Movin' In (Josef)

[Harmony Muller-Barton]

Harmony had started off the day in a great mood. Her first day at Hammel, finally away from her mother, had given her such high hopes. But as her mother and her pulled onto the campus, with her mother still giving her lists of do’s and don’ts, Harmony was wishing she could teleport back to D.C. and just chill with her old friends.

And then of course, her mother had insisted of getting a guided tour of the facilities, asking a ton of stupid questions the entire time. Which made Harmony wonder if everyone would assume she was an idiot too. She tried a few times to get her mom to shut up and/or leave, but it didn’t work.

When they finally reached Harmony’s room and started unpacking, her mother realized that she was running late and had to get back for a meeting. Thank god, Harmony thought. Her mother tried to have a loving moment with her before leaving, but after telling her to ‘just leave’ Harmony shut the door in her face.

“Don’t forget,” her mother called through the door. “You’re uncle said he would be stopping by to check up on you.”

“I’m not eight years old anymore mom,” Harmony yelled though the door. “I can take care of myself. Just go before you make anyone else think I’m a freakin baby.” Anything her mother may have replied back was lost on Harmony, as she put in her ear plugs and sank onto her bed.

She was glad her roommate wasn’t there for the time being, not only because she didn’t have to introduce her mother, but also because she wanted a little time to herself to settle in. She stayed in her bed, which she was glad to find was actually pretty comfortable, for about a half hour before decided she should put away her things. After putting most of her clothes away, she realized someone was knocking loudly on the door. She could hear it a little through the bass of her headphones.

“Hold on just a second, I’m coming,” she said as she pulled out her ear plugs and walked to the door. She opened it, expecting a fellow student to be on the other side. Instead it was her uncle. “Oh,” she said, standing in the doorway. “It’s you.”

[Josef Muller]

Helene was getting on his nerves. This wasn’t really a surprise. Helene had a lot of ways of irritating Josef. If he hadn’t known better, he would have sworn that was her meta ability. As it was, he just glumly concluded that it was part of being a younger sister, and had decided not to worry about it.

That was, until Helene had called him with the wonderful news that his niece was also a meta, and was now going to Hammel. And it came with the not-so-wonderful plea of, “You know how this stuff works. Help her!”

Josef hadn’t bothered to tell her that he wasn’t a part of the Hammel staff anymore—that he didn’t know the first thing about actually training the ability and that the only time he had met his niece was when she was a baby and he had laughed outright about the name his sister had chosen to give her (actually, this explained a lot about why he and Helene didn’t get along, but it was a little late to fix that now). Instead, he’d attempted to insert a bit of reasoning into Helene’s ramblings; like Hammel had been doing this for a while and did in fact know what it was doing, and that it was difficult to get into the more serious kinds of trouble when you were stuck in a dorm guarded day in and day out by security personnel. It hadn’t worked. So here he was, once again on the request of his sister, coming to visit the girl he didn’t know at all to help her move in.

Oh, yes, this was going to go very well.

When the girl opened the door, he stared down at her, studying her features. She looked a little like Helene. More like his sister than like him, but Josef thought that was for the best. No girl should look like him. She also didn’t look or sound happy to see him. Hm. Ah, well. Better make the best of it.

“Hello Harmony,” he said with a faint, strained smile. She already knew who he was, so there was no point in introducing himself. But still…Harmony? What had Helene been thinking? “Your mother sent me to help you get adjusted. How can I help?”

[Harmony Muller-Barton]

Harmony hadn’t really spent much time at all with her uncle growing up. But she had seen pictures of him, so she at least knew what he looked like. And she had defiantly heard a lot about him. She wasn’t aware of the fight about her mother’s choice in baby names (she would agree with Josef on this topic), but she knew her uncle and mother had a long history of not seeing eye-to-eye. It seemed her mother never grew tired of criticizing his decisions. In fact, as Harmony was leaving for Hammel, she had been warned against adapting the same lifestyle as her uncle. Although Harmony didn’t really care what her mother thought about how she lived her life, she still wasn’t too sure how to feel about her uncle.

At the very least, he was an adult who would probably try to tell her how to live her life. Which Harmony wasn’t looking forward to. At all.

