(Untitled)

[arethebettermen]

Who: arethebettermen and YOU!
What: Conversations and Chess for everyone!
Where: Promenade Park
When: 10/11 (late afternoon-->evening)
Warnings: Unless there is VIOLENT CHESS, I'm pretty sure it's low key.

Comments

[blunderbussed]

Dobryn hadn't anticipated spending any length of time in the parks of this city, but admittedly, he'd been left curious by the glimpses of greenery he'd sighted from his other explorations of the city. He'd seen pictures in his youth of Robellian geography, of its vast wilderness and prim countrysides alike, but the desert clime and surrounding badlands of his home Harstide were something else entirely. So it was that he decided to finally indulge his curiosity, and oh, what did he find here...

He had heard Xavier make mention of wheelchairs in one of his earlier transmissions, but somehow it hadn't actually registered to Dobryn that the man was actually bound to one. He let his stare linger for some time before he caught himself and approached.

"Good afternoon, professor." He spoke with a light smile, almost entirely artificial, until he caught sight of the chess set, at which point it gave way a more genuine look of curiosity. "What is that?"

[blunderbussed]

A different look flickered over his features then - either disappointment, displeasure, irritation, or something else entirely - but soon melted into another pleasant smile.

"How unfortunate," he said lightly. "And here I had thought I might have myself a position of negotiation..."

[arethebettermen]

That look didn't go by unnoticed. Charles gave a slight frown at the expression, but, it'd be far easier to have someone who Alex already knew. He was a young man that was difficult to work with, and he needed someone who could work with him. He trusted Dobrynin far more than Eames, which said something.

"I'm still open to hear it." He said. "People can leave at any moment. I'll need other options as well."

[blunderbussed]

Dobryn spent a moment drumming his fingers against the table and considering his options. Perhaps it wouldn't be wise to give up whatever else he had to say just yet, but then again, if Xavier could be swayed into giving him what he wanted regardless...

"Well." He shook his head with a chuckle, still smiling. "I suppose it would take no great leap of logic for you to surmise that my asking price for my services would be an assurance that you will stay well clear of my mind."

[arethebettermen]

Charles gave a smile. "Rest assured, Mr. Tvarisch, I do my best to stay out of the minds of people who do not want me there." He wouldn't go into the greater detail about how he could still hear the thoughts around him, even if he was doing his best to avoid them. "Though the teneka tends to leak thoughts and feelings for me at times. I apologize before hand."

[blunderbussed]

"Of course." Dobryn reached for one of the pieces again, idly tilting it against the board. "The very nature of this, ah, TENEKA system led me to realize that such a request would be - while not wholly unreasonable, you understand - rather impossible to uphold."

Which was the truth, though only part of it. How could he ask this man to stay out of his own mind when he still had every intention of investigating his for himself?

"And so..." His smile sharpened. "I have a rather different price in mind."

[arethebettermen]

"There is a difference between my telepathy and the teneka." Charles pointed out, but it was a fine difference that would be rather hard for him to describe. Instead he raised his eyebrows. "And what price would that have been?"

[blunderbussed]

"Your silence."

Dobryn met his gaze directly then, and his smile fell from his face as he spoke further.

"Already you've been privy to a wealth of information that would compromise me in rather unpleasant ways were any of it to be leaked." He paused. "Of course, perhaps the consequences for me would not be nearly so dire here as they would in my homeland...but the possibility of another from my world arriving here is not one that has left my mind." And he paused again, allowing another, decidedly more mirthless smile to come to his lips. "As such, I would ask only that you keep what knowledge you have gained of me strictly to yourself - including the fact that you have gained that knowledge - and no more."

[arethebettermen]

His eyebrows raised to a point. "You're also operating on the belief that I would have anyone to tell... or anyone I trusted enough to tell that information to." Charles leaned forward just a tad. "There are only a handful of people in this city that I truly trust, Mr. Tvarisch. And none of them have any reason to know what your background is or the way your mind functions. Even if you were part of the Resistance, I wouldn't tell Tony Stark. Not unless there was an absolute dire reason for me too, such as if your mind was lost."

Charles then shrugged. "However, since neither are an option, you can be rest assured that there is no one I would tell."

[blunderbussed]

He laughed, but much like his smile, there was little humor in it. "The question of whether there is someone to tell could easily change at a moment's notice. Furthermore, there are certain aspects to my identity that would lead to serious consequences no matter where I was..." He paused there, taking careful note of Xavier's reaction as he spoke. "Such as my incarceration.

"But, well, there is little more I can do but trust your word." Once again, he smiled pleasantly. "I suppose it would be technically possible to do away with your knowledge directly, but I have no reason or desire to take such violent means. That being the case, I thank you for you assurance."

[arethebettermen]

Charles' face went from mild irritation that the man would think he'd say anything, to completely impassive. He didn't enjoy being threatened, even if there was a smile plastered onto the threat. He couldn't help but read people's minds, it was a part of him, but letting people into his mind was something entirely different. He wasn't even comfortable with the teneka leaking the way it did.

"I doubt you would be very successful in such an attempt." He said pleasantly, despite the expression on his face. "You're very welcome."