Manuel and Charles Xavier - Conversations Between Two Psions

[x-empath.livejournal.com]

Who: Manuel de la Rocha, Charles Xavier
Where: HeliX Fundraiser
When: Saturday evening
What Happens: Manuel asks for help. Charles grants it - with reservations.




The evening had gone thus far without a hitch, having in fact all the signs of being a complete success. The Professor had found himself involved in more interesting conversations than he would have expected, many with curious people wondering about mutants in general - the latest woman, now herding her son away with a bright smile of thanks, had inquired about the psychological affect of a power emerging on a teenager, on behalf of a friend of the family. From the sometimes concerned look in the son's eyes, it hadn't been hard for Charles to realize that he and the other child were good friends.

Still, a small pause would be pleasant, he reflected. Manuel had been quietly standing at his side for most of the evening, other than for a few forays of his own into the crowd to speak to a few select people - but he had to be feeling the effect of so many people surrounding him so after months of being only in the mansion keenly as well. "It occurs to me that a little fresh air would make for a nice pause," he opined pleasantly, thanking one of the waiters as he handed him a glass of Perrier, before steering his chair in the direction of one of the many wide glass doors leading to a balcony.

Manuel obediently followed the Professor out to the balcony, where at least the constant emotional barrage was far less than it was inside. He was holding up well so far, but there was no need to tempt fate any more than was stictly necessary. "You have been busy." Manuel pointed out, leaning against the railing and enjoying the cool night air. "I think I've seen you talk to perhaps a dozen people or so. Learning all sorts of interesting things, are you?" he asked pleasantly. "As for me, I have kept my word to the letter. It was starting to get a little intense in there."

"There is always more to learn about the people that surround us," Charles explained, "and I find it a never-ending source of fascination and delight." The way Manuel had phrased his comment said a lot about the way he approached others, perhaps more than the young man meant to, really. Beyond his shields he felt the press of minds eddying around them, the ones nearby brighter spots in a web of light, with others in the distance, each with their own world of cares and worries. "One never stops learning. Or needing a brief moment of respite, now and then."

"Somehow, I doubt that you needed a moment of respite. You wanted to talk to me privately, and I am here. What do you want, Senor Xavier?" Manuel asked pleasantly. Inside, though, he was cursing Xavier's psi-shield that kept his feelings well and truly hidden from him. He felt disoriented, off-balance without that instinctive natural feedback he had grown so accustomed to.

A slight smile answered him as Charles turned his chair a bit to look at him. "Simple consideration, Manuel. It would be thoughtless of me to push you beyond your hard acquired limits tonight. And..." he chuckled, looking out over the balcony, seeing something he knew Manuel could not even begin to guess at. "I truly did wish for a bit of fresh air. The view here is... wonderful."

Manuel looked out at the view, and shrugged. "I much prefer Prague at night to this." he said with a casual wave at the surroundings. "Or the manic energy of Madrid's downtown. And my shields are holding quite nicely - I've just running the reflective layer, not really shielding my thoughts too much. Around you, it's pointless to anyway." he said, doing an admirable job of keeping most of the bitterness out of his voice. "No one can hide from a telepath of your caliber. Which makes me wonder."

Charles' expression never faltered as he shifted his gaze from the view the balcony afforded them to instead give Manuel a contemplative look. So much was being said with every sentence, every preference stated – one didn't need to scan Manuel's mind to learn about him. It was all out there in the open, if one knew what to look for. One's powers, Charles reflected, could never become a crutch. He quirked at the mental analogy – still, he had learned that lesson the hard way. "It makes you wonder at what?" he asked, very much interested in the reply.

"Why there is as much stuff going on as there is." Manuel elaborated. "No one can hide from you, after all." he added. "All that stands between you and us is a thin shield of your honor. And sometimes, not even then." he added in an unkind reminder. "I ... have something I want to ask you. I know what the answer will be, but I must ask it anyway. Will you hear my proposal?"

The reminder still drew echoes within the man in the wheelchair, though nothing Manuel was granted knowledge of – instead the reminder was taken for what it was. The strike of someone used to a constant fence and parry lifestyle, who acted so from habit and not knowing anything else but such a way of life. Patterns imprinted years ago, that would take much work on Manuel's part to take control over. "You had but to ask, Manuel. Of course I will."

