Viti and Aqua in the infirmary

[griot]

 Who: Viti and Aqua. I guess someone who happens to be in the infirmary could say something too.

What: Viti and Aqua talking the best they can, considering Aqua’s sick, and there are two walls of transparent, but hard plastic between them.

Where: The infirmary

When: Sometime during the same week as the District X new feed thread.

Rating: Don’t know. Above G.

Warnings: Image of a sick person.

 

Viti sat in a corner with one leg curled up the other was splayed out. He had a cell phone to his ear.

“Mom, I’m pretty sure I’m not sick.  The quarantine is just a precaution.”

There was silence as Viti listened to the response.

“I don’t know,” Viti replied with a rising tone. “I tried to tell them it was a misunderstanding, but they took me in anyways."  More silence.

“Well I guess, because, I was in the same room as someone who might have been sick.”

Viti had to pull the phone away from his ear, because, the voice coming out of it was so loud. His ear rung from being just a split second too late.

It took a few minutes before he could bring the cell phone close enough to speak. “Mom, he probably wasn’t sick. Besides I’m in the safest place in the world right now, even the CDC doesn’t have all the high tech gear and powers that the X-men have. You can’t take me out anyways…ok…ok…ok….I love you too, mom…and dad. I will talk to you later.”

Viti turned off his phone and sighed.  His head fell back in exhaustion. “Well, I hope Liir got my letter.” For minute he just sat in the corner of his room, letting the florescent light warm him. Eventually, he thought to stand up, and look through the clear plastic walls to see who might be quarantined with him. 

Comments

[griot]

Viti blinked bewildered. "Oh. That went better than I thought it would." He looked back to Aqua. He took a deep breath.

"Ok then. How do we go about this mastery. Do I mediate, do I concentrate? Do I just think?"

[aquawayfinder]

"All of those, and more, in the right times. For now, attempt meditation. Do you require instruction?"

[griot]

Viti gave a sharp nod, as he sat up in bed. "Yes please. A lot of people throw the word 'mediation' around all the time, but I don't know what it really means."

[aquawayfinder]

She nodded. "Sit on the bed, however is comfortable, and close your eyes.

[griot]

Viti curled his legs Indian style, placed his knuckles on his knees, and opened his hands. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It was how he always saw mediation in the movies, but he still felt unsure.

[aquawayfinder]

"Listen to my voice, picture only what I tell you to picture, if you need to answer me, do so minimally. We shall begin. What is your favorite color?"

[griot]

"Purple." Viti bit his tongue so he wouldn't do anything else.

[aquawayfinder]

"How does purple make you feel?"

[griot]

Viti took another deep breath. He had to resist the urge to scratch his head. His eyelids pressed hard to stay closed, as he thought about what he specifically liked about purple.

"It makes me feel...satiated, and at home. I don't know why."

[aquawayfinder]

"Good. Focus on that then," she said softly. Picture the place you feel most comfortable, most at home, see that place, feel it around you."

[griot]

Viti imagined a wonderful place.

"It's almost night. It's a kind of a dark purple, before the stars come out. There's palm trees, tropical birds, little dragons, but it's cool out. There's no people here, but the animals talk to me. They tell me where the books are."

[aquawayfinder]

"Don't tell me... just picture it. Be there in your mind. Feel the breeze, scent the air, hear the sounds, and let it all just envelope you."

[griot]

Viti took a moment to saver his vision. He smiled in serenity, but his smile gradually faded. His breath started to deepen, he had to press his eye lids down harder. His open palms started to close into fist.

[aquawayfinder]

"Focus," she said. "Focus on the place, on the way it makes you feel. Keep that, hold that."

[griot]

Viti's gritted his teeth, his knuckles began to turn white, he growled slightly, but slowly let out another deep breath. His muscles began to loosen, his body began to relax, but not for long.

His thoughts came back with a vengeance. He growled like a beast, all his muscles tensed. He gripped hi hair, he gritted his teeth again to stop from yelling.

"Someone knock me out! It's after you, it's after you."

[aquawayfinder]

"Calm down," she said firmly, pulling to her feet and walking to the divider. "There is nothing here but you and I. Nothing after us. Calm," she ordered. "Control."

