That's what friends are for.
If it was possible to hate an inanimate object then Michael hated stairs with a passion. All stairs, but at the moment the subject of his loathing were the ones which separated his room from med lab. Given the amount of effort it was taking to get up them he could almost believe they returned the feeling. For a moment he contemplated just giving up and going back to bed. He could always go and see the doctor tomorrow he told himself gazing at all the steps still before him. Surely Hank would understand. In fact he might even be glad not to have to deal with Michael’s problems right then. Certainly med lab had been hectic enough a few hours ago when they had been transported back from Training Island.
Memories of that return and its implications still ran through the young mans head. An actual attack right there where the teams should have been safe or at least only in danger from each other. It seemed improbable given the organisation he had seen at the Institute but still there was no denying that that was what had happened. He hoped everyone he had seen earlier was Ok.
Certainly Scott had been declared out of danger much to Michael’s relief. The doctor had the means to cure the fairy prince’s allergic reaction making it unnecessary for Michael to offer his own mutant abilities as a possible solution. He had to admit that he was thankful. The idea of being injected with another illness filled him with dread, though he told himself he would have done it if it had proved the only way to help Scott. As for the others, well there too the medical staff had seemed to have things under control only needing room to work as the injured students teleported back in to the Institute.
That was why he hadn’t stayed under the doctor’s feet. True he hadn’t exactly been in great form when he had got back after the weekends exertions. Far from it in fact but at least he hadn’t been wounded. Exhausted, yes. In pain without a doubt. But then that was nothing new, even if he had to admit that things had been and indeed still were pretty close to the bounds of what he could take. Still he had somehow forced himself to continue on, managing to get at least as far as his newly acquired room before collapsing on the bed.
That had felt good. Just to be able to lie there with his eyes closed, not needing any longer to conceal how bad he felt from his team mates. He honestly hadn’t thought he would be able to move again, simply concentrating on breathing as the pain crashed over him. His legs had decided to forgo merely protesting at the amount of abuse he had given them over the previous 24 hours and go directly to screaming instead. If it hadn’t been for the blessed injection of diamorphine he had taken when the team had started out that morning he had no doubt that he would have been screaming too.
As it was he had had to steel himself against simply reaching for the package he had still carried tucked into his shirt and taking some more. But he had stopped himself, weighing his desire to prove that he could handle the mission against his need for the drug. It had been a close run thing, only the thought of all the hardship he had already undergone over the training session keeping his hand from the syringe.
Dr McCoy was a realist. He had known that Michael had no hope of getting through the gruelling weekend without the painkillers but still… There was just a chance that he would decide that if too much of the addictive drug was needed just for the Scots teenager to function in the team then it wasn’t worth it.
And it was worth it . At least in Michael’s eyes. All the pain, all the relentless, tiring effort, everything faded before the chance to do something useful, the possibility that one day he might be able to help someone as the X men had helped him. That was what had kept him going. Determination. After a few hours grateful rest it had also dragged him, his body shaking but upright, into the showers to wash the smell and mud of the swamp from himself before he even contemplated attempting anything else.
Fortunately there had been few other students around the first rush to clean up having been over long ago. Still he had turned a few heads, awkwardly manoeuvring the slippery floor on his crutches, precariously juggling the backpack into which he had packed the change of clothing and the towels he needed. Everything had been just so damned difficult, even just struggling out of his clothes, especially in a strange environment without the small yet useful appliances he had acquired at home to help him with such everyday chores. Still he had managed somehow, finally being rewarded by the flow of gloriously warm water which had helped to ease some of the tension from his taut muscles.
Afterwards he had decided that he could possibly face the journey to med lab. He had promised the doctor he would call back later and though he still felt far from well he had decided that he wasn’t going to feel any better till McCoy had done the check up. Michael was fully expecting to be told he needed some more time on the alien machines but he could live with that. What he couldn’t live without was some more morphine and since he was stubbornly refusing to administer it himself that meant making the hard climb up to where the physician was waiting.
Only the stairs were refusing to cooperate. *Mutant stairs That’s what they are* Michael muttered to himself as he dragged himself up them *Special power…getting longer. And they’ve been in training. Well so have I* he reminded himself gritting his teeth. *‘Fear not for though dark they stand’…. all stairs must end.* As thankfully they did, leaving him exhausted and drained before the entrance to the lab. He took a couple of minutes to pull himself together before going in wanting to put the best face possible on things.
Catching a glimpse of his reflection in the glass of the door he groaned. That wasn’t going to be easy. He looked pale and drawn, his hair still damp and unruly from the shower, and his clothes hung loosely on him emphasising how thin he was. *I look like something the cat dragged in* he said to himself .*Though personally I don’t think any self respecting cat would have bothered* With a sigh he pushed open the door and went inside.
Things looked calmer than before. There were no students lining up to be treated and the beds in the main lab were empty. Michael looked round for Dr McCoy but the blue feline was nowhere in sight . The boy hesitated, wondering if he should knock on the office door or simply wait till the physician reappeared. *I don’t want to interrupt him if he’s in the middle of something important* he thought. *Maybe I should just take a seat till he’s ready.*
Deciding this was the best course of action Michael was just moving over to one of the available chairs when a door opened and a man emerged heading for the nearby coffee machine a worried expression on his face. Instinctively Michael had glanced towards him as the door had opened and just for a second he had thought he saw someone he knew lying on the bed.
*Paige.* he thought in confusion. *I’m sure that was her. Does this mean she got hurt in the attack? I hope not. I hope she’s Ok* He wasn’t sure what he should do. He didn’t want to intrude but then again if Paige was hurt maybe he could do for her what she had done for him Offer some company Get her something. At least let her know someone else was thinking about her. That was the least he could do after she’d been so nice to him.
The man re-entered bearing a couple of plastic cups filled with the steaming coffee carrying them carefully back towards the room. “Excuse me sir” Michael said as he went past. “I don’t mean to be rude but was that Paige I saw in there? Is she all right? Oh I’m sorry I’m Michael Grant” he added hurriedly “I’m a friend of hers”
Ok This one I can redoe. This is Jenns post that I happened to have saved.
****
His fingers were interlinked, hands pushed between his legs.. as if he were unconsciously praying to his God to save his daughter from the illness that ran unchecked through her frail body. Even since their arrival he'd heard the tell tale rattled in draw of breath, that was caused by the virus burrowing into her lungs grow worse.
He wished there was someone he could blame, somebody to point the finger at and take the brunt of his anger and pain. Although she hadn't said as much he knew Megan was blaming whoever sent her fragile daughter out into the wilderness and then didn't take good enough care of her. Sam sighed slightly, as much as he loved Megan there were things she'd never be able to understand about the lives lead here at the Institute. No one had forced Paige out on the team missions, no one had intentionally hurt her and there was ultimately no one to blame for what had happened to her.
He lent backwards in the chair, his eyes lifting to look out of the window, away across the grounds that surrounded the Institute. The beauty of the world had gone and he saw instead the struggle for life that was thinly veiled under the burst of spring. His fingers lifted to pinch the bridge of his nose, he could feel a headache forming behind his eyes, trying to dismiss the growing throbbing sensation he glanced over at his wife.
Megan had hold of Paige's hand, holding it softly between her slightly larger ones, she'd always had great hopes for her daughter. Paige was everything Megan had hoped she'd be, intelligent, soft and caring and now it seemed there was a chance she would loose her. Since they'd discovered that Paige had a depressed immune system Megan had known that the chances of her living long hadn't been great. But she'd thought she'd at least see Paige grow into a woman before some disease or other claimed her. She marvelled at how Paige had coped with the knowledge of her immune system failure, but the young girl had seemed to accept her fate and then become resigned to it.
Inside she felt wretched, why not her? Couldn't she trade places with Paige? She looked down into her daughters face. Paige was sleeping, her cheeks and eyes looking slightly puffy from crying. They'd assured Paige she'd be perfectly fine in a few days but Paige hadn't been fooled, she could feel her body draining of energy as the virus raged through her.
'Coffee?' Sam's voice broke the heavy silence that had settled over the room, broken only by the slight rasping of Paige drawing breath. Megan looked over towards her husband, opened her mouth to speak then quickly closed it again nodding and turning her face back down to giver her sleeping daughter her full attention once again.
Mr Gifford pulled himself to his feet, wondering as he did so how long it would be before his son's arrived. He'd telephoned them both before he and his wife had travelled to the school. Neither of them could be expected soon at the Institute since there was a four hour drive between their home and the school.
He didn't even notice the pale looking boy with the crutches who watched as he left Paige's room, he was too focused on everything that had happened in the last few hours, and everything that would happen in the coming hours. Perhaps things weren't as bad as he thought they were, maybe his mind was just running away with him he deliberated as he filled two cups with hot coffee. There were the machines that Mc Coy had at his disposal, if whatever drugs he'd given his daughter had failed then there was another thread of hope to snatch at.
“Excuse me sir” The tone was polite but there was an undercurrent of worry that threaded through the words. Sam started slightly, he had thought he was alone, he turned to see a boy looking up at him. He didn't look well, there was something that suggested pain in the set of his mouth and lines at the corners of his eyes. n the boys hands were crutches, Sam quickly saw the awkwardness of one of his legs.
He had to resist the temptation to reach across and steal into the boys mind to discover what had happened to cripple him so. He'd been a powerful ally to the X-men when he'd been an active member, but his abilities to read memories, minds and to influence others behaviour had made his own kind wary around him. It was his own fault, he admitted that much to himself, when he'd been much younger he'd used his powers foolishly, but that had been before he'd learnt that to do so yeilded him nothing but hostility from others.
“I don’t mean to be rude but was that Paige I saw in there? Is she all right? Oh I’m sorry I’m Michael Grant” ... “I’m a friend of hers” Michael Grant? He couldn't remember Paige mentioning anyone by that name, but then Paige tended to be happier talking about her work or classes rather than her fellow students. He'd been a little concerned that she might not be fitting in, it made him breath a sigh of relife as he pushed the idea aside.
'No she ..' what was he to say, if he said she had pneumonia he knew enough that it would be common knowledge all over the school by tonight ' .. she's not feeling well, I'm sure now her mother's here she'll be just fine.' Lies? they weren't supposed to be, but what was he supposed to tell the pitifully thin boy standing in front of him? That Paige was dying of pneumonia?
'If you were looking for Doctor McCoy .. I believe he's in his office, perhaps you'll come and visit Paige this evening?' The words were clever ones, informing him in one sweep that his presence wasn't desired at the moment but that he may call again later if he wished to see her and all done without him having to outright snub one of Paige's friends.
Re: That's what friends are for.
ok, assuming the beds are empty, Scott was in a room right? Sooo... tell me if anything needs to be edited!
Magic failed the fairy, powers were locked away as the venom's chaos still lingered like a chain around his weakened frame. It stopped the ability to revert to his natural size, which was perhaps a good thing considering the hectic activities the Med lab was getting caught up in every other moment. But despite worst of it was now only the numbness which hindered the Prince's movements. While the young fairy was not of the boundless energies he usually possessed he still was feeling much better then his tired features lead others to believe. Loitering effects of the paralyzing poison kept Scott's form still on the bed where he was put to rest.
