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irene adler brought a country to its knees (letshavedinner) wrote in colligo_threads,
@ 2012-04-01 04:26:00

Entry tags:

erik lehnsherr, irene adler

WHO: Irene Adler and Erik Lehnsherr (with a brief appearance by Annie Wheaton)
WHAT: Irene is annoyed with Erik's behaviour and decides to deal with it directly.
WHEN: Not long after this.
WHERE: The Xavier Mansion
RATING: TBD
STATUS: In Progress

Irene was not happy. One single mistake, one small glitch with the PDA, and she could practically see all of the hard work she'd put into Charles starting to slip away. Had it been due to mere public embarrassment, she might not have cared so much. In fact, she probably could have tweaked the situation and used it to her advantage to help him become comfortable with himself even when others were around. However, that wasn't the case. No, this particular issue was due to the suppressed feelings of the man's best friend. Feelings that had, of course, caused him to lash out in petty jealousy and thereby caused Charles to feel as though there was something wrong with...

Well, honestly, with Charles, it could be any number of things. He could feel guilt at their time spent together. Or simply feel that there was something wrong with him for daring to be comfortable in his own skin. Or a multitude of other plausible scenarios, as well. The man really did have far more issues than just about any other client she'd ever seen. In fact, if he hadn't been so charming, and they hadn't managed to strike up a friendship during the time they'd spent getting to know one another, she likely would have ended the sessions and considered him a lost cause. She hadn't, though, and now found herself forced to watch as everything she had been trying to accomplish was slowly being chipped away thanks to one Erik Lehnsherr.

Which was precisely the reason that Irene was currently on her way to the very place both men lived. She had tried speaking with Charles' best friend over the network but had received little in the way of results. So she had decided to try something different and take the discussion directly to him. She was hoping, once face-to-face, he would be incapable of denying what she knew to be true. Perhaps then, if she was very lucky, he would come to terms with it and be willing to discuss the entire situation with Charles like a rational, mature adult.

And, if not, well. She could simply have to get creative. That was, after all, one of the reasons she had opted not to take anything metal that she owned. It really was best not to give him even a slim chance at gaining the upper hand.

Finally reaching the front porch of the sprawling mansion, Irene blinked in only mild surprise when the door swung open before she could even consider knocking. She stepped inside without hesitation, glancing left then right before finally spotting the young woman responsible for having allowed her entrance. A small smile quirked her lips as she tipped her head at the girl. "Thank you, my dear. I do appreciate it," she murmured. "Now, if you could be so kind as to point me in the direction of Mr. Lehnsherr, I would be quite grateful."

Returning the smile with a small, sweet one of her own, Annie replied simply, "K-Kitchen." Then she returned her attention to the dominoes set out on the floor before her as the front door slowly swung shut seemingly of its own accord.

Irene, meanwhile, had already turned her attention in the direction of the kitchen. She offered another thank you over her shoulder before heading down the corridor, her heels softly clicking against the well-polished wooden floor. Once she'd reached the kitchen, she stepped inside and immediately locked her gaze on the man she had decided to stop by and see. Idly, she pulled off her gloves as she made her way toward him, her tone casual as she murmured, "Hello, Mr. Lehnsherr. I do hope I haven't caught you at a bad time, and I apologize for dropping by unannounced." She flashed him a smile that in no way reached her eyes as she pulled her second glove off with a determined crack of leather that echoed throughout the room. Her smile grew ever so slightly.

"But I'm afraid I'm not a very patient woman and this really couldn't wait."

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wealreadyare
2012-04-01 09:15 am UTC (link)

Erik hadn't expected to sleep anytime soon. He'd been responding mostly to Irene in the last hour or so, and the answers had left him so worked out that he'd gone from his room back down to the kitchens so that he didn't feel nearly as stifled as he had been inside the room. Granted, the kitchen wasn't that much better but it was somewhere differently. Wandering about and fetching himself a drink, resting his PDA down on the counter as he did, he was midswig of his beer when he suddenly had company. Blinking wide-eyed at Irene, Erik watched her as she seemed relatively unphased by, well, everything as she snapped off her gloves and addressed him.

"Bad time," Erik repeated, not really sure what to say. He had it in his head that even if he did say this was perhaps the worst time in the history of the world, she was hardly going to just turn heel and head on back out the door. No, she'd come here for a discussion, one that he didn't particularly want to have at the moment, and taking another long drink out of the beer, Erik sat it down before moving to the locked cabinets outside of the reach of pretty much everyone except the super tall (him) and the mildly telekinetic (Charles), manipulating the lock open with his powers and swinging the door back. He needed something stronger if he was going to do this right now.

