New Divide

New Divide: 13

Sitting at a table, Margo leant her head against her hand and nodded slowly. In front of her was some man, perhaps a little older than herself, roughly more the same age as Charles, and this man was trying to explain something to her.

She didn't understand what he was on about, not because the subject was a hard one to understand, but because he was a little worse for wear. Though granted, she found his drunk state rather funny and had to try her hardest not to laugh at him. It was funny, especially when he looked confused over a word he'd just said and then asked her if that was an actual existing word.

“Come on,” Margo found herself being pulled to a stand and tugged away. “I'm rescuing you. Though,” Raven guided her over to the table she was just sitting at. “You can return back to him if you really want. But between him looking utterly lost and close to collapsing, and you looking like you're going to laugh, I don't think it'd be wise.”

“Hm,” Margo hummed and nodded. “That and you're much better company.”

“I like to think so,” Raven smiled and sat down at the table.

“Please tell me we're not needing to go gatecrash another conversation for the sake of a drink?” Margo said sounding sceptical, Raven looked up to see what she was referring too. Her eyes narrowed slightly at the sight of Amy at the bar, but what really caught their attention was the sight of a brown haired woman. She had intercepted Charles as he made his way to the bar and had started talking to him.

“Let's not,” Raven said quietly while looking to Margo. She could see that from the expression on the woman's face that she was speaking something of a serious matter.

From walking away from the table where Raven had sat down, now with Margo, Charles led the now introduced Moira MacTaggert over to a table. Though any chance of using his usual line of conversation was shot down rather simply by Moira shaking her head and looking at him blankly.

“I really need your help.” Moira said simply while leaning her arms on the table in between them.

Charles had to frown lightly and look at her then blink slowly and look at her again. “All right,” he said slowly, not really following. He was rather sure that even if he was stone cold sober he'd still be slightly confused.

Moira nodded and leant forward slightly. “The kind of mutation that you were talking about in your thesis. I need to know if they may have already happened, in people alive today?” She asked lowly so no one else could hear her. She had already confessed earlier to being present for his thesis, it's how she managed to find him.

Leaning his arm against the table, Charles leant his head against his hand and looked to her. The woman in front of him was none the wiser that she had him rummaging through her mind. Though when his eyes widened slightly and he ran his hand down his face, she looked slightly worried then.

“Professor? I think we should talk when you're sober. Do you have any time tomorrow?” Moira's voice asked just as the final images of a crystalline woman and a red skinned man slowly dissipated from his view.

“Something tells me you already know the answer to your question.” Charles said while Moira looked slightly shiftily down at the table. “This is very important to me, and if I can help you, I will do my utmost.” He said honestly.

“Thank you,” Moira replied quietly with a small smile.

----

“Come on, Margo.” Raven banged gently on the bathroom door. “Come out, we have to go, we can't stay here.”

“I'll be fine.” Came the quiet response from within the locked room.

“No you won't, you know you won't be.” Raven sighed and listened to the sliding sound of Margo going down the door and then sitting on the floor. “Come out, please.” There was silence then, Raven turned and looked to Charles. “Little help would be nice.”

Walking forwards he ushered Raven out of the way, she receded to her room and shut the door. Knocking gently he listened to the scrambling sound beyond the door. “I can't get in a plane.” Margo said honestly and quietly, it sounded like she was now back to standing.

“Yes you can. You'll be fine. Nothing will happen.” Charles said while looking to his watch. They had to go soon, and it seemed that the closer the time got to leaving, the more the realization kicked in for her.

The lock slowly clicked and the door opened a fraction. Margo frowned up at him. “Are you an idiot?”

“Last time I check-”

“Rhetorical question!” Margo exclaimed despairingly. “How can you stand there and even try to tell me it'll be all right? If I panic, or get scared, things tend to happen. It's happened before, and it happened a moment ago, sorry...but you're going to need a new sink in here.” Margo said while pushing the door open.

Charles peered around to see what she meant. Sure enough, the sink looked rather destroyed. The taps were buckled and bent, and the sink itself had cracks running along its surface. “That doesn't matter,” he said while looking back to her. “We're not leaving without you. You are coming with us.”

“Can't you like...knock me out and just drag me to the airport?”

Charles frowned. “No, because that'd be extremely rude.” He said while putting his hands on her shoulders and tugging her out of the room. He got a protest though of her mumbling at him and sticking her heels in the carpet. “And also,” he winced and looked around trying to think of how to break this to her. “We're not flying via airport. More, a private airstrip.”

“Even worse.”

“Even better,” Charles said while patting her shoulders and turning away.

“No, no it's really not.”

Putting a few things in his satchel he looked over at her. “You're scared-”

“Terrified.”

“Terrified, rightly so, you've had a mighty rough time. I can see why you'd be hesitant to leave. You've found safety in this apartment. But, you can find safety elsewhere. And plus, you're not going to be on your own are you? Raven and I aren't likely to leave you behind, I think we've established that by now.” Margo looked rather defeated by the honesty. “Think of this as an adventure.” Charles smiled and did up the satchel.

“New start?”

He smiled and nodded. “I suppose you could think of it like that.”

Margo looked thoughtful before nodding slowly. “If anything does happen though-”

“It won't.” Charles said firmly.

“But if it does, I apologise in advance.” She turned and went to collect the few clothes she owned from Raven's room.