Other Men Said They Have Seen Angels (Yizel)

[Tarak Rana]

Tarak leaned across the table from his wife, clinking his glass of water against hers. He didn't drink, and even if he did, she couldn't, and he wouldn't indulge in anything she couldn't. Not when they were out on a date.

It was difficult to find the time for dates. After all, with graduation on the horizon he had stepped up his game for work, hoping to draw in more students. And they had difficulty reconnecting with old classmates and teachers, perhaps in part because so few people remembered him. It was to be expected, but it made finding a babysitter so difficult.

Fortunately Michael hadn't needed a babysitter; instead he had asked to spend the night with a friend, and Tarak had gladly obliged. He wanted the romantic time with his wife, after all.

"Cheers." He exclaimed quietly, smiling at Yizel. "Should we order dessert? They probably don't have soy ice cream...."

A shame; he did so love soy-based ice creams. "We're finally having some success. I had a couple of students call because of the flyers, I've set up meetings. I was worried we'd have to really fight to help anyone there for a few months. I expected resistance from the Baselines, but to have the people we're trying to help acting like we're against them...."

He shook his head in despair. Reactions to Operation Patriot had been muted, but not entirely positive. In fact, it felt like every time he mentioned his employer people found excuses to leave.

"but people are starting to come round."

He drew his fingers around the edge of his glass pensively. "And how are you holding up?"

[Yizel Rana]

Yizel smiled at her husband across the table from her. The last few weeks had been busy ones. Yizel had been working to establish her own little business in town as she continued to also put together a room for the new baby. She hadn’t really saved all that much of Michael’s things. It wasn’t that she’d thrown them out, but instead distributed them to friends as they started to have kids. It hadn’t really occurred to her then to save it, and that they might have another child. In all fairness Michael had been a toddler then, and the concept of a toddler Michael plus a new baby was too overwhelming.

Yizel was a bit of a helicopter, she just couldn’t help it, but so far she had managed not to call Michael to see how he was getting on. It seemed that he was adapting quite well to being in Vermont. Perhaps better than they were, and she and Terry had lived here before. Then again, it was always a little bit strange, coming back.

She softly clinked her glass against his. “Really Terry, you can have something to drink if you want to. I won’t mind.” Her eyes drifted over the dessert menu resting next to her plate. “I also wouldn’t mind some chocolate.”

Then Yizel listened as Terry reported the beginnings of success in his new job here in Vermont. She nodded sympathetically and stretched a hand across the table to reach for his. “I know you are trying to help them. I know that, and you know that, but I can’t say I’m too surprised about how they are acting. We both know very well what it’s like to be on the outside, and to worry about being profiled as well. I’m sure it’ll just take a little more time and then they’ll see.”

[Tarak Rana]

Tarak shook his head, denying that he was interested in drinking; he had never been too keen on alcohol, even in his not particularly wild college days. Not that he hadn't tried it, and tried to pretend that he was interested, but it hadn't stuck.

"Ugh, you're right," He muttered, knocking back his glass of water in reaction to the helpless frustration he felt at acknowledging just how right Yizel was. Of course suspicion was the natural reaction, and in many cases it would be warranted; but in this case it wasn't. Operation Patriot existed for the betterment of meta humans.

"If only the staff at Hammel would accept that...." He sighed, reaching across the table to pick up the spiral notebook that listed drinks and desserts. "At least the headmistress is on our side. I don't know how they got her to replace Claude but she's far better for us than he was."

He really had no feelings either way for the former headmaster; Claude had become headmaster after he had graduated, and so really he wasn't particularly attached to the idea of Claude Harris being in charge at Hammel. It wasn't as if he had interacted much with Claude as a student; the head of recruiting didn't always have much to do with students outside of, well, recruitment, and that was a one time event.

He was, however, quite fond of the idea of Yvette Morgenstern as headmistress.

"So chocolate, you say? Cake type chocolate or sundae type chocolate? Or something else?"