Azure eyes peered down at his own legs, he was pretty sure he lost feeling for the most part but it was hard to tell with the pins and needles in his arm and the ache in his chest that was fading gradually. At least things had stopped spinning since McCoy gave him the healing potion. Talia had sat him up before she left earlier, Scott didn't want to lay down, he'd much rather sit up and lean back into the soft pillows instead. The door was closed, one of the other helpers had come in, Scott knew right away by the way the dull green eyes of the boy looked right through him that the human didn't see Scott. They guy played along with he didn't want to look like an idea when others talked about the patient he couldn't see. The guy was in charge to making sure the comforts were met of the patients, if they needed something to eat or drink, if they needed anything else, help in any way... Of course it was rather useless for Scott who didn't even attempt to communicate with the disbeliever.
It was more the fact that when the helper, Keith, brought food around, he left the tray on the side table next to Scott's bed, stripes of beef with peas and carrots and some roasted potatoes from the kitchen. There was also a chicken sandwich and a glass of lemonade, at least Talia had brought in water earlier on. She had also opened the window, which allowed a few small birds to sit on the ledge. A two came in and sat on Scott's stomach, the fairy Prince offering them some of the bread that had accompanied his meal. Katie, Riley's canine, she would like meat, maybe at some point Riley would come and Scott could give it to him.
Scott had a problem eating meat due to his connection with animals, he couldn't stand the thought of eating something that could have been his friend, that was the child of another, that had siblings and may have had offspring of their own. It was all too emotionally painful to even look at and Scott spent most of his time with his eyes closed and listening to the songs of the small brown birds who sang softly to him as well as each other. Scott wasn't even going to bother with the food, he wanted something sweet and the fairy knew Arlen had left him that jar of honey, and there was still sugar left over from his serving of fruits that Riley had brought by as a get well thought. The closed walls of the room weren't too comforting though, even with the attempts of his feathered friends.
Voices beyond his closed door however caused Scott's eyes to open, one of them was familiar, one of them was one he was happy to hear! Scott was supposed to be sleeping, he probably could if he was more comfortable, but he wasn't used to be so isolated, even in his room he had plants and animals or Arlen himself to keep the fairy company. Here it was strange and empty.
Weakly legs struggled to obey smoothly Scott's will for them to move, it was mostly his upper half and the arm that felt really hard to move, everything else moved but sluggishly and his touch so numb he could not feel a great deal at the moment. His left arm was a sluggish but still alive enough to be of some sort of use, unlike the other dead arm. It was put into a sling, which Scott found interesting though uncomfortable as it rubbed into his neck.
Wiggling around of the loose fitting top he had been covered in. Since the clothes from his team trip were dirty they had stripped him down to his underwear and put him into a medical robe while he was sleeping. Scott wasn't too fond of it and it's... rather modest cut, and preferred to try and get into the clothes that had been collected and placed aside for him. With only one arm it made things difficult, numb legs didn't help as Scott tripped over himself and tumbled to the floor off balance. His wings seemed out of sync themselves, sluggish and weak, numb like the rest of him. At least at this point in time Scott was glade the door was clothes, his nimble body twisting around to wiggle his legs into the jeans with one arm holding onto them as much as possible. Flopped on his back, too tired to fully appreciate his success at the once so simple task, Scott released a deep breath and stared at the ceiling, a few chirps of the birds who fluttered to the window causing him to grin. Now how would that look to a human to see little birds helping dress him? Zipping up the jeans with dulled fingers was a little troublesome, his arm seeming reluctant to move for a moment and then twitching strongly as it jerked forward and losing the grip of the zipper. Scott lifted his head and went to zip up the jeans again, this time it going a little more smoothly, if still rather sluggish it was at least more restrained. The button wasn't something Scott could do with his fingers alone, he tried for a minutes but then back up.
With the shirt he came to another dead end, too much effort needed to put it on and Michael might leave by then. Besides, with one arm, Scott wasn't even sure he could manage it. The fairy looked over towards where the jar was, it wasn't so easy to eat considering he needed two hands to open it, or even one, if he could place it between his thighs and twist the lid, only he'd not had any luck mustering up the strength needed to do anything. The struggle to his feet was what took most of his time, his bare feet stumbling around to try and balance himself, his numb hand having a hard time supporting any weight.
A fumbling grasp of the jar of honey was made, eventually the numb fingers managed to tuck the medium sized jar in the crook of his sling, pinned against his arm and body while supported safely. A spoon was tucked away into his back pocket, his hand moving to pick up the bowl of sugar he had been dipping his fruits into while other patients were tended to. Things were quieter now, the Prince's recovery jumped from dazed and out of it to weak and yet eager to leave. At least the antidote was doing its job, but with a few still blind to Scott it was probably a good thing he was brought into his own room for now, with all the chaos it would have been terrible if someone didn't see him and he got hurt because of it. It wouldn't be the first time someone walked fast into the fairy or tried to sit down on him or anything.
From the bedside to the door, Scott took small and careful steps, not wanting to have his usual eager strides that carried him quickly from one place to another. Balance had to be kept, and his knees wobbled, giving him an unsteady feeling. The bowl in his hand trembled as well, his wrist finding it difficult to support the light weight, Scott rested the edge against his other hand as it hang in the sling. But another problem presented itself... the door was closed and he lacked any more limbs to open it with. Glancing around, the Prince hobbled carefully to the stand by the door, a shaky hand placing down the blue bowl. A meters distance and it seemed so much work to fight the door handle and open the door. Carefully he picked up the bowl again, almost tipping some of the contents as he nearly let it slip from his fingers. From the door Scott peeked out the crack, his body leaning against the frame as his foot nudged the door open wider.
An older looking human was speaking with Michael, and Scott tried to attract as little attention as possible as he slowly made his way to the other side of the room. Bright blue eyes peered over towards Beast's office, wondering if he was allowed to come out of his room since the healers had said he had to remain in bed and rest. Shaking knees carried the weakened form of the eager Prince towards the two, trying hard to creep quietly since human adults were famed for not believing in the fantastical elements of myths and supernatural truths. Coming to a stop, so not to intrude on the discussion but hovering about two meters from the adult so that Michael could see him since most of the approach had the taller human male blocking Scott's sight of the other boy.
The fairy's wings twitched awkwardly in attempts of keeping balance, the Prince's strained posture struggling to remain upright and still. Bright eyes peered up at the human, Scott had never met Paige before so he didn't understand what concerns plagued the elder of the mortals. Something bothered Michael as well and Scott found himself forgetting the wants for company and wondering if someone else was the cause of their worries. A brief glance at the spare seats and then over towards the beds had distracted Scott as he contemplated the need to settle down somewhere, before he collapses again, this time with a mess of food and witnesses! But the Prince didn't want to distract Michael who had just had the other talking to him, Scott didn't just want to sit down, he wanted to ask if Michael was hanging around or not. If he wasn't, then Scott could waddle over to Dr McCoy's room to see if he was in there and maybe then ask him to unscrew the honey jar... the inability to eat the delicious honey he was given was definitely more traumatic for the Prince then any spider bite!
Re: That's what friends are for.
It was obvious to Michael that he should have kept his mouth shut. Not that the look Paiges father directed towards him was unkind, merely puzzled, the look of someone whose thoughts had been a million miles away and had suddenly been dragged back to inconsequential matters by a complete stranger. And a rather scruffy stranger at that. Michael felt himself redden as the mans gaze took in the badly fitting clothes and the obligatory crutches, his eyes full of questions as to who this person who had suddenly accosted him might be.
Michael felt awkward and a little ashamed.* I said she was my friend but that’s not true, is it? Thought its not really a lie either, not really.* He didn’t know what exactly what he was to Paige.* Probably just aother patient* he decided * certainly not someone she’d talk to her parents about even if she’d had time to do so*. It was true, though hard to believe, that they had known each other for such a short time. So much had happened in the last few days that they seemed like weeks to the young mutant.
Had it really only been three days since he had been rescued from Harmony Market and brought to the school?* I always heard them say that time was relative but now I know what they were talking about* Michael said to himself. A couple of conversations, a few acts of kindness and a promise of help to come through the difficult months of physiotherapy that lay aheadThat was all he shared with the sick girl who lay in the other room. It didn’t sound like much when you said it like that. Not enough to call friendship by any normal standard and yet it meant so much to him. *She helped save my life*.he thought defiantly *She stayed with me when I was alone and scared. She even shared poetry and let me see that there was a life waiting here for me to lead if I wanted it. Surely all that counts for something? At least enough for me to count her as a friend whatever she may think of me.*
However he didn’t think that it was the question of the role he played in Paiges life that was worrying her father. When he heard the concern in his voice he would hae preferred that it was.'No she .. ' .. she's not feeling well The slight hesitation caused Michael to tense. It was nothing to do with mutant powers. Telepathy played no part. It was the reaction of someone who had spent to much time in hospital, who had heard to many parents with that same catch intheir voice as they spoke to or about their children. , I'm sure now her mother's here she'll be just fine.
A sense of deja vue flooded over him ‘Everythings going to be ok Michael’ he heard his mother say though the tear streaked face had told another story. You’ll be up and around in no time son. Good as new’ He wasn’t sure who they had been trying to reassure hm or themselves. Certainly he hadn’t been fooled. Thanks to his astral form he had seen just how badly he had been injured even if the pain hadn’t been enough of a give away. And he didn’t think that his parents had been either even if they hadn’t wanted to admit what the future held for him.
They never really had accepted it not in the sense of come on Michael we know you can get over this kind of way that would have been helpful butwith the lets ignore it and hope it will go away attitude that they used whenever there was a problem in the family whether it was their fathers drinking or George and Roberts descent from hooliganism into petty crime and finally drug dealing.
He didn’t think that Paiges father was fooling himself. This brave face was purely for his benefit and it worried Michael more than any overt show of emotion could have.If you were looking for Doctor McCoy .. I believe he's in his office, perhaps you'll come and visit Paige this evening?' A dismissal, polite and well intentioned but nevertheless clear to both of them. *This is not the moment* it said *This is for us to deal with, not you*
“ Of course” Michael said stepping awkwardly back “ Thank you, I’ll be sure to look in later when she’s feeling better.” He hoped he didn’t sound as worried as he felt.* This isn’t an ordinary hospital* he reminded himself *Look what they did for me. I was at deaths door and those machines had me up and around in a couple of days. Surely they can do the same for Paige. Can’t they? * But the look was still there in her father’s eyes and it was more convincing than any belief he might have had in the alien technology. “ Oh and please” he added “Would you tell Paige that I was asking after her and that I’ll be here if she needs anything. Anything at all”.
The backwards movement had cleared his line of vision allowing him to see the slight form of Scott hovering in the background Not that he really was hovering, not this time at least The fairy looked decidedly unstable as he wobbled in the doorway unexpectedly clutching…..Michael blinked in surprise Was that a jar of honey he had clasped in one hand?
The other however was firmly held in a sling that sight also causing a moment of concern before Michael smiled thinking after all that his friend was at least up and around, something he wouldn’t have thought possible given the state he had been in a few hours before As Tessa had said the antidote seemed to be working well restoring his team mate to mobility, even if of a limited kind. .
*See. If Dr McCoy can fix a fairy then Paige has nothing to worry about * he told himself trying to feel convinced but somehow failing. Even the lightening of mood he always seemed to undergo when Scott was around wasn’t enough to lift his anxiety. Still his friend’s presence did give him a less awkward way to let Paige’s father go about his business. He had been planning to look in on him while he was down in the med lab anyway if Dr McCoy had thought that he was ready for visitors that was. *It looks to me as if he is* Michael thought reassured . Now we just have to hope that Paige will soon be as well.
