Check-Up

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Elsa Bellefonte sighed as she looked around the examination room. Being here did feel as though she were abusing her power to some degree, exerting what will remained in her name or something along those lines. No sooner did the thought cross her mind then Elsa realized that it wasn't true: Dr. Jason Campbell would have done this for nearly any of the mutants, probably had already. Elsa had simply made the arrangement hoping for some secrecy. Pull away from her usual caregivers and from the school. not that people didn't already know about the parasite worming its way through her gut.

Besides, this was Elsa Bellefonte: she never did anything with only one motive. It had been some time since she'd last spoken to Jason Campbell and he was the sort who spent more time working than anything else. To get the attention of a workaholic, you went to their place of employment. Elsa wanted to check in with Dr. Campbell, see if he was still the man she remembered.

She also wanted help with what was happening in her gut: she just chose not to focus as much on that one.

"Apparently they make everyone wait," she murmured as she looked around the examination room again. She should have expected as much: it wasn't as though Jason was going to drop everything to see her. Not unless the creature inside her started attempting to burrow its way out. Oddly enough, Elsa couldn't find that an acceptable alternative to waiting.

At least, not quite yet.

[Jason Campbell]

When Jason read the name on the file, he knew who to expect. He remembered a girl not into adulthood but already far more mature than many older than she was, taking things in charge without expecting anyone to argue against her decision. Not a tyrant per se, more the kind that had a plan in mind and didn't like when someone tried to improvise on it.

A tapeworm was not the most dangerous of what she could have got in terms of ailment. Only in some cases could it develop into something worse than the disgust one could have at the thought of being the host to that. There was however a downfall that Jason saw and it was the fact his power could do very little if not to say nothing at all. After all, it was not like a cancer eating her away, it was a living being. A parasite, sure, that needed to get out, but not something Jason could heal merely by placing his hands on Elsa’s stomach. Luckily for her, the more traditional medicine had ways to deal with that.

He did wonder why she called him specifically. He knew that in the time he’d been back (has it really been almost two years?) he had grown into the go-to guy for the mutants in need of medical care. He was just one of those secrets you share, the one doctor who was also a mutant so you could speak freely of the symptoms you had and their possible causes. Remembering the terrible headaches Elsa had suffered, he did hope she had no further brain damage.

He had no idea how long Elsa had been waiting but he found her and walked towards her. “Miss Bellefonte,” he called her out. He was close so he didn’t need to speak too loudly for her to hear him. He looked at her. He could barely decipher her. It shouldn’t be surprising, as he never had been really good at this to begin with. He was still going to say it was more because she was hard to read.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Well, wasn't Dr. Campbell quite the fetching specimen? Elsa looked at him, her eyes raking him for a moment before nodding. Yes, that was, in fact, her name, and he should know that by now. She waited while he came a little closer. "It's a routine checkup," she pointed out. "Well," she smiled ruefully, "semi-routine. Most checkups don't generally involve looking into the parasite you picked up on the dark continent."

Elsa said the last dryly, her expression more amused than anything else. She'd done enough research and study to know that she had gotten off quite lucky indeed. There were several ailments she could have contracted which would have affected her far worse than the parasite working its way through her body now. It seemed to wiggle as she thought of it, making her grimace slightly, but nothing more than discomfort.

"I've been taking the regular course of drugs," she explained, nodding at the chart, "but i wanted to check in on it, make sure things are progressing as they should. The doctors recommended I check in with a stateside doctor," she paused then, figuring that she should give the doctor time to say his bit too. After all, it wasn't as though this was a one-sided conversation.

[Jason Campbell]

Jason even knew she was called Elsa but he was not sure he should call her by her first name or not. They had not exactly been through anything that would suggest he could be this familiar with her and despite her young age, there was an aura of authority about her that prevented him from treating her like a child. Maybe it was because he saw what she could do before.

A routine checkup. Jason opened her file to quickly read through it as she went on, giving him more precisions. “No, I guess not,” he admitted, ignoring her dry tone. “You were lucky though. There are worse things to catch and you have access to the medication here. I take you’ve also taking care of your hygiene? Washed your hands before handling food?” From what he could read, she didn't need him particularly for the semi-routine checkup. But he knew how one could end up trusting a doctor and prefer to refer to them as much as they could. As he said she could have contracted worse diseases, the thought came to mind that perhaps she would have preferred. Jason could heal a sickness, make her as good as new. He could not exactly do that with a parasite.

He caught the grimace she made. “You’re still feeling pain?” She was telling him how she was taking the medication given to her but Jason was making sure she would lie on a hospital bed so he could feel some of the bowel movements and prepare a machine so he could see the worm. “I might take a little while. Don’t want to gross you with the details but the worm produces hundreds of eggs that need to be taken care of as well. You probably noticed it whenever you went to the bathroom. Can you lift your shirt?”

