` LOVE THE FUTURE

[balance and composure]

Well, things have more or less been sorted out.

The Brotherhood is stuck with Hugh and the X-Men get Azazel. Other than his status as a telepath, Hugh is nearly useless and isn't much of a character. He imagines that Azazel isn't much better, considering that he's just joined a faction that helped send his former leader into mortal exile, but like Logan said, he's obviously more of a fighter than a diplomat. The Brotherhood has never been about solving problems without payment in blood.

Elwood lags behind as the room begins to empty itself. The professor is the first to leave, Erik departs fumingly, Raven takes Azazel ********, and Logan is out and about, leaving the tall man with the telepath.

Hugh turns to look at Elwood looming out of the dusk's light and narrows his eyes. "I don't understand your issue with me."

Elwood stares at him silently, face blank and unresponsive until he smiles and lifts himself from the bookshelf, stepping over to Hugh and leaning down to breach his personal space. Their noses are nearly touching as he tilts his head and his expression twists into a dark, cold thing.

"Because you are a coward and I have absolutely no patience for people like you."

Leaving Hugh petrified by the nastiness of his reply, Elwood straightens up, pats the man gently on the head, and exits the room. He has one hand in his pocket and one lagging behind with the gas mask in its clutch, though he's not intending to head outdoors for a while. No, no, the first thing on his mind, really, is Logan, and wherever the abrasive creature might have gone. Possibly outside? No. Elwood decides that he'll check the inside of the mansion before having to leave the comfort of the indoors. Judging by his calm and nearly careless stride, one wouldn't guess at his conviction to locate his usual victim. That is, until he passes the kitchen, stops dead, and mechanically backs up and inside when he finds said victim.

Elwood doesn't say anything right off the bat; no unintentionally strange greetings, no taunts. He leans on the counter and sets his mask on the top, putting his chin on his knuckles and baring his teeth in a grin. "Sounds like you'll get to be making friends with the devil, Dog-tags."


___________________________


From the looks of things, it seems as though the red man is going to be in the X-Men. Pietro is unsure of this, because wasn't the red man a bad guy just last month? And suddenly, he's a good guy? People don't change that quickly. Pietro knows this because it took ten years for Charles and Erik to get along again and ten years is a very, very long time. But, he supposes that if Charles says it's okay, then it is. He trusts the professor enough to believe his assurances.

Pietro is quick to hide when the meeting is over, crouching at the top of the stairs and waiting until Charles is gone to move. As he stands up, he recalls that, oh, there were other people present at the meeting and immediately retreats back to his own room. He isn't sure how well received he would be if he was caught eavesdropping. This thought stays with him as he closes the door, but leaves a big enough crack to peer out of. He isn't sure what he's waiting for--Raven, Charles, Erik? None of them sounded happy during the meeting. Does he really want to encounter any of them for the rest of the day?

He catches a glimpse of Erik passing by his room and thinks, yes.

The boy waits for a few moments and opens his door again, craning his head out into the hallway to watch Erik's back. He squints and thinks hard about following the man. Should he? Will he?

Yes.

Pietro shuffles down the hall as silently as he possibly can, slowly and surely and wary of sound. It takes at least two minutes for him to get around to Erik's room, at which point he only leans into the doorway instead of standing smack in the middle of it because he's terribly unsure of the man's temperament and the last thing he wants to do is make him angry.

"...What's wrong?" The boy asks softly, putting his hands on the door frame to steady himself (and also to prepare for immediate departure, should Erik be in a most foul, foul mood).

[fairie lore]

Logan is rummaging through the fridge for food, because he'll be damned if the devil gets to stay in the same mansion as him and eat all of the good stuff. He takes out a couple beers and some chicken, slamming the fridge door just in time to have Elwood creep on it. He's not alarmed (it's happened more than a few times by now) and all he does is open up a beer and chug half of it in the man's presence. He blinks just a few times at seeing a human face rather than an entirely bulky and plastic exterior, but he quickly gets over it.

He hasn't by any means started liking the man any more since he was severely pissed off by just about everything about, but he's taken on more of a if you can't kill 'im, deal with it sort of mindset concerning the mutant. "Yeah, well, better than making friends with you." He says, taking the next few moments to pop the chicken in the microwave. "Why do you like him so much? You're not as gullible as the professor is, are you?" He asks, leaning against the counter on the other side.

↻

Erik just wants to be alone.

