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There might be no rest for the wicked, but the virtuous don't have it much easier. Particularly when one is the head Professor and teacher dealing with grading final exams before summer break. Charles Xavier might be the most powerful telepath on the planet, but he isn't immune to the headaches of dealing with grading papers.
So, when Angelica called to say that she was going to join the school, that was a very welcome distraction! Sadly, not a terribly long one, and after the call he then went back to the Hell of Grading History Final Exams and Papers, which is possibly one of the Worst of the Chinese Hells. He definitely is subconsciously calling out for some sort of help, for those that have any sort of psychic link to the poor man.
*
Emma has been more frequent with her visits to the Institute, lately. Of course, she has her reasons - many of them only slightly related to Charles. But, after she stopped by the day before and met up with Cassandra and Logan, and missed seeing Charles… Well, she found another reason to come over, today. It makes sense that Charles would know the region very well and he could answer her questions! (The fact that there are others who could easily answer the same questions is unimportant.)
So, dressed impeccably as ever, Emma knocks softly on the door to Charles' office, looking around the hallway to imagine what her office's doors and space might look like. After announcing her presence, she steps inside the office, smiling lightly upon catching his eye while he grades papers. "Good evening, Charles," she murmurs. "I hope you don't mind me stopping by?"
*
Charles glances up, and smiles brightly, "Emma!" He nearly leaps to his feet, "No, not at all, please, come in! Can I get you anything?" It doesn't take a telepath to sense his profound sense of relief as he comes around the desk, extending a hand towards Emma as he says, "I was just grading some final papers for the semester. And, to be brutally honest, I feel that I was trapped in some form of purgatory for sins that I don't entirely recall." What that could be, he doesn't exactly elaborate.
*
Emma's smile grows in depth as she sees Charles' pleased reaction to her presence, and she extends her hand to take his proffered one. She steps up close and, perhaps surprisingly, kisses his cheek gently before she settles into one of the chairs on the visitor side of the desk. "Oh, I'm fine," she says with a light tone, "But, thank you for asking." She crosses her legs in a ladylike fashion and takes her gloves off, stowing them in her clutch. "This is why, when I'm at my limit, I ask my teaching assistants to pick up the slack," she says in amusement, looking at the stack of papers. "Would you like some help?" she asks, lifting her brows lightly with the question. Perhaps she's surprising herself!
*
Charles laughs softly, returning the kiss to the cheek as he doesn't sit behind the desk, instead opting for now to sit at the other chair, next to Emma's in front of the desk. "Well, if you wish to help, I definitely wouldn't object at all, Emma. It's not terribly difficult… frankly, just tedious. And it's something I should probably finish before we do something more fun. Which, at this point… you could recite math equations at me and I'd consider that to be /far/ more entertaining." He smiles towards her, "And how are you finding the school? No problems with anything?"
*
Emma is already taking half the stack of to-be-graded papers, a correcting pen, and placing them on her side of the desk for ease of access. She smiles warmly at Charles, shaking her head, "Say no more. I'm happy to help and, anyway, I need to get my feet wet with teaching duties." She laughs softly and exhales a soft sigh. Considering his questions, she looks contemplative. "It's going well, so far. I suppose I'm just a little impatient, eager to get myself settled here… I met with a real estate agent about getting a place that's closer to the Institute, but I'm not sure I like any of the places she showed me," she looks disappointed. "When I was here yesterday, Logan said you'd let me build my own place on the lake, like you let him build his cabin. But, building a house takes a long time, so I was thinking I'd look at established buildings nearby," she says, checking another page. "How are the renovations coming along?" she asks, lifting her pale blue eyes to Charles' face.
*
Charles nods, "Very well, in point of fact. Should have the work crews in after the holiday, and it'll probalby take a week or two to give everything finished." He crosses back over to his side of the desk, since Emma is volunteering to help, and starts looking at the papers, going through them as he says, "Well, I understand the need for personal space, but… well, there is plenty of room here as well, Emma." He then blushes a bit, "I mean, plenty of rooms, that is. I wasn't suggesting…" Though, well, he might have idly thinking of it as a whim, but he does quickly change tracks, "And don't be surprised how fast we could build a place, between Erik and Jean and Lorna… a view by the lake is surprisingly popular."
*
"That's what I told Logan," Emma says with an amused smile. "Lakefront property is very expensive and highly coveted for a reason. And, do you know what he said, then?" She pauses, giving Charles a moment to imagine before she says, "He told me he'd show me all the good fishing holes." She laughs, shaking her head, trying to imagine herself /fishing/, wearing waders or rocking in a dinky little fishing boat. It'd be a disaster.
