They existed in very different worlds with opinions far apart, but she respected Pippa’s focus. She had a job and she was approaching it with diligence and professionalism. Well, professionalism and the occasional snarky aside. At least Sabine could work with this.

It was good to know Pippa was not going to force bodyguards on Sabine. That sounded like a hassle that put other people at risk when she could take care of herself.

That did not surprise Pippa, but the lack of relationships might have. The phrase “eligible bachelorette” made Sabine smirk because that concept felt so far from her mind. It was another relief Pippa was not planning to set her up with someone. That would be more uncomfortable than the bodyguards.

Maybe she could subtly drop a hint or two. Use her past as an opening. ”Heavens, no. In college, I have all of two ex… whatever you might call them.” One man, one woman, neither longer than a few days. ”Both far from a relationship. Also both on the other side of a closed, interdimensional rift. I determined it just… was not for me, so I picked up and moved on.”

Sabine smiled politely. ”I hope that makes your job a little easier?”

Relationships were a tricky thing in PR. They could make someone very popular - power couple style - or extremely unpopular, especially if jilted exes started coming out of the woodwork. And Pippa did not even want to venture to guess what a relationship looked like in SUPER circles. Any assumption would have come off as offensive one way or another, anyway.

>>”Heavens, no. In college, I have all of two ex… whatever you might call them. Both far from a relationship. Also both on the other side of a closed, interdimensional rift. I determined it just… was not for me, so I picked up and moved on. I hope that makes your job a little easier?”

Well, the rift made a whole lot of things easier, didn't it. Pippa knew that for a fact...

"It sure does." she nodded, giving Sabine another long, curious look. "Relationship status aside. Is there anything you want from me? As your PR advisor, I mean. How do you imagine this working?"

Living detached from the universe you grew up in was surreal. In most ways, Sabine was fine with adapting to her new life. Yes, she missed some of her favorite restaurants and take-out places, but she found new ones. She was never close with her extended families after her father died and Sabine said nothing as they locked away her mother.

Maybe she thought about her mother, and how the option to get closure or offer forgiveness was now off the table forever. Unfortunately, Sabine was never sure either of those things would have come, even if they shared a universe.

Some Rifters struggled, but Sabine, as always, was ready to adapt. And if that made Pippa’s job easier, that was a win.

Now they could move on to defining what that job entailed. ”Well, besides your efforts to tidy up my public image, I would want to work with you on future press releases, both in preparing them and going over possible topics I might deal with in the follow-up. If we want to present things as less threatening to mutants, a mutant perspective would help.”

Actually, that had not yet been confirmed, right? ”My apologies; I may have assumed, given your organizational ties. Svetlana did not brief me on exactly what to expect on that front.” They wanted to play things carefully with this little “Haven Spy” situation, but at the same time, Sabine would not put it past the Russian to send her a woman who spontaneously combusted or turned into a thirty-foot dragon.

Pippa was curious what Sang wanted from her. She knew why she had been sent over from Haven, but there had to be something in the deal for the other side too, or Sang would have flat out said no on SUPER's part. Pippa had notions of what she got out of having a mutant PR person, but she wanted to hear it directly from her. People revealed a lot, whether they lied or not.

>>”Well, besides your efforts to tidy up my public image, I would want to work with you on future press releases, both in preparing them and going over possible topics I might deal with in the follow-up. If we want to present things as less threatening to mutants, a mutant perspective would help.”

Pippa arched an eyebrow and tilted her head.

>>”My apologies; I may have assumed, given your organizational ties. Svetlana did not brief me on exactly what to expect on that front.”

Wasn't that the trick question. Smart move, on Sang's part, turning the whole thing around on her. Peggy, bless her rotten soul, had not been a mutant, as far as Pippa knew, which presented some initial problems when she switched her life with the evil twin. Then again, psychometry was not exactly a physical mutation, and easily concealed. And the best way to avoid suspicion was to be honest. To a degree.

"Yes, I am a mutant" Pippa nodded, not elaborating. Mutations were sometimes private. Not that SUPER cared much, historically. "I can give you perspective, but I can't give you a face. I'm a behind the scenes kind of person."

