nysalogs | c-c-c-catchall early meetings,

[ a raise of eyebrows!!! they hold there for a second or two, threatening to turn into something... and that something happens to be a genuine laugh, tension breaking. wow! straight to the point! ]

Right! Well. That told me. [ chuckling! in gentle disbelief! ] There's not a lot else for it, is there? I don't see a miraculous space police force appearing out of nowhere to solve all our problems any time in the near future.

[ He softens despite himself. John was easily more reasonable than Erik ever was. ]

No, but there's no point driving yourself into the ground getting it all done. That's why we're discussing it over tea. It will take a month or so to truly have any certainty in our candidates.

[ scrubs... at his face with a hand. yeah, alright. okay. ]

Thanks, mum.

[ doesn't mean he's going to act like a fully grown man about it though. going in for a sip of tea. ]

[ Without missing a beat. ]

And don't you forget it, young man.

[ oh my god ]

This is going to set a precedent, isn't it?

[ Charles merely smiles benignly behind the rim of his cup. ]

I don't see why it should. Unless you do?

[ clever. ]

Mm. [ hmmmmm. he's still smirking though. well played, Charles, well played ] Right. Well. Are we allowed to keep talking about this, or am I on a time out?

Of course I'm invested in having a system in place that benefits all of us.

[ He sets his cup down with a quiet clink. ]

But not at the expense of ourselves. And I think that seems doable.

Yeah, alright, thank you, I think I got the message.

[ john watson, don't run yourself into the ground, signed charles xavier. but this isn't just about him, now, and he relents to the point. ]

We'll take it steadily. But it does need doing, and there's no saying when someone will wake up next. Or if it'll be someone we'd rather hadn't.

[ so there's a case to be made for urgency, too. at least in the gathering of information. ]

[ Charles nods, his mood slipping into something more somber. ]

I could move. Find a location nearer to where potential drop off sites are. Certain minds stick out easily. So we can at least have an early alert system. But it's not perfect.

[ Because Charles, of course, isn't perfect. And without Cerebro, there's only so much guessing he can do. ]

I think the best thing to do, besides gleaning for potential people, is to note where they are located. Build on something small.

[ that's a solid strategy actually. build around a rough base that'll keep them as an early point of contact for new arrivals. that's not to say it's not strange to listen to somebody talking about certain minds knowing full well he's referring to being able to attune to them, but he's lived through stranger things in the past week alone. John nods approval. ]

Yeah. That's a plan. And if we can find out from the Natha what future plans are for transporting refugees planetside— [ even if they're using the teleport system, new arrivals won't know where they're going to begin with to think themselves down, so there'll have to be some kind of a guidance.

yes. yes, that's sounding like a very plausible basis for a reliable system. somebody's feeling calmer already. ] I think you're onto something with that. It'll at least keep us ahead of the angry mobs.

I wonder if angry mobs are really a part of our future.

[ Charles has gone through the Cuban Missile Crisis. The school was in its nascent stages when the Vietnam war broke. He's seen the collapse of mankind through the eyes of another. Logan's memories hadn't painted the best picture. He'll never had the bone deep paranoia and rage Erik possesses, but he can hardly claim to be naive. His belief stems from a need to make a better future, not an ignorance that all men are decent.

But his vision has failed him before. He sighs. ]

Or maybe I just don't see it.

[ it's a sort of shift he's not seen yet in Charles, and John gives him the moments it takes for the thought to come to its conclusion. the phrase had been lazy and throwaway, but there's something sobering in seeing it addressed as a real-world concern: truth be told, John's yet to think in any real detail about the chances they have of not helping to create more chaos rather than subdue it. the immediate talk of murder and faces on the ship best never seen again has been something solid to work against, but the legitimacy of the threat? how it reflects on the group? not really considered on a wider scale.

he's been in warzones of different natures, home and abroad. people are capable of despicable things, and feeling wronged or trodden down can be a rallying cry.

but. ]

I don't know. All I've seen of us so far is how we worked together to get through the fall, and if that's any example I think we'll muddle through alright. [ this odd bunch of refugees from far and wide, across universes and star systems ]

That's not to say we won't piss people off enough to rally them against us, specifically, if we cock this up. But I don't think it's inevitable.

[ Briefly, Charles finds his thoughts drifting to Erik. Erik would have seen it as inevitable. Even Raven might have done the same, though she's moved past their philosophies and carved out her own. Neither of them were here. And even if they were, Charles doubts either of them would approve of Charles taking a more passive road. ]

I tend to have an insider's look in human nature. I've seen . . . quite a bit. But I find that, even with everything I've seen, people should be given a choice. And it's that choice that really separates what we do with who we are.

You're right. What we're doing doesn't stem from an inevitable outcome, but perhaps it can help stem the worst.

[ a smile in answer, hopefully silent but inherent— if nothing else, the sentiment of it all is nice and upstanding. but it also brings a development to the thought process they were already wandering down, and John wonders if he's catching up or developing when he asks, ]

... Do you think we should stick to observation then? To begin with. Give people the chance to get on with their lives well, step in if there's a risk? Either to them or fellow refugees. Or natives.

