10364/A Little Late Lunch

A Little Late Lunch
Date of Scene:	08 December 2019
Location:	Wellness Office - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	A late lunch in the Wellness Office turns into a discussion on healing, and common points between the healing gifts of Chris and Shannon. Could her gifts be entering a second phase?
Cast of Characters:	Nightingale, Triage

---

Nightingale has posed:
     Sunday lunch around the mansion was a more relaxed affair than during the week, with some students and faculty heading into town with friends to check out the local foodie scene. Not everyone had the means or preference to do so, however--Shannon was one of these. It turned out to be something familiar, comforting, and still fun for lunch that day. What could that possibly be, you might ask? Well... it's....

     ...tacos! Yes, those heavenly little corn shells filled with meat, cheese, and vegetables. And she's carrying a tray full of the shells, with bowls of meat, shredded cheese, salsa, sour cream, and other common toppings to the Wellness Office. The toe of her sneaker has to suffice for a door knocker. "Chris? You in there? Kind of got my hands a little too full with this one!"

Triage has posed:
On another day, Chris might have gone to Salem for lunch but today was his turn to stay at the school in case of emergency, and the sound of someone tapping at the door with a shoe might qualify as 'emergency,' especially when he recognizes the voice that accompanies it. "I'm on my way!" he calls, laying aside his tablet and hurrying to the door. He opens it and then tilts his head slightly. "What's all of this?" he wonders, eyeing the tray and its treasures. "That's enough lunch for Santa Anna's army," he jokes. Once Shannon has stepped over the threshold, he wonders, "What's the occasion?" He waits by the door in case she asks him to close it for privacy.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon chuckles softly, waddling over to the desk with the tray and setting it down, breathing a sigh of relief. "Well, it was tacos for lunch. And I have no idea just what you like on yours, so... figured I'd bring all the fixings down so you could put them together as you like. Plus," she adds, with a sheepish grin. "There was a wee bit of healing last night in the danger room, so I need the extra protein anyways." She does give a little up-nod to the door, though her wings are not drooping, or betraying other signs of tension. And there is definitely no molting!

Triage has posed:
The mere mention of healing in the DR is enough. Chris's eyebrows arch. He switches the sign on the door to 'Consultation' and then closes the door. "I like a bit of everything," he answers. He heads for the mii-fridge in the kitchenette and grabs two bottles of root beer. He sets them on the counter, loads cubes of ice into two glasses, and brings glasses, bottles, and a generous supply of paper napkins to the desk. "What happened in the DR?" he wonders.

Nightingale has posed:
     There's a tell-tale rumbling in Shannon's general vicinity as she pulls one of the visitor's chairs over to the desk, and begins assembling the tacos. Meat is first, with cheese, salsa, lettuce, and sour cream following. "Sam was testing Allegra's powers, and unfortunately the only way to see how far they go for her is kind of like with me, you have to risk dealing with injury. So he called me down to have on hand just in case. And there turned out to be a just in case."

Triage has posed:
Chris leaves the bottles and glasses on the desk while Shannon assembles their tacos with the same expertise that she has given to all of her culinary efforts. He fetches paper plates for them from the kitchenette, and sets them on the desk as well. Then opens and pours root beer into the glasses. "That's wise, particularly if she's not sure just where hose limits are," he agrees. "I should have been there, but at least you were. What happened?"

Nightingale has posed:
     "Well, aside from music, Allegra's gift is that she's armored beneath the skin. It's kind of like this really unusual fibrous layer that's so tough, needles and most things can't get through it. Sam was simulating blunt impact trauma on her right forearm as a test to see how much she could handle. He took bio-readings and all from the bumblebees, so if you wanted to see those you could ask. Maybe they'd help you if you ever had to heal her."

     She purses her lips slightly, and sets down the taco she's putting together, rubbing her temples lightly; this is the first sign of her wings beginning to droop. "Also found out yet /another/ limitation to my powers. If it's not something I have myself, I probably can't heal it. I could heal her flesh, but when it came to her armor layer, there wasn't a thing I could do."

