bakerstreet | thursday pic prompt

thursday pic prompt

the picture prompt meme

i. COMMENT WITH CHARACTER
ii. OTHERS LEAVE A PICTURE (OR TWO OR THREE....)
iii. REPLY TO THEM WITH A SETTING BASED ON THE IMAGES.

THIS POST WILL BE IMAGE HEAVY.

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Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

[Tell me about it. Ugh. Of all the places for them to retire to. /headshake I personally don't really like Atlanta either. New Orleans might be an option though...or Nashville? At least we'd be in the same region. My dad's health isn't great. He had two lung collapses fairly recently, so there are reasons not to be an ocean away.]

That initial reflex was precisely, Aurus thought, what they needed to get beyond. For a moment, he hadn't been sure whether Charles would truly pull away leaving the contact uncompleted. But the gaze was like a gateway: small steps, steadily closer. When he finally felt the brush of Charles' fingertips, he let his eyes slide closed, inclining his head gently towards the contact--a tacit permission for the touch to be extended or reestablished if the man wanted it. Though it was brief, it was also unmistakably significant, and he didn't want to rush it, opening his eyes again slowly as Charles spoke.

There was a deep irony to what he was saying, but it was an irony that Aurus could not yet appreciate: a hidden truth behind just who--or indeed what--had dreamed the sylvari into being. As far as Aurus or anyone else now knew, it was the Pale Tree itself that had drawn inspiration from the human form with no other architect directing its plan. The reality was something quite different, but that reality was still shrouded and secret.

"Your words resonate with what you will see in the Dream," Aurus confirmed, "with the shaping of the Grove itself, which you must remember began only when the Firstborn awoke. You have seen how I can affect the growth of other plants, but compared to those who have dedicated their lives to refining the art, my skills are rudimentary. The Grove is a city, but I am confident in saying that it will be like no city you've ever seen. Thirty years ago the place where the Pale Tree grows was wild jungle.

"Shall I describe some of what you should expect?"

[New Orleans would be a neat place to live! Maybe Atlanta...? I guess it's going to be a mix of where your partner can take his PhD and close enough to your father. That's so scary. :(]

Did he want to know ahead of time? Would words even truly explain what he was going to see? Charles laspsed into silence, truly thinking over that question, before he hesitantly answered. "I... would like to know if there's anything that might be particularly dangerous or overwhelming - basically, any warnings I should know about, but otherwise, no. I'm not certain that even if we sat here the whole night you'd be able to explain everything I'm going to see." His hands folded in his lap, refusing to let himself show any other signs of nerves.

"Equally... is there any potential chance that your mind would touch the mind of another?" And therefore, his mind would do the same. It was a mixture of self-protection and morals; this potential 'other' hadn't agreed to his mental invasion. These were the risks to himself and in turn, the possibility of the same to the mind he would be so deeply attached to at the time. It was also the gentle reminder that there would be some possible issues along side of this, risks, and while he personally planned to be as safe as possible, Aurus was his guide. Some of the same riskes applied in return.

[I'm not too keen on Atlanta personally, just never really liked the vibe there. I spent today looking at Memphis, mostly because it's supposed to have one of the lowest costs of living in the US. But neither of us has ever even been there, soooo you can see how clear as mud our plans are.]

"No to the second," Aurus answered easily, "not, at least, unless you reach out to the minds of those around us. Whether in the Dream or in wakefulness, myself and my kin have no telepathic abilities like your own. As for the Pale Tree itself, we meet the avatar of the Mother only after we awaken, not in the Dream itself.

"Inside the Dream you will see some figures that appear translucent and others that appear solid as we will appear to each other. The translucent are growing saplings who have not yet awoken. They may speak to us, but there is no obligation to reply. They won't expect it, particularly not of you, and anything you say could have deep reverberations for them.

"The non-sylvari one sees in the Dream appear because someone else has seen them and remembers them there. Their words and actions are like loops on repeat. You will be different, but unless you chose to make that known, few if anyone will spot it." He was hoping that all of this would put Charles' mind at least somewhat at ease.

Would it, hypothetically, be possible for Charles to somehow touch the "mind" of the Tree itself? Perhaps. But Aurus felt confident that the man would have to actively try. It wasn't, he felt sure, something he could accidentally stumble into.

