ArchivedLogs:Burning Curiosity

Burning Curiosity
Dramatis Personae Aloke, Mallory, Thomas, Hank
In Absentia	2014-01-24 Mallory asks for some help understanding her mutation.
Location <XS> Danger Room
The room is large and circular, a geodesic hemisphere of hexagonal ceramic panels. It is the Danger Room, and is thus often full of danger, but is presently not in use and is thus remarkably danger-free. Safest room in the school, probably. The Danger Room has been reserved for the afternoon, a small sign tacked to the entrance declaring it in use for testing per Doctor McCoy’s request. Once inside, the room doesn’t have any simulations or holograms running, lending the room an appropriately clinical feel. A collection of mobile diagnostic equipment, from both the science labs and the medical facilities, has been set up in a command center like arrangement a safe distance away from the staging area. As far away from the walls and equipment as possible is a roughly 10’ by 5’ section of ceramic and fiberglass insulated tiles pushed together into a small platform. A short distance away are a series of fire extinguishers of a variety of types and sizes, for obvious reasons - there is also a bucket of water, just in case. To one side near the entryway is a table laden with a rather horrible selection of junk food - there are protein bars and shakes, bowls of dried fruit and nuts for healthful refueling, for certain, but the majority can only be described as comfort food. Chocolate bars, cupcakes, chocolate covered biscuits, and a smattering of other sugary, fatty treats of varying description make up the rest of the selection. To one side there are cans of soda, juices, and energy drinks, bottles of water, and some pre-made thermoses of tea, with the appropriate fixings. Only one thermos, the bright red one, contains Earl Grey. Mallory is pacing nervously in front of the table of food, a small pack of mini chocolate donuts clutched anxiously in one hand, the other holding a mini donut up to her lips so she can nibble daintily at it. The normally fastidiously dressed librarian is wearing a minimalist outfit in anticipation of the destructive nature of the testing, hidden from view by the white lab coat she is wearing for modesty’s sake. She hugs her stomach with one arm, crinkling the bag of donuts noisily as she frets, forcing herself to take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Her eyes flick nervously toward the medical equipment - one machine beeping a steady, rapid rhythm in time with her heartbeat, the wireless transmitters hidden beneath the lab coat. Another donut pops into her mouth as she paces, back and forth, back and forth, just waiting for directions. Her state of mind echoes her nervous body language, running through a laundry list of what could go wrong, overlapped and almost incoherent as she makes another pass in front of the food. Aloke steps back in from the hallway, also wearing essentially disposable clothes - XS sweatpants and gray t-shirt. None of this does much to hide his skin's exceptional brightness today. Fortunately everyone but Mallory would probably be wearing heavily shaded safety goggles. Aloke's own eye protection are perched on top of his head like ski goggles. He crosses to where Mallory is fretting and simply places a steadying hand in the small of her back. "Hey," he whispers. "It's gonna be fine. You'll be ok." He smiles and kisses her cheek. Dr. McCoy stands from where he was crouched behind one of the machines, checking connections one last time. "Well, everything seems to be in order over here," he says, keeping his voice intentionally cheerful, as if all of this was perfectly routine. They regularly ask colleagues to incinerate themselves around here, of course. His huge, blue-furred feet stick out the bottom of khaki trousers, and he wears a red and orange Hawaiian shirt, perhaps unaware of how much his shirt resembles the flames to come. Over that he wears his regular lab coat, pockets lined with pens and other portable scanning equipment. His dark goggles dangle from around his neck. Reaching into one of his pockets, he draws out a mid-sized, Stark brand tablet, which fits nicely in his over-sized hands, the way someone else holds a smartphone. It seems he's able to manipulate this one by just hovering his fingers over the screen, rather than actually touching it, which is probably helpful for the clawed scientist. Wearing his own appropriate labcoat, Thomas wears a dark blue button up shirt without the tie and a pair of slacks, probably the most stuffy looking of any of the group. With his goggles currently pushed up to rest over his horns, he walks by the various fire extinguishes, stooping down to check the gauges on each and nods to himself. “Fire suppression equipment is good to go. Anybody who is flammable