He wants to pretend that everyone in the world isn't making bad decisions and that the gut feeling in his stomach that everything is going to go everything wrong very soon is wrong, but it seems like both of the things are there to say.

Not to mention his wish for peace and quiet is also shattered when Pietro comes into the room. He can tolerate the boy fine when he's in a good mood, but he does not want to get anymore of a headache than he already does. "Charles is being stupid." He answers, looking like he wants to bash his head against the wall, but instead just sits very still at his desk, doing absolutely nothing but eyeing a metal paperweight.

Perhaps he'll smash that against something.

↻

Raven silently escorts Azazel to his room, unsure necessarily what to talk about. She might have vouched for him enough to get him, but that didn't mean she was any less suspicious of him. He was Shaw's right hand man and the words exchanged by them were no means enough for her to get a sense of him. "So... here's your room." She says and arbitrarily makes a sweeping gesture of the place.

"Thanks for-" Well, he's not sure for what exactly, but for something. Azazel figures that if she hadn't said something while they were fighting he might actually be in prison or, you know, already part of the X-Men.

"Just stay away from Erik. He'll just be more pissed off if you try and get on his good side. Just be good to Charles and he'll come around eventually." She says, crossing her arms and looking at him seriously, as if she hadn't heard a thank you at all.

Azazel stares at her, nodding once to show that he's understood. He doesn't say anything to her either, no words to convince her. He doubts that will work with anyone but Charles (and that guy who seems to already be weirdly on his side).

"Also stay away from Wolverine. He already has his hands full with dealing with one mutant already and I doubt between the two of you that he'll feel Charles will get angrier if he slices through you." She continues, uncrosses her arms and looks around the once more before deciding to walk away.

[balance and composure]

"I'm touched by the kind words," Elwood muses, lifting one hand to put over his heart. He thinks the sarcasm is preposterous, only because he feels that many people would make friends with him over Azazel. This stems from either an insane level of self-confidence or a need to assure himself of his own worth, neither of which seem anymore plausible than the other.

He watches Logan go about his business in the kitchen and blinks with a quirked brow when he asks why he likes Azazel. Elwood's face wrinkles and he makes a sound in his throat before he bursts out laughing, swaying on his elbows and grinning broadly. "Like him? Oh, Puppy, you are so sorely mistaken that it almost literally hurts me. I don't like him and I'm certainly not anymore gullible than you are, thank you very much. I think in terms of usefulness and character, you see, and I feel that Lucifer is more useful in a group that chooses brute force as its predominant method of dealing with problems as opposed to one that prefers to talk it out."

His grin dies into a smile, but becomes no less cheekier. "Surely, you've noticed that Hugh, despite his potential usefulness, is an enormous coward, and I'd much rather side with someone who isn't afraid to get their hands dirty than someone who does their work best when they're cowering behind someone else. I'm certain you would agree to some extent."


___________________________


This is where Pietro would usually argue that Charles is incapable of being stupid, but he bites the inside of his cheek and refrains from saying what's on his mind because he recognizes the tenderness of this circumstance and is not at all willing to test it. But he takes the lack of command to leave as a good sign--as good as any that he can get at this point, he figures--and scuttles into the room to sit Indian-style on the floor beside Erik.

"I'm sorry to hear that." He mutters slowly and uncertainly, folding his arms. He's heard Charles say the phrase many times in the past and has only recently learned how to use it and mean it and he thinks now is a good time because he really is sorry to hear that Erik thinks Charles is being stupid.

Pietro sits in a pool of quietude as he thinks about whether he should say anything else or just not say a word for the rest of the time he decides to spend here until he looks up at Erik and asks, "You aren't going to leave now, are you?"

[fairie lore]

Logan doesn't even try to figure out what's going on behind that pretty head of his because he finds it detrimental to his sanity to try and unconver the thought process of maniacs. Elwood is going to hear whatever he wants to hear and there's not a damn thing he can do about it. He just gives the man a flat look like are you joking? and then moves on because he knows it's for the best. He wonders that if the man ever snaps (like a psychotic break) if he'll gain some sense then. Who knows.

He feels thoroughly offended both by the new condescending nickname and also by the fact that he's pretty sure that the mutant is laughing at him. In fact, he's about 99% certain of this fact. He's initially dismayed by the fact that it turns that the mutant doesn't like Azazel. What a pity, he was hoping that Elwood would find a new person to torment. "Oh, because I'd just be so heartbroken if you liked anyone other than me." He rolls his eyes, although the points that the man made weren't bad for a crazy person.