[and then, my laptop died ... /facepalm]

Now that he'd taken a few moments to think it over, that seemed to make far more sense than resting his head in Charles' lap. That method would have worked, but had the telepath lost control, it could have meant trouble in both their cases, with Charles possibly falling out of his chair and Kurt ending up with the back of his head on the floor. "Smart thinking, Professor."

When instructed to hold the chair, he pushed himself forward and slipped off the side of the bed, moving back around to do as he'd been told - secure the seat in place. It was tempting to simply help Charles onto the bed (he'd lifted him before and all), but he imagined the other man preferred to have some sort of independence and Kurt flushed with mortification at his own over-eagerness.

[Yeaaaah. I'd be kind of terrified to live somewhere I've never been before. I live just outside of Philly and couldn't imagine living anywhere else. (Though less than happy with how my state voted recently >.<) Also sorry if I'm a bit slower. I can't do sexy-ish tags as easily during work times. ^^;]

Charles couldn't help the thought that came to him in that moment. Could he touch the Pale Tree or this avatar? A world that was not his own, a power he had no true concept of, something that almost sounded like a god... it fascinated him, more than he was willing to admit to himself, but he also realized well and true that it could be dangerous to even try to do so.

"Will there be sylvari that reject the idea of my being there, if I'm spotted?" Charles asked, pushing those other thoughts out of his head for now, all while making a particular note to not say a word to any of the translucent unborn children. The last thing he wanted to do was somehow change an entire generation of sylvari because of words he said to them before they even left their plant-womb. There was something disturbing about the idea of being god to something else.

He looked over to the bed and decided, for now, he was going to make himself comfortable. So he brought his chair right up to it, locked the brakes, and pulled himself up and out with a brief show of upper body strength. It wasn't graceful, but he managed fairly well even on the unusual bed, working himself back until his back was to the pillows.

[Oh noes! :( It's like losing a hand, I swear. Got a new one yet?]

Charles was grateful that Kurt decided not to try and help. He was used to, for a certain degree, getting around on his own. Sometimes it became a source of frustration or anger, but right now, it would have definitely been a bit of a nudge at his pride. It showed that he had developed more strength in his upper torso though as he got himself into Kurt's bed, shifting himself back so his back sat to the wall, making himself as comfortable as he could for now with the realization they could be there a while in these positions.

"Alright," he said when he was settled, "get yourself comfortable. It'll be a bit like going to sleep, but it will be a near instantaneous sleep." Something he would force for Kurt, but never quite fall into himself. It would something he would experience 'awake', which he wouldn't mention to Kurt held some dangers of its own.

[I've never done it before tbh. I moved from NY to Tucson when I'd only ever been there once or twice before to visit, and with two horses no less (but I was younger and more fearless then). And when I moved to the UK it was to Torquay where my partner grew up and I'd only passed through for like a day. This feels different though. (Of course it might not come to fruition at all, still brainstorming.) No worries on tagging speed of course--'s all worth waiting for! <3]

"Oh no, I wouldn't think so. More than likely they'll just be curious. We are as diverse in our personal opinions as humans are though, and some have thornier dispositions than others. I won't completely rule out the possibility of someone being discontent with me, but not in any consequential--"

He paused before he got to the end of the sentence, watching Charles with obvious interest and momentary distraction. Actually, his mouth hung slightly open until he recomposed himself, shaking his head and giving a low laugh at his own presumptuousness. "I'm sorry. I'd planned to offer to help you--obviously you don't require my help at all."

In truth, he also hadn't wanted to be too forward or to rush Charles ahead, and he'd worried that the man might balk at the suggestion of moving from chair to bed. Evidently he'd been wrong about that too, and he was honestly glad to be wrong.

[I didn't know you used to have horses! I miss horses so badly sometimes.. I rode for years at the stables of a friend of my mother's, but I got bucked off into a wall and broke my tailbone about 6 months before college started and that kind of ended that. :( I still think you're a braver soul than I. I couldn't do it. I think I'm too logical/pessimestic/rational/I don't know to just up end myself to unknown places. I think you guys are strong enough to do it, though.]

