magnetizings: (pic#16107234)

[personal profile] magnetizings 2022-12-17 03:30 am (UTC)(link)
[ Erik grabs two beers and hands her one, then takes a seat at the table. ]

Well, I have you to thank for that.

[ He offers her a smile as he takes a drink. ]

The quality of these pictures is absolutely remarkable. It's like nothing I've ever seen. [ He remarks while glancing at the one atop the table. The photographic advancements just weren't present in that time period; but Erik doesn't really question it. She did gather the images directly from his mind, so it's honestly not the strangest aspect.

He has more serious questions to ask, and they need to talk about what happened; but he's giving them both a moment to settle in. ]
magnetizings: (pic#16100959)

[personal profile] magnetizings 2022-12-17 04:38 am (UTC)(link)
Yes, I'm alright.

[ He reassures. He's seen worse fights than that, and he also wasn't the one who'd had Matthew sneaking around in his mind uninvited. Erik would like to think he's gained better control over his reactions, and he has for the most part; but he doesn't know how much worse the night could have turned had Matthew attempted to use his illusions on him. It gave him an even greater respect for Wanda's mental fortitude, the way she had dealt with shaking him off. ]

You had me worried.

[ He watches her, that same concern showing faintly in his gaze. ]

When Matthew got into your head it was as if you were in a different place all of a sudden. You looked straight through me. Told me to stay back.

[ There's a brief pause, and then - ] What happened? What did he do?
magnetizings: (pic#16125839)

[personal profile] magnetizings 2022-12-17 07:25 am (UTC)(link)
[ Erik can only guess at the things Matthew had shown her, the things that still haunt her. But he recognizes the look in her eyes, it's familiar. He's felt the same before.

He wonders how he might have reacted had Matthew shown him any of the countless lives he'd taken, put actual faces to the victims; their families.

It's a difficult topic, especially because he can't necessarily argue with her point. Had she come to Genosha as a force bent on destroying it, and not knowing anything about her; he would have tried to take her down, like she'd said. ]


What you've done in your past isn't all of who you are. No matter how monstrous the things you've done. You're still the person that has made Kira and Nic feel like they aren't alone here, you've made them feel cared for.

[ Erik reaches across the table to place his hand atop one of hers. ]

You're also the person that has given me peace in a form I didn't think could exist.

[ He knows all too well what she's feeling, what it feels like to think you're a monster. He's had time to sort through it a bit, it's less loud now. For her, it's clear it's much more fresh. He wants to help in whatever way he can. ]
magnetizings: (pic#16098263)

[personal profile] magnetizings 2022-12-17 11:59 pm (UTC)(link)
I know. [ He says with a small sigh, and he keeps his hand on hers; hoping it will help. ] I know how that feels.

[ How many times had he had that exact thought over the years? Sometimes it had been impossible to focus on the good, when the bad outweighed it. ]

It is harder to focus on the good. Especially when the pain is still new.

[ He wants to reassure her that things get easier with time, but it seems a useless thing to vocalize when her hurt is still so recent. For Erik, healing was a slow ongoing process, and sometimes it stalled entirely. He's taken steps forward only to backslide when something happened that he didn't know how to deal with. But since Genosha, things had taken a steady turn for the better. He can only hope this place will have the same effect on Wanda as it has for him. But he doesn't expect it will be an overnight process either. ]
magnetizings: (pic#16098283)

[personal profile] magnetizings 2022-12-18 01:48 am (UTC)(link)
[ He gives a small smile at the word she uses. No, not many would call him sweet. It was a rare thing, but certain people and situations did bring it out of him; and for that he was grateful. He did, deep down, like to care for people. It's just that his life hadn't been filled with too many opportunities to do so. And he'd made choices which complicated that even more so.

He understands how relentless it feels. And his gaze studies her face for a moment, before he speaks again. ]


I should have done more research into who Matthew was; and what he could do. I regret taking you into a situation like that so unprepared.

