bakerstreet | thursday pic prompt

"Hank is a brilliant man. I'm... not surprised he managed to figure things out." Still, Charles rubbed a hand over his face, feeling a certain level of embarassment over the whole thing. Given his senses (though he wasn't certain how much the drug repressed those in Hank), his friend might have even smelled it out. "That wasn't... exactly the most subtle of questions, either." He leaned back in his chair with a sigh, realizing there wasn't much more he could do on that notion for now.

"He doesn't have any right to get involved in my choices." That was, perhaps, just a touch more firm than he would have liked it to come out. It was obvious exactly what this was over and damn it he didn't think it was fair. Aurus was not like Erik, end of story. There was a certain anger that bubbled up in him that Hank thinking he had any right to say something to Aurus when it was none of his business. A certain anger at feeling like he was being treated like a child. A certain guilt because his feelings for Erik had gotten people hurt and he knew Hank believed he could have done more to stop Erik long ago. Anger at himself because it was true.

Charles looked away, glaring slightly at nothing, before he let out a breath. "It won't bring me harm. You don't have to worry about that."

Aurus would absolutely accept that bit of blame, and he did so with a slow deep nod of his head. "My people are not known for our subtle speech, I'm afraid. Compared to my kin I am downright diplomatic. Compared to most humans however?" He shook his head slowly, acknowledging that he'd never really gotten passed that shortcoming.

"I believe it may be in this area where we feel our cultural differences most keenly. Of course he doesn't have the right, and he may be wholly misguided, but his concern is born of genuine affection for you, I do not doubt that for a moment. To me that seems no different than a friend expressing concern over any course of action, intimate or otherwise. But I sense that your sense of privacy is quite unlike my own."

He watched Charles quietly for a moment, wanting to understand better what the man was feeling. He could easily accept Charles' assurance that their intimacy presented no danger to him since he'd always believed that himself anyway. But there were other things he could not quite read, and thus demonstrating (without even fully realizing he was doing so) what he meant about sylvari bluntness, he simply asked him directly:

"Is it terribly embarrassing for you that your friend knows you could entertain the idea of intimacy with another male? Or would you still feel the same embarrassment if I was a woman?"

You know what conversation Charles didn't want to be having? This one. He had grown up with a proper English family, which was why he ended up going to Oxford, and despite his openness towards women as a younger man, this was a topic that was not discussed. People didn't take well to finding out someone had affiliations to someone of the same gender and though he was open minded about it, it still felt like society was staring at him from a distance to even be having this conversation.

"I don't particularly want Hank to be aware of what I may or may not be doing in bed, regardless of who it's with." That was flat, almost sarcastic but managing to tame it back in the face that Aurus truly didn't (seem) to know any better. "I know it's because he cares and he's worried but he's officially crossed the line into none of his business." His voice slightly over ennunciating those words. He most certainly said nothing to Hank about the possible... something going on between Hank and his sister and frankly, he didn't want to know.

Though if either of them hurt the other he would have WORDS with the offending party.

It was going to take Aurus a little while to get used to this sort of custom and the more private attitude about sex. Even when it came to dealing with humans in his own world, people just sort of knew that sylvari were very casual about the topic. It was hardly unusual to hear young members of the race spontaneously discussing their new discoveries with each other. ("Well, I suggested that we try it," Aurus could distinctly remember one sylvari sapling declaring loudly about her friend on one of his trips back to the Grove, "So she kissed me! And then she turned to the next person and she kissed her, and then him, and then her--!")

It wouldn't have been too much of a stretch to say that many sylvari tended to treat sex about the same as they treated food: you wouldn't need to keep it a secret what you'd had for dinner last night or who you'd dined with. Aurus, personally, had always been one of the least reserved.

For Charles' sake though, he would genuinely try. "I'm sorry," he said, reading between the lines, "I'm making you uncomfortable."

