Sanity... so overrated - The White Tower

"Bested? Oh now you're pushing it" he smirked, leaning back and letting himself sink down slightly into the couch as he pulled his feet up onto it.
"And besides, who's to say that the two you just mentioned weren't as much me as anything else? I've lived longer than you, I've fought in too many wars and killed enough people to have lost count decades ago. What you see is all me, just different pieces tailored to suit the situation"
The youth moved his hands behind his head, causing the open shirt to slip to the side so that most of his bandages torso was exposed.
"Maybe I'm simple though? Maybe I'm nothing more than a chameleon adapting to the situations presented to me with no real substance in and of myself?"

"No Charlie, I don't think you are a two dimensional figure adapting to things as they present themselves. You don't strike me as that shallow. I think you are a rich tapestry of emotion, ideals, dreams and thoughts combined into an ever changing package that presents an outward appearance that you want others to believe. I might be foolish enough to piss off the elders, but most of our kind do that at some point, but I still make my living seeing through things to get to the core of something. So, yeah. I call bullshit on chameleon."

He blinked.
Simply... blinked.
Then slowly, very slowly, a smile found its way back to his lips.

"Is that so?" he said softly, lips parting as he eased his tongue across a canine. "emotions, ideals, dreams.. you're crediting me an awful lot there" Charlie said with that same sweet tone of voice as he tilted his head to the side, causing a couple of bangs of hazel hair to fall down into his face.

Marvin smiled, and brushed one of the bangs out of Charlie's face.

"Yes. I am. Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me that a woman who went to war dressed as a man, and then continued living that way even when dead for nearly a century doesn't have ideals, and her own way of doing things. Tell me someone who has fought in as many wars as you fought in doesn't have beliefs, and tell me that someone who has done all that and more, doesn't have visions and hopes and dreams. What is it Charlie, what makes you tick, what makes Charlie Charlie? What is it you believe in? "

The Hell...
What the Hell was up with him this evening?

For a few moments longer than he'd really meant to, the youth gazed into the other man's eyes as if trying to discern something, almost as if searching.
When the answer came, it was softy spoke in a way as if to make it sound almost like an admittance.

"I buried the last of my faith with my father..." he said without breaking eye contact.

Marvin stared back, gazing deep into Charlie's eyes.

"What about your hopes, your dreams, your ideals? You can't bury it all Charlie, especially not your family, especially not you. I spent more time with your father hearing him go on about his own visions and ideals than I did working sometimes. And I listened because it excited me even as he annoyed me sometimes. So I don't believe it. And I think that same bright spark of idealism and vision burns within you, only differently. And I live for such bright lights Charlie, it makes my very soul light up with joy. And it's in you. I know it is."

God damn it...

He felt himself tense slightly, one hand swiftly moving out to place his hand on Marvin's chest to make sure to keep some distance between himself and the eerie Malkavian.
"Stop it..."
The smile faded again, though his eyes did not break away. He did, however, sound quite serious.

Marvin smiled. And stopped it.

"I'm sorry Charlie" he said gently "The madness amplifies things sometimes, I didn't want to scare you. But I won't hurt you, I can promise you that. "

He stood up "Perhaps I should go?"

The man was creepy as Hell, the youth would give him that. As he got up though Charlie shook his head and sat upright as his hands moved to button up his shirt.
"No need to leave unless you want to. Just keep the psycho analysis to yourself alright?" he said without actually looking at the Malkavian.

Scared? No, not scared. That was not quite it.

Marvin closed his eyes and seemed to focus on something inwardly for a moment. The pirate costume probably didn't help the strangeness of it all.

"Charlie...." he said after a bit "You have nothing to be worried about because I saw through your shield. It is my training as much as it is yours to wage war. I went a bit over the top there a moment ago.

He sighed "The madness.... it scares people, disturbs them, makes them shudder at our passing. Those of us who pass as perfectly normal scare others because they don't know what lies beneath, and the outwardly insane are just as unnerving. So I apologize for breaching your defenses and then showing my own madness a bit there."

The youth looked up, finished the last button and then rose to his feet in one liquid movement.

"You're disturbing" he said calmly, eyeing him slowly as if trying to decide on something. "In more ways than just one. But" he walked over, closing the gap between them until he found himself ace to face with Marvin, looking up at him. "You don't scare me. Nor have you broken any of my defenses simply because you're insightful enough to scratch at the surface"

Charlie reached up and placed a soft manicured hand to his cheek as his smile returned.
"You have a few redeeming qualities..." he touched his thumb to Marvin's lips and tilted his head gently to the side.

