maskormenacelogs | Catchall for July

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Catchall for July

WHO: Charles Xavier, Charles!clone and You!
WHERE: A bit of everywhere.
WHEN: July
WHAT: Meetings, powers training, random encounters, clone-a-rama.
WARNINGS: TBA, Charles clone is likely to use telepathy without IC consent. Here is my telepathy permission post if you want to opt out of that.

MEET CHARLES

a. home, still at Nonah
Charles lives in Nonah, in individual housing with Erik, Jean and Wanda. It's a two story building but with no stairs at the front and no thresholds that would make it hard to navigate with a wheelchair. If he has invited you into his home, he'll be waiting with a pot of tea and a tin of cookies. But if you're a chance visitor, he will welcome you just as warmly.

He's gathering his bearings finally and actually made a home for himself in the bedroom that used to be his, claimed some space around the house by piles of books often forgotten onto the tables and good scotch in a reachable cupboard in the kitchen. He's no longer red as a lobster what was going on after the beach episode of Swear-ins and Erik finally convinced him to have a haircut. Gone is the mullet and back is the 60's floppy hair-do. You might even catch him wearing a t-shirt, maybe with an X-men logo on it or a silly slogan, he got a few of those from Fanport.

Let's have a cup of tea or a game of chess, or just good conversation.

b. powers training at the danger room / Maria-Francis Foundation
The Maria-Francis Foundation building resides in ~~Nonah~~ De Chima. In the basement there is a wide space that Erik has been working with all month to get up and running as a powers training centre. The building is modern and tall, and Charles has taken a habit of waiting the people he's made appointments with at the front lobby.

He's excited to get the actual training started, get those hours in and grind some practice into people who have contacted him.

If you're not here for powers training, you can find him in the office, going through the Foundation's paperwork. You're damn right he's snooping on his own business. What of it?

c. interview, wherever seems convenient
Perhaps you're meeting him in a cafe or a park, he'll even agree to go the beach if that's convenient for you. What he's interested in is learning about what you have to say after all. Charles is very curious about what has aspired in this world before his time and how to put the details together into a cohesive picture in his mind.

He's quick to greet you with a smile and a warm handshake. Please, sit down. Would you like a cup of tea or coffee first? Do you mind if he makes some quick notes while you're discussing?

d. wildcard
Would you like something else? Perhaps run into him in the library or find him feeding pigeons one fine morning in the park? Maybe he was supposed to come to you? Are you having a dinner out? Are you one of the people he keeps an eye on and something is going awfully wrong? He would find a way to contact you. Throw me a bone, I'll run with it.

MEET THE CLONE

e. random encounter
Charles, the clone, looks and sounds exactly like the original but he doesn't have the stylish wheelchair with big X-symbols on the wheels. A big giveaway? Maybe not. His flippant attitude is probably the big neon sign that you weren't expecting. Wherever you meet - cafe, library, school, even the Foundation building - he's going to greet you with a sunny smile and a warm handshake, introduce himself if necessary and especially if you're a pretty brunette, he will flirt playfully while falling short with playing the caring and concerned game that Charles excels at.

He's going to be a little bit impatient, unlikely to avoid using his gifts even if you ask him to and multitasking to the max. Good luck catching all of his attention at any given time. But he's new to his powers, and easily overwhelmed.

f. for those he's interacted with before
As time goes by, he will start targeting Charles' friends and family. He'll find them at their work places or stage a random meeting elsewhere. Once or twice he'll even wander into the house in Nonah. You might find him at the kitchen having a cup of tea and leafing a genetics book, or perhaps wandering around, looking at pictures and fingering everything with curiosity. Or rolling into your workplace with a sunny smile and a suggestion to grab an early lunch.

g. wildcard
Something else you had in your mind? I'm an open book, come at me, bruh!

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[ He probably is as light as a feather right now. But - he pictures himself as a bird, and how light his body feels when he's caught a good thermal above town. How good it feels to just glide over everything, wings outstretched.

Slowly but surely, he relaxes. Releasing his white-knuckled grip on his power, letting Charles hold onto it for him instead. ]

[ And Charles does. He's lulling Miles deeper and deeper into the relaxation, smiling to himself as he feels the way he gives in and just exists in the wind breeze. ]

Now, I want you to become aware of yourself. There's no need to tense up, just hold onto this feeling of good, easy relaxation.

