First Visit

[Odin]

::Every visit to the Hellfire Club was a reminder to Odin that yes, he did need to seek a professional for this. It had been eighteen months; he could do nothing on his own. Resigning himself to the moment, he replied,:: "I sense mutant genes, and I know the difference between a carrier and a dormant gene. Yours is dormant."

[Polaris]

"Oh." Lorna nodded at the bartender as he served her the drink she'd ordered. "I thought it might be something like that," she said, being honest.

[Odin]

::Odin admired observation skills, particularly in the younger set. That she suspected was encouraging.:: "I doubt you'd want advice from someone eight to ten years your senior, but it gets easier."

[Polaris]

Her brow furrowed. "Not having powers, or not fitting in?"

[Odin]

"Not fitting in," ::Odin clarified. One had to cope with what one had, or didn't have. As much as he might assume for effect, he would never be a telepath; he only had his observation skills. He would never be able to fly, and he would never be physically fit. That was part of life. Being excluded, that was more difficult, but it too could be coped with.:: "We make our own social circles, and you're as much a mutant as I am. Regardless of what you can do. Your friend there doesn't care what your powers are, or are not."

[Polaris]

"I guess she doesn't," Lorna said, a little encouraged. "But that's not the point of it."

[Odin]

"No, the point of it is that nobody has ever enjoyed being trapped between worlds, and nobody has ever enjoyed being a teenager, and so the combination of the two is enough to make you pull your hair out. Am I somewhere in the right range?" ::Odin was careful with his tone, made certain that it would not come across as sarcasm, as it was not intended as such. He could relate to this, although that felt as though it had been ages ago.::

[Polaris]

She shook her head. "No, the point is that most of the people around me have powers that I can't defend myself from."

[Odin]

::Odin reached for his rum and coke, took a sip before continuing.:: "You make the mistake of confusing 'powers' with 'awesome powers.'"

[Polaris]

Lorna laughed a little. "What about them is not awesome?"

[Odin]

::A smirk touched Odin's lips at the question.:: "One of the first mutants I met glowed. That was her power: an indigo aura that did nothing but attract attention. She was no more able to protect herself from other mutant powers than you are right now."

[Polaris]

"I didn't say everyone, I said most," Lorna pointed out.

[Odin]

::Odin's story had been intended to reinforce a different message. One involving her own abilities and not those of the people who surrounded her.:: "I realize what everyone around you might have. My point is that you can't be sure that your powers would protect you. You could be the Hydra, poisonous and nearly invincible. Or you could be the butterfly, elegant, beautiful, and gentle as the west wind."

[Polaris]

She looked at him sidelong. "Didn't know it was all that poetic to be a mutant."

[Odin]

::Enough stress and alcohol and Odin could become quite lyrical. Now was not one of those times, rather it was cryptic analogies which were his realm.:: "Comparative observations."