(no subject)
Mark sits at the desk, nervously trying to catch a box of paper clips that he had held onto for too long. The silver things are shooting everywhere, finding great fun to see wich one could bounce off Mark's nose the hardest. The young man looks simply frazzled, scrambling to grab each paper clip and shove them right back into the box. Small scratches on his nose start to show and his eyes narrow. "Ack! You little... cheeky things..." He growls, shoving another into the box. "Ouch! Hey!" He cries out as one finds it's way down his shirt. The boy balls up a hand and starts to pound at his chest. "Hah! Eeh! Stop it!" Mark laughs, managing to grab it as it falls to the ground.
Sabella has made a list of things she needs to get done. One of which being to go and visit Mark and inform him that she's all right, and that he has another week paid vacation while she readjusts. The woman is dressed simply, a pair of jeans an a black tank top. She was about to knock when she heard the 'stop it' and instead reaches for the door handle, quick to nudge the door open, ready to deal with whatever Mark is facing. But she wasn't expecting paperclips. Dark brows lift over green eyes as she watches, clearing her throat after a few moments. "Need some help?"
Mark jerks his head to the door as someone enters, a single paper clip dangling from his glasses. The boy scrambles up, letting the paper clips bounce off him a few times unnoticed. Her offer of help is completely forgotten due to his shock. "Madame Bella!" He calls outs, momentarily lapsing into his French for a second. Mark scoots around his desk and eyes her, sucking in a quick breath. "Where have you been? Are you all right? I called a Mr. Erik Lensherr... and he... oh my, you look sick! Do you want some coffee? I can get coffee!" He says all in one breath.
Sabella doesn't correct the boy when he calls her Bella, letting it slide as now it's just one of her many nicknames rather than a personality all it's own. The paperclip is noticed, bringing a half hearted smirk to Sabella's lips as she closes the door behind her. "Some coffee would be great, thank you. Oh, black please." she states and steps into the room. "You were the one to call Erik?" she asks, the surprise obvious. She never did ask how it was Erik came to notice she was gone. "Thank you. That was smart thinking." And she's alive because of it.
Mark welcomes her with a nod and a smile. "Please... please sit. Are you okay? You looks dreadfully pale..." Mark babbles on, grabbing his chair and spinning it around for her. "Yes, Madame. I'll have zat coffee in just a moment." He says and halfway bows, backing up to the coffee maker. Mark pours a few beans in the top and places a hand on the device he had never learned to use. What was the point when you could tell it to do it's own thing. In a few seconds the smell and sound of grinding coffee beans comes into the room. "Well... I... people were worried. /I/ was worried. He was the only person on your contact list to answer... are you ok? Where were you?"
Sabella watches him bustle with excitement and wonders if this was such a good idea. She's not sure she's ready to handle so much bubbly energy right now. But as the chair is turned, she shrugs and moves towards it, sliding into the seat with a soft sigh. "Thank you." Is murmured softly as she watches him start to make the coffee. Her eyes begin to wander, looking over the apartment and the changes. "I like what you've done with the place." Making it more homey. More suitable for him. "I'll be fine. And I was... a little tied up is all. I must say, you must have been very /very/ worried, or just very brave."
Mark winces as a small yap is heard from the bedroom. He tries to ignore it for a moment, but it soon turns to barking. "You're wel- oh, excuse me, wont you?" He says with a slightl frown, heading over and opening to the door. Mark bends down just in time to catch a wiggling puppy. "Shh... Rog..." He scolds, petting the puppy until Roger gives a large, puppy-breath yawn. "Ah, thank you... it's a wonderful apartment... I must thank you again!" he beams proudly, rounding the table and sitting in another chair, Roger still in his lap. The boy nods and keeps stroking Roger. "Oh... well, I am glad to have you back. And brave? Why would I be brave?" He asks, truly surprised.
Sabella jumps, startled at the sudden yap from the dog. With her nerves on end, she's just a little easily frazzled. "O..of course." she states and forces a smile onto her lips as the jump turns into her pretending to soothe the creases in her jeans. "There is no need to thank me. Believe me, that phone call you made was more than enough to pay for this apartment ten times over." If not more. And Sabella will show her appreciation with the raise that he'll be receiving in the coming paycheck. And every check from then on. "You'd have to be brave to call.." she blinks, remember that Mark isn't exactly from around here. "You have no idea who you talked to do you?"
