Off to market (Nicky)

[Anonymous]

'Be silent mage,' ordered the male nurse. Goading Tany would only make things worse. When Vulcan spoke up next, the nurse groaned at it's stupidity.

'I am not abusing you, I'm stopping you from using your nasty mage-powers,' Tany snapped. Her eyes were still on Vulcan, its eyes glaring straight back at her. 'I wouldn't even have to use it if Kelley had done her job properly. She should have left you tied to the bed until you were head-banded. Come here so I can inject you.'

'Do not use any magic or leave this room,' said the male nurse. If the creature tried to escape they would be prepared but it was still forbidden for mages to use magic without human permission.

OOC: when do you want them to take him to be headbanded/have Zelo wake up/ Vulcan escape?

[Anonymous]

Vulcan just looked at Tany with almost an 'I dare you' glare. There was no way in space he was going to simply walk over to her and allow her to stab him, but he did not say a word. He sat in silence where he was, not wanting to reveal his abilities. He might need them. Walking the walls would come in handy.

Gearing up for potentual attack, his bodytemperature rose sharply, even as he sat perfectly still as if waiting for orders. It was not exactly magic, instead, it was his own strange biology.

OOC: Maybe 'in the morning' have Nurse Kelley come back, or you could have this nurse group try to get him there-- he'd feel less guilty about getting them in trouble anyway...and Nurse Kelley would be more likely to catch him. pretty much, whenever.

[Anonymous]

'You will people's orders, Mage,' Tany snapped. The tone of her voice caused the sleeping Zelo to cringe. His muscles tensed for a few moments before he fell back into a normal sleep.

'Tany, give me the syringe and I'll handle it myself,' he soothed. 'Mage, unless you have a good reason why we shouldn't I have to inject you. If Tany has got the correct one, it will last until tomorrow morning.' He shot a glance at Tany and she grumbled as she placed the syringe in his hands. Tany's eyes however, did not leave Vulcan's.

As the male nurse checked the syringe, Tany noticed heat shimmers coming off Vulcan's body. It was using its magic again. 'Stevan, it's using it magic again. Now you have to agree that it has to be locked up,' she said.

[Anonymous]

"She's causing Zelo distress" He informed, almost without inflection. He knew they didn't care about Zelo, but at the same time, he also realized the male nurse at least knew he was supposed to see that they recovered correctly.

"My body temperature is not magic." Vulcan said, offering an arm to the male nurse. Magic lay within controling the tectonic elements, not extending his wings or his body heat. "If you'd rather, I can do it, so you don't risk hurting yourself." He was perfectly willing to talk and behave politely towards the male nurse. Tany however, was beginning to look like something that should be made into a snack. "Though if you wait a few minutes, and she doesn't spawn any new defensive responces, it should cool down shortly."

[Anonymous]

The nurse doubted Tany could last long enough around this mage for its body temperature to decrease. 'Tany, take the mage in the wheelchair to its bed. After today's behaviour, I'm going to put forward an application to have you suspended. These creatures are military property and though this one hasn't been behaved entirely within merit, you should not have stooped below its standards,' he said. It felt good to know that she may not be around for a while: he wouldn't have to deal with her.

'Cariah, check on the sleeping mage. I don't want it waking up before it is ready.'

'Now for you, mage. Your body heat will denature the enzymes involved so I will have to wait. If Tany ever comes near you, you are not to goad her or misbehave in any way, do you understand?' he asked. The creature didn't appear to be all that intelligent from what he'd seen.

[Anonymous]

Vulcan watched Tany go in a placid manner, glad to be rid of her, but she was also kind of fun to provoke. True, she could do him harm and get him into some rather unpleasant situations, but he loved watching how people reacted to things he did. Tany was so easy to provoke. All he had to do was look at her and she was hopping mad.

