ArchivedLogs:Pot Calling the Kettle Black

Pot Calling the Kettle Black
Dramatis Personae Kelly, Mallory	2013-11-17 Mallory catches a Kelly not going to bed like he was supposed to. And gets onto him for pushing himself too hard, despite her own bad habits lately. (Part of Infected TP.)
Location <XS> Foyer
Kelly is heading to his room. REALLY! No Really, honest! Two teachers have encouraged him in that direction, and just because he's heading in the /opposite/ direction does not mean he wont get there eventually, right? Besides, they ALSO told him to drink lots of water. And his bottle is empty. So clearly kitchen water is better than the bathroom water... And this is what finds the floral boy stalling yet again as he exits the elevator. There are two odd things about his appearance. He's in what has become his normal outfit, bare feet, sweatpants, white T-Shirt ripped at the collar... but he is now absolutely saturated in dirt and grass stains. There are small little green scabs on his hands and fingers, as well, but most odd is that he had no color in his skin at all. He was white as a ghost and even his freckles were light grey spots instead of their usual red and pink. He even had a slight wobble in his step as he had a fresh layer of sweat on his face. But of course, he's a teenager. And teenagers are invincible! Especially teens that run away from home and survive the ZOMBIEAPOCOMG! Classes are to resume again on Monday, and that means lesson plans and paperwork need to be handled, with worksheets and updated curriculum to be handed out. Not to mention the addition of needing to learn sign language as well. That, it seems, is exactly what Mallory is doing as she exits the Library at a quick pace, her attention held by the book balanced carefully in her right hand, while her left hand moves through a series of signs in quick succession. A basic greeting, moving quickly into a combination of finger spelling and signed words, an introduction and explanation of sorts, it would seem. Hoof falls echo through the foyer, the brisk clicking sound a fairly regular occurence through the halls of the school of late. She is dressed in a vaguely business casual look, with a long black skirt that falls just to the tops of her hooves, paired with a deep purple sweater top, cinched at her waist with a thin black belt. Her mouth moves along with the words, but the sounds are not English. After a moment, Mallory realizes that she is not alone in the foyer, and she glances up at Kelly in confusion. "Kelly?" Mallory asks quietly, pausing in her march across the foyer to destinations unknown. She looks over him cautiously, a frown drawing the corners of her lips into a tight line, "Are you feeling well?" "Ms. Winthrop." Kelly says with a bright smile. He is in a good mood, but it has a sort of drunken edge to it. The boy does not, however, smell of alcohol, so it may just be exhaustion. "I'm ok! Promise. Just going to fill up my bottle." He said, and at least he was telling the truth about the bottle, holding up the massive water bottle that must weigh a ton when it's filled. He wobbles a little as he walks closer and tries to sign a few things when he notices she was. BUT... he's not very good yet. Hello! Being the only thing legible in the entire attempt. Mallory closes her book with a practiced motion, tucking it under her arm securely as she regards Kelly with a skeptical look. "Are you looking for the kitchen, in that case?" she asks quietly, stepping forward a few paces and pausing, glancing back in the direction of the kitchen - the opposite way of where he seems to be heading. Her hands move with a slightly jerky motion as she signs the phrase along, and she seems to need to concentrate on the movements. "I believe that a vast majority of the school is having difficulty. Myself included," comes the response, a hint of consternation in her tone, a frown on her features. "I was just going to go see if there was perhaps anything to eat," Mallory offers, crossing an arm over her stomach to be able to grasp the opposite elbow - if Kelly were closer, it is likely he'd be able to hear the not-so quiet somach rumblings from the librarian, "Would you care to walk to the kitchens with me?" "Oh, sure." Kelly said, looking a little confused and righting his path. "Oh, and you'll be able to see them, then!" he added with a bright tone in his voice, a very very proud tone. Triumph! Even his waddle picked up a skip in his step. His own stomach would rumble, too, but not very loudly. He was one of the students that was cleared for extra rations due to caloric need, and today was the first day he actually accepted it, even if did feel like a guilty heel at the time. "It makes a buncha sense, don't it? But, well, my fingers don't wanna do what I tell them to half the time, and the other half the time..." he frowns as he was trying to sign the sentence, too, only to raise his hands up to show that his vines from each hand had wiggled together into a knot, making the boy walking just ahead of the teacher look like he was doing so in handcuffs as he tried to untangle. "See them?" Mallory asks, following along a few steps behind Kelly, making sure their path remains on course to the kitchens. "This is the first language I've encountered that I have had difficulty learning, honestly. It should make sense, but occasionally, words just fail me. Not something I am accustomed to," Mallory confesses with a faint grin, still attempting to sign what she can, fingerspelling the rest. She smiles and nods in understanding at the tangled vines, "Oh, yes, I imagine that would make it considerably more troublesome to sign." Her own walking seems to have a slight hitch to it, as though she were not as steady in her balance as she had been of late, and her stomach voices its concern once again. "Apologies," she sighs over the decidedly unprofessional growling, making the sign for 'sorry' as she walks. "Are /you/ ok?" The chubby boy asks next, looking down at the hitch and then at the stomach. "You don't