i - d. 339 - joint post - video

[leidenschaft]

[the video is a bit shaky because - well, it’s moving from one person to another. someone gruffly says,]

You do it.

[there is a rough, hurried sort of whisper from someone trying to be quiet but at the same time understandably frustrated.] Me? What on earth am I supposed to say?

I don’t know, Charles. I’ve spent the last few hours talking to people, I’m tired. Say something. Anything. [pause] Not …. regular things. [he looks at charles, expecting him to understand this just by looking. but when he doesn’t register a word, erik repeats, rather impatiently,] Things.

[the english voice again:] Oh, because I haven’t? For heaven’s sake - give it here - [and the video finally focuses on the man in the cardigan]

Uh - hello. My name is Charles Xavier and this is my - [a pause. they’ve only just met for the first time after the cuban crisis and while he agrees that they should put that aside to deal with the immediate crisis, yes okay, god - well. things.] - my associate, Erik Lehnsherr. Who some of you may have already met. As well as myself. And we would like to -

-- we? [wait. there’s something more offensive - ] Associate?

Look, you said I was to do the talking, I get to do the talking my way.

Yes, but - [slight growling.] We agreed.

I’m trying to sound professional. Will you just - [hushed whispering again] - yes I know what we agreed, but this is hardly the time to bring me to task over terminology.

That’s not what I’m doing. [and then - ] Fine.

[charles looks somewhat remorseful and returns to the video.] As I was saying, I’m Charles and this is my friend, Erik. [he is looking at this video camera with the most deadpan look he can manage despite thinking he sounds like a seven-year-old.] We come from the planet Earth in the year nineteen-sixty-two, for what that’s worth to anyone. And while we’re up to speed on the situation at hand, we - [turning to erik - erik turns the camera away again] - what do we want? I mean obviously we want to make sure we haven’t managed to miss anyone we know from home.

[erik is quiet for a bit, considering, and then he turns the camera to him and says,] We would very much like to talk to those who are familiar with our names and our work. [in a hushed tone to charles:] I don’t know if ‘work’ is the right word. But -- well --

No, work...works. Um. Oh! If there’s any more information on our new location, whether personal or from a third source --

-- I can tell you about that. [annoyed.]

You’ve been here all of five minutes, I was thinking more along the lines of a history book.

I’ve been around. [an annoyed huff.] I can tell you things. [wait, that’s not very eloquent.] I’d be glad to accompany you to the library. [THERE.]

Well. Thank you. And if anyone else out there has recommended reading or would simply like to say hello, then feel free. We’re - [oh no it’s too late and rude to switch to singular pronouns and let’s face it the next part is a blatant lie] - friendly. [he didn’t use ‘very’ on your behalf, asgard.]

[erik, on the background, looks like he was about to say something to that again, but decides not to. he turns the feed off.]



ooc; erik and charles will reply. rather slowly. BUT WE'RE HERE, WE PROMISE

Comments

[cerebral]

Oh my God. [Charles makes the most disgusted face. And then his voice starts to rise:] I wasn't spying on her, I made her a promise never to look into her mind when we were teenagers. A promise that I broke on the beach because I knew she was torn between staying and going because I'd just been shot. That's when I saw! For God's sake, I don't go spying on the intimate details of people's sex life, let alone either of you two. It was just - there. At the surface. Since it had happened the night before. But thank you for letting me know how little you think of me.

[leidenschaft]

[goddamit. goddamn everything. he shuts off the communicator for now.] Alright, so you don't - fine. You don't. That was my mistake. But it still astounds me that out of all of the things you could accuse me of with this person, that's the first thing you tell me about. You could've said anything else - my god, if you accused me of anything regarding the submarine or Cuba, I would've understood that. I would've accepted that. But no, this is - this is different, and if you expect me to believe otherwise, you're wrong. I'm a lot of things, and some of that I regret, but I'm not an idiot!

[cerebral]

I know you're not, present exception aside. I don't usually think of myself as an idiot, either. And yet.

