Of lake, sun, and dog {OPEN}

[Justin Marshall]

The lake was at its best in the middle of July. Since Justin hated snow and cold, the current weather was the best he could hope for in Vermont. Sunny, warm, and perfect for a swim.

It wasn’t too crowded at the lake. He’d drawn the night shift at the Institute today, so he was out at noon in the middle of the week. Justin spied a few kids old enough to get around without parents playing in the water, and a few other adults, who likely also had odd work schedules, tanning in the sun.

Justin found what he thought was a rather secluded stretch of sand and bent down to unhook Trixie’s leash. The Irish Setter mix happily bounded towards the water. Justin grinned after her, knowing that she wouldn’t wander off and bother people unless they approached her first. After all, they say the owner’s personality tends to rub off on the dog, right?

He pulled off his shirt and tossed it onto the sand, letting his phone, wallet and keys fall on top of it. In this town and place no one was likely to steal it, and if they tried, their loss. He wasn’t an ex-cop for nothing. Justin jogged up to the water’s edge, enjoying the feeling of wet, gritty sand and cool water on his feet.

“Trixie!” He called. The dog ran to greet him, tongue lolling happily. Justin pulled a tennis ball from the pocket of his swimming trunks and threw it along the water’s edge. Trixie immediately ran after it as it rolled and bounced away. They really needed to work more on the midair catch, Justin pondered as he idly watched her scramble to snatch the ball from the edge of a wave. He noticed he’d thrown the ball further than he intended, and Trixie had to run close to other people to retrieve it. He hoped it wouldn’t bother them; the last thing he wanted was to get banned from the lake in his first month back in Vermont.

[Mason McQueen]

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Just like almost every Hammel student and staff (barring those involved with residence and security, that is), Mason suddenly found himself with way too much free time once the graduation ceremony ended. Like everything, it easily became a mixed bag; while he didn’t have to wake up early in the morning and sleep at ungodly hours trying to polish his lesson plan and check papers, he easily ran out of the ‘things I wanted to do before but didn’t have time then’ and grew bored. (Not unlike a young kid actually).

So then he began jogging around the local park early in the morning. Then there’s that almost weekly hiking trips with his best friend and his not-boyfriend. He’s also increased his attendance in Josef’s self-defence classes and the yoga classes Flo dragged him into. He seriously didn’t imagine how active his summer had become. Oh how Ella would be surprised.

In any case, such would explain the man’s presence in the beach with his dog at the moment. Normally they’d just go for a stroll, with Mason letting his dog loose to splash around as he rests along the shore for a bit. When the weather’s nice though, like today, he happily joins Chowder, even roughhousing with him when he feels particularly energetic.

He had just finished his first lap from the shore to the buoy and back when he noticed that his dog had a tennis ball in his mouth. “Where’d you get this boy?” he asked as Chowder dropped the ball on his feet and began licking him like crazy. Then he saw another dog scrambling along the banks, and a lone figure – quite possibly its owner – not far back. “Chowder.” He shot his dog a glare before rolling the ball over to Trixie.

Chowder, clearly not having any of Mason’s warnings, quickly followed the ball and began prodding the other dog, barking loudly and wagging his tail as he did. “Oh no.”

At least he hasn’t begun humping Trixie. Yet.

[Justin Marshall]

Unfortunately for Trixie, it seemed another dog got to her tennis ball first. Great. From a distance, at least the extremely fluffy unknown dog seemed to be friendly. I thought you were faster than that, Trix, he thought as he broke into a jog towards the newly-formed group of dogs and stranger. ”Sorry if she’s bothering you, I didn’t mean to throw the ball so far,” he apologized when he came within earshot, scooping the ball from the sand. He had to admit privately that these days playing with the dog sometimes doubled as a test of his arm. Once a football player, always a football player. He probably should have held back a little.

Trixie, however, was unapologetic, returning the other dog’s greeting and circling, shaggy tail wagging, trying to sniff at his butt. As long as they didn’t seem to be attacking, Justin supposed he could let her socialize a little. She definitely needed it when she lived with Justin’s nonexistent social habits. ”I think they like each other. Is he a Chow?” He asked, taking real notice of the other dog’s owner for the first time.

