January catchall | Open

[aberranthubris]

WHO: Charles Xavier and you!
WHERE: Various places
WHEN: During January, except from 5th to 7th when Charles is ported out.
WHAT: Various threads for various purposes. There are open prompts under the cut. I'll post individual thread starts into the comments.
WARNINGS: TBA, te-telepathy, Please look at this permission post


A. Maria-Francis Foundation, De Chima

1. Office, all month

Foundation information
Charles works from eight to five every day. His door is open to whomever might feel like visiting him. He is currently organising the relaunch party for the Foundation and reviewing charity projects that have been brought up to the organisation.

Did you have an appointment with him? Perhaps you have a charity project that you'd like to get funded by the Foundation. Or perhaps you'd like to apply for a job. They are hiring! There is an add at the front door and the receptionist will send you up to his office if you are interested in filling up a position or maybe train at the Foundation for other job skills.

Or maybe you were supposed to go for a business lunch? Or just wanted to drop by.


2. Danger room & training, all month

The Danger Room is open for the public but Charles tends to take people he's teaching there to test their powers and limits. It resides at the basement of the Foundation building. The technology used to the holograms that act according to some AI presence and actually appear real and in some cases might be is still a mystery to Charles. Tony built the place and he must know all about it. That's good enough for Charles. (He still trusts Tony. Good job, Charles.)

He might have built an exercise for your powers, sometimes it's obstacle courses, sometimes opponents or challenges. In any case, he is very eagerly present in the teaching sessions, pushing and challenging his students as the best he knows. But also trying to reach a more comfortable situation with particularly new skills or skills that might be uncomfortable for their users.

[ If you want your character to be taught by him, it's totally okay to handwave contacting him and just jump in. He's happy to help anyone. ]

B. Home, Maurtia Falls

1. Moving, at the start of the month

The house in Nonah is in pieces and Charles and Erik are moving to Maurtia Falls. The house is still on the smaller scale but with different design and decor. They don't have a lot to carry over, just a some boxes and furniture that survived from the old house. Charles isn't all that bothered by Erik's decision to demolish the old one. He's not attached to possessions. As long as Erik came over to pick up shit until he could find his books, papers and little pieces that had to do with memories he was fine. Like picture books and those little miniature models of the family. Those are what take most of the boxes along with some household textiles, books and clothes. Most of kitchen ware was completely beyond salvation.

The truck that brought in their stuff has left them on the side of the road and anyone who came to help has been promised a dinner and a few drinks, good company and maybe late Christmas presents because neither Charles nor Erik were in the mood to hand them out in time. They spent most of the holidays just quietly not doing anything that would remind them of Wanda.

Charles hovers around with his chair, unpacking things and carrying boxes he can haul with one hand while still steering the chair. It's not that easy, though, so it's not a surprise when he spills one on the floor right. There's a mild 'tsk' that goes under the telepath's breath but otherwise he just sighs and stares at the mess. It's difficult for him to pick up all that stuff from the ground fast, so he's reaching out to you to ask for help.

"Please, could you help me a little bit. Let's get these books off the ground before someone stumbles on them."


2. Visiting, the rest of the month

After the house is put together, it's open doors like usual. Come visit whenever you like. There are steps and thresholds now, even a few rugs here and there because Charles has a chair that hovers over those obstacles just fine. The colours are bold black and white, simple lines. Charles is rather fond of it. It feels nice and new. This one is no longer a left over from that Charles that was before him.

Perhaps you came over to loan a book or talk about something. Charles is always happy to make a pot of tea and spend a few hours by talking and catching up.

"Fancy another cup?" he asks easily, already pouring it in when you've barely agreed to it.

C. Ported back in, Maurtia Falls

7th of January

It's one of the most disorienting things Charles has experienced in this place, being ported in and out. He doesn't have the experiences from home that most come back possessing. But he can feel something different with his powers. They feel more whole now. Something they should have been.

He lost a couple of days it seems. He locates a few old news papers and rummages through them. Nothing sticks out to him and he just decides to make it home, back to Maurtia Falls and take a day off work. It's hard to shake the feeling that something is inherently wrong, which is why he might be calling you, yes, you, friend of his. Did something happen? Are you well? Did you even notice he was missing? Probably not.