A lot stronger.

"I don't know what you expect me to tell you, Ms. Adler," Erik said, snagging the closest bottle within reach, not really caring what it was. "Unless you just want me to listen for awhile? I think I have the energy to do that. Drink?"

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letshavedinner
2012-04-01 09:40 am UTC (link)

Well. Erik was definitely right about one thing. Short of admitting she was right and his feelings for Charles ran far deeper than a mere friendship, there was nothing he could say that was going to get her to leave. She had made her mind up to see this through and that was precisely what she was going to do. So with that same smile that was in no way sincere, she tipped her head in his direction and simply said, "A drink would be lovely."

Not in the least bit bothered by Erik's under-dressed state, Irene calmly placed her gloves inside the pockets of her jacket. Then she removed the jacket as well, draping it across one of the available chairs. Once that was taken care of, she turned back to Erik and immediately delved into precisely why she was there.

"He should despise you, you know," she said first and foremost. Her tone was completely casual, as though they were discussing something as commonplace as the weather. "He placed not only his faith but his trust in you, and you betrayed him. You left him on that beach, paralysed from a bullet you deflected directly into his spine, and took his sister with you as well. Anyone else, anyone with a modicum of common sense, would despise you with every fibre of their being for those things." Irene waited a pause, head tilting ever so slightly to the side and lips quirking into a grin that was small, almost demure, but this time, at least, also sincere.

"Yet Charles opens his home up to you, for a second time. What's more, he once again resumes a friendship with you that very nearly cost him his life." Slowly she began moving toward Erik with small, calculating steps. "He's forgiven you, wholly and without question, and would defend you to his very last breath should it ever come down to it." Now less than a foot away, Irene's smile turned thin.

"Did you know he's felt like a stranger in his own body? Were you at all aware that, from the moment he was healed in this city from an injury you inflicted upon him, he's not felt comfortable within his own skin? That he'd begun to rely more and more on his ability not because he wanted to, but because it was truly the only way he felt he could connect with those around him? Have you any idea how hard he and I have worked to move him past all of that?" Leaning a bit closer, her voice dropped a bit as she whispered fiercely, "You're quite lucky, Mr. Lehnsherr, that I do not work on a freelance basis or our conversation would be a much different than the one we're currently having."

Straightening up, she arched an eyebrow at him, her expression sliding back into one of general politeness. "Now. I believe you said something about a drink?" she asked lightly as she turned on her heel and made her way to the table, calmly taking a seat.

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wealreadyare
2012-04-01 10:26 am UTC (link)

Erik had been ready to protest. He has been ready to tell her just how badly he felt about that, that if he had any idea how seriously Charles had been injured that he never would have left, that Raven had only come with him because Charles had urged her to, that he had only left because Charles had made it obvious that he didn't want him around anymore, that both him and Raven had felt more out of place with Shaw's old compatriots than they even had within regular society, and that it had taken quite a bit of adjusting to get used to having them as allies. He had very nearly said all of these things until he realized she wasn't done talking so he'd held his tongue, and held it, and held it some more, his breathing becoming more shallow and his body tensing bit by bit as she inched closer to him until she was nearly nose to nose with him and everything seized up for the span of seconds that she held that position, the fierce hiss echoing in his ears even as she spun away.

A second later, he remembered to breathe and exhaled long and low before nodding and pulling down two glasses and followed her, setting them out on the table, pouring a decent drink for each of them and setting the bottle down within arm's reach.

"You're right. He should hate me," Erik said as he slipped down into a seat, slumping against the table. "And for a lot more reasons than just the ones you said. But he doesn't. For some unfathomable, fucked up reason, he doesn't, and I might not understand, but I'm trying. I'm trying."

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letshavedinner
2012-04-01 11:05 pm UTC (link)

Although Irene wasn't much of a drinker, fine wine or a good scotch or brandy with a meal aside, she wasted no time in picking up the drink he'd poured for her and raising it to her lips. The alcohol burned slightly as it made its way down her throat and she revelled in the feeling, allowing it to distract her a bit so she didn't interrupt Erik in his response to what she'd had to say. When he'd finished speaking, ending his claims in such an emphatic way, she placed her glass back on the table and met his gaze.

