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Xavier sits quietly in the pew of the church he met Kurt at not so long ago. It's warm, so the jacket he wears is a light one, as are the cotton shirt and dress pants. He's come quite a bit earlier this time, rather than the two in the morning visit from before that the young man seemed to bristle at.
Things have been wearing on him lately: there was the Jimmy Lewiston incident, the touch and go nature of his relationship with Moira, and this business about SHIELD and some man named Sousa. Getting a call from Kurt that he wanted to talk was a welcomed surprise and he came right away.
*
The call might have been made while Kurt was still mostly sober the night before. Or maybe it was made this morning after he managed to calm the hangover down. It's not his first, not his last, and there's probably a scar somewhere on his body to represent that occasional drowning of sorrows. Meeting at the Church seemed like a good plan as he knew they wouldn't really be disturbed there.
When Kurt steps in, he's showered and no longer smelling of booze, although there is still a lingering remnant of the hangover. It may fade by the end of the day. Noticing Xavier sitting in the pew, he first goes to the altar and kneels, crossing himself, before getting back to his feet and returning to the pew. He's in his 'uniform' of jeans and a button-down bowling-style shirt, still no shoes, and his hair is still a little damp. He chooses a seat in the pew behind Xavier but leans forward to rest his arms and his chin on the back, his head tilted some to look at the other for, what may seem to be, a long moment. Finally he asks,
"Is Raven Darkholme your sister?"
*
Xavier sits back in the pew, looking up towards the alter with a bit of resignation at the question. There were a hundred ways to answer that question, all of them true. The tricky part is picking the most true response.
"Raven, for all intents and purposes, is my sister. She came to live with us when she was very young. We grew up together. Unfortunately over the years we have become somewhat estranged, but I would not deny she is my family despite not sharing my blood. I love her very much despite the dark path she is heading down."
*
Now that answer is interesting. Kurt actually frowns a little as he listens to it and thinks about it for yet another long moment before he pushes back so that he's seated properly on the pew. The position doesn't last very long though as a leg is pulled up to his chest ad hugged. "She says she is my mother."
He lets that hang there, waiting, perhaps, to see what the other's reaction might be. After all, they don't look to be too far apart in age.
*
"There is a resemblance, to be sure, Kurt. Though I must say that I do not have any knowledge of her having a son. On the other hand, though her means can be violent and her goals have become twisted, I have always known her as an up front person. I do not know how to respond." Xavier looks over his shoulder and back at Kurt as if to say he simply does not know if she's telling the truth or not. Or if she just wants another recruit.
*
"Because we are both blue with yellow eyes," Kurt states, but Raven is still far more 'human-shaped' than he is. "Is that how it works? If she is my mother, because she is blue, I am blue…" although that doesn't quite explain his ears or teeth or hands. Or his tail. When Xavier looks back at him, he arches his eyebrows and actually grins, "She says that will make you my Uncle. Did you ever think you would have a blue demon as a nephew?"
*
"Clearly there has to be something more than that if she's telling the truth. Similar features could point to a genetic link, or they also might not depending on the circumstances. The next time I see her, if I see her again, I will be sure to ask her about it."
A smile comes across Xavier's face, "To be honest I never did envision having a nephew at all, blue demon or otherwise. It is a most welcome surprise."
*
"Do you think she would not tell the truth about that?" That brings Kurt's expression down again as he thinks. "She said I should have stayed in Germany, but then I think she was upset when I told her that Germany almost killed me." He scoots forward again to lean on the back of Xavier's pew, "She said things that maybe she would not know if it was not true. I do not know how to prove it. Maybe it would be nice to know that one of my mothers is still alive, even if she left me."
That might have been one of the reasons for the drinking last night.
As Xavier mentions seeing her, if ever, he brightens up, "I know where she is. Do you want to see her? I can take you." There's a little shrug then at the welcome surprise, "Is it? Really?"
*
"Given her age and your age, it makes me skeptical, Kurt. I have no reason to believe that she would lie to you. At the same time, it seems like something I would have known," Xavier replies.
When Kurt mentions meeting with Raven again, Xavier takes a long time to respond. The way they last parted ways was not on a good note. He's not even sure whether Raven can come back from the depths of where she's sunk. Or if she'd even want to. "I'm not so sure that's a good idea, Kurt. I think Raven and I need to both cool off before we talk again."
*
"Oh, the age she looks, it is ridiculous," Kurt offers. He may not be formally educated, but he knows how these things work. "But," he offers slowly, "She can become anyone, ja? I have seen her change her look." Maybe she's older than she looks? There's a heavy sigh then as he pushes back away from the pew, "Well, it was a nice thought for a little." It may have been agenda-pushing, it may have been an outright lie. Will they ever know?