Azazel has proven himself to be a fierce competitor and as opposed to Hugh he's not a baby. But his original point still stands. "Yeah, but I'd rather have someone on my side who isn't going to stab me in the back in the future. Hugh is ruled by fear and he'll stay in line as long as we give him security. And if he doesn't feel that way? He's not going to murder us in the night."

↻

Erik is feeling increasingly foolish talking to a kid about his problems, but he's not sure who else he would really have to voice his concerns to. Raven seems to be on board with giving Azazel a chance, and complaining about Charles won't win him too many. Elwood is moderately insane and he also seems to be all for Azazel being part of the extended team. He won't go to any of the X-Men on principle so...

He just looks even more glum when Pietro says he's sorry, which really makes it seem like he's talking to a Charles stand in.

As the conversation dwells in silence he mentally picks up the paperweight and just lets it hover in the air. Erik really can't believe what this world is coming to. When the boy speaks again he lets the paperweight drop almost to the floor before he stops it. He hadn't thought about leaving, but it is an option. "I'm not going to let myself or The Brotherhood be harmed. If that's my only option for safety..."

[balance and composure]

The corners of Elwood's eyes wrinkle at Logan's sardonic remark and he chuckles, leaning his weight into his fists. "Don't fret, Dog-tags, you will be my favorite person for the next twenty years at the very least." He replies with a taunting wink. Still, it's hard to determine whether he's really joking or is being completely serious. Maybe his ambiguous nature is why people have a hard time understanding him.

He snorts and lays his arms flat on the counter, staring at Logan in mild disbelief and amusement. "You don't even know if he intends to stab any of us in the back! What you're doing is speculating. Who says he is going to betray you in years to come? What does he have to go back to? Memories of the Almighty Omnipotent One he used to adore, the Alpha and Omega of mutant superiority? Sebastian Shaw is as good as dead where he is. Lucifer has obviously realized this. Granted, he's later to the party than Hugh, but he still came all the same."

Elwood squints and then smirks, shifting to stand on one foot. Silly Logan, he thinks. Silly, paranoid dog. He leans forward, lowering his voice (but not much). "Listen, Puppy. You've seen broken men before, haven't you? Men who have been under so much emotional strain that they just crumble under the weight? Perhaps you are one of them," He muses, lifting a finger to point at Logan. "I can tell you that I've seen my fair share of broken men in the past and Lucifer--oh, dear, Lucifer is all sorts of broken. All sorts."

The dark-eyed man waves his hands to accentuate his point, shaking his head and sighing. As he lays his arms back down on the counter, his smirk loses its leering edge and he's simply grinning widely again. "Don't be so paranoid. As if I would honestly let someone murder you in the middle of the night." He stops, taking the silence in before suddenly coming back to life and laughing. "And everyone else too, of course. Mostly the Brotherhood, but Erik and Ms. Darkholme would be so, so mad if I sat and watched the X-Men be killed in their sleep."


___________________________


Oh, no.

Pietro looks nothing short of mortified at Erik's reply, though he tries to moderate it when he feels that his brows are knitted furiously together and his mouth is tight in a frown. He would be devastated if the Brotherhood was to leave just because of the red man. What's a group of people for one person? That isn't what the boy planned. Leaving is not in his future. He hasn't even told Erik that he's his son yet. He'd planned it of course, oh yes. He will wait for a year or two, by which the Brotherhood will still be around, and things will be peaceful and wonderful and no one will betray anyone and in that serenity, Pietro will tell Erik and it will be spectacular. None of that can happen if the man leaves.

"But you can't leave!" The young mutant blurts, scrambling into a crouch and reaching out to grab Erik's arm. "I--it's not--you can still be safe here. You don't have to leave. No one will get hurt. We can...we, uh..." He squints. We can what? Pietro isn't nearly intelligent enough to think of any plausible steps to take towards making sure that all suspicions of Azazel's trustworthiness are cancelled, but he isn't childish enough to go and spew spontaneously idiotic ideas that obviously won't work.

"Everything will get worse if you go. The professor will be sad again and the mansion won't be as full and it'll be boring without you and Raven and--what would I do if you left? I can't deal with the professor being sad. No one can except you!" The argument sounds flimsy, even to his own ears, and he isn't yet old enough to comprehend what a flawless one is. But he is distraught and terribly concerned and anxious because he has the most foreboding feeling that if it all falls through, Erik will most certainly be out the door and the Brotherhood will follow. This thought makes the boy slump forward. "...Please don't leave." Is the weak end to his attempt at persuasion.

