[telepathic broadcast? See notes ; open]

[xprofessor]

[ This broadcast can be heard telepathically pretty much anywhere in the city. The farther away it is from the tip of the Jungle, the weaker it is. IMPORTANT: Info on the extent of Charles' abilities/permissions can be found HEREIf you would not like your character to perceive this broadcast, then they will not

Comments

[myheartglows]

[Close to the tip of the Jungle, in the CGM, Tony raises his head from his paints, looks around, and says aloud--]

Hello?

[Otherwise, his mind is blank.]

[xprofessor]

/Hello.../

[He slips in with friendliness and reassurance. But it's too easy to sink all the way to the bottom of that emptiness, and he's not even sure this man could feel it. There's something numb about his thoughts. Anesthetized.]

[myheartglows]

[He looks to his phone, on the side table by the chair he sits in with it. The voice doesn't come from there. His brow knits.]

Why would I want to fight?

[It's asked like there was no reason to tell him not to, but if Charles tells him a reason he would want to fight, then he might think that, too.]

[xprofessor]

/I was trying to tell someone else. I'm sorry for disturbing you./

[myheartglows]

[A nod, serene and calm. He reaches for the black paint. The picture needs more.]

Fighting hurts people...

[xprofessor]

/So it does./

[He's drifting through Tony's mind, now, checking for the pockmarks and scars of a lived-in brain. And he's finding them. Bright emotional centers of pain and conflict and what he's pretty sure is sex.

He is trying not to trigger these emotions. Doesn't mean he's successful.]

[myheartglows]

[It happens like an explosion, once Charles touches a certain part--hot and sudden in the serenity. Gold eyes in a dark face and cigarette smoke, a choking feeling. Low, smooth laughter.

[The black paint spills across the page. Tony stares down at it, his hand empty, with something akin to horror. Then, a real thought, kept to himself, whispered in his head--]

/I feel broken./

[talentd_tongue]

Tony?

[Her voice has the slightest hard edge to it. Uhura has been watching Tony talk to the air, looking around, hand on her weapon. Now he looks aghast and scared and like he's feeling things he should not be able to feel, and because of it Uhura's mind is completely focused on him. Concern, a protective instinct, guilt, responsibility, affection, confusion.]

What's wrong? Who are you talking to?

/Oh, God, please no. Not again. Don't let him hurt any more. Please./

[xprofessor]

[ Oh dear, well *that* wasn't supposed to happen. He shuts that part of Tony's brain down, ties it off with a little knot (easily undone, but just to make sure it isn't accidentally triggered again.

He brushes against centers of happiness, of love, just enough to light them up a bit -- not violently.

And then he shifts to Uhura, and finds what Tony is and what she is. ]

/He'll be all right./

[myheartglows]

[Tony's face falls into blankness, and then back into calm, like nothing happened. He thinks of Delta, but looks to Uhura.]

I don't know his name. He's not here. [He looks down.] I spilled the paint...

[talentd_tongue]

It's all right, Tony. I'll clean it up.

[Uhura's not sure how she feels about this. Tony doesn't look bad any more, but that doesn't mean she can just forget the expression on his face from before.]

/Are you in his head like this? Leave him alone. If you don't leave him alone I will find you and I will make you wish you had, I promise you that. Get out or I will find you and shoot you in the head./

[She's not actually angry at Charles - she doesn't know him well enough to have a problem with him. He's potentially hurting Tony, though, and she does have a problem with that. Personal feelings aside, she'll shoot him before she lets him harm Tony. She won't enjoy it, but she'll do it.]

[xprofessor]

/I did him no harm. Your protectiveness does you credit, but he simply took me off guard.

Now, I'm a bit busy.

Good-bye, Lieutenant./

[myheartglows]

[He nods; just goes about clearing the area like they do at the end of any activity. They need to clean it up, so he'll do his part.]

[talentd_tongue]

[Uhura is still prickling at having someone just so suddenly in her mind, but at least he's gone now, and he seems to have left Tony's mind, as well.

She moves to Tony's side, just wanting the reassurance of being close to him, and helps him to clean up the spilled paint.]