ArchivedLogs:Experimenting

Experimenting
With knives! XD
Dramatis Personae Corey, Micah	14 June 2013 Corey explains his abilities to Micah, and they run an experiment.
Location <NYC> Village Lofts - Rooftop - East Village
It tends to be windy, up here, but the presence of plastic table and folding chairs suggests that nevertheless building residents occasionally make their way out to this rooftop. With a good view of Tompkins Square Park less than a block away it's a good spot for city-watching. There's a railing around the edge, though it might be possible (if /unwise/) to climb over it to the narrow concrete ledges beyond and from there to the fire escape. Centrally, someone has broken down crates and constructed a small raised-bed garden up here, barren in winter but filled in three other seasons with a small assortment of herbs and vegetables. Earlier in the day, a phone call makes its way into Micah's voice mail folder, the dubious nature of cellular mechanics having forgotten the fact that it can in fact accept phone calls. Ah, such is the way of modern technology. Yet the call seems to be from Corey, saying that he had some kinda big news to share with Micah, but with the current nature of the city that talking in private may be better. He would await a call back to see where if anywhere they would chat. The call had been sent some time afternoon, and the day has passed further on, as work days come to an end and the heat of the suns rays begin to diminish. Micah sets up an appointment by text (such is the way of busy workdays!) for Corey to meet him at the Lofts early in the evening, not having a better idea of where one might go to discuss things in privacy. Option 2 would have been sitting in the van, so...here they are! Micah has taken just enough time to change into a chocolate brown T-shirt (on which a stegosaurus is cursing a T-rex's 'sudden but inevitable betrayal') and faded jeans patched in a variety of fabrics. He has a bag slung over one shoulder, which sits like it is full of something. His expression is sincerely concerned as he greets Corey and takes him up to the roof, but he waits to ask any questions. He just walks over to the plastic table and unpacks a tin of gingersnaps, a pair of tumblers, and a Thermos before plunking himself down in a chair. Arriving at the time of appointments, Corey is wearing a plain black teeshirt and pair of newish blue jeans with a pair of sneakers. He offers Micah a smile and general pleasantries as they make their way up the steps to the roof. "It’s good to see you again. It feels like ages since we last got to talk, granted the world’s gone crazy in the meanwhile." Shaking his head, he takes a seat near the plastic table. "So, should I make you guess? Or would you prefer to jump to the punchline?" he asks while taking a ginger snap and popping it in his mouth. “D’you like sweet tea? It’s what I brought. But I can always run for somethin’ else, if not.” Micah holds up the Thermos illustratively. “It has been a /minute/. But things did…go kinda nuts. So many things. An’ it seems there’s not a second to breathe before there’s the next thing…” He bites his lip for a moment, stopping /that/ line of thought. “Oh, hon, I wouldn’t presume to start guessin’ when it sounds like somethin’ serious an’ important to you.” "Sweet tea is fine, I'm from farther South than you are after all, even if my neighbors were all snowbirds." Corey gives Micah a smile at that, and noticing how out of sorts he is, he shakes his head. "I didn't mean to dump more on you, you seem sorta like you're at maximum capacity. But well, I just figured you were safe to tell and all. I got tested for the X gene. And I've got it." He gives a shrug as if it wasn't that big of a deal, but there is a look of apprehension on his face showing he knows how bad of a time it was to find that out. "Good timing huh?" Micah is pouring tea into the cups pretty much as quickly as the words come out of Corey’s mouth that it is fine. “I try not t’make too many assumptions, but I figured enough that it was what I picked to bring along.” He sets one of the cups close to the other man, then caps the Thermos and places it in easy reach for refills. He is completely flummoxed by Corey’s announcement. “You…do? What made you even think to…? I mean, that testin’ is expensive an’…” He shakes his head, halting all lines of questioning. “Yeah, it’s not great timin’. But at least y’ain’t got the kinda look that gets things thrown an’ worse on the street.” "Matters conspired, and luck one way or another got the test done without the cost," Corey says shaking his head, then taking a sip of the tea. "But well, it could be worse, and