[fairie lore]

Logan feels like he hasn't heard worst news in a long time and sincerely hopes that Elwood is just yanking his chain and doesn't actually mean it. He'd probably off himself rather than spend twenty years with the mutant, or at the very least he probably would have killed him by now. He certainly would have had the time to plan out some sort of elaborate murder.

He likes it even less when Elwood starts to make sense, because the truth of the matter is that he might have been a little hasty with his thought process. It's true, there's no certainty that Azazel is going to betray them, and it's true that Sebastian is as good as dead, but... Anger is a powerful emotion especially when combined with the lust for revenge. Who is to say that the devil is not vengeful? "You don't know that he won't." He says in his defence, for what it's worth. "I'll believe he's on our side when he shows he's loyal."

He instinctively goes to tend to his microwaved chicken when Elwood leans in, pretending that he's not listening to the next thing he says. His face twitches momentarily with displeasure before he returns to pretending like the other mutant isn't even the room. Elwood doesn't know a damn thing about him nor does he know anything Azazel; whatever his 'past experience' is doesn't give him much comfort since the man seems to be full of himself. Either way, boo hoo for Azazel.

Logan notices the man waving his arms in the corner of his eye as he goes to fetch a fork, only looking at him when the mutant assures him that he personally wouldn't be murdered under Elwood's watch. That sick ********] He was now officially sleeping with one eye open. What an utter psycho, Jesus Christ. "You are going to stay far away from my bedroom, you hear?" He pointed accusingly at the man, as if Elwood already been creeper (he wouldn't have been surprised). "And anyway, what have you seen that would make you trust him?"

↻

Erik's eyes widen when Pietro comes over to grab his arm and if anyone other than a child were doing this he would push them away. Instead he lets it happen but he feels even more uneasy than before, since desperate pleas don't fall kindly on a cold heart. Over all these past decades he's become accustomed to making difficult decisions for the greater good and if he has to do the same now then so be it. He doesn't owe Azazel the benefit of the doubt; nobody does, even if someone is willing to give it to him. To be frank, he feels it's dangerous that they're altogether anyway, especially with this tentative peace treaty going on.

But even a cold heart can be melted.

The mention of Charles is enough to make him reconsider, to make all the guilt that he's suppressed come back. He did a terrible thing to Charles many years ago and he'll never forgive himself for it. He should stay because after all, he did leave once and never came back. Erik is the one who looks sad now, perhaps sad as Charles would be if he left. He doesn't want to risk getting himself or anyone else harmed, but he'll stay for now, until things go wrong.

He sighs, although he doesn't feel any of the weight lifted off his shoulders. "I'll stay for now."

[balance and composure]

Elwood nods in agreement that he very well doesn't know if Azazel can be trusted, which is just as true as his own argument. "No one knows anything except Lucifer himself and unfortunately for us, he has a telepathy block. We might as well roll with the punches. Doing anything else would be too hasty."

He smiles and watches Logan with an absentminded interest. The man plays a good game at pretending he's not there, but Elwood likes to think his presence is far too large for ignoring it to ever work. Additively, Logan can take every possible measure to try and disinterest the Brotherhood mutant, even go so far as to move to the other side of the planet (at which Elwood would most likely not follow, as he has and common sense as far as "socializing" works) and he still wouldn't be moved from the top of his list of people to badger.

Elwood blinks when he's pointed at, eyes widening slightly as they move from the finger to the face it belongs to and he looks quite offended at the warning. "Dear Dog-tags, I honestly haven't the slightest clue where your room is. If you want that to change, I can ask around, but there is a method to my madness, contrary to what I know you're thinking, and that includes respecting private space," He says this very seriously, considering that he actually is being serious, but he smiles again and it almost seems like he never said anything. "Again, unless you want that to change."

"Anyway, you ask about what makes me trust him, and to be quite honest, I don't. He's personally done nothing that makes me believe in his devilish ways and that he will prove to be the most trustworthy being on this planet. I am a devil's advocate--" Pause, shifty look to the side, dismissive wave of the hand. "--Pardon the pun. I am a devil's advocate and I counter-argue what people say so more realistic ends can be met as far as opinions go. I won't be the first to go cavalier about trusting a former enemy, believe me, but I've already accepted him as an ally. That and he is terribly good at fighting, which is a good part of why I defend him to begin with. And he isn't a ninny. But we already discussed that part."