and doesn’t intend to be on fire should probably stand clear of my sister.” He offers a pleasant smile at that, and makes his way over to Mallory with a nod. “You want me to take the bag of donuts? Or intend to roast em along the way? I could get you hotdogs or marshmallows instead? I’d say steak, but I know you prefer yours rare.” The verbal joking underlies a concerned emotion that goes through the link to Mallory. << Did you want some painkillers first? Hank probably has some that will work at least long enough for the shift, >> he thinks to her, his face still holding a brotherly smile. “Got your change of clothes ready? Something big enough to go on quick?” At the touch to her back, Mallory jumps in surprise, her tail sweeping wide and thwapping ineffectively against Aloke’s ankles. The heart monitor beeps faster momentarily when she startles, falling back into a more sedate rhythm relatively quickly after a few deep breaths. Mallory offers a nervous smile to Aloke, leaning against him briefly as Hank announces that his preparation is ready. Mallory shudders at the reassurance, gently resting her forehead against Aloke’s, “Thank you. For being here for me.” Her hand closes instinctively around the bag of donuts when Thomas offers to take them, eyes narrowing into a pointed glare at the threat of taking her snacks - she does eventually relinquish the half eaten bag of munchies to her brother, sort of forcibly holding the crumpled bag at arms length with a sigh. “Here. Take them. It would be a horrible waste of sweets to burn them with me,” she grumbles, eyeing the table, “I am not a campfire. Please do not use me to make s'mores.” There is, in fact, a decided lack of marshmallows, graham crackers, and sticks on the table of sweets. << I took some earlier… Hank disapproved of my plan of wheeling the bar cart from the teacher’s lounge down here as a pain suppression method. >> “I was rather hoping that there was some way of making, ah, some variety of holographic censor bars,” Mallory admits sheepishly, running a hand along one of her horns nervously, glancing at Hank, “Is that possible? Or do I need to make a dive for my coat when I extinguish?” Her quavering tone of voice implies she is not so certain about her speed and agility after a fire. After a quick, fiercely warm hug to Aloke, Mallory steps aside, heading for the designated tiled area. She seems more than just a little nervous at this - perhaps getting cold feet (which has never even remotely applied to her before). She clutches at the lapels of the lab coat for a moment, chewing on her lower lip as she tries to drum up the courage. << Gah. I feel like a moron. >> she thinks to Thomas, sharing the writing anxiety over the link. Several moments later, she does finally shed the lab coat, leaving her in minimalist work out gear - a black sports bra and a pair of black running shorts. Thomas gets to share in the self conscious embarrassment that suddenly overwhelms her at the exposure, and she winces, << Sorry. >> “Um, so, do I just, well, go?” she asks uncertainly, glancing from Hank to Thomas, and then to Aloke, apparently waiting on to be told what to do. Aloke smiles and looks like he feels bad about startling Mallory but only says, "Hey, I said I wouldn't miss this, and I meant it." He gives her a quick hug, and then rolls his eyes at the discussion of how and what to roast on a Malloryfire. He walks over to one of the backpack-style extinguishers and hefts it onto his back, cinching the shoulder straps down tight. Not being in firefighter gear means Aloke looks a lot more like a glow-in-the-dark Ghostbuster than anything else. He dons his goggles and glances at Hank and Thomas, adding with a note of uncertainty, "Just let me know where you need me." "Yes, very good, thank you Thomas," Hank says, noting the collected equipment. "The Danger Room has some fire suppression systems built into it of course but they are… let's just call them 'the nuclear option'. I'll trust you to take point on fire control, Doctor." Hank is indeed one of the more flammable and almost certainly doesn't want any of his thick fur burned off. Bald patches would /really/ stick out. He nods approvingly as Aloke takes several steps back for safety and then turns to Mallory, bringing his tablet up to check a few more things. "Oh yes, thank you for reminding me. I wrote a privacy shield program, which should initiate automatically when your fire goes out. Then someone can bring you your clothes." He doesn't enter into the topic of whether that should be her brother or her boyfriend making the delivery. After checking one last thing, Hank looks up and lifts his goggles to his face, snugging the strap around the back of his head, and nods at Mallory, "Whenever you're ready, then." He tries to offer a confident smile, but can't completely