At the mention of there being plenty of room, Emma blushes a bit and exhales a soft laugh, "Well, I suppose so… I didn't want to presume. I'm used to having a place of my own, and I thought the space would be needed for the students." She clears her throat, feeling awkward - which is a very new feeling for her. "But, if I'm planning on having decorators prepare my office, I could do the same for living quarters, if there's room for me. I…expect it won't be like college, where I'm expected to live in one room with a connecting bathroom?" she asks with an arched brow and a half-grin.
*
Charles smiles, "Well, the students joke that the mansion gets destroyed every other Tuesday, which is perfectly ridiculous. I mean, it is only around midterms after all." He chuckles, working through the papers and he hmms, "Well, it would be a little more than that, and if nothing else, it could be temporary while we get a home built for you on the lake. He does, however, smile a bit at the blush, "I promise you'd have a walk-in closet, though." With that, he winks towards her, opening a mindscape of walking through a Japanese Tea Garden, which is a pleasant distraction while grading papers, anyway.
*
Emma can only imagine. "It's a dangerous life we lead, sometimes. Especially when we're all grouped together like this. It really puts a target on our backs," she murmurs, sounding more sober than before. "But, we're stronger together than we are apart," she adds. "So, I suppose that'd be all right, to stay here until I can think of a better, more permanent solution. As long as I don't have to share a bathroom," she holds up a finger to add weight to her words. She smiles at the Japanese tea garden setting, with the soft music and the rippling waters, and continues to grade papers along with Charles until none are left. "I met Cassandra, as well. She…" she pauses in thought. "I think she might be quiet stubborn, wanting to learn the language on her own. I attempted to assist her with psychic assistance during my conversation with Logan… Like subtitles on a foreign film, of sorts. But, she wasn't very receptive. I've successfully communicated with people whose language wasn't my own, before, so I figured it wouldn't be an issue with Cassandra. I was wrong," she says, sounding slightly disappointed and mildly confused by the idea that she couldn't reach the girl.
*
Charles nods, "Yes, Cassandra is… definitely one person who wants to handle things herself, I believe." He finishes the last paper, but keeps the tea garden in place as he 'strolls' with Emma there, placing his hand in hers as he says, "She does work well with the other students, and frankly she has even more skill than Logan at hand to hand combat." He pauses, then smiles wryly at Emma, "Don't tell him I said that. He'll never forgive me for it."
*
Emma walks along with Charles in the mindscape, holding his hand and enjoying the visual treat he's providing. She listens to what he has to say regarding Cassandra and nods her agreement. They do seem to've come to the same conclusion, at least. "In one sense, I can understand that drive to do things for oneself, absolutely. But, you and I, and Jean… We're all uniquely qualified to offer her assistance that would help her so much. I don't understand why she won't accept it. I have no intention of forcing it on her, as I'm sure neither you nor Jean will do… But, it's baffling. It's got to be frustrating for her," she shakes her head. "It's a shame." She smiles at being sworn to secrecy. "Don't worry, I won't snitch on you. I think he knows, though, that she's far advanced compared to his knowledge of structured martial arts. He doesn't strike me as someone who's insecure about that sort of thing. Unlike me," she grins a bit.
*
Charles smiles, "But Emma my dear, you are absolutely divine." He leans over and places a soft kiss on her cheek, meaning it sincerely since… well, lies are the easiest thing to pick up on in this place. Then he continues, "Actually, this was from a shore leave in Tokyo, from when I was serving in Korea." During the War, which isn't something that he talks about often, as he continues, "When I would see some of the things there… I'd come back to this place. As a focus." And it isn't something he shares with just anyone, that's pretty clear.
*
Emma wasn't fishing for a compliment - she was being honest. She knows that Charles and Jean are stronger than she is, and that does cause her some jealousy, if only because she likes to be the best at whatever she does. But, there's no malice in it, not really. She knows that her gifts are different from Charles, and his are different from Jean's, and everyone's abilities are as unique as they are, as individuals. She's only got a little bit of an ego issue, so tiny.
When Charles mentions the war, Emma looks up at him, watching his face as he talks. She wasn't aware he'd served. Now that she does know, she's not sure how he's stayed as kind and gentle as he is. "It's a very lovely, peaceful place, Charles. I'm glad it's brought you comfort," she says sincerely, lightly squeezing his hand.
*
Charles senses the curiosity, and returns the squeeze of the hand, "I served in a Search and Rescue unit. They called me 'the Good Shepherd' as I always seemed to find the wayward ones." He smiles a bit, taking some pride in that, "To be honest, that's what forged my control of my telepathy, having been through that." He doesn't elaborate too much on that, as he returns the squeeze of the hand, "And having been through the worst of what humanity can give one another… that's what made me devote myself to trying to provide the best." He smiles a touch, "Working as an aid worker in Israel, after the War, which is how I met Erik." Though Charles has a half-brother, Erik is definitely one man who he truly would call 'brother' without reservation. No matter how much they occasionally disagree.