___________________________


Pietro's face lights up so quickly that he might as well be the humanoid embodiment of a Christmas tree. His shoulders square, he rocks precariously on the balls of his feet and he looks like he's having a difficult time containing himself, but he manages it. In lieu of an outburst, he simply swells with bliss.

"That's the best answer ever." He says, his voice gradually rising in pitch and sounding strained and it becomes painfully obvious that he's putting a lot of effort into keeping composure. Then he huffs and he's back to normal, as if one exhale of breath was enough for him to expel energy. "Well, I mean...realistically. A better answer could've been, 'Yes I'll stay forever,' but...that's definitely a really, really good answer. I like it. Thanks. This totally makes things easier." He says, accidentally alluding to his plan but failing to recognize it (probably because, in the grand scheme, he could be referring to any number of things that will be easier if Erik and the Brotherhood stays).

Pietro continues to rock on his feet, removing his hands from Erik's arm and folding them over his own knees instead. He studies his palms with exuberant interest, then suddenly looks up with an inquisitive face. "Can I stay here for a while? I promise not to talk at all. Absolutely no talking. I won't say anything. I just want to, um...sit here. If that's okay."

[fairie lore]

Goddamn telepathy block. If it wasn't for that one fact then Shaw would have been caught much sooner, rather decades sooner, and then the lingering threat of the Hellfire Club would have been dissolved. Logan would have much preferred if Charles could have examined every nook and cranny of the devil's mind and know what he intended to do. Personally, he didn't see why the mutant shouldn't be locked up like Shaw was for being an accomplice.

He raises a brow when Elwood looks offended and practically shakes his head, but instead starts cutting his meal. He's entirely sure how an unaware person can be self-aware, but he supposes that's why the mutant is legitimately crazy. "No." He says quickly in alarm, "No, you stay away from me and my bedroom." He reaffirms, just so there's no mixed messages.

Logan takes his first bite, not caring if he looked like a caveman. He was hungry and this was good chicken. Not to mention he wasn't letting a devil eat all the good food in the house. A term, by the way, he finds to get old very quickly when he's force to listen (relisten) to one of the most god awful (ha!) puns he's ever heard. What he's starting to realize is that despite how kooky the man is in terms of social interaction and the like, he at least doesn't seem stupid. which can't necessarily say for some people he knows. But he still doesn't want to concede the point that easily. "How about we bet on whether he'll end up betraying us or not? If you think that poor broken soul is so damaged beyond repair."

↻

Erik can only manage to look puzzled as Pietro looks like he's won the lottery or single handedly achieved world peace or any number of other things normal people would look ecstatic about. Sure, he appreciates the fact that someone seems to care about his presence here but considering he doesn't really know the boy that well it's a little... awkward? But maybe he just hasn't been around kids in awhile and their behaviour just seems wholly strange to him.

"You're... welcome." He offers, unsure of what 'things' are 'easier' now but he doesn't think to ask because it'll probably send the boy down another tirade of words and Erik doesn't think that he can handle that right now. He's had enough to deal with for one day and now he just wants to relax and he hopes that once Pietro retracts his hand he intends to leave.

Nope.

What did he do to deserve all of this attention? Honestly, Raven is the one who spend all of her time with him. "... Yeah, I guess." He says with a light shrug because it just seems a little cruel to reject him but he has a feeling that this all going to come back to bite him. "I'm just going to... read for the next little while."

↻

Formally, neither of them lived together. Hans Landa had a spacious mansion and Dimitri had his modest apartment, but Hans ended up spending a good bulk of his time at the apartment, finding that it would be safer than the other way around. He personally found it would have been much easier and smarter for them if there weren't such an arrangement but Dimitri didn't want to spend a decade pretending he didn't know him. After all, he didn't think his political career as vice president was going to be a single term but most likely two.

So such was the arrangement that he would come over at least every other day because he was often busy with work or other engagements. Tonight, for instance, he was taking Ms. Pineau out for a birthday dinner. She was relatively influential in the White Office and also one of the most pleasing people there. An intelligent, cultured woman. Hans was preparing himself for the evening, choosing to wear a sleek black tuxedo and make himself look presentable. Not that he needed to try too hard. "Dimitri, what time is it? I don't want to be late." He called.

[balance and composure]

Elwood puts his hands up in a gesture of resignation and surrender, making a silent promise stay away from Logan's room. He isn't terribly keen on any kind of scare tactic that would be hilarious on anyone else, because no matter how much control over water he has, there isn't a whole lot he can do if he has metal claws puncturing both his lungs.

