Gawain had a bed in the Infirmary with his name on it. Or at least he should have. He seemed to spend every other night/day/morning/afternoon here, and he didn't even bother with the smaller wounds. If he did, he could have just moved in altogether.

This time too, as ususal, he arrived through the mirror that Doc put up when he realized Mirror's tendency to show up regularly (and beaten up). He was grateful for it. If he had to walk across the Mansion every time he got home roughed up, Twyla would have caught him sooner than later.
Nobody would want that.

It was getting late. Really late. 'Close to shifting' late. Which also meant decent people were supposed to be in bed.
(At least, somebody's bed.)

"Hello? Doc?" he called out as he climbed out of the mirror "Um, I could use some help here..."

Gawain was in a shape that would have been considered pretty bad ofr people who were less used to if. For him, it was well within the 'I'm fine' range. Bleeding nose and a bump on the head (and probably a mild concussion), minor bruises and scratches, nothing he couldn't deal with. Minus his left shoulder, which was swollen and hurt like hell. He still remembered the nasty sound it gave when they twisted it.

"Ow." he frowned, sitting down onto the closest bed. He was half hoping he would see some familiar faces here. Like Em. Em almost spent as much time here as he did. But no, this time, he seemed to be all alone.
Gawain cradled his left arm, and sighed.

Damn. I shoulda fought Aura. At least she makes a decent job at hurting people.

Alexandra needed Garrett's help. She was beckoning to him from the supply room. Garrett walked slowly toward her, looking at her legs. They seemed to disappear into her nurse's outfit, never joining her torso. The look in her eyes was one that he had wanted to see for some time. She wanted him to use her mutation on her like he had done before, but she wanted to feel it everywhere. Garrett's hand stretched out, his fingers just touching her delicate skin. She sai----

"Hello? Doc? Um, I could use some help here..." A spot of drool was on the table, Garrett's face pressed into his own arm. His eyes burned from the sudden introduction of light. A dream. He smacked his lips together, trying to get the sleep mouth out. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes as well, hearing footsteps behind him. A patient. Of course it was a patient. No way could he have a perfectly dirty dream when there was paperwork and students to take care of. Standing slowly and stretching his arms high above his head, he shook off the remaining slog.

Looking around, he saw a guy sitting on a nearby bed, cradling his arm and looking like he had been in some kind of fight. Checking his face for drool , which was happily dry, he straightened his doctor's coat and approached him. " Sorry, Doc's snoozing. I only call him for emergencies. This doesn't look too emergency. I'm Garrett. What's your name?" The shoulder seemed to be the main point of woe." I can take care of your pains, if you don't mind me touching you. Do you?"

>>"Sorry, Doc's snoozing. I only call him for emergencies. This doesn't look too emergency. I'm Garrett. What's your name?"

Gawain looked up at the guy in front of him. He'd never met him before. Did the Mansion finally decid to get another healer before Doc kicks te bucked from being overworked?...

"Gawain." he muttered. Hurting causes bad mood, even for mutants.

>>"I can take care of your pains, if you don't mind me touching you. Do you?"

Smirk.
"That depends on where ya touch me." he sighed, still cradling his arm, it hurt with every breath "Yeah, sure, whatever. So, ya're a healer too?"

The guy looked up at him. His nose was bloody and it looked like there was some swelling in his head. Hopefully he didn't have a concussion. "Gawain." Garrett smiled and pulled an alcohol swab from his coat pocket, opening the small package ,and unfolding it slightly. ' Like the knight. Nice. Looks like you've been out on a quest tonight. What happened? " Permission given, his fingers cupped the guy's chin, the swab wiping away the blood in swift strokes. It seemed to have stopped, so that was something. The moment flesh met flesh, the neural map began to write itself over the patient's face, areas of glowing red appearing in several places. The nose of course, but also a spot on and in his head. Looked like it was probably a concussion.

"So, ya're a healer too?" Garrett pulled a small pen light out and flashed it over Gawain's eyes, happy to see dilation and proper movement to stimulus. No serious brain damage. Putting the pen light away, he kept his hand beneath his chin, keeping the contact steady. The map was working its way over his neck now., spreading out over the shoulders. " Healer? Not really. I manipulate the nervous system of myself or others. I am working on becoming a doctor myself, though. Do you mind taking your shirt off? I can help. Otherwise I'll have to cut it to take care of your shoulder."

