Even Wizardry Can't Solve Everything (Kateri)

[Vincent Meian]

Vincent loved holidays. Loved them. Every holiday that came up - whether commercialized or currently unpracticed - had roots in mythology and religion. He'd studied the subject extensively in college simply because it fascinated him, and ever since he'd been picking up a variety of books on the subject. His office bookshelf had three shelves dedicated to various "holy books", and (much to his ironic amusement) a pair of roleplaying texts just for variety. Holidays were wonderful times of year, and each time one came around the Japanese man helped to bring a little more flavor to things; sending gifts or charms to the staff, helping to cook festive foods (or just bringing some from home), even offering to discuss the days with those who did not know their true origins.

Holidays were wonderful.

Even Halloween, which had the misfortune of being the trainer's birthday as well, was a good holiday. The act of dressing up as ghosts and goblins and the consumption of holiday treats may have been commercialized heavily in the past hundred or so year, but it didn't stop him from enjoying himself. He even got into the spirit of things by volunteering for the school dance, dressing up, and helping make the food provided for students and staff.

There was, however, one issue this year. Someone had signed him up for a matchmaking service, and judging by the coquettish look on his wife's face as he puzzled over the notice, she had been the one to make him a sacrificial lamb.

Still, he wasn't going to let it ruin things. Staff were to arrive at the dance early to help prep, even if they were only there for the matchmaking, so he'd simply talk to Miss Rivera then. The pair had rarely spoken, likely due as much to the woman's scorn for people taller than her (as Vincent very much was) as his own taciturn nature. Maybe they'd find something to talk about during the dance, even if it was awkward and mostly about nothing. If all else failed, they could talk about their costumes.

The trainer was actually very amused with his own costume, given that he didn't read much popular literature. But he had been recommended a book series by a student, and shortly thereafter he'd become very involved with the character, who it seemed (for once!) was a man as tall or taller than he. Harry Dresden, he was called - Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden. And he was a wizard; a modern day, pistol-packing, 30-something year old American wizard who got himself into more trouble than anyone really had a right to. What made him a great choice besides that was that Vincent was on the low end of his supposed height range.

What made it even better was that his costume was easy to find: black leather duster, jeans, running shoes, a hat (to tuck his long hair under), and some kind of pop culture shirt (whatever it was changed with each book). Simple enough. The costume was even able to be completed by adding a pentagram necklace (found at a local New Age shop), a reasonably well-made quarterstaff, and a good sized wand to portray the blasting rod the character frequently carried. It was, he thought, a pretty good costume.

Now, he just wondered where his "date" might be. Hopefully she wasn't off-put by this at all - it wasn't Vincent's idea, after all.

Costume

[Kateri Rivera]

Kateri wouldn’t have called it scorn. Scorn was a bit of a harsh word. After all, she got along with Sean just fine, even though it did take a bit of work to look up at them. Did she sometimes just a little irritated when she was constantly having to crane her neck? Yeah. Okay, a little bit. But that didn’t have to be how it worked out.

She hadn’t spent a lot of time with Vincent. Contrary to the opinions of other people, it wasn’t because of the height difference, although she’d admit that it contributed. Part of it was she’d been so busy lately, and she had also found that she was associating with more and more women these days—well, women, Dean and Meg. She did like Dean, and had been tempted to invite him—but, well, she thought she couldn’t string him along the entire time. So instead she’d signed up for the matchmaking service, figuring it might be an interesting evening, and had gotten paired with Vincent.

Welp. Could’ve been worse. At least he was a gentleman. She’d glanced through his employment records just for grins, and found out his birthday was that night. Well. That was kind of cool.

Kateri hadn’t had a lot of time to make up a costume, so instead purchased one—as Merida from Brave. She was pretty excited about that, actually. All it had taken was some curlers and the next thing she knew, her long red hair was as crazy as everything. She loved it. She entered the room, glancing around curiously, hands on her hips, box tucked under her elbow, then spotted her date. It could only be him. She was fairly sure Sean wasn’t dressed as a wizard. So she approached him, tapped his shoulder, and smirked at him.