Mark finally sits Roger on the ground, who pads over to take a few sniffs of Sabella's feet. Mark gets right back up and busies himself with the coffee again, this time much more calm. "I was not about to ignore your unexplained absence... I am your secretary, aren't I?" He laughs and carries a fresh cup of black coffee to her. "Call? Mr. Lensherr?" He asks, looking rather confused. "I'm afraid I don't... Erik Lensherr... he seemed very nice. Concerned about you."
Sabella glances down to look at the dog that's sniffling at her feet, brows remaining arched as she studies the puppy. It's very cute, but she's more of a cat person herself. The woman reaches down and pats Roger's head before reaching out to accept the cup. "You are indeed. Perhaps the best secretary I've ever had." she admits and leans back in her chair, finally noticing the wound on his nose and reaching out a hand to gently grip his wrist. "Hold on a moment." she requests and takes a deep breath. All right, here goes nothing. For a moment, her hand warms, strain visible in her eyes as the sting of his wounds slowly begins to fade. The scratches appear on her nose instead, but seem to already be healing. She releases him and falls against the back of her seat. "Damn." she mutters, looking pissed for a split second. "I should have been able to heal that a hell of a lot faster." more a comment to herself than to him. Green darts up. "Nice? Really?"
Mark watches Roger carefully, finally waving a paw at the puppy. Roger scrambles off, laying in his bed. Mark smiles to himself and goes back for a cup himself, settling into the seat again. He adds a bit of cream to his own and sighs out happily. "Thank you, Sabella... but when ze objects can keep zemselves organized... zere is not much for me to do after zat!" He explains with a laugh. "But to get zem to organize zemselves... I suppose my power is useful." The boy shrugs and widens his eyes as she grabs his wrist. Mark blinks and looks at her own nose as if shocked. "Ah... you... woah!" He says simply, gaping at her for a moment. "Zat is some power!" Mark idly rubs a free hand on his nose, feeling not scratch. "Yes, he was very nice... I mean, he sounded busy... but nice. Who is he?"
"I believe that you've done more than you know my dear. And for that, I am thankful. And for the coffee of course." Just what she needs to soothe jittery nerves right? Caffeine. "I'm sorry that it took so long." To heal him she means, one of her own hands reaching to touch the scratch on her nose before it re-seals itself. "Generally it doesn't but I've been having power trouble the past couple of days." Her hand moves back to grip the cup, taking a long sip before eyeing Mark. "Magneto."
Mark blushes slightly and tries to hide it by tipping up his coffee mug. "Please, do not mention it!" He says to brush the subject off. Mark rolls his eyes in, peering at the tip of his nose. "So long? oh! It would have been zere for /days/ without your help! And what would Nevaeh say about such an unsightly zing?" The boy laughs. Of course, the hot coffee in his mouth is almost spit out when she says the name. "Ma-mag... well... zat cant be... my girlfriend was telling me he was all sorts of evil! Zat sounded like a nice old man on ze phone..."
"Well, it was long for me, generally a simple touch could have fixed it, and I would not have taken on the wounds." She sighs, fighting the urge to yet again touch her nose. His reaction is slightly amusing, but not unexpected. "Yes, Magneto. And what some might call evil, others call working for the betterment of mutant kind. It's hardly evil to want to see the human prejudice against mutants wiped away is it?" She asks, the words stated very carefully, but at the same time, it's obvious what she believes the right answer to be.
Mark finally takes a finger off his nose, curling that hand up around his cup. He lets the steam dance up into his nose, trying to hide his surprise. The boy listens carefully, trying to balance out what she's saying. Her word choice has put poor Mark into a sticky situation. "Well... prejudice is bad... yes..." He admits, nodding. "I wish humans didn't hate us so much for no reason... why, my own Nevaeh has very pretty eyes... and she has to hide zem because of it."
Sabella no longer has the empathy to betray Mark's attempt to hide his surprise, so it remains unnoticed as the woman listens, taking another sip of her coffee before answering with another question. "And you care for this girl very much yes? Would go to many lengths to protect her?" She asks, green eyes sparkling for the first time since she's entered the apartment as she waits for his answer. She has a point here somewhere.