He seemed young, maybe about the same age as Justin. Too old to be a Hammel student, in all likelihood. That was good. He would hate to meet one of them on such a social occasion only to bust them later for smoking pot in a dorm room or something. Awkward. Anyway, Justin was much more interested in the dog than in actually meeting people. Too bad he couldn’t talk directly to the dogs. That would be a cool power, much better than this lame lie detector thing.

Speaking of which, he hoped this encounter wouldn't leave him with a giant headache. In his experience, he never knew how much strangers would be dishonest, even though most of them have no reason to lie. Maybe it's because he scowls at them too much. Anyways, it would suck to go to work with one of those "lie hangovers," as he had taken to calling it. Heaven help anyone causing trouble tonight, if that were the case. Hoping to avert that outcome, Justin consciously moved his facial muscles into a half smile. He couldn't help but be amused at the dogs' antics, anyway.

[Mason McQueen]

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“Oh no, don’t worry ‘bout it,” Mason quickly answered, shaking his head and waving his hand in front of him to emphasize his point, “No one got hit as far as I know. And besides, it was Chowder who stole the ball, not her.” Chowder did have a habit of grabbing stuff and placing them somewhere else, especially when he feels neglected or extremely bored. Mason learned it the hard way when he brought some of his students’ projects home. After half an hour of leaving the models in the living room, a lot of the crucial parts were suddenly missing. Water and methane were each missing a hydrogen atom, while a chunk has been chewed off the sodium chloride lattice. He had no choice but to give those projects an A. “Nice arm though,” he added, noticing how far the man was initially, “You part of your university’s varsity team or something?”

Then it dawned on him that the man used ‘she’ to refer to his dog. “She’s a she? Oh. That’s probably why Chowder seems a little extra enthusiastic at the moment.” Sure his dog’s naturally friendly (pets mirroring their owners, as previously mentioned), but he’s usually not this energetic. He’d sniff a bit, poke with his nose and bark a little, then go back to Mason. But right now it’s like the man never existed for his dog. To prove his point, he bent over a bit and clapped his hands, calling Chowder’s name. The dog simply stopped for a bit, looking around, gave Mason a bark and went back to sniffing Trixie. “See, told you I’m ignored now,” he said with a laugh.

“Yeah, he is. He’s around four years-old now, I think.” Trying to remember how old Chowder was brought back a few memories of Angela, which made Mason bite his lip a little. He didn’t expect to feel like that anymore, but at least he wasn’t tearing up anymore. “I’m Mason by the way,” he said, extending his arm out for a handshake, “I’m guessing you’re new around here?” And before the man could tell him how creepy it sounded, he quickly added, “Small town. Everyone more or less knows everyone. Not to mention not everyone around here has a dog.”

[Justin Marshall]

”Nah, I used to play in high school. Thanks, though,” he replied, amused at the irony. If he had cared for more school after Hammel, sports would have been the only reason. Too bad no matter how hard he trained, his fellow meta-humans with enhanced physical abilities could beat him every time if they wanted to. He’d always been jealous of those powers, no matter if the side effects were draining.

The dogs had started a playful game of chase, and Justin decided to let them be for a few more minutes. They were obviously enthralled with each other, and the doggie romance thing was quite adorable as long as they didn’t start humping. Justin wasn’t ready to deal with puppies so soon after moving in. He grinned as Mason clapped unsuccessfully at Chowder. ”Well, Trix doesn’t get to socialize all that often. They’re about the same age; maybe that’s why they like each other so much. I’ll let her play a little.” He wasn’t sure if this was because he didn’t take her to enough interesting places or because hardly anyone in this town owned pets. He couldn’t recall many dogs from his years at Hammel, but he had lived in a dormitory where pets were banned.

Justin took the offered hand and shook firmly. ”I’m Justin Marshall. Or Marsh. I’ll answer to any of those three.” He was caught off guard a little by the assumption that he was new in town. Yes, it was logical. He hadn’t been here in years, so even though he remembered all of the nooks and crannies of the town, many of the people had moved on and been replaced with new faces. Those who stayed seemed like strangers again. ”Uh, yeah, I’m new, I guess,” he stumbled a little. What now? Next Mason would probably wonder where he came from and all that other stuff people liked to ask new arrivals. Justin didn’t want to get into that. It was probably best to steer the conversation away from his past or back away slowly.