He nods at Xavier's answer, "I understand. I have many questions for her too, but you are right. I do not know if it will be the truth." Which is really the main reason he wanted to talk to Xavier. Oddly enough though, he manages another smile, even if it's a little sad, "I will just go on with choosing my own family. I am good at that now."
*
"She could be telling the truth, I really do not know Kurt. I will find out the next—." Xavier pauses, resigned to the thought of having to meet with Raven again despite the gnawing feeling that he should wait. He changes his mind. "Perhaps it is better if I meet with her sooner than later to give you some peace of mind." It is the much kinder option.
"I can tell if it is the truth, Kurt. And if it's something you need, I will go. Set up the meeting, if you would. And, in the arena of choosing one's own family, I am an expert. That is what my school is all about."
*
Nightcrawler shakes his head, "Nein. You need time before you talk to her," after all, the young Professor just said that. "It would be nice to know, but…I have lived 26 years knowing one mother who is probably dead now. I am happy to keep her in my memory because I know she loved me and did what she could to keep me safe." Raven is a new entity, one who abandoned him and even now seems more interested in getting rid of him than getting to know him.
Did he think that the conversation would come back to the school? Maybe. There's even a little grin as Xavier brings it up. "I have had four other people mention your school to me. Every one of them says the same thing. Same words, almost. It is a little…gruselig. Strange." More than strange. Creepy.
Kurt then looks up at tha altar and the crucifix there before going on, "I understand what you are trying to do, I think. When the others talk about the place, they talk of being safe. Of being away from people who do not like us because we are different. But I have done this. I have lived in a place where we thought it was safe, where we were away from others who did not like us," in the ghettos of Germany. "It made us close, but it did not stop their fear." His smile returns then, "I go outside in Hell's Kitchen every day and I talk to the kids. I learn their names and I learn their games and they teach me about themselves and the city here. I teach them not to be afraid of me. Is that not a better way to stop the fear than hiding?"
*
"Depends on what you find strange, I suppose," Xavier says in response and with a shrug. "The people who are there are rather fond of it. As far as your efforts, I applaud them. It seems you have found a calling here in this community helping people. I would recommend you continue doing it if it makes you happy, Kurt. It sounds like a great life," Xavier says with a smile and a nod.
*
"Everyone telling me the same thing in the same words?" It might not be the right descriptor. Kurt just grins though. He hasn't dismissed it outright, but he doesn't want to hide anymore. Hiding brings out some bad memories. "Well, I am trying with the kids. If they are not afraid of me, maybe they will learn not to be afraid of other people who are different." Maybe it helps that most of them are African-American so he's almost a kindred spirit in his own differences.
Kurt gets out of his pew and moves to the aisle to crouch beside the Professor's pew, "Maybe they would like to meet some others. The angel-man, maybe? Or someone who does not look different but still is? Not for a class, but to see that they are no different if they are blue or have wings or can read the mind of someone else…"
*
"It is a great sentiment and I agree wholeheartedly. If you would like me to discuss the matter with some of my students I would be happy to relay the message. As far as how they come off, the students may seem strange to some by they are the most honorable, intelligent, and hardworking group I have ever been associated with. I hold them in great esteem. If it seems strange that they are fervent in their beliefs, I recommend taking it up with them."
*
Creepy, actually, but he might prod further if he hears about it again. "I do not say that they are not. They have all been very nice to me." Maybe a little presumptuous in their first impressions, but he's used to that. There's a nod then as Kurt straightens a little, "If your students would like, I think it would be nice." Yellow eyes look down at the aisle before he looks back, "I wantd to mostly ask you about Raven. If you knew more." As in, he isn't too sure what else to say. "Thank you for coming out here. I know it is not the safest-feeling place."
*
A man stalking churches and hanging out with children could be seen as creepy as well; it's all a matter of perspective. Xavier shrugs his shoulders and chuckles, "I feel completely safe. I've come to have power over my powers. They protect me. There's nowhere I go where I feel fear any longer." His smile broadens, "It was nice to see you again, Kurt. I am happy to get any information about Raven you should wish. And I am very glad you seem to have found a home here in Hell's Kitchen. You seem much more calm and content. I will pass along your message to my students."
*
Nightcrawler shrugs, "It is a home for now. I am used to going all over the place…I do not know if I can truly put down roots. Maybe I was not born to it, but I was brought up travelling around." But he does feel much happier now that he's doing something and doesn't feel that he has as much to fear. Not with the fact that he's met more than a few who didn't run screaming from him…aside from the one teen who called him a Nazi Demon. There will always be those in the world. "Danke, Herr Professor." He even holds out a hand to the other. "If you do get information, I would be happy to hear it. It would be nice to have more family here."
*
Xavier shakes Kurt's hand and nods to him, "Should I hear anything you will be the first to know. Thank you for inviting me, Kurt. It was nice come here and visit with you. I am pleased you seem to have gotten some peace." Xavier stands, gives another nod, and walks down the aisle towards the entrance.