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Charles drew a deep breath. He was not going to get all worked up about their interviewer apparently only wanting to focus on his most televised debates. Charles was very well aware that his passionate debating tended to come across as a little too intense for most people. If it did, it was only because he put extra effort into it to avoid defaulting to the use of his telepathy. He had to come across to people on TV anyway where he couldn't very well use them anyway.
And if he didn't fight for the rights of his own people, who would? As much as the Mutant Cause had seemingly adopted Erik Lehnsherr as their poster child, there wasn't much Charles could do. Lehnsherr's attitude of making a joke of most things irked him incredibly. Lehnsherr's face even more so.
He refused to look in the direction of the smiling Lehnsherr, who looked delighted at the whole thing.
"Now, Professor Xavier," Tom, their interviewer began. "We all know that you were one of the front runners of mutant education, that you started up your academy for young mutants and then, two years ago, turned it over to your sister Raven Darkholme and your then assistant; Hank McCoy."
Charles nodded. It was public knowledge after all.
"What made you suddenly turn your back on all that and start your crusade against the government?"
Charles took a deep breath.
"Why do they always have to ask the same stupid ass questions?"
He stopped for a moment, then shook his head. "Tom, that's a tale I've told before on TV," he chided. "But long story short…"
"Yadda, yadda."
Charles glanced over at Tom, wondering if he was hearing things. "The registration act was proposed as a new piece of legislation and you'd think that we'd learned from history that such an act would only end in singling out people and eventually where would we be? Camps? Correctional camps? Concentration camps? I think the Nazis have already proved what a bad idea that was."
"Amen." The thought was accompanied by tenseness and sadness.
"Ah, yes," Tom said, looking a little ill at ease.
Charles didn't even feel mean for bringing up the camp thing. It tended to make most people either backtrack or argue with him, but he was sick and tired of people thinking that the registration act and its consequences were at best, no problem, at worst, something that would go away if ignored.
"Mr. Lehnsherr," Tom hurriedly said, turning to the other party of the interview.
Charles watched the wide smile on Lehnsherr's face, for a moment flashing to the memory of watching predators of Animal Channel.
"Tom," Lehnsherr said, "Call me Erik."
"At least I won't have to listen to you mangling my family name."
Charles raised an eyebrow. He'd sort of intended to zone out on most of Lehnsherr's interview, but by now he was beginning to think if he did so, he'd be missing out on some very interesting things.
"Right, Erik," Tom said, beaming at him.
Charles wanted to gag.
"You have spoken up against the registration act as well, but you don't seem quite as militant."
"That would be because if I did, I'd scare idiots like you and where would that get me?"
Charles stared at him.
"As much as I'm not as vocal and use as powerful imagery as the professor here," Lehnsherr replied, "I am Jewish and my grand parents were in Theresienstadt for the last seven months of the war - I am very well aware of what registration can lead to."
Charles cocked his head to the side. He'd never really wanted to talk to Lehnsherr in private, but he was beginning to think that maybe, just maybe, they weren't all that far from each other after all when it came to world views.
"And I do not want my own kind to end up in that situation, even if society seems to see the act as a positive thing - the road to hell is, after all, paved with good intentions." Erik smiled at the camera.
"And Charles, what do you think about Tony Stark being pro the act?" Tom asked. "You used to be friends, did you not?"
Charles fought the urge to roll his eyes at Tom. "Tony and I are still friends," he said brusquely, "we can be friends without agreeing on everything."
Tom gave him an odd look.
"I've known Tony since I was in my pre-teens, it takes more than a disagreement to damage that," Charles explained patiently.
Tom looked like he was about to argue, but Charles merely raised an eyebrow and glared at him.
"Yeah, that only works with stupid little brown nosers like Tom."
"Excuse me, is that you I'm hearing, Lehnsherr?" Charles projected towards his opponent.
"Before we go to commercial break," Tom said, eyeing Charles for a moment, then nodding at Lehnsherr, "I would like you both to prepare a question for the other - as it will be what we finish today's fifteen minutes with."
At first there was no reply, then there was a tentative touch to his mind. Intrigued, he opened up a little and reached out.
"Xavier?"
"I think I'm the only telepath in the room right now," Charles replied drily. "But yes."
"Yeah, it's me - was I thinking too loudly for you?"