A brush of the thumb over the nose lessened the pain. Everyone knew it was injured, nerves. Now go back to whatever you were doing previously. He smiled, hoping the relief of one small pain might lighten Gawain's mood. " I hope you didn't have any pressing plans. You have a mild concussion, so you'll need to stay awake a few hours until it looks a little bette.r I'll get you a cold compress and wrap your shoulder once I take care of it."

>>"Like the knight. Nice. Looks like you've been out on a quest tonight. What happened? "

Gawain smirked. Finally someone who got the knight reference. It helped a lot to lighten his mood.

"Well, I, um, danced with a chick called Aura, and got my ass kicked by a bunch of guys who didn' like that."
It was as good a summary as any.

Garrett started cleaning his face. Gawain didn't wince. Wincing was reserved for pretty nurses like Twyla. Mostly Twyla. It really was a pity she didn't work here. That would have lightened the mood even more.
When asked, Gawain wiggled out of his T-shirt, wondering what Garrett was going to do exactly, since he was not a healer. The touch to his nose explained that. Oh. Better.

>>"I hope you didn't have any pressing plans. You have a mild concussion, so you'll need to stay awake a few hours until it looks a little bette.r I'll get you a cold compress and wrap your shoulder once I take care of it."

"Awake? Oh hell." the young knight muttered, looking at the clock on the wall with a deep frown "I was hopin' I could sleep soon... bein' awake's gonna hurt."

Smirks. A glimmer in the eye of recognition at the reference."Well, I, um, danced with a chick called Aura, and got my ass kicked by a bunch of guys who didn' like that." Garrett stepped back, his hands leaving Gawain while he squirmed out of his shirt. He was rather surprised that Gawain looked the way he did if he had been around Aura. so many things about what he said made little sense at all. A smirk of his own crossed Garrett's features.

He walked into the supply room and got the necessary things he would need, breaking the pack that made the chemicals inside the dry compress chill. He placed it on Gawain's head, placing the boy's own hand on top of it. His hands both found the shoulder, refreshing the connection and focusing the interaction on the shoulder. " Well, I don't know what you were really up to, but I don't buy that story. For two reasons. One, Aura is a psychopathic murderer. So she would have eviscerated anyone who would have fought with you or her. And..two, Aura is as gay as the day is long. So, unless you mean some other kind of dancing, the whole protecting a damsel's honor bit isn't flying. Maybe a dragon?" He couldn't help but chuckle at the story.

The shoulder wasn't quite dislocated, but it did seem a little off. Garrett closed his eyes briefly, focusing on waves of gentle golden energy moving through the injured joint. the idea was to soothe the area prior to anesthetizing it. Opening his eyes again, he could see the angry red calming and quieting before falling into complete slumber. He lifted the arm and pushed it at the right angle to put it back in place, a small dull pop ensuing. Next he began to wrap it over and under, around his neck and under the ribs, over the arm until it was immobilized. he put his hand on the compress and helped Gawain get the shirt back over his head, replacing the hand when finished.

He opened a window, letting the cool night air in. Someone had planted jasmine in the garden, as its nighttime blossoming wafted up and into his nose, pleasing him. 'I was hopin' I could sleep soon... bein' awake's gonna hurt." Looking out onto the mansion grounds, he wondered at this new story. Perhaps it had something to with Gawain's mutation. " Why would being awake hurt? Does it involve your gift? The truth this time would be nice."

>>"Well, I don't know what you were really up to, but I don't buy that story."

Gawain choked on nothing. Garrett not only knew Aura, he also knew things about her he didn't (or was not sure about). He couldn't help but laugh out at what he said. He was not buying the story? And it was one of the few times Gawain ahd told the truth too. What a pity.

Whatever Garrett did to his shoulder, it felt good. Or, more like, it didn't hurt. He winced when it was put back into its place, but it was due to the sound, not pain.
"Thanks. Much better."

>>"Why would being awake hurt? Does it involve your gift? The truth this time would be nice."

"Yeeeah." Gawain smirked, sitting back on the bed "I'm gonna shift into a girl soon, an' shiftin' awake is a bitch in itself, not to mention shiftin' when I'm injured. Does that sound believalbe to you?" he chuckled "By the way, I was tellin' the truth. Aura might be psycho and gay, but she's one heck of a dancer. An' yeah, ya should see the other guy."

Frown. He really shouldn't.

Garrett was glad that he could help people more now. It wasn't as if he couldn't lay someone down in a fit of wracking pain, but why bother? There weren't any enemies anymore, it seemed. Villains, bad people? Sure. But no one gunning for him, no reason to hide. It was very liberating. Garrett closed his eyes, the scent of the jasmine as appealing as the nighttime sounds of crickets and frogs. Helping and harming. The Mansion grounds were dark now, but they still held beauty. Something was trying to click in his head, but he didn't quite have it just yet. It kept slipping free.