quash the trepidation that can come with any dangerous experiment. Distinctly not looking towards the affection between his sister and her boyfriend, Thomas accepts the bag of donuts, opening it up enough to take one out to eat himself. “Mm, yes it would have been a tragedy to have these get burnt.” Nodding to himself, he steps back a few steps to get out of reach of sisterly vengeance and smiles again, though the look does not translate to happiness across their link. “Hrm, s’mores would have been lovely. But a nice roast would have been nice too if you weren’t planning on moving around a whole lot.” << Let me know how those painkillers do. I usually just tossed a handful of Aleve, didn’t do a whole lot I’m afraid. >> Thomas does look rather relieved that he wouldn’t have to deal with an uncensored sister though. Heading back over towards the fire extinguishers, he checks over the available ones and grabs a K type with a black hexagram. “There we go, this one will do.” << Food grade, best I’ve seen for spontaneous combustion. >> Pulling his goggles down, Thomas offers a smile again, looking rather much like a mad scientist between goggles and lab coat. “Mallory, you can go as soon as you’re ready. We have everything up and running now.” “N...nuclear option?” Mallory asks nervously, looking between Thomas and Hank, anxiety washing anew over the link to Thomas as her heart rate skyrockets again, watching as Aloke dons his extinguisher pack. She takes a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, concentrate on the fact that she is in good hands, that this is safe. Fidgeting anxiously as she is given the go ahead, though she sticks her tongue out at Thomas, trying to lighten the mood “Prat. Marshmallows just incinerate - sugar ignites too fast, apparently.” The voice of experience talking here, judging by the amused smirk << I’ll let you know, but I apologize in advance if you end up getting to know second hand how well it works. >> She snorts and steadies herself, the slow lashing of her tail the only outward sign of her anxiety. << Spontaneous? I do not think that word means what you think it means. >> Running both hands along her horns and through her hair, ruffling it loose from the braid it was pulled back into, Mallory closes her eyes, apparently unable to look at the others. Taking one last centering breath, she grimaces and the breath becomes a pained gasp; the heart rate monitor beeps an irregular rhythm, speeding up briefly before beginning to skip beats. Smoke begins to curl from her mouth, even as she tries unsuccessfully to gasp for air; at this point, her external body temperature has reached 100 degrees Celsius, the hottest part over her sternum approaching 150 degrees Celsius. Hands ball into fists as she struggles to keep from doubling over with the waves of pain that wash over her, and to an only slightly lesser extent the connection to Thomas, in time with the irregular beeps of the heart monitor. As the heat begins to climb, bringing with it visible distortions in the air around her, the heart rate monitor stops entirely, just letting out one solid tone as Mallory suddenly relaxes, a look of resigned pain on her features. Flames blossom from her chest, swirling first down her arms as she raises them over her head, charring and searing flesh as it travels, before the flames swell to engulf the rest of her figure in churning fire. The burning agony is dulled only slightly in the waves of pain that get shared with Thomas, thanks in part to whatever pain meds Mallory had remembered to take earlier. The flames settle into the familiar shape of Mallory, tail still lashing slowly behind her, trailing little tongues of flame that curl into the air with the movement. She opens her eyes at last, the only part of her that remains recognizable, entirely black amidst the sea of roiling fire. To Mallory, it seems like this has been an absolute eternity, but in reality just over 30 seconds have elapsed. Aloke smiles at Mallory's banter again, and speaks up, "Oh Mallo, Hank just means… for emergencies. 'Just in case'." He looks like he considers more he might say, but doesn't. When Mallory begins the change, he winces and takes an instinctive step in her direction, worry plain on his face, but he stops himself as the waves of heat come off of her. He backs away and watches the rest of the transformation with a pained expression, extinguisher at the ready. When her change is complete, and she isn't in obvious pain anymore, his arms relax at his sides, and his face is filled with wonder. "Good god, Mallory… I didn't really get to watch last time but you look… breathtaking." Aloke glances at Thomas too and asks, "Oh, can she even hear me?" Hank seems too lost in his data stream to pick up on the concern about his turn of phrase, and focuses more acutely when