Small bare feet on carpet slowly dragging there way across the floor came softly into hearing range. Cass wasn't really even awake enough to be paying to much attentions when she came slowly down the stairs running fingers through her slightly mussed locks. She wore a long, too big for her t-shirt in red. Rubbing her eyes, she wasn't really even awake enough yet to focus in on who was there...

She got to the bottom of the steps and blinked at the pirate, looking, really, as if she could fall back to sleep where she stood.

"Baby, why is there a pirate in your apartment?" She asked Charlie, obviously still not awake... And internally debating going the hell back to bed.

Marvin smiled at Charlie and stroked his nose "I think we all have our own disturbing moments."

He looked over at Cass "Well good evening Cass"

The youth moved his hand to touch his with a smile before turning to Cass at the sound of her voice.
"Oh, I think he's just a little lost" he smiled, throwing Marvin a sideways glance and giving his hand a light squeeze. "Can I get you anything Cass?"

"Jesus!"

Cass shook her head.

"What the fuck, is it Halloween already?" She blinked, rubbing the last bit of sleep from her eyes but still groggy. Groggy enough to not care about her lack of dress. She glanced at Charlie with heavy eyes and smiled to him.

"Maybe later. Not quite awake enough yet."

She moved toward the unlikely pair and smiled, giving Marvin a wink.

"Evening, handsome. You do realize that pirates are totally hot right now, hm?" And with the she put her hands on either side of Marvin's face and planted a solid kiss on his lips.

"Mmmmm yes" he said returning the kiss and stroking her cheek "I'm two for two in that compliment category this evening. Now all I need is for you to tell me how disturbing I am and we are batting a thousand" he chuckled

"I don't think you need me to tell you that, sugar. I believe we've already covered this subject, hmm? Why rehash it?"

Cass patted Marvin's arm and promptly let go. She touched Charlie's hand as she slid past and made her way to her bag, pulling out a partially crushed pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

"I think you have the capability to be as disturbing or not disturbing as you want to be. Then again..." She stood and turned back toward him as she began making her way back toward the guys.

"You have the capability to do a lot of things. It's whether you choose to do the right things or not is what can be... disturbing."

Yeah... putting wraiths in computers? Ugh...

"And I digress, it's more than that. And that was largely a joke, not a jump into conversation. Mostly I came by to bring Charlie a few gifts. I didn't know you were here or I would have done the same."

Charlie let out a soft chuckle, resting one hand on his hip while lifting the other to scratch idly at the back of his neck.
Oh they were doing the teenager thing again weren't they? Oh well, entertaining enough at least.

Sliding his hand form his neck he touched two finger to his lips and smiled to Cass as if blowing her a kiss even as she walked over to them again.
"Oh, but my gifts are worthy of sharing aren't they?" he turned to look at Marvin with a smile.

"Do you by chance have my underwear on you? Because that would be swell," she winked again as she moved past and back towards the stairs.

She looked to Charlie and repaid the gesture as she moved past.

"Sharing is caring, so they say," she chuckled and planted herself down on the steps as she ran her finger through her hair again and then stretched lazily.

"Depends on how you want to share a pair of candles and a large bottle of oil now doesn't it" he said with a soft smile and wink at both people in the room.

"And yes I do as a matter of fact, have kept them from the ghoul, wearing the same shorts I was the other night. What will you give to get them back" he smiled

"What, you want to cop a feel or something?" She grinned.

He laughed and reached under his costume into the cargo shorts he was wearing, and pulled the article of clothing in question out of a pocket, and tossed them to Cass

"Happy Halloween"

"Oh, doesn't take that much imagination now does it?" a clearly amused Charlie smirked as he folded his arms across his chest and leaned back against the sofa.
In fact while thoughtful, he was pretty sure the Malkavian had already had something in mind when he picked the gifts.

He shook his head with a soft laughter and touched a set of slender fingers to his forehead.
"You two are... incorrigible..."

"Oooh, treats... I hate tricks."

She caught the frilly, tiny garment and promptly put them on in front of them. As if they would've expected anything less.

She pouted at Charlie as she pulled her shirt back down. "I'm incorrigible?" A shrug. "A fair point."