”I’ve definitely noticed it’s a very small world around here. Have you lived in the area a while? Know any good places to take a dog?” Hopefully that would do the trick. He hoped to avoid all the awkward questions about Hammel and his ability. Sure, some people knew what he could do while a student at school, but now he hoped keep his power a secret. He’d even prefer it if everyone assumed he was a normal, non-powered guy. He didn’t have high hopes for the latter, but one could always try.

[Mason McQueen]

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“That’s nice. Would’ve been nice to have half as much athletic ability as you had back when I was in high school,” Mason said with a chuckle, arms crossed as he watched the two dogs get to know each other. The man was far from being an athlete during his time in Hammel; while he didn’t have those thick-rimmed glasses, huge braces nor the supposed pimply skin, he was pretty much a ‘nerd’ back then. The only exercise he got outside of gym class was running away from raging, burly boyfriends his best friend pissed off, and while it was intense enough to help him keep those baby fats off, he really doubts that it counts. “Why didn’t you continue it till post-secondary, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Chowder wasn’t the only one interested in getting to know the new face. And at least he’s not sniffing Justin’s butt to do it.

He couldn’t help but laugh (or at least let out a snort) when Justin said that the weird chemistry the two dogs have is probably because they’re roughly the same age. “Yeah, hopefully that’s just that.” Chowder hasn’t humped anything – furniture or otherwise – as far as he knows, and while that might serve as some vote of confident for the mutt, the fact remains that he wasn’t neutered and hormones are very unpredictable. He knows he should’ve listened to Angela when she suggested having their little pup cut. (Mason felt sentimental. And told his wife that he couldn’t imagine parting with his balls so neither should poor Chowder).

“Justin it is.” ‘Marshall’ seemed a little too formal, while ‘Marsh’ felt like a name you’d actually have to earn to say. As if it’s way too comfortable to be used around acquaintances or something, Mason says. “Cool. What brings you to town? Vermont isn’t exactly the summer getaway to be.” California or Florida maybe, but chilly Vermont? If only Hammel was built in one of those sunny states, oh how amazing it would’ve been.

“I’ve lived here when I was a teen,” he explained as he sat on the banks (one can only stand for so long, especially when one’s aging), “But I just came back recently too. Around two years ago I think?” God it’s been that long already? He didn’t even notice. “The town’s pretty pet friendly actually. They’d prefer it if you keep pets outside shops, but since Chowder’s a brat and whines a lot when left alone, I drag him in and they’re pretty ok with it.” He might not look like he’s capable of it, but Chowder can behave, surprisingly. “They’re building a dog park I think right down Argyle Drive I think. Doubt it’d be completed within the year though.”

Just as he was about to say something else, he saw Chowder leap up on his hind legs from the corner of his eyes. Immediately his eyes went wide, scrambling to stand up and grab his dog before it’s too late. “Chowder no!”

God he should’ve really neutered his pet when he had the chance.

[Justin Marshall]

”Well, athletics were the only thing I had going for me. I was good, but not good enough for scholarships. My grades weren’t the best.” Understatement. He was actually surprised he pulled off academic graduation in a normal amount of time. He’d copied a lot of the smart kids’ homework, that’s for sure. But at least his jock status kept most of the bullies away. He couldn’t say the same for some of his geekier classmates.

Justin sighed a little, thinking about how nice San Diego would be right now. It also had a real ocean, not just a dinky little lake. He kept telling himself the weather was a fair trade off for the improved company. Well, sort of improved company. The troublemakers with powers just make life more interesting. But Justin couldn’t just tell every stranger something so personal. What if this Mason wasn’t who he claimed to be? Come to think of it, Mason hadn’t yet claimed to be anybody. Slightly suspicious. ”Oh, you know,” Justin stalled, joining Mason to sit on the warm sand, until he thought of a good explanation. ”My brother goes to college near here, and I could use a change of scenery. I was a cop in San Diego, but I burned out. The weather here isn’t as good, but I’ve got a gig as a security guard for Hammel over there,” he finished with a cock of his head in the general direction of the school.

Man, this deception thing was getting more difficult by the minute. Still, he was telling the truth, just not the most important truth. Justin couldn’t figure out how some people did this all the time. At least Mason seemed friendly so far. Maybe Justin’s years in the Police force hadn’t done him any favors in terms of trusting people.

