xp_logs | Shinobi and Moira

Shinobi brings lunch, as promised, up to Moira so they can talk about his powers training. She realizes that something's not quite right but can't figure it out. So she decides to pry a little and make sure he's okay. And there are hermit crabs. Or soon to be hermit crabs.

Moira was rather suitably impressed by the amount of food Shinobi had managed to lug upstairs to her suite. "If Lorna finds out all 'er fruit is gone, yer a dead man," she teased, shaking her head in amusement. Most of it was finger food, easier to talk around, and apparently he had decided that Moira needed feeding. She really couldn't explain it any other way.

"I'll buy her more," Shinobi replied easily, flashing a smile as he set the food down on a free bit of counterspace. He looked tired, but he'd had a hell of a time getting any sleep at all last night, so all things considered, he looked damned good. "Bigger fruit. Better fruit."

Snickering a little, Moira ate a strawberry. "Mutant fruit, even?" She leaned against the opposite counter--they had yet to buy enough furniture for the new rooms--and smiled at Shinobi. "So, since I've been bribed wit' food..."

"Maybe not mutant fruit.. they might try to overrun the mansion, and that could get very sticky. Cain'd be furious." Yep. Definitely didn't sleep. Shinobi grinned anyway, and nodded. "Since you've been bribed with food.. did you have anything in mind for me, before I let myself go on?"

"I'd suggest ye sleep more," she pointed out, waving a Kumquat at him. Who knew they had kumquat's in the house, she thought briefly. "But other than tha', 'tis pretty much yer show."

Shinobi pouted, leaning against the counter so he could prop his chin up in a hand. "I sleep perfectly well, usually," he replied, only a little defensive. "It was just a bad night last night, that's all. They happen." He shrugged helplessly, and his attention wandered to his free hand as he lazily wiggled his fingers. "Well, let's see.. if we can figure out if I can ghost through people without it being a danger to them, that would be neat," he said after a moment. "Figure out if I can take anybody intangible with me, too, possibly.. umm.."

Moira watched him for a few seconds as he talked. There was something right under the surface that she couldn't quite catch. "Shinobi, is there somethin' wron'?" she asked, suddenly. "Ye jus' seem a bit...off an' I'm nay talkin' 'bout lack o' sleep from one bad night. Is somethin' goin' on?"

"I'll be okay," Shinobi promised, mustering up a tired smile as he looked up from his own fingers. "It's nothing new, I promise. I'm going to go see if Leonard's here once we're done."

"Leonard's a good man," she agreed, pushing herself away from the counter to start some tea to go with the food. She glanced sideways at him and quirked an eyebrow. "So--ghostin' through 'umans without 'urtin' them an' takin' folks wit' ye. Anythin' else?" Moira grinned. "I like ta plan big an' since ye _requested_ me class, I'm takin' me opportunities where I can."

"Oh, please do," Shinobi brightened, grinning after Moira as he stole a strawberry. His now. "I've been slacking terribly in regards to what I can do, and we can't have that.. but, finding out just how durable I am would also be good. Not a fun thing to find the limits of in the field, I imagine."

Ah. "Nay, cannae imagine it would be." She eyed him as he finished off the strawberry. "An' dinnae think I dinnae see tha', youn' man." Carefully, she put the full teapot onto the stove and turned it on. "So, we'll push ye rather 'ard in 'ere. Where, if somethin' does 'appen, th' MedLab is only a few feet away. Though I doubt anythin'll 'appen.":

"On the off chance, better it happens here," Shinobi agreed, blinking innocently as he folded his arm across the counter. Saw what? "How do you think we'll be experimenting with this stuff? Don't know that asking for volunteers for some of it would be particularly safe." He made a face.

