Topher felt Ilya's negative emotions melt away. He wasn't sure if he'd psychically ingested all of them, or if Ilya was feeling better, but he knew for sure that he was going to go out flying later.
Topher didn't let his hand drop as Ilya spoke. To do so then would send the wrong message, and that was the last thing he wanted for the new guy. He'd confused Ilya enough already, and made him feel bad enough already too.
Some X-Leader I'm going to turn out to be, he mused.
He looked down at Dolemeck and nodded before looking back at Ilya.
"Thank you for sharing that," he said after a beat. "I don't know much about Russia, no, but the not being considered a full person? That sounds hideous." All the more so now. If they didn't like him then, what would they have thought, now that he was a mutant as well? How could anyone deal with that?
"Ilya, I'm so sorry you had to deal with that. I can't promise you that it's going to get easier now that you're a mutant - we were outed recently, and things were a little touch and go for awhile. What I can promise you is that regardless of your cultural or ethnic background, regardless of whatever gifts your genetic mutation has bestowed upon you, and regardless of how you feel it's best to learn your..." Topher paused, looking for the right word, "craft...you're among friends now." He smiled warmly at Ilya and squeezed his shoulder. "Look. We've had members who've done a lot, who've been through a lot. Not all of it good on either count. They didn't screw anything up. Neither will you."
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Topher didn't let his hand drop as Ilya spoke. To do so then would send the wrong message, and that was the last thing he wanted for the new guy. He'd confused Ilya enough already, and made him feel bad enough already too.
Some X-Leader I'm going to turn out to be, he mused.
He looked down at Dolemeck and nodded before looking back at Ilya.
"Thank you for sharing that," he said after a beat. "I don't know much about Russia, no, but the not being considered a full person? That sounds hideous." All the more so now. If they didn't like him then, what would they have thought, now that he was a mutant as well? How could anyone deal with that?
"Ilya, I'm so sorry you had to deal with that. I can't promise you that it's going to get easier now that you're a mutant - we were outed recently, and things were a little touch and go for awhile. What I can promise you is that regardless of your cultural or ethnic background, regardless of whatever gifts your genetic mutation has bestowed upon you, and regardless of how you feel it's best to learn your..." Topher paused, looking for the right word, "craft...you're among friends now." He smiled warmly at Ilya and squeezed his shoulder. "Look. We've had members who've done a lot, who've been through a lot. Not all of it good on either count. They didn't screw anything up. Neither will you."