2018-10-03 - Walk like a Beast

Hank McCoy needs to do some laundry, but the laundry room in the staff wing is out of service. So, he has to come over to the STUDENT laundry wing. He's chosen to do so in the early morning though, when the kids are too lazy to be up, except maybe Gabby. But he'll chance it. over one shoulder is a big laundry bag, in the other hand is a huge tablet, plugged into some earbuds pushed into his ears, with custom xxl tips. He's... singing as he plays his card game. His voice going as high as he can manage, "If you wanna find all the cops, they're hanging out in the donut shop. They sing and dance, oh way oh, spin the cup, cruise down the block." At the word spin he actually spins around, the bag swinging around the hall and thumping into a wall, and turns into the laundry room.



Haunting the student halls. It's one of Emma's favourite pastimes for identifying students in need of help. Or as she would put it were she pressed on it, identifying the students who are going to cause trouble. She walks silent (and white) as a ghost when she spots the odd sight down the hall.

Hank?

This bears investigation. Emma stalks down the hall quietly--not that she'd need to given the earbuds--and lounges in the doorway, arms crossed, face cruelly amused, waiting to see how long it takes Hank to notice he's been made.



Bucky was also haunting the halls of the school, dressed in casual attire to try and hide the fact that he was the winter soldier. Wearing a red T-shirta nd blue jeans, with a brown jacket and black gloves on his hands, a torn up baseball cap on his head, James wasn't exactly an unusual sight, but people knew who he was, even if he tried his darndest not to unnerve people.

Looking to Hank as he apparently sings while he plays his card game near the student laundry.

that's...a new sight.

Hank McCoy does NOT notice the people gawking at him right away. He's dressed casually. Jeans and a white t-shirt. Once in the laundry room, the smooth walls and appliances just create better acoustics for him. "All the Japanese with their Yen, the party boys call the Kremlin, and the Chinese know" - And for the oh way oh there he really gets into it, dropping his bag, and doing an Egyptian pose with his arms, "They walk the line like Egyptian.." Then he has to put down his tablet, tapping at the cards as he dumps in the clothes and dials in the machine.



Emma looks up as Bucky arrives, raising an eyebrow querulously, gesturing with her head inside. "Should we intervene?" she asks quietly. "I'm concerned for his mental health. It can't possibly be right for an adult to sing children's songs so loudly."

She observes Hank again. "And why does he need such a large device to do it?"



Bucky lifts a brow at Hank before he looks to Emma with a shrug. "I dunno. Should we? I mean...he looks like he's having fun." Bucky looks over to Hank once again before he glances to Emma. "I think he'd take kinder to you getting his attention than me."



Emma is pretty sure that James has it almost exactly backward, but she shrugs anyway and steps into the room, waving an arm in front of Hank's eyes for attention. "Hank? Are you OK? Do you need medical assistance for the aneurysm? Blink twice for yes, thrice for no."



Hank McCoy is in a white t-shirt and jeans in the early morning, doing laundry because the staff machines are out. He intones softly, imitating Susanna Hoffs "Walk like an Egyptian..." and the song's over. He pulls the earbuds out once the song's over. Then wins his game of HEarthstone, and fires up the machine. At that, Emma speaks, and he looks over. "I'm... fine, Emma. Our machines are down, that's why I 'm here." He's not aware of what she saw, since she only just stepped into the room.

Bucky tilts his head at Emma when she gives him that look before he follows her to see Hank. "Hey Hank." he greets casually, before he simply remains in silence.



"I'm not sure how the staff laundry being out explains the horrible wailing sounds you were making, Hank," Emma says, pressing her lips together to suppress any hint of a smile.

It doesn't work.

The eyes are giving her away.

"It sounded like someone trying to circumvent serious brain damage by using a different part of the brain to communicate." Beat. "And failing."



Hank McCoy freezes. For a moment, the only sound in the room is the one industrial washing machine vibrating. He stares at her, inhales deepy. He's caught. "So you.. heard," he mutters, bringing his hand to his face, rubbing his eyes with a pinching motion.

Bucky looks between Emma and Hank. "...heard about what?" Bucky just looks confused before he looks to Hank. Then back to Emma. "Elaborate for the unknowledgeable?"



Mental note: be nice to Bucky for giving the chance to twist the knife in just a little deeper.

"The ... well, I think he was singing for help, Mr. Barnes," Emma says gravely. "See, sometimes speech centres of the brain can get damaged. A stroke, say. Or an aneurysm. Even a mild seizure. It becomes impossible to speak. But there are other centres of the brain connected to the speech mechanisms of the human body, so if you can't speak sometimes you can sing."

Her grave eyes, dancing with vicious amusement, swivel to regard Hank. "Is that what was happening Hank? Was this a cry for help?..."

Beat.

"Or were you really singing children's songs out loud?"

And now the grin breaks free. And it's not even entirely a mean one. More like about 25% mean, the rest fond teasing.



Hank McCoy squints, and stands up. Adjusting his t-shirt collar, he tries to regain some dignity. "Pardon me, Ms. Frost, but that was not achildren's song. Walk like an Egyptian is a modern classic for all ages. Don't you know."

Bucky sighs lightly. This was not a good spot for him to be in. "Why would he sing for help? I thought he was singing about Egyptians.." eyes shift to Hank as he stands up to regain his dignity. Way to earn cool points with Bucky! But, clearly Emma is enjoying this far too much.



"I jest of course, Hank." And she dissembles. Anybody who snooped in her room carefully would find her own stash of '80s pop, after all, though they would die if they ever revealed this fact. Note: THEY would die of Emma's embarrassment, not Emma... "We don't see eye to eye on music, but I am, after all, all about diversity of thought, taste, and opinion." She says this with a straight face, no less!

"Do you need assistance with your laundry?" she asks. "It seems to be a rather sizable load. Perhaps some extra hands in sorting and folding?"

