ArchivedLogs:Which Part is the Costume?

Which Part is the Costume?
Dramatis Personae Kelly, Rasa, Mallory, Aloke, Kai, Sophie
In Absentia	2013-11-01 Kelly's arrival at Xavier's couldn't come at a better... or worse time?
Location <XS> Xavier's Foyer
Of all the days in all the year to show up for ones first day at a new school, Halloween has /got/ to be one of the strangest of days, especially at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Not only does a new student have the joy of running into people with immense super powers and strange colorations and body shapes, they also have the pleasure of being introduced to such things while all of the students (and some of the teachers) are dressed in costumes. It's nearly impossible to know who /always/ looks like a devil with horns and who just threw on some make up and latex. Professor Xavier was not, of course, dressed up for the holiday, as it is not often celebrated in England, so Kelly's meeting with him could be construed as normal. He is distracted at one point by a notification that no one but him heard (ahhh, telepathy!), and the meeting ends a little short. The new student is released into the office where he is asked to wait until one of the student ambassadors is summoned. It takes a while, as the scheduled ambassador is in class and needing to be excused. Rasa arrives in due time, somber as the day is long. Ze is wearing a black, long sleeved dress that comes down to hir knees, with white cuffs at hir wrists and a white collar near hir throat. Hir hair is divided to each side and braided just below hir ears, the tails resting on hir shoulders. Hir pallor is gray, almost black and white television gray, and hir eyes large and black. Loafer type shoes clack on the ground as ze enters the room and one eyebrow rises as ze looks Kelly over, chin lower. Hir voice, when ze speaks, is low, monotone, and grave. "Ah, you must be the new student. Hello. Welcome to Xavier's." First impressions make a difference, for certain, and Kelly isn't sure which of the two was the worst, his or the schools. Kelly's shaggy hair hadn't been recently plucked, meaning that he had several arrow head shaped leaves poking out and laying against it, as well as a few pink bud barely poking out. But his clothing was worn, stained, stale, and sun-washed. His shoes torn and broken, and one of his big toes poking out from the top. An mildly unpleasant smell hung just on the edges of it... pushed back by artificial fragrances. At least he had managed a shower before showing up, though. He did his best to force a smile when he saw Rasa come up to him... but it slowly drained out of his face as the outfit and the voice registered. "Uhm... thanks." he says holding back an inch, quirking a curious eye with an attempt to diffuse some tension. "I guess the dress code's a bit... relaxed for a place that looks like West Points little brother..." "Ah, yes. The dresscode." Rasa considers this for a moment and clasps hir hands in front of hir. "The dresscode exists, but we do not wear uniforms. Most wear whatever is comfortable, as long as it does not class with the the school's standards for decency." Ze draws a couple steps forward before cracking a smile. "Sorry, I might get a little too much into Wednesday when I dress like her. My name is Rasa. I'm supposed to show you around. I'd offer to shake your hand, but I'm not very good with skin to skin contact and gloves didn't go with the outfit." "S'ok, and it looks good. The outfit, I mean. but I'm guessing you're a bit taller." He shrugged, pushing up to his feet and holding on with a dead clutch to his bag. A green army canvas sack, tied on one end. His accent came out a little slower, and a little wavier than most. That vague southern tone that's hard to place at any one particular red state. A bit soft around the edges, melodic. "And I, uh, appreciate it. I think it would be easy to get lost here, even without the decorations..." "You did pick a strange day to start - you know, if you picked it. Things will only calm down a little more later. I will still be strange colors and yes, I might be a little taller." Rasa goes back to the door and leads the way to the foyer. "Do you have any interests you want to tell me about, so I can maybe direct the tour in a more personal manner? Like, art, perhaps, or a fondness for animals? Maybe athletics, or computer science?" Ze pauses and turns, hir head tilting curiously to one side. "I'm sorry, I don't think I caught your name." "Oh..." Kelly says a little bashfully, his freckles merging together in a bit of a blush on his plump cheeks. "Its Kelly." he said, as his baggy shirt starts to... squirm? The vines inside starting to move and wiggle. "I used to like to write a bit. Still do when