Scared? Not Me (Vincent)

[Caleb Xue]

(This thread takes place on the weekend)

It was still on the chill side to be out by the lake. The weather was finally getting into the warmer temperatures, slowly. The sun was out which made the chilly temperatures bearable otherwise Caleb wouldn’t of gone to the lake for a run. It was nice day. The water twinkled in the sunlight. Caleb kind of had the lake to himself. There were just a few other people who bared the chill.

Caleb made sure he took his time warming up before his run. He didn’t want to get a cramp or pull a muscle. Neither one of those were fun or something Caleb wanted to deal with. The runner wore his florescent yellow sweatshirt, black shorts with black leggings underneath. He decided on going half way around the lake then turn around and go back. Going around the whole lake was a little much with today’s weather. Caleb kneeled down to retie his sneakers. He was then off on his run.

[Vincent Meian]

The lake was something of a paradox to Vincent at the moment. On the one hand, he had previously enjoyed sitting near it and walking around it, watching the wind and sun play over its deep blue surface. On the other hand, the damn thing nearly drowned him last winter, and he was still feeling a little on the sore side about that on top of his intense dislike of deep and/or swift-moving water. So he'd avoided coming anywhere near it for a while, deciding that it would take some time to recover from the accident.

However, now that he had a student whose powers were aquatic-based, the trainer needed to come up with good ways to train her. And, of course, the best idea was to take her (and a number of other water-oriented students) down here in the summer. That was still a couple months away, but planning was ever in Mr. Meian's toolbox of useful skills.

So. It was time to face the thing that could have killed him.

Melodramatic as it sounded, the ex-soldier really didn't see the lake as an adversary, even though he kept his distance from it for most of today. It wasn't vindictive, or predatory - it was simply something he couldn't control mixing with another thing he once could not control (his powers, to effect) and clashing in the second worst possible circumstance that he could imagine.

The worst, of course, being if no one had been there that night.

Vincent huffed out an irritated sigh, the breath puffing past the scarf around his face in a soft cloud of white. This wasn't getting him anywhere. He needed to go down to the lakeshore and make sure the training spots he remembered were still there. Stepping one foot carefully in front of the other, the tall man edged his way down the slope he was on, hands loosely in the pockets of his heavy winter Army jacket. The ground was slick and crumbled under random applications of weight, courtesy of the recently warmish weather conflicting with the long winter.

A slip in the wrong place forced him to put his weight down harder than he meant to... and then his foot crushed through layers of dirt and detritus and sent him stumbling the rest of the way down and into the running path. And, with the trees so thick, the Japanese man had not seen even the brightly fluorescent jacket of the jogger.

What was supposed to be a simple misstep ended up becoming almost a body slam. Accidental, sure, but undoubtedly still surprising.

[Caleb Xue]

Caleb was in the zone. Running was very hypnotic to him. Plus Caleb knew the path well so he didn’t need to pay attention to the path. The path wasn’t totally cleared. It was still pretty early in the running season. So far the uncleared path hadn’t been a problem for Caleb.

Out of nowhere something came crashing into Caleb. A high level of pain hit Caleb. His whole body was in pain as his body was forced into a smaller form. Caleb tried his best to relax so the pain wouldn’t be so bad. With that much pain it was hard to relax.

He scurried up a tree. He rested on a fat tree branch. Red pandas were totally a common animal to see in Pilot Ridge, Vermont. Not only did Caleb had to worry about the possibility someone might of saw him shift, he also had to worry about someone seeing him in his red panda form. The pain was subsiding. He opened his eyes and looked down to see what had happen.

A man was getting back in his feet. He must have been on the upper path and lost his footing. Caleb wanted to make sure the man was all right, but he was currently an animal. Caleb’s plan was to wait for the man to leave and then he would change back to his human form.

[Vincent Meian]

Running into someone was not precisely what the trainer had in mind when he went walking. Nor was suddenly falling to the ground as the support of said impact vanished rather suddenly. That said, what was done was done, and it was with only a slightly irritated sigh that Vincent pushed himself back up to his feet. These things happened.

However, as he looked around to find the person who partially broke his fall, there was no one there. "Nande?" he muttered, brow furrowing slightly in confusion. Where had they gone? There was most definitely someone there before.

The Japanese man scanned the area, wondering if he may have inadvertently startled someone into using a power. Invisibility, perhaps, or...

His eyes had gone up out of long habit, and that's when the amber orbs fell on red fur. Vincent blinked, a gesture of surprise for those that knew him well. A red panda? Those weren't native to Vermont. Which likely meant he'd met a shifter.

"Please come down," he stated clearly, looking directly at the ball of fur. "I did not mean to startle you. I am entirely to blame."

Wondering if there was a way to make sure the shifter knew he was a safe(er) person to be around, an idea formed. It wasn't much, but a scarred hand held out a keychain, showing the Hammel crest on it, one he'd gotten at a faculty meeting. "I am a trainer at the school. Please, do not be afraid."

[Caleb Xue]

Caleb was surprised when the man looked up. Most people wouldn’t have thought to look up, but this man did. Hopefully the man would think Caleb was a weird looking raccoon and leave. Nope, the man was talking to the red panda. Caleb was going to play the dumb animal.

