Logs:Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;
Dramatis Personae Akihiro, Ace, Harm, Leo	2023-01-22 "I think you’ve got a fan."
Location <NYC> The Bazaar - Flushing
This was once a Flushing office building that rented to startups, rapid growth industries, and fly-by-night operations who don't want any questions asked. After a change of ownership and abandoned plans to convert it into luxury condos, it has lain largely empty, and as of late the local community has reclaimed the space to convert it into an immense indoor marketplace. The lobbies are packed with food vendors and the hallways lined with kiosks selling a dizzying variety of goods, flea-market fashion. Various offices are given over to groups of merchants selling similar wares: one dedicated to books, another to computer components, and a rather popular one selling (perfectly legal) weapons...at least during the day. Rumor has it that the Bazaar's night market is becoming the go-to place for trade in illicit goods. But night or day, the place is bustling with activity, noisy and raucous commerce in many languages (though predominantly Mandarin and Spanish). Chances are, you can find anything your heart desires here...if you're willing to pay the price. It's a boisterous day -- through all of Flushing's Chinatown, but especially here in the lively Bazaar. The stalls and hallways have been garnished liberally with red and gold streamers, paper lanterns shaped like cutesy cartoon rabbit heads, spring couplets framing doorways. The pop-up stalls are hawking tikoy, banh chung, lumpia, niangao, roasted melon seeds candied fruits, fish of all kinds. The market is crowded, a mostly amiable jostling of humanity up against each other in a bustle of commerce and festivity. Drifting through the market, Leo has for the most part been given a conspicuously wide berth, a sea of calm in the crowd as most people choose to skirt wide around him rather than get too close. Most, but not all -- here a young woman with baby in her arms, there a teenager with his elderly grandmother, there a shopkeeper hastening out from their stall to tug on his sleeve -- every so often there are, just as conspicuously, those who choose to approach him with quiet-pleading requests and the slightly-frightened slightly-awed look of supplicants approaching an altar. For all that, Leo himself certainly doesn't, in a vacuum, look much like he should inspire this reverence. Dressed in a silver-gray car coat over a mandarin color shirt in wave-patterned gradient of red microdots on black, nearly scarlet at the crest of each wave, dark gray fine-waled corduroy trousers, and black chelsea boots, he's just been meandering, taking in his surroundings with an unaffected wide-eyed delight. In one hand he has a small plastic bowl half-full still of ube tangyuan -- his other hand had a shopping bag that has now been shifted to the crook of his arm. He's just now dabbing at his chin with a napkin to mop up a stray drip of syrup as he moves closer to a display of jade bangles (this shopkeeper is staring at him with a mixture of horror and disgust that has not quite resolved into the bravery to simply tell him to leave. Leo seems content to fully ignore this reaction.) "-- she isn't such a big -- fancy? Jewelry? person," he's telling his companion, a little fretfully. "But she does dress up sometimes, so maybe..." This mostly just trails off into a very earnest contemplation of a slim and simple bangle. “Yeah, something practical feels safe.” Akihiro says with a slight nod, most of his attention devoted to finishing the fish he’d picked up without getting any on his red cardigan or the black button down beneath it. “I’m honestly awful at getting gifts, usually default to alcohol or money. It feels like something that should get easier as you get older, but I guess you never really outgrow overthinking.” Harm is easy to miss here, just one Chinese teen in the overwhelmingly Asian crowd. Like most of that crowd they are decked out in new clothes for the new year, a red brocade vest with gold dragons and phoenixes over a black tunic and with thin red piping, and brocade shoes that match their vest. They have a row of bright red candied tomatoes on a skewer, but has completely forgotten about this treat at the moment in favor of staring at Leo. They stay rooted in place until Akihiro and Leo have walked past, but then hastens to catch up. "Hi -- hey, um," they say, too quietly to be heard over the crowd, then shuffles a couple of steps to move into Leo's peripheral vision. "Hi," they say again, louder. "Um. Happy new year...sir?" Alice finds herself walking in chinatown rather than in a park where she would usually spend her time alone for some fresh air away from Xavier’s Institute. She was intrigued by the many festivals taking place in this area, especially the one that is being held for the Chinese New Year. She probably stands out the most from the crowd like a sore thumb, her hair being strangely divided in black-white. Of course she had to hide this to wear a dark hood to cover most of her hair, but some strands of hair can still be seen hanging off from the hood. She mostly browsed around seeing whatever catches her eyes, sighing as she only has enough cash to buy a couple of stuff. Alice then sees another from the Institute, but decides not to interact with them yet. She also sees another figure, one that