I can steal some charge on my laptop. I really like to swim, too." He can't help but stare a little at hir... trying to see where the make-up started and the girl began. "So, you'll still be black and white tomorrow?" he wondered. "Guess I'm not one to talk, though." "Nice to meet you, Kelly. And maybe. I don't know. Sometimes, that all changes very quickly." Rasa is not actually wearing any make up, so there is nothing coating the fine hairs on hir skin or sticking to hir brows in an awkward fashion. "I've been gray a lot lately, so I planned my costume accordingly. Are you always..." ze pauses and looks him over, "floral, or is that a costume for today?" Ze begins heading toward the great hall. "You won't have to worry about getting a charge here. We haven't had any black outs that I can remember. Plus, there's a magnificent library where you can sit and read and write, if you want. The librarian, Ms. Winthrop, is also an English teacher. She's great to talk to about assignments and other things too." Kelly hisses as if he's said something he shouldn't. "Sorry." he offered, sincerely, as if being grey was akin to cancer. "Library? That sounds nice, spent a lot of time in those. Though, more so 'cause they were warm than to read anything. Uhm, mind if I ask if this place is for real? I mean Wheels back there seemed nice enough, but I'm not sure where the barbed wire and armed guards are going to show up." "Nah, no need to be sorry. You've got a lot of questions right now and all I can do is answer them. You don't know what is normal to ask and what might make things uncomfortable. They wouldn't have asked me to lead you around if I didn't want to answer questions." Rasa gives a small smile then takes a breath. Starting from hir mouth, normal colors start to filter back in, the gray starting to dissipate like cloudy milk in water. The color of hir skin isn't /exactly/ normal, as the olive shades have some actual metallic bronze hues underneath. Hir hair takes on a little more wave, but stays braided for now. "This place is for real. There are, well, guards. The teachers act as guards when they worry something bad is going to happen here or elsewhere, but they are here to protect us, not keep us in." Cant' help but slip into a bit of awe as the color shifts on hir skin. "Guess I thought, well, I heard the line you know... but I thought this place was probably juvie for gene freaks. You know, keep us out of sight, out of mind." he shrugged and tried to keep his smile fixed. "But then again, you're probably the first other mutant I've met... well, besides..." he twitched his head back to the office where he had met with Xavier. He lifted up his hand and let one of his vines wiggle out of his sleeve, it had small thorns on it that grew as it stretched out a few inches. "Yeah... this is all me. Didn't really think about a costume, ya know? I mean, this is pretty much all I got." he said with a gesture down to the clothes he wore, well what was left of it. "That's cool." Rasa's head tilts the other way as hir eyes examine Kelly's demonstration, hints of green filtering into hir irises. "I know a guy who is sometimes a tree. You two should meet some time. I'll call him, if you want." Ze smiles and pushes open the door to the great hall, a room that is set up with tables for eating with buffet tables up against the walls. They are starting to be filled by the kitchen staff as Rasa and Kelly enter, steaming hot trays of food lowered into chafing dishes and covered to keep the contents moist. "We feed all types here, from obligate carnivores, to vegans, to polution eaters. If you let us know what keeps you going, we'll make sure it's on hand for you, even if that means soil and fertilizer." And then ze sniffles. "Well, so far Pizza and water works for me." Kelly said, actually relaxing quite a bit as the tour went on and he continued to notice a lack of armed men with mean looks on their faces. "Though a bit heavy on the water, or else I get kinda brown on the edges..." the way he lets it out... it might be a joke? He started to open his mouth to ask about the tree person, but the sniffle sets him off and he takes a step back. "Uhm, you're not alergic to me are ya? Always worried 'bout that happening..." "What? Oh no. I don't think I have any pollen allergies or plant sensitivities that I know about, but then again, you're kind of a new plant, right?" Rasa considers, stepping closer and eyeing him. "You want me to take a deep whiff and see if I..." and then ze steps back, turning away and sniffles again. "Oh. This. No. My roommate has the flu. I thought I was steering clear of it, but I seem to have caught some sniffles." Ze looks back at him and shrugs, but the sinus cavities on the right side of hir face have