In the Wrong Place {open}

[Naomi Green]

Naomi dealt with the lock by flicking her hand, and easily strode into the staff lounge. There was more of a plan than that, naturally. First she'd made certain that nobody was currently in the lodge. Mostly by arriving at the time when the staff was likely engaged in extracurricular activities or busy doing whatever irresponsible behavior that Naomi had little doubt they all engaged in. She also might have purposefully loosened a few necessary bolts on a drinking fountain down the hall, and possibly bent a pipe just out of kink. Minor enough, and nearly untraceable. Not that it mattered at the moment.

The British transfer moved with purpose, looking almost like a spy in some bad movie. She slid about the room, taking in everything. A step too close to a vending machine caused a rather loud gurgle that actually made Naomi take a cautionary step away. She also found several paperclips starting to gather around her feet. Side effect of having magnetic powers: metal had a tendency to stick.

But she wasn't seeing what she'd been hoping for. Occasionally the staff would leave something loose, a file or a stack of papers. Truthfully, Naomi had been hoping for an entire cabinet of files. There was a coffee machine, but somehow Naomi doubted that it contained any secrets.

"Worthless," she muttered, tossing her head. She was taking one last look around when she heard footsteps in the hall, followed by the door opening. The girl turned, bracing herself for the new entry. No, she didn't hide; hiding was for the weak. She simply stood in plain sight, arms folded, as if she belonged there and whomever was coming in was the intruder.

If all else failed, the coffee dispenser had enough metal in it, and Naomi was certain she could pull cans out of the machine. The thought tugged her lips just up in a smile, which was the expression she wore as someone entered the room.

[Rhys Rockwood]

The headache had been building for hours as Rhys worked his way through the stack of paperwork he'd let build up; he always swore he wouldn't let it do that again...and then he'd do it once more. Clearly, he had to enjoy it on some level right? No one was possibly that masochistic. Regardless, he'd reduced the stack nearly halfway before deciding his headache demanded a little bit of a break. Rather than torturing himself a little longer, he grabbed a few Tylenol out of his desk, popped them down his throat, and headed for the staff lounge for a drink and maybe a few minutes of sitting quietly but definitely not napping.

Rhys made his way quickly through the halls, hoping that the painkillers and a dose of caffeine would jar the pain out of his head. He knew a run would do him more good, but he just didn't have time for that at the moment; work was demanding his attention and was being very adamant about receiving it - a perfectly fair and acceptable thing for it to do since he'd left it so horribly unattended the last few days. There were parts of his job he liked: traveling, helping students adjust, talking about wonderful the place was to ease the minds of parents. The paperwork that followed was the big downside.

He came into the staff room and was greeted by the sight of an unfamiliar face. She looked a little young to be a teacher, but she could be a new recruiter he hadn't met yet or maybe a trainer. Her youth could easily be taken as a student or a young staff member, but her presence in the lounge made him assume she was staff. "Hi there," he said with a bit of a smile and a nod, moving toward the machines to get a drink. The can thudded down to the receptacle, was retrieved, and popped open with a nice click. "So, I don't believe I've met you yet. I'm Rhys, and you are?"

[Naomi Green]

About to become more of a liar.

"Hermione Brown," replied Naomi, almost layering more into her usual, clipped British accent. She extended a hand, hoping for a semi-firm handshake. "I just transferred here from across the pond, and I was trying to get used to the area."

Mostly true, which made it much more believable, not to mention easier to say. Naomi was desperately trying to remember what little she knew of the staff. Most of her information of things official came from her old school, Kocher. Things here were supposed to be similiar, and so far they'd been dully so. But the slightest slip could be an issue. Thankfully though, it was unlikely that the slightest slip wouldn't be dismissed as the new recruit getting her feet wet. Besides, Naomi could be charismatic, when she wanted.

"Pleasure to meet you, at any rate," she said. She waved her hand, summoning forth a drink of her own. Tea, naturally, and she popped open the can and took a small slip. She really only needed to last a few seconds, make some small talk, and then make up a reason for "Hermione" to be anywhere else. Simple enough.

Or she could try and get some snippets of information. Small talk first though, possibly some flattery.

"So what's a handsome man like you doing in a place like this? Dodging troublesome students?"

[Rhys Rockwood]

Rhys shook her hand with a smile, glad to meet other young staff. It wasn't often people younger than him were hired. "I don't think it will take too long. People around here are friendly enough to help out whenever you need it."

After getting his drink, he collapsed into a chair and drank slowly while 'Hermione' talked a little. Rhys smirked when she called him a handsome man. She was already playing some game. "Not dodging students. Remedying a headache from paperwork. I don't have to deal with students once they've become problems. I just bring them in and settle their parents as job. Perks of being a recruiter."

