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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2021 14:57:19 GMT
Lance sat atop of one of the old picnic tables at the local park close to the manors of Westchester. Old stomping grounds of many like himself, the wood worn with use and the smell of wet wood permeating the air from a recent rainstorm, storm clouds still lingering above. A light misting fell around the area still, but nothing significant that made the young man budge other than enjoying the feeling.
Not that it really mattered that is.
Steam rose from his body as the droplets struck his feverish skin, feeling quite relieving to help cool him down after recent...family affairs. He never understood why he kept coming back, dealing with the same old song and dance of avoiding family scandal. It was a nuisance and certainly wore down his health mentally. Physically he couldn’t say for sure, it only seemed to be accelerating his mutation process that he had discovered the past couple of years. Then again, there was still his mother, the only one that served as a tether between himself and his family, the only one keeping his father in check when they spoke. But his younger brother? He was a lost cause and neither bothered to hide their animosity. It only caused Lance to sigh, running a hand through his wet hair to push it further out of his face as he frowned at recalling this past tense meeting regarding some kind of gathering his father was invited to.
“Maybe a scandal would just make this ten times easier.” Lance had long entertained the thought, lifting a hand to trigger a blue flame to spark in his hand, casting a bluish glow on his features as he stared at it for a long moment. If only he had the guts to do such a thing, but there were also far too many individuals employed to the family estate as well as the reputation to one of the few people he cared about. So, much like a flame he had let it die, but his seemed to burn strong no matter how much he hated it. “There has to be so much more to being able to use that influence...” Carefully, the red head began to manipulate the flame into a small string of blue flames, winding it around his fingers with deep concentration. He hadn’t quite mastered the mechanics of his abilities, but it was small steps like this that had improved his dexterity in using the flames for smaller scale things that seemed to be improving his understanding.
The small string soon returned to a ball of fire within his hand, in which case he carefully willed it to enlarge in size. Maybe he could do more than just a rope...Face scrunching in concentration, the flames soon took various shapes, from a star to a cylinder to a sphere then a serpent, a small grin forming on the young man’s features. This wasn’t so bad. Relaxing his body, he directed the serpent into a spiral like shape, the tail remaining at the center of his palm and getting roughly four feet long before something, or someone that is, caught his attention at the corner of his eye.
Startled by the presence, the flames dispersed immediately as Lance whipped around to see who had been watching, eyes wide in slight panic that someone had caught him.
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Post by CHARLES XAVIER on Jun 5, 2021 19:46:25 GMT
For the most part, the parks near the Westchester manors were more for decoration than anything else. They were large and routinely maintained but very rarely used, as most of the city’s residents had their own private gardens and tennis courts and anything else they could possibly need. This suited Charles well enough, as it allowed him convenient spot to bring some of the students when they started going stir crazy or they, or he, just needed a little time away from other people.
That said, his curiosity was spiked slightly when he sensed someone else making use of the grounds, especially on that day, when there had been enough rain to ensure the air remained wet and sticky. Charles was able to tell a few things about the man before he was actually close enough to see him from picking up on his surface thoughts, those things others projected, usually unintentionally, as they thought to themselves. Right away it was evident he was not particularly happy to be in Westchester. That the reason for that had something to do with him family. And that he was a mutant.
It wasn’t the first time Charles had inadvertently stumbled upon another mutant during day to day activities. There were more of them out there than people would believe, and of course, with his particular ability, he was a little more in time to things people were trying to hide. Though this one, it turned out, was not making much of an effort to hide his abilities. As he approached the picnic area, Charles watched, genuinely fascinated as the small fire formed into the shape of a serpent, and then extended well past the tables, where apparently he was first noticed.
He gave the startled young man a small smile. ”That’s quite the impressive trick.” he said, gesturing with his hand before wheeling himself a bit closer. His tone was calm, casual, and friendly, as is what he’d seen was typical display of street magic.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 6, 2021 12:43:33 GMT
Well this...wasn’t what Lance would have expected. With the rain and rare use of the parks except for mostly kids and teenagers, he figured no one else would be there. And yet, he happened to pick a day when someone else was feeling the need to be out and about.
A million thoughts ran through that panicked mind, unknowingly projecting some to these up in the surface of his mind. How long had the man been watching? How was he not afraid? Were there other individuals possibly walking around and had seen? Or others with him? So many scenarios and worries, yet the only thing Lance could come up with at first was, “Not as easy it looks, trust me.” His tone remained calmer than what he was really feeling or his expression showed. Whether that was from the years of perfecting to keep his emotions in check even at the worst of times coming into play, or he was reacting to cover his ass Lance didn’t know, but he was deep down glad he could muster the ability to keep himself from sounding like a bumbling idiot.
