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pixieledmemes2025-03-15 08:32 am
Test Drive Meme #2
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You wake up at a party.
You're not sure how, exactly, you got here. You may have just been walking in the woods or at a meeting for work or doing any other normal activity for you. But you know you weren't supposed to be at this party, you're fairly certain.
Anyone you ask about it will say the party is for you. You and the others also waking up and looking confused. Further questions will lead to the partygoers insisting you have something to eat. You're starving and others are eating the food without repercussion, so you figure there's no harm in a bite. You finish your portion.
It's a garden party at the crack of dawn, with the sun still in its early stages of climbing through the yonder, casting a good mix of pastel hues of blue, pink, and beige on everything. Heralding the first day of spring, the Ruler of the Spring Court has found it fitting to arrange this gathering where guests can feel the blades of grass touching their ankles, as well as the rich soil beneath their feet. Flowers of all kinds surround the party as if they were carefully curated. With spring as the "dawn of seasons," which marks a transition from winter's latency to the resurgence of life everywhere, the Ruler of the Dawn Court has also seen it fit to host aspects of this party during the one time of the year that dawn occurs the whole day. Tall candles and torches grace the outskirts of the garden party, providing warmth and an orange glow everywhere. Not one flame goes out even with the occasional wind, the Duchess always makes sure of this.
There are also freshly picked blossoms and branches with leaves on every table accenting the festive spread of food and drinks. This time, a lot of the food prepared for the Adopted guests are familiar to them with a little bit of a twist. Burgers might come in small packages and in toothpicks, while hotdogs in buns are also diminutive. Cookies look delectable but they have a flowery flavor to them, as if eating freshly picked daisies or daffodils. Fruits that may have been present in an Adopted's home, such as pineapples and watermelons, have seeds in odd places. Picking this selection of food is an attempt to be more welcoming and to appease the lovely guests the fae have invited.
As the party winds down and everyone's eaten, a tall, stately woman stands up and speaks. You feel her voice more than hear it.
I am the Lawspeaker of the Fae, elected by Seelie and Unseelie alike, and you are all, now, subjects of Faerie. You cannot leave this realm once you have eaten our food, and even if you could, there is no saying how much time has passed back where you're from. Your loved ones are likely dead, your problems have likely played out. We require assistance in various matters, and each of you has been chosen for your talent and skill. You will be adopted by one of the Seelie or Unseelie Courts based on your strengths and personality. Your Court will decide what to do with you from there.
As suddenly as she stood, she sits back down.
A party is not complete without dancing, of course, and while during the last gathering held for the Adopted, different fae danced to music exclusively for them around a glowing tree, this time they are insisting their guests to join in.
This is a party for you, after all.
If the prodding of the different fae hosts won't convince you, perhaps the music will. They play easily recognizable tunes that their wonderful guests must have heard before. These melodies have certain unique effects to their mortal attendees, which are as follows:
- Upbeat Music: You will believe that you and your dance partner have been friends forever and have known each other a long time.
- Romantic Music: You will become amorous and flirtatious towards your dance partner.
- Slow Music: You will develop some tension with your dance partner. It may be negative or sexual; completely up to you.
- Quiet Music: You will assume your dance partner is a threat and try to fight them.
At the Spring King's behest, every Adopted should wear a flower corsage or boutonnière to the gathering. After all, this is to celebrate the coming of spring and what better way to do that than to honor everything in bloom.
The thing is, though, the King of Spring, while amorous and friendly, also has a penchant for playing with mortals' memories, if not also affect their desires and despairs.
So, mischievous as he is, he made sure to enchant the different flowers present in every corsage and boutonnière for the party with the effects below:
- Rose: You will recall a horrific trauma
- Carnation: You will see a vision of your future, whether it's good or bad
- Orchid: You will remember a time you lost someone
- Chrysanthemum: You will believe someone among the Adopted is your soulmate
- Dahlia: You will believe you betrayed someone important to you, whether you actually did or not
It is perhaps a good thing that no one but the Adopted are allowed to see these visions and memories, but everyone who wears a corsage or boutonnière will be able to see each other's memories and visions when in close enough physical proximity to the vision-haver, for better or for worse.
You feel a vibration in your pocket sometime after the Lawspeaker addresses everyone. When you search for the source, you will pull out your Leaf, the device the Fae use to stay in touch with each other. Anyone who's used a smart phone will easily recognize how it works.
Greetings, Adopted. This is your Lawspeaker.
Tell us all of a time you gave someone a gift. Perhaps a bouquet of flowers or a box of chocolates. Was it appreciated or not? A reward might await the most meaningful gift given.
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But he won't linger on that, for the time being; there's little purpose to it when it's all hypothetical for now. His attitude may yet change whenever Charles decides to be reckless about this. ]
As do I, believe me.