“I’ll let you get back to her then Mr Gifford” he said with a smile, that still didn’t fully hide the concern in his eyes. "It was nice meeting you. I hope I’ll see you again later I’ll be over there with my friend Scott.” he added "If you think of anything I can help with please don’t hesitate to ask. I’d be more than happy to try.”.
Re: That's what friends are for.
A tired blink of slate coloured eyes as he listened to the young mans reaction. Another time he might have welcomed the chance to get to know the new generation of X-men, to get to know a friend of Paige's. But now he had no room in his mind for anything other than the possible outcomes of his daughters illness. A vivid memory flashed before his eyes ... finding a very young Paige sitting half the way up the stairs drawing squiggles across the new wallpaper with a red crayon.
“ Thank you, I’ll be sure to look in later when she’s feeling better.” Sam glanced down at the cups of coffee which were uncomfortably hot. Why had he got a drink for himself? He didn't think he'd be able to choke the steaming liquid down. How could they even think of drinking when Paige was slipping furhter from them by the hour. He was no doctor but even he had been able to see that the drugs injected didn't seem to be having an effect on her system. There were the medical beds ... but even that offered little comfort, they'd struggled to heal her shoulder ...
“Oh and please” Sam’s eyes lifted from the coffee cups to look across at the young man in front of him, noticing as he did so for the first time the lines that rested upon Michael’s face. Marks of pain and worry that rested around the boy’s mouth and eyes, Sam wondered what was to blame for those blemishes, had he also been hurt on one a training mission. There was a little pity in his eyes, he’d seen worse; he’d held the first woman he’d loved in his arms watching as her life was roughly snatched from her…. Was he about to watch the same happen with Paige?
“Would you tell Paige that I was asking after her and that I’ll be here if she needs anything. Anything at all”. There was a nod in response to his question. Perhaps this was all fault, it was after all men who passed on the X-men gene, if he’d not met Megan then … his thoughts trailed off, it was useless to wish to change the past, what was done was done and he could only strive to alter the present.
Sam caught Michael’s eyes staring past him, wondering what had caught his attention he turned his head to look. Seeing a boy of around Michael’s age, peering at them from around one of the private room doors made him wonder how much of their conversation he’d been listening into. Paige’s father had always been liberal minded, but he’d seen so much of the extraordinary working with the X-men that seeing a fairy was no problem. He met Scott’s eyes for a moment, not caring if his eyes displayed his displeasure at being having their conversation listened in too.
“I’ll let you get back to her then Mr Gifford” He knew this Michael boy wasn’t stupid, if he was worth his salt he’d know there was something very wrong. Parents didn’t get called into the school on minor matters, well let him think what he would. Sam was past caring, he just wanted to get back to his daughter, to do whatever he could to try and help her pull through, if not .. to watch her fade away before him. "It was nice meeting you. I hope I’ll see you again later I’ll be over there with my friend Scott.” … "If you think of anything I can help with please don’t hesitate to ask. I’d be more than happy to try.” Sam hurried off, back to Paige’s leaving Michael staring after him.
Re: That's what friends are for.
“Of course” It wasn't really something Scott was good at understanding, the indirect talk, saying one thing while obviously meaning another. His eldest brother and parents used it all the time. Rhymes and riddles where one thing, but Scott wasn't used to such things in a conversation, not unless it was with someone of ill-natured who was up to no good, twisting words around for their own benefits. So Michael agreed to something, which Scott was a little baffled on since he walked in without hearing anything the elder human had said.” Thank you, I’ll be sure to look in later when she’s feeling better.” So someone was definitely unwell! The bowl in his hands trembled a little awkwardly as his fingers struggled to keep a steady balance on what he held.
Sometimes it was like his body got too tired and just wanted to relax the muscles again, regardless if it meant Scott would tumble over or drop something. The intense effort in focus, which Scott was never too great at prolonged focus, was a tiring feat, but if Scott lost his focus then he most likely would stumble over at the first step. The Prince knew Beast said he should take time to rest, he may feel better then he had previously but he was still weak and it didn't take a healer's advice to cause this realization for Scott.
“ Oh and please”...“Would you tell Paige that I was asking after her and that I’ll be here if she needs anything. Anything at all”. Paige? The name wasn't familiar, then again very few were for Scott. But the man seemed to be making Michael uneasy, concern bubbling away inside of the teammate as well left a tinge of worry and rose Scott's sense of protection a little. There was no wrath like that of the fairy, unique in its own way, so many options for them to choose from, the impish creatures could get themselves into a lot of trouble if they felt any wrong doing done to them or those they cared for. There was a strange burst of righteous anger which may seem strange to those who had not seem it before, the tempers of the fairy strange as they reacted to different situations without losing their hold of their emotions. If Scott was ever truly moody and upset, it would easily be likely that someone or something he was close to was in harms way somehow.
Movement from Michael soon had the other boy able to clearly spot Scott, who smiled briefly, a little worried McCoy would see him out of the room and be less then pleased. If a healer ordered bed rest they'd usually assign guards outside the chamber doors so that none of the princes would sneak out. But Scott could always say he wasn't going to stay out long if Beast did complain. After all, the jar needed to be open and if all else fails Scott could mention the other helper stuck on watch couldn't even see him. Though if Beast did approach Scott would probably be too distracted with asking about Connor.
“I’ll let you get back to her then Mr Gifford” The bowl in Scott's hand almost slipped, had it not been supported by the limp hand in the sling it may had fallen to the ground... that would have been embarrassing. A stern focus hit Scott's eyes as he checked his jar of honey, still pinned between the dead arm and his body. It wasn't often Scott ate honey here because in the kitchen there was usually only two or three jars and with all the students around Scott hardly felt it was fair for him to take more then a spoonful every now and then. Usually he collected his own nectar from the flowers outside between meals and then at meal times he started scooping up fruits. Of course Scott liked sweater fruits, but he had to hope each day they had the kind he liked or he arrived early enough to get the nicer ones.
"It was nice meeting you. I hope I’ll see you again later I’ll be over there with my friend Scott.” A pride gaze lifted back to the two humans, Scott hadn't heard someone say 'I'll be over there with my friend Scott' before, 'my friend' the words meant a lot to someone who was usually considered too young to even head out into the palace grounds without a caretaker or his brothers. All the people Scott knew back home where so much older then him, perhaps that's why he got so attached with Arlen, they had a bit in common and got to play endless games for the past five hundred years that they've known each other. Arlen hadn't been himself lately, suffering more then Scott had for reasons that the fairy, and perhaps Arlen himself, weren't even too sure on. Other then of course the mer-princes issues with Arisa.
"If you think of anything I can help with please don’t hesitate to ask. I’d be more than happy to try.” it was shortly after that when the elder mortal turned to look at Scott, who caught the eyes of the man and felt extremely awkward where he stood. Usually if the Prince wasn't to hear something people would speak when they were not in the company of others, be them asleep or in a nearby rooms, youngsters had a tendancy to walk in or over hear things just at the right time... Unfortunately Scott also had a set mind still that if they were strangers there was a higher chance of not being seen.. Still ,the sense of intruding was a little strong in the fairy, who somewhat froze on the spot while wandering if Michael was too busy or distracted with other things at this point. But the oldest of humans fled off to the other room right after, not a reply to Michael or even a good-bye.
"Sorry if I had intruded," Scott guiltily apologised, then a little more hopefully tried to see if the waddle here had not completely been a let down. "Will you stay a while? Or have you elsewhere to be?" The Prince was uncertain of the time of day, having slept and rested at some point before the hunger woke him hastily with the arrival of Riley and a bowl of sweetened fruits. Still, honey distracted him and Riley had left to allow Scott rest and the Prince found himself more awake with the desire to sweeten his tongue with the gift offered to him... only lacked the ability to free it from its container.
Re: That's what friends are for.
There were no flames this time, which made a welcome change. There was just emptiness. No sound, no people or animals. She should have at least been able to hear cars. But the alley was disserted, not a single living being was there. Dark haired fell over her shoulders as she sat cross legged in the middle of the alley. Young feline eyes stared at the one object she was near. Oh, there were dustbins a little further down, even a skip where she knew a couple of homeless guys would normally sleep. But they must have been away begging, because there were no sounds of even breaths being taken, and one of the older men had a distinct wheeze – years of being on the streets and smoking had done it to him, which reminded the young feral just how lucky she was. But she didn’t feel lucky right then. In front of her lay a black, studded dog collar. Jake. Only Jake wore a collar like that around him. This was her fault. Very slowly, she picked up the collar. A soft warmth was maintained in the old leather. She had just missed them, just missed saving him, saying goodbye if he had been killed. He must have been killed, ‘coz he never came back…
In the silence of the alley, the sound made her head turn suddenly. She struggled to place where she had heard the sound before, a muffled clumph like sound accompanied by a slightly more obvious louder metal on metal sound, almost as if two small pieces of metal were being jerked together... Somewhere in her dream state, a voice of reason broke through. ’That’s new..’ This dream had always been silent, lonesome. Or if sound had broken it would be to bring back another fear from the streets. But no, this was different. And she could feel the sound pulling her slowly out of her dream.
Racheal lay on the bed in relative silence, having struggled to find a comfortable position which didn’t hurt her bruises, she went for the lesser of the evils and had fallen asleep on her back. And now she lay there, struggling to remain asleep as she drifted in the strange zone which exists between wake and sleep. The zone where you start to sense the world around you to a greater extent, but still clasp tightly to the hope of dreams. And even then, the noises take shapes. In this case, the rhythmic sounds represented themselves as a kid bouncing a ball off a brick wall, although the sounds didn’t match, the rhythm did. The feral blinked in dream. That was an odd scene if ever there was one – was the ball made of metal for that sound? Suddenly, as the sound stopped, so did the kid, staring at Racheal for a moment before vanishing.
The voices hit her harder than the previous sound. There were people in the room, and although it wouldn’t have disturbed her normally, considering the fact she had slowly gotten used to the hustle and bustle, though more than once she had been woken up by one of the orderlies, and by this time Feral was far from pleased about the idea of being woken again, and silently struggled to grasp onto her fading dreams.
Although the conversation, as a rule, was intelligible for her, she occasionally picked up on words, or at least the theme. ’Their talking about Paige.. she’s ill’ … ‘Yes stupid, we knew that’ Especially when on the verge between sleep and wake, it wasn’t uncommon for the feline morpher to have a two way conversation with herself. When your alone for three years, it was hardly unexpected. And although most of the time she would only outwardly speak one side, her mind would offer a silent answer. ”Stupid yourself.. I mean she’s still ill’ … ’Yes.. it has only been a few hours.. even we know that' Her mind silently scolded her. Although she had brought up her guilt over the Brotherhood attack, she hadn’t mentioned Paige. But that didn’t mean she didn’t feel guilty about it. But after the kind doctor had at least tried to relief her of the guilt – which, at least in part, he had surprisingly managed, she hardly felt it fair to bring any of her other worries up with them. Besides, at the time she had been on the verge of sleep just sitting there, though she would have never admitted that.
She didn’t recognise either voice, nor that of a third as it joined when the second left, his feet on the hard floor oddly soothing after the intrusion of the voices. And still Racheal weakly grasped to her sleep. But she knew now she lay there more or less awake, just with her eyes closed. Even so, it was a short moment till she showed any signs of life. A faint groan escaped her lips, before she curled slightly to bring herself into more of a sitting position, her left hand raising, thumb and forefinger rubbing the bridge of nose briefly before she brushed the sleep from her eyes. Feline eyes turned wearily to the boys. She might not have known their voices, but the two of them were pretty distinct and it hardly took a moment for her to recognise them as being members of the first team she had spotted whilst out scouting. They were two of Ben’s team mates.