Triage has posed:
After filling the glasses, he follows Shannon's lead and assembles a taco, but he waits to listen when she explains what happened. He frowns when Shannon mentions the unusual mutation and then her own limitation. "Does this 'armor' regenerate?" he wonders. "I should check on her to be sure." He resumes the process of assembly. "Your limitation might pose a problem in some specific injuries." He doesn't elaborate, expecting her studies in biology to provide the necessary details.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon grumbles very loudly as she's reminded of her limitations, biting down on her taco with unusual... gusto? Frustration? At least she has the grace to not talk with her mouth full, waiting to finish what she has before continuing. "Tell me about it. At this rate, my healing gift is seeming less and less useful. It's so damn frustrating!" She takes a deep breath, and lets it out on a long sigh, shaking her head. "Ran into Mr. Green this morning, too. Had one of those long talks. I want to think of my gift as useful, make better use of what I have, but it's harder and harder to see the more limitations come up."

Triage has posed:
Chris lifts his taco but Shannon's nonverbal cues stop him. He sets the treat on his plate and reaches to touch her arm. "Shannon, your gift is new to you. Don't worry about it. You might discover facets that will surprise you. Beside that, we're a team. Remember?" Then he reaches for his plate again.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon sighs a little bit. "I've had this 'gift' since I was fourteen. It's not all that new. Still...." She seems to chew on this a bit, just as she bites into her taco again. There's silence while she finishes that little bit. "...you could be right. Maybe there's more that just hasn't come up. And we /are/ a team. So... why not start there? List some common points, see where it goes?"

Triage has posed:
Chris munches his taco and nods. Once he has finished the first bite, he explains, "My gift surfaced at 14. At that time, I healed blindly. I didn't learn to use the power to diagnose completley until two years had passed." I'm still learning to sense certain ailments that are particularly ... elusive. Yours might work in the same way. You might grow in it and find new ways to work."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods a little. "I seem to be okay at sensing the severity of an injury, when I focus on that instead of letting a full-blown healing take place. We can thank Josh for that. It'll just take time for me to pick up on specifics besides." She munches on her taco, finishing up the deliciously messy treat, pausing before reaching for another. "One thing I've noticed in common with yours--it wasn't quite as intense as before, but particularly since you've been healing and working with me--is that after I've absorbed an injury, my healing factor goes into overdrive. And if it's not nailed down, I'll eat it. Especially protein and calcium. You've got something similar with yours. When you heal someone, you rest a lot... and so do I. Also, you eat a lot more. Don't know if it's specific things you need at that time, though."

Triage has posed:
"I normally enjoy vegetable but after a healing, I tend to want proteins and carbohydrates, particularly Italian food or pizza," Chris answers. "Rest is important, too, especially after severe cases. Do you remember Kitty? I wasn't back to full energy until two days passed. After we treated Fred, I needed three days to rest before I even wanted to think about healing anyone." He pauses to finish his taco and begin the process of preparing another.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods slowly, and starts assembling another taco. "You know," she muses. "I'm wondering if our gifts might not have more in common, too. When you healed me a few times, and others too, there's that warmth and sort of tingling, like you're all wrapped up in a warm robe after a nice bath. I've had people report the same from me. Do you think our gifts have a common origin?"

Triage has posed:
"That's quite possible," Chris answers after eating half of his next taco. "Current studies show that the gene tends to follow some paths more than others. This might surprise some people, but because everyone id distantly related to everyone else, we might carry similar genetic sequences." He reaches for his root beer. "The symptom, that warmth, might be a side-effect of the common sequence."

Nightingale has posed:
     "Which brings up the question... just how /does/ your gift work? What does it draw on? If we both have patients reporting that warmth from us, could it be possible that there's more to my gift that just hasn't turned up yet?" Shannon's wings seem to be drooping a little less, and there seems to be a note of hope in her voice. "I mean... it'd be pretty disconcerting having something new turn up like that, but at this point, I think I'd actually welcome it. And at least I'm where it's safe, if it does happen."

