the defensive. What in the world would she be doing here on her doorstep?

To be quite honest, Lorna did not consider herself a detective. Not in the same league as she placed Jamie, or some of her teammates, at the very least. However, she'd picked up a thing or two while acting as a member of X-Force Investigations, and beyond that, Lorna Dane was not lacking in cleverness, experience or observance. The young lady at the door faltered at her guest, and her tone became a little less brazen. Polaris took that to mean that whoever the girl thought was going to be at the door, it wasn't the green-haired mutant.

Kate looked uncertainly for a moment, and then there was the faintest crinkle on her brow that showed she was putting facts together in her head. Lorna blinked when her identity was guessed in one try. The girl was smart, Lorna would give her that. The X-Men had never been as popular as teams like the Fantastic Four or the Avengers, and would never be as public. Beyond that, Polaris had never been a premiere member on them, either. The only venues where Lorna felt she had gained any significant popularity was during her time spent on Genosha, and her recent stint with X-Factor.

"That's me," she said to answer Kate's question. Lorna was expecting to be invited into the Bishop's house about then, but the young lady standing in front of her gave no inclination that she was going to stand down, or step aside. Polaris watched confusion grow with frustration on Kate's face. Comprehension dawned on the mistress of magnetism. Lorna's expression was stuck somewhere between dry sarcasm and regret. "Looks like no one gave you the memo. I'm your babysitter for the day."

Polaris gave a convincing smile and held up the bag hanging from her elbow, "Danish?" She knew bringing a bartering tool would be helpful. Not even in the house yet, and you're having to play your trump card, Lorna thought with an inward sigh.

Well this was certainly not what Kate had expected. Not that she'd had much time to expect anything since her father had only dumped this on her this morning. If she'd had more time maybe she could have gone and locked herself in her room and then snuck out the window like normal teenagers did.

Of course now she was presented with an opportunity to put all this nonsense to rest. "Listen... I'm really sorry but there's been a huge misunderstanding." Kate said trying to improvise, "My father is completely overreacting and there's really no need for you to sit with me all day. I'm really fine so you don't have to stay."

"Katie?"

Damn.

"Katie who was at the-"

Her father rounded the corner and took in Kate’s lovely, if unnecessary, armed protection with an unreadable expression. Come on dad, Kate thought, don't be one of those 'humans' that freaks out over mutants. Before he could say anything Kate interjected, "Dad, this is Polaris. The one you hired to watch me? I was just explaining to her that her services aren't required after all like we just discussed."

Somewhere deep inside she was hoping her father did have a problem with mutants and would send her away. Unfortunately if her father DID have a problem with mutants, her instinct to protect her was apparently a lot greater. Super.

"Don't be ridiculous, Katherine." Ugh he was using her whole name. "Of course her services are necessary. Please Ms. uh, Polaris, come inside. Katie will show you around." Derek gestured for the woman to enter, pulling the partially open door away from Kate and opening it further.

So much for escaping the inevitable. “But Dad-”

“Stop. This discussion is over. I have some work to get done. I trust you will take good care of our guest?”

“Yes dad.” Kate responded defeatedly.

“And I trust you will take good care of my daughter.” It wasn’t a question to the emerald-haired woman, but a statement of fact.

Kate let out a sigh resigned to her fate then closed the door behind Polaris as her father retreated to his office. “I guess I’ll take that danish now.” Kate said half-heartedly.

After Polaris did the kindly thing of offering Kate a danish, things moved at a very rapid pace for the following several minutes. Lorna thought that she could see the young brunette putting all of the pieces together, and whatever conclusion she was coming up with, the girl didn't like. Polaris watched with well-concealed amusement as Kate began explaining how her need for someone to watch over her no longer stood. Lorna was actually impressed - not buying a word of it, of course, but the girl had a flare for sounding official, and lying well. I'll have to remember that.

Before the heiress could conclude her point, there was another man that Lorna could glimpse through the slim opening of the door. He was Derek Bishop, she knew very well. The multi-billionaire was much easier to recognize than his daughter to the lay person. There was a moment when Derek turned the corner where there was the briefest hesitation. A glitch in his perfect posture, a flicker in his composed, matter-of-fact glance. Mr Bishop recovered nearly as well as his daughter, but Polaris still understood. He wasn't entirely used to interacting with mutants.

Wonder what he'd think if he knew that I was Magneto's daughter? Lorna didn't derive as much amusement from her little joke as she would have liked. She watched the feud between father and daughter commence, and was then allowed into the home none-too-graciously by Derek himself. There were several times when Polaris opened her mouth to say something: give her introductions, answer a question that might not have been entirely directed at her, but she didn't care. However, by the time that Mr Bishop took his snooty leave, Lorna stood slightly inside the door, still holding her bag, lips pursed in slightly perplexed thought.

Kate and Lorna both stood side by side, staring at the particular corridor that Derek had disappeared down in their spacious entry hall. Polaris reached out and handed Kate a danish without either of them looking away. Lorna lifted her own treat to her lips, and plucked a small piece off with her teeth.

Kate quirked a half-hearted smile at Polaris as the older woman took a bite of her danish, while Kate just held hers for a moment. “Come on,” She said, “Let’s go sit down.” Kate thrust her head in the direction of one of the many rooms they had for entertaining guests and took Polaris into the drawing room just down the hall.

Thick curtains hung down along the sides of the floor to ceiling windows on the far wall and were tied off to the side allowing the bright afternoon sunlight to stream through. Expensive antique couches, chairs, and other various lounging furnishings were strategically placed about the room, most likely by some overpriced interior decorator. A currently unnecessary fireplace sat silently in another wall. Various candlesticks, vases, artwork, and other delicate and tasteful décor peppered the walls, end tables, and fireplace mantle. The whole scene always reminded Kate of something out of Titanic and ironically felt much too cheery for Kate’s current mood.

“Have a seat,” Kate gestured towards the various cushioned pieces of furniture before flopping rather unceremoniously onto one of the couches half hoping it would swallow her. Kate let out a small sigh and stared at the still untouched pastry in her hand and let out an small inaudible sigh. The last thing she needed, vigilante activities or not, was a babysitter.

Shifting so she was sitting up Kate looked at Polaris, “Look I’m sorry about all this. I really meant it that I don’t need someone looking out for me. I’m really quite capable of handling myself.” She had the decency to look a little sheepish, “You got here right after my father and I were fighting about it. I’m afraid I was a little rude and I’m sorry. Since it appears we’re stuck with each other for a bit, maybe we could start over? I’m Kate.” She spoke name as more as a question than a statement since she wasn't sure exactly how much damage she'd already done.


(OOC: I had tried to write Kate’s father a little flustered because he’s so irritated with his daughter and not as rude to Lorna so if I failed in that I apologize. Also, if you ever want to interject something into something that I’ve already done just yell at me and I can go back and crop or alter my post for you. Just an FYI :) )