Don't do anything yet, just regard your own power. Feel it. Think about it. Observe it without taking any actions. Where does it connect with you? What part of you it fills?

And if you start feeling anxious again, just count to eight. Remember your wings. How the wind carries you.

Easier said than done ...

[ But he really, really tries to relax. Just - lets himself go, lets himself turn mentally towards that mental rope. He sees it a something he uses to haul himself up - or lower himself down. At the same time, he also doesn't really perceive it as something that's a part of him, the way his telepathy or his bird transformation is. Both of those powers flow seamlessly into him; this power has been exiled, cut off. An obstacle to fight against.

He sucks in another breath, forcing himself to relax. Wings. Right. ]

[ Charles hums into his mind wordlessly for a moment, reaching out to lay a hand on his shoulder. Of course it's just a mental suggestion of the sensation, neural impulses, but it's aimed to be a reassurance, a little bit of something he can lean back onto if he wishes. ]

Just look at it, I'm not asking you to use it right now. Just looking. You can't fall off a robe when you have wings.

It's just there. Do you think you would like to touch it? Not climb it not do anything else but just touch lightly. [ There's gentle understanding in Charles' voice, not a single hint of impatience. He knows this feeling. He's been there with his own powers several times in his life. ]

Edited 2017-08-12 12:02 (UTC)

[ Miles leans into Charles gladly. (With a pang of loneliness, again - this sensation reminds him quite keenly of Gregor.

Reluctantly, he turns towards that rope inside his head. He's scared even to touch it; the precariousness of his control makes him feel as though he would fall if he disturbed even this delicate balance. But Charles has him, dammit. He won't get any smaller. ]

I suppose I could try that.

[ He reaches out carefully. Wrapping mental fingers around the rope, just feeling it out. ]

Yes, I have you.[ Charles reassures him somewhere beside his ear. He watches with a smile as Miles goes to reach out. He makes sure Miles can't fall any further, but can feel his way around with his power safely, get used to it. There's no hurry, just quiet and calm. ]

It is part of you, just like the telepathy. Don't be afraid of it.

[ Charles can surely feel Miles' creeping discomfort with it. Not just the lack of control - though that's part of it - but his frustration at this place giving him something that should let him modify himself in a way he likes, but in reality just makes his perceived physical inadequacies all the worse. ]

I just don't like it, damn it. I'm small enough without this bullshit to deal with too.

[ Charles gives a soft hum and squeezes Miles' shoulder for a moment, just to make sure he knows he's not alone. ]

But it gives you the ability to control that, don't you think? At least a part of it is under your control. You can decide whether you're small or big. That is both useful and rather helpful.

Think about it, my friend.

[ A sort of mental grumble at that - and a memory of using his power to get bigger, to the size he thinks he should be at. Something "normal." He can do it, yes, but his frail bones don't scale up well, and the resulting agony makes it impossible to maintain. ]

If I could actually manage to stay taller for a while, I could agree with you.

[ Oh that is very unfortunate. Charles sighs, regretting the fact that both of their broken bodies are such an inconvenient thing. ]

I hear you. But at least control would give you the opportunity to stay as you are and not shrink while you're sleeping.

I think you're lucky. Having this at your disposal.

[ That is why he came here, after all. He supposes he should stop being such a stubborn ass about the whole thing. ]

I would appreciate that. It's - difficult to get back when it happens. Perhaps my next step is making it useful too.

[ The thoughts that echo in Miles' head about being a stubborn ass make Charles smile. He needs to want to make it work, otherwise it won't. ]

I could imagine several ways this ability could be extremely useful.

Can't you?

[ He's going to try, dammit. He really is.

At Charles' question, a quick mental image comes to mind: Miles stranded in his office during a blackout with barely any food left, with all the rest of the supplies having been given away or stolen. He'd survived for three days on a couple of crackers, courtesy of this power. He knows there's merit. ]

I can. Hell, I've used it. I suppose I ought to be more comfortable with it.

I understand your misgivings towards it, though.

[ Charles urges him gently to grab the rope, wordlessly reaching out with him, like this... ]

I was completely unable to use my telepathy for several years during the sixties. I had convinced myself that I couldn't handle it. Then someone helped me to understand that it was my own fear that kept me back. And when you realise that it's just fear, nothing else, you can live with it.

[ Just fear, huh. At Charles' urging, he reaches out for the rope again. Tugging a bit on it unprompted, just sort of letting himself drift up without really focusing on it. Don't be afraid. He won't get any smaller ...

