Shane Freak
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Chapter 1094: Father and Son (Twenty-three)
🕑 Added 2024-03-23 08:17:12 +0000 UTCIn DC World With Marvel Chat Group : Table of Content/Chapter List
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Upon hearing this answer, both Magneto and Polaris felt absurd.
Although what had just happened seemed inconsequential to ordinary people, and even mutants like Scott wouldn't be aware, the father-daughter duo knew well the extent of their contest in their respective domains. Wanting to restrain Polaris wasn't difficult, but the challenge lay in not only immobilizing her but also avoiding harming her. Magneto, for the first time, refrained from resorting to violence to subdue Polaris.
Similarly, it was the first time Polaris hadn't unleashed her powers before being stripped of them entirely. She didn't even have the chance to vent her emotions through a physical altercation; she was forced into a state of calm.
For Magneto, employing this method was oddly satisfying. Despite his pride, he loathed overpowering Polaris. Their power differentials rendered such domination meaningless. It wasn't about honing combat skills or engaging in a fair fight; it was simply bullying, devoid of any sense of victory.
Magneto, though stern and unyielding, wasn't a sadist who enjoyed tormenting his own daughter. Polaris's provocations and subsequent subjugation had become tiresome through repetition.
Yet, he couldn't allow Polaris to continue challenging him unchecked; he couldn't afford such leniency and needed to maintain his authority.
After numerous conflicts, Magneto had lost all patience. Whenever Polaris hinted at defiance, he resorted to force.
In Magneto's view, whether the confrontation happened sooner or later didn't matter; what mattered was keeping Polaris subdued to prevent her from uttering nonsense.
But there was no sense of accomplishment in this repetitive exercise; it was as mundane as screwing bolts on an assembly line. While a few successes might briefly satisfy, repetition dulled any sense of achievement.
However, this time, Magneto felt a hint of schadenfreude.
Undoubtedly, his foolish and rebellious daughter had just relented over something as trivial as not knocking on the door.
Polaris was even more flustered. She looked at Schiller with a serious expression and asked, "Are you out of your mind?"
Schiller remained silent, stepping back two paces, standing by the door. He pressed his index and middle fingers together, exerting slight pressure, and tapped the door with a crisp "click."
"Don't sit on the floor; it's cold. Miss Lorna, if you have something to discuss, we can do so on the sofa... Please stand up."
Polaris sighed, stood up, and with a stubborn gaze, looked at Schiller. Just as she was about to do something, Schiller turned to Magneto.
"Erik, did you inform anyone in advance that you didn't wish to be disturbed during this time? Is this your visiting hours?"
"I have no visiting hours," Magneto replied.
"Very well, Miss Lorna, it seems you need to make a prior call to this office to inquire if we're available to receive you," Schiller said, looking into Polaris's eyes once more.
"You should know, your father has a bit of a temper. If you don't make a prior call, you might disturb his rest, which would make him very irritable, and you'll get scolded too."
"But it's not entirely his fault. If someone barged into the office during non-reception hours, I'd feel irritable too. Wouldn't you?"
Polaris glared, about to reply "no," when Schiller smiled and said, "If you don't mind, tonight when you're asleep, I'll give you a call and discuss Hegel's philosophy with you..."
Polaris, with words on the tip of her tongue, silently closed her mouth, swallowing her retorts. Judging by today's situation, Schiller was likely to follow through, and Polaris didn't want to be woken up at three in the morning for a lesson.
"In reality, Erik doesn't have visiting hours, which isn't quite normal. I assume you wouldn't have guessed."
"Let's do it this way. According to my visiting hours, I can receive guests now. So, you don't need to make a call, but you should knock on the door. That's just basic courtesy."
Polaris's initial reaction was relief, but then she wore a puzzled expression, surprised at her own easy satisfaction. She couldn't believe she was happy just because she didn't have to make a call but only needed to knock on the door to enter the room.
Nonetheless, Polaris shook her head, cleared her throat, and lightly tapped on the door.
"Please come in, miss." Schiller stepped aside. Polaris walked in, head held high, and sat down on the sofa, crossing her legs and folding her arms, then glaring at Magneto.
Following behind Polaris, Scott covered his eyes briefly. Unusually, he didn't sit next to Polaris but across from her.
Magneto stood behind the desk, reflecting on the interactions between Schiller and Polaris over the past few minutes.
