SEVENTY NINE ✖ VIDEO

[wedonot]

[He's been here long enough to witness this event two previous times, and it's always been strange, and often a little upsetting. More than a little, actually. But it's hard to resist knowing that he might be able to hear from people back home he hasn't seen in far too long, so he does eventually click on the feed to see who's out there this time.

He's sitting at his desk, and is fiddling with a little plastic figurine of a weird looking bug creature. (The others are on the desk nearby.) He smiles]

This is [There's a fraction of a second of hesitation as he debates at the last second whether or not ] Dr. Charles Xavier. If Sean, Hank and Armando are out there, I would very much appreciate hearing from you.

[Although he will also take calls from anyone else as well. c:]

Comments

[nobelist]

A friendly one. An' a business one, of sorts, later on. I run a mutant research facility.

[wecanavenge]

What sort of research? [His voice is hard. Logic says Charles would never back something that wasn't on the up and up, but memories have a way of swaying reaction.]

[nobelist]

[Her voice grows heavy.] Some mutants - their abilities make their lives more difficult than they ought to. I try an figure' ways to help them handle it.

General knowledge helps, as well - most hospitals have no way t'deal with mutant physiologies. [A thin, sharp smile.] Granted, most don't care t'know, but we try.

[wecanavenge]

[She helps them. That is. Not what he expected, though it really should have been.]

The world knows we exist?

[nobelist]

[She nods.] For years, now. It's been...difficult, I'm afraid.

Charles' school is a secret, still. [A beat, and a sad smile.] Well. Yuir school, now.

[wecanavenge]

My school.

[It's still a nice thought, a dream that's inching closer to reality. He's going to get up and walk and they are going to turn that big manor into something more. There's a little smile in response, though it fades when he recognizes her sadness.]

What happened?

[nobelist]

[It's nice, still, to see him smile.]

Charles - he was in a bad way. [He was dying, but she won't tell him that.] He's - left, to see if he can be helped.

He asked our Erik t'be headmaster in his place.

[wecanavenge]

And there weren't riots? [So dry.]

[nobelist]

Most o' the public hasn't seen you with tha' ridiculous helmet off.

[wecanavenge]

I'm surprised your Xavier asked him to take over.

[nobelist]

He'd changed. Still wants what's best for mutants, o' course, but he realised he wasn't getting it, the way he was going. [And she respects that. It's hard, to face yourself and come up wanting; harder still to make the changes you need.]

[wecanavenge]

[Wow.

That is not what he expected to hear about this other him. Ever, really. It's a burden and a weightlessness in one: another version of himself did this, maybe did this on his own. Changed.

And Erik can't help but recognize that he is different, now. ]

And now he runs the school. [That's what he plans to do, more or less.]

[nobelist]

He does. With some growing pains, surely, but... [She remembers thinking their children lost, and the aching, desperate hope he confided in her.] He cares deeply for those kids. He'd do anything for them, an' I imagine they know it by now.