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Summary: Erik tells Kitty his Dark Secret. Kitty does not at all react as expected. OMG CROSSTIME!
Date: February 27, 2009
Log Title You Got Weekend Project in My Heartbreaking Tragedy!
Rating: PG-13 (Language)
Xavier Mansion - Observation Deck
Glass windows surround the circular room giving a full view of the school grounds. Two telescopes sit in front of the window for students to looks at the stars. A few comfortable chairs are placed up here for students to relax. Its a quite place up here that allows the fresh air in through sky vents in the summer and is well heated in the winter.
There is no one on the observation deck save a white haired mutant sitting on a chair with a bottle of vodka next to him and something on his lap that he is looking at fondly. And no, not like that. It is a cool evening.
No one else until -now-, that is. Because silently as a cat, sneaky as ninja, Pryde's come up through the floor by one of the windows. She's dressed in ratty jeans and a band t-shirt that's seen better days, and has a jacket slung over one shoulder, held there by one crooked finger. "Oh-" she says abruptly into the stillness, "-sorry. I didn't know anyone was in here." And she starts down again.
Erik blinks and starts a little bit, quickly closing the book…but not before you had a chance to see the photo. He pauses, and waits to see if you have seen anything.
The girl pauses as well, clearly processing something, already up to mid-calf in the floor. She slowly turns back around and comes back 'up the steps', as it were, and eyes Erik. "Mister Anderson," she says carefully, watching him. The hand holding the jacket drops, and the outerwear trails on the floor. "What did I just see?"
"Something you have to let me explain before you either start hitting me, screaming or leaving, if I let you see it." Erik says quickly, holding up his hands.
"I haven't started hitting you yet," Kitty points out, dropping her coat to the floor and enunciating every single syllable, hands already in fists at her sides, "because you might *not* be some kind of spy. It *might* be perfectly innocent. And I -know- I didn't know you, no one *else* claims to have known you beforehand, so it's not memories being erased from my head. You're obviously not an LMD or a Skrull because that would be of someone I /do/ know. And I'm NOT. HALLUCINATING. AGAIN." She briefly closes her eyes, takes a deep, calming breath, and says really quietly, "So you *will* stop dithering, and you *will* tell me what universe you're from, and why, and then I will figure out if I have to go kick the GOD DAMNED OMNIVERSAL MAJESTRIX IN THE HEAD."
"Yes, but you could, and quite frankly I would probably let you because one you are very much better at fighting than I am and two…well, yeah." Erik comments with a sigh. "My names is Erik Magnus Lensherr the second, and I'm from the universe that was my home, so I don't have a name for it. And in that Universe, before everything went to shit, I was engaged to marry my Universe's Katherine Anne Pryde." Erik says. "Its why I've been somewhat avoiding you, Miss Pryde."
Both of Kitty's hands come up in a 'woah there, cowboy' way, quick and fast. "Okay. And you have trouble separating the two versions of me in your head. Fine. Happens all the time." She doesn't /quite/ stalk over- it's close but it's not as angry as all that- but she *does* swipe the photo album, phasing it if he makes a grab for it. She doesn't try to open it, she just holds it for a second. "And before everything went to hell on Earth-Undefined-Variable, you managed to snag your prized possessions? Somehow, I can buy that too. Can't hold it against you." She puts the album down on the closest flat surface that's not within arm's reach of Erik's chair, and her hands on her hips, and she glares at him full force. "What I'm *waiting* for is an explanation as to *why you're HERE*. How did you -get- here? Is your Earth still THERE? Why did you come to 616? Did someone TELL you to? Who told you to! It was Saturnyne, wasn't it? Are you working for her?"
"We had one bag of clothing prepared, each, for the two of us who were going to come. I put that in there too; everything else was left." Erik explains. "My earth is still there, as far as I know, but everyone I cared about on it is dead, and a large chunk of the mutant population is being controlled by my half-sister, Wanda Maximoff, as supreme dictator." Erik responds. "Magneto renounced violence after 9/11 and became a man of peace, eventually re-uniting Genosha and being elected its' King. He made Wanda, Pietro and I Princes and Princess of Genosha. On my wedding day, he was assassinated. The country devolved into civil war, with the X-men under myself just trying to keep people from getting killed. When it became clear we couldn't win, and we were kept from leaving by the Court, our Doctor McCoy devised a way to come to another reality. I was the only one alive to go through it when he got it running. And I do not know who Saturnyne is."