Mason said he’d lived here since he was a teen, and had come back. It sounded like a familiar story. Was he a meta-human? Maybe it was best to let to leave that question out for now. ”Trixie’s a good girl, she can handle shops. Right?” Justin drew his attention back to his dog, only to eat his words as he saw Chowder on top of her. Mason immediately stood, shouting, and Justin was right behind. In fact, he found himself practically diving under Mason to grab Trixie’s collar and tug her away. Hopefully it didn’t trip him up.”Hey you!” He softened as he noticed her tail was still wagging and she stared at him with sad, love-struck eyes. ”We haven’t had the talk yet. Bad girl.” But he said it in a voice that didn’t imply “bad girl” at all. Besides, it was his fault he hadn’t got her spayed. He knew it was a responsible action but he hadn’t wanted to see his little puppy in pain.

[Mason McQueen]

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“Woah. San Diego? That’s quite the climate change. How’re you adjusting so far?” asked Mason, chuckling slightly as he remembered his own experience when he first got recruited to Hammel. The cold was something that bothered him a lot, seeing that he lived in a tropical Southeast Asian country seven years prior. “Then again it’s summer, so I guess it isn’t that bad.” Things got easier the second time he came back though, seeing that Seattle and Pilot Ridge had similar weather, albeit the latter being a bit colder.

The man simply nodded when Justin mentioned him burning out as a cop in San Diego. “Yeah. Pilot Ridge is good for that.” Recollection and healing (to an extent), he meant. And it’s not just because he’s encountered quite the number of people (usually Hammel alumni) coming back in town for the same reason. “I think it’s because of the whole small town feel of the place. There’s just something home-y about it.” Pilot Ridge had always been a safe haven in Mason’s mind, despite the whole MSAD-terrorist scare happening a little over a year ago. (Dangerous as it was, it was short-lived and over now, and that’s all that matters right? Sure they had to go all vigilante just to stop it, but at least no one got hurt. Permanently, at least).

“You’ll be working in Hammel too? That’s great. Guess you’ll be seeing more of me then. I teach Biology and Chemistry, and some Physics too, back in the place.” See, full-on nerd right there. “Despite what some might tell you, the kids are great. At least in their own, teen-angst-rebellion-y ways.” They can be a little too distracted in class, but it’s nothing a little explosive demonstration can’t handle, at least in Mason’s opinion. “And besides, the most notorious ones graduated just last week.” Mia, LaRousse, Paerson and Wilkes quickly came into mind. Their little prank during Dr. Neville’s ‘Talk’ was really one for the books. (It made him just a tad bit jealous that what he and Sam did back when they were students was nothing compared to what the foursome had accomplished).

Justin diving did trip Mason as he grabbed his dog, but his embarrassment about the whole situation helped him get back to his feet quickly and pull his beloved mutt away. “Chowder, stop it.” But clearly he was having none of it, if his wagging tail was any indication. “I’m so sorry,” said Mason, so embarrassed that he’s turned fifty shades of red and couldn’t even look at Justin straight in the eye, “This is the first time this has happened. Like, I was actually thinking Chowder might be gay since he hasn’t mounted anyone for the longest time.” Mason’s attempt at adding some humour into the whole messed up situation, not that it’d do anything to mitigate what Chowder’s hormones were making him do.

ooc:
This is late and ugly and ugh. So sorry Sharky. D:.
- Jam

[Justin Marshall]

((ooc: it's fine!!! and not bad. hope the following makes sense ))


”I won’t be happy when it starts snowing, that’s for sure.” He would get crankier and would feel cooped up, and would escape the walls of the town with frequent skiing trips, even though he hated the cold. Now that he wasn’t a student, he would have the freedom to do so.

Justin wasn’t entirely sure what Mason meant by saying Pilot Ridge is “good for that.” Good for escaping one’s past? Good for scenery? Justin pretended that he understood fully and nodded. The man seemed genuine so far, and Justin was starting to relax.

Right up until he mentioned working at Hammel. Justin’s mental alarms started to hum, not with a lie, but in slight panic. Justin supposed he deserved it for just assuming a random guy at the lake wasn’t a coworker. Now what was he supposed to do? Surely Mason would find out eventually through the grapevine that he had attended Hammel. Then Justin would probably become....not a friend. Or at least very odd for not saying anything. Justin reminded himself that it didn't really matter, though. Meeting new people hadn’t been one of his reasons for moving here, right? He was saved from answering briefly by the dogs’ antics, and he stalled a little longer.

