ArchivedLogs:Lunch Period

Lunch Period
Dramatis Personae Kai, Rasa
In Absentia	2014-05-22 '
Location <XS> Conservatory
Tall panes of glass keep this large indoor garden warm year round. Tended to by the school's groundskeeper, the conservatory is lush with plant life, a carefully cultivated paradise within Xavier's walls. The room serves as a classroom as well; in the center of the garden a ring of seats forms a small circle, a favorite locale for some teachers to hold court. It's a dreary sort of day in Westchester, with intermittant rain squelching most of the outdoor activities at the school. Which is fine, during classes. During lunch, there's a kind of restlessness from those students who spend that time on the grounds. Even here in the Conservatory, the steady noise of said students can be heard from the dining hall. It's not loud enough to interrupt the gentle patter of rain on the glass or disrupt the cool calm that always seems to be present here. Kai is not one of those students who is prone to the outdoor games. He's certainly participated in his fair share, but given an option he's more likely to be found somewhere less boisterous. Which explains why he's here, maybe. The small Korean boy is dressed in a pair of navy shorts and an Xavier's t-shirt that is a bit too long for him, puddling on the floor behind him as he sits tailor-fashion on the stone floor. In front of him is his larger sketch pad which he leans over, his pencil skittering frantically over the paper. The work in progress looks something like a gardening plan -- much like the one Kai is referencing in a large book that sits beside him. Nearby, on a bench, Howard looks /bored/. The younger (but taller) boy watches Kai with disinterest, eyeing the paper before he speaks again. "C'mon. Some of the guys are putting together a dodgeball game in the gym. We can get in on that." Kai shakes his head, looking up to frown at the other boy. "I do not like dodgeball. Besides, I need to finish this." Howard makes a noise of frustration, and stalks towards the door, throwing his hands in the air. "Ugh. All you do is draw." There's no heat in Howard's tone, but Kai looks up to watch him go. "Maybe I will come down later and play," he allows, which seems to brighten Howard's mood, and he nods as he leaves the Conservatory, letting Kai return to his work. Rasa wanders into the conservatory carrying hir lunch in two hands, a tray laden with cut fruit and hot dogs. There's a couple pouches of juice, but they have fallen over while ze navigated between portions of the mansion. Seeing a group of rowdy individuals head off for the gym, ze takes advantage of the space they are leaving behind and hops up into the greener portion of the room, looking upward toward the treetops, spying out a place to eat perhaps. Ze is decked out in pretty basic colors, blue jeans, a little baggy with a tail hole cut out of the back side, with a gray shirt that proclaims 'VisitOutside Where Real Stuff Happens' in white. In contrast to hir dull clothing palate, ze is a vivid blue and green, a gradient dividing hir down the middle, the most bright green found there, a minty iridescent color that runs down hir median. To the right and left, ze grows almost navy, but never quite gets that dark. Hir hair is a swirl of different shades of cobalt and leaf green, pulled back behind each ear in pig tails. Kai looks up after a moment, glancing first at the door through which Howard left, and then around the room. When his gaze lands on Rasa, he pauses there, watching the other teen as ze looks around. He tips his head slowly to one side, taking in each colored portion fully before moving on to the next. About the time that his gaze might be turning uncomfortable, he breaks off his study, and offers the other teenager a small, bright smile. "Hello, Rasa. You look very colorful today." His tone indicates that this a good thing, punctuated by a nod. "The green is particularly nice." "Ah. Thank you." Rasa hasn't been the best as socialization lately, hir lips squishing to one side as ze studies Kai back. "Your shirt is very large." Ze nods, punctuating the thought. Return compliment achieved! Ze pauses in hir trek during the conversation, studying the younger teen. "Did you eat your lunch already?" Ze balances the tray on the palm of one hand as ze grabs a hot dog, decorated with bright yellow mustard and chunks of green relish. Ze bites down and chews, stomach grumbling in anticipation of the food. "I wanted a shirt that was loose," Kai explains, crinkling his eyes in amusement before bending back over his work. There's a definite tree line, and a row of squares lined up along them. Other random squigglies are likely top-down views of bushes. He looks up at the question, staring at Rasa for a moment as he thinks. "I had an apple," he confirms. "I am saving room for dinner tonight, though, so that is all I ate." His smile now is sudden, and bright. "There will be pusge -- spa -- speg -- noodles with sauce tonight!" He bounces a bit, and lifts his eyebrows. "And perhaps meatballs." He tips his head at the older student, furrowing his brow. "Are you looking forward to summer?" "Well, you have succeeded," Rasa replies, hir hotdog resting on hir plate once more as ze stifles a sudden yawn. "You could probably stuff three of yourself in there." The distracted look makes it seem like ze is doing the volume math in hir head as ze tilts hir head at the tee. There are a few more ticks of concentration before hir gaze moves back to his face, taking a couple steps forward before settling in a sitting position. "I don't know. I think so. I mean, we get a slightly longer break between terms in the summer, but I still stay here and learn. Don't ... really imagine going anywhere. The place will be a bit emptier, though - what with so many people going home for the summer. I guess I'll be spending a fair bit of time at Shane's new coffee shop. Maybe." Hir colors darken as a thought starts to dampen hir mood. "You?" "It is very comfortable," Kai agrees about the shirt. "But there is only one of me in it, so perhaps that is why." He might be teasing; certainly, his eyes crinkle at the corners. His pencil skates across the sketchpad, small scritching noises in the sudden quiet. When Rasa answers the question about summer, he pauses, and purses his lips. "I am looking forward to finishing the eighth