Crossing her arms, Kitty Pryde gives Erik a flat look. "You were in charge. You were a leader. People were looking to you for guidance and help. And as soon as everyone *you personally* cared about was dead, you ran away." No one -ever- said she wasn't judgemental. Her eyes flash, and she scoops up her jacket in one swift motion. "You know- there are fundamental differences between every paraform. No matter how similar they may look, or act, they always *think* differently. I've met so many parallel versions of myself it's a wonder I can keep *track*. And believe you me, buster, your Kitty was *not like me*."
"No, I said /everyone/." Erik says softly. "The only person in my world who was still alive, not either dead or unmade from reality, may be Wolverine. Because I'm not sure you can kill him. Professor X, Scott, Emma, Doctor McCoy, Polaris, Angel…I didn't leave people alive. The last two people there were me and Wolverine and he threw me through the gate. Because I was too busy making people's brains pop because I just watched my Kitty take a bullet, for me. I wouldn't have left Wolverine, either, if he hadn't literally forced me through. I was going to leave with my Kitty, and Wolverine, since we were the only ones left. Doctor McCoy wasn't going to be harmed because he isn't a mutant in my world. She /depopulated/ Genosha of mutants with her war; the only ones left were the ones who signed up on her side to begin with. So yes, I was going to take what was left of the only family I ever knew and come here to get help." Erik says heatedly, standing his eyes up as well. "We weren't running."
"You-!" starts Kitty, stomping closer and starting to jab a finger into Erik's chest, and then he says the last bit and her eyes widen, and she backs off a step, and it's because -both- of her hands are up (she's dropped her jacket again), but they're up in the stance and position of someone who'd -really- like to take someone by the shoulders and *SHAKE* them. "WHY DIDN'T YOU BLOODY SAY SO? You've been here HOW long? Have you asked ANYONE for help? CRIPES-"
And then she's hurriedly patting her pockets down, pulling out a phone, punching a million digits into it. "And you don't know what Earth you're from. Fine. SOMEONE can find out. What time is it- it's a quarter of four there, he won't be up unless he's working on something, I'll text him, he can call me back-"
Erik shakes his head. "I won't take anyone over there to get killed, Kitty." Erik says with a shake of his head. "Wanda Maximoff can bend reality to her will in my universe. I watched her unmake an army that stood in her way; one second they were there, the next second they were gone. I will not take the people from this world to watch them die too. And this world has its' own alternate reality problems right now which trump mine, I think." Erik says. "Wanda was expelling the humans who weren't fighting, she wanted to run Genosha as her little mutant paradise in a twisted version of what she thinks Magneto's dream was. And with all of the mutants who opposed her dead…I am content to let her have it. I will not bring more people in to watch them die."
"Ye of little faith. And faltering story! You *claim* you came here to get help. What're you, all talk and no trousers? There is *no reason* not to get this ball rolling," says the girl, waving a hand dismissively at Erik as she continues to text with her other thumb. And as she texts she paces. "First you say everyone you cared about. Then you say it was everyone, period. Then you say there was civil war. Then you say she got rid of all the mutants. Then you say she kicked out all the humans. Then you named a lot of names /I know/, so all right, counterparts. That doesn't say anything about the normal people. The people without codenames, who just -live-." She finishes texting and snaps her phone closed, then jams it in her pocket. "And if you still have a Genosha at all, you're one up on -me-. I don't care how powerful your Wanda is. There are always gonna be people too afraid to fight, people who get bullied, people who can't stick up for themselves. There're always gonna be people who look up to the people who -can- do something. And *we're those people*. Your Logan and your Hank *sent you to get help*. The people here- we've *dealt* with that kind of thing, Erik. We *can* help. How can you stand there and make excuses? If she's powerful enough, Saturnyne *will notice*. She'll notice your world when it starts bleeding into the ones next to it and she'll *erase* it. It's part of her *job*. Sure this place has a crosstime problem, but it's nothing we can't handle in our *sleep*- unless YOU'RE LYING TO ME, then I think 'psycho reality manipulator' kind of trumps everything else."