Mallory's change begins. His hands are a flurry as he changes sensor settings on the fly, and he even rushes over to one obtuse device to manage it by hand when it's not doing what he wants. When he looks up again the transformation is complete, and his eyes widen, showing the first crack in his scientific professionalism. He blinks, and then looks down at his tablet again rather than comment aloud. “Well I did offer the roast as an option too,” Thomas replies with a bit of a grin, nodding a bit to himself, the begoggled image silly. << Just trying to help you relax. I know it’s not going to feel good no matter what. We’d need something that shut down nerve receptors entirely, probably not something we really want to look into until necessary. >> He lets out a reassurance over the connection, the acceptance of pain there already. << Sister dear, they do not exactly have a term that means what it would need to solely. If I thought internal combustion, that would be an engine. And self immolation seems more the trick of a Buddhist protester. >> As his sisters immolation commences, there is a visible strain on Thomas’s face as well little beads of sweat coming up from his brow. “I really wish you did that faster, it hurts so much less the faster you go.” Squinching his eyes a moment, he finally relaxes as she fully becomes flame and he nods a bit. << Ah, much better. Care for a cup of tea? Good for that burning throat. >> His eyes roll, not that it can be seen beneath the goggles, as Aloke calls his sister breathtaking. As he is addressed though, his face becomes neutral and he nods. “Yes, she can hear, though its a little distorted. Air speed changes when its superheated, so there is a modulation in what she hears.” << Though I think I would prefer not to hear him flirting with you. >> Mallory looks down at herself, first stretching her arms out in front of her to examine them, then glancing behind her at her tail; each movement brings with it whorls of fire that flicker into the air around her. Aloke’s statement earns what would be a chuckle were she capable of making a sound, instead producing a small puff of flame from the area where her mouth would be. She nods in agreement with Thomas, eddies of flame flickering from the points of her flaming horns. << That’s as fast as it goes. I don’t have the practice you do, brother of mine. >> she offers to Thomas with an exaggerated shrug << It isn’t instantaneous. Sorry. >> The offer of tea earns Thomas a rather rude gesture that is still recognizable despite the fact that Mallory’s digits are ablaze << Bite me. I don’t know if I technically have a throat right now. >> Despite not being in pain, there is a sense of anxiety still, an undercurrent of frustration. Waiting for instructions, Mallory begins to pace along the length of the fire proof area, her tail lashing in agitation. Her movements while ablaze are fluid, graceful, tongues of flame trailing behind her like ribbons; there is no sign of her usual instability or balance issues. << So now what? >> she asks, looking between Hank and Thomas, then to Aloke, uncertain of just what to do next. << I’m unfortunately not certain exactly where to go from here. >> Mallory crosses her arms over her chest in an attempt to look relaxed and casual, though her arms meld into each other, and into her torso, barely distinguishable amidst the rolling flames. Thomas starts a stopwatch when Mallory seems to have stabilized, and drops it into his labcoat to keep it out of the way. << I know. Just was saying ridiculous pain levels that go away faster are preferable to ones that go away slower. >> As she makes the shrugs and rude gestures, he grins and looks over to Aloke. “I don’t think I need to translate that one. It’s fairly self explanatory.” <<It’ll be alright. We have all the safety precautions in place. What happened to him will not happen to you,>> the thought coming across with a measure of iron will. “She wishes to know what it is she should attempt to do. She’s changed her form, but aside from that application, she wasn’t exactly planning ahead on the tr of part two of the experiment,” Thomas explains to the other gentlemen in the room. “The easiest tests we can run are measuring temperature and duration of the effect. It would be the least strain, provide data, but not necessarily provide you with what you seek. You can always attempt to /Do/ things. Attempts to alter your shape, change your temperature, what you can and cannot burn. What exactly is it that you /Wish/ to do sister dear?” He does look to the other two gentlemen for suggestions. << I’m all for tossing marshmallows at you. But I’d have to go to the kitchen for that. You didn’t exactly bring any, now did you. >> Aloke chuckles at the rude gesture and nods at Thomas' comment. "Uh, yeah, I think I got that one," he