It wasn't until the laugh that Charles caught Aurus staring at him, then raised an eyebrow as he pondered the reasons for that laugh until the explanation came, then a faint smile touched his lips. It was something he was partially used to, people thinking they needed to help, but he forgave Aurus as the other barely knew him well enough to know how mobile he managed to be. "The general consensus is if I need help, I will ask for it. Otherwise, I try to manage on my own." Hank had been the one to buy him weights, though, and a system to try and work on his upper body strength when the wheelchair was clearly going to remain a part of his life. The gift had brought up a deep anger and self-pity at first, but eventually he had brought them out of the closet and started working with them. Just... enough to help himself.

But for now, he was still hoping his courage would hold out. With no true idea of what was going to come of tonight, mentally or physically, it was running along a dark path and hoping it led to where he wanted to go... or at least some place that wasn't dangerous at the end. "I hope they won't be discontent with either of us. I wouldn't be remiss if you chose to fabricate how you and I came to travel in the Dream. Perhaps I found my own way and you chose to guide me," he offered, shifting a pillow behind him until he was content with its placement.

[it seriously is. D: i did get one that should work for now! a friend of mine gave me her old one (which is super kind of her because it's ridiculously nice ...)]

Silently watching Charles made Kurt's heart swell with both pride and appreciation; the former because he was so proud to be able to call this man one of his mentors and the latter for being allowed to see the other mutant this way - getting to experience how strong Charles was, regardless of the fact he was bound to a wheelchair. It was fascinating to him and not because he didn't think of the paralysis as a weakness, but more of how Charles didn't seem to be bothered by it.

After his teacher was settled, he shook his head to draw himself from his thoughts and moved to get back onto the bed, positioning himself so his head was resting in Charles' lap, his legs dangling over the edge of the mattress. "Will I actually be asleep or will it be more of an unconscious sort of state?"

[Oh no! Tailbone breaks are literally the worst! I've known several people it's happened to--so damn painful. My current relationship to horses is...a bit messy, in the paying upkeep costs for animals I don't see sense. Alas. Re: crazy moves to new places--it might be in my blood lol. When my dad immigrated to the US in the 50s he literally took a plane to NYC from half way around the world and asked a taxi driver to take him to someplace he could sleep. That still sounds totally nuts to me, but the world was a very different place back then.]

Aurus gave a single deep nod of his head to indicate that he would indeed respect this instruction and take the guidance on board. When it came right down to it, he had no idea how Charles managed all the myriad mundane tasks of life, but it made sense to him that any person in his situation would want to maintain their self-sufficiency.

Of course he could now make some kind of glib remark about how he'd just have to wait for another excuse to get the man in his arms. But it did not feel well-judged to say--more likely awkward or uncomfortable than anything.

So instead he shifted his own position on the bed, drawing his legs up so that he could sit cross-legged beside the man while to two of them talked. (Since his feet were bare, the posture also had the effect of revealing that his soles glowed like foxfire as well, as though he'd walked through bioluminescent paint.)

"Ahh," he said with a shake of his head at Charles suggestion of how they might avoid any potential blame, "Now that would raise quite a lot of eyebrows. No human in the world can find a way into the Dream on their own. That would be alarming.

"The Dream is not impervious to attack, you see. Humans as a whole bear us no ill will, but one of the things that keeps the Dream safe is that only the Mother Tree herself can create a way for members of the other races to enter it directly. That fact might not provide perfect security, but it does assure that the only threat we need guard against is presented by those of our own race who would seek to poison the Dream.

"The idea of a non-sylvari having simply found their own way in--it would too easily suggest a war fought on multiple fronts. Because if you could manage it who is to say that someone who meant us harm would not soon do the same?"

[Oh no! :( I'd be heartbroken if I couldn't see my babies. Also your dad sounds pretty badass. That whole idea is both kind of romantic in one sense and completely terrifying in another. I'm very much the 'make my own path, but I build it carefully' sort. Happy to try a random restaurant or spin the wheel, but when it comes to my career, home, etc... I work hard to keep it on a path I feel is secure. Probably comes from a ton of having to move place to place in my life and never really having a home for long.]

