No Peace Tonight [Charlie]

[Vincent Meian]

The woods outside the grounds of Hammel Institute were open and quiet, especially this late at night and near the lake. Being unable to sleep as he was and his children already in bed, Vincent had gone for a walk that had lasted nearly an hour, bringing him to a small outcropping over the lake. While he was certain it looked lovely during the day, it was stunning at night - the stars reflected off its still surface like a second sky, and the faint crescent of the moon flickered brilliantly in the dark. It seemed like a perfect place to center himself and concentrate on his training.

However, this seemed to not be going so well.

Despite the meditation techniques he'd be taught during his rehabilitation, he could not shake the anxiety that plagued him. Running to a new city in a foreign land to escape his past, to start fresh, to give his children the life he hadn't had... these things weigh on a man and give way to other, more haunting fears. Things that only men accustomed to combat would know. Things soldiers fear to remember.

It was during one of these memories (and the failed repression thereof) that the shot rang out. Like a cat wound too tight, he sprang up at the sound, shinai in his hand as his red eyes scanned the dark woods around him, all senses on alert for what could have made that sound. Flashes of combat zones crossed his mind, but he knew that couldn't be right. No weapon he knew made that sound - gunshots were very distinctive. Rising slowly to his feet, the tall man tensed as more of the sounds filled the night air. He saw flashes this time as well - colored lights in the dark that showed the sounds to be nothing more than fireworks.

Growling deep in his throat, Vincent adjusted himself until he looked somewhat presentable and stalked towards the lights with a ground-eating stride, courtesy of his long legs.

"Dare ka na?" he shouted into the dark, slipping back into his native tongue in his irritation. He was near now, and he was certain he heard a voice and someone scurrying about. While the woods were public domain, the new trainer was still less than amused with being so suddenly disturbed.

Though, he really didn't know how scary he looked, holding a bamboo sword in his right hand and being as tall as he was in the dark. Personally, he didn't care.

[Charlie Saynsberry]

Charlie giggled with delight as she set off another firework, this one a bright red and blue one with shimmering bits that darted around like fireflies in the sky. It wasn't the Fourth of July or New Year's, but she never needed an excuse to set them off - it was simply too much fun to limit oneself to twice a year. As for availability, well, that wasn't a problem for her either, considering the firecrackers she was setting off were being shot straight from her fingertips. Oh, the joys of being a meta-human! She wouldn't change her ability for the world.

Oftentimes she brought out a friend or two on these excursions in the woods, but tonight she was alone. Which was fine, she could enjoy herself being alone, although it was always fun to mess around with someone as well. She would have to invite Lulu or Rhys sometime - she was sure they would enjoy it. But for now, she settled back and pointed her index finger at the sky, shooting off another firework, this one bright green and in the shape of a star. She sighed with delight at the enormous BOOM that went off with each explosion, twirling her hand lazily around her as smoke poured from the spot the firework had exploded from. A smug grin crossed her face. While she didn't mind bothering people with her explosions, she had purposefully come out towards the lake tonight to at least give most people a good distance away from the booms. If anyone was around, she figured they could just... Deal with it.

She didn't notice the man approaching until he yelled, and she sat up, a little startled. It wasn't often that anyone complained (okay, she had had a few close calls with the police before, but she had never been caught and therefore didn't worry about them), and she squinted into the darkness, trying to make out who it was. He didn't sound like he had spoken English, unless he was just some whacko drunk, which was actually very likely. She stood slowly, forming her right hand into a finger-gun and pointing it towards the dim figure she could now see a short distance away. Was that.... A sword in his hand? Her eyes widened, and she took an involuntary step back, aiming at his head. "What do you want?" she called as he got closer. She took another step back. "Stop there. I'm warning you, I have a gun." Okay, so it wasn't a real gun, but it worked like one and hopefully he wouldn't be able to tell it was just her hand in the darkness.

"Were my fireworks bothering you?" she ventured, standing straight and tall. "If so, there's no need to come running into the woods with a sword to stop me. You could just ask politely. That would probably be more effective anyway." Okay, maybe it wasn't the best idea to talk so boldly, but Charlie wasn't exactly known for her shyness.

[Vincent Meian]

Vincent slowed his stride at the mention of a weapon (something that registered in his mind after it had flipped the switch back to English), but he didn't stop. It was... a girl. A young woman, on her own in the woods, with no sign of the fireworks he'd seen earlier except for some slowly fading green light in the air. He glanced up at them when he came within about ten feet of her, and came to a realization - normal fireworks, no matter how well-crafted, don't fade that slowly.

Shaking his head in exasperation, he glared at the young woman, his black clothes tinted green in the light of her fireworks. Didn't she know that, powers or not, she could start a fire if she lit those of out here? She would be safer lighting them on campus where there wasn't an abundance of firewood in the nearby vicinity.

When she mentioned his sword, however, his expression lightened into something like surprise. He glanced at the weapon in his hand; dangerous in the wrong hands, but hardly lethal. With a quick flip of his wrist, he held the sword in a reversed position, unusable as it was not dagger length or shorter.