Taking a deep breath and clearing his throat, Lance reined in his panicked thoughts, calming his nerves before he let them get the best of him.
He had to think more logically than this, look at the situation at hand. If the man was of any threat, he would have already been gone or said something to expose what he saw. Instead, he seemed fascinated, not fearful or hateful as he had encountered so far. And more than likely this wheel-bound individual may have been a local resident as well. “Sorry, where are my manners? I was so surprised I guess I forgot them.” Trying to salvage the situation, Lance pushed himself to turn around on the table and hop down, approaching Charles with a lot less panic, offering out his hand in greeting, “The names Lance, Lance Bond, local here in Westchester.” He introduced himself properly, hoping he hadn’t offended the man for his initial reaction.
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Post by CHARLES XAVIER on Jun 7, 2021 4:46:21 GMT
Charles felt a bit bad for scaring the young man so unnecessarily. After all, he was one of the last people who would pose a threat to a young mutant trying to learn what he could do. ”I imagine it’s not.” Charles agreed emphatically. He glanced towards the sky, and brushed a strand of damp hair behind his ear. ”Especially in this weather.” With the rain coming down a fire wouldn’t last long unless it was being constantly stoked. Which meant the man was somehow generating his own source of heat.
Despite his very reasonable panic over being seen, Lance recovered himself quite flawlessly, calming down and offering an introduction that had likely been repeated countless times to other neighbors and associates. ”I startled you, I should be the one apologizing.” he insisted, shaking his hand. ”Charles Xavier. I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure of meeting.” Charles recognized the surname Bond. The family had been in the area at least as long as his own. And, from what he had picked up in Lance’s thoughts, it seemed that wasn’t the only thing their parents had in common.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2021 20:02:22 GMT
Lance would be lying if he said he wasn’t fascinated by the fact Xavier did not seem wary or on edge. A random stream of flames coming from a man’s hand wasn’t exactly what you would call your every day sight to behold, not with some kind of mechanism present or smoke and mirrors. But, there was no such things present, no slight of hand, just the generation of his own constant flame. And one thing that could be noted when the two shook hands was Lance’s body temperature seemed higher than the average human’s.
“Ordinarily, most wouldn’t be so much as worried about keeping the flame as much as how it’s being constantly kept.” Lance pointed out, curiosity filling his eyes now as he let his hand fall at his side once they had introduced each other. And certainly the last name Charles had was one well-known in the area.
The Xavier family were an old line there in Westchester, perhaps just a bit older than his own. Though the red head had only ever seen them when he was younger or heard his father speak of them in passing, this was the first time he had actually talked to anyone of their family. Yet, it was nice to see someone who wasn’t hostile just based on the unknown. “Can’t say we have Charles. Know the last name in passing, but I never really had the chance to cross paths until now.” He affirmed, quickly relaxing more as the worries of being ousted or attacked quickly faded to the back of his mind. “But I have to admit, your reaction was not exactly what I was expecting Charles. Most would see the unknown and react to extinguish it, no pun intended, yet your demeanor tells me otherwise.” As direct as the inquiry was, there was no denying that Lance was intrigued by such a vastly different reaction than what he was use to.
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Post by CHARLES XAVIER on Jun 19, 2021 7:25:04 GMT
Charles refrained from directly acknowledging what he’d seen, or why he wasn’t alarmed by it, mostly out of respect for the young man in front of him. Not everyone was comfortable acknowledging their mutations, and had Lance chose to claim that the fire was all an illusion of smoke and mirrors, Charles would have played along with the lie. He had made the mistake before of ‘outing’ mutants in his own excitement and had gotten more patient over the years, allowing them to chose whether or not they would share their gifts.
”I do find that to be quite fascinating as well.” he remarked when Lance mentioned what most people might be thinking were they sitting in his position. As he continued, Charles smiled, nodding his head as he could hear the young man both internally and externally try to work out the pieces. Curious, eager- Charles found that he liked him already. ”I try to get to know people before I pass judgment.” he explained. ”I’m aware that’s not the most conventional outlook, here of all places especially.”