“Nice. Modern wizard?” Sorry Vincent. Kateri doesn’t read much. “It’s good to see you again, Vincent. Here. Happy birthday.” She held out the box. It wasn’t much—she didn’t KNOW the man so she couldn’t get him anything nice, but it might’ve been a crown. With a Happy Birthday on it. And sparkles. Sorry Vincent.

[Vincent Meian]

Everyone was busy recently, especially him - Vincent could understand the plight of not getting out much because work overran pretty much everything. He'd fallen asleep at his paperwork more often in the last six months than he did in the previous four years. It was just a busy time this year, and everyone seemed to be picking up the slack in more ways than one.

At least he'd be glad to know that she thought he was a gentleman; the father of two prided himself of treating people with the respect they deserved, even if how much they deserved was "none".

The tap at the shoulder was likely only possible because at the moment the trainer had been bent over a table to help affix one of the many colored cloths covering it more securely, and glancing up from across it put him almost nose to nose with the tiny redhead. Speaking of which, that bright copper-colored hair had been curled wildly about her face, giving her an even more impish and youthful expression especially with that smirk on the math professor's face. If he'd been a single man, he would have admitted quite frankly that it was a rather attractive look on her. As it was... it made her look very cute.

"Indeed," Vincent agreed, nodding with a slight smile. It was close enough. "As for your own, perhaps a Highland heiress?"

Sorry Kateri - he didn't watch many movies. But the outfit was close enough to traditional Gaelic garb pre-English occupation, so it was recognizable in that respect by someone who studied ancient cultures in his spare time.

Taking the box in surprise, the older of the two looked it over curiously. His birthday wasn't for another few days, but he supposed that it was the holiday that really marked it for some people. Besides, it would be rude not to take it; Kateri and he didn't get to talk often, and the fact that she'd gotten him a gift and added good wishes on top of it was more than he expected from his coworkers that he did speak to regularly. "My thanks, Professor Rivera," he added, giving a brief smile. "You did not need to mark this day differently on my account."

Still somewhat unsure with the customs surrounding gift-giving in the US, the trainer looked to the smaller woman as he straightened up to his normal height (but he was across the table, so it may have been easier on her neck) and handled the box for a moment before carefully opening it. His face as he saw the sparkly Happy Birthday crown contorted into something resembling amusement if it was being squashed ineffectively in a battle with pride. it was definitely... a very Kateri gift.

With a quirk of an eyebrow that showed even more amusement than his expression had before he'd composed it again, Vincent nodded to her again in gratitude. It may not have been something he'd ever wear sober, but he certainly appreciated the thought regardless. "I am flattered," he stated, his voice implying much more dry irony than he intended even though it was clearly because he was trying not to laugh.

And yes; he could laugh. He just didn't do it often.

[Kateri Rivera]

In Kateri’s case, hers had been more baby related. She loved Meg, truly she did, but babies were hard work, even when she had Dean around to help. And she did love having Dean around. Later, she’d have to do something for him. She just hadn’t figured out what yet. She supposed that would come in due time. She could bake him things, or even cook! She’d kind of learned how to do that.

She laughed. “Close. Merida from Brave. With daughters, I would think you’d know that.” She grinned at him. Right now, as he was at eye-level, she was more inclined to like him. Probably why she ended up having Sean sit down when they interacted, although she still did like Sean. She was sure she’d get there with Vincent eventually.

Kateri shrugged. “I think you’re giving too much credit, Vincent. Besides, I like giving gifts.” Especially sparkly crowns to serious men. But she also had a store of baked goods for him, his wife and his kids. She wasn’t entirely heartless, nor entirely that mean. Sometimes it was just…well, fun. And she couldn’t help watching with not-at-all-concealed-delight as the expressions warred in his face. Amusement won. Good. Maybe they could get on after all.

“No you aren’t,” she said cheerfully. “But you’re a good sport for taking it. I have some cookies and brownies for you later, if you’d like. And alcohol.” Her sigh was wistful. “That I can’t drink.” The downside to having a child, but all in all, she thought it was good for her. She’d probably stop when she could finally drink.

Okay, that was a lie. Nothing would make her stop, but she might slow down a little.

