ArchivedLogs:A Prayer for Light

A Prayer for Light
Dramatis Personae Aloke, Micah	12 January 2014 Aloke checks in on the situation with Jax's family while he's in prison.
Location <XS> Aloke's Room – FL3
This is standard teacher's suite at Xavier's, in form at least. A little more expansive than the shared student dorms a floor below, this suite includes a small sitting room, a small bedroom, and a small private bathroom. The sitting room has been made into a fairly cozy space. Just inside the door is a small side table set by itself in a relatively prominent position in the room, where one could easily visit either on the way in, or out. A skilled, hand-painted, 8x10 image of Lakshmi sits on the table, leaning against the wall. Just in front of the painting is a shallow, silver bowl of water with brightly colored flower petals floating on the surface. The bowl is flanked a pair of white candles. Also in the room is a small, square, dark wood table with two upholstered, antique style chairs. In the other corner is a loveseat, a recliner chair, and a small ottoman that looks like it can probably store things inside. The sitting area is placed on a large round rug, done in blues and oranges to resemble a star sand mandala. A rolled up blue foam yoga mat is trying to hide behind the loveseat as well. The room is otherwise unadorned. It's late morning and Aloke has been tidying up his place, partly out of habit, and partly because of his appointment with Micah this morning. Aloke himself is dressed in loose fleece pants, some cozy looking socks, and a long sleeved shirt. He's also wearing glove liners, all of which is shining through with his luminescence, and probably explains why he's so covered up indoors. He has a light layer of stage makeup on as well, which is not a perfect match to his skin tone, but does make it at least possible to look at him while speaking. This creates an odd effect however, in that under his hair his scalp is shining as brightly as ever, making an almost halo-like effect around the back of his head. He glances at his phone when a text message announces that Micah is on his way up, so Aloke puts the kettle on and sets out a tray of digestive biscuits on his little coffee table. The text message is followed up rather quickly by a tentative knock at the door, or rather three in a row, but all soft. Micah is standing on the other side with that 'not sure whether this is the right door' posture of someone visiting a new place. His auburn hair is a touch spiky from having air dried after a shower earlier in the morning. He wears an emerald green button-down shirt with a pattern of lighter green leaves embroidered on it here and there, buttoned up all the way to the top with the collar standing up smartly. The shirt is tucked, somewhat contrastingly, into a pair of faded blue jeans with a patch over the left knee in a pleasant shade of aubergine. His arms are full of outdoor gear (olive puffy coat with pockets over-stuffed from hats and gloves, one overflowing with his long candy corn striped scarf), and his weight is rocking back and forth over the soles of his feet in dark brown hiking boots. Aloke goes to the door and opens it, offering Micah a hesitant smile. "Micah, thanks for coming." Aloke reaches out and pulls Micah into a long hug, before finally stepping back and inviting the man in. "I have some Assam almost ready, if that sounds ok? But, come in, please. Can I take that stuff for you?" Micah steps in and returns the hug fiercely, his expression turning wistful at the glow emanating from Aloke's skin. “Hi, honey. Thanks for havin' me.” He relinquishes the coat with another soft thanks, taking only one more step away from the door before sinking into a crouch to remove his boots out of habit. “Assam sounds lovely. Always nice to have a warm drink after bein' out in the cold, though I'm sure the natives here would scoff at what I'm callin' cold,” he posits with a hint of a smile. "Shoot, it's cold enough for /me/," Aloke says, draping Micah's jacket up on the coat rack by the door. He also doesn't object to Micah removing his shoes. Aloke bustles over to his little kitchenette area, hands the tray of biscuits to Micah, and turns back just as the kettle starts to make noises of being done. He pours two cups and sets them on a tray with a sugar bowl. He sets it down with a clink on the coffee table, and says apologetically, "The biscuits are vegan, but all I have is regular milk." He signs 'I'm sorry' and shrugs. After leaving his shoes at the door, Micah moves further into the room. He accepts the tray, again with soft thanks, taking one biscuit from it before placing the remainder onto the coffee table. “Oh, don't apologise, sugar. This is all real nice. Jax is the vegan, so I mostly just /cook/ vegan an' eat what he does out of habit an' convenience. I'm a total omnivore, though.” His grin as he imparts this information is just a shade sheepish. "Oh, well ok then," Aloke says with a smile which flickered a little at the mention of Jax, but he tries to keep a brave face. He doubles back to the