[griot]

"I can't...I can't..." Viti seemed paralyzed in an angry state, with all his muscles pulling against each other. The strain showed on his face. He stayed there a moment, then suddenly relaxed.

He gasped. His head fell, his arms collapsed, and his eyes burst open.

"That was just bizarre. I get that you told me not to say what I was seeing, but you have to understand that my power wasn't just trying to know a few words about you this time, it was trying to open the book on your life."

Viti leaned back again. "I think I stopped it though. So we're ok."

[aquawayfinder]

"Normally I would push to explore, so you can learn how to stop it without pain, and eventually without undue effort, however, given the illness, this is not the time to practice that.

[griot]

Viti narrowed his eyes. "So this virus makes is harder to use your mutant power. That is very suspicious." Viti growled.

"Well then it would be wise for you to rest." The boy looked out of his cell, with his arms crossed over his heart.

"I haven't had much luck forming my cure team, but as soon as I get out of here I will keep at it. I promise one way or another we're going to fix you up?"

[aquawayfinder]

"That is not what I said. In my personal experience, using my mutant abilities has hastened the onset and increased the severity of the symptoms. That is a sample size of one. I want you to be careful, in case the use of mutant abilities does trigger these things in people other than myself as well. However, even if it does, it could be natural."

"Think of it this way. Imagine people born without eyes. Just imagine if half the people in the world were born not just blind, but without eyes. To them we have powers and abilities that they do not have. We can see. We can blink, we can do things they have trouble even imagining."

"Now imagine there is..." she tried to think of how to say it, "On my island we call it puff eyes. Well... that's a close translation. It is an illness that sometimes makes eyes itch and swell until they are nearly or fully closed. There are people in this theoretic world with no eyes that might resent us. It could seem suspicious that this illness only attacks those with eyes, but it is simply because in the others there is nothing to attack. It is still a natural ailment, no one set it upon us."

"So too with this. Even if using mutant powers triggers a worsening in most or all who are ill, that makes not it suspicious, because it might be tied to the DNA that makes us mutants, or to some muscle or abilities that lets us use our powers that they lack."

"There are plenty of people working to cure this. Do not take the weight upon your shoulders. You are yet untrained and young. Focus first on mastery. Rushing always forward when there are others to do that while you learn will only make your road harder."

[griot]

Viti snapped.

"What kind of sick Fuck would I have to be to just let you die, huh?! What kind of sociopath lunatic does that, watches a person die and does nothing!? I sure as hell wish someone recklessly charges in to save my life when I'm in danger!"

Viti's had nearly lept out of bed he was so angry. His heart was pounding, and his body was ready for war, but then suddenly the bright red in his face started to drain. His angry scowl started to fade, and he realized...

He had a tear in his eye.

He realized he had just shouted at someone who could be dying. He looked away feeling too guilty to face the person he just shouted at.

It took time before he could speak again.

"Maybe it's all just as well. No one wants to work with me. Everyone's happy pretending this virus doesn't exist.Maybe I should to..."

[aquawayfinder]

"Swearing will get you nowhere, and getting worked up will not help you. You wish to learn Mastery, then master yourself. Speak to me again, when you are ready to be calm."

That said, she closed her eyes and sank into her own meditation.

[griot]

The 13 year old boy's mouth dropped. His feelings occelated between anger, at pouring his heart out and having it thrown into his face, and, guilt for just having shouted at a friend who was dying.

With a huff he turned his back on Aqua and wound his arms tightly over his chest. His thoughts moved to angry places. He dwelled on the failures and frustrations he accumulated since coming to the institute. He thought how no one would listen to him about the disease, how he could not save even one life, and he amassed angry rivals without even meaning too.

As his mind became a darker place, he curled his knees closer and closer to his chin, and tightened his arms around his body. By the time he had concluded he hated the world and everyone in it, he had become a perfect sphere of bitterness. Hot tears began to run over his cheeks, and wet his pillow. He quivered.

Then his eyes suddenly bulged. He turned around.

"Ah Professor Aqua. Sorry to bother you when I am not feeling calm, but my powers are starting to go haywire. Can I have help?"

[aquawayfinder]

She had been waiting for him to find control, or ask for help. She had not expected him to have an issue with his powers, but she would not leave him suffering.

"What is wrong, and how does one help?"