Ahhh. Charles nodded, showing that he understood. "I see what you mean." And how it could be very much a threat. "Unfortunately, that sounds like if someone becomes perturbed with you or I, you'll have to bear a bit of that blame." The corner of his mouth lifted, showing he didn't mean it as a cruel statement but something that wasn't exactly avoidable. In the low light of the room, Aurus had this beautiful unearthly glow about him, striking him even more strongly how much he looked like nothing he had seen on earth except for Raven and-

He suddenly had a thought, one that made him realize there was something he should have done a while ago. "You know, there's someone you should meet tomorrow," he said suddenly, peering at Aurus for several moments with a critical eye. "One of our students is a bit..." Oh how he struggled with the next word. "Shy might be how some think of it, but ashamed might be a lot more on the right level. With Raven gone," those words hurt so deeply still to say, how he missed her, "we don't have anyone who looks a bit more... unusual. Stacy came to us only a few weeks ago and perhaps you might do well to bring her out of her shell."

There was a part of him who realized how foolish it was that he hadn't thought of this connection sooner. Sometimes he believed it was an irony or a punishment that he had no one among his staff who could work with the students that had a unique appearance - given his comments to his sister in the past.

[Ahahahaha my computer has broken. Like proper broken. Fan made a weird sound and shut it down and now it won't restart. I already had an appointment at Apple to have it looked at on Monday but fuuuuck. At least tagging is something I can reasonably do on my ipad or my partner's notebook. /sigh]

Given that he really wasn't worried about getting into trouble with his kin for what they were about to do, Aurus could freely and easily return that smile. "It won't be the most trouble I've ever been in, regardless," he assured.

The way that Charles looked at him then made Aurus half expect that another question would follow. His own expression thus grew more curious as the man spoke about this student, and about his sister. Aurus, of course, had seen the picture of Raven in Charles' office earlier in the day, but she'd looked like a perfectly ordinary human there. A pretty, blond haired young woman with no telltale sign of mutation. Granted, the picture was also several years old. Could something have happened in the time since?

"Of course, I would be happy to," he said of Stacy. "However I can most be of use, I'm glad to do it. But I don't understand--Raven, your sister? Does her mutation alter her appearance? From her photograph I would never have known."

[Welcome to being on the only tag I've been doing all day. @_@ Today was ... shitty. I had to go get my injections for my TMJ and my body just kind of shut down on me from it. Ug. However, broken computer is WAY worse... crap! And WOW Apples usually don't do that! I've had my Apple for 10+ years now without issue. I hope it can get fixed!]

Ah, right. He hadn't explained about Raven. Charles couldn't help the small chuckle that left him, bringing up an arm and tucking it behind his head, making himself comfortable. "Raven is a shapeshifter," he said simply, hoping it might be a simple enough term it would come through to Aurus if they had anything similar or not. "She can change her appearance at will. The photograph you saw was the form she took as my sister and remained as such for the majority of her life, but in truth she is.." He paused, thinking how to describe her true form. "Blue, head .to toe, with bright crimson hair and raised darker blue markings on her skin. It actually made me wonder if I had found another one like her when you first showed up."

But his smile turned just a hint sad after his words ended, his gaze turning away. There as something in there that he hadn't mentioned, but it most certainly seemed to have to do with his sister. "She would love to have met you, if she was here."

[D: I hope that you were able to take the rest of the day off/have a lie down to recoup. And that the injection actually helps in the longer run. (I didn't know that they did injections for TMJ actually.) Chronic pain fucking blows. I'm shocked on the Apple front too--all my past ones have lived for 10+ years and been fine as well. Honestly...I think GW2 is to blame. Don't think the machine dealt well with the demands of gaming.]

"How amazing," Aurus said, his head cocked slightly in fascination and his voice slightly softened. "I would never have imagined." And in truth he couldn't imagine. Not really. A sylvari with the colors that Charles described, yes, that he could picture. But a human? And just what precisely did being a shapeshifter entail? Was it only humans that she could become, or could she take the shape of other sorts of beings as well--or was even that question the sort that was barely suggested within a world where there were no other sentient races? If a shapeshifter such as this woman came to his own world, would she be able to take the shape of a tengu, for example--a humanoid bird more than six feet tall?