“Just don’t show your wife,” she added. “I think she’s the kind who’d make you wear it.”

[Vincent Meian]

Children took up a lot of time. He could relate - though his own daughters were long out of the pre-adolescent stages of their lives, there was still a lot of work to be done until they were completely independent adults in their own right. And if Kateri ever needed lessons in baking or a few tips in the kitchen... well, between himself and Josh (Sean's significant other), the teacher's lounge was rarely without homemade treats for the staff.

Hearing the movie title, the trainer shook his head and finished adjusting the cloth on the table. "We do not visit movie theaters often," he admitted. He personally wasn't one for dark crowded places with loud noises, but he was sure that Cassi or Appoline had seen it at some point. "Though you may be right about my daughters - they have far different schedules than I and would probably recognize you easily."

Well, even if if he was giving her too much credit, it was still an unexpected surprise. And she was right, but it was the polite thing to say, and the slight smile on his face told her that he appreciated the gesture anyway. "I see someone has told you that I have a taste for sweets," he mused, though that in of itself wasn't a denial. "I would be happy to sit with you a while after the dance, then. Even if you cannot partake."

Alcohol was strictly prohibited at school events, but since the redhead was a teacher, Vincent was sure she knew that and had offered accordingly.

Taking another look into the box, he couldn't agree more. Nik would certainly tell him to wear it and try and convince him that it would be rude not to. No, this was going away. Tucking the box into a jacket pocket (of which there were startlingly many), the tall man gave a nod. Definitely a good idea not to show it.

[Kateri Rivera]

She smiled. “It was also a movie aimed at girls. Very clearly aimed at girls. But it’s…it’s Pixar and you have daughters!” It wasn’t like Kateri had a lot of time to go watch movies either, but she instantly tried to watch ones that had redheads in them just for the novelty of it. That, and she’d gone out in a panic when she’d learned she was going to have Meg and had bought every single kid’s movie that had been even decently ranked—with ones with a strong female lead as a first priority. And when she’d been pregnant and overwhelmed with hormones, she’d watched a lot of them and cried.

It was a good thing she hadn’t been living with Dean at the time. The poor thing would’ve been overwhelmed.

“You should see it,” she said. “And watch it with your daughters. That’ll make it worth it. And think of me. Merida has just a little bit of attitude in her.” It was the first princess she’d felt any sympathy for, actually. She flashed a grin at him, then shrugged. “It was just a lucky guess, Vincent. Most people like sweets, and since I can kind of make them now, I figured I’d share before I added more to my waistline.” Although Kateri was generally pleased with the post-pregnancy body. She’d never had much of a figure, and although this had made her a bit rounder, at least it had also given her curves where there were supposed to be curves.

And yes, she had known. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t offer. And would. Even if she didn’t partake.

She grinned. “Happy birthday. Make sure you send me a picture. Now, shall we patrol?”

[Vincent Meian]

The tall man gave a shrug - he simply didn't watch movies all that often regardless. "If you recommend it so strongly, perhaps I will purchase it soon," he compromised. "We have been in need of another family movie for a while, I believe." He did smile a little, though, at the mention of attitude; Kateri was a feisty woman with a personality that was certainly less muted than his own. There probably wasn't a man (or woman) on the planet that could cow her.

"We will see how lucky soon enough." It wasn't just that Vincent liked sweets. So long as it had sugar in it (and it wasn't candy), the trainer pretty much could not stop himself from eating it. Despite his better judgement and the cooling weather, he was still a weekly customer of the Shake, Rattle, and Roll. Barbara probably was going to start testing ice cream flavors on him soon. "Additionally, your figure seems as well-suited to you as ever. I do not believe you have anything to worry about."

Granted, talking about her curves had made him glance over the redhead's small frame, and when he looked back up his eyes were drawn to the mass of curls again. Fortunately, she distracted him with a reminder that the party was getting started, so he nodded once in acquiescence. Shifting the staff in his arm to his hand for easier carrying, the Japanese man gestured his 'date' out to the floor and walked with her in stride. They were probably an odd pair of teachers to be roaming together, but it was still good conversation and likely to be a fun night.

Hallow's Eve (almost) always was.