Train Ride Gone Wrong//Night&Lansing

[Alyssa :)]

Xavier awoke with a start from a very strange nightmare. In his dream, his wife was on a train with him, on their way to a vacation spot. Suddenly, his wife opened the door of the train as if she was going to jump out. Xavier reached for her, and as she turned to look at him, he was shocked to see it wasn't Jess, but Lansing. She was trying to escape! Just as she had leaped out the door, he had woken up. It was nice to know that it had only been a dream.

Xavier sat up in bed, groaning and rubbing his rough, unshaven face. The events of last night were coming back to him: Lansing gaining consciousness, eating dinner together, the flashback... He still had no idea why he had had the flashback. Sure, the way Lansing was sitting next to him could've triggered the memory, but he had never had a...vision...like that before. He decided a hot shower might help him recover from both that and the dream.

***

After Xavier got out of the shower and finished getting dressed, he went to see how Lansing was doing. He walked down to her car and knocked, only to receive no answer. He sighed, thinking she was probably purposefully ignoring him. "Lansing, it's me," he called through the door. "Please open up." Again, no response. He frowned, confusion in his gaze, and decided he would let himself in. He turned the doorknob, expecting it to be locked, but finding that the door opened with no key required. Xavier stepped into the room and felt his heart start to beat faster at the sight of the smooth, unused bed. Was his nightmare coming true? He scrambled around, trying to find the button that would call an Avox to the room. When he finally found it, he pushed it a few times and paced the room while waiting for the servant to arrive.

When the young girl finally entered the room, he swung around to face her. "Did Miss Lansing ever come to her room last night?" he asked her urgently. The Avox girl hesitated, then shook her head. "Did she ever talk to any of you? Do you know where she is?!" His voice was rising in volume as he became more and more hysterical. Again, the mute shook her head. He turned away from her, a hand over his mouth. "Get out," he ordered quietly but fiercely, and she didn't need to be told twice.

Xavier paced, trying to figure out what to do. Maybe Lansing was just wandering aimlessly around the train? But he knew better. He assumed she had either jumped off the train when they slowed down sometime, or she had gotten off at some stop they made during the night that he hadn't noticed. He decided he would do a search through the train just to see if he was wrong. For once in his life, he hoped he was.

***

An hour later, after searching everywhere with a few Avoxes, his guesses were confirmed. Lansing was gone. Xavier sat down at the table in the dining car at which he had eaten dinner with Lansing just the day before. He rested his elbows on the table and placed his head in his hands, covering his eyes. He felt the pain in his heart, knowing he would never see that girl again, never have that link to his wife again. That pain made it hard to breathe, it was so strong. It was as if he had lost his wife all over again, only this time it was worse because he had also lost Lansing. His shoulders shook, tears silently falling into his hands.

Suddenly Xavier's head whipped up, face red and tear-smeared, as he looked for a way out. He needed to leave this world, get away from it all, and join his wife. There was nothing to live for anymore, after all, and everything to die for. On the placemats arranged around the table there were already plates and silverware set up, including sharpened steak knives. It was perfect. Now he would be able to go through exactly what Jess had gone through, dying from a knife wound to the stomach, and he would finally get to be reunited with her.

With a shaky hand, the Gamemaker gripped the knife in his fingers. He got out of the chair and lied on the floor in the same position Jess had been in when he found her. With tears on his cheeks, he stared blankly ahead. Then he forcefully stabbed the knife into his gut. After that there was only the agony, and the strangeness of still feeling joy through the pain. The pain, oh the pain. It was like nothing you could imagine, and yet he was going to see his wife again, so he felt the happiest he had ever been in his entire life. And this was how he stayed. Waiting for death. Waiting for Jess.

[night]

Lansing's back ached terribly from lying on the ground all night. She had finished the stew and promptly fell asleep - of course, this sleep was interrupted numerous times by the train jolting every so often. But as far as she could tell, all through the night, the train never actually made a stop. She'd already cried for hours. Her eyes were puffy and the tip of her nose red. Her mother was probably terrified that Lansing was lying facedown in a ditch somewhere, and Lansing wondered if that wouldn't come true. She had gone through every possible solution to this problem. None led her home. She just wanted to go home. The corner's of Lansing's mouth pulled down at the thought of home. She thought she might cry for a moment. But she didn't. She shut her eyes tight. Opened them again. Stood up. Decided that yes, her best bet at ever getting back to District 10 was going along with everything Xavier said. Acting like she didn't mind being taken against her will from the only place she had ever called home. From her family and friends.