The cascade of questions flowed through Aurus's mind and if he'd been a younger sylvari he probably would have given them voice. His focus, however, was better than that, and what he said instead was "Perhaps I might have a chance to do so yet. You said she's out in the world searching for herself. Who knows when she may come back." Unlikely, perhaps, but Aurus was thinking that he'd quite like to meet Raven too, and he could always hope.

"But what of this student of yours, Stacy--is she a shapeshifter as well?"

[That was SUPER nice of her!!]

Charles would have been a terrible mix of proud and ashamed that he was able to hide how he felt about his paralysis. It would, as far as he was concerned, never stop bothering him and bothering him deeply. It was something that hit hard every day of his life, even these years since it had happened. In reality, he knew the truth that it was something he was slowly, even if very slowly, becoming more and more used to and the pain of its reality becoming less razor-edged, but it was still there. It was something he worked to hide from everyone absolutely, even if Hank and Raven were, thankfully, still here and still knew.

"Here, wait a second," Charles said after Kurt put his head down. He shifted to grab a pillow and tapped Kurt's head until the young man lifted his head. Quickly he tucked the pillow under there, something that would be more comfortable in the long run for both of them. "There we go."

It was a little bit of work to get them both settled but once they were, Charles gently placed his fingertips on Kurt's temples. "It will be the former to start, then true sleep as I bring your mind deeper. Just remember that no matter what happens, I'm right there with you. If it becomes absolutely too much, you let me know. We can stop, but I want you to push yourself through this." He peered down to Kurt, hoping the other understood.

"First things first, though. I want you to feel what it feels like when I touch your mind and make sure you are comfortable with that."

[I pretty much just relaxed the rest of the day. Not sure why in particular my body sort of just... shut down but it reacted a lot worse than it normally does to the injections. 22 of them this time... ug. I'm on my third year now of getting them and it's literally changed my life. Before I found Dr. G, I spent 7 years trying to get relief. My jaw couldn't open very far any more, my left jaw socket clicked horribly (400-500 times a day and it even locked in place 3 times), and it was agony. I cried sometimes from how much it just... hurt to do the normal stuff you do every day. Smile, talk, eat. The botox makes it so the nerves stop firing into the muscle so much and it gives your muscles a chance to stop constantly being tense and flexing and angry. Even the shape of my face has changed. ...Er, sorry. It's a subject I could talk for an hour about. Doctors who didn't believe me, did believe me but couldn't help, all the shit we tried to make it better, the damage already done.. @_@ I dunno though I don't think GW2 really would kill an Apple. It sounds like maybe just a fluke? I guess it depends on what Apple says is actually the problem.]

Charles would have answered those questions, to the best of his ability, if Aurus had spoke up on them, but instead he stuck to the question he did before he spoke about Raven. "Stacy is not," he started off, but it was tricky explaining to people just what her gift was without it coming off... improperly. "Stacy is capable of producing pheromones that affect humans in different ways. So far, we've witnessed her capable of making people happy or angry or ill." But he feared one day that the 'happy' would turn into something more, in particular as the child became a woman.

"Raven's chosen to.. explore the world. I'm not sure when she'll return." Yet something in his voice suggested he wasn't sure she would ever return, that note of sadness and the shift in his gaze that spoke even more volumes than his words. He missed her, so much more than he even let himself feel.

The idea that she didn't miss him at all was a barb in his heart, even if he had no idea if it was true or not.

[My dressage trainer years ago had TMJ--the aftermath of a bad car accident (she was thrown through the windshield), and it plagued her something awful. She'd have days when she just couldn't get out of bed and no conventional medicine helped her. She relied a lot on sports massage, but was a very imperfect cure. So the injections you're talking about--even if your body just nopes out every now and then, if they give you your life back that's srsly invaluable. On my end, I've spend all day today and half of yesterday trying to find a good cheap(ish) gaming laptop option. The reason I think GW2 is to blame is because so many hours of extra hot running temps which had the fans working severely overtime and wearing out. Gaming laptops are just built with more heat dispersal in mind than a macbook. I think I'm paying the price for that, but we'll see what the techies say tomorrow.]