*
Emma nods quietly, just listening, observing, absorbing. She's not usually one to talk overly much, unless she's got something to say, anyway, and the topic of conversation isn't one to which she can add anything of value. How can one comment on atrocities they haven't experienced? It's like trying to find the words to comfort someone when someone close to them has died - there are no words that can take that pain away. There is nothing she can say that would make what Charles went through any better. So, she listens, and is there for him - that is all she can do. "Erik is a very passionate person, very impulsive. He feels things so strongly that he can't control himself, sometimes. That must be hard for you, sometimes," she posits. "You don't seem the type to act rashly, and you must butt heads occasionally about that. How do you plan to handle the Maximus situation?" she asks, looking out over the garden.
*
Charles nods, and sighs, "That, I'm not entirely sure. I would like to reach out to Crystal first, as she seems to be a representative of his people. And she is…" He then smiles faintly, "Close, to Erik. So I'm hoping to mitigate things." There is a distant flash of stormclouds on the horizon, and he sighs, "As much as I am tempted to do something more… permanent, to Maximus, I want to see if this can be defused without too much violence, mental or otherwise." Though there's definitely a tension in his face, more for the fact that someone hurt one of "his" kids, espeically Lorna, who he DOES regard as his niece. Uncle Charlie isn't exactly a joke.
*
Emma arches a brow at the mention of this Crystal person being 'close' to Erik. What does that mean? Lorna hadn't mentioned anything about someone called Crystal, so this is a point of interest. If this Crystal person is the representative of Maximus' 'people,' and he's picking on Erik's child… Perhaps there's something there, and Crystal is ultimately responsible for Lorna being messed with, which makes Emma feel caution when dealing with her would be more than warranted. "How well do you know Crystal?" she asks, her suspicious nature getting the best of her.
*
Charles nods, "Well enough that I don't think she's involved with this. At least… well, I don't believe she would be." He hrms, "I'll need to investigate a bit more, but I suspect Maximus is a bit of a problem for them. I honestly don't know that much about the relationships they all have, but I think Crystal is a good source of information." He smiles towards Emma, "But I would like your help in evaluating what she says." Because he knows he's an idealist, and he values her realism.
*
Emma smiles and shakes her head, "Oh, Charles. You don't need my help with that; you'll know exactly what she means when she speaks. But, if you want me there, I'll be there." She falls quiet and regards the beautiful scenery as she gets lost in her own thoughts. Charles will get the general swirl of her idle mind's flow, where it's more about concepts and emotions than pictures and words. She's feeling peaceful, for the most part. But, there's some melancholy there, too. She's happy to be here, with him. And, she's trying not to let the darker emotions dim this bright spot in her day.
*
Charles glances over at Emma, then gently draws her close, his arm slipping around her waist as he looks towards her. His lips curve into a smile as he listens to the ebb and flow of her mind, just sensing the generalities and not probing through his link with her. Because he definitely feels happy to be with her, in this place. Or any place, really.
*
And, so time passes in that mindscape in companionable silence. How much time passes on the outside is probably a lot less, because psychic interaction is like that - especially between two gifted telepaths. After a while, Emma's stomach grumbles rather embarrassingly loudly and, caught offguard, she laughs, clapping her free hand to her midsection. "Well. I think it's time for something to eat," she says with another laugh, looking up at Charles' face.
*
Charles blinks, then laughs, "I think that's an excellent idea…" And the mental landscape dissolves, leaving Charles standing in front of the desk, offering Emma a hand, "As I would love to demonstrate my cooking expertise, since the kitchen is pretty empty with the holiday. Or would you prefer to slip off campus?"
*
Emma's still laughing a little as the mindscape dissipates, and she looks down at her traitorous stomach. "A lady's stomach should know better than to growl so gracelessly in a gentleman's presence, but alas," she grins. Accepting Charles' hand, she replies, "I would be so happy to taste whatever meal you'd like to make! I'm curious as to what you have in mind." She rises from her seat and leaves her purse in the chair - she doesn't need to worry too much about carrying it with her everywhere she goes, here. There's not much in it, anyway.
*
Charles smiles, "Well, I was thinking perhaps some grilled salmon, with asparagus, garlic, and lemon butter. With a nice white wine." He squeezes her fingers, and then teases a little, "Of course, if I couldn't find that, we can manage some grilled cheese sandwiches… but with the wine. After all, we aren't barbarians here at the school."