"Sumimasen," he apologized, then cursed inwardly as he realized that she would likely not know what he'd said. He collected himself again, then replied once more. "I am... sorry. Please excuse my rudeness - I meant no threat. You merely...startled me, that is all."

He looked around as the light faded back to bare moonlight, moderately concerned. Did this girl have no accompaniment? What was she doing here alone? Was she truly safe out here all by herself? She couldn't be much older than Appoline; it worried him to see her alone.

"Why are you here by yourself?" he asked gently, his low voice relaxing into a fatherly tone. "Is it not very late for a student to be this far into the forest?" The way he spoke seemed very archaic, as if he'd learned it from a textbook (mostly because he had), but he seemed not to notice, concerning himself only with the girl before him. The irritation was still there, but with something else to focus on the memories had started to clear. That, at least, was a good thing.

[Charlie Saynsberry]

Charlie held her ground as the man got closer, her hand never wavering from where she held it, pointed at his head. He finally stopped, and rather than attacking, seemed confused for a moment before a look of realization crossed his face. She shifted from one foot to the other, waiting for him to say something. But he didn't say anything, not right away. She watched warily as he flipped his sword around, apparently in a sort of at-ease position, although she was no expert on swords so she really didn't know.

Then he said.... What? Was she supposed to be able to understand that? She studied him more closely under the fading light, getting a better look at his face. He was Asian, that was all she could tell, and she was about to tell him to speak plain English before he... Well, spoke plain English.

Well, at least he wasn't rude. She cocked her head, allowing her hand to drop slightly. "It's alright, I suppose," she replied slowly. His voice seemed a bit broken, like he was unused to the words on his tongue. "You startled me too. But what's up with the sword, Mr. Samurai?" A flash of a grin crossed her face, and she let her hand fall to her side, knowing she could draw it up again on a moment's notice if need be.

"Well, normally I bring a friend or two along with me, but no one was available tonight so I thought I'd just-" she stopped, brow furrowing as he continued to talk. Student? Is that what he thought she was? Hell, no! She had graduated from Hammel six years ago, but his concern for her made her laugh a little. He was kind of sweet, almost protective even; she wondered if he worked at the Institute by the way he sounded. "Sorry sir, but I'm afraid I'm not a student anymore," she replied. "I graduated a couple years ago. Thanks for your concern, though." Her voice was only a little irritated, but mostly amused. She could take care of herself. Fireworks were just as effective as guns in most situations, if not more so. "But what about you?" she asked, taking advantage of his silence and turning the questioner into the questionee. "I'm not the only one out late tonight. What's your excuse?" She threw in a little smirk and a sly wink.

[Vincent Meian]

At the mention of his sword again (and of being a samurai, something he found moderately absurd), he glanced back to it. It wasn't so much for protection, but for training. Kendo tended to calm him, even without an opponent. It kept him from... vanishing.

She spoke again, drawing his attention back to her. She seemed to be mildly annoyed that no one had come out with her tonight, then she stopped as if startled. Vincent's brow furrowed in confusion as he had heard nothing that would be alarming, but she then continued her thoughts with a cockiness that belied her apparent age. Quirking an eyebrow at her amusement, he shrugged off her questions nonchalantly.

"I require peace to... what is your word... meditate," he stated. He held the "sword" in the palms of his hands before her, inviting her to examine it. "I also train alone. Kendo is a helpful exercise in centering myself, and a pastime from my own youth." He thought about his reason for coming out here and added almost as an afterthought, "I also did not wish to wake my children. It is rare that they sleep through the night, and I did not wish to disturb them."

[Charlie Saynsberry]

Charlie crossed her arms and studied him, glad that the pressure was off of her and now on him; she hated getting interrogated, even if it wasn't someone that necessarily wanted to cause her trouble. Based on his speech, she assumed he wasn't originally from around here. "Meditation, huh?" she asked, scratching the back of her head. "No wonder my fireworks disturbed you. It's hard enough to meditate in complete silence, at least for me." She let out a little spurt of laughter; she had tried meditating. Once. She had lasted for about thirty seconds before she had to stand and do something with herself. She was not good at sitting in one place for any period of time.

She glanced at the sword, wary. She wasn't sure what he was getting at, but she sensed a sort of deep peace with him that she found unsettling. She was used to excitement and fun, and he was being so... Calm. "Kendo? Sounds interesting. Well, I'm glad you found a place to practice your.... Stuff in peace. Sorry to have disturbed you." She took a step back, unsure of what else to say. "I can't say I won't be here again, because chances are I will be. So... Yeah. See you around." She gave him a little wave, then turned and started walking the other way. If she was lucky, he wouldn't tell anyone she was here. She sent off another little firecracker, snickering as it burst into gold sparkles. Considerate, she was not.

[Vincent Meian]

As she left, Vincent held up a hand to stop her, to apologize for his rudeness. However, the woman before him seemed intent on leaving and continuing her light show, so he let his hand fall without a sound. There was nothing to say; she had the right to leave and he could not stop her.

She was right, however; they would likely meet again.

Glancing to the starry sky once more, the dark figure shook his head and began the long walk back home. Despite the commotion, he felt better and more rested. Now, he needed to return to his family, as a true father should.