"Huh. I wonder what effect human pheromones have on plants," he mused aloud, "if they have any at all." It was a topic close enough to his own interest in the mind-altering effects of plant preparations that he was genuinely fascinated to find out.

"Does she have control of her ability?" Obviously, Aurus was taking to the idea of meeting this student already, and not in the least put off by the possibility that the girl's powers could somehow emotionally manipulate him.

As for Raven, though, he reached out and touched Charles' hand, sensing something of what troubled him and laying his own palm atop the man's. "Trust that you will see her again. Just as, even after so many years away, I return to my own home either to visit in the Dream or someday to go back in person. Wandering long and far does not mean that one does not love their home nor miss the people there."

[My TMJ is hereditary, but I didn't even know you could get it from an accident so you taught me something today. I did a lot of massage in the past as well to try and help but it doesn't really solve anything unfortunately. My doctor told me this - imagine if you go to the gym three times a week, worked out, your muscles would be happy and healthy. Now imagine if you never left the gym, ever, stayed 24/7 and worked out. eventually your muscles wouldn't just hurt, they'd get so over developed that they would start to break down. That's what really bad TMJ does. I couldn't be happier that I found the botox treatment. Gave me back so much. Mmm... yeah I suppose I don't really think of gaming when I think Macs. XD Poor thing. I hope it's something fixable. I'd say cheap but nothing with a Macbook is cheap. /as she types on one herself. I leave my gaming to my desktop I built.]

"I'm not certain," Charles said with a look and tone that suggested he wanted to take caution with this, don't just jump in there Aurus, but he softened it with a, "I'd be grateful if you could talk to her, maybe try to ease her on her unhappiness about her body. She does have control over her powers, for the most part, but sometimes when she gets very emotional they can work a bit on their own. Something we see in a lot of these children."

He offered a small smile, but the smile actually fell away with the touch to his hand. There was a great deal in this particular (tender) subject that Aurus didn't know about, what led to her leaving and the pain that came with it (being deserted when he needed her most, her choice of Erik over himself, just leaving all together).

"Maybe." His word was a stop. His voice indicated it wasn't a subject he wanted to discuss further, definitely not now.

[I actually didn't know it could be hereditary, so I learned something too! I've always thought of it as one of those things that's just so poorly understood by the medical establishment. But your doctor's metaphor both makes sense and is kind of horrifying to picture. It's amazing what botox can sometimes help with though, like they're using it to treat migraines now too? Who would have thought it when they started to use it to treat wrinkles! Also, I kind of wish I had space to put a desktop for gaming, but alas we are laptop people in a crazy small London flat. My partner has a super shiny MSI gaming laptop, but I can't afford something that high end.]

The nod that Aurus gave acknowledged both that he would do as Charles asked and take care in his conversation with this student, and also that he would respect the boundary being drawn around the topic of the man's sister. It was, however, a reminder of how much he still had yet to learn about the man. He knew some elements of Charles' past, but at the same time it was clear that the ghosts which haunted him had many tales yet to tell and that Charles guarded those closely.

Would the man open up to him more after tonight? Aurus hoped that he would, but he could also accept that it might take a much longer time.

He let his hand slip away. "You have my word that I will be as sensitive and careful as I am able," with Charles' student, with Charles himself.

Then, feeling that perhaps this was the moment when they ought to broach the core topic of the evening, he gave a nod to the cup on the table--really a shallow wooden bowl which Aurus kept with him for precisely this purpose. "What do you think, shall I drink and have us begin?"

[My grandmother developed it late in life, so we're going to watch my mom to see if it happens with her, too. My jaw is all sorts of messed up to begin with. The lower jaw is too small. I have no canine teeth at all because all four adult ones had to be pulled to make enough room for the rest of my teeth. /random fun fact. I've heard about the migraine thing! It's so incredible that it's being found to do so many things other than wrinkles. (Though it scares me people want to get stabbed with needles to help with something as stupid as wrinkles >.<) Ahhh no I could see that. Desktops do take up a bunch of room. And hell I couldn't afford a proper 'gaming' laptop, so I feel you!]

