Meeting the Professor

[Deleted]

A sixteen year old Ashni sat externally calm, placed in the center of the phalanx of girls she wasnt sure if she had a higher or lower chance of being picked today. she had been lucky, very very lucky that so far all her patrons had wanted was for her to dance to converse with them, but she knew very well that her time was running out.  Picked again to sit out among the flowers to be haggled over, and pursued like livestock. Her eyes unfocused, as she waited her mutation had grown restless over the last few months forcing her to work harder and harder to control it. She hid her hands beneath the folds of her Saree as she felt the warning tingle. 


Ashni was daydreaming so she thought a man stood in front of her, he was saying something to her? No one spoke to her directly not until they haggled with owner. She blinked hazily unsure if she was dreaming or awake. 

[x]

Time with Cerebro was always a hit-and-miss sort of situation, especially when he hadn’t really engaged his telepathy in awhile. Regaining his strength hadn’t been much of a problem—the suppression hadn’t actually weakened his abilities; his biggest issue had been loss of control that had come as a direct result of an anchor being suddenly ripped away from him—but the control and precision that Cerebro required had been another matter.

His brief reunion with Erik (and, to an extent, Raven) had given him the closure he’d desperately needed. Erik had left his helmet in D.C. Raven had chosen to be more than a revenger. Proof that fragments of what he had once loved so desperately in them both had managed to survive. And that, more than anything else, was enough to give him the hope he needed to reopen his school, to regain control of his telepathy, to resume the search for mutants in need of a sanctuary.

Hank, of course, would be happiest if Charles spent no more than an hour at most each day in Cerebro, but Charles always managed to stay hooked up for as long as he could physically manage. The mind was always willing, but the flesh was so often weak. And so, he focused on locating mutants in some sort of immediate danger or entrapped in some way. Those who were blessed with stable lives and had no serious qualms with their lives were noted as mutants but not as top priority. Then there were the runaways, the children who were fleeing abusive environments and choosing to take their chances with the elements. Then there were those who were trapped in their abusive environments, who couldn’t leave for whatever reason no matter how much they wanted to.

One mind he came in contact with was one that was both in danger and yet...not. Charles focused a bit more on it, careful not to concentrate too strongly; it wouldn’t do to cause the girl any undue harm. She was young, only sixteen, and her mind swirled around in agitation and fear kept carefully hidden under a calm surface. Her mutation had been growing stronger over the past few months, contributing to her current emotional state. Now, was she actually in some sort of danger? And if so, what needed to be done about it?

Charles projected a vision of himself into the girl’s mind, leaving out the wheelchair (it seemed to invoke all the wrong reactions). He then reached into the parts of her brain where her language capabilities were located in order to ensure ease of communication.

Hello there, he projected. Are you quite alright?

[Deleted]

Ashni smiled coquettishly as she had been taught, her vision was oddly doubled she could see the rest of the room, the girls beside her sat upon jewel toned cushions they all did arranged in a eyecatching pattern of color. The brown haired man was addressing her, he seemed to be directly infront of her, which logically didnt make sense as Latka and Sumi were sitting infront of her. "Of course." she smiled prettily. "What do you desire." her assumption was he had to be another patron. Ashini stood, or at least she thought she did, this whole encounter had an odd dream like quality, one fine boned hand lifted the hem of her saree showing off her bangle and henna bedecked ankles, the bells on her wrists chiming softly at the movement. "I can dance for you." her hip dropped up and down suddenly in a soft shimmy.  

Ashni kept only a calm, half amused half shy expression on her face, below the surface she was holding herself together, praying that she would have one more night of peace. That was all she lived for day after day, one more night. one more night before she was taken into the upper rooms. For a second as it always did her mind flashed to the night eleven years ago when the mysterious man,blue eye'd had killed her first patron and the owner of the bar. Setting the girls on a slightly better path, his intervention had unintentionally meant that the girls werent forced as children into mens arms. But sixteen was old, and old again to have taken her first patron upstairs.  Please be kind... came the thought, if this was the night, please let him be kind. "Or we can talk." she giggled behind her hand. 

