001 [VIDEO]
[ There's a shirtless teenager on your screen who looks remarkably like that kid from the Taylor Swift video, er... well... There's an upside-down shirtless teenager on your screen, looking at the datapad like it has somehow hideously offended him just by existing and having far too many knobs than what one would reasonably expect. At first, his
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...Erik.
Erik Lehnsherr?
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This is an interesting development. She goes from looking stunned to looking angry in a matter of one second.]
That'd be him. He up and abandoned me, so don't bother asking where he's at.
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It's a habit of his.
When did he leave?
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Oh wait. She's almost crying. She looks down and away, ducking her head so her hair falls in her face.]
I'm not sure when. I haven't seen him in a while. That's one thing you have to get used to here, I guess. People come and go all the time. I've been here about a year now and haven't left, but a lot of other people do.
[She shakes her head as she manages to control her tears, and then looks back up at him.]
I'm taking it he left you too.
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He trained with us for a few weeks. [ Talked with us, traveled with us, believed in us. Helped Charles pull us out of the shitty lives we were living before. ] Went on a mission. Save the world and shit.
[ A snort. Then he looks back to the camera ] He hurt Charles and left.
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How did he hurt Charles?
[She bites at her lip until it bleeds, trying to make sense out of that.]
They're really...close, here. Maybe it was an accident.
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[ You'll have to excuse him, Claire, it's a touchy subject. His tone sobers a little. He knows the bullet wasn't really Erik's fault. Not really. Not completely. But, well, he's pissed. ]
The Professor's paralyzed in the time I came from.
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[She's just connecting the first thing he said with the second part and is beyond horrified. She can't really process the fact that Erik would ever hurt Charles, mostly because she doesn't want to begin to think about the fact that Erik has the potential to hurt her. Yeah, that's pretty selfish of her, but...well, that's just Claire.]
He's not paralyzed here. He's walking just fine, and we train together sometimes. They're both like parents to me, so I don't get why Erik would hurt him.
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It wasn't a punch. It was a bullet.
[ Vague Alex makes everything terrible. He doesn't see why she's got such a right to be horrified. Not like she could have known them for that long. Not the way him and the others did. ]
I've seen him. He's from a different time. Earlier. [ And when he hears the last, about being family, his brow creases. So what were the rest of them, chopped liver? His tone's more sarcastic than it needs to be. ] What, the Professor's trying to start up his X-School here?
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They don't have a school here, they just...took me in. Kind of. They've trained me, taught me how to control my power, helped me when I needed it. They've been here for a couple of months, maybe longer? It's not like they've had time to set up anything.
[There's a pause, and Alex gets a look.]
I'm guessing Charles is stuck with you calling him the Professor?
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They do that. Kind of like a collection.
[ Words he doesn't really mean. He's never been the best at this. He tenses at being called out on the 'Professor' thing. It was the name Raven gave him. Raven... who was now also gone. Dropping like flies and now apparently being replaced. ]
It's a name one of us made up for him.
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So have Mommy the Professor butting in.]
Claire! I am certain I have been called worse. Its what Alex is used to addressing me by back home, its a gesture of ... well of something.
Alex .... enough.
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I'm not part of a collection.
[Whatever, she doesn't even care about the stupid Professor thing, or who made up the name for him. He's Charles to her, he'll stay Charles to her and she misses Erik even if he's a spouse abuser or something.]
He actually cares about me.
[The he specifically refers to Erik, but in this case, it could go for being either Erik or Charles.
AND THERE CHARLES IS, WHOOPS, IT TOOK HER A MINUTE TO REALIZE THAT. She looks all kinds of shamefaced.]
I can call you Professor if you really want.
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When were you planning on telling me Erik was around, Charles?
[ And this eyeroll at Claire's offer to call him Professor too totally doesn't get hidden. ]
Kind of doesn't work the same when you're not on the team.
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Because he's not, Alex. Erik has been gone from here for almost a week now.
Claire, you may call me what you feel comfortable calling me. I have been comfortable with you calling me Charles but if it feels better to call me Professor, you may do so.
[She might be hearing it more now than in the past, he'd leave the choice up to her.]
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You heard him, I'm not part of the team. I'll just stick with Charles.
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