driftfleet | (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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

She really did that? [He smiles, broad and proud. Thankfully, the pride portion translates into the softness of his voice.] Good on her. You must be proud.

[He was, when his mother took up ferrying the refugees to Avalon. Learning in the shadow of the last battle that she'd been milking them for everything they owned put a tarnish on the gleam of his pride, but he still clings to the knowledge that nothing they owned was worth the risk she put herself through.]

I am.

[ There's no mistaking Charles' pride either, though it's layered in love and nostalgia. ]

And I imagine she'll do far more in the future.

Oh, I imagine she will. In any world I've traveled, I've neither met nor heard of a version of my mother who could stand idle. Whether that was good or bad for the world depended on how her goals lined up with their's.

Perhaps. But she seems . . . alone. For the most part.

[ Lonely. Everyone's view of Mystique scares him. Even though it's clear that their bond is unique and doesn't seem to exist in other worlds, it hurts to know a large part of his life, the Eriks and the Ravens seem so . . . lost ]

When you live as long as they have, it's hard not to be.

My mother always said she had me and that was all she needed, maybe it was even true. All I know is that when she took pictures of me (and there were many), she would always write my name, the date, and what we were doing. I suppose she was afraid of forgetting me, after I died.

Kind of funny that I outlived her.

Perhaps. Or perhaps she would have preferred it that way.

Oh, I'm certain she would. But with the track record Darkholmes have of getting what they want, I'm amazed I didn't die in childhood.

Mutants rarely get what they want.

[ It's a fact. ] But Raven has always been protective of her family.

You're not telling me anything I don't know on either subject. If I had what I wanted, there'd be a tiny blue toddler running around the ships that insisted on calling you Grandpa.

[That's more Linda's dream than his, but Kurt never exactly objected to the idea of children. It would have been selfish; he was one of the first second generation mutants and the wars had reduced their numbers as well as baseline humanity's. Of course he'd pass on those genetics.]

[ A grandson. A family.

Charles doesn't trust or believe in those things anymore. He loves Raven and Erik, but that kind of dream lives in the barest of senses, an impulsive feeling to which he has no defense. ]

I'm sure you'll find other avenues to pursue - and find what's right for you.

Erik always did say you had such faith in humanity, mutant and baseline.

Thank you for not saying I'll find someone else to live that dream with.

[ A little rueful. ] It would be hypocritical of me to say that.

Like that's ever stopped anyone?

It stops me. I prefer not to be too hypocritical unless I can help it.

If that actually works for you, then you'll be doing better than god.

Let's not get carried away.

No getting carried away about it. Pick a religion and read about their gods, they're insane at worst and pompous hypocrites at best.

[ This is an odd conversation considering . . . well, Erik. Charles as well, has a bit of a god complex, not that he fully recognizes it but he has made strides in his self-awareness. ]

I'm not particularly religious by any means. I assume there are two sides to it as there would be for any kind of knowledge.

(no subject)

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