Although she had only met Ben on a few occasions, their joint first day stuck pretty clear in her mind, as did the rescue mission on Thursday, though she didn’t realise Michael had been one of those rescued on the mission – on account of her bruise she had slunk off to her own room before she could discover much about it at all. A plan she had hoped to put into action this time round as well, but had failed on her second attempt.
Other than the initial groan of waking, she had fallen silent as she watched the pair. Racheal had no intention of spying on them, but as the only movement other than herself in the room, and being one of them having woken her, it was difficult not to keep her gaze on them. Feline eyes showed no anger, just a mild despair and the continual weariness at being woken again. Silently she agreed with herself on one thing. She was going to ask Dr. McCoy again if she could go to her own room. She had stayed here for a few hours now, surely that was enough, and surely he would realise that she would sleep better elsewhere. And true to her word, she was only bruised and scratched. And even they didn’t hurt as much as earlier, no longer feeling queasy nor too achy, just.. bruised.
But as she watched them, a realisation hit the morpher. Crutches. That had been the first noise to disturb her sleep. Although she had never suffered the curse of having to use crutches, she was aware of their existence and usage. When she had been about 7, she had almost knocked over one poor man who had been using them. And she had questioned the gentleman about his ‘extra legs’. Although annoyed at the young tearaway, the gentleman was a kindly sort, and had assumed her to be the child of one the shoppers in the high street, and had gently informed her that he had hurt his ankle and so was using crutches to help him get around. A few moments after studying the,. She had vanished into the crowd. But ever since, the child had had a curiosity of them, and had watched many a person struggle down the busy San Diego streets using them.
The muffled clumph – the sound of the rubber feet hitting the hard flooring of the med bay, the metal sound was the adjustable catch of the two segments, allowing the crutches to be adjusted to suit the height of the person using them. Well, that was one mystery solved anyway, though her brain was muddled over why she had linked the sound to a ball against a wall. But oh well.
Part of her wanted to slump back down onto the bed again and hunt for that elusive sleep, but if she wanted out she would have to stay awake. And watching the fairy and the projection mutant offered some sort of distraction for now.
"I was wrong, to think that I might belong. But I will never forget what I was... Who I am.. What I did, just to learn that"
Re: That's what friends are for.
Well it looked as if Paige’s father had no trouble seeing Scott. Which in this case wasn’t necessarily a good thing judging from his expression. Obviously the fairy had caught the look on the mans face too for he offered a hurried apology which went unheeded as far as Michael could tell as the man hurried back to his daughters bedside. *I don’t think Green strike force has made a very good first impression on him* the young mutant thought to himself *Oh well you can’t win them all*
However Michael was glad to see his friend up and around and by the sound of things Scott was equally glad to see him.. "Will you stay a while?" he asked eagerly "Or have you elsewhere to be?"
That was a hard one to answer. Of course he had nowhere else to be but he had planned, no correction he needed to get some morphine pretty quickly or he was simply going to fall over. However there was no way he was going to tell Scott that.* Besides Dr McCoy is still busy I could wait with Scott till he has time to see me.* he thought *As long as he doesn’t take too long please god.*
He had planned all along to pay the fairy a visit but he had assumed he’d be doing it after the numbing effect of the drugs had set in not before. *Oh come on Michael you can hold out for a while yet …….albeit a very little while.*“ Sure I can hang around for a bit” he said with a smile “Though I’d rather do it sitting down if you see what I mean.”
He knew Scott would understand without him having to spell it out. The strain must have been rather obvious in his face.although he sincerely hoped that his team mate wouldn’t pick up on too many of his emotions and learn how bad things really were. “Got any chairs in that room of yours …….or” he went on noting Scott’s clothes and determined expression ”were you planning on heading out somewhere. Armed only with a honey pot?”
He was awaiting his friends reply when a groan sounded from one of the beds, drawing his attention to a pair of cat like eyes that were turned in his direction. He sighed inwardly realising that their conversation must have wakened her although he had though they were being quiet. Certainly they didn’t seem to have disturbed the young man sleeping in the other bed. *That’s no excuse* Michael thought *Damn I should know better How many times have I been wakened by noisy orderlies and the like. It’s never pleasant especially when you’re not feeling well*
Re: That's what friends are for.
“ Sure I can hang around for a bit” It was obvious the pleasure that brought the fairy who’s smile brimmed more happily, despite the sickly feel in his stomach and the numbness basically all over. “Though I’d rather do it sitting down if you see what I mean.” Of course, as would Scott! The Prince doubted he could stand much longer anyway, his posture weakening a little further even with just the thought of standing around more.
“Got any chairs in that room of yours …….or” Two from what Scott recalled, by the window and out of the way until guests would come, sleep had been much needed and honestly was still a necessity despite the obvious lack of it. It was too active around him and his own room too shut off from others that the uncomfortable sense of isolation and longing for company was driving away the precious curtains of rest his body wouldn’t mind obtaining. ”were you planning on heading out somewhere. Armed only with a honey pot?” Half dressed and not even able to properly do the human attire about his trimly toned waist. Slender as the Prince was he was too athletic and energetic for him not to be healthy. The eldest sibling was much like their father, well built and strong, most of Scott’s brothers worked hard in training due to the war but Scott had never been taken with the need or want to fight, he was happy the way he was and didn’t care to compare himself to his other rivaling brothers.
"I’m undressed." Scott seemed a little surprised that Michael could even think he would leave without being properly covered in attire, his shirt lay in his room on one of the seats and his medical robe still lay on the floor where he had freed himself from it. Scott had seen other males walk from their rooms to the showers often without a shirt if they lived within the nearby halls… Scott barely believed they were permitted to wander around so naked but then again there were many things humans did which Scott couldn’t always understand completely.
Michael however had caught sight of the young woman over on one of the beds, Scott turned to see what disturbed Michael’s attention and noticed that it had been them who had disturbed someone. Actually the girl was familiar, Scott had seen her occasionally in the outer grounds while he was playing his games with the other animals, usually keeping to herself, there was something strange about this human… Perhaps it was her eyes, the feral oddities which more comforted the Prince, who was always comforted by things which seemed more honed with nature. Unless of course their personality was destructive, like Garnet was a fire enchantress but another boy, Damon, who also had fire abilities was often hard on Heath and others and Scott found him destruction, perhaps a betrayer of sorts…
"Oh, forgive us…I’ll set the chairs in my room." Polite words even more enticing by the mere sound of their elegance, Scott’s more enchanted accent flowing with the words he spoke softly. Bare feet carried the Prince towards his room, slowly, steady, one foot and then the next, bright blue eyes peering down at his own steps. His path was blocked however by Keith who walked into the Private room talking, almost bulldozing into Scott who was half way in the doorway at that point. Leaning his body against the doorframe to the room Scott was given, the Prince watch the human talk to the empty bed, torn between amusement and perhaps a very slight annoyance.
Scott inched his way into the room, the monitor showed the bed was empty so Keith was trying to see if the patient was still in the room… if the room actually had one that was. Beast has been sleeping less lately, Keith didn’t have that much faith in general and certainly couldn’t believe that the doctor was treating a poisoned fairy, it seemed like a big joke to keep the med lab spirits high or something. The fairy himself however nudged the discarded gown his with foot, dragging it with him a few feet before kicking it carefully under the bed so the human didn’t panic and think Scott made a bolt for it. Keith, looking rather bored as he waited for the last hours of his shift to end, moved towards the window, the small birds fluttering off quickly due to his disturbance.
"Could you leave it open?" Speaking was a slightly different thing compared to being seen, a lot of the times humans wouldn’t believe enough to see them but may believe just slightly enough to actually hear them… It appeared however that Keith was definitely not one brought up on fairytales, the young man keeping his attention on the window.
"Do you want this closed? All the noise must be disturbing." the temporary assistant spoke, not wanting any of the birds to get into the room and disturb the supposed patient, but more truthfully he didn’t want them getting in and possibly getting free into the main area.
"..It was not.." Scott replied with an air of disappointment, watching as the young human strode back towards the bed, the Prince hugged his jar of honey a little closer to his chest. Perhaps it was the look Keith had given when staring at the bed but it really bugged the Prince, enough for Scott to perhaps push aside his polite manners and indulge his more impish nature. Raising his hand Scott pointed his finger towards the male, but there was a pause, a sigh of defeat in a sense since Scott couldn’t perform any charms and didn’t really have the strength to follow through with his more mischievous side.
Instead Scott moved and placed his hand down on the tray, which also had some sweets Riley left for Scott. Although the fairy never had chocolate before he wouldn’t let the present go to waste by having Keith take the tray away, even if there were other things on it that Scott didn’t find appealing. A slight tug at the tray caught Keith by surprise, Scott’s bright eyes watching the human carefully, emotions being toyed with by the Prince as Scott increased a sense of discomfort in the male, Keith obviously feeling the disturbed sense as he looked around unnervingly before eventually giving up on the tray and rather quickly leaving the room. Sometimes the more simplistic trickery still worked just as well, but lacked the fun.
"They brought a great deal of food for me, none of which I eat. Would you care for anything while I indulge my own tastes?" Scott asked once he made a check that everything was still as it was on the tray and nothing had been taken.
Re: That's what friends are for.OOC: Just a 'little' post and I'll leave ya to it ^^
The boy with the crutches was the first to turn his gaze to her, the fairy following his friend’s. She guessed that the injured lad was the first in the room, seeing as it had been the crutches which had begun to pull her from her dream. Part of her wondered if he realised how loud those things were. Not that he could help it of course, but it was a pure observation. Especially as her sensitive hearing would at least amplify the sounds to a degree.
As the boys’ eyes turned towards her, she couldn’t help but be silently glad that, most of the time, her patience was pretty long. As with anyone, there would be exceptions, bad first impressions and personal insults were two of them, and her mind turned to Max briefly as a prime example of one of the few times she had lost her temper. Beside, it wasn’t this pair’s fault. Most likely, they hadn’t even noticed her. And the orderlies who had known she was there had at times caused a greater noise than them. Even so, she couldn’t help but feel a mild despair. Was an unbroken sleep too much to ask for?
"Oh, forgive us…I’ll set the chairs in my room." She gave a partial smile at the apology. Even if her temper had been shorter, she hardly had the energy to hold any anger right then. It was easier to smile and let them be. Besides, with her plans set, she highly doubted she would see them again. Or if she did it would be merely be in passing, so there was no need to start more bad vibes.
Even so, she watched the fairy move towards his room. Despite the awkwardness of his movements, he seemed to maintain an elegance which had been present in his voice. It was an added factor that stopped her holding any sort of grudge against the pair. The hint of enchantment oddly relaxing, and added to her current state, Racheal was close to falling forward right then into a gentle sleep.
Eyebrows rose slightly at the action of the orderly in the doorway. Was he really so impatient as to.. She paused mid thought, watching the little she could before slowly lowering herself down onto her back again, wincing at the returned pressure to the bruise across her shoulders. She vaguely remembered a conversation at some point about a fairy, though she couldn’t recall the name of the fairy right then. She did manage to recall the speaker though – it had been Arlen on her first day. Something about non-believers being unable to see them. That must be more annoying than being woken up surely – being cared for by someone who didn’t even believe you existed!
