Video | Day 249 | Late Evening

[excessivehubris]

[Charles has spent most of the past few days in the library. One because he was attempting to discover as much as he could about his current situation; he hadn't found much but had gotten distracted by the sheer number of books. Second because his suitemate was an insomniac with a penchant for making weird noises at all hours and third because the library was familiar, in a very unfamiliar situation.

However, he had finally come to the conclusion that he needed to explore other options in an effort to discover what he could about this land and their situation. One of those options being, talk to the other people equally trapped.

Took a little bit of time to figure out how best to work the communication system but by his second cup of tea, he had it in hand and the video came on, showing one Charles Xavier, sitting in the library with tea, a pile of papers and books at hand.]

Did that turn ... yes, yes right then it did.

Ah good [pause to check a window] good evening it would appear, too easy to lose days in this library. My name, is Charles Xavier and I have recently arrived here. While the delightful guide I was given appears to have covered the basics and a few kind souls have assisted me, to date with some of my questions I still appear to have more questions than answers.

[He had a notebook full of questions actually but he was going to try to keep this brief.]

To whit I was wondering if any of you, who have been here for some time, would be willing to talk with me about your experiences? It can be as little or as much as you're interested in sharing, I am merely curious to gain an understand of what has been going on here, what you have seen as being our contributions to or resistance against the circumstances described in this guide.

[It was a polite way of trying to ask what measures have been taken towards trying to regain the ability to go back home. Charles was not against attempting to aid people however, he was decidedly against forced entrapment.]

Thank you, in advance, for your time.

[Giving the video a smile, he reached and shifted it off transmit and over to receive.]

Comments

[video]

[ex_outofcontrol435]

[Oh, fantastic. If this takes his plans with Magneto off-schedule, no one will be able to keep him from finally giving the Profess - well, Xavier what he deserves.

In the meantime, neutrality while he waits for word on how to handle this. But silence? Hell, no.]

Back again, huh. [He holds up a hand, as though stopping Charles in his verbal tracks.] Don't ask, lemme take care of it: Pyro, one of your students, a lot of years in your future.

[video]

[excessivehubris]

[That was not the response he was expecting and for a moment he can only sit there and try to wrap his head around the implication of that pithy sentence.

A few responses shot through his head, everything from pleasure at the idea of one of his students, to a request for the young man's proper name, to anger at the idea that these gods had grabbed one of his students and back again. It was all quite a bit overwhelming to be honest and in the end, Charles decided to address the most immediate point in all that Pyro had said.]

Well, good to know we all get off that bloody beach.

[Because quite honestly, with Erik turning the missiles back on the ships and further antagonizing the humans, Charles wasn't certain any of them were going to survive the day.]

[video]

[ex_outofcontrol435]

[Naturally, Pyro doesn't have the first clue what he's talking about, but he can't quite hold back a snort.]

That's what I'm here for, to give you all the good news you can handle.

[You could scrape the irony off that sentence with a knife.]

[ Video | Private ]

[congeals]

[ Bobby's done his homework since talking with John. He's researched the network, seen Charles' previous posts. And although he's not as surprised as he could've been, it's still a shock to see him like this. ]

Hey, Professor. I'm Bobby. Bobby Drake. I know this is pretty strange, but I know you. Er, you in the future, that is. I go to your school.

And sorry for Jo-- Pyro. He's a former student, emphasis on former.

[ Video | Private ]

[excessivehubris]

[Trust him, Bobby the shock was most definitely a shared sentiment. He glances tot he video and gives the young man addressing him a tense but friendly smile.]

Hello, Bobby it is a pleasure to meet you. As I told Pyro, please call me Charles. I think that may be easier than my adopting a mien that I have not yet grown into.

[congealed]

Okay. [ He nods. ]

We should talk, Pr-- [ He stops, to correct himself. He doesn't know if he'll ever get used to using the Professor's first name. ] Charles. There's some stuff you need to know.

[Video]

[eggsterminate]

Ah, the infamous Professor. Glad to finally meet you outside a dream when you're trying to kill us. Don't worry, won't hold it against you.

Though I expected you to be... older. And more bald.

[Video]

[excessivehubris]

[Well, that was a different sort of introduction and though Charles felt his social skills up to most situations, he certainly had no idea how to even address what she said.]

Right. I believe this is why I shall say that it is best to call me, Charles as I am certainly neither famous, infamous, nor bald.

And I would be addressing?

[eggsterminate]

Well. You were in the dream. John's dream. Or Pyro as he introduces himself as. I bet he's already contacted you to have a go at you.

You can call me Oswin.

video;

[eisenrache]

[ first there was raven: beautiful, magnificent raven. she remembered everything, still believed in what they were doing and why, and it felt good. it felt good, because at least he could count on that, count on her, in ways that he hasn't learned to count on anyone else in the city. he doesn't trust the people here - john is a special case, an interesting case, but erik remains wary - doesn't trust the gods, or anything he hears. it doesn't care so much for the world or whatever it is they're supposed to be saving, because he's not supposed to be here at all.

not that it really matters - he's not supposed to be here, yet here he is. almost six months later. still here.

he's seen two different versions of raven arrive and leave. this is the third. each time it pains him in a different way, and each time it closes him up. hardens him. two versions of raven, and then two versions of charles. the first was erik's own selfish mistake, an attempt to convince him again. a second chance at the beach, in cuba. he thought that maybe, if he had the time, it would work. the second, he was wiser. older. played the part that would selfishly give him back his brother again.

now? now he doesn't know what to do, because charles has returned, again, and erik is not sure which is worse. to fall back into this obvious trick of the gods, or to simply shrug it off. two times he has tried, and two times he has failed, and he's left to wonder if it's even worth trying again.

but erik smiles anyway, a small, tight little thing. there's much that will be rehashed, and he's already begun to build himself up for it. ]

Experiences vary, my friend. And knowing this city, they won't help you as much as you may think.

video;

[excessivehubris]

[For a long while, there was no response.