“I’m not a baby,” Harmony said, still standing in the doorway. “I don’t need someone to look after me. So let’s just get that straight right now, okay?” She gave her uncle a glare, wondering what her mother had told him about her. Although she had a thousand questions about Hammel and meta life, she wasn’t about to look needy.

“Well you might as well come in,” Harmony said, finally moving out of Josef’s way so he could enter the room. “I don’t want anyone to think all my relatives are idiots.” She walked over to her bed, where the rest of her things were spread out. She plugged her Ipod into a speaker dock and cranked it up, before starting to up hang up some clothes in the closet.

[Josef Muller]

Josef opened his mouth to retort to what she had initially said, then shut it. There wasn’t really any point. Oh, sure, he had things to say. Things like—look, kid, I never thought you were a baby or I’m really as uncomfortable about this whole thing as you probably are—but he realized one very important fact: she wasn’t interested, and her assumptions were going to rule the day no matter what he ended up saying. Besides, he was here to look after her.

However, that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to be honest. She seemed plain-spoken. Fine. As Helene had often pointed out, he was the king of bluntness when he wanted to be. Plus, the initial assumption that he was going to interfere in her life irritated him a little. Did he look like he wanted to play a babysitter? He had enough on his plate, and he didn’t appreciate Helene berating him into helping a girl who didn’t seem to want it.

“If you don’t want to be treated like a baby,” he said as he stepped in, mildly, “then it might be a good idea not to judge your relatives on the first meeting. For example, I am an idiot, as everyone’ll tell you, but I’m not the ‘uncool’ kind. I’m here to help you get settled and find your way around and not to look after you. Are you interested in that, or should I go?” He was half-tempted to add “and tell your mother” but refrained. Truthfully, he was too terrified of his younger sister to do so.

[Harmony Muller-Barton]

Harmony was trying her best to ignore her uncle, while looking at him out of the corner of her eye. She didn’t really know too much about him, but that didn’t mean she was going to be nice and get to know him. As far as she was concerned Josef was to be around when she needed something, like a few bucks or a ride somewhere. The rest of the time she hoped he would steer clear of her. He will if he knows what’s good for him, she thought to herself.

“Well,” Harmony said. “If you’re an idiot, which you seem to admit to being one, then I must be a good judge of character. So I think I’ll just keep on judging all I want.” I seriously doubt he knows the first thing about being cool. Tossing the rest of her clothes on the floor of her closet in a heap, she stomped over to where Josef was standing to yell in his face. ‘And I’m glad you understand that you are not here to babysit. So maybe you should just – “ Harmony paused in her rant, realizing that she might actually need a little help with the whole finding her way around. She hadn’t been paying attention while on the tour with her mother. She’d been too busy fuming at her overprotective, nosey mother. So she would be completely lost the moment she walked out of her door room.

“So maybe you should just give me the down low on livin here, but don’t expect me be happy about it,” she finished, still yelling a bit but trying to lower her voice. “Since you’re the only person I know and all.”

[Josef Muller]

Josef really had no desire to play the watchdog Helene wanted him to play, but he would have probably said that Harmony’s desire for him just to be around when she needed something didn’t appeal to him much either. Call him a little sensitive, but he had really had enough of being used.

Truthfully, he knew very well that he didn’t know much about being cool. He was a tough man, and he knew a fair amount about things that were considered “cool” by some of the people he’d met. But from a girl whose mother named her “Harmony,” he figured he couldn’t be that bad. His arms folded over his chest as Harmony stomped over to yell at him, and he stared down at her until she rather abruptly stopped. His brows climbed as she continued, and he resisted the urge to roll his eyes, but instead tried to think more sympathetic thoughts. She was in a place she didn’t know, dealing with people and situations that she had no familiarity with. He’d been pretty happy to be gone, but he’d also been older than she was.

“You might like it better here than you’d think,” he said slowly. “But I’m…sorry for snapping.” Calm. It wasn’t her fault he was frustrated with her mother. “I’ll show you around, but I am your uncle, and I’m not just here for your convenience, all right? I’m here to help. Not to push a lifestyle on you, not to drive you around and be your friendly neighborhood blank face, but to help you get adjusted. You let me do my job and I’ll leave you to your own life. All right?"

