Mob at the Front Gate

[The Man]

"Not until this is resolved," ::Xavier replied patiently. Pietro was angry with him, that could be told without telepathy. But he needed this situation to be resolved peacefully, and his nephew's current anger would make that impossible. He returned his attention to Raven's question.:: "We must undo what set them off."

[Mystique]

"How?" She asked, turning to see Pietro rooted to the ground, and furious. Charles' doing. "They were set off because they saw me, so what, do we make them-" She stopped in mid-sentence. Make them forget they saw her. Charles was going to tamper with their minds.

[Pietro Maximoff]

::Pietro struggled against the psychic hold which kept him in place. Despite his greatest efforts, his legs refused to obey him, his feet remained firmly planted where they were. Those feet which had saved his life and other's more times than he could count. Didn't Uncle know better? This was nothing short of cruel, to keep him still. Like when Magneto wore that helmet...it was insulting. His eyes blazed, in anger and frustration, and he spoke, accent thicker.:: "I don't care what you do, Uncle. Let me go!"

[Mystique]

They were progressing up the front lawn, almost to the entrance. With each step the mob took, their anger grew. Even the women, somewhat hesitant at first, were now excited and eager. They would teach these mutants their place, and that they certainly didn't belong here. One of the men who had brought a gun pulled his out, and, after yelling a few encouraging words to the mob, shot into the air once. That only riled them further. Along the way they began to pick up rocks, and now began to heave them at the mansion.

At the sound of the shot, Mystique's eyes widened in fear, and shifted. Instead of watching Pietro's anger-filled outburst, she turned to Charles. "Charles, we have to do something," she pleaded. It was very likely that, within the next few minutes, if they continued to do nothing, innocent lives would be hurt.

[The Man]

::Xavier gave Pietro an apologetic look, but he could not let his nephew run out recklessly into that mob. He would make it up to the other man later. Closing his eyes, he sought out the human minds on the lawn, about eighteen of them. Altering their memories while they continued to walk would be a more dangerous tactic, so instead, he stilled their minds. The men and women outside froze in place, unmoving, unseeing, unthinking. He continued to concentrate, but addressed Raven.:: "I have it under control."

[Mystique]

She swallowed nervously, but could tell from his look that he was concentrating, and working. She wouldn't bother him when he was like this. While he had great control, no one was perfect, and she preferred it if he didn't have a lapse in control at a time like this. Easing carefully out of her chair, she cautiously went to the window. Since the parlor was off to the side of the mansion, she couldn't see them very well, but they were unmoving, and silent. It was eerie.

[The Man]

::Xavier's eyes remained closed, and his full attention return to the crowd on the grounds. One mind at a time, he sifted through the recent memories, altered the last hour of their lives. Raven had not lost her form in the class, Pietro had not run out with her. The class had ended smoothly, and they had returned home. There was no anger, and this was not a mutant school. He repeated the process with each and every member of the mob, taking an extra moment with the man who shot off his gun. Using that man's body as though he were a marionette, he emptied his weapon, the bullets fell to the grass before them. Xavier then sent them back home, giving them delayed mental awareness. All they knew now was that they had to return home. When they reached their destinations, they would have control of themselves once again, not a moment before.::

[Mystique]

She watched in awe as the mob slowly turned and left, walking out the gate. The last person even closing the gate behind them. Then, in the distance now, she saw them all walking slowly away, and most likely home. "Amazing," she said softly, turning to look at Charles once more.

[Pietro Maximoff]

::Pietro's vision was nearly perfect, and even from his angle, he could see the mob retreat from the grounds. Still, he was frozen where he stood, as though he was a liability, that he would go after them if released. When the shape-shifter uttered a word of awe, he turned his head to his Uncle.:: "Let me go."

[The Man]

::It was only after they had closed the gate that Xavier released that part of Pietro's mind that controlled his legs. He knew his nephew could not stand to be restrained, but they could not have more violence on their hands. Not here, not now, and not with pregnant women. They might have cried for blood, but they were ignorant.:: "You are free to go."

[Mystique]

She walked back to stand by Charles. She wanted to embrace him tightly right now, after such a long and terrible day. But she knew it would infuriate Pietro, so she did not. When Charles told Pietro he was free to move once more, she glanced between him and Charles, silent.

[Pietro Maximoff]

::Pietro took a cautious step, found that he could walk again. He glared at his Uncle, but remained in the threshold for a brief moment. He spoke then, words not quite an order, yet almost not a plea, somewhere in between.:: "Don't do that again."

[Mystique]

Mystique watched Pietro as he spoke, voice cold. She waited until he left before she nearly collapsed in the chair next to Charles. She felt as if her nerves were all on edge. If Pietro had not been there with her, gotten her home so quickly...things might have ended up much worse. She found Charles' hand resting on the armrest of his chair, and squeezed tightly.

[The Man]

::Xavier returned the squeeze of her hand gently. This had been a close call, but the had gotten through it.:: "We will find alternative arrangements in the future. This will not happen a second time."