13245/A Next Awakening

A Next Awakening
Date of Scene:	10 May 2021
Location:	1407 Greymalkin Lane - Breakstone
Synopsis:	Vitali and Zhao wake up, at least for a little while. Food is had, and a bit of conversation, and then sleep comes to call again.
Cast of Characters:	Vitali Svyatoslav, Xiang Zhao, Rogue

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Vitali Svyatoslav has posed:
Time has a way of steadily moving ever onward. Minutes tick easily to hours, and those hours have gradually passed through night, eased their way through the morning and then beyond noon. Afternoon has equally passed, and evening has come nigh again. The Siberian has needed the sleep, given how little he ended up getting over the past week, among other factors. He probably shouldn't have used his magic as he had, the last time he was awake, but... he doesn't regret it, and he wouldn't have done it any differently.

The two beds in the cabin have been moved so that they're side by each. This had been Vitali's counter offer when Shannon had been trying to get him back to bed. And even though he'd been sleeping, he's still managed to keep hold of Zhao's hand, though looser now than what it had originally been. The Siberian man stirs a little bit, a soft murmur slipping past his lips. His lashes flicker a little bit, and then come open, his dark eyes a bit bleary yet. The IV is still hooked up to his arm, and he blinks a couple of times. It takes a moment for the fogginess of sleep to fade, though even as it does, he turns his head to look towards the other bed, and towards Zhao.

Xiang Zhao has posed:
Xiang Zhao, on the other hand, has been unconscious for the duration. He'd wound up with a banana bag, which had been changed sometime this morning, but has otherwise been predominently left alone. To wake when his body and mind are ready to wake. Which... apparently happens to be at some point after Vitali has awoken. Slowly, his eyes open. There was no fluttering of lashes for him, no. Simply closed, then open, dark eyes staring up at a ceiling he is entirely unfamiliar with. "Shenme..? Wo zai nali?" The language... Definitely not English. Chinese, maybe? Mandarin.

Whatever the language is, the confusion threaded through Xiang's voice is unmistakeable. It's about this point he realizes someone is holding his hand. He turns his head... just in time to meet Vitali's gaze. He holds it for half a second, and then drops his eyes. "Duibuqi," he whispers.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue had stayed away from the cabin for a bit, and maybe that was to allow the two occupants to get all the rest they needed considering. Still, she's come bearing gifts of some food and vegetables, a bit of broth and water, managing to keep it all held while making her way into the cabin and once she's entered, she realizes the two are at least coming into consciousness - slowly but sure. "Hi. Sorry to bother." She catches the tail end of what Zhao says, but she doesn't know the language. Setting the tray down on the table, she walks over to the beds and stands at the end of them. "My name is Rogue. I'm a member of the X-Men. You both probably don't remember but I was with the group that found you in the woods." A smile then. "How are you both feeling?"

Vitali Svyatoslav has posed:
There's a furrow of his brow at the Mandarin that Zhao speaks, although it's not entirely unexpected, given that he's been unconcious for a time. There's a small smile that finds the corners of his lips, and his hand remains paired to Zhao's. And he gives a small shake of his head to the apology that Zhao offers. Again. "Nyet, Zhaoshenka... is not need for being sorry. Promise," Vitali whispers, a sincere note to his voice. His fingers very softly give Zhao's a little bit of a squeeze.

It takes him a moment to lift his gaze towards the woman who has entered. "Is good for meeting you, Rogue," he says, his voice quiet. He looks to Zhao for a long moment, then back to Rogue. He moves a bit, wincing some as his aching and bruised muscles complain over it, and he manages to get himself up and sitting. He's still dishevelled, but he does at least seem a bit rested. "Am not remembering all things. Am... better than was," he says softly, giving a small nod to her. He's still on the pale side of things, and still working on getting renourished.

Xiang Zhao has posed:
Xiang Zhao keeps his eyes downcast even as another comes into the cabin. He doesn't even look up at her, though he does look in her direction. This would be the first time Vitali had ever seen the Chinaman not be entirely certain of himself. "X-Men..?" He says the word, title?, carefully, as though it's not a word he'd ever heard before. "I do not know what that is." His voice is soft, that quiet quality that comes of a lifetime of not speaking any louder than the sitation calls for. Soft, almost like velvet, and likely a tenor, from the sound of it. Definitely not a base or a baritone. "I am Xiang Zhao. It is good to meet you. How..? How do we come here?" He glances down at his arm who's hand is not claimed by Vitali, and his brow furrows. "What is this?" It might be a good thing Vitali has his hand. It's preventing him from trying to pull the banana bag needle out. It is, at least, just subcutaneous. It is attached to a plain banana bag that is empty by this point.

Zhao seems to consider how he feels, and then actually does look up at Rogue. "I... do not know," he finally says. Of how he's feeling.

Zhao lifts his eyes to Vitali again, and shakes his head. "There is need for being sorry," he says. "I should not have left you as I did." He glances from Vitali to Rogue and back to the Siberian. "I remember finding you. I remember speaking your name. I do not remember anything after."

