<<< New Stuff and Old Friends, [Eldan]

[Koen Taylor]

Date: January 25
Time: Late Afternoon

---

Today was a good day. So it was a bit cold and cloudy. Taylor much preferred the cold of winter to the summer heat. One could always add layers to compensate for low temperatures, however cold. What happens when it hits 90 degrees? You walk around in shorts and a t-shirt, and get all sweaty anyways.

Today wasn’t that cold though, considering it was near the end of January, it was considerably warmer less cold today than it had been in weeks. Taylor had thought it was warm enough to just go out in a good hoodie, and it worked too. Until the wind blew and made the 40 degree air feel like it was 20. That was when Taylor felt like the weather people lied to them on purpose, purely for their own amusement.

That was why he was now carefully avoiding the shade as he walked down the always crowded Manhattan street. He’d come out here for a single purpose, and that was to collect the parts for his first little technological creations. Taylor wasn’t quite prepared to go out and build a Japanese style mech or anything, but he had a few ideas for satchel sized trinkets.

The crowd thinned some when he left the more central parts of Manhattan, but he still had to weave through the crowd to keep up his swift pace. In and out, Taylor collected the various bits and pieces he needed from wherever he could find them.

A backpack full of the stuff he needed, and a plastic bag in his hand full of the stuff he wanted (he had succumbed to the “I MUST HAVE IT NAO” feeling too easily today). Taylor paused for a moment, decided that he didn’t really want or need anything else, and headed back towards the train station. Once he got back to the annoyingly bright Murderworld, the cyberpath would once again lock himself in his room for a few hours of assembling the bits and pieces he’d gathered.

[Eldan]

Not so long ago, he’d taken it into his mind that being less blatant about being different was for the best. Drawing attention to being a mutant wasn’t the brightest idea anymore, well at least outside of the tunnels and mutant town. Outside of designated ‘safe places’ he tended to tone it down a bit if he wasn’t going about in wraith form and blatantly breaking the rules. So, the cloak was gone. There were other ways to cover up from the sun, particularly in the winter. A jacket, a scarf, sunglasses, a hat, gloves, piled on over some faded jeans, a t-shirt, a hoodie, and his old black boots. And somehow he was still chilly. He just felt the cold easily, no matter how much layers he wore.

Still, the weather could hardly be complained about currently, except for the slush that came with frozen stuff melting. But that wasn't really a problem as long as there were adequate footwear, and none of the Morlocks went without when it came to things like that at this time of the year. If they thought they could then they would have Eldan lecturing them. They did have a healer now but that didn't mean they could go and get sick over stupid things without hearing it. And oh would they hear it.

El had technically been the second in charge when Callisto had last been with the Morlocks. So he was supposedly in charge by default since she wasn't there if one went by that. That wasn't really the case, perhaps, though enough of the newer 'locks looked to him so it might as well be. There weren't any official decisions about it, but it was past time to address the issue.

If something happened, there had to be a definite leader or leaders in charge so things could be dealt with in an efficient and timely manner. Or whatever. He was pretty much trying to figure out how to bring up the problem to the others. If it really was a problem. It should still be discussed... Did anyone know where Callisto was, or at least where she’d last been? Had anyone looked into it, because it was past time to look into it. Sure, she could take care of herself, but it didn’t mean she couldn’t get in over her head. What if she needed help…

So, yeah. He’d come out of the tunnels today for one reason. To think, without what could be lengthy distractions from his fellow ‘locks. Wandering aimlessly, but as if he had a destination in mind, he hadn’t much luck in the way of figuring things out. However he brought up the question of leadership, and of Callisto, someone was going to be a dumbass about it. He’d just have to spread word that there was going to be a meeting, and perhaps let someone else start things. He didn’t want it to look like he was trying to take over or whatever. He just wanted things a little more stable until she came back. If she came back.

But anyway, lost in thought as he was, he almost entirely missed recognizing the young man walking in the other direction. Several paces after passing him, he stopped and turned. Was that- seriously- “Taylor?” he questioned in surprise, hardly loud enough to be heard on the city street, before his mind caught up with the situation. How long had it been? A year, it was more than a year now. A lifetime ago, before he’d come across the Morlocks, before the Apocalypse, before Marcus, before his entire life had taken a strange and confusing twist. It was something of a shock to the system - the idea that Taylor was still alive and well after all that had happened in the past year or so. So for a few moments he just stood there, before realizing that he’d lost sight of his old friend.

