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(no subject)

Who: Charles Xavier + You
Broadcast: Video
Action: SS Heron
When: Right now!

[ The video starts with Charles sitting on his wheelchair, his hands neatly folded on his lap. He rubs faint circles on his legs for a few seconds, the only real sign of tension. ]

Hello. My names is Charles Xavier. I am a geneticist graduated from Oxford. I -- [ ran ] -- run a school in Westchester for the Gifted. Mutants. People with abilities. My focus is the training and control of abilities we do not always fully understand, abilities that are gifts but can often run amok.

[ He pauses, catching his second wind before continuing on, poised. ]

I am also a telepath with a full set of abilities in aiding the mind and extremely . . . proficient. I do not read minds without permission, because honestly, I really don't care.

[ Charles pauses again, wondering if he should say more and dismisses it. People can ask him if they need details - which they will. ]

If anyone would like to make use of my abilities and skills, they are certainly most welcome to. Confidentiality, of course, is key and you need not make anything public if you do not wish to. If you have any questions for me, the floor is open for you.

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[ He wipes his face out of habit. His control was better than he thought, not all that weak. It was good to know.

Not at all. I did ask, anyway.

He hesitates before continuing on, thank you for letting me in. ]

[ Hermione shifts, awkwardly, and for a moment she feels as if she's overwhelmed him. His voice comes back into her mind, though, and she softens, offering a small smile and a touch of affection that she tries to nudge through their connection, just for now.

Of course. I'll always let you in, Charles.

And, then, there's that feeling of trust that comes when she's thinking about him. She knows, and the guilt is tangled with it, that he's not the Charles she knew, but she still believes in him and his morality. He won't take advantage of her and she's certain of it. ]

[ I don't do this anymore, he replies wistfully. Erik's mind, of course, was always open to him. They have that level of trust now, a trust scraped and earned over time.

Memories flicker by, a group in red clothes of mixed ages surveying him with distrust as Charles tries to be honest, to talk about his powers. A young quiet boy, whom Charles had liked, had been so fond of, still flinched whenever Charles used his powers. Always, always varying degrees of fear, of wariness. And Charles knew it didn't matter, it never mattered how good he was, how kind, how much he promised, he'd never have their heart. ]

[ You could. With me.

Hermione stops and she shifts, turning around to look at Charles before she steps in front of him. Shifting, she moves down and reaches for his hand, letting her fingers squeeze his before she lifts it, letting his palm touch the side of her face before she turns her eyes back up to him.

I shared everything I had with a Servant, once. His name was Diarmuid, and I could feel everything he felt and he could feel what I felt too. I know what it's like to share every single piece of myself with someone and I know what it's like to trust someone with my heart, my mind, my thoughts and my feelings. I trust you with that, Charles. Not just the man I knew in the Drabwurld, but the man I see in front of me as well. I'm not going to run away, I'm not going to be afraid. I promise. ]

[ I could, he agrees seamlessly, brushing his thumbs tenderly against her skin.

But I think you've been trying to be strong for so long. I know a little of what it's like, to have people you care about forget you.

Charles had done it once, pushed to the brink to save Erik's team mate. It had been awful, for both of them and Charles had never forgiven himself for what he did.

I know you're not afraid. But I also know you are trying so hard to be brave when you don't want to. ]

[ It's hard to admit her fears and her weaknesses, but at the same time she knows she's already shown it all to Charles. Hermione has offered him her mind and her emotions, letting him see the very heart of her, and here he was trying to help her admit things she's scared to. Despite his own pain and uncertainty he still tries to help others, and it concretes the knowledge she has that she can trust in him.

I know I don't need to be brave all the time anymore. Even if it's difficult to admit. And I am lonely. It's only hard because I can't tell them why I feel that way - it isn't fair for them to feel bad about something they can't control. Maybe it's wrong to befriend them again when I already know them, like cheating, but it's all I have right now.

It's not as though she has much of a choice, or that she can help it. She loves too much, too fiercely, for it to be ignored forever. These people are in her heart forever.

I just have to get used to it. ]

[ No, and Charles knows he's being hypocritical here. He's told himself similar things. Have to get used to it, have to adapt, have to make the most of everything. Everything is finite, everything breaks.

I don't think it's only your decision to make, but theirs as well. You can't make it for them, Hermione.

And this Charles knows, like a scar on his heart. You can't take away that from them. Even when they don't remember. ]

[ She had always known that she and Charles were far too alike than either of them had actually admitted, and she can see it all the more now. Her throat is tight and her hands are a little shaky, but she breathes out and tilts her head up. She looks at him and she softens.

I don't know how I'd tell them. It's not something that's easy. 'I know all about you, your pain, your worlds, the things that you've been through because you told me. You told me it all and you don't even know who I am'.

