Charles didn't often go to the store. He and Erik had a system and it worked for them. He cooked and Erik took care of them shopping. This was in part due to the fact that Erik was astoundingly awful in the kitchen, and in part because Erik was very firm when it came to their budget. Charles, for all his intelligence had never been very good with money. Letting Erik handle the budget usually meant that the best deals were acquired without skimping on quality, and Charles cooking meant that they didn't die of food poisoning or a house fire.
But today, there had just been a few things and Erik was busy, so Charles had taken it upon himself to handle that. It wasn't that he was inept when it came to doing the shopping, he'd managed just fine when it was just him and Raven thank you, he just didn't have a lot of practice. He was getting better, however.
He had come to the register, basket stocked with milk, tea, eggs, bread, some produce and a few other odds and ends, when the man in front of him suddenly addressed him. He wouldn't have thought much of it, he was fairly personable as a consequence of his power and he never minded casual conversation, except that he could feel something pressing at his mind. Something that wanted him to...want what this man wanted. He didn't like the feel of it. It was uncomfortable, like fingers on the back of his neck. He shook it off, putting up mental shields. He prodded gently, not enough to be noticed, curious about what exactly this man was.
A dedicated mental manipulator, fascinating. Not a telepath like himself or Emma, but something more focused. More limited. It was a rather distasteful power, in Charles's opinion, serving no purpose but to usurp the will of others. Charles had always been particular about how that facet of his own ability worked and he was not thrilled at the idea of someone whose whole ability was that. If Erik had been here, he might have encouraged the behavior. After all, he was all about people embracing their mutations. Then again, he was also a bit twitchy about mental mutations. And there was also the fact that the man in question was attempting to use his powers on him. On second thought, if Erik was here, he'd probably be contemplating murder. Best that he wasn't.
Charles thought a moment, then smiled guilelessly at the man. "Terribly sorry," he said pleasantly, not wanting to give too much away but bored enough that he couldn't quite resist having a bit of fun, "but we don't even know each other. It seems rather forward of you to suggest that without so much as an introduction, don't you think?"