[Harmony Muller-Barton]

“I don’t know about that,” Harmony said, softly. Although all she wanted was to argue with Josef about how sure she was that Hammel was totally lame, she was starting to realize that his help would be…well…helpful. She forced herself to keep her voice in at a normal volume as her uncle explained how he saw this arrangement working. “All right,” she mumbled before flopping back down onto her bed.

“So since you’re so cool and all,” she started, not managing to hide the sarcasm in her voice. “You must know what there is to do for fun around here. This place is just so…empty.” She wasn’t sure that was the right word to describe what she thought of Hammel and the surrounding area. Living in the D.C. for the last few years of her life, Harmony was used to the constant noise of music, cars, and such. She missed the flashing lights and the taxis. Although she was glad to be out from under her mother, she wished she could have brought all of that with her.

“Do you live close by?” she asked her voice much softer now. The moment she said it, she hated herself for sounding like a little kid. She didn’t want her uncle to think that she needed him.

[Josef Muller]

Hm. Empty? He had never thought of Pilot Ridge that way, but then, he’d lived in small towns for most of his life. Besides, he hadn’t really looked for entertainment in the town all that much. He’d been distracted by—ahem—other things.

Actually, when thinking about some of his exploits as a teen, he was amazed he’d survived this long.

“There’s a mall,” he said. “A theater, a pond, a lake, and places to hike. I can show you them, if you like. I do have a car.” And there were clubs, but she was twelve. He doubted she was interested in those yet. Or he HOPED she wasn’t interested. “And I don’t mind doing so,” he added, out of some sympathy for her. She really was young years, if not in cynicism. “What are you interested in finding?” That might help, maybe.

He softened a little more at her words, and settled down in one of the chairs, a little hesitantly. Not next to her. She’d yell at him again for that, and he wanted to avoid conflict. “Not yet. I’m trying to find a place right now. But I have a clinic nearby. I’m there for…oh…twenty hours of most days.” He sighed. He really needed an assistant. That would come soon…he almost had the funds to hire someone.

[Harmony Muller-Barton]

Harmony would have loved to hear about the clubs, even though she wasn't really old enough to spend a lot of time in them she enjoyed the loud music and dancing. But since she was not a telepath, she was happy enough to hear that there was at least a mall and a theater. “That’d be nice,” she said when he offered his car. “I dunno, I’m just wondering if there’s anywhere to hang…you know chill? Or anywhere that has music?”

“A clinic?’ she asked, sliding a little further away from him. “You some sort of doc?” It occurred to her suddenly that she had no idea what her uncle did for a living. For all she knew, he could be some sort of head shrink doctor. That would be just like her mother to set up someone like that to keep an eye on her.

“Twenty hours a day?” she asked, surprised. “Dude, do you ever sleep? Or have a life?” Great, she thought to herself. My uncle’s a lame workaholic just like my mother.

[Josef Muller]

Josef paused at that. “Hm. You like music? Well, there’s Kali’s. That’s a coffee shop.” And a bar later in the evening, but that wasn’t the point. “She has music there, and she’s very….interesting. I don’t know if it’d be the kind of thing you’re interested in, but she has great food and I enjoy going in there, so I can show you that, if you want. And it’s a good place to hang.”

He eyed her as she slid away, but shrugged it off and laughed a little at the thought of him being a doctor. Right. He who had yawned through all his lessons in school, a doctor. Oh dear. “No. I’m a karate teacher. And no.” He rolled his eyes. “I have no life and I have no sleep until I find someone to help. But it’s a small town and I think it’ll be a while before I find someone to give me a hand, so I’m doing it all myself.” And he was babbling…she probably had no interest in his job, especially as he could talk about the clinic and the classes forever. So he cleared his throat and changed the subject. “You seem pretty nicely settled in. Want a tour of the campus? I don’t think it’s changed that much since I’ve been gone.”

[Harmony Muller-Barton]

“Yeah, I love music!” she said, almost shouting. “I mean, as long as it’s not lame or anything.” She looked down at her shoes, feeling like she had slip up in her tough/cool act. She really wanted this whole meeting her uncle thing to go just right. If he thought she was just some stupid copy of her mother, or worse some little babyi-ish kid, then her time at Hammel would probably be a lot worse.

