2172/Walking Wounded

Walking Wounded
Date of Scene:	20 June 2020
Location:	Medical Lab
Synopsis:	Kitty checks on Max in the X-men's medical bay after he was rescued from his abductors
Cast of Characters:	Kitty Pryde, Maxwell Wave

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Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty comes down the hallway of the X-men base, humming a song to herself. She's wearing jeans, sneakers, and a tank top that shows she's gotten a good amount of sun so far this summer. Not having school, nor a job other than the superhero variety, has afforded her some luxuries there.

In her hands she has a tray with a cover over it to hide the contents. Also a couple of bottles of flavored iced tea in hand, as she makes her way to the door of the medical bay. She backs into it to open it without needing her hands, and looks around. Quiet, and thankfully almost empty. Those who had been kidnapped by Mr. Sinister seem to have recovered enough to not need to be in here full time.

But there is one patient, and that's whose bed Kitty heads over to. She pulls back a privacy divider after giving it a little poke to announce herself. "Anyone in here hungry?" she asks as she looks inside, flashing a smile towards the bed and the person she's expecting to be in it.

Maxwell Wave has posed:
Maxwell sits up in his bed, wearing the medical bay's equivalent of a medical gown, the blankets tucked around his hips. A bandage wraps his skull, protecting the stitches on his scalp from where the brick nailed him. He offers Kitty a genuine smile then winces from brief head pain.

"Well there's a familiar face at last. I was... guessing I was in one of Doctor McCoy's facilities. Not exactly a normal hospital is it?" He seems very relieved by Kitty's presence. He smooths out his blanket. "And yea, I'm famished. Did you hear my stomach growling down the hall and decide to take some pitty on me?"

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty moves inside the curtain and over to Max's bed. She sets the tray on a stand that can be pivoted over above his lap so he can eat easily. She takes a seat on the edge of the bed. Max's statement is definitely backed up by how high tech the place looks. "Not a normal hospital exactly, no," Kitty agrees.

She offers him one of the flavored iced teas and then leans closer, looking at his bandages. "I'm glad you were ok. I was really worried about you when we got there and saw the shape you were in. You saved those people. Don't know how much of it you remember," she tells him. "Figured you would be hungry by now, so..." Kitty remove the lid from the tray. On it are two plates, with beautiful looking cheeseburgers, big ones with all the toppings, that she definitely bought somewhere given her cooking skills. Also a side of fries on each plate. "Just what the doctor ordered?"

Maxwell Wave has posed:
His eyes widen when the lid is removed. "Oh wow, that is a gorgeous sight. Thank you so much."

He doesn't hesitate to grab one of the cheeseburgers and drop his jaw to fit the edge into his mouth. He takes a big bite and chews. The act of working his jaw draws a slight wince as it tugs at his scalp, but he ignores the pain in favor of eating.

His eyes roll back into his with satisfaction, a little groan rolling around in his throat. He swallows. "That's so good." A couple of french fries are grabbed next.

"And thank you for coming to the rescue. After you showed me your powers, I added you and Doctor McCoy to a macro program on my phone to send my location. Looks like it worked."

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde takes the other plate, mashing the burger down with her hand a bit so it's not quite as tall, and easier to handle. She smiles as he compliments the food. "I'll have you know that I ordered it myself," she says with a teasing grin as if that is something to be prideful of.

"Yes, it did. Was able to track you there and... well, found that group. I'm glad you thought ahead," she says. Kitty takes a bite of her own burger, chewing it thoughtfully. Her other hand reaches over to rest on Max's side lightly, giving a slight rub. She still has a little concern in her eyes when she looks at him, seeing those bandages.

"So, probably no surprise to you that Hank is part of a hero team. I mean, he's an Avenger after all," Kitty says. "But, what we didn't tell you is that there's a team of mutants who work together. Help people. This is our place," she says, glancing around the medical bay. "There's a lot more than this. This is our base, but there's an entire school. Full of mutants, with mutant teachers. We don't really let the outside world know that's what we are. But, we thought this might be a good place you could continue your studies," she says.

