All's Fair in Love and War

Chapter 2 Not Alone

Later that night

"Okay..." Evie said slowly, as Charles finished explaining their situation while they walked Evie home. "So, you're, what recruiting us to fight this mutant... Shaw?"

"Only if you want to." Charles reassured. "We are hoping you would use your gifts for a greater cause, but the choice is completely yours to make."

"I see." Evie murmured, staring down the dark streets.

Erik glanced over, but Charles shook his head at his friend, silently telling the taller man to let Evie mull things over on her own first.

"Can I ask something first?" Evie asked, and Erik pointed out, "You already did."

Evie shot him a look that clearly said 'very mature', and Erik grinned while Charles answered smoothly, "Of course, Miss Johnson; you may ask as many questions as you like."

"Did you do something to Sasha to get that table?" Evie asked, looking at Charles. "She was a bit... odd."

"Yes; I'm afraid I had to tweak her memories and rearrange some of the reservations they had. It's one of my abilities." Charles admitted sheepishly. "None of your other tables were free; you are incredibly popular, Miss Johnson, and therefore difficult to get a table for."

"Yes, well," Evie shrugged as she pulled her coat on tighter around herself, "all those customers are under the impression that I'm easy. They're that kind of men, and they don't mind paying the extra in tips if they can book a table with me as their server. Especially on a Friday night."

Erik raised his brow again and he examined her as though he found her quite intriguing. But Charles was the more verbose, and the slighter man inquired curiously, "Why do you do what you do - if you don't mind me asking."

"Can't you just read my mind?" Evie challenged with a glance his way.

But Charles just smiled slightly as he answered, "It would be rather rude of me to pry into your mind that far – I only looked for what was important so as not to scare you away earlier."

'As though you could scare me.'

That was what Evie really wanted to say – however, she knew Charles knew the truth. He had to have read it in her mind when she had reacted to him calling her 'Miss Johnson' the first time.

So instead, she answered his question as she explained with a shrug, "You try living on regular tips alone; it's not enough to pay the bills let alone for food on top of bills. At least with the extra cash those customers give me, I can pay my rent and keep myself from starving."

"You're lucky, you know." Erik suddenly observed, making Evie glance at him with a raised brow.

"How so?" She asked, and he pointed out calmly, "Most other women would have to actually go through with the things you make your customers think you're letting them do."

Evie gave him a measured look, before she shrugged as she acknowledged, "I suppose so. Though I think it's about the only perk to my 'abilities', so to speak; which leads me to question whether I really am lucky or not."

"You don't believe your powers are a gift."

It wasn't a question, but Evie nodded anyway.

"Is that why you trick everyone who sees you into thinking you have blue eyes?" Erik asked flatly, and she shot him a look. "Because you want to hide what you are?"

He gestured to what he saw to be her 'blue' eyes (now that Charles wasn't helping him see through Evie's illusion), and Evie averted her gaze as she answered evasively, "... Partly."