It wasn't often one could go to the Carnival. Charles, being a student of human anatomy and a doctor to boot, he couldn't turn down the chance.
Though so far, he has been less than impressed, he's explaining to a young lady that the so called creature from another world in a jar they have there is nothing more than a mutated pig fetus.
Re: Dr. Xavier :)bprd_fishmanJune 2 2012, 13:06:27 UTC
[Abe waits in in his tank, listening to the barker's banter. He's got this down to a proper act. Even if he doesn't enjoy the freak show routine he does have his pride in a job well done. Yes, yes, missing link, found frozen in the Arctic, etc.
The curtain raises and Abe stays motionless. There's that moment as the audience tries to puzzle out what they're looking at before he twists and slams his hand against the glass, making the children shriek with gleeful fear. He shifts from side to side in the murky water, swaying like a charmed snake. Abe never wanted to be fearsome, but it seems that people enjoy him being a little scary. Humans are strange.]
And I suppose you're going to tell me that's fake as well? [The young lady whispers to Charles, staring at the tank before leaving with a shiver.
Charles on the other hand is fascinated, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. No, this person was real. He'd never seen anyone quite like Abe and, while the barker was going on about where Abe might have come from, Charles was unobtrusively reaching out with his telepathy to see if he could read the creature's mind.]
[Abe's head jerks to the right, staring at the young man at the front of the crowd. It's like a bright spotlight in the midst of a sea of dim candles. There's something different about this one. Abe presses his webbed fingers against the glass, looking deep into the young man's eyes as he ignores the rest of the gawkers. It's like a tingle in the back of his brain, different from that odd clairvoyance he's hidden from the carnival men lest they take advantage of more than his freakish form. This is something quite new.]
[He's never heard a mind like this before, it almost latches onto his own like a magnet. Charles is not easily amazed, his jaw about hitting the ground for a moment or two. When he's managed to recover his wits, he puts two fingers to the side of his head, stepping back behind a few people so Abe can still see him but the barker cannot.]
Incredible. Hello, you can hear me? My name's Charles Xavier.
[There's a laugh from Abe's mind, and he almost forgets to keep up the act as the barker continues to speak of the long, dangerous procedure of his capture. The fishman's mental voice is an excited rush of thoughts.]
[Yes, yes I can! My name is Abraham Sapien. Your mind is like mine, isn't it? [His fingers scrabble at the walls of the tank, desperate for companionship.] Please don't be frightened. I'm really not what he's saying.
[The front row is getting restless, one of the women pointing and saying it's trying to get out but the barker reassures them that no such thing would happen. Even if he looks a little worried because Abe is breaking the routine and ad libbing.
Charles was far from afraid. Ecstatic, curious, yes.] Yes, I'm a telepath. I can hear the thoughts of others. You're a person...they shouldn't have you in there. Not like this.
Calm yourself, you'll give yourself away. We can talk later.
[He can see the barker looking around for anything abnormal in the crowd, dog whistle or whatnot. He makes like he was just rubbing an itch on his forehead and puts his hands back in his pockets, biding his time.]
[Yes sir, extremely dangerous, but don't worry, folks. We've got him under strong lock and key. The barker's fingers tap on the back of the tank but Abe's not paying attention]
They do pay me, but not much. Every thought, were you always like this?
[The tapping gets more forceful and Abe looks up. He's almost missed his cue.]
Pardon me, I've got to jump out of the tank now.[The lock looks secure, but it's been modified to come off under the slightest pressure. Abe braces his feet against the bottom of the tank and shoves the lid back, launching himself upward and spraying the closest gawkers with dirty water. He hiss at the shrieking crowd, reaching out for them with his long freakish fingers, and seems on the verge of climbing out entirely. Fortunately the barker is there to beat him down with his cane, stunning the monster long enough to shove him back into the tank and lock the lid firmly
( ... )
Charles....Charles is appalled at it. He doesn't interfere but the disapproval is plain on his face as the barker beats Abe back into his corner. This was how mutants were treated? It was only fueling the disillusion that they were all dangerous and should be feared.]
