"I said nothing about being passive," Charles replies, frowning. Politics weren't a natural fit for him -- back home, he doesn't know that he would have ever pursued such a venture, his talents perhaps lying in other areas of public speaking -- but they did allow for a certain degree of say in matters. Optimism, in other words, is not synonymous for backing down.

"But opening your mind to the idea that not everyone is out to get you is certainly a start. For all its faults, Erik, this island is very accepting, though the circumstances of that acceptance are not ideal."

He has often wondered how different things might be if they weren't stripped of their powers upon arrival, if hiding would have still been necessary. Given the treatment of those souls down in Rapture, however, he also wonders if that isn't answer enough.