[x]

“Of course,” she replied, smiling in a way that Charles was quite certain didn’t have her full heart in it. She stood and lifted the hem of her dress, and Charles could hear the sound of bells when she moved. “What do you desire?”

The girl moved her hip, “I can dance for you.”

He caught flashes of her memories, the thinly veiled sense of dread and panic beneath a calm and pleasant exterior. One more night, a phrase repeated throughout her mind like a prayer intermixed with memories of the upper rooms and children forced to—she was—oh good lord. So that was the danger that wasn’t quite danger. Those in her position tended to live lives on the edge between safety and destruction, balanced precariously on the precipice, where even the slightest change would send them plummeting one way or another. If she wanted out—and from the sense of it, she did—then he would gladly offer her shelter at the school.

“Or we can talk,” she added with a giggle, a whisper of Please be kind making his gut twist.

I would much prefer talking, Charles answered, reaching out and freezing those around her. No need to risk any unwanted attention. If he wanted to get her out, then he couldn’t have those around her thinking she’d gone mad. And you needn’t worry; I have no intention of bringing you any discomfort. As a matter of fact, I was wondering if you would like to get away from your current situation?

He let her think that he was actually there for a bit longer; no need to frighten the poor girl.

[Deleted]

Talking...she half wondered if he truly meant talking. Ashni blinked in confusion wondering for a moment if she misunderstood him, her current situation? the oddness of the question threw her for a loop before her mind reengaged Of course...im still pure, he wants to take me for a mistress.  It was the only logical sense she could make of it. Ashni thought quickly he was the first to make a full proposition, her eyes quickly assessed his clothing and looks, from under her lashes trying to hide her perusal. Well dressed enough, well spoken, probably has a house. I need to come up with terms.  The thoughts flashed through her mind rapidly, a permanent position was worth taking a risk on.

Ashni flowed into his space gracefully light on her feet, "Tell me about you? Where do you live?" she asked placing a hand on his chest, where he lived would tell her much about his finances, her mutation flaring as she tried to skew the odds, Make him rich and kind. she whispered in the depths of her mind, another mantra one that she had bent her strange ability for luck on for months. "What is your name?" She didnt care that he hadnt asked hers or if he knew it already. The henna on her hands covering the sharp red sparks that had started to appear on her fingertips as she called her powers to help her beat the odds again. 

[x]

Of course, the girl thought, I’m still pure. He wants to take me for a mistress.

The only part of working with Cerebro that Charles didn’t really care for was the fact that he couldn’t actively shield. The machine kept his telepathy wide open and amplified it, leaving him no leeway to actually shield himself from the thoughts of the minds he touched. And so, the misunderstanding became quite clear quite quickly as she eyed his projection, her mind working up terms.

“Tell me about you? Where do you live?” She touched what she could see—oh, how would she react the chair, he wondered—and her mind whispered her hopes. Make him rich and kind. “What is your name?”

I’m afraid you misunderstand me, my dear, Charles projected. I’m not interested in taking you as a mistress. Rather, I’m interested in offering you a safe haven. My name is Charles Xavier, and I run a school for people like us. If you’re interested, there will be a spot opened for you at your earliest convenience.

He had felt her fear of the upper rooms, of ending up in them and being forced to do something she did not wish to. Charles didn’t want her to be forced into anything she didn’t want to do—she was so young, had so much life ahead of her. She had a very interesting mutation, from the sound of it: something to do with luck and probability, skewing the odds in her favor.

It’s entirely your choice, though. If you would rather not, then I understand completely. However, if you would like to leave this place behind, I will be perfectly happy to offer you whatever assistance you may require.

[Deleted]

A School? People like us? She didnt understand. ..leave this place behind, The words frightened her, this was the only world she knew or could really grasp. No matter what her random half formed dreams, the awe she felt when two traveling doctors came through and dispersed their cures. But even they took their payment in kind, each had their favorite in the house. No one gave something for nothing, the very fact that he offered that raised her suspicion. Amirah had been taken in by a man a few months ago offering her an escape, 'because he liked her', six months later she was back sick with a big belly. Used brutally and discarded, Ashni had held her hand crying as she died, the first time she had bent her power to desperately try and change the future, but that was not how it worked, and now Amirah's daughter was being raised in the same world.