"Very well" He said quietly, laying back on the bed, his gaze drifting to Zelo. He was beginning to realize and accept that even if he got Zelo out, he'd never adapt to life with freedom. He was brainwashed. The only thing he knew was obedience to that tyrant of a master. He wouldn't be able to say a proper goodbye either. He knew that much. Zelo would probably be under oblegation to tell the authorities he was running away, and that wouldn't do. He at least needed a bit of a head start.

[Anonymous]

Cariah came back after tucking sheets over 102379 and making him a little more comfortable. 'His heart rate has increased from a semi-coma to a sleeping level,' she said.

'How high a heart rate? Will it wake up?'

'60 beats per minute, though given his condition I would say that is the equivalent to a normal person's 55bpm. Should I give him a sedative?'

'No, it was put in a light coma because it might try to wake,' the male nurse said. 'You can finish these two off. I have more important things to attend to.' He handed Cariah the syringe and glanced at 102379 before leaving. He didn't see the point in taking care of a creature that was probably going to be TRIMed or put down. He didn't have Nurse Kelley's belief that it could be fixed, or the care to do so beyond what he was ordered.

[Anonymous]

"He's supposed to remain sleeping" Vulcan said quietly to Cariah, but otherwise did not move. It was obvious they didn't care about mages, but then again, it was possible they didn't care about anyone.

He could probably go back in. He'd watched the female mage put him under and supported her through much of it, but Zelo's mind was also a very fragile and dangerous place. Going in at any point was risky, and he certainly didn't have the actual training to know exatly how to do it.

"How long have you been here?" Vulcan asked. He'd gotten to a point in his life where he liked conversation. When he'd been younger, he'd been extremely terse and often rather technical, never much for chatting. He'd say what he needed to and nothing more. Maybe living alone in the woods for who knows how long had awakened his need for human interaction finally.

[Anonymous]

'I know. Nurse Stevan mustn't want to use the sedative incase it interacts with what's already been done to him,' she said. She pulled over the spare chair and sat next to him. She felt a bit uncomfortable being alone with him after what she'd heard about him. Surely he wasn't as bad as what Arkifa had made him out to be.

'I've worked in this ward for six months, before that I only dealt with the mage ward. Has your body cooled down yet?' she said.

'I'm Cariah. Where were you before you came here?' She gave him another nervous smile and offered out her hand so he could shake it. Her nervousness was the main reason she had never worked with people before. That and she was too friendly with oddities; people didn't like it when you smiled at the mages.

[Anonymous]

"Yeah, should be cooled down by now" At least to a reasonable level. His body temperature ranged all over the place. He shook her hand and then offered his arm for the injection. He didn't much fear needles.

"I'm Vulcan" He said "Before here, I just lived on Mars wherever I found a place." He shrugged. That was this lifetime anyway. At one point, he'd lived on earth like every other human of the time.

He observed her a moment, offering half a smile. "Why do you work here?" She seemed much more friendly than the others had been, even if she was apparently scared of him.

[Anonymous]

Cariah chewed her lip slightly when Vulcan took her hand. 'You're still too warm. Do you think you can lower it without using any magic?' she asked.

'Pleased to meet you,' she said. 'We are on Mars, or do you mean you lived in the Wilderness?'

She wasn't exactly sure if he was telling the truth about that. If he'd been in the cities, surely he would have been caught long before now, or at least sighted. If he'd been in the Wilderness, where had he got any blood? She didn't want to pry, however. He would probably be questioned and mind-raped later so there was no reason to talk about anything that might annoy him.

'I don't know. You probably don't believe me but the people here are usually friendly. I like talking to patients too. Some of them have had the most exciting lives,' she said.

[Anonymous]

"Generally, no, I'm not very good at changing my temperature at will. We can lower it just like you do for humans with fevers though, damp cloths and such" He offered. He got the impression she didn't want to sit with him forever, waitng for his temp to come down.

