Another Day, Another Trainer... (Chase)

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

Monroe sat slouched in a chair, combat boot clad feet stretched out in front of him in the large room. It weirded him out how much space there was. He assumed that was for the phsycial abilities, which he didn't have, but the room just felt so empty and yet at the same time, like it was closing in on him.

He took a deep breath. It was a miracle he'd even showed up today for his first meeting with Chase after figuring everything out with Zeb. It was a compromise, and Monroe sure hoped it would work. Zeb would be his unofficial official trainer and Chase would oversee everything. He hadn't met Chase yet, only had been referred to him.

He had to admit that he was nervous. Both about meeting Chase and about everything that had happened recently, leaving him a mess as Autumn swept in.

He sure hoped this would at least work out.

[Chase Campbell]

Chase had already talked to Zeb about Monroe's situation. He felt for the kid, he really did. He knew what it was like to feel like your power was never going to be mastered, and that side effects were beyond your control. It had taken him a long time to master his, and it hadn't helped that he'd manifested later in life at sixteen. He had felt miles behind everyone else his age in training, and it had only served to frustrate him further.

Now he was in charge of a lot of the more mental powers, with a few physical ones mixed in if they needed the extra... well... control. Yes, Chase got a few of the more difficult students, and they were challenging, but if he could help them focus and learn, it was worth the migraines they usually triggered.

He'd just been down to the staff lounge for a coffee refill and was on his way back when he realized he was running slightly late for his... well... not quite class, but appointment with Monroe. Picking up the pace, he headed back into his training room and set down his mug on his desk. He'd do his best to put the kid at ease, because it couldn't be easy coming back again. Leaning back so that he was half sitting on his desk, Chase smiled at the boy in front of him. "Hey. Monroe, right? I'm Chase. I, uh, talked to Zeb about what we're doing, and I'm happy to oversee your training." He wasn't sure how exactly this was going to go, or what Monroe needed from him, but he was going to try to help as best he could.

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

"Hey," Monroe replied, standing up from where he'd been sitting when Chase entered the room. He was a smoldering type of guy in his appearance, like one of the guys on the cover of the magazines Eloise received in the mail. "Thanks...I know it's a little unconventional, but I'e struggled to find something that works for me. And so I thought I'd try to take it into my own hands." He shrugged. "Zeb has been....a mentor. And I don't know if you need to have like...experience or something to train, but for whatever reason, he decided I needed an official trainer to help out too." Not that he didn't want Chase's help. "I mean...it's not that I don't think you can help me. It's just...been rough."

[Chase Campbell]

Chase was honestly somewhat surprised when Monroe stood up. Most of the kids didn't really give much care about things like respect. Granted, Chase had been the same when he'd attended Hammel. Or any school, really. The only time he'd really tried had been during his training to become certified to train students. But he'd been an adult then, and knew better. He instantly liked the kid, though. (Though if he knew what Monroe was thinking, he might have died a little. Especially as he'd been complaining about being over forty just the other day.)

"You do need training to train, which is why Zeb asked me to oversee his... mentorship." That was a good word for it, right? "I know it's rough to find what works best for you, but once you find it, you run with it." He offered what he hoped was a reassuring smile to the kid. "I'll do what I can to help you and Zeb, Monroe. Promise." And most important promises, he didn't break. Sure, ask his husband and there would be tiny promises broken all over the place. But the big ones? He was a man of his word, and he considered this a big promise, helping someone out with their training.

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

"Yeah, I know," Monroe mumbled. He wished that Zeb could be a trainer, but it seemed he wasn't certified or something. All that mattered was that Monroe got the help he needed and he was grateful that Mr. Campbell had agreed to help him with his rather unconventional idea of training. So far, so good. "It just feels like it's taken a long time to find what works for me, you know? I graduated and yet here I still am." He sighed. "Thank you though. I'm hoping that this is what finally works for me."

[Chase Campbell]

Oh, couldn't Chase related to that. Even at seventeen he'd wondered if he'd ever get the hang of his power, or curb his migraines. Fortunately, he'd found that balance. Now if only he could help Monroe find his.

