Time To Be Free

[Erik Lehnsherr]

Erik was currently sitting on a stool in the massive kitchen. The residence of Charles Xavier was rather impressive. It was an estate as the very least but the extravagance of it was not what was currently filling Erik's thoughts. He was holding the coin in his hand, his gazed fixated on it. This coin had in a way, cost him his mother's life. And soon, he would kill Shaw with it. After so many years of hunting for the man, he was so very close. They were in the midst of making preparations to stop him. And with that would come his retribution. The anticipation was overwhelming, and it put Erik is a rather calm state of mind. He was anxious to be reunited with his creator, and destroy him for what he had done.

The mere thought alone robbed Erik of sleep. And thus, company. For it was the middle of the night and everyone else -- or so he assumed -- was resting. Training had also used a great deal of energy. Though Erik had to admit, Charles was doing a remarkable job with it. He had allowed Erik to use his power with control and strength. It made him feel all the more unstoppable. The last time he came face to face with Shaw, he had been easily disposed of in the water. This time, Erik was not going to let that happen. Shaw was not going to be walking away alive.

His thoughts had made him temporarily distracted from his surroundings. But as soon as he heard quiet footsteps, and felt a presence, he clutched the coin in his hand and casually put his arm to his side so that he could tuck it away in his pocket. His eyes raised to meet that of Raven's. It caused a slight smile to form on Erik's lips. "Are you following me again?" He asked teasingly, no harm meant by his statement, as it was but an innocent tease. Especially after what that moment was they shared not too long ago in his bedroom.

Tag Mystique

[beckylynn311]

Raven walked into the kitchen trying to think about what just happened. He kissed her or maybe she kissed him. Not that the kiss was what she was thinking about. After the kiss she left with her robe with the intention to going to her room and going to bed. That went as well as it had seemed to have gone with Erik. There they were in the middle of the night thinking about something. She wanted to think that it was her but she couldn't get herself too excited.

"How was I supposed to know that you were here... I'm not Charles.." she went to the fridge unaware of what she was looking for, but hopefully the answer to her problems was buried somewhere behind the milk. "Am I supposed to just forget about you kissing me or was that some move in the game of chess you're playing with him?"

[Erik Lehnsherr]

She spoke of how she was not Charles, and it caused the smile to remain on his lips. It was her next words that caused him to pause, as she referenced their recent actions. He also did not fail to notice she wasn't making eye contact with him. Something that he hoped to change for he wished her to recognize the sincerity in which he spoke. If there was one thing he did not do, and would not start to do, was lie. Especially to her. For she was no fool. Quite the opposite in fact. She was a highly intelligent young woman he would not expect her to fall for any lies he spoke. Hence, the reason he made no attempt to offer her false words. "Raven, look at me please," he said with a calm composure.

"Or better yet," he began to say. With a slight wave of his hand, he used his abilities to pull out the stool next to him; pulling it out for her. "Would you grant me the pleasure of your company?" He did not want her to think he had used her in any way, or that it was -- as she had suggested -- a move in a game. The intimate moment they shared was nothing of the sort to Erik. He wanted her to be well aware of that. Hoping she would take him up on his offer, he continued to speak. "I would not expect you to forget about that," he told her. "Because I certainly have not. Just as I have not forgotten the state in which you were in my room." he added, her state being unclad. He ensured to speak of the memory as it being a fond one rather than one he was trying to forget. For she had been undressed under his sheets. Had he first seen her when she was in her true form, perhaps he would not have been so quick to send her away. For she was most beautiful when she was not hiding; when she showed her natural form. And that, was what enticed him to her.

[beckylynn311]

"Which state are you referring to Erik." she looked at the stool taking time to debate joining him. Raven exposed herself to him in almost every way possible. A stranger. "Because both are just as equally humiliating."

Raven looked at her hand on the counter trying to remember the style so she could recreate it on her hand. Casually she morphed the skin on her finger into matching that of the dark stone.

[Erik Lehnsherr]

She questioned which state he was speaking of, but he grew momentarily distracted by her question. For she was using her ability to camouflage her finger to that of the counter. "Remarkable," he praised, constantly impressed with what she could do. He had defined her as perfection, and he meant it in every sense of the word and every aspect of her being. Looking away from her hand to her her face, he returned to her previous question, or statement rather you.

"You have no reason to feel humiliated," he told her sincerely. "Tell me though Raven, what was running through your mind when you entered my room, before I joined you." While she had positioned herself, while she was waiting for him. He asked, because he truly wanted to know. Was it his initial reaction that had made her feel humiliated? For that was not what he wished her to feel. So he hoped she would grant him some insight into her intentions upon entering his room, and while they may have seemed clear . . . he did not want to be presumptuous.