[Sorry I went quiet briefly. Yesterday ended up a CRAZY day somehow. My dealership found my perfect car and we were dealing with that WHILE I'm at work trying to get stuff done AND while I was trying to write the multi-page document outlining all the info characters need to know for my LARP event I'm running in a month AND getting lab results back for a blood test that were not good THEN running home, getting food, and trying to book plane tickets on Expedia between four people going to Japan which had two lay overs in each direction. @_@]

Yes, yes he was making Charles uncomfortable. The telepath rubbed his nose once before clearing his throat. "...let's go back inside. I want to get dinner before we begin tonight and hear about how the experiment went with Hank." And not more about what happened afterward for now. He... would go talk to his old friend about that at some point but it was going to be interesting. In fact, they had a great deal to talk about at some point and it was going to be awkward at best.

"After, we can... I don't know when is best to begin." It was hard to knock Charles off his normal certainty and calm but Aurus had managed to do that more than once today, leaving him to try and find his footing when it felt like he had none to get traction on.

[Oh good lord! Not to worry of course (actually, my notifs were completely fucked for like a day and a half with everything coming in 8-10 hrs late, so I thought maybe the same was happening for you), but that all sounds totally nuts. Are congratulations on a new car in order? Because that would be grand. Also, if you've got those plane tickets booked then definite congrats on that! Very excite! Where are your layovers and what airport are you flying into? (We flew into Narita, which I think many international flights arrive at, so I can share info about it if you'd like.) I hope the lab tests weren't anything too bad or serious and can all be easily managed. ... Also, poor Charles, lol.]

Not pushing the point any further, Aurus got to his feet and, with a wave of his hand, dispelled the tablet, which vanished silently, as though it had never been there at all. He placed a hand on Charles' shoulder as he turned back towards the house, but in this case it was a gesture carefully left free of any erotic charge or weighty implication, merely a friendly touch of the sort that any man might give a comrade.

He also took the opportunity to change the topic as they set off, returning to (relatively) lighter, or at least more comfortable, matters which quite purposefully had nothing at all to do with Hank. They could talk about model volcanoes later.

"Petra made me a model of it," he smiled, giving an indicative nod towards the spot that the tablet had just been and then patting the leaf-woven pouch where her gift was stowed. "Formed of stone and transformed into crystal," clearly the little girl had made quite an impression on him.

"It's vexing to think that anyone would find threat in a talent such as that. To see harm in such a thing--in the spirit of a young artist's endeavors--" he shook his head. "I can see why it could make someone angry to think of that attitude. It makes me rather angry to think of that attitude." But Aurus, of course, could acknowledge anger without being ruled by it.

[It's been crazy. I'm super excited to go get my car on Saturday! My current car is over a decade old and it feels like I'm buying a god damn space ship. The current one doesn't even have power locks and windows and the new one lets me get in and start the car with my keys in my pocket. TECHNOLOGY! My little sister will get my old car since she's just turning 16. The plane tickets were officially booked! It'll be... insanity because both legs of the trip have two layovers. @_@ Philly to Toronto to Vancouver to Narita (or switch those middle two). But... it was better than the 37 hour trips or the $1600 non-stops. One way or the other we'll get there. XD As far as the lab tests... no idea. It's not a good one, but it's not a surprising one. Just waiting to get a doc appointment to discuss it.]

Charles looked up, an eyebrow raised, before he gave a true smile. "Petra did? I'm surprised, honestly. She tends not to open up very much to new people; you've must have struck a chord with her." He looked back in the direction they were going, the smile remaining as he moved along side of Aurus towards the house.

"She has an incredible power, and while she does tend to use it very creatively, it also has the potential for great destruction. That's the danger with all of our abilities. As much as they can be used for good or fun, the danger is still there. When we found Petra, she was able to make her entire home shake whenever she had a temper tantrum. During a nightmare many months ago, the mansion shook as she trashed in her bed. I'm not blind to the reasons why people find a threat in us, but no more than we could find a threat in their guns, their choice to legislate us. Humanity, and I imagine even sylvari, want to understand and protect themselves from danger... but humanity unfortunately does tend to have the 'attack first, discover later' nature to their fear."

