ArchivedLogs:Who's Stronger?

Who's Stronger?
Dramatis Personae Kai, Scott
In Absentia	2013-04-21 Scott checks in with Kai.
Location <XS> Kitchen
The kitchen staff at Xavier's tends well to the needs of its residents. Always cognizant of its students and faculty's dietary needs alike, the menu has a wide variety of choices, and the longtime cook works wonders in the kitchen. The pantry, too, is kept well stocked for those who want to come prepare themselves their own snacks. The shelf, fridge, and freezer space is ample, though if anyone wants to keep their own food there, they'd better make sure it's labeled clearly, and even that is no guarantee it'll last. The school is quiet, this afternoon, with many of the students gone to the city to either visit family or waste the day. A few others have gone to the Latverian Expo with the teachers designated for such a trip. As a result, the amount of activity around the mansion is at a lull. Somewhere, there is the sound of a piano playing, and through the window of the kitchen a group of kids are playing a game of touch football on the back lawn, but in the kitchen itself, it is quiet. Which suits Kai just fine. The Korean boy is seated at the island on a stool, his bare toes clinging to the rung in a bird-like fashion. In jeans and a dark green hoodie, he has a book in front of him, the title hidden by its lying open on the island. Beside it, another (closed) book with DICTIONARY FOR YOUNG READERS on its spine. Kai also has a sandwich (filled with what appears to be roast beef and cole slaw), half of which is clutched in one hand as he leans over to read the open book, head slightly tilted to one side. Scott had been meaning to corner Kai as soon as he possibly could, so his appearance in the kitchen was no accident. While ostensibly he had appeared to prepare for a class later on in the day (the sole cooking class he taught (look it up)), he had come to check in on Kai and see how his tenure at Xavier's had gone thus far. He stepped in through the far door and walked over to the range, starting it up with a twist of a knob. "Kai - how are you today?" he says, facing the range and not the boy proper, while he gets a couple of pots and pans out. The appearance of a teacher -- unexpectedly, to boot, is enough to render Kai into a statue, sandwich lifted to his lips. His eyes are wide as he watches Scott move to the range, tracking each tiny move the older man makes with sharp flicks of his eyes. When he's addressed, he tilts his head and swallows his mouthful of sandwich slowly. "Mister Summers," he says respectfully, dipping his head as he gropes for a napkin. "I am fine, thank you for asking." Finally -- someone asked him a question his language books actually /covered/! The napkin proves good for hiding his face, and so he keeps it pressed to his mouth. "I am having a snack," he explains, his soft voice muffled further by the flimsy paper. Just in case Scott couldn't determine that for himself. "How am - /are/ you?" "I am fine," Scott says slowly and deliberately. He was made aware that Kai was struggling with the English language, so he is trying to keep it slow and simple but at a casual and easy pace. He looks over his shoulder, and smiles cordially at the young man. Some cooking grease spread out, various foodstuffs prepped, chopped, etcetera - this for a few moments more. "Are they treating you well here? You have food and drink. Do you have the other things you like?" Kai offers a small smile when Scott looks back at him, lowering his napkin and nodding at the question. "This is the nicest place I have ever been," he says solemnly, folding his hands and setting them almost primly on the counter. "Everyone here is very nice." The second question flummoxes him, and his brow furrows as he considers it. He chews at his lower lip, and lifts a thin shoulder in a shrug. "I have what I need," he says honestly. "I am still learning what I like." He falls silent for a moment, thumbs twisting over each other as he considers that further. Then, an explanation for his lack of an answer. "My life is very different, now." "The faculty and staff here will help you explore your interests," Scott drones amicably, and begins to chop up some meat on a bamboo cutting board. Thunk thunk thunk thunk thunk thunk. "Please rely on them for anything." He clears his throat now, and looks down. "Are you sleeping well, Kai?" "Oh, yes," Kai says, offering a shy quirk of a smile. "There are many things that interest me. I hope to learn about many of them." He ducks his head. "I like to draw," he confesses. "Mister Holland teaches those classes, but..." he trails off, flushing deeply. "I do not think he is easy, around me. We hurt him very badly." He frowns, and looks down at his sandwich as if it no longer holds any flavor he finds tasty. "I do not sleep very much," he answers the question. "I have...what is the word? When you are having scary dreams?" "Nightmares," Scott supplies in a soft tone of voice. There is a certain sizzling and popping coming from in front of him. He is still very much focused on his kitchen operations, so he doesn't have to worry about inspecting Kai's expressions or emotions too deeply - it might spare the young man some embarassment. "Mr. Holland is probably doing his best around you, Kai. We all want to see you succeed and live well, here. If you are having trouble sleeping, Mr. Charles Xavier, or Jean Grey are both capable of helping you put your mind at ease. Please - if your sleep is troubled, I'd encourage you to see them for guidance." "Nightmares," Kai repeats, closing his eyes as he commits the word to memory. "That is the word. Thank you." His frown remains in place, though, and he chews at his lip as he considers this new information. "The Professor is very generous, to be so helpful," he offers suddenly. "Do you know that the...Pres..i..dent...did not give him this house for his loyalty? It belongs to his family." Kai says this as if it might be as amazing to Scott as it is to him. "That he helps someone like me..." his shoulders lift again. "It is very kind of /all/ of you." He exhales slowly. "I do not think there is much to be done about my dreams," he says in a resigned sort of voice. "They are full of Foom's whispering." Scott has done at least a little bit of study into Korean culture, so when he turns around, leans his hip against the edge of the countertop, and gives Kai a look, he is doing his best to cut through the