[ OPEN ]

[axiomed]

Who: Charles Xavier (axiomed) & you
What: fixing up cures, institute business, etc
When: The month of October
Where: The Simwe Institute, around
Warning(s): N/A so far. Please remember to use Charles' permission post for telepathy.


[ 1. lecture hall ]

[ The best way to deal with paranoia and fear is through knowledge. Charles' calm and steady demeanor does not change when he offers lessons and lectures at the Institute. Basic knowledge, like how to deal with emergencies. How to disinfect wounds and handle unknown illnesses. They rarely last longer than an hour, but Charles keeps them going through out the month and informs them at the end that people are more than welcome to approach him during his off hours if they need help or support or simply someone to listen to.

The crowds disperse, but the mood is still heavy. He sighs, seeing people approach him but puts on a warm smile. ]

Can I help you?

[ 2. the labs. ]

[ Whatever spare time he has is devoted to working on the cures. He directs any volunteers to the ingredients and a set of directions, even allowing them to deviate and try different variations, in hopes that they might reach a potential cure that might help everyone. He then stores and counts the samples every day. It was tiring him out, but it was good work, work that could save lives and Charles couldn't rest easy knowing there was just so much that needed doing.

At least, he has managed to create a temporary cure for the rising temperatures, but it needed to be managed carefully. Visitors, helpers, volunteers are all welcome here, whether they know Charles or not. He won't turn anyone away. ]

[ CLOSED TO JEAN GREY ]

[ While Charles had appreciated Mercy's level-headedness as his room-mate and the ease in which they navigated around their lives, it was clear that Charles was going to move once Jean was here. Thankfully, he didn't have much in the way of personal items. A few clothes, notes and his device were packed in his duffel bag. He turns the strange glowstick he had received, wondering if it was worth keeping or whether he should simply pass it on to Jean or John. It changes colour when ill intent was nearby. For now, he puts it inside the bag before turning to Jean. ]

Do you have everything you need? It's not far.

[ CLOSED TO CASSANDRA CAIN ]

[ Teaching was still Charles' driving motivator and having a student again, even one not from his school was enough to ease some of the tension in his life. Though he's not entirely sure where to start. He gathers up his materials, clearing out his desk in a fit of nervousness. He never thought he'd teach again, once the school was gone. That was it, the end, even as Charles told others he would keep going. The loss still hangs heavy in his heart and he struggles to move past it.

But he would continue to try.

A knock on the door. Charles straightens. ]

It's open. Come in.

[ CLOSED TO BRUCE WAYNE ALAN FOSTER ]

[ They meet up every few weeks or so at the cafe where they had their first talk. Purely business for the most part. After Charles' confession, he had been careful not to do or say much else. It's always a tentative period, trying to figure out where he might stand. Or how quickly that might change. Because it could always change. Still, Charles isn't going to let his fear rule his ability to move forward so he makes time for Bruce whenever he can. ]

It's been some time since we met in person. How are you?

[ wildcard! If you have an idea, you're welcome to PM this journal or contact me via captainkink ]

Comments

[beknight]

[ It has been some time. Charles has known his secret from the beginning, and still not told a soul. Bruce doesn't trust him because — it's some exercise, or he has to. At the end of the day they meet life's greatest tests alone, but that doesn't mean there aren't some that can be met together. ]

Working.

[ He's notably less put together. Not much time for sleep or proper meals, working mostly on coffee. Bruce's contribution has already been shipped off to the Sanctuary, he allows himself some time to unwind. ]

How've you been, Charles?

[axiomed]

[ Charles eyes him surreptitiously. He's too familiar with the tell-tale signs of burnout. Erik had been similar. Driven, in a different manner from Charles. Although, he amends slightly, perhaps not that different after all. ]

All right, on my part. Work at the institute has been keeping me busy. And I'm looking for a new location for myself and one of my students.

[beknight]

[ His eyebrows quirk in curiosity. ]

Someone giving you trouble?

[ There's no implicit threat in his words, his mind considers that possibility first because it's always the worst case scenario that comes up for him before anything else. ]

[axiomed]

[ Charles thinks back to Johnny before shaking his head. ]

Nothing I can't handle.

[beknight]

[ His expression settles — not quite a smile, but there's no thought of violence now. ]

Where are you moving to?

[ Housewarming is such a normal thing to do. ]

the labs

[nineteenfortyfive]

[She should be sleeping. When not at the Sanctuary, tending to the sick and trying to keep their symptoms under control, she knows she should be getting what rest she can. It's not easy to turn her brain off no matter how tired the body might be, and so she decides to visit the Institute and see how things are going there. Better than staring at the ceiling for a few hours until she ultimately goes back to the patients.

It's late when she steps in, and she's not really quite sure where to go or who to talk to or--anything, really, and she looks quite lost as she sets off in a random direction.]

[axiomed]

[ He picks up on her mind first — confusion, uncertainty, but beneath it all, a drive to keep working, to make things better. He wheels himself closer, trying to seem unobtrusive. ]

Welcome. I'm Charles Xavier and I work here.

[ He holds his hand out politely. ]

Can I help you with anything?

[nineteenfortyfive]

Mr. Xavier. Claire Fraser. I work at the Sanctuary.

[There's a bit of a wall up here. A guard, unsure if he's one of the people of this world or someone that's lost theirs to the Storm. Regardless, her reason here is the same, and after shaking his hand she gets to it.]

I just wanted to see how things are going here.

