Erik Lensherr | ( Magneto ) (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
wecanavenge) wrote2012-06-13 10:52 pm
wecanavenge) wrote2012-06-13 10:52 pm
✘ | 006 | VIDEO
[Spam for Wanda]
[Perhaps he should have pressed Brown for more details, but the simplicity of the situation was that he did not trust her. He did not trust many people on this ship, and he certainly didn't trust some human to have the best interests of his - of Wanda in mind. They were both children, still, and didn't matter to him that they had both been through things most children hadn't; but so had he. And he remembered being that age, too, even after everything he'd survived.
They were still children. And children needed looking after. If he hadn't believed that, he never would have pushed to train Alex and Sean and Hank. And Raven. He didn't want to think about her, now.
No, no he wanted to think about Wanda, and the last conversation they'd had. Months ago - months, and that was his failing, he was sure. He hadn't contacted her, he'd avoided her, because Anya still filled his thoughts, still featured in his nightmares. She was the daughter he had memories of, the daughter who had drawn pictures for him and taken her first wobbling steps into his arms, and laughed when he tickled her.
But she hadn't looked so different from Wanda, really, and it was easy to take those memories (memories that weren't even his, but memories he refused to let fade, memories he did not want to lose, even though sometimes he desperately did), and imagine that Wanda's father held them, too. Which made him wonder, constantly, constantly, what had gone wrong. What would he have done in that world, if he'd had his powers and Anya was a mutant? He still can't conceive of a situation where making his daughter a prisoner, abandoning her to the childhood he'd had, would ever be an option.
His stomach clenched at the thought, and not for the first time, as he made his way to Wanda's door. She didn't want to see him, but he had to know what was wrong with her. So he knocked.]
[Video]
[And here is flood!affected Erik, who escaped the Holocaust, who was never tortured or experimented on by Shaw. He can't really control his powers, but he's kind of a chill guy, now, and that isn't actually a problem. He only sort of notices the dampening effect that's on him. So when the video flicks on, he's smiling, looking fairly pleasant and very very curious.]
Hello, I'm Erik Lensherr. I'm a graduate student at Yale, pursuing a degree in genetics. And this - well this isn't the vacation to Hawaii I'd been hoping for, but I'm not certain I can complain, really. The view is utterly spectacular. [He pauses, looking around the room - because this Erik has never been to Charles' mansion upstate.] Are all the accommodations as lavish as this? It's much more than I'm used to, really. I'm afraid I could get used to it.
((OOC: Yup, Flood!Erik had Shaw picked out of his life, so he's actually a very chill, easy going guy. He'll be your best pal for the next few days. And then hate you for it.
[Perhaps he should have pressed Brown for more details, but the simplicity of the situation was that he did not trust her. He did not trust many people on this ship, and he certainly didn't trust some human to have the best interests of his - of Wanda in mind. They were both children, still, and didn't matter to him that they had both been through things most children hadn't; but so had he. And he remembered being that age, too, even after everything he'd survived.
They were still children. And children needed looking after. If he hadn't believed that, he never would have pushed to train Alex and Sean and Hank. And Raven. He didn't want to think about her, now.
No, no he wanted to think about Wanda, and the last conversation they'd had. Months ago - months, and that was his failing, he was sure. He hadn't contacted her, he'd avoided her, because Anya still filled his thoughts, still featured in his nightmares. She was the daughter he had memories of, the daughter who had drawn pictures for him and taken her first wobbling steps into his arms, and laughed when he tickled her.
But she hadn't looked so different from Wanda, really, and it was easy to take those memories (memories that weren't even his, but memories he refused to let fade, memories he did not want to lose, even though sometimes he desperately did), and imagine that Wanda's father held them, too. Which made him wonder, constantly, constantly, what had gone wrong. What would he have done in that world, if he'd had his powers and Anya was a mutant? He still can't conceive of a situation where making his daughter a prisoner, abandoning her to the childhood he'd had, would ever be an option.
His stomach clenched at the thought, and not for the first time, as he made his way to Wanda's door. She didn't want to see him, but he had to know what was wrong with her. So he knocked.]