”You must have unlimited patience,” Justin remarked. It was probably true, too, as Mason had shown no frustration at having to deal with his dog or being tripped accidentally by a stranger. Justin felt a little sorry for Mason as he noticed the embarrassment on his face. Justin had no idea why, as dogs will be dogs, but he wasn’t particularly good at reassuring people. He opted for a try at distraction, hoping it would solve both of his problems at once. ”So far I’ve seen kids trying to sleep in random places on the grounds, kids intoxicated and out too late, and way too much wildlife. I’m a little scared to see the end of Summer.” Not that Justin disapproved of all of those things, but now he was being paid to enforce rules and keep people safe. Plus, people routinely lie to those in uniform, and it usually made him less forgiving.

Justin had never heard of a dog being gay except in the movies. He’d overheard something once about a flick with a blonde lawyer and a purse dog. Not really his thing. With a grin to acknowledge the humor, Justin replied, ”Maybe Chowder just has extremely good taste. After all, no one can resist Trixie. Can they?” He directed the last question at his happily panting dog, who licked his face and then went back to whining in Chowder’s direction. She wasn’t happy with the forced separation.

[Mason McQueen]

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“It’d say it’s actually better than how you thought it’d be, but I’d be lying.” Sure the boy enjoyed his Vermont winter back in high school, but that’s only because the only snow he saw for the past eight years of his life by then were Styrofoam clippings and the occasional ice shards. While he pretty much giggled like an excited little eight year-old girl during that year, the novelty of snowmen, snow angels and snowball fights was short-lived. After two weeks, he’s pretty much tucked up in his room, cursing the cold weather with a cup of hot chocolate in hand. (Sam was nice enough to remember buying marshmallows the week before so it made the drink so much better). “I’ve heard that skating around the lake’s fun though. Haven’t had the chance to do it myself so I couldn’t speak from experience. Then again, it would mean that the temperature’s pretty low so I don’t know,” added Mason with a chuckle. Bundling up’s never been a favourite task of his.

Then again, it’s better than stripping down for the hot weather. You can always add layers upon layers of clothes when it’s cold; you can only take off so much when it’s hot.

He simply shook his head and chuckled when Justin said he had unlimited patience. While he did have quite the long one, there were a handful of times when he’s lost it. And no, he’s not particularly proud of it. It did get his students to stay silentbehaved for about a week, and then toned their roughhousing down two notches during the months that followed. “I just have enough. If you’re looking for unlimited patience, go to Dr. Neville. He’s pretty much an institution in the school already, and it’s hard not to know why.” Mason only has admiration for that man. If he’d age half as great and leave a mark that’s just as bit as amazing as him, he’d be happy. “Oh you know what they say, the night’s darkest before the dawn. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen any signs of the dawn within my two years just yet.” He did realize that he might’ve been a little too negative, so he quickly backed it up with a friendly pat on the younger man’s back. “Don’t worry, you won’t be alone though. Just head up the staff room and you’d have people yapping about how much worse the kids have treated them.” All those talks had made Mason feel bad about how he was as a student really. They weren’t really his ideas, but he did back up – even refined – his best friend’s pranks by then. “It also helps to do something on the side during the weekend. You interested in yoga or self-defence classes?”

At least Justin seemed to be relatively ok with the whole thing. Or maybe he’s just being nice. Either way, Mason’s going to take it. “I just wished such good taste came with manners, right Chowder?” His beloved pup’s having none of it though, whining repeatedly as he tried to get away from Mason’s clutches and run back to Trixie. “There goes my dream of having a friend to go walk dogs with. Must you ruin everything Chowder?” His dog gave him a rueful bark, licking his face before giving his full attention back to Trixie again.

[Justin Marshall]

Justin couldn’t help laughing at that. He remembered dreading winters in Pilot Ridge all too well. ”Skating may be cold, but for me it’s better than being stuck inside. If you go really fast you could probably stay warm.” Justin hadn’t ever skated on ice, but he’d used roller blades, and they seemed similar, apart from the possibility of falling through the surface into an icy lake. He was no lightweight, so that part made him a little nervous.