He let out a sigh, looking up slightly towards the sky. This was something he had done a great deal of research on, spent quite a deal of time on trying to handle when it came not just to the school and his students but for mutantkind in general.

[Gratz on the new car! That's very fun. (I shan't tell you what I drive--it's sort of laughable. Suffice to say that it's a hand-me-down from my partner's nan who couldn't drive anymore.) Hopefully your layovers won't be too much of a pain but Toronto isn't a bad airport to fly through at least. Narita is big and bright and lovely. Sparkling clean and not crowded at all when we were there. Our cell phones wouldn't work in Japan (most international ones don't as I understand it) so we had to rent a mobile phone which we collected at a little kiosk just upstairs in the airport, really well organized. We'd reserved it in advance so we just picked it up. It wasn't cheap but it was worth it. Then the train into central Tokyo was just back through another door--very easy, though we did have to change trains at least once. The Tokyo metro map looks really confusing at first glance, but basically, the Yamanote line runs in a circle around the city, so once you get on that you can get to just about any destination. Not sure if you've got all your hotels planned already, but we stayed at two places in Tokyo this one at the start of our trip and this one at the end. I loved the first one in particular. It's quite close to the station and on the doorstep of Ueno park (we could hear a community tai chi instructor outside each morning). There's also a really great street market area just around the corner with all sorts of yummy street food and a local Mister Donut where we went so often that they started giving us free stuff lol. Second hotel was fine (bit more modern in its furnishings) but it was a longer walk to the train. Small bathrooms in both, but that's par for the course in Japan. (Also, re: bathrooms--public toilets don't generally have hand driers/paper towels. People carry pocket hankies for hand drying + also packets of tissues bc there's often no loo roll.) /tl;dr forever Also, fingers crossed that you'll get to see your Dr soon. I'll be thinking of you. <3]

"It might be Ventari who struck a chord more than I did," Aurus gave a playfully self-deprecating smile. He did like the idea that he'd managed a unique rapport with the girl though.

"But temper tantrums--here we reach one of the limits of my experience--they are a behavior that all children display at some point, yes? And I gather that they are uniformly unpleasant for anyone unlucky enough to be in the vicinity, whether powers are involved or not. I've seen them, but I've honestly never been able to understand their cause.

"Seems rather more difficult than the question of how to put anger to good use. And I do think it can be used. It is as valid and valuable a motivation as defense or safety, and, I would venture, more valuable a motivation than fear." There was a purposeful, if subtle, suggestion here: that anger could be a positive force. Aurus wanted to know what Charles would make of that idea, since it seemed like it might be relatively outside his current thinking. He did, however, sigh with an admission: "Though I suppose all of this illustrates a unique difficulty with children in particular. Fear of the young is hardly rational, but it's often based on an awareness that the young themselves are not necessarily rational.

"Some humans seem to dream that children are idyllic and innocent, but the reality seems always to be a fear of something within children that is not idyllic and innocent at all. I presume this is not only an issue for mutants since I've seen it in my world too, but yes, I suppose that put that way I can imagine how quickly mutant children might be feared as a source of unrestrained and untempered power."

[All of us have are going to use texting while we're in Japan - I can pay $30 to have international unlimited texting and additional data for the month while I'm there, so that's how we're going to handle that issue. And lots of WiFi. I haven't traveled international so I'm kind of really nervous and super excited! The info packets we're getting from the company we're going thru are supposed to tell us how to get around, or so I hope, but we're smart people. We'll manage one way or the other. We've got our hotels all booked out. Agora Place Hotel Asakusa for the week in Tokyo, Takaragawa Osenkaku for the weekend, Nanba Dotonbori Hotel for Osaka, then Eko-in for a night in a temple, and the last night is the Book and Bed in Tokyo.]

"It's not anger that is motivation if it's guided by fear. At that point, it's a danger. That's the main point I'm trying to teach these children. They can be angry. I know I am about our situation at times. It's when they are afraid that anger, instead of a controlled flame, can become an inferno that destroys everything in its path including those we care about." Oh how very much Erik was in his mind right now.