He decides not to say anything while Logan eats, figuring that if he uttered something particularly ghoulish, he wouldn't want to have the responsibility of performing the Heimlich forced upon him. But then the other mutant speaks first and it takes a moment for Elwood to register that he's said anything at all because his mind is elsewhere completely. "A bet?" He repeats, straightening up to flatten his palms against the counter top. He beams jovially and chuckles, hunching his shoulders and leaning forward. "A bet! How fun. I love wagering. What are your conditions?" He asks very innocently, though he figures he already has a fairly accurate idea of what Logan wants.


___________________________


Dimitri has been content with the way things work for the better part of the last decade or two, though recently he feels that the state of everything has more or less calmed down--not just in his world, but in general. He hasn't felt as paranoid and guarded as he used to. The feeling has become some kind of inert and nowadays, when he isn't making an effort to avoid completely outdoing the rest of the secret service at their jobs, he's either exercising excessively (a result of spending the gist of his days around pot-bellied politicians and being quietly horrified at the prospect of looking like one) or reading just as much. Or sleeping. He used to not sleep at all, and he feels that it's wonderful to be able to catch up on what he missed in the early years of his ageless life.

He hears Landa as he walks down the hall, poking his head into the room and subconsciously smiling at the other man's tony appearance. He feels rather under-dressed in comparison, what with only being in slacks and a t-shirt, but he feels under-dressed in comparison to Landa every day, so he's not affected negatively about it in the slightest.

But then he remembers why Landa is dressed up in the first place, clears his throat and the smile is gone. He raises his arm to look at his watch, straight-faced and neutral. "6:54." He replies, looking back at Landa and then moving to lean against the wall with his arms folded. There isn't a whole lot that Dimitri will permit himself to say on the premise that most of the thoughts he wants to voice indicate that he is unreasonably jealous and bothered. He doesn't utter a word of it because every time he thinks about it, he also remembers how he used to obsessively coop Landa up and would very much like to think he's above trying that these days.

"...You look tremendous." says the blond man, though he honestly feels that "tremendous" or any synonym in the world isn't nearly enough to express his opinion.

[fairie lore]

Well, it appears that Logan now has his worst case scenario from avoiding Elwood: stay in his bedroom. Although does seem a bit of a coward's way out, it is better than nothing. He's still secretely hoping that the mutant is going to warm up to Azazel and that he'll have to be less worried about being stalked or badgered all hours of the day. Although, he wonders if he could smother Elwood in the middle of the night and then pin it on Azazel... Oh, right. Charles could read his mind. Why couldn't he get a telepath block? Then he could murder whomever he wished.

He continues chowing down on the chicken with little grace, still caring the least about what Elwood might have thought of this display. If it repulsed him then all the better, because then he'd get a bit more time to himself. Unlikely, but possible. Just like the possibility that Azazel was going to betray all of them. Logan was basing his conclusion on the notion of loyalty; something like that didn't just go away, especially not when the devil had served Shaw for over fifty years. And he's willing to put his money where his mouth is. But how to go about setting the terms? "If, heaven forbid, Shaw gets out, then I think our red skinned friend will be back by his side in less than two months. Alternatively, if the human-mutant peace treaty falls through he's going to ditch our group within the month and join up with resistance. Or if at any time he tries to sabotage the X-Men, the Brotherhood, or the peace treaty, I win." He outlined, figuring that seemed pretty thorough enough. "And if I win, you actually have to stay the hell away from me and I get to choose your new victim to torment." The grin signified how badly he wanted this to come true.

↻

Hans imagines that despite the fact that they both live together that they have one of the most undomestic or even one of the most abnormal relationships there's ever been. He supposes that can't be helped when one of them is the Vice President of the United States and the other is part of the CIA. He doubts that either of them will ever be normal, but he supposes if one of them has a shot at it then it would be Dimitri. If it wasn't for one circumstance he would have lived out his life as an unremarkable individual. As for himself? He supposes perhaps a similar fate might have occurred if it were not for his character and convictions. He had always wanted to accomplish great things.

He examines himself closely in the mirror, as if looking for wrinkles or signs of aging or any imperfections. But of course there are none.