collapsed inward. Oops. Ze doesn't seem to mind though. "Water, check. There's also a lake to swim in, if you're not good with chlorine, but Bastian said it was getting a bit cold, and if he thinks it's cold, it's probably unhealthy for the warm blooded population." "Gosh, hope yer feelin' better soon, then." Kelly says as he goes stiff and upright when the girl closes in for the almost sniff... not quite expecting that! But even as he did, one of the buds on his head opened up into a small pink flower the size of a dime. "I love to swim." he says again with a nod enthusiastically... "But not keen to freeze my rear off doin' it. Hey, I don't mean to be rude but... is it considered a 'no no' here to ask about, well, you know? Or is it a don't ask don't tell thing?" "Wait. Ask about what?" Rasa blinks, eyes shifting from eyes to flower and back to his eyes again. "Don't ask, don't tell... like sexual preferences?" That nearly causes the boy's heart to stop in his chest! "No, no, I mean, about why we're here... like... your skin." He says even as his face turns beat red and he looks down to the left, a racing heart fighting embarrassment for the misunderstanding. "Oh. Asking about the mutations." Rasa leads Kelly back into the foyer from the great hall, a hint of rose blush in hir cheeks, the color mixing like paint in milk. "You can ask. People will tell you if they are not comfortable answering." The student ambassador is dressed to look like Wednesday Addams, but has lost the Addams family coloration during the course of the conversation. "I'm... a metamorph, but I also have touch based telepathy. It's why I can't really touch people." Ze rubs a finger under hir nose, the sunken feature filling back out again. Was slow to get back into following hir to the Foyer, having to jump start his heart and get it regular almost. But soon the new student is side stepping a plastic pumpkin and following close behind. "Does it hurt?" he asks, not really 'getting it' with the touch thing He lacks the costumes at all, unless dirty street urchin counted as a costume? The mildly unpleasant smell wafting from the stained rags hinted that it wasn't. His toe was even poking out of his right shoe. To be fair with the sharing though, he offered back: "Not much more to say about me, I think, except what ya see..." which wasn't entirely true, but he still was figuring himself out. Halloween has always been one of Mallory's favorite times of year, and she is not about to let her still relatively new position as the librarian of Xavier's School diminish her enjoyment of the holiday. As she emerges from the Library arm in arm with Aloke, she is a vision of black linen and subtle, jewel toned ruffles - long a-line skirt that just barely shows the shining black of her cloven hooves beneath the plain hem, paired with a long sleeved blouse in a similar linen and ruffle style, a lace panel glimpsing her collar bones as it transitions into a high collar with lace edging breaks up the otherwise busy dress. The back of her dress has been modified to allow her long, tapered red tail to swing freely, profviding a counter balance to her swaying gait. Completing the looks, a simple black witches hat perches atop her head, held in place partially because it is wedged between the impressive curling black ram's horns that sprout from her temples. Were it not for her deep red skin and coal black eyes, she would make an impressive Elphaba. The demonic looking librarian is mid conversation with her fellow teacher, a quiet chuckle and brilliant smile in response to something said between the two. Upon catching sight of the two students in the foyer, Mallory pauses, swaying momentarily as she stops suddenly, looking curiously between the two. "Oh, hello, Rasa," she says brightly, regarding the student with a happy smile, "Welcoming a new student today?" Aloke, at Mallory's elbow, is wearing terrific colonial garb, looking for all intents and purposes like a gentleman out for a ride complete with boots and riding gloves - from the neck down. Where his head should be is a glowing jack'o'lantern, with a terrifying face carved into it. When they come to a stop and see the students, a cheery if echo-y "Oh, hi!" comes from inside the pumpkin head, and then Aloke is struggling to pull the thing up and off. Once he has it off and tucked under his arm, he smiles broadly and offers a gloved hand to Kelly and says, "I'm Professor Suresh. Nice to meet you." He turns his glowing eyes (apparently the light source for his pumpkin head) on Rasa and adds, "It's good to see you as well, Rasa." Rasa sniffles a little and nods to Aloke and Mallory. "Ah, this was the librarian teacher I was telling you about. She teaches my AP lit and comp class as well as keeps the