milliways_bar | (no subject)

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Charles has been taking advantage of the fact that time stops in Milliways to do work and learn more about the people who pass through here. There's such a variety to the minds and experiences that if he didn't have to finish his editing, he'd probably spend most of his time with his eyes closed and just listening.

As it is, one of his sections isn't going as he'd like and he keeps going back over a certain sentence until he's quite lost track of time.

When he finally gets it right, he looks up and realizes that took a while and allows himself a break, so he leans back in his chair and observes the Bar.

Tiny tag: Charles Xavier, Antinoos
OOC: If you approach him while he's working then he's not mentally listening except quite passively. After he's stopped working, he is actively listening to the conversations and minds around him. Feel free to interrupt him or wait until he's on a break. Please let me know what he'll encounter in your pup's mind. Thank you.

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"You don't look it. Let me help. What did I remind you of that's worrying you so much?"

It's slightly cheating but Charles feels that it's needed as the boy doesn't look well.

"...someone I heard about."

A comic-book image of a school, Charles Xavier school for the gifted, is just visible, along with a man's voice, muted telling Tyler that he might meet people from the stories in Milliways. He should be very polite and respectful to them and try not to fanboy at them because they would probably be very flustered and confused and it's rude and..

Now he's just mentally saying a litany, the way of the spark, something Ray(same voice, father-to-son) taught to calm down with if he got nervous, scared or flustered. Deep breath, repeat. deep breath, repeat.

Charles files away the thought that there are stories written about some of his possible futures and projects calm towards Tyler, matching his breathing to his,

"I see. There's nothing to worry about. You haven't done anything wrong."

He does calm down, probably in equal parts to the projection and the litany, a familiar meditation.

Still flubbed, and there's an admittance to himself that...that..

"...little embarassed, sorry." Tyler admits, trying to smile just a little. Uncle Ray raised him better than to do something like that, and he wants to do right by the guy.

"It happens. When I was your age, I kept saying things aloud I shouldn't. I was better than when I was younger but still made my mother and my Nanny sigh quite a bit,"

As figuring out what's meant to said and what's not when you can hear everything is tricky.

And watching your own mental processes so you don't let something slip is like trying to grab weasels made of water with your hands and nothing else.

"Mostly I try and stay quiet and stick to yes or no answers."

There, he's feeling better but still has those shields up and is paying attention to them and his own emotional state. Though to be fair, there is the feeling of 'yeah, been there, found myself chewing on my own foot up to the kneecap'.

He's got a lot of people and secrets to protect...

"Uhm...this is...shoot." How is that shield? He can sorta trust him to tell him how it's going? Uncle Ray's headblind. There's cheese out there with more psychic ability than him.

"I've found that can be a good plan, but Milliways seem to make even those confusing. There are various timelines intersecting here and you never know who might know what,"

It makes life rather challenging and he's trying to provide an opening for Tyler. He really wants to help with those shields, they work but are rather clumsy.

"Timelines, realities, entirely different worlds where things just didn't go the same way at all, but still have echos." Tyler supplies. "It..uhm. It gets really, really weird. And I know a lot about weird."

"...uhm. What're you hearing right now?"

...It's hard shielding and juggling the thoughts behind the shoddy shielding, and he doesn't wanna break out the earworms on Charles cause he's a nice guy and...

Drop it like it's hot
Drop it like it's hot
Drop it like it's hot
When the pigs try to get at ya
Park it like it's hot
Park it like it's hot
Park it like it's hot-

Oh well BISCUITS.

"I'm very, very, VERY sorry."

Charles raises an eyebrow and as its clear Tyler knows he's a telepath best to go forward.

Though he winces at the song and rests his hand against his temple,

"Would you like help with your shields?"

"Yes."

Once he's done burying himself in guilt because oh good god that was bad. Like, puppy that knows he made a mess on the good rug ashamed.

"Please?"

He didn't mean to cause the guilt and smiles once he's gotten the song out of his head,

"You've got the basic idea which is usually the hardest part. I think you just need more practice and perhaps to find something a little more fluid. It takes time to find the right way to conceive of them for you. My first shields looked like castle walls and now they can be walls but also rather like water or a window."

"You mean they're transparent? See-through?"

Tyler tilts his head, because what he'd like is for some things to stay very, very secret. They're promises he doesn't want to accidentally break.

"It's more for you and that probably is something that only matters more when you're a telepath like me. It's a way that I can look out without making myself too open. It sounds like that's something you don't want to worry about. Shields should be connected to an image or a idea that makes you feel safe and protected while also being something that's easy for you to put into place. If you'd like, I can try and project for you what my shields look like and how they work,"

Tyler doesn't seem to be psychic so this will be a little trickier than it was with Sallie but not impossible.

He's not that psychic, he got a rather full test on his abilities at the start of school.

"Will it be like a lesson?"

"Yes, but one that we work together to construct. I don't know what you know or what might work best for you. So we'll try to see what makes the most sense for you and figure out how you can have shields that are comfortable and effective for you. We don't have to do anything right now instead we can try to create a plan of what will work for you. As this kind of shielding is difficult and complex, it would probably be best to actually practice them in a more private place so you feel safe,"

Shielding for Charles always comes back to feeling safe inside your head and that's why it needs to be slightly different for everyone.

It all depends on where you feel safe, doesn't it?

"You gonna be around tomorrow, or for a while?"

...some part of him is definitely doing the 'eeeelssonbyCharlesXaviereeeeee' quietly in the background.

"Yes, my door is fairly stable and I like getting an extra hour or two here. So I can be here whenever you need me,"

Which is the general idea and if this is where Tyler feels comfortable, this is where they'll meet.

"I don't have a door home for now, so I'm pretty much here all the time, and looking for stuff to do." Tyler nods. "Is it okay if we try the shield practice after I finish up my next set of work for sword practice?"

After a few years, he's found that doing thinky stuff during/after the sword practice is easier.

"Of course, whenever works best for you," Tyler knows his mind best.

"My room's number 238, and I'll try and be ready to start this evening if you'd like."

"Then I'll be here and we'll get you on the way to some better shields."

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