"I have to teach them to intelligently wield their anger if they feel it. To wield it not only appropriately in manner but what is worthy of being angry about. These are still children, in the end. They have to learn from us and grow into their own existence." Clearly, this was something Charles had thought about, despite his words of peace. The X-Men... it had meant to be a weapon to be wielded so that others wouldn't have to, but when it had shattered on the rocks of reality, it had broken a part of him as well.

"And in particular these children... they have power to be used. Petra could potentially destroy cities if she concentrated enough. We have a student capable of fire so hot he could melt anything on this property. Without guidance and learning, this could turn ugly, which is why we train their mind and their powers."

[That's very good luck re: phones. We had to rent because Japan has no GSM network, so international plans wouldn't have worked on my phone regardless. I'm sure you will have an absolute blast! It's not actually a hard country to get around once you get acclimated, especially if you can read some hiragana and katakana. You've got fab places to stay and Book and Bed sounds like it will be a real experience--what a very Japanese concept that is!]

Aurus nodded thoughtfully as he listened to Charles talk. His own experiences were different in many ways, but there were some elements where the two dovetailed.

"Yes, I agree--it seems to me that anger and fear are two quite different matters the experience of which may be very hard to differentiate. Or rather, one can be angry about the same thing that one is afraid of, and teasing one feeling from the next can be...difficult.

"In a way, I suppose my conversations with your students today touched on the matter: 'Act with wisdom, but act.' It's one of Ventari's teachings, one which I consider to be among the most important, but it comes with a challenge. Finding the wisest course of action is rarely straightforward. I'll admit that some of them seemed to resent that complexity."

He was quiet for a moment before speaking again: "The children told me about a war--something that happened here in years past. I don't think they felt able to explain it well, so I don't know if I really understood them. Something about certain types of people being identified? I gathered that it is disturbingly easy for them to see parallels with their own situation in the world now."

Edited 2016-12-16 15:21 (UTC)

[One of my goals is to make sure that all four of us will be okay with phones when we get there. If we're truly stuck, we do have a pair of friends living in Osaka who can help us out re: getting cheap phones, so I'm holding onto that. I can speak a very little bit of Japanese (Nihongo wakimasen, Eigo desu?) and can read/write a little bit of romanji but unfortunately nothing in the katakana/hiragana. We're four smart people - I think we'll be able to manage. Matt (our friend over there) joked and said if we ever get stuck, go find a high schooler because they're learning English or a businessman XD) The onsen is gorgeous and good with foreigners so I'm really excited and the Eko-in is a working temple... guh I am stoked.]

From the expression change on Charles' face, it was fairly obvious he immediately knew what Aurus was speaking of. His lips briefly thinned as he tried to think of how to explain something so very, very complicated. "...there was a man... one very charasmatic man who brought together his people under the belief that they were superior and anyone who didn't look like them were lesser people. He took a particular hatred to some specific groups of people - the one the children most likely remember from their lessons are the Jewish. These are a people who come from a particular place in the world or follow a religion of the same name. They were-"

In his head, he saw the numbers branded into Erik's skin, and he felt a pang as if he was doing a disgrace to this explanation. "Millions of people were killed because they were considered 'lesser' people. Shot, starved, illness, gassed by chemicals, and so many more terrible deaths. Some were marked by tattoos or symbols they had to wear. It became a war that involved most of the world in some way or another - some on the side of those who wished to kill, the Nazis, some on the side of trying to stop them. It was an ugly, terrible war that we could speak weeks going over explaining all of the awful details but... sometimes, it's all too easy to see that we're being targeted specifically for who we are and it sounds all too familiar to those who know the relatively recently history of the world."

[Haha, it's totally true about Japanese high schoolers. I was 'accosted' on the street in Iwami by a group of high school boys leaving school who were SO EAGER to talk to me. I'm fairly sure I was the only native English speaker they'd ever had a chance to talk to and they all wanted to practice their English skills. Japanese are very happy to help western tourists overall though (we had two old ladies pull over and spontaneously offer us a ride when we got caught in the rain). You absolutely can manage without reading any Japanese, but personal opinion, I think hiragana was so helpful (more so than katakana). Not reading kanji is nbd (we picked up some while we were there), but hiragana helps for like figuring out what filling is inside an onigiri. If you have time it might be worth familiarizing yourself w/ it.]

