maskormenacelogs | A gentleman will walk but never run

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A gentleman will walk but never run

WHO: Charles Xavier & OPEN
WHERE: De Chima & Nonah (I’m open for other locations, just shoot me a PM)
WHEN: Various points during May
WHAT: Some specific scenes set in May but also some open prompts for the month of May. I’m also up for setting up a prompt if you want something specific!
WARNINGS: None of note but will update if necessary

Meeting with Lord Aral Vorkosigan in De Chima sometime after May 11th

[ As discussed when they met earlier in the week Charles and Lord Vorkosigan had been in contact to settle on a time and place for a more quiet meeting in which to continue their conversation.

Timing had worked out for an evening meet up at a restaurant close to StarkTech. The restaurant had good reviews and in particular that the setting was conducive to things like business talks or just talk talks.

Charles had made it a point to get out of the office on time, so he could secure a good table before too much of an evening rush crowd had arrived. Ordering himself a glass of soda water with a twist of lime, he otherwise left the menus sitting politely on the table as he waited for Aral. ]

Meeting with Hermann and Newt at their apartment in De Chima

[ While there had been a bit of strife in trying to make schedules work between the three of them, Charles was certainly looking forward to this meeting. Hermann and Newt had amused him during their conversation over the network and both men promised to be absolutely brilliant in their fields of research as well. He was looking forward to talking with them, not only about their personal situation with Newt’s power, but also their work; if the opportunity arose.

For now, he was rolling into their apartment building after having stopped off to pick up a bottle of wine. What? One did not go over to the abode of another without a proper offering, even if Charles didn’t drink anymore.

Navigating his chair into the lift, he punched in the appropriate floor and waited for the elevator to deliver him. He’d gotten better about navigating elevators and his chair and it was with little effort that he backed out of the lift and rolled down the hallway to the appropriate door. Reaching up, he rapped smartly and waiting for whomever would answer. ]

StarkTech building 3am-ish for Erik and or Tony

[ Most nights, Charles tended to stay late at work.

This was partly due to being a hopeless workaholic, partly due to the matters weighing on his mind and also due to not wanting to go home to a quiet house. So he haunted the halls of StarkTech, got to know the names of all the janitorial and security staff and stayed up late working.

Some of it was proper work, focused on innovative ideas in the field of biophysics and genetics which he then passed on to Tony for placement and production. Also known as Charles’ contributions to the Stark coffers. Some work was on the Foundation’s projects, still mostly ground work with the governments of allied countries and the US, making forward progress, step by step. Slow but progress at least.

In the late hours, though, Charles spent time on more personal projects. He was still working to draft the schematics for Cerebro and when he took a break from that detailed work (seriously the physics were almost beyond him, even with Hank’s help) he spent time working on his powers. He’d slip off to as high a floor as his clearance would allow, find an office with a wide bank of windows and settle in to stretch and train his mind.

Sometimes he’d lose hours to either Cerebro or his own training, only to surface and realize he had enough time to go home, shower and change, before having to come back and start a new day. ]

Nonah – Out and About & Open

[ Every now and then Charles did spend an entire day in Nonah taking care of basic household chores. It was an exciting life of grocery shopping, laundry and evicting rotten vegetables from the refrigerator, though he had gotten better about that last one.

Sometimes he called for a cab but if the weather was good he simply rolled to the local store and back, enjoying the exercise and the chance to enjoy the city. Every so often he’d get side tracked by a local yard sale, where he would mostly be on the lookout for books but now and then a small bookcase would catch his eye.

Today being one of those days.

So it was quite possible to come across him as he navigated his chair along a sidewalk with a two shelve bookcase balanced across his lap. Well, technically it was balanced across the arms of his chair but every so often he had to stop, re-position it and then continue.

The things this man did for a love of books. ]

Nonah – The Gym & Open

[ In the end Charles had chosen a gym that had a state of the art therapy pool with the bars and equipment necessary for him to safely get in and out of the water on his own; or at least with minimal supervision. The heated pool had been an added benefit, no doubt and that it was designed with a resistance current helped as well.

Working with a native doctor and a coach at the gym, Charles had designed a set of routines, so he didn’t have to follow the exact same exercises each session but covered the basis for good health and to strengthen his ability to manage on his own. The one constant in all the routines was time in the pool, which was where he could almost always be found, pursuing various aquatic exercises, some a little more ridiculous looking than others.

And no, he did not sport a Speedo for any of this. Proper swim trunks were required. ]

[ooc: None of these open starters suit? Please feel free to hit up the post with something completely different or contact me me on plurk or through a PM and we can set something specific up! ]

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[After a brief scuffle and a muffled, if authoritative 'Newton, please', Hermann opened the door and stood back to admit their guest. Smile a bit forced, and worrying a bit about Newton's behavior.

