Logs:Safe Places

Safe Places
Dramatis Personae Kurt Wagner 2.0, Nanami
In Absentia	2020-08-12 "... Maybe I am foolish to have believed him." (Part of Final Boss: Xavier TP.)
Location <PLC> Garden - Midtown East
This outdoor gem occupies one entire corner of the penthouse level, accessed by the dining room, an interior hallway, and the balcony of the conversation room. From this lofty perch one can see all of lower Manhattan laid out, but even without going to the railing there is plenty to enjoy here. Scattered throughout the garden are lofty pillars of natural stone and wood, visually echoing the urban jungle below. Expertly manicured flowerbeds supply color year-round, the wide slate paths are wheelchair-accessible, and comfortable stone benches are spaced just far enough apart to give some semblance of privacy -- especially the one by the burbling fish pond, shielded from view by hedges. Though it's a sweltering day in the city down below, up here there's enough of a breeze that it's a bit more pleasant. Nanami has claimed a spot on the bench by the little pond, barefoot and breezily summery in a gauzy yellow cropped shrug over a black camisole and a swishy pink midi skirt. She has a large plastic takeout bowl in her lap, yellowtail-and-snow-crab poke that she is eating with a pair of disposable wooden chopsticks. She's just fishing out a piece of edamame, nibbling it slowly as she scrolls through Instagram with her other hand. Kurt hadn't left the center much, if at all. He found himself isolating from the other students, only occasionally coming out for some food. This was one of those times, but, he noticed a familiar face outside in the garden. With hesitation, he turned his trajectory to the garden, tip-toeing to the door. He let out a small breath before opening the door, holding a bag of fast-food in his other hand. "It is nice here, no?" Kurt spoke in a wavering voice, making his way to the other. He sat down on the other side of the bench, placing his bag between them. He was wearing a light grey graphic t-shirt with khaki cargo shorts, of which a crude space for his tail to go through was made. Nanami's eyes lift from her phone as Kurt enters; she gives him a small nod, but turns her gaze back down to the screen until he actually speaks. "Huh?" She sets the phone down on her knees, angling herself toward the other side of the bench to look over at Kurt. "Oh -- oh. This whole place, yeah, it's amazing. Have you seen the pool? Like damn. How much you think a stay here normally cost? More than I got, for sure." "I did not even know pools like that could even exist!" Kurt exclaimed with a wide smile. He opened his bag and took out an order of fries, beginning to eat them passively while speaking. "I thought Xavier's was impressive." He paused to think. "H-how do you feel? About Xavier, I-I mean." His blue brows furrowed in concern as he faced the other. "Xavier's is posh for sure. How do you rate poshness? I'm not an expert but I'm definitely alright with learning from experience." Nanami waves a hand around the well-manicured gardens around them. The mention of Xavier just draws her brows into a deep frown. "The Professor? I don't know, should I feel something about him? He's a creepy old rich white dude who's probably also a perv -- no surprise there. I'm just glad someone told us before it got, like, Epstein up in there." Kurt listened to her, trying to put pieces together from what he knew. Posh, however, was not something in his vocabulary. But, to avoid embarrassment, he would keep that to himself. Small nods of acknowledgement showed his interest, although he made a puzzled face at the Epstein reference. "I guess you are right, but, I do not know..." He brushed his hands off on his shorts before leaning forward, resting his elbows on his thighs as he held his face in his hands. Yellow eyes stared absently into the pond before them. "He, h-he helped me come here, promised that things would be safe..." The tip of his tail staked a few fries before bringing them to his mouth. "... Maybe I am foolish to have believed him." "Just trusting some rando billionaire who tells you to come to a whole new country with him?" Nanami doesn't tack on a conclusion to this thought but the lift of her brows and heavy skepticism in her voice makes it clear enough what she's thinking: yeah, foolish. "I don't think there's likely many safe places, we just wanted a place we were even allowed to study at all. I figured there'd be some kind of weirdness but I definitely didn't bank on --" She waves her hand toward her temple. "Alla dat. No idea what we'll do now. I mean, I want to tell my parents but they'll freak. And it's not like -- there's a ton of other options out there." Kurt felt his shoulders slouch at Nanami's words. When put so bluntly like that, it made him feel