[ because that's not the least possible of things. and it's also, theoretically, a lot less likely to generate an immediate mob and put them on anyone's shitlist. more work maybe, but with a better payoff? ]

[ Charles takes another sip. ]

For now, I say we keep moving ahead, only telling the few we can trust. If an incident does occur, we'll widen the net and implement our contingencies. That way, we don't seem too paranoid and people will also see the need.

[ Let it never be said Charles can't be devious too. ]

[ he agrees, to an extent. but his head shakes all the same in an indicator that that hadn't been quite what he was trying to say, and he swallows a mouthful of tea before he clarifies: ]

I don't think it's enough to await an incident. We need to anticipate, that's the problem. It won't be popular to sweep a target off the map before it can be taken out, but I'm not willing to wait until someone's dead to say I told you so.

[ that came out slightly more blunt than he'd been trying for. moving swiftly on - ]

I also don't think it's right to damn someone on hearsay. So if we're not going to try and shut them away straight out of the pod and we're not ready to risk something happening before we act, I think— [ and this isn't a particularly comfortable idea either, but ] we're going to need to implement surveillance. Cut any incidents at the quick.

Edited (of ta...) 2017-08-13 11:58 (UTC)

[ Surveillance. Charles swallows tightly. While that is easily within the realm of possibility, it would certainly be Charles' last resort. He prides himself on the ability to keep his word. It is a struggle, downplaying his own senses and powers, muting what should be natural, for others around him. He understands why and he takes the privacy of others very seriously.

Cerebro is one thing. Charles uses that to help mutants in pain, to find young children in need of a home. He could never do this. ]

I . . . I can't. That's too much power in my hands. Maybe something in public places but beyond that . . . If I made that leap, there's no telling where I might end up.

[ — oh. John's eyes widen for a moment, and he sits back. the extent of Charles' abilities is nothing he knows, aside from the man's own allusions to it. he hadn't even considered that using them might have been the insinuation in his words and that... it's telling. of a couple of things. some hint of what Charles is capable of, but also the kind of man he is. to be his own mediator.

gentler, John shakes his head. speaks softly, tone apologetic. ]

Not you. People. On the ground.

[ a team, ingratiating themselves or watching from shadows or whatever it takes. Charles has already offered enough - even if were possible, there are lines John won't cross. times when even he can turn around and say too much in much the same way Charles had for him just a few minutes before. ]

Sorry. I didn't mean to — [ to what, John doesn't know, so he lets the sentence hang. but he's clearly discomfited Charles, and there's an apology necessary for that. ]

Edited (wow at my ten million edits of tags today apologies) 2017-08-13 12:12 (UTC)

[ Charles shakes his head, his expression softening in contemplation. As a telepath, he has to make certain jumps in logic and also know what to avoid. His is a precarious existence, not easily tolerated. For all of Charles' easy-going attitude and his genuine need to be helpful and kind, he is outwardly reticent, as if reluctant to subject people to his company. ]

It's fine.

[ A beat. ]

My range is quite . . . far. It can be amplified to cover even larger areas. But certain things I cannot and will not do, even for the greater good.

[ He exhales quietly, his smile bittersweet. ]

It is a naivety in which I operate the boundaries of my own powers and existence, but if everything falls apart, I like that to be the one last constant I keep.

[ there's no real scope for comparison with his own life here, and without it John's left grappling with concepts as far away to him as fiction. one day that sort of thing will come easier, understanding perhaps instead of observation, but for now all that he can do is appreciate the attitude that comes along with it. respect, and heartily, the boundaries Charles has set for himself.

the closest person to a mindreader he knows has limited scruples in the use of his skillset, and even fewer rules of conduct that he can understand. often, John struggles with that, even when his own morality has its own revolving door of composite parts.

but this is a clear and definite line drawn in cooling concrete, not sand, and it's something he can value. ]

Understood.

[ and, in a fumbled attempt to shift the mood to a slightly lighter one, ]

If it's any reassurance, you're fairly sci-fi for me. [ that's... rude? maybe? who knows. ] So I won't be asking anything of you that you haven't first suggested yourself.

[ Charles smiles warmly, a flash of teeth. It's bright and filled with a simple joy. His powers are always a stumbling block and he deeply appreciates anyone willing to put in the effort. ]

I appreciate that. In actuality, mutations aren't so much fiction as an entropic result of the nuclear age. I wrote my thesis on it, in fact. Sadly, it's far too tedious to recount.

[ ah, mutation. right. of course. but in an odd sort of a way, that makes enough scientific sense that he can start to compute it. cheers, Charles. ]

I'm sure it was fascinating, but maybe best kept for another day.

[ back to the friendly banter and an answering smile. much more comfortable ground. ]

[ He chuckles softly. ]

Yes. What other areas should we cover?

Suppose we could see if any potential candidates stand up under cross reference?

[ his list is currently limited, but he'd like to know if Charles has met any of the people on it to vouch for or call into question their suitability ]

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