Rogue has posed:
"Let me fill you in on a few gaps if I may..." Rogue says and she begins to tell the tale of reports coming in about a snow leopard, about how it was roaming around the city and giving people a bit of a fright. Then comes the other night, and they noticed the leopard was coming close to their grounds. "Miss Shannon said she knew the snow leopard to be you...Vitali, is it not?" She says as she moves to the sink and...she pulls off her gloves - setting them aside - before washing her hands and puts on a pair of medical gloves she brought with her.

"So we went to go find you, Mister Vitali, to help you. Only when we did, you were approached by the gentleman you're laying aside. He cast a net on you, and then you shifted to your human form and passed out. Your partner, well you passed out seconds later." She moves to the fridge as she speaks, getting a banana bag out of the fridge before closing it and then she moves to Zhao's bedside. "I'm sorry, I haven't been able to get your name. Anyway...we moved you both here, so we could give you medical attention, food, water, shelter...let you both recover." She says this as she expertly changes out the banana bag as she's been shown to do by Hank McCoy. "This is a banana bag. It's got nutrients and hydrating stuff in it that is delivered to your veins and helps you not die from dehydration and stuff. Your friend was given saline, which does the same thing. Kinda. I'm not a doctor so I don't know the real specifics. But they do help. I promise."

That explained, she motions to the table. "I brought some cheese, meats, broth, water...in case either of you were of the mind to eat or drink actual food now that you're out of the woods of the other stuff. But that's the story in a nutshell."

Vitali Svyatoslav has posed:
Gently, Vitali's fingers around Zhao's hand give his a small and reassuring squeeze. He notices that Zhao doesn't look up to the woman who has come is, he notices the uncertainty there. He isn't sure what X-Men are either, he just hadn't thought to ask after it. His voice is a bit deeper than Zhao's, though it might be hard to tell more accurately from how quietly he's been speaking. "Am Vitali Svyatoslav," he offers, only thinking to give his name after Zhao has offered the same.

"Shannon say need leave needle. Say when wake up, before," he says softly, giving a small nod to Zhao. And he's quiet for a long moment, considering then what he does remember, his dark gaze holding to the Chinaman. "Memory foggy. Was... very cat, hard for... to remember," Vitali says softly, his brow furrowing a little bit. "Remember change to snow leopard, after try take note to big building. Embassy...? Think is right, not sure. Try to go from city, be less danger. Was... sick. Memory foggy more. Remember you, saying my name. Remember fighting for taking back self. Try for... to reach you... past net. Did not mean to hurt, Zhaoshenka. Remember change back to self," he says quietly, frowning a little bit. There had been a hole in the net, he remembers, and the only way for it to have gotten there was if he'd caused it before he'd come back to his own senses. He's doing the best he can with his English, his words Russian accented. "Did not mean for cause problems."

His dark gaze turns to Rogue, listening as she explains about the sightings and about what Shannon's part in things, and he tilts his head faintly to one side. His brow furrows a little bit, and he gives a small shake of his head. "Am just... Vitali. Not 'Mister'. Shannon say before, is medicine. Need for leave needle. Have many thanks, for giving shelter, care," he says softly, giving a small nod to Rogue. And he gives Zhao's hand a small squeeze as he turns his dark gaze to him, a little smile coming to his lips. "Have many thanks for you, as well. For finding, for bring back to self. For being here."

Xiang Zhao has posed:
Xiang Zhao looks down again, his eyes dropping and his lids half closing. He shifts to sit up in the bed, struggling a little bit until he manages it. There's not a single ounce of pain to show on his features, though the wounds on his front have /got/ to hurt an awful lot. He shows it not at all.

"I did not find out until I just before I went to the woods to find him," he says softly. This time, there is shame to be heard in his voice. Shame at what he'd done. At how he'd hurt someone he cares deeply for.

"That sounds... like what I remember and what would have happened after. I.. had the... spell.. to get him to shift back." The fact that his net being harmed hurt him in turn is not something he mentions. Likely those who had rescued the pair of them had already figured that out, since the cat hadn't touched him at all. That he'd been injured before that... at least that hadn't shown. "I.. think I feel better than what I should. How long was I asleep?"

Xiang watches curiously as the banana bag is changed out and explained. Some of his normal calm is returning the longer he's awake. But only some. Something is not right with him. "I.. do not know what dehydration is. Hydrating? Or saline. I am sorry. I am not familiar with these words. But a banana.. is that not a yellow skinned fruit you eat?"

As the food is mentioned, and motioned to, he looks that way. "I.. am starving." He's a good bit more hesitant than Vitali would remember him being. He glances to Vitali at hearing the rest of his name. This is the first he'd heard the man's family name.

Zhao nods, and leaves the needle as bidden. Of course, he can't very well remove the needle with no free hand! He studies the Siberian. "Why did you change to your snow leopard form after coming to the embassy? Why did you not come to see me first, if you knew I was there?" Zhao is not catching something. "You did not hurt me, ah'Tali," he says firmly. "The cat that hurt me was not you at the time he was attacking my net. And it was not his fault either. A wild animal seeks only to escape, not the reason for confinement."