It was no secret Westchester was a place for the wealthy and elite. It wasn’t that they were all snobs, but a majority of them did certainly hold onto to old world beliefs regarding things far less controversial than the presence of those with superhuman genetic mutations. It had been that way when he was growing up, and it didn’t seem much had changed in that regard. ”I actually have a unique ability myself.” he admitted, before continuing the rest of his thought telepathically. ”I’m afraid it’s a bit less flashy than yours.”
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Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2021 12:45:11 GMT
“You would be a rare breed in this sea of mansions then.” Lance’s tone was humorless then, seeming to express the same disdain towards those of Westchester’s elite. Perhaps more so those that could not let go of the old beliefs. The world was changing, people were fighting to change it every day the past few years, and yet some of the world seemed to hold fast to what had been. “Maybe someday we will see our hometown change.” He sighed, before moving on.
Though Xavier soon mentioned having a special ability of his own, causing the younger man to tilt his head curiously. Only for a few seconds later to hear a voice in his head, a voice not his own causing him to flinch with surprise.
“Holy...” It took the red head a moment to process what just happened before a grin spread across his face, “Damn that’s cool. So you’re a telepath then!” Lance seemed just as excited as boy in a candy store, more so seeming to be thrilled that another in Westchester was like him, another mutant. As invasive as telepathy could be, the man before him didn’t strike him as full of wicked intent, and quite frankly only seemed to fascinate Lance more. If only he had brought his journal, he could spend hours speaking with Xavier about his mutation, to better understand. “And I’d call that pretty interesting, flashy or not.” Lance pointed out seeming to calm himself at last, recalling the flames did not seem to be the only aspect of his mutation. Maybe Charles would have an idea.
“Actually, the blue flames are only one aspect of my mutation.” Holding out his other arm, Lance showed a series of rock-like rashes, all gray and rough yet not yet gone. Most of them seemed old and likely should have faded by now. “I’m guessing I was a bit of a late bloomer, so I’m still mutating.” The man frowned then, “I don’t quite understand what my mutation will be Charles, but I was hoping you might have some ideas.”
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Post by CHARLES XAVIER on Jun 27, 2021 21:17:23 GMT
Charles’s grin widened slightly in response to Lance’s excitement over discovering his mutation. ”Yes, I am.” he confirmed. ”It.. definitely keeps things interesting.” It seemed sharing that about himself had opened a floodgate of sorts, as the young man began reveal more about his abilities. Apparently he had been saving up questions for just the occasion.
”I’m no expert— well, I’m not as much of an expert as I would like to be.” Charles acknowledged. Technically, he probably one of the leading experts on genetic mutations in the twenty first century but he had learned a lot since obtaining that degree, and there was still so much he didn’t know. ”I do know some mutants whose abilities continue to change throughout their life. Others who change and adaption is simply the core of the ability, allowing them to utilize different forms or elements depending on the need.” It was possible that something like that was at play for Lance, especially since both abilities pertained to an physical element.
”Was there anything that happened to trigger these that you can remember?” Charles asked curiously, looking at rough spots along his arm. ”Perhaps after you using fire or being injured in some way?” He had a couple of theories for what might have made sense, depending on the circumstances.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 7, 2021 1:46:41 GMT
"I can imagine it isn't an easy mutation to manage." Lance acknowledged. Though he was clearly fascinated with the mutation, no doubt there had to be some drawbacks to reading others' thoughts. One never knew what could possibly be running through the mind of another, something harmless to something sinister to something just plain perverted. Keeping one's own thoughts to themself probably had to be just as difficult if not more so.
At least there was a tiny bit of comfort knowing his mutation was not the only difficult one.
Lance chuckled slightly, "Probably have greater expertise than I do." He mused, allowing the man to get a decent look at what Lance had always expected were odd rashes that usually disappeared after a few days or once he calmed down. But, with the recent knowing of his flames and the patches staying almost permanently now he was convinced he had been seeing small signs of his mutation since he could remember. Xavier's words only further confirmed that. It gave the red head a moment of pause, letting the words sink in and mulling over them in his mind. Had he simply been mutating overtime then? Not a late bloomer, just a slow burn of genetics on his part. No pun intended. Would make far more sense, and some pieces of the puzzle starting to fall into place as if a light bulb had gone off in his head.