I'll be there. I promise. [And the doctor fades back into the crowd before anyone can notice him.]
[The crowd is ferried along to the next attraction. The barker smacks the tank with his cane as he goes, a reminder for Abe to be more attentive to his role with the subsequent bunch of suckers. Once the curtain is draped back over him Abe lets himself relax into the corner of the tank. A fellow mind, an understanding mind...how glorious!]
Thank you.
[When the carnival closes for the evening the tank is opened so Abe can get a bite to eat. It's mostly bread, lettuce, and rotten eggs, the latter being not as bad as it sounds. He loves rotten eggs. Once he's left alone, Abe creeps past the wagons and out into the scraggly bushes around the camp, trying to make his thoughts a blaring beacon for the other psychic.]
I'm here, I'm over here, come and find me, I'm here! Please be here. I need you.
[Charles returns to his hotel room for the night, the one he's sharing with his sister, who's traveling with him. She's a mutant like himself, but till that moment, he hadn't met anyone else with such singular abilities.
When night comes, he takes his medical bag, along with a sandwich from supper in his pocket, and walks out towards the carnival grounds. It's quiet enough, he can move around undetected. Anyone who gets close enough to see him forgets he was ever there.
He catches the projected thoughts easily, smiling in the dark.]
I can hear you, no need to shout. [He works his way towards the right clump of bushes, stopping when he sees the fish man standing there.]
Well, hello. [Charles says with a smile, his light Oxford accent giving away his higher education.]
Hello, Charles. [Rather than the raw hiss he'd given the crowd, Abe's voice sound mild and erudite. He was obviously educated before he was reduced to a freak show display. While he's not smiling, his body language screams excitement.] How are you able to do this? I had thought my abilities were simply another aspect of my...grotesque nature.
[Abe gestures towards his body. In the tank he was...well, not wearing much of anything at all, a pair of short pants to maintain modesty. In an attempt at dignity he stole a shirt on the way out, though the sleeves don't cover his thin limbs beyond the forearm.]
[His smile broadens, delighted to hear him speak so eloquently. And why not? One's appearance didn't dictate how you spoke. Sensing his excitement, Charles tries to proceed as calmly as he can, but he's just as excited about all of this.]
It's a curious thing, I had developed it at a young age but I have never met another like myself. [He looks him up and down, making a few mental notes on what he might have evolved from.] You are really quite amazing, I have to say. Where are you from, really? [He didn't believe that spiel from the owner one bit]
I...I'm not sure. [His hands move as he speaks, toying with the ill-fitting shirt or describing abstract shapes in the air. He can't seem to keep them still.] I was found in a water-filled tube in the basement of an abandoned hospital in New Jersey. The word 'icthyo sapien' was inscribed on a plaque at the bottom, but there was no information on my potential origins. I had no memory of what had happened before I was discovered and awoken. I was taken in by a scientist named Professor Brutenholm, and he provided for me during the...few short years that I knew him.
[His voice drops for the last part of his statement. The professor was the only one who had treated him as a proper human being, as if he were no different from the rest. Abe had grown to accept that no one else ever would. He shakes his head, shrugging off the passing grief.]
After that I took up with the carnival. It seemed the only place I could find employment.
Incredible... [Charles runs a hand through his hair, this whole thing was just mind blowing. The scientific implications alone...]
[His amazement fades to sympathy at the professor's passing. Charles will have to look him up if he should ever find a proper library out here in the west (which wasn't likely).]
Employment is a loose term, I should say. [He hadn't forgotten the beating from before. Charles sets his bag down before taking a step or two closer.] Are you injured in any way? I'm a doctor, you see. Medical and one of science.
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Though so far, he has been less than impressed, he's explaining to a young lady that the so called creature from another world in a jar they have there is nothing more than a mutated pig fetus.
Reply
The curtain raises and Abe stays motionless. There's that moment as the audience tries to puzzle out what they're looking at before he twists and slams his hand against the glass, making the children shriek with gleeful fear. He shifts from side to side in the murky water, swaying like a charmed snake. Abe never wanted to be fearsome, but it seems that people enjoy him being a little scary. Humans are strange.]