library in tip top shape. We were just about to head in there." As a tour guide, Rasa is a little more talkative than normal, though hir words are getting a little quieter as hir sniffles increase. "Oh, Um. no. I don't know. What do you mean? What hurts? It doesn't really hurt when I change shapes. I mean, my body is just weird and does what I think it should do, consciously sometimes... and not." Ze licks hir lips and frowns, glancing back at the great hall. "Maybe I should have gotten... some water." Kelly hesitates as he sees the hand in front of him. Eventually though he reaches out slowly to take it, as if he wasn't sure it would burn him or not. But even as he does, his arms /squirm/ as the vines under his shirt sleeve writh and scratch at the cloth, pulling smaller holes open larger by the thorns when he does. "Uhm, Its nice to meet you both." he manages to stutter out in a vaguely southern accent. "I'm Kelly, uhm... Walsh. I was asked to come here." And indeed he had, though most of the official stuff had been just resolved this morning. "Thats the best costume I've seen." he says to the Demon Witch, assuming the entire thing was fake. Hop. Hop. Hop. Enter one Kai, via the stairs. The diminuitve Korean boy comes down the wide staircase in slow, measured hops that seem more about the movement than the actual descent. Apparently, someone has managed to convince Kai to wear a costume in spite of his confusion about the holiday, although his is so not scary. Barefoot and dressed in yellow sweat pants and a matching hoodie that sports plush wings on the back, and pony ears and a pink mane that flops rag-like to one side, he's also added a surgical-style mask that looks to have been colored yellow before a very pony-like nose and mouth were drawn on. He slows his hop as he nears the bottom of the staircase, looking around the unexpected group of people with a small lift of his eyebrows. "Oh. Hello," he offers, his normally soft voice muffled further by the mask. The presence of a new face stops him, there, though, and he waits on the bottom step, shifting his weight uncertainly. When Aloke struggles to pull the Jack-o-Lantern off, Mallory laughs slightly, raising a hand to attempt to hide the broad smile on her lips from view. A look of concern crosses Mallory's features, as Rasa obviously has the sniffles, "Oh, dear. Did you manage to catch Sebastian's flu? It does seem to be going around at present, unfortunately." She flashes a brilliant smile to the new student at the compliment, "Thank you. I'm afraid I can't take credit for it - the dress was made for me by a friend." If she realizes he thinks her mutation is a costume, she doesn't notice, continuing with her greeting, "It is lovely to meet you, Kelly Walsh. I'm Professor Winthrop. Welcome to the school, I certainly hope you find it as welcoming as I have." Her accent marks her distinctly as not-from-around here, assuredly British, specifically Oxford, if one is familiar with accents. The appearance of the vines gives her pause, momentarily, and she refrains from offering a hand to shake, instead offering a polite nod of her head. Kai's approach gets a gentle smile, and a wave of greeting, "Hello, Kai." There's a slight jump from the librarian at the ghostly figure's appearance, the light click of her hooves against the flooring as she shifts to catch herself. "And Sophie?" she asks with a hint of uncertainty in her voice. "My. Quite a welcome party," Mallory laughs, glancing around at the suddenly assembled group. Aloke raises eyebrows at the students popping in from all around, holding his pumpkin-head under his arm like a motorcycle helmet. "Hey, isn't this fun?" Aloke's voice is cheerful, and bright, and in the dim light of the Halloween-decked foyer, his eyes shine like flashlights, and there even seems to be yellow glow coming from his mouth and nostrils. Aloke is obviously of Indian heritage, but his accent says his family have been in this country for several generations at least. He sounds like native New Yorker to the hilt. He sighs when Rasa seems to be ill. "Yep, there does seem to be a bug going around, kids. Make sure you're washing hands, and being diligent in general! It'll be no fun to spend your weekend in the medical bay, even if Dr. McCoy is a hoot to hang out with." "Oh my. Classes are out now, apparently." Rasa blinks, looking around the group. "Um, the ghost is Sophie and Fluttershy the ponykid is named Kai. Guys, this is Kelly and he'll... aahh." Ze turns away and sneezes into hir elbow, sniffling hard when ze is done to try and get the itch out of hir throat and nose. When ze turns back, hir face is puffy and pink. "He'll be starting classes soon." Ze looks to Mallory next, a little embarrassed. "Yeah. I'll probably miss