Moira nodded, thinking. There was that gut feeling again telling her something was up but she didn't want to press. Not in the normal way, anyway. "Start small," she explained, leaning her hip against the counter to look at him. "Plants, actually. See wha' th' affect is on them. Work our way up. 'ermit crabs, actually. See wha' we could do wit' those." She paused for a second before taking the plunge and watched him carefully. "An' towards th' end, a test subject. Me, considerin' I would be th' one "teachin'" this particular class."

Plants. He'd never tried it with plants, that would be interesting.. ooh, and hermit crabs. Shinobi thought about this for a moment, but the last was enough to quite soundly shake him from his thoughts, and he did a very poor job at not turning white as a sheet. "You?" he asked dubiously, managing not to squeak. Much.

"Aye, me. I'm in charge o' these sessions an' it would only make sense tha' I'd be th' one ye tried it on." She hadn't missed the barely avoided squeak or the sudden draining of color, but she didn't say anything. Yet.

Shinobi shook his head, slowly at first, though it sped up as he spoke. "No, no, that's too risky," he said unsteadily. "I don't want to risk hurting you, you're.. you're you, you're important, and.." Whoa, okay, stopping the head-shaking before we manage to make ourselves dizzy.

Reaching over, Moira got a good hold of Shinobi's elbow and gently lead him into the living room. He didn't protest too much, still a little dizzy from the massive headshaking it seemed. "Sit," she said, settling herself next to him. "It really isnae a bad idea--if we bot' feel like yer up ta it."

Shinobi obediently sat down, since really, it wasn't a bad idea at all. "If we both do," he echoed unsteadily, sinking back against the cushions and running a hand over his face. "I'd rather not break you. Like you in one fully-functional piece."

"So do I, ta be perfectly frank. An' aye, if we bot' do. Is this wha's been buggin' ye? I'm sorry ta pry--" Moira paused and smiled softly. "Actually, nay I'm not. I like ye, I'm worried--on top o' th' fact tha' this might affect ye in class."

Shinobi shook his head, letting his hand drop into his lap. "I don't mind the prying, honestly. It just means you care." He smiled tiredly. "This isn't what I was going to see Leonard about, but.. it has been nagging for a while, a little."

"Then I'm glad yer takin' th' class," she said truthfully. "Work up slowly from th' plants an' I promise if we _bot'_ dinnae feel like yer ready, we willnae go through wit' th' last step. Jus' enroll ye in th' next semester's one, aye? An' ye also know tha' I'm 'ere ta listen if'n ye need a shoulder ta unburden on as well?" The following silence was comfortable as Moira waited for Shinobi to get over his almost heart attack from earlier.

Shinobi nodded, closing his eyes and focusing on breathing. Less panicking was good. "I'm going to embarass myself at Leonard, first," he replied finally. "But I know you're here. Honest."

"Good. At least yer nay bottlin' thin's up inside. At least nay anymore." Pillowing her head on her hand, she watched him try to relax and calm himself down. "Jus' focus on th' fact tha' yer goin' ta be gettin' a good number o' small, crawly animals in a wee while."

"I like small, crawly animals," Shinobi murmured quietly, allowing himself a small grin. "I don't know if they're going to like me very much, though. Not for a while."

"Tha's why we buy lots. An' lots. An' keep them away from th' boys--I can jus' see Miles findin' out wha' they were for at first."

"There would be a grand rescue operation, and Cain would be fishing hermit crabs out of the lake for weeks," Shinobi agreed solemnly.

"An' on top o' mutant fruit? 'e'd 'ave our 'ead," she said, cheerfully.

There was still some tension left in his face so Moira leaned over and nudged him in the shoulder. "Come on, I 'eard 'ugs make ye feel better. Jus' a rumor tha' one is."

Shinobi blinked his eyes open at the nudge, looking up with a faint tilt of his head. He considered it for a moment before he nodded, and shifted so he could lean over for one of this 'hug' things spoken of in legend, dimly aware that they felt different when he didn't have to dense himself up before hand. "Good rumor," he decided quietly.

"One o' th' best, actually."