Mark lets the coffee cup drop as she lets the question be heard. The actor gulps and raises a finger, tracing the smooth edge of his coffee cup. He sits in silence for a long while, turning the words over in his mind. "Yes of course." Mark finally says, not raising his eyes up to look at her. "I love her... and... well, I just wont /let/ anything happen to her." He says firmly, though his nod is weak.
"Erik, is much like you, only he cannot love a single person, because his love is extended to the whole of mutant kind. He protects them and does what he can to not -let- anything happen to them." Sabella figures that forcing it closer to home would make the explanation a little more relatable. "You aren't with her every moment of every day Mark. She can't hide her gaze forever. And there's going to be a time when someone is going to see her for what she is, and they're going to hate her for it. People like the Friends Of Humanity. Trust me. I've lived through one of their attacks, but only because of my ability to heal. I was left for dead with words of mutant hate carved into my flesh as a message to others. It's that kind of thing that Erik tries to protect us from. Like... a guardian angel."
Mark rubs his fingertips to the cup, looking extremely nervous. The boy closes his eyes, trying not to let her words create mental pictures in his head. It doesn't help... the images of people beating Nevaeh up send shivers down his spine. A flash of anger flies through his eyes. "Zey can't... they wont! She's so sweet and..." He stops himself, turning his head away and gritting his teeth. "Friends of Humanity?" he asks, confused. The boy chances a glance back to her. "No one deserves that, Bella." Mark says with a shudder. "This Erik.... he does not sound to bad."
Sabella can tell that she's hitting all the right nerves, her eyes continuing to glitter darkly for a few moments, until his gaze falls back to her and all he's allowed to see is soft concern, and a touch of pity. "They can." she whispers. "And given the chance, they will. It does not matter to them that she is sweet, all they know is that she is different. And all that's different must be destroyed. Surely you've heard of the KKK?" she asks, flicking one wrist idly. "The Friends of Humanity are like that, only the hatred isn't directed towards blacks, it's directed towards mutants." she explains. "He is.. a wonderful man."
And she's completely right. Mark can feel each chord of his heart getting plucked painfully. The boy hunches over his coffee, staring hard into it. He shivers just slightly, wishing the subject would go away. "She's just like everyone else... why do zey care she can fly or change colors?" He demands in a clipped voice. "I just don't understand... but... but not /all/ humans are like that..." He says uncertainty, turning moist eyes up to Sabella. "I want to protect her... how does zis Magneto do zat?"
"He strikes against those who would strike at us. Why just the other month him and a group of other's like myself stopped a madman from destroying the lot of us." She means mutants in general, the 'madman' being Stryker. "This is the kind of man who'd kidnap a mutant and replace their bones with liquid metal to see how they'd survive." She doesn't mention the militaries involvement in this. Baby steps. "He finds these people, and he stops them." Sabella stands up and glides towards Mark, resting a hand on his shoulder as she looks into his eyes. "All humans are different, perhaps there are a few good ones in the bunch. I have yet to meet one myself so I can't speak from experience. But don't you worry, you have me on your side. I'll help you protect her."
Mark watches the women nervously. The boy's grip on the mug threatens to break it as she explains the plights of mutants. The anger is inside of him... but with much connection to Nev, Mark just feels sort of numbed by it. "Why... why do even other mutants consider him evil, then?" He asks, but doesn't exactly expect an answer. "I really... well... I haven't either..." He admits with a sigh, hanging his head. When her touch is felt, Mark cant help but look up at her. "Thank you, Bella... she means a lot to me."
"Because they do not understand. They think that they can solve their problems by talking. But sometimes you have to fight fire -with- fire. He's not afraid to go all the way to protect those he cares about. And that kind of dedication scares them." She squeezes the shoulders before reaching up to cup his cheek, smiling soothingly. "Of course, my dear." she whispers. "I'm afraid I have to go, I have a few things that still need to get taken care of. But I am only a phone call away should you need me."
Mark sighs sadly, his teeth clicking together as he thinks. "But I don't..." He stops, figuring now isn't the time to question Sabella's method. Instead the boy simply nods and frowns. "He sounds like a powerful friend to have." Mark admits, shrugging slightly. As she cups his cheek, Mark can't help but feel slightly comforted. "Oh... all right. I... I have your number...." He says with a slight smile. "Thank you."
