wedonot | FORTY EIGHT ✖ VIDEO

[Moira's done her homework beyond the whole just rolling with the bare bones she's been told about the Barge already, but she's not going to be letting that on. In her experience, it's been better to play your cards close to the vest until you're really sure of what's going on, here, and so she just smiles politely at the camera and doesn't let on that it 1. took her a minute or two to figure out how to work the comm in the first place and 2. that she's already poked around through some of the public stuff on the network to familiarize herself with the situation and know what she was getting herself into.]

My name's Moira MacTaggert, and I guess I'll be filling in for Charles for the next few days. [Her smile goes from polite to somewhere between fond and wry.] I guess I shouldn't really be surprised he thought this would be an interesting place to spend a few months. Redemption's right up his alley. I just hope he hasn't subjected too many of you to his genetics pick up lines.

[There's a brief moment where the smile fades slightly and it almost looks like she's debating saying something else, because she really wants to ask how he's doing here. The last time she checked (... a few hours ago, really, from her perspective), he wasn't exactly the happiest camper, but as much as she's worried, she doesn't want to just let everyone know he's been struggling, because Charles doesn't want people to know.

So she drops it, resolving to ask Alex, if he's really here, and otherwise hope for the best.]

Anyway, if anyone needs him for anything, I can't promise I'll be able to really fill in for him, but I'll do my best if you're willing to give me a shot.

[Private to Erik]

[Again, Moira's done her homework, and so she knows who's living right next door and that's... slightly unsettling, considering the last time they'd seen each other had involved the two of them accidentally paralyzing Charles and then Erik trying to kill her for it.

But she's not a coward, and she'd rather get this conversation out of the way sooner rather than later, so once she figures out how to use the communicator's filters, she's letting him know she knows who's on the other side of the wall.]

I know you're here, Lensherr.

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Is Charles really okay?

[It's not that she doesn't believe Erik, but. She would not mind corroboration. B(]

[The thing about Moira is it's hard to lie to her face, so Alex just goes for balls-out honesty for once.]

I don't know. He's a hundred times better than he was, uh, after, but he doesn't ever say if there is a problem, so I don't know what to tell you.

. . . He really thinks Erik's gonna get redeemed and come home, and I still don't know what to think about that, but he's different, too. Erik.

[Which just brings the Vanquish thing to mind but that is not his story to tell, not even a little.]

["Better" is honestly a better answer than she was hoping for, before she talked to anyone, because man. Charles was pretty messed up, and the idea of him coping with all of that here of all places was kind of decidedly not good.

But it's the thing about Erik that catches her attention, and she doesn't bother to hide the confusion, and maybe some wariness that comes along with it.]

What do you mean?

I don't know. He -

[How to articulate this? Alex can't even put his finger on it himself, but there's definitely something different, something important. Not just with the way Erik talks to Charles, but with the way he talks to everyone.]

He's been here for a long time, and - I don't know. It just seems like he's actually trying.

[Moira's not really sure how she feels about that, if only because she definitely hasn't had the time to relearn how to trust Erik that Charles apparently had, and she doesn't want to see him get hurt again, or for Erik to hurt anyone else.

But. She did trust Charles, and if he really thought this was legitimate...]

I guess stranger things have happened.

[dryly. bitterly.] Give me an example.

Everything that's happened in the last year's been pretty strange, Alex.

Stranger than him actively trying to change?

I don't know, weighing him being so stubborn against seeing a woman turn into crystal and a guy teleport away with an important military figure is kinda tough.

Oh, so you mean stranger to you, not me.

I'm not saying you should forgive him or even be excited about giving him a second chance - God knows I'm not - but you seriously think this is the strangest thing you've ever seen?

Yeah, I do. That other stuff isn't strange to me anymore. It just . . . is.

I didn't mean it was for me either, anymore.

So what did you mean?

I've had a strange year.

Me, too. But I wasn't sure Charles was ever going to be himself again, but it seems like he's as close as he's going to get, and him and Erik - it's not the same, but it's not like it was at the end, either. They're not enemies anymore. And I never thought that was going to happen, so I'm going to stick with this as pretty damn strange, if that's all right.

That's more than alright, Alex.

Okay.

[Slowly gets less steamed. B(]

Are you okay?

I'm fine.

I just [miss you a bit] am happy to see you. Even if it's here. It's cool, it's been [like a year] a couple months.

I didn't realize you'd been here for that long.

Yeah. It's been interesting.

Are you alright?

I really am.

[Maybe crosses fingers a little.]

[Yeah she is not sure how much she believes you, but she can respect not wanting to talk about feels. B(]

Are there any more alternate universe teenage kids belonging to people I know waiting to pop up?

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