Now, the question could have been meant as it was worded - worry - but Charles could almost taste the sarcasm on it. He was rather impressed. Most other people managed to do the projection of thought, few mastered the ability to actually bring tone of 'voice' with it.
Let alone sarcasm.
"Not at all," Charles replied, more than a little intrigued. "Nor did I mean to trespass."
There was an almost snort in his mind and Charles bit back a grin. Lehnsherr narrowed his eyes but didn't break contact. "I didn't think you were - I might have been sloppy in keeping my thoughts to myself."
"Most people are, even around telepaths," Charles said. "Quite frankly, I've had to filter and ignore the audience and Tom here or I'd have been distracted too much - and probably have had a rotten headache."
"I might have been projecting a little," Lehnsherr replied nonchalantly. "It sometimes happens when I'm annoyed - though most days I'm not around telepaths, so I occasionally forget. I guess I've just gotten used to keeping my more sarcastic side silent."
Charles pushed some of his mirth through the connection. "You're not as laid back and carefree as everyone thinks, are you?"
Lehnsherr bared his teeth - a truly impressive and disturbing grin indeed.
Tom gave Lehnsherr a wary look, but he nodded at the make-up assistant who came in and powdered his forehead. "I hope you don't mind the personal questions," Tom said, obviously trying for jovial, and utterly failing.
"I could have done without them," Charles said evenly, trying to ignore the mental snort from Lehnsherr. Now that he'd tuned into the man's head, it seemed he had a hard time ignoring him.
"Only way he'd get a rise out of you, you're too damned eloquent for him."
Charles tried not to smile. "If you could limit your personal questions a little - I would appreciate it," he continued. "Most people are more eloquent than Tom here."
Lehnsherr's mental laughter was catching. Charles had to focus hard not to smile too widely as Tom apologised and wisely went over a couple of the questions he'd ask them in the next segment.
"I like the way your mental laughter feels," Charles shared before he could stop himself. Though it was the truth. It was almost like a tickling feeling in his head. He broke eye contact with Tom for a moment and met Lehnsherr eyes - surprised to find them crinkling at the corners with mirth.
Feeling a little unsettled by his own admission, Charles focused on the conversation between Tom and Lehnsherr - and now that he apparently had an 'in', he could tell there was a certain level of annoyance underneath the humour whenever Lehnsherr answered questions.
The second part of the interview went back on air and Charles made it through the last few questions, and was trying to figure out what he'd ask Lehnsherr as Tom had mentioned he'd like to finish on that note.
Of course he couldn't ask Lehnsherr for a private talk, could he? If he'd been asked before the show, he'd have had no trouble figuring out what to ask. He'd have asked how Lehnsherr could make fun of the cause and still be in everyone's good graces. Why he wasn't taking it all more seriously.
Having been witness to the man's mind, Charles was beginning to understand and maybe he did take things a little too much to heart. Occasionally, anyway. He was used to having Raven telling him this, but he just felt like he was running in sand - constantly trying to get ahead of stupid legislation to hit people over the head with facts.
"You do a good job."
"Am I projecting that hard?" Charles asked curiously.
"A little, yeah," Lehnsherr replied with a wink.
"You're not too shabby yourself," Charles admitted.
"High praise."
Charles bit back a smile. Maybe they should discuss their approaches to the cause? They were, after all, on the same side.
Tom was finally getting through the last of his questions to Lehnsherr, who answered the questions he wanted to with a smile and very charmingly deflected the ones he most obviously did not want to.
"That is all we have for tonight, apart from the little task I gave you earlier," Tom said, steering the show towards an end. "What would you like to ask Professor Xavier?"
Lehnsherr turned towards him and pursed his lips, a gleam to his eyes that promised a good one for national TV. "I'd like to ask Charles if he'd like to go back to my place for a drink when we're done here."
Tom stared at them.
"I'm sure we can have a very productive debate in private," Charles said with a grin. The night was very much looking up.
"The offer includes breakfast if you're interested," Erik told him with a darkening of his eyes.
Charles smirked. "Deal."
"This is Tom Morrisson for Channel 6," Tom said looking slightly befuddled. "I think this is where we cut for tonight and say thank you to our two guests, and the debate about the registration act will continue on our website forum."
Charles ignored the rest and shared a look with Erik. He was very much looking forward to continuing their debate in a more private setting.
The End