class tomorrow if I'm anything like Bastian. I'll try to make it, but it might not be worth it to expose... everyone... el.." Ze turns away and sneezes again, taking a step back from the group. Hir face is even puffier after the second sneeze. Kelly is unfortunately not quite used to popping in ghost girls... even in sheets. So then he screams out quite un-masculine when it happens, a flutter of flower petals puffing off his body and falling to the floor. And when he gathers his composure a moment later? Well, he may just die of embarrassment on his first day if the blush on his face is to be believed. "Sorry I didn't bring a costume with me..." he says with a half laugh, trying to win through the situation regardless even as his pudgy form doesn't quite rise to its normal short height. "I kinda even forgot it was a holiday." Kai has a soft wave to offer, when he's greeted, and he hops down the last step to join the group properly. "Hello," he says to Kelly, tipping his head as he studies the older boy carefully. He doesnt seem surprised when Sophie appears and then disappears, but he does giggle at Kelly's reaction, reaching up to cover his pony mouth impishly as he turns to look at the ghost girl. Rasa's sudden sneezing fit has his attention going back to hir, and he furrows his brow as he drifts away from hir. "Yes, there are several in our dorm who are complaining of it," he informs the group, adjusting his mask a bit more securely. Kelly's apology gets a lift of his thin shoulders. "I do not understand why it is a holiday," he says sympathetically. Like that was Kelly's point. "But it is fun to dress up. Maybe you can wear a sheet and be a ghost, like Sophie." The ghost seems all the more flustered when Kelly screams, letting out another little yelp followed by a stream of, "I'm sorry! Oh jeez, I didn't mean to-- be-- scary--" She pauses, then, and one can probably see her consternated frown through those eyeholes. But then people are introducing her, and the ghostly figure shakes her head back and forth and replies, in a significantly spookier voice, "No, I'm a ghoooost!" Although when Rasa repeats the name, she lets out an indignant little 'hmph', shifting back to her normal voice. "I'm /Ghost/ Sophie." A pause. "Ghophie." And, after another pause, she apparently reconsiders this because she repeats, "... Ghost Sophie." Shaking her head again, she strides over to hunch down by Flutterkai, grinning at his costume. "Eee, Kai, you're so cute and-- if I wasn't a ghost I'd give you a hug. Though if Rasa's sick too I'm happy I decided to be ghosty-- er." And with another little pause, she clears her throat awkwardly. "--no offense I just. Hate being sick." Mallory chuckles uneasily at the talk of the med bay, but nods, "Agreed. Dr. McCoy is a character, but I rather imagine you would much rather spend your weekend elsewhere." She smiles and nods to Rasa, "It isn't any trouble. Feel better, yes? You won't be the first to have to miss class because of this bug..." she pauses, her voice trailing off as Rasa has hir sneezing fit, "And I doubt you will be the last, either. Have you been to see Dr. McCoy yet?" Her wine colored lips draw into a thin line as she considers that. There's a chuckle and nod to Kelly, though she raises an eyebrow at the sudden puff of petals, "Oh, my. Well - you aren't the only one without a costume, I imagine getting settled in and comfortable is a higher priority than costuming. Fun though it is." To Kai, she nods, "My understanding is that the fun of dressing up is what makes it a holiday. That, and the excuse to eat enough sweets to have a week-long sugarbuzz." The protestations against introductions gets a laugh, quietly mouthing 'Gophie' with a skeptical smirk, her dark eyes bright with laughter. Aloke nods at Rasa's explanation and then frowns slightly at her condition. "Rasa, I think you might want to check in with Dr. McCoy sooner rather than later. I'm sure he'll have something to help with the symptoms," he says, kindness in his voice. "Hey, Kelly, it's ok! You just got here. You'll have plenty of time to figure out the 'fitting in' part." He grins at Kai and Sophie, and turns back to Kelly. "Besides, I'm sure Flutterkai and Gopher here will help out too. We're all very friendly here." Aloke smiles and pats the boy's shoulder. He grins over at Mallory too, "Shoot, you and I eat this much sugar all most every day!" He chuckles. "I ... have not yet. This has just started. So. I guess I should." There's a slump to Rasa's shoulders now, a frown on hir puffy face that starts to droop downwards as well. "I'm sorry to ask, but maybe someone else could take Kelly around a bit and show him the dorms?" Ze bites at hir lip, taking another step back as Kai seems to hover a little