[ Time changes people. More than time, experiences change people. Learning of what he was, and that so many other mutants exist, was in its way both a blessing and a curse, because while it gave him a new purpose, a cause to dedicate himself to, it also felt like reliving the worst times of his life, seeing it all happen again to his own people, and it pushed him to new extremes that he didn't even recognise until it was too late to pull back from.

Charles is right, then. Neither of them are the same as when they met, but there is such a comfort and familiarity to it that it is almost jarring. That an hour ago Charles was berating him for dropping that stadium on him, and now they're just walking the aisles of a supermarket, picking tea. ]

Imagine that.

[ Muttered with palpable sarcasm and a smirk curling his lips. He picks the box from the shelf, looking to Charles when he winces, his eyes flicking to the commotion not too far from. It's not hard to imagine that might be what's bothering Charles, and while he doubts that it will make anything better, he continues down the aisle nonetheless, if nothing else then to offer something of a distraction. Something else for Charles to focus on. ]

I've managed to find work at a warehouse. Night shifts, but it's better than nothing. [ Which means that he was fresh out of a long shift when he ran into Charles. ] Most jobs are like that, unfortunately. Physical labor, menial tasks. I can help you look for something more suited to you, if you want.