[Video]
[And here is flood!affected Erik, who escaped the Holocaust, who was never tortured or experimented on by Shaw. He can't really control his powers, but he's kind of a chill guy, now, and that isn't actually a problem. He only sort of notices the dampening effect that's on him. So when the video flicks on, he's smiling, looking fairly pleasant and very very curious.]
Hello, I'm Erik Lensherr. I'm a graduate student at Yale, pursuing a degree in genetics. And this - well this isn't the vacation to Hawaii I'd been hoping for, but I'm not certain I can complain, really. The view is utterly spectacular. [He pauses, looking around the room - because this Erik has never been to Charles' mansion upstate.] Are all the accommodations as lavish as this? It's much more than I'm used to, really. I'm afraid I could get used to it.
((OOC: Yup, Flood!Erik had Shaw picked out of his life, so he's actually a very chill, easy going guy. He'll be your best pal for the next few days. And then hate you for it.
[spam]
[She tries to keep her voice even. Of course he's here, of course he would have a boundary set in front of him and immediately push it over. Of course.]
What do you want?
[spam]
Why am I meant to stay away from you?
[spam]
When I came here, I was placed under a power restriction, same as you. No matter what happened my powers were not increased. I was kidnapped, I was beaten, I begged, I threatened, I was terrified all the fucking time, and yet the answer was always "no". No matter how badly I needed them for my own personal security.
I dealt with it. I didn't like it, but I recognized that all the other Inmates were under the same thing, and that none of us get special treatment.
[The lights are swinging more wildly now. Paint actually starts to flake from the ceiling.]
I'm still dealing with it.
But then some jackass came along and decided that one particular inmate should get special treatment. Should get all his powers back. He doesn't care if that's fair to me or the other Inmates. He doesn't give a shit about the fact that this guy has a multi-world history of bullying people with his powers. He gets the full compliment. The rest of us can go fuck ourselves.
[The vanity mirror cracks suddenly.]
I tried to convince myself that the two of you were nothing like the Lehnsherr and Xavier from my world, but I was wrong. You throw a fit about the power restrictions and he runs to your rescue like a clucking mum. Tries to get you special treatment. Thinks you should be spared what the rest of us, including your fellow mutants, have to go through.
You know, I used to wonder how Charles Xavier, supposedly a good guy, could stand by and watch while my father put me through that Hell. But he did. Year, after year, after year, and he did nothing. Now I know. Now I understand. You mean more to him than fairness, than Barge safety, than all the rest of us put together. He'll fucking let you get away with anything, here as there.
You're both too much like the men who ruined my life. Especially him. Of course I want nothing to do with you.
[spam]
Who attacked you?
[And despite all that rocking metal, his voice is calm, frighteningly so. He's processing the rest - Charles asked for his powers back, that's news, but that isn't important right now. Someone attacked her, and she'd been helpless because of the same limitations on him. The hinges behind him are creaking, trying to twist out of their positions, but his so. fucking. limited here.
He isn't looking at the things her powers are doing any more - chaos magic, he's seen her refer to it that way, and he doesn't understand it, not completely, but he doesn't need to to know she's dangerous. That isn't important, though, not now, not to him. He is angry, he is so angry, because here is another mutant who had her abilities ripped from her, who was attacked, tormented (he can see the gun, eins, zwei, drei, and he couldn't do anything), and he can't do anything to help her, now.]
[spam]
A man I went to for protection flipped out and kidnapped me instead. He's not here anymore. He graduated right after that. As for attacks, which one do you want to hear about? Velociraptors tried to bite off my face. A crowd of ninjas beat me down and dragged me off to Zero. We had goddamned zombies. Assailants I could normally deal with in a matter of seconds. But I wasn't some special snowflake. I wasn't the only person suffering because of being depowered. Every Inmate with any abilities beyond bog standard human has to tough through the same goddamn thing.
But Xavier disagrees. He's not advocating for an across the board repowering. He's not even advocating for his fellow mutants. Just for you. [The lamp starts swaying slightly again.] He doesn't care if it's fair. He doesn't care how his monumental bias might cause problems down the line. You're his friend, so you get a pass.
Again.
