Papa was a rolling stone

[magneticfields]

Who: Erik Lehnsherr, Wanda Maximoff, Peter Maximoff, Rogue, Clara Oswald, Diana Prince, Charles Xavier
When: The month of December, very carefully planned that none of these are happening at the same time (he has a color-coded calendar)
Where: Various places around the station, see prompts.
What: Erik's personal life is a disaster that I am attempting to contain in one place. This log is for the various dates he has lined up, as well as spending time with his children. And fighting a demon with Charles.
Warnings: Not expecting any, will edit to include warnings if something happens.


I never got a chance to see him (Closed to Wanda)

[ It takes Erik a few days to recover from the shock of Peter's revelation. One thing he definitely needs to do is talk to Wanda. Her odd behavior, and strong reaction when he so grievously misinterpreted the cause, now made sense.

There were still murky waters to navigate. The fact that she had her own parents, even though Peter was his son and Peter's sister was Erik's daughter. That apparently her brother is not here. That there is some sort of dimensional shift that has changed things for her in ways Erik does not quite understand.

He wants too, though. Try to define the strange situation that has tied them together. It is perhaps a selfish impulse, though he is sure that if she tells him to leave her alone, he will do so. And so he goes looking for her, starting in the library because he had heard she might be there. ]

Never heard nothin' but bad things about him (closed to Peter)

[ One thing is clear, Peter needs to know more about Erik's side of the family. Possibly also his mother, as Erik is certain that she has not told Peter the truth about how or when they met.

But the more important thing is to tell him about his family, all that they have lost. The legacy only lives so long as there is somebody to remember it. And now there will be, once Erik is gone.

He goes to Peter's quarters, at a time they both agreed on, with a hard copy of information that he wants Peter to have, and the intention of not getting sidetracked. And the locket. Because the first thing he needs to tell him about is his sister. ]

Papa never was much on thinking (closed to Rogue)

[ Erik is still not sure whether or not this is a mistake. He knows his intentions are good. It has occurred to him that much of what he finds interesting in Rogue is what attracted him to Raven. And becoming physically intimate with Raven was a mistake, one he will not repeat. Clearly Rogue is searching for some kind of mentor, and if Erik can serve in that role, and serve as a voice of reason against whatever it is that Charles is teaching her, all the better.

They are meeting in his quarters, of course. He's not interested in dealing with the inevitable wild rumors that would spring up the instant any of the others saw them interacting. He's done what he can to make sure the lighting is comfortable but not in a way that could be described as "mood lighting". He has a pitcher of what he has been assured is a decent approximation of "sweet tea" in the refrigerator. He is not sure what Rogue intends to prepare, but he expects the tea will go well with it. As well as sweet tea goes with anything, anyway. ]

Spent most of his time chasing women and drinking (closed to Clara)

[ The truth of the matter is that risotto is not as difficult to make as it appears. The trick is to just keep stirring it, and most do not have the patience for it.

Erik is a patient man.

He's left the door open so that Clara can come in without him having to leave the stove. Along with the ingredients he's using, he was able to obtain a few new articles of clothing. A sweater, one that actually fits him and not Charles, in a nice dark maroon. A grey broadcloth shirt underneath, and khaki pants. And an apron over that at the moment, as he is not going to ruin his new clothes.

He hums quietly as he adds a ladle of stock to the rice and stirs vigorously. ]

I'm depending on you to tell me the truth (closed to Diana)

[ Erik didn't bring a chessboard with him, of course. He made one shortly after arrival. Inlaying different alloys to make the checkered pattern, forming various bits of scrap metal into the right color and a shape that he liked. He hadn't actually had time or opportunity to play anybody in the two months since he arrived, and so he is looking forward to teaching Diana.

She is an intelligent woman, and a strategic thinker. Once she picks up the basics he is certain she will quickly become a worthy opponent. He has set the board up in the greenery, on a small table with two chairs that probably wasn't intended to be used like a bistro set in the park. But it's peaceful there, and it is nice to be around the plants.

And if the taskbots get out of hand he can always just stick them to the floor until the cavalry arrives. ]

and that ain't right (closed to Charles)

[ The thing rattles inside the locker. Erik glares back at it, hand up, fingers splayed, keeping the door in place and a flashlight shining directly on it. He's not sure exactly what part of this setup is keeping it in place, so he keeps it all in place.

He flicks on the video call feature on his A.C.E. ]

Call Charles.

Comments

[magneticfields]

[ There is one thing that's been weighing on him, even though he's fairly certain he already knows the answer. Natalya had made her opinion of faith in general very plain quite early in their relationship.

It is not an easy thing to ask, for a number of reasons. He looks at his hands for a moment before looking back at Peter. ]

Did you know that we're Jewish?

[quickfingers]

[He's grateful his father has a question to fill the silence with because it in turn opens up a few avenues of conversation. His mother grew up in a Catholic household but the faith filtered through her a lot more loosely, with church in the earlier years being a thing of inherited habit up until her kids exhausted her enough for it to fall to the wayside. And Peter fell even more out of practice than that, considering himself more or less an atheist at present but...

He shifts, rubbing at his shoulder.] I found out, yeah... wasn't really raised knowing it.

[He grew up on Christmas being the big winter holiday, he never took pause to think of anything else. Now he wishes he had been given a little more insight into things before he grew up. What has he missed? What does he need to catch up on? He feels vaguely removed from it, like there's almost too much to find out now.] I'd like to learn more about it, though.

