ataraxion | Video

[Charles is sitting in one of Tranquilities mess halls, slowly stirring a mug of tea and staring down at a chess board. His face is pale, expression set in a resigned sort of calm.]

It is with great regret that I must announce that Erik Lehnsherr is no longer on the Tranquility. It would appear that he went among the missing sometime around the last jump.

[His voice is level as he relays these facts. He had hoped that Erik might have surfaced from the jump beds and gone about some project or another but as time had passed, Charles had looked more closely into the matter and found that his hope was for naught.]

I hope this means he is free of all of this and has returned to our world to continue along his path there.

[Even if that path was one that could potentially lead to war, it was better than the other possibility niggling at Charles’ mind; a possibility Charles did not want to consider too closely.

Setting aside the spoon in the mug, Charles reached up and brushed his fingers through his hair, then reached to move a pawn, pausing and then spinning the board around so he could play the other side.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Ah.

I should have known that you and Erik would not leave anything up to chance.

[As for the offer of space station vodka.]

Clear liquors are not really my thing, Alex and despite the desire to have a drink, I think it better that I make an effort not to give in to idea of necessity.

[Not given his history with alcohol.]

But I can drink tea and keep you company if you would like to have a drink or two in Erik's honor.

Course not.

--though I actually didn't know he had a dog until I showed up with Bozo.

...all right.

[There is the sound of knocking, and then a last text sent]

Knock knock.

Come on in, Alex this mess hall is open to everybody.

[Charles called out with a hint of sad laughter in his tone. He was sitting at a table, tea mug at hand and eyes on the chess board in front of him. Shifting a bishop into a new position, Charles slowly rotated the board and then glanced over at the door way.]

Still thought it would be good to ask.

[Alex shrugs as he comes in, holding the bottle of vodka, no glass. He has his bag on his back, the leash leading inside of it--it moves slightly, making it clear he brought Bozo.]

Not real interested in having to have others show up, right now.

I think we should have the mess to ourselves for a bit.

[Charles said, attempting to be reassuring. His lips twitched into a small smile as he saw the leash shifting where it ran into the bag.]

I do hope you are not allowing Bozo to drink. Seems a bit under the age limit if you ask me.

[Alex chuckles as he sits down, moving to place the bag on the ground; making sure again that the door is closed, he unzips it, and lets Bozo go darting out.]

Is there an age limit for cats?

[He smirks, sadly, and pulls out a bottle.]

So Erik goes back to a world where he is going to become a crazy homicidal maniac.

Fuck that is depressing.

[The question was a silly one, Alex's response making Charles chuckle softly but he doesn't pursue it further.

Instead, he watches the kitten for a moment, before Alex's motions with the bottle draw his attention back to the younger man.]

No, now ... that's not fair, Alex. [Charles chided gently, his expression falling though.]

Erik believes passionately in his course of action. There are things in his past that he was not ready to let go of and given what happened on the beach, I can no longer claim he was entirely wrong.

[Exhaling deeply, Charles pushed his fingers through his hair and then folded his arms on the table.]

He was right. Fear turned to hatred and where I had expected adulation and gratitude, instead we would have been destroyed without due process or consideration for our basic right to live.

...I know but--

[Alex frowned and undid the top of the vodka, taking a swig--this stuff was way better than the swill on the ship...but the price he paid for it was way too damn high.]

--you come from a different place, you--you have to know what they say he ends up doing. What he ends up doing, just makes them hate us more.

I know.

[Charles said quietly, sitting back and cradling his mug of tea.]

I heard things from people, atrocities that will be committed by mankind against mutants as they fight against us.

If he and I were not locked in forty years of war perhaps his vision or my vision would have secured safety for mutant kind. As it stands, we both end up fighting a two front war. One against the humans who would destroy us and one against each other, the result being that neither of us gains any ground.

[Sighing Charles shook his head and sipped his tea.]

Do not get me wrong, Alex I in no way condone the crusade of violence Erik will insist upon embarking on in the name of securing a future for mutants.

Violence only begets violence, nothing can be built on the ashes of constant destruction, he could have stopped those missiles, shown the Americans and the Russians what he was capable of doing without taking that next step to drive the missiles back on them.

I get--

[Alex stops for a moment, jaw working, before he speaks again.]

I get why he did it. I was so damn angry. I was on that ship--I was trying to protect them, and they just turned their damn guns on me, as if I was the one attacking them...

...I get his side of it. Why he chooses violence. I just don't think it's right.

I just hate that he becomes that. I--

--I just wish things had turned out differently.

[Charles listened quietly, just letting Alex work through his thoughts and get them out.]

I will tell you, what I told him, Alex. We have it in us to be the better men.

[Exhaling a deep breath, Charles set aside his tea mug and crossed one leg over the other.]

Of course Erik would argue that we already are by the very nature of our mutations but that is not what I meant. I meant that we had it in us to be the bigger men, to not answer violence with violence, though our anger was roused by the unfairness.

I ... I still believe that, Alex. That violence can not secure peace but of what I know of the future to come, his fears were never unfounded. I was just blind not to give them more consideration than I did at the time.

Well of course that isn't what you meant.

[Alex snorted.]

Shaw had a power, and the guy was a psychopathic asshole.

[He's known some good humans--some really good ones. That made up for the shitty ones he knew. People were people, regardless of abilities.

Taking another drink, he let his eyes drift over to Bozo, who was currently attempting to catch his tail.]

I don't even think it's about being better men. Or bigger. We're all fucked up in one way or another--we just have powers on top of it, that makes it harder.

I mean--if I was human? I wouldn't have a body count behind my name.

[He looked back over at Charles.]

I don't want to be human--I like that I can help people. But I think it's more of a burden than some 'gift' a lot of the time.

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