"A little of both. I traveled around alot, never managed to see this place before thouigh" He shrugged. Mars was a fairly big place really. "Didn't spend a lot of time in town. Someone got it into their head that I'm a vampire, and then they pulled the whole, torches and pitchforks thing on me in some of the smaller settlements." That had actually managed to surprise him. He would have thought it would have been updated to plasma cannons and sharp impliments or something. But fire and farm tools? So cliche.

"That's an excelent way to look at things. You'll learn a lot approaching people kindly and treating them as if you can learn something from them, even if it's just a new exciting story." He was discovering that he liked this girl, which was almost unfortunate since he knew he'd be leaving shortly. "Do you believe all mages are monsters who should be caged and controled?" He was curious about her view on this subject. It was the blanket belief of the area after all.

[Anonymous]

'Cooling your skin down won't do much. I'd have to put you in an ice bath. Do you get sick if your temperature drops too much?' she asked.

'You were chased with... pitchforks? I didn't know we had any farms on Mars,' she said. In her surprise she forgot how nervous she was of him and actually managed to laugh a little. Pitchforks! She's never even seen one but the thought was amusing.

As soon s he spoke again however, she calmed down and became nervous again, though not as much as before. She was starting to like him. He was one of the mages who had a nice personality, even if he was stupid enough to goad Tany.

Cariah nodded. 'I always get more information out of the page patients than the other nurses. People speak more fluently when they're not scared.'

She shifted uncomfortably when he asked for her opinion. 'I'm supposed to say yes to that but mages feel emotions the same way and get hurt the same. A scared mage behaves the same way as a scared person,' she admitted. She paused and bit her lip, frowning slightly and feeling very uncomfortable. 'I don't know.'

[Anonymous]

"I don't know is a wise answer. Don't be ashamed of it" Vulcan stated lightly. "You have a mind of your own and you haven't completely molded to what everyone says you must believe, and that's good. People with minds of their own have prevented many horrible things from happening, and changed the world from time to time." His eyes seemed to soften a little.

"No, I don't get sick if my temperature drops too much, but it would probably be better to put me in a cool bath and then add the ice a little at a time so I don't accidentally flash-steam it or something." He was accustomed to ice, or at least he had been at one point in his life. He had after all, had a friend named 'Freeze'.

"And maybe they weren't pitchforks, but they were similiar enough that they reminded me of them. I didn't really stop to ask them what that pointy object they were trying to impale me with was." He shrugged. He'd been impaled before also, even with a wooden stake through his heart. He wasn't a vampire, but no one seemed to believe him.

[Anonymous]

'Edanith won't change. The people here don't all believe that mages are monsters but it would be hard to find many people who don't think mages should be controlled. You really should learn to behave as they tell you,' she said, giving him a worried look. 'I'm guessing you won't like it but it's better than being punished for it, right?'

Cariah bit her lip before deciding what to do. Nurse Steven had told her to "finish them off" so that could mean she was allowed to start the ice bath herself. It was a simple procedure but she didn't want to irk anybody by moving Vulcan.

'Do you promise not to run off while I take you to the bath?' she asked. She would let the staff at the nurses' station know what she was doing but she wanted his word first. He seemed trustworthy enough and he hadn't tried anything with her so far.

[Anonymous]

"That's what people have said about lots of things. Time will cause change, though it may happen slowly enough that we do not see it." Or most people wouldn't. Most people died within a generation or two of when they were born.

Vulcan considered this for a moment. "Under reasonable circumstances, I promise not to run away while you take me to the bath" He finally stated. He didn't want to be beaten and tortured. If they were going to do that, he was going to try to run away. It wasn't reasonable for anyone to expect otherwise.

He rose carefully from the bed, doing so slowly to keep her at ease. He knew making fast motions was a good way to make people jumpy.

((sorry it took me so long to reply. I didn't realize you'd come back))

[Anonymous]

(I'm not really back, just at my dad's place).

'Has there been a time when Edani liked mages?' she asked. She was partially curious, partially proving that some things didn't change. To most people, mages were necessary but not wanted.