The understanding Aurus was garnering of this history was necessarily piecemeal. There was simply too much he didn't yet know about this world. He had no concept of industrialization as such, so he of course could have no concept of the shock which accompanied industrialized methods being turned towards the extermination of people on a mass scale. The mechanisms of war in Tyria, despite the engineering innovations of the charr, did not contain the imagination or spirit of modern warfare. He also, frankly, would not have understood the conspiracy theories and persecution complex that held sway in Germany to enable the Nazi rise to power. All of these things had no analog in his own world as he now knew it, and the best he could do at the moment was admit to that.

"I'm not sure I understand. This was a war between the free people's of your world and one faction, these Nazis--a kind of cult with a brutal charismatic leader? And the Jewish faced him and lost before the rest of the world took up arms against him and his allies and eventually won?"

He was trying, as he had done earlier, to make sense of all this through the framework of the White Mantle and the Chosen who they had slaughtered. And when that didn't work he tried to think of it in terms of the first Guild War. And then in terms of the charr siege on Ebonhawke. None of them honestly seemed to help him very much.

[I feel like I need a cheat sheet of hiragana. This trip to Japan is going to be a lot of experimenting and learning on the fly... but I should probably learn a little more.]

"It isn't that simple. The Jewish didn't fight against him, they wanted no part of this war until they were forced to be in it. This man hated them and the others he chose to hate and chose to kill them through use of homeland pride, lies, fearmongering, and weaponry. He swept across countries with his superior forces and took them down, putting his rule in place. It's... very complicated, and very difficult to sum up for someone without a great deal of study." Charles looked over and gave a sympathetic look.

"I wish it was easier to explain, but for now, the basics should be something anyone can understand. The children, at least some of them, and older mutants know what it could possibly be like if we are singled out as a group of people. It could end very poorly for us, and they're afraid. This... is a trying time for all of us."

[You need one of these! Ours got too sun faded so we took it down, but it was great while we were learning--you can study while you shower!]

It wasn't hard to accept that building a real understanding of this history would take a good deal more time than this short walk back to the house, but Aurus was also the kind of person who would want to know.

For now though, he paused to clarify: "How long ago did this war end? And do you believe that members of this sect--these Nazis--have power in this land now, as we speak? Do they have the ear of whoever it is that holds the seat of power in your government?"

It was actually becoming hard to tell just how distant or how looming the threat really was at this moment, and if it was indeed as immediate as it was starting to sound, then Aurus would quickly change his tune on the imperative that Charles ought to gather allies and fight now, not some time in the future. (Aurus, after all, was not from a place where fighting was something delegated to others. It was something one undertook to do oneself.)

[It's so cute! How does it work?? Like the Giraffe is it "Gi" for the highlighted hiragana??]

"It ended about fifty years ago-- wait- wait-" CHarles stopped moving, looking up as he held up a hand. "It's not like that. Their threat has been put to rest," little did he know that it would stay a thing even until he was an old, old man, "but it's something that stays with us all. That idea that we could be considered a threat. It's happened... more than once in our world history and we are not fools. All we can do for now is try to keep it peaceful and show we are people the same as them. Taking any sort of fight to them is exactly what they fear and not what I want to see happen."

Charles let out a breath and shook his head. "I can see why I was feeling anxiousness from time to time over where you were speaking. It suddenly makes a great deal more sense." He wasn't entirely certain he approved, but Ventari's teachings were that more of peace than war. Aurus had only been trying to show some of his own thoughts and world, after all. "Perhaps, though, you could stick to less... controversial matters in the future?"