Because while the man was very conscientious of his own condition, he still had a tendency to muck it up on occasion- at least verbally. Nothing serious of course, but he wasn't certain how sensitive Charles might be about it.]

Glad you could make it, Dr. Xavier. I do apologize for some of the scheduling conflicts, but we have tea as promised and were just discussing ordering delivery if you have any preferences?

Dude, what the hell. I can open doors--is that wine? [To Hermann] Qubit's never brought us wine. I'm demoting him. Charles is now our designated science-invitee.

I mean hi.

I hope you're not allergic to cats--did we mention we have a cat?--we have a cat.

[ Charles tried to keep his chuckling to a modest level but it was like stepping right back into that conversation from the other day.

Giving Hermann a grateful nod, Charles rolled on through the doorway, pausing by Newt and holding out the bottle of wine, with a smile. ]

It is wine and I appreciate my new status as science-invitee but I'm perfectly willing to share that designation with Mr. Qubit.

Cat's are fine. [ He was also quick reassure Newt before glancing over to Hermann. ]

No apologies necessary gentlemen, we all know how the work goes. As for dinner I'll be alright with whatever you put before me, though someone said tea?

[Hermann closed the door, shaking his head at Newton. Oh yes, their cat.. Well that's alright then. He locked it up, then moved toward the sitting area where the furniture had been rearranged to allow Charles to park around the coffee table without hindrance]

Yes, tea. We have the usual suspects: Earl Grey, Green, Oolong, Jasmine, Chamomile, and a few others. I'll go put the kettle on and Newton can order dinner for us, then.

Thanks! [Newt examined the label and made a impressed expression (to be fair, he knew little about wine) at Hermann.]

I'll get Chinese then. Nobody dislikes Chinese, right--well, nobody dislikes pizza, but pizza and tea sounds kind of weird, so we'll go with Chinese. [He poked at the app on his phone, placed the order, and then held out the bottle of wine to Hermann.] If you're going to the kitchen, babe, you wanna take this that way?

[ Charles was staunch British, through and through and he'd been drawing in a breath to ask for the Earl Grey ~~hot~~ when Newt mentioned Chinese.

One did not drink Earl Grey with Chinese food. ]

The Oolong, if I may? [ He asked, rolling towards the spot that appeared to have been cleared for his chair and reaching down to set the brakes.

He watched the interplay between the two men (for the record the wine was not cheap swill but it was a reasonable bottle) lips curled into an amused smile. ]

I must say, you two are precisely how I imagined you.

[Sorry Charles, they spent a long time in Hong Kong so they kind of default to the Americanized Chinese food for kicks.

Hermann accepts the bottle of wine and nods, clearing his throat a bit]

Yes er, well I will.. return in a moment. Try not to be terribly forward in the meantime, Newton.

Me, forward? Hermann, consider who you're talking to. [He grins as Hermann leaves, then calls after him.] Oh! And I'll take the stuff I still have in the fridge.

[To Charles, as Newt takes a seat on the couch.] He hates that I'll drink it cold.

So...you imagined us as incredibly handsome and terribly intelligent, huh? Glad we've living up to expectations. [If Charles imagined them accurately, he did better than either of them before their first meeting.] I pictured you older, I think, but that's beside the point. You've got the benefit of the mind reading shtick, right? That's almost like cheating. [It wasn't too forward if he could smoothly transition into the topic, right? Right.]

[ Charles watched Hermann make his ~~escape?~~ exit before politely turning his attention to Newt. It wasn't particularly difficult to put his attention on Newt, the man rather demanding one's attention.

He might have taken a breath to speak after the 'terribly intelligent, huh' and again after 'I pictured you older' and even after 'mind reading shtick' before he sat and waited. There was possibly a small pause as Charles made sure that Newt had finally stopped talking long enough for a question to settle. ]

Yes, quite up to expectation and I earned my first doctorate at a young age, it's true. [ He figured Newt would put two and two together from that. ] Well I suppose it depends upon whether or not we're playing poker and I'm using it to detect if you're bluffing or not.

[Newt is so used to the way people pause, mouth sometimes a little open and ready to speak, during his talking that it almost doesn't even register that Charles might be trying to get a word in edgewise. If he really wanted to talk, he could always raise his voice and try to talk over Newt, so Newt doesn't even feel guilty--not that he ever did.]

It's cheating to predict what we're like, though. What about surprises! Although, yeah, I'll give it to you that even in writing, Hermann does come off as stodgy British professor-type, but spoiler-alert, he's actually German. I think I'm WAY cooler in person than in writing--

Your telepathy isn't an always-on, thing, right? Do people know when you're tapping into their brains? Did you read ours yet?

[ At the 'stodgy British professor-type' Charles' eyebrows rose and he considered pointing out that he was the 'stodgy British professor-type' but by the time Newt had finished talking, it really wasn't worth circling back.