Sabella leans down to kiss the very top of Mark's head before ruffling his hair. "You're a good kid." A habit she'll soon break him of. "He is indeed." she smiles and pulls away from him, offering one last comforting smile. "Call me if you need anything." she whispers, winks and then turns, leaving Mark to his now-tainted thoughts.
Sabella has made a list of things she needs to get done. One of which being to go and visit Mark and inform him that she's all right, and that he has another week paid vacation while she readjusts. The woman is dressed simply, a pair of jeans an a black tank top. She was about to knock when she heard the 'stop it' and instead reaches for the door handle, quick to nudge the door open, ready to deal with whatever Mark is facing. But she wasn't expecting paperclips. Dark brows lift over green eyes as she watches, clearing her throat after a few moments. "Need some help?"
Mark jerks his head to the door as someone enters, a single paper clip dangling from his glasses. The boy scrambles up, letting the paper clips bounce off him a few times unnoticed. Her offer of help is completely forgotten due to his shock. "Madame Bella!" He calls outs, momentarily lapsing into his French for a second. Mark scoots around his desk and eyes her, sucking in a quick breath. "Where have you been? Are you all right? I called a Mr. Erik Lensherr... and he... oh my, you look sick! Do you want some coffee? I can get coffee!" He says all in one breath.
Sabella doesn't correct the boy when he calls her Bella, letting it slide as now it's just one of her many nicknames rather than a personality all it's own. The paperclip is noticed, bringing a half hearted smirk to Sabella's lips as she closes the door behind her. "Some coffee would be great, thank you. Oh, black please." she states and steps into the room. "You were the one to call Erik?" she asks, the surprise obvious. She never did ask how it was Erik came to notice she was gone. "Thank you. That was smart thinking." And she's alive because of it.
Mark welcomes her with a nod and a smile. "Please... please sit. Are you okay? You looks dreadfully pale..." Mark babbles on, grabbing his chair and spinning it around for her. "Yes, Madame. I'll have zat coffee in just a moment." He says and halfway bows, backing up to the coffee maker. Mark pours a few beans in the top and places a hand on the device he had never learned to use. What was the point when you could tell it to do it's own thing. In a few seconds the smell and sound of grinding coffee beans comes into the room. "Well... I... people were worried. /I/ was worried. He was the only person on your contact list to answer... are you ok? Where were you?"
Sabella watches him bustle with excitement and wonders if this was such a good idea. She's not sure she's ready to handle so much bubbly energy right now. But as the chair is turned, she shrugs and moves towards it, sliding into the seat with a soft sigh. "Thank you." Is murmured softly as she watches him start to make the coffee. Her eyes begin to wander, looking over the apartment and the changes. "I like what you've done with the place." Making it more homey. More suitable for him. "I'll be fine. And I was... a little tied up is all. I must say, you must have been very /very/ worried, or just very brave."
Mark winces as a small yap is heard from the bedroom. He tries to ignore it for a moment, but it soon turns to barking. "You're wel- oh, excuse me, wont you?" He says with a slightl frown, heading over and opening to the door. Mark bends down just in time to catch a wiggling puppy. "Shh... Rog..." He scolds, petting the puppy until Roger gives a large, puppy-breath yawn. "Ah, thank you... it's a wonderful apartment... I must thank you again!" he beams proudly, rounding the table and sitting in another chair, Roger still in his lap. The boy nods and keeps stroking Roger. "Oh... well, I am glad to have you back. And brave? Why would I be brave?" He asks, truly surprised.
Sabella jumps, startled at the sudden yap from the dog. With her nerves on end, she's just a little easily frazzled. "O..of course." she states and forces a smile onto her lips as the jump turns into her pretending to soothe the creases in her jeans. "There is no need to thank me. Believe me, that phone call you made was more than enough to pay for this apartment ten times over." If not more. And Sabella will show her appreciation with the raise that he'll be receiving in the coming paycheck. And every check from then on. "You'd have to be brave to call.." she blinks, remember that Mark isn't exactly from around here. "You have no idea who you talked to do you?"