"Well..." The younger man finally spoke, letting his arm lower slightly, "Technically, its been going on since the day I was born. My body temperature has always been unusually high as well as getting the same rashes, but they would eventually disappear after a few days until the past couple of years." It was then Lance paused for much longer, seeming to grimace at the painful memory of that day two years ago. It was hard to conceal pain and rage in his mind, much less his body reactions of which the man had to consciously stop himself from causing his flame to burst to life once more. "But my mutation only became more prominent a couple years ago, when my family confronted me about being around my childhood friend who has always had a visible mutation since we were young. My father isn't...mutant friendly in his views, neither is my brother." Lance admitted, Charles really being the first he had ever confided in about it. "I have never been so furious before, and I couldn't help the reaction. I just...I caused flames to burst from my hands and face, everything changed that day."
The more he spoke, the more his calm persona cracked to a more emotional one, hands clenching and flames bursting from where his eyes resided. It was involuntary, a reaction to more intense emotions he seemed to bottle up, something of which he quickly realized a moment later. "I'm...sorry. That was more than I probably should have shared." Just as quickly as the emotional outburst happened, it was quickly concealed, the red head unclenching his fists and having to blink a few times to focus his eyes once more as the flames disappeared.
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Post by CHARLES XAVIER on Jul 23, 2021 19:04:08 GMT
Charles grinned slightly when Lance acknowledged telepathy was not necessarily the easiest mutation to have. ”There are plenty of things people think about that I would rather not know.” It wasn’t even just the inappropriate thoughts. Charles was exposed to everyones biases, their judgement, insecurities, depression.
He could see Lance considered his words and Charles was glad he had give him something to think about, if not completely answered his question. ”I’ve found that with many abilities, including my own, strong emotions can cause them to both be more powerful and more difficult to control.”
He didn't need any telepathy to tell that the conversation was beginning to enter an area that not exactly comfortable for the young man, and he remained quiet, letting Lance contemplate what he wanted to share and listening intently as he recounted what had caused the shift in his abilities.
Dangerous mutations, families refusing to accept their children as they were.. it was not a story he was unfamiliar with. Many of the students at the school had come from a similar background, and it was not unlike Charles’s own story. The flames bursting from his eyes were a surprise, but when he apologized for sharing Charles shook his head.
”No, of course not. It can be very isolating, living with a mutation, especially somewhere like this.” He was glad that Lace had felt comfortable enough to share that with him. Clearly, he had been holding it in a while. ”My parents never knew about my abilities. I can’t say for sure how they would have reacted, but I always imagined, if they even believed me, they would have asked me to use them for their benefit.”
He understood why the experience had been so distressing. ”Like you, I was fortunate enough to have a friend with a visible mutation who showed me that I was not the only one.”
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2021 18:18:26 GMT
So, it at least wasn’t just him. His own mutation was not unique with emotion, which gave Lance some relief. But, he could at least better acknowledge that he had to be careful, to keep his emotions in line. That was something he could thank his overbearing father for, the push to keep up appearances and etiquette for high society. In some sense, it had played to his advantage in maintaining his more turbulent thoughts, especially the past couple of years.
“Certainly not easy keeping our emotions in check is it.” Lance commented, as his tone seemed to return to a more normal one, “I can only imagine it’s particularly difficult for someone who reads others’ minds.” There was a lot to think about already with this encounter, but the younger man had to admit it felt like a much needed help. He had struggled to find solace in what he was becoming, to understand a hidden aspect of his identity he had not been able to fully acknowledge for sake of appearances. Like a veil, he had hidden, but now he felt slowly he was coming to terms with the that identity that was not some rich pretty boy from Westchester, but far more.
Something Charles seemed to empathize with.
Letting out a small breath, Lance sat himself down on the damp wooden bench of the nearest picnic table, brushing some stray wet hairs aside. “I suppose that’s where our families diverge somewhat. But...it sucks either way huh. Nature decided to grant us something unique, and yet there are those like in Westchester who do not wish to acknowledge it, or the rest of the world.” Lance frowned in thought then, wondering if perhaps more change was coming than society ever was willing to see. Or maybe, they needed others to show them, to understand them. “Hm, guess I know exactly what I want my research to focus on the most.” A grin quickly spread across Lance’s face again, “You’ve given me a lot to consider Charles, and a lot to think about. But, for the better.” Even if Charles didn’t realize it, the older man had helped him start to see a brighter side once again, “Maybe you have more than one talent up your sleeve.” He mused.
Though his grin soon turned to a sad smile, “Well, I hope you still have them in your life. At least you would have someone to lean on.” The red head shook his head, “I haven’t seen my best friend since that day. Have no idea if he’s okay, or not even around anymore given recent years.”
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