xp_logs | Sunday dinner, Lorna and Jennie

x-polarisstar.livejournal.com posting in

Jennie's still on a strict diet which means personal attention from the resident chef. Jennie's weight isn't the only one discussed and Lorna takes hypocrisy to stunning new levels.

"This sucks," Jennie sighed, pulled herself up to perch on the countertop. "It's been what? Over a month and all I've managed to gain back is a whopping 15 pounds," she eyed the green-haired woman standing across from her. "Are you sure there isn't a way to expedite this? Like I can't eat a stick of butter or something?"

"It's not good for your heart. That's one of the things you're going to need to be careful of. Your heart isn't going to be as strong from now on." Lorna frowned slightly as she measured out ingredients and consulted the nutrition plan next to her. "Besides, 15 pounds in a month is a very respectable weight gain. You're looking much better than you did."

Jennie bit her lip and put her hand over her heart. The doctors had gone over in great detail what she could expect from now on, but she was usually able to put it out of her mind. She kicked her legs against the cabinets. "Well, I guess. It's just so freaking hard to put on weight. I put on three pounds last week, but I've lost two." The girl craned her neck to see what Lorna was preparing. "What is it that you're making anyway?"

"Stress can do that. It burns a ton of calories. That's why so many people snack on unhealthy stuff when they're stressed, their body is telling them that they need calories and so they grab the nearest stuff. When you're on a diet like yours where everything is regulated, stress will throw that off." It was a fairly loose explanation but it would suffice. "Steak, mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables and garlic bread. I was feeling very American."

"How much longer am I on this diet?" Jennie grumped. "I'm trying to stop counting things, and calories was something I'd never thought I'd have to worry about."

"Just until we get you back to a decent weight then you'll drop back to a regular diet. You'll stop feeling like you've been stuffed to the gills all the time too. 3500 calories a day is rough. We'll probably keep you a little high from then on but nothing insane like this." Lorna shrugged, "Could be worse, you could have a standing appointment with a dietician instead of just Amelia and I badgering you."

While Jennie usually maintained an air of aloofness about other people's well-being, she was actually quite observant. The younger girl cocked her head at Lorna, and took in the woman's unusually sharp features and baggy clothes. "You doin' okay yourself?" Jennie asked. "You're looking well, like me. Does your power work the same way as mine?"

The chef stiffened, just for a second then forced a smile, "Sort of. I'm an energy mutant like you are but I'm not often producing the energy that I'm manipulating. I can but most of the time it isn't necessary. I don't require the extra calories the way that you or Shiro would since I'm not creating EM fields. They're ambient."

Which didn't actually answer Jennie's question. Lorna didn't think that explaining to the girl about her anorexia was the right thing to do. Not when Jennie was having to struggle with her own weight.

Jennie was aware of two options. To either a) let it pass, or b) press her for more. Letting it pass, when the other woman was looking so unhealthy might not be the best thing, but she was also aware that option b was how a lot of fights started. Jennie decided for a little of both. "Yeah, it's just, you're looking a little skinny," Jennie shrugged. "You sure you're okay?"

"Hey, who's the professionally trained gourmet with crazy amounts of training here, me or you?" Keep it light, keep it easy. There was just a hint of smug there though. Jennie noticed that she was thin. Just a few more pounds then she'd stop.

"All right, all right." Jennie held up her hands. "I was just checking, when somebody starts to do an uncanny skeletor impersonation, you get worried." Jennie still felt gross when she looked at herself in the mirror, but at least she was no longer fuzzy. She rubbed the scar on her neck absently and sighed. "I should tell all my teachers to quit giving me tests, so I can gain weight. 'I'm sorry Mr. Thomas, I can't do my History essay, I really need these two extra pounds...'"

Lorna forced a laugh, "I'm not that thin, Jennie." It wasn't actually that hard to fake amusement. Jennie's concern made her a little giddy. "If the test thing works, let me know. I've got a midterm or seven coming up myself and college professors have hearts made of stone. Plus telling them you didn't finish your essay because you had to fly to Africa to avert a war? Totally not a good excuse in their books."

"Uh-huh. Don't come crying to me when you start getting fuzzy." Jennie wanted to roll her eyes at Lorna's obvious denial, but after living with Crystal, Jennie knew enough to let a subject drop. "How do you do that, anyway? The X-Men thing? Doesn't it, like, eat or your life or something?"

"It can if you let it," Lorna let the fuzzy comment pass. Fuzz was why waxing was a beautiful thing. "But it doesn't have to. It takes a bit to find your balance, figure out how much of your life you can put into it and how much the people in your life will put up with you devoting to it. It's possible to make it...not your whole world. I've got classes to teach and school to go to. Granted, it means that my social life is the next thing to dead. It's on life support and I'm seriously considering just admitting defeat and pulling the plug. But you know, so long as you're not enamoured of sleep or free time, you can make it work."