"Then I suggest you put forth more effort, Mr. Lehnsherr," she stated mildly. Her expression gave away nothing about her true feelings on what he'd said. Idly, she ran a fingertip - the nail painted bright red and perfectly manicured - across the rim of her glass as she continued to stare at him with that same unreadable look. After a heartbeat or two, she finally seemed to lose a touch of her composure, although if it was on purpose or simply because she'd had enough was anyone's guess.

With a soft sigh, she dropped her hand to the table and said in a flat tone, "He's in love with you, you dolt. How you've managed to miss something that is so ridiculously obvious, I'll never know, but there you have it." Slowly, her lips curved into a slightly knowing smile. "And you, of course," she tacked on, "feel the same for him. Even if you refuse to admit to such a thing."

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wealreadyare
2012-04-02 09:31 am UTC (link)

Erik didn't know what else to say beyond what he had said. He was trying. It always felt like he was trying with Charles. Even as easily as they connected, as fundamentally as they seemed to know each other, there still seemed to be some sort of disconnect that existed between knowing each other and understanding each other. It was something that they'd been working on slowly, something that Erik could only hope that they'd made at least a little progress in, even if his own big mouth seemed to continually set them back. Taking a drink, Erik watched Irene as she ran her finger around the rim of her glass, trying to figure out exactly how he could put everything that he was thinking into words that weren't the sort of verbal diarrhea that he'd practiced with Charles during the power blackout.

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, before he was able to figure out what to say, she continued.

"He's my best friend," Erik countered, his expression displaying the intense confusion that he felt right now. In love. In love was a completely different thing, but he couldn't help but think that if it was true, Charles would have said something by now. "Of course I love him. But we're not... That's just something the girls say. Because we're so close."

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letshavedinner
2012-04-03 12:43 am UTC (link)

He really was positively infuriating. Ridiculously stubborn, utterly clueless, and completely and wholly in denial. In short, Irene decided, he was precisely like most other men she knew and dealt with. Why Charles felt the way he did about him was truly something she couldn't understand. Then again, it wasn't her place to understand the relationship. She was simply determined to make it finally come to pass.

Although she couldn't help but murmur a low, "You would make a fabulous client. So much confusion, aggression, guilt, and denial all rolled into one," she looked him up at down, much as a dog might peer at a bone, "delicious package. A pity, really, all that potential going to waste." Clicking her tongue, she reached for her drink and took a long sip.

"And therein lies the problem, Mr. Lehnsherr," she finally said, once she'd replaced the glass on the table. "You very much are in love with one another. Charles has realised as much. You, however..." She sat back in her chair and smiled thinly. "You apparently require some convincing." There was something about the way she said that last word that made it clear her idea of convincing someone of something was not the typical meaning of the word.

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wealreadyare
2012-04-03 01:05 am UTC (link)

Erik was suddenly very grateful for the bottle of liquor sitting just within arm's reach. Irene's gaze was positively penetrating, one that was fit to rival even Ms. Frost's for how deep it seemed to go, and Ms. Adler didn't even need telepathy to provoke such a response. But there was just something inherent in her words, her inflections, and the way that she seemed to be sizing him up for a meal that made Erik feel automatically flustered without the worry that his mind was being violated. There were far worse things that she could be considering violating at the moment, as far as he knew. Grabbing the bottle and refilling his glass, Erik downed it all in a single gulp, but the action did nothing to lessen the color that was seeping into every inch of his face. If anything, it just made it that much worse.

"As much as I appreciate the sentiment," Was that right? Sentiment? Thoughts? Compliment certainly wasn't the right word. "As much as I appreciate the interest, Ms. Adler, I don't expect I'll be requiring your services anytime soon. Whatever they might be," Erik said, trailing off after a moment as he peered down at his glass.

That was really part of the problem that Erik had with the situation with Irene. Time, time was the largest factor, and one that he had been trying to be as thoughtful for as he could be, but it was only compounded by the fact that whenever Charles was with her, he had absolutely no idea what his friend was doing with those hours. Bondage chess was the only solid information that he'd gotten, and as much as he didn't necessarily want to know, there was also the spike in him that had to wonder what was so damn fascinating that it kept Charles away so often.

God. Maybe he was a little jealous.

"There's a large difference between loving someone and being in love with them, Ms. Adler," Erik said with a sigh, quietly refilling his drink. Though, for the life of him, Erik wouldn't be able to tell what that difference was. He just knew that there was one, and he'd always just assumed that he and Charles were firmly rested upon the brotherly side of affection. "Besides, I'm not the sort of person someone falls for. I'm a vicious, angry, bastard of a man who consistently and constantly hurts the people around him. Who'd want to put up with that indefinitely?"