cultural disconnect and international morass to reach him person to person. "Kai - I'd beg you not to dwell on the Professor's kindness. Charles Xavier gives it not in spite of your unique challenges in life, it is because of them - he has a dream where people like you and I can live in peace, free of guilt and shame and self hatred." He leans forward a little - a subtle gesture. "Whatever is inside of you - I know that at its core, it is not that different from what is in me. If you're dismayed by it...take it from someone who knows, Kai. Xavier can help you if you let him." Kai frowns under that ruby gaze, and looks uncomfortable. "Kindness given to one who needed it and did not ask should not be ignored," he says. "Or taken lightly. I will always thankful to the Professor, and Mister Holland, and the others." He brushes a hand along his torso almost unconsciously as he leans back -- away from that subtle lean forward from Scott. "I do not think it is exactly the same," he says slowly. "But I think you are right. The Professor does want to help." He doesn't sound like this is a feasible prospect. "He has not spoken to Foom, though." "What will change when he does?" Scott asks, still focused carefully on Kai. Kai shrugs. "Perhaps nothing," he says. "Perhaps everything. Foom is very strong." He studies his sandwich in a sad sort of silence before he amends his statement in a near-whisper. "And angry." "Is Foom stronger than you?" Scott asks after a few moments, returning to searing the meat he was already working on. He seems rather not-worried about the whole situation, which is just kind of how he is. Kai frowns. "I do not understand the question." "You speak of Foom as different from you, and you say he is strong - I'm asking, is he stronger than you, or weaker?" Scott asks, his attention focused strictly on cooking. He shakes the pan a little. "He /is/ different from me." Kai seems confused by the phrasing of the question, and he furrows his brow. "He is bigger, and stronger than me, and he is much angrier." His fingers drift, to pick bits of slaw from his sandwich, depositing them on the plate methodically. "He says I am his tool. Is the tool stronger than the one who wields it?" "So you believe him," Scott says, jutting out his jaw a little. Clearly, his questions have been answered in this particular instance. Kai lifts his shoulders, as well as his eyebrows. "Should I not? He has saved my life many times, and his mind is keen." His smile is thin and sad-looking. "I do not even know if Kai is my real name. Perhaps I /am/ just a mask for the monster." Scott isn't very indulgent of that type of thinking - he instead allows the roast on the pan to continue to sear, pushing it around this way and that. The red meat, trimmed of the fat, soon starts to turn brown on the edges as he pushes it across the pan. He remains curiously silent. Kai shifts in that uncomfortable silence, his sandwich getting picked at with a bit more speed as anxiety begins to set in. Instinct has him already beginning to slip his toes free of the stool's rung and starts seeking the floor. "I...am sorry if I displeased you, Mister Summers," he offers finally, in a small voice. "It is not my intention to dishonor your advising." "It's not really any skin off of my nose, Kai - you're entitled to think what you'd want to think about yourself. If that's the way you see yourself, it's not my place to correct you. You'd know better than I would," Scott says pretty airily - from the tone of his voice, it doesn't seem like he's got too terribly much invested in the opinion. Kai furrows his brow deeply at the unknown idiom, and he tilts his head. There's a deep frown as Scott continues to speak, and he nods slowly as the teacher's tone and words he does understand sink in. His toes find purchase, then, and he slides the stool back as he stands. "Yes, sir. I am s-sorry." There's a hitch in his voice as he begins to gather his books and takes his plate to the sink. His slender frame trembles as he does this, the plate rattling slightly as he sets it down. "You have nothing to apologize for, Kai. Don't allow your heart to be troubled today," Scott says quietly while he spares Kai the intense scrutiny from before. "Please do not send me away!" It's a sudden explosion of sound from Kai that's louder than any he's made in his time at the mansion. He whirls, and drops his books as he moves to clutch at Scott's elbow. "I am sorry if you are disappointed, truly." His eyes are wide, desperate. "If you will tell me what it is you want me to do, I will try very hard to do it for you. But please let me stay." His fingers are clutching, squeezing things. and his voice cracks. "/Please/." Scott blanches when Kai grabs out for him, caught off guard with the sudden motion. The meat is searing and bubbling on the pan but it is quickly ignored for now, even as it casts off bits of grease. His mouth hangs open a little, his brows knit. He glances at the fingers biting into his bicep, then back at Kai's desperate face. "Kai, steady yourself and take a deep breath. You have nothing to fear. If there was any such problem, we would discuss it out in the open. There isn't. You haven't done anything wrong - you will not be sent away, you will not be punished, you will not be scorned or hurt or taken advantage of at this school. There are no conditions to your stay here besides the rules that have already been outlined to you." Scott's tone of voice is a steady, calm, quiet tone. Very serious, but soft. "Do you understand what I've said?" It takes a very long time for Scott's words to register with Kai. The teenager seems loathe to let go of the older man, as if physical contact were necessary to anchor him to the school. Desperation gives way to confusion, and then into rugged comprehension. "I have not done wrong?" he verifies, his fingers loosening slightly. "And I may stay here, and keep learning, if I obey the rules?" His voice is steadier, although it still wobbles. This time, though, it's from relief. His fingers relax totally, and he withdraws his hand. "Thank you." Scott reaches over and tenderly touches the spot on his arm where Kai'd dug in. "Have courage and faith in this place, Kai. It believes in you - believe in it," he says mildly. Kai sighs. "I do believe in this place," he says as he goes to retrieve his books. "It is myself that I doubt." He wavers in the doorway, lifting a hand without emotion in farewell. "Thank you, Mister Summers."