the government constantly rumours about with infamy but Alice doesn’t completely buy their stories. She caught her sights of Leo and she watched closely from a distance while hiding in the crowd. However her very appearance makes her rather inept at it. "Practical," Leo echoes, with a slow nod as if this is Very Sage Advice he is taking in. "Money is traditional, but it isn't quite -- you know --" His eyes haven't quite left the bangles -- not until Harm shows up in his periphery, and he straightens with a small and owlish blink. Until he's caught good sight of them he's reflexively shifted just a touch closer to Akihiro -- though relaxes when he actually looks at the teenager trying to get his attention. His gaze is at first very intent -- but then eases into just a mild perplexity. "Hello," he says, first, uncertain, and then, a little bit warmer, in a very Filipino-accented Mandarin: "{Happy New Year.} Can --" This has slipped back into uncertainty. "-- I help you?" “In my experience, women love pointy things too.” Akihiro offers when Leo falls quiet, shifting as well so he’s between Harm and the other man. “Happy New Year.” The teenager is given a quick once over before he relaxes as well. “I think you’ve got a fan, you bring a pen for autographs?” Harm smiles nervously when Leo turns his attention to them, and their relief is obvious at his greeting. "{I wish you health and good fortune!}" they blurt in rapid and precise if slightly disused Mandarin. "Oh, I don't um --" They blush at Akihiro's comment. "I just wanted to say. I think you are so amazing and brave. You inspired me to learn to use my -- abilities. To help people. Not that I can compare..." They blush deeper, then bows deeply. "{Thank you.}" "Are there good -- pointy things here? There must be, they have everything here." Leo for just a second looks like he might distract himself into slipping off in search of a Pointy Thing, but good manners kick in and compel him to stay in place. Though it's his turn to blush, now, deep red flooding his tan cheeks. He bows his head to Harm, though he's lifting his free hand as if to ward off the compliment. "Health I have plenty of," he says -- just a little self-consciously. "I like to think anyone who could do what I can would try to help, too. I'm -- very glad if I was an --" He stumbles just a hair on, "-- inspiration. It's not something that needs to be compared. I'm just glad when -- our people can be comfortable with who we are." His nose crinkles just slightly at Akihiro; he gives the other man a small and wry smile. "Autograph isn't usually what people are asking me for. Honestly, it's a little bit of a relief when they aren't actively dying." Though now he looks a bit abashed, a bit apologetic, peering once more at Harm -- "Oh. You aren't dying, are you?" “I would be genuinely surprised if we can’t at least find a decorative jian here.” Akihiro’s attention breaks away to look over the nearby stalls and vendors to see if anything catches his eye. “They don’t smell sick. Could be wrong though, a lot of people and foods out.” Almost an afterthought he adds, “I should probably learn mandarin too.” "I don't think I'm dying." Harm pauses, their dark eyes briefly losing focus. Then they say, much more confidently, "I'm not dying. But it's not that easy to be comfortable --" Their eyes go wide and earnest. "Sorry, you don't need me telling you that! I just mean it seems like it should be easy for me. I can heal people." They drop their voice just a touch on the last few words. "It's not easy, though, and I was afraid to for a while. But I'm not going to let that stop me anymore." They clasp their hands together, brows wrinkling thoughtfully at Akihiro. "You can smell sickness? Are you helping him..." They waggle their fingers vaguely at the people around them. "...help people?" Alice was watching people dancing in extravagant costumes, quite a lot resembling the Chinese Dragon. With the little bit of money she has in her wallet, she buys herself bubble tea, having never tried it before and wanting to see what does taste like. She finds Chinese culture and cuisine fascinating. After remaining mostly alone in the parade, she decided to break the ice with Harm and approach them, knowing this moment must be special for them. "Hey Harm, Happy New Year." The girl with yin-yang hair wishes. "I would teach you, but much to my grandmother's dismay, my Mandarin is terrible." Leo does not sound particularly dismayed, at least. "She would like a pretty sword --" He sounds thoughtful here, though he isn't leaving the jewelry just yet. He's looking at Harm with what looks like a genuine admiration. "You can heal people?" Following Harm's lead, his voice has dropped as well, but there is a distinct touch of awe in it. "That is amazing. I have --" There's a twinge of something deep, pained, that crosses his face, but he pushes it back quickly. "-- wished, often, that I could. These things are often not easy," he acknowledges sympathetically. "But the world is lucky to have you." He straightens -- arms folding a little closer to him, body angling just a little bit back, when Alice comes closer. His expression has shifted, a little more closed off, a little more neutral, head tipping in a small nod of greeting. "A friend of yours?" He ventures cautiously. “Sometimes.” Akihiro nods towards Harm. “It’s less I can smell sickness, and more I