Slowly, he begins to grow larger on the seat. Moving from a pinprick to properly visible, at least, and going up from there. ]

Who was that? Erik?

[ Charles doesn't call any attention to it, not yet, because Miles is doing it, on his own. ]

Erik... well, partly yes. His approach to it was to tell me that I had failed everyone, I had abandoned them. It did make me want to rise up to the occasion and prove him wrong. But mostly it was another mutant called Logan and my own future self.

They impressed me with the idea that my telepathy was the most precious thing I could have, the ability to help others, to support them and to carry their burden with them. All I wanted was to be left alone. I thought I couldn't handle it, I didn't want to hear single voice inside my head that wasn't my own. Because all they had was pain and anger and fear and that was all I had.

But then I realised that there was no reason why I couldn't help them to get past that. And while I did that, I felt that it was easier for me to get past my own pain.

[ Slowly but surely, he creeps up. It's still draining, but - distracted like this he can sort of fall into it. Floating to the surface of a lake. He returns to the (still small) scale he was before, then floats past it to a foot or so. He's getting there. ]

Helping others is the first step in helping yourself, I find. [ His telepathic murmur is sympathetic, understanding. ] it always helped me get out of ruts before.

[ Charles is still just watching him go, not helping, not urging, just waiting for him to get it done on his own pace, nice and sweet. Charles just gently holds the rear, making sure he can't fall back. ]

Yes, I agree. It's become something of a lifeline, I'll be honest. My life was completely different before I lost my legs.

[ He slips a few times, but thanks to Charles' careful presence he doesn't fall. Slowly but surely, he hauls himself back up to around the 3'6" mark - still too small, but on a relatively normal scale. Here, though, a horrible leaden heat settles into his bones, making every inch past that point excruciatingly difficult to regain. Despite his small stature, Miles is still just a little too tall for his delicate bones to sustain. This pain is depressingly normal - but still hard to go back to when he gets a chance to avoid it. ]

Ah? What was it like, then?

[ His mental voice is strained from pain and effort. ]

[ Oh, heavens. The pain is a surprise and makes Charles quietly rush out a breath. So, this is how it is like...

He stays a steady presence behind Miles and urges him to go on. This is one reason more why Miles should learn to control this power properly. So he could stay in a size that doesn't create this kind of pain when he can. ]

Arrogant. I was very active, sports and a lot of women.

[ It hurts. It hurts a hell of a lot. Those frail bones of his are no joke. But he forces himself up one agonizing inch at a time.

He can't help but laugh a little at that comment, though. Sorry Charles. ]

Nothing wrong with that. I had the first three. Not so many women, though.

[ There's a surging sense of helplessness from Charles because he absolutely hates being in a position where he can't help. He could ease the pain but what would happen if Miles would push past his limits and end up harming himself instead while feeling no pain? No, that's not a good idea at all.

He tries to sit tight on his own sadness and frustration but it's sure to bleed a little through the contact they have. He knows how it is to feel this about one's own body. Though, in Charles' case he just doesn't feel a damn thing. ]

I was much older than you when I lost my legs, though. I had time to expose the world to my charming personality.

I suppose we can both just bunk it down to mistakes of youth. I certainly thought I was invincible.

[ Gregor had done that previously, and while it had helped Miles with using his powers at all, he's past the point where that sort of assistance would be anything more than a crutch. He bleeds sympathy in return - recognizing the pain of being trapped in one's own body. Railing against it, hating oneself for being unable to do everything you should be able to do.

Inch by painful inch, he resets himself back up to full. And stops there, something sliding mentally into place. He's safe from falling back down now. ]

I can only imagine you did. Given you could hear what everyone thought. My god, that would be a hell of a power.

[ Charles watches him go through every painstaking inch and it is an exercise in terrible fondness and tragic sadness and he has a feeling that they're going to be going through it quite a few times before Miles will feel comfortable with his powers. ]

It is a terrible power. And sometimes it frightens me. Not that I can't control it, but what if I can't control myself? I was very liberal with other people's minds back when I was younger. Sometimes it makes me pause to think what all I could accomplish with it. It's a wonderful gift, absolutely wonderful, to be able to connect with people like yourself. But it also has a side much darker that does not combine well with mu hubris.

[ But once he is back to his own size, Charles smiles at him and reaches over to gentle squeeze his hand. ]

Welcome back.

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Catchall for July

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