Mark finally sits Roger on the ground, who pads over to take a few sniffs of Sabella's feet. Mark gets right back up and busies himself with the coffee again, this time much more calm. "I was not about to ignore your unexplained absence... I am your secretary, aren't I?" He laughs and carries a fresh cup of black coffee to her. "Call? Mr. Lensherr?" He asks, looking rather confused. "I'm afraid I don't... Erik Lensherr... he seemed very nice. Concerned about you."
Sabella glances down to look at the dog that's sniffling at her feet, brows remaining arched as she studies the puppy. It's very cute, but she's more of a cat person herself. The woman reaches down and pats Roger's head before reaching out to accept the cup. "You are indeed. Perhaps the best secretary I've ever had." she admits and leans back in her chair, finally noticing the wound on his nose and reaching out a hand to gently grip his wrist. "Hold on a moment." she requests and takes a deep breath. All right, here goes nothing. For a moment, her hand warms, strain visible in her eyes as the sting of his wounds slowly begins to fade. The scratches appear on her nose instead, but seem to already be healing. She releases him and falls against the back of her seat. "Damn." she mutters, looking pissed for a split second. "I should have been able to heal that a hell of a lot faster." more a comment to herself than to him. Green darts up. "Nice? Really?"
Mark watches Roger carefully, finally waving a paw at the puppy. Roger scrambles off, laying in his bed. Mark smiles to himself and goes back for a cup himself, settling into the seat again. He adds a bit of cream to his own and sighs out happily. "Thank you, Sabella... but when ze objects can keep zemselves organized... zere is not much for me to do after zat!" He explains with a laugh. "But to get zem to organize zemselves... I suppose my power is useful." The boy shrugs and widens his eyes as she grabs his wrist. Mark blinks and looks at her own nose as if shocked. "Ah... you... woah!" He says simply, gaping at her for a moment. "Zat is some power!" Mark idly rubs a free hand on his nose, feeling not scratch. "Yes, he was very nice... I mean, he sounded busy... but nice. Who is he?"
"I believe that you've done more than you know my dear. And for that, I am thankful. And for the coffee of course." Just what she needs to soothe jittery nerves right? Caffeine. "I'm sorry that it took so long." To heal him she means, one of her own hands reaching to touch the scratch on her nose before it re-seals itself. "Generally it doesn't but I've been having power trouble the past couple of days." Her hand moves back to grip the cup, taking a long sip before eyeing Mark. "Magneto."
Mark blushes slightly and tries to hide it by tipping up his coffee mug. "Please, do not mention it!" He says to brush the subject off. Mark rolls his eyes in, peering at the tip of his nose. "So long? oh! It would have been zere for /days/ without your help! And what would Nevaeh say about such an unsightly zing?" The boy laughs. Of course, the hot coffee in his mouth is almost spit out when she says the name. "Ma-mag... well... zat cant be... my girlfriend was telling me he was all sorts of evil! Zat sounded like a nice old man on ze phone..."
"Well, it was long for me, generally a simple touch could have fixed it, and I would not have taken on the wounds." She sighs, fighting the urge to yet again touch her nose. His reaction is slightly amusing, but not unexpected. "Yes, Magneto. And what some might call evil, others call working for the betterment of mutant kind. It's hardly evil to want to see the human prejudice against mutants wiped away is it?" She asks, the words stated very carefully, but at the same time, it's obvious what she believes the right answer to be.
Mark finally takes a finger off his nose, curling that hand up around his cup. He lets the steam dance up into his nose, trying to hide his surprise. The boy listens carefully, trying to balance out what she's saying. Her word choice has put poor Mark into a sticky situation. "Well... prejudice is bad... yes..." He admits, nodding. "I wish humans didn't hate us so much for no reason... why, my own Nevaeh has very pretty eyes... and she has to hide zem because of it."
Sabella no longer has the empathy to betray Mark's attempt to hide his surprise, so it remains unnoticed as the woman listens, taking another sip of her coffee before answering with another question. "And you care for this girl very much yes? Would go to many lengths to protect her?" She asks, green eyes sparkling for the first time since she's entered the apartment as she waits for his answer. She has a point here somewhere.
Mark lets the coffee cup drop as she lets the question be heard. The actor gulps and raises a finger, tracing the smooth edge of his coffee cup. He sits in silence for a long while, turning the words over in his mind. "Yes of course." Mark finally says, not raising his eyes up to look at her. "I love her... and... well, I just wont /let/ anything happen to her." He says firmly, though his nod is weak.