Hand rose to rub her brow lightly as she felt the soft curtain of sleep teasing her back to dream. It was only light, and as she began to drift off, she promised herself that she would ask Dr McCoy as soon as she could about moving to her room. Part of her felt sure that he must understand. And the thought hovered in her mind as her eyes closed, breaths deepening once more, slipping back to dreams, both wanted and not.
"I was wrong, to think that I might belong. But I will never forget what I was... Who I am.. What I did, just to learn that"
Re: That's what friends are for.
The girl didn’t seem too annoyed thankfully merely gazing sleepily at them . Scott’s somewhat shocked reply to his question brought Michaels mind back into focus ” I am undressed” he said eyes opening wide as if Michael had suggested he was going to wander naked into the girls dorms.
Michael had to bite back a grin. It seemed that fairies were rather old fashioned where certain things were concerned Or maybe it was just that Scott was shy. *You’re a great one to talk * he told himself. *You’re not exactly likely to go anywhere dressed like that either are you. Even if its for different reasons.* He thought of the network of scars that covered his abdomen and sighed *What with that and the needle marks, I’d look more like a charity case than a sex symbol! Oh well I’d never have been a much of a pin up anyway so its no great loss*
It seemed that Scott had noticed the girl watching them, obviously drawing the correct conclusion, that their conversation had woken her. "Oh, forgive us…I’ll set the chairs in my room." he said his voice as melodious as always. Michael merely offered her a remorseful smile not wanting to disturb her or the other still sleeping patient any further. Though it would be hard not to be distracted by the strange pantomime that was taking place as Scott made his way to his room. Although Michael knew that not everyone could see his friend, had even witnessed the confusion this had caused Ben at the first team meeting, it was still weird to watch someone be so completely oblivious to someone who was so clearly there.
Following his friend Michael was able to catch the whole performance. The orderly was moving towards the open window obviously with the intention of closing it. "Could you leave it open?" Scott asked but his request went unheeded "Do you want this closed? All the noise must be disturbing." the young man asked instead, adding action to words and shutting it determinedly despite Scott’s protestations.
*God how frustrating is that* Michael thought to himself, an echo of personal experience making the scene more disturbing to him than it should perhaps have been. A feeling of being not invisible certainly, but of no account, something to be used as needed without any consideration. *Med labs. Not conducive to happy vibes Michael. You should know that by now. Calm down and watch! Scott’s taking it Ok. Or at least he’s faking it well*
Indeed it looked as if the fairy was in a mood for mischief even if all his weakened condition allowed him to do was to retain the tray of food that the orderly had been about to remove leaving the man perplexed and not a little uneasy. Serves him right for not believing Michael thought with a grin, before his eyes travelled inevitably back to the tray.
*Food. What I wouldn’t give for some of that right now* Suddenly his hunger was almost as pressing as his need for the morphine. It had been altogether too long since he had eaten anything substantial. Dr McCoy had kept him on liquids when he had been admitted letting the alien machines nourish him rather than taxing his stomach. ‘Small portions when you start eating’ the doctor had warned him ‘Your stomach is bound to have shrunk after all those months of neglect’.
It hadn’t been a problem on training island. Food there had been and Michael had been gratefull for it, but not enough for him to gorge himself on by a long way. This however looked like a feast and he stared at it even as the helper made his rather confused way from the room leaving him alone with his friend.
"They brought a great deal of food for me, none of which I eat. Would you care for anything while I indulge my own tastes?" Scott asked kindly
*Am I that obvious?* Michael thought embarrassedly but it didn’t seem as if Scott had noticed his reaction, at least not at first. Feeling suddenly weak he sat down on bed trying to keep his voice from sounding too eager as he said “That would be nice If your sure you don’t want any that is.”
*Slowly now. Small meals remember* But it was easier said than done. The smell of the rising from the warm strips of beef was to much to resist. Propping his crutches against the bed he reached for the tray and ……took a bite. All reserve disappeared. He forgot about Scott, the med lab, even the pain as he forked the food into his mouth with the single mindedness of the truly hungry. Or in his case the half starved.
No way Scott’s going to incur the wrath of Racheal XD If only Max wasn’t dozing… he’d love to torment her for sure
“That would be nice If your sure you don’t want any that is.” Scott left the honey where it was, picking up one of the chocolates that Riley had left him, there was an ice pack beneath it but it had melted mostly leaving a blue liquid swirling about to tickle Scott’s curiosity. Riley said if the chocolate was left out in the heat it melted, and efficient as always, Riley placed the ice pack under the chocolates to keep them cool for Scott. Michael took the tray, taking a bite and… rapidly another and another. Scott had seen other humans eat before, Connor and Riley were both extremely fussy eaters from what Scott noticed, Connor even more so, but more often then not they would take their time, talking and eating and enjoying their meal. It was when they hadn’t eaten for a while and done a great deal of work between their meals when they took like famished dwarves of the Derlinggoth clan, cleaning their plates as if the food would be snatched away any moment.
A slight smile crept upon Scott’s features as he remembered the group of Dwarf he had encountered with his family. They had been driven out of their mines by rather vicious Drow, who wanted the underworld for themselves in that region, and any other in truth. Vohan’s mother had been attending an Elvish temple, giving her blessing to the religious outpost and those dwelling within. They had happened across the wrecked town, all that had remained of the upper colony of the Derlinggoth, he and his mother sharing the food supply they had with them to the fifteen or so survivors who devoured every morsel with extreme gratitude.
If Michael had a beard the fairy Prince was sure his too would have been entangled with food and spilled wine. The fact Michael sat on the bed instead of the chairs surprised the fairy, not used to the casual nature of humans even after all this time. Just because Michael asked for a seat didn’t mean he would crash on a chair, taking what was of close convenience was often more the way of people in general. Dropping the chocolate onto the collection of pillows, Scott stared at the bed and realized how greatly he relied on his wings as he wondered how to climb the thing. Looking behind him, Scott glanced at Michael again, deciding the human was in need of the meal and very much focused on it, the Prince moved off to the nearby seat without excusing himself. Dragging the chair towards the side of the bed, Scott weakly struggled to climb into the seat, half glade perhaps that Michael hopefully was as focused on the food as he did appear. The numb wings jerked a little, half heartedly trying to support the young creature in his attempts but failing miserly as one would twitch and the other numbly stretched out with barely any movement. It was more of a balancing act then any attempt of flying, and Scott felt suddenly very grounded and already desperate to leave the room for more open spaces.
Once settled on the bed, his legs over the edge still and resting on the chair, Scott picked up the block of chocolate and studied the wrapping curiously. It was easy to undo of course but Scott hadn’t ever seen it done before so timid fingers trailed around the parcel in examination. Michael was really consuming his food, Scott looked back at the boy who spent the past two minutes hurriedly chomping away. Surely such fast eating couldn’t be good for them… then again humans did consume a lot of food. Still, Scott reached for a glass, the jug was too heavy for him to pour a fresh glass of water but Scott hadn’t drunk any so perhaps Michael wouldn’t mind…
"Would you care for a drink? A moment’s chance to breath perhaps?" The tease slipped out without Scott really thinking and part of him felt a little irked in case the comment caused embarrassment for the other youth. But it was well intended as Scott held the glass out in a slightly trembling hand. The walk around really took what strength the Prince had returning to him, but still there was a kindling hope that once Michael was well fed, should he survive the feast without choking, perhaps then before the Scot left he would open the jar of sweet honey.
Re: That's what friends are for."Would you care for a drink? A moment’s chance to breathe perhaps?"*What?* The words cut through the haze that hunger had wrapped around Michael’s thoughts, but there was still a strange moment of disorientation. The bed, the orderly, even the underlying smell of hospital all combined transporting him for a second back to that other lab where food had been a rare and precious commodity.
The guards who had looked after him there has often been bored and a little basic cruelty had helped pass the time. Now even as he turned his eyes were full of confusion and dismay his arm curving instinctively around the food as if he expected it to be snatched away. Then reality snapped back into place and he felt only shame, the colour rising to his cheeks as he pushed away the tray and stammered. ”Oh god I’m sorry Scott Its just been so long since….
*Stop You can’t tell him about that Get a grip* With a supreme effort he forced a smile trying without any real hope of success to bluff his way out of the situation “.....I tasted anything this good. Hospital food. Not always the greatest. But this stuff is Ok." * Keep talking* he told himself *Get his mind on something else, anything else.*” I can’t think why you didn’t want it.”
He looked at his friend now safely ensconced in the bed When did he get there? he asked himself . *Was I really so out of it that I didn’t even notice him moving. Lord he must think I’m a complete weirdo.* There was some chocolate in the fairies hand the bright golded foil wrapped catching the light.
Suddenly Scotts words sprang back into his mind"They brought a great deal of food for me, none of which I eat. Would you care for anything while I indulge my own tastes?" What would fairies eat if not sweets! *That would explain the honey pot* Michael thought to himself
“Oh” he said “ I get it. Meat isn’t really your style. I can understand why it wouldn’t be. I’m sure if you tell Dr McCoy he’ll fix you up with something you can eat right away.” He knew he was still talking to much trying to let the flood of words wash away the awkwardness of the preceding moments.
“In the meantime” he said picking up his crutches and standing up, moves towards the recently closed window, unable to hold back a gasp of pain as he did so.” How’s about I open this up again? Then maybe I can get the lid off that honey?”
Re: That's what friends are for.
The emotions were vivid, confusion swirled in a mixture of thoughts that Michael must have had flashing through his mind, thoughts Scott could never hope of imagining. Travels with his mother has shown Scott glimpses of other races, even if most of the time he had to stay beside her or inside their tent while she dealt with whatever troubles that came about. It was rare, but still over the centuries it was enough for Scott to notice a few things, to learn to watch the body language, the way they felt, Vohan had always been more like his mother then any of the other siblings.Protective urgency flashed, like a feasting animal guarding its meal from the lurking scavengers…
Why did Michael act in such a way? It hadn’t been the first time, the Prince sometimes had the feeling there was something Michael would hide, be it his pain or sorrow there was a deepness to everything Scott felt with Michael, as if there was a root of all evil that the young Prince could only hope of unearthing.
”Oh god I’m sorry Scott Its just been so long since….” He ate? There was a sense of disgrace, a rush of rosey hue touching the paled cheeks. Bright eyes, lacking their vibrant hue at the moment, peered down to the tray as Michael nudged it away while speaking. Lifting a baffled gaze, Scott locked eyes with the other, a smile unable to lie to the empathic Prince who could see beyond the physical façade and right into the emotional core.
“.....I tasted anything this good. Hospital food. Not always the greatest. But this stuff is Ok." Dropping a glance down at the tray, Scott had to admit, he got pretty insanely happy over his honey, but still… he had seen the kitchen where the other students get there food, he had been in the dinning hall, they had all this and so much more. All Michael had to do was go there and he’d have a choice of everything this world must offer, at least that’s what it appeared like to Scott who hadn’t seen so much food since the great feast at his eldest brother’s wedding ceremony.
“I can’t think why you didn’t want it.” When Scott had called the meat animal flesh previously as Riley and Connor had been eating, Scott couldn’t help but notice the boys be partially put off their food. Especially Riley who had a fondness for animals, Scott tried now to avoid mentioning his discomfort with eating meat since the way he put it apparently was not so appetizing to his friends. When they had their small portions of meat back home, Scott was one of the many who were put off from it, a few however were influenced by the other nearby cultures and would on occasions try their hand at the new tastes.
