wedonot | FORTY THREE ✖ VIDEO

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FORTY THREE ✖ VIDEO

[Private to the Admiral, backdated to after presents arrive]

Please confiscate any alcohol Tony's been given for Christmas. I know that sort of makes me the Grinch, but I'd rather he not get his suit confiscated two days after he got it back.

[And the rest of the post is present dated!]

[Public]

Thank you all for the gifts. Nice that we actually had a more or less quiet month, rather than being dumped in another Overlook Hotel-style port. [Which is being said dryly, but seriously. This is the first nice port they've had in months, mistletoe is pretty low on the totem pole in terms of horrible things that could have happened this month.

He almost looks like he's considering switching off the feed and leaving it at that, but reconsiders.] I had a discussion with Agent Carter while we were in port about how the city had changed over the years, particularly after the Blitz. For those of you unfamiliar with Earth history, from September of 1940 to May of 1941, Germany launched a series of strategic bombing raids against the United Kingdom, targeting ports, industrial centers and other civilian targets, killing around forty thousand civilians in the process. The goal was to demoralize the British populace, because at the time, Britain was one of the few powers standing against Nazi Germany.

Obviously, it didn't work, and Germany and the other Axis powers would lose the war four years later. After the attacks ended, people were left to pick up the pieces left behind and restart their lives. [Which he hadn't really been around for. By the time he'd seen London again, everything had been more or less tidied up.]

Rebuilding wasn't simply people trying to bury the bad memories or pretend none of it ever happened. Like any traumatic situation, what you get out of it depends largely on how you're willing to move forward. You can become bitter and jaded, or you can make peace with the memories without forgetting what happened and try to move forward and prove you're stronger for surviving. It all depends on how you choose to look at it.

That certainly doesn't mean it's easy, but it is possible.

[Private to Erik]

[He's almost tempted to ask what the hell this backwards robe thing is, but it's actually kind of awesome and you are definitely going to mock him if he admits that, so he reconsiders fairly quickly.]

I might have volunteered us to help Yen Sid train anyone interested in learning how to better control their abilities. [There's maybe an unspoken "sorry" tacked in there. :v] And Tony's given me about a hundred movies we've apparently missed out on, if you're ever interested in expanding your modern film horizons beyond Jaws.

[Private to Tony]

[So, the last time he told you you were a good person, you started the robot infestation and sent a few after Erik singing "Springtime for Hitler". Charles is - unshockingly - not looking to cause a repeat of that incident, here.

But at the same time, he doesn't want to just let this slide by without some kind of acknowledgement, so he's trying to think of a way to make this clear without making too big of a deal out of it.]

I got my hands on a computer. Thank you. [Short and simple seems like the way to go, even though he's totally 100% sincere about this. Seriously. :c But uh changing the topic] And if you have more film suggestions after I've finished Star Wars and Lord of the Rings, let me know.

[Private to Pepper]

Thank you for the books. I've been hearing people talk about them quite a bit, but haven't had opportunity to read them yet. [And, well. He's always sort of been a sucker for fantasy when he's not got his nose buried in some boring scientific text.]

... And you really don't need to apologize. And I know our situations are a bit different- [Tony and Erik are both handfuls, but in decidedly different ways, and also Charles isn't dating him, so there's that.] But I was serious, about understanding where you're coming from. It's hard, having someone you care about trapped here, and if there's anything more I can do to help, please don't hesitate to let me know.

[Private to Arkady]

[And he's smiling sort of sheepishly.] Do you mind if I ask what the key's for?

[Spam for Jean]

[Jean's gift has, honestly, sort of caught Charles entirely off guard. It's not the cookies or the books - even though it's been strange to thumb through them, and he's definitely going to let Erik get a look at them when he's done - but the note that pretty much floors him, because when you've felt pretty alone and told you're a disaster of a mentor, it's still always really nice to hear that someone cares about you anyway.

He's been going back and forth on what exactly to say about it - and his usual people to go to for advice are either A. hilariously under qualified or B. gone - and eventually just decides to go talk to her in person instead of contacting her over the network.

So that would be a knock at you door, Jean.]

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[Jean is at her desk, reading on of the books Wanda gave her and glancing, every now and then, at the picture of Annie that now sits there. She doesn't register the knock, at first, but she rushes to the door when she does.

Her eyes widen, a bit, before she grins. It's still kind of strange, looking up at him.]

Hey.

[Charles smiles, but he still doesn't really know what he was planning on doing here, really. He isn't really the sort of person to just walk up to someone and hug them as a way of saying thank you. (This is why you should hug your children more, parents in the audience.)]

Hello. I'm not interrupting anything am I?

[Jean shakes her head, stepping back for him to come inside.]

No, just reading one of my gifts.

[Her smile widens as she dips her head.]

I was going to - thanks. For everything.

[Charles chuckles because, well.] That's exactly what I was coming here to say.

I won't say I'm glad you're here - the fact that any of us have to be here is incredibly depressing, if I'm being honest, considering what we get put through from time to time - but [And he's sobering a little, letting the just joking tone drop from his voice to be totally sincere.] I'm very glad to have met you.