need to be sor- uhm... you don't need to feel bad for being hungry, I think we all are." Kelly gives the demonic librarian a long considered glance as they drew close to the Kitchen, and then bit his lip and added: "I know you've been doing a lot for us, a lot more than you had to, but you have to take breaks, too, don't ya? Now that schools going to start back I'd hate for you to get sick just as things are starting to look up." Of course, this was a little bit of the pot calling the kettle black. "And yeah, them. I've been working on them all day with Ms. Munroe. We got /three/ baskets done, and I'm going to try again tomorrow!" Mallory frowns, and shakes her head, eyes closing, "I am not getting ill, just... being stubborn, I suppose. Thank you for your concern, though. My body doesn't handle hunger well, but, I am not comfortable depleting the food stores when there are students who need it more." The long glance reveals that Mallory is beginning to look a bit more gaunt, a bit more tired - without the comfortable roundness of the extra weight she usually boasts, it is fairly easy to see the family resemblance between her and Thomas. She also appears to be favoring her left leg as she walks, just enough to be notable, but not enough to slow her down on the trip to the kitchen. There's a laugh and a broad smile at the mention of taking breaks, "I take breaks, yes, on occasion. Even teachers sleep sometimes. Most of us, anyway." A confused smile on her lips at the excited talk of success, but she nods, apparently connecting the dots, "Oh! You are assisting with some of the gardens? That is very kind of you." Now it is her turn to look over Kelly with a concerned eye, appraising his state, "You are not pushing yourself too hard with this, are you?" The short answer, and obvious answer is absolutely. Kelly is not supposed to be doing his impression of a black and white movie, and the lack of freckles is a first for him. "Nuh-uh" he insists, but the many little cuts on his fingers and the fact that he can barely manage a straight line walking tells a different story. "I know I could have gotten those cucumbers done, too, but Ms. Munroe sent me to my room." But Kelly's eyes are still proud when he looks up at her. "I've been skipping meals, too, so I guess I understand. When they told me to eat extra rations I just couldn't do it. I mean, you try being the fat kid with a double plate while everyone else is going hungry. This is like the only thing I can do to prove I'm not just taking up space here. Heck, Ms. Isra got /hurt/ because of me..." And then with a bit of a memory of a previous meeting, he looks away a little ashamed. "I was even getting in the way with you and Mr. Suresh. With so many kids that really belong here, and so many of you grown ups getting hurt trying to help them, making it through this healthy when I'm just the extra loud you got stuck with the day before the world ends... well, I just don't' think its fair." "Uh huh," Mallory says, gently adjusting her course to herd Kelly back towards the kitchens, avoiding a wall, "Ms. Munroe is right to have you pace yourself, Kelly. /Especially/ if you have been skipping meals." She sighs, shaking her head, "Please stop that, by the way. You are still a growing young man. With powers and abilities still developing. You /need/ the food, and if you have been assigned extra rations, then it is with good reason." Says the librarian who just admitted to skipping meals herself. "If you are uncomfortable eating double rations at meal time - they may be able to split them into meals, for you to space out over the course of the day. But you should, truly, be eating enough, please," Mallory says, with a quiet, concerned authority. The mention of the previous meeting, however, causes her to stop, a slight stumble at the sudden stop, "Oh, no. No, no. You are certainly not in the way, at all. And you have every right to be here, just as much as any other student at this school, just as much right to learn, and grow in a safe and nurturing environment. You /do/ belong here, Kelly. If anything it is unfair to you that we were not able to profide a warmer, smoother introduction to a new school." Mallory clears her throut, and shakes her head, looking at Kelly, "And with regards to Mr. Suresh. I really do apologize for leaving you alone that evening." The guilty look on her features seems to indicate the sincerity of the statement, as she continues, "Given how ill he was, I could not in good conscience leave him to roam, or leave him with you. He can be... difficult to keep track of, if he has an intention of being elsewhere. Additionally, his mutation has in the past reacted to mine in a way that would have been disastrous given that we were standing in the Conservatory at the time." Her nose crinkles at the memory, "You are not a burden, nor are you in the way, Kelly. You are a student here, and it is my responsibility to help you to learn and flourish here. I apologize for failing at that." When Kelly rounds the door and into the Kitchen proper, the three large wicker baskets that were filled today are in prime display, having been washed to be used for tomorrow's meals. Potatoes, Tomatoes, a lot of Peppers, and... Strawberries?! And all of them quite oversized. "It was ok, I'm used to being alone. I mean, I had to look out for myself for a long time. Guess that's why I feel guilty when people worry about me here, when you have kids like Sophie or Lia who couldn't make it on their own if they had to. First few days I thought it might even be better for you guys if I did run off again, one less mouth to worry about. But... I didn't want to be a bad example." He says still feeling a bit harsh on himself for that one, mumbling on his own failings. "Turns out it didn't matter, she ran off anyway. You stuck around and stuff, you didn't fail me on anything, honest." But the issues of powers quirks his brow. "What powers? I know Mr. Suresh is all bouncy with neat eyes... but I thought you were just... red and