grade," he admits. "So that I may start the high school courses. But I do not like it being so quiet. At least last summer, Ivan was around for some of it." He lifts his shoulders in a small 'what can you do' shrug. "I heard some people talking about Shane's coffee shop," he says, furrowing his brow at the deepening of color in Rasa and taking a guess at its origin. "You do not think it is a good thing?" "Ivan's probably going to be incredibly busy for a while, what with moving and finding new jobs and all that. And even when he finds a job, he's going to be busy while he's getting used to it. I thought about taking time off to spend with him, but -- well, things have been very dangerous and he lives with his family. I don't know about families." Ze picks up hir hot dog again, frowning at it and shrugging about the other topic of conversation. "I don't know. Everything's dangerous. The first time I was kidnapped was outside of Evolve. Just because Shane owns it doesn't make it ... in a different part of town or away from creepy individuals who want to harm mutants. I'm sure it's safe inside. I'm... just not doing well with getting to safe locations right now." Kai's pencil pauses, and he frowns down at the page, considering this information. There's a slow blink, and he gently sets his pencil down before he looks up at Rasa, a thousand questions circulating in his eyes before he opens his mouth to speak. "I do not understand," he says, setting his hands on his knees. "You are moving to Russia to spend time with Ivan and his family?" Clearly, this does not track with the previous conversation, and he falls silent as he tries to figure out the logisitcs of /that/ endeavor. Something about it clearly makes him unhappy, but it's (almost) forgotten when Rasa explains. His expression is sympathetic, and his hand twitches as if he might reach out and /pat/ the other teenager. "You should go with a teacher," is his helpful advice. "They will keep you safe. Did you see how they fought off those bad people?" His brow quirks as he thinks of something, and he tips his head. "Is the city scary? Many of the other students make it seem like it is." Rasa chews and swallows as Kai speaks, hir brows rising, hir color shifting more gray now. Once hir mouth is clear, ze responds. "I didn't say I was going to move. Okay, wait, how are you using 'move' and 'moving?' Because, obviously, I am not going to get anywhere by not going anywhere. So in essence, I will have to move in order to see him. The definition I am working with, however, is the relocation of ones dwelling in a permanent manner. I would not be packing up and vacating my room here in order to visit Ivan. No. I will not be moving." After the long explanation, ze deflates a little and leans back. "No. It's impractical to have a teacher escourt me to a coffee shop. I will simply wait until there's a decent group or a teacher wants to go for their own amusement." Ze picks at a mustard seed in hir relish and eyes it. "The city isn't really ... scary. It's not full of nightmares. It's just chockfull of more people than a person can comfortably count in a sitting. That bothers some people. It does not bother others." The explanation of Rasa's meaning seems to confuse Kai a bit further -- at least for a moment. His brow knits as he considers the information, exhaling a somewhat relieved sound when Rasa confirms ze's staying. "That is good," he says, bobbing his head. Then he colors as something occurs to him, and he lifts a shoulder. "It is a very long trip," he offers in a meek sort of follow-up. "To Russia." Information on the city is less confusing, and he shifts his weight to lean a bit closer as Rasa talks about it. "I cannot wait to go to the city,: he admits. "B said that we would go and see a musical. Maybe Newsies, which we both enjoy." He rocks back, considering. "I have not been in a place with a great many people," he says slowly, knitting his brow. "I hope it does not bother me." He tips his head. "Does it bother you?" "It didn't used to," Rasa admits quietly. "Now, I just want to keep my head down and get to where I need to go. It's okay. I'm kind of just - not good with being places other than here right now. I'm not bad either. Just." Ze shrugs and exhales, frowning at hir lunch. "Anyway. Musicals are nice. I would have thought that B'd be more amped to see Matilda again. Not that Newsies isn't great. There really are just too many different musicals out there these days. Too many options - good options. You'll just have to see them all." Kai nods sympathetically, his fingers twitching against his knees as if he's fighting the urge to reach over and pat Rasa. "It is hard to adjust, after such a thing," he says, his mouth pulling into a tight little line. "But it will get easier." He flashes a bit of tooth in a bright, sudden smile. "Especially if you have good friends around you." Which seems to exhaust his input on this particular subject, and he falls quiet for a moment. "I would like to see them all," he admits. "Although, that is probably very expensive. But it would be fun. You should come with us," he adds, then ducks his head. "I mean, if that is a thing that you would enjoy." "I would probably enjoy it, and will see some things with you - if I am not visiting Ivan," Rasa agrees, reaching up a hand to rub at hir eye. "I... should probably get going. I still have some work to catch up on." Ze gets to hir feet, taking hir tray of hotdogs with hir. "I'll see you later, okay?" "It would be hard to see them from Russia," Kai agrees, chuffing a laugh-like noise. "Unless they have musicals there." He frowns, and furrows his brow as he considers. "/Do/ they have them?" He falls into silent rumination for a moment, then lifts his shoulders. "If they have them, I'm sure you will enjoy them. More, if you are with Ivan." He looks up as Rasa takes hir feet, and nods, looking back down at his sketchpad. "Yes," he says. "I should finish this, if I am going to talk to Mister Jackson about new hives this afternoon." He tips his head, craning it around to look at the older teen. "There will probably be a new colony in a few weeks." Rasa looks a little confused at Kai's statements about Ivan, but does not comment, inhaling deeply to expand hir rib cage before heading out. "That'll be neat. Good luck with your project." Ze waves and then heads back to the Great Hall.