tiny fridge in his kitchenette and retrieves the little carton of half-and-half to set it down with the tea. He adds a little sugar and creamer, stirs it and takes a sip. "I'm really glad you could come. Do you have time to sit for a minute?" He gestures to the chair and love seat. Micah also adds a touch of sugar and half and half to his tea, the creamer serving primarily to chill it to a drinkable temperature. “Oh, yeah, I can sit a spell. Actually got the day off of work today. Promised the boys a Snow Day, thankfully minus the snow. Just gonna sit around in pajamas an' watch TV an' eat a lotta food. Rasa came up an' slept over last night, so I just had t'bring hir back down after crazy-big breakfast.” Truth to tell, Micah probably still smells of cooking it, mostly garlic and onions and cumin and turmeric clinging to his skin. “They're gonna have the viewin' schedule all lined up by the time I get back.” At the prompting, he moves to take a seat in the corner formed by the back and arm of one side of the love seat, settling in carefully with his tea so as not to spill. Aloke ends up putting himself in the recliner, folding his legs under himself as if this may indeed be his most favorite perch in the whole world. The chair looks like it's practically molded to his shape at this point. He sips his tea and says, "That sounds like a really fun day. I won't hold you long. I'm sure you all really need this with everything that's happened. But I just wanted you to know... if you need /anything/. Anything. I'm here for you." Aloke clears his throat, sips his tea and adds, "You and Jax... and your family... I just, you're on my mind a lot. And I know you have a lot of supporters. But I want you to know you have me too. No matter what. All you have to do is call." The teacup lifts to Micah's lips for a sip, followed by a nibble of biscuit. "Thanks, hon. That actually means an awful lot. We got...fewer supporters'n y'might think. Goin' out in public at all's kinda...an experience. An' Spence is gettin' harassed at school. Even here, the twins couldn't...there was some trouble. On top of things already bein' rough, s'why they came back home. Would y'be able to collect their assignments an' all for 'em, ongoin'? Just shoot 'em each an e-mail at the end of the day on weekdays? I'm...not sure when they're comin' back in person. I'm gonna grab their books an' whatnot that they didn't take home already 'fore I head back out. S'likely an exercise in futility with Shane, but B would appreciate stayin' caught up, I'm sure. An' the distraction'd be a blessin' for 'em, too." Aloke nods as he listens to Micah, looking down when he talks about Spencer getting harassed as well. "I can't even imagine... All of this, /on top/ of trying to find somewhere new to live..." Aloke shakes his head, and then dips a biscuit in his tea before taking a big bite. He nods enthusiastically at Micah's request for homework though. "Oh, oh yeah, I can definitely get that for you. Consider it done. I'm sure the boys would rather keep busy." Aloke looks down for a long moment, before finally fixing his glowing eyes on Micah. "But, what about /you/ Micah? What do you need? How are you holding up?" Aloke unfolds and settles in to the love seat opposite Micah, tea cup still in hand. He has good balance! Not a drop spilled. Another sip of tea, another bite of biscuit precede Micah speaking once more. “It's...I kinda did drop the ball on the eviction thing for a minute. Small crisis took a back seat t'enormous crisis... I started back in on it last week, though. Got a law team workin' for a fair number of the folks in the buildin'. But most of us are just...fightin' on principle an' buyin' time 'til we can move out. Before all this we'd already decided t'set up a little...co-housin' community? Friendly t'people with special abilities. Prob'ly /primarily/ people with special abilities. One of our real close friends who's /also/ gettin' evicted's an architect. The guy who built The Mendel Clinic? So he's a huge help in findin' somethin' an' fixin' it up.” Micah nibbles again at the biscuit. “Thanks, honey, it's...reassurin' t'know that /some/ kinda normal can still go on for 'em. It's...the hardest part of alla this. The boys are just /crushed/ an' I don't know how t'make it better most of the time. Jax's their /world/ outside those labs, y'know? It's just...they got their whole world pulled out from under 'em an' they're still just /kids/. An' now Homeland Security's bugged our apartment so they don't even feel like /home/ is safe anymore.” He draws in a slow breath at Aloke's question of how he's faring, letting it out again slowly. “It's hard. I mean, just havin' 'im away is tearin' at me. The way it affects the boys is even worse t'watch. Then...just thinkin' of what might be goin' on with 'im... Was another legal battle. Just gettin' Jax fed vegan an' enough sugar an' /sunlight/ not t'die. Gettin' Dusk--he's our real close friend, /too/, the one they took after Jax--blood since he can't survive without it. They're lettin' Dr. Saavedro in t'tend 'em periodically. So