Shit. Eldan was tempted to cheat and ‘shift into his wraith form, but there wasn‘t really somewhere to slip off to vanish and he didn‘t want to draw people‘s attention to his abilities. Like mentioned earlier, blatantly showing off his powers was probably not the best idea. It wasn’t like he used them for legal activities. People searching for him, specifically, wasn’t in his plans. Instead, he walked quickly in the direction that Tay had gone, trying to use his height to his advantage in finding his friend. “Taylor?” he repeated, deciding he’d be pretty damn frustrated if he ran into his old friend finally and then immediately lost track of him- until he found him again, he wasn’t really going to be able to focus on anything else. Dammit, where are you?

[Koen Taylor]

Taylor was already half through building a little scrambling device in his head when he heard his name. For an instant, he was on the defensive, immediately recalling the alleys and possible getaways should anybody be referring to him. He didn’t think any law officials knew of him (he’d had a single run-in with SHIELD, and most of those who were present are probably still brain-dead) or the new… friends he’d made. But SHIELD was pretty good at collecting information, from what he knew. He suddenly wished he’d bought a bigger back pack. That would make the rapid climbing of fences much more rapid, and free up his hands (unless it was ABSOLUTELY necessary, he wasn’t about to relinquish his newly acquired toys) in case he needed to properly fend off some unsuspecting officer.

The fear of possible arrest lasted only a fraction of an instant until Taylor recognized the voice calling him. That was what put a stutter in his step. That was what shifted him from what was going to be a calm and slick escape artist, to a 19 year old teen who’d been caught with the bits and pieces of soon-to-be devices to aid his terrorist activities by his best friend who not only was unaware of said terrorist activities, but hadn’t seen hide nor tail of the cyberpath in something like a year and a half. The best friend who was likely (read: almost certainly) going to ask a lot of questions. Questions that Taylor would have been able to answer was he not currently in a state similar to a deer caught in headlights.

He glanced back for the briefest of brief seconds, and positioned himself so that some random woman was between them, and kept walking for a few seconds. He had no idea what he was supposed to do. Either he could talk to Eldan and hope he doesn’t ask where Taylor had been (Taylor had not yet decided whether or not he’d tell the truth when that bit came up), or he could try to slip away and not talk to one of the very few people he’d actually wanted to talk to in some odd months.

Taylor took two steps and turned, putting on his very best curious and surprised look.

“Eldan?”

A genuine smile split Taylor’s face as he caught a proper glimpse of his friend and turned back to meet him. He was happy to see his friend again. Extremely happy. Now that he could really see Eldan, he realized that he hadn’t really expected to see Eldan again. He hadn’t been able to summon the nerves (or find the opportunity) to look for him while the Brotherhood was at the Institute. And other than that instance, they generally stayed away from the Institute. It was only now that he realized how incredibly relieved he was now that he knew for a fact that Eldan was indeed alive, in one piece, and hopefully without any additional mental scars. That might have been why Taylor, instead of acting as Taylor normally does, broke into an almost jog and hugged Eldan, even standing on the tips of his toes to do so.

“Eldan! It’s been forevah and evah!”

No, he hadn't forgotten why he'd been so stressed a few seconds ago. But at the moment, it was much more important to hang out with the prodigal friend (the fact that it was he who vanished first was not factored into Taylor's thoughts at the moment). The sudden rush of happy had buried the stress quite efficiently.

[Eldan]

His efforts to find his friend seemed to be in vain. Had it really been Taylor? It'd only been a glimpse, and he hadn't really been paying attention. Eldan began second guessing himself. What were the chances... He stopped mid-stride and sighed. The hell. He'd thought he'd gotten over this. Wishful thinking, that’s all it was.

“Eldan?”