[spam]
You're wrong, [he says dryly, voice still carrying that dangerously calm tone. It was the same voice he'd spoken in when he drove a coin through Shaw's brain.] He cares too much about people to be concerned with only my comfort.
[Because he doesn't believe, at all, that Charles would only speak for him, when other people are suffering. That isn't the man he knows.]
You shouldn't have had to go through that, and neither should I. Neither should Ivy, or Raistlin, or any other mutant here. They've taken a part of us, Wanda. I know you understand that. And I know you think you can earn it back, when the reality is that we shouldn't have to.
[His hand shifts away from the lamp, holding it out to her instead. Erik can be a threatening man; he's tall, he's intense, he's often angry, but he isn't angry at her. He doesn't want her to hate him.]
I am not the man you know. I am not looking for special treatment, I am - and always have been - looking for what is right. And this isn't right.
[spam]
[She glances at the mirror, and after a moment the odd effects still entirely. The dog stops whining. She looks down at her hands.]
No, we shouldn't have to. But we do. Not because it is fair, not because even half of us would intentionally abuse our powers, but because of the rest. Including some of the ones you named. We would be dealing with another takeover or attack or attempt to destroy the Barge every goddamned day. And no, I don't automatically assume you'd be in on that. But even some of my friends are too dangerous at full power.
[She finally looks up at him, with tears in her eyes.] It's the most frustrating thing about being here, and I still resent it. But I also know that before I came here I didn't care enough about people's lives to learn to rein in my power, and here...well. I could really make a mess of things.
It is true, though. I don't want you or anyone else to live without our birthrights. I just don't know...what a workable alternative would look like.
[spam]
Like the fact that she is crying. Or trying not to, but it is enough that he notices, and takes a step closer. He lowers the hand he's been holding out.]
It's imperative that we know our limits, [he says, and it flashes him back to a lab and a table he'd been strapped to. He blinks it away.] And that we control ourselves. Without that, we're just the monsters they think we are. [Up comes his hand again, and his voice is calm, still, but without that dangerous quality to it. He's gentler, because this, at least, is familiar ground: teaching younger mutants.]
But this is not the only way to learn, Wanda. Not under their rules, with their limitations and views of rewards and balances. [He taps his chest, shaking his head just slightly.] I know what it is to learn like that, to have every action judged and measured. There are better ways. I could teach you so much--
[And he hesitates, because either she is family or she isn't, either she hates him or she doesn't.] If you'd let me.
[spam]
Ultimately I wish that we would have a chance to prove our trustworthiness before they automatically clamp down on us. I just wonder if I wouldn't have failed that test myself. Back home I'm the girl even other mutants are scared of. And I don't actually want to be. [She is all the ambivalent, but at least she's calming down about it.]
[Fozzie sneaks his head out of his crate and sets it on his paws, wiggling his eyebrows soulfully as he gaaaazes up at them.]
I have a lot of mixed feelings about this. [But he makes sense on a certain level; she can't deny it.]
Sometimes you remind me so much of him that I want to run the other direction. Other times you're exactly the kind of guy I wish I'd known when I was younger.
All right. Compromise. I'll...we should meet more, talk more. There are things I could tell you as well. Might make your future easier.
I just...need a few days.
[spam]
He wants to tell her that she doesn't frighten him. That he's seen real terror and that though she may scare herself, she can learn. He exhales at her suggestion, and finds himself nodding. He could ask for more, tell her that even if they aren't related they are still kin by their very evolution; but he doesn't. Instead, he keeps his eyes on her and nods again.]
I don't want to be that man. [And there's so much sincerity in his voice, there's even a strain that might be something like pain; he doesn't want to be the man who locks his daughter up, as much as he doesn't want to be the man he was on Sanitarium Island.] When I remind you of him, tell me. Don't let-- [But no, he doesn't want to put that kind of burden on her shoulders. Instead he shakes his head, and changes course.]
I would never put my daughter through what you went through, Wanda. [His hand lifts again, like he might reach for her shoulder or arm, but he changes his mind on that, too.] A few days. I can keep my distance.
[spam]
[Another sad smile.] I wish we had met when I was more over things. I'm...working on it.
[spam]