ArchivedLogs:Sick Speculation

Sick Speculation
Dramatis Personae Liv and Jack
In Absentia	2015-11-08 "But they have a cure, right? Serg and everyone will be fine. Right?" (Relevant to Flu Plot)
Location <XS> Treehouse
Built by enterprising students of yesteryear, this treehouse has weathered generations of Xaviers' students coming up here to study -- or escape from studying. A cozy retreat, its wood planks are sturdy and well-sanded, fit snug together to keep out draft. Snacks occasionally find their way up here, and the roof keeps the rain off well enough to pass a night -- so long as the teachers don't catch any students at it. For anyone agile enough to make the jump, a lucky leap juuust might carry them from here to the school rooftop, so long as they're careful of the drop... It may be a lot colder this evening than it has been the past few days but there's still someone up in the treehouse this evening. Jack grabbed his dinner and retreated out to the treehouse to eat rather than stay in the Great Hall with the others. Dressed in worn jeans, old sneakers, and a school hoodie, the invisible teen's in the middle of folding some paper up. Aside from the finished food nearby, he's got about a dozen little oragami creations sitting near him. Birds, sharks, dragons, and even a flower or two. With her backpack slung over her shoulders, Liv climbs up the ladder to the treehouse. As her head peeks over the top, she comes face to face with origami critters. Which of course, leads her to realize she's not alone. And she has a pretty good guess who it is. She grunts slightly as she pulls herself up, slipping her backpack in front of her and pulling out a notebook and a sharpie. She flips open to a blank page and scribbles a quick note before turning it to face the floating clothes. ‘Hi Jack’ is all it says and she offers a faint smile before making her way to the wall and sitting down. Jack glances up at the sound of someone approaching, shoulders tense. He relaxes slightly when he sees its Liv. Finishing the latest creature, a paper frog, Jack picks up the pad and pencil he's had nearby as well. 'Hey, Liv' is written. 'What's up?' is added quickly under it. Liv pulls out the notebook out in front and scribbles down notes again. 'Good. Haven't seen Serg. Is he?' is held out in front of her again, her usual chipper attitude muted and subdued by genuine concern. It probably wouldn't be too hard to guess what exactly she's concerned about. Jack isn't very chipper either and when he sees that written question, the invisible teen reaches up to tug his hood a little. Jack starts writing a reply, erases it twice, and then finally prsents the message to Liv. 'Serg is sick. He should still be in our room.' Liv frowns again. 'Sick with WHAT?' is quickly scribbled down, the 'what' written larger with several lines underneath. She lets out a sigh, setting the notebook down as she leans up against the wall. She pulls her backpack in front of her and starts digging for school work while she waits for Jack's response. For a long while, Jack just stares at Liv. 'Didn't you see the news or the announcement from the Professor?' he writes the question, trying to delay the answer. He eventually turns his pad back around to slowly write an answer to Liv's question. 'I'm pretty sure its the zombie flu thing'. "Yes I saw the news! That's what I'm trying t-" Liv begins to rush out, before Jack's second paper and the sudden realization she's talking shuts her up. She presses her lips together and sets her notebook in front of her. 'Sorry' she scribbles down, holding it out as she thinks. cure'Was afraid of that. Has he seen someone yet?' Jack tenses when Liv starts speaking but she stops herself before he can write anything in reply. He just shakes his head in reply to the apology, letting out a breath as he writes something. 'He's been to Dr. McCoy like everyone sick was supposed to.' 'Well, I guess that's something,' Liv scribbles down on the next page. She stares absent-mindedly, holding the notebook in front of her as she's lost in thought a moment before taking it back and scratching down another sentence. 'How are those sign language lessons going for you?' she writes, a smiley face at the bottom. Somebody's gotta lighten the mood. The efforts to lighten the mood are met with a long, flat look. Jack takes a deep breath before he writes his reply. 'No one can see my hands or face which means I can't sign unless I get gloves and paint or a mask. So they're not going all that well.' He holds the pad up for a few moments before letting out a sigh and writing something else. 'I'm at least learning how to understand it. Sorry.' At least Liv tried. 'Yeah, learning to read it is useful," she writes, setting the notebook down as she digs a textbook from her bag. She props it up in her lap, flipping to the correct page before reclaiming her notebook and writing a new message. 'Sorry. Just been worried about Serg,' it reads, though there's a caret between 'been' and 'worried' with the word 'really' written above. 'I'm worried about him too' Jack writes, seeming to deflate as he does. His shoulders slump and his head hangs a moment. Eventually, he slowly writes out another message. 'Wish there was something I could do to help him and the others'. 'Yeah, me too,' Liv writes. 'Maybe I should visit? Or is he contagious?' She holds the notebook up for a few minutes before she sets it in her lap and starts doodling, just for the sake of doing something. Jack gives a helpless shrug as he starts writing again. His handwriting isn't as neat as it was when he started at this point. 'I think just not talking in English is all you need to do'. 'Doesn't do much for those already sick though,' Liv writes, her own handwriting becoming more...bland and less flourished than normal. 'What about you? Not feeling sick?' 'He'll still probably appreciate the visit. If you tell me ahead of time, I can try to make sure me and Cody aren't around.' Jack writes out with another shrug. When he's asked about, Jack offers a short and unenthusiastic laugh. 'No, not sick. Got checked out just to be safe too.' 'Yeah, I might do that. Haven't been checked out. Everything's crazy, don't want to add to it. Don't feel sick though,' Liv writes out, offering a brief smile, happy that at least /someone/ isn't sick. Jack starts to write something but ends up erasing it a few times. He spends a few moments just looking up at Liv before he finally gets a message down. 'I...wanted to make sure. Spent a lot of time in close contact with a lot of sick people. And ran into...two zombies.' Liv takes a few minutes reading his message, her eyes wide, apparently surprised by this revelation. She begins writing again, taking her time to choose the words. 'I'm sorry. That's terrifying. Glad you're ok.' The empty hood nods and Jack tenses up before he writes again. 'It wasn't hard to stop them. I just held them down until the cops got close but then all this started happening.' And a little below that in slightly smaller text. 'Scary as hell.' 'Yeah, scary as hell,' Liv agrees in written form. 'But they have a cure, right? Serg and everyone will be fine. Right?' she holds up, her eyebrows raised expectantly, as if waiting for some confirmation that all will be well from Jack. Jack's pencil stays motionless against the paper for a few moments as he considers his words. 'Yeah, there's a cure.' is all he eventually manages to write down. He isn't sure what else to write.