In moments his shaded eyes zeroed in on the speaker. It was him. Now that he'd gotten his attention, he didn't know what to say. There weren't really words for the relief he was experiencing. For his friend's well-being, and the smile brightening the young man's face at the sight of him. It was almost painful. Could he even admit how worried he'd been? He stood stock-still as Taylor approached, startled when his friend didn't stop. El almost lost his balance when he was hugged. He was just stunned.

"Yeah.. its been a long time," he agreed, awkwardly trying to hug Taylor despite the backpack in the way. Of course he didn’t put any thought into what his friend was carrying, other than the fact that it was in the way. He held his friend a little too tight, possibly, before realizing and loosening his grip on him. A little embarrassed. “…way too long. You've.. been alright?" he asked, having to make sure that things hadn't gone to shit for his friend in the time they'd been apart.

It was strange. Eldan just couldn’t bring himself to put more than a few words together in his mind. What to say. What to do. He probably should let go. It just didn’t seem real. He was awake, wasn’t he? … there probably wouldn’t have been anyone else on the street after he’d forgotten them, if that was the case. Instead, people had to navigate around the two standing somewhere near the middle of the side-walk. He had to regain some sense instead of acting like a dazed fool.

The dark haired mutant released his friend and took a step back to look Taylor over- if someone had harmed him in any way since their last meeting, they would so be meeting their maker if Eldan found out- and order his scattered thoughts. “I’m not keeping you from anything, am I?” he asked, hoping that wasn’t the case, and letting it color his voice. Because now that he’d found his friend again, there was no way that he was going to lose track of him again if he had any say in the matter. There was so much he had to tell him. So little of it was believable. He hoped that things had been calmer for his friend…

[Koen Taylor]

Taylor hugged a little bit tighter for a moment before releasing Eldan and stepping out of the wraith’s bubble. His feet were planted on the ground, but he still felt like he was bouncing out of his skin. Maybe in a couple hours, once they parted ways, Taylor would realize how stupid the grin he was wearing must have looked. At the moment, he couldn’t seem to remove it. It was as though any manner of negativity had been banished from the world for the time being. He was not a soldier waging war against the rest of humanity. Instead, he was just a teenaged mutant, and now he was hanging out with one of the very few friends he’d managed to make.

He waved off Eldan’s questions. “I’m fine. I was about to head back, but I don’t have anything waiting on me, so all’s well.”

The gears in the back of Taylor’s mind still hadn’t decided whether or not Eldan would get full disclosure on his most recent ventures, but he was quite sure that now was not the time to be dropping bombs. He could tell Eldan some other time. Hopefully some time before his face joined his peers’ on the news.

“What about you?” Taylor had settled a bit now, and that allowed his mind to break away from the constant loop of ‘zomg its Eldan’, and take in other facts. Like the missing cloak. “Found a socially acceptable way to keep the sun off, I see.” Taylor was glad the cloak had been ditched. It was probably for the best, too. Walking about in the middle of the day with a thick hooded cloak did nothing if not draw (usually unwanted) attention. The layers reminded Taylor of a overprotective mom’s attempt at shielding her child from winter cold, but at least people wouldn’t gawk.

[Eldan]

Eldan smiled. There was still more than a little disbelief coloring his world at the moment, but it was a good sort. It was good to be pleasantly surprised for once. "That's good to hear." And it was, very good to know that Taylor was doing well. To know that at least one of his friends hadn't completely fallen apart this past year. Faye seemed to have improved in the last months, but he wasn't quite sure how to deal with him anymore. It was like he'd break or something.. And Eldan was pleased that they would have some time to hang out now that they've finally run across each other again.

"I've been doing alright. Mostly. Its been a strange year. And... the whole 'end of the world' situation wasn't the half of it.." he said with a short laugh. Giant. Roach. Monsters. Enough said. "I can't even think of where to start.. though this isn't probably the best place, come to think of it..." They were so blocking half the sidewalk. Haha.

A socially acceptable way of keeping the sun off? "Yeah. And keeping warm, too. I'm thinking that come summer... I'm not going to bother. If I need to do anything, it can happen at night," he said with a shrug.

It was past the time when he would shape his life to suit others. He wasn't going to lose sleep or get a damn sunburn. If he was meant to mess about in day, his mutation wouldn't cause him agony during the day. And if anyone had a problem with it... like he cared. With the exception of maybe two or three people, but for the most part, they wouldn't have an issue.