"Yeeeah.I'm gonna shift into a girl soon, an' shiftin' awake is a bitch in itself, not to mention shiftin' when I'm injured. Does that sound believalbe to you?" Garrett's eyes snapped open. Shift into a girl? That sounded interesting. He turned and looked at the boy, who continued to smirk. " A girl? That's new. Of course it's believable. I assumed you were at the Mansion for some reason. Can I watch?" What a perfect gift! Such an expression of genetic wonder. " By the way, I was tellin' the truth. Aura might be psycho and gay, but she's one heck of a dancer. An' yeah, ya should see the other guy."

Garrett simply shrugged. Stranger things had happened in his life. " I knew Aura when I was in the Order. To be honest, hitting on girls and bathing in the blood of her enemies pretty much sums up what I have seen her do. I'm sure you are right. My apologies for assuming things." He sat across from Gawain, more interested in this gender change now. " When exactly is shifting time?"

>>"A girl? That's new. Of course it's believable. I assumed you were at the Mansion for some reason. Can I watch?"

Gawain opened his mouth, but whatever he was going to say, it censored itself. Watch me shift? Seriously?!... There were only four people in the world who had ever seen him shift: Mom, Henri, Calley and Kat, and he was not even sure the latter two saw the shift itself. Gawain himself had never cared to see what was happening to him during a shift.
At least, according to Henri, it didn't look gross.

>>"I knew Aura when I was in the Order..."

Oh. That made sense. Bad guy gone good, huh. Gawain smirked as he kicked off his shoes and lay back on the bead, with his good arm behind his head. "'tis okay, I can't believe I was stupid enough to do it either."

>>"When exactly is shifting time?"

"Midnight." he sighed, glancing at the clock. There were only a few minutes left "Alright, here's the deal: ya can watch, if ya do that thing ya did and make the pain go away." he looked up at him "Let me see if I got this right... ya're not actually healin' me, just killin' the pain, right?"

Garrett watched Gawain's mouth open as if something might just roll out of it. It probably was a surprise to hear such a request and it probably sounded suspicious, considering the direction of the genders. To Garrett, while the female form was definitely more favorable for him, the process was defintely more interesting from the mutation and especially the neural factor. quite a show was in the works and he had better than front seat tickets.Currently though, only the look of surprise and an open mouth was the answer.

He did mention something about being stupid in relation to Aura. Garrett was more concerned with his lying down, though. That wasn't the best course of action for a concussion. "Midnight." Alright here's the deal: ya can watch, if ya do that thing ya did and make the pain go away."Gawain looked up at him "Let me see if I got this right... ya're not actually healin' me, just killin' the pain, right?" Garrett smiled and nodded, helping himself to cradle beneath the boy's neck and help him to sit up.

" That's right. I'm afraid you are going to have to shift sitting up though. Lying down with a concussion is one thing. Shifting into another gender with a concussion while lying down just doesn't sound good to me. Just try to sit up straight and let it happen. I am going to place my hands on your shoulders and stand behind you. You shouldn't feel a thing." Once he was upright, Garrett did as he said he would, his hands slid beneath the shirt and palms flat against shoulder blades. Considering the time, he concentrated hard, pushing the neural mapping process so that it could cover the entire body and record what occurred at midnight.

>>"That's right. I'm afraid you are going to have to shift sitting up though. Lying down with a concussion is one thing. Shifting into another gender with a concussion while lying down just doesn't sound good to me..."

It sounded perfectly fine to Gawain, but since the male nurse was already lifting him back up into a sitting position, he complied. At least he had a chance to not suffer through the shift.
As Garrett placed his hands on his shoulders, the young knight frowned.

"Yeah, this ain't weird at all." he muttered as he glanced at the clock. Past midnight. Ding-dong, horses shift into mice, carriage shifts into pumpkin, the knight shifts into a princess.

Gawain took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. He didn't feel pain, neither in his head nor in his shoulder. He didn't feel the usual uncomfortable sensation either, the one that always accompanied the shifting process; a whole body rearranging itself without it's owner's permission. Weirdly enough, he wasn't numb either - but it was still the smoothes shift he'd ever had awake. Gawain's features slowly melted into Maya's, and the change was complete in a few minutes.
Maya exhaled, and opened her eyes.