further from the group. "I am sorry, Kelly, I just can't imagine handing you some sickness as soon as you arrive here." "Its ok! I just hope you feel better. And I'll do what Professor Suresh says and wash my hands and stuff." Kelly promises. Though, in all honesty? From the smell, Kelly could use a lot more than just a wash of his hands. And while he had fallen into quite a relaxed, and heck even happy state chatting with potential new friends... the moment that Aloke's hand touches his shoulder that changes if only for a brief violent moment. He inhales sharply, pulling his shoulder down and back and tensing up his whole body as he panics, heart racing again, eyes wide... and then a quick attempt to recompose, though he just goes quiet instead. An animal reaction, pure learned instinct. "I hope you feel better soon" Kai offers, giving Rasa a sympathetic look as he edges forward just a hair. Then Sophie is there, and her enthusiasm for his costume earns a darkening of his skin, and a squeezing of his eyes that indicates a shy smile behind the pony one. "It is a good costume," he says, lifting one foot to rub it along his calf. "I like yours, too. You are like a ghost in cartoons." Which is clearly Not Scary, and therefore Good. When Kelly reacts to Aloke's touch, he drops his foot, tilting his head to regard the other boy with a sudden thoughtful cast to his gaze. "I can show you around," he says, after a long moment. "If you like." Kai's compliment on her costume gets a smile from Sophie, though through the sheet it's not possible to actually see that, but cheer does reflect in her tone as she replies, "I thought it'd be funny since, you know." Rubbing the back of her neck, she shoots a bit of a glance over to Mallory and Aloke at the use of the name that she was trying to immediately forgot, but ultimately turns her attention to Kelly. "Everyone's really nice here, and since there's not really a lot of kids here it's easy to get to know everyone..." But she does note the tension, her head tilting to one side, and she looks to Kai suddenly when the pony speaks up about showing Kelly around, letting him take over. "Hey. We eat things /other/ than just candy. Most times," Mallory chuckles defensively, barely nudging Aloke's side with her elbow, though her laughter fades to a silent wince when Kelly reacts to Aloke's touch. She watches his reaction, saying quietly, "I think that would be good, Kai. If, perhaps you and Sophie would be so kind as to finish up with showing Kelly around the school? You are both quite knowledgable, I'm certain you'll give an excellent tour." Her dark eyes turn towards Rasa, lips pulled into a concerned line, as she regards the ill student, "Rasa, would you like one of us to walk you down to the med lab, or are you alright getting there yourself?" "Oh gosh," Aloke says, stepping back right away when the boy is so uncomfortable. "Kelly, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. That was really rude of me..." Aloke sighs and takes a knee to be more at eye-level with the boy, setting his pumpkin head on the ground to one side. "Look, I know this is all weird, being here at first, but no one is going to hurt you here." He nods at Mallory's suggestion. "Yeah, I think letting Rasa head to a checkup is a great idea. You two you don't mind, do you?" he echoes Mallory's request of Kai and Sophie, rising to his feet again, picking up his pumpkin. "Thank... you everyone. I'm... going to go down there... now. Then." Rasa makes a nod that seems like hir head is now too heavy for hir to hold up. Ze lifts an almost noodly arm to wave good bye and then heads off for the elevator. "I'm sorry." Kelly mumbles sheepishly to Aloke as he kneels in front of him, avoiding eye contact shamefully. And then he turns to the departing Rasa and uses it as an easy excuse: "Get well soon, ok!" But that means he's feeling a bit on the spot, shuffling his feet on the floor, he looks to the other two kids who volunteered to help. "That would be ok, if you want... I mean, I don't wanna take up too much of you time you look like you've got things to do." Kai watches Rasa go with a sad sort of look, and shakes his head. "Rasa does not look very well," he says, to no one in particular, although his eyes are on Aloke as he kneels in front of Kelly. He nods at Mallory's confirmation of his suggestion, and brightens a bit. "I do not have things to do," he says to the older boy, covering his mask with his hand and ducking his head in silent laughter. "Well, there is homework, but I can finish it later. It is only vocabulary words." He straightens, and turns to squeeze his eyes happily at Sophie. "We will both show you," he confirms, jamming his hands into his pockets. "Is there a thing you wish to see first?"