“You think we could go check out that coffee shop later?” she asked. It took a lot out of her to phase it to sound like a request. She wasn’t sure if coffee shop music would really be something she would get all excited about. But she figured it was worth checking out. It might at least be some place she could chill.

She was glad that he uncle was not some sort of head shrink. “Karate?” she had to stop herself from saying ‘neat’. Although she wasn’t about to let her uncle find out, she’d always thought karate looked pretty cool. Well, at least on the movies and such. “Sure,” she said when he asked about a tour. “I mean, since you don’t have anything better to do and all.”

[Josef Muller]

“I don’t know if it’s lame or not.” He was very matter-of-fact about the whole thing, and seemed more amused than upset. “I couldn’t tell good music from someone sawing at a piece of cardboard. But it doesn’t seem lame and people seemed to like it, so you’ll have to tell me if it’s good.” But at least she seemed to be softening toward him. That was a step. He didn’t think she was a copy of her mother at all. She had more of an attitude. He glanced down at her at her request, looking surprised, then shrugged. “After the tour, sure, if you…want to.” Because he couldn’t quite figure this girl out, and he was trying.

“Karate,” he agreed. “Not really like the Karate Kid, although I’m learning that style as well, but more close-quarters style. That’s my expertise.” He couldn’t tell if she was interested or not, and that was a bit disappointing. He’d hoped that was a selling point for himself. Oh well. “Helene asked me to, and I’m happy to help anyways.” He shrugged his shoulders. “What do you want to see first? Maybe classrooms. You should have your schedule by now, right? Unless things have changed that much.”

[Harmony Muller-Barton]

“I thought you said you were cool. You should know if music is lame or not,” Harmony said. She couldn’t help but argue with her uncle, even though she was quickly realizing that he would be a lot of help around Hammel. She started to say ‘sorry’ but the word got caught in her throat. Instead she just stared at her feet, hoping he wouldn’t threaten to walk out the door again.

Harmony was interested in the whole karate thing and a little impressed that her uncle seemed to know enough of it to have an expertise. But she wasn’t about to let him know. At least not yet. But at some point she might mention the idea of free lessons. “Uh, classrooms? Seriously? Can’t you at least ease me into that area? How about the training rooms?” Harmony was actually a little worried about this area. In her head, she pictured some sort of torture type classroom to fill many hours of dread while she was here at Hammel.

[Josef Muller]

“Cool, yes,” Josef said, even though he wondered if perhaps that wasn’t true. He’d been really stupid to claim he was cool, he reflected. He didn’t know the first thing about it. Yeah, he was a black belt. That was technically cool, right? But everything else…well, he was pretty sure cooking as a hobby and divorced as a state of being wasn’t exactly hip. “Musically inclined, no. Your mother once described my voice as the wailing of a dying cat combined with the pounding of a jackhammer. I can’t tell a note from a tune and I wouldn’t know a good song if it hit me over the head.” He looked down at her. “Are you going to argue with me over that, too?” Yes, that was a little tart. Josef was only human, and he didn’t like pointing out a fact that he’d never really liked about himself.

She didn’t even ask about the clinic. He resisted the urge to sigh instead and nodded to her question. “Sure. The training rooms.” He spun on his foot and headed to the training rooms, slowing his pace so she could keep up. “What’s your power? Helene didn’t say.”

[Harmony Muller-Barton]

Harmony could not help but burst out laughing at her mother’s description of Josef’s singing voice. She attempted to catch her breath when he pointed out her argumentative nature, but it didn’t work to well. She knew that her mother didn’t approve of her uncle, but to be so outright mean about it cracked her up.

“Sorry, dude,” she said finally. “Sounds like you could use some voice lessons to add to that karate stuff. Speaking of which, could you, like, beat up Chuck Norris?” She smiled at him, feeling only slightly bad about the whole laughing in his face thing.

Harmony had to walk a little fast to keep up with her uncle, but she wasn’t about to ask him to slow down. “I teleport. Although, so far, I can’t go very far unless I feel like passing out afterwards.” She tried to hid the disappointment in herself out of her voice, but it didn’t work well. “So did you like it here when you were a kid?”