001 - A Passing Storm

[agroovyblue]

A dream without Charles is a rare thing, but she has his essence with him. She's stretched out on the lawn, his cat curled up next to her stomach and purring loudly. As she looks up in the sky, the clouds form the distinct shape of people she's known. The dark clouds are Charles' mother and step-father. Her own parents. Everyone she's always been afraid has ever wanted to hurt her or Erik. But then the skies lighten and she can see the good people, too. She can see the professors who all thought Charles was a little odd, but who recognized his brilliance, she can see the young man who always asks her for a cup of coffee when she picks up the newspaper. They're all there for her to see.

Soon, the clouds are changing into other people and things. She watches as a purple dragon chases a blue butterfly through the clouds. They slide in and out of the other clouds and she's sure she even hears the dragon roar, though she could be mistaken by that. She must be mistaken by that. She must also be mistaken when the dragon begins to look a lot more like Cain than any animal. She curls her hand a little in the kitten's fur when the dragon starts flying lower and lower and closer to her. Does he mean to eat her? Is that to be her punishment for abandoning him in favor of Charles? The clouds start to darken again and the wind begins to howl. Lightning cracks against the sky and her hand tightens even more.

And then, just like that, the dragon/Cain catches the butterfly and swishes away again. Her hand eases as the skies turn back to normal. When she finally lets go, she's shocked out of her reverie by the kitten pouncing on her stomach. Before she can do anything about it, the kitten runs off.

She gets up after a minute and follows in the direction of the kitten, calling after her. "Blueberry. Blueberry!" She's not sure what she'll do if the kitten's run off somewhere, especially since it's her fault for hurting the poor thing. Relief floods her when she sees the kitten sitting by the door as if she was just waiting for someone to let her in. She's licking down the spots of fur she can reach that are still sticking up from Raven's tight grip. It takes her a moment to realize that Blueberry is not alone.

"Oh, hello."

Comments

[waterfell]

A certain cat may irritate her now, but she still likes cats. Thus, Raven is treated to the rather incongruous sight of a blue-haired girl in an odd short-skirted sailor-style uniform (also blue) kneeling to pet Blueberry. Mercury glances up at the voice, and her hand stills.

"Is this where she lives?" she asks after a second. "I thought about looking for the owner, but I wanted to keep her here just a little while first."

If there's something strange about being transformed in such an ordinary scenario, she doesn't seem to notice it right now. If it's hard to believe someone like her would be concerned with a possibly lost pet... well, Raven doesn't know her yet.

[agroovyblue]

Blue. Blue, blue, and more blue. Raven can't shake the color and it makes her blink a few times. Is this her? Except it doesn't look anything like her. She would never wear that kind of a dress, to begin with, and the blue would only be a reminder of her other form. She tries to keep herself from showing off too much, even if Charles named the kitten Blueberry.

"Yes. She's Charles', really, but I take care of her when he doesn't."

"I'm sorry, I'm Raven Xavier." She'd hold out her hand, but the girl is knelt down and maybe that wouldn't be the best idea.

i had to do the blue. XD it was too perfect

[waterfell]

Like Raven, her other form is much less blue; it's a quite normal Japanese girl with dark hair and dark eyes. Mercury stands, and offers Raven a nod along with a name for a name.

"I'm the soldier of Water and Knowledge, Mercury." It might explain the color scheme. Then it occurs to her, and she tilts her head as she looks at Raven anew. Raven Xavier, talking about someone named Charles. Charles Xavier.

"Could it be he's the one I've played chess with?" Sure sounds like both of them.

Oh, totally fine. I love it.

[agroovyblue]

"The soldier of..." Raven began before the other words really hit. "You know Charles?" That surprised her. She was fairly sure that she knew all of Charles' friends. Mostly because she was pretty sure he didn't have many.

"He's..." How did one describe her brother that didn't use the words telepath, mind, or reader? "He has dark hair and is about so tall." She lifts her hand up and offers the woman a rueful smile. It was hard trying to describe him in ways that didn't have him looking like 90% of the population of any given place.

[waterfell]

Mercury has no such tact these days, and besides, she's much more interested in power than appearance. "A telepath," she supplies while Raven avoids it. What she wouldn't give to have that kind of ability herself.

"Although I'm not one, I'm interested in that sort of power." And, she'd dare say, Charles is equally interested in hers. Which begs the question...

"Raven Xavier. If you're related to him," are the genetic mutations he talks about, hereditary? The cat is forgotten for the moment and Mercury glances sidelong at Raven, considering. "Could you also have power?"

[agroovyblue]

Raven's heart starts pounding in her chest. She's supposed to be taking care of her brother. She's supposed to keep him from spreading the knowledge of his talents to everyone else. She forces a smile on her face and realizes she's going to have to have a very long talk with him, soon.