It really was one of the nicer parts of his job. The students that typically became problems for the school weren't the ones he'd meet and talk with. They were usually socially adjusted and outgoing.

"How about you? What part of the staff do you work in?" he asked curiously, trying to get to know her a little more. At some point, he really needed to learn how to judge a girl's age or just keep his mind locked up. "If I had to guess, I'd say you were student teaching, but you mentioned transferring, so you might be a trainer or even a teacher. You've kept your youth about you, so it's hard to get a good idea."

The man had earned himself a facepalm.

[Naomi Green]

Naomi nodded and smiled. Helpful, friendly staff. Weren't they all? But it would certainly work toward her plans, especially if they were all half as talkative as this admittedly handsome man. A recruiter; which was probably for the best. It was highly unlikely that he'd ever encounter her again, which was exactly how Naomi wanted it.

"You're lucky then. I have to deal with students all the time," said Naomi. She ended by smirking a little. Also true, and that was the best way to weave a charade, particularly one as ill-thought out as this one. She raised a brow as he moved from questioning to complimenting, though "kept your youth about you" wasn't the most flattering compliment she'd ever heard.

"I'm actually a dorm monitor," she said, sincerely hoping that they had something similar to that. Otherwise she'd be doing a good deal of double-talking, and that was proving difficult enough as it was. "So I have the unique opportunity to deal with the students all the time," she sighed, rolling her eyes to the ceiling. "That's why I'm in here, actually. It gives me an opportunity to escape them. Students aren't allowed in here, yes?"

She paused, looking to Rhys with a desperate, pleading, "please save me" look. She really ought to consider some lessons in acting; it clearly would come in handy for moments like this.

[Rhys Rockwood]

A dorm monitor, huh? That was new. Rhys didn't remember the school having those in all his years there, not from the time he was a student to his hiring and time as a recruiter. Maybe he'd just never noticed them while he was enrolled; he'd never even seen anything overly out of line while he was in the dorms. Perhaps that was why he'd not seen them; perhaps they were just new, a result a of the fiasco that had been Dr. Neville's yearly Talk.

Rhys winced a little at that. Just the thought of what happened was enough to bother him to the point of an actual physical reaction. He shook it quickly though, not wanting to talk about it. "Surely your dealings with students aren't too bad. For the most part, they always seem decently well-behaved with exceptions of course. Granted, those exceptions are terrible, and I'm sure you'll get more than your fair share soon enough," he said with a smile.

"But you're here for some escape from that, so have a seat and talk a little with me. Not going to hurt the kids too much if you're gone for ten minutes." Rhys shrugged and took another long drink, hoping the caffeine would help settle the headache. The pain killer had taken most of the edge of already, but he wanted the thing well and truly gone. Sitting in the lounge talking to new staff sure couldn't hurt though.

[Naomi Green]

Something of a break, Naomi could afford. It would help with her charade. But all she needed was for the wrong person to walk into this very public place, and her entire cover would be blown. She glanced around, trying to find a clock, not for the first time cursing her own inability to carry anything that would do something as simple as telling the time.

"While your judgment of students is woefully inaccurate, I suppose your company is pleasant enough for me to spare a few moments," she slid into her seat, taking another sip of the drink and attempting to get as comfortable as possible. Fortunately, the charade of being a busy new arrival meant that looking to a clock wouldn't be considered overly unusual.

"I only have those few moments to spare though," she said, offering Rhys a smile. "I have tasks to get to, I'm afraid," she sighed, leaning back in her chair and attempting to look rather put out and put upon. "I actually was hoping to find some student records. There are a couple of, well," she laughed dryly, "exceptions that I'd like to know more about. It seems prudent for me to know about my charges, and they did say it would be available. I'm just afraid that I haven't the faintest clue where to look."

A little forward, to be sure, but it would get her the information she needed. That, a little flirting, and she should be able to get out of here with her dignity and reputation intact. Perhaps with a little extra as well, should Rhys be accommodating.

[Rhys Rockwood]

"If you need student records, you need to talk to someone in the main office. That's where I think the record room is, but I could be totally wrong. Once I turn my paperwork in, I honestly don't have a clue where it goes, what it's for, or who looks at it." Rhys laughed and shrugged a little, trying to look a little apologetic. He'd just been entirely unhelpful to her, unfortunately. He thought she seemed nice enough. Watching over a bunch of students like that couldn't be easy.