Triage has posed:
Chris purses his lips thoughtfully. "Mine seems to be a displacement of energy. It stimulates the patient's own systems into a kind of 'hyperdrive' in which production of natural cells accelerates. Think of it as hitting the gas in a car. The engine works faster, and then car moves faster." He nods. "That would explain the warmth, also. When the body works, it generates heat." Then he suggests, "When you heal someone, if I'm there, I'll watch and see how your ... process compares to my systems."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods, and tucks into her next taco, devouring it with considerable gusto. She winds up with drips of reddish-brown 'taco juice' down her chin, and giggles, going for a napkin to wipe it away. There's just no way to eat a taco neatly! "Sounds good. Is that something you could just look and see, or would you have to use touch to see how my process compares to yours?"

Triage has posed:
Chris grins when Shannon's enthusiasm leaves its literal mark - that reddish trail on her chin. So far, he has escaped that, but by chance and not by art. He swallows his bite and shakes his head. "I'll need to touch you. I'll watch indirectly, seeing what your body doe, what systems might change their rate of activity, what chemicals it produces." Then he tilts his head, thinking for a moment. "Your gift might activate different chemicals depending on what it needs to complete the task. It might produce more antibodies while fighting disease, for example, or calcium while healing bone."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods, chortling as she cleans herself up, looking more like a little kid that's gotten into their favorite messy food than anything else. "I could maybe refine the journal Sam's been having me keep for a while and see if there's a pattern there. In general, since I deal with wounds a lot, usually a mix of cuts, burns, bruises, and broken bones, I tend to need more calcium and protein. Which is why you'll see me go for pizza, Italian, meat, anything with a lot of both those things." She purses her lips thoughtfully, her fingers worrying at the napkin a little bit. "When I absorbed Megan's flu that time, though, I went for the classic chicken soup. Which seems to balance protein, carbs, and veggies, but really not quite so much on the calcium."

Triage has posed:
Chris listens and nods, recalling the incident with Megan's flu particularly. "I remember reading an article about chicken noodle soup in a medical journal. The author indicated that chemically, it triggers healing processes specific to combating the flu. This study involved only 'normal' humans, so there was no possibility of mutation as a factor. It makes sense that your body would crave that. Have you had ... cravings that were specific to any other types of healing? You might have found a chemical correlation." Once he has finished, he begins to prepare his fourth taco. Before he eats it, he looks across the desk to Shannon. "Thank you for bringing this. One of these days, we should go to a real restaurant. Beside good food, we'll have an opportunity to relax without worrying about a patient intruding."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon frowns a little as she tries to think through and find correlations between types of injury and her gift. "Well... when I was recovering from that flu healing being forcibly stopped, I wanted things that were a lot less rich. The more veggies I could pack into that soup, the better. And tomatoes. Any kind of tomatoes I could get, but the fresher the better." She's assembling another taco herself, though she puts on a little extra dollop of sour cream and sprinkling of cheese. "What's that stuff that makes tomatoes red, and something about it being in watermelon, too... lyco-something... OH! That's it! Lycopene!"

Triage has posed:
Chris nods. "That's another possible marker," he notes before he crunches into his taco. "Such data might explain what you've depleted for a healing. Also, we should make a list so that I can see that you have appropriate foods during your recovery." He smiles.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods, and smiles wider, some of this starting to make sense. "Okay, so if there are so many similarities between our gifts, how come mine mis-fires and directs the injury towards me, instead of helping the patient heal themselves, like yours? Is that something that could be overcome, do you think?"

Triage has posed:
Chris finishes his taco and nods. "You might be able to overcome it if you attune yourself to the processes and learn to control them. You might learn to direct the energies that transfer the injuries." He shrugs. "We need more tests, but that, unfortunately, means more injuries. It's also possible that you can't control the transfer. Still, as long as I'm here, I'll help you. You won't be alone."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon shrugs, and smiles, perhaps a little more optimistic about the entire thing. "Well... I didn't think I'd be able to use the gift as a diagnostic tool, but I was able to learn to do that. I also learned how to prevent accidental healing. But after that point, I never really had the chance to develop it past that, to see just how far that control could extend. If I could manage the first two, who's to say I couldn't manage the rest?" She pauses, rolling her eyes and bursting out in a fit of giggles. "Which is sort of the same thing Mr. Green was telling me earlier this morning, too. Work smarter with my gift."