Dimitri natural comes to inform him of the time, although he continues to observe himself in the mirror as if the man isn't there. He runs a hand through his hair, as if everything needs to be perfect. He only looks at the man when he gives him a compliment, coyly smiling. "Just tremendous? It seems I'm losing my effect on you." He says and walks out, passing the man as he heads to the living room. On the table is a small wrapped gift box, crimson box and emerald lace which he goes to grab before turning around, "Don't wait up." He says and waves, and then leaves the apartment without another word.

[balance and composure]

Bingo.

Elwood smiles knowingly when he finds that he's guessed Logan's end of the wager correctly, but he doesn't confirm it. He's thinking about the possibilities of this bet not going his way, which are really just about as likely to happen as they are not to happen, and how he feels that things won't be nearly as funny if he has to actually bother someone other than Logan. He respects Erik and Raven far too much to tease them, same with Charles, Pietro is twelve years old, Hugh would cry, Azazel is...well, a damaged character who's still in his most damaged phase and Elwood wants none of that. The rest of the X-Men and the Brotherhood respond the way Elwood knows they will--not to say Logan doesn't--and he finds that boring.

"I accept these terms," He finally confirms, though he was never known to be an honest person.

"And, ah, if Lucifer does not turn out to be a backstabber, then..." Oh, but he isn't quite sure what he wants out of this. Many things come to mind, all are shot down because they're too absurd. Elwood wasn't lying when he said he enjoyed wagers, but he isn't terribly risky with them either. He shrugs and folds his hands together. "Well, I don't rightly know. I'm sure that by the time the ultimatum of this bet comes around, I will have thought of something."


___________________________


Though he doesn't always intend to, Dimitri often hears men and women alike complaining about a myriad of things. The most common subject is relationships, and why the ones they're in are terrible. They talk about their partners like they're problems, the cause of hardship in their lives while the ninety-plus year old mutant nearby silently curses them for every saying such a thing. They're obviously doing something wrong if they feel the need to whine about it, because the way he sees it, in all his wise naivety, partners are supposed to be what someone looks forward to being with and their escape from the real world, not what they want to escape from.

And though he may loathe the fact, Dimitri is reminded of this every time Landa leaves. His escape from the real world has a fuller schedule than he does, and when he does leave, Dimitri will wait for him to come back nine out of ten times.

But Dimitri is an anxious and wary creature by nature and he has many a worry on his mind at any given time. Perhaps the world may be well on its way to being repaired, and peace actually looks plausible, but he worries about other issues that are much, much smaller on the grand scale. He leans against the wall, motionless and unwilling to move, and he reluctantly thinks of all the things that could go wrong in the next eight hours. They play one after another and the more he thinks about it, the tenser he looks until he's statuesque and looking faintly nauseated.

Oh, but he mustn't think that way. He knows that if he worries too much, it will eventually happen. Strange, really, how he is so confident with and in everything else but his capability to calm down and realize that (metaphorically) killing himself over Landa's loyalty (not that of which he keeps for himself) is more likely to break said loyalty than to make it. Insufferable, really, how he has only grown more nervous about this as time goes on.

Nevertheless, Dimitri is always on board to better himself in one way or another and so, albeit forcefully, he moves from the wall and to the phone to dial a number he's had memorized for the past month.

"Hi, Dimitri." Cedar answers after four rings.
"I--how did you know it was me?"
"Caller I.D."
Dimitri shuts his eyes and feels his face redden. "Right."
"What'd you call for?"
"I...am not quite sure."
He almost hears Cedar smile. "You called me for something, but you don't know what it is?"
"I suppose. I just want to talk to someone."
And then he definitely hears Cedar laugh. "That's what women do, Dimitri."
Dimitri says nothing, instead deeply questioning the validity of this statement and wondering if he's just made himself look like less of a man before Cedar comes back in with, "Have you seen It's A Wonderful Life?"
"I have not."
"Okay, um...The Graduate?"
"No."
"Forrest Gump?"
"The forest is what?"
A long pause takes place in which Dimitri checks the phone twice to make sure that it's still connected when Cedar speaks again.
"Jesus, Dimitri, you're in US secret service for the most American man on the planet and you haven't even seen Forrest Gump?"
"...I am a ninety-six year old World War II veteran from Russia. I have not seen any of these movies that you have just mentioned." Dimitri points out, mildly offended.
"Yeah, I know, I figured that out on my own. You have a TV, right?"
Dimitri looks at the scarcely used item in question. "It came with the apartment, yes."
"Great, tidy your place up then. I'm coming over and making you watch these movies."