[axiomed]

[ Ah. A form of understanding settles in his gaze. ]

It could be better, I'm afraid. We're trying to mass produce the cures we have discovered, but we're not closer to finding a universal one that will fix all the symptoms. I have one currently available for lowering body temperatures, but it has to be administered carefully.

1

[inaurare]

You have.

[a little smile - he hadn't expected to be spoken to first]

I simply... wanted to thank you for this.

[a slight gesture to their surroundings, though he means more the lectures in general. When he's had time away from caring for the afflicted, he's been to a few - even if they have repeated, lingering in the back at first but slowly summoning the courage to move closer to the front. Really, it's only good manners to thank the man for his time]

The place I have come from is... not so modern, so many of the practices here are strange to me. But I'm beginning to understand a bit better, thanks to your explanations.

[axiomed]

[ Charles' expression softens. While he is also behind on technology and it's never been his forte so to speak, he has the advantage of his telepathy and his own adaptability when it came to new situations and locations. Not everyone is as fortunate. ]

I'm glad to have helped. What are you normally used to?

[inaurare]

Certainly less than this.

[he's not sure how to explain]

We cannot... go to the stars, where I come from. Or even fly. Most of our transports are horse-drawn, and where there is electricity it is mostly used for lights... it has been an adjustment.

[axiomed]

[ Charles swipes a thumb over his chin, an old habit when he had a beard. ]

Well, you're only a few steps behind myself. While we have cars and electricity, we certainly can't travel beyond the stars. Though we went to the moon three decades before. But our progress can be slow, impeded by politics.

I'm sure you will catch up, either way.

[lucubrare]

[ The person who knocked? Wasn't Cassandra, but someone who had found her standing there frowning at the door to be a bit much and preempted her.

She didn't mind, exactly; she didn't cause a scene, at least, and when Xavier's voice floats through the door she takes her chances and comes into the room. She's got on a dress with tights and is holding a bag across her shoulders. ]

Hello.

[axiomed]

[ Charles beams, moving from his desk. ]

Hello, Cassandra. Please, have a step. Or whatever makes you more comfortable.

[lucubrare]

[ She nods, deciding to perch on a desktop nearby, facing him, and opening her bag - there's dried fruit in there she immediately offers to Charles as well. ]

There's a word for it. [ For why the letters get scrambled and change places, why it's so hard for her to read. ] Don't know...if it is the same, for others. Or different.

[ Because of her past. ]

[axiomed]

[ Charles takes it kindly, turning it over in his hands first. ]

Dyslexia, I believe, is the term. We can see how it translate on the mental plane as well to make a formal diagnosis.

[greyate]

[ The first few weeks in Olympia had been rough, to say the least. But she had wanted to tough it out and adapt. Other people had, Charles had. There was no reason she couldn't do the same. Some days it had been easy enough to keep her walls up, keep things under control. Other days, the feel of control slipping had been both stressful and worrisome.

So, while it had been her first taste of Independent Adult Life, Jean was glad she was getting to move in with Charles. She had lived with him several years of her life and moving back in with him as comforting as getting some distance from the city center.

Everything she had fitted into one bag so she had both hands free to carry anything he needed her to. Giving a nod, her smile is small but one of the few she's felt like giving since before the attack. ]

Yep. Not much but it's mine.

Do you need me to carry anything?

[axiomed]

[ Charles shakes his head, patting his knees ruefully. ]

I can dump everything on my lap and I'll be right as rain.

[ It is a little sad that neither of them have much in way of personal possessions. He finds himself missing the mansion. His office, his large chess set . . . They were all material possessions and will never compare to a life, but he can't help the loss all the same. ]

[greyate]

[ Jean knows the feeling -- and not just in what she's vaguely picking up from him. She misses it all, too. Along with all her books and cassette tapes. She finds herself missing music an awful lot. Especially when there's the thought that she might never hear any of those songs again.

The thought creeps up on her again and she sighs through her nose, nodding, ]

Guess we better get going then.

[axiomed]

[ He reaches out to touch her elbow lightly. ]

We will rebuild.

[ Even if Charles isn't sure what form it will take. The school was lost again and the idea of restarting was a wedge in his path. Nevertheless, a solution will present itself. He has time. ]

2, the labs, hopefully this isn't too late!

[originallutece]

[He's not the only one working on a cure. Rosalind might be new, but he ought to be used to the sight of her racing around the labs, working with an intensity that's oddly calm. She moves quickly because she thinks quickly, fast and sharp, leaping from concept to concept, but there's no worry there. She isn't doing this out of charity or empathy.

But does it matter? She's working hard at a cure, and she doubts any patient will care whether or not she was filled with devotion while she worked.

But no woman is an island, and sometimes she needs to collaborate with her fellow researchers. Such as now; Madam Lutece (as she has introduced herself) walks down the hall at a clip, her back straight and notes gathered in her arms.]

Dr. Xavier!

totally fine <3

[axiomed]

[ Charles looks up from his notes with a fond smile. There's always something charming about people who rush about. Charles can no longer do it, but he remembers a time when he was that quick and impulsive. Though perhaps impulsive doesn't suit Rosalind. ]

Yes, Madam. How can I help you?

[originallutece]

I wanted to compare a few notes-- and see if you might lend me a sample of that stopgap measure for the fever. There's something I want to try.

[axiomed]

Of course.

[ He wheels himself towards the samples. ]

Can you talk me through your hypothesis?