"Thank you." Whether Charles picked up the additional on Aurus' promise or not it was impossible to say, but the thanks worked in either way.

His eyes slid over to the bowl, studying the mixture soaking it in, and felt a small amount of relief he didn't feel any particular urge towards drinking it himself, more a decided anxiety. Then again, the logical part of him said, it couldn't provide him the thing he wanted again in his life. Not much of a test, but still one that came with a tiny bit of relief to have passed.

There was a quick nod, covering his own internal thoughts. "How long will it take you to be affected?" He asked curiously but at the same time, he had to figure out how much time he had for what would need to come after that drink. "I need to be able to keep in contact with your head while we do this, so if I put my back against the far edge, you can lay with your head in my lap. It'll be the easiest for such a long stretch of time." Not actually meant to push in any particular direction but simply a fact of what needed to happen. From everything he'd seen so far, though, he wasn't so concerned that Aurus might have an issue with such positioning.

[yes, it really was!]

It was something that Kurt constantly wanted to ask about, but he could never seem to work up the nerve to do so. Always too afraid of offending his teacher or coming off as rude when that would never be his intention. Besides, it's not really his business anyhow, so keeping his questions to himself seemed like a better idea when it came down to it. Maybe, one of these days, he'll find the courage to finally inquire on the more simple things that buzz around in his mind.

"Huh?" He shifted to better look up at Charles, curious as to what he was doing. The touch to his head and the sight of a pillow ultimately cued him in on what the other mutant was doing and he raised enough to let the cushion be placed, settling his head onto it afterward. "Thank you."

As they progressed, Kurt could feel his nervousness rising, but he inhaled deep and released the breath, urging himself to relax when Charles' fingers rested at his temples. "I will do my best to get through it. If it becomes too much, I will remember, though I am going to force myself to continue - for the both of us." Even if that meant driving himself to the point of painful distress.

"Understood, ja. I am ready whenever you are, Professor."

[So the verdict from the (possibly gay, possibly flirting, completely adorable) Apple tech guy was that...my d key isn't working! Surprise surprise. The computer booted right up though, so that issue just resolved itself which is good. He said he suspected that the weird boot screen came from a keyboard issue that made the computer think a key was being held down when it wasn't. Anyway, long story short, it would cost £400 to replace the keyboard, so not doing that. I'll just get an external keyboard to plug in instead. But he did agree that the d has gone due to stress/fatigue from gaming use, and over time the excess heat will shorten the life of the machine. I think he was thrilled in that geeky sort of way when I mentioned the idea of using an external GPU to take half the heat out of the body of the laptop and into a separate unit, but unfortunately my laptop has a Thunderbolt2 port and an eGPU requires Thunderbolt3 to be viable. Anyway, tl;dr, I need to make this my professional life computer and invest in a separate machine for gaming. LMAO I cannot believe I'm actually going to spend this kind of money to play this bloody MMO. /shakes fist at GW2]

"Actually," Aurus said, unable to suppress his smile, "I was going to suggest precisely the same thing." He'd been wondering what Charles would say to the idea of having him put his head in his lap, but apparently he need not have worried, and the idea that they were already on the same page on this point seemed to him to confirm the rightness of what they were choosing to do.

"The brew takes effect gradually. It won't be long--a few minutes at most before it begins. In this case, it will help ease the way forward as I drop off to sleep, nothing more. Were I to stay awake, its effects could be quite different."

Of course Aurus still had no reason to suspect that the brew itself might be a source of anxiety for Charles. He would certainly have liked to know, but even if he had he could not have said much beyond assuring the man that hallucinogens of this sort were almost never addictive. (Some of his plant alkaloids actually had the side effect of curing addiction.) And indeed this admixture of boiled vines and leaves and bark could never give Charles the use of his legs, even temporarily...though it could perhaps allow him to hallucinate himself walking.

"The Mists are quite vast and from here in another world, the Grove and the Pale Tree are very far away. It may take a little time before anything comes into view. I don't know precisely how the connection between us will work, but I suspect that once it is made, if you feel yourself drifting towards sleep, you need not try to stay awake. If you feel a subtle kind of guidance you need merely to allow yourself to follow it."