D. Open scenarios, various

1. Drinks, Nonah

Charles doesn't often indulge in drinking. But there are times and places and this definitely is one of those times and places. He prefers smoky jazz clubs to loud night clubs. In fact he isn't going to come near one of those joints because it's impossible to move inside there and it's half impossible to hear even his own thoughts.

But if you're willing to find a little bar with a live band or a pianist, he's happy to share a few drinks with you. Of course assuming you are of age. He'll hum along with the golden classics and sip his scotch with rocks easy and slow. He's not aiming so much to get drunk as to relax after the December from Hell.

"I hope the music is to your liking."


2. Library, Nonah

He still goes back to Nonah for the library. And of course the friends that he still has there. Library because it's familiar and he's already made a plan how to read through the genetics section. Once he's exhausted that, he'll move on.

It's not unusual at all to find him browsing in between the rows of bookshelves, though. The hover chair is very convenient with this as well because he can actually reach for books that usually he would have to ask help to retrieve. He carries a pile of giant tomes on his lap, psychology and genetics mostly but there is a rare political book in the pile, or perhaps some science that caught his eye.

Come say hello, ask him to help grab a book for you, or just strike a conversation about anything!


3. Social sciences & Humanities conference, De Chima

Even if he trusts in his abilities as a teacher, sometimes it's good to upgrade knowledge and talk with other like-minded people. There are some interesting topics opened on the field of psychology as well and as education. Charles will be hovering over from expo to another, asking questions and following a map that is printed at the back of a program leaflet. He has a speaker pass hanging on his chest pocket but he's going to give his presentation at a later point. It's marked under imPort activities in the leaflet but he's already looking for the auditorium that he's been assigned to.

"Excuse me. Could you help me? I'm looking for... Ah, this, here. But I keep getting lost by the fountain. I'm not sure which hallway I'm supposed to take." He holds out the leaflet to whoever happens to be standing there.

Comments

@ Beth, forward dated a little bit

[aberranthubris]

Once things start to look up in January, Charles contacts Beth again to see to an old promise. He tries not to hope too much of it but he can't pretend that he isn't curious at least to see how far her abilities can go.

He sets up a meeting with her at the Foundation building in De Chima because it seems too forward to invite a young girl to his home even if it would be more convenient. He asks the receptionist at the lobby to escort her inside when she arrives and asks her to make sure there's coffee and tea both ready because he's not sure which one Beth prefers.

When she arrives, he waves her in his office with a warm smile and urges her to take a seat on the sofa. His office is not very large but there's a lot of open space because he used to have more clunky chair and moving around with it had been cumbersome.

"It's good to see you, Beth. I hope you've been well."

@ Baelish, forward dated a little bit

[aberranthubris]

Charles looks forward to seeing the mayor now that the end of the year is behind, they've successfully moved and Wanda has returned to the fold. It seems like life is returning back to normal and he couldn't be more thankful for it. Of course he still feels guilty, and will continue to do so for a long while. But at least there's no longer suffering all around him.

A lesson well learnt.

They're meeting in a small restaurant in Maurtia Falls. Charles likes the down to earth decor they have going on and friendly service that the place is known for. He waits for Petyr outside the restaurant. He arrived a little early, which is why he has parked the chair in a sunny spot and opened a book, fully emerged in the pages.

[baetiful]

Whenever people arrive to a meeting spot before him, Baelish is always surprised. He has always made it a habit to arrive to places early and more often than not is the first one there. But within the imPort community, it seems there are some who arrive even earlier than him. The early bird does get the worm, after all.

Petyr has walked to the meeting place, not having a license yet and not wanting to pay a driver. It's day time in Maurtia Falls. He's unlikely to be stabbed in his travel.

When he sees Charles, Petyr raises his hand to wave. "Greetings, my friend. I hope I have not kept you long." Extending a hand for a handshake of greeting.