[Koen Taylor]

Taylor was aware of his and Eldan's likely annoying placement in the sidewalk, but that was in the rational part of his mind. The one that was currently waaay in the back, stuffed into a box.

A starbucks across the street caught his eye, and he immediately wanted java and something with caramel in it. He hasn't had much in the way of sweets for months. Not becuse he couldn't have, but he'd been training like all hell to be sure he'd be useful to Magneto's cause. Trimming the body fat worked well for Taylor's physical abilities. The id in the back of his mind was now far more powerful than it should ever be, for anybody. It currently said "STARBUCKS NAO", and Taylor was powerless to deny its demands.

"D'you like Starbucks?"

It'd be a nice, quiet place for them to catch up, and perhaps for Taylor to bring himself off of the stupid happy high that had taken control of his face and brain.

Taylor remembered that Eldan was a bit older than him. That meant he'd graduated from the institute, didn't he? Did that mean he was still staying there? Had he become an X-Man, or was he living on his own? Taylor hoped dearly that Eldan wasn't an X-Man. It wouldn't help him at all for the Brotherhood to find out that his best friend was allied with the group of mutants directly opposed to them.

"So where are you these days?" Taylor kept the returning worry out of his voice expertly, his face absent of any grief.

[Eldan]

The fact that they were annoying passerby wasn't the only reason that their spot was less than ideal for discussing what had gone on the past.. year or so. It was more along the lines that he really didn't want anyone overhearing their conversation. And not just because he was a private person. For one thing… how could he discuss the 'locks without giving them away? And, truthfully, did he want to involve any of his friends outside with them, more than he has already? The last time the two worlds had met, it hadn't gone well, though it probably should have been expected..

The question took him by surprise. "Starbucks? Um... yes?" There were flavored coffees and such there, right? He didn't really pay attention to the names of those kinds of places. Any kinda caffeine sounded good to him right about then, considering that what was late afternoon to most was usually morning to him.. Pacing around the city first thing in the 'morning' had managed to wake him up mostly, but caffeine would be more than welcome. Glancing in the direction Taylor had been looking when he'd asked, he realized why the question had been asked.

Where? Technically, he was mostly beneath the city, but generally… “I live around here. Not here here, of course… but mostly in the city. I think since, a year and a half ago?” He shrugged. It wasn’t important exactly how long ago it was, other than that it had been around the same time that he’d last seen Taylor. Give or take a month. He’d never meant to stay at the institute as long as he had, just that one summer after he’d lost… everything. Though he probably should have at least tried to get some kind of education while he’d been there… that hadn’t been a choice since his mind wasn’t his own at the time. Telepaths. Not his favorite type of mutant to deal with..

“I’ve been just… staying with some friends. Well. Some of them are friends. The others, well, they’re mostly tolerable. The strangest things happen at their place..” A grin. They were Morlocks. It meant something, for him. Somewhere to belong, for one thing. To protect. Where he was needed. Just what he needed, really. Regular society was too distant, strange, and … too human for his taste. “What about you?” he asked in turn, just a little curious as to where his friend had been all this time. How he’d handled the apocalypse and its aftermath. What he thought about, well, everything. There was likely as much to ask as there was things he wanted to tell the technopath. Though right now his mind kept on coming back to one important fact. Taylor really was alright. He’d been worried sick, when he let himself think about him at least. He really was alright.

[Koen Taylor]

The instant Eldan answered his question, Taylor took a step towards the curb. The java was calling him with the allure of a thousand sirens.

“We should go grab something then. I got it.”

When the light turned in their favor (a bit sooner than normal, but that’s neither here nor there), Taylor started to cross, glad that Eldan was doing well. It amused him, how similar their situations sounded. Except that Taylor really didn’t have any friends within the Brotherhood. He hadn’t really bothered to try, and there were few among them that seemed like they’d be very receptive to the techy-kid randomly talking to them. There were some that didn’t scare the shit out of him. Did they count? There wasn’t anybody that Taylor found absolutely intolerable, but some came pretty damn close.

He didn’t skip a beat at Eldan’s question, and he answered as he entered the coffee shop, holding the door behind him for his friend.

