ArchivedLogs:He even has his appetite back!

He even has his appetite back!
Dramatis Personae Aloke, Kelly, Mallory
In Absentia	2013-11-07 Kelly and Mallory are looking for a sick Aloke! They find him! (Part of Infected TP.)
Location <XS> Conservatory
Aloke is in the Conservatory, well after dinner time, alone with a drawing pad, some pencils, and other drawing paraphernalia. He looks to be paused in a sketching project, attempting to capture the angle of a pretty, leafy fern in the corner of the room. However, he's taking a break, and eating what looks like it might be a fastfood burger, which would be strange for the famously vegetarian professor. It's hard to tell though, because it's half wrapped in the white paper food is often served in. Looks like there's a white paper bag under his drawing stool as well. Chomp. Munch munch. Look over shoulder. Rinse, repeat. Kelly's footsteps echo through the hall, even though the kid in question was barefoot. This was mostly due to just how empty the halls have been at night here. And while the boy is out on his own, it isn't without caution on his part, a look over his shoulder every few steps. He was out of his dirty clothes that he came here in, deep blue Xavier's logo sweats in replacement. Though his hair is... rather thin on flowers or leaves right now, and his skin is a slightly paler. "Mr. Suresh?" he cautions a greeting, hanging close to the door as he looks in. Aloke doesn't seem to notice the footsteps, even as furtive as he's been with his forbidden snack. But when Kelly greets him he literally drops the burger, on the ground, and stands quickly, wiping greasy hands on his olive green cargo pants. He's also wearing a t-shirt advertising the Dead Milkmen, but with no shoes, or any other adornments. "Dammit, Kelly! You can't just sneak up on people like that!" Aloke is shaking his pointer finger at Kelly, expression angry. But he blinks after just half a moment, and stops pointing and uses that hand instead to cover his mouth, eyes wide in shock. "Oh Kelly, I'm so sorry. I don't- Sorry-" Aloke's speech here, while sincere in apologizing, takes on an almost robotic hitch. "Sorry-" he repeats again. "Sorry..." He trails off this time, and shakes his head, coming into focus again. "Kelly, forgive me, I don't know why I've been so wound up. Please come in. Join me." He gestures to the ample seating all around the ring. When Kelly is rounded on, the look of shock and crushed hope sinks into his expression as clear as day, and he stutters into himself while simultaneously bunching up. A few of the bark patches on his neck actually even grow! Spreading across his the sides of his neck several inches before Aloke's apology makes its way through raised raised walls and animalistic preservation. "Its... its ok, Mr. Suresh..." he says meekly, accepting blame for it easily. "I mean, I think everyone's really tense right now." He moves into the room. He comes closer but his guard is still up, those plates on his neck slowly spreading to wrap around his whole neck. "You're... feeling better? I mean, you're hungry, right, and... that's good?" "Kelly, I am so, so sorry-" Aloke's throat clicks when he says 'sorry' again, but he doesn't repeat it this time. "This bug... I don't even know. It's thrown my moods all off." He winces, seeing the boy's literal defenses go up, and takes a breath. Aloke is crushed at having distressed the boy, but he has no way to express that. He just nods at the question. "Yes, I am feeling better, thank you. A little headachey, but I hear that's normal." Aloke glances down at the half-hidden burger wrapper guiltily. "Yes, and some return of appetite. You seem healthy. I hope you get to dodge this one. I wouldn't wish it on anyone." "Yeah, this is probably the only time I've been glad to be even less human than most." Kelly says as he bends down and pucks up the dropped burger, offering it to Aloke. "I think... its mostly ok..." he laughs a little falsely. "But... a few days ago I was eating out of the back of a Chinese Food dumpster... so... maybe my judgment isn't the best." His shoulders relax slightly and his breathing becomes normal. The pudgy teen tries to force his false laugh and smile to something even more believable. Aloke accepts the guilty burger with a guilty expression of guiltiness, and then seems to realize Kelly doesn't know why Aloke would be guilty. Instead, he just tucks it back in the bag with a shrug. "It probably /is/ fine," he says. He frowns slightly at the mention of dumpsters, and tries to move the conversation. "That sounds really hard, Kelly. I'm sorry. Where did you come to us from again? Halloween is a little hazy, I'm afraid. The flu hit me that night, and the details are sketchy." "Uhm, well, kinda all over." Kelly says in his drawn out southern accent, relaxing a bit as he sits down in the previously offered chair. The bark on his neck begins to slowly retreat around his throat again, showing soft skin. "Army brat, so... you know. Two months here, three months there. But I've been working my way up the coast for the last year or so? But... really, I don't think any of that stuff really matters any more. Not when its like this. Just... what I'm having to deal with? Not even on the radar anymore." Aloke nods, and retakes his collapsible stool as well, when Kelly sits. "Wow, I can't even imagine... that must have been hard for you. I'm sure when things calm down around here you'll really like it. Although... at Xavier's it's never boring. But- Boring-" The light shining out of Aloke's eyes flickers every time his speech hitches, and it flickers again when he repeats himself. "Boring-" He coughs, quietly. "Boring..." He blinks rapidly a few times and doesn't seem to realize he just repeated himself. "Any idea what your favorite subject in school is? Or been away from school for too long?" "I- really liked biology." Kelly says as he watches Aloke with a face worry, biting his lip and his