[ There would always be some unpredictability when going on missions and meeting potential new recruits. But he wishes he'd known about Matthew's powers before going into it; to warn her, and maybe she would have wanted to go anyway. But at least then they wouldn't have been blindsided. ]

You have undoubtedly saved lives tonight by ensuring Matthew cannot continue to harm and kill others. But I'm sorry for the harm it's caused you.
magnetizings: (pic#16070553)

[personal profile] magnetizings 2022-12-18 06:41 am (UTC)(link)
I know. [ He agrees with a nod. It was true. It would have been much worse if he'd gone with one of the less powerful telepaths he usually took with him. Typically that was all that had been necessary, as most of the recruits had been non confrontational, and he didn't have too many concerns going into it. Matthew had been different than anything he'd come across before. ]

I still wish he hadn't done what he did to you.

[ He pauses a moment. ]

I'm glad we stopped him. There is no telling the kind of threat he would have brought upon Genosha.

[ Erik's lost in thought about that for a moment, thinking how close he'd come to having his home put at risk. He would need to be more careful next time. He's quiet for a moment, debating whether to ask; but they've been honest with each other so far and it's served both of them well; though it hasn't always been easy. ]

Did it... upset you? Taking his life. I ask because I wouldn't want it to burden you, or intrude on your thoughts. If there's anything I can do to help, I want to do so.

[ Maybe upset wasn't quite the right word for it, but he lacked what word would fit.]
magnetizings: (pic#16098301)

[personal profile] magnetizings 2022-12-18 07:31 am (UTC)(link)
[ Better me than you. Initially he wonders what she means, but then he thinks back to the scene and it's clear that their individual methods of killing were very different. In a way, the death she'd given him was 'cleaner'. Some might even say more merciful than what Erik had intended for him; even if she'd given Matthew a taste of his own medicine beforehand.

So he agrees. It was better that way.

When she looks at him with sincerity in her gaze and tells him she doesn't regret going, and even asks to be his partner in future missions he's momentarily surprised. But it gives way to a look of approval, it's a good idea; and he'd be better off with her as his partner.

Erik's the only class four mutant in Genosha, and whatever Wanda is; it's at least that level of power if not much greater. Tactically, it's advantageous to have her join him for that reason alone. But still, since he cares about her, he wants to caution her. ]


It can get difficult, like today. Most of the people I meet aren't like Matthew, but there might be more like him. In fact, if there are; that poses a great danger to Genosha, and I would rather find out and eliminate the threat before they can gather a group of like minded mutants.

[ A controversial opinion to some, but Erik knows how badly things can go when groups like that gain momentum. ]

Is that something that you could accept?
magnetizings: (pic#16100963)

[personal profile] magnetizings 2022-12-18 08:14 am (UTC)(link)
[ Erik gives both her hands a squeeze and then eventually lets go, there's a small smile on his face as his expression softens. He's grateful to have her support. ]

Then I would be honored.

[ They already made a good team, he'd seen flickers of that even from the first day of the two of them working in tandem to construct what ended up being her home. And in the way they were with Kira and Nic. There was an unspoken understanding and communication between them that lent itself naturally to working together on missions.

He couldn't have wanted for a better partner. He trusted her, and with her assurance that she trusted him, and that she wasn't put off by the sometimes harsh circumstances they'd have to face; Erik doesn't have any further hesitations. ]
magnetizings: (pic#16098253)

[personal profile] magnetizings 2022-12-18 11:57 pm (UTC)(link)
[ That gets a rare laugh from Erik. He shakes his head a bit. ]

No resume. It's very unprofessional I know.

[ It felt nice to have a bit of a break from the tension of the evening, and a smile lingers for a moment on his face before he continues. ]

Most of the time, it's fairly straight forward. In fact, I have never met with a potential recruit and ended up not inviting them to the island. That's how carefully my contacts screen people.

[ Matthew was definitely not the standard case. But it was a valuable lesson in caution, at the very least. There could be more out there like him. ]

You handled yourself well tonight. Not everyone would have been able to withstand an attack like that and maintain control.