It had been a great source of torment for his brothers when they realized how skirmish their youngest member of the family really had been involving meat in their meals. Every inch of Scot screamed for him to just try and talk with Michael somehow, to ask a simple question, maybe it would be a simple answer, but by the emotions running through the other, Scott couldn’t help but feel it may be better, for now, to leave it rest. Surely there were other people Michael would talk to, people who were closer to him, people who he knew better, someone like Ben… Michael and Ben got on really well from what Scott noticed.
“Oh” With a side thought having caught Scott’s lapse of attention, the fairy blinked his mind back into focus on the current issue… or whatever Michael was about to bring up in any case. “ I get it. Meat isn’t really your style. I can understand why it wouldn’t be. I’m sure if you tell Dr McCoy he’ll fix you up with something you can eat right away.” It hadn’t occurred to Scott that people may prepare a meal just specially for him, that there were other human vegetarians in the school and they had their needs met on a daily basis without troubling the cooking staff.
But Scott wasn’t a Prince here, so in his mind he couldn’t ask the other workers who cooked if they had anything for him, he was still a little confused about how things worked here, just because he never actually asked, and he’s been here for so many months that everyone assumes he has settled down well enough.
“In the meantime” Michael’s arms were reaching for the crutches and moving off towards the previously closed window, a thrill half finding its way into Scott’s eyes though a pang of guilt stitching its way through him at the same time as the pained effort of his friend was made. “How’s about I open this up again? Then maybe I can get the lid off that honey?” Scott’s eyes peered over to his honey jar, but then slid over towards the tray of food which had now been abandoned.
"Michael?" Hesitation now, the word was filled with a need, an echo of empathy, a desperate question, soft assurance, a friendly call … but it sort of slipped out while Scott felt himself struggling with uncertainties over Michael’s earlier humiliation. If Scott could, he’d probably offer to show some more charms he knew, but the spiders venom dispelled the magic in Scott’s body… A reason spider webbing was often used as nets to snare wayward fairies that ventured out of the safety of the Kingdom’s walls and into ambushes set up within the nearby forests.
"You have a lot of courage." ..Not really what Scott wanted to say at first but words failed him as he watched the other carry himself upon the crutches. It wasn't intentional, to upset him, even if Scott didn't understand or say anything that had been hurtful it had still provaked a reaction that was hard to ignore, especially for someone who could never cope turning a blind eye, even on a few occasions when it was for the best.
"I do not think I could carry your pain, especially with the grace of a good heart as you. You should be proud of that, my parents would wish the same of me if ever I were in such a position, but I know I would not bare it well." Scott fiddled momentarily with the chocolate on his lap, his fingers trailing over the top before picking it up. Of course he knew this well, he avoided pain, he didn't understand it well enough to know what was happening back home, he just knew there was a war, the there were deaths, he didn't understand the pain because he would rather live here, where his mother insists he stay, then back home where all he had been was the infant cast aside while everyone else handled things. He didn't like that, how could he handle whatever pained Michael, and it wasn't hard to see that Michael was hurting, that he had been hurt in the past.. that he still ached both in his body and his soul. But it wasn't something Scott wanted to dwell on, he wanted to cheer Scott up, but at the same time there were things Scott wanted to talk about, he just wasn't sure how to raise them.
"Would you desire some?" Perhaps that's what he should have said right off, straight away just side tracked everything with an offer of sweets... Even if it were just a clumsy retreat from the awkward moment that Michael had desperately tried to flee from. A moment Scott dragged back and Michael may not have needed a reminder of the pain which he knew was bubbling away constantly inside him.
A smile broke gently into Scott's features, the fairy had an unfair advantage, he could lift his mood and that of others with little more then a simple desire to do so. Scott knew how to calm himself, to influence his emotions, his mother had him practice with her all the time, but it always felt wrong altering someone elses mood without their consent. It's this that kept Scott from influencing the moods of those around him, if they were down he'd much prefer trying to talk to them then just blink an eye and have them cheer up, once he broke his connection with them then they'd probably fall back to what they had been feeling. It was a false sense to offer, but still, it couldn't hurt to just offer a touch of comfort to his friend.. could it? The fairy fought back the urge to use his abilities, his thoughts racing in a split second, making the moment feel like forever had past. If only he could speak with the words of comfort his mother could always offer them in times of need and stress..
Re: That's what friends are for.
He listened to his Scott’s words, hearing the concern in them and also the encouragement. It had been a long time since he had heard either, at least from someone he could consider to be a friend *Did I ever really have one before* he wondered *Yes of course I did! She just wasn’t my age. * That didn’t make Mrs Collier less of a friend. They were on the same wave length as far as books were concerned but apart from that..* She helped get me through the lab* Micheal thought . *If she hadn’t sent me that book for Christmas I’d just have lain down and died. If that’s not friendship I don’t know what is! *
But it was true once that once he had been admitted to the hospital her means of access had been limited. They didn’t give out 'private information’ to friends no matter how close they were And visiting him had caused problems. Professional problems that could only arise between a fifty year old woman and a fifteen year old boy whose brothers were bent on causing scandal. He realised that now, though at the time the tapering of off her visits had saddened him. E
ven after he had been released things had never fully been the same George had sensed a weakness and true to form he had exploited it to the full. Rumours did damage even if there was no truth behind them *.She took a risk sending me that present I wonder if I’ll ever be able to tell her how much it meant to me.*
So many memories, both pleasant and unpleasant awakened by Scott’s word .Sure he had been told he was doing well by doctors and physiotherapists in the past but apart from that … Even the members of his own family had either not cared or preferred to ignore the efforts it took him to just keep going every day. The words touched him deeply making him glad he was facing the window so that Scott couldn’t see the expression on his face.
Briefly he laid his forehead against the pane before replying, his voice rough with emotion. “You’d do just fine Scott if you had too. Though please god you’ll never have too This isn’t something you decide to do” he continued “its something you have too overcome if you’re want to go on living. If you let the pain define your life then you might as well give up there and then”
It was strange how easy it was to talk to Scott about these most intimate details of his life, his heart responding automatically to the others overpowering innocence. Still there were things he was not prepared to share. *Would he even understand if I told him about the morphine* Michael wondered.*Or is it just that I want him to think I can handle this on my own?*
It was maybe a little of both that kept him from trying to explain that without the drug this brave front he tried so hard to maintain would soon crumble. But above all he kept silent because, however you looked at, it his dependence was an ugly thing and he didn’t want Scott to be faced with any more ugliness at this point in time. Later he’d be bound to find out but not just yet, not today when he was ill himself.
Micheal took a deep breath and being careful not to lose his balance in the process pulled the window open. Bird song and the fresh smell of the outdoors filled the room. “There that’s much better” he said smiling over at his team mate. “Things were getting a little serious in here just then.” He glanced again at the chocolate bar in Scott’s hands “ Nothing like a little fresh air and some chocolate to lighten the mood. Now come on hand over that honey.You know you want to”
Re: That's what friends are for.
Quietly hovering at the door, Angela fiddled with the items cradled in her arms, a card in her fingers with a box filled with lots of small different kinds of chocolates. Angela may not know what kind the girl liked but everyone generally liked chocolate and there had to be something in there she liked, at least that’s the hope Angela had as she nervously entered the room. Sure it had been a place that spooked her on the first arrival, she was after all a gunshot victim but still, hospitals always uneased her. So shy and uncomfortable with revealing things, it was a horrible place when a doctor’s task required her to bare the humility in order to help her.
Spotting Racheal on one of the beds seeming to be asleep caused Angela to both hesitate and yet look relieved. The young empathic powered mutant was not good around new faces, always the introvert and shy, it’s when she was comfortable with someone that she could open herself up more, almost a complete opposite as she becomes a bundle of excitement and bubbling energy at times. Soft steps moved Angela as silent as possible towards the girls bed, a little smile instinctively appearing but at the same time a certain pity as eyes took in the bruises riddling the girl. Coming here reminded the new student of Connor’s request for her to go see Beast, the wound on her shoulder was gone but there was still an ache and a scar from when the injury was reopened on a few occasions. If her mother hadn’t demanded her to return home then the bed would have cured the wound quickly, but Angela’s assumptions were correct and her mother had insisted she return from where she was.
Connor didn’t like the way she’d wince when Angela had used her arm to support her weight as she hanged at one point in the danger room during one of the training sessions with him and his sister. If Taylor hadn’t convinced her to join the school she’d probably never get it looked at, not until she was really forced into a doctors office, at the moment it was nothing but a scar and an ache when under strain. There had been an incident she banged it really hard a few weeks after she left the school and it killed her excruciatingly. At this point she didn’t know how to really talk about a wound that was months old and still bothering her, even if lately it was finally having the chance to actually recover without the strain of further injury or stress. Ok, so she banged it a few times, it got infected at one point because it bled and the wound opened, the pharmacist her mother went to gave some medication to her for the infection. It was a run of bad luck really, but then again maybe it was a touch of good luck to, if it hadn’t been for the wound then Angela wouldn’t really have accepted Taylor’s insisting offer to join the school. Katerina, her mother, wasn’t always so bad, but the last few months had been really hard, especially as Katerina made more of a fuss about Angela being different, her powers making her something she ought to be ashamed of, she ought to hide instead of allowing something like Fear float around and mark her as an outcast.
Since coming to the school Angela hasn’t really made a great deal of friends, she found it a little hard to fit in because she didn’t know anyone other then Taylor and he had his own friends. On the island it seemed as if they got along nicely but maybe that’s just because he’s nice, it didn’t seem as if he was outwardly seeking her companionship and maybe he didn’t really want her hovering around him and his group. Racheal had been nice, and there was a sense in Angela that told her this girl was sad, that she needed something, someone to be there for her. It wasn’t easy though, Angela never had to be there for anyone and she didn’t know this girl, there was no telling what she wanted or how she may react to certain things, what if Angie said something that upset her? There were always a berrage of worrisome thoughts flooding Angela’s mind as she approached new people, but taking a deep breath, the emotional empowered mutant placed down the blue box, its lid covered with a branch of white and pale pink blossoms.
The card Angie chose was covered in animals, half obscured in a jungle, a mass of green with patches of colour, be it birds, flowers, insects if you look carefully, mostly larger animals, a male lion and a tiger closer with other scatterings of wild animals crammed over the outside of the card, both the back and front. There was a metallic silver writing, beautiful curves in the elegant font which said 'Get Well Soon'. The inside has 'Because we're all missing you.' writing in a more simple handwriting, a small grey outline of a tiger cub with some bandages around its paw, chest and tail sat underneath the words Angela wrote in a purple inky pen. The sketched tiger, though well done, had been copied from a picture Angela found online when she went looking for something to add to the card. She was never good at writing things and she really wanted to show some effort, so the lack of words hopefully had been made up with the young tiger she drew.
Part of Angie wanted to wait around, a book was in her backpack and she could just read that and keep the other girl company.. But another part wasn't sure if the girl would like the intrusion, some people did, but others kept uncomfortable having others hover around while there asleep, Angie was a bit of both, it depended on who it was and how close to them she was. Then again, the girl looked like she really needed rest, and she may be roused by nearby activity, no matter how subtle Angie may try to be. There were voices in the distance, it must be hard enough sleeping around here, there was plenty of time to talk with her and keep Racheal company, for now she needed rest.