Jason would then work on the scanner so he could use it. “I’d like to draw some blood too, just to make sure you don’t suffer from anemia or any vitamin deficiency,” he told her. She could choose not to but Elsa appeared to him as a very practical person. He doubted she’d see a problem in that if her health was at stake.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Yes, lucky, even Elsa knew that to some degree. Most people didn't get any diseases from their sojourns to Africa though, regardless of what stories may have you believe. So she'd definitely gotten the bad hand there. All her immunizations and good health had at least prevented much of it. As had the standard precautions: there wasn't a suggestion Jason made that she didn't nod along to, even offering a semi-dismissive wave as he finished.

"More discomfort than pain," Elsa supplied honestly; one of the few people she would not lie to was a doctor. That was just asking for foolishness. "They were fairly explicit regarding the details when I got it, and I'm quite aware that I've a veritable colony on board," she nodded nonetheless, reaching down to adjust her shirt and get it so she could lift it up. "Nice to know that it is rather easy for a physician to get a woman to undress."

Not that Elsa expected anything improper from Jason. That was the reason she'd sought him out for this, despite the lack of expertise on his part. It was also why she was already nodding as he asked for blood. "My blood type should be on the chart, and the last test came back clear for anything, I believe," though she was already moving to get an arm clear for a blood draw as well. At least she had decent enough veins, if a little hidden thanks to her tan.

[Jason Campbell]

Elsa appeared to him as a pragmatic girl. It wouldn’t be the first time he got his first impression proven wrong but she appeared very rational. So even if he didn't think she would ask for unnecessary tests, she would go with any that might actually help her. That being said, it might also have her dismiss some symptoms simply because she could handle it. She did that before and could do it again, right now, when telling him it really was more discomfort than pain she felt.

“So you don’t mind me being explicit either then? Though I supposed they already told you everything you needed to know before they gave you medication,” he said. He had no problem talking about the eggs and larvae in her stool. He talked of more disgusting matters with patients and even more with other doctors and nurses. It still remained something they had to debate between being direct or trying to make it less horrible to hear. In her case, it might just be gross. “Luckily, it won’t for long,” he replied as she mentioned her ‘colony’.

It wouldn’t be the first time Jason heard a joke about doctors having women undress. They were probably as common as the dirty nurse jokes. He didn't expect to get it from her however and that made him stop his movement for a second or two. He preferred not to say anything, certain he would screw it up otherwise. He returned to the check-up instead. And the blood test. “It’s better to be sure. If the worm increased in size it could be eating away the supply you need. We can’t let you get sicker until it dies,” he replied. She offered no objection though and even prepared her arm for the blood test. If only all of his patients were like that. “Other than the… discomfort it gives you, you have no other symptoms? Headaches perhaps?” Jason asked. The headaches not really having anything to do with the tapeworm and more with her power. But since he was here, he figured he might do a checkup of the whole girl and not just her stomach.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

"Feel free to be as explicit as you want," Elsa replied dryly, her voice twisting the words into even more wry and loaded expressions than they already were. she knew that she was using humor, and possibly even a bit of flirtation, as a deflecting and/or coping mechanism, but she also didn't really care all that much. She had parasites living inside her, even if, as Jason pointed out, only for the time being.

Elsa had gotten into the appropriate level of coverage for the particular check-up. Best to look and she was already nodding and extending an arm to make that all the easier. Her veins had been easier to find before the tan, but they still weren't exactly hard to locate. If vampires were such a thing, Elsa supposed that she and her sister would likely be easy targets or something along those lines.

"Headaches aren't a common symptom of tapeworms, are they?" Elsa asked. "I had some migraine level headaches a while back, after expending and stretching my power to find my sister. They faded more or less with time, though they'll occasionally come back and I'll take the appropriate medication. The more recent addition to my abilities seems to be more likely to produce ever so enjoyable psychological side effects though."

Again, all said dryly and rather matter of factly, not to mention rather confidently for a woman offering up an arm to draw blood and baring parts of her body for the most unsexy of reasons.

[Jason Campbell]

Either Elsa was strong enough to take whatever information he may have or she wanted to appear strong enough to take it, either way she told him he didn't have to sugar-coat it. It was not really his type to hide information regarding someone’s health but there was a way to bring it that required tact. Elsa seemed not to want any of that though. “Well, the good news is that the tapeworm had not increased too much in size,” he said, showing on the screen the parasite inside of her. It needed to be out, of course, but it could die first. Jason was actually more worried about the eggs it can let out, as there was a chance they migrated all around her body and possibly to her brain. The risks were small but she had enough issues with that part of her anatomy thanks to her power, she didn't need something else. Even though it was something Jason would technically be able to heal for a change.