[aberranthubris]

So immersed he is in his reading that he doesn't notice the buzz of Petyr's thoughts. Usually Charles is more aware of his surroundings than this. He seems a little owlishly confused as he lifts his gaze, as if it were surprising to him that someone actually did came to meet him. Then his expression melts into a smile and he closes the book, pushing it aside to the chair between his thigh and the handrest before he reaches over to squeeze Petyr's hand.

"It's good to see you again," he says warmly. "I happened to have a free moment. Please," he shifts his chair a little bit more towards a standing position. It makes it easier for him to keep the door open to the restaurant for Petyr.

"How have you been? Good holidays?"

@ Kaneki

[aberranthubris]

Blessed January has finally come and all their sins are in the past. Well, not really, but at least the imPort population has stopped suffering. That has to count for something.

Charles is home alone. Erik is out late, might be the whole night in one of those ambassador events. It's weekend and Charles decided to invite Kaneki (and D33) over but for reasons that might be completely innocent, only Kaneki showed up. Charles doesn't mind D33 despite his abrasive personality at all but he has a few things he would really like to talk with Kaneki alone, so it works out well for him.

He has made coffee despite the lateness of the evening and pours them both a cup before he leads Kaneki to the living room and the couch. He pushes his own cup to the sofa table and transfers himself onto the couch as well, because sometimes it's more comfortable sit like this.

"How's D33?" he asks while leaning forward to pick up his mug again. "I should reach out to him, I think. The last time I saw him, he was very angry. It would be sad to leave things like that."

[ghoulking]

D33 and Charles are a complicated issue and Kaneki would rather not have the two together so soon after all that happened. While Kaneki would love for the two to get along, after everything it just feels forced and he doesn't want it to be; he wants D33 to genuinely like Charles and not just because he and Kaneki have a good relationship.

Of course Kaneki is polite when telling Charles "D33 was busy" (even though Charles probably knows he was not) and takes the cup of coffee gladly before sitting. it's much more comfortable now, without centipede tails.

"He is better, I believe. less angry about the whole matter but I don't think he will stop being angry about it, in the end." Kaneki has a feeling if it's brought up Dee will be mad, yes. Specially because of everything that followed Kaneki's port out, then port-in and... everything that happened in kaneki's world, really.

"How have you been, Charles? How are things?"

[aberranthubris]

It is a difficult matter but in the end it's up to D33 to either hate Charles forever for his powers and his involvement in the porter escapades or to let go. Charles definitely wouldn't mind building rapport with him.

It wasn't Charles' intention to talk about D33, though, not today. He can feel that the topic makes Kaneki uncomfortable and he'd love to drop it completely if possible. It is unfortunate that he just doesn't seem to catch a break with the young man while he usually gets along with everyone, but there's little he can do about it right now.

"I feel like that might be the case with plenty of people," he says quietly and shakes his head. There will be anger and resentment despite all their good intentions.

"I'm... I'm getting there," he admits honestly. "I don't think the guilt will ever completely lift off but Jyn has come back and Wanda as well. The situation is looking up, I think."

He still doesn't think he quite deserves Erik's forgiveness or Wanda's for that matter. Jean is still missing and Peter probably won't stop being angry. He doesn't really want to discuss it much further. It's just a big mess and he'd much rather focus on something else.

Which is why he turns to Kaneki and smiles at him curiously. "I wanted to ask you about your kagune."

@ Jon, forward dated a little bit

[aberranthubris]

Charles is finally making it to see where Jon lives. Earlier he didn't dare to take the jump and see the shelter for himself because his chairs had been hard to handle in challenging terrain. But now he has the hover chair and he can go wherever he pleases.

He gave Jon a call earlier and then got a cab to drive him there to avoid any confusion on his part. He's bundled up in enough clothes that if they happen to stay outside, he's going to be comfortable.

The cab comes to a halt and the cabby goes to retrieve Charles' chair from the back. He transfers himself onto it himself and immediately shifts the chair to stand up straight while he pays for the trip, then turns to look for Jon. He has a pile of papers in a suitcase riding at the back of his chair, something he would like Jon to look at. This isn't just a social call after all.