says with a smirk. "Ok, so things to do… Those are good ideas Thomas, but Mallo," he says, turning to face the woman-afire. "What about just getting around? Have you ever had a chance to move about like this?" Hank steps forward nodding at Thomas' suggestion, and then raises one finger to interject after Aloke speaks. "Ah, these are all interesting ideas, and the spectrometer is up and running as far as sensors go. But, I can set up a small obstacle course for you, if you like, Mallory?" Hank taps at his tablet several times and cycles the room through a series of semi-translucent options without actually picking one, but there are many, including one that looks like a football training field, and an army boot camp with climbing walls and crawling under wires, and a number of others that could be interesting as well. << Well, if all the diagnostic equipment is already running, >> she says, waggling a fiery hand in the general direction of the technical arrangement, << I suppose that takes care of the basics. >> There are occasional small gouts of fire from her mouth (or what would be her mouth) as she communicates; old habits like trying to talk aloud are hard to break. << Yes, brother dear, note the lack of marshmallows on the table. I am not for roasting. Though I rather wonder if I could catch something if thrown to me. I admit, most of what I have done when like this is, well, set things on fire. >> The admission comes with a sheepish sense of embarrassment as Mallory scuffs one fiery hoof silently against the flooring. Mallory tilts her head to the side at the question of being able to move around, thinking for a moment << Ah, I can walk just fine. Movement is easy enough. >> Thomas is given a memory of Mallory, ablaze, walking through her room back home - just after he had left for University << Sorry. >> She raises her arms over her head demonstratively, stretching with a sense of easy relaxation. Slowly, and to drum music only she and Thomas can actually hear, she lowers first one arm with a series of lazy wrist rolls, and then the other, canting one leg out to the side in what can be recognized as the start of a belly dance routine. The flames swirl and waver about her as scarves or veils would otherwise, licking into the air around her. << Moving is actually far easier in this form. My back doesn’t hurt. >> She sighs - well, there is an exhalation of flame - and curious << I have never done an obstacle course of any kind. I suppose I may as well try? Though something simple. And non flammable? >> << Fine, here catch, >> Thomas thinks to her as he tosses a salted nut from the table of snacks to her. “Still would have been more amusing if you had marshmallows.” Looking to the others, he takes up the role of translator either way. “She says that she can walk about just fine, and that moving is easier. Also, her back doesn’t hurt, but she really needs to choose a different set of music.” He grins at that, the last part probably more from him anyway. “But she’s up for the obstacle course, as long as it isn’t something flammable. Probably best to start simple too. At least we don’t have any kids with water balloons and squirt guns.” Aloke snorts at the marshmallows comment and shakes his head. "Yeah, we could have a whole cookout, really. Aloke relaxes his hold on the fire extinguisher as he gets more used to the burning woman, and hooks the nozzle on the back of the shoulder strap. "That's interesting though," he says, idling walking over to pick up a handful of nuts from the table. He doesn't throw them at Mallory though. He just eats them a few at a time. "Her back /always/ hurts. Just, all the time, you know?" At Thomas' direction, Hank nods and pulls up a generic looking obstacle course - over/under elements, a gauntlet with moveable protrusions to push past, among other things. The whole thing looks like it could be inside some futuristic space station, shiny metal and chrome highlights everywhere. Looks pretty fireproof. Then he nods at Aloke and says, "Yes well, the preliminary readings indicate that she is completely incorporeal at the moment. She doesn't /have/ a body to be sore or achy. Frankly, this is fascinating." He looks back to Mallory and says, "Whenever you're ready Mallory. If you have the energy, it might be a good idea to work through the course once, and then a second run for time, but just play it by ear. Don't overtax yourself. We can always run more tests another day." << Ach! >> Mallory mentally yelps in confusion, scrambling to move to intercept the tossed snack flailing clumsily. The nut manages to slip right past her grasp, despite her hands being right in line for it - it passes through her hands and torso, skittering to a stop behind her, a charred and smoking lump. Mallory looks behind her, blinking repeatedly in confusion at