"On the bright side, it's nice to take a break and just talk with someone close to your age, I would think," he said after a moment, trying to keep the conversation from imploding into an awkward silence. Chatting with her was proving to be much more engaging for his mind than filling out forms and reports about his visits. His work would be there when he got back, so what was a few minutes with her going to hurt?

It didn't take long for Rhys to finish his drink, and he got up to throw the now empty can away. It clanged against the metal of the trash can, the noise grating on Rhys' headache oddly. He shook his head a little before returning to his seat and little his head drop back. "Some days, I just need a break to let the real world drift off and to relax for a bit before plunging back in and tackling whatever new bit of fun life thinks I deserve...this headache is making today one of those days."

[Naomi Green]

The answer wasn't the most helpful one that Naomi could have gotten, but it at least pointed her in the right direction. Even if the files and information wasn't precisely in the main offices, there would definitely be something there that should lead her straight to it. That fact alone made Naomi's smile have an edge of reality to it, one that actually made those brown eyes seem a little less dead.

She nearly lost it when he mentioned talking to someone her own age. By her estimation, Rhys had at least a few years on her. Not that she was about to let that tidbit slip. Instead, she covered her smile with a hand, saying "It's always a pleasure to have intelligent conversation."

Naomi took another sip of her drink, watching as Rhys disposed of his own. it occurred to her that he clearly didn't have any powers of telepathy; in fact, he hadn't outwardly demonstrated any powers. Then again, most of the people here seemed to frown on such displays. Mores the pity.

"We all need to pull back from the real world occasionally," agreed Naomi. "Even if we're just moving back a step and taking a breath. Such things are needed frequently, even more in our position."

A pause, and she took a sip of her drink. People always said she overspoke, that she talked like some villain in a drama. It never bothered Naomi, but she had to wonder if perhaps it was offputting or possibly a giveaway in this particular situation.

"My apologies," she said, nearly moving as if to rise. "I know I'm not exactly the most pleasurable of companions, and I'm certain that my chatter isn't helping your headache. If you'd like, I could leave you in place."

[Rhys Rockwood]

Rhys noticed the change in her expression and made a mental note of how she looked when she was actually happy. Much nicer than she had looked, and that was saying something. "Now I know you're joking with me. Intelligent conversation doesn't come out of my mouth. I'm neither smart enough or engaged enough for that kind of thing. I speak, I think, and I possibly regret what I said. And that's the order things happen in without fail."

"No, no, your talking isn't bothering me at all. It's a nice tone compared to the near silent buzzing of florescent lighting. It's just certain sounds that are briefly sharpening the ache as it slowly goes away," Rhys explained. "Like that can hitting the bottom of the trash can. Sharp, hard, fake. The buzzing of lights, the scratching of pen on paper...fake and fake. A person's voice is a natural and real thing. Soothing rather than grating most of the time."

He felt a small pang of guilt, suddenly thinking he could be seen as overly friendly, possibly flirtatious, and it wasn't like he was the same free single guy he was a few months ago. He was actually living with a young woman now, even if he was having second thoughts about her moving in. It had proven...different to say the least. He shoved it out of his mind.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, what nifty little talent ended you up in the meta community? Or are you one of the non-powered meta-supporters that seem so rare?" he asked, mostly out nowhere. Rhys wasn't sure where that potentially rude question came from.

[Naomi Green]

Naomi would, if pressed or not in present company, admit that Rhys wasn't the most intelligent person she'd ever encountered. Someone more intelligent might have caught on to the fact that he was talking to a teenage girl instead of a trained worker, or that said girl was directing the conversation how she wanted. That being said, Rhys sounded like Einstein when compared to some of Naomi's peers.

"The sounds bother you?" repeated Naomi, frowning. She had the strange urge to utilize her own power's unique side effect and shut down several of the offending appliances. This strangely altruistic feeling was quickly shoved aside though. Naomi hardly needed to be exposing everything to someone at the first meeting.

Though Rhys seemed to be asking the usual questions. Sometimes Naomi wondered if they shouldn't just dress according to their power. Something told her that if she wore a giant magnet on her head, people would likely guess without the asking.

"Magnetokinesis, they call it," she said. With a wave of her hand, she levitated her own can, backing up slightly so as to make sure he knew what exactly was doing it. Another wave, and his own can hovered in place. "I can manipulate the earth's magnetic field to do my will," she explained. Doing much more than this requires a fair amount of concentration."

And she had very little actual power, having never managed to lift anything above her own weight without extreme concentration. Her control was excellent, as was demonstrated by the ease in her moving the cans. Her outright power though, it left much to be desired.

"So I'm hardly non-powered," she said. Another true smile, though this one had a much sharper edge to it than before. "What of yourself? Enhanced senses, perhaps?"

