Epic M&M: Issue 4 (IC)

"Are we suppose to wait in our room or can we take a walk? Fresh air would keep me awake, even if it is only 12 hors ago I woke up, the flight have killed me."
"Your rooms are for sleeping and studying. Why should you wish to stay in them at other times? You are free to wander the compound. Please, you must stay out of grandfather's home unless invited. As well, the private dojo is off limits, please," she says. She seems a little uncomfortable with that last part, but continues. "Today though, you must make use of the bathhouses quickly, please. Breakfast is soon and grandfather wishes to give you your first lessons within the hour."

"I am sorry that for you the rooms seem small," Li says to Raisa and Carl both. "I have not seen anyone of your size before. Except Jackal when he is changed," she says, you think a bit nervously.

"Um, where's the bathroom?"
"Please, you will come with me?" Li says, leading you out the back door. Two pleasant looking structures are here, made in a similar manner to the bunkhouse. "The woman's bathhouse is on the left. The men's on the right."

You enter the bathhouse and find it remarkably lavish. Four large sunken tubs are in the floor, easily able to fit three or four people. They are finely made of some kind of wood. Also present, a long, community bath, that probably could hold 20 people. It is tiled ornately. The floor is rough slate tiles, perfect for siphoning water and comfortable on the feet. There is a long shelf and rack of robes, towels and soaps available near the tubs. Along the far wall are individual stalls with, thank the stars, extremely modern toilet facilities. Sinks stand against the wall to the left of the stalls, with mirrors. There are benches for dressing, but no private stalls aside from the toilets. The walls have small windows along the top, letting light in and steam out, while the walls are solid wood, preventing people from seeing inside from out.

Both bath houses are basically the same.

"Please remember, take off your shoes and socks before entering dojo or any building except your bunkhouse or the batthouses. It is disrespectful to wear coverings upon your feet while within the buildings. You may wish to wear sandles like mine. I can get you some if you wish. You must remove your gloves as well, yes?" she says to X12, regarding him curiously.
 

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Calinon said:
I can get you some if you wish. You must remove your gloves as well, yes?" she says to X12, regarding him curiously.

"Sandals would be delightful, if it would be no trouble. Due to the nature of my abilities, my gloves are generally a necessity for me. However, I am not knowledgeable of your customs; if it would be considered disrespectful to you, our hosts, for me to wear them, I will remove them," X12 says, bowing slightly.
 

New York
EPIC Institute
In the War Room, Michelle hears it from ARIS as she watches a camera on the main field where Tara is training Hoppy to sit on command.

Elsewhere, there's a rumor going around that Loki is heading to the Wave World Waterpark today, sometime in the afternoon.
 

"Sandals would be delightful, if it would be no trouble. Due to the nature of my abilities, my gloves are generally a necessity for me. However, I am not knowledgeable of your customs; if it would be considered disrespectful to you, our hosts, for me to wear them, I will remove them," X12 says, bowing slightly.
"You cause harm to those you touch with your hands?" she asks. "It is blocked by the cloth, yes? This is why you wear gloves?"
 

Calinon said:
"You cause harm to those you touch with your hands?" she asks. "It is blocked by the cloth, yes? This is why you wear gloves?"

"I wish it were that simple. Others can cause harm to me by touch -- I heal the injuries of those I touch, but this power of mine is always active; if others touch my skin, or I touch them, their injuries and other maladies pass to me. I wear the gloves to limit the possibilities of accidentally touching people. However, I do not wish to disrespect you, our hosts; if it would be disrespectful for me to wear coverings on my hands, then I will remove them."
 
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"I wish it were that simple. Others can cause harm to me by touch -- I heal the injuries of those I touch, but this power of mine is always active; if others touch my skin, or I touch them, their injuries and other maladies pass to me. I wear the gloves to limit the possibilities of accidentally touching people. However, I do not wish to disrespect you, our hosts; if it would be disrespectful for me to wear coverings on my hands, then I will remove them."
"You have no way of healing your own injures, so you fear the harm you bring to yourself by helping others. A hard gift to bear," she says simply.
 

Calinon said:
"You have no way of healing your own injures, so you fear the harm you bring to yourself by helping others. A hard gift to bear," she says simply.

"My injuries, and those inflicted by others, heal at astonishing rates. However, the constant fear of the pain and diseases of others is something I do live with -- their pain leaves me weakened while my body repairs itself."
 

"My injuries, and those inflicted by others, heal at astonishing rates. However, the constant fear of the pain and diseases of others is something I do live with -- their pain leaves me weakened while my body repairs itself."
"Ah," Li says. "You are afraid we are all hiding some form of infirmary, and filled with disease and illness. We simply await opportunity to inflict our ills on you." Her voice is very even, but her eyes hold something else. You aren't sure what. "Or perhaps it is just you are a coward, yes?"

Dara walks up to Li and broadcasts loudly in Chinese. As she does so, Li's face and ears turn red and her eyes grow wide. Raisa is rather impressed by the colorful terminoligy she finds she completely understands.

"I... you cannot," Li stammers before gaining her voice again. "Such language is not spoken here," she says quietly, looking at the floor. "Please, I am sorry. I did not mean to offend. My english is perhaps not as good as I thought and I do not get to talk to many people besides grandfather and Xi. I have not even been told your names, nor your gifts. I was only trying to understand his..."

Dara says a few other words mentally, a bit more calmly, but not much.

"I did not mean to imply anything by my questions. I am not trying to make decisions for any of you. You must make them yourself. If you are ready, I will take you to breakfast now," she says demurely, hands now tucked into her sleeves.
 

Calinon said:
"Ah," Li says. "You are afraid we are all hiding some form of infirmary, and filled with disease and illness. We simply await opportunity to inflict our ills on you." Her voice is very even, but her eyes hold something else. You aren't sure what. "Or perhaps it is just you are a coward, yes?"

"Frankly... I don't know what I am; I have little to no recollection of who I was up until about 8 months ago. I am now part of a team at EPIC, though -- one that oftens involves combat, and it would be ill-conceived of me to enter physical combat with someone when each time I strike them I heal their wounds. We have to subdue some violent mutant criminals occasionally, and I do not have any powers that would allow me range with a target," X12 says. "As for people hiding disease and illnesses -- yes, it does concern me that people touching me may have illnesses or undiagnosed injuries, but I don't ascribe maliciousness to these people; many illnesses of this day and age can progress far into their courses of action before any symptoms are present."
 

"You sound like a damn textbook, X," Carl says from the sidelines. Dara giggles and nods in total agreement.

Li, however, makes no such comment. She enters a room and comes out with the top half of a Gi. "Remove your gloves and put this on over your shirt, please," she says. As you do you see her cut herself on the top of the hand with a knife she must have brought from the room as well. Painful no doubt, but not very bad.

"Now strike me," she says calmly. Her hands are by her sides, a few drops of blood trickling down her fingers to drip on the floor. "Quickly, please. I do not wish to miss breakfast."
 

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