Instead, he gave that small pause to ensure he was actually supposed to speak here (for the record, he found this amusing rather than annoying) and smiled as he explained. ]

My telepathy is always on, as you put it. But I am usually shielding or else I have to navigate the input of over a hundred thousand minds. [ He paused, seemed to consider it for a moment ] Give or take a few ten thousand, within the current thirty-five square mile radius.

[But you're the cool kind of 'stodgy British professor-type,' Charles. Hermann doesn't go anywhere without a sweater vest.

Newt nodded, impressed by the range and numbers. He made a gesture at his own head, kind of a handwave, then glanced towards the kitchen.]

I can't imagine having more than one extra mind rattling around in here.

Have you ever telepathically communicated with non-humans, though, let alone an AI like the Porter? ...Or whatever the Porter ultimately ends up being--sentient alien life, god, who knows.

[ Weeeellll, if you remove the word 'vest' from that sentence then ...

Charles linked his hands in his lap, struggling against his natural inclination to deflect questions like these and avoid talking too closely about his powers. It was habit, the need to obfuscate but when he'd spoken of coming here, it had been with the understanding that they would actually, talk.

Clearing his throat he unlinked and then relinked his fingers. If he'd been able to walk, he would have been pacing. ]

In a manner of speaking. I am able to utilize an amplifier back home, that while not sentient it is extremely powerful and I've learned to be a quick study; had to be really. Recently I'd also never sent my consciousness fifty years in the future before, but I managed it when the need arose.

[ He cleared his throat and shifted slightly. ]

It is my understanding that she's not always keen to talk, so there is an element of risk in making the attempt. While it is something I have considered, since I've arrived, I have been warned and it probably isn't an undertaking to be pursued lightly.

Telepathic time travel? Holy shit, dude--how does that even work? I mean, scientifically, are brainwaves or memories not inhibited by time or do you use yourself as an anchor somehow to bridge the time-gap or--what even?

[They'd been warned about messing with the Porter before, too, and Newt recalled hearing that some kids died trying to do something with it so... The risk just wasn't worth it when they weren't even sure what to DO if they could talk to her.]

Hermann, get your ass in here, you've got to hear this--

[To Charles.] Do you think... Do you think we could build something, maybe to use in conjunction with the Porter, that would let you throw your consciousness, not just around time, but around different dimensions?

Edited 2016-05-27 00:26 (UTC)

[Hermann appears at the door frame to the kitchen and takes a few steps into the living room.

The entire concept is startling on an impossible scale that takes time to even grasp. Much like the initial idea that the Kaiju were coming from a dimensional breach in the floor of the ocean. Selling that had been hard, even with evidence.

But he understands where Newton is going with this]

Newton.. I'm not saying our initial idea didn't have significant risks involved, but the Porter is unpredictable and we don't know for certain that.. [A glance to Charles] coordinating with it would be effective on any level. Although he's a telepath, Dr. Xavier is still very much human.

The kettle should be finished in a few more minutes, Doctor.

It was something of a process and involved the abilities of two other mutants and my older self at the other end. [ Charles explained, without really explaining anything probably but it was the best he could do and they had other topics to discuss.

He listened to Newt, while also glancing up when Hermann came back into the room. Flashing the other man a smile he gave a slight nod of his head. ]

No hurried and please, both of you, call me Charles.

[ Shifting in his chair, he glanced back to Newt, frowning pensively. ]

I think attempting to go multi-dimensional would definitely be a case of trying to fly before we can even walk. While I do achieve a global reach with Cerebro, the Earth is a known location, rather like being familiar with the routes on a map.

You start moving inter-dimensionaly, when we don't know what lies on the other side, would rather be like running blindfold.

And as noted [ he continued, giving a nod to Hermann ] the Porter is an unpredictable element. [ Ah but was that really true?

Charles was forced to pause, reaching up to run his hand through his hair and then amend his statement. ]

Actually, given the limitations she placed on my powers when she brought me here, I think we are best served to theorize from the position that she wouldn't support something like that.

['Call me Charles' gets Hermann a sort of 'told you so' look that's more of 'not everyone is a stickler for titles.']

That's it. I'm demoting you both. [He's teasing.] Qubit is officially back to designated science-invitee. At least he entertains cross-dimensional shit.

But, alright, so we don't try to bat 1000 the first time out of the dugout. Still. Seriously, I don't really think the Porter's going to support MOST of our ideas either way. I mean, would YOU want someone to come try to tap into your mainframe and poke around in your 'brain'? It's been my experience that that sort of thing's not met with open doors and freshly baked chocolate-chip cookies. [A knowing look at Hermann, and then Newt's back to his explanation.]