[This comment was so nice it got posted twice! ;) And yes sort of! The vowels (a, i, u, e, o) are on the right side going down. Then the chart can be read from right to left with each column being a consonant sound with its corresponding vowel, if that makes sense. So the top line from right to left is a, ka, sa, ta, na, ha, ma, ya, ra, wa, and the second line is i, ki, shi, chi, ni, hi, mi, ri (not all lines have all letters; note that fu is pronounced like a breath, more like hu). The highlighted hiragana is for the word in Japanese, so kirin for giraffe, ringo for apple, etc! A page like this one can give you a primer on how to read the chart, but once you've read it once the pattern is pretty straightforward.]

"Hm." Aurus considered all of this quietly for a moment, stilling his own steps and looking down at Charles. "I am beginning to think that your world is a rather strange place." He spoke his next words gently, and with caring, because he genuinely meant them humanely:

"But you are not the same as them, Charles. For all that your hearts may be similar and for all that you are good people, to claim that you are the same is to try and deny a reality that is the source of both fear and anger for many of the non-mutants you hope to convince. You need to acknowledge the truth of your difference while changing their sense that that difference is a threat. You can no more succeed by denying the potential power of their fear and anger than you could do by avoiding the fear and anger in your students. Difference ought to be a source of collective strength, not of threat, and if the history of wars here has convinced people otherwise then they need to learn to think in a new way.

"At any rate, I'm afraid that I cannot promise that I will stick to less controversial matters since it's becoming quite apparent that I only discover which matters are controversial after stumbling straight into them." He smiled at the irony. He would try to do as the man asked, but he had to admit how poor his gauge had been thus far.

[Guess what was so nice it never showed up in my inbox at all? XD Not ignoring this thread, I swear! I realized I hadn't seen anything from it in a while and popped in here to check. Glad I did! Ooooh suddenly that makes more sense! [omg Giraffe are called kirin? That's sort of adorable.]]

"There's a difference between saying we are precisely the same and saying that inside, we are the same. We have feelings like they do, intelligence as they do... we begin our lives as they do. It, typically, isn't even until puberty that you can tell there is any sort of difference. We don't want the world to believe us nothing but dangerous. It... isn't as simple as you choose to see it. This is a fine balancing act, one that slowly we are coming out on top of." Thank you, in a great deal, to his sister. To show that there were, as there were with humans, people with dark souls who will do dark things, and those were the outliers.

"You cannot promise as such, because you are the type that once you discover such controversial matters, instead of gracefully ducking away, tend to say your piece on them." Charles arched an eyebrow in Aurus' direction, not-so-subtly pointing out Aurus', or perhaps the sylvari, bluntness in things.

[Not to worry. DW has just seemed generally drunk for the past week or so. Guess it's getting an early start on the holidays. We're going to be visiting my folks down in GA, so I'll be in your timezone from X-Mas Eve to New Years Eve btw! (And giraffe is totally one of those words that I wouldn't know at all save for this chart! lol)]

"I don't believe that it is simple," Aurus said, though without any ire or defensiveness. He could appreciate the difficulties that Charles was working with conceptually, even if not from first hand experience. Perhaps what he was saying was merely a matter of semantics--the question of whether it was better to talk about these challenges in terms that focused on difference or ones that focused on similarity. Regardless, he did not push, instead continuing on towards the house once more.

As for the rest... "Guilty as charged, I suppose." Aurus would not for a moment try to deny how blunt he tended to be, and he really couldn't blame it entirely on a racial propensity. (It would be very interesting, he thought, to see how Charles' opinion of him might change in light of seeing the bluntness of his kin.) "I can at least honestly assure you that I will try, and that I will get better the more I learn of your world. I have, after all, been here less than twenty four hours."

He thought for a moment and then proposed: "You have what looked to be quite an extensive library here. Perhaps tomorrow, you might give me something to read--anything of your choosing. I enjoy philosophy but also history or whatever books of lore you deem most worthy. I will read whatever you select. Perhaps from there I can start to judge my conversation topics better."

[Have a great time!!! Don't worry too much about being slow - the holidays are a time of somewhat questionable internet when I go up to my mothers. XD Plus, have fun with the family!]