“Actually, it sounds like I’m in very much the same way. I live pretty close to Coney Island, with some co-workers.” That sounded accurate. Glaze over the surface, and reveal details that were harmless, without the filler. Heading of a few future questions, Taylor continued. “We do a lot of mutant-rights work and most of it’s pretty radical. So obviously, most people aren’t our biggest fans. I bet there’re a lot of people waiting to see our heads on a pike.” Taylor shrugged. He had no delusions that the Brotherhood hadn’t painted a target on itself, but he was also confident. They would survive, and they would win. They had no other option, really.

Taylor tried to think of any other questions Eldan might ask. Now that he’d opened his mouth, he suddenly wished he hadn’t said anything, but it was too late to snatch the words out of the air and keep his lips a bit tighter than before.

[Eldan]

"So long as they only want to and you stay out of their reach," Eldan replied, serious but not in a lecturing way at all. He knew that Taylor knew better. Or at least, he trusted that he did, which was another thing altogether, but it meant the same- that he wouldn't press the issue. Which was why he wasn't going to ask a zillion questions about this mutant-rights job Taylor mentioned or the co-workers or.. well, you get the picture. Even though. He sort've wanted to ask, and he might've, but he had a feeling that Taylor didn't want to talk about work. A hint from the set of his shoulders or his expression, whatever it was, Eldan hearkened. Now, he wasn't pleased that his friend was, as it sounded, making something of a target of himself, but it'd be hypocritical if Eldan said anything about it. He didn't just put himself in danger from time to time; he flung himself into it, if it wouldn't bring it down on the rest of the 'locks..

Following a step behind and a little to the right of his friend as they headed toward the coffee shop, Eldan came to the conclusion that though there was plenty that he wanted to discuss with Taylor, Starbucks really wasn't the right place to talk about most of it. Even if that wasn't the case... where to start? He shook his head and muttered a thanks to Tay for opening the door for him. What? He was brought up to be polite, if nothing else.

Well, that was something. It seemed that the other mutant was a little less careful about what he said amongst humans, or would it be 'less paranoid..' Then again, it seemed that most of the people around them were quite more intent on getting their caffeine fix than eavesdropping on two random guys. Which was as it should be, really. He couldn't stand overly nosy people.

Waiting in line, he felt a little stifled as bundled up as he was. At least he could unbutton the jacket, and loosen the scarf, but there was too much light coming in to rid himself of them. Ah well. He was used to it, mostly. To distract his mind from the clutter that was attempting to distract him, he looked at the menu while waiting. That… was a lot of different types of coffee. Unfortunately, he didn’t like most hot coffees. Iced mochas and that sorta thing was more his thing, even in the depths of winter… when it was pretty stupid to have a frappuccino.

Open mouth, hesitate, think, pause, shut mouth, and make up your damn mind. Say something already. At least no one can see.. “… so. Do you want to hear the craziness that I’ve been through since we’ve last talked? Monsters, mayhem, mutants, and … okay, I’ve run out of ‘M’s. Some of it was boring, but we can skip those parts.”

[Koen Taylor]

“Oh no, we’re got stayin’ low down to an art.” Taylor reassured Eldan, then moved on.

Taylor took a glance around the busy coffee shop. He had no worries in such a setting. If nothing else was true about New York, it was that the general passersby gave not a shit about you. For the normal person, the conversations around them would have woven together into a general buzzing. An incoherent mixture of random voices. Taylor was able to separate and make sense to the chaos, however. And he could tell that everybody was minding their own business. Most people seemed to have a hard time conversing and paying close attention to something else at the same time. So he listened for awkward pauses in conversation, and glanced at the conversationalists when one was detected to be sure there was no eavesdropping.

Approaching the counter, Taylor hardly glanced at the menu before ordering. He'd seen it once, that was enough. He didn’t want anything too complex anyways. Just wonderful. “Just coffee with lots of milk and sugar.” A hand-sized cookie caught his eye. “And a cookie.”

Taylor stepped to the side, to offer Eldan a proper look. “Your turn.” He had promised he’d pay. And it wasn’t like, as a cyberpath, he was strapped for cash at any point. Before anything else, Taylor had picked up on quietly stealing money with his powers. The skill remained useful to this day.

