[ It's so bad that the kids don't even roll their eyes and scoff at how cute Charles is being with him. That means he must look like shit. Or that Hank feels very guilty. Which makes sense, the guy won't even look Erik in the eyes. ]

Fine. I'll take a scone. Mind getting me some lemon curd? Or can I still do that myself? My powers remain unimpaired.

[ He takes a sip of his tea and reaches for the newspaper, because that's the kind of man he is. Raven, meanwhile, always does the crosswords by the time Erik gets to it. And usually leaves doodles in the margins. Today there's a little frog staring back at him next to an article about overfishing in upstate New York. ]

How was your conference, Charles?