Reaching over for the little bowl, he held it cupped between his hands with a kind of ritual reverence. The teas he drank out of it were never simply recreational. There was some spiritual significance each time, and this one was no different.

Half closing his eyes for a few seconds in something quite like a meditative pose, he focused on his breath, clearing his mind. Then he lifted the bowl to his lips and drank the liquid within.

[At least it sounded like a fun time even if the result of the trip was both somehow really good AND really bad? XD That is such a WEIRD issue! I've been working with computers my whole life and the idea of a key being held down stopping it is so very weird. Still, at least it isn't a worse issue! An external keyboard is a good stop-gap solution, though. (Uh, is it here that I admit I bought a whole new gaming desktop because my original desktop wasn't strong enough to play FFXIV? coughcough) >.>]

A brow briefly rose. Why would Aurus have suggested such a position without knowing what he required? Then again, the sylvari did know he required touch, so perhaps it made sense. Charles pushed it out of his mind, focusing on what was happening now. Good, at least he wouldn't have to fight too hard against the drug-tea that Aurus was about to consume (or he hoped he wouldn't). He shifted his weight back, getting himself into position, but he did pause mid-motion so that he could watch Aurus. It was fascinating to watch, seeing the respect that Aurus gave the moment, which put it into better perspective what Aurus thought of this venture into the Dream.

Keeping that in mind, he finished what he was doing, then took one of the other pillows and put it in his lap. It would keep Aurus' head steady and more comfortable and give his hands somewhere to rest while he disappeared into the other's mind. Much like Aurus' just had, once he was in place, he closed his eyes, slowing down his own breathing, working down the nerves he had coming into this situation. Without any idea of what he was truly getting into other than the bits Aurus had told him, even though he knew the sylvari had told him everything he could, he knew it would most likely be immeasurable and indescribable. Hank had tried to explain Cerebro to him before he put the helmet on. It wasn't nearly enough back then and he didn't imagine it would be now.

[We can shamefully whisper our admissions of gaming indulgence behind our hands. Because after an evening of searching I ordered myself a proper name brand shiny thing! It feels ridiculous--our living room is going to look like a damn rave from all the rainbow laptop lights. But what can I say, I was seduced by the awesome sale that I found. I am such a sucker for a good sale.]

Slowly, Aurus opened his eyes once more, his gaze settling on Charles, bright and clear and once again finding that expression of warmth and intimacy that he'd only been able to show fleetingly throughout the day. It had required careful discretion then, but there was no one else to see them now, and the only person who might judge them harshly was Charles himself.

He was sure that this would all still feel daunting for the man, the way that breaking (or at least stretching and bending) taboos always felt daunting, particularly at threshold moments when the act was just about to begin. Why, then, break taboos at all? It could only be because of desire, the pull towards an intimacy too captivating to ignore. With himself and Charles, Aurus felt that it was like the current of a river--sometimes it flowed low and hidden stirring the silt deep down, and sometimes it rose up in a visible rush that tugged and rippled right to the surface. Tonight it could touch the open air, as free and as heady as it wanted to be.

Aurus set the bowl back on the table and lay down, setting his head slowly against the cushion in Charles' lap, and looking up at him. Before he settled fully, he reached for the man's hand, seeking the press of fingertips against his own, an affirmation of the connection between them not on a telepathic level but simply on an emotional one.

Charles let his eyes close on that go-ahead, his fingertips pressing lightly to either of Kurt's temples, taking a slow breath in... out... until he felt his heart calm. It wasn't a task that was without a hint of nerves for himself as well, as he hadn't done this for another student beyond Jean, so it would be a learning experience for them both.

"Just a touch, first," he murmured quietly before he let his power reach out, down through his body and out of his fingers, sinking into Kurt's mind. Not too deep, not this time, only similar to a brush against the mind, picking up only the outer-most surface thoughts. For Kurt, there was only the faintest feeling, something a bit akin to having someone very much in his personal space without touching him. A bit uncomfortable for most, and those who knew him usually could identify him from only this touch if he reached out to them, but far from a terrible feeling.

Can you feel me? Charles' voice was not in Kurt's ears but in his mind, in that same non-space Kurt's own mental voice came from.

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