*
Emma's brows raise at the menu and she nods approvingly, "Mmm, that sound delicious! I certainly hope you can find some, if not all, of the ingredients for that. As much as I love cheese, I'd prefer a nice grilled salmon, right now." She grins and walks along with Charles through the building, toward the kitchen. "What if a student sees us?" she asks, not sounding very concerned, but curious.
*
Charles gives Emma a wry look at that, "I hate to break it to you, but the only thing faster than the speed of thought is gossip." He leans in and gives her a kiss on the cheek, "I think they already know something is 'up' between us, as they say." Of course, Charles acting like a nervous wreck before the dinner date might have had something to do with that.
*
Emma smiles back, shaking her head. "It wasn't so long ago that you and I were their age. And, I distinctly recall what a big to-do it was when Mr. Frangiapanne and Ms. Hofsteder became an item. Of course, they weren't strictly single, at the time of their tryst, so it was all the more talked about," she shares, thinking back on her school days. "How do you think they heard about us? I haven't told anyone," she wonders. "Not that I'm trying to hide it… I just don't really have people to talk about such things with, as sad as that is."
*
Charles ahems, "Well, I… may have mentioned the dinner offhand, as some people might have noticed my…" He looks a bit sheepish, "Nervousness, honestly. It's been a little while." He then amends rather quickly, "I mean, not that /you/ make me nervous, or rather… um…"
Fortunately, being adorkable is something that Charles is very good at, as he stammers a little, then gives Emma a wry expression, "I mean, you are a beautiful, intelligent, and very driven woman, of course."
*
Emma grins as Charles fumbles for the right way to tell her what he's trying to say. "Oh, you did?" she asks, too innocently. "You were nervous, and so was I!" she laughs, owning her truth! "You are handsome, intelligent, and a very good man. So, I was reasonably nervous, too. I mean, you must know that I'm not a girl scout, so I would've thought you wouldn't be interested in anything more than a polite, chaste agreement to run the school together, because of the merger," she shares, looking down at her hands. "I wouldn't have blamed you, either. I'm not always a nice girl, Charles," she says, an almost apologetic note in her voice, in her expression.
*
Charles smiles, "Well, perhaps not, Emma, but I do think your heart is in the right place." He then chuckles very softly, "To be honest, I hadn't even initially considered anything other than running the school as partners, but… well, I thought I would carpe the diem, as my Latin teacher used to say. As you were… are… devastatingly attractive, in multiple respects." He stops walking, taking her hands in his, and he looks at her, for once not finding the words… for some reason, it just happens quite often with Emma.
*
Most of the time. Most of the time, Emma's heart is in the right place. Sometimes, she's selfish. Sometimes, she's spiteful, vindictive, and vengeful. But, most of the time, Charles is right. Still, under his kind words, she's thawed a bit more and smiles prettily as she looks away from him, in an almost demure fashion. "I'm glad you did. I, too, find you to have many highly appealing qualities, including but not limited to your attractiveness," she shares, not wanting to leave him out on that vulnerability raft on his own. They are in this together. When he pauses and takes her hands, she gives his a soft squeeze and she looks up at him with those lovely eyes of hers, smiling gently. She doesn't bid him to speak, but lets him come to it in his own time, if at all.
*
Charles chuckles a bit, "This is… I mean, we've only known each other such a short time, but it just feels…" He pauses, and meets Emma's gaze, "It feels like I've known you forever. Intellectually I know, with our talents, that makes perfect sense, but it's still such a rush. I feel like I'm on a roller coaster and I don't want to get off." He returns the squeeze to her hands, and draws her closer to him, one hand slipping out of her grasp to encircle her waist, resting at the small of her back.
*
Emma's smile deepens and widens as he finally does speak, sharing his feelings and thoughts. "I feel much the same way. And, I suppose it's bound to be a side-effect of our mutual abilities. We could live out lifetimes together in our mindscapes…with very little time passing, here, in the real world. We've already bared much of ourselves, the most hidden bits of ourselves, to each other, so it's like we /are/ on a rollercoaster. We're.." she pauses, searching for the right words. "We're fluidly moving through some of the harder stuff that takes others a long time to learn and understand when they begin a relationship. I think. It made sense when I thought of it, but now that I put it to words, it's kind of sounding silly," she laughs and puts her hands on his chest as he pulls her close, her gaze finding his.
*
Charles smiles, "I suppose it does. And yet, I don't mind at all." And then he does kiss her, tenderly, and he definitely doesn't seem to care if anyone would be walking by in the hallway, letting the moment stretch on…
Until Charles' stomach gives a warning rumble, which causes him to blink, and then smile sheepishly as he breaks off the kiss, "Though, perhaps we should explore this in more detail /after/ dinner?"
*