Training Wheels [Erik]

[Mike Batista]

It wasn't unusual for kids to come to the school with various and occasionally outstanding traumas, sometimes linked to their powers, sometimes not. it was also not unusual for the kids who came in in these states to be just fine with the state of their neuroses and malfunctions - after all, they'd gotten them this far, and they worked just fine, thank you very much. Mike's job as trainer, as per job description, did not extend to the psychological aspects of a trainee's life, but more often than not one followed the other, and the effects of one affected the other. Thus, a variety of training solutions were in the old Latino's repertoire, one of which he was enacting right now.

Rather than have Erik stretch out in a training room and work on his shifts, Mike had had him bring his outdoor things and had walked the two of them into town, to the Velvet-Tone Coffeehouse. Though he might deny it, fight it, or refuse it, Erik Stewart needed people on his side. Mike considered himself one of those people, but he didn't know if his charge thought so. Erik had many kinds of venom inside himself, but only one kind tended to get out. Mike wanted to give him the chance to 'milk' the others before they poisoned him.

At the counter, he'd let the kid order a drink and a couple pastries or sweets or whatever. Mike ordered a medium coffee with a lot of room for milk, and a blueberry muffin. Couldn't go wrong with the classics. He took them to the back with the more private booths, and sat them down. After a few minutes to nibble or sip, he said casually, like one equal to another, "So how do you think your training's going?"

[Erik Stewart]

Erik wasn’t sure what to expect from training sessions after he’d sent another student to the hospital, but it sure as hell wasn’t a trip to the coffee shop. It didn’t take him long to agree. He was an opportunistic coffee-goer, having limited means to go himself, and the pastries were a big plus. He asked for a caramel frappuccino. ‘Not real coffee,’ as Dom had said. He didn’t care.

Despite his reputation preceding him as a one of ‘those’ kids, Erik wouldn’t give Mike too much evidence to support that claim. Erik was intuitive and very aware of the attitudes most teachers had of him – not this guy again – and he would respond in kind. Mike, for one, never seemed to give off the impression that he didn’t want to be around him. The brunt force of his ‘venom’ was only met with patience, and eventually his resistance began to slope away. It revealed a boy who simply had a wild range of emotions that he didn’t know what to do with.

Not that he realized that himself.

Erik was in the middle of a coffee cake when Mike interrupted. He stopped; he suspected a trick question. “Aren’t you supposed t’tell me that?”

[Mike Batista]

Mike himself liked the iced frappucinos in the summer, and did consider them real coffee since they definitely had caffeine. They were also a rare treat, as they were empty calories too and Mike watched what he ate. Calories were something Erik could likely use more of, though from healthier sources, but Mike wasn't here to play Dad, or even trainer, today. Just 'friend'. The old Latino was of the opinion that kids who were treated a certain way eventually acted to fulfill those expectations. This wasn't to say that when one was consistently shown the worst side of a person not to make preparations for it, but that if one approach didn't work, treating kids like human beings was always a good start.

After peeling the paper from the sides of his muffin, Mike broke it down the center to make it easier to eat. When his question clearly interrupted his charge in the middle of a bite he smiled.

"I could," he said, "but I know the answer to that. What I don't know is what you think about it."

[Erik Stewart]

Erik shrugged.

He didn’t have many opinions on it. This was a relatively good thing; he had plenty of opinions about the various other things the institute made him do, mostly about classes, or detentions, or counseling, or their endless parade of pointless activities. That wasn’t to say training was an overwhelmingly positive experience, either. Sometimes he’d have rather spent the time in his room after a long day, like anyone would have.

Erik might not have noticed his progress, but there were some indications. His transformations were held for longer. The pain in his back didn’t linger for quite so long. He still had a habit of hissing at anyone who came near, but this was probably out of a fear of being stepped on.

But even he knew the question needed an answer. “I don’t like doin’ laps,” he said, casually, swallowing down his coffee cake.

[Mike Batista]

Erik was not exactly loquacious, but some days it was like pulling teeth. But nothing showed on Mike's face. He didn't think the kid was being deliberately unforthcoming. The kid wasn't used to actually thinking about questions of any consequence. Ask him to complain about something, you got a stream of invective, ask him what he wanted to do after school... a blank stare.

But he did get an answer. The old trainer smiled. "Not many do. But it's a good warm up."

Okay, an easier question. "How've you been, then?" Mike covered his smile with a sip of coffee. "You're a pretty exciting guy, Mr. Stewart."

[Erik Stewart]

It wasn’t as if Mike had learned anything new. Erik never seemed to get tired of giving him that face whenever he asked him to do laps.

Exciting? Erik would have chosen a different adjective. Sure, there was that thing with Oriel, and he tended to get in trouble with authority sometimes, but for the most part he sat in his room and illegally downloaded horror movies. As for the former, well.

“Okay, I guess.” He was still functional, he supposed. Erik shrugged, cocking his head and looking askance at him. Mike was asking questions. And he was taking him out for coffee. He had been meaning to ask him his reasons for a while. “What is this, a field trip?” he asked. “What’s the coffee for?”

If Mike thought getting him coffee would make him open up more, he was certainly right about that. “I’m not doing that good with trainin’.”