xp_logs | Artie and Korvus: Roommate Shuffle

Korvus arrives at the Mansion and is directed to his room where Artie is frantically cleaning.

The nice thing about having a room to yourself was that your roommate's space became... your space. Artie had been accosted at the crack of dawn while silenty swearing at Hank's coffee machine and informed that he was getting a room mate. Today, in fact. He'd staggered back upstairs and begun to deal with the fact that he'd claimed the other half of the room as his own. The desk (unlike his, which held only laptop, printer and math text) was buried under a mound of empty cups, textbooks, papers, soda bottles, video games, plates, powers training aides and a couple of pairs of boxers.

He ignored it in favour of the other bed, which he'd been using as a wardrobe for the past few months, grabbing the clean clothes and shoving them into his wardrobe, where they landed in an unfolded pile on the floor and got to work on his dirty laundry, most of which was on the floor, tossing most of it into the hamper. Some odds and ends, though, he gave a good sniff to before throwing them into the closet, instead.

Korvus' head peeked in past the door frame, watching as Artie frantically cleaned. He decided he must be in the right place and stepped completely into the room. He appeared... dirty. A watch cap covered his head and, like the rest of his clothes, was smeared with oil and grease intermittently. "It is not necessary to experience stress for my sake." He offered with a smile.

Artie jumped and stood up, typing quickly into his laptop and hitting 'go'. "I'm not stressed. But you do actually need a bed, desk, that kind of thing," the synthesiser said.

"My prior residence was a machine shop." Korvus dropped his ragged hiking pack and unzipped a small side pocket. After a moment, he held up a tightly rolled hammock. "I don't feel as though I need any of that; at very least not at the moment. Perhaps a fan, unless the noise would bother you. I have difficulty sleeping in silence, I have recently discovered."

"Machine shop, huh?" Artie shrugged and kept typing. "Toss that in your closet - bed, dresser, desk and stuff is all yours. Fan should be ok. Check with Matt. He's got sense things going on."

"Sense things..." Korvus poured over the statement for a moment as he looked in the dresser and desk drawers. "I'll ask him for clarification, unless it is considered inappropriate to discuss a person's mutation with that person directly." He looked to Artie for a ruling.

Artie took a moment to type, before hitting go again and letting the computer speak, "Safer to ask. Pretty well anyone with dangerous powers will warn you about them - stay at least three feet away from the red girl" and he flashed up an image of Yvette, "if she hasn't warned you yet - but Matt's got, like, super senses. They soundproofed the room but... And don't leave things anywhere they're not supposed to go or on the floor in the common area cos he's blind."

The new resident nodded as he listened. "You are the first student I have met. Thank you for the warning." He stepped forward and offered his hand. "I am Korvus Rook'shir."

Artie shook hands in return and pointed at his chest with his free hand, projecting his name over his head.

"It is nice to meet you." Korvus said formally before moving back to his hiking pack to begin unpacking what little he did have. "In the interest of introductions, I will share my... powers." The phrasing was awkward to him. "I have been told I have 'enhanced physical attributes.' I am not sure the full extent of the implications that carries but I am very strong and dexterous."

"oh, you're one of those". The floating text came with italics. "i don't talk, i make floaty pictures and text and can copy pretty well anything you might want to show me. also, funky tongue." Artie settled back into his desk chair and added "u rly don't have much, do u?

The shorthand text took Korvus a moment to work through. "No, I was recently held in Madripoor. They did not allow me much." He explained, only taking a few minutes to put up his clothes; all were similarly oil and grease stained. "One of those? Is there a context of which I am unaware?"

"Well, that must have sucked giant hairy monkey balls. & yeah - there's Gar, Monet and Johnny, kinda, and all the ferals - they've all got powers kind of like yours in sections."

Korvus nodded, "Ah, so there should be many people from whom I can learn. I was informed that my mutation is somewhat usual."

"Seriously? But you've just got the superman package. Did you get invulnerability or flight thrown in, too?" Artie asked.

"I can do neither." Korvus admitted. "I do not do anything unique; my mutation has raised my potential to accomplish common tasks and endure common difficulties."

"...oookay then," Artie said, raising his eyebrows at Korvus. "whatever u say, dude."

Korvus sat on the edge of his bed, considering Artie's reaction for a moment. "That is not to say I judge my mutation positively or negatively. We should not judge Maya but experience it as what Brahman presents to us so that we may know it." He finally removed his watch cap, running a hand through his shaggy, curly hair to fix the muss a bit.

"i have absolutely no idea what you just said, dude." The floating text was accompanied by a hail of tiny question marks.

"I am sorry." Korvus offered with a smile. "It is Hindu philosophy. Very common in India."

Ah. He was going to be one of those roommates. The 6 foot something religious nut bar ones. "That's nice. ... Do you like, go to church with that a lot and stuff?""

Korvus laughed softly and shook his head. "Church is for the expression of religious beliefs. While I do accept some assertions of Sikhism, I am not religious. Religion implies that a person is unwilling to continuously reexamine and evaluate their held beliefs as evidence is presented. I would accept philosopher if I must be labeled."

Artie just nodded, still faintly confused. "Anyone shown you the kitchens and things yet?" he asked, and stood up.

"They have not." Korvus stood up, recognizing the invitation.

"Come on, then."