[beckylynn311]

She hid her hand embarrassed by him seeing. What was she thinking. Her entire life seemed to be a coverup. "I don't know. I was just trying to do something I normally wouldn't. Everything you've been saying about me and I wanted to prove it... but I'm just a mutant with ugly blue skin and gross yellow eyes."

Raven shook her head, "I guess I was trying to do something Charles would tell me not to do. Not that I didn't want to... I don't know. It was dumb."

[Erik Lehnsherr]

He listened attentively to her explanation of why she had done it. To break away from the normality of her routine. It wasn't until she described herself as having 'ugly blue skin and gross yellow eyes'. His smile faded, hearing her use such words to describe herself. He broke his gaze from her, looking down at the table for a few moments as he collected his thoughts. "This is why I initially dismissed you Raven," he began to say, not hiding the disappointment he felt due to her words. He wanted her to understand that her natural form was when she was most beautiful. Had so many people told her otherwise? It made him realize how blinded and distorted society's view on beauty was. "For when you are in your natural form, you are most ravishing. Most alluring." Most attractive and tempting. He turned to look at her again.

"You are a rare, exceptional beauty, and those who perceive otherwise is what is wrong with society." He had told her that how can she hope to be accepted, when she did not accept herself. And it seemed she was still struggling with this. "Had you come to me as the true Raven you are, the outcome could have been very different." He may not have been so hesitant to join her where she lay. He wanted her to know that his telling her to get out, had nothing to do with her appearance as Raven, and everything to do with her appearance when she was trying to look like a human. He leaned toward her, keeping only a few inches between them. "You are the epitome of perfection when you are not hiding. And it is such a shame that you and others do not realize that." Especially Charles. That was one of the most disappointing things, for while Erik had a strong respect and fraternal love for the man, he disapproved with his idea of hiding among society; looking normal, and thus, causing Raven to lack confidence revealing her true self.

[beckylynn311]

Raven listened to him carefully. He sounded like he wasn't playing her. "Thank you Erik.. you're the first person to make me believe it." When the conversation lulled for a few moments she looked him in the eye while her skin changed to its natural state. She inched closer to him, "I'm done hiding from myself."

[Erik Lehnsherr]

It felt saddening to hear that he was the first to ever tell her she was beautiful in her natural form. However, if he could be that to her, then he had no problem reiterating it until she truly believed it. This was what mutants struggled with in today's society. Acceptance. They all lived in a society that would oppress and persecute them because they were different. He watched her as she transformed into her true form, an action that caused Erik's lips to curve into a smile. His eyes looked over her, taking in each detail of her now perfect figure. "Exquisite," he once again praised, his voice filled with sincerity. As she inched closer to him, he raised his hand to rest on her cheek, gently caressing her colored skin with his thumb.

"Good," he stated when she spoke of how she was done hiding. "Because this is the Raven I long to see." The one who had vibrant blue skin, and breathtakingly piercing yellow eyes. He moved slightly closer to her, keeping his hand in place on her cheek, but slowly creating less distance between them. "And the one that others can not even remotely compare to in magnificence." There was so much more to her then others realized. He wondered if she even realized it, for moments where she hid from the world suggested she did not. Yet now, hearing her say that she was done hiding, gave him a reassurance that she would comply to her own words and let the world be graced with who she really was.

[beckylynn311]

Raven watched him carefully. Her lips started to inch forward reaching for the kiss she desired. Her first kiss as herself. This was who she was, and she was tired of hiding. Hiding from Charles, hiding from what she wanted and hiding from humans. "Then this is the Raven I'll keep. The beautiful, remarkable and exquisite one." She finally reached his lips slowly moving he hands over his shoulder-locking around the back of his neck.

[Erik Lehnsherr]

Erik gave a slight smile at her words. Of being this Raven. The real Raven. Charles had made her hide who she truly was, afraid of discovery. Hank had also played his part by offering substances that would cause her to stay in her false form. And Erik strongly disagreed with them both. No one should be trying to contain her. They should allow her to be free, unleashing what was within her. Before he could say anything however, he felt her lips on his and was immediately silenced, as he fully embraced the kiss.

His eyes closed, taking in the familiar feel and taste of her lips, though it was different this time. For he felt she had done this with a newfound confidence. And this was the Raven that he was attracted to. This was the one that he desired. He pulled her body closer to him, deepening the kiss as his hand trailed from her cheek to the back of her head to gently press her closer to him. He let all other thoughts cease if only for this moment where he had finally found the woman he knew that Raven could be.

[beckylynn311]

Raven melted into his kiss. His hand holding her against him just enough to be forceful yet incredibly romantic. Everything around them seemed to fade into the background-falling into one of the worlds biggest cliche's.