Eldan spoke some more, and Taylor cast a wary eye over at his friend. Monsters? Mayhem? That did not sound very safe. He was definitely not the one to be talking about being safe, though, and that was what kept his mouth shut. Picking out a seat for them, Taylor sat with his coffee warming both hands, all ears.

“I’m always good to hear about craziness.”

[Eldan]

_{[Sorry about the delay. Every time I tried to post in this I was going into Starbucks withdrawals. I think I may be past that now… well, only one way to find out Yay! Story time.]}

Reassured about his friend's - and co-workers, though that was of lesser importance - safety, Eldan smiled, nodded, and returned his attention to the menu. At his height it wasn't difficult to see, regardless of how crowded the place was. He didn't realize immediately that they were up at the counter 'til Taylor ordered. And then told Eldan that it was his turn. He turned to the person at the cash register a beat later. "Oh.. I'll have a medium - sorry, grande is it? - java chip frappuccino," he told the barista with the utmost seriousness. It had like, chocolate chips in it. He wanted one. So what if it was January and he got cold easily. The frappuccino.. was a damn frappuccino. With chocolate chips. Common sense didn't have to apply when it came to sweets.

After their orders were taken… well, at least they didn’t have to wait long. It wasn’t like he was impatient, but He followed Taylor to a table, and sat down opposite him… and with his back to the windows. So it’d probably be fine if he tugged the scarf off, as long as he remembered not to turn around at all. He hadn’t really thought about that, considering the damn scarf would have to come off if he was going to be able to drink anything. Sighing, he tugged the scarf away from his face, and was relieved that it seemed to be dim enough not to be, well, hellishly painful.

“Honestly, people could get used to anything,” he said after a moments thought. “It’d be strange to live normally now, I guess..” He talked quietly enough, but not in an obvious way so people’d get curious. Being secretive tended to catch people’s attention. Now, how to begin? The beginning would probably be the best… and least confusing place. “I don’t think I’ve had a ‘normal’ day since … the September before last. I think that’s when I fell in with that lot.. There was this mutant kid in a bit of trouble, so I… intervened… and of course I hadn’t really bothered with nonsense such as training my powers much back then, so … things could have gone badly if Callisto hadn’t shown up and gone all psychotic on the guys that had been beating on the kid. She’s pretty protective of her people. And they- well. Damn, this is going to be a lot of explaining,” he said with an odd, short laugh. It was a good thing they had drinks. Though something a little more alcoholic would be preferable. Telling this stuff to an ‘outsider’ to the Morlocks just emphasized how strange his life had gotten. Though, he didn’t mind..

“Basically they’re an underground society. Figuratively and literally. And they really don’t care much for outsiders… but the way I met them seemed to work in my favor. And, not much later… there was some sort’ve giant roach monster that invaded their tunnels… seriously, I am in no way exaggerating, it was huge… Anyway, its armor totally made their attacks next to useless, and -” he grimaced at the memory. Bad memory. The insides of a giant roach were not something he‘d care to see again, lucky that those things didn‘t seem to be common. “Mine weren’t getting through either- until I finally got the bright idea to ‘shift to wraith and blast it from the inside. Never. Again. Ugh. What was I saying? Oh. Yeah. Destroying that thing….. I‘m pretty sure that‘s when they decided that I was ‘in‘ since I didn‘t just… leave them to deal with that thing on their own. Or whatever.”

Okay, was it his imagination, or was this seeming more and more unrealistic the more he talked about it. Taylor was going to believe it, right? He knew that he wouldn’t just mess with him didn’t he? “Well… that was possibly the weirdest thing… or maybe I just got used to it. There were slightly less giant rats from time to time, but the only time I saw them, I was pretty drunk, so I’m not so sure.. And these humanoid things that… I don’t know where they’ve gone off to, but I think its safe to say that New York City was built on a portal to the Twilight Zone. Besides that, the only other interesting thing to happen was the end of the world, but I‘m sure you‘ve heard about that.”