Cedar promptly hangs up and Dimitri is left to look at his apartment, to size it up. To be honest, he keeps the place cleaner than he probably should. He hesitates, then moves to sit on the couch and wait for Cedar.

He doesn't have anything else to do.

[fairie lore]

Logan doesn't like the smile he sees on Elwood's, but then again, he doesn't ever like to see the mutant smiling. He doesn't generally get along well with people with excessive amounts of enthusiasm (he hangs around Pietro only as much as he has to; next to none) and Elwood fits the bill for that, coupled with his insanity he is definitely on the top of his list of people to stay away from.

If only.

He's pleased when his terms are accepted, curious as to what the other mutant will ask for. Something that will no doubt make his life even more hellish then it was before. When he gets instead an empty answer he doesn't look too happy about it. "And you have to tell me what you want before I accept it. I'm not letting you get away with just anything." He protested, although considering this was all honour bound he really shouldn't be that worried.

↻

Hans, ever paranoid and cautious, decides to walk two blocks before deciding to take a cab to the restaurant. It might seem like a needless endeavour to go out of his way to do all of these things so there is next to no chance that his world unravels, but he firmly believes in doing as much as he can to cover his tracks given the circumstances he has to work around. At around 7:20 he makes it to his destination, Citronelle, one of the best restaurants in Washington. He walks in and gives his name (although his face is instantly recognizable) and he is escorted to the private room he has reserved for the two them, and there is Ms. Pineau sitting patiently and typing away on her phone. "I hope I haven't kept you waiting." He says politely and proceeds to sit down.

She looks up, putting down her phone and giving a small laugh. "No, not at all. I'm early, anyway."

"You look beautiful." And she does, truly, clad in a shimmering red dress.

"Thank you. You don't look so bad for yourself." She replies, with the same amount of exuberant energy as before.

The two of them had, over the numerous months they had worked together, come to be somewhat close and certainly seemed to enjoy one another's company. Ms. Pineau had proven herself to be an intelligent, hardworking woman who had a proven herself to be more than competent for her position. Between her and Hans, it explained how the White House functioned so well.

They both picked up their menus and began to skim over the contents. "Do you know what's good? Well, I man other than everything."

"I hear the thing to do is to try the Promenade Gourmande, their nine course menu where you try all of the chef's star dishes."

"Then we'll do that then." She said and put down her menu, and then waiter came not soon after.

"Ah, oui, le Promenade Gourmade, s'il vous plait. Avec les vins." With a formal nod, the waiter is off.

"That's very good French, I'm impressed." He simply couldn't compare to every other American who utterly butchered the language.

"I try." It probably helped that he'd lived in France for pretty much twenty years.

[balance and composure]

"Oh, of course, of course." Elwood waves dismissively at Logan's insistence. It's certainly fair to tell the man what he wants out of this before the wager's ends are met. He could want anything, really, and drop it on him like a bomb at the very end of it, but that would be so terribly rude and Elwood does try not to be rude to Logan. "I don't suppose you would be telling me who you choose any time soon?"




___________________________


#22330C #91772A

[fairie lore]

Of course, he says, like it was a given.

Logan has his suspicions about Elwood pulling through with honourable behaviour, but he figures that if he makes sure he that everything is explicitly clear then the mutant can't pull the wool over his eyes. However, he's not entirely sure whom he'd want Elwood to harass. As of late no one has pissed him off too much (other than Elwood himself). Although... "My tentative answer is Pietro, but it may change." Maybe the kid will have less enthusiasm to talk non stop after he has to deal with Elwood all the time.

[balance and composure]

The look on Elwood's face suggests that he's either surprised or somewhat bothered by Logan's tentative choice in victims. The Pie boy? No, no, no, that wouldn't work at all. He's just a boy, for one thing, and that leaves a multitude of restrictions from the start. If he says one wrong word to the child, Charles would hear of it, then Erik, then Raven, and none of that would not go well in the slightest. For all he knows, Pietro would actually take the attention very well, and Elwood isn't sure he wants that.

But he supposes there's always the choice to stop bothering people altogether, should Pietro be the one Logan pushes him to. Elwood could do that. Not happily, but he could do that.

Still.

"For God's sake, Dog-tags, please choose someone who would actually dislike my constant presence." He sneers, straightening up and grabbing his mask. He waits for a few beats, eyes Logan very closely, and then turns around to leave. "Fare thee well, Puppy, I'm off to find your room."

He's lying, of course, but Logan doesn't know that.