Wiping her hands clean on another napkin, she slips her phone from her pocket, and taps out a message. Just like that, it's sent off into the aether of cyberspace, and she smiles. "Just seeing if Sam is willing to have us both in the danger room the next time he has to test a power like that. Might as well get two birds with one stone."

Triage has posed:
"Mr. Green had a very good point, Shannon," Chris answers, smiling but with a note of gravity in his voice. "Even with mundane talents, like using that new staff of yours. Some people might expect to use a thing like a club, but a good quarterstaff serves many other purposes. Did you know that as part of their training, Shao Lin monks learn to use the staff as a balance beam to gain height and then kick or hit an opponent?" He nods. "They call it the monkey pole. That's working smarter with what you have."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon chuckles a little bit, and grins sheepishly. "Which is sort of what I had to do in the middle of that fight, during the protection ritual. I had zero clue what I was doing, so about all I could manage was to swing that staff as hard as I could at those bamf's that figured I'd make a good target." She tilts her head at that thought, peering over at him. "Is that something you've learned to do? If not... maybe we both could."

Triage has posed:
Chris nods when Shannon sends her message. "I'd be glad to observe and help. All of us should be ready to do our parts." Then he smiles. "As for the monkey pole, I'm working toward that, but as I understand from my teachers, it takes years to master the monkey pole. Still, if you need to practice or learn, you know how to find me." He starts to prepare another taco, and grins. "With the training in martial arts, I'm finding that we have more in common than we might have imagined at first." He smiles and then teases, "I just hope that I don't discover in the third movie that we're brother and sister."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon just looks over at Chris in shock and mock horror. "Ewwww, no! That's just... NOOOOOoooo no no no NO!" She bursts out laughing, and flicks a little bit of lettuce at him, eyes twinkling with mirth. "Sheesh, that's just... /wrong/!"

Triage has posed:
Chris tries to hold a straight face after Shannon's reaction. "Tell that to George Lucas," he suggests. When she flicks the lettuice at him, still with martial arts on his mind, apparently, he snatches the bit of greenery from mid-air and drops it onto his plate.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon lofts her eyebrows as, just as quick as a serpent striking, Chris manages to snatch the produce projectile right out of the air. "Wow. No pulling one over on you in a food fight!" But she can't stop giggling, just shaking her head and putting together another taco. "I think enough fans already have. That's... just so /wrong/ on sooooo many levels!"

Triage has posed:
"Learning to catch food like that is a good beginning before you attempt to catch knives or other weapons," Chris notes. "I'd recommend using the staff for that, and it's another trick that you should learn." He smiles, "I'm sure that he upset some young fans who saw themselves as Luke or Leia."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods, and smiles, peering over at Chris. "Well, maybe that's something we could practice, maybe hit the gym for that. It can't hurt to be learning from both you and Remy." She chuckles and shakes her head. "I think in a food fight, I'd be unarmed, if the key to not getting hit was catching the food first. My reflexes need some work. So far, it's been more about the strength training."

Triage has posed:
"Strength, dexterity, and accuracy are all important," he answers, nodding. "We'll practice in the gym until the weather is good, and then we'll go outside with more room. Have you learned how to hold it and how to balance its weight for different purposes?" he asks. "The right staff in the right hands can be powerful."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon shakes her head. "No, not yet. I've been pretty reluctant to try that on my own. It'd be more of a pain to un-learn something I do wrong now, on my own, than to learn it the right way from the beginning." She nibbles on her taco, thinking for a few moments. Seemed like there was a lot to learn, but where to begin? Her eyes twinkle with mirth, and her lips curl upwards into a smile. "Well... what kinds of exercises would you recommend to work on besides catching food right out of the air?"