Grin. Wait. Shouldn’t smile about that.. “Is it bad that… that was the most fun I’ve had in years? What was left of the zombies in the desert ended up being formed into this gross super-zombie after we destroyed most of them… but like towards the end of it all, I had to drag injured or infected people back to the portal to get healed. Lucky that figured out how to bring living things with me before then. In wraith form I mean. Though that was the first time I tried it on a human. That could have ended badly…”

Okay, he was sounding incredibly… strange. Change the subject. Anything. Why couldn’t he think of anything about the last year that didn’t sound entirely outrageous? For some reason, Marcus came to mind. He managed to look slightly embarrassed. He didn‘t particularly want to talk about Animal with anyone. That had been a mistake. He shouldn‘t have encouraged him. “I hadn’t been able to make shields either, last time we’d met, right? I think that’s the only other trick I’ve managed to figure out..” Yeah, he was running out of steam. Reminders of that guy tended to do that. It made him feel guilty, since he’d realized that the reason he’d liked him in the first place was the main reason it didn’t work. Issues, man. He had issues. He took a deep drought of the slightly melted frappuccino and cringed at the sudden brain freeze.

Pushing the cup away slightly, he folded his arms on the table and buried his face in them. Maybe a little dramatically, but dammit. He could sulk if he wanted to. “And then there’s the fun story about my now-ex attempted to get himself killed by Calli, that’s a good one.” Now… he sorta needed that sugary caffeine, but he didn’t feel like sitting up yet. He was feeling decidedly sulky about the outcome of that, the idiot had been cute and sweet, just a complete and utter idiot with no self-control. And Callisto had been a good friend. Ish. And now, neither of them really spoke to him much… what the hell had happened to Marcus anyway? Was he still even in the tunnels?

[Koen Taylor]

“Humans and mutants are ridiculously adaptable. That’s why we’re still around.” Taylor spoke softly in response to Eldan’s statement. He tried to imagine for a moment, how he’d feel if he were to randomly find himself out of the Brotherhood, with them not hunting him down. He’d be somewhat happy; he wasn’t fond of the tactics they had to use, but he’d also be bored. And for the time being, he felt—not like he fit in—but like he belonged there. What he was supposed to be doing with his life, right now, was helping the BH, because they were the only ones proactive enough for Taylor’s limited patience. The Xmen’s “lead by example” bit was all well and good, but that would take years. How long were black people oppressed? Sure, Martin Luther King Jr.’s story was a good one, but the nonviolence bullshit took far too long for Taylor to feel comfortable.

Taylor’s expression morphed from interested to revolted to thoughtful as Eldan recounted his various experiences. “A giant roach? That’s nasty as all hell…” Again, he spoke softly, not wanting to interrupt. That went out the window when Eldan mentioned actually going inside the thing. “EW! You were inside the roach! And I hugged you!” It was said in a careless, joking manner, but still. Taylor would never have had the stomach to pull of a similar feat, even if it were in his power to do so.

When Eldan brought up Apocalypse, Taylor shook his head slowly. “It’s kinda bad, but some people function well in combat situations. You shouldn’t feel guilty. There are a lot of people who could have helped, but didn’t. At least you did.” Taylor would have helped out, but he was not a mutant who could kill a dog by sweating, or blow up a city by wiggling his ears. If he were to go into combat, he needed time and preparation. Those were two privileges nobody had been given a chance to enjoy, except for Apocalypse himself.

“Your Ex?” Taylor’s eyebrow raised slightly. Now that he thought about it, Taylor realized that he’d seen Eldan as some sort of non-sexual being. If he were to have guessed at anything Eldan had been doing for the past year, finding a mate would have been nowhere on that list. He wanted to ask more about it, but Eldan’s body language told him that that was a bad subject to pursue. Thus he bit his tongue and tried to think of another topic. Anything, really. His mental gears still weren’t spinning like they were supposed to, though. That might be why he, after enduring a few moments of the uncomfortable silence, started talking.

“So… Yea. You know who Magneto is, yea?” Stupid question. Everybody knows who Magneto is. It was really just a way for his next words to organize themselves. He still hadn’t decided whether or not it was safe for either of them for him to continue, but his mouth was running, and if he had to sit there silently while Eldan moped about his ex, the cyberpath may very well be tempted to throw himself through the glass panes of the store, just to distract himself.

