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As agreed, the Black Panther took the golden-hued fallen healer with her when she left Central Park. She called for a car, and had him transported to the Wakandan Embassy, ensconced there in a guest room. There aren't many, as their embassy is relatively small, but they are well-appointed rooms and quite comfortable. Once Josh was cleaned up, they laid him out on the bed, and had him checked over by a doctor. The conclusion that he was in a coma did not prompt a visit to the hospital; there is little a hospital can really do for a coma patient anyway. Instead, they simply arranged regular watch over the young man, and waited.
Twenty-four hours later, the golden hue of his skin has faded away. A fresh suit of clothes has been laid out awaiting the young man's awakening. And a young African American woman is sitting in a chair near his bedside, reading a newspaper aloud in English, speaking to the events of the previous day.
*
It's quick, when it comes: one moment Josh is nearly dead to the world, except not really dead at all, and the next his eyes fly open and he sits up and looks around with a wild look to his eye, having absolutely no idea where he is. He's up and out of the bed a moment later, blinking at the change of clothes, and looking at his tanned hands. "Okay, so it's been at least a day." He says to himself, then he sees there's *someone there*. He blinks, "Oh. Hi." He's breathing a bit deeply: waking up in a strange place with a stranger has the healer's tension pumped a bit high, "… uhhh, I mean. Hi. Who are you? Where am I? I mean, not to be rude, but …" He gestures around, "I didn't expect to wake up here." Pause, "Not that I expected to wake up anywhere specifically." he admits with a sheepish grin.
*
The young woman stops her recitation of the news stories and offers a neutral but gentle smile and nod to the young man. "Good evening, Sir." she offers, waiting for him to settle a bit before she says anything more. But, she does lift a small bell from the bedside table and ring it. That probably implies something else happening beyond this room in response.
"You are safe here, I assure you. The Black Panther gathered you up from where you were in the Park, after things ended last night. She brought you here, and asked us to keep watch over you and take care of you." Her smile warms just a bit. "I am Angela Dancer. I am employed here at the Wakandan Embassy, assisting the Embassy staff." She gestures towards the suit of clothes laid out. "We cleaned you up, and let you rest. We have fresh clothes for you. And we will be happy to feed you, whatever you like, when you are ready to eat."
*
The bell has Josh wincing: its not particularly loud, so it must be a particular sensitivity. "The Black Panther?" He hesitates, looking confused, "Oh. The … person … in the black suit. Hi, uh, Miss Dancer." He pauses, "Wakanda? Isn't that the little country in east Africa? The one that didn't manage to get conquered by one imperial force or another?" He's a doctor, which has him educated, but he's not deeply knowledgeable of world affairs. Glancing at the clothes, he nods slowly, and mention of food has his stomach immediately growling, "Is this 'Black Panther' around so I can thank— him, her?"
*
Angela smiles and nods to Josh. "Yes. That is Wakanda." she responds, setting the bell back down. "My apologies for the bed. I was letting others know that you are awake. The Black Panther should be here soon." She gestures to the clothes. "If you would like, I can step out while you dress. Then I can lead you to the dining room when you are ready. I am sure she can find us there."
*
Ah! She. Josh picks up on that, and nods, and does give a quick grin when Angela offers some privacy. But he shrugs, "Yeah, please." He's out of his shirt and into a new one without really worrying about his own modesty. He doesn't really have any: too much time spent in on-call rooms and 36 hour days in the residency program. Plus, he's a doctor (and it doesn't hurt that he is perfectly confident with his appearance). But still, he doesn't get out of his pants until she's gone: mostly to be kind and not embarass the lady. It doesn't take him long to emerge from the room to look for her, then, "All ready." A quick, bright grin.
*
Josh will find that he's not wearing the shirt he was when he passed out. He'll also find that shirt is about all he's wearing. But the clothes laid out for him will fit pretty well, clearly sized based on his other clothing. If he checks, he'll even find his own clothes, cleaned, hanging in the wardrobe against the wall.
When Josh emerges, Angela smiles. "Then let's get you to the dining room." She leads the way on a walk down a short hallway and then down a private spiral staircase, another short hall to a moderate-sized dining room. The far wall is actually one that can be collapsed and moved, so clearly the room can be larger and more substantial. But this is enough for seating ten, and there are only two. She gestures and waits until Josh is seated before she sits herself, after which point platters and trays and bowls start coming in, being set on the table. It's a pretty rich and sumptuous meal laid out, better suited to feeding six than one or two. But right now, it is only Angela and Josh.
*
At the feast, Josh blinks slowly, and again there's that growling of his stomach. But he settles down into the chair, looking around, and his brows arching and trying to climb off his head at just how much food there is. "Are we expecting a lot of people?" he wonders, and then he hesitates, "And should we wait for the Black Panther before we start eating? I'd hate to be rude to my host."
*
"Your hostess asked that this be provided as soon as you awakened, assuming that the energy you expected last night would require you to refuel your body. The Black Panther should be here momentarily, but I assure you she would not want you to wait." Angela offers. She waits for Josh to serve himself and get started, before she serves herself rather modestly and settles in to join him. Best aid to digestion: friendly company!
Five minutes or so later, a very tall black woman enters, dressed in a black suit that looks exactly like what someone was wearing during the fight the night before. The hood is back, revealing the almost bald-headed woman's face, and the gloves are off. She walks in, nods to both, and then moves to sit across from Josh. "It is good to see you up and about. I hope the clothes and food meet with your approval?"
