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[mistressofelements]

What it says on the tin.

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[mistressofelements]

Then we'll do things your way.

[prefers_magneto]

If you wait for me to be proven right, it will be too late.

[mistressofelements]

Being cryptic is not going to convince me of anything so let's save that discussion until I get there.

[prefers_magneto]

[When she arrives, he's pacing, agitated, with a file folder in his hand.]

[mistressofelements]

[ Erik getting agitated by things in folders has become a very familiar phenomenon in Storm's life. ]

What's the matter?

[prefers_magneto]

[He thrusts the folder into her hands.]

Inhibitor collars. A technology that neutralizes mutants' powers.

[mistressofelements]

[ She opens the folder and starts looking through the information. ]

Well... It's not a pleasant idea but the motivation behind it isn't entirely unreasonable. Mutants can be criminals too, and a lot of us are awfully hard to lock up.

[prefers_magneto]

Oh, absolutely. And it won't at all be used to confine any and all mutants, once they figure out it works.

[He turns and looks at her.]

It's a prison camp accessory. That's its purpose.

[mistressofelements]

Okay, so you've clearly made your mind up about this already so why are you contacting me about it when you know I'll just argue with you?

[prefers_magneto]

"Tell me I'm wrong!" he shouted. He grabbed the file and threw it on the ground. "You all seem to think I'm so set on this vision of the future because I want it, somehow. Take it away," he implored. "SHOW ME THAT I'M WRONG!"

[mistressofelements]

"Then tell me how!" Storm didn't even try to keep her temper under control anymore, and above them the skies darkened. "What do you want from me, Erik? What would convince you?"

[prefers_magneto]

"If I knew that, it wouldn't keep me awake every fucking night of my life," he said. He crossed his arms and paced around her.

[mistressofelements]

"So what do you want to do about this?"

She gestured toward the folder.

[prefers_magneto]

"The same thing I wanted to do about the cure."

Destroy the research, destroy the facilities, destroy everyone involved in it. Erase it from the world.

[mistressofelements]

"Which brings us back to 'why are you telling me about this'."

Because he must know that she was going to do whatever she could to stop him from doing that.

[prefers_magneto]

"If I do it and you hear about it later, what are you going to..." He trails off and turns away, still pacing. "You think I'm wrong. You think this isn't the way to stop them."

[mistressofelements]

"You know that's what I think, why are we having this discussion?"

Again. She put her hands on her hips and took a couple of deep breaths, trying to get herself under control before she caused a tempest.

[prefers_magneto]

He turned to glower at her over his shoulder.

"Because I don't want you to hate me when it's done."

[mistressofelements]

"I won't hate you, I'll just want to send you to prison."

Actually she wouldn't want that either, but she would do the right thing. They were very similar that way, really. Only trying to do the right thing, even if they rarely agreed on what the right thing was.

[prefers_magneto]

"You want me locked up like an animal? How is that different from hate?" Erik asked, clearly pained.

[mistressofelements]

It hurt to see him like this, but at least he was feeling something. At least it mattered to him what she thought about what he was trying to do.

"If I got in your way too much, you'd try to stop me, wouldn't you?"

[prefers_magneto]

He expression almost crumples for a moment before hardening.

"I don't want to hurt you."

[mistressofelements]

"But you would if you thought it necessary. Does that mean you hate me?"

She knew that it didn't, she was just making a point.

[prefers_magneto]

"Don't make it necessary," Erik told her, his voice barely more than a growl.

[mistressofelements]

"Are you trying to threaten me, Erik? Because that is not going to work."