”I’ve already had a chance to meet Dr. Neville,” Justin said. He wasn’t skilled enough at acting to make it sound like a total coincidence. ”I wish I could haul him around with me on duty in order to sort out everything.” Justin’s usual tactics involved glaring at everyone and escorting them to wherever they wouldn’t cause more trouble. It worked, but it didn’t make anyone happy. Dr. Neville’s constant state of serenity could probably tame a dragon.

He visibly shuddered a little at the thought of having to teach students, especially as most of them had no interest in learning about anything. The things he and some of his classmates had done to the most hated teachers were probably slightly horrifying by adult standards. Mason’s rather cryptic description hadn’t helped make it seem any brighter. Justin raised an eyebrow at the change in tone, and then stiffened slightly when Mason patted his shoulder. He didn’t hate it when well-meaning people touched him unexpectedly, but he wasn’t very used to it. ”Uh, yeah, well, don’t hesitate to call if anyone is getting into real trouble. Hopefully I’ll be on duty and not some of the other numbskulls I work with.” He ended the bad joke with a lopsided grin, hoping to escape tension that way. He thought his coworkers could be idiots at times, but when needed most were good at their job. ”Classroom management has to be an adventure when everyone has different abilities, I would imagine.”

”I’ve never tried yoga. I’ve never been convinced that human bodies are meant to do all that crazy bending. “ Not to mention he wasn’t too keen on slowing down for exercise instead of speeding up. The ladies seemed to love it, though. If he ever got really desperate, he might show up at one of these mysterious yoga classes just for the company. ”But self defense and police work pretty much go together. I’m guessing someone teaches classes in town?” Truthfully, with all of his martial arts and practical experience, Justin could probably host his own self-defense seminar. But if someone in town held a class, he could always show up and trade tips. Not to mention it would be somewhere active to go every week, and he might learn something new.

Justin wanted to step up to meet chowder for real, as the fluffy dog seemed so intent on Trixie. He was stuck on the spot, though, as he was enforcing Trixie’s separation by holding onto her collar. He’d left her leash many yards away with the rest of his things. Instead he only said, ”He’s alright, he’s just being a dog. They have hormones. And we’ll probably see each other around again. There aren’t very many other dog owners around here.” He offered the reassurance with surprise to note that his paranoid mind approved of this Mason guy so far, and wouldn’t mind seeing him again.

[Mason McQueen]

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“That makes sense,” nodded Mason as Justin mused about skating and being stuck inside. (He has no idea about going fast enough to warm yourself up though, which irritated him just a tad bit. He made a mental note to research on it when he gets home). Justin did say that he’s a high school athlete when he was younger; makes sense that he’s into the whole great outdoors. “Like I said earlier, I’m more of a nerd really so I’d rather just stay home and have a nice cup of hot chocolate when it gets cold. With marshmallows even, when I’m feeling particularly nice to myself.” Mason felt his mouth water slightly just thinking about it. Though considering the heat, a hot chocolate would most probably not be the most refreshing drink to take at the moment. “It doesn’t help that I still don’t know how to skate.” Growing up in a tropical country didn’t help him one bit when it comes to winter sports. “Though I’ve always wanted to try snowboarding out.”

Truly, it was. You’d think that after a year of teaching those kids, Mason would’ve known anything and everything that they could’ve thrown at him. While he has come to a point where he’s pinpointed the ones who he should be very wary of (a few handful immediately comes to mind, like the telekinetic redhead Laura and the French shapeshifter Beau), what they would do exactly is still pretty much a surprise every single day. “That’s an understatement,” he chuckled, “Especially when exam period comes along. I have to ask one of our resident power suppressors to come by my classroom just so I’d be sure no one uses their powers to cheat.” While nobody has tried to use their powers on him to gain an advantage over the class, he has heard several reports before of kids using their powers on their peers (or working with them) when it comes to tests. Heck, he’s fairly sure a few of his classmates back in their time did it too. Better safe than sorry right?

“I was a big failure when I first started. Didn’t get any better until I’m two months in actually.” He couldn’t help but laugh as he remembered how bad he was back then. It was a mixture of his own ineptitude when it comes to all things flexibility, plus the fact that for the longest time he was the only guy in the midst of all those pro women and boy did it do a number to his nerves. “Yeah. A good friend of mine has a studio downtown. He’s pretty nice, and the rates weren’t that bad either.”