Smiling, Jennie shook her head. "I don't understand why any of you do it at all, really. But I'm glad that you do." The girl studied her socked feet. It was still hard to look Ms. Munroe in the eye some days; the burning sense of shame about that night in Monte Carlo wasn't something that was going to disappear overnight.

Lorna slid a plate in front of Jennie, "For me...I really didn't want to do it. Not that they ever asked me to or anything but all I ever really wanted out of my life was a nice house with a white picket fence. Two point five kids and all that. But...it didn't seem like I could get that in this world, not without hiding what I am from everyone for the rest of my life. And while I can dye my hair every day from now until the end of time, that's not necessarily going to be the case for my kids." She shrugged, "So I put on the uniform. And hope that I can make a difference before the job kills me."

"Do you think it will?" Jennie asked, dutifully picking up a fork and spearing a bit of broccoli. "I mean, the difference, not the dying part." She didn't want to add that Dr. Grey hadn't technically died, but that was probably still a sore point for a lot of people.

"I don't know," Lorna admitted as she got herself a bowl of spinach, tossed with just a bit of oil and vinegar. "Maybe. I know that doing it where people can see us working for good is the only way that it will work. I think Red X is probably going to do more for mutants image-wise. But I like to think that we change minds, just a little. And that we make things better. Just a little."

"It's the leather suits," Jennie said solemnly, taking a bite of her mashed potatoes. "It gives people pause. People probably think you're some sort of weird mutant biker gang. Kicking ass in the name of good and all that."

"Yeah, it's better than yellow spandex though. Then they'd think we were a roving pack of gymnasts." Lorna stabbed her spinach idly but didn't eat it. "Though to tell you the truth, I hate the damn things. I swear there's not a single person in the world who doesn't look fat in all that leather never mind that my uniform has the metal too."

Jennie snorted. "Don't start with the 'I'm fat' schtick. Julia used to do that all the freaking time. I almost beat her with a spatula one night. Don't make me bust out the spatula," she ate another bite. "Also? Please tell me you're eating more than spinach. Gag."

"Hey, you try wearing the equivalent of a full suit of armor and see how svelte you look. And there's nothing gross about spinach. Popeye grew up big and strong by eating his spinach." She wagged her fork at Jennie, "And don't be threatening me in my own kitchen. It likes me better."

"I wouldn't care how big my butt looked," Jennie insisted, "if I'm protected I'd be as happy as a clam. And I can't eat spinach, it makes me gag. Even if it's on pizza." She turned and tucked one leg underneath her so she could have better access to her plate. "And you never know, I could get lucky and have your kitchen like me better," she said impishly.

"Yeah, huh. And then you'll sleep with one eye open so that it doesn't take revenge on you later. Mock not the magnekinetic." Lorna toyed with her spinach some more. "I'm going to find a way to get you to eat spinach. I consider it a point of honor now."

"You obviously just want to see me throw up, don't you? Because I will. There's two things in this world guaranteed to make me vomit, one is the smell of blood, and the other is eating spinach. Don't ask me why." Jennie wished that Lorna would take a bite already, she felt weird eating when someone else wasn't. Especially when she was nearly finished.

Lorna tossed her hair, ruthlessly braided back from her face as it always was when she cooked for someone else. "I, my dear, am a licensed chef with the highest honors from every certification board I've come up against. I was taught by a man widely considered an artist in his field and genius unmatched. So long as you're not actually allergic to it, I can make anything palatable." She took a bite of her salad--though the term was over generous for simple greens--and raised an eyebrow.

"You're on. Just don't take offense if I do gag. It might be a natural reaction. Or a strange variation on my power. My secondary mutation is that I can't eat spinach." Jennie finished up the last of her dinner. The food was so heavy, that Jennie always felt uncomfortably full afterwards. Still, she always pressed her luck. "I'm done, can I have a cookie now?" she whined playfully.

"A spinach cookie?" Lorna replied in the same tone even as she yanked the nutrition plan over to her. "Sure, there's oatmeal cookies in the jar."

Jennie made a face and reached for the cookie jar. "One day, I shall be able to eat with abandon. Oh how I long for it. I swear I will eat my own weight in skittles when I get the chance." Jennie saw the Look on Lorna's face. 'Kidding! Kidding! I am a healthy Jennie now."

Lorna shook her head. "And you say that spinach makes you sick, good God."

"I don't feel the need to explain my metabolism to you," Jennie said primly, with a mouthful of cookie. "I am special."

"Yes, you're a unique and beautiful snowflake. Just like everyone else and heavy emphasis on the flake." Deserts were less dry than Lorna's tone, "Go away and play. Harass Marius or something."

Jennie jumped off the counter and stretched. "I don't harass Marius on Sundays. It's his day off. A marriage is all about compromise, you know." She put the lid on the cookie jar and set it back. Somewhere she knew that Lorna was not okay, but she couldn't do anything about it at the moment. She could only hope that Lorna would sort it out. Eventually.

"Anyways, thanks for dinner. See you tomorrow," and with that, Jennie padded out of the kitchen.