Charles listened, rolling slowly along side of Aurus but keeping his gaze ahead. He wouldn't have been ready to handle Aurus' kin, most likely, but he would have tried. And possibly blushed or gotten otherwise more embarrassed than he usually did. Or maybe without other humans around, where the stories of what he did wouldn't likely get to the ears of anyone who he wouldn't want to hear, he would loosen up.

"It might behoove you to start with history. There's a few books on world history in the library that cover the biggest events. There are... an endless amount of philosophy books, and even to give you ones that I respect wouldn't mean that others you meet here would follow them. We might only be one species, but the different cultures we have are just as varied as if we weren't. So, history, something more common, might be the better place to start."

[Thanks! We managed to get tickets in upper class that somehow turned out to be cheaper than tickets in economy, so we are supposed to be getting seats that lie down flat into beds which is totally new to me and I'm really excited for. At any rate, hopefully I should be able to tag as usual, but ditto on the no worries with potential slow. 'Tis the season for family things and all. I hope you have a great time at your mom's--that's the farm, yes?]

Ironically, it was likely that in the Dream Charles very well might encounter at least some of Aurus’s kin, and though that sort of encounter would necessarily be different than meeting them in reality, some hint of the experience might turn out to come sooner than Charles was right now anticipating.

As for the idea of reading history, Aurus liked it tremendously and he immediately nodded his approval. "Yes. I think that would be ideal. Both your world's history and the more local, or the more specific to mutants if anyone has written such a thing.” At this point he had no idea that Charles himself had written anything even remotely similar to this topic.

"In any case, I have tended to find that the best histories are inherently their own gateway to philosophical questions. And I’m sure it will give us much to talk about.” Obviously it was an enormous project and not one that he expected to even dent in a day, but Aurus was never one to be put off by monumental tasks. “You will give me something related to this war from half a century past, yes?"

[Ffffff I would love first class tickets! Hahahahaha they're like $6k (whyyyyyyy?) but that sounds AWESOME! Rock that first class! Which is what I assume upper class is. Yep! Heading up to the farm with my partner and our crazy house of reject animals. XD]

"There isn't a great deal written about mutants," here Charles gave a little laugh, "other than what Hank and myself have written. At least writing that is factual and not hate mongering. The world history is a good start, and if you feel you've garnered an idea about the history from there, a book on World War II wouldn't be completely remiss. And perhaps the Civil Rights movement, too. It... might explain some of the difficulties we're having, even if it might make you a touch angry at times." Sometimes humanity made him more than a little angry as well. Those were the times he often heard Erik's words in the back of his mind, about the differences, and he had to push the voice and the anger aside lest he listen too long.

They came up to the door and Charles paused, believing Aurus would get it for him, and wheeled himself up into the mansion. "For right now, dinner, perhaps? The children will be doing their own thing and I'll check through them, but... I would rather wait until the house is quiet before we do... anything." Keeping it simple, for now.

[OMG it was SUCH luxury. We were thoroughly spoiled and never want to fly economy ever ever again. It was indeed first class (we bought business class tickets but it's the first class cabin and the same service). They need to reduce ticket prices immediately so that everyone can fly this way all the time. And I'm so glad you get a house full of animals for Christmas! That's the only thing missing here, alas. No pets.]

Aurus did indeed open the door for Charles as they approached it, the gesture feeling intuitive and natural. It almost surprised him how easy it was to get used to the chair--how Charles maneuvered it and how to move with him--especially given that the night before this had all been completely new.

"I don't mind being made angry, so long as the reason is a good one," he said as they entered. "I've too often found the feeling instructive to want to shy away from it now. And I would be very interested to read your writing, or Hank's, when you believe it's the right time to show it to me.

"For now, though, I agree that dinner sounds lovely. And after, perhaps the best thing would simply be for you to join me once you've seen to your charges and you feel that the time is right."

This, subtly, was Aurus's way of offering Charles some wiggle room: an opening to back out at the last minute if he had too many doubts. He very much hoped--and indeed now trusted--that he wouldn't, but nonetheless it felt very important to him that when Charles decided to take the first proverbial step down this path that the choice be wholly and independently his own.