the surviving legume, looking at the others << I… don’t have a body? I… wait, what? What the hell? >> Her mental voice is confused, edging on panic; even if she had known this on some level, hearing it confirmed seems to bring forth a spot of panic in the normally collected woman. She stares down at herself, hands attempting to confirm this in a panicked frenzy, though they vanish and meld into the flames of her torso, bringing with it another wave of uncertain confusion though her mind. << I… I don’t know how well this is going to work, >> Mallory thinks, eyeing the obstacle course, her form flickering in evidence of her uncertainty << I’ll try, I suppose. Otherwise, what was the point of all this? >> She moves to the starting line of the course, eyeing it distrustfully, and glancing back to the others anxiously. << Well, here goes. >> she sighs mentally, reaching up to grasp one of the hand holds on the first element - a set of monkey bars just off the ground. Or not. The metal bar passes right through the flames, the flames that comprise her hand swirling and reforming once they are past the obstacle. << The fuck? >> Mallory swears, swiping at the bars again, and again, and again. To no avail. Snarling over the link, her mind is a swarm of frustration and roiling anger, at herself and the stupid monkey bars that seem intent on taunting her. The flames of her body are increasingly violent, becoming less cohesive as her agitation increases, her tail lashing about like that of a furious cat, sending off miniature heat devils with each motion. She raises both hands over her head and attempts to swipe at the bars one last time << Come… ON! >> she swings her hands forward, intending to connect with the source of her frustration. Instead, a ball of fire, about the size of a baseball is thrown from her hands, arching away from her and towards the distant end of the obstacle course, eventually splattering in a sizzling puddle of flame on the floor and smoldering. “Hmm, so closer to when I shift forms then. I don’t exactly have a body either when I do.” Thomas nods as he watches the sizzling nut on the ground for a moment. << It’s okay really. You aren’t any different than any other times you’ve changed. You’ll come back the same as always, and then you can gorge on chocolate >> the thought comes with an image of an old Easter scene with both of them consuming chocolate with some melted on their faces. “She’s a little nervous on the matter. But she’ll give it a go,” Thomas says as Mallory heads over towards the monkey bars. He’s about to raise his hand to pause her, then he chuckles watching her flail about. “I would have thought she would have known, no body means no hanging from hands.” << Calm down sister, you’re starting to break it up. Breath deep, seek peace. >> the silly little phrase coming with an image from Dinotopia of the little dinosaurs holding up a paw in peace. As the fireball goes wide, Thomas winces and shakes his head. “I’ll get that one. Keep an eye on her.” Strolling over towards the flamey spot, he pulls the safety pin on the extinguisher and lets spray some of the chemicals and foam to the sizzling of the flame. Aloke winces as he watches Mallory and her obvious frustration. He has his own frustration too, and possibly a little jealousy that he has to get all of Mallory's thoughts second-hand through Thomas, but he isn't voicing that /openly/. It's just a look. His hand goes to his extinguisher nozzle but then Thomas is already on his way. "It's ok, Mallo! Just be patient with yourself! You'll get it." "I hate to split hairs," Hank says, smirking suddenly. "And /trust/ me, 'split ends' are the bane of my existence. But I just feel I should point out, there /is/ a difference between having an incorporeal body, and having no body at all." The furry blue scientist clears his throat and smiles, making an effort at rolling some humor together with science. "We have a girl at the school here who can become incorporeal at will and pass through solid objects. I only point this out because, Mallory, you may find you can move in new and alternate ways, but that doesn't mean you can't interact with the environment in which you find yourself. It just works differently than when you're solid." Mallory looks down at her hands in confusion, turning them over and blinking repeatedly, before she looks up to watch Thomas extinguish the small fire. << Ah, that… hasn’t happened before. I don’t know if it is a good idea to continue right now. I’m… a little bit disturbed that I may have just hurled a flaming spleen across the room or something. >> Mallory’s shoulders slump and she glances back at Hank and Aloke, shaking her head and looking down - her flames are starting to look a bit more chaotic, and less compacted. << Sorry for wasting everyone’s time. I just… I don’t