Manuel nodded. "You are quite possibly the only living being capable of helping me in developing my power. Moira can help with the biology of it, but she's no psi. She doesn't understand what we live with. And Nathan has abandoned me - not that I can truly blame him for it, but the fact is that he is closed to me as an alternative. That also closes off the Askani as a resource. So I am forced to come to you, knowing that I can have no secrets, and you likely have find me morally repugnant."

"I see." Charles nodded calmly, giving Manuel's words all the careful attention they required, sifting through all the undercurrents and filing information away for later perusal. Clearly, it had taken a great deal for the proud Castilian to make this request of him. "I will merely ask one thing of you, I think, if we are to do this." He paused, holding Manuel's gaze with his own, piercing eyes. "I will ask of you that you never assume to know what I think of you. Ever. It will, I suspect, greatly ease the road that lies ahead of us." The corner of his lips shifted into a smile. "Is this acceptable to you?"

Manuel shrugged. "I would, were our positions reversed. It is a logical deduction on my part. But I agree to your condition. I can't say that I understand it, but I find myself oddly relieved and app - appre - nervous at the same time." Manuel took a deep breath and forced his body to bleed off some of the tension that had appeared there. "I am adding to the debt I owe you already - one I can never truly repay."

Ah yes, another of the absolutes of his upbringing – one Charles could understand however, for Manuel had his own sense of honor, regardless of everything else. Sometimes, quite literally so. No wonder he so befuddled some of the others living in the mansion, at times. He would appear quite inconsistent in his actions to them, after all. "I would tell you there is no debt between us, but were our positions reversed," Charles smiled briefly as he said this, "but I must admit I would feel as you do on that particular matter. So instead, I will simply suggest that in my estimate, you've already started to greatly repay this debt by making the request you have of me tonight. By seeking to gain full control of your abilities. And by granting a certain level of trust in helping you in so fundamental a way."

Manuel sketched out a bow. "You are too generous." he murmured. "I have learned much from the Askani and from Loki both. But I can't teach myself without a way to practice, and I think you may frown on me practicing on my classmates. And I do not trust easily, but I think that if I can trust anyone, I can trust you."

"You think rightly," Charles nodded in acknowledgement, not a hint of censure in his voice – merely stating fact, and that Manuel's assessment had been indeed correct. "And while I have a small measure of your trust for now, I believe I will have to earn the rest as we work – which is as it should be." He looked over the edge of the balcony again, smiling faintly. "It will interest you to know that while you have been studying with Nathan and the Askani, I have pursued certain avenues of research on your behalf." He spoke briskly, his voice acquiring a certain cadence the students of his classes would easily recognize. "I believe I have several avenues of study to offer you, and more to come as information filters back to me in time."

Manuel blinked. "That's very interesting." he said, voice carefully held neutral. It was, however, patently obvious that he'd failed Speech by his body-language, which screamed shock. "I was under the impression that my gift was exceedingly rare, and that fully-trained sane practitioners were rarer still. If you've got a line on a tutor, or even if they're willing to pass along some of their knowledge..." he said, the excitement plain in his voice.

Bringing his hands together slowly and practically radiating serenity, Charles explained himself. "There are legends. And rumours. I had already been tracking them down most of my life, in pursuit of training for my own abilities, you see. Expanding my range of research was a mere formality, at this point." He remembered his own time of seclusion and training, in Tibet. "For now, I will be the one to transmit the material I and my associates have retrieved. Should we be able to find someone with a similar talent as yours and the ability to train you, one we would both trust with such a thing, then I would spare nothing to bring this to pass." His gaze grew distant for a moment, reflecting on the possibilities, before sharpening once more. "I can make you no promises, Manuel, so I will not. But I can do my utmost to bring you whatever information and training I can."

Manuel ahhed as he gathered himself together. "So you have nothing but rumors." he translated. "I will have to accept that. When would you care to begin? Now?" he asked. "There is a whole floor of normals and mutants in there that could serve as lessons."

"We already have begun, Manuel." Charles chuckled a bit, opening his hands and cupping them together, palms facing upwards to the stars, as though holding the world in the palm of his hands. Or perhaps, something else entirely, although equally precious and delicate. "Tonight's work shows promise. And there is much to learn with mere observation." He leaned back in his chair, steering it to face the entry back to the ballroom. "I find myself a touch thirsty. Shall we go claim drinks for ourselves and mingle once more?"

Manuel looked confused. "We haven't done anything but ..." And then he caught on. "Oh. I see the catch now. Very clever. And yes, I believe that a drink and a mingle might be appropriate. I promised Katherine a dance, after all." he said with a grin.