Biting her lower lip, the long brown haired girl removed her backpack, very timidly unzipping it as she tried to remain quiet. Perhaps it was overkill, but the girl seemed upset earlier with talk of self blaim for what happened, maybe she needed a bit of overkill, just to make her feel fussed over. Everyone needed that sometimes. A soft tiger was pulled from within the confines of the bag, Angela loved animals and had honestly been tempted to get a wolf with striking blue eyes, but decided to stick with the theme of a tiger to match the card. A white bandage was carefully wrapped about the left paw by Angie, the soft fur was comforting to stroke, it was something Angela always wanted for herself but never felt she had the money to splerge on toys. It was wonderfully detailed, even the brown eyes had good details.
It didn't matter if the girl wasn't fond of toys, it was something and hopefully the sentiments behind it made just the right impact as someone who actually enjoyed the comforts of a cuddly toy as well. The tiger was placed down on the side table next to her bed, the chocolates snuggled against it with the card still on top. Nervously Angela peered around, muffled voices from around her making her wonder anxiously if she was actually allowed to just walk in here or if there were set times or appointments needed to be made.
It was a hectic day, the saw muscles of her shoulder which were enjoying the lazy hours before the training island managed surprisingly well considering what others went through. Maybe she ought to take a cue from Racheal and get some sleep herself, a small smile graced the girls lips before she slinked back out of the medical room, for once Fear no where in sight as the last thing she wanted were people to be uncomfortable by her floating companion.
Re: That's what friends are for.
OOC This shouldn’t interfere with any Scott/ Michael interaction cos they can still be talking as he watches. But if you feel it does Angie I can take it out put it in later.NP.
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The results were there in front of him and there was no way to deny the conclusion. Despite the best efforts of drugs and machines Paige’s condition was worsening. Hank leaned back against the leather support of the chair, eyes closed as he contemplated his failure.* There has to be something else I can do* he told himself . *Think man think You’re supposed to be a genius. Pull some miraculous rabbit out of the hat. Save the damsel in distress from the dragon That’s what you’re there for after all *
But it was no good. No matter how he did the sums they just didn’t add up.*So what now?* he asked himself though he was well aware of the answer. He would have to go in there and tell her parents that they were fighting a loosing battle. That would make twice in one week that he had to announce the imminent loss of people he cared deeply about and frankly he was starting to feel the strain.
It was the moment Sam and Megan had dreaded all their lives ever since Paige’s condition had been diagnosed. He remembered when Sam had asked his advice on the situation. They had talked long into the night debating whether or not it would be a good idea to send the fragile girl to the Institute.*I promised him I’d take care of her * the doctor reminded himself.*Look what a fine job I did of that*
A wave of guilt and sadness threatened to overwhelm him. All of the students were under his care but Paige… she was…. What had he called her when Zia had asked the question ? His protogee! *Not that I have protected her* he thought bitterly *at least not when it really counted.* But no matter how bad he felt at present he couldn’t let it show. He had to keep up at least a pretence of professionalism otherwise he would be useless in the difficult times yet to come. *Just go and tell them* he urged himself. *Then all we can do is wait and make her comfortable And pray We must always pray.*
With a sigh he prised himself out of the chair and headed for the door. Med lab was quiet ,a stark contrast to the bedlam that had prevailed scant hours before. Yet still the sound of conversation came from one of the rooms. The door was ajar, carelessly left open no doubt and making his way towards Paige’s room he could clearly distinguish the voices, one melodic, barely human in its beauty. The other… A distinctive accent. One he had heard all too recently.
*Michael Grant!* Cogs turned within the doctors mind, unbidden and unwanted possibilities rising to the fore.*Be careful what you wish for you might just get it* It was a possibility of hope for Paig, albeit a remote one, but he couldn’t ask for it. *He volunteered when it was Scott in danger You know he’d do the same for her*
*Yes but would I have accepted. It is too risky and besides I cannot make the first move.*If he had thought things were hard before they were doubly so now. It was always the problem with powers like Michaels *Like Paige’s* Hank thought sadly *Yes they can heal but at what price. And are they willing to pay it. That is something only they can answer.*
But this was a girls life that could perhaps be saved No,more than that it was Paige’s life and whether he wanted to admit it or not that made a difference. He gazed through the open door as the young mutant turned and smiled at his team mate. *God, he looks tired .* the doctor thought, noting the lines that pain had drawn round Michael’s eyes and mouth. ‘its already a miracle he came back from training island intact but still….*
He couldn’t ask no matter how much he wanted to but oh……. the temptation was there and he had to call on every bit of his professionalism just to keep his voice neutral as he pushed the door more open and said “Scott!. Michael! Good to see you both looking so well. Is there anything I can do for you?”.
Re: That's what friends are for.
It seemed there was a moment where Michael’s emotions still swirled, it was not a feeling Scott enjoyed, and the helplessness of the situation had him chained with a partial guilt of having pushed it. A palm raised, Scott’s eyes downcast on it, Michael’s own body turned with his back to the Prince already, maybe if he willed it enough his enchantments would return to him. But it wasn’t so easy as that, he needed to recharge his energy, to dim the pollution entwined in his system, while the natural vibrancy of the fairy shone through, he was far more tired then he appeared and sleep was something the Prince needed in order to recover.
“You’d do just fine Scott if you had too. Though please god you’ll never have too This isn’t something you decide to do” That, perhaps, is what makes it so painful, whatever happened was forced upon them, forced into their lives and had destroyed the tranquility all life deserved. There was no control, no real choice, only the chaos and that aftermath of mayham it left for people to struggle their way through. “its something you have too overcome if you’re want to go on living. If you let the pain define your life then you might as well give up there and then” The hand returned to pick up the chocolate bar. Scott barely managed to get through a night on his own, he couldn’t, he never has been able to, growing up sharing a room with his brothers got him comfortable with their presence. Levon and Krelan were left to share a room with Scott, as they grew up they got to move away into their own rooms but until 6000, Lillian, their mother, preferred them to be together to offer each other comfort. Scott was a child, regardless of the centuries he has lived he was a child in his people’s eyes, still a youngster, you might as well leave out the last two digits of his age and look at him as a matured 12 year old.
“There that’s much better” The opening of the window, the rush of nature streaming in, it’s sounds like a blissful melody to the Prince’s ears, it caused a calming sense on the fairy who instinctively closed his eyes to better hear the sounds and picture what he could not see shut away in their confining room. “Things were getting a little serious in here just then.” A gentle smile graced the fairy’s lips as he opened his eyes, watching Michael for a moment before looking fixatedly at the window and then back at the boy “ Nothing like a little fresh air and some chocolate to lighten the mood. Now come on hand over that honey.You know you want to” A bright grin broke out as Scott shyly hang his head, his hand reaching for the item a moment after the chocolate had safely been placed aside.
"Riley got it for me." Scott announced proudly, a gift was always something that needed to be respected and cherished and if it was honey, well that’s even better in Scott’s opinion! However the mention of Riley brought up another topic that was worrisome for the youthful fairy. "He said I may have to spend the night here. I never slept on my own before, would they let me get Arideth from my room? It’s scent helps me sleep and I’ve missed him." The Queen prepared a toy for Scott since he didn’t take anything he owns to the school, she sent a soft darkish red dragon, it was stuffed with special grinded dry herbs that have a long lasting scent, mixed with particular sand which gave the toy a soft ‘bean bag’ likeness to it. Usually Scott would sleep on it when he was homesick, but it sat in the center of his bed and when Scott wasn’t cuddled in his flowers he was curled on the Arideth’s yellow belly. With soft wings and a tail, a short neck and legs, it had also yellow eyes, like it’s fuzzy belly, with black slits in the center. There were soft eyelids which Scott usually closed over the eyes however, giving the illusion that the toy was sleeping, and when he woke he’d open the eyes usually, out of habits made from childhood affections.
It was a piece of his home, his mother, his world. Arideth was a reminder of what he has outside of the institute, it was also a show of love from his mother and sign that she missed him and loved him. It was like a hug from a distance, the toy offered a lot of comfort to the Prince and it was the sole reason Scott managed to stay in his room for so long at some points in the previous year.
"I miss my Arideth, my mother made it for me. Inside it bares not only scented herbs, but a repellent to keep spiders at bay, it’s a white sand from the dunes of Kwebler that gives off a scent which discourages them.. He is on my bed. Have you seen a real dragon before? I saw one when I was younger, she had a tooth ache and my mother helped cure her ailment, I was with her but my brothers did not ask to come with us." Excitement flared in the voice and the eyes, Dragon’s were rarely seen and Scott never forgot his encounter, while his brothers had feared the scaled intruder, he ventured with his mother and met the kindly creature who was perhaps just as timid of the strange Queen. Of course there were the good and bad with Dragons, as were in any race, but Scott fell in love with the creatures, their graceful beauty, in his eyes they were strong and wonderful, powerful and dangerous but still elegant and wise in many cases. Also Scott thought dearly of his Arideth, so talk of it always brought a sparkle to his eyes, though admittedly he didn’t really speak of it, topic of toys and favourite possessions never really came up. But Scott could never sleep without the scent drifting around the room, the only time he didn’t use it was when he was with Arlen outside. Connor didn’t mind the smell, which Scott thought may annoy the keen sense of his friend but Connor said it was ok, it was extremely calming and soothing, a sense of comfort even for those who like Connor who had a lot of stress and pain of his own which haunted him.
“Scott!. Michael! Good to see you both looking so well. Is there anything I can do for you?” The words surprised Scott, it was obvious in the slight twitch of surprise at the entrance of the doctor. Having been lost in the eager talk of Arideth and the sense of missing the toy that was, in all honesty, a security blanket of sorts for the enchanted child. But a quick smile beamed towards the doctor.
It was then however that a pang of discomfort inched its way into Scott's excitment, a slight dimming of his smile as his eyes stared through the facade to the core of the troubled doctor. It had been another reason the medical bay was so hard for Scott to be in, everyone was understandably hurting and unhappy, some where scared and it wasn't something Scott could ignore. But Beast had been troubled since their arrival, Scott smiled with more of an assurence that he was ok. It was different talking to friends who looked his age regarding things like Arideth, it wasn't something Scott could proudly ask the elder looking doctor, adults always were reminded of how childish a youth could be by the comforts they obtained in objects such as toys.
Re: That's what friends are for.
To his relief Scott accepted the change in subject without protest, obviously happy at the prospect of finally being able to access the sweet honey. "Riley got it for me." he announced with a smile as he picked up the jar. So Riley and Scott were good friends. He should have suspected as much. He had seen genuine concern on Riley’s face when the older boy had spoken to the fairy on the returning jet.* Guess that explains why he was so annoyed with me the first time we met* Michael thought to himself. *Oh well I’ll just have to try to make a better impression next time I suppose.*
However it suddenly struck him that something was worrying Scott, traces of anxiety clear in the brilliant eyes "He said I may have to spend the night here. I never slept on my own before, would they let me get Arideth from my room? It’s scent helps me sleep and I’ve missed him." Michael had no idea what an Arideth but he was pretty certain that Dr McCoy would be more than happy for Scott to have anything that would make him feel more at ease. It was always traumatic to be in hospital even for a short time. Michael decided that he would ask the doctor about it if Scott didn’t do so himself.
He had to admit that while he understood his friends reaction he didn’t share it. His bedroom had always been a refuge; somewhere he could go and shut out the world or more exactly the all to close proximity of his family. Growing up in a council house had meant that personal space had always been an issue and there were few places where he could escape the inevitable taunting from his brothers. Not that the closed door stopped them when they were determined to make his life miserable but still ,with a book in his hand and music on his headphones it had been as close to peace as he had known in the crowded house.