southern drawl stretching a bit longer than usual. "But you're right, I've... kinda not gone to school in a really long time. But I'm smart! Really!" he insisted, his speach picking up pace as it went on. "Mr. Suresh, do you wanna go back to bed? I mean... I can help ya get there and stuff, I'm stronger than I look, honest." Grassy surfaces have always been far kinder to Mallory and her hooves than the stately parquet floors of the mansion - far quieter too - and her appearance out of the greenery of the gardens is precluded just with the soft rustle of leaves, rather than the harsh click of hooves. Wearing the same yoga pants and tank top she had earlier, now with the hooded sweatshirt tied somewhat awkwardly around her waist, Mallory makes her way towards the now familiar voices. The near panicked look on her face melts to one of relief when she spots Aloke, as well as a very concerned look towards Kelly in his proximity to the ill teacher. "Aloke," she says in a sighed breath, dark eyes fixed on him, "There you are. You had me worried." Her voice tightens slightly as she speaks, worry evident in the thin line of her lips. "Have me worried still, to be honest," she adds, stepping closer. "Biology," Aloke says, chuckling. "Very cool. I'd be absolutely no help to you, but it's definitely cool stuff, and we have some great science faculty here. Some of the best, anywhere, I'd bet." Aloke gradually seems more and more like himself as he goes on. He sits next to a big sketch pad and some other drawing stuff. When Mallory comes in, he stands, a happy smile on his face. "Mallory, hi." His eyes regain almost their full glow, but his foot tucks the little white bag of fast food further under his stool, hopefully out of Mallory's view. "I'm feeling a lot better though. I was looking for your earlier." He crosses and embraces her in a warm hug. "I think he's getting better." Kelly said happily to Mallory, as if this was one of the best three possible newses in the world. You know, next to early Christmas Presents, and half price pizza buffets. The portly teen starts to get up, but takes a couple of breaths and stays seated instead, a bit exhausted. "He even has his appetite back!" he adds as if that was even BETTER news, not quite understanding the concept of guilty burger. To this... of course... his own tummy rumbles audibly. Though on that he does not comment. Mallory's eyes close as she embraces Aloke in a fiercely tight hug, hiding her face for a moment in his shoulder - it seems as though she is reluctant to let him go. She is, despite her bare arms and exposed skin, fiercely warm to the touch, and yet she trembles as she hugs him, letting out a long breath she didn't realize she was holding. "That's what I'm afraid of," she says quietly, looking him in the eyes again, the shadow of a sad smile on her lips when she notices the brightness returned. "We need to call Dr. McCoy. I... I'd like to theink you're feeling better now, but just to be safe, yes?" she says, anxiety in her voice as she glances curiously to Kelly. "Appetite?" comes the question, gaze falling to the out of place paper takeaway sack. "Aloke... where did you get takeaway? We're... the school is quarentined. And... what did you get?" Mallory still holds on to one of his hands with both of hers, her tone light, curious, not at all accusatory. Aloke smiles at Kelly's enthusiasm, nodding along, until Kelly drops the appetite bomb. He winces, and gives Mallory his best 'boys will be boys' grin. "Well... you know I have my 'ways'." He winks, making his eye light blink. Although the concept of Aloke /beaming/ is probably even more dramatic than him suddenly eating meat (which the room definitely smells like). Aloke hasn't used his travel ability since his accident, and he's had trouble even talking about using it again. He's been convinced he /could/ use it, but he's always said he'd only do it in emergencies, due to the risks involved. He nods too, keeping ahold of Mallory's hand. For Kelly's benefit, the teachers seem to have something more than just a collegial relationship. "Sure, we can go see Hank. I was meaning to, anyway." "Oh, ok, I'll be fine... by myself." Kelly promises as they talk about going to see Hank, and are happy and together and stuff. And it wasn't... too... dark, and creepy and scary... and WHATSTHATSHADOW?! Oh... its a tree. "But if you do see him, let him know I'm still grumpy he burnt all my clothes." this last bit was mostly joking, though. But it was true that they were burned. Mallory's jaw /drops/ when Aloke mentions how he got the burger, her breath catching as she listens. Sudden carnivorous bent aside, the use of his travel form apparently shocks Mallory into a somewhat uncharacteristic silence, her neatly manicured nails digging into the flesh of Aloke's hand slightly at the admission. Her lips set into a grimly determined line, as she glances towards the student, "Kelly, if you don't feel safe alone, please find Faelan. He's jumpy, but promise, he's good at avoiding danger. He's not sick, either. Stick with him, ok? I... I need to get Professor Suresh to the med bay. Now." Her voice is tight, somewhat faltering, as she looks to Kelly, and nods, unable to force herself to smile this time. "Please. I apologize for barging in like this, truly I do," her voice is soft, though it sounds like she is straining to keep whatever composure she still has left. It's difficult to tell, her eyes being what they are, but she looks potentially close to tears. Aloke is halfway into a grin about Kelly's clothes, nodding at the boy, when he winces and looks down at Mallory's grip on his hand. He just manages to choke down his 'ouch' of protest, and instead just finishes his nod to Kelly. "Yeah, Kelly, Fae's great. See you soon!" He turns to Mallory with a quizzical look then, and adds, "I'll come back for my stuff later. I wasn't done with the drawing anyway." And with that, he lets Mallory lead him down the hall.