have the sense of smell of a bear. That’s only a secondary mutation though, primarily I heal myself.” He explains, falling silent himself when Alice approaches, eventually offering a slight nod and a “Happy New Year.” "It's hard, and it hurts, and I can't like...get rid of a disease." Harm deflates just a little. "But I'm going to get better at it." They blink at Akihiro. "Wow, that sounds very cool, but also maybe very...not cool, depending on where you are." They notice Alice approaching and waves. "Oh hey! Happy New Year!" Then to Leo and Akihiro they add, "Oh, yeah this is my classmate." "Hi, nice to meet you too" Alice also greeted Leo, and decided to remove her hood, revealing her hair. She also appears to have heterochromia, her left eye being dark brown while her right is light grey, matching the whole Yin-Yang theme her mutation naturally provides. "So what have you guys been up to?" She asks out of curiosity, clueless to whatever they've been discussing before Alice showed up. "So," Leo says to Harm with just a hint of warm amusement, "what you're saying is, by our powers combined --" This fades into a reserve, a closed-off puzzlement as Alice greets him -- he looks a little bit like he's not certain if he is being trolled, studying the teenager with a brief furrowing of brow before responding, with a delicate outward tilt of his hand at the elaborate New Year festivities around them, "-- enjoying the New Year." There's a pause just long enough to be awkward as he looks from Alice to the sea of Asian faces around them, back to her, "-- and -- you?" “So, there’s a physical cost to using it?” Akihiro asks harm. His gaze bounces between the two before he mouths a silent, ‘ah’. “I assume you go up in Westchester then? Last I heard my biological father was working up there as some sort of pe teacher, pretty sure he ran off to live in the woods or something though. Surprised Charles let’s him around kids in the first place.” Alice immediately felt awkward too. She only said "hi how you're doing" and already she's getting that look from Leo. She only just started interacting with others and already she feels like stopping and getting out of here. "Just... exploring Chinatown because it's New Year and I was curious... and I'm here mainly because I saw my classmate Harm...". She shrugged and slightly mumbled her voice, having no better reason to why she's here. Gosh this is embarrassing. Harm bounces onto their toes. "Oh wow, I would love to work with you!" Then un-bounces, blushing sheepishly. "...if that's a thing you actually do. And not like, a joke." They glance at at Akihiro with that last, as if hoping for some clue, though maybe they're just considering, "I guess it is a cost. But it's worth it, right?" Their eyes widen again, flicking between Alice and Leo. They lower their voice again to ask their classmate, hushed and awed, "Do you know who this is?" "I would not joke about this," Leo replies, seriously. His brow wrinkles again, in mild concern. "I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself, but if we can be careful -- the clinics that I work at, we often get patients who --" His lips compress, briefly. "Even some small stabilization, after I clear the disease out, would have -- would help some people's chances, a -- lot." His voice is softer, here, his expression just a touch more distant. He swallows, expression a touch guilty as his cheeks flush. He dips his head in acknowledgment, just a small incline. "This is -- the best day for exploring here. I hope you've found --" He trails off, eyes shifting down as Harm asks Alice about him, looking away from Alice, away from all the others as he eats his last tangyuan, long gone cold, now. "... you make your father sound like some kind of a feral cat," he murmurs to Akihiro, his amusement only a little stilted. “There’s definitely a reason they call him the Wolverine.” Akihiro replies with a grin before adding to Harm, “As long as it isn’t actively killing you or anything like that. For me I just get extra hungry when I heal.” The grin returns when Harm asks Alice if she knows who Leo is. “I almost miss when I was was that popular. Last I went home they were still telling scary stories about the Immortal Hanayama.” Alice looks at Leo. She does know a little bit about him, mainly from hearing all those frightening rumors about him and capabilities on the internet. "Well.. yeah, I guess. I heard he's the guy who can create pandemics on a whim. I've also heard other crazy things about him, but I wonder if they're all true. Can't believe everything you read, right?" "Oh man, we have a teacher called 'The Wolverine'? I have got to figure out which one it is." Harm bites their lower lip. "It's just pain. I mean, it's not that different from like, donating blood. Anyway, my name is Harm. Harmony Sun." They fish a small spiral notebook with a pen stuck in it from their bag and starts scribbling. Then stops to blink at Alice's question. They look from Alice to Leo and then back again. "I...no?" They tear the page they'd written on from the notebook and offer it to Leo, blushing deep, deep red. "Here's my number I'm sorry this is weird please let me help!" comes out in a tumble, after which they turn to Alice. "Come on, I can show you some cool stuff!" As they usher their schoolmate back the way they'd come, Harm waves at Leo and Akihiro. "Happy year of the rabbit!"