Zhao looks to the woman again. Rogue. He doesn't know enough English for this name to seem strange to him. "Xiexie, for the shelter." He takes a breath and his dark eyes go back to Vitali. There's still hesitation to him, but he's calmer, a little. "I am sorry it took me so long. I was meditating and did not know you were in danger." He takes another breath, visible. And realizes at this point that his upper half is bare but for bandages. He reaches for the blanket with haste, pulling his hand from Vitali's grip and using both that hand and his other to pull the blanket up to cover himself. Clearly, someone is shy!

Rogue has posed:
Rogue lets Vitali and Zhao talk for the moment while she makes sure there's no air in the line after she's attached the new banana bag. "I do not know the chinese words... but basically your bodies were showing signs of not having drank enough water. These bags are filled with medicines that help your body recover from not having drank enough water." It's the most basic way to explain it. "I can get you some broth, Xiang, and some meat and cheese if you'd like. I brought a bit...let me fix you some broth and give you some crackers. Slow and steady...cause we don't want to put too much on your stomach...you might get further sick." Then she looks to Vitali. "How about you? Would you like something to eat and drink, Vitali?"

Vitali Svyatoslav has posed:
There's a slight tilt of his head at Zhao's words, or more specifically the tone that they're said in, and Vitali gives a small shake of his head. "Zhaoshenka, is not your fault. I make choices, choices on me, my fault," he says softly. He doesn't blame Zhao for any part of the choices that he had made himself.

"Not have much energy, after change back to self. Remember darkness come," Vitali says quietly. He shifts a little bit, just trying to ease his position a bit. The bruises still hurt and likely will for a while yet. "Am not sure, for length of sleep. Maybe... night, day... night, day again," he offers, his brow furrowing a little bit. He blinks a little at Zhao's questions about the words, and he nods once. He isn't any more familiar with them than what the Chinaman is. "Was not knowing banana, and other words. Have never had banana," he says softly, pronouncing the word carefully.

Vitali hadn't meant to not tell Zhao his family name, it just... somehow never came up. Never came out. He ducks his chin slightly, a bit sheepishly, and then he gives a small nod. "Is good food. Should also eat," he says softly. And there's a flicker of colour that comes to his cheeks, and he gives Zhao's hand a little squeeze. "Will let have hand, for eating," he says quietly, a bit shyly, looking to Zhao through his lashes. His fingers give Zhao's another little squeeze before gently moving his hand away from Zhao's, unless Zhao prevents him from it.

The Siberian tilts his head a little to one side, studying Zhao with the questions asked of him. And he's quiet for a long moment afterwards. And then he gives a small shake of his head. "Willow scry. Willow find at Embassy, know you were there. Willow make note and give to me for give to lady there. I go to Embassy. Man not take note. Man say, Xiang Zhao not want see you, leave now. So... I leave," he says quietly, his brow furrowing, his dark gaze lowered. And he's quiet, then, chewing a little bit on the inside of his lower lip. "Change to snow leopard. Was only thing to do. Was... kindest thing. Thought... thought had lost you. Not want to live without you. Have... much hurt. Gave self to snow leopard," he adds quietly, his gaze yet lowered. He didn't want to feel the hurt inside anymore. He didn't want to feel like he wasn't enough for someone.

"Snow leopard was me and not me, same time. Was much more snow leopard. Was hurt, sick... make snow leopard more defensive," he says softly. "Is not your fault, Zhaoshenka. Took time, da... not your fault. Not need sorry. Did find, did pull back to self... will heal, you, me... will be okay. Will be hao," he adds, giving a small nod, a warm smile finding the corners of his lips.

Vitali turns his gaze back to Rogue, and then he gives a small nod. "Da, am hungry. Please, will eat, will drink. Spasibo," he says softly, a little smile coming to his lips.

Xiang Zhao has posed:
Xiang Zhao turns his eyes to watch what Rogue does with the line and such. Then looks toward the food, and nods. "Slow, yes. And.. yes. That seems to be right. I was in meditation. For at least two days, I think." He gathers the blanket up a little closer to himself. "Broth and crackers. Some water, please? I am very thirsty." At least he's being honest, right? And not being stubborn and refusing to say anything about how he feels.

Zhao looks at Vitali and nods slightly. "I made choices too. We both did. If I had not made mine, you would not have made yours," he says softly. Clearly, he doesn't blame Vitali for anything that had happened either. He also doesn't mind that Vitali's family name had never come up. It happens. There had been other things to worry about.

And what's explained to him makes him blink. He shakes his head. "I never said I did not wish to see you. The only thing I requested was not to be disturbed as I was meditating, and..." He shakes his head. "You know about deviations already. It happened anyway." He blows out a breath. "The man probably took that to mean I was not seeing anyone without passing anything to Diana."

For a moment, Xiang studies the Siberian. "It is not that you lost me. You never lost me. I.. have an enemy, who kills those I like." And here, it's clear he means /like/ like, love, not just like as in friendship. "I would rather suffer alone than see you dead. Seeing you in danger, on that picture box... I could not stay away."

He closes his eyes for a moment, and then eases himself back to lay down. "I.. do not feel well." That's about all the warning there is before Zhao's eyes slip closed and he dozes of again.