(From now on I'm writing in third-person, more from Toads POV. I thought it might be an interesting change for a bit.)
"Where's Mystique?" Magneto asked Sabertooth.
Toad's head popped up and he gave a kind smile to Racheal. She smiled and deflected her eyes. Toad's first thought was that she looked away because of his appearance. He had been used to people recoiling at the sight of him, but she hadn't looked away earlier that evening on her front steps. No, she had stared, almost entranced, into his eyes.
"She went that way." growled Sabertooth as he shut the refrigerator door. Magneto went off in the direction of Mystique.
Racheal shyly sat down next to Toad on the couch.
'She's just a girl,' he told himself, 'Nothing to get worked up over. What are girls good for anyway? Except to yell 'Mutie Mortie!' across the playground. But Racheal is different, isn't she?…She is a mutant too. She kissed me. No one's ever kissed me. Not even my own mother.'
"What are you watching?" she asked him. His thoughts had been elsewhere and it took him a second to process what she had said.
"Nothing important," he said, handing her the remote, "Get whatever you want."
"Thanks, but that's alright." she sat the remote on the coffee table. "Not really in the mood for TV."
Sabertooth's eyes went from Racheal to Toad and then back again. He gave a sour look then went back to eating.
Magneto came back, but he wasn't alone. He had a woman with him. She was blue and scaly and had yellow cat-like eyes. She looked Racheal over carefully then sat down opposite her on the other couch.
"Now that we are all here," began Magneto, "I would like to introduce a new member to our family. As you may know, her given name is Racheal, her chosen name is Aries. Please extend every courtesy to make her feel welcome."
Mystique flashed her eyes to Magneto, then back to Racheal. She gave Racheal a half smile and a nod. Toad reached over and patted Racheal on the shoulder.
"Congrats, and welcome." he said in his British accent, before sinking back into his other position. Magneto looked over to Sabertooth with a raised eyebrow.
"Welcome." Sabertooth said lowly, before going back to his dinner.
"Thanks," Racheal said smiling. It felt good to be welcomed. Even if Sabertooth's welcome had been a little forced, Toad's had made up for it. "Where do I sleep?" she asked Magneto.
"Toad, If you would please show Racheal to her sleeping quarters. Mystique, come with me." Mystique and Magneto left thru one of the four doors that lined the room. Racheal was getting the impression that the base was more of a labyrinth than any thing else and it would take time to get to know her way around.
Toad rose from his seat and waited for Racheal to do the same.
"You want to go now?" he asked.
"Alright," she lifted herself up. She was tired.
He led her out through another door. They walked for a few minutes in silence. Racheal trying to commit the hall way to memory. It was hard when all the hallways looked the same.
They reached a heavy metal door. Racheal pulled it open and looked inside. It was a medium sized room with a high ceiling. The sparse décor consisted of a round bed in the center of the room, a dresser with 5 drawers, and a small bathroom off to the side. She walked into the room and Mortimer followed her. Her duffel bag laid against her dresser. The bed was on a raised round platform. The color of the room was that same steel gray that everything else was.
"You think you can find your way back?" Mortimer asked her. He was standing just inside the door.
"I think so," she laughed. "If not I'll just yell for you in the morning."
"I could come by and get you." he offered. She smiled again, she was always smiling, another thing he wasn't used to.
"I'd appreciate it." She plopped herself down and Mortimer went to leave but she stopped him. "Mort," he turned and looked at her, "I was wondering…" her voice broke off.
'She calls me Mort,' he thought, 'She calls me Mort and I actually like it.'
"I was wondering if you had more powers than the leaping and your tongue."
"Well, I'm part amphibian, aren't I?" he said and walked forward and sat down on the bed beside her. He moved his turtleneck down and showed her his skin beneath. It was the same green color as his face. He pointed to what looked like long scars around the back of his neck. They were hardly visible but she was just able to make them out. She ran her fingers along them. "When I was younger, I had gills." he said then lifted his shirt collar back up, covering them. Being this close to him made her head spin. She knew exactly how she felt about him. She was falling in love with him. She told herself that it was the wrong time to fall for anybody. The stress of the recent events and the fact that she had to be strong was probably causing her to think she wanted him, when really all she wanted was to go back home.
'To be in his arms would feel like home.' she thought unhappily. 'Maybe if I…'
She laid her head on his shoulder. He stiffened beneath her touch.
"I'm sorry," she lifted her head. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
"It's not you," he said standing. "I'm tired, I'll come by for you in the morning." With that he left. Racheal cursed herself for getting too close to him, then threw herself back on the bed and slept.