Charles had seen evidence of Erik's presence and at first he had simply denied it. It seemed inconceivable that Erik would stay in a place like this without trying to bring it down around someone's ears. The metal bender was not one to tolerate being caged.

A lesson Charles had learned, in every hard way, on a beach in Cuba.

He'd opened up a communication line a few times over the past week and each time had ended up closing it without completing the communication. It was hard to think of what to say, what to ask but mostly what to say. Everything had fallen apart on that damn beach and at only a week old the wounds of multiple betrayals were still raw and bleeding.

Wind that into bumping into these young men, who knew an older version of himself, one who quite obviously disliked him the other who wanted to call him Professor. At the moment, Charles could not have felt further from the persona of 'Professor' if he put his mind to it.

Nine mutants on a beach, their lives hanging in the balance, held aloft by Erik's power alone.

Yanking himself away from the mired pain of what he'd left back on that beach, Charles forced his mind to the here and the now. There was a guarded reserve in his response.]

Erik. I shall keep that in mind, though it was not my intention to rely upon them solely. Merely a starting point to try to work in the gaps in understanding of our position and expectations.

video; and then school ate my life help D:

[eisenrache]

[ It's the little details that Erik picks up on. The length or time before he receives a response, the guard in his expression, his eyes. This was an enlightened Charles, a man who knew, understood, what Erik was. What he became on that beach - or perhaps, what he'd always been, but simply hiding away.

He holds his the small smile, his polite tone. They were brothers once, yet, but the distance between them now was too great for even Erik to try and ignore. ]

Oh I'm quite aware that was probably your intentions. I'm merely warning you that this starting point may be less helpful than you're expecting.

[ A beat, and then: ]

Though I should also congratulate you on your return.

video;

[gymnast]

[ Allison's frowning slightly at her bracelet. ] You don't remember being here, do you? [ It's obvious that he doesn't, of course, but she wants to make absolutely sure. ]

video;

[excessivehubris]

[That causes him to frown, brows pinching together.]

I ... was here before?

[The tone of his voice probably answers her question; unfortunately.]

video;

[gymnast]

[ She nods. ] You're not the first one to come back without memories of this place, either, unfortunately.

[Audio]

[occulthymns]

If people were smart they wouldn't tell a bastard like you anything.

[That's in a sour tone, because her opinion has changed slightly after not just experiencing Pyro's dream but the two of them having had kind of a breakdown-bonding moment over the extremely depressing topic of humans doing really terrible things to them.]

Re: [Audio]

[excessivehubris]

Then I shall not impose upon you further.

[Mildly spoken before he disconnects the feed.]

[Filtered Text]

[key_illusion]

What would you like to know specifically? [Because he's not going to give his life-story within Asgard.]

[Filtered Text]

[excessivehubris]

Specifically?

[Well, he can appreciate the desire to narrow down the field of topics.]

Perhaps more about how these 'gods' have gone about manipulating emotions in the past?

[Filtered Text]

[key_illusion]

If you're referring to the curses, then there are a few wide-spread ones that they've done in the past. Otherwise, they can curse someone on an individual basis for however long they want.

When I first arrived, apparently there was a man going around warning people about the "Ides of March". If they didn't listen, they were attacked by an illusion of someone they know back home.

The second one was a hugging competition, except once you hugged someone, you were stuck to them until both smiled. It was probably to make up for the first curse, but not many people were happy either way. There was also a point where a lot of people had songs stuck in their heads and would end up singing them at some point.

Another curse involved aging people up, then another for Travelers switching bodies. It's been pretty tame besides that. More annoying than anything else, but I think they've caught on that extreme measures of getting us to bring back color will result in more frustration than they want to deal with.

[video]

[notthedoctor]

[Just why someone needs to arrange Jelly Babies in rings on the toilet seat at three am is a mystery. Why someone feels the need to unhook every other ring on the shower curtain is another. The toothpaste on the mirror equations could have been straying into crazy territory. Everyone should be bathroom mates with Theta.]

Oh hello Charlie! I lost a few screws. Could have been in the bathroom. Have a care where you step. It was dark at the time.

[Is the answer really worth knowing why a half Time Lord had screws in the bathroom in the dark? Possibly not.]

[video]

[excessivehubris]

[It was not the arranging of the Jelly Babies on the toilet seat that was the problem. It was the LEAVING them there. Quite honestly the toothpaste equations on the mirror were rather fascinating, however they need to speak about the shower curtain.]

Charles, please. [Emphasis on the Charles. As for the message...]

If you are aware that you lost them, than perhaps you should take some time to find them before this evening.

[Just be glad he has the self control not to make the obvious shot about 'losing a few screws' when it comes to Theta.]

[video]

[notthedoctor]

[If Charles took a close look at the Jelly Babies, they were in a Stonehenge configuration around the rim. One could only hope Charles hadn't needed to sit instead of stand in the night. Just wait until Theta felt the need to abscond with the lightbulbs.]

Charles. Right. Charles then. [For the next five minutes.]

I might be busy then. I have a flea circus to make. You should come with me! You can help me make the flying swings. They're going to be difficult. [Charles could come with or Theta would be finding out if his new touch telepathy worked on Charles' big toe around three am.]

[Voice]

[timaeus_testified]

I haven't been here long but, if you still need more experiences I've had time to gain a few.

[Voice]

[excessivehubris]

Might you be willing to share them? [He pauses, sighs a little and then offers in a slightly sheepish tone.] I apologize, it's been suggested I narrow my questions down.

Would you tell me about the one that made the biggest impression on you?