know. How long has it been since I changed? >> she asks, remembering the stopwatch in her brother’s pocket. If she had eyebrows right now, Mallory would be raising them skeptically at Hank, << Really? You, who are flammable, are going to argue semantics with an English teacher, who is made of fire? >> Her mind is increasingly hectic, with a constant stream of analysis of just how flammable things around her are - how easy it would be to just burn everything. She winces and glances back towards Hank and Aloke, sighing, and thinking, for Thomas to translate << I apologize for being unwilling to continue, but I don’t believe it is wise to continue right now. Can we try this another time possibly? I… would like to change back now. >> Her tone is apologetic, and her body language, fiery and shifting as it is, mimics the tone. Thomas frowns as her frustration and unhappiness come across. << Well, the entire point of practicing what you can do is to accomplish things that haven’t happened before. And… lets not specify which organs you may or may not have flung about. I don’t like to wonder what piece I have put in a jar when I reform, but I don’t ever seem any worse for wear, aside from skinnier. >> Pulling out the stopwatch, Thomas nods and looks to the others. “It’s been about twenty two minutes, she hasn’t really been changed for this long before.” Snerking at the snark from Mallory, Thomas grins as he translates for Hank. “She wishes to point out that she is the English teacher here, and the fact you are arguing semantics with her.” He does however nod and double check for Mallory’s change of clothes to make sure they didn’t get errantly flame striked. “She wants to finish up this session soon though, and continue at another time. It’s starting to become distracting for her. So, the censorship application should be prepared soon.” Its obvious he thinks that part is an important one. Aloke looks concerned as Mallory's body language says almost as much about her frustration as anything else. He unslings the nozzle of his fire extinguisher, at a loss for what else to do, and definitely feeling out of the 'scientific commentary' loop. "Um, yeah," he says when Thomas says they're winding down. "Yeah, baby steps are best. Let's not overdo it, Mallo." Then he /re/-slings the nozzle again, and goes to get the pack of clothes Mallory left off to the side, ready to hand them off. Hank sighs and inclines his head, "I bow to your expertise, Ms. Winthrop." Though the glint in his eyes suggests he hasn't completely left humor behind. But when everyone talks about winding down, he nods and makes a couple quick selections. The obstacle course fades away, and a roomy square of Japanese paper screens springs up around a spot near where Mallory is currently standing. They are strangely well detailed, perhaps taken from a model of some kind, but with a very attractive cherry blossom motif on the off-white paper. "Just step inside when you're ready to change back, Mallory." Hank looks up from his device, and elaborates, "These are purely holographic, and won't burn, I promise." << Thank you, >> Mallory says with a sigh, indicated by the small puff of flame that issues from her face << Oh, lovely. Pretty paper screens I won't ignite. Nice. >> Exasperation, with herself, mostly, swells across the link as she heads towards the designated square of screens. << I feel like a fool. Dragging everyone here and getting precious little done, save for suffering an existential crisis. And likely freaking Aloke out, too, on top of it all. Huzzah for me. >> she grouses to Thomas, since her twin is the lucky one who can still hear her. She sighs and attempts to focus on regaining her physical form, out of sight of the others; her active thoughts fall quiet, leaving only the undercurrent of burning frustration and desire to set things on fire to be heard. Normally, this return is instantaneous, unlike the initial transformation - but not this time. << Bollocks. >> Mallory thinks, after several long moments, looking down at herself, still ablaze. The wave of panic that initially rises is harsh, memories of the first fire in the orchard racing through her mind. More memories surface of the firefighters and the cold blast of water, and the world fading to black. << I think I'm stuck. I'll pass out if I'm extinguished. But... I know I'll go back to normal. It... it worked before, right? >> she asks Thomas with a pang of confusion and concern, obviously seeking reassurance. Her head pokes out from the dividing screens, concern in her smoldering black eyes as she looks at Aloke, and then Thomas, eyeing the fire extinguishers with decided trepidation. << Right? >> << Quite pretty isn’t it. Shame we don’t have non-flammable paper. >> Thomas provides a comforting bit of emotion across the link, figuring that she