In the hall, Mortimer crouched in the shadows. He wasn't yet ready to be out of her presence entirely.
"Where's Mystique?" Magneto asked Sabertooth.
Toad's head popped up and he gave a kind smile to Racheal. She smiled and deflected her eyes. Toad's first thought was that she looked away because of his appearance. He had been used to people recoiling at the sight of him, but she hadn't looked away earlier that evening on her front steps. No, she had stared, almost entranced, into his eyes.
"She went that way." growled Sabertooth as he shut the refrigerator door. Magneto went off in the direction of Mystique.
Racheal shyly sat down next to Toad on the couch.
'She's just a girl,' he told himself, 'Nothing to get worked up over. What are girls good for anyway? Except to yell 'Mutie Mortie!' across the playground. But Racheal is different, isn't she?…She is a mutant too. She kissed me. No one's ever kissed me. Not even my own mother.'
"What are you watching?" she asked him. His thoughts had been elsewhere and it took him a second to process what she had said.
"Nothing important," he said, handing her the remote, "Get whatever you want."
"Thanks, but that's alright." she sat the remote on the coffee table. "Not really in the mood for TV."
Sabertooth's eyes went from Racheal to Toad and then back again. He gave a sour look then went back to eating.
Magneto came back, but he wasn't alone. He had a woman with him. She was blue and scaly and had yellow cat-like eyes. She looked Racheal over carefully then sat down opposite her on the other couch.
"Now that we are all here," began Magneto, "I would like to introduce a new member to our family. As you may know, her given name is Racheal, her chosen name is Aries. Please extend every courtesy to make her feel welcome."
Mystique flashed her eyes to Magneto, then back to Racheal. She gave Racheal a half smile and a nod. Toad reached over and patted Racheal on the shoulder.
"Congrats, and welcome." he said in his British accent, before sinking back into his other position. Magneto looked over to Sabertooth with a raised eyebrow.
"Welcome." Sabertooth said lowly, before going back to his dinner.
"Thanks," Racheal said smiling. It felt good to be welcomed. Even if Sabertooth's welcome had been a little forced, Toad's had made up for it. "Where do I sleep?" she asked Magneto.
"Toad, If you would please show Racheal to her sleeping quarters. Mystique, come with me." Mystique and Magneto left thru one of the four doors that lined the room. Racheal was getting the impression that the base was more of a labyrinth than any thing else and it would take time to get to know her way around.
Toad rose from his seat and waited for Racheal to do the same.
"You want to go now?" he asked.
"Alright," she lifted herself up. She was tired.
He led her out through another door. They walked for a few minutes in silence. Racheal trying to commit the hall way to memory. It was hard when all the hallways looked the same.
They reached a heavy metal door. Racheal pulled it open and looked inside. It was a medium sized room with a high ceiling. The sparse décor consisted of a round bed in the center of the room, a dresser with 5 drawers, and a small bathroom off to the side. She walked into the room and Mortimer followed her. Her duffel bag laid against her dresser. The bed was on a raised round platform. The color of the room was that same steel gray that everything else was.
"You think you can find your way back?" Mortimer asked her. He was standing just inside the door.
"I think so," she laughed. "If not I'll just yell for you in the morning."
"I could come by and get you." he offered. She smiled again, she was always smiling, another thing he wasn't used to.
"I'd appreciate it." She plopped herself down and Mortimer went to leave but she stopped him. "Mort," he turned and looked at her, "I was wondering…" her voice broke off.
'She calls me Mort,' he thought, 'She calls me Mort and I actually like it.'
"I was wondering if you had more powers than the leaping and your tongue."
"Well, I'm part amphibian, aren't I?" he said and walked forward and sat down on the bed beside her. He moved his turtleneck down and showed her his skin beneath. It was the same green color as his face. He pointed to what looked like long scars around the back of his neck. They were hardly visible but she was just able to make them out. She ran her fingers along them. "When I was younger, I had gills." he said then lifted his shirt collar back up, covering them. Being this close to him made her head spin. She knew exactly how she felt about him. She was falling in love with him. She told herself that it was the wrong time to fall for anybody. The stress of the recent events and the fact that she had to be strong was probably causing her to think she wanted him, when really all she wanted was to go back home.
'To be in his arms would feel like home.' she thought unhappily. 'Maybe if I…'
She laid her head on his shoulder. He stiffened beneath her touch.
"I'm sorry," she lifted her head. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
"It's not you," he said standing. "I'm tired, I'll come by for you in the morning." With that he left. Racheal cursed herself for getting too close to him, then threw herself back on the bed and slept.
In the hall, Mortimer crouched in the shadows. He wasn't yet ready to be out of her presence entirely.