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In the study, there lies the remains of someone's recreation. A newspaper, folded to a particular story about nothing in particular. The radio is tuned to AM news, where the hosts are discussing a tragedy in Mutant Town. Sixty mutants, massacred by the Friends of Humanity. Nearby the discarded newspaper is an unfinished cup of tea, and a particular tobacco pipe owned by Erik Lensherr.
That same man can be found emerging from one of the secret entrances to the lower level X-Men base. He's donned the X-Men uniform, complete with purple piping, and has fixed the armor plating to his body. With heavy footfalls and a glower upon his face, he's headed for the front door with a merciless expression upon his face.
*
As Erik steps purposefully out the front door, a voice sounds, calm and accented.
"…The people responsible for this aren't to be found and longer in Mutant Town, you know."
Charles is there, leaned up against the brick work to the side of the fine heavy door, taut and quiet. In contrast to Erik, he's wearing nothing beyond his usual clothes but a dark wool peacoat against the season's chill.
*
Timing. It's all about timing, either good or bad. This could possibly be considered bad. Ororo is just entering through aforementioned door, having just returned from one of her many walks outside (regardless of the weather), and upon hearing Xavier's voice stops and looks a bit like someone who just walked in on something they really shouldn't have. Oops.
*
Erik comes up short, turning toward Charles about the moment Ororo walks through the front door. "They'll return," he counters. He glances Ororo's way curiously, before diverting his attention to Charles once more. "You know this, Charles. What then?" He turns and points out the front door, heat rising into his face. "I was there. Hours before it happened. And yet I came back here, to rest. To sleep in my comfortable quarters with my lovely woman, while innocent mutants were sl-"
The imposing man swallows down the rest of that remark, closing his eyes carefully, calming himself.
"Where will we be the next time?" he asks, opening his eyes once more. "Where were the police? Those people need to know that someone is going to protect them."
*
Ororo takes a moment to consider whether she should speak up or not. This sounds like a very serious conversation after all, and in her home village, there were often times that the only privacy one could have was what others allowed. But, in this case, she thinks maybe another opinion might help.
"Could this be what the attackers are trying to achieve? Enticing an angry response, to be able to then say that mutants are angry and dangerous?"
*
"I'm not suggesting that we do nothing." Charles replies, and there's a tightness to his voice, a void where that slight impression of his mind through the area generally would be that suggests he's hardly insensible to what happened effectively on their doorstep either. Though as Ororo speaks up, he relaxes slightly, smiling a little at her words.
It would seem he agrees, because he continues, "But Ororo's right. A show of angry force now will do nothing but increase tensions between humans and mutants when the issue should be, when the issue is between acceptance and intolerance. These 'Friends of Humanity'… they show exactly how ugly, how repugnant a doctrine built on hate is at it's core. This is exactly when we should show an alternative."
Charles takes a step forward, arms still pensively crossed. "I'm not suggesting you stay. I'm suggesting you take me with you, instead of all that." he gestures to the threatening armor and spinning balls of metal. "And that we try to find whoever did this before they can do it again." he glances to Ororo as well, obviously including her in that possibility.
*
With a swift dart of his head, Erik looks toward Ororo, then comes back to Xavier. He's about to speak again, most likely some sort of protest, until Charles suggests action. What comes next just can't be helped; Erik blinks twice, and his neck straightens. He remains silent for some time, the spinning balls slowing their dual orbits until he catches them in hand. Then, the armor plating begins falling away, drifting apart and slowly lowering to the ground, where they collect themselves into a neat pile against the wall.
"You know me well, old friend," he admits, and finally, a very subtle grin pulls at his face. "Though… I might suggest we bring the uniforms." An eyebrow perks. "One never knows when the X-Men might need to make an appearance."
He doesn't strictly mean for fisticuffs. Simply put… the X-Men are known only in rumor. It might be time for them to simply let the people know that they're real.
*
The expression of faint amusement is echoed by Charles. Though he falls silent a moment, considering the point. Though he hasn't been the one spearheading getting the X-men active again, he does support it, sees the reasoning for it. And this may be one such reason. Even avoiding a more militant display of force, Charles can hardly deny the value in trying to show people that someone is working seriously to help them when it matters.
"..Alright." Charles agrees in turn. A compromise of sorts. "Then just give me a moment to fetch mine. Ororo?" he wonders, clearly inviting her to take part should she wish.
*
The what?
Ororo's eyes go from Charles to Erik and back, her confusion clear despite the lack of any major facial expression changes. At least, perhaps because of Charles' words, she's not started shedding her winter garments. "I suspect that a stronger and more peaceful statement would be arriving to help the victims rebuild their homes and lives." She nods to Xavier then, indicating she's ready to go along. Though, what did Erik mean by 'uniform'?