"I'm sorry, I'm not really sure what kind of tales he's been telling. I have to remind him that there might be some people who take him seriously."

Though the question is why she takes Charles seriously. Did he do something that would make her believe in him?

[findmyownreason]

He's standing by the door as well, looking a great deal like the kitten if truth were to be told considering his always messed up hair and the strangely innocent air of waiting to be let in that hangs around him. Blue eyes that are too concentrated a blue, blink at her greeting and he turns, one arm in a dark sling, the other with a package tucked up under it. As per usual, his manners are a little lacking when it comes to the basics.

"Are you here to let me in?"

[agroovyblue]

"Hello," River answers again tentatively. Had she been expecting someone? Had she been expecting a package? Things are a little fuzzy, but she can't seem to remember ordering anything that would show up here. Still, here he is, so she must have. She takes a breath and smiles. "Sorry, I was out in the garden. I must not have you heard you knock."

She picks up Blueberry and tucks her underneath an arm, smoothing down some of the ruffled fur. When she reaches the door, she takes the hand away from the kitten and uses it to open the unlocked door. "Please, come in."

[findmyownreason]

He didn't actually knock so she's got nothing to apologize for. He just - found himself standing on the outside looking in and wasn't sure how long he'd stay that way until someone came and found him. He doesn't recognize her but he assumes she's the one the package is for, or she'll know who it's for. He's just as fuzzy on some of the logic as she is but he's used to that. When she opens the door, he steps to the side so she can lead him in, remembering belatedly, to knock his heavy tread boots off outside instead of tracking the strangely dark, clinging mud inside that falls off them to stain the front step.

"Thanks."

[agroovyblue]

"Do you have something for me to sign?" She's curious, now. She's not sure where the package could be from, so she wants to go ahead and open it to see what's inside. Well, unless it's for Charles and then she'll wait until he's here to start opening it.

"I have to admit that I don't really remember where this is from. I suppose I must have ordered something by telephone and forgotten until now."

totally winging this - no idea what the package is

[findmyownreason]

"Mm." There's a small nod, more a dip of his head than anything else, to go with the throat hum affirmation of her question. There's a little receipt book tucked into one of the bottomless pockets of his pants but with only one arm, he can't go digging for it. And the package is awkward enough, and she's gotten kitten arms, so that he thinks he should be carrying it until she leads him somewhere he can set it down for her. He doesn't mind. For some reason there's no sense of urgency or need to move on to the next delivery. Maybe this is his last one for the day and he's early? He's strangely sure the package is for her though. She's the only one here and she's the one that let him in. It just makes sense.

"Maybe it's a gift," he's not usually talkative but for some reason he's comfortable here. Maybe it's the kitten. People send gifts to each other all the time in his job. Why shouldn't it be something like that for her too?

[nohometown]

The man standing by the door is perhaps not noticeable at first because, in spite of his size and unusual coloration, he can be subtle and unseen when he wishes.

He inclines his head at her greeting, then steps toward her, watching her with faintly glowing green eyes, their pupils slitted now in the sunlight, like the cat's. "Good afternoon. I hope I didn't startle you. Is this your residence?"

[agroovyblue]

Raven's first instinct is to bolt. Her second is to stare. She has to force herself to do neither. The wind gusts around her, though, and she wraps her arms around herself from the sudden chill. The strange man asked her a question, but Raven's not sure she wants to give him an answer, yet. She wants to know more about who he is and what he wants before she gives him an answer like that.

Her eyes keep darting to his, though. There's something...

"Who are you? It's usually polite to introduce yourself, first." She straightens her spine and deliberately drops her hands back to her sides.

[nohometown]

"My apologies." There's no particular warmth in his voice, but the lack thereof is formal rather than cold. "You're quite right. My name is Sephiroth."

He inclines his head, a small, polite gesture, habitual. "I'm afraid I've lost my way. Do you happen to have a map of the area or something of the kind?"

[agroovyblue]

She does, but the sudden chill in the air - strange for a warm spring afternoon - makes her wrap her arms around herself and she shakes her head. She doesn't want him coming inside. He could be anyone. "If you tell me what you're looking for, though, I can give you directions. We've lived here for years." Surely she's just imagining things, she reasoned. After all, he's only being polite.

[nohometown]

He considers. This is a dream, but he's not fully aware of that fact, though some part of his consciousness senses that something is different.

"I don't have anywhere specific in mind. I need a map, because I've left..." He pauses, thinking of the lab, the corporation. That's what he's leaving behind. Those people who made his friends into monsters, who would do the same to him, if they had not already. He's left everything.

"I need to find a place for travelers to stay, or where one can find information. Or a map." He mentions it again, because that's what he needs most: a plan, defined routes. Escape routes.