'So, um, if I hold your hand and lead you to the bathrooms, will you burn me?' she asked. She felt sure he wouldn't intentionally but she still felt uncomfortable. Anything could go wrong, as it was, the only reason she would hold his hand was because it was better than tightening the restrictions of the handcuffs. He had been nice to her so she would act in kind. In fact, she would probably still be kind if he wasn't. Mages went through enough as it was.

She gave him a smile as he moved off the bed, appreciating that he was trying his best not to agitate her.

[Anonymous]

"I'm not sure they ever 'liked' mages" Vulcan admitted, pulling the pillowcase off his pillow. "But there was this thing called freedom, and it was technically against the law to imprison someone just because they were different. Of course it did happen from time to time. Mages, or whatever you'd liked to call them, have almost always been feared. The methods of dealing with that fear though, have changed. Instead of just killing them in mass, now they are forced into slavery in an effort to 'control' them." He shrugged and wrapped the pillowcase around his hand before offering it to her.

"I will do my utmost not to cause you harm. The fabric should provide insulation between my skin and yours should I have another flare up. My temperature tends to be something I do not have a great deal of control over." Just like people usually couldn't control their own temperatures.

Not cuffing him was probably a very good idea. Metal melted, and gave him another potential weapon...which could work in his favor, but he would not bring it up. "Will you be administering this bath, or will I be handed off to your superiors?" He'd been drowned at one of the other institutions, and was not eager to repeat the experience.

[Anonymous]

There wasn't anything Cariah could say to what Vulcan said so she took his hand and didn't reply. Nomatter how she looked at it, mages had very little freedom. Whether that was a good thing or not, she was unsure. On one hand mages could be destructive if they chose but surely there was another way of making sure they didn't destroy anyone else.

'Thankyou,' she said. 'Why does your temperature react like that? Could you possibly control your temperature by controlling your emotions, that is if they are linked to one another.' Probably not, otherwise he would have thought of it ages ago. He was obviously old enough to at least remember what it was like before Earth was destroyed by the Aedolisians.

Cariah almost asked what he thought she could do but realised how silly it would look. Se already knew the answer anyway. 'I'll be doing it. I was told to look after you,' she said.

Something vibrated in her pocket. Nurse Steven had messaged her to tell her that she was to take him to the headbanding doctor's room. She read it several times over  before believing it. She had thought he would have a little more time to recuperate. Hadn't that been what Nurse Kelley had wanted for him. She would ask about it when Vulcan had been injected and the drug was working. If she alarmed him beforehand, he might flip out and melt half the ward.

She looked at Zelo before asking, 'do you want to say goodbye to him before you leave? Unless you hurt yourself, you might not see him for a long time.' She couldn't deny him that small courtesy, even if she wasn't going to tell himm why.

[Anonymous]

"My temperature is a self-preservation response. It's along the same idea as adrenalin in human species. It's not something the human can consciously control, and I'm not sure my body temperature is something I can consciously control either-- at least not fully." He had controlled it to a degree many times, but if someone was going to go around slapping him while making him angry, keeping the temperature down got difficult.

Vulcan glanced at her for a brief moment before shifting over to the bedside of his little mage friend. "Hey" He murmured, though he didn't expect Zelo to hear or understand him, but didn't want to simply leave either. "They're going to take me out now. I don't know if I'll be back or not, but I thought I'd say good bye, just in case" Vulcan said quietly before rising again and returning to the nurse's side. He wasn't surprised to feel the bland emotionlessness anymore. It was a very common response to potential emotional pain for him. He'd been that way since he was a small boy, at least as far back as he could remember.

"Alright" He said simply, offering her his pillow-cased hand again, preparing to follow her, though he suspected there was something more than what she had said. All he needed was a tiny lapse in attention, a garbage chute, an unguarded pod...something that lead outside. Even just an airlock, Straight into space. True, it was hard to move that way, but it was better than being banded and tortured for the rest of his already, exceedingly long life.