No Ashni learned her lesson well, while there could be kindness in the world, it was never with out price. And anyone offering such was waiting to take more then she would give willingly. "What sort of assistance?" she asked even so, her soft mental hope disappearing, even as her expression never wavered from sweet seduction. If he answered something nonspecific like 'any kind you need' she would know he was just another rouge. She was already dismissing him from her mind.

[x]

Confusion was written all over the girl as he spoke, and no small amount of fear wove itself through her thoughts when presented with the idea of leaving behind the only life she’d ever known. (Understandable really; change was always a frightening concept.) And perhaps he should have worded his offer better; suspicion joined the fear at the word “assistance” and Charles received flashes of memory of a poor girl who trusted the wrong person and paid dearly for it. (And the poor girl had left behind a daughter, too, it seemed.)

“What sort of assistance?”

Nothing as sinister as you fear, I can assure you. Monetary, primarily; a plane ticket or a train ticket, whichever you prefer, Charles clarified. In fact, my friend and I can even come and get you personally—if that would make you more comfortable. I give you my word. Nothing terrible will happen to you so long as I can do anything to prevent it.

She was roughly fifteen or sixteen hours away by plane, and that wasn’t factoring in any drive time, but it was doable, all the same. Hank might not be too thrilled if Charles insisted on going after such an intense session with Cerebro, but it didn’t matter. She was only sixteen; she shouldn’t have those awful memories or any of that dread and world-weariness.

He could feel her trying to throw him from her mind, and so Charles let the projection of himself fade, but kept a lock on her mind and kept hold of those around her. 

I know that you're wary about trusting me, but I can assure you that I mean you no harm.  You've recently found yourself able to do things no one else can, am I correct?

[Deleted]

Ashni gasped as he disappeared, she finally looked around realizing that the rest of the room was frozen in place. Oh god...again. Her mind flashed back to her past and the mysterious man who could control metal. She resisted the urge to cower fearfully, her mind solidifying gaining her calm detachment. "You aren't here, weren't here." she could hear him in her mind now clearly understanding. Oddly the thought that she was going mad never crossed her consciousness, "Where are you?" she stepped out of the circle of frozen girls worried that they lived still, the other man had not much cared for others. 


"Did you hurt them?" She asked running a hand down Latka's mouth trying to tell if she was breathing. She sighed softly in relief feeling the light breaths the girl took, "Speaking in my mind... seems a good way to convince someone they are insane." she chided gently. More self possession shining through, in a strange way how new and out of her depth she was gave her courage. He offered her money, a ticket out of the city to she assumed where he was, or to come to her. With everyone frozen she didn't feel constrained from showing her magic, red lights sparkled from her fingertips as she brought them to her face, she knew somehow that he could still see her. "Yes, I have." She wanted him there, if she was going to talk it should be in person. "Come talk." she smiled the sparks from her hands flying outwards as she made a flinging gesture. Talk to me in person. Her mutation took the half thought out wish, half a world a way a breaker in Cerebro closed, a harmless fault that would have happened sooner or later. But her mutation jiggered with the odds causing it to happen now. 

Ashni wasn't sure what her powers had made possible, what little trick they had pulled as she waited for his response. 

[x]

The girl gasped when his projection faded, and he caught images of a past experience with another mutant, one who could—no. No, no, no. It couldn’t be. And yet, it had to be. Erik was the only one Charles knew who was capable of controlling metal.

“You aren’t here,” the girl was saying. “You weren’t here. Where are you?”

I’m in New York, Charles admitted as she wandered around, concerned for the lives of her friends.

“Did you hurt them?”

No, I’ve only frozen them for a brief while. They are still breathing, still blinking, their hearts are still beating, he assured her. No harm will come to them, I can assure you. I simply did not want to cause trouble for you should they think you mad for apparently talking to yourself.