"You're asking me to compress several months of civil war and my entire life in to five minutes of dialogue when I'm /drunk/, Katherine." Erik snaps back, holding up the not terribly full bottle of Vodka. "If I was going to make up a fucking story I'd make up one that didn't end up with everyone I cared about dead!" Erik says angrily. "She said she didn't have any plans for the humans, I don't know if she did or not." He says, acknowledging that point. "My Logan and my Hank were sending Logan, Hank and Kitty to get help when we still thought we had a shot of winning that war!" Erik says angrily, shaking his head. "You are more like her than you think, Miss Pryde, our /original/ plan was to send her to get help while we kept fighting. Fine, you can find my universe in the multiverse, I will show you that world. And who the fuck is Saturnyne!"
"Logan, Hank Kitty and /me/." Erik corrects. Drunk, remember.
"Well maybe you shouldn't get drunk and maudlin WHEN YOU COULD BE DOING SOMETHING CONSTRUCTIVE!" yells Kitty, flinging a demonstrative hand out, then shaking her fist practically in Erik's face. And -really-, like she can talk. She's spent her time at the mansion alternately beating kids up in combat training, up to her elbows in computer guts, or spending all her time doing the kind of volunteer work that doesn't require her to *think*. To think about what she's lost, to think about who she's lost, to think about all the stupid things she's done and what a hash she's made of her life. Anything for a distraction. Even Crosstime. "ORORO calls me Katherine! Don't you call me Katherine! It's her or I'm being called on the carpet!" Then she's taking her phone out again and starting another text, pacing away from Erik again. "And Opal Luna Saturnyne is the Omniversal Majestrix. Do you have a Captain Britain on your Earth?"
Erik stares impassively at the fist that is being shaken in his face as he looks at the much shorter woman. "In my world it was Ororo or your mother." He says for a moment, before he shakes himself back from distraction. "Yes, there's a Captain Britain. And I think I've heard of the Omniversal Majestrix, in passing, but in my world you weren't on a regular speaking basis with her." He says as he gently floats the bottle of Vodka down to the ground by the metal cap so he doesn't have to bend when she is right up in his face, which would be…awkward.
"Yeah well, in this world, my mom hasn't spoken to me since I was fifteen," mutters Kitty, running a hand through her hair and leaving it wilder than it was already. She snaps the phone shut again, and hyperkinetically tosses it from one hand to the other, back and forth, back and forth. "Oh. I'm -not- on a regular speaking basis with her. She only WISHES. She wants me to be her heir— *all* of them do. It's creepy, I'll tell you that much right now. That's why I thought you worked for her— she likes trying to get at me through people who have some kind of attachment to me. It's not so bad when Roma's paying attention, because ostensibly Saturnyne works for Roma, but— oh, why am I explaining this? You're drunk. Pete can barely keep this kind of stuff straight when he's -sober-." She waves her hand dismissively again. "Don't worry. We'll find your Earth and we'll sort it." Jacket gets scooped up -once- more, and she pulls it on. "I'm gonna go talk at him until he cries mercy and lets me at MI-13's resources."
"Heir?" Erik comments dryly. "And one of my many gifts is that I remember whats said to me when I'm drunk, its that apparently you are more involved in the gritty mechanics of reality in this…reality." Erik says as he watches her toss the phone back and forth. "What are you running from here, that you are so quick to jump in to my reality?"
"I'm not running from anything. I'm just much better at dealing with *that*…" Kitty gestures at Erik's photo album. "…than I am at dealing with *this*." She waves a vague, encompassing arm in the general direction of downstairs. The school. "I'm no teacher. I'm no spin doctor. I'm Kitty Pryde, and I'm reeeeeally good at maths." Poor Erik. She actually gives him a quick, bright grin, then starts down through the floor. "I'll tell you when I find something."
Erik watches her go for a moment, looking down at the photo album and running his fingers across it as she disappears. "It won't bring them back." He says with as he leans on the counter, silently looking out across the grounds as he brings the vodka back up to him.