Maxwell Wave has posed:
Maxwell chews, his brow knitting as he digests both burger and Kitty's words. The glow of his eyes flare momentarily. He blinks then nods slowly, looking once more at his surroundings in a new light. He swallows.

"Oh.. wow. For the mutants, and by the mutants? Huh? And a school too." He laughs and shakes his head, "This must be some kind of dream. The burger is amazing. You are here, and you are giving me fantastic news. I just.. Wow, that's a lot to process."

He munches on his fries some more, his tongue swirling along his lips to collect the salt. He swallows. "There some kind of entrance exam? Tuition? I mean, I do whatever I need to do to make it work."

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty takes another bite of her burger, grinning whilst chewing as Max likens it to a dream. When she finishes swallowing, and after dabbing away some mustard from the corner of her lips, she says, "The 'you are here' was really the best part of that, by the way." Her eyes gleam brightly as she smiles over to him.

"Yep, one of the best prep schools in the nation, actually. And there's no tuition, it's all funded by our benefactor and sometimes headmaster. He travels a bit too," Kitty says. "I'll show it to you later when you're up to be up around. They came and recruited me, when I was 13. The Professor, that's the person whose school it is, finds mutants and teaches us to use our powers. And he's got a dream, of humans and mutants coexisting peacefully together. I think you've got the right mindset for that too. Which is why you're here," she says.

Maxwell Wave has posed:
Maxwell grins a little bit and takes another big bite of burger. He then sets it on the plate and leans back, sighing after another swallow of beef and all the fixings. "The Professor.. I'm guessing that's not Doctor McCoy, since a mysterious moniker like that wouldn't make sense for someone I already know."

He chuckles a little then nods, "Peace. So hard to obtain. Such a fragile thing when you do have it. It's a wonderful dream. Something worth reaching for even if we might not have it in our own lifetimes."

He shifts in the bed and eyes Kitty, "Well, how do I get a rundown on the rules? How do I help? I appreciate the opportunity to learn. You know that. I'll make the most of it, but I also want to give back where I can. Maybe I could tutor or something."

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty scootches over a little closer as Max shifts on the bed. "When you're back on you're feet we'll give you the tour and give you the lowdown on the place," she tells him. "Professor Charles Xavier. He's a well known civil rights activist. And he was Hank's teacher, though after college if I remember right. That was a bit before my time of course."

The young woman gives a soft sigh. "It is tough. It can be hard to live to that. When you're upset. And angry," she says, looking down at her hands in a very self-conscious way. "But those are the times it's most important to have those beliefs and values to guide you. Even when it's hard."

It's pretty clear she's not talking about Max or anyone else. After, Kitty looks up, as if she feels a little sheepish. She takes another bite of her burger and says, "Some of our tech, you are going to swoon for." She gets a grin as if picturing his reaction to some of what he'll find out.

Maxwell Wave has posed:
Max grabs the last morsel of his burger and shoves it into his mouth. He then proceeds to leisurely eat his fries one at a time as they chat. "Oh wow, Charles Xavier."

He nods again, "Very hard. I don't want to hurt non-mutants, but... I have a very hard time trusting them you know. Believing they understand what we go through."

"Well, there's just so much around here that is swoon worthy. Looking forward to playing with all the toys and contributing what I can." He pauses and offers a sheepish grin, "Uh, can I ask a favor? I imagine I'm under 'medical observation' for a bit. Think someone could go to my apartment in Bushwick and get some things?"

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde nods her head. "Sure, I can go pick up anything you need. Don't even need to give me a key," she says, grinning and phasing her hand and passing it through his legs to clarify her meaning.

The girl eats a couple of fries and then another bite of her burger. Making her way through it, perhaps more slowly than Max. But then she didn't miss meals to unconsciousness. "It's nice to have somewhere that everyone can be themselves. You don't have to hide your mutation. I mean, it's still like anywhere else. High school is not always pleasant and people don't along sometimes. But it's not usually because of a mutation, it's just because... people are people," she says in a wry tone.

