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[mentis]

Ah. [ Straight away it's clear that the bloke peering down at the screen has absolutely no idea what's attached to him or what he's doing. He's got a boyish countenance, blue eyes that are more tired than anything, and a small almost worried crease between his brows. But he doesn't say anything for a moment, just peers at his new ... addition. He holds it from his face like a clock face and throws a glance over his shoulder, the image dipping to take in the flash of yellow and blue uniform. ] Erik, look. I think it's recording something.

[ The other voice is vaguely accented Euro-something (a panglobal accent? sure!), and carries a timbre like its owner is smiling through gritted teeth, a smile on a tether tight enough to snap. ] Mine isn’t.

[ The former person holds his wrist aloft for his partner - Erik - to see. Even glowering, he's handsome and dressed in the same leather as the first. Blue eyes flick away and look to him, mouth twisting into something of a smile despite how obviously stressed the pair of them are. ] Well, that's what one gets when they're as volatile as a powder-keg.

Call it preparedness. [ The smile slips an inch and winds itself back in like a winch, lower row of teeth showing. ] It’s metal, whatever it is. But it won’t—[ He can’t remove it, this thing attached to him that as far as he can tell is some kind of small television, and for Erik that’s as disconcerting as not being able to feel his own skin. Showing that much vulnerability is not in the cards, however, so he centers himself with a visible squaring of shoulders, light eyes scanning their immediate area. ] Never mind, that’s the least of our problems.

I agree, we --. [ Need to find the others, find Raven but he stops, touches it and lets the furrow grow more over-pronounced. ] Call this a longshot, but this reminds me of something ... [ A pause, and he arches up an eyebrow, fingertips drifting to his temple in silent request of conversing a little bit more privately. Erik nods and Charles falls silent as though that's the end of that matter. ] The CIA had communication devices like this, I believe we can use it to contact whoever brought us here, bargain for a way out.

[ Because under his bloody single-mindedness Erik is virtually always thinking in thirty directions at once, he notices Charles’ mild mimicry of his phrasing despite the bizarre and unsettling circumstances; he arches his eyebrows in a ripple of interest that quickly fades and then sharpens into focus on the much more relevant subject brought to bear in his head. His nod this time is a quick, disjointed jerk, a bodily command that looks exactly like what it is even if he’s not saying a word aloud. ] Do it.

[ Charles' smile goes from small and private to wide and bright just like a flashbulb going off, his shoulders straightening out as he focuses his attention to the thing wrapped tight around his wrist. He doesn't allow himself the time to worry or feel embarrassed about it, just talking in a smooth, mind-mannered tone. ] My name is Charles Xavier, this is -- [ There's barely a fraction of a second of silence, his knows Erik, knows he's done some things that even Charles couldn't fathom. Giving out his name mightn't be the best thing. ] -- my associate. If someone could fill us in, let us know what's going on and how we can go about our business that would be much appreciated.

( ooc: so replies will come from both mentis & violenthearted. Also there's been a little bit of an addendum to my permissions so if you can have a look that would be swell. )

Comments

video:

[charring]

I've never seen two people arrive at the same time. That's definitely new.

Welcome to Cape Kore. You've been kidnapped by faceless assholes.

[What. Charlie. Why did you phrase it like that? Apologies. Sometimes being nice takes effort and she has no fucks to give. She'll just continue this trend.]

There are cameras everywhere. There's no way out and sometimes, people die violently.

[...That wasn't helpful, was it?]

video;

[mentis]

[ That's ... more than disturbing. He throws Erik a glance over his shoulder and tries to do his very best at projecting something like calm towards his friend. If he loses his cool then Charles will need to do something drastic and he's not entirely sure he could stop him from razing all hell on wherever it is they are. He doesn't want to arouse any more suspicion by having his friend bent on finding their captors and feeding them the pieces of the things now attached to their wrists. ]

I see. [ No, he doesn't quite. ] Do these ... people have a name? [ There's a headache brewing behind his eyes, something that bleeds into his voice because he doesn't know where his sister is, isn't sure where they are, and he realizes quickly that they might have a serious and dangerous problem on their hands. ]

And is their anyway we could find them? Have a chat. [ Even if they don't have faces. ]

video;

[charring]

[She's just being honest. She has yet to learn how to use her words carefully.]

I dunno. I just knew of one, but she was less than helpful recently. As for the others? I have no idea how to get in contact with them.

[thelittlestbub]

... Professor?

[mentis]

Hello? [ He doesn't recognise the girl, she doesn't sound English and he really hopes that his sister hasn't been spreading her attrocious nicknames about. ]

Can I help you? [ Because even if he's the one needing help, he can't help extending it to others. ]

video

[bonesandskin]

[The transmission is unsteady and full of interference and, to be entirely honest, Oliver is not actually planning to be a part of anyone's welcoming committee quite yet but, well, things obviously do not always go as planned. Hence being here. In Cape Kore. Or, more specifically, sat under a tree, much closer into town than he was upon his own arrival. It's where he's been most of the day, still aching and still looking rather worse for the wear. The fact that he's transmitting takes a moment to register before he quirks a faint, wry smile at the newcomers.]

I'm afraid you may find yourselves in something of a new business from this point.

[If that sounds cryptic, it's not really on purpose. He's just tired.]

video

[mentis]

Heavens, I do hope nobody plans on putting me in charge of anything.