“How… would you feel if I told you…” Taylor was speaking slowly, watching Eldan’s reaction with a hundred times the intensity of a hawk’s eye on a mouse. His tone dropped low, such that it was possible Eldan might not hear him as he continued. “I’m working for him?”

Whoever said that telling the truth makes you feel better had been telling the greatest lie since OJ Simpson had taken the stand. The instant those words were out of his mouth, Taylor felt like at any moment, Primal or Saint, or Magneto himself, could come bursting into the store and impale him on some blunt object. It may have been irrational. Taylor was almost certain that the other BH members and perhaps the Acolytes had people who knew what they did. Thus, there was no reason Taylor couldn’t have a confidant of his own. The rationalization had no affect on Taylor’s sudden feeling of trepidation. This was a mistake. He should have kept his mouth shut.

Since he’s spoken, though, his body language revealed none of his sudden inner tumult. On the contrary, he hadn’t moved a millimeter. He hadn’t even blinked.

[Eldan]

Eldan laughed a little at Taylor's reaction to his experience with the giant roach. "Yeah, it was gross, but- I was in my energy form- so it wasn't completely unbearable," he said, making a face at Taylor. Thinking back on those early days with the Morlocks was strange. It wasn't all that long ago, but it seemed like ancient history now. Probably just because so much had happened since... "Not saying that I'd like to repeat the experience though. I don't even wanna know why there's abnormally large creatures crawling around underneath the city, either."

What Taylor said about the Apocalypse made sense. The temporary sense of what might have been guilt lifted. At least he did something. And so what, he knew that a lot of people suffered during that time, but he'd learned a lot. Who knew how long it would have taken him to get the nerve to transport another person with him in wraith form. If ever. Really, if anything, it was the way he was able to let loose, finally. Completely.

"Well... yeah. Also, I don't get a chance to show off my powers all that often," he added. It wasn't as bad before Apocalypse, but even then, displays of power could definitely be taken the wrong way and stomped upon. It was like... the only time he'd gotten to stretch his abilities after all that training he'd done.

“Your Ex?” Taylor sounded curious. Well. Of course. Going abruptly from cheerfully discussing the end of the world and random tunnel dwelling monsters, to sulking about some random guy, it wasn't quite the usual. "Not even that, really," he said into his arms, then decided that he was being an idiot. Enough of that. Sitting up straight in his chair, he took a sip from his frappuccino. Exactly what he needed. The hell was he doing moping over that guy...

When his friend asked him if he knew of Magneto, Eldan, of course, nodded. The man had been giving orders during the battle against Pestilence. It had been a close thing. He was a good leader, whatever people thought about his approach, that had to be said. The last person he'd expected Taylor to be working for, though. Now, he didn't have a problem with Magneto. If things had been different- if he didn't have other people to think about- he would have considered approaching the mutant after the Apocalypse... but he couldn't. If he'd left the 'locks then, they wouldn't have made it. He respected the man. Any more, Eldan couldn't say. He didn't know him, and his knowledge on his methods were second hand, if he heard about events at all it was from Morlock gossip or Faye's musings. He was the last person to hunt out information of the outside world, usually. Which maybe ought to change, but that didn't matter currently.

What mattered was that Taylor was with a group of people that were being hunted down by SHIELD, and anyone else with a super-hero complex. He'd already said that they could take care of themselves, and he was sure that they could, but dammit if it wasn't going to worry him half to death. Realizing he hadn't spoken yet, he glanced at Taylor. He was very still, but otherwise showed nothing. If this was a joke, he was going to kick him. But he wasn't joking, was he...

"I... don't know," he said honestly, after a moment. "Surprised?" Worried of course, but he'd already expressed that even before he'd found out who Tay was working for. Now he had to worry a little more, of course, since the people he was working with were as dangerous or more so than the people that would be after them. But- well, Callisto would be labeled as dangerous too... as would Eldan. And Jean scared Eldan a lot more than Magneto did. "Haven't seen him since the Apocalypse, though I've heard he's been busy." A slight smile. Did Taylor think that Eldan was going to flip out or something? Seriously. He was Eldan fucking Draith. He did not flip out.