"Erik, is much like you, only he cannot love a single person, because his love is extended to the whole of mutant kind. He protects them and does what he can to not -let- anything happen to them." Sabella figures that forcing it closer to home would make the explanation a little more relatable. "You aren't with her every moment of every day Mark. She can't hide her gaze forever. And there's going to be a time when someone is going to see her for what she is, and they're going to hate her for it. People like the Friends Of Humanity. Trust me. I've lived through one of their attacks, but only because of my ability to heal. I was left for dead with words of mutant hate carved into my flesh as a message to others. It's that kind of thing that Erik tries to protect us from. Like... a guardian angel."
Mark rubs his fingertips to the cup, looking extremely nervous. The boy closes his eyes, trying not to let her words create mental pictures in his head. It doesn't help... the images of people beating Nevaeh up send shivers down his spine. A flash of anger flies through his eyes. "Zey can't... they wont! She's so sweet and..." He stops himself, turning his head away and gritting his teeth. "Friends of Humanity?" he asks, confused. The boy chances a glance back to her. "No one deserves that, Bella." Mark says with a shudder. "This Erik.... he does not sound to bad."
Sabella can tell that she's hitting all the right nerves, her eyes continuing to glitter darkly for a few moments, until his gaze falls back to her and all he's allowed to see is soft concern, and a touch of pity. "They can." she whispers. "And given the chance, they will. It does not matter to them that she is sweet, all they know is that she is different. And all that's different must be destroyed. Surely you've heard of the KKK?" she asks, flicking one wrist idly. "The Friends of Humanity are like that, only the hatred isn't directed towards blacks, it's directed towards mutants." she explains. "He is.. a wonderful man."
And she's completely right. Mark can feel each chord of his heart getting plucked painfully. The boy hunches over his coffee, staring hard into it. He shivers just slightly, wishing the subject would go away. "She's just like everyone else... why do zey care she can fly or change colors?" He demands in a clipped voice. "I just don't understand... but... but not /all/ humans are like that..." He says uncertainty, turning moist eyes up to Sabella. "I want to protect her... how does zis Magneto do zat?"
"He strikes against those who would strike at us. Why just the other month him and a group of other's like myself stopped a madman from destroying the lot of us." She means mutants in general, the 'madman' being Stryker. "This is the kind of man who'd kidnap a mutant and replace their bones with liquid metal to see how they'd survive." She doesn't mention the militaries involvement in this. Baby steps. "He finds these people, and he stops them." Sabella stands up and glides towards Mark, resting a hand on his shoulder as she looks into his eyes. "All humans are different, perhaps there are a few good ones in the bunch. I have yet to meet one myself so I can't speak from experience. But don't you worry, you have me on your side. I'll help you protect her."
Mark watches the women nervously. The boy's grip on the mug threatens to break it as she explains the plights of mutants. The anger is inside of him... but with much connection to Nev, Mark just feels sort of numbed by it. "Why... why do even other mutants consider him evil, then?" He asks, but doesn't exactly expect an answer. "I really... well... I haven't either..." He admits with a sigh, hanging his head. When her touch is felt, Mark cant help but look up at her. "Thank you, Bella... she means a lot to me."
"Because they do not understand. They think that they can solve their problems by talking. But sometimes you have to fight fire -with- fire. He's not afraid to go all the way to protect those he cares about. And that kind of dedication scares them." She squeezes the shoulders before reaching up to cup his cheek, smiling soothingly. "Of course, my dear." she whispers. "I'm afraid I have to go, I have a few things that still need to get taken care of. But I am only a phone call away should you need me."
Mark sighs sadly, his teeth clicking together as he thinks. "But I don't..." He stops, figuring now isn't the time to question Sabella's method. Instead the boy simply nods and frowns. "He sounds like a powerful friend to have." Mark admits, shrugging slightly. As she cups his cheek, Mark can't help but feel slightly comforted. "Oh... all right. I... I have your number...." He says with a slight smile. "Thank you."
Sabella leans down to kiss the very top of Mark's head before ruffling his hair. "You're a good kid." A habit she'll soon break him of. "He is indeed." she smiles and pulls away from him, offering one last comforting smile. "Call me if you need anything." she whispers, winks and then turns, leaving Mark to his now-tainted thoughts.