Despite the apprehension of all parties involved, Pippa could offer something useful to SUPER. This was the right choice if Haven and SUPER wanted the practice of mutant policing to be done in a more civil way. There were many steps to take in achieving that goal, and altering the perception of SUPER mattered. The public needed to know SUPER was willing to be more human (so to speak) with noble intentions. It was not just self-serving; it would make recruitment better. In an ideal world, there would be an influx in mutants and disinterest from the human supremacists SUPER once catered to.

Pippa was not a permanent SUPER employee, but she was evidently a mutant in a position to make positive changes. Sabine smiled, folding her arms across her desk. "Of course. I assumed. Bit of a shame; it would be a very nice face to put out there," she suggested, with the slightest hint of playfulness. Nothing HR would shake a stick at. "But I want your opinions and feedback. Not just for our public face."

They had to acknowledge the potential issues Pippa might face until things got better. "I'm not making your mutant status public, but some older agents might recognize your face. Make assumptions. If anyone gives you trouble, mutant-related or otherwise, bring that to me. I'm not going to tolerate it. I will not let bad apples continue to spoil the bushel. If I truly want to change the system and the culture here, there can be no place for that."

>>"Of course. I assumed. Bit of a shame; it would be a very nice face to put out there,"

Pippa quirked an eyebrow. She was not sure if Sang said that in a playful way - which was a strange concept in itself, SUPER head lady being playful - or if she was making some kind of a hint at an inside joke. Pippa did not like being a pretty face, even on the best of days.

>>"But I want your opinions and feedback. Not just for our public face."

Back on track.

>>"I'm not making your mutant status public, but some older agents might recognize your face. Make assumptions. If anyone gives you trouble, mutant-related or otherwise, bring that to me. I'm not going to tolerate it. I will not let bad apples continue to spoil the bushel. If I truly want to change the system and the culture here, there can be no place for that."

Well, didn't that sound just fancy. Pippa smiled a little. Sang was a hard woman to read; she was either genuine, or very good at sounding genuine, and she was not sure yet which option would be more troubling. Time would tell. Or her sources would. She leaned forward, nodding in agreement.

"I'll make sure I bring all concerns straight to you" she said; Sang could add sarcasm as needed, but for once, she probably meant it "This will only work if we find a way to trust each other. So I feel like I also owe you a warning: I am very good at finding secrets. And I don't like doing extra work if it can be avoided."

Sabine did suggest that Sveta should send the equivalent of a spy to suss out troublesome elements of SUPER. She could not be surprised by Pippa's self-proclaimed knack for uncovering secrets. "Well, that's what I was hoping for, so search away. You're in a government intelligence agency; plenty of secrets to find." Did Sabine have secrets worth protecting? If she did, was she ashamed of them? If Pippa was as good as she claimed, only time would tell.

"I have secured an office for you to work in. Given the nature of your status, I want some comfort and privacy afforded to you." It would be best for Pippa to interact with the general population of SUPER on her own terms. "I can walk you over there now or you can follow the signs toward the HR wing nearby. Otherwise, I think you can get settled for now unless you have any last burning questions for me?" They would be spending plenty of time together soon enough anyway.

>>"Well, that's what I was hoping for, so search away. You're in a government intelligence agency; plenty of secrets to find."

Pippa nodded with a small smile. Very well then. Sang needed help to track down rogue elements within SUPER, she knew that. Or at least that was the official story. She would do her best to discover the rest, and see if they matched. If the worst she got was rogue bigots running amok in SUPER, it would still be a win. If she found something worse... well, it would be a win for Haven. And mutants everywhere. "I'll do my best."

>>"I have secured an office for you to work in. Given the nature of your status, I want some comfort and privacy afforded to you. I can walk you over there now or you can follow the signs toward the HR wing nearby. Otherwise, I think you can get settled for now unless you have any last burning questions for me?"

"I'll find my way, thank you" Pippa nodded and stood, gathering her things. She needed to learn the layout of the building anyway, and she did not want to be seen ushered around by the big boss lady. For now, this was just like any other job she'd had. There would be a learning curve.
And maybe some snooping.

"Nice to meet you, Ms Sang. I'll be back soon with some suggestions."

It was time to make SUPER look as good as their leader did.