He then took some samples of her blood. “You’re not too uncomfortable with that sight?” he asked her as he draw the blood. Normally, he would have left a nurse do this but he tended to offer more particular care to mutants. You just never know what might happen or be said and it was not like Jason knew who within the hospital was a mutant as well.

It was not hard to get that his question had little to do with her current condition. He still felt the need to justify himself. “Some eggs can migrate to the brain and cause severe damage. It’s extremely rare and even less likely if you take your medication but it’s still not something that should be ignored.” He didn't know if she managed to read him and tell he was not thinking of the tapeworm at all right now. It was hard to get Elsa. Sometimes, she appeared to him like the young woman she was and sometimes she appeared much older. “Recent addition?” He let out after she talked. Elsa was not a patient he saw enough to be aware of every change happening to her both medically and with her power. Her sarcasm as to her side-effects had him show some concern.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

It was good to hear that the little stowaway wasn't growing in size. The barrage of antibiotics, mostly prescribed, surging through Elsa's body did well enough to fight off the infection and should have likely killed the damn thing by now. She'd settle for "not growing" for the time being. She also simply shook her head at the mention of the sight of her own blood. Elsa had never been squeamish, and after SPECTRE and the fire, well, she didn't have any real reason to be the slightest bit any more.

"Just do what needs doing," she supplied, which might as well have been the motto for her life. Tuck your head in and move forward, hoping for the best result and preparing for the worst. "I've heard all the side effects," Elsa admitted, nodding again, "hence why I was so eager to get treatment, even when I was still in a foreign country. It should have been retarded enough that it won't cause too much.

"As far as the addition, it's quite simple: I can now communicate mentally with people. It's still not quite so much telepathy as a sort of messaging. The brain processes the thoughts I send in the same manner it would if you were reading, and I can process them in return. It's a bit like having a mental instant messenger," she smiled at that, before raising her brows. "It hasn't come with too heavy of a side effect though, hence my rather cavalier attitude toward it."

[Jason Campbell]

Elsa was ever straight to the point. She didn't want to bother herself with her comfort so long as it was done. It probably explained why she seemed to consider all this process to go slow. To Jason, it was going well but he could understand, since she was the one having it inside of her, that she thought differently. And since it made his work easier, Jason was not going to complain.

Since she told him she had heard of all the gruesome details before, he figured she heard of possible side effects but he still nodded as she told him as much. “Of course. The chances for it to happen are very small but that is no reason to not take this seriously,” he agreed with her. She took the right decision not to wait. If Jason did not tell her as much it was only because he felt she was not the kind of person seeking other’s approval.

Her simple addition might not be as simple as she pretended. It was an enhanced version of what she had. The image of an email sent directly to your brain was very science-fiction-like but it was not the first power he heard of that seemed taken out of this genre. “I suppose the side-effects are pretty much the same you’ve been experiencing before?” He questioned. He was thinking about this, quickly going through any implication it might have on her health. It was what mattered the most to him after all. He left the rest in the hands of people more able to help her. “It makes it more important for you to pass brain scans though. I heard the school was getting all the proper equipment, you will not have come here all the time, as it might rise some questions,” Jason added. She might not want to take this seriously until she really should but it was his work to do it for her so Jason was. “As for your tapeworm, don’t worry. I get you find it a slow process but you’ll get rid of it soon, and of all the eggs as well.”

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Yes, yes, small chances, not much side effect. Elsa was again tempted to point out that she'd apparently picked up the tamest, most inconvenient of African illnesses, but something just stopped her from being overly flippant. Probably had something to do with African illnesses, or possibly the fact that Dr. Campbell seemed quite interested, if in an entirely clinical way, with her power.

"They're essentially the same," she replied, addressing side effects. "It's not like I suddenly gained the ability to fly," she smiled at that. They both knew full well that mutations didn't work that way. You might have fabulous abilities, but they always seemed very well connected. "I've had it for a while now, so it's become more or less commonplace for me. It really only works for people I'm close to," she offered another slight shrug. Yes, she was treating telepathy, or at least some weird variation of it, as though it were commonplace. For the two of them, it was very much business as usual, and she fully intended to treat it as such.

"If you'd like to take some scans of it while I'm working it, I certainly wouldn't object," Elsa offered. "I can certain afford such measures, and I would much rather learn more about my ability than not," and who knew what such things would provide. The tapeworm was already becoming a secondary, which Dr. Campbell seemed to have already noticed. Elsa certainly had no qualms about pushing the other issue.