"Show's over" she muttered, smirking at Garrett over her shoulder "Ya can stop touchin' me now."

Since the neural sight was not one of eyes, Garrett's own closed ones made no difference, except to concentrate his efforts. With his power and focus so combined, The map spread quickly like a wildfire of energy, coursing through the vast network of nerves in Gawain's body. He was not concerned with the time, as the change would occur before him when it was time to. Satisfied with the coverage, Garrett moved his vision around the boy's body, not particularly centered on any one part or another. He was looking for the catalyst. Where would it start?

The short answer? Everywhere.Garrett had looked at it the wrong way, waiting for some specific part to change, but it didn't happen that way at all. What could he describe it as? Perhaps it was like breathing. Breathing looked like this in a way, as the body expanded and oxygen was taken in, expelled as carbon dioxide. There were superficial changes, but there was no way to differentiate any of it. It was the spirit of creation moving in a divine sense. The experience made him see the complete wonder and beauty of mutation.

"Show's over.Ya can stop touchin' me now." Like a tide coming in and rolling out, it was over. Just like that. His eyes opened and he nodded at the request, his hands slipping out from under her shirt. Though he was not in contact with her, as he walked around to his original position, his eyes were still on her, though again in no particular place. It might appear as if he were looking through her. " Beautiful. That's all I can really say about it." He stepped back to the window and looked out again at the darkness of the Mansion grounds.

It had been some time since he was so affected by someone, unintentionally. Her name was Iris. Garrett's eyes left the ground itself and looked instead into the hidden night. He felt confused. He looked down at his own hands. The nerve centers in his palms still vibrated from the contact. That something that had been eluding him began to roll in. This tide was a rising one, growing higher and higher, engulfing him in conscious awareness, taking the impurities of his soul out to the great sea of life. " Are you still Gawain?" He turned toward her. " I mean, of course you are the same person, but should I still call you Gawain?"

>>"Beautiful. That's all I can really say about it."

"Um. Thanks, I guess." Maya muttered, tugging at her clothes to get comfortable in them. Her cheeks colored pink. She rarely met anyone who appreciated her mutation that much. Even she had problems with appreciating it sometimes.

>>"Are you still Gawain? I mean, of course you are the same person, but should I still call you Gawain?"

"Nah." she shook her head with a smirk. The headshake hurt. The smirk didn't "My girl name is Maya." she reached for the cold pack to press it against her head. The dizziness that accompanied the shifting and the sudden lack of Garrett's powers slowly faded away. She was now in the post-shifting awake time. She didn't like it too much.

"So I gotta be sittin' up all night?..."

Garrett watched her shake her head, noting the obvious twinge of pain which accompanied it. Male or female, the brain inside the fairer sex's skull was still swollen from the injury. He frowned slightly. he certainly wasn't a healer, but he had hoped that somehow either the shifting or his gifts might have helped the concussion. Looked like they would be up a while.'My girl name is Maya." Garrett couldn't help but chuckle. Wasn't that interesting? " Maya? Okay. I think I can handle that. My ex's name was Maya, so pretty easy to remember that." Part of him still wished to call her Gawain anyway, but that wasn't her fault. Blame her parents.

"So I gotta be sittin' up all night?..." He nodded slowly while approaching the bed she sat on. " I'm afraid so, but I think I can help your comfort somewhat. The problem is that even without my senses I can tell you are still affected by the concussion. It's not wise to go to sleep with one." He reached under the head of the bed, adjusting the buttons which made the upper portion raise up to an angle. " You can at least sit back this way. I'll sit up with you for a while before I send you on your way. So tell me something about yourself..Maya. Other than the whole gender switching. I've got that covered." Garrett smiled at her.

>>" Maya? Okay. I think I can handle that. My ex's name was Maya, so pretty easy to remember that."

Maya blinked. Then grinned. There was really nothing else to add.
"No kiddin'. I think I've met her..."

>>"You can at least sit back this way. I'll sit up with you for a while before I send you on your way. So tell me something about yourself..Maya. Other than the whole gender switching. I've got that covered."

Maya sighed, and sat back. She decided she liked Doc better. Even with all the grumbling. But at least she could sit back. And she was safe, as long as no one found out she ended her evening in the infirmary again.

"Yeah I bet ya do." she smirked "It usually takes more time for people to figure that out. So, what do you wanna know?... Moved in couple of months ago, was not plannin' on stayin', an' now I'm bein' trained to be a superhero, how 'bout that." she chuckled "If ya work here, we'll see each other a lot."