[ It's a little bit of the smoke and mirror trick, the way his smile is a megawatt, blinding enough to hide the inexplicable cyclone of his thoughts. He's trying to think of everything all at once - Raven, the children, Shaw, a cold war that's brewing on the horizon. It's all stamping itself into the soft and unbalanced parts of him and he's almost glad for the distraction of someone else looking a little worn down. Aiding over people always tricks his rather nervous disposition into being something else. ]

Are you new too? [ Something in his eyes - the second it takes to respond to Charles and Erik, it makes sense. ]

[thezerothlaw]

Greetings, Mr. Xavier. I hope you and your associate have arrived safely.

[There's never any good way to welcome people to this place.]

I cannot recommend tampering with the wrist devices we have been provided with, nor with any of the cameras here. Those who keep us here do not allow us that.

[mentis]

[ They arrived literally magnetized together and still with the force of a plane spiraling out of control. He doesn't imagine it's any way close to safe but at least they're not hurt. ]

What happens when you tamper with them? [ He hasn't noticed the cameras yet, too concerned with Erik and how he somehow managed to break it apart. Erik's mutation is wonderful, it's not quite like playing with a screwdriver exactly and he wonders if that will still somehow count. ]

video;

[facilitated]

Are you guys okay? There's like, houses and stuff. You can take whatever one you want, I think there's some empty ones or whatever. Either of you get hurt?

[ So it's nowhere near her usual chipper welcome, she's tired and a little over this town, but she's a huge gush of rambling words nonetheless. ] Don't try to leave, the cameras come back, sometimes bodies randomly get dropped, uh, and they have snakes.

video;

[mentis]

[ It's like every ounce of Erik's pessimism has been wrung out to create a place like this this.

... snakes, honestly.

His free hand comes up, pinches the brow of his nose because by now he's not fighting the headache. Erik's mind is a low level of tension, like the kind of ache someone would get just before a storm and he's well into the throb of it by now.

When he smiles, it's a half effortless thing, not quite as wonderful as before but it's still there. ] Why wouldn't we try to leave?

[ He has to surpress a shiver at bodies, knows one step at a time is important here. ]

[video]

[enchangement]

[ There's a girl staring at you, Charles, in an oddly breathless sort of way like this is the most amazing thing that's happened to her and it just might be. Today, anyway. ]

Darwin's Charles. Oh. OH! [ River's face jerks away from the screen and there's a blur of movement as she suddenly starts banging on a door. ] DARWIN!

[ Then she just as suddenly runs down stairs, through a living room and out the door of the house she was in. ] The business of the moment is shelter, but the 2^nd to the 2^nd power is empty. Perfect.

[ She stops, turns in a circle and heads off in a new direction. ] Believing is everything but she needs to see and you two are going the wrong way!

[video]

[mentis]

[ He looks slightly perplexed, one eyebrow quirking up before his whole expression settles to something almost ... amused, definitely friendly, a smile crossing his mouth. ] Well, that's the most enthusiastic response we've gotten so far. I'd begun to think I'd found myself in the land of the Cynics.

[ Because he would perish and die if that were the case, but Charles rocks back on his heels and tilts his head. ] What way should we be going?

video

[evolv]

[River pounded on his door but then she ran out, so he checks wrist TV. And smiles.]

Doc, Erik! You're here! ...What are you wearing?

video

[mentis]

[ He blinks, tilts the device closer to his face to peer down at him. ]

Good heavens, you're alive.

[ Which is ...

He breaks off into a wide and helpless smile. ] It is so very good to see you.

video|

[stiling]

[ Huh. That was a little something there, that moment where they both went quiet, but Stiles isn't going to comment on it, not yet. Stay strong, curiosity, but stay quiet. ]

Well, good morning, Charlie.

[ And associate. He gives a fake bat of his eyelashes and then props his chin on a hand. ] Welcome to Hell. You get a rundown at all? All the fun you're in store for?

video|

[mentis]

Please, don't encourage him.

[ He means Erik and his dark cloud of pessimism burning between them. And don't call him Charlie, does he look displeased by that? He is. ]

We've heard a number of horror stories.

[captain_jtkirk]

Is associate code for something else?

[mentis]

[ Please, please.

He's fairly certain that Erik is about to chew the bloody communicator off his wrist in a moment. ] Ah, no.

[video]

[designedtoparty]

[Charles, no. You shouldn't pause before saying something like that. Not when Nathan Young's around.]

Your associate? Is that supposed to be a polite way of saying you two like to fuck each other?

[video]

[mentis]

I'm not even sure how I should respond to that.

[ Beyond crying. ]

[ellectric]

Hi, cutie. New in town?

[mentis]

I -- [ There's a moment where his eyes widen - Charles and flirtation go together like gin and tonic but for the moment he's unbalanced. His gaze flicks to Erik immediately before it becomes clear that he's going to have to respond. ] We are, yes.

[agentx13]

[ She takes a couple seconds to gape at the feed. Well, her version of gaping, which means she mostly just watches for a couple seconds with her lips pressed in a straight line. But she has to ask. ]

Professor Xavior. I doubt you... know me. But my name is Sharon Carter. In my universe, I'm a member of SHIELD, working closely with Captain America and sometimes the Avengers. You may know me by Agent 13, though at this point I rather doubt you know me at all. You've been kidnapped. We don't know who has kidnapped us or why, but they seem to be conducting experiments of some sort. Food is dwindling, and more people are arriving. I'd advise you to find a place to stay. I can deliver whatever food I can find that people can spare.

[mentis]

I'm afraid all of those names are a little above me. [ It's a rather regimented response and he'd assume Erik would be thrilled by it. ]

Are you in charge among the people?