→ there's an old voice in my head that's holding me back

[mentis]

Who: Charles Xavier & River Tam.
What: Getting to know one another.
When: Day 50 ( morning )
Where: House 8
Warnings: Conversations that might consist entirely of telepathic thought?

Charles feels her coming before she's at the door, has it open by the time she reaches him. He's still dressed in clothes too big for him but he's foregone the uniform boots so River might have to deal with him padding around in his socks. His other hand is holding a book - left over by the previous occupiers but he assumes as he's wearing the clothes they left and sleeping in their beds they won't mind - with his thumb holding his place. The smile he gives her is wide and bright though, as welcoming as the house feels. Because of course the house has this aura about it now, couldn't not with Charles Xavier: Champion of the People living inside it.

"Hello, River."

He seems happy, energised even as he aside to let her in, "Lovely morning, isn't it?"

It might not be but then again, he's British.

Comments

[violenthearted]

The quiet suits Erik except for when it doesn't; sometimes it gets to him when he's left with nothing but the noise in his head. He wonders what it's like for Charles to exist on the periphery of that all the time, but then he doesn't wonder enough to do a complete overhaul of self, which is what it would take to change that, so: as the Bard says, those musings are nothing more than the children of an idle brain.

Erik despises being idle in any capacity; this surprises no one. It's being obliged to small talk he can't stand. Eventually though, he does move to speak, although he's minimal with his words, an inquiry that goes directly to the heart of the matter with the trajectory of a bullet: "Productive talk?"

Not was her chat with Charles good, or nice, or any of the other things another person talking just for the sake of it might ask. Was it productive.