ArchivedLogs:After School Special

After School Special
Dramatis Personae Hank, Ross
In Absentia	2013-07-13 Ross learns why she is now purple. Let's hope she doesn't become a dinosaur.
Location <XS> Medical Lab
Gleaming and sterile, the school's medical facility is all cool science in contrast to the mansion's old-world old-fashion. All stainless steel and antiseptic tinge, the room is filled with the quiet whir-click of the various implements that comprise its medical equipment -- all state-of the art. The hospital beds are curtained off for privacy when they have patients, and in one of the alcoves there is a small operating theatre visible. More heavy-duty equipment is visible in the lab in the back, where the securely locked cabinets keep sensitive equipment out of the reach of teenage fingers. Lying quietly on a bed, thinking to herself, is Ross. Since her first and most recent visit with Doctor McCoy, she has changed exponentially physically. Her skin is now a straight purple color, her ears have begin forming slowly but noticably, and her chest has concaved several sizes. Wearing a pair of pajamas and no highlights, she hums slowly, still trying to get over her sudden physical changes. Hank McCoy has been busyBUSY these last few days. Getting a student to and from the hospital is just about any teacher's worst nightmare, multiplied by the complications of an advancing mutation. He emerges from his office to find the tray of coffee left for him by the kitchen staff, and sets his tablet down to fix a cup the way he likes it. When all is ready, he brings cup and tablet to the foot of Ross's bed, finally looking up from the digital charts and blood work to smile gently. "Well Ms. Bennet, the good news is that there aren't any further complication with your advancing mutation, but I am not at all convinced that the changes to your body are finished yet. What can you tell me about how you're feeling?" Ross looks up at him, making eye contact. Her voice is slightly soft and slow, mostly out of stress and anxiety. "I feel fine, Doctor McCoy..but..how exactly is this happening to me? How long will it happen to me? Will I be alright?". She sighs, tapping her foot on the bottom of the bed. She had also just called the Doctor by his title for the first time ever. Tapping at her wrist, she rocks slowly, anxious. "Am I going to die?" The barest lift of one eyebrow is Hank's only recognition of not being address as Dr. Smurf. He doesn't otherwise comment on that bit. His expression softens eve further, and he speaks quietly. "No Ms. Bennet, you're not dying. You're experiencing what we've come to call a secondary mutation. Many mutants retain a human appearance after their powers manifest. Others," Hank holds his tablet to one side and makes a short bow, "Like myself, for instance, mutate in stages. My own biology has been stable for years now, and I highly doubt anything else will change for me. But you're young, and mutation seems to be tied strongly to one's passage through puberty." Ross sighs, still shooken by everything. "How long will this take? When will it be done? Is there a cure? A treatment? Anything?". She begins flicking her wrist some more, which itches her to no end. Shifting her body for comfort, she looks at the doctor again. "Will I be like this forever? I don't..I don't want to be like this forever...a freak.". She sighs, brushing her hair back, and messing with her pointed ears. "I'm like, some sort of elf or something!" "Oh..." Hank closes his eyes for a moment and takes a deep breath, steadying himself against the torrent teenage emotions. He sets his tablet and coffee down on a nearby rolling table, and pulls up a seat next to the girl's hospital bed. "My dear, you are /not/ a freak. What you are, is 'different'. And there's nothing wrong with that. I know... you probably don't want to hear this right now, but you are /not/ sick. There's nothing to cure, no more than if you were blond or left-handed or gay. You were born a mutant, and it just took until now to see the details." Hank looks like he'd like to put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but he knows that's too dangerous. "There /is/ no normal. There never has been. That's just the language people have been using for millennia to single out those who look or act a little differently, to keep them down, and maintain power. You are beautiful and powerful just the way you are, Ross." The rare use of a student's first name may not stand out that much to the new girl, but it's significant, nonetheless. Ross begins rocking herself as he speaks. His words hit her strongly, as being possibly one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to her in her sixteen years of life. Rocking back and forth, she also takes a deep breath, before she replies. "That..is probably the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me, Doctor. So, what's going to happen next..am I going to grow wings? A tail? Claws? A snout? I just still can't understand how this happens...I was, well, not this before..and now..I'm this. And it all feels so strange.". She picks at her wrists again, sighing. Hank offers another gentle smile, and the barest of shrugs. "I'm sorry, Ross, I just don't know the answer to that. But I do know this: you're not sick. Which in turn means you are a healthy young lady, who should be out and about, catching up on her homework." He grins, showing off his mouth full of predator's teeth, in a gesture which is still somehow warm, the way he does it. He stands and retrieves his tablet and coffee. "But I want you to check in with me daily, even if it feels like nothing's changed. Daily... for the week or so. Ok?" Nodding, Ross sits up. "Doc, it'd seem my mutation came with an allergy to homework! I think we need to cancel it all, maybe classes.". She smirks as she says this, laughing internally. "Alright, I will. Can I...Can I go now?". She brushes her hair back, slowly getting up. Whatever is happening to Ross, she's not completely comfortable with it. But, she'll have to get used to it, and she realizes...purple actually is a really nice color.