[abrokenking]

"Raven," He seems a little worried by the anxious state of the feline-- he could tell she was bothered by the overly rushed licking and the fact she had weaved herself around his legs and half tucked behind one when she got comfortable. It was unusual, though the feline liked him she only seemed inclined to make contact when Charles was stationary. His own nervous shuffle causing more than enough accidental steps on her tail. Instead when he sprawled out along the couch or bed she could curl up next to, or on, him and curl into the small flicker of warmth he offered. He loved Blueberry, just like he loved Raven, with all the understanding of family he could muster. His own not quite an adequate representation of how he should behave in such a situation.

"Are you alright?" He isn't surprised to see her, or even feel the wafting reality of the dream space with her in it. His own habit of drifting into her dreams from his own makes this the most common thing for him. Dressed in those blue and white pajamas he has his arms folded behind his back and a curious expression focused in on his 'sister'.

[agroovyblue]

Raven relaxes a little when she sees Blueberry curling up next to Charles. The last thing that she wants to do is lose the cat. Charles doesn't have a lot of friends and the little kitten is one of the few. "I'm fine," she says, not wanting to admit to the things that she's been seeing. She can't have been seeing what she thinks she has. It's just her imagination. "But I think there's a storm coming. We should probably get inside."

The hairs on the back of her neck are standing up and she shivers a little.

[abrokenking]

"Oh," It doesn't seem as if Charles is entirely convinced, however he doesn't question her. A small smile as he props the door open for Raven to lead the way inside, followed by the aptly named cat and then Charles himself. In an unconscious sort of nudge he leads the group of them toward the living room; the perspective far more normal than his own skewed memories. He flickers a small smile in her direction, grasping an afghan from the back of the couch and drawing into her personal space. He doesn't think to ask if she's cold, just recognizes the sensations-- or perhaps it was fear, he couldn't quite tell, but either way he presumes a blanket might help. Often in the radio shows if one was cold they could curl up in a blanket, and if in fear they often did the same.

"Your dream, it looks real."

[agroovyblue]

When she sees Charles grab the afghan, Raven takes her place on the couch and tugs Charles along with her. She takes the blanket from him and wraps it across both of them. Only then does she let herself try to decipher his statement. Your dream, he'd called it. Had he slipped into her dreams before? Maybe. But this feels so terribly real, it's hard to believe that it is a dream.

"What do you mean?" she asks, hoping he'll clarify.

/STUMBLES IN!

[helpmeguideit]

The entire scene was a bit...different, but the feeling in the air was familiar. Too familiar to him, but it wasn't his. He was on his feet, moving around. There was no chair to be seen - and he hadn't been able to dream without seeing it there. There was a kitten at his feet so he leaned over, and gently picked it up, holding it against his chest.

It was the girl behind the kitten that surprised him more than anything. Raven. He hadn't seen her in what felt like forever. He wanted to reach out to her every day, but he couldn't get himself to. Tell her how he was, what had happened.

She wasn't the same. Just something - something was off. "Raven," a sad smile on his face as he looked to her.

Re: /STUMBLES IN!

[agroovyblue]

Raven smiled in relief when she saw both Charles and Blueberry. "I should have known she'd go to you," she said ruefully. There. That was better. A waft of air smelled of Spring as she walked over to Charles, leaning in a little so that she could scratch Blueberry behind the ears. She did feel sorry for having scared the kitten. Things had just seemed so scary, but now she was safe and Charles was here and that meant that things were right with her world.

"I'm all right now," she said before he could fret. She knew that he probably knew already that she'd been thinking of the past and she didn't want to make him worry for her. "What do you say to some lunch? I went to the store before you woke up."

She hadn't actually remembered going, but she could picture the fruit salad makings that she'd picked up this morning as soon as the words were out of her mouth.

[helpmeguideit]

Charles nearly dropped the cat when he saw Raven. He hadn't seen her in what seemed like ages. He tried not to have a dumbfounded look on his face when he saw her. Instead, he moved his fingers over Blueberry's head, gently brushing the fur. He knew immediately that this was not his Raven. She already thought that it was normal for them to talk to each other like this. She didn't think it was odd for him to hold a cat.

"I think you have me confused with someone else, Raven."

[agroovyblue]

"You're kidding, aren't you?" Was he playing some kind of joke on her? He had to be. "Charles Francis Xavier. That's who you are. And you obviously know who I am, so I don't know what you're saying that I might have you confused with someone else."

He was looking a little... She wasn't sure what to call his expression. Shocked, maybe. Surprised. She just wasn't sure why. He was Charles and she was Raven and that was the way it was. That was the only way it was.

[helpmeguideit]

"I am Charles Xavier, but I am also Professor X, Raven." He smiled a little sadly. Yes, it may have been that way to her, but it wasn't for him. He didn't want to tell her that his Raven had left him, but he knew that he might need to. He didn't want to tell her that he couldn't walk, and that it was probably different from hers.

"And I promise you, I am not joking."