(no subject)
The infirmary was pretty quiet today a few people have come and gone taking care of some minor injuries. LuXu was sitting alone in his bed, everyone trying to avoid him or not make any contact what so ever. The gauze is still around his eyes, looking like a white mask of sorts and his left arm slung with a cast; which no one has signed. Next to Lu's bed is a plate of food, which looks rather cold as if it had been sitting there all morning. Lu was frowning as his bed was still in the upright position after his talk with Amara, the control lost somewhere on the floor.
A faint whistling can be heard from along the corridor, getting louder as Padraig approaches. Sauntering through the door, he's dressed in his workout gear, obviously on one of the few breaks he takes every day. "Alrighty." he nods to a passing member of staff. "He-" A toss of his head in Lu's direction. "Compus?" After receiving a nod in the affirmative, Padraig makes a casual change in direction towards the bed. "Well, hello there Lu. How're we feeling today?" He's managed to make his voice light and full of good humour, quite how he's not sure.
LuXu turns his head towards the general direction of the door and tilts it slightly. Who was this that was coming in here and ruining his peace and quiet? Who would come into a place like this with a damn cheerful attitude? As the mystery person speaks Lu sighs heavily and shakes his head, "Padraig...I had a feeling it was you. Out of all the people on this island you so far are the only one I've met who whistles." What the hell does he have to whistle about anyway? "I'm as well as can be expected...aside from being blind." He turns his head back and 'looks' at his lap. "So how are you?"
"Relax, man. Kick back a little. You got obliterated by the boss." Padraig shakes his head slowly. "Whistling's great; whiles away the scant minutes of boredom between training sessions." He turns around to look for something, his feet fairly light on the floor. "I'm not so bad. I did come here for a reason though."
"Padraig...really now, do you think I need you to remind me that the boss kicked me ass? I thought not." Lu frowns and moves his free hand to the cast and slips his finger under it, trying to reach an itch. "Ah? So what do I owe this visit from Padraig, lord of all things female?" His sad and failed attempt at being funny, "did you come to poke fun at me or torment me like Miss Amara."
Padraig chuckles a little at Lu's attempt at humour. "I'm no expert, man. Hell, I almost got myself killed by Amara before we got together, and me and Bella regularly want to rip each other's throats out. Not that I'm with her any more, like." He raises a slow eyebrow, and the interest comes through into his voice. "Amara came to visit? Didn't know that... But anyway, I actually came here for a serious conversation. No bitching, no barbs, no aggro, just some advice and a discussion."
"I guess good looks and a strong back only get you so far huh?" Lu chuckles and leans back against the pillows, not really used to staying in bed all the time. "Ah yes, now that I'm stuck in bed and blind, everyone comes with advice." Lu sighs a little, torn between sending Padraig away and just letting him stay for the simple fact that he's company. "Yes Amara came and spoke to me with advice as well, anyway what is it you wish to discuss?"
"They do, but they're a damn good start." Padraig breaks into a grin, though it fades a little at Lu's comments. "It's not really advice. I'm not the sort of guy who'll try to patronise you by claiming that. I just wanted to ask you if you know why Magneto did what he did? And..." He trails off for a moment to think, and decides to try it now. "You've got this thing about the right line of ancestors making you superior, right? Would it surprise you to hear that I come from a very long line of soldiers, many of which have been some of the best there are?"
LuXu frowns a moment as he ponders just /why/ Magneto saw fit to kick his ass and not give him a talking to like he did with many of the other members. "I'm sure it has something to do with the way I acted, challenging you to a duel and all." Lu's frown melts a little as Padraig tells of his long line of soldiers, "You? The man with the uncanny ability to drink anything and get any woman?" Lu chuckles a little and holds his hand up, "I'm sorry Padraig...I know of your peoples past. How you fought the Romans and then the English, I know you come from a long like of hearty people." Yes and alcoholics and troublemakers as well.
"-I- think it was because he thought you needed to be taught humility." Padraig replies. "Much as I'm fully aware of your levels of pride and respect them, you've gotta translate that pride into something different. Like anger at the pricks who we're trying to take down, not aggro with other members of the Brotherhood." Padraig smirks and nods, allowing the humour into his voice. "Hearty's not the word. Crazy bastards is the one you're after. Crazy bastards with pride." There's a few rattles and tinkles as he digs through a cupboard to find a bottle of the painkillers he's been needing recently. "Just my two cents. Your view?"
