Shiller edged slightly to the side, huddling with Scott, shifting them both to the right side of the sofa. Now, Polaris, seated on the left side of the couch, faced Magneto squarely.
Magneto also showcased his stiff smile, innocuously stating, "Really? When you went to the Sulfur Dwarf planet and stayed away for three months, you never once said you missed anyone."
Polaris' smile tightened slightly, but she retaliated without missing a beat: "Actually, I missed my mother and stepfather the most, the most patient and loving people I've ever met..."
The smile on Magneto's face froze for a moment, but he continued in his resonant tone. "Unfortunately, you're nothing like your mother; she was a gentle lady..."
"Oh, really? Maybe you've never seen her true face." Polaris's gritted her teeth beneath her smile, and said: "One always acts exceptionally polite in front of strangers..."
"Sadly, even when you get to know people, you aren't polite at all."
Scott leaned on the right arm of the couch, Shiller nestled against Scott's side, and each held a cup of tea. They watched the unfolding argument as if they were spectators at a street brawl, the only difference was the wooden bench.
"Doctor Shiller, should we just let them quarrel like this?" Scott lowered his voice, turning to Shiller. Shiller took a sip of his tea and assured, "Don't worry, it won't get too heated."
"Really? They've both stood up, they're not going to come to blows, are they?" Scott was full of concern.
As he said, Polaris had already stood up and moved out of the couch area, with Magneto casually trailing her. They squabbled all the way out.
"Do you know what they have the most in common?" Shiller asked Scott, sipping his tea.
"Err... Abilities?" Scott ventured.
"No, their tenacious pride."
As he finished speaking, the magnetic field was disrupted again. Clearly, the verbal clash had not decided the victor, so they sought to determine it through their abilities.
At this moment, Shiller took a big gulp of tea and started coughing violently. Taken aback, Scott hastily put down his cup, patting Shiller's back to help him catch his breath.
In an instant, the fluctuation in the magnetic field vanished. Magneto and Polaris exchanged a glance, roughly interpreting as, "We both drew on our powers, but it must've been your part of the magnetic field that affected Shiller."
In the next second when the magnetic field settled simultaneously, they glared at each other unknowingly, the message conveyed in their eyes was, "You can actually consider others' feelings?!"
Coughing for a while with his hand on his chest, Shiller eventually stood up and said, "Miss Lorna, you've seen your father now, and your longing has been appeased. Unless there's anything else, could you kindly refrain from interrupting Erik and my psychological therapy?"
Polaris stood still, her head unmoving, but her eyes slowly shifted, first towards Shiller, then slowly back to Magneto. Then she furrowed her eyebrows fervently.
She cleared her throat, signaled Scott with her eyes, and turned to walk towards the door. Scott followed immediately, looking back at Shiller, "I'll walk Lorna home."
Once they left the building at the quickest pace and arrived in the garden, Polaris held her chest, catching her breath. She widened her eyes, crying, "My God! What did I just hear? Magneto's having psychological therapy?!"
Scott was also a little startled, asking, "Why has Magneto been so good-tempered today? What soporific did Shiller fed him?"
"I'm puzzled too. Although his words are still as offensive as ever, he actually talks now!" Polaris was incredulous: "I really thought he was a mute!"
"Honestly, Lorna, you've been acting a little different today too." Scott walked up to Polaris, his hands on her shoulders, saying, "You actually said, you missed Magneto?! Even as a pretence, you never would have said such thing before..."
"Remember the time when if you heard the words 'Magneto' or 'Erik,' you'd instantly flare up? Didn't the last fight between you and Pietro start like that?" Scott asked, a little surprised.
"I don't know." Polaris walked quickly, her hands tugging at her hair. "That room is magical! It must be! Otherwise, I would've had four fights with Magneto within 13 minutes of us being alone together!"
"Could it be... Doctor Shiller's extraordinary medical skills?" Scott inquired.
"But isn't Professor X's medical skill equally superior?" Polaris was confused. "They've known each other for decades; if he could've cured him, wouldn't he have done so already?"
"Wait!" Polaris suddenly stopped in her tracks. Looked to her left, then right, and said to Scott, "This is indeed a problem."
"Look, Magneto always said he wouldn't accept psychological therapy. No matter how Professor X persuaded, he wouldn't budge. But with Doctor Shiller's arrival, he agreed to it. How hurt would Professor X be?"