[ He wouldn't have blamed her if she had lost control; that was the thing with telepathic attacks, they were meant to destabilize. Given what little he knows of her past, Erik can gather that she's been in fights before, she had the right instincts for it. ]
magnetizings: (pic#16100959)

[personal profile] magnetizings 2022-12-19 01:43 am (UTC)(link)
[ He's glad she shared that, and he takes in the information with a slight chuckle, not at her; but because it's another area they have in common. He probably shouldn't be surprised at this point. ]

I was involved in something like that as well when I was younger, and less experienced.

[ And he too had been made much stronger now. It seemed like ages ago that he was working alongside Charles, Raven and Hank. How different things used to be. ]

I was never very good at working in a team, back then.

[ Might have been the fact that he was only half committed; while his real motive had been revenge. ]

So did you - end up helping people? Your team, I mean.

[ He asks because sometimes it's the good intentions that end up with complicated results. ]
magnetizings: (pic#16098307)

[personal profile] magnetizings 2022-12-19 03:07 am (UTC)(link)
[ He's not surprised to hear it. Groups like that tended to fall apart one way or another; unless everyone held the exact same ideology. Even then, small fractures eventually lead to breaks. It had happened with Charles's x-men, and it had happened with Erik's brotherhood of mutants. ]

A similar thing happened within the group I worked with. My motives in joining were primarily to find the man responsible for the death of my parents. I wasn't invested the same way the others were. And I wasn't a hero. The people I worked with... I suppose they could fit into that category.

[ They had believed in doing good. And they had tried, to make peace with humans, to work together; show them that mutants could be allies and not threats. It hadn't ended well. ]

It's why I left. Mutants and humans have been at war for so long; my friend Charles had one way of looking at that fight; and I ...disagreed. I wanted mutants to take the lead. I didn't think we should have to hide, or scrape for belonging in a society that feared us. And I saw humans as lesser.

[ A brief glance toward the photo of Erik with his family is enough to convey that he no longer holds to that belief. How could he, when he'd loved Magda. He still thought mutants shouldn't have to hide, but he no longer sought to take over power. ]
magnetizings: (pic#16098266)

[personal profile] magnetizings 2022-12-19 04:46 am (UTC)(link)
Yes.

[ He admits, glancing down for a moment. Erik knows the key differences between them, but it was still somewhat jarring; coming into contact with someone that once thought as he did about humans. ]

What do you think the group you were with would have done with someone like Matthew?

[ He's curious to know, as his experience has been mostly with either side of an extreme. He knows what Charles would have done - tried to help him at all costs; and he knows what someone like Shaw would have done - utilized him, stoked the fire of his anger to benefit his own motives. ]
magnetizings: (pic#16098263)

[personal profile] magnetizings 2022-12-19 06:15 am (UTC)(link)
[ Her answer makes him think for a moment. Could someone like Matthew have been reasoned with? In Erik's experience, no, and it was safer to eliminate a potential threat rather than deal in the possibility of rehabilitation.

But she'd said that's what they did with her - gave her a chance. It wasn't so black and white, and he thinks it's a case by case basis. Instinct told him what to do about Matthew, and he had no regrets. Just like instinct told him to give Wanda a chance, and once again, he has no regrets. ]


I'm glad they offered you that opportunity.

[ He says with sincerity. ]

The group I was once with, I think they would have tried to give Matthew a chance as well. They would have thought me a monster for the decision I made. I would have called them foolish.

[ Said in a conversational tone because it's ultimately just a hypothetical; what was done was already done. ]

I agree however. There is no room for error when children are involved as they are here. They've been through enough already, they deserve stability and safety. If that means making decisions like the one made today, then so be it.

[ There's a brief pause. ]

But, as my partner, should you ever have reason to question a decision I make; please don't hesitate to make it known.

[ She doesn't strike him as the type that would keep her opinions to herself, but still, he puts it out there just so she knows. ]

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