worse about the whole situation. "I think your parents will understand." He picked his head up from his hands and faced her, giving her a small smile. "Knowing the circumstances, they will understand." He faced the pond again. "If you do not mind me asking, what are your parents like?" "You think? Tch what cuz you know 'em so good?" Nanami's smile is crooked, her tone amused. She plucks up some fish and avocado to pop into her mouth. "Complicated," is the only answer she gives. "How's about you, where'd you poof in from? Is it... somewhere you can go back to if they can't sort things out with the school?" Kurt looked up to think, chewing on the corner of his lip. "I grew up in a circus for most my life. It is not as fun as it sounds, especially when you are there against your will. I got away and lived on the streets for a while. Then Father Wagner found me living in attic of his church. I remember being so scared! But, uhm, he let me stay there, and got me food so I-I didn't have to go through dumpsters." He itched the back of his neck. "He said that Xavier's would be a safe place, where I-I wouldn't have to hide anymore..." His brow furrowed deeply again. "Do you think Father knew? A-about Xavier?" "A circus?" Nanami's eyes widen. She studies Kurt intently for a moment, then lowers her eyes to her food. "Against your will? I'ono about fun it sounds kind of hewa." She isn't smiling anymore. "What? How should I know. You knew him, right? Do you think he was helping you for -- good reasons? What do you think he knew?" Her eyes narrow just slightly. "Was he a Catholic priest?" “Yes, he was.” Kurt looked concerned. “Is that... not good?” His eyes widened a little. “I-I do not think he would hurt me, he was one of the only people to ever show me kindness. But, I-I don’t know what to think anymore. I thought Xavier was someone I could trust too.” Kurt stopped himself from panicking, taking a deep breath. “He couldn’t have known... He wouldn’t...” His voice trailed off, and he felt himself lose any appetite he had. “This is all so confusing. I don’t know what to think about anything.” Nanami's brows just hike hiiigh up at that first concerned question. She takes another bite of her food quietly, turning slightly to look away to the pond. "That's -- really sad." There's a flatness to her voice, now. Her chopsticks tap restlessly against the edge of her plastic bowl. "I don't know what you should think, either. Just sounds like a pretty sucky place to be. Probably hard to know who to trust if you aren't used to having people care about you." Kurt bit the corner of his lip, his fang poking out while he tried to fight back the tears that were forming in his eyes. His life, displayed like this, felt so... depressing. “It sounds awful, but, u-uh, I’ve met really great people.” He smiled wide. “Like you, and Harm, and Marinov. I know, uhm, I’m new, but you all have treated me like I’m normal. So, thank you.” "Does sound awful," Nanami agrees with a small wince. Her nostrils flare; the sharp breath she huffs out is almost a laugh. "I don't know how to tell you this but I don't think any of us are normal. You, uh..." She leans down to where the takeout bag her food had come in has been set underneath the bench. Plucks out a napkin to offer it uncertainly out. "Need a -- tissue?" Kurt laughed at that, nodding quickly. “You are right about that.” He quickly wiped his eyes with his wrist. “Ohh! Oh, thank you.” He took the napkin and wiped his eyes more thoroughly this time, as well as his nose. “I mean it, though. Thank you, for being kind to me.” Kurt found his appetite again, reaching and plucking out a single fry. “Even if, uhm, I-I don’t understand all the words you say.” "Sure, yeah." Nanami waves away the thanks and offers Kurt a small, tight smile. "And that sounds like a you problem, man. I speak plenny good." She picks up her takeout bag, covering the poke bowl with its disposable lid and tucking it back inside. She gets to her feet, then, smoothing her skirt down neatly and draping the bag handles over one wrist, chopsticks still in hand. "Whatever happen with the Professor and all them, you may as well just relax for now and enjoy the city, yeah? S'worse places to be while the teachers sort their shit out than living in luxury like this." Kurt’s eyes went wide in a panic. “I-I wasn’t suggesting that your English was bad! I-I was just saying that-“ he sighed, closing his eyes as his hand went to pinch the bridge of his nose. “Macht nichts.” He muttered. Kurt’s eyes went back to her as she stood up. He gave her a small half-smile and a firm nod. “I-I will, and you enjoy it too, jah?” "Oh hell yeah." This time, Nanami's smile is easier. She waggles a hand in a wave as she heads back towards the dining room door. "I'm gonna take full advantage of that rooftop pool fo sho."