"I get it, Monroe. Really, I do. It took me a while to figure out my own, especially the side effects." It hadn't helped that he'd been a late bloomer as well, manifesting just after his sixteenth birthday. But he did have some second hand knowledge about late power control as well. His husband still had problems with his own power, and Chase had been slowly guiding him more or less since they'd first moved in with each other. "I'll do what I can with you and Zeb, and lend a hand where you need it." His head tilted slightly. "Do you have any questions for me? I know this is sort of a first, but I'll answer what I can." He'd also be doing some research to try to figure this out for Monroe, and pass on anything he found could be helpful to Zeb.

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

"What's your power anyway?" Monroe asked. He was sure he'd known when he'd found out who his trainer was going to be from administration, but he'd already forgotten. Did he have questions? Lots. Mostly he just wanted to word vomit though, throw it all out there and see what Chase could do with it. He wasn't ure what else to do.

"I don't really know where to start," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess I've gone through so many trainers because they didn't know how to help me and...I've avoided using my power for the most part...by not sleeping. I've forced myself into staying awake, for years." He'd manifested quite early, so it was a well instated habit. "I thought it was an invasion of privacy and I just didn't want to deal with it, didn't understand why I had to, and so I forced myself to stay awake to just avoid it all...and now I feel like I've developed insomnia and I really don't know how to do much of anything involving dreamwalking because of the fact that the last time I used it was like...a year ago."

[Chase Campbell]

"Mind Control," he answered honestly. It was best to get it out of the way as soon as possible, really. Chase knew that there was a bit of a stigma attached to his power, spawned both from things like comic books, as well as baseline human rumors and general suspicion. Yes, he could use his power for terrible things. But he didn't. "And you don't have to worry about it, either. Unless I have a good reason, I don't use it." Sometimes that good reason was unruly students, but that hadn't happened to that extreme in a while. Thankfully.

He leaned back slightly as he listened to Monroe. It was a problem, that was for sure. Sadly, while avoidance allowed students to cope, it also indulged them in allowing their training to lapse. Not using his power in a year? This wasn't going to be easy for Zeb. Or anyone, really, but that wasn't about to scare the trainer off. "It's easy to try to avoid the whole thing in the beginning, but down the line... where you are now? Habits are hard to break." He saw it in James, too. By the time his power had been caught and he'd been brought for training, he'd developed so many habits and coping mechanisms that Chase was still trying to help him undo some of them. "I'm not going to pretend this is going to be easy for any of us, but I can promise you this. I'm not going anywhere. I'll do whatever you and Zeb need me to, even if it's using my own power to make you sleep and work on it." He didn't exactly like the thought, but if that was what it was going to take, he'd do it.

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

Wow. Monroe sat, mouth slightly agape when Chase told him what his power was. That was a heavy power, a really powerful ability to harness. He hadn't met anybody with mind control before. How could the universe give one human so much power like that? Did they check out the person before they bestowed it upon them? "That's a relief. Better you received that power than someone else." It could do so much bad.

"I know," Monroe agreed. And he wasn't exactly proud of himself for avoiding it for so long. He knew that was why he was still here, in these halls, not yet quite free from Hammel. "I know this isn't going to be easy either. I knew it when I went to Zeb about it, but I am ready to try and do something about it. I'm nineteen now, not fifteen and stubborn anymore. I need to take responsibility." Wow, he really sounded like an adult.

He was really glad that Chase was committed because that's what he needed. "Honestly," he began. "You might have to do that to get me to work on it." He was worried about will power, about making himself try and use his power again, and he definitely needed help with the sleeping part.

[Chase Campbell]

Chase was used to a mixed bag of reactions to his power, and he couldn’t say that Monroe’s shocked him. Most of the students seemed to be in awe of it, and swiftly thought of all the trouble they could cause with it. Chase had also been in that camp at sixteen, but he’d been quick to learn that, just like Spiderman, great power also calls for great responsibility. It hadn’t been an easy lesson, but a lesson nonetheless. “It’s not an easy one to master, and as a teenager? Way too tempting.” He debated for a moment before smirking slightly. “Did manage to get my father to sign a tattoo consent form when I was sixteen, right before I was recruited. Was never so happy to see anyone as I was to see my recruiter in my life. I thought my mom was going to skin me.” Most of his students liked that story, but it was also a good reminder. He’d thought it was a good use of his power at the time, but now he was forever stuck with a terrible stock shark tattoo on his arm.

Monroe’s attitude towards training this second time around impressed Chase. Stubbornness usually stuck around a lot longer, so this was a welcome change. “Well, that’s the first step, and while you’re not technically my student, I’m still proud of you for it.” He really did sound like a dad at times while he was teaching. Nikki was rubbing off on him, apparently.

