LOG: [Forge, Marius] Ready

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Forge stops by as Marius prepares for an experimental procedure to deal with a long-standing problem.




"Sod, I thought they were never going to leave," Marius sighed, and collapsed at the knees onto his bed, arms spread to either side. He rolled his head to look up at his friend. "Tell me, do your parents cling half so much after exciting trauma? It's becoming quite ridiculous. One would think mine hadn't seen me for a year or something."

"You forget, I went home to Dallas after the whole Magneto thing last year, yeah? Not too different, your powers are going all crazy and mine just vanished." Forge perched at the foot of Marius' bed, absently tucking the hem of his cut-off pant leg around his prosthesis. "Your parents are good people... in their own way."

"So they are. In my mother's case, a very special sort of way that has several times nearly resulted in the attention of child protective services over the years. 'Delicate flower of womanhood' is not so much the proper descriptor. Nonetheless." Marius plucked at the sheets absently with the hand nearest Forge, partly to take his mind off the mouth's urge to twitch at the proximity. "Good one on me my mutation quite handily removes the necessity of chemo or other such things, eh? Imagine her hangin' about for however long it'd take for the old lot of marrow to die off -- holdin' my hand while she makes amusing comments about what a relief it will be if my hair were to fall out."

Forge paused, looking over at Marius carefully. "It'd be an improvement on that jungle mop you've got going," he admitted. "Which... might be a side effect. But you're sure you're ready to go through with this, yeah? The doctors told you about everything?"

Marius moved his shoulders against the sheets in a shrug. "Such as the potential complications which comprise the 10% mortality rate? Oh, yes. Though with the related donor, a healing-factor on standby an' bein' built for such procedures I'm told the risk is rather less. I shall, however, be slightly irked should I go through all this merely to have the stuff run through my system as usual. If I'm going to be subjected to bloody great needles shoved through my longbones I should at least like something to show for my troubles. It would be quite a waste after all your efforts smuggling illicit genetic samplings back to the States in the fake leg."

"The lengths I go to for you folks," Forge quipped, reaching out with his metal hand to poke at Marius' shoulder. "I'd say you owe me a trip to Europe, but rumor has it that you're the worst travel-buddy ever. And besides, an extensive procedure of having donor marrow introduced directly into your bones via large-gauge needles... well, that's kind of its own reward, isn't it?"

He slid off the bed, pacing around the room. "I had this almost completely planned out when you bailed, you know. I was about five days - five days - from getting a workable idea to pitch to Moira. You couldn't have waited a week?"

That gave the younger boy pause. "At the time? It really seemed not. Amazin' how little logic will feature in the equation after you've watched your own skin slough off in bloody sheets. An' yes," Marius added, rolling his eyes, "I am perfectly aware there are certain residents who are wont to do just that on a daily basis in lieu of showering after a brisk jog. I have no defence for that particular bit of brilliance, except possibly that my brain was rather seriously deprived of oxygen durin' that last pulmonary arrest. Though as Jen would no doubt say, no great difference there."

For a moment Marius was silent again, his orange eyes fixed on the ceiling. "I couldn't see it," he said more softly. "I looked at where it could go from there, an' I couldn't see anythin'. Nothing but white walls from then until forever."

Forge just shook his head, then looked over at Marius. "Well, it's a moot point now. This procedure... it's going to be painful, not going to lie to you. And you're not going to be able to grab a healing factor from Kyle to make it feel better - or anyone, for that matter. Not for a few days afterwards, Moira says. And there's no guarantee it'll reverse... any of this, really. But things won't get worse."

"Painful, eh?" Marius cocked his head at Forge. "Week after prom Jay an' Kyle found me blind an' half-boiled alive from a faulty teleporting power. A bit after that I lost my lungs. Then my mind. An' then . . . then I just straight lost myself." Behind the plastic of the respirator Marius' lips twitched in a smile. "Nothin' ventured, nothin' gained. An' so far as I'm concerned, this world's not got anythin' left in it to fear."

"You didn't see Mr. Dayspring get married in a kilt," Forge countered with a melodramatic shudder. "No worldly experience holds any horrors now."

He laughed once, then looked to the door as he heard Moira's familiar Scottish brogue. "About ready out there, then. Anything you want me to tell anyone?"

"Nah." Marius levered himself into a sitting position, rolling his head against his shoulders. "'Not dead yet' should be sufficient answer for concerned parties, with whatsoever qualifier is currently appropriate to my present status. I'm sure this lot's got quite enough to occupy them without tiresome details of my latest medical drama. Bit private anyway, you know? My life, my affair. No need to shout it to the world." Marius hesitated, scratching the skin beneath the respirator strap thoughtfully. "Though I suppose some exception can be made for Kyle, as he is bein' so kind as to play the backup. Oh, an' Jen, because to do otherwise will result in your brutal murder. But go light on the specifics until we're sure how it's settin', eh? No need to worry until she's a sure thing either way."

Marius rose to stand next to the other boy and rubbed his hands together, the broken teeth held close into his palms. "Right," he said, "Let's take a chance, shall we?"

"This is your life," Forge said plainly, placing a hand on Marius' shoulder and walking with him to the door. "You think I'm leaving a damn thing to chance?"

"You, leave a variable unthought of? Perish the thought." Marius smirked a little. "Though it's a funny thing, chance. Been thinkin' about that. Would've been ended ages ago had I not been around just that person at just that time -- as well you would know. Quite the miraculous series of coincidence, wouldn't you say? From a certain perspective I'm leading quite the charmed life. Or catchin' the benefits from one who does."

The younger boy chuckled and shook his head. "Ah, well. Suppose it makes no difference. Now, off to put my fate into Moira's rather chilly hands."