It felt strange to him. He had never witnessed, nor imagined, such events and methods of handling them.
Was Schiller as gentle as Professor X?
Not exactly. Throughout the process, he was quite assertive. If Polaris didn't give him an answer, he'd splash her with cold water, putting her in an awkward state. Then, he'd apply psychological pressure, gradually tightening his control, guiding Polaris to give the desired response.
Magneto was well aware that using violence wouldn't prompt Polaris to act as she did; he had already tried.
Was Schiller rough?
Not really. Throughout the confrontations, he remained courteous, always addressing Polaris as "Miss Lorna," without using any derogatory terms or mocking her. He didn't patronize or lecture her, nor did he offer any elaborate reasons.
Yet, Polaris complied with his instructions, and afterward, she didn't feel humiliated or upset. She even seemed somewhat pleased, completely forgetting how angry and frustrated she had been initially.
What was going on? Magneto found himself lost in thought.
"My anxiety disorder hasn't fully recovered yet, and the symptoms of neurasthenia haven't completely disappeared. The sound you made when you burst in just now startled me, and my heart rate hasn't fully settled down."
Schiller sat across from Polaris. Upon hearing this, Polaris paused, about to speak, but Schiller interjected with a tone of surprise, "Scott didn't tell you? My goodness, it seems I misunderstood you!"
"I said to myself, how could a well-mannered, sympathetic young lady be so inconsiderate to someone who hasn't fully recovered from mental illness? Turns out, you didn't know."
After speaking, Schiller stood up again and brought a cup of hot tea, gently placing it in front of Polaris, who suddenly appeared somewhat awkward.
Smiling at her, Schiller said, "Miss Lorna, I've heard from Professor X that you're actually a thoughtful person. So, when you first met Scott, did you inquire about mine and Professor X's health?"
Polaris coughed awkwardly, stuttering, "Uh, well..."
Polaris cast a pleading look at Scott, but Scott wasn't adept at covering for others. He stumbled over his words, saying, "Uh, yeah, Lorna asked me. Maybe I didn't explain it clearly..."
However, Polaris realized what Scott was trying to do. If Scott acknowledged it, wouldn't it make him appear emotionally unintelligent? Faced with her friend's concern for their mentor, would he just give a perfunctory response?
If Scott truly admitted it, it might leave a bad impression on Schiller, and Professor X might find out too. If word got out, Scott's reputation could suffer.
Like other second-generation mutants, Polaris had a strong sense of loyalty to her friends. She immediately spoke up, saying, "Scott and I aren't in a relationship. I... I just forgot. I was in a hurry and didn't have time to ask..."
"Oh, I see. No relationship," Schiller nodded, showing no intention to pursue the matter further. Just as Polaris breathed a sigh of relief, she heard Schiller pose another probing question:
"So, why were you in such a hurry to come here?"
Polaris covered half her face with one hand. In this atmosphere, how was she supposed to respond? Was she supposed to say she was worried Magneto and Schiller would fight?
Polaris knew she had come here to prevent Magneto from leaving a bad impression on Schiller.
But if she spoke now, completely painting Magneto as an insufferable violent maniac, she feared he might actually start a fight with Schiller. On one hand, this would definitely lower Magneto's standing in Schiller's eyes, directly opposing her goal.
On the other hand, Schiller might not even know about the conflicts between them. From a common understanding, wouldn't a daughter speaking ill of her father ruin her own reputation?
Polaris stood there, mouth agape, unable to utter a single word. Meanwhile, Magneto, standing behind the desk, looked even more pleased.
Misfortune for one person was just misfortune, but when two people faced misfortune, it became amusing.
If he fell into a pit alone, he might feel upset. But if he watched as another person fell into the same pit, he'd feel happy. That was Magneto's current mindset.
He was quite amused seeing Polaris, who rebelled 365 days a year, stuck in a dilemma created by Schiller. For the sake of observing Polaris's wonderful expressions up close, Magneto even walked behind Schiller, opposite to Polaris, overlooking her, eager to see how his foolish daughter would answer Schiller's question.
Polaris wasn't stupid. She first looked at Schiller's smiling face, then glanced at Magneto's ambiguous expression.
Taking a deep breath, the ever-resilient Polaris gritted her teeth and forced a strained smile, looking into Magneto's eyes as she said, "I came to see Erik because... I missed him."
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Next Chapter>>Chapter 1095 Father and Son (Twenty-Four)