Triage has posed:
"Beside training for strength, which I'm sure that you're already pursing," Chris answers, "if you want to learn martial arts beyond the staff, you should work on acrobatics and gymnastics - things that train you in balance. Even ballet might be useful. If you watch people who compete in martial arts, and slow the videos enough, you'll notice that it's almost like dance." Then he adds, "As surprising as this might seem, your talent for music will help. With a good sense of rhythm, you might master some forms in martial arts more quickly than some students do."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon smiles, and munches on the last bits of her taco while she thinks about this. "I guess I could start working on my balance, start using the beams. Had one that my dad constructed out in the backyard when I was little. It was on two levels, and it took me a while to walk back and forth between the levels without falling flat on my backside in the grass."

Triage has posed:
Chris nods. "That would be a great start. I know that the DR also has some gymnastics and acrobatic programs. I'd recommend some that are less ... punishing than the ones that Kurt uses. Still, they should help you. We could use those and the martial arts routines for training as well."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon laughs lightly, her eyes dancing with mirth. "You'd be surprised how much just goofing off under the big top is a test of one's agility. How do you think I first encountered him?" She grins, thinking back to that day. "I'd snuck down to the DR and it happened to be open. Kurt and Lorna were in there, and he had a simulation of a circus going. Figured I'd try to blend into the crowd, but nope. He'd have none of that. Turned out to be one of my most fun times in there yet."

Triage has posed:
Chris grins. "Did you use your wings to assist?" he wonders. "I'm sure that I would have," he adds. He looks around the room that is stil festooned with seasonal decorations. "I"m glad that Kurt came to visit. I never understood some students being frightened of him, although I understand why the presence of others like him startled you. You saw something that most students never witness."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon shakes her head. "Before the day of the protection ritual, seeing other bamf's there wouldn't have bothered me one bit. They've got the face of a friend. After, though? It reminds me that I had to strike out at beings that looked very much like someone I like, respect, and trust. That stung. A lot." She smiles lightly, though, glancing around at all the seasonal decorations as well. "It's just one of those things to work through."

Triage has posed:
Chris looks at the last taco shell on the plate and then nudges the plate toward Shannon. "You should have that," he urges. "You earned it by helping our friends. We should help again at that shelter, if Allegra agrees."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods, and grins a little sheepishly, quick to assemble the taco, and just as quick to devour it. "I'm pretty sure that part of my arm healed up well, but it was kind of weird working around her armor. Maybe double-check it? It'd give me a chance to pay a little closer attention to how your gift works in progress."

Triage has posed:
"So you /do/ have an official reason for this visit," Chris says, smiling. "I'll be glad to have a look after our lunch." While she finishes the last taco, he gathers the used napkins and drops them to the trashcan in the kitchenette. He returns to see her munching the last bite. "I'll need to look into oral or nasal delivery for the standard vaccines that teachers need. That shouldn't be difficult unless Allegra needs something exotic. I also should talk to her in general. When she visited, she seemed tense, almost as if she needed to force herself to come here. She needs some reassurance."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon laughs, and just shakes her head. "No, I didn't have one when I came in here, but since we were talking about the subject of our gifts, figured it couldn't hurt to ask." With the last of the tacos eaten, and the bowls of fixings on the tray empty, she puts everything back neatly together to ferry to the kitchen for cleanup duty. "Would it be better if I wasn't present for that next visit? Or do you think that having another woman there would help? It's up to her, and what she wants at the time."

Triage has posed:
"She might appreciate having you here," Chris answers. "In fact, she might want Sam to come as well, if they are as serious about each other as they seem. My concern is to set her mind at ease if she's had bad experiences with medical people." He looks at the desk and offers, "I'll help you to take all of this back if you'd like. Then we can check on your arm."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods, and smiles. "It couldn't hurt to check her arm as well. This was the first time I had to try to heal /around/ something I just don't have. She complained about it itching afterwards, but it sounded like the kind of itching that meant it was healing. Still... can't hurt to ask." Many hands make light work, and she does her part by gathering up the tray and its payload, to take back to the kitchen.

Triage has posed:
Once everything is ready, Chris takes the tray and suggests, "Wait here and I'll be back." He heads for the closed door. Balancing the tray on one arm, he opens the door and steps into the foyer. After a few minutes, he returns sans tray, and closes the door again.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon smiles as Chris comes back in, having taken the chance to make sure the wellness office is tidied up a little bit while he stepped out with the tray. As he enters the room, she's just straightening up one of the beds, smoothing down the covers and hoping they will not need to be used. "I find it very hard to stay idle in here," she says, grinning a bit sheepishly.