*
Well, who is Josh to deny hospitality? So he piles some food onto his plate and proceeds to help himself. From the look of it, he is QUITE hungry in fact, so it seems the Panther's guess on him needing to refuel was spot on the money. He does glance sidelong over to the woman, "What, ahh, did she tell you of what I did?" He hesitates, "I mean, most people don't really show a lot of hospitality towards mutants—"
But then Josh notices the Panther, and he moves to stand, but she's sitting already so he just gives a sort of quarter bow, "Quite satisfactory." He pauses, "Hell, more then that, its perhaps some of the best food I've had in a year, I expect. Thank you. I… don't know quite why you're helping me, but thank you."
*
The Black Panther nods, and starts serving herself from the platters and bowls as well. "I am helping you, because you helped me to save a life. You risked yourself, all that you had. That deserves respect and honor, and so you have it." She extends her hand to Josh. "I am T'Challa, Queen of Wakanda. The Black Panther. It is good to make your acquaintance. Please, eat well and recover. If you prefer, we can talk afterwards."
*
For a moment, Josh looks baffled; not at the gesture of the hand, which he takes readily enough and shakes with a firmness that is not aggressive, but instead at the words. "Huh. Wakanda must be some sort of place. Around here…" He shakes his head, wrinkling his nose, "I was a Doctor. A surgeon. A really good one. The first time I healed someone— and turned gold, thus revealing what I am— that lost me my job, my friends, my family." Is he bitter? Yes, yes he is. But he eats between the telling. "Around here the only respect and honor anyone gives people like me is… well, none." He tilts his head to the side, "And hey, I don't mind conversation during a meal." A quick, easy grin banishes the bitterness, "Your Majesty. Is that the right form of address? I'm Josh. Also known as Elixir."
*
"In Wakanda, we have long since learned to accept and embrace the potentials of our differences as possibilities for our future." Which is T'Challa's way of saying that prejudice based on 'mutant' or 'inhuman' or 'powered' status is not a thing in Wakanda; whether that be by order of the Queen, or something endemic to their culture one cannot assume. "You may call me 'Your Majesty' if you prefer. But T'Challa is good enough, Doctor Josh." Yep. She clearly respects him, even using his title despite that others would ignore or deny it. "After what happened last night, I brought you here to keep you away from the police, to give you the freedom to make your own decisions."
*
"T'Challa." Josh gives the name a careful try, and though he doesn't quite say it right, its not completely mangled either. A quick smile is shared, "Then Josh is enough. Your nation sounds like a special place: I would like to visit it sometime." Taking a moment to scarf down some more food, he adds after its polite to speak again, "Its nice to meet you. And thanks. Though I didn't exactly do anything illegal— its not yet illegal to be a mutant— I still wouldn't want to get entangled with the authorities. They have a habit of making things difficult on principle."
*
T'Challa nods. "That's exactly why I brought you here: to help you avoid those entanglements and difficulties." she explains. She stays quiet for a bit, letting all of them eat some, before she makes any attempt to speak again. "My nation does not, I confess, readily accept visitors. But we have been making some changes to be a tad more open." Only a tad, mind. "I should mention, there was a man there last night who said he knew you. He tried to be very commanding, said he'd take you." She shrugs her shoulders. "I am afraid that my suspicious nature caused me to distrust him. I was concerned that he would not have your best interests in mind. So I brought you here. I assumed if you were friends you would contact him when you were ready, after you recovered."
*
Hesitating, Josh tilts his head, "That's Maximus, and we're only aquaintences. We met once. He seemed nice enough, but I'm not sure knows me is quite how I'd put it. I appreciate the concern. Truth be told, I would have been fine — the dark secret of the healer is that its easier to hurt then it is to heal. But I hate having to hurt people, so it's just as good there are no… misunderstandings." He tilts his head to the side, and he has to grin, "Well, truth be told, I couldn't afford the ticket if I wanted to, so it'll probably be quite some time before I apply for a visitor's visa. That said, I figure if I win the lottery, I know who to put in a good word with, now?"
*
The Wakandan queen nods in acknowledgement. "Well, you will need cause no harm here. Whenever you wish, you may leave at any time." She shrugs. "As for a visa and travel costs, I assure you: if you ever feel the strong desire to visit my country, you will not want for a … how is it stated? 'Plane ticket'?" There are rumors that Wakanda is quite wealthy and pretty technologically advanced. "Is there anything else I can do to be of assistance, Josh?"
*
"No, no, thank you. The meal is more then I would even have expected, your hospitality has been most excellent." Josh smiles and nods, "I should probably get back to my friends, they will be worried. I wasn't expecting to throw so much healing out to fall out of touch." Finishing off his plate, he hesitates, then adds, "But I consider myself in your debt. Do you have a pen? I can leave you my number. If you need help, you can call me and I'll come and make sure no one dies."
*
"Recite the number, Josh. I won't need to write it down. But you should take a card from the reception desk as you leave. That will have our numbers listed, which may be of use to you." T'Challa offers, with a tiny momentary smile. "You owe me no debt, Josh. You proved yourself a good man and a good ally. That is worthy enough. Until next time." She raises her glass to Josh in salute.
*
Rising, Josh hesitates a moment, and offers something like a bow. He's not so good at it, but hey, he tried. "I will. Until next time." And with that he flashes a grin, and makes his way out.