[ He would want nothing more than for Charles to be right about this. That the arrival of one single person could change everything. He doesn't have high hopes about it.
But it feels nice, discussing these possibilities with Charles. It makes him feel just a little more purposeful, a little more driven. If to Charles it's as if he forgets their differing views in the past, it might be because they're not quite so on opposing sides in Erik's own time. He's certain that's a topic that will come up eventually. ]
The Lawspeaker, undoubtedly. [ He has exactly zero hope that will lead to anything, though. ] The Court Rulers might know something of use. None will answer questions directly about our presence here, and there's no real information about this place's history, or what lies beyond what I assume must be some sort of magical barrier keeping us from the rest of this world.
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[ At least, when he's not distracted by a party, and by Erik's presence. Even when he's doing other things, Charles is capable of studying a mind in the background, turning it over in his hands like a rubix's cube that's proving particularly puzzling.
Elbows on his armrests, Charles steeples his fingers, and gives Erik a significant look. ]
Until then, I think we should debate the merits of having you tell me all about my future. Or, better yet, letting me watch it.
[ Because Charles is very on the fence about it. On one hand, knowing too much about the future seems like a dangerous thing, and when Logan had traveled back, he had been cautious not to tell them too much beyond the necessities. On the other hand, Charles is eternally curious, cannot help himself, and it would help get he and Erik on the same page -- because he cannot shift the feeling that they're... out of step with one another. ]
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It's not something to worry about right at this moment, at least. He'll be sure to keep an eye on any developments, and he'll try to stop Charles if it becomes too dangerous. Whether or not he'll succeed, well, that's a whole other matter entirely.
The shift in topic gets a huff from him, smiling as he tips his head. ]
I'll tell you some things about our future. But I'm not going to tell you everything.
[ The implication there being that he would rather Charles not go looking for it in his head, because there are some details, some losses that he's better off not knowing about. Erik doesn't know that those will be kept from him for long in a place like this, but for as long as he can keep it to himself, then he will. ]
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If Charles were slightly less ethical, the point would be moot. He could simply look at Erik's memory in its entirety, and Erik wouldn't know he did it. Charles only puts his fingers to his temple as a politeness, a gesture to alert other people that he's using his ability. Without that, he could be as silent as a thief. But, no. To do so would be to betray Erik's trust-- however much of that he currently has, in the future Erik is from. ]
Understandable. Slightly regrettable, but understandable.
[ Erik could just tell him. It would be easy enough, if incredibly slow and undetailed. But Charles wants to see it. He wants to understand it in the language he knows best. ]
I'd prefer to see your memories, if you don't mind. [ Charles says it delicately, because frankly, he's not sure if Erik will mind or not. He hadn't had that helmet on the last time Charles contacted him, but he's not sure if that's a welcome. ] Anything you don't wish me to see, you can hide behind a metaphorical locked door, and I won't go snooping. I can show you how, if you like.
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More trust, undoubtedly, than there was between them the last time Charles might remember seeing him. Things have changed, at Erik's point in time. Not all for the better, but between them? Absolutely. ]
I'm familiar with how it works. [ Charles may be the telepath, but Erik has learned how to express when he wants to keep a specific memory to himself. This is not the first time that Charles explains to him how to do this, even shows him, so. He doesn't need the tutorial.
He doesn't need the time to think about it, which is telling in itself; he just gestures between them, palm up, stance relaxed. ] Go ahead.
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The offered hand gives him pause, makes his heart skip the tiniest of beats, an uncertain gaze flicking up to Erik's face. He doesn't need physical contact. Erik knows that. Physical contact doesn't even make it easier. And yet, it's being offered. Tentatively, hopefully, he reaches out to grasp Erik's hand, fingers curling securely around his.
It's the work of a moment to dip into his mind. Some minds simply shine brighter to a telepath, and Erik's-- god, Erik is like a forest fire among candles. It's not just his power, though that immense magnetism is more powerful than most. It's how neatly they slot together. It's how precious this particular mind is to him. It's how much their chance meeting in that freezing ocean meant. It's how much it meant when Erik left him on that beach, or dropped a stadium on him, or tried to kill Raven. It's how much it meant when Erik let him in, halfway across the globe, sick with grief and En Sabah Nur's influence but still open to Charles' telepathic touch.
He takes them to a mental space he fondly dubs the lobby, a space in between memories. Charles' own landscape looks like a massive library, with books as his memories, some out in the open, some tucked away in darkness, some gathering dust. He will let Erik's own landscape fill out with his own unique signature.
As it builds around them, Charles says: ]
Thank you, my friend. I know this is not an easy ask.
