On the Patio

[Shade]

Shade gave him a half curious, half questioning look. "What sort of science?" she asked. "The same guys that had business with this...Cure thing?"

[The Man]

::The Professor shook his head slightly in negation of her statement. Weapon X was at the forefront of his thoughts, but that was not the focus of this lecture.:: "No, Worthington Laboratories will have a brief mention. Eugenics, however, have been in practice for far longer than mutant studies."

[Shade]

Mutant studies. Shade didn´t like the sound of that for some reason. It sounded like some odd sidebranch in biology. She knew a little about eugenics, mostly in connection with history and still what she knew about it and what the Professor implied with what he said, didn´t sound too pleasant. "Just a small step from eugenics to discrimination." she said.

[The Man]

"There is a fine line," ::The Professor agreed. He had sat on panels before, in his days at Columbia, discussing the thin line between eugenics for the sake of eliminating fatal diseases and those for the elimination of ethnic characteristics. Genetic interference was always potentially dangerous.:: "That is why we must study it, to be aware and thus have the capacity to make informed decisions."

[Shade]

Shade thought about that for a moment. "Sometimes" she said. "I think that this is a field humans are not meant to meddle in at all. I mean, evolution´s happening no matter what. Meddling with that kind of appears like playing God or something. That just can´t be right."

[The Man]

::The Professor had heard that exact point argued time and again.:: "You are not alone in that opinion, Shade."

[Shade]

That didn´t tell her anything about the Professor´s point of view, Shade noticed. "What do you think about it?" she therefore asked.

[The Man]

"Personally, I find it best not to tamper," ::The Professor replied. He had seen far too much trauma result otherwise. And unlike Erik, he could accept humans and mutants alike for who and what they had been born to be.::

[Shade]

Shade nodded, giving her feet a half thoughtful glance. "Bet there are others who think differently." she said. "Creating a Brave New World and all that."

[The Man]

::That was a common theme in all of the enemies that they faced, the desire to create a world of one species or the other: mutant in some cases, human in others. The Professor nodded in agreement with her assessment.:: "Yes, there certainly are, and that is why I wish the students to be informed of what they might face in the outside world."

[Shade]

Shade nodded, at the same time wondering whether any sort of lectures or schooling could prepare the students for what was going on out ther anyways. Probably not and all they could do was try. ´Play teacher´ she could hear Magneto´s voice briefly flicker across her mind briefly, causing her to growl inwardly. An empath or telepath might easily notice that temporary change in her emotions, like a flickering flame. Her emotions were often on a sleeve, not visible in her face but clearly detectable in her mind for those with matching abilities.
"They will need such information." she said.

[The Man]

::Her thoughts were close to the surface, and the Professor heard the wisp of conversation with Erik, just as she did. It was frustrating, that his oldest friend had fallen so far as the years had passed, his concern for survival twisting into what it had. More than that, it was a tragedy. However, the Professor did not comment on it, allowing her to have her thoughts.:: "They will, and all we can do is try our hardest to prepare them."

[Shade]

Shade nodded in agreement, the fingers of her left hand absently playing with the voodoo bracelet she was still wearing every day, it had become a good luck charm over the months. Her thoughts, as they often tended to, briefly went over to Gambit, once more wondering whether he was all right and when he would return, knowing that, had it been Gambit sitting there with her right now, she would have followed her thoughts from where they were right now, telling him what Magneto had said, seeking for reassurance. She had not shown it when facing Erik, but the conversation was partlystill ringing in her ears despite the relief she felt for finally having finished with that chapter of her life. ´Do you think I can do more than pretend?´ she pictured herself asking Gambit. ´Do you believe I am stronger than that?´

She turned her head to face Xavier, smiling slightly. "I´ll give my best in that." she said.

[The Man]

::The Professor smiled softly at her, still affording her the privacy of her thoughts, despite the particularly strong projection. He could give her assurance in a more subtle way.:: "With your best preparation of the students, Shade, I know they will be just fine."

[Shade]

Shade gave him a little smile in acknowledgement, before she kept silent for a moment.
"I officially resigned from the Brotherhood now, by the way." she then said, only seemingly changing the topic and indicating with her words that she had spoken to Magneto as she had intended to do months back already. She felt she had to talk about that with someone, someone she trusted and she had a strange sort of deja vu right now. It was the second time she would have the Professor by her side to talk about something or find reassurance where she would usually tell Gambit first. There was no reproach in that thought, she merely noticed. Probably because she was missing him.