"Humility?" Lu speaks as if he's never even heard that word before, "please explain then Padraig." He frowns, "It's difficult to channel my anger when I'm looked down upon because I'm younger, or shorter, or seemingly weaker than everyone else. So what is the point, I'm the laughing stock of the island and I've got to do something." Lu sighs and stiffens as he hears the tinkles coming from the cupboard, "W...what are you doing!?" He asks quickly looking and sounding a little nervous.
"Essentially, the ability to shut up and stop screaming insults at people whenever you feel the slightest annoyance. We live on an island, there's not many of us. We have to expect to get pissed every now and again." Padraig's tone is still light. He screws the top off the bottle and dry-swallows a pair of the pills. "No-one looks down on you for those things; in fact most people respect the power you've got. You -are- powerful, Lu, just untrained and inexperienced. People look down on your attitude to others and don't bother with you because they don't want to just hear yet another stream of insults and you posturing like a peacock." The cupboard is closed with another few tinkles and rattles. "Please. If I was going to attack and kill you or something I wouldn't have bothered speaking, would I? I was getting some painkillers."
LuXu frowns slightly and seemingly 'glares' at his legs, taking all this in at once. "Well you have to understand. It's difficult to do that when that is how I was raised, I'm trying to stop doing it, but my father was a very persuasive individual." The bit about how he -is- powerful does cause him to smile a little. "I see well I will do my best to train and not insult everyone at every chance I get." That was going to be hard, really really hard. "You have to understand Padraig. I'm bed ridden without any eyesight at all and I can hear everything like I was in a room with a killer echo. I'm not very fond of this whole blind thing." Oh yeah he frowns on that one and look even clenches his fist.
The Irishman frowns in thought for a secon, falling completely silent. When he does speak, his tone is measured, careful. "Might sound like a weird question, but is your father just a regular human?" He lightens the tone again for the rest. "Well, I'm glad you'll be trying. It'll make my life a whole lot easier, for a start. Did Magneto say you couldn't get your eyes healed? I'd hate to be blind." A shiver runs up his back at that thought.
LuXu is quiet for a moment and ponders something before speaking; his tone is low as if his father could hear him. "I used to think so, but the man was never sick. He never got a cold, a fever, he was never hurt or anything, no scratches, cuts...nothing at all. I believe he was a mutant, after all it was he was there when my powers first showed themselves, and it was he who made me train in using them day in and day out." Lu frowns as he speaks of his father, "Well as for my eyes, I'm not sure. Though I'm guess that they will not be healed, they took care of my leg and the scratches on my face. As you can see though, my arm is still broken and well...my eyes as well."
"Some humans are like that." Padraig replies levelly. "Just lucky. But think about it... how could a human be allowed to treat you like that? Even if he was a mutant, was he the sort to stand up and fight for the Cause? If not then remember you're better than him." Again his voice becomes light and open, his grin coming through into his tone. "If your eyes are permanently damaged I can almost gauruntee they'll be healed. Magneto wouldn't waste a recruit for no particular reason."
To suddenly think or speak ill of one's father is a big taboo in Lu's book and he shifts uncomfortably in his bed. His face looking pained as he is confused what to think. Padraig was correct, if his father was a mutant then why did he not fight? Lu lays his head back and turns it away from Padraig, his mind still calculating what he could say to such a thing, honestly...his father was the only family he had. If he abandoned his father then what would become of him? What would he do? Lu was a Liang and the Liang's were once powerful warriors and generals. Lu opens his mouth and speaks quietly, "Padraig...I need to get some sleep. Thank you for stopping by." He doesn't say another word, just lies there quietly.
"Sorry if I've touched a nerve." Padraig says, his voice low, but level. "Just think about what I've said. See you later, Lu." He turns, quietly, and steps away, the bottle of pills still clutched in his hand. He's out through the door and back to training in pretty short order.
Padraig visits Lu Xu in the infirmary for a frank talk and a final attempt to be ralatively friendly. Lu gets confused.