She breathes out, lifting her hand to try and grip his.

Is this what it's like for you sometimes? Knowing so much that it hurts? ]

[ His hands are tight before he relaxes them. He brushes some of her hair back, his mind a rippling brook, smooth and steady.

Sometimes. Telepathy only lets you know, but it doesn't give you any answers.

He often wished it was otherwise. It's easy to look into someone's head, to pluck the right note, to open them up to healing. But Charles is an imperfect creature. He didn't always know what to say, or how to say what is needed. All he can do is navigate the course he's been given.

We're all alone. I think while it might be hard, other people might welcome the chance not to be.

He moves to kiss her forehead lightly, If anyone can do it, it's you. ]

[ They are so deeply connected in this moment, Hermione offering her mind and her thoughts to him, that for a moment she wonders if she ought to feel scared - but she doesn't. She just feels safe, and protected, and understood.

You can see things, but - there's no context? She makes a quiet guess, always desperate to learn, to understand. You know things but it doesn't mean you know what it all means, or how important it is. It must be hard.

Hermione can understand, in her own way. She had learned so much, and she remembers being Diarmuid's Master, sharing a connection with him, bright and beautiful. It must be something like that; to be able to dip into minds and see things but not really understand the true weight of it.

No one wants to know all their secrets have been told to someone else. ]

[ That's not always true, he mused, thinking about Erik. It's true Erik never opened up to him, not in the beginning. Charles has simply barreled his way through and there were consequences to that. But because he had, the ease at which they communicate now would have been a dream. A myth.

Maybe you can start small, Charles suggests, Sometimes, people don't mind losing their secrets. They simply don't know how to let go. ]

[ Maybe you're right. You are the pro.

It's a gentle tease and she fights the urge to smile at him, but it comes anyway. It's a beautiful, serious moment, but she softens.

Charles? How do you start small when you know someone is going to die? ]

[ Charles blinks.

I beg your pardon? Is someone dying on the Fleet? ]

[ And this is exactly what she meant, and she breathes out a noise.

There's a man, a friend of mine. His name is Robb Stark and when he goes home he's going to die. ]

[ Hm. Tricky.

I'm not sure. Usually, we had a way of diverting our paths. Going to another world and preventing the death from occurring, but the Atroma does not have that option. ]

[ No. We tried it in the Drabwurld, and he died there too.

A touch to the necklace around her neck - a Direwolf, resting with the other trinkets she carries as memories.

At least in the Drabwurld he doesn't have to go back to that death - he's safe there. But this Robb, this person... He's going to go home and they're all going to suffer. I wish I could help. ]

[ Charles' heart ached in tandem with hers.

We'll find another way. ]

[ Breathing out, she softens, nodding her head.

I hope you're right. I mean, you've never really been wrong before, so... ]

[ Charles scoffs silently.

I've been wrong about many things. But that's not going to stop me from trying to be right in this. ]

[ Your determination has always inspired me as well.

Her hand lifts, touching his cheek - they're connected mentally, almost intensely, and she has to bask in it for a moment.

This is why you were my Second. I could always trust you to help me figure out the knots in my mind. ]

[ I try.

He pauses, curious. I don't think I asked what that entailed. ]

[ Oh!

There's a little burst of awkwardness and a bit of humour before she shakes her head.

I was Marchioness of the White Citadel, a sort of palace for leaders of the Seelie court - the court I was placed in to opposite the Unseelie. There were five of us that lead it as a democracy of sorts, and each of us had a Second. It was meant to be someone we trusted, who could advise and help us, support us and, if necessary, take over for us if we died. ]

[ Charles' brow furrows as he tries to make sense of those terms. His mythology and folklore had always been shaky at best. He enjoyed the Greek stories because they involved early day science and philosophy. So Charles nudges at Hermione's mind gently to supply the information he needs.

So you were brought there to rule? ]

[ She offers it freely, without hesitation; the White Citadel, a rising, brilliant castle of stone ruled by five members of the Seelie court that had proven their worth to the king and queen, Solais and Ridire. She offers the other leaders - Flora, a fairy, Sir Lancelot (yes, that Lancelot), Luke Castellan, the son of a God, Nico di Angelo, her baby brother and the son of Hades, and Gabranth, another strong, fierce knight. She offers the information of diplomacy, of an army to control, people to save, and the titles - Marchioness for the females and Marquis for the men. She even offers a brief memory of a map, with the brilliant white castle as a line of defence against the Unseelie that rise high to the north, charmed and protected with layers upon layers of magic.

I was brought there to fight. Ruling was a bit of an accident on my part. ]

[ Fascinating. This seemed like a whole world, not those artificial places Charles had been dragged to. Still, fighting and ruling . . . it didn't seem like him to take part in such things. Although, he knew how he'd behave when pressed for choice. ]