as you say, I'm not really one that sticks out. Hell, it’s so subtle even I didn't know. But, well," he pauses for an appropriate ginger snap break. "It’s at least good news in the situation. I apparently make things get better. Remember those marigolds that you said were just about dead? And how they got better? I think that was me." Micah just nods for a moment, intrigued by the vague statements but not wanting to press the issue. He takes a ginger snap for himself, nibbling at it. “I told you those things were gaspin’ their last breaths! Everyone was actin’ like I was bein’ melodramatic,” he recalls with a hint of a grin. “So…you make plants healthier? That’s kind of a nice thing t’be able t’do. Good guy t’keep around a garden.” He sips some tea from his cup to provide a pause. “You are…bein’ careful about who y’tell this to, right?” Shaking his head at Micah's deduction, Corey tries to explain. "Not just plants. People, too. Well, I'm pretty sure it works on people, too, normally. It’s only really obvious when I'm upgraded." He frowns saying it, and shakes his head. "Though don't tell anyone that someone like that is around. But I watched a friend earlier go from scabbed over to fresh pink skin in a short time." Dipping the ginger snap into the tea, he pops the slightly soggier and sweeter cookie into his mouth. "And yeah, I've been careful. Only other mutants who I can trust really, and, well, you. Assuming that you aren't secretly a mutant yourself that is." He says it as a statement, but the raised brow implies a question. “Upgraded?” One of Micah’s eyebrows attempts to flee on an upward trajectory. “What d’you mean? I’m about t’start checkin’ for Cybermen… You ain’t gotten a new headset for your phone lately, by any chance?” Micah seems to be peering at Corey’s /ears/. Continued revelations make him settle back into a more serious tone. “So, you’re a healer! That’s…kind of awesome. If y’wanted t’test it, I’ve gotta…” He brings up his left hand, looks at it askance, then rests it back on the table. “Nevermind. I forgot that got better real quick.” The implied-question about his genetic status receives an amused snort in reply. “Not so far as I know. I mean, I ain’t never bothered to get /tested/, but… If I’ve got any kind of genetic enhancement, it’s gotta be duller’n a box of rocks ‘cause I ain’t noticed a /thing/.” "No, a friend, he can kinda make a mutant more effective. I don't want to say too much, ya know, whole being careful about who you tell what to thing?" Sticking his tongue out at Micah, Corey chuckles. "Why? What had been wrong with your hand? And you seem surprised about it getting better real quick... maybe you are?" He raises a brow, then shrugs. "As I said, luck is what got the testing through, you can decide whether it was good or bad. Just means I have the obligation now to actually follow whatever law they pass." “Oh, okay. I just…was completely lost as t’what y’meant before. I get it. Don’t need to out nobody.” Micah holds his hands up in a surrendering gesture. Speaking of hands. “It…kinda had a burn. Circumstances were slightly unusual, though. Hurt like the dickens all mornin’, but just…stopped ‘round lunchtime. I suspect anythin’ weird about it was more t’do with the injury than with me. I never been a quick healer or nothin’.” He shakes his head firmly at Corey’s statement about obligations to laws. “Corey, as of yet, your health information is still private. Ain’t nobody got the right to know you know nothin’. Whatever comes of this…lawmakin’ mess…you should think real hard about how you wanna respond to it. Or not.” "Um.. were you here around lunch?" Corey asks as if he knew something. "And I know, thankfully I don't have to decide until the government actually does something. Which is about on the same time scale as geological epochs at least." Sighing he shakes his head, leaning back and looking skywards. "But even if a law is unjust, it’s the law. And I don't even want to think about what the consequences they would think of for violating it. Maybe someone should sorta start reminding them about the Nazis though. Just in case it slipped their mind." “Yeah. I been comin’ back for lunch breaks on workdays whenever I can lately. There’s…been a lotta people needin’ a lotta lookin’ after hereabouts…” Micah sighs before appending, “even more’n usual.” He sets half a cookie down on a napkin, using his hand to scruff through his hair instead. “Just because somethin’s the law don’t mean it should be followed, neither. But. That sorta thing’s a very personal decision.” A hint of a smirk steals across his lips. “I think maybe folks have gotten a little Godwin’s Law’d about it. But there sure