She walked to the door of the car, pressed her hands against the cool metal. She would go find Xavier, act as if she had not ever tried to escape last night, act as if she still rather liked him and thought the Capitol was beautiful and exciting, and then she would take the first chance she got to leave him in her dust. She wandered, slowly, back to the dining car Xavier had left in hysterics the night before. Once she entered the car, she noticed a single chair was out of place. One of the perfectly arranged place setting's knives were missing. Inching closer, she saw a hand connected to an arm in beautiful Capitol clothing lying on the ground. "Xavier?" She asked, nervously, voice shaking. She had to convince herself, but Lansing inched closer still. The same sort of terror she had felt when Lily Craft was running from her soon-to-be killer weakened Lansing's legs and made her heart pound, her breath pick up.

Then she saw the blood. Lansing rushed to Xavier's side, kneeling down next to him. "What did you do? What did you do?"

[/color] She cried, pressing one of her hands to the side of Xavier's face as if feeling his temperature, using the other to rip placemats from the table and press them to the knife wound in his stomach. "It's going to be okay. It's okay."[/color] She spoke with great urgency, although even she didn't know who she was trying to convince - herself or Xavier. "Help!"[/color] She screeched, "I need help in here! Please!"[/color] The blood was all over her hands, all over, everywhere, and it looked the same as when Lily Craft's throat was slit, and Lansing knew that this is what it looked like, blood everywhere, soaking through everything. Too much blood. "It's okay. It's okay."[/color] She whispered. It wasn't okay. Too much blood.[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Alyssa :)]

Xavier was still conscious, huddling on the floor, trying to get past the pain and just die. His breathing was heavy, his face a sickly pale color, and his fingers were weakly holding the knife. He was practically shaking from the agony, and he finally dropped the knife to the floor. He didn't hear the door of the dining car open, and he didn’t know someone else was there until he heard her voice.

"Lansing?" he gasped, not understanding how this could happen. She left, how could she get back on the train? He strained to see her, but he was too weak and he dropped his head back to the floor. But then she did the job for him, kneeling so he could see her. Through the pain, he felt her soft hand press against his cheek. However, he was starting to lose feeling, and his eyelids were suddenly feeling very heavy. He faintly heard her calling for help and telling him it was going to be okay. He didn’t believe her.

"You left me," he whispered, barely able to hear himself say the words. He blinked very slowly, his eyes rolling back ever-so-slightly before refocusing on Lansing. His gaze never left her eyes, even when she wasn’t looking at him. A shaky hand made its way up to his stomach to rest on hers. "You left me," he repeated, tears beginning to stream down his face.

A few moments ago where he felt happiness, he now felt sadness. He still had something to live for after all, now that Lansing had returned. But she had left him, and he had told her earlier: he couldn’t get past that and survive. She was causing sadness in him because he knew he was going to die, and even though that meant seeing his wife again, it also meant leaving her behind. It almost would've been better if she hadn't come back.

"You...left..." He was now struggling to stay awake. "You..." His hand slipped to the floor. "Lansing," he breathed before closing his eyes and succumbing to unconsciousness. But not death. Not yet.

(sorry if this is really cheesy…and dramatic…but that’s the kind of person I am ;) )

[night]

"You left me. You left me."

Lansing suddenly felt very far away from the scene unfolding in front of her. Like it wasn't real. She knew it was. It didn't feel that way. When Lily Craft died, she was covered in her own blood, too. She had sort of gurgled, though, since her throat had been cut. She had gurgled while she died, tears falling from her eyes, body convulsing. Xavier, on the other hand, was able to speak. Lansing's eyes were wide and scared as she listened. She knew that he had done this to himself. Because he had thought she'd left. Because, and this she hoped, because he associated her with his dead wife. That maybe they were one in his mind. Lansing leaving could be much like his wife leaving. She could see how, in his mind, that could happen. She could understand. It was a twisted way of thinking. Rather sick. But that didn't diminish any of her guilt in the least. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

[/color] Not for leaving. But for what her leaving meant in his mind.