stuff, and with mutant word smarts or something?" Super Word Smarts. For a southern B student, it must be a power. As fancy as this girl talks. Mallory sighs at the talk of running off, shaking her head, "I am quite glad that you did not chose to run away. /All/ of our students are important to us. And we care greatly about your continued safety, as an institution, and as individuals." She offers a soft smile, "You started here at a difficult time. It is perfectly fine to be nervous. And we are looking for Sophie, and worried about her." The librarian does not offer the comfot of promising to find the other student alive - at this point, she doesn't even know enough to offer that. There is a visible wince at the question about powers, "Ah, right. You were not here during that incident. Mr. Suresh's abilities had malfunctioned previously - his abilities appear to be focused on the concept of light, and one aspect is not entirely unlike teleportation." Frowning, Mallory mulls over the next part, stepping back to lean against the door frame, "The physical manifestation of my mutations is the most obvious, yes. But..." she pauses again, swallowing as she tries to think of the right words, "The less obvious aspect is the transofrmation. I can... immolate into a form composed entirely of living flame." She mutters the last part, bowing her head as though ashamed of this aspect of herself, her tail lashing against the wall slightly. "Certain other mutants have shown an ability to trigger this transformation, involuntarily," Mallory explains further, moving to go get herself a glass of water, pouring a second one for Kelly as well, since he is apparently supposed to stay hydrated. As she walks past the baskets of vegetables, she smiles, offering an approving nod, "That," she says, with a gesture of a hand, her tone reverent, "Is absolutely amazing, Kelly. You grew those? Today?" "Immolate... fire...?" Kelly says stepping back from the teacher a bit intimidated all of a sudden. It's a real panic reaction there, and his right hand moves to cover his left hand in a ghost of pain remembered. He forces himself to relax and then to slowly accept the water with his right hand, but his bark plates have spread across his neck and arm defensively without him realizing it. "Sorry." He said, forgetting himself as he tries to get his brain back in the realm of the normal. "I'm, I'm really scared of fire. I, well, I burn really easy and... it takes forever to grow anything back someone burns it off..." said with the unfortunate voice of experience. But the compliment to the basket gets him to smile huge. "Uh-huh, I mean, it took all day and stuff, and they made me take lots of breaks, but I really wanted to do my best." He holds up one of his fingers, with a scab on it. "It only took a little of me to do it, each, you see." He frowns a little though as he examines them. "I hope they taste good, and, uhm, do you think it will be enough? I can try harder tomorrow, I'll try to make four, I won't give up so easy this time." But it appears there was a little desperation in his voice at the end. Mallory steps back, dropping her gaze when Kelly seems to panic, taking a long pull from her glass of water, "I understand completely." She frowns, and looks idly at her hand, lost in thought for a moment, taking several swallows of air before continuing, as though fighting back remembered pain. "Please don't apologize. Burning is agony - it is slow, and it is the worst pain I have experienced in my lifetime. I don't begrudge you being wary around me. Not in the least," it is said, with a tinge of sadness to it, as though this is a reaction she has expected and experienced before. A deep breath, and a heavy sigh, before she speaks again, smiling at the baskets again, "I'm certain that they will be wonderful. That said. Please do not over-tax yourself for this. Although the help is appreciated, know that if you need to stop, please stop, and it will be ok. You are a student first, and volunteering your powers to do this is not required. Especially if it is physically draining or harmful to you." She gestures to the vegetables, "Even half of this would be a bounty to help the school. Don't hurt yourself trying to do more. Rest, recover. Drink." She glances at the water bottle he carries, and then at the faucet, "You needed to refil your bottle, anyway. And then get back to your room to rest." "Ms. Winthrop?" Kelly says, as he walks over to the sink to fill up the bottle slowly. He makes a little bit of a mess as he does, the water splashing about. "You said it happens sometimes when you don't mean it. And... well sometimes I do things when I don't mean them too..." he says as he holds up an arm and the plates on them shrink back down to normal size. His voice is low and he's pushing himself to reach out for this one. Creeping just outside of his comfort zone. "I know you wouldn't mean it if you hurt someone, and... I don't mean it if I hurt your feelings when I do stupid things, either." But he then puts the cap back on his bottle and holds it with both arms to his chest, letting his vines wrap around it to tighten his grip. "But I guess with all three of you telling me to go to bed, I better." "Happened once without meaning it to. Once in a very long time. It is not a very volatile mutation," Mallory responds quietly, finishing off her glass of water in another long pull, attempting to quiet her stomach. She watches idly as Kelly fills the water bottle, "You didn't hurt my feelings, but reacting as you do is not a stupid thing, by any stretch. I would never intentionally harm someone, teacher or student. It is part of my job to make sure you have a safe learning environment, and I promise, I will do everything within my power to keep things safe for you and the other students." She stands, and nods, still maintaining a respectful distance, "Yes. You should go now. For real this time, if I am the third faculty member to tell you to go sleep. Come on. I'll walk you to the elevators at the very least."