“Speaking in my mind,” she chided, “seems a good way to convince someone they are insane.”

Apologies for that, he offered. However, for the moment, it is the only way I can contact you.

The girl admitted that her mutation had been acting up, taking the opportunity to let sparks of red light flicker from her fingertips. “Come talk,” she offered. Talk to me in person.

Of course. I’ll be there as soon as I—

At that moment, Cerebro all but shut down on him. Charles let out a sharp cry as he was suddenly disconnected from her and all those he had frozen in place around her. He coughed and sputtered as he yanked the helmet off his head, hoping to a god he didn’t quite believe in that none of those poor girls were harmed as a result. It was always a fifty-fifty shot with that.

“Hank,” he coughed out as the doors opened and the scientist came rushing in. “Hank, ready the plane. We need to go to Pakistan as quickly as we can.”

[Deleted]

Ashni blinked pain burning deep in her mind as the presence disappeared . Oh no what did I do? she whispered to herself hand clasped over her eye in a futile effort to block out the feeling of an ice pick digging into her skull. The other girls unfroze, seeing her on the floor the gathered around her, henna and ring covered hands fluttering around her, she for an instant just wished them, SOMEWHERE ELSE. before she clamped hard on that thought lest her wayward magic, do...something.


It was nearly a day later, Ashni was sitting on the balcony her headache muted to a dull roar from the blinding screaming pain of the last day. She lay back in the sun, a part of her aware of the picture she made, light glinting of the golden embroidery on her saree. Something made her open her eyes looking down at the crowded street, there wasnt something you saw every day, two men, one pushing the second in a wheelchair, she frowned trying to focus her blood shot eye. It was him, the man from her mind, Charles...Xavier. she reminded herself. He could clearly hear her thoughts once so...

Ashni focused staring down at him 'Up here.' she called out mentally, wondering if it would work. 'Look out for the pickpocket, your friend is about to lose his wallet.' she sent the second thought a hint of mischief in her mind. 

[x]

As expected, Hank hadn’t been too happy with the sudden need to go to travel to Pakistan. He’d spent the prep time muttering under his breath about visas and clearance and a hundred other things Charles was perfectly willing to deal with once they came up. (Really, he should be far more hesitant to use his telepath in such a way, but considering how suddenly they were cut off, Charles would be happiest if they had a teleporter in their ranks.)

Getting into Pakistan went much smoother than they’d expected, though considering the fact that Charles had slept for most of the flight at Hank’s insistence and therefore had regained his strength enough to impress upon every air tower in Pakistan that their jet was no threat and was perfectly fine. He recalled her location from yesterday’s interaction, and soon enough, he and Hank were working their way through the crowds. Charles was carefully scanning the town for her mind, at the same time impressing upon the general populace that his wheelchair was nothing too extraordinary.

He heard his name and honed in on her location. She was in a balcony not too far from them; in fact, she could see them well.

Up here, she directed, and Charles met her eyes. Look out for the pickpocket; your friend is about to lose his wallet.

Sure enough, there was a would-be thief getting rather close to Hank. Charles immediately sent him to a nearby vendor who had been thinking about getting himself an assistant.

Thank you for that, my dear, he projected. Now, are you able to come and meet us down here? And apologies for the sudden end to our conversation yesterday; Cerebro malfunctioned without warning. Are you all alright?

[Deleted]

Ashni blushed a sheepish Sorry drited from her. she didnt knpw what a Cerebro was but the implicatuon was clear. She shaped her thoughts carefully, come inside, we can drink. "Habib." she called out to the little boy inside "Guest come, take them to the blue room and get tea!" 
She chose not to mention her own migraine although that seemed to be lessening as he got closer, her eyes ran up his figure again, He is hansom... came the quiet thought as she blushed again, giggling she hid her mouth behind her veil as Habib gestured for them to follow him speaking in Urdu.