Reply
Charles on the other hand is fascinated, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. No, this person was real. He'd never seen anyone quite like Abe and, while the barker was going on about where Abe might have come from, Charles was unobtrusively reaching out with his telepathy to see if he could read the creature's mind.]
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I...feel you, yes. What are you?
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Incredible. Hello, you can hear me? My name's Charles Xavier.
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[Yes, yes I can! My name is Abraham Sapien. Your mind is like mine, isn't it? [His fingers scrabble at the walls of the tank, desperate for companionship.] Please don't be frightened. I'm really not what he's saying.
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Charles was far from afraid. Ecstatic, curious, yes.] Yes, I'm a telepath. I can hear the thoughts of others. You're a person...they shouldn't have you in there. Not like this.
Calm yourself, you'll give yourself away. We can talk later.
[He can see the barker looking around for anything abnormal in the crowd, dog whistle or whatnot. He makes like he was just rubbing an itch on his forehead and puts his hands back in his pockets, biding his time.]
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They do pay me, but not much. Every thought, were you always like this?
[The tapping gets more forceful and Abe looks up. He's almost missed his cue.]
Pardon me, I've got to jump out of the tank now.[The lock looks secure, but it's been modified to come off under the slightest pressure. Abe braces his feet against the bottom of the tank and shoves the lid back, launching himself upward and spraying the closest gawkers with dirty water. He hiss at the shrieking crowd, reaching out for them with his long freakish fingers, and seems on the verge of climbing out entirely. Fortunately the barker is there to beat him down with his cane, stunning the monster long enough to shove him back into the tank and lock the lid firmly ( ... )
Reply
Charles....Charles is appalled at it. He doesn't interfere but the disapproval is plain on his face as the barker beats Abe back into his corner. This was how mutants were treated? It was only fueling the disillusion that they were all dangerous and should be feared.]
I'll be there. I promise. [And the doctor fades back into the crowd before anyone can notice him.]
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Thank you.
[When the carnival closes for the evening the tank is opened so Abe can get a bite to eat. It's mostly bread, lettuce, and rotten eggs, the latter being not as bad as it sounds. He loves rotten eggs. Once he's left alone, Abe creeps past the wagons and out into the scraggly bushes around the camp, trying to make his thoughts a blaring beacon for the other psychic.]
I'm here, I'm over here, come and find me, I'm here! Please be here. I need you.
Reply
When night comes, he takes his medical bag, along with a sandwich from supper in his pocket, and walks out towards the carnival grounds. It's quiet enough, he can move around undetected. Anyone who gets close enough to see him forgets he was ever there.
He catches the projected thoughts easily, smiling in the dark.]
I can hear you, no need to shout. [He works his way towards the right clump of bushes, stopping when he sees the fish man standing there.]
Well, hello. [Charles says with a smile, his light Oxford accent giving away his higher education.]
Reply
[Abe gestures towards his body. In the tank he was...well, not wearing much of anything at all, a pair of short pants to maintain modesty. In an attempt at dignity he stole a shirt on the way out, though the sleeves don't cover his thin limbs beyond the forearm.]
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It's a curious thing, I had developed it at a young age but I have never met another like myself. [He looks him up and down, making a few mental notes on what he might have evolved from.] You are really quite amazing, I have to say. Where are you from, really? [He didn't believe that spiel from the owner one bit]
Reply
[His voice drops for the last part of his statement. The professor was the only one who had treated him as a proper human being, as if he were no different from the rest. Abe had grown to accept that no one else ever would. He shakes his head, shrugging off the passing grief.]
After that I took up with the carnival. It seemed the only place I could find employment.
Reply
[His amazement fades to sympathy at the professor's passing. Charles will have to look him up if he should ever find a proper library out here in the west (which wasn't likely).]
Employment is a loose term, I should say. [He hadn't forgotten the beating from before. Charles sets his bag down before taking a step or two closer.] Are you injured in any way? I'm a doctor, you see. Medical and one of science.
Reply
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