Her chin rose slightly as Erik stepped closer, convinced that he wasn’t just a spectral of her imagination. Erik Lehnsherr in the flesh. How unexpected.
“Clearly.” Eloise asserted, though painfully self-aware of all possibilities, but she liked to keep her ego intact and the magnetist seemed to allow such credulity.
“Good to know.” The little tid bit about the illustrious helmet was unwarranted, but welcomed. So, he was funny. Not a trait she’d assume, but again television seems to mask truth. Let’s you see what they want you to see. She seemed to relate.
Her composure settled to the point she felt more grounded, plus one mind was easier to press than two. “Maybe I like the advantage.” Her own eyebrows rose, taking another step closer. “Lucky for you, I can be whatever you want me to be.” It was a blink, not a process of change as Mystique could conjure, her voice changing as the she spoke. Though she could’ve made a whole show of it. But, the mind plays tricks. Perception, a finicky, bendable thing.
But, the person that stood before him was no longer a outspoken blonde with bright blue eyes, but a taller gentleman with short cut hair, though the blue eyes remained. A mirror of himself. Her his eyebrows rose and fell in an amused manner.
Another flash and the image disappeared, leaving the bender alone. “Or nothing at all.” She whispered, the sound voiced inside his mind.
Releasing from his mind, the blonde reappeared though have moved behind him. The benefit of manipulating perception is that it only affects the minds she chooses, meaning if someone were to come along, nothing would seem out of the ordinary. She walks back in a half circle, now only a few feet away from his front with a coy smile.
“Like I said, I enjoy having the advantage. But, I suppose I owe you.” Maybe it was a dangerous game, trying to get into the mind of Magneto, but when would she have another chance, no malicious intent though it might come across. Her power or gift, so to say, was only a means of survival, lucky if it even worked at all as emotion affected it entirely.
“Eloise. Just Eloise.” She puts out her hand in introduction as a symbol. She wasn’t here to mess with his mind, truly admiring the guy after all he’s done for their kind. Many might disagree with his tactics, but the heart was there. She grasp the idea of feeling misunderstood.
He opened his mouth and wanted to ask what she meant by that, but suddenly Erik found himself…staring at himself. He took a small step back, surprised by the sight, but not displeased. So she definitely wasn’t human. A shapeshifter, maybe, like Mystique.
Or more.
A deep frown furrowed his brow when she disappeared suddenly, and Erik turned around to see where she had gone. There was her voice – but she wasn’t there. As if she was in his mind…and he hated people in his mind.
He turned around and faced the woman. Her again. Or at least the form she wanted him to see.
His gaze shifted up and down, studying her from top to toe. Her powers were impressive – but had him wonder why she hadn’t used them to defend herself against the two men threatening her.
He glanced down at her hand for a moment, but instead of taking it, the magnetist only nodded his head in appreciation. “Erik. So you’re a telepath?” His gaze went back up to meet Eloise’s. “Then you should know to stay out of my head.” Too many memories were stored there; one more painful than the other. They were his, and definitely not any of Eloise’s business.
“You don’t owe me anything, though. I just did what…any law-abiding citizen would do.” It was ridiculous, he knew that, but he had to lay low. “Why didn’t you use your powers against those men, though?”