[magneticfields]

[ Erik can't quite hide his displeasure at the confirmation of what he suspected. ]

Did you know I'm a Survivor?

[ He doesn't bother to specify survivor of what and hopes that will be understood. They've already brushed on the topic in their previous conversation. ]

If you would like, I could let you know when I am observing a holiday, or just talk about it.

[quickfingers]

[Peter tips his head to confirm, finding it a weird passage to take facts he learned about his father before he'd met him to looking the man in the face and seeing the real result of that history. He's still blind to so much of it.

He sucks in a breath.] I'd like that? Sorry I don't know more.

Ma kinda held a lot of stuff close to her chest. I guess it was to protect me and my sis, but at the same time - I dunno. [How do you say "I think she wanted to erase you" without coming off exactly as terrible as that sounds? His mom wanted the best for them and he can kinda see how them being shadowed by their father might've been a problem. A tool against him, even.]

[magneticfields]

[ Erik shakes his head. ] You have the opportunity to learn, now. We can make the most of it.

[ Erik looks at his hands. "Protect". Up until about six months ago he would have been infuriated by that. By the implication that he could pose a danger to his children. That he could not keep them safe. ]

Your mother... was well within her rights with all the decisions she made.

[ This is true, as much as it galled him. When he left they were both content with the definitive end to any contact between them. He takes a breath. This will not be easy. ]

There was wisdom in her caution. Peter, you had another sister. Her name was Nina. She was seven years old when she was murdered, along with her mother, Magda. My wife. [ He looks up to meet his eye. ] I am sorry I could not save them.

[quickfingers]

[Peter glances up abruptly at his father, looking surprised but at the same time recalling bits and pieces of earlier conversations that now click more into place. Actually, a lot of things click more into place knowing this. But nonetheless it makes him feel uncomfortable, knowing that he had yet another sister that he'll never be able to meet?

He swallows hard, tugging at the collar of his shirt.] I'm sorry too. Didn't know about them.

[magneticfields]

[ This is not good news. It would have been, had Erik been a better father to her. ]

I assumed as much. I was living under a pseudonym at the time, and Apocalypse arrived a few hours after it happened and that... [ he sighs ] overshadowed everything.

[ He hands Peter the locket. ] That was hers. I'd like you to have it.

[quickfingers]

[Peter reaches to take it, finding it feeling a lot heavier than it is in his hand.

He looks down at it, hesitating before opening it up - first glancing at Erik before doing so.] Nina. You know, she looks kinda like how Wanda did at her age.

Are you sure? [About giving it to him.]

[magneticfields]

[ Erik nods and reaches to turn the inside of the locket, revealing the other pictures. ]

Those are your grandparents. Whatever your thoughts of me, whatever our relationship is. These are your people. They deserve to be remembered.

[ He falls silent again as the choking anger at Natalya threatens to push him to say something untoward. She robbed him of this. He is sure that if she had her way, Peter would never know of any of them. it wasn't right. ]

[quickfingers]

[Peter spends a long moment regarding the photos and feeling unsure of what he's feeling. He thought he had his life webbed out and even though branches of the tree were missing, he'd been able to gloss over their loss. Here they stick out once they have faces, once they have names. The holes in the family tapestry become much more noticeable and he feels... a bit overwhelmed again.

It's not like he could've met his grandparents, but there's an unfairness to that that still sits in his gut. He lost a lot of stories when they died and he lost even more opportunities to learn when growing up because he didn't have his father in his life. He's not as angry at his mother but he's still a bit irked by the situation and how it played out.]

What were they like?

[magneticfields]

[ What were they like? A completely natural question. Yet it stymies Erik. His own memories so tangled and fraught and weighed down with the tragedy of their slaughter it's difficult to tease out the simple things like that.

He has to try. For his son. ]

Your grandfather's name was Jakob. Like I mentioned, he was a veteran of the first World War. He was a decorated officer. He wasn't shell shocked, as they used to call it. But from what my mother and Uncle Max said, it did change him. Nevertheless he was a loving father, if... distant and difficult to know at times.

My mother's name was Edie. She was from Warsaw. She was... [ He laughs softy. ] Formidable. She had an unshakable sense of pride. She wouldn't let us get beaten down, no matter what happened. She also was a very good singer.

[ He pauses, feeling unsure. ] I'm not sure if that's what you're asking for. I was half your age when they were killed.

[quickfingers]

[He's not sure what he's asking for either. What he's being told is fascinating, but it's... facts. Filling in holes he didn't know were there before but still leaving him feeling unfulfilled. He can learn everything about his grandparents but they'll always remain facts, where as he has a personal link right now to his father. He should be asking questions about him instead.

But what? Peter looks down at his hands.] I guess I just wanna... know more of who I am? Or where I came from.

So anything you've got to share, I'll listen to. Anything you think I should know?

[magneticfields]

[ Erik looks to his file. "Everything" seems a bit much, but anything less is an insult to both Peter and the memory of those they've lost. He opens the file. ]

I wrote down everything I can remember. I have access to more information back home, official documents, various records. Nearly everything was destroyed, of course, but when I was recruited by Mossad I was able to access information I wouldn't have been able to otherwise. The rest is what I managed to dig up on my own after the agency and I, ah, parted ways.

[ After they burned him for repeated insubordination and chronic disobeying of orders. But no reason to go into detail unless he really wants it. ]