[Rhys Rockwood]

"I've been blessed with super-human endurance. You won't see me get tired until I want to rest, and it has nice little side bonus of a good bit of pain tolerance. Makes it real easy to stay in shape when I can for miles on end with both the physical exercise and use of my power burning calories for me. I don't even drive up here; I run each morning, shower here, and dress in more appropriate clothes. The day ends, I change back and jog to my apartment." Rhys shrugged. He always thought his power sounded impressive at first but quickly lost its factor of interest.

"I have to admit, I'm a little envious of your ability. I'm envious of most though. My own always feels a little...limited when I compare it to others. Probably just my point of view. Other people might like on my ability with envy. Everything in life is just a point of view, I guess." Her little trick with the cans had been cool, and Rhys was left curious what other interesting things she could manage with that power.

That was probably his biggest insecurity in his own power - he couldn't adapt it to do anything else. He was effectively tireless, but sometimes that just wouldn't be enough. Just thinking of what he could remember about magnetic fields and their abilities, he was sure his new acquaintance had some curious tricks up her sleeve. If he ran into her again, he might try to get an example of such things.

[Naomi Green]

Super-human endurance? An odd power, to be sure, and hardly as spectacular as most, but "Your power strikes me as being much more useful than most," insisted Naomi. "Releasing electric bursts or projecting your thoughts might be flashier, but your power has much more practical application. You can undergo training that most wouldn't be able to stand. The resistance alone should--"

She paused. She was almost about to suggest that Rhys would probably be able to resist torture better than anyone else. Indeed, he struck her as having the best possible power available for a thug or henchman. Again, not exactly something you want to outright say to someone.

"People simply need to learn the extent of their own ability," said Naomi, picking up the conversation as though she hadn't paused significantly. "Any straightforward ability has several secondary measures that people haven't thought of until they actually attempt something."

Naomi nodded, and settled back into her chair. She felt as though she'd made her point, more or less, and had also discovered more information. Again she found herself looking at the clock, and debating. No one else had entered the room yet, she had the information she'd been looking for, so there really wasn't any real reason for her to stay beyond the desire for conversation and company, which struck her as a foolish desire at best.

"So I am to understand that you trained here as well? Or were you perhaps another transfer?" she asked. Might as well gather more information. For future usage, naturally.

[Rhys Rockwood]

It definitely had uses. Rhys liked his power enough even if it wasn't flashier. He just wished he'd found a few more uses for it after all these years. His time at Hammel had been extremely helpful at least; knowing when to quit was more important than almost anything else.

"I appreciate your view of my ability. Means a lot to hear someone else think of it as having potential, let alone say it the way you did." He really did like hearing her say that; it was awfully nice of her. She really was a nice person to talk to.

"And yes, I did train here. Came here right after my power was noticed, went through all the schooling, training, and practicing, and graduated. Spent a few years hanging around Pilot Ridge getting by on crap jobs while helping out around here when I could, then I got a job in the recruiting department. That was about a year, year and a half ago." He smiled a bit, thinking back a little.

"But what about you, what brings you to Hammel instead of...well, that's another question. Where are you transferring in from? Kocher?" he asked. Rhys' familiarity with the other schools didn't stretch very far; he knew their names and general locations from handling a transfers occasionally, but that was about it.

[Naomi Green]

Naomi nodded. Learning to word things properly had been one of the first things she'd picked up. It was amazing how easy it was to convince people you were essentially "good" if you just said the right things at the right time. Still, for some reason, hearing that from Rhys made the edges of Naomi's lips curve just slightly upwards.

"Sounds like you aren't that much of a wanderer then," supplied Naomi. "Or you're the wanderer that appreciates coming home."

Which made a little more sense, given his occupation. Unfortunately for Naomi, the conversation had moved in a direction that she didn't necessarily appreciate, namely: toward her. She tried not to show any signs of the discomfort though, simply meeting Rhys's eyes and allowing herself that small smile again.

"Noticed my accent, did you?" asked Naomi. "Yes, I'm from Kocher. Spent most of my original schooling there, but the officials thought I needed a change of scenery. So I find myself here, working for this fine establishment."

More or less true. The part about the officials shifting Naomi was true enough, though her parents' intervention certainly sped things along. She supposed she could mention having family in the States, as that would give more reason for her to be here. However, that would also be telling, and she was desperately trying to avoid that.

"I suppose you've traveled far, what with your occupation and all," offered Naomi. Subtle subject change and more information to unlock. "I've heard the Institute pulls in a wide range of students. Have you ever had to go across borders, Mr. Rhys?"