[ voice ; open ]

[xprofessor]

I wonder if anyone here would care to assist me with an experiment.

All you need is your location, your mind, and perhaps two or three minutes of your time.

[ Xavier is testing the effective range of communicatory telepathy. He's currently in the harbor, northeast corner of BN, as far away from land as one can get without actually getting on a

Comments

[writingmythesis]

[well, if it's for science...Romana is in the library, have an address for that]

[xprofessor]

[For science always, Romana.

Charles doesn't give a verbal confirmation, just shifts towards her mind. She's unique enough that it's easy to find, and he's not straining too badly at all.]

/So you are in range./

[writingmythesis]

[Romana's mind is still shielded as always, but she's left a channel open for communication, at least. She sounds curious when she replies.]

/Have you discovered anyone who isn't?/

[xprofessor]

/Not yet. But the city interferes.../

[writingmythesis]

/Does it really? That might explain the temporal displacement I've been feeling.../

[xprofessor]

/It's like fog and static, only half the time the static has a mind of its own. Unbelievable how hungry and irritated I've felt today./

[writingmythesis]

/I can see why you might be irritated, but why hungry?/

[xprofessor]

/The famine./

[writingmythesis]

/Oh yes, I assumed you meant it was worsened as a result of the city's interference./

[xprofessor]

/I mean I'm feeling everyone's hunger./

[writingmythesis]

/Can't you simply...stop reading their minds? That might help, you know./

[xprofessor]

/How simple. I hadn't thought of that./

[writingmythesis]

/Considering your tendency to broadcast to the entire city at once, I wasn't certain you had./ [there's a hint of teasing, there]

[xprofessor]

/It's like holding your hands over your eyes. It's difficult to press hard enough to block all the light, and if you are, you can't hold it forever. So I keep up weak shields around the clock instead.

And that only happened the once./

[writingmythesis]

[gently] /If you would like some assistance in strengthening your shields, I may be able to help you./

[xprofessor]

/And how would that work, exactly?/