It wasn't long after Xavier slipped away, losing consciousness, that Lansing's cries for help were met by several Peacekeepers. They went for the girl dressed in district clothes first, holding Lansing's arms behind her back roughly as she pleaded for them to help Xavier, trying to convince them that he had done it to himself, but they weren't in a listening mood. Instead, they demanded her to tell them her name, pushing her head down and pulling her hair hard as they did, "Lansing Ainsley, District 10. You need to help the Gamemaker."[/color] She gasped through her tears. Then, they finally turned back to Xavier, maybe just because she mentioned his high-ranking title. Everything else that happened was quick. Lansing watched it all, was there for it, arms held behind her back in the most uncomfortable of ways. But she could think only of Lily Craft. Only of Xavier, and only of the crushing guilt she felt over the death - deaths, soon. Deaths.

"It's okay. It's okay. It's okay."[/color] She found herself whispering softly to herself, in tune with her quick heartbeat. Ba-dump, "It's-"[/color] Ba-dump, "Okay."[/color] She doubted it. She would bet against it. But she couldn't stop speaking, stop saying how okay it was. She couldn't. The words came with the same consistency as her heart beat loudly in her ears: they wouldn't stop.[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Alyssa :)]

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Xavier's eyes sought Lansing's, his hand gripping hers, as if he was trying to cling to her so she wouldn't leave again. The truth was, he was also using her as an anchor to Earth. He didn't want to leave, not now that he knew she was back and that she was sorry. Now he could see there was still a slim bit of hope for him in life, and he had to cling to it so he could be with Lansing. Or at least try to be. He clung to her, clung to life. Then he blacked out.

***

When he regained consciousness, the first thing he noticed was the pain in his gut. The events of a day earlier took a few moments to come back, but when they did the pain in his side was quickly forgotten. The only thing that mattered was Lansing. He almost made himself black out again as he sat up in his bed, realizing that he was in his private bedroom car that had been set up as a mini hospital room while he was unconscious. His head whipped around to look at the same small Avox girl from earlier as she moved to the side of his bed.

"Where is she?" he asked, voice raised in panic. What had happened to Lansing while he was out? He knew Peacekeepers wouldn't listen to a district girl. His breathing started getting unsteady, not quite helping his already-light-head. The girl pointed to the car next door, which had originally been the car Lansing was supposed to sleep in. Xavier immediately ordered the Avox to help him walk to Lansing's car, and after a few minutes of painful moving and mostly leaning on someone half his size, the Gamemaker was at the door.

He found the strength to shove the door open and what he saw inside made him so upset he strode forward, only to collapse to his knees as the pain in his gut tore through him. What he saw was Lansing tied to her bed post, unable to sit on the bed or floor because she was tied standing up with her hands behind her back. Two Peacekeepers stood guard next to her. He gritted his teeth and glared up at these Peacekeepers as they helped him to his feet. "Release her immediately," he ordered. They began to protest, saying she was a danger to him, but he silenced them with his next statement: "You can not protect me from the person who hurt me because that would mean protecting me from myself." He figured he would regret saying that later, when all that people were talking about would be how the Head Gamemaker was suicidal and needed a straightjacket, but he didn't care at the moment.

When Lansing was released, and the Peacekeepers left the room, Xavier managed to walk fairly steadily up to her, one hand on his stomach. "Did they hurt you?" he asked, his voice dangerously quiet as he placed one hand on her cheek. Xavier suddenly realized she might not take the contact very well--she wasn't in love with him yet, after all--and he quickly dropped his hand and sat down heavily on her bed. But his eyes never left hers.

(okay I totally just powerplayed so if you don't like the idea, I can completely redo this post. :) i'm good with whatever you decide! OOO and if you have a better idea please tell me :D)

[night]

"Release her immediately."

She didn't look up from the floor (at which she'd been staring for hours). She simply frowned at it. Lansing knew that voice. Xavier. So he must have survived his self-inflicted ordeal. Lucky Lansing. She was so angry. So angry. She had been treated as less than a human for a long, long time, having been born a simple district girl. But there was something about being literally kidnapped, taken from her home without her consent, all because she looked like a Capitol woman who meant nothing to her, that put the icing on the cake. She grimaced the guards untied her hands. They had cuffed them together so tightly that she had small cuts around her wrists. Lansing immediately sat down, exhausted both from being tied up standing for so long and from the tumultuous bunch of events from the past few days. She sat down on the bed, sinking into the well-made piece of Capitol furniture and sighing.