Mason would’ve loved to stay and chat a bit more, but Chowder was becoming rowdier and rowdier by the minute. Oh god, why did he chose to reach puberty now? “I don’t think I’ll be able to calm Chowder down anytime soon,” he said with a grunt, lifting his dog off the ground with his two hands, “So sorry for all this Justin. Guess I’ll just meet you around next time? Hopefully I’d have taught Chowder some manners by then.”

ooc:
UGH. SORRY THIS TOOK FOREVER SHARKY. u.u
- Jam

[Justin Marshall]

Justin was having a hard time thinking about hot chocolate and marshmallows favorably in the middle of July. It might make any claustrophobic feelings a little more bearable in the winter, though. He told himself he would try it. It didn’t really surprise him that a science teacher would feel more comfortable inside. Inwardly he wondered if things like hot chocolate and fires could relate to chemistry. He seemed to remember something about baking being a chemical reaction. Maybe that’s why he failed at cooking: he failed at chemistry. ”It’s not too hard,” Justin shrugged, referring to both skating and snowboarding. Sometimes he forgot that others didn’t pick up new physical activities as easily as he did. Okay, maybe snowboarding was a little hard. ”The hardest part about skating is actually braking, I think. Most people can slide around fine, and then they run into a wall to stop.” He’d seen it many times with young children.

”Makes sense,” Justin replied of the statement about classroom tests. He remembered that some of the teachers enlisted extra staff to discourage cheating during his years as a student. Though he hated both class and tests, Justin never missed an exam if he knew there would be power suppressors. The hour and a half of relief was worth it, even though his grades were terrible. He suddenly thought of Ella, and wondered if she was still in town. He would have to find out later.

Justin laughed at the man’s description of Yoga. It sounded as bad as he believed, and would probably take a lot more convincing to get him to try it. He was flexible enough, as he had to be for martial arts, but some of those poses looked downright impossible. ”Maybe I’ll check out self defense sometime then. See what it’s all about.” He really hoped it wasn’t a room full of overly angry women, like the movies often made it out to be. If it were, he would not feel sorry about dropping them.

Like Chowder, Trixie still seemed intent on continuing her love affair. ”That’s probably best for everyone,” he answered, nudging Trixie back in the direction of his pile of things and her leash, still lumped on the sand. ”And I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around at Hammel.” With a nod and a smile, he started to pull Trixie away by the collar. And truly, he thought, he wouldn’t mind seeing Mason again. Teachers are so approachable when you aren’t a student anymore, it seems.

[Mason McQueen]

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He let out a little chuckle when Justin mentioned that most people’s problems lie with braking. “Well, hate to break it to you Mr. Marshall, but I’m not most people.” He tried to say it in the most serious voice he can muster, complete with the incredibly fake deep voice and supposedly cocky expression. Halfway through it though, the man already found himself laughing so hard that he almost let go of his hormonal little pup. “Maybe you can teach me once it gets cold.” The comment was made with the purest of thoughts, that Mason only realized how such a statement could be interpreted differently a few seconds after he’s already said it. “I didn’t mean it that way though, just so we’re clear,” he added quickly, turning red just slightly, “I mean, I don’t swing that way, no offense. Like. Yeah. Sorry.” This is why he had Sam by his side almost all the time during high school. Talking smoothly was definitely more along his best friend’s alley.

“Sure thing.” He patted himself for a bit, trying to see if he had a pen and a paper in hand, but sadly he turned out empty. “I don’t have anything to write with in me right now, so maybe I’ll just see you ‘round school and give you the name and address? Or if your memory’s good, it’s right in the corner of Cambie and Burrard. Josef Muller’s the name of the guy, you can’t miss it.” He’s not sure if the man’s put up a billboard in front of his gym yet, so he can’t say for certain. “I usually go there around Wednesdays after work, so if you want you can just go with me.”

“Nice meeting you Justin. And you too Trixie.” He took Chowder’s paw and made it wave back at the two. “Say bye Chowder,” he teased, with which his dog replied with a sad whine.

ooc:
LOL. I'm sorry. I didn't know this was archived already. But hehehe. Yeah. :3