(no subject)
The door of Erik's office is closed, and from the shuffle of papers scattered across the steel of his desk, it is unlikely that he's ventured away from it for some time. Collar unbuttoned and glasses low on his nose, laptop open, he scrawls along into a worn notebook at a steady pace.
The room resonates with a knock, knuckles meeting the cool surface of the door. Toad, just outside it, shifts and waits. He looks down at himself, tugging at the zipper pocket on his jacket until it's completely closed.
Scratch, scratch. Scratch. Erik finishes his sentence before lifting his head to narrow cold eyes upon the office door. The plane of it is considered. The zippers behind it are considered. The possibility of pretending that he is elsewhere...is considered. He sighs, and turns the page. "It isn't locked."
The rough gargle of a cleared throat sounds a split second before the squeak of the door. Toad eases himself into the room, standing at attention. "She's back, Sah. Mystique, I'm meanin'."
In the process of recovering where he left off, Erik pauses without setting pen back to paper - the tip hovering above the notebook's left corner. "What?"
Toad tosses a thumb over his shoulder, taking a sneaking step further into the office. "Mystique, Sah. She's back from the city." He drops his hand and shoves them both into his pockets. "Brought a pet back wid 'er, too."
The line of his glare focused blankly down upon the butt of his pen, Erik knits his brow slightly, attempts once more to scrawl whatever it is that he intends to scrawl, and sets the pen bluntly aside instead. "Another one?"
"Guess so," Toad lingers on the words for a moment. His head and eyes turn up brightly. "Could take care o'the problem for yah, eh?"
Magneto exhales slow patience when he finally turns the full of his attention back up onto Toad, only to look down again once he's lifted a hand to tug at his glasses. "That won't be necessary. How long has she been here?"
Toad shrugs, disappointment marking his face. "Oh, I'd say a few hours. May 'aps a bit less. 'Asen't come ter see you?" His head falls into a elongated, knowing nod. "She don't know, does she?"
The process of removing his glasses apparently a more intricate process than one might imagine, it requires all of Erik's focus to fold them neatly in upon themselves before he sets them aside. "Doesn't know what?"
"The cure," Toad provides willingly. "Leastways, she didn't make no moves on knowin' about it. Didn't tell 'er a thing. Jus' in case yer not wantin' 'er in on it. 'Tis a sticky situation, af'er all."
"Of course she knows." Only mildly reproachful, Erik eyes Toad a little warily, reluctant to inquire any further for an uncomfortable stretch of silence. "Did she say anything significant?"
"Oh." Toad slumps, visibly at first, before he catches himself and fakes the move as an idle exploration of his pockets. "No, Sah. She acted dumber than a stump. Might 'ave not been catchin' my meaning when I asked 'er about it."
"I'm certain your propensity for subtlety played a significant role in any confusion that might have arisen through the course of your conversation." A deep drawn breath supports a slow, dry look, and Erik folds his notebook neatly closed.
Toad shifts uncomfortably. "I get my job done, Sah." He points out with a grumble in his voice.
"You do," says Magneto with even conviction, stiff shoulders rolled and flexed before he pushes to stand. "I am not complaining."
"'Ave you learned 'nything else?" Toad pushes the subject on the cusp of the compliment. "'Bout this cure?" His hands wring together while his body leans into the question.
"Blueprints and satellite imagery of the lab, but very little else. Companies such as this one rely on secrecy in their efforts to stay ahead of the game." Erik's back crackles audibly once he's straightened to his full height. "I suspect if we are interested in more information, we are going to have to go and get it for ourselves."
Toad plucks his hands out as quickly as they came, rubbing them together. "Is that right? Eh, seems worth it, eh? Imagine if something like that got spread out 'mongst the masses? Can't be 'aving that." His eyes roll excitedly. "I do love a covert operation. When an' where, Sah?"
"When and where I say it will be," comes the typical answer, accompanied by a look that is markedly less patient than the level of tolerance he has shown so far as Erik moves to pace the length of his office for his couch. "I am more than aware of what is at risk."
Toad hunkers down a few inches, bobbing his head obediently. "'Course, 'course. Got a wee bit excited. It'll be good ter stretch me legs." His toes lift and fall, the encasing boot giving muffled clomps on the ground. "This is pretty serious, ain't it Sah?"
"Deadly." Serious, that is. Distracted all the same, Erik stoops after the flat metal table before his couch - sliding the side open with a gesture to withdraw a bottle of expensive whiskey, and a glass. "Whiskey?"
"No, thankee though." Toad hobbles back a step, looking tempted all the same. "Lemme do a bit o'research, yeah? Few hours on the internet an' I'll see if 'ny of these bloggin' nutjobs know a thing or two about. Chances are if it's secret, it can be found on the world wide web."
"If you like." Not too terribly sad not to share, Erik pours himself a finger or two before screwing the cap back on and stooping to replace the bottle. "Whatever you do, avoid creating a stir. If the idea becomes popularized as possible, there will be no stopping it."
"'Ell, I'm the bloody best lurker there is. Dun' ever post nothin'. M'not daft." Toad takes another step back, his hand reaching behind him for the door. "'Nything yeh'll be needin' of me while I'm 'ere, Sah?"
"No. Just keep me informed." Whiskey considered but not yet sipped, Erik swirls the contents of his glass with lazy indecision. "I will make a more formal announcement once I have made a decision regarding our friends at Genzyme."
The door is opened alongside a nod. "Aye Sah. You keep rely on Toad an' you wont be goin' wrong." He turns, slips out, and closes it back behind him.