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letshavedinner
2012-04-03 02:59 am UTC (link)

"Charles Xavier, for one," Irene replied without missing a beat. Really, he had made that one far too easy for her. Flashing him another thin smile, there was a knowing glint to her eyes as she tacked on, "That's the thing about emotions, Mr. Lehnsherr. However hard you try to suppress them, they have a way of making themselves known. And I can assure you that his feelings for you have done precisely that a great many times during our sessions together."

She didn't elaborate on their sessions, purposefully leaving it at that if only because she knew she was towing a line in simply saying what she had thus far and wasn't willing to risk betraying Charles' confidence even more than she already had. Not to mention, she decided as she finished her drink, it really was fun to see that look of confusion in Erik's eyes that he wasn't willing to voice. Of course, that confusion really wasn't helping Charles' case any but, well, she felt she had a right to her own bit of fun in all of this. It seemed only fair, considering.

Pouring herself another drink, she calmly continued. "I'm very good at two things, you see, and one of those happens to be reading people. It isn't terribly difficult if you know what to look for. In your case, it's present in both your actions as well as your very demeanour." Picking up her glass, she raised it to her lips and added, "You may not wish to admit it, you may not even understand the emotion for what it truly is, but make no mistake. Your feelings are scarcely as friendly as you would like to believe they are. Your reaction to our interactions alone makes that abundantly clear."

Wait a beat, she tacked on in a firm tone, "And if you continue to contradict me without at least considering that I may be correct, I'm going to become quite cross with you."

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wealreadyare
2012-04-03 03:21 am UTC (link)

Oh, he was considering it. The statements were playing back and forth in his mind as he was rolling through every interaction that he'd had with Charles in the past few months. None of them had struck him as odd or out of place, but now that he reconsidered them, he could see exactly how things might seem far more substantial to others than they had to him. Taking another drink, Erik closed his eyes as he propped his head up on his hand, rubbing his forehead as he composed himself. "Let's say that I admit there is a possibility that I have been missing something that should be so glaringly obvious," Erik said, sighing and raising his gaze to Irene. "What exactly am I supposed to do about it? He's obviously not going to talk to me about it, and I've already put my foot in my mouth enough for this week," He said, taking another sip of his drink before pushing it away. It was starting to make his brain feel too foggy to deal with something like this in any rational sense, and even as comforting as oblivion would be at the moment, it wasn't what he needed.

"And sessions. Sessions. You couldn't sound more like a therapist if you tried right now," Erik said, rubbing his hands over his face with a huff of frustration. Talking about feelings, helping him overcome obstacles, making sure he's willing to deal with... stuff like this," Of course, therapists didn't do things with tongues. At least, the professional ones who didn't want to get into serious trouble didn't.

"What exactly am I supposed to do?" Erik repeated, looking over at Irene with something akin to forlorn desperation in his eyes. Though, honestly, it was probably mostly from the booze.

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letshavedinner
2012-04-03 04:03 am UTC (link)

Although there was a part of Irene that wondered if she was going to have to do everything herself, she had to admit she was glad to see that at least Erik was beginning to consider she was right. Progress, no matter how small, was always a positive thing. Particularly in situations like this one.

"Has it occurred to you that perhaps Charles hasn't spoken with you about this out of a fear of rejection?" she asked after a moment. To her, it was as plain as day. However it was also quite clear, to her at least, that Erik was not the most observant man in existence. Calmly, she raised her glass and took a drink. "He's quite terrified of not being accepted by those of importance to him, after all. I see no reason this would be any different. Particularly given society's views on sexual preferences in the time period you both are from and especially considering your reaction tonight to a truthful, yet unintentional, statement on his part."

Another sip of her drink, after which she lightly pushed the glass away so as to stave off drinking anymore, and Irene offered him a small, unreadable smile. "And once more, I am not a therapist. I am simply someone who is very good at providing others what they desire, particularly when those desires aren't necessarily of the norm." She was not going to get into specifics of her time spent with Charles, but instead tacked on, "Honestly, Mr. Lehnsherr, I'm beginning to think you've no clear idea of what my profession entails in the slightest. If so, you need merely ask and I'll happily explain in rather vivid detail."

Of course, she highly doubted he would take her up on that offer. But, if he did, she would do precisely as she'd said. She certainly wasn't ashamed or embarrassed, and had nothing to hide.