She quickly checked her apperance in the mirror frowning as she saw the redness of her eyes. She applied a slightly thicker layer of Kohl hoping to disguise it. Ashni glided into the room, grace flowing from her, tiny chimes rang from her ankles and wrists as she settled lightly on the cushions next to him. "I am sorry." her voice was light as she poured the tea into the three glass cups.

[x]

Sorry, she replied, and Charles was a bit stunned. A mutation that could affect probability was one thing, but one that had such a range? Or had his connection to her via Cerebro made it possible for her to affect something so far away?

Come inside, we can drink. She was overly careful in shaping her thoughts, typical of someone who had no experience with telepathy or any idea what such a mutation would mean.

Charles reached out to make sure those he had frozen the other day were okay. Thankfully, save for a few bad migraines and some red eyes, they were all fine. As a sort of consolation, he eased the worst of the remaining migraines.

A young boy led them to the room where they would meet Miss Ashni Bedi face to face. Hank’s discomfort with the situation was practically palpable, and Charles offered a bit of comfort to him in apology. Between the suddenness of their disconnect the other day, and the memories he’d seen of a mutant who could only be Erik, he hadn’t been able to simply let this one slide.

Ashni appeared quickly enough, veiled and eyes lined black in a way that Charles guessed was an attempt to disguise the redness of her eyes.

“I am sorry,” she said as she seated herself and began to pour tea.

“Whatever do you have to be sorry for? If you’re referring to Cerebro, I assure you no harm was done. Other than a few migraines and some red eyes, it seems that no one was hurt.”

No need to make her feel as though she were at all to blame; if anything, she lacked control. But that was something that could be attended to, if she wanted to do so.

[Deleted]

Her eyes had flicked over his chair once, then dismissed it. It was less then nothing compared to the power of his mind. She sat next to him pouring the tea. "Even you?" she asked referring to if he was hurt. "I..do not always know what will happen." she assumed he was still in her mind and set her self to creating a calm tranquil place for him to rest in.  She handed him the glass, henna covered hands curving his around it. She smiled becomingly at the man that had joined him.  "Are you hungry? Tired?" she asked them both. 

Hospitality was not only part of her training but also part of her nature.  She kept her eyes on his, she felt oddly comfortable with him, she knew inherently that he would not harm her. His words the day before confirming her impression. The fact that her migraine was slipping away in his presence help immensely. 

[x]

“Even you?”

Charles shrugged. “It wasn’t the first time Cerebro has malfunction on me. I’m fine, I assure you.”

“I...do not always know what will happen,” she confessed, handing him a glass of tea.

He accepted it with a brief expression of thanks before taking a sip. Ashni offered Hank a smile as well; whether it was genuine or merely habit, Charles wasn’t entirely sure and he made no moves with his telepathy to find out. He needed to quit relying on his mutation so much; it had gotten him into trouble before and hindered his interactions with others to near-unbearable levels.

“Are you hungry? Tired?”

“We’re fine, thank you,” Charles assured her with a smile, brushing against Hank’s mind to find the younger man as alert as ever.

Ever since Hank’s transformation, he’d found he needed far less sleep than he once did, something that the young scientist took advantage of on a regular basis. They may have to kip at a hotel before attempting the journey home, but other than that, Hank was perfectly fine.

“Now, while I do believe I gave you my name, considering the circumstances, perhaps it would be best to start over,” he offered. “My name is Charles Xavier. This is my friend and colleague, Hank McCoy. Now, what may we call you?”

[Deleted]

She blushed prettily at his disclaimer that Cerebro had malfunctioned before. "I am still sorry." she ran a finger over his forehead, it was not an unusual gesture, touching her customers, caring was part of her job. But in this case the concern was genuine. 


"Mr. Mccoy, " She nodded to the lanky brunette. "Mr. Xavier." she smiled a bit more warmly at him, she might dare to call him by his first name in her mind but not out loud. "Ashni, Ashni Bedi." Well properly Wanda Anshi, but no one called her that. She blushed "I cant believe you really did come." it was like a dream, a prince to come carry her away.

She opened up a box of Turkish delight over his objections, she wasnt all together sure how long his journey had been, so she offered them to both men.  "It is not...I honestly didnt hope that you would." 