at least they're not /dyin'/.” He shakes his head. “In the meantime, it's a lot of legal fees an' practical messes t'handle. The Clinic's treatin' Jax like he's out with an injury s'far as pay's concerned, so that helps. An' the school's helpin' out some with the legal fund. It's just...balancin' a lot. Not sure there's much else t'be done short of...Jax an' Dusk gettin' sent home.” Aloke listens raptly, holding his mug in both hands and folding himself into the opposite corner of the seat to better look at Micah while he speaks. His expression softens and empathizes at every step, but he doesn't say anything right away. "Well that's one thing at least. That they're getting the care they need. With something this high profile though, I'm sure they have to put this to a trial sooner rather than later." Aloke sets his tea down on the coffee table and folds his hands in his lap. "And I really can't see how Jax could be tried as a terrorist. I'm sorry, I don't really know your friend's story at all. But if he's a friend of yours, well..." Aloke shrugs his acceptance, at a loss for words. "I um..." His eyes flick to the small shrine by his door, and then back to Micah. "I hope you won't mind if I'm praying for you all. Jax and I talked about religion once. I didn't think he'd mind, but I... I don't like to without permission." He offers the gentlest of smiles, and reaches for his tea again. The biscuit stays at Micah's lips for a series of tiny mouselike nibbles. He leaves off of it to speak again. "I hope so. We're just...hopin' that with all the videos an' things that the real story comin' out will help. That...they can actually /get/ a trial an' /see/ the evidence. Ain't no real rules the government's gotta follow anymore once somebody cries 'terrorist' these days. They ain't even been allowed t'talk t'the lawyers I been sendin'." His lips thin, jaw tensing. He forces himself to take another swallow of tea and move on. "Dusk an' Flicker both. Though Flicker took off, so they don't /have/ 'im, at least. They...just helped Jax with breakin' folks outta those labs. S'the same story. Just took everyone in who was /there/ the time they got Vector out, too." His eyes track to the shrine with a small smile of his own. "No, honey, that's more than okay. S'real thoughtful. Can use...all the positive /anythin'/ we can get, I'm sure." Aloke rolls his eyes in agreement in how the phrase 'terrorist' gives such license. "I just don't understand why the general public isn't 'up in arms' about secret government facilities holding innocent Americans against their will. It's just... disgusting." Aloke shakes his head, but keeps his real anger in check, even as the light in his eyes swirls and focuses into hard, bright points. His tone remains soft though, gentle even. "Every little bit helps, right?" Aloke glances down, takes another sip, and adds. "Plus, I mainly pray to Lakshmi. The goddess of light, among other things, in Hindu. Sort of... seems appropriate for Jax." “Some sentiments started to change after the videos, but not all. Between people /wanting/ someone t'blame an' /not/ wantin' t'think about their government doin' such things? It's unfortunately too easy t'write off as lies from mutants, since that's what they're told t'expect. Then that press release from the government, flimsy as it was, gave them the 'oh, it's just a few isolated mistakes' excuse, even if it /were/ true.” Micah's head shakes, sighing down at his tea. “Yeah, everythin' that can help... Does seem like a way t'go for 'im.” He manages another small smile at this. Aloke holds his tea in one hand and reaches out to squeeze Micah's arm briefly before sitting back again. "You'll come through this, Micah. And so will Jax. I can /feel/ it. Just," Aloke sets his tea down again and says, "Just know that you're not alone. With whatever else and whoever else, I'm here too. Whatever you need." Micah pops the tail end of his biscuit into his mouth, just crunching quietly before washing it down with a swallow of tea. He brushes his fingertips over the back of Aloke's hand where it rests on his arm. “Thanks, honey. That's what I've been sayin' t'the boys. We just gotta b'lieve everybody's comin' home 'til we /can't/ b'lieve it anymore.” He nods at the repeated offer of assistance, setting his near-empty tea cup on the table. “Thanks again, hon. I should get goin', though. Boys're waitin' at home.” Aloke nods and stands, waiting for Micah to do the same, and then moving to where his coat is hanging. "I understand. Your boys need you." He pulls Micah into another warm hug, and then holds his jacket out to help the younger man into it. "I'll talk to their teachers too. See what I can put together for a to-do packet. Take care, Micah." Micah slips into the coat, zipping it up and wrapping his scarf 'round and 'round his neck, but saving the gloves and hat for when he is nearer the door to outside. "Thanks again, honey. S'a real help t'have one less thing t'worry about." He smiles with a little laugh at the 'take care' instruction. "I try m'best. Have a good rest of your day."