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[abetterway]

[the image flickers into focus to reveal a woman from the waist up, staring into the device with a calm intensity belied only by the fingers tugging continually at her collar; she appears to be in her thirties, the dark hair that spills over her shoulders only slightly softening sharp, angular features]

Hello. From what I've gathered, I've awoken on an alien world. [a moment's pause; she's accepted it, it would be counterproductive to dig in her heels, but it's still an absurd thing to say] What I can't seem to discern is how and why.

I have my suspicions, but I suspect they're narrow in focus. I must admit, this is all a bit outside my expertise. [a sudden, wry smile] I suppose I do like to broaden my horizons.

[the smile fades as she leans forward] I'm asking for any information you've gained, and what you intend to do with it. If you don't believe this to be a safe venue, I'm more than happy to meet in person.

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[abetterway]

[Jocelyn nods, and does her best not to tense; she's had to trust others with her life before, and she's certainly trusted - well, someone very like Erik, at the very least]

I can count down.

[and when they're ready, after one last, lingering glance]

One. Two. Three.

[fireofunknown]

[He counts silently under his breath with her, ignoring the way he can feel his anxiety breaking way to heat.

At three he shuts his eyes and removes the panel, just hoping the other two get theirs free and no one ends up exploded.]

[radars]

[ A quick, deft movement, on Charles' part, and then a slow feeler of telepathy, touching her mind, establishing contact. ]

[lehnsherr]

[In time with the others, his panel is removed, and he takes a moment to carefully slip the collar free.]

Welcome back.

[abetterway]

[Jocelyn beams as her mind reaches out to meet her other self's, and it's good to have that focus; otherwise she might burst into theirs as well, and she doesn't know if she would be welcome

her mind is a maelstrom of emotions as giddy relief replaces desperate helplessness, as gratitude briefly overwhelms bewilderment]

Thank you.

[she looks at all of them as she says it, and the intensity, the sincerity of the words is an echo in their minds; she can't quite help it, not right now]

[fireofunknown]

You're welcome, Ms. Glad I could help.

[Fox shoulders relax as he gave the now removed collar a curious look. He wasn't much of an engineer, but he couldn't help but have his interest peeked by something that could block powers.]

You want me to melt it down, Erik? Or you guys gonna poke it with a stick and see what makes it tick?

[radars]

[ Charles is all mental, now; no verbal acknowledgment. He steps into the stream of her emotions without hesitation (though his presence is a prickly, sharp one -- not by design, just by the virtue of how his life has formed).

Welcome back.

And he reaches out to learn if she really is him, if there's some fragment of soul or belief that they have in common. His hand rests on her shoulder, the physical contact amplifying the telepathic. ]

[lehnsherr]

Perhaps later.

[After he's worked out what the collar is actually made of, and just why he can't get a grip on it. To his credit he hadn't flinched at Jocelyn's intrustion, but he's quick to try and make it clear just how he feels about others entering his mind. A barrier, though nothing with the ability to block out a telepath. He hasn't learned to make them useful yet.]

You may find it more comfortable if you were to stay within the Old City.

[In terms of needing to use her chair, at least. Personally, Erik prefers it where he and his own Charles have been staying. But with this Charles around, he has less of an issue with leaving one of their kind around the rest of the captives.]

just posting again to say you guys can skip over fox the next couple of rounds, slowatus

[fireofunknown]

[Fox listens quietly, trying to figure out just what kind of relation all these folks had together. They acted like they'd been friends for so long...it made him worry on just how long people were trapped in this place.

He fiddles with a tiny flame between his fingers, manipulating it over his knuckles like a coin. He wasn't much of a social person, but he did sneak glances over at the girl in the chair every once in awhile. His mind had never needed to be protected against telepaths, so despite his apprehension his mind wanders openly with no barriers.]

<3

[abetterway]

It's very good to be back.

[Xavier recognises Erik's barrier, and respects it, immediately pulling back with a whisper of apology.

Beneath the initial din of emotion, Xavier's mind is a cool, quiet place, and it's clear this has been carefully constructed. There are echoes of everything she has buried, from the impotent fury of a child to the raw anguish of a soldier.

Normally, she would keep such feelings, such memories in their place, locked away where they do little harm; but this moment calls for honesty, for trust. This man is - in some ways, they are the same. So her barriers lower bit by bit. So she doesn't shut him out, doesn't quell the jagged flashes tumbling from her past.

A young girl, clinging to her mother as she shares her pain. A young soldier, curled up on the battlefield as she feels the horror and agony and hatred all around her. A wearied wanderer, meeting a kindred spirit. The horrifying, sickening pain of a bullet tearing through her back -

She pulls back, then, just slightly.]

I'm sorry. That, I didn't mean to share.

[radars]

[ She is -- he recognizes so much of the contents of her mind, of the emotions and the colors-sounds-feelings. The details are all different, but the overarching themes are the same, and he floods with relief. The other was different, he didn't share Charles' pain, he didn't understand.

He echoes her images back with a handful of his own: yes, this, I understand this, see here are the battlefields I knew. Battlefields he knew as a boy, as a man, how they changed, how they evolved -- and in response to her agony, there is a flicker of the desert, semiconsciousness, burning thirst, pain, blood and sand. ]

Don't worry. I understand.

[lehnsherr]

[It's all too obvious just what the other two are up to, and Erik is more than willing to leave them to it. Whatever they're discussing, he's willing to remain in the dark about it if it means they leave his own mind alone.

Instead, he casts his attention down to the collar, turning it over in his hands as he takes a closer look. Or as much of one as he can while standing out in the open.]

[abetterway]

[She closes her eyes, for a moment, feeling his relief, his understanding, accepting it into her mind like salve on a wound.]

Thank you.

[There is that familiar yearning, that vain wish to reach into his past and protect him from it.

She cannot; she couldn't do it for any of the soldiers she attended. She couldn't do it for Gaby. She couldn't do it for Ada.

But she can reach up to her shoulder, and rest her hand on his.]

You are not alone.

[radars]

[ Neither are you, comes the pulse, the non-verbal idea in return. Neither are you.

He glances up to Erik, startled, somehow, that he's still here in the flesh. ]

Where to?

[ His voice feels raspy. ]

[lehnsherr]

The flop, I assume. Unless you have any better suggestions.

[He doesn't know just where this Charles is staying, yet alone whether he'd let Jocelyn stay there too. His own lodgings with Charles, away from the majority of the population here, isn't on the table. An alternate version of his friend or not, he doesn't do well with strangers.]

[abetterway]

[Jocelyn's nod is slow, as she focuses on Erik, on the outside world] Have you been there before?

[radars]

I have. I wasn't sure how safe it would be, but it -- has been. So far. Which is as good a reason as any to trust it.

[lehnsherr]

[He looks a little amused by the idea of being able to trust anything here. Least of all a building that's ultimately controlled by the natives.]

I'm sure they'll have space for you if you want to stay there.

[abetterway]

It would be a good opportunity for observation. [her expression is thoughtful, now, and sharp with determination] I want to know more about our situation.

[she looks back at Charles] I believe you're right - if we are needed here, we should act.

[she doesn't appreciate being taken from her own world, her own life, but she can hardly ignore people in need]