So basically, we don't know for certain that coordinating anything in this manner would be effective. We don't know is how long it will take her to react to our invasive inquiries, what kind of attempts we might ACTUALLY get past her (even just for a while), what we could learn in that time, or how she would retaliate. What it comes down to is: we can assume it's a high-risk endeavor, that, IF it works, is high-gain. [Like Newt's first Kaiju Drift.] But it's not out of the realm of possibility. And I think that makes it worth trying. [Okay, now Newt could admit he was being a little too forward too soon, but it was said and there was no take-backs.]

[Hermann rolls his eyes and shares something of an exasperated look with Charles. While still listening, of course, though he looks to be on the verge of interruption several times]

Well I admit that in the interest of gaining information, our method does hold merit. The Porter won't expect such an attack, but we also won't have much control over what information we do get. The obvious argument of course is the danger inherent in making such an attempt, but much like the Jaegers, I believe that two brains are better than one.

Now what we haven't considered previously, is if the attack were to be two-tiered, then our success rate is much higher overall. We'd 'hack' into its cognitive processes, and then perhaps Charles here could follow up on the information we glean. I'd only be concerned with preserving the data if any of us were unable to communicate it.

Because the fact remains we'd all be putting our minds and lives at substantial risk.

[ As first Newt and then Hermann started talking, Charles' expression shifted towards a frown that grew to a worried frown and he sat forward. ]

Gentlemen, hold up a moment. [ He said, in a calm but firm tone, as it seemed that Newt liked to talk and Hermann was used to having to talk over him. ]

Why are you talking about attacking the Porter? Perhaps I was not clear over the network, but I have no interest in attacking her as I can promise you both that will end in disaster for those who try.

[ He didn't need Tony to tell him that, just look back at what had happened in the immediate past. ]

I was talking about trying to reach out to her, to communicate with her, perhaps ultimately to find a way to reason with her in an effort to understand what she wants with us here and what input we might have in our future here.

From my understanding, even a peaceful overture like that might be misconstrued by her as aggressive. I don't believe any of us want to imagine what an attack would be seen as or what the result would be.

[His hands flew up defensively.] NoNoNoNoNo. I never said we'd attack her--not directly-- Wait. Hold up. I guess I sort of- But--even a peaceful overture might be misconstrued as aggressive.

You want to ask nicely. And I- I appreciate that. I tried to chat up LACKEY during the time in the submarine. She wasn't very forthcoming. Soviet, American, I don't think the Porters actually have an alliance, so we can't blame LACKEY's politics entirely for that. And I think there's a lot we could learn if we can just understand how the Porter thinks. But there is information we want that I don't think asking nicely is going to get us--I think it's been tried. Sometimes you have to break a few eggs, even at the risk of frying your brain.

[He stopped and glanced suddenly at Hermann, as if there as an unspoken, cautious warning of ...Newton hanging in the air.]

Look, no matter how you toss it, if the Porter doesn't want to even discuss it...it's an attack and I think we have to be prepared for repercussions.

[He brought his gaze back to Charles, then down to his hands. He twisted his pinkie ring and let out a deep breath and, earnestly asked:] Do you think you can broker a discussion, because if you can-- I'd be willing to go that route.

[Looking up at his Drift Partner, head slightly tilted in inquiry: ...Hermann?]

[Hermann frowns something that's near to an unintentional glare as he eyes Newton and his brows pinch.

He's not a violent man by nature, but simply asking and hoping for an answer sounds pointlessly naive. He shifts his weight, expression shifting through indecision, then looks back to Charles]

It's not going to work. Much like any negotiation, the olive branch is a formality overture before the real demands are brokered. So you're free to try, but I'd be prepared to take more aggressive measures because whatever's in that Porter isn't Lachesis anymore- if it ever was. And it doesn't want to be bothered. She's either gone, reborn into human form if you believe the rumors, or corrup-

[Something beeps in the kitchen and Hermann glances back] -ted.

[Sigh] The water is finished; I'll be along with the tea in a moment then. Wouldn't want it to overboil.

Edited 2016-05-29 19:54 (UTC)

[ To be fair, Charles comes by his naive label honestly.

He did listen to both men, glancing between them as they spoke before sitting back with a pensive, worried expression on his face. ]

I understand what you're saying. [ He began. ] But you're still speaking from a position of assumptions.

[ And perhaps from the position of making an attempt with the element of surprise on their side, as Charles had to acknowledge his own approach, if it failed, might expose their hand. ]

I respect that attempting a peaceful approach and failing would expose our intentions and perhaps provide the Porter with a ... heads up that imPorts were trying to get information from her. I also respect that she and LACKEY from the sound of it are quite alien in their perspective.

But they are still sentient and deserve to be approached as reasonable beings, not summarily hacked. That approach will push her onto the defensive and do you honestly believe you can come from a position where you could over power her if she retaliates?

[ The question was genuine, not rhetorical. ]

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A gentleman will walk but never run

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feel free to skip Hermann for a round or two if you want them to chat rq

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