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The feeling is as familiar as ever, and what differences he senses, he's sure it's entirely because of the discrepancy between their points in time. It's not bad necessarily (it would be stranger if Charles were much younger still), but there's a sort of intimacy in the act that's a comfort to Erik, more than he can put to words.
His own landscape shapes against Charles with an ease that seems almost too natural, that in itself likely letting Charles know that this is not the first or second time he's done this. His construct will be even more familiar, as what he will see is a familiar hallway of his beloved institute, several doors along the walls. Some shut tightly, others unlocked, plenty ajar enough to welcome a curious visitor. Which Charles very much is, of course. Beyond any window in sight, there's an endless forest and nothing more. ]
I think you underestimate how familiar I am with having you in my mind, Charles.
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Oh.
There are many theories on why minds look the way they do. He and Jean have talked extensively about it in their telepathy practice, and he's sure if he ever spoke to Emma about the subject, she'd have her own theories too. Charles thinks it speaks to what a mind finds most comfortable; it's primal, most instinctual grasp of home. And if that's true...
He finds himself having to take a deep breath, briefly overwhelmed by the emotion that threatens to swamp him. ]
Yes. I rather think I have underestimated that. [ His reply is quiet and thoughtful, looking at Erik with new regard. He'd only been thinking of the future in the vaguest terms, and as he now realizes, he'd assumed that he and Erik would have just... continued their relationship as-is. Half antagonistic, half friendship. The most complicated and yet the most treasured connection Charles has ever had.
He gathers himself, smoothing a hand over his sweater. Here, even in this mental landscape, he is still in his wheelchair. He needn't be, but it's habit by now. ]
Going chronologically would be our best bet. Why don't you lead the way?
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There's a small part of him that feels pleased for catching Charles off guard. He'll spare him the teasing, though he watches the other mutant intently, waiting until he's ready to begin. ]
Very well. [ Erik guides them to the first memory, his own handle on this projection not quite as smooth, but then he's not a telepath. It's like trying to materialise a thought, or a dream, and it feels like holding water with his bare hands. Charles being there makes it steadier, but still. ]
This isn't going to be particularly pleasant. I'm sorry.
[ That will be, he hopes, enough warning for the set of memories that follow. It's more of a summary than anything, all the events stitched together, from the last thing Charles remembers to the aftermath of Nur's downfall. The attack on the school, Charles's kidnapping, his futile attempts at reaching Erik all the while. Erik can't share memories of what Charles went through with Nur himself, because he didn't experience that himself, but everything else he shows, both his betrayal and his later intervention on their behalf. On Charles's behalf, actually.
All down to the impressive display of Jean's powers, unlike anything he'd seen before at the time. He shares a glimps of the aftermath (sorry Charles, you are indeed bald there), with Erik helping rebuild the school, and their conversation before parting ways again.
You're sure I can't convince you to stay?
You're psychic, Charles. You can convince me to do anything. ]
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The grief is a fog, a deadening, a rage, an overwhelming choking miasma. He sees En Sabah Nur, and the cursed remains of the camps, and the incredible heights of power that Erik is able to achieve as he reduces everything to dust. He sees himself, unconscious in his wheelchair, getting kidnapped. He feels the Earth's magnetic poles under Erik's hands, and the mutants around him, and the sight of others come to try rescue Charles. He sees himself on rocks; confronting the ancient mutant; afterward, obviously having been through something.
He sees Erik on the verge of absolute destruction before making the kinder choice. He sees power pouring out of Jean like fire.
And then, afterward. The school, destroyed, and being rebuilt. Alex, dead. The new X-Men being formed, with Raven at its core. And then Erik leaving once more.
By the time the memory shakes loose and Charles is left staring at that open door, he finds his breath hitching with that unique form of grief that comes every time Erik leaves. He rubs at his temple, willing the memories to settle, to pass by without overly affecting him -- but how can they not?
He couldn't quite tell if En Sabah Nur had corrupted Erik in some way, or if all of that had been his choice. But... if it had been his choice, he's not entirely sure he could blame Erik. The loss of his family, the disconnection from his community. Erik must have felt like he truly had nothing left, nothing but a world full of humans who wanted him dead. That he'd been so close to destroying the entire world over it, mutants included, that's certainly not a good choice, but...
Charles understands. His own grief had been self-destructive, Erik's outwardly so. Grief has no rules. And in the end, Erik had made the right choice. ]
No. I'm displeased to report, that wasn't pleasant at all. [ His wry attempt at a joke falls flat even to his own ears. ] But I'm glad you showed me nonetheless. I'll... need some time to digest it all, I think. But we ought to move on to your next set of memories.