[song_of_ice]

The shelter was close to the forest preserve, only a few miles from Jon's farmhouse. While the drive would be long for Charles, it would at least be scenic. Jon was waiting for the cab when it pulled up, having gathered all of the necessary documents a few hours before. Without Sansa to help him, he spent longer hours at the shelter, trying to emulate her organization and follow the system she had put in place. It was more difficult work alone, which was why he was grateful to see Charles.

He's fascinated by the sight of the hover chair, but among so many strange things in this world, it doesn't register as it might have once. There's a fleeting thought of Bran before he brushes it aside and leads Charles indoors. The renovations and construction were done, a staff had been assembled and there were even some boarders, helping in the kitchen.

His office was upstairs, sparsely furnished and decorated, just as his office had been in the Night's Watch before. "It's good to see you again."

[aberranthubris]

The chair is a blessed contraption, really. Charles adjusts it as he follows Jon, shifting it to a standing mode so he fits in from doorways and tight spots more easily.

He's looking around curiously, head turning and eyes curiously following the lead of those thoughts that had decided to put a window here and a panel of wood there, curiously taking in the whole setting. When Jon spoke he smiled and reached over to grasp the young man's arm in a friendly squeeze.

"You too, Jon, you too. I hope you've been well, my friend."

Maria-Francis Foundation, 2nd Jan

[lightinside]

Laurel does have an appointment with Charles this afternoon. Only two days into the new year and she's raring to go, wanting to get things started. She is still excited as she was when he offered her the position, but Laurel knows that having a few discussions about what Charles wants from her is important.

She arrives exactly ten minutes before the appointment is due and makes herself known to receptionist before making her way to his office. Laurel takes a seat outside, waiting for Charles to call her in.

[aberranthubris]

Returning to work after the holidays has been quite hard. They're still living in a hotel for the last couple of days. Soon it's going to be a moving day. Wanda's funeral and memorial closely tied together with it. He isn't feeling exactly well but there's calmness in him that trumps everything else. Someone needs to stay in control even if everything is a hot mess.

"Please, come in," he says as he opens the door for her, reaching for a smile that seems threadbare around the edges. "How have you been? Please, take a seat."

[lightinside]

She enters the room when he opens the door, offering a warm smile in return. Something feels off about him and it causes Laurel some concern, but she doesn't want to press Charles for any information if he didn't want to talk about it. If he did, she would lend a sympathetic ear.

"I have been good, thanks." Laurel replies, taking the seat opposite him. "Things were busy before the holiday season but I think I had enough of a break." Another smile. "What about you? How have you been?"

C

[incogneto]

Erik has been awake for the last forty-eight hours not getting any peace. He knows he's a hypocrite, because he knows that being ported out isn't the worst thing that could happen. Charles has come back a number of times, and each time they've sorted things out together.

But the loss is sharp, if only because he had spent the last month or so mourning Wanda only to get her back, finally.

He's currently in the shower, and somehow he'd started staring off into space, distracted in his thoughts. The water's run cold and his fingers are pruned, but he doesn't notice. Not until he's jolted out of his trance; suddenly it feels like daggers in the wintry weather. Charles?

Of course he noticed...

[aberranthubris]

Erik? There's a relief to go with that sending. He slips into the quiet house and searches Erik until he finds him in the shower. He doesn't rush in but instead waits at the kitchen for Erik to come out.

He makes a pot of tea and waits. Erik sounds tired. He's probably been worried. It's probably better to talk with him face to face, so Charles waits for him to get out and when he does there's a tired smile that he offers Erik.

"Tea?"

D, Library

[tenofswords]

Taking a day trip to Nonah of course means checking out the library. It's not as big as the one in Maurtia Falls, but he's here more for the atmosphere. There's just something nice about being inside a library, surrounded by all these books.

The Gray Man has a couple of poetry books tucked under his arm when he turns into the next row and sees the man in the hover chair. He can't help but notice the books the man has with him.

"A man of science are you?"

[aberranthubris]

Charles looks up from the book that is laying open on his lap on top of the pile that he has been gathering and gives the stranger a warm smile.

"I would hope to say so, yes. And yourself?"

Like minded company always is welcome. And even if the stranger isn't a man of science as he put it, obviously he is at least interested in the subject given that he brought it up.