doesn’t exactly want to pass the rest of that on. “Alright gents. She’s going to be turning back now.” Looking through the collected snacks on the table he opens up one of the packages of chocolate biscuits, figuring that would be high on the list of priorities on coming back. As the panicking comes across though, Thomas frowns. “Damnation. She’s having issues swapping back. Fire suppression it is, but well… it will be rough on her. And she says she’ll probably be unconscious on the way out of it.” Looking to Aloke and Hank, he hefts up the fire extinguisher he had used before. “Start from the legs and go up. Flame rises after all, try not to inhale too much, studies are still out on over exposure to the stuff. Fire fighters wear respirators for more than one reason.” Stepping up to start the process, he squeezes the handle and sprays out more of the chemicals upon Mallory’s feet. << Come back to us Mallory, I wouldn’t want to have to do something drastic. >> "Wait, what?" Aloke asks, his own concern right out there on the surface. He's not panicking, but his love is in danger and it looks like he knows it. "What do you mean 'issues'?" He shakes his head and steps forward when Thomas gives instructions though, and aims low as he was told. The nozzle bucks when he pulls the ring but he bears down on it, and works at spraying the chemicals as evenly as possible. Hank raises an eyebrow when it sounds like the situation leans more towards an emergency, but he certainly doesn't overreact. He swipes one set of controls on his tablet, and a whole series of nozzles and equipment reveals itself in the walls and ceiling, but doesn't actually do anything in this moment. They're just ready. "Yes, excellent gentlemen. The other benefit of holographic screens is that they allow fire suppressants /in/." He references another set of screens on his device and nods. "Yes, perfect, the spectroscopic analysis shows her temperature is dropping already. Keep it up, fellas." Mallory closes her eyes and braces herself for the incoming blast of chemicals, trying desperately to quell the panic that rises as the others approach. Her mind begins to waver as the chemicals contact her hooves and legs, but she has just enough time to glance up at the advanced suppression equipment. If she were capable of it, she would whimper, but instead it comes across to Thomas as a frightened << Oh god. >> Billowing steam rises from her as the chemicals go to work, beginning to obscure her as her eyes flutter closed and she collapses to the ground. Her side of the mental link with Thomas falls quiet as the soft ‘thump’ of her body hitting the floor As the cloud settles, Mallory is curled up, unconscious, in a defensive ball on the floor, tail coiled somewhat around her. Her skin is decidedly brighter pink-red than normal, and the temperature readings indicate she is still running hotter than normal - most likely too hot to safely touch. The freshly burned look begins to fade into the shadowy red she normal boasts, and the ambient heat begins to drop closer to her baseline. To anyone looking close enough, she looks like she hasn’t eaten in days, ribs actually visible beneath the skin of her side; but she is otherwise none the worse for her adventure. She is quite unconscious and unmoving, save for the slow rise and fall of breathing. The fear and pain across the link is met with determination << Its okay, you will be okay. >> Thomas thinks at her as more of an order than a reassurance. As things finally go ‘quiet’ mentally he shakes his head, and looks to the others. “Well, she’s not in pain at the moment. Clothing, food, and a bed are in order, though probably more in the order of clothing and bed, and something you can feed her while unconscious.” He has a frown on his lips though, as he glances between Aloke and Hank, unsure of who should actually be handling which step in the process. Aloke rushes forward without being asked, clothing in hand. He disappears through the screen and sets about getting Mallory into the basic clothes they brought for this purpose, working quickly to avoid scalding his hands. He calls from behind the screens and says, "Ok, Hank, we're all set in here. Do you have a gurney? It'd probably be better if we let her rest in the med lab instead of rolling her through the whole mansion back to our place, you know?" Hank nods at Thomas' list and then shuts off the screens at Aloke's request. "Ah, yes that is probably for the best, actually. We can set up an IV there, and make her comfortable until she's feeling well enough to go upstairs on her own." Hank makes a final few gestures with his tablet at the room reverts back to it's default state and passive lighting. Then he drops the tablet into his big labcoat pocket, and bustles off to get a gurney and message a lab assistant to prep a bed.