Mark and Laurie log

[x-wallflower-.livejournal.com]

Laurie arrives at the Snow Valley business offices a little late in the day with something of a mission



Laurie rubbed her hands against her jeans, nervously looking around as if at any minute someone from the school was going to jump out and grab her. She hadn't lied in so many words, telling them that she was going into the city to see Amanda. She'd caught a bus in, not wanting to ask anyone to drive her, since they'd want to stick around, or worse yet, want to ask her what she was going to be doing.

"Um, I was wondering if Miss Sefton, or Mr Ramsey was here?" she asked the man sitting behind the front counter, smiling for his benefit, even if she didn't much feel like doing so. Butterflies were more like a full grown mutant swarm right now, and she felt just this side of throwing up.

The look that Mark gave her must have been pretty off-putting. He looked up from his computer to her, then to the clock on the wall, and then back to her. It was late in the day, and visitors didn't usually come at this time unless it was some pressing matter. "Um, I think so," he replied slowly, eying her closely as if to determine whether or not she was some super secret spy in disguise. At least she wasn't asking for Pete or Remy. "May I ask who's calling?"

She eyeballed him for a second, as if sizing him up for something. She pursed her lips, and then seemed to make up her mind. "Tell them Miss Collins is here to see them on a matter of business." she replied, trying out her 'work' voice that she often used for interviews.

Mark tried very hard not to laugh. There was a slight movement of the shoulders as he stifled himself, and he kept a polite smile on his face. "Of course. One moment." He pressed a button on his phone set, exchanged a few words over his headset to someone at the other end of the line, and then hung up. "Ama . . . Miss Sefton will be down in just a few minutes. She has some quick work to finish up. Feel free to take a seat while you wait."

"Thankyou." Laurie replied, in that same tone of voice she'd used before, trying hard to look professional while dressed in jeans and runners. She wished she'd made the effort to put on her business skirt and tailored blouse but that might have required a lengthy discussion about why she was feeling the need to dress up. The 'business world' intimidated the hell out of her and she wasn't sure how Amanda managed. She seemed even less inclined to like stuffed shirts then she was.

She blinked for a second, realised she'd been standing there staring at the receptionist for the last minute, and blushed. "I'll, um...just got sit down then." she said.

Laughter was kept away, but Mark couldn't help the smirk that appeared on his lips. He nodded again, then turned back to his computer, where he'd been idly perusing the Xavier's blog system in an effort to waste the last few minutes before he could clock out. One of the hundred-by-hundred pixel avatars that greeted him made him double-take. And explained quite a bit, too. "Can I get you anything, Laurie?" he asked pleasantly. "Coffee, tea, soda, water?"

Oh God, corporate drone boy knew her name. How did he know her name? Did they have a file on her?

"Ah. Tea? Please." Laurie replied, manners winning out over everything else for a second. "Um, does it...Do you have a file on me or something?"

Mark poured some hot water from the dispenser into a Styrofoam cup, dropped in a tea bag, and handed it to her. He never drank the stuff, but Amanda swore by it, which is why they'd stocked up. Important to impress the actual clients, after all. "If you've hired us, then probably yes," he answered. "But I haven't seen it. I did see your picture on the blog, though. So."

"Oh! You're um..." Laurie looked at him closely, trying to put a name to a face. He wasn't Remy or Pete, obviously. He certainly wasn't Doug, who she'd met...although he had been a she at the time. The only other person she knew of who worked for both Snow Valley and had some connection to the Xavier journal system would be Mark...unless Amanda, Marie-Ange or Sophia had taken to wearing image inducers that turned them into guys. Sarah, as far as she knew, hadn't used the journal system much at all. "Are you Mark?"

"Naturalmente," he replied brightly as he grabbed himself a can of Coke and returned to his desk. He briefly pulled up iTunes and filled the room with the psychedelic arrangements of The Flaming Lips. "And I take it that you're here for more than just school stuff, judging by your whole demeanour."

Laurie frowned slightly, listening to the music, she'd not heard this band before but it was interesting. "Nooo." Laurie finally admitted, drawing the word out. "Amanda and Doug are helping me find my Dad."

"Did he go missing?" Although Mark was pretty sure that wasn't the case, since then he was sure he'd have heard about it. Which meant he was just out of the picture, and she wanted to know how to get him back. He kept his eyes firmly on the monitor. People actually wanting to meet their estranged parents are a weird species.

"More that he ran away." Laurie replied, smiling wryly. "I think the news of my impending arrival on this world was a bit much for him to cope with, so he scarpered."

"Ah, looking for your momma's baby daddy." He smiled at her to make sure she knew he was teasing. Amanda and Doug may not look too kindly on Mark insulting a client, especially a minor from Xavier's.

Laurie snorted in amusement and then blushed and looked slightly embarrassed. "It's so white trashy, isn't it? I figure all I need is a 30 year old boyfriend and a mobile home and it'll be perfect."

"Y'all gotta work on your accent, too," said Mark with a spot-on Alabama accent. "It's all about how you present yourself, you know."

"Okay, that? Is the awesomeist thing I've seen this week. I say this week because with the school I attend, you can never tell what's going to happen from day to day, so it behoves one to not go jumping to conclusions on coolness factors." Laurie replied, grinningly brightly in triumph at having managed to not get completely lost between the start of what she was saying and the end.

Mark smirked. "Well, if you consider getting sucked into the machinations of some whacko pseudo-megalomaniacal divine wannabe 'cool,' then yes." All those words even made sense to him.

"Well, I was thinking more along the lines of the fact that Angelo can pass me condiments without having to get up, even if I'm right down the other end of the table. I mean, how can that not be awesome?" Laurie replied with a grin. "And I think I see an Amanda, if my eyes do not deceive me."

Indeed it was. The witch gave Mark a small smile and a quiet word of thanks before she turned to the younger girl. "Laurie, good to see you. Let's go back to my desk - I've got all the paperwork there."