She couldn't seem to remember how long they had been like that but eventually Raven started to separate herself from Erik. "If you would have just done this an hour ago we would have saved a lot of time." Raven slowly moved away from him

[Erik Lehnsherr]

Much to Erik's disappointed, the embrace reached it's inevitable end, though he continued to lean forward to enjoy the last few moments before Raven fully pulled away. She then spoke of how it would have saved a lot of time, had this just happened before. He gave a slight smile at her words, whether they were meant as a tease, or a statement of truth, or perhaps both. "I feel the impact of it was stronger now that we both seem to be of a mutual understanding." In terms of being proud of their mutations, and well, what else they had achieved from this conversation.

He had not even considered that someone may have passed by during their intimate moment, nor did he overly concern himself with that. He had nothing to hide. "Next time you await me in my room, ensure that you look like this," he said teasingly. For he was suggesting a next time, should they ever be one. "Because then I doubt we will even need to have a conversation," he added, the same clear suggestiveness in his tone of voice as it was present in his earlier words.

[beckylynn311]

Raven laughed, "Oh I don't know. You provide good conversation. At least I think you do, we've never talked about anything other than our mutations." She looked at him over her shoulder, "I feel like I don't know anything about you. You're a big question mark."

The truth was that she heard things. Through other people in the house-mostly Charles- even though none of it was said in jest or as gossip. He was a big riddle she could wait to solve.

[Erik Lehnsherr]

Erik smiled when she spoke of how he made good conversation. How right she was that they seldom spoke of anything apart from their mutation. He had not spent a great deal of time individually with the others -- apart from Charles. And now, much to his delight, Raven. He tended to keep his past well concealed, for speaking about it brought forth too many memories. Ones he had used to fuel his anger against Shaw. So satisfying her curiosity was not as simple as asking her 'what would you like to know'. For he was unsure he could tell her anything about himself. About his past. It was not something he told anyone.

"The feeling is a mutual one," he said instead, keeping his smile in place. "For I feel I know nothing about you. Something I hope to rectify." Besides, he found greater interest learning about her rather than revealing his own truths. Watching her intently, his expression ever so softened before he continued to speak. "So tell me about yourself Raven," he asked. Or well, stated. "Tell me about the woman behind the beauty," he added, his words a clear attempt to continue to charm her.

[beckylynn311]

"An Eye for an eye Erik." She laughed hearing him eloquently reverse the spotlight. "I feel like I've done more than enough sharing for both of us." Raven stood up going to the fridge again to look for food, "You ask a question, I ask a question."
 
She looked back at him careful not to spook him away with revealing too much, "Easy questions, I swear."

[Erik Lehnsherr]

That sounded fairly reasonable. A question for a question. He concealed any hesitations he had in answering what questions she may ask. While she said that they would be easy ones, opening up about anything regarding his past or person was far from easy for him. Still. He had to be fair. To get a little he had to give a little. And perhaps it would be worth it if it meant he'd learn more about her.

"Very well," he agreed. "I suppose that sounds fairly reasonable. But I will hold you to that," he added in light teasing in regards to her assurance that it would be 'easy' questions she asked. "Allow me to start." To get things kicked off and with any luck, it would lead to a conversation primarily focused on her and they would not need to get to the topic of him. "Where were you born?" He asked. Somewhere in the US perhaps? Elsewhere? It was a fairly, simple and straight forward question. Yet, a detail he did not yet know about her. Unsure where else it could have even come up in conversation.

[beckylynn311]

Raven sighed trying to answer the question without it leading to a hundred more questions, "Well I think I was born in the south somewhere. I was moved around a bunch until my mutation grew into itself and then I was on my own... Next question-Where were YOU born."

[Erik Lehnsherr]

He listened attentively to her answer. It seemed that most mutants lived a transient lifestyle, as they were unsure of their abilities and how to explain them. Or if they were outcast because of them. Erik had always thought he'd been alone, until he had met Charles and thus, all these other mutants. He was not going to offer sympathetic remarks. Every obstacle that one faced, particularly mutants, often made them stronger. And her past life events had shaped the woman she was today. And he certainly had no complaints about that.

She then returned the question and asked him where he was born. As previously established, sharing personal details was not something he was accustomed to. But it seemed like an innocent enough question. "I was born in Poland," he told her with a hint of smile. The memories were ones he left there, for they were too painful to dwell on. He had been suppressing all the more comforting memories as everything had been replaced with anger, vengeance, and hate for Shaw. That is, until Charles opened his mind to it. Erik took another sip of his scotch, thinking of his next question, which did not take too long to enter his mind. "How did you come to meet Charles?" He inquired.

[beckylynn311]

She laughed remembering the distant memory, "I was alone and I was looking for food, it was when I was pretty young. He told me that I could stay with him so I didn't have to steal food anymore. He's had quite a martyr complex ever since but he's... he's always been there for me." Raven smiled

    "What..." She trailed off trying to think of what to ask, "What's your favorite food?"