"Are you okay?"

Lansing simply didn't reply, simply letting her long, honey-blonde hair fall like curtains shielding her from Xavier on either side of her face -- that is, until he touched her cheek. Lansing jumped, moving away quickly, blank pale green eyes darting up to meet Xavier's. "I'm fine." She said flatly, shaking her head. Lansing looked at the man in front of her as if she were trying to solve a complicated problem. She felt badly for the man in front of her, of course she did. But she also had been horribly, horribly wronged by him. And Lansing had never been a particularly forgiving girl.

[Alyssa :)]

Xavier noticed right away that Lansing most certainly was not fine, both physically and emotionally. She had small gashes on her wrists from the ropes that had been binding them together too tightly, and they may not seem like a big deal compared to what he had just done to himself, but he didn't think she should've been tied up at all in the first place. Then, emotionally, she seemed to be a bit upset with him. Which was understandable, but he was hoping she would cut him a little slack since he just went through a bit of a rough experience.

"Lansing..." he began, not exactly knowing what to say. "I'm sorry that I put you through that. I was...a bit upset...still am, and probably always will be. But when you found me, I also had a realization. He paused and looked down at his hands, a little embarrassed by this whole speech. "I know I've told you that you remind me of my wife, and that I almost need you as a link to her, but when you came back to me...and I was dying and all that...I realized that wasn't exactly the case. Sure, you remind me of her, but I see you as two separate people now, I love my wife Jess, and I also...like...you a lot, as your separate person, and one of the things I like about you just happens to be those reminders of and similarities with my wife." He took a deep breath and exhaled, trying to ignore the pain it caused in his stomach.

Thinking back on his speech, Xavier realized how stupid he really sounded. Lansing was probably thinking, "Well it's about time you see two separate being as...well...two separate beings." But he couldn't help it. He wanted to tell her the truth, and there it was. Perhaps it showed just how messed up Xavier's mind had become since the loss of his wife, but at least he still knew to be honest. Now the question was, how would Lansing take this honesty?

[night]

Lansing had always been the kind, giving, motherly type. Even as a child. It was just in her nature. However, when pushed far enough, Lansing was not quite the forgiving type. She could hold a grudge for months, years. Her grudge-holding, had, numerous times, been more of a problem than anything else, to the point where Lansing wished forgiving others was a skill she possessed. But never, no matter how hard she tried, could she look at the face of someone who had wronged her and been able to look past that wrong. In her mind, they became less another human being with likes, dislikes, a personality, and more a physical reminder of betrayal, of hurt. Of the times she had been so stupid as to trust anyone other than herself.

So no. She would not, could not, accept whatever sort of apology this was supposed to be. Not only because she had been so terribly betrayed but also because no matter how many times Xavier said that he was sorry, that he'd thought about it and figured that 'oh, wow, will you look at that, Lansing is a real human being', they were still on a train. And that train was speeding away from her home in District 10 and towards the Capitol. But she had to be smart. She had to be clever, and not let her own anger blind her. "Well." Lansing said, pursing her plump coral lips and smoothing out nonexistent wrinkles in her skirt, "I suppose for now it will have to be okay." Her voice was warm, as always, but her pale green eyes were empty as she spoke. She wanted to make it clear: she would be pleasant, but her pleasantness was purely situational. Why? Because it just so happened, what with this kidnapping and all, that Xavier was in control.

"I see." Lansing pursed her lips again, looked away from Xavier and towards one of the guards. They bothered her. Terrible nuisances, and they had been awfully rude. "Well, isn't that sweet?" Lansing's voice was warm and sweet and if it had a feeling, it would feel like warm laundry pressed to the skin. Clean, fresh, and so, so lovely. "You noticed that I am a person! How very observant, Xavier," She cooed, giggling, "But just what I'd expect from the Head Gamemaker." She crooned, running her fingertips down Xavier's left cheek ever so lightly, pale green eyes staring into his.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Alyssa :)]

Xavier watched Lansing's face as she replied to his apology. She sounded like she meant it when she claimed it was fine, but the look in her eyes was...off. He frowned, realizing he would have to do something huge in order for her to forgive him completely.