"I miss my Arideth. my mother made it for me. Inside it bares not only scented herbs, but a repellent to keep spiders at bay, Scott’s voice was wistful as he explained it’s a white sand from the dunes of Kwebler that gives off a scent which discourages them. It sounded nice to have a gift made by someone who loved you to keep you safe and remind you of home and family when you were far away. *If I had something like that I’d want it with me too* Michael thought. *I wonder if Scott misses his country as much as I miss mine.*
Homesickness Something Micheal had never really thought he would feel. It was strange. He had always dreamed of the time when he would be able to leave home and get his own place. Somewhere where he could truly be himself without anyone criticising or simply shaking their heads in confusion. But he had always envisaged staying in Scotland, and if living with his family hadn’t been a great success he had never considered the possibility that he might quite simply never see them again. Now that was looking like a distinct possibility and that was hard to come to terms with.
The shared emotion made him feel closer to his team mate. *We come from very different worlds but that doesn’t stop us being alike in some ways does it? I mean apart from everything else we both come from large families. And from the sounds of things they’re just as strapped for space as we are. Though I think he gets on better with his brothers than I do with mine. Let’s face it that wouldn’t be difficult *
Meanwhile Scott was still telling Micheal about his worries. “He is on my bed”.the fairy said, obviously talking about Aribeth*He?* Micheal thought slightly puzzled. *Is Aribeth some kind of stuffed toy?It certainly sounds as if it is. * It was sweet if a little strange a boy of his own age openly admitting to sleeping with something like that. “Geeze though if he’d said that down our street he’d never have heard the end of it. The bullies would have had a field day Apparently things don’t work like that in his world.” It was a paradox he realised and one he had not yet come to terms with, the things they so obviously shared and the things they never would. Things which came sharply into focus as Scott said nonchalently “Have you seen a real dragon before? I saw one when I was younger, she had a tooth ache and my mother helped cure her ailment, I was with her but my brothers did not ask to come with us."
And there it was, the gulf between human and fairie kind. *Whatever his home life may have been like he was brought up with dragons and elves* Michael thought .* I lived surrounded by bingo, pubs and drug dealing.* Would he ever understand about things like that? Probably about as well as I’d understand his world. Though it might be fun trying.*Still even if he reckoned he wasn’t up to facing a real live dragon a stuffed one was another matter. I could always bring it up for him* Michael told himself. *After I see Dr McCoy about some pain killers that is. I’m not doing those stairs again without some morphine to help me out. No way No how. *
He was just about to propose this solution to his friend when the half closed door opened further revealing the presence of the blue furred mutant doctor. “Scott!. Michael! Good to see you both looking so well. Is there anything I can do for you?” he said with a fanged smile. #Well is probably an exaggeration# Michael thought with an answering grin* But hey at least I’m still upright!*
” Hi Doctor McCoy” he said making his way towards the physician. “You said I should call in when I got back from the ‘outing’ so here I am. And here” he pulled the slim box out from where it had been tucked into his shirt and held it out, careful not to lose his balance as he did so. “I brought these back with me.” he watched the doctors face intently trying to gauge his reaction as he opened the package and noted the syringes inside.
Satisfaction, admiration even shone from the yellow eyes. "This is wonderful Michael" he said "More than I had hoped for. It seems that this part of the mission went better than expected even if the rest of it did not exactly turn out as we had planned.”
Relief flooded through the astral mutant He had tried so hard despite the gruelling conditions to be reasonable with the morphine he had been given. To hear the doctor acknowledge his efforts made it all worthwhile. He could see that McCoy fully realised what it must have cost him to do so, what it was still costing him to be standing there with the means of relief from his pain at his fingertips and not to use it. McCoy’s sympathy and understanding were obvious as he went on. “When you have finished your visit come to my office and we’ll see about your medication. Then you can tell me how the mission went Though as I have already said from what I can see it seems to have been a great success.”
The words were sincere and the offer more than welcome yet Michael couldn’t help feeling that something was wrong somewhere. Maybe if he hadn’t had the same impression when talking to Paige’s father he would have missed the undercurrent of sadness in the doctor’s voice but as it was……. “I’ll be sure to do that sir” he said” There are a couple of things Id like to talk to you about anyway”.
Things like morphine doses.Things like Scott’s food and sleeping arrangements if the fairy didn’t mention those things himself. But over and above all there was the question of Paige. Michael didn’t know how he was going to go about it but he was determined he wasn’t going to leave med lab without knowing what was wrong with her. And he was growing more and more sure that he wasn’t going to like the answer when he finally found out.
Re: That's what friends are for.
” Hi Doctor McCoy” The moment reminded Scott of the times that he’d try to talk with his father, and his father would be smiling and talking and then another official or someone would walk in and usually Scott was left alone or asked to leave. Or worse, they’d start talking and they would be speaking about things or in a way Scott wouldn’t understand. However Scott knew Michael had come down here probably for a reason, one which Scott must have distracted him from. “You said I should call in when I got back from the ‘outing’ so here I am. And here” That proved the previous thought Scott had, a fluttering at the window signaled the return of the feathered friends Scott had made around the school, but the bright gaze of the Prince was curiously watching Michael hand a box over to the doctor. “I brought these back with me.” Whatever it was that Michael was handing over seemed to impress the doctor, but Scott looked back towards the small birds as they darted outside the window playfully chasing each other.
"This is wonderful Michael" What was? Was it a gift? Why did Michael get the healer a gift? Was it his celebration of birth? Scott’s people, as well as Arlen’s, both celebrated each century, though often the older ones would push it to every millennia. However before the team missions Scott learned that humans don’t live so long, though in truth he didn’t know their age for sure all he knew was that they aged quickly compared to him and his kind. It hadn’t occurred until now about how they celebrate such things, he was tempted to ask but a tired gaze was all he could offer at the moment. "More than I had hoped for. It seems that this part of the mission went better than expected even if the rest of it did not exactly turn out as we had planned.” It was like listening to his father talking, the words made sense yet Scott still didn’t understand what exactly was being discussed. The mission, Scott was already convinced he was a failure there, perhaps not really a failure, he just couldn’t take that sort of thing, maybe his family were right in getting him out of the Kingdom, he’d never survive a militaristic atmosphere. The hope of never talking about the missions was high on Scott’s list, Ben had been their leader at the time and Lexi was their leader, both probably lacked any confidence in the young Devark after his inability to cope two days outside the school. Whatever success the others where discussing was obviously important to Michael who had a great sense of relief wash through him from the doctors words.
“When you have finished your visit come to my office and we’ll see about your medication. Then you can tell me how the mission went Though as I have already said from what I can see it seems to have been a great success.” Dropping the azure eyes away from the two, Scott’s gaze drifting to his lap as he wondered what success was seen in all of this. There was a negativity in the air, poisoning the environment Scott was currently a part of, it was chaotic on his own emotions which struggled to remain positive without the added push of depression hanging around. Heavily Scott’s eyelids closed, sorting out the abundance of emotional activity within him as well as the outside moods around him.
“I’ll be sure to do that sir” Positive thoughts, that’s all Scott needed, a few nice things to think of that would life his mood for sure. What were things Scott looked forward to? At the moment there wasn’t much, he wanted to go back home for a few days, he missed his mother’s hugs and his fathers strong voice calling out his name. The bickering though playful brothers, despite their varying opinions on Humans Scott still cared deeply for them. ”There are a couple of things Id like to talk to you about anyway”. What of his 13th celebration? That was in two years, he’d celebrate the thirteenth century since he was born, that was something he looked forward to, it would be different this time since he would have been away from home for so long – and he had friends to invite to his gathering.
Scott’s body sank sideways into his pillows, cuddling into the softness they offered. Whistles sang from the window sill where two brown birds perched, the Prince’s eyes opening to see, a third fluttering back and forth between the sill and some other distractions outside. It looked like a nice day outside, a day Scott would have enjoyed to spend in the arms of natures grace and wild beauty… Instead he was confined within the closed walls of this room, the area radiant with sorrow and its pains seeping into Scott’s own troubled sensations.
Re: That's what friends are for.
The young Scot turned towards him as he entered, relief and accomplishment showing through the ever present pain in his eyes. ” Hi Doctor McCoy Michael answered quickly . “You said I should call in when I got back from the ‘outing’ so here I am. And here” The thin hand which held out the instantly recognisable box trembled slightly but the voice was steady enough. “I brought these back with me.”
*Now there is cause to rejoice* Hank though to himself as he accepted the package. "This is wonderful Michael" he said sincerely as he opened it and counted the syringes.Three.* Dear lord he has done well. He has reason enough to be proud. . "More than I had hoped for.” The doctor added “It seems that this part of the mission went better than expected even if” he went on with a rueful smile “the rest of it did not exactly turn out as we had planned.” Still a victory is a victory and this certainly was one.
He had wondered how Michael would fare on the mission turning over and over in his mind the decision he had made to let him go.* I took a bigger chance with him than I thought I was taking with Paige and yet look how things have turned out. Still it was the right choice. He has proved that to me and to himself not just by surmounting his pain but also by the looks of things by making friends. What more could we have hoped for?.*
However there was one inevitable conclusion to the amount of morphine Michael had just handed back. *He must be hurting badly* Hank realised *We should do something about that as soon as possible.There is no need for him to suffer more than he already has just to prove a point.*“When you have finished your visit come to my office and we’ll see about your medication..” he told the young mutant “Then you can tell me how the mission went Though as I have already said from what I can see it seems to have been a great success.”
“I’ll be sure to do that sir There are a couple of things Id like to talk to you about anyway”. Michael answered making the doctor smile with his unfailing politeness so at odds with the rudeness of some other pupils. *Such as Max for example.* The comparison only deepened the doctors grin. The two boys were as different as night and day and yet they were both here at the institute, learning to become X men. *Well one seems to have taken to it rather better than the other yet who would believe it dould be that way to look at them.*
He met Michaels eyes again seeing the deep determination that lay within them., as the young mutant made to leave with a last smile for his friend, and a quiet ”Ill be back to see you later Scott”. discretely according the doctor some time alone with his patient, *He would do it if I asked him. He would try to save Paige. He has the kindness and lord knows he has the courage.*
The thought once again made its unwelcome way into McCoy’s mind despite all his best efforts to keep it out.* I cannot ask. It is unfair. It is unethical.* Yes but would Paige’s parents think so if they knew there was this one fragile chance to save their daughter and he did not grasp it. Sometimes Hank sincerely hated the moral quagmire that he was forced to walk as a doctor and as a mutant. So much power. So many possibilities. When to use them and when to walk away That was what they all had to learn and sometimes the lesson was a painful one for all concerned.
* Concentrate* Hank scolded himself *you have other patients to think about as well as Paige not least this student you came to see*"And you Scott. How are you feeling." he asked kindly moving forward to confirm the positive readings the machines had been sending him with his own eyes. “You certainly seem to be on the mend .”
He wondered suddenly how the empath had dealt with his friends all to obvious discomfort not to mention the troubled emotions which the doctor himself was no doubt radiating despite his calm exterior. *Med lab is perhaps not the best place for him to recover* Hank thought *just as it does not seem to agree with Racheal either. Let us see if we can’t come up with a better solution for the two of them provided their condition continues to improve that is.*
“Now is there anything we can do to make you more comfortable. I’m afraid I don’t have much experience treating fairies you know. “he said with a smile.“ I’m only sorry I didn’t get the chance to learn more about your people under happier circumstances. So if anything is you need, or any questions you want answered just ask. That’s what I’m there for after all".
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