Kitty reaches out to lightly touch the bandage on Max's head. "So what got you anyway?" she asks of his wound, which she saw, but didn't know how he got it.

Maxwell Wave has posed:
He offers a big smile. "Thanks Kitty, you re the best."

He listens as he chews on his fries, nodding. "People are people. Just be nice to not have to worry about being a 'mutant' on top of all the other hard 'people' stuff."

He lets her touch his head and sighs, "Well, I'm a little hazy on the details myself, but here is what I know. I was patrolling Bushwich when I heard a woman scream. Darted over and saw a pack of people with very obvious mutations carrying an unconscious woman."

He shifts in his bed, evidently not enjoying the next part of the story. "I tailed them to one of the demolition sites. An old nightclub. Then I realized they were taking her down into the old bomb shelter tunnels beneath the city. You know.. where the umm.. Morlocks were before the uh.."

He sighs, "Well anyway, I follow them into the tunnel and the next thing I know, I hear my little sister calling my name. I look further down the tunnel, and there she is! I run to her and.. Well that's the last of what I remember. From the pain, I'm assuming someone walloped me over the head. Next, I was waking up in the cage. Trying to stop that guy from stabbing that woman with his hair.. things. You and bunch of others were there.. and now, I'm here."

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty listens quietly, pulling her hand away from the bandage, but letting it rest gently on Max's side if he doesn't seem to mind. "Well, I'm glad you got the message out to us," she tells him. "We gathered others of the team and got there as quickly as we could. The X-men. That's what we call ourselves," she tells him.

Another bite of the delicious burger is consumed, Kitty chewing and looking thoughtful. "I hope they'll be happy on Genosha. Though I worry about how safe the place is. I'm not sure it should be re-settled again already. But... Lorna, I don't know if you saw her there, Polaris, daughter of Magneto, she's the Queen now and they are working to rebuild already. I do what I can to help. The whole... the memories, though, it's tough," she says quietly.

"I'm glad you're ok though. I was really worried when I got your message. And worried they'd hurt you worse than you were even, when I saw you there."

Maxwell Wave has posed:
"Oh, so they were sent to Genosha then? Well, probably the best. Pachyderm, that's the big woman with gray skin, I've had a run-in with her before. It's probably best she's not in Mutant Town anymore. She just keeps getting into trouble." He reaches forward and pats Kitty on the back of the hand at the mention of Genosha.

"Probably the first time in my life I was glad for my obvious mutation." His eyes glow a little brighter. "I don't think they wanted to hurt me, they just didn't want to get interfered with. Really nice to know someone local cares. I've only got a handful of friends here. It means a lot that you came. You know, beyond the whole getting me medical attention." "He laughs.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
The girl smiles over to Max. "Of course I came," she says. "And I am a friend," she adds with a soft smile on her face. "I think you'll like it here too. There's a lot of great people. Hank's one of the teachers. I don't think he lists it anywhere online as his occupation just as... we try to avoid the school getting the notice of people. Helps keep everyone safe. It's not as bad as it was when there were a lot of Sentinels around, but still. We do have enemies. I mean, Magneto. Frenemy, that guy was. Nearly killed me when I was 14. I don't mean near miss. I mean, he was killing me and then realized I was the age of his daughter he'd lost." She sighs and shakes her head.

"Which, yeah, it's not the safest life, being an actual X-man. But it's worth it. Not everyone at the school is or has to be on the team though. You can just study," she offers, "if that is your preference."

Maxwell Wave has posed:
"Well, you do a good job of talking it up, Kitty." He grabs one of the ice tea bottles and uncaps it, taking a sip. He frowns, "People would actually attack a school, huh? Guess for some people, some lines are easier to cross."

His frown deepens at the prospect of Kitty being killed by Magneto. He rolls his tongue around in his mouth and thinks for a moment. "Well, I started being a vigilante for a reason. I don't intend to stop helping people now, and maybe if I can prove myself and join your team. I can help even more people, plus have someone to keep me from getting beaned in the head. I've become painfully aware that going solo is dangerous."