are times when it /is/ an apt analogy. I’m willin’ enough to trot it out attached to the oh-wait-I’m-Jewish card.” That comes with a wry sort of chuckle. "Well, congratulations for being part of the test subject group then. I kinda was curious what would happen with it being so amped up." Corey shakes his head, preferring to go with the more positive side of things. "I don't really know if it affected any others in the apartment, but I hope they didn't have too much foliage around." He looks embarrassed again for a moment. "I owe Jayna some apologies though. It seems plants show off the effects more rapidly than people. I guess plants just change state faster." Micah looks a bit confused again, reaching for his discarded cookie and nibbling at it some more. Maybe it helps him think. "So...you were in the buildin' an' your friend was 'upgradin' ' your ability around lunchtime today? Is it really that powerful to affect people in different rooms, on different floors?" He looks adequately impressed. "Does it hurt you? I mean, 'cause otherwise, I got a couple of hospitals wouldn't mind havin' you just...loiter a bit." Micah smiles with that, only half-joking. "Normally not. I mean, I have no idea what it’s like on a person normally. There isn't exactly a polite way to ask someone if you can hurt them so you can see how fast they will heal with me around and without." Corey shakes his head again at the idea. "I can't really use myself as a good gauge for it, and I feel fine. Hell, after the boost earlier, I feel like I had a full night’s sleep and a cup of coffee afterwards. It just feels good." Pouring himself a little more sweet tea from the Thermos, he thinks a bit. "And I don't know how well that would work in this climate. What would I say? Hi I'm a mutant, don't mind me, I'm just pretending to be Jesus," he says with a grin. “Sure there is. Just like y’did. They gotta right not to give consent,” Micah counters. “An’ you wouldn’t have to tell ‘em. Just hang out in the cafeteria or somethin’. Volunteer as a reader.” He giggles. “This is especially sad, ‘cause it’s /me/ sayin’ it, but you gotta learn how to be a little sneakier sometimes.” The rest of the cookie disappears into his mouth, silencing him for a moment. “If you’re real curious, I gotta pocket knife an’ pretty much no fear of blood,” he offers casually. "Yeah well, that wasn't exactly a normal circumstance. I don't think I can do an entire hospital just like that," Corey snaps his fingers to emphasize the point. "And perhaps, it’s all kinda new to me. I think maybe make sure how close I need to be or any other oddities of it before figuring out a way to be sneaky with other people’s health." Resisting the urge to eat all the cookies on his own, he pushes the tray closer to Micah. "And I leave that up to you. If you want to see how quickly or not you get better from a cut, I am content to sit here as long as it takes. I just wont ask you to do it, as I said, not exactly polite. What if it doesn't work on people normally after all?" "Oh, no, I wouldn't think...that'd be a lot of people an' a really big buildin', usually. I was half-jokin', anyhow. Just thinkin' out loud." Micah waves a hand dismissively. "Oh, it's not like I'm gonna slash an artery or somethin'," he reassures. "Just like...a big paper cut. If it doesn't heal at all, it's still pretty much nothin'." Without further ado, is hand goes digging around in a pocket for a little keychain knife, opens it, and drags it shallowly over a forearm to form a tiny, two-inch long cut. It is just enough for blood to bead up along its length. Then he just rests the arm on the table for ease of observation. Wincing as his friend cuts himself, Corey shakes his head at the action. "You really didn't need to do that. Ah well, may as well do the responsible scientist thing and observe." Glancing to the cut, he seems unsure of what to expect. "At least it seems pretty small. Paper cuts usually just disappear pretty fast anyway." He plays with beads of water on his tumbler while waiting for results. "I'd say take pictures to measure it, but that’s creepy too." "Oh, it's nothin'. Barely need a Band-Aid if nothin' comes of it," Micah reassures as he just /watches/ his own arm. Like it's going to do something interesting. "I told ya it was just gonna be a little thing. Just to get an idea of if you make things heal up solo. It's a good thing t'know about yourself. Might come in handy." He wipes the blade of the little knife on a paper napkin before closing it and tucking it away. "So we just sit and wait for blood to clot and skin to mend then. Still, that was the news I called you about at least." Corey gives a little smile