"Well, isn't that sweet? You noticed that I am a person! How very observant, Xavier."

Xavier winced. Yep, she definitely hadn't forgiven him as much as she had let on. He started to get a little nervous when she giggled, touched his cheek, and said, "But just what I'd expect from the Head Gamemaker." This hit home a bit. He wanted to make her happy, and bringing up his controversial job wasn't helping. Attempting to lighten the mood, he replied, "Well, I never have been known for being super perceptive." He smiled nervously, wishing she would go back to the relaxed, carefree Lansing from before.

But the more he thought about it, the more he realized she wouldn't go back to being that Lansing for a while, and it was his fault. He had kidnapped her, took her away from her home, and you wouldn't expect someone to be very relaxed about that. He was beginning to think this was all a huge mistake...but no, this needed to happen. He needed this to happen. Leaving Lansing would've been too difficult.

Xavier was about to speak again when the wound in his stomach started to ache, his eyesight becoming slightly fuzzy. "I...um...I think I need to sit down," he murmured, swaying as he made his way over to the bed Lansing had been tied to only minutes earlier. He took deep breaths as he sat there, then covered his face with his hands and leaned his elbows on his knees. "This is a mess, isn't it?" he said as more of a statement than a question. He groaned and rubbed his face, just feeling utterly defeated.

[night]

"Well, I never have been known for being super perceptive."

The corners of Lansing's lips turned up into the type of half-amused smile that only seems to pop up in this type of situation, where the individual Lansing's anger was directed at somehow amused her. This, however, frustrated her, and her little smile faded, her expression turning to one of annoyance - how dare he say something she find even slightly whimsical at a time like this. "Ah, well, we may have that in common, as I seem to remember perceiving you to be less of the kidnapping type." Lansing spoke sharply and with great vindication, though her expression was one of tranquility - a lack of passion towards arguments or even tiny squabbles between people was its cause for being.

As Xavier wobbled over to the bed, clutching his self-inflicted wound as he sat down, Lansing made no effort to help him. She did, however, look at one of the guards that had treated her so roughly before and said, "Perhaps you should fetch him a glass of water and whoever treated him for the wound before whatever's holding him together falls out and we have ourselves a real conundrum." She raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips at the end of her sentence, looking to the door and then back to the guard as if to tell him to get a move on. Lansing was acting very little like usually warm, kind self and very much like her mother - who had been incredibly protective and kind to her daughter, yes, but was not the type of woman who accepted anything less than the utmost respect for herself (in honesty, far more respect than was typically given to a lowly district woman).

"This is a mess, isn't it?"

Lansing smirked and raised her brows. The expression was odd, paired with her soft features and inherently sweet nature. But she was angry. She was furious. She felt it in every inch of her body. It wasn't the hot kind of anger, though, it was the scary type, the quiet, slow, creeping type. It made her feel rather... cold. "Why, yes, it seems you've created a fairly magnificent mess for us all, haven't you?" Lansing raised her arms in a grandiose manner and flashed an obviously feigned smile in Xavier's direction.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Alyssa :)]

Xavier heard what Lansing was telling his guards to do, and he just waved them away. "When did I give you permission to order my guards around?" he teased. Looking to the men now, he said, "I'm fine, however I would like some privacy with Miss Lansing, so you may leave. There aren't any threats in the room at the moment...I think..." He gave Lansing a wink at that last bit. "...so I should be safe." And so they left.

"Why, yes, it seems you've created a fairly magnificent mess for us all, haven't you?"

The Gamemaker let out a sigh. "Lansing, I know you are very upset with me, and I regret that. But there's no use being so stubborn, there's nothing that can change this now. I'm here, you're here, we're here together. So you're going to have to get used to it." He looked up at her from his spot on the bed, resting his forearms on his legs to hold himself up, despite the twinge of pain it caused in his stomach. "But is there anything I can do to make you less miserable? Anything at all, I'll do it. Just ask." His sincerity showed in his bright blue eyes.