Triage has posed:
Chris smiles when he returns and finds Shannon at work. "I won't complain," he assures her. "At least you know about hospital corners." He grins. "This shouldn't take long," he adds. "Does the arm feel abnormal in any way? If not, that's a good sign."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon shakes her head. "Thankfully not. It itched a bit more than usual while it was healing, but I'm not noticing anything now. Wonder if it was my body trying to overcompensate for something that was never there to begin with." She chuckles softly, and shrugs, glancing at the beds. "Someone has to do the grunt work. Might as well be me."

Triage has posed:
Chris shakes his head. "I wouldn't call it grunt work. I appreciate your help." He smiles. "It's not as if someone else makes /our/ beds. So this is good practice." When she answers about the arm, he nods. "If you're ready, have a seat and relax. This shouldn't take long."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon laughs, and grins a bit sheepishly. "Funny, I'm always forgetting to make my own." She sits back down in the visitor's chair and rests her right arm on the surface. Closing her eyes, she murmurs, "It was the inner part of the forearm, if that helps any." She attempts to keep her senses open, and her gift in 'scan mode', as she was coming to call it--that state where she was able to sense an injury, without healing it. But would she be able to sense Chris' scan in more depth this way? It would be interesting to find out.

Triage has posed:
"It does help," Chris answers on his way to the chair. "It will save time." He stands beside the chair and rests his hand on her right forearm. He takes a deep breath, closes his eyes, and exhales slowly, sinking into a deep, trance-like state. Almost immediately, a warmth and a light tingling sensation begins in the arm while a tendril of energy gently probes.

Nightingale has posed:
     As Shannon closes her eyes, she can see and sense in her mind's eye the tendril of energy born of Chris' healing gift. Her eyebrows loft, though she does not open her eyes, as she realizes that perhaps this is how it might look to him, when she is assessing another's injury. As he continues to check her arm, it can be seen where the healing went a little bit 'off', the layers of tissue roughly between the dermis and hypodermis connecting together in slightly less than normal ways, as if trying to compensate for something that just wasn't there.

Triage has posed:
Chris senses the incompleteness, and although she asked only that he should check on the arm, his instinct to heal overwhelms him. He slips from the passive phase of diagnosis to the phase of active healing. The tendril moves carefully, like an expertly guided medical probe, touching each spot that failed to heal as well, and reversing the damage until no trace of injury remains. His breathing gradually returns to normal. His eyes open slowly. He is unconscious of the faint sheen of sweat on his forehead. "There," he whispers. "How do you feel?"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon observes with a sense of wonder and awe as she witnesses the healing in a way few if ever would really be able to. Would that ever be something she'd be able to do, she wondered, to heal like that? There is a sense of less stiffness in that area, greater ease and flexibility returning to a less-than-perfectly healed area. "Better," she murmurs. "I hadn't realized it didn't quite heal right. But now we know I can see these things in myself as well as others." Her lips turn upwards in a smile. "It looked on my end as if you extend part of yourself into the injury, the same way I do. If this is confirmed, the next time I heal someone and you're there to observe... then maybe, just maybe, I can learn to shift my gift, and heal in ways that are not so destructive to myself." Her brows furrow slightly. "It makes me wonder where my gift mis-fired so badly when it manifested... but hopeful that it can be shifted to something much less harmful."

Triage has posed:
"Our gifts seem alike in that way," Chris answers. "I'm not sure that it was a misfire," he adds. "Yours might have come come in phases. You might be near a second phase." He gently squeezes his hand on her shoulder. His hand lingers there for a moment. He pats her shoulder and then lifts his hand.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods, and smiles. "Gifts grow and change over time. Hopefully mine will change for the better. I wonder what that second phase will bring?" Lingering for a few moments more, she gets to her feet, and gives Chris a brief hug. "Thank you so much... for the company, the healing, and the hope."