[x]

“I am still sorry,” she said, running a finger over his forehead.

Charles bit back the urge to tense at the contact. The poor girl meant him no ill will, and no doubt it was a habit she’d acquired in her life. Just because he’d become a bit jumpy with regards to physical contact didn’t mean he had to act on it.

Ashni acknowledged them both before giving them her full name. “I can’t believe you really did come,” she added, blushing.

“Ashni is a lovely name, my dear,” he said with a smile. “It suits you. And I often make the effort to meet other like Hank and I in person. Cerebro is a wonderful machine, but I do still prefer face-to-face interaction.”

Besides, going out and interacting with potential students made him feel as though he could actually do something, that his disability wasn’t truly as damning as he had initially feared.

“It is not...I honestly didn’t hope that you would,” she admitted, offering them a box of Turkish Delight.

Both men took one, if for no other reason than politeness.

“You asked me to come,” Charles pointed out. “I simply want to make sure that you are safe, and offer you a sanctuary if you are not.”

The choice would be hers; if she wanted to go with them, then they could leave as soon as she wanted. If she chose to stay, then Charles would back down and add her name to the list of mutants to keep an eye on, just in case.

[Deleted]

Ashni saw the barley contained flinch when she touched his head, pain? Or does no one touch him? she wondered curious. He commented that he enjoyed seeing people face to face, he did this often then? Talked to you in your mind then appeared so very quickly? She was about to ask What kind of people did he visit when 


“You asked me to come,”
She blinked confused world view skewing. “You asked me to come,” repeated itself in her mind. “You asked me to come,” he came because SHE had requested it, no man, and certainly not a powerful one like he apparently was had ever just dropped everything for her.  She blinked stupidly at them for a long moment,  the pause in her actions clear before she set the box down on the table, trying to hide her confusion. Her mind raced as she attempted again to fit his actions in to a pattern that she understood, again the only answer that made sense was that he wanted her as a mistress. 


She shook her head eyes flicking between then, as she managed not to gnaw on her lip in frantic thought. No....I really dont think thats what he wants. She saw none of the signs of desire on his body. She looked at Mccoy in case it was some sort of strange switch, but no. He just looked uncomfortable and worried. 


"Why?" she finally asked allowing some of her confusion to escape, "Why come simply because I asked?" 

[x]

His words had had an impact on her, it seemed. Charles frowned a bit at the sheer amount of confusion and bewilderment the poor girl was projecting. Did no one ever take her opinions or wants into consideration? (And idiotic question, really, that insidious little voice in the back of his mind sneered; do you see where the girl lives?)

Ashni blinked in complete surprise, as though she had no clue how to react to the thought of anyone taking her requests into consideration. Her mind raced, desperately trying to fit his actions and words into a pattern that she recognized and understood—none of which would work, as it was becoming alarmingly obvious that no man had ever shown her the sort of regard Charles had.

Her mind flicked back to the word mistress and Charles schooled his features into a look of pure calm. She was basically a child, far too young to have to worry about men coming to take her on as a glorified bedmate, of all things. Her eyes flickered to Hank, her mind rescinding the thought.

“Why? Why come simply because I asked?”

“Because you asked,” Charles responded. “While I was primarily concerned for your safety—a sudden disconnect through Cerebro is not always so gentle—you had already asked. I would have come anyway, simply because you asked.”

He shifted a bit in his seat and took another sip of tea.

“This is what I do, my dear. I locate young mutants who are either in danger or likely to find themselves in danger and I go to them. I offer them a place where they can be safe, where they don’t have to hide their abilities and they don’t have to be afraid.”

Had she asked him to stay away, he would have. Well, he would have continued to keep an eye on her through Cerebro, but he wouldn’t have flown half-way around the world.

“Your opinions matter to me, Ashni,” he said, making sure to look her in the eye. “If you want me to go, I will. If want to come with Hank and I, you are most certainly welcome. If you would rather stay, I will not force you to come with us. I will honor your wishes, I assure you."