at that, looking out to the city. "But I definitely have to say that my timing is crap. Find out that I might be a healer, in time for mutants to be considered enemy number one and banned from hospitals. Well, at least ones that they know about. Thank god I don't glow, that would make things more awkward. Though it would reinforce the Jesus thing." “Well, how about I call you if I have any hurt friends who are bein’ turned away from hospitals? You’d have to decide if usin’ your ability is worth the folks you heal knowin’ about you, though. I mean…unless we had you behind a curtain or somethin’. Guess you don’t have to be right up an’ hands on with somebody, way you tell it.” Micah is still watching his arm. “I mean, this is all presumin’ that somethin’ happens here.” His other hand waves over the forearm to clarify his meaning. "Well you'd probably have to clean off the blood and any scabbing to see the progress I guess." Corey scratches his head a moment, then lets out a sigh. "I honestly don't know really. I mean if I can help heal other people I'd want to, but how many people would just let me sit around for no reason? I'd have to do something, like reading to them or something of some use if they didn't know /why/ I was there. Maybe I should go see if I can get EMT training or something. That wouldn't be as rough as being a nursing aide or anything. I could probably ask my... well, I don't know what I can call her yet really. Friend I guess for now." Micah dabs at the wound to clean away the blood droplets at Corey's suggestion. "It would prob'ly be more obvious what you were helpin', around some more obvious injuries. I wonder if Shane or Dusk was around this afternoon? I mean...I know enough folks with injuries to /spare/ lately." His nose crinkles at the thought of just where all those injuries are coming from. "It could be a worthwhile thing to pursue...you could be a bit under the radar about it, provided your healin' ain't too dramatic on the regular. Which it ain't lookin' like right now." Meaning the arm isn't miraculously without wound, when the wound was so small. "I think Shane was working in the back at Montagues when I came over to visit this afternoon," Corey checks his phone to double check around the time frames better. "Yeah, I think he would have still been there then. And no, it doesn't seem quite so dramatic on its own. Guess I won't be opening up my own quack shop any time soon." Chuckling, he gives a shrug. "Ah well, if you can think of anyone who needs help, I'm sure we can arrange something. I don't think it would be too dangerous telling other mutants what’s going on, since they'd probably get impatient just sitting around." “So it seems. Unless your booster-friend wanted to go into the layin’-on-hands business with you,” Micah jests with a grin. “Subtle’s probably for the best, though. Could get dangerous, miraculously closin’ up gapin’ wounds with no control over it. You’d get figured out that way a lot faster.” He eyes the arm again. “I mean, I guess it looks like it might be startin’ to scab up already. That’s a little faster than normal.” He shrugs and nibbles on another cookie. "Nah, I think he'd be in more danger than I would. So, seems that plants are pretty quick, and you are pretty slow." Sticking his tongue out at Micah again, he finishes off the rest of his iced tea. "Ah well, I guess its better than nothing if you don't have other options. On the plus side, I'm pretty healthy. I never get sick, so its probably working for more than just cuts and bruises. I'll take cure for the common cold over healing paper cuts any day." The phone he had been double checking makes the buzz of received texts. "Huh, I can't stay too much longer to get your arm back in place it seems." “Well, I’ve never claimed to be a specimen of ideal health,” Micah retorts with a chuckle. “But it’s not bleedin’ anymore, so there’s nothin’ t’worry over. I’ll go slap some antiseptic on it downstairs.” He offers Corey the tin of cookies in case he wants to take any for the road before packing it, the Thermos, and the emptied tumblers back into his bag to tote downstairs. “I wish you the best of luck with it. Just…stay safe.” Taking a few ginger snaps, Corey gives a nod. "Don't worry, I intend to do my best at that. I've pretty much been told by everyone to avoid telling most people what I can do." He smiles to Micah and inclines his head. "So plus side, we know it kinda works at least. Minus side, not nearly so impressive without help. Have a good evening with your antiseptic, and at least your burn is dealt with already." Heading to the rooftop door, he swings it open and holds it for the other man to head down.