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wealreadyare
2012-04-04 08:13 am UTC (link)

Vivid details were pretty much the last thing that he wanted at the moment. There was no telling what his mind would do with them, what situations he might be able to construct with actual information than just the bits he'd fabricated from tiny details and his imagination. Last night's slip up had been more than enough to send his mind into a tizzy of scenarios, and the last thing he needed right now was more of them. "As much as I appreciate the offer," Erik said with a slight laugh, "I think it might be best to hold off on something like that until I'm a bit less drunk and a bit more coherent," He said, sparing a glance up at her before sighing. "But you're right. I don't really have much of a clue what it is you do much less what the pair of you are getting up to."

Which was probably why he'd reacted so badly this afternoon. All of those thoughts had filled his head at once, and he'd snapped off about them. Which was rather ridiculous because when it came down to it, Erik just wanted Charles to be happy, to be content, and if there was anything that his time with Irene did, it was help him reach that point. There was absolutely no reason that he should have an issue with it. Except for the one small fact that Erik hated not being able to help him himself.

"He's my best friend," Erik said with a sigh. "I'm going to accept him, no matter what. I'd be a fool to tell him to get lost just because of something I don't entirely understand. We have had issues getting through that with his ability, but we did it. There's...not really anything that I could think of that would make me turn my back on him. Nothing."

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letshavedinner
2012-04-04 02:12 pm UTC (link)

"Then perhaps," Irene replied with a slight arch of an eyebrow, "you should tell him as much rather than assume he already is well aware."

She made a decision then not to bring up her certainty that Erik felt the same for Charles as Charles felt for him. She had already pressed that point upon him enough that she saw no reason to keep bringing it up. He was either going to believe her, going to consider it, or going to outright deny it until his final breath. She had no control over any of those outcomes. It wasn't necessarily easy for someone such as herself to admit she had no control in any situation, but that didn't change the facts of the matter in the slightest.

Although she couldn't help but add one final, "However, make no mistake. His feelings for you are quite real, whether you choose to believe them or not. Do keep that in mind when speaking with him. He's scarcely as controlled as he would like everyone to believe and he certainly feels emotions just as deeply, if not moreso, than everyone else." She smiled thinly.

"After all, I should hate for you to forget such a thing and cause him undo duress as you did tonight. I would be quite... displeased."

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wealreadyare
2012-04-04 02:43 pm UTC (link)

As much as Erik felt bad about what he'd said, there was something even more unnerving in the way that Irene said displeased that made him think that he should probably try and avoid blundering about the issue in public again. He didn't think he was going to say the wrong thing and upset Charles yet again, but he really would rather not risk getting himself called out on it. Better to have Charles be the only one to tell him that he was being an utter moronic bastard about things. "It's not like I want to hurt him," Erik said, peering across the table at Irene. "I don't set out to do it on purpose. Sometimes, I just don't think about things. Or I overthink them. Or I end up on completely the wrong track.... I already said that I have absolutely no idea why he still puts up with me, right?" Erik asked with a sad laugh before leaning back and raising a hand to run through his hair.

"I can talk to him. If anything, it's the least I can do," He said, rubbing the back of his neck as he shook his head. "I gotta apologize anyway. I suppose... This goes in hand with that. Maybe. I can at least tell him that I'll be there for him no matter what."

Erik wasn't really sure about everything else, but... Well, he was thinking about it as a whole lot more than a joke that the girls kept insisting upon playing now. That was something.

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letshavedinner
2012-04-05 04:50 pm UTC (link)

Irene had to admit, for how frustrating Erik Lehnsherr could be, how clueless he was really could be rather adorable. Unable to resist an authentic smile, even if it was a bit small, Irene tipped her head in agreement. "That sounds like the best idea you've had all evening," she remarked.

Rising to her feet, she casually pulled her coat back on then looked back to him. "And now," she said as she began to put on her gloves, "if you'll excuse me, I really must be going. I have a client waiting for me and I should hate to keep him," her lips twitched a bit, "tied up, for any longer than necessary."

Turning to leave, she paused in the doorway and glanced back at Erik. "Just remember, Mr. Lehnsherr," she stated, "Charles is far more delicate than he appears. You, of all people, should know how very it easy it is to seem in control when you are very much not." There was something knowing in the way she said that last bit, as though she had sorted out his entire history already and was all too easily drawing upon it to make her point. Perhaps she was. She was hardly going to confirm or deny such a thing. Instead she simply smiled once more then left the kitchen, hoping that their conversation would help both him and Charles reach some sort of understanding.

And, if not, she had every intention of returning to speak with Erik again. This time with her riding crop.

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