Caleb gazed at the crest on the keychain. It was the same crest on Caleb’s Hammel track jacket. This man could be trusted. The red panda climbed down from the tree. He shifted back into his human form. This time it was an easier shift. It still hurt from the forced shift. It was strange to shift in front of someone. The last time Caleb shifted in front of someone was when he was at Hammel.

“Are you alright?” The trainer didn’t appeared to be hurt, but Caleb wanted to make sure.

[Vincent Meian]

Most people did not look up, no. But Vincent was former military, and when a target suddenly vanished, training and experience dictated looking in all directions. Especially up, if after eliminating all other options. As to speaking to simply a "weird raccoon", red pandas were not native to this area, or even this country. But it was a good tactic nonetheless, and one that the trainer himself may have employed were he to find himself in a similar circumstance.

He silently approved of the decision as well; there was often no benefit to showing the average person that one was a meta, after all.

Apparently, his own tactic worked - the red creature seemed to study the keychain with interest, then climbed down the tree. Tucking away the keys, the tall Japanese man turned his eyes away to give the shifter some privacy. Even those who could change form with their clothing intact often found people watching them to be unnerving. At least it had the advantage of allowing him to watch the path and be sure that no one else came stumbling along.

The question brought his attention back, and the face that greeted him was older than he expected. Pained, too, but that was to be expected. It still made him feel a little guilty, since it was him startling someone into using their powers. Moreover, the redhead was asking if he was well.

"I am scraped and dirty, but otherwise unharmed," Vincent replied. "My pride has been wounded more than I. Please accept my sincere apology. I did not intend on hurting nor frightening you." With the apology came a bow, straight backed and humbled.

[Caleb Xue]

Caleb rolled his shoulders and neck. He was going to get stiff if he just stood around for too long. He was going need a good stretch session. That would help make his body feel better.

Caleb wasn’t sure if he recognized the trainer’s face or not. Like the students, the staff was changing. New faces come. Old faces retire. Even if Caleb was at Hammel at the same time as the trainer their paths might not of crossed. The shifter’s trainer was someone who specialized in shifting powers.

He was glad the trainer wasn’t hurt. He put his hands in front of him when the other man bowed. Caleb was from and grew up in the states. Caleb wasn’t accustomed to someone bowing to him. “Ah, it’s alright. I’m fine.” Caleb reassured the man. “This isn’t the first time I forced shifted.”

[Vincent Meian]

The adjusting of joints did not go unnoticed. While he didn't train many, Vincent had previously taught shapeshifters during his career. Joint and muscle stiffness (or pain) was a common side effect of the process. Which, of course, set up another internal wince - startling, shifting, and lasting discomfort. Good job, Sensei, way to ruin someone else's perfectly good day.

The bow was cultural, but once the apology was accepted, the older man straightened and shook his head instead. "It does not matter - I am the one to blame for the accident." One hand gestured down the path. "Let us walk, so that you do not become too uncomfortable. Do you run this path often?"

The question was less intense than the rest of the conversation had been, a not-so-subtle segue into a different topic. But, it was something to keep them going as they kept from standing still too long. Even if Caleb moved quickly, his elder could keep pace simply due to a longer stride.

[Caleb Xue]

The trainer understood Caleb’s discomfort and suggested to walk. “Thank you.” Caleb started down the path with the trainer. It did take a rocket scientist to figure out shifting comes with pain and soreness as a side effect.

Caleb nodded his head. “I like this path. It’s still early so not too many are out. I do have many paths to mix things up so I don’t get bored of the same thing.” Caleb happily rambled on. It was a topic the runner enjoyed. “Were you taking advantage of the early season too?”

[Vincent Meian]

The taller man nodded in response to the thanks, turning to walk in the same direction with relative ease. The closeness of the shore on this portion unnerved him a bit, but the trainer scolded himself internally and continued to move without showing much outwardly. He did keep the shifted between him and the water, though that was a subconscious precaution on his part.

"I have students who would benefit from training in this place," he confirmed. "I have been noting areas that are easily accessible and safe for them to enter and exit the water, as some have change since last I visited."

Visited being a relative term, but he was going with that description anyway.

The air was still cool despite the hour, and the trainer shifted his coat a bit for warmth. He wasn't cold, per say; but the friction and latent heat made the older man more comfortable, especially when near so much water. "I do not run often, however - my knees do not appreciate the strain."

[Caleb Xue]

This was a great location for water-based powers. Plenty of little nooks that were hidden from the public’s eye. Caleb didn’t need a special location for his power. His training was done at the school. There were times were Caleb really disliked his trainer because shifting hurt. The shifter learned to appreciate his trainer as well as other trainers.

Running was most certainly not for everyone. Whether they just simply hated running or had a health thing that prevented them running. For Caleb he was going to run as long as he could. “Best to take care of yourself.”


((OOC: Sorry for being so late.))

[Vincent Meian]

The trainer nodded with the assessment. It was often best to take care of oneself, though pushing to the limit in the hope of betting yourself wasn't a bad thing either. Some of his students liked to run, or swim, or hike; just because Vincent didn't share their enthusiasm didn't mean he didn't understand it. He had his own hobbies that he enjoyed.

Speaking of which, he should let Caleb get back to his own. "Please, continue on if you wish. I enjoyed our conversation, but I will not hold you here if you would like to run."