"Poetry, I believe," he says nodding towards the books under the strangers arm.

( a, 1 ) whenever in january suits u best

[hardcut]

December is busy in a way Arthur doesn't know how to quantify - like something about "the holidays" triggers the opening of a void in spacetime and causes everything to take ten times as long as it did the month before. Highly mysterious, and not allowing for much in the way of new branching out. Arthur googles the Maria-Francis Foundation and, after deciding it's probably unrelated to the British-Welsh slalom canoeist (that he approves of by virtue of being British and Welsh), makes an appointment for a time beyond "the holidays". It seems like a reasonable enough thing to follow up the invitation with, even if he has fuckall in mind to talk about despite general curiosity.

Anyway. Here he is, perfectly modern at a glance, sparing the heavy rings of clearly ancient make. In deference to the chilly weather, his clothes cover up the most obvious scars, only visible if he turns his head a certain way to expose the line of his neck where someone (apparently) tried to decapitate him, and the strange, mirrored single lines across his palms.

No sword, today.

"This is the most meticulously coordinated decor I've seen in one of these buildings yet," he says, in lieu of an immediate introduction. His tone has hints of amusement and wryness, thinking of what he finds familiar as far as decoration goes-- brightly painted walls, hanging tapestries, latticed wood over windows. Sometimes the weirdest shit isn't the technology by a long shot. And then: "I'm Arthur."

[aberranthubris]

Charles' office is more of the same decor that follows a line of thought throughout the office. There's a whole corner of the building that's made of ceiling to floor glass, hardwood floors and black and white colour scheme. It's not his making. Most of it is Erik or maybe Tony. Charles isn't quite sure to be honest. He knows he doesn't have much of an opinion on those matters, that's it.

"It's definitely modern, I'd say," he replies with an easy smile. He grew up surrounded by antique - hardwood and bronze - which is why the Foundation feels like a completely different planet to him.

"It's good to meet you in person, Arthur," he says and while text leaves to be desired in conveying tone of voice, the warmth in Charles' voice can't be mistaken. He's in a much better mood now that Wanda and Jyn are no longer dead and it seems that the effects of the Porter failure aren't permanent.

He doesn't stand up, obviously, but he rolls his hovering wheelchair out from behind his desk and offers his hand up to Arthur in greeting.

"Please, have a seat. Would you like a cup of tea? Or perhaps you're a coffee drinker."

Maurtia Falls

[redheat]

It's been a little since she last spoke with Peter and discovered that the Professor, is, in fact here within this world, which... is strange, very strange to her as she should have been able to pick up on his presence considering how they close they are and yet... she hadn't been able to. For the most part, she's chalked it up to the fact that, given what had happened at Alkali Lake, perhaps she had closed her mind off to him in fear of what he might think of her sacrifice and the pain that he must feel at her apparent demise.

Yet, here she stands, before the place of residence which she's been told is where the Professor can be found and she just... stands there. She's not so sure what to say, what he'll think, the things he'll ask her about why she had done what she did, why she never reached out to him... it's enough to make a girl crazy in her head with so much hesitation she's feeling right now.

However, she gives a couple knocks to the door and stands there as she waits for an answer, pulling her scarf around her neck a little more as a breeze whips by and, for a moment, she checks to see if it's the speedster she first met upon a case of mistaken identities, coming to check on her.

But, it's just her. Mostly.

[aberranthubris]

Charles is home alone. He has a pot of tea on the dining room table and a book open beside it. He's been lazy to start making dinner but eventually he'll get to it. He's still getting used to the quiet that settles on the house when Erik's away. He got used to hearing Jean, Peter and Wanda around, not just them doing their things but their thoughts as well. Now it's just him and his own thoughts that haven't been exactly cheerful for a long while.

Wanda came back, Jyn too. But Jean is still missing and he can't help but think it's somehow his fault. Like the Porter would like to personally punish him. It's an egotistic thought, sure, but one that Charles keeps coming back to.

He hears the knock and gives a cursory glance to the mental landscape behind the door before he pushes it open.

And then promptly stops breathing because this is definitely not what he expected.