[His voice loses its harshness. In fact, Charles looks unusually chagrined and disgruntled as he forces himself to say what is hopefully the right thing - or at least the honest thing. Possibly because he made sure people didn't pay attention to his discomfort before and because he knew how to perfectly cater his replies.] It's - easy to become swept up. We're meant to be social creatures but we're forced to live partially solitary lives, so when you meet people you identify with, it's very easy to become swept up. Even if you do have people around you, because having a few things in common isn't enough sometimes. And I'm sorry for assuming that - the two of you - but with the, you know, I thought. [He will refrain from gesturing, thank God.] She's my sister. Only I suppose with everything as it is now, and the fact that there's no biological ties connecting us -

[He gives a very deep and frustrated sigh. Oh my God what are feelings, how does he life without telepathy.] Please don't let her get disappointed twice. That's all. It's not really a comment on you, but all the same. Please don't.

[He's very sullen and pink in the face and frowning.] And we've said all that needs to be said about Cuba and submarines. Well - [No, he's not going to bring that up.]

[leidenschaft]

[erik tries to calm down, at least, since charles did try to at least reason to him in a way that's not entirely just anger. or just accusations. he takes a deep breath, sighs, and says to him,]

You can't just win your arguments just by being honest, Charles. That won't always work.

[i can't promise you anything.

maybe there was a time, before then, that he would've said yes - i would never - i will make sure - but now, after hearing about himself from pyro, and from the others, he's not so sure anymore.]

We're both tired and angry. Let's not continue this before we regret it even more.

[cerebral]

I'm not trying to win anything, I'm trying to communicate. [It's said wearily and Charles leans forward in his chair, pressing the tips of his fingers to his forehead. It is very easy to blame and be hostile to one another. It is much more difficult for the person used to giving away so little of himself to actually talk, but someone needs to know the other person's mind.] Just listen to me, please. I haven't had anyone to talk to in months. [He'd sent Moira away. Hank needed help coming to terms with his own anger. Sean and Alex were wonderful, but young. It had felt like too much to place on them along with everything else.]

I know you offered me your hand and I really don't think my accident was your fault. And for all the hatred I knew you were feeling that day, you didn't kill Moira when you could have done so easily. But you didn't. [If he had, Charles wouldn't have been hit. Erik was trying not to kill someone despite all the hatred he felt towards humanity that day. That was a good thing in Charles' eyes.] It was only after you had left that I realised I couldn't feel my legs. But emotions are not rational. I know what happened, I know the order of things, but it still felt like being abandoned. I'm not sure it was necessarily by you - even if you'd stayed, I might have still felt the same. I suppose it's that your absence didn't make things any easier.

And that - all that - is exacerbating this. [He throws up his hands to indicate everything around them.] Don't laugh, or make some pithy comment, please. I realise this is how it normally is for people who aren't telepaths and we're all dealing with the same thing, so I feel utterly ridiculous for talking about myself. It's just that it's rather a lot. [He gives him a quick side-ways glance, before adding:] I'm not sure I trust myself, either. I've been questioning whether I've slipped back into sharing your company because it's easy and safe than for the right reasons. But at the same time - well, I'm glad you're here. I really am. And I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions and being difficult.

[leidenschaft]

[erik doesn't say anything, and only stood there, listening to charles talk; once or twice he wanted to protest, but he never did. when charles was finished, it takes him a while before he says,]

I've done many things.

And if my future here is to be believed, starting from these other children -- I will not stop from where we left off.

I am glad to be with you. It's how it should be - it's how everything should be. And I regret leaving you. I wish I could make more explanations as for that, but I have nothing that would be suitable, and besides, even back then - I think you already knew that there wouldn't be anything that would suffice.

[he holds his hand.] I'm glad you're here. It may not be the most ideal of places, but we're on the same side. Strange that it takes a cosmic kidnapping for that to happen, but I suppose it takes all kinds, regardless of what news the future might bring.

For the record, I apologize, as well. I know you love her. I shouldn't have assumed.

[cerebral]

You've done good things, too, along the way. And it wasn't pure rage or hatred, there was grief. That comes from love. And while I highly doubt you want me to give an impromptu lecture on multiversal and time travel theory explaining how the future is not set in stone, I will say this - I have seen the best of you, Erik. And I'll never give up hope that one day you'll see it, too.

[It's said with a quiet ferocity. He almost feels a little embarrassed by it when he realises that - now that he can't walk over to a window or something - he's essentially stuck holding Erik's hand. Instead, he looks down and away while contemplating the rest.]

You're right - I was angry and in pain. We were both - well. There's no point in describing something you were there for. I know you want it to go back to how it was, but there's still going to be times like this when things are raw and we're fools if we think otherwise. You said we were brothers, before. Take it from me; siblings fight.