Besides, merely joining Aurus in his room didn't necessarily answer the question of what would happen between them. It merely opened the door to allow that something might. Perhaps the smile and the expression in the sylvari's eyes managed to say as much.

[UG That sounds so awesome!! Totes need to reduce those prices. (Honestly they're ridiculous.) It's funny - I can't really imagine the idea of living in a house without pets. We've always had at least one of them at any point in time.]

"Once you've read through the history, it might be something... interesting for you to read, but honestly, it's much more scientific of a read than anything else." He chuckled quietly, rubbing the back of his neck momentarily. "A great deal of medical and scientific research went into those papers, so they can be a bit of a dry read for people who understand what they're about. However, I know Hank's been working on something more broad-reaching. That's very much up to him to let you read through because it's not a published work yet."

At Aurus' suggestion of a timeline, Charles gave a small nod. "I won't be too long. Maybe an hour or two at the most. I'm not sure where you would be happiest in that time...?" He left it a bit open ended, looking up to Aurus with a raised brow. "Your room? The library?" Those raised brows dropped and knitted, thinking about it. Would Aurus need time to prepare? He mentioned needing to... ingest something. Charles felt the smallest twinge at his elbow, like a nerve misfiring, but he ignored the sensation. He was beyond that.

Several students, as they moved into something more crowded, started smiling when they saw Aurus. Some even waved, gave him a greeting by name. Charles looked amused as it continued to happen, glancing towards the sylvari. "It seems you've made quite the impact among the student body here." And for a reason he couldn't quite place, it pleased him. Maybe another unconscious relaxation that Aurus could be trusted around his beloved students, that they seemed happier for having met him even if dark topics had arisen.

[I've pretty much always had pets too, so being without is kind of gutting. But our dog died of cancer a few years ago and we've not gotten a new one because we thought we might move across an ocean and that's rough. My parents don't want any pets though and my mom Strongly Dislikes my aunt's dog, so we only get our dog fix when visiting my aunt at her house this trip.]

"I think I might have to work myself back into Hank's good graces before broaching that topic," Aurus said playfully, though he knew there was also some truth to it. He didn't want to draw Charles' attention back to that topic or to darken the mood, but he knew that Hank was not best pleased with him right now. Hopefully once he saw that Charles indeed came to no harm he would warm again.

As for where he would retire after dinner, Aurus had a ready answer for that question: "My room would be best. An hour or two of meditation before we begin would suit me well.

"My own connection to the Dream is not, if we're honest, as thoroughly intimate as some of my kin. I am far from Soundless--our word for those who work to cut themselves off from the Dream entirely--but there are times when I have explored their ways. Our current distance from my homeland organically makes the Dream feel more remote in a way that many sylvari would find quite distressing. It hasn't bothered me, so I've not spent my time deliberately deepening the connection, but tonight I will. For me, it will be like returning home after a long time away."

Of course all of this sounded terribly obscure and esoteric to talk about. It would be much easier simply to experience it all than to try to explain, and the idea that the two of them would be able to communicate all of this in a way that superseded words was one of the things Aurus was especially looking forward to.

For now, though, they still had dinner and these greetings from the students, all of which Aurus returned in kind, addressing children by name when he remembered who was who, and occasionally when he forgot and simply said hello, asking Charles quietly under his breath to confirm if a particular name was correct. All of this, for Aurus, was a very new experience if he was honest, and he didn't mind admitting it. "It's made quite the impact on me as well. Do you know, I haven't met this many people in a day for as long as I can remember. I haven't even been around this many people, total, in years! But there's something about this place you've made, Charles. It gets under the skin. It's quite exceptional."

Without giving it too much direct thought, Aurus was beginning to realize that what he was feeling extended beyond being in no hurry to leave. In fact the idea of becoming a part of the life of this place was starting to germinate in his mind, fertilized by his meeting with the students. What precisely that meant he had no idea, but if it turned out that there really was a place for him here he could, he thought, see himself taking it.

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Actual ambient dialog from the game in here

(ROFL)

:D

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