“Well, we’ll take it slow. If that’s what you need, that’s what we’ll do. We can even try getting a student with sleeping powers to try them on you, if you want. Help both of you train at the same time. Or you can just let me do it when you need it. It’s up to you.” Monroe and Zeb were taking the lead on this, after all. He was just there to oversee it.

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

Monroe could imagine it wasn't easy to master mind control or to make yourself want to master it, for that matter. He felt kind of second rate next to Chase, considering dream walking wasn't as bad as he made it out to be in all reality, it just wasn't the right power for him. But he was showing through his story that his power had even got the best of him, it felt him better to know that, and made Mr. Campbell less intimidating. He seemed really good at connecting with students.

"Yeah, I guess it is," Monroe mused. He felt like he was being held back with his power. In so many ways. He felt like he wasn't giving it all in his relationship or at his job...just in general. Energy would help with that.

"Okay," he agreed. What his new trainer said next, sparked a thought in the dreamwalker's mind. "Oh, I know someone!" He was way too quick to say it and realized that it was kind of awkward to explain that he'd already been having a dreamwalker/tactile anaesthesist help with that. "I met someone when I was training here over the summer. Her name's Candence. She has my power and tactile anaesthesia. I may have had her put me to sleep a few times," he explained. He had to be honest, after all. Desperate times called for desperate measures, right? "I find that I really just...need to be forced to sleep almost. My body doesn't shut down."

[Chase Campbell]

When he had been a teenager, Chase had delighted in the possibilities he could explore with a power like mind control. Hell, it had gotten him things like the tattoo long before he could have gotten one on his own, and the rebellious streak in him had rejoiced. Now as a teacher, he could see just how dangerous he could have been. Thankfully, his trainer had been able to drill that into his head, and by the time he'd been ready to graduate, he'd been able to exercise a little more control over his trouble making tendencies.

Upon actually being hired by Hammel and going through the training it took to train the kids, Chase had read up on a lot of powers. It had been a bit of a struggle, being that he'd never been academically inclined, but he'd done it with his then-boyfriend, now husband's encouragement. All powers differed slightly from meta human to meta human, but at their core they were fairly similar. He hadn't worked a lot with dream walkers, though he'd once worked with a dream manipulator - a student he doubted he'd ever have on his roster again. Regardless of his lack of hands on experience, he wanted to help Monroe.

"You do?" Chase had been planning on polling some of the other trainers to see if they had a tactile anesthesia student willing to lend a hand. If Monroe knew one, even better. "There's no shame in that," he assured him gently. "If that's what it takes to retrain your body, then that's what we'll do." He'd had to find unconventional ways to train his kids before. It looked like Monroe would be similar, but that was okay.

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

"Yeah. Candence Waterson," Monroe told his trainer. He was glad that Mr. Campbell didn't think that it was odd or pathetic that he'd gone to such measures to just get a little bit of sleep. "The thing is, I think she needs more training. She told me that it was more like she was knocking me out than putting me to sleep, so I kept waking up with headaches." He shrugged. But really, he'd been desperate. "I'm glad you realize that we can't take a typical approach to this. Especially since I've avoided sleeping for so long." He liked Chase's style, he was thinking outside the box to help him.

[Chase Campbell]

Chase didn't recognize the name, but that didn't mean he couldn't poll the other trainers and find out who she was training under. Especially when Monroe mentioned her control. Tilting his head, he smiled at his student. "It's okay. I'll talk to her trainer, see if we can coordinate linked lessons with you both. It'll be good practice for both of you." The last thing he wanted was for this to go poorly for Monroe through no fault of his own. Worst come to worst, he'd branch out to possible alumni willing to help.

"Hey, training is a little different from math or history. One method isn't going to work for every student. Don't worry, Monroe. We'll get there." With Zeb's help, as well as whoever he got to help get Monroe sleeping again in a relatively normal pattern, he was sure they could do it, too. It would just take time.

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

"Alright," Monroe agreed. He could only let Chase take care of it and hope that Candence would be willing to help. He was just trying to accept that.

"I know. It's just....exactly. Every student, every meta human that comes here needs different training, different kinds of help...and I can't help but think that maybe some of us will never get the help we need." He knew that probably sounded awfully pessimistic, but it felt like that sometimes. "And I'm not just talking about me." He was pretty sure he'd finally found the right trainer.