[Jason Campbell]

The truth was that Jason was always a bit more awkward around teenagers than he was with adults. He was never sure if he should treat them like a kid or an adult. They were not exactly either of those things after all. Especially here, as they were often left on their own, their family too far away to helped them out. Elsa acted as an adult, which made him want to treat her as one. But there was still a part that could yet take her like this. It was a survival instinct to protect those younger than you and it was what she was, making him often think about sugar-coating things for her, or simplify things, only to remind himself he didn’t have to.

“It would have been quite an anomaly had you started to,” he admitted with a brief smile to reply to hers. He knew some people could develop a secondary power or an enhanced version of what they started with before training occurred. But going from telepathy to flying? That would have been unheard of. “When you mean close, you’re talking emotionally? People you’ve known their brain architecture almost by heart now? Or it’s a proximity thing?” A part of him knew it might not be the most appropriate of place to discuss this but he couldn’t help it. His knowledge in genetic was limited but it remained something that fascinated him.

She did not object for him to take a scan of her brain. “I would like that. If you prefer, it can be done at the school. Either way, I’ll make sure to get it all ready as soon as we can both afford it.” The fact that she would likely use her power on him didn’t seem to affect him at all. He had no problem with that. Sometimes, you had to do that, for science. And Jason was too interested in learning more about her ability and possibly help with her side-effects to mind that minor detail.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Hmm, the man was definitely humorless. Elsa had noticed him being stoic and reserved the last few times she'd encountered the man, but she'd just assumed that was the circumstances. Now she was seriously wondering if the man wasn't just... boring. A bit of a shame, but the world needed boring people too, especially in positions of responsibility like this one.

"More emotionally close," Elsa supplied, again seeing no reason to hold back information for the doctor. "It's partially a matter of knowing someone's thought patterns. I technically read minds; I believe my brain processes the information in the same way it does the written word. So apparently when I know an author enough, I can actually open up a two-way path. My desire probably had something to do with it too," which could have several connotations, most of which were actually pertinent to the discussion. Elsa again figured that would be enough, particularly given that they had other matters to attend to.

"I'd rather we do it sooner rather than later," she said, nodding slightly. "Not that I'd object to doing it at the school, but, well," she gestured, "we are here, and if you've the equipment...?"

After all: Elsa was a Bellefonte. It wasn't as though money were an issue.

[Jason Campbell]

It was not like Jason could not appreciate a joke but it would appear he did not always get it. And since he knew he was not the funniest of man he just never bothered to try and joke. He always felt as though it was falling flat whenever he did. He might appear as someone humble but he still had an ego that didn’t particularly enjoyed the looks one can give when you tell them a joke that is really not as funny as you believed it to be. It was easier to focus on his work, really. That, he knew he was good at. He didn’t have to second guess himself.

“I see,” he said as she explained how her power seemed to work. So she did need to know the brain architecture, or at least, as she said it, the thought pattern, to be able to send messages as well as receiving them. “That is possible, so is the will for the person to let you communicate with them that way’” he responded as she talked of her desire to send a message. It was kind of weird to talk of authors when discussing brains but she said it looked a lot like written words. Said like this, the comparison to writers made more sense. She got accustomed to the way one person thinks and it opens to her a door, a way of communication. Although Elsa was willing to discuss this matter, he left it at that for now. He’d rather think it over before bothering her with his questions. It was how he worked. Especially on a matter where he had the time to think it over first.

A brief smile showed on his lips as she suggested we did it now. “I’m sure we can get the equipment at the hospital but the question is more if it’s being used right now and a matter of who needs it the most at this moment. I can go and see if it is used right now but it might be easier to simply ask the school to have theirs prepared. Something tells me it will be easier to have it there. And it will save me a lot of paperwork,” he admitted. Not that he hated paperwork. It could sure be tedious but the main issue here was the fact that he had no good medical reason to do a brain scan on her and without being certain what he might find, he’d rather not leave traces of it.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

strange to hear someone respond with the noncommittal "I see" and actually believe that they just might do it. But when Jason said as much, Elsa could find herself nodding along. He also seemed to understand what she'd more or less realized: that it probably had something to do with the will of the people involved. Then again, that was fairly standard knowledge for mutant powers in general, so Elsa supposed she shouldn't be that surprised that Jason made the logical connection.

The smile, on the other hand, had her brows raising up with curiosity. The explanation had her nodding: they had the equipment, but it could be in use. "Of course, I should've realized," she said, extending a hand in an apologetic gesture. "We do have the equipment at the school, so if you would like to make an appointment to meet me there to review it, then I'll certainly be willing to go along with it."

Elsa paused for a moment, considering. "That is assuming that you're willing. I'd hate to think that I'm being a drain on your time or your interest," she had to raise her brows and smile at that, the flirtation once more seeping into eyes and grin.