*
With a turn toward Ororo, Erik perks an eyebrow. "I'm sure we have something that fits," he tells her. "Though, if not… talk with Jean. She's quite the seamstress."
There will come time for a proper introduction. As for Erik, he turns about and makes way for the school proper. He'll rouse whomever he can find; this journey into the city won't just be for the three of them.
*
Charles starts walking briskly back to the lower level stairs, waving Ororo along as he speaks. "In the case of Sacremento I would agree… as horrible as it was, by all accounts it was the result of a frightened riot escalating to tragedy. But what happened today sounds to have been deliberately planned. It's the difference between accidental manslaughter and premeditated murder, and I mean to see if there are any leads to the ones who planned it." he says.
Mentally he adds to Erik, I see your point on bringing the uniforms, but let's keep this a small group. We're investigating, talking to people. I don't want to make a scene. Winding up with an entire uniformed troop would be a tad overkill.
*
Following Charles, Ororo finds herself curious. This is something she's wondered about, as there seemed to be more to Xavier's home than just a school. It also kind of has her wanting to go talk with her friend Amanda again, to help her get a sense of what's going on.
*
As he goes, Erik can't help but grin. Dear friend, I intend to wear normal clothing until the time for uniforms is right. You… might want to make sure the girl has a code name though. Just in case.
As for keeping it a small group? Okay, that one he can handle. But he fully intends on making sure the rest of the X-Men know what they're doing, in case… backup is needed.
*
There's a relieved look from Charles, and a nod to no one currently present. Then I believe we're in complete agreement, Erik. Though, he smirks a bit, That 'girl' is considered a goddess in her homeland you know. …But I suppose proper introductions can wait until we're en route.
He does turn his attention on Ororo then, as she makes her guesses about the school. He chuckles, answering aloud as they head down the stairs, "You'd be correct. The purpose of this place has always been to provide an accepting place to learn, in the hopes that tolerance will be taken back out into the world. But some of those graduates wanted to protect others with their abilities more directly and formed a group. — That's the 'X-men' he mentioned, silly, I know. But the idea is a good one… with so many stories focusing only on the harm we can do, there's value in showing there are those who would use their abilities to help, as you did."
*
"X-Men. It is… a strange name." But not a bad one. Ororo continues to follow Xavier, starting to look around curiously when they enter an area she's not seen before. But, if they go underground, that curiosity abruptly disappears and she becomes uneasy.
*
"It's stuck rather soundly in any case, so I've given up on fighting it. My grandfather would have been delighted — "
Just as Ororo had never chanced to hear about the other aspect of this house, Charles had never interacted with Ororo before in confined spaces. He stops and turns partway along a well lit hallway, lined with doors but no windows. "Are you alright?" the abrupt change in her emotions hits like the pop of dropping air pressure, even if her expression is less revealing.
*
Ororo takes a breath. "I will be. Let us keep moving. Please." Yeah, she's uneasy, and it's the ceiling causing it. And to a lesser degree, the walls.
*
Charles nods slowly, but takes her at her word. "Alright." He moves down the hallway to a particular closet, swinging open the door to reveal an assortment of hanging uniforms in the same vein as what Erik had been wearing, minus the purple piping and some modifications to work with his unique extra armor. "The spare uniforms are in here. They're reinforced, against the possibility of a situation turning dangerous."
He leaves the closet open for her to select whatever seems the closest fit, collecting his own from another room nearby.
*
Ororo's eyes study the garments and then for an equal amount of time, the door to the closet. She finally moves to reach in and take a garment, but blocks the door open with one foot at the same time. She has no idea if her selection will fit or not, but better to just choose and get out of here than to stand about dithering. The ceiling is getting lower. She can FEEL it.
*
"Let's take these upstairs to change, yes?" Charles says, hefting his own over one shoulder. He can't have missed her thoughts, or likely her actions with the door, but he suggests it reasonably enough.
Once they're heading up the stairs again he offers another topic as well. "When this all began it was loosely affiliated with the government, actually. That…is very much no longer the case however. So if you would like to come along to see about this 'X-man' business, it might be prudent to pick an alias, though I don't expect we'll be wearing the uniforms visibly if all goes well."
*
Nothing really comes to mind except what her village people called her. "Dhoruba mungu. I do not know if that has a direct translation, but it approximates to 'goddess of the storms'." Once they're back on the ground floor of the building, Ororo makes a beeline for the nearest window and spends a moment there looking outside.
*
Charles leaves Ororo to her moment by the window, hiking his uniform up a bit on his shoulder a bit as he continues towards the second floor stairs. "Well, to avoid any theological entanglements, I suppose we could simply shorten it to Storm." Charles says, pausing on the stairs with a smile. "Welcome to the X-men, my friend."
*