It's Jean alright, but not his Jean.

He's familiar with her through Logan's memories and only through Logan's memories. Safe to say those were a little bit different from his experiences with the girl who he mentored.

"Jean," he finally says with a rush of an exhale. "You're quite a bit older."

@Lorna

[aberranthubris]

The December from hell is gladly over and January looks much better. Charles hasn't been able to completely shake the mood, understandably, but he's working on it. Wallowing isn't exactly in his wheelhouse after all.

It's been a busy day, not with work for once, but he took time to look through the neighbourhood that he lives in, volunteered at a soup kitchen for a couple of hours and then went to a book singing of one of the local authors that he's been following. He's already at the downtown of De Chima, looking for a place to have maybe a dinner, or just a cup of coffee before going back home for dinner. But going alone doesn't sound exactly appealing, so he rings Lorna to ask if she would have the time.

After the call, he hovers his way to the cafe they agreed to meet in and grabs a table by the windows. The waitress brings him a cup of tea and menu as he says he's waiting for someone.

While he waits, he takes out a book and cracks it open to read a few chapters about how Neanderthal DNA still affects the modern genomes.

[magneticxman]

Lorna is more than happy to meet Charles for dinner. He sounds like he's doing better than when she was in the desert, and Lorna is feeling better too, now that Wanda is back. She takes a little time to make herself presentable, then heads to the teleporter.

A few minutes after Charles begins to read Lorna arrives and finds her seat. She's smiling, as usual, and her tan makes her look very healthy. "Hey, how are you?"

[ A - 2 ] Danger room nonsense

[rekt]

John Murphy has a terrible attendance record, as far as his training goes. He'll studiously show up every other day for a few weeks, then miss a month or two, then another set of back to back training sessions before disappearing again for weeks. He's never too personal with people at the facility, and is wary about setting anything in stone. If he's using the training room, he'll likely be there alone, unless Erik or Charles shows up, more often the former. Most others he'll avoid entirely.

Today comes after another of his long stints of being MIA, having been a month or so away, and he stands completely alone in the training room, mostly running through exercises he already knows well enough he's capable of completing successfully, almost as if afraid to push any limits. It seems like Murphy's training the same old power - his adaptation, trying to activate the power for lesser and lesser potential injuries, so that it doesn't take near fatality to kick in. He's relied thus far on the theory that the more afraid for his life that he is, the better his ability works, but since returning from his last trip home, an issue has come up. Adaptation isn't the only power he has now, and the new one utterly terrifies him, but runs on the same principle.

This simulation is essentially a death trap - swing blades, lightning bolts, pillars of fire, walls of spears. Something he put together himself, because Murphy's stupid like that. It's when a cleaver he hadn't seen coming from behind him nearly slashes his neck open, a hand snapping up at the last second, skin morphed into steel, to snatch at the blade edge abruptly, that the new curse kicks in. The air around him seems to simmer, like a heatwave, but something much more volatile to it. The metal under his hand warps, but rather than burns, it corrodes, decaying and rusting, and Murphy's eyes go wide, panicked.

"Abort!" The vocal command ends the simulation sharply, and Murphy yanks his hand back, closing it into a fist and covering it with the other palm, as if this would help contain it. He'll be plopping down on his butt and holding still for a long few moments before even attempting to either restart his training, or just giving up for the day.

[aberranthubris]

Murphy hasn't been a steady presence at all but Charles makes it down to the basement when he detects his thought patterns around the danger room, just to see him, make sure he's doing well. He likes keeping tabs with the various people he's crossed paths with even if Murphy isn't the type to open up just like that.

He slips into the control room when Murphy's in the training room and watches quietly the session. He reviews some training programs while he's at it, signing off some reservations and other manual tasks that tend to pile up when someone doesn't keep a vigilant eye over them.

His eyes go a little wide at the sight of what must be a new power. Aborting the training exercise is sudden and Charles can practically taste the discomfort that Murphy is broadcasting through the armoured glass that separates the control room from the training hall.

He hovers his chair out and into the hall, approaching Murphy slowly. "That was something new," he says tentatively. "Are you alright?"