Magneto remains where he is for several seconds before he strides back for his desk, where his untouched whiskey finds a perch next to his notebook, and he lowers himself stiffly back down to a seat.
The room resonates with a knock, knuckles meeting the cool surface of the door. Toad, just outside it, shifts and waits. He looks down at himself, tugging at the zipper pocket on his jacket until it's completely closed.
Scratch, scratch. Scratch. Erik finishes his sentence before lifting his head to narrow cold eyes upon the office door. The plane of it is considered. The zippers behind it are considered. The possibility of pretending that he is elsewhere...is considered. He sighs, and turns the page. "It isn't locked."
The rough gargle of a cleared throat sounds a split second before the squeak of the door. Toad eases himself into the room, standing at attention. "She's back, Sah. Mystique, I'm meanin'."
In the process of recovering where he left off, Erik pauses without setting pen back to paper - the tip hovering above the notebook's left corner. "What?"
Toad tosses a thumb over his shoulder, taking a sneaking step further into the office. "Mystique, Sah. She's back from the city." He drops his hand and shoves them both into his pockets. "Brought a pet back wid 'er, too."
The line of his glare focused blankly down upon the butt of his pen, Erik knits his brow slightly, attempts once more to scrawl whatever it is that he intends to scrawl, and sets the pen bluntly aside instead. "Another one?"
"Guess so," Toad lingers on the words for a moment. His head and eyes turn up brightly. "Could take care o'the problem for yah, eh?"
Magneto exhales slow patience when he finally turns the full of his attention back up onto Toad, only to look down again once he's lifted a hand to tug at his glasses. "That won't be necessary. How long has she been here?"
Toad shrugs, disappointment marking his face. "Oh, I'd say a few hours. May 'aps a bit less. 'Asen't come ter see you?" His head falls into a elongated, knowing nod. "She don't know, does she?"
The process of removing his glasses apparently a more intricate process than one might imagine, it requires all of Erik's focus to fold them neatly in upon themselves before he sets them aside. "Doesn't know what?"
"The cure," Toad provides willingly. "Leastways, she didn't make no moves on knowin' about it. Didn't tell 'er a thing. Jus' in case yer not wantin' 'er in on it. 'Tis a sticky situation, af'er all."
"Of course she knows." Only mildly reproachful, Erik eyes Toad a little warily, reluctant to inquire any further for an uncomfortable stretch of silence. "Did she say anything significant?"
"Oh." Toad slumps, visibly at first, before he catches himself and fakes the move as an idle exploration of his pockets. "No, Sah. She acted dumber than a stump. Might 'ave not been catchin' my meaning when I asked 'er about it."
"I'm certain your propensity for subtlety played a significant role in any confusion that might have arisen through the course of your conversation." A deep drawn breath supports a slow, dry look, and Erik folds his notebook neatly closed.
Toad shifts uncomfortably. "I get my job done, Sah." He points out with a grumble in his voice.
"You do," says Magneto with even conviction, stiff shoulders rolled and flexed before he pushes to stand. "I am not complaining."
"'Ave you learned 'nything else?" Toad pushes the subject on the cusp of the compliment. "'Bout this cure?" His hands wring together while his body leans into the question.
"Blueprints and satellite imagery of the lab, but very little else. Companies such as this one rely on secrecy in their efforts to stay ahead of the game." Erik's back crackles audibly once he's straightened to his full height. "I suspect if we are interested in more information, we are going to have to go and get it for ourselves."
Toad plucks his hands out as quickly as they came, rubbing them together. "Is that right? Eh, seems worth it, eh? Imagine if something like that got spread out 'mongst the masses? Can't be 'aving that." His eyes roll excitedly. "I do love a covert operation. When an' where, Sah?"
"When and where I say it will be," comes the typical answer, accompanied by a look that is markedly less patient than the level of tolerance he has shown so far as Erik moves to pace the length of his office for his couch. "I am more than aware of what is at risk."
Toad hunkers down a few inches, bobbing his head obediently. "'Course, 'course. Got a wee bit excited. It'll be good ter stretch me legs." His toes lift and fall, the encasing boot giving muffled clomps on the ground. "This is pretty serious, ain't it Sah?"
"Deadly." Serious, that is. Distracted all the same, Erik stoops after the flat metal table before his couch - sliding the side open with a gesture to withdraw a bottle of expensive whiskey, and a glass. "Whiskey?"
"No, thankee though." Toad hobbles back a step, looking tempted all the same. "Lemme do a bit o'research, yeah? Few hours on the internet an' I'll see if 'ny of these bloggin' nutjobs know a thing or two about. Chances are if it's secret, it can be found on the world wide web."
"If you like." Not too terribly sad not to share, Erik pours himself a finger or two before screwing the cap back on and stooping to replace the bottle. "Whatever you do, avoid creating a stir. If the idea becomes popularized as possible, there will be no stopping it."
"'Ell, I'm the bloody best lurker there is. Dun' ever post nothin'. M'not daft." Toad takes another step back, his hand reaching behind him for the door. "'Nything yeh'll be needin' of me while I'm 'ere, Sah?"
"No. Just keep me informed." Whiskey considered but not yet sipped, Erik swirls the contents of his glass with lazy indecision. "I will make a more formal announcement once I have made a decision regarding our friends at Genzyme."
The door is opened alongside a nod. "Aye Sah. You keep rely on Toad an' you wont be goin' wrong." He turns, slips out, and closes it back behind him.
Magneto remains where he is for several seconds before he strides back for his desk, where his untouched whiskey finds a perch next to his notebook, and he lowers himself stiffly back down to a seat.