(Wow. Shortest post I've like ever done. Ever. I'm really sorry >.<)

[night]

(ok so i don't remember our plan for this so well but i am going to try hahah)

Lansing rolled her eyes as the guards departed. Oh, he thinks he's safe, does he?{/i] She wondered, light green eyes again focusing on Xavier and narrowing into a glare. Of course, the girl would never do anything to hurt a fly - much less Xavier, a human being. She looked away from him quickly; this whole thing, it didn't feel real. She felt floaty, light. As if she were not really in the room with Xavier, as if she was not really in her own body. She placed one hand on her forehead. "Oh." Lansing murmured. She had not felt like this in ages, not since Lily Craft was killed in the Games. Lansing appeared almost in a daze, her eyes widening and focusing on... nothing, really. She heard Xavier speaking, but didn't really hear the words. That is, until he said something she couldn't believe.

"So you're going to have to get used to it."

"What?" Lansing nearly shouted - well, it was a shout for her, what with her usually being so soft-spoken. But after this little outburst, she quieted right down. Her pale green eyes held the ghost of anger, but were mostly empty. Glossy and empty. "I...I..." She muttered, beginning a sentence, but she somehow lacked the ability to think of the rest of it in the moment. Suddenly, tears stung the back of her eyes. She wanted her mom. How could Xavier, or anyone, have done this to her? Stolen her from her home, her life?

""But is there anything I can do to make you less miserable? Anything at all, I'll do it. Just ask."

Tears slipped from Lansing's eyes, but she remained partially in a daze. "You know," She said softly, sweet voice sad and low, "It is so like someone from the Capitol to do this. It is so like you people," She spat these words, "To treat us from the districts like toys. None of you see us as people." She looked at Xavier with her wide, empty eyes, but still felt as if she could not comprehend what was before her. Shock? She didn't know.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Alyssa :)]

(omg I haven't posted in so long 8D i don't really know what to reply so this is going to be a little rough)

"It is so like someone from the Capitol to do this. It is so like you people...to treat us from the districts like toys. None of you see us as people."

Xavier's expression was pained, with small crows-feet wrinkles forming on the outside of his eyes. He was only 30, but his job, his wife's death, his life had taken its toll on him. Sitting next to this 22-year-old, pure, beautiful female probably only made him look worse. He found himself suddenly questioning his entire plan, not for the first time. Despite all the fuss Lansing was making, however (and rightfully so), Xavier just had this feeling...This was where she was supposed to be. Maybe it was his little newfound obsession with her, but he had an inkling of positivity growing within himself. With that said, he still didn't want Lansing to think he only thought of her as a toy.

"No, please don't think that. Shit, I'm not any good at this," he growled, angry with himself. His fingers raked through his hair, showing his frustration. "You know I've grown up in the Capitol. I'm automatically prone to picking up their crappy social practices, no matter how inappropriate they are. Sometimes, I can't even tell what's socially acceptable and what's not because there are completely different sets of rules in different districts. Xavier sighed. "I'm trying. Even if it doesn't seem like it. Maybe that's something you can help me with since I'm clearly doing a horrible job." He looked up at her, dejected but with a sliver of hope. That's who Lansing was to him--a source of hope, happiness, and maybe even acceptance with a little time.

[night]

Lansing shook her head slowly, blonde tresses waving ever so slightly as she did. Oh, this was ridiculous. Ridiculous! Did Xavier really, honestly just ask her to help him? "You want me to," She said, clearly, so Xavier could hear his own absolute lunacy, "Help you," She paused again, "Kidnap me?" Lansing's lips pressed together into a tight, disapproving line, and she folded her arms across her chest. She was looking at Xavier with disdain and the slightest hint of amusement - mostly at Xavier.

(IM SORRY FOR THIS I WILL DO BETTER NEXT TIME I HOPE YOU HAVE ENOUGH TO REPLY TO UGH)

[Alyssa :)]

"No that's not what I meant!" Xavier exclaimed. "I understand that would be crazy. But I need your help with...sorting out what's good and what's bad socially. What's okay and what's unacceptable. Because the Capitol has messed with my mind too much for me to figure it out by myself." The Gamemaker paused, suddenly wondering if it sounded only like he was using her even more than before.

Trying to make things better, he said, "Lansing...is there any way I can help you? Any way at all? As payment for everything you do for me?". He knew he was pushing it, especially because this seemed like such a strange thing for a captor to offer his victim, but that was how these two were--different. Or at least how Lansing was different to Xavier.

(eeee yeah sorry this isn't great either I'm falllin asleep)