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There is a level of detachment from it all, though, solely due to how long it's been for Erik since these events, when to Charles they're still in his near future. He wouldn't be surprised if Charles was just too upset to want to keep going, if he chose to just walk away, and the fact that he doesn't brings him a sense of relief that might just be palpable through their shared connection. ]
It is a lot. I know. [ He doesn't apologize again. Instead he moves on to the following set of memories— snippets, flickers here and there, because ten years are difficult to parse, but also they were fairly stable for them, all things considered. Erik's memories are largely of his work in Genosha, building a community over the years, growing in numbers. It's a life largely isolated from the world, but it is peaceful. Doing something actually good for their people, for a change.
There are also fragments of memories of sending letters back and forth, the occasional visit from Charles's mind into his own, undoubtedly making use of Cerebro for Definitely Not X-Men purposes. It's largely through their continued contact that Erik knows how the school is doing, what Charles has been keeping busy with. Every time it stops short of either of them asking the other to come over, but Erik could not hide the fact that was on his mind when Charles was quite literally in there.
These memories of peace fade into something else, dissolve into a blur, a thick fog that Erik pours all his focus into; and then, they're standing in front of a firmly shut door. This is a memory he doesn't want Charles to see. ]
no subject
Oh, Erik. What an incredible thing you built.
[ If Charles' eyes are bright with a sudden swell of almost-tears, he doesn't bother to try hide it. He has always known that Erik is capable of great things, and he has shown that over and over again. In the good; in the bad. He has the power to destroy the world if he wanted to, and here, in these memories, is the opposite side of that coin: the ability to create a wondrous thing.
He wants to remark about the island of it all, the secluded nature of it. Hiding away from the humans, not even bothering to take part in human society. But he holds his tongue, because... he understands. Regrettably, horribly, he understands. There is a very serious case to be made that the American government have proved themselves untrustworthy after the Sentinel incident.
And then, there is a firmly locked door, and Charles frowns. ]
Why don't we steer away from this one? [ He swivels his wheelchair, ready to head to the next open door. Oh, he cannot deny that he is incredibly curious. But Erik is already trusting him with so much, he will not push for more. Not yet. ] What's next on the agenda?
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[ He's not going to feign modesty here, it took effort and dedication, and it took the strength and willingness to move past decades of hatred, grief, anger growing in him, festering. He knows he would not have done so if not for Charles's own influence, at least in part, but so many other things he's experienced. Love, peace. A normal life. A sense of safety that he wishes all other mutants could feel, as well.
He still can't quite bring himself to live among humans, not like he once did. One can still find a semblance of peace without full coexistence.
There's some surprise when Charles doesn't insist, at least try to get Erik to open the door for him. Not that Charles would really need him to do so, but Erik chooses to trust that he wouldn't force it unless he absolutely had to. ]
That's fairly recent. [ Meaning the locked door. ] There's one more, though.
[ Just to get Charles on the same page he is, or at least the knowledge of where Erik stands with regards to their current relationship. He steps through an open door, onto a sunny street in Paris. Charles will recognize himself sitting at a café, even with his hair gone, that knowing look on his face even before Erik comes into his line of sight. The scene plays out with perfect clarity, both because it's fresh in Erik's mind, and because it's important to him.
The sun feels warm, surprisingly. Even in his mind.
I'll go easy on you.
No, you won't. ]
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It had only been moments before he'd arrived here that he'd been feeling Erik at his exact opposite. The soul-tearing grief and rage after his family had been killed. The sheer pain in him had been enough to have Charles almost weeping as they'd spoken mind to mind, tears on his cheeks as he'd asked, nearly begged, Erik to come back to them. To think that Erik has gone from that man to this man is extraordinary.
They're guided into another memory. Charles sees himself at a table in a little Parisian, cafe, and he looks--
Shattered.
Charles has seen that look on himself in the mirror, but not for a long time. Back in the seventies, after he'd lost his students and his purpose-- and now the Charles in this memory looks exactly the same way. Erik invites him to Genosha, and although Charles doesn't verbally accept, he can see the relief in himself at the invitation. He knows he'll say yes.
But why? Why is he leaving his school? Why is he in Paris looking like he's lost everything? ]
You're not going to show me what happened in between. [ Charles says it somewhere between a question and a statement, because he assumes he knows the answer already. There's a reason Erik skipped over that locked door. ]
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It was difficult. They were all pushed to their limits, and with Raven's death...
And to Charles, Jean's loss on top of that. ]
No. [ Not that he needs to answer when Charles knows it already. ] It's still well in your future, and right now— it might not even come to happen to you. We don't